The Exchange Teacher - Welcome to Dyntril Academy

Stepping further into the room, Basque let Reianna come all the way in. "Hey, Tink, I wanna hear that song you were listening to earlier again. Mind putting it on?"

The fiery man stood and headed towards the workshop. "It is a great tune, ain't it?"

Reianna waited with a smile spread across her face and more of a bounce in her step than Basque had ever seen. Soon, the dishes rattled with the thumping of bass, and a guitar began to wail.

While they waited for the Tinkerer, Natt and Symantha cleared the table, putting the dishes in the sink. By the time he returned, the four of them were already sitting at the table, looking at the drawing Reianna had made for Basque earlier. Her silver dress was laid across the table.

"So, as I was telling Gerenet-Shr, when I look at this dress Loushee gave me, I can see two identifiers for it: a teacup and a dress. The dress box is more pronounced, and the teacup is like a faint shadow behind it."

She traced her finger around the faded box. "I began wondering, what if it were backwards? What if I could make the dress box a shadow and the teacup one more pronounced?"

In a swirl, the dress shrank, becoming a teacup. Symantha and Basque jumped back in their seats.

"Whoa!" the Tinkerer said.

The dress popped back into existence.

"I'm not like Loushee. I can't make new boxes—"

"They're called 'dialogs,'" Basque interjected.

"Shh!" Natt tapped his arm. "Let the girl talk."

Reianna rolled her eyes. "I can't make new dialogs, but by using Identify on the ones there, I can swap between the…two…" Reianna's eyes narrowed.

They waited a bit for her to talk again, but she just glared at the dress.

"Reianna?" Basque asked.

"There's…something else there. It's really faint, but I can see…"

The dress exploded out, doubling, tripling in size in random directions, then collapsed into a malformed teacup of varying patterns and designs. It flickered back and forth between teacup and dress, sometimes both at once, in vibrant colors, not part of either. Except for Reianna, they all backed away from the object and table, afraid that it might touch them during one of its flickers. Reianna doubled over in her chair, squeezing her temples and wincing in pain.

Reaching out a hand, Basque called out, "Reianna!"

The dress settled back into being the silver dress, and Reianna slumped in her chair, panting like she'd just finished sprinting. "That hurt."

"What was that?" Still eyeing the dress, like it might go haywire again, Basque took a step forward and put his hand on Reianna's forehead, checking her temperature.

Her face was pallid as she looked up at him. "I don't know. I found another dialog box thing, but instead of a name, it had all these weird symbols, and under it, it said, 'System Error,' with more gibberish under that."

As she spoke, the color came back to Reianna's face, but Basque was still worried. He sat in the chair next to hers, his head in his hands, and his elbows on his knees.

Reianna straightened in her chair and looked at Basque. "When I selected that box, the dress-cup went all crazy like that and my in—..." She paused as if she were debating something. "My interface started flickering like the dress, too."

Pulling out a pencil and flipping the paper on the table over, she began to draw.

"What does that mean?"

Reianna shook her head. "I was hoping you knew. That just flashed all over my vision until I reselected the dress dialog."

Taking the paper, Basque looked at it. He had no idea what any of it meant. What's a seg_fault? "Do you mind if I keep this?" he asked her.

She shook her head, and he tossed it in his inventory. Basque was going to have to make time to go visit the Hianbrun delegation. If anyone had a clue about that message, it would be Xelac.

"But you're feeling okay, now, right?"

She nodded.

Basque looked at Natt, who just stood there with a look of concern. Turning back to Reianna, he said, "Maybe, you shouldn't do that again," Basque said.

Reianna laughed. "Yeah, I'll not do that."

The room fell silent. It seemed the joy that had brought Reianna running downstairs had been sucked out by whatever had happened to the dress thing. Basque smiled, wanting to bring that atmosphere back.

"But! You said you've got a fix for tomorrow?" The enthusiasm in his voice sounded forced even to him.

Putting her hand on her dress, Reianna vanished it into her inventory. She smiled. "I do!"

"Well, show us!"

In front of them, a lilac interface popped into existence. Except for the color, it was a mirror of Basque's own—Reianna had effectively hidden her non-standard option.

"Reianna! That's amazing!" Amazing failed to describe the elation and relief that flowed through Basque. All the strength fled his body, and his eyes swelled up, but he didn't cry. Leaning forward, he put his arm on the table and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Natt squeezed Basque's shoulder, and he put his hand on hers, squeezing back. Reianna would be safe. He was still uneasy about Krill's plans, but the nightmare of Reianna being dissected alive would soon be over.

Her smile was so big and wide that the young girl glowed. She had every reason to be happy and proud of herself. Basque felt honored to be her teacher. With her skills, capability, and genius, he saw no end to the heights that she could attain.

"So, I began wondering, if I can use Identify on a dialog box, can I use it on the interface itself. I tried it, and it gave me a suboption menu that lets me turn options on or off."

Unable to contain himself, he let go of Natt's hand and patted Reianna's shoulder. "Really. Great job."

Hopping out of her chair, Reianna hugged him. In his ear, she whispered. "Thank you, Gerenet-Shr. I owe it all to you."

He hugged her back and shook his head ever so slightly. He hadn't done anything. She'd done it all herself.

"Well! This looks like something to celebrate!" Symantha said.

Reianna let go of Basque and sat back down in her chair, swinging her feet back and forth. Her smile still plastered on her face.

"I'm going to have some wine! Anyone else want some?"

Basque and Natt shook their heads.

"I'll wait to celebrate when everything's passed," he said. It felt too early to celebrate. The witch trial still hadn't convened, and Reianna hadn't been proven innocent. Until that happened, Basque was going to keep his wits about him.

"I'm still laying off the alcohol," Natt said.

"Well, suit yourselves!" the Tinkerer said, "Pour you a glass, then give me the bottle, Sym!"

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

After glancing at his interface clock, Basque stood and stretched. "You know, I think I ought to get Reianna back to the dorms. The past few days have been stressful, and she can use the rest. We still have a big day tomorrow."

That was only half the reason—he also didn't really feel like sitting around watching other people get drunk.

Reianna stood with him. "Thank you all."

The Tinkerers turned their attention to her. Symantha smiled, and the Tinkerer grinned at her with his hands on his hips. Natt backed up and hid in the shadow of the wall.

"Good night, sweetie," Symantha said as she poured her wine.

Tinkerer ruffled her hair. "You're always welcome, Reianna. Your teacher, though, he's about to lose his welcome."

Basque frowned at him. "I'm not a tinkerer, Tink. I just asked you to make something from back home."

"Well, ask for more!"

"Enough, Tink! Leave Biscuit alone." Turning to Basque, Symantha winked at him. "You're always welcome here."

"Bah! I'm just bored of fixing Yani-carriages for Yani-nobles!"

"Invent something, then!" his wife scolded him.

Before their playful arguing escalated, Basque put his arm on Reianna's shoulder and guided her out of the dining area. "Thanks again, Sym, and good night. You coming, Natt?"

She shook her head. "I'm going to stay here a bit longer. See you tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, tomorrow."

The others escorted Basque and Reianna out to the workshop, where they parted ways, and the Tinkerer shut off his music. Stepping outside, they were surrounded by darkness, and Basque pulled out a light to guide their way back.

He could feel the contentment flowing from Reianna next to him, even though she didn't say anything. Relief was the greatest feeling swirling inside Basque. She would be safe, he knew it, but there was still an edge of nervousness mixed inside him, buried by the relief and embarrassment.

Natt's refusal to come back with them was another rebuke of his gaffe. Move in with me. He shook his head. If Reianna hadn't been walking with him, he would have run off into the fields and screamed his head off.

The torches illuminating the training field were still lit, and Basque was surprised to see a couple of second-year students still out practicing. When they caught sight of Basque and Reianna, they stopped. Basque only overheard the end of their whispered conversation, "...that girl."

One of the boys walked forward and pointed his staff at Reianna. "Wanna go, girl?"

Ignoring them, Reianna kept smiling and walking towards the entrance.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" the boy said and extended his staff, blocking their path. The boy's staff was too elaborate to be one of the school's basic training equipment. It had to have been his own.

In the dim light of the training ground, Basque couldn't see the exact color of the boy's hair; all he could tell was that it was a darker color. "It's late. You boys should head in."

"I'm not talking to you, outwaller. You're not even a real teacher here."

"Yes, but I'm her teacher, and she's not going to fight you."

"Aww, don't be such a boring Yani. I just want to see if she's as good as she looked during the tournament."

"It's late," Reianna said. "You boys should head in."

"Come on! Don't listen to him! Fight me."

Basque frowned. "Reianna, are you watching?"

She nodded, indicating that she'd started recording. Basque's hand flashed out and jabbed the boy's radial nerve, and the boy's hand flinched open, the staff falling from his grip. Basque's other hand snatched it from the air and vanished it into his inventory.

The boy looked at Basque with his mouth hanging open.

"If you want your staff back, ask your teacher to come get it from me tomorrow."

As Basque and Reianna walked off, the boy yelled after them, "It's not just me, okay? Everyone at this school wants a go at her! Hey! You hear me?"

The yelling disappeared when they entered the school, and the door blocked out the noise. "You don't have to engage with them," Basque told Reianna.

"It's fine. I'm more worried that my inventory will get full of weapons."

Basque laughed. "I'm glad you're keeping positive about it, but please don't. Stay with your pod, more people if possible."

"Yes, Gerenet-Shr."

"I'll also ask Natt and Harnel about it, maybe see if there's anything we can do."

"Thank you."

They walked in silence the rest of the way to their rooms. Not many other students were left in the hallway, but those who were all looked at Reianna.

Basque sighed. He missed his school back in Hianbru. Everything was so dramatic here. It was one problem after the next. School had only been in session for a month, and it felt like a year had passed already. By the time he got home, he feared he would have more gray hairs than his mother.

At last, they reached their dorm hall. Basque wished Reianna a good night and headed into his room. Sophia was not there to greet him, but sticking his head in the bathroom revealed a tub of steaming water.

He bathed and got himself ready for bed. Like he'd told the Tinkerers, it'd been a long couple of days. He hoped that the school's obsession with wanting to fight Reianna would blow over quickly. As far as he knew, once they made it past the "dissect Reianna" thing, his only worry would be the end-of-year tournament.

Nine months was all the time he had to get his lowest-level students past where Reianna was at the moment. Since all of them were exceptional, Basque had faith that they would make it there with time to spare, but it would never stop him from worrying.

And, even though Krill was helping him now, once the deputy headmaster got whatever it was that he wanted, Basque didn't doubt that Krill would turn his attention back on his class, trying to make their lives hell.

Basque was on the verge of falling asleep when a knock resounded from the audience room. Now, Sophia shows up…Not bothering to get out of bed or even open his eyes, he called out, "Come in, Sophia."

"Oh, so do I need to worry about Sophia coming to your room this time of night?"

Shooting up in bed, Basque's eyes flew open. "Natt!" Through his interface, he turned on his bedroom light, and a soft glow illuminated the room.

She smiled at him as she leaned against the door, closing it with a soft click. For once, she wore a dress instead of the pants, vest, and white shirt. Basque's breath caught, and the world froze. The entirety of his being was focused on the vision in front of him.

A blush colored Natt's cheeks, and she averted her eye for a beat, then looked back up, locking her gaze on Basque. The light-blue cloth of her dress hugged her body, swooping low on her chest, exposing the tops of her breasts, squeezing them together in a way that Hianbrun clothing never could.

The dress pinched in at her waist, then flowed down her legs to her ankles. A slit on the side of the dress exposed the majority of Natt's long, toned leg. As she walked over to his table to put down something that he hadn't even noticed she was carrying, he got a view of the dress from behind.

It was clasped together around her neck, then the rest of the dress was cut away down to the middle of her back; it was nothing but Natt's creamy skin. As the front was designed to emphasize her bust, the back was designed to emphasize her posterior. The swell of her hips swished as she walked to the table.

Basque swallowed hard. He'd seen other Kruamian women wear clothes like this, but it wasn't until he saw Natt wearing it that the eroticism of it hit him.

She smiled at his reaction. "I've not worn this since I fell. I was worried it wouldn't fit anymore."

Unable to say anything, Basque's mouth dangled open. A pang of jealousy hit him as he realized that meant others had seen her wear something so spectacular.

Natt smiled. She spun around so her back was to him again, but turned her head so that their gazes remained locked. Reaching up and under her hair, she undid the clasp of her dress, but didn't let it fall. When her hands were at shoulder level, they paused, taunting him.

Sensual. That was the only word that came to Basque's mind. The other times they had been together, other feelings had dominated them: lust, anger, sorrow, consolation. There was always something. This was the first time there was nothing but sensuality. Basque's heart worked in overdrive the feeling so overwhelmed him.

She let go of the straps, and the front of the dress fell to her waist. Crossing her arms over her chest, Natt twisted so Basque could see her profile. Basque grabbed his sheets and squeezed his hands, as if he was pinning himself down with his covers.

Turning her back to him again, Natt hooked her thumbs into her dress. She pushed down until the top of the split in her back became visible—she wore nothing under the dress.

After the briefest pause, Natt shimmied her hips while pushing the dress over them. Once the dress cleared her wide hips, gravity took over, and the dress fell away to the floor, leaving the lily-white-haired woman completely naked.

Still, she didn't turn around. She put one leg out, turning it sideways, then spun. As she spun, one arm went across her chest, the other clasped the outside of the opposite hip. The toying look from earlier was gone, and she chewed her bottom lip.

Basque's eyes were dry, but still, he didn't blink. Blinking meant he wasn't watching. Seeing his reaction, Natt's seductive smile curled back on her lips. She let go of her hip and, ever so slowly, placed her hand on the bed.

At last, the hand covering her chest moved, letting Basque see her in her full nakedness. His breath was heavy.

A knee went onto his bed, then the other. Natt crawled to him until her lips were a hair's width away from his, but she didn't kiss him. She sat back on his crotch, and Basque cursed that he hadn't thrown his blankets off.

Sitting on him, she slipped one of her shoes off and threw it at the door. The shoe crashed into it with a thunk. A second thunk soon followed.

She leaned down and kissed him, and a moan escaped his lips, but she retreated. She brushed her hair out of her face and stared at him. Leaning forward, he wrapped his hand behind her head and pulled her down for another kiss.

Again, she broke off their kiss, but didn't sit up; she just gave him an expectant look. Basque obeyed as he reached under the covers, undoing the sash on his evening robe.

Natt leaned forward, sliding her hands under the robe, and pushed against his chest. She slid them outward, exposing his hard chest to her, and she moaned.

For a third time, she leaned in for a kiss. She broke it, but didn't sit up. Instead, she kissed her way to his ear, then nibbled on his earlobe before whispering to him, "I can't move in with you. If I do, I'll lose myself. But I want you." She slipped under the covers.

For the first time, they made love. They didn't fuck. They didn't have sex. It was slow and passionate. The act of being with her was more pleasurable than his climax.

Afterwards, they lay satisfied in each other's arms. Natt brushed her nails against Basque's forearm, which was wrapped around her, giving him a gentle scratch. Basque was almost asleep when she whispered in a voice barely loud enough for him to hear, as if she was afraid he would hear it, but she still had to say it, "But maybe losing myself wouldn't be so bad."