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I INHALED THE STEAM of the delicious cup of coffee. Thea wasn’t a Wind Child, but she knew how to make a proper brew. A very underrated skill to have. Another reason why Heike needed to wake up. She made the best coffee of them all.
My own brews were rubbish, another reason why I looked forward to meeting up with Professor MacKinnon. Thea...
“Why did you agree to teach me?” I asked, making sure to keep the required eye contact with her.
The teacher thought for a moment, making sure to have a sip of tea in between. She placed the mug back on the table, freeing her hands for an answer. “You. First.”
“Me first?” That was a weird answer. “I don’t think I understood that right.”
She repeated her sentence, articulating her gestures better. “You. First. Valkyrie. Interest. Banshee sign language.”
It was hardly a sentence. It was barely a string of words together, but that was how they did it. It was up to me to fill in the gaps and turn it into a fully-fledged sentence. It would take a lot of practice, but I was confident that I could do it.
To do it automatically would be true mastery.
I brought my hands together. “Why teaching?”
She smiled and slapped her own wrist.
“You okay? Mosquito?” It took me a moment to realise she wasn’t swatting something away. She was signing. “No, you’re trying to reply. Doh.”
The amusement flickered in her eyes as she slapped her wrist again and fingerspelled it for me. “D... U... T... Y... Duty.”
“Duty?” I’d grown up with that word thrown around whenever it suited Grandmamma, but it didn’t mean much to me. It was just a fancy word to convince people not to do what they wanted.
I stared at Thea. “So you don’t want to teach?”
She seemed surprised. “I... Like... teaching.”
“But then why do you call it duty if you like it?”
“Duty. Good.”
“I think we have very different definitions of duty.” I leaned back into the couch and scratched Bàs head. “My entire life has been about what I have to do. This, this is the first thing I’m doing just because I want to.”
Thea nodded. “Good... Too.”
I thought so. The only good thing that came out of this entire storm incident. The freedom to leave duty behind and do something that lit the fire of passion and interest in my stomach. An adventure for me instead of for the Heir.
“So. What are we learning today?” I rubbed my hands together, a little warm-up for the exercises. I wouldn’t want to get a cramp or pull a muscle. I wasn’t sure if that was a thing, but one could never be too prepared.
My teacher gestured to the sheets in front of me. “Fingerspelling.”
“I’ve actually been practising already.” I balled my fist. “A.”
Thea nodded. “Go on.”
Four fingers up. “B.”
A curl. “C.”
I spelt the entire alphabet as good and as bad as I could. Some of the gestures were confusing when they were drawn out, but with the slightest adjustments from Thea or a quick example, it was easy to nail.
It helped that I’d been practising in the mirror in my room. Of course, I wasn’t going to admit that to her. It seemed silly for someone like me to be so fascinated and consumed. I had no right or reason to learn this language, I just wanted to.
I twisted my fingers in the right position, trying to get the shape correct. “P.”
Thea shook her head and showed me the right way, which I thought was exactly what I was doing.
Perhaps not.
I tried to copy her form, but my fingers were stumbling and stuttering. It wasn’t hard to do it right, it was hard to make it look right. My fingers just seemed a bit too... short.
With a bemused smile, Thea left her couch and sat down next to me. She reached out and took my hand in hers. Her fingers pressed on the joints, pushing them into the right place.
I was supposed to pay attention to the alphabet, but I was distracted. By her, by her sudden closeness, by the sun that made her shine.
It was hard to stop looking at her and concentrate on what I should be concentrating on. Fingerspelling. Not the beautiful woman doing it.
What a dangerous thought... Why did I keep having them around her? Was I... Attracted to her?
I scoffed loudly, startling Thea.
She signed, concern written on her face. “What?”
“Nothing, I just had a...” I stared at her, temporarily distracted by the greys of her eyes. She was... something else.
“What?”
“A silly thought, it doesn’t matter,” I lied, hoping she hadn’t noticed my discomfort. I pulled my hands back and reached for my bag. “I should get going.”
“OK?”
“I, ummm... I have something else I need to do.” I pressed my hand on my chin. “Thank you.”
She nodded, rising with me. “Wait.”
I didn’t want to wait. I wanted to get out of here so I could clear my head. It seemed rude to just bolt away though, so I kept still.
Thea returned with another stack of sheets. She signed something, but I didn’t understand it.
“What does...” I tried to mimic her gesture. “What does that mean?”
She slowed it down. “Home... Work.”
“Homework?” I mimicked the two gestures, compounding them together. “Is that how you say that? Home and work together?”
“Yes.”
“Does that work for all combined words? What about... Butterfly?”
Thea chuckled softly. She fluttered her hand up in the air, mimicking a... butterfly.
How obvious. That was just how certain gestures were. Logical and simple. Others had neither rhyme nor reason. That was just a complexity that came with learning a new language and Banshee sign language was no different.
I accepted the homework and made my way to the door. It wasn’t until I grabbed the doorknob, that I paused again. “Hey, you remember me talking about the Valkyrie Games?”
“Yes?”
“You told me to follow my heart. I don’t want to compete anymore. Do you think that’s okay?”
She briefly touched my hand and gestured up to her eyes. “Yes.”
That was all the confirmation I needed. I knew what to do now.
I returned to the Valkyrie dormitory with my first piece of Banshee Sign Language homework. Thea gave me one of the most basic exercises and I was excited to try it out in my room.
This wasn’t just a meaningless hobby or a little project. This could actually change how all the Afterlife Assistants worked together.
Instead of taking on the duties of the Matriarch and lead our clan, I could direct all my focus on a different kind of guidance. To improve the inner relationships of all Assistants.
This could be a first in history.
The excitement and prospect had me bouncing through the hallways. None of the other students understood the broad smile on my face, but that was alright. It was good to have an interest of my own, something I found and nurtured. A new purpose.