"You smell better than usual." Kyzul whispered more to himself than to her. Ro put both hands on his chest and pushed him back.
"Um Professor, you wanted to talk to me." Kyzul stiffened at his title. He stepped back, and Ro felt her heart sink a little. He held up a finger.
"Yes, first thing, when we're alone call me Ky." Ro nodded hesitantly. He smiled and continued. "Secondly, I wanted to give you this even before the incident with Alexi." Ky held up a beautiful silver bracelet with some sort of diamond shaped clear stone. "You smell too delicious and with your looks and personality, you will be like catnip for the males here if your secret ever gets out. It will provide a little protection." As Ro looked at the stone it seemed to emit a grey-blue light from its swirling depths. Grabbing Ro's left wrist, Ky fastened the bracelet around it. "Never take it off unless you are in your rooms. Even then I'd prefer it if you'd keep it on." Ro shook her hand and looked at it in confusion.
"It's cold?" She asked. Ky nodded.
"It's made of ice. I've modified the magic, so it shouldn't be too cold to tolerate."
"Um, well, thank you." She said hurriedly and tried to flee. Ky's voice stopped her.
"Ro." She turned back around and faced him. She knew what he wanted.
"Thank you, um, Ky." She blushed and looked down when she said it or else she would have seen the amused smile that lit up Ky's face. Ro raced from the room then to join her friends for lunch.
***
Chapter 6: Week 6
Ky was still staring after her when a well-dressed handsome male walked into the room. He shared some of the same features with Ky. Their eyes were the same shape although the new man's eyes were a deep blue. They also had the same sculpted cheekbones. This new male's mouth was thinner and more inclined to frown than Ky's and his eyes were harder. His glossy, golden blond hair was cut short-ish and he wore it artfully disarrayed.
As he entered the room, Ky snapped to attention.
"So, it's true. You're actually teaching again, brother." The new male spoke in a rich baritone. Ky grimaced.
"I just do what I feel like. I always have." He snapped in a frosty voice.
"Relax, I just wanted to come by and see if the rumors were true." The new man picked up an apple from Ky's lunch and bit into it. "Although now that I've seen it, I am curious as to why it's happening. It's been so long." There was menace in his voice as he spoke. He gave a sidelong look at his brother. Ky swiped the apple back from him. It was warm to the touch.
"That's none of your business, Rin." Then he gestured with the apple. "And this is my apple." Ky looked at it. The center had gone all mealy in the time since his brother had taken a bite.
"But now you don't want it because it has my germs all over it."
"No, I don't want it because you made it mealy with your obnoxious body temperature."
Rin shrugged. He turned around and began walking out. "I'm glad your back, brother. We'll have all sorts of fun this year." He stated as he shut the door. Incised, Ky threw the partially eaten apple at the door. It hit and smashed with a satisfying splat.
***
"What's that?" Aerie asked suddenly as Ro reached over to snag a chip from her lunch. Aerie caught Ro's left hand and was staring at the bracelet. Momo too appeared curious.
"It's just something that Professor Arzandia gave me to protect me from overly eager males here. Kyzul is going to help me, so I don't get claimed by anyone." Ro said with a slightly smug smile. She popped the chip into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "I think the practice is despicable. It's so gross, the idea the you could belong to another person. I don't know why anyone would agree to it." Momo looked embarrassed and Aerie looked defensive.
"There are benefits to being claimed." Aerie exclaimed, "The person doing the claiming becomes responsible for the one they claim. They provide for them and keep them safe. It also prevents the claimed person from being taken advantage of by those stronger than them."
"What do you mean being taken advantage of?" Ro asked.
"It's not really something a human would understand." Momo said quietly blushing. "It's a cultural divide thing."
"What did you mean being taken advantage of?" She repeated. Momo looked away.
"You're not going to like it." Aerie said with a sigh. Ro frowned.
"Just tell me."
"Well I am sure you've noticed how the students from the higher classes get preferential treatment?" Aerie began. Ro nodded slowly.
"Like when class A wanted to switch combat training times with us." Ro said, remembering how their whole class schedule got switched around. Originally, they had had their combat training scheduled for first thing in the morning at nine o'clock. Then they abruptly had to switch to combat training in the afternoon.
"Exactly." Aerie concurred, "The school let them do it because they are stronger than us. Well, that's how it works in our society. The strong can pretty much do what they want and the weak let them. Class A was stronger than us and they wanted our training spot, so they got it."
"What?" Ro exploded, "How is that even remotely fair?"
"Well the way it works is that you can have something as long as you can defend it. If someone stronger wanted your lunch, you could either give it to them when they ask or say no, get beat and have it taken anyway." Aerie stated.
"That's the strong picking on the weak. That just bullying."
"Well that's how it works here. Strength is what matters. That is the whole purpose for this training school, to make us stronger." Aerie said this so matter-of-factly Ro thought her head might explode from shock.
"Well what's the limit on what the strong can do to the weak? Where's the line?" She asked, her mind having taken her to dark places. Aerie frowned.
"There is no limit." She said quietly. Ro blinked several times. She felt her limbs begin to go numb in anger.
"So, you're saying I could get assaulted or forcibly claimed and it would be alright because I was too weak to defend myself?" It was Aerie's turn to look away in embarrassment. Ro stared at her in disbelief.
"That is against the rules at this school and before you ask, murder is frowned upon." Momo cut in quietly. "But yes, once you're out in our society, if a stronger person wants to do that to you, he or she may. That is why many creatures desire to be claimed. It protects them."
"What I don't get is why Professor Arzandia would even tell you about claiming in the first place. It's prohibited at this school." Aerie angrily muttered, "He is getting you worked up over something that won't happen. And I know he's only an AR student and is filling in but how can he give a female something like that?" She pointed at the bracelet in outrage.
"Is there some kind of significance to this? It's just a bracelet." Ro looked at the pretty bracelet. The swirling stone caught her attention again.
"It's more than that. It shows everyone that you are under Professor Drakkon's protection." Momo informed her.
"That's why it's totally inappropriate for a student to receive this from a teacher." Aerie pouted and took a drink of her coke.
"Aerie, you said it yourself, he's only an AR student." Ro said. Aerie frowned at her.
"Is that how you justify liking him?" Momo asked with a small smile of amusement. Aerie looked between them flabbergasted.
"Ro has a huge crush on Professor Drakkon?" She asked in disbelief.
"Um, I wouldn't say huge." Ro said blushing. Aerie smiled wickedly then but Momo looked troubled.
"Ro, be careful around Ky," Momo stated in a hesitating voice, "Creatures like us rarely ever do anything for free." Ro frowned. "He may want something from you in exchange for this." Ro's smile faltered, and a jolt of fear made her stiffen. Who do you belong to? Played again in her mind. She didn't want to belong to anyone. What had made her fantasize about that to begin with she wondered.