Chapter 7 Basque - A Promise
Julvie was decked out in a pink dress again. This one had a low cut in it that showed off her chest. He assumed that there were other frills and shapings to it that a Kruamian man would have found alluring, but it didn’t do much for Basque, especially since he’d just seen Rakelle wearing something similar.
“Good evening, Basque-Shr.”
“Hello, Madam Julvie.”
She looked at the boy in his arms. “Is that the troublemaker?”
Basque cursed Krill in his mind. “No, he’s the victim.”
“What are you doing with him?”
“Taking him back to his room.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s sleeping?”
She laughed. “I can see that, but why not just leave him in the nurse’s office, and when he wakes up,” she waved her hand in a dismissive manner, “he can scamper off on his own.”
Basque frowned. “The nurse isn’t in, and he’s got a sister. I figured it would be best for him to wake up with a familiar face around.”
She snorted through her nose. “Well, hurry up, then! We’ve got reservations.”
Basque nodded and left her there. He carried Malcalm up the stairs, cradled in his arms. Rakelle wasn’t heartless. That’s why she came. That’s why she told him not to call her again, because if he called, she would come. This wasn’t observing.
He needed to pull back. After his boast to Natt about being a teacher and caring, he felt like he was overcommitting to something that he knew he shouldn’t. He’d already initiated teaching Hainb to Sophia, but that was it. He wasn’t going to get involved with the students any further.
Don’t get involved . Rakelle’s voice rang in his head.
But he was a teacher. How could he not get involved?
As soon as he set foot on the third floor, Sophia appeared by his side. “Master Harnel is waiting at the main entrance. No students outside of those who reside here have tried to come in since.”
“Thank you, Sophia.”
“I shall tell him of your return.”
“Don’t. I’ll go talk to him myself. Madam Julvie is waiting for me on the first floor. I can’t stay long.”
Sophia’s expression stayed noncommittal. “Very well.”
They arrived at room 310 and Sophia knocked once. When there was no answer, she opened the door with one of her keys. “Young Master Malcalm is in the room to the left.”
“Thank you, Sophia.”
Once again, she opened the door for him, and Basque carried the sleeping boy to his bed. Sophia pulled the sheets back, then removed Malcalm’s shoes. Basque laid him in the bed, and Sophia covered him.
“I’ll go tell his sister. Could you block off the inner stairwell?”
“Of course, Master Basque. Is there anything else you need me for, my lord?”
Basque shook his head. “Please just come to my room after I get back from meeting with Julvie.”
She bowed.
They both headed back into the audience room, and while Basque headed out through the main door, Sophia exited through the servants’ entrance. From the files that Basque had studied after being assigned as the teacher of Class E, he remembered that Maecy was assigned room 311 with Braelyne.
Those two weeks had been hectic as he read and memorized the files the academy had on the students in his class, but it was nice knowing all of his students at a glance. He was finding it extremely helpful now. Rakelle would have been upset, saying it violated their third manifest: Don’t get involved.
Basque knocked on Maecy’s door.
“Who is it?”
“Basque Gerenet, your teacher for Class E.”
“Come in.”
Basque opened the door. Four girls sat in the audience room. He could see the silver hair of Reianna and the blond hair of Fawna sitting in the chairs facing away from the door. Maecy, with dark blue hair identical to Malcalm’s, sat on the sofa next to a maroon-haired girl that Basque knew was Braelyne.
When he entered, all four stood up. “Welcome, Master Gerenet,” three of them said. Fawna called him “Gerenet-Shr” and it created a jumble after the initial “welcome”.
“Please, sit, ladies.”
They all nodded and sat back down. Basque walked over and stood between Fawna’s chair and the sofa. He looked at Maecy. “Your brother will be okay.”
Maecy’s clouded expression lightened, but she didn’t say anything as she stared at the table between the sofa and the chairs. Braelyne reached over and put her hand on Maecy’s leg. Fawna leaned forward and clasped her hands together in between her knees. Only Reianna made no move.
“It’s just not fair. He didn’t do anything. He was just walking to his room, and that Yani-born knobble just slammed his head into the wall.”
A part of Basque wanted to take the girl's testimony to Krill to prove that Lavrence was lying, but he knew no matter what was said or who said it, he’d find some excuse to make Malcalm the villain and Lavrence the aggrieved. Basque didn’t want to see Maecy’s face when Krill flat-out accused her of lying for her brother or some other heinous rebuttal.
Observe, Basque.
Reianna asked, “Did the nurse come back?”
Basque looked at Reianna. He’d not expected her to ask about anything. He shook his head. “He never did. The friend I called took care of him.”
Fawna exhaled loudly and sat back in her seat. “Thank you so much, Gerenet-Shr.”
He nodded.
“Where is my brother? Is he still in the nurse’s office?”
Basque shook his head. “I brought him to his room. I came to tell you that as well. His roommate isn’t in, so if you want to go and look after him, let my maid, Sophia, know and she’ll let you in.”
Maecy looked at Braelyne, then at the other two girls. “Thank you all so much for your concern. I’m going to go check on him.”
When she stood up, Braelyne and Fawna stood up with her. Maecy looked at them. “What are you doing?”
Braelyne answered, “We’re going with you, of course.”
Basque didn’t feel like he should be there anymore. He was there to observe the education system, not the personal troubles of the locals. He nodded his head. “I’ll leave you ladies to it.”
He left the room and was only a few steps away when a small, delicate hand took his, stopping him. He turned around to see Reianna. His eyes widened. “Can I help you with something, Miss Santi?”
“Are you really going to protect us?”
Basque’s heart skipped a beat. Protect them ? Where had she gotten that idea from? No, he couldn’t protect them, it wasn’t his job. Observe. Evaluate. Don’t get involved , then finally, teach . Teaching was a distant fourth, and its “protect” mandate was overridden by the first three priorities Basque had in Kruami.
Basque contemplated the best way to answer the young girl. A simple “yes” was out of the question. Neither could he bring himself to just as simply say, “No.” Her hand trembled in his. “Reianna, there are twenty-four of you and only one of me. I cannot be everywhere and anywhere at once. On top of that, I am a teacher, not a guard.
“I cannot protect you. I will teach you to protect yourself.”
He looked at her face to see how she would react, but other than that one moment in her room when she’d glared at him, she was as expressionless as always. The pause she took was just as long as the one Basque had taken, but eventually, she gave a single nod of her head and let go of his hand.
Basque put his hand on her shoulder, preventing her from leaving. “Your first lesson is that when you are weaker: hide. You are safe in our dorm. A teacher I trust is preventing students who do not live here from entering.”
She nodded again and then looked towards the wall, hiding her face. “Thank you, Gerenet-Shr.”
He let go of her shoulder, and she quickly walked back to Maecy’s room. Basque continued on his way to see Harnel. The boulder of a man was sitting in front of the door to Class E’s dorm in a chair he’d dragged in from somewhere. The book he was reading was comically small in his massive, beefy hands.
Basque clapped him on the shoulder. “Ho, Bastard!”
Harnel jumped and then burst out into laughter. “There you go, Basky!”
Sliding his hand off Harnel’s shoulder, Basque crossed his arms. “Thank you, Master Harnel. Truly.”
“Think nothing of it, though I preferred your first moniker. So, for thanks, just call me that.”
Basque smiled. “I couldn’t call such a good man that. We’ll just go with Nel.”
Harnel reached up a hand, and Basque extended his in return. Harnel grasped it, and they shook. After letting go, Harnel said, “You have to remember, once upon a time I was in their shoes. It does my heart good knowing that they’ve got a teacher who’s looking out for them.”
“I don’t know if this is really looking out for them, considering Krill is going to try to use them to get to me. I’ve put them in the crosshairs even more so.”
Harnel shook his head. “Two others graduated with me from my E class. I’m the only one still living. If there’s one man I have faith that will not only treat them fairly but teach them how to survive, it can only be you.”
“Thank you for your vote of confidence. I hope I don’t disappoint you too much.”
Harnel gave another of his trademark laughs. “Bahaha! As if you’d ever disappoint!”
Basque hid his true feelings behind a smile. Observe. Evaluate. Don’t get involved . “Well, I’ve got a lady waiting for me to disappoint her.”
“Bahaha! Well, don’t let me keep you. Though I’m sure if you changed your mind ever so slightly, she’d be quite satisfied.”
Basque didn’t know how to respond, so he just patted Harnel on the shoulder. “I’ll let you know when I’m back.”
As Basque headed to the stairs, Harnel called after him, “Feel free to take your time if you change your mind!”
Basque waved his hand in the air, then went down the stairs. When he got back to where Julvie was waiting, she had a bored expression on her face that changed to a smile when she saw him.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said.
“Get everything squared up?”
“As good as it will be.”
“Great!” Her smile was almost as bright as her hair. “Shall we then?” Julvie stuck her left hand on her hip and gestured towards the Grand Entrance Hall with her right.
Basque nodded and started walking.
“Ahem.”
He stopped, looked back, and tilted his head. “Is something the matter?”
Julvie walked up to stand next to him. “In Kruami, it’s customary for a gentleman to allow the woman to hook her arm in his.”
“Oh. I see.” Basque looked at her left arm. “In front of the students?”
“You’re on the shy side, I see. Don’t worry, there are plenty of teachers who date each other. After all, teachers are human, too!”
“Madam Julvie, I’m not inter—”
“So, come on, don’t be shy, Basque-Shr.”
“Madam Ju—”
“Come on! Stick that right arm out.”
Basque sighed. “Madam…”
Her smile flattened, and she dropped her voice to a whisper. “Please, Master Basque.”
He kept the pity off his face as he stuck out his right arm like she’d done earlier. Her smile brightened again, and she wrapped her arm around his. She pressed her exposed and ample bosom into his arm.
“I’ve had a coach prepared for us.” She pulled on his arm and led him through the Grand Entrance Hall. The once empty giant reception area was filling with first-years and second-years.
The ones who noticed the bright pink beauty holding on to the man with jet-black hair stared. Some even tapped on their friends’ shoulders to point them out. Basque couldn’t help but feel this was a calculated move on Julvie’s part.
Once outside, the setting sun cast a pink glow in the clouds reminiscent of Julvie’s hair. As she’d said, there was a carriage waiting. A servant held the door open for them. Julvie continued to lead him by pulling on his arm, and she stopped in front of the open door.
She unlinked her arm from his. “It’s also customary in Kruami for the man to help the woman into a carriage by offering her his hand.”
Basque held out his right hand. “Like this?”
“Brilliant!” She took his hand and used it to balance as she stepped up and into the carriage. Even once she was inside, she didn’t let go of his hand, instead, she used it to pull him up with her.
“Thank you, my lady.”
“The pleasure is all mine.”
She sat down on the bench facing forward, and Basque sat opposite her.
“You aren’t going to join me over here?”
He shook his head. “I believe this will facilitate conversation better.”
She grimaced. “As you wish. Driver! We are ready.”
There was a lurch, and the carriage took off. Julvie didn’t say anything, she just stared at Basque with dreamy eyes.
“Your carriages are quite different from the ones we use in Hianbru.”
“Yes, I remember seeing yours when you arrived outside the gate. It was a weird-looking contraption. I also didn’t think it rode as smoothly as these do.”
“What do you use to propel yours?”
Julvie leaned forward. “I didn’t ask you out to discuss automotive mechanics.”
“I’m afraid that automotive mechanics are all that I am capable of discussing at this time.”
She sat back and wore a big pout. “Is this the type of conversation that we’re going to be having over dinner, too?”
Basque shook his head. “No, I suppose that I’ll speak about food and ask about Kruamian culinary arts.”
She crossed her arms. “What is it about me that you don’t like?”
Doing his best to hold back from pinching his eyebrows to contain his developing headache, Basque said, “It’s not specific to you, Madam Julvie.”
“We’re outside school grounds now, so you should call me ‘Marchioness’. I didn’t kill over a thousand Yani just to be called ‘madam’.”
Basque blinked. “It’s not specific to you, Marchioness Julvie. My response would be the same to everyone. I must go home in five years, after this incoming class graduates. Any relationship is bound to die.”
Her pouting somewhat lessened. “Well, couldn’t we just have a bit of fun?”
“In my experience, there’s no such thing. It will always become more than fun for someone, and I’d rather it not be either of us. I don’t want it to be me because, well, it’s me. And I don’t want it to be you because I like you and wouldn’t want to hurt you.”
“You like me?”
Basque nodded. “I’ve enjoyed your company since you first let me into the school grounds.”
She smiled. “Well, we can keep each other company for now, and if one thing leads to another—”
“It won’t.”
“Then we’ll just take it from there. I tell you, though, you’re going to love tonight’s dinner. I’ve booked us at one of the best restaurants. They have an incredible asparagus bisque.”
Basque smiled and hoped that the night would be short.