Shoutout to Bruh_Vista and Equinoxes for beta-reading and providing extensive feedback for this chapter!
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If looks could drill holes, then Shuri was certain that there would be an incredibly narrow one piercing through her head given the sheer intensity with which Marie was looking at her. The gaze held no negativity - at least none that Shuri's highly attuned social sense could read - and it was purely filled with intrigue and amusement.
Was it mockery? No, the amusement was not directed in Shuri's direction, it felt more like how a failed comic would laugh at their own joke - it was self-directed. Shuri was lost. The situation had spiralled beyond her control. She realised that ever since she left the safety of the Palace (there, she said it!) things hadn't been going her way. The more she tried to do something, the further she moved from achieving her goal. The harder she attempted to hide and avoid the attention of others, the more the world kept pushing her into the light.
"You never expected that you'd end up here, did you?" Marie broke through Shuri's rambling thoughts with a question that read her mind. The two, Marie and Shuri, were currently in the recreation room. After that disaster of an assembly where Shuri was caught with her trousers down (metaphorically), Marie dragged her along for a one-on-one meeting to discuss future assistantship expectations (a responsibility which was unceremoniously foisted upon Shuri).
"I'm not sure-"
"You don't have to keep playing a role," Marie interrupted. "Just be yourself."
Shuri bit back a few insults while sporting a good-natured yet confused expression. Had she become so easy to read and manipulate that even two country bums could unravel her like a poorly tethered knot?
"That's a hard ask, I know," Marie admitted. "You're in an unfamiliar place, amongst unfamiliar people. It is natural to be cautious and leery, especially given the condition during your recruitment."
Marie shook her head with silent rage, "I empathise with you and am extremely sorry about what you were forced to live through. During my time working with various caravans in the past, I too had the displeasure of witnessing and experiencing abuse and assault."
Shuri's face twitched with discomfort. It was an unpleasant memory, to say the least. The feeling of powerlessness, humiliation and her body's complete surrender to death still haunted her. The morbid memory would periodically invade her dreams and rob her of her already tenuous sleep.
"So I cannot be so brazen to ask you to trust us readily," Marie admitted. "But I can tell you that being closed off and unreasonably cautious of everything can be far more detrimental to your recovery."
"Thank you for the advice, Senior," Shuri immediately responded. She would rather this conversation end right here than drag on further. The longer Marie talked, the more Shuri felt a sense of danger sparking within her gut.
"No you aren't," Marie shot back immediately with a mirthful snort.
"Excuse me?"
"You aren't thankful," Marie clarified. And just as Shuri was about to explain herself, Marie raised her hand and continued, "You want this conversation to end. You want to disappear from sight and mind. You want nothing more than to blend into the background and live amongst the common folk."
For the first time, Shuri outwardly displayed her panicking state.
"But you can't," Marie denied with a shrug. "Because you aren't average at all. You are gifted. What takes others years to achieve can be achieved in a matter of months by you. Things that take people hours to comprehend can be absorbed in a fraction of that time by you. You have so much potential, and yet you forcefully suppress it through some kind of self-imposed exile."
"W-Who are-"
"So here's what we'll do. I know that you don't really want to be my research assistant. And I'm willing to release you from this duty. However, there is a condition to your release," Marie paused while raising her index finger. "You must defeat me."
"Defeat you? In what?" Shuri shot back. Whatever game Marie was playing, Shuri was prepared to indulge in it if it meant that she could run away from this witch!
To answer Shuri's query, Marie simply shrugged and leaned deeper into her chair.
"But you're a mage in the Foundation Establishment realm, while I'm just a mere mortal!" Shuri argued against the unfairness of the proposition.
Once again, Marie shrugged and revealed a sly smirk.
"You never intended to release me, did you?" Shuri asked through gritted teeth.
"No, I am sincere in my offer. All you need to do is defeat me," Marie reiterated. "I will even give you an infinite number of tries. But the duration is limited. You have a week. If you cannot defeat me within a week, you will be my research assistant until I say otherwise."
Noting that Marie wasn't indicating any signs of duplicity, Shuri shot up from her seat and headed for the exit.
"Where are you going?" A hand shot out and caught Shuri's arm with a vice grip, pulling her back into the seat.
"Umm... Figuring out a way to defeat you, I guess?" Shuri confessed, still reeling from the sudden tug.
"You forget quickly for someone with an eidetic memory," Marie said with a chuckle. "You're still my research assistant. I need your assistance in data analysis."
As she said this, Marie picked up a large stack of papers tied up into a neat bundle and plopped it on the desk before Shuri. While her eyes tracked the massive stack, another one was retrieved from below the table and placed unceremoniously in front of Marie. Just as Shuri was about to ask what the data analysis entailed, a third stack materialised.
"How many more are there?" Shuri blurted out exasperatedly.
"Don't worry," Marie said with a loud laugh. "These two are mine. That one over there's for you."
"What exactly am I supposed to do with this?" Shuri probed with evident snark in her voice.
"Now, now, let's curb the hostility," Marie responded with a well-meaning drawl. "We're trying to determine the relational dynamic between different sets of variables, to see if there are any trends- Oh, right! You probably haven't covered this yet"
"No, I know what you're talking about," Shuri murmured back as she undid the bundle and traced her finger over the table of values.
"See!" Marie suddenly clapped Shuri's back appreciatively. "Gifted!"
Shuri groaned and grumbled as she got down to work. "When does this need to be finished?"
"In a week," Marie responded nonchalantly.
"A week?! For all of this? You have got to be kidding me! How can I finish this AND defeat you if the deadlines overlap?" Shuri argued.
"That sounds like a 'you' problem to me," Marie joked. "I'm not the one who wishes to extricate herself from a research assistantship to work that, by the way, is re-envisioning an extremely ancient and powerful cultivation method."
Shuri's jaw bobbed up and down as she struggled to formulate a response. The way Marie phrased things really did make Shuri sound like an idiot.
"What cultivation method are you talking about?" Shuri probed after recovering from her stupor.
"Why should I disclose this information to you if you don't intend to stick with me?" Marie rebutted.
"I thought all knowledge was freely accessible here in the True World Sect," Shuri challenged.
"I don't know if you remember, but Sect Leader Larks explicitly said that all previously discussed rules do not apply to my Master," Marie shot back smugly.
Shuri continued grumbling as she carried on with the arduous and monotonous task.
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"What's this?" Marie inquired as Shuri tossed a stack of playing cards on the desk.
"I challenge you to a game of Blackjack," Shuri declared.
"Are you finished with the work?" Marie highlighted with crossed arms.
Shuri snorted back as a challenge and said, "Don't worry about it. It'll be done by the deadline."
"If you say so," Marie droned. "Just so you know: if you fail to finish the assigned task before the deadline, I'll have to recommend the Sect Leader to move you up to the advanced level."
"Are you threatening me with a promotion?!" Shuri exclaimed with an agape mouth. "I-I could just slack off."
Marie laughed deviously at Shuri's threat and warned, "You only say that because you haven't personally spent any time with Sect Leader Larks. If his attention falls on you, there will be no slacking off."
Shuri gulped dryly in fear. Her mind conjured up an image of the supposedly "friendly" Sect Leader as an unforgiving taskmaster who tolerated no laziness.
"So, are we playing or what?" Marie said while snapping her fingers impatiently. "How many decks are we using? Ah, four, I see... Alright, I'm shuffling."
Marie cut the deck and expertly riffle-shuffled the cards together. The confident and practised motion caused Shuri to sweat a little. She did not expect Marie to be so experienced.
"Would you like to inspect the stack?" Marie offered.
"WAIT!" Shuri exclaimed. "You aren't allowed to use your mana sense!"
Marie scoffed in disbelief. "It's a fair competition. Why must I cripple myself just for your benefit? A mage's mana sense is almost like an extension of their body."
"It's part of the rules of the contest! The mode I intend to use to defeat you is a regular game of Blackjack," Shuri growled angrily before collecting the cards with a sweeping motion, "Forget it!"
"No, no," Marie stopped her once again, grabbing Shuri's arm. "I'll play ball. No mana senses. But, just so you know, you still won't win."
Hearing that, Shuri raised the corner of her lips disdainfully as she proclaimed. 'We'll see about that!'
