Interlude IV (Part II)

  Ten Simple Words To Avoid the Apocalypse

  (Quin “Mousey” Mossey)

  They have term in the industry, for someone like Catarine DiVoratore, now Catarine Bloom, a protostella.

  Even before she was transferred out and fostered as a Bloom, Quin had seen her radiance. Most were afraid of her, and for good reasons. She was smart, probably too smart for the drama of most schools. Even as the quiet outcast of the spooky family, no one messed with her.

  Mainly because she didn’t take shit from anyone. Well she did, from authority figures, but only certain ones. She was reckless with who and how she gave her attention to people. Mr. Karl, the complete badass and semi-retired fighter who followed Madame Voyou from the front lines after they were both injured in their final assault on the corrupted ones. Mr. Karl, who was apparently the one who first treated, then carried Madam Voyou for two miles from the front lines, only to find that she would be injured forever. Mr. Karl, the nicest giant of a man that Quin had ever seen, Catarine was nice to him.

  Catarine was nice to him, but not for the reasons that many in school were nice to Mr. Karl a certified war hero and someone who could easily live off his pension for the rest of his life, if he so chose. No, she was nice to him, as he was nice to her. A few times Quin tried to even bring up the subject, wondering if Catarine had somehow known about his past and why no one messed with him. But she had no clue what the great wars were, what Death Eaters were, and most importantly she didn’t seem to care. Which was why Quin had mostly gotten quiet about his favorite subject, the wars against the Wastelanders. As if calling the monsters by their real names, the undead would unconscionable.

  Actually, that was the major concern, and part of why recruitment at venues like these were so popular, this was the distraction before people were shipped off to see the true horrors of the world.

  For his part, Quin wanted to join the expeditions, to prove that he was more than this frail body that was given to him. He knew that the number one way to get bigger was learn and complete Skills. Skills that would improve his physical capabilities, but they were tough. The problem with Quin was that his mind seemed to be twice as capable as the rest of his body. While he had mastered basic Skills like Numerals, and Letters, his frail body had made the standard physical Skills like Basic Strengthening to feel nearly impossible.

  Still the Intelligence and Perception boots from his academic Skills made him realize that he could more useful if he continued to focus a majority of his Free Skill slots on mental related Skills, and used his others to force out at least one physical related Skill. After Basic Strengthening, Quin knew he would go on with Weight Lifting, or worse Running, the death of him and his frail body.

  This disparity, and increased intellectual capabilities showed Quin that there were generally two types of people in School. Those that went the physical track, or focused primarily on body movements, strengthening, sports, and the like. Then there were the academics. Of them Quin was squarely in the Academics.

  It wasn’t until he noticed Catarine that he thought she was a kindred spirit, someone who was just like him, a savant at academics. The only reason no one seemed to notice her was that she was not as boastful as the others of the school were. While this generally meant she should be timid, instead she just showed she didn’t care about the opinions of those she thought were not worth her time.

  Who was worth her time?

  Well, somehow Quin was, even though she proceeded to call him Mousey, every time they met. At first, he thought this was just her messing with him, but no it was clear that her memory while highly functioning at some areas had a hard time clasping onto the finer points of society. Things like family lineages, names, and titles were all lost on her.

  This was why she didn’t care to offend her homeroom teacher Mr. Zion, one of the children of the great Zion training academy. His recommendation alone could get many a promising student a chance to be seen by admittance counsellors at Zion Academy, which was why so many students curried favor with the man. Yet, Catarine did not care, if anything it only made her go out of her way to infuriate the teacher more.

  Seeing her act in such an unwavering way towards a Mr. Zion as if he was a nobody in her life was exhilarating. Then seeing the way she would constantly stand up for him to the Awakened members of prominent family lines like the Smoulders, Blooms, and others, that was when he slowly found himself falling in love with her.

  For his part, he couldn’t even place a date on the exact time he realized he had fallen for her. He got his first hint, when Mr. Karl first, and then his uncle second noted that he was, “still stalking the DiVoratore girl?”

  While he had vehemently denied it at the time, it did spark the question of was he?

  Quin had only followed her after class, to make sure that Johny and a few of the other students didn’t bother her. He had especially gotten concerned when he saw her leave the school building and immediately take off like her life depended on it.

  Panting and wheezing he followed her, making sure she was safe from pursuers, but even still, she did not stop running like her life depended on it. It wasn’t until he saw that she did this daily, that he brought it up with her next time she was kicked out of first period. That’s when he found out, she was a masochist, when she said, “I just like running.”

  That’s when Quin realized that this girl, this abnormality had completely broken his understanding of where everyone mostly fit into his hierarchy of School standings. As she was intelligent, even if she didn’t care or got bored by the minute details like actual names of people. She was also a jock, something he started paying more attention.

  The fact that she was a jock was apparently easy to see by anyone who was lucky enough to be in her physical training classes, but unfortunately Quin had never been so blessed. Apparently he had been in one of her classes early on, but that was the time when he found out he could call out sick due to asthma and other ailments. Looking back, he wondered where he would be if he had stayed with that spookily pretty girl. The one who stayed silent and avoided most people like they had Z-Rot.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  ***

  As for why Quin was here today, helping out with the feat. Well it was meant as both a meet and greet, a chance to get some pocket money, and of course as a way to hopefully see Catarine herself.

  The meet and greet was supposed to be with all of the different Academy leaders who were on hand to find new and promising talent from both the fighters, and from the audience members. As a stagehand he would be placed at that level just above audience member, but below actual participant. Pocket money would be nice, as he could use it as a downpayment for learning premium Skills at one of the Academies. Skills that would hopefully translate into better class selection options later on. But again, having all the money in the world wouldn’t matter, if the Academy with the Skills you wanted didn’t accept you. Also, Quin would be lying if he didn’t say he was curious about how good Catarine was at healing. Mathias had praised her highly, but then again he said most of the healers they get are nothing like the healers on the front lines. And those healers that go to the front lines, never come back here.

  So while, Quin had tried to take his chances to see her, most of the time he was too busy running around, cleaning up area, scooping up panther poop, and overall just running around crazily. While it had all been hectic, it was nothing that Quin himself hadn’t seen before. That was until, Uncle Sal came.

  “Everyone, I need you to quickly polish up the buffet table, put out the best plates, silverware buckets, and cloth napkins. Do it all quickly and then leave.” While Sal didn’t yell, he never did, his voice carried a note of panic that every experienced busboy, and waitress instantly understood. Looking around, these were all pros who had grown up, like him, with at least a partial tie to the arena life. These were the kids of fighters, and many of them would no doubt be future stars in their own rights.

  Everyone began moving with lightning precision. For a moment, Quin wondered how Sal found a moment to come back here, but pausing for a moment, Quin heard the crisp and unmistakable voice of Madame Voyou singing. Even separated by a wall and anonymity, her voice was as compelling as ever.

  “Hurry, also, if you see third Prince Fiammata, know that he is already on a bender. So keep out of his way, and duck to safety,” Sal got out. Such reckless words could only mean that the third prince, known for partaking in a few too many indulgences was already showing signs of intoxication. A normal person would wonder why Sal would dare to say such words, knowing that the Prince could come back here at any time, only to realize that the Prince was likely listening to the very song he had just been listening to a moment ago. A song that would no doubt lure the Princeling and his entourage of high-ranking military guards to his side.

  Realizing the severity of the situation, everyone just locked gazes with each other and began working feverishly.

  Flash.

  The flickering of lights from people coming in from the arena was the first warning that their time was almost over. Not even looking up, Quin took one last look at the table, at the plates, at the napkins that he had just finished folding and placing perfectly. He looked, and was about to leave, when suddenly he heard a voice that was both more frightening and somehow more enchanting that even Madame Voyou’s.

  “Mousey!”

  Quin heard the word, and felt a shiver run down his spine. Turning around he saw her, even wearing the completely unflattering healer’s robe, that only showed off her enchanting eyes was enough for Quin to feel his chest tighten and his body freeze into place. Logic told him that he had to leave, to avoid the prince, but he couldn’t leave her to him. There was no way the two could exist. Quin knew that just looking at her, she would not back down, even from the hotheaded third prince, the prince most noted for both his short temper and extreme accomplishments on the battlefield.

  More words were spoken, but it was Lucia’s words that cut him off.

  “Mousey?” Lucia cried out, and continued to go on in her high-pitched excited squeak of a voice. A voice that Quin had once loved, and yes had stalked, when he was younger and had first seen her.

  As she spoke, his body responded on autopilot as he remembered how she had been his first love. A love that was never meant to be as she was too old for him, and far more extroverted than he could ever be. In the end, she had forced him to call her sister, when they met, to help hammer home the idea that they would never be a true match. Then finally, as his big sister, she would have full right to refuse any girl that he got attached to, as Lucia was ardently of the persuasion that he would fall for anyone too quickly, which he had in the past. He knew it now, but at the time it was Lucia who had always told him and mocked him to cut off any lingering thoughts of a future, as none were good enough for him, in her eyes.

  “Is this that girl you keep speaking about? The one with the most amazing pink and purple eyes you had ever seen?” Lucia asks, that playful note in her voice that Quin automatically registered that nothing good would come from this.

  “What? Huh? I mean, yeah,” Quin finally stammered out, his annoying stutter that he had long ago out grown coming back in full force now the he knew she was watching.

  “Remind me, what did I tell you about her?” Lucia asked, her note playfully curious. Hearing it, all Quin could do was take in a deep sigh and repeat her words verbatim back to her, a feat that was easy due to his Sage Skill, and enhanced Intelligence.

  “That she was a garbage DiVoratore, and to stay away from her, that she would never be good enough for me,” Quin replied, inadvertently rolling his eyes and bracing himself for what she would say next.

  “Well, mark this day down on your calendar, as I was wrong. You can try to go for her, though you will have to compete against Luna, it looks like.” Lucia stated while turning mischievously to look at Luna who was still holding onto Catarine’s arm possessively, the same way she had to her favorite stuffed bear toy when she was younger. She wouldn’t even hold onto Lucia like that, and Lucia was the closest thing to a real biological sister as Luna had. Particularly after both of their sets of parents died on the front lines and they were ultimately taken in by Sal.

  “What?” Was all Quin could manage, trying to keep up with the flow, finally someone had been deemed worthy of Quin, but was already being claimed by Luna? Luna who didn’t like anyone other than Lucia? This was all too much for Quin as his mind reeled.

  Then to make matters worse, Sal began clapping. As he came in, he gave the spinning eye warning to all the staff. Logically, this was meant to scare off everyone as it meant a royal member who was under the influence was about to enter and as a way to avoid unwanted attention or touches everyone was supposed to go.

  However, the princeling came in too quickly, cutting off everyone’s chance at escape.

  Then the unthinkable happened. Well, the proposal to Madame Voyou was nothing truly new, as he had done so dozens of times. Each time while intoxicated, and each time Madame Voyou gracefully shot him down, but this time he was a little more unhinged than usual. Seeing his actions, everyone seemed prepared to act. In the background Sal was giving discrete hand signals to the fighters, that should anything happen, they would move as one, but for now everyone was to remain calm. That is, until the princeling went and made things personal.

  First he began by thanking the Healer, by first calling Catarine before her, praising her for something truly remarkable. Only after hearing the words did Quin even realize that Madame Voyou did have both of her eyes back. Seeing her, Quin took in a deep breath and missed most of what happened next, as he tried to see if there was any real difference between the two eyes.

  Once, he had seen her dead eye. It wasn’t just dead, but it was rotting, with white puss that would occasionally come out, and seeming to be cursed in some way. However, it was never able to be removed, or repaired, and was just going to forever be a hinderance that the Skald would have to deal with as time went on. Until today, apparently.

  While the other fighters seemed to get nervous by the way that third Prince Fiammata seemed to drunkenly slither around Catarine, like a serpent about to move, Quin held himself back. Knowing that even if he wanted to do something, he would be powerless to stop him. Even the fighters that were gathered would no doubt have a hard time protecting Catarine from his majesty, should he truly go off on the deep end. All Quin could hope for was that she would not do anything to provoke him.

  Slink.

  “GASPS!”

  Of course, that went out the window in the first few seconds as the Prince violently shot out his hand to grab hold of Catarine’s face and force her to lock gazes with him.

  Yet, rather than fear. Rather than cowering as anyone else would when facing such barely restrained violence, Catarine just stared at him defiantly. Then in only the way Catarine could, she took control of the situation without even having to raise her voice, or show over powering strength and Skills.

  How did she do this? Simple, she responded with ten simple words. Ten words that turned what would have been a blood bath, into a simple conversation.

  “This is not the way to make me your friend.” Ten simple words, that changed the fates of everyone in that room that night.

  Badump, badump, badump.

  Ten simple words, that showed Quin that he had found the one, as his heart began to beat wildly with a passion he had never felt before. As he knew, he had somehow gained, what the prince and everyone else who was now witnessing wished they had.

  Somehow, someway, Quin had made that crazy woman her friend.

  Now all he needed to do was see if he could push it a bit further.

  per day, until our reign on the top 50 stops.

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