Double Take (2 page)

But that didn't mean xe couldn't enjoy xyr time in Kemet as much as possible while xe was there. It all felt like a dream in some ways, the beautiful campus and luxurious dorms, and the grand, sprawling city with its white marble buildings and golden statues. But the university library was Teka's favourite. It was built of white marble, with stones of all colours inlaid into the floor and high columns. The bookshelves spanned in every direction like a city, concealing all manner of nooks and crannies, perfect for hiding away with a book. There were rooms and rooms of ancient scrolls, and newer books on science and philosophy and the history of magic. Teka had always had a penchant for fiction, though. Even though xe knew it wasn't scholarly, xe couldn't help but escape into a book every now and then.

Teka rubbed xyr eyes and reached over to turn the dial on xyr lamp up a little, determined to finish at least a few more chapters tonight. Xe was reading again, interested in the narrative, but beginning to trip a little over the long, convoluted descriptions, when xe realized that the strange music xe thought had been playing in xyr head wasn't imaginary at all, but real, although quiet. Xe listened again, trying to catch the melody, but it was just a little too low to make out. Every now and then xe would pick up a few notes, and then it would die down again. It was beautiful, but frustrating, and soon Teka had set xyr book down next to the lamp and gotten up out of the far-too-comfortable sitting chair to go in search of the music.

It was some sort of wind instrument, the sound low and haunting, sometimes flaring up to a high sweet pining, and then ducking down into a breathy sorrowful sigh. Teka wasn't sure if the song was rehearsed, or if the musician was improvising. Either way, it was beautiful. Xe walked past several high book cases, finally following the sound out into a courtyard. There was a warm night wind rustling the fronds of the palm trees, and the sound of the flute swirled up over the low trickling of a fountain. Teka stepped off the marble onto the packed dust of the ground and turned the corner towards the fountain.

A man was leaning against the fountain, a long wooden flute held to his mouth as he played. He was wearing the uniform of a graduate student, although the collar was quite a bit looser than regulation. He didn't notice Teka at first, and Teka was able to get close enough to recognize him before he stopped playing.

"Hasani?"

Hasani looked up, and a warm smile crossed his features. He lowered the flute and nodded at Teka. "Oh, hello. Teka, right?"

Teka couldn't help but smile back. "That's my given name, yes."

"I see you sometimes in the library," said Hasani. His long fingers moved gracefully over the holes in his flute, even as he spoke to Teka. "What are you always reading?"

"Oh." Teka blushed a bit. Hasani probably wouldn't approve of xem reading fiction. But he seemed different right now, less affected and more warm, and Teka thought maybe he wouldn't judge xem too harshly. "Just historical fiction. Epics."

"I like those too," said Hasani. "I used to read them as a child." He brought the flute back to his lips, and began to play again, picking up where he had left off. He nodded towards the edge of the fountain that he was leaning against, inviting Teka to sit with him. Teka obliged, sitting next to him and watching his fingers flit over the flute.

"You're very good," xe said after a moment. "What instrument is that?"

"A ney," replied Hasani as he paused for breath. "It's an Arabian instrument." He smiled at Teka again. "Do you play anything?"

"Nothing," admitted Teka. "I'd like to learn, but I'm afraid I am tone deaf. I enjoy listening very much, though."

"Good," responded Hasani. "I enjoy playing for people."

He continued to play, moving through styles and melodies. Every now and then, he caught Teka's gaze and smiled at xem with his eyes. Teka sat, swaying a little and enjoying the music. "You look tired," Hasani remarked after a spell, leaning over a little to peer at Teka. "Why aren't you in bed at this hour?"

"I could ask you the same," said Teka with a sleepy smile. "My roommate has a friend over."

"Ah." Hasani laughed. "My roommate never has friends over, but his presence alone is enough to deter me from spending any more time than necessary in my room. But..." He paused to stand, pulling Teka to xyr feet. "I think at this point we are likely the only two souls left awake on the campus, so I think that it will be safe for us to return to our rooms." Their faces became very close as Teka stood, and Hasani looked at Teka with a golden twinkle in his dark eyes. "Will I see you here again?"

"Probably," said Teka, a little short of breath. "I'm here often to read. I'll listen for your flute."

"I'd like that." Hasani gave a little, irreverent bow and spun the flute around in his hand. Teka was once again struck by how different he seemed, but then, xe had never met him outside the classroom before. Xe liked him this way, so casual and confident. "Goodnight, Teka."

"Goodnight."

*~*~*

"What were you doing out so late? You know, Jays and I were asleep by midnight."

"I wanted to be sure I didn't interrupt you." Teka rubbed xyr eyes, forcing xemself to focus on the page of research in front of xem. "Mm." Xe smiled. "Besides, I met Hasani in the library courtyard last night."

"What?" Maek sat up from where she had been lounging on her bed, having woken up early to finish her schoolwork while Teka slept. "What was he doing there?"

"Playing the ney," laughed Teka. "I know, I didn't know he played either."

"What was he like?" asked Maek. "Was he less..." She straightened up and set her jaw in a harsh line, screwing her eyes so tight that they were almost shut. "Undergraduate Mesfin, why haven't you finished your assignment?"

Teka snorted with laughter at Maek's surprisingly accurate impersonation. "No, he wasn't like that at all, he was... completely different. I guess I should have expected so, the professors here are all so strict."

"Why, what are they like in D'mt?"

Teka was about to reply when there was a knock on the door. Teka glanced up from xyr desk, and then at Maek, who shrugged. "I'm not expecting anyone."

Teka looked around the single room that xe and Maek shared, and wished that it was a little less cluttered with discarded clothing and stacked books before getting up and opening the door.

Hasani stood there, his collar done up tight around his neck once again, and a stack of papers gripped in his hands. Teka recognized them as xyr notes from yesterday. "Undergraduate Mesfin," he said with a low, proper bow.

Teka had to keep xemself from giggling. "Teka is fine, really. Are those my notes?"

Hasani seemed to remember that he was holding them. "Oh! Yes, yes." He lifted his glasses to his face and gestured at the pages in his hands. "I've corrected your usage of terms and symbols, and written you a glossary as well. Here." He held them out to xem stiffly.

"Oh, thank you!" said Teka, touched by Hasani's work. "I truly appreciate it. I shall endeavour to correct myself in the future."

"See that you do," said Hasani. He cleared his throat and glanced over Teka's shoulder at Maek. Teka glanced back as well, in time to see Maek shoving her nose into a reference book. "Well, I thought about your offer yesterday," Hasani continued. "And I wanted to confirm that you were, in fact, asking me... on..."

"A date?" finished Teka. "Yes, I was."

"Oh good," said Hasani, and he swallowed again. It really was adorable. "You can understand how I might have felt very awkward had I misunderstood."

"Of course," said Teka. Xe wanted to say something else, but couldn't think of anything under the circumstances. What was Hasani's answer?

"Well, in that case..." Hasani looked at the ground. He shuffled his feet, and looked back up at Teka. "Are you free after our lab today? I thought we might go to the coffee house down the street. They have lovely cakes and—"

"Yes, that sounds nice."

"Ah, well, good!" said Hasani, sounding surprised. A small smile crossed his lips, a hint of the one Teka had seen last night. "I shall see you in class today then, Undergraduate Mesfin."

"Teka really is fine," said Teka again, but xe could feel xemself smiling as well. Goodness, xe was acting like a teenager! Xe hadn't been this excited about a date in ages. Of course, xe hadn't been on a date in ages.

Hasani shut the door with another small smile, and Teka turned to squeal at Maek. "Coffee!"

"You don't like coffee," said Maek, setting the book down on her lap with a humorous look.

"For Hasani, I would drink lamp oil. Maek, I am going for coffee with Graduate Hasani!"

"Yes, yes, I heard!" Maek laughed at Teka, and set down her book. "I suppose you'd like me to help you get done up for your date?"

"Oh, would you? I don't know anything about make-up."

"Typical bio-magician," laughed Maek, standing up and walking to her dresser. "You know everything about making the body up, and nothing about making yourself up."

"I have good hair," Teka responded with a pout.

"Which is a good thing, because I can't help you with that." Maek wore her hair buzzed short, almost as short as Hasani's. Nothing to detract from the beautiful, sculpted angles of the face. "You're lucky you have good skin too, because my powder would not suit you. But here's some eye kohl." She approached Teka, turning the lamp that Teka had been working by to shine on xyr face. "You have such lovely skin. I wish I was dark like you."

Teka closed xyr eyes, trying hard not to flinch as Maek applied the kohl. "I'm going to look silly, all made up for the lab."

"It won't be too noticeable," Maek reassured xem. "Your skin is so dark, the black is just an accent. There, come look in the mirror."

Teka followed Maek over to her dressing table to look in the tall, gilded mirror there. Xe blinked, leaning forward to fix xyr hair. "I look like I'm from Kemet," xe laughed. "I could be in one of your old wall paintings."

"Not with that hair," Maek replied, smiling.

"You don't think I look too much like a girl, do you?" Teka asked, worried. In D'mt, only the girls bothered with make-up. Teka, read as female more often than male, didn't like to tip the scales in that direction too much. But xe did so like being pretty.

"Not at all!" Maek reassured xem. "All the men here wear make-up, haven't you noticed? I think even Hasani does."

"He would never!" gasped Teka. "Do you think?"

"I don't think he gets those cheekbones naturally," said Maek with a laugh. "I bet you he's much more of a peacock than he lets on."

Teka remembered the way Hasani had smiled at xem last night, the confident way he had leaned against the fountain and then bowed to xem. "Maybe you're right. Maybe."

*~*~*

"You're so... professional, in class."

"Professional?" Hasani sipped his drink, looking at Teka over the rim of his cup with a confused expression. "Well, yes, of course, I am a professional."

Teka smiled and took a sip of xyr own drink. It had turned out that neither of them liked coffee, and they had both ordered warm honeyed milk instead. "I know, and I know your work is important to you, but it's just odd to see the difference. You didn't even look at me once in the lab today."

"Well..." Hasani rolled his eyes and looked away, drumming his fingers on the side of his cup. "If you must know, that was because I was nervous for our date."

"Are you still?" asked Teka, leaning forward to catch Hasani's eye. "Nervous?"

"No, not as much. You're very relaxing, you know. And..." he sighed, blowing on his drink to cool it. "I do know what you mean by my being professional. I suppose it's just that I am under a lot of pressure. I'm studying to be a professor, you know, and I want very badly to impress upon my superiors that I am capable of the strict guidance expected of an educator."

"It must be hard though," said Teka. "Being so perfect all the time."

"Are you suggesting my perfection doesn't come naturally?" Hasani's face broke into that warm smile and Teka laughed.

"No, no, not at all. Just that you shouldn't give up your own happiness simply to impress others."

"Ah." Hasani took another drink and cast his eyes down to the table. It was ebony, the same as the one in the office where Hasani worked. "I find that others often know what's best for me. It's not that I haven't attempted to forge my own path, but it did not end particularly well."

"Why?" Teka leaned forward again, glad that the spot they had chosen was private. Their table was on the second story of the coffee house, overlooking the university grounds and the city beyond. They were high enough that no one below could hear their conversation, their table divided from the others by tall, carved ebony booths, so Teka felt comfortable asking. "Were you a rebel in your younger years?"

Hasani grimaced. "In a manner of speaking. Not the sort that makes a good story. My father had very strict plans for me, and I was intent on breaking them. I refused to go to college for a few years, and I had—" he paused, "—a sort of... dalliance with a relative."

"Is that bad?" asked Teka. "I thought that kind of thing was acceptable in Kemet."

"It is, to a point," said Hasani. He glanced at Teka with a small smile. "I'm aware that Kemet has an exaggerated reputation as far as incest goes."

"Well, yes," said Teka, laughing. When people thought of Kemet, they thought of wealth, history, and incest. Many of the people back home in D'mt had very negative opinions on the practice, but most were, in Teka's opinion, uneducated on Kemet's laws. Inbreeding was illegal, and Kemet's excellent medical system meant unplanned pregnancies were a thing of the past. "I did try to research the fact before I came here. I know not everyone does it, but it is quite common among nobility, isn't it?"

"It's complicated," said Hasani. "Some consider it antiquated, others elitist. It's common amongst nobility, and among the common people, but my family isn't nobility, just wealthy. We're expected to marry well and rise in ranks, not..."

"Have dalliances with relatives," Teka finished for him. "So you broke it off with your relative and went to study magical science, instead."