“You accepted a position,” she said, grasping his hands. “Where?” He was going to leave in the morning and go to the rest of his life. But finding their place in the world was what the three-day gathering was for.
“I’ve never seen you look this amazing, Trisk,” he said, evading her as he glanced at her contract basket and the three minor offers within, turned facedown in her disappointment. “Where’s your dad?”
“Coffee run,” she said, but he was really campaigning for her. “Who took you on?”
Quen shook his head. His thin hand, calloused from the security arts, felt rough as he tucked away a strand of her hair that had escaped the clip. They’d met in Physical Defense 101. He’d gone on to major in security studies as expected. She had not. Women, even those with hair and eyes as dark as hers, weren’t allowed to serve in anything more than passive security, and after fulfilling her security minor with demon studies, she intentionally flunked out of business to get into the scientific arena. It rankled Trisk that her grades were as good as Kal’s. She had the GPA to work for the National Administration of Scientific Advancement at the Kennedy Genetic Center, but she’d be lucky to get a job in Seattle, much less at NASA.
Kal’s laugh sounded loud, and Quen shifted so she wouldn’t have to watch the NASA representative and Kal’s parents fawn over him. There was an opening on the team that had just recently solved the insulin puzzle, freeing not only elven children from diabetes forever, but also humanity, the species they’d tested it on. Kal’s parents looked proud as they entertained the man. The Kalamack name was faltering, and they’d invested everything in their son to try to find a rebirth. Elitist little sod. Maybe if your family weren’t such snots, you could engender children.
Trisk’s lip twitched. “Did I ever tell you about the time Kal cheated off me?”
“Every time you drink too much.” Quen tried to tug her away, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave, not daring to be absent if someone should seek her out.
“He has to win every time, no matter what. Even a spelling test. You know the worst part?” she said as she refused to move and his hand fell away. “He knew we’d get caught and I’d be the one called a cheater, because the Goddess knows Kal is too smart and clever to cheat.”
“You think?” Quen grinned at her old anger. “I swear, Trisk, you should’ve majored in security. Maybe finished out that demon-study track. I bet you could find a demon name, and with that, they’d let you teach. Didn’t your grandmother teach?”
She nodded as she dropped down into her chair, not caring that her knees weren’t pressed together as they should be. Her grandmother had done a lot of things, not all of them in the light. So had her mother. May they both rest in peace. “Demon summoning is a dead art.”
Quen sat on the edge of her interviewer chair, looking awkward and handsome at the same time. “Security isn’t just guns, and knives, and stealth. It’s technology, and demons, and sneaking around. You’re good at that.”
Her eyes flicked to his. Not to mention security is the only place someone like me is allowed to excel. “I want to help our entire species, not just one or two of us.” She hesitated, astounded at the overdone display continuing across the aisle. “My God. His genetic code is so full of holes, I can smell the human spliced in from here.”
Quen ducked his head, hiding a smile. “I’m going to work for the Kalamack family,” he said, and shocked, Trisk felt her face go white.
“What? Why!”
“I have my reasons,” he said, not looking up. “It wasn’t the money, though I’ll admit it’s more than I thought I’d ever be able to make this soon.”
She couldn’t breathe, imagining the horror of working for the Kalamack family. “Quen, you can’t. Kal is a prejudiced prick who learned at the knee of his prejudiced dick father. You’ll never get the credit you deserve. They’ll treat their horses better than you.”
The sudden anger in his brow was surprising. “You think I don’t know that?”
“Quen,” she pleaded, taking his hand.
“I don’t need recognition like you do,” he said as he pulled away. “Besides, there are benefits to being forgotten and unseen among your betters.” Finally he smiled. “The chance to sneak around and learn things is unparalleled. I’ll be fine.”
But I won’t be, she thought, knowing her hope of finding a job near enough to him to stay in touch by any method other than letters was now utterly gone. The Kalamacks lived in Portland, and all the really good elven labs were in Florida or Texas.
She took a breath, hesitating when Quen rose, his attention fixed past her. She turned to see Kal, his smirk as he stood before them making it obvious he’d found out about Quen and wanted to rub her nose in it. “What do you want?” she said as she got to her feet, Quen’s hand on her shoulder.
“Hi, Felecia,” Kal mocked, and she bristled, hating her given name. It was why she went by her middle name, Eloytrisk, or Trisk for short.
“It’s Trisk,” she intoned, and Kal smirked.
“Felecia the flea. That’s what we called you, yes?” he said, lifting the lowest contract in her basket.
She shoved him back before he could see the letterhead, her face cold. “Keep out of my space. You stink like human.”