Duran's Choices Volume 2

By Draeme Saekyr

Copyright

Draeme Saekyr/Lydia Michele Franks © January 21, 2022

Duran's Choices © January 21, 2022

DuransChoicescovertitle.jpg © January 21, 2022

Description © January 21, 2022

Duran now faces more choices than before. Firstly, he'll have to accept that his fourteen years of living in a nameless town were not his choice. Secondly, his real father is a globally famous craftsman, Chastain Claude. Thirdly, he has a twin brother and other siblings somewhere out in the world. Fourth, does he want to attend Abalone Academy after all? All those choices will be sorted, but Duran has to figure out his feelings about everything for now. Not only that but Andre and Maribel are currently on the run after having dispatched Dougal and Matilda Roma in a brutal massacre. Will Duran have what it takes to find the truth behind their actions, or will he simply allow them to be detained like criminals? All will be found out in the chapters of this latest installment.

Synopsis

Life hasn't been easy for Duran once he found out about his cousin Garou's location and rescued him. He's been on the verge of a breakdown ever since leaving his home. Now he's faced with even more crazy situations that he hadn't anticipated. He's worried about his known siblings, who may be something he hadn't expected, such as yes, an uncle and a…mother? One who loved him enough to sacrifice her life at least three times in this cycle. Now, he's also facing other challenges. He'll soon enter the Academy, but he'll need to prove that Maribel and Andre had received prior orders to assassinate Matilda and Dougal, only he knows nothing about this. Will his other relatives, Chastain Claude and Maurice Roma, step in or not. Murky waters are swirling higher than ever, but none will stop Duran from deciding how to direct his future. His only concern is whether he'll even be able to attend Abalone Academy. After all, that's what he's fought to do this entire time.

Locations:

Julienne Country is relatively small compared to those surrounding it and constantly under threat of annexation. However, due to its unique positioning and how it functions. It has managed to stay separate and neutral for a very long time. It holds power through its citizenry, which is quite unique as well. They come from a mix of backgrounds and races. They're magical and elemental in nature and prefer to remain in Julienne and two other continents that are narrowly linked through portals and bridges connected to Anemone Seaport.

Anemone Seaport is a bustling portal to several countries, kingdoms, and empires spread over a vast ocean. It is thought to be a centralized locale of an ancient empire, but no one is certain. It is believed that there were initially four enormous continents but, through catastrophic events, were further decimated in size. The seaport has five areas that compose its vast bulk. North, East, West, South, and Central. Within the central area is the Abalone Academy.

Central - the judicial, chamber of commerce, and other official buildings are clustered. This is also where the Academy resides, though it has satellites located in the north, east, west, and south portions.

North - The northern portion of Anemone has all the various crafts, museums, and historical areas for the amusement and entertainment of tourists. It is also where students of the Academy are most likely to hawk their wares under the watchful eyes of instructors within vocational aspects of the Academy. The middle, working-class, and slightly lower economic people base their homes and workplaces in the same space.

East - has many financial buildings that aren't found in the Central location. Other museums are niches and not as eccentric as that can be found in the north. This is where other official documents can be secured that aren't always available in the central area. It also contains other aspects that the native population isn't as pleased about as the West and South. They all have slums that're scattered around the Academy and central facilities. Therefore, they're practically intermixed when it comes to crime rates. In the following volume, the West and South sections will be clearly defined as their specialties regarding the Seaport and the Academy.

Initially only an elite women's education center, the Abalone Academy focused on who and what it could teach. It went from sole elite women led to co-ed after a thousand years of existence. In other words, it lasted through a myriad of leadership changes and watched empires rise and fall. It maintained a stance of neutrality, along with the Anemone Seaport, in the neutral country of Julienne. It is this somewhat controversial Academy that Duran will be attending.

Characters

Duran Roma - 15 years old, silvery-gray-white hair, pale crystalline eyes, and lightly tanned skin. He's scarred all over and lucky to have retained his eyes. He's still in the middle of a growth spurt, so he is almost 6 feet but might go taller. Thin as a rail due to unreasonable workloads despite having enough food to eat. He tends to wear too big for him and is always patched with whatever material he could scrounge. Nobody looking at him would know his actual appearance because he can cast illusion magic that he's mastered to almost mythical status.

Sylvester Roma

Age? silvery blond hair, green eyes, and pale skin. He admires Duran. He's always the first to challenge Lowell and others who would bully Duran. He's a scrappy fighter and always getting into trouble. Unlike Lowell, he won't let Duran take beatings for him. In fact, if he's able, he'll take over the responsibility to prevent multiple whippings issued to Duran.

Karl Roma

Age? is an odd one of the trios. He has slightly lighter maroon hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. He doesn't have much to say except for Duran's defense. Then he'll reveal exceptional fighting skills.

Leonard Roma

Age? he has black hair and black eyes. He doesn't care much about the household in general. Given his druthers, he'd run away as soon as possible. However, he has a few people he does care about. Duran, Sylvester, Karl, and sisters Ellie, Sina, and Rosie. He would lay down his life for those six and nearly has a few times.

Andre Roma

One of three older brothers of Duran. He's the oldest of them and considered exceptionally talented and brilliant. He was the apple of his parents' eye until Duran was born. Then he became viewed as an insolent, rebellious eyesore. That description, Andre reveled in and took it very far indeed. Now there's some doubt about whether he's actually a blood relative. Since it was revealed that the Roma parents - Matilda and Dougal, acquired and fostered children under their name who weren't even born to them.

Maribel Roma

Duran's eldest sister supposedly. She has similar coloration to him, but that is the only thing. She's wild, talented, and notorious for getting into trouble. Despite the knack for getting into trouble, she's a diplomat, often mingling with the elite wealthy and royalty. Her parents often use her as an envoy to promote their businesses with other countries and curry favor.

Marisol Roma

Maribel's twin sister. Little is known about her, other than that her body was restored to her with the horrible massacre that occurred. She and her sister have since gone through accelerated pregnancies that would keep them alive and in separate bodies. They have to figure out what they want to do with their lives.

“Ellie” Alessandra Roma

A miniature adult in attitude, manner, and appearance. She does her best to assist Duran in daily matters so that he suffers fewer beatings. Unfortunately, most of her efforts are hampered by other brothers who don't want to see him going without at least two-four whippings daily. As a result, she teamed up with Sylvester, Karl, and Leonard, along with Sina and Rosie, to foil the brothers and parents who routinely battered Duran and tried sabotaging him in every which way possible.

"Sina" Ambrosia Roma

A younger sister with a sensitivity hampers her ability to work around hourly problems. However, when the chips are down, she does her level best to keep a cheerful mask whenever Duran comes around to see if they need anything. She really wants Duran to have a good life somewhere else, where she and her sisters don't cause him unnecessary grief.

"Rosie" Roselle Roma

The youngest of the trio of sisters do their level best to assist Duran whenever possible. She, Ellie, and Sina learned very quickly. How to run interference when Lowell or other jerks were on rampages designed to destroy whatever progress Duran might've made concerning getting chores done.

Trentham Folsom

Quite the character. Folsom is a craftsman, a proctor, professor, and many other titles within the Abalone Academy. He also witnessed Duran's frightening capabilities but knows the boy hides his true strength. He's going to do what he can to help Duran succeed. Even if it means helping him hide what might be a scarier talent that could upset the balance of Julienne's neutrality that it practices daily.

Adriana Gloria

15 years old, 5'6", and has golden-brown hair, dark green eyes, and ivory white skin. She dresses flamboyantly and is always cheerful and friendly to everyone she considers her equal.

One of Duran's classmates and an over-exuberant admirer. She's a stalker of his from childhood. Born into a wealthy councilman's family, Adriana believes she should be the center of attention and have whatever she wants, an inanimate object or a human. In Duran's case, she wants him as a breeder of her children, and he wants nothing to do with her.

Augustina Clements

An old friend of Maurice's. She often hosts him whenever he does business or leisure in Anemone Seaport. In this case, she's willing to temporarily host Duran until he's settled into the academy dormitories.

Arlon Milton

6', 18 yrs. old, and has crow-black hair, maroon eyes, and white skin. He's not the typical male that is known around the area. His origins are utterly mystifying to everyone around him. He's Duran's guide while settling into life at the Academy.

Chastain Claude

A crafter and museum curator and, as it turns out, one of Duran's uncles. He had a son who would've been Duran's age had he lived. Rumors circulate that he's actually been held in a very nasty part of Anemone Seaport this entire time. Chastain is willing to do whatever it takes to get his son Garou back.

Garou Claude

There is some mystery surrounding him. Is the boy only Duran's cousin, or could he be a twin? They're the same age and look identical. He was recently rescued from a horrific situation with a hostage against the Claude and Roma clans. Now that he's no longer a hostage, the two families, what remains of them, can live life freely with a few restrictions still in place.

Alan/Sylver Ferrous

A creature that came into being with the destruction of several orbs. Sylver's taken on the aspect of a kitsune but in humanoid form. Thus far, he's concluded that humans are exciting but seem to prefer being suicidal maniacs. However, he's still interested in learning more about them. Who knows what'll happen with that humongous tidal wave on them?

Chapter 62 - What's The Latest Racket?

"Argggh, this is ridiculous!" Duran growled in acute frustration and embarrassment. He looked between Arlon and the kind elderly gentleman with awkwardness. "I cannot believe this is still happening, what with everything that occurred earlier." He shook his head wearily. "I'm so sorry."

This was becoming undoubtedly very awkward for Arlon, not to mention Duran. "So, what should we do?" Typically, they wouldn't have remained out this long if they hadn't been caught out during another unexpected squall sweeping in with such ferocity. "I'm out of ideas for getting rid of pests."

None of this would've happened between attempting to escape those morons who chased them and working their way to another area that Duran wanted to find before entering the Academy. "Should I attempt going somewhere else?"

Having clearly had enough of his grumbling, Arlon elbowed him. "Don't even think of blaming yourself for any of this." He grimaced when transferring a dollop of dirty muck onto Duran's plain, no longer clean clothing. "That wasn't supposed to happen." He scowled in disgust. "I'm a tad careless, it seems." Arlon almost scratched his head but refrained. No point in getting the mud everywhere else.

Eh, well, that was no big deal, honestly. Easy enough to clean that up in a jiffy. Duran stared at his side and rolled his eyes. "This is still better than what happened when I was home." He made a sour face. "Mud, I can handle. Other weird stuff happened, which was harder to remove from clothing that I hated dealing with."

An eyebrow arched, and then Arlon frowned slightly. "You have some interesting standards for what isn't deemed clean." He shook his head. "Well, I suppose this is different from what you dealt with elsewhere."

Duran smirked. "Oh yeah, it is."

Arlon grunted. "Okay, this is pointless. What were we talking about before the stain incident?" Now he appeared somewhat confused.

Duran blinked. "Uh, right." Hell, this was a small stain. "Good point. I don't remember either."

"You two are hopeless." Chastain Claude informed them with a chuckle. "I believe we're having a conversation about patterns and dealing with the issue of living quarters for the present."

Oh right, that was what they'd shifted to talking about. Duran reddened in response. He sighed in frustration. "If you say so." There was no point in arguing about something pointless. He rubbed his temples with a grimace. "I think I will be sick just from the overload of sights, scents, and new information pouring into my brain."

The older man looked at him with a frown. "There are different cleanliness levels," Chastain confirmed Duran's reaction to the stain. "In his case, this is considered tolerable because it'll come out with one washing." He glanced at Duran. "Right?"

Arlon merely shook his head. "Well, that makes sense, I guess." He folded his arms.

"That's right," Duran confirmed. "Though I can tell this isn't acceptable to either of you." He folded his arms. "That's not to say I didn't wash clothing with similar stains the same day they occurred." His nose wrinkled.

Some of that was just plain nasty. Duran sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to go through that horror again. "I did, along with all kinds of other stained items." He grimaced. "Now that was disgusting." He shook his head when Chastain and Arlon eyed him blankly. "Use your imaginations. What do women suffer from after puberty hits?"

They grimaced in acute horror. "Oh."

"Yes, 'oh.'" Duran agreed sarcastically. "I wish I didn't have to clean it up," He had standards, thank you very much, and now he clarified what he didn't tolerate. "They were too lazy to do it on their shift. I didn't care for the ensuing stench." How do you get off that topic? Duran wondered. He really wanted to think about something more interesting.

"Hmm, well, you won't need to worry about that in my little place," Chastain reassured him. "The same with Miss Augustina. She always has the laundry sent out, especially when storms such as these roll in."

Speaking of storms, Duran frowned. "Is this typical?"

The two men frowned at him. "Yes." Arlon sighed. "Though I'll admit this system wasn't on the usual predicted cycle." He shrugged. "It came several months early. That happens every two or three years, though."

"Come to think of it, we were overdue." Chastain shook his head. "Now that I remember, I overheard weather seers discussing the oddity in some weather formations not running as usual. Then again, several of them have been off by quite a bit lately."

*

Arlon was definitely having mixed feelings about how Duran viewed the world. He finally understood the concern Andre had regarding his younger brother. A sigh escaped him as Chastain finally put an end to the wrangling. He frowned as odd scents caught his nose. What in the world was happening outside the tunnels? Shivers began running down his spine and body.

Arlon cleared his throat. "I think I may need to take a step outside." Now he really wanted to get away from those two. He tried to verify why his senses were going crazy.

"You can't leave the tunnels from here, Milton." Chastain cautioned. "There's a good chance you'll end up underwater instead." He cast Arlon a sideways glance. "By the way, you're not the only one experiencing a frisson of unease." He nodded briefly at Duran, studying their surroundings with growing discomfort. There was a greenish tinge to his skin appearing once more. That was never a good sign. That's when Arlon remembered Duran's remark about getting sick. "Hey, you going to make it to the safe location, all right?"

Duran's shoulders hunched. "I don't know. I'm just getting a horrible feeling because the atmospheric pressure is changing fast." He was hobbling. "It feels as if the water around the poles and other parts was suddenly pulled away."

All of them froze at his statement. Now they faintly heard ominous noises.

"Klaxons." Arlon and Chastain swore immediately. "Well, we'd have to stop at my place anyway, just to gather necessary supplies." Chastain sighed. "This was not how we were supposed to begin life here."

Duran looked horrified. "Is it going to be a gigantic tidal wave?" He eyed them apprehensively.

Arlon shrugged because he didn't know.

Chastain grunted. "I won't know until I see the details. There is still some time left." A peculiar expression crossed his face when chiming came from his hip. "Huh, now this really must be an emergency."

Arlon was startled when his pager went off as well. This had a different nuance. He studied what appeared and cursed. "Tidal wave it is," He confirmed wearily. "How are we supposed to deal with this latest calamity descending upon us?" It wasn't something he was familiar with at all.

Chastain smiled faintly. "Don't worry too much, lad. There were preparations made for this type of situation long ago. It isn't the first or last time we'll see one of those headed our way."

His lack of concern did nothing to reassure Arlon. He noticed that was also the case for Duran, who was now starting to swallow convulsively. Arlon sighed. "Here," He ****** a bag at Duran. "Get it out of your system now. Otherwise, you won't be able to function properly." He couldn't believe Duran's sensitivity.

Even Chastain was stunned at the violet upheaval shaking Duran's body. "This must be one nasty wave coming toward us." He sighed. "Fortunately, we're now at the end of the tunnel."

Arlon was relieved when he heard that information. For once, he understood Duran's distress. Now his body was having minor spasms. "I think this is going to become contagious soon." He didn't have any more bags to catch vomit either.

Chastain snorted. "Eh, well, as I said, we're here now." He hastily made way for them to reach the inside of the building. "There are two bathrooms. One is off to the left, and another is off to the right. Go make use of them." He ordered and watched in surprise as they kicked off their boots automatically before even stepping through the door.

"Forgive my intrusion," Duran murmured. His courteous manners gave Chastain a start. Evidently, he hadn't heard such wording in a very long time.

Arlon noticed Chastain's subtle unease. "Looks like you haven't had visitors in a very long time, old man." He commented, aiming to cover Chastain's discomfort.

Chastain shot him a cool stare. "Who's an old man?" He growled but grinned when Arlon arched a challenging look. "True, I am old, but I'm not out of my prime yet."

Arlon chuckled. "Yes, well, I wanted to ensure that Duran wouldn't feel self-conscious for expressing a very ancient custom of greeting." He surveyed the boots. They were hopelessly mucked up.

Chastain followed his gaze. "They can be cleaned and repaired." He reassured Arlon. "As I mentioned, the bathrooms are on either side of this room."

Arlon took the hint and headed to the left. He'd noticed Duran going to the right. As far as Chastain was concerned, they obviously needed to clean up. Arlon took the opportunity to look outside a window to observe what little he could of the pier.

Much to his horror, he had a bird's eye view of that wave. It was massive, ominous, and threatening. Not only that, but he saw giant alien creatures heading straight for the curve of the rising wave. That sucker would do some severe damage, from what he could tell. Would there be anything left of the Seaport once it hit? He shook his head and sighed. "Great, now what do we do?" It behooved Arlon to recall the reason for going into the bathroom in the first place. That's when he realized other functions needed dealing with and did so with mild haste. He wanted to be as clean as possible once he exited the bathroom. "Good grief, I look like an ancient demon. How did I get so messy?"

This was going to take more time than Arlon had available. However, he did the best he could in tidying his appearance to make it somewhat tolerable. Once he emerged, he saw Duran in a slight state of undress, in that he only wore a pair of sturdy breeches. Otherwise, he had nothing else adorning his body. What was more, half the scarring was gone, but what remained still counted as hideously horrifying. Duran saw him staring and winced. "I'm dismissing the illusion. It is a waste of energy and was making me ill."

Huh, even Duran recognized when it was time to stop wasting energy. "Yeah, you look better than earlier," Arlon informed him.

Duran grunted. "We'd better join Mr. Claude." He produced a shirt, vest, and different footwear, which he proceeded to put on without closing the door. "Done. Shall we go find him?"

Arlon nodded. He was in awe at Duran's nonchalance. "Just how many relatives did you have running around in varying stages of undress that you're so casual around me?"

Duran paused. "Good question, no less than three, but no more than five at any time." He grunted. "I did my level best to avoid being around the females since they would scream bloody murder at the sight of an unclothed male if they dared go around in mere breeches and nothing more."

Wow-what a rough time Duran had led. Arlon shook his head. "I don't think that will be a problem around here." At least he didn't think so. "What do you think of him?" He was curious about Duran's opinion.

Duran hesitated. "I don't know what to say. I haven't been around him long enough to really figure out what his deal is."

Arlon frowned but nodded in resignation. After all, Duran was right. They didn't know anything about each other. As for Arlon, his impression of Chastain Claude was that the man was a total loner.

Not only that, but Claude was that way by choice. He'd clearly gone through some rough times, and the fact that he would open his home to Arlon and Duran was downright shocking to Arlon, in all honesty.

Duran rubbed his jaw and shrugged. "I'm sure he'll have some ground rules we'll have to abide by."

That's when it hit Arlon. Duran was utterly terrified. He'd managed to hold up so far only because of the promise that life would settle down. Now, however, they faced one hella dire crisis through that Tidal Wave. Arlon sighed. "I think we'll have an interesting time ahead of us." If he wasn't mistaken. Measures would soon enact as far as keeping residents safe, even if structures disappeared. All Arlon could hope for at this point. Some of the more prominent, sturdier buildings, such as the Academy. They would remain standing once the tidal wave busted through the Seaport like the calamity it portended just in its size alone.

Chapter 63 - Taking A Moment to Breath

The air was changing as they approached his home. Chastain Claude was grateful because lately, his bones and joints didn't tolerate the dampness and cold they once had. Only in the last five years was he stuck using this dumb cane. Chastain studied its plainness before shaking his head. "Oh well, at least I can still walk. That is much better than rolling around in some odd chairs and boats being touted." Those newfangled objects didn't appeal to Chastain. Besides, he'd learned there were other advantages to using a cane. Such as turning it into a weapon of self-defense or offense depending on the scenarios he encountered daily.

"I do believe this will be an invigorating experience for me. I suppose I've fallen into a rut of sorts." He enjoyed talking to Arlon and Duran about specific subjects. Chastain shuddered slightly. "I think that young man needs to learn some boundaries regarding discussion topics." It was pretty obvious he didn't know when to draw the line.

"I think those girls took awful advantage of him." Chastain grimaced in disbelief. "I wonder if Maurice knew what was going on in that household regarding chores." Though he was a tad horrified at what Duran's sisters subjected him to when it came to washing.

"Duran probably didn't tell him the half of what happened while he lived in that stronghold of horrors." Luckily, Chastain could reassure Duran that it wouldn't be an issue at his home. "Bah, why should he go elsewhere? This location is close enough to the Academy." A thought struck him and made him grimace in disgust.

Oh right, those jerks he called acquaintances in the offices of Abalone Academy tended to bully the newcomers, especially those who came without status. Chastain's jaw tightened. That would never do. "I believe I should make some official inquiries." What a nuisance that was going to be he reflected.

Hmph, Chastain knew it would be worth the trouble, though. "I don't have a doubt in my mind that he is my son. However, I will have to take this situation slowly. I don't want to frighten him off with too much information at once." He'd already witnessed what happened to Duran too many times when he had a sensory overload. Neither his mind nor his body could handle it without some physical reaction of extreme duress. That was not ideal for a boy who would be subjected to much worse later in those dormitories.

Come to think of it, why should the boy have to live in those dormitories at the Academy? Wouldn't he have to go through a milder version of life in that stronghold? Just the very thought made Chastain shudder with horror.

No, that wouldn't do at all. Chastain made a mental note of talking with the folks at the Academy. Of course, any formal arrangements would need to wait until after Duran passed the assessments.

Chastain frowned. That was going to be worrisome. He knew who was in charge this time and some of those old fossils. They weren't going to be nice when it came to a kid from a nameless town with no background to speak of.

They probably wouldn't even believe he was a Roma until someone was dumb enough to pull a stupid prank on him. Chastain snorted because he thought such a dumb thing would provide quite the spectacular show.

That would definitely be interesting to see the fallout from it. Due to what Chastain had heard so far, Duran wasn't one to tolerate punks and fossils. Therefore, he was going to have a rough time with the assessment. Chastain thought Duran would do okay, though. If only to prove to those snobbish morons that he wasn't easily bullied.

Chastain would need to go over some ground rules with the fossils. Now that he'd learned a few crucial bits about Duran's background. His brain churned out all kinds of various theories of what could go wrong during the physical, mental, and emotionally based sections of the assessment, and Chastain winced.

Chastain could tell he'd gone through some severe abuse just from those massive scars. That could only mean his parents hadn't liked the thought of him succeeding at throwing off their planned suffocation yoke of a chokehold on his throat.

*

That was definitely unusual. While the three were talking, it suddenly occurred to Duran. "Where are we going?" He looked around in confusion.

"We're going into my main dwelling," Chastain confirmed he was herding them in a direction opposite of where the stall had been sitting.

Milton laughed when Duran sputtered. "He's made up his mind. It isn't worth arguing over." He warned. "Not only that, but we're no longer presentable for viewing in public."

Hmm, Duran didn't doubt that much. He could almost pinpoint when that happened. He frowned at Milton and shook his head. "Well, I guess we're not going to travel elsewhere with the worsening of the weather."

Chastain grunted. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. That is all. It just won't be how you're used to getting around." He shrugged when Duran stared at him blankly. "You'll get used to different forms of transportation if you're used to magic."

He wasn't, but Duran guessed it wouldn't hurt to get familiar with different methods. "That is one of the reasons why I arrived earlier than planned." He acknowledged. "I knew I would need to become used to different transportations fairly quickly." He sighed. "If only to blend in with everyone." He surveyed his clothing glumly. "I didn't realize that brightly-hued clothing was something favored."

Arlon shot him a surprised glance. "It isn't, so don't worry about that." He rubbed his jaw. "True, there are different colors used for designating which class some of the Academy students attend. However, no one varies much from brown, green, and black or gray." He shrugged. "Some vests, hats, or boots will be designations."

Ah, that would make a difference. That Duran could tolerate better than actual shirts and pants being different from black, brown, or gray. "I suppose I'll learn as time passes." He rubbed his temples. "I'm getting a headache trying to understand all this."

Arlon winced. "Don't take it all too seriously. There are many things considered guidelines. The colors that designate classes are also in that category. I've seen some interpretations that boggle the mind." He warned Duran. "So whatever variants you're comfortable with? Use those instead so that you're comfortable walking and moving around in and out of the workrooms."

Workrooms, huh? So that also meant there was more than the typical classrooms. That would make things more interesting for Duran to get used to. "Is there anything else I should be aware of? I know that this is all coed now when it used to be exclusive to females or was it, males, only?"

Chastain and Arlon frowned at his question and shook their heads. However, it was Chastain who finally informed him rather disgruntledly. "Eh, I don't remember to be honest." He shrugged and commented sourly. "It has switched from one system to another to accommodate all the changes in the geocentric cycle called society."

Yeesh, that meant people from previous structures wouldn't care for the changes now. Hmm, this would make things interesting without a doubt. Duran nodded calmly. "All right, I'll keep that in mind." He studied the two men. "So, did you attend the Academy as well, Chastain?"

Chastain nodded. "I did. I can definitely say it was interesting and not without its hazards." He shook his head. "No school is without measures of hazing." He frowned. "Though I'll admit this academy is pretty tame compared to others I'd attended." He glanced at Duran. "I was one of those "Last Chance" category students who'd managed to get kicked out of all the other institutes before."

Now there was an exciting tale, Duran didn't doubt. "I'd like to hear more if you'd be willing to talk about it." It was obviously not while they were retreating from a very nasty storm.

Chastain smiled. "Another time indeed." He nodded. "Though I fear it is a boring tale." He shook his head. "I think we should focus on getting clean, dry, and fed."

Duran nodded in agreement. "Fine with me."

Without a doubt, Chastain Claude didn't intend for either of them to return home that night to Miss Augustina's residence. He made it abundantly clear when he tapped his cane on the floor, and another doorway opened.

*

As the trio walked through the tunnel, Arlon could almost see the wheels turning in Chastain Claude's head. He could anticipate that the older man probably didn't want them returning to Ms. Augustine's home.

"So, how long do you think this storm will last?" Arlon glanced at Chastain.

Chastain grunted. "No more than three or four days, I hope. We'll likely get snow and ice in addition to this rain." He grimaced. "I can feel it in my bones."

Snow and ice? Ick, not something Arlon wanted to go rambling around if he could help it! "Bah, this is the worst timing. Not to mention I heard rumblings from the mountaintops higher above us."

Chastain nodded soberly. "Radio transmissions aren't doing too well either." He stated flatly. "We're lucky the other electronics and webs aren't knocked out either."

The intranets and webs kept everyone connected; Arlon shook his head wearily. "Well, I think the techs figured out a solution shortly after a violent storm hit six years earlier." Now that he thought about it, that had definitely thrown everyone off-guard and left the various buildings in utter shambles. People were still recovering from that disaster.

Chastain shrugged. "True, they have fixed it in some areas, but not all are back on track as yet." He rocked his hand. "There were strict priorities set as to who would gain first services and others who would receive none."

Oh right, that was still a problem, huh? Arlon frowned over the implications and rubbed his forehead. "Hm, I dunno if people will be able to get into the Academy or not if some things aren't working too well." He shrugged because it was no loss to him.

Not that he wanted to go back to his quarters in the dormitory, Arlon grimaced. However, he didn't really have a choice in the matter.

It was mandatory unless someone agreed to host him elsewhere and did so for his remaining internship as an instructor. Arlon shrugged. He had managed to survive in the dormitories for about six years now. What would another three do to him?

Besides, Arlon didn't need to worry about meals or anything else while he lived. On the other hand, there was no privacy either. He rubbed his jaw. Bah, why was he worried about such a trifling matter?

This wasn't something he wanted to concentrate on, not when he had someone to mentor for a short while. That did cheer Arlon up a bit. He recognized that Duran would soon be able to get around fine on his own in a short period. All he would need was about a week to learn the layout of Anemone Seaport and how the Academy functioned during the assessment.

Did the kid even know where to go for the review? Arlon would have to ask him about it later. That was after boundaries were established in dealing with their separate lives. He sighed. So much to think about and so little time to adjust and accommodate such a young kid with no socialization skills whatsoever.

Arlon met Chastain's eyes. They would need to have a separate conversation later regarding Duran. Everything they'd learned so far made one thing really clear. Life in the dormitory would either drive Duran insane or make him a very nasty individual within a day of living there.

Arlon sighed. This would make for an exciting series of events in the coming night and days. What a way to begin a new life? Heck, Duran hadn't even had a full day or night in Anemone. Life was already throwing far too many curveballs at him to juggle simultaneously.