Freedom, Humanity, and Other Delusions (Death's Handmaiden Book 3) by Niall Teasdale (best summer reads txt) 📕

‘Well, the three sitting with you certainly can.’

‘Huh?’

‘Two,’ Nava said. ‘I’m support stream, but the only issue I have with combat is when I’m not supposed to kill my opponents.’

‘Huh?’ Taryn said again. She had selected a curry from one of the refectory counters, but it was currently being ignored as she looked between the people dining with her.

‘I’ve been in two combat situations with Nava, Mel, and Chess,’ Mitsuko said. ‘Nava is something of a special case, I suppose.’

‘She’s a one-woman army,’ Melissa said, grinning.

‘Mel handles combat very effectively,’ Mitsuko went on. ‘She operates in a supporting role, that’s true, but she doesn’t flinch when it comes to it. Chess’s magic is exceptionally useful for scouting. He’s an academic but that doesn’t stop him doing his job in a fight when he’s needed.’

‘N-Nava drilled situational awareness and combat tactics into us last year,’ Rochester said. He was doing his absolute best not to look directly at Taryn, but he was still stuttering a little. With Melissa as his previous girlfriend and Hoshi Horne as his current one, one might have expected him to have learned to cope with large breasts. No dice. He possibly had not seen Hoshi naked yet, given that anything too intimate between them would have been illegal, but Hoshi’s teaching uniform did little to hide her assets. Maybe Rochester was destined to go through life staring at women’s hairlines.

‘I still have some issues with combat,’ Melissa admitted. ‘I’m fine, so long as I can’t see the blood. Blood makes my legs go wobbly.’

‘So,’ Mitsuko said, ‘I do think that people who don’t wish to fight can handle combat, yes. In some cases, they can handle it very well.’

‘People who wantto fight are idiots,’ Nava stated flatly. Both Mitsuko and Taryn flinched, but for different reasons.

‘That may be a little too direct, Nava,’ Mitsuko said.

‘Perhaps a little inaccurate,’ Nava replied. ‘People who want to be in fair fights are idiots. If they like picking fights they know they have no chance of losing, they’re just bullies. No one should want to be in a fight they have a chance of losing, especially when death or serious injury is a probability.’ She looked across the table at Taryn, who was staring daggers at her. The virtual daggers had absolutely no effect. ‘Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes, such a fight is necessary, and entering into one is an act of bravery, but seeking them out suggests that you were born with a severely damaged sense of self-preservation. Or you’re stupidly overconfident. Sadly, that kind of attitude is endemic in Clan Worlds culture.’

Taryn frowned and then turned back to her food. ‘That’s actually… probably accurate. My family has a lot of mercenaries in it. I guess you could say we seek out fights. But it’s to make a living. We don’t start fights. We just make sure we finish them if one happens.’

Nava gave a small shrug. ‘Mercenaries have existed for thousands of years. I’m sure society would be better off if they weren’t needed, but it seems there is such a need. You’ll have to excuse me, Taryn Borchardt. My background is somewhat unusual. I grew up outside the Alliance and my attitudes to a number of things don’t quite fit. Further, most people have a lot of trouble determining what my feelings are since I don’t outwardly display them.’

Flashing a half-smile, Taryn said, ‘I got that. Even after just a few minutes of knowing you, I can tell you don’t give much away.’

‘Oh,’ Mitsuko said, ‘you’ve no idea. Just remember that if she’s threatening you with some form of anatomically improbable punishment, she’s almost certainly joking.’

‘Almost certainly?’

‘Well, she hasn’t done any of them yet…’

236/1/13.

Mitsuko walked in from the bathroom, rubbing a towel at her hair. Drying her hair could be a real pain at times. Nava’s hair seemed to slough water as though it was made of plastic – which it certainly was not – but Mitsuko had to work at it. Nava’s hair was fresh from the shower now, but it looked dry and untangled as she lay on the bed, naked, reading something on her ketcom.

‘What’s got you so enthralled?’ Mitsuko asked.

‘I’m not sure enthralled is the right word,’ Nava replied in her usual semi-monotone. ‘I’m learning Japanese.’

‘Oh. You are?’

‘It seemed like a useful skill to have, given the clan I’ve found myself in. Plenty of people in the Sonkeis speak Japanese. You speak Japanese.’

‘Well, true. It’s not mandatory or anything.’

‘I’m aware of that. However, it demonstrates my willingness to fit in with my new family, has utility in interactions with a wider scope of people, and makes me feel like I belong a little more. I see no downside.’

Finally satisfied, Mitsuko tossed her towel over a chair. ‘I do.’

‘You do?’

‘Yes. Your education is currently a barrier preventing me from doing one of the things I’ve had far too little of in the last three weeks.’ Mitsuko was presenting her best ‘hungry’ expression. Her face said, ‘I want it, and I want it now!’

Nava decided that prolonging the anticipation would heighten the experience. And she was feeling a little mean. ‘It was only one week. We did it, a lot, at new year. I do not know how your ancient ancestors came up with such a convoluted writing system. I know you don’t use the kanji characters for general writing these days but–’

‘Nava…’ Mitsuko drew the name’s final vowel out into a long whine.

Nava’s eyes flicked up from her book. Then she snapped her ketcom closed and turned to place it on the bedside table. ‘Alright. I suppose I’ve been missing it too. There’s nothing wrong with ending the evening with a bang.’

‘That’s more like it.’ Mitsuko stalked forward, regaining her predatory posture as she went. ‘But I want several bangs.’

‘Of course.’

‘Big ones.’ Crawling up the bed, Mitsuko closed the distance like a hunting cat stalking prey.

‘Mm.’

‘Really big ones.’

Nava shook her head as Mitsuko’s lips closed