When Mr. Jarrut's ship arrived, Lia stopped teasing Keily, but it was evident she was really liking the fact he did not know what to do or where to look when she was sticking to him. Doing it just like how her mother was usually clinging to Kawu, hanging off of him like a living ornament.
"All-encompassing Emporium?" Koadriana asked, gulping back a laugh as she watched the luxurious, crimson-colored ship dock, with its shiny, gold-covered accents, lowering its fully-golden ramp and landing it right before them.
"That is some impressing name." Shishi nodded, watching as a surprisingly handsome, middle-aged man slowly descended on it.
He wore an elegant, dark-red suit, and his black hair was swept backward, with some early grey lines in it, just like in his short, trimmed beard. Yet all of this only added to his charm as his deep, blue eyes looked over them, forming a happy smile when it finally landed on Keily.
"My name is Jarrut Iskarian, and currently the CEO of the All-encompassing Emporium! It is my honor to meet four such beautiful flowers! This morning can't get any better!" He laughed, his voice kind and flattering, looking into their eyes while bowing deeply.
"Welcome to the Institute of Eight Elements, Mr. Jarrut!" Lia answered, stepping forward, returning the courtesy, following the etiquette her mother taught her as a kid.
"The pleasure is mine, Miss Lia!" He nodded and smiled when she was surprised that he knew who she was. "I keep track of all of the prominent figures in all of the Six Houses! I am a businessman first! I have to!"
"I don't know how that works!" Lia shook her head, stepping back, while Keily was trying not to establish long enough eye contact with Jarrut.
"I heard something different from my son!" He laughed happily, "He told me your two's first meeting! That was a nice job, squeezing my frugal little imp until he relinquished~! He needs to learn when to be a bit more splurging to rake in more profit later! Luckily, he managed to do just that!"
"I thought setting up shop is expensive," Koa interjected, thinking about Lorin and him touring the Amarin's territory, going to parties, establishing connections, and spending money daily without receiving anything in return.
"Investment, Miss Koadriana." Jarrut answered her, "One that will pay itself in the future!"
"We can talk about it while we are walking~!" Shishi stepped up, signaling toward the already busy town. "Are you hungry, Mr. Jarrut?"
"I did not have breakfast, so yes, I could munch on something, ahaha!" He nodded, but before they would leave, he looked back at the empty-looking, golden ramp. "Stop. Only I was granted permission to enter the Academy's premises. Wait on the ship! Do you really think someone would do something to me… here?"
"Hmm?" Keily looked around, confused about who he was talking to, but a moment later, two 40 centimeters tall fairies appeared out of nowhere. They were dressed in skimpy, golden armor, barely covering their slim, lean bodies, holding mini-crossbows in their hands. Their skin was blue and red, respectively, and glittering in the sunlight now that they revealed themselves. They had dragonfly-like wings behind their backs, and after a brief hesitation, they bowed and disappeared with a pop.
"What was… those?" Keily asked, gawking at the never before seen creatures.
"Fairies," Jarrut answered, walking with the group. "My personal guards. I like them because they are efficient and cute to look at. I envy their bodies, you know. They never rack up the extra weight, no matter how much they eat! On the other hand, I have to constantly count my daily calories… and if I exceed it, I have to work out extra hard!" He sighed, watching Keily with one eye and a half-smile, making him shudder, drawing close to Lia immediately.
"He is my boyfriend!" She capitalized on the occasion, grabbing his hand.
"No, he is not," Jarrut commented in a flash, surprising everybody. "I know how someone looks when there is love in their eyes." He continued, watching Lia's mismatched irises. "He is your friend. I can see the difference. There is no love there yet."
"Yet?" Koa asked, curious, finding Jarrut strangely exciting, and his elegant, mature looks were getting her eager.
"Love is not something that flares up instantly." Jarrut continued, now watching Koa's blue eyes. "That would be lust. Love at first sight is not love; it's passion. The feeling of wanting someone else for yourself. Love only blooms after a certain time."
"Well…" Koa thought about it, feeling that she did not agree with him, and it seemed that Shishi was also in disagreement, evident from her looks and following words.
"I believe in being in love at first sight! When butterflies flutter in your stomach, and you can't think about anything but him!"
"That is lust and the selfish desire that the other person should be yours and that he should love you, want you, please you. When that lust gets sated, when your desire gets fulfilled, and it slowly subsides, then the wonder is gone… what remains? If true love couldn't blossom in the flame of lust while you were immersing yourselves in the intense fire of wantings, then comes the breakup. When you realize that the only thing tying you together is pleasure, the false image your mind made up of the other shatters." He shook his head, maintaining his smile, "That is why true love needs time to bloom. When you want to be with the other not because of their looks, not because of desire, but because you feel he completes you… that is when you can say you are in love. Until then, you are just horny."
"..." None of them could say anything; they just continued looking at him. Shishi was still clearly disagreeing with him, but she could not form her thoughts into words. Koa was licking her lips, now even more interested in him, while Lia was silently mouthing the exact words Jarrut had just uttered. The most surprised was Keily, and he only recollected himself when Jarrut addressed him directly.
"So that is why you don't need to be afraid of me. I do find you cute, but I am someone who knows how to reign in his desires!" He joked, winking at Keily, "I bet my imp of a son told some weird stories about me, huh? Well, I was young once, I can't deny that! But it is not Lorin who should try and spread rumors about me, ahahahaha! So? Where are we heading? I could eat a horse!"
"What about the calories?" Lia asked suddenly, regaining her clarity, looking at him with twinkling eyes.
"I will work it off later on. Once in a while, a man can let himself go!"
"We are almost there," Shishi interjected, scratching her throat. "It is a lovely cafe! I thought we could sit down, drink some and have some tasty treats with it!"
"Sounds good!" Jarrut nodded and raised an eyebrow, watching Koa's switching expressions as she was putting his words and gaze to ward Keily together.
"Wait… you are not into girls?" She blurted out suddenly.
"I was," Jarrut answered without hesitation or embarrassment. "But after two divorces, I realized the problem was mostly not them, but me. I did some self-searching and came out reformed! Since then, I did not look back! Lorin is from my last marriage."
"Wait!" Lia yelped, her voice turning an octave higher. "Lorin told me-"
"That he was magical?" Jarrut scoffed, rolling his eyes, "As usual. Don't believe it. He fabricated around a dozen different backstories of himself. Nope! He is from my last marriage. We divorced when he was only two, and he came to live with me when he turned six. He never said why… and I never asked. It was not a nice divorce, and some things are best to leave buried in the past. Anyway! It is a lovely, sunny day, don't ruin it with my booooring background talks!"
"It isn't boring!" Said not just Lia but Keily too, immersed in it.
"Tsk… Too bad…" Koa clicked her tongue, dispirited, "I started to get thinking… Haaah… No desire to have a little taste? A nostalgia ride? With me on top?"
"Oh my, what a lovely, free-spirited lady!" Jarrut laughed but then shook his head.
"Thank you, but I respectfully refuse the Honored Amarin's invitation! I have a partner back home to who I am deeply loyal. I can't afford to fool around! I do let my eyes wander and take in the beauties around me," He bowed a little, smiling playfully, glancing at Keily, "But that is all~!"
"Hah! You are weird! I like you!" Lia clapped, skipping her steps next to them, her mouth stretching from ear to ear. "We can make deals much more easily than with your son! He was stingy!"
"Well, he did inherit something from his mother~!" Jarrut joked while they sat down on a terrace before a cafe shop, browsing the menus while 2nd-year students working there as waiters and waitresses brought their orders.
As they were chit-chatting, Keily also loosened up significantly, listening to his advice on how to act more naturally and how to shed his shyness and uncertainty when thrown into something new he is unfamiliar with. They were sitting there for an hour before it was Jarrut who changed the topic, flicking his wrist, and from a ring on his pinky finger, a beautiful, walnut-wooden box fell onto their table. It was the size of a coconut, decorated with images of leaves and vines, releasing a very potent, healthy aura of nature.
"Is this?" Lia asked, and Jarurt nodded, tapping it with a finger covered in his mana. The images of vines on the box started to retreat as it opened up like a flower blooming, revealing something inside that looked like an almond. It was sitting atop glowing embers, like a leftover piece of wood, while the fire had already died down around it hours ago.
"A fire seed. This one is a low-level pill. It can change your fire into that of the all-consuming black flames of a Nightshade Wyvern. Its effect lasts for only five minutes and can result in the exhaustion of mana if you are not ready to consume it! So do be careful. I brought four in total with me. The others have the cleansing, green fire of a Jade Salamander, the super-heated blue fire of a Sapphire Peacock, and finally, the white healing fire of an Ashenborn Butterfly." He explained, tapping the box again, letting it close and reseal itself. When it was done, he placed the three others there, pushing them before Lia. "Please. A gift from us."
"Thank you!" Lia grinned, putting them one by one into her holding back, not standing on ceremony, knowing full well that she was paying Jarrut with the fact they were going to tour the Island openly and let as many students see them together as possible. The rumors should do the rest.
While they were sitting there, Shishi, who was mainly there to be the 'bodyguard,' already noticed some students taking sneaking pictures of their group. Looking their information up, they were primarily children of merchant families or nobles, recognizing Jarrut from somewhere. They were most likely sending the images back to their families, telling them that he was meeting with some students here… maybe even thinking of recruiting the newest, promising talents before anyone else. Shishi couldn't help but form a small smile, imagining their faces when they learned that it was the other way around, as Jarrut was dealing with people from one of the Six Houses, and it was not him who was recruiting someone.
"There is one more thing," Jarrut spoke up, his voice turning much more serious. He tapped the table, and they felt that an invisible shield sprang up around them, separating them from the outside world. "This way, nobody can eavesdrop on us~" Jarrut winked at them, further raising their curiosity. "I can get you more if you are in need, Miss Lia… and there is a possibility that I can produce even better versions!"
"Really?!" She yelped, looking at him expectantly, "We can pay!"
"Here is the thing!" Jarrut crossed his fingers, resting his chin atop it while watching Lia's eyes. "You gather me the resources; I try making them."
"Wait!" Keily dropped his jaw, "You made these?"
"Yes." Jarrut nodded nonchalantly, "What, Lorin didn't say? I am aiming to make it into a Great Alchemist! Hah… the kid keeps some card close to his chest still… huh? Hehehe, I can't say I am not proud!" He chuckled, "But this is not a secret before you! I still need training. I don't want to take the test and make it public, not until I am sure of my craft! The rivalry is big in the alchemist's circle! But with the backings of your Respected House and if I can produce pills, at least two out of five attempts, I am sure to get the Great Alchemist title!"
"Smart…" Shishi whispered, looking at him in a different light and not with a fully friendly glint in her eyes, "You get free resources that you can experiment with; practice cheaply making pills, and if you fail, it is not your loss."
"It is business, Miss Shishi." He smiled at her, but then his eyes traveled back to Lia, knowing she was the ultimate decision-maker here.
"All the pills come to me?" She asked, thinking about it for a brief moment.
"100%!"
"Okay! I can write to my dad and mom! We can do that!"
"Lia…" Koa interjected softly. She was not that well-versed in business, but she also realized the same thing that Shishi mentioned. Who would say he won't ask for more than what really is needed for a pill? Then sell the rest? The surplus? Instead of burning through money, he would make money.
"I trust Lorin!" Lia replied, then continued, "Plus, Mr. Jarrut will send the recipe over anyway, so we know what to get! Do you think our House doesn't have alchemists? I am sure mom would know what's what on the list!"
"Exactly." Jarrut nodded, agreeing fully, "I can send over the complete recipe. That would be even better if a true Great or Grand Alchemist could review them. I am willing to learn and improve~" He chuckled, lowering the energy shield around them. "Learning never ends! Plus…” He glanced at Shishi for a brief moment, "No sane person would try and hoodwink or extort one of the Six Houses. I am not suicidal."
"Ahaha! I can write to them anytime!" Lia laughed, already reaching out with a hand, wanting to shake on it.
"I would be most honored!" Jarrut laughed, accepting the hand and producing a thick bundle of parchments with the other. "Here are the first batch. The sooner we get started, the sooner I can supply you with pills!"
"Fufufu... Sure!" Lia giggled, snatching it, and her eyes were shining so brightly it was dazzling even Jarrut's mind.
Corty I hope everyone is doing great! I am here to leave you with a poll that I hope you will answer and sate my curiosity~!
When Mr. Jarrut's ship arrived, Lia stopped teasing Keily, but it was evident she was really liking the fact he did not know what to do or where to look when she was sticking to him. Doing it just like how her mother was usually clinging to Kawu, hanging off of him like a living ornament.
"All-encompassing Emporium?" Koadriana asked, gulping back a laugh as she watched the luxurious, crimson-colored ship dock, with its shiny, gold-covered accents, lowering its fully-golden ramp and landing it right before them.
"That is some impressing name." Shishi nodded, watching as a surprisingly handsome, middle-aged man slowly descended on it.
He wore an elegant, dark-red suit, and his black hair was swept backward, with some early grey lines in it, just like in his short, trimmed beard. Yet all of this only added to his charm as his deep, blue eyes looked over them, forming a happy smile when it finally landed on Keily.
"My name is Jarrut Iskarian, and currently the CEO of the All-encompassing Emporium! It is my honor to meet four such beautiful flowers! This morning can't get any better!" He laughed, his voice kind and flattering, looking into their eyes while bowing deeply.
"Welcome to the Institute of Eight Elements, Mr. Jarrut!" Lia answered, stepping forward, returning the courtesy, following the etiquette her mother taught her as a kid.
"The pleasure is mine, Miss Lia!" He nodded and smiled when she was surprised that he knew who she was. "I keep track of all of the prominent figures in all of the Six Houses! I am a businessman first! I have to!"
"I don't know how that works!" Lia shook her head, stepping back, while Keily was trying not to establish long enough eye contact with Jarrut.
"I heard something different from my son!" He laughed happily, "He told me your two's first meeting! That was a nice job, squeezing my frugal little imp until he relinquished~! He needs to learn when to be a bit more splurging to rake in more profit later! Luckily, he managed to do just that!"
"I thought setting up shop is expensive," Koa interjected, thinking about Lorin and him touring the Amarin's territory, going to parties, establishing connections, and spending money daily without receiving anything in return.
"Investment, Miss Koadriana." Jarrut answered her, "One that will pay itself in the future!"
"We can talk about it while we are walking~!" Shishi stepped up, signaling toward the already busy town. "Are you hungry, Mr. Jarrut?"
"I did not have breakfast, so yes, I could munch on something, ahaha!" He nodded, but before they would leave, he looked back at the empty-looking, golden ramp. "Stop. Only I was granted permission to enter the Academy's premises. Wait on the ship! Do you really think someone would do something to me… here?"
"Hmm?" Keily looked around, confused about who he was talking to, but a moment later, two 40 centimeters tall fairies appeared out of nowhere. They were dressed in skimpy, golden armor, barely covering their slim, lean bodies, holding mini-crossbows in their hands. Their skin was blue and red, respectively, and glittering in the sunlight now that they revealed themselves. They had dragonfly-like wings behind their backs, and after a brief hesitation, they bowed and disappeared with a pop.
"What was… those?" Keily asked, gawking at the never before seen creatures.
"Fairies," Jarrut answered, walking with the group. "My personal guards. I like them because they are efficient and cute to look at. I envy their bodies, you know. They never rack up the extra weight, no matter how much they eat! On the other hand, I have to constantly count my daily calories… and if I exceed it, I have to work out extra hard!" He sighed, watching Keily with one eye and a half-smile, making him shudder, drawing close to Lia immediately.
"He is my boyfriend!" She capitalized on the occasion, grabbing his hand.
"No, he is not," Jarrut commented in a flash, surprising everybody. "I know how someone looks when there is love in their eyes." He continued, watching Lia's mismatched irises. "He is your friend. I can see the difference. There is no love there yet."
"Yet?" Koa asked, curious, finding Jarrut strangely exciting, and his elegant, mature looks were getting her eager.
"Love is not something that flares up instantly." Jarrut continued, now watching Koa's blue eyes. "That would be lust. Love at first sight is not love; it's passion. The feeling of wanting someone else for yourself. Love only blooms after a certain time."
"Well…" Koa thought about it, feeling that she did not agree with him, and it seemed that Shishi was also in disagreement, evident from her looks and following words.
"I believe in being in love at first sight! When butterflies flutter in your stomach, and you can't think about anything but him!"
"That is lust and the selfish desire that the other person should be yours and that he should love you, want you, please you. When that lust gets sated, when your desire gets fulfilled, and it slowly subsides, then the wonder is gone… what remains? If true love couldn't blossom in the flame of lust while you were immersing yourselves in the intense fire of wantings, then comes the breakup. When you realize that the only thing tying you together is pleasure, the false image your mind made up of the other shatters." He shook his head, maintaining his smile, "That is why true love needs time to bloom. When you want to be with the other not because of their looks, not because of desire, but because you feel he completes you… that is when you can say you are in love. Until then, you are just horny."
"..." None of them could say anything; they just continued looking at him. Shishi was still clearly disagreeing with him, but she could not form her thoughts into words. Koa was licking her lips, now even more interested in him, while Lia was silently mouthing the exact words Jarrut had just uttered. The most surprised was Keily, and he only recollected himself when Jarrut addressed him directly.
"So that is why you don't need to be afraid of me. I do find you cute, but I am someone who knows how to reign in his desires!" He joked, winking at Keily, "I bet my imp of a son told some weird stories about me, huh? Well, I was young once, I can't deny that! But it is not Lorin who should try and spread rumors about me, ahahahaha! So? Where are we heading? I could eat a horse!"
"What about the calories?" Lia asked suddenly, regaining her clarity, looking at him with twinkling eyes.
"I will work it off later on. Once in a while, a man can let himself go!"
"We are almost there," Shishi interjected, scratching her throat. "It is a lovely cafe! I thought we could sit down, drink some and have some tasty treats with it!"
"Sounds good!" Jarrut nodded and raised an eyebrow, watching Koa's switching expressions as she was putting his words and gaze to ward Keily together.
"Wait… you are not into girls?" She blurted out suddenly.
"I was," Jarrut answered without hesitation or embarrassment. "But after two divorces, I realized the problem was mostly not them, but me. I did some self-searching and came out reformed! Since then, I did not look back! Lorin is from my last marriage."
"Wait!" Lia yelped, her voice turning an octave higher. "Lorin told me-"
"That he was magical?" Jarrut scoffed, rolling his eyes, "As usual. Don't believe it. He fabricated around a dozen different backstories of himself. Nope! He is from my last marriage. We divorced when he was only two, and he came to live with me when he turned six. He never said why… and I never asked. It was not a nice divorce, and some things are best to leave buried in the past. Anyway! It is a lovely, sunny day, don't ruin it with my booooring background talks!"
"It isn't boring!" Said not just Lia but Keily too, immersed in it.
"Tsk… Too bad…" Koa clicked her tongue, dispirited, "I started to get thinking… Haaah… No desire to have a little taste? A nostalgia ride? With me on top?"
"Oh my, what a lovely, free-spirited lady!" Jarrut laughed but then shook his head.
"Thank you, but I respectfully refuse the Honored Amarin's invitation! I have a partner back home to who I am deeply loyal. I can't afford to fool around! I do let my eyes wander and take in the beauties around me," He bowed a little, smiling playfully, glancing at Keily, "But that is all~!"
"Hah! You are weird! I like you!" Lia clapped, skipping her steps next to them, her mouth stretching from ear to ear. "We can make deals much more easily than with your son! He was stingy!"
"Well, he did inherit something from his mother~!" Jarrut joked while they sat down on a terrace before a cafe shop, browsing the menus while 2nd-year students working there as waiters and waitresses brought their orders.
As they were chit-chatting, Keily also loosened up significantly, listening to his advice on how to act more naturally and how to shed his shyness and uncertainty when thrown into something new he is unfamiliar with. They were sitting there for an hour before it was Jarrut who changed the topic, flicking his wrist, and from a ring on his pinky finger, a beautiful, walnut-wooden box fell onto their table. It was the size of a coconut, decorated with images of leaves and vines, releasing a very potent, healthy aura of nature.
"Is this?" Lia asked, and Jarurt nodded, tapping it with a finger covered in his mana. The images of vines on the box started to retreat as it opened up like a flower blooming, revealing something inside that looked like an almond. It was sitting atop glowing embers, like a leftover piece of wood, while the fire had already died down around it hours ago.
"A fire seed. This one is a low-level pill. It can change your fire into that of the all-consuming black flames of a Nightshade Wyvern. Its effect lasts for only five minutes and can result in the exhaustion of mana if you are not ready to consume it! So do be careful. I brought four in total with me. The others have the cleansing, green fire of a Jade Salamander, the super-heated blue fire of a Sapphire Peacock, and finally, the white healing fire of an Ashenborn Butterfly." He explained, tapping the box again, letting it close and reseal itself. When it was done, he placed the three others there, pushing them before Lia. "Please. A gift from us."
"Thank you!" Lia grinned, putting them one by one into her holding back, not standing on ceremony, knowing full well that she was paying Jarrut with the fact they were going to tour the Island openly and let as many students see them together as possible. The rumors should do the rest.
While they were sitting there, Shishi, who was mainly there to be the 'bodyguard,' already noticed some students taking sneaking pictures of their group. Looking their information up, they were primarily children of merchant families or nobles, recognizing Jarrut from somewhere. They were most likely sending the images back to their families, telling them that he was meeting with some students here… maybe even thinking of recruiting the newest, promising talents before anyone else. Shishi couldn't help but form a small smile, imagining their faces when they learned that it was the other way around, as Jarrut was dealing with people from one of the Six Houses, and it was not him who was recruiting someone.
"There is one more thing," Jarrut spoke up, his voice turning much more serious. He tapped the table, and they felt that an invisible shield sprang up around them, separating them from the outside world. "This way, nobody can eavesdrop on us~" Jarrut winked at them, further raising their curiosity. "I can get you more if you are in need, Miss Lia… and there is a possibility that I can produce even better versions!"
"Really?!" She yelped, looking at him expectantly, "We can pay!"
"Here is the thing!" Jarrut crossed his fingers, resting his chin atop it while watching Lia's eyes. "You gather me the resources; I try making them."
"Wait!" Keily dropped his jaw, "You made these?"
"Yes." Jarrut nodded nonchalantly, "What, Lorin didn't say? I am aiming to make it into a Great Alchemist! Hah… the kid keeps some card close to his chest still… huh? Hehehe, I can't say I am not proud!" He chuckled, "But this is not a secret before you! I still need training. I don't want to take the test and make it public, not until I am sure of my craft! The rivalry is big in the alchemist's circle! But with the backings of your Respected House and if I can produce pills, at least two out of five attempts, I am sure to get the Great Alchemist title!"
"Smart…" Shishi whispered, looking at him in a different light and not with a fully friendly glint in her eyes, "You get free resources that you can experiment with; practice cheaply making pills, and if you fail, it is not your loss."
"It is business, Miss Shishi." He smiled at her, but then his eyes traveled back to Lia, knowing she was the ultimate decision-maker here.
"All the pills come to me?" She asked, thinking about it for a brief moment.
"100%!"
"Okay! I can write to my dad and mom! We can do that!"
"Lia…" Koa interjected softly. She was not that well-versed in business, but she also realized the same thing that Shishi mentioned. Who would say he won't ask for more than what really is needed for a pill? Then sell the rest? The surplus? Instead of burning through money, he would make money.
"I trust Lorin!" Lia replied, then continued, "Plus, Mr. Jarrut will send the recipe over anyway, so we know what to get! Do you think our House doesn't have alchemists? I am sure mom would know what's what on the list!"
"Exactly." Jarrut nodded, agreeing fully, "I can send over the complete recipe. That would be even better if a true Great or Grand Alchemist could review them. I am willing to learn and improve~" He chuckled, lowering the energy shield around them. "Learning never ends! Plus…” He glanced at Shishi for a brief moment, "No sane person would try and hoodwink or extort one of the Six Houses. I am not suicidal."
"Ahaha! I can write to them anytime!" Lia laughed, already reaching out with a hand, wanting to shake on it.
"I would be most honored!" Jarrut laughed, accepting the hand and producing a thick bundle of parchments with the other. "Here are the first batch. The sooner we get started, the sooner I can supply you with pills!"
"Fufufu... Sure!" Lia giggled, snatching it, and her eyes were shining so brightly it was dazzling even Jarrut's mind.
Corty I hope everyone is doing great! I am here to leave you with a poll that I hope you will answer and sate my curiosity~!
