“Yes, Joe.”
“Thanks, Kilniara,” Joe nodded then headed up to the bedroom but Kilniara found herself sitting and waiting quite a bit longer than she expected, the food having already come by the time Master had come back down.
“Sorry, Kilniara. Both of them ended up puking. Had to take time to clean it up. Really gross!”
Kilniara felt her eyes rise, shock flooding through her, although she returned a polite dismissal of Master’s apology as her mind was still too busy on the idea of Master taking the time to clean apprentices of vomit. She smiled but said little, although Master seemed to think little of it and quickly tucked into his meal, eating voraciously. Kilniara waited politely for him to begin, as all apprentices did, then joined in the meal with him, still quite shocked by how much he was willing to eat, although it didn’t seem to be affecting his combat capabilities. It was rare to see overweight people, only amongst the overly wealthy, but she still found it…
“What Master? I’m sorry. I did not hear what you said, please forgive me.”
Joe smiled, “Ah… don’t need to ask for forgiveness… but… please don’t call me master?”
“Ah… sorry mas… Joe.”
Joe smiled and said nothing about her failure, yet once again, politely moving the conversation, “I was just asking how you are doing. You are the only girl in our group. It can sometimes be hard.”
“No. It is … it is not hard at all, M… Joe. You treat me well and make sure the other apprentices treat me well, too.”
“Hmm… Well, being treated well is what all people should do. It is the basic requirement of being a sapient. But it can still be hard being the only woman in a group.”
Kilniara cocked her head to the side, and considered, “Possibly, but as long as we are not long from others or often in a city… I’m uncertain it will be difficult for me.”
“Hmm… so you do not miss making jokes about stupid boys or men, or how your brother, or Garnedell or I act as foolish men?”
Kilniara’s eyes widened, but realized that he was telling a joke, and smiled in response, offering a nervous chuckle but uncertain of what to say in return and did not reply.
Joe smiled a bit but then went back to his meal, dropping the topic with a simple statement, “Well, then… just make sure to ask for anything if you need, OK?”
Kilniara nodded with a soft reply, “Yes, Joe.”
Huh… it is getting easier to call his name. Kilniara blushed but then settled into the comfortable disregard of her master’s absent gaze, grateful to not have to be under his focus for such a strange and unusual interaction. Do masters amongst his people often converse with their apprentices about apprentices’ personal lives? Kilniara felt her discomfort rise at the thought, so quickly escaped it, seeking comfort in the silence of her meal. But… am I still… will I remain an apprentice? That brought exciting thoughts and she sighed deeply to think it.
Finally, Master finished his meal and she followed behind him as he led the way to the beginner’s dungeon once again. Master seems to know the city already. He seemed to learn the city so quickly! I wonder how high his mental abilities are. Kilniara mused curiously as she followed behind Master. Master Joe several times slowed, seeming to move to the side and Kilniara always slowed to step behind and to the side as well, although she was always confused why he did so as no one was in front of him. Is there… what is he seeing?
He did it a few more times before he came to a stop and looked back at Kilniara, “Please, don’t walk behind me. Just walk beside me.”
Kilniara dropped her head in embarrassment, a deep flush coming to her cheeks as she thought of walking beside him. Why does he want… Kilniara took a moment to calm herself and started to speak, denying Master’s kindness but was cut off as Master once again insisted that she come to his side.
She struggled a bit, but Master proved quite insistent and she was able to easily see Master’s stern expectation. She came to his side, as he asked, but found herself unable to look at him and looked away to hide her face.
As they walked, she found herself wrestling with the meaning of Master’s call, uncomfortable to find herself at his side. Her mind whirled as she considered Master’s purpose that she almost missed Master’s question.
“So… How are you doing? Is everything OK?”
Kilniara smiled, grateful for Master’s concern over last night and she nodded slightly, “Yes. I’m OK. I’m grateful that you are willing to consider me, even if you are politely refusing.”
Master Joe glanced at her quickly, subtle alarm easily seen on his face and she tensed, worried that she was pushing the issue, but his reply eased her fear, “I’m… uh… I wasn’t talking about last night. But, yeah… that could be stressful, maybe… too… but like I said last night. There is no rejection. I just… need to know you well. I do not seek out… companionship?... easily. I desire someone who will be my partner… for life, if possible. How can you know the man I am after only a few days? And how can I know the woman you are after only a week? The rejection is not you, but a rejection of intimacy too quickly for as well as we know each other. Even if the most beautiful woman in the world propositioned me, I would reject her if I did not know her, or if she was a bitc… a rude and mean woman that I would not like.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“So I am not beautiful enough?” Kilniara teased quietly under the curtain of her hair before she glanced up at him and eased his concern with a slow smile.
Master’s worry was obvious when she saw his face, but seeing her smile, Master Joe realized she was joking and he smirked in reply, rolling his eyes as he replied, “I’m very certain you know that is not true at all, both in my words and in my terrified retreat from last night.”
Kilniara giggled at that, “You retreated?”
“Yes, quite quickly.”
“I defeated you so easily?”
“And soundly, yes.”
“Hmm,” Kilniara replied, but said nothing else, settling into the feeling of hopeful joy.
They walked in companionable silence for a few moments before Kilniara spoke up again, wishing to maintain their easy camaraderie, “Yet you were able to retreat successfully.”
Master Joe smiled and looked at her, a confidence had settled on his shoulders as a provocative smile leapt across his lips, “Only because you graciously allowed me to save my pride. If you would have pursued your victory, I would have been soundly defeated.”
Kilniara looked into Joe’s eyes, seeing his returned confidence and found herself replying in kind, “Then you wish me to pursue you? To defeat you?”
Master Joe’s startled look and flushed red cheeks brought a chuckle which quickly erupted into full laughter. Master Joe’s shock quickly faded at her laughter, provocation urging him to respond, but he did so in a remarkably polite way. She had feared that her laughter had been too much, and almost cut it off but when she saw his smirk, knew that he was accepting of her teasing. I’m teasing my Master? This… The realization crashed into her like a river, sweeping her away in her own turn to be shocked, but also a freedom that left her floating in a way that left her breathless.
As always, Master Joe seemed unable to read the subtle cues that she revealed. She, at first, had thought he had been unable to read Acokzau or other non-base, but she found that he was remarkably blind even to Garnedell, who was also a base.
Master Joe soon replied as he saw Kilniara’s continued giggles, his reply sharp which seemed odd in contrast to his smiling face and general playful demeanor, “So, you wish to toy with me?”
Kilniara found herself stuck, her smile carefully maintained but slightly frozen as she considered his harsh reply. It was in direct contrast to his playful mood, face, and Presence, which radiated humor and joy. She decided to trust his Intent, although given his great power difference, it would be easy enough for him to deceive her with false Intent.
She stuck out her tongue at him and shrugged her shoulders, while quickly hiding her tense fear, worried that he would reply badly, “You ran from me!”
Master Joe’s eye’s quirked, a single eyebrow rising above his left eye before he chuffed a single laugh, “So… it’s a fight, then. It seems you are asking for ever more and stronger combat training!”
Kilniara thought little of it, almost nodding eagerly before her eyes opened wide and she realized what he was saying. He will … is he… As fear began to settle in again, she quickly reassessed Master’s Intent, and still felt joy and pleased amusement. He teases me with intense training! Master is truly… Kilniara blinked in surprise, realizing that Master truly was treating her as a simple equal, and nothing more, but she struggled with the… strangeness of the experience, once again trusting to the Intent Master was releasing.
“Hmm… well, I guess I might just accidently drop my towel while I am washing if you happen to be in the room,” Kilniara tossed her head to the side in the way she’d seen other base human’s do, flinging her own coarser feather like hair to the side over the shoulder opposite Master, wishing to see his reaction more easily.
Kilniara grinned triumphantly when she saw Master stumble, coughing quietly under his breath before turning away, the skin of his neck and face turning a brilliant red. Kilniara giggled under her breath at Master’s reaction and skipped ahead a bit before stopping in shock, realizing she’d pulled ahead of her master and she quickly pulled herself back in line with Master. She feared she had offended but then calmed at his next statement.
“Right. I admit defeat! That battle is yours!” Joe offered while also bowing to her with a courtier’s flourish of arms.
Kilniara’s shock was completely overwhelmed by her proud joy, laughter bubbling up deep inside her in such a surprising display that it left her wheezing over her knees while looking at Master.
“I know you won, but do you have to rub it in. The laughter is a bit much,” Master Joe offered with a pleased smile, his Intent revealing his happiness at bringing her joy.
That last revelation, more than his statement, released her fear and completed liberated her feelings to be free in front of him, and she stood and bounced to him in open and peaceful happiness as she wrapped her arms around Mas… Joe, “Thank you … Joe. Thank you.”
“For what?” Joe’s reply was confused, his Intent also quickly muddying in confusion and Kilniara could only shake her head as she realized that what he offered was not planned, but pure acceptance derived from who he was. She smiled at him when she pulled her head back, but kept her arms around him, staring into his eyes before shaking her head with a satisfied smile as she stepped back.
“For choosing me as your apprentice, and for being willing to be my Master, but also being a kind… no… a good person as well.”
Ma… Joe smiled at that, cocking a head before smiling and shrugging his shoulders, “There is no need to thank me for being good. It is the least any sapient should be. I choose to be good for myself, not for others. Others benefit, true, but I choose it for myself. There is no need for your thanks. However, it is … very meaningful to me, and I’m very grateful for the thanks.”
Joe’s smiling statement at that slipped a ghostly tendril past her, into the depths of her heart that shocked her. Kilniara shivered at his statement, and offered a tentative smile of her own before turning to continue their walk to the dungeon depths. The conversation died at that point as Kilniara dove deeply into her own thoughts, mind carefully excavating what had just happened, struggling to understand what his comment had unearthed in her own heart. This moment would echo in her thoughts for a long time, partly for his shocking words, but more because Kilniara would long struggle over why it so deeply impacted her.
* * *