The streets were paved with hard concrete, and the rain was gushing down on Cao. There were no formal lessons held here so far, no one had had the time to organize such a thing in such little time. Nine days and twenty thousand people, with three or more thousand new each day. There were even no formal uniforms given, most people here were just in simple farmers clothes. He didn't even have any shoes anymore, someone had stolen them while he was asleep, he muttered angrily, but low. At least the rain wasn't a problem; he had a good skill with grabbing the one power now. It succeeded almost two thirds of all the time, and it felt great. Though he feared that grabbing too much of it and losing control might have unfortunate consequences. I know, I have always know, he though, but before he could grab it, and think of where it came from, it was gone already. Probably nothing.

Most of the people here don't seem to use the power to protect themselves from the rain. Not that I would call them fools, even I don't think on it all the time, Cao thought while looking at the people trying to defend themselves from the rain by drawing their coats or whatever clothes they had over their heads. Some looked at him and tried to do the same thing he did. Some failed, some did not. Some were just crying in the drains for some reason. Had the One Power made them mad? It did feel great, they probably just couldn't comprehend. But they would.

This lot deserved some teaching, but he supposed that they would just have to wait until the leaders, if there were such a thing here, told them what to do. They were simple farmers most of them, and the leaders were servant leaders of the people's republic, or that is what he had been told in school at least. He hadn't been ever so sure about that.

"Cao, is that you?" a female voice shouted behind him. He had been busy thinking at the foolishness of everyone around here, but not that busy. As he turned his head around, he noticed it was Ming walking towards him. It was the reason he had walked outside in the first place too, to find her.

As she came within close distance, she spoke up excitedly to him "Cao, can you believe it? I was just walking on another street, when two people bumped into each other. Then one person who was looking at them while walking forward, bumped into another person, a big and angry person. When the fight started I retreated trough an alley, and then I saw you on this street. Incredible piece of chance, don't you think? Anyways, where are you sleeping, I am sleeping with an old lady who still lives here from the times before this city was emptied. She is very nice, and even game me these new clothes. where are your shoes by the way Cao?". She spoke so fast that Cao didn't have quite time to understand it all at once, but he had always been a fast learner. Usually very fast.

"I sleep in the peoples barrack 124. My shoes were stolen by someone while I was asleep, but I am happy to see you got the luck of the draw." he replied with a sarcastic voice. Some people just had luck, others had less luck. Usually the women came out on top whoever had the luck. The Peoples Magicians Army was no difference. Nope, none at all.

"So, thinking about taking any classes Cao?" she said to him with an expectant glow in her eyes. It seemed she was plotting something that he wouldn't want to know really. The nice dress she wore made her seem even more innocent, but he should know better, he had learned the hard way.

"Classes? Are there any classes here, or are you planning something. Don't lie to me now, I will know if you do" he said with a smile on his face. He couldn't sense someone lying of course, but that meant that they couldn't either know he was. Yes his smile widened even more. Strangely that she smiled back too, he had never actually understood why she did that when he acted like now.

"I am not planning anything my love. Go to the house on Fourth Street and ask about classes. I promise that you won't be unhappy about it." she said with a smile. "And when you return, we can rest in my private room" she then whispered into his ear. That alone was worth going there and asking for classes, besides, he might learn something on those classes too, he wanted to learn everything.

As he started walking towards there, after asking Ming's address, he was sure he could feel an evil smile at him from her. Probably just imagination. The walk was a generally uninteresting one, by the cracked houses; pieces of clothing that had fallen on the street, and fellow channelers. At one location someone jumped out of a top floor of a six-story building down to the concrete street, yet he didn't even get a scratch from the fall, and no one had channelled to help him, that Cao was sure of. Strange, but things like that happened. Rarely, but they happened.

As he reached the building, a good-looking government building, the calm and lazy atmosphere inside the building surprised him. Didn't the leaders work as hard as the workers in China? Did they? Oh well, not important now, he though.

He approached a man who looked important and picked him with the One Power on his shoulder. "Excuse me, but I would like to ask about classes, Ming Li, someo.." he started talking, but was interrupted by the man after that. The man picked up a piece of paper and a pen and started talking to him.

"Name, ID, and location of stay" he said strictly. Cao answered simple "Cao Long, 210591-4325S, Barrack 124, bed 43" he answered in the same angry tone as the man had asked. The man filled in something more at the paper for a minute or two, and then promptly said. "Cao Long, you are now teacher of advanced fire-techniques in building 34. Go there and get your class hours and don't bother me any more", and with those words, the man disappeared into the building before Cao could say a word. He did notice a piece of paper in his hands, a copy of the one the man had written. Ming would pay for this, yes she would. And in the end they would kiss and make up, or that was what he hoped.

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