Chapter 219

Jay left the Training Hall through a throng of students. Normally students would stay away from the Training Hall given the chance. No one really enjoyed working out first thing after breakfast or doing weapon exercises on a full stomach. That morning things had been different though as the students had been offered one on one instruction rather than digestive calisthenics.

Jay pushed through the students that were all trying to either get into the Training Hall or trying to leave it. The scent of leather, metal, and breakfast accompanied them as they moved about. Occasionally other, less pleasant, smells wafted past him and Jay was momentarily extra thankful for his Tropical Island Aura – not that he was using it at the moment.

“Jay!” called a woman with red hair who wore a gorgeous shimmery green dress that ran from her neck down to her feet with just the toes of her high heeled boots showing. Jay might have considered her beautiful – if he hadn't already gotten to know her a bit.

Jay stopped in the crowd of people outside of the Training Hall and smiled politely. People moved past them as the two struck up a conversation. Jay would rather be anywhere else but thought that if they had to have a conversation it was probably the best spot to do it. In public, where they couldn't get too comfortable or talk too long.

“Hi Carly. What's up?” he asked noncommittally. The last time he had seen Carly things had ended badly. He was curious to ask what had happened to her but wasn't sure if he really even wanted to know.

“Nothing much. Going to visit the Hall for some extra training,” Carly answered a little evasively.

Jay detected something off in her tone. “We're all getting extra training. You make yours sound different.”

Carly sighed and nodded. “Traps training. Along with a few others. Look,” she said as she looked away from him and her eyes scanned the crowd rather than lock eyes with him while she spoke. “I'm sorry about last time. I was just trying to spend some time with you – I thought since the class was optional it would be best if I didn't get too involved. That was not a great choice on my part. I'm sorry for messing things up.”

She refused to meet his eye and Jay finally shrugged.

“That's fine. Consider yourself forgiven. But you don't need to follow me around – you do need to work on your dungeon etiquette,” Jay said, not letting her entirely off the hook. “Also – if you want to spend time together just ask. I won't promise you that I'll say yes after your past behavior but you have to ask. You can't just slide your way into my life,” Jay pointed out and a bit of his frustration showed through.

Carly frowned and nodded. She had hoped the conversation would go a bit better but Jay was still letting her off the hook a bit – more than she deserved. “Right. Of course. I understand. I won't be making that mistake again. Promise.”

Jay nodded uncertainly and Carly took the silence as an opportunity to speak further.

“I have to get inside. I've mandatory training to make up for my last run. I'll see you tomorrow?” Carly asked with a pleading look. She was hoping that the Glimmerhides would still take her with them for their graduation exercises. If not then she would be in a bit of a bind and would have to find a group with an open spot to take her – not an easy or even guaranteed solution to her problem.

Jay paused before he nodded. “The only reason you're still going with us is because it is too late to change it. The others might not be thrilled to have you there tomorrow,” he pointed out not unkindly.

Carly nodded, “I understand. I promise to be good.”

Jay sighed. “Ok Carly,” he said and shook his head in resignation. “I'll see you tomorrow in the courtyard then.”

Carly smiled brightly and for a moment looked like her normal self. “Thanks Jay! See you then! You won't be sorry!”

Jay watched her turn around and walk into the building quickly, as if she were afraid Jay might change his mind before she got inside.

Jay put the encounter out of his mind. Carly was Carly – he'd learned to judge her by her behavior, not her words. With a sigh he stepped aside out of the flow of people and made his way across the lawn in front of the building. There was no path and he turned the corner after he had walked by a number of windows that looked directly in to the Training Hall.

He could almost make out people training inside as he moved past the front windows. He could make out forms but not faces. That must also mean that those inside could see a shape moving past them but not Jay's face. Jay thought that was just fine.

Jay turned the corner of the building and was forced to walk almost pressed up against the building's wall as a riot of plant life snarled across the way in front of him. Jay carefully moved plants aside as he picked his way slowly forward.

For a moment Jay reconsidered. Would an instructor really push past all of this just to feed some ducks? Jay supposed they might if they wanted to be left alone. Or if they really liked ducks. Or a mix of both, maybe? Jay's mind was beginning to wander and he tried to refocus on his movements through the plants and trees.

He knew better than to try and rush - that would only ensnare him in the plants and vines that blocked his way. Jay saw a slight movement and smiled.

A bunny huddled under a nearby shrubbery and startled as Jay passed near to it. Jay stopped and stared at the tiny animal. It was so little, white, and fluffy and it had a tiny white puffball for a tail. As Jay stared at it he Inspected it without meaning to. Ten seconds go by fast when you're staring at a bunny.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Bunny popped up in a little notification in Jay's vision. He chuckled to himself and the bunny ran off at an angle that would take it away from Jay and further in to a snarl of shrubs. That was helpful, Jay thought to himself with a grin and a shake of his head.

He was nearing the rear of the building and was passing by a window when he realized that these windows looked in on offices and private rooms. He saw what looked like two people wrestling in a private room before Jay blushed and quickly started to move past the wide window.

Please don't see me, please don't see me, Jay repeated in his mind as he crept quickly past the window with the two people inside. He got caught up in a vine thanks to his attempts at moving quickly.

Jay cursed his ill-considered speed and muttered 'Goddess,' under his breath. Had he kept his slow pace he would have been fine, but no, he had to try and move past quickly. Now he had to stop, in front of the window with the wrestling couple, and unwind himself from a tangle of vines.

He tried to move slowly so he wouldn't draw attention to himself. Finally after an interminably long moment Jay managed to extricate himself from the vines. He held himself back and carefully picked his way forward once again and was sure to move slowly so as not to repeat his recent mistake.

The people inside were moving but not in the direction of the window, Jay thought. They were facing away from the window, hopefully. Jay looked closer for a moment and couldn't be sure which way they were facing. Rather than pause to investigate any further Jay instead continued past them and the window.

Finally past the window, he let out a breath and leaned up against the stone edifice of the building and paused to rest. Pushing through all the plant life wasn't easy and he already wished that he had chosen to work on another trap rather than skulk about in the tangled greenery he found himself in.

Sweat had begun to squeeze out of Jay's pores and he could feel the trickle of moisture on his skin as little dots of perspiration formed under his arms along with a few other places as well. He wiped sweat off of his forehead on to his sleeve. Leather was not a great material for wiping off sweat. Maybe he needed to carry around a handkerchief or something, he thought to himself.

Jay stopped leaning on the building and moved on towards the building's rear face. Jay could see a brightening at the end of the tunnel of greenery he found himself in and he quickened his pace for a moment before he slowed down once again as a vine snagged at his leg. He grabbed it and unwound it before tossing it aside.

Finally he reached the corner of the building. He was momentarily stunned as he turned the corner and stepped out of the thick green undergrowth he had slowly picked his way through.

Spread out in front of him was a field of sunflowers – giant and tall flowers. They reached up to five feet tall and had giant flower heads that grew between a foot and a foot and a half wide with large textured black centers. The yellow petals were thick and surrounded the black centers. Insects buzzed about and the sound of their travel filled the meadow.

In the center of the field of flowers Jay could easily make out a small pond surrounded by a clear, grassy space with two stone benches, both of which faced the pond.

Jay couldn't make out the shore line from where he was and so he began to carefully wind his way through the flower patch. The field was fairly large, a few acres at least, and went back quite a ways from the large Training Hall building.

Jay took a deep breath as he walked through the flowers and realized that he could barely smell them. The sunflowers did not appear to have much of a scent. Jay pressed his nose up against one of the black flower's center and inhaled deeply.

He could barely smell a sweetness and a faint aroma of nuts. The scent was difficult to detect unless you were right up against the flower.

Jay shrugged and moved on – he wasn't sure what he had expected – a more floral scent perhaps?

He stepped out from the field of flowers and on to the grassy strip that ran around the edge of the entire pond. There was no one there. He checked the two benches. Both empty. Neither even had any belongings on them.

Jay let out a breath in a bit of a huff and sat down on one of the benches. In front of him stood a family of ducks. Mom, dad, and three smaller but adult looking ducks. Early adult looking ducks, that is. The smaller ducks had lost their downy feathers and had already grown their adult plumage. Jay could see their long flight feathers had come in as well. Soon the three ducks would leave their parents and move off on their own.

That day, however, had not yet come and the three ducks stayed nearby their parents, not yet ready to move on. They no longer needed their mother to defend them or feed them. They still stayed around them for moral support alone it seemed.

Jay shook his head as he looked about. Empty. Well, except for the ducks if he was being fair, Jay thought.

“Hey little guys, how are you?” Jay asked as he approached the ducks and squatted down on the ground to get closer to their level. Towering over an animal rarely made them feel comfortable, or safe.

Jay wished he had brought something to feed them but, unlike Aiden, Jay didn't normally carry any food on him.

“Any of you see an instructor around here?” he said to the ducks. Hopefully the instructor was nearby and listening to Jay speak. Otherwise he was going to feel pretty embarrassed for talking to ducks.

The ducks didn't answer. One disappeared under the water's surface before it reappeared and shook its head dry.

“That's as good as a no I guess,” Jay replied and stood up. He walked over to one of the benches and sat down towards one end.

What to do, Jay wondered. He moved and could feel moisture under his arms and frowned. He hated that feeling. If he were being honest he had sweated quite a bit on his way to the pond. Well, no reason to suffer, Jay thought to himself as he turned his Tropical Island Aura on.

Motes of light began to rise off of his skin and armor and in to the air gently, like snowfall, only it fell upwards.

His motes of light were quickly joined by a second tornado of motes as a cloud of motes appeared beside him on the other end of the stone bench. Jay heard a light sigh but wasn't sure if it were the wind.

The motes continued to rise off of the cloud next to him even after Jay's form had run out of motes. Jay watched as a woman's form faded in to view gradually.

“Aw. Nuts. Found me,” said Natasha with a deep frown.