Harlan ate food from vendors on the way to the mayor's home.

Sable said she would be there soon when he called, but there was a lot of noise in the background.

As soon as the ground arrived Billows had them brought to a tea room while the proper meal was being prepared.

“I’m sorry for what I said earlier. The people of the slums look healthier than they did when I first walked them. I’m not looking for forgiveness. I just wanted to admit that I handled that poorly.”

The man sipped his tea.

“Is Lady Sable going to join us?”

“After a time, she is attending an opera I think.”

“I hope we don’t need to delay dinner too much.”

Harlan’s eyes went black and he asked the question with the same awkwardness as every other time.

She didn’t mind, she could split her mind a thousand ways, there was a strange comedy to it for her as she poked fun at him for his dislike of these kinds of questions being all that she answered directly and in detail.

“15 minutes, the opera will end early when the lead suffers an injury that looks worse than it is.”

“How can you know that?”

“I am a tool to be used by things beyond man and beast. It is only fair that I get answers to simple questions.”

The meal passed mercifully, Sable distracted the mayor, as it turns out, they were both ‘cultured’ individuals who could be absorbed enough to ignore the knuckle draggers that sat along with them.

Other than a meeting with Arrac and Skit, nothing of note happened, the pair were being monitored, nobody said they were doing it, but they just figured that was the case.

As awful as it made him feel to see the cost of his actions, the bite was tempered by seeing the people who survived being so grateful to him, giving discounts or even outright gifts when he entered their stores.

The rest of the ride was calmer, Sable hummed the songs she had heard, Zella and Adina got much needed rest.

Both of them didn’t sleep well the night prior on account of something being outside the window.

As far as Harlan could tell, it was just nerves, but he spent the night tracking every living being who got close anyway when they had called him to do so.

They were also on the 6th floor of the hotel in Borden, he would’ve noticed something out there.

“So, you want to tell me what cut up your shirt yesterday?”

“Oh, I forgot. A boy, maybe 10, stabbed me. I let him go, I hope he will be ok.”

“You really let him go? You should-”

Sable seemed offended on his behalf.

“I’m saying this as a kindness. I handle things my way, either accept that or be quiet.

Don’t fight me on this. You will not change my mind, and you can only lower my opinion of you.”

She had never been intimidated by him, not until she saw how his eyes went from human to predator.

“Excuse my words then.”

“Of course. No hard feelings.”

When they arrived it was still quite early in the morning.

Harlan had the golems stored in the second carriage help everyone unload.

A member of the staff brought a booklet that better explained the details of what being an assistant actually meant and a message that the headmaster wanted to see him.

He figured there was no reason to put it off.

Those same big fancy doors, the same Maetus secretary.

He was waved in as soon as he arrived.

“Harlan. I heard that there was some issue with the man who gave you my offer to be a teaching assistant.”

“No, there was no issue. He was honest about your security system. Which means that you did nothing to punish the people who attacked Adina.”

“He must’ve been mistaken about the accuracy of the system, I assure you that we simply failed to find who did such a thing.”

“I asked Sepul about it, and he looked into the tracking. You have now lied directly to my face. If you want any further meetings, they must be related to business, I want no personal involvement with you or any of your people. I’m not looking for revenge. But I can’t trust someone like you who folds like this.”

“I don’t think that you understand the political issues I am dealing with.”

“Perhaps if you had done anything at all, rather than pretend that it didn’t happen, I could overlook it. Goodbye. I hope that your successor is better at maintaining a positive relationship with me.”

Hirum wanted to activate the arrays in the room and stop Harlan from leaving, but the shadows growing eyes and his sixth sense told him it would only agitate the situation.

Harlan didn’t stay in his room past moving crates and bags inside.

Instead he waited for others that he knew would arrive so that he could help out.

Hellon came out to meet him.

“I hope your scuffle with him hasn’t destroyed our relationship.”

“How did you find out so quickly?”

“He contacted your teachers, told them to keep an eye on you, that you might be disruptive to classes you are in. Though we got scarce details.”

“Classes are business. I will maintain my responsibilities. ”

“I think it best that you don’t tell me what happened. Not like we are very close anyway.”

“Thank you for coming to talk with me about this.”

“You are a bright student, besides, what is he going to do, fire me? Leave the children without healing and divination teachers until replacements are found? The man is spineless, he needs to be forced into action and only seems to act after it is too late.”

“How does a headmaster get deposed?”

“They die or somebody higher up arrives and kicks them out, normally resulting in death.”

“Ah, you mean her?”

She awkwardly coughed.

“I think this conversation has run its course.”

“Good to see you again, Hellon.”

The first of the rest of his group that arrived was Selen, both of them had left the same day, but one in the evening, and the other in the late morning, having missed a few chance encounters by just a matter of an hour or less at times.

“Good morning. Would you like any help with your things?”

“No, but, if you wanted to keep him company for a little bit while I call the staff to get my things, I would appreciate it.”

“Of course.”

Wulrun didn’t exactly look happy to see Harlan, guilty might’ve been the better word for it.

“Good morning Mister Harlan.”

“You look a bit down. Not enough rest?”

“I’m sorry that I hurt you before.”

“It was just an accident, I can take a little pain.”

“But you shouldn’t need to.”

“There is no path of no pain, just try to lessen it as much as you can. I know it is hard to be stronger than everyone around you, but really, I wasn’t hurt bad at all, just a few minutes inside and I was healed right up. Want to try guessing what I have in my pocket?”

“Hmm… is it candy?”

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“Right shape, but you can’t eat it.”

“A ball? I want one of them that fixes itself.”

“Correct.”

“These are fun.”

Wulrun whipped it at a nearby wall and it turned to splinters, taking a few minutes to pull back together.

“Just be careful that whatever you throw it at won’t break.”

Selen came back after a few throws to pick up Wulrun.

Eventually Harlan just started helping anyone who looked like they needed it, mostly students who got in through scholarships and lacked servants.

After nearly an hour he felt some familiar minds.

“Shelly, sorry I didn’t call you. I was a little worried after your mother took your amulet.”

“She wasn’t happy after your talk, what happened?”

“I hope she isn’t planning to kill me. But I think I should have this conversation in private. I should also introduce you to my other friends.”

“I’ve already read about them.”

Harlan chuckled.

“Always the scout. Words about people are questionable at best. Who gathered that information and why is the important question that you can use to frame the information.”

“The basics of information warfare. Did you read it over the summer?”

“I read it on the trip back here.”

“Really? It is a pretty big one.”

“I read quickly and I don’t sleep much. Do you want some help moving your things?”

“What? That is commoners work.”

“My father is a farmer. If it makes you feel any better I could use my golems.”

“No. I will accept your offer. We can speak along the way.”

She didn’t have much in the way of personal effects, between telekinesis and the golems it took one trip.

Shelly unpacked her things as they spoke of what they had done over the summer.

For her it was work work and more work. She wasn’t so prideful that she couldn’t admit that she lacked her mother’s talent, she had to work twice as hard to get into the academy at a reduced price, and it was still not even a full scholarship like her mother was given.

“Do you have any siblings?”

“Older brothers, two of them, 4 years between each of us.”

“Happy late birthday then.”

“Do you want to skip the smalltalk? I hope it isn’t rude, but, I’m worried since you didn’t call me again.”

“Alright. I asked for some information, your mother and mine were close, like sisters even. I’m worried that after we have our face to face meeting she might try to kill me.”

“What? Why?”

“The circumstances of my birth, they are unhappy. I think she is going to hold what happened to her friend against me.”

“Are you going to tell me? I mean, I know what friends are supposed to do, but I really only have David and Parnell to compare to.”

“Are they honest with you? About the things that really bother them?”

“I believe so, we’ve known one another since we were children.”

Harlan talked it over with Dawn, every time he told the story it was easier to get out, he didn’t feel the need to force it so much, maybe it would even be good practice for telling her mother.

He made these excuses to give himself the strength to say it again.

“My mother is human, my father is part of a subspecies of humans who’ve only killed and ate the people who got too close. You should be able to figure out what happened, why she is going to hate me.”

“Oh… I see.”

“If you would rather not see me for a minute, I understand.”

“No no no, I just, I’m not sure how I should react. I didn’t really know your mother, maybe my older brothers might’ve at least heard of her. You could also ask David and Parnell’s parents, they’ve known my mother since she was in the academy.”

“What are their names?”

“May is David’s mother, Cecil is Parnell’s father.”

“I’m not close with either. But I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Are you ok?”

“Why?”

“You’re crying.”

Harlan touched his face and realized that she was right.

“Dawn, are you ok?”

“It’s just been a long time since I- She heard those names. I’m trying to not be her, but those parts of her are still in me. She had a lot of regrets about how she parted ways with them. Just, don’t know, respond to her however you like.”

“I don’t have an explanation, so I won’t give one.”

“Uh, alright then. Would you like to get something to eat? I don’t think David and Parnell will be here until tomorrow, something made them late but they didn’t tell me what.”

“Sure, I’ll get my friends together, the ones who are here at least.”

The kitchen wasn’t operating at full power, but they had baked goods and meats that let the group make a platter of sandwiches.

“You all remember Shelly, right?”

“She is a work partner?”

“Hopefully a friend soon enough!”

Shelly said with a bit too much enthusiasm, she read that positive people made friends more easily.

She didn’t really understand how or why she was friends with David and Parnell and she worried that they were nothing but a holdover from when they were children, that once they moved apart from one another the others would realize they didn’t understand why they were friends with her either.

The group found it a little off putting how hard she seemed to be trying.

“Hello, my name is Adina.”

“You are Harlan’s fiance, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Congratulations, do you two have plans for a wedding before or after you are both done with academy?”

“After.”

“And your father is High Saint Malachi, The Eyes of Justice?”

Harlan thought about stepping in, but much like how he learned to avoid making things awkward by asking or saying the wrong thing, he considered it a rite of passage that Shelly should also do the same.

“I would rather not speak of that man.”

“I’m sorry to have mentioned it then. Do you have a favorite color?”

“Harlan, I can’t tell if she is joking or not.”

“She is trying her best, like me.”

The tone got better over the course of the small meal, but they were still uncertain of her.

David and Parnell arrived just as Shelly said, but the reaction to Harlan couldn’t have been more different.

Parnell hooked his arm around Harlan.

“You sly dog, I knew you and that girl were going to be an item. I need to take you to Borden, show you how to have fun before you are really locked down.”

“I know what you call fun, and I am not getting dragged into that. Good to see you though.”

“Your wife is going to want you to be experienced in the ways of romance, this is my last year, I need to teach you now before someone else does it wrong.”

“We don’t plan to get married until we are both out of the academy, and even then, I don’t care for the physical aspect of such a thing.”

“Ah.”

He hung his head and took a few steps away.

“You don’t know it, yet. I’m going to need to-”

Shelly covered him with an invisible veil and let him go down whatever list he had in his head.

“David, did you let him drink before he got here?”

“I looked away for just a minute and he was gone. I tried to clear his system, but he had some kind of counterspell in place. If he was half as creative in his studies he’d be top of every class he takes.

Hello, Harlan.”

“Good morning, David.”

“I should get my things unloaded. Excuse me.”

“Do you think he knows something?”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if Sheron contacted the others in their group. Or maybe she just called May.

I’m sure if she let anything out to her son, it wasn’t intentional. She was always protective to a fault, kinda reminds me of you, but less violent, she was the first to try clearing up misunderstandings.”

“I hope I don’t come off as so joyless to others.”

“Should I tell you, or was that a joke?”

Parnell realized what had happened and stepped out of the veil.

Harlan stepped forward, challenging him.

As far as he believed, it wasn’t really a violation of patient rights, Parnell was clearly in an unwell state if he couldn’t keep his mouth closed.

As soon as he realized what Harlan was trying to do, he put up his counter spells.

After 10 minutes Harlan could only admit defeat.

“How in the world can you do that?”

“Family secret.”

“That is some legacy your father left behind.”

“How do you know it wasn’t from my mother’s side?”

“No reason.”

Before he could go back into what he was saying before Shelly dragged him off.

From behind a shadow grew, once in range it slammed down.

Harlan narrowly dodged the attack and hit back with his full strength jab, only to be met by darkened fur that signaled imbibing.

They traded a few more blows before David showed up and blocked one, giving Harlan the time to hit back with a powerful straight, boosted by imbibing of his own.

“Stay down, beast.”

He wore his scorn plainly.

“David, calm down. It’s just a friend of mine.”

“What friend would suddenly attack you like that?”

Bojana wheezed a little as she got back up.

“That one didn’t count.”

“One that is trying to teach me how to handle an ambush and imbibing. I often go with only a few options and get hurt because I don’t use my full range of powers. I need to handle spontaneous fights that make me try different things without actually risking my life.”

“I don’t understand you. Where did Shelly and Parnell go?”

“She dragged him away before he said anything worse than he already did. I was useless against his counter spells.”

“Of course you were. Parnell might have his flaws, but when he wants something, well, I wouldn’t want to be against him to say the least.”

“Since Shelly is trying to be friendly, why don’t we try that. Can you tell me about your mother perhaps?”

David had a resting scorn in his gaze that required some effort to avoid, a trait from his mother.

In this moment, he did not try to avoid it.

“No.”

Staff came out to help him unload his things.

It took several trips for them and he had refused Harlan’s help.

The opening speech was more in the same vein as the year prior.

What once seemed hopeful now sounded empty. The headmaster spoke of unity, of bridging nations through cohabitation.

Yet Harlan already knew that he had failed, that the only thing keeping the hallways from suddenly erupting into fights every day was a threat of retaliation from students and expulsion from the academy.