Pierce’s eyes narrowed as he watched Daz retreat up the stairs. A tight ball of frustration sank in the middle of his chest. He couldn’t believe how frustrating the titan woman was being. Pierce could see that she had something weighing heavily on her. Hell, anybody could see it. And yet, Daz stubbornly kept them all at arm’s length.
But why? That was what Pierce couldn’t seem to figure out.
Pierce slapped the leather upholstery of the couch underneath him in consternation. He couldn’t figure out what was going on with Daz, but he damn well was going to find out. And he wasn’t willing to take ‘no’ for an answer.
Pierce glanced down at the ground. With a shrug he threw himself from the building sized piece of furniture. One heart-stopping fall later he landed on the soft carpeting with little more than a slight gasp at the impact.
Titan-calibrated gravity did have its perks, after all.
Of course, now that he’d reached the ground, he still had a bit of a trek before he’d be able to catch up with Daz. Shrugging with resignation, Pierce began to slog his way through the relatively thick carpeting and towards the staircase up which Daz had disappeared.
It took Pierce several minutes before he made it to the base of the stairs. He was just about to begin the climb up the first step when a tumultuous thud reverberated down the staircase. Pierce knew the sound, someone was on their way down the stairs.
The cynical part of Pierce’s brain figured it would be Daz. Nevertheless, he moved to the side and out of the way of the descending titan, whichever one it happened to be.
As it turned out, it wasn’t Daz on her way down the stairs, it was Rhionne.
Pierce watched the Princess’ brown leather boots thunder down the stairs cautiously. The girls were pretty good now about watching out for wayward humans underfoot, but accidents could still happen.
He relaxed a moment later, however, when Rhionne’s eyes lit up and a smile widened on her face as she made eye contact with the small figure on the ground at her feet.
“Pierce!” She exclaimed, crouching down to bring herself at least somewhat closer to his level. “What are you up to?”
Pierce bit his lip, before shaking his head with a sigh. “I was on my way to go talk to Daz.” He told the princess wearily. “There’s something going on with her, Rhi. She won’t let anybody in and I’m afraid it’s eating her up inside.”
Rhionne nodded and lowered her hand to the ground in a clear invitation. Pierce raised an eyebrow quizzically, but climbed into her palm anyway.
“Look Pierce…” Rhionne couldn’t seem to look him in the eye anymore. “There is something about Daz that…” She broke off with a frustrated sigh. “But it’s not really my place to tell you.”
“Well, I was on my way to demand that Daz spill her guts.” Pierce told the giantess with a wry grin.
Rhionne’s eyes narrowed and an amused smile played on her face. “And I’m sure you’ll be able to convince her to do so. But, come on, I’ll give you a hand anyway. Maybe if we gang up on her…”
“Right.” Pierce settled back in Rhionne’s hand as the Princess turned around and headed back up the stairs.
“Wait, didn’t you go downstairs for a reason?” Pierce asked, looking back over his shoulder.
“Actually I was looking for you.” Rhionne muttered quietly.
“Oh.”
She began her ascent up the stairs and Pierce found it hard to talk as, even with as gentle as Rhionne was attempting to be, her hand was still being jostled quite a bit.
With the Princess’ added mobility, Pierce made it up the stairs and down the hallway towards Daz’s room in a fraction of the time. Before he knew it, Rhionne had reached out and pounded softly on the wooden door that led into Daz’s room.
The loud music that pulsed through the door abruptly stop and they heard a shuffling sound from within.
“Who is it?” Daz growl punched through the door in the ensuing silence.
“It’s Rhionne.”
Another long pause. “What do you want?”
“I’d like to talk to you.” Rhionne responded evenly.
“No thanks.” Daz’s voice seemed to carry her eye roll through the door.
Rhionne glanced down at Pierce and winked, before lowering him to the floor at her feet. Pierce looked straight ahead and saw the small crack underneath the door. He glanced up and his eyes met Rhionne’s, who winked.
Pierce faced forward and stepped toward the crack. He had to inch forward on his belly in order to fit, and even then it was a bit of a squeeze, but eventually he managed to work his way out from under the door.
When his eyes readjusted to the light, he found himself between a pair of giant feet clad in a pair of brown leather sandals. Hesitatingly, his eyes traveled up the giant form until meeting Daz’s red eyes, which were narrowed in mild annoyance.
Pierce was only relieved she was aware he was there.
“Hello Pierce.” Daz muttered in a deadpan voice. “Please, do come in.”
“It was Rhionne’s idea.” Pierce yelped hastily, as Daz bent at the waist and reached a hand down for him. Pierce didn’t move, accepting the inevitability as her long slender fingers wrapped around his body in a gentle but firm grip.
A moment later he was raised into the air, the hand that held him manipulating his body until he was sprawled in her open palm. Daz’s eyes drew closer until they were all Pierce could see in front of him. Her eyebrow was arched sardonically. “Can I help you with something?”
Pierce swallowed. It was still disconcerting, being this close to a giant face, even after living among the giants for several weeks now. He knew, or at least was reasonably certain, that Daz meant him no harm. Still, he knew she was right to be annoyed with him, considering he had just invaded her space without permission.
“Well…um…” Pierce muttered. “I…” His sentence cut off with a frustrated groan and he decided to start over.
“Look… Daz…” Pierce sighed. “I know you have this whole ‘I don’t need anybody’ thing going on, but the fact is, I can tell something is bothering you. And as your friend-” Pierce made sure to emphasize the word. “I wish you’d let us in. We-I’m– worried about you”
Surprisingly, Daz’s gaze softened and she lowered her palm slightly. She turned towards the door and quietly pulled it open.
“All right Rhionne, you can-” Daz’s sentence dropped off as she found herself looking out into an empty hallway.
Shrugging, Daz closed the door again. She turned and walked towards her bed. She sat on the mattress and set Pierce on her bedside table.
“Pierce…” Daz bit her lip. “I… I appreciate what you’re trying to do. But, it’s not that simple. There are… there are things in my life that I can’t tell anyone about.”
Pierce’s eyes narrowed. “Why not?”
Daz remained silent for several seconds before taking a deep breath. “There are… there are things about my family, about me, that I don’t… Things that I’m not proud of.”
Pierce shrugged. “Everybody has embarrassing relatives. I mean, I got a cousin who-”
“Not like that.” Daz muttered, rolling her eyes. “I just… look I can’t talk about it, okay? I wish I could, but I can’t.”
Pierce sighed and sat down on the edge of Daz’s nightstand. “All right Daz. I can accept that answer for now.”
“You’re talking like you’re going to force me to talk or something.” Daz muttered, as she squatted down to Pierce’s eye level. “How you gonna do that?”
“I’m not.” Pierce replied with a shrug. “I can’t, obviously, and I don’t want to ‘force’ you to do anything. Even if I could. But, I’m hoping that- someday- you’ll realize there are people who won’t care about whatever it is you’re so ashamed of. That, just maybe, we might like you enough to look past that. Because we’re your friends.”
Daz’s eyes widened in shock and she gaped soundlessly at the human in front of her for several seconds. “That… I… um.” She stuttered.
“Okay. I guess I’ll leave you alone, Daz.” Pierce sighed, climbing to his feet and making his way to the edge of the nightstand. Before he had gotten more than two steps, he felt a gentle pressure on his torso and he was snatched into the air. His gasp of surprise was cut off as he suddenly found himself pressed into a soft, warm surface.
The sensation lasted for several seconds before Pierce was pulled away and he found himself able to breathe again. Directly in front of him was a pair of lips unpuckering from the kiss they’d just left on his entire body.
Daz’s eyes widened as she suddenly became consciously aware of what she’d just done. She hastily set Pierce back on the Nightstand and stood to her full height.
“I… wow.” Pierce muttered, as he tried to shake the fuzz from his brain. Dimly, he wondered if all Titan women acted like this or if he just happened to encounter more than his fair share of them.
“I… I um… Pierce….” Daz sat on the bed, looking like she might have been a little foggy-brained herself. “I don’t… I don’t know what that was…”
“Pretty sure it’s called a kiss, Daz.” Pierce replied wryly.
A slight tugging on the corner of Daz’s mouth was the only reaction he managed to get out of her, but it was enough.
“I’m just hoping you’re not going to dash off to class and leave me standing here.”
Daz blinked. “What?”
“Never mind.” Pierce waved his hand dismissively. “Look… Daz… if you just want that to be another ‘basement thing’ that… that’s fine. I understand.”
“…I don’t think I do.” Daz whispered as she stared at her hands, which were clasped in her lap.
“What… what do you mean?”
“I don’t know.” Daz admitted with a sigh. “I’m… I’m feeling really confused right now and I…” Daz’s sentence trailed off and she shrugged helplessly.
“I understand.” Pierce smiled softly.
“I just… I just need some time…” Daz muttered quietly, wincing at how pathetic her own voice sounded.
“Daz, it’s okay.” Pierce chuckled sympathetically. “I’ll let you finish packing, okay? It’ll give you some time to sort out your feelings. Frankly I could use that too. All right?”
Daz swallowed and nodded. “Okay.” She held out a hand that was only trembling a little and carried Pierce to her door when he’d climbed on. She set him on the floor at her feet and opened the door a crack, just enough to let him slip out.
“So how did it go?”
Pierce jumped at the sound of Rhionne’s voice, even though the Princess was whispering.
“I… I think it went okay.” Pierce replied, climbing into the palm of Rhionne’s hand. “I’m still not sure what’s all going on with her, but I think she’s beginning to realize that she does have people who care about her.”
Rhionne smiled as she pulled herself back to her feet. “You really are a rather remarkable person, Pierce.” The Princess said as she took the first steps leading to the stairwell. “I really can’t wait for the rest of my family to meet you.”
“R-rest of your family?” Pierce mumbled. He hadn’t really considered the idea that a trip to the Palace meant encountering the rest of the Royal family. It should have, he realized, but it hadn’t. “Uhm… What are they like?”
“Don’t worry, Pierce.” Rhionne said reassuringly, as she carefully walked down the stairs. “They’re very nice. I think they’ll like you, and I think they’ll enjoy hearing about Earth as much as I have.”
“I didn’t know I’d have to give an oral history report.” The human muttered.
Rhionne giggled. “Nothing like that, of course. Most Titans don’t really think about Earth beyond as ‘the planet where humans came from.’ I think just being able to talk with you will do wonders to convince them that humans are more than we give you credit for. I… well, you know, it worked on me, after all.”
Pierce grinned. “Well, I hadn’t exactly set out to prove human intelligence to you. But, I’m glad I did so anyway.”
“You did at that.” Rhionne smiled down on the human in her hand. “Come on, I think Myona’s in the kitchen. Let’s go see what she’s been making, and maybe she’ll let us steal some of it.”
Just curious if this story is finished. There’s not been any updates for a while, and I know JS’s novels tend to end somewhat abruptly. If not, I look forward to more whenever you guys have the time. (I do realize it’s the end of the school year, if that applies to anyone)
I wouldn’t take the lack of updates as a sign this is finished as its only been a little over a week. Contact kind of spoiled us because such waits used to be common place.
All of them tend to get busy, which slows down updates. Contact came out at the pace it did because it was already done.
There is still writing going on, though the pace has slowed a little just now.
DX is sitting on a bunch of stuff that will come out soon enough I imagine, JS is plugging away though he works a few jobs so there’s that to account for and TD is taking a well earned break. Hybrid is in full swing and up to 12 chapters…I’ll probably roll it out when I hit 20 or so. Though my pace will slow a little as I’m getting married on Tuesday then off on honeymoon.
Understandable. I was thinking there was another story in progress, but the only 2 active ones are Pursuit and Sovereign, both by JS.
BTW, I think I accidently unsubscribed from updates or something. Not sure who/what email to contact for getting that fixed.
Congrats.
Silly you, it can never be soon enough for us… We want it now!! Congratulations on your new life, I hope we will still fit into it… ;-}
We love all the labor you invest for our pleasure, we only fear its end…
The wiki does seem to be getting filled with a lot of interesting background info for what is to come.
Congratulations! BTW where does one find four bison these days?
Just to add more speculation on when this all takes place.
This break is probably the one Aezhey arrives home during Nomad. So this is before that. Now Alex meets Fara during Pandemic chapter Recovery, which is around the final showdown with Trell.
Here’s the thing, they meet on Narena colony. We know Fara is from one of the colonies, but she’s also spending at least the first part of her vacation seeing the palace. And we don’t know where the University the girls attend is located. Fara is also working as an assistant for a female vet in both stories.
If the clinic in Pandemic is the same as the one in this story, Fara could only have seen Alex before the break, meaning we are in sync with the end of Pandemic. If they are not the same, Tylum’s call has take place early Pandemic, possibly late Titan during the religious wars, for Fara to make it home, (Narena?), for a part time job over break.
While I could not find any mention of what city the university is located in, it’s somewhere on Archavia. The wiki entries for the girls give Archavia as their residence, and in chapter (during Pierce’s soda-fueled hyperactivity) the following is mentioned:
“Pierce, meanwhile, was enjoying the freedom of movement afforded him by Archavia’s significantly lower gravity in a way he’d never tried before.”
chapter 9
Not that it answers your question (Because what fun would that be? :D) But Fara is from Narena Colony.
Whatever specices they are from, women are always mystery. By the way it would be funny and weird tht Pierce get the Princess and Daz as bonus.
A heartwarming chapter. Daz really needed someone to tell her that she’s got friends now who will not abandon her even after the truth about her sister comes out.
Nice maneuver from the princess. I’m pretty sure that Rhionne had been looking for Pierce because she too saw that something major was bothering Daz and Daz needed to talk about it, and figured that Daz’s feelings for Pierce made him the best person for the job. I also noticed that Rhionne seems to have figured out why Daz looked familiar when Rhionne first came to the dorm house.
As for convincing the rest of the Imperial family that humans are Class One intelligent, I suspect that it won’t go quite as smoothly as Rhionne seems to think. While obviously they’ll be convinced eventually, I can’t help but remember that even Rhionne herself was sceptical initially. Somehow I doubt that her family will immediately agree that the general view of human intelligence is tuppshaka despite the fact that titans have been keeping humans around for many centuries now and should therefore be well aware what humans are and aren’t capable of.
****
Off-topic: Is there a wiki article that shows the Archavian version of the ten numerical digits? I can’t find one.
I would say that something will go wrong, because things going wrong is what gives you a story.
As for Daz, she should open up because: a) Reevah already knows who she is and b) she could ask a sympathetic member of the Royal Family for help.
As for Archavian numbers, I expect that DX will come up with some at some point, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he created enough symbols to do calculus proofs in Archavian.
There is now. Not up to calculus yet, though…. 😛
Thanks!
As far as I can tell, Reevah’s talk with Daz hasn’t happened yet at this point in Titan: Sovereign. At the end of the previous chapter Daz is thinking that if “any of them” learned the truth, she’ll lose every friend she has. And at the time Reevah’s talk with Daz takes place (Titan: Arena, chapter 11), Myona and Shaar are on Avalon installing holographic equipment in Alex’s bar.
I see. I assumed that Reevah did background checks as part of her job; you’re assuming that Reevah didn’t know until Rixie told her, right?
I doubt that background checks are part of Reevah’s job. Those are more suited to detectives than a bodyguard. Anyway, when the princess and Reevah first came to the dorm house, Daz mentioned that she and the others had to go through “like a million security checks” in order for Rhionne to live with them. Since the princess did come to live with them, Daz and the others must have passed those security checks, meaning that Vasha’s criminal activities remained undetected.
*Waves the banner of the good ship Dierce*
Points for Daz for not immediately bolting like Rhionne, though poor (ha!) Pierce is probably wondering who’s next to give him a random kiss. Will be interesting what happens when they leave the comforts of the home. Pierce has had a very sheltered experience so far, wonder how long that will continue.
Daz+Peirce ship at full sail my captain.
Yeah but better watch out for those pirates…… arrrrrrrrg *shiver me timbers matey*
Love triangle forming? Guess this sets up the part where her brother will eventually mention him as being a dear friend of the family. But if Pierce winds up with someone, most likely Daz.
Yup. I think JS is slowly drawing the audience into an internal conflict between rooting for Daz and her obvious emotional need for Pierce and the potential great consequences for humankind of a long term relationship with the princess.
even after living among the giants for several weeks now
It’s hard to keep in mind how early after the abductions that Sovereign takes place. With simultaneous stories in progress now covering nearly 150 earth years spread in history it would sure be nice to have date tags on all the various chapters to let the readers sync with the timeline as we begin to read.
A long term friendship would be enough for Rhionne’s family to be convinced of the need to make humans Class One, anything more would be dangerous.
It’s hard to keep in mind how early after the abductions that Sovereign takes place
Right. It’s set around Pandemic or shortly afterwards. So I don’t know if there’s a Professor Freeman, but there’s definitely no Marionette and no (famous) Nona Armac. I would be harder to sell the idea that humans are the equals of titans.
I’ve found two clues about when Sovereign is set:
1) In Sovereign 15, Myona tells Tylum about Niall, which puts it after Physics 43.
2) In Sovereign 16, Tylum talks to Zara about Pierce, and Zara and Taron’s haggard appearances imply Pandemic 32-38.
Thanks. Forgot about that in chapter 15. So there is a (nameless) human with a blog, but not yet a human professor.
So human class one-ness is still hard to justify, but not for long. What I’m saying, is that the burden of proof is on Pierce. Nobody’s blazed the trail for him yet. I guess that is necessary to make this an interesting story.
Could also be around Titan Chapter 18 where Zara and Taron were left behind to deal with the aftermath of Trell’s assault on the city while Pryvani, Rixie and Brinn chased after her.
I’m not saying it is, necessarily, just that it could be 😛
I don’t think that makes sense, chronologically. It took time for Pierce to be sent to Tylum, time enough that he had to be forwarded to her dorm at school. The time between Zara buying him on Titan Station and Trell’s attack on the city is short enough for it not to fit.
Aside from what Soatari said about the time needed to deliver Pierce to Tylum, there is also the fact that in chapter 16, after Zara said that Tylum really needs to see Avalon to believe it she muttered “if it’s still there…” As much damage as Trell’s first rampage did, I can’t see it being enough to make Zara doubt the city’s continued existence. The plague on the other hand..
There’s a possible clue in Nomad 22:
“Oh bother Aisell and Aehzay! One can’t stop sulking around the house long enough to get half a sentence out, and Aehzay was supposed to come here for midterm break and I haven’t seen a hair on her head yet!”
Is that the same midterm break?
Yep.