******
They finished their tea and snacks and caught up on each other. Alex’s studies at the Elvwist enclave were going great. He was immersed in philosophy, honing his skills in mind-speak and his major esa of in-sight. He was still getting instructions in the martial arts - something their father had been teaching him - along with Jade - before he was lost.
They had kept up with it as best they could. They had practiced with each other and their godfather, Morgan, had helped them a lot with that. Morgan operated a farm near the village and, along with being a master scientist, he also taught martial arts.
Alex was also studying ancient weapons along with the usual math, history, science, etc. He had another year of study left. He did not currently have a steady girlfriend, he answered when Jade asked, though he conceded he did have a sleep buddy.
Jade smiled at that. Knowing Alex, they probably didn’t do much actual sleeping.
“You’ll love it, Jade,” he said. “Well, except for all the chores students are required to do,” he added with a grin. Jade had confided in him about her decision to go there for studies in another year, as soon as her current contract with Nuisance Apprehenders was up.
“Chores?” Jade asked, “You never said anything about chores!” she exclaimed. “What kind?”
Before Alex could answer, the gong sounded calling everyone back to the meeting. “I’ll explain later,” he said. “We’d better get back.”
Jade, not anxious to return to the stage, asked Maggie if she had to and was relieved when her mother sent:
she sent back, gratefully.
Last night, she’d been too tired to make the place decent. She had gone to Morgan’s for some much needed fight practice and discovered just how rusty she’d gotten. She might be able to beat off someone like Reece who’d never been fight trained and - looking back - hadn’t been in all that great a shape, but Uncle Morgan had given her a real workout and just about whipped her toes off. Harrumph. Last time she’d call him “old”.
She’d just showered and fallen into her bed and left her laundry all over the bed in the spare room.
sent Maggie.
Jade wondered what Sparrow wanted with Tally but knew it must have its reasons. She’d ask Tally when he got home.
She turned to Alex, “Well, Mom said we can leave if we want - unless you’re anxious to get back in there and listen to um… “mature” adults asking the same questions over and over,” Jade told him with a smile. She didn’t want to come right out and say “old people”.
“Yes,” said Alex smiling back, “she told me.” His smile widened into a grin, “I wasn’t looking forward to going back in there. Whew! I was beginning to phase out before the break. Sparrow keeps telling me I need to work on having patience and, ah…balance.” He shook his head ruefully, “I keep trying; maybe someday I’ll get it right.”
They left the clearing, winding their way through the trees to the walkway. They noticed a few others leaving too, mostly younger people. Jade saw her friend from work.
“Hey, Ro!” she called as they reached the walkway. “I didn’t know you were here. Come meet my brother.”
She and Tally hadn’t been back to the camp since the day after they made their discovery. After they’d gotten back to the camp on the evening of their find, they turned in their little captives and reported the water outages. Then she’d made the call to Maggie, showered, and turned in for the night.
Ro hadn’t returned by then and when she’d checked her room early the next morning, she was curled up with her sleep buddy, still asleep. So she’d left her a note. She had meant to call her but things had gotten kind of busy and it had entirely slipped her mind.
The camp boss, Norm, had probably told her she was going to be out for a while, though. Maggie had called him and informed him she and Tally would have to stay in town for a while, by order of the ruling council.
Ro, who was a couple of years older, had been stationed at the camp for about a year. She had familiarized Jade and Tally with the local procedures and they became fast friends. Well, first Jade and Ro became fast friends. Tally had taken a little longer to warm up but now, he conceded he kind of liked her.
They both had to get used to Ro’s non-Human friend and partner, though. Jade remembered thinking, That has got to be the biggest Dog I’ve ever seen in my life! And she was huge. And shaggy. And pink with large yellow spots. As were most Dogs, she was very friendly. Her name was Dotshea so of course everybody called her Dots. In no time at all she’d won them over.
“Where’s Dots?” asked Jade as Ro turned and headed in her direction.
“Hey, Jade,” Ro greeted her with a smile. “She stayed at th’ camp. She’s gonna work with Emily Dean for th’ coupla days I’m here. She wants to earn extra credits so’s she can git birthday presents for her litter-mates. I’m gonna keep her posted by mind-speak.”
Jade chuckled. She could understand that. She was always trying to earn extra credits for various reasons too - the latest being the cute outfit she had spotted at Fashion Trends, her favorite boutique, a month ago, that she hadn’t been able to get after all. Good thing, too, she reflected. If she’d been wearing that when Reece ripped her clothes, she might’ve had to do him some serious damage.
She introduced them. “Ro, this is my brother Alexander. Alex, my friend, Rolanda Galway. Ro, we were just about to go to my house, Alex will be staying with me for the next couple of days. Where are you staying?” Ro was from Village Nine but had relatives in Twelve.
“With my Ant and Uncle,” replied Ro. “They’s still at th’ meetin’ so I was jus’ gonna walk around and try ta find a coffee shop or somethin’. All they had at th’ meetin’ wuz tea and you know how I feel about tea!” she said with a laugh.
Jade smiled. “Yes, I do - “Hold th’ tea - gimme th’ coffee!” she mimicked one of Ro’s favorite sayings. She studied her friend thoughtfully. “Why don’t you come with us? I have some coffee in my pantry somewhere. I’m no good at making it though, so you’ll have to do that.”
Alex cleared his throat. “Pleased to meet you at last, Ro. I’ve heard a lot about you from Jade.” He stuck his hand out for a shake. “You’re from Nine, right?”
Ro reached to shake his hand and they both jumped as a small streak of blue electricity passed between them.
“I’m pleased ta meetcha too, Alex,” she said as she looked up at him. “Whew!” she said, shaking her fingers out. “That was some powerful static bite, there. Sorry ‘bout that.” She smiled. “How’d you know I’m from Nine?”
Alex gave a lop-sided smile and said bemusedly, “Your accent. It's distinctive and I have three classmates from your village. Heh, I believe we almost electrocuted each other! We need a good cup of coffee to fix us up and I know how to make it.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Jade turned to him with surprise. “I didn’t know you could make coffee.” Then she noticed how he was staring at Ro.
she teased, on their private link,
Alex shot back.
Jade had mentioned Ro during some of their conversations but hadn’t felt the need to describe her. Besides, he’d never asked what her friend looked like.
She looked at Ro critically. She’d never thought about it before but decided she was kind of cute. Short - she swore she was five-three but Jade knew she was five-feet-nothing in her bare feet - curvy with a heart shaped face. Her most striking feature were her eyes. They were an unusual deep shade of purple and they went well with her peaches and cream complexion.
She changed her shoulder length hair color from time to time, and this evening it was a dark auburn shade that really set off her eyes. She was wearing a basic-cut lavender tunic that hit her above the knees, the waist cinched with a purple, gem encrusted, leather belt. She wore old fashioned high heeled, purple, lace-all-the-way-up-the-leg sandals. Ro liked various shades of purple.
Jade tea
sed him again, grinning.
Ro looked at Alex through thick, lowered lashes and said with a smile, “Sure, lead th’ way. I’ll let my Ant Azzie know where I’m goin’ so’s she and Uncle George won’t worry.”
she sent privately. she added with a small lift of one brow.
Jade grinned again. Ro had never been shy. This is an interesting development, she thought.
They walked the few blocks to her house.
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