Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everyone gathered and settled in the dining room. Fabian sat behind the table and facing the wall, taking up enough space for at least two people. Kristen sat on the corner of the table and Fig was on the floor leaning on Gorgug's leg. Adaine sat on the end, arms crossed and a foot braced on the seat of her chair. Riz leaned against the wall in front of them all and braced a foot behind himself. He went down his list, tapping his pencil as he thought.

"So, Fabian and Gorgug aren't up to speed with the rage god info, and I think Fig has some new info about her curse. Kristen did a ritual for Cassandra. I haven't made any major progress on the Rat Grinders, but there's a few developments...sounds like everyone knows about them, though. Plan to find Lucy, and talk about the portent Adaine had about her and the rage god. Cool. Anyone got anything else?"

"I think I need to head to Compass Points soon," Adaine said. Riz shot her a slightly raised eyebrow, but she looked serious. "I should start working on learning legend lore. I think that could help a lot with the information we get about Bakur and anything we find about the rage god and how it's connected to Cassandra."

Riz nodded, added it to the list, and tacked a paper up on the wall.

"Well, my update is good," Kristen said. "After the ritual with Cassandra, Fig came home and we talked a lot about the nature of mystery and making do with what you have. She actually wrote a song for Cassandra, and when she played it, Cassandra responded. She was able to grant me a spell!"

A collection of happy responses showered them, and Fig blushed and shrugged. Gorgug reached down to pat her head.

"Oh that's huge," Riz said. "That's such a relief, guys."

"It's a step in the right direction for sure," Kristen nodded.

"That's great news for you too, Fig!" Adaine said. "That means that your curse isn't as powerful or as comprehensive as it might be. You do break through occasionally even now, and once we figure it out, we're gonna smash this thing to pieces."

Fig nodded. "We should check out the Armor of Pride in the Bottomless Pit soon, since Gorthalax thinks the curse is from it."

"Legend lore will help with that, too," Adaine said. Riz made a note.

"So what's the deal with this rage god?" Fabian asked. "It's like, connected to Bakur and it's the thing that attacked Cassandra, right?"

"You know, I don't know if it actually attacked her? Or at least it might not have been trying to destroy her?" Kristen said. "When she saw the rage stars, she sounded like she knew them, before they died."

"And Bakur?"

"Lydia said that Bakur was like, an angel for this god back in the day, and he and some cultists were trying to resurrect them. She and her party stopped them, but she was the only survivor and since she's a barbarian, the only way she had to contain Bakur was with her rage."

"Damn," Fabian whispered, leaning forward to rest his mouth in his hands.

"Also, it seems like this god wasn't always about rage," Kristen said. "I need to do more research, but it sounds like Ruvina and Cassandra's followers were the ones fighting the rage god's followers after they...turned evil, I guess? They were part of the same pantheon or something? Which is weird, because Ruvina is a giant goddess, and Cassandra is part of Sol and Galicaea's pantheon, and there's some overlap there. Anyway, they knew each other, and were close or closely associated."

"And how did the rage god change?" Fig asked.

"Gods change when their followers change the way they worship them, so the people who followed this god started worshipping them differently,' Kristen explained. "At first they were more about justice it seems? Then vengeance, and finally just...rage."

"That's so sad," Fig said, hugging her knee and frowning at the floor.

"And then...you had a vision about it, Adaine?" Gorgug asked. She nodded.

"It was about Lucy Frostblade. The rage god...has her? Doesn't have her, but wants her, or almost has her. Something like that. It's confusing. They also have someone else Lucy knows. Then the morning I had that vision, the cleric professor went missing, right after she went to investigate about Lucy changing her god. We haven't confirmed that she was going to change to this rage god, and we haven't confirmed that the professor is dead, but it seems likely."

"Aw fuck," Gorgug groaned, leaning forward and resting on his fists.

"And that's what we need to check out tonight," Riz sighed. "I have a general area of Lucy's last known location, which is where Yolanda Badgood was headed. I think we gotta try to find them...probably their bodies."

"Aw fuck," Gorgug groaned again.

Fig reached up and patted his knee. "Also, still no progress on his MCAT," she offered. Gorgug groaned a third time.

Riz nodded and made a note.

"Kristen and I wanna talk to you about some presidential campaign ideas, Fabian, but that can wait," he said next. "And finally we've got the fucking Rat Grinders, but I think we might find something out about them if we manage to find Lucy tonight."

"So, when are we heading out?" Fabian asked.

"I think we should head out soon," Riz shrugged. He dug out his file on Lucy and spread out a large paper map onto the table. He pointed to the west side of the lake. "This area is where she was last seen, and where Yolanda headed. Lucy could be anywhere around here, or not, but we'll probably find Yolanda somewhere between here and the main campus." He circled the area. "People have been scrying and searching for Lucy for months, with no results, so something is shielding her, if she's here."

"I worked on it yesterday, and I think I've got speak with animals down," Adaine said. "That may help us, but then again, the Rat Grinders have a ranger and I'm sure there have been druids in the search parties."

"It's a good idea," Fig said. "You never know." Adaine shrugged.

"So it's about an hour till sunset," Riz said, checking his watch. "With all of us, that's probably a half hour walk in the dark, unless we boost it. That won't work well for Kristen, though." He looked around. "What do we think?"

"Give me fifteen or so to commune with Cassandra first, and we can head out?" Kristen suggested.

They all nodded agreement. Plans made, they broke to ready themselves.

Riz dug out some insulating layers and ducked into a bathroom to change, then sat on the living room couch to put on boots. Adaine came over to sit next to him and he glanced up with a smile.

"Layering up?" she asked.

"Yeah, a winter coat isn't really compatible with how I do things." He finished off the knot on his right boot and moved to his left.

"You know, I was thinking," she said, quietly, "it actually might be a good idea for me to learn stealth skills."

He looked over in surprise, but then considered, nodding as he laced up his boot. "Yeah," he said. "if you can get into or out of range undetected without using a spell, that's a pretty big advantage."

"That's what I was thinking," she said, "and getting away more easily if I run out of spells."

"Yeah, it comes in handy. Not sure how we'll fit it into our schedules," he sighed, "but yeah, I'd love to show you."

"Sounds great," she said. "In exchange, I can help with that enchantment research you were doing, if you want."

Riz made sure his pants were firmly tucked into his boots and smiled at her crookedly.

"It's a date," he said, blushing softly.

Adaine smiled back. He scanned over her, noting her own warmer layers and well worn leather boots. He nudged her closer foot with his toe, and she looked down in surprise.

"Your feet are the most important," he said. "The way you carry your body is important, in general, but it all starts at the feet. You need footwear you're comfortable in, that you know well, and that are suited to the environment."

She looked up at his explanation, then back down to her boots, moving her feet experimentally. He smiled and nodded encouragingly.

"Yeah, check for wear and discomfort. Your body's your first piece of gear, and inversely, your gear needs to become part of your body." He bounced up, gesturing up and down at himself. Adaine glanced up with wider eyes and a dusting of pink on her cheeks. Riz rolled his eyes.

"That's the starting point, anyway," he shrugged, turning to grab his gloves and old wool cap.

"Sounds like it involves a lot of training and control," she said with a teasing note in her voice. She trailed her fingers over his shoulders as she passed him.

"You're a wizard," he said, following her while shoving his hair under his cap. "That can't be unfamiliar."

She looked down with a sly smile. "Mental and physical discipline are different."

Fabian entered the dining room from the other direction and followed them through the kitchen out to the conservatory, where Gorgug was adjusting his new gadget onto his goggles. Riz smiled and shook his head, messaging her as he slipped on his fingerless gloves.

Head in the game, Adaine, he said, glancing up at her. The sooner we get our work done…

She blushed and smirked. His chest filled with tight joy to be following an exciting lead, to be working with her, to be surrounded by friends. Guilt followed the knowledge that the investigation he found so absorbing was one into the probable deaths of at least two people at the hands of a cult. He sighed.

"You're helping people, and you're good at it," Adaine said, squeezing his shoulder. "There's no shame in enjoying being good at your work."

"Detecting my thoughts?" he teased, nudging her so she knew he wasn't serious.

"No," she shook her head, resting her arm across his shoulders. "I just know you." He sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, you do," he agreed.

"Riz in one of his signature tailspins?" Gorgug asked without looking up from his work.

"Listen," Riz laughed. "Shut up." He dropped into a patio chair and Adaine leaned on the back of it.

"I thought you lost that hat in Sylvaire," Fabian said.

He reached up and tugged it down tighter onto his head. "I think I did lose one, but I have a couple. They're wool, and it's cold."

Fabian sighed and shook his head at him. "The Ball, you have the fashion sense of a sixty year old man."

"I'm not here for your aesthetic enjoyment, Fabian," he said, crossing his legs over the arm of the chair.

Adaine reached down and scratched gently at the top of his cap. "Don't listen to him, Riz. You're adorable."

He smirked, crossing his arms and sitting up straighter. "You hear that? I have it on good authority that I'm adorable, so there."

"Oh, so you're here for her aesthetic enjoyment, then?" Fabian laughed.

"Adaine clearly appreciates me," he said.

"What's Adaine appreciate?" Fig asked as she and Kristen came out the door. Kristen looked subdued, but Fig's arm squeezed reassuringly around her shoulders.

"How cute I am," Riz preened, grinning. He stuck his tongue out at Fabian, who rolled his eyes.

Kristen broke into a smile and rubbed his cap hard down onto his hair. "That's fair," she said, "we know how much Adaine likes her little guys."

"Gonna carry Riz in your backpack like Boggy?" Gorgug asked, adjusting his goggles with a smirk.

Riz laughed and hopped up, fluffing his hair and readjusting his hat. "I think the scale is a bit off for that," he said. He cast a quick glance at her, but Adaine was just grinning and shaking her head.

"I could probably carry you on my back," she laughed, heading down the steps into the back yard. They filed out messily after her.

"But poor Boggy," Riz said. "He'd get squashed."

"You could wear the backpack." Adaine shrugged.

"Wait, guys, I have a beautiful idea," Fig said, dashing out in front of them and walking backwards while she talked. "Gorgug, Adaine on your back. Adaine, Riz on your back. Riz, wearing Boggy's bag. All of you: riding on the Hangman."

"I'm down to try," Riz laughed. "As long as someone's ready to revive me, anyway. That's never gonna end well."

"It's a fun mental image," Adaine agreed, "but I don't particularly want to be part of a death sandwich."

"Maybe leave out the Hangman," Gorgug said. "Then it's more of, uh...an uncomfortable tower, maybe?"

"Still doesn't really appeal," Adaine laughed. "No idea why that could be."

"She just doesn't appreciate my vision," Fig sighed glumly.

Kristen chuckled and patted her back, and the group set off through the darkening woods, wreathed in the sound of happy chattering.

The trip back was much more somber.

"You sure you're good to call it in, Fig?" Fabian asked.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'll use the phone at the diner and disguise my voice."

"Ok. I'll go with you, if you want," Fabian offered, putting his arm over her shoulder. She nodded.

"I'm glad you could shield them," Adaine said to Kristen, who was getting a piggyback ride from Gorgug. She reached up and patted her leg. "Good job Saint Kristen."

Kristen made a face, but nodded. Gorgug sighed. Riz glanced up.

"Not the best end to a birthday, huh?" Gorgug asked him.

"Yeah, we were pretty sure what we were going to find, but still." Riz shrugged. "At least we have a little bit more information. And maybe once they're retrieved someone can figure out how to remove those runes."

"We might need to figure out who put them there before that can happen," Kristen said. "Gods are territorial, dead or not, and their bodies have that god's symbol."

"I bet the Rat Grinders have some information about that," Riz spat.

"I can't believe Candyfucker Cuntface has the nerve to complain about not having the same privileges as our party when all they've been doing is killing rats in the woods behind the school," Adaine said, disgusted. Riz reached over and held his hand out in invitation. She glanced down, then took it with a small squeeze.

A few minutes later, they passed out of the woods proper and into the cemetery. Kristen squinted over Gorgug's shoulder and gave him a pat. "There's enough light that I got it from here, dude. Thanks for the lift."

"Yeah, no problem." He half knelt and she slipped down. "When I get a little more experienced, I should be able to make you some darkvision goggles."

"Oh that would be great," Kristen said. "It sucks being the only one who can't see at night." Riz hung back a bit and squeezed Adaine's hand before he let go. She turned to him curiously.

"I'll catch up with you guys," he said, raising his voice so it carried ahead. "I'm gonna visit my dad for a bit." Gorgug nodded and in the distance, Fabian flashed a thumbs up.

"Oh, alright," Kristen said, quietly. "See you back at the manor." Adaine stayed behind as they walked off.

"Um," she hesitated, "would you like company, or would you prefer to be alone?" He shrugged, scuffing his boot on the grass.

"You don't have to stay on my account, but if you want to come, you'd be welcome."

"Okay," she said, nodding. "I don't want to intrude, but I don't want you to be alone out here at night." He smiled up at her.

"That feels like love," he whispered. She blushed and wordlessly took his hand.

He led the way, his feet moving along the familiar route on their own. The heartache set in as he got closer. The grief was encompassing. Still the same size, just stretched out over the years. The stab of anger was newer than the grief, but also slowly dulling as it wore against time. Then, there he was.

Riz took a deep breath, and Adaine squeezed his hand tightly.

"Thanks," he said, leaning against her for a second.

He let go and knelt, brushing some leaves off the headstone. He reached out to trace his dad's name, the same ritual he always did. Almost...his throat ached. Three years, in truth, but truth wasn't always reality. Eight years. Nearly as many without him, now, as he'd ever had. Riz pressed his hand against the stone and closed his eyes. Powerful forces, powerful friends, and his own reckless desperation had all given him a little more. Stolen time. Always precious. Each moment glowing, special, and fleeting. No mornings putting away groceries and singing out of tune, no embarrassing moments narrowly avoided, no fierce hugs as he rushed out the door.

"Miss you, Dad," he whispered hoarsely. "It's pretty late for me to visit, I know. Don't worry, nothing's wrong...well, nothing more than usual," he sighed. "My friends and I were just out in the forest looking into something and I thought I'd stop on the way back to say hi. I haven't had time since I got home from our quest this summer."

Riz sat back on his heels. He looked up and saw Adaine finish casting, then she reached down toward an invisible summon and whispered commands. Moggy. He caught her eye and patted the ground next to him with a nervous smile. She silently knelt and took his hand.

"So, I know you said you can hear me sometimes," he said. "I hope this comes through."

The sun had fully set, and a chill wind creaked through the branches above. For a moment, though, he felt a trace of the same warm breeze he'd felt in a meadow of perpetual idyllic summer. He smiled and wiped his eyes.

"So, um, remember my tattoos? Turns out the Night Yorb was a real thing, as dumb as it sounds, and uh, well, basically, I kind of accidentally unleashed it on the world. It blotted out the sun, and then cultists started worshipping it, and it was a whole...thing. You might've heard about it; Kristen says Sol is probably pissed." He shrugged. "We spent all summer chasing it all over the Red Wastes. So that's um, that's where I've been. But my friends had my back and we got it. It's sealed on top of Gorgug's van now, and apparently it's...fine? I'm leaving the details to people who know what they're doing."

"Anyway, that was the summer. I remember you wanted to hear about, um, normal stuff, so...you know my birthday's next week. We had a party today, a joint one with my friend Gorgug. His birthday's a week or so after mine, and everyone's so busy this year...we just got together with everyone at Basrar's and hung out. Adaine's idea," he said, squeezing her hand nervously, "because she's working there and figured, y'know, two birds, one stone."

"Before that, Mom and I," his breath hitched and he tried to swallow the lump in his throat, "she worked late last night, so I got some groceries this morning. We made breakfast, and she was singing while she cooked, you know how she does, and tried to get me to sing along with her. I didn't, but it was nice to have some downtime to hang out. We haven't been able to do that for a long time. She got all mushy about how I'm growing up and griped at me for being as tall as you already," he chuckled wetly.

"Let's see, I'll try to remember more things about today. Adaine gave us these silly crowns with inside jokes on them. Fabian got me a whole pallet of bulk snacks. Should last for a while. Fig lit the candles and played Happy Birthday for us on her bass. Kristen found out about how my claws work, apparently for the first time?" He shook his head. "Then she started asking about goblin lesbians, and Mom almost choked on her drink." Adaine covered her laugh with her hand. "Fabian spun me over his head, and I talked him into trying it with Gorgug, who's a half orc, if you didn't remember. He didn't manage it, but did end up giving him a piggyback ride around the parking lot. Fig took so many pictures. Adaine called us idiots. She's probably right."

Riz laughed, shaking his head and rubbing his thumb over her fingers.

"It was a really good day," he sighed, sobering. "Um. This year…it's rough so far. It's really rough, on all of us. But we're in it together. We're making progress on...on the stuff we're working on, can't talk in case...you know how it is. But my friends are the best. We'll get through."

Cold wind blew leaves into shuffling drifts. In the distance, through the trees, a car drove past. For a second, Riz closed his eyes against the chill.

"When I was little," he said, glancing at Adaine and tilting his head toward the gravestone, "he'd hide these clues around the apartment for me, about like, what we were going to play when he came back from a trip, or what he wanted to get Mom for her birthday. In code, too, so she wouldn't have the surprise spoiled."

"And he—" the words caught in his throat and he screwed his eyes shut again. "I, I miss him," he said, blinking hard and letting tears run tracks down his face. He took a deep slow breath. "I really wish he was here."

Riz reached out to touch the stone once more. "Love you, Dad. I'll visit again as soon as I can, okay?"

Once again, he felt the faintest warmth on the cold winter breeze and the most ethereal scent of summer wildflowers. He wiped his face messily on his sleeve. "Yeah," he whispered.

Riz let go of her hand and rubbed his palms down his thighs as he took a slow steadying breath. He nodded and stood. Adaine stood as well, dusting her knees to give him a second to collect himself.

Impulsively, she reached out and touched the top of the gravestone. "We'll take care of him," she said, "as best we can. I promise."

She turned and met his eyes, unsurprised to be caught. He laced their fingers together and pressed the back of her hand to his mouth for a moment, quiet and still. She wrapped her free arm around his shoulders and held him until, a few minutes later, he sighed and looked up.

"Back to work?" he asked.

"Back to work," she shrugged, dismissing Moggy.

He nodded resolutely and turned back to the manor, keeping her hand tight in his.

"Thanks for staying with me," he said as they approached the back door.

"You're welcome."

"I really hope they'll be able to revive them," he sighed.

"Me too."

Riz let go of her hand and she braced herself for bright bustling energy as they entered the manor's kitchen. It actually wasn't as busy as expected. Kristen was at the table reading, and Gorgug sat with his head on his folded arms.

"Fabian and Fig back yet?" Riz asked, taking off his hat and gloves and unbuckling his sword belt.

"No, they decided to wait on takeout from the diner," Kristen said. "I told Fabian to order so we end up with more than cottage cheese a la mode."

"Thanks," Adaine sighed, sitting across from her. "What are you up to?"

"Looking up that symbol," she shrugged. "It looks like the rage stars, but confirmation would be nice. Nothing in my world religions reference, but I bet the history section at the library will have something."

"Maybe you should come to Compass Points with me," Adaine suggested. "I don't know how the history collection is, but it can't hurt to check."

Kristen nodded. "Yeah, tomorrow."

Gorgug piped up groggily. "I don't think I should stay the night, guys. I've still got three projects to finish this weekend, and I won't be much help with research or investigation."

Adaine rubbed his shoulder. "Fabian will probably give you a ride," she said. He nodded.

"Makes sense," Riz said, starting the kettle. "You're treading water. We've got this part. We'll call you in for breaking shit and fixing shit."

Gorgug laughed into the table and tiredly raised a hand. "That's me, atchyer service."

"I think Fig's right about Porter," Adaine said, getting up to grab herself a drink.

"What, that he's evil?" Riz asked, confused. He'd rinsed out Jawbone's french press and was shoveling heaping scoops of coffee into it.

She rolled her eyes. "No, that he's full of it. I think he's just bitter that Gorgug is a great artificer and a great barbarian."

"I'm getting a C in his class, so I'm not really a great barbarian by his standards."

"His standards are shit," Adaine declared. She leaned against the counter and drank her seltzer. "You made an axe that warps gravity and used it to beat the shit out of a corrupted god. He yells at teenagers and fills out a muscle tee well. You're not remotely in the same league."

"No pep talk like an Adaine pep talk," Kristen said. Riz laughed.

"Anyone who doesn't like Gorgug is bad," she shrugged. "It's not your fault he's a basic bitch."

"Thanks Adaine," he mumbled sleepily.

"You want in on this coffee, man?" Riz asked as he poured steaming water.

"Your coffee is worse than my mom's," he said, "and she uses it to clean corroded batteries."

"So, your usual? Quarter cup of brown sugar?"

"Please."

"The fuck," Kristen said, looking up from her notes. "I got heartburn just from hearing that."

Gorgug sat up and removed his goggles, rubbing his hands over his face. "Gnome coffee: black as night, sweet as death."

"Horrifying," Adaine said.

"This is judgment free coffee!" Riz insisted, climbing up to grab mugs from the cabinet. Kristen laughed.

"No way in hell am I trying that," Adaine said.

"Poor sportsmanship," Riz sighed, shaking his head.

"What have I missed?" Gorgug asked.

"Nothing important," Kristen said.

"Who wants greasy calories?!" Fig called from the entryway.

"Fig you are my best friend," Gorgug called back.

"Excuse me?" Riz asked, putting a mug in front of him.

"Riz you are my best friend," Gorgug said, picking the mug up in both hands and slurping contentedly.

Once everyone was settled back in the dining room, Riz gathered all their pinned notes about the Rat Grinders and started a new web. Fig grabbed a marker and tacked a note right in the middle under their party name that said Lame Ass Bitches. Riz underlined it twice. Adaine gave Fig a high five as she passed.

"Okay, so," Fabian said, gesturing, "the central question about the Rat Grinders seems to be: what the actual fuck is their problem?"

"You're not wrong," Riz said, "but I think we need to narrow that down."

"Are they targeting us?" Gorgug asked. "Mary Ann at me, Oisin at Adaine, Ruben at Fig, Kipperpuddle at Riz, Buddy at Kristen, Ivy at Fabian?"

"Kipperlilly is also targeting Kristen, though, and Ruben and Ivy aren't really focused on Fig and Fabian," Riz said. "Honestly, Fig, I think you're spending a lot more time on Ruben than he's worth."

"Well, he is headlining at FrostyFaire," Gorgug said. "We should make sure to snoop during the festival."

"What?" Fig said. "Your parents are hosting this festival and our band isn't even playing in it, and he's headlining?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Fig, we're definitely not prepared to put on a show next weekend."

"It's the principle!"

"You can't really have a music festival without a headliner, Fig."

"Anyway," Riz interjected. "We do have signs of magical interference and amplification in them: Lucy is trapped by the rage god's symbol and can currently only reincarnate under their influence, which she refuses to do." He tacked up a point. "Oisin has shown interest in Adaine that's crossed the line into creepy bullshit, and I got a weird vibe from him that makes me wonder about some sort of influence." He tacked up a point. "Kipperlilly is absolutely obsessed with becoming student body president, and hates me and Kristen for some reason." He tacked up a point.

"Ivy and Buddy just suck in general," Adaine pointed out. "Mary Ann seems fine though?"

"She's not." Gorgug scowled.

"You did say anyone who doesn't like Gorgug is bad," Riz pointed out.

"Does she not like him?" Adaine asked.

"I don't like her." Gorgug insisted.

"That's not really the same thing," Fig said. "Ivy did try to get us to take drugs at your party, though, Fabian."

Riz nodded, tacking up another point. "And then Grix cracked down on Monday afterwards. Maybe they're working with him."

"I don't know...but I don't like Ivy either," Fabian said. "I don't think anyone likes Buddy. But that's not a sign of being under the influence of a rage god."

Riz glanced out into the hall, then messaged Adaine. Jawbone around? he asked.

She extended her sight and looked around. "All clear," she said.

"I need to swipe her file from Jawbone," Riz said, quietly. "And the records for their party from the main office. I think that's next. I should also check and see if she's swiped ours, which she almost certainly has."

A few nods from around the table. Riz sighed, turning to lean on the table and study the wall.

"Is someone manipulating the Rat Grinders, or are they in charge of something? And what's their connection to the rage god?" he wondered, crossing his arms and tapping his foot.

"There's no way they're in charge," Adaine said. "But what does the person in charge want? And how could they be manipulating… Shit, it's right there."

Riz whipped around and stared at her.

"Lucy is choosing not to be resurrected," she said, meeting his eyes, "which means that she could be. If she allowed herself to be."

His eyes slowly widened as understanding dawned. "Fuck," he whispered. She frowned and nodded.

"Wait, I don't…" Fig trailed off, looking back and forth between them.

"Oh shit," Kristen gasped.

Riz turned to her, nodding. "Adaine's right, isn't she?" he asked.

"Fuck I think she is," Kristen said. She looked around at everyone, worry clear on her face. "Lucy and Yolanda aren't the only people who were killed, they're the only ones who haven't been resurrected. There are other people walking around in the thrall of the rage god already. That might be what's wrong with the Rat Grinders."

"Fucking hell," Gorgug moaned, dropping his face into his hands.

"Shit. How do we tell who's been sacrificed?" Fabian asked. "And who did it? And can we save them? Or are they just thralls forever?"

Riz nodded, quickly scratching out new notes and tacking them up.

"This has the potential to be so goddamn bad, you guys," he said, now moving things around without explaining his process. "The Rat Grinders could be in on it, or they could just be victims. We have no way of knowing if they're really part of the cult, but we have to treat them like threats. The one person we told who looked into this also got trapped into potential enthrallment to the rage god. Anyone who knows about this is in extreme danger, including us."

"Honestly that's just Tuesday," Fabian scoffed.

"This is serious," Riz whirled in a blur, slamming his hands down on the table and leaning forward. Fabian jumped back in surprise.

Riz closed his eyes and took a breath, then looked around with a stern expression. "We have to be careful," he said, quietly intense. "We don't know who they're targeting or why they're doing it, so we don't know who they could go after. If we get more of their attention? It might not be us, it might be our families."

"I think we do know part of the motive, though," Kristen said, rubbing her mouth as she stared at the table. "They want to resurrect the rage god."

Riz slapped himself in the forehead. "You're right. Of fucking course they do." He scribbled more notes and turned back to the wall to tack them up.

"And then what?" Gorgug asked.

"Nothing fucking good," Adaine said, "that's for sure."

Without looking away from his work, Riz snapped his fingers and pointed at her emphatically.

"Well, without followers, there's no power," Fabian said. "So how do we get everyone they sacrificed out of the rage god's thrall?" He turned to Kristen. "Do we need to fight the god? How do you kill a god that's already dead and is still…" he waved his hand at the evidence wall.

Kristen nodded, staring into space as she thought. It was Fig who piped up.

"What if...Kristen, you said the rage god wasn't always about rage, right?"

"Yeah, no, they weren't. Why?"

"Could we just...get rid of the rage? Make them...their old self?"

"Not if their followers aren't worshipping them like that, and if they're murdering people and resurrecting them just to get more followers, that sounds awfully ragey to me."

"Okay, but why do they want the god to stay a rage god?" Fig asked. "Is this just a classic villain taking over the world thing, or is there another element?"

Riz was nodding along to the conversation, writing down and tacking up each question and point as they made it.

"If they're trying to bring the god back, we need the information Lydia's bringing us before we can do anything substantial," Adaine said. "Bakur tried this already and failed. Presumably, the followers know about that attempt, and have learned from it. If they know about it and we don't, we're at a significant disadvantage. If we're lucky, they might not have much information and we'll have a real advantage. Either way, we need to level the playing field."

Riz nodded and hummed in response, tacking up a note with "BAKUR RESEARCH" circled and underlined. He connected it to one that said "Adaine: legend lore," and followed that with one that read "how to resurrect a god?" with a messy rage star symbol in the corner.

"Kristen and I are going to Compass Points tomorrow," Adaine said. "Until Lydia's back, I think we need to try to just...keep under the radar with this, so we don't draw more attention to ourselves." She looked over at Riz, who was scraping his hands through his hair as his gaze darted all over the wall.

"The news that their bodies were found is going to be a pretty big beacon for the followers," Fig pointed out.

Riz nodded and added a note about it.

"It sounds like that's...about all we can do from here tonight, then," Gorgug said. "I have to get home and do some work for a few hours before I can go to bed."

"Yeah, I think I'll head home too, after I drop him off," Fabian said. "Let me know if there's specific help you need with this, but otherwise I'm not the best at…" he shrugged and gestured vaguely at the evidence wall that Riz was now squatting in front of.

Kristen nodded. "Makes sense. You guys go home, get some sleep. We'll let Riz wind down and talk to you about it when we have more info."

"Cool," Fabian nodded. "The Ball!" he called, loud enough to actually startle him out of his focus. "Happy Birthday, and don't stay up all night spinning your wheels."

Riz waved. "Yeah, thanks! I won't," he said absently, turning back toward his work.

Adaine sighed. "I got him," she shrugged. "Kristen, why don't you tell Fabian about your crazy pbj campaign idea while they're getting ready to go?"

"Oh yeah, get this," Kristen started, following the boys out of the room.

Fig watched them leave, then watched Riz doing inexplicable things to the notes on the wall, then turned to Adaine with a sigh. "You know, this whole time we could have just been killing the same rats over and over instead."

Adaine laughed. "Boring," she said.

Fig smirked and nodded. "Yeah." She stood and looked back over at Riz, who was now standing a few feet back from the wall, standing eerily still while staring at it. "You sure you don't mind dealing with...this...alone?"

Adaine smirked and rolled her eyes, trying her damnedest not to blush. "I'm good. He'll run out of steam soon enough."

"Alright, well, I'm going to throw away all this takeout garbage and then I'm going to bed." Fig gave her a hug and a kiss on the head. "Night, hon."

"Good night."

Meeting's done, she messaged him. Riz shook himself and looked around as the last few minutes of the outside world caught up with his train of thought.

"There he is," Adaine said. She stood and started stacking up loose note cards on the table. Riz sighed and came over to stash things in his briefcase. "Keep working for a while if you're onto something," she said.

"No, I don't really think I am," he said, shaking his head. "Just spinning." He scrubbed a hand through his hair, still awkwardly flattened from wearing his hat. She crossed her arms and rested her hip on the table.

"You sure?" she asked, quietly sympathetic. He nodded. She cupped the back of his head and gently kissed his temple. "I'm going to help Fig clean up," she said. He gave a gentle sidelong smile and nodded again. She headed to the kitchen.

Fig was yawning as she came back in from taking out the garbage. Adaine started gathering dishes. Together they filled and started the dishwasher and cleaned Jawbone's coffee press for the morning. Riz came in just as they were finishing, without weapons or shoes.

"Oh, thanks, I came to clean up the coffee pot," he said.

"We gotcha, bud," Fig said, ruffling his hair as she passed. "I expected you to be at it for another hour at least."

"No, I'm...yeah, Adaine's right," he sighed, getting a glass of water. "Without the information from Lydia, there's not much else to be done yet."

"Makes sense. Night, guys."

They murmured their good nights to her, and then they were alone.

Riz put his glass on the counter and came over to her with a sigh. Adaine smiled and reached for him as he got closer, moving without conscious input. He leaned into her with a tired sound. She stroked her fingers gently along his scalp.

"That feels so good," he sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his cheek against her shirt. Adaine smiled with a surge of affection.

"If we could get just one day that wasn't so goddamn full of important shit," she lamented. He laughed, short and with a slightly desperate edge, and slid his arms around her waist.

"If we can't get that, ending them with you is nice," he said. "I wish I could—" he yawned hard, leaning forward and shivering. She smiled at him when he looked back up.

"Bed?" she asked, quietly. His eyes widened and he smiled, stretching up to give her a quick kiss.

"Yeah," he swallowed, stepping back and squeezing her hand. "Yeah, let's go."

Chapter Text

They quietly climbed the stairs and wordlessly started getting ready for bed, driven by the practicalities of exhaustion. Still, Adaine felt his eyes on her as she unbuckled her sword. She felt a shudder of nervous warmth. He'd responded to her advances, but she'd expected that he probably wouldn't make similar ones. She'd wondered what it would be like to be the focus of the attention she burned with when she watched his confidently controlled movements. Then he'd blushed brightly when she was in front of him in a towel, and now he was watching her undress, and she wanted him to keep doing it. Her heart thudded at the prospect.

Adaine hung her sword, took off her jacket and sweater, and put away her boots. Deciding to test it, she slowly unbuckled the strap of her utility pouch. Her ear twitched. The sound of movement had paused and his breaths were a hair louder. She grinned, happily blushing, and looked him in the eye. Or would have, if his gaze wasn't transfixed on her thigh. Her hands stilled. Riz startled slightly, then his eyes flew to hers barely faster than his blush poured up his face. 

"Gotcha," she smiled. "My eyes are up here." Riz laughed, closing his eyes and shaking himself. He nodded. 

"Uh, sorry," he said, embarrassed, looking down and clearing his throat. 

"You don't have to apologize," she said. "I...uh, I like the way you see me, remember?" she chuckled. He huffed and looked back up, amused. "I meant it metaphorically, before, but…" she shrugged and quickly finished storing her gear, standing in front of him in her t-shirt, jeans, and bare feet. "It's nice to be wanted, when it's from you."

Riz was still watching her. She picked at her fingernails to keep her hands to herself. 

"Is that...too much?" she asked. 

"Not enough," he gasped breathlessly. Adaine stared in shock as her heart leapt to her throat. She saw the moment his brain caught up to his words and he winced. "Shit, I mean…hell, I feel like I have the part of me that thinks and the part of me that wants and the part of me that wants is even more awkward than I'm used to dealing with. Damn it."

She laughed and took a deep breath. "Um. You know, nothing that you've said to me, whether you're embarrassed by it or not, has been unwelcome."

"Gimme time," he joked, shrugging. 

"Stop that," Adaine said, frowning. She stepped forward and cupped his cheeks in her hands. "You trust me, right?" she asked, looking into his eyes. 

"Of course," he sighed, closing his eyes. "It's myself I don't. Not with...people."

"Well I trust you, so you don't have to worry," she said. Riz blinked and looked at her in confusion, momentarily startled out of self deprecation. 

"I don't think it works that way," he chuckled. 

"Does if I say so," she insisted. Riz snorted and pulled her in for a tight hug. 

"I love you," he sighed against her contentedly, open and relaxed. Adaine felt dizzy and a little nauseous. She loved him, too. She thought? No, that's ridiculous, of course she loved him. 

But like that? 

Does it matter?

Does it matter to him? How could it not, though? He said he could feel it. But we just… What if you start dating someone you already love? How the hell is that supposed to work? We're too young for… What do I do with this?

"What's the matter?" Riz asked, pulling back to get a look at her face. "Hey, Adaine, sit, c'mere." 

She sat next to him with a sigh and scrubbed her hands over her eyes. Stupid fucking brain. She took a deep breath, tracking the corners of a square in her mind's eye as she did, then the reverse for the breath out. After about ten passes, she looked up to find Riz watching her with an expression of completely devoted concern. She wasn't sure if she wanted to kiss him or panic again, and she laughed at herself. He looked extremely confused, which made her laugh harder. 

"Sorry, my brain's just weird," she said through her chuckles, rubbing her forehead. "Panic because you said you love me, like we haven't been through fucking everything together, and then when I calm down I see you looking at me in concern, because yeah, duh, you actually do love me, and half of me wants to panic again and the other half never wants to stop kissing you."

"Well, I'll tell you which one I'd pick," he said. Adaine laughed softly and nodded. She met his eyes and felt...so many things, but what she made herself focus on was the affection. 

"We both think way too much, sometimes," she said. 

"Yeah," he chuckled, nodding as he blinked and shook himself. He shrugged off his vest and loosened his tie, dropping them into his briefcase in a heap. "I'm gonna go brush my teeth," he said, kissing her cheek. 

She took a deep breath, then glared at the floor between her feet. Fuck this. She wasn't going to waste any time she had with him not doing what they both wanted. Heart pounding, she also went to brush her teeth and floss. Riz glanced up in surprise, but smiled with his eyes when she came in. When he was done, he leaned on the wall and watched her. She switched off the light, and he took her hand to lead her back over to the bed. 

Riz held both her hands and faced her. "I've never been so happy to feel this fucking stupid," he said, staring at her in open affection. It made her throat ache. 

"I feel absolutely the same," she told him, shaking her head. 

"So, last night you kept saying that you wouldn't be talking as much if I was here," he teased. Adaine raised her eyebrows at him. 

"I did," she agreed, smiling. 

"We've done a lot of talking tonight," he shrugged.

"True," she said, sliding a hand onto his knee. "I also mentioned some ideas for how my hands could be occupied, if you remember."

Riz gasped in a quick breath and smiled back. "I do remember that."

"How about this…" she said, slowly moving her hand up his thigh. His breath was speeding up quickly, and she did not want to stop, but she forced herself to, before she went too far. "Tonight, we...explore each other, but anywhere normally covered by a bathing suit or underwear is off limits. For tonight."

"For tonight?" he asked, swallowing hard. 

"For as long as you want," she shrugged. "But definitely tonight." 

Riz nodded, staring at her. "I uh, I don't...um." He took another deep breath and closed his eyes. "Yeah, yeah that's okay...yeah." He quickly nodded again.

"Then it's a plan," she said, drawing her hand back down to his knee and sitting up. He laughed shakily and opened his eyes. 

"What would you like to do?" he asked, quietly.

"I'm...afraid to ask for something you don't want." 

"Right now, I don't think that exists," Riz whispered, eyes dark and intent. She felt like she'd been hit with a sledgehammer. 

"Holy shit," she breathed, squeezing her thighs together tightly. 

He gasped in hard and instantly he was straddling her lap with his forehead pressed against hers. One hand cupped her cheek and the other warmly stroked down the side of her neck to her shoulder. She tugged his undershirt loose, desperate to be able to spread her hands onto his skin. He shivered, then groaned when she finally touched him.

"I want to feel your heartbeat on my tongue," he whispered. 

"Holy fucking—yes, do what you want to me."

He pressed himself fully against her as they kissed. Fuck he was hard against her stomach and she wanted him lower and she wanted to grab his ass more than anything in the world. She ran her hands over his back, and then his mouth was on her neck. 

"Yes," she hitched a gasp.

His tongue was hot and firm, and the feeling of his groan echoing into her throat had her digging her nails into him. She let out a high pitched gasp she had no idea she was capable of. Riz panted against her neck and she felt him kissing hard against her, a delicious movement her hips and breath began to mimic. Yes more yes her mind chanted to the rhythm, until a flash of realization hit. 

"Shit, wait—" she gasped. He stopped, breathing shakily against her skin. 

"Yeah? What's..."

"You'll leave a giant hickey if you keep doing that," she said. "That is if you haven't already," she laughed.

"Fuck," he said, nodding, panting a little more before he sat back up, leaving a bit of space between them. "Sorry, I...yeah, the uh, thinking part of my brain isn't...uh, in charge, right now," he laughed, shuddered, kissed her cheek, and stood. 

"Damn it, how are we supposed to…" Riz laughed in disbelief, pacing as he caught his breath. He put his glasses on her dresser before coming back to stand in front of her. "I never knew how much I could want this," he said, one hand in his hair and the other on his hip. "You…" he shook his head. "You, I...fuck, Adaine," he said, rubbing both hands down his face.

"We can stop whenever you want," she said. She drew a chill to her hand and, shivering, rested it where he'd been on her neck.

"I still have the opposite problem," he laughed, dropping his hands to his hips. 

She chuckled and looked down. "Yeah, so do I," she shrugged. 

"How the fuck does anybody deal with this?" he asked the ceiling, incredulously. She laughed and stood to start pulling down her blankets, dismissing the cold from her hands. 

"There's a whole cabinet downstairs full of explanations and diagrams," she said. 

"Yeah, I know," he sighed and shrugged. "But reading is one thing, and putting shit into practice is another."

"Reading? Riz. You went into Jawbone's sex ed cabinet?"

"Of course I did," he frowned. "I don't know what the fuck I'm doing, and you're too important to go in blind." 

She'd frozen in shock, twisting to look at him as she reached across her bed. Adaine dropped the blankets and turned, grabbed the open collar of his shirt, and pulled him into a kiss. His hands grabbed her hips, then suddenly let go and moved to her waist. She had a moment of confusion before she remembered the rule they'd agreed to. She pulled back with a smile.

"That feels like love," she said. 

"Yeah? Cause it is," he laughed at her, standing on tiptoes and pulling her back down. Part of her wanted to hide, but not as much as she wanted to kiss him. She slid her hands onto his chest, then his shoulders. 

As they parted, she asked nervously, "We've done a million things crazier than this, right?" 

"Maybe not quite a million," he said, "but we have done a lot of crazy shit."

She hugged him tight and buried her face in his hair. His hands roamed her waist, her back, dipped under her shirt. She squeezed him closer with a deep satisfied hum. He let his claws trace over her gently and she shivered hard. His breath grew faster and he slid his palms around to her sides as he took a step back.

"Something wrong?" she asked. 

"No, I just...um, I just realized that it will be easier to...to take our clothes off now rather than, um, in bed." Riz swallowed hard and looked up with a deeply intimidated expression. "I cannot believe that sentence just came out of my mouth." 

"We don't have to if you don't—"

"Adaine, trust me, that is not the problem," he laughed, rubbing his forehead and stepping back. "It's so very much not the problem that I feel like I'm losing my goddamn mind." 

Taking a breath and telling herself that new context aside, they'd seen each other in swimwear a hundred times, Adaine unfastened and dropped her jeans to the floor, kicking them aside. 

Riz made a sound like a muffled hiss and she looked up to him staring at her with his hand over his mouth. She smiled and took a deep breath, reaching under her shirt to unhook her bra. She slid her arms out of it and dropped it on her jeans. She smirked at how his expression wavered between curiosity and awe. 

"I'll show you how it works later," she said. 

He let out a shocked laugh.

"Now I'm cold," she said, rubbing her arms and legs against each other as goosebumps raced over her skin. "So I'm getting under the blankets." She scooted under, shivering and bundling up, rubbing her feet on the sheets for friction. 

"Totally fair," he said, chuckling fondly. "I guess, um…" he looked down at himself and sighed. "Surreal, completely surreal," he said, shaking himself. 

He finished unbuttoning his shirt, then closed his eyes and took a breath. His hands fumbled a little on his belt buckle and she shivered as she watched him. Turning slightly and avoiding her eyes, he quickly pulled his pants and extra layers down all at once, leaving him in a pair of form fitting shorts. His shirt dropped onto the floor, then he reached his right hand over his head, grabbing his long undershirt and pulling. She heard herself gasp. Riz glanced over at her with a curious expression. His arms were twisted and half trapped in his shirt, and the tight muscles of his shoulders, the lines zigzagging along his flank...she shivered. He finished pulling the fabric over his head and dropped it. 

"May I come in?" he asked, smiling crookedly. She sputtered a laugh. 

"Come here you gigantic dork."

He slipped under the covers and scooted until their faces were level. "I'm actually a pretty small dork," he said.

"Your stature is small. Your dorkiness is not."

"Yeah, you're the one with bad taste, not me," he chuckled, gripping one of her hands and kissing the knuckles. 

"I already told you yesterday," she said, scooting closer, "to be nicer to yourself." She leaned forward and briefly touched the ends of their noses together before settling. She moved her legs closer to brush against his. 

"I'll work on it," he said, leaning in to kiss her. Adaine smiled through the gentle touch and sighed as they parted. 

"So, um...what do you want to do?" she asked. 

She nudged her calf over one of his feet and let go of his hand to rest her arm on his waist. He moved closer with a shiver, sighing happily. His hand slid over her waist as well, moving onto her back. His eyes watched her, deep and dark and pulling her into his gravity. 

"I want to kiss you," he smiled, "but like I said, that's pretty much constant now. I want to know what you want. I loved kissing your neck," His eyes traced down and she blushed in response. "and I absolutely want to do it again. And um," here he faltered, glancing away for a second. "something I wasn't brave enough to say a few days ago…"

Her heart beat faster in anticipation. "Yeah?" she breathed. 

"I want to touch your legs."

She blinked in confusion, snapping out of it only when she noticed his rising tension. "Hey, it's ok," she said, soothing one hand down the side of his neck. "That's fine, it sounds nice," she shrugged, "I'm just confused about why you were nervous about it."

Riz huffed and shied away.  "Um, maybe…" he flushed hot, "you'll understand if I show you what I mean?"

Adaine smiled, stroking her hand down his neck to his chest. "Be my guest," she said, shrugging. 

He took a shaky breath and slid his knee forward, under her thigh. He kept going, moving closer and sliding a hand behind the joint of her knee. His leg was between hers, bent so his foot softly stroked her calf. 

She shivered. "Oh," she gasped. He laughed softly. 

"Yeah, now you see," he said, moving his hand slowly up from her knee, smoothing back to front then sweeping around the outside of her thigh. His fingers tightened just a touch and she gasped. "Still okay?" Riz asked, his eyes soft and sincere. 

She nodded, shivered, and moved down along his arm to cover his hand in hers. She slid him higher, further back. His eyes closed and his breath hissed. She leaned forward and whispered against his lips. 

"Not enough."

His claws instantly dug into her, then let go immediately. He swallowed hard. "Sorry," he whispered. 

"Don't apologize," she said. "I meant it, I want more," and tightened her grip over his hand. He let out a small high pitched noise somewhere between a gasp and a hiss. "I want you to touch me, Riz," she whispered, so close her lips were moving his, until finally she leaned fully into a hungry drawn out kiss.  

His thigh shoved further between hers while he groaned into her, and the only thing that stopped her from grinding on him was the limit they'd agreed to before. His fingers spread and gathered as he stroked back around her thigh. A soft high pitched gasp escaped her nose and his tongue drew against hers as he parted from the kiss. 

"This is what I wanted," he said, edging his fingers further up, just below where she really wanted him. 

She felt their chests brush together and tightened the muscles in her legs. His claws dug in, and she nodded, letting her nails rake down from his neck. He whimpered, a quiet short sound, and tucked his hand further between her thighs. His thumb stroked just to the edge of her panties and back down, and his leg moved restlessly between hers. 

The heat from his touch spread, extending up to leave her lightheaded and aching. Riz leaned in to kiss her again, and she grabbed the back of his neck. He moved his hand down her leg only to reach back up at a better angle to squeeze into the softness of her inner thigh. She moaned in shocked longing, shivering as her blood rushed to meet where she desperately wanted him to be. He pushed deeper into the kiss with a hoarse urgent sound, and she felt him shudder and rock his hips. The realization slammed into her and Adaine flushed hot, deep in her chest. He wanted—fuck, he wanted the same thing she did, and she felt like she'd never get enough air again. He pulled his mouth from hers with a huge breath. 

"I wanna kiss you," he said, digging his fingers harder into the flesh of her leg. "Here," he gasped. "You're so hot, like, actually hot," he huffed a soft chuckle, followed by a full body shiver, "and I want to feel it." 

She squeezed his leg between hers and pressed her fingers into the back of his neck. "Yes, please." 

Riz closed his eyes with a soft satisfied moan and slid down under the blankets. His legs and hands moved and then his face was nuzzling into her stomach and sliding up her shirt. His teeth were gently, so fucking gently, nibbling on her side. His lips followed a soft soothing trail down to her hip. Hands warmly cupped her thighs and he moved down further. Adaine felt him scoot past her underwear with a heavy breath and then he was burrowing between her legs.

She gasped, sliding a hand onto the top of his head. She felt his hand slide down behind her knee and slight pressure cued her to lift her leg. He rubbed his cheek against the inside of her left thigh as he settled her right knee over his shoulder. The back of his hand trailed up until he smoothed his palm up the outside of her leg and leaned over to press an open kiss against her inner thigh. 

Her mouth dropped open, but no sound or air could possibly escape. Holy shit. 

This is right where I want to be, his voice stole into her mind as his mouth pulled at her, warm and wet and burning hot.

I can't–words–fuck– she sent, holding tight to his hair and rubbing her other hand down the back of his neck to his shoulder.

A hoarse laugh against her and he moved, kissing further up, tilting his ear so it wouldn't brush against her panties. She got the echo of tight joy in his chest and a warm weight in his hips and all she wanted to do was move her hand up and into herself to soothe the aching urgency inside.

I want–fuck, I can't. We said–dammit–

What? Tell me, tell me what you want, please, he was breathless even in her mind.

She held tight to his shoulder and sent a vague impression of his mouth on her thigh, one of her hands tangled in his hair, and one against herself. He hissed against her and pulled back to breathe in hard before turning to her other leg. 

Fuck, was the only word that came through the wave of searing heat that washed over her as he growled into her leg. She bent her knee and rested her right calf in the small of his back. Yes—like that— She felt him gasp for air and threw off the blankets to let cooler air reach him.

The scene she revealed knocked the breath from her lungs. They were tangled messily together and he reverently moved his mouth, running his palms firmly over her. He'd left a ring on his thumb and it was glowing with the soft green of his magic, helping him focus his message spell. Adaine drew in a gasp of affection and gently covered his hand with hers. She ran her thumb down his, over the ring, then squeezed his hand where it rested on her leg. 

"You're a fucking genius," she said, laughing softly. He smiled against her and pressed two, no, three more kisses into her leg before looking up. 

"Understand why I was blushing now?" he asked, breathlessly. Adaine laughed and cupped his jaw, stroking her thumb over the crease of his smirk. 

"Yeah, I think I do. Holy shit, Riz," she said, throwing her head back onto her pillow. He chuckled and rested his head on her leg with a happy sigh. She rested one hand on her stomach and the other in his hair.

"So, um," he said, tracing his hand up her right leg, "how serious was your, uh, suggestion?" His voice sounded shaky, and the words rushed out of him, but when she looked down, it was into bright focused eyes sparkling with nervous curiosity. A tremor ran through her and her throat went dry.

"Uh, really?" she asked.

"I mean, um," his hand stilled against her and he cleared his throat. "If it was just a fleeting thought in the heat of the moment I understand, but…" She reached down to hold his hand, and he squeezed it, flashing her a quick smile.

"But…?" she asked.

"I uh, it…um…" his cheeks were darkening. Riz sighed and closed his eyes, took a breath and looked at her with gathered courage. She saw in his eyes the moment he decided to risk it. "I'm extremely interested in that idea."

Adaine was certain her face was going to catch fire. She stared for a second while her heartbeat pounded through her throat. 

"Uh, it kind of breaks the rules, though, don't you think?" she asked. His expression changed to surprised consideration and he frowned, looking up while he thought. After a second his face cleared and he smirked back up at her. 

"Nope," he said cheerfully. 

Adaine laughed and shook her head. "How do you figure?"

"Exploring, avoiding places that are usually covered by swimsuits or underwear, right?"

"Yes," she nodded, gesturing at her underwear.

"Exploring suggests new and uncharted areas, so, while we can't touch each other," he said, sliding his hand up her leg, right to edge of the fabric, "we never said anything about touching ourselves." He raised his eyebrows with a crooked smile. 

"That's a technicality," she smiled. His expression stayed the same and he shrugged gently. 

"I won't tell if you don't," Riz said, trailing down along the inner curve of her thigh. He gently squeezed into her muscle and shivered, still watching her.

She raked her teeth over her bottom lip. His eyes dropped to her mouth and his own lips parted as he watched. 

"So, uh, who are you and what exactly have you done with Riz?" she asked, "You always...you really want to…"

Riz sighed, settling himself more comfortably against her. His head rested on her leg and one of his hands tucked underneath. His left hand went back to rubbing up and down along her right leg. He pressed his cheek against her affectionately and smiled with a hint of foolhardiness. 

"Cast detect thoughts," he said.

"What?" she asked, surprised. 

"Detect my thoughts," he shrugged. "Go ahead. We both know how awkward I can get with words, and how...anyway. I want you to know. I want to show you. You can reach your focus from here, right?" he asked, glancing up and raising his eyebrows in a gesture toward her gear.

She brushed his hair back from his forehead and considered. Riz watched her with quiet, unwavering trust. 

"Really. You're sure?" she asked. He nodded with a slow blink. She sighed. "Okay." 

Adaine had to take more than a few breaths to center herself for casting, but she thought it should work without rearranging their positions. He was nestled so perfectly that she didn't want to move until they absolutely had to. She closed her eyes and reached with her magic, easily activating her focus from this distance. She took a calming breath and smiled down at him. 

"Ready?" she asked. 

"Yep," he smiled back and let his hand still against her. She settled back with her eyes closed, moved her hands through a familiar pattern, and cast out her power with a command.

His thoughts were a bright charming jumble, and she felt him welcome her in, as though taking her hand and tugging her in through a doorway. Adaine smiled. 

The first sensation was warmth suffusing her. Encompassing contentment. A sharp pinch of worry, then a rough scrub of annoyance trying to file it down. Embarrassment, like you might feel because of a misbehaving pet, or if a guest dropped by a messy home unannounced. She giggled and ran her fingers into his hair. Love. It suddenly buffeted her like a storm, like a hug that swept her off her feet. She gasped and almost broke the spell as her stomach ached and heart swelled and throat clenched with his love. Not just for her. She was his focus right now, but she felt, a short distance away, his connections to everyone else. The tears that had threatened faded from her and she smiled wider, resting her other hand over his. He loved so thoroughly and solidly, with determined focus and care. She turned back to his feelings for her, bracing herself in case she was overwhelmed again. He shuddered a sigh and snuggled against her. 

So, uh, this is...me? Riz said, probing curiously at her mental presence. She squeezed his hand. Oh you can't really respond, he realized. Can't you ask questions to direct me, though?

Adaine hummed, then, trying to be gentler than she normally would, pushed curiously toward his physical responses to her. She heaved a gasp in through a throat gone dry as all her muscles tensed, starting with a weight deep in her core that drove her closer to the soft and warm and love how she touches me, wants me, special and precious and seen and his body felt like he was going shatter if she kept doing it, please don't stop. She sank deeper into a dark well filled with the heat and rhythm of his heartbeat and his breath heaving out of his lungs. He needed, he needed to keep it reined in, he needed to cage it or he would break, it would break, this would break, it would be reckless and too soon and too much and he wanted more she's right there and she wants you too, why are you fighting it, too much too much she's too close, I can't lose her, not her, I love her I'm so scared that I love her want to be tangled close in her legs and her neck and her hair and Adaine, she wants me, how can she, please Adaine please more, don't stop—

She tore herself away with a tense sob and twisted her hips. Fuck. She knew he threw himself into everything. But, fuck. She knew how hard he worked at control. But: Fuck.

Oh wow, okay then, he said. A flash of shocked amusement followed a heated splash of embarrassment and his hand soothed down her leg as she let the spell drop.  

Sweat beaded on her neck and she'd gripped his hair tight enough to pull. She let go, then pressed her hands over her eyes and panted heavily as she reeled from the raw power she'd touched. She shivered, her nerves flaring and emotions reeling as she settled back into her own feelings and her own body.  

"Fucking hell," she gasped, sniffling, wiping tears from her face and trying to catch her breath. "I can't believe—" her breath hitched. She sobbed, laughed, moved her leg off of him to sit up. She needed to see him, she needed to hold him she—hell, she loved him, she was going to throw up, he wanted her fiercely in ways she'd never considered and she'd thought she liked the way he saw her before but now—she needed him, she needed him now. Riz sat up carefully, searching her face, looking concerned. He settled in front of her. 

"You okay? That was kind of intense..." 

Adaine laughed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, burying her face in his neck. "I love you, too," she sobbed. "I'm scared, too, and I love you, too. You have no idea how much we agree right now," she laughed, holding him tight. He laughed, kissed her temple, and cradled her head. 

"I did warn you I'm neurotic." 

"You're amazing," she insisted, refusing to stand for it. "That's my next goal. I got you to like sleep sometimes, next I'm going to get you to see how great you are." 

"Yeah, okay, that's intimidating," he chuckled, shivering. 

"You said you like when I flex my power."

"It's kinda recursive, sure."

"Fuck, that was—can you...you know what I saw, right? You can tell where I went in your mind?"

"Yeah," he said quietly, nodding and petting her hair, carefully tracing along the top of her ear. 

"Fuck." 

"So now you believe that I really do want this?" he asked, rubbing his cheek against the top of her head. 

"I believed you," she sighed. "I was worried you would focus only on what you thought I wanted, instead of what you want."

"What I want is something I don't think I'm even ready to say aloud," Riz said. "but now you know exactly how I feel about you, about all of this. Scared, and excited, and a little out of my depth. But honestly...I mean, you know me, that's...kind of my sweet spot." Adaine laughed into his neck and squeezed him. 

"Thank you," she said. "For showing me. That was a good idea. Also, honestly kind of crazy."

"Good, crazy, there's a fine line sometimes."

"And you zipline along it." 

Riz sighed and kissed her temple again. "See, you get me." 

Adaine sat up and kissed his cheek. "That's what makes this such a good idea," she said.

He was looking at her with the adoration she'd just felt from him, and she breathed faster. He was close and warm and damn she wanted to bite his jaw just under his ear.  A combination of her own desires and the residual echoes of his feelings had carved a yawning ache inside her. His eyes widened at her expression.

"So, as we were discussing..." he said slowly, smiling when she swallowed hard. She leaned forward to kiss him, eager and firm. He cut it short to say, in a voice gone breathlessly wild, "This feels right on that line between a good idea and crazy."

She groaned into his mouth and pulled him back in. Without breaking the kiss, he moved to kneel between her legs and braced a hand on each. His thumbs pressed firm circles on her inner thighs, slowly swirling upwards to her core. She shivered hard and nodded. She was swollen and tender and wanted him against her to relieve the ache. Her mind still thrummed with the weight of his hunger as well as hers and she needed something to soothe it. She bit his lip as she pulled away from the kiss.

"Please, I need you," she gasped, leaning back, glancing down, back up. Heat washed up her face when he grinned, baring his teeth. 

"Yes," he whispered, sliding back down and tucking one of her legs over his shoulder. "Put your leg—" she slid her calf along his back again and his breath hitched. "like that, hmm—" he latched onto her skin, precariously close to the line they'd drawn. 

Adaine whimpered and fell back, letting one hand roam through his hair and resting the other on her hip. His breath shuddered against her and she glanced down to see his eyes laser focused on her hand. She groaned and the muscles in her thighs tightened. 

"Okay, damn it, I can't take it," she said, sliding her hand onto her mound, over the fabric. "Fuck Riz, yes," she gasped, pressing firmly, circling, feeling her hips rock as her body responded to her finally answering its call. He made a sound like he'd hit the ground at full speed and she heard fabric rip as his claws dug into her sheet. 

"Oh you like that? When I—" her hips pitched, she was so empty and his mouth, his tongue were moving on her, closer. "don't stop—don't stop, please," she gasped as he moved restlessly to the other leg. His cheek was flaming against her skin. The hand that had been in his hair groped around blindly for the one he'd desperately sunk into her mattress. She held onto his hand tightly and rubbed downward with the other, deeper into herself, letting her knees bend and her hips part. She laughed darkly as his claws ripped further into the bed.  

"This what you wanted?" she asked, letting her hips roll in response to a familiar rhythm. 

Fucking hell yes yes Adaine yes I want to—show me please—

She stroked herself firmly, shivering at the feeling he'd sent, his dick aching and stretching into the bed, a desperate burning part of him wanting to be right where her hand was right now. 

Yes, I want it too, I need—pressure—

His mouth parted from her with a shocked groan, and she looked down to see him braced, open mouthed above her. He was so close she could feel his breath on her hand. Riz swallowed hard and leaned closer, brushing his lips against her wrist. She froze. She couldn't breathe. He was so close. 

"Kiss me," she gasped. He closed his eyes and shivered. His fingers dug harder into the mattress as Riz leaned down and kissed the back of her hand, brushed his tongue into the webbing of her fingers, kissed her knuckles. His right hand was braced next to her hip. 

"Keep going," he whispered against her hand. 

"I need you," she groaned. Adaine scraped her fingernails over the back of his hand as she let go. She moved onto her breast, sliding her thumb to trap herself and tug and rub and—fuck his mouth was still—she pressed down and shivered. Closer. "Riz, Riz, I want you to touch me," she panted. He let out a desperate noise and tore his mouth away from her. "Please touch me, help me, fuck I need your hands on me—" 

He left one hand clamped firmly into her bed, but the other palm spread warmly over her. His arm rested around her hip and he rubbed firmly down her abs to the top of her panties. The weight of his hand rested on her and his thumb circled, pressing suggestively, a mimic of her own movements just below.

"Fuck I never even thought of—fuck you're so good—" she squeezed herself tighter with a gasp. "I'm gonna come," she sobbed. "Fuck, I want—I want—I need your hands on me I need you, I need you when I—fuck—Riz—"

Her heartbeat was racing, her face was on fire, her muscles were tensed, and his fucking mouth was back, moving over her hand, so fucking close and he was copying her, learning her, he wanted—his breath was hot and he was going to—he was going to send her—

She drew in a gasp as everything tensed, tighter, twisted, hard—and broke.

"Oh fuck," she whispered, shaking through the release that wrung out of her, so so fucking good to finally relax into calm and unraveling and quiet. A hitched gasp. A shiver. A series of heavy flutters inside, under the weight of his hand. A deep satisfied groan as she relaxed her hands and every bit of tension within her faded away. She breathed, waiting for her mind to reboot. Riz knelt above her, tense and panting. She moved her hand from herself to gently cup his cheek and the other back to the one systematically shredding her mattress. She chuckled and ran her fingers down the back of his hand.

"Here, let me," she said, voice breathy and exhausted. He slowly relaxed his knuckles and slid his hand out of the way. She drew up power and moved her pointer finger in a weaving motion, mending the damage, then laced her fingers with his. 

"Holy... Fucking... Shit…" Riz panted, swallowing between each word as though he'd raced up ten flights of stairs. He squeezed her hand and pressed a kiss into her wrist.

"I can't believe I just did that," she laughed, moving her hands to her burning cheeks.

"I can't believe I just did that," he groaned. Riz slowly sat back on his heels, rubbing his hands down his face with a heartfelt groan. "Fuck." 

Adaine stretched, lithe and satisfied, and shuffled to lay next to him. He dropped down and sat with his legs bent in front of him. He stared at the wall, one hand braced on his knee and one in his hair. 

"So, um," she said, "would you like to…?" Riz shook himself and stared at her. She smiled. 

"I...honestly? My mind is absolutely blank in response to that."

"Why?" she asked, forehead wrinkling in confusion. "You're the one who suggested that touching ourselves wasn't technically out of bounds."

"That's...fair," he laughed, moving his hand down the back of his head and letting it fall to his lap. "I guess I'm still a little...um…"

"So while we clearly established that it's not that you don't want to, it's still okay to…" Adaine shrugged, "not feel ready for something. I'm not in a rush." She tentatively rested her hand on his knee, rubbing with her thumb. "I'm happy." His expression melted from worried tension to fondness and he sighed, resting his hand over hers.

"I think I'm just a little...disoriented," he said. 

"That's okay," she said. "Would you rather calm down or are you interested in, um, more exploration?"

"That is a hell of a question," he laughed. 

"You just had your actual mouth pressed to the hand I was using to jack off. I think it's reasonable under the circumstances."

His eyes fluttered closed and he looked like he'd been punched in the gut. "Fuck, hearing you talk about it is almost as wild as actually doing it was." Riz growled out. 

"I would enjoy the chance to form my own opinions on the subject, if you're up for it," she said, squeezing his knee. He laughed weakly.

"Fucking hell I can't believe I'm about to do this," he gasped, tilting his head back. 

"Yes?" she asked, delighted, partially recovering from the contentment of her afterglow. Riz kept his eyes closed but nodded. She sat up and kissed his cheek. 

"Just a sec," she said, climbing off the bed and rummaging. Adaine returned with a package of tissues from her jacket. She gently touched his shoulder and the expression Riz gave her was precisely balanced between love and mortification. 

"I…don't know if I can do this," he said. She shrugged and sat next to him. 

"That's ok," she said. "But I hope it will reassure you to know that I'm curious, and interested, and not…I dunno, grossed out? I'm not sure what you're embarrassed by specifically, but I'm hazarding a guess here." Riz pinched his nose and sighed, nodding. 

"Yeah um…yeah."

"Okay," she said. "Let's just cuddle then?" 

He sighed, shaking himself. "I…I still kind of…?" he shrugged and looked down. 

"Hmm. Well, I...um. How about this? We lay down with you as the little spoon. I…explore, like you did, within bounds, and you tell me stop or wait whenever you want. And if it turns out you don't want to stop or wait, that's absolutely fine, too." 

Worry and embarrassment faded nearly completely away from his expression as he listened to her. He reached to pull her hand up to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. He closed his eyes and nodded. 

"Yeah, I can...yeah," he said. "I feel a little...one minute I feel nearly feral and then the next I'm hesitant. Sorry. It feels pretty chaotic even to me."

"As I understand it, feral creatures are known for that kind of behavior."

The thoroughly unimpressed look Riz shot her filled Adaine with a sense of joyful triumph. She kissed his cheek with a giggle and tilted her head toward the pillows with raised eyebrows. He sighed and rolled his eyes but nodded with a tiny smile. She climbed back under the covers, laying on her left side, curling her knees up, and holding her right arm up in invitation. He snuggled into the space of her lap that she'd created, and she hugged tight around his waist. 

"Mmm," she hummed, leaning to run her face up along the curve of his shoulder into the crook of his neck. She sighed in tired satisfaction. Riz let out a shiver as he settled. 

Adaine relaxed against him, occasionally rubbing her cheek back and forth, and let her hand spread out on his stomach. She wanted to make sure he had the lead in whatever happened next, so she stayed in a neutral position between his ribcage and belly button. Just warm affection, a soft touch to let him know she was there and he had her attention. He relaxed more against her, and she scooted her legs forward a bit, rubbing her shins and calves against his feet. He snuggled them closer with a huff that sounded like it was behind a smile. One of his hands gently covered hers, following her movements where she wandered, but not leading her anywhere. She drifted, cozy and content, dropping occasional soft kisses against his skin whenever the urge struck her. 

Is there anywhere you'd like to explore? he asked tentatively. In answer, Adaine smiled and pressed an open kiss against the crook of his neck. He stiffened and gasped. Shit that feels—

Yeah, she sent back smugly. Now you see what I was dealing with. She moved her hand to his side and slid down to the waistband of his shorts. She kissed her lips softly up his neck and rubbed her nose along his hairline. 

"Is messaging easier?" she asked. "A little quieter?" Riz nodded and shivered. 

"It's a clever solution, especially when our mouths are otherwise…" she reached up and gently pulled his earlobe with just her lips. He drew in a shuddering breath. "Do you want me to default to it?" she asked. 

"No," he breathed. "it's fine, whatever you want. It's just...that way is easier for me to actually get the words out sometimes."

"I noticed you seemed a little more calm over text, too," she said, pulling more of his earlobe into her mouth.  

Can't—fucking—you really are a fucking menace, he chuckled. 

"Oh, is this making it difficult for you to focus?" she asked mildly, grinning. "How unexpected."

Love when you're a smartass. Keep going. 

"You want me to touch you?" she asked, "Kiss you like you did me?" Riz shivered and pressed back against her, winding his feet firmly around one of her calves. 

"Yes." 

She giggled into his neck and nipped him gently. He held so, so still. 

"Okay?" she asked. 

"Not enough," he whispered. 

She rose slightly and leaned forward, pressing her lips just under the corner of his jaw. Riz nodded quickly, his breaths going shallow. She let her tongue sweep over him, then closed her mouth over the spot and gently sucked. He leaned back against her with a deep hum. 

Yes, he sent. I want your hands on me, too.

Adaine let her hands roam up his chest as she hummed and raked her teeth over him. She hooked her knee around his shin and moved her legs against his. A small movement forward brought her mouth to the front of his throat and she let her breath trail down. She kissed the side of his neck and smoothed her hand up to meet it. His heartbeat drummed under her palm and she felt the flutter of his pulse under her lips. 

I see why you wanted to do this, she sent, firmly pressing her tongue over his pulse point. Riz gasped and his hips twitched as he pressed back into her shoulder. He rubbed the crown of his head against her and let out a ragged breath. 

Keep going, or slow down? she asked. Her fingers traced a pattern of lines down from his shoulder. 

More. Feelings swirled from him: excited, nervous, curious, heat. 

Her eyebrows rose and she glanced to his face with a smirk. His eyes were closed and he'd leaned the side of his head against her neck. Her hand reached the end of one pattern and followed a new line. 

"I think I just found a technicality of my own," she said, scooting back down behind him. 

"What's that?" he asked breathlessly. She slid her left arm underneath his waist and reached down to draw a swirling pattern in the patch of hair under his belly button. Her right traced firmly up his chest. 

"You're topless when you swim," she whispered, and bit the back of his neck as she dragged her thumb firmly over his nipple. Riz arched and hissed, and she tightened her legs in his, wanting to feel the tension she'd sent through him. She moved her tongue and her fingers in the same steady, circling pattern, mimicking the way she'd touched herself. 

Yes more fuck I— he was anxious and burning and greedy for more. She moved to burrow her face between his neck and the pillow, latching on to the other side. His hips twisted and rocked, and she slid her leg further between his. She moved her hand across his chest with firm steady pressure and repeated her teasing assault, this time slightly scratching the fingernails of her other hand above the waistband of his shorts. 

A breath punched out of him and his hips rocked harder. 

Touch yourself, she asked. Please, let me feel it. That soft ache was back between her legs. She bit him a little harder and he whimpered. 

"Fuck," he gasped heavily, grabbing for the tissues she'd brought. He was, he was really going to—Adaine pressed her forehead to the back of his neck and panted, letting herself shiver around the weight settling inside her.

"Let me help you," she whispered, holding him tightly while she moved her hands over him.

"Yes," he gasped, "Legs, my—hold me. Hold me still, please—" 

A heavy tremor in her core, and she turned her face to groan into his neck instead of directly into his ear. Adaine nodded and lifted her knee to cover both his legs with hers, pulling them back against her and down into the bed. He pushed up with a twist of his hips and let out a satisfied sob when he met resistance. 

"Yes, fuck, hold me," he hissed. She shivered and gently trapped his nipple between her thumb and the side of her palm. He whimpered. "I want to—are you—Adaine," he panted, and she felt his arm move, his hand stroked down her arm and pressed firmly against the hand on his lower belly, then trailed lower. 

"Fuck, please, yes Riz, let me help you come," she whispered, tightening her arms, her legs, her hands to grip onto him like he was frantic for. He made short, hungry sounds and his hand was moving on himself. She had to see, she had to—

He moved faster than she'd expected, then made a noise of frustration and slid his hand inside his shorts. She breathed in through her open mouth, past a dry, tightening throat. 

Fuck, that's so hot. I want to see you, she sent, tightening her legs over his. Her hips curled around him, definitely not within any technicality, but both were too far gone to care. She scraped her fingernails up his abs and rolled his nipple against the side of her palm. His skin started to feel feverish against hers. 

"M'gonna—fuck—Adaine—fuck—" Riz held a handful of tissues to himself and bowed back with a heavy, throaty moan. Every part of him went hard and he shivered, head to toe, and he let out a high pitched gasp, another, another. His hips thrust hard, as hard as he could against her restraint. He heaved out a breath. Shuddered. Collapsed. 

Riz went completely still, his only movement heavy breaths through his mouth. After a dozen or so, he swallowed and worked his tongue around his mouth.

"Shit," he managed. 

Adaine nuzzled her face into him and chuckled, carefully relaxing her hands and moving her legs to hold him in a gentler position. She lay down behind him with a relaxed sigh and kissed the back of his neck, letting her right hand rest on his abs and her left arm go limp under him. 

"That was so damn hot," she told him, gently headbutting the back of his head. "Now I'm a little worked up again." 

Riz laughed helplessly. "That would be an entirely new reason for me to stay up all night."

"Tempting, but I'm still going to make you sleep."

He sighed happily. After a few moments he sighed again, this time more resigned. 

"I need to clean up," he said, moving to sit. 

She let go, and he sat, pausing at the edge of the bed to get back some of his bearings. She reached out and pressed a reassuring palm in the middle of his back, right over the word "Sylvaire" in surprisingly delicate calligraphy. He tossed her a quick smile over his shoulder and headed to the bathroom. 

Adaine grabbed a pillow tightly and buried her face in it. She rolled onto her stomach and squealed as quietly as possible. 

Holy shit holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.

She'd just. They'd just. He'd just...holy shit.

An echo of his feelings ran through the back of her mind. Her heart clenched and she squeezed the pillow tighter. Part of her was still a little chaotically anxious, but most of her was ecstatic. She screeched into her pillow again and let herself float in a dopey haze until she heard the door open. 

Riz came in silently, wide eyed and tentative. Adaine smiled at him and rolled out of bed. She cupped his cheek and pressed a warm kiss to the other side as she passed, and nuzzled her forehead against his temple with a sigh. He let out a quiet huff and covered her hand with his before she pulled away to go to the bathroom herself. 

He was putting his under layers back on when she came back out. 

"Good idea," she said, grabbing her pajamas and snuggling into them. 

"You're...beautiful," he said, full of joy and amusement. She glanced over in surprise and blushed as she pulled her hair out of her top and adjusted the collar. She looked down at herself in her lumpy pajamas. 

"Did I do something in particular, or…?" 

He sighed and shook his head. "No. This is just what's happening now, I guess. Damn it." 

Adaine rolled her eyes and smiled. "If that was a compliment, it could use some work." 

"Just a fact," he shrugged. 

"Oooh, that was better," she teased, scratching between his shoulders as he climbed back into bed. 

She followed quickly and snuggled under the covers. For a second, Riz lay on his back with an arm under his head staring at the top bunk. He glanced over at her and smiled, then snuggled down onto her arm as the small spoon. Adaine grinned widely and pulled him closer with an arm over his waist. She buried her face in his neck again, rubbing her cheek against the hair behind his ear. He covered her hand with his and sighed in utter contentment. 

"I didn't expect...I didn't know that this was on the other side," Riz ventured into the silence. She hummed curiously. He squeezed her hand and scooted back tighter against her. "I don't think I'd have been so worried if I knew."

"About...the afterglow?" she asked, confused. "I know you aren't as interested, but you've...you've done that before, right?" 

Riz sputtered, gently shoving her leg with his foot. "Yes. I'm not talking about getting off," he laughed. "I mean, holy shit it's never been like that before, but, but no, I'm talking about this." He laced his fingers through hers. 

"We've cuddled before, though," she said, gently kissing the space under his ear. 

"Not after…" he paused. "This feels different. After...it's almost like after a fight, you know? When you're all in that moment of calm where you're not sure if it's over, but then it is, definitely, and you're all there, and everything's okay, and you did it, and you feel like you could do anything as long as you're together?"

"When you told me you liked my energy in a fight I didn't think it went that deep," she teased.

"Damn it, Adaine, I'm trying to explore my feelings and I'm bad at that," he said, irritated. Riz sighed. "I'm serious." 

"Sorry," she sighed as well and rested her face against his hair. "I'm...not good at feelings either. Unless it's anger, anything I can use...I'm good at that. Everything else is…"

"I know," he said, softly. He kissed her knuckles and resettled their hands back on his waist. "That's what I mean. There's this shared...vulnerability? That is scary as hell, but if...after…" his breath wavered, then stilled. "you're here. I didn't know it would lead here, with you, like this, but if I had, there's no way I would have been so afraid."

"Damn, Riz," she whispered, smiling as tears sprang up. She rested her forehead against the crook of his neck. "My mind is kind of a blank in response to that."

He chuckled softly. "So, should I ask you 'why?' like you've lost your mind, or would that ruin the mood?" 

Adaine giggled, squeezing him tightly, and nipped playfully at his neck. Riz laughed and rubbed his thumb over hers, then shifted and rolled to face her. 

"I still can't believe we did that," he said, smiling.

"Um, yeah, I...yeah," she laughed.

"Are you," he paused, swallowing. "Are you okay with…"

She smiled and kissed his forehead, running her hand up his neck, over his ear, into his hair. "What are you worried about?"

"I was, um," he sighed, thinking. "You'll tell me if I do something you don't want, or even if you didn't like something I did, or the way I—"

"Riz." He looked up with his mouth and brow pulled tight. "First, yes, of course I would. Second, I can't imagine ever worrying about that with you, but, well, see my first answer. Third," she sighed deeply and pressed her forehead firmly against his. "you're thinking too much again." 

He closed his eyes and nodded. 

"It's okay. I'm really happy about what just happened," she softly insisted. "I hope you are too, but if you're not, you'll tell me, right?"

"I am, I'm just. It's too…" he sighed and opened his eyes again, resting his hand on the side of her head. "This feels too perfect. I must have missed something, or done something wrong or there's some sort of…mistake that I've..." his thumb brushed a lock of hair back from her cheek. 

"Will you kiss me?" she asked. His expression stayed subdued, but his eyes widened as he looked back to hers. "Or can I kiss you?"

His eyes searched her face, then he leaned forward. They were getting better at this. She was already losing count of how many times they'd kissed, which left a curl of happiness somewhere behind her heart. His fingertips rested behind her ear and his thumb brushed up the top shell before following the rest of his hand into her hair. He was gentle, and comforting, and she pressed back, sliding her hand down onto his shoulder blade. He hummed and she shivered, scooting a bit closer, humming softer in answer. He stopped for air but didn't pull away. 

"Riz, it's me," she smiled. "It's just me. It's just new things to try together, right? Same as any other...project," she shrugged, "we've worked on together. Hopefully more fun and less mission critical, though." 

"You're…" he swallowed, "you're pretty mission critical to me," he whispered. She kissed him again. The arm still under his head curled around his shoulders and her other hand roamed around to his waist. His hand slid up to cup her cheek. His thumb brushed back and forth while they held each other. Gradually, the kiss faded.

"I'm still glad we're doing this," she whispered. "All of it." Riz nodded and pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth with a relieved sigh.

"Me too," he said, relaxing into her arms and finally letting himself drift toward sleep. 

Chapter Text

Riz woke slowly, reluctantly, with a comforting weight on his legs. One hand was tucked under a pillow but the other...oh—Adaine. He smiled. She was holding it and tracing along his palm. It tickled. That's what woke him up. He wiggled his fingers and stretched, yawning. A cozy warmth surrounded them, and her legs untangled from his as he stretched. He rubbed his eyes and blinked muzzily.

She tucked both hands under her cheek and smiled at him. His heart was in his throat again, which seemed silly at this point. He scooted closer, wrapping his arm over her.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"Did you wake up a while ago, or did you trance?" he mumbled, yawning again, trying to angle his mouth to avoid attacking her with morning breath.

"I, uh, I tranced," she blushed, "I...I wanted to hold you while you slept."

"You can do that while you sleep, too," he smiled, rubbing up and down her back.

"Yeah but I wouldn't remember it," she said quietly.

His stomach did a somersault. "That feels…" he paused, "not what you think. I'm looking for the right words...I feel…" he sighed, trying with a sleep muddled brain to figure out what he wanted to express.

"Not creeped out, I hope?" Adaine ventured, half wincing. Riz laughed and shook his head.

"Absolutely not. Come on, Adaine. No. I feel...flattered? Cared for? Happy to have your attention? All of that. Besides, I'd be a hypocrite if I was creeped out anyway. Remember last time I was here and I woke up early while you were asleep? You snuggled onto my lap like a cuddly caterpillar—"

"Cuddle-pillar, obviously."

"Yes, a cuddle-pillar," he agreed, "while I was reading for an hour or more. If we're going to be," he sucked in a breath, "together, we're going to do things like that."

"And...things like what we did last night. You're still okay with that?"

Riz nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I definitely am. I'm still not sure how I, uh, found the nerve? I guess? But I'm glad I did. Uh, we did."

Adaine closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead against his, then took the hand he left resting between them in both of hers. She traced...not a tattoo, but a scar. A big one that curved around the meat of his thumb and nearly down to his wrist. Then a smaller one up between the webbing of his two middle fingers. Then a tiny one on the second knuckle of his ring finger.

"They're from—"

"I remember," she said quietly, leaning down to kiss each one. He also had a few smooth streaks of scarring across the back of his hand that she carefully brushed her lips across. She folded their hands together. "I was thinking about it just now. The palimpsests, dragging you out of that gem, and how frantic you were to keep digging. How your hands were smeared bloody. How enraged you were."

Riz sighed and nodded.

"I felt ashamed, you know?" she asked. He looked at her, confused. "I knew you weren't really like that creep-ass little pixie of course, and that you were playing along to try to get him to help before we knew what was really going on. But," she gnawed on her lips, "until then, I didn't see how much you actually cared. When your hands were in tatters and you didn't even notice because we still hadn't saved anyone."

"And that was disgracefully unfair of me. Our first day, you were trying to—you're the one who ran for help after Kristen and Gorgug fell. You leapt into that thing to get the spell animating it. Right from the first moment, before any of us had any idea what we were doing, you've always been…" Adaine kissed his hand again. "You're the most passionately caring person. That's what you let me see, last night," she smiled up at his wide eyed expression. "I saw how thoroughly you love everyone. It's beautiful."

"I...wow, that's...wow," he said. "Thank you. That's the nicest thing I think I've ever heard...anyone say to anyone. But you don't have to be ashamed for not knowing me when you didn't know me. How could you have known I wasn't just trying to solve a cool mystery? I was such a little dweeb about it—still am, honestly—and that's what I was loudest about." Adaine pressed her lips together tightly while she thought.

"Like I said, because that's who you've been, right from the start," she answered. "You heard a scream and ran toward it. You tried to get us to coordinate while we fumbled. You literally dove into a monster's body to try to grab the spell animating it, and did it, and then when our friends fucking died you kept your head and ran for help. That's what you did while the rest of us were panicking."

"You were kids," he shrugged.

"Yeah, we were," she said. Her eyes were intensely blue, and he couldn't be sure if they were glowing with her magic or just conviction, but he couldn't look away. "And you tell me I'm the bravest person you've ever met? I'd like to introduce you to Riz Gukgak."

His mouth opened, then closed.

"I don't like the way you talk about yourself," Adaine said, quieter, "and I'm not going to stand for it."

Riz swallowed hard. "What does 'not standing for it' entail?" he asked nervously. "I don't think it's just going to go away."

"Of course it won't, but you're stubborn as hell," she smiled softly. "You'll learn. I've gotten better at stopping it in myself, and I'll remind you."

"How?"

"Well, first step, just work on noticing it," she shrugged. "Whenever you say or think something mean about yourself, pause and acknowledge it was mean."

Riz closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "That's gonna happen a lot."

"At first. It gets easier."

"You sure you don't have any corn buttholes for me to jump into instead?"

"Nope, that shit's for kids."

He smiled, and she squeezed his hand and held it against her heartbeat. He backed away from his feelings, like he was scrambling backwards up a steep rock slide. But she's already seen them, so what's the point of trying to hide them from yourself? She'd seen and felt exactly what he was feeling right now, and even more that he had carefully tucked away.

His memory felt fuzzy, like a hangover. Flashes of intense moments, the bare shred of coherence he'd held onto when he'd felt her hand still and her body tense. The quiet moment of peace and then the worry that crept in, and her kiss afterward, holding him close. We've done a million crazier things than this, right?

There was absolutely no way he would ever do anything crazier than this. He opened his eyes to her watching him. She smiled.

"What time—"

"It's almost seven and—"

They spoke at the same time, and laughed.

"It's almost seven," she said. "Kristen will probably be up and ready by ten or so. I thought we could shower and then work on those stealth lessons before breakfast."

His mind went blank again and he blinked. "Um," he said, strained, "We?"

Adaine looked confused for a split second, then her eyes widened and she blushed. "Oh, oh no!" she laughed. "No, um. I didn't mean. No. I thought we could separately shower, and then work on stealth lessons."

Riz started breathing again and laughed.

"You didn't really think I meant..." She laughed instead of finishing the sentence.

"I didn't, but, well, I...shocking things have occurred recently, Adaine, okay?" he said, scooting down to hide his face in the blankets.

She squeezed his hand and let go of it, sliding back out of bed and leaving him in the warm nest they'd made. She leaned over and her fingers stroked gently through his hair.

"Do you think there will ever be a point where I don't feel completely mortified by the shit that comes out of my mouth around you?" he mumbled.

"I'm looking forward to it," she said, standing and, sadly, taking her fingers with her. "But in the meantime, you're really cute when you blush."

"Thought I was adorable?" he teased, peeking up at her.

"Only in the old man hat," she grinned, turning toward the bathroom.

"It's warm," he said, indignantly.

"Sure," she answered agreeably, switching on the bathroom light.

"It's dapper," he insisted.

"Which is a word used to describe a fashionable sixty year old," she said.

"Absolute traitor," he accused.

"You like it when I'm ruthless."

Riz hugged the blankets close and grinned, enjoying the chaotic bubbly feeling bouncing around in his chest. Her shower turned on and steam floated out the door. His eyes landed on the pile of her clothes from last night. I'll show you how it works later. Fucking hell, she went for the throat. Definitely nothing crazier than this. She'd hit him like a truck. He heard her humming aimlessly amid splashing water.

He'd better get out of bed before a flash of memory from last night caught him unaware. Riz stretched out in a starfish pose and yawned, then scrambled up. Elf and human scale beds were a bit of a hassle to make, but he managed. He was folding his clothes and fishing out his gear when he heard her come back in. He very deliberately did not look in her direction.

"Just knock on the door when you're dressed," he said, scooping up his case and scurrying into the bathroom.

"No problem." She giggled behind him and he felt heat climb up his cheeks and into his ears. He firmly closed the door.

Riz took a couple tries to figure out her shower controls so he didn't freeze or scald himself, then shivered as he undressed. Just a few weeks ago this wouldn't have been weird. Well, borrowing her bathroom wouldn't have been weird anyway. He suddenly realized he didn't bring any shower stuff. Oh well, she wouldn't mind.

Soon the smell of Adaine's hair surrounded him while he was standing under a torrent of warm water. He shivered and grabbed the soap, scrubbing himself fiercely. Didn't really help. He turned the water a bit colder and shivered. Uncomfortable, but still not really effective. He quickly rinsed and turned off the water. Cold air hit him, and that helped. He suppressed the urge to shake himself, grabbed a towel from her shelf, and scrubbed it over his head. This might be a problem. Every time he moved he'd be getting a whiff of her shampoo. His stomach flopped over and he ran the towel down his back.

Riz sighed and finished drying himself. Somehow, Adaine had switched all this on. He wondered if there was a way to switch it the fuck off so he could think properly. Probably definitely not. His brain decided to throw out a vivid sensory memory of licking between her knuckles while she writhed and whispered. Fuck.

He hung the towel and leaned on the sink shaking his head. Somehow, knowing how far he could and couldn't go had emboldened him. Having a limit to push against helped his nerves settle down. He wouldn't end up going too far outside his comfort zone, because they'd worked that out already. And apparently, his comfort zone with her was much larger than he'd expected. He laughed at himself and started getting dressed.

He was combing his hair when Adaine knocked on the door. "I'm good," he called. The door opened and she stuck her head in.

"Hey, I was thinking, why don't you just leave some stuff here?" she asked.

His hand froze as he stared at her in the mirror. It made sense. There was no reason not to. He was going to combust.

"Uh, like, a toothbrush?" he asked, dropping his comb into his briefcase. Adaine came in with a smile and shrugged.

"Toothbrush, change of clothes, some toiletries. If we're going to regularly spend the night together, it just makes sense." She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Riz leaned back against her and closed his eyes with a sigh.

"Yeah, I'll, um, I'll bring some stuff to leave," he cleared his throat. "uh, next time."

He felt her smile when she leaned down to kiss his hair.

"Mmm, you smell like me," she sighed happily against him. His eyes flew open and he stared at his own face in the mirror, then looked up to her contentedly nuzzling his hair.

"Holy shit, Adaine, you just say things," he laughed. Her hands slid down his arms and around his waist.

"It's worked out in my favor so far," she said, scratching gently at his abs over his undershirt.

Riz huffed and nodded. "And mine, gotta admit," he said, sliding both his hands over hers and squeezing. Her arms tightened and she kissed his head again before glancing up to smile at him in the mirror.

"Let me get your buttons," she said, nudging him to turn around. He shrugged and smiled, turning and leaning his hands on the counter. Adaine smiled when he did, and straightened his collar before skipping down to his second button and working her way down. Her hands worked steadily, trailing between each as she went, and he shivered as she finished the last one. She pressed her hands firmly into his waist and looked up to his eyes.

He loved her so goddamn much. Avoiding thinking about it wasn't going to change anything. He scratched his claws against her sink.

"Kiss me," he said, suddenly realizing he'd never asked her to. She moved deliberately and slowly, nudging his lips open with hers and reaching out carefully until he moaned into her and answered her movements. Her fingers tightened against his sides, then slid down to his hips. Oh that was dangerous and he wanted it so much. He hummed urgently and nodded against her, and her hands slid down, back, fuck she was cupping his ass and lifting and he hoisted himself up onto the edge of the counter. She stepped forward, digging her fingers into him and deepening their kiss with a solid groan.

Her voice blazed from his memory. I need you, I need you when I—his hands shook and fear shot through him. Yep, he was right. A plan had helped. He pulled back to breathe.

"I figured something out," he gasped.

"Yeah?" she asked, letting her breath roam across his cheek and she fucking sucked on his ear and who needs talking he wanted—No, no. This was important, it would be better to say this first.

"Wait," he gasped. "Need space for a sec."

Adaine was instantly a few feet away, wide eyed with her hands clasped against her stomach.

"It's okay, don't worry," Riz chuckled, shivering. "Just need to be able to think, and talk."

She nodded and bit her lips, watching him seriously.

"I didn't know why I was comfortable uh, trying all that last night, until I realized, it's because I knew the boundaries beforehand. Open ended...uh, situations, in general, I'm uncomfortable in them. And when it's…all this," he waved a hand and chuckled, "that's another layer of worry on top of it, because I'm trying to figure out what I'm really ready for versus whatever bullshit my hormones are trying to make me do. When I knew that hey, this is the limit we're not going past, we decided already, then I was um…" he blushed hard.

"You were?"

He slid down to stand and crossed his arms with a sigh, but stayed leaning against her sink. "I guess I was ready to explore," he shrugged, "and, um, even push those boundaries a little."

"So we should do that," she nodded. "Most of the time, if not every time. Or maybe have guidelines we can default to?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I think that would really help me feel better."

"That's great!" she smiled.

"Really?" he tilted his head.

"Yeah, of course it is! You'll be more comfortable, we'll both know what to expect, it's a good idea."

"Ok, well, I think…" Riz sighed and considered. "I think I want to make sure that we keep daytime...calmer. Um, so, maybe only…" His stomach burned with nerves and he looked back up. Adaine watched him earnestly. He smiled softly and reached for her hand. She took it immediately, and he led her over to sit next to him on her bed. He looked down at their joined hands, suddenly knowing exactly how to deal with this. "So you said this was kind of like...a different kind of project for us?" he asked.

"Yes?"

Riz looked up and smiled at her. "Brace yourself for some serious nerd shit: I think we need a planning session. Maybe with lists and idea webs, possibly schedules."

Adaine sputtered a laugh, squeezing his hand tightly and kissing his knuckles. "Oh hell, you're right. How bad is it that my reaction is immediate relief at that idea?"

"We really are the fucking nerd squad, I'm telling you," he said, running his hand through his hair and laughing.

"I love it," she said, kissing his cheek. "It's a great idea."

"Up for it now?" he asked tentatively. "It'd be nice to figure everything out while we have the chance. You never know when shit's going down."

"That's the damn truth," Adaine sighed. She nodded. "Yeah, let's figure this shit out."

Riz grinned widely as his heartbeat raced. "I...uh. You're kind of perfect, you know that?" he asked, digging a notebook out of his briefcase.

She laughed at him and rolled her eyes. He'd been absolutely serious, but clenched his jaw to keep from saying so. He settled cross legged on her bed with a smile, a deep blush, and a sweetly encompassing stomachache.

"Ok, so my first thought is day and night could have different, um, baselines," he said, writing the point down.

"That makes sense. Nights are more private, longer uninterrupted periods of time," she said, shrugging. "I mean, there's a reason that's the norm, right?"

"Yeah exactly," he nodded.

"I can't believe we're really having a strategy session about this."

"It's not a stupid idea if it works!"

"I suddenly understand so much about you," she laughed.

"You were just building up my ego about how great it was I dove into that corn butthole and now this is the energy I'm getting for brainstorming?"

Adaine scooted over next to him and crossed her legs. "Fair enough," she said. "Just feeling a little surreal."

"Also fair enough," he sighed, nodding. Riz tapped his pencil on the notebook. "Okay, so things I'm happy with for the day baseline…"

He started listing activities, blushing harder when she leaned to read over his shoulder. Once in a while he'd pause, grip his pencil tighter, and resolutely continue. "Feeling really weird writing this out, but I know it's gonna help…" he said, mostly to himself. Adaine gently nudged her shoulder into his. He added that to the list with a smile, and she chuckled. Finally, he held out the notebook and read, then nodded and offered it to her.

"I'm good," she said, shaking her head. "That makes sense. Keep it to a PG rating during the day. Maybe every time we spend the night together, we can start from the daytime baseline and figure out what works? Depending on...whatever's going on with us then?"

"That makes sense," he agreed. "So, after we're up for the day, touching neutral areas and general affection are obviously fine. Hand holding, cuddling, and anything we'd have done before as well, obviously. Kissing is fine, uh, well, some kissing is fine. There's kissing and then there's kissing."

Adaine hummed in agreement. "Yeah, let's say making out is off the table during the day, unless we talk about it beforehand?"

Riz noted it, then lay down his pencil and paper. He bent his knees up to hug his arms around them. "Okay, but what counts as making out? Ugh, talking about it is harder than writing it down," he groaned into his knees.

"Let me see," she said, leaning over to grab the notebook. He watched her thinking, tapping the eraser of the pencil to the corner of her mouth. He could swear he never got distracted by that before. Did he? His brain was absolute mush. Her forehead wrinkled and she wrote, blushing slightly. His heart tripped over itself.

"Alright," Adaine finally said. "What do you think about this: kissing is when only mouths are touching and hands are on neutral areas, and anything else like kissing with our bodies pressed together, mouths other places, or hands in places that aren't neutral, that's making out."

"Yeah," he nodded, relieved. "Yeah, that sounds right. It feels silly to define it because everyone knows what it is, but...well, honestly, it makes me feel better to know where the lines are. Thank you."

"Any time," she said, rubbing his back. "If it makes you more comfortable, it's not silly."

"Yeah, so um, just to make sure I'm clear, this is not a question of wanting," he said, blushing. "Like, uh, at the sink just now, that was…" he swallowed, "something I, uh, would really like to keep in mind for the future."

Adaine giggled and stopped touching him, and when he glanced over, he saw she had a heavy blush that she was touching with magically cooled hands.

"I don't know why I keep being surprised whenever you want this too," Riz laughed, shaking his head and resting his forehead on his knees.

"I wish you could detect thoughts," she mused. He turned his head to look at her. Adaine had propped on the end of the bunk wall and crossed her hands over her middle. She rubbed her thumbs together while she looked up thoughtfully. He thought back to the way she'd written the essay about him. To the things she'd said last week, last night, this morning. Your stature is small, your dorkiness is not, had him snort a laugh. She looked over.

"I think I have an idea of what I'd find, if I could," he said, heart pounding. "Your impression of me is a lot more flattering than mine, but admittedly that's not really hard. You see the positive side of things that I have trouble finding." He paused, thinking. She watched him carefully.

"You're a better salesman for me than I am," he said, smiling, and she laughed. "You enjoy my crazy ideas. You like figuring out problems with me. You think I'm attractive, even when I'm a complete dork," he said, face burning. She nodded, and he had to close his eyes and shiver for a second. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Adaine was softly smiling at him.

"That's crazy," he laughed, shaking his head. She rolled her eyes. He squeezed his legs tighter and went on. "You feel safe asking me for help, because you know how hard I try to take care of people I love. You want me to take better care of myself. You still see my flaws, but you're a lot kinder to me than I am to myself. And as long as you're able to, you'll be there when I need you."

Adaine was nodding at him, eyes shining.

"How'd I do?" he asked quietly.

"Full marks," she whispered.

"You love me," he said, unable to stop himself as the realization unfolded, "and you're scared because that means I could hurt you more than you think you could take."

Adaine closed her eyes tightly, sending tears down her cheeks. She clenched her hands together tightly and her throat flexed as she swallowed. "Damn. You sure you don't know the spell?" she asked.

Riz lowered his legs and turned toward her. "No, I just know you."

"You really fucking do," she whispered, shaking her head.

"And I'm still here, so what's that tell you?" he asked, nudging her with his knee.

"Bad taste?" she laughed.

"If I'm not allowed to, you definitely aren't," he said.

Adaine nodded and wiped her face. She smiled sadly at him. "Should have known better than to think I could keep any secrets from you," she said.

"They're safe with me," he shrugged.

"Everything is," she whispered.

Riz stared at her, stunned, as she leaned over to kiss him. She tasted like tears and toothpaste and he rose to his knees to wrap an arm around her shoulders. Her arms went around him and he cradled the back of her head in his other hand. He squeezed her a little tighter, and she let out a shuddering breath.

You ok? he messaged. I'm sorry, I should have...that was a lot.

No, no, I'm ok. Her hands spread on his back and she slowed, nodding. They breathed together.

"You sure?" he asked softly, sliding his hand soothingly up into her hair.

"Yeah, it's ok. It's, uh, a little hard to keep lying to yourself when someone tells you to your face exactly what you've been avoiding, huh?"

"Sorry?" he winced. "It just felt like...it would be better to say it than to not say it."

"No, you're right. I still don't know...feelings are weird, right?"

"They're so weird," he sighed in relieved agreement. He hugged her, kissed her forehead, and sat back. Adaine took a deep breath and shook herself a bit.

"So, uh, are you okay with our plan?" she asked, mostly settled.

"Yeah, I am. It's simple, but it works," he said. "Are you okay with it?"

"Yeah, of course."

Riz smiled at her. "Thanks. I know you say it's not silly, but it still feels silly." He sighed. "Maybe that's being mean to myself?"

"Might be," she shrugged. "Good job paying attention." He nodded and stood to grab his vest and tie.

"Another day starting with heavy important shit, right?" He sighed, looping his tie loosely over his head and tucking his shirt in. He buttoned his top button and shrugged on his vest. She watched him, smiling, and checked her crystal.

"It's a little past 8:00. Kristen's still offline. Breakfast or stealth lessons first?"

"Hm. Breakfast. Stomach growls will blow your cover."

"You speak from experience?" she teased.

"Actually, yeah. Freshman exam. It was the day after we found Gorthalax and rode the bus back. Remember how late it was? I got distracted, forgot to eat...I'm little, so low blood sugar hits hard and...yeah, anyway. That's why I always carry snacks now."

"Those pauses contain a wealth of embarrassing information, don't they?"

"Probably," he said, smiling as he adjusted his holster.

"Do you recommend sneakers or boots?" she asked.

"Whichever you'll be using most often. Probably wanna practice with both eventually."

"Alright, sneakers it is today." Adaine slipped her shoes on and grabbed her gear. He followed her silently out her door and down the stairs, watching her footsteps and thinking. A cold breeze followed laughter dopplering in and out around them.

"Morning, Zayn," Adaine said, and a ghostly head stuck out of the wall on the next landing.

"Morning Adaine," Zayn said. "Morning Riz," he said, grinning wider. Riz sighed. Welp. He opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly Edgar jumped onto his shoulder.

"Hey buddy," he said, reaching up to brace the little rat from falling off. "I'll give you a treat when we get downstairs, alright?"

Edgar snuggled close to his neck and ground his teeth together. "Ah, dude, I told you, that tickles," Riz laughed, scooping him up into his hand. The rat sat up on his haunches and squinted at him. "Don't look at me like that, I don't have food in my pockets at all times."

Adaine had stopped and looked over her shoulder with a smile. Riz blushed and smiled back. Zayn laughed again and came over to pick up Edgar.

"Have something to say?" Adaine asked.

"Oh, no, I mean, it's not like Eddie tried to get into your room to bug Riz for snacks last night. And it's not like I just saw him follow you out of your room this morning with his eyes glued to your ass," Zayn said. He floated down the stairs in front of them, watching them smugly. "So what could I possibly have anything to say about?"

"Couldn't tell you," Riz shrugged, heading into the kitchen. "How about scrambled eggs, huh, buddy?" he asked Edgar, reaching through the cloudy aura of Zayn's hands to scratch his little head. He put his briefcase down and rummaged in the fridge. Adaine chuckled and grabbed an orange to start slicing it.

"Are you trying to buy my silence by bribing my familiar?" Zayn scoffed.

"What are you talking about?" Riz asked, glancing quizzically over the fridge door. He closed it with his hip and carried his supplies to the counter near the stove. Adaine handed a mixing bowl down to him when he came over to grab the step stool, and he stretched up on tiptoes to kiss her cheek. She giggled.

"That!" Zayn said, pointing.

"What?" Adaine asked. "I didn't notice anything strange. Did you, Riz?"

"No, don't think so," he grinned over at her, cracking an egg into the bowl. "How many do you want?" he asked, eating the empty shell.

"Two please," she said, running her hand over his shoulders as she passed by to grab the bread. He leaned into her with a smile.

Zayn laughed and grabbed Edgar a treat pellet with his mage hand. "Alright, but you guys are gonna get caught soon enough, you know that?"

Riz shrugged and glanced over at Adaine, who was filling the kettle. He smiled as he poured milk into the bowl and grabbed a whisk out of the drawer. "Worth it," he sighed.

"I guess it's no fun to tease you if you're just going to be all googly eyed at each other," Zayn sighed.

"I have never made googly eyes in my life," Adaine said, bringing toast and orange slices over to the table. Riz cleared his throat. She whirled and put her hands on her hips. "Do you have something to say?" she asked.

"Nothing at all," he said, smirking. Just wondering what you'd call snuggling and watching me sleep, that's all, he messaged her and glanced over out of the corner of his eye. Adaine's eyes widened and she turned bright red.

"Oh ugh, if you're gonna be all flirty over message spells like a couple middle schoolers who just learned a cantrip, I am out," Zayn said, rolling his eyes and laughing. "C'mon, Eddie boy, let's go."

"Hey, what about his eggs?" Riz called. Zayn blew a raspberry over his shoulder as he flew out the door, and Riz laughed.

"Don't think you're off the hook for teasing me," Adaine said, walking up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"What are you talking about?" Riz asked, in exactly the same tone as before. She playfully bit his neck and he laughed. "That's borderline," he cheerfully teased. She rubbed her forehead against him in apology. The kettle clicked off and she left him with a squeeze. He scooted the spatula around the pan and flipped a chunk of eggs over.

"How many scoops of coffee do you put in this thing?" she asked. He glanced over and she was examining the package of beans and the bottom of the press.

"The answer to that is more. But those are whole beans." She glanced around, spotted the grinder, and put down the beans to inspect it as well. "How about I show you?" he asked. Adaine sighed.

"You don't even have one of these things," she said. "I live here; you'd think I'd know how it works."

"Well, how often do you drink coffee instead of tea or one of those horrible energy drinks you, Kristen, and Gorgug lived on this summer?"

"I suppose. But I don't think you should be giving us shit about those, given that your blood is probably 10% coffee by volume at all times. They were practically medicinal at that point."

"How bad was the crash?" he asked, switching off the stove and dividing the eggs between two plates.

"Remember that first night I showed up at your place?"

"Yeah, you were in rough shape."

"That was probably fifty hours with no sleep or trancing."

"Oof. If you don't sleep at all, day three is when your sense of time gets fucked up."

"How did you even do that?"

"Caffeine and mental illness," he laughed, putting their plates on the table. "Here, eat while it's hot. I'll make coffee in a minute."

Adaine put the pot down and came over to sit next to him. "I stopped the energy drinks cold turkey and just kept going until I ran out of steam." Riz made a horrified face and hissed in sympathy. "Worked though," she sighed. He laughed around a mouthful of eggs and swallowed carefully. She glanced over her toast, her eyes amused and curious.

"Just—" he cleared his throat and grabbed a paper towel from the roll in the middle of the table. "That's actually pretty terrifying behavior in its own right."

She rolled her eyes, but shrugged. "What did you say? It's not crazy if it works?" He shook his head.

"It's not stupid if it works," he said, holding up a finger to emphasize the point. "Lots of stuff that works is completely crazy."

"If you have any say in the matter, anyway," she smirked. His eyebrows rose and he glanced over.

"Not much room to talk, Adaine."

She smiled at him and shook her head, then reached for a slice of orange. She held the flesh in her teeth to peel the crescent of rind off and wordlessly offered it to him. He accepted it with a small grunt of thanks.

"So I always mean to ask," she said. He nodded encouragingly, crunching his toast. "Shells, rinds, those things—do you actively like them, or do you just eat them to avoid being wasteful, or is it something cultural that I'm ignorant of?"

His eyebrows furrowed and he worked the giant bite of toast around his mouth thoughtfully. Riz swallowed, wiped crumbs, and rested his chin in a hand. "I've literally never once thought about it before," he said, staring into space.

She coughed, waving away his concern, and grinned. "Really? It must be obvious that none of the rest of us eat them."

"Sure, sometimes people are picky," he said.

"I wouldn't call not eating citrus rinds pickiness."

"It's all food," he shrugged. "S'just what you do."

"Citrus rinds are so bitter, though."

"Have you seen how I like my coffee?" he asked, wiping crumbs from the table and dusting them onto his empty plate. Riz popped a whole slice of orange into his mouth and shrugged again.

"But blueberry jam on pancakes, that's a strange choice," she said.

"Well yeah, some things are just weird," he said, softening his teasing by leaning over to kiss her cheek...just as Sandra Lynn and Jawbone walked in. His heart leapt into his throat and Adaine blushed furiously.

"Morning, guys!" Jawbone said, grinning widely. Sandra Lynn smirked, glancing back and forth between them and shaking her head. She headed to the fridge and grabbed some yogurt and frozen fruit.

Riz cleared his throat and sat back in his chair. He and Adaine exchanged matching panicked looks. The fuck do we do with this?

"Morning," Adaine said, carefully wiping her mouth and finishing her eggs. Apparently they were ignoring it until challenged on it. He could work with that.

"Surprised there's no coffee yet, Riz," Jawbone said, glancing over when he found the kettle full and still warm.

"Oh, uh, um," he cleared his throat again. Damn it. "I was going to show Adaine how to use your press after we were done eating. Cold eggs aren't as good, y'know," he shrugged, smiling awkwardly. He would happily face an entire fucking dragon right now if it meant he didn't have to endure another second of Jawbone's mildly cheerful expression.

"Ah, yeah. Hm. You going to take up coffee drinking, Adaine?" he asked, glancing at her curiously.

Oh no. The blush that had just started to fade from her roared back to life. "No," she answered, wiping crumbs from her lap and folding her napkin carefully. "Riz was making eggs for us, and I was going to help by starting coffee for him, but I realized I've never used it."

"Oh good," Jawbone said, "I'm glad. Mutual care is an important part of building a strong partnership."

Riz sighed and stacked their dirty plates up, carrying them to the sink. This was happening, apparently. Jawbone looked back and forth between them, smiling. Riz gathered the dishes from near the stove and tried to ignore him.

"Here, I'll show you how, Adaine, while he cleans up," Jawbone said, waving her over. She glanced at Riz, who shrugged and raised his eyebrows. Adaine sighed and headed over. Sandra Lynn gave her a reassuring pat on the back as she passed.

Jawbone demonstrated the grinder and measurements, giving Adaine a grounds to water ratio that was at least a third too weak for Riz's ideal, but she got the process down. Riz dried his hands and turned to find her smiling and holding a mug out to him, handle first. He accepted it, smiling up at her softly.

"Thanks," he said, quietly, taking a cautious sip.

"You're welcome," she said, leaning on the island. "Looked like about half the amount of grounds you used in whatever horror show you made for yourself and Gorgug last night, so I'm not sure how well it will clean battery contacts."

"It's great," he shrugged, desperately trying to forget that they had an audience who were trying to pretend they couldn't hear them.

"Stealth lesson until Kristen's ready to get to work?" she asked.

He nodded, rubbing his thumbs on the cup and trying to find his bearings. Adaine smiled and ran her hand through his hair. Sandra Lynn, who was at the sink cleaning the blender, made a short high pitched sound. Riz sighed and glanced at the conservatory. Adaine nodded. He grabbed his briefcase and they fled.

Riz dropped his briefcase in a chair and pressed his forehead to the cold glass of a storm window. Adaine closed the door and came up to wrap her arms warmly around him from behind, pressing close.

Is this ok? she messaged.

Yeah it's really nice, he answered, standing straight and leaning his head back against her chest. She kissed the top of his head and he took a drink of the coffee she'd made him.

"Well, that wasn't too bad," he sighed.

"I think Sandra Lynn might explode," Adaine laughed.

"Honestly, I'm just relieved that Jawbone didn't grab a banana and try to demonstrate how to use condoms like we're twelve. Happy squealing from moms thinking we're adorable, that I can handle."

"Kinda fucked up, but I think I might be more comfortable with the contraceptive demonstrations," she said, thoughtfully.

"Hey, that just means we can divide and conquer," Riz shrugged, taking a bigger drink of coffee.

"Was that optimism?" Adaine gasped.

"I would never."

"You're right, must have been hearing things."

"So," he smiled and finished his coffee, "you ready to practice walking?"

"Practice...walking." Adaine let go of him and stepped back. Riz turned to set his cup on a table and grabbed his hat and gloves from his briefcase.

"Yep," he grinned. "You're doing it wrong."

"Have you been watching me walk?" she asked.

"A little this morning, and it was your footsteps I was watching, not your ass, by the way, but mostly no."

"Then how do you know I'm doing it wrong?"

Riz looked backwards over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

"I can't be that loud," she protested.

"You can, and you are," he said as he opened the back door. "But we can fix it." She followed him down the steps into the open space of the backyard.

"Here, let me show you first," he said, gesturing with his mage hand to spread a carpet of dry leaves in a circle all around them. "Close your eyes and just listen. Really concentrate on trying to locate me by sound."

Adaine nodded, then settled and stood still with closed eyes, centering herself. Two breaths, then he walked normally to the edge of the circle. He changed his gait at the edge, walked around, then up behind her as silently as he could. Riz considered, then grinned, bracing himself.

"Boo," he stage whispered. She jumped and whirled. He easily ducked her flailing arms and popped back up, laughing.

"Shit," she gasped, pressing a hand to her stomach and bending over, trying to calm her racing heart. "Holy shit. I knew you could—but—shit," she laughed.

"That's why feet are important," he said.

"Damn," Adaine said, standing upright and shaking herself. "You didn't cast anything, did you?"

"Nope."

"Damn. I didn't hear anything after the first few steps you took."

Riz laughed. "So, watch me," he said, shaking his arms out. "Loose joints. Heels first. Slow is silent." She nodded, concentrating as she watched him. He felt himself blushing to be the recipient of such meticulous attention.

"Ok, try it with me," he said, exaggerating his movements to demonstrate.

Her steps crunched where his swished nearly silently, but she caught herself and adjusted carefully...still crunching. He wasn't sure how she was still making so much noise while paying such close attention to copying—oh. Riz stopped, chuckling, realizing what the problem was. Adaine scowled in frustration.

"I'm not laughing at you," he rushed to say. "I just realized, you're treating your movement like the somatic component of a spell."

She blinked, taken aback. "How...how else can I replicate the effect if I'm not precisely copying you?" she asked, full of confusion.

Riz nodded and sighed. "Yeah, that's the problem. It's not about precise copying, it's…" He rubbed his mouth, thinking. "It's about finding the way your body can move silently, using similar techniques."

She scowled harder. "How can I figure that out by watching someone with a completely different body?"

He shrugged. "Just how it works."

"Mm," Adaine grunted, crossing her arms. "This is going to take me a lot more time than I thought. I've got to figure out a whole new way of learning."

"Still want me to teach you?" Riz asked.

"Absolutely," she said. "This is so cool." He rubbed the back of his head with a laugh and looked down bashfully. She kissed his cheek, and he looked up. "Hate to break it to you," she shrugged, "but...you're kinda cool, Riz."

"Talk about surreal," he laughed.

"Ok, walk me through the principles again," she said, stepping back. "The idea is that a smooth movement, heel to toe, gives you control of where you put pressure, and gives you feedback on the surface you're on?"

"Yeah, you got it," he smiled, watching her stretch and move to get into her body. "Heel to toe is a beginner's guideline. It's really more about the confidence and smoothness of the movement. You've got to understand your body and how it works, how it moves, and respond to the environment."

"Not a ton of experience with that, but I can try," she said. He was struck with a sudden and specific memory of her understanding of her own body and his mouth went dry. Riz laughed and stuck his hands in his pockets, turning and taking a deep breath, grateful for the cool fall air.

"Okay," he said, turning back with a blush. "Let's see how you do this time."

Adaine flashed him a bright smile he couldn't help but return as she readied herself to try again.

Chapter Text

They headed back into the kitchen about an hour and a half later. Riz reached up, laughing, to pluck a couple stray leaf crumbs out of Adaine's hair.

"Still no idea how you could tell which pile I was in," she said.

"I don't know how you thought you were actually hidden," he said.

"What have you guys been up to?" Kristen asked from the table. She was finishing up cereal and a protein shake.

"There you are!" Adaine grinned, dropping down at the table across from her. "We figured you'd come looking for us before now. Riz has been teaching me stealth techniques, remember?" He turned away, smiling to himself as he poured the dregs of the coffee pot into his cup.

"Oh yeah," Kristen said, thoughtfully. Riz pretended to not be avoiding her gaze as he turned and leaned on the counter. She glanced from him to Adaine. "Do you really need something else to obsess over being perfect at, though?"

"It would just be nice to be able to escape easier when I'm out of spells, or to get closer without being detected," she said.

"You gonna multiclass?" Kristen asked. Riz turned to the sink and rolled up his sleeves to wash his cup. He tried his best to banish the mental image of Adaine throwing a knife from around cover and the knots it tied in his stomach.

"No, I don't wanna fight like a rogue," she said. "I prefer big strikes, not whittling enemies down. Still, you have to admit it would be useful not to have to drag me out of danger all the time, right?"

"Nah that's kind of my whole job," Kristen said, "even if sometimes battles can feel like babysitting."

"Hey!"

"It's fine, I said it's my job!" she laughed.

"Anyway, it'll be a long time before I'm any good at it," Adaine sighed.

"You're doing fine," Riz said, rolling his eyes and drying his hands. "You're a beginner, and you're already improving."

Adaine snorted dismissively.

"This is what I'm talking about," Kristen said, sticking her dishes in the washer. "You should have known better, Riz. She's almost as obsessive as you when she gets started on something."

"Have you ever tried to get between Adaine and something she wants?" he asked, shoving his hat and gloves into his briefcase.

"Oh man," Kristen grinned, "Blink twice if you need help, dude." Riz laughed.

"Damn it," Adaine sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Are you ready to go, or what?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you guys upstairs," Kristen said. "Just gotta grab my stuff."

Adaine turned a look of amused heat to him as Kristen left, then shook her head and headed to the bathroom. Riz took a second to savor the warm joy filling him, then headed upstairs. Kristen arrived next, plopping down and frowning at her crystal.

"Everything alright?" he asked. She looked up in guilty surprise.

"Oh, uh, yeah, yeah everything's fine." She shoved her crystal in her pocket and tapped her shin while they waited. Riz braced on his knee and narrowed his eyes. Something to do with Tracker or her brothers, if he had to guess. He let it be.

A bit later, Adaine trudged up the stairs with an irritated expression. Riz caught her eye in concern, and she shrugged at him with a dismissive shake of her head. She ducked into her room to grab her bag and came out carrying Boggy in her arms as well.

Riz let the others go first. The frisson of the portal spell passing over him set his teeth on edge, and the creaking of Leviathan was unnerving. At least it seemed quiet. He'd half expected to find it under siege without Ayda around, then he remembered it was also under Garthy's protection. He relaxed a bit.

"Rawlins?" Adaine called, to no answer. She paused and cast, extending her sight and looking around. "Oh, he's downstairs. Be right back."

She dropped her bag and Boggy on a table nearby and headed down. Kristen headed to the catalog near Ayda's desk, and Riz went over to make sure Boggy didn't try to eat anything important. He wondered why she hadn't grabbed his carrier. He ended up finding an ancient pack of sunflower seeds in his briefcase that he placed in a trail around the table to occupy him. Adaine returned when Boggy was a little over halfway through them and sighed.

"You're just encouraging him," she said.

"Better stale sunflower seeds than rare books and scrolls," Riz shrugged. "You let Rawlins know we're around so he doesn't raise the alarm?"

She nodded, sighed, and sat, scooping Boggy onto her lap and patting him on top of the head a few times. Riz brushed the sunflower seeds into his hand and tossed the rest out the window toward a flock of pigeons. Boggy settled with a small <<mrrrp>> and Adaine dug out her planner and pens to start going through her list.

"History's downstairs," Kristen said, dropping her bag heavily on the chair next to him. Riz jumped.

"Need some help searching?" he offered. "I've already got all the reference materials I need, I think."

"Yeah, sure," she said, ripping her list in half and handing a piece to him. "Grab anything around these that looks promising, too."

"Got it," he said, looking down the list. Adaine was already scanning through the shelves around them and checking scrolls. Her brow was furrowed, and she held Boggy tightly as she squatted to check a low shelf. Riz looked her over in concern.

You feeling okay? he messaged, as Kristen headed down the stairs. Adaine's face cleared slightly and she looked up in surprise. She smiled at him.

Yeah, I'm fine, she said. No need to worry.

Really fine? he asked, raising his eyebrows. You're not feeling panicky?

"Yes, I'm really fine," she sighed. "It's just period cramps. Boggy's a good heat pad."

Oh. Huh. Riz scanned back through his memories of the past year or so. "Okay, a few situations make a lot more sense now. I thought you only used him for emotional support."

She shook her head. "Yeah, sometimes, but not always." He sighed in sympathy and walked over to kiss the top of her head.

"Sorry you're not feeling well," he said. "Let me know if I can help."

"Thanks. I'm good. Used to it," she shrugged. Riz trailed his fingers through her hair and nodded.

"Alright, back in a bit," he said, looking down at his list. He didn't notice her soft smile that followed him to the stairs.

After a while they'd completely covered another table in various historical and religious texts, and Kristen moved over to start working her way through them. Riz settled across from Adaine and opened his briefcase. A small avalanche of paper and one of his boots slid out. He sighed. Time to clean it out tonight. Adaine looked up at the sound and laughed. He shoved his boot back inside.

"I thought you could color code things if you wanted to?" she asked, innocently.

"Clearly I don't want to," he shrugged, a wry smile teasing at his lips.

"It's a good thing, too," she said. He stuck his tongue out at her and she reached out to tap the bottom of his foot with her toe. He smiled, digging for the school bylaws and his campaign notebook. He wrinkled his forehead, suddenly wondering. He dug his crystal out—oh, good, yeah, Garthy had installed a tower, so they had decent reception here now. He wouldn't have to mess with the portal to use his crystal.

Kristen told you about the pbj event? he texted Fabian.

He flipped through the booklet, searching for student body presidential campaign regulations. The last thing they needed was Grix on their ass breaking it up. Although, since Kipperlilly had positioned herself as the pro-regulation and authority candidate, maybe a battle with Grix might help Kristen gain a reputation as a scrappy underdog. Of course if they destroyed him, that could really only draw supporters to their side. And it might mess up the Rat Grinders' plans, if they were working with him.

His crystal buzzed.

Yeah, sounds fine. When you wanna do it?

I was thinking post FrostyFaire. Gives us time to drum up interest

Okay, which day though? If you give me a list I can order a delivery to the school

Wednesday, and I'll get back to you with a supply list, k? Math, etc

sure

"Kristen, I'm thinking the week after the festival for the sandwich event," he said. "Wednesday."

"Ok. Why not Friday?"

"Too many things going on. You want people to remember it. Middle of the week gives 'em a few days lead time, then a few days to talk about it. Says in the bylaws you can use school resources to print campaign materials 'within reason,' so we should get posters and flyers out by the end of the week."

"Sounds good, lemme know what I need to do."

"Yep."

Riz flipped to a clean page and scratched out some quick calculations. He made a note to officially register the event on Monday. He'd also throw together a poster and get copies at school.

Something caught his eye as he closed the bylaws and he flipped back. Oh hell. His heartbeat raced. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and flipped to an empty page in his notebook. He started re-reading from the beginning of the section, then flipped to the previous section and read that. He read the relevant section a third time, carefully noting the timelines. Grix was certain to follow it precisely. Ok, we have...a couple weeks at least until it's permanent, if they don't find a replacement. Shit. Riz dropped his pen and his glasses and sat back in his chair with a resigned groan.

"Problem?" Adaine asked. He groaned louder and scrubbed his hands over his face. Dropped his hands, sighed at her, and frowned, nodding.

"Hey, Kristen, can you come over here for a sec?" he asked, resigned.

"I'm kinda...is it important?" she asked, distracted.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Yeah, it is." Adaine tucked a paperclip over the scroll she was referencing and set it aside to pay attention.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Wait for Kristen," he said, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head. Kristen grunted and he heard the shuffling of papers and chairs. She came over to lean on the table between them.

"Alright, what's the deal?" she asked, irritably. Riz turned the bylaws so they could both read them, tapping the section he'd just seen. It was titled "Mid-Year Staff Turnover Policy."

"If they don't hire a new cleric teacher, we've got three weeks max until all cleric students go pass/fail."

"Shit, what?" Kristen demanded, dropping into a chair and sliding the bylaws closer. Adaine scooted around and leaned forward to read as well.

"Why the fuck would this affect students," Adaine wondered aloud.

"Disincentive for murdering the teachers?" Riz suggested. "They have to keep control of hundreds of adventurers in training somehow." He shrugged and put his glasses on. "Either way, Grix is going to be hiring her replacement if no one can resurrect her. There's a week for resurrection, then two weeks turnaround for finding a new instructor. Even then, we better hope they honor the agreement Badgood made with you, otherwise we'll have to take the last stand."

"The hell is that?" Kristen asked, wide eyed. Adaine sighed and picked up the bylaws, flipping to the right page and holding it out to her.

"Exam and fight to the death with your whole adventuring party," she explained. "Ends when your whole party dies or, and this has never happened, you kill all the monsters sent after you. If you fail the exam, you fail the year. If you all die before you finish the exam, you fail the year. You do get a passing grade for the rest of the year if you pass the exam before your whole party dies. There's a cleric on standby to revive everyone at the end. That's been the best case scenario for every single party that's taken it in the history of Aguefort."

"But you guys can't—" Kristen looked back and forth between them.

"It's either that or break up the party," Riz said, "and I'm sure as hell not doing that."

"Me neither," Adaine said, frowning and shaking her head emphatically. Kristen dropped her head on her arms and sighed.

"Motherfucker."

Riz and Adaine exchanged glances over her head. Adaine reached out and squeezed her shoulder and wordlessly held out Boggy when she looked up. She accepted him and flopped back in her chair with a scowl. Boggy hopped around in a circle before settling. Kristen patted his head with a sigh.

"Are there even any qualified clerics in town, or will they have to look further afield?" Adaine wondered. She picked up the bylaws again to flip through. "Are there any exceptions if that's the case?"

"Not that I could find," Riz shrugged. "Honestly, Kristen, if you win, overhauling this shit," he gestured at the document in disgust, "should be the first thing, if you've got the power to do it. Why Aguef—" He suddenly sat up and tucked his feet under himself, scooting forward. "Shit. I need that back," he demanded, holding his hand out. Adaine looked up in surprise and handed it over. He tore through it.

"Any idea what he's on the trail of?" Kristen asked.

"No clue," Adaine shrugged. "Maybe powers granted to the student body president?" she ventured. Riz grabbed his pen and scrawled in his notebook without responding.

"We'll find out," Kristen sighed. "Here, take your heating pad back, you probably need him more than me, huh?" Adaine accepted Boggy back with a sigh. He settled into her lap with a small <<mloop.>>

"Why don't you just get a ward crystal?" Kristen asked. "It's so much better than dealing with that shit."

"I dunno, it's dumb, but I'm worried the ward crystal might interfere with my casting. Like, throw off the equilibrium of the power draw or get in the way somehow."

"Elves invented them, dude," Kristen said. "Like, a thousand years ago. This is proven magitech."

"I know," Adaine sighed. "I think I know just enough about the principles behind bio-alchemical abjuration that it makes me leery. And I know if it's not cast right it can be less effective, and there are rare cases of powerful casters accidentally interfering with their own, so I'm...I'm anxious."

"I definitely recommend it. Trust me, life is a breeze," Kristen shrugged. "It'll also be convenient if you find another hot dragonborn guy who isn't a creep."

Riz heard none of this, glaring at the section of the bylaws about the powers of the vice principal vs student body president. Why the fuck didn't they change that after we killed him​? Is it hard to change these? Is this some kind of magical pact or contract? He looked in the back for references and found nothing. Tapped his pen. Historical records. He'd have to look in the school library, but maybe Ayda had something stashed away. He went to look through the catalog.

Kristen laughed. "Adaine are you seriously blushing right now?"

"Shut up!"

"You are, what the hell!" Kristen leaned on the table grinning. "This is crazy, look even Riz isn't even freaked out, and he freaks out about everything."

Riz looked up at his name. "What?"

"Adaine's more freaked out about talking about periods than you are," Kristen told him, grinning.

"It wasn't periods—" Adaine protested, uselessly. Riz looked back and forth between them.

"You've kinda got a weird obsession with bodily functions lately, Kristen," he said. Adaine laughed and he flashed her a grin.

"Look this was relevant, I promise. Anyway, you're always freaked out about sex stuff, and boys are usually freaked out by periods in general, so I'm surprised you don't give a shit."

"I'm busy," he shrugged, writing down another note and closing the drawer. "And periods are only tangential to sex. And it's stupid to freak out about them more than any other weird thing bodies do. And I don't really have anything useful to say about the subject?" He glanced over in confusion. Adaine was smiling at him thoughtfully for some reason, and Kristen watched him speculatively. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he felt the urge to climb to higher ground.

"Okay...I want no part of whatever is going on here," Riz said, gesturing between them. He grabbed his notes, edged toward the stairs, and fled. Their laughter followed him, and he tuned out the rest of their conversation.

Whatever the fuck kind of terrifying psychic feminine energy shit they had going on was thankfully over by the time he got back. Both had settled back to their own work. Oh damn it, he just remembered Adaine's thought about who the new teacher might be. Not like it mattered that much, he supposed. There weren't any exceptions made if no qualified candidate was found.

More important issues at hand anyway. Why did the student body president have the power if the principal was incapacitated? It made sense when the vice principal was Kalvaxus but why hadn't the rules been changed? Was the problem that they couldn't be? Why would that be​? What the fuck were the school bylaws and why did they suck? It really felt like there was something here he should look into, but it would have to wait. He'd found a few books on the history of Solace and Aguefort's connection to Elmville, and a copy of Aguefort's autobiography, and noted them in Ayda's records as being checked out. He stuck them in his briefcase for later.

"You find what you were chasing?" Adaine asked.

"Some of it," he said. "The bylaws haven't been updated since we killed Kalvaxus, so the vice principal doesn't have many powers. In the event the principal is incapacitated, most of the powers pass to the student body president."

She nodded. "Yeah, that's probably why Cottoncandy Catsick wants it. The only question is what the hell does she want to do with it?" Adaine leaned back and crossed her arms.

"Still gotta narrow that down," he sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "This depends on if the Rat Grinders are victims or cultists, too. Didn't find anything useful about why the bylaws weren't changed, either. Too many damn unknowns." Riz laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed.

"Didn't you notice your name mentioned in her file, when you snooped?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"Well, even if she is warped by the rage god, that means she was probably already obsessed with you beforehand," she hummed thoughtfully, and he looked over. He loved the aimlessly graceful way she tapped her fingers on her elbow while she considered an idea. "Our party has always been pretty insular. We're close knit, and that's a strength, but we also kind of miss out on what else is going on. In addition to you swiping the files, we should investigate the rumor mill."

Riz sighed and nodded. "She's better at that than me," he said. "One of the few things—and I'm not just saying that—but if there's anything, it's that. I can get secrets methodically, but I think Kipperlilly...I'm not sure what she does."

"She's a cute little blonde girl is what she does. At least some of the time."

"What?"

Adaine raised an eyebrow, then closed her eyes with a centering breath. She opened huge pleading eyes and her mouth and chin seemed to shrink. She blinked slowly and softly said, "I know it's technically against the rules, but I was just really hoping that I could let my friend know what her score was too, since she's home sick today."

"What the fuck is happening right now?"

Kristen laughed behind him. "He's immune to puppy eyes? Holy shit dude, that is power." Adaine laughed.

"What?" he asked. "And aren't you supposed to be looking up the history of the rage god?"

"I can't take a break? Anyway, who can work with you two yammering?" Kristen came over and dropped down beside them. "Adaine's right. Clipperfucker has an advantage you don't in that department."

"I don't know, I think Riz could learn to use charm to his advantage," Adaine said, speculatively. He shot her a look and the dimpled smirk he got in response made his stomach flutter. He curled the warmth in his chest into a ball and secreted it away.

"Must we?" he sighed.

"Look, maybe, he's sweet and he's got like, a nice soft butch thing going on, so I could see it, but will he?" Kristen said. "No. So it's a moot point."

"What the fuck is happening right now?"

"I'm telling you, you could pull lesbians, man. Neither you or they would be happy about it afterwards, but the first step would work. Just, y'know, information." Kristen grinned at him.

Adaine laid on her arms snickering. Riz rolled his eyes and ignored them both.

"Ok so, sure, Kipperlilly can be all cute at people to get them to do what she wants, fine, but even accounting for that, she's focused on it in ways I haven't. Fighting and battlefield casting are more important to me," he shrugged. "I could beat her in a fight, but when it comes to snooping, in a race, she'd probably find shit out before I did. Whether she'd figure out a puzzle or break into somewhere faster, I couldn't say."

"Bet on you any day," Adaine said. He flashed her a soft smile.

"Thanks. But all that is to say, I'm not the one we should lean on here," he said, digging his crystal out and calling Fabian on speaker.

"The Ball! What's up?"

"Can you head over to Mordred? Just thought of a way you can help on our project. We're up in the library."

"Yeah, in a while. I'm helping Gorgug load his present into his van. Hey, how the hell are we gonna get yours to your place?"

"Oh, uh, could it stay there for now? I can come by and load up my briefcase every once in a while. I'll ask Gorgug if he can help me bring it over some time next week? If that's alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Not in my way. I'll be over in about...less than an hour?"

"Sounds good. Bye."

"Let's break for lunch?" Adaine suggested.

"Yeah, alright," Riz agreed, dropping his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "I can work on that enchanting research I need to do when we get back."

"Yeah, I'm at a decent break point, too," Kristen said.

"I'll tell Rawlins we'll be back and to leave our stuff," Adaine said, standing up and stretching. She picked up her jacket and dismissed Boggy with a pat. Riz gathered his notes and scratched out a reminder about investigating the origins and possible arcane structure of the school bylaws. Kristen went over to roll up and stow some scrolls she'd already read and put them aside.

"I found some records that reference even older ones," she said, "Ruvina's a goddess of winter, related to death and peaceful repose, right? She has siblings from the other seasons. Her summer sibling is only referenced obliquely."

"Sounds promising," Riz said. "Any other details about what happened? Or the connection to Cassandra​?"

"Not yet," she sighed. "I found some other stuff that's in old elvish that I think is about Cassandra, from before she was the Nightmare King."

"Maybe Adaine can help?" he wondered.

"Yeah, I hope so."

"What are you volunteering me for?" Adaine asked as she came back up.

"Translating religious texts from ancient elvish," he said.

"Aw, you shouldn't have!" she said, ruffling his hair.

"He didn't," Kristen said. "It's all me, he's just taking credit." Riz smiled and grabbed his briefcase to take with him. They headed through the portal and down the stairs.

"We're coming right back," Adaine said, glancing down at his briefcase and back up to him.

"Eh, feel naked without it," he shrugged.

"I think he keeps bodies in there," Kristen said in a stage whisper.

"Why would I need to bother with that?" Riz scoffed. Adaine smirked sidelong at him and shook her head.

They were still in the kitchen when Fabian arrived, Adaine and Kristen at the table finishing their sandwiches and Riz perched on the island drinking his fourth cup of coffee of the day.

"You never sent me those numbers," Fabian said, pointing at Riz as he entered. He grabbed an apple and took a huge bite before throwing himself into a chair at the table.

"Oh, damn, yeah, I'll do that," he said, digging out his crystal. He turned to his briefcase and shuffled through, pulling out his notes and sending the order information over.

"—and I said that we should see what the rumor mill says about Cookiecutter and Riz," Adaine was saying, pouring from the kettle into a travel mug. The scent of herbal tea wafted from it.

"So Riz called you, since you're the pretty one," Kristen said, cleaning their dishes. Riz snorted, closing his briefcase and picking his mug back up.

"Not my words, but sure."

"You don't think I'm pretty?" Fabian asked, affecting a dramatically heartbroken pose. He tossed over his apple core and Riz snatched it, laughing.

"I think you think you're pretty," he said through his crunching, "and so do a bunch of other people. More importantly, you're friendly and likable, traits our party rogue, sadly, lacks."

"I think you're plenty likable," Adaine said, sitting on the stool he'd braced his feet on. Riz smiled and ate the rest of the apple core, repressing the urge to lean forward to kiss her head. He finished his coffee and hopped down, secretly trailing his hand down her back as he did.

"Well yeah, of course you like him, Adaine. You two are the scariest ones on the team," Kristen said. "I'm pretty sure all the freshmen are terrified of you both."

"No way," Riz said, stashing his cup in the dishwasher. "I helped Bucky's party just the other day, and they seemed fine. I even gave their rogue a pep talk that I thought helped her."

"The way I heard it," Fabian said, tilting his chair back on two legs, "you sicced Grix on them for your own nefarious purposes and then threatened to eat them like you did Goldenrod."

"Are you serious?" Riz yelled. "Those little fuckers, I apologized like three times! I accidentally got his attention from cover when they were passing and he blamed them, so I had to scoot them out the cafeteria doors. That's what really happened!"

"Bucky hasn't said anything about it, if it makes you feel better," Kristen said.

"A little, honestly. Damn it. I knew I shouldn't have admitted I ate part of that damn dragon. Which Bucky brought up, by the way, not me. Is their rogue…" he rubbed his mouth and paced, "seemed fine when I left them at the forest, told her she was doing well...maybe she's still mad that I told her the rope trick wouldn't work? What's going on? Maybe someone is distorting rumors, but why would they bother…"

Adaine watched him, then turned to Fabian and held her hand out toward Riz. "So, this is why we need you to try to find out what's going on with the Rat Grinders and why they hate us, and how long they have. And also what Kettlefuck's problem is."

"Yeah, I can check it out," Fabian agreed easily, "but I'll give you my theory right now: Kipperlittle's got the hots for The Ball and she's insulted because he doesn't give a fuck."

"Oh," Kristen gasped. "Yeah, I could see that." Adaine hid her scowl with a sip of tea and glanced over at Riz, who was still pacing and muttering.

"Maybe," Adaine said. "It could explain a few things. Or maybe it's a one-sided rivalry? But either way, how pathetic do you have to be to carry a crush or grudge for someone who barely knows you exist for more than two years?" Fabian tilted his head and raised an artful eyebrow.

"Pathetic enough to spend your time stomping rats instead of literally anything else?" he suggested.

"Damn." Adaine sighed. "Yeah, can't argue that point."

"Hey Riz!" Kristen called, snapping him out of it. Riz looked up. "Fabian thinks Kibblebutter wants to get in your pants. Thoughts?"

"Fuck, I hope not," he recoiled, looking rattled. "For real?" he asked Fabian, who shrugged.

"Makes sense to me. I think she wants to either kill you or fuck you, or maybe some combination of both." Riz hopped up onto the stool next to Adaine, curling around his knees.

"Don't like that at all," he said. Adaine reached over to rub his back. He shuddered and scooted a little closer to her.

"So, I know the answer to this question, but it fascinates me," Fabian said, pursing his lips. "Which would be the worse outcome for you?"

Riz flipped him off. Adaine glared at Fabian, who raised his hands in surrender and stood. He scooted the chair back in and put his hands on his hips. "Alright, that all you guys need from me?" he asked.

"Can you read five thousand year old elvish?" Kristen asked.

"Absolutely not."

"Then I think that's it," she said.

"Cool," he nodded, then walked over and grabbed Riz's arms and looked him in the eye. Riz glared. Fabian smiled. "Don't worry man, we got your back." He gave him a kiss on the forehead and clapped his shoulder. Riz grumbled, slightly appeased, and snuggled down further into his knees.

"See you guys tomorrow!" Fabian called as he swept out.

"He's such a strange combination of sweetheart and complete jerk," Adaine sighed, shaking her head. Riz sighed and nodded.

"Ever think we should call ourselves the Weird Kids instead?" Kristen asked.

"Too close to home," Riz said, unfolding and shaking himself. Adaine patted his back and stood.

"Back to work, guys," she said.

They decided to stash the ancient elvish texts for later and Kristen moved on to more information about giant history. Adaine went back to studying legend lore.

Riz dug into the theoretical foundations of enchantment magic, taking pages of notes and not feeling any more confident in his abilities. He had to learn a new spell from the school by the new year break, anything, even a cantrip, and it wasn't working. He thought he'd try a small psychic strike, but it just didn't feel right. He could persuade people with words and facts, but maybe the problem was something about magically warping their minds. It didn't make sense, because what's the difference between shooting a spell at someone or shooting a gun at them? The spell wouldn't even be as powerful! This block was so dumb.

He sighed. That was probably unnecessarily mean to himself. Damn it.

"Okay, show me what you're working on," Adaine said, dragging a chair over next to him and nudging him to scoot his over. He looked up in surprise.

"Aren't you working on legend—"

"Not with you having a conniption over here I'm not," she chuckled, finishing her tea. She reached over to put her cup back on her side of the table.

"Oh, sorry, I can work somewhere else," he said.

"I said I'd help, didn't I? What are you working on?"

He sighed and scooted his chair over to make room for her. Adaine sat down next to him, folding one leg under herself.

"Enchantment sucks and it doesn't make sense that I hate it, because I don't have any natural arcane affinity. I've got to learn each spell painstakingly, step by step. It shouldn't make a difference what kind it is."

Adaine scoffed. "That's like saying every berry is a berry, so you shouldn't have a flavor preference."

Riz blinked at her.

"You would absolutely say that, wouldn't you. Damn it, Riz," she chuckled, rubbing her forehead. "Why do you think wizards pick schools to concentrate on?" Adaine suppressed a smile and spoke slowly. "What you're experiencing right now is called a preference."

He rolled his eyes.

"Why enchantment?" she asked.

"Gotta learn something from the school by the end of the semester," he sighed. Adaine considered him.

"Which one were you thinking?"

"Mind sliver," he shrugged. She wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips, shaking her head. "What's wrong with that spell?" he asked.

"Nothing, it just doesn't work for you. Your style is more...hm." Adaine leaned an arm over the back of her chair and thought. "Vicious mockery or silvery barbs," she said, finally. Huh. He flipped through his book.

"Vicious mockery is more your style, I think," he said.

"I don't know, have you heard the shit you yell in fights?" she asked.

"I think silvery barbs will work better, because most of the time it's yelling tactical shit about how we should actually kill the people who are trying to kill us, damn it."

"Kill, maim, dismember, ingest…" she chuckled.

"One. Time. And he killed my dad."

"Gorgug told me you threatened to eat his fingers the other day."

"He let me land in a pothole! Head first! After promising to catch me!"

"Not the argument you think it is."

Riz sighed and shook his head, smiling despite himself.

I love you, he messaged her. She blushed and smiled, then glanced over. Kristen was turned away from them, so Adaine left a quick peck on his lips. His eyes lit up and he blushed, grinning. She rested her arm across the back of his chair and scooted closer.

"Alright, so go to the spell's diagram and show me how you're drawing power," she said, trailing her hand into his hair, then resting it on his shoulder.

He squeezed her knee with a smile and turned back to his work more relaxed.

They worked until late afternoon Elmville time, which was into twilight on Leviathan. Kristen bailed as the light started to go, taking the ancient elven books and scrolls with her. Rawlins made his way up with a lantern and a long-suffering grumble to gather the rest of the materials and headed back down, taking his light with him.

Riz stretched in the quiet darkness and put his things away. Adaine had gone back to her own project a while back. With her help, he was already well into learning what he needed to, and he'd just have to write up the process and theory behind it. He watched her while she scanned through the scroll, gesturing and mouthing words a few different ways, soft blue surrounding her each time. After a few tries, she'd make a note and move down. Her eyes flicked softly back and forth and her forehead wrinkled in concentration. Occasionally she'd tilt her head and lick her lips before a thought would widen her eyes and she'd make another note.

He'd watch her all night if he could.

"Hey," he said softly. "It's getting dark." She looked up, then around in surprise.

"Oh. Wow. Yeah, it is," she said. "Guess it's time to head home, huh?"

"Yeah. I should head home as well," he sighed.

She nodded with a sad smile. Riz stood and walked around the table toward her, and her smile brightened as he got closer. Adaine stood, casting floating lights above them. He blinked, adjusting to the light and smiled up at her.

"Thanks," he said, scooting closer.

Adaine smiled and took his hand, and he wrapped both arms around her waist, pulling her close. She buried her face in his hair with a happy sigh.

"I already miss you and you're not even gone yet," she said.

"Lunch tomorrow?" he asked. She nodded against him. "Good. There will probably be some chaos from the bodies being found, and we can strategize in private if you set up a link for everyone."

"You're never not working, huh?" she asked.

"Not really, sorry," he shrugged. Her breath puffed through his hair and she gently shook her head.

"Wouldn't be you without it," she said.

His heart clenched and he reached up to pull her down into a kiss. He didn't even bother to say it, because I love you rang through her words clear as day anyway. A beat later, he heard the door to Mordred open and felt anxiety spark in his gut, but not enough to stop him from kissing her. Fuck it. If this is how they found out, this is how they found out. Adaine seemed to feel the same, just cupping his cheek and taking her time softening their kiss. He let his hand slide from her neck and met her soft smile with one of his own. Whoever it was could wait their fucking turn.

Jawbone cleared his throat. Hell. That was somehow the worst option.

Riz blushed to the tips of his ears and leaned on the table, crossing his arms uncomfortably. Adaine managed much better, just picking up her bag and saying, "Hey, we were just heading back. What's up?"

Jawbone was silent for a second, presumably considering the both of them, but Riz couldn't bring himself to look up and see.

"I've gotta run to the store before dinner, and I thought I'd offer Riz a ride home while I'm out," he said. "You about ready?"

"Oh, uh," he forced himself to look up. Jawbone's face held, at most, slight amusement. Riz felt his hackles settle down slightly. "Thanks, Jawbone. Sure."

"Alright, I'm gonna head out in about five minutes. Meet you outside."

"Sounds good," he nodded, reaching over to grab his briefcase.

Jawbone let the door swing shut behind him, and Riz felt himself deflate a little in relief. He sighed and sent a quick text to his mom to let her know he'd be on his way soon.

"Why are you so embarrassed?" Adaine asked him. "Jawbone knew before we did. It's not like Kristen caught us. She'd call everyone over for an emergency meeting and we'd never hear the end of it." Riz shrugged and nodded, acknowledging the point.

"Just need practice, I guess," he sighed, heading for the door.

"At getting caught kissing me?" she giggled.

"Honestly, kinda? I just mean I'm not used to how everything feels. Still new."

"I can understand that," she said.

"Have everything you need?"

"Yeah, my stuff and both spell scrolls. Kristen got the stuff in ancient elvish, so I'm good."

"Both spells?" he asked, stepping through to Mordred and long afternoon sunlight.

"Legend lore and teleport," she said. "I told you, I am learning that damn spell."

A blush rose up his cheeks and his jaw dropped. "Isn't that going to take weeks of work?"

"Worth it," she shrugged. "Just a sec, I'll walk you down." Adaine stashed her things in her room and held out her hand when she came back out. He linked their hands together and her thumb brushed his, fiddling with his ring. The one he'd left on last night. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and he blushed again, harder.

I love that you're usually too distracted to blush in the heat of the moment, she sent, but as soon as there's a second to reflect, you light up like a beacon.

He smiled and squeezed her hand. The thinking part seems to be in charge of embarrassment, and the wanting part is always in charge when...moments are heated. Adaine smiled back.

I was happy you texted me the other night, she sent, a little hesitantly. He sighed happily. Maybe on nights we're apart—

Absolutely. If it turns out Kipperlilly is monitoring our texts, fuck it. We're only talking about personal stuff. And like you said, if someone comes for one of us, they come for all of us.

Not afraid she'll threaten to tell the whole school about how you feel about me punching people? Her amusement came through, and Riz smiled.

No. Besides, there's no way I'm alone in thinking you're hot when you're pissed off, he teased. Might start a support group.

Adaine chuckled. You would not. You'd climb into the ceilings and hiss at everyone who looked at you funny.

Well, yeah, sure, but the point is it's not like that's anything to be embarrassed by. I just don't like to be noticed, in general.

Does make stealth harder, I suppose.

Probably also insecurity, he sighed. She rubbed his thumb again.

If our relationship became a topic of gossip, I'm pretty sure I could start a support group, too.

What, for people dating weird little guys?

No, for all the people who think you're hot. Adaine sounded actually serious, and Riz laughed hard. The sound drew Fig's attention from the living room, where she was noodling on her bass.

"Hey guys!" she called. "Finally breaking for dinner?"

"Riz is heading home, actually," Adaine said. He'd dropped her hand and was rubbing tears from his eyes and sighing.

"What's so funny?" Fig asked.

"Long story, and not that funny if you weren't there," Adaine said, rolling her eyes. "Be right back." She grabbed Riz by the elbow and dragged him out the front door. "I don't know why you're laughing," she said. "I heard like, four different people at Fabian's party talk about how cute but oblivious to flirting you were."

"Oh come on, people weren't flirting with me at that party!"

"They thought they were," she said.

"Why?"

Adaine laughed and turned him to face her. "Seriously?"

"Yes…?"

"The same reason anyone flirts with someone, you idiot."

"Hey, why can you be mean to me if I'm not supposed to be mean to myself?"

"This isn't an insult, it's an objective description at this point."

"You just enjoy bullying me, don't you?" he sighed.

Adaine rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. Among other things, she sent. Then, aloud, "I'll see you tomorrow." She turned and headed inside, with a final smile over her shoulder. He watched her until the door closed.

"You coming, bud?" Jawbone called out of the van window, barely repressing laughter. Riz shook his head and climbed in.

"Yeah, um, thanks for the ride."

"No problem!" Jawbone said cheerfully. "Gives us a chance to talk."

Riz sighed and nodded. "Knew it was a trap."

"Aw, don't be like that," he said. "I'm not going to lecture you or embarrass you. You've got good resources and information. You're welcome, by the way. I'm happy to help. You guys will be fine."

"Oh. Um. Then, uh, what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, I do want to talk about you dating Adaine, I just didn't want you to freak out about it."

Riz groaned.

"Just indulge a guy trying to pass on some hard earned wisdom, okay?"

"Alright," he sighed, pinching his nose and bracing himself.

"Thank you. First: privacy is fine, but keeping a relationship a secret from people in your life can foster the feeling that it's something to be ashamed of. Keep that in mind."

Riz dropped his hand and glanced over in surprise. "We're...I mean, we're not hiding it, we just wanted to…we're just..." he trailed off thoughtfully.

"Like I said, privacy is fine. Just keep in mind that...well, our feelings about situations come from how we actually behave in those situations, and not how we try to force ourselves to feel about them. It can be hard to recover when you accidentally reinforce a feeling you never wanted in the first place."

"Yeah. Hm. That's...yeah, I hadn't thought about it that way. I don't know if she has, but it's...thanks, that's a good point."

"You're welcome. Next one: you're gonna fight. There's no avoiding it."

"Um...ok?"

"That's it," he shrugged. "There's nothing particularly special about resolving fights with your partners that's different from others. Respectful communication, listening, admitting your mistakes, finding common ground, all those things are important then, too."

"Alright, I guess?" Riz ventured.

Jawbone glanced over sidelong. "I've just noticed that a lot of young couples seem surprised when they first argue, and act like it's a sign of fundamental incompatibility or something, when it's not. I mean, sure, sometimes they are fundamentally incompatible and are fighting about that point of disconnect, but most of the time it's just the same dumb shit people always fight about," he shrugged. "But when you fight with someone who's seen you naked, they really know how to twist the knife." Riz sputtered a laugh.

"Uh, yeah, I can see how that...yeah. I'll keep it in mind."

"Good. You're both, uh. Let's say, passionate and opinionated? So I didn't think it would be a surprise exactly, but I felt it was worth mentioning."

Riz nodded, watching the sails of Seacaster manor grow larger in the distance.

"I'm honestly a little surprised—grateful, but surprised—that you didn't launch into a discussion about sex. It seems like that's always the primary focus for anyone talking to teenagers about relationships."

"Do you need to discuss that?"

"No."

"I also figure that's probably the topic you're most informed about, whether you want to be or not," Jawbone smiled. Riz snorted. "I told this to Adaine already, but if you need anything, you can always come to me or Sandra Lynn, no questions asked. You know about the cupboard. We keep it stocked. Got one right outside my office at school, too."

"Yeah, uh, thanks." Riz cleared his throat. "Um, why...uh, why aren't you…"

"Trying to discourage teenagers from sex?" he laughed. "Because I'm a realist, man. It'd be like trying to drain the ocean. A little over a week ago, I didn't get a single whiff from of either of you, and now you're absolutely covered in each other's pheromones."

Riz blushed and stared wide eyed.

"Werewolf." He tapped his nose and shrugged.

"Shit, uh. I uh...um."

Jawbone laughed and shook his head. "As long as you're both happy and communicating with each other, there's nothing wrong with it. Just like there's no rush to do anything, there's no morality to abstaining from anything, as long as everyone involved is consenting."

"Yeah, we're, uh, we're fine. We've talked, a lot."

"That's a good start. The thing is," Jawbone said, considering his words. He sighed through his nose and sucked his teeth as he thought. Riz had absolutely no idea where this was going, but waited with a sudden nervous tension. He drummed awkwardly on the edge of his briefcase.

Jawbone sighed. "I'll be real. You and Adaine? I'm rooting for you kids. You two are really the ones I owe for...well, for everything. I'm well aware of it."

"How do you mean we're…? You don't owe us anything," Riz said, staring in confusion. "You've turned things around yourself, and helped us at the same time."

Jawbone glanced over skeptically. "When I got hit with that spell and lost control, I might have killed Adaine. She might have killed me. When I came out of it and y'all surrounded me, you might have killed me then, too, but you didn't. And I mean you specifically, Riz. I've seen some shit in my day, so don't think I am not well aware that out of all of your friends, you are the most dangerous."

Riz shrugged and looked away, not sure what to say to that.

"I don't mean it as an insult or a compliment, so don't start spinning those wheels," Jawbone chuckled. "I just mean that you assess threats and eliminate them hard. You make the call and you stand by it. It takes conviction, and to keep from misusing it, a strong sense of justice."

Riz glanced back over, but stayed silent. A guilty knot formed in the center of his chest.

"What you did, and again, I mean you specifically, was tell me about a job opening at your school, even though most of your friends were saying some variation of no what the hell, don't tell this crusty ass werewolf about that, he almost ate Adaine, what the fuck man."

"It was me who told you, really?" Riz asked. He crossed his arms and looked up, trying to remember and coming up blank. All he really remembered of the battle was chaos and adrenaline. Adaine pale and shaken, yelling at Jawbone who cowered apologetically. Then they'd...snuck off through the alley? What else had happened then? Was that before or after… "We've had a lot of battles in the past couple years," he sighed, rubbing his forehead. "It's hard to keep everything straight."

Jawbone nodded as he pulled into the Strongtower parking lot.

"Well, I haven't, and I can remember it clear as day. Adaine pissed as hell, understandably. Kristen trying to heal everyone. Fabian blustering, Fig checking in with everyone. Gorgug in the back trying to shrink down half his size. And you right in the middle, covered in zombie goo, cutting through all the bullshit. You didn't see me as a threat, which I wasn't, but anyone else would have. It was the first step I needed."

"I...uh. Wow, Jawbone, um, you're welcome? I'm just...I was just a kid," Riz shrugged. "I think it was probably luck that it was you rather than any good judgment on my part."

"I don't know," Jawbone sighed, parking and turning to him. "but, I do know you're good kids, all of you. You've taken a lot of bad out of the world and put more good into it than most people do their whole lives. I mean that. You don't have to be worried I'm going to do some crazy overprotective bullshit. You've earned a lot of trust."

Well, fuck. The knot of guilt in his chest pulled tighter, trying to close up his throat. Riz sighed, trying to relax enough to say something in response.

"If I fuck up, I'm pretty sure Adaine and her sister will get to me before you do, anyway," he said, trying to smile and hoping it just looked nervous.

Jawbone laughed and reached over to pat him on the back. "Have a good night, Riz."

"Yeah, you too," he said, sliding out. "Thanks again for the ride. And the advice."

"Any time, bud." They exchanged waves and Riz closed the door, turning away as the guilty knot unraveled into fiery ropes that snaked through his chest.

They needed the information in Kipperlilly's file. Back at the beginning of the year, he could admit he was just being nosy. Now the stakes were so high. If he could figure out when or if the Rat Grinders had become followers of the rage god, and if it was willing or not, he could find out who was behind it. If he could figure out who was behind it, he could figure out who else they'd enthralled, keep it from happening to more people, and stop them.

If he needed to get Jawbone's opinion of him a little tarnished to do all that, he'd do it. Not doing what he could to help would be an even deeper mark on his soul in the long run. Didn't really make him feel any better right now, though.

Chapter Text

Riz made it up to his apartment on autopilot. He shook himself and unlocked the door, trying to put on an expression that wouldn't draw too many worried questions from his mom. He opened the door to a delicious smell that immediately took care of his expression. He dropped his briefcase and detoured to the kitchen, where a pot simmered and bubbled on low heat. He grabbed the ladle and gave it a stir before taking a careful sip. The scent opened his sinuses and a sweet burn hit the back of his throat. It felt like years since his mom had made goulash. It might actually have been. He scooped a mushroom out with the ladle and carefully balanced it in his teeth to keep from scalding himself. His mom caught him as she came in, laughing and shaking her head. 

"You're gonna burn yourself, and it's not done yet anyway." 

"I don't really care about either of those things," he said, scooping up more soup and a chunk of half cooked potato. She rolled her eyes and came over to take the ladle from him. 

"It'll be done in a couple hours. Get a snack if you're hungry. And go put away your weapons and wash your hands for goodness sake." 

Riz hugged her tight. "Thanks for cooking, mom."

"You're welcome," she said, patting his back and letting him go to shoo him out. She grinned. "Had to make sure I remembered how if I'm gonna teach you your favorites."

He blinked in confusion before remembering. A fresh knot of guilt started up in his chest. He'd already forgotten her plan. Riz grabbed his case and headed to his room. Mentally keeping track of everything was getting harder. He'd have to come up with a better system than sporadic to do lists. 

He tossed his briefcase to his bed and took off his gear. He left on his watch and rings, but stored everything else. He kicked off his shoes and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, then turned to his briefcase. Riz sighed and sat in the middle of his floor to clean the damn thing out. 

His mom found him there an hour and a half later. At some point, he'd left to get a few garbage bags, one of which was now full. The second was half full of even more junk. He knelt on the floor with the top half of his body fully in the briefcase while he rummaged around. 

"I knew I still had these damn things!" he cried. A bundle of rolled papers wrapped in leather cords and straps shoved out of the opening next to him and he grunted as he dragged them and a stack of battered journals out. He stashed them near the pile of books and scrolls in front of his dresser and sighed. He wiped his dusty hands on his pants and his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand.

"Please tell me you don't have more crap in that thing," his mom said, leaning on his door frame. 

"There's a few drifts of paper and a disturbing amount of food crumbs, but that's pretty much it," he nodded. "Gonna just take the rest out to the dumpster and shake it out."

She shook her head. "Well, food's about done if you're hungry," she said, "and I'm at a good point to take a break if you wanna eat together."

Riz hopped up. "Yeah, lemme wash, uh," he held up his arms and looked down at the filthy streaks on his shirt and laughed. "Lemme...change shirts and wash as much of myself as I can without showering." 

"Alright," she chuckled, heading off to the kitchen. 

A little while later and much cleaner, Riz padded into the kitchen, shoving up his sweater sleeves. It smelled even better in here now. He closed his eyes, happily inhaling. A memory from a lifetime ago surfaced. He was eight? Almost nine. It was one of his last memories of his dad...before, and he'd tried his best to keep as many details as he could.

His dad making flatbread on the stove and his mom stirring a pot next to him, saying… something about… the words were gone, but she was smiling at his dad the way she never did anymore. Then his dad turned to catch him just as he stole a piece from the stack. Dad laughed with a giant smile and reached out to hug his shoulders tight. He looked over to Mom and said, "See, Riz agrees. It's just not the same without em, right, buddy?" Spicy smells and safety and salty bread, oily, crisp, and hot between his teeth. After...Mom still made goulash, sometimes, but she never made bread with it anymore, and he never asked.

His senses brought his mind back to the present, but he'd swear he could still smell the hot oil. Riz sighed happily. Then his ears caught up as well, telling him about a quiet sizzling he hadn't noticed. No. 

His eyes flew open. They saw a stack of golden circles piled up on a plate, and his mom flipping the last one over in the pan.

"Mom," he whispered, swallowing around a lump in his throat. She smiled over her shoulder at him and blinked a few times, taking a deep breath and nodding. 

"Like I said, gotta make sure I remember how to make your favorites if I'm going to teach you how to make them."

"Mom, I…" his voice wobbled and she frowned as she turned off the stove and slid the last piece onto the stack. 

"Don't you start, or I'll—" she cleared her throat, but a sniffle escaped her. 

Riz blinked and tears poured down his face. He couldn't wipe them fast enough to keep her from seeing, and somehow his mom's expression when she saw him crying opened the floodgates. She hopped up to sit on the counter to reach him properly, and the fleeting moment of embarrassment vanished when she cradled his head on her shoulder and shushed him. Riz clung to his mom and wept messily into her shirt while she carded her fingers through his hair and rubbed his back. He heard her breath shaking as well, and felt some of her tears dripping onto his hair.

"I know," she whispered. "I know. It's okay. It's good to cry, it means it's important." Her torso gently rocked as she soothed him. 

"But I'm happy that you made—" he cut off in a sob. 

"Feelings are complicated, baby," she said, petting his hair. "It's okay. I miss him so much, I'm so sorry I never—" she took in a deep breath and let it out slow. "I'm sorry I never talked about...about his work, or about—"

Riz nodded, then laughed through his tears. "I mean, I do get that it's not the best idea to tell an obsessive little kid that his dad's a secret agent." 

She laughed and hugged him tight, kissing his hair. "They're gonna get cold," she said. "You know they're better fresh off the heat." Riz nodded and squeezed his mom once more before letting her go and grabbing a paper towel to wipe his face. She followed suit. 

The first bite brought his tears back, and he had to lean on the counter to recover. 

"It's the same as he—" his voice broke for the first time in over a year. Riz swallowed and took another bite while more tears streamed down his cheeks. 

"Yeah, it's...it's actually your dad's grandmother's recipe. Same as he always made. He modified it a bit, and wrote down his changes. Here." Sklonda scooted a small box from behind the plate of bread and pulled out a recipe card, handing it over to him. A recipe written in Goblin, in old ink, with a reed or quill. It was in a thin careful hand he didn't recognize. His dad's handwriting, in pencil, carefully crossing out and adjusting measurements and ingredients. Riz looked back up at his mom, wide eyed. She nodded. "That's your great grandmother's handwriting. She gave a stack of recipe cards to his parents when they moved to the city from the mountains, and your dad kept them. I've kept them for you. Copied a few of the recipes over for myself, but this box has been in storage since...since Pok died. I was planning on giving them to you when you move out, but if you'd like them now, they're yours."

"Thank you, Mom," he said, hoarsely. "Thank you so much." She nodded, pressing her lips together, eyes swimming. Then she took a deep breath and wiped her eyes hard. 

"Okay, I am starving," she said, grabbing a couple bowls for them. 

They settled at the table with their steaming bowls and the plate of flatbread between them. After grabbing his third one, Riz noticed his mom hadn't taken any. 

"Are you not going to have any, Mom?" he asked, tentatively. She shook her head sadly. 

"I...no. I um, I actually…" She took a drink of water. "I actually made—some last night and, um." She cleared her throat and dabbed her eyes with her napkin. "No, I...no. It's too much." Riz nodded. 

"Then, really thank you for making them for me," he said quietly. He wiped his bowl out with the remainder of his bread, like he'd done as a kid. 

"Honey, my grief is mine, not yours," his mom said. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to make them before, but now you can yourself." He nodded, subdued.

"I, uh, I went to visit him last night," he said. She hummed in happy surprise. "We had some time for a break, and since Cravencroft is right there," he shrugged. Riz glanced up. His mom was smiling at him sadly, and nodding. He fiddled with a ring while he considered. He sighed. 

"Adaine came with me, so I wouldn't be alone and distracted out in the dark."

"Good, that was smart," she said quietly. "You guys have a habit of making powerful enemies." He shrugged and nodded.

"I let him know where I'd been all summer, and I told him about making breakfast with you, and about the party, cause he said he wanted to hear all the...all the boring normal things. And I thought about...about how we don't get those with him anymore either. I…" he sighed and leaned forward, resting his forehead on his folded hands. "How do you...Mom, how the hell do you do it? How did you do it?"

"What, specifically?" she asked. Riz sighed. He wasn't really sure what he was asking. He just knew that...when his dad died, he'd lost part of the foundation of his universe. He had no idea what his mom had lost, but he had the ghost of a feeling that it would at least be like losing half of yourself. And then after, she'd had to be the entire foundation of his universe. Alone.

"You kept going when you lost him."

His mom sighed heavily and her chair creaked. He looked up and she was slumped in her chair with her arms crossed, looking at him like...well, like she needed a fucking drink. 

"It's alright," he said, quickly backtracking. "I know it's a heavy complicated question. We don't have to talk about it tonight." 

"If we don't talk about it tonight, we'll just have to talk about it later, and I'll be mulling the answer over the whole time between now and then anyway." She tipped her head back and rubbed her hands heavily over her face. "Fuck kid, you never ask the easy questions, do you?"

"You taught me better than that," he said. She snorted. 

"Fuck it, I'm too fucking sober for this conversation," Sklonda said. She slapped her hands onto her thighs and stood, heading to her bedroom. "If you're old enough to ask that question, you're old enough to see your mom get a little drunk."

Riz felt a bit off kilter, not quite sure what he'd unleashed with his curiosity. He picked their dishes up and stuck them in the sink, then dug out some containers to scoop leftovers into. He was filling the empty pot with hot soapy water when his mom came back in with a nearly full bottle of surprisingly expensive whiskey. She filled a glass with ice and poured enough over it that his eyes widened. She glanced at his expression and laughed. 

"Do you want to try some?" she offered. His eyes widened further and his head tilted. 

"Uh. No thanks, Mom?" Sklonda rolled her eyes.

"A finger or two of whiskey while chatting on the couch with your actual parent hardly compares to whatever the fuck you were on when you got all those tattoos. Not to mention the goddamn dusk moss you needed to get into the Nightmare Forest." 

"You...uh, you know about the dusk moss?" Sklonda took a drink and shook her head. She headed to the couch and waved him to follow.

"Teenagers. Think you're the first people to discover the world. How old do you think the Nightmare Forest is, Riz?" She flopped on one end of the couch and folded one of her legs up, resting her drink on her stomach and staring at the ceiling.

"...old."

"And how do you think people had been getting into it all that time?" 

"...yeah that's fair."

"You do realize Sandra Lynn and I meet up for drinks regularly?"

"...I did not."

"Started after spring break last year. Worried about you kids. Compared notes on Gorthalax. That was a little weird, but turned out fine. S'nice to have a friend who gets it."

Riz sat at the other end of the couch and stared as his mom shifted from his mom into...a person. He tucked a foot under himself and folded his other leg up to wrap his arm around it. It was kind of fascinating. Part of him felt like he should be taking notes. 

"So, the question: how did I keep going after your dad died." Sklonda took a long sip of her drink and sighed. She looked at the glass, then carefully sat it on the coffee table. She settled back into the same position and closed her eyes. 

"At first, autopilot and routine. Then, you," she shrugged. "You needed me. I love you. You're my son. You lost your dad. I had to. It just wasn't an option not to."

"Then, after a year or so," she sighed heavily, still with her eyes closed, "working too much. Finding something that would keep my mind so busy that when my body finally collapsed it would overpower all the fucking thoughts and feelings that wouldn't fucking stop." Riz dug his claws into his own arms and took a deep slow breath. 

"That...sounds familiar," he said, quietly. Sklonda nodded and leaned forward to pick up her drink again.

"Yeah, I see it in you, too. Pok was always better at...he called it compartmentalizing. He could be so many things to so many people," she said wistfully. "Always had a hundred different plates spinning, and never…" She cut her sentence off and shook her head, then took a small sip. 

"Anyway, working too much, that one..." she sighed, opened her eyes, and looked over at him with a shake of her head. "That one has some staying power. I'm still fighting it. But it did keep me going. Kept me alive until the next…" she shrugged. "The next thing."

"What's the next thing?" he asked. She shrugged again. 

"Law school, new job, new cases. Over the past few years, whatever crazy shit you've gotten into that gives me goddamn nightmares." 

"Sorry," he whispered. She shook herself and turned to him, suddenly focused. 

"No, hon, I don't mean...look." His mom sighed and rubbed her mouth, thinking. "You want to be...you are a hero. Weird sun eating monsters pop out of nowhere and you're right on their ass, helping your friends catch and corral them. But that shit is dangerous as hell. You've literally died. You live streamed your death. I'm so grateful that I didn't see that awful video until later, when I knew you were safe, when Sandra Lynn told me ahead of time that Fig revived you, but...look, it is an extreme understatement to say: that shit is rough. I know you worry about me. You worry about your friends. I'm sure you can understand that."

"Yeah," Riz sighed, deflating. He folded both his legs under himself and grabbed a cushion to curl around. He remembered the life shattering horror the few times his friends had been taken. What if he'd never got them back? How could he do anything?

His mom was quiet for a while, tilting the ice in her glass back and forth. She sighed, sounding like she was hesitating. He glanced over to find her sizing him up. 

"Getting pretty serious for you pretty fast, huh?" she asked, quietly. He held his breath and every muscle in his body tensed. How the fuck does she… Riz rearranged himself so his legs were folded in front of him like a shield. Sklonda nodded, suspicions seemingly confirmed. She sighed, turning to prop her feet on the coffee table and looking back up at the ceiling. He appreciated the effort to give him a little psychic space. 

"It's still so new," he said, barely above a whisper. "We both know that we don't know what we're doing, so we're...we're talking a lot. We're trying to...trying to figure out what," he sighed, "what it means, what we're… how we're… I just. She's. Important. She already was. They're all important. But there's…" he trailed off, squeezing the cushion as tight as he could and feeling the beginnings of the stomach ache that always showed up whenever he thought about Adaine. 

"A comfort?" his mom offered quietly.

"Yeah," he sighed, relaxing a little. "I never…I don't know how to talk about it without sounding crazy." His mom nodded sadly and took another sip of her drink. 

"You don't have to, hon."

Riz nodded, knowing she'd pick it up in her periphery. 

"How many times has she spent the night here?" Sklonda asked, a curve teasing at the corner of her mouth. Riz closed his eyes and sighed, resigned. 

"Um, total, or..."

"After you started dating," she shrugged. 

"Oh. None."

She looked at him skeptically. 

"Three total," he said. "Twice before I was...before I noticed that I was interested, and, and once after, when...when we were both pretty sure we were. I think? I was. But nothing…we just...we hadn't even kissed yet." Riz shrugged, swallowed, and blushed hard, staring at his knees. 

"Hm," she nodded, drinking thoughtfully. "Thanks for telling me. In the future, please don't hide it. If nothing else, I want to know who's here in case there's an emergency."

"That's fair. Um, the uh, the third one you...you weren't...uh…"

"I know."

He considered. 

"Sandra Lynn?"

"Yeah."

"Damn it," he sighed. "Knew that would come back to bite us." His mom snorted. 

"The first time she spent the night, she just showed up at the door in the wee hours, dead on her feet. She was still working that night job at the Synod mall and she remembered about the essays and she needed…" he shrugged. 

"She needed someone reliable who she could trust to take care of her," his mom nodded, looking at him with shining eyes. 

Riz felt his cheeks burning. "I guess. I found out what was going on, and fed her some leftovers and got her a drink, and then I stuck her in my bed so she wouldn't try to dimension door home and pass out halfway there. When you woke me up at the kitchen table the next morning, she'd already gone. Made my bed and left a thank you note." His heart ached as he thought of the note itself, still tucked safely into his dresser drawer.

"That's so goddamn adorable," his mom whispered. She took a drink with a delighted smile. He groaned into his knees. She laughed. "Don't think I didn't notice any of that shit at your birthday party. The looks and the cuddling and the blushing. You two are precious, Riz." 

"Fucking hell," he sighed into the cushion.

"You asked me about my dead husband, kid. Deal with it."

"Shit, Mom, you're a mean drunk," he laughed. 

"Not anywhere near drunk," she sighed. "Just mean. We're goblins. Mean is—"

"—a survival skill," he repeated with her, sighing. "Yeah, I remember."

"Still, I'm glad you've got some of your dad's sweetness," she said, standing and coming over to kiss the top of his head. "Love you, hon. I still need to get some more work done before bed. We can leave the dishes until tomorrow." 

"Love you too. Thanks for...thanks. You're a really good mom." She squeezed his shoulders in a tight hug and sniffled again, giving him another kiss on his head before she headed back to the office.

Riz sighed and slumped down onto the couch, staring at the ceiling. Just one day that wasn't so full of important shit. Felt like a pipe dream. The chaotic whiplash of everything was really starting to get to him. 

The rage god, the unknown thralls lurking around them, everyone trying to do everything at once because they didn't have time to do anything. Grix…existing for some reason. Did Aguefort keep leaving shitty authority figures behind as object lessons? He snorted. Fucking probably. The weird shit with the bylaws. Whether they'd have to take the last stand and what that would do to the future. Shit, they'd forgotten to warn everyone else. Tomorrow at lunch then. How could he deal with…what if he couldn't…what if his friends… he didn't know what the future looked like or what he even wanted it to look like, but he was so scared of facing it without them. 

His subconscious threw out a memory of Adaine, indignant at his insecurities. I'm a goddamn elf. She glared with that icy determination she used to make her desires a certainty. As long as I'm alive, you're all my weird little guys. 

He closed his eyes and thought about wrapping his arms around her waist and feeling her fingers in his hair. Her bright eyes and warm kiss on his cheek as he timidly entered her room, feeling unmoored. Conviction in her eyes that he was...that he deserved her attention. Bright blonde hair clear against brown leaves and her laughter at being discovered. Graceful gestures at diagrams, explanations paving the way for his understanding. Warm hands, teasing smiles, I miss you already.

Her hands on— Nope. No way. Not thinking about that right now especially in the living room absolutely not. 

Riz hopped up and tossed the cushion back on the couch, making a fist and digging his claws into his palm to keep himself focused. He got his dad's recipe box and put it safely on his dresser, then finished cleaning his mess. A trip to the dumpster with all the garbage was first, and long overdue. That, starting his laundry, and putting away the extra gear he'd stored in there made things more manageable. 

Okay, organization would help. He just needed to be able to keep track of everything. That was sure to make things easier. Inventory. He'd need supplies: studying, investigating, clothes and gear, snacks. Space for additional things he’d inevitably pick up from here and there. Space for stuff to return somewhere else, like the maps and journals of Sylvaire he still had. That he hadn't actually checked out. That he'd stolen from someone who was now a trusted friend. That had its own little tangle of guilt on the growing morass in his chest. 

An inventory list would help, and a master to do list. He could keep them in the pocket of the lid. Good enough to start.

By chance, while stacking and sorting his notebooks and binders, his eye caught the page they'd used in their planning session that morning. Riz snatched it out of the notebook with his heart in his throat. He considered for a split second, then ripped it to pieces and methodically ate it. Shredded in the trash can was too risky. There was absolutely no way he was ever going to let anyone else see that. The six blank pages behind it he tore out and shredded into the kitchen garbage, sprinkling some water on top for good measure.

He imagined Adaine’s reaction to this, which would probably be something like appalled affection and involve the open lighthearted laugh he loved to be the one to trigger. Fuck, she'd accidentally rewired his fucking brain somehow. Or maybe his brain had rewired itself, because all Adaine had done was move a little further into his space. And look at him a little softer. And trace her long delicate fingers along his skin. And ask him to kiss her. And tell him the way he loved was beautiful. And grab his— 

Damn it. You've got shit to do, Gukgak. 

He shook himself and started organizing references into those he was using and ones to return. Soon, his briefcase was packed reasonably and he had a categorized inventory list stuck in the front pocket. He considered color coding it just to make her laugh, but just sighed and shook his head at himself before turning to his messy pile of notes and to-do lists. 

This was really the key problem. As he sorted and rewrote all the fleeting notes he'd gathered—a decent collection for just two months—he found a bunch of stuff he'd let slip through the cracks. 

The company ordering the devil’s honey? Turned out that was one of the LLCs that paid for Kipperlilly’s goddamn food trucks. Should have noticed that days ago. Another reminder about the problem with the cleric professor, and how they had to bring everyone else up to speed. He needed to sneak some of the books Kristen still had back into the school library, and also a draft of his research into an enchanting spell was due tomorrow. He needed to figure out what was going on with the weird story circulating about him and Bucky's party, and he wanted to try to bring at least some of the clubs over to Kristen's side. Fabian was going to set up some kind of regular study nights at his place soon, and he might be able to encourage support for her campaign. He'd have to talk to him about it, and also still needed to invite him over for cooking lessons. The drama club still needed someone to build sets, which he needed to jump on before he ended up getting kicked out. 

He grabbed his tie to offload files to his crystal, then headed to the office to print off a surprisingly thick stack of information. He enlarged the latest photo of the evidence wall at Mordred and printed it spread out over a twenty page grid, five wide by four high. Big enough he could read everything and small enough to tack it up on the wall above his bed. 

He sorted through the rest of the prints, sticking them into the right folders and binders, then deleted the information from his crystal. He wiped the memory as best he could, following the process Gorgug had shown him over the summer. 

Okay. 

Okay, actually, that was much better. 

Tonight he just needed to finish the enchanting stuff, plan the file grabs from Jawbone and the main office, strategize about the clubs, and make a poster for the PBJ event. He checked his watch. It wasn't even 10:00. Riz took a deep breath and released some tension, then went to put his laundry in the dryer. The poster would probably be quickest. Best to knock that out first. 

He settled at the kitchen table to brainstorm some slogan ideas. Something implying….unstructured anti-authority sentiment, classic Aguefort Academy style, that would position Kristen completely opposite Kipperlilly. Lunch Free For All? No, that suggested a food fight and he did not want to deal with that. Food trucks are for squares? Was the word squares old and uncool enough to be ironic or was it over the hump and just old and uncool again? He rubbed his eyes and sighed. Maybe he actually was fucking sixty years old. Better to avoid mentioning Kipperlilly at all, really, make her seem irrelevant. Anarchy sandwiches? Unstructured… deconstructed—that would appeal to the artsy crowd and had a note of sophistication. Kind of hipstery maybe. Riz nodded to himself. That could work. Kristen had a way of not giving a shit that drew people in. 

He sketched up a general layout of information, and drew a few terrible sandwich components around it. Hm. He added weird faces and stick arms and legs to them. Yeah that'd work. Kristen would love it anyway. Riz tilted his head in thought, then grinned and went to dig around in his closet. He came out with a dusty bin of craft supplies. He saw a few remaining campaign stickers when he reached into his briefcase for a piece of blank paper, and texted Fabian.

hey can you also get some more Applebees 4 President stickers delivered with the sandwich stuff? Maybe 2000 or so? We'll give one out with every sandwich. Also might have another sticker design tomorrow after I run it by Kristen.

He got a series of immediate responses.

Are you seriously still 

of course you are

Yeah sure, still got the first order open in a tab. I'll rush some more. 

Riz sent, thanks. I'm almost done for the day. Few more hours maybe?

The Ball. how do you function

coffee and neuroses

Go to bed man. No need to worry about vampires when this is definitely how you're gonna die 

eh, I'll take my chances on my feet

Fabian sent a string of laughing emojis and his status went back offline. 

Speaking of, Riz went to make coffee. His mom came out of the office to get herself a refill as he was settling back at the table. 

"What are you doing?" she asked, stopping when she saw all the art supplies. She crossed her arms and smiled behind her cup while she watched him.

"Poster for a campaign event for Kristen," he said, cutting out a few purple blobs from a piece of construction paper.

"A campaign event?"

"Yeah, Kristen is running for student body president. I'm her campaign manager." He tilted his briefcase to display the sticker on it.

"Kristen."

Riz took a drink of coffee and looked up at her tone of voice. "Uh, yeah?"

"Your friend Kristen is running for...why does she even want to?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," he shrugged, grabbing a piece of brown paper and drawing a few slices of bread on it. "But extracurriculars are extracurriculars."

"You know," his mom hesitated. "You're...you do a lot of work for your party, Riz."

He shrugged. "Yeah? It's what I can do. Everyone's got our parts to play."

"Do they?" she asked. He put down the scissors and crumpled up the scrap paper.

"Mom, is there something bothering you?"

She sighed and crossed her arms, making a face.

"Honestly? I think you would make a great student body president, Riz. Especially since you're already doing all the work."

"You kidding?" he scoffed, grabbing a dark crayon to draw faces on the bread slices. "I'd so much rather be the power behind the throne."

"I guess that does fit. I just worry sometimes that your friends...don't really respect you like you deserve."

"Mom, they're my friends," he laughed. "Of course they don't respect me."

She rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee. "You know what I mean. What is it they call you? The Ball? That always seemed…" She pressed her lips tight together and let an irritated breath out her nose.

"No, that's...yeah, it came from Ragh being an asshole, sure," he allowed, laughing. Riz reached for his coffee and grinned, "Turns out, though, you uh...can't really play the game without the ball."

His mom coughed into her mug, then cleared her throat and laughed. "Alright. Well, that's...not what I expected, but it does reassure me." She looked him up and down and shook her head, grumbling as she left the room. "Goddamn kids growing up when you're not looking."

Riz folded a leg under himself and reached for the glue. Seemed Mom was going to be weird for while. Followed the pattern of everything else, he supposed. Oh well. He made two posters and covered them with bizarre sandwich creatures until they looked reasonably absurd, then stuck them in his briefcase.

One project down. Persuading various clubs that Kipperlilly sucked...honestly shouldn't be too hard. He'd just repeat the shit she'd actually said. He could wing it. Maybe Fig or Fabian would be interested in drama club, actually, and could help him there. He'd ask them tomorrow. Good enough for now. He sighed and finished his coffee.

Now to pick between enchantment or planning how best to betray Jawbone's trust. Fuck. Riz groaned and started cleaning up his old art supplies. The dryer was finished, so he put away his clothes before getting back to work. He went back to the table and glared at his notebooks for a while, then went to do the dishes. His mom brought in her mug and glass when he was finishing, and he took them to wash as well.

"Wow, you done with everything else?" she asked.

"Nope."

"Ah, avoidance. Been there. I'm heading to bed."

"Night, Mom."

Riz grabbed a fresh towel and dried off the counter, sighing. There was no avoiding it forever. They needed the information and this was the lead they had. The longer he waited, the more people were in danger. He could try getting files from the main office first, but they probably wouldn't have all the information he needed. After Jawbone left for the day, when he'd need to stay late for a club, that would be the best time to get uninterrupted access. He'd copy the information on his tie and slip out.

He hung up the towel and refilled his coffee.

Might be best to get some help. Fig in disguise maybe. Kristen should stay away from it, Gorgug was too busy, and Fabian might be able to help but was too well known to be subtle. Adaine might be able to disguise his aura again so he wouldn't...wait. Shit. Werewolf. A false aura wouldn't do shit. Even mage hand through the window wouldn't work because he'd still have to get close, and as soon as Jawbone caught a trace of him it was over. He'd have to mask his scent. Or...oh no. He could make sure it made sense for his scent to be there. Fuck, he was going to have to lie to his face wasn't he? Unless he could figure out a way to mask his scent from a goddamn werewolf.

He took a drink of coffee. Fucking. Great. He definitely wanted to avoid having to directly lie to Jawbone if he could, so it looked like research was called for. Still needed to look into the history of the school bylaws anyway, so he'd have to visit the library this week. Riz pulled out his list and added it, then sat, pulling out his enchantment project. At least he had made decent headway on it, thanks to Adaine's help.

His crystal buzzed with a text, as though his thoughts had summoned her.

Hey, I'm heading to trance. I assume you're wrapped up in at least three different projects. Consider this your reminder to sleep.

He smiled softly.

Good night. I'm just finishing a write up about my enchantment research. I'll go to bed afterward, I promise. Still hate it, but I promise.

Don't drink more coffee! It's past midnight.

Oh come on, it barely affects me now

Then it shouldn't make any difference, should it?

He rolled his eyes. Fine, I'll just finish this cup. you're so bossy

if you won't take care of yourself, someone has to <3

Riz sighed and rested his chin in his hand. He sent back, <3, set his crystal aside with a small smile, and got to work.

Chapter Text

Fig couldn't make it to lunch on Monday. Adaine closed the group thread after reading her text about needing to get something done for paladin classes. It was reassuring that she was actively participating in school again, at least.

She swiped to her banking app and felt a bit of relief that her paycheck had finally cleared. It wasn't much, but still far better than nothing. The next project hadn’t been announced yet, so she didn't know what she would need or what substitutions she could make. Runestaff did return their grades on the simulacra though, and she'd received a perfect score.

Adaine put away her crystal and stopped in the bathroom on the way to the cafeteria. She held her grade slip over a sink and turned it to ash with a burning hand while imagining Oisin's smug face as he walked away after giving her the rubies. 

A sophomore rogue she vaguely recognized sidled up to her while she was washing the ash down the drain. 

"Hey you sell stuff from your jacket right?"

"Yep, anything a shop would sell for ten gold or less, as long as it'll fit through my pocket opening. Whatcha need?"

"A ten pack of blowgun needles, please."

"That'll be one gold."

"For ten?"

"A reasonable markup for illicit bathroom weapons," Adaine said, raising her eyebrows. 

The rogue narrowed their eyes, then grinned at her and tossed over a coin. Adaine discreetly checked it as she slipped it into her pocket, and handed over the darts in exchange. 

As they left, Adaine considered, then asked, "Hey, do you know Kipperlilly? My friend’s running for president against her and she seems to know a lot more about us than we do about her." 

They gave her a skeptical look. "I mean I don't know her really, she was always hanging out with her cleric friend until she went missing, but like…yeah, no shit she knows about you guys?"

"What do you mean by that?" Adaine asked.

"Are you fucking serious right now?" They laughed, squinting at her. "You are, that's nuts! Uh, like, I don't know how to tell you this if you're unaware, dude, but…everyone in your party is either super famous or super hot. Or both. Also you guys like…killed the dragon vice principal at prom and brought Aguefort back to life or something? I heard about that shit in middle school. Everyone knows you guys. She's really bitter, but like...there are other dragons right? I never got why she was mad at you instead of trying to find her own epic enemy, but that's me."

"Huh. Uh…yeah I…guess I never thought about it from the outside. Thanks. Hope the darts work out for you?"

They grinned and flashed a swirling maroon potion conspiratorially before slipping out the door. 

Adaine didn't often feel stupid, but…all of that should really have occurred to her before. She sighed and headed to the cafeteria. The boys were already there, and she dropped her bag off next to Fabian, who was sitting across from Gorgug and arguing with Riz. 

"...I have no idea where to even start, though," he said. 

Riz rolled his eyes while he chewed. 

"It doesn't sound like that big a deal, dude," she heard Gorgug saying as she left to grab a tray. 

They were still at it when she returned. 

"—which is all beside the fact that you just said you've had pork fried rice for dinner every night for a fucking week!" Riz told Fabian, pointing a fork and glaring at him. 

"What are we yelling at Fabian about today?" Adaine asked as she sat down next to him. 

"He's afraid to learn how to cook," Gorgug said, taking a bite of his chicken sandwich. 

"I am not!"

Riz snorted and started poking into his lunch box with his fork. 

"It would make sense if you were," she shrugged. "You don't have any experience at all? Didn't Cathilda ever show you how to, maybe...make cookies? Something fun when you were small? My parents didn't, of course, but our nanny did all the time. It was a fun way to keep us occupied."

"I…" he paused, "...no, not really. My childhood was pretty much just sword fighting and acrobatics and target practice." 

"Dude, that sucks," Gorgug said. 

"Excuse me—" Fabian started, but Riz held up a fork in front of him, covered in a lumpy orange conglomeration of food. "...what the fuck is that?" 

"The shit you're missing out on. Shut up and try it."

"That doesn't look like—"

"What, are you actually scared?" Riz laughed. Adaine and Gorgug exchanged a look, and she hid her smile behind her drink. Fabian’s eye narrowed and he angrily snatched the fork, shoving it into his mouth. 

The sound he let out made Adaine scoot away and stare at him. It drew blushing attention from at least two tables away. He dropped the fork and slammed his fist on the table, shaking everyone's trays. Riz smugly picked up his fork and went back to his meal. Adaine laughed into her sandwich and he flashed her a joyful smile with sparkling eyes. Kristen dropped her stuff off on Fabian's other side and went to get food. 

"Do you need a minute alone?" Adaine asked Fabian, giggling. 

"I fucking might," he said from his arms on the table. He sat up and looked at Riz. "Are you telling me your mom can teach me to cook like that?"

"Yep. Like I said, the catch is you also have to learn how to do dishes and laundry."

"Tell me when and where."

"Monday nights starting next week? Six to ten?"

"I will be there with flowers and diamonds. Is she still dating Gorthalax, or…?"

"I will carve out your other eye and feed it to you," Riz placidly told him. "It's more merciful than she'd be." 

"Understood and retracted."

Riz grunted dismissively and scraped the rest of his food into his mouth. 

"Why are you threatening people this time, Riz?" Kristen asked as she sat. 

"Fabian hit on his mom," Gorgug said. Kristen slapped the back of Fabian's head. He glared at her and rubbed the spot she'd hit. 

"I did not, I respectfully inquired about her relationship status!" 

Riz raised an eyebrow at him over the edge of his lunch box.

"Which I respectfully withdrew when informed that the topic of discussion was off limits!"

"Just to temper your expectations," Riz said, wiping his mouth, "This is my dad's recipe. He loved cooking. Mom usually lives on frozen meals and takeout burritos."

"Fabian, she'd eat you for breakfast anyway," Adaine said. "Before you got to the shop on Saturday, there were over a hundred elves trying to get me to use my powers to give them advice about the future. She scared them all off with a glare, a knife up her sleeve, and a well placed threat."

Kristen stared. "Wow. Yeah sorry dude, your mom is fucking hot."

Riz thumped his forehead onto the table. 

Adaine laughed. "Kristen, I think she would probably trap you under a glass, slide a piece of paper under it, and throw you out the window."

"And I would be properly grateful for it, god damn."

"Any. Fucking. Way." Riz said, glaring at all three of them, "Since Fig can't make it, we're all here. Adaine can you link us up, or do you need to reserve the power?" 

"I got it," she shrugged, casting out ethereal blue lines that crisscrossed between the five of them. Everybody in?

Four thumbs up in response. 

Good, Riz said. First, quick update: Kipperlilly's definitely ordering the devil's honey through one of the same companies that paid for the food trucks. Either sloppiness or a trail she left on purpose.

Don't know which it is? Fabian asked.

Not yet. But either way we know she's getting a regular supply for some reason. Can one of you add it to the wall at Mordred? Riz asked, glancing between Adaine and Kristen.

Got it, Adaine said, digging her planner out to make a note. Riz nodded.

The main thing we need to talk about is that they haven't announced that the bodies were found, which I assume means the press hasn't been authorized to release information, he went on. That gives us more time. Kristen or Adaine, can one of you let Fig know about the issue with the cleric professor? 

Yeah I'll do it, Kristen said. 

What's the deal? Gorgug asked.

The bylaws are fucked, Adaine said. Riz found a bunch of stuff, but in this case: if a department head dies mid year, they have to be reinstated or replaced within three weeks or the whole major goes pass/fail. 

Wait how is that the students' fault? Fabian asked, scowling. She shrugged.

I think it's to keep us from just blasting through all the teachers we hate without reservation, Riz said.

He stole one of Adaine's potato chips and turned sideways on the bench, folding a knee up. He braced an elbow on the table and propped his cheek on his fist. Adaine's eyes traced down the taut muscle of his arm and up the patterns of lines she wanted to run her fingers over again. He rested his free arm loosely over his bent knee. His hair fell in thick, dark waves. Her breath wanted to speed up, but she deliberately slowed it and ate her lunch. Her hands and mouth needed the distraction.

So when they announce she's been found dead, we have three weeks, Gorgug said. 

If there's no department head to authorize Kristen to major as a cleric without a god, she'll automatically fail, Riz said. If they don't replace Badgood, we'll have to take the last stand.

Aw hell, Gorgug sighed. 

What's that? Fabian asked. 

Kristen didn't know either! How do you guys live like this? Riz rolled his eyes and sighed. He took another of Adaine's chips and gestured with it. It's the last ditch effort for a party to stay together and avoid flunking the year if a party member fails. If you don't kick out the failing member, you all have to take an exam together while you fight to the death against never ending waves of monsters. You have to pass the exam before everyone's taken out to pass. There's a proctor and a cleric monitoring. 

Is it really unending enemies? Fabian asked. What if you kill everything?

Never happened before, Riz shrugged. He stole a grape from Gorgug's tray and ate it. 

Yeah, but we never took it before, Fabian grinned viciously. Gorgug sighed. 

Sorry, guys, Kristen said, nibbling morosely at her sandwich. 

It's not your fault, Riz said. I'm the one who told you to tell her about Lucy.

And neither of you are the ones who killed her or wrote the damn bylaws, Adaine said indignantly. 

Nothing we can do now but wait, Gorgug said. He moved his tray out of the way to lay his head on his arms. Riz frowned and reached out to pat his head sympathetically, and Gorgug scooted closer with a sad noise. Riz smiled with a puff of air out his nose and kept petting his hair as they talked. 

Adaine’s heart melted and she surreptitiously snapped a picture of them. 

So, Adaine mentioned it, Riz went on, but also, they didn't update the bylaws after we killed Kalvaxus. The student body president actually has a lot of power if the principal is incapacitated. More than the vice principal by a long shot. That's probably why Kipperlilly wants the position. We don't know what she wants to do with it, though, or why the bylaws weren't changed. 

Fabian had steepled his fingers in front of him and was nodding with his eye closed as he listened. 

Maybe the president can change the bylaws, he suggested. 

Yeah that was my thought, Riz said. Still looking into it. I know it hasn't been long, but did you find anything out from the rumor mill?

Wassat? Gorgug asked, looking up slightly. Riz brought his hand back to his knees.

Fabian's checking out whether the Rat Grinders have beef with us we didn't know about, and if Kibblefiddle wants to bone Riz or what, Kristen explained. Riz shuddered. 

That's just Fabian's theory, Riz added quickly. We don't really need to know that.

No man, we do, Gorgug said. If she hates you because she's got a crush on you it hits different than if she just hates you. That's a whole other layer, and shit could get bad. You've researched crimes, right? People get nuts. 

Riz scowled and stared at the table, nodding. 

I don't have confirmation of her motivation, but yeah, turns out she's been obsessed with The Ball for a while, Fabian said. Seemed to spread to all of us over time. Sounds like envy. 

Skill issue, Adaine sneered. Riz smirked at her, and she shrugged. I sold some darts to a rogue earlier who said basically the same thing when I asked them about her. Maybe if she went after bigger enemies she might earn some notoriety of her own. 

No guts no glory, Kristen sighed. 

When you say spread to all of us, is that equally spread out? Riz asked Fabian. 

I think she'd happily take out any of us if she could, Fabian said, but Kristen is the other focus, probably because she's running against her. Riz nodded. 

I don't think any of us should be out alone until this is resolved, Riz mused. Adaine watched his claws tapping on his knee. 

You think it's that much of a threat? she asked. 

I think it's not worth any of you guys getting hurt, Riz said, meeting her gaze with wide, dark, earnest eyes. The catlike curve of his pupils had crowded the yellow-green to the sides. Her breath caught in her throat. He sighed and turned back toward the table, tucking a foot under himself and leaning forward. Maybe Fig or I can be alone. She can disguise herself well. I can easily hide and I'm hard to ambush, but the rest of you, especially Kristen, please be extra careful.

I can draw up a schedule so we can rotate Kristen guard duties until she gets her power back, Adaine said. Riz smiled and nodded at her. 

Yeah, that's a good idea, he said. 

Are you really sure you'll be okay, though? Kristen asked. 

Me? Riz scoffed. Ivy might be a threat at range, but I'm not scared of the rest of them, especially Kipperlilly. She's nowhere near as good as she thinks she is. I can see her coming in my sleep. 

Adaine bit her tongue, but then—

If you're having those kinds of dreams about her, maybe the solution to this whole thing is much simpler, she teased. Riz stared at her with an expression of baffled incredulity while everyone else laughed. 

"What the fuck, Adaine?" he squeaked. A blush was tearing its way up his neck and was well on its way to turning his ears a completely different shade. "What the actual fuck did I do to deserve that?"

She sneakily messaged him from her crossed arms. I told you that you're cute when you blush. 

Traitor, he hissed into her mind, his eyes narrowing.

"You did kind of leave yourself wide open," Kristen said. 

"I mean, that one's not great either, Kristen," Gorgug chuckled.

Riz dropped his glasses and raked his hands down his face. 

"Why do I even bother with you guys," he groaned and dropped his head to the table. 

"You love us," Adaine said, scooting her tray over and reaching out to stroke her fingernails into the mess of his hair, happy to finally have an excuse to get her hands on him. He grumbled under his breath and she grinned, tracing patterns on his scalp. 

"If it were anyone else, The Ball, I'd be trying to get them to take one for the team, but I respect your boundaries," Fabian said. 

"Yeah? Since when? Waiting for the other shoe to drop over here," Riz said. 

"Well, given the direction her mind is going, I think Adaine should be the one to do it if she's so keen for a diplomatic solution." Fabian gently nudged her with his elbow.

Riz started shaking with laughter as Adaine froze. Her throat closed up in horror. Kristen hooted and slapped Fabian on the back. 

That's worse than Oisin, she said into their telepathic link. At least I thought he was attractive before he started acting like an asshole. 

You did call her a cute little blonde yesterday, Riz said, still snickering into his arms. 

"Oh ho! The plot thickens," Fabian grinned, turning toward Adaine, who was feeling thoroughly cornered at this point. 

It's true, I heard it, Kristen added, chuckling around the last bites of her sandwich. 

"Not like that," Adaine insisted, waving her hands in front of herself defensively. Gorgug's muffled laughter shook through the table.

"You deserve every bit of this," Riz said, grinning up at her in satisfaction. She hid her blush in her hands as he sat up and put his glasses back on.

"Gotta watch out for that blowback, Adaine," Gorgug chuckled. "Take your eyebrows clean off if you're not careful." 

She laughed and shook her head, shuddering. "Alright. I concede defeat. I'm sorry for teasing you, Riz."

"No you're not," he said, chuckling and grinning fondly at her. He gently bumped her calf with the top of his foot.

"I regret it at least, how's that?" 

"Good enough," he said, stroking his foot down to her ankle before pulling it back. "Thanks, man," he said, reaching out to dap Fabian, who chuckled.  

"Got your back," he said. 

"Not mine though, apparently?" Adaine asked, bumping their shoulders together. Fabian laughed. 

"Only when you need it," he said, throwing his arm over her shoulder and squeezing. 

"Anything else we need to cover?" Gorgug asked, standing and stretching. "I need to go soon."

Riz nodded. Yeah, I uh, realized that stealing Kipperlilly's file from Jawbone is going to be more complicated because he's a werewolf. If I leave a trace of scent, he'll immediately know what's up. So I either need to figure out if it's possible to mask my scent from him or manufacture a reason for me to be in his office legitimately...and I'd rather not lie to his face if I can avoid it. This whole thing sucks.

Oof, Gorgug said, grabbing his tray and Adaine's to take them back.

"Thanks," she said.

"Yup."

I don't know anything about it without researching, Adaine said. Masking your aura wouldn't do it, since that's only for arcane detection.

Yeah, thought of that last night, Riz said.

I'm not sure either, Kristen said, humming thoughtfully. I don't remember Tracker ever mentioning anything. I know that wolfsbane is extremely bad news for them, but that's it.

I definitely don't want to hurt him! Well, not physically. His feelings are probably inevitable. He…I feel really bad, because when he took me home last night he told me that he appreciates how we helped him turn everything around. He said that we've put a lot of good into the world, and taken out a lot of bad, and that we've earned his trust… Riz dropped his head to his arms again. And now...this really fucking sucks. But it's the lead we have. And a lot more people could get hurt if I don't act on it.

Kristen hummed sympathetically. Adaine reached across the table to gently scratch her fingers over his scalp again. Gorgug sighed and picked up his bag, and Fabian went to return his tray.

"Yeah, that really does fucking suck," Gorgug nodded. "But we'll figure it out. Wish I had time to help more, but…"

"No, yeah, you gotta go, dude," Riz said, waving a hand encouragingly.

"We've got it," Adaine said, smiling up at him. She gave Riz a final pat on the head and stood up. "Nerd Squad's on the case. We'll call for backup when we need it."

"Yeah, alright," Gorgug nodded, frowning. "See ya later."

"Bye, Gorgug," Kristen said, getting up to deal with her tray. He waved as he made his way through the crowd that milled about as the lunch period ended. Adaine let the spell linking their minds drop. Fabian came back, reaching across the table to grab his bag before firmly shaking Riz's shoulder.

"C'mon, no more moping," he said. Riz let out a groan that trailed off into a sigh and sat up, grabbing his briefcase. They headed out of the cafeteria amongst the crowd. Kristen dashed to catch up, scooping up her bag with the crook of her staff as she passed the table.

"Fabian, how about coming to drama club with me tomorrow afternoon?" Riz asked as they made their way to the main hall. "I'll check with Fig too, but it really seems like your scene."

"I should have time? Can't hurt to go to one I guess."

"And maybe you'll run into Torek?" Kristen teased him. Fabian blushed.

"Wait, Fabian likes Torek? As in, skater Torek?" Riz asked. "When did that happen?"

"Oh remember that beholder thing in the theater last year that you and Fig missed?" Adaine said, "Torek called him names. He's a pushover. You can fill in the rest." Fabian glared at her, but denied nothing. Riz cleared his throat with a grin.

"Well, that works out, because I could use someone with a bigger personality to help persuade them to vote against Kipperlilly. I'm more of a prop department guy." Riz squinted, then removed his glasses and pulled a cloth from an inner vest pocket to clean them. Adaine bit her lips and smiled as she watched him.

"The Ball, how old are you?" Fabian asked. He crossed his arms and frowned at him. Riz raised his eyebrows as he put his glasses back on.

"Seventeen, day after tomorrow anyway. You know this?"

"Then why do you continue to behave like you're ninety four?" Fabian demanded. Riz scoffed in disgusted dismissal.

"What the fuck is it this time?" he asked, folding and tucking away his handkerchief.

"You have a pocket handkerchief."

"The hell, Fabian," Riz muttered, sighing. "I have to clean my fucking glasses."

"I think it's dapper," Adaine said, throwing her arm over Riz's shoulders and smirking down at him. His eyebrows rose and he shot her a heated look before shaking his head in irritated amusement.

"Don't patronize me," he laughed, gently shoving her arm away. "Can't believe I defended you fuckers last night when my mom said she worries you guys don't respect me."

Adaine gasped, genuinely concerned. "She doesn't!"

"I mean, moms get defensive of their kids," Riz shrugged. "At least mine does. It's fine, guys. We all give each other shit."

"What did you tell her?" Fabian asked.

"That of course you don't respect me, you're my friends."

Kristen laughed and Adaine rolled her eyes, reassured.

"Hey Riz, wait," Fabian said, gently grabbing his shoulder. He stopped and looked up. Fabian was frowning and looking down at him with a serious expression. "You know that's not true, right? Like, yeah, I give you shit, but I do respect you. A lot. I can do a lot of showy impressive stuff, but I can't do what you do, and what you do? That gets us where we need to be. We'd never have accomplished anything close to what we have if it weren't for you figuring shit out first." Riz predictably blushed, shrugged, and looked away.

"Yeah, ok. Thanks, man," he said, fiddling with the shoulder strap of his briefcase. Adaine covered her mouth with both hands to keep in her delighted squeak, and Kristen grabbed her upper arm and shook it.

I am going to fucking die, Adaine messaged her.

I know, me too.

Fabian scowled hard and gave Riz a quick, tight hug, slapping him hard on the back before he let go. "You're The Ball, man. Can't play the game without you."

"I told her that, too," he said, glancing up with a crooked smile.

"That's fucking right," Fabian said, punching Riz hard enough to stagger him. He winced and rubbed his bicep, but laughed. Kristen apparently couldn't take it any more.

"Aw, Fabian! You just love your little buddy so much," Kristen squealed, grabbing around his neck and scrubbing her knuckles over his head. "Because you have such a sweet fluffy marshmallow center!"

Fabian shoved her off with an irritated grunt. "Not in public, Kristen. I have an image to maintain." 

"But you said toxic masculinity is dead!" 

"Doesn't mean masculinity is dead. Besides, I can't be seen getting beat up by a cleric," he grinned and took off down the hall.

"Oh I promise you fucking can," she laughed, giving chase. Adaine sighed and shook her head at them.

"Where are you headed next?" Riz asked.

"Afternoon lab block," Adaine shrugged, tilting her head in that direction. He nodded with a light blush dusting his cheeks.

"Walk you there?" he asked. "I've got a lecture just upstairs from them."

She smiled and offered her hand. Riz took it, eyes widening and blush darkening.

It feels silly to still be… he glanced up at her, biting his lip as he trailed off.

embarrassed? she asked

yeah.

Feelings are weird, right?

Riz shook himself. Yeah. For sure.

She squeezed his fingers between hers and stepped in front so they wove through the crowd more efficiently. They turned the corner to a less crowded side hallway and he slipped back next to her.

"Always weird walking through a crowd behind a tall person," he said. "Lot less elbowing involved."

"I'm not that tall."

"Same difference to me," he shrugged.

"Oh I need to stop at my locker," she said. "Just a sec."

Riz leaned against the locker next to hers and crossed his arms, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. She squatted to dig through her component case.

"So, when Jawbone took me home yesterday..." he started, sounding hesitant.

"Oh no," she winced. Riz laughed.

"No, it was good, actually," he said, looking down and smiling. "Uh, he gave me some advice I hadn't thought of, and I wanted to tell you about it."

"Oh?" she asked, pausing and looking up.

"He said that...well, that...I hope I don't butcher it, so bear with me, ok?"

"Of course," she said, smiling and turning back to her case. Maybe she should just take the whole thing. It just seemed pointless when it was nearly empty.

"He said that the way we behave in situations is...it kind of forms our feelings about those situations, and that if we behave a certain way for a while, we can accidentally reinforce a feeling that we don't want to."

Adaine's hands stilled and she rested her knee on the floor. She flushed hot, feeling anxiety swirl in her stomach. She glanced up, worried. Riz was watching her with hopeful earnestness.

"What does...so, are you, um, reinforcing feelings you don't want?" she asked, holding herself stiffly.

"Maybe? Not like, not—don't worry, hey, I'm…look I said I would butcher it, right?" Riz smiled at her, awkward and worried and...it was the same expression he'd given her from the tree at the edge of the backyard when she'd been so sure she'd...Adaine closed her eyes. In, two, three, four. Out, two three four. In, two three, four. Out, two, three, four. She didn't need to panic. She would not. This was about her fear, not about what he was actually saying. She shook her head hard and took a deep breath, grabbing her component case and shutting her locker.

"Put it in a sending spell," she said, standing without opening her eyes.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Twenty five words max," she explained. "It helps cut through the chaff."

"Oh. Yeah that's a good idea." Riz paused, thinking of what to say. Adaine breathed steadily and kept her eyes closed. "Ok, here goes: If we keep hiding it, we might start feeling like it's something we should be hiding. I never want to feel that way about you."

"Oh," she blinked. He was looking up at her, shy and worried and hopeful.

Not letting herself think about anything else, especially the other people walking past them, Adaine slid her hand behind his head. His eyes widened and he held his breath when she leaned down to kiss him, but she felt him answer firmly, reaching up to touch her neck. His hum deepened with their kiss and she had to stop before her head swam too much. She pressed her forehead to his.

"Me neither," she whispered. "We'll talk about it?"

"Yeah," he answered, breathlessly. "But, uh, we should…"

Adaine nodded, grabbing his hand. He laughed, relieved, and let her lead him off again. Runestaff was outside the labs, greeting students and handing out reference sheets. Riz stopped a few feet back, but kept hold of Adaine's hand. She turned back curiously, and, blushing brightly, he pulled her hand to his mouth to leave a soft kiss on the inside of her wrist. Somehow, all her blood drained away and her face flushed hot at the same time. His eyes crinkled at her expression and he squeezed her fingers with a wide grin before letting go and dashing off up the stairs.

Her head was floating. Adaine took in a slow breath, closed her eyes, and shook herself. She had work to do. She turned toward her class, hurrying to make it to the door only a few seconds after the last student before her. Runestaff handed over a reference sheet without a verbal greeting, but with a fully raised eyebrow, and Adaine swallowed hard.

"Thank you, professor," she mumbled, quickly taking a place at an empty bench. Runestaff closed the door behind herself, immediately launching into an explanation of technically complicated spellcraft as she swept toward the front of the room.

Riz slipped into his lecture just after it began, but didn't get caught, so it was fine. He settled amongst the crowd and took notes without really paying attention. It was about code breaking, which was extremely interesting, but it just wasn't sticking. He was too distracted. Halfway through class he activated his tie so he could at least reference it later. He didn't think they'd need this information for their current problem, so it could wait. If there was one thing a god of rage had going for it as an enemy, it was a lack of subtlety.

When the lecture ended two and a half hours later, he grabbed one of the handouts from the stack by the door and slipped out. Adaine wouldn't be done for another half hour, and he could hang some of the campaign event advertisements while he waited for her. He dug the flyers and a roll of tape out of his briefcase and started working his way down the hall. She had a shift at Basrar's starting at 4:00, and he wanted to walk her there before doubling back to his club meetings. Riz checked his watch and felt his stomach flutter, heading toward the stairs. He smiled, blushing about the look on her face when he'd kissed her wrist. He left a couple posters in the stairwell and one on the exit door, then he jogged down the hall to stick one on the outside of Adaine's locker.

Not long to wait now. He felt giddy and jittery, bouncy, like he always did before he reached out to her. It was still a rush whenever she reached back, and he wondered how long that would stay. If he'd be lucky enough to find out what happened after that. Riz hoisted himself onto a window ledge and absently kicked his feet.

He'd skip the birdwatchers this week, quickly check in with Gertie and Molman, and then go talk to Sprak. He'd hopefully have some information on cloud rider engines and where to get them repaired. Then he'd hit up the library to research werewolves. Before heading home, he'd stop by Fabian's to refill his snack supply, and then in the morning he could ask Gorgug about helping him take the rest home.

Riz was feeling surprisingly upbeat, and tried to ignore his hypervigilant nerves. He was so glad he'd taken the time to reorganize everything last night. And dinner with Mom had been great. And after the meeting at lunch everyone was up to speed. And Adaine had...he smiled, thinking about how she'd understood he was fumbling and thrown him the perfect solution across the gap, then immediately kissed him when he'd managed to explain. He just felt so stunningly happy whenever he was with her. It was novel and comforting in a way that felt hypnotic. Even just holding her hand calmed him with an anchoring joy.

Things felt better. He could do this, especially with her backing him up.

The door to the lab opened and his heart leapt. The teacher swept out with a whirl of silky gauzy fabric and admonished the group to remember to bring all the components they needed to the next lab. She called specific comments out to a few different students as they left. Riz tried to catch Adaine's eye, but apparently she was too focused. He hopped down and made his way to her through the growing crowd. He didn't bother with stealth as he walked up, and she must have heard footsteps because she whirled with an irritated expression, glaring above his head.

"I told you, I'm—" she paused, looked around, and her face melted into happy surprise.

"Hi?" Riz said.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, sounding delighted.

"I also attend this school," he laughed.

"Were you waiting for me?" Adaine asked, turning back toward her locker.

"Yeah. I um, I know you have a shift at Basrar's tonight and I wanted to ask if you wanted some company on the walk there. I've got some time before I have to rush off to meetings."

"I would always love your company," she said, reaching out and running her nails through his hair. She watched their path, looked down to his eyes, and blushed. Riz smiled with a blush of his own, and his heart thumped hard, just once.

"Really?" he asked, breathlessly.

"Yes, of course," she laughed, shoving his shoulder. He looked down, smiling, scratching at his briefcase strap with his claws and enjoying the sparkling butterflies bouncing around inside him.

"Did you make this?" she giggled, examining the poster on her locker. Riz shrugged, grinning wider.

"Yeah, I thought the little arms and legs would—"

"Hey, Adaine, there you are, you rushed out of class!" A loud voice interrupted him and a pale blue arm covered in scales shoved into his space. Riz recoiled and hissed loudly. A sneering dragonborn face turned and glanced him over dismissively, then turned back to Adaine. "I just wanted to let you know that my offer of help stands, no strings attached. I wasn't...my behavior wasn't at all gentlemanly, and I apologize unreservedly."

"No, it was not, and I see it remains that way. As does my answer. Go away, Oisin."

"Adaine—" The condescension in his voice was the last straw.

A giant ghostly fist shoved Oisin across the hall and gripped around him, holding him in place. Adaine's eyes glowed blue and her hair floated behind her in a cloud. The cross-guard of her sword shined like a beacon. She put her hands on her hips and glared. Riz shook himself off and jumped into action, climbing on top of the row of lockers. He readied a grappling bolt and watched Oisin carefully. A lava colored glow grew in the middle of his pupils.

"I'm sure that—" Oisin started to say, but Adaine's spell tightened around him and shook, rattling him against the wall of lockers. The other students around them veered away, prudently avoiding getting in the middle of an argument between wizards.

"You have used up all of your warnings." Adaine's voice was hoarsely enraged. She pointed at Oisin and narrowed her eyes, and the lava glow faded. It left behind a moment of dull confusion, then a snarl that was quickly hidden behind a mask of quietly confident amiability. Adaine dismissed her magic but kept her glare and her posture until Oisin left, which he did after dusting himself off and sighing dismissively. Riz listened carefully after he'd rounded the corner and waited until after his footsteps faded in the distance to hop down.

"What did you do when you pointed at him?" he asked, impressed. Adaine shrugged with a sigh and kicked her locker closed.

"Message. I told whatever is really in charge in there to fuck off before they lose a powerful minion, because next time I'm not pulling punches." Riz whistled, holstering his weapon.

"Looked like it worked," he said. She tossed him a half smile.

"Yeah. It's a pain in the ass, though," she said, "and now they know we're onto them." He slid his hand into her free one and pushed open the exit door, tugging her behind him.

"Bound to happen eventually," he shrugged. "You gave them a solid shot across the bow, though, so hopefully that will give them pause."

"You were worried they'd come after our families."

Riz nodded. "It's a possibility, but that's kind of always a possibility, right? Learned that one a while ago." He sighed and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles.

"I suppose if they know we'll give them a bloody nose if they try anything, that should keep them at bay for a while," she agreed.

"And it must be clear to them we don't have the whole picture yet," he said, "which makes us less of a threat."

"I wouldn't be sure about that," Adaine sighed. "If Clipperfucker really is that obsessed with you, and by extension the rest of the party, they know how effective we all are together. We're powerful enemies to have." Riz smiled up at her, shaking his head at her glum expression. He kissed the back of her hand and laughed.

"Hell yeah we are," he said, squeezing her hand. She glanced down with a soft smile and squeezed back.

"That was definitely optimism that time," she accused.

"Who knows," he shrugged. "You're encouraging all sorts of crazy behavior in me lately."

Adaine laughed and let go of his hand with a final squeeze, then rested her arm across his shoulders, snuggling him closer. He shivered, but didn't want to pull away from her long enough to get out his coat. Riz stuck his hands in his pockets and let his ears pin close to his hair with another shiver. She stopped and put her free hand on her hip.

"Put on your coat, you're freezing," Adaine insisted. He sighed and pulled it out of his briefcase, shrugging into it.

"If you're not bullying me, you're bossing me around," he grumbled. "Don't know why I put up with it."

"Few different reasons, probably," she chuckled. Riz blushed and shook his head with a laugh, readjusting his briefcase over his shoulder and sticking his hands into warmer pockets. Adaine slid her arm back over his shoulder, under his hood. He hummed happily and snuggled closer against her.

"Sometimes, it's because you're right," he allowed.

"The rest of the time is probably because trying to control everything just means you want certainty, which is a rare commodity. You want to know where you stand, and you can always be sure of that with me. Told me yourself: when I have your back, you trust that I have it." She kissed his head. "That's...a lot of faith, and all the teasing aside, I take that seriously, Riz."

His eyes widened and he felt a deep blush climbing up his throat. There was something in her statement that rang through him like a bell, that he should probably look at more closely later, and that filled him with an inexplicably nervous heat. Riz laughed and looked down at the path, nodding.

"Sounds about right," he said, clearing his throat, "and thank you." Adaine squeezed his shoulders, warm and solid. He shivered again, but not because of the cold. They soon reached the edge of Basrar's parking lot, and he came to a reluctant stop.

"Thanks for walking with me," she said, turning to him and cupping the back of his head, bending down to kiss his forehead.

Impulsively, he reached up to press his mouth to hers, savoring the cold brush of their skin contrasted with the heat of their breath. Her nails gently scratched the back of his head and he tried to restrain the whine that wanted to climb out of his throat. The warm, soft pressure of her kisses was so addictive. It felt like a magnetic pull or a balm to a burn, like the weight of exhaustion pulling him down. He tilted to a better angle and cupped her cheeks, bringing the heat he'd built in his pockets to the chill on her skin. Riz smiled as he smoothed over her ears, warming them with his hands. Adaine hummed, rubbed down the back of his neck, and pulled away. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath to keep from leaning forward to follow her, just letting himself brush his hands back through her hair and press a kiss to her forehead before he let go. Her face was bright pink with shining eyes, and he felt exhilarated, thrilled, unstoppable.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Riz said, not wanting her to go.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. Adaine smiled, trailed the back of a couple of her fingers down his cheek, and turned to head inside. A sudden stab of anxiety had him calling out after her.

"You're not going home alone, right?"

"No," she laughed, turning backwards. "Fig's meeting up with Kristen and we're all walking home together."

"Oh, good!" he said, relieved.

"What about you?"

"I'm taking the bus, I'll be fine!"

"Riz, I swear to—!" Adaine scoffed and laughed. "I'm texting Fabian and sending him to take you on the Hangman, whether you like it or not!"

"Ugh," he said, rolling his eyes, but smiling. "Fine. If you must. See you tomorrow," he said again, waving as he walked back toward the school. She blew him a kiss before slipping inside, and he stopped with a shocked laugh, surprised at the way his heart stuttered in response. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, breathing the crisp air in deeply. He smiled, feeling better than he had in months.

Yeah. Yeah, they could do this.

Riz nodded, determined, and went to work.

Chapter Text

"The day after the fair is probably gonna be busy with cleanup," Gorgug said, "but how about next Wednesday after practice?"

"Honestly, whenever works with your schedule," Riz shrugged, hopping down from the van and leaning from his hips to close the door. "It's not urgent, and I know you've got so much going on."

Gorgug nodded and sighed, fiddling with the lid of his travel mug as they walked toward the school. "Next Wednesday'll be fine," he said.

"Thanks. Make sure to let me know if that changes. Worst case I can just load up my briefcase a few times."

"You'd still have to put the whole pallet in there and take it out yourself, dude." Gorgug looked down with concerned skepticism.

"Yeah it would take a while."

"If there's one thing I can do well, it's carry heavy shit," Gorgug said. "Don't worry about it." He rested his hand on his head and scruffed, accidentally throwing him off balance. Riz absently adjusted for it.

"Appreciate it."

He noticed a group of kids he didn't recognize stop chatting and stare at them wide eyed as they walked past. He tried to pick up anything from them after, but they were silent until he was out of earshot.

"You notice that?" he asked Gorgug.

"Those freshmen staring at you?"

"Just me, you think?" Riz winced.

"Think so."

"Damn it. Remember I mentioned I had to help out those freshmen last week? Fabian says there's a rumor going around that I threatened them, and I don't know where it's from or why."

"I mean, you can be pretty sure where it's from, right?"

They turned the corner. Riz sighed.

"Yeah, but...why?"

"To fuck with you?"

"Weird way to do it."

"Seems like it's working," Gorgug shrugged, stopping to rummage in his locker. Riz sighed again and ran his hand back through his hair.

"That's a really good point. Ugh, I have too much shit to do to deal with this, but I've gotta deal with this. Alright, I'll see you later." Riz patted Gorgug on the leg and headed down the hall to his own locker.

"Yep, good luck," he called, waving without looking.

Best place to start would be the source. He'd have to find Bucky's party and see what the hell they thought about it, and if they were the ones who started the rumor. Acid started gurgling in his stomach as he considered the possibility that Kristen's little brother and his friends got enthralled by the rage cult. They had been doing something in the forest a few days before, and if they'd gone back out on the same night Badgood got attacked, maybe they'd bitten off more than they could chew. Anyone who could take out a cleric with a couple decades of experience would have no problem with four kids who barely knew which end of a knife to use.

He needed to think. Should he tell Kristen first? Would she be too upset at the idea to be any help? Damn he really wanted to brainstorm this with Adaine, but he knew she had class all morning. He hesitated to bother Fig now that she was actually participating in classes, but she could always say no. Might check in later, but for now he needed to get his head on straight.

Riz closed his locker and walked back up toward the main hall, quietly slipping behind the third panel past the water fountain and climbing. The ladder went straight up to the bell tower, a favorite place for rogue students trying to avoid everyone else. It was usually empty first thing in the morning, and it was a nice place to think.

He needed to head to the library at some point today, too, because he hadn't been able to last night. After getting Adaine's text, Fabian came straight to the aviation league meeting and fidgeted impatiently until Riz was ready to leave. He'd told him he didn't have to bother to wait, but apparently Fabian would rather take his chances irritating him than risk annoying Adaine by letting him head home alone. He smiled to himself and shook his head. Probably couldn't blame him.

Riz hadn't been able to get Sprak to focus on anything to do with cloud riders. He'd been so excited to have two attendees that he went on some kind of tear about replicating historic flying machines, specifically the experimental ones that ended in their creators' gruesome and untimely deaths. He'd gone on a rant about how with enough power and layers of wards, one of them could surely revolutionize travel, possibly doing away with teleportation altogether, he insisted. Riz wasn't sure Sprak had even noticed when he gave up and left. He remembered Jawbone asking him about recognizing something in himself and shuddered. He thought about his friends always teasing him when he was focused on a puzzle. About the sighs and looks between them he'd noticed over the years. He pulled himself through the well oiled trap door, wondering if he should consider cutting back on coffee, at least.

Various scrapped, broken, and generally awful pieces of furniture had accumulated here over the years. Today someone had left a plate of piping hot blueberry muffins on a moldy coffee table. Riz laughed and lifted the plate with his mage hand as he passed. The illusory muffins let out a sulfurous smell and a farting noise as they disappeared and a net exploded around the table. Lights and jeering laughter flashed across the net and a small purple form tumbled out of an invisible pocket, a knife in one hand and her crystal in the other. She scowled at the net and dismissed the prestidigitation, then set to disassembling her trap.

"Morning," Riz said, shaking a wooden chair with his mage hand before deciding it was probably fine to sit on. He put his coat back on and dug out his gloves. "Convenient running into you. I was just thinking about how to get in touch with you guys."

The small tiefling glanced up with a glare and went back to her work. What the hell was her name? Cherry? Charity? Clarity! That was it.

"What's with the obvious trap?" he asked, stretching out his legs and crossing his ankles. She scowled harder and didn't answer. "Okay fine, no chatting, got it." Riz shrugged and put his hood up, then leaned back with his hands in his pockets to consider other strategies.

Maybe if he didn't tell Kristen about all his concerns just yet? He could emphasize the angle of trying to figure out Kipperlilly's strategy. Fig was always down to disguise herself, so maybe she could take on one of their appearances and fish around for information.

"We're supposed to trick a more experienced rogue and submit proof we did it," Clarity said. Riz opened his eyes. She was shoving her net back into a bag, still scowling, but now looking more frustrated than angry.

"No you're not," he said. "That goal is way too straightforward to be a freshman assignment. We only get explicit assignments related to our specializations, and not very often at that."

"I can read, so I'm pretty sure that's what the assignment I got from the dead drop said to do."

"You can read, sure," he shrugged, closing his eyes again.

"The fuck does that mean?" she demanded. He felt a corner of his mouth twitch.

"You read the words on the paper, not the ones between the lines."

She grumbled something under her breath that he didn't bother to try to pick up the details of.

"What do you want?" she asked him.

"This morning? I wanted some peace and quiet to think and strategize," he said.

"Why did you want to get in touch with our party? Haven't you done enough already?"

"That's why I wanted to talk to you guys. What the hell does that mean? I didn't do shit, but for some reason everyone thinks I'm out here terrorizing kids."

She made a disgusted noise.

"Yeah? Well they think we're idiots who are trying to piss off the Bad Kids for clout. None of the other rogues will even talk to me. It fucking sucks."

"Hmm." Riz nodded, starting to put together a more complete picture. "The other rogues aren't really gonna talk to you much either way," he said. "We're not like the bards or clerics or fighters. Not really a communal or sociable bunch."

"You are," she said. "You even helped us out. Your friend, too. At first, anyway."

His eyes flew open and he leaned forward. "My friend?" Riz asked, watching her closely.

"Yeah?" Clarity looked up from where she was sitting on the table, moping. "The blonde halfling chick? Kippy something?"

He pursed his lips and nodded, narrowing his eyes. "Yep, that...that sounds like exactly the kind of bullshit I suspected. What the fuck are you trying to do, Kipperlilly? Why are you trying to get these guys in on it? Is it because...Bucky," he gasped in realization. "She's after Kristen."

"What do you want with Bucky?" Clarity demanded. "He didn't do anything! He didn't say anything to anyone about either of you guys, so you need to back off!"

Riz glanced her over, noting the wide stance, defensive expression, and brightly blushing cheeks. "I'm not going to do anything to Bucky," he said, shaking his head, "and neither is Kipperlilly, if we have anything to do with it." He stood up. "C'mon, we need to figure this shit out."

Clarity narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms. "She's not your friend."

"Absolutely not." Riz shook his head, stuffing his coat and gloves into his briefcase and heading to the trap door.

"Shit. We're fucking idiots."

"No, you're fucking freshmen, and Kipperlilly is a fucking bitch."

"Y'know I really don't feel comfortable with guys using that word to refer to women."

"Oh it is one of the milder insults I can think of for her, but fine," he said as he scrambled down the ladder. Clarity followed. "How's 'self-centered, evil, lazy, stalker shithead who needs to climb the fuck out of my ass' strike you?"

"Damn. You really hate this bitch, huh?"

"I do now," he agreed, sliding down the last half dozen rungs. Riz checked the hall, then waved her out first. He carefully secured the panel behind them. Where would Kristen be right now? Library or prayer rooms. He pulled out his crystal and texted her. "Let's head to the library for now," he said, walking off in that direction.

"Why the fuck am I following you?" Clarity whispered to herself. Riz glanced over his shoulder.

"Because I'm acting like I know what I'm doing."

"Do you know what you're doing?" she asked.

"We'll see," he said, shrugging.

"Goddamn it," she sighed. His crystal buzzed and he checked it.

"Ok, Kristen will be here in a few minutes," he said, scanning around. The librarian glanced up, acknowledged them, then went back to her work. He followed the shelves around to the back corner and sat down on one of the couches, listening carefully for anyone else.

You know how to message? he asked Clarity. She shook her head and sat in the chair ninety degrees from him. Damn, makes this harder. Okay. Riz popped open his briefcase and grabbed his notebook for the rage god mess. Also some more flyers for the PBJ event and the roll of tape. Clarity picked up a flyer and read it skeptically.

"Are you the one leaving these lame—"

"Shut up," Riz laughed, starting a new page of notes and writing out the information he'd just learned. "They're cool. Post-ironic or something, I don't know. Anyway, not what we need to work on right now, I just assume we'll have some time to fill." She snorted and put it back on the stack.

Where are the rest of your friends? he asked her.

Bucky's probably praying in the cleric grotto. Bug has an alchemy class first thing, and Ed has class in the gym.

Everyone free after that?

Uh, lemme see. Clarity swiped through her crystal. Yeah, at 10:00 we're all free.

Ok, I wanna talk to everyone at the same time then. Let's see what Kristen—

Kristen rushed up. She dropped her bag and gripped her staff tightly. "What's going on?" she demanded.

"He's fine," Riz clarified. "I have a suspicion. Chill."

"Dude you said my little brother was—" Kristen hissed out.

"Shh! Sit!" Riz whispered. She frowned and sat. "Kristen, this is Bucky's friend Clarity," he said. "Clarity, Kristen, Bucky's big sister."

Clarity nodded and leaned forward. "Oh cool, the gay one."

Kristen glanced at Clarity, then back to Riz with raised eyebrows. He shrugged.

"What's going on?" Kristen asked.

Kipperlilly, he messaged her. She glared and he nodded.

Trying to meet Bucky's party at 10:00, he explained. There are a few places I know of that should be fairly private. If I'm the only one with anything like message we'll need it.

Kristen sat back and hummed thoughtfully.

"What's going on?" Clarity asked anxiously, "Are you telling her about—"

"Shh!" Riz hissed at her. Yes. At this point we need to just wait for your party and head to a private spot where we can talk.

"Okay," she said. "What about the cleric rooms? Bucky says they're sacred and protected."

Kristen snorted. "Not exactly."

Find the old boiler room yet? Riz asked Clarity, picking up the stack of flyers and roll of tape.

No, she shrugged.

We'll head there. Let your party know to meet here asap when they're done with class.

Who put you in charge? Clarity demanded. Riz turned to her with raised eyebrows and crossed his arms.

You want to figure out what's going on? You have better suggestions? Throw them out any time.

She glared sullenly and slumped in her chair. Fine, I'll text them.

"I'm going to hang some of these up while we're waiting," Riz said. "And then I've got some research to do. I'll also bring you up to speed, Kristen, if you wanna join me. You have somewhere else to be, Clarity?"

"Not really. I'm still working on that assignment you said I was doing wrong."

"Alright. Well, feel free to head out or stay," he shrugged, taping a flyer to the end of a shelf.

"That's it?"

"What else are you expecting?" he asked, glancing at her.

"You just—you—what the fuck, dude? You show up out of nowhere, fuck up my trap and insult me, act like it's our fault people are spreading stupid rumors, act like this Kipper chick is gonna take Bucky out and don't elaborate, drag me here—"

"I didn't drag you anywhere." Riz rolled his eyes.

"—order me and my whole adventuring party around, and then you just start hanging up flyers for some kind of fucking lame sandwich party and you act like I'm the weird one when I wonder what the fuck is going on?"

Riz closed his eyes and bit his tongue, breathing evenly to keep from hissing at her. Before he could come up with anything productive to say, Kristen took over.

"Look, here's the deal about Riz," she said, moving closer to her and leaning over the arm of the couch. "He goes at about four times the speed of a normal person, and his twists and turns will give you whiplash if you try to understand them. The thing to do is—"

He sighed and walked off to hang flyers up around the library and in the hall nearby. When he ran out, he headed back to the corner, where Kristen and Clarity were getting along surprisingly well.

"...and then he runs into my bedroom, stark fucking naked except for corn husks tied around his ankles and yells, 'Look, Kristen, Helio made me invisible!'"

Clarity was already curled up laughing, but at this she held her breath and crammed the sleeve of her hoodie into her mouth to try and muffle the sound. Kristen was stretched out on the couch with an arm and a leg draped over her staff, smiling in memory.

Bucky is gonna be so pissed at you, Riz messaged her, amused.

What, why? she asked in surprise. It's embarrassing, but everyone does stupid shit when they're little.

He's got a crush on her. It's mutual from what I've seen, he said. Kristen's mouth dropped open and her eyes opened wide.

HOLY SHIT REALLY WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME

I just did?

Before, dude!

What?

When you saw them before?

Oh. Uh, I didn't know it was important?

My little brother has a CRUSH ON SOMEONE and also she's a TINY MOUTHY TIEFLING and SHE MIGHT LIKE HIM BACK and you didn't TELL ME? How is that not important??? Do you understand NOTHING?

Apparently not. Wow. Okay.

Kristen slapped a hand over her eyes.

You're fucking hopeless.

"Holy shit that's hilarious," Clarity sighed shakily, having finally calmed down. "Bucky didn't say you were funny."

"Mostly I just know funny stories about stupid things I or other people did. Like Cork, our baby brother? He had this habit of snorting crayon shavings up his nose. Said he wanted rainbow boogers."

"Bucky said he still does that, but he hides it now," Clarity chuckled.

Kristen laughed, then her expression faded to sadness. Riz glanced back and forth between them and decided to make himself scarce.

You done with those references we swiped? he messaged Kristen. I can sneak them back if you are.

"Oh, yeah, here," she said, sitting up to dig through her bag. Clarity looked up, noticed him, and frowned. Riz refrained from rolling his eyes at her and took the books when Kristen held them out.

"I've got some work to do, so I'm gonna set up at a table," he said. "Just grab me when everyone gets here." He squatted to start gathering the things he'd taken out back into his briefcase.

"Sounds good. I can chill, try to commune with Cassandra a little more," Kristen said, then perked up, "Oh, hey, you refill your snacks yet?" she asked.

"Yeah, Fabian gave me a lift last night so I was able to stop and raid my present," he said. "Jerky or dried apples?"

"Ooh, apples!" Riz tossed a pack next to her on the couch. "Heck yeah."

"Want a granola bar or something?" he offered Clarity.

"What the fuck?"

Riz pinched his nose and sighed. "Would you like a snack, you horrible little girl?"

Kristen laughed, choked, and coughed out a piece of apple that hit the top of his briefcase. Riz pointedly removed it with the tips of his claws and laid it on top of her bag, to her continued amusement.

"I keep snacks with me," he explained. "Keeps me going when I forget to eat, keeps my party going when they have to skip meals, and they're handy as bribes for all kinds of creatures I encounter."

Clarity glared over her knees at him. "Whatcha got?"

"White chocolate chip granola bars, trail mix, peppered beef jerky, dried apples, fruit gummies, and something new I'm intrigued and intimidated by: spicy freeze dried squid."

"...I'll try the squid. If that's okay."

"Sure," he said, grabbing a pack and carelessly chucking it toward her. She deftly snatched it out of the air as soon as it got within arms reach.

"Thanks."

He nodded, snapped his briefcase closed, and headed off down an aisle.

"What the hell is his deal anyway?" Clarity whispered to Kristen. "There's the whole cinnamon-roll-who-will-actually-murder-you thing mixed with, like, feral nerd daddy? He's so weird."

"His hearing's better than you'd expect, too," Kristen said around a slice of apple.

"Motherfucker!" she hissed, barely audible.

Riz's muffled laughter must have wound its way to them through the shelves, because a few seconds later he heard her again.

"...sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he called over his shoulder. "Doubt you can come up with anything worse than I've heard before."

"Riz, can you try to be less of a bitch? Just for a while?" Kristen asked. "There's no need to actually terrorize the freshmen." Clarity made some kind of noise, and he walked off to look up werewolves before the librarian could come over to yell at them.

Kristen held up a finger for the kid to wait—c'mon she's not that much younger than you, she told herself. Her name's Clarity. A couple years doesn't matter that much anymore. She frowned and concentrated.

"Riz for real, can you still hear us?" Kristen asked at a low conversational volume. No response. He probably wouldn't bother eavesdropping, especially after what the ki—Clarity—just said about him. She swallowed another laugh. Oh man, Adaine and Fig were going to die when she told them. "Alright, we're good," Kristen told her.

"You sure?" she asked, making a face and glancing around.

"Yeah, besides, if he doesn't like what he hears it's his own fault for eavesdropping. So first of all, gotta warn you, you better nip any crushes in the bud. He's not interested. In anybody. Ever. For anything. The psychic power of his disinterest in anything sex related has actually physically manifested and kidnapped him."

"No, I'm not—not—wait what the fuck?"

"Long story. Short version is Riz is not at all into dating, so like, don't bother if that's what you're after."

"No!" Clarity scowled. "He's—whatever, that's not what I meant. I meant...what I said. What the hell is his deal? It's like he's accidentally cool and doesn't have any fucking idea? He's like this insanely powerful smooth secret agent guy with fucking tattoos everywhere, with like, the fuckin hair and shit? He's probably one of the most skilled rogues in the whole school? Most of the people I've heard talking about him are down fuckin disastrously. I have heard some shit. But like, he just seems genuinely nice? He...he fuckin...does homework?" She waved a hand in the direction Riz went. "He hangs up lame ass posters with little dancing jam guys on them? He's worried about our party? I mean, probably because Bucky's his friend's little brother, but still."

Kristen nodded and chuckled as she listened.

"That's Riz," she shrugged. "He'd help you guys whether you were my brother's party or not. He's genuinely kind. He does homework. So much fucking homework. Our homework. He and Adaine just saved our asses by writing essays for everyone that we all forgot about. He made everyone in our party a graduation plan—and they're good ones, too. It really helped me feel a lot better about...everything I've got to deal with this year," she said, trailing off for a second. She should probably tell him that. She remembered him fighting with Fig, slamming the table and yelling in their meeting after finding the bodies...stress was getting to him. She sighed. "Anyway, he's just...like that. I don't know if he knows how to hold still. He even sleeps restlessly."

"Huh. I guess...I guess hot people can be nice sometimes?" Clarity shrugged.

Kristen snorted. "Yeah? You never met anyone who's both before?"

"I was in middle school last year."

"Okay yeah, no, that's a hellscape. Worse. I've been to hell, it's pretty chill."

"Yeah, some parts are really nice actually. I always like visiting my aunties."

"Anyway, there's another piece of the Riz puzzle you're missing," Kristen said, pulling out her crystal. She dug through her photo archives, carefully skipping all of sophomore year. The end of freshman year didn't have much either, what with their stint in jail. Oh, there's some good ones. She handed Clarity her crystal.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Pictures of us from our freshman year. That's from this time Bill Seacaster made us stay up all night and train with him. We told him about one of our battles, and he absolutely ripped us all new assholes. Which we deserved. We seriously fucked up. Adaine was on her own in a different room fighting werewolves, I got so fucked up by this vampire...anyway. He's like absolutely not, you're taking drugs and staying up all night training."

"What the fuck?" Clarity whispered, looking through the photos. Kristen laughed.

"That man draws a cutlass and tells you to take cocaine and fight his pirate minions all night, you're gonna take some fucking cocaine and fight his fucking pirate minions all night."

"Holy shit, dude."

"Anyway, I took some pictures during breaks and then in the morning when we were done. Got a few decent shots of everyone." Kristen closed her eyes and waited.

"No. Fucking. Way."

"Which one?" Kristen snickered.

"He's laying face down and looks like he's gonna hurl."

"Oh yeah that one," she laughed, holding her hand out for her crystal. Clarity handed it over. "He did puke right after this. Bill made Gorgug throw the whole couch overboard onto the lawn. Then he sent some minions to set it on fire."

"Your stories make the shit that happened with us seem almost normal."

"Welcome to Aguefort, man."

"Ok, so Riz had a hell of a glow up. That's what you were getting at right?"

"An accidental glow up," Kristen said, sitting up and pointing at her. "That's the key."

"How does that happen? You're telling me he accidentally got all those tattoos?"

"Well no, but he was high off his ass on Leviathan at the time, so...sorta."

"The hair?"

"Lost his hat in the Nightmare Forest and he hated how it got in his face all the time after that, so he got a haircut."

"He got a fucking haircut? You're telling me the difference between this," she pointed at Kristen's crystal, "and that," she pointed in the direction Riz had gone, "is a fucking haircut. Really?"

"I guess he grew a little too. Got less gangly. Got better gear." Kristen shrugged. "Look, he's got good genes. His parents are both hot as fuck. Dude can't help it."

"So this kid in the ugly hat with the sideburns that need a fucking lawnmower…"

"That's Riz. Internally. Partially, anyway. He carried a briefcase and had business cards in middle school, too." Clarity's face was a vision of horror. Kristen frowned and nodded. "Yeah. It was bad."

"You have got to be fucking kidding me."

"Nope."

"So he doesn't know?"

"No, he's not dumb, he just doesn't like it I think. Maybe he's hoping it'll go away." Kristen shrugged. "Or maybe he just doesn't give a fuck. Hard to tell."

"But the...look, I don't know if I can paint a picture for you of how we met him," Clarity said, leaning forward and frowning. She gestured as she spoke. "Like, we're walking down the hall and suddenly Grix is yelling at us about something, and then this badass goblin dude jumps between him and us. He shoots this radiant bullet at the fucking principal and follows it up with a grappling net that slows him down, right? Then he casts haste on all of us and tells us to come with him, so we run through this crazy route I don't even remember but finally out the back of the cafeteria. He just saved our asses out of nowhere and apologized to us for it? And then he's like, friendly and nice and reassuring? And gives me pointers about remembering fundamentals? And acted kind of shy and embarrassed when he admitted he killed and ate the goddamn dragon that fucking killed his dad? He was cool as fuck. You're telling me that was this kid?"

"Yep."

"I don't fucking buy it."

"Alright," Kristen shrugged, settling in the floor and arranging Cassandra's shards on her lap. "But you wanted to know his deal, and that's his deal."

"I can't even."

"I used to be squeakier than Bucky until I found out Helio's a fuckboi and I like girls. Gorgug used to cry and apologize when he came out of rages. Adaine got meds and treatment for her panic disorder," she said. "People change."

"I think I need a minute," Clarity said, resting her head on the back of her chair and pressing her hands over her eyes.

"That's cool, I'm gonna meditate. Lemme know if you need me before your guys get here."

"Yeah, sure. Uh. Thanks?"

"For the lore dump? It's cool. We're a lot."

Clarity snorted, and Kristen settled into her meditation.

Riz found a couple promising sources and settled at a table far enough away he couldn't hear their conversation. Okay which to check first? He had the ancient and questionable Compendium Of Sentient Monsters, the kind of saccharine Living With Lycanthropes: A Guide for Family, Friends, and Partners, or the extremely dry Curse or Illness: Ancient Afflictions in the Modern World. Maybe the guide would have something about being accommodating for their sensory needs. Feeling like an asshole, but doing it anyway, Riz searched through it for information.

An hour or so later, he'd learned that all the varieties of were-creatures in Spyre carried strains of the same virus, with various methods of transmission and effects that they caused. A glance through a book titled Shifting Political Views: A Case For Biodiversity gave him a bird's eye view of all the roiling arguments going on within and around the subject. It was...complicated. Regardless, werewolves universally ended up being more sensitive to sounds and smells than they were before. Spells that affected those were just as effective on werewolves as any other creature.

Turned out there weren't a lot of spells that masked scent, though. Apparently it was difficult to do. He thought Adaine might be able to explain it to him, if he cared to find out. The guide for friends and family was helpful, with a list of strong scents that werewolves might be particularly distracted by and which could overpower the scent of other creatures. It also noted these could be naturally occurring or from an arcane source like prestidigitation. It was presented as a list of things to be careful of for your werewolf's comfort, but it was still a good starting point.

The Compendium oh so helpfully noted that the spell pass without trace was, "well regarded to protect a caster and allies from the keen senses of a variety of the monstrous denizens of Spyre, including harpies, were-wolves, were-bears, orcs, giants, goblins, kobolds, bugbears, half-devils, dragon-kin, or other unsavory inhabitants of the uncivilized world an adventurer may encounter in their travels." Also humans, elves, gnomes, halflings, and fucking everything else you racist motherfuckers, Riz thought bitterly. He sighed through his nose. But it was a lead, so he wrote it down. He put the books away and looked up pass without trace itself, which apparently did mask all the targets from any method of perception, including scent.

So, two options so far. Neither particularly great solutions for him, but a start. He checked his watch. Past ten. They should be here soon, then. He went back to the lounge corner. Clarity was now on the couch quietly talking with...Bug, that was the druid's name. Kristen was cross legged on the floor with a scarf holding the shards of Cassandra on her lap, meditating with her hands on her knees. A small bubble of sparkling purple twilight surrounded the shards. Riz silently stepped past her and curled up in the chair, folding his hands on his stomach and closing his eyes to think.

The other two would be here soon. What did he know?

Kipperlilly met them in the forest last Monday. Told them they were friends. Directed them away from a specific area or toward a specific area. Had at least been kind of an asshole to them. From their perspective, people thought they were making up a lie about him. From what Fabian told him, at least some people were telling a version of the story where he was an aggressor. He didn't know why the story was a rumor in the first place, since things like that happened multiple times a day at Aguefort. The only time faculty really intervened in conflict between students was in a situation like Fabian and Gertie last Friday, when it was obviously not going to stop without intervention. So why would anyone care?

"Clare. What the hell?" A gravely voice shook the floor around them. Riz opened his eyes to their barbarian, slightly taller and significantly wider than Gorgug, glaring at him from the other end of the couch.

Oh, and these guys were also mad at him for some reason. Probably because of Kipperlilly. Damn it. Riz gave the guy a tentatively friendly wave and got a giant gray scowl. Great.

"Yeah, I know, Ed, but it's not what we thought, I promise. Just hear him out. Look, Bucky's sister's here too," she pointed at Kristen, who was blinking out of her focus and looking up. "He's not friends with that chick and he's not happy about it either."

"I don't like this," he rumbled cautiously.

"Don't blame you," Riz said, nodding. Ed scowled, crossing his arms in front of himself defensively.

"Hey Ed, do you know where everyone—" Bucky's voice stopped as Ed turned sideways and held out a hand to reveal the rest of the group. Bucky's face went through a variety of emotions as he looked over Riz and Kristen. Surprise, irritation, confusion, hurt, and finally settling on cautious hope with a tentative smile at Kristen. "Hey, uh...what's going on?"

"You're up," Riz said to Clarity. "I'll make sure no one's listening while you bring them up to speed."

"Wait, the fuck are you going?" she asked, a note of panic creeping in. "Why do I—"

"Hey, chill," Kristen laughed, wrapping Cassandra's shards up carefully. "They trust you more than him. Just tell em what happened."

Thanks, Riz messaged Kristen.

I got you.

He left his briefcase with Kristen and took off to patrol the nearby shelves. Riz tapped his fingers on his thigh as he thought about the best strategy. Man he'd gotten spoiled by always having Fig and Adaine around this summer. He jumped up and climbed to the top of the shelves as quietly as possible, folding himself up and scanning around. He moved just out of sight of the rest of the group, where he could still easily hear them. Probably no one but Kristen realized that, and she kept quiet.

"What's going on, Clarity?" Bucky asked. She sighed heavily.

"He found me this morning, and said he wanted to talk to us about how there's a rumor that he threatened us when he didn't."

"But she—" the druid's voice interrupted.

"Look, I know Bug, hold on," she said. "It didn't add up. When I mentioned that girl who met us in the forest he got really mad and said something about her being after Bucky, like, to get to Kristen maybe?"

Kristen hummed in agreement.

"Why would she care about me?" Bucky asked, surprised.

"We should...we shouldn't talk much where we can't be sure of privacy," Clarity said, quieter, to Riz's relief. "But really, I believe him that she's not his friend, he didn't send her, he doesn't have anything to do with it. And honestly...look, the vibes don't match. I think it's ok to go talk with him."

"I believe you, Clarity," Bucky said stoutly.

"I don't know, but if both of you think it's okay…" Bug hesitated.

Ed grumbled, "I still don't like it."

"I've known Riz for years," Kristen offered, "and I'll tell you guys right now, if he was a threat to you, you would fucking know. I saw him shoot a dude's fingers off one by one because he didn't give up information fast enough."

"This is the guy you trust, Clare?" Ed asked, reasonably, in Riz's opinion.

"Look, it sounds really bad without context," Kristen acknowledged, "but the dude had just tried to kill us and he was a creep who was kidnapping people and sticking them into gems. One of them was Riz's babysitter when he was little, who he looks up to like a big sister. It's not like he just does that to everyone who pisses him off." Riz smiled, warmly touched by her defense.

"My sister says it's fine, Gredwar," Bucky told him, his voice filled with unflinching faith.

"The sister who's in his party and you haven't talked to in a year and a half?"

Well shit, that's not gonna end well. Riz took one last glance around, didn't pick anything up, and scrambled on all fours over to the end of the shelf. Kristen was standing in front of Bucky, holding him back with one hand on each of his shoulders. His face was getting redder by the second. Clarity was standing on the couch with her hands on her hips glaring at Ed, drawing in a huge breath before letting loose.

Riz dropped heavily down right in the middle of the group, drawing everyone's attention.

"Okay! That's great and all, but how about we go argue in private?" he said, glancing around at four shocked expressions and Kristen. "I'll message Clarity directions. Follow or don't. I'll be there until," he looked at his watch, "10:45. If you don't show up by then, fuck it, I've got better shit to do. Kristen, me or them?"

"I'll stick with these guys," she said.

"Cool." He turned to message Clarity, who stared at him with appalled confusion. Northeast corner outside the building, door looks like it's boarded up. It's not. Can you manage arcane locks?

Uh, sometimes?

Manage it this time. Have Kristen text me, "feeling like burgers for lunch today?" if you absolutely can't and I'll come back.

Why the fuck is that the code—

It's a dumb story. With codes it's always going to be a dumb story and it never matters. Anyway, skip the second step—absolutely do not let anyone touch it at all, that's important—

What happens if you touch it?

It hurts like a motherfucker is what happens. Fucking don't, okay?

Okay, okay, damn!

Rune on the third step, tap with one foot and hold. The wall will open. Send everyone else through first, then jump through or have one of them reach out to grab you. It's on a timer and it's easier that way. Follow the hall and go down the stairs at the branch, you'll get to the old boiler room.

Okay, that sounds...doable.

Repeat it.

Northeast corner, arcane lock, burgers for lunch if I can't do it. Second step zaps you, third step tap once and hold to open the door. Down the stairs.

Good. See you soon.

Riz grabbed his briefcase and walked off, shaking himself hard and sighing, completely empty of any and all of his daily allotment of patience.

Twenty minutes later Riz heard the sounds of obnoxious arguments echoing down the hallway. He dumped the rest of the packet of spicy squid into his mouth and tossed the garbage into his briefcase. He dusted his hands off and wrote "garbage bag/can for briefcase" on his to-do list before grabbing his rage god notebook and arranging himself more comfortably on the old workbench.

"I warned you about that step, Ed," Clarity said.

"You said don't step on it."

"No, she said don't touch it," Bug said.

Ed grumbled, and the sound of heavy footsteps descending stairs came closer. He scowled into the room, scanned around, saw Riz, and scowled harder.

"Seems fine," he called as he came into the room. He leaned in the corner opposite of Riz with his arms crossed.

Kristen came next, followed by Bucky, who was holding his glowing sword up like a torch. Bug and Clarity brought up the rear and closed the door behind them.

"This place is surprisingly clean and well lit," Kristen said, looking around curiously and dragging an empty crate over next to Riz's perch and sitting on it.

"It's a popular hideout for rogue students," he said, flipping to his last page of notes. "Someone hit the rune on the back of the door twice and turn it counterclockwise a three quarter turn? It'll put an arcane lock on the door for an hour."

"What's stopping someone from just listening to us?" Ed asked suspiciously.

"The room's a sanctum."

"Holy shit, really?" Clarity's mouth dropped open. "Who the hell did that?"

"No idea," Riz shrugged. "Been like that for...years before I found it, as far as I know. Maybe a wizard used it as a lab for a while. Maybe Aguefort left it for us. But it's handy."

"This is so cool! Bucky, come here," she demanded. He came over and braced himself to let her climb up and balance on his leg so she could easily reach the rune. He swallowed hard and his ears turned pink.

See? Riz messaged Kristen, glancing down out of the corner of his eye.

Yes. I am DYING.

"Alright everybody get comfortable," Riz said. "Anyone mind if I go first?" General shrugs and grumbles followed. "Okay, so from my perspective, I fucked up and accidentally sent Grix after you, then helped you escape him and saw you over to the edge of the forest where you were heading. Then I went back for my bicycle and went home. I gave Kristen the envelope from your little brothers the next day at lunch, Bucky." He looked down at Kristen, and she nodded in confirmation. "That's all I did. I don't think I've even seen any of you around since then."

Ed snorted in disbelief. Riz glanced at him to see if he was going to say anything, but nothing was forthcoming.

"Then yesterday our friend Fabian said he'd heard a rumor that I deliberately sent Grix after you guys and threatened you for some reason. That's the whole thing. I don't know if...Bucky, do you have zone of truth? Feel free to cast it on me."

"I don't have it yet," he sighed, scuffing his foot and looking down. "Still working on it. Oh! Oh but I can use divine sense?"

Kristen hummed. "That might tell you something? Dunno if it would convince Little Bit," she gestured at Ed, "but I think he's probably just overprotective."

Riz glanced between Kristen and Ed, firmly resisting a smile. Ed glared at her perfunctorily.

"Do what you gotta do," Riz told him, shrugging. Bucky considered, then sheathed his sword, dismissing the glow. He rubbed his hands together and held one out toward him, palm out. Riz felt the warmth of summer heat cast over him, along with the scent of popcorn. He smiled and glanced at Kristen, sending her a message.

Forgot how your spells used to smell like popcorn, he said. She chuckled.

Makes me a little nostalgic, she said, leaning back and watching.

The warmth faded and Bucky looked at him...strangely. A combination of confusion, internal conflict, and deep respect. Riz wasn't sure what to do with it, so he cracked a stupid joke.

"So, how evil am I? I hugged Fig on Friday, so I might still have a trace of infernal miasma."

"You're...not," Bucky said, shaking his head slowly. "Not at all. And you're protected—that vest wouldn't...I can't believe I didn't notice that before, but there's no way you could wear it if—guys, we can trust him. We can definitely trust him." Bug and Clarity relaxed completely. Ed looked taken aback, but relaxed a bit.

Riz glanced down to Kristen, who was just grinning at Bucky and nodding. She punched Riz hard in the thigh, without looking.

"Fucking—ow, Kristen!"

"He's our little angel," she shrugged, grinning at the freshmen. "Angel intern anyway. His dad's the real deal. Riz works for him sometimes." Bucky's eyes widened.

"Kristen, why didn't you say?"

"Well, I'm in his party and you and I haven't talked in a year and a half," she said, leaning against the wall and bracing her legs comfortably. Bucky frowned and sighed. Ed closed his eyes with a wince.

"Ok, so now that you're convinced I didn't do...whatever—what the hell did happen after I left?" Riz asked, looking around at them.

Clarity exchanged a look with Bug, shrugged, and started telling the story.

"We were looking for this big undead badger that lives out there, because Bug needed a sample of its crap to compare to a regular badger's for alchemy class." Riz nodded encouragingly. "It's apparently a...it's not awakened, but it's old, and it was tame when it was alive and some druid necromancer guy a long time ago wanted his buddy to stick around, so...it still is. Just out there doing badger stuff. Or, well, it was."

Clarity frowned. Bug's breath hitched and they curled in on themselves a little. Kristen took in a quick breath and crossed her arms.

"We didn't have a choice, Clare," Ed said quietly. She nodded and went on.

"Bug found the trail. I was on point. We were planning on staying out of its path and just getting whatever gross samples they needed. The trail led us up near the lake, and just as we were heading back into the forest from a clearing, this uptight halfling blocked the path and started giving us the third degree."

"What did she ask you about?" Riz asked, writing quickly. Sounded like she was up there visiting Lucy and wanted to scare them off.

"Just wanted to know who we were and where we were headed and what the hell we were doing, like she owned the freaking forest," Clarity said, crossing her arms and leaning on her knees. "Pissed me off."

"Wouldn't let us pass," Ed volunteered. "Even after Bug pointed out the trail and explained exactly where we were going."

Clarity nodded. "It was like she was hiding something. Really suspicious in hindsight, but she came on so aggressive and she was so obviously stronger than me…" Bug threw their arm over her shoulders.

"Everybody gets scared sometimes," Riz said. "Live to fight another day, remember?" Bucky gave him a beaming smile that...he also wasn't sure what to do with. Kristen's little brother was starting to freak him out a little, honestly. He liked it better when he was nervously avoiding him.

Clarity scowled and sighed. "Yeah, actually I remembered you'd just told me that, and it's a good point. So I was going to just backtrack, maybe tell Bug to find another trail from a different direction, right? But then she found out we knew some of you guys, from your party I mean, and her whole deal changed. She was just...kind of generally bitchy and dismissive of us before that, but when she heard your name specifically, Riz, something changed. I should have noticed it."

"You will next time," Kristen reassured her. She shrugged.

"Anyway she got all apologetic, even offering to show me some tricks and help us track the badger down."

"How'd she find out you knew us?" Riz asked, looking up from the notes he was taking.

"It was my fault," Bucky said, quietly. He'd sat with his back to the door and his sword across his knees. "I was trying to...she was being so mean to Bug and Clarity. I told her she was being an awful example of an upperclassman and I used you to contrast. I mentioned Kristen, too. I thought I convinced her, because she looked surprised and then remorseful, and then she started helping us. Or I thought she did."

Riz closed his eyes and sighed, nodding.

"So anyway," Clarity went on, "we started following the trail again, and she came with us. She said she was just trying to keep us from running into this swarm of rot grubs that were up north of us. She got really friendly and chatty, saying she should have noticed the family resemblance between Bucky and Kristen, and she told us some stories about you."

"Stories about me?" Riz asked in a strangled voice.

"Not really stories, actually. Just things to make us think you'd hung out, I guess? Like, 'Oh, yeah, Riz told me the same thing after they got back from wherever,' or stuff like that?"

Oh that was fucked. Riz hissed as the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He leaned harder into the corner and shuddered.

"That is some supremely creepy shit, dude," Kristen said. She patted his knee with a sympathetic wince.

"So, you really don't know her at all​?" Ed asked.

"No," Riz said. He swallowed bile. "I've seen her around, I think, but I never even knew her name until Kristen started running against her. She's…" He made a face of extreme distaste and waved his hands vaguely.

"She's stalked him for years, apparently," Kristen shrugged. "Seems like she wants to screw him, murder him, and wear his skin like a suit, probably in that order, but no guarantees."

Riz hissed again and curled up tighter, feeling his claws dig into his notebook.

"Fucking gross, dude," Bug whispered. Riz looked over with wide eyes and nodded emphatically.

"Yeah, Fourdogs Fuckface is bad news for sure," Kristen agreed.

"Who?" Bucky asked, sounding horrified.

"The rest of them refuse to actually use her real name, through some combination of actually not knowing it, not caring, or being deliberate assholes about it because they hate her," Riz sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Kristen and Adaine are the worst ones."

"Four...dogs?"

"Kipper. Lilly. Copper. Kettle," Kristen listed off on her fingers. "Sounds like a bunch of shitty yappy overfed dogs that belong to a boring middle aged couple." Ed snorted hard, then coughed. Riz glanced over in time to see him flatten the curve of his mouth again.

"So, let me guess," Riz sighed, shaking himself and hopping down from the bench. He left his notebook and pen on his briefcase. "She was friendly and helpful right up until you found the badger, encouraged you to get way too close to it, and then...hm. Kristen, you think she killed and resurrected it or just got it pissed off enough to attack?"

"How the fuck?" Clarity whispered.

Riz stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall.

"That's exactly what she did!" Bug cried. "It wasn't doing anything! It was just digging for grubs!"

"So she killed it and some weird red stars took it over, and it attacked you," Riz said. "You couldn't get it to calm down and you couldn't get away."

"Dude, how the fuck​?" Clarity asked.

"We've run into the rage stars before," Kristen explained. "We're trying to figure out what's going on. This confirms that at least she's associated with the cult, or enthralled, right?" She asked, looking up at Riz. He nodded.

"I don't see how she'd have the power, otherwise."

"Well, I hope she's not just enthralled," Kristen said. "Then I don't have to feel bad for hating her guts. She was a creepy asshole before this."

"It wasn't aggressive before she attacked it," Bug said, miserably. "It didn't even defend itself against her; it just curled up and cried. That's what's so awful—it was tame. A badger! Like, you don't understand how crazy unique that is. You can have a familiar that's a badger, but it's still a badger. They only like the person they're bonded to. It's usually only a good choice for someone going solo. They'll fight owlbears. But this guy was just out there vibing and bothering no one! And we killed it!"

Bug curled into their knees, crying. Bucky reached up to put a hand on their leg and looked over at Kristen with wide pleading eyes. She nodded at him encouragingly and he sighed, patting his friend. Clarity pet their hair and met Bucky's eyes with a sad expression. Riz felt his stomach clench as he watched them.

How hard was the fight? he asked Clarity. She looked up from comforting Bug with wide shining eyes and shook her head.

Really fucking ugly. We barely made it. Ed had to hold Bug back while Bucky and I finished it off because they kept trying to intervene and calm it down.

Riz sighed and nodded. These guys had just fallen clumsily in her way, but Kipperlilly was apparently willing to destroy anything even tangentially related to the targets she couldn't reach. He had to figure out a way to neutralize her, or at least get to some sort of stalemate or cease fire. For now. He had to get that fucking file.

"Before she left, she told us we should stay away from the Bad Kids." Ed rumbled, reluctantly. "Made it sound like you guys were part of her whole deal, and if we told anyone what happened it'd be our reputation against yours. Then a few days later there's the rumor going around about how you threatened us, even though we didn't say anything, and she cornered me about it just as I was heading into the gym. I tried to hit her, or avoid her, but she ran circles around me. Totally kicked my ass. Left me there barely conscious and threatened to kill me if I told anyone. Grinned and laughed the whole time. Creepiest shit. Porter had to heal me and drag me to the infirmary, and he gave me extra drills when I wouldn't tell him what happened."

"Well, no wonder you didn't trust us if you thought we were friends with her," Riz sighed. "And she kept you off balance enough you didn't think about how Kristen's running against her and we're never seen together. She probably started the rumor to have another excuse to fuck with you and as more insurance to keep you from talking to us. She hasn't been able to get to us yet so she's branching out."

"I cast detect good and evil on her, and it...it just didn't work," Bucky said. "I didn't get anything. It was like there was nothing there."

"We should've noticed," Clarity said, quietly.

"Practice means improvement," Riz shrugged. "You can't get better without failure."

"Damn dude, when did you get wise?" Kristen teased with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

"Nah, it's just what my mom always tells me when I get down on myself," he said. "I think it's probably easier to believe when it's not your own failure you're talking about." He turned to pack away his stuff.

"So...what do we do now?" Bucky asked, sounding a lot more like a kid than Riz remembered sounding a couple years ago. He sighed, closed his briefcase and looked at his watch. They'd been there about forty five minutes, so they still had some time.

Should we send Ed and Bug to Jawbone to talk about it? Riz asked Kristen. She leaned back against the wall and blew out a heavy breath.

I don't fucking know. Maybe ask the rest of the party too? Should we bring these guys in completely? They're already in danger if she keeps fucking with them.

If they stick in pairs until we can strategize that'll help. She only attacked Ed when he was alone. Maybe it was just opportunity.

"Don't talk about us like we're not here," Clarity said, irritably. She stood and crossed her arms, glaring at both of them. "We deserve a say in whatever you're planning over there."

Kristen met his eyes and shrugged. Riz sighed and ran his hand into his hair.

"Alright," he said. "That's fair. We were trying to decide about whether to bring you guys in on all the information we have, since you're already in danger because of it. But we want to talk to the rest of our party about it first, okay? In the meantime you guys should try to avoid being alone unless you're in a secure place. Hang out in pairs at least."

Bucky nodded eagerly.

"You think she only jumped me because I was alone?" Ed asked.

"Might have been an attack of opportunity, yeah," Riz said, shrugging. "Can't be entirely sure of her motivations."

"I think you guys might feel better after talking to Jawbone," Kristen said. "You don't have to tell him it's because of KrispyKreme, but he can still help."

Ed sighed heavily. "Maybe," he said.

"I'll go with you if you want," Bucky offered. He hopped up to pat him on the arm reassuringly.

"And the lock is about to expire," Riz said, "so we should head out. Takes a couple hours to fully recharge."

He grabbed a small pack of tissues from his briefcase and handed them to Clarity, tilting his head toward Bug, who was messily wiping their face on their sleeves. They took them and blew their nose.

"The cafeteria opens in fifteen," Kristen said. "Let's head there. Everything looks better on a full stomach."

"Why are you hanging out with us?" Clarity asked, suspicious.

"Because I miss my little brother and I clearly have a soft spot for bitchy little rogues," Kristen said, scruffing her hair. Clarity jumped back and glared at her, and Bug laughed through their sniffles. Riz smiled and shook his head.

"I've gotta go," he said, opening the door and feeling the lock break as he did. "But I can walk you out. The stairs lead up to the storage room behind the dance studio."

"Why couldn't we just come in that way?" Bug asked.

"The portal is one way from this side," Riz said.

"Who the fuck designed this shit?" Ed asked, under his breath.

"Aguefort," Riz shrugged.

"Is he really as crazy as everybody says?" Clarity asked.

"Worse," Kristen said. "So much worse."

Riz laughed, "You remember when he—wait, no, you were dead. Oh well, I still think the craziest shit he ever did was icing Mr. Gibbons and then himself to resurrect you and Gorgug. He could have just gotten almost any random cleric to revivify you, but instead: phoenix egg, murder/suicide, welcome to Aguefort Academy kids!"

Kristen snorted. The freshmen were silent. Riz looked over his shoulder curiously. They were either looking at each other or staring at him wide eyed.

"What the fuck?" Clarity finally said, apparently speaking for all of them. Kristen laughed.

"So I was in the actual afterlife, right?" she told them, "Aguefort climbed into my backpack and had me sneak him into heaven, and then when we were through the gates he climbed out and took off running and waving his arms and yelling RUN KRISTEN so I...I fucking ran? Back the way I came. And then I was alive."

"Sol protect us," Bucky whispered, making the holy sign. Kristen patted his shoulder and shrugged up at Riz.

"You'll get used to it," he told them, opening the door and stepping through the glowing portal. They followed, one by one, with Kristen bringing up the rear. The wall glowed, then returned to normal cinder block as each stepped through. Ed shoved through the boxes, props, and folding chairs, leaving a clear and convenient path to the door.

"Thanks, man," Riz said, patting his leg without thinking, just like he would Gorgug's. He froze and glanced up. "Uh, sorry."

Ed sighed. "It's...you're welcome. It's fine." Riz nodded. Better than before, anyway.

"Alright, just give us a week or so to figure out what to do." He dug into a pocket of his vest and pulled out four business cards, handing one to each of the freshmen. "Here's my contact information for emergencies. Kristen, can you take point on keeping em up to date, though?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll be the freshman liaison," she shrugged.

"Cool. Bye, guys," he said, waving and checking his watch as he left.

"A business card? Do you think he knows how he—" Bug started to say, followed by a solid thump. "Ow, Clarity!"

Riz sighed and Kristen's laughter followed him down the hall.

"And finally a reminder to have chosen a spell to study and have your components prepared for use by the start of Thursday's laboratory block, whether you are prepared to cast that day or not!" A chorus of "yes, professor," rose from the class, and Runestaff nodded.

"You are dismissed," she said, opening the door with a wave of her hand and teleporting away with a twirling flourish.

People began to mill about and leave. From her position in the back corner, Adaine watched Oisin make conversation with a few people and leave without a backwards glance at her. She closed her eyes and took a slow relieved breath. Hopefully she'd bought herself at least a few days of peace. She packed up her things and headed to the library, despite the rumbles in her stomach. Most of her friends would be busy today and she didn't really feel like dealing with the crowd in the cafeteria. She'd pull something from her jacket if she needed to.

Adaine exchanged a wave and a smile with Mrs. Dimweather as she passed, then headed straight for the books about spell components. Her options really depended on what spell she was going to work on. Teleport didn't meet the criteria, as the exercise was specifically about incorporating material components within casting. She held Boggy in the crook of one arm while she searched, and he helpfully suggested options by tapping them with his tongue.

True seeing would dovetail nicely into her specialization, but the ointment required was finicky, and it didn't really excite her. Chain lightning had definite possibilities, though, as did disintegration. She chose a few references about gems and metals and a discussion of organic spell components co-authored by a wizard, an alchemist, and a druid that seemed like it could be really useful. She checked them out and looked around, considering. Sunlight dappled in through the windows, and she headed toward the outer walls of the library. Maybe the lounge area would have space, since it was lunch period.

Adaine rounded the shelf to familiar chaos spread out in the floor in front of a lounge chair. Riz squatted amongst it, eating a piece of jerky and glaring at the array of papers as though waiting for one of them to confess to something. A couple other students were scattered around among the groups of couches and chairs, so she messaged him as she walked up instead of speaking aloud.

What did your notes do to anger you this time? she asked. Riz blinked and looked up and around with a hopeful expression, then broke into a wide grin when he saw her. Adaine sat at the end of the couch nearest him and he immediately climbed up next to her. She put her things down in the space he'd left on the floor, careful not to disturb the arrangement he'd made.

Just thinking about the rage god and the Rat Grinders, he said. Nothing new. You finish lunch already?

Skipping it, Adaine shrugged. Figure I'll pull a sandwich out of my jacket or something.

Same, or close enough, he said, leaning against her. She smiled and slid her arm around his shoulders and reached over to stroke through his hair with her other hand. Riz closed his eyes and sighed happily, relaxing against her. A nearby a wizard, a senior Adaine recognized, looked up from her work at the sound, glanced them over and shook her head with a smirk. Adaine blushed and cleared her throat. There was no way she was going to let him know about that little exchange, not if she wanted him to relax around her in public ever again.

Rough morning? she asked.

Freshmen. I don't know if we were like that a couple years ago but hell I hope not. If we were I have so many apologies to make. But I can't blame them too much for being angry because Kipperlilly's been fucking with them.

What happened?

Remember the rumor about me threatening them? I talked to Bucky's party about it, and...short version: it's bad. I think they could be in danger, and I don't know if we should bring them in or not. We'll have to talk about it.

Adaine hummed sympathetically and continued stroking through his hair.

I checked in with Fig and Gorgug down at the gym after that. Fig can't come to drama club because she's got warlock class later and says she's going to follow Ruben Hopclap home. Couldn't persuade her not to. Gorgug doesn't have time to go with her, it's a bad idea to send her and Kristen alone, Fabian and I are going to drama club, and you've got work.

She'll be okay. Fig does stuff like that all the time.

Kipperlilly attacked one of the freshmen, almost knocked him out. He was alone.

Fig's not a freshman.

Yeah, but she's cursed.

Have her text the group chat before and after?

Oh that's a good idea. This is why I bounce ideas off you. You fix them. Riz sighed again and nuzzled his head against her. She smiled and let her hand fall as he sat up to text the group thread.

"I got some of the research we talked about done this morning," he said. "And I've got some assignments to finish. Still have a few other things to look into, too," he said, then messaged her. I think I'll try to get copies of all the Rat Grinder's files this week. Thursday, maybe Friday. That way I can go over them this weekend in addition to the stuff Lydia brings back.

"Been jumping from one thing to the next all day, then?" she asked, clasping her hands together on Boggy's head to restrain herself from reaching toward him again.

Riz sighed and nodded. His gaze wandered to the notes he'd spread out on the floor and he squatted back down with a sigh to start gathering them up.

"You heading out?" she asked, trying to keep her disappointment out of her voice.

"No, just changing gears. I was planning on working here until drama club this afternoon."

A couple kids nearby shot them a set of nasty looks and Adaine sighed.

Mind if I link us up so we can keep talking? she messaged him. We're starting to get the stink eye and repeating message can be a pain.

If you've got the spells to spare, yeah, that'd be great, he said, sending her a glancing smile as he stacked and stored his work.

Adaine checked the time, then added a bit of extra power to extend the duration of the spell.

There we go, she said, then stood to take off her sword belt and utility pouch. She smirked as she heard Riz shuffle his things and turn away, and decided not to tease him about it. She took off her jacket as well and pulled out a freshly made chicken salad wrap in quiet packaging from one of the pockets, having learned which specifics might be important in these situations. She spread the jacket on her lap to catch any crumbs and put Boggy on top. At least he'd happily clean them up.

Can I interest you in a contraband sandwich? she asked him. Riz let a puff of amusement out his nose.

An unlicensed cup of coffee would be wonderful, honestly. Maybe some kind of bootleg fruit? I should probably eat a plant at some point today.

Adaine pulled a cup of mixed strawberries, blueberries, and grapes from her jacket and handed it over.

The fruit is free, but the coffee will cost you a silver, she said. Riz pressed his lips tightly together to keep in his laugh. His eyes crinkled and sparkled at her and she smiled back.

Pretty expensive coffee, he said.

I charge what the market will bear, she shrugged, then her eyes widened as he started rummaging in his pockets. Wait are you actually—I was kidding because I didn't want to enable your bad habits!

Oh no no no, trust is everything on the black market. You don't want to go back on your word, it could ruin your reputation. Riz counted out eight copper from his pockets and started digging in his briefcase. Aha! He pulled three more copper from a pocket on the lid, stacked them up, and held them out triumphantly. There. One silver and a small tip for the barista. I would like six shots of espresso in a to go cup, please.

Adaine chewed and considered, then put down her wrap and picked up her jacket. Four shots of regular, or six with half decaf? she asked him.

You drive a hard bargain. Six shots, split, he said. She nodded, shook out her jacket, and carefully pulled a piping hot cup from the pocket and handed it over. She tried to wave away the coins but he put the cup on the floor before taking her hand and folding them into it.

Deal's a deal, he said, seriously. Riz held her hand in both of his and squeezed it gently. His eyes held affection and soft encouragement.

Alright. Adaine sighed and nodded, carefully tucking the money into an inner pouch of her bag.

Riz left the coffee on the floor and scooped up the container of fruit, picking them up with his claws only to keep from getting juice on his fingers.

That's a surprisingly delicate way you're eating, she said, tilting her head and smiling as she finished her wrap.

Easiest way to avoid a mess, he said, shrugging.

Adaine considered, thinking back through meals they'd shared. There had to have been multiple hundreds over the years. Riz ate quickly and often chaotically, but...almost never messily. Even with meals everyone else was struggling with, Riz would pretty much always end up pristine.

Well I'll be damned, she said. You just eat efficiently.

Yeah…?

All this etiquette and proper table manners I had drilled into me as a child, and all it gets me is spending twice as long at my meals. You're almost certainly less messy.

Well, for what it's worth, I've always thought you look pretty when you do it, he said, smiling.

Really? she asked, smiling back and blushing.

It's just part of you, Riz said, shrugging. Something you do that means you're feeling like yourself, that everything's...okay. He shook the last few pieces of fruit into his mouth, then tossed the empty cup into his briefcase. He pulled out a pack of wipes and offered her one, which she gratefully accepted.

I always knew you pay close attention to details, but lately, since we've been talking about ourselves with each other more, I'm really impressed with all the details you notice.

Riz paused and looked over a little nervously, then nodded. That's basically what I'm doing when I'm in conspiracy mode, just...faster. More mistakes, but more successes too. Adaine sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded back.

So you're applying one of your hardest earned skills at super speed, and we're bitching at you for it.

Well…not always, he said. Riz picked up his coffee and cradled it to his chest in both hands. Oh you know it's the good stuff when just the smell wakes you up, he said, curling up at the other end of the couch and happily inhaling the aroma.

No, it is pretty much always, she said. It's not fair. He shrugged and took a small sip with his eyes closed.

Most things aren't.

Which is why you should expect it from your friends! she insisted. Fairness and justice only exist when we create them for each other, and you deserve that from us.

She watched as his smile slowly stretched and he savored another drink. His eyes opened and her heart tripped before it started racing away. His expression was deeply perceptive and full of outright adoration. She tried to breathe evenly, but her throat was getting tighter. Adaine blushed and shivered, breaking eye contact first. She could still feel the weight of his gaze as she folded and fluffed her jacket comfortably behind herself.

I wish I had better words to tell you how incredible you are, he said.

She fumbled her book as she picked it up and looked over at him again. He was looking at her with the same quiet expression and how the hell was—all she wanted— Riz how the fuck am I supposed to do anything with you looking at me like that and saying things like that?

He blushed and looked down at his coffee with a small, happy smile. His hair tumbled over his forehead, which did absolutely nothing to help. Maybe...maybe this Saturday evening, after FrostyFaire. They could use the excuse of going over the information about Bakur that Lydia was going to bring back. She would...hell, at this point, whatever he wanted, honestly. Maybe she could spend some quality time on his inner thighs. Her cheeks heated as she watched him, thinking about running her hands down his stomach. Not stopping. She wanted her hands on the dense warmth she'd felt when he was in her lap, the intense pressure she'd felt on her thigh. That enticing feeling he'd sent into her mind when they were tangled together. Riz straining and gasping in her arms as he—

You are bright fucking red, he said with a note of delight. She frowned hard and sat up straighter with an irritated huff, pressing her hands to her cheeks.

Well, you're...fucking hot, she complained. He swallowed his laugh and glanced at her incredulously, also blushing. Don't look at me like that. Adaine narrowed her eyes. I know you have mirrors in your apartment, so this can't be a surprise. Riz sighed and set his coffee aside to dig work out of his briefcase.

It's not so bad from you, but...hell, I think I'm going to grow my sideburns back out and start wearing the old man hats again.

Don't you dare, she said, smiling.

Maybe just start wearing a ghillie suit everywhere.

Adaine snorted, drawing another glare from the same source. She waved and made an apologetic face. They rolled their eyes and went back to their work.

Or you could face facts?

Don't like that option at all.

You do though.

Not when it's personal I don't.

That's a mood, she sighed, curling up more comfortably. Boggy settled into sleepy heat pad mode on her lap and she rested her book on him.

What are you working on? Riz asked curiously. He had his enchanting work out, presumably trying to finish the essay portion.

Trying to figure out what material spell components can be substituted for others in a pinch. Like if a spell calls for diamonds, does it need actual diamonds or will another gem work? Does it just need to be a pure mineral of some kind? There are metaphysical properties that are shared across all kinds of things, and sometimes you end up with surprising effects that are actually improvements.

Oh cool, that sounds kind of fascinating.

I think so. Also if I can cast the same spell with a hunk of quartz instead of a diamond, so much the better.

Makes sense, he nodded, glancing over her fondly. You know, it's really nice to hear you talking about...wizard stuff. Makes me understand a little better how cool you thought stealth techniques were. She looked up from her book with a smile.

Scoot over here closer, she suggested.

Um… he hesitated. Adaine rolled her eyes.

I'm not going to do anything scandalous in the damn library, she said. Riz sighed, picked up his coffee, and scooted toward the middle of the couch. He put his briefcase next to himself for easier access. Perfect, she said, fluffing her jacket behind her and happily resting her knees over his lap. He smirked and looked their positions over. Boggy yawned.

Comfortable? he teased.

Yes. Are you? she asked.

Actually, yeah, this is nice. He smiled at her and rested a hand on one of her ankles, then gently swept his thumb up to the skin above her sock. She grinned back and settled in to read.

After a bit she felt his notebook resting on her legs while he wrote. His left hand rested just above her knee and he idly rubbed while he worked. Occasionally, his fingers would press in more firmly and absently move in short lines or circles that made her blush with memory. So nice, but way too distracting. The next time he stopped, she took his hand in hers. Riz looked at her with a smile and gently squeezed. He put his pen down and took a drink of coffee before returning to his work. Smiling to herself, Adaine ran her thumb over his fingers while she turned back to her reading.

"...and so, I'm going to be hosting midweek lofi study nights at Seacaster Manor," Fabian explained. He was draped stylishly on a dusty tarp, holding court for the underclassmen at the drama club. It was completely ruining the prop production timetables, but doing numbers for Kristen's presidential campaign. "Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 4:00pm to 10:00pm. We'll have most of the main floor open for people to spread out, lots of seating, different kinds of lighting environments, a quiet room, a group project room, a low key game room to unwind. Lots of snacks and drinks. Just going for a nice, low stress vibe where people can hang out, socialize, and get work done."

"That sounds amazing!"

"Oh I'm definitely there. Every time I try to get anything done, my little sister will not leave me alone."

"That's so cool of you, but like, why are you doing that? Isn't it a lot of work?"

"Honestly? With the place to myself this year, it's too quiet. It's just too much house for one person, even if that person is Fabian Aramais Seacaster!" he laughed encouragingly, and soon the group was following suit, laughing with him as though he'd actually said something funny.

If he hadn't seen it a thousand times, Riz would have been convinced he cast a spell. He shook his head as he painted lines across a faux brick wall. He would never understand how that worked. Fabian didn't seem to pay any attention to his tone or timing or...anything. He just turned the charm on as seamlessly as he would a faucet. There had to be some kind of plumbing behind the wall, so to speak, but hell if he could figure it out.

"Oi Riz, come climb some dangerous shit for me?" Torek hollered. He sighed and rinsed his brush before heading over.

"What's up?" he asked, wiping his hands on a rag. Torek shined her flashlight up into the rigging.

"Gotta check that the clamps and hanging rods on the I-beams are still holding, otherwise shit might fall and crush a freshman or something. Parents get mad as hell when that happens. Just go up and give em a tug. Any of em are loose, tighten em if you can, mark em if you can't."

"That seems like a job that should belong to an adult. In a guild. With safety equipment."

"Adults in guilds with safety equipment charge for it, and I've got a scrawny little rogue right here who works for free. You got that fancy gliding vest anyway. Get climbing."

Riz threw his rag at her face. She laughed and tossed it down into a bin of them. He activated a rune on one of his rings that sent glowing bracelets of light around each wrist as he headed to the ladder. Which was filthy. He went back for the rag. Cobwebs of intimidating size met him past the halfway point. Riz coughed and spat, waving his hand to clear them out of the way. He had to learn prestidigitation.

"This is gross. How long has it been since anyone's been up here?" he called down.

"Dunno? Spiders got the last one I sent up, I think. Year ago, maybe."

"Very funny, thank you for that," he said, testing the scaffolding to his right and then the hanging steel I-beams. Steel beams it is.

"Yer fine! See anything bigger than your fist, just drop. Don't goblins land like cats or something?"

"Don't dwarves eat my entire ass?" Riz yelled back as he shimmied across, testing the clamps. Her laughter echoed across the stage, disrupting Fabian's gathering.

"Back to work!" Torek yelled at them. They scattered. "Jumpyarse, can't ya do something more useful than distracting my minions and being decorative?"

Riz sighed and tried to tune out the rest of their conversation, which was of course impossible because both of them were loud as hell and also in the middle of a goddamn stage right underneath him.

"So, how did you end up in charge of the entire backstage department?" Fabian asked. "You're only a sophomore."

"Because I'm the one who knows what I'm doing. Which is why I haven't given you a job, since you don't."

"You expect me to find a job I'm more suited to than decoration? That'll be a tall order," he said. Riz refrained from rolling his eyes only because he was afraid it would mess with his balance.

"Ooh, really? Why don't you try filling the orchestra well with your bullshit? Should be able to manage that one."

Riz snorted a laugh and held on very tightly until he'd stopped. He made it to the end of the first beam and now had to figure out how to transition to the next. He was so glad he wasn't afraid of heights, but right now he really wished he could remember why. A two foot gap across a three story drop did not feel nearly as reasonable as a two foot gap across, say, any survivable fall distance.

"What the fuck do you have The Ball doing up there?" Fabian asked, squinting up.

"Shit I'm definitely not qualified or properly compensated for," he called down.

"You're fine!" she called. "He's fine," she told Fabian.

"I'm not! How the fuck am I supposed to…" a scrambling, rattling, metallic noise echoed down, along with ancient dust and cobwebs. "Fucking hell."

From the stage, they only saw a tiny white and green streak move across a gap between the beams. Riz saw his entire life.

"Fabian, remember with the Nightmare King, when I fell and you grabbed me with your sheet and that fire elemental?"

"Yeah, of course."

"This is worse. At least the fight with the Nightmare King was out in the fresh air and didn't have cobwebs. Torek, I am out. Good luck with your next sucker."

"Aw damn it, come on! If I have to call in an actual rigger there's no way we'll have the budget for the functional portcullis!"

"Hit Fabian with your axe, see if money pops out."

"Would that work?" she asked, turning to Fabian speculatively.

"I came here as a favor to you!" Fabian yelled up at him.

"I'm sorry, I am under duress, okay?"

Once again, from below, a white and green streak bridged a short gap, and there was a scrabbling rattle of steel and wood scaffolding. Riz went eerily silent.

"The Ball?" Fabian called up in concern. "You alive?"

"Yep. Just having a heart attack. Be right down."

Riz made his way around the scaffolding and scrambled down the ladder, bending to brace himself on his knees and breathe in relief when he was down. Fabian came over and patted him on the back.

"You're ok, right?"

"Yeah, just scared the piss out of me, I'm fine," Riz said, raising a hand to wave him off. He shook himself and stood, then went over to the rest of the backstage crew. "Guys, I don't care what she threatens or bribes you with, do not let Torek talk you into that shit. It is bad news. Trust me."

"You've been much higher and done much riskier things in battle, The Ball. What's got you so rattled?" Fabian asked.

"Yeah, in battle! Battle is fun. There's adrenaline and you usually have to do it or you or your friends will die, so that's a solid motivation." Riz pointed up at the rigging. "That is poorly lit and pointless horror covered in giant cobwebs. Go see for yourself if you don't believe me." He addressed the group again. "Do not go see for yourselves, trust me."

"I wouldn't ask them to do it," Torek said dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, I desecrated the halls of your fathers or something," Riz said, pulling the filthy rag from his back pocket and tossing it into the bin. He grabbed their bags and brought Fabian his while adjusting his shoulder strap.

"Well, you did, yes, but I got you to do it because I thought you could," she shrugged, not meeting his eyes. Close enough to an apology from her.

"Yeah, alright," Riz sighed, combing his claws through his hair to check for stray spiders. "I think it's time for me to head home. You ready, Fabian?"

"Yes, might as well be, since I'm apparently useless," he sighed.

"I didn't say that," Torek said, pointing at him. "I was clear. You're perfectly fine at providing decoration, distraction, and bullshit."

Riz chuckled. "I think she's got you mapped out, man."

Fabian flipped him off. Then, to Torek, "Open invitation to lofi study nights starting next week. Come hang, bring a friend."

"Ah, maybe," she said dismissively, smirking. "If I find myself running low on distraction."

"Don't forget the decoration," Fabian said, winking at her. Riz rolled his eyes and started heading to the door without him. At least they weren't being as gross as Kristen and Gertie.

"I'm not likely to, Jumpy," she laughed. Fabian chuckled and turned to follow Riz.

"Lovely to meet you all," he said, waving at the whole group. "Good night! Hope to see you next week." Every single one of them called back to him, and most he answered individually. He finally ended up running to catch up with Riz just as he reached the exit.

"What is up with you, man? You in a hurry?"

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I guess? I'm just...Fabian, I'm tired, I'm filthy, I'm hungry, I feel like I just risked my life and I didn't even get to have any fun with it, and I want to go home."

"Yeah, that sounds pretty shitty when you put it like that," he said, patting his head. "Alright, let's get you home."

"Thanks," Riz sighed, relieved, and followed him to his bike.

"Thanks for the ride," Riz said, jumping off the Hangman which, predictably, tried to run over his foot. He hissed at it and kicked the back tire while he stored the extra helmet. It let out a small cloud of black smoke that he backed away from. "Fuck you, too, buddy," he said, without any real malice.

"Hangman," Fabian said sternly, and it subsided. "No problem. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, g'night," Riz said, yawning and waving absently as he dug his keys out of his pocket. 

His mom had texted that she'd be working late, so he wasn't surprised to find the apartment dark and silent. He kicked his shoes off immediately and turned on a lamp to make things feel a little less depressing. He put his briefcase on the kitchen table, and his stomach rumbled as he did. He checked his watch. Past 8:00. Yeah it had been a long time since his beef jerky and fruit. He smiled as he made his way to the kitchen, storing his rings and watch in his hip pouch. Worth the sacrifice, though. He rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands in the kitchen, then started rummaging for leftovers. 

He settled at the table with his food and a glass of ice water, his mind too fuzzy to think about coffee or the work he'd need it for right now. He took out his crystal while he ate and opened his conversation with Adaine.

Hey, I finally got home! Did you know manual labor is exhausting? he sent. He dragged the chair next to him closer and propped his feet in it, relaxing backwards with the warm bowl propped on his chest. The hum of the refrigerator, the tick of the wall clock, and the smell of his favorite meal gradually soothed away the day.

I believe I had heard that somewhere, but as an elven wizard I would of course have no direct knowledge. Entirely unrelated, a toddler knocked a bowl of ice cream onto my sneakers this evening. Got home a little while ago myself.

A small laugh puffed out of his nose. He ate some stew and thought about her legs over his and holding her hand in the sunlight while she read. 

Have you learned teleport yet? he asked. 

Sadly, no. Haven't even started.

Damn. Miss you. 

What exactly were you doing at drama club?

Building sets. Lots of plywood and nails and paint. Then in a moment of truly terrible judgment, I climbed into the rigging above the stage.

Why did you do that

Torek asked me to? Job needed doing?

I've heard you say no to people before, lots of times. I know you understand the concept. 

Yeah, but it didn't seem that big a deal from the ground. I don't mind heights. Turns out I don't mind heights when I have a good reason to be up there, or battle distracting me, and dark creaking steel beams covered in ancient cobwebs don't have either

So if you'd had some demons flying around trying to knock you off the beams it would have been a better experience?

Oh definitely.

You're certifiably insane.

Oh definitely. 

I must be too, because all I'm thinking about is all the different badass ways you'd deal with the problem, and not about the risk of you plummeting to your death. 

Theoretically I'd have all you guys there with me. Someone would catch me.

You had Fabian there with you tonight, right?

yeah but he was busy flirting with Torek

Oh! Tell me! Details!

I don't listen to that shit are you kidding

you have a great memory and you must have heard something!

Ugh. Ok, lemme see. He was telling everyone about his lofi study night plans, like, gathered a crowd like he does. She yelled at them to get back to work and told him he was only good for decoration, distraction, and bullshitting, and he got all giggly about it. Way less gross than Kristen and Gertie twisting metaphors about honey, I'll give them that.

Eeeee, brb, gotta update Fig

Riz laughed and shook his head with a fond sigh, putting his crystal down. He started shoveling down his food now that it was cooler. He finished and stuck his bowl in the sink, then came back for his water and his crystal, heading down the hall to his room. It buzzed on the way. 

She's asking about Mazey

I have no information about Mazey. Fabian didn't mention her today

damn. We're rooting for her

like with sports?

Yeah I guess

He blinked at his crystal. Sipped his water. Shook his head. 

Yeah alright sure, you weirdos. Anyway, I have to shower or I'm going to crawl out of my skin. I think I have cobwebs and sawdust stuck to my soul. 

<3

Riz smiled and sighed, heading to shower. A little while later he was clean in addition to fed, which made him far more relaxed. He braced his hands on the wall and let his head hang forward, letting the hot water pour over his hair and around his ears. 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Okay. Wasn't even ten yet. He knew that Ragh and Lydia were supposed to get back by today, so maybe they'd be able to check out the materials she brought back some time this week. Maybe the girls would get a head start on them. Adaine also had those materials in ancient elvish to look at.

Still no announcement about Lucy or Yolanda. He tapped his claws on the wall. Maybe they were trying to buy time to figure out the runes. Would it be worth it to try to sneak into the morgue and find out? He'd climbed all through police headquarters as a kid; he'd probably be able to manage it. Give it a few more days first. 

What else? Kipperlilly's file from Jawbone was the big one. He should look for other Rat Grinders while he was there, too. He also needed to get their files from the main office. It was more urgent with her actively targeting the freshmen instead of just being a vague threat hanging over everything. Why had she told them to stay quiet and then started that rumor? Was it just to have an excuse to sadistically toy with them? It would have been a strange choice if it was only about ruining his reputation. He'd never cared to foster a reputation at school. He pretty much just stuck with his core friends and tried to be neutral with everyone else unless provoked. For someone supposedly obsessed, she really didn't know him well at all. 

So, how to get it. Masking his scent with spells or anything else was a non-starter, because Jawbone would immediately realize that someone had done it and likely suspect him. So far it seemed like pass without trace was the way to go. The problem was, he didn't trust any druids or rangers well enough to bring them in on it. 

Wait. Wait, maybe he did. 

Bucky's party had a druid. Could Bug cast it? How complex was pass without trace? He'd have to look it up, but that might work if they were willing to help. Especially if everyone agreed to bring the freshmen in on the investigation. Maybe. Depended how long it would take them to learn it, if they couldn't already do it. He wanted to run it by Adaine first, see if she saw any holes and get her help refining plan. Maybe she could help them if they didn't know it yet? Okay, yeah, this could work. He smiled, feeling tension in his chest relax. This is exactly why he'd rejected the idea of a solo rogue track in college.  Everything just worked better with his friends' help. So many more possible solutions opened up. 

He really should get out of the shower, but a few more minutes wouldn't hurt. He shook his face through the water and scratched his claws over his scalp, thinking of Adaine's hands in his hair this afternoon. The smell of her shirt when he leaned against her. Oh wait, maybe he shouldn't do that. Hell. Ugh he hated when...he sighed, wrenched off the shower and shook the water off his hair. Riz dried himself roughly, grumbling about his stupid body and stupid subconscious the entire time. He wrapped the towel around himself and scurried down the hall to quickly throw on pajamas. 

He wondered why it bothered him so much. It wasn't that...he definitely didn't mind feeling a physical response to her when they were together. He just didn't...he didn't want to feel like this without her. He blushed and felt a weight swirling together in the pit of his stomach. Damn it. He couldn't even think about it at a meta level without… Riz finished his water and went to make coffee. 

He'd also never really been bothered when it happened before, just treating it as something his body needed to do sometimes, like drinking water or using the bathroom. It showed up rarely enough anyway, usually when he was so stressed he was practically vibrating through the walls and hadn't slept for at least a day. He always thought of it like a pressure release valve his bodily systems threw him when he needed it, and he could take it or leave it. 

This? With Adaine? It didn't play by the same rules at all. These feelings were louder, belligerent, and fought his efforts to ignore or dismiss them. He shivered and rubbed his arms firmly to dismiss his goosebumps. Just fucking chill, he told himself. He let a hard breath out his nose and put a cup on the counter a bit firmer than he really needed to. He poured himself some coffee and bit his cheek when a mental image of—fuck he had so many mental images now that were serious problems. Riz braced his hands on the counter as his heart raced and he sighed out a heavy shuddering breath. 

He'd be fine. He just needed practice calming down. He grabbed his briefcase and went to his room to consider the copy of the clue wall from Mordred. He added a couple notes. One about Kipperlilly distorting the rumor about him, one about her targeting the freshmen, and one about Oisin insisting on giving spell components to Adaine. Such strange behavior.  He took a sip and spun in his old desk chair while he thought about it. His crystal buzzed and he grabbed it from his bedside table. 

Done with your shower yet?

He smiled and braced one foot on the seat of his chair, pushing himself back and forth with the other on the floor. He took a sip of coffee and held his cup against his chest with a smile. 

So if the answer was no, what was your plan?

To wait until you texted back, smartass. Feeling better?

Much. I was just thinking about our project and a strategy I wanted to run by you. Have any free periods tomorrow?

Independent study the first half of the day. I plan to test components in the labs until around one. I've got this dumb joint thing with the sorcerers in the afternoon.

Between wizard students and sorcerer students. How is that supposed to work? What's the point? Whose bright idea was that?

Runestaff is so pissed. She's being unfailingly proper about it. Hasn't raised her eyebrows or looked over her glasses at all. It's going to be a disaster. 

What's the elevator pitch for this? 

Let me see if I can find it. Ok, here we go: "Students will benefit from the opportunity to collaborate with casters of diverse backgrounds and specialties in a cross disciplinary learning environment." 

Translation: Stardiamond wants to pretend he's a real teacher, and Aguefort isn't around to stop him.

Like I said, disaster. You've got no idea how much I want to see Runestaff kick his ass. She wouldn't even leave a smear. 

Have a specific problem with him?

He's annoying, sure, but it's more that it would be so fucking cool to see her unleash. She's as powerful as Aguefort, but with impulse control. I have such a crush on her.

I kind of want to find the head of the rogue department just to see what they're like, at this point. I hope they're cool. Be such a let down to have someone like Lullaby or Stardiamond.

Oh, you want to? We could probably figure it out. 

Yeah, it's always just been a question of priorities. Still have more urgent ones. Eventually though, yeah.

So, when do you want to meet up tomorrow?

I've got a timed obstacle course run/skill demo with Professor Jones first thing in the morning, but after that I'm on my own until Owlbears practice at 4:00. So I'll meet you at your labs when I'm done.

Jones teaches rogues too?

Yeah, any martial classes that aren't barbarian or paladin really. Anyone who does fighting, fencing, or falling, she says. As a junior I just have to check in once in a while. Not looking forward to it. I haven't been good about keeping up with my drills since...ugh, like, before the damn Night Yorb, honestly. 

Oh no. You going to be okay?

I should be? Might be a little slower than I was. I've grown since last spring, too, so I'm not as used to my new center of balance...damn it, I need to add this shit to my list. 

Riz sighed and put down his crystal to reach for his briefcase. He scooted his chair over to his small desk in the corner and added a note to his to do list to schedule regular time for drills and calisthenics. Last thing he needed was to get clumsy in a fight. He just needed to figure out the best time to actually do it without injuring himself by trying to shove Owlbears, physically demanding club activities, and working out into the same damn day, which he could easily see himself doing if he didn't pay attention. He sighed and put his cup on his desk, picked up his crystal, and turned off his light. He curled up in bed around a pillow and opened his thread with Adaine again. 

What are you working on now, then? Our project or something else? she asked.

Honestly, right now? I'm cuddled in bed, holding a pillow and wishing it was you. 

Damn it, I'm just going to look at the scroll for teleport. It can't hurt. 

If you end up staying up all night working on it, it could.

Rizbecca Gukgak. Did you honestly just have the fucking nerve.

What the actual fuck is that?

The consequences of your audacity, sir. 

I do not like these consequences at all and would like to file an appeal.

On what grounds?

Two points: 1) Who better to understand the consequences of all nighters? and 2) Extenuating circumstances: you think I'm cute.

Appeal denied. 

Unreasonable. 

But final, I'm afraid. 

I'll have to get a whole new ID and everything, though. 

You're a rogue. Fake one.

Adaine! Are you suggesting we do a CRIME? Via an easily surveilled method of communication?

Jokes and jests only, obviously. I would never suggest, participate in, carry out, or be an accessory to any sort of criminal activity whatsoever. 

Of course. That's such a relief.

Riz hugged his pillow tighter against the clenching longing in his chest. He snuggled down under his blankets. 

Speaking of names...I wanted to ask, is your last name officially O'Shaughnessey now? Which are you going by? 

Oh geez. A series of typing indicators popping up and pausing followed. 

Don't worry about it if you don't want to talk about it, or it's complicated. You can just say it's complicated and you're figuring it out, or butt out Riz, none of your business. 

Adaine immediately sent back, of course it's your business. Friends and family should know stuff like that. The short answer is no, technically not, but I wish it was. Bureaucracy.

Forms and stuff, or waiting for responses?

Both.

If you need help with endless forms, I'm your guy. I know you'd be much easier to help out with that than Kristen.  

Thank you. I might take you up on that in the future, but for now we're in a waiting period. It doesn't help that my mother is still alive and untraceable.

I'm sorry I dredged it up. 

No it's ok. Just the way things are.

I can't wait to spend the night with you again. I want to be able to hold you when we talk about stuff that upsets you. 

Damn it, Riz, you say the sweetest shit and it's just wasted on me. 

It's not a waste for you to hear how I feel. I don't need whatever special response you're imagining. I can tell you understood and appreciated it because: 

He took a screenshot, cropped it, and sent it back with "the sweetest shit" circled in bright red. She didn't respond for a bit, and he wondered if she'd gotten absorbed in the teleportation scroll. 

Then she responded, The downside of dating a skilled investigator is definitely when they call you on your shit with annotated evidence.

Riz grinned widely and rolled to his back, lowering his crystal and holding the pillow tighter. He felt...loved and seen, understood and appreciated, wanted. Damn. No wonder people used the word "falling" for this feeling. 

He looked back to his crystal and sent, Hm. Haven't found any downsides to you, yet. 

Ooh, your compliments are getting better.

I hope that's not the only thing I'm improving at. …That sounds like fishing for compliments. Not what I meant. 

I know. You're so uncomfortable with compliments I can't imagine you ever fishing for them. She followed up with, what are you hoping to improve at?

Riz blushed. He wasn't sure what he'd meant, really. Just…he wanted to…he wanted her to be happier with him than she was without him. That was his whole goal, really. Give her the same…warmth and comfortable feeling of belonging.

Nothing in particular, I just feel really happy to be exploring this with you. More than I expected. And I guess I just mean that I want to… I don't really know if I'm talking about anything specific, I just want to give you the same happiness I'm getting from all this.

There was a long pause before Adaine responded this time, but he'd expected that. She usually needed a little extra time to process, especially when someone showed her care and affection. Riz laid down his crystal and turned to his side, scowling and fluffing his pillow with a few punches. Her fucking piece of shit parents. The worst part was how she thought…she was afraid there was something wrong with her. He knew that feelings that deep and painful wouldn't ever really go away, and he held an abiding fury at the people who'd done that to her. It felt like a lump of hot lead right under his heart. 

Adaine was so determined, and focused, and righteous, and kind, and so fucking smart, and still so scared that she wasn't good enough. His life was better with her in it. The world was better with her in it. What horrible twisted broken shit had been inside her parents that they couldn't see that? Even her sister Aelwyn had seen it when she'd been trying to appease them. Actually, they'd done far worse than not seeing it, when he really thought about it. They had seen it and were so fucked up they tried to use her like a tool for their own gain instead of just appreciating the wonder in front of them.

That Adaine had come from that and was still who she was was so fucking amazing. He couldn't make her believe that, but he wanted to so much. Riz buried his face in his pillow and sighed, wiping his tears on the pillowcase. Nothing was ever fair, and it really pissed him off sometimes.

His crystal rang, and he looked up in surprise, adrenaline priming. This late it would be an emergency. His mom? One of the freshmen? He wiped his eyes again and answered without looking at the screen.

"Hello?"

Adaine's voice without words, just a quiet, shy breath. Then, "Hey, um. Hi." 

"Hi!" he said, smiling, bubbling relief entering his voice as his worry faded. "Scared me a little, there. Wasn't expecting anyone to call this late if it wasn't an emergency."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I can—" she sounded like she was shrinking away from him, and his heart leapt after her. 

"No! No, wait, don't hang up," he said, sitting and propping himself in the corner. He put a pillow on his lap to lean onto while they talked. "Just unexpected. What's…why did you call?"

"I don't know. I feel dumb for it, now."

"I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"No, not because of what you said, I mean…because… I don't know what to say, or I know what I want to say, or maybe what I want to hear, and the words won't come out."

"I really know how that feels," he sighed. 

Adaine sighed as well, and when she spoke again, sounded a bit less on edge. "I wish you were here," she said. 

"Me too. It sounds like you need a hug."

"That would be perfect."

Riz blushed and curled up tighter, smiling as his heart thumped. "You know there's a whole house full of people over there who love you, right? Go tell Fig you're sad and you'll instantly be surrounded by music and popcorn and gossip and like…what else do girls do at sleepovers…braids in your hair?"

Adaine chuckled. "I honestly don't have much experience with that, either." His heart ached and he wanted to hold her even more. 

"You could go get some experience, just a few flights of stairs away."

"I don't want to bother anyone," she said, quietly. 

"You're never a bother," he said indignantly. "A surprise at worst."

"Also, I…" her breath caught. "I couldn't find the words to answer you, and I hoped I'd find them if I talked to you. So you could know that…" she sniffled and took a deep breath. He breathed as quietly as he could and closed his eyes. She didn't continue, but the sounds of rustling fabric and tissues came through. 

"I know," he told her, smiling and hugging his pillow tightly. 

"Not if I don't say it you don't. Not really," she practically hissed, sounding like her jaw was clenched in frustration. 

"Yes I do," he sighed. "No amount of yelling at yourself for not being perfect is going to change that." Riz heard a muffled sob that gutted him. "I'm good at piecing together clues, Adaine."

"You're too fucking good at it," she said, voice stuffy and shaken. 

"I'm sorry for making you cry," he said, wiping his eyes and taking a deep breath. 

"Don't apologize for telling me you want to make me happy!" she insisted.

"That seems baseline to me. You want people you care about to be happy. You want to do things for them." Riz shrugged. 

"Baseline for you," Adaine whispered. 

He squeezed his crystal so hard it dug painfully into the meat of his palm. "No matter what else happens, you're so important to me." 

She laughed wetly. "Oh, you probably say that to everyone you go through harrowing life changing experiences with."

"Maybe I do," he chuckled, sliding down onto his side. "It's still an exclusive club, and you have a permanent space in it." 

"You're important to me, too, Riz."

He sighed happily, feeling his chest tighten. "Feels like love," he said, quietly. She shuddered out a breath. 

"It's barely eleven," Adaine said after a short pause. "I can't believe you're in bed already." 

"Honestly, me neither. I'm going to blame you this time. I'm in kind of a holding pattern with everything anyway and I just felt like...fuck it, I'd rather talk to her than do anything else." 

"Wait, am I going to end up being one of the things you obsess over?" she chuckled, "I don't know how I feel about that."

"You know, everyone likes to tease me, but when we really need stuff figured out, who does the whole party turn to?"

"Me."

A laugh exploded from Riz and he muffled it in his pillow to avoid waking the neighbors. Adaine giggled, sounding much more like herself. He sighed as he calmed. 

"Sure," he said, "that sounds accurate. You've definitely never had any help with puzzling out details or organizing information." 

"Can't recall any, no," she teased with a smile in her voice. Riz sighed happily. 

"Feeling better?"

"So much. Thank you."

"I'm glad you called," he said. "I miss you. It's nice to hear you, when you're not upset anyway. Not that it's a problem if you are. I just mean I don't want you to feel bad so…" Riz buried his face in his pillow in an effort to stop the flow of words. Muffled, he added, "Ugh, you get it."

Her soft laughter and relaxed sigh was a comfort and also...damn it. Heat punched into the pit of his stomach. Riz blushed hard and focused on keeping his breathing slow and even. 

"I understood what you meant," she said. 

"You always do," he said, "or if you don't, you help me make it understandable. You make everything better, Adaine."

"Oh holy shit," she whispered. She sniffled again. "Damn it, Riz, I just stopped crying!"

"Sorry? I think?" 

"Damn it," she sighed. "I should hang up while I'm ahead. Do you think you can keep from telling me anything else heart wrenching tonight?"

"Okay, I'll keep my affection to myself, if you insist," he laughed. "It's harder to avoid when we're apart because I can't just cuddle up next to you whenever I think about how awesome you are." 

Adaine's laughter danced. "Is that what you think about when we're cuddling?" she asked. 

"Well, yeah, among other things," he said, blushing and biting the insides of his cheeks. She gasped.

"What other thoughts are you implying?" she asked happily. "Nothing...scandalous I hope?"

"I think we've crossed that bridge, Adaine." She giggled mischievously.

"More of a zipline, wasn't it?" she asked. Riz blushed hotter and laughed as a lump formed in his throat. 

"That might be a better description, sure," he chuckled, pressing the back of his hand to his flaming cheeks.

"I can absolutely hear the color in your face. I should hang up before I let temptation get the better of me," she said. 

"Temptation to do what?" he teased, grinning, heart racing in his throat. 

"Rizabella Gukgak, I cannot believe you just said that!"

"Ok yeah, that ruined it," he said. "Please don't make that a thing." She let out a full delighted laugh.

"It's definitely already a thing, but I'll keep it between us." 

"Oh hell," he groaned. "Do you have to?"

"Oh, I could tell everyone else if you really want me too, sure."

"Looks like I just found a downside. It's like you exist to torment me." 

"You just told me I make everything better."

"In aggregate, sure, but this specific instance is completely horrible, and you're enjoying it." 

"I really am. But let me know if you get sincerely bothered, and I'll stop."

"I know," he said, fondly. "I will, if I do." 

"Good. I'm going to trance so I can get a few hours of work done on teleport in the morning." 

"I still can't believe you're learning such a complicated spell just to spend more time with me," he said. 

"Well it will be useful in general of course, but...why not?"

"I...um, it's…I don't know." Riz shrugged, even though he knew she couldn't see.

"Riz I like spending time with you. What's...I don't understand. One minute you're telling me you know how I feel, and then the next you're surprised when I want to be around you?"

"No, that's not what I mean," he sighed in frustration. "It's…" Work is love. Fuck. Fuck, that was it. That was why. He closed his eyes against the sting and nodded to himself. "Work is love. That's...those are the words my dad used, and it's also just...it's how I am, it's the environment I've been raised in. It's how I know how to express it."

"That makes sense. The plans, the snacks, taking on extra work, keeping track of everything...oh, Riz," Adaine trailed off in a whisper.

"That's just so much, Adaine." Riz swallowed and took a shaky breath. "Even though I know it doesn't really mean the same thing for you."

"Yes it does." Her voice was steely. "I told you. I think the way you love people is beautiful. I see all you do for us and I want to help. I meant it." His breath froze in his throat, then a shocked laugh fell out of him.

"Now who's saying the sweetest shit?" he asked. "Told you you're a natural." 

"Ok, if you were here, I would definitely be trying to do scandalous things to you right now." 

"And a well timed joke to break the tension," he sighed, smiling.

"Who says I'm joking? I have some specific ideas that I'd be happy to elaborate on."

"Ok, ok, I'll back off," Riz laughed with a nervous edge. "I um, I should try to get some sleep, but I'm so glad you called." 

"Me too. Get some rest," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow." 

"Good night." 

Riz hung up the call and laid his crystal down on his bedside table. He took off his glasses with a deep breath and put them down as well, then pressed his palms gently over his eyes. He smiled, feeling warmth in his chest and the pit of his stomach swirl up tight together and settle somewhere deep inside him. His crystal buzzed again, and he looked. 

Adaine had sent one last message. 

Looking forward to seeing you all messy after your practical demonstration tomorrow

Riz shook his head and sighed, smiling in spite of himself. 

You're a holy fucking terror, he sent back, and got a winking face in return. He put his crystal down and rolled to his other side, burying his face in his pillow. He had so many memories of her now that were a serious fucking problem. 

Chapter Text

Her voice was soft in his ear. She wanted him, she wanted his hands on her—he dug his claws in deep and she gasped, lifting herself and almost kissing, but turning away. Please, wait—please I need—he strained to get closer. He needed her to kiss him, he needed her to hold him, he was sinking, sinking into perfect warm soft hands on his chest, his back, she dug her nails in hard and he cried out for her, moving his hips, wanting her to—please he felt like he was dying. Touch me, please, Adaine, please, he tried to say but the words wouldn't come, he could only strain to breathe through a mouth gone dry. Her skin—her neck was right there, he could feel her warmth, he could smell her skin, just a little closer and he'd taste her—she turned her head and his face was buried in her hair. She groaned hard and whispered again, mind shredding words begging for his touch, telling him she needed him, she wanted him to kiss her. Pressure—she wanted pressure, he needed to get closer, he needed to give it to her, he needed to feel her in his mouth. She was pulling him down and biting at his neck, but it wasn't hard enough. Her hands were on him but it was fleeting. Don't go please don't leave I'll do anything I can't take it please, please, I never thought—you're so good—I'm going to—she panted, miraculously, as a wave went through her body, and he was staring, stricken. Her hand was on his waist, warm and pressing above his belt buckle. He wanted her to touch him—anything she wanted, whenever she wanted. Her smile was teasing and shy and blushing and he needed—she was lifting him and he leaned into her so she could hold him down and she bit him again. Yes, but harder, harder, please it's not enough I'll never get enough—

Riz woke abruptly, gasping for air and shaking off the pillow that had fallen over his face. He couldn't—fuck he was—his hands were tangled in a pillow he'd clawed his way into. Fuck. Fuck he was shaking with how close he—damn it. He angrily threw his ruined pillow on the floor and reached for himself. At this point there was only one inevitable end. He held himself tight and felt the strands of the dream vanish from his mind, replaced with solid real memories of his fucking mouth—of the way her fingers moved when she fucking came—and finally the relief he'd been chasing in his dream washed over him as he pulsed hard under his hand, unwilling and unable to stop any of the absolute frenzy that had built inside him. 

Fuck. He felt a bead of sweat run down his neck while he caught his breath.

He finally noticed his alarm going off and groaned miserably, reaching for his crystal to shut it off. 

Hell, he'd somehow overslept, and now he was a fucking mess. Well, thank fuck his mom would already have left. He slipped out of his shirt and cleaned himself up with it as best he could, grumpily carrying it with him to the bathroom. 

Riz angrily washed himself and his shirt, then flossed and brushed his teeth hard enough to make his gums bleed. He hung his damp wrung out shirt over the edge of his hamper and vaguely bunched his pajama pants next to it, feeling ridiculous for it but still horribly embarrassed enough to want some sort of…camouflage. From who? He asked himself. You're the only one who's going to see this. It was completely stupid, which he knew was unfair to himself, but he held onto the label in stubborn defiance. His ears pinned back to his scalp. He could feel stupid about his stupid fucking subconscious being stupid if he fucking wanted to. He glared at the ruined pillow and stuffed it underneath the other two on his bed to deal with later. 

He'd barely got his pants on when Gorgug texted him a five minute warning. Great. Skipping not only breakfast but coffee too when he had a morning demo with Jones? Happy fucking birthday, Riz. He grabbed his briefcase and half mug of cold coffee from last night and chugged it as he rushed to the kitchen. Gross, but necessary. Oh beautiful, his mom had left half a pot that was only a couple hours old. He refilled his mug and stuck it in the microwave while he dug through the cabinets for a thermos. 

Riz grabbed a protein bar and an apple and locked the door behind himself with his mage hand as he rushed down the stairs, sliding the banister on the last level and running out the door two minutes after Gorgug pulled up. 

"Oh cool, I was about to call," Gorgug said as he climbed in.

Riz tore into the bar with his teeth and shoved the wrapper in his briefcase before answering. 

"Hey sorry, overslept," he said with his mouth full. 

"S'fine, you made it," he shrugged. Riz took a sip of scalding coffee and winced, dribbling it on his vest. 

"Shit," he sighed. "At least it's not my shirt," he grabbed his handkerchief and wiped the beads of liquid off the powerfully enchanted fabric before they could drip onto his shirt. 

"Doing alright, man?"

"Yeah, just…my mind's everywhere this morning," Riz sighed. He finished the protein bar in two more bites, washed it down with a more careful sip of coffee, then started on the apple. "How're things going for you?"

"Artificer stuff is good, and I think I might be onto something with rhythm and rage, like...it's almost like bard stuff? Fig and I've been talking about it on a theoretical level."

"Oh wow. I don't understand any of what's under the hood there, but it sounds exciting."

"Just don't have much time to explore it. Porter's started ignoring me at least, which I guess is better than bitching at me every class, but it's not something I look forward to, for sure. Feels like I'm in the middle of a bitter divorce or something. Freaking weird, man."

"Porter seems so touchy for someone so boring," Riz offered, crunching through the core of his apple. Gorgug grunted and took a drink of his own coffee. 

"Van's quiet today," Riz noticed, then saw the slot where Zaphriel's gem usually rested was empty. "Oh."

"He's emceeing for the festival and doing some of the sound work. He's all hooked up and pretty happy. Might send him home with my bio parents. They're really hitting it off."

"He's been annoying you lately, sure, but it's really handy to have him around in a pinch."

"That's true. They're staying for another week after the festival, so I might get everyone's opinions first." 

"Up to you," Riz shrugged, popping the rest of the apple into his mouth. 

"You doing fine with your classes? You've been spending a lot of time on clubs and the rage god stuff, and making sure everyone else is on top of stuff."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Getting fifth place in the last exam was pretty sweet," he sighed. "Adaine masked my aura that morning and it is so much easier to sneak into a bank when your soul feels like a ladybug's to anyone who's paying attention."

"You guys had to rob a bank?" Gorgug asked. 

"No, I had to get some information from one about halfway through," he shrugged, slowly sipping his coffee as he started to calm down. "Got a skill demo with Professor Jones first thing this morning. Should be okay, though."

"Oh, I've heard she's tough."

"I'd bet on her against Porter for sure."

"Seriously?"

"Hundred percent."

"Damn." 

Riz nodded. He was mostly through his coffee by the time they pulled into the school parking lot, and was feeling almost back to normal. He shivered when he opened the door of the van, and his breath puffed out in small clouds. He dug his gloves and sweater out of his briefcase and unfastened his holster to pull them on. He stomped in his boots, feeling them out. At least his feet hadn't grown since last year, so these were familiar and comfortably worn in. Probably time to switch over to them for the season. Thankfully he'd remembered to put on thermal layers under his clothes, but only because he was slightly freaking out about his test this morning. He fastened his holster over his sweater and flexed his hands, making sure his rings and watch were accessible under the gloves. 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay," he said to himself, bouncing on the balls of his feet. When he opened his eyes, Gorgug was watching him. 

"I'm sure you got this," he said. Riz smiled, a little nervously. 

"I hope so," he sighed, finishing his coffee and dropping the thermos into his briefcase. "Depends on the course set up, the objective, and me not fumbling something complicated." 

"Well, I'm heading in," Gorgug said, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. "Good luck, dude." Riz nodded. 

"Thanks," he said. "See you at practice."

He stuck his hands in his pockets and tried not to let his mind wander as he headed down the hill toward the gym. There were crowds of students arriving and rushing off to wherever they needed to be, and a few other rogues heading in the same direction that he shared vague nods with. Probably too public for an ambush from a Rat Grinder, but nothing was guaranteed. 

"Hey Riz, wait up!" called a voice from pretty far back up the hill. He turned and scanned, then noticed Jawbone's van in the parking lot with a few figures nearby. He waved with one hand and hit the magnification rune on his glasses with the other. Looked like Jawbone had driven the girls this morning because of the cold snap. All four of them returned his wave, but it was Fig who'd called out and who was rushing down the hill to meet him. Riz dismissed the enchantment and checked his watch. Should have just enough time to wait for her. 

"Morning, Fig," he said, as she skidded the last few feet through the frosted grass. He started walking again as soon as she arrived, and she followed alongside. "What's up? I don't have a lot of time before I have to be at the obstacle course."

"Yeah, Adaine said you have a thing," she said. "This will be fast, and we can talk more about it later. You know how I'm doing some paladin classes with Porter now? I overheard something pretty suspicious outside his office yesterday."

"Oh not this again, Fig," Riz groaned, rubbing his forehead. "I already looked into him last year and he's just some guy."

"No listen!" she said, grabbing his arm and glaring at him. "I don't know what it was about, but he was telling someone not to be a stupid teenager, or 'you'll ruin everything.'"

Riz sighed. "I mean, okay, sure it could be a sign of a sinister plan, or it could be a teacher yelling at a kid who's fucking up their chances at college, right?"

"It could but it didn't sound like it, I'm telling you."

"None of your suspicions about him have ever panned out," he said. "Don't you think you might just be annoyed at him because he's rough on Gorgug?"

"I am annoyed at him because he's rough on Gorgug, but this was something different. I'm sure it's important. I know I haven't been reliable this year, but I'm paying attention now, Riz!" Fig insisted, halfway between anger and hurt. "I know you think my methods are crazy, but I discover things too!" 

"Of course you do, you're right," he sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I'm sorry. Maybe once we lay out the details of what you heard next to other stuff we'll find a connection. Can you write down all the details you remember, and put a note on the wall at your place so we remember? I'm…" Riz sighed again as they paused outside the gate to the obstacle course. "Did Kristen tell you guys about the freshmen?"

"A little," Fig said, crossing her arms. 

"I'm preoccupied about that. I think I have an idea about how to—" he abruptly switched to message her, how to get her file from Jawbone without getting caught, but there might be issues. I'm going to strategize with Adaine about it later. "And anyway I've got this," he waved over his shoulder where a few other rogues were gathering, "so I'm distracted. I don't have enough information about what you heard to judge it, so I'm sorry." Fig nodded, frowning. 

"Alright, I can understand that," she said. "I'm so used to you being the person to give information to immediately. I'll write down what I remember, so I don't forget any more details, and I'll make a note of it."

"No, I'm glad you told me, definitely still tell me about any clues or developments," Riz laughed. "But yeah, that would help."

"You got it, boss," she said, patting his shoulder. 

"Boss?" he asked.

"When it comes to keeping track of the clues and details? Yes." Fig grinned. "We've all got our things to be in charge of."

"I guess so," he shrugged. "Anyway, I gotta go see if I'm going to humiliate myself, so..."

"You'll be fine," Fig said, fuzzing his hair and planting a smooch on the top of his head. 

"Don't take this the wrong way but please don't give me inspiration."

She snorted and shoved his head backwards, forcing him to tilt and adjust his balance. "I wasn't going to," she laughed. "Break a leg, butthead." 

"That means something different when you're not going on stage." 

"Ah, but isn't everything we do essentially a performance?" Fig laughed, twirling once as she walked away. Riz rolled his eyes and waved goodbye as he entered the gate. 

He had just joined the small group of students near the weapon racks when Professor Jones came out of her office doors. She was as precise and polished as always. Her expression was even but friendly, her posture impeccable, and her braids wound into a tight bun at the back of her head. Today, she carried a quarterstaff along with her notebook and the usual dagger and throwing knives sheathed on her legs. 

"Good morning," she said as she walked over. "We'll start in twenty minutes to give the first student time to warm up. Since there's only five of you today, we're drawing numbers and going one by one. Given the weather, you can wait for your turns in the gym if you want." She moved her sleeve to reveal a bracelet and tapped a rune on it. A soft illusory purple sphere floated above her palm. She wrote the number five on the side with her finger, then crumpled it like paper and opened her hands. Five motes shot out, one toward each of them, and an illusory number floated above each of their heads. 

Riz looked up. First. Well, better than last. Waiting would have been so much worse. He stashed his briefcase in a locker and stored his weapons and ammo on the rack, then bounced on his feet and started doing lunges to open up his hips while he strategized.

Rogue courses were created in tandem with the elusive rogue department head. Jones worked with them to incorporate puzzles and magical constructs into the course in ways that challenged their unique skills. Sometimes the goal was to retrieve an object or take out a target of some kind, but they were never told what the criteria for success was beforehand. That was part of what being a rogue was, figuring it out as you went. The only constant was that the information was always on the course. Sometimes waves of enemies were being triggered by a "cursed" item and they had to destroy it. Sometimes it was a scavenger hunt for minute details. You never knew until you started.

You couldn't really predict your course, since Jones could mix and match options and challenges for each student. He hadn't confirmed it but he was almost certain they adjusted the courses on the fly, too. He mentally crossed his fingers for luck. A proper warm up and slipping under the radar beforehand would make a world of difference to his performance.

"Gukgak!" Well, shit. 

"Yes, Professor Jones?" he called back, trying to keep his breathing even as he spoke. He knew better than to stop his warm up while they talked.

"We've spoken about your clothing before."

"Yes, Professor Jones?"

"I am certain I've explained the difference between streetwear and appropriate workout attire." 

"Yes, Professor Jones, you have."

"And yet." 

"Yes, Professor Jones?"

"If you say 'Yes, Professor Jones' to me one more time today, Gukgak, I'm making you TA for my freshman class at 8:00 am on Mondays." At this, he did pause and stand to face her, with his hands clasped behind his back. 

"Um...yes, ma'am." She twirled her quarterstaff and planted it, and put the fist holding her notebook on her hip. 

"Why are you still dressed like this in my class?"

"Because this is what I wear all the time, so it'll give us the best information on my abilities. I'm used to this gear and how I move in it," he said, flexing around in demonstration. "Also, I've never had an enemy wait for me to put on sneakers before attacking." 

She stared him down for a few seconds, wrote something in her notebook, and walked over to another student without a word. Great. He hoped that wasn't too bad. Nothing to be done about it now. He switched from lunges to shoulder rolls to give his legs a bit of a break.

Soon the whistle for his five minute warning sounded, and Riz walked back over to the weapon rack to get ready. Breathing through his nerves, he activated the rune above each of them and retrieved a practice construct of each. As a moderate safety precaution, real weapons weren’t used for drills and exams in martial classes. The replications were exact facsimiles and wouldn't damage the delicate magitech systems. They'd still absolutely fuck up anything else that wandered past, though.

Riz adjusted his holster to sit more comfortably over his sweater and checked the straps of all his gear. He checked his rings, loosened his tie, and moved his sword pin to the outside of his sweater. Swung his arms, rolled his neck, swiped his hair back out of his face. He'd have to get a haircut soon; it was almost in his eyes. That had been one advantage of having a hat to stuff it under. It was really nice how often Adaine stuck her hands in it now, though, without anything in the way. He smiled to himself. Haircut it was. 

Jones perched outside the course on a stool with her notebook at the ready. A tap of her bracelet and a runic circle appeared at the entrance. Once he activated it, one wall would become transparent on this side and his time would start.

"I see you've picked up some new tricks since the last time we met, Gukgak," Jones said, looking through her notes.

"Yes ma'am. I've found battlefield casting blends well with my other skills and balances out some of my weaknesses." 

"Mm. Well, at your leisure," she said, gesturing to the runic circle in invitation. 

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and activated the rune. 

Standard obstacle course with progress markers. No visible enemies. The skin on his back crawled and Riz swallowed the hiss that threatened from the back of his throat. Well, when you're faced with an obvious trap that you can't get around, sometimes all you can do is spring it on purpose. He drew his sword and activated his blade ward as he stepped in. 

He crouched. No unusual sounds or movement. No attacks yet. 

There were illusory green arrows pointing out the usual path through the course and spiky red borders along the outside. He tossed a rock over the border in a few places, and nothing happened. He considered, pulled a hair out of his head, wrapped it around a rock, and threw it. Nothing. Spat. Nothing. Carefully reached out with his left pinky and touched the tip of his claw to it. An ear splitting alarm and electric buzzing vibrating up his finger followed by the smell of burning keratin. He jerked his hand back and shook it, then scraped his claw in the dirt and inspected it with the pad of his thumb. Slightly singed. Well. He sighed and looked over the course. 

The path followed the same one they'd always used in training drills, and didn't seem to deviate or have any openings in the border. He stood and walked along the path, sheathing his sword once he reached the monkey bars.

"This is some creepy bullshit," he muttered to himself in a sing-song voice as he looked around.

Riz gingerly touched the bars in front of him, but they felt like plain cold metal. He hit the magnification rune on his glasses and scanned the rest of the course. Nothing stood out, but there were a few blind spots, especially past the wall. The climbing rope and flag at the end would be a classic place for the trap to be sprung. Well, nothing else for it. He climbed up and over the monkey bars, running across the top on all fours. He leapt onto the rope swing and grabbed onto the unstable bridge at the end of its arc.

One side of the bridge popped loose with an ominous creak as soon as his weight hit it, and he held on tight as he swung precariously close to the red spikes on the ground underneath him. Yep, should have expected that one. Riz grit his teeth and let go of the first hand hold, lifting his knees to swing further forward and grab the third. Let go of the second and grabbed the fourth, then, mercifully, he was at a wooden wall structure he could dig his claws into. He kicked his toes against the wall for friction and scrambled to the top, where he took a couple seconds to catch his breath and survey. 

Magnify. Scan. Still no exit from the course that he could see, but the rope jungle and balance logs could hide a world of trouble. Between his position and those obstacles, a collection of log posts stuck out of frosty mud that was also covered in red spikes. They'd probably start sinking or moving as soon as he touched them, so he needed to position himself well. He reached up and flicked to a rune on his glasses, marking out a dotted pathway across poles that seemed close to the same level. Seemed better to slide down instead of jump from a height, and he pushed off the wall onto the first pole. They absolutely did start sinking as he dashed across, and he ended up having to modify his path to avoid falling into icy lightning mud.

Riz leapt from the last post into the middle of the rope jungle, grabbing with all four limbs just in case some ropes were loose or illusory, which of course half of them were. His right knee went straight through the illusory rope he'd tried to hook it around, as did his right hand. His left hand grabbed a rope that came loose at one end and swung, and thank goodness, his left knee wrapped over a secure rope. He grabbed the hanging rope with both hands and searched about for a foothold on his right. Cautiously, but as fast as possible, he climbed his way through, making sure to keep a lookout for anything unusual, anything that stood out, or anything extra. Nothing. 

He could be missing it? 

No, he'd have seen something by now if it was there. He was good at that. Had to just keep going and see what happened. Riz tested the balance log with one foot. Slightly loose, but workable. He easily ran along them. 

Only three more obstacles before the final rope climb, and still nothing. What the hell. Just keep moving forward. He easily slipped through a series of hanging tires, then made his way across two spinning horizontal poles. They were barely close enough for him to reach the top while standing on the bottom one, so he just hooked his lower legs around the top bar and pulled himself across. After that, the traverse wall was a decent break. Lots of handholds, even if the panels did spin wildly. He clambered his way up—and barely avoided grabbing the red spikes along the top. Fuck. They were onto him. That strategy was shot. He jammed his feet into the space between the panels to keep his balance and grabbed for the climbing rope as soon as it was in arm's reach. 

He twisted a leg around it and started climbing. The tearaway flag at the top had to be the catalyst for something. His muscles burned as he climbed, and sweat gathered behind his ears and along his cheeks, fogging his glasses and making them slip. Riz pulled himself hand over hand, feeling his arms start to shake. Almost there. He grit his teeth and his breath blew out in gusts. Almost there. Please don't be the trigger to drop my ass into the mud, he pleaded as he grabbed the flag and tore it away. 

The course completion buzzer sounded. He held the flag in his teeth and so he could cling tighter to the rope with both hands. Nothing else happened. 

After two full seconds of complete bewilderment, Riz swung onto the finish platform and looped the flag securely over his belt. He took off his gloves and shoved them in a back pocket as he surveyed. Still nothing had changed on the course. The actual fuck? He checked his watch and winced. Nearly four minutes runtime. His breaks, caution, and lack of practice had added a full minute. That was gonna bring his score down for sure. Not as much as not figuring out the puzzle would, though. Fuck it, then. This wasn't going to be a speed run. He untucked an edge of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his glasses and scooted his sweater sleeves up. The platform looked the same as usual, too. He gave a few experimental stomps while he unbuttoned and rolled up his shirt sleeves. 

He sighed and nodded. Nothing to do but go forward.

It was honestly a relief when everything disappeared into mist halfway down the ladder. Glowing wings spread from the back of his vest and settled him down gently. A thundering, whooping roar sounded and massive footsteps reverberated through the ground. Owlbear. He fucking ran.

Really bringing out the classics today, Riz thought, grimacing. His legs and heartbeat pumped as fast as they could go. He cast haste on himself.

He found no cover, no structure, no differentiation in the ground. Just the flat grassy field that surrounded the gym and occasional random patches of frost and dirt. He needed something to hide behind and think. 

Did he need to kill it? Alone? That would be crazy.

You go to fucking Aguefort, of course it's fucking crazy.

It had to be more complicated than that. Run an obstacle course and kill a giant monster? He was a third year rogue. He weighed eighty pounds. He didn't have any fucking cover!

Shit. There was literally nothing else in here but him and the fucking owlbear. And of course the fog, which did help a bit. The exit hadn't appeared yet. The damn thing seemed drawn to him. Maybe the flag? The goddamn flag. He tore it off his belt and dropped it as he ran through the center of the arena. The construct finally stopped chasing him and started growling and tearing at the flag.

Riz slowed and turned back toward it, breaths burning through his throat. He pulled his arquebus, stabilized it on his left arm, and fired three times. Streaks of golden light flew across the arena.

An angry pained screech rang out and claws scraped across the ground as it pivoted. He holstered his gun, braced himself, and readied a spell. Timing was going to be crucial. He panted heavily, waiting until he could see the shape of the thing through the fog. Enormous wings spread out, a clawed paw lifted and swung—he rolled forward under it, drawing his sword and casting booming blade. Riz jumped and grabbed a handful of fur and feathers, stabbing up through the construct's chest just above the keel bone. He growled and shoved his sword in all the way to the hilt, twisting as hard as he could. Then he hit a snag. In his exhaustion, he wasn't strong enough to yank it back out as planned. It was stuck, probably trapped against a bone and some sort of giant ligament. The owlbear screeched and flailed.

"Shit," he had time to hiss, before he was flung away. He kept hold of his sword though, because he was a fucking idiot, and it did pop free before his grip failed. Problem was, so did his right shoulder. 

Riz howled as he was thrown in an arc. The fall wasn't even high enough for his vest to auto activate. Muscle memory had him dropping his sword and curling up, landing on his back and rolling to distribute the force. He felt something crunch in his shoulder as he scrambled to his feet. 

Couldn't stop. No time. His whole right side was screaming at him and the edges of his vision were dark with pain. The construct hadn't fully turned yet. He still had haste and the damage of his spell would buy him some time. He braced himself and grit his teeth. Fuck. He had to—he swallowed, loosened a holster strap with his left hand and bit into it hard. 

Keeping his eyes on the owlbear and backing away, he cupped his right elbow and steadily lifted. He tried to concentrate on the feeling of his teeth digging into the leather instead of the panicked instincts that were screaming at him about how wrong his shoulder was. He blinked through the tears and kept going, shoving his arm straight up, forcing his right elbow open and—thock-crunch-pop—motherfucker! Riz opened his mouth and let out the leather strap and a pained cry. He panted, spat, and wiped his mouth with his—fuck—his left forearm. 

It was facing him again, and some of the mist in the middle of the arena had cleared. The red flag was hanging from its teeth. His mage hand pulled his sword to his left hand, and he spun it into a reverse grip to sheath it while he watched the owlbear. It was dripping construct ichor and squawking in pain every time it moved one of its wings. He must have snagged some sort of important connection when he stabbed it. 

He clumsily drew his arquebus again and started reloading it, widening his stance and snarling in challenge.

Let them waste their energy, his mom's calm instructive voice reminded him. Wait for your chance. It'll come. Nothing powerful and angry can resist a small defiant target. 

The owlbear charged and immediately staggered. The explosion of force damage from his spell distracted it, giving Riz time to cast slow. He took the chance to breathe and evaluate it. It was definitely badly hurt. If he could get in a few more hits like he'd already done, this would be over. 

It roared and swiped a paw toward him, which he easily avoided thanks to their altered speeds. He passed his gun to his left hand as he dashed around directly behind it, then crouched before casting an illusory double of himself overlapping his position. The owlbear turned and leapt. Riz waited for the moment right before it landed, then misty stepped up to the back of its neck. Three shots point blank into the top of the spine, each sending a burst of glowing light splashing back onto his face as the radiant damage hit. He dug his boots and the claws of his right hand into its flesh as it scrabbled around in pained confusion, suddenly facing two enemies where there had only been one. He dropped his gun, yanked his sword out with his left hand and stabbed it down just behind the back of the construct's head. 

It burst apart in a scattering of black and gray chunks of matter as the course complete buzzer went off around him again. Mercifully, they fell into a pile that cushioned his landing before fading away. Riz rolled to his back on the ground and closed his eyes for a second. The arena reset around him, and he felt the ground fade into warm sand. He sighed. That was nice of them. He flexed the fingers of his right hand and circled his wrist slowly, feeling for any weird numbness. Seemed okay, but sore. He slowly, slowly moved his right elbow, then his shoulder. Painful as hell, definitely wrenched and fucked up, but it didn't feel like anything was caught or torn. An easy heal, but he would need one. 

Riz took a deep breath and opened his eyes. One more step to finish it. He stood, gathered his weapons, and scooped up the red flag. As soon as he touched the flag, a glowing golden pathway formed under his feet, showing the way through the fog to the exit. A rectangular sign popped up in front of the runic circle as he approached. 

It said:

[Today's Lesson] 

He smacked the sign with the red flag, which disintegrated. The rectangle gave off a pulsing glow that meant it was recording his answer. 

Riz sighed and searched for words. "Sometimes you have to follow the expected path so you can get to where you need to be, and sometimes the most important thing is taking out the immediate threat," he said. 

The rectangle blinked away when he stopped speaking. He turned the rune to exit and stepped through, holding his right arm tight to himself with his left. Jones was writing in her notebook and nodding as though listening to someone. He sat on the bench next to her and waited. He checked his watch and swallowed a groan. Almost ten fucking minutes? If he had to retake this...hell. That's all. It would be hell. 

A small puff of magic from her notebook and shuffle of papers, then his grade slip was in front of him. Riz closed his eyes and took it from her. He took a few deep breaths, then opened his eyes and read the paper. 

His breath stopped and he stared. 

That couldn't be right. 

He scanned down the detailed breakdown of points assigned, then back up to the main score: 92%. He'd somehow squeaked by into a goddamn A. 

Scores for attitude, ability, effectiveness, and insight were all in the high nineties. Speed took a hit, as expected, and he winced. Strategy would have been his highest score, but he lost a bunch of points for the preventable injury. Gained some back for effective field first aid. Yeah that's all fair. He sighed and looked up at Professor Jones, who was watching him thoughtfully. 

"Overall, decent work," she nodded. "I know third year hits hard, but stop skipping your drills if you wanna stay sharp. It's noticeable. Your times dropped from the 90th percentile to the 70th. Still better than average, but that's significant. You can do better. Fix it." 

Riz quietly nodded, eyes downcast. Could definitely be worse. 

"You're dismissed to the infirmary," she said, pointing to his right side. "Get that shoulder properly healed." 

"Yes, ma'am," he said, standing and heading toward the weapon racks. 

Riz exchanged nods with another student as he switched his constructed weapons for his real ones. A tall, thin, dark skinned human. In his year, he thought? Didn't remember his name. John? George? He was practicing with throwing knives. 

"How'd you do?" he asked, pulling his knives from the target. 

"A lot better than I thought I would when I saw my time, that's for sure," Riz laughed. He grabbed his briefcase and awkwardly adjusted the strap with his left hand.

"I don't know, it takes a while to whittle down a whole fucking owlbear alone," the guy said, grinning before tossing a knife deep into the bullseye of the target. 

Riz winced. "Didn't think anyone but Jones was watching that." 

"Nah, it was badass," he said, smirking at him. Two more knives thudded into the target in quick succession. "Especially shoving your own arm back into socket and then growling at the thing to goad it to attack? Damn."

Riz shifted his stance and swallowed hard. "Uh, thanks." He looked down and chuckled awkwardly. "Probably would have been better if I'd thought to misty step in the first place instead of holding onto my sword like a dumbass."

"Eh, hindsight," he shrugged, throwing his last blade into the tight grouping on the target. He turned and held out his right hand, then squinted with a gentle wince and held out his left. "I'm Jack Greenstalk. My parents think they're funny."

Riz smiled and shook his hand. "Riz Gukgak."

"Yeah, I know," he laughed. Riz blushed and held his right elbow again. 

"Uh, yeah, I guess our party does...make a lot of noise, huh."

"You could say that," he said, grinning down at him. Riz resisted the urge to run away. Don't be weird and rude, he told himself.

"Uh, so I should—" Riz started, but the guy interrupted, taking a half step closer and lowering his voice. Damn it, he knew he should've listened to his instincts—

"Listen, if you're interested," he said under his breath, "I've got a free period right after lunch and there's this really cozy nook in the back of the theater building that doesn't seem well known. We could maybe, um…" he glanced him up and down, smiling, and leaned down, "share some tricks with each other?" 

Riz's face was on fire and he felt like he was going to crumple in on himself with awkward panic. He stepped back. Jack immediately did the same. 

"Or not," he shrugged, turning and walking back to his target with affected casualness. 

"Uh, it's not that...uh. I'm just not…" 

"Huh," Jack said, tilting his head and frowning at him speculatively. "Ok. That's cool." Riz repressed three different wildly inappropriate responses, and instead cleared his throat and nodded. 

"Yeah, um. Yeah. I...better get this taken care of," he said, awkwardly smiling and patting his right arm. "Good luck on your demo. Hope you don't have to fight an owlbear."

"Don't jinx me!" he laughed. "I don't want to have to deal with something even bigger."

"Yeah, that would definitely suck. I'll uh, see you around?" Riz mentally stabbed the part of him in charge of the speech center of his brain and tried to smother it with a pillow. 

"Yeah, have a good one," he answered, casually waving without looking at him. Riz closed his eyes in silent relief and fled. 

"Make sure to be careful with it for a few days," the nurse said, writing out a note with his restrictions for practice that evening. "It's fully healed, but even with magical healing it's ideal to let the body's systems take some time to adjust to it." Riz gratefully rolled both shoulders and his neck. He accepted the note with a nod and stuck it in his pocket.

"Thanks, Ms. Fatima," he said. 

"You're welcome, Riz," she said, smiling and patting his healed shoulder. "Next time, let the owlbear keep your sword. With those forces, you could tear cartilage, and that is difficult to heal, even with magic."

"I'll try my best," he agreed.

He stopped at the bathroom and made sure his shirt was tucked in and all his straps were fastened properly. He put his tie pin back in the right place, then washed his hands and face. He wiped the sweat from his neck with a damp paper towel, then raked his fingers through his hair to get the dirt and sand out as best he could. He let himself shake from head to toe and sighed, feeling much better. Then he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror as he left. He frowned.

Riz shoved away the knot of self conscious discomfort and sighed. Sure, he knew he didn't look as awkward as he had a few years ago. He had a better haircut, and he'd grown into his gangly arms and legs a bit more, (and the acne was definitely calming down, which was a relief) but overall he knew the biggest change was with how he carried himself. He was still getting used to actually feeling comfortable in his own skin. It felt like...he'd heard about people walking across hot coals. Apparently if you kept moving, you wouldn't get too badly burned, but if you hesitated you were screwed. His whole identity still felt precarious, and as soon as he noticed that he was actually carrying himself confidently he would fall right back down into Briefcase Kid. But no one who didn't really know him already could even see Briefcase Kid anymore. Even though he still had the damn briefcase. On one hand, people did respond to him differently now, but on the other hand...people responded to him differently. His mental model of himself didn't match how he came across to everyone around him.

But now he was nearly to the alchemy labs, and even the residual awkwardness of strangers hitting on him couldn't diminish his joyful anticipation. The door was ajar and the background noise of a few conversations floated out. A handful of students were scattered around the room working. Riz immediately spotted Adaine and smiled. On one end of the bench her component case was open, displaying an array of organic components she'd probably gathered from the forest. On the other, a gently bubbling alembic was letting out periodic rings of green smoke. She wore safety goggles, gloves, and an apron, and glared at a book while she crushed something in a mortar and pestle. Her hair was twisted up in a chaotic bun with wisps escaping in all directions. On impulse, he pulled out his crystal and snapped a picture before walking over. 

The bench next to hers was empty, so he dragged the stool over. Close enough to talk without bothering other people, but far enough he could keep his distance from any unexpected chemistry. Adaine heard the rattle of it moving and glanced up, smiling warmly at him, but then refocusing on her work. She moved her finger down a chart in her reference book, pausing and tapping with a wrinkle between her eyebrows. She bit the inside of her bottom lip thoughtfully and nodded to herself before picking up the phial with tongs and slowly adding the contents to the stone mortar. The green smoke turned blue, puffed up into the shape of a teardrop, and disintegrated into silvery, glittery flashes. 

"I knew it," she whispered in satisfaction, carefully placing the phial on a rack and extinguishing the flame under the alembic. Adaine shoved the mortar away from the edge and took her gloves off to make a few precise notes. She was so beautiful his throat hurt. She looked up, beaming, and stuck her goggles up on her head.

"Hi! How'd you do?" she asked, looking him over with a mischievous grin and her hands on her hips. "Don't look too messy." Riz laughed and put down his briefcase. 

"Shoulda seen me an hour ago," he said, bracing one heel on the seat and one foot on the highest rung. "I got an A. Barely squeaked by, but it counts. Dislocated my right shoulder, though, because I was dumb." 

Adaine's eyes widened in shock. "How did you complete an obstacle course with your arm dislocated?"

"Had to pop it back in myself," he shrugged, smirking at her horrified expression. "It gets worse: I was in the middle of killing an owlbear at the time." 

"You fucking weren't," she gasped. Riz pulled his grade slip from his back pocket and passed it over. Her expression got more concerned, then surprised, then impressed as she went down the itemized evaluation. "So instead of letting go of your sword and using your mage hand to grab it, or misty stepping with that same sword, you chose to hold on as tight as you could and let your entire body get snapped like a whip."

"I was trapped in an arena with a fucking owlbear construct, okay?" he laughed, wrapping his arms around his leg and leaning forward. "I was under a bit of stress at the time. You'll note I did both of those things immediately after the 'efficient battlefield first aid' I got extra credit for." Riz pointed toward the bottom of the paper. 

"Yeah, you clearly made up for it," she agreed, nodding. "Damn." The way you took it down sounds extremely hot, honestly. Wish I could have seen it, she messaged, handing the slip back with a smile. He blushed and rolled his eyes. 

"Jones dressed me down for skipping my drills," he sighed. "Which I deserve. I have to figure out how to fit them back into my schedule. My speed dropped twenty percentiles since last spring."

"Ouch," Adaine winced. "I know you're a lot faster than the rest of us, but that's a big drop." 

"Part of that was because the course was weird today and I was cautious because I was creeped the fuck out, but...yeah."

"So, your shoulder's okay now?" she asked, lowering her goggles again. 

"Had to get Ms. Fatima to give it a once over, but yeah."

"Who?"

"The school nurse? Fatima al-Aydaa? Runs the infirmary? Have you really never met her?"

"No, I've never been injured that badly at school. A few minor burns or cuts in the lab but nothing like that."

"Wow, primary casters live in a whole different world, don't you?" Riz marveled. Adaine laughed, casting prestidigitation to dispose of the contents of the mortar. 

"I suppose," she said. "Of course, we work with forces that are more immediately lethal. You get disintegrated and you need a dustpan and an experienced cleric, not an infirmary." Riz hummed in agreement and watched her measure out tiny quartz chunks with tweezers.

"Maybe Fabian will train with you?" she suggested, lighting the burner again and putting her gloves back on.

"Maybe," he shrugged. "Not sure how much workout overlap we'd have."

"I was just thinking for company," she said. "He's certainly already got a routine, and it's usually easier to work with someone else around."

"That's true," he nodded. 

"So what's that plan you wanted to run by me?" she asked quietly, without looking up from her work. He looked around at the bustling lab. Not the best environment, but he could message. They'd obviously be plotting, though. Riz considered, surreptitiously flicking his eyes around the room.

"It's not really urgent," he shrugged. Trying to throw people off the scent, bear with me, he messaged. 

"Alright," she agreed, glancing over with a raised eyebrow. These are wizards, Gukgak. "So, why are you interrupting my lab work then?"

Paranoia has served me well so far. He felt his heartbeat stutter as he shrugged and smiled at her. "Flimsy excuse to see you?" he suggested.

Adaine rolled her eyes and snorted, but blushed. "You can stay if you promise not to get in the way," she said with amusement in her voice. What's truly funny is this is the most convincing lie I've ever heard from you, and it's to throw off a bunch of wizards who are not remotely paying any attention to us. 

"Cross my heart." Riz grinned and turned to get work out of his briefcase. He settled at the neighboring bench. The trick is that it's not entirely a lie. I do have something to talk to you about, but if I didn't, I would absolutely find a flimsy excuse to see you. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw her smile and shake her head. 

So what's up? she asked. 

How much did Kristen tell you guys?

That Dogcollar Bitchface is getting off on tormenting freshmen now, and that she's not sure whether Bucky's got a bigger crush on his party's rogue or ours.

Oh no, please please please tell me she's joking about that.

Probably? Adaine sounded amused. She was happy that he'd noticed that you, I quote, 'tinkle like some kind of celestial wind chime, especially in that damn vest,' and that hopefully he'd start to question some of their parents' programming.

She used the word tinkle? Riz asked, dismayed. 

You're surprised at an unfortunate word choice? This is Kristen.

It makes it sound like I go around pissing radiant damage. Adaine coughed, waving her hand through the smoke coming from the alembic and hiding a grin in her hand.

If you want this conversation to remain stealthy you can't make me laugh.

Or you could learn how to keep a poker face, he teased.

Get to the point, would you? she said, teasing right back.

I want a second opinion. Make sure I'm not missing something.

Got it. What's up?

I think the best way to get her file from Jawbone is pass without trace, and the only druid I could trust with this information at this point is the one in Bucky's party. 

Well, I've never met them, so I'm not sure how my opinion will help. 

Not about that. I trust the freshmen, it's just, is it crazy to bring them in? They already know Kipperlilly is fucked, and we need that information on her. This is all still very theoretical because I don't know if they know the spell, if they'd be willing to help, or how long it would take them to learn it if they don't know it. 

It makes sense to me. Especially if you trust them.

The big thing I wanted to ask is do you think you could help them learn to speed up the process, if it turns out they don't know it?

Hmm. Maybe Kristen and I could work together to help them effectively. Druids are pretty different. 

Alright. Riz nodded thoughtfully. I'd feel more comfortable with a consensus before we decide to bring them all in or not, but I think even if we don't, I'd like to ask Bug if they'll help me swipe the file either way. Do you see any problem with that? 

Not unless they're the kind of person who would guiltily confess to Jawbone because they couldn't take the pressure. 

Oh that's a good point. Bucky might be that kind of person. I'll have to check with Kristen on that. And see if Bug can keep a secret...you know, I should just ask Clarity about them both, actually. She'd probably have a good read. She's their rogue, he said. Got potential, even if she is an annoying little smartass.

Hm. I recognize the type. 

What, yours? he teased, glancing over with a smirk. Riz felt his heart skip happily, waiting for her response. Color flushed her cheeks and she pursed her lips to keep from smiling. 

Rizekiel! You are bold today, aren't you?

Oh no, not another one. 

I made a list, actually. 

Well, my new top priority is obviously to find and destroy that as soon as possible.

A mental list.

God damn it!

Adaine let out half a giggle, and muffled it with the back of her arm. Riz lay his head down on his arms to hide his grin and slow his breathing. After a minute or so, he sat up with a sigh. 

"So you have something at one, right?" he asked, as though completely out of the blue. 

"One sec…" he looked over to see her carefully adding drops of giant spider ichor into a phial. "...four, five. There. Okay, what did you say?" she asked. 

"You have somewhere to be at one?"

Adaine sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes. The pending disaster."

"Let's break for lunch at noon then?"

"I was going to work through."

"You trying to meet a deadline?"

"No, I just wanted to use the time to—"

"I remember you telling me something about how I needed to eat actual lunch and have actual breaks sometimes."

Adaine sighed again. "Do you really have to remember the things I've said?" she complained. 

"Yeah. Remembering and recording things people say and do? Big part of my job over here."

"Another downside," she said. Riz put down his pen and turned to her with his arms crossed. 

"I'd argue it's an upside. Show's that I'm paying attention." 

"With you that's a given," she said dismissively, pulling out a small drawer of her component case and storing the vial of spider ichor. 

Well, with you it's a given, sure, he messaged her. Her eyes flew to his, wide and bright. 

Wow, you really are feeling sassy, she said. Riz shrugged and rested his elbow on the lab bench, just smiling at her. And you insist on looking at me like that while I'm trying to get work done, she went on, sounding flustered. Adaine looked away and rummaged in her case. 

I love when you give me butterflies. Just trying to return the favor, he said. She glared and he grinned wider. 

If you keep teasing me I'm going to come over there and kiss you.

Walk me through how that's supposed to convince me to stop? 

Damn it that backfired on me. Adaine braced her hands on the lab bench and glared at her work. 

I'm distracting you too much, he realized. Sorry. 

She didn't respond with words, but looked over at him with a smirk. Shit, she was distracting him, too. He should go get work done somewhere else. His stupid subconscious crossed its arms and pouted. 

Adaine turned off the burner again and tossed her gloves onto the bench. He had a fleeting moment for surprised heat to set in when she lifted her goggles and reached for him. Riz breathed in hard and closed his eyes. Fuck her lips were soft, and—he leaned forward, chasing them when they left his too soon. Damn it. Yeah, no, of course. He needed to put some space between them. 

"I think I should go hang the rest of these flyers for the PBJ lunch and go find Kristen and Fabian to talk about it." He shook himself, hopped off the stool, and started shoving things into his briefcase. 

If you're…I hope I didn't… she hesitated. 

Opposite problem, he said, smiling wistfully at her. 

Come over tomorrow night? she asked. To look over the stuff Lydia brought, and, um, and to spend the night? 

Yes, he said immediately. His heart pounded. I'd love to. 

Adaine cleared her throat and he heard the sound of materials rattling as she moved things around on the bench. He glanced over and saw pink cheeks and ears flushed all the way to the tips. He closed his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek. Do not think about that fucking dream, Gukgak. Do. Not. Here, literally anything else: Where do we need flyers? Maybe Sunday morning is a good time to run drills. Remember to check the open times on the obstacle course and schedule time there too. See? You're fine.   

"So, meet for lunch at noon?" he asked. 

"Alright, I'll take a break," she sighed, smiling. 

"If you don't I'll have to come distract you again," he threatened. 

"Such horrors," she laughed, rolling her eyes. "I think I'll probably finish up here soon anyway and get a start on learning chain lightning." 

"That's the...third spell you're working on at the same time?" 

"Yeah?" Adaine looked up from her notes. "Oh. You think that's a lot. Pff, s'fine." Riz shook his head and laughed. 

"Alright. Well, see you later," he called over his shoulder as he left. 

Okay, where had he not plastered flyers everywhere? The theater and the gym could use more. He'd pretty well covered the main building. Theater was closer. Riz dug out his crystal and sent a message to the group thread as he walked over. 

Kristen, Fabian, talk after lunch about the campaign event next week? Adaine and I are meeting for lunch at noon if you wanna join. Everyone else too, obviously 

[Kristen 9:57am] Yeah I'll meet up for lunch. Probably end up bringing a freshman or two? They started following me around like ducklings 

[Fig 9:58am] whens the campaign event 

Lunch next Wednesday? Free weird PBJs for everyone out behind the school? You haven't seen the flyers and posters I've been putting up everywhere? 

[Fig 9:58am] been distracted. sounds fun though, I'll come help 

Awesome, gonna start set up around 10:30, lunch from 11:00 to 1:00 or we run out. 

[Adaine 10:01am] idea: campaign buttons from my jacket! 

[Kristen 10:01am] girl YES where are you right now 

[Adaine 10:02am] upperclass alchemy lab, but library soon to work on chain lightning. Meet there before lunch? 

Fig reacted to chain lightning with lightning bolts and devil horns. 

[Fig 10:03am] fuckin. metal. 

He laughed and shoved his crystal back in his pocket. It really was. He smiled, picturing Adaine yelling as she cast a whirling storm out to a group of attackers. She was so fucking cool. He shivered as he ran up the steps of the theater building and scooted inside. 

"Hold still!" Riz yelled down. 

"I am holding still!" Fabian yelled back. 

"If you're still, why are my feet moving?"

"They're your feet, you tell me!"

Riz stretched—just a little...there. The poster was secure.  

"Okay, got it! Step back so I can jump down." He stuck his arms out for balance as Fabian took a long step back from the wall. When his grip left his ankles, Riz tucked forward into a flip and folded into a squat as he landed. He sat to pull his boots back on. 

"That was the last one, right?" Fabian griped, stretching his shoulders. 

"You can count to three, right?" Riz grinned. Fabian crossed his arms and glared at him. 

"Oh, The Ball, you're welcome for the help. It was nothing. Of course I don't mind being treated like a step stool, I'm here to support my friends when they need it, no need to be so effusive in your thanks." 

"Thank you, Fabian," Riz said, rolling his eyes. Fabian pursed his lips and grunted. 

"Lunch?" he asked.

"Lunch." Riz nodded, hopping to his feet and grabbing the strap of his briefcase. They headed out toward the main building. 

"Seen Gorgug today?" Fabian asked him. 

"Not since we got here this morning," he said. "Why?"

"Just haven't seen much of him lately," he shrugged, sighing. "Used to run into each other after class over here all the time, but he's all in on artificing. Only time I really hang out with either of you is at bloodrush practice, and seems like neither of you are really into it."

"I'm definitely not," Riz shook his head, "but I think Gorgug is just stressed out. Once we figure out how to get Porter to sign his MCAT he'll have time." 

Fabian frowned and shook his head. "I don't know. I think he might end up having to choose between them."

Riz sighed. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I guess." 

"Wait, who are you and what did you do with The Ball?"

"The fuck are you talking about?" Riz laughed, pushing the doors open. 

"You don't want to come up with three or four contingency plans for this right now? No frantic sidewalk chalk drawing on the steps? You're not demanding I order a truckload of something insane for an even crazier scheme?"

"Ugh."

"I'm kind of serious," Fabian said. "Are you chilling out on us, man?" Riz hissed at him. 

"You take that back right now." 

Fabian snorted and punched him as they entered the cafeteria. Kristen and Adaine were already sitting across from each other and chatting. Clarity and Bug were on either side of Kristen. Riz smiled. Yep, ducklings. 

"Who're the new kids?" Fabian asked quietly, following him into line. 

"Oh, right, you and Gorgug aren't up to speed." Riz rearranged so he could subtly message him while he added things to his tray. 

Remember that rumor about me being mean to freshmen? 

Yeah?

Kipperlilly's fucking with them. It's Bucky's party—Kristen's little brother. Purple tiefling is Clarity, rogue. Scruffy human is Bug, druid, uses they. There's also a goliath barbarian, Ed, not sure where he and Bucky are. Details later, but I think we might need to bring them in on the rage star investigation.

Huh. Alright. Fabian shrugged and added a plate of pasta salad and an orange to his tray. He wove around in front of Riz on the way to the table and sat down, somehow boisterously.

"Kristen! Introduce me to your new friends," he said, throwing himself onto the bench next to Adaine. She scooted over to get out of range of his knees and elbows. Riz laughed and slid in on her right side, tucking his right leg under him. She scooted even closer to him and he smiled to himself as he leaned down to store his briefcase. He trailed the back of his fingers up the side of her leg as he sat up. She blushed and gave him a sidelong smile. 

"How'd the campaign buttons turn out?" he asked. Adaine handed him a small handful of pins, each the diameter of a copper coin. "It's always happy hour with Applebees!" curved around the outside of each. Some had a hat filled with chips and salsa, some had an apple with Kristen's grinning face plastered on it, and some had the little PBJ monstrosities he'd created. Riz laughed in delight and started looking through them.

"Adaine, these are great!" he said.

"Aren't they?" Kristen asked. She handed him one he hadn't seen, with a little dancing sandwich on it. "I think we should get rid of the ones with my face on them—or maybe only we wear them—because everyone wants the weird ones." 

"That's good engagement," he agreed, "but if they don't know what it's for and just think it's a fun pin, it won't really help your campaign, will it?"

"There's The Ball," Fabian said, sighing in dramatic relief. "Good, he's worrying about something. Thought you'd mellowed out while I wasn't looking." 

Adaine coughed and delicately wiped her mouth with a napkin. Riz glared at them both and sighed. He rolled up his rectangle of pizza and took as big a bite as he could manage. Clarity caught his eye as he did, looking like she was about to explode with laughter. He wrinkled his eyebrows at her.

"Wh'isst?" he asked around his food. She pursed her lips harder and shook her head with bright sparkly eyes.

"Talking with your mouth full is gross," Adaine said. "You can message, Riz. There's no excuse." He rolled his eyes and Clarity burst out laughing at him. Riz looked around for some explanation for this, but found none. Kristen shrugged at him. Fabian had engaged Bug in a spirited discussion of quarterstaff techniques and the finer points of snuff varieties. He finished his bite and took a drink of water. 

"So, what is it?" he asked Clarity. "The weird way I eat the terrible school pizza? Bird crap in my hair and I didn't notice?" She didn't answer him, but wiped her eyes and turned to Kristen. 

"Yeah I see it now," she said through her giggles.

"Told ya," Kristen said around her bite of pizza. Riz decided to ignore whatever the hell that was and glanced at Adaine. Apparently no admonishment for Kristen was forthcoming.

"Oh, so it's fine when she does it?" he said, gently bumping Adaine, entirely because it was a convenient excuse to touch her. She smiled around her pasta and shook her head. He rested his cheek on his fist and watched her while he chewed. She was so pretty. He sighed through his nose and traced a lock of her hair with his eyes. It curled behind her ear, then fell down to brush her cheek. It ended in a small wisp on her neck. He wanted to press his lips right there—she was talking—his eyes flew to her face. His brain scrambled to tell him what she'd been saying. 

"...nothing to do with Kristen and everything to do with the fact that my mouth was full at the time. And you couldn't tell if I chided her about it over message anyway." 

"She didn't," Kristen said, grinning. He laughed at Adaine's irritated glance at her. 

"I think this is just more evidence for the compelling case I'm building against you for aggravated bullying," he said, nudging Adaine with another grin. She threw him a glare above a smile and wiped her mouth with her napkin before taking another bite. She messaged him with the hand on her lap. 

So you're saying you don't like it a little rough? 

Riz flushed hot and broke eye contact with her to take a big drink of water. He didn't trust himself to respond because all he could think about was how desperate he'd been for her to bite him when he woke up this morning. He put his water down to see Clarity staring at him with eyes like saucers. She covered her grin with both hands.

Damn it, he wasn't used to having someone else observant around other than Adaine herself. Riz sighed. 

Okay you caught us. Please don't say anything, the party doesn't know yet and we're still figuring it out. 

This is the juiciest fucking gossip in the school and you want me to sit on it? Dude, that is going to cost you, she said.

Fine, I can respect a filthy little opportunist. What do you want? he asked. 

Help me figure out this goddamn assignment you said I was doing wrong.

That's it? I'd have done that anyway if you asked. 

Damn it.

No takebacks.

Clarity scowled. 

I want access to your snack hoard, too.

Also something you could have gotten just by asking. 

God damn it how do you even blackmail nice people? 

Riz snorted quietly, and Adaine glanced between him and Clarity with a raised eyebrow. He nodded. Tell you later, he sent her with a smile. 

Let me know if I need to defend your honor or something, she said. Riz smiled and shook his head. 

Fig had shown up at some point during their discussion. She was busy exclaiming over Kristen's campaign buttons and adding a few to her jacket and skirt. Then she caught sight of Clarity and hopped up excitedly. 

"Riz!" she cried, crowding in on his right side and throwing her arm over his shoulder. "Is this your little buddy that Kristen told me about?"

"What?" They answered in sync, glaring at her. Kristen guffawed and Adaine laughed behind her napkin. Fig's grin widened. Riz sighed and pinched his nose. 

"I'm not anyone's little buddy," Clarity said, glaring at Fig.

"That's a shame, I think it'd be fun," she shrugged. "I'm Fig. Nice to meet another tiefling. How'd your folks take it when yours grew in?" she asked, tapping her horns with her fingernails. 

"What? Uh, my mom got me some cream and showed me how to style my hair around them. My dad got all dramatic about how I'm growing up and locked himself in his workshop for a few hours. How did yours?"

"Oh. That sounds kinda nice. Since mine were both elves, they reacted with divorce." 

Clarity's eyes widened. 

"Sorry, shouldn't have assumed," Fig shrugged and hopped up again. "Gonna grab some food."

"So, that's Fig," Riz said, tearing into his cup of peach slices.

"Wow." Clarity blinked.

"She's usually much more subtle and thoughtful," Adaine added, giving Riz a stern look. "There's a lot going on for her right now, and she's still figuring out how to work through it." Riz shrugged and ate his peaches. 

"Oh, Riz—I have something for you," Adaine said. 

"What?" he asked. She was carefully removing something from her jacket pocket, and then handed over a lidded paper cup full of high quality espresso. "What!" he exclaimed, surprised. 

"Happy Birthday," she said, putting it on his tray and gently kissing the top of his head. 

"Oh it's the good stuff again," he whispered reverently, closing his eyes and savoring the smell. Adaine patted his back and he leaned against her happily. "Thank you, Adaine." 

"It's half decaf," she warned him. 

"So worth it," he sighed. 

"I think you found something Riz will happily spend seven minutes in heaven with, Adaine," Fig said. She came back with her lunch and sat next to Fabian. Riz froze and blushed, but Adaine didn't really react. What the hell had they been talking about? He felt Adaine lean back to talk to Fig around behind Fabian. He sat up with a sigh. 

"It would take more than seven minutes," Adaine said. "I know better than to come between Riz and his coffee." He gave them both a skeptical side-eye. 

"I hesitate to stick my nose into whatever the fuck this conversation is, but you guys know I just drink coffee right? It is possible to enjoy things non-sexually. Is that something you remember? Did none of you fuckers enjoy things before puberty?"

"Not properly," Kristen said. Clarity choked on her pasta. Kristen gave her a hearty whack on the back and Riz ducked. It flew somewhere behind him. 

"Anyway, speaking of savoring this," Riz said, grabbing his briefcase. He dug out his thermos from that morning and slipped into the kitchens to rinse it. He ghosted in and out like a breeze and hurried back over to pour his precious coffee into it. "There," he sighed happily, holding it under his nose and closing his eyes. "Beautiful."

Adaine chuckled. He rubbed his knee against her leg and smiled when she pressed back. 

"Wait," Kristen said, "Riz, you're not wearing a pin. Campaign manager's gotta wear a button!"

"Oh yeah, lemme see." He moved the pile on the table around to find one with Kristen's face like she'd suggested. He put down his coffee and looked down at his sweater and tie, considering. "Where should I put it?" he wondered absently. 

"Here, I've got it," Adaine said, plucking it from his fingers. She carefully adjusted his collar and hummed. "Unbutton your top button," she told him. 

"Why?" 

"Just trust me." 

Riz sighed and awkwardly tried to unbutton it without loosening his tie any further. Adaine made an impatient noise and moved his hands out of the way, unbuttoned it, then gently adjusted his tie back up. She deftly pinned the campaign button on his shirt collar and looked him over speculatively, then nodded. He shook his head and chuckled fondly. 

Clarity kicked him and gave him a pointed look. He scowled and messaged her. 

What the hell? he demanded.

So no one in your party knows? Fucking how?

Riz rolled his eyes and stood to return his tray. Adaine followed with hers. 

"We got caught," he told her quietly, tossing his recycling. 

"Little rogue?"

"Yep."

"What'd you tell her?"

"That we hadn't told the party yet and to please keep it quiet until we did. She demanded snacks and homework help in exchange for her silence."

"Not that steep a price," Adaine smiled. 

"It was pretty fun telling her that she could have gotten both just by asking after I agreed to her terms," he grinned. Adaine gently shoved him.

"I kinda like it when you're ruthless, too," she told him. He looked down with a chuckle and stuck his hands in his pockets.

And you're just so fucking cute when you blush, she sent. Lethal combination. 

He pressed his lips together to keep from smiling wider. 

She caught me because I was staring and thinking about how pretty you are.

Adaine's breath stuttered slightly. She deliberately brushed the back of her hand on his arm as they got back to the table, then against his leg as she reached under the table for her bag. He hid his smile in a sip of coffee. 

"Leaving early, Adaine?" Fabian asked. Fig looked up from next to him and made a sad face around her pizza.

"Yeah, I've got this...it's so dumb. There's this joint class with wizards and sorcerers that Stardiamond is trying to get off the ground, and juniors and seniors in both majors are required to attend the first one." 

"But...sorcerers and wizards cast completely differently," Bug said. "Why does he want to start a class instead of a club or something?" 

"That's the question," Adaine sighed. "Kristen, Fig, I'm off at 8:00 tonight like usual. Should I call Jawbone for a ride or you wanna walk home together?"

Their eyes met and wordless communication passed between them. Fig nodded and Kristen shrugged. "We'll meet you after work."

"Alright, see you then. Bye everyone!" She fluffed Riz's hair as she left. He refrained from turning to watch her, but it wasn't easy. 

He was soon distracted by Fabian sliding into her spot and grabbing his shoulders with a shake. He scrambled to close his thermos and put it down out of range of Fabian's aura of chaos.

"So, The Ball has an adorable little sidekick now!" he said. Clarity scowled at him. 

"Fabian—" Riz started to warn him, but she was already over the table and glaring into his eye while she held a knife under his chin.

"I'm not anyone's little buddy, I'm not anyone's sidekick, and I am not fucking adorable. I'm short, but that just means I have less distance to reach when I cut your fucking nuts off. You get me, asshole?"

Fabian grinned widely and shook Riz harder. 

"Yeah," he chuckled darkly, "Oh, I like this one, The Ball. That's exactly the energy." Clarity looked briefly confused, then rallied and leaned forward. 

"My name is Clarity Indarra Steelfolder. I don't do nicknames." 

"Fabian Aramais Seacaster, and I only do good ones. Pleasure to meet you, Fireball." 

Riz laughed and lay his head on his arms. He heard Bug's muffled chuckling too. 

"What the fuck, dude?" she demanded. 

"Fabian's just like that," Kristen said. "Don't encourage him." 

"A knife to the throat encourages him?" 

Riz pounded the table with his fist.

"I am the son of Bill Seacaster, girl! I was born with a knife to my throat!"

"See? He's just like that." 

Riz sat up shakily and took his glasses off to wipe his eyes. 

"Oh, that couldn't have been more perfect if I planned it," he sighed. "Unstoppable force. Immovable object."

"You could have fucking warned me," Clarity griped. 

"About mister Maximum Legend here?" Riz snorted. "I didn't think anyone wasn't forewarned about him." Fabian punched him, knocking him over. He winced and rubbed his arm as he sat back up. "Gonna start using grappling shots every time you do that, man. And for the record, The Ball is an objectively awful nickname." 

"Is not, and if you wanna escalate, that's your choice," Fabian warned him. 

"I'm over a foot and a half shorter than you and half your weight!"

"Challenges are good for you," he said, slapping him hard in the middle of the back. 

"Why are we friends?" Riz wheezed. 

"Who else would put up with all of us?" Kristen asked. She stood to take her tray back and the freshmen followed her.

"She might actually attack you if you insist on calling her Fireball," Riz told Fabian. He shrugged. 

"She'll come around."

"Bucky might also try to defend her honor or something. A paladin with a crush isn't something to fuck with lightly," Riz said. Fabian scoffed. 

"I think I can manage a freshman or two." 

"I dunno, even weak smites pack a punch," Fig said. "I'm learning to do them, and damn."

"How's all that going?" Riz asked her. 

"Eh, good and bad," she said. "Oh! Conveniently, my last warlock class? We went to the Pit. I was able to take a minute to slip in and check out the armor of pride. Look what I found." 

She pulled out her crystal and swiped, then slid it over to him. Riz picked it up and Fabian looked over his shoulder curiously. Right there in the middle of the cuirass was a familiar twenty-four point star. Riz looked up with raised eyebrows and slid it back to her. Fig nodded and stored her crystal again. 

"I put Wretchrot on the case," she said, "and I told the other girls and added it to the wall." Riz nodded and rested his chin on his fist while he considered. Kristen came back and grabbed a handful of campaign buttons to distribute between the two freshmen. 

"You guys mind spreading these around?" she asked. Bug happily took a bunch and stuck one on their backpack. Clarity rolled her eyes but accepted them. "Awesome, thanks. We gotta do boring campaign planning. Stick around if you want, but it's seriously boring. Riz probably has a spreadsheet."

"I have a list and a few diagrams," he grouched, crawling under to the other side of the table. He flipped open his notebook. Clarity repressed another laugh. 

"We're good, see ya," she said, hooking Bug's arm and tugging them away. Riz suddenly remembered he needed to ask her about Bug's ability to handle a heist. It'd have to wait. He turned back and made a coded note to himself at the top of the page. 

"Alright, Fabian," Riz said, "your part is quick, I just need you to send me—"

"Wait, I gotta go—I see Mazey!" he scrambled out of his seat, fumbling a bit and grabbing his bag awkwardly. He hopped on one foot, readjusting his shoe. "Mazey! Wait up!" he called, tearing off.

"Damn it, Fabian!" Riz called out, but he was already across the room. He sighed in irritation. "I'll talk to him about it before practice," he grumbled, sipping his coffee.

"What do you need from him?" Fig asked. 

"I just need him to forward me the delivery confirmation and make me an authorized recipient of everything," he said. 

"Worst case I can disguise myself as him and accept it," she offered.

"I'll keep that in my back pocket just in case," Riz nodded, noting it down. "Ok, the rest is organizing the process for crowd control—that's where you'll be a big help, Fig. Here, I have a few options drawn up that I want to run by you, Kristen." 

She groaned heavily and slumped on the table. Fig patted her on the head. Riz rolled his eyes at her and shuffled to pull up the relevant pages.

"Come on, the sooner we finish the sooner you can go back to goofing off with the freshmen," he teased. 

"Hey, those guys are your project, not mine!"

"It's not me they're following around," he laughed. 

"Ugh, fine, show me your fucking nerd diagrams you fucking nerd."

"You wanted to run for president, Kristen." She sat up with another heartfelt groan, but at least looked like she was paying attention now. Riz nodded. Good enough. "Okay, so option one—"

It had warmed up enough since that morning's frost to make the ground on the field behind the school unpleasantly soft. Adaine made a face as her boots squelched. She was tempted to cast fly on herself, but she had no idea what they'd have to do during this class, so she reserved her power. 

The sorcerers were not being so careful. Some popped in with teleportation spells and dimension doors. A few were flying. They landed with unnecessary and inefficient bursts of residual magic that she could feel from yards away. A few other wizards sent them looks of disapproval. Enough people had already arrived that pockets of conversation had arisen. 

Adaine made eye contact with a few other wizards, but didn't join any. She sighed, feeling out of place. Maybe she should have spent more time developing friendships outside the party. Maybe she should now. She caught sight of Oisin a short distance away and turned, scanning for any other students she recognized. The senior she'd made eye contact with in the library caught her eye with a friendly smile and a small nod. Now if only she could remember her name. Mary? Nora? Damn it, she'd have to apologize and ask. Adaine smiled back and started to make her way over. 

A surprisingly large half elf blocked her path. She looked up with a raised eyebrow. He smirked down at her. She instantly hated him. 

"Excuse me," she said in as withering a tone as she could manage. 

He was wearing, ugh, sandals, and some sort of cheap knockoff wizard's robe in a garish print. It was fastened far too loosely, exposing most of his chest. He also had sunglasses on his head for some reason, perched on gelled hair. He didn't move, so she swerved around him. He started walking backwards, but stayed in her way. 

"Heyyyy, w'sup? Name's Taylor. You're that uh...Elven Oracle chick, right? Hang out with Fig Faeth? That's tight. Think I've seen you around. How about—" 

Adaine stopped walking and turned to look him directly in the eye. 

"One warning. Leave me alone or you will regret it," she told him. His eyes widened but he attempted a charming grin. 

"Aw c'mon girl, don't be like that. Why don't you come hang with me and my boys and—" 

She started walking forward and this time when he didn't move she held out a burning hand and touched the middle of his exposed chest, shoving him back. He stumbled in surprise, yelling in pain. 

"What the fuck? I was just trying to be friendly!" 

She didn't bother with a response, just wove her way through the crowd, keeping sight of the mop of black curls she was aiming for. The human wizard underneath them was snickering behind her hand when Adaine walked up. 

"Nice," she chuckled. "I've seen him try that shit on two other girls since he got here. Your solution's my favorite." 

"He didn't really deserve more attention," Adaine sighed. "Hi, I'm Adaine," she smiled and waved, then stuck her hands in her pockets. 

"Moira," she smiled back, nodding. "Nice to officially meet you. Passed in the lab and library a few times, and I think we had a class together last year?" 

"Maybe? Did you TA for the spring conjuration seminar on...was it Wednesday or Friday?"

"That's what it was! Friday afternoons. Yeah, that was me."

"Cool. Conjurer?"

"Yep!" 

Adaine nodded and trailed off, looking down. She shifted her feet, trying to find a drier patch of ground. There wasn't one. She sighed quietly. How the hell do you socialize with people when you aren't thrown into a life threatening situation together? 

"How bad do—"

"What's your take—"

They started talking at the same time, and both laughed. 

"Go ahead." 

"No, no, you go, it's fine." 

"You sure?" 

"Yeah, what were you going to say?" 

"Just wondering, how bad do you think this is going to turn out?" Adaine asked. "Is Professor Runestaff going to kill him, or just make him wish he was dead?" Moira cleared her throat behind her fist before revealing a restrained smile and dimples.

"It won't be pretty, whatever happens."

"That's for sure," Adaine sighed. "The only way I could see a crossover like this actually working is if someone is naturally a sorcerer but wants to learn magical theory and work like a wizard. You can't really go in the other direction, as far as I know."

"You know, I was wondering about that. I hope Jace doesn't assign us all sorcerer study buddies to work with." 

"Oh that's a horrible thought. Everyone would hate it. I have enough going on without having an extra assignment working with someone who doesn't want to."

"Same. Definitely, same," Moira sighed. "Oh look, here they come."

Runestaff and Stardiamond were making their way across the field from the school building. Stardiamond hovered about a foot over the ground with heat waves under his feet. When he held his hands palm backwards, they expelled white clouds that propelled him forward. He left a trail of dried mud along his path. It would have been more impressive if he wasn't forced to stop every few feet and wait for Runestaff to catch up. She was also hovering above the mud, but just enough that the hem of her robe wouldn't drag in it. She took her time walking toward them, the picture of serenity. 

Stardiamond was getting visibly irritated. Adaine wasn't sure why he didn't just leave Runestaff behind and try to start without her. The same thought apparently occurred to him, and he left her in the dust. The problem with this plan became apparent when he tried to rally the students. He floated up to look out over the crowd and amplified his voice.

"Hey gang! Great to see you all today! Who's excited?"

A few coughs and squelches answered him. His usual cheerful and vaguely stoned demeanor looked strained. He tried again. 

"Okay, first thing we're gonna do is form two lines, right?" He indicated two lines by moving his arms up and down. "Sorcerers on this side and wizards on this side!" 

No one moved. 

"Dude, Jace, come on," a sorcerer said. 

"What do you want us to do, anyway? Teach them how to read?" a wizard called out. A chorus of oooooh! arose around them. 

"Oh that's great," Moira muttered. Adaine hummed and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah man, why are we even here​?" another sorcerer yelled. "We don't need to learn anything from these fuckin tryhards!"

A fireball exploded near the speaker, followed by cries of anger and amusement. Suddenly an elephant appeared and trumpeted as someone cast polymorph. A few more students screamed. Adaine crossed her arms and sighed. Stardiamond flew over above the chaos and started counterspelling and yelling at individual students. Just as things were about to boil over out of control, the biggest anti-magic sphere she had ever seen appeared around the entire knot of chaos. Stardiamond was included inside it, and dropped on his ass in the mud with an undignified scream. 

Adaine managed to clap her hand over her mouth to keep from cackling. Moira cast silence on herself and doubled over laughing. Adaine caught her eyes and shook with the effort of keeping her laughter in. Most of the rest of the students either weren't so successful or conscientious. Roars of laughter from wizards and sorcerers alike surrounded the group caught in the sphere. Adaine wheezed as quietly as she could and closed her eyes to wipe tears from them. 

Runestaff walked up calmly, without having changed her pace at all. She waved the sphere away. Laughter died down in the face of her disapproval.

"I believe that is enough," she said. "Ms. Spruce, Mr. Forkensen, and Mr. Pogsprocket, kindly see your injured classmates to the infirmary. Afterwards, you three are dismissed for the day." She turned to Jace and offered him her hand. "Professor Stardiamond, I must apologize for my inability to avoid catching you in my spell, but I believed expedience was of utmost importance. Please allow me to assist."

Adaine couldn't see his face through the crowd, but his voice was seething. It sounded like all his words came out from behind gritted teeth.

"That's. Quite alright, Professor Runestaff. I understand. Protecting our students takes precedence. I'll manage."

"Of course," Runestaff said, then amplified her voice to address the group. "Students, please divide yourselves as instructed. We must allow time for your injured classmates to retreat and for Professor Stardiamond to compose himself. We will begin in precisely five minutes." 

The wizard students all began shuffling into a vague grouping away from the mass of sorcerers, who were looking at each other in confusion. Moira dismissed silence and hooted quietly. 

"Sol's shining ballsack that was beautiful," she whispered to Adaine, who snorted. 

"He's not going to know what hit him," she agreed. 

"He'll probably manage to puzzle out who," Moira whispered. Adaine laughed aloud and clapped her hand over her mouth again. A few other wizards gave them worried looks and edged away.

"Shh!" Adaine hissed, trying to swallow her giggles. "We don't want to end up on her radar!" Moira nodded in agreement and pressed her lips together tightly.

The sorcerers had edged closer together and seemed subdued and intimidated. A typical reaction to a demonstration of Runestaff's abilities. Adaine tried to get an estimate of the numbers of each group. It looked like it was a pretty even split. 

"Do you know how many of us there are?" she asked Moira. "Wizard upperclassmen?"

"Hm, I don't know exactly," she said. "Something like fifty? I know it's pretty even with the sorcerers by the time you get to upper grades, because not a lot of people stick with the wizard track this long. Their numbers stay about the same, but we lose people to the bards, rangers, and rogues over the years." Adaine nodded, humming thoughtfully. 

"I think…" she paused. She could check. Adaine centered herself, closed her eyes, and drew power from her focus, swiping her hand in an oval in front of herself. She blinked her eyes open and scanned through possible futures. 

"Whatcha got?" Moira asked when she dismissed the spell. Other students around her started obviously listening in. 

"Looks like they're probably going to have us pair up and spar or something. I think she dismissed those three students to make it a matched number and sway him in that direction." There was a general release of tension among most of the wizards as this information spread through the group. Most of them trusted their abilities against undisciplined casters at this point, especially one on one. 

Adaine crossed her arms and tapped her fingers on her forearm, though. Anyone could get lucky, and the sorcerers were on average just as experienced as they were. Fireballs burned you, no matter the source. She'd been isolated in a few battles and didn't want to repeat the experience. Wasn't used to fighting on her own. Primary casters live in a whole different world. She pursed her lips and tapped her arm faster. 

"Maybe we shouldn't," she mumbled. 

"What's that?" Moira asked. 

"Oh," Adaine startled out of her thoughts. "I was just thinking, the martial classes do things like this all the time. Sparring, obstacle courses, whole individual constructed combat routines—but we don't. We have practicums and spell demonstrations, but we don't actually practice combat like they do."

"It's a bit harder to keep our power non-lethal," Moira shrugged. "At least, that's how I've always understood the problem."

"That's what I told our rogue this morning, but there's something else there that...it's bugging me. There must be a better solution. We wouldn't have to spar with each other like martial classes do; we could use magitech constructs."

"Too much power output and you destroy the delicate system," she shrugged. "At least that's what my little sister tells me. She's a second year artificer."

"Hm. Maybe if we worked with the artificers to build systems that were better shielded," Adaine mused. "Oh well. It's a thought for later," she shrugged and shook her head. "So, your sister's an artificer? There aren't many. I wonder if she's met my friend Gorgug."

"Your party's barbarian turned artificer, right? She's definitely met him," Moira chuckled. "Probably has Mrs. Alicia Thistlespring written in curlicues all over her diary. You know if he's into girls? I told her to let it be if he wasn't showing interest, but she's hopeless. If she's barking up the wrong tree I'll make sure to warn her off." 

"Yeah, he's dated a girl before at least," Adaine shrugged. "He's so busy right now, though. Porter disapproves of combining the majors like he wants to do, so he won't sign his MCAT. Poor Gorgug's got an enormous workload, even compared to the rest of us.

"That's awful," Moira said, making a sympathetic face. "Annoying, but it sounds like Porter. He projects this tough guy aura, but he's surprisingly petty and thin skinned." 

"You know him?" Adaine asked in surprise.

"My partner's a barbarian," she nodded. "I have stories of Porter being bitchy coming out my ears." 

"I'd believe them all," Adaine said.

Runestaff and Stardiamond walked into the space between the grouped students. She remained unflappable. He'd cleaned himself off and opted for a less flashy levitation spell. 

"Alright everyone, let's try this again!" he said, floating up and projecting his voice. The wizards quieted and some of the sorcerers' chatter died down. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Jace Stardiamond, head of the sorcery department and acting vice principal this year. Call me Jace! Wizards are used to formality, but we like to keep it loose, right guys?" He waved at the sorcerers as he called out. Half of them responded. A decent portion were gripes and groans about being out in the mud, but about a tenth of the whole whooped or shot flashy illusions into the sky. He pointed excitedly at the illusions and grinned encouragingly over at the group of wizards.

"Yeah! That's what we're trying to do here today! Get a little of those super serious studious vibes on us and spread around our relaxed go with the flow auras to you guys! Fun right? Let's get started!" Jace ended his speech with a little whoop and pumped his fists above his head excitedly. The only response he got were a few raspberries and one sarcastic "Hoot Growl!" from a sorcerer. The wizard students watched patiently. He deflated and lowered himself back down to the ground with ill humor. Runestaff levitated straight up and looked to each group briefly before speaking. 

"Sorcery students, I am Professor Runestaff. As Acting Vice Principal Stardiamond has instructed, we will be completing a cross disciplinary exercise today. As luck would have it, our numbers here today are precisely matched, so each of you will be paired with a random counterpart from the other major. After a brief period for introduction, you are encouraged to demonstrate casting techniques. You are all experienced adventurers, so I trust you will be mindful of your surroundings and the powers we are all wielding. I shall now assign partners. Line up in numerical order to find one another."

Her hands hovered together and as they parted, an illusory purple orb swirled together between them. She sliced her hands apart, one in each direction, and the orb split into two. A flick of her fingers sent them out over each group, where they dissolved. Each student gained an illusory number displayed on their front and back. Adaine's was 27. Moira's 28. 

"Hey, we're neighbors!" Moira said, pointing. "I hope neither of us ends up with that douchebag you burned." 

"Ugh," Adaine agreed. Unfortunately, she did spot Taylor the Douchebag among the upper twenties. She was relieved for a moment when she got close enough to see his number: 26, then felt bad for his partner. At least she did until she saw a pale blue dragonborn walking toward her with a purple 26 on his chest. "Motherfucker," she hissed under her breath, turning away. Everyone seemed to be settling a short distance apart, so hopefully she could tune them out. 

Adaine's partner was a bored looking dark red tiefling in combat boots, ripped jeans, and a ratty long sleeve t-shirt that might have once displayed a band logo. He blinked at her. Wonderful. She looked over at Moira's partner, a halfling girl who looked...like she'd fit right in at Mumple. Adaine scolded herself for stereotyping and decided she might as well introduce herself to her partner. No reason to start off rude. 

"Hello, I'm Adaine. I specialize in divination."

"Kev. Shadow sorcerer." 

"Hm, I don't know much about shadow sorcery. What can you tell me?"

Kev shrugged and lit a clove cigarette. Adaine narrowed her eyes and tried to move upwind. After two puffs he finally answered her. 

"Kinda like freaky necromancy shit, but like, only myself. I don't fuck with dead bodies, y'know?"

"Huh. Agreed on that point." 

"I can do this," he said, teleporting away, leaving behind the feeling of a chill breeze from an autumn night. She looked around. 

Look right. Under the tree, he messaged, then lifted his cigarette in salute when she found him. He stepped forward out of the patch of shadows and zigzagged in a path across the field, jumping from shadow to shadow like someone skipping along rocks across a creek. When he was close enough, he walked back over in front of her, puffing on his clove.

"That's extremely cool," Adaine admitted. "Aside from cantrips, most spells I know are best for combat or research, or they take a long ritual to complete. Not very good for demonstration. Well, not unless there's someone you want me to cast sickening radiance on," she joked. 

"Saw you get Taylor," he smirked. "Fucker deserves worse." Adaine snorted and glanced over at Taylor, who seemed to be getting along well with Oisin. She frowned, but did feel a flash of satisfaction that he'd at least properly closed his fucking robe.

"Would have been overkill. Wizards have to be a little more conservative in our use of power."

Kev frowned, shrugged, and nodded. 

"Oh, I know what I can show you!" she realized, stepping back. She concentrated, drawing a wisp of power from her focus and calling Boggy into her arms. He popped into existence with a <<morp? bleef!>> and looked around with his giant eyes.

"This is my familiar, Boggy," Adaine said. "He can also be an owl sometimes." She held him out. Kev looked at her questioningly. "Hold him if you want," she said. "He's harmless." He took a long drag, then put the clove out on his boot and stuck it behind his ear.

Kev held out his hands and she plopped Boggy into them. He turned him all around while inspecting him, even upside down. He nodded at the tiny backpack, and ended with holding Boggy right in front of his face. Boggy gave him one of his classic vacant smiles, then stole the stub from behind his ear and ate it. <<mlemb mnom mnorm>> Kev cracked a brief smile. 

"That's a real good frog, dude," he said, handing him back to her. 

"Thanks. Sorry about your clove," she chuckled, cuddling Boggy tightly. "Never heard of a familiar doing that, but I think it might just be the way a frog tongue manifests in a magical creature. He's a helpful little guy, even if he does eat everything, including garbage."

"Eh," Kev shrugged and started to say something, then stopped and scowled over her shoulder. Oh great. Too much to hope for that she wouldn't have to deal with them.

"See, what'd I tell you?" Oisin said loudly, apparently to Taylor. "Not her type. Adaine's apparently all about the slimy green garbage eaters."

Taylor laughed nervously in the background, but Adaine tuned out whatever he said in response. She was already turning and casting with her left hand and drawing her sword with her right. Lightning erupted from her hand into Oisin's chest. Taylor yelled something else and jumped out of the way. Oisin staggered and she stepped into his space, pressing her sword against his neck and readying the mnemonic for her arcane fist.  

She bared her teeth and leaned into his face, letting the sword cut into him. Blazing. Fucking. Fury had taken her over. 

"You're going to die," she hissed. Oisin met her eyes with a grin and an orange glow deep within his pupils.

"Am I?" he whispered. Adaine swung her fist, missing as he threw himself down into the mud and cried out. "Help! Professors! Someone please, stop her!" 

He curled up so only she could see and reached up to deepen the tiny flesh wound on his neck with his claws. He coughed heavily, pushing blood out onto his hand and smearing it grotesquely. Oh fuck that bullshit. She kicked him hard in the gut and cast true strike as she raised her weapon. She'd deal with the consequences later. He stared up at her in shock. Good. 

Adaine felt herself freeze under Runestaff's spell just as the professor teleported between them. She could breathe, blink, and move her eyes, but not much else. She glared at Oisin and felt hot satisfaction that he didn't have to fake his pained moans. Runestaff pointed over Adaine's shoulder. 

"You, can you teleport?" she demanded.

"Uh, um, yes?" answered a meek voice.

"Fetch a healer."

"Um, um from—"

"Any healer, girl! Go!"

Adaine heard a squeak disappear behind her. 

Runestaff grabbed bandages from a pouch at her hip and knelt, pressing them against Oisin's neck. 

"It appears minor. Be calm and hold this against the wound." She looked around, catching sight of someone over Adaine's shoulder again. "Ms. Dewberry, you will please assist Mr. Hakinvar until your counterpart returns with the healer." 

"I will not, Professor Runestaff," Moira answered firmly. Runestaff froze, then turned back with both eyebrows raised. Adaine managed to work her tongue around in her mouth and swallow.

"And why is that, Ms. Dewberry?" Runestaff asked evenly.

"Because I heard what he said to Adaine and he deserved what he got." 

"Me and Taylor did too," Kev piped up. "Don't know the details, but it sounded nasty."

"Naw see man I'm just, I didn't really hear any details, I mean, he was being kinda shitty and then she lost her cool and—" Runestaff's glare pinned Taylor and despite her position, Adaine's heart glowed the smallest bit to see it.

"You will submit to a zone of truth if I deem it necessary, sir," she informed him, casting the same binding on him she had on Adaine. 

"Professor—I think it was probably just a misunderstanding—" Oisin started, seeing his position of power rapidly degrading. 

"Be silent," she said to Oisin, then looked back and forth between Kev and Moira. "Now, Ms. Dewberry and Mr…?"

"Kev."

She pursed her lips. "Of course. Both of you are willing to swear to the justifiable nature of Ms. Abernant's actions?"

"Absolutely," Moira said. 

"Seemed legit," Kev said. 

"I see," Runestaff said, resting a few fingers thoughtfully over her mouth. At this point, the flustered sorcerer returned with a woman in scrubs that Adaine didn't recognize. She immediately dropped to her knees in the mud and started casting healing magic over Oisin. 

Runestaff waved a hand, returning control of Adaine's head.

"Ms. Abernant, may I request you cease hostilities with Mr. Hakinvar in exchange for release of your bindings?"  

Adaine closed her eyes, then took a deep breath through her nose and let it out her mouth. 

"I will because you ask, Professor Runestaff, but only until he speaks to me again." Adaine glared down at him with murderous hatred. "The insult was not only to me, and it was grave and foul." 

Runestaff's eyebrows rose impressively and she peered over her glasses at Adaine, then readjusted them. 

"I see," she said, then turned toward Oisin. "Nurse al-Aydaa, thank you for your help. How serious was the wound?"

"Oh of course, Tiberia. It wasn't that deep actually. Looked irritated, though. I think maybe he panicked and his claws caught it when he reached for it to stop the bleeding. Some nasty abdominal bruising, but I've seen much worse from sparring. I wouldn't worry about it. You're good as new!" she said, patting Oisin's shoulder and standing. "Now let's get you up out of that mud, huh?"

Runestaff nodded and waved her hand, dispelling the restraints on both Adaine and Taylor, who promptly fled. 

"Mr. Hakinvar, I would advise against trying the patience of a fellow wizard. Ms. Abernant, I would advise more caution and subtlety. Carry on." She swept away.

"Fuck off, Oisin," Adaine said, casting prestidigitation to clean her sword before sheathing it. She pointedly turned her back on him and walked away. Footsteps squelched behind her and she whirled with her arcane fist ready again. Moira and Kev both recoiled. Adaine sighed and stepped back with her hands raised, dropping the spell. "Sorry," she said.

"Here's your guy," Kev said, holding out Boggy, who was happily coated in drying mud. Adaine laughed and shivered at the adrenaline processing through her systems.

"Thank you," she said, accepting him and casting to clean him up a bit before squeezing him. "And thank you both for sticking up for me, even though you barely know me and have no idea what just happened." 

"I have a pretty damn good idea, honestly," Moira said, crossing her arms and scowling over in the direction Oisin left. Adaine sighed and nodded. It wasn't that hard to put two and two together.

"I don't, but I figure if even Taylor thinks it's gross, it's real bad," Kev shrugged. 

"I never would have guessed Oisin would say something like that. He always seemed like a sweet, quiet kid, but something changed...I think it was last year some time, around the time he started really working out," Moira said, frowning. 

"Think he's on steroids?" Kev asked. 

"Maybe?" she shrugged. "Hey, I'm Moira. Conjurer."

"Kev. Shadows."

"Sweet! Can you summon one of those shadow wolves?" 

"Oh dude, yes! His name's Murk, cause he's all dark and shadowy and also he merks people. He's a good boy, but he's all sad and sleepy when I summon him in the daytime so I try not to do it unless it's an emergency."

"Nice."

Adaine smiled at them. This was all poorly planned and executed, but maybe a caster's social club could be a good idea in general. These two seemed nice anyway. She was about to say as much when she caught sight of Porter storming across the field toward Stardiamond and Runestaff. Adaine caught Moira's eye, pointed in that direction, and headed over to eavesdrop. She heard both of them following her as she wove through the crowd. Jace seemed to be having a one-sided argument with Runestaff. He was griping at her while she listened with placid attention. 

"Professor Stardiamond!" Porter called. "Our meeting began fifteen minutes ago!" His voice easily carried over the few yards between the teachers and the nearest group of students. Jace turned irritably and said something to him she couldn't pick up. 

"You must have double booked, then, because this has been on my calendar for three weeks," Porter answered. "We talked about this. Grix is ineligible. Monday is the submission deadline and I need your signature for these applications, otherwise we have over a dozen seniors who will—"

Jace put one hand on his hip and gestured with the other toward the groups of kids. Porter met Runestaff's eyes, then glanced around to the milling students.

"I'm sure Professor Runestaff is more than capable of—"

Jace gestured more emphatically, and a few words came through, "inability," "specific vision," and "poor planning." Runestaff's face got icy. Oh that's not good. 

"Professor Stardiamond," Porter said firmly, glaring down at Jace. "I don't appreciate your repeated interruptions and there's no need to use that language. Now we really do need to complete our previously scheduled meeting." He pointed firmly back toward the main school building. 

Runestaff crossed her arms, oh no, and said a few apparently pointed words. Jace whirled and stared at her. She raised a single eyebrow. He caved in five seconds and stormed away, ranting to himself. Runestaff composed herself and nodded at Porter, who nodded back and flashed her a wink before following Jace. Her cheeks briefly colored and Adaine's mouth dropped open. Runestaff watched them go. Once they were nearly to the school building, and her complexion had settled, she amplified her voice. 

"Students, your attention please. You are dismissed."

"We gonna have to do this bullshit again?" a sorcerer yelled out. Runestaff's gaze pinned them for a few seconds. She did not respond to the question, but called out to the group as a whole. 

"Are there any questions?"

A hand shot up from a group of wizard students. 

"Yes, Ms. Laurent?"

"Are further cross disciplinary classes planned, professor?"

"No, Ms. Laurent. The experiment has concluded." 

Runestaff looked out over the group again, waiting a few seconds for anything else, then nodded as she teleported away. They were all left in a soggy field, milling awkwardly. Adaine turned to...her new friends? Maybe. Allies at least. Kev lit another clove and offered one to them. Moira accepted. Adaine shook her head and wrinkled her nose. He shrugged. Took a drag.

"That was a fuckin' trip," he said. Moira snorted. They all headed back toward the school building. 

"Yeah that all happened," Adaine sighed. She rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. What time was it anyway? She checked her crystal and groaned. 

"Something wrong?" Moira asked.

"It's just that it's not quite 3:00 yet and I have work at 4:00, so there's not enough time to do anything but it's still a solid chunk of time to kill."

"So just chill?" Kev said.

"Doesn't feel like enough time for that either," Adaine sighed. 

"Some's better than none, though, right?" he said. She sighed again and nodded.

"You know, I was thinking that this specifically was a waste of time, but maybe setting up some kind of primary caster's social club wouldn't be," Adaine said. "It might be nice for the people who want to opt in."

Moira narrowed her eyes and nodded, blowing out smoke. "I heard about your guy," she said, gesturing to Adaine, "the loud pirate kid? He's trying to set his place up as the new party house, right?"

"Yeah, that's Fabian. He's doing a regular study night thing at his place on weekday evenings," Adaine said. "His place is huge, so there's room for anyone who wants to go."

"Where's his place?" Kev asked. She glanced over in surprise. 

"Seacaster manor, the big pirate ship." 

"Damn," he said, surprised. "Didn't know anyone lived there. Thought it was a museum or something." 

"Are you a junior or senior?" Adaine asked. 

"Junior." 

"How have you avoided Fabian for more than two years?" she asked, laughing. "He's...he's the loud pirate kid."

"Just moved here this summer," he said. "Don't really know people."

"Oh. Well, welcome to Elmville," Adaine said. "It's weird." She leaned against the wall to wait for them and started scraping her muddy boots on the steps. 

"Yeah, I think I saw a ghost kid around here?"

"Oh that's Zayn! He's...sort of my foster brother. He's a necromancer." 

"Huh."

"Yeah, but anyway, uh, Fabian?" Moira asked Adaine, who nodded. "He's already hosting study nights. Let's spread the word for people to meet there if they want," she shrugged. 

"That's a good idea. I hope the study nights work out. Company will be good for him," Adaine said. 

"He doesn't come across as lonely," Moira said. 

"He's great at masking," Adaine said. "Second only to our friend Fig. It's their freaky superpower."

"So you all have one, then?" Moira asked. Adaine snorted. 

"Maybe," she nodded. "But they all come with drawbacks." 

"So is your whole party like, famous or something?" Kev asked. Adaine groaned. 

"Mostly, yeah. Accidentally. Well, not Fig. She did it on purpose. Fabian too, maybe. And I guess Gorgug opted in, but he really only started drumming with Fig as a favor to her I think." 

"So you guys accidentally destroyed the mithril factory and the arcade, and killed the old bloodrush coach, most of the team, and Goldenhoard?" Moira asked, stubbing out her cigarette and tossing the butt in the trash. Kev followed suit and stuck the butt in his pocket. 

"Stuff just happens," Adaine shrugged, heading for the door. "You do the job in front of you."

"That sounds fuckin' wild," Kev said. 

"It was," Adaine sighed. "Sometimes it feels like everything we touch explodes. You guys might want to keep your distance," she said, smiling weakly. 

"I've been at Aguefort longer than you," Moira grinned. "Not afraid of an explosion or two." 

"You guys are the most normal people I've met all year," Kev said. 

"You just saw me try to murder a classmate," Adaine told him. Kev shrugged. 

"He had it coming after what he said about your boyfriend," Moira said, scowling. "Nasty racist asswipe."

Adaine felt the color drain from her face and swallowed hard. She absolutely did not want to say anything to Riz about this, but the rumor mill was churning about them and it might blow up dramatically. That might hurt him even more. Fuck. She hugged Boggy tightly and looked down at the floor in front of her as they walked through the school. Moira patted her back briefly. Adaine glanced over to a sympathetic half smile. 

"My partner's a dwarf. We don't run into nearly as much bullshit, but I've been there. It's hard to know whether to say anything to them, right?" 

Adaine sighed heavily and nodded. "It's not like it would do any good if I did tell him, but if I don't and he finds out anyway he might be hurt that I didn't. And he's already...yeah." 

"Oh," Kev said quietly. "Now I get it. He definitely had that shit coming." 

"Right? Gross," Moira said, then turned back to Adaine. "This can't be the first time you've run into it, is it? How long have you been dating?"

"Um. Officially? Since Friday," she answered quietly. 

"What? Really?"

"We've been friends for years," she shrugged. "It's...new."

"Doesn't look that way," Moira chuckled. Adaine blushed. 

"None of our party know yet," she said. "They are definitely going to explode when they find out." 

"Well, I don't know any of them and I know how to keep my mouth shut," Moira shrugged. Kev grunted in agreement. 

"Thanks," Adaine said. "That whole thing was a disorganized mess, but it was good to meet you guys." 

"Yeah, same here," Moira said. "I've got to meet my sister after her class, so I'll say bye here. I'll see you around. Catch you both at your friend's study nights, right?" Adaine nodded and smiled. 

"Yeah, that'd be great," she said. 

"Sounds cool," Kev said. Moira flashed a peace sign and turned left down the hallway to the artificer classrooms. Adaine checked the time on her crystal again. Still barely 3:00. Fuck it, might as well grab her stuff and start heading to Basrar's early. She could get some work done there before her shift. 

"I'm heading to my locker," she said to Kev, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb. "Then I'll probably just walk to work early." He nodded. 

"Cool. I should go home. Keep it real, frog," he said, gently poking Boggy. He teleported to the nearest shadow without another word and started zipping between them down the hall. 

Adaine trudged around the corner and through the main hall, mostly empty at this point, and to the side hall where her locker stood. A smile stole onto her face as soon as she caught sight of the ridiculous poster Riz had made for Kristen's ridiculous campaign event. She squeezed Boggy and he responded with a bubbly <<prruppt>> sound. She grabbed her bag and component case, stored Boggy in his habitat, and headed out the nearest exit. 

The sky was covered in gray and white splotches of cloud. Not a single ray of sunshine made it through. She pulled out her crystal. It felt like her chest was empty and ready to cave in. What she really, truly, wanted right now was to find Riz, lay down with him somewhere soft, and fall asleep while he held her. 

I can't wait to spend the night with you again. I want to be able to hold you…

She'd pulled up their conversation without paying attention, and the blinking cursor drew her in. His warm voice in her ear while she cried, just...lovingly accepting her weaknesses, as though they didn't matter. Just...saying he loved her, outright and open whenever he wanted. And then telling her that she made everything better.

She quickly swiped away from their conversation and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Damn it. There wasn't time right now, and she needed to get her head on straight. She cleared her throat and swallowed, but her throat was still tight. A big gulp of cold air helped a bit. 

Adaine opened the group chat to distract herself. 

Well that went as well as expected. she sent.

She was halfway to Basrar's when she felt a notification.

[Riz 3:12pm] Stardiamond survive? You at least get to see Runestaff make him cry? 

Adaine smiled and shook her head.

No, but it could've been a close thing. She started off by dispelling his levitation "accidentally" and dropping him in the mud when he was trying to break up a stupid fight. It might've gotten worse near the end if Porter hadn't dragged him away. She actually crossed her arms. That's Runestaff for slapping someone in the face.

[Fig 3:15pm] the hell was Porter there for

[Kristen 3:15pm] why did you wanna see your teacher make jace cry adaine?

He said Jace double booked a meeting they had for weeks. Something about a paperwork deadline for senior students he needed him to sign off on. Seemed pissed. Kristen: because she is amazing next question

[Gorgug 3:16pm] regular Porter, pissed off Porter, or actually pissed off Porter?

[Kristen 3:16pm] ohhh Adaine's hot for teacher

She sat on a bench with a smile and put her component case beside her.

I don't understand the distinctions there, so I can't really say. Probably irrelevant, honestly? Seemed like a coincidence caused by Jace being a complete flake

I will not be shamed for having a crush on Tiberia Runestaff. She's one of the most powerful elven wizards in history and has the good sense not to live in Fallinel. She's objectively hotter than Fig's vampire warlock. I'd think you'd understand the appeal of powerful women, given your reaction to my story about Sklonda the other day.

Kristen reacted with a laughing face and a thumbs up.

[Riz 3:17pm] ADAINE WHAT ARE YOU DOING

[Riz 3:17pm] DO NOT ENCOURAGE THIS

[Fig 3:17pm] whats up with rizs mom

[Kristen 3:18pm] she scared off a horde of elves bugging Adaine at Basrar's with a hidden knife, a stern voice, and a glare. hot AF

[Riz 3:18pm] nothing is up with my mom!

[Riz 3:18pm] damn it if you HAVE to talk about how hot my mom is would you PLEASE do it somewhere else wtf

Fig reacted to Kristen with giant eyes and a blushing face

[Riz 3:18pm] Adaine I will GET you for that

She laughed and reacted with a heart.

[Gorgug 3:18pm] sorcerers as annoyed about it as you guys?

Even worse. You wouldn't believe the whining and moaning. I guess they're not used to being required to attend class. 

[Fig 3:19pm] can't really blame them for that

Riz sent a gif of a half elf girl with streaked black makeup, weeping and collapsing onto her arms.

Adaine pressed the back of her hand to her mouth as she snorted and shoved her crystal back in her pocket. The empty aching in her chest was gone, filled with their warmth and teasing. She picked up her case and headed off to work.

"Shame we won't be able to have our usual picnic this weekend, but with FrostyFaire..." his mom sighed. She locked the car and shut the driver's side door. They'd just left the cemetery after a visit to his dad's grave, a birthday tradition. Previous years, they'd taken a picnic lunch on the weekend closest, but this year they had to change it up a little. 

"You're going to the festival?" Riz asked, surprised. "I thought you had to work."

"Oh, no I'm not. It's just…" she hesitated. "It's related to my case. Shouldn't say more." Riz frowned and followed her through the dark parking lot to the entrance of Krom's Diner. 

"Are Gorgug's parents okay?" he asked.

"Oh! Oh yes, it's not...it's related to previous…" she waved a hand in a circle, searching for words. "It doesn't have anything to do with the Thistlesprings. They're hosting the festival now because of, well, partially because of the events that led to my case. But they're not involved, hon." She glanced over with a smile. "You don't need to worry about your friend."

Riz nodded. He'd have to ask Gorgug if he knew anything about why his parents were hosting this year.

"Hey, I see that face!" she pointed. "You focus on your own work, I'll focus on mine, okay? When it's over, if you're still curious, we can talk about what happened. You, mister, need to learn the difference between 'I'm curious about this' and 'I absolutely must investigate this right now.'" Riz rubbed his eyes behind his glasses.

"Yeah, alright," he sighed. 

His mom leaned into the door to push it in with her hips, and he absently reached above her head to help. She glanced up with a smile and led the way to one of the many empty booths. Riz knew he was taller than his mom now, but he still didn't feel bigger than her. It seemed impossible that she wasn't actually as large as she felt in his mind. But whenever she walked next to him now, his mom seemed tiny. It worried him and made him feel strangely protective. Of his mom. It was absurd. Still, it wouldn't go away. Watching her fold up her coat to sit on and raise herself higher in the booth across from him didn't help. Riz propped his chin in one hand and tapped the claws of the other on the table. 

His mom narrowed her eyes at him, but before she could say anything, Daisy Cubby came over with two cups and a carafe of coffee. 

"Evening Officer Gu—sorry, Sklonda," she corrected cheerfully, grinning as she poured coffee into both cups. She put the carafe down between them.

"Evening Daisy, how are you?"

"Oh, can't complain, hon," she said, pulling a notepad from her apron pocket. "What can I get you two?"

After Daisy bustled off with their orders, his mom looked at him over her coffee cup.

"If you hadn't been telling your dad details about your day, would I have ever heard about your shoulder injury?" she asked. Riz looked up in surprise. 

"Would you want to?" he asked. She closed her eyes and sighed, putting her cup down very gently and taking both his hands in hers.

"Yes. I want to know when my son is thrown multiple yards by a goddamn owlbear and has to pop his own arm back into socket before he finishes killing it." She finished the sentence with a piercing glare. 

"Uh...okay," he shrugged. "It wasn't that big a deal. It hurt, sure, but I was fine. The nurse fixed it. I'm good." He demonstrated range of motion in his right arm. "It was my own fault anyway, I should've—"

"Yes, you said," she sighed, squeezing his hands and picking up her coffee again.

"I got it, though." Riz smiled to himself and took a drink from his own cup. "Felt pretty cool." His mom shook her head. 

"It probably was," she admitted with a small smile. They sat in companionable silence. 

"Oh, yeah, wanted to let you know," he said, "I'm planning on spending the night at Mordred tomorrow night. We have some old documents to research." His mom folded her hands together. 

"And the fact your girlfriend lives there is just coincidence," she said, mildly. Riz blushed and looked down at the table. He tapped his claws and chewed on his bottom lip while his heart pounded. 

"...no," he admitted. "That's...a bonus. But half my party lives there and they have plenty of room. It's a convenient spot to gather." 

"So, if you weren't dating, would you be spending the night?" she asked. 

"I did all the time before?" he pointed out. "It makes sense if we work late, which we almost always do." She was taking a sip of coffee, but bobbed her head with raised eyebrows in acknowledgement. "...I never actually told you that we're dating," he said. His mom smirked and waited. Damn it, he must have. Riz scowled as he thought, then finally sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"When we talked the other night you said 'before you were dating' and I didn't correct you." 

"Bingo." 

"I'd have told you if you asked," he said, rolling his eyes. 

"Really?" she asked skeptically, "I noticed you didn't mention anything to your dad." 

Riz felt his shoulders stiffen and he scratched his claws on his cup. "I don't know what I'd say," he said. "Everyone acts crazy when people get crushes or start dating, like it's the most important thing that can happen. I mean, we've always been close friends. It's not like much has changed. At least…" he rubbed the back of his neck, mumbling, "...not much that I want to talk with anyone but her about." 

His mom snorted. "As long as you're safe and responsible," she said. "I don't want any details, but if you need anything—"

"Yes, I know, we're good." He rushed the words out and rested his face on the inner edges of his hands, shading his eyes and staring down into his coffee. 

"I talked to Jawbone and Sandra Lynn, too, so—"

Riz dropped his glasses on the table and covered his face. "We all know about the damn cabinet," he groaned through his hands. 

"You know, if you're this embarrassed to talk about sex—" she started.

"It means my mother brought it up in public," he hissed, interrupting her. She laughed. 

"Alright," she conceded. "I just want to make sure you're thinking about it, and you have everything you need." 

"I know you're just worried," he sighed, leaning back and crossing his arms. He pressed his lips tight together and stared at the diner logo on the side of his mug. "I promise, if or when or whatever...happens...I'll make sure we've got the, uh, the right supplies. And I'm a hundred percent certain she would too. Now can we please stop talking about it?"

"We can," she nodded, satisfied. "Thank you. That's all I need to know, that you're taking it seriously." 

Daisy interrupted by bustling back over with their food and offering glasses of water and extra napkins.

"You still have work to do when we get home tonight?" his mom asked him. 

Riz nodded. "I want to get the birdwatchers in on this pollinator garden project the apiary and soil clubs are collaborating on. Maybe bring in some druid students for the environmental angle. I'm trying to think of other clubs to draw in, but I need to brainstorm the hooks." 

"That's a lot of extra work, sweetie," she said, "Didn't you say you were trying to skate by with all your extracurriculars to avoid burning out?"

"Yeah, see, I figure," Riz sat up further and gestured excitedly with his fork, "if I can get a bunch of clubs working on one project, then I can kind of get credit for all of them with work on that one project. And bonus: I'm taking the initiative and showing leadership potential and all that shit admissions departments love."

His mom took a sip of water and shook her head fondly at him. "Someday soon, you are going to be a really troublesome thorn in the side of some gigantic asshole," she said, beaming with pride.

"Aw thanks, Mom," he said. "I like to think I already am sometimes." 

"Atta boy," she said, nodding as she took another bite. 

Riz grinned to himself as he finished his meal.

Chapter Text

Riz tapped his crystal on the bus sensor and nodded at the driver as he left. He stuck it back in his pocket and snuggled his hands into his coat as he trudged past the bloodrush field. He was already well into his plan, and things were going great. 

Step one: Wake up half an hour earlier every day and eat a real breakfast. He'd need it if he was doing regular drills. 

Step two: Text Fabian about his workout schedule and coordinate times he could buddy up with him.

Step three: Text Kristen to tell Clarity to meet him to talk in person. 3a) Once Clarity met him, get all the freshmen numbers in his damn crystal like he should have in the first place to avoid another annoying chain of messages.

Step four: Sign up for time on the obstacle course every week, starting today. (His current task.)

Step five: Observe new main office schedule.

Step six: Plan heist of Rat Grinder files.

Step seven: Discuss Kipperlilly psych file heist plans with Clarity and probably schedule helping her with her assignment.

That was plenty before lunch, and he had a general idea for the rest of the day and the next. He'd have to go over the files, copy, and return them, and he needed to head to the range to practice silvery barbs.

No need to stress out. He was fine. He was handling it. It was all good. He'd taken care of it.

And tonight…Riz shivered and smiled at the butterflies in his stomach.

His briefcase held a change of clothes, pajamas, a bag of toiletries, extra ammo, and a spare knife to leave at Adaine's. The implication made him a little jittery. He was going to leave things at his girlfriend's house for when he slept over. When he thought of it in those terms, it felt so much more intimidating than just...hanging out with Adaine. He'd done that countless times, and of course he wanted to make it easier to spend time with her. She was awesome and cool and sharp and witty and brave and insightful and kind and…and now he got to hold her and kiss her and she ran her hands over his arms and through his hair and she wanted him there and…he felt like he was going to burst apart at the seams. Riz closed his eyes and smiled, grateful for the late October breeze cooling his burning cheeks. 

Also, the sun was out again, and things seemed to be drying up a little. He breathed deeply. Today was going to be a good day, if it knew what was good for it.

Riz casually left the main office. It had been easy enough to manufacture some questions and requests about Kristen's campaign to justify spending time loitering and observing sightlines. Both admins were new hires this year and weren't particularly talkative or helpful. He'd worked around them, snapping pictures of schedules and calendars that he came across whenever they weren't looking. Grix questioned his presence, but was easily deflected with a reference to student body presidential campaign materials. Still, he breathed a sigh of relief when the construct left to patrol the halls. 

Just before he was about to call it, Mazey came in. He took the opportunity to see if she knew about the clause in the bylaws about the powers of the student body president, which she did. Riz tried to drop a hint that Kipperlilly might be gunning for her, but either he flubbed it or she misinterpreted, because she just gave him a weird side eye and found a polite reason to leave the conversation as quickly as possible. Riz sighed. He wasn't as sharp as usual, lately. 

He dug his notebook and thermos out of his briefcase and headed down the hall, sipping it absently. He cleared his throat and "adjusted" his tie, detecting magic as he passed a promising hiding spot. Clear, good. He turned the corner and started a countdown on his watch. Checking that no one was paying attention, he cast invisibility on himself and snuck back to hide. He tucked himself into a dusty shadowy corner near a trophy case and behind a trash can and settled in to observe. No one else seemed to be around, either, which was handy. He sat on his briefcase and leaned back against the wall, letting his mind wander and waiting for something to catch his eye. 

He'd signed up for a slot on the obstacle course during the open period every Tuesday morning. He'd head to Fabian's every Sunday afternoon and try to keep him from insisting on teaching him fencing techniques. Mondays, or at least every other one, would be cooking and hanging out with Mom starting at 6:00. He'd have to cut out early on club meetings, but that should be fine. He planned to start the birdwatchers on the pollinator project by introducing whatshername to Molman. The orange tabaxi in charge. Zahlia.

He chewed on his lip and thought about other clubs. Sprak was an absolute non-starter. Riz had no idea what he'd do, but it would definitely piss off all the other participants. Drama club might...have use for the plants as props or something? But that was a stretch. No. Maybe the Queer/Straight Alliance? Didn't have a hook for them. Didn't really have a connection to them at all, either. He'd have to develop one before he could try to persuade them to take up a new project.

He'd signed up at the beginning of the year when he was signing up for everything, but still hadn't gone to a meeting. Kristen had sometimes gone last year, but he didn't think she'd taken the time this year. He felt uncomfortable and out of place going by himself, and felt a tight clench of embarrassed panic at the idea of asking Kristen to come with him. He would have asked Adaine if she was interested, before, but now that felt...a straight couple going to LGBTQ club meetings? What are you doing? Although, he was pretty sure Adaine was bi, or something like it, and he wasn't really anything, so maybe they did count? Or maybe, since….was he straight, after all? No, he still wasn't interested in anyone else. Are you straight if you're only interested in one person and they're a different gender? You can't be ace if you feel attraction, right? He didn't think he was aromantic, but he also wasn't sure how to tell where friendship ended and romance started. He'd always wanted something like the warmth that filled him when Adaine traced the tattoos on his arm. He was pretty sure that's why it hit him so hard in the first place. It was part of what had made Baron so fucking scary. He was a twisted false conglomeration of fear and longing.

Ugh, these were questions he could probably find some answers to if he went to a QSA meeting, but...damn it, thinking about all this gave him a stomach ache. Also Jawbone was the club advisor and he was trying to avoid him, for fear he'd sniff out the guilt and worry on him. 

One of the office admins left with a stack of manila envelopes in their arms and a floating bin with more following behind them. He rubbed his eyes hard and had another drink of coffee. Focus, Gukgak. You're letting your mind wander way too far into the weeds. He noted the time and the action, and a description of the admin he hadn't bothered to learn the name of. 

He checked his invisibility countdown. Fifteen minutes down. He didn't make a sound, but he really really wanted to groan miserably. Stakeouts were the worst, but it had to be done. He needed timetables to make a decent plan. He took a deep drink of coffee and settled in. 

Not quite an hour later, Riz stretched and stored his things. He slipped down the hall and into a bathroom right behind someone else, then into a stall as invisibility ran out. He considered his strategy as he left and headed to his locker, mostly on autopilot, to avoid suspicion. 

After school wasn't an option, because Grix patrolled in and around the office all night for some reason. Why they hadn't programmed him to cast traps and alarm runes everywhere instead, Riz couldn't possibly say. It probably made too much damn sense for Aguefort to consider it. He waved at Gorgug as he passed and paused in front of his locker, waiting for his conscious mind to catch up to the alarms coming in from his senses. He stepped back just as Clarity tackled the space where he'd been, as if to grab someone in a hold. She caught herself and rolled to her feet. 

"Damn it!" she yelled, pointing at him with her knife. "There's no way you saw me!" Riz laughed.

"I have other senses," he said. He glanced up at Gorgug, who'd come over when he heard the commotion. He was leaning on his axe and watching them warily. "Don't worry, Gorgug. This is Clarity. She's in Kristen's brother's party." 

"If it makes you feel better, you surprised me," Gorgug told her. She looked up from sheathing her knife with a glare that turned wide eyed as she kept looking up. 

"Um. Hi?" she squeaked up at him.

Riz rolled his eyes and grabbed the bag of dirty clothes from his locker. He tossed them in his briefcase and rummaged for one of the sets of clean ones he'd packed. 

"Hey. Good luck surprising Riz. I don't think I've seen anyone do it for...damn, it's probably not since before the Nightmare King quest, dude."

"Nah, I got nabbed a few times in the forest," Riz said, shaking his head. He checked through the supplies in his locker and swapped in a few fresher packs of snacks from his briefcase. "Definitely not since this summer, though." 

"How?" Clarity demanded. 

"Get jumped by people twice your size enough times and you'll learn," he answered absently. 

"Alright, I gotta get to class," Gorgug said. "See ya." 

"Oh! Hold on, before you go," Riz called. He shoved his stupid bloodrush gear out of the way and dug around, finally pulling out a pack of energy drinks. "Here. I keep forgetting to put these in your locker."

"Oh, I have a ton now after Fabian's birthday present." 

"Yeah, but you're more likely to drink them than me. They'll just sit here otherwise," he said. Gorgug shrugged and accepted them. 

"Alright, sure. Don't get why you won't drink them, though. It's like four cups of coffee in each can. I figured you'd appreciate that," Gorgug said, sticking them in his locker. Riz made a face. 

"They taste like melted candy and disappointment."

"I saw you eat a sandwich in the wrapper a while back, man," Gorgug said from further down the hall. 

"Yeah, so? That tasted like a sandwich, not melted candy and disappointment," he called over his shoulder. Gorgug laughed and waved as he rounded the corner. Riz held the pile of gear in with his body and hooked the bottom of the door with his foot, shoving it closed before anything could fall out. He turned to Clarity, who still had a bit of a starstruck expression in her eyes.

"Every time Gorgug talks to a girl under five feet tall," Riz chuckled. "Well, except Mary Ann. Then again...maybe, actually?" Clarity frowned, then crossed her arms and shrugged.

"Please don't explain," he said, holding up a hand to forestall it. 

"If you haven't figured it out yet, you're an idiot," she laughed. "Bet your girl could tell you."

"Adaine," he said. 

"What?"

"Her name's Adaine."

"Yeah, I know?"

"I don't like—" he made a face. "She's not mine." 

"Hm. Betcha a copper?" she grinned.

"Anyway," Riz sighed, "I need to run an idea past you. Mind messaging in the library? I have to plan something else out afterwards." 

"Yeah, I gotta do research on ciphers anyway," she complained, turning and trudging down the hall. 

"A rogue who doesn't like secret codes?" he asked, glancing at her sidelong. She scowled and crossed her arms again. 

"Not great at math," she mumbled. 

"Yeah, that makes them harder. Trying to figure out the code hidden in that assignment?"

"Yeah." 

"When's it due?"

"I think whenever we finish it, but the later we turn it in…"

"Yeah, that's how it goes." Riz sighed and nodded. "I'd help, but I don't have much time today. Might have time tomorrow, and next week should be okay."

"...thanks." Clarity said quietly, curling in on herself. Riz frowned at her, but didn't ask. 

He stuck his hands in his pockets and spaced out a bit, scanning for threats as they walked. Kipperlilly hadn't made another move, but he definitely expected one now that he and Kristen had openly taken the freshmen under their wing. He found a stray loop of yarn in his pocket and pulled it out to twist it around his wrist, fiddling absently. 

"What'd you need to talk to me about?"

"Tell you in a sec," he said quietly, scanning as they entered the library. It was pretty busy, unfortunately. He considered. Plain sight is best, then. He chose a table as close to the middle of the crowded central work area as he could. Riz braced a hand on the table and dug around in his briefcase with the hand wearing his focus to hide his message spell. Here's the deal. I need to steal Kipperlilly's counseling file from Jawbone's office, he sent. He pulled out his rage star notebook and a few decoy references. 

And you need me to help with that? Clarity looked skeptical.

Sort of. 

"So, how far did you get on the decryption?" he asked, gesturing at her bag. 

"What?" she leaned back in surprise. 

"That cipher you're working on?" he said, as though it was obvious. Gotta actually talk about something else so no one realizes what we're really doing. Keep up. 

How the fuck am I supposed to— "Damn it," she sighed, rubbing her eyes and digging through her bag. Riz looped the yarn on his wrist over his fingers, moving them quickly through patterns without really looking. That should distract a casual observer from the glow of his focus. 

Jawbone's a werewolf, and he knows me well, he explained. If I leave any trace of scent, he'll know, and I'd really rather avoid that. I can handle everything else, but ideally I'd get someone to cast pass without trace on me. 

She stared into her bag and slowly pulled out a folder and a pencil case. Pass without trace. So, why are you talking to me?

Because I don't know if Bug knows it yet. I also don't know if they can keep their mouth shut or if they'd crack under the pressure and spill to Jawbone immediately. 

Clarity glared at him. The fuck does that mean? she asked defensively. Why wouldn't they be able to keep their mouth shut?

"Look, the sooner you start, the sooner you'll finish," he said, nodding at her work. "Show me what you have so far." She blinked. Yeah, it's hard to keep things straight at first, he sent. Anyway, I'm not trying to insult them, but I don't know Bug as well as you do. You're the rogue. You keep track of the stuff no one else notices, right? So what do you notice about them? Will they help? Can they help? Can they handle it? I don't know any other druids or rangers I could trust with this.

Clarity dropped her bag on the floor and shuffled through her papers while she thought. They'll help if they can, but I don't think they know it yet. I think they'll be ok with it. It's not putting anything in real danger, and they're still torn up about the badger. They'd be able to handle it, unless someone really cornered and pressed them. 

"I tried a few different substitution ciphers, but I didn't really get anywhere," she sighed, sliding her work over to him. "I got Bug to detect magic on it, and they didn't notice anything, so if there's a hidden message, it's not hidden that way."

"Hm," Riz said, sliding it over and pretending to examine it. He looped the yarn through his left fingers and grabbed a pencil. Bucky seems like he'd spill if he found out, he said. Clarity sighed. 

Yeah, can't tell him until way after I don't think. He's not good with gray areas, she said. 

Not unexpected, from a new paladin, Riz nodded. "So you sounded nervous when you mentioned math, and yeah, there's plenty of it in cryptography, but the starting point for decoding anything is more fundamental. You start by looking for patterns," he explained, scooting over and turning the assignment sheet so she could see. He pointed with his pencil. "Things like the numbers of letters, syllables, or words in a line or a paragraph. Words the same length and how far apart they are. Maybe things spelled vertically, backwards, or another direction among the text. Anything that stands out at all." 

"How do you tell what's important and what's not, though?" she asked. "I can't tell if I'm just making things up."

"Most of the time you will be," he shrugged. "At least at first. Just takes practice."

"You say that a lot," she grumbled.

"Because it's true," he laughed. "You know of any other way of getting better at stuff?" Speaking of practice, is Bug working on pass without trace? Do you know? 

"Uh, spells?" she suggested. I think they mentioned it.

"They don't last, and anyway someone had to practice the spell." I need to swipe that file as soon as I can. You think they'd be okay getting help from Kristen and Adaine to learn it faster? 

Maybe? Probably? I don't see why not. 

Cool. Can you send me everyone's numbers? Should have done that before, but I was in a hurry. 

Clarity sighed and nodded. 

"I can show you a few good beginner references on decryption," Riz said. 

He grabbed his notebook and briefcase and headed off down an aisle of shelves. She grumbled and followed. He trailed his fingers across the shelves, then pulled a ladder over and climbed. He pulled a book, considered, put it back, then grabbed another and sent it down to her with his mage hand. Riz climbed off the ladder and shimmied over, choosing another and flipping through it. He nodded and hopped down with it. Clarity jumped back. 

"The hell, dude? Do you have to do that?"

"What?"

"Reminds me of how my cat jumps off the top of doors whenever I walk into a room," she grumbled. Riz just laughed and handed her the book before heading back to their table. 

"I hope that can get you started, and like I said, I can help you more next week if you still need it." He sat back down and flipped open his notebook to the notes he'd made on his stakeout. Remember to send me everyone's contact info. I'll talk with the rest of the party about what happened with you guys in the forest this weekend, and try to get in touch with Bug, too. Warn them ahead of time?

Clarity nodded and dug out her crystal. Yeah I'm on it. Kristen has our numbers too, though. 

"Thanks for the help," she mumbled. "I wasn't sure where to start."

"No problem," he answered without looking up from his notes. "First year is pretty sink or swim for us. Make sure to keep an eye out for lectures and demonstrations. They like to hide the schedules. Remember you can always go to higher level classes too, if you're curious. The professors won't kick you out." 

"Hm. Yeah." She propped on a hand and made a face behind her hair. "I'd rather just sneak into places I'm not supposed to be." A laugh puffed out of his nose.

"Always a classic," Riz nodded and shrugged.

He'd made a note that a group of rangers had come inside and blocked his view of the office door. Hm. He tapped his pencil, then dug through his briefcase to pull out a binder. Yep, sophomore archery let out at the same time Tuesday and Thursday, but not Friday. He looked up the schedule for the range, thinking about what other groups might end up passing by the office as they came in, and whether they'd be useful to hide in or would draw more attention to him. He flipped to the map to double check the room numbers closest—he flexed his left hand in frustration. Something was tangled? What in the world was—oh. 

Riz put down his pencil and sighed at himself, removing rings to untangle the damn yarn from them, then putting them back on. He looped the yarn back around his right wrist and went back to work. He pulled up the pictures of the office schedule he'd snagged with his crystal and cross referenced it with the schedules of the classrooms nearby. He could probably manage it today, but he also needed to head to the range to practice...maybe that could wait until tomorrow. He sighed through his nose and tapped his claws on the table. Damn it. He checked his watch. Not even eleven yet? 

Oh hell, and he'd forgotten all about the—he checked his to-do list. Yeah, right there. The history around the establishment of the school and the bylaws was right there in the to-be-researched section. Well it would have to wait longer. Riz put down his pencil and took off his glasses to rub his eyes. 

It felt like everything had to happen before everything else because it was depending on something else that couldn't happen yet because it needed something to be finished first like some kind of awful ouroboros. His crystal buzzed on his notebook. He ignored it. It buzzed again. And again. He sighed, pinched his nose, and checked it. 

In addition to a text from an unknown number, presumably Clarity's, that had a list of contacts, the party group chat had a few updates, but the most recent buzzing was Fabian. He seemed annoyed about something. Riz decided he'd better respond. 

Hey hold on chill I'm in the library. Lemme catch up

Fabian immediately started typing again. Oh boy. Riz sighed and scrolled up. Fabian had texted him:

Why the hell does Mazey think you threatened her???

Riz stared at it. What the hell? He scrolled down. A bit after that, 

What the fuck man

You told her she needed to watch her back?

Did you really fucking say "you need to be careful who you talk to?" 

She's asking me crazy shit now??

Crap I gotta deal with this you need to CALL ME so I can convince her you're not going to jump her in an alley or something I know how intense you can get I can't even imagine 

Look I know you didn't but she thinks you did so you need to fix this man if your wild ass paranoia ruins things for me with her we are going to have a PROBLEM

Riz groaned and dropped his face on his arms. Why would she—damn it.

"Watch my stuff for a little while?" he asked Clarity. "Got a…a fuckin…thing I have to deal with." She glanced up and shrugged with a thumbs up. He grabbed his notebook and dashed out of the library while he called. Fabian answered immediately. 

"Where the fuck are you? Come to the dance studio."

"I'm outside the library. I was working. What the hell is going on?" The sound of items shuffling and the squeak of sneakers followed, and Fabian answered more quietly.

"Please, man, I need help. She agreed to listen to an explanation but I'm bad at it. I just keep fucking it up!"

Riz sighed, but his feet were already moving. 

"Damn it! I'm on my way. I'm not sure how much help I'll be, though, if she thought what I said meant I was gunning for her."

"It did kinda sound that way, how she told it. What the hell were you getting at?" 

"I'll tell you in person. Be right there," Riz said. Fabian sighed in relief. 

"Okay," he said, and hung up. Riz pursed his lips and frowned in irritation, shoving his crystal back in his pocket. He hated when he did that. Fine, the sooner this was over with the better. He took off running down the hall. 

Fabian was pacing outside the dance studio looking worried. He slumped in relief when he caught sight of Riz, and stuck his head into the studio, waving around the door. Just as Riz jogged up, Mazey came out of class looking wary and irritated. She crossed her arms and stared down at Riz with wrinkled eyebrows and a frown.

"Whatever you thought, it's not that," he blurted, holding his hands and notebook out defensively. 

"You don't know what I thought, so you can't be sure of that."

"It wasn't a threat!" he hissed, flipping through runes on his glasses and scanning around for listeners. "It was a warning. Look, can we…the storage room. Can we talk in there for a second? Just two minutes. Fabian can come or not, whatever, this is just…it's…you'll see," he said, holding up his notebook and looking up at her with as much earnestness as he could muster. He turned to Fabian for backup and messaged him.

We need to tell her what we found. About the rage stars. I'm worried she's in danger from Kipperlilly. 

Fabian's eyes widened and he paled, nodding emphatically. 

"Mazey, he's telling the truth. I swear on my father's name."

She considered Fabian, then frowned down at Riz. "You are a lot less intimidating with puppy eyes," she said. "Fine. Two minutes. I'm texting a friend first." Riz sighed in relief. 

"Fine, let's hurry." He scurried over and checked the room for lurkers. Finding nothing, he climbed up on a stack of chairs so he'd be at eye level with the two of them. When the door shut behind them, he launched into the fastest possible explanation of what they'd found and the conclusions they'd reached. 

"So we don't know specifically what she wants," he finished, "but I'm pretty sure Kipperlilly is running for president to do something…bad and it has to do with this weird cult. Anyone who knows about it is in danger, but since you're the current president, you might be in even more. That's what I was getting at."

"This is nuts," Mazey said, crossing her arms. 

"So?!" Riz yelled, throwing up his hands. "When has anything normal ever happened around here? When have we," he gestured between him and Fabian, "ever been in the middle of anything that wasn't the craziest shit you ever heard of?" 

"I thought you just had a rivalry with Kipperlilly," Mazey said skeptically. Fabian snorted. 

"She just, uh…really wants to get on The Ball," he said with a snicker. 

"We're not doing that," Riz told him flatly. "That's not becoming a thing." He turned back to Mazey. "I never met her before this year. She was just another rogue I might have seen around. As gross as it is, I think…" he made a face, "Fabian might be right? She also harassed this bunch of freshmen in the woods, and lied to them about being close friends with our party. They can verify everything I told you, and so can any of the other Bad Kids."

"Once they announce they found Lucy and Yolanda, that'll prove it too," Fabian said. Riz pointed at him and nodded. 

"Yolanda went on sabbatical," Mazey said, rolling her eyes. "Jace told me the other day. She had a medical emergency and put in the paperwork last minute." 

"That's definitely a lie," Riz said. "A convenient one, since it skirts around the need to replace her, but a lie. I don't know if he's in on it or if someone's lying to him, though."

"You still sound crazy," Mazey said, "but I at least believe that you were warning me about this and not just…" she waved a hand to Fabian. Riz blinked at her and looked to Fabian for an explanation. He received a shrug and turned back to her.

"What?" he asked. Mazey's ears flopped over and she looked down, shuffling her feet and blushing. He was even more confused. 

"I, um, I thought you were jealous," she mumbled.

What the fuck would he—Fabian started laughing and realization hit. Riz recoiled, blushed for some unholy reason, and scowled. 

"Absolutely not," he said. 

"That would be your style if you were, though!" Fabian crowed. "That's exactly how you'd—" he laughed, "Mazey, no wonder you were asking if we'd—" 

"Nope, nope, don't need to hear any of this," Riz said, waving his hands. "Listen, Mazey: I'm sorry for being weird, I am not interested in Fabian, and seriously, even if it sounds crazy, watch out for the Rat Grinders. Are we good? Can I go?" She was smiling at Fabian with a shy embarrassed expression while his laughter faded. 

"Yeah," she nodded, "I'm glad we cleared that up." Her eyes flicked over to Fabian and she blushed again. Time to go. 

"Alright, bye, see you guys later!" Riz said, sliding down from his perch and scrambling out the door. He shook his head and made his way back to the library. Clarity was on her crystal when he walked up. His pocket buzzed as he dropped into his chair. She jumped and stared. 

"How the hell did you do that?" she demanded. He grinned as he checked his crystal and sure enough, there was her text. 

Where the fuck are you?

"A good rogue takes advantage of every opportunity," he told her. Especially perfectly timed coincidences. "Thanks for watching my stuff." He settled back to his work without another word, but with carefully hidden delight. This was going to drive her insane. He couldn't wait to tell Adaine about it. 

"Smug asshole," he heard Clarity mutter under her breath. 

"Piece of advice: you wanna make sure insults are only heard when you want them to be."

"I did."

"As long as it was on purpose," he said, placidly. He could feel her fuming. Riz smiled. You had to savor the little joys.

Adaine rushed to her locker to grab her component case. Thankfully, she'd already had a half dozen silver pins, and Baxter was always happy to be brushed, so she had plenty of griffon fur. An empty glass spice jar completed the list of requirements. Everything she needed, by the book. She was pretty sure a piece of steel would work better than the silver pins, sheep's wool would be better than fur, and adding a copper wire would significantly improve the damage, but Runestaff insisted on being a stickler. Maybe over the summer she'd be able to get a full time job and research on weekends. She could probably set up a lab in the conservatory. 

Her locker stuck and she kicked the bottom corner near the hinge, popping it loose. Damn the thing. She scooped up her case and turned, kicking her locker closed again. Riz was standing right behind her. She stumbled, almost running him over. He grabbed her elbow as he sidestepped, twirling her around into a stable stance. Adaine laughed.

"How do you do that?" she asked, once her brain caught up. 

"Lots of practice falling on my ass first," he said, holding up a paper bag and glancing at his watch. 

"Here. Lunch. You have fifteen minutes before your class starts. Would have snuck it into your bag, but you didn't open it and I wanted to make sure you got it," he said. 

"You brought me lunch?"

"Yes? Of course I did. Your day is packed," he said. "But I have to run if I want to, uh, make my deadline." He switched to message her, I'm going to grab Rat Grinder files from the office while no one is around. Gotta run.

She took the bag from him and gave him a kiss on the cheek in exchange. He leaned into her and sighed. Adaine smiled.

See you tonight, he messaged.

Can't wait. Don't have a shift tonight, so meet me and Kristen in the library when you're done with all your clubs.

No Fig?

Warlock class. 

Got it. I'll see you later. Riz flashed her a smile and hurried off.

"Ragh was up there organizing stuff when I came down this morning," Adaine said, opening the front door.

"Yeah, did you see the family group text?" Kristen asked. "Jawbone said they've got a surprise for us." 

"For all of you guys?" Riz asked, dropping to the bench inside the door and untying his boots. 

"I think the whole party, actually," Kristen said, dropping her bag and hanging her sweatshirt on a hook.

"It's sweet of them to clear out the tower space again," Adaine said. "It was nice to be able to get out of the way."

"Excited to get your wizard's tower back?" Kristen asked. 

"Honestly, I'd like a lab bench. Whenever he has a moment to breathe, I'm going to talk to Gorgug about setting up a ventilation and sprinkler system. Although I'm actually not sure if I want to put it in the tower or the conservatory." 

"Really getting into alchemical research this year, huh?" Riz asked, glancing up from storing his boots in his briefcase.

"Well, it started by necessity, but now it's mostly interest," she nodded, then frowned thoughtfully and added, "with a healthy dose of spite." 

"Hm," he asked, "is there any project you approach without a healthy dose of spite?" Riz asked. Kristen laughed.

"One or two, maybe," Adaine said, smiling at the light blush that dusted his cheeks in response. "Anyway I'm going up to see. You two coming?"

"Yeah, for sure," Riz nodded. 

"I'll be up in a minute," Kristen said, heading to the kitchen. 

Any idea where Lydia and Sandra Lynn might be right now? Riz messaged her as they walked down the hall.

Sandra Lynn is probably sleeping before her shift on patrol tonight, but I'm not sure about Lydia. Her schedule isn't always consistent. She's up and about whenever she feels up to it. Why?

Wanna return those references I borrowed, he shrugged. Adaine was confused for a second, but then she smiled, biting her lip. 

I'm sort of curious what you've learned, she teased. He paused mid-step, then cleared his throat and glanced up with a small sheepish smile.

It was mostly relationship advice, he shrugged. I'll leave them with you instead if you want. 

And the rest, that wasn't part of the relationship advice? Adaine asked, heartbeat speeding up. 

It was also, technically, relationship advice. The blush dusting his cheeks had spread. 

She laughed once, softly, in her throat, and Riz flashed a crooked smile. 

You can show me later, she said, shrugging and casually slipping in front of him to climb the stairs. Five steps later she heard him blow out a heavy breath and his footsteps resumed behind her. Adaine savored the thrill his response sent through her. 

They had work to get done first, but later…she shivered. She could wait. 

"Heavy breathing after only two and a half flights?" Riz teased as he caught up to her. "Maybe you should schedule workout time too." 

"Probably," she agreed. So, were you watching my footsteps again, climbing behind me all that way? she asked.

Well, I was watching you walk, he answered, smirking and dashing up ahead of her. Adaine smiled to herself, watching him. She loved the way he could be so surprisingly lighthearted. It was probably her favorite discovery so far, even including how breathtaking his kisses could be. 

Up ahead, she heard Ragh and Jawbone greeting Riz and his excited response. She followed him up and gasped when she saw the tower space. 

"Wow!" Adaine said. "This is even better than before!" Ragh grinned and waved from the couch. He was relaxing, looking exhausted. "You did this all today?"

"Yeah, but just physically," he said. "Jawbone gave me a plan and I just had to rearrange stuff."

The open space at the top of the tower was a bit larger than Adaine's bedroom and bathroom combined, and was surrounded by high stained glass windows. Adaine's door was to the left of the stairs, the entrance to Compass Points on the outer wall straight ahead, and to the right, on the other side of the open space, was a door leading to the manor's extensive attics. They were filled with all kinds of old junk and antiques, depending on context, that had come with the purchase of the manor. Some of them were now out in the tower. 

The enchantments on the old hanging lanterns had new crystals fueling them. More lanterns had been added, so the once gloomy space had a warm inviting glow. A few thick woven rugs covered the dark wood floor and a sturdy sofa and some old armchairs surrounded a large low table. Mismatched cushions dotted the floor and the furniture. A small table was tucked in the corner under a wall shelf. A chest of drawers stood next to it with a lamp on top. On the other side of the drawers, Riz was excitedly examining a huge wheeled corkboard. Jawbone watched with a smile. 

"Oh this thing is sturdy!" Riz said. He tilted it and looked at the back. "And it flips to a chalkboard! This is so handy!"

"Figured you'd be able to use it," Jawbone chuckled. "Found it in the attic this summer when we were doing an inventory." 

"This is gonna be great for planning," Riz said, plopping down cross legged and loosening a wingnut to lower the height. 

"Thank you so much!" Adaine said, putting her things down and looking around with a smile. She gave Jawbone a big hug. "This is going to be a great space to work in, and we'll be out of your hair." 

"Yeah, I'm glad ya like it, kiddo," Jawbone said. "This is also kind of for the rest of us, too. Don't mind y'all using the dining room space, but if you're working late the light and noise can carry." Riz perked up and whirled to look over his shoulder. 

"Why didn't you guys say anything?"

"Because you didn't really have anywhere else to meet," Jawbone said. "This was always the plan, just took a little while to come together. Ideally it woulda been ready when you got back from the wastes, but we didn't quite make it." Riz frowned, deflated a little, and nodded in acceptance. Adaine crossed her arms and tapped her fingers on her elbow. Guilt about the damn file was really getting to him. She hoped he'd been able to talk to the freshmen about it. They needed to get it over with before he worked himself into even more knots. 

"Thank you, too, Ragh," she said. "This was so much work. This space was packed with junk."

"Aw, you're welcome. It was a good workout," he said, waving his hand, but smiling happily. "As long as you guys are cool with me hanging out here too, sometimes. This came together pretty nice." 

"Do you really think you have to ask?" Adaine said, leaning on the stairway railing. Jawbone looked around with a satisfied smile and stole back down the stairs while they talked. 

"Mom'll get after me if I'm impolite," Ragh said. "Don't wanna stress her out." 

"Who do—hey, wow!" Kristen said, coming upstairs. "Hey, Jawbone, this is awesome!" she called over her shoulder, then turned back to look around. "Look at this place! Now this has potential to be a real wizard's tower, huh, Adaine?"

"It always was one, technically," she shrugged. "It is a tower. I am a wizard. I live in it."

"Yeah but now you can do freaky arcane research and make eldritch runes or whatever." 

"Artificers make runes. Wizard research mostly involves lots of reading. If you wanna get really exciting, sometimes I might heat up iron rich mud collected on the new moon with crushed juniper berries, or I'll put drops of spider goop on rocks to see what happens."

"It's really not that exciting, Kristen," Riz offered, rolling the corkboard over in front of the seating area. "The spider goop didn't even fizz when she dribbled it on the rocks." 

"Not clear quartz anyway," Adaine said.

"So we're not looking at any cool bubbling cauldrons, then?"

"Why would I haul a cauldron all the way up here when the conservatory is right there? And why would I use a cauldron when I can use a spaghetti pot on the stove?"

"Adaine, you're crushing my dreams," Kristen sighed, sitting on the arm of the couch next to Ragh. 

"One of my many talents," she agreed.

"What do you think is the best way to get all the information on the wall up here?" Riz asked, stepping back from the board and considering it with his hands on his hips. 

"It's all really light," Adaine said. "Maybe mage hands?" 

"How precise is your control with yours?" Riz asked. "I don't quite have it down yet." 

"Can you sign your name with it?"

"Not even close."

"Tsk, you're such a slacker, Gukgak." 

"Yep, that's me," he laughed, swiping his hair back from his forehead. It fell back down again. Adaine cuddled the warmth in her chest close. "Alright, gotta do it the hard way," he nodded, opening his briefcase and digging around in it. 

"What's the hard way, Riz?" Kristen asked. 

"Recording and redoing it," he answered, his voice echoing up out of the briefcase. He popped back out with a notebook and pen that he dropped on the floor next to him. "There is an advantage to that method, though. You're forced to retrace your steps and you can find things you missed the first time. Good way to streamline when you're stuck, too." 

"So we need to take down all the work in the dining room and bring it up here and redo it," Kristen said. "Great."

"Pretty much," he nodded, pulling his socks off and stuffing them into a bag in his briefcase. He cuffed his pants, then took off and stored his sweater as well.

"Whoa, you stripping in front of everyone, dude?" Ragh teased.

"I'm trying to be more comfortable for all the running up and down the stairs I'll be doing," Riz said, rolling his eyes. He unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up. "Since when is taking off socks and sweaters stripping, anyway?"

"He's got a point," Kristen said, leaning on Ragh's shoulders. "You going through a dry spell, man? You gotta know Riz is a long shot, right?" 

"Yeah, a long shot he already took when he threw me into a fucking trash can!" Riz called up from the landing. 

"Dude! That was two years ago and I sincerely apologized!"

"I got bananas in my hair! And some kind of stain that never did come out of that shirt."

"You jumped into a corn butthole a few hours later," Adaine said, following him downstairs. "Those clothes were always destined to be forfeit." 

"I thought we agreed not to bring up the corn buttholes," he said. 

"That's definitely not how I remember that conversation. Didn't you try to call it one of your exploits or something?"

"Listen, there's a difference—"

Their cheerful bickering faded as they descended the stairs. 

"Y'know," Kristen said to Ragh, "If I didn't know better, sometimes I would swear those two are flirting with each other."

"Maybe they are," he shrugged. "Think anything'll come of it?"

"I don't see how. Adaine, honestly, needs to get laid, and I'm pretty sure all nine hells will freeze over before Riz is into that. It's probably just that they both show affection by being smartasses."

"I dunno, I could see it," Ragh said, "if they figured out something that works for them."

"I honestly hope not," Kristen sighed. "Can you imagine how dramatic the breakup between those two would be?"

"Ooh, yeah, that's bad," he agreed. Ragh considered for a few seconds, then his stomach growled and he stood. "Anyway, I hauled all kinds of furniture and shit around today and I'm starving. If you're not gonna help the nerd squad, come help me make dinner."

"Alright, alright," Kristen sighed, following him downstairs. 

Chapter Text

Riz leaned back against the couch with his knees folded up in front of him, absently weaving a loop of yarn through his fingers while he thought. They'd finished transferring everything and made a few connections he hadn't noticed before. He was pretty sure, for example, that Oisin had been trying to give Adaine dragon madness with his repeated insistence on sharing his grandma's hoard with her. Also, Kipperlilly had asked Jawbone about when and where Yes!? was created for some reason. It probably had to do with resurrecting the rage god. He'd have to figure out time to stealthily check out the gym with Adaine and Kristen, and maybe Gorgug if he could manage it. They needed to see if there were signs of a ritual being set up. They also needed to figure out what the cult would need to cast a ritual like that. Lydia's information would help, but they hadn't gotten to sorting through it yet. Adaine had helped him copy the information from the Rat Grinders' files, though, and he'd be able to sneak them back tomorrow. 

It was a really good workspace. Fig came up to check it out before going to warlock class and started speculating about the acoustics. Kristen hung out for a while after dinner, chatting with them about the arrangement of the clues. Adaine shared pictures of the room in the group chat so the other guys could see. They weren't quite as enthusiastic, but they did appreciate it. Fabian said he'd bring over a mini fridge and water cooler. 

Riz stretched out his legs and considered the arrangement of information on the board. In his mind, pieces merged and swirled around, starting to come together. Adaine flopped onto the couch behind him and reached out to stroke her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes and leaned back into it with a soft relaxed hum, letting her touch dissipate his mental images. He looped the yarn around his wrist.

"Never stop doing that," he sighed. She laughed and moved a bit, then her breath and lips ran over his neck. "Never stop doing that either," he said. Her teeth nipped him and he gasped. Her fingernails trailed down the back of his head, the side of his neck, and then her palm smoothed over his collarbone and down the middle of his chest. "Yeah, okay, just—just keep doing whatever the fuck you want, basically," he chuckled. Adaine hummed happily, but stopped when her arm rested loosely around him. She nuzzled her face into his neck. He tilted his head back with a pleased hum. 

"I think it's time to figure out where the boundaries are tonight," Adaine whispered. He shivered. 

"It's ok," she said softly, hugging him and running her hand up and down his side. "I just want to be close to you, however I can." Riz squeezed a hand over hers and ran his other into her hair, tilting affectionately toward her. 

"You keep assuming the wrong problem," he laughed. 

"Hm. Well, in that case, tell me what's on your mind," she said, moving her face from his neck and giving him a bit of room to think. He let his hand fall from her hair. 

"I don't feel like I've got the best judgment right now," he said.

"Oh, you think I'm more objective?" Adaine laughed. Riz smiled and turned. Her eyes were so close and bright. 

He kissed her. He'd wanted to all fucking day. 

He rose up on his knees, and then everything blurred. She was grabbing at his vest and he was bracing a hand next to her head and his heart was racing. She made a sound and he moved before he thought—he was bearing down on her leg, lifting his thigh between hers, tangling a hand in her hair and sliding the other under her waist. Adaine broke away from their kiss with a heavy gasp, grabbing his ass in one hand and digging the other into his lower back. She hooked a leg over his knee and lifted her hips and he was on fire. Riz buried his face in her shoulder with a drawn out groan. 

"Fuck, that's the hottest sound I've ever heard," she gasped. 

"Adaine," he hissed. 

"Until that. Damn it, we need to," she drew in a deep breath, "we have to think first—" Riz nodded, but still slid a hand down to her ass. He dug his claws into the crease at the top of her thigh and his breath shuddered out in a satisfied moan. 

"Fuck," he growled through his teeth. Closer. He wanted to be closer. Adaine whimpered, a small sound, like it had escaped while she tried to hold it in. He was on it like a bloodhound, pressing his mouth into her neck, breathing her in. He squeezed her ass harder and she ground down onto his thigh. Yes. He wanted more of that. She twisted under him and he saw fucking stars. 

"Shit," he hissed, and thrust his hips. A sudden high pitched gasp came out of her. He needed her to make that sound again immediately. Riz knew he was fucking gone but he didn't want to make himself stop. Everything, everything down to the bottom of his soul felt warm and right and good and he never wanted any of this to end. 

"Riz, fuck, we...we should slow down, right?" she sounded strained, like she was clawing herself back with pure willpower. He fucking loved that. He wanted to break it. He wanted her desperate and hungry like him, chasing the edge that was calling his name. He wanted to hear her come apart. 

A small stubborn part of him clamored for control, but if he was truly honest with himself, he didn't fucking want it. But she was right. His hunger hit his stubbornness, and he took a deep breath. He nodded and pulled back, then stood and went to brace himself on the stair railing. Oxygen flooded his brain again. He really hadn't wanted to stop. Part of him still wished he hadn't. 

"Sorry," he said, rubbing his forehead. 

"Don't you dare apologize for any of that," she insisted. "Holy fucking hell."  

"But I shouldn't have—"

"Oh don't be silly," Adaine scoffed. She kissed the crown of his head and whispered, "Come to bed. We'll figure it out." 

Riz sighed and watched as she headed to her room, leaving the door open for him whenever he was ready. He breathed slowly until his nerves faded, and nodded. They could figure out anything together, even the clusterfuck of his feelings. He followed her into her room, locking the door behind him, and sat on the edge of her bed. He leaned forward onto his knees while he thought.  

Adaine came out of the bathroom in a matched set of fluffy pajamas and sat facing him. Riz glanced over, smiling. 

"Are those abyssal chickens with anime eyes?" he asked. The pattern was interspersed with little fireballs. 

"Oh, yeah," she laughed, holding out an arm and looking at it. "These were Fig's, but she never wore them because they were too warm." 

"Adorable," he sighed, resigned, shaking his head. She gently shoved him with her foot. 

"Don't sound so enthusiastic about it," she said. He rolled his eyes and stroked her ankle before she folded her legs back together. One of his knees bounced nervously. 

"I have a suggestion," he said, tentatively. 

"I'm all ears," she said, cheerfully. 

"If you weren't worried about going too far or making me nervous, what would your boundaries look like tonight?" he asked. Adaine hummed. 

"Before I answer, will you tell me why you're asking?"

"Because I can't trust my instincts and I have no idea where to start."

"Why can't you trust your instincts?" she asked. 

"That's the part of me that I feel like I have the barest shred of control over."

"Okay, but, do you need control over them? What's the worst that would happen if you didn't?"

Riz nodded, glaring into space as he clenched his hands together, digging his claws into himself. He stood with a grunt and started pacing back and forth with his arms crossed. 

"I hate that question. I can feel myself resisting it, and I hate that even more because it's a totally reasonable question and the answer will probably be really enlightening. But I fucking hate it." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her nod thoughtfully. He kept pacing, feeling frustration building in his mind like storm clouds. 

"So I could answer your question," she said, "or I could ask you another question that I think might be helpful." 

Riz threw up his hands in a shrug. "Go ahead, I don't know what the hell I'm doing." 

"What happened that made you apologetic?" He crossed his arms again and sighed. 

"I didn't want to stop," he admitted. "I just...I felt overwhelmed, but I really liked it, and...that's it, really." 

"I didn't want to stop, either," she shrugged. "But we did. It doesn't matter what you thought about, it matters what you did." 

"I'm worried about…I know how I am. I know how I get when my emotions get the better of me." 

"You're enthusiastic? So? That's just you. I like you," Adaine shrugged. Riz sat next to her with a sigh and looked down at his feet. 

"With this? It scares me," he said in a smaller voice. 

"Why does it scare you?" she asked quietly. He groaned and flopped backwards onto the bed, rubbing his face and shoving his glasses askew. 

"I'm not used to it. It's unpredictable. It feels chaotic. It shows up at random times and it's distracting, and like, earlier? It felt like I was fighting myself for control and reason barely won. And I didn't want it to. What if I'm not...what if I do something that I regret, or worse, that you regret...I don't know what to do with this, Adaine! I've never had to build up any immunity to the sudden desire to...to do any of this!" He grit his teeth with a groan of frustration. "And I still don't want to stop. Even now, talking like this? All I can think about is how much I want to be holding you and kissing you again. I feel like I'm in some kind of runaway car and all I want is...I just want to be in the driver's seat. I don't know how to get there." 

"You seem like you're managing, even if it still feels weird to you," she said, laying down next to him and shrugging. "We should be thoughtful and deliberate, which we are. We're feeling it out. You can't have control of everything." Riz sighed and readjusted his glasses.

"I know," he said. "I'm just not...I know how to deal when I'm spiraling with other feelings, but this is so freaking new that I don't recognize the signs I'm about to go manic. I don't know where the off ramps are." 

"It's honestly pretty flattering how flustered you are by this," Adaine said, nudging him with her elbow. "All you can think about is holding me and kissing me again?" Riz sat back up with a laugh. 

"You are a problem," he said, grinning over his shoulder at her. 

"No, I'm not." She smiled. 

"No, you're not," he sighed. She scooted over slightly and started rubbing his back. "Part of it…" he hesitated. Adaine just kept soothing him with her touch. "Part of it is fear of rejection, even though I know that's not...that you won't. It's just that enthusiasm...gets rejected," he said. She made a curious encouraging noise. "Not by you," he said. "Not by any of you guys. But that's what I learned as a kid. The more you want something, the less you show it. As soon they know you care, it becomes something to hurt you with."

Adaine's hand slowed, stopped. She sat up silently and wrapped her arms around him, kissed his hair, his temple, his cheek. 

"I know that's not the way things are anymore, not for years. As stressed out as I am, I'm still so happy. Especially lately. You have no idea how much. But that lesson is deep," he sighed bitterly. 

"If someone tries to hurt you with this, send them to me," Adaine said, pressing her forehead against the side of his head. Riz laughed and leaned into her, enjoying the heat that sent to the pit of his stomach. 

"That was, um, a very attractive thing you just said," he said, blushing. She giggled and squeezed him tighter, then let go to cup his cheek and leave a soft peck on his lips. 

"I'm glad I can get a few in once in a while," she said. He scoffed. 

"Weren't we just talking about how I'm freaked out by how intense my attraction to you is?" He took her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. She smiled softly. 

"So, where should we set up the railings tonight?" Adaine asked. 

"I don't know," Riz sighed. "I have so many...wait. Maybe I have an idea."

"Okay?" 

"What if we, um, talked about things we want to do. Just back and forth, things that have crossed our minds that we're interested in. It doesn't have to be something we want to do tonight, or even for a long time, just...things we might want."

"Oh I like this idea," she whispered. Riz smiled at her and held the warm satisfaction of her reaction close. 

"I think it will help us figure out the boundaries too," he said. Adaine nodded, looking distracted.

"Um, I...really like to undress you," she said, shyly. "It's a combination of enjoying touching you and feeling like I'm taking care of you and also it just feels so fucking hot to take your clothes off."

Riz laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, blushing. "Yeah, I uh, I like that, too," he admitted. "When...before we...remember after Fabian's party?"

"Of course. You were about to pass out on the floor."

"After you gave me pajamas, you put your hand on my belt and said something about...honestly I don't remember because all I can remember is how your hand felt on my stomach, resting on my belt buckle. The memory still kind of drives me insane."

"Maybe, um," Adaine raked her bottom lip between her teeth. "How about I help you undress, you get ready for bed, and we continue this conversation while we cuddle?" Riz grinned.

"I like this plan way too much for it to be a good idea."

"So that's a yes?" she laughed. 

"It's a hell yes," he said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. 

Her hands were on him immediately, sliding up his chest. He laughed and his heart stumbled happily, but she didn't stop at his collar like he expected. Adaine kept going up his neck, over his cheeks, and gently slid his glasses off. She smiled softly, folding them and putting them on her bedside table. Oh. Riz felt his breath catch in his throat. Oh that was. She kissed his cheek and gently removed his tie pin, laying it carefully beside his glasses. 

"Holy shit," he whispered, watching her wide eyed. Adaine stroked his cheek.

"You good?" she asked. Riz sighed and covered her hand with his.

"Way better than that," he said.

"Can I kiss—" she started to ask. He raised up on one knee and cut her off with his mouth. Adaine hummed happily and slid her hands down to the knot of his tie, carefully loosening it. Riz felt like his heart was going to explode. 

"I love that—" he said, then leaned back in, not wanting to pull away yet. He felt laughter in her throat and her hand spread up the side of his neck. He broke away breathlessly, but stayed close enough for their lips to brush together. "I love kissing you while you do this," he said. "Will you keep going?"

"Yes," she chuckled, gently scratching her nails against his jawline. He slipped his tie over his head and tossed it to the floor, then reached for her again. 

Her fingers trailed to the buttons of his vest and he deepened the kiss with a groan. Her hands spread warmly onto his chest and pushed the fabric back over his shoulders. He shrugged it off to the floor and slid both of his hands into her hair. She smiled and warm joy swirled within him. Her hands rested on his chest, then slid down to tug his shirt loose from his waistband. He edged closer, then stood in front of her and pulled from their kiss with a gasp. He rubbed his thumbs over her temples and smiled down at her flushed face and disheveled hair. 

"Is this okay?" he asked softly. 

"Yes," Adaine whispered, settling her knees on either side of him. She slid her hands up his legs, over his hips, and under his shirt. He kept his mouth closed and groaned in the back of his throat. She bit her lip and breathed hard out her nose. "That was a sexy fucking sound, Riz," she said, resting her forehead against his chest. 

"It feels so good when you touch me," he said, carding his claws through her hair, trailing them down her neck. She ran her hand up the divot of his spine and raked her fingernails back down. He hissed and felt his claws dig into her scalp. She nuzzled into his chest, gently kissing before looking up at him with hooded eyes. He swallowed hard. 

"Keep going?" she asked softly. He nodded, staring, letting his hands fall from her hair. Adaine smiled and shivered, sitting back. She kept eye contact with him as her fingers moved steadily down his chest. By the time she got to the bottom, his breath was faster and his heartbeat was shaking through him. She dragged her gaze down to his left hand. 

Adaine unrolled the cuff of his sleeve and gently kissed his wrist, letting her eyes flick back up to his. His mouth fell open with a soft gasp. She smiled and unbuckled his watch band, smoothing her thumbs over the skin it had covered. Riz gasped again when she unzipped his hip pouch to store it. For some reason the familiarity of it, the intimate knowledge of his habits, it hit like a sucker punch. He leaned down to kiss her, open and wanting. She smiled into it, but pulled away with a gentle touch to his cheek and turned back to his hand. Starting with his thumb, Adaine gently slid each ring off, holding them in her palm until his hand was bare. She slid them into his pouch, then folded his fingers over hers to kiss them. 

"...wow," Riz whispered. She looked up with delighted eyes and squeezed his left hand before letting go and reaching for his right. She repeated the process, including the soft kiss to his wrist and sliding her thumb over the skin under the loop of yarn he'd stored there. It went in his pouch along with his gear and he let an amused puff out his nose. 

Adaine sighed happily and let her hands fall to her lap. He suddenly wasn't sure what to do with his own hands. 

"So how far do you want me to go?" she asked. Oh. He blushed and a single laugh burst from his chest. 

"Uh. Yeah, that question makes sense, um." Riz put a hand on his hip and one in his hair while he thought. He looked up to the ceiling and took a deep breath, then back down. Adaine's eyes were...fuck, they were focused right on his waist, on his belt buckle, on the lines of the tattoos running across his skin. She swallowed hard. He wanted her to lean forward and—his heart was pounding through his temples again. 

"What do you want to do right now?" he asked, hoarsely. She looked up with a heavy blush on her cheeks. He reached over to cup her chin and rub her cheek with his thumb and—she turned and fucking bit the pad of his thumb. Riz let out a shocked moan. "Adaine," he groaned, and her hand covered the back of his, holding him closer. Her mouth moved to the crease of his index finger and nipped him there, along with a small bit of his palm. "Fuck," he gasped. "Fuck, that's so good, but wait," he said. She closed her mouth and her eyes and nodded reluctantly. 

"We were talking about what we wanted, remember?" he said softly, combing his other hand through her hair. "Tell me. Please." She shivered and nodded. 

"I want to slide my hands up your stomach and kiss you," Adaine said, shakily, with her eyes closed. "And I want to unfasten your belt, and slide your pants down and…" He could see her pulse racing down her neck and somehow that detail made his head swim harder than the words she'd just said. 

"And?" he asked, strained. She took a deep breath and nodded, then looked up at him nervously. 

"I want to touch you," she said, blushing hotter with every word. "All of you. I want to run my hands up and down your whole body until I know it by heart." 

Riz laughed nervously, breathing hard and closing his eyes. "That's uh, wow." 

"It's ok if you're not ready for or interested in something I mention," she said. "Just...you asked, and I wanted to be honest." 

"I'm definitely interested," he said, leaning down and kissing her hair. He swallowed hard, keeping his face hidden there. "I'm uh, I'm interested in doing the same with you. If you are."

"Yeah," she said, nodding with a deep breath.

"Holy shit," he gasped into her hair. Adaine giggled, then leaned back to look at him with her lip between her teeth. 

"Then, um, in that case...can I unbuckle your belt?" she asked mischievously. He froze for three full seconds before a nervous gasp tore out of him. 

"Um. Um, yeah, uh. Yes. I...yes." Riz swallowed hard. She smiled and ran her hands up his thighs. Oh, oh fuck he'd managed to control himself at least a little so far, but now she was so close that she'd just have to glance down and she'd know he was—fuck, she wasn't stupid, she had to know already. He was aching and her hands were brushing past him and if it weren't for only a couple layers of fabric, he'd be close enough to feel her goddamn breath.

Adaine leaned forward to press a soft kiss against his stomach and trailed her fingers up to his hips and around. Fuck, the heat of her mouth made his head swim. He wanted her to touch him. He wanted her hand to smooth firmly over his cock and wrap around him. He wanted her breath to ghost over him, her mouth to kiss down his stomach and keep going and—he whimpered and his legs were trembling with the effort of holding still. 

"Are you okay?" she asked, softly concerned. Her fingers were gently tracing their way along his waistband from his hips. It was fucking torment and he didn't want it to stop. 

"Keep going," he panted. "Please." She blinked slowly and tilted her head thoughtfully. Oh shit, she's going to figure it out instantly—a fast shivering breath ran through him. 

"What is it that you want right now, Riz?" she asked suspiciously. He breathed heavily, laughing at himself and tilting his head back to keep from looking into her far too piercing eyes. 

"I, um, I…" he took a deep shaky breath and tried to let it out slowly. Her fingers were still hooked in his waistband and he absolutely never wanted them to leave. 

"It's ok," she soothed him, voice calm and even. "Whatever you tell me, I won't do anything crazy like act on it immediately." His heart tripped over itself and he breathed another shaky breath, settling the smallest amount. 

"I know that, sweetheart," Riz breathed, brushing a hand on her cheek, smiling to reassure her that he was still here and not panicking, just absolutely drunk with lust and no rudder to steer with. Adaine's eyes widened and her face softened. He nodded. "I'm alright," he said. 

"You just called me 'sweetheart,'" she whispered hoarsely. 

"What?" He blinked at her, then looked off into space, trying to piece together the reality of the last few minutes through the daze he'd been in. "What? I did?"

"Yes, you definitely did," she said. He blushed and opened his mouth to say...something, then closed it again. 

"Oh. I guess...uh." He shrugged, keeping his shoulders up as he went on. "How do...you feel...about that?" he asked, hesitantly. She laughed at him, then rose so they were eye to eye and kissed him, soft and sweet. 

"I like it," she said, bumping her nose against his. He laughed and kissed her again, wrapping his arms around her waist. Her hands spread onto his back and pulled him close. Their bodies pressed tightly together and he—he shivered and broke their kiss, burying his face in the crook of her neck. 

"I think you know exactly what I was thinking about," he said. 

"The details are important," she said, gently scratching one hand down his back and bringing the other up to cradle the back of his head. 

"Damn it," he laughed against her. "Yeah, uh, I...I was thinking about how close your hands and your mouth were to um, touching me, and how much I wanted it." 

"My hands were touching you, and so was my mouth, when I kissed you," she teased. 

"You know what I mean," he said. 

"Yes," she said, letting her breath ghost over his ear. He shivered. "I know what you mean. I know you mean that you were standing there shaking because I was this close to touching your cock." A solid moan escaped him and he felt himself swell against her. She shivered and tightened her grip in his hair. "See how nice it feels to actually say it?"

"It sure as hell feels nice when you say it," he laughed, and she snorted, squeezing him tight. "I uh, I'll go change and be right back," Riz said. "I think uh...yeah."

"Okay," she said, leaning back and kissing his burning cheek. Her eyes met his before she let go. "You're ok, right?" He smiled fondly and kissed her cheek. 

"I'm alright. And I'm right, you are sweet," he said, leaning to whisper into her ear with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll keep it secret so you can maintain your intimidating reputation." She leaned into him with a soft puff of laughter. He kissed under her ear before grabbing his briefcase, heading to the bathroom, and closing the door behind him. 

Holy fucking shit fuck what the fuck

Riz laughed softly and shivered as he quickly changed into pajama pants and a t-shirt. He shoved his dirty clothes in a bag, storing them with his utility pouch and the weapons that were already put away. He grabbed the toiletries he'd put together to leave here, again what the fuck and brushed his teeth quickly. He stored the bag under her sink, tucked behind a package of toilet paper. He took a second to lean on the sink and breathe, laugh in shock, then breathe again. 

He'd thought that maybe after they'd...he wasn't really sure what to call what they'd done. Had it been sex? It was sexual for sure, but...whatever. Not really that important right now. The point was, every time—after they'd first kissed, and after they'd decided to date, and after they'd...explored, Riz kept thinking that he would calm down, but he never did. He was still reeling and he wondered if he'd ever stop. People had to get used to this, right? 

Of course, it had only been...it hadn't even been a month since she showed up at his apartment in the middle of the night, dead on her feet. He laughed again and wiped his face with her towel. Maybe she'd hit him less like a truck and more like a meteor. He went back into her room. 

His vest and tie weren't on the floor. Riz blinked, scanned—Adaine had folded them and put them in a tidy stack on top of her dresser. He looked over at her. She'd turned out the overhead light and was snuggled in her bed smiling at him. A lamp on her dresser gave the room a warm cozy glow.

"You're definitely a sweetheart," he said, leaving his briefcase on the floor by her dresser and climbing into bed facing her.

"So, I was thinking about something that might help you feel better," she said.

"Really, what?" He fluffed a pillow and folded his arm under it. 

"You're worried about control and going too far, right? And not stopping soon enough? So, why don't we use safe words?" Riz stared, then his face contorted into an uncomfortable expression. 

"Aren't those like, just for crazy wild kinky sex?" he asked. "With like, the...chains and feathers and handcuffs and stuff?" Adaine rolled her eyes. 

"I thought you raided the cabinet," she teased. 

"I did, but I didn't get anything like that out!" he squawked, blushing. 

"It doesn't have to be just for that," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "I was reading the other day, trying to figure out things that might make you feel more in control. But if you're really opposed, we don't have to." 

"No, I just don't really know anything about it?" he said, scooting a little closer. "But thank you, for doing research to help me."

"You did for me," she said softly, kissing his forehead. 

"Not just you, it was for me, too, but...yeah." Riz fiddled with the seam of the blanket with the claws of his thumb and index finger. 

"It's kind of like our code words in combat, right? It's just a short cut. We use 'skin' in Goblin for green/all clear and 'meat' in Orcish for red/danger/alert because it catches everyone's attention and none of our enemies know what we mean. The context gives it meaning to us, and the out of place word helps to cut through the chaos."

"I guess?"

"We could say 'yellow' if we need a time out or a pause and 'red' if we need to stop. You were freaked out by the idea you'd do something I don't want? This way you wouldn't have to be. We can agree that whenever those words come out, we instantly stop what we're doing and check in. If you haven't heard me say them, you know I'm good with everything, and if you feel overwhelmed by anything, you can say them. It's like an emergency shut off to ask for help."

"That does sound like it could be helpful..." he said, cautiously. 

"I figure there's really no downside to trying it," she shrugged. 

"Yeah, okay, let's try it," he nodded, looking up from where he was fidgeting. "You're right, it makes sense." Adaine was watching his hands and smiling, but met his eyes when she realized he was watching her. 

"What is it?" she asked. 

"Nothing in particular," Riz said, smiling softly. "Just feels like love." She cupped the back of his head and kissed his forehead. He slid his arm over her waist and snuggled closer, closing his eyes. She bent her knee and he ran the bottom of his foot along the back of her calf while they lay together. 

"Um, that thing you did with, uh, biting my hand?" he ventured. "Wanna go on record as really liking that." 

"Noted," Adaine said, amused. A warm breath puffed through his hair. "Y'know, I really liked everything you did on the couch." 

"Really?" he asked with a shocked laugh. "I um, I was just...it was all just instinct." He tilted his head back to look at her. Adaine rested her arm on his and played with the hair on the back of his head. 

"The instincts you don't trust?" she asked softly. Riz sighed heavily and nodded. 

"Oh!" he exclaimed, suddenly remembering. Her eyebrows rose curiously. "I, uh, I wanted to check if...uh," he cleared his throat, "I mean, I assume you'd have said if...but… ugh. Sorry. Um." Riz took a deep breath. "Are you still on your period? And if so, should I...should we…is there...I don't know?" Her face morphed from confusion to amusement as he went on and he closed his eyes with a groan. "Come on, Adaine, help me out. I'm just trying to pay attention and be considerate." She kissed his cheek with a giggle. 

"Yeah, it's over," she said. "Mine usually only lasts three days or so. I think elves tend to have lighter ones? But yeah, I'm good. I definitely would have warned you and talked about it. Will, in the future, when it comes up."

"Ok," he said, nodding. He kept his eyes closed. "Just embarrassed myself for nothing, excellent." Adaine giggled again and pressed her forehead to his, scratching gently through his hair. 

"No you didn't. It was thoughtful, and of course you wouldn't know the details. I just think you're cute." Riz opened his eyes. She moved back again. 

"I guess there are worse alternatives," he sighed. 

"Oh don't be such a grump," she said, gently headbutting him. 

"If that's gonna be a problem for you, I really don't know if I'm—"

Adaine pulled him in and kissed him thoroughly. He shivered as her hand smoothed down his neck. She leaned forward, tilting into him, and her tongue stroked warmly against his as it ended. She pressed a softer kiss to just his lips before pulling away. 

"I know you're joking," she said, "but no. Nothing about you is a problem. Everything I tease you about, it's because I enjoy it. Tell me if I hurt you. I don't want to do that." 

"Oh," he gasped, laughing softly. "Uh, okay. I know that, or kinda did. Maybe not specifics, but it's nice to hear it. That's really sweet." She kissed him again, gently moving her hand up and down his neck. He squeezed his arm over her waist and sighed happily. This time when she pulled back, Adaine left a small peck on his nose. He chuckled.

"What do you…um," he hesitated, "Do you want to…" 

"Do I want to what?" she asked innocently. Riz laughed.

"Go practice stealth in the forest?" he teased. Adaine grinned. 

"Paint our toenails, maybe?" she suggested. 

"I'm calling your bluff," he said. "There's no way you have any nail polish up here. I bet Fig has a huge collection you raid, though." 

"You're absolutely right," Adaine said. "We could go bug her? You did seem curious about sleepover—"

Riz leaned forward and kissed her. She breathed in sharply through her nose and reached down to pull him flush against her. He quickly slid his hand under the bottom of her shirt to keep from tearing it with his claws. She bent down to bury her face in his neck and fucking yes—started biting him just fucking right. His hips shoved into her without any conscious input. She broke from him with a gasp. 

"I fucking love that," she panted with her eyes closed. "I love to feel you against me." 

"Oh, shit," he groaned, spreading his hand onto her back and deliberately dragging himself against her stomach. 

"Riz—" she gasped out, and his claws dug into her skin. He pulled back, but she was shaking her head. "Do it again," she groaned, shivering and tugging at his hair. 

"Hold me tight," he gasped, arching toward her. "Bite me again, hold me down." 

"We still haven't decided how far we'll go," she reminded him, kissing the spot her teeth had just been. "I'm not doing anything else until then."

"This doesn't count?" he laughed, shivering and rubbing his palm across her soft skin. He felt her smile against his neck. 

"Just taking the edge off," she shrugged.

"Hands," he said, "and mouths, if we want? Wherever you want to. Is that, um, is it too far? I can't think straight, but that's...that's what I want." 

Her leg curled over both of his and pulled him in and he would swear all the blood in his body was trying to force its way into his dick. Riz scratched his claws across the waistband of her pants. He wanted to grab her ass again. She pulled his earlobe into her mouth and it was hot, wet pressure and he couldn't get enough fucking air but he didn't need it. Adaine was holding him and he was going to kiss her and she was probably going to do something that drove him completely crazy and he couldn't wait to see what it was. 

"There are so many places I want to kiss you," he panted. "Tell me where I can't go." She groaned and kissed him.  

Don't leave marks I can't cover with clothes, she sent, Otherwise, touch me however the hell you want. 

He shoved his tongue against hers while he grabbed her ass in both hands and sent back a feeling of enthusiastic agreement. She made a beautiful noise into his mouth and let a little whine out of her nose. He was lost again, but this time he was with her and trusted they'd find their way through together.

Her ass was taut but soft, and the way she filled his hands satisfied one of the deeply lurking, prowling parts of himself. He was torn between nerves and how fucking good it felt to cling to her like this. She curled her hips around his dick and rocked. One of her hands was on his waist and the other tugged on his hair. He wanted to stay exactly like this until the end of fucking time. He leaned into their kiss and savored the feeling. He never wanted to stop, but if he didn't, he wouldn't get to press his mouth onto her skin like he had before. Riz broke away from their kiss and gulped in air. 

He grabbed the loose waistband of her pants and easily slid them down over her hips, then hooked a foot over them and shoved the useless fucking fabric out of his way. Adaine laughed, then gasped as he slid downward. He honestly couldn't fucking wait to get his mouth on her. He nudged her hip for her to lay on her back and moved her left leg over his shoulder. He realized he couldn't reach his focus from here and chuckled against her thigh. 

"Can't message this time," he growled into her. "It's just as well, I'm going to be so fucking distracted." 

Her hand ran into his hair and she gasped his name. He grabbed her ass again and hummed right over her clit, right where he'd wanted to kiss ever since he saw her slide her fingers over herself. Oh, she was soft and hot. Yeah, this is what he wanted. Her leg pressed down into his back and he dragged the back of her panties down so he could slide his hands over her skin. He couldn't believe he was doing this and he couldn't believe how much he wanted to and he couldn't fucking stand how frantic her hands felt in his hair and fuck he could hear her whispering his name he needed more— 

He pressed his tongue over the fabric, down into a soft fleshy valley, and swept it upwards. Her nails scraped up the back of his neck so hard it stung. He pulled away with a laugh and she threw the covers back to stare down at him with a shocked hungry expression. 

"You, uh, might have left a mark," he laughed again, glancing back. She gasped and sat up to check and he immediately wished he hadn't said anything. 

"Damn it," she hissed, gently soothing over the stinging lines with cooled fingers. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you to...holy shit. I...sorry." He scooted to rest his head on her right leg and gently moved his fingers while she was distracted. He slowly processed that he'd actually half removed her underwear. Holy fuck. Riz closed his eyes and breathed slowly through his mouth. 

"I honestly don't fucking care right now," he said, sliding his hands down, catching the edge of the fabric on the way and gently tugging. "If anyone notices I'll say it happened on the course yesterday."

"I didn't know that was such an important part of the rogue curriculum," Adaine giggled. He nuzzled closer, pressing his forehead against her hip and her side. 

"Lay down," he pleaded, tightening his grip around the fabric of her panties. "I wanna keep going." 

"Holy shit," Adaine gasped, combing her fingers back through his hair and dropping to her elbows. He sighed in relief and sat up, pulling her underwear down to her knees. She took over from there and tossed them to the floor, but then he caught a flash of something on her face that made him slow. He rested a hand on one of her knees, taking a deep slow breath. 

"You okay?" Riz asked softly. 

"Yeah, um," she sounded nervous. "A little nervous? A little shy. This is...I want to, but I'm surprised to feel…"

He nodded and met her eyes with a gentle smile, then pulled the covers back up over her legs. While adjusting them, he dug her crumpled pajama pants out and threw them on the floor too. Then he scooted back up and lay with his back to the wall. Adaine rested her head on his arm and hugged him tightly with a shuddering sigh. Riz curled his arm around her back and stroked through her hair with his free hand.

"We can go as slow as you want, too," he said. Adaine nodded. 

"We'd probably be going pretty fast right now if I hadn't just mauled you," she huffed. Riz smiled and shook his head. 

Adaine reached up for his hand and spread theirs together, palm to palm, a mirror image. Her fingers were slightly longer and thinner than his, and her nails nearly translucent. He'd always thought his hands seemed kind of slight compared to everyone else's, but right now next to hers, they looked solid. Masculine. Strong. He blinked in surprise and smiled to himself, strangely pleased. He didn't often feel that way, or actually concern himself about it either, but suddenly the weight of her on his chest and in his arms felt even more satisfying. His heart did a small thudding somersault.

"I've done worse to myself scratching an itch," he said, fibbing slightly. She huffed skeptically. "I think if I used the amount of force it took you to make those marks," he went on, "I’d probably leave a cut that needs stitches or a spell."

"Only if you filed your claws to points," she scoffed. "They're not that sharp," she said, lacing their fingers together. He gently scratched the back of her hand to prove his point.

"They're sharper than they look," Riz said, pointing out the faint pink lines he left behind. She smiled softly when he brought her hand up to kiss them. 

"They're already fading," she said, shrugging. He rested her hand on his waist and returned to her hair with a satisfied hum. 

"I, um, I want to keep going too," she ventured, toying with the back of his shirt, "but I just felt kind of...exposed? All of a sudden?" He nodded. 

"That makes sense. Let's slow down a little then. I did kind of, um...oh no. Uh, at the risk of…" Riz trailed off in a snicker that he buried in her hair and tried to get control of. Of course his stupid brain went there. 

"What?" she chuckled, looking up at him. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. 

"Uh, I...just kind of—dove in," he managed to force out before getting caught up in his laughter again. Adaine thumped her fist on his chest and buried her face in it with a giggle. 

"Damn it, Rizalyn!" 

"Okay, wait, honestly—uh, yellow," he said, breathing through his chuckles. "Not like, not when—not now, alright?"

Adaine nodded, then scooted to leave a bit of space between them. He sighed in disappointment. She rolled to her back and wiped both hands down her face. 

"Sorry," she said, breathing deliberately to calm her laughter. "No fucking with your name when we're spending the night together. Got it. Makes sense." 

"Thank you," he said, reaching to brush the back of his fingers down her cheek. 

"In my defense, that statement did imply some pretty unflattering comparisons between me and a corn slime," she snickered, covering her mouth with her hand. 

"Adaine!" he hissed in horror. "That's—what the fuck?"

She rolled back toward him and squeezed him into a hug, laughing so hard tears ran down her cheeks. Riz snorted and kissed her forehead. 

"I love you so fucking much," he laughed. 

Adaine kissed him, smiling, laughing into his mouth and putting his hand on her hip over the covers. Her arm slid under his and she rubbed between his shoulder blades. Riz felt wrapped up in so much joyful affection that he'd happily drown in it. Her other arm stole under his waist and he let his hand roam down the curve of her hip. She slipped a leg over his and tugged up on the back of his t-shirt. 

Take off your shirt? she asked. He nodded and squeezed her tightly before letting go. All that was left of her fit of giggles was the contented smile she watched him with. He wiggled to shimmy off his shirt without disrupting their positions too much, then tossed it over her onto the floor. 

She crowded closer immediately and started kissing her way along a line down his chest. He gasped and closed his eyes. One of her legs was hooked between his and he ran his hands over her hair, her back, wherever he could reach.

"Is it ok if I have a turn for a while?" she asked.

"Yes, absolutely. I was right, before. Keep doing whatever you want."

"Hands, mouths, no visible marks, and I can touch you anywhere I want?" she checked. "Are you okay with that?"

"Completely," he shrugged, looking down at her happily. "I wouldn't have done any of this a month ago, and now I don't know how I'd survive if I never got to kiss you again. Might as well see, right?" Adaine looked up with a smile and hooded eyes. She scratched at the small of his back with her right hand and ran the nails of her left up and down his back. 

"I'll stop or wait whenever you say so of course, but remember you have a panic button, okay?" she said quietly. She gently kissed his chest. He sighed and brushed her hair back out of her face. 

"I remember," he smiled, "sweetheart." She rolled her eyes, but he caught the edge of a smile before she pressed a firm kiss against his stomach and dragged her teeth over him. He dug his claws into the blanket and hissed. 

You do like it a little rough, hm? she asked. 

Just a little, he answered. Just like that. Whatever you want. Whatever you do.

Adaine moaned into him and let her left hand drift down to his pants. 

May I? she asked.

Fucking please—

She chuckled and latched onto another patch of skin as she shoved his pants down to the bottom of the bed. Adaine moved down further, digging her fingers into his thighs. 

Fuck, your legs are so solid, she told him.

He laughed and ran his hands over her. She scratched her fingernails down to his knees, around the back of his thighs, up to the edge of his shorts. She ghosted her fingertips underneath the hem and he hissed. Experimentally, she leaned forward and gently bit his thigh. He hissed again, trailing off into a whimper. 

"Lay on your back?" she suggested softly. Riz nodded, looking desperate, breathless, overwhelmed. She wanted to keep going. Adaine moved her hands up over his hips and settled herself between his legs. When he rolled to his back, she scooted up to rest her head on his chest and hold him with a sigh. 

"Holy shit," he groaned, and fuck she loved the sounds he made and the way he moved his hips. Adaine shivered and blushed. She wanted to learn all his reactions. 

She rose to her elbows and looked up to his face. He'd closed his eyes and tilted his head back against the pillows. He was breathing hard and sweat beaded along his neck. She clenched her thighs, blushing harder at the reminder she was completely bare from the waist down. 

"Adaine please," he breathed. Oh damn, she wanted more of that. 

"Tell me what you wanted when I was teasing you instead of unbuckling your pants," she said, kissing his chest and sliding down. "If we both want it, I'll give it to you," she whispered. 

"Fuck." Riz grit his teeth and ran both hands into his hair. 

"Only if you want to, sweetheart."

"Oh, I want to," he laughed. "I just need to work up the nerve to say it."

Tell me like this, she said. He took in a deep breath and looked down at her with the softest fucking eyes and her heart raced. The yellow-green of his iris had thinned and opened so much that his pupils were huge. She caught a glint from them in the low light. 

"Adaine," he whispered softly. She kissed his stomach, sliding down even further. 

Am I on the right track? she asked, smiling up mischievously. A single breathy laugh burst from him and he cradled her head in his hands. He swallowed hard. 

I wanted you to kiss and bite down my stomach and slide your hand up over— he closed his eyes, over my cock, and wrap your fingers around me, and keep going with your mouth until you—until your mouth was on me, and—fuck I can't—anything you want to do to me, Adaine, please—

She was breathing heavily through her mouth by the time he finished, and the weight of anticipation settled in the pit of her stomach. 

"Yes," she hissed, pressing a hot kiss against him. His fingers stroked through her hair and he shook underneath her. She slid her right hand down the side of his waist to his hip, slowly down to his thigh, then pulled her mouth from his skin. He watched her, tense and breathing slowly, as she pressed her palm upwards, sliding in, closer, closer to where she wanted to be. 

"Like this?" she asked softly, carefully stretching out her thumb to—fuck, she was really, she couldn't believe she was about to—his eyes got wider, his expression needier, more urgent. Her thumb gently ghosted over warmth, then a solid unmistakable shape that had her clenching hard between her legs and immediately spreading her palm over it. Riz gasped in a shocked breath and his entire body froze. That's just right, something deep within her insisted. 

She closed her eyes and shivered at the feeling of her fingers sliding over him, curling her palm to cup and hold him, molding to his shape. She wanted—yes, he pulsed into her grip and she spread her fingers over and around him. She pressed gently and he swelled against her hand, hissing as his breath sped up. His hips shivered and he moaned even deeper than he had on the couch. She wanted to feel more of him. She couldn't hold him properly like this. Adaine quickly rose to pull the fabric out of the way and he made a mournful sound that had her looking him in the eye again. 

Riz looked shaken, flushed, straining. She smiled widely and leaned up to kiss him. 

You feel amazing and I want more, she sent, reaching for his waistband and tugging. Can I?

Yes— Was the only word she got back amongst the waves of overwhelming heat and pressure and hunger in his mind. 

Fuck yes, I want to feel you let all of that go, she sent, and he fucking growled. She broke free from their kiss and dragged his shorts down. He panted and tore them off the rest of the way, kicking at the covers and throwing them carelessly. 

He was completely—he was displayed before her, wide eyed, hungry, frantic, waiting eagerly for whatever she would do to him. Her heart was going to shake its way out of her chest. Adaine swallowed hard, suddenly a little shy again, unable to look over his whole body just yet. Instead, she met the burning want in his eyes and gently nudged him over so she could lay next to the wall. Riz scooted and settled on his back with wide eyes. She could see his pulse in his neck and she leaned down, kissing her way down from his ear. He gasped and shivered, then groaned deeply when she rested her right thigh just above both his knees. 

"You still want me to hold you down and bite you?" she murmured, gently sucking at the side of his neck. 

"Mnnmmg—" came out from behind his teeth. 

Adaine ghosted her hand down his chest, gently scraping her fingernails. She scooted closer and nudged his arm so she could cuddle onto his shoulder, which he groaned at, heavily and unexpectedly. His hand stroked down her back and held her tightly against his side. His other rested on her knee, all warm pressure and trailing claws. She rubbed her cheek against his chest and settled herself against him, shivering and squeezing her leg around his. 

She ran her hand down his stomach, into the cradle of his hips. Then lower, until the back of her hand brushed against the top of his cock. He tossed his head restlessly. She carefully trailed the back of her hand against him, marveling at the soft, silken skin that she never would have expected. She settled back onto his chest and slid her hand up his abs. 

She was still strangely nervous. His heartbeat thudded a bit faster under her cheek, and she looked up to his face. He was flushed deeply, with an expression of slightly scared anticipation. She smiled and moved up to kiss him. 

I'm nervous too, she told him. He huffed through his nose and moved his hand off her knee to cup her cheek. 

You're perfect, he said. I couldn't—you fit. With me. 

Her heart ached and she squeezed her eyes shut tight, leaning harder into their kiss. 

Yeah. It's just right, if it's with you, she said, reaching up to grab his hair and squeezing her leg around his. 

He sent back desperate longing and a breathless mental gasp of her name. She pressed herself closer, onto his thigh, wanting his firm heat against her. She wanted him so fucking much. He made a sound into her mouth and reached back down to grab a handful of her thigh and pull her closer. She laughed into their kiss and scratched her fingernails over his scalp. 

I was worried you wouldn't like how I feel...

Of course I like how you feel—I fucking love how you feel. Warm and soft and beautiful and wet—you're, it, it means you like it, right? Do you want this? I want you to want this. So much. I want you to— She dragged her hand down his chest. 

I really fucking want it. She ground herself against him.

Touch me— Riz broke away from their kiss, pressing his fingertips deep into the flesh of her thigh. He lay on his back, panting, eyes closed tight. Her hand was close to his cock again, and this time she worked up the nerve to watch what she was doing. 

He looked mostly like she had pictured, just...different details that she'd have time to explore later. Face on fire and blush rapidly making its way down her neck, Adaine moved her leg down further and rose on her left elbow. She curiously trailed her fingers over the cut of his hip, down across the top of his thigh, then in between and upward. He shivered hard and bobbed when she moved closer, but his reaction still wasn't particularly strong. 

She let the back of her pointer finger brush against the base—and that got a strong reaction. He hissed and dragged his fingers down her thigh to cup around her knee. She spread her hand up and wrapped her fingers gently around him, just like she'd wanted, just like he asked for. He fit perfectly into her hand, comfortably longer than her palm was wide. Her fingertips could just touch around him. When they did, he pulsed with a shaking gasp. She sighed happily as she moved up his length, sliding over the tip and back down. She gently squeezed and he let out another moan that absolutely tore its way through her brain. Blood rushed under her touch, so close to the surface. She was captivated by the silky slide of his skin over the solid weight of his shaft.

Just right, she sent, grinding against his thigh to soothe the hot pulse of approval between her legs. He lifted his hips upward and she grinned, shoving him back down firmly. She rested her shins on his for good measure. Riz fucking sobbed and clear fluid beaded from the tip of his cock. Her lips parted and she brushed her thumb over it curiously. It felt so smooth and slick on him yes that would—she wanted to feel him come in her hand. She clenched her thighs again. His legs were corded steel under her, quivering. His claws dug into her calf. 

"Move my hand," she said, moving her left arm above his to support herself more comfortably. He opened his eyes, deep and dark and hungry. The heat off of him was driving her crazy. 

"You mean," he swallowed, "uh, use your hand to—"

She smiled mischievously and nodded. He scratched gently behind her knee and gasped, then moved his hand to hers immediately. When they touched, his expression went ragged and he stared down. He moved her slowly, and his mouth dropped open in breathless shock. A deep forest green blush poured down to his chest. Adaine's heartbeat shook through her and a heavy fucking weight settled in her lower belly. Holy shit, this was the hottest thing she'd ever seen.

She couldn't decide whether to watch their hands or his face, but then his breaths got heavier and his lips quivered as he stared, rapt, at their joined hands. She couldn't look away from him. Every movement of their wrists brought a new twitch of reaction, a new moment of awe that she could see building into something else behind his eyes. Stronger, fiercer, solid. A hard shiver ran through her hips. She wanted that. His eyes gradually but surely narrowed to slits as his tension built. Her breathing started to sync with his. He was even thicker in her hand now. She squeezed her legs tighter around his and bit her lips, trying to swallow the sound that wanted to escape her. She must have failed, because his eyes suddenly flew up to hers, and whatever he saw there made him shiver.

"Kiss me," he begged, and she captured him messily, desperately. Adaine let her longing moan out into his mouth and he answered with an even deeper sound, squeezing her hand tighter around his cock. She moved hard over his thigh, wanting him. She slid down onto her left elbow to press closer to him, holding the feeling close. It's okay, just breathe. Feel how amazing what you've got right now is, she told herself. And fucking hell was it amazing. 

She was pressed against his burning skin, and she loved the sounds he'd started making. At first he'd just breathed a little harder each time, then he let out an involuntary hum with every movement. Now the sounds had deepened into something more forceful that she felt through her chest. His hips moved in tandem with their joined hands, smoother and more focused than before. Yes, fuck yes, whispered something deep and powerful inside her. She rubbed her foot up and down the side of his leg and shivered as the heat in her stomach weighed heavier. She slid her arm under his head and leaned forward, pulling his earlobe into her mouth. 

"Fuck Adaine, fuck—" he throbbed in her grip as she gently dragged her teeth on his ear. He sobbed again. 

"I love how you feel," she groaned. "All I want is to feel you helpless in my hands." Adaine squeezed her leg around his and moved hard along his thigh. His breath hitched and he cried out, moving her harder, faster—she could swear she felt an electric charge run up her arm.

"I am," Riz gasped out. "Fuck. I really am. Fuck Adaine—I am, I am, I am, I—ahmng—" 

He arched as a pulse ran through his length. She held him tight with her arms and legs and teeth. His hips thrust up, then hitched each time he emptied. She felt voyeuristic and feverish watching him come in streaks onto his stomach. His hand held hers close as he clenched through each quake of his body. She was enthralled by the rolling of his hips under her and the way his throat moved as he breathed. He gradually slowed and she let go of his ear to kiss his neck, then his cheek. His grip on her hand slowly relaxed. She wanted more. She found herself slightly disappointed to feel him soften, but quickly moved away when even the barest brush made him wince. 

"Holy shit," she breathed, pressing her forehead against his temple. He laughed, took a few deep breaths, then glanced down at the mess with an embarrassed groan. He covered his face with his hand. 

"Fuck, that's—sorry," he groaned. "That's so fucking gross." Adaine relaxed the leg she'd thrown over his and kissed his cheek. 

"First of all, that was indescribably fucking hot. Second of all, what was it you said? No grosser than any other weird thing bodies do. Besides, check it out," she said, waving her hand over him and casting prestidigitation. Soon the only evidence left behind were their exhausted, flushed bodies. She scooted to rest her head back on his arm and rubbed her hand up his stomach and chest. She pulled the blankets up with her mage hand. 

Riz still had his hand over his face. 

"Did you just clean me up with a fucking spell?" he asked. 

"I absolutely did. What's the point of all this studying if I can't cheat once in a while?" 

"I have to learn prestidigitation and mending." 

She giggled and started tracing the lines of his tattoos over his torso with her fingertips. His hand slid into her hair. 

"I'm honestly a tiny bit disappointed I didn't get to unbuckle your pants," she said. Riz laughed and rolled toward her.

"I'm sure you'll have the opportunity again," he chuckled. "Holy shit, Adaine. I don't have any words to—holy shit." She kissed his chest and scooted up so their faces were level. His eyes closed contentedly. 

"Definitely my favorite way to make you sleepy, so far," she said. Riz shivered head to toe and sighed happily. Adaine kissed his forehead. He leaned toward her, yawning and sliding his arm over her waist. "Rest," she whispered, turning her lamp off with her mage hand. 

"I will," he said, opening his eyes. They shined at her in the dark. "The thing is, I do have a few more things to take care of before I'm done tonight."

"Hmm," she smiled, running her fingers up his arm. "What's on your list? Maybe I can help." Riz nodded and spread his hand onto her back.

"I'd really appreciate that, actually," he told her softly, trailing his nose along her cheek. "I don't know if I could manage it on my own."

He nudged her cheek until he could press a kiss behind her jaw, just below her ear. His touch roamed across her skin and Adaine shivered. His knee rubbed suggestively against her thigh and she slid forward. Riz hummed in approval and ran his hand down her back, pulling himself closer. Her leg rested over him again and he shivered happily, kissing her neck. His thigh was warm and solid and his hand moved softly along her leg.

"Looks like you've made some good progress already," she teased, kissing his cheek. "What do you seem to be having trouble with?"

"It's the details, really," he answered, moving back from her slightly to see her expression. Riz cupped both her cheeks in his hands and searched her face for...something, then smiled, looking a little intimidated. "I know enough to know I don't know what I'm doing." Adaine smiled and kissed him, briefly, but sweet. 

"Take off my shirt," she whispered against his lips.

Riz groaned and pressed his mouth to hers, thinking again of the first time he'd kissed her, of how she'd looked up breathlessly and asked him, asked him to kiss her because she wanted him to—and how he never ever wanted to stop. He let his hands slip down to the buttons of her top and took his time, letting the backs of his fingers brush against the hollow of her throat, against her chest, then her stomach, and then— 

Adaine's eyes glinted happily and she rose slightly to shrug it off and toss it away. He ran his hand down her side, over the dip of her waist and curve of her hip, down her thigh. He shivered and leaned in to nuzzle under her chin, between her cheek and the pillow. She hummed and squeezed her thigh over him, drawing a soft sound from his throat. She gasped and drew her fingers down his back, tilting her head to give him more access. He pressed his mouth to her throat and flicked out his tongue to catch the salt of her skin. 

"Riz you are fucking incredible, don't stop," she whispered. He smiled and hummed and pressed his hand firmly into the small of her back. 

"Why the hell would I ever want to stop?" he asked, his voice soft and quiet. 

She gasped and arched herself against him, dragging them together in a long line of uninterrupted skin. He felt her warm and wet on his thigh, nearly to his hip, now. That and the softness of her breasts pressing against his chest stoked the knot of heat that was slowly reforming. He felt himself twitch gently against her stomach. Her leg weighed him down, something he'd never even thought to want before she'd done it, but now it felt essential. Her knee was bent and she traced her toes softly along the back of his leg. 

He leaned harder into her, but the way she shifted wasn't—oh that would work. Riz moved the blankets up and tucked them behind her with his mage hand, then braced a hand on the wall behind her. He pulled back just enough to slide the arm he was laying on under and around her waist, then settled with a smile. Her eyes were amused and curious. 

"Scoot back," he said. "Bring me with you." Adaine shivered and let out a laugh, then quickly kissed his forehead. 

"You're a genius," she whispered fiercely, grabbing him with both hands and moving until he was pressing her against the wall with every movement. 

Riz grinned and cupped the back of her head with his left hand, pressing closer to kiss his way up. He paid close attention to the speed of her breath and the tension in her muscles as she moved against him. He kissed behind her ear and firmly dragged his fingers down the back of her neck. She groaned heavily and squeezed around him. That was it. He shivered and chuckled against her, and, ever so gently, scraped his teeth along the edge of her hair. Adaine let out a shuddering gasp, turning her head to allow him more access. 

"Riz. Please," she gasped. His heart seized up and he closed his eyes for a second, then kept going.

He breathed down the side of her neck and gently nibbled her earlobe. He dragged his lips up along the shell of her ear. She arched toward him and he panted at the feeling of the warm slide on his leg. He reached around to cup her ass and tuck his fingers into his new favorite spot at the top of her thigh. He slowly kissed his way down to the crook of her neck and kneaded his fingers into her leg, edging closer and closer between them. 

"Fuck—" Adaine groaned, rolling her hips, then moving them in a needy circular motion. He was nearly too far gone to keep mouthing at her neck. He was getting more and more desperate to kiss harder, to bite her, to fucking latch onto her. 

"Never wanna stop," Riz breathed, tilting his head and resting his forehead against her throat. "I wanna make you come. Wanna hold you and—give it to you, and feel you—so fucking much." His hips strained. He was fucking hard again. So goddamn fast. But it all felt so. goddamn. good. Pins and needles washed over his whole body and he pressed her against the wall. Yes, like that, purred the part of him that was stalking along his spine, watching and waiting. He gasped in a shaking breath. How could he help it, with her against him like this?

"Fuck, keep going and you definitely will," she gasped. "Let me—my arm is—" He blinked, trying to focus on what she was saying. She grinned, breathlessly, beautifully bright, and slid her arm under his head and around his shoulders. 

Riz leaned in to kiss her, sealing their mouths together with a hungry sound. Her arms tightened around his shoulders and his waist. Her leg hugged around him. He whimpered and slid the hand on her back around to her side. He leaned back from their kiss to say something, but Adaine's hand tangled into his hair and pulled him back in, holding him tight enough he'd actually have to use force to free himself. Oh that was—his cock surged into her and he shivered head to toe, moaning hard into her mouth. She was so warm and soft and strong, shockingly so to anyone who'd never seen her fighting. He felt a fire catch somewhere in his chest and he hummed in desperate approval, grabbing and sinking the claws of both hands into her ass. Adaine whimpered into his mouth and ground onto his thigh, so soft and needy and wet. Riz finally broke from their kiss. 

"If you keep doing that I'm actually going to lose my fucking mind," he gasped out. 

"Good," she growled, tugging on his hair and shoving her tongue against his. His stomach clenched and his heart beat faster. She was so strong, and what if she wanted—he still wasn't—she wouldn't, but how fucking hot would it be if she held him down and—shit, no, too much—twisting discomfort and worry and shame grabbed his throat in a vice grip. 

"Yellow!" Riz cried out, tearing his mouth from hers and screwing his eyes shut tight. He let go of her like he was burned and rubbed a hand over his face, trying to catch his breath. 

"Shit," she gasped, relaxing her hands. "Okay," she panted, "okay, what do you need?"

"Just—just wait a sec. Don't—don't change anything, I just—I need to calm down for a sec." 

"Okay," she nodded, gently rubbing his back. She squeezed his shoulder and let her left arm relax straight behind him. His heart raced and he gulped in air. What the fuck was that? He swallowed hard and tried to breathe deliberately. In. Slow. Out. Slow. A nervous breathy laugh escaped. He pressed his hand over his chest to try to slow his heartbeat.

"I, uh, I feel—it's the same as—the overwhelming feeling, and I'm fighting myself. It just hit me."

Adaine just nodded and held him. Riz shuddered and forced himself to open his eyes. Her face was flushed and bright and held only focused concern. 

"Are you sure you don't need to stop?" she asked. "Was it how rough I was?" He shook his head. 

"No, just a sudden thought hit me off guard and I, uh, I'll need time to process it. Later." 

"Okay," she said, clearly restraining herself from pressing for more information. He smiled and sighed. 

"You're amazing," he whispered. "Thank you." 

"Didn't really do anything," she said, "but you're welcome for whatever it was." 

"I'll be ok," he said. "I um, I hadn't, really let myself put it into words, even in my mind, and I don't know what I really want or—it's ok. Crazy thoughts happen in the heat of the moment." Adaine nodded and stroked her fingers through his hair. 

"Just rest for a second," she said. Riz shivered and rested his head close to hers. She kissed the bridge of his nose, the closest part of him she could reach without moving. His heart stuttered and he tucked his face under her cheek with a soft sigh. He breathed deep and slow, and let his arm rest along her leg again. Their tension was gradually relaxing, but just like he'd asked, they stayed pressed together. Every once in a while her breath tickled his ear.

Where the fuck had that come from and why did it hit him so hard now? They'd done some extremely heavy making out and he'd never… Dizzy heat poured down the back of his head as he finally fully processed that they were both actually literally completely goddamn naked. That. Was definitely new. He shivered.

He supposed it made sense, with hormones, and circumstance, and…everything, that he'd imagine them…that he'd be…conflicted. But no. He was not—definitely not now anyway. Not for...no. Riz breathed through the tension in his chest and the lump of discomfort in his throat. 

Everything had been so perfect so far. What if it stopped being perfect because he wasn't, he couldn't—it was exactly what he'd been afraid of and if she—he swallowed hard. He had her right here with him, and she could help, if he could only work up the nerve to talk to her about it. A small but deeply entrenched part of him lashed out with fear, trying to claw his courage away from him to keep him hidden and safe. Twisting ropes of anxiety burned through his guts. He took another slow breath. It's Adaine, he told himself soothingly. She always helped, and this wouldn't be any different. 

Riz straightened his neck and opened his eyes again. Adaine watched him with worry and love, and reached to run her thumb back and forth along his cheek.

"If I," he breathed shakily, "If I don't—I know you've said it's ok if I don't ever want something you want, but if...what are we going to do if, when, if that does happen? I can't imagine it happening the other way, but it might, and I just…" he shrugged, "it's no big deal for me, but for you…" Adaine kept her hands in the same position, warmly holding him. 

"If that happens, you'll tell me you don't want to, and we won't do it," she shrugged. "Simple as that. There are plenty of things I've wanted that I'll never have. I wanted a pet unicorn when I was little, and when I finally met one, it killed my friend and then me. Maybe my desire for something isn't the best metric of whether it's a good idea, huh?" Riz huffed a weak laugh and pressed his forehead to hers. 

Maybe everything had been perfect so far because she really was actually perfect. 

"I love you," he said, feeling a burning in his eyes. "I feel like the whole time I've known you, you've been filling up this space inside me little by little and now it overflows whenever you're around." He swallowed and blinked and tears ran down his cheeks. Adaine smiled and cupped his cheek. 

"That's fucking beautiful, and all I can think of to say in response is that," she laughed. 

"You're fucking beautiful," he whispered, ghosting a kiss against her lips. She closed her eyes and pressed back against his forehead, running her hand into his hair. 

"I love you, too," she whispered, so quietly. Riz smiled and affectionately brushed their noses together. Brought his hand up to hers and held it. Leaned forward again and kissed her deeply. She eagerly leaned into him and curled her left arm around his shoulders with a hum.

You ok? What do you need? she sent.

Just you. 

How do you need me? she asked, with teasing woven through her words.

Loved what you were doing, but I told you I'd lose my mind, he sent back, amused. He felt a laugh puff out of her nose and then her hand slid up and tangle back into his hair. He groaned again, shivering as he stroked down her arm.

Okay?

Yes. Fuck. I want more.

I think we need to be a bit slower and gentler after that, don't you?

Riz whined and dragged his claws down to her thigh. She giggled, but did move her leg from the relaxed position it had fallen into and pulled him back against her. He shivered. 

You know how you like this? Adaine asked, gently tugging his hair and squeezing with her leg. 

"Mmm hmm," he answered, sliding his hands back down to her ass.

I think I would too, if that's ever something you'd be interested in. 

Without thought, without processing, with barely any higher nerves firing, Riz thrust and felt his cock slip against her stomach.

Fuck. 

Adaine groaned into his mouth and pulled away from the kiss. Her lips were swollen from the pressure of all their kisses and his eyes fixated on them.

"I felt how much you liked that," she gasped, grinding along his thigh. "Whatever you want—" 

"Put my hand between your legs," he breathed. "Show me how to touch you."

Giving Adaine what she wanted felt like much firmer ground than trying to sort out his own chaotic hormonal whims. Focusing on her, on how she responded, that was the path to follow. She nodded with closed eyes and open mouth, moving her leg down from his hip. Riz shivered hard and groaned at the feeling of her sliding back off of his leg. Her nails dug into his shoulder and her other hand grabbed his and then—

Adaine parted her thighs with a soft sigh and his entire body was on fire again. She pulled his hand down toward her, palm up, and brushed herself against his fingertips. He felt soft hair and warmth, wet and perilously easy to sink into. He reached gently upwards, curious. She made a hum of approval and moved him with a shuddering sigh. Tunnel vision hit him as he tried to follow her movements and met a firm swelling of flesh. Fuck. Her clit. Adaine was holding him against her fucking clit. She gasped and pulled him back from directly touching.

"Not too much," she said.

He nodded quickly, letting her take over. She moved to hold the base of his palm firmly against her mound. Pressure. Fuck, he'd only thought about her breathless gasp of I need—pressure about a hundred times, and of all the ways he could give that to her at least twice that. He wanted it harder. He bit his tongue and stayed where she put him, only scooting down slightly to get a more comfortable angle. Every muscle in his body was held in the tightest, sweetest, tension. Any wrong move and he would fucking explode. 

Her fingers stroked over his, spreading them further back. Riz forcefully resisted the urge to explore, and his patience was soon rewarded. Adaine slid her hand along the back of his with a shaking breath. Her middle finger pressed on his, parting her flesh and letting him sink in between plump soaking folds. He looked up and her eyes were closed, her expression agonized, and her mouth falling open further the deeper she pressed him into herself. His heart thudded and he rested his head on her chest. 

"Fuck," he moaned fervently. He went deeper, deeper, holy fuck. Her hand was with him, guiding him inside her, and he hitched a gasp. "A–Adaine, Adaine, fuck." He tried to swallow his cries as he buried his face into her chest. 

"Yes," she gasped, "Yes, yes like that," she softly chanted as she rocked her hips smoothly on his hand. She tugged on the back of his hair.

"What is it, what do you need?" he asked quickly, urgently. 

Instead of words, she moved so her breast pressed against his mouth. Fuck. Her breaths were short and fast. 

Please, she messaged. He hissed and shivered, and felt his hand slip against her. He had to be so fucking careful. 

Have to hold my hand still, he answered. Need to concentrate. She nodded and rolled her hips, spreading her hand out along the back of his, holding him to her. He hissed again. 

"You're not going to hurt me, sweetheart," she said, panting and rocking herself on him. He stared. "I need, I just need—if you can't I can—" she moved her arm under his head. 

"It's ok," he said soothingly, gently kissing the soft flesh she was eagerly pressing against him. His breaths came faster. She wanted—fuck she was everywhere, he'd get lost in her— "I just need a second—"

She nodded fast and pressed her head back against the wall with gritted teeth, giving him a bit of space. He heaved in a breath, trying to find his bearings.

"Riz," she whined. "Fuck, you feel so good inside me," she gasped, scratching gently at the back of his hand. His mouth fell open and his cock wept in response.

"Holy shit," he groaned, leaning forward to run his tongue over her nipple. He shivered and gave in to the loudest urge burning through his hindbrain, closing his mouth over her breast. 

She gave a soft open-mouthed cry and tensed. Sweat beaded along the edge of his hair and he roughly stroked his tongue over her. He was going to fucking shatter. He curled his finger inside her and pressed the heel of his hand harder against her clit. She nodded and grabbed at the back of his head, bending over and pressing her face into his hair, gasping his name. He moaned and sucked her deeper into his mouth. 

Adaine froze, then let out a rough sound and fucked down onto his hand. There was no other possible word for it. A growl tore out of his throat and he felt more fluid running from the tip of his cock. God damn it he just needed to push her over the edge before it was too much for him. 

He released her from his mouth and moved across to the other side. A groan shuddered out of her and he grabbed for her ass with his free hand. That was it, that would help. He let the claws of his right hand dig into her and held his left steady, letting her move herself against him however she needed. He bent his leg and nudged her hand away, bracing his knee under his wrist to counter the strength of her hips. Her left hand scrabbled against his back and her right ran up his arm, then grabbed at the breast he'd moved away from. She whimpered and he felt heat coming off her in waves.

Fuck yes, this was going to work. Riz smiled and tilted up to capture her mouth. Her fingernails scraped hard up his back and this time he had the good sense to keep his mouth shut about it. Her breaths hitched and she clutched to him, tighter, tighter, tighter. He held steady where she put him and followed the rolling of her hips. That was a key piece of information from multiple sources, and he let it be his lodestone. If she likes it, and you don't absolutely need to move, don't fucking move—so he didn't fucking move. A straightforward but demanding test of patience and willpower. So far it seemed to be excellent advice. 

So good—need you—yes— Words flooded into his mind from hers. He hummed affectionately and kneaded his hand into her ass, nudging those fingers a bit further between her legs. Her fingernails dug in even harder and her wetness seeped down between his fingers. Riz closed his eyes and shivered, feeling all his senses teetering on the edge of collapse. His cock brushed against the top of her thigh and he—if he'd had any ability to hold himself back he would have, but that was long gone. He fucking rutted himself against her, and still she hummed her approval. So fucking close, but he would hold everything back for her or die trying. 

Adaine held her breath. Her breath hitched. She held it. Hitched. Froze. She grabbed at his hair and let out a guttural moan that went straight to his core. 

It all happened at once. 

Riz felt a soft flutter pulling at the tip of his finger and tried to push deeper. Adaine cried out against his mouth. She clenched her thighs tightly and pulled him as fully into her as she could. Her hand scraped up his back and she held to him like she was weathering a storm. It was overwhelming.

Everything that had wound so tightly within him wrenched free. He had no more power to stop it than he would a hurricane. The feeling grabbed him, almost physically, and waves tore through him. Lava poured into his veins and out through his cock. The prowling hungry feeling broke free and flooded through him. He wanted to fuck her. He thrust his finger, rubbing hard against her front wall. She curled around him, quaking and sobbing. Yes, like that, his instincts purred. He did it again harder, holding her tight and hissing through his bared teeth. He held onto a single shred of focus, desperate not to scratch the delicate flesh swallowing him in. She whimpered and clung to him. He wanted to bite something. He threw his head back and locked his jaw so he wouldn't bite her accidentally. His throat was hoarse from a sound that he'd been making for...he wasn't sure how long. He took a few slow breaths to try and stop. 

Gradually, finally, one last full body clench wrung through him, and he collapsed completely, with every muscle in his body weakened. She shuddered down onto him, softly gasping his name.

"Hhhn," came out of him.

"Fuck," she whispered huskily. "Fuck that was unbelievable," she panted, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "I…? I came so hard?—I can't. You. Riz. Fuck."

He tipped his head forward against her and whined again. She nudged his leg with her foot and gently stroked down his arm. He carefully pulled back from her and somehow still had the energy to blush at the soft sound it made. She shivered through a deep breath and groaned, relaxing completely.

"Just—did what you told me to—what felt good—" he panted. He flexed his hand, bent his wrist, and ran his fingers together curiously. A little tired and incredibly fucking soaked. He actually had some skin that was starting to wrinkle from it. Holy. Fuck. 

They lay still for a moment. He wasn't sure how long the moment lasted, but he was dangerously close to falling asleep. The only thing that kept him from it was how astoundingly gross it would be.

"Wow," she chuckled, eventually, with something closer to her normal voice. "Uh. You came again?" Riz let out a soft whine.

"Couldn't—help it. You—fuck."

She pulled her arm out from under him. He somehow managed to lift his head to help, then let it fall heavily. The movement messed with his balance and he collapsed even more thoroughly onto his back. A few seconds later, the blue glow of her magic seeped through his eyelids and he opened his eyes to see Adaine casting prestidigitation over them again. 

"You're a miracle," he laughed. "Holy shit." 

"Might as well use it if you've got it," she said, kissing his cheek. "Bathroom. Be right back." 

Adaine climbed over top of him, completely naked, and he was too exhausted to react. 

Fucking hell. 

Well. That was definitely sex. 

Riz felt like he'd been spun on his head. He laughed. What the fuck. The weirdest part was how he didn't feel weird. He felt cozy and sleepy. Even with that wild idea that had hit him. He'd deal with it later. It'd be fine. He sat up with a groan to straighten the covers and arrange himself more comfortably. 

Why did his back hurt? Oh. He chuckled. She wasn't going to be happy. 

The bathroom door opened and he looked over with a smile, then froze with his heart in his throat and his eyes wide. Apparently she'd grabbed a nightgown on the way to the bathroom, and now Adaine was walking toward him surrounded by a diaphanous cloud that fluttered around her with every step. The soft shine of the fabric and the suggestions of shadows and curves it left around her made a dazzling impression. He sat up and scooted over to make room for her. 

"Holy shit, you look like a goddess," he whispered. She giggled and rolled her shining eyes. Somehow that made her more breathtaking because she was real and climbing toward him and smiling at him and she kissed him and he felt like he'd give anything for time to stop for just a second. Or a minute. Maybe a year. Enough time for him to find a way to contain how completely dumbfounded he felt. 

"Thank you," she said, looking down with a blush. "I felt silly, but…" she shrugged. 

"No! Why?" he asked, marveling at her, tracing a lock of hair with his finger. 

"I felt self conscious coming back naked, and then I felt silly for that, and then I didn't want to put on my pajamas again, and I felt stupid for that, so I asked my jacket for a soft comfortable elven nightgown that would flatter me, and…" Riz laughed, slid his hand behind her head, and kissed her cheek. 

"Adaine, it is the most insane thing in the entire universe to me that you would ever feel stupid, and especially that you would ever feel stupid about how you look, especially especially in front of me," he said.

"I mostly feel stupid for caring," she shrugged. 

"It's okay to want to like how you look," he said. 

"I meant that, um, I felt dumb for..." she trailed off quietly and blushed harder, "...wanting you to like it."

"The only dumb thing about that is the idea that there's an option I wouldn't like," he laughed. "Have you been paying attention?"

Adaine shoved him with a smile and he grabbed her arm to tug her with him. He didn't quite pull her over, because of the complete exhaustion, but he did pull her off her balance. She knocked the breath from him when she fell onto his stomach laughing. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder to keep her there all the same. She propped herself on her elbow and leaned down to kiss him again, letting her hair fall around his face like a curtain. After a minute a thought occurred to him and he chuckled.

"What is it?" she asked, smiling. 

"Remember what I said about a completely new reason to stay up all night?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Wonder what time it is." 

Adaine laughed and quickly kissed him again before sitting up and reaching for her crystal. A soft glow illuminated her face and he sighed happily. 

"Uh, it's not great," she said, "but by your standards I'm sure it's fine."

"Yes…?"

"Um," she cleared her throat and put her crystal back down. "A little after one?"

Riz laughed into the pillow and was about to say something when she gasped and grabbed his shoulder, shoving him down onto his front.

"Oof—"

"What the hell happened to your back?" Adaine demanded. She gestured and her lamp came back on. She winced, moving the blanket down to examine him. 

"Uh. You...kinda did," he chuckled. 

"What the—oh. Oh shit!" Her hands left him, and he rolled on his side to face her. She had wide eyes above a mouth covered with both hands. 

"I'm fine," he said, rubbing her knee. Her hands dropped and irritation replaced her horror, which was an improvement at least.

"Don't act like you wouldn't be freaking out if you'd scratched me up," she insisted. 

"We're working with different caliber gear, though," he said, flexing his claws against her leg to prove his point. 

"Stay right there, I'm getting disinfectant." 

"But I have to pee!" he laughed. She scoffed and swept the covers off him with her mage hand and started herding him off the bed. 

"Then go," she said irritably, "and bring the alcohol and cotton balls back with you!"

"Fine," he conceded with a smile and a roll of his eyes, grabbing his underwear from the scattered pile on the floor and hurrying off.

Chapter Text

Riz woke up dehydrated and wrapped around Adaine like a pretzel. He blinked stickily and tried to judge the time from the light coming in the cloudy glass of her high windows. Where had his crystal ended up? Probably still in his pants? Those were in his briefcase. Shit. He wouldn't be able to hear the alarm. Reluctantly, he extracted an arm from under hers and out of the tangled fabric of her nightgown. He tried to roll over to grab for her crystal, but her arms tightened around him and she pulled him back in with a grumble. He laughed, smacked his dry mouth a few times, rubbed his eyes, and yawned. His other arm was trapped, but he tickled her side and untangled his legs from hers. A full body stretch overcame him and he yawned again. He reached for her crystal again, and this time he was able to fend off her clumsy efforts. He sighed in relief when he saw the time. A bit after 5:30.

His face flushed and Riz laughed to himself. If they overslept and Fig or Kristen came to check on her, they would be caught red handed. Clothes scattered everywhere. The two of them disheveled and tangled in her bed. Him in his underwear with scratches covering his back and neck. There might be someone somewhere who could talk their way out of that, but it definitely wasn't him. 

He put her crystal back and slipped out of bed to the bathroom. When he came back, he gathered their clothes from the floor, bunching his up into the laundry bag he brought and folding hers neatly on her dresser. He sat down next to her and Adaine wrapped her arms around him with a sleepy complaint. Riz smiled and let himself be pulled back in. It was still early, but they did need to get up. They both definitely needed a shower. She'd cleaned them up with a few spells, but prestidigitation wasn't perfect, and he could feel the dried sweat in his hair. He rubbed his cheek on her arm and trailed kisses down to her elbow. She curled around him and rubbed her hand over his stomach with a hum. He felt her warm breath in his hair. 

"Dn'wanna get up," Adaine muttered, hugging him tighter.

He rolled over and tucked his face under her chin. She hummed happily, running sleepy hands over his back. He snuggled in, feeling thoroughly pleased. He hadn't felt this relaxed since…probably ever, but definitely since…oh. He blushed and huffed a laugh at himself. Damn it. That must have been it. He'd been horny, and he didn't recognize it until he was here on the other side, relieved and cozy. It felt like another level of contentment on top of waking up in her arms.

Riz felt a happy shiver run through him and nuzzled his face into her neck, breathing her in. She smelled so fucking good. He thought of how he'd managed to push her up and through a climax. How her body had wrung itself around him. How she'd collapsed, panting and exhausted. 

Hell, he'd thought kissing her was addictive. 

There were still so many places he hadn't gotten to kiss her. Now his mind was clear and he could actually focus on what he was doing. He thought of the way she'd stroked between her own legs and how close his mouth had been. How much he'd wanted to. He let himself kiss her neck and slide his tongue firmly along her skin. She tasted salty and warm and musky and fucking delicious. 

"Hmmm," she moaned, pulling him closer and shivering.

"I never did get to kiss you like I wanted to," he whispered. "Might be a nice way to wake up?"

"Wh'ss?" 

"The day doesn't technically start till we get out of bed," he said, wrapping his arm around her waist and leaning back to look up into her bleary eyes. 

"Mmm," Adaine stretched and yawned, rubbing sleep from her eyes. He smiled as he watched her. She blinked down at him. "Did...d'you...g'morning? Riz, what are you up to?"

"I just said that technically the day doesn't really start until we get out of bed," he pressed a hot kiss to the other side of her neck. 

"Shit," she whispered. "What—"

"Just offering to give you some incentive to wake up," he said, finally finding his way under her nightgown and sliding his palm up the back of her leg. 

"W'time's?"

"Barely five thirty, we're fine," he said, sliding lower and letting the heat of his breath trail down her body. "Can I? Please? I want to so much."

"Mmmm," she hummed in approval, stroking through his hair and half rolling to her back. Riz grinned and burrowed further under the fabric to kiss his way down her stomach. He kneaded one hand into her thigh and pressed on her hip. Adaine settled with a shiver and a groan. "Sneaky little goblin," she giggled. 

He slid down and kissed the skin of her inner thigh the way that had driven her crazy before. She gasped and reached for him, fighting through the wispy fabric of her nightgown with amusement. Her fingers found his neck and gently spread out. He kissed harder, moving upward. The added element of urgency this morning was a seductive lure.  

It had been all he could think about, last time, while she was touching herself. Since then, he must have pictured the way her fingers pressed between her folds dozens of times. The edges of the fabric drawing in. Her fingers curled and straining, then sliding her underwear to the side and sinking—it had taken so much willpower to keep his hands on her legs and his mouth only on her hands. It would have been so easy to flick his tongue out and see if her taste was as good as her scent. 

He edged closer, gently kissing, gasping when he felt the tickle of her hair against his cheek. He felt...he swallowed hard and shivered. More of the instincts he was afraid to trust. Riz flushed hot. He wanted to bury his face in the heat between her legs. One of her hands was in his hair and the other—oh yes, she was stroking herself open for him, trailing a finger along his cheek suggestively. He followed and hummed into her as he slowly licked between the outer lips she'd parted for him. Her voice changed from high breathless gasps to a deep moan. 

"Need to be careful," he murmured. "We're far away, but people might be awake now." 

"Keep going," she said, moving restlessly. He slid one hand under her ass and stroked down over her with the back of the other, letting his fingers press against her.

"Like this?" he asked, leaning down and gently kissing over her clit. Adaine groaned, pulling against the back of his head. That seemed like a good sign. Riz smiled and swept his tongue teasingly into her, like he'd done right before she clawed up the back of his neck.

"Fuck, I can feel your smile, that's so sexy," she chuckled. He huffed and nuzzled against her, trailed the back of his fingers up and down affectionately. She folded her legs around him. He nodded emphatically and rested his head on her hip. 

"How about—" Riz curled his right hand closed and dragged the knuckle of his middle finger along her, gently nudging upwards, searching. "Guide me," he breathed. Adaine reached down and moved him slightly—and there. He shivered, rubbing his knuckle just inside her. His own body responded, but was easy enough to dismiss for now. He felt relieved, energetic, playful. He'd had his fill and now he wanted to explore her. He wanted to see what he could do. 

"Oh that's—mmm," she shivered, then pressed against the back of his head again. He bent down, leading with his tongue, edging closer to her clit. "Oh fuck," she groaned, pulling his hair hard enough to hurt. He winced and pulled back from her. "Sorry!" she gasped, letting go immediately and rubbing over his scalp in apology. "That's, yeah—please keep going." 

"You don't know your own strength," Riz chuckled before kissing her again. 

That time, they got it right. He swept his tongue up and slowly pressed toward her clit with a delighted hum. Her hands spread onto his hair and his shoulders without digging in. His knuckle slid easily against her and he pressed in further, upwards, just at her entrance. 

"Oh fuck yes, Riz," she breathed out. He groaned through a laugh and swirled his tongue. He felt jittery heat pour through him when she said his name like that. That was exactly how he'd wanted to make her feel. He felt light and joyful. He wanted her to feel as warm and full and happy as he did right now.

"That's perfect. I can't believe how good—" He flexed into her a bit and tilted his wrist. Her fingernails dug into his scalp. He swept his tongue deeper, then pulled back. She gasped.

"—that feels—oh holy shit please—" Her hips thrust softly, dragging against him. Riz hummed curiously, gently squeezing her ass and rubbing soothingly on her skin. Adaine shuddered. Her hands moved restlessly and a few breaths heaved from her. 

"Like that—like that, I just, I need—" She moved against him, clearly wanting more and trying to hold herself back. He relaxed his mouth and nuzzled against her affectionately. "No, don't stop! Please I need more—"

"I just need to brace myself for you," he said, gently kissing her leg and scooting so his feet were settled on the foot of her bed. She stared down at him, flushed and breathless. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and smiled at her, and she closed her eyes and shuddered. "Come here, Adaine," he said softly, "Let me finish." 

"Riz, how the fuck," she gasped, but didn't elaborate. She did slide down toward him, though, bending her knees and letting her hips fall open. 

He reached for her eagerly. In this position, he could see her face. Every little reaction. Her hands tangled in the cloth of her nightgown, bunched up messily around her waist. Her thighs surrounded him. He let his left hand roam around her leg and cling to her firmly while the other nudged back toward her opening. Her heat and movements drew him in like a beacon, and soon he was properly arranged and they found their rhythm again. 

"Shit, shit, this is fucking amazing—you're—you're ok, right?" she panted, looking down and managing to focus on his eyes through her frenzy. Riz chuckled and hummed in agreement, giving her a small nod, then gently, gently suckling at her. A shocked, plaintive look took over her face and her mouth dropped open. For a moment he was sure she was going to cry out. She didn't, though, just heaved a breath and grit her teeth. He met her eyes and let his mouth pull at her harder. Her eyes hardened and all of her shocked hesitation left in favor of driving herself onto him. Fucking. Yes.

He dug his claws into her thigh and breathed heavily through his nose. She was magnificent like this. He shuddered and eagerly steeled himself to withstand her force. He closed his eyes and moaned, staying as steady as he could. A wave of exhilaration washed over him with every solid thrust of her hips. His cock was insistent now, but he wasn't thinking about it. He wasn't thinking about the unbending expression that came over her. He wasn't thinking about how fucking soft she was or how fucking hard she was grinding herself against him. Fuck had he been right to want this so much. All he could do was let the sensations wash over him. Perfect. Fucking. Agony. One of her hands moved back into his hair and he tilted toward her affectionately, feeling his ear brush against her inner thigh. 

"Oh fuck, you have got to be—" her panting gasps shook into sobbing breaths, "the most amazing fucking—how are you—I can't handle how much—Riz, fucking please, yes, don't stop—" Her hand tightened in his hair and she arched backward, spread her legs open, and rocked down onto him. "Harder—" she whispered, twisting her hips. He tilted his wrist to rub his knuckle steadily into her and firmly sucked at her clit.

A small high pitched sound came out of her throat and she clamped her mouth closed, covering it with her hand. She cried as quietly as she could, riding out her climax against his mouth. He groaned in satisfaction, savoring the hot shiver that ran down his spine. He held her close, wanting it to last forever. Finally she slowed, shuddered, and scooted up and away from him with a deep heartfelt groan.  

Adaine collapsed with her nightgown in chaos and one arm thrown over her face. Riz panted and rested on his elbows, grinning. He wasn't sure how all that had come over him, but that had been exactly as awesome as he'd hoped it would be. Maybe his instincts weren't all bad. He smiled wider, crawling up to nuzzle into her again. 

"How the fuck did you do that?" she asked, still catching her breath. Riz laughed, smoothing a hand over her stomach.

"Uh, listening? To you, I guess?"

"I never told you to—any of that," she laughed. 

"Paying attention, then. To things you liked? I'm good at that." 

Adaine laughed, a bright peal of delight. She stretched both arms above her head. 

"I guess that's the upside of dating a skilled investigator," she teased, nudging him with her leg before heading to the bathroom. Riz chuckled and watched her go with a smile. His eyes drifted closed and he buried his face in her pillow. 

How was everything so fucking perfect with her? How had he gotten so fucking lucky? As always, a tendril of fear squirmed into his mind. What had he missed? What would he miss? How was this going to break apart and fall out from under him? Damn it. No. Couldn't he have one thing that was easy? Maybe this, with her, was just good. Maybe they just worked. Their friendship always had. Maybe this would too, and he could just trust it, like he could trust her. Still, worry corkscrewed in like a root through concrete, leaving a crack in the foundation of his happiness. Damn it. He stubbornly hugged her pillow tighter.

Adaine's weight settled back on the bed and her crystal moved off the table. He scooted over, curling around her and resting his head and arm on her leg with a happy sigh.

"It's a little after six," she said, petting his hair. "Just enough time for a shower. And this time, yes, I do mean together." Riz flushed and laughed. She smirked and bright mischievous eyes roamed over his body.

"Why do I feel nervous about that when I just…"

"Made me come screaming?" Adaine laughed. His cock betrayed him, swelling eagerly in response to her words and pressing against her ass. He blushed hotter and hid his face. She hummed and stroked her hand down to his hip. He could feel her eyes raking over him. 

"You didn't scream," he mumbled.

"It was a close call," she giggled and stood, pulling on his hand. "Come on, you can't expect to do that without consequences. It's your turn." 

"What?" he laughed, but let himself be dragged out of bed and into her bathroom. Adaine reached in to turn on the water, then looked him in the eye with a smile. Riz swallowed hard. 

"Um," he said, hesitating. "Are you sure?"

"Are you uncomfortable or just nervous?" She asked softly, brushing the backs of her fingers on his cheek.  He cleared his throat and shrugged. 

"Nervous, mostly." 

"Then...come ziplining with me again?" she asked, kissing his other cheek. Riz laughed and nodded, then gasped as she pushed the shoulders of her nightgown off and let it fall to her feet. It didn't make any sense for him to feel so breathless in response. Still, he stared wide eyed as she climbed into the shower. 

"Come on, Gukgak, time's wasting." 

He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. There was no way he was going to refuse. He pressed his hand against his middle and took a deep breath. 

"Um, here goes, I guess?" he said under his breath. He dropped his shorts and climbed in, then stared at the expanse of her back and legs, dripping with water. 

"So I was thinking," Adaine said, scrubbing herself with a foaming loofah, completely unruffled, "I'll wash up quickly, then you sit in front of me and I'll wash your hair." 

"Wash my hair?" Riz chuckled, electing to squat at the back of the tub. 

"Maybe I'll take a few detours," she said, glancing over him with a smirk. He blushed again and looked away smiling. 

"Whatever you want," he sighed happily, shrugging. Sweet, eager nervousness squeezed and twisted through his stomach. 

"I was hoping to do whatever you want," she said, scrubbing down her leg and balancing to wash her foot. Riz curled his arms around his legs and let his eyes roam over her.

"I've enjoyed myself this morning," he said, smiling.

"Wow."

"What is it?" he chuckled. 

"I just wonder what the hell I've unleashed," she teased. 

"You've only unleashed me on yourself," he shrugged, "I'm sure you can more than handle anything I could ever dish out." Her eyes flicked to his and a bright blush covered her face and neck. 

"Wow."

"Again?" he asked, wrinkling his eyebrows. Adaine giggled. 

"Just take a second and consider the words you just said," she said, smirking. He looked down, thinking, then blushed hard. 

"Oh uh. I. Um." 

Adaine muffled her laughter to keep it from echoing through the pipes. 

"Yeah. Now you hear it," she teased. 

"Great," he said, rubbing his eyes. "Still mortified by the shit I say around you."

Adaine sputtered a dismissal and waved a hand absently, turning her back to the water to rinse her hair. He swallowed hard and stared, feeling his heartbeat shake through his chest and his breath go shallow. She wiped her face and glanced down with a raised eyebrow. 

"You're welcome to join me under the water," she said, reaching for her conditioner. Riz shuddered, feeling heat rise in his face, feeling his body responding eagerly to her invitation and teasing smile. 

"I, uh, I wouldn't really know what to do with myself," he laughed softly. He would normally have looked away, but he just couldn't bring himself to. Fuck she was beautiful. Her hooded eyes captured his gaze and the heat running through him immediately concentrated in his dick. She kept her eyes on his while she ran her fingers through her hair to rinse it. 

"Oh, but you clearly know exactly what to do, Riz." 

"Holy fuck, Adaine," he whispered. 

"So, I'm clean now," she said, staring him down. "Scoot and let me sit behind you."

He scrambled to comply. She smiled and stepped around him, sitting and gesturing in front of herself in invitation. Riz knelt facing her, and she wiped damp curls back off his forehead. He leaned into her hand and sighed, then turned to sit with his back toward her. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips to the scratches she'd left the night before.

"We don't have much time," she said, "but I want to try to get you off, too."

"Oh you're not going to have any trouble, trust me," he laughed, leaning back against her.

She nuzzled her way around to the side of his neck and he tilted to give her better access. Her hands spread down his body until he could feel the warmth of her palms hovering over his cock. Riz shuddered and gasped as both her hands tucked firmly against him. One wrapped around his length and the other cupped underneath to gently trail her fingers over and around as she explored.

"Adaine yes," he breathed, sliding his hands over her legs. "Don't stop."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she said, kissing behind his ear. Her mouth nibbled down along the muscle of his neck to his shoulder. "I wanted to explore more last night." 

Riz laughed again, trying to keep his hips from writhing. Damn, she was holding him just right.

"I just wanted to get my mouth on you," he admitted, lifting his hips into her hands. "Waking you up was an excuse." Adaine moaned into his neck and shuddered. 

"That was amazing. I still don't understand how you did it so well."

"Watched you," he gasped, "saw how you touched yourself, how you react. Wanted to kiss you. Just, just you—fuck, bite me harder—"

She giggled and nudged him to tilt his head the other direction, then latched hard onto the crook of his shoulder. Shit, that was just fucking right, he needed it—

"You fill my hand so well," she groaned, releasing his skin. Her grip slid firmly along him and he moaned, wanting her mouth again but unable to find the words. Her other hand roamed up his leg, up his stomach, pressing into his chest. "Your whole body is so dense and powerful. I can barely keep my hands off of you."

"Don't care what else—always want to kiss you, always want you to touch me—" Words poured out of him without direct input. All his attention was on her hands and how she was making him feel. She brushed over a sensitive place at the head of his cock and he lifted his hips with a whine. She nipped his ear and he gasped, gritting his teeth.

"So every time I catch your eye," she said, "part of you wants me to shove you up against the wall?" 

"Yes," he hissed, thrusting into her grip. "You won't, I know you won't, I know—makes me want it more—fuck this is so good—I need—"

She kept a steady rhythm on his dick and scraped her other thumbnail over his nipple and squeezed. A shiver ran up his spine and deep into his gut. Fuck. He hated it without her, but Riz was quickly discovering how much he loved to be hard in her hands. He'd never wanted it like this. Adaine was holding his cock and he could still fucking taste her. He didn't know he could get this fucking hard.

Heat was building inside him, clawing its way to the base of his cock. He couldn't hold it. He didn't want it to end but he couldn't stop. She latched onto his shoulder. A cry came out with his next breath. 

I've got you, she sent. He gripped her legs hard and closed his eyes. 

Fuck yes you do, I'm so close—

Riz strained, trying to make it last. Her palm was soft and strong and she tugged at him so slowly it was almost frustrating. It was too good. He was going to—fuck, please not yet—she'd been fascinated and turned on by the complete mess he made of himself. He had no idea why, but right now he was in absolutely no place to start questioning his luck. 

Then she squeezed her legs around his, her teeth scraped over him, and his climax hit. 

A moan came out of his throat, deepening each time his body quaked. Riz let go of her leg and grabbed her hand in his. She gasped, then chuckled against him as he moved her harder, faster, fucking into her grip over and over as it surged through him. Part of him was shocked at himself, but a deeper, primal voice purred in satisfaction. He shook. His feet slipped. Her legs held him close and he fell against her bonelessly. She relaxed her grip and he breathed out a final groan. His fingers ran affectionately over her hand and wrist.

Adaine relaxed and giggled behind him, gently kissing his irritated skin. She released his nipple with a small flick of her thumb and he hissed, then shivered, relaxing again. Her hand, cooled with magic, stroked softly around his neck and back, soothing over the places she had definitely left bite marks on. 

His eyes were still closed. He didn't really ever want to open them. Or move.

"I had no fucking idea it could feel that fucking good," he rasped. "I think you broke me."

"Just returning the favor," Adaine giggled. He didn't have the breath to laugh, but he smiled softly and rubbed his head against her. She folded her legs under his knees and wrapped her arms under his, cradling him in her lap. Riz sighed through a full body shudder and turned his face toward her. He felt her arms move and a soapy loofah started circling over him. She must have used her mage hand. 

"Thank you," he whispered, pressing his forehead against the side of her neck. 

"I've got you," Adaine said, rubbing her cheek on his hair. "Let me take care of you."

His breath came out shaky and his heart clenched. His first instinct was to joke about how she'd already done that. Instead, Riz swallowed and nodded, not trusting his voice with the depths of his reaction. She hugged him with a pleased sound and continued washing his body everywhere she could reach. 

Adaine's left hand followed her right, sluicing off soapy water after each gentle scrub. His breath shuddered as her hands moved over him. He felt the tell tale burning of tears in his nose and wrinkled it, blinking his eyes open. He reached for her empty hand and took it, rubbing his thumb over her palm. They were both getting pruny. He smiled and leaned into her, running his thumb over hers to the back of her hand. 

"Should probably get out of here soon," he said.

"Yeah," she agreed, putting the soap and loofah in his lap. "Here, I'll get your hair," she said, kissing his cheek. He nodded and sat up, reaching for the shampoo. 

"Conditioner too," she insisted, kissing his neck. He rolled his eyes and handed it over. 

"It's kind of weird that this doesn't feel weird," Riz said. He hung her loofah with his mage hand and started scrubbing his face and ears with soapy hands. 

"Think we'll get used to it not being weird?" she asked. He heard a dollop of shampoo plop into her hand.

"I think I could," he answered, rinsing his face and smiling over his shoulder. Adaine smiled back and reached for his hair. He hummed and happily leaned into her touch. She worked her fingers through, building up more lather than he would normally use. 

"You should use better shampoo, and use conditioner," Adaine sighed. "Your hair deserves better. This is tragic." Riz shrugged, scrubbing his feet.

"I use a 2-in-1," he said.

"Yes, I know," she sighed, "or that awful dry shampoo you brought to the Red Wastes."

"You say that, but I remember how much everyone appreciated that dry shampoo after a few weeks." 

"We're not in the wastes now, sweetheart," she giggled. Riz bit his lips with a little smile. 

"You, um, you really liked when I called you that, huh?" he asked. Adaine chuckled. 

"Lean forward and rinse," she said. He stored the soap and stuck his head under the water, running his fingers over the top of his head to rinse the longer hair there. "Of course I liked it, you complete dork," she said, smoothing her hands through the shag of his overgrown undercut. 

Riz wiped his face and shook without thinking, and she shrieked in surprise.

"Oh no, I'm sorry!" he laughed. "Habit. It's automatic. Didn't get shampoo in your eyes did I?"

"No," Adaine said, sounding like her nose was pinched.

"Sorry," he said, turning to check on her. She wiped her eyes and rubbed her nose, then looked at him with a grin. He knew what was coming, and squinted. Adaine shook her head as hard as she could, flinging water from her hair at his face. He laughed and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Are we even now?"

"Yes," she said, squirting conditioner into her hand and gently shoving his shoulder. He turned back and she smoothed the conditioner through his hair. Her movements were faster and rougher than before, but they were probably pushing it at this point. Riz took in a deep breath and sighed with a wide smile. As soon as her hands left him, he whirled around and kissed her. She laughed into it and wrapped her arms around his waist. He shivered, then pulled back and kissed her nose. 

"Thank you. I love you. You're amazing."

"You're welcome," she said, cupping his cheek and kissing him one last time. She stood with a sigh. "Probably need to hurry now."

"Worth it," he shrugged. He slipped under the water for a final rinse, then shut it off. She stepped out and reached for towels, handing one back to him. "Just a sec," he said, closing the curtain and shaking hard. Then he took the towel from her. 

"That seems like it would be so satisfying," Adaine said, squeezing her hair in the towel.

"It's like a good stretch or scratch," he nodded, roughly scrubbing the towel over himself. He tried to wrap up in it, but it was so big he ended up draping it over his shoulders like a blanket. Adaine laughed and kissed his head. "Better check the time," he said, hurrying over to look at her crystal. "Quarter to seven," he called. 

"Could be worse," she answered. 

"Always," he agreed, turning to his briefcase. "Where should I leave the change of clothes I brought?" 

"The bottom two drawers of my dresser are empty; you can have either one."

"Cool, thanks." Riz stashed his extra things and dressed in the remaining change of clothes. He heard her brushing her teeth and drying her hair while he pulled out his gear. He tucked in his shirt and put on his vest and tie, but left them undone with hopeful anticipation. He smiled in memory while putting on his watch and rings. 

Adaine came out with dry hair, but still wrapped in her towel. She started pulling clothes from her dresser. Riz smiled sidelong at her, savoring the giddy stomach ache he'd come to recognize showed up in moments like this. She tossed her clothes onto her bed.

"You have an extra blanket and pillow I can leave out under the couch? For when I sleep over next?" he asked. She glanced over in surprise. 

"What for?" 

"Camouflage," he said. Her mouth made an O and she nodded, tapping her chin. 

"Just take the ones from the top bunk?" 

"Makes sense," he agreed, climbing up and tossing them down. He straightened the sheets as best he could with his mage hand and hopped down. Adaine was shoving her arms into her shirt and pulling it over her head.

"Can you grab the other end of the blanket?" Riz asked. She helped him fold it, and he listened at the door before unlocking it and taking the bedding out to stuff it under the couch.

"So, we haven't talked about that yet," Adaine said, pulling on a few more layers. Riz stuck his head out of the bathroom.

"Talked about—oh. Yeah that's…hm." He thought about it while he brushed his teeth. 

"I don't really want to tell everyone right now," she said when he came back out. "There's no way they'd stay focused on sorting through Lydia's files, or properly pay attention at FrostyFaire. Let alone deciding what to do about the freshmen."

"You're right, and it's really funny," Riz said, laughing as he tied his boots. 

"What's funny?" she asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. 

"That they're going to be more distracted by our relationship than we are?" he grinned over at her. Adaine sputtered and looked back with crinkled eyes. 

"Told you we're well matched," she said, smiling softly. He sighed and leaned on his knees. 

"We are," he agreed, swallowing around the lump in his throat. "So. Reconvene next week after all that?" 

"Sounds like a plan," she nodded, grabbing her sword belt and jacket. With a tiny twinge of disappointment, Riz adjusted his tie and started buttoning his vest himself. When he was done, he fastened his sword belt and slid his arms loosely into his holster. He'd fasten it properly when he got downstairs.

Adaine was leaning in the doorway watching and stopped him with a smirk and a finger on the knot of his tie. He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. 

"Yeah? There a problem?"

"You forgot Kristen's campaign button."

"Oh damn, thanks," he said, but Adaine was already rummaging in his pouch. She pinned it to his collar again and gave him a kiss on the cheek, then smiled and slipped her finger behind the top button of his shirt. 

"Also, wear your tie how you want, but just so you know? I like when you're a little messier," she whispered. Riz blushed and chuckled. 

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, humming thoughtfully and sliding his arms around her. "You know, I like it when you fasten my tie. Seems like we could probably find a way to combine those things."

She smiled, loosened his tie, unbuttoned his top button, and readjusted it back up. Then she stroked his hair and kissed his forehead. He closed his eyes and squeezed her with a happy sigh.

"We better go," she sighed, straightening up again. Riz checked his watch. A bit after seven. He nodded and followed her down the stairs. 

The kitchen was bustling. Lydia was at the stove, just plating up eggs for herself after making them to order for everyone else. Kristen was at the bar finishing a glass of orange juice. Sandra Lynn was at the sink on her crystal, griping at someone about a training schedule while she loaded the dishwasher. Fig was at the table trying to teach Edgar to high five with bits of scrambled egg while Zayn floated above, encouraging him. 

"Oh there you two are! Do either of you want some eggs over easy?" Lydia offered. "I can make some more." 

"No no, you eat your eggs, Lydia," Adaine said. "I'll have some toast and jam." She grabbed the bread with her mage hand on the way to the toaster. 

"I'll just grab some cereal," Riz said, already cheating on his plan for a hearty breakfast every morning. He grinned to himself as he rummaged in the pantry. Absolutely worth it. 

"Don't see how you kids expect to grow eating like that," she sighed. "Simple carbs just won't do it." 

"I haven't grown in a year and a half, Lydia," Adaine said. 

"Probably not going to get much bigger either," Riz volunteered, hoisting himself onto the counter to grab a bowl from the cabinet.

"Not eating like that you're not!" Lydia teased, waggling a finger at them both. 

"I'm gonna grab Jawbone," Kristen said, scooting past Sandra Lynn to stick her plate in the washer. "Guys, he said he's gonna leave at 7:20 whether we're in the van or not!" Kristen announced to the kitchen at large as she left the room. Everyone acknowledged with various noises and waves.

Riz sat across from Fig and started shoveling in his cereal. Edgar cheeped excitedly and came over to nudge at his bowl. He sat expectantly. Riz rolled his eyes and picked a raisin out of his bowl with the tips of his claws and held it out. The little rat accepted it and immediately scurried away with his treasure. 

"Nooo, Eddie! Come back!" Fig whined, peeking around behind the roll of paper towels. Edgar ignored her and made happy noises around his raisin. She glared at Riz. His eyes widened and he held up his hands innocently before returning to his breakfast. "Don't give me that look!" she scowled. "We were having fun until you showed up." 

"Well, you were," Zayn said. "Ed was mostly in it for the eggs, weren't you, buddy?" He scooped the little rat up and rolled over so he hovered in a chair between the two of them. 

"It's not my fault that I'm his favorite," Riz grinned and took a huge bite. Fig stuck her tongue out at him. Lydia chuckled at them and read the news on her crystal. 

"You're Eddie's favorite because you give him junk food," Zayn said. 

"Raisins aren't junk food," Riz said. 

"If you give him one every time he asks, they are." 

"I do not! Besides, I don't even see him every day. He just knows I'm good for it, don't you, buddy?" Riz held out his finger for the little rat to rub his cheek on, which he did, happily grinding his teeth. 

"How many bits of cheese and dried fruits did you get every day when you lived with the Gukgaks, buddy?" Zayn asked, turning Edgar to face him. "Were you three ounces heavier after a month? Yes? Yes you were!"

"Edgar, remember, you have the right to remain silent in an interrogation," Riz laughed. "And for the record, I blame my mom." He stood and drank the last of his milk and cereal on the way to the sink, swerving around Adaine on her way to the table. Sandra Lynn scooted out of his way and went to the conservatory to continue her conversation. 

"He enables Boggy, too," Adaine said sympathetically. 

"Boggy eats rocks, Adaine," Zayn said, unimpressed.

"Only the pretty ones!" 

"And he won't get sick, because he's a magical summon." 

"I'm trying to teach him better manners," she sighed. "He understands arcane theory and nothing else, bless him. Not a single thought in his head that has any bearing on the physical world."

"He understands arcane theory?" Riz asked, completely baffled. 

"Oh yeah, he's a great research assistant." 

"You are shitting me." He dropped back into his chair and stared at her with his mouth open. 

"No, really, I'm not!" Adaine laughed. "I'll show you some time." 

"I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover, huh," he said, absently propping his elbow on the back of the chair and resting his hand in his hair. 

Fig snickered and exchanged a look with Adaine, who rolled her eyes. Riz clocked it and decided to ignore whatever nonsense was going on there. He checked his watch. 7:15. He sighed. Oh well. He still had his thermos in his briefcase. He'd steal some coffee from the teacher's lounge. Jawbone and Kristen's footsteps and voices carried down the hall.

"Time to go, guys," he said. "I hear Jawbone and Kristen coming." Zayn swooped out with Edgar, dragging his bag with a mage hand. Fig sighed.

"I'll take care of your dishes, girls," Lydia said, looking up from her reading. Adaine looked up and pointed at her, chewing around a giant bite. Lydia laughed. "You're welcome, shoo!" 

Fig gave Lydia a hug and a kiss on the head and dashed out. Riz fastened his holster properly and threw on a baggy sweater. Then he leaned in the doorway to wait for Adaine, who was trying and failing to rush through the rest of her toast. 

"Maybe the rest of us can put together some kind of remedial bad table manners course for you," he suggested. 

Adaine rolled her eyes, grabbed her bag, and headed out. When she finally swallowed, she turned to him with a teasing expression. She had a smear of jam at the corner of her mouth that made his breath catch in his throat. He looked around furtively, saw no one, and reached for her on tiptoes. Her eyes widened but she bent toward him, gasping when he kissed over the space and gently cleaned her with his tongue. He wiped the corner of her mouth with his thumb and smiled up at her glowing pink face. 

"You had a smudge," he said softly, shrugging and walking to the front door with butterflies filling his stomach. 

You're getting reckless, Gukgak. Her voice in his mind was low and clipped. His heart raced and he looked over his shoulder with a wide smile as he reached for the doorknob. 

I'm naturally reckless, he shrugged. What I'm actually getting is more comfortable. You were right. What's the worst that can happen? I feel like I can do anything with you backing me up. 

Adaine was frozen, looking like she couldn't decide between saying something or grabbing him. 

Jawbone honked the van twice, startling them. Riz opened the door. 

"Times up," he sighed. Adaine suddenly grabbed his hand with a grin and pulled him along behind her. He scrambled after her, laughing as they ran to the open side door of the van and slid in onto the bench next to Fig. Riz let go to shove the door closed with both hands, but Adaine grabbed his hand again as soon as he sat. 

You know what might be fun? she messaged him.

What are you up to? Riz smiled, swallowing the warm chuckle that wanted to bubble up from his chest. 

I wonder how obvious we could be in front of the rest of the party before they figure it out.

He jerked forward and closed his eyes, barely keeping in his sputtering laugh. 

Fuck, Adaine, you're treacherous. 

So...no? 

Damn, that is so tempting, he said, smile threatening at the corner of his mouth. 

Maybe after the festival, she suggested. Just to be responsible, like we talked about. 

Yeah. Riz sighed quietly and looked out the window. They were already turning onto the road in front of the school. Sometimes it's not as fun being the responsible ones. 

I think it balances out, she said. Sometimes it's more fun being the responsible ones. Riz glanced at her and tilted his head thoughtfully.

Like when? he asked curiously. 

I don't know, I really appreciate your...attention to detail, she pointed out, gently stroking down his middle finger. His heart pounded and every drop of blood drained from his face. Riz was extremely glad he'd held his briefcase on his lap.

Holy shit. The responsible thing to do here would be to say yellow but I do not feel yellow at all but you should really stop please even though I don't want you to at all. Holy shit. I need to stop holding your hand. Holy shit.

I'll stop, she said, squeezing his hand tight before letting go. Just a little bit of revenge for that kiss in the hall. Riz tapped the edge of his briefcase with his fingertips, shuddering and faking a yawn to cover it. 

In my defense, you had a smudge of jam, he said. What kind of friend would I be if I let you out in public like that?

Oh well if that's all, I suppose I understand. He loved the teasing note in her voice. 

I love when you tease me, he sent, amused. 

Me too, in both directions. she said. 

The van lumbered to a stop and Jawbone parked. Doors creaked open and bags were gathered up with groans and chatter. 

"Okay, here we are!" Jawbone said cheerfully. "Everybody have a good day! Make good choices!" He headed off toward a group of students gathered around the bike rack.

Riz had never been quite so grateful for a blast of cold air in his life. He hopped out of the van and pulled his sweater off, shivering. Zayn rushed off, calling goodbyes over his shoulder at everyone. 

"Where are you guys all heading?" Adaine asked as they walked to the entrance. 

"Smiting practice," Fig said.  

"More research and essays," Kristen groaned, "and helping Bucky with an essay."

"Practice at the range, then training on the obstacle course," Riz said. 

"You playing again tonight?" Fig asked him. 

"I fucking hope not," he groaned. Fabian called out to them from the parking lot and they all turned to wait. "Hey Fabian, do me a favor and don't get detention again, alri—" he was interrupted by being scooped up under the arms and spun around in a circle twice. Fabian put him down with a wide grin. 

"Whatever you say, The Ball. I owe you big time." 

"The fuck are you talking about?" he asked, scooping his sweater off the ground. He shook it out with a frown and sighed at the damp muddy streaks. Adaine cast prestidigitation on it and patted his back. "Thanks," he said, shoving it in his briefcase for safekeeping. 

"We kissed!" Fabian said, bouncing happily, grinning at everyone. 

"You and Riz kissed?!" Fig exclaimed.

"No! Me and Mazey!" he said, grinning widely, spinning in front of them with his arms thrown out wide. 

"What do you think you owe me for?" Riz asked, following Kristen inside. 

"Because it was after you talked to her and she realized it was fine and—she's coming to FrostyFaire with me tomorrow! I have plans to pick her up and we'll go to breakfast first and it's going to be perfect!" Fabian was practically floating down the hall, trailing his sheet behind him. 

"What on earth did you say to her, Riz?" Adaine asked, watching Fabian's exuberant jetés and pirouettes.

"Yeah, can you come talk to girls for me, too?" Kristen asked. Riz laughed. 

"Remember what we found in the bylaws?" Student president powers? he messaged each of them serially. They nodded. "I warned her about them, but I was...I dunno, clumsy and dumb about it? She thought I was threatening her instead of warning her, and she got freaked out, and Fabian got freaked out. He yelled at me about it, I went and told her about, well," he gestured significantly, "everything, and explained why I'd told her to watch out." 

"What does that have to do with her kissing Fabian?" Kristen asked. Riz made a face and crossed his arms. 

"She thought I was warning her off because I was jealous of her and Fabian and I guess when she realized I wasn't she decided to go for it," he shrugged, resigned to what was coming next. Kristen laughed hugely. Adaine muffled a giggle behind her hands. 

"Are you jealous?" Fig asked, grinning and shoving him.

"Of course not," Riz sighed. "Besides, do you guys really think I'd threaten someone over that even if I was?"

"I mean, maybe," Kristen said. Fig shrugged. 

"Absolutely not," Adaine said. "You'd take that to your grave." Riz pointed at her and looked at the other two. 

"Adaine gets it." 

"That said," she went on, and Riz groaned, "if you were to do something like that, quietly menacing would be your style." 

"I guess, unless I was manic." 

"Unless you were manic," she agreed. "Then all bets are off."

"Alright I gotta go," Fig said. "Later." 

"What about you, Adaine?" Riz asked. "Fridays are usually independent for you, right?"

"Yeah. I was thinking I'd actually tag along with you to the range. I want to practice chain lightning before my class's slot next Tuesday." 

"Oh cool," he said, trying to keep a lid on the eagerness that bubbled up inside him. "There should still be open slots for the taking this early in the day. I'm surprised you're ready to practice already, though. Didn't you just start learning it?"

"Destructive spells are easier," she shrugged.

"Hey Kristen!" Bucky called from down the hall, waving. She waved back. 

"Have fun exploding stuff, guys," Kristen sighed, trudging off toward her brother and research papers.

"I'll walk with you guys," Fabian said, swirling to a stop and throwing an arm around each of their shoulders. "I've got a meeting with Jones first thing."

"Alright. We're closer to your locker," Adaine said to Fabian. "Need to stop?"

"Nah." 

"Well, I want to store some of my stuff in mine first," she said.

"I'll meet you two by Adaine's locker," Riz said, digging his thermos out. "Just gonna raid the teacher's lounge for coffee." 

"I think we might need to stage an intervention for The Ball," he heard Fabian say under his breath as he headed down the hall. 

"Still hear you!" he called. 

"You have a problem!" 

"Coffee isn't a problem, it's a solution!" he answered, smiling to himself at Adaine's peal of laughter. 

Adaine smiled as she dug through her components. She was feeling...luminous. That was a good word for it. As though her joy shone out of her in a welcoming glow. Riz was so right about how the weirdest part of the whole thing was how it didn't feel weird. Just a little of the wobbly hesitancy you'd feel in any new situation. What actually surprised her was how fun it felt to be with him. She'd always felt comfortable with him, but now that he'd let down a bit more of his guard it was such a treat to discover how playful he could be. Not to mention how satisfying it could feel to be the focus of the intensity he brought to everything he did. She sighed and closed her eyes. Okay, enough daydreaming.

Fur and glass dropped into her component pouch. She sighed and added all her silver pins. She'd have to pull more from her jacket, or head to the component supplier in the mall this weekend. At least they were fairly inexpensive. She grabbed a handful of steel screws and a piece of copper wire as well, just to test. 

"I wonder if Sandra Lynn might be able to pick up some raw wool while she's out on patrol," she wondered to herself. She didn't think she could reliably get it from her jacket.

"Did you just say you need raw wool?" Fabian asked. Adaine sat back on her heels and nodded. 

"I think it would be a better spell component for chain lightning than fur." 

"Huh. Okay," he shrugged. "Can't you pick some up at the mall? Or the Synod? You can still shop there, right?"

"Well yeah, but money's tight," she shrugged, standing back up and stowing her pack. She grabbed her winter hat from the side pocket and closed her locker. It came back open and she firmly kicked it closed. Fabian sighed. She glanced over. He'd crossed his arms and his lips were flattened uncomfortably. 

"Adaine, you know if you need something you can always let me know, right?" he said, looking down at the floor. She leaned against her locker and sighed. 

"Thank you, but I'm managing fine. I can't expect you to buy me everything just because you can."

"You kind of can, though," he shrugged, smiling self consciously. "What else am I going to spend my money on but stuff for you guys? I've got plenty." 

"Lo-fi study nights?" she said. 

"Not as important," he said, leaning next to her and bumping their shoulders together. "Or as expensive, honestly. I can't believe you're supposed to just have ten barrels of diamonds, and that's me saying it, so you know it's crazy."

"I don't really need ten barrels of diamonds," she said. "Runestaff got snippy at me about my 'common, frugal' choices of spell components, but she can't justify marking me down if I follow the letter of the rubric."

"Knowing the exact letter of the law is always key, I find," Riz said as he walked up from the other side. He was wearing his sweater again, along with his hat and gloves.

"Hm, I've noticed how much you enjoy skirting by on technicalities," Adaine said, pushing off her locker and heading to the door. 

Riz held in his drink of coffee and firmly swallowed before giving her a look of amused heat with just a sprinkle of irritation. Perfect. She held the door for them and smirked down at Riz as he passed. The yellow of his eyes pulled back so he looked up with wide dark eyes. She loved when he looked at her like that. It made her feel like he was drinking in every detail about her and was hungry for more. It was the same look he'd given her this morning when—she blinked and glanced away with a deep breath and a shiver. She could blame the blush on the cold air. 

"You have a demo with Jones, or just a meeting?" Riz asked Fabian, giving them both space to cool off. Adaine pulled on her hat and tucked the tips of her ears under it. 

"Kind of both. Since I'm multiclassing, schedule conflicts are everywhere. It's easier for her to just have a one on one chat, then spar to check on my progress."

"You spar with Jones?" Riz asked, this time actually dribbling his coffee and coughing. He stared at Fabian wide eyed.

"Not for real! Just a test."

"But that's what your demos are? That's terrifying!"

"She pulls her punches for students, it's fine," Fabian shrugged. "I heard about your owlbear, man. At least Jones won't try to actually kill me." 

"How did you hear about it?" Adaine asked. 

"They won't let the constructs fully kill us," Riz protested, and was completely ignored.

"Oh you heard about it too?" Fabian asked.

"We met to talk strategy that morning and he told me," she nodded. 

"I heard three rogues in our year talking about it," Fabian grinned at her over his head. "Apparently they saw the fight. To spare The Ball's delicate sensibilities I won't repeat exactly what they said, but let's just say...they were appreciative." Adaine giggled and glanced down at Riz. His cheeks were a deep forest green, fading to emerald down his throat. 

"I thought Jack was the only one watching," he mumbled, looking deeply embarrassed. Before Adaine could ask, Fabian zeroed in and pounced.

"Wait wait wait, hold on! Everybody stop right this minute." Fabian stopped with a wide eyes and a wider grin. He bent and put both hands on Riz's shoulders. "Who the fuck is Jack?" He put enough suggestive emphasis on the name to draw it out twice its usual length. 

Riz froze and blushed harder, looking from Fabian to Adaine slightly panicked. She patted Fabian's shoulder. 

"Let up, Fabian, you're freaking him out," she admonished. Fabian looked at her, then Riz, then sighed and stepped back.

"The question stands," he insisted, pointing at Riz and crossing his arms. Riz took his glasses off and rubbed a hand over his eyes with a groan. Once he was behind the safety of his palm, words poured out of him.

"He's a rogue in my year who was there after my course run and he said I looked badass and I said thanks I was just trying to pass and not die. He invited me to make out in a hidden room in the theater building after lunch and I panicked and said no and he was reasonably cool about it and then I ran away and got the nurse to heal my shoulder."

Adaine covered a smug smile with her hand. She couldn't blame the guy for shooting his shot. Just the description on his grade sheet had made her want to drag him off somewhere secluded. Fabian yelled in excitement and shook Riz by the shoulders.

"Why did you say no?" Fabian cried. 

"What?" Riz yelled, shoving his glasses back into place and looking at him in horror. "I don't know him! Don't you know better than to go to secluded locations with strangers, Fabian?"

"At this rate you'll never get your kisses in!"

Adaine put her hands in her pockets and turned away, grinning widely. 

"I didn't want to make out with him! I didn't know him! I barely recognized him! I'd probably have trouble pointing him out in a line up right now!"

"But was he hot, though?" Fabian demanded.

"I guess? He was...fine? Tall, thin, human, dark skin, short hair, no facial hair, our age, skilled at throwing knives, fairly charming and friendly?"

"That's a description for a missing person or a suspect, The Ball." 

"Because I don't know him, Fabian!"

Adaine couldn't hold in her giggles any longer. 

"Hey, come on," she said, stepping between them and shoving them toward the gym and the range. "You have your answer about this mysterious Jack. Can we go? You probably don't want to keep Professor Jones waiting." 

"Shit, you're right. I might need to run." Fabian looked at his crystal, then relaxed. "Oh good, I have ten minutes. Okay, let's go." 

Thank you, Riz messaged her in frazzled relief. She smiled and bumped his arm with her hip. 

The rest of the walk was mostly in companionable silence, with Fabian giving Riz occasional exasperated looks. When it looked like he was about to say something, Adaine glared and elbowed him. After the second time, Fabian gave up with a dramatic roll of his eyes. Riz probably noticed, but determinedly drank his pilfered coffee and ignored it. 

When they made it to the obstacle course, Fabian slapped them both on the back and peeled off, jogging toward the gym. Riz sighed and shook his head as he watched him go, then finished his coffee and stored his mug. 

"Feeling better?" Adaine asked. 

"Yes, thanks to you," he said. She squeezed his shoulders and left her arm there. He rubbed his head against her side affectionately and sighed. "He's just trying to make sure I'm happy. In his own way." 

"And failing, in his own way. Fabian needs to get better at paying attention to other people." 

"He has, though." 

"And he has a long way to go," she said. 

"We all do, about something," Riz shrugged. 

Adaine sighed. He was right. Still. She made a face and tried to contain her irritation. Why was she bothered more than Riz was about this? She was annoyed at him for not being more annoyed than he was. He wouldn't…he loudly argued on his own behalf about things that didn't matter. Things that people teased him about. But when things got close to home, close to his actual vulnerabilities, he twisted away and made excuses, downplayed whatever the problem was, tried to camouflage it. She didn't understand it. It felt backwards. When you're actually in danger, that's when the teeth should come out. Metaphorically.

Riz got vicious on other people's behalf. It felt like another way he didn't take proper care of himself. Or value himself. What would it take for him to defend himself the way he always defended everyone else?

She was fully scowling by the time they got to the chain link fence surrounding the range. 

Riz glanced up in concern, but didn't say anything. He squeezed the hand she'd rested on his shoulder and walked over to check in. Adaine sighed and rubbed her eyes. She checked the sign up chart. Most of the reinforced stalls dedicated to heavy casting were still open. She chose the one furthest from the other caster and went to check in. 

Riz waited and followed her, setting up at the stall next to hers.

"Did you switch?" she asked. 

"Of course I did," he laughed. 

"Why? It's not like we're going to be able to see each other or talk through the walls."

"Adaine."

"What?"

"Remember how I said the idea of you ever feeling stupid was the craziest thing in the universe?"

"...yes," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, maybe I spoke too soon, because that was a stupid question," he said, crossing his arms and shaking his head at her.

She sputtered a laugh as her irritation faded to the background. He smiled at her softly and turned to adjust the runes on the side of his stall. She turned away quickly, feeling flustered at the way his expression stole her breath. It was fine. She wasn't—it was fine. Adaine took a deep breath to clear her head and set up her own stall with six random mobile constructs insulated against lightning strikes. She stepped in and left her hat, sword, and component pouch on the shelf and hooks just inside. She shook her hands out, rolled her neck, and pulled a hair tie from her jacket. Time to get to work.

First, the control group. She held a pinch of fur, a dulled piece of broken glass, and three silver pins in her left hand, then entered the arena space. The sign over the stall door automatically switched to [LIVE] in bright red text and the door locked to bar further entry.

Adaine repeated the Elvish words in her mind a few times. She was often annoyed that so few spells had activating words in other languages, but she didn't mind it so much this time. She could concede that whipping storm blade sounded much cooler than chain lightning. She braced her feet and practiced the movements again. That felt right. Hopefully it would fizzle instead of backfire if it failed. That way she could reuse the components.

Alright, which targets? She watched them for a second, then chose the largest, the fastest, and the one furthest away from her. Should be a decent spread. The hardest part was remembering not to reach for the power through her sword.

Adaine took a deep breath, focused on her targets, and moved through the spell. The components in her hand heated and she threw them into the air, drawing power up through them. They dissolved into pure arcane energy and she grinned with pride.

She roared out the words with a final stomp, shoving the collected power through the spell framework and out toward the constructs. White hot energy erupted from both fists and struck the largest construct first, then arced to the fastest as it began to speed toward her now that she'd identified herself as a threat. The final lightning arc slammed into the one furthest away, which fractured into pieces.

Adaine laughed triumphantly and cast it again, this time drawing power through her focus and letting it build until she couldn't hold it back any longer. She yelled the words and threw her power out at the constructs, fully destroying the first two she'd targeted and one of the remaining ones. The other two were hit and left staggered and sparking, moving much slower. She threw out two lightning bolts as fast as she could, dropping them both.

"Hell. Yes!" she said, putting her hands on her hips and grinning in satisfaction. "That was cool," she said, nodding to herself.

She breathed heavily. That was a lot of power, though. Probably the biggest combat spell she knew at this point. Whew. Yeah, she needed a break. She pulled a bottle of water out of a pocket and hung her jacket, then reset her stall as she stepped out of it. She sat on a bench and pulled off her hoodie. Steam rose from her and she tilted her head forward, grateful for the chill in the air. Wow, that really had been a big power draw. Maybe she shouldn't try it with a copper wire, after all. Could be too much for her to control. She sighed and conceded that she should probably ask Runestaff about her idea instead of trying it on her own first.

Adaine glanced curiously at the stall Riz was using. She finished and tossed her empty water bottle, tying her jumper around her waist as she walked over. His stall was locked in the [LIVE] setting, but she could easily see through the door.

Riz had a small allied construct flying nearby and two larger enemy constructs sending out projectiles and weak cantrips. He'd also had the stall conjure a few pieces of cover, which he seemed to be moving between. While she watched, one of the enemy constructs shot out a ray of frost toward him and instead of casting, he ducked, then winced and shook his head. He looked like he was getting really frustrated.

He grabbed his tiny allied construct and rolled to the other covered area while the other enemy construct shot out a weak projectile that crumbled on impact. Riz watched over the constructed rock and this time when the first enemy threw a projectile he yelled at it. Spell energy did spark up from him and fizzle into it, but nothing like it should have.

Hm.

Adaine knocked on the door. Riz looked over in surprise and got hit in the shoulder with a ray of frost. He glared at her and gestured at the constructs. She lifted her eyebrows at him and made a gesture for him to hurry up. He rolled his eyes and ducked the next volley of projectiles. Then, leaving behind his tiny ally, he vaulted the rock and drew his sword, neatly slicing each of the constructs in half. He sheathed his sword and walked to the shut off, opening the door with a scowl.

"What is it?" he snapped.

"I think I see what your problem is," she said. "The constructs aren't enough of a threat." Riz tilted his head and blinked at her in confusion.

"What?"

"You're not treating them seriously," she said, "so you're not drawing enough power. That's why your spells are fizzling."

"I don't want to be in actual combat while I'm practicing a single spell that's a fairly weak reaction," he said, eyebrows wrinkling in further annoyance. "I wouldn't end up using it."

"Didn't look like you ended up using it much with this configuration, either," she shrugged. His mouth flattened and his eyes narrowed, but he didn't argue. His ears pinned to his scalp for a few seconds, then he sighed and deflated a little. He reached in for the rest of his gear and reset his stall, coming out and flopping down on a bench.

"You're right. Damn it. This isn't a complicated spell!" he griped, folding one leg up on the bench and bouncing the other knee irritably.

"It's different from your usual repertoire, though," she said, sitting on the bench across from him. "You need to use it like a parry, not an attack."

"I know that," he snapped again, then sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, I'm just frustrated at myself. Shouldn't be bitchy at you."

She nodded. Riz took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He absently scrubbed a hand through his hair and his smoldering frustration collapsed into a sigh.

"I can cast it," he insisted. "It just doesn't...something's off. I need more practice, but I don't know...ugh, it can wait."

"I can help," she offered. "I can cast cantrips all day, and actually force you to defend yourself."

"No, it...I'd rather wait," he sighed, replacing his glasses. "I'll head to the obstacle course early. That's more urgent anyway. How's your practice going?" he asked.

"I'm good," she shrugged. "Successfully cast it a couple times, textbook use of components. It's a huge power draw, though, so I don't think I'm going to test the component alteration I wanted to try without checking with Runestaff first."

Riz stared at her. He looked at his watch, then back up with a soft laugh.

"Of course you are," he said, shaking his head. "You know we haven't even been here for an hour yet?" Adaine shrugged.

"When you got it, you got it; when you don't, you don't," she said. "That's how casting goes."

"Well today you got it and I don't," he said. "Are you done, then?"

"Pretty much. I confirmed what I needed to. Now I'll be able to work on a research paper and keep pecking at legend lore and teleport."

"Mind if I join you when I'm done with the obstacle course?" he asked.

"Pitch me a scenario where I would mind," she said, heading to collect the rest of her things.

"Oh let's see what I can come up with." Riz leaned against the wall and crossed his arms while he waited. "You lead a secret double life and have to meet the rest of your cult for a ritual. I let Boggy have coffee and now he's vibrating at a frequency too fast for mortal eyes, and you have yet to forgive me. You've finally realized how much cooler than me you are and decided we can't be seen in public together. Lots of possibilities."

"All equally plausible situations," she laughed.

Adaine shrugged on her jacket and grabbed her gear, catching his smile out of the corner of her eye. She stuck her hands in her pockets to keep herself from reaching for his hand while they walked up to the counter to sign out. Her heart kept fluttering and she felt a bubbly glow in her chest. She breathed slowly, trying to calm down. This was daft. She'd known Riz for years. Things were fine. Ok, honestly, they were kind of extraordinary. Still, there was no reason for her to act giggly and witless.

Riz slid his hand into hers as they exited the range. Adaine swallowed hard. She rubbed her thumb over his, feeling lightheaded when their eyes met and he smiled softly at her. She blushed and felt a sappy smile overtake her, then tripped over the edge of the sidewalk. Damn it, she wasn't watching where she was fucking going because she'd gone completely featherbrained. She managed to catch herself and straightened, blushing harder as flames of embarrassment climbed up her face.

"Whoa, you good?" he asked. She waved him off.

"Yeah, I'm just clumsy," she sighed, sticking her hands in her pockets and looking away with a sigh.

Riz stuck his hands in his own pockets and glanced over as they walked toward the obstacle course. She'd fallen into step with him without really thinking about it. She felt a twinge at the idea of leaving him and had to concentrate to keep from scowling at herself. Adaine, you are being unreasonable, she told herself firmly. Her feelings didn't seem to care.

"You aren't clumsy," he said. "You're distracted." Damn it, he was so fucking cute when he looked at her like that. Her heart fluttered again. Fuck it. She might as well enjoy herself.

"Oh? What could be distracting me?" she asked, bumping her hip into his arm.

"Can't help but notice you're following me to the obstacle course," he shrugged, glancing up with a blush and a smile.

Oh. She hadn't planned on it, but...she blushed as well when she heard Riz laugh to himself.

"I was just on autopilot, but I'd love to watch you do a run through the course," she said. "When I went to barbarian class I realized that I haven't really had a chance to see any of you guys in action outside life or death situations. It's really interesting."

"Just so you're prepared, it's going to be standard boring training," he said. "No owlbears in store." Riz grinned over his shoulder as he reached for the gate handle.

"Well, you endured spider goop that didn't even fizz," she said as she followed him inside. "I'll manage my disappointment somehow."

Adaine latched the gate behind her and glancing around curiously. A few other people were scattered around, warming up, cooling down, or making use of the training targets. A handful were making their way through the course or waiting their turn for it. She caught sight of a schedule on a hanging clipboard that had Friday morning blocked off as drop-in practice time. A bored looking halfling student sat in a raised chair overlooking the area, absently flipping a knife between his fingers while he monitored the people running the course.

Near the side entrance to the gym, a roofed pavilion covered a concrete slab with rows of lockers and weapon racks. Riz headed there first, so she followed. He stored his briefcase in a locker and all his weapons on the rack, even ammo and the small knife he kept strapped under his utility pouch for emergencies. Adaine crossed her arms and watched curiously as he went through and took constructed practice versions of each one in exchange.

"What's that about?" she asked. "Doesn't look like you're going to be using weapons on the course today."

"No real weapons allowed," he shrugged, "even for just a course run. They're sticklers. Back in freshman year I accidentally took a folding pocket knife in and I thought I was gonna get expelled. The monitor that day was a real asshole."

"Since when is safety important around here?" she wondered, following him toward the course entrance.

"Oh these aren't safer than the real things," Riz laughed, patting the pommel of his practice sword. "At least not for us. Just for the constructs. A dead student? You can fix that right up for a few hundred gold if you're lucky. Fixing these big arcanotech systems is expensive enough to make a dragon flinch."

"Yeah that sounds more like it," Adaine sighed, then asked, "Why are you bothering with the constructed weapons?" He looked up at her with a speculative smile that made her breath catch.

"You tell me," he shrugged. "You've had enough stealth lessons to know."

"I've had one lesson."

"Yep."

Adaine frowned and considered what he'd told her and what she'd attempted. How you place your feet is important. You apparently need an exceptional understanding of how your body moves and a stunning sense of balance. You need to know your gear because—oh.

"Ok, yeah, that makes sense," she nodded.

"What makes sense?" he prompted, in full tutor mode. Her eyebrows rose, but she humored him.

"You have to know your gear like the rest of your body to move as smoothly and quickly as possible," she said. Riz nodded, but waved one finger at her.

"Not like it," he corrected. "It has to feel like part of it. It should feel strange to be without it. That's how you know you've honed in."

"So that's why you've worn basically the same outfit every day for years?" she teased.

"So has pretty much everyone else, except for Fabian. Sometimes Fig," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets and turning to walk backwards in front of her. He nodded at her arm. "How often you leave home without your jacket?"

"My jacket is handy!" she protested.

"So are my tie and vest," he shrugged, smirking. She tried to ignore her blush and headed to a bench outside the course.

"I'll head to the library after you finish your first run," she said, taking a seat. "Looks kind of busy today."

"Yeah, makes sense," Riz nodded, looking down at the tip of a boot he was scuffing into the grass. "I'll, uh, try not to embarrass myself." He glanced up with sparkling eyes. Adaine noted the blush across his nose and cheekbones and braced her hands on the bench with a smile. He bit his bottom lip and she smiled wider.

"Kiss for luck?" he asked bashfully.

"Absolutely," she said, enjoying the glow of satisfaction his flustered smile gave her.

Riz softly reached for her cheek and she loved this part so much. She loved when he reached for her with that look. She wanted to bundle it up and keep it to hold close on nights she had to spend alone. His breath and lips were so warm. She loved his hands on her. She loved how eagerly he kissed her. His tongue caressed softly against hers and she pressed back, shivering while she thought about how else he'd caressed her this morning. She slid her hand through his hair and hummed. How could she still want him this much when he'd already—okay, maybe it was because he'd—Riz gently pulled away with a soft brush of air against her lips.

"Yeah, I definitely feel lucky right now," he whispered huskily. He nodded, straightened, and walked toward the entrance of the course.

"Me too," she laughed. He grinned over his shoulder at her and why did she ever have to do anything other than kiss him? Her cheeks burned and she cleared her throat.

He took his place in the queue, absently stretching. She couldn't see him very clearly, but she could make out the line of his throat as he leaned back and forth, and the loose way he held himself while making small talk with the person in front of him. Riz nodded and shrugged, then bounced on his toes and stretched his wrists as he eyed the course configuration.

He'd said before that they rearranged it fairly regularly, so it might hold some surprises for him. He'd said he wanted to work on getting his speed back up, and she wondered how he was going to manage that when it seemed like the monitor was spacing out the runs so three or four people were sharing the course at a time. What if someone was on the next obstacle when he caught up to them?

Adaine sighed at the yearning in her chest. He's right there, would you stop being so dramatic? she told herself. Once again, her feelings ignored her. She gnawed her lip and considered, then moved her hands in a well practiced pattern and whispered the words to summon Boggy into her lap.

<<Plobb. meeb?>>

Adaine patted him.

"Just hanging out, buddy. Research and new spells later, though," she said. The little frog bounced in a circle happily and settled, looking around with wide eyes.

The course took up a square of space about four times the area of the bloodrush field. Apparently it could be configured with pitfalls and traps, but that didn't seem to be the case today. Probably easier to manage when it was an open period for different classes and skill levels. It was filled with all kinds of obstacles, some of which seemed confusing at first glance. A series of hanging horizontal boards with no handholds completely confounded her until she saw an extremely buff half elf with a glowing sword across her back jump and grab the sides of a board and pull herself across, swinging her legs to help with her momentum. Adaine would definitely rather risk blowing herself up with a miscast spell.

The next person in line started out, hopping from foot to foot among a series of tires on the ground. Riz was next. He talked to the monitor, who nodded and handed him a red wristband. Instead of starting out when they got partially through the course, Riz waited until the course was clear of other students to enter. When he did, a red veil covered the entrance and a large illusory stopclock appeared floating above the obstacle course. He swiped his wristband over a glyph on the entrance and crouched. Three beeps sounded, then he took off as the clock started.

Adaine had seen him run before, of course, but often in combat he was using some sort of spell boost from himself or someone else. That plus the chaos of battle made it hard to judge his actual speed.

Riz was fucking fast.

Rather than hop from tire to tire like the previous runner had, he leapt over the first row, then again and again, skipping to the end in four leaps instead of eight hops. She had no idea how, given the length of his legs, but he seemed to easily bounce through them. The wall afterwards was no problem either; he practically ran up and over to swing across bars hanging over a mud pit. He modified that as well, grabbing the first bar but then swinging his legs out and up, catching the fourth with his ankles, letting go and swooping down headfirst with enough momentum to grab the seventh rung with both hands. The last two he swung across hand over hand, then jumped to a pole. It bent down and he let go, dropping onto a trampoline. That launched him up into a rope net, and he scrambled across it like a spider on a ceiling. The next obstacle was a series of posts sticking out of the ground. Riz hopped from one to the next as easily as a child playing hopscotch, and then ran full tilt along a series of wobbly narrow balance beams.

She had no idea what time he was trying to beat, but damn if this was slow? He clambered sideways along a wall made of spinning logs with dents and handholds carved randomly along them. Adaine had no idea how anyone made it across without crushing their fingers or falling into the mud pit underneath, but Riz managed fine, if slightly slower than he had on any of the previous obstacles. The horizontal boards were next, and he hesitated for a fraction of a second before jumping up and grabbing the chains supporting them, pulling himself up, then dashing across the top on all fours. Another bunch of crisscrossed tangled ropes followed, and he seemed to slow down a bit as he wove through them. Two smooth wooden walls a yard apart had him bracing his hands and feet to walk up them.

His stamina had to be flagging at this point, but he didn't slow his pace. Adaine leaned forward, mentally urging him on. After the walls, a horizontal pole was all that was left between him and a climbing rope that stretched up over two stories high. He didn't even stop to catch his breath, just jumped to the pole and wrapped his legs over it to start pulling himself along hand over hand. As soon as he could, he grabbed for the rope and heaved himself onto it. Riz inch-wormed his way up, agonizingly slowly compared to the rest of the course. Adaine glanced to the clock and saw the seconds streaking by. Three quarters of the way up. 2:54 on the clock. She squeezed Boggy tightly.

The buzzer sounded. Three minutes, eight seconds. Riz took off his glasses, wiped his face on his sleeve, and shoved them back on. He caught his breath and shook his head at the number displayed. Then to Adaine's horror, he leapt off the platform instead of taking the four flights of stairs down. He activated his vest immediately, and she sighed in relief, then rubbed her forehead in annoyance. Of course. The stairs would take too much time. She took a few calming breaths to help dissipate the stab of panic that had given her.

I'm naturally reckless, he'd said. She let out a laugh and shuddered. Yeah. Accurate. She headed to meet him at the exit. Much like her trip to barbarian class, that had been impressive, informative, and highly stressful.

A series of beeps sounded from the obstacle course as Riz—well, his timed run wrist band—exited. The red veil dissipated and the next students started taking their turns. He glanced up at her with a smile and found an open space to stretch before his next attempt.

"I knew you were fast, but holy shit that was fast," she said. He laughed breathlessly and shook his head.

"Thank you, but really, my time is shot," Riz said, looking up from his knee, which he'd nearly touched his forehead to. "That was going all out as fast as I could. I used to be able to get to the end in under two minutes about half the time, and the rest were only a few seconds over."

"So now you're merely astonishingly fast, when you used to be damn near impossibly fast."

"Yeah, it kinda sucks. Got a lot of training to make up for."

"This reminds me of watching Gorgug slice through like ten constructs at a time in barbarian class, and Porter scoff at it and say his heart wasn't in it. Except you're playing the part of the student as well as the bitchy teacher."

"But I'm right," he grunted, folding over his other leg. "I can feel it. I can do better than that, and I'm going to, damn it." Adaine shivered at the firm resolve in his tone. Something about the way he always defiantly pressed forward resonated with her. It was probably what she was most—she swallowed hard.

"Well, for whatever it's worth, it looked like a good job to me," she said.

"Glad I didn't embarrass myself, then," he joked, flashing a smile and stretching his arm around behind him.

"I was only momentarily terrified when you jumped off that platform at the end," she said. "Didn't even think about your vest until you'd activated it."

"The stairs'd—" he started, but she interrupted him with a chuckle and a roll of her eyes.

"—take too long. Yeah, I knew you'd say that," she sighed.

"Besides, gliding is more fun," he said, hopping upright and glancing up with mischievous heat. "Might as well use it if you've got it, right?" Adaine coughed out a shocked laugh and felt her cheeks catch fire.

"You really are getting more comfortable, aren't you?" she chuckled. He shrugged, then twisted to stretch his side. His eyes twinkled at her. "Um. I should head out. My frog and I have a research paper about conjuration to work on."

"It really bugs me that I still can't tell if you're making that up," Riz said. "Doesn't feel like you're lying, but really? Boggy?"

<<Burbrrrt! Floughm.>> Boggy insisted.

"He's excellent help finding relevant sources, and he keeps me focused," Adaine said.

"Also a handy garbage disposal and a cuddly heat pad."

"He's a very good boy," she agreed, nodding. Riz chuckled.

"I'll probably be in before lunch, but if I'm not, I will be after," he said. "I have to make that drop we talked about. It's time sensitive." The Rat Grinders' files. She nodded.

"Alright. I'll see you later," she said, reaching down to fluff his hair before heading to the exit.

"Bye," he said wistfully, and she grinned over her shoulder at him. Knowing he didn't like it either took some of the sting out of leaving. Adaine closed the gate behind her, smiled, hugged her familiar, and headed back toward the main building.

Riz crept silently through the office toward the filing cabinets. Invisibility was kind of cheating, but honestly, fuck it. He'd spent all morning on the obstacle course. He was exhausted, hungry, and completely willing to be lazy with shortcuts. He heard Grix rolling past and ducked behind a shelf, just in case. He returned the files and slipped out the door right under their noses. Completely undetected. No sweat. Skirting the wall to avoid running into anyone, Riz took out his crystal.

Ready for a lunch break? he texted Adaine as he headed toward the cafeteria.

How is it past noon already? No, I can't easily stop, sorry. I'm settled.

Riz sighed and leaned on the wall next to the doorway.

Want anything from the cafeteria? he sent back.

No thanks. Not really hungry yet. I'll be fine.

Well I've been climbing on everything for hours and I'm starving, so I don't have the bandwidth to argue with that, but I'm bringing you food and you can't stop me. You're having a break some time within the next hour, so get used to the idea.

Adaine reacted with an eye roll and a heart. He shook his head as he put away his crystal and went through the door.

Fig, Kristen, and all four freshmen were just getting into line. Riz smiled and dashed over to sneak into line in front of Bucky. He grabbed a tray with his mage hand and brought it over above everyone's heads then let it drop along with his spell.

"Hey guys," he said, reaching for a couple yogurt cups. He made sure one was vanilla.

"Helio's sweet sacred silks!" Bucky cried, jumping backwards. He bounced off of Ed. Riz sidestepped, selecting the least bruised apple and orange he could see. Fig laughed and Kristen came forward reassure Bucky.

"It's ok dude, Riz does that," Kristen said.

"Gotta entertain myself somehow," he laughed, adding a plate of meatloaf, green beans, and macaroni to his tray.

"Spells are cheating, anyway," Clarity said.

"Like rope trick?" Riz asked. Ed laughed and Clarity glared up at him. Oh good, the vegetarian option was a sandwich. That would be easy. He grabbed one and a bottle of apple juice.

"Hey! You shut your face," she said.

"That for me or him?" Riz asked, scanning around for a free space they could all fit in.

"Both of you!" she answered sullenly.

"You extra hungry today?" Fig asked, eyeing Riz's tray as they sat.

"Nah, half of this is for Adaine," he said, digging a bag out of his briefcase. "She's elbow deep in a research paper and refused to take a lunch break."

"Oh that's a good idea," Fig said. "I'm gonna grab something for Gorgug. He wouldn't stop working on his project either." She headed back to the line.

"Hey, Riz," Bug said, sliding in next to him. "Clarity told me, um, about the help you need? I'm in."

"Ok, cool," he said. Shouldn't talk more here, he messaged them.

"Yeah, yeah, I just. I definitely wanna help," they said, scowling. "She...we gotta stop her."

"Shh!" Riz insisted, holding out a quelling hand. No pronouns, no clues. I'm glad you'll help. We'll talk next week ok? Let me know when you have free periods.

"Yeah ok," they said, deflating a bit. "I just…" they sighed. Riz nodded.

"I get it. Hard to wait when you have a course of action right in front of you, right?"

They nodded and propped their chin in their hand, poking morosely at their macaroni.

Kristen might be able to help you with learning pass without trace? Riz suggested. Maybe talk to her about it? That shouldn't be suspicious since I haven't mentioned that aloud. Bug perked up, nodding.

"Hey, Kristen—" they said, standing up to move over next to her. Ed slid over into their spot to make room.

Fig came back with a small armload of food for Gorgug, balanced precariously. Riz reached out to take a few things with his mage hand and caught an orange before it fell into his plate.

"Got another bag?" Fig asked, but he was already pulling one out and handing it over. She fluffed his hair. "Thanks, bud."

"Do you keep everything in there?" Ed asked Riz.

"Nah, just boring stuff," Fig answered on his behalf. Riz shrugged and hummed around a mouthful of food.

"Yeah pretty much just boring stuff," he agreed. "School crap, changes of clothes and toiletries, first aid kit, extra ammo and a couple knives, books, references, evidence I don't want to leave anywhere else, snacks, water, wipes, miscellaneous garbage..."

"Kitchen sink?" Ed laughed.

"Pocket dimensions are handy," Riz shrugged.

"I tried to get him to let me store amps and stuff in there, but he always says no," Fig complained. "You know how much more punch my spells could pack?"

"Get your own bag of holding, Fig," he told her. She blew a raspberry at him.

"You ever try using music to help out your rages?" she asked, turning to Ed. He looked up from his food in confusion.

"Don't think I really need it?" he said.

"Yeah, but it's fun!" she said. "Gorgug has really unlocked some cool stuff."

"Raging is really more of a means to an end for me," Ed said. "It's a thing I can do to be more powerful when I need to. I'm fine."

"What about as a hobby, then?" Fig asked, taking a huge bite of her sandwich.

"Nah. I like gardening," he shrugged. Kristen guffawed from his other side.

"Gardening? That is a grandpa ass hobby, dude," she said.

"Yeah? I like to garden with my grandpa, Kristen." Ed looked down at her. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Oh. No, I...sorry."

"Hrmph."

Riz closed his eyes and shook his head. Wouldn't be Kristen if she didn't put her foot in her mouth once in a while. He scraped the rest of his food into his mouth.

"So you like to garden?" he asked Ed. "You ever consider joining soil club?"

"Uh. No?"

"I'm helping them start a pollinator garden with the apiary club and I could really use someone who knows what they're doing with plants. Gertie only knows about bees, Molman only knows about soil, and I don't know about anything."

"Then why are you doing it?" Ed asked.

"If I wanna go to college, I need to pad my transcript," he shrugged.

"Aren't there other clubs you're, like, interested in?" Clarity asked.

"Not really," Riz shrugged. "I'm in all the rest of them anyway." He quickly finished his yogurt and started his apple while glancing at his watch.

"You're in all the clubs?" Ed asked, horrified.

"Yep."

"Dude that sucks," Clarity said.

"Yep."

"What does soil club even do?" Ed asked him.

"Honestly, I'm not completely sure," Riz said around a mouthful of apple. "Molman talks a lot about ph and balancing loam and clay content. And compost. So much fucking compost."

"Good compost is important," Ed said, nodding.

"See, this is what I need!" Riz said, pouncing. "For all I know, vegetables come in cans and frozen burritos." Ed snorted and Riz pushed harder.

"Please, we need help," he went on. "If you don't want to, do you know anyone who might? This garden needs a project manager who knows about plants."

"Hey Bug, you down to work on a pollinator garden with me?" Ed asked them over Kristen's head.

"Oh, yeah sure! I wanna figure out this spell first, but yeah. Maybe we can have some habitats for small animals too?" Ed glanced questioningly at Riz, who held his hands out and leaned back.

"By all means. I told you, I don't know anything. I'll help source materials, do manual labor, and bring in other parties to help. Working on the birdwatchers on Monday. I can help with scheduling too, I guess."

"Fine, I'll at least talk to them. I can give you guys pointers if nothing else."

"Awesome. Thank you," Riz said. "That'll at least leave us better than we are right now." Ed watched him thoughtfully, then nodded.

"Where are you off to after delivering Adaine's lunch?" Fig asked Riz.

"Probably gonna work in the library too," he said. "Obstacle course kicked my ass this morning, and I need to review silvery barbs anyway because it's just...something's off."

"You just gotta get good and pissed for it to work," Fig said, shrugging.

"Hm. Kinda sounds like what Adaine told me," he said, drinking his water.

"What'd she say?"

"That the constructs I was using at the range weren't powerful enough to be a threat, so I wasn't drawing enough power," Riz sighed. "I still think if I was actually fighting I'm not practiced enough with the spell to remember to use it."

"Kind of a skill issue, then, isn't it?" Clarity asked. Fig snorted.

"You're such a helpful ray of sunshine," Riz sighed at her. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Clarity, you have any brothers or sisters?" Kristen asked.

"No, why?"

"You have serious little sibling energy is all."

"You do," Ed nodded. "We're the same age, and you've definitely always been the little sister."

"I'm three months older than you!" she told him. Ed shrugged and placidly finished his lemonade.

"Have you guys been friends a long time?" Fig asked them.

"Forever," Clarity said. "Been neighbors since before we were born. Only kid my age on the block."

"No wonder you didn't seem worried when he was about to throw you into a tree," Riz laughed.

"Oh yeah, been doing that routine since we were like, four or five?" she said. Ed nodded in agreement. "I couldn't reach the lowest tree branches, so he'd toss me up and climb after me."

"Oh that sounds fun!" Fig said. Riz went to empty his tray while they chatted.

"Alright, I'm out," he said, swinging back to grab his briefcase and Adaine's lunch.

"Hold up!" Clarity said, hurriedly stuffing the rest of her sandwich in her mouth. "Cn'oo elp ee ifa—" she coughed and Bucky turned to her, alarmed, but she waved him off and took a big drink of water.

"Chill," Riz laughed, sitting back down, "I'll wait. Don't die." She nodded and held up a finger.

"You have time to help with that cipher?" she asked.

"Oh," he said. "Yeah, sure. Got some of my own work to do too, but I can help." Clarity nodded and gave him a thumbs up, rushing off with her tray.

"You guys still in the library too?" Riz asked Bucky. He looked surprised Riz was talking to him and seemed to swallow nervously. Oh no. Kristen better not be right.

"Oh, no, I've got class now, but, uh, hey Kristen, what are you up to next?" he asked, blushing darker with every word. Riz repressed a sigh and glanced at Kristen.

"My eyeballs are going to fall out if I read any more for a few hours," she said, shaking her head emphatically. "I'm heading to the grotto to meditate."

"Which means I am too, I suppose," Fig said, tossing a wadded up napkin at her.

"You insist you're on guard duty, not me!"

"It's not a bad thing for me to go and meditate too," Fig shrugged. "I need to figure out what kind of paladin oath I want to make, and if I'm going to be a paladin of Cassandra or not."

"Helio's arms are always open and welcoming to newcomers if you're—" Bucky started, but Kristen dropped a heavy hand onto his shoulder.

"We talked about this, bud."

"But she's actively looking for—"

"Bucky, let it go," Kristen said firmly. He made a sullen face, but subsided.

"I'll tag along with you guys," Bug said, following Clarity back to the table and scooping up their bag. "I can study this spell and do some alchemy research."

Riz nodded and headed off with a backwards wave. He slowed when he got to the door and realized they were both rushing to catch up. He swallowed an impatient sigh and tried to calm the butterflies in his stomach. He was fine. He'd just seen her a few hours ago. They'd spent all night and a lot of the morning—do not think about last night and this morning what are you doing—anyway, you're fine, he firmly told himself. Deep breath. Pay attention to your surroundings.

That thought hit him right before he caught sight of Ivy and Oisin lounging across the hall. Riz casually positioned himself between the freshmen and the Rat Grinders. They clammed up and stared as he passed, so he grinned cheerfully and gave them both a jaunty wave. Oisin fumed and opened his mouth, but Ivy firmly grabbed his arm. He subsided and Riz savored the glee that only comes from annoying someone you deeply despise.

"What the fuck was that?" Clarity whispered after they rounded the corner.

Two of Kipperlilly's party members, he messaged her, then Bug, so they were both in the loop.

"So what was the point of acting like a shit?" Clarity asked him. Riz shrugged.

"The point was fuck those guys," he said.

"Won't that just antagonize them?" Bug asked, worried. Riz shrugged again.

"Kristen said you're the cautious responsible one!"

"Yeah, mostly," Riz chuckled.

He looked around as they entered the library, but didn't see her in the main seating area. He headed toward the back corner she favored.

"What the hell does he mean by mostly?" Bug stage whispered to Clarity.

"It means they're all crazy," she sighed. "You didn't pick up on that yet?"

He caught sight of Adaine at the end of a table near the window. Her work took up a pretty decent portion of the surface. Her hair was in a wild loose bun with three different colors of highlighters stuck in it. Boggy was on the windowsill next to her, looking over her shoulder while she glared at a book and a stack of note cards.

Riz smiled helplessly. He felt lighter.

Hey, time for a lunch break, he messaged, not worrying about the noise of his background thoughts. She blushed and glanced around, smiling softly when she saw him. He grinned and put his briefcase and her food on the table.

"Hi," she said, dropping her pencil onto her notebook. "I was wondering if you'd make good on your threat."

"You know I don't make them idly," he told her. "I'm here to remind you that you have a physical body on the mortal plane." The freshmen sat down at the other end of the table.

"Such a bummer," Adaine laughed, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Her body took over, stretching her arms and legs out as far as they would go. "Damn, guess I needed the reminder." Riz grabbed her elbow and leaned back.

"Come on," he grunted, trying to pull her out of the chair. "Go walk around. Go to the bathroom. Get fresh air. Something. I'll watch Boggy and your stuff."

"Alright, alright!" Adaine stood, smiling. She stretched again, then kissed him on the top of his head before she left. "Don't let him eat my pencil," she said, over her shoulder. "It's my last one and he's been eyeing it." Riz looked over and sure enough Boggy was edging closer to her notebook. Riz snatched the pencil and tucked it into his vest pocket.

"Boggy! No."

<<Mmmirm. Brrg!>>

"It's her last one, and she'll be sad if you eat it," Riz told him sternly. For the first time he could recall, the little frog displayed a flash of understanding, and the skin over his giant eyes wrinkled in possible concern.

<<Deeb...phrambl?>> he said, sounding nearly remorseful.

"As long as you promise to listen and not do it again."

<<Brrrreeeghf!>> Boggy happily burbled, bouncing forward and insistently headbutting him. Riz picked him up and he settled. Weird. Apparently Boggy liked him now. He looked down at the frog suspiciously.

"Don't eat any of my stuff either, you little bandit," he said.

<<flobbieng, poog.>>

"Yeah, sure."

"Is that her familiar? It's a magical summon, right?" Bug asked with their eyes wide and fists in front of their mouth. They'd been edging closer while Riz argued with Boggy. They were clearly barely holding themselves back from squealing.

Riz laughed and held Boggy out to them. Their mouth and hands dropped.

"Really? She won't mind?"

"I'm sure she won't," Riz said. "This is Adaine's familiar, Boggariel Froggariel, aka Boggy the Froggy. He has an owl form too, but I think he prefers to be a frog."

<<borrph!>>

"You're so round!" Bug whispered reverently, holding their hands out to accept Boggy.

<<phreem,>> Boggy agreed, sticking his tongue out to boop them on the nose. They gasped, thoroughly enchanted.

"I can't wait to learn how to summon a familiar," they said. "I wonder what I'll get."

"What would you want, ideally?" Riz asked, sitting and opening his briefcase.

"Pink toed tarantula," they answered immediately.

"They have thought about this a lot," Clarity added.

"They're such sweet little babies!" Bug insisted. "They love climbing, they're not aggressive, and it could hang out in my hood or in my hair. It could be great for recon."

"That's true," Riz agreed. "Spiders can get into lots of places."

"Not that you're not wonderful, Boggy," Bug said, solicitously. Boggy preened and burbled at them. "Yes, that's such a handsome little backpack!"

<<fllloot,>> Boggy said. Bug nodded as though this was a vital addition to the conversation.

Riz smiled to himself and dug out his silvery barbs essay. He made a note about stress levels in combat apparently affecting it, adding "anger? threat level?" and tapping the end of his pen thoughtfully.

"So I was thinking about what kind of things a rogue teacher might hide," Clarity said, spreading out the assignment sheet, "and what they might want to test freshmen on. Then I realized that's probably thinking too small."

Riz looked over curiously. She'd made copies of the original and scrawled over them. One or two had been cut up and pasted together in different arrangements, and one of the books he'd shown her had scraps of paper sticking out at all angles. He nodded in approval and scooted closer.

"So I made a list of all the weird shit that's happened," she said, holding up a notepad with scrawls in horrible handwriting, "and I think...I think I don't have enough information." Riz hummed and moved the copies around, spreading them out on the table and turning a few upside down and sideways.

"I'm just casting a wide net here," he explained. "Trying to see if anything jumps out at me if I look at it all at once. Sometimes helps if you've been digging into details for a while. Turning things in weird directions can help too. Makes your brain actually think about it instead of remembering it." Clarity nodded and scooted a chair back and stood in it to get a wider vantage. "Oh, good call," he said, moving out of her way. He walked around the table and leaned on the windowsill to take in the information.

He absently fiddled with a ring, realized he was cycling through a lighting spell, and turned it off. He dug around in his hip pouch and pulled out the now ratty and worn piece of yarn. It'd do to keep his hands occupied. He leaned on the back of a chair and flipped on his magnification rune. There was a smudge on the paper. He picked up the nearest copy and brought it closer, squinting. He held it against the window and turned up his magnification to max.

"What are you looking at?" Clarity asked. He held up a finger and cycled through a few glyphs, then gasped and shoved his glasses up onto his head.

"Where's your original copy?" he asked her. She shrugged and grabbed her bag.

"Right here," she said, pulling it out of a folder. "I don't know why, but I thought it might be important to keep it separate."

"Good instincts," he said, taking it and holding it up to the window alongside the copy. He lowered his glasses again to look at them side by side. It was. It was a goddamn arrow if you turned it just right. "Grab some tape from my briefcase and come over and look at this," he told her. "Right front corner, in the bin with the other office supplies and stuff."

"Uh. You don't have it, like, booby trapped or anything?" Clarity asked nervously.

Adaine chortled at that, and Riz shoved his glasses up again, looking over. He'd been so absorbed he hadn't noticed her come back. She was actually just walking up to Bug and Boggy.

"She's got your number," Adaine said, grinning at Riz. "You'd think he would, right?" she said to Clarity, "But no, he just never leaves it anywhere. His booby trap is he'll stab you if you try to get into it without permission."

"I leave it where I know it'll be safe," Riz said. Clarity scowled at him for some reason, when he said that. "What is it?" he sighed at her, crossing his arms.

"You left it with me yesterday," she said. He shrugged.

"Yeah? And it was fine?" he said. Adaine coughed, poorly masking another chuckle. "Anyway, here, I need to show you this," he said, sliding his briefcase over. It bumped into Adaine's lunch, which he suddenly remembered and grabbed, holding it out to her with an insistent expression. She rolled her eyes, but took it and started unpacking the bag. Boggy turned away from Bug's attention and hopped toward her eagerly.

"If you behave," she said, gently poking his tummy, "you can have my orange peel." Boggy let out a happy bubbling noise and wobbled in place. Adaine patted him, and Bug struck up a conversation with her about mundane vs. magical familiars. Riz dug out his tape and a ruler.

"Ok, Clarity, check this out," he said. She came around to the window and watched curiously. He taped each to the window and pointed at the smudge he'd seen. "This spot right here, looks like a mistake or a smudge, right? But if you turn it and look closely..."

Riz lowered his glasses again and carefully aligned his ruler on the copy. Damn it he needed—oh! He grabbed Adaine's pencil out of his pocket and marked along the straight edge, then tucked it behind his ear. The ruler and tape were absently discarded on the table and he took his glasses off to offer them to Clarity. Her eyebrows rose, but she accepted them and looked at the paper. She leaned forward, then took a step back, following the pencil line he'd drawn through the block of text.

"Damn it!" she gasped. "All I had to do was look at that spot with a magnifying glass the whole time?" Clarity handed his glasses back and crossed her arms, glaring at the papers. She stomped around and started rummaging in her backpack and pulled out a magnifying glass, gesturing angrily. "Do you know how many times I've scoured this goddamn thing with this?"

Riz took the papers down from the makeshift lightbox of the window and handed them back to her.

"You were on the right track," he said, leaning on the back of a chair. "I'm sure you would have noticed eventually. That's the thing, sometimes you just miss stuff that's right under your nose and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Experience helps a little, but like I said before, everyone fumbles sometimes."

"When's the last time you did?" she asked, sullenly.

"Yesterday," he laughed. "That's why I left my crap with you and rushed out. I had to take care of a fuck up."

"Mazey?" Adaine asked.

"Mazey," Riz nodded. Their eyes met and he smiled softly. Adaine peeled the top from her yogurt and glanced up at him before giving it a slow lick. He immediately sat down and busied himself grabbing his notebook and pen from the other side of the table.

Thank you for lunch, she messaged him, amused.

You're welcome, you fucking menace.

It's my favorite flavor! she said innocently. I don't want to waste it.

Riz glanced at her sidelong. She was amiably chatting with Bug. He sent back a feeling of love and happiness, and her eyes, wrinkled with joy, met his for just a flash. A gentle composure settled in his chest and he turned to his work with a smile.

Riz hooked his left arm around one of the equipment cage supports and went down the inventory list held up by his mage hand. At least a third of the inventory that should have been there was missing or mislaid. He sighed. Some of it was destroyed or gone, but he was pretty sure most of it was just in the wrong place. He groaned. The reorganization he'd already done had been a huge pain in the ass.

Voices carried in from the hall, and he checked the time on his watch. Already four, and the game started at five. He needed to get ready. At least he didn't have to play this week. He put the list down on a shelf and grabbed a couple balls with his mage hand as he hopped down, ignoring the ladder. Gorthalax stuck his head in the door of the equipment room just as he landed.

"Hey Riz, you—oh good, perfect timing," he said, taking the balls and holding open the door for him to wheel the cart with the drink coolers and cups out.

"Trying to get the inventory under control," Riz told him. "It's still chaos."

"Well as long as we can keep playing, we'll manage," Gorthalax said.

Riz headed down the hall to fill the coolers, then took them out to the sidelines. The bus from Ashgrove pulled up and he went with Gorthalax to greet them and help get their team settled. A few spectators were starting to arrive, and Skrank finally showed to open up the concession stand. After he ran a few other miscellaneous errands Gorthalax sent him to give the team a heads up.

"Hey everybody, five minute warning," he called as he entered the locker room.

"Riz! We hear you're a great wingman!" someone yelled.

"What?"

"Yeah, hey!" a dwarf named Mercuria said, glancing up from braiding her beard with a wide grin. "There's this shy bard guy I've been trying to talk to, but whenever we're alone he just clams right up. I could definitely use some of whatever it was you did for Fabian."

"What is going on?" Riz laughed. "Fabian what kind of bullshit are you spreading about me?"

"So much bullshit, man," Gorgug sighed. "I tried, but you know how he is."

"It's the truth!" Fabian insisted. "You talked to her and left, and then we made out for like ten minutes and finally have a date tomorrow. You're a good luck charm."

"Maybe he's so disinterested he absorbs all the apathetic energy like a lint roller!" Someone else called out. Riz sighed. Wasn't worth it trying to pin down who it was.

"All I did was tell her I wasn't trying to threaten her because I was jealous of her dating you and to have at it if she wanted," Riz said. He climbed up on a bench and raised his voice to carry through the space. "If any of you guys really want me to tell your crushes that I'm not interested in you, lemme know. I'm down."

"Why did you threaten her, then?" asked an orc senior two benches down.

"I didn't threaten her, Barg!" Riz yelled, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing.

"Then why'd she think you did?" Mary Ann asked. Riz glared at Fabian and messaged him.

What kind of shit have you been saying out loud right in front of a Rat Grinder anyway?

Fabian quailed slightly.

"It's such a long freaking story, and it really isn't any of your business," Riz sighed. A small chorus of oooohs arose. Shit. That came out worse than it sounded in his head.

"If it's not my business why hasn't he shut the fuck up about it?" she answered snidely. More oooohs. Great.

"Honestly, that's a really good question, Fabian," he said, glaring at him again. Fabian grimaced and made a show of tying his cleats. "Anyway, it's almost game time, guys. I'm out. Gorthalax should be in soon."

Riz hopped down from the bench and left before anything could get worse.

They lost the game, unsurprisingly, given their record this year. The team just wasn't working together the right way. Riz could see it clearly. Everyone was distracted and in their own world instead of working together. People would go for the ball at the same time, or wouldn't be in the place they were supposed to be, or would mix up where they should be with someone else. Whenever it happened, someone would get unreasonably angry. Mercuria took a penalty and looked like she was actually going to swing on the ref before Gorthalax intervened.

Riz wasn't sure what it had to do with the rage god, but he was sure it had something to do with them. He'd dug his notebook out of his briefcase and scratched out his observations while he sat on the sidelines in his coat and gloves. No new ideas, though.

Gorgug gave him a lift home and Riz made plans to meet him at the tree early and hang out, helping with festival setup. He seemed relieved and grateful at the prospect of having someone else around, and Riz wondered what was going on behind the scenes there. He'd find out soon enough.

Riz opened the apartment door to lights on and the smell of warm garlic bread, and he almost cried.

"I'm home, Mom!" he called out, heading to his room. He hauled his laundry bag out of his briefcase and dropped it next to his hamper. How the hell did he have so much laundry again? He was one person. He sighed and took off his gear and boots, leaving only his watch on. He headed to the kitchen in rolled up shirtsleeves.

"Looks like I timed it just right," his mom greeted him, scooping a serving of frozen lasagna onto a plate and handing it to him. Riz put it down to wash his hands and get some water. He added three slices of garlic bread to the plate and sat down to inhale it.

His mom came over with her own plate, rolling her eyes. "Where do you put it?" she asked.

"Whhf?" he asked around a mouthful of bread. She chuckled and held her hand out to indicate the half finished piece of lasagna and single remaining slice of bread.

"All the food you eat," she said. "Where does it go, Riz?" He swallowed and took a drink of water.

"...my stomach?" he answered, confused.

"Teenagers," she sighed.

"Y'know, Lydia was griping at me this morning for not eating enough because I only had a bowl of cereal for breakfast," he laughed.

"I'm not griping, I'm just amazed," she said, shaking her head. He shrugged and continued shoveling in his meal. "How'd the game go?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Lost again," he shrugged, keeping quiet about everything else he suspected was connected to that. "How's your case?" he asked. "You haven't been home early this consistently in a while."

"It's after eight o'clock, honey. That's not exactly early."

"In our family it is," he laughed. His mom sighed and tilted her head to begrudgingly agree.

"Like I said, after FrostyFaire, things should start wrapping up," she said. "I've got an early meeting tomorrow, but I should be done a little after lunch time, actually. I assume you guys have weekend plans, though?" Riz nodded.

"I'm going to head over to Gorgug's early, mostly to keep him company while things are getting set up, but I'll try to make myself useful. You remember that rogue Adaine mentioned we think is tracking us?" he asked. She pursed her lips and searched her memory, then nodded. "One of her party members is performing at the fair and we want to see if we can find anything out. Then I've got some stuff to make sure everyone in the party is up to speed on, we still have those old documents to sort through, and I've got some things to return to the Compass Points, so we'll probably be spending most of the weekend working at Mordred again."

Her eyebrows rose and she rested her chin in her hand.

"What is it, Mom?" Riz sighed, putting down his fork and crossing his arms.

"You don't have to manufacture reasons to spend time over there, you know. I'm not going to try to stop you."

"What are you talking about? Why would I do that?"

"Didn't you say you had old documents to look through last night?" she asked mildly. Riz scowled and breathed firmly through his nose.

"Yeah, I did," he said, "and instead of doing that, we had to move our entire evidence wall from the dining room up to the tower workspace that Jawbone and Sandra Lynn designed for us. Ragh finished putting it together yesterday." He dug his crystal out and pulled up the photos from the group chat and handed it to her. "We also had some time sensitive information we had to deal with first," he told her, crossing his arms and flattening his lips together.

She glanced at the photos briefly, eyes softening at one, probably the one of him grinning at the camera while he squatted amongst piles of note cards. He sighed, reluctantly letting some of his annoyance slip away. She handed back his crystal.

"I wasn't accusing you of anything," she said. The soothingly calm tone grated him, as though she thought he needed handling.

"Kinda sounded that way," he shrugged. "Mom, I might not tell you everything, but I'd never directly lie to you. Especially about...about...what, clerical details?" he laughed. "Why would you think that?"

She sighed and nodded, resting her face in her hands. She firmly rubbed the middle of her forehead and down between her eyes, then back up.

"You're right, that was unfair, and insulting. I'm sorry. Still treating you like a kid who needs to be managed. Besides, it's not like it really matters one way or the other. And as time goes on, it's rapidly becoming less and less of my business who you're with and what you're doing."

Riz sighed and leaned his elbows on the table. Well, he had predicted the other day that Mom would be weird for a while.

"The quest we're working on and all our other work is my priority right now," he said. "After that, extracurriculars and making my transcript look great for scholarships. After that, helping my friends and dealing with...life. Well, maybe my friends become top priority in emergencies," he said. His mom nodded and rested her mouth on her clasped hands.

"I should really stop being surprised when you act responsible and mature," she said, shaking her head. "It would probably be more reassuring if you did act like a total dumbass once in a while, you know."

Riz sighed and held up his arms with raised eyebrows, glancing down to the tattoos and back to her. She laughed and nodded, lifting her water glass in a salute.

"I think the tattoos count for at least ten instances of total dumbass behavior," he said. "And the Night Yorb is probably another fifty at least. If anything, I'm currently working my way out of idiocy debt."

"Well, you don't do anything by half measures," she sighed. "No idea where you got that from."

"Mom, you're dating a pit fiend," he said. She snorted water out her nose and grabbed for a napkin.

"Riz!"

He laughed and picked his fork back up to finish his dinner.

Chapter Text

Riz dumped coins out of his jar and grabbed a small handful of copper. He slid them into his utility pouch and poured the rest back. They were going to be investigating, but there would be downtime. He wanted to be able to do something frivolous, like split some cotton candy with Adaine or something. He'd have a few bites to convince her it wasn't just for her, anyway. It was hard to do nice things for her that weren't practical and necessary. Small acts of joyful affection could sometimes make her freeze up. 

He ran his hands through his hair with a sigh. Whatever, it would be fine. He was overthinking. He took a deep breath and reached for his sword belt and holster. Okay. Weapons, gear, cash, crystal, keys. Hat, gloves, extra pouch with a first aid kit. Good enough. He headed out to Gorgug's. 

The forecast called for rain, potentially sleet, overnight, but this morning was bright and sunny with fluffy clouds dotting the sky. Chilly, but not too bad yet. He wished…he just wanted to...he blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck. He still really needed a haircut. He'd take care of it Sunday before heading to Fabian's. Maybe...Riz leaned against a dry spot on a nearby retaining wall and closed his eyes with a sigh. Everything kept drawing his mind back to Adaine. Not unsurprising, exactly, that his mind was wandering, but he hadn't expected everything to draw his mind back to her. 

Getting ready to go to Gorgug's? He thought about what he'd do with her during downtime today. Enjoying the nice weather? He thought about how much he wanted her to be walking along with him, holding hands and chattering aimlessly. Planning on getting a haircut? He considered maybe actually getting some fancier shampoo and conditioner, because she might be right about it. After his shower this morning he could feel how much rougher his hair was. 

Every. Single. Thing. He breathed in through his nose and blew it slowly out his mouth. He really wanted everyone in the party to just know already, and for it to be no big deal. He needed to chill out. It had only been a week. It was fine. He was fine. So why did waiting make him feel like he was going to explode? Why did spending most of the day with her most days of the week still not feel like enough?

He took out his crystal and looked back through their text history, sighing. Last night she'd texted him around ten and he'd immediately put away his work and relaxed in his bed to talk to her. Probably shouldn't tell her he was developing that habit, or she'd start abusing it to make him take breaks. He gently smiled as he scrolled. Might not be that bad. 

It was still really early... Fuck it. 

Morning! I'm heading to Gorgug's. What's your plan for the day? There. That was...that was normal. He stuck his crystal and his hands in his pockets and started walking again.

The street was already full of cars, trucks, cargo vans, enchanted caravans, and conglomerations of all kinds. Two blocks around the Thistlespring tree had been blocked off, and people were out in the streets with camping gear. They were making breakfast, messing with instruments, arguing, setting up unpermitted vending stalls, all kinds of activity that needs to happen behind the scenes of any event. He slipped around and through, then under the restricted access barrier, up to the front door. Gorgug's biodad was sitting on the front stoop with a steaming cup. He stood and raised his hand as Riz walked up, started to say something, then squinted at him and pointed. 

"Gorgug's friend, right?" he asked. "Rick?"

"Riz," he said, swallowing a sigh. He'd "met" him almost a dozen times at this point, and Gorbag hadn't gotten his name right once. It would have been impressive if it wasn't so irritating. 

"Riz, got it. My wife's name is Roz, so you'd think I'd remember!" he chuckled. Riz awkwardly agreed, for the seventh or eighth time, and slipped past when he opened the door for him. 

"Good morning!" Riz called as he entered. Wilma stuck her head out the kitchen doorway and waved. 

"Morning, hon!" She tapped a crystal on the wall and chose a rune, and Riz saw a cuff around her ear glow the same color. "Gorgug, sweetie! Your friend Riz is here and breakfast is almost ready. Come on up." 

She made a face, then sighed and closed her eyes, shaking her head. 

"Well hon, you know how he gets when things are down to the wire. You leave him to me and come eat your breakfast and be a good host. Put your dad on." Wilma waved Riz over for a hug. "You go help yourself to coffee and have a seat, hon. He'll be right up." 

He accepted her fussing as the path of least resistance and poured himself a cup of coffee. The cups and coffee pot were always in the same place—one of the few concessions the Thistlesprings made to consistency. Every time he came over, some new gadget, upgrade, or invention was in the process of being installed. Wilma went back to digging around in an opening in the wall next to the crystal she'd just used. Riz shook his head and sat down on the bench next to Gorgug's chair. Two others at the same scale had been crammed in next to it.

"Morning! Joining us for breakfast?" Gorgug's biomom asked. 

"No, thank you," he said. "Already ate. Just here to hang out with Gorgug since I live around the corner. The rest of our friends will be over later."

"Oh, make sure to ask Gorgug for orange wrist bands so security won't give ya any trouble coming in the house." 

"You guys need a lot of security?" he asked, sipping his coffee. 

"Oh nah," she waved a spatula dismissively. "Just a little bit. Can't have everybody wandering in and out." 

"You guys have to hire them yourselves, or did the festival committee take care of it for you?"

"Not sure, you'd have to check with Wilma. Why'd ya ask?" 

"Oh, my mom sometimes worked private events when she worked for the Elmville PD," Riz said, taking a sip of coffee as he sidestepped the question. "Said it was decent pay for a few hours."

"Your mom's a cop?" Roz asked in a tone that was clearly supposed to be casual. 

"She was," he shrugged. "Public defender now." She relaxed a bit.

"Mm. Not many cops'd be workin FrostyFaire. Different crowd." 

Riz hummed and nodded, taking another drink of his coffee. Damn it. Stupid mistake, giving out too much information while probing. Now it'd be obvious if he went back to asking about security. Maybe Gorgug knew something, or where to start looking. If Ruben was up to something cult related, maybe he had help inside the festival committee. His mom's case, actually...Riz tapped the little flower on the side of his mug. He wondered what had happened there that made the hosts change location, and if it was related at all. 

The door to the root cellar opened and Gorgug ducked under the sill to climb out. He gave Riz a tired wave and unzipped his filthy hoodie, dropping it over the back of his chair on the way to the sink to wash his hands. He got a cup of coffee, poured an obscene amount of sugar into it, and accepted a plate from Roz with a smile.

"How long have you been up and working, dude?" Riz asked when he settled at the table. 

"Couple hours," he yawned. "Dad needed some help rearranging the storage for some crap he's still got out on the lawn. I offered to help bring it down, but Mom said she's got a different project for me." 

"Wilma, y'breakfast's gonna get cold," Roz said. "Those wires'll still be there after y'eat."

"Ok, I've almost got—" Riz jumped at a loud pop and the smell of burning hair. He settled when Gorgug didn't react at all. "—fiddlesticks!" Gorgug rolled his eyes. 

"Mom, we're seventeen. You can cuss in front of us," he reminded her.

"No sir! That was a hard earned habit and I'm no quitter!" Wilma did, however, leave her project and head over to the sink to wash up for breakfast. Roz turned off the stove and went out toward the living room, presumably to get Gorbag. Wilma opened the door to the root cellar and hollered down. 

"Digby let it be and come have breakfast!" she called. From his seat, Riz could half pick up Digby's muffled responses.

"...dn't...intercom?"

"Because I just blew a wire trying to add that illusory emitter I was prototyping." 

"...hy'd … ow a wire?"

"Because someone convinced me some time fifty years ago that those newfangled crystal optics were overpriced and that 'oh don't worry those copper wires have plenty of use left in 'em, we'll be able to manage fine for a hundred or so with 'em, you wait 'n see!' and now every time I want to upgrade something in this tree I need to rewire the room piecemeal!"

"...not...ay that!"

"Yes sir, you did. Anyway, leave your old junk and come eat. Roz has been cooking this whole time and it's rude to let it get cold!"

"...ight, I'll be...oon."

"If you're not up here in two shakes, I will be very disappointed, Digby," Wilma said firmly, closing the door with a sigh. Gorgug stared wide eyed at his mom as she went to serve herself, then glanced at Riz, looking worried. Riz messaged him. 

You ok?

Yeah, I'm fine but wow, did you hear that?

Hear what?

My parents fighting? In front of you, too! Like. Wow, they must be super stressed. 

That was fighting?

For them that was definitely fighting. Mom must be mad at him about something else to bring up old beef like that. She loves rewiring stuff. Says it feels peaceful.

Should we bail when you're done eating?

Yeah. Gorgug nodded and ate faster. Riz took a bigger drink of his coffee. Digby did come up, just as Wilma was sitting down, and he gave Riz one of his usual wide crinkly smiles. 

"Hey there, bud! Good morning. How ya been?" Digby headed to wash his hands and grab a plate as Gorbag and Roz came back in.

"Morning," Riz said. "I'm fine. Keeping busy. School's a little stressful this year, but I'm managing." 

"Yeah?" Digby said, bringing his plate over and sitting down next to Wilma. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and she leaned on his shoulder with a small smile. Riz glanced at Gorgug, but apparently this was unremarkable. 

"Just normal stuff," Riz shrugged. "Keeping my grades up, joining extracurriculars, trying to make sure my transcript looks attractive to good colleges." 

"And making us all graduation plans. And getting Fig to actually participate in classes she likes. And helping Kristen figure out how to deal with her issues with her goddess. And running her student body president campaign. And reminding us about group projects and keeping track of those for us. And ambushing us with snacks when we have back to back classes. And being a wingman for Fabian with this girl he's into. And avoiding this creepy chick who's obsessed with him. And mentoring weird little freshmen," Gorgug laughed. "Normal Riz level of activity." Riz glanced at him in surprise. That was...a long, accurate list. 

"Wow, Gorgug," he grinned. "You're doing four years in one and you still keep track of what I'm up to?"

"This is all stuff I've personally witnessed," he shrugged. "It's not like I need to spy on you." 

"I don't think you witnessed me being a wingman. I wasn't even really a wingman, I was just accidentally awkward and apologized for it, and I dunno, I guess he looked great in comparison or something?" Riz laughed and rolled his eyes. "I think Fabian was hyping it up before the game last night because he was so excited they finally kissed." He shook his head and took a drink of coffee.

"Oh you're right. Ok, all but that one." 

"Oh, young love!" Wilma sighed, putting a hand over her heart. Riz felt his pocket buzz and silenced it without responding. He blushed at the coincidence that was only awkward in his mind. Gorgug's parents could not have a whiff of this or he'd be ambushed with The Binder. He'd be forced to break a window to escape and then everything would be awkward. Jawbone's cabinet was about the limit of his tolerance. 

Gorgug finished his plate and downed the rest of his coffee. 

"Done with yours?" he asked Riz. 

"Yeah, thanks." He handed it over, and Gorgug went to wash their plates. 

"I'm on dish duty, bud," Gorbag said. "Just leave it and I'll get it with everything else." Gorgug shrugged and nodded. 

"So, what do you guys need help with for setup?" Gorgug asked. Digby opened his mouth and Riz saw Wilma's arm move onto his leg. His mouth closed. She grinned widely at Gorgug.

"Oh we're fine, sweetie. Why don't you guys just hang out or get some school work done or, really, we're fine. You just do your own thing. This festival is our project." 

"Uh. Okay, I guess?" Gorgug said. "I said I'd help, and Riz offered too." Riz nodded, glancing around. 

Roz was hiding a smirk behind her hand and Gorbag wouldn't look anyone in the eye. Digby looked irritated and Wilma was trying to get rid of them. Oh no. He didn't know what was going on, but he did know he didn't want to know what was going on, and he was pretty sure Gorgug wouldn't want to either. 

"Oh, Roz mentioned that we should grab bands for everyone in our party?" Riz threw out. 

"Yes! That's a good idea. Here, come with me, boys," Wilma said, bustling off into the office. Gorgug grabbed his sweatshirt and they followed.

"Here you go, just the six of you, right?" she asked, handing them over to Gorgug. 

"I think Fabian is bringing Mazey and Kristen is bringing Gertie," Riz told him. 

"I'm thinking six is fine," Gorgug said. "We probably won't have to come inside anyway until the festival is over. We can always come in the back, too." Riz shrugged. Wilma edged out behind Gorgug and went back to the kitchen. Riz didn't call attention to it in case whatever he didn't want to know about blew up in his face.

"Makes sense," he said, pulling his crystal out to check it. He had a couple texts from Adaine at this point.

You're up early. You slept, right? 

Your silence makes me suspicious, but I'm choosing to believe it's because you're on the way to Gorgug's or chatting with people there and not because you're avoiding the question. 

Anyway the festival starts at ten, right? Jawbone was going to drop us off after that. He's going to stop and pick up Gertie, too. 

"Adaine says the Mordred crew plans to bring Gertie and show up after the festival starts," he told Gorgug, who nodded. 

"Why don't we go to Fabian's and load up your birthday present? We can at least get a couple loads done." 

"Oh that's a good idea. You sure you don't want to...get started on homework or something? You must have a ton." 

"Oh I do, but I've got a bad case of the fuckits this morning. I'ma go grab a clean hoodie and then we can go."

"Sure," Riz said. He followed him to the living room and sat in a chair to wait. He smiled at Adaine's texts and tapped his fingers on his leg. 

I slept. Before midnight like I promised. Up at five, had a shower and a balanced breakfast, brushed my teeth, flossed, tied my shoes all on my own like a big boy, AND I remembered my keys when I left the house.

Adaine sent back a gold star and air huffed firmly out his nose.

Gorgug's parents are being weird about something (just parent weird, not suspicious weird) so we're going to bail. He'll help me get my load of snacks from Fabian's place. If there's time after, should I suggest we come hang until the festival? I get the feeling Gorgug is getting tired of everything and everyone being in his space. 

She answered just as he heard Gorgug coming down the stairs. 

If you have time, yeah. We can show Gorgug the new meeting area, bring him up to speed on everything.

His heart fluttered and he smiled. 

I was hoping to find an excuse to sneakily cuddle, but my heart skipped a beat when you started planning. Either I'm weird or you're perfect. Probably both.

"Ready, dude?" Gorgug asked. He'd also grabbed his weapons and gear. Riz jumped up, nodding, ignoring his blush and powering through. 

"Yeah. You can't leave through the front entrance, right? How are you guys managing?

"The back's cleared out. Only our family and friends, festival staff, and the headliners are allowed out there." Gorgug gave him a significant side eye. 

"Got it," Riz nodded. I'll check it out, he messaged him. His pocket buzzed. 

If we're creative, I'm pretty sure we can manage both work and cuddles. <3 

We're leaving now, gotta go. I'll let you know if there's enough time. He texted back. Riz bit the inside of his cheek and sent a follow up. Also you are a beautiful genius troublemaker and I can't wait to see you.

He firmly shoved his phone in his pocket, ignored his stomach ache, and focused on the space around him as they left the tree. In addition to Gorgug's van and the Thistlesprings' car, there were two unmarked white vans parked back there. One was open and a dragonborn woman covered in piercings and artfully ripped black clothes was doing something involving a lot of crystals and cords. She hollered around the corner and a reedy old man's voice answered, something about load balancing. Riz glanced under the vans and briefly inside the open one. He didn't see anything suspicious, but he also wasn't really an expert. 

This all normal? he asked Gorgug.

Far as I can tell.

Have you seen inside the other one?

No. 

Distract her while I check it out.

What? Just distract her? I'm not Fig or Fabian dude!

Technical questions? 

I...but...yeah ok. Gorgug sighed, squared his shoulders, and went around the corner of the van. 

Riz quickly checked the perimeter of the van and tested the doors. All locked. He climbed up to peek into the cab. Some take out garbage, a couple ratty paperbacks, receipts...what's that? The corner of a blue folder sticking out from under the bottom of the seat. He dropped to the ground and looked around, listening. Gorgug was asking awkward questions and the dragonborn woman was being patient with him, but she sounded a little annoyed. Birds. One of the neighbors down the block was yelling at a barking dog. Nothing else. He quickly picked the lock, snatched the folder, and closed and locked the door behind him. 

FrostyFaire Folk Music Festival Setup was across the front in black block lettering. Might be useless, but worth a glance. He shoved it up the back of his vest and tightened his holster until it was uncomfortable. That should hold for a few minutes. Ok, now the back. He popped the lock and unlatched the door, activating the recording function on his tie. He squinted into the dark, waiting for his eyes to adjust. Seemed like just tools and A\V equipment, but if—

"Hey! Get the hell outta there! The fuck you after, boy?" Shit. Possibilities ran through his mind and he grabbed onto a believable lie that presented itself. 

"Oh, hi!" Riz said, "I'm here to help out!" 

He grinned enthusiastically as he turned and hopped down. He swung on the door to open it wider and expose the inside of the van for a better look. The wizened goblin man who'd yelled at him scowled and came over to slam it shut. He stood between Riz and the van with his arms crossed. He was wearing goggles on his head and overalls covered in pockets. Tools, crystals, and cords stuck out everywhere. He was nearly a foot shorter than Riz, wrinkled everywhere, and completely bald—except for his droopy ears, which were covered in wiry white hair. He wasn't wearing shoes, and he was old as hell. At least seventy five. Maybe two hundred seventy five. He smelled like pickles. 

"Help out my wrinkly green ass! Get outta here ya goddamn punk!" he yelled, flapping his arms. "Tryna steal my gear!" 

"I wasn't trying to steal anything!" Riz cried, trying to look as earnest as possible. "My name's Riz, I'm Gorgug Thistlespring's friend," he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "I came over to help with festival setup. I'm in the A\V club at our school and—" The old man's scowl deepened impressively, helped along by all his missing teeth. He started yelling and Riz leaned back to avoid flying spit.

"I don't care who y'are or what ya say—" 

"Porvil would you calm down," sighed someone from behind Riz. "They're just a couple curious kids." The woman Gorgug was supposed to be distracting came over and steered the ancient goblin away from Riz, down between the vans. He went, grumbling and glaring over his shoulder the whole time. 

"Uh, sorry for upsetting him?" Riz offered. Gorgug walked up behind him. The woman rolled her eyes.

"What doesn't upset him? Don't stress, he'll get over it. You guys better go, though, or we'll have a repeat performance. I get it, this shit's cool, but we have work to get done. Catch me after the festival when we're tearing down and I'll have time to talk shop, alright?" She gave them both a friendly but firmly dismissive smile. Gorgug nudged Riz, who sighed as though in disappointed understanding and nodded. 

"Yeah, alright. Thanks. We'll get out of your way," he said, "awkwardly adjusting" his tie to stop recording. "Come on, Gorgug, let's head over to Fabian's." 

He trudged away, keeping Gorgug behind him until he could hop up into the van. When they'd pulled out and headed down the street, Riz finally loosened his holster again and pulled the folder out of his vest. 

"Oh, cool, you actually found something?" Gorgug said, surprised. 

"Finding something isn't that big a deal," Riz shrugged, flipping the folder open. "There's all kinds of things to find. Finding something useful, that's the cool thing." Checklists, schedules, a flattened piece of dried egg roll that Riz threw out the window with the tips of his claws. "Not sure which this is. Some administrative paperwork for the festival. To-do lists and stuff." 

"Well, if it's useless we're no worse off," Gorgug shrugged. 

"That's why I grabbed it. I just saw tools and A\V equipment in the back of the van. Of course, I really only got a glance before that guy caught me. I got a short recording we can check later if we want."

"These guys seem legit, even if Ruben isn't." 

"When's Ruben's band supposed to show up?" 

"They were supposed to be there first thing rehearsing," Gorgug scowled. "Slackers." Riz nodded and hummed. He tossed the folder onto the dashboard and sighed. He tried to let his mind wander, but his thoughts slid right back into Adaine's gravity well. Damn it. He opened his eyes. Almost to Fabian's. They'd—oh crap. 

"Uh, I just realized, Fabian's probably not home," Riz said. "Remember, he was going to breakfast with Mazey this morning before the festival?"

"Oh. Yeah. Damn," Gorgug sighed, pulling into Fabian's driveway. Sure enough, he didn't answer the intercom. Riz texted and got no response.

"Well, if you don't want to go home, we could go hang at Mordred until the festival. We have plenty of work to get done there, and you've missed a few things that happened this week." 

"Yeah, let's do that. If I go back to my place I'll just be sulking in my room to avoid all the noise and chaos," Gorgug said. Riz nodded sympathetically while he texted the group chat a warning they were heading over. 

"So, I was wondering," Riz said, "do you know how your parents were picked to host the festival this year? Is it something they planned on for a while?" Gorgug gave him a skeptical sidelong glance. 

"Why are you asking?" he asked. Riz laughed. 

"I'm proud of everyone for getting more suspicious, but it makes it harder to get things past you guys," he said. "My mom's case apparently has something to do with the previous hosts or the previous location it was held. She said that your parents are hosting it because there were problems that came up, but that they didn't have anything to do with it. I'm wondering...just trying to figure out possibilities. Maybe it's a coincidence and isn't connected to anything." 

"Well, I overheard my mom and Roz talking about the previous hosts skimming off the top." 

"Hm. Surprised the hosts would have access to the accounts to embezzle...but then again, they did get caught, so..."

"I think it was more like mismanagement of funds. Instead of spending it on the festival they spent it on themselves and fudged the numbers, kinda thing."

"Hm. Well I'll add it to the board when we get there—oh you haven't seen the new tower space in person! It's really nice. Fig says the acoustics are 'interesting,' and I don't know music but I do know that if she says something is interesting it means it's freaking wild."

"Hm. Cool." 

Riz glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, noting the bags under his eyes and the frown even when he was relaxed. He repressed a sigh. This wasn't sustainable. It might actually be better for Gorgug if they did end up taking the last stand, because then he'd be able to sleep. As long as they passed. He should look up the statistics of parties that passed and what their class make up and strategies were. Maybe there were video archives Shellford could help him find.

He pulled up the notes app on his crystal and added the things he'd found to look into this morning. Last stand archives, records of past FrostyFaire hosts and possible connection to Rat Grinders, go through the to-do list and schedules he'd found. He tapped his foot. Depending on what happened at the festival, it was probably best to start with bringing everyone up to speed about the freshmen, then try to plan out their next moves.

Riz checked his watch. Not quite eight, so they had a few hours left before the festival even started. They could probably make decent headway on the documents about Bakur. They were just passing the school. He bounced one knee and tapped his claws on the door handle. They were generally suspicious about the Rat Grinders, but they didn't have anything specific they were looking for today. He'd like to narrow it down if they could.

"Do you know of any long lasting bard spells?" Riz asked. "Things like wards or simulacra, that last until they're destroyed?"

"Eh, that's a better question for Fig," Gorgug said. "I don't know of any, but they might have made up something new like I'm trying with rage and rhythm."

"Hmm," he nodded. "I do think it's a good idea to keep an eye on Ruben at the festival, and keep an eye out for other Rat Grinders, but I wish I could figure out something specific to look for."

"Yeah, maybe Fig or Adaine can help with that," Gorgug shrugged. "I don't trust that they'd pass up a juicy target if they're trying to enthrall people."

"Mm. I don't think they're at their endgame yet, do you?"

"I don't know, but we also don't know what they got up to this summer when we weren't around," Gorgug said. Riz closed his eyes, bouncing his knee faster.

"There's an uncomfortable thought," he sighed. "If we're too late, what contingencies can we set up?"

"Good brainstorming fodder," Gorgug said. "We're almost there."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right," Riz nodded, running his hands down his thighs and trying to get his nerves to settle. Soon enough, they pulled into Mordred's driveway. He grabbed the folder before hopping out of the van. They went to the back door, which was more likely to be unlocked at this time of day. Sandra Lynn met them walking in from the aerie. She'd probably just finished tending to Baxter after their evening shift the night before.

"Morning, boys," she said, unbuckling her bracers as she walked toward them. "You're here early. Something come up?"

"Just a change of plans," Riz said. "The Thistlesprings didn't want us underfoot during setup so we came over to hang out and look through that research Lydia brought back." She nodded.

"Well, Adaine's probably awake. Kristen...fifty/fifty I'd guess. You'll have to blast Fig out of her room with dynamite if you want her up before ten."

"We could get Adaine to use ray of frost," Gorgug said, holding the back door for the two of them. Sandra Lynn snorted a laugh.

"Probably won't work. Last year I tried getting her up by emptying a couple trays of ice into her bed, but they just melted and dried in a few minutes."

"Witch bolt?" Riz suggested, grinning. Gorgug laughed. Sandra Lynn cleared her throat and smiled.

"I did not hear any of these plans and certainly don't endorse them," she said carefully. Jawbone handed her a cup of coffee as she entered and she gave him a kiss on the cheek in exchange.

"Brought in some strays?" Jawbone asked her. "Morning, guys."

"Wandered in on their own," she said, rummaging in the fridge. "We have leftovers? I'm starving."

"Ragh made enchiladas night before last," he answered. "Think there's some of those left."

"Score," Sandra Lynn gasped, heading to the microwave with a container.

"Can I offer you guys some breakfast?" Jawbone asked. "I was just about to start some oatmeal for myself."

"No thanks," Gorgug said. "Just finished mine."

"I'm good," Riz said. "Any of the girls up yet?"

"Haven't seen them, but I think I heard Adaine's shower a little while ago."

Gorgug climbed around behind the table to sit in the back corner out of the way. Riz sat next to him and opened the folder he'd swiped. There was an org chart of staff working setup and teardown, a map of the festival grounds, a code of conduct, a diagram of the sound system, a gear inventory list, a checklist...he looked through for any personal papers, but found none. Gorgug picked up the sound system diagram and flipped through it.

That was it, except...huh. Why was there dirt in the pockets of the folder? He rubbed a bit of it through his fingers, but couldn't find anything weird about it. Maybe Molman could check it out. Riz grabbed a baggie from a kitchen drawer.

"Can you hold this open?" he asked Gorgug, then tapped the dirt into it while he did.

"What's that?" Gorgug asked.

"Dirt, I think? Don't know why it's in here, so…" he shrugged and put it aside on top of the folder.

Nothing stood out on the documents, so he activated a few glyphs on his glasses and started looking over everything page by page. This seemed to only belong to the little old man, not both techs. There were a few notes haphazardly jotted around, in Goblin, in a carefully precise but wobbly hand. Mostly adjusting numbers of equipment or a few checklist items skipped and a reason noted. Some contact information in the margins. Riz chewed on his lip.

"Anything seem weird with the sound system or gear?" he asked Gorgug.

"Not that I can see," he shrugged, handing the pages back and laying his head down on his arms.

"This looks like a bust," Riz sighed, stacking everything up. He dismissed the enchantments on his glasses and started looking through the main checklist again. That security company name might ring a bell. He made a note on his crystal to check it. He heard Adaine's footsteps and her and Zayn's voices in the hallway.

"—be okay, but the copper is probably dangerous." Zayn was saying.

"Yeah, that makes sense," Adaine said. "That was my concern. I'll check with Runestaff first, anyway, but I really do want to try the wool and the steel and see what happens."

"Let me and Kristen know before you try it, in case something goes haywire," he said, sounding concerned. "Lightning can fuck you up if you're not careful."

"I'll make sure to do my experiments in class, so it'll be Runestaff's problem." Adaine said. She caught Riz's eye with a smile and headed to the kettle.

"Good morning!" Jawbone called. "Got some oatmeal. Any takers?"

"Yes, please!" Adaine said. She got a mug and a tin of tea out of the cabinet and started making toast with her mage hand. Zayn tucked Edgar into his small kitchen enclosure and tipped some breakfast out into his dish.

"Thanks for changing his water, Jawbone," he said.

"No problem!"

Sandra Lynn stuck her dishes in the sink and grabbed her bracers from the counter before heading off with a yawn.

"Oh, Sandra Lynn, before you go," Adaine said, "do you ever happen to pass any farms that have sheep when you're out on patrol?"

"Uh...I don't really know? I do pass farms, sure, but I don't really pay attention to the livestock. Why do you ask?"

"I'm trying to find raw wool to use as a spell component."

"Oh. Hm. Well, I can keep my eye out, but if it's time sensitive the component supplier would be a better bet."

"No, just for an experiment, it's fine."

"Alright, I'll let you know," she said as she left. Adaine nodded and gave her a thumbs up as she poured water into her cup.

"I still don't see how wool is going to be much different than fur," Zayn said, hovering cross legged in the corner.

"It's still hair, yes, but people have had a different relationship with and understanding of wool versus fur for millennia," Adaine said. Riz rested his chin in his hands and happily watched her spread jam on her toast while she argued. "That psychic energy imbues the components with different metaphysical properties, which creates different results."

"Yeah, I know, but how different can it be, and is it worth it? Is it even in the direction you want it to go?"

"That's what the experiment is for," she said. Zayn shook his head.

"You are such a nerd," he laughed. "People have already done this work for us."

Adaine rolled her eyes and put away the jam. She got out bowls and spoons and put them on the counter next to Jawbone, who served out their oatmeal.

"Just sounds like Adaine likes to go camping, Zayn," Gorgug mumbled.

"So...he's sound asleep, right?" Zayn asked Riz, who shrugged, still trying to parse that.

"No I think I get it!" Adaine said, rummaging in the pantry. "He's saying you like modern conveniences, like stoves and plumbing and stuff—metaphorically. That's the existing spell structures worked out by previous wizards, right? But what I'm doing—experimenting with other ideas, potentially retreading old ground, but doing hands on learning—that's like camping, in comparison." Adaine closed the pantry door with her hip and started adding dried fruit and maple syrup to her oatmeal. She looked up with a bright smile and Riz swallowed a lovesick sigh.

"You got it, Adaine," Gorgug mumbled. He bent an arm up and gave a thumbs up that listed back and forth, then stopped when his forearm propped on his head. His wrist relaxed and his hand slowly drifted down. Riz gave him a concerned glance. Probably best to let him rest for now.

"At least you guys understand each other," Zayn sighed. Adaine sat next to Riz with a secret smile and he gently nudged her leg with his. Jawbone sat across the table with his own breakfast and turned to Zayn.

"Are you going to the music festival, too?" he asked him.

"Nah," he said, scooping Edgar out of his enclosure. "Not really my scene. I'm going back to sleep," he yawned. "Just got up to feed Eddie boy here. Have fun though!" Zayn swooped out.

"Why'd you guys come over so early, anyway?" Adaine asked Riz. "Thought you were headed to Fabian's."

"We forgot he's out with Mazey," he said, leaning back and bracing a foot on the bench.

"You don't have a gate code and a key?" she asked, surprised.

"Why would I?" he shrugged. Adaine's eyebrows and slow chewing of her toast conveyed her thorough incredulity at his question.

"Because you're his best friend?" she answered slowly and deliberately. Riz snorted.

"Not to hear him tell it," he said.

"You know Fabian is full of shit and can't be normal about feelings," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Unlike you guys, you're totally normal..." Gorgug chuckled, trailing off. His arm was still propped on his head at an angle, but his hand had relaxed from its thumbs up position.

"Gorgug, are you asleep or awake?" Riz asked.

"Yeah."

Adaine reached over in front of Riz and roughly rubbed Gorgug's head, shaking to wake him up. He dropped his arm and looked up blearily.

"Why don't you go have a nap in my bed?" she said. "The rest of us will be working in the tower anyway, and we'll wake you before we go." He blinked, slowly absorbing the words, then nodded clumsily. He yawned hugely and sat up, then looked around for the best route out of the corner. Jawbone chuckled and stood with his breakfast.

"Here ya go, bud," he said, scooting chairs out of the way. "You go get some rest, alright?" Gorgug nodded again, patted Jawbone's arm and Adaine's back as he trudged out of the room. Riz propped his cheek on his fist.

"Odds he'll take off his axe or his boots before he collapses?" he asked.

"Ooh, not taking that bet," Jawbone said, sitting back down. "Poor guy looks dead on his feet."

"Do you think you could mediate between him and Porter?" Riz asked. "If he had his MCAT he'd be in a much better spot." Jawbone shook his head sadly.

"The bylaws give department heads a lot of leeway with things like that. It can be great for situations like Kristen's when the teachers are willing to help with temporary exceptions, but the other side of the coin is they can also do things like Porter has. I actually approached him to talk about it, but he says his decision is final, and the only one who can resolve it is Gorgug himself. He's either got to prove himself capable to Porter or abandon his barbarian track."

"How is he supposed to prove himself if Porter refuses to accept the proof?" Adaine demanded. "Gorgug is an excellent barbarian, but Porter just doesn't like him!" Jawbone nodded, not in agreement, but acceptance. He sighed and leaned back, holding his coffee mug against his chest.

"Like I said, Porter has a lot of leeway, and Gorgug...he's gonna have to make a choice. Only he can do that."

"That's bullshit," Adaine insisted. Riz agreed, but didn't see any way around it.

"Maybe," Jawbone said, sipping his coffee. "That's part of life sometimes. Sometimes you can't win, and you guys…" he sighed and pursed his lips thoughtfully, looking up at the ceiling. "You guys aren't good at accepting defeat."

"Why should we be?" Riz asked, scowling. "Especially when we're right?" Jawbone chuckled, annoyingly, and nodded again.

"That's an understandable position, for sure. But sometimes you have to know when you're throwing yourself at a brick wall, and put your energy into a fight you can win."

"That's not defeat, that's strategy," Riz insisted. "You can always come back to a problem."

"Depends how you look at it," he shrugged. "If Gorgug changes to artificer full time, or if he abandons artificing in favor of being a barbarian, he's giving something up, and that will feel like a loss. It will be a loss. But is throwing himself at the wall of combining the majors the best use of his energy? That's his choice, but you can see the toll it's taking on him."

"The only reason this is so hard on him is Porter is being an asshole," Adaine insisted. "He could fix everything with one signature, but he won't because he's an insecure little bitch."

"Hey, listen, we're at home now, but I am a faculty member of the school—"

"Where they train us how to kill people," Riz interrupted, rolling his eyes. His tone got more vehement as he went on. "I shot the old bloodrush coach in the fucking head. Aguefort killed your predecessor right in front of me. You helped us kill the vice principal. If the head barbarian at the murder training academy can't handle being called a little bitch once in a while, why the fuck does he have a job there?"

Jawbone sighed and shook his head.

"Fine," he conceded, holding one hand up. He stood and took his dishes over to the sink. "You're right. You can pretty much do whatever you want. You guys are probably one of the most powerful groups in that entire school, including some of the faculty, and you can throw your weight around however you want. The question I want you to ask yourselves, though, before you act, is this: 'is this the best place to apply leverage?' Every action has consequences."

"You think we don't know that?" Adaine demanded. "Really?"

"No, I think you do. But I also think you're stressed and worried about your friend, and I think there's a lot going on for all of you this year, and I know that no one in that situation is using their best judgment." Jawbone sighed heavily and crossed his arms, considering them both for a long moment. Finally, he spoke, quieter than before. "Just...be careful, alright?"

Riz grit his teeth and dropped his glasses onto the table. He just...he had no way to respond to that with words right now. He rubbed his eyes with a heavy groan and dropped his head onto his arms. Adaine stroked through his hair and he scooted closer with a grumble.

"We will, Jawbone," Adaine said, "but you can't expect us to capitulate to injustice."

"Never," he sighed. "That's the last thing I'd expect out of any of you."

"We've got this," she shrugged. "We're the Bad Kids." Riz felt affection wrap around his heart like a blanket. Jawbone sighed in resignation.

"Just remember you're not actually indestructible, no matter how much you feel like it," he said. His footsteps padded away.

Adaine kept her hand on the back of Riz's neck while she finished her breakfast, then trailed up into his hair and away. He let out a quietly displeased whine as she walked off to the sink, but her hands came back a few minutes later. She gently pet through his hair, then kneaded down his neck and shoulders. Riz took a deep relaxing breath and clamped down on the moan that threatened to escape him. Adaine pressed down on either side of his spine, then back up to his shoulders and pushed him to sit upright. She kissed the top of his head.

"Back to work?" she asked, her breath warm in his hair. He covered her hands with his and sighed happily.

"Yeah, let's get to it," he said, standing and grabbing the folder and bag of dirt.

"What's that?" she asked on the way to the stairs.

"Just some information on the festival setup I swiped this morning," he shrugged. "Not sure how useful it'll be, but I want to check if the festival committee is compromised." Adaine hummed.

They met Kristen halfway up the stairs, trudging down in her pajamas. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"What's going on?" she asked, glancing at Riz.

"Riz and Gorgug came over early to work before the festival," Adaine said. Kristen blinked at Riz and looked at them both like they were crazy.

"Yeah okay, I guess I'll let Fig know and I'll be up after breakfast. If it's all hands on deck, where's Fabian?"

"Date with Mazey, remember?" Riz said.

"Oh. Yeah."

"Take your time with breakfast," he said. "Gorgug's parents just didn't want us underfoot during setup. Some weird parent drama's going on there so we bailed."

"Oh, I bet they're screwing around," Kristen said. Riz made a face.

"Didn't ask, don't care, don't wanna know."

"Definitely sex drama."

"Its weird that your brain went there first, Kristen," Adaine said.

"The thing is, I don't think she's necessarily wrong?" Riz said, hesitantly. "The vibes were...weird."

"Ooh, weird sex drama!" Kristen said, rubbing her hands together. "I'll keep an eye out during the festival."

"Just...not in front of Gorgug?" Riz told her. "Poor guy's got enough going on."

"That's fair," she nodded. "Anyway, breakfast. Be up in a bit."

Gorgug had actually managed to take off his boots and axe before falling into Adaine's bed. His head was in one corner and he lay diagonally to maximize the space available to him. Still, his feet would stick off the end if he straightened his legs. He shivered in his sleep and Adaine grabbed the blanket from under the couch to spread over him.

"..anks Mom…" he muttered in his sleep, sighing happily.

"I really should see when Aelwyn is available to deal with that," she whispered, grabbing her book bag and softly closing her door behind her.

"Do you think she messed something up with the nemesis ward she left you?" Riz asked, digging in the chest of drawers for the supplies he'd left there.

"No, that was fine. It was me. It can get sweltering up here, so I was trying to cast a spell to keep it at a consistent temperature year round. And I succeeded, but...it's too cold now. I don't know why, though, because it should have been much warmer than this."

"Wards aren't really your thing, right?" he asked, writing down the information he'd thought of this morning onto note cards.

"Yeah. I must have done something wrong."

"And you can't just remove your ward?"

"Not without triggering her nemesis ward."

"Is that such a big deal? It's you doing it."

"Yeah, which shouldn't be possible, so who knows the effect the paradox would cause. It could be nothing, or it could be a whole lot of something no one wants, and I'm not sure which."

"Magic is so scary," he laughed, tacking up the cards and the dirt sample onto the corkboard.

"It's cool as hell," she insisted.

"Maybe both?" he asked.

"Both, for sure," she agreed. Riz smiled at her for a second and turned back to his work, entirely missing her blush.

"Should we wait on everyone else to go through Lydia's stuff?" he asked.

"Yeah, if you've got something else, I'll check out those ancient Elvish scrolls," she said.

"Just wanna make sure I didn't miss anything with this guy's notes," Riz said, settling at the table and turning on the lamp.

Almost an hour later, Kristen flopped on the couch next to Adaine, who was absorbed in the scrolls and scratching furiously in a notebook.

"Where's Gorgug?" she asked.

"Asleep in Adaine's room," Riz answered absently. He was searching on his crystal. He'd noticed an "environmental impact assessment" mentioned on the checklist, and a reference to a company that did the work, but he couldn't find the damn company. He wrote down the company name and the connection to the festival and stuck it up on the board with an annoyed hum.

"He's freaking beat, huh?" Kristen said, worried.

"Yeah," Riz sighed, curling up in a chair next to the couch. "Fig up yet?"

"Yeah, I bribed her with eggs. She was eating and chugging coffee when I came up."

Riz checked his watch. Still over an hour until the festival. Checked his crystal. No news from Fabian. He'd probably meet them there, then.

"So I stole some setup paperwork from one of the team working on the sound system at the festival this morning, but didn't really find anything useful," he told Kristen. "I've been chasing that and Adaine's been reading those ancient scrolls about Cassandra." She perked up and turned to Adaine eagerly.

"Hey, what do they say?" Kristen asked. She hummed and nodded, but didn't answer her. Riz messaged her.

Hey, wake up, he sent, heart speeding a little. Adaine blinked and looked up with a smile.

"What is it? Oh, hi Kristen! These scrolls!"

"Yeah, I was just asking you about them," Kristen laughed. "Did you find anything about this rage god?"

"Check this out—" Adaine shoved her notebook into her hands and scooted around to sit next to her. "These are all about Galicaea's negotiations on Cassandra's behalf, about her marriage!"

Riz sat up and leaned forward. Kristen's mouth dropped open.

"Her marriage? Did she marry the rage god?!"

"It looks that way! It's lots of...there's...when this scroll was written, elves were putting everything in verse, so it's not...it's awful, basically, but what I've found so far is that Galicaea petitioned Sol for help finding a partner for her younger sister, who is filled with despair and loneliness, and he's focusing on establishing a connection to the gods of the giants. Ruvina's mother, apparently, was still an important goddess in the area, and he was trying to ally with her—maybe establish a marriage contract for himself, it sounds like. I don't know anything about her. She's only referred to as The Mother of Mountains."

"The gods were politicking amongst themselves?" Riz asked.

"Yeah, but as a reflection of their followers, like usual. This was happening concurrently with Sylvaire and Highcourt clashing for territory and trying to establish trade routes into the mountains. This story is from about ten thousand years ago or so? My identify spell says so anyway. This scroll is over a thousand years old and is at least five or six translations from the original, which was obviously itself from a much older source. And who knows what they changed to make it fit their verse structure."

"That's even before Kalvaxus," Kristen said.

"It's before everything," Riz said. He kicked off his boots and climbed over the back of the couch to read Adaine's notes over Kristen's shoulder.

"It's way before Solace ever existed anyway," Adaine said. She tore a page from her notebook and drew a crude map, gesturing as she explained the layout. "So while this was going on, this part of modern day Solace was split up amongst a bunch of different halfling city-states. They were all allied or competing with Highcourt, which was a human theocracy set up in opposition to the gradual descent of the Necronomikron into a completely undead city."

"Yeah, but that happened over the course of a few centuries, right?" Kristen asked. "Sol gained more power than other human gods as the wizards of the Necronomikron started looking for more sacrifices, right?" Riz shuddered. Maybe he could see how a theocracy under a didactic sun god would look more appealing than being snatched off the street and sacrificed for the greed of a powerful necromancer. At least you'd be alive.

"You've been doing some deep history dives lately, huh?" he asked Kristen.

"Yeah. Some cool stuff, but mostly, it's not pretty," she said, shaking her head.

"No, it's not," Adaine agreed. "Anyway, Sol was plenty powerful because Highcourt had been well established by the time this scroll documents. At that time, this area to the northeast belonged to nomadic goblin nations allied with established orc dynasties over here in the base of the mountains. Dwarves and giants controlled the passes over here and had been competing for territory there forever. Other orcs and goblins were further up in the mountains, but they hadn't established as large a presence as the dwarves and giants. This space that's now part of the Red Wastes? It was still fertile farmland. The swamps extended down here into where the Baronies are, and there was plenty of water to support small collectives and the occasional town. Lots of bandits, no real authority in the area, mostly later refugees from the Necronomikron."

"Okay, that part all rings a bell," Riz said, looking it over.

"But then a few thousand years later, Cassandra became the Nightmare King," Kristen sighed. "People fled Sylvaire and concentrated in new areas. New technology allowed for over farming. Helio showed up, there were lots of wars over territory, and eventually the Solesian monarchy was founded in the aftermath." Adaine nodded grimly.

"Ok, but what else does it say about her marriage?" Riz asked. "Did they finish negotiations? Did they get married? A few thousand years is a long time, even for elves. What happened between this," he gestured at the map, "and her becoming the Nightmare King?"

"I haven't gotten to that part yet," Adaine shrugged. "I just started the section talking about Ruvina and her sisters, but none of them are named. They're just called The Sisters and referred to by their domains. Winter, sunset, and death, Spring, midday, and healing, Autumn, midnight, and birth, and Summer, dawn, and justice."

"That explains why these scrolls weren't destroyed when Ruvina's people were purging the rage god's name," Riz said. Adaine nodded.

"So the rage god is a rage goddess," Kristen said.

"Seems like it," Adaine said.

"Death, healing, birth, and justice," Riz mused. "Death and birth, sure I can see how those are related, but healing and justice?" Kristen shrugged.

"People don't necessarily plan out their gods and the domains they cover," she said. "It's kind of like how languages can't really be pinned down. There's always slang. There's always different factions, different feelings. It morphs over time depending on day to day use, and there's a difference between the formal stuff and the daily stuff. Like, a wedding or a naming ceremony, things like that are formal rituals, right? When you're terrified and running from a bear your prayers are gonna be desperate. Then when you're looking for your cat and trying to get it to come down from a tree, you're gonna bitch and moan and cuss and blaspheme and stuff, but it all still counts as worship." Riz considered that.

"Wait," he said, holding up a finger. "Are you saying...is blasphemy a form of worship, Kristen?"

"Oh yeah, of course it is!"

"What?" Adaine exclaimed.

"Blasphemy is to temple rituals what cussing and dirty jokes are to research papers, guys."

"Well, shit," Riz said, staring into space.

"How did you think gods morphed and changed?" Kristen laughed. "You thought people had fistfights in temples about how to perform rituals, or something? I mean, not that that doesn't happen..."

"I don't know. But that makes a lot more sense. It's a lot more organic than I was picturing."

"Of course it's organic! It's people! Gods respond to their followers, not their formal religions. It's a metaphysical link. But people invented theocracy. That's why Helio and Sol are so fucked up. Galicaea too. The power of their churches are in the way. You gotta have a balance between that and, like, how I fucked up with Cassandra."

"Holy shit Kristen we have got to talk about arcane theory after we figure all this shit out." Adaine said, staring at her with shining eyes.

"Wait. I don't know anything about the foundational theory of magic," she said nervously. "I've just picked this up, I haven't done any formal studying—"

"I think you understand a lot more than you think," Adaine said, grabbing her by the shoulders with shining eyes, "and I think if you, and I, and Fig, and Gorgug all work together, we might actually be able to make progress toward the Unified Magical Theory. Do you understand how fucking cool that would be?"

"Oh no," Kristen groaned. "More research? I'm never explaining anything to you again." Adaine shook her shoulders emphatically.

"Kristen! We could revolutionize our understanding of metaphysics!"

"Isn't that good enough already, though?"

"No!"

"Adaine, why are you beating up Kristen?" Fig asked as she trudged up the stairs. "And Riz, why aren't you breaking up the fight?"

Riz wasn't breaking up the fight because he was staring at Adaine in open reverence. He was completely enamored of her zeal for discovery.

"I'm not beating her up!" Adaine insisted. "Fig—after we figure all the rage god shit out—"

"Rage goddess," Kristen said.

"Yeah, turns out she's a goddess, anyway—"

"And she might be Cassandra's ex-wife!"

"What! Oh no that's tragic!"

Adaine growled in frustration and slumped. Riz reached over to gently touch her shoulder. She looked up in surprise. He smiled softly and messaged her.

Your idea sounds cool as hell, and if I knew anything about magic other than casting a few spells, I'd be so down to help you. You're fucking awesome. Also, these two can be intensely annoying.

She cracked a smile and he saw some of her frustration ebb. She had a soft blush and hadn't broken eye contact with him. He wanted to cup her cheek and kiss her. His hand lifted from her shoulder on its own and she gasped, which broke the spell. Heat flooded his face and he looked down with a quiet, nervous laugh. Not yet. They had work to do. Thankfully Fig and Kristen were still exclaiming over Cassandra's tragically doomed romance and didn't notice. Riz cleared his throat and rolled off the back of the couch.

"We still have some time before the festival," he said, heading to the stairs. "Will you guys wake Gorgug and let him know I'm making some coffee?"

"Yeah, sure," Adaine said. Riz threw a thumbs up over his shoulder.

Kind of wish you'd just kissed me, she messaged. Would have distracted them from Cassandra's marriage drama, at least.

Troublemaker, he sent back, amused. Riz ran down the stairs to the kitchen, trying to physically process the nervous jitters still running through him after that close call.

He was glad Adaine hadn't snapped at them in frustration, even though he would have found it completely understandable. Fig had been avoiding them and Kristen had been kind of infuriatingly careless. She kept trying to smooth over everything with jokes when sincerity would go further. He filled the kettle and flipped it on, leaning on the counter and crossing his arms irritably. If she'd just talked to Cassandra about all the stress she'd been under, about how she couldn't exactly spread her religion last summer because she had to save the damn world...from his fuck up.

Riz closed his eyes and breathed through the hard clench in his gut. It was done. They'd done their best. Move forward. Now, they had new problems.

There was a cult trying to enthrall masses of people to resurrect a rage goddess. Cassandra was broken, and as a consequence Kristen had barely any spells and might flunk. If Kristen flunked they'd have to take the last stand. He might not be able to afford to go to college. Gorgug was barely keeping up with his work. Adaine might not be able to afford to go to high school, let alone college. Fabian was going crazy, living on milk and fried rice alone in a giant house with no idea how to do fucking laundry. He couldn't fucking cast silvery barbs right. Fig was cursed and thousands of gold in debt to a record label. Kipperlilly was fucking creepy as shit and attacking people he was even tangentially connected to…

Fuck.

Riz ran the coffee grinder and dumped the grounds into the pot, breathing in the strong smell. It wove through his sinuses, rich and biting and earthy. Breathe in. Out slow. His claws squealed on the metal of the press. He shoved his glasses up to rub his eyes and sighed. The kettle was just hot enough. He picked it up before it boiled and poured it into the pot.

He dug out the biggest mugs he could find, stirred a mountain of sugar into Gorgug's, and carried them back upstairs. Gorgug was nominally awake and slouched down in one of the chairs as far as he could. The girls were cuddled on the couch. Adaine had her back to Kristen, leaning against her side. She was scanning through one of the ancient scrolls again. Her feet were tucked under Fig and Boggy sat on her ankles, supervising. He burbled when he caught sight of Riz.

"Here you go," Riz said, putting Gorgug's coffee on the table in front of him and curling up in another chair. Gorgug leaned forward and cradled the cup with a relieved sigh.

"Really would be nice if we had a day or two off once in a while, huh?" Gorgug mumbled. They made various noises of exhausted agreement.

"So what did you guys work on before I came up?" Fig asked. "What do we need to get done before the festival?" Adaine sighed and sat up to tidy the scrolls and put away her notes. Boggy rolled to his side. Fig righted him.

"I started reading these ancient scrolls for information about Cassandra and her connection to the rage goddess—it's a goddess, by the way, Gorgug," she said. "Ruvina's sister. Her domain was summertime, sunrise, and justice, until something fucked her up. Sol was trying to negotiate a marriage between her and Cassandra. That's as far as I got."

"More progress than I made," Riz said. "Swiped a folder from some of the festival staff but I didn't really find any useful information in it. I got the name of their security company to check out. The folder had some dirt in it, which struck me as weird, so I put it in a bag," he gestured to the cork board, "and I can't find any record of the company that did some kind of 'environmental impact analysis' before the location was chosen, which seemed suspicious, but that's all."

"I had a nap," Gorgug said, raising his mug. "It was pretty nice. Your bed is comfy, Adaine. Thanks."

"You're welcome," she laughed.

"This weekend we need to go through Lydia's documents about Bakur and I need to bring everyone up to date on the deal with the freshmen."

"I'm curious about that," Gorgug said, sitting up straighter. Riz nodded.

"I'd rather wait for Fabian so I don't have to tell it twice, if you're ok to wait."

"Yeah, sure," he shrugged, starting to wake up. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "What was it we said would be good to brainstorm about? On the way over?"

"Oh yeah," Riz said, digging out his crystal. "Let's see, specifics of what to look out for today, and what to do if it turns out we're too late to stop the cult."

"Oof," Kristen said. Riz sighed and stood to flip the corkboard to the blackboard side.

"Adaine, can I have a piece of chalk?" he asked.

"Sure, catch."

Riz turned. She pulled a piece from her jacket and tossed it in an underhand arc. He caught it and flashed her a smile, then turned back to write two headlines on either side of the board, with a vertical line between them. Festival on the left and Contingencies on the right.

"Alright, Fig," he said. "We need to figure out what Ruben might try to do, if anything. Are there any long term bard spells? Ones that stay? Like a ward or something?"

"Well, there are some wards, and geas lasts for a month," she said. Riz nodded, noting them down. "There's illusory symbols to mask other ones, and there's long term programmed illusions."

"What about a really souped up mass suggestion?" Adaine wondered. Fig hummed. Riz turned back, wide eyed.

"That sounds really bad," he said.

"It would be," Fig agreed, sharing a worried look with Adaine.

"You think Ruben could do it?" he asked. Adaine nodded.

"Yeah," Fig sighed heavily. "I think he could. It lasts a day, normally, but…"

"If you pour enough power into it, you can make it last for a year and a day," Adaine said grimly.

"That'd do it," Gorgug said.

"Shit," Riz hissed. He cast about for something to erase with.

"Here," Adaine called. He glanced over in time to see her pulling an eraser from her pocket and tossing it. He caught it with a nod and replaced everything on the Festival side with notes about mass suggestion.

"Ok, what do you need for this spell?" he asked.

"Uh, I don't remember because I don't know it," Fig said. "Sorry."

"Hold on," Adaine said, heading into her room.

"What does it do?" Riz asked Fig.

"It normally tops out at something like a dozen people I think, but I don't know how many you could theoretically hit with it at once."

"And the suggestion lasts the duration of the spell?" he asked, noting bullet points.

"Unless something snaps them out of it, like an injury or another spell, yeah."

"Does it have to be simple stuff, or can it be more complicated suggestions, like can you program someone with a trigger word or condition?"

"That's definitely possible," Adaine answered him, coming back in. She had a thick book with her. She laid it open on the coffee table and knelt. Riz came over to read over her shoulder. "You need a snake's tongue and...honey." She glanced up at him and he frowned.

"What do you think devil's nectar would do to this spell?" he asked. Adaine nodded.

"Nothing good," she sighed. "Damn it."

"So that's a possibility," he said, heading back to the board.

"Ok, it's a sixty foot radius, and it doesn't work if you're immune to being charmed," Adaine said. "You can't make someone injure themselves and like Fig said, getting hurt breaks you out of it. It has to be a simple action, but you can give them conditions that have to be met first." Riz noted all that down and stepped back to look at the board with his arms crossed.

"The cult could get a lot of sleeper agents with this spell if Ruben pulled it off at the festival," he said grimly.

"We might be able to get Zaphriel to help," Gorgug said. Riz nodded and hummed.

"How?" Kristen asked.

"He's hooked into the sound system," Gorgug said. "He's emceeing. He'd probably help us stop him if we explained."

"Yeah, he's a potential ally for sure," Riz said.

"So this sounds like the most likely tactic, but what else could Ruben try?" Fig wondered. Riz glanced over. She was curled up cuddling Boggy and playing with his feet while she thought.

"He might be a red herring while Oisin sets up something else," Adaine said. "But we'd still be looking for a large scale ritual that is targeting a crowd. I can't think of any other reason they'd try to make a move at a festival. Can you, Riz?" He shook his head.

"No, the crowd has to be the big draw. There's nothing else there, right Gorgug?"

"Well, there's the tree?" he said, "But I don't see how it would help them." Adaine hummed and started flipping through her book.

"What's the deal with the tree?" Kristen asked.

"It's a root warden, right?" Fig asked. Gorgug nodded. Riz looked back and forth between them.

"What's that?"

"Magic nearly sentient tree that protects the nature in the area from harmful magic," Fig shrugged. "Mom could tell you more."

"Hm," Riz nodded. "Can they be killed or harmed?" Fig snorted.

"Sure but not by the Rat Grinders," she scoffed. "We'd get our asses kicked. Even Aguefort would have his work cut out for him going up against a fucking root warden."

"My parents are bonded to ours, kind of like a familiar," Gorgug said. "They'd know if something went weird."

"Alright, so let's assume that's not a problem for now, then," Riz allowed. "So, we're agreed, watch out for signs of a big ritual being cast, possibly mass suggestion?"

"Seems most likely to me," Adaine said, closing her book. Everyone else nodded and made noises of agreement.

"Ok the other thing I wanted to bring up, which sucks, but Gorgug made a really good point on the way over: what if we're too late?"

A bunch of somber faces looked back at him.

"I'm not just bringing it up for the sake of pessimism," Riz said. "It's an actual possibility. We were gone all summer, and we don't know how far they've gotten in their plans. We have an idea of their general goals. So they could be ready to act before we are. How do we fight them then?"

"You think they're going to make their move today?" Kristen asked.

"No...I don't think so," Riz shrugged. He stored the chalk and eraser in a drawer and dusted his hands off, then sat back in his chair.

"Then we can probably at least wait for Fabian to brainstorm about that," Kristen said. "He'll have some ideas too." Riz nodded and sighed. He picked up his coffee cup to have something to do with his hands.

"I don't think they can yet," Gorgug offered. "I've seen Mary Ann around just doing normal barbarian class stuff. You'd think they'd be too busy if they were finalizing plans."

"Unless they're not in the cult's inner circle," Fig suggested.

"Ivy and Oisin were loitering outside the cafeteria yesterday," Riz said. Adaine glanced at him with a nervous expression. He shook his head at her. "It was fine. They didn't do anything, even when I tried to provoke them. They did see me with the freshmen, and I got between them and gave them a shitty grin." He sipped his coffee, remembering Oisin's expression with satisfaction. "Oisin wanted to say something but Ivy held him back."

"Why'd you provoke them?" Kristen asked.

"Cause fuck 'em," he shrugged. "They already know we're onto them, and I'm getting tired of their shit." Adaine snorted and leaned back against his chair.

"Riz, I don't know of anyone else who has quite the emotional range that you do," she chuckled, trailing off into a sigh. "The whiplash from extremely cautious and deliberate to absolute fucking chaos. Never change."

He reached down and combed his claws affectionately through her hair. His only concession to stealth was stopping after two passes and hiding his wide smile with a slurp of coffee.

"I think I'm pretty consistent and predictable," he shrugged.

"You would," Kristen scoffed. Gorgug snorted. Riz checked his watch.

"Almost ten," he said. "When were you going to head over to pick up Gertie, Kristen?" She groaned and buried her face behind a cushion. Adaine went back to her seat on the couch and patted her back.

"Do I have to?"

"I thought you liked her?"

"I mean, yeah she's fine, she's cool, but I don't like her like her, and I feel like a shithead."

"I could disguise myself as you and do it," Fig offered.

"Thought you'd wanna be checking on Ruben," Gorgug said.

"Oh, crap, yeah. Sorry, Kristen."

"No, it's fine. I'd feel like a bigger shithead if we did that. I'll manage," Kristen sighed. Adaine patted her knee and passed Boggy over to her.

"Here. Boggy, help us cheer Kristen up," Adaine told him.

He peeped agreeably as he settled into Kristen's lap. She looked down. Boggy flicked his tongue up into her nose and Kristen flailed backwards with a sputter. Gorgug laughed. Adaine snatched him back onto her lap to fuss at him and he did it to her, followed by pleased gibberish. Riz and Fig howled.

Riz managed to put his coffee down without spilling it and caught Adaine's surprised, affronted expression. He laughed harder and took off his glasses to wipe his eyes. Boggy blinked at her innocently.

"Boggy! You are acting like a total delinquent!" Adaine accused, rubbing her nose.

<<preetz!>> Boggy insisted, bouncing. Fig reached for Boggy and Adaine passed him over with a defeated sigh.

"You're such a good boy, Boggy," Fig told him through her laughter. "That's exactly what you do when someone is bossing you around."

"He's my familiar!"

"Resist the voice of tyranny, little man!"

"He's a frog!"

"Resist, little frog!" Fig cried, lifting him over her face with a grin. He stuck his tongue out again, this time precisely booping Fig's nose. He burbled happily and wobbled his tiny legs in excitement.

"He was trying to do that!" Riz realized. "He did that to Bug yesterday! He just missed, Adaine!"

<<Eeb, voot!>> Boggy said.

"Is he right, buddy?" Fig asked in exaggerated baby talk. "Were you just trying your best and The Man got you down? Yes, that's what happened, isn't it?" She snuggled him close and he peeped contentedly.

"I'm not a man or a tyrant!" Adaine insisted. "He stuck his tongue up my nose!"

"Mine too," Kristen laughed, "but I don't think I was quite as offended as you were."

"We're supposed to be psychically attuned," Adaine complained. Riz snorted and she raised her eyebrows. "Oh I suppose you have some smartass remark?" she asked.

"Just that...if you're psychically attuned, maybe you're more responsible for his weird behavior than you realize?" he was snickering by the end of his sentence, and Adaine stared at him, appalled. Kristen punched the back of the couch while she laughed.

"Dude, you're brutal," she cried. "It's the stress messing with you, Adaine, like I've been telling you. You need get laid, girl. It shouldn't be to hard to find someone you're attracted to, who's not an asshole, and who's into something casual, right? Just let loose. You'll feel so much better." Adaine's face deepened through pink to near magenta and Riz had to bury his laughs in the crook of his elbow. There was no way he could meet anyone's eye at this point.

"Kristen, I...I don't think Adaine getting laid is gonna affect her familiar's behavior," Gorgug said, speaking slowly, as though he was trying to reason through the idea as he spoke. Riz tried to catch his breath, to no avail.

You are such a little shit, Adaine messaged him.

What, you don't think Boggy's gonna be better behaved now that you've seduced me? he asked.

Seduced you! What the fuck?

I think it's a pretty accurate description. You barged your way into my bed, after all.

Rizmond, you are in so much trouble.

Oh man, I don't even care about that one. Riz wiped his eyes and sighed. Don't forget I still owed you for them talking in the group chat about my mom being hot.

I mean, she is, so—

Fucking red. Absolutely not. He sat up hooting and shaking his head. She caught his eye, and he smiled at her.

Fair. Sorry. You remain a little shit, though.

Granted.

"How about we just head to the festival, huh, guys?" Riz asked, rubbing down his cheeks. "You got the wrist bands, Gorgug?" He nodded and pulled them out of his hoodie pocket to pass around.

"What about Fabian's?" Gorgug asked. Riz shrugged.

"I can keep it in my vest," he offered. Gorgug handed it over.

"Lemme text Gertie," Kristen sighed.

"I'll just take us," Gorgug said, standing. "Here, I'll take our cups down and tell Jawbone." Riz drained his cup and handed it over.

"Thanks," Riz said.

"Thanks for making it," Gorgug said, scrubbing his hand over his head.

"Hey maybe the festival will just be fun and uneventful, right?" Fig said.

"Oh now you jinxed us, Fig!" Riz groaned.

"That's not real," she scoffed.

"Says the girl who's cursed?"

"Curses are real, jinxes aren't."

"Hope you're right," Riz sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. A weight dropped in his lap and he opened one eye. Boggy squeaked and bounced around to nestle into the chair next to him. "Why do I have frog custody?" he asked.

"Your turn to get your nose assaulted," Adaine called over her shoulder as she went into her bathroom. Riz laughed and patted Boggy on the head. He trilled and leaned into him happily.

"Aw, that's sweet," Fig cooed. "Since when does Boggy like you so much, Riz?" A sudden certainty slapped him in the back of the head. He really wished he'd answered her before realizing what was up, because now he was going to be awkward about it. Shit.

"Uh...I dunno? Maybe it's little guy solidarity," he said, trying his best to avoid sounding nervous. He turned to Boggy to keep from looking her in the eye. "What's up, Boggy?" he asked.

<<brrrz!>> he answered, melting into heat pad mode. Riz turned back to Fig with a shrug.

"Now he's asleep. Maybe I'm boring?"

"Maybe he feels relaxed around you cause Adaine does?" Kristen suggested, far too close to his suspicions for comfort. She propped her feet on the table and folded her hands on her stomach.

"I thought you said her psychic connection was messed up because she needs to get laid," he said, trying to distract her.

"No, I think her connection to him is fine, but she's got too much mental chaos cause she needs to get laid," she said. Riz shrugged, trying for indifference. Adaine came back in with Boggy's habitat and wearing her sword. Riz slowly, silently let out his relieved breath.

"Kristen, come on, drop it," Adaine said, rolling her eyes. She scooped up Boggy and tucked him into his carrier with a pat.

"Why do you think Boggy likes Riz now?" Fig asked her.

"Boggy likes everyone?" she said, sliding her arms through her bag's straps.

"Yeah, but he snuggled up and went to sleep on him! Didn't try to boop him or anything."

"Maybe he didn't think I needed a dose of mischief," Riz suggested, getting up to put his boots back on.

"Hm, maybe," Adaine shrugged. "Maybe he knew I was hoping he'd annoy you, and he's contrary."

"Oh you know, that might be it," Fig nodded. She reached over and patted the top of the bag. "Good job, Boggy. Fight the power."

"Ah, yes. I, an orphaned teenage refugee, am the perfect representation of authority."

"You count as an orphan if you kill your parents?" Kristen asked.

"Yes," Adaine said, authoritatively. "And anyway, I still haven't gotten both of the fuckers." Riz snorted as he tied his boot.

"Terrifying," he said, grinning fondly at her. "So glad you're on our side."

"Bad bitches!" Kristen cried, throwing her fist into the air. Fig echoed her and Adaine followed them down the stairs laughing. Riz followed a bit later. Gorgug came out of Jawbone's office and met them in the front hall.

"Everybody good? Got your stuff?" he asked. Adaine and Riz nodded.

"Oh, one sec! I'll meet you out there," Fig said, rushing off to her room. "I call shotgun though!" Kristen grabbed her hoodie, belt pouch, and staff from the entryway.

Riz climbed into the back of the van and stretched his legs out onto the seat. Adaine plopped at the other end with a smile and tucked Boggy's habitat between her feet.

So, joking aside? he messaged her, I think Boggy might actually like me more, lately. She blinked in surprise, then looked thoughtful.

That could make sense, she nodded. Familiars are more friendly with their companions' loved ones, and hostile to their enemies.

He actually looked like he understood when I told him not to eat your pencil yesterday, and then he demanded uppies. She rubbed her nose and sniffled to try to hide a laugh.

How did he ask?

Yelled and headbutted me until I picked him up, then he calmed down.

And what was Fig talking about earlier?

He snuggled next to me, made a little purring trilling sound, and went all sleepy.

That's fucking adorable. I have to see this. She unzipped her bag and retrieved Boggy, who blinked awake with a cheerful expression.

Fig scrambled into the front seat, carrying her bass and a bag.

"Okay, sorry guys!" she said, immediately fiddling with the radio.

"Sent you directions to Gertie's, Gorgug," Kristen said.

"Got it!"

Adaine put Boggy on Riz's legs as the van rolled out of the driveway. He reached to keep him from falling, then sat up cross legged to give the little frog a perch.

<<preeeft!>> he said happily, bouncing into a comfortable position and looking around curiously.

So, what are you looking for? Riz asked, patting Boggy. He looked over. Adaine's hands were fisted in front of her mouth and her eyes were round and sparkling.

You are darling! she sent. Riz suppressed a chuckle.

<<prrpt...>> Boggy purred, settling down to snuggle.

I'm dying, Adaine said. He stretched out to nudge her knee with the ball of his foot.

So can I add Boggy falling asleep on me to the list of ways your love is obvious to me? he asked. She blushed and glanced away with a smile.

Well, I do like to fall asleep cuddling you, Adaine said.

Really? he asked, happily. She rolled her eyes at him.

Obviously.

Riz leaned back with a smile and braced his left leg on the floor.

Then come here and stop wasting the few minutes we have, he said. She stared at him with a sudden blush, and he blinked in surprise. What is it? he asked, confused.

Uh. Nothing, just, um...nothing. Adaine cleared her throat quietly and looked away, but scooted closer and curled up on the bench. Her head rested half on his leg and half on Boggy, and she curled an arm up over his lap with a relaxed sigh. Riz shivered happily.

He closed his eyes and settled as comfortably as he could. His left hand rested on her arm and his right roamed aimlessly through her hair. The back of his fingers brushed against her ear and she shivered. He carefully combed her hair up and back from her ear, then tidily behind it. He traced the shell and smiled, then buried his whole hand in her hair. She hummed and squeezed her arm around him. This was the best. He loved this. Adaine wrapped him up in pure, flawless, comfort. He gently trailed his claws over her scalp.

Never ever stop doing that, she messaged, drowsily pleased.

If nothing forced me to move, I'd stay like this forever, he told her, letting his warm contentment echo back to her. She rubbed her head firmly against him and squeezed her arm around his leg. Riz smiled and sighed.

After a while, the van slowed and stopped, and the sliding door scraped open. Kristen hopped out. Fig and Gorgug were chatting about his rage and rhythm project.

Pretend to be asleep and they'll leave us alone when she gets back with Gertie, Adaine said.

Good idea, he agreed emphatically, letting his hand still and rest on her neck.

So we're sure we have to go to the festival? she asked. I think everyone else could probably handle it.

You really think it's a good idea for them to leave the rogue and the wizard behind when they're looking for evidence of a massive ritual spell?

No, dammit, but I can dream, right?

We'll stay up late and cuddle after they all go to sleep tonight.

You're so good at strategy. Knew I kept you around for a reason.

I thought it was my tattoos? he teased.

Those are a bonus. Along with your thighs. And your smile. Big fan of all three.

Riz smiled and stroked his thumb up onto her scalp.

And your hands, she added.

Remember it's daytime, he cautioned, shivering.

I am not responsible for the places your mind wanders after my completely innocent remarks.

Adaine. Have you ever made a completely innocent remark in your life?

Shut up and keep petting my hair.

Yes, ma'am. Riz huffed out his nose in soft amusement.

Sudden voices pierced their quiet bubble.

"There should be a lot of druids and rangers from school at the festival," Kristen said as she climbed into the van. "I bet you could drum up some interest in the apiary club while you're there."

"I was hoping to," Gertie said. "Thank you for the ride!"

"No problem," Gorgug said. "Everybody good to head out?"

"Yeah, we're good," Kristen said. "What about you guys?"

Riz relaxed and didn't respond. Adaine's weight and his own longing to hold onto the fuzzy warmth a bit longer helped him stay still. He heard Kristen shuffle and stick her head over the back of the seat.

"Oh my god, Nerd Squad's passed out, guys." She snapped a picture on her crystal. "Fucking adorable."

"Lemme see!" demanded Fig. A shuffle as she passed her crystal, then a muffled squeal.

"Let 'em sleep," Gorgug said, backing the van up and turning onto the street. "I can't begrudge anyone a nap."

"How long have they been dating?" Gertie asked, and Riz felt a stab of adrenaline through his heart. Only training let him keep his breathing relaxed and even. Kristen burst out laughing.

"Those two? Nah, they're hopeless," she said. "Riz isn't into anything or anyone, and Adaine's skittish. They're just cuddly."

"Huh. Thought I'd heard...oh well."

"What'd you hear?" Kristen asked. Shit shit shit. He was blushing. Shit. Steady breathing. In. Out. Slow. Deep. His claws gently dug into Adaine's neck and she moved the arm she was laying on to rub his leg reassuringly.

"Just a rumor someone saw them kissing."

"Really, when?"

"Didn't say."

"Yeah, there's weird rumors going around about Riz. He's got a stalker we're dealing with. It's probably bullshit or distorted. We're an affectionate group. Give each other hugs and kisses all the time."

"Hm. A stalker is pretty disturbing. Hope you can stop them."

"We're on it," Kristen said. "No one's gonna get our little angel." Fig and Gorgug made noises of agreement and warm affection filled Riz.

Damn straight, Adaine sent him. We've got your back.

It would be pretty fucking hot to watch you punch Kipperlilly in the face, he admitted.

You think it's hot to watch me punch anyone in the face.

Yeah, but that would be a special case.

Sounds like it's a matter of time before the rumors catch up to us, she said.

I am in the strange position of being slightly grateful for Kipperlilly throwing them off the scent, he said.

Gross. I'd rather have our cover blown and have to keep these guys on task all weekend.

Whatever happens, we've got this, he said. She squeezed him and snuggled in, and Riz let his fingers move over her scalp, indulging in the few minutes they had left.

"Yo, wake up sleepyheads!" Kristen yelled as she slid the van door open. "Rise and shine, it's festival time!"

Adaine felt Riz stretch and groan underneath her and grumbled. Fine. Time was up. She still didn't have to like it. He patted her back and she sat up, bringing Boggy with her. Riz chuckled and she glanced over.

"What?" she asked groggily.

"The whole side of your face is red from Boggy and fabric wrinkles," he said, stretching his neck side to side. Adaine glared at his smirk. She wanted to kiss him, but they had to work. She was deeply annoyed. She sighed and shook her head, tucked Boggy away, and climbed out of the van.

"Good morning, Gertie," Adaine said, yawning and digging in her pocket for a hair elastic.

"Morning!" she said cheerfully. "Oh, Kristen, look, they're growing willow for a living yurt for the folk dances! Let's go see!"

"Uh, I should really stay with—"

"It's fine, Kristen," Riz said, hopping out of the van and shoving the door closed. "Fabian isn't even here yet."

"Looks like Ruben's band is finally here," Gorgug said, eyeing the flashy bus they'd had to park behind. It took up half the width of the street. "They're scheduled to perform at noon. Cutting it pretty fucking close."

"Why don't we all meet back up in front of the tree in an hour?" Riz suggested, pulling out his crystal. "I'll call Fabian and see where he and Mazey are." He stepped away from the group slightly.

"Alright, we'll go explore then," Kristen said, slightly reluctantly. Gertie grabbed her hand to drag her off.

"Would you braid my hair?" Adaine asked Fig, holding out the elastic. "I have the feeling I'm gonna need it up and out of the way today." Fig agreed and her fingers moved easily through muscle memory.

"You want one too, Gorgug?" Fig asked. "You're getting pretty shaggy over there."

"Really? Is it long enough?"

"I think so. Definitely long enough for a pony tail at least."

"Huh. I didn't mean to grow it out; I just didn't bother with a haircut."

"Turns out when you don't cut it, hair gets longer," Adaine teased. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Can you just teach me how to do a pony tail, Fig?" he asked.

"Sure. Adaine, you got another hair tie?"

"I have nearly infinite hair ties," she said, handing a couple over.

"That's honestly one of the handiest uses of your jacket," Fig said. "Never having to find a goddamn hair tie." She handed an elastic to Gorgug and stood in front of him to demonstrate.

Adaine looked around for Riz, but didn't spot him. She did hear voices arguing in Goblin though, and went to investigate. Past the end of the tour bus and a few beat up cargo vans, Riz was backing away from a tiny, ancient, furious goblin man in filthy coveralls. The old man's finger shook millimeters from his nose. Riz held up his hands and spoke soothingly to no avail. Adaine quickly cast so she could understand the conversation.

"—and now it's not there, so I know someone took it and you were the only one nosing around you highfalutin little fuck!"

"Grandfather, please listen, I was just standing here trying to call my friend. I haven't been here for hours and anyway I just looked inside your van. I didn't have time to take—"

"You think I don't see all that fancy shit you're packing, boy? I know a rogue when I see one. Your type is bad news!"

"His type of what, exactly?" Adaine demanded in Common. "Riz, you okay?" She crossed her arms and stared down at the old man. He hissed up at her.

"Fuck off, girl! This ain't your business," he spat. She loosened her stance and readied her hands to cast.

"Wanna bet?" she taunted. Riz quickly stepped between them. He'd picked up that she understood, so he answered in Goblin.

"Honored Grandfather here is missing some important paperwork and is convinced I must have stolen it."

"What sort of paperwork? Maybe we could help you find it?" she offered, relaxing her posture. The old man narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth.

"Don't need any fucking help, need you to give back what's mine, you arrogant little shits."

"What exactly are you missing?" Adaine asked. "Is it replaceable?"

"That ain't the fuckin point!"

"The point being to yell at someone, presumably," she said primly.

"Porvil! Where'd you get off to?" a woman's deep voice called. Riz relaxed.

"He's over here!" Riz called in Common. Adaine heard a few muffled curses and footsteps on gravel before a dragonborn woman rushed over irritably.

"Here," she said, waving a sheaf of papers at him. "I told you I had a copy of the damn checklist. It's probably behind the seat of your van with all the rest of the shit you always lose back there. Would you fucking stop trying to fight with everyone who looks at you sideways? What the fuck has gotten into you lately, you contrary old baggage?"

Porvil, apparently, grabbed the papers from her without looking. He glared at Riz and Adaine, mostly Riz, then sneered and made a rude gesture as he turned away.

"Peaceful day, honored Grandfather," Riz said perfunctorily, through gritted teeth.

The old man muttered something under his breath about kids these days and disrespect and something else she didn't quite catch, despite her comprehend languages spell. Riz moved in a blur with his claws out and suddenly he had the old man shoved up against the door of a truck, growling in his face.

"Riz what the fuck are you doing?" Adaine yelled, reaching for him, but he'd moved too fast. She hesitated, shocked at his behavior. The dragonborn woman grabbed Riz with a yell and pulled, but he hissed and dug his claws in harder.

"Leave it, Lafie," The old man said in Common, grinning widely. "Let me see what he's got." Riz shook him and snarled into his face in Goblin.

"If I hear that word out of your mouth again I don't care how many years you have, this will be your fucking last. Do you understand me you crumbly old shit?"

The old man chuckled darkly and answered in kind.

"So...fancy baby boy has teeth when you hit the right place, huh?" The old man leered over at Adaine. She scowled in sudden understanding. "You leave mine alone, I leave yours alone. Fair?"

Riz said nothing. His ears were completely flattened against his skull and his breath gusted through his bared teeth. His face had darkened to the color of shade under an evergreen and his blood raced through the vessels standing out in his neck. Adaine readied Bigby's hand to grab him, because for a split second she thought he might actually hurt the old man. After a three second eternity, Riz finally let go and walked away with a noise of disgust. The old man cackled hoarsely behind him and waved off the concern of his coworker.

Riz met Adaine's eyes with a flash of shame amid the fury he was still processing.

"Let's get out of here," she said quietly, curling her arm over his shoulder and ushering him away quickly.

"Not everyone else, not yet," he hissed quietly. He'd closed his eyes.

"Yeah ok, I got you," she said, glancing around. A tree down the street near a fire hydrant, so no one had parked nearby. She extended her sight and looked around. Best she could do for now. "Here, sit," she told him, squatting and tugging on his hand. Riz opened his eyes, glanced around, nodded, and curled up next to her with his back against the trunk. She took off her backpack and held his hand. He squeezed back tightly and rested his forehead on his knees.

"Fuck," he hissed. "I'm so fucking stupid."

"Shh, you're not. Just take a second," she said. He shook his head.

"He was right! I did take it! But it shouldn't have caused that big a reaction. There wasn't anything unique or irreplaceable. Most people would have assumed they lost it. He was trying to goad me into a fight, but I don't know why. He's a hundred fucking years old and all he saw me do was look in the back of his van."

"That woman said he'd been angrier lately, starting fights. Maybe he's enthralled or under a suggestion spell."

"It's worse if he's under a spell! I should have just left," he sighed heavily. "I'm sorry."

"I couldn't even understand whatever he said about me," she said.

"Shit. That's even worse," he groaned.

"No, it's not. I'm guessing it was particularly vile and targeted to get that reaction."

"I should be smarter than that."

"What'd you tell the freshmen? Everyone fumbles," she said, stroking through his hair with her free hand.

"Damn it."

Adaine dug out her crystal and opened the group chat to a few messages from Fig asking where they were.

Riz had a run in with a crazy old man and needs a time out. Don't think he even got a chance to call Fabian.

[Kristen 10:42am] We need to beat some wrinkly ass?

No it's over. He's just coming down from almost hitting a little old man right now. Anyone heard from Fabian?

[Gorgug 10:43am] Was it a little goblin who looks like he's a million years old?

Yeah, that's the guy.

[Gorgug 10:43am] His coworker said he was bitchy this morning. Might be compromised.

Copy. We thought so too.

[Fig 10:45am] you guys ok? need backup?

Just doing my spotlight routine while he chills for a minute. Why don't we play it by ear until we meet up in front of the tree in, what, 45 now?

[Gorgug 10:46am] Okay, Fig and I'll check out the sound system, talk to Zaphriel

[Fig 10:46am] might go incognito

Cool.

Adaine stuffed her crystal back in her pocket and went back to petting Riz's head.

"For what it's worth, thank you," she said quietly. He laughed bitterly.

"For threatening an old man, who's probably under a spell, who called you a name you didn't even hear and probably wouldn't have understood anyway?"

Adaine pulled away from him and leaned back against the trunk of the tree with her arms crossed over her stomach. He wasn't wrong, but still. Ouch.

"No, for defending me," she said quietly.

"Damn it," Riz sighed. She bent her knees up and made sure to keep an eye on their surroundings. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "For all of it. I should have just walked away at the start instead of trying to reason with him, and I should have walked away when you showed up, and I really should have walked away when he turned away, and just now I should've...I shouldn't have said that. I just...feel awful."

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "I understand."

"I don't feel awful for defending you, I…" She heard his feet slide on the grass and his head thunk onto the tree. "I should have been smarter about the whole thing. Anything that ends with me threatening to murder an old man half my size has gone seriously wrong."

"For all we know he could be a monk with sixty years of experience who was fucking with you."

"Artificer if anything," Riz shrugged. "Didn't seem particularly strong or dextrous."

"What...was it, that he said?" she asked, tentatively. Riz took a huge breath and blew it out firmly.

"Shit. Okay. Um. The word he used means...scavenger," Riz said uncomfortably. "It's uh, pretty old and nasty word used for, for people who live a lot longer than goblins who have close relationships with us. Friends or anything else."

"Like we're slumming?" she asked, disgusted. "That sounds more insulting to the goblins in those relationships than anyone else."

"Well, yeah. Old insular conservative shit, right? It also means collector, I guess. It um, the connotation is that we're being treated like, like commodities, or pets maybe, but definitely not people. That the...elf, gnome, or halfling, usually, is just fucking around. We're just a little entertainment for them. The implication is that the goblin has no self respect because the other person doesn't really care about us, because they don't have the capacity for it anyway."

"Well shit, no wonder you got so pissed," Adaine said, clenching her fists. "I kind of want to go threaten him now."

"Really glad you didn't understand it, honestly," he sighed weakly. Adaine scooted closer and put her hand down next to him again. Riz immediately covered it with his.

"If he was an asshole, he had it coming," she said firmly, "and if he's under a spell, it's not your fault. You were targeted by people who are deliberately trying to get under our skin."

"I know," Riz said, nodding. "I do. Still, don't like it."

"Don't blame you."

Adaine picked at the grass with her free hand, thinking about what happened with Oisin—shit, that had been on his birthday hadn't it? Acid built up in her stomach while she searched for the words to start. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Probably not the worst time to tell him about it, honestly.

"Um, I should—"

"The Ball!" Fabian called out from down the block. "Where's everybody else?" Riz turned and spotted him, then glanced at Adaine with a smile and a shrug, squeezed her hand, and stood.

Times up again, he messaged her, waving at Fabian with his other hand.

Yeah, time to get to work, she sent back. Adaine stood and resolved to tell him about it tonight when they had a moment alone.

"Hey," Riz said as Fabian walked up. "I just uh, there was this weird old guy—anyway, I needed a break and Adaine kept lookout. Kristen's somewhere with Gertie and Gorgug and Fig were gonna check out the sound system over by the stage."

"Where's Mazey?" Adaine asked. Fabian frowned and sighed.

"Ended up dropping her off at the school on the way. She got a text from Jace about something. Apparently an emergency."

"Sorry, dude," Riz said, patting his arm. Fabian clapped his shoulder.

"It's fine. We did have a nice morning otherwise. Anyway, we meeting up with everyone?" He pulled out his crystal and scrolled through the group chat log.

"It's about time to meet up, yeah," Riz said, glancing at his watch. "We said we'd meet in front of the tree."

"Let's go!" Fabian cried cheerfully. They followed him to the back entrance, where a security guard glanced at their orange bands and then pointed at Fabian.

"Sorry, I can't—"

"Hold up!" Riz said, producing Fabian's band and handing it to him. "This'll let you into the festival and Gorgug's house," he explained. Fabian took it with a nod and put it on.

"I'm also gonna have to see some ID or stamp you with this guy," the guard said, holding up a stamp that read Underage. They all extended their hands to be stamped, Fabian grumpily. "Great, enjoy the festival!" the guard said, unhooking the chain gate and letting them through.

They headed around the tree and Adaine recoiled, covering her eyes. She immediately dropped her see invisibility spell.

"You okay, Adaine?" Fabian asked.

"Yeah. Lots of invisible naked people. So many naked people."

"Yep, plenty of visible ones too," Riz said, uncomfortably.

"Oh you two," Fabian scoffed. "It's just bodies—aaah!" Riz laughed at him.

"Just bodies, Fabian!" he said.

"You didn't say there were a dozen naked old people a few yards away!"

"Visible nudity in the nudity tents, please, thank you!" a passing security guard called, ushering the group they'd seen into one before continuing her patrol.

"Okay, let's find everybody else," Riz said, heading off with his gaze firmly downcast.

Gorgug and Kristen were sitting on a dry patch of ground near the food stalls eating something lumpy and fried. Adaine sat down next to them and let Boggy out.

"Where's Fig?" Fabian asked, flopping down next to her.

"And Gertie?" Riz added.

"Fig's on recon and Gertie got kicked out," Kristen said around a mouthful.

"What?" Riz cried, laughing in shock. "Already? What the hell happened?"

"She got in an argument about the ethics of honey and it got ugly," Kristen said, shaking her head. "She declared like five or six people her nemeses and summoned a swarm. Security kicked her out."

"How'd they overpower her?" Adaine asked. "If she already had a swarm summoned that would have been really tough. How did we not hear the commotion?"

Kristen cleared her throat and looked down at her feet, blushing.

"C'mon, what'd you do, Kristen?" Fabian prodded.

"Uh, I kinda...might've...distracted her."

"She took her top off," Gorgug said.

"It distracted her long enough for security to grab her," Kristen said, still not looking at anyone.

"Ok, but why are you blushing?" Riz asked. "Since when do you care about being naked, Kristen?"

"Probably embarrassed about how she yelled that Gertie's passion for her convictions had overwhelmed her and she couldn't resist her carnal urges any longer," Gorgug said.

"Kristen!"

"You didn't!"

"Oh no."

"All of you shut up!" Kristen cried from behind her hands. Adaine hugged her, laughing.

"That was an awful idea, but if it worked, it worked," she told her.

"Listen, you guys are the smart ones and you weren't around! I had to improvise!"

"I don't think either of us tearing our shirts off would've distracted Gertie quite as well, anyway," Riz snickered.

"Adaine maybe," Kristen laughed.

"I'm too sober for that," Adaine said. "I'm pretty sure I'd die of alcohol poisoning before I got drunk enough."

"Anyway, what are we looking for while we're here?" Fabian asked. "Just general suspicious stuff? Do we know if anyone in their party but Ruben is going to be here?"

"Well I'm going to look for food," Riz said. "Be right back."