eight: cohesion

“So, what are the hardest things to bend?” Naiya asked, causally, surrounded by a plethora of odd objects, each having been shaped, then reshaped with a brief thought. The lesson had come to her hard, but was now repeated without much effort. She pointed, and a whole row of metallic sheets curled up on command.

“Created and natural gems and volcanic stones, parts of trees, liquids, high reflective surfaces.”

“The others I can see, but why wood?”

He shrugged. “Trees, whether they are made of wood or sodonia, hold an unusual amount of energy in themselves. Something in their elaborate makeup forces them to grow a certain way. It’s very difficult to redirect that growth without breaking or severely damaging the material you’re working with.”

“And liquids?”

“It’s less like bending and far more like redirection of moving molecules, though it’s all thrown into the same category.” Tooya stared at her for a moment, thinking, making her shift uncomfortably. “They are not cohesive, solid substances, so in order to change them, you have to redirect the flow, rather than just moving the molecules once. It’s the same with gases and plasmatic substances.”

Naiya stared at his hands as he explained. Tooya never mentioned her sudden inability to meet his eyes, but, then again, he never spoke of anything to her other than to teach, his gold eyes vacant and his lips permanently turned down in a scowl.

Naiya knew nothing about him.

Why that should suddenly bother her, after these long weeks without noticing was beyond her. She threw herself wholeheartedly into that day’s lessons, not wanting to think too hard about anything at all. She was exhausted as she shuffled her way to the mess hall.

“Na-i-ya!” Kitiiana waved from down the hallway, smiling brightly and dimming the dark memory of her Shadow’s stoic face. Naiya could feel her spirits rising almost immediately, glad for the break in her day.

They settled down at their usual table, eating the usual meal, laughing at their usual jokes, under the usual stares of the other Lessers, and, as usual, Naiya was oblivious to the conundrum she posed to the other students.

Kitiiana was containing her “lecture” from the day before. “But then again, the city covers almost every inch of available land on this entire planet, leaving only the water to raise food in.”

“That explains all the fish,” Naiya fiddled with the yellow-fleshed fish on her plate, “but don’t they import any other foods?”

Kitiiana shook her head. “Not a whole lot of it. Most of the plants and tiny animals we consume are grown and raised on the tops of the buildings, where there is less traffic and need for space.” She pointed to the ceiling, her thin, blue fingers tipped in a brilliant orange polish.

“I see.” Naiya admired the girl’s nails, wishing she had cosmetics to play with. She knew the city stretched on forever in all directions from her “home,” but she wouldn’t know where to begin looking for stores with such frivolities. Like she had the time, anyway...

“Kitiiana?” The voice interrupted Naiya’s train of thought, and she turned her attention back to the present, glancing up as a young, mango-colored boy smiled down on the two of them. He was skinny, and a little awkward in his body, but handsome and boyish, with a shy smile.

“Hey, Jay!” Kitiiana grinned back, flashing white teeth. “Want to sit with us? I mean, if that’s alright with you, Naiya.” She turned her nervous attention back to the Greater across the table.

“It would a be a pleasure; please join us.” Naiya ran her eyes over Jay, noting the tiny similarities between Kitiiana’s body structure and his. ‘I guess I can assume they are of the same race, with the way they look, despite the vast skin color differences.’ Their faces had similar structures, from the high cheekbones, to the lack of ears, and the small, pugged noses.

He looked slightly uncomfortable. “I would, but I have other things to attend to at the moment; will you be here tomorrow?” Shifting from one foot to the other, Jay looked first down at his feet, then back up at Kitiiana, very obviously and adorably hopeful.

‘Her boyfriend, perhaps?’ Naiya pondered the two of them, then decided against it. ‘No, they’re too uncomfortable. But love? Possibly. Certainly a crush.’ She smiled, half-jealous of their relationship. ‘Why do I feel like I’ve left this behind?’ She shied away from the thought, unwilling to ponder too hard over that feeling.

“Same time, same place. You’re quite welcome to join us.”

Jay waved as he left, shuffling self-consciously through the crowds, but Kitiiana’s gaze followed him doggedly long after he had disappeared from sight.

Naiya chuckled. “Who was that, Kitiiana?”

She snapped her head back, almost guilty, to answer to question. “Jay; he’s a boy from one of my classes. He’s... very nice.”

“Oh? He’s kind of cute too, don’t you think?”

She laughed out loud as the girl blushed, trying to hide it under the curtain of her hair. Kitiiana stammered something, Naiya grinning wolfishly at her blue friend’s reaction. Kitiiana launched back into her lesson, preventing Naiya from teasing her further. It felt good to tease her, good to laugh, good to talk freely. Good to see someone smile, good to see some kind of discernable expression.

Good to have a daily break from her life in this happy little microcosm she’d come to love.

She whistled tunelessly on her way back to her room, content... for the moment...

::mina::