Chương 31: Prime Cut (2)

"The brave may march on courage, but they still collapse without dinner." – Vurhomu Yaboli, the Fifth Vazaag of Korsivir.

"Oh." Aloric lifted the package slightly to show her before setting it down.

"It's meat. I bought it so I could cook something nice tonight. To celebrate." Perilia took a step toward him. He had barely finished putting the package in the fridge before she took it from him, turned it over, and studied it through the wrapping. Her eyebrows rose."

'ric."

"What?"

"This is not ordinary meat."

"Yeah, it was discounted."

"No, this looks like a prime cut." She looked at him over the package.

"A piece this size should be expensive. Very expensive."

"I told you, I got it on a discount. The shopkeeper said it was stock-clearing rate."

"How much?"

"Six gilens." Perilia stared at him. Aloric frowned.

"What now?"

"A prime cut this size usually costs more than a hundred gilens." The number hit him so hard that, for a second, he forgot how to speak.

"A hundred gilens?"

"At least." He looked at the package in her hands, then back at her.

"Only the Rumiosi clan members can afford meat like that."

"Exactly." Perilia's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You didn't steal it, did you?"

"Of course I didn't!" Aloric snapped, feeling offended.

"You know that butcher on the third street in the central market, the one that gives discounts later in the day? I went there with seven gilens. He said he needed to clear the freezer before new stock came in." Perilia listened without interrupting, though the look on her face said she was measuring every word. Aloric scowled.

"Go ask him if you want. You know I'd never lie to you!" Her expression softened almost immediately.

"I know, kiddo..." Then, because she was Perilia and therefore incapable of leaving a peaceful moment alone, she ruffled his hair again. This time it annoyed him properly.

"Stop that!"

"There he is." She smiled and looked back at the package.

"Either that shopkeeper has a soft spot for you, or you somehow managed to stumble into the best meat discount in the city."

"Maybe both."

"Maybe." Perilia handed the package back to him.

"Keep it carefully." Aloric took the meat with much more care than before and placed it inside the fridge. Suddenly it felt less like dinner and more like some priceless relic he had accidentally carried through half the city. He shut the fridge door and turned back toward the table. The cake waited there. His stomach, which had apparently recovered from result-day stress just in time to become greedy again, gave a faint growl.

"Come on," he said.

"I'm hungry. I barely ate anything today." Perilia grabbed a knife from the drawer and handed it to him.

"Then cut it before your stomach starts giving its own speech." Aloric snorted as he took the knife and stood in front of the cake. For a moment, he did not cut it. He could not. The icing lines were a little uneven. One of the sugar skels had been pressed too deep into the top. The cake itself was modest, the kind a family might buy for a small celebration without spending too much. To him, it looked perfect. Perilia had heard he passed and somehow made time to come home, despite her work. She had bought a cake.

She had turned off the lights and waited in the dark just to surprise him like he was still a little kid coming home with good marks. He looked at her. She raised an eyebrow.

"What?" He put the knife down, and hugged her. Perilia went still for half a second before her arms came around him. Aloric held on tighter.

"Thank you, 'rilia," he whispered, his voice muffled against her shoulder.

"For everything." Perilia's hand came up to the back of his head, gentler this time." Everything is a lot."

"You know what I mean."

"I do." His eyes burned again, which was ridiculous because he had already cried once today and surely there had to be a limit. But apparently there was not. He thought of the academy courtyard. The parents waiting outside the gates. The students running into waiting arms. The families celebrating together as if graduation had been something they all earned together. He had never had that. Not in the same way. But he had always had Perilia.

She had been his sister, his guardian, his scolder, his mentor, his cook, his protector, and the person who had stood between him and the world when he had been too young to even stand by himself. She had barely been more than a child herself when she started carrying both their lives on her back, but somehow she still never let him feel as alone as he would have been without her.

"I mean it," he mumbled.

"You're the best." Perilia gave a soft huff. Then ruined it immediately.

"Tell me something new, kiddo. That's old news." Aloric let out something between a laugh and a sniff. She leaned back enough to look at his face. Then her eyes narrowed with terrible delight.

"Wait. Is little 'ric crying now? Weren't you claiming just a few days ago that you were not a little child anymore?" Aloric snorted and hugged her again before she could inspect his face more closely.

"I was, and I'm not. Just let me be little 'ric for a few moments more." Perilia's expression warmed. She patted his back.

"Don't start getting all emotional on me, kiddo. This is a happy day. You need to smile and laugh today." Aloric nodded weakly and stepped back, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. He did not feel like laughing yet. Apparently Perilia noticed." This will not do," she said. Aloric froze at the tone. Perilia tilted her head, pretending to think.

"Hmm. I guess there is no other option."

"No..."

"I'll just have to tickle you again."

"No!"

"Just like when you were a tiny, grumpy baby." If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Absolutely not!"

"That always made you laugh." She took one step toward him. Aloric threw both hands up in defense.

"Wait. Wait! Not again. Not today! I am not crying anymore. I promise!" Perilia crossed her arms.

"You better not." He wiped his eyes again and glared up at her, deeply annoyed by the fact that she was still taller than him. That had to change eventually. Probably.

"Your vacation is coming soon," he said, trying to regain some dignity.

"Now that I have graduated, I will earn enough gilens to send you on a month-long vacation to the Usahi Islands. Just wait." Perilia's eyes widened with theatrical delight.

"Ooh? The Usahi Islands? I hear that's where the super rich noble families go when they want to forget how much money they have."

"And you deserve it."

"Is that so?" She gave him a fake pout.

"Little 'ric has been a manaweaver for less than a day and already wants to send his sister far away?"

"Shut up. You know what I mean."

"Do I?"

"And stop calling me little 'ric. I am not a child anymore." Perilia smirked.

"Of course, little'ric." Aloric groaned. He could never win against her.

"Speaking of not being a child," she said, leaning against the table, "what was your rank?" Aloric hesitated. Then he looked away.

"Fifteenth in Classroom One."

"Out of?"

"Twenty-six students." Perilia hummed thoughtfully. Aloric turned back at once.

"What does that mean?"

"That's not too bad."

"It's not good either! You got the first rank in your exam—in the whole academy—and you say fifteenth isn't bad?" Perilia snorted.

"I mean it's not as bad as you made it sound when you described the exams to me." She tapped one finger against her arm.

"Fifteenth in Classroom One can't be called terrible anyway. It's more average than poor. Depending on how the other classes scored, you might even be assigned to a squad." Aloric stared at her.

"Really? I won't be sent to the reserves?"

"Maybe... If you do get a squad, it would be under a Tarim instructor, not a Siurim. But I would not assume the reserve force yet." Aloric wanted to believe her. He really did. But belief felt dangerous.

"I will trust that when Teacher Daisor says it," he muttered.

"It would be far better than wasting away in the reserves, obviously, but I am not getting my hopes up again." Perilia smiled knowingly.

"What?"

"Nothing." He stared at her.

"That's not a nothing face."

"It is the face I make when I know that in three days you will come home and say,'Sis, how were you right again? I really was allotted to a squad. How do you know everything in advance?'" Aloric groaned at the way she mimicked his voice.

"You are already preparing to brag?"

"Of course." Perilia shrugged as if that were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You predicted that I would pass. You did not predict my rank."

"I predicted the important part."

"No, you predicted the part that lets you brag."

"Also important." Aloric groaned.

"You are impossible."

"Old news again." Perilia picked up the knife and held it out to him.

"Now cut the cake before I eat it all myself." Aloric narrowed his eyes. She absolutely would. He took the knife and cut the first slice. As soon as he lifted it, Perilia started clapping again.

"Congratulations, manaweaver of Korsivir," she said, smiling brightly.

"Try not to die before I get tired of teasing you."

"That sounds like a terrible welcome."

"It is an honest one." Aloric grinned. Then he moved the slice toward her. Perilia leaned forward, opening her mouth to take a bite. At the last second, Aloric pulled his hand back and stuffed the entire slice into his own mouth. Perilia froze. Aloric smiled around the cake.

"Thank you, sis," he said, mouth completely full. Her eyes narrowed.

"You little..." He chewed faster.

"And stop talking with your mouth full. How many times have I told you that it's disgusting?" Aloric swallowed with difficulty.

"Totally worth it!" Perilia grabbed the knife.

"Oh, so that's how it is."

"What are you doing?"

"Winning." She cut herself a slice. Aloric picked up another knife and cut himself a slice too. Within moments, the celebration turned into a race. It was not a large cake, but it was rich, sweet, and dense enough that two people eating it too quickly could absolutely regret their choices. Perilia ate with the focus of a trained manaweaver on a mission. Aloric ate with the desperation of a younger brother who knew any weakness would be mocked for years.

By the time the last crumbs were gone, Aloric had learned something important. Graduation cake could be dangerous.

"Ugh..." He slumped into the chair beside the dining table, one hand on his stomach.

"I ate way too much..." Perilia sat across from him, looking far less miserable, though even she seemed slower than before.

"You started it."

"You challenged me!"

"You stole the first slice."

"You tried to eat all of it!"

"I considered it." She leaned back and sighed.

"I cannot believe I ate that much sugar in one sitting. Must be the bad influence of a piggish little child living here." Aloric pointed at her weakly.

"You were the one who turned it into a race." She shrugged lazily.

"You were the one who joined in."

"Forget it. I can barely move now," he groaned.

"And I still have to cook the meat." Perilia snorted.

"As if you have any space left in your stomach for dinner. Don't worry about it. I took a half day, so I'll cook tonight."

"It sounds like you took leave just to buy a cake and ambush me."

"I took leave because my little brother graduated from the academy," she said.

"The ambush and cake were added benefits." Aloric looked at her. Again, that warm tightness returned to his chest. Perilia noticed and pointed at him at once.

"No. Do not start again."

"I wasn't."

"You were thinking emotional thoughts."

"I was not."

"You have that face."

"What face?"

"The face of someone about to become unbearable." Aloric scowled.

"I would never!"

"You would." She pushed herself up from the chair and stretched.

"Besides, I do not want to hear you whine later that I made you cook on the day you graduated." Aloric smirked.

"I would never do that either." Perilia laughed.

"That is a heroic lie." He did not deny it. She walked toward the fridge, then paused and glanced back at him.

"You did not get your rank-marker yet?" Aloric looked down at his inner left wrist by reflex. Still bare.

"No. Teacher Daisor said they would start placing the runes after they announce where everyone is being sent. It might take up to a week for everyone to get theirs." Perilia nodded.

"That makes sense. Rank-markers are not simple runes. It can take over an hour to draw them."

"I know."

"Do you?"

"I know they are complicated."

"That's not the same thing." Aloric rolled his eyes.

"Fine. I know runes are extremely complicated, and I am not supposed to ask stupid questions about them until someone smarter explains them to me."

"Good. You are learning."

"I graduated today. I am very wise now."

"You nearly cried over cake just ten minutes ago."

"That was unrelated wisdom." His sister snorted.

"Of course it was." Aloric grinned at their familiar banter.

"Anyway, Teacher Daisor said Sir Ganisaar might come to give a speech that day. He told us the Vazaag couldn't find the time for the last few batches, but he might come this time." Perilia looked thoughtful.

"He did that for my batch too. Not for long, but he came."

"Really?" She opened the fridge and took out the meat.

"Mm-hmm."

"What did he say?"

"He gave a speech, said all the usual inspiring things, then the rune specialists started placing the rank-markers not long after that." She checked the vegetables and began setting things aside with the easy familiarity of someone who had learned to cook because there had never been anyone else to do it.

"The Vazaag does not place them himself, if that's what you're imagining. He has far more important things to do than personally mark every fresh graduate who just became a Nourim."

"I was not imagining that," Aloric protested. She smirked.

"You were. A little."

"I only asked because you mentioned the rank-markers first! I already know I passed. I'm in no hurry to get the runes. I know I'll be marked whenever my turn comes."

"Yeah...?" Perilia smiled without looking at him.

"Who knows? Maybe the Vazaag would have found time to personally hurry things along for a certain boy who barely passed, if that boy went and whined to the teacher to be given the runes first."

"I... I'm not..." Aloric glared at her.

"You are so annoying, you know that?"

"Of course I do. I practice it every day."

"That does explain a lot." She laughed as she began slicing the meat. Aloric shook his head, but the irritation didn't last. A moment later, he remembered that his eyes had been wet only a little while ago, and realized she had probably been pushing him on purpose. Teasing him until he stopped sinking into all those heavy thoughts. Not that she needed a reason to irritate him. She would have found one anyway. He was still glad she was there to do it.

As much as he wished he had grown up with parents, this was far better than being alone. And now, he had passed the exams. He had graduated. In three days, he would find out where the city was sending him. Maybe Perilia was wrong and he would be sent to the reserves after all. Maybe she was right, and he would somehow be allotted to a squad under a Tarim instructor. Even if he was lucky enough for that, he just hoped it was not with either of the Rumiosi twins. That would be its own kind of punishment.

But whoever his teammates became, and wherever he was sent, a new part of his life was about to begin. No more academy lectures. No more sitting in classrooms while Teacher Daisor assigned surprise tests. Soon, he would be a registered manaweaver of Korsivir. And he would go on missions. Maybe not S-rank missions. Maybe not dragon-slaying quests or princess rescues like the children's stories made every kid in Korsivir dream about. Still, they would be real missions. Real work.

A real place in the city he had dreamed of serving for years. Perilia looked over from the counter.

"You are smiling again." Aloric leaned back in his chair, still full of cake and too happy to care.

"I am allowed."

"For today," she said, smiling.

"Tomorrow, you will probably find a new way to do something stupid, and I'll be forced to make fun of you. Again." He grinned.

"Then I'll enjoy the peace while it lasts." For now, sitting here with her while she let him have this small victory was more than enough.