my little dnd adventure

hello i like to turn my 1 on 1 dnd adventures into lil stories and i figured that somebody else might want to read them too

[commandwordfun]

Hi all!!!

This is going to be a:

Dungeons & Dragons inspiration, discussion and artwork blog. I plan on making challenges similar to r/worldbuilding challenges as well.

DIY posts for DMing. Cool trinkets and projects for the cheap DM. I firmly believe in using random things you've found around the house supremacy over professionally done miniatures.

General boardgame talk. I like Game of Thrones the board game, Dune, Catan, Ticket to Ride, Twillight Struggle and many more.

I am yet to determine a post schedule, feel free to let me know what you would like to see!

[carolinedoesmagic]

Battle Magic

Quince introduced me as the — what a happy coincidence — tenth member who might join the class and the battle commenced without much else from the professor. He climbed some stairs to a sort of platform overlooking the battlegrounds, sat, and shot sparks from his wand telling us to start.

Our tactic seemed to be to make one large battle five small duels, something I was hoping that the professor would teach people not to do. For now, I couldn't really afford to criticize, given my shady past and lack of credit with the other students.

By the time I snapped out of a thinking mindset, Hasan's massive figure was rushing toward me with a lightning spell already forming between his hands. My instinct to hit him with a sleep spell was overcome by a voice of reason in my head reminding me of his size, and I flung an ice knife instead. We exchanged blows — it seemed that he had a preference for lighting in much the same way I preferred dark spells — but I’ve yet to feel comfortable to cast necromantic magic despite the itch. 

He seemed tired after several rounds, and the effects of my magic confused him, although nobody else noticed the dance of the shadows and the cold in the air. The trick I used on Churdley had the time to come to mind as he turned and paused before casting.

Squatting as a ball of thunder flew over my head, I inhaled sharply in pain that his previous spell caused on my leg, but managed to create a shadow extension of my hand. He turned when something gripped the back of his neck and my sleeping spell hit him before he had the chance to finish his thunder blow.

He fell and hit the ground with a loud thud, but I was already on my way to ambush a person who was dueling Travice nearby. We won soon after.

[carolinedoesmagic]

Caroline decides to learn how to fight

Despite the wave of panic that washed over me, the success put some pep in my step and I was feeling good about my chances to get a spot in the Battle Magic class. I approached the classroom not knowing what to expect – I only knew the professor's name and subject – but what was I if not a hero facing the unknowns?

Inside I found a surprisingly attractive man around Ali's age building an illusory forest from the space he was given.

He swirled upon hearing my steps, pointing a wand directly at my forehead.

I rushed to say hi before he shot, and his features softened, although his focus never returned to its holster.

He seemed suspicious about my eagerness to join but once I finally got around to telling him my name, the mood shifted a bit. It seemed that I made somewhat of a reputation for myself, even in a place full of powerful mages. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but it helped in this instance.

‘Alright. Since battle training has already been going on for weeks, you'll have to prove that you're able to catch up. I actually have one scheduled in ten minutes, so if you'll kindly wait outside. We'll talk about the details if you manage to see it through.’ His accent was interesting and words soft, but a sharp focus in his eyes suggested a fighter.

Excited, I went out and saw a group of students gathered for the class — no, battle training. Hasan's tall figure was towering over the crowd and I was just about to approach him, realizing that I knew nothing of what was about to happen, but something stopped me.

‘Eyyyy, it's Churdley's girlllll.’ Travice, along with some other members of Churdley's crew, were sitting in the back trying to look cool, and I figured that I might as well ask them.

The brief was surprisingly efficient. It was going to be like a duel, only large-scale, group based, and tactical. The goal was to disarm opponents and make them yield. 

‘Well you gotta be on our team. We wanna see whether you're as good as Churdley says or he's just simping.' Their words encouraged me — there was nothing silly about being proud that one of the best students thought I was good, even if it had more to do with our extra-curricular activities. We went inside and the forest seemed real and in full bloom.

[carolinedoesmagic]

Caroline Ex... Uhm, Thoma

I took the weekend to rest and mentally prepare for asking Tufo for a loan once I exhausted every other option for acquiring money for the Battle Magic. The jobs board was empty, I didn't want to borrow money from my friends, and I really wanted to at least try to get into that class. I had no assurances I’d be allowed to, but having the means to pay for it seemed like good backing for my persuasion efforts.

So, when Monday came, I wanted to get Tufo over with and went early, practicing my narrative to avoid him poking holes in my mind space. I took a deep breath and knocked, almost gulping when he himself answered with that sly smile and once again when I saw that it was his home, not the bookstore, in the background. 

‘Hello, miss Caroline. To what do I owe the pleasure? Oh, I see, a loan. Let's get to my office.’ He resembled a predatory animal.

We entered a predominantly empty room, consisting only of some windows with that strange illusion magic painting a picture of a foreign city, a desk, and two chairs on either end of it. The one he would sit on was tall, leather, and adorned with jewels, while mine was simple wood and much lower. It seemed that his business mode was much less chatty, and I was grateful for that. 

His eyebrows shot up when I named the sum — I figured I might as well borrow money for next year while I was at it — and he took out a document for me to sign. I took my time reading it, trying to make sure that I wouldn't sign away my soul for all eternity, but it seemed shockingly legitimate.

He provided a blood quill for me to sign with, and a familiar prickling sensation and profound anxiety overcame me. I wrote out Caroline in broad, confident letters, and moved on to my assumed last name, but the quil left no trace when I tried to spell ‘Thoma.’ I put on an innocent face and muttered something about how it was just a placeholder name for orphans, which he didn’t seem to believe, but he wasn’t about to push the point. 

Nodding his assent, he looked over the document and I was shaking. Speaking very little, I gathered my heavy bag of gold and platinum and confirmed I'd return in two weeks to discuss a potential business opportunity. I had to sit in the park before Hedron, cursing about the potential danger I put myself in and reminding myself that I couldn't hope to dodge all metaphorical bullets with such ease.

[carolinedoesmagic]

A fun night

AN: I’m sorry but this called for an anime pic.

‘Oh, I ran into June. She said come to your inn tonight. She got some herb and wants us to smoke it.’

We hung around for a bit and then met June and walked back to the inn, her excitement about the end of exams intoxicating. We arrived and got Odeta a night off. Myra seemed almost motherly seeing the two of us with other people — friends — having fun, but laughed and refused my offer to close the inn for the night and hang out with us.

Trevor decided to join when he heard what we were about to do. Since he was the only one who seemed familiar with the process, we welcomed him with open arms. 

‘No, uh, it's a plant with psychoactive tendencies. No, not psychic. Psycho. It does stuff to your brain,’ June said, but she didn't seem too certain. Trevor was, but refused to descibe it, instructing us to wait and see.

We ground the little flower and put it in a big pipe that June brought, lit it up, and passed it around. The room soon smelled of mint with an undertone of something heavy and oppressive and my brain went foggy and giggly.

Churdley dropped in and out of consciousness, June paced around maniacally, Trevor's eyes were fixed on a spot before him, and Odeta was calmer than I'd ever seen her. An hour later I found myself between Odeta and June, feeling as thankful as ever for friends, and then some more time passed and I was breathing in fresh air from the window and urging everybody to go outside but they didn't want to, and another hour, and we were drinking ale and Churdley's hand was underneath my shirt tracing circles on my skin, and another hour, and I persuaded the two to sleep over, only partly due to my concern of them walking back to Hedron if their heads were half as fuzzy as mine was.

I dozed off but awoke to hear muffled sounds from the bed where the two girls were sleeping. I wanted to make muffled sounds, too but I fumbled with the covers, and Churdley laughed and he seemed glad but he wanted to sleep, so he drew me close and I fell asleep to the music of somebody else's fun.

[carolinedoesmagic]

Exams: final and some more

‘So, what did you want to talk about?’ Churdley was stroking my leg and I felt almost completely confident in my decision once again.

I nevertheless fumbled through the explanation, telling him that I liked him and that I didn’t know why, but the idea of him kissing other people made me feel icky.

‘Okay, I won't, then. For now, we'll talk if that changes. Although, seeing that friend of yours, almost makes me regret saying yes already.’ He joked but hit close to home and I mumbled something in agreement.

We spent some time kissing, chatting, and not taking advantage of the room as well as we could've. He seemed reluctant to push the envelope, and it was out of my scope of capabilities, apparently. He went after a while, shaggy-haired and seemingly happy with the night.

I was happy, too.

The final exam day brought Conjuration and Illusion, both of which I passed with flying colors. I was excitedly exiting the classroom of a young, fun TA, when I spotted Ali standing outside, which was a strange image. I didn't believe he had time to do nothing on a normal day, but when he noticed me, he beamed so broadly that I was led to believe that I was the one he was waiting for. A copy of my exam report in his hand confirmed my assumption, as did a round of congratulations.

‘You're a third-year now, Caroline. You truly did well on all those exams.’ I heard a muffled sound in the background and noticed Churdley standing on the stairs behind him. Ali turned and gestured at the boy, who spoke again — released from a Muffiliato, I realized. 

‘She had a good teacher,’ he said in a boastful tone, winking at me. I rolled my eyes but confirmed that yes, I indeed did. I told him that I'd meet him again in several weeks, to which he nodded. 

‘I appreciate everything you do outside the classroom but I'm glad to see you thrive inside it, too. You have a lot of potential, Caroline. And, I'm glad to see you hanging out with the right people. He might seem strange, but he is such a person.’ We said our goodbyes and I approached Churdley, who had stellar results to show off but seemed more proud of mine.

‘Oh, I ran into June. She said come to your inn tonight. She got some herb and wants us to smoke it.’

[carolinedoesmagic]

I’m a gods-be-damned hero, I don’t have time for this

‘Well, you can kiss me, to check whether it's really him or just the kissing. I was told I'm good at it.’

I could only blink and nod before she was on my bed, holding my face with both hands and planting her lips on mine. The kiss was softer than what I was used to, but wet and hot and so tingly that I felt it in my fingertips.

It ended sooner than I wished it to, before I got the chance to respond, and she looked at me with the same admiration and anxiety she would show when I cast a spell, that I had absolutely no idea why I earned from her. After a few seconds of blissful silence, the jumble returned to my head, and I fell back on my bed, muttering that it might be the kissing after all. 

‘Think about it, but if you want him not to kiss other people, it would be fair that you do the same.’ Another groan on my end. 'You don't act the same way around me as you do around him. That's all I can tell you.' 

I rose and blinked, wanting her to tell me more, and maybe kiss some more, but she was already at the doorway, a sad smile on her lips before she departed. 

Kissing one person was complicated enough, I decided. I didn't have time for these emotions. I would talk to him. I went to sleep with the thoughts of Odeta, Churdley, and—vaguely—exams.

[carolinedoesmagic]

Caroline discovers monogamy and is very confused

I ran into June on my way out of the classroom. ‘Have a walk with me,’ she said as a way of greeting. We went to the park surrounding the Tower hand in hand, and I let her vent about her exams for a bit.

She seemed to be doing well but was still under a lot of stress. 

‘I would usually join Churdley and his boys and visit an inn to blow off steam during the exams, but he hasn't seemed that interested this time through. Is your friend available?’

I told her that yes, she could stop by the Black Tide, and yes, Odeta was likely to be glad to see her — a grin suggested the feeling was mutual.

I wanted to know more about that casual exam inn-going, though. 

‘Oh, we don't drink or anything — it's the exams, after all. We just hang around, meet some cute people, and perhaps, ya know, release some tension that way. Churdley isn't the best, but even he manages to do it once or twice. He might seem cool, but these things are a major stressor for him.’

Churdley blows off steam with cute people. The idea made my gut twist and pinch.

I tentatively shared my intuitive response with June, who once again had to explain relationships to me. It turned out that, if you were partners with somebody, that wouldn't prevent you from partaking in such activities with other people.

She was utterly confused when I told her that I didn't want him kissing anybody else.

‘Well, why not? Yeah, I guessed you wouldn't give me a logical answer. It's not really a matter of logic, anything romance related. What I can tell you is that you have to talk to him about that.’

We said goodbye soon after, my happiness about the fact I had a friend and advice somewhat shaded by the feelings of discomfort about the idea of Churdley just going out and kissing, or trying to, kiss somebody else. Self-insight had nothing on these emotions, and I came home and just laid in bed, trying to make sense of it and letting everything I knew about romance, which was very little, run through my head in the hopes I would land on something concrete.

I was lying on my stomach, head buried in my pillow, when Odeta entered the room. ‘What's wrong? You okay? You know, I can try to help you, but I need more than grunts as answers.’

I told her about Churdley, about the time we spent together and how it was so nice to have somebody to discuss magic with and teach me things — it made me feel safe and reminded me of Otto and home. I also mentioned, blushing slightly, the sheer euphoria I felt when he would come up to me and use his comparatively high level of experience to do things to my lips and body.

That was  where the problem lay. I had never even kissed anybody before — how could I be sure that it wasn't simply the kissing that made me feel so lightheaded? Why would I rationally want him not to kiss other people? It just made me feel icky inside. 

‘Well, you can kiss me, to check whether it's really him or just the kissing. I was told I'm good at it.’

[carolinedoesmagic]

Exams 4/final I think: Evocation and Transfiguration

The following day was for Evocation and Transfiguration.

The first one was with a teacher I also hadn't seen throughout the semester, mostly because he seldom showed up — even more rarely than myself. When he did, however, he would deliver long, fantastic lectures to cover a month of the curriculum. I was nevertheless well-prepared theoretically, and the wide scope of icy spells that my magic seemed to enjoy channeling impressed him, too. I warned him they were mostly offensive, to which he chuckled.

‘Oh, that’s hardly unexpected from a person with your reputation.’ Alright then.

I slipped a drop of water from my pouch and fueled it with magic. The ring beneath my gloves tingled at contact — I wore the enhancing garments so often that I kept forgetting about the item, and I told myself I’d talk to Ali or Abby about it. The ice knife was fully formed when I snapped out of the distracting thought, and I flung it onto a nearby wall, where it exploded into a bunch of brilliant shards.

I got an excited clap, a double check, a kind smile, and a promise that there were 'more fun things to come if I kept at it.'

I was high on success when I arrived at prof. Wynn's office for Transfiguration.

Her room was in greens and golds this time around, and she was sitting there looking as opulent as her surroundings. She never failed to impress, but I did.

Although I displayed some knowledge on altering object shape and properties, my Mold Earth spell was far from good enough.

‘Sweetie, that won’t do.’

I could tell she'd been expecting more from a person with my level of notoreity, and I promised myself to come to each of her classes the following school year and be her top student.

[carolinedoesmagic]

Exams 3/?: Divination and Enchantment

The next day was for Divination and Enchantment, and I was already feeling better about my prospects. Exams weren’t so bad after all! My perspective wasn’t shared by my fellow classmen, but they seemed to find my enthusiasm cute.

The first exam was so-so. I passed the theoretical portion just barely, and only thanks to the bits of the most important info Churdley shared with me the day before and the lenient attitude of the young intern who assisted Adriene.

I then faced Adriene herself, for the first time since the healing experiment. She smiled a familiar smile at me and asked me to perform my best Divination spell, for start. I didn’t expect that — the books mostly dealt with theory, and the practical aspect was, how I understood it, mostly waving off the effects of Mind Magic. Her tone left no wiggle room, drawing complete honesty from the center of my being — which I suspected was a kind of Mind Magic of its own — so I simply said that I knew no proper Divination spells. Only one for detecting areal protections, which wasn’t relevant in this setup.

‘Not even Detect Magic? Tell you what, since you do have the grips on the subject, let's put a mark on you. Come here next Monday with the spell, and you will have passed this exam.’

Enchantment was much more exciting. I felt a pang of disappointment when I greeted Abby with a smile, which she responded to with a curt nod, but I persuaded myself it was just her examination mode and that she still liked me. I seemed to be right, as her manner grew warmer with each correct answer I gave and successful spell I cast. The Sleep charm awarded me with a brilliant smile and an excited nod.

She added a glowing double check mark on my paper and confirmed my suspicion that I needed only one more to enter the third year. 

‘Yes, of course I know about that. The Headmaster talked to me about it a week before the exams, since I’ve been spending plenty of time with you. I hope you manage to do it — I teach much more fun stuff in year three.' 

Thoughts of all the amazing things I could do in Hedron whirling in my head, I left the Tower without even checking for my friends or Churdley. Instead, I went home and spent some time revising for the next day's tasks, chatting with Odeta and Myra, and practicing Detect Magic on a worm I found outside the inn.

[carolinedoesmagic]

Exams: The interlude

I entered the library and made my way to the back, when I noticed June, her head deep in a book whose name I couldn't read from this distance. Shrugging mentally, I figured that there was no need for seclusion if Churdley wasn’t around, so I picked up a Divination book and approached my friend's table.

She smirked. ‘You blame that friend of yours if I fail this exam. Couldn't walk properly the entire day afterward.’ I almost gulped at the thought of whatever Odeta did to her, but managed a smile.

She returned to her work and I to mine, but when Churdley loudly entered the library some minutes later, she looked up, remembered something, drew me near and inquired for information, using the opportunity as the boy talked to his twenty friends.

‘Are you two together?’ I told her I didn't know - how could I know that anyway? I didn't know how dating worked, and especially after fumbling with that polycule some days earlier, I was too afraid to assume anything. The desire for clarity was strong, though.

‘Well just ask him, silly.’ Surprised at the simplicity of her deep wisdom once again, I approached Churdley with a new type of knot in my stomach.

I came close and pecked his cheek. ‘A deeper part of the library, huh?’

I nodded and we found a seat next to a wall behind some shelves. I leaned on it and threw my legs over his lap, asking him about his exam. He, of course, got double checks for outstanding success, and we spent some time going through our respective books, his thumb drawing circles just above my knee.

Having finished the chapter in a half-daze, I realized that I was too nervous about the topic I was about to broach to study. And I needed to study, so I bit the bullet and asked whether we were partners.

‘Well, not officially. Why, do you want us to be?’ Another nod on my end. He nodded back and that was that. Nothing much would change, I assumed, but knowing felt good. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the park outside Hedron and revising for my Enchantment class. Divination mattered, but Abby was another person I felt I was to impress. So ended another day of my suddenly calm life.

[carolinedoesmagic]

Exam 2/?: Necromancy

The classroom number and time for my next exam also appeared on the sheet I was holding. It was Necro... Life Magic, and it was to begin in 15 minutes. I sat down on the stairs and breathed a bit. I was to face the teacher I was most eager to impress, wielding magic that was, despite the ideological clash, closest to my own. 

I felt a bit more prepared upon entering. Unsurprisingly, Ali was alone in the room, doing both the theoretical and the practical part of the examination by himself. Although I fumbled here and there with the theory, he seemed satisfied with my general understanding of it. It was simple, really — draw the life force out, push the life force in. The fact the ‘life force’ could mean so many things was a whole other issue, but I’d already started getting the grips of it.

Then it was time for the practical, where I got a frog to affect and then disaffect. I didn’t want to cause a mess, so I performed the blindness spell on the thing and cancelled the magic when it started making panicked noises.

His eyebrows shot up at my spell selection, but he nodde and added one check, and then another, to my paper. 

‘I have determined two other classes that seem the most relevant for your development as a mage. If you get similar results there, I'll transfer you straight to year three.’

Gods. Woah.

Suddenly Abjuration seemed like no big deal, but Ali quashed some of my excitement and gratitude by refusing to tell me which professors I was to impress.

‘You know your magic better than I do.’ Doubt that, but okay. ‘I’m sure you’ll figure it out.’

With that, he shooed me out, and my hazy exit led me to bumping head-first into Churdley’s chest. He was standing before the classroom, his buddies sprawled on the stairs.

The group let out a soft 'ooooh' when he grabbed me by the shoulders and kissed me hello. Another 'ooooh,' this time much louder, was heard when I asked him to hang out somewhere alone.

‘Always free for you, baby, especially when you put it like that.’ 

‘Wait, actually, I have an exam... now. Should be in and out in a hot sec. Maybe wait for me in the library?’ I was planning on going there to revise for the next day's exams anyway, so I said good luck, to which he smirked, and went to take a seat somewhere deep and secluded.

[carolinedoesmagic]

Exams: 1/? - Abjuration

I didn't get the chance to ask the hazy-eyed, bruised-neck Odeta about her night come following morning, as the first exam was to start early and I wasn’t about to be late. A whole different kind of emotion filled my stomach as I was walking up to the Abjuration classroom.

See, I really had no experience with tests. Otto did quiz me now and again, but he wouldn't mark me. He particularly wouldn’t give me a sheet of hard paper with a list of subjects and empty spots for grades, as I was handed as soon as I entered Hedron.

I was waiting outside when Hasan showed up. I knew him from some of my classes, but his height, width, and head that seemed too small for his body still made me feel so small.

I asked him about the examiners, since Abjuration wasn’t a practical class to take in the first year, and all I’d seen of it were books filled with theory of Protective magic.

‘Yeah, there’s two of them and they just give you the materials. Don’t consider it useful to teach firsties in person. You can technically attend their lessons by sitting in the auditorium late at night. Anyway, never mention one to the other, it'll send them in a rage-filled monologue. Also, the first one, Hakim, requires a lot of theoretical knowledge. If you manage to please him with the correct quotes from the book, you get to see Vaush, where simple spells are enough for you to pass, as long as you don't say anything stupid.' I thanked him and walked into the classroom, not feeling great about my chances.

The first teacher was soft-spoken and nice, but utterly dissatisfied with my knowledge of an ancient Abjuration theorist. He told me to come back when I've read Lenin, and I never got to see the other professor, but I heard him speaking to a student behind a raised wall, his booming voice echoing throughout the room.

‘I love you, but what you're saying is entirely idiotic.’ I went out of the classroom disappointed to the point of tears, especially after an X formed next to the class name.

[carolinedoesmagic]

A day off

Sunday came, and the end of studying came with it. For now at least — I was instructed to revise for the next day's exams after the previous ones had ended.

The promises of a ‘day free to do whatever we want, baby’ weren't fulfilled, though. I met Churdley after the final prep class, but he needed to work on a seventh year project — I knew better than to ask — which would take most of the day. I left the tower somewhat disappointed, but glad to have time to relax. Despite being wildly different from the tiredness I felt after quests, the previous week left me physically and mentally haggard.

I was taking a slow stroll back to the pub when I noticed a quaint mage shop on one street corner, which was ideal as I needed wood for my work with Abby. I enjoyed the company of my Enchatments teacher, and the casual conversations we had between lessons were enjoyable, but she seemed too aloof for me to ask about anything not Hedron-related. We went through the theoretical aspects of making an arcane focus, and with a smile, she promised that the fun part would start as soon as the exams were over.

A young girl dressed in a scant version of the traditional mage robes greeted me, but I mostly ignored her offers to purchase small magical trinkets lined up at the storefront. I wasn't getting any gold this month, and the focus was on the top of my priority list. It would eliminate the need to carry a component pouch everywhere, and make casting much less awkward.

Abby told me to choose by intuition, so I went over the pieces, holding each, testing its weight and the way it felt in my hand. A light piece of cherrywood attracted me as soon as I picked it up, and without thinking too much, I bought it and left. I could almost see myself taking it out for a duel, waving a mighty wand and making magic bend to my will. Giddy about my purchase, I walked back to the pub, ready for a day of lounging around, drinking cider, and reading about something that wasn't arcane theory.

The girls were around as usual, but Myra hired another servant for the pub, a massive guy called Addagio, who seemed nice but simple. I chatted a bit with him, learning that he was from the town, just dropped out of a woodworking apprenticeship due to his lack of interest in the matter. He enjoyed the pub atmosphere much more, he told me in a confidential tone.

The evening fell and the room filled with people. Trevor was strumming his instrument idly, as it wasn't an official concert night. I was glancing around casually, looking at the crew, when I noticed a familiar figure. It was June, her eyeliner thick as ever, her mage robes replaced by a flowery dress that made her look like a little doll. I went up to her with all intentions to show her around, but she seemed to know her way around pubs, finding a seat before I even got the chance to look.

Odeta approached us and I noticed June's eyes broaden at the sight of my admittedly stunning friend. I asked her to join us, to which she responded by nervously darting her eyes at the half-filled bar. Addagio was walking by and I had a brilliant idea, promising to double his tips for the night if he could cover for my friend.

He agreed in an instant. Odeta sat, relaxing slightly, eyeing June with a mixture of interest and trepidation. After a while, I settled on letting June tell us about Tofiskali, which she did with a lot of enthusiasm, offering Odeta to show her around the most beautiful locations. That was the first spark that flew.

Seeing Trevor with two girls and two drinks in his hands, I excused myself and went to the bar, getting a lemonade for myself and two ciders for my companions. They seemed to be engaged in a conversation of their own when I returned, which was a good sign.

They also switched my seat for one of theirs, so they were now sitting next to one another and talking mostly directly to each other against the increasingly loud pub. Trevor hopped to the table and sat beside me, trying to flirt at the girls' general direction, but they weren't paying him much heed.

I felt a slight emotional pang in my gut upon seeing them drawing closer and closer to one another. Odeta's hands were soon gripping June's face in a dominant manner I never saw her express before, and it became too awkward to look.

I hung around for a bit longer, chatting with Trevor until he left with his two girls, and then decided to go to bed. Exams started the following day, after all, and I wasn’t really in the mood to analyze the jealousy and loneliness that overcame me.

[carolinedoesmagic]

Exam prep

I woke up fuzzy and faced a smiling Odeta, who was awake and eager to hear all about my date. She teased with implications of old men and mysterious adventures, but I was both too happy and too self-conscious to care, accepting the banter and not revealing much until I was more certain about my new situation myself.

I had a quick breakfast with the two ladies down in the pub and walked to Hedron for another day of learning (not only arcane theory, if I was lucky).

A grinning June was waiting before my classroom, excited to ask about the events of the previous day. The thick lines tracing her eyelids — eyeliner, a type of beauty magic, I learned — distracted me for a second, and she took my hesitation as a confession, shrieking with joy before I even got to say a word.

‘You actually did it, you insane person.’

I quickly changed the topic to exams. 

‘Ugh, I need a drink only hearing about that.’ So I invited her to stop by the pub some evening this week, casually mentioning that I had a friend who she could meet. 

‘A pretty friend?’ Her smile broadened even further when I said that yes, she was indeed pretty, and June promised she'd stop by.

The rest of the week went by in a comfortable blur, filling me with a meticulous dedication and a sense of joy and relaxation I couldn't remember ever feeling before.

We had lessons every day in the week before the exams, revising the materials of the semester. Most students didn't show up for these, but I saw them in the library, blurry eyed and muttering quietly to themselves. Despite my embarrassment for not recognizing half the things the teachers mentioned, I continued showing up and listening intently. Nothing seemed useful for my quests, but that somehow didn’t manage to bother me.

In fact, the quests themselves seemed to drop on the backburner for now, as I focused on the basics of the eight schools of magic and their individual traits.

Yet another focus was my strange but increasingly endearing companion. I almost, but not completely, got used to the ridiculous hats and shoes, but the comments were yet to stop bringing a blush to my cheeks.

He was a good teacher, though, instructing me as to which chapters I should read and focusing on his own work until I finished one. Then he would quiz me on it, and we seemed to be going through everything I needed to know at a surprising pace that was promising we'd be done by the end of the week.

We might even get the Sunday before the exams fully off, he promised suggestively one day, to which my response was to bury my head in the book about Evocations, quite literally, and once again work on calming the butterflies in my stomach and focus on the words before me. I asked about his progress for the exams once or twice, which he waved off almost dismissively, so I gave up trying.

We would usually spend the rest of the day with people — mostly a crew of boys somewhat younger than Churdley, but carrying the same air of reckless abandon and a seeming lack of a care in the world for how the rest perceived them. I also got to know Jarvis and June better, making some friends to call my own.

And then the after period. My new tutor seemed to have me on a schedule, not letting me focus on more than two topics a day. When he was satisfied with my answers, he would take my book away, get up, stretch for a bit, and continue showing me parts of Hedron I wasn't aware of before meeting him. There we'd chat, mostly about his experiences in the Tower, and then sit for a bit in the darkness, his fingers tracing lines against my spine, collar bone, or hips. Those were my favorite parts of the exam prep.

[carolinedoesmagic]

The end of the date

AN: I was serious about the school arc. Slice of life coming along.

It was getting quite dark, I realized when my forehead was once again more than inches away from Churdleys. I also realized that I did nothing to tackle the upcoming exam trouble, and anxiety knotted my stomach.

The solution was genius, obvious, and sitting cross-legged across from me.

‘What subject do you need help with? Oh, each one, I see.’ His left eyebrow rose. ‘Well, if anybody can help you, it's me.’ 

My relief was strong enough that I ignored the implication and threw myself into his arms for a grateful hug.

‘Well, if you’re so eager, why not start right away?’

So we walked back to Hedron, heading straight to the library, which was illuminated by hanging yellow orbs at this hour. We gathered all the reference books and made topic lists to get me started on my work. Churdley entered another mode during this time, focused and very intensely there, flipping through pages, making annotations, and smiling in nostalgia when he came across an especially dear topic.

I was at home around midnight, exhausted but happy. I fell asleep with thoughts swarming in my mind, thoughts of everything I learned that day, about magic, about him. One picture surpassed all others, and I dozed off reliving the kiss that ended our date. I could almost feel the cold library door against my back and warm fingers pressing against my jawline.

[carolinedoesmagic]

More dating

'I'm sure you already thought of something. What are we doing today?' His smirk couldn’t be broader.

Realizing I had nothing, I improvised and challenged him to show me around. Honestly, I was just curious to see him outside the Tower, as his existence, to me, seemed so intrinsically tied to Hedron that it was challenging to imagine him anywhere else, doing anything else. And I did need a non-criminal, non-quest tour of the city.

The date was... surprisingly pleasant. We walked around town, had something to eat and drink, and chatted all the way through. I was slowly getting used to the back and forth with him, and almost managed to throw in some genuine moments here and there.

I learned that he was also a Thoma, an orphan, and bits and pieces about his childhood. He was recruited by the Magical Law Enforcement as a child after he displayed signs of strong magic. The department paid for his education, and he'd committed to joining them upon finishing school in return. He didn't want that, however, discovering with time that magic interested him for its own sake. A utalitarian approach would only dirty the way he saw it, a sentiment I disagreed with. I started to brainstorm ways he could get out of the obligation—blinding himself, crippling himself, claiming mental incapability… He seemed to appreciate my effort, and the smile we shared made my insides tingle.

I was hazy and honestly, unaware of what I was saying half the time. It felt strange to just exist with another person, not by chance but by choice, and the feeling intoxicated me. In fact, so much so that I ended up telling him — in very scarce, non-incriminating detail — about one of the fights I took part in. 

‘Are you, you know, bragging?’

I didn’t take the comment well. I got angry, paced around, deflated in a minute, and admitted that I felt engulfed in the heroic lifestyle, not quite sure what I was doing half the time, not even sure that I really wanted this — just sure that I needed to do what I was doing. 

Perhaps it was this moment of bare openness that led to the kiss, perhaps it was the Cofefe we had — a strange drink with energizing properties that I told myself that I had to have before quests — but his expression changed as I was talking and he took my hand. 

It was a comforting moment, softening the sharp edge of my confession that surprised me more than it did him, and the kiss only deepened the connection I felt at that moment. I smiled like a fool, commenting on the fact that kissing felt good, and he grinned his fuckboy grin.