FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The Cohen Icosahedron

Chapter 19

copyright comidacomida 2022

Kaiden proceeded down the hall at a slightly slower pace than usual; realizing that he was going to speak with his classmates after the intervention of the Unity Programme Security Detail put a heavy atmosphere of significance over the meeting. He didn't realize just how much he was dragging his feet until Sokkas brushed up against him, shoulder gently bumping his bicep. "Everything will be fine, Lover-Mine."

The Human offered a hesitant smile in return. "Yeah... I know... but I think I'd probably feel better if you hadn't felt the need to remind me. When someone starts to reassure me I can't help but start to worry that maybe my concern is well-founded."

The Viddin double-clicked his beak. "Well it is not, Zfielt. Calm yourself and set a good example for the rest of our classmates."

The 'click' of close-companion to indifferent-objectionist was so quick that it almost gave Kaiden emotional whiplash, but, glancing to Sokkas, he could tell that the gryphon was even carrying himself differently. However, despite the aura of careless ease and disconnected distance, the young man didn't miss the comforting brush of a tail against the small of his back; even when Sokkas put on his social mask the Viddin was still there for him. Resolving to commit to his role as the guide for his classmates, Kaiden nodded. "Right. Everything will be fine. We're all graduating to Tier 7. This is a GOOD thing."

Sokkas gave a succinct click of his beak. "Yes. A very good thing. You should be proud of yourself and the study group. Tell them that."

Smirking, Kaiden tried to convince himself that everything was okay and, even though he still had some hesitation, he managed to offer a smile. "Exactly. As soon as I get over these jitters I'll be just fine."

The Vidden beside the Human gave him another shoulder-bump. Despite his next comment coming across in a flat monotone, the comforting brush of the tail against him repeated. "That sounds like a personal problem to me, Classmate."

Kaiden's smile was a little more genuine, and Sokkas' chiding actually helped. Coming to a stop right outside the door to room 203 the young man paused, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Sokkas stepped marginally closer, his shoulder brushing against the Human's bicep, providing wordless support with presence alone. The young man offered a joking statement of "Well... time to go make an announcement."

Sokkas' response was so quiet as to almost be imperceptible. "I am here for you, Kaiden'im."

Rather than using the hand-pad, Kaiden stuck his foot out and used the Viddin control to open the door. The barrier slid into the wall, providing Kaiden a view of the large classroom beyond. Although room 203 was in the same wing of the Centre as their usual educational space, all of their prior classes were on the first floor and consisted mostly of rooms 110, 111, and 112-- occasionally 121 for their labs and applied learning. Room 203, however, was nothing like what he'd encountered previously.

Although it was set up much like the previous classrooms, the new class had a great absence of the circular tables normally assigned to individual study groups; instead, three tables were set up in the center of the room, each with a single chair and seven Viddin lounging couches. Kaiden wanted to consider the significance since three tables was less than a third of the normal number for the classrooms they'd occupied previously but his eyes settled on the middle table where most of his study group sat: two Viddin couches were empty and one occupant was still standing by his side. Kaiden murmured under his breath "Vetlyk isn't here."

Sokkas let out a soft whistle, barely audible in the Viddin language, encouraging Kaiden to stay calm. "He will show. Come, Classmate."

Kaiden stepped closer and, in that moment, the entirety of his study group caught sight of him; his morning had been relatively peaceful and quiet, but, in that second, everything changed as he was all but mobbed by his gryphon classmates, everyone talking over one another in the standard Viddin manner. Although the vast majority of the comments became little more than background noise, Kaiden did take notice that Hahn was just as active as everyone else and, despite there being a few feathers missing and signs of some bruising to the Viddinis' eye, he seemed relatively unharmed.

Even as Kytskir and Prirn managed to calm everyone down so as to reduce the chaos, Hahn took a step closer, speaking directly to Kaiden with head-feathers up and a smile on his beak (despite a faint chip missing from the left side). "You look like you were worried... it's okay, Kaiden-- no real damage done."

The Human shot a glance at Sokkas, who almost looked like he would have been bemused if not for the fact that he was being so stoic on his way to his seat. Kaiden continued staring at the Viddinich despite talking to Sokkas. "I wish people would stop trying to reassure me so much... makes me think that I SHOULD be worried."

Hahn did not miss a step. "Well... if you want to be worried that's okay too. What is the Human expression? Oh! Do you want to 'kiss it and make it better'?"

Rolling his eyes, Kaiden gave Hahn a gentle shove and walked to where the sole seat at the table was situated. "Never mind. If you haven't lost your sense of humor then you can't be THAT broken."

Nittik let out a chuckling squawk. "You are a very weird Zfielt, Kaiden Wilson."

The Human shot the Viddian a look. "What? Why?!"

All of the gryphons squawked out a chorus of chuckles and Prirn mentioned something about liking weird while Hahn noted that weird wasn't bad; Kytskir, in the meantime had some comment regarding 'weird' being a necessity to deal with so many Viddin and maintain sanity; Sokkas was the only one of them to not say a word, but Kaiden did not miss the leopard/vulture's wink. The Human realized that he was dramatically outnumbered and simply sighed, taking his seat, no longer denying it. "Weird for putting up with all of you, huh?"

Tral flexed and settled his wings. "And we are all glad for it, Classmate."

His study group all let out a chorus of agreeing squawks before finally settling down. Only once he had all 12 eyes on him did Kaiden take a seat, glancing around himself before speaking. "So... I guess you've all heard by now that we're starting a new class at the beginning of next week."

Kytskir confirmed that they all knew. "Yes, Classmate. We have all been informed that we are joining Tier 7."

Tral let out a happy chirp, much higher pitched than most would assume possible from such a massive Viddin. "I will be glad to see Instructor Kahs'kin again."

Kaiden remembered hearing something about a Viddin instructor taking a leave of absence. Kahs'kin, if the young man remembered, was a Viddinis like Hahn, but he didn't know much else beyond that. "What do you mean, Tral? What does Instructor Kahs'kin have to do with Tier 7 classes?"

The big Viddin clicked his beak several times, facial feathers puffing up as he broke eye contact. "Oh... just... I heard that he was transferred out of standard classes because--"

Vetlyk's voice spoke up from the entrance to the classroom. "Rumors are not the same as news, Classmate. Verify before you report on what you hear."

Everyone went quiet as the newcomer's announcement heralded his arrival. Tral, Sokkas and Prirn all stood up and moved closer to Kaiden while Hahn got up and took a step back. Kaiden remained seated and, clearing his throat, raised a hand in greeting. "I'm glad you could join us, Vetlyk."

The Human's statement seeemd enough to generally ease his classmates' concern and, although they remained at-the-ready, Sokkas and Prirn returned to their seats. Tral moved closer to Hahn, but nobody said anything in opposition to Vetlyk, who padded nearer in a measured gait. "Tier 7 is appropriate for us, considering our Human classmate. It is as it should be, and I am honored to be a part of it."

Kytskir was the next to speak up. "Indeed. I believe we are a fine group and will excel with this next step in our education."

Tral fidgeted, settling down finally next to Hahn, and wrapped a wing around the smaller Viddin, squeezing him, almost as if it were a comforting reflex. "I am not so sure... Tier 7 is supposed to add on a LOT of new stuff and, if Instructor Kahs'kin is part of it, then that means we will probably--"

Hahn quickly interjected "I cannot wait for the hands-on applied learning!"

From there the discussion dissolved into more Viddin-talking-over-Viddin and Kaiden was quickly lost in the shuffle. Content to let his classmates conjecture all they wanted, the young man stood up and stepped away, putting some space between him and the cacophony so he could check his tablet while his study group held their multitasking talk-and-listen-at-the-same-time council. Although he realized he shouldn't have been surprised, he still was when Vetlyk followed him. Clearing his throat, Kaiden looked up from his tablet. "Uh... hi."

Vetlyk glanced his way then quickly broke eye-contact. Despite his great size, the Viddin looked like he wanted to shrink. "Hello, Classmate."

The Human took a step closer. "How are you? The-- I mean... when I saw them... uh... dart you I... I was worried."

The Vidday continued avoiding his gaze. "I have recovered. Thank you for your concern. One thing continues to trouble me, however, and to that end I wish to converse with you if you can agree to humor me."

Kaiden always had an open-door policy with his study group and, despite the awkwardness of the prior day, he wasn't about to let that change anything. "Of course, Vetlyk. You are always welcome to talk to me."

The Viddin let out a deep breath before clicking his beak several times then grinding it for a second and a half. "I owe you an apology, and I wished to do so before we return to our prior interaction. It would not be proper if I were to presume anything until we discuss what must be said."

The Human appreciated how direct his classmate was; Kaiden had never really been one for conflict or confrontation and sometimes ripping off the bandage was the best way to handle things. One issue came to his mind first, however. "What about Hahn? Did you apologize to him yet?"

Vetlyk rotated his head around to glance back at Hahn, who was in the midst of the rest of their classmates, laughing and squawking it up in the Viddin language as if he hadn't a care in the world. "He already received the apology he deserved, Classmate. He acknowledges that he did wrong, and I likewise accepted that my actions were not appropriate... but I regret what I did to him less than what I did to you."

Kaiden looked to Vetlyk even as the Viddin turned back to regard him; his 'regal' crest was deflated, and his eyes were downcast. It didn't make a lot of sense to the Human. "What do you mean— what you did to me?"

Vetlyk slowly raised his eyes. "Hahn's actions were unacceptable, but what I did only escalated the situation. You were placed in an untenable position in which two of your classmates were in an altercation due to reasons beyond your control. I should have acted more appropriately and never caused you such trouble. For that, I prostrate myself before you, and inconvenience you further in begging that you find it within yourself to lessen the burden of my guilt."

As he spoke, the Viddin lowered his body to the floor, wings spread out nearly to their full span and his head descended until his beak very nearly scraped the ground, wings tilted forward in a gryphon pose of supplication. Kaiden was familiar with the gesture only because it had been discussed in his studies back on Land Earth; he never really expected to encounter it in real life simply because it was far more ritualistic and formal than what most Viddin considered common place in the modern age. Vetlyk, however, appeared genuinely adamant about a formal apology. The young man attempted to remember the proper response. It took a few seconds, but it came back to him.

Although he didn't have a beak, he knew his hand could substitute. Lowering his fingers to rest atop the Viddin's cowl, Kaiden acknowledged the apology. "I accept your contrition and absolve you of your guilt?"

He berated himself for the upward-pitch tonal inflection to his statement, making it sound more like a question than a declaration, but if it bothered Vetlyk the Viddin did not let it show. Slowly rising back up, the regal-looking gryphon shook his wings before resettling them. He took a step closer, his ceremonial volume reducing significantly as he spoke softly to the Human. "You mean more to me than a tutor, Kaiden. I do not want the rest of our classmates to mistreat you, and in my eagerness to prove my commitment to your value I overstepped. Please forgive me."

Despite how much Kaiden knew Vetlyk disliked public displays of affection the young man could not hold back. Reaching out, the Human gently embraced the gryphon's large head and gave it a gentle squeeze; he was surprised when, rather than pulling back in objection, Vetlyk stepped forward, extending his wings in two half-moons to fold downward around the young man. It was far from an exact equivalent of a Human hug, but it was obviously an attempt. Resting his head down against Vetlyk's, Kaiden realized that his classmate made forgiveness easy. "You're forgiven. Thank you for caring."

The Viddin slowly pulled his head from Kaiden's grasp, who let it go without resistance only to find it pressing forward again, forehead to forehead as Vetlyk gazed into his eyes. "I have been taught that nothing is indispensable and to put my faith in myself and nothing else-- to hold nothing dear that may be taken away, but I value you, Classmate. Thank you for not turning me away."

It wasn't just the words that caught Kaiden by surprise, but the fact that the declaration was said in the same room as the rest of the study group. The young man had been convinced that Vetlyk was the secretive type who shied away from public displays of affection but something had changed; barriers had been removed and hesitance had crumbled away. He liked the new openness. The Human reveled in the quiet moment for several seconds until he realized just how quiet it had become. Looking up, he saw that the rest of their classmates had fallen silent and were looking their way. Kaiden tried to question them casually. "What? He was apologizing. What's wrong with saying he's sorry?"

Vetlyk cleared his throat, shifting his weight. "I was apologizing. That is all."

Nittik, ever-willing to nudge things along parted his beak in a smirk as he chided Vetlyk. "HuuStoosk, Classmate."

The much larger Vidday moved over, towering over the seated Viddian. Leaning down to address Nittik, Vetlyk stated simply "I honor HuuStoosk, but it has been quite some time since I had a moment with the Zfielt... we must all remember to be patient, understanding, and thankful for the generous nature of Kaiden'huu."

The Human stood as stunned as the rest of the class; the suffix 'im meant "my" and the suffix 'ur meant "your", but 'huu was a direct statement of "our". Kaiden found that he liked the sound of it, and he wasn't the only one. Calls, screeches, warbles, hoots and growls of acknowledgement came up from around the table like a chorus of cheers after a successful point scoring during a Sooshuh match. It was invigorating and, despite how sheepish he felt, Kaiden let out a joyful shout of his own, causing his classmates to redouble their celebratory cacophony. It was a great way to start a Saturday.

* * * * * *

Kaiden had a fantastic Saturday with all of his classmates as they were all brought up to date on the plans, played many group games, and generally just had the opportunity to hang out, but after that everyone returned to their respective rooms, being asked to hand in their tablets beforehand since they would be receiving new ones on Monday. Sharing a dinner as a study group, he and the seven Viddin ultimately had to say their goodbyes since they would all be isolated in preparation for classes on Sunday.

He smiled as he thought back to the head-bumps, preening, and beak-touches he got from every last one of his Viddin. Even thinking of the them as his made him smile even wider; Viddin'im, just as surely as he was their Kaiden'huu. The young man had returned to his room that night wondering exactly how he would be able to trudge his way through Sunday before finally getting to see the gryphons who meant so much to him. It was unfair, especially since he couldn't even reach out to them via his tablet. Confined to his apartment, he couldn't actually reach out to anyone.

Despite his concerns, however, Sunday passed in the blink of an eye and it was a blur in Kaiden's memory as he rushed to get ready for his first day of Tier 7 class on Monday morning. Excited beyond measure, the young man practically flew out of his door, barely acknowledging the sound of it latching behind him as he raced down the hall and to the elevator which would take him up to floor two, and a return to room 203. He arrived before anyone else, eager to see where class would be held with a new instructor covering new course material with the same Viddin who he cared for so deeply, and who cared for him in return. He wore a smile the whole time.

Kaiden had never met Instructor Kahs'kin before but Tral had spent plenty of time describing him on Saturday. As a Viddinis, the older gryphon was small enough to not be ENTIRELY imposing, but still well over the Human's height. He had a slight red hue to his feathers, and spots on them along his neck rather than the teardrop-shaped marks more common to his kind like Hahn. Back when the young man had first arrived on Plateau Earth he might have thought that Kahs'kin and Hahn may have looked alike, but he had long-since divested himself of that notion; he was getting better at telling Viddin apart.

Something seemed just a little out of sort and, at first, Kaiden had trouble figuring out what it was. Instructor Kahs'kin offered him a pleasant smile, stepping up to the door before holding out a talon for a firm shake. "Good morning... you must be Kaiden Wilson."

Kaiden nodded. "Yes, sir. Nice to meet you, sir."

The older Viddin let go of the young man's hand and patted him on the shoulder before turning and unlocking the door with a set of keys. Once the door was open, Kahs'kin put the keys back into the pocket of his trousers and stepped in side, casually walking to where a desk was placed at the front of the room. He smoothed out his button-up shirt and took a seat in the chair at the head of the class, motioning to the tables with an arm. "Since you're here first why don't you go ahead and pick out a table for your study group?"

The young man nodded in agreement, still trying to figure out what seemed so weird about his instructor before making his way to the table in the center of the room and taking a seat. Prirn was the first of his classmates to arrive, stepping through the door barely a second after Kaiden sat down. His Viddinur classmate was definitely smaller than their instructor, standing about the same height as Kaiden himself. The Human smiled when he saw the lynx/falcon; Prirn was dressed in a long sleeve shirt with a nice forest green sweater vest and his khaki's looked freshly pressed.

Taking the chair beside Kaiden, Prirn leaned over and pressed his beak to the Human's cheek, creating an imitation of a kissing sound. They shared a brief embrace, and, despite Prirn definitely not being the most athletic of his study group, Kaiden still appreciated the strength evident in his arms. "Good morning, Kaiden'huu."

There was still something a little off with the morning, but Kaiden couldn't really put his finger on it. That strange uncertainty continued to grow as Kytskir joined them; the Viddinek, as usual, had chosen to favor a short sleeve shirt with a breast pocket and, ever mindful, had even included a pocket protector since there were three pens in place. "Good morning, Classmates."

After him came Sokkas, feathery cowl carefully groomed in all its pink glory, creating a stark contrast to his black tank top, black jeans and black trench coat-- almost as much as the tinted red circular glasses perched on his beak. The Viddinich sat down at the table, the chain at his hip jingling faintly as he did so. "I am glad to see that you did not sleep in again this morning, Classmate."

Nittik interjected from the doorway. "On a day like this? He's not THAT out of it, Kyt!"

Although the Viddian was several inches shorter than Kaiden, Nittik made up for it in his huge personality. The Viddin, arms and wings spread, strode into the room with his loose-fit hoodie trailing out behind him like a cloak, and yet a new music band t-shirt presented for all the world to see; Nittik always seemed to have a fresh one, never wearing the same one twice. Even as he took a seat, the spirited Viddin glanced over to the young man. "Like the shirt? I hear they're visiting Plateau Earth this summer-- we should all go as a group!"

Before Kaiden could respond (or get rid of the nagging feeling that something was off), Tral and Vetlyk entered next together; the former had his Unity Centre letter-man jacket on, which would have looked rather refined if not for the fact that the silly Viddin had an old pair of torn jeans on to mess up the look. Vetlyk, on the other hand, was as refined as Tral was casual, dressed in a fine shirt with a tie, and slacks that looked like they probably cost a fortune. The Vidday's eyes met Kaiden's, and they lit up almost as much as the thin, princely crown that kept Vetlyk's regal cowl feathers down.

Both of them offered him a warm greeting and, like Prirn, Vetlyk leaned over and gave him a gentle 'kiss' on the cheek; while Prirn's felt more romantic, Vetlyk's had a certain debonair flair to it. The princely gryphon looked as though he was going to say something but he was interrupted as the last member of their group entered in a less-than-quiet manner. "What up, mah peeps?!?"

Hahn, as usual, was dressed more for comfort than to impress. His Hawaiian shirt was left open, revealing his carefully toned chest while his sunglasses somehow managed to remain perched on his beak despite his swagger. The Viddinis' jean shorts were a size too large and he didn't bother wearing a belt, causing them to hug his hips, threatening to fall completely off at any moment. The Viddin's treasure-trail of slightly thicker, slightly lighter groin fur led Kaiden's eye from where it started at his belly button, down to where Hahn's sheath was JUST visible at the top of his too-far-down shorts.

It was only in that moment that Kaiden realized what was so strange. "Why are you all wearing clothes?"

It wasn't exactly what he'd planned on asking, but it WAS the first thing that ended up coming out of his mouth. His outburst ended up drawing the attention of every last one of his classmates and their instructor. Nittik was the fastest to respond, his beak parted in an enormous grin. "Because we have not yet started the class segment on sexual education, of course."

Kaiden had a much better go of speaking his question the second time. "You're all walking on two legs, and you--"

He woke up part way through his declaration, his own words pulling him out of his sleep. Laying on his back, staring at the ceiling, the young man let out an extended sigh. Blinking away the last bit of dreams, he gazed skyward, counting the imperfections on the noise dampening tiles of his bedroom ceiling. "Well... that was really weird."

The soft double-beep from his tablet finally roused him; unlike in his dream, the administration replaced everyone's tablets right after their old ones were taken. Seeing that it was almost eight in the morning, Kaiden swiped the screen and pulled up the alert; he had received a message from one of his classmates. It was Nittik.

WE ARE MEETING UP IN THE LOUNGE ON FLOOR TWO AT THE TOP OF THE HOUR. PRIRN WILL CRY IF YOU ARE NOT THERE. KAIDEN, DO NOT BE A WICKED ZFIELT AND MAKE PRIRN CRY.

Rolling his eyes, the young man then rolled out of bed. Also, unlike in his dream, he and his classmates were not confined to their rooms. Quickly getting dressed, Kaiden gathered up a few personal effects and made ready to leave but, before he did, another notification came through on his tablet. Picking it up, the Human looked at the new message. It was Tral and, as usual, his texting skills were sub-par.

HEEY KL:AIDEN! I HEARD FRPM INBSTRUCTOR KAHSKIN AND HE IS JOINING US TODAY IN TEH LOIUNGE TO SAY HI. HE IS BRINGING HIS MATE KATHLEEN WITH HIMSO BE ON YOUR BEST BEHAVIOR1

Kaiden stuffed his tablet into his satchel before heading out of his apartment, wondering at how strange it was for their instructor's mate to have such a Human sounding name. Arriving at the lounge, the young man very soon found out exactly why that was: Kathleen Martin was a human. She and Instructor Kahs'kin were a happily mated couple, and they had their eight year old daughter with them. She looked like she could have fit in perfectly into his prior night's dream. Yes, he realized: things got weird.