“I’ve been an educator for too long to not be able to recognize hidden brilliance when I see it. Jinki’s has always been obvious. The best in him appears when he wants the best for others. Kibum… needs a little polishing. And maybe then some. Perhaps it was a long shot, but I wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to see just what kind of gem was hidden beneath his shell.”

-Terran Provost Kamari Adeleke

 

               From the outside where Kieran and Crawven were already standing, a very lifelike holovid showed Boro shoving Kibum into the empty classroom by the back of his neck. The view seamlessly flowed to inside the classroom and followed as the Varium hounded him, towering over the smaller Terran intimidatingly. The audio had been scrubbed but it was clear they were talking, an angry grimace on one face and a calm, albeit slightly nervous mask on the other.

                Apparently what Kibum said wasn’t satisfactory and Boro smacked him across the face, an open palm strike that sent him stumbling across the room. Kibum came up against the windowed wall and looked up before pressing his hand to his smarting cheek. He glanced over his other shoulder towards the back of the room and placed his hand against his hip. All the while, Boro kept speaking at him, the angry frustrated look still in place. Kibum ignored him until he was ready to turn around and face the other person. Keeping his eyes on the Varium, he followed the length of the windows and ended at the back wall, Boro shadowing him the whole way.

                The desk and teacher’s pulpit activation button was there and Kibum smacked it, immediately placing the solid structure between them as Boro sidestepped to avoid the student desk rising up under his feet. A game of cat and mouse ensued that revealed impressive scrambling abilities from Kibum but in a confined space, they weren’t enough to keep him away from Boro’s equally notable reach. Though, as soon as the Terran was hauled up in front of the Varium, he raised his left hand and blew a puff of powder into Boro’s face.

                His reaction was immediate and powerful. Boro shoved his target back and away from him. Kibum tried to recover but his feet weren’t touching the ground when the back of his legs hit one of the desks. He curled up in an attempt to reduce the impact but it just helped him slide over the top and start falling between desks. Unable to control his vector and starting to turn upside down, he slammed into the edge of the other desk with his torso, obviously stunning him when he fell to the ground while Boro raged around, wiping at his eyes and bumping into desks haphazardly.

                It took Kibum a second to recover but when he did, he set a tiny device on the ground where he had been and then crawled to where the teacher’s pulpit was, effectively hiding behind the only full-length solid surface in the room. He carefully peeked around the corner to watch Boro start to recover while another image of Kibum appeared in the space he had been previously. It looked exactly like Kibum, but it waited until Boro noticed him again. Only then did it move, sprinting towards the window Kibum had touched earlier.

                This time though, there was a small space apparent in the top of the window. Kibum used one of the desks as a step ladder so he could reach the top as Boro chased after him, his expression angry, confused, and maybe a little worried at the same time. The image of Kibum scrambled at the window, wriggling through the narrow space just before Boro made it. The Varium hit the window and his expression had shifted to obvious worry.

                Kibum flailed on the outside, one hand clinging to the opening and apparently trying to find something else to hold onto. When Boro reached up like he was going to try and grab Kibum’s hand though, he let go and Boro panicked, pressing hard against the surface to try and see where the Terran had fallen. Only then did he stumble out the doors to announce what happened. The vid extended to follow the fleeing trio and stayed zoomed out, simultaneously focusing on and following Jinki’s group as they approached the door and Kibum as he made his way out from behind the pulpit to retrieve the small device and make his way out. The recording continued right up until Jinki and his group made it to the stairwell with Kibum in their midst.

                Behind his wide desk, Terran Provost Kamari Adeleke steepled his brown fingers in front of him and tapped at his bottom lip thoughtfully while he peered at the three students before him with troubled gray eyes. “I don’t suppose you have anything to say for yourselves, do you?” he asked them in a smooth voice that would likely be a tenor if he sang. Boro looked away, Jinki looked down, and Kibum kept looking at Kamari. The provost sighed and shook his mostly shorn head before he glanced out the window to watch the setting sun for a moment. The rays of the sun filtering through the transparent surface highlighted the thick intricate braid on top of his head resembling a black shallow fin and extended tapering tail.

                Of course they didn’t. The holovid spoke for itself. And he’d obviously listened to the audio beforehand. Kamari took another small breath and regarded the trio with pursed lips. “I at least wanted to give you a chance to defend yourselves if there was something before this. Seeing as that is not the case…” he murmured, his tone indicating he very much doubted that, “…Boro. Due to your aggression in this matter, you will be suspended for one week.”

                “Yes, sir,” Boro responded meekly, ducking his head though he did manage a sidelong glance at Kibum as he did so.

                “You may go,” the provost added, gesturing with one hand towards the door.

                He was just as surprised as Jinki, and probably Kibum too, though he was better about hiding it. “Sir,” Boro said as he cleared his throat, standing up with a small bow before he stiffly walked from the room.

                Neither Kibum nor Jinki moved and Kamari waited until the Varium was gone before he turned his attention to his next target. “I suspect you already know what your punishment is going to be, Jinki,” he murmured, holding his hand out expectantly over the top of his desk.

                Jinki winced but then ducked his head as he murmured, “Yes, sir.” Resignedly, he pulled his student ID card out and then slid the maintenance access card from behind it. With the air of a kicked puppy, he shuffled forward and placed the card carefully in the open palm. His natural inclination was to apologize but he wasn’t exactly sorry. Well, maybe for breaking the provost’s trust but not for how he’d used the card…

                “Thank you,” Kamari nodded, taking the card and setting it in his desk drawer while he gestured for Jinki to take a seat again.

                “I just wanted to say that it was my idea. Henry, Larad, and Ercite didn’t have anything to do with it other than to go with me,” he explained quickly, still standing in front of the desk.

                Kamari’s mouth quirked in amusement and he chuckled. “I’m well aware, Jinki. They’ve all received warnings, as have Kieran and Crawven, but are facing no further punishment. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing wrong with supporting your friends, even when they are acting out of the norm,” he added with a glance at Kibum.

                Jinki gave a nervous, slightly embarrassed laugh and rubbed at the back of his neck before he sat down again, casting furtive glances in Kibum’s direction as well. He wasn’t sure why he was still here exactly, but he also had to wonder how the other man could remain so calm in this situation.

                “As for you, Kibum,” the provost sighed, focusing the weight of his attention on the other Terran. “Please explain the holotech and blinding powder.”

                Kibum wrinkled his nose slightly and gestured at the space where the holovid was. “As we all saw, I was clearly defending myself from a larger opponent.”

                Kamari raised his brow, the expression remarkably similar to the one Jinki had seen on Kibum’s face a couple times before. “I was not disputing that, Kibum. Holotech like that is not easy to come by for a university student like yourself. And I really don’t think I need to say more about the blinding powder.”

                For a moment, Kibum remained silent with his arms loosely crossed, rather as if he wasn’t going to answer. “Kibum,” Jinki whispered with a frown, obviously at least a little bit worried for him.

                Kibum clucked his tongue and rolled his eyes at the sound of his name and Jinki’s expression, but did take a breath and uncross his arms. “The holotech was a gift from my-” he paused with a glance at Jinki. When the other man nodded encouragingly, he sighed and continued, “former guardian before I came to university. He said it was for defense only.” Kibum gestured at the place where the holovid had played once more as if to drive home the point. “A friend at work gave me the blinding powder. She always says it’s better to be able to escape than to stay and fight and risk injury.”

                The provost chuckled and nodded once in agreement. “Wise words. I will need their names and contact numbers to verify your story though,” he continued, looking at Kibum expectantly.

                “You think I’m lying?” he asked in arch offense, though his attitude deflated when he got another meaningful look from the provost.

                “I will need that information by tomorrow afternoon,” Kamari mandated, making a note on his desk by typing it into the holoscreen there so he wouldn’t forget.

                “Fine.” Another raised brow pulled a belated, “Sir,” out of him.

                “In regard to your punishment-” he started to say before he was interrupted.

                “He really was just trying to get away, Mr. Adeleke,” Jinki urged, standing up awkwardly in his haste.

                Kamari laughed with a bemused look on his face. A similar expression could be seen on Kibum’s. “Sit down and let me finish, Mr. Lee.” His tone said it was best that he listen and not interrupt again.

                “Yes, sir,” Jinki responded, sitting down carefully and glancing in Kibum’s direction without actually looking at him.

                “You’re being placed on probationary notice for the duration of this semester,” he announced, fingers steepled in front of him again. Both Kibum and Jinki looked askance at him. “What? Do you want me to suspend or expel you for not being able to avoid a fight?” he asked, the question intentionally dry.

                “No,” Kibum eventually responded with a shake of his head. “Sir,” came the belated honorific again, no additional look needed this time.

                “Half of your grades tell me you’re not an intentionally poor student,” he chuckled once, opening a file on his holoscreen and reviewing it. “Nor are you a traditional troublemaker,” he commented, thinking out loud. “And you are generally well perceived amongst your peers.” Kibum nodded his head to the side in mute agreement and Jinki could hardly believe his audacity. “Unfortunately, your attendance record, history of tardiness, and generally lackadaisical attitude towards the university as a whole give the impression you don’t want to actually be here.”

                Kibum couldn’t quite control the sudden intake of breath and he clenched his hands into fists. Even Jinki noticed and the provost pretended not to. “Sir. I will graduate,” Kibum stated, the words firm like a promise.

                Kamari laughed through his nose once and shrugged. “Well, that’s something you’re going to have to prove. No more being tardy. No more unexcused absences. No more troublemaking on school grounds. And,” he added, holding up his hand with one finger hovering between them, “You must maintain a passing score in all your classes.”

                “But-” Kibum started to object before he fell silent when the provost continued speaking over him.

                “Since that was something you were apparently unable to do on your own and since I’ve noticed a second year,” and his gaze slid intentionally to Jinki who sat up in uncertain confusion, “who has taken an uncommon amount of interest in helping you recently, Jinki will be your mentor for the rest of this semester.”

                “Huh?” they both chirped at the same time, looking at each other in surprise.

                “You,” he pointed at Jinki, “will make sure that he,” his finger shifted to Kibum, “attends all his classes as expected. You must meet and report to each other at least once a day and for any of Kibum’s failing classes, you will either mentor him or help him find the resources to make up for his lack of knowledge.”

                “But what about university events?” Jinki asked, frowning. He didn’t mind the whole mentor idea but he did have other engagements to handle as well.

                “You can still go to them,” the provost responded. “But you will no longer be helping coordinate them officially this semester.” When Jinki opened his mouth to protest, Kamari opened his drawer and held up the maintenance access card mutely. Jinki closed his mouth and sat back.

                “I have work in the evenings,” Kibum explained, his posture stiff.

                “And I won’t stop you from that, but you must attend all your classes in a timely manner,” the provost explained. “Even the early ones.”

                “But what if Kibum has classes at the same time as my coaching?” Jinki asked, his brow furrowed worriedly. He couldn’t just stop doing that. He’d never hear the end of it from his siblings…

                “I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” he responded nonchalantly.

                “But… what if I don’t and he’s late?” Jinki couldn’t help but ask, sitting on the edge of his seat.

                The provost shrugged. “Then your life will probably be easier after the fact, though Kibum might not be so lucky.”

                Disgruntled, Kibum looked at the provost with the mildest glare he could manage and still get away with. Then he glanced at Jinki and his glare turned to surprise at the intensity of the other man’s expression. “What?” he asked, leaning back slightly.

                “Okay!” Jinki exclaimed, standing up abruptly with one hand clenched in front of him as he turned to address the provost. “I’ll do it!”

                Kibum jerked back at the unexpected enthusiasm and blinked. “Do what?”

                “I’ll be your personal mentor and make sure you pass with flying colors this semester!” he promised fervently, pointing his finger at Kibum with burning determination.

                “Huh?” Kibum blinked in dumbfounded confusion.

                “Very good then. I’ll expect a progress report from you every week, Jinki,” Kamari nodded in acceptance. “You may go.”

                “Yes, sir!” Jinki exclaimed, turning to bow at the provost before he started to head out on his own. Kibum remained seated, looking between the two men with a confused frown. When Jinki noticed, he turned around and returned to snag Kibum’s wrist, giving it an insistent tug. “Come on,” he called, pulling until he succeeded.

                “Ugh,” Kibum groaned, both in feigned frustration and slight pain, nodding once at the provost before he was hauled away by the overly energetic second year.

                Kamari watched them go with a crooked smile and a sigh. “Children,” he snorted, scratching at the corner of his age lined eyes. Oh, to have half their energy and enthusiasm nowadays.

 

                Kibum allowed himself to be pulled along until they were out of the provost’s office and then he yanked his wrist free. “I can walk on my own.” This man didn’t seem to be wholly in his right mind. Perhaps it would have been better if he hadn’t helped him at The Stars Aligned…

                “I know, but you weren’t moving before so I figured I’d give you a hand,” Jinki smiled with a nod as he fell back to walk beside Kibum.

                Side by side, they traveled in relative silence as they exited the administrative building. They were just two students coming from the provost’s office, but it felt like they were being noticed more than usual to Kibum. He didn’t like it. “Aren’t you upset at what happened?” he asked, turning his attention to Jinki.

                The other man shook his head with a small smile. “Not really. I more or less expected it.”

                Kibum hadn’t and that made him frown. He stopped and crossed his arms to glare at Jinki. The glare strengthened when it took the other man a second to notice and pause too. “What’s your angle?” he demanded, feeling unsettled and off balance.

                The question obviously confused Jinki by the honest surprise on his face. “No angle,” he explained with a shake of his head and a shrug. “Unless you count helping you as an angle.” Kibum just looked at him and Jinki laughed once, nodding his head towards the canteen. “Come on. It’s almost supper and I know that nutrient bar has probably worn off by now. As your mentor, allow me to treat you to a meal,” he grinned, the expression painfully genuine and bright.

                ersely, it made all of Kibum’s guards rise. “Why?” he asked warily, still standing his ground.

                Another confused blink and head tilt. “Well, I’m hungry and I figure you’re probably hungry and you’re my junior so…” he trailed off, gesturing towards the canteen in the distance again.

                “No, I mean why are you so starbent on helping me?” he questioned, his eyes narrowing to look at Jinki from under hooded lids.

                To his credit, Jinki turned to face Kibum better and really look at him, almost like he was trying to confirm something. He took a small step forward, hands hanging relaxed at his sides, before he tilted his head and offered a curious smile. “I could ask you the same thing.” When Kibum’s face reflected dumbfounded confusion, he belatedly added in a low voice, “Almighty Key.”

                Kibum couldn’t lie that hearing that persona’s name out in the open like this made his stomach do a nervous flip, but he managed to keep such a reaction from his face. He laughed once and relaxed, arms loosening from their crossed position. “I’ve no idea where you heard that name, but I like it,” he admitted, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. The wink he added was just a bonus and he genuinely laughed at Jinki’s reaction.

                “Yes!” he cheered quietly, pumping his fist and obviously relieved that his guess was correct. “I thought I was right, but I wasn’t positive, and I just needed to make sure because I really wanted to th-”

                “Shhh,” Kibum hushed, one finger rising to pause just short of touching Jinki’s lips. Surprised confusion flickered again and he nodded towards the canteen in response. “You said you were treating?”

                Jinki laughed, a particularly warm and satisfied glow hovering around him. “Of course,” he said, stepping back to gesture towards the canteen again.

                It was enough for Kibum that Jinki wasn’t going to press the issue. Even better that he was going to pay for food. He hadn’t had a solid meal all day and the nutrient bar was long since gone from earlier that afternoon. As he fell into step beside the second year, he gave him another side long look. So this goody-goody that he’d helped largely on a whim to repay him for the ‘accidental’ assistance was going to be his mentor for the semester. Hah. It was a nice thought but there was no way he was going to stick around for the next two months. And invariably he’d slip up again somewhere – most likely with his biology and human physiology classes – and Provost Adeleke would find some reason to let him go from the school.

                It was a bitter pill to swallow but not one that he wasn’t unaccustomed to. He’d faced similar situations at school growing up. This would be no different. Even if, or rather when, he was kicked from this university, he’d still find a way to get out there… to space to become a captain. Somehow. His eyes rose to try and look beyond the protective dome covering them from the outer atmosphere, but in the day, he couldn’t see the stars or the moons orbiting this planet.

                “Hey,” Jinki called, waving a hand in front of his face to snap him out of it. The tone sounded like it wasn’t the first time he’d called and Kibum looked down to focus on him.

                “Huh?”

                “I said what do you want to eat? I hear the varoasts are good, though we did get a new Dawbn food programmer so we might have some new options soon,” he grinned, the expression one of simple happiness.

                Kibum snorted and then shrugged. “Whatever. I’m not picky.” Which wasn’t entirely true but he didn’t have the luxury to be as such. Jinki’s expression was skeptical. “Just… recommend something,” he urged, waving at him dismissively so that the other man would stop looking at him. It was fine on the stage, he was supposed to draw attention and stares, but here… it made him uncomfortable.

                They both turned their heads to look when they heard a voice call out, “Jinki!”

                “Henry,” the other man laughed as he noticed his friend running out of the canteen with a wounded look on his face.

                “You were supposed to tell me when you got out of the Mr. Adeleke’s office,” he whined, clinging to Jinki rather like a disappointed child.

                “Glad to see you’re in good spirits,” Larad grinned, loping up to join them from the rear, Ercite perched on his shoulder.

                “That does bode well in regard to his punishment,” Ercite smiled, though their attention turned to Kibum as they pointed. “However, we seem to have a guest.”

                Kibum’s good mood faded as Jinki’s friends joined them. It wasn’t that it turned sour, but his guards returned and his smile disappeared. Nonchalantly, he shrugged and nodded towards Jinki, “He’s been assigned as my watcher for now.”

                Jinki’s face fell slightly at the explanation and shook his head while waving his hand in objection. “No. He’s officially my mentee this semester. And since I’m his senior, I’m treating my junior to a meal. Right?” he asked, looking at Kibum directly.

                “I guess,” he shrugged in response.

                “Well, if he’ll let you…” Henry teased from the other side of Jinki’s shoulder. But then Kibum glared at him and he grimaced in response. “Wow. His glare is scary, Jinki,” he whispered, hiding further behind the same shoulder.

                The response made Larad chuckle and Jinki reached out to pat Henry’s head consolingly. “There, there,” he soothed.

                “Hey!” Henry grumbled, brushing the hand away before reaching out to rough Jinki’s hair up.

                “Henry!” his friend yelped, immediately giving chase when Henry fled behind Larad.

                With the ridiculous and childish antics, it was actually challenging for Kibum to keep a neutral expression. He jumped in genuine startlement though when Jinki hid behind him, hands lightly touching his back and shoulders as he did so. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he stiffened with a sudden inhale. Alarm signals went off in the back of his head and he stepped forward so that he could turn and level a warning glare at Jinki. “I’m going inside. You guys can eat if you want to,” he stated flatly, before turning again and heading into the canteen with a painfully straight back.

                Jinki flinched and drew his hands back close to his chest with a quiet, “Yikes. That is a little scary,” he admitted, glancing at Henry who just shrugged in equally confused response. “And I thought Hajoon could glare.”

                “She can,” Larad laughed, stepping over to pat Jinki on the shoulder. “Are you going to follow him?”

                “He’ll probably just leave if you don’t,” Ercite added, their head tilted thoughtfully. They were probably mulling through generations of memory to try and start piecing together the puzzle that was Kibum.

                “Ack!” Jinki yelped, smacking Henry on the shoulder as he ran by. “Come on!”

                “Hey!” Henry cried, looking up at Larad and then lurching after in pursuit.

                “Kibum! Wait up!” Jinki called and chased after the other man.