When Maenta joined them, the two women hugged for what Jorgan thought was a really long time. Long enough he felt really awkward, and he looked around to see if anyone was staring at them. Ben had found a table tucked into a corner near the doors into the rec deck. It let them see when Maenta came in. At the same time, a half-wall and a trellis full of flowering vines, growing from a trough of dirt inside that half-wall, provided them some privacy.
“Why?“ Tila asked again, once they were all sitting down. “Why the Defender?“
“Why not?“ Maenta chuckled, then busied herself a few seconds, taking her
bowl of shogo and a rainbow-colored plate of leafy vegetables off her tray. Then
she set the tray on the shelf next to the table. “The same reason you joined the
Fleet, the same reason you became a medic. Because that was what Enlo made you to
do, and it feeds your soul to serve. And to explore. You serve by preserving life.
I serve by helping young minds learn discipline and gain knowledge, and the wisdom
to use it properly. At my age.“ She stopped and winked at Jorgan. “I am old enough
I don’t need to confess it to anyone. At my age, it’s high time I added some spice
to my life and go on an adventure. Before I sprout roots and become permanently
fixed in one place.“
“But …“ Tila sighed and her smile went a little crooked. Like she felt
foolish. “The Academy won’t be the same without you there, guiding the new students,
helping the terrified ones find something familiar, making people laugh and then
think harder than they’ve ever done in their lives.“
“Hmm, yes, it does feed my unbalanced ego to think my absence makes a difference.“
Maenta stirred her shogo around, then tipped her head to one side. “What if that
difference is a good thing, an improvement?“
“No,“ Ben said. “Impossible.“
“Oh, my dear boy … do not challenge the universe to prove you wrong. Such absolute statements usually end with the speaker hanging by his ankles, facing whatever enormous stick Enlo has sent to whack him between the eyes and ram some sense of proportion through his thick skull.“ She glanced at Shayn, then Jorgan, who were both watching the conversation with their mouths starting to drop open. Maenta laughed, her head tipped back. Two bright pink spots spread across her cheeks.
Ben and Tila joined her a heartbeat later. Jorgan picked up his fork and looked for the bread pudding on Shayn’s tray. He knew he had to get his share of it before everything else, or he probably wouldn’t get any.
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