Chapter 20: 1.20 – Party Talks

“Herb gathering, probably,” Jordan offered first.

Sofia’s eyebrows went up, but Natalie’s didn’t. Natalie and Jordan had, of course, talked this over before coming to Tenet, so where Sofia hadn’t heard Jordan’s logic for the choice, Natalie had. Herb gathering initially seemed like an odd harvesting skill for Jordan to pursue, but it made sense with context.

Back at Tinford, Sofia had run in different circles than Natalie and Jordan. They rubbed shoulders often enough, being from the same town, and had done plenty of sparring together, as up-and-coming delvers, but they’d never been friends.

Maybe if Jordan and Natalie hadn’t been, then Jordan and Sofia would’ve spent more time around each other. The two of them had never seemed to clash like Sofia and Natalie did. Though, Natalie hadn’t a clue why. Sofia was just a generally irritating person, so Natalie didn’t know how Jordan tolerated her. Natalie’s skin grew hot whenever Sofia was close—that was how annoying she was.

“Herb gathering?” Sofia prompted.

“To help with my class,” Jordan said. “One of my first level skills is ‘Poison-Coat’. So, you know.”

Sofia, an aspirant delver, didn’t need Jordan’s logic spelled out in detail. “Ah,” she said. “Then, to gather your own poisons. That makes sense.”

“Synergies are important,” Jordan said with a nod. “If I’m going to pick a harvesting skill, it might as well be one that fits with my class. Can always change it. Hardly a permanent decision.”

“And you?” Natalie asked Sofia.

“Dueling.”

Natalie snorted, though she wasn’t sure why. It was a fine extracurricular, the most popular in the academy as Harper had said, and perfectly fitting to Sofia. Sofia literally referred to her class as a ‘duelist’ class, though that probably wasn’t its proper name.

Natalie knew first hand how impossible beating Sofia in a one-on-one was. She’d do great in the dueling club. Natalie wondered how great, honestly. Tenet was filled with the best of the best. How did Sofia stack up on the national stage? Or international?

But even if the choice was reasonable, Natalie had needed to show some derision. Even when the situation didn’t call for it … or it didn’t make sense to do so. That was their dynamic. She and Sofia were always poking at each other. Natalie couldn’t help herself. Sofia’s presence, like it always did, had something boiling in Natalie, a pressure that needed to be vented. Hence, the gibes.

“And you?” Sofia asked politely.

Like right there. Natalie could see past Sofia’s ostensibly polite tone; she was making fun of Natalie. Probably. Somehow. She couldn’t figure out how, but she knew it was happening.

“I dunno,” Natalie said sourly, poking at her food. “I’m thinking about it, still. I guess dueling wouldn’t be the worst. But now that I know you’re in it, I’m having second thoughts.”

Sofia hummed. Natalie’s barbs never did seem to get to her.

“But picking a harvesting skill could be good, too,” Natalie added. “The funds would be nice.”

“You can do both. That’s what I plan on.”

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“Yeah, but it’s a time commitment. Might be better to focus on one thing.” Time was the most limiting resource on the planet; one skill refined was another neglected. “Might focus on being down in the dungeon as much as possible.”

Sofia glanced at her. If Natalie didn’t know better, she’d say there’d been a flicker of concern. “Solo?”

Natalie shrugged. “Or duo—whoever I can find. Maybe. Some people do that. Too difficult to always have a full squad.”

“Just pace yourself,” Sofia said mildly. “You tend to rush headlong into things.”

There it was again—Sofia goading her. Implying Natalie couldn’t handle it. Well, she wouldn’t rise up to the bait, obvious as it was. Sofia would have to work harder than that to get a reaction out of her.

“How are we working getting our fourth and fifth?” Jordan asked.

“For the party?” Sofia asked. “Have you two met anyone?”

Natalie had intended to do some socializing, but she hadn’t gotten the chance. “Too busy,” she said. They’d arrived late to Tenet, and had to play catch up on the administrative tasks expected on intake day. “It might be smarter to wait until classes start, anyway.”

Sofia pursed her lips as she considered that. “That’s too limiting, I think. Classes are only sixteen students, and while it’d be convenient being in the same class, better to cast the net wider.”

“Then cast away,” Natalie said. She didn’t disagree; she’d probably try to get some names and faces from the different girls back at the barracks.

“Better to work quick,” Jordan added. “Before everyone settles down. I’d figure a decent portion already have parties, made before Tenet. It seems like everyone here knows each other.”

Natalie had noticed that too. Though, ‘everyone’ was going too far. A good portion of Tenet’s students were nobility … and nobility mingled with each other, obviously. Several likely had their adventuring parties structured before arriving to Tenet, or even being accepted. Many had grown up together, like she, Sofia, and Jordan.

Not that it was a problem how many of the nobility-based students were already teamed up. She’d rather not deal with those stuffy types, so it didn’t matter to her. A fake princess—Sofia—was enough of a headache, much less a real one.

“We’ll have some time,” Sofia said. “There’s no rush. I doubt people will move that quickly. They’ll want to get a feel for everyone. Where the talent is, and what everyone’s classes are. The dungeon isn’t open to first-weekers, and I doubt even when it is, parties will be cemented.” She hummed. “The best thing we can do is prove ourselves, tomorrow morning. Draw attention from other talent. And, we should focus on finding personalities we can mesh with, too. That’s as important as functional compatibility.”

Natalie found the statement a bit amusing, seeing how she and Sofia had tentatively grouped up. Obviously, they weren’t ‘compatible’. Though, their partying up was more out of necessity and familiarity than anything. Sofia—or Natalie and Jordan—could very well split apart in the future, for a team that better fit them. These were just loose plans.

“But still best to get a move on,” Jordan repeated. “We can’t expect things to fall into place.”

“Exactly,” Sofia said.

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