After the forest fire was extinguished, the students and faculty returned to their regular schedules.

 

   Jessa Hardu met her friends, Kolzer Diamond and Hiali Gust, in the cafeteria. Kolzer was a cousin of hers that she had trained with throughout their childhood together on Onyxia. He was a year younger than her. Forcing him to have to wait before he could apply to attend the Jhori academy. She was very happy, and not at all surprised, when she discovered that he had passed the entry exams with flying colors.

   Hiali was another first year that was so shy she ate at a table to herself for several days before Jessa invited her to sit with Kolzer and herself. Her once blonde hair was dyed bright green and kept short. On Aeros, blonde hair was usually a good sign that you were not of the warrior-class.

   All Elementi had the ability to manipulate an element. Some were far more gifted than others. Through selective marriages the gap between average and exceptional continued to grow as time went on. Eventually the people were divided into warrior-class and civilian-class. It was heavily encouraged that the two not inner marry. On rare occasion average parents would produce exceptional offspring that could hold their own even against the children of the elite. This rare occasion was becoming far more common, and no one was certain why.

   They sat at a round table in the corner of the large room. A long buffet filled with a variety of food was being frequently visited by several students. Keeping the cafeteria both crowded and noisy.

 

   “I want to enter us into the mid-term tournament!” Jessa exclaimed. She was not sure how much help Hiali would be, but she knew her and Kolzer were competent enough to at least get them some spotlight time.

   All the tournament fights were broadcast across the four moons that were still inhabited by Elementi. They were also attended by sponsors and veteran Jhori Agents scouting out new talent. Jessa was bound and determined to travel the stars. Unfortunately for her, there were only two ways an Elementi could accomplish this under Jhori law. She could either become an agent to gain wealth and prestige, or she could join the military and get shipped off to guard something or someone until she retired.

   “Yes! I’m all in!” Kolzer replied excitedly. “Let’s show those royals how it’s done!”

   Even as a first-year he was one of the larger students at the academy. He let his silver beard grow thick to help him look older than he truly was. He had a darker complexion than Jessa, but since his grandfather was Aerosi, he inherited their silver hair, which he kept buzzed off.

   “The royals didn’t even win the last tourney.” Hiali interjected. “Not to mention there’s only three of us.”

   “Right. We will need a fourth.” Added Kolzer. “Some variety couldn’t hurt. The question is, will it be fire or water?”

   “It will be fire.” Jessa said confidently. “I have a couple classes with a certain prince.”

   Kolzer’s eyes lit up and his mouth became stuck in a smiley O of surprise. “Prince Jraken?!” He asked a little too loud.

   “Shhh! He’s not in the bag yet!” She whisper-yelled back at Kolzer.

   “I’ll say. It looks like our newest recruit is about to get recruited right out from under us.” Hiali pointed to the other side of the cafeteria where Jraken was being approached by the highest ranked team of royals.

   “Damn. I wish we could hear what they were saying.” Jesse interjected.

   “It’ll be tough, but I might be able to eavesdrop on them.” Said Hiali. “If I manipulate the air to gently send what they’re saying up and over here, then we might be able to make out what they are talking about.”

   “Brilliant! How hard will it be to pull off?” Asked Kolzer.

   “Pretty hard. Lucky for you, I am well practiced at it because I used to eavesdrop on my neighbor all the time.”

   Kolzer and Jessa both stopped eating and gave Hiali peculiar expressions.

   “He was crazy! You should have heard some of the stuff I overheard him doing. For starters, he had a ridiculous amount of yillers.”

   “What in the abyss is a yiller?” Kolter asked.

   “Fuzzy little flying rodents. It’s common to have a few on Aeros.” Jessa explained.

   “A few yes, but this guy had upwards of fifty. And he didn’t just talk to them. He gave them all voices and accents and had full-fledged conversations with them. Some of them were actually quite engaging.” She admitted.

   “Okay, okay. Back to the matter at hand. What are the royals saying now?” Asked Jessa.

 

 

   Jraken was eating at a table with a couple of first-years he shared a dorm floor with. He heard his name loudly yelled across the cafeteria, but as soon as he stood up to see who was responsible, he was approached by his brother’s team. The royal team minus Dravon, who was still recovering in the infirmary from being knocked out by Marilyn.

   “Impressive performance with Kaizo earlier.” Said Princess Mystie Tidal. She was the middle sister of King Davus Tidal’s three daughters. Nella had received sponsorship and become a Jhori Agent the year before upon graduation. Her younger sister Luna had a team of her own with their two cousins. All three sisters were considered to be top tier Lunanites, but Mystie herself was arguably to be the strongest of the three. She had inherited King Davus’s prowess, along with his black hair. Whereas her sisters had their mother’s blue hair. She also had broader shoulders, which gave her an intimidating physique.

   Most Lunanites inhabited the warm Everspring Islands that chained their way across the equator of Luna. The royal palace, however, was constructed near the icy cap of the northern pole. Its mild summers and harsh winters gave the royals and the citizen’s of the capitol an unmistakable pale ivory complexion.

   “And then you bring Dravon back unconscious from a huge forest fire.” Said Prince Grolo Stone. “Wish I could have seen you put that arrogant jerk in his place! Did you know he blamed us for his loss to Kaizo?”

   The Onyxian palace was in the middle of a desert that wrapped around the equator. There were milder temperatures toward the poles, but the ancient Onyxians thought themselves to be unconquerable in the sand. After many generations under the blistering desert heat, the people of Onyxia soon adapted and their complexion grew darker than any of their Elementi cousins. Grolo spent a lot of time in the palace making him and other royals a bit of an exception.

    “We didn’t-” Jraken replied, but his response was completely ignored and interrupted by Mystie who was eyeing the other students at the table.

    “Beat it,” she said harshly.

   The students all gathered their food and scattered as fast as they could. Not only was she a last-year, but she was also royalty. A first-year commoner was wise not to cross her. Mystie, Grolo, and their less talkative teammate Prince Keegan Monsoon all sat down beside Jraken as soon as the other students had vacated.

   Keegan was the youngest of his three siblings. Princess Lissie was 19 years older than him and heir to the throne. His older brother Prince Kortimo was his senior by 9 years and moved back home to Aeros to do nothing after his graduation from the Jhori Academy.

   Keegan never understood his brother Kortimo’s lack of interest in joining an agency. Just like Mystie and several other students, he longed to explore the galaxy and put his abilities to the test.

   “Hear me out Jraken, I’m sure you saw your brother get his ass handed to him by Kaizo at the last tourney.” Mystie said as her bright blue eyes pierced right through him. “You on the other hand, didn’t appear to have any trouble with him this morning though.”

   “Neither did Dravon. He could have hurled fire to ignite Kaizo’s attack right on top of him. He just chose not to because he didn’t want the blast to injure any bystanders.” Jraken tried to explain.

   “Right.” Grolo said slowly. “You know, just because the Jhori preach about being humble, doesn’t mean we actually have to practice it. The top two teams from the next tourney get to travel to the capitol and compete in the Jhori Championship. Which is the only chance a firstborn royal like me is ever going to have at leaving Elementa.”

   King Harley Stone’s children were all dead, but his daughter Princess Leyfra begot one son, Kios Stone, before she too perished in the Elementi Civil War. Kios was Grolo’s father. Even though he was second in line to inherit the throne, he was still a firstborn heir. Which meant he would not be allowed to join the military or a Jhori Agency.

   “And the best chance for those of us not in line for a crown to get sponsors and became agents!” Mystie chimed in. “As much as I am ashamed to admit it, some of these other teams are looking like they could be pretty good. I’m a student teacher for advanced combat, and this new batch of first-years look especially tough.”

   “Join us, Jraken.” Grolo finally spit out. “We can’t have us royals being defeated by lowly commoners.”

   Jraken thought about how upset Dravon would be if he replaced him on the royal team. He felt like he was losing ground on trying to befriend his older brother as it was. He could only hope that Dravon did not hate him already.

   “I must respectfully decline.” He said bowing his head as he said it.

   “You what?!” Mystie yelled as she slammed her hands on the table. “Listen you little brat! No one says no to the royal team! We will represent the Elementi in the Jhori Championship, and you will be very sorry you didn’t take us up on this offer!” As she got up to leave, she manipulated Jraken’s water into freezing so cold it cracked the glass that conatained it.

   Grolo and Keegan simply shook their heads and followed the steaming ice princess out of the cafeteria.

 

 

   “Well, that’s a good sign.” Jessa said commenting on the scene that Mystie had just made. Due to the noise level in the crowded cafeteria, they could only make out bits and pieces of the conversation.

   “Pretty sure he turned them down.” Said Kolzer.

   “You think?” Hiali asked sarcastically.

   “So, when are you going to ask him?” He asked.

   “I’ll wait till last period. I have Planet Environments with him.” Jessa replied. “I’m pretty sure he’s got the hots for me. Shouldn’t be any trouble at all!”

   “Perfect.” Kolzer said in a dark voice while rubbing his hands together.

   “Kolzer please, you’re about as diabolical as a doorknob.” Said Hiali.

 

 

   When final period approached Jessa made sure to arrive to class early and ensure she got a seat next to Prince Jraken. As soon as he arrived, she waved him down and invited him to sit with her. His face grew bright red as he got closer.

   “You seem to be doing well in this class.” She said. “I was hoping I could pick your brain. I’m terrible with names and some of these planets are impossible for me to even pronounce!”

   “Yeah. I’ve had some long nights trying to get them all down.” He admitted. “It’s Jessa Hardu, right?”

   “That’s me!” She replied with a big smile. “Are you memorizing all the student’s names as well?”

   “Well, no. I just-. I overheard your name the other day.” He said stumbling over his words.

   “Well, I hope you overheard nice things about me.” She said with a flirty laugh.

   “Oh yeah! Very nice things!” He responded, wishing he had access to a larger conversational repertoire than what currently seemed to be at his disposal. His heart raced, his mind clouded, and his face grew hot as he struggled to impress his crush.

   “Well, that’s good.” Jessa said, tickled with how much a prince was trying to keep his cool in front of her.

 

   Class began and Jessa and Jraken took to taking notes as their instructor jotted down the next list of planets they would be tested on. Every now and then Jessa would catch Jraken looking at her and would give him a flirty smile. She planned on getting him alone after this class and popping the question.

   Just as class was about to end Jraken leaned over and handed Jessa a folded-up note. Jessa held her breath hoping the 13-year-old did not just send her a “circle yes or no” contract to begin a more cordial relationship.

   Upon opening the note Jessa could not believe her luck. It was in fact a “circle yes or no” note. However, the question written was Would you like to team up with me?

   Jessa thought about circling the yes with a heart, but then thought better of it. She did find herself circling it many times to express her enthusiasm.

 

   After class, the two walked together back to the dorms. Jessa told him about Kolzer and Hiali. It became pretty clear that the young prince didn’t seem concerned who was on his team. He just wanted to be near her.

   The campus had several large buildings with parks, paths, and beautiful flower gardens filling the spaces between.

   “So, practice tomorrow morning sound good then?” She asked as they walked past a bunch of students playing different instruments.

   “Yes! I will be there!” He responded quickly.

   “Would you like to know where it is?” She asked with a giggle.

   “Um, yes please.” He said with rosy cheeks of embarrassment.

   “We meet south of the forest by the dorms. You know, the forest you and your brother tried to burn down. There’s a great big field there with a lone tree that stands a good distance from the rest of the trees.”

   “Okay! I’ll be there! Definitely! No Doubt! Don’t count me out!”

   Jessa squinted her eyes from suspicion. This all seemed too easy. Even if he was into her. “You’re not teasing me, are you? I know princes don’t usually team up with girls like me.”

   “Well, that’s their loss.” Now that Jraken had spent more time with her, he was slowly finding it easier to be his usual calm and collected self.

   Jessa smiled. So, he can be a little charmer. The group of students with instruments started playing a new song. She felt the groove deeply and dropped her bag so she could dance. She noticed Jraken did not join her and grabbed his hands. She moved to the beat very fluidly and a couple other students even stopped to watch her.

   Jraken was completely out of his comfort zone. He had danced alone in his room before, but never out in public. He gave it his best shot, but it did not take long for him to stop and be mesmerized by Jessa’s movements just as the small crowd that had formed.

   The song ended and the small crowd of students cheered. Jessa wiped a bit of sweat from her brow. “Whew! I needed that.” She saw that Jraken appeared to be in a daze. “You alright?”

   Jraken had never seen anything more beautiful in all his life. He did not know what to say. He had never been taught how to talk to girls. All he knew was that several topics were off limits. Can I tell her I want to watch her dance again? That I want to watch her dance forever? Probably shouldn’t.

   “How’d you learn to do that?” He asked instead.

   “Learn? I guess I saw people dance before, but it’s more just something you feel. It’s an instinct. When I’m short of breath I breathe. When I’m hungry I eat and when I’m thirsty I drink. When I feel the music, I dance. Simple as that.”

   “I don’t think I can do it.” Jraken said somberly. He was worried this would be a deal breaker for his chance with her.

   “Do you move your body with the music?”

   “Yeah.”

   “Does it feel good?”

   “Yeah.”

   “Then you’re doing it right.”

 

 

   Jessa walked Jraken back to his dorm and kept a safe distance to avoid giving off any signal that she wanted to engage in any physical contact. With a well-timed wave, they parted ways contact free. 

   Hiali and Kolter waited for Jraken to enter the dorms before they came around the corner of the building to hear what they anticipated to be good news.

   “You two walked and talked for a good chunk of the afternoon. Is everything going as planned?” Kolter asked.

   “Can we not make it sound like I’ve created some grand deception? He wants to be on a good team. Just like we do, and we are a good team!”

   “His eyes were definitely filled with yearning, but I don’t think it was yearning to be on this team. More like yearning to be on something else.” Said Hiali.

   “Alright now! That wasn’t yearning! Longing maybe, but yearning? That’s a bit much.” Jessa was not at all comfortable with the idea that she was some kind of manipulator of emotion.

   “Practice is tomorrow as soon as the sun rises!” She said, trying to change the subject.

   “Dibs on sparring with the prince!” Kolter yelled quickly.

   “We’ll see.” Jessa had no intention of letting Kolter have the first spar with Jraken. She knew that if she was going to create the best version of herself, then she needed to train with the strongest Elementi she could find. So far, Jraken was the strongest she had seen at the academy. He was her ticket to getting off Elementa and her moons. He was her ticket to experiencing freedom.