#pyjax

Khialli hadn’t even been in the facility the day it went up. She’d had a meeting with another overseer at the Funhouse, but it was impossible to ignore the magnitude of what had happened even at that distance. Everyone had heard the explosion, heard screaming echoing through the valleys. Gone out of their homes and krewe spaces to see chunks of Rata Thauma falling from the sky.

The residents hadn’t known what hit them. It wasn’t as if the Thaumanova facility – hidden deep in the caves below Metrica – was known to most common asura. And their entire world had been shattered in an instant.

Seeing the powerful beam of magic shooting up into the sky spurred her to action faster than anything else could have, and she’d hurried back as fast as she could, only to spy a familiar face watching her from a nearby hill, smiling with her hands folded behind her back, rocking back on her heels as she glanced at the destruction and then back at her.

Ceara.

Oh, what a fool she’d been. That sylvari, they’d come to find out, had been the root cause of everything that had gone wrong that day. But with Ceara having fled and no respectable member of the Inquest wanting to admit that they’d allowed a sapient houseplant into their workspaces only to have her destroy decades of research and an entire city for nothing more than a lark? They’d needed a scapegoat to take the fall in the face of the immense loss of life.

Incompetence. Failure to control her krewe.

Her intelligence and capabilities as a magic researcher had been the only things keeping her from becoming an experiment herself.

And now Khialli stood, staring quietly at the swirling clouds above the ruins. A lot had happened since then- forces were moving against the Elder Dragons now, and she’d even heard Overseer Prikk had sent his son to become a “leader” of the movement in the wake of the death of Snaff’s apprentice’s failed pick.

Yet here she remained, forced to face her own failure day in and day out. She was not guilty of the destruction at Thaumanova, but allowing that maniac of a plant girl into her krewe was no one’s fault but her own.

Groaning, the young overseer pushed her hands back through her hair. She could have done anything she wanted, she knew that. She was a highly marked graduate of Voltaics herself, having gone to college in the very city destroyed by her own hubris. Her knowledge of how magic interacted with the world around it knew few equals. She had honestly appreciated Ceara’s presence for that reason- she had an innate knowledge of the magic that seemed to convene at the Thaumanova site, and she’d appreciated having a peer to talk to.

Even if she had betrayed her in the end.

Khialli frowned, dropping her hands to her sides before straightening. It was close enough to the anniversary of the disaster that it was rattling her head. She needed something to distract her. Projects were light today, so she told her assistant she needed to make a run to Rata Sum. It wasn’t technically a lie- she could’ve run this errand at any time. But going into the city meant she was a little further away from her mistakes, and it was easier to look away from the clouds that were a stark reminder of that day almost a year ago.

And besides, it meant she could take her time.

These days, she’d taken to dressing down and wearing a light cloak over her going-out gear. Best to avoid any questions, especially considering the Inquest’s activities were still under heavy scrutiny. It also reduced the risk of anyone recognizing her while she was out and about. That was the last thing she needed.

Clicking on the wrist circlet that contained the auto payment chip for using the waypoint system, she let out a breath and made for her first stop: Soren Draa.

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Soren Draa was busier than most tallfolk outside asuran territory expected, but it was a comfort to Khialli. It was easier to blend in among the hustle and bustle of shopkeepers, food stall vendors, krewe recruiters, and students both from the nearby progeny school and from within Rata Sum. For at least a few moments, she could forget about the past and focus on the sights and smells around her. Fond memories of coming here with her college sweetheart, laughing and talking about their projects and what they planned to do when they graduated.

Those were much easier times. How much easier would it have been if she’d listened to her grandmother and come back to Rata Sum to apply for one of the magitech krewes? The Opticalium and Ulta Metamagicals were very highly regarded, and they had tried to recruit her as graduation approached.

But no. Pleekli and the sway of the Inquest’s unlimited resources – or so they told her – had lured her in. And now, here she was, perusing stalls as she let herself take her time. There wasn’t any rush; many of her projects still needed some time to “cook,” as it were. A few extra minutes spent meandering around Soren Draa, maybe having something indulgent for lunch and grabbing some coffee, wouldn’t hurt. No responsibilities, no one needing her immediate attention. She could let her mind drift.

And that was when she heard it.

“Khialli?! It is you!” It was a voice she hadn’t heard in years, and her head jerked up at the sound, green eyes wide as she stared at the asura that had stopped next to her. He was easily over a head taller than her, exceptionally tall for an asura, with brilliant violet eyes, tightly corded hair pulled back into a ponytail, and shoulders as broad as his grin. “Alchemy, I haven’t seen you since graduation! You haven’t changed a bit! How have you been?”

Khialli stared at him for a moment before straightening, holding her cloak a little tighter around herself as she smiled. The first genuine smile she felt she’d worn in ages. “Pyjax? By the pinion gears, it has been ages, hasn’t it? I’m doing as well as I could be, but you look like you’re doing pretty good for yourself.”

Pyjax just laughed, stepping forward to pull her into a bear hug that nearly knocked the wind out of her. If she hadn’t changed, he had by bounds. Or at the very least, he was a lot stronger than he used to be. “You have no idea! Are you in Soren Draa for long? I was on my lunch break and wanted to get out of the city. There’s a great little street vendor here that does the best grub and beetle skewers- I hear they import the grubs all the way from Ashford.”

“Oh, I-” Khialli staggered a bit as he released her, smoothing out her cloak. It would be nice to sit with him again, like they had back in college, but at the same time… “I don’t know. I have a lot of work I should be doing, and I’ve got errands to run…”

There was that brilliant grin again, his eyes crinkling up at the corners. “It’ll only be an hour. If you really gotta go, I won’t stop you, but I’d love to have a sit down with you and catch up. It’s been years since we last saw each other.”

Hesitating for a moment, Khialli glanced away before back up at him. She had wanted to waste a little bit of time today, and there was no harm in just taking an hour to grab something to eat and catch up. She could obfuscate any particularly intense questions, weave around them, avoid any deep, serious questions about where exactly her career was going these days.

Not much of anywhere, really, but that was beside the point.

Biting her lip, she finally sighed, offering a half smile. “Okay. Yeah, I think that should be fine. I was thinking of grabbing food anyway while I was out, so there’s no harm in doing that with you, right…?”

Immediately, Pyjax puffed up, grinning as he offered his arm to her. “Great! My treat. It’s payday and I’ve got gold to burn.”

“What? You don’t have to do that, Pyjax; I have my own gold.”

“I don’t have to, sure, but I want to.” He put his hand over hers once she took his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I mean, I know it’s been a while. But it’s the polite thing to do since you agreed to come to lunch with me.”

Khialli gave him a look, then sighed and shook her head. There was no use bickering with him over this, after all. May as well go along with it and then hurry to finish her errands while there was still daylight. Settling her shoulders, she set to walking along with him. No harm in taking a break. At this point, she certainly needed it.

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If she was being honest, she’d forgotten how easy it was to lose herself in conversation with Pyjax. He laughed and joked, talking about his time with the Peacemakers. And while her answers were vague regarding her own projects, he at least didn’t pry too much. He just seemed happy to see her, pointing out things on the menu he enjoyed and thought she might too, grinning when at one point she reached over to flick one of his biceps.

“So what do they feed you in the Peacemakers, Py? You weren’t even half this size last time I saw you. I seem to remember you being a lot lankier.”

He laughed at that, rubbing the back of his head with a free hand. “Ah, yeah… after graduation I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with myself. Grams was encouraging me to try to get an internship at one of the colleges, but… I kind of wanted to do what she did. So I took some time to do a tour on a merchant ship that did a lot of travel between Rata Sum and Lion’s Arch. You build up a lot of muscle hauling sails and cargo day in and day out. And then… I applied for the Peacemakers.”

Khialli tipped her head, waggling her skewer at him. “I never pegged you for the type. I mean, I remember your grandma. Dyed in the wool Arcane Eye. So I can see her having a lot of impact on what you might want to do with your life.” Pausing to take a drink from her cup, she tipped her head towards him briefly. “How is Suulea, anyway?”

It was the first time the entire conversation that Pyjax’s expression fell, and he looked away for a moment before heaving a sigh. “Ah… she died. Or at least she was declared dead. She was investigating something regarding the Thaumanova disaster and went missing. After a few weeks of searching, they found some of her gear up north near the spider caves, all bloodied. Declared her dead after that.”

The fact that Khialli hadn’t immediately choked on her drink at the mention of Thaumanova was a miracle, but she did swallow hard to clear her mouth before speaking, putting down her cup to reach over and put a hand over his. “Oh Alchemy, I am so sorry Pyjax. I never would’ve asked if I’d known.”

“Nah, I figured. You never were the type to do that.” He offered a wan smile, shrugging faintly. “That’s why I’ve been working so hard lately. There had to be something she was looking into, and Rakt always came off as suspicious, before Tebb killed him.”

Furrowing her brow, Khialli leaned back slightly. “You’re climbing the ranks to try to uncover what she was looking into. But Pyjax… isn’t that dangerous? If someone found out…”

Pyjax shook his head. “I’m sure they could, but I’m being careful. I don’t plan to play my hand too soon, and you’re the only person who knows now outside of me. Best I can tell, though, is that she didn’t believe the overseer Councilor Yahk stated was “taken care of” was the one behind the explosion. Said it felt too convenient. And I believe her.”

It was a far more uncomfortable conversation than she’d expected. He had no idea, of course, that she was the overseer his grandmother was apparently investigating… and it seemed that perhaps she hadn’t figured out Khialli’s involvement when she disappeared, either. Or at least that’s what she hoped. Still, knowing he was investigating…

“What are you expecting to find, then? I mean… the reactor’s gone. So’s Rata Thauma.”

Again, he shrugged. “Dunno. But seeing as how the Pact’s being headed by some Inquest bruiser and the Inquest had heavy involvement in what happened, well. It could be connected. If nothing else, I’ll at least find out what happened to Grams.”

Khialli lifted her hand to tug lightly on a strand of pale hair, pursing her lips. “I see.” She leaned back slightly, then, looking over the young man sitting before her. He really had grown up a lot… and away. They were in completely different worlds now. Maybe it was best that they likely wouldn’t see each other again after this. “Well… be careful, okay? I’d hate to hear that you’d gotten killed or worse out there.”

That got him to smile again at last, and he turned his head back to her, flashing that brilliant lopsided grin. “Thanks, Kiki. I mean it. It’s been a rough several months, but… you know, I think running into you is proof that it might finally be turning a corner.” Lifting a hand to flag down a server, he tipped his head towards her, one ear cocked upwards. “I should get back to work before they send a search party. Maybe we can do this again sometime?”

“Oh… I don’t know.” Khialli picked at one of her claws briefly. “I’ve got a lot of work backed up.” A lie. “It was really nice to see you, though. Honest.”

His smile faltered briefly, but it seemed more out of disappointment than anything. But he didn’t push back, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “Well. If that workload eases up any, you know where to find me. I’m based right here in Rata Sum, so just ask around down by the Peacemaker offices. Someone’ll know where I am and be able to point you in the right direction.”

When Khialli smiled this time, it was genuine, and she squeezed his hand right back. “I’ll keep that in mind. It was good to see you again, Pyjax.”

“You too, Khialli. I hope it’s not the last time.”

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Khialli had hoped to be somewhat calmer by the time she got back to her office in the early afternoon, but her heart was racing as the door slid closed behind her. She’d given her subordinates their orders, gone over everything, and somehow managed to keep a straight face through it all. It wasn’t until after the door was shut that she hurried over to the bed set up in the corner, picking up the pillow to shove her face into it and let out a tight scream, muffled by the soft fabric.

It had, at first, been so nice to see Pyjax. He’d come a long way from where he’d been before; she’d always wondered what he was going to wind up doing out there in the big wide world. He was smart enough, but not nearly as academically inclined as she had been. That he’d made Peacemaker wasn’t a huge surprise, considering he – like her – had been raised by his grandmother, the once head of the Arcane Eye. But to know that she’d died, and not just in the line of duty but while investigating the very place that had gotten her shoved into this Alchemy-forsaken pit of a laboratory in the middle of the wilderness?

Sure, it was likely a coincidence that he was looking into the Thaumanova disaster. Yahk had kept her name out of proceedings since Director Miyya had decreed she was being moved instead of demoted, killed, or worse. There wasn’t any chance of him finding out that she was the overseer that had been made a scapegoat in that whole mess… right?

Groaning, she tossed the pillow onto her bed and began to pace, one arm wrapped around her waist as she bit down on the thumb claw of the opposite hand. No, the risk was still there. She’d have to think of a way out of this. As nice as it had been to see him again, there was no way he’d be in any way all right with her involvement in the Inquest. She’d deflected him before by saying she was working on something of a highly sensitive nature that she couldn’t risk getting out to the public, but if he kept digging, she’d be in big trouble.

“Memo! Memo, where are you?” Turning around, she squinted, watching as the little golem activated from the corner of the room, hurrying over to her after she called. “Memo, I need you to send a message. Please make a request of Director Miyya for a transfer to the lab complex in Blazeridge Steppes. And… uh. She’ll want a reason… so let’s… let’s tell her that I’ve developed an allergy to a specific type of cave fungus that grows in the hylek grounds near the facility. It’s only found here in Brisban, so I’ll need to request a transfer effective immediately.”

The little golem beeped, floating over to settle into its terminal. “Affirmative-Overseer-Khialli. Sending-message-now.”

Starting to pace again, Khialli tried to settle her racing mind. If she could get moved somewhere far from the Maguuma region, she could avoid running into Pyjax again. She could just… run a facility out there, still decently out of the way of the rest of the Inquest. Sure, it wasn’t looking at the ruins of Rata Thauma day in and day out, but surely being so far away from the jungle could be some kind of penance, couldn’t it?

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she let out a sigh, frowning. In another world, another time, she would’ve gladly taken the time to rekindle that friendship. Pyjax had clearly done well for himself, and it wasn’t like she didn’t miss him. They’d gotten on so well in college, and he had really believed in where she could go in life.

And where had she gone? The Inquest. In a crummy little lab in the jungle looking out at a failure that wasn’t even hers.

Closing her eyes, she went to lay back, only to have Memo beep across the room. “Yes, Memo…?”

“I-apologize-Overseer-Khialli. Incoming-message-from-Asuran-Resource-Director-Miyya. Would-you-like-to-play-this-now?”

That was fast. Unpleasantly fast. Grimacing, Khialli pushed herself to sit up again. “...play the message, Memo.”

A beep, click, and whir later, the voice of the infamous head of the Inquest Ethics Committee could be heard through the device. “Hello, Khialli dear!” There it was. That sharp, condescending tone that dripped with poisoned honey. “I am so glad to hear from you. I was so concerned to hear your message, and so, I had one of my assistants do me the favor of pulling up the results of your recent physical. Would you imagine my surprise to find your only listed allergies were to omnomberries and coconut! You must’ve simply had a bad batch. At any rate, your transfer request is declined. Do remember to keep morale up, Overseer. You have an image to keep up if you’re to ever return to a… respectable position.”

Memo beeped as the message ended, and again, Khialli groaned. She had a feeling that was going to be her answer, but she hadn’t expected it to be so fast. But beggars certainly couldn’t be choosers. She’d have to hope that Pyjax just… didn’t trip over the information somehow. Her name had been hidden to keep her out of the public eye. Avoid assassination attempts from survivors of the destruction of Rata Thauma or their families.

Maybe Pyjax would just… focus on the alternatives instead of the identity of that overseer hidden away in the wilderness. Assume they had been killed for their transgressions.

Not that she wanted that to be the case, of course. She did miss Pyjax. And maybe he, and Suulea, had been right. Maybe she should have taken that open position on Opticalium instead of giving in to the dazzle and flair of the Inquest.

Not a choice now, of course. She’d made her bed, and now she had to lie in it.

Dragging herself to her feet, she gave Memo the order to shut down and headed back down into the lab. She could, if nothing else, get a little bit of work done. Take her mind off the day.

It wasn’t like she would see him again anyway.

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Back in Rata Sum, a young Peacemaker sat in his office, going over documents from a recent case. He had some other things he wanted to look into later, but for now he had to clean up all the details on his project before he could get to more sensitive topics.

Still, Pyjax was in good spirits. He hadn’t expected to run into Khialli while out grabbing lunch- he hadn’t actually seen her since they graduated. And she looked good! Bright eyed, and whatever secretive project she was working on, it must’ve commanded a lot of attention to keep her away for so long. He wished they could’ve talked longer, but he knew that could change. Nothing saying they wouldn’t run into one another again.

On the other hand… he had noticed how her expression changed when he mentioned his grandmother’s disappearance. Sure, it could’ve just been shock. They’d grown up close, both of them raised by their grandmothers, and Khialli knew Suulea almost as well as her own grandmother. At the same time, that wasn’t an expression of simple shock. It was like something he’d said struck a cord with her, but he couldn’t put his finger on what.

Tapping his stylus against his nose, he gazed up towards the ceiling. He’d always been genuinely good at reading people, even in college. And while he wasn’t the smartest graduate (he ceded that to Khialli when she graduated genius first grade and top of her rank), he was clever and street smart. An expression like that didn’t necessarily mean someone knew something, but it certainly raised some flags.

Quirking his lips, he leaned back in his chair, closing out the program he’d been working in to reach for a file he’d hidden in a drawer. His higher ups didn’t necessarily like him “digging into old news,” but so long as he got his work done, no one really gave him too much grief.

Flipping through the information he’d received, he tried to focus. See if there was something, anything, he might’ve missed in his previous attempts to figure this out. Lists of names, the symbols partially obscured… and mentions of a lab in Brisban, different from that damn Thaumacore facility where the Inquest continued their work on the material from that Alchemy-forsaken lab.

Hadn’t Khialli mentioned she was in Soren Draa from work in Brisban?

It wasn’t a lot to go on. The wilds were vast, and there were a lot of labs dotting the landscape, some more publicized than others. Maybe she was working with Ulta Metamagicals on their new gate tech research, something they were incredibly hush-hush about, and that would make the whole thing just another coincidence.

Tipping his head back to gaze at the ceiling for a moment, he hummed thoughtfully before getting to his feet, putting the files and the datapad back into the drawer. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he’d poke around, see if he could dig up where she was working these days. He was with the Peacemakers, so it wasn’t like there would be a conflict of interest if she knew where she was working. Whether it would be a good idea or not did float past in his mind- there was a risk, of course, that she could think he was stalking her.

That did give him pause. He’d only just reconnected with her. He didn’t want to do something that would make her uncomfortable. Even in college, she’d been a very private person. He’d respected that immensely then, and still did even now, years from their time together as awkward teenagers.

In the end, Pyjax sighed, putting his hands on his hips. No, he’d have to just have to keep investigating as it was. He wasn’t going to force himself into Khialli’s life like that.

Letting his hands dropped, he turned and headed to clock out and start on the long walk back to his apartment. Nice as it was to think about what could’ve been, they both had their own lives to focus on. And just like it would be unfair of anyone else to pry into his life, it would be equally unfair to Khialli to pressure himself into hers.