Xilanada - The Four Fold Dissonance/Part 2

The Great City of Nexus lay on the conjunction of several rivers and, as such, boasted one of the finest ports in the East, short of a coastal city like Thorns had been and Port Calin was. The river trade was one of the reasons Nexus was an ideal location, being nicely positioned to be relatively close to the ocean, and yet the portal to the rest of the East.

The docks were many and varied in quality. But in the old Nexus District, nowhere did the original Port of Nexus show better.

This was the location of the Big Market, where almost everything under the Sun was sold. The Little Market, or the Small Market, was where the day to day trade was conducted, including food and supplies for myriad businesses.

This part of Nexus boasted many First Age buildings, imperishable to time and still in better shape than any new part of the city. The Guild made its headquarters here.

And nestled between the Markets and industry, some of the very finest restaurants in the city were found. With the freshest food, thanks to the nearby docks and a steady import trade, the best chefs saw to it that the wealthy paid their price for culinary excellence.

In the Vermillion Wave Upon Paper, specializing in the best of Southern cuisine, business was just beginning to pick up. Partitioned out into separate dining rooms, though, the diner would be unaware of how busy or slow the pace of the day was. Instead, peace and serenity reigned as the customer gazed upon the Yellow River as it flowed out to the West.

Xilanada smoothed down the front of her dress nervously, an absolutely futile gesture given how the expensive dress had been sewed. Not that she had the presence of mind to recognize that. She was in a private dining room right now at the Vermilion Wave Upon Paper, and her company was very distracting.

"That's how I found this place," Sen grinned, finishing his tale even as several women brought their food in. The aroma was dazzling and Xilanada's stomach growled as she realized how many decades it had been since she'd sampled anything Southern.

"Do you really expect me to believe that a woman pushed you through a window? And you just happened to fall into what would become your favorite restaurant?" Xilanada grinned and shook her finger. "It's a nice story, Sen, but please."

"So skeptical!" Sen cried, looking wounded. "It just so happens to be true, I'll have you know! But now...now you've impugned my honor. And I must find some way to reclaim it. Tell me, my lady, what feat would it take to convince you?"

"Well, you could produce the girl," Xilanada laughed.

So far, it had been a surprisingly pleasant evening. Sen had come by her room just after her last class. Xilanada had spent all day trying to think of a way of getting out of it, but almost before she could speak, he had pressed the most fantastically beautiful golden dress into her hands, sort of a deep buttery cream with swaths of scarves, yet breathy enough that even with her fever she would be comfortable. And while she was staring at the dress, he left to see to the carriage.

In the end, she begged help from Ava and the two of them managed to get her dressed in the magnificent golden garment. Either the Dragon-Blooded Sijanist was a very kind woman or she found the situation quite funny, but she even volunteered to stay and help do Xilanada's hair and make her up.

It had been an interesting experience.

And now, after a scenic drive in the carriage through the city, they had arrived at the Vermillion Wave Upon Paper, where Sen had managed to keep her smiling and laughing almost ceaselessly.

"Now, now, Lana, that's hardly something a gentleman does when escorting a lady like yourself. Would a student bring up last year's failing grade on an essay to a friend who had won a prize in the same class? No, and neither would I bring up a woman like that to a woman like you."

"I see. Because I'm so classy," Xilanada said, managing a straight face.

"Now you're getting it," Sen winked. "There. Was it so bad to say?"

"Sen, you're a terribly entertaining man, but I'm not really interested in you. I've told you this several times tonight."

"No...no, I don't think so," he said slowly and deliberately.

"Well, I just said it again," Xilanada smiled.

"I'm sorry, what was it you said? I'm afraid I don't recall." His affected ignorance made her laugh again and she realized exactly what made lady-killers so effective. Sen was doing a very credible job of making her feel like the only woman in this restaurant, no, in Nexus itself.

But she knew better. Even if her own body wanted to betray her.

"How is your food?" she asked instead.

"Half as good as the company," he answered. "And that speaks to its quality. Really, this is one of my favorite spots and I very rarely have occasion to bring anyone here. I'm glad you chose to join me tonight."

Xilanada leaned forward, met his eyes and kept her smile in place.

"Why don't you tell me what you like about it?"

Instead of giving her a flippant answer, or turning the comment into yet another compliment, Sen's face firmed in thought. It was part of his charm. He was attentive and entertaining, yet he gave everything she said due consideration.

"My life is not an easy one, Lana, no matter what I might have said or no matter how it may seem to you," he answered at last. "I do enjoy it mostly. I like the excitement, the intrigue. The action. I'm Fire-Aspected, as you may have guessed, and we're known for being passionate, full of energy and life. And that is me, mostly."

"But I confess there's a part of me that sometimes likes to get away from that. To get away from being Tepet Ajalat Sen and just be Sen By The River. You see?" He gestured out the windows to the expansive water flowing by. "There's something invigorating about it. Here, I can enjoy excellent food in quiet and be left to contemplate the river. Here, I can reflect how like it my life is. And, for a scant hour, be myself. Just be Sen."

He looked up at her and his face softened. It wasn't a flirtatious look, nor one calculated to make her react, but a real expression borne of real feeling.

"Do you know what it's like? To want to escape from your life, to get away from who you have to be and just be who you'd like to be?"

"Yes," Xilanada answered simply, not trusting her voice to hold if she spoke longer. For as swiftly as she had said yes, tears had crept to her eyes and it was all she could do not to let them fall and ruin her makeup.

"I thought you would understand," Sen murmured softly. "You don't remember your past, I know. But...I think you feel what I mean. Whether you remember it or not, you feel it, don't you? Maybe that's why I brought you here. To share my serenity with someone...who could appreciate the desire to get away from who they are."

Xilanada was moved beyond words. She was thankful that she had years of Dynastic training from the Realm, as well as decades as a Solar, to perfect her self-control. Otherwise, she might have given in to that desperate yearning in her heart to pour out the truth of her past, to explain who she had been, why she had become Xilanada. If only so another living soul would know...and might share the pain of what one truly bad mistake could bring.

"Thank you, Sen," Xilanada said at last.

And then his attention shifted elsewhere, as if hearing or seeing something beyond the range of her perception.

Xilanada was not a suspicious woman. But the shift in Sen was remarkable, as he went from charming dinner conversationalist to warrior within a second. He was on his feet and ready to act, his reflexes clearly those of one trained to handle troubling situations.

She stood, less quickly in the dress, and barely choked back a prayer. Her Father would not approve of her hiding from trouble. But was it so much to ask that trouble not seek her out? After all she had caused...was it too much to hope to long for peace?

The quiet life she had found at the School even now stood before her mind's eye and her fevered body trembled at the thought that she might have to leave it. She would not die to protect her secret, but neither could her new life bear the truth of it. She would hold back her power, as much as she could, and only hope that in the end she would not be forced to use it.

The last time she had...tens of thousands had died.