Killing Time

Sino Naite was an average officer of the Cadre.  He had enough talent in ‘mancy, swordplay, and leadership to get himself promoted fairly soon after graduation from the Academy and entering the ranks of the Cadre.  He did not have enough talent to get him promoted further.  Sino figured that it would come in time, when the higher-ranking officers stepped down and positions were open and he had a more impressive reputation and experience behind him.  Unlike some cadre, Sino did not have the ambition to rise quickly through the ranks.  He enjoyed his job.  He had access to a skimmer and crew if needed and a unit of seven men under his command.  His own office with a door.  And enough authority to dump a trivial assignment onto one of his inferiors.

“No, you want this one,” one of his men said as Sino dropped the paper on his lap with an evil glance that conveyed volumes about Sino’s desire to go home for the night.  “Trust me.  Just read it.”

“I did.  Three people were arrested when the anchor pulled them back into the timeline.  It’s just a standard interrogation, write a report, and let them go with a verbal warning and directions to more legal anchors in case it happens again.  Boring!”

“Just because you don’t get to stab anyone doesn’t mean it’s boring.”  The cadre stood and held the paper out towards Sino.  He stared at it.

Sino did have a few remarkable talents.  Not promotion material, but notable nonetheless.  For one thing, he was a dual major in gravimancy and literamancy.  He was ambidextrous and very athletic.  His preferred weapons were ‘many-aided swords as he disliked pistols.  This last one worked to his detriment most of the time.

“At least read the names.  We really did shuffle this one to your desk for a reason.”

Sino took the paper gingerly, giving his man another evil glare.  He was remarkably good at evil glares.  Like most cadre, Sino believed firmly in using public fear of their organization to his advantage.  He kept his red-brown hair to his shoulders so that it made shadows across his tanned face.  His eyes were brown, usually narrowed, and he had a tendency to loom over people if his height allowed it.  The final coup-de-grace was the little goatee that made him look ‘like the villain of a novel’ as some of his coworkers had put it.

“Genoa… a vampire?  If he’s going to be released before sunup I’ll have to question them now.  I’ve had to work late long enough today.  Why are you bothering me with this again?  Presleigh Stormrider.  And why would I want to mess with a Stormrider?”

“That’s not the reason.  Read the last name.”

Sino rolled his eyes towards the ceiling and read off Aelisha Minerva.  Paused.  Read it again, silently this time, before his lips curled into a broad grin.

“The attractive and buxom young lady who runs Liqua’mancy,” the cadre said smugly, “Since you’re single right now we decided to be nice and toss it on your desk.”

“Sure, I’ll take this one,” Sino finally said, “Not for the reasons you’re thinking though.”

He stuffed the paper into his jacket pocket and walked off, whistling.  The cadre stared at him for a moment.

“What?” he called out after his superior, “Do you not like blondes or something?”



The three were in a bare room with a table, chairs, and no windows.  The walls were whitewashed brick and the door locked from the outside.  Aelisha sat with her head on the table and dozing lightly.  Genoa might have well of been a statute.  He was naturally wary of the Cadre, as they were the ones that hunted down vampires if the need arose.  After being arrested and sent to the Cadre he’d grown silent and withdrawn.  Presleigh had shoved her chair up near the wall, tipped it back, and was kicking one of the legs vigorously.  She was very bored.

The chair fell back to all four legs with a clack when the handle on the door rattled.  Aelisha raised her head and stared blearily at the person who entered.  A man in the coat of the Cadre with a gold chain around the waist signifying the rank of an officer.  He walked in, seated himself opposite the three, and dropped a notepad on the table.

“Sino?” Aelisha finally said.

“Good to see you again, pookie-puffkins,” he replied evenly.

“Pookie-puffkins?” Aelisha and Presleigh managed to say at about the same time.

“It sounded disgustingly endearing.  Now, I’ll need you to state your full names, just for official business.  Aelisha, I already know yours.”

“Wait a minute!” Presleigh yelled, “How do you two know each other?”

“We graduated together,” Aelisha said gently.

“And dated for six months,” Sino added.  “I have a wealth of knowledge about what embarrasses her, if you’re interested.”

Aelisha glared at him for a moment and dug her nails into the table.  Sino only smirked in response.

“You dated a cadre?” Presleigh asked in disbelief, “Why’d you do that?”

“He wasn’t cadre at the time.  He was a student.  You realize some people in your class might become cadre as well?”

Her eyes went round and for a moment she was speechless.  Aelisha shook her head in mock dismay.

“Yes, Presleigh, people grow up and take adult jobs.”

Sino cleared his throat and the attention returned to him.

“I do have an interrogation to run,” he said, grinning cheekily in Aelisha’s direction, “and the sooner I find out the details of how you wound up getting arrested the sooner you all can go home.  So, names.”

And so it went.  Genoa answered using as few words as possible.  Presleigh answered in the typical defiant Stormrider fashion, which Sino accepted with a grave nod and few words in reply.  In all, he was a good sport about it, and Presleigh felt very defiant and Stormridery, even if the entire episode was rather ridiculous.  Aelisha received very little questioning and Sino managed to think up enough pet names to cover the entire session.

“So is this chronomancer that stranded you your new fling, snookum-butter?” Sino asked, absently writing on the notepad.

“None of your bloody business.”

“Actually, I do believe it is my business as an officer of the Cadre.  Answer the question please.”

“You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you?  Sadist.  No, he’s not.  Just a frequent customer.”

“Is this why you broke up with him?” Presleigh asked.  She only received a warning glance from Sino and gritted teeth from Aelisha in reply.

It didn’t take long to ascertain that the three were not terrorists, assassins, or anything else that would merit further investigation by the Cadre.  Sino closed the notebook with a snap and put his pen away.  Aelisha glowered.  

“Fine.  You’re all free to go.  I’ll have one of my men return your things to you.  Know that we are able to bring you in for further questioning at any time, blah blah official stuff because honestly, these cases get dumped in a back folder and ignored.  You aren’t the first students to have this happen.”

He waved them towards the door and sent one of the guards stationed outside to bring them their things, which only consisted of Presleigh’s backpack.  The three clustered away from Sino while they were waiting.

“Hey,” Presleigh said, tugging on Aelisha’s sleeve, “did he really call you any of those things?”

“No,” she replied, “but he did have other pet names for me.”

“What did you call him when you were dating?”

“Snugglemunch,” she said, irate.

A strange expression grew over Presleigh’s face and Genoa snickered quietly.  The cadre returned with Presleigh’s backpack and Sino returned to talk to the three.

“I’ll walk you out of here.  Come this way.”

The Cadre building was just across the street from the palace.  It was more functional than ornate and featured thick walls around the building and courtyard, a gate that remained closed, and a sprawling compound that dug into the ground and rose several stories above the street.  There was a mess hall and a barracks for the cadre that were either too low a rank to find off-site housing or didn’t want to.  There were offices, storage for paperwork, and of course a jail.  Sino led them out through the front courtyard to the main gate where after a word with the guards on duty there were officially released.  

“Aelisha, wait a moment,” Sino said, stepping out into the street with them, “The rest of you – scram.  Escort the young lady back to campus, vampire.  You’ve got two hours before sunup.”

The two adults stared at each other as Genoa grabbed Presleigh’s wrist and dragged her off in the direction of the Academy.  She managed to stick her tongue out at Sino before she was out of earshot.

“So,” Aelisha said, “That was humiliating.”

“I couldn’t help myself.  May I walk you back to your shop?”

She hadn’t talked to him since graduation.  They had parted as well as those sorts of things could go with little hurt feelings between them.  It took a while before speaking to each other wasn’t awkward anymore but eventually things patched up.  Then they both graduated and lost track of each other.

“Depends.  I never got to close it up since I was outside the timeline and then in that room.  Will you help me clean and shoo away any curious bystanders that are wondering where I vanished to?”

Sino’s eyes glinted.  He chuckled.

“I would be glad to.”

It was too easy.  Aelisha eyed him suspiciously as they walked off towards the shopping district and Liqua’mancy.  The streets were quite empty at this hour and it was prudent to have someone walk her home.  But still, Sino had agreed far too easily to her terms.
“You’re not trying to win me back, are you?” she asked.

“Most certainly not.  That’s over and done with.”

Aelisha sighed with relief and then a look of horrified realization dawned over her face.

“Take off your Cadre jacket!  I don’t want everyone asking why I was being escorted home by an officer for the next week and a half.”

“Oh no,” he replied, “That’s part of the fun.  I haven’t gotten to torment my ex-girlfriend in quite some time.  Honey-muffin.”

It took most of Aelisha’s self-restraint to not grind her teeth in frustration.  Being the in the Cadre certainly hadn’t helped his arrogance.  This could potentially be a very long walk back.  But then again, this had been a long day in general.  A very long day.  A very, very long day.

First Previous Next Current