The journey itself, is freedom
by Ainzfern
17
For a long and precarious moment there was no sound in the courtyard save the sighing of the breeze through the canopy of an ancient evergreen tree that was towering over them. Then Tahna made a little 'tsk-tsk' sound as he closed the distance between himself and the Sapphire. "Really Laron," the undeniably exquisite Blondie chided him lightly. "Hiding in a courtyard licking our wounds, are we?" He lifted one nonchalant shoulder. "I must admit I am disappointed that any Elite who sponsors the Arts with as much passion as you do would crumble this quickly." He made some show of inspecting the perfectly manicured fingernails of one elegant hand, his lips pursed into a tiny little smirk. "Still... I suppose you'll need to pull back a little on said sponsorship now that Sir Kyle had shown you the door. Shame, really. The artists of Amoi need all the help they can get."
Resisting the urge to heave a heavy sigh, Laron pinned Tahna with a coolly withering look. "I must correct your assumption, Sir Tahna," he spoke with superbly icy courtesy, "but I resigned my post."
Tahna's eyes narrowed, his demeanor utterly unaffected by Laron's distant manner. "Kyle claims to have dismissed you."
Laron felt his lips thin into a hard line. "Kyle is in error."
Against all the Sapphire's expectations, Tahna's face lit up with a stunning smile. His stance relaxed and he turned to face Laron fully, leaning one slim hip against the back of a conveniently placed carved bench-seat. "Yes... I thought as much." The Blondie ran one hand through his pale hair, pushing the heavy mass back over his shoulder. "Kyle just seemed too insufferably smug not to be lying."
Laron blinked, feeling a wary expression forming upon his face. He would not actually say that Tahna's unusually pleasant manner was making him nervous at all, but experience had taught him to be on his guard with this particular Blondie. To Laron, Tahna's motivations, his end goals, had always eluded him. It was difficult at the best of time, he had to admit, trying to ascertain what made Tahna Lam so unpredictable of demeanor. "I am assuming," he ventured carefully, "that you are drawing such a conclusion from recent observation?"
The Blondie's silken chuckle filled the courtyard for a moment. "If you mean – 'is Kyle Li sinking his entire cutlery set into your back?' – then yes, I did indeed draw the conclusion from observation."
Laron averted his face for a second, breathing deeply to control the surge of anger that cut through him. "I see," he replied stiffly. "And how like you, Sir Tahna, to find such a situation amusing."
Once more surprising him, Tahna actually rolled his eyes long-sufferingly towards the sky, "Oh, un-puff those feathers for goodness' sake, Laron," he shot back snippily, "I'm not your enemy in this."
Laron simply arched an elegant cobalt brow at him.
Appearing even more amused by the reaction, Tahna chuckled again. "I don't blame you for having reservations," those beautiful violet eyes narrowed again as the Blondie continued, "but you don't have to."
"You're saying that I can trust you?" Laron almost scoffed the words. "You, of all people?"
"Oh no," Tahna waved an airy hand at him, "I wouldn't be foolish enough to trust me... and I am me."
"In all honesty, Sir Tahna," this time, Laron did sigh, but tiredly, "I really have neither the patience nor the inclination to be playing along with—"
"Kyle Li daring to censure you because of your mate was reprehensible," Tahna cut him off flatly, his face suddenly deadly serious and all business, "and forcing you into a position where you had to resign because of that censure was doubly so."
"I...," Laron blinked, his voice trailing off for a moment. Tahna's tone had been unlike any he had heard before from the man. "I would have thought, Sir Tahna, that your stance in this matter would not be opposed to Kyle's." Still cautious, he crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Particularly when you take into account the fact that Esra was, after all, my Pet."
"Hmm," Tahna gave him a shrewd sidelong glance, just a hint of a dimple forming at the edge of his rich mouth. "This is true, of course... and it certainly explains why I was struck so suddenly by a ballistic salad bowl during the museum sponsor's dinner a few years back."
Laron pinned the Blondie with an unfriendly stare, heat rising in his face. "You were deliberately and unnecessarily critical towards Esra that evening," he snapped out. "Esra was still practically a child, only new from the Academy, and your disgraceful—"
"Oh, this is really too delightful!" Tahna literally crowed with evil enjoyment, "You still haven't gotten over it."
"I am warning you, Tahna," Laron dropped the usual honorific, his voice lowering to a dangerous snarl.
"Oh, everybody warns me at some point or other." Unconcerned by Laron's vehemence, Tahna lifted an elegant shoulder. "It hasn't stopped me yet though." He vented a little sigh, grimacing and shaking his head. "What I was attempting to say, Laron – before I was so rudely interrupted by the sound of you beating your chest – was that I was never actually trying to insult your precious Esra at all. In fact, he was quite incidental. I was merely trying to get a rise out of you."
"May I ask why such a thing was necessary at all?" Laron frowned at him.
Tahna ran his hands through his hair again and, to Laron's eyes, he looked unusually restive, even somewhat exasperated. "Because, Laron," he answered, the expression on his perfect face an odd mix humor and seriousness, "Amoi, Tanagura and especially Eos, bore me to tears... and the interminable social niceties that Elites are required to observe with colleagues who are pre-disposed to loathe me upon sight stifle me utterly. Can you blame me for seeking entertainment in any form that I can get it?" He tossed his head haughtily, heaving a grudging little sigh. "However... all of that aside, had I known back then that you were in love with the dear little creature, in hindsight, perhaps I may have handled things differently."
The Sapphire shook his head. "You expect me to believe that you would not have made your unpleasant remarks?" he asked, his tone dripping with derision.
Beautiful violet eyes, ingenuously wide and made luminous by the moonlight, turned his way and assessed him closely. "Oh no..." Tahna smiled at him, "I still would have said them," his voice turned droll. "However I do feel I would have been far better prepared to dodge the flying side-dishes."
Laron felt his shoulders drop tiredly, a tiny grimace crossing his flawless face. Normally, he did sincerely pride himself on his even-tempered nature, leaning slightly more towards the aloof than the warm – except with Esra, of course. But there was just something about Tahna's volatile nature that put the Sapphire on edge. "Sir Tahna," he said quietly, even resignedly, "I realize that I am probably foolish in opening myself to further derision from you but, please, simply tell me what it is that you require from me or – and I mean this with the greatest respect for your station – go away."
Tahna sobered once more, looking levelly at him, his face thoughtful. "You love him?"
"Esra?" Laron frowned at him again. "Of course."
"Why?"
Again, Laron looked closely at the perfect face before him, trying to spot that sly twinkle in Tahna's huge eyes, that secret little look of amusement that would indicate that he was being set up again.
He could not see it.
"Why do I love him?" He mused quietly in reply, looking up at the stars for a moment, feeling his face soften a little. "So many reasons, Sir Tahna," he sighed almost sadly. "If I may be so bold... I might suggest that it would be impossible to explain to you. Not having experienced such affection yourself, you could not possibly understand my situation."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Tahna murmured, just on the edge of hearing, as he stepped over to Laron's side, joining him in a moment of star-gazing. "Although I must admit that it has never occurred to me to upgrade either of my own Pets to become my life-mate and lover."
Oddly heart-sore, Laron huffed a tiny breath of bleak laughter.
"But then..." Tahna pulled in a deep breath, almost as if bracing himself, even as his voice became softer, more contemplative, "I don't actually have to... seeing as how I am being most exquisitely fucked with almost alarming regularity by the senior Federation Minister for Trade and Foreign Affairs."
For a moment, Laron simply felt puzzled, not entirely sure that he had heard correctly. Then, with the echo of Tahna's words still hanging in the air, he turned to stare at the Blondie, his eyes widening and his dark brows lifting in honest shock. "You...?" he peered closely at Tahna's face. "You are quite serious," he stated.
"I am."
"Minister Neeson..?"
"...Is my lover, yes," Tahna tilted his head and regarded him with a level gaze. He smiled slowly. "For almost a year now."
"This is not just another of your witticisms, is it?"
Tahna's expression grew positively self-satisfied. "Believe me, Laron; I am hardly going to jest about so intimate a matter." He glanced over one shoulder, back in the direction of the function hall, his eyes glinting dangerously. "Your erstwhile Sir Li, and that cluster of velvet-clad jackals gathered around him, would have a veritable field day were they to be made aware of this."
"Which, I must admit, Sir Tahna, begs the question – why are you taking such a risk in telling me now?" Laron shook his head, still feeling quite thrown off centre by the Blondie's unexpected admission.
"Because I have a feeling, Laron, that you and I have a lot more in common than it would appear upon first inspection." Tahna tapped an elegant finger against his chin, his eyes meditative. "And, furthermore – I believe that you and I might just have the solutions to each other's current problems."
"I was not aware that you had any problems, Sir Tahna," Laron's full lips quirked into a tiny smile. "Outside of the obvious, of course."
"Oh, well done," Tahna flashed him a dazzling smile, his eyes lighting up with vast amusement once more. "A perfectly turned insult delivered in the precise tones of courtesy in the best Elitist tradition. There's hope for you yet, Laron. I shall be in touch with you directly." He winked wickedly, shifting his weight and turning towards the courtyard exit.
"Sir Tahna," Laron stepped towards him startled at the abrupt, if reasonably congenial, end to their interaction.
Pausing, Tahna looked over one elegant shoulder, pale brow raised. "Yes?"
"I am left with a strong certainty that there is far more going on here than you are revealing."
"Well, you're certainly right about that much."
"Perhaps..?" Laron grimaced and shook his head. "I will confess to being left in a somewhat mystified state of mind by our conversation this evening." He lifted his hands in a vague gesture. "I am a plainly spoken man, Sir Tahna, as you well know. I deal best with facts and specifics rather than hints and intimations. So, in view of this truth, is there actually something that you wish me for to do?"
Turning back to fully face him, Tahna gnawed at this full lower lip for a moment, looking gravely at the Sapphire with an inscrutable glint in his eyes. "It is early days at this point, Laron," he murmured at length. "But allow me to ask you this question;" he smiled blandly, "has it not always been an ambition of yours to run your own department?"
"Of course," Laron replied immediately, even as an echo of his earlier frustration returned to him. "But how am I now to achieve such a desire? Now that Kyle Li is bending his resources to ensuring that such a thing remains firmly out of my reach? Whose department would I possibly be entrusted with now?"
Tahna blithely lifted an elegant shoulder. "Mine... as a matter of fact."
For the second time since beginning the conversation with Tahna Lam, Laron was rendered speechless. Staring at the Blondie, he shook his head slowly, reaching out for the back of the bench Tahna had been leaning against earlier and carefully guiding himself to sit. He swallowed hard, pushing back the surge of excitement, the impossible hope that rose up within him by sheer willpower alone.
Now was not the time to lose focus. Above all things he still had to remember who he was dealing with. Although Tahna seemed to be sincere, there was always the chance that this was nothing more than an elaborate deception at his expense. "Well," he said with only the merest hint of tremor in his voice, a tension that only those who knew him well would even pick up on, "it's an appealing suggestion, Sir Tahna, and one that I would be most eager to discuss," he looked up and held Tahna's gaze levelly as he spoke. "At an appropriate time and place, of course. Perhaps I should hear a little more from you, from a logistical point of view, before committing to any course of action."
As if almost reading his very thoughts, Tahna nodded approvingly. "You're wise to treat the offer with caution, Laron. I certainly would in your place."
Laron bowed his head urbanely toward the Blondie. "I hope you are not offended."
Tahna waved a dismissive hand at him. "On the contrary," he smiled again, flicking a tiny fallen leaf from the tree beside the courtyard off the shoulder of his sash-coat, "I would think considerably less of you if you were foolish enough to believe me without substantiation. An edge like that, Laron, a strong and instinctive sense of self-preservation, you're going to need it if you do decide to accept my offer."
Laron smiled slightly, lifting a wry brow. "Assuming it even exists, of course."
"Oh yes," Tahna chuckled softly, "always assuming it exists." He winked again and pulled a deep breath, drawing himself up to his full height and straightening his broad shoulders. "If you would be so good as to present yourself at my office in the Midas Museum of History, 8AM sharp, the day after tomorrow... then hopefully I will be in a better position to assuage any doubts you may have."
Laron hesitated for a moment.
Huffing a soft sigh, Tahna once again rolled his eyes skywards. "Oh, for goodness sake," he muttered. "Look... even if it is all smoke and mirrors, what do you have to lose? All you will waste is a trip – correct?"
"This is true."
"So..?"
Laron's full mouth curved with a slow smile. "I shall be there."
"Very well," Tahna bowed elegantly, once more turning to leave.
"Sir Tahna?"
Heaving a great sigh, Tahna threw his hands up and turned around once more, his beautiful eyes flashing impatiently. "What is it now, Laron?"
"Why?" Undaunted and, oddly, no longer even irritated by Tahna's prickly demeanor, Laron rose to his feet and walked towards the Blondie, stopping a foot or so away and looking directly into his remarkably beautiful violet eyes. "Why are doing this? Why are you making this offer to me, of all people?"
For a long moment, Tahna was silent and Laron began to wonder if he was going to answer at all. Then, at length, the Blondie pulled a disgusted face and wrinkled his perfect nose in distaste. "Shamefully enough," he replied, "it is motivated by a certain amount of empathy."
Laron arched a quizzical brow at him.
Obviously seeing his perplexity, Tahna nodded. "You are being singled out. Ostracized, for want of a better word, for something that you are unable to help. I don't happen to like that very much." His expression grew sly. "And I will admit there is a certain, shall we say, personal motivation on my part. I rather do like the idea of seeing our supercilious Sir Kyle plopped neatly back into his place... all his so-called clever plans thwarted. It will be long overdue, in my opinion."
Laron considered his answer, finding very little fault with it. "I cannot argue with you on that point."
"Good," Tahna huffed at him again. "Now... is that the last chorus? May I go now?"
"But of course, Sir Tahna," Laron inclined his head graciously. "My apologies for detaining you. Please, have a pleasant evening."
With one final sly little smile, Tahna turned and strode gracefully away.
In the wake of his exit, Laron released a slow breath, once more lifting his deep blue eyes to the starlit skies.
Absolutely extraordinary – that only a few moments ago, Laron was struggling with the heavy weight of legitimate concerns about his future, wondering how he could turn his circumstances around or even salvage them at all and now...? Now, his future was resplendent with possibilities and the promise of accelerated success.
Did he believe Tahna Lam?
Laron smiled, shaking his head ruefully, even as he asked himself that question.
Yes. Contrary to all common sense and even going against previous experience, Laron found that he did indeed believe every damned word the Blondie had spoken tonight. Why, he could not really say. Whether it was something in Tahna's manner, in his tone or his words – in the end such conjecture became practically immaterial.
What Laron did know for sure was that he would be there, at the Midas Museum of History, the day after tomorrow.
At 8AM sharp.
The journey itself... – chapter 16 << >> The journey itself... – chapter 18