Turning over on my side, I stare at the empty spot beside me. Ian left during the night, first to go deal with some stuff with the Klen, then to head over to Brazil. Apparently, there's a situation down there, and neither of the other Sigil Gods are free to handle it. One's in Japan dealing with volcanoes someone's trying to set off, and the other's in Russia, dealing with a glacier that's attempting to gain sentience.

I suppose a hurricane was accidentally formed by a young Sigil-Bearer and which caused a lot of damage and casualties counts as an emergency, so it's forgivable. That wasn't what Ian had to go deal with before, it was apparently new.

On the plus side, he did return here before leaving the second time. Part of the reason was to take a shower, but another was to let me know he had to go so that I didn't just wake up and find him gone.

It's still a little depressing, though, and makes me contemplate abandoning my promise to Ali and commitment to Tanner. But a moment after thinking that, I push those thoughts aside. It's only a couple of more months at the most, I can wait it out.

Besides, I'm needed here in town. Ian probably dealt with the threat to me last night, but that doesn't change the fact that the Klen is here. As long as they're here, there's a danger present. With what Ian told me about Jay, though, it might not be that bad.

I'll see how things go.

Having decided that, I get out of bed and fix myself a hearty breakfast, making sure to include some of the fruits and berries Ian left. One benefit to dating Ian: I sometimes get things even Jay doesn't grow. Maybe I'll have Ian send me some berry bushes so that I can give them to Jay?

Something to think about. Even if I'm leaving in the next couple of months, I'm sure Jay would love to have some more things to grow and eat.

After breakfast, I wash my dishes and put them away, then dress for the day. Just as I'm preparing to head out, my phone rings. Checking it, I see that it's Tabitha, so I answer it.

"Good morning, Tabitha," I say.

"Mind meeting me for breakfast?" She asks. "At the breakfast cafe down the street from the sandwich cafe?"

"Sure," I answer. "I can be there in about thirty."

"Thanks," she says. "I'll see you then."

She ends the call, so I hang up and pocket my phone, then pull on my backpack and head downstairs. Tanner's waiting by the security guard desk, though I'm guessing he only just arrived.

"Tabitha wants to meet up with me for breakfast," I tell him as we leave the building. "We can head into the ruins after. Ian had a new suggestion for how to train your ability."

"Okay," Tanner says.

We walk down to the cafe and head over to the table Tabitha's sitting at with a cup of coffee in front of her. Erin's not here, thank goodness, though I'm sure she's already realized how easy it was for me to have additional guards assigned to her. Ian let me know before he left this morning that Dana assigned ten Sigil-Bearers to her and had them flown out in a supersonic transport plane-jet-thingy I've never really understood. They were dropped off at the airport in the nearest city, then driven out here.

"Good morning, Tabitha," I say.

"Good morning, Nick," she says, then inclines her head towards Tanner. "Hello, Tanner. Sorry about yesterday, my daughter isn't the most pleasant of people."

"Erin did something after I left?" I ask.

"Nothing to worry about," Tanner tells me. "Hello, Tabitha."

"How have you been?" Tabitha asks me. "From what I heard, you haven't changed much."

"I haven't," I answer. "There's been nothing new since we talked a couple of years ago."

"Oh, really?" She looks at Tanner.

"It's a beneficial relationship," I state. "I help him avoid being followed when he goes to train his ability so that he can keep it a secret."

"That sounds like it benefits him," she says. "Sounds like it's only beneficial, not mutually-beneficial."

"It's mutually-beneficial," I state.

"What do you get from it?" She asks. "Not saying I don't trust him, Nick, but I still care for you, even if I'm not around."

You won't care about me that much after the Revelation, though, because I'll only be a vague memory. You'll know you had a nephew who lived here that you sometimes saw, but that'll probably be all you can remember about me. Eventually, I'd probably even fade from your mind.

But that's not for here and now, and she does care about me, despite leaving me to my own devices and the school.

"I know," I tell her. "Regarding what I get from it? Well, I get to hang out with someone who isn't full of himself and doesn't want to leech off of others. He might be a Sigil-Bearer, but he's still rather good company who's more humble in regards to his status as one. I can actually tolerate him."

There are other things I get out of it, like the sex, but that's not a 'payment'. It's just part of us being friends with benefits. She probably won't have an issue with it, though I'm not going to mention it to her.

"Plus, I can beat him at most games he tries to play with me," I say. "Being a Sigil-Bearer doesn't help him in poker or video games."

"We've never played poker," Tanner says, then looks at Tabitha. "Nick's just trying to come up with a reason for hanging out with me other than that he can tolerate me. He won't admit it, but he actually does enjoy company from time to time."

A waiter stops by to ask us what we we want, and we all order pancakes, with Tanner and me ordering sausage on the side, Tanner ordering some bacon on the side, and Tabitha ordering bacon and eggs on the side. Our tastes in pancakes are different. I get strawberry-banana, Tanner gets blueberry with strawberries, and Tabitha gets chocolate-chip. Tanner and I both order orange juice while Tabitha has her coffee and will probably just get refills.

The pancakes Tanner and I ordered aren't normally on the menu, so I'm guessing that the fruits and berries were ordered specially by a store in town because of all the guests we'll be having over the next week. Graduation usually pulls in a crowd, and stores and restaurants will want to serve something good for them.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I make a mental note to check out the stores either after we leave here or sometime in the next day and buy what I can. Ian dropped off some stuff, but that doesn't mean it'll last very long, especially if I'm feeding both myself and Tanner. His were probably fresher than the ones from the store.

"It's hard to find good company," I tell Tabitha after the waiter leaves. "And Tanner understands that we're basically done once either he leaves or I do. It prevented an unhealthy attachment from being formed."

At least, as far as Tanner knows. From what I can tell, he's still viewing us as friends with benefits that will end once he has control over his power and leaves. That, and because he knows I'm planning on moving in with Ian at some point this summer, so he knows that even if he stayed, he'd be separated from me.

"You're planning on leaving?" Tabitha asks.

"Yeah," I answer. "I'm moving in with my boyfriend sometime this summer."

"You're gay?" She seems a little surprised. "Wait, you have a boyfriend? And they don't live here?"

We talk so infrequently that I guess I forgot to let her know I was moving. At the latest, it would be the next time she made plans to come out here and visit, she always calls me at least one to three months in advance, before actually booking the flight and hotel.

"His name is Ian," I tell her. "We've known each other for years, but it's long-distance. He does try to visit once a month, though. He works for the Federation, in cybersecurity. He was actually just out here, you missed him."

Tanner very obviously tries not to snort, and Tabitha gives him a curious look for a moment before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Well," she says. "I'm happy you've found someone, Nick. How long have you two been together? Do you think marriage is in the future?"

"How long we've been together is complicated to figure out," I tell her. "As for marriage… yes, we'll be getting married."

"Make sure to invite me," she says. "I'll make sure to leave Erin at home."

"I will," I lie.

There's no way Tabitha would be able to attend a wedding between Ian and me. It won't happen until after the Revelation, and she wouldn't even know who I am then.

The way Tanner shifts next to me reveals that he picked up on the lie, but he doesn't say anything. He probably will once we leave here, though, most likely to ask why I won't be inviting her. I'm not looking forward to that discussion.

"Do you know when it will be?" Tabitha asks.

"Probably towards the end of summer," I answer as our waiter returns with our food.

Our food is put down and the waiter leaves, then we begin eating.

"How's Jared?" I ask after a few minutes of silent eating, causing Tabitha to look at me in surprise.

Jared's her husband, who she married only a year ago. She never told me about him, probably because she felt that I interacted with her and Erin little enough that I probably wouldn't care about someone I'd never met.

"Ian works cybersecurity for the Federation," I say. "And Erin has Federation protection at all times. He let me know about the wedding once the marriage was reported."

"Oh," Tabitha says. "He's doing well, he's with Erin right now, though she gets along with him about as well as she gets along with you. I don't know where I went wrong with her."

"Some people are just naturally that way," I say. "There's nothing you can do about it except deal with it and try to minimize the problems that arise as a result. When someone has a form of power over others, there's always the chance it'll get to their head. Erin's one of those cases. I happen to be on pretty good terms with several Sigil-Bearers, none of whom are the same as Erin."

Ali, Tanner, and Jay are all examples of Sigil-Bearers who didn't let it go to their head. Wyatt is an example of one who let it go way beyond just to his head. That one encounter with him tells me that he's probably a thousand times worse than Erin.

Remembering that Wyatt is probably still here in town, and that Ian couldn't locate him with the powers available to him at the moment, sours my mood somewhat. I'm not looking forward to the things which will happen as a result of his presence here.

Ian did everything he could without going to an absurd level or getting into too much trouble, but that means the Klen is still here. Them, and many of their Sigil-Bearers and soldiers. He did do his best to stop the danger to me and others, but there's only so much he can do right now.

Though after the Revelation, none of it will matter. The Klen won't be gone, they just won't matter to me anymore. I'm sure Tanner will be off on his own, happy with his control over his power, by then. He's adjusting to it quickly now that he's been training, and the next stages of his training will probably help him acquire the control he's seeking.

"Some of us don't want our powers," Tanner mutters under his breath, quietly enough that Tabitha didn't hear it.

The three Sigil-Bearers guarding her from out of sight probably did, though, and it's probably made them curious what he means by that. Dana put guards on my aunt as well, just in case the Klen goes after her to try to get to Erin.

"What was that?" Tabitha asks.

"These pancakes are better than I expected," Tanner holds up a forkful of pancake. "Though not as good as Nick's, he's a pretty good chef."

"Yeah," Tabitha smiles. "I've had his cooking once. He says he taught himself how to cook because he can't stand cafeteria food, but personally, I think he just likes cooking. My sister was the same way. Our dad could cook just fine, but once my sister gave it a try, she had a hand in almost every meal we all ate together. She said there was just something soothing about getting to have a hand in making what she ate."

"Some people find serenity in it," Tanner tells her. "I've learned not to mess with Nick while he's in the kitchen. While he'll have a conversation, that's about all he'll do if he's cooking. It calms him and makes him happy."

It is calming, being able to cut things, crush things, put things to flame… also known as 'cooking' to most people. But I really did start teaching myself how to cook out of a desire for minimizing cafeteria food and feeding myself without being judged. I do eat a lot.

Case in point, this is my second breakfast, and I've already gone through a full stack of pancakes and four thick sausages during this conversation, and signaled to the waiter for a second serving, all because I am hungry.

"So you're in his apartment at mealtimes, then?" Tabitha asks, and I get the feeling that she might be wondering about our relationship.

"Nick's not cheating on Ian," Tanner quickly tells her. He probably picked up the suspicions in her emotions. "It's rather convenient to have a friend who knows how to cook and doesn't mind feeding a Sigil-Bearer. I do pay him a little for the added groceries he needs, and his cooking is much better than what I'd end up eating if I ate by myself, but also cheaper than going to a restaurant all the time."

"Okay," Tabitha relaxes a little as our waiter returns with my next serving. "When did you order more?"

"Before I finished my first plate," I answer.

"Do any of you need refills?" The waiter asks.

"We could all use some," I tell him, and he heads off. "As for what Tanner and I do, Ian trusts me, but is still aware of everything. If he had an issue with anything Tanner and I did, Tanner would probably have disappeared."

"That's a strange way of joking about his job," Tabitha comments as I begin eating my second serving of my second breakfast.

"Oh, no, he's serious," Tanner hastily tells her. "Trust me. His boyfriend could definitely make me disappear. Rather easily, too. Your nephew's a good person, he wouldn't cheat on his boyfriend."

Yeah, I'd never cheat on Ian. My doing stuff with Tanner is with Ian's permission, after all, so it's not cheating, and it's not like Ian hasn't shown interest in doing stuff with him. And done stuff with him, even if it was mostly just both of them doing me at the same time.

Tanner clears his throat a little, and I realize he's sensing me becoming aroused over thinking about last night, which probably caused him to become aroused as well. I know he enjoyed it a lot.

"Anyway," I say. "After breakfast, I'm taking Tanner into the ruins so that he can train his ability in peace. Did you want to talk about anything in particular before we leave? Or just chat about… something?"

They're only staying until this afternoon, so we won't see each other again once we leave the cafe. This may be the last time we ever speak, and it's not like she'd ever remember the conversation after the Revelation. However, it's still good to see anyway, as it would still benefit her. After all, someone's mood at any given moment can affect the rest of their day.

"Sure," Tabitha says. "I've always wondered, but what do you do to earn money?"