Edan was meant to dress up for his birthday. Reema and Sanik both had. Reema in a strapless black dress that ended just below her knees. Sanik in a tailored (by Reema) suit of dark black and greys. Edan in contrast wore a simple white buttonup and black shorts, though he supposed it counted as dressing up as he had no plans of ever wearing something so fancy again. It was incredibly uncomfortable.
His week had been largely uneventful. Classes had filled his days and other than an afternoon when he went to Harvey’s to pick up his payment for the delivery job, Edan stayed home and meditated.
There had been a moment of excitement when they had a practical class with Master Sims and he’d introduced Tali. The Titan had stood tall before the class, her face showing none of the warmth she had shown Edan. In its place was a stony professionalism. Much like she had done with Edan in private, Tali asked each student to come forward and discuss their performance during the ranking match. She then asked the class to provide feedback on the person's performance from their perspective.
The lack of accurate answers showed how many of the students had ignored the fights. Aser had made one snippy remark about Gre’ery. The resulting outburst of aura from Tali had the students flat on the floor, several unconscious. Even Master Sims ended up hunched. Edan was fine for some reason.
The Titan had proven in no uncertain terms how she felt about bullying.
Edan had wanted to laugh when after class he had heard Aser muttering something about ‘telling my father’.
Part of Edan had been tempted to wait for the other students to leave before telling Tali he would accept her offer, but he ignored it. He was going to see her at the birthday party after all.
Giving himself a final once over in the mirror, Edan admitted he looked tired. He had dark bags under his eyes from too many late nights meditating. Meditation was meant to be exhausting, but there was something about meditating on his path that wrung him out and left him feeling empty.
The good news was he had increased his Soul level by another 2 bringing it up to 29. The stat cap had been raised to 58 and with the points earned through the level up, Edan managed to bring his willpower up to 55 and his Spirit to 53. On his latest level up he also received an extra Spirit point so it currently sat on 54.
Not bad for a week's hard training, though most of that had been primed for the last couple of months.
Leaving his room, Edan moved through the quiet house. He could see the sun setting through the window, the shadows in the house growing long and stretched out. Artificial light came from the kitchen, the scribe lights casting their usual orange glow. Reema had banned him from entering there today.
Making his way down the stairs and through the workshop Edan tried to tell if he felt different. Eighteen had been the age of adulthood before integration, according to Mrs. Cinnaburn. Edan couldn’t understand why. He felt the same as he had yesterday. He still had the same worries, the same concerns, and the same fears. Perhaps he was just meant to have leaned to hide them better?
The backyard had been done up in preparation for the party. The picnic table had been moved to the central area that was usually reserved for sparring. Its worn wooden surface had been covered with a piece of red fabric, the ends hanging down to the ground and swaying gently in the cool evening breeze.
Scribe lights on wire had been strung up in the appleberry tree with a few strands stretching out to the house. Even more had been stuck around the garden casting their glow across the flowerbeds Reema had been trying to grow, and marking the boundaries of the property.
Sanik, his jacket off and the sleeves of his shirt rolled up, was busy moving chairs around as Reema directed him. She wore a soft purple shawl draped over her shoulder.
“That should be fine, honey. It’s really only going to be Harvey using the chair, his bad knee makes sitting on the ground hard.”
“Yes, dear, but we both know you’ll make me sleep outside if I get so much as a grass stain on this suit, so I’ll need a chair too.” Sanik reminded her as he moved two chairs close together. “There! Harvey and I can keep each other company while you lot sit on the grass and get damp asses.”
Reema sighed, one hand reaching up to smooth out the frown between her brows.
“I was going to put down a picnic blanket and some cushions.”
Edan made his way over to the table, leaving his parents to bicker. There were snacks and bowls of fruits laid out for the guests to pick from. Glasses were lined up on one end, though the juice hadn’t been brought out yet.
“Aren’t you meant to be starting up the grill?” Reema reminded Sanik pointedly.
“I was helping you!” he exclaimed, incredulously.
“That’s mum speech for ‘start grilling now’,” Edan called out, picking up a cluster of appleberries and popping a few in his mouth. The sweet tart flavor burst against his tongue.
“How do you know?” Sanik asked.
“Dad, I’m eighteen now,” Edan explained slowly. “You learn these things when you become an adult.”
“Which explains how your father doesn't know!” Reema chipped in, seeing her chance.
“I dunno…The things we did last night were pretty adult.” Sanik bounced his eyebrows suggestively at Reema.
“Dad!”
“Mr. Santry, eww!”
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Cassie had just opened the side gate and wore a disgusted look on her face. The throaty chuckle from behind her came from Harvey.
Sanik blushed and stuttered an apology. He was all for teasing his wife and disturbing his son, but even he had a limit.
“Master Mawe, a most tremendous occasion, reaching adulthood!” Harvey said, making his way to Edan, a hand held out to shake and his voice dripping with false polish. “Truly tremendous!”
“Thank you, old chap,” Edan replied in kind, trying to match the older man's tone, even if he had trouble fighting the smile that tugged at his lips. “I must say adulthood rather befits me. I find maturity a cloak easily worn.”
Harvey chuckled again and grasped Edans hand, the one not holding the appleberries, and shook it firmly. In his normal voice, he said “A most happy birthday to you, lad. Cassie and I thought you might like this.” a present appeared in his hand, the wrapping a deep blue with silver ribbons tied around the edges.
“It’s just a little something,” Harvey insisted, waving away Edan’s protest. “Think nothing of it. Sanik! I see you've spent the day annoying your wife!”
Edan fell silent as Harvey went to greet Sanik and Reema. Edan held the present up, weighing it in his hand. It was hard to wrap a book and make it seem like anything but a book, and there was only one book that Edan had been interested in.
“He knows you’ve been saving up for it,” Cassie said, moving to stand next to him. She wore a light yellow blouse that puffed up around the sleeves and was tight around her modest chest. There were little bows running up the middle of it. Long black pants and comfortable sandals finished off the outfit with a small purse hanging from her shoulder by a single strap. Edan thought she smelt like flowers, though he couldn’t place the exact type.
“I’m guessing you know what it is.” Cassie continued, looking at the present.
“Book of Professions?” Edan asked and smiled when he got a nod of confirmation. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
Cassie snagged an appleberry from the bunch in Edan's hand and popped it in her mouth. Hands full, Edan had to snag one with his teeth, the rest of them almost came with it as the berry refused to break off from the bunch. Laughing Cassie pulled it away.
“Thanks,” Edan said around the fruit.
“Nah-uh, these are mine now,” Cassie laughed, holding them close to her chest. “You don’t want to get fruit juice all over your new book, do you?”
“Good point, give me a second?”
Moving quickly Edan made his way back through the workshop and up the stairs to his room. Placing the still-wrapped parcel on the stand next to his bed Edan smiled before rushing back downstairs. Reema and Cassie were heading up and the trio almost collided.
“We’re going to grab some stuff from the kitchen, your fathers started the grill. Do me a favor? Make sure he doesn’t set the yard on fire?”
Laughing Edan gave way to the ladies before heading back outside.
Harvey stood next to Sanik, puffing on a pipe and talking. Sanik nodded along to the conversation, his eyes on the fire he was stoking. Dark green smoke curled from the wood as fire chewed through it. Sparks flew in the darkness as Sanik pulled another log from his spatial ring and tore it in half with his bare hands before tossing it on the flames.
Harvey looked over as Edan approached.
“Your father tells me we’re expecting another guest?”
“Tali? Yeah, we did tell her it’ll start at night,” Edan looked up at the steadily darkening sky. “So she could be here any time.”
“He also mentioned an offer…”
Edan looked at Sanik who shrugged.
“What? If anyone would know if it was a bad offer, it’d be Harvey.”
Edan couldn’t argue with that. It wasn’t that he was against telling Harvey either, Edan had just hoped to tell the man himself.
“Well, now that you know, what do you think?”
Harvey took another puff of his pipe, the smoke trailing out of the sides of his mouth and leaving a thin trail as it wound upward.
“There is little known about her and most would not risk her anger by looking too closely. She is a Titan, and they are known to be honorable and straightforward. Sooner punch you in the face than stab you in the back, if you get my drift. I do know she’s associated with the Traders Guild. Apparently being outsourced to the Academy to provide education to their students, no doubt with emphasis on certain students. In return, the Traders Guild was allowed to use the inter-realm array to bring in an Elder.”
Harvey tapped his pipe against his palm before taking another aggressive puff.
“The Traders Guild opened up an auction house across the river and the Merchant Guild pushed back on it. Witnesses say there was an…exchange…between two high-level members of the Guilds.”
“Two elders fought?” Sanik interrupted, shocked.
“No, no. Not elders. Just senior members from both sides. Both Guilds are keeping the details locked down but I hear that's why the Traders Guild brought in an Elder from off-world. To oversee the auction house and to prevent another disagreement.”
“Ha!” Sanik barked a laugh, stirring the fire. “You mean the Merchant Guild threatened to burn the building down and the Traders Guild are bringing in a naked sword to hang over their heads to prevent it from happening.”
“Just so.” Harvey agreed with a dip of his head.
“And where does the Thieves Guild stand on this?” Sanik asked.
“Officially, the Thieves Guild has no interest in such affairs.” Harvey gave Edan a conspiratorial wink. “Unofficially, we’re growing tired of the Merchants Guild’s ego. They need to be reminded that they are just small fish at the surface of the ocean, bigger things stir in the depths.”
“Got work for Reema and I?”
Harvey looked at Sanik sideways. “I thought you two had taken a break to focus on your family…how did you say it? Increase your minion count?”
“Hey!” Edan said, frowning at his father.
“Yes, minion number one?” Sanik said innocently.
After that conversation turned to lighter topics. Reema and Cassie returned with large glass bowls of marinated meats in hand before disappearing again. Edan could smell the marinade when Sanik removed a lid. The flames had died down, leaving behind large glowing coals.
In short order, there was a sizzle and the smell of cooking meat filled the air.
Reema and Cassie returned with pitchers of juice and a couple of bottles of spirits Sanik had been keeping stashed away. Harvey took charge of those, cutting the strong spirits with some of the juice and handing them out to the ladies. Edan waved off the offer for alcohol and stuck with juice.
Sanik had snuck him drinks when he was younger but Edan found the taste of alcohol never grew on him. Edan stood talking with Cassie and Harvey about the store when there was the sound of knuckles on wood.
Tali stood at the gate, her fist raised to knock on the fence again. If Edan wasn’t mistaken there was a split in the wood where she had knocked originally. He hoped Reema didn’t see.
“Tali, come in!” Sanik called out, waving his spatula in the air and holding up his glass. “Grab a drink!”
The Titan had to bend over to unlatch the gate. It was chest height on most people, but to the large woman, it only came up to her waist. She gingerly pushed it open.
“Woah!” Cassie whispered in awe as Tali stood back up to her full height.
Feeling oddly protective of the woman now that he thought of her as his instructor. Mentor? Even if he hadn’t told her yet, Edan rushed forward to greet her.