Chapter 54 - Let's talk
"Looks like we've all made it into the top 50!" Adam says with a smile.
Zora's expression exudes disbelief. "Why am I the lowest here!? I won too, didn' I??"
While she seems discontent, 50th out of 546 people is still a considerable achievement. I'm sure a plethora of other students would love to be in her place at the moment. This is only speculation of course, but I imagine that those who have won this showdown can only have their rankings range from 1st to 273rd. To be placed within the top 50 despite that is incredible. As I look at my own ranking, I wonder what other metrics they used to evaluate us. Surely it can't be just from this initial assessment. After all, they wouldn't randomly assign a number between 1 and 273 to all the winners here. I suspect that the results of our personal missions during the 1st quarter and the evaluations of our instructors may have something to do with it. It would not make any sense otherwise.
'Did Mastro Lauren say something nice about me? My ranking is so high…'
Following these thoughts, I try to comfort Zora.
"I mean, 50th out of 546 people is still pretty good Zora"
She gets in my face, a fire burning in her eyes.
"You're only sayin' that 'cause you're 26th!"
She points to Alex. "Don't even get me started on Big Al! He's 18th!! I thought we were 'sposed ta stick together!"
Confused, I ask a question. "I'm assuming 'Big Al' refers to Alex?"
I wonder if this is new or if I had simply never noticed that Zora referred to him in this way before.
She raises an eyebrow. "Yeah? Who else?
Sylvia speaks up. "... Just out of curiosity, Zora. What do you call the rest of us?"
Confidently, Zora finally puts some distance between her and I, and proceeds to point to each of us.
"Alden's turtle 'cause he always used ta put his arms over his head ta sleep back at the academy. Now it fits even better with that shield! Ivana's Diva 'cause she's loaded, but also real pretty-"
Ivana cheeks redden slightly.
"-Adam's Sweetie pie 'cause he's so nice ta everyone, even though he's from a big family. His brown hair also reminds me o' my nan's meat pie, so sometimes I call him meat pie. Sylvia's Goldie locs 'cause o' that hair!"
Silence envelops the table. No one has the words to answer her.
'... She calls me turtle..?'
Zora stands there, unable to understand the strange expression that covers our faces. I'm sure the others, much like me, have yet to meet such an unserious [enlightened]. It now really dawns on me that I had never truly met her before. Sure, I had been in her presence and we have sparred more than once. From those short exchanges, I've always known that she has a vibrant personality, but I did not know it was to this extent.
"Pfft." Alex covers his mouth as he tries to cover up his laughter. His face remains impassive, but I do not think I've seen him show this much emotion before. Shortly after, Adam bursts into laughter, unable to contain his amusement. This is followed by Sylvia who lets out a soft chuckle. Even Ivana can't help but let a smile creep up her face. On my part, I try to force down a smile of my own, but I doubt it's working. Zora stares back at us even more confused.
She raises an eyebrow. "Did I say somethin' funny?"
"I apologize, lady Pike but you must admit those names you have for us are quite… unique?" Adam says as he wipes tears from his eyes.
She tilts her head. "Well I gotta remember your names somehow right? Also, why ya always hav'ta call me lady Pike. I aint that old yet, call me Zora!"
"It's more of a sign of respect than due to your age. I cannot call ladies by their first name unless we're especially close you see? It is a tradition in the Lockwood family." He answers.
"Hmmm… Then I'll just have ta get close enough to ya that you'll call me Zora! Anyways, I'm going back to the peak ta sleep. Hopefully the Mastro ain't there ta stop me! See yall!"
She leaves, skipping as she disappears beyond the main doors, most likely not understanding the implication of what it means to get close enough to Adam so that he will call her by her first name. Alex shakes his head in disappointment and follows after her. Adam is slightly embarrassed but he seems to understand that Zora did not fully grasp the implication of her words. He stands up and salutes us.
"Haha… I suppose I will get going too. I will be seeing you all tomorrow! He says with his usual courteous expression."
Sylvia and Ivana seem to be ready to leave. Sylvia waves goodbye, and as usual, Ivana ignores me. They both leisurely walk away. The issue with Ivana had been weighing on my mind for the past three weeks. As such, I have concocted a plan to force her to talk to me. It is now time to put it into action.
'Ivana, I know you can hear me.'
She ignores me, steadily exiting the building, but that is not a problem. I have something that will force her to talk to me.
'Ivana… your check bounced, it didn't work, it was bogus. Let me make this clearer, you, Ivana Rodwell, heiress of the Rodwell conglomerate, gave a poor man caring for three other people a fake check after requesting and receiving his services.'
She swiftly turns around. "That's impossible!!!" She shouts loud enough for the entire hall to hear.
A myriad of eyes shift in her direction. "Sorry…" She says with an awkward smile. Slowly, everyone returns to their conversations. She turns back around as quickly and now faces away from me
'We don't need to have this conversation right here.. But I'll be waiting for you after lights out near the north edge of the peak. I'm fairly certain your character would not allow it, but I would hate not to find you there…'
Ivana still refuses to look in my direction, instead, she slowly and furtively raises her thumb in agreement. She accepts my plea to meet, at last. I was certain that, with such a matter, she would have no choice but to at least hear me out. However, I hesitated on using this method because I assumed she would have ways to make sure that the money had been received and used. Fortunately, it seems to have worked splendidly. Perhaps due to the lack of communication with the outside world when we are at DaiKar or mabe because she had more important things weighing on her mind.
Either way, with this task now accomplished, I head back to my dorm, by myself. I stroll through the dense forest at an unhurried pace, enjoying the scenery. Since the orientation and first test ended early, I have a lot of time on my hands, granted I do not run into Maestro Lauren. She would make me train, without a doubt.
When I finally arrive at the base of the mountain peak more than an hour later. I brace myself before I reach the top. Should the Maestro be there, the rest of this peaceful day will be hell. After mentally readying myself, I begin my ascent. In a dozen or so minutes, I arrive at the top. I make sure to carefully look around me before crossing the field to reach the dorms. There is absolutely no one outside, but I know others have returned before me. This means that they must have all had the same idea. They assume that If they all hide in their rooms, surely even Maestro Lauren would have no choice but to let them rest. It's not like that has stopped her before, but there is no harm in trying.
As I analyze my surroundings, the Maestro is nowhere to be seen. I nearly jump with glee and dash towards the male dorms. I make it inside without any hiccups and reach for my room, where I immediately close the door and lay on my bed. It is still the middle of the day, but it is nice to be able to relax for a moment. As I stare at the ceiling, I decide that I might as well look at the list of classes the announcement was talking about earlier. When I navigate through the watch, I find it under 'second quarter required courses'. The list goes as such.
Mandatory courses:
PURE F2-1:
Understanding pure flow and maximizing its usage for physical enhancement
HIST W2-1:
Exploring the history of the [enlightened] world in its many different aspects.
COMB I2-1:
Delving deeper into the principles of combat using instruments
Note: exceptionally, this course will be directly thought by third stage [enlightened] Lisa Silverthorn.
MELO U2-1:
Improving the efficiency, versatility and duration of [melody] usage through practical training and guidance from a senior [enlightened].
I then look down at the list of complementary courses, but only two really attract my attention.
Complementary courses (please select two):
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PURE F2-2:
Going beyond the basic applications of pure flow for other purposes than direct combat
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INST M2-1:
Grasping the manufacturing process behind the production of instruments, the impact of their invention on the [enlightened] world and their inner workings.
I've always wondered what more there was to do with pure flow but have failed till now to grasp another application. Even the manual I bought in the Golden Gate district explaining how it can be used to enhance lung capacity resulted in a very minimal increase, nearly indistinguishable from what I was already able to do. I am unsure if it is due to my lack of skill or the quality of the manual itself, but I am certain to see much better improvements if I take the PURE F2-2 class. As for the INST M2-1 class, it was mainly out of pure curiosity. It had never crossed my mind how and why instruments exist, but seeing the class description piqued my interest.
After having made up my mind on which classes I want to take. I close my watch and then equally close my eyes, hoping to take an invigorating nap before the fateful meeting.
'When I wake up, I'll need to go speak with Ivana…Hopefully she listens to what I really have to say'