Master seems very angry for some reason. He knows that I have an undying curiosity, so why was he so angry to see me watching Osgood? It was surprising that Osgood hadn’t felt me behind Master. Was it that I had such a small presence? Or was Master’s swollen from his ego? I had to giggle at the last question, looking back to see if Master was behind me. Nobody. Yes! Turning into a little-used alley, I let myself smile, and promptly slammed into what seemed to be air, falling onto my back.

“Master!”, I exclaim, “Some warning would be preferable next time!” I frown, irritated. The outline of a figure slowly materializes and the lines begin filling in. A second later, Master is standing in front of me, a frown on his face as well.

“The same would apply to your tendency to eavesdrop. What happened to the nice little girl who asked to go along, if she wanted to?” Master’s disappointed voice is like daggers, hard to dodge and sharp as lightning. Not that his approval is any better.

“She grew up, and realized that it was easier to get around unnoticed.”, I reply, my voice filled with sarcasm. “Why? Did you lose her?” Master looks like he always does, an old man with a face of stone that does not show any emotion, but there are better ways to read him than simple posture and expression. I lift my head in a way that seems arrogant in a way, even to me, and stand.

“That girl is gone. And she isn’t coming back, no matter how much you like or hate her more than me. I am not my sister, and her decisions are not mine, so don’t lump us together.” Though the words are meant to hurt him, his face remains stoic. Unable as I am to read him, I have a better way of checking. Using a small amount of Kharis, I open my mind to his feelings. I feel nothing. So it seems Master has found a way around my empathic ability.

“You seem to have realized how much you have left to learn.” Master’s voice seems triumphant in a way that makes me angry.

“Get out of my head!”, I scream, unable to keep a hold on myself.

“No need, Zenia,” Master says, icily. ”I’ve already left. You need to work on your shields, as well as your detection of presences. They are not the trivial wastes of time that you think they are.” Turning around, he shakes his head, though whether it was a result of what he had seen in my head or simple disappointment. “You must realize that. I didn’t raise you to be so ignorant.”

“Neither were you there when I needed you, Father.”

“Now is not the time nor the place for this, and you know that." A hint of a frown flickers across his lips. "Go to Aberdeen. Do not let me catch you following Farad’s son around. He is too important for this realm to feel any type of attachment. Especially any romantic ones”

“Father! I have no feelings toward him! How could you suggest otherwise!”, but he paid me no attention and disappeared into the shadows. Angry, I ran home. How dare he suggest such a thing! I had only met him! And from a distance! Where would he get the idea that I, Zenia, daughter of the Master of Arts, would love someone like Osgood!? He is below me, to say the least! Why does Master feel the need to embarrasses me so much? He is not my real father, not that it matters. That one died when I was too young to remember him too clearly, but Master stepped into that role quite early, so I guess that makes me his daughter in some way. 

I suppose that an apology is in order, but from him, not from me. I was completely justified in spying on him. He was following someone, so I decided that I should help. What other reason did I have to have to be with him more than a couple of snatched minutes during the evening? Then he did THAT and I don’t want to see him anymore… at least until tomorrow… maybe a bit earlier? It irritates me, being confused. In this state, I can’t decide what I want and what I don’t. 

Reaching the front door of my house, I decided against going in. Mother will be there when I return, but Father, the one I lost, would probably want me to keep a lookout for danger. That is all I have time to think before I decide, jumping onto the roof and running in the direction of the wall standing on the west side of the mountain we called home. There was no way that Master could stop me from looking around. No matter what, I had the freedom to move around the city. Just as long as no one saw me, I would be able to sneak around and find out what exactly Master was hiding from me. There was no way that he would be able to keep it for long. After all, I was his best student. WAS because of that Kharis-burned "hero’s son". What an annoying turn of events that was. There was no way that he could have defeated me in any of the combat simulations at the Training Center, no way at all.