166 - Outsiders (Patreon)

Arielle stepped back instinctively, her apprehension spiking. 

Elric had warned her that Gio would be attending the ball. He’d also told her that Gio knew she had faked her test results at the ministry and likely suspected that she had some kind of strange talents they had never seen before, although he didn’t know the extent to which it ran. 

“He’s very curious about you,” Elric had said. “Dangerously curious. Avoid him as much as possible at the ball, and if I see him going anywhere near you, I’ll try to divert him to the best of my ability.”

But no one had told her what to do if Elric wasn’t there and if Gio was right in her path with no chance to avoid him. She didn’t know that he would be amongst the early guests, which likely meant that Elric didn’t know either, or he would probably have found a way to stop this from happening. 

What should she do now? Run? Now that would appear odd, wouldn't it? Remain mute? Make up a lie and leave?

“Archmage,” someone from the balcony called out. “Pray, give her some room. We would all like to meet the young genius.”

Gio let his gaze linger for a few seconds before stepping back, letting Montfort bow and gesture with one hand for his wards to enter.

Arielle bowed first to Gio, in acknowledgment of his authority, then she murmured a thank you to Montfort. Then she moved slowly, keeping Gio within her line of sight, even as she surveyed the rest of the occupants on the breezy, marbled balcony, with a golden lattice railing.

There were five other people at the round table, excluding Lord Wesley. They all had cups of tea in front of them, and three had slices of cake on ornate plates.

They all stared at Arielle in a way that made her feel like a spectacle, which made her distinctly uncomfortable, because it felt like she didn't have any space to so much as gesture wrong.

Maus stepped up next to her, and when she glanced over at him, he raised an eyebrow in question. He didn’t seem to know what was going on, but Arielle was suddenly very glad he was with her.

Lord Wesley suddenly stood, his chair dragging backwards automatically.

“Gentlemen and Lady,” he said. “May I introduce you to Arielle Blacksoil.”

Arielle curtsied like she had been taught, and was met with coos and chuckles.

“Oh, how adorable. That's the same way my eight-year-old does it."

“She’s very polite, but you can tell she’s not used to the movement.”

“Well, why would she be used to it? She was raised in a jungle.”

“Not a jungle,” another corrected. “Simply a swamp.”

That made them laugh, but Arielle did not see the humor in the statement.

The conversation was too rapid-fire for her to follow. It felt like she had walked in on a game that they were already playing, but no one told her what the rules were. She shifted awkwardly until Maus moved closer, and that got the guests’ attention. 

“Oh. And who is this young man?” One of them asked, and Maus cleared his throat.

“Maus Jaybalm,” he said. 

“Jaybalm...” The man frowned. “I don’t believe I’ve heard that name before.”

“You likely haven’t." Lord Wesley sat, giving Maus an imperceptible look. “He is a friend of Arielle’s.”

“Ah. Of course. A fellow genius.”

Maus's face flushed with heat, and he seemed in a hurry to shake his head. “Not a genius. Just a friend.”

That seemed to render the group silent for a few minutes until the door finally closed, and suddenly the table lengthened with all the chairs moving smoothly in tandem. Two seats then appeared from nowhere around where Maus and Arielle were standing, and another hard-backed, velvetted seat circled from where it previously was.

They all fell silent as the magic worked, followed by clipped footsteps that walked beside Arielle, pulling out her chair. 

“Sit,” Gio said with that same pleasant smile that reminded her a little of a forest wildcat she'd seen once. 

Arielle hesitated. She didn’t know if sitting was the right move, or why everyone was suddenly quiet and unsmiling now when they had just been laughing earlier.

"It's okay," Gio said. "I don't bite."

"No, you only ruin centuries-old priceless furniture," Lord Wesley commented as he took a sip from his chalice. He seemed to be the only one having wine instead of tea.

Arielle slowly descended into the seat, with Maus beside her, and she regarded the people more closely, as the dean taught her to whenever she entered situations she was unclear about.

The woman who was seated nearest to Lord Wesley had her hair arranged in a neat bun at the nape of her neck. She had thoughtful eyes and soft features, but she sliced into her cake with the precision and ease.

Next to her was a man with a black pompadour and a coat with a high collar that nearly went above his head. He was the one who made the 'swamp' statement that had everyone laughing. Even now, his lips were still curled in amusement, despite the sober atmosphere.

Then there was a bespectacled man, with a stripe of white running up from the center of his black hair, all the way to the tip. He sent Arielle a friendly smile when her eyes reached him, right before she looked away.

The man next to him had a pronounced belly and curly wheat-colored hair. He was seated beside another man who looked like the younger version of him and was eyeing Gio with the look her brother had given the wildcat when it had wandered out of the forest and trailed around their home.

Whatever spell Gio had used to turn the round table into an oblong had shifted things such that Arielle, Maus and Gio himself were quite a distance away from the rest of the table occupants. It was sort of an awkward, asymmetric arrangement that Arielle despised, but she didn't want to risk doing anything about it.

Arielle noticed quickly enough that she wasn't the only one getting silent stares.

Gio was too. They all looked at him as though unsure what to do with him. 

Why would they look at him like that if he was invited?

Was he not a part of the group? Was he an outsider?

Only Lord Wesley didn't eye Gio, although he appeared to avoid looking at him altogether.

“I apologize, Ariele,” Lord Wesley said, putting down his chalice, leaning to the side of his chair. “Look at me being rude. I’ve brought you here and neglected to make the necessary introductions.” He started with the woman to his right. “This is Countess Periwinkle Stag. She’s our foremost expert on magical technology and was an important figure in our discovery of certain charms and cantrips, not to mention messaging orbs. I heard you like to study runes with another student. She can provide access to rare ones that you've likely never heard of."

Rare runes? Arielle wondered. What kind?

“It's nice to meet you, Countess Stag.” Arielle greeted.

“It's lovely to meet you, dear,” she said. “I’ve heard so much about you, especially since Lord Wesley hasn't stopped talking about you since you met. You're interested in runes and charms?"

Arielle nodded, and wondered how Lord Wesley knew that. Maybe one of his sons had told him? Or did he know Telip somehow?

"Excellent," Countess Stag said. "If you want your final-year project to feature magical aides, just let me know, and I can write a few letters to some people who might help you."

"You can?" Was it that easy?

"Of course. I’m hoping we can be very good friends.” She winked, and Arielle hesitated to nod.

She didn’t know if she wanted to be friends with the lady. She probably had enough friends and it would be extra effort to add more, especially someone she didn’t know all that well.

But she suddenly remembered Dean Octavius had told her that sometimes, friends didn’t mean the same thing to nobles that it meant to regular people. Often they used friendship to describe an acquaintance or simply a mutually beneficial business relationship. In which case, Arielle would be willing to have that with the woman, especially since she was curious about these rare runes. She didn't know much about cantrips, except that they often blew up in her CPR club, but she was also curious about magitech and would love to find out more.

“Next to our dear Countess," Lord Wesley continued. "Is my even dearer friend Haymitch. He’s the one you go to if you want to research magic in other worlds and how it differs from ours.”

That had Arielle perking up. “Really?”

“Yes.” The man with the pompadour responded, adjusting himself in the seat.

“You mean you study the different essences that Earth doesn’t have?”

“That I do,” Haymitch said, with an amused look.

“Do you travel to these other worlds?”

“Sometimes,” he said. “These days it’s harder and harder to get a travel permit, and there tends to be some type of war going on in these places, so we often have to arrange protection as well. But if you are interested in that kind of research and travel, we do have an internship that opens up once every few years. Should be open soon, but I will warn you that it is extremely difficult to get that post."

“Nonsense," Lord Wesley said. “There is no one more qualified than Arielle, if that is the path she so chooses. As I've told you, the girl is not only talented; she’s also exceptionally clever." 

“Of course. But you know…it's really only one spot that comes around now and then. They only consider the best of the best."

“And there is no one better,” Lord Wesley kept going. “I'm told she passed most of her exams with exceptional marks, and she has already begun research in her academy as a first year. She's extremely helpful to the professors, and assists the custodians with work as well. Not to mention, she has a keen sense of essence movement. Tell him, Arielle. Tell him how you knew exactly which way our waste pipes ran."

Arielle blinked.

She was taken aback by the command and felt a tendril of panic. Shoot. She'd already made a mistake.

Wait, don't panic. What did Dean Octavius say to do in situations like this?

Change the subject.

“How would you evaluate the best of the best?" Arielle asked Haymitch, praying that Lord Wesley did not persist with his question.

It worked.

"In a lot of ways," The man put down the teacup and made a swirl with his hand. "We evaluate the prestige of the academy, grades, extracurriculars, performance in the tournament.”

“The tournament?”

“Yes. As I said, travelling to these other realms can be dangerous, so we do prioritize interns that have adequate combat training. It's one of the things we look for, and our last two interns actually won the interschool tournament in their years, so you can say it's one of the premier things we look for."

"I see." Arielle thought about it. She hadn’t initially planned on participating in the tournament even though Professor Graham had so clearly wanted her to. But now that she knew there was such a precious reward attached, she might reconsider.  

"Will you be participating in the interschool tournament, Arielle?” Lord Wesley asked.

“I might," she said, though she would have to check what Elric and Vittoria thought about it first. 

"Splendid. That should be enough to convince this one. You'll see how good she is then, Haymitch."

Haymitch shook his head as Wesley moved on to the next person. “Those two men are Duke Peter Killian and his son Archer. Cousins of King Wellington, they also study essences, but more so in the creation of batteries and implementation of the EPUQ into our system. You could say they're very close to the High Ascendant."

Arielle inclined her head and said, "It's nice to meet you."

“It’s nice to meet you too," Peter Killian said. "Don't hesitate if you're interested in that type of research. We’re always looking for young talents, and unlike with some people, you don't need to beat the crap out of a bunch of kids first."

"Oh, you hypocrite," Haymitch said. "I've seen what your coeds do to each other over a resonance accelerator."

That made the group laugh, and tears even came out of Peter Killian's eyes.

Once it subsided, Lord Wesley said, "And of course I saved the best for last. We can’t forget about the great yet stubbornly untitled Mr. Barnes.”

The dark-haired, bespectacled man with the white strip in his hair sat up and flattened his lips. “No need to flatter, Lord Wesley.”

“No flattery, my friend. Arielle, do you know who this man is?”

“He owns the essence exploration lab," Arielle responded.

"That's right." Lord Wesley looked surprised, but he continued. "He owns far more than that, but I suppose we can start there."

"Are you interested in essence exploration?" the man asked.

"Yes." Ari grabbed her chance. "I mean, no...not really. But I have a professor who conducts abyssal research, and I think she wanted to use your lab, but the waitlist is extremely long."

"Oh." Lord Wesley interrupted. "Is this professor your mentor...what was her name again...Vivian?"

"Valeria," Arielle corrected. "And yes, it's her."

"She will be attending the ball today," Wesley told Mr. Barnes. "So maybe she can convince you of the validity of her study, and you can help make her wait a little briefer."

"That will be a hard hill to climb," Mr Barnes said. "Abyssal research has been dead for a while. No major discovery in centuries, just people going round in circles. How sure is she that she even wants to continue down that path?"

"Very sure," Arielle said.

"Then I don't see why you shouldn't at least let her try it out," Lord Wesley said. "Perhaps just a session."

Mr. Barnes shook his head. "My Lord, we have protocol to follow, and there's already so much research on the pipeline–"

"Bah." Wesley waved a hand and winked at Ari. “Don’t worry, Arielle. I'll see to it personally that your mentor has access to that lab as soon as you resume school."  

“Really?”

“Of course.”“Now, wait a minute–” Barnes began.“I too am interested to know about her research,” Lord Wesley forged on as though the man wasn’t speaking “And since you have so much respect for her, there must be a reason for it.”

Arielle didn't know what to say.

She didn’t want to inconvenience Mr. Barnes and Lord Wesley was being pushy about things once more, but it was to her benefit this time so she was conflicted. She felt guilty that Mr. Barnes looked mostly resigned rather than eager, but also she felt exhilarated that they had gotten the lab. Mostly though, she felt grateful. 

She got up, her hand on her chest in a Mossborne manner, and bowed. "Thank you very much, Lord Wesley." She turned to Mr. Barnes. “I would be very grateful if you let my mentor use your facilities for her research, although I would understand if you don’t. I apologize for being an inconvenience.” There. That covered the full range of her emotions. 

“You’re not an inconvenience,” Lord Wesley said sharply. “Right Barnes?”“Right. Arielle, I will…talk to your mentor and evaluate the validity of her research. See if I can provide her some space to test things out at the beginning of the semester.”

“Thank you,” Arielle said.

"Of course, dear," Lord Wesley said. "You've proven hard to please, but I told you I'd win you over yet."

"On the backs of our labor," the Countess remarked, and everyone dissolved into chatter again, talking over each other, smiling but arguing at the same time.

As Arielle took her seat once more, she became suddenly aware of Gio’s presence. It seemed like other people did too, because the table fell silent again. It wasn’t anything he did necessarily. He just had his chin in hand and was glancing boredly around the table with his cup of tea in front of them. But everyone stared at him as though he were about to pounce.

Lord Wesley also looked vaguely uncomfortable, although he still had a smile on his face.

“And this is Giovanni Li, the most powerful Archmage in the entire world.”

“No need for an introduction,” Gio said. “We’ve already met.”

“You have?”

“Yes.” Gio was now staring at the side of Arielle’s face, but she was decidedly ignoring his stare. “Although I’m sure she’s been advised to pretend not to know me.”

“Advised by whom?”

Rather than answer, Gio sent forward a mirage of himself to stand in front of Arielle, making her jerk back, 

“I think she’s scared of me,” the mirage said. “I’m sure Elric has told you all manner of terrible things about me.

“All true, by the way," Wesley said, and for some reason that made the men chuckle uncomfortably. Arielle didn’t know what to say. Once more, she felt like a spectacle even though it was really Gio interrupting the conversation.

Lord Wesley cleared his throat.

“Arielle, don’t feel you have to stay any longer. I'm sure you want to rest before the rest of the guests arrive, and we're mostly discussing boring business things. You can leave whenever you want.”

“Okay.” She got up instantly, startling a few of the guests, as she bowed. “Thank you for inviting me and for all your generous offers. Goodbye.”

"Goodbye," Lord Wesley said, and Arielle bowed to each individual before she turned on her heel and walked out, with Maus hurrying behind her.

She felt her heart beating as she went down the stairs and out to the courtyard. She was evaluating her behaviour, wondering if she did something wrong or if she gave Gio anything he could use against her, or, worst of all, Elric.

"Hey," Maus said as he caught up to her. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "That was a lot. It was very new for me."

"Yeah, it was. You did well. Thankfully they mostly ignored me."

Arielle nodded. She would have liked to be ignored at times too.

Then suddenly she remembered something that had her skidding to a stop.

"They had cake," she said. "Did you want some? Should I have asked if–"

"No." Maus put up his hand. "I don't want any more cake. I just want to know if you're okay."

She lifted her shoulder. "I don't know yet. But hopefully, I will be." Hopefully, she hadn't messed up too badly. 

"You didn't do anything wrong," Maus said. "You were great."

"Really?"

"Yes. You weren't intimidated by them at all."

She looked down. "I didn't understand them sometimes."

"That's because they were doing that thing nobles do when they’re being condescending and laughing at inside jokes," he said. "Generally they were nice enough, but they are aristocrats and wealthy people, so some level of condescension is to be expected."

“Oh. Okay.” So the problem had been from their end, not hers. That was good. 

They walked silently across the grass towards Arielle's guesthouse. When they reached the weird statue again, she paused in front of it.

That feeling of familiarity and discomfort overwhelmed her again. The spells woven around it kept bothering her. What was it about this statue? Why was it being protected?

She remembered that she had to ask Wulfric about whether or not he’d discovered something, but she didn't know how to find him.

"Do you know where Wulfric is?" she asked Maus without looking at him.

"Why are you looking for him?"

Ari jumped. The voice that responded was much deeper than Maus' and markedly different. She turned over with her eyes to see that Maus was no longer next to her.

Gio was.

The first thing Arielle did, amidst her panic, was search for her friend. He was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Maus?" she demanded. "What did you do to him?"

"I sent him away."

"Sent him where?"

Gio smiled and leaned forward. "Is that a glare I see?"

Arielle avoided his eyes but stared very hard at his neck. "If you hurt Maus, I'll..."

"You'll what? I'm interested to know."

Arielle's hands formed fists. She thought about what spell she could use against him to defend herself and find Maus. But she didn't even know what skills he had, first of all, and she didn't know if Vittoria and Elric would approve of her starting a fight with the Archmage, no matter the reason.

But if he had indeed hurt Maus, she might not care about any of that.

Her eyes drifted upwards, and she noticed Gio looked happy in the face of her anger. "Don't worry. I just sent him back to his room."

She didn’t know if she believed him. "Why?"

"So we could talk."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Don't you?" he said. "I would think you would. Abyssal research is sort of my specialty."

Oh. Arielle had forgotten he was a Li, and the Lis currently had a monopoly on such spells.

"My family tends to not appreciate outsiders toying with our things," he continued.

Arielle narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean?"

"Let's just say there are reasons that there haven't been any breakthroughs in centuries, and it's not just because most people are woefully incompetent."

Arielle looked away, a thudding in her throat. "I don't know why you're telling me this. It's not my research."

"Right." Gio sounded amused. "Do you want to see a magic trick?"

She shook her head. She wanted to go and check on Maus, but it wasn't likely that Gio would let her go.

Arielle had to think of ways to entice him to leave her alone.

"Your tea will get cold," she said lamely.

"I don't care," he responded. "I don't like being around them any more than you do."

He laid a hand on her shoulder, and she stiffened.

“I thought the two of us could have a more interesting conversation alone."

She shook her head, and he laughed.

“Ah. I suppose Elric did tell you about me, didn't he? He likely told you to stay away from me and made out like I’m a big bad wolf.”

“Aren't you?"

He thought about it as he pointed a finger, and a tiny black bird formed at the tip.

“Yes, I am. And so are you."