NOVEL NEXT Chapter 40 - Communication is key
Gio sat close in front of the enchanted mirror with a book in his lap. A guide to common sign language was thankfully knowledge that wasn’t restricted, or locked behind any more stupid barriers like so much of his education had been thus far.
Rio signed to him.
Go. Page. 1. And then a sign that was either 7 or 8.
I keep messing those up.
Activating [Specular Mind], Gio flipped to the page that had the signs for numbers on it, temporarily committing the signs to his enhanced memory with the new skill.
Page 17 had the listed signs for fingerspelling.
Good call. Learning to spell words out will make communicating like this easier, even if it’s not the fastest way to communicate.
Gio had brought a notepad and paper, so Rio was able to use the reflection of those objects as well. Gio quickly realized that reading backward wasn’t very easy. With a bit of work, a few skills, and time, the two were able to start communicating for the first time.
“Do you know what I am thinking all of the time?” Gio signed.
“No. But we’re the same person, so we probably think the same stuff a lot of the time.” Rio returned.
“Okay. Do you exist outside of this room?” Gio asked.
“Sort of. I think outside of this room and sometimes when you cast a mirror image, I’m there but not me. But when you come here, I’m Rio. The mirror makes me want to be better than you.” Rio responded.
“Interesting. I wonder what it’s going to take for you to be able to leave this room… I’d say that there’s certainly a way for me to do that with my class.” Gio signed.
At that point, The door creaked open, and Chandrika entered the room.
“There you are! I figured I’d find you here. So this is the famous-”
Chandrika was interrupted by her reflection lobbing a ball of gossamer threads at her. Instantaneously she was wrapped up in a cocoon of her own magic.
“Wha-”
Rio jumped up from the floor, tackling Chandrika’s reflection and signing “GO.” to Gio.
Gio grabbed Chandrika’s immobile form and dragged her outside.
_____
“So… he’s really… real. Your reflection is sentient.” Chandrika stated, in disbelief.
“Well yeah, but is that really so surprising? Mirror mage class and all, right?” Gio replied.
“I mean I guess? But you don’t have a skill for that, and it’s not a spell. It’s just… wild magic.”
“Well, the dungeon trap makes Rio more able to act on his own. I do have a class skill called [Catoptromancy] that helps me understand things about mirrors in a sort of mind-bending way. I can distinctly feel that there are reflective surfaces nearby that are reflecting my image, for example. Even if I cannot see them in my direct line of sight. So, in a way, Rio is here with us at this table… he just can’t interact with us. Now that I think about it, I hope that he isn’t bored or anything…” Gio responded.
Chandrika looked at Gio oddly.
“You really are something special. I don’t think I would be able to be so… compassionate about this if I were in your shoes.” She said.
“Well… I think that empathy is important. My mother always taught me to treat others the way that I wanted to be treated. So I think that this is just a natural progression of that, in a way. He is me, and I want to treat him the way I would want to be treated. Plus, I think once we can communicate better we’re gonna make a hell of a tag team.” Gio pondered.
“Can’t you just… talk to him?” Chandrika asked.
“He’s a reflection. Unfortunately, mirrors don’t make sound.” Gio replied.
“Well yeah, but advanced forms of [Mirror Image] and spells like it can conjure sound, to make the illusions more believable. There’s got to be a way to make that doable, right?”
“I suppose that’s true. I kind of don’t know how I would go about doing that right now, though. It’s probably going to be a while before I get to the point where I can add features to my spells like that, and I wanted a way to talk to him sooner. It’s something to keep in mind for the future though.” Gio responded.
“I’m sort of jealous. I wish reflection Chandrika was as nice to me as Rio is to you. I’m still fishing webs out of my hair.” She pouted.
“Well, try to remember that It’s a dungeon trap first and foremost. The first time Jean showed it to me, he had me leave my spellbook outside the room. We can go back and do some training if you’d like another shot at it.”
“I think I’ll pass for now. I’ve got Weaving Club in a bit, and I really just wanted to come check on you, and see how you’ve been doing. It’s been a few days since class, and you’ve been hitting the training pretty hard since then. Sapphire said that you’ve been taking some time off from your science projects with her, and Jean says you’ve been skipping sparring sessions.”
Gio winced at that.
“Yeah… It just kind of stings, to be honest with you. I feel like everything has been going so well for me lately, so for me to encounter the first real setback that I have had since coming to this school and not have an answer for it… sucks. I mean I nearly died to an undead dragon, and that was less of a mental hurdle to me than the idea of sacrificing a decade of my life to a commission for some noble house”
Gio paused for a moment.
“And… I’m jealous. I’m sorry to say this, Rika… but it hurts to look at everyone around me who just… doesn’t have to deal with this. My mind can’t help but wonder where I would be If I had access to better spells. I know that there are supposedly other students in a similar position to me, but I haven’t met any of them yet. I have nobody in my current circle that I can empathize with… besides Rio.” Gio said, looking away from Chandrika.
Chandrika had a pained expression on her face.
“I’m sorry, Gio. I can’t say that I know how you feel… but I want you to know that we’re here for you. The rules… are what they are. If you ever decide to emigrate, Know that my mother would place you and your family in a palace. You did save my life, after all. I’m sure Jean feels the same.” Chandrika said.
“That’s… very kind of you. I know I’ve said it before, but I knew - at least on some level- what I was getting myself into. I will try to isolate myself a little less, if not only to keep myself grounded. I do appreciate your friendship, Rika.” Gio said, smiling.
“I appreciate your friendship too, Gio. I’d love to take you to my country one day. Maybe you should request a pass to go visit the Copper Ring? It might be good for you to touch base with your people. I know that my grandmother has been a rock for me during Vespertine’s training.” Chandrika stated.
Gio perked up at the mention of her suggestion.
“That sounds… really good. I miss my family. It’ll have to be next week, though. I’ve got some interviews coming up that Professor A basically demanded that I sign up for. I’m not looking forward to them.” Gio grimaced.
“Yikes. Well, let me know if there’s anything I can do for you in the meantime. There’s got to be some way we can skirt the rules on your behalf. If not, I might just break them.” Chandrika said.
“Rika, I am not letting you get in trouble for me,” Gio said.
“Why not? What are they gonna do, expel me? Gio… as you’ve previously said, I am lucky enough to be incredibly privileged. I haven’t told you about him before… but I’m engaged to the love of my life, and I can’t talk to him or even about him until I return to Ujjbala Sūrya at the end of the school year in 6 months. I’m technically breaking that tradition by even mentioning him to you right now. Worst case scenario, I break a couple of rules, cause a minor international incident, and go home to get married- and let me tell you, Bangla wedding ceremonies are fun. As a matter of fact, I should invite the whole group!” Chandrika gushed,
Gio gawked at Chandrika, wearing a gleeful expression of mischief and excitement.
“If you’re comfortable with continuing to break this tradition, I need you to tell me everything about this man right now,” Gio begged.
“Well… I can be late for Weaving Club. So… his name is Jai and he’s the sweetest guy. I asked my family to sign me up for a matchmaker when I reached adulthood, and he is just a dream.” Chandrika gushed.
“Hold on, I’m gonna go order us some milkshakes. This is incredible.”