Fortune and Fortitude Pt. 02

Alright, alright. We'll give him (and you) more time to decide. But I won't wait forever!

To clarify, no matter his decision, it won't limit his "options", it will just tell us his method and final goal. Don't worry too much about it.

Also, sorry for the crazy late update! Each chapter is usually ~10k words long, but this one was about 17,000. Writing at my base speed (assuming I could just write without planning or editing), that takes about 4 or 5 HOURS.

Chapter 2

Jared awoke to the smell of something delicious. Toast? And was that... eggs? He opened his eyes and sat up.

Quinn smiled and extended out the tray. "Good morning, stranger. Care for some breakfast?"

She had really gone all out. Orange juice, scrambled eggs, toast, pancakes... It was enough food for a small army.

Jared grinned. "Don't mind if I do." He grabbed a plate and gestured for her to sit down. "Did you already eat?"

She shook her head. She looked tired. Her hair was frumpy and wild, her clothes wrinkled from sleeping in them. "I'm sorry I wasn't awake when you got back. I was planning on it, but I guess I fell asleep."

Jared nodded. "Good. It's probably for the best that we couldn't talk last night. We've got a whole lot to discuss, and it's not all good."

Quinn grabbed some food from the tray and sat down next to him as he explained the events of last night. His meeting with Miss Senguine didn't seem to surprise her, but she seemed more than a little intrigued when he mentioned meeting with her proteges. She asked a lot of questions about them and his impression of them, which he answered honestly.

When he finished, she sat there in silence, contemplating everything that he had said. "So...." she said slowly. "What are you going to do?"

Jared sighed. "I don't know. I was kind of hoping you could tell me what I should do. Ria seemed nice enough, I guess, but she didn't seem terribly sure of herself. Kiara wants to help humans, but I'm not sure how capable she is."

Quinn leaned forward. "What about Annika?"

He winced. "She certainly seemed confident in herself, but it sounds like a lot of trouble. Honestly? I have no idea what to do."

Quinn nodded. "Then don't decide. Yet, at least. Explore your options. Do you even have to make a deal with any of them? From the sounds of it, it's not a requirement. And if you're as powerful as Annika says, maybe you don't have to make a deal at all."

Jared chuckled. "Quinn, you're a genius."

His phone buzzed, and he took a moment to grab it and look at the message he had just received.

Meet at Fairway at 12:00 PM. Don't be late.

It was in a group chat. Fairway was the street that Miss Senguine lived on.

How did she even get his number? Now all of the proteges probably had it. He wasn't sure he was so comfortable with that.

"What'd it say? Good news or bad?"

Jared turned around. "See for yourself." He handed her the phone.

Quinn read it earnestly. "Hmmm..." She handed it back. "Well, it's sooner than I was expecting, but I guess there's not time like the present." She checked the time. "11:00 already? I was hoping we would have more time to talk."

Jared nodded. "I wish I could talk to you all day. Everyday." He hesitated. "Quinn..."

She met his gaze. Suddenly he felt his tongue tie up in his mouth as it went dry. There was so much he needed to tell her, so much he needed to say.

She held up a hand. "Don't. Please." She sighed. "Look, we've got a lot going on right now, and I think I have an idea of what you're about to tell me. So much is happening, and I need some time. Is that okay?"

Jared nodded, relieved. "Yeah. Sure. I get it, I've been dumping a lot on you lately." Did she really know? She had to. What else could she be talking about?

Quinn smiled. "Good. You'd probably better get going..." She got up and headed for the door but paused before leaving. "Change into something nice. Well, nicer." And then she left.

Jared rubbed his eyes. She was probably right. Probably not the best idea to show up back at Fairway in the same clothes he left in. He got up and quickly dressed.

It was time to see what Miss Senguine had to say.

**************

He arrived after a little over a half hour drive. He was a bit early, even for politeness' sake. As he parked the car outside the gate, he considered his options. He could either wait out here for the allotted time, or he could head on in. He opted for the latter. She had emphasized being on time, and she hadn't said anything about being early.

His doubts returned after he knocked on the door without getting a response. "Hello?" After an extended pause he tried again. "Miss Senguine?"

That's when he noticed the note. Mr. Bertreck. Please enter and meet me in the study. -MS

Okay. Kind of weird. He looked around, hoping to see someone nearby, but to no avail. The study? He could only assume she meant their usual (twice now?) meeting place. He opened the door with a creak and peered inside.

They had cleaned up nicely. Nothing in the house indicated that there had been a huge party the night before. It was immaculate -- eerily so. He shook his head. He was just nervous, that was all.

He strode up the stairs, expecting to find Miss Senguine seated professionally in her white cushioned chair. He was very wrong.

Jared pulled to a halt at the sight of two tight, legging-clad butts sticking into the air. Two women were bent over on Yoga sheets, breathing deeply. He quickly pulled his gaze away and retreated to the stairs.

"Mr. Bertreck. You're early."

He winced and turned around. "Sorry, Miss Senguine, I was just-"

His words cut short. She was wearing a white, low-cut tank top that displayed a fair bit of her cleavage. She had been quite pretty before, but it could hardly compare to her current state.

She raised an eyebrow. "I must say, I was not expecting you so early. Ria," she called out behind her, "We'll continue this later. I need to have a chat with Mr. Bertreck here."

Behind her, Ria emerged and gave him a dazzling smile. Her blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, which nearly whipped him as she walked down the stairs behind him. He resisted the urge to turn and stare after her.

Jared cleared his throat. "Do you need a minute, 'cause I can always-"

She waved her hand dismissively. "No. This will do. Please, come in."

As they returned to the room, Jared stared around once again. The afternoon light bathed the room in a gentle yellow glow. The reflection of the running water over the windows mixed wonderfully with the swaying leaves outside.

Miss Senguine reclined at what he assumed to be her favorite chair and gestured for him to have a seat.

He obeyed. "So what did you want to talk to me about this time? Are we actually going to have that interview now?"

She didn't seem to find that as amusing as he did. "Our first step will be to understand what exactly you are, and what we can do about it. I have my suspicions, but I would first like to confirm with you certain... details."

She retrieved a few papers from the coffee table in front of her. "Your youthful 'escapades'... How accurately were they described in the news? Did they cover all of them?"

Jared flinched like she had slapped him. "What?"

She sniffed. "It seems quite obvious to me, looking at these, that you were quite the troubled child, were you not?" She began to flip through the papers. "Breaking a child's collarbone at age six. Effectively castrating a teacher at age nine. Eating a raw bird?" She looked up at him skeptically. "Explain yourself."

Jared shifted uncomfortably. "I was young and stupid. Why? Are you trying to say I did those things because I was a demon?"

"Obviously. The only real question is, what were your motivations? Contrary to popular belief, merely inspiring chaos is not a typical motivation for a demon. What were you after in each of these instances?"

"I don't know!" Jared shouted. "There was no reason. I was just.... so angry all of the time."

She raised her eyebrows. "That's a motivation. Why? Angry at the world in general? Or at the ones you harmed?"

"Both." He shook his head. "I hated everyone and everything without cause."

"No. You hated everyone and everything without just cause. According to a human philosophy, of course." She peered at him curiously. "So tell me. What did you think was your cause at the time?"

Jared hesitated. "For what?"

"Anything. The collarbone incident, for example."

He scowled. "He was picking on someone. Taunting her, pulling her hair. Sure, that's mean, but that's a far cry from breaking someone's neck!"

She sniffed. "This friend. Was she close to you?"

"Not really. We were classmates. Partners for a project at the time, I think. The details are fuzzy."

She nodded knowingly. "Did you ever pick on a girl?"

Jared blinked. "Uh...." He paused and frowned. "Nothing really comes to mind..."

"Interesting. What about the bird? You just found and ate a bird? Raw?"

"I didn't find it." He shuddered. "I caught it and killed it. Squeezed it to death in one hand." He had been eight years old that time. "I was just hungry."

She rolled her eyes. "Then I believe my assumptions are correct. Everything I'm reading and that you are telling me indicate that you are of the Perronaught line."

At his blank stare, she went on. "I suppose the closest thing you would know of to a Perronaught would be a Dragon."

He scoffed. "A dragon? So can I like transform or something?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Those myths are almost entirely symbolic, not literal. Leave it to humans to use winged lizards to represent what they cannot hope to understand by themselves. Perronaught's are juggernauts of unreasonable proportions. Due to their rarity, little is known about them save one thing. They are virtually immortal."

Jared cocked his head to one side. "If I'm actually immortal, why do I need your protection?"

"I said virtually. They can be killed, even if the method is kept rather secret. Why do you think they are so rare?" She pursed her lips. "Humans are instrumental in the process, that much is sure. As for the rest..." She shrugged. "If you ever do discover the secret to your demise, I would advise you to keep it VERY secret. There are many Lords that would do a great deal to learn that particular bit of trivia."

"Is that it? Basically I'm just really hard to kill?"

She chuckled. "Oh, no. That's simply the only thing we know for certain about your abilities. Fire may be involved, as may flight, depending on the truthfulness of the human myths."

"More important than your particular gifts is how to strengthen yourself." She sighed. "You know nothing of 'magic', do you?"

"Nothing more than what you've told me."

"From the beginning then." She took a deep breath and put her hands together under her chin. "Unlike modern scientific beliefs, matter is not universally categorized. Rather, there are four states that it can be sorted into, only two of which that are easily detected."

"First, there is terrestria, the physical world that you are familiar with. Rocks, metals, elements and minerals all fall into this category. Second is phenomena, categorized as most living things. Animals, plants, you and I all contain phenomena attributes. Third is psyche, attributed to conscious living things. This is harder to detect and measure and is only present in us and humans."

"Last is the noumena, what you might think of as a soul. It is nearly impossible to truly identify, and it is only possessed by humans. The philosophy of many demons is based around the notion that we have only this life, while humans may continue on elsewhere. Therefore, one should claim what they can from them."

"Wait, wait, wait." Jared held up a hand. "You're telling me I don't have a soul?"

Miss Senguine smirked. "Can you see why a church going demon sounds so ridiculous? You don't have a soul. We don't have many facts on the afterlife for humans, but we have good reason to suspect that they will continue existing long after they leave this mortal plane. You and I? This is all we've got."

Jared bit his lip. "I don't believe you."

She shrugged. "That isn't my concern. Are you ready for me to continue?"

He nodded, and she went on. "Unlike humans, demons are capable of manipulating higher and more complex forms of matter. The extent of humans is limited control over their psyche and phenomena, their mind and body. We can do much more. Similar to how they can manipulate their body, we can manipulate outside matter. This is what you call magic."

Jared nodded slowly. "Okay. So what makes demons different from each other?"

"A good question. Mostly it comes down to natural talents in different manipulations. Designating a human as 'creative,' for example, would be a shallow analysis. Are they an artist? A singer? A writer? Some bloodlines have a fondness and familiarity with moving stone, while others are skilled with fire. Some possess powerful control over the psyche, while others are effective at moderating their phenomena."

"So what are your powers?"

Miss Senguine pursed her lips. "I'm not sure I want to divulge that information at the moment. I would still like some secrets, you know."

It was worth a shot. If she was mind-controlling him somehow, he would've liked to know. "How do I get stronger?"

"Now we're getting somewhere." She stood and began pacing. "There are two methods, both of which are rather important. You need to gain control and skill to properly use your gifts, as well as increase your total capacity." She stopped to look at him. "Think of human wrestlers. Skill is useful, but ultimately size adds more to the fight. Very few one-hundred-pound men could take on a heavy-weight champion, regardless of their training."

"To increase your 'size', so to speak, you simply need to eat."

Jared blinked. "Eat? Like, food?"

"No. It depends on what nourishes your other gifts." She tapped her nose with a finger. "Demons can eat a variety of things, which humans provide in copious amounts. For example, when the soul leaves the body, there is a rather large outpouring of energy. Many demons can consume this energy to sustain themselves. In other words, they can eat Death. Some devour psychic energy in the form of powerful emotion, while others can transform massive quantities of normal calories into traces of demonic energy. In your case, however, I believe you feed on feminine essence."

Jared took a moment to interpret. "I'm not about to-"

She held up her hand. "Not by eating women, stupid boy. The psyche sheds itself naturally, much like the sun sheds light or plants release pollen. There are a few ways to access it, but sexual intercourse is the easiest. That shouldn't be a problem for a budding Ferronaught."

She waved her hand. "Regardless, the first step will be to see where you are at on every level. Ria!" she called. "You will be finishing your session with Mr. Bertrek here."

Ria entered the room within seconds. "Yes, Miss Senguine." She winked at Jared.

"Good." Miss Senguine stretched, forcing Jared to avert his eyes again. "When you are finished, I would like a report on his psychic strength. When you are done, take him to Annika."

She returned to look at Jared. "We will talk later tonight. For now, I need to know how strong you are so I can help you."

He scowled. "What if I don't want you to know how strong I am?"

She yawned and walked to the door. "Then you may leave, no questions asked." She glanced to Ria. "Have fun, you two."

And then she was gone, leaving Jared alone with Ria. They looked at each other awkwardly.

She was prettier than he had given her credit for last night. She was sweaty, likely from some form of exercise, by the looks of it. A drop of sweat dripped down her neck, catching others with it. It quickly disappeared into the crevice of her bosom, which was clad only in a tight gray sports bra. She was well-endowed, probably a D or DD cup.

He coughed and averted his gaze. "So... we're doing yoga?"

"Meditation." She smiled. "Jess- Er, Miss Senguine says it's important to challenge ourselves by straining our body. For your first time, maybe we should just stick to sitting."

Jared nodded. "That's probably for the best."

She guided him to the mats that were still laid out on the floor and sat down, crossing her legs. He mimicked her on the other mat.

"So..." Ria started slowly. "What have you decided so far?"

"Nothing. We decided it would be better to get some more information before deciding on anything."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "'We?'"

Jared flinched. Two sentences in and he had already given Quinn away. Good job, loser. "I, uh, I meant the royal we." He groaned internally. "Of course."

Ria blinked, then shrugged. "Alright." He doubted she was convinced, but he was grateful she didn't pry.

She closed her eyes and held her arms at rest beside her. Jared eyed her positioning and tried to follow suit. He felt ridiculous.

"What are we trying to do here?"

Ria opened one green eye to peer at him. "She didn't specify. I thought I'd start you off with basic concentration techniques.

Jared rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "Yeah... That's not really my strong suit. I'll try, though."

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

He sighed. "Nevermind. Let's keep going."

He gave it another try. His mind darted everywhere. Trying to catch it felt like a cat trying to pin down a laser-pointer beam. He cracked open an eye to see Ria sitting there peacefully, like it was perfectly natural for her to sit still.

He squeezed his eyes shut and tried again. He focused desperately on his body, trying to hold it still. Even twitching would be a welcome relief, but he refused to let it happen.

"Jared? Are you okay?"

He let out the breath he'd been holding and dropped his head. "I can't do it. I've never been able to force myself to sit still, much less try to empty my mind."

Ria tilted her head. "Force yourself?" She laughed. "That's the exact opposite of what meditation is about." She scoffed. "What a human concept."

"What do you mean?"

Ria closed her eyes again. "It's about letting go, returning to your base state. Let your mind wander to wherever it wants to go. You don't have to obey it, but neither do you command it. Guide it."

Jared closed his eyes. "Umm... Okay. I'll try that."

After a brief pause, Ria spoke up. "You still seem tense. Here."

His eyes shot open as she reached out and took his arms. Her hands were soft. She lifted his arms above his head, bringing her face within inches of his. "Now," she said, smiling, "Let them drop."

She let go and pulled back. Jared let his hands drop into his lap.

"There. Sit like that. Don't do anything that feels unnatural."

He swallowed. For a moment, he had thought she was going to...

He shook his head and closed his eyes again, ducking his head to concentrate. She was right. He didn't even really notice his hands anymore. Still, as he tried to let his mind wander, he kept getting frustrated. It was like a rogue animal that didn't want to be followed or kept an eye on.

She noticed he was still struggling. "Try taking some deep breaths," she offered. "That might help."

On his first inhale, the difference was immediately noticeable. His darting stream of consciousness settled. Relaxed, somehow. "Got it." He opened his eyes. "Thanks, Ria."

"No problem." She smiled and closed her eyes again. He followed suit.

After taking another few deep breaths, he felt his mind begin to wander again. Keeping her advice in mind, he let it go, curious of where it was heading. In hindsight, he should have known where it would wander.