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Jas	By : awcoppelia Category: A through F > Forgotten Realms Views: 3207 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Forgotten Realms series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
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- 5
CHAPTER 4

Jas had been in the Academy for a little over eight years now, and he had done quite well for himself. Winning four out of seven grand melee's had given him a status higher than what was expected of a noble of his house's low ranking. So, not only would he be the first of his siblings to graduate from the academy, he would most likely be one of the best as well, given what the four eldest had done so far in their studies in the adjoining Arach-Tinilith. Of course, his quick graduation would be due more to the shorter term and beginning age of entrance requirements for fighter candidates, but Jas chose to ignore that little detail. Any little bit of distinction helped. He'd still be way ahead of them in his class rank, anyways., so it didn't really matter.
Tengen was still in the academy as well , a ninth year student, and firmly in last place in his class. He had made it a point to buddy up with Jas, preferring to let the younger, but much better, student fight his battles for him. In turn, Jas used Tengen's more apt skills at keeping up with any and all rumors, gossip, and bits of actual truth floating about the academy to his advantage. It worked well, all things considered, even if it did mean he had to put up with Tengen's wildly exaggerated accounts of his exploits in between classes and practice patrols.
The grand melee that would occur fifty days into Jas's eighth year was just weeks away now, and Jas was in a great mood. He knew he had this one already won. His only real competition among the twelve students that had started with him in the Academy had conveniently removed himself in a late night ‘accident', one Jas probably knew a little too much about. To celebrate the dual circumstance of his exceptional mood and the reduction of student exercises and drills due to the approaching melee, he had been bugging Tengen to find some cvanac, a rather mild version of pipeweed. Although used occasionally outside of the Academy, it was usually frowned upon within its walls, as fighters were supposed to be alert at all times. Or, as Tengen put it, it was fun, therefore it was forbidden.
They had been searching for a while yet, not having much luck. Tengen was almost out of contacts, as well, but the next person on his list showed at least some promise. Although he didn't have any to spare personally, he knew someone that might, which was better than anything they'd found so far.
"Yeah, try talking to Do'Urden," the other student was saying. Jas couldn't remember this latest one's name, there had been too many of these fruitless meetings. "One of his sisters' grow it, so he usually has it all the time, and sometimes its even dipped in one of those elixir the Matron Do'Urden is so famous for."
The name struck a chord deep within Jas, almost like one of those wiggly-worm thoughts, but not quite the same caliber. "Do I know Drizzt Do'Urden?" he asked Tengen.
"Probably not, he's a fourth year student." Tengen shook his head. "I've seen him around, and supposedly he's the best thing since sliced lichen bread, but I don't really know him that well or anything,, and if I don't know him, you don't." Tengen stated with authority. "His brother, Dinin, is a master here though, over first and second year students, that's who you're thinking of."
"I don't think so, I know who that is, and that is NOT the person I'm thinking of." Jas retorted. It was a silly thing to argue about, but any time Tengen started pushing his almost intangible weight around, Jas couldn't help but burst his bubble, it'd become a habit born of sheer annoyance with Tengen's long and irritating stories of his supposed popularity with ALL the students of the Academy, most of it outright and obvious lies.
"Well, anyways, that's who you should probably talk to, not that I really know him either. I've just heard is all," the other student interjected, "I‘ve got things to do."

*** ***
After a brief search and several quickly held conversations, Jas and Tengen managed to locate the student lounge area where this Drizzt was purported to be. Jas hoped it wasn't just another dead end, as it was getting somewhat late, and they were going to run out of free time soon enough. There were only two students in the small alcove that served as a community lounge for the fifth year students. Tengen seemed to know exactly which of the two he wanted, striding with purpose to the student who reclined in a chair next to a tiny portal that couldn't quite be described as a window.
The student, who was allegedly Drizzt Do'Urden, did not look up from the book he was absorbed in for a long moment. Finally realizing that they were apparently here to talk to him, he looked up, without putting the book down.
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Jas exclaimed, "You have purple eyes!"
"I'm quite aware of that, thanks," was the response from the reclining student, as he turned back to his book.
Tengen gave Jas an odd, puzzled look, and rushed into a not-so-subtle proposition. But Jas wasn't paying attention. He was too busy staring at Drizzt, still stunned. It wasn't so much that the eye color was unusual, it was that somehow that particular eye color was causing a similar sensation to his familiar wiggly-worm thoughts, those thoughts that came and left, with only a feeling of half remembrance. Except this worm had a tiny miniscule hook buried within it, a hook that caught on something deep within Jas. He wasn't sure if he liked it, on the other hand he wasn't exactly sure that he disliked it either..
Jas swam out of his thoughts, feeling somewhat dazed still, just in time to hear that basically Drizzt didn't have anything to sell them either. He didn't know where they had gotten their information, he was explaining, but they were wrong. The disappointment brought Jas back down to solid ground. Drizzt didn't seem to notice that Jas had been openly staring at the younger student for quite a while. Jas was relieved, that could have been awkward, and he wouldn't have had any reasonable explanation for it, he didn't even have one for himself.
"But I do have a little bit that I could share.. It's not much, but it's kind of old," Drizzt continued, "I don't really want it anyways."
Tengen jumped at the chance, not wanting to have the evening be a complete waste. He suggested that they go out onto to the balcony that the eighth and ninth year students shared, since, as he explained, the night monitor that watched the area often smoked the stuff himself right there. He'd never know the difference between theirs and his own, especially if they ‘accidentally' left a touch on one of the tables. Drizzt decided to tag along as well, it was always nice to get out of the building itself for a while, even if it was only a side balcony.
Jas wasn't quite so sure. For some reason Drizzt made him nervous. No, nervous wasn't quite the word to describe it, not really. But he couldn't come up with a better word for it. Giddy was closer, but still not quite right, and smoking the pipeweed was most likely not going to help that, either. He didn't really want to leave, on the other hand. He decided what he really wanted to do was just stare at Drizzt some more, and try to figure out exactly what it was about him that was making him feel so strange.
So, he joined them on the balcony in the end, at first resolved not to smoke anything either, but quickly losing that resolve after getting a whiff of the stuff burning in the little contraption Tengen had brought. Stale it might have been, but it smelled better than any he had ever had before. After a few passes, he actually felt a little better, enough to crack a joke about one digit houses and the higher quality of smokable goods being the reason they never seemed to get much done.
Tengen promptly retorted that at least they were both nobles, at least Jas had that much, as compared to himself. Jas laughed, used to Tengen's attempts to blame everything bad in his life upon the fact he was not born noble, but Drizzt got all serious and emphasized that being a noble did not necessarily mean anything, Jas, having caught the younger student's full attention again, relapsed into staring dreamily at him again.
"Does that mean I can make fun of your house any time I want then? " he said slowly. He didn't really want an answer, didn't even really pay attention to his own silly question. He still hadn't figured out exactly what happening here, why the younger student was messing with his head so much.
Drizzt had noticed him staring off and on throughout their time on the balcony. It wasn't so much an uncomfortable sort of stare, more like the look Zaknafein had when discussing his favorite food, a delicacy from far off Skullport that he had only been able to have on rare occasion. He had chosen to ignore it, deciding that Jas had just had a little too much of the higher grade substance.
Soon enough, the evening drew to a close, and the students were off to their separate bunks. Although normally smoking even a little pipeweed helped put Jas right to sleep, this night was different. He just couldn't stop thinking of the purple-eyed Drizzt, but he couldn't any more explain why than he could earlier in the evening. At first, he tried to force one of those wiggly-worm thoughts to the surface, not that that ever worked, but he was determined that even if he couldn't remember the actual thoughts, at least he'd be assured that it was connected to this new dilemma. Then he could just ignore it, like he always had in the past. But nothing came to him, and even though he tried, seriously he did, he could not stop thinking about the fifth year student. Finally, late in the night, he fell asleep out of pure exhaustion, only to fall into dreams about his newest acquaintance.
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Jas