THE MEANING OF 'LOW PROFILE'

Chu remained in the inner tower browsing books in the library for weeks. To avoid attention to his research he decided to share a burst of enlightenment so inquisitive eyes could focus elsewhere. Surrounded by individuals who practically craved knowledge, he found this plan worked wonders. At least for now, no one kept looking over his shoulder making it easy to keep a low profile.

As a rule, every evening he strolled into a designated workshop located in the inner circle. Nodding to the guards he entered with his hand clasped behind his back and head held high.

"Looks like there's going to be another storm today."

"Last week he chewed out an Apprentice for not filling the barrels with enough water. I wonder whose turn it is today?"

The pair of guards at the entrance whispered.

Chu smirked on hearing the conversation behind him. Only he alone knew why he kept these guys flustered.

"Senior Apprentice Tye, I see you're working hard. Let's hear today's report."

"Ah, Boss. I mean Junior Chu, you're here earlier than expected. Hold on we have it here."

Chu nodded to the rest of the Apprentices while following Tye towards a long table scattered with scrolls and parchments of diagrams, sketches, and numbers. He leaned against the table glancing at the young men attired in blue robes bustling in the middle of this large one-room building. He had requested Tye to lead this project which came as no surprise to the Council since they were old acquaintances.

"Today Dax finally fixed the leak at the bottom of the tower. We found it difficult to peer through the window of foggy quartz but we can see a level now. Jake has finished testing the bimetallic strips and we had a blacksmith attach them with molten iron. The indicators on the plates are set for when water boils."

"Good, and what about the trays that have holes like sieves and strainers?"

Chu inquired while looking at the crude ten-feet high, vertical cylinder with the metal tube attached to the top making a u-turn and disappearing into an oversized cask filled with water. The roughly beaten round bottom of the strange hulking piece of metal resided over an enclosed fire pit.

"We haven't received it as yet so we wanted to begin without them. The blacksmith says it will take a little longer."

Tye answered while retreating.

Sure enough, the expectant berating followed soon after.

"Tye, Tye, Tye. This vision came to me one night as the moonlight streamed through my open window. Not once have I failed to turn a gift from the Heavens into a reality. Why do you seek to tear my plans down? Come, call the others, let's have a high profile meeting..."

***

Since the end of the month coincided with the end of summer, Chu sent a message with Ming for the others to prepare for a week's vacation. Seeing that they had this opportunity, Chu planned to have their yearly birthday celebration within the city.

The city had a few well-known places that served sumptuous cuisine which even some of the senior mages frequented. It also had a beautiful private park in the south, complete with intricately designed pavilions, clear jade-colored lakes, and conservative greenery.

At the end of the week, Chu met Ming at the entrance to the Inner Circle in the afternoon. It didn't take him long to issue a snort while rolling his eyes. He narrowed his eyes towards the older teen.

"Out with it. Anytime you keep sighing like an old man usually means you're bursting to spill a story. What is it this time?"

"Heh, heh, you know me so well Chu. Follow me, there is a reason I came for you this early."

Ming flagged down a wagon and directed it towards the Alchemist Division.

"Hey Poll, my friend here is a little late for the lecture. You don't mind if he goes in now, right?"

"No need to ask me, Brother Ming, it's not me who would receive a wailing from those old men for entering late."

"Thanks a lot. By the way, I heard that Larry smuggled in a box of Redberries, fresh from the north. It's going fast at ten coppers a handful."

"Ah, thanks for the tip, I haven't had those in ages."

The guard nodded while they headed up the steps to the large doors. Since Chu wore the blue robes of an Apprentice, he found no issue in allowing them access. When Chu walked down the corridor he heard the voice of the speaker emanating from the hall. When he entered the arch into the amphitheater, he froze, now knowing why the voice sounded familiar.

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On the center stage down below, a teenaged, short-haired girl stood beside a large cauldron while rambling on about the value of maintaining a constant heat. At a long table beside her, a smaller girl sliced and carefully weighed herbs on what had to be a scale. Below the stage, another girl bustled about passing out scrolls and flyers.

Chu remained rooted with his eyes and mouth open wide for some time. When he pulled himself together, he turned and grabbed Ming by the collar with one hand while pointing to the stage below with the other.

"What the heck is this?"

Before Ming could choke out a reply, a scarlet-robed mage turned from one of the packed seats nearby.

"Hey, you stupid apprentice. Shut up and get out. Wait for me by the guard booth outside, I'll deal with you then."

The middle-aged man snarled before turning to his companion.

"This is young lady Sue's last lecture for the month, and I ended up missing a key part because of these idiots."

"Bobby came before dawn and reserved a seat at the front. Hopefully, we can copy some notes from him. I'll help you punish these fools later."

Chu never considered himself as an idiot. Grabbing Ming in tow, he questioned the guard and made his way to the lecturers' entrance at the rear. He had just arrived in the lobby area when the doors at the far end opened on an unlikely group. Mage Tarot chatted away at the teenager next to him while burying his head in a scroll. Sue was in the middle of raising and waving around her hands to indicate something when she froze with them in mid-air.

Ignoring the stifled yelps that came from the girls next to her, she could only force a sheepish smile as the words from the younger boy reached her red ears.

"Good, good, very good Sue, you three have really outdone yourselves..."

***

"Tell me again, why am I standing behind this hedge? I look like a stalker."

Chu muttered. After showing an amicable face while conversing for a short time with Council Mage Tarot, Chu left the amphitheater but not before giving Sue and the girls a death stare. He planned to deal with them on the way back to the villa. Instead of heading out to the entry field to wait on Mr. Thomas, Ming had the two of them hiding behind a hedge near another building.

A short time later, the large arched, wooden doors opened to allow an abundance and variety of flowers to escape. With classes over, the girls made their way out in singles, pairs or groups while trudging, running or strolling into freedom. Like an old lecher, even Chu couldn't help but wipe the drool off his face, given the sight of this cream of the crop. Soon a large group of girls exited as they chattered and laughed.

Even in such a sizable group, Chu recognized some familiar faces. Possessing natural beauty, skincare lotion, and modern-day tools, they created an allure for spectating eyes to take a second glance. Before he could react or call out, he witnessed countless heads popping out from behind the opposite hedges. Like aggressive contenders, they swooped towards that particular crowd, halting to a stop before it while draping on faces of affection.

"Lady Thomas, please receive this letter of affection. I wrote it under the silvery moonlight while sitting beside the bubbling brook."

"He lies, Lady Thomas. I saw him buying a copy from a bard at Lily's Tavern. Please hold mine."

"Please have mine, receive mine."

Nearby, a group of young men in a similar outfit like Ming held a conversation with a black-haired girl. A few girls accompanied her while listening and voicing their opinion.

"This is the amount I owe you for the bet. Miss Miki, this is my entire salary for the week, could I maybe have a loan to tide me over? I swear I'll pay it back next week."

A man wrung his hands while pleading.

"Who you calling Miss Miki? Double the interest, who told you to gamble your hard-earned cash?"

A nearby girl answered as she then patted Miki's shoulder and continued,

"Look, Miki. That's the Apprentice who lost the bet with you while competing with the crossbow. Quick, introduce him to me"

"Ah, Lady Boss, the Lily tavern sends this pouch of coins for you. Hobb says your knife-throwing skills are excellent."

"Eeek, where did this sleazy man come from, shoo, Miki, let me take the money from that handsome Apprentice..."

Next, to this rowdy bunch, Lucy stood stiff while locked in the embrace of a similar beauty with blond wavy hair.

"Lucy, you have to come to visit me in Frost City when I leave here. You have to stay with me. Krill says you even beat him up fair and square, and not like that barbarian Miki with her underhanded kicks. You have to teach me some of those moves."

Chu froze while mumbling a string of curses as his mind tried to grasp this situation. This bastard Ming never reported any of this to him in the Inner Circle. Hearing the place called Lily, however, triggered a memory. Undoubtedly, this idiot had failed to reap benefits and tried to distance himself. As if to drop another blow, another group of girls exited the building. This group halted closer to his hideout, allowing him a full earful of their chatter.

Another familiar voice occupying the center of attraction sounded.

"Sister Sahara says she will hold a banquet in the next two weeks in the evening in her courtyard. Double the pages for three days and I will have invites for everyone. Arie, I'm off for a week so you can take a rest. When I return, then you'll continue submitting my quota for me. Keep up the good work, Elder Quale praised me yesterday for my great calligraphy skills."

The small redhead paced at the front of this older crowd while continuing spewing out orders.

"Katie, you will handle my cleanup rotation in the class. I'll deal with that puck-faced apprentice for you as a bonus. Class Monitor Ning, ask Apprentice Kole to hand us the pages for Elder Shi's new Alchemist book since its only five pages with lots of easy writing. Use my name if you have to. Mary, have the Dorm Matron move the girls from the room next to mine. Sakura rolled me off the bed while tossing and turning because of the snores. Don't forget ..."

The redhead paused as a familiar figure stopped beside her. A hand dropped on her shoulder squeezing it in a heavy massage.

"Greetings my fair ladies, this humble one request some time alone with this little boss of yours."

Chu looked down into those green eyes that tried to glance away while continuing,

"Low profile. What part of low profile can't you all understand? I swear, I'm raising a pack of kids."

When Sakura exited the building while chatting with a friend, she heard a shout.

"Save me Sakura!"

Looking around, she saw Dyna throwing her a frantic wave while being dragged away like a sack of potatoes.

"I wonder what all that is about?"

****