Reassembly Required:
Part 1
------ Habitual
Disruption -----
Long-trunk ekku trees danced in the hustling breeze escaping from just beyond the safety of Metrica Province's outlying eastern mountain range. The sun shone brilliantly in the sky, with a playful exchange on the Jeztar river's surface. Many Asura hardly noticed the magnificent spectral, however, most engaged in their research of cultivation, irrigation, water sampling, specimen gathering, and various other scientific endeavors. Their small bodies littered the scene, busily going about their business.
While small in stature, their impact on the world of Tyria was, for the most part, from their extremely brilliant intellect - only surpassed by their unwavering assuredness. Most Asura shared a love for the sciences, and while each sought their own paths - some diving into controlling the elements, some duel wielding swords, others communing with nature - the majority held true to this stereotypical generalization. Thus, all younger Asura had to choose which college to study under before joining the greater population and races in the world; they would study for most of their adolescence.
Just such a classroom was filled this day; the windowless lecture hall obscuring the amazing display of nature to all the young progeny inside.
One such Asura
shifted her weight, tugged at her floppy ears in angst, and even tried
counting the spots on her grey skin, before she could no longer contain her
anxiety. Lexxie raised her hand again, this time flailing it about.
Ignoring her, the
professor continued, "The charged particles would then enter the
accelerator at a constant rate of 4.21 per giga-snap. If you would
direct your attention to the holo-diagram on node 5735 of your curriculum
display, you will clearly see that..."
"4.216 would be
the most accurate rating," Lexxie interrupted. The auditorium collectively sighed. The sudden
outburst had become an all-too-common occurrence. "It would remain at constant rate, until the decay changed the trajectory, but rather than going down, it would only expand and increase the rating!"
The professor spun
around, obviously annoyed by persistent young progeny. "Move the
decimal place to the right and you would have the exact number of times you've
interrupted my class today, Lexxie!" the professor snorted. Hush fell over the auditorium. Satisfied with his retort and
subsequent shaming of his student, his attention returned to his lecture notes, attempting to pick up where he'd so rudely been interrupted.
"So would that be 42.16 or 421.6 times?" Lexxie blurted, "I just wanna know the most accurate rating!"
The classroom
erupted in laughter. The professor steamed! At once, he pointed a tense finger to the
auditorium's exit. Lexxie knew the routine. She grabbed
her belongings and trotted past the professor, who was too infused with embarrassment
and anger to mutter an insult. Lexxie couldn't help but giggle. She exited the auditorium and began skipping down the hallway. She couldn't wait to get back to her lab, where she could work on inventions, contraptions, gadgets and gizmos! The thought of getting her hands into some mechanical thing made her so absolutely giddy, she couldn't help but laugh.
"It's not funny," came a voice down the hallway. Lexxie abruptly froze. She knew exactly to whom the condescending, judging, morality-checking voice belonged: Nalla, her older sister.
Nalla stood, arms akimbo staring down her nose at Lexxie. She was a bit taller than Lexxie and had a much more composed appearance. Nalla's hair was dark blue, tucked behind very prominent lengthy ears which hung down her face. Her skin and the spots on it were darker and her eyes were big, bold and scrutinizing. Compared to Lexxie's generally unkempt and hurried look, Nalla was clearly the young progeny's mentor... but it went further than that.
While it was commonplace in Asuran society not to have - more often not to even know - one's biological sibling, progeny would have role models and mentors to look up to, aspire to, and one day overshadow. Lexxie and Nalla's relationship was more personal than this societal norm, however. Whether through a shared biology or an unknown kinship from a childhood, both saw the other as a sister and loved each other. Lexxie was the rapid, brilliant, and impetuously eager youth, while Nalla was the older and more experienced, protective one, unconditionally supporting her younger sister.
"It's not funny," came a voice down the hallway. Lexxie abruptly froze. She knew exactly to whom the condescending, judging, morality-checking voice belonged: Nalla, her older sister.
Nalla stood, arms akimbo staring down her nose at Lexxie. She was a bit taller than Lexxie and had a much more composed appearance. Nalla's hair was dark blue, tucked behind very prominent lengthy ears which hung down her face. Her skin and the spots on it were darker and her eyes were big, bold and scrutinizing. Compared to Lexxie's generally unkempt and hurried look, Nalla was clearly the young progeny's mentor... but it went further than that.
While it was commonplace in Asuran society not to have - more often not to even know - one's biological sibling, progeny would have role models and mentors to look up to, aspire to, and one day overshadow. Lexxie and Nalla's relationship was more personal than this societal norm, however. Whether through a shared biology or an unknown kinship from a childhood, both saw the other as a sister and loved each other. Lexxie was the rapid, brilliant, and impetuously eager youth, while Nalla was the older and more experienced, protective one, unconditionally supporting her younger sister.
"Have you been
standing here waiting for the opportunity to lecture me, sister, or is this
just an amazingly awesome coincidence?" Lexxie barked.
"Curb your foul
mood, sibling. I'll explain my intent once you explain why you are
(again) being removed from the lecture hall. What trouble, pray-tell,
did you get yourself into this time, Lexxie?"
Lexxie could never
stand defiantly under Nalla's unscrupulous overbearing gaze. She
hated she gave into it and told herself it was simply due to Nalla's role as a
Peacekeeper, but Lexxie knew if the screw was tightened, she would always give
in. Perhaps it was for the best; after all, Nalla did have a way of
lifting the fog when she needed to see clearly. Throughout their
lives, Nalla was always there no matter how badly she goofed, and for that
Lexxie adored her older sister. Still, the game went on, each with
their shields up.
"That's a
simple equation that generally responds to the coefficient of null, dear
sister!" Lexxie impishly grinned.
Nalla
frowned. "Lexxie, null? Really? You were kicked out for a
reason and I am under the assumption this is (again) for implying the professor
place his lecture up his own waste expulsion area?"
Lexxie burst into
laughter. Nalla tugged on her long ears, frustrated with the exchange.
"You must take
your formal education seriously, young progeny!" Nalla began formulating a
lecture.
Lexxie knew the
approaching speech well, quickly diverted Nalla. "What are
you here for anyway?"
Nalla stammered,
annoyed her podium had been pulled out from under her; It would have been a
great speech! She regarded her sister after uttering a few curses to
herself. "Do you delight in the chaos you inject, Lexxie?"
Again, the young
Asura giggled. Nalla rolled her eyes, concluding the conversation
would result in an endless loop. She finally sighed, deciding to
proceed with the matters at hand.
"I am here to
show you this," Nalla said, reaching into a side pouch, revealing a small
scroll.
Lexxie unraveled it,
read it intently, then looked up at Nalla. Her ears drooped, with an expression suddenly and uncharacteristically serious. "K... Kievaa?"
Nalla nodded
solemnly. "She sent for you specifically. Do you
think you are ready to see her again, after... Evva..." she
paused, bit her tongue, unable to broach the subject.
"You... you
will be there with me though, right?" Lexxie protested, her
eyes glazed over, on the verge of tears.
Nalla looked away
from her sister, fighting her own tears back. "I... I do not
know if I can. It's still... It still hurts."
After a long pause,
Lexxie's inquisitiveness prodded it's way out. "What do you
think she wants though? If she's calling on us..."
"On
you," Nalla interrupted bitterly. She despised having to deal with the aftermath of Evva's death so soon. It tainted the taste of her memory; left it sour and bitter... And she was bitter! How dare Kievaa have the audacity to call upon her sister so soon! They'd only just started to move on... Rather, she'd only just started to move on, if she were being honest with herself. Lexxie, in contrast (like so many other things in their lives) was seemingly right back to where she was before: the inquisitive little troublemaker, with her insatiable curiosity. It was the same curiousness that currently sat on her face.
Lexxie read the note
again for the fourth time. "Just for me? Why would
she ask for me? After everything that happened. Nalla,
what if... what if she's discovered something..."
Nalla snatched the scroll from Lexxie, the angry force taking her sister by
surprise. "Steady your postulating, sister! We were
both there. Evva's... Evva's gone! No matter what
Kievaa's convinced herself, nothing will change that!" She
crumbled the note and stormed off, to fume, cry and attempt to gather herself.
Lexxie picked up the
note, straightened it out, again reading it. "But... what
if?"
[To be Continued...]
