Vol. 3, Ch. 135: Pinkies Out…or Tails
Neska folded her arms, scowling at Kalloway. “Okay. Who let my professor in, and…why?”
Kasfew nodded. “That was me. As soon as I heard the Seekers had found a partial accessway, I figured it was likely to your benefit if I contacted someone on the staff you trust.”
“You’re a dick, and you wanted someone influential on the staff here in case the Seekers bashed the door down,” Nori snapped, her feathers bristling.
Kasfew gave her a dismissive wave. “I picked someone who already knew about this place and was ‘in the loop,’ so to speak.”
“No comment,” Kalloway growled. He rose from the chair, approaching Neska and his hardened expression softening. “I heard from the reports what happened. You didn’t think to visit me?”
“Well, my friends were encouraging me to rest when we could, then one thing turned to another.” It was a bad excuse, even though it was the truth. She should have visited sooner. “Sorry, I should have come to talk.”
His expression softened, and a faint flicker of a smile broke through. “Well, if I weren’t so inoculated against Risha’s antics for the better part of twenty years, I probably wouldn’t let it slide.”
“You know, I can't help but feel that you have not been very forthcoming about Risha's prior activities,” Neska said flatly. "I may have more questions after the Radiant King put a death mark on my head."
Kalloway let out a grunt of indignation. “Of course I haven't told you everything. My concern is that you're going to run off on your lonesome and get yourself turned into snake skin boots by some monster. We still have to deal with the immediate situation, which is Seeker Ortholo. He 'asked' to bring you in for talking. He didn’t specify why.”
“As a suspect, or merely for just talking, but with his typical heavy-handed approach?” Her feathers bristled on the back of her neck. She didn't like that this scenario had not entered her mind as a possibility. Rather, she assumed Ortholo would lose interest in her in the face of many other risks and tasks ahead of him.
Clearly, that wasn't the case. She’d offended him with a personal slight after she halted his impromptu barbecue of innocent villagers back in Earthspire. He was going out of his way to make her miserable, now that he was aware she existed. Crossing paths with him twice defied the odds in a way she didn't like.
She realized she couldn't keep evading him if they were on the campus now with free or coerced access. She loosened all the tense muscles in her body and coiled up next to the table. "So, what does he want?”
Kalloway glanced at the others, then to her. “Unfortunately, I don't know, and neither does Resalio. However, it might be to our advantage to show up voluntarily. More importantly, I'm not letting you go into that room alone with him, and the rest of the faculty will agree to that. I worry what information he has, or what his intentions are.”
She didn't like the idea of talking to him at all. He already had preconceived notions about her, and was unlikely to be a willing ally. He would be an unreliable ally at best, and more likely, a constant nuisance and interference with her work.
More concerning, he could be acting completely irrational and was pursuing this personal slight he perceived against him, then trying to cover it up with the rule of law. Not that she envisioned he ever followed the law whenever it was inconvenient.
She still has one last question for Kalloway. “So you're aware of the Undercommons, huh? Take any tours of the area, notice anything rather worrying?”
“I already know what you're getting at. That discussion can take place later." She could hear in his voice and in that stern gaze she wasn’t getting any further on this one. For now.
Her friends had extremely verbose opinions about this. Juni's tail was stiff on end, and she gnashed her teeth as she spoke angrily. “What are the Seekers even doing on campus? I thought there was supposed to be a strict barrier between the Seekers and internal activities of the Academy! What precedent has been broken that warrants their involvement in close proximity to the students? This is a recipe for disaster!”
Kalloway's calm expression gave away no emotion. " I only know what I've been told and observed. A small task group of Seekers is on campus. I suspect we'll find out more when we talk to them, and I don't believe avoiding them is prudent or wise in this instance."
She narrowed her eyes. "You don't seriously know what they're doing here? I thought the incident regarding the assassin was still being resolved internally by Valos garrison members. Or is this something new?"
"I don't know. Let's get going, shall we? With Seekers wandering about in the Undercommons, I think you'd all be advised to avoid the area for a while. It is not as well-kept a secret as you might believe. Or what goes on down here,” he added, casting a knowing gaze towards Neska.
One inconvenient portal later, everybody was back in the dorm, including Kalloway, who took in the site wearing a content expression on his face. “I think you have better amenities in this dorm than we do as faculty members. When did that happen?”
“From what I heard, they did some renovation work like two or three years ago,” Brent said, still regarding Kalloway with skepticism. “You better come back with our witch in one piece. The Seekers aren't exactly well regarded. Nor are they known for keeping their word on pretty much anything, when it comes to monsters, or their inconvenient allies.”
Kalloway scoffed. “I trust them about as far as I can throw them; that is to say, not at all. Anybody in the Seekers who is a decent human is probably keeping their mouth shut and only passively refusing to carry out their worst offenses. That's my personal opinion; take that as you will.”
“We should all come with Neska; there's no telling how this is going to go,” Syra said, once again fiddling with the locket around her neck. She had been doing that a lot lately, Neska realized.
She casually looked over at her other friends and saw Trevor spinning a small plain metal band on his index finger, in a not dissimilar way to how Syra was using her pendant as something to focus on. They were worried about her.
Nesca put a reassuring hand on Syra’s shoulder. “They wouldn't dare do anything to me in Resalio's office, let alone on the campus. That would be a grave miscalculation on their part, don't you agree? They are still somewhat rational, and realize the optics cast upon them are not favorable to them at this junction of time.”
The sunken look in Syra’s eyes still put her deep unease up front. “Just because you say that doesn't mean I stop worrying. You have a habit of getting into danger far above your Tier level. That's a fact, not just an opinion.”
Juni stood up, face scrunched in concentration. “She won’t be alone. I'm going. I'd like to see them try and stop me. Plus, it doesn't hurt to have a second set of ears nearby to listen to whatever they might have to say now, only to deny later.”
Kalloway nodded in concurrence. “I think keeping an extra pair of eyes and ears wouldn't be a bad idea. I'm assuming that Resalio will also be in the room. She’ll keep them in line. They know she has the authority to force them off campus, especially with the Valosian garrison on premises.”
“Any word about whether they’re looking or talking to anyone else?” Nesk asked. Kalloway shook his head. “Then let’s get going, before the Seekers invite themselves to stay on a more permanent basis."
A short time later, Neska strolled up to the administration office with Kalloway and Juni next to her, the sun setting off to the west. Very few students were walking about campus, and those that were eyed the two seekers positioned outside the administration building. The duo of red-clad soldiers was startled when they saw Neska, rushing up to her with her weapons drawn.
“Halt, Miss! We have orders to take you into custody and to speak to Templar Ortholo,” one stated, brandishing his polearm as if it could deter her.
She waved at them dismissively as if they were nothing more than onlookers. "You're looking for...what, exactly?"
"A lamia with a witch hat. I think that narrows it down a little bit." There was no humor in the man's tone.
"What, this? It's a fashion trend." She was adamant on making it one, and maybe with Trevor's help, she could make that happen.
In hindsight, she should have messed with them a little bit and ditched the hat. Oh, well. “Gentlemen…or just men,” she corrected. There was nothing gentle about the Seekers at all. “There's no need for aggression. I was seeking, uh, Seeker Ortholo myself. He and I have many things to talk about. Many interesting things,” she said, hinting at a mystery that left both men looking at each other skeptically. “I know he's in this office. If you'll just let me pass, I’ll go right up to him, save you some trouble.”
“Uh…is this a trick?” one said, frowning.
Kalloway stepped forward, and each of them took an uneasy step back when he glared at them, arms folded. “No tricks required. I expect it to be noted that if Ortholo just asked to speak to her, she would have come quite willingly. Never underestimate the power of a kind word.” He brushed the men aside; they took a step back from Neska and Juni and followed the veteran witch.
Neska missed this building. She loved the decor, the dark walnut paneling, and the sensation that the admin office was steeped in the history of countless generations of students before her time. A secretary worked at a rapid pace by the front desk, using a mechanical contraption to put ink to paper, pressing large round buttons that made a small lever rise with a negative of each letter.
Fancy. She wondered if such things would ever replace magical replication. She hoped not; there was a certain artistry involved in handwriting–or tailwriting, in her case. Kalloway pushed right for Resalio’s office in the back, knocking on the double doors. He smoothed his hair and inhaled sharply, as if this were some ritual, walking into a tense discussion.
“Enter.” Resalio’s voice rang out with little emotion. Kalloway pushed the double doors open, and Neska held her tongue to avoid the impulsive urge to hiss at Seeker Ortholo, sitting calmly at the meeting table with Headmistress Resalio, holding a cup of steaming liquid. Tea, with hints of honey and orange spice, if memory served. The Seeker’s helmet was already removed.
Neska despised that visage of a snarling wolf, and his claw-like gauntlets lay on the table. It really sold their appearance as actual monsters rather than the humanity they defended. Ortholo remained in his uniform, stirring a small teacup with a silver spoon.
He arched a brow in surprise. “Neska. Professor Kalloway. And the mouse?”
“The mouse has a name. Juni Semou, daughter of a warrior far above your station. But I suppose I’ll forgive you, since we were never formally introduced,” Juni responded. All her muscles looked like coiled springs ready to unwind suddenly and violently in Ortholo’s direction.
Neska took the moment to bow softly, trying to be the better woman. It was easier said than done, considering her contempt for this man, sitting calmly and undeservingly drinking tea in between rounds of persecution and brutal killing of monsters. “Seeker Ortholo. Neska Aksen. The ward of Risha Aksen, an icon of the academy.” Resalio sat there calmly, stone-faced, with eyes looking through Ortholo rather than at him. Yet, Neska’s words brought a slight crease of amusement to the headmistress's lips. “You didn’t have to send the red coats to fetch me. All you had to do was ask.”
The seeker looked at her impassively and sipped his tea in a slow, deliberate motion before setting the cup down into a saucer with a light clink. “A necessary precaution. You and I have had some rather…terse meetings with one another. Please, join us for tea. We have some things to talk about.”
“Just talk? Do armed Seekers walking around campus, in violation of the sovereignty of the Academy, strike you as a reasonable action for just ‘talking?’ Or are you not confident enough to talk to one little lamia without a show of force?”
“Neska. Do join us for tea,” Resalio insisted, giving a subtle tilt of her head. She read that as play nice…for now. “Professor Kalloway, still take your tea with honey?”
He shrugged. “Usually.” he sat down stiffly in the seat between Neska and Ortholo, with Juni hopping onto a small cushioned seat next to Resalio.
The headmistress poured tea from a steaming kettle, and a faint aroma of zesty orange peels emanated from it, along with something earthy. The tea ball sat in a transparent mesh bag inside the cup, and the tea slowly steeped into the liquid.
Neska had never had tea. At least, not as a serpent. She had hoped her first time would be with Brienne, the dryad she'd met at the small satellite branch of the Academy in the woods, where those with summons and bonded animals could practice without restraint. With everything going on, her visit had been delayed.
Resalio scooped out the bag of tea leaves with a spoon, then offered Neska the cup. “Do you take honey? Cream?”
“I must confess that I have experienced neither. I am amenable to recommendation,” she answered politely. She ignored the presence of Ortholo, and focused on analyzing his silence as a keen observation of her words and actions. This meeting must bear significance if Resalio sent Kalloway to fetch her and stay ahead of the curve.
The headmistress also likely picked the veteran professor specifically because Neska trusted him, based on his prior actions. Smart woman. She put a small dribble of the amber honey before offering it to Neska, and repeated the effort with the others.
She waited patiently for the others to be served before taking a sip and performing her own observations of Ortholo. Her hat’s investigative power did not indicate his status at all; either because he was in his nominal state, or his status could be occluded by a magical effect. His mana flow, however, was immense through the core of his body, circulating like a looped river, running deep and fast.
She didn't know why, but she felt like he was at least Tier three, based on this volumetric flow. A casual glance at Juni, who never took her eyes off the seeker, showed her ‘flow’ was more subdued. A shallower stream that had eddies and wobbles. Not nearly as refined or developed, which seemed to match her Tier two status.
Interesting. She should see if this could be used in conjunction with her [Spectral Sense] to compile information. It occurred to her she'd not used both together. Right now, this room was a boiler, only tempered and kept under control by Resalio.
She frowned as she peered down at her cup. Her sense of taste was not the same as others, but those hints of orange were there. She remembered them, if not having them herself, then from Risha making tea on some mornings, and the scents carried through the air.
It was good. She had something to look forward to with Brienne, with certainty.
Resalio took a sip last, before setting down her cup. “Thank you for coming with such expedience, Neska. We were in the process of…smoothing things over, before your arrival.”
“Specifically?”
“Regarding continued Seeker presence at the Academy. And a recognition that there are fences to be mended. And training to coordinate for future joint endeavors.”
Neska nearly smashed her hand into the table as she reached for her cup and took a long sip, pondering the degree of outburst she should use. Juni quivered with rage, Kalloway looked ready to leap over the table, and Ortholo remained calm.
“With me, specifically? Or the Academy at large?” She chose calm, for now, only because Resalio remained calm, and likely by choice. The headmistress was level-headed and rational, and playing on a stage with the Seeker across from her.
“The latter.” Ortholo cast his gaze around the table, as if reading the room with deliberate calculation. “I am…in the loop, as they say, about past transgressions.”
Your organization is so zealous, you missed the very monsters you're supposed to hunt, right in your midst. The implication of his statement sank like a rock resting on her heart.
“Prove it. If you know what it is I encountered, you know your organization has a serious breach of security.” She didn't expect much. The Seekers were all self-assured, overconfident braggarts of their own authority. Ortholo had demonstrated his zeal more than once.
“Hand me that cloth?” He pointed to a small linen set on the table to set the saucers on.
Resalio handed it to him reluctantly. He locked eyes with Neska and drew a small hunting dagger off his belt, slowly and deliberately. “Miss Aksen, the Valos military did, in fact, come across remnants of Mimicoids from the altercation in Peolein. I understand the secrecy necessary and required, given the witch's substantial role in this war effort and her prior research. I understand, more than you can know, what complacency or a lack of due diligence can cost."
“Do you?” She asked coldly, unbothered by one dagger in a room filled with two Academy veterans of considerable skill, Juni and herself. “Your efforts in Earthspire suggest otherwise.”
“I understand the risk of monsters hiding, left unchecked, and the necessity of a burden of proof. Proof that was…lacking. Perhaps this will convince you.”
The movement was so sudden it didn't register for a second. Neska stared in disbelief at the dribble of blood pooling on the table, dripping from the massive cut on the back of the Seeker's hand.
If his blood turned blue or into a viscous ooze, they were in a world of trouble.