Miyuki & Vasilis

It had to be done. It was overdue anyway.

Vasilis sent word to Miyuki that she should meet him in his study that evening. He summoned each member of the commune regularly for conversation, open discussion and sometimes idle chat. Experience proved this an effective way to encourage cooperation, order and openness as well as a deterrent on gossip and rumor. He earned a reputation for intolerance of childish behavior and selfish grudges. The commune thrived under his leadership; petty arguments garnered no welcome in his community.

Miyuki’s unique talents ensured she visited Vasilis more often than most. He tried not to give the impression he didn’t trust her. Quite the opposite: she proved herself trustworthy time and time again. However, her youth and the depth of her abilities required supplemental guidance beyond that given to other wizards; only one other member visited Vasilis more often than she. Still, her visit could wait no longer, and persistent gossip and rumor about an alleged confrontation with another resident required attention.

As he waited, he browsed through his notes again. The latest entries in her file include the report of the incident three nights ago. His admiration of her precocious maturity offset most of his mild disappointment in her involvement in an obvious incident. Reserved and considerate as she was, she was still young and prone to youthful mistakes. He had no doubt the incident, whatever caused it, indicated some further progress in her development.

She knocked on the door right on schedule.

“Come in.”

Miyuki’s sense of fashion stood out among a community of oddballs and misfits. As she grew older, she refined her style gradually, changing her outfits in subtle yet significant ways. The young ones her age called her style Victorian Gothic, though she shunned the usual black base colors for snowy white, a decision no doubt influenced by her hair of the same color. Her unique fashion gained notoriety due to the fact that Miyuki was functionally blind. A white misty fog infused her cornea, covering her iris and pupil. At first look one got the impression her eyes were nothing more than smooth white orbs, but given a close look, one could barely make out the dark discs below the fog.

Her eyes made many nervous, though given an chance, she had a gift for putting people at ease. Her fashion sense complimented her natural features, a statement of her acceptance of self. Few wizards, much less people, openly displayed such acceptance of their flaws. It deepened his admiration of her.

“You called for me, Master Vasilis?” she said in her soft, firm voice.

“Yes, Miyuki, come in, have a seat.”

She couldn’t see as normal people see, but her empathic and telepathic abilities gave her a method of sensing her environment. Having visited the study before, she knew where the chairs were and made her way over to sit down. As she did, she raised an eyebrow.

“Tea?”

Vasilis nodded. “Your favorite, Yin Zhen.”

She smiled. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Vasilis sighed. “Given the nature of our discussion, I wanted to try to put you more at ease.”

Miyuki’s smile faded. “I see.” She reached down, felt for the saucer and cup handle, lifted them and took a sip.

“We are overdue for a chat. The incident only served to remind me, is all,” he explained.

Miyuki nodded. “You want my side of the story.”

“Yes.”

“Have you spoken to Silas yet?”

Vasilis’s face scrunched a bit. “Silas isn’t talking to anyone. Whatever happened affected him greatly.”

Miyuki’s eyes fell. “I know.”

He said nothing more, but picked up his notepad and pen and made himself comfortable.

She took another sip of tea. “Silas confessed his attraction to me and asked me out on a date.”

Vasilis’s eyebrow raised slowly and deliberately.

“I know, I was surprised, too. I thought he was afraid of me until two weeks ago. He found an excuse to run an errand to the vegetable garden during my normal harvesting time. We must have talked for over an hour.”

That Miyuki opened a dialog with someone marked a turning point. Vasilis scribbled furiously, trying to note various implications as they occurred to him.

“He seemed interested in everything I was doing, and asked if I wanted to see the table he constructed for his father. He is a gifted craftsman; I was impressed by his work, and I told him this.

“We met in the library to read, and that’s when he confessed. I told him I decided I couldn’t get romantically involved with anyone unless they allowed me to perform a reading.”

Vasilis’s pen stopped abruptly. His eyes closed.

“You didn’t.”

Miyuki sipped her tea.

It all made sense. Miyuki’s readings could make the bravest of the brave cower in fear. Her abilities allowed her access to the deepest recesses of a person’s psyche. She could then force the person to face the worst part of themselves while they remained completely powerless to deny the truth. If she had done this to Silas, it could be some time before he would recover. Young men his age typically lacked the experience and self-awareness to accept their true selves.

Vasilis put his notepad back down on the table. “You shouldn’t have.”

“I tried to talk him out of it,” she said. “For three days he pursued me, insisting he was ready, that he had nothing to hide. He was wrong, of course.”

Vasilis nodded and looked away. “Of course.” He looked back after a moment. “So why did you agree to it?”

She sipped her tea as she considered her answer. “Part of me hoped he would make it through.”

Miyuki’s weakness proved common among those with such talents. Telepaths and Empaths isolated themselves as a survival method, though recent advances in Alchemy and Enchanting made it possible to suppress their sensory perception to a manageable level. Even so, becoming romantically involved with someone made suppression impossible. Eventually the telepath or empath would perceive everything they could about the other, regardless of the wishes of either person.

Miyuki obviously worked this out on her own, adding to Vasilis’s admiration. He could not fault her for being lonely or for wanting to give Silas a chance. He knew the effect loneliness had on a person. It was a burden he knew she would have to bear.

“In my opinion, Miyuki, you should have refused.”

Miyuki tilted her head in her particular inquisitive way. “Why?”

Vasilis smiled. “This might come as news to you, but mentally and emotionally, you are far more mature that other people your age.”

Miyuki thought about this a moment. “He hadn’t faced his true nature before.”

Vasilis nodded. “Many people don’t face their true selves until well into their twenties. Some never do. You, on the other hand, faced yours in an unfortunately violent way, and at a relatively young age.”

Mikuyi sighed. “I made an assumption I shouldn’t have. I let my loneliness affect my judgement.”

“Don’t be hard on yourself. It’s not something you could have predicted. And remember, he pursued you. If I know him, he won’t blame you either.”

Miyuki sipped her tea, lost in thought.

“Can I ask you a personal question?” she asked.

“Certainly.”

“Have you ever wished you were normal?”

Vasilis smiled broadly. “Often. One must be cautious of such thoughts. They can lead to significant depression, and you know the dangers of that.”

Miyuki nodded. “All too well.”

“Ignoring the fact that dwelling on such wishes is, of course, futile and useless. You would do better to spend the time on your focus techniques. The commune understands your situation. There is no need to worry about their perception of you.”

Miyuki’s eyes widened slightly. “You never told me you were telepathic. I was going to mention that.”

“I’m not, but do you think you are the first wizard to face such issues?”

Miyuki relaxed visibly.

“How did they handle romantic situations?” Miyuki asked.

Vasilis sighed heavily. “A good number remained celibate and detached. Some found a match in other telepaths. Others took a chance; some worked out, many didn’t.”

Miyuki bit her lip. “Do you know of any others like me in the other groups?”

Vasilis thought for a moment. “A few, but none under the age of fifty. Most are women, though we aren’t entirely sure why. We suspect the genes for telepathic and empathic magic exist on a woman’s X chromosome, though we lack access to the appropriate equipment and expertise to test the theory. In any case, the ones I know personally have all come to terms with their romantic needs in one way or another.”

Miyuki finished her tea, set the cup and saucer down, and folded her hands into her lap. “Do you think there’s hope I could find someone?”

Vasilis worked hard to keep Miyuki from detecting his emotional response. “Of course. You are young, Miyuki. Only sixteen. The attack was two years ago. Look how far you’ve come since then! Over the next few years you will progress even further. In that time, there is a good chance a prospect will present themselves, or we’ll discover someone like you. There is always hope.”

“Hope, but no guarantees,” Miyuki added.

Vasilis shrugged. “Is anything in life any different?”

“I suppose not.”

Vasilis nodded. “Word will get out about what happened. I’d advise you be open about your expectations for prospective suitors. It will deter some, but you are a beautiful, kind and talented young woman. You are certainly worth the risk; it is clear some have figured that out.”

She smiled, and blushed almost imperceptibly.

“Well, that should do it for today. You have much to think about and chores to do, as do I.” He stood up; she did as well, and he walked her to the door, bid her good day and closed the door.

“Go in peace, child, and may fortune go with you.”