Theo got as much rest as he could. Could being the operative word, as he was restless and almost unable to sit still. Even though he was tired, even though his eyes were closing and his blinks grew longer and longer, he still found it hard to sleep.

The first day of warfare was a lot to process. He’d scrubbed his hands until they were so raw he needed to use Rest to restore them, skin knitting itself back together, wet as he held them over buckets of dirty water.

He still felt like there was blood hiding somewhere.

Jenny had gone back to sleep with her family. He didn’t mind.

This way he didn’t have to try and lie there as he failed to drift off, and instead went to The Pub.

It was in the wee hours, which normally meant barely anybody would still be there except Alan cleaning up, but right now, it was as full as ever. It was quiet, however. The usual rambunctiousness was missing as everyone sat nursing their own drinks, staring off into the middle distance and processing everything.

Theo did the same, but bar or bed his restlessness remained.

He looked over to the space where he normally performed. It was currently filled with random bits of furniture, haphazardly placed in a stack as whatever wasn’t being used by patrons slowly gravitated and moved towards the one unoccupied place not for sitting.

He looked at Alan, a question in his eyes.

Alan nodded.

Theo stood up, stretched, and moved towards the pile of debris, shifting out of the way just enough for him to have room to sit.

---

It had been a little while since he had performed, what with everything that had been going on. Frankly, Theo was glad that Alan hadn’t bugged him much about it, but he definitely felt guilty.

It was good to perform again, to think of music and magic in a setting outside of combat. It had been too long since he could remember just enjoying what he was doing. He rarely visited the Arts Exchange, preferring to train at the Martial Exchange, but he made a note that he needed to do that more often, and perform more in general.

It didn’t hurt that people needed something to distract them from the reality of what was happening, and the reception reflected that. Cheers rang out as people sang along and laughed, and the whole place seemed a little brighter by another torch or so.

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He felt grounded. Some of the stress and tension in his chest left his body, and his muscles felt more relaxed. He yawned.

Theo sat down at the counter, shared a nod with Alan, and looked around.

Only after the battle did he realise that the majority of regulars here were warriors. They weren’t the upper year students, but he definitely recognised most of their faces among all the older warriors who were there. He didn’t really recognise any guards, but that was mostly due to the helmets they wore.

It was an odd feeling to know that he was pulling more weight than the majority of warriors here. He didn’t feel good, just guilty. He barely had to try to attain a level of magic most struggled to reach their entire lives. He could see from the somewhat conflicted looks sent his way that at least some of them knew it.

It was even odder after the highs of performing and camaraderie, a valley in the shadow of a snowy mountain glistening in sunlight.

“Don’t mind them. All the good warriors left for greener pastures.” Theo looked to his right, where Sean sat, sipping his own beer. “Most graduates of the Colleges travel the world, offering their skills to the highest bidder. Some come back and teach, or retire, but most make their mark in other places.”

Theo thought about the number of students currently studying, and the fact that he couldn’t recall any notable graduates in the city, teachers excepted.

They all had to go somewhere.

“Of course, even those that left probably can’t measure up to what you can do. You’re a triple threat – internal magic, offer magic, and one hell of a performer too.” Sean said, finishing off the rest of his drink. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you left and never came back.”

Theo paused, shrugging. “I don’t know, I haven’t thought about what I want to do after this.” He really hadn’t considered leaving Union City. Sure, he left for Etol, but that was different.

Sean stood up, patting Theo on the shoulder as he made his way towards the exit. “You already pulled off one damn impressive rescue. What’s stopping you from travelling around, charming everyone, making a name for yourself, and keep going?”

---

That question rattled around in Theo’s head. Would he like to explore the world after this? Would he want to leave behind everything he knew?

Of course, that didn’t help with his exhaustion problem. The more questions he had, the harder it was to sleep. He used Rest to rejuvenate his body as much as he could, but he could feel the aches in his bones acting up, how much colder the morning felt than it actually was, and he was sure that if he had no internal magic his eyes would be bloodshot.

He leaned against the outer wall as he sat facing Etol’s camps.

In a few hours, when the sun rose again, he would have to fight again. But for now, the only company he had were the vines and stars above, and the thoughts he had in his head.

As he stared off, alone once more in the silence of a sleeping battlefield, he hummed a tune.

---

Theo woke up to the feeling of something on his body.

He blinked the sleep out of his eyes, as he looked around blearily. It was still dark, but he had definitely slept for a few hours.

He looked to his side, to see Jenny leaning her head on his shoulder.

“Morning. How’d you sleep?” She asked with a smile.

“Enough.” He responded, running fingers through her hair.