Chapter One Hundred and Ten - He has an unexpected reunion

Groups of exploring and wandering visiting students would naturally cross paths with the Institute's students. Most of these meetings were peaceful for the most part; the students of the Ascending Mountain Institute had been warned to not provoke and not rise to provocation. Not that most of the visiting students sought to instigate irritation and force tempers, but there would always be those that had no eloquence or those who could not help want to test others amongst students from all places of learning. There was a spat of visits to the Healing Halls despite the efforts of Teachers and most students.

There were not just chance meetings either, but happened also the occasional reunion.

Tor washed his hands of dirt and strands of straw, laughing along with the others as two of his friends chased each other after one splashed the other with the soiled water. He and these young men and women had taken on the chore of mucking out the stalls in the stables of the outer alchemy school for points.  A number of beast companions hovered close by; the shadow macaw belonging to the pranked victim was flying along side it's master pecking at the clothes of the prankster they chased.

The stables located on the outskirts of his former school were easily the most sizeable following the two beast taming schools' own.  Geographically, the outer alchemist school was located closest to Julip Town, which was also why the one of the main griffin nests were also here.  Most expeditions would begin here, Teachers and students from all schools gathering here first, borrowing mounts or claiming their own faithful steeds before heading on their way.  Thus the greatest number of Institute owned beasts resided here.  Also, of all of the schools' students, it could be claimed that those studying alchemy travelled the most about the Institute, most likely delivering pills and potions to the locations most in need or for purposes of personal trade.

The towering heights in which the mage and scholars schools were located favoured griffin nests for purposes of internal travel, while the martial arts students all preferred to rely on the lightfoot skills (or were forced to practice using them) so while smaller beasts might be found dotted around the schools thanks to their masters' presences, these schools had little or no need for actual stables.  At most, a Teacher might build their prize steed a place close to their personal residences for the beast to rest within.

Tor often found himself volunteering for tasks involving the outer alchemist school stables, though he didn't think it was so much about nostalgia. In fact, apart from hanging about these same stables during the time he'd attended this section of the Institute, he couldn't think of many good days during his past as an alchemist student and any good memories were tainted with the guilt and shame of his actions during those times. One face always came to mind in particular, one face beaten black and blue to the point that the owner's hair had turned partially white from deviation. Tor sighed inwardly; perhaps he was a masochist to keep reminding himself of that time, perhaps coming here was his personal penance. That one victim had forgiven him, but he hadn't forgiven himself.

An excited bark roused him from his dark mood and a grin lifted his lips as he turned to find his best friend, who'd attracted the attention of a group of unfamiliar girls.

"Aiya! So cute!" One cooed as she attempted to coax the blue-furred hound over to them. "It's a cooshee, right?"

"I never realised thought that cooshee were so fluffy!"

Tor rolled his eyes heavenward as he realised that Xiào Xiào had puffed out its fur until it resembled a giant puffball with four legs, two ears and a smaller puffball attached to its rear. Even the ends of its hind feathers had fluffed up like a certain wild herb's seed heads. Cooshee's tended to do this when nervous, cold or when courting potential mates, but Xiào Xiào also did this to look cute and gain extra treats. As a beast companion to a tamer, it was a bit of a softie.

Seeing as the girls didn't have the treats it wanted, it relaxed it's fur until smooth along its canine form and the tips of its feathers once more resembled flickering white tipped flames, its six black eyes blinking in disdain. Then it turned to hurry over to its Master's side. "Silly fool," Tor muttered fondly, before patting down its long ears.

"Is it yours?" The girls that had been snubbed without realising it, changed their trajectory and headed his way. His prankster friend had stopped running, now stood next to him, elbowing him in the ribs, suggestively. Tor shoved him back discreetly, while the shadow macaw's owner smacked him around the head.

The girls were too taken by the Cooshee to be bothered by the boys roughhousing and continued to want to know him due to his beast. "Where did you get it?"

"Xiào Xiào is from a rescued litter," Tor answered, honestly.

"Aw, I was hoping you knew someone with a breeding pair," the girl couldn't help exclaim, her friends nodding in agreement.

"Sorry," Tor apologised to be polite.

"Will it breed soon? What will you do with the pups?"

Tor couldn't help choke on the bluntness of the question. Xiào Xiào was less than a year old, cooshee tended only to begin such things at two years, so it wasn't something that had occurred to him either. Still, it wasn't wrong for Tamers to consider such things, but he really couldn't imagine Xiào Xiào in rut. He looked down at his best friend with a pained expression, but the young hound simply tilted his head, ignorantly.

"Or maybe you'd be willing to trade the cooshee with me for something..."

"Song Lan!" The girl making the proposition was tugged back sharply by her friend, who had noted most quickly that the tall, amicable youth before them had suddenly become cold and unyielding.  She knew that her friend had taken things too far.  She sighed and attempted to explain for her thoughtless friend.  "Please don't take her words to heart.  Song Lan is a mage, doesn't understand the bond between Tamers and their beasts."  The other girl frowned, unhappily, still not understanding what she had done wrong.

"Don't be foolish," another friend chided her.  "It's true this young cooshee is cute now, but it is still a dangerous beast at the end of the day, not a pet."

"I still don't see the problem," the unrepentant girl muttered, her arms crossed about her chest.  "My older sister owns a tiger that everyone warned her was too dangerous to keep, but it acts like a soft pillow around her!  This beast is smaller and much more adorable, how is it more dangerous than a tiger?!"

"Song Lan," the girl who'd first warned her said plainly, "that tiger was raised by your sister as a cub and can only be considered ordinary.  There are still risks even then.  A cooshee is a beast with cultivation potential and it will grow to be far stronger and more powerful than Song Ren's tiger."

"Gao Ran, you meanie!" Having lost the argument, Song Lan resorted to tears.  "You never let me have what I want!"

Watching this, Tor immediately became uncomfortable and his friend whistled softly before retreating in a roundabout manner, leaving Tor to get himself out of the tight spot alone.  However, Tor was at a loss.  There weren't many females in his family and those there were tended to be on the tougher side being the wives and daughters of beast tamers, martial artists and the like.  His own mother was one of the softest, most sensitive women he knew, but she'd never resorted to such a tactic.  Then again, she'd been born the daughter of a Concubine and not of the main branch of his maternal family.  She hadn't been particularly favoured, but while she wasn't treated badly, she grew up knowing that tears would not aid her in anyway.  So the only time he'd ever seen her cry was when her Concubine mother passed away two years prior.

"I wouldn't want such a cooshee if I were you," an unpleasant voice boomed over the shrill cries of the spoiled young woman suddenly.  "Who knows what mongrel bloodlines that thing has!  Just like it's Master!"

The cooshee growled as Tor's frame stiffened, his aura becoming dark and hostile.  Just this alone startled the group of girls and the tearful Song Lan instantly stopped crying as she flinched.  As one, they glanced back to see a group of young masters in quality silk clothing all led by a young man of rounded stature.  With beady eyes, he looked over the girls as well as the Institutes' students with unveiled disdain.  "A dog for a dog, makes sense if you think about it," the large youth sneered.

Tor didn't rise to his provocation, but his tone was frigid like ice.  "What do you want, Caprian?"