Majgen Ch. 004

----=(First stop 1)=----

Their chauffeur had waited next to the passenger door for longer than he liked.

'Typical mentarion attitude; just leave the little guy hanging,' he thought,'Why can't they just tell me what they want like regular people?'

He considered himself to be as intrigued by mentarion ways as the next guy, but being around them personally was disconcerting. He preferred watching mentarions at a distance, preferably half a planet away. It was fascinating to watch entertainment broadcasts based on stories about mentarions, whether bibliographical or fictional, or watching news involving mentarions. However, he did not enjoy being exposed to the mentarion ways himself, and he did not feel comfortable about being within a mentarion's sensing range.

The arrogant Femaron Baglian stepped out of the cab and said:

"Wait for us here."

Baglian did not bother to look at the chauffeur, even though it was him the instructions were aimed for.

"Certainly, Femaron Baglian," the Chauffeur replied.

The Chauffeur watched Baglian and Majgen walk away, being addressed in such a discarded manner had wounded his pride.

'Having to eat shit like this is why my job gives me a six times higher wage than normal cab driving would,'he reminded himself, when the mentarions were almost out of sight.

The tailor shop Baglian had chosen was part of a large merchant complex called; Zaxixi. The Zaxixi corporation had several 'Zaxixi' merchant complexes on each of the three human planets.

Baglian and Majgen had been transported as close to the tailor shop, as was possible by means of private vehicles. The cab had let them off in the one of the customer parking lots, in the Zaxixi merchant complex, which would give them the shortest possible trip on foot.

A graphical overlook of the merchant complex was placed next to the customer elevators, Baglian studied it a few moments to find and memorize the easiest path.

'We need to get three city floors up,' Baglian thought to himself.'We should take the GHD elevators from here, instead of Zaxixi's own. The GHD ones stops at fewer floors, this one even stops in the mall, we are headed to.'

He used the graphical overlooks control panel to zoom in on the mall, where the tailor shop was located, and studied the possible routes within the mall itself.

'So we get off the GHD city-floor elevator here, that means we need to walk...'Baglian silently recited the route to himself with words; to memorize it more clearly. When entering the mall from the first elevator they would have an easy walk to an intra-building elevator. They would need to take that one six building floors up, after which they would need to walk again, to reach the tailor design merchant Baglian wanted.

From his mentarion education, Baglian knew why the merchant was placed so far from the parking lots. In spite of parking lots being the most likely means of arrival for its clientel.

The standard mentarion education did not only focus on empathic abilities and techniques. Mentarions were also thoroughly educated in matters of politics, history, commerce and social structure of the human society.

Baglian knew that the Zaxixi corporation had most likely intentionally placed this particular store inconveniently for the store's costumers. The specific purpose of this would be; to have wealthy costumers walk through more average parts of their merchant complexes.

The Zaxixi corporation did not expect such wealthy costumers to get tempted to do extra shopping in the average parts of the mall. Such extra shopping would be so unlikely to occur that it would not make up for the loss in profit, caused by some wealthy people choosing even more expensive finery tailors to get easier access.

The actual profit, which the Zaxixi wished to gain, from forcing wealthy costumers to have such a long travel by foot; was to be seen in the expected effect on their more average costumers.

For the average costumer occasionally seeing far wealthier people minding their own shopping, mostly had the effect of making him more assured that the shopping area was up to his own standard. Even if he was primarily surrounded by costumers who could only afford the same price ranges as himself, or less. For this effect it did not matter much that the wealthy people were headed for other shops within the complex, intending to purchase items the average shopper could not afford.

By all who knew him, Baglian was considered an extremely arrogant man, but he was not a snob. He did not mind walking amongst people from different parts of society. To him, like to most other empaths, it seemed that the most distinct populace division was empath or non-empath, to most empaths other possible ways to classify humans as belonging to different groups in the population were unimportant.

The elevator Baglian wanted arrived shortly after he was done studying the overlook.

Majgen automatically began, to think of trivia when the elevator doors opened. She didn't even notice what she was doing, when she started reciting trivial data in her mind:

'The majority of humans are geographically spread out on three planets. A smaller but still significant percentage of the human population is spread out across human space in less dense clusters. Primarily in communities based on mining enterprises, energy-production enterprises and commerce. The current population consists of more than..'

Baglian noticed a subtle change in Majgen's basic emotional emanations, as they entered the elevator. He suspected she was thinking of trivia. Without actively entering her mind, Baglian focused on sensing her basic emotions from her emanations. He wanted to learn to recognize every sign of trivial thinking in her, so he would later be able to act on it without a need to certify.

When they left the elevator, and entered one of the Zaxixi market squares Baglian still observed Majgen closely with both mind and ears. She stayed a bit to the side and behind him, as appropriate for a very low ranking student following a teacher, so he couldn't observe her visually while walking.

The square, they entered, was circular. It was about one hundred meters in diameter. Streets lead from it in three different directions.

A playground for children filled most the center of the square, another little trick of commerce.

The playground was only accessible for costumers who had made a purchase in the Zaxixi-complex, within the last twenty-four hours, and, of course, the children of such costumers. The recreational area was covered by a see-through dome. The dome was decorated with creatures from fairy-tales, and popular broadcasts, which made the playground look even more appealing to youngsters.

However, the dome was not placed for it's attractive effect, the primary purpose of the dome was sound control. The dome performed calculated sound emission.

When the sound level inside the dome was at tolerable levels, which would still make it possible for costumers to have normal conversations in the vicinity of the playground then; the dome allowed all sound to pass through. If the activities inside the dome got very noisy, the dome would lower the general volume emitted.

The dome was also designed to dampen excited play screams. Making such sounds, both a bit less high pitched, and of lower volume, before letting it pass through to the square.

On the square itself the ceiling was a bit more than ten building floors above. The walls bordering the square were see-through all the way up. Making it possible for customers on the other floors to look down at the square.

The streets leading off the square had high space overhead too, but on these the ceiling was only two building floors above the shoppers.

Baglian saw an add for a brand beverage preferred by children, and realized he was thirsty. He walked to the nearest vending machines to buy a soft drink, not the children's beverage on the add though. He paid with a credit chip invisibly implanted under the skin of his right palm.

"What are you thinking about," he said, as he withdrew the drink from the machine.

Majgen did not notice. She would have if she had not been deeply embedded in trivial thinking.

When his student didn't respond, Femaron Baglian was certain she had sunk into her habit. Baglian moved to the nearest available drink table, with Majgen on his tail. There he placed his drink on the table while turning inconspicuously to face his student.

Baglian bashed Student Majgen's right cheek with a strong fist blow.

Majgen was caught completely off guard, she staggered a step to her right. Her hip collided with a waste bin, and she fell to the floor.

She had been too surprised to even shriek.

The vendor-machine café area had been buzzing with conversation when Baglian and Majgen had arrived at the drink table.

This close to the Mentariata the appearance of mentarions, in itself, had not caused stunned silence. The Femaron's violent use of his fist, and Majgen's fall did however, have that effect.

Baglian lifted his drink and took another sip, while Majgen got back on her feet. He was looking into thin air, appearing to be more interested in his drink than in his student's struggle to refind her balance once she got up.

When Majgen felt sure footed, she made sure her uniform was not in disorder, before moving back to Baglian. She realized she had been thinking of trivia, a direct disobedience.

When Majgen stood in front of him again Baglian said:

"That was for not answering my question, Student Majgen."

From Femaron Baglian, Majgen perceived the memory of how he had asked her a question, while buying his drink, to test if she had fallen into trivial thinking. She noticed how he had deliberately chosen not to follow it with her title. She could sense that he knew; she was well trained in paying attention to the words 'Student Majgen'.

"My apologies for that, Femaron Baglian," Majgen said.

"Your apology for that is accepted, Student Majgen."

"I have also been disobedient, Femaron Baglian. I apologize for that too."

"I suspected that much, Student Majgen," Baglian said, upon which he threw a second punch, also on her right cheek.

Majgen was prepared for it, and didn't fall. This punch landed almost exactly where the first had. The pain exploded in her cheekbone and started an instant severe headache.

She had held her breath when the blow came to avoid shrieking. She kept holding it through the first pain, while tears came to her eyes. Once the pain had stabilized she held her breath a little longer to try to avoid sobbing.

The silence at the open area vendor-machine café had spread beyond its boundaries as more shoppers noticed the silence from that area, or noticed other shoppers staring in that direction.

Majgen didn't manage to get her sobs under control, sooner than she had to breathe. Her gasps for breath, through sobs, was clearly audible in the silence. Baglian returned to his drink. Appearing to ignore both his student and the growing amount of onlookers. When Majgen had enough air to cease gasping, he spoke again:

"Do you need medical attention, Student?"

"No, Femaron Baglian," Majgen replied, she was still sobbing.

"Then stop whining and go buy yourself something to drink. We won't stop for drinks until I get thirsty again." Baglian guessed that like most first time personal students, Majgen didn't know the finer details of a student/mentor lifestyle.

Majgen didn't move.

Baglian was puzzled at her inactivity, but still chose to appear as if he was ignoring her. Majgen took a few slow breaths to get her sobbing under control, before she spoke:

"Femaron Baglian."

"Yes," Baglian responded, but kept looking into thin air.

"I am not able to buy a soft drink, Femaron."

Baglian turned his gaze to his student. He had never encountered an adult mentarion student, who had managed to squander their student pay to such an extent, that they were unable to buy a drink from a vendor-machine.

"Why not, Student?"

"I do not have access to my funds, Femaron Baglian," she replied.

Baglian frowned.

'Has she forgotten to bring her wallet?'he wondered. Majgen could sense his contemplation, not in words but in meaning.

'The Mentariata has obviously forgotten to inform him on the topic of my cash,'Majgen thought.

"I have my wallet, Femaron Baglian. I just cannot use it for purchases, it has been blocked from my personal use."

'How did she manage to put herself in so deep debt, while studying, that her funds have been blocked?'Baglian thought to himself.

Majgen perceived this misinterpretation on his part too.

"Legally I am a minor, Femaron Baglian," she elaborated, "I have no debts. My legal guardian, the Mentariata, blocked my finances long ago. I can't spend money without a representative from the Mentariata next to me to acknowledge the purchase."

If Majgen had not still been in physical pain from Baglian's administerings, she would have blushed at having to refer to herself as a minor. Baglian felt no need to inquire on why her finances had been blocked in front of a large amount of non-empathic spectators, so he let the matter rest.

He moved back to the vendor machines to purchase a second drink, this one for Majgen. His student followed him, as etiquette required.

Baglian handed Majgen her drink, before moving back to the table again.

By the time they were back at the drink table, Majgen's senses had assured her that he had no intentions of beating her further. Not until such a time that she should commit a new offense.

After some sips of the her drink, Majgen managed to cease sobbing entirely.

'He was right, it is much easier for me to handle a beating; when I know that I could have avoided committing the offense,'Majgen thought.

She had perceived this opinion of his, back in the cab. At that time she had not understood the truth of it. Back then she had only been relieved to realize that he would only beat her for offenses which she would be able to avoid. She had expected her life would be a lot less painful that way.

Initially, after understanding when Baglian would and wouldn't beat her, Majgen had hoped to be able to avoid corporal punishment all together. Now she was beginning to realize; it would take time and a lot of effort on her part, to live up to the standards Baglian required.

Majgen began planning ways for her to learn; not to inadvertently fall into trivial thinking. With her recently gained knowledge of Baglian's opinions of her motives. She came to realize that she was beginning to be ashamed of the truth that; fear of corporal punishment was her only motivation to attempt to progress in her mentarion training.

'At least real hope to avoid corporal punishment is a stronger motivator; than a diffuse unfounded feeling that maybe I could decrease the amount of physical pain in my life, by trying harder,'Majgen thought,'Femaron Baglian thinks I am very likely to develop less selfish motives to learn. I hope he is right. It will be easier to face the despise from other mentarions, if I do not consider myself despicable.'

Majgen paused that line of thought for a moment. She had not thought about her own personality for years. In her estimate not since before the incident leading to the discovery of her empathic abilities.

'So long ago,' Majgen thought,'I had only been thirteen years old for a few weeks before that day. I was a mere child then. Now my body is adult, but what am I?'

Majgen looked at Baglian.

'Who am I Baglian?' she thought,'Do you know?'

She did not expect an answer.

Words themselves did not transmit empathically, not even between yijejos. A mentarion like Baglian, would have been able to sense she desired something of him, if paying close attention to her basic emanations. However, in a case like this he would have been unable to specify what she wanted just from emanations.

Majgen focused harder on sensing Baglian. With a naivety more commonly found in non-empaths she was hoping to see who she was, from finding out what he considered her to be.

To most of the onlookers, the public display of violence aimed at the younger mentarion had been shocking.

For a moment at least.

The anti-climactic aftermath reminded most of the onlookers that corporal punishment was an integrated part of the mentarion ways.

----=(The mentarion minority)=----

Mentarions were a very small minority in the human population. The count of known mentarions in the Governmental Resource Division (GRD) files was at that time around 45 000.

Multiple plans to increase the percentage of empaths in the population had been secretly implemented on trial basis, before the biology behind empathic abilities in humans began to unveil. However, because of the only indirectly genetic basis of empathic abilities in the human population, all such early attempts had failed.

Prior to the official discovery of empaths several human governments had for a long time been aware, that such a thing as human empaths existed. Historically the knowledge of empaths amongst humans had been hidden in top secret files of changing governments for thousands of years.

Also hidden in such files were case stories, older than the official discovery, of how single empaths had been discovered, recruited and used, for top secret matters of state. In most of those cases, however, the empath in question would have used words more similar to 'caught and abused'.

----=(First stop 2)=----

After Baglian and Majgen had returned to the drink table; the onlookers quickly lost interest in the no longer spectacular scene. Sooner than Baglian finished his drink, all spectators had resumed their own errands or conversations.

Although the witnesses to the punishment acted naturally now; many of them had - after seeing a Femaron ranked mentarion slap a student around - added plans to their errands. Within hours most of the on-lookers would contact family, friends, and mere acquaintances to tell what they had seen.

Even this close to the Mentariata gossip about mentarions was considered juicy by most. Mentarions were a very small minority of the population, but the majority of the population considered empaths in general to be very interesting, especially the stronger empaths; the mentarions.

Majgen made sure to only drink half of her drink.

While Baglian was drinking she had intercepted more of his memories. From both his own time as a personal student and also some from periods where he had had personal students of his own. She had realized from those that thirst was not the only physical need for which pauses would only be made if Femaron Baglian had an inclination for it.

When Baglian had finished his drink he left the café to follow his planned route to the tailor.

Majgen followed.

In the meantime, she was still trying to find out what kind of person Femaron Baglian considered her to be. She was dissatisfied. All she perceived, regarding his opinions of her, was what she had already caught in the cab. And that had only been contemplations about matters which he considered to have direct or indirect relation to how he wanted her training to progress.

She found no aid in those contemplations, toward finding out who she had become; as a person.

Majgen had not yet realized that; apart from the fact that he was pleased she had no traits which he found directly appalling, Baglian simply didn't care what her personality was, beyond the effect it would have on her training.

When they had walked a bit, Majgen temporarily gave up on finding clues to what kind of person she had become, but she kept listening to Baglian with all her senses.