The Good Teacher

Rianna ate silently while tuning out the heated discussion Shay-Hade was having with Matron Reva concerning the minor difference in the taste of the dish.

"It isn't the same dish as the one you're describing!" Matron Reva defended. "Why must I adhere to the same ratios?"

Shay-Hade scoffed loudly and said, "It tastes like Bihr-Yahnn, smells like a Bihr-Yahnn, and looks like a Bihr-Yahnn. It's a Bihr-Yahnn!"

The woman snapped her finger and let out a victorious, "Ah-ha! If it tastes, smells and looks like it, then why do I need to change the spice ratios?"

"Because-" Shay-Hade started, but struggled to come up with a response, "Because... That's not the right way to make it"

"That's just one man's opinion," Matron Reva responded while waving her hands away. "Besides, I'm not trying to replicate Bir- Beehr-"

"It's Bihr-Yahnn!" Shay-Hade corrected.

"How do you make that sound from your throat?" Matron Reva responded. "Ach! No, wait, Bichrr-"

"You're butchering the pronunciation, just call it whatever," Shay-Hade groaned while grabbing his forehead in distress.

"Anyway," Matron Reva recovered. "Do you like it or not? Two people CAN have the same idea even if they don't know each other at all. Maybe, this Spiced Chicken Rice dish is similar to the one you are familiar with, but I am not trying to copy it. It's my original invention!"

"How can there be such a coincidence? The Bihr-Yahnn outdates this dish by many years! You must have eaten it somewhere and gotten inspired by it to create something similar," Shay-Hade reasoned.

"Do you have proof? And why am I being prosecuted here?" Matron Reva demanded. "You know what? That's it, you're not eating this anymore!"

Just as she extended her hand to retrieve the bowl of Spiced Chicken Rice, Shay-Hade's hand descended and pulled it closer. The woman noticed this and gave a mischievous grin before ruffling and patting Shay-Hade's shoulder. "I'll share the recipe with you. It's not that difficult to make. You can experiment with the spices to fit your tastes."

The man lowered his head sheepishly and thanked the woman with a low, rumbling murmur.

"That was the most pointless argument I've ever witnessed," Rianna said while shaking her head. "And I've seen two monkeys fighting over an empty box, which the winner immediately dumped into a river."

"I..." Shay-Hade whispered. "It just reminded me of home."

"We can take a detour through your hometown if you want," Rianna offered. "Officially, our dispatch is for an indeterminate amount of time under the Sect Leader's decree. We can literally tour the entire Gaea before going back."

"I don't think that's a good idea. We still have to explain our absence to the Elders when we return," Shay-Hade said hesitantly.

"We can think up an excuse when it happens," Rianna waved away.

While the duo ate in silence, Rianna observed the movement of the members in and out of the mess hall. She noticed the way everyone was talking and interacting cordially and felt... jealous.

"What do you think of the Sect?" Rianna probed Shay-Hade, who was drowning in nostalgia while biting into a chicken thigh-piece.

"It's clean," Shay-Hade answered while sucking the marrow.

"I can see that. I'm not talking about the physical state," Rianna growled. "The aura in here. It feels... weird."

"If I tell you that you look good today, would you believe me?" Shay-Hade asked.

"That's sudden," Rianna muttered while blushing. "I would believe you."

"Why?" Shay-Hade probed.

"Because you have no reason to lie to me."

"If Senior Sister Kowl said you looked beautiful one day, would you believe her?" Shay-Hade continued.

"Not really."

"Why not?"

Rianna thought for a while before saying, "It could just be lip service with her."

"That's the difference," Shay-Hade emphasised. "If I have a disagreement with you, I tell it to your face. If it's something good, I do the same. I don't filter or put layers of filters in my words and say something while meaning something else. The people here are the same."

"It's not just that," Rianna retorted. "Just now, while coming in here, I saw a bunch of these teens taking classes from a little kid on how to draw! Could you imagine such a scene back at our Sect?"

"Then I guess it's a matter of humility and respect," Shay-Hade concluded. "You need humility to recognise your shortcomings, and need to respect those who are superior to you or are more capable than you in certain matters."

"It's embarrassing," Rianna admitted with a wry smile. "I don't think I'd have the humility to take drawing classes from a child many decades younger than me."

"You're only half correct there," Shay-Hade corrected. "If you are able to admit that you are lacking in humility, isn't it already displaying humility? It's weirdly circular, isn't it?"

Rianna hummed before finally saying, "I think it's the overall lack of hostility in the air here."

"It's because the Sect has completely banned any form of physical fights and has set up a structured system for conflict resolution," a voice interjected from behind them. The duo turned around and noticed a sheepish-looking lad smiling at them with his mouth full.

"Sorry, I couldn't help but eavesdrop-"

"How could you not?" A girl said from beside him. "They were practically shouting."

A similar-looking girl - a twin - nodded affirmatively by her side.

"Hey! I'm Kevan. This is Casey and Lacey," the boy greeted while extending his palm. "Are you guys guests? I haven't seen that symbol before, which Sect are you from?"

"The Mystic Celestial Sect," Shay-Hade responded while accepting the boy's hand.

"That's not from the Empire..." Kevan said while looking to his peers for confirmation. When the two girls shook their heads, he turned back to them and asked, "You're international! That's awesome."

Rianna felt a monologue coming so she quickly cut in and asked, "Since you guys know everyone in the Sect, who is that kid teaching people how to draw?"

"Kano?" The twin named Casey asked. "What do you want to know about him?"

"Well... is he some kind of a prodigy?"

"That's an understatement," the other twin said with a scoff.

"Did you notice the paintings distributed all over the campus grounds?" Kevan cut in. "Well, they were all made by him."

"No way!" Rianna yelped in surprise. "What about the one with the giant eagles bursting through the clouds outside the mess hall? That has to be the work of a 2-star Artist at least!"

"Kano," Kevan confirmed.

"I didn't even sense a strand of cultivation in the boy's core!" Rianna argued. "How is that possible."

"That's what I meant when I said calling him a prodigy was an understatement," Lacey repeated.

"How many more paintings has the boy created?" Rianna asked. "Forget it! Shay-Hade, we're taking a walk after this!"

"Are we allowed to do that?" Shay-Hade probed. "Do we need a chaperone or something?"

"Didn't Marie say we are free to do whatever we wanted?" Rianna reminded.

"I don't think she meant it literally..."

____

Shay-Hade's protests of impropriety about Rianna's brazenness, as she gawked at paintings drawn into various walls across the Sect, went in one ear and out the other.

"Amazing! The mountain of treasure is literally urging me to jump in and take a swim! And look at the slumbering red dragon! The aura of fear it emanates is so palpable. Look! I have goosebumps just looking at it!" Rianna exclaimed while pointing at her arm.

"I didn't know you had a liking to art?" Shay-Hade commented.

"It's an inherited trait, I guess," Rianna responded. She turned to him and continued, "My father was a 6-star Artist. He always wanted me to walk in his footsteps. Unfortunately, I was more proficient with handling weapons than the paintbrush. Though he didn't forget to instil a sense of appreciation to aesthetics in me."

"If he's a 6-star Artist, he should be high enough in his cultivation to still be alive. Why don't we meet him before returning to the Sect?"

"Weren't you listening?" Rianna said with a forlorn expression. "He wanted me to walk in his footsteps, but I couldn't live up to his mark. So he ended up disowning me."

"WHAT?!"

"Don't yell," Rianna admonished while sucking in a sharp breath of air. "It's okay. He made his intentions with me very clear the moment I was able to form coherent thoughts. It was all above board and didn't catch me out of the blue."

"You're being weirdly nonchalant about all this..." Shay-Hade expressed, to which Rianna simply shrugged and returned to admiring the mural.

"I've had ten years to get over it," Rianna said off-handedly. "Besides, last I heard the Maddi family got squashed by a 7-star Artist because my father offended her. I think they got their just desserts."

"I'd assume that given the nature of your trauma, you'd build some sort of hatred towards art in general," Shay-Hade commented.

"Art isn't the reason why I had a shitty father," Rianna stated. "Art is transcendental."

At that moment, the duo caught a lively conversation occurring from the branches of a nearby tree.

"Oh come on, Dora! Why can't we have a battle already?" It was the voice of a little girl.

"I already told you, Kili. Fancy is resting. She said she needed time to assimilate everything she'd gained," it was another girl.

"You said the same thing a week ago!" Kili protested. "If I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have urged Big Sis to bring me back so soon..."

"I'm sorry," Dora said.

The two girls climbed higher up the tree and moved onto a branch. Dora scooted to the side and wrapped her legs around the branch before hanging upside down. Kili attempted to do the same.

But just as her body swung down, her leg slipped, and the girl hurtled towards the ground.

Rianna and Shay-Hade darted forward, but they were just not fast enough to stop the girl from falling arm-first into the hard, stony flooring.