8th Hour, Training Room 1, Lightning Mountain, The Black Dragon Sect:

Lightning had been Yu’s most stress-free affinity as she had combat skills for both Warrior and Mage lessons and loved using the skills. While the classes remained half studying Qi and half combat practice against target dummies, she enjoyed them. Yu even found she gained a bit of insight into how violent and volatile the Lightning Qi was as it flowed through her. Moreover, since she had started figuring out how to manage her Qi by eating the right foods in advance, Yu was able to perform quite well in the physical parts of both classes.

She had to be honest with herself that her pride was tweaked at her poor performance the prior week. Thus she showed off a little more in the Aura class, causing the target dummy to retain the charge for a full ten breaths after she was done, which granted her a small number of points for being the first in the class.

After a refreshing and entertaining lunch listening to Jao Li tell stories of how she really gave it to those boys in her Air Warrior class and her non-stop anticipation of their joint dinner with her brother, they all broke apart and went off to their respective hands-on profession classes. Except for Yu who couldn’t because her first hands-on class wasn’t until the following week. But that did not stop her from heading to the Enchanter’s Hall. She had things that were long overdue to take care of.

Yu walked in, feeling the foreign pressure of the dense Qi pressing on her as she strolled to one of the sales desks with the purpose of taking orders or requests. The young lady behind it, an inner sect disciple, was polite and pleasant when she asked, “How can I help you?”

Yu could tell she was just acting that way because it was expected. She was probably bored to death, which Yu could understand. Hopefully, she would never be relegated to desk duty.

Yu immediately smiled back and said, “I wanted to find out how much it costs to get an item identified.”

“We can do that,” the young woman responded with forced happiness. “What are the items?” Then she took out a jade tablet and awaited Yu’s description.

“Two swords and sheaths, a whip, a boot knife and sheath, a full leather armor set including boots but no helmet, a leather belt pouch, and a leather waterskin.”

The woman blinked at her but jotted down the notes after a moment. “There is a backlog of work and an assessment is required to determine the cost. It is one hundred points per item for the assessment which is non-refundable. But if you go ahead with the identification, you will have that amount deducted off the cost.”

Thinking, Yu asked, “Umm. Is there any sort of discount for being an apprentice enchanter?”

That broke the woman’s pleasant facade and she looked suspiciously at Yu. “Are you telling me you’re an apprentice here?”

Yu nodded. “My name is Fenghuang Yu and my classes are on Day 1 in room one and Day 5 in room three.” Yu had decided to cut to the heart of it immediately.

Once again, the disciple looked surprised. Then she scanned Yu up and down and said, “Apprentice Fenghuang Yu?” Yu smiled and nodded.

A genuine smile shone on the attendant’s face for the first time and she said pleasantly, “It’s good to meet you. You’re going to be very popular around here if you succeed in getting your Qi to flow into mediums the right way.”

The surprise and confusion on Yu’s face were likely obvious as the young woman giggled. “Word got around about your affinities,” she half-whispered. “A lot of folks will want to partner with you so they don’t have to split the fees for enchanting as many ways.”

Ah. That explained it. Well, maybe Yu could both learn and help sooner than she originally thought.

Seeing Yu’s comprehension, the young lady continued, “For apprentices, we do indeed offer identification for reduced rates. And we also waive the base fee so just tap your badge here and you’ll be notified when you’re scheduled to have your items assessed.”

Yu did so and then asked, “Is it common for apprentices to help each other out for affinities and such?”

The woman tilted her head back and forth. “Yes and no. Just like with anyone, we all have people we prefer to be around and those we do not. Generally apprentices help each other, but there are individuals who just don’t get along. Those with multiple affinities or rarer affinities are usually left alone, or even courted because they can offer more than most normal apprentices.”

That all made sense.

“Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate it.” Yu said with a bow.

The girl smiled and nodded and bid Yu farewell.

***

That evening all four girls were nervous as they approached the dumpling parlor, each for a different reason. In the case of Yu, she was scared her brother wouldn’t like her friends. On top of that, he might be angry at her for causing so much trouble for him and their family.

For the others, Yu figured she could read into each of the girls and figure out their reasons for being nervous. Lu kept looking at Li with an apprehensive expression telling Yu that she was terrified her little sister would embarrass her and her family. Li continued to check her dress, hair, makeup and the like obviously scared Lei wouldn’t like her. Ai was just plain scared of meeting any new person, especially a boy, which is why she was holding Bai. He was almost getting too big to hold. Soon he’d either be walking next to them or staying home.

As he was last time, Lei was outside the dumpling place, looking around. Yu and her friends stopped and stared when they saw him. He wasn’t dressed in his disciple robes. Instead, he wore a tight ice blue hanfu that matched his eyes and showed off his muscular figure. His dark hair was up in a topknot held in place by a glistening white jade guan with snowflakes carved into it and held in place by a matching white jade rod. In short, he was dashing.

Yu looked down, rubbing her face. Poor Li.

Looking over at the girl, Yu saw her staring with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Yu elbowed her. Hard. She “oofed” and Yu whispered, “You’re drooling,” then walked to her brother. Li wiped her mouth and followed along with the other girls.

Yu gave Lei a huge hug which he returned and then let her go. She stepped back and introduced each of the girls. “Brother, this is Jao Lu, sister to Jao Li here. And this is Gui Ai.” Her brother bowed to each and they returned it. “Girls, this is my best brother, Ice Warrior extraordinaire, heir to our clan, and ranked ninety-seventh after only two years at the sect, Fenghuang Lei.”

Yu noticed he blushed at her words but he maintained a wide smile when he said, “I reserved a table. If you would allow me to guide you.” Then he walked in.

Yu thought to herself, Wait. Did he just say, ‘If you would allow me to guide you?’ Is he showing off or something?

Strangely, Li gave the impression she was hiding behind her bigger sister. Well, that was new. A shy Li?

Ai was hiding behind Yu, which was expected. Lei led them to a round low table in a back room and the girls sat. Lei found an empty seat next to Yu who was next to Ai who was next to Li. Lu was between Lei and the visibly nervous Li.

Shaking her head, Yu said, “So Lei. I gave you a brief primer on my suitemates and them on you, but why don’t I tell you how we met.” He smiled over at me and Yu leaned over, gently patting Ai. “So, I met Gui Ai here first. She accidentally ran into me during the Welcoming in the big crowd and I introduced myself and of course, Bai was a big hit.”

Right on queue, the tiger cub put his paws on the table and let out a soft high-pitched roar. Everyone laughed.

“Well, Ai and I stayed together for the day, except when we were tested of course, and then we met up again for the big opening dinner. That was when the twins came up and introduced themselves. Once again Bai took center stage as Jao Li nearly mauled us when she saw how cute he was.”

Another tiny roar was followed by laughing, but Li was blushing and covering her face with her hands.

Yu continued with the story. “Jao Li and Jao Lu were Gui Ai’s suitemates along with another boy who had blue hair, smelly perfume, and a bad attitude. I believe he will be healing for quite a while after I broke his throat.” The table was filled with snickering as Yu concluded. “We ate together, found we had a number of things in common and now we’re suitemates. Well, after said broken throat.”

Then she turned to Ai and said, “Gui Ai loves painting and calligraphy. She knows a lot about the whole thing and I will hopefully be able to work with her to create talismans. Maybe if you’re good, we’ll deem you worthy of our work.” Then pointing at Li over giggles, Yu said, “Jao Li is an Air Warrior and is taking on cartography. Something I am terrible at by the way.” Then at the large Lu, “Jao Lu is Jao Li’s big sister, even though they’re twins, wields the Wood Affinity, and loves spending time with demonic beasts. Personally, I think they are intimidated by her size, but that’s just me.” More laughs followed.

They ordered the food during the quick break but Yu was watching her brother. Oddly, she noticed he continued to look over to Yu’s left at Ai. The poor girl was red as a fruit and had her head down, her white hair doing its best to cover her face. Was he so interested in seeing a princess? The twins were smiling, Li shyly and Lu openly.

Lei said, “Well, that was quite an introduction.” They all giggled. “I’m actually working on calligraphy as well. Ice is a weird affinity as it is viewed as close to useless for most professions. At least, here. Maybe somewhere with winter most of the year-round could use it. So instead, I focused on what I could offer elsewhere and, as I have a steady hand, I went with writing and drawing.”

That might explain why he was so focused on Ai.

Yu leaned over and spoke to her gently. “Maybe you and Lei can work together in the future.” She nodded while her red face darkened another few shades. Yu noticed her brother blushed slightly too. Yu rolled her eyes. Honestly. Ai’s shyness was apparently contagious. First Li and then her brother.

To diffuse it, Yu said, “Hey Lei. Have you ever been to the auction every fourth Day 6?”

Her brother was confused by the question but he shook his head. “No. I never had enough silver or points to make it worthwhile.”

“Well, want to go? We all are.” She gestured around the table.

“You have points to spare?” Lei’s tone was a mix of accusatory and skeptical at the same time. Lu gave a single barking laugh and Li and Ai giggled quietly. Lei looked around confused.

Yu said, “I am selling a few things.”

He cleared his throat. “Oh. Umm. Sure. I’ll pick you up since it might be hard to find each other. I heard it holds ten thousand or so between disciples and elders.”

Yu coughed. Lu and Li both laughed and Yu gave them a glare. Then she said to her brother softly, “Well, I have a reserved booth and I can bring more. I’m allowed to bring five others.”

He blinked at her and asked, “What are you selling exactly?”

Yu looked innocently at him and said, “It’s a surprise. You’ll find out when you get there.”

He humphed and leaned over to look at Ai. “Gui Ai, you must know. Can you give me a hint? My sister is always so secretive.”

Yu gaped at Lei. “Seriously?” Then she leaned over and whacked him on the arm.

Ai hunched farther and mumbled, “Secret.”

Victorious, Yu exclaimed, “Ha! See? That will teach you!” And then she punched him again, causing him to groan and laugh.

Yu asked, “Moving on from your nosy attitude, what classes are you taking? Is it different from us?”

Still grinning, he winked at Ai and said, “Well, first I’m not taking that intro class. That goes away after a year. Second, I am taking an extra class on calligraphy and a few more on both Qi combat and martial combat.”

Yu brightened at that. “Can you tell us what comes next after us just sitting around and looking at our Qi for half the class?”

He chuckled. “That is actually a really important part of the class. Don’t slack on it,” he said seriously.

Yu rolled her eyes. “Yes, father.”

The food arrived then and the conversation lessened as people stuffed their faces. They spoke a little about classes, instructors, and the like. Yu had to eat quickly because they all wanted to hear about her first day healing on the roving team. She explained that she couldn’t say anything beyond a type of injury, what she did and how it worked out, all in very general terms. All specific details and anything involving the victim were confidential. Beyond that, Lei spoke to how more advanced classes worked, what sort of studies and practice to prepare for, and the like.

***

At the end of the evening while standing outside of the establishment, a blushing Lei spoke directly to Ai and said gently, “If you ever need help with calligraphy or. . . well anything, just let me know. Alright?” Ai, nearly glowing scarlet like she was using a fire skill, nodded while partially hiding behind Yu.

Yu said, “Girls, go on ahead. Bai and I will catch up shortly. Just give me a few moments with my brother.” Yu took the tiger from Lu. He squirmed in her hands so she put him down and he wound about their feet and wandered in the area. He would always come back after moving a short bit away but he clearly was done with being held. His emotions were a mix of excitement, nervousness, and curiosity. He liked seeing new places.

The girls all waved, bowed, or overall said thank you and walked home. Yu faced him and then hit him again.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

Bai nudged his leg.

“Leave Ai alone. She’s really nervous around people. Boys especially.” Then Yu changed the topic. “Look. You need to be careful. I’ve really really pissed off the Bao clan recently. I don’t know if anyone knows we’re related or not. It helps that there are thirty-thousand disciples. But just keep your eyes open.”

His expression changed to a serious one and he started walking along the road home. She and Bai stayed with him. “Tell me,” was all he said.

Wow. He sounded just like their father right then. So creepy.

Well, creepy or not, Yu explained about both the Water Warrior instructor and the meat mission. His face turned more thunderous the more she spoke. When she was done he stared at her and said in complete seriousness, “You need to be careful too. You don’t understand what these people will stoop to. These aren’t like the nobles at home or in the smaller cities. There are stories of how the imperial nobles keep people low, never mind the ones who really threaten to upset the balance of power.”

Yu said, “It’s not like I started any of it. I’m a victim here. All I wanted to do was come here, grow strong, and then help our city and clan. The stupid nobles are the ones who keep dragging me into things. Hells, even the meat mission was because of one of them.”

He responded in an even tone, “But you kept the mission didn’t you?” Yu opened her mouth and he held up a hand to silence her. “Don’t try to defend your decisions to me, Yu’er. You exacerbated the situation and you know it. You could have gone to the elders, explained the situation, and asked them to take it away. You made the choice to keep it. Nobody made you. And what’s more, you kept it secret which means you knew it was going to make things worse. You are baiting them with it. Or getting revenge.”

Yu slumped. He was right. She was absolutely poking at the Bao with the mission. That boy really made her angry though. And she liked causing a ruckus and making all the large factions accuse and argue. Heck, her master practically demanded she do it; not that that was the sole reason.

“On the other hand, it sounds like you got baited by that Bao elder. He kept pushing you so you’d have to react violently or leave the class. He was hoping for the former so he would have an excuse to attack you. The Bao are known for that sort of plotting. They lure bait in, make them hook themselves, and then attack when they supposedly are in the right. It’s something of an area of expertise for those people.” You saw his jaw clench and he growled out. “Good people have been caught up in their schemes before.”

Yu blinked at her brother. He was rarely so emotional; someone he knew must have been a victim.

Upon reflection, that might have been what the four outside the Mission Hall were trying to do. Sighing, Yu patted his back and said, “Well, either way, the situation is what it is. You needed to know.”

He nodded. “I did. Thank you. Now off you go.”

Yu gave him another tight hug. As they separated, her brother reminded her, “I’ll meet you four outside of the auction house tomorrow night. I look forward to seeing what the big secret is.”

He walked off and Yu looked down at Bai. “C’mon. I’ll race you to catch up with the others.” He did his cute roar and ran off.

Yu yelped, “Hey! Cheater!” and ran after him laughing.