Shadow

18

Teval contacts Lissan within a week of meeting her and is excited when he receives an invitation to visit her shop. The next day, he's humming to himself as he passes through the Hill district and into Pem, a modest district just to the north. When he finds the shop, he thinks it quaint, covered in vines with plants in the windows.

"Not the look I expected," he says to himself as he gives the door a knock.

Lissan quickly answers, the two sharing polite greetings before she invites him in.

"You come to Nilinya from all the way over here?" Teval steps back to look at the exterior again. "She must pay well."

"You would know. You work for her too," she teases.

"She does," Teval admits with a laugh as he steps in. Even the work they do out on the property is good pay.

Lissan gives him a tour of her small shop, and it reminds him so much of Seran's workshop.

"It's not as messy as hers, mind you," he says with a smile, missing her presence, "but I bet she could make some lovely pieces for you, and Lex could design a few."

"I would love to meet them when they get the chance."

"Ah, they're out of the city right now, but I'll let them know once they're back," he explains smoothly. It gets easier every time he has to tell someone.

"Well, have you given my offer some thought? Would you like to work with me?" Lissan asks.

"What would that entail?"

"First, I'd like to ask how much you know about how a drain attribute works."

"It drains an attribute from another user so they can't use it as much or at all."

"Correct, so," Lissan holds out a hand, "if you don't mind."

Teval hesitates, then reaches out to clasp her arm again. After a silent and confusing moment, he says, "I don't feel anything." Suddenly, a puff of air smacks him in the face, and Teval stumbles back a few steps as Lissan laughs.

"Wow, still got it in me. Haven't done that in a while." She grins.

"Oh, right. You can use the attribute you've pulled," Teval says, feeling silly.

"And the pull can be very subtle if the user is good at what they're doing," she tells him. "The only downside is if they're not familiar with using the attribute they've stolen, it can be hard to control."

"But you've worked with other vibration attributes," Teval says with a nod. "Clever."

"I thought you'd like it."

"Well, my plans are a little up in the air right now, so how about we work out a trade?"

"Go on."

"You teach me how to break your drain tags and I'll help you calibrate your wares," he says, gesturing at the items around the shop.

"Works for me," she says and offers her arm and this time Teval has no hesitation, ready for anything.

In the days that follow their agreement, Teval visits Lissan before going to the practice blocks. The lessons she gives him are sometimes difficult, but very valuable. Plus, the extra time spent there keeps his mind from wandering to all things that make him sad or angry. It's calm, methodical work and feels rewarding to have her congratulate him once he's broken one of her tags.

One morning as he's about to head out to her shop, Ista says something that stops him in his tracks.

"Wow, it's been two months," she murmurs from the office as Teval stops, mid-reach for the door handle.