The next few weeks were an enjoyable time for Entoma and Bertra, with the heteromorph taking her friend to places neither had seen before, but the time came at last for Entoma to do what she had come to University to do. To teach, starting the following day.
The night before, Bertra and Entoma sat alone, with the manservant given the evening off, a bottle of wine sat between them. "Are you ready?" Bertra asked.
"As I'll ever be." Entoma answered.
"And have you been thinking of the other thing?" Bertra asked, leaning a little forward in her chair as she asked the question.
"Yes." Entoma replied without hesitation.
"So you miss him?" Bertra gave an encouraging smile to her closest friend, and Entoma responded by first shifting a little on her seat as if it had become uncomfortable.
"Yes… I do. I really do. I didn't expect I would…" Entoma cast all of her exposed eyes down so that she was staring at the mask on the table. It was rocking back and forth, trying to roll over.
"So why not see him?" Bertra asked.
"Why hasn't he come to see me? Isn't that how these things work? The girl leaves, the boy chases after her, tries to win her back and-" Entoma cut herself off and shrugged.
Bertra only laughed, "Only in bad romances written by people with bad ideas about affection. You can't force affection or desire, and you told him you wanted space. Would it really be desirable if he didn't care what you wanted and only cared about what he wanted."
Entoma didn't respond immediately to that, rather she only nodded along. "How do I know if I'm ready?"
"You're asking me, a woman never married and never in love?" Bertra raised an eyebrow and her lips tightened when Entoma stared at her with all eight eyes.
"You were ready to play matchmaker. You must at least think you know something." Entoma's voice was a tiny bit frosty, and Bertra clasped her hands together in her lap.
"I just wanted you to have the kind of happiness you deserve, that you wanted… I'm sorry I acted out of line." Bertra acknowledged and apologized again, but with silence her only answer except for the sound of pouring wine, she chose to go on to answer what was first asked.
"I don't think you do. Like training for war, when I was rising through the ranks we trained a lot, but we never knew what kind of fight we were going to face next. So we never knew if we were ready or not, some of us… some of us weren't. Those died, the rest went on. It's only time and experience. I heard a funny story once, one your sister told to me."
"Which one?" Entoma asked as sudden curiosity hit.
"Lupusregina, she told me the story while I was still a prisoner in Nazarick, before I became this." Bertra touched her elven ears, but only lightly to avoid stimulation. "She told me about the boy genius, the Bareare boy… whatever his name was, how he was in love with Enri for years and she was oblivious to it. As Lupusregina put it, he either needed to act or give up because he'd lose her. There was no 'ready' or 'not ready' there was just what he was willing to take a chance on, or not." Bertra told the story and snorted, "She said he was also staring at her chest the whole time. Smart not to take a chance on that one."
Entoma laughed out loud at the last anecdote as she tried and easily succeeded in picturing the blushing Nfirea, and Lupusregina putting herself just a little too close to the young man for his comfort.
It broke the moment's tension enough for them to enjoy another cup of wine between them and Bertra chose to ask, "How many students do you think you'll have?"
Entoma longed for the ability to frown, "I don't know. It makes me nervous even to ask myself." A shudder ran through her body that prompted Bertra to reach across the space between them to put her slender fingers over the shining purple chitin shell of Entoma's hand.
"Don't think about it." Bertra advised.
"I was created to be a maid, maids are by nature 'background'. Like Manaly, meant to be quiet tools who improve the lives of their employers, not meant to be seen so brazenly… the very idea of being in front of any large number?" Entoma shook her head with vigor.
"Can you… come? Can you sit in just in case? Inta was right about not being cheered for." Entoma asked and her unblinking eight red eyes, nominally devoid of the irises that permitted so much human expression, seemed absolutely desperate.
But Bertra only squeezed her hand, "No, I-I can't. I got a message this morning, I have to go see Queen Zesshi tomorrow… something about a book I sold. A c-customer, really."
"A customer?" This curious turn of events left Entoma stumped enough to briefly forget her own anxiety.
"Someone who bought from me is a wanted man, I don't know, the Queen wouldn't say much but- but I have to go back and tell them everything I know, everything he said, I have to have my mind checked and… whatever it is, the Queen is taking it seriously." Bertra's hand never left Entoma's, so she squeezed her fingers around the shell with all her desperate might.
"I don't know what it could be, but please believe me Entoma, I'm absolutely loyal to His Majesty and would never intentionally do anything to harm the Sorcerous Empire. Not harbor a fugitive, not betray him, not betray you… you believe me, don't you? There's nothing in this world I want about the old ways that I want brought back." Bertra vowed with the utmost sincerity, practically begging to be believed.
It wasn't even a question Entoma took seriously. "Of course I believe you. And don't worry about me, I'll be fine, and so will you. Just tell the Queen the truth, have your mind checked for alterations, images, whatever they need to find this person, it must be important or they wouldn't use a [Gate] spell for it. So just cooperate and everything will work out." Entoma patted the desperate squeezing hand of her companion, then added, "Come on, get some rest, and we'll both get our big days out of the way tomorrow."