I nodded sagely, then grew serious again. “Thanks for backing me up. I owe you one.”
“No,” he countered, “you owe me two.” He pointed upward. “One is for the repair of my floor.”
Jin and I headed toward Tortoise Female Building #14.
We’d mutually decided that staying in our own rooms was too dangerous, in case real assassins were after me. Jin had suggested going to the academy guard, but I wasn’t confident that pointing them at Orden or asking them to watch our rooms were good ideas. I needed more information before I could bring more strangers into the situation.
While I’d gotten dressed, Jin had gone back to his room for more ammunition. By the time he’d gotten back, I had my dueling cane and sword buckled on. I’d also grabbed a pillow.
“First favor, Corin. Tell me why you are hunted by assassins.”
I sighed. “I’m probably not. I think that was the real Orden, and she’s probably paranoid.”
“Evasive answers don’t count as favors.”
He was right, but… “Can I have a minute to think about how best to answer?”
“Of course.”
I took a minute to think, and another minute.
Jin helped me out, but I don’t know if telling him anything is wise — that Voice was pretty explicit that I shouldn’t be spreading word about what happened in the tower.
On the other hand, if that was the real Professor Orden, I absolutely can’t trust her if her idea of “testing my defenses” is a mock attack on my room.
What is it with these professors and attacking students?
Gah.
“Okay, I’m going to tell you some bits and pieces, but you’re going to be in danger if you learn too much.”
“I don’t mind a bit of danger.”
I shook my head. “It wouldn’t be ‘a bit’. Probably. I don’t really know the scale of what I’m dealing with yet, and that’s part of why I can’t, in good conscience, fill you in on every detail.”
Jin nodded. “Continue.”
“I saw some things at the tower that I probably shouldn’t have seen. Things I remembered, and told Professor Orden about. She told me that what I knew could put me in danger, and to prepare.”
“Explains the assault, even if it doesn’t justify it.”
“Yeah. I suppose she wants me to take protecting myself seriously.”
Jin gestured to me with his off hand. “You did as well as I’d expect anyone to.”
I think I might have blushed at the compliment. I wasn’t used to getting those.
“Uh, thanks, I guess. Anyway, I can’t say much else for now, but I’ll talk to Professor Orden in the morning and see if I can get permission to bring you in on things.”
“Permission?” He raised an eyebrow. “Really, with her behavior, you would leave her to make that decision?”
I sighed. “I was feeling pretty hot blooded back there, but in retrospect, I really don’t have the experience that she does to make decisions about this sort of thing. Frankly, we should probably be glad we’re not being thrown in prison for assaulting a teacher.”
“She invaded your room. There would be no grounds for such a thing.”
I rolled my eyes. “Professors have a lot of influence. If she claimed she was there for routine business and we attacked her, the courts would probably take her side. But that’s not her angle. If that was her, and it almost certainly was, her motivation was to test me and scare me. Both worked. Mission accomplished.”
“What convinced you that it’s really her?”
“Simplest answer, really. She’s the only one who has actually mentioned any threat toward me. I’ve seen no evidence of anyone knowing about my experiences in the tower aside from her. I haven’t told anyone else.”
After I said that, I realized it wasn’t strictly true. The Voice had also mentioned potential danger. And anyone who had seen me in the tower — Keras, Vera, or even Katashi — could have sent assassins after me. I just didn’t think most of them had any motivation to.
Orden had mentioned that Katashi might send agents to get rid of me. That was plausible, and it was a scenario worth considering and preparing for. But if they thought I was a big enough threat to warrant attention, I strongly suspected they would have found a more effective way to get rid of me than sending one person with a knife.
This particular attack was much more likely to be the real Orden running a test, but that didn’t mean I was free from actual danger. If anything, it meant Orden thought the danger was severe enough that she wanted me to take it seriously.
“Hm,” Jin replied helpfully.
We arrived at the dorm shortly thereafter. Much like mine, the building was three stories, and the doors to the rooms were external, which meant that we didn’t have to bypass any dorm guards. Jin holstered his revolver on his hip.
We walked up the stairs, and I knocked on Sera’s door.
It took a minute before she opened it, wearing a nightgown. Her hair was disheveled.
Jin’s eyes widened, then he glanced away. He looked a little embarrassed.
Sera’s eyes did the opposite. She folded her arms. “When I asked the goddess to send me two men in the middle of the night, this was not what I what I meant.”
I completed the eye-motion theatrics by rolling mine once more. “Can we come in?”
She sighed, waving us in. “Fine. You must be positively desperate if you’re here.”
I…I wasn’t that bad about visiting her without an agenda, was I?
Yeah, I definitely was. I’d have to get better about that.
We followed her inside the room, which was the same size as mine. She sat on her bed, staring at me. Jin was pointedly looking away from her.
I closed the door behind us.
“We need a place to stay for the night.”
Sera tilted her head down. “You’re joking.”
“Nope.”
“Why?”
“Assassins.”
She leaned forward. “Assassins,” she echoed, deadpan.
“You caught me.” I flicked my hand dismissively, looking upward with exaggerated irritation. “It was only one assassin.”
“She was very skilled,” Jin added.
“You two,” Sera said, rubbing the bridge of her nose, “can spoon on the floor.”
I leaned against the back wall. “I was kind of hoping you could put Jin in a room with one of your friends.”
Jin gave me a look that contained more horror than I knew he could express.
“Problem?”
Jin’s shivered and looked away. “I… It would not be appropriate for me to stay in this place.”
If he had somewhere else to say, he hadn’t mentioned it.
“Aww, don’t be shy.” I blame Sera for bringing out my urge to tease. Poor Jin was collateral damage in our normal dynamic. He deserved better, so I could at least reassure him. “I think the dorm rules are superseded by the destruction of our rooms.”
Sera raised her eyebrows at that. “Wait, what?”
“Long story. Anyway, can you find him a spot?”
Sera sighed and stood. “Your friend — who, you know, you should introduce me to — can stay with my lovely and nubile friend Patrick, in the nearby boys dorms.”
Jin breathed an audible sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
I chuckled. Most guys would have killed for a chance to have an excuse to be here.
“This,” I gestured, “Is Jin. He’s… Actually, I still don’t know what attunement he has.”