Chapter Nine: The Plot Gets Cornstarch Added To It

SpasticDjinn: Sorry I couldn't update so soon. I had intended to, but, well, the evil public institution we know as school had...well...you know...

"I don't get it," Sheba stated. "Why doesn't an interval and its inversion add up to fifteen or ten or one hundred and twenty-two or something? Why nine?"

Ivan patiently answered, "It's just how it works. No one really decides these things."

"Why not decide that it's twelve or something?"

"Three plus six can't equal twelve. Two plus seven can't equal twelve. It's just the way music theory works."

"Okay, fine. So the third inverts into a sixth. But what's the point in inversion?"

"Good question, actually…well…umm…"

"It's just the same as the inversions of a triad! Only easier!" Garet interrupted, walking in. "It also makes your life a hell of a lot easier in the long run."

"Since when did you become an expert in music theory?" Ivan asked.

"Since I took home my teacher's diploma from the Weyard Music Conservatory five years ago."

"What? Wait a minute. You have a teacher's diploma from the WMC. Garet Jerra's name appears on a diploma from the WMC. Hold on. Let me process that information. Garet Jerra…Western Music Conservatory…teacher's diploma. Something in my mind is rejecting this notion…this association. You're lying to me."

"Why don't you teach me, then, Garet?" Sheba asked.

"Bah, too impatient. I nearly set that one piano on flames…I knew I should have gone for performance."

"Sheba, has it occurred to you that he could be lying to us?" Ivan looked at Sheba. "I, for one, don't believe him."

"Lying in front of two Jupiter Adepts is not something a guy does. That would be stupid."

"True…but – true…hmm…Garet, sit down with us." Ivan smiled.

"Sure! What do you need?...Hey, what the hell are you doing? One at a time!"

"Wow," Sheba whispered, "he wasn't lying, after all."

"Is it even possible to earn any diploma from the WMC at the age of twelve?" Ivan muttered, shocked.

Awkward pause.

"Cookie?" Garet asked. "Made in Contigo. They're very good. Try some!"

"Sure." Ivan took a cookie and stuffed it into his mouth whole.

"So…we're here in Xian, and you two are sitting in a hotel room studying music theory. Who are you trying to escape from?" Garet asked, reaching for another cookie.

"What do you mean, escape?" Sheba smiled nervously.

Garet laughed. "I'm not stupid," – at this Ivan suppressed a laugh – "just hot-headed. Come on…I won't tell."

"I'm not talking." Ivan frowned. "Anyways, Sheba, invert this interval." He pushed a piece of paper and a pencil over to Sheba, who scratched her head.

"Psst! –"

"Garet, shut up."

"…the G-sharp goes on the bottom, and the D-flat goes on top…Here Ivan! Is it right?"

"Good." Ivan reached for another cookie. "You seem to be getting it fast enough."

Sheba yawned. "Can we take a break yet?"

"Oh, fine, we'll take a break. Hey, Garet, is it lunch time yet?"

"Naw, it ain't lunch yet. Why are you doing theory work, anyways?"

"Let's see whether there's any snacks downstairs, Sheba." Ivan stepped into his shoes.

"Hey! Are you avoiding my question?"

"Sheba? Are you coming?"

"Wait! Wait! Mia sent me to get you!"

"Have you seen Ivan anywhere, Mia?" Isaac asked. "I haven't seen him since last night."

"Garet went to get him." She looked around. "What are we doing here, anyways?"

"I have no clue. Ivan was the one who told me to come. I suppose we'll find out sometime."

"You came simply because Ivan told you to? Have you gone crazy?" Mia started knocking Isaac's skull. "Are you sick? I'm a professional healer; I'll fix you up. I'm on good terms with Contigo Psychologists, I can get you an appointment there! I swear, going off with-"

"Thank you, Mia, I will consider your offer."

"Good. Do you realize that you've dragged us all the way down here with no direction or even a hint of what we're supposed to be doing in this stupid town? And now you say, 'I suppose we'll find out sometime'! Seriously, what's wrong with you?"

"I should be asking you the same question. You're not acting like yourself very much; in fact, you seem much like Jenna right now."

"Who cares? I just want to find out why we're here!"

"Treat it as a vacation! I heard you were swamped after you took up the position of Great Healer in Prox. Why not let the kids get their hands dirty?"

"Since when was I ever Great Healer in Prox?"

"Umm, since your student Megan sent me this letter saying that you were Great Healer in Prox and that you were so busy your pretty head was about to go up in flames?" He produced a crumpled letter.

"Let me see that!" she exclaimed, grabbing the letter. Upon scrutinizing it closely (pulling out a magnifying glass in the process) she proclaimed that the letter was forged by someone who obviously wasn't too familiar with Megan's handwriting.

"Fake? Then who sent me this?" Isaac questioned.

"Who cares? Just – hey, what do you think he wants?" She was referring to a man who was hurriedly walking to the two.

"I am Feh. Master of the kung-fu school, up on hill."

Isaac and Mia were startled. "Yes, I remember you. I have been to your school before," Isaac said.

"Your name is…Isaac, no?"

"Yes, it is…"

"Where is Jenna?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Feh swallowed. "Because his brother is here, and he demands that I, as de facto mayor of Xian, return his sister Jenna to him within twenty-four hours or risk having the town leveled. He has provided shocking proofs that he is capable."

"What does that have to with us?" Mia asked.

"He says she is with Isaac. I have picture." Feh, trembling violently from his alleged meeting with Felix, produced a sketch of Isaac.

"How come I haven't seen that before?" Isaac asked. "Shouldn't I know if people have been drawing pictures of me?"

"Whatever. Where is Jenna?" Feh sounded impatient now.

"Where is Felix? I will take her myself." His hand slid over to the Excalibur that he had Sunshine forge in Yallam.

"Where is Jenna?" Feh insisted.

"Where is Felix?" Isaac returned.

"Where is Jenna?"

"Where is Felix?"

"Where is Jenna?"

"Where is Felix?"

"Where is Jenna?"

"Where is Felix?"

"Where is Jenna?"

"Where is Felix?"

"Where is Jenna?"

"Where is Felix?"

"Where is Jenna?"

"Where is Felix?"

"Where is Jenna?"

"Where is Felix?"

"Where is Jenna?"

"Where is Felix?"

"Where is Jenna?"

"Where is Felix?"

"Where is Jenna?"

"Where is Felix?"

"Where is Jenna?"

"Where is Jenna?"

"Where is Felix – I mean –"

"Ha!" Isaac exclaimed, triumphant. "Now tell me where he is!"

"I told you, I will take his sister to him!"

Isaac brandished his sword. "Don't make me do this."

"I will take her to him! Why do you not trust me?"

"Either Jenna goes to her sister with me," growled Isaac, "or he doesn't see her. Got it?"

"Why, you…!" Feh kicked Isaac, who pushed the kung-fu master into a wall.

"This sword goes in your stomach if you continue your obstinacy. Do you agree to allow me to take Jenna to Felix?"

Mia, meanwhile, had other plans. She had slipped away discreetly, fearing that the two would start fighting. She could not understand why Feh was so insistent on bringing Jenna to Felix; nor could she understand why Isaac demanded to take Jenna to her brother himself. But evidently neither of them would budge. Something would have to give; only one person could keep them apart.

She noticed Felix just as she pushed open the doors to the school.

"Mia? Is that you?" Felix asked, startled.

"Felix!" Mia exclaimed. "When did you come to Xian?" she asked, her voice dripping with the sweetness of concentrated honey.

"Never mind that. Where's Jenna?"

"You come with me now," Mia stated flatly as she pulled Felix by the wrist towards the door.

"Huh? Hey, what are you doing?"

"You freaked out Master Feh with Psynergy, didn't you?" Mia's voice was harsh.

"Well, yes…"

"Isaac's about to kill him over who's going to take her to you! Do something!" Mia pushed him down the dirt road.

"That's crazy talk. Isaac would never do something like that. Now just –"

Mia shoved him down the road. "Don't contradict me! Get your ass down there before Isaac rips the poor guy's throat out!"

"…You're not usually like that, Mia…"

"Shut up, get up and get moving!"

"What the hell's wrong with her?" Felix muttered.

"I heard that!"

"This popcorn is good! Mmm…" Ivan burped.

"The guy's lucky Isaac's being nice," Garet said. "Bet you ten coins Feh loses."

"I don't gamble."

"Bah." Garet swallowed another handful of popcorn.

"Isn't their fight sort of stupid, though?" Sheba questioned.

"Shut up!" Garet snapped. "Sit back and enjoy the show while it lasts."

"Leave him alone, Isaac."

Isaac turned. "What the – Felix! What are you doing here?"

"Where's Jenna?" Felix demanded as Feh slipped away.

"Aw, man!" Ivan muttered. "Felix just had to ruin the fun."

Garet sighed. "So typical of him."

"Guess the show's over." Sheba finished her popcorn and threw out the bag.

Feh was sitting in his daughter's bedroom now. Her room normally was very neat and tidy, so he didn't have much occasion to enter it. But her packing had left the room in a mess, and he couldn't stand that. As he put away some half-folded clothes, he noticed a book fall out.

"The Thoughts and Philosophies of Feizhi, With Particular Emphasis Upon the Desires of the Man, Woman and all Humankind" read the inscription on the front cover. I never knew my daughter was a philosopher, though Feh. Filled with curiosity, he opened the book.

Blank.

He flipped through the pages. One blank page after another. More blank pages. It didn't make sense – shouldn't this book be full? It was, supposedly, about philosophy, after all…the wordiest subject for any book. But wait a minute…the book wasn't empty after all. There was words on this page…words that he had never seen before.

Written in an unintelligible script, evidently from right to left, was a document formatted to look like a letter. A letter for…whom? He quickly flipped through the rest of the pages. All were filled with words in the same script, and all seemed to be letters of varying length. He then looked on the back cover. There, he found two words in the script of the letters inside. Presumably, this was a better description of the book…but it was useless unless he could read it.

Being a smart lad when he was in school, he knew what he had to do to read this document. He first scrutinized the content. The punctuation, at least, was normal. Periods, apostrophes, commas. The spacing separated the figures into "words" and "sentences". He also noticed that the heading was always the same: two words, the first containing four symbols, and the second containing five. It ended with a comma.

It didn't take a very bright mind to find out what this book was.

Feh slaved away at Feizhi's desk with paper and pencil in hand, having canceled his classes for the day. By nightfall, he held in his hand the translation of the last page in the book. It was evidently written on the New Year:

Dear Diary,

Today is the New Year. There was many things to see! The fireworks were very loud, but everyone was very happy. The Dragons' Dance was really good. I saw it with Hsu.

I made my wish at the Lucky Tree. This is what I wrote:

"I wish for Isaac to marry me".

The orange is at the top of the tree. I believe that it will come true.

Just then, he realized with a start that he had been in a fight, just ten hours ago, with the guy his daughter loved…