The Jestivan (Erafeen, #1)

by David F. Farris

  Yama turned Jilly’s head so they were eye-to-eye. She gazed at her deeply and said, “I don’t see how Toshik could treat you with such disregard.”

  At that moment, Jilly could have sworn that Yama was about to move in for a kiss, but she didn’t know how to stop it. Thankfully, she was rescued by an unexpected hero.

  “Ladies! How dare you waste such affection on each other!” exclaimed an intoxicated Toshik. He had jumped between the two of them and aggressively wrapped an arm around the back of their necks. “That affection should be given to the guys, and when I say guys, I mean me!”

  Yama responded with a swift punch to his face. Toshik staggered backward, and the only thing that saved him from toppling over was his gang of fawning women.

  Yama’s smile had turned into a scowl. “This isn’t Phesaw. I will hit you when you cross me, and I will hit you hard.”

  Toshik waved his finger at the two girls. “Tsk, tsk. What a waste of such beauty.”

  In the blink of an eye, Yama had hurled her empty mug at Toshik’s face, which, despite the amount of alcohol in his system, he was able to dodge as it shattered against the opposite wall. He started laughing hysterically.

  This time Yama ignored him and walked out of the bar while holding Jilly’s hand behind her. As they entered the bustling street, her purple hair lightly fluttered in the gentle breeze.

  “Where was that garden we passed earlier?” she asked.

  She didn’t receive an answer, so she glanced at Jilly to see that she was pouting. Expecting this, Yama sighed as she pushed to fight her way through the crowd. “I’m sorry, Jilly. I can’t stand him.”

  As Jilly was being dragged, she asked, “Why can’t you two just get along?”

  “I have zero respect for him as a person. I have zero respect for how he lives his life. I have zero respect for his motives.”

  “We all have our faults,” Jilly said as they walked into the garden.

  “And some of us have too many.”

  They took a seat on a small wooden bench. It was a lot quieter here. “We all have too many,” Jilly said. “Some of us just don’t hide them well.”

  The blond girl lay on the bench, staring at the dark night sky above. Her head was on Yama’s lap, whose fingers were intertwining with her hair. “He’s a spoiled prick who thinks he can get away with anything because of his father’s powerhouse of a company. I wish you’d stop defending him,” Yama sighed.

  “What do you expect? He has protected me since I was a little girl. I owe the world to him.”

  Yama groaned. “I guess it’s no use.”

  Jilly decided to quickly change the subject. “If only people knew what you’re like when you’re around me. It’s like a mask comes off.”

  A smile only Jilly could cause once again brightened Yama’s face. “I could say the same about you.”

  “How so?”

  Yama continued stroking Jilly’s hair. “You become calm,” she said softly.

  Jilly closed her eyes. “Chemistry really is an amazing thing.”

  The two girls went quiet, both silently enjoying the other’s company. They listened to the distant crowd in the street outside the garden. Yama continued to play with Jilly’s hair, and Jilly softly gazed at her friend as a cool breeze drifted through the air.

  Yama smiled. “Something tells me that wasn’t nature’s wind.”

  “I guess you were right. You do calm me. Director Neaneuma would have been proud of that breeze!”

  Footsteps interrupted their conversation, causing Jilly to alertly sit up. The intelights at the entrance of the garden casted a dark silhouette. It wasn’t until the man stood next to them that Jilly recognized who he was.

  “Daddy!” she screamed as she jumped into his arms.

  As the man embraced her, he glared at the violet-haired girl, who was just fondling his daughter’s hair. When Yama realized how he was staring at her, she returned it with a judgmental glare of her own.

  Jilly finally let go of her father, allowing him to stand tall. He had considerable height, but not quite like Director Debo, Himitsu, or Toshik. He had a short, scruffy beard that bordered his entire jawline. He looked like a man of power, but perhaps the most daunting aspect was his gear, which marked him as the second most powerful figure in the Spirit Kingdom’s military—second to only the general. It was varying colors of blue with silver trim. However, none of this caused Yama’s glare to falter.

  Jilly, who was unaware of what was happening, smiled and said, “Daddy, this is Yama. She’s from the Adren Kingdom and one of my fellow Jestivan.”

  The major stared a little while longer before nodding his head in her direction, and as he did so, extending his arm for a handshake.

  Yama declined. She stayed seated without averting her eyes from him. She simply said, “We’re not going to be fake.”

  “Yama! Properly greet my father,” Jilly upsettingly shouted.

  “No, she’s right,” he said. “I suppose trying to mask my displeasure would only make things worse with her.”

  “Displeasure?” Jilly shrieked.

  The man looked at her sternly. “Yes … displeasure. Where is Toshik?” he asked.

  “Drunk in a bar,” Jilly reluctantly answered.

  The man shook his head. “When will he learn?” he muttered to himself.

  Yama stood up. “I’m going to head out,” she said to Jilly. She looked at the major and added, “Enjoy your father,” before walking away.

  As Jilly watched her friend exit the garden, her dad asked an unexpected question. “What are you doing?”

  “Excuse me?” she asked.

  “What are you and that girl?” he asked again. This time he sounded more agitated.

  Jilly took a moment, but she finally realized what he was trying to figure out. “We’re friends,” she said.

  “That’s not friendship.”

  Disgust crept its way onto Jilly’s face. “Who are you to judge?” she asked.

  “I am your father!”

  She stared at him incredulously. She couldn’t believe what her father was accusing her of, and even if he was correct, she wouldn’t have expected him to act like this. She thought he was better than that.

  When the man saw that he wasn’t going to get a response, he decided to make something clear. “My daughter will not portray flirtatious mannerisms with another woman.”

  Breaking Jilly’s spirit was a hard thing to do, but tears began trickling down her face. Her heart was tearing in two. She knew being with Yama felt right, but her father’s disappointment made it feel wrong.

  It was dark outside, but the defeated girl lowered her sunhat over her eyes as she solemnly followed her father out of the garden, struggling with her newfound dilemma.

  ***

  A couple blocks over, strolled a once familiar pair of best friends that, recently, had not seen enough of each other. It was a hooded boy and a girl wearing her kitten hat. Bryson had his arm wrapped around Olivia’s shoulder.

  He playfully leaned his head against hers, which caused Meow Meow to grimace. “I don’t like it when your face is this close to my face,” the kitten said.

  Bryson ignored him and spoke to Olivia. “I’ve missed you. We rarely get to talk like we used to.”

  Olivia continued walking with Bryson holding her, paying his embrace no mind. “How have you been?” she asked.

  “Been doing well. Spending a lot of time with my team. Actually, been spending a lot of time with a couple of your team members also.” Bryson removed his arm.

  “Lilu and Yama,” Olivia said flatly.

  Bryson looked at her and smiled. “Keeping tabs on your team, I see.”

  “I am the captain. Knowing how my team is progressing is vital. We all update each other with news on our training regiments.” Olivia looked at him blankly. “Knowing your teammate’s strengths and weaknesses facilitates cohesion in the future.”

  A slight pout formed on his face. “W
hy haven’t I been doing that?”

  “Because you’re stupid,” Meow Meow scolded.

  “Originality is a strong point of yours,” Bryson sneered.

  “If I tried to be wittier, it won’t permeate your thick skull.”

  Bryson removed his hood. “One day when you’re not sitting on Olivia’s head, I will shave you bald.”

  The kitten stuck out his tongue.

  “Still dreaming about sitting under a cherry blossom?” Olivia asked.

  “Of course,” Bryson answered as he scanned the buildings around them in hopes to find a bite to eat. “Why would it change now?”

  Olivia looked at him for a brief moment before saying, “Alright.”

  Finally spotting a beautiful restaurant, Bryson pointed at it and said, “Let’s eat.”

  As they entered and headed toward the host’s station, they noticed a group of three waiting to be seated. They were facing away from them, but once Bryson saw the elegant green hair in the middle, he knew who it was. To the right was a girl with brown hair. And on the left was a familiar tall frame.

  He snuck up behind the girl in the center and put his face close to her ear. “Hi, Lilu,” he said.

  She jumped with a startled yelp before turning around. When she saw who it was, she playfully pushed him in the chest. “I hate you.”

  Rhyparia and Himitsu started laughing.

  “You’re getting better,” Himitsu said. “I still saw you were coming though.”

  Lilu turned and gave the same shove to Himitsu. “Some friend you are,” she said.

  “So your aspiration in life is to become as big of a stalker as Himitsu,” Meow Meow said. “This is what you’ve been training for these past two months.”

  That brought everyone’s attention to the quiet Olivia. “Hello, Olivia,” Rhyparia said with a sweet smile, which Olivia responded to with a silent nod.

  Their greetings were cut short as the host finally arrived to guide them to their seats. He was a brunette boy in his upper teens, dressed in a vest, dress pants, and tie. “How many in your group?” he asked in a clipped tone. The place was packed and it was obvious he was feeling the pressure.

  “Five,” responded Lilu.

  The boy looked up at the sound of her voice. When he saw who had answered him, he was aghast. “Lady Lilu! … Or is it Lita Lilu now? I’m sorry about the wait and my poor manners.”

  Meow Meow cackled. Lilu gave a genuine smile and said, “It’s alright, dear. May we have one of the corner booths near the piano?”

  “Of course, my lady.”

  As the group of Jestivan followed the host, Bryson’s eyes fixed on Lilu’s bouncing green hair in front of him. It was easy for him to forget her status outside of Phesaw because he simply knew her as a fellow student.

  The group of five took a seat at a spacious corner booth. Bryson quickly darted to the spot he wanted before anyone had a chance. Lilu laughed at him.

  As the young waitress came to the table, she gave a general greeting to everyone—except Lilu, who received a curtsy.

  “What can I get for all of you?” she asked with a true smile that the host earlier had lacked.

  Olivia was the first to answer. “Eggs and cat food,” she said in the most nonchalant way possible.

  Laughter exploded around the table as the waitress’s expression veered into bafflement. “We don’t carry cat food, ma’am.”

  Olivia didn’t seem bothered. “Eggs then,” she said.

  The waitress, noticing the anger on Meow Meow’s face, tried to offer an alternative. “We have fish.”

  The kitten hat began salivating, but Olivia shut that down quickly. “No. He’s not allowed table food.”

  This time Bryson laughed at Meow Meow’s expense. “You know what? I’ll take the grilled salmon special.”

  Himitsu wore a smirk as he leaned back with his menu in front of him. “I see what you did there, Bryson.”

  Bryson gave him a wink as the waitress walked off with the table’s orders. He gazed across the table at a black piano that was obviously very well taken care of. It was likely polished multiple times a day judging by how the candle light flickered off its sleek surface. The urge to run his fingers across the keys arose, but this was not the place.

  “Play something!” Lilu demanded while giving Bryson a nudge.

  Himitsu gave him a curious look. “You play the piano?”

  Bryson didn’t reply. His face had turned red. In the Intel Kingdom, it was embarrassing to be known as the artistic type. Thankfully, Meow Meow had decided to drift off into one of his random catnaps, so at least Bryson didn’t have to hear it from him.

  “He’s amazing,” Lilu boasted.

  “Drop it,” Olivia said, and the instant silence indicated how respected she was. Even Lilu instantly dropped the topic.

  When their food arrived, Bryson began scarfing down his salmon in front of a defeated Meow Meow.

  Rhyparia, who had a bowl of noodles in front of her, took note of the flower pinned to Lilu’s hair. “Usually, I know which flower you’re using, but I don’t recognize that one.”

  Lilu finished chewing her scallop before addressing Rhyparia. “A chocolate cosmos.”

  Meow Meow’s face twisted. “That explains what I’ve been smelling.”

  Giggling, Lilu carefully removed the flower. “You’re exactly right, Meow Meow. It gets its name for two reasons, and the smell is one of them. The other reason is the beautiful color transition it has between deep burgundy and dark brown.”

  Rhyparia delicately examined it between her fingers. “I’ve never seen one before.”

  “They’re extremely rare in this day and age,” Lilu said.

  “It’s nice … what money can buy,” Himitsu said.

  Lilu frowned a bit, but to her credit, she didn’t get angry. “It actually had nothing to do with money,” she explained. “This was a gift from a legend our realm is very familiar with.”

  “And who was that?” Himitsu asked.

  “The Fifth of Five,” she casually said.

  Bryson choked on the rice he’d been inhaling. “You knew my father?”

  One of Lilu’s eyebrows rose. “Obviously. He was the general, my father’s top man. However, he was only around when I was very young.”

  Bryson didn’t have much time to ponder this, as a mortified gaze on Rhyparia’s face caused him to focus elsewhere. He turned his head to see an older, poorly groomed couple approaching their table.

  It was a man and woman who both looked to be in their mid-forties. The man was tall, skinny, and feeble. His face was long and hollow, and a sandy brown mustache sat underneath his narrow nose. And on top of all this, he was dressed in dirty, cheap fabric.

  Although her physical attributes were the complete opposite, the woman still didn’t fare any better than her partner. She was short and wide. Her features seemed to be scrunched at the center, and the wrinkles and sun-damaged skin gave her face the texture of tree bark. Her hair was dark brown and snug in a tight bun. The one similarity, however, was her attire—more rags.

  Rhyparia’s eyes glazed with potential tears. She shifted her sweeping bangs further in front of her face in effort to hide her discomfort.

  The couple reached the table sporting gleeful smiles. “Hello, dear,” the man said.

  “Why are you here?” Rhyparia asked coldly.

  It clicked. These were Rhyparia’s parents. The two people she had made clear, countless times, she hated most in the world. Bryson gave them another glance. Sure, they were filthy, but they didn’t seem evil or anything like that.

  Her father frowned. “We were invited by the Grand Director.”

  Rhyparia decided to rephrase her question. “Why’d you come knowing that I don’t want anything to do with either of you?”

  Bryson wasn’t sure what was ruder—the question itself or that she didn’t even look at them when she asked it. She just stared at her plate. The tension was palpable, and the Jestiv
an didn’t make a sound. All eating utensils were resting on the table, and it felt like their booth was miles away from any sort of civilization.

  The father sighed. “I don’t know what I did to you, hon.”

  Rhyparia didn’t respond. The mother still had yet to say anything. She was scanning the faces of the other Jestivan sitting at the table. Then her eyes fixed on Olivia, and she just stared at her.

  “I guess I’ll introduce myself to your friends since I know you won’t,” the father said.

  As he made his greetings, Bryson couldn’t pinpoint why Rhyparia had such a problem with him. He gave off the impression of being a grounded man. His handshakes were firm, and when he made eye contact, he looked at you, not through you. And although his teeth were yellowing and lacking in numbers, his smile was still genuine.

  Her mother seemed a little bit like a nut job, but she was also very easy to talk to. Her laugh was a bit obnoxious, but nothing terribly unbearable. Overall, they acted like a lovely couple. They took interest in where each person was from and what their goals were.

  However, Bryson knew people weren’t always the same in public as they were at home. He was an example of this himself, so he knew to never judge a book by its cover. He kept an eye on Rhyparia throughout the entire meet and greet. Her eyes never unglued themselves from her plate, and there was a wet trail running down her left cheek.

  Rhyparia’s mother became very intrigued with Meow Meow, which was no surprise. Most people were when first seeing the kitten hat.

  “He might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said with a playful smile while petting him behind his ear.

  “You’re the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen,” Meow Meow retorted.

  Bryson and Himitsu staved off a laugh. It was rude, but the sort of painfully blunt remark that the kitten was known for.

  The mother’s eyes widened. “I see it has a sense of humor.”

  “Please, explain to me why you’re talking about me like I’m not right here,” Meow Meow said.

  She hesitated, but continued smiling. “I’m sorry. This is just new for me.”

  “You smell like cabbage and you look like it too.”

  Bryson smiled wide and Himitsu could no longer hold back his laughter. Luckily for them, the father was chuckling as well. The mother was unfazed and ignored the comment altogether. “How did you get this little guy, Olivia?” she asked.