62. Flying Lesson Plans (1/2)

Olzu’s face was a mixture of confusion and sheer terror that Isaac would’ve found amusing under any other circumstance. The demon sputtered, struggling to find the words for a response before finally blurting out, “I can’t!”

Isaac frowned and glanced at the demon’s wings. He’d always thought they were rather small, but he’d definitely seen demons with similar wing proportions who were able to fly. That, and bumblebees. “Are you physically unable to?” he asked. Olzu stared at the ground, shifting his weight.

“Well, I could, but uh, I haven’t flown in a long time, so…” His wings flapped a few times.

“So you’re out of practice,” Isaac finished. Olzu nodded, shoulders slumping.

“Yes, you could say that.”

Isaac hummed in thought. Admittedly he hadn’t really thought through things before giving the suggestion. He should probably get a better sense of the situation first. “Well, do you want to learn how to fly?”

“Of course!”

The immediacy of the reply was both a surprise, but also encouraging. Isaac nodded. “Okay, then I’ll help you figure out how to fly again, and then you can join the flying competition and prove Casimir wrong.”

Olzu looked at him like he was crazy, which to be fair, Isaac didn’t blame him. He would probably think the same.

“And how exactly, human, do you plan on helping?” Olzu paused, then his face scrunched. Isaac could visibly see the moment the demon started questioning his understanding of life. “Wait, can you fly?”

Isaac snorted. “Definitely not.” It would save him a lot of trouble if he could. He frowned. “We could ask someone for help. Maybe Sharil?” The demon was probably one of the safest fliers he’d seen, though that wasn’t saying much given the shit most of the Underside inhabitants got up to. If there was such a thing as a “flying license,” he doubted more than 20% would pass.

“No no no,” Olzu said, shaking his head so rapidly that it became a blur. “We can’t ask her!”

Isaac raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

Olzu started doing the hopping thing again, and Isaac carefully put a hand on his shoulder to get him to stop, lest the bandage get even more messed up.

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“She’ll be worried,” Olzu said hurriedly, eyes darting around like he was worried the demon in question would pop up from the shadows. “I don’t want to bother her!”

“Hm, I’m assuming Lucius is out of the picture too, then.”

Olzu looked so affronted at the mere suggestion that he didn’t even correct him for not using a title. Isaac just sighed.

“Well, let’s get your leg re-bandaged first.”

Olzu didn’t respond directly, but he followed after as Isaac turned and strode into the healer’s area.

It became immediately clear that the people inside had heard everything that had happened, which probably shouldn’t have been a surprise given how close they were and how loud Casimir was. Isaac was silently grateful that there weren’t many people there. From what he could see, it was just a few stray participants he didn’t recognize, and he noted that Aster was also getting her arm bandaged again by Rosalinde. The fey was staring at them curiously, while Rosalinde just smiled as usual when she saw them.

“Hello Isaac, Olzu.” She nodded at the two of them, and Olzu averted his gaze, not looking at the woman directly. He shifted his weight and coughed nervously, which made Isaac raise an eyebrow at the sudden shyness.

Rosalinde finished wrapping Aster’s bandage, giving it a final check to make sure it was secure. “There you are,” she said. “The wound is closed, but I recommend avoiding strenuous activity for at least the rest of the day.”

The fey scowled, but nodded without argument. “I guess there weren’t that many events I was interested in today anyway,” she muttered. Her eyes darted over to Isaac and Olzu, sharp green gaze piercing as she studied them with interest. She cocked her head to the side, her grassy hair swaying with the motion. “Hey, you two were talking about learning to fly or something, right?” She frowned. “I’ve got nothing better to do anyway, so want my help?”

Isaac stared at the fey, who very evidently had no wings. Olzu huffed and crossed his arms.

“You can’t fly either!” he said. So he’d indeed decided to do this. Hm, that was something at least. Aster rolled her eyes.

“I know more about flying than you think. Lots of fey can; I’ve seen them learn.” She pointed a finger at Isaac. “I definitely know more than him.”

Fair enough. He couldn’t really argue with that.

“If you like,” Rosalinde suddenly spoke in that calm way of hers, “I could help as well. I can ask someone else to watch over the area for a bit.” She smiled at Olzu. “I’d rather ensure there are no injuries while practicing.”

This time Isaac was certain he could see the skin around the demon’s face darken as he nodded rapidly. He turned back to Rosalinde, who looked faintly amused and had begun packing some of the supplies into her bag. Well, if she already knew, then he wasn’t going to say anything.

“Where should we practice?” Isaac asked. He glanced behind them, but there was no empty space left under the barrier. Besides that, Casimir was still around, and there was no way he was going to let Olzu practice with the angel in such close vicinity. Thinking about the man made a few sparks of irritation flare up again, but he quickly stamped them down.

“Solonell City is quite empty right now,” Rosalinde suggested. “And it would allow me to stop by my home to gather more supplies.”

Isaac nodded and glanced down at Olzu. “That okay with you?”

The demon frowned, eyes shifting nervously between the group that had gathered. He fluttered his wings a few more times, but finally nodded in agreement.