Vance and Ash

"They just happened to sit together in class today and got talking."

Vance envied Sven's natural ability to make friends. Karn said, "go get Karlene. Give me an opening."

Vance liked that idea very much.

As if Karlene had heard them, she walked out of her own accord and stomped her way out. Karn and Vance started after her. Karlene had a tendency to get easily jealous and it never came back to bite Sven. Her anger always rained on the woman he was with.

Sven turned before Karlene was even half way to them. Ash turned with him. They heard a low growl from Karlene. Vance caught her arm and Karn caught her in he middle but Sven only smiled, all his teeth showing.

"What are all of you doing outside? Is the meeting over?"

Ash looked between all of them and stepped away from Sven, pointing a finger, "he was about to throw his arm around my shoulder. I," she emphasised greatly, "told him to stop. It would be good for your relationship if you bit his head off every once in a while instead of giving in to his smiles. Just because you came to college is no reason for him to go astray. Better, listen to me. Kick him to the curb and look around you. There are many wolves who will fall over themselves to date you."

Vance had never seen Sven's color drain so fast. His face was as white as Karlene's hair. Sven turned to Ash, "I thought you were my friend."

"Serves your right for taking the coward's way out." Ash shot back, "and a good friends tells a good friend when they are wrong."

Karlene, looked from one to another as did Karn. Vance could feel the confusion, dread and a slight tinge of satisfaction, all mixed together in a mess, unable to tell apart which of those feelings were his and which of them were of the princess.

Karlene jerked herslf free from their hold and walked to Sven slowly. Sven eyes wandered Karlene's face, for the first time unsure of her decision, of her affection for him. It took Vance by surprise. Everyone in the world knew Karlene liked Sven. Sven knew Karlene liked Sven but coming to study at the university had formed cracked in their relationship. Karn had always thought that Sven wanted to explore the world before he settled but looking at Sven's fear, he could tell that the matter was something else entirely. Why would Sven even think Karlene would choose to dump him? Had he made a mistake, an unforgivable one? Had she gave him signs that she might leave? The one relationship he had grown up watching was beginning to show cracks.

He looked at Ash, his heart not in the right place, even slightly disgrunted. Why did she have to say things to make then nervous and unsure?

Karlene's hand reached for Sven's face, caressing gently. Vance sighed. too soon. Karlene twisted Sven's ear and dragged it down with her arm, "she is right. You are the one I am angry at. You are the one who deserves the beating. You are the one jerking me around."

And she dragged him back to the main building. Karn, watched between the princess, smiling slightly, and the dramatic scene caused by Karlene dragging Sven by the ear. Everyone around them made way for Karlene as she dragged Sven her. As soon Karlene disappeared, Karn grunted once, turned around and ran after his sister.

The princess turned around and kept going, as if unaffected. Vance swallowed his unease and ran, falling in step beside with the princess in the blink of an eye.

Ash felt the air rush past her but instead of seeing the passing back of Vance's slender flame and straight prim shoulders, she felt his presence besides her. Her entire side came alive in the awareness of the rarity that was besides her. Vance was besides her.

She knew she ought to say something but every word that sprang to her mouth-

To what do I owe the pleasure of your company.

Decided to grace me with your presence?

Decided I was worth talking to?

-had hints of sarcasm and distaste in them. She did not want to sound begrudging. As a princess she should respect his choice of not associating with her. her words had to be along the line of-

Good evening, your grace.

Nice to meet you.

Or something to make acquaintance.

Yet, she said nothing and they kept walking in silence. The road ahead was longer in their silence yet shorter for the company. As they passed the trees, she saw the broken shovel still laying by the tree. Vance followed her line of sight and asked.

"How do you happen to make their acquaintance?" His question was boringly normal but the gravel texture of his voice did something for her.

"In passing." It wasn't an encounter worth talking about and it was only now she realized that if Vance took the initiative to walk with her, it wasn't out of sheer will or curiosity. He must have something of importance to say or ask.

That helped her calm the raging in her heart. As they turned the corner around the line of trees, Ash thought the path was good to have her keep his company longer. Had he known she'd usually cut through the trees for the next building over, the company would be cut short too.

And so they walked and walked until she was in between the chancellor's mansion and the building next to it where the goblins worked. It marked the end of their short encounter. She turned to him with the same sense of purpose with which she redirected Karlene's anger and said, "what is it you wanted to ask?"

Vance hesitated and Ash took a moment to watch the long lashes hidden behind his glaces flutter quickly. "Back in the club meeting there was something you did not want to say in front of everyone. What was it?"

Surprise. Ash looked into Vance's eyes in surprise. For a moment they were both searching each other, looking into each other's eyes before they realized what they were doing. Ash looked away and Vance looked at the file in her hands.

How did he know that she was unwilling to speak her mind? And if he did, how did he know she was hesitating because of the room full of the people. He could read the former on her face, if she slipped up, which she sure did not but not the second.

But asking that would take the conversation in another direction. Did she want to divert his attention or she wanted to tell him? She knew deep down she wanted to talk about it too, just not in the meeting.

It was her restrain, of her dissatisfaction of not being able to talk about the golem's matter in the meeting that had caused her to burst beside Sven.

"It is nothing of substance actually. Or I do not know if it is of substance."

"If you can tell me perhaps I will know something."

Ash hesitated, "how long have you been on the council?"

"One year. This is my second year."

Ash finally said, "I will tell you on one condition. Do not speak of it to anyone. Not Karn, not Arabelle, not Akiye, not Bree, not anyone. It might actually be nothing and will lead the investigation astray."

Vance gave her his entire attention, listening with rapt seriousness. 

"Since the start of the meeting, B has been looking into this with the lens of someone who knows that both things have been done by the same person. Either she knows this person or she knows something that makes her sure of the fact. Perhaps you all know and I don't."

Vance began to speak but Ash did not let him. "It is fine by me. Irrespective. If such is the case for sure, it means the grudge of whoever is behind these incidents is either against Lady Bree specifically or against the council as a whole. I remember Lady Bree saying that the council was already on the decline when she joined but things have only gotten worse. With her understanding of things, she should be able to revive the counsel but if her reputation takes a hit, things will not work out. Now that I am on the counsel and close to Lady Bree, I have been attacked too. In all these cases, the finger points to two places, the council and Lady Bree."

"If we look into those with past grudges with the council and with B, we might find some common ground between the two incidents. That will help us narrow it down. I can understand you reluctance to share this. You are new and did not want to put pressure on B's shoulder. I know who to talk to, so this doesn't reach B's ears."

Ash looked at him again, alert suddenly. "No. No one else. Or I wouldn't have told you."

"I would not." Vance gave her a ressuring look and she would have marvelled at the first expression she saw on his face since they met had she not been cursing herself. She had been too swept up in her feelings to get a word of promise from him before pouring her thoughts out.

"Do I have your word for it?"

Vance hesitated. He clearly had ideas of sharing it with a person or two. Ash insisted, "your word please."

Vance closed his eyes, "you have my word. Rest assured."

The relief she felt was instant. "Thank you."

Vance asked, "is there something else, you want to say?"

"No. That is it." she lied, unable to tell him anything more. She might like him but she didn't know him and the thought sat heavily in her heart, weighing the fluttering wings of the first attraction down.

"Thank you for entrusting me with this. I promise I will look into it."

Ash added, "it might be nothing and Queen B might be driven by assumption alone," but what she knew of Bree and felt from her intelligence and leadership skill, she wasn't the kind to run things on assumptions alone.

Vance had the same thoughts, "it has to be something. It aligns with what I know of B."

Ash didn't miss how Vance kept calling her B. The familiarity between them was the same as that of Karlene and Sven.

As silence stretched between them, she gave him a small bow, and turned away, "I will be on my way then."

Ash could feel his eyes on her back or maybe it was only her imagination and he was long gone, in the wind. She wanted to turn around and check but refused to give in to the temptation. The few steps she took to the building where sirens and goblins studied has never been more longer.

Once inside, she paused to collect herself. Every pore, every fibre, evert hair on her body buzzed with an awareness that wasn't there before. She pulled her phone out and texted Mayra. "I am heading up to have a class with the goblins. See you after class."

Mayra did not text back immediately. Her phone flashed a notification when she was in class.