Chapter 9 #3
Ha, arkathi. I fucking knew it. "Alright, so it should be, I would appreciate if I were able to write to you to place an order in the future.
" It put us on the same level of power, although I indicated through syntax that he was arkathi and I was ishik, like I should.
I thought Inmadra would be particularly pleased, although I could have said it more elegantly. "So, can I write to you?"
Elethenn seemed unable to look at me. He smoothed the front of his apron, careful. "If you wish to contact me – If your head of house doesn't mind –"
I felt a familiar flash of irritation, although it wasn't directed at anyone in particular.
I wasn't irritated at Elethenn; I wasn't even irritated at Araxis.
But I was pretty sick of every abaya I met thinking I needed to check in with my sinnenthi before I got myself in trouble or whatever. Even if they were occasionally right.
"Our relationship isn't like that," I said, flicking at my wrist and sending my ping information his way. His wristband, an older model that had seen better days, pulsed with a soft blue light.
"I – had wondered." Elethenn tapped on the notification, hesitating for a moment before sending his ping back. "Be careful on the walk back, Sashen. As you know, there has been… unrest recently."
"Yeah, I know," I said with a wave. Then, "I look forward to when we next meet, Elethenn!" That time, I was sure to stress, by the word I used for we, that we were friends. I didn't stay to look at the expression on his face, because the glimpse that I did get was absolutely heart-breaking.
It had to be hard, being crecheless. I knew we were going to be expanding the creche soon – that had been a topic of some interest at a few of the meetings – and that Araxis was intending to accept petitions from crecheless abaya.
That also means he'd be accepting petitions from skoshas – but that didn't matter to Creche Thiel.
I wondered if Elethenn might petition to join, or if he'd consider that overstepping.
I was already putting in a good word for Rodil.
Surely I could do the same for Elethenn and Celravi and Inmadra and Thodin.
It might be nice to have creche-mates who actually liked me.
I slowly made my way to the nearest inter-ward tunnel entrance, my feet dragging a little with each step I took.
Because I had time that I could be using, I flashed up Val's message and started a reply about the different weapons I'd fired and what I remembered about the models (not much).
I glanced up now and again to smile stupidly at anyone who sounded particularly irritated or who I had to step close to, but people in Radiant Ward mostly minded their own business, just getting on with the slog of real life here in the belly of Sozamia Station.
I was just telling Val about my success with the arc lance – I'm basically a prodigy, I wrote, my two innate talents are shooting one specific type of weapon while looking super hot and fucking all types of aliens – when I came to a stop.
Some transport had been turned over in the tunnel I took to my usual exit out of Radiant, and there was a massive line to get through the checkpoint and a dozen or so ward guards buzzing around.
I huffed out a resigned sigh, craned my neck, and took a quick glance at the map of the ward I had downloaded.
I could backtrack and get to another entrance deeper in the ward, although that would make my walk back to Verdant Ward longer.
Or – I flicked through the map – I could cut through the Graves to an entrance that was almost on the way.
It was a checkpoint I hadn’t taken yet because I mostly tried to avoid going through that tangle of alleyways, but I'd been a few times and no one had stabbed me yet.
In fact, I'd met a particularly nice ketaari who carved little figurines out of scrap polymer.
At my request, he'd customized some and the kids had been over the moon when I'd returned home last week with a spider, a cat, and a whale.
The Graves it was. I didn't want to walk for any longer than I had to.
I tucked my hands into the pockets of my thin pants, the chill making my fingers a little stiff after the beating they'd taken, and I headed into the shadowy knot of alleys and tunnels.
By now, I mostly knew my way through but I left the map hovering above my wrist, dim, to keep me on track.
It wasn't until I rounded a corner and made it about halfway down a narrow alley just two blocks from the next checkpoint that I realized something was up.
The narrow tunnel, which was dim and cluttered, was empty. Until I glanced up from my wrist display, double-checking that I had the direction right, and saw that there was someone standing at the end, blocking the exit, unmoving.
Surprise twisted in my stomach, unpleasant and sour, like missing a step on a staircase.
I shot a quick look behind me, ready to pivot and head in the other direction, but the entry into the tunnel was also blocked by a looming figure, nothing more than a broad-shouldered silhouette against the dim orange lights of Radiant Ward beyond.
Well, I thought distantly, shit.