Underestimated Affinities

by Matthew Scarcella

  “Anyway, their list is actually quite out of date, as I have met seven of this generation’s nine Tunes. I have only not met the Ice Tune, your new friend Piero, and the Metal Tune. Though she is... let’s just say that my not meeting her has been intentional on my part. However, the Council is aware of her, as well as your sister and friend, and my brother and myself. That leaves half of the Tunes unaccounted for. I believe that other cities are constructing similar lists… but Belarin is the furthest along. Anyway, they wouldn’t have much luck convincing this generation of anything… I think the idea is to somehow get rid of us, and then monopolize and brainwash the next generation.”

  I stare at her, dumbfounded. “That is… a lot of information to process.”

  “I know, but you should be aware of what is really going on in the world. Your guards will be back soon, so it was best to just get it over with.”

  I think back to the night I overheard Melandria speaking with Safeyya. It seems that Melandria hasn’t told the Council what Safeyya mentioned about the Water Tune, Lux. But will Klaryk relay the information now?

  “Hey, Gyllien, is this why Lux tries to avoid the major cities as well?”

  “Yes. She is even more wary of political interference in her life than I am. I suppose that being skittish sometimes has its advantages…”

  There’s so much that I want to ask her right now. I just don’t know what to prioritize anymore. A solitary leaf blowing in the wind lands unsteadily on the tip of Gyllien’s finger. She glances at it and then back up at me.

  “That’s Genesis’ signal,” she says. “They’re almost here. If you want to ask anything else of me, you should make it quick.”

  “Okay. I think my most important question for you right now is: why am I able to sense your presence?”

  She eyes me guardedly. “What do you mean?”

  “Err — I didn’t mean for that to sound the way it did. No disrespect intended. I just mean, I’m able to sense you as I am able to sense your brother. He is the Wind Tune, so it’s natural that I can sense him. I am also able to sense Safeyya, although I first thought I could do that because she is my sister. But now that I’ve met Piero, and I can sense him as well, it seems odd. Why am I able to sense the Tunes whose elements I have no affinity for? I don’t know what any of this means.”

  “Curious…” she replies. “Could it possibly be?”

  “Could what be?”

  She ignores my question and leisurely walks toward me. “When I was old enough to realize the potential, I had assumed it of you, of course…” she continues, addressing herself. “But to now have proof of the actuality is remarkable.”

  Gyllien halts in front of me and brings a hand up to touch my face, gingerly caressing my cheek with the subtle, loving care of a motherly figure.

  I glance furtively toward the lake, trying to avoid the sustained eye contact that has been making me feel awkward. In the distance, I see Genesis approaching, with Melandria and Klaryk right behind them. The three of them are each carrying a substantial quantity of fruits and vegetables of assorted sizes and colors.

  Gyllien notices them as well and removes her hand from my face. “Ah, yes. Our time is nearly up. One last thing before we are interrupted. I need to procure some of your genetic makeup so that my brother and I may analyze it with Lux.”

  I snap my head back in her direction and look at her inquiringly.

  “For what purpose? And how exactly do you intend to procure a sample?”

  “Apologies, Selvyn,” she says. She raises her right hand and runs it through my hair. “There is simply no time for an explanation.”

  She yanks a few strands of hair from my head, undetectable to anyone but us, and pulls her hand back to view them. She stomps her left foot onto the branch twice in rapid succession and a small gap appears. A wooden box rises out of the space and she places my hair inside, before signaling the box to retreat to its hideaway.

  “Ouch,” I say, rubbing the spot where the hairs were pulled out. “I mean, it didn’t really hurt… but was that necessary?”

  She walks back toward the tree’s trunk, smiling as if she knows some secret she doesn’t want to share. “Everything that I do is done for a reason, my friend.”

  Just then, Genesis touches down on the tree branch, his arms laden with food. Melandria and Klaryk follow behind him, the latter looking annoyed he had to run such a menial errand.

  “Sister,” he says, “You may need to put some extra time in at the garden tomorrow. We’ve nearly depleted its resources. The extra company took more of a toll than anticipated.”

  “Sorry to —” Melandria says.

  “It’s no imposition at all, Melandria,” Gyllien interrupts, anticipating the apology. “We’re more than happy to accommodate in our lovely abode. It’s not often that we get visitors, as you can imagine.”

  “Well, we certainly appreciate the hospitality,” she replies.

  “Yes,” Klaryk says after he places the vegetables he was carrying on the branch. “We are very grateful. Thank you.” His eyes flick over to me before returning to look upon Gyllien. “So, what have you two been talking about?”

  Gyllien catches my eye out of her periphery while looking toward her brother. The look she gives me is clear: say nothing.

  Genesis smiles over in our direction and Gyllien returns it. She glances down and rubs her foot along the branch, signaling something unknown to anyone but her brother and me.

  “I was just explaining to Selvyn why wood is the least simple element to use with the Sais. “Look,” she says, calling Klaryk over to her side. She stoops down beside one of the blades and wraps a few vines around it.

  “I don’t see anything,” Klaryk shrugs glumly.

  “Exactly,” she responds. “I’m now exerting the same amount of energy that Genesis did earlier. Do you remember how the Sais glowed vividly when his affinity interacted with them? Look now, there’s no intensity at all with wood. Earth is similar, but a bit better off. Maybe it’s because they both generally manifest with a solid quality. I’m unsure.”

  “Fascinating,” Melandria says. She squats next to Gyllien and touches the tip of the blade Gyllien’s working on. “Indeed, it doesn’t seem as if the blade is resonating at all in response to your affinity.” She makes her way over to the pile of vegetables and picks one up, taking a bite. “Earlier, when Genesis’ wind affinity was interacting with the Sais, I was able to feel the metal squirming without even touching them.”

  Klaryk grunts in agreement. “That’s true. It did feel strange.” He glares down at Gyllien from above, still ill at ease and untrusting. Hesitantly, he turns around and then walks over to Melandria, where he starts to eat as well.

  Genesis rubs his hands together. “Wonderful. I’d still like to show Selvyn some more things before you all head home. It won’t take too long. For now,” he waves me over to his side, “Shall we eat?”

  CHAPTER XV

  A ROGUE IN THE WIND

  "Aethyr!” I grin as my big brother walks in through the door. Due to my schedule, I haven’t seen him since we went to Petalsong Forest.

  “Hey there, Selv.” He envelops me in a bear hug before sitting down against the wall, reclining his legs in front of him. “How’s it going?”

  I open my mouth to speak, but he cuts me off. Evidently, he wasn’t finished speaking just yet.

  “I have to say, Aislynn did a bang-up job in bringing some life back to Petalsong after that fiasco we witnessed. I think she’s going to be out of commission for a few days.”

  “Ah, I can imagine her being tuckered out after that ordeal. How much progress was she able to make?”

  “Well,” he grins. “After I told her just how extensive the damage was, she had the bright idea of bringing a few friends out with us. We spent a few days breaking down the damaged trees and rebuilding. They figured we could use the dead trees like fertilizer to accelerate the recovery process. But… she and her friends were able to restore ab
out half the forest to its original condition.”

  “That’s incredible, Aethyr. I’m glad the two of you have been able to make some progress. When do you plan on going back?”

  “Well…” he tilts his head to the side for a moment. “Aislynn wants to rest for a bit and didn’t want to stress her friends out either. But we are planning to go back in a few weeks, and she anticipates we’ll be able to finish the restoration on that trip. I mean,” he shrugs, “It’ll never be back to what it was… but it’s better than leaving it a desolate nightmare.”

  “I know,” I say, looking back out the window dejectedly. “But at least you made an effort. That’s what counts, right? I mean… there are people who wouldn’t have even tried.”

  “Thanks… Oh! You went to see the twins a few days ago, right? How was that?” He leans forward, exhibiting enthusiasm. “Did you learn a lot about the Sais? How’s Gyllien looking these days? I haven’t seen her in a few years, but from what I remember, oomph. What a hottie. She has the most magnificent breasts, and —”

  “Woah there!” I shout, raising my hands. I lower my voice and look away from his eyes, trying to downplay the level of discomfort I feel. “Take it easy, Aethyr. She’s a person, not a thing.”

  “I know!” he yells passionately. “And a beautiful one at that. Why do you think I’m so excited to talk about her?” He notices me shifting where I sit but doesn’t let it go unspoken. “You know, I think it’s time that you grew up a bit in this regard. We’re all adults, and you’re my brother. Normal families talk about these sorts of topics without apprehension. Especially brothers. We’re supposed to be able to talk about girls —” he stumbles over his words before recovering. “Girls, or you know, whomever. I just mean love interests.”

  I grin covertly, avoiding his gaze. He knows I’m interested in Piero, probably from hearing Safeyya and Aislynn talk about it. Lest I forget how he saw me staring at Piero the first time we found him — but can anyone blame me? The man looked like a pristine god, all shiny while encased in ice. Either way, Aethyr still hasn’t broached the subject. I don’t think he feels uncomfortable with me being attracted to another man — he definitely accepts me, that’s for sure. I think he simply doesn’t know what to say or how to ask without feeling as if he’s insinuating that he’s insulting or judging me.

  “Anyway, all I’m saying is that she is incredible.” I look back over at him so as not to show complete indifference. “I’d love to get to know her better.” He wags his eyebrows at me. “Do you think she’d go out with me?”

  “Err — I’m not sure. I suppose anything is possible?” I accidentally raise my voice toward the end of the statement, and think it may have come off more offensive than I intended, but Aethyr doesn’t make note of it. “I think you’ll just have to ask her yourself. Do you plan on seeing her soon?”

  “Not really.” He shrugs. “I still haven’t finished dating other girls yet, and I don’t think that she’s one I’d want to inadvertently fuck up, and I don’t mean just for my safety. I think that it’s best if I sow my oats for a bit longer before I settle down.”

  “Isn’t that a bit, uh, dismissive of women?” I ask. “Treating them as objects and what not?”

  “Not at all.” He shakes his head vehemently. “If the girl is attractive, and she finds me attractive, and we’re both just looking for fun and nothing serious, then what is so wrong with that?”

  “As long as you’re not misleading them into thinking that you want to date them…”

  “Nope. I let them know right at the beginning that I’m not ready for anything serious. If they try to talk me into maybe changing my mind, or seem as if that’s something they think could happen, then I just walk away. This way no one gets hurt, and I can have my fun now, then settle down when I’m ready.”

  “Alright.” I tilt my head to the side in acknowledgment. “That seems to make sense to me. I guess it’s just not who I am, or how I’d do it.”

  “I know, and that’s completely fine. There’s nothing wrong with how I’m living my life, nor how you’re living yours. We have to live to make ourselves happy,” he says, staring into my eyes. He’s communicating so much more to me than simple words, and we both know what he’s trying to get across. “Right?”

  I smile sheepishly in response.

  “That’s a yes.”

  “Anyway,” I ignore his comment, trying to divert his attention back to him — which is never too difficult. “This is a small city. Don’t you think you’ll run out of girls soon?”

  “Well, yes and no. Soon is a remarkably relative term. But, yes. Eventually, I will run out of girls to date in the city. However, we aren’t the only city on Cinderfal.”

  “Don’t do anything stupid, Aethyr. All we need is to hear that you got killed flirting with some random girl from Prestoyan.”

  “I can take care of myself, little brother,” he says as he flexes his biceps. “So, about the Sais of Zulena… what did you learn?”

  Back to business — more like Safeyya than Aethyr, but I don’t question it. I am more than happy for the change of subject.

  I fill him in on everything that happened in the Forest of Lamphere. Including having one-on-one conversations with both Genesis and Gyllien. He looks surprised when he hears how Genesis intercepted me, and a little jealous when I mention Gyllien wanting to talk to me alone as well.

  “That’s awesome though! I can’t believe they were willing to show you what to do.” I narrow my eyes in response to his comment, taken aback. I close my right eye and pull my neck back taut, wondering if that was a jab at me. “So, now do you think you can manipulate the weapons easily?”

  I walk over to the windowsill and turn to sit on the ledge, looking back down toward my brother. “I certainly wouldn’t say easily. But it’s coming to me more quickly than I anticipated it would. They feel like metal extensions of my body. It’s fascinating.”

  “Great, Selvyn. But if you’re not at the point where it comes to you as second nature, then why aren’t you out training right now?” He stands abruptly, walking toward the door. “In fact, I won’t keep you. I’m going to go find Safeyya, as I have a few things I need to talk to her about. Go practice.”

  “But — I’m supposed to meet Piero today,” I say, trying to find some sort of excuse to exempt me from training. Up until now, that has been my real second nature: always trying to get out of things or make excuses.

  “Well.” Aethyr turns back around to confront me. “What time are you meeting him?”

  “Uh… I suppose not for a few hours. I was going to relax for a bit before then.”

  “So use those hours to practice with the Sais until an hour before you need to meet him. Then come home, shower, relax, and then go see him. Problem solved.”

  He closes the door behind him, effectively ending my rebuttal. I really didn’t want to do anything today, but I know he’s right. I should go practice melding my affinities to the Sais for a few hours. I would like to get better with them. I’m just lazy, and realistically, I know now that’s the only thing standing in my way.

  ***

  “Hello, Piero,” I say, grinning to myself. I use the back of my hand to wipe sweat from my forehead. I’ve been practicing for five hours and I am exhausted. My hair feels oily, my clothes are dirty, and that smell is definitely coming from me. Not flattering in the least, I’m sure.

  He looks me up and down, appraisal and some other emotion I can’t discern glistening in his eyes. Desire?

  “How did you know I was here?” he says. “I was hoping to sneak up behind you as a surprise.” He walks over toward me and hugs me.

  “Sorry,” I chuckle. “But that is never going to happen. First, you’re a Tune, and for some reason, I can sense the presence of any Tunes nearby. Second, even if I couldn’t sense Tunes, I still have a primary wind affinity and am well on the way toward becoming a sensory expert. Though I do have quite far to go before I am anywhere as skilled as Genesis, and
—”

  “Tangent,” he says abruptly, stopping me from continuing. He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

  “Right, sorry. I tend to do that a lot,” I say with a shrug.

  “I’ve noticed.” He scratches his head and smiles effervescently. “I think it’s kind of cute.” He tips my head up toward him and plants his lips on mine. It’s brief, and I can’t help wanting more as he pulls away from me. “However, why do you always feel the need to compare yourself to others?” His brilliant violet eyes look at me, hurt, searching for an answer. Is this what empathy is?

  “Oh… well, I don’t have an answer for that.”

  I sit in the shade under a shoardez tree, resting my back up against it. The warm breeze wafts over my skin and I am hit by another whiff of my own smell. I can say quite frankly that I have never been more self-conscious in my entire life. It smells like something died inside my armpits.

  Piero walks over toward me, grinning provocatively as he licks some of my sweat off his upper lip.

  “Sorry about the smell, maybe you shouldn’t sit so close to me right now. I wasn’t expecting you to come here — I was going to go home and shower before we met.” He raises his eyebrow and shakes his head dismissively.

  “You smell pretty damn good to me, Selvyn. Anyway, it’s normal… you’ve been training. You’re supposed to sweat, and you’re supposed to smell.” I smile abashedly in response. He looks at me intently before connecting the dots. “Oh, you literally have no idea what arousal looks like, do you?”

  “Uh… w-well,” I stutter. “I’ve just never been in a relationship before and —”

  “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s alright.” He sits next to me and rests his head on my shoulder. “But you didn’t answer me earlier. Why are you always so inclined to compare yourself to someone you think is better than you?”