Friendship pendant

I'm an ordinary, unremarkable student at the Octarian Polytechnic College with the unassuming name of Vlastimil Geibel, and I'm modestly studying to become a draftsman and designer. I have an inventive streak that I'm proud of. Studying at such an institution isn't too challenging, as long as you don't interact with members of other races, such as elves, dwarves, and orcs. Don't get me wrong, it's not like you're in a fairy tale. In fact, dealing with these last issues is more challenging than the others. The representatives of this tribe like to measure their biceps and prove to everyone that they are the coolest. And these others are mostly people. I try to avoid this dashing bunch, who prefer to study transportation services, which produced auto mechanics, locksmiths, and welders. These middle-level specialists have hospitalized more than one person who refused to give them some change. People here openly disliked, someone looks at us with sympathy, someone with disdain, and someone like a dead mouse. Well, we are not forever young and beautiful, not strong. But somehow I do not pay much attention to it, maybe because I am a guy, but the girls from the law get it. Every pointy-eared one considers it their duty to point out that in a mere twenty years they will turn into old women, and the elves of this time will not even notice and will not change in any way. They will be as young and beautiful. There are also representatives of other races in my group. The most notable of them is the dark elf Farius Dir, who comes from an unpronounceable underground city. He is curious, easy to get along with, and quite loyal to humans, as he rarely interacts with them. He is not particularly conflict-prone, even with the eldar, although these two elven races still have a strained relationship, and the emergence of the drow on the surface has exacerbated the situation. And so it was relatively quiet until a new guy appeared in our group, transferred from another faculty to study where it is easier. Need I say that he is a light elf? Nilian Briarfel is a remarkable figure, a proud descendant of the light-elf race. And this we realized when he gave us a cold, disdainful look, when our curator brought him, offering him to take any free place. And by some ridiculous coincidence, he chose a vacant seat that had previously been occupied by Farus, who was absent that day. Despite being warned that the seat was occupied, Eldar stubbornly ignored the warning, claiming that he had not seen anyone sitting at the table. I sensed a storm brewing, and it was not long in coming when the drow arrived the next day. He stood in the doorway of the classroom, stunned, when he saw the eldar in his seat, then strode purposefully to Briarfell. "Why the hell did you put your light-elf ass in my place?" he demanded, his scarlet eyes flashing angrily. "Take another one. There are plenty of empty seats," Nilian replied without looking at him. "I prefer to stay in my seat. So get out," Farius insisted. " I won't even consider it. I like this place," the light one insisted. Seeing that his arguments were being ignored, the drow grabbed the eldar by the lapel of his jacket and pulled him out of the chair. "Get your dirty hands off me!" Nilyan shouted and punched the dark elf in the face. The dark elf was clearly not expecting such a swift response from the light elf, and he responded by punching Nilyan in the stomach. They both fell down, knocking over the tables. One of my classmates called the dean, and soon all three of us were in the dean's office. You might be wondering, "What do I have to do with this?" Well, I'm the class representative, and it's my responsibility to resolve such conflicts. We were all reprimanded: they were reprimanded for fighting, and I was reprimanded for not intervening, and I was told to stop the fighting at all costs. But how exactly do they envision this? Do they expect me to stand between them and take a beating from both of them? The prospect is dubious. Do you think that going to the rector cooled their ardor? You'd be wrong. They were constantly bickering, and even a glance at each other could trigger a barrage of insults. During lectures, when one student was answering a question, the other would inevitably interrupt. As I observed this daily spectacle, I began to wonder if it was possible to reconcile them. While I had no illusions about their love for each other, it would be nice to reduce the intensity of their animosity. At first, I tried to approach them directly, having one-on-one conversations with each of them. I talked to one about the importance of respecting others' opinions, and to another about the significance of self-control. However, my words seemed to bounce off them like a ball hitting a wall. Each of them insisted on their own rightness and blamed the other for everything. So I decided to change my approach. Instead of directly confronting them, I began subtly introducing them to topics for collaboration and tasks where their skills could complement each other. Under the guise of helping me organize an event, I tried to push them together, but in a constructive way. At first, this only led to more arguments and disagreements. However, as we worked together, I began to notice the beginnings of something new. Although they still clashed over minor details, there were moments when they displayed a hint of mutual respect. Perhaps there was still hope? Perhaps beneath the surface of their animosity, there was something that could be awakened and used for the greater good? However, just as I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and think that the prospect of improving inter-racial relations was not so far-fetched, a fight broke out between the elves during physical education. One of them, either by accident or on purpose, pushed the other, and the rest of the class followed suit. After the lesson, we were once again summoned to the rector's office. We were given a lecture, with threats of expulsion for those who behaved in a manner unbecoming of the elven race, and dismissal from my position for my lack of effort. But they didn't care that I and my reputation were suffering from their actions. I was walking out of the college, my mind filled with gloomy thoughts, when I heard a deep voice: "There are no small coins?" I slowly turned around, as if in a dream. In front of me, towering over me by two heads, stood Ohtar Tok, the leader of the "small-scale moneymakers ," as we called these slow-witted racketeers. No, I have nothing against orcs. As the saying goes, there is no bad nation... But for some reason, there were no other orc students at our college, as it was more expensive to fight back against their collective than to be humiliated and insulted by their use of brute force. So, I was already mentally writing my will when Tok approached me, and I was frantically trying to find a way out of this difficult situation, as my fighting skills were quite mediocre, especially against a muscular man. I couldn't think of anything better than to blurt out, slightly stuttering: "Look... It's for you... the girl is calling," pointing somewhere to the side. While the orc turned around and looked in the direction I pointed, I quickly ran away without hesitation, hearing the orc's thunderous roar behind me as he was tricked like a child. At that moment, I didn't think about the consequences of my actions, as I was focused on saving my own life. I spent the entire evening on the weekend, when I left the student dormitory to go home, trying to figure out how to calm down the elf brawlers. I came home almost every weekend to help my mother around the house. Then there was a knock on the door of my room. After permission, my younger sister entered. Zhdana recently turned ten years old, and she considered herself quite an adult. "I have a surprise for you," she said mysteriously, showing me a pair of heart-shaped pendant necklaces. Both necklaces had a photo of her and me in them, and she handed me the one with her photo. "And what are these honors for?" I was surprised. There didn't seem to be a reason. It was six months before my birthday. "For being the best brother in the world," she smiled, hugging me. I returned her embrace. When our father died in a work-related accident two years ago, she missed him, and she sometimes projected her unspent love for him onto me. I had just started college at the time, and when I came home for the weekends, I sometimes saw fear in her eyes that I might not come home for some reason, just like my father. There were times when she would get hysterical and refuse to let me go, but she eventually calmed down. "Thank you. I love you too," I said quietly, looking into her father's gray eyes. Before bedtime, as I was turning the gift over in my hands, I had an idea that I thought was brilliant. I decided to make similar gifts for the elves, but I wanted to include something meaningful for both of them. On Monday, during my first class, I sat down at the table behind Nilian Briarfel. The elven race had a fetish for long hair. Almost all of the elven students had it. My classmates were too engrossed in the lecture, and Nilian didn't even notice when I cut a strand of his golden hair with a small pair of scissors. I did the same with Farius Dir. After class, I went to a gift shop that sold crafts, where I bought something for Zhdana when she asked. I bought epoxy resin, a base for pendants, chains, and small white and green rhinestones. The next weekend, when I returned home, I started making the pendants. Here, Zhdana actively helped, suggesting that we take white and golden curls and arrange them in a flower-shaped pendant, adorned with green rhinestones, and in another pendant in the shape of a spider, adorning the abdomen with white rhinestones. I carefully filled them with epoxy resin and left them to dry. After a couple of days, I inserted the chains into the finished pendants, admiring our work. The next Monday, as soon as the last class ended, I solemnly handed them their gifts, saying, "May your friendship be unbreakable." Farius put it in his pocket without even looking at it, thanking me curtly, not paying attention to my sarcastic remark, but Nilian took a closer look and made a mediocre observation: "It's cheap." However, the elf's keen eyes caught something painfully familiar in the golden and white threads that weaved into a flower within the pendant. He suddenly turned pale, touched his hair, and felt a noticeable gap. "How dare you, you insignificant worm, touch my hair!" he said menacingly, advancing on me. The drow activated and, taking out his gift, carefully examined it. He can't physically turn pale with rage, but in his scarlet gaze, I clearly saw my imminent demise. "You're clearly tired of living, little man," he said in a venomous yet gentle voice. That's how you do good to the elves. They say that the only way to unite old enemies is against their common enemy. That's basically what happened. After thanking the universe and the gym teacher, I quickly ran away from both of them and didn't notice how I crashed into a wall while trying to leave the college building. To my disappointment, that wall was Ohtar Tok. He grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and lifted me up so that my feet were off the ground. "You can't buy your way out with small coins now," he said, recognizing me. A fist as heavy as a hydraulic press slammed into my stomach, and I couldn't breathe. The pain was so intense that I felt like I'd been kicked by a horse, and the next blow landed on my face, but I managed to cushion it by extending my forearm. Then I was thrown to the side, and I saw two pairs of shoes pass by: a pair of polished shoes and a pair of black athletic sneakers. "Don't touch him," I recognized Nilian's voice. "Only we can kill him," Eldar Farius continued. "What???" roared Ohtar, stunned by such insolence. It was like a dream or a fast-forwarded replay. The toe of Nilian's lacquered shoe crashed into the orc's kneecap, and the Eldar ducked to avoid the clumsy blow. In the next moment, the drow pushed off the light elf's shoulder and delivered a roundhouse kick to the orc's jaw. A few seconds later, there was a loud crash, as if a wardrobe had fallen, which was not far from the truth. Ohthar was lying unconscious on the floor. "How dare you step on me!" Nilyan was indignant. "Sorry, I'll bring a rug next time," Farius chuckled. I didn't hear them anymore, as I passed out. Then I spent a couple of days in the hospital. Fortunately, there were no fractures, just a huge hematoma on my arm and face, although it didn't make the pain any less. So I stayed at home, literally. My mother forbade me to get out of bed, except to go to the bathroom and sit at the dinner table. But one day, when my mother was at work, there was a knock on our apartment door. Zhdana went to open it, and what a surprise it was when she saw a drow and an eldar on the threshold. They looked at the girl for a couple of seconds, then the light asked: " Is Vlastimil at home?" Zhdana turned around and looked at the door of my room, then gave the uninvited guests a disbelieving look. "Come in, sit down," she said, pointing to the sofa in the small living room, and then went to my room. “They’re asking for you there,” she said, sitting down on the edge of my bed. "Who!" I asked. "Elves. They're in the living room," my sister replied. I tensed when I heard that. It wasn't difficult to figure out who these elves were, and something told me they were here to finish what they started. "Tell him I'll be right there," I said, trying to delay the joy of our reunion. "Okay, I'll make some tea," Zhdana said and went to the kitchen. I left the room and saw Nilian and Farius. They were sitting on opposite sides of the couch, trying not to look at each other. I barely suppressed a laugh when I saw that they had both cut their hair short. They could almost be mistaken for humans, except for their long, pointed ears. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked, keeping my tone as stern as possible. Farius stood up and took a pendant with a portrait of Zhdana from his pocket, and handed it to me. Only it was without a chain. Apparently, it was torn during the fight. I thought I had lost it. "Thank you," I said. The thing was more precious to me than all the diamonds in the world. "When will you be back?" Nilián asked. "Have you missed me?" I chuckled. "I'm currently fulfilling your duties, and I'm barely managing. If it weren't for the assistance," Briarfel said, glancing at Dir. I realized where the wind was blowing. Being a class representative is a pain in the ass, because you have to be a model student in terms of academic performance, involvement in college life, and being an example for your class, among other things. "In about three days, or maybe five. I don't want to get into Ohtar's bad mood again, or I'll end up in the hospital, if not in the cemetery," I replied. —You don't have to worry about that. We had a heart-to-heart conversation, and now he's quiet, peaceful, and calm," the drow replied with a mysterious smile. I couldn't imagine Tok being quiet. I didn't ask about the methods used to reform the orc. Then Zhdana came out of the kitchen with a tray in her hands. On the tray were three cups of tea and a plate of sweets and cookies. The elves stared at her as if she were a miracle, as if they had never seen human children before. My sister acted like a gracious hostess, but at the same time, she behaved like a true lady. Realizing that they were making a fool of themselves, the elves took the cups and began to drink their tea. "You have strange friends, Vlastimil," Zhdana said quietly, glancing at the guests from time to time. "I agree," I replied, not thinking that the elves couldn't hear her. The sister gave them a slightly haughty look before going to her room. "Your sister has a temper," Farius remarked approvingly. "A beautiful girl with impeccable manners," Nilián added admiringly. "Are you crazy, she's still a child," I said, not happy with the couple's interest in someone I cared about, realizing that they had poked their noses into the contents of the pendant. "For an elf, ten years pass in a flash," the drow chuckled. "Only it's not clear which one she'll choose," the eldar said, looking arrogantly at the Dark One. "Over my dead body," I said firmly, not wanting my sister's heart to be broken by some pointy-eared, pretty-boy fool, even if it happened in the future, ending their beginning argument. I would not tolerate a scandal in my own home. They all laughed together when they saw my serious face with the yellowing bruise. "You guys are assholes," I said, relieved to see my gifts around both of their necks. Time would tell if this was another truce or not.