Ellie and Devin (part two)

A new character emerges.

"Devin."

"Yes?"

"Did I ever give you permission to call me by a nickname?" Devin pauses slightly as he walks, but recovers swiftly. They step onto the stone path leading to the dormitory.

"Now that you mention it, no, you did not. I'm sorry, I didn't think about how you would feel about it. I won't call you that again." His apology is swift and self admonishing, quickly admitting fault and taking responsibility to not do it again.

"... Don't be so dramatic." She turns away from him to stare down the path. "I simply thought I forgot about it. I don't care if you call me that. It's just... been a while since I've had someone call me that, so I was surprised." The last time someone called her that name was when she last saw her sister before leaving home to go to school. She must've been 14.

"Then," Devin stops, bows his head politely, and places a polite kiss on the knuckle of her hand, which he holds with only enough strength to prevent it from naturally falling down. "As you allow it, I will continue calling you Ellie" He looks up with only his eyes, a cheeky smile over his mouth.

It's absurdly natural for the type of man she thought he was. Gaping, she places a hand over her mouth, speechless.

"You've been practicing noble etiquette?" He nods. "Since when? I thought you were someone who only knew how to read a battlefield or chess board." She interrogates him. It's a development she truly had not expected from the 'tactician fanatic,' as he has often been referred to as by other students. She doesn't even notice how rude her words came out as.

He smiles, eyes curving into crescents.

"I learned a few of the simpler mannerisms just a of couple days ago. I've been practicing what I saw in a book- it's easier than I thought."

Is it because commanders in a war would eventually interact with nobility? She cannot fathom any reason why he would need to learn such a thing right now when he isn't graduating for several years still.

"Yes? I'm impressed." She compliments genuinely. "I don't know a lot of etiquette, but what you did looked good- even for learning from a book. You must be a genius."

"I'm sure you could learn just as well as me or better, if given a book and a day." His eyes focus on her knowingly. "Ellie, I think you're very smart. If you put yourself out there more, I bet you could be in the top ten percent." He sounds confident, and it makes her laugh out of surprise. What does he even know?

"Ha! You're funny Devin. Top ten? Maybe top twenty or thirty, but ten?"

"I'm serious!"

"Yeah, yeah."

They bicker back and forth until they reach the dormitory, finally separating to bathe and meet up outside the building in an hour.


She settles into the wooden tub. The bath water is lukewarm. Submerged in it, her thoughts drift to her lost clipboard. It'll take time to reconstruct her notes. Is it even worth it, she asks herself hopelessly. Perhaps this is a sign that she should give up.

'If you put yourself out there more, you could be in the top ten percent.'

She scoffs, sitting up to quickly wash off the lake water and rid her hair of any smell with a fragrant shampoo. She needs to finish quickly so Devin isn't left waiting. She'll think about the state of the world another day. It wouldn't hurt to sacrifice a few hours tonight to rewrite everything.

Splash.

Drying off and patting the water out of her hair, she decides to fix it into a side braid over her shoulder. It's a bit messy, but she chooses not to think about her appearance when a friend of hers must be on deaths door, waiting for her outside the dormitory. Her choice of shoe is a low flat heel this time, and a casual brown dress with only one layer to tolerate the heat of the sun. The memory of her heavy dress sinking in the water sticks to her mind.

It should be nearing noon, at this point, so she hurries out of the room and to the meeting point.

They had agreed to meet at the front of the dormitory. It feels weird to be meeting a friend and walking with him, especially when she proposed the visit to the nurse as a joke. Maybe he really is sick, she contemplates. Or... lonely?

It feels uncomfortable, standing in front of the large building's doors all alone. Today's schedule is cleared because she wanted to spend time asking questions and interviewing students. Which is not an option anymore- due to the loss of her notes. She has to keep herself from continually checking her pocket watch for the time, just to have something to do with her hands and eyes.

"Eleanor!" Ellie turns to find red hair and a bright, freckled face smiling at her.

"Nadia," Ellie greets. Nadia grins, picking up the edges of her dress to avoid the patch of grass she has to pass over. "Back from political sciences?"

"Yes." Nadia wraps her arms around Ellie and cries. "I'm so, SO glad you're here Eleanor. I need a break from the world. That class is going to make me want to overthrow the government."

Ellie sympathetically pats her back. "You knew you'd feel like this when you signed up for that class, Nadia."

"I didn't know how bad it was! I didn't say this and you didn't hear me, but this whole country is on a one way trip to a huge rebellion, I'm telling you Eleanor." Nadia keeps her voice quiet, speaking close to Ellie's ear just in case. "Be careful out there, okay? There's no telling what can happen."

"Okay Nadia." Ellie agrees seriously. Her notes come to mind. "I will. You make sure to stay safe as well."

Nadia hugs Ellie. "Thank you," she whispers, somber. "We have to stay as safe as we can. Definitely."

Nadia releases Ellie and looks behind her. She smiles sardonically.

"Well well, if it isn't Mr. Tactician Fanatic." Turning, Devin is exiting the dormitory at last. Ellie elbows Nadia, who promptly bows politely, rephrasing.
"-Good morning Sir Al'sanders. It is quite the pleasant day outside, is it not?"

Devin doesn't say anything for several seconds longer than is considered polite. When he speaks, he stares at her face. He blinks slowly. "... Yes, Ms Bailey. You are right. The day is beautiful."

He accidentally makes eye contact with Ellie.

"... Yes. Actually Nadia, I'm about to take Devin to the nurse." It sounds more serious than it should be; Ellie winces, feeling guilty, but it's hard to explain Devin's weird actions otherwise. No, it still isn't possible to explain them.

Nadia looks at Ellie. Ellie can only smile in response, helpless.

Sensing that Ellie is telling the truth, Nadia doesn't press. "Okay, then... I suppose I must let you two go then. Get well soon Mr. Fanatic, I'll see you-" She pointedly looks at Ellie, "-later. You can meet me in my room when you're done."

Ellie smiles. "Of course."

With one last glance at Devin as she passes, Nadia enters the dormitory, leaving Ellie and Devin alone.

Author's Note

I added the second part! We get an answer from Devin and meet a new character.