Breathe in the Embers

Part 32

Superior had little patience for chatting in class, which was fine by Martin. They’d done the usual round of introductions by everyone, then gotten straight into the coursework itself. Little time was wasted on the niceties. It was all very streamlined and efficient. Martin loved it already, not least because the first lecture had involved whether or not vigilantism was ethical in the first place. Pondering it was their only homework.

Martin felt like he was in some heavenly paradise version of school.

Fortunately, due to their brief introductions, Martin wasn’t at a complete loss when the hoodie girl fell into step beside him on their way out of class.

“Hey, you’re Martin, right?” she asked, brushing a stray strand of black hair from her face. Her eyes were so brown they were practically black. “What’d you think? Superior’s kind of a hardass isn’t she? I mean, we had a lecture and sort of have homework on the first day!”

“I find it rather refreshing to not have my time wasted on the first day of school. I typically bring a book and read throughout the entire affair.” Which wasn’t a bad day, but still, he could read on his own time. If he was going to be in school he wanted to be learning. Not going over the schedule, which no one would remember and which would be repeated when actually needed throughout the semester. Not playing ridiculous games trying to remember the names of classmates he would likely never speak to. Lecture. Notes. Tests. Essays. These things fuelled his learning and his passion for school both.

Sadly, his erstwhile companion did not seem to agree.

“Try hard, eh? Well, I guess that means you picked the right class. Superior sure is your typical stiff backed, cold educator. Guess you’ll fit right in.”

“It’s Contessa, right?” I hazarded. It was a small class and the unique name had actually managed to stick for once.

“Tessa. Like I said when Superior called me that.” She replied bitterly. That was something she really needed to get over. It was her name. It was on the roster. People would call her that, especially teachers reading her name from a roster. Taking offence at it was ridiculous.

“Tessa it is then. I have never had an experience that would lead me to believe your claim of being stiff and cold is typical of an educator. I also don’t believe that is necessarily negative even if it were accurate.” He kept his eyes ahead as he walked, hoping she would stop walking with him. She did not. “They are here to teach, not be our friends. Just as I am here to learn.” He didn’t add ‘not to be your friend’ out of graciousness, but hoped she would sense the absence of the phrase and get the point.

She did not.

He could practically hear the eyeroll. “Wow. So did they like, build you in a lab or are you a naturally occurring organic robot of some sort?”

Martin bared his teeth more than he grinned. “Technically speaking, naturally occurring organic robot would pretty accurately describe all humans.”

“Organic robot it is then. So Orgbot 2000, what can you do?”

“Excuse me?”

“What. Can. You. Do. Why are you at Azimuth? You got powers? Or are your parents just super rich and got you in here for fun? Or maybe you’re here to study magic? Sounds like that’d fit you. Dry and boring compared to the super power courses.”

Dear God Tessa was grating on his nerves. “I have resilience powers that the school thought would be valuable. I will, in fact, be studying both magic and the super power courses, along with the advanced standard courses.” he replied to shut her up.

It did no such thing.

“Of course you’re in the advanced core classes. You came to Azimuth and are going out of your way to do extra math and science, and whatever? Who does that?”

“Someone smart enough to handle it all with a fair degree of ease while still enjoying the unique aspects of the experience.” Martin replied with uncharacteristic bluntness. He knew he was smart, and that school was easy for him, but he didn’t like to rub it in people’s faces. Normally. “I’ll have plenty of time to revel in the more entertaining aspects of our education here.”

“Well cool. Whatcha got next?” Tessa inquired, surprisingly unphased by what Martin would have considered unforgivable rudeness were he not seriously provoked. “I’ve got a half hour off. Not sure why the schedule is so fucked here. I have like… four classes today with off time between each. What’s with that?”

“No idea. Perhaps you should ask a teacher or the office staff.”

“Bah. You’ll find out eventually, then you can tell me! It’ll be great. In fact, I think you are in desperate need of some chill, which I am happy to provide. And I, shocking though this may be, could actually use some Try-Hard help with some of the coursework. I think the two of us have a lot to offer one another.”

Lithuega was quite enough chill for Martin. In fact, now that they were speaking for longer, some of what Tessa said was reminding him of the Carcolith. Well, more how she said it than what she said. Lithuega was significantly more diplomatic. “Maybe. I need to go get my supplies for my next class.” And he needed to talk to Margaret about how hers went. It was a bummer that their schedules hardly synced up at all, especially given his present alternatives to socializing with her.

But with any luck, his schedule would have very little overlap with Tessa’s either.