Chapter 31

Nothing smelled quite right.

The idea depressed Riley. There was all manner of fair food and calories for days. The smells themselves sparked memories of things like funnel cakes, corn dogs, and fried cheese. Some of those memories were distant and shadowy, but the scents themselves brought them to a disjointed mishmash of fractured recall.

She had lived with her parents in a place called Iowa, which was somewhere in either America or Canada; she could not remember which, or was Canada a state, too? Something ate at her, telling her she should know those basics, yet like so many details of her old life, they were slippery at best, save for a few things that existed, like hard points, implacable and immovable in the past.

It was why the Expo food depressed her. To her memory, it all smelled familiar, but to her instinct and current mode of thinking, it was all wrong until they had found a "companion cart."

Spears of fresh fruit on sticks, one called a jogana, especially desire and hunger in her mind as much as her stomach, not to mention the stacks of fresh clover and sweet grasses.

The fair food might have smelled familiar, but that companion cart smelled right.

"No charge, sir," the attendant said with a curtsey, "we always comp our friends at the academy. You do so much for us."

Tobias looked pained and drew a few coppers from a pouch that was hidden in a pocket in his robe, "let's just call this my own thank you then. My parents are common folk, too."

He set the money down on the table and walked away with the woman beaming.

"That was good of you," Riley said, her stomach grumbling as she hopped beside him. Tobias stopped at another booth full of greasy drumsticks from some unfortunate animal, acquiring his own food.

This vendor took his money joyfully, "Thank you sorcerer."

"You know where we live. I grew up in the lower quarter, and I see exactly what you've seen; I've just become more accustomed to it," a morose brooding hung from his words.

"You're bothered by what happened earlier," She surmised.

Up ahead, Riley saw the familiar oak tree, now with tables and folding wooden chairs set out underneath it.

"I am. Well, that and seeing how you reacted to it. You were shaking, afraid of me," Tobias sighed, picking a seat in the shade and sitting down.

Off in the distance, four bells tolled, Tobias, mindful of the grease, set his leg down on the paper wrapping it came in, only to see to Riley's food first.

"I don't think you're a monster. I actually think you're going to be a very good man," She praised.

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"Maybe you should think less of me," He held out the jojagna fruit towards her, allowing her a tentative nibble.

The taste of banana mixed with the stony flesh of pear seized her like a warm hug. Something feral took control and drove her to gobble the flesh of it down.

"Easy, easy! Mind the stick in the center!" Tobias chuckled.

"Dessert!" Riley exclaimed, elated. A series of happy grunts erupted, and her left hindpaw twitched.

"Ok, I'm remembering this one; better than tenganut?" For the first time since the trials that day, she saw him smile, which caused Riley to stop.

"What?" He asked.

"That, right there, is why you're a good man," she pointed a paw at him in emphasis of her point.

"Because you like fruit?" He puzzled.

Riley huffed. "Because you want to see someone other than yourself happy. You paid the Lady for my fruit, you care about that man you hurt, and you're already thinking of going to the practice room to get better, aren't you?"

Tobias chuckled ruefully. "Am I that predictable?"

"Yes, you are, and that's a good thing. If I couldn't count on you to be a good man, then I wouldn't feel comfortable making you the offer I'm about to," She replied.

"Offer?" Tobias cocked his head.

"I know something about magic and oaths thanks to those cram crystals. For tomorrow's trial, I'm lending you my power, full bore. You're expected to have the benefit of a companion to boost your casting, right? I don't quite understand it all, but I know enough to forge a magical compact," she held herself back from her fruit to drive the point home.

Tobias leaned back, his face growing pale.

"You mean that? After what you saw me do?" He marveled.

"Yes, because of the person you are. You remember my treats, you care about the commoners, you're not blind to this world's cruelties, you've just accepted them, which is the same thing that happened with me in what I can remember of mine. I didn't let the badness in the world stop me from trying, and I see you making those same choices," her passion caused a response in her power, pushing Riley to ground.

Tobias pet her ears back, looking at her with obvious affection, "You're the best purchase ever."

He smiled like a goon, causing Riley to snort, "I was in the bargain bin; I guess we both got lucky."

Devil's luck indeed, she reflected.

They passed the hour, chatting idly. Tobias' mood rose like the sun in the morning sky. Riley stuffed herself to the gills with clover, all while more people filtered into the fair as the workday approached its end.

The hour melted by, and soon, the bell struck five times over, prompting Tobias to stand.

"We should make our way towards the artificer's tent. Justinian is going to be setting up his demonstration soon."

"I'm looking forward to that; I've never seen an artificer cast," Riley said, hopping down, careful of her full stomach.

"I ate so much, I can barely hop," She stretched with a yawn.

The crowd was growing, but still, that same halo of space formed around them like it was a natural phenomenon. Only other students drew in close. Even at her small height, Riley could catch the bubbles of space caused by the sorcerors and students as they moved through the crowds, creating currents of humanity.

Riley saw a group of people gathered around what looked like an octagonal boxing ring, elevated up six feet off the ground.

Two opponents were squaring off in leathers. Riley drew to a stop and watched as orange and green auras of flame wrapped around the opponents.

One pushed off, and the ring cracked with a loud bang as he rose ten feet up in the air before descending like a lobbed artillery shell.

The green glow intensified around his foot; he flew towards his target as if suspended by wire and weight. Quickly, his opponent flipped backward, moving towards the corner by successive flips and cartwheels, then stopped in mid-air just long enough to adjust his angle and push off a corner support, rocketing towards the other.

They finally collided fist to foot. A shockwave exploded around them, punctuating the air with a gust of wind and a massive boom.

Riley's ears went flat, something deep within told her to run or freeze.

She chose freeze, only her jaw disobeyed, slackening down.

"First time seeing Kinetic Sorcerers?" Tobias asked, drawing up beside her.

"Outside of the movies, yeah! This is so cool!" She cried.

"I'm glad I built extra time into our transit," Tobias chuckled.