“Lover and Hater of Tower of Hate and Love” (65.7) (Oka)

"It makes negative sense is all," I said. "I was fighting bookshelf boy, then I got zapped, then you showed up. But why would you be here?"

"I keep telling you, I have no idea," Riannon said.

For some strange reason, I had run into someone I went to school with from Tesata, Riannon. I still was looking for trickery or some sign that this wasn't actually her, but the evidence otherwise was starting to pile up. We left Tesata, which in this void node was only the training grounds, maybe pulled from our memories or something. We were on a trail that I hoped would bring us back to the others, a lone path of dirt with some bushes on the sides, and past that was that psychadellic space that we'd seen when we were in that Shelv guy's area, so I hoped we were on the right track.

"Well, what were you doing before you got here?" I asked.

"I was on an expedition, I got separated from my group, then the next thing I know I'm groveling while you stood over me. Real cheap beating up someone that was out of it, by the way."

"I didn't know!" I said. "You're the one who attacked me. You were all like you were back then."

"Like I was back then, huh?" Riannon said. She sneered, but I wasn't sure if it was at me or at the idea of her past self. Had she maybe mellowed out a bit since I last saw her?

"Where do you go to school now? You gotta be close to graduating, right?" I asked.

"I'm graduating in spring if I pick a different school for the rest of it," Riannon said. "I go to one called Wildfire Hearts now, but I just got sent to an Atrian school for the rest of the semester."

"Oh my god," I said. "Rising Shards?"

"Yep," Riannon said.

"I go to Rising Shards too, this is just so weird!" I said.

"Well, it makes more sense that we're here together now," Riannon said. "Similar void entry point, you get this kind of thing."

"But how have I not seen you around yet?" I asked. Not that I particularly wanted to reconnect with an old bully. But, still, I would have noticed. Unless they greatly changed their appearance, I would recognize my old classmates anywhere.

"Seniors at Cani schools are barely on campus, we got jobs and stuff to do," Riannon said. "Plus, the last two years aren't like other schools, they're basically the first two college years."

"Right, right…" I said.

The trail took a winding turn and went at an incline, which felt like a workout as we carried on.

"So what's new with you?" Riannon asked. "I really thought you'd be on the news for going on some rampage."

"I'll have you know I am very well adjusted, thanks to lots of therapy and good folks in my life," I said. "I got adopted by the Kilanders."

"Wow," Riannon said. "The Craiths took me in."

"I remember," I said. When she graduated, she made a big show of it, saying her power as a Cani is what led her to be adopted by a powerful family.

"And my family is still rich, unlike yours," Riannon said.

"Uh huh," I said.

"Have you looked into them at all? They have so many secrets," Riannon said.

I don't know why, but this hurt to hear. I knew the Kilanders weren't great by any stretch, but I didn't want to hear it from her.

"I have, but I still don't know much," I said.

"You should consider looking into that more," Riannon said.

"Maybe I will," I said. She was about as annoying to talk to as she was back then.

"You're probably screwed up in all kinds of new ways living with them," Riannon said.

"I only live with one of them, and he's the normal one," I said. "I think I'm very un-screwed up compared to where I was. I get pretty good grades, I'm in the theater club, I have lots of friends. I even have a girlfriend now!"

"I knew it," Riannon said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"I totally knew you were gay," Riannon said.

"I never talked about it back then, though," I said.

"Sure, but I saw you drooling over Giavi in Streetwind, you wanted to bang her so bad,"

"Don't put it like that," I said.

"I gotta meet your girlfriend, too," Riannon said.

"You don't, actually," I said.

"Why, you embarrassed by her or something?"

"No, you're going to be mean to her and she's sensitive!" I said. "I'm protecting her."

"I'll be nice," Riannon said.

"You say that, but you make it sound so ominous," I said.

"I'm not trying to, I really will be nice!"

"Fine," I said. "What do you have going on then outside of graduating?"

"Not much," Riannon said. "I don't have time for dating, maybe I will when I start college. Or start real college."

"You should! After a couple months of dating, I can safely recommend it," I said.

"Pfft, you are still such a nerd," Riannon said.

"What the frick ever," I said. "You're the one here on a Saturday! Why are you at school on a Saturday?"

"It doesn't really work to make fun of me with the thing you're also doing," Riannon said.

Just as I starting to ramp up my argumentative abilities, Riannon shushed me.

"Do you hear that?" She asked.

It sounded like something slapping against itself. It took me a second to place what it was. We traced the sound and arrived back in familiar enough territory, that weird warbly texture of Shelv's domain wasn't covering the whole area anymore, revealing that it looked pretty much like a normal library with an open space for fighting. Shelv held a thick book above his head, clapping it shut every few seconds.

"Ahhh, you so heard the inescapable of the book," Shelv said. "I grew bored of waiting for anyone to return."

"The others aren't back yet?" I asked. "Or well, wait, the others are gone too? I thought you only got me."

"The others made attempts after you, ending the same way," Shelv said. "Reed would be displeased by your performance."

"Well, whoever the heck Reed is, I'm sure he'll be displeased with you when we beat you up!" I said.

"Ugh," Riannon said.

"What?" I asked.

"Really not a great line," Riannon said.