Ranvir struggled to avoid Kirs’ scrutiny. Her narrow eyed glare blasted across the breakfast table any time he so much a looked up from his food. They’d taken advantage of the pleasant weather and set up a table in the school’s yard.

The sun was shining, nary a white cloud in the sky. Food was good and conversation flowing. The weather was hot enough that no one missed a jacket. Frija was resting her feet on Menace’s chest as he lazed underneath the table, purring so loudly glasses shook.

The entire student body, all eleven of them, were eating with the staff. They were sort of outnumbered by the staff, if Ranvir included Frija, Vasso, Laila, Shiri, and Grevor, as members of the staff. Sansir was there as well.

It was crazy how that worked out. All of Ranvir’s friends working at the school. A place to talk magic and develop your understanding. He had made the students seat themselves together. While he didn’t have a brilliant well-made plan for the upcoming year, he knew he needed them to be self-sufficient.

That was why he’d kept away the least advanced and those too young. He wanted them to develop and create their own solutions to their issues. That started with bonding and Pashar had suggested eating together.

He’d deferred to her on the subject. But that wasn’t why Kirs were sending him suspicious looks over the breakfast foods. Esmund had picked up on it as well, though he appeared happy to let it play out.

The entire student body comprised three students from Belnavir, already bonded and fused with animals. They’d mostly originated from the country-side, since it appeared those people had more control over their changes. Two men and one woman kept sending Ranvir crazy looks. Maybe it was his wings and arm, but it didn’t seem like that was all there was to it.

Kasos and Amalia had been diligent in their search for students and had come up with four. Mostly, these were unremarkable, except for their willingness to seek further instruction despite being an age that usually saw people locked into their profession. The one standing out was an old, balding man. He felt similar to Sabas, an old and weathered veteran, though not as strong nor as brittle.

It was the last group that was giving him trouble. The Elusrians, specifically, the loudly boasting woman sitting in the middle of her group. Estrid had sought him out after he’d shot her down at the interviews. As in, she’d gone to his rooms and started knocking on the door.

She hadn’t quit until he’d opened it, at which point she’d tried to seduce him. Again. Ranvir shot her down and closed the door, only for her to continue her knocking. Eventually, he relented, and she joined the school.

Apparently, Kirs had missed all of that, because she only knew Estrid had attempted to take him to bed. He’d said no, but now she was here despite being denied.

He glanced at Kirs again and she made eyes at him as if to say, “What happened? How did she get here? Did you…?”

Ranvir gave her ocular equivalent of a “nuh uh.”

She didn’t buy, staring even more intently at him. She gave him another look that said, “Then how did she get here? I know you didn’t allow her to join, but now she’s boldly walking among us?”

Ranvir swiftly replied, “I didn’t do anything. I just decided—“

“What the fuck is going on?” Esmund asked out loud, staring between the two. Ranvir and Kirs shared a glance, their eyes twitching toward Estrid involuntarily. Esmund’s gaze followed theirs to the short-haired woman. Then he gave Ranvir the most suspicious look he’d gotten so far. “Did you get laid?” Es didn’t deal in eye-speak, nor subtlety.

Eyes spun to Ranvir, conversations quieted. The students who hadn’t overheard them grew self-conscious and fell silent as well. All eyes were turned to him. He felt each like icy pin-pricks of white nervousness against the black hatred that boiled for Esmund.

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Then Amalia burst into laughter. “This is so stupid!” she roared, nearly falling out of her seat. Pashar and Kirs fell in with her, breaking the silence, and the students soon began talking again.

But his male friends were still looking at him. Every. Single. Man. From the billion-years-old teacher to the thirteen-year-old boy. No one came to his defense or tried to dismiss the situation. They all just waited, as if with bated breath.

“Silly,” Frija said, scratching Menace’s chest with her toes—something no one else was allowed to—as she waved away Es’ question. “Daddy’s sitting up. He isn’t laid down.”

“That would be ‘laying down,’ Firehearth,” Ranvir blessed her tiny innocent heart as he pulled her in to kiss her hair. “Also, thank you.”

Frija frowned and looked down at her plate of mostly fruit that she was still working on. Utensils still didn’t sit quite right in her hands and it was occasionally a fight to eat properly. He heard her muttering, “Laiding down.” As she attempted to skewer an apple slice.

Sansir was leaning so far over the table, he was almost butting heads with Dovar. “Well?”

“No,” Ranvir said. “I did not get laid.”

“Then why does Kirs think you did?” Es asked.

“Wait with who?” Ayvir asked.

Kirs ratted him out immediately. Not that there was anything to ‘rat out.’ He didn’t sleep with anybody, or have sex with them, for that matter. As she pointed to Estrid, the short-haired woman noticed and looked at them curiously.

Ranvir tried to ignore the mutterings and focused on his food. He just had to learn from the picnic. The less he engaged, the less fun it was for them, and the less he had to suffer.

“What’s your name?” Grev asked.

“Estrid.”

“Grevor Starstone. Do I know you from somewhere?”

“I doubt it.”

“Oh, shame. Did you fuck Ranvir?”

Ranvir blew juice out his nose, hitting his plate, his shirt, and Frija’s shirt. He quickly grabbed her, placing both hands over her ears and hauling the child away from the table. Familiar with the game, Frija giggled and grabbed onto his wrist, taking the pressure off.

Ranvir sent the beaming Grevor a dirty look as juice ran down his chin.

“No.”

Thank the Goddess.

“But I wouldn’t be opposed.”

Damn everyone at that table.

Hurrying inside, he hurried to the kitchen and put Frija down. Menace sauntering inside and leaping onto the counter. Ranvir’d grown up seeing the village cats doing this often. Most of the time, people were quick to drive them down. If nothing else, they only weighed a few pounds.

Menace… wouldn’t be moved. Ranvir would need all the strength his abilities could grant him to move the monstrous cat. Luckily, he didn’t need to worry. The groaning counter soon had the cat reconsidering the issue of resting place.

Ranvir quickly wiped Frija’s face and shirt with a damp cloth before taking care of himself.

“What was that about?” she asked, cocking her head curiously.

“I got juice down the wrong throat.”

She made a gnarly. “Eww.”

“I’m right there with yo—“

“How dare you!” Laila burst into the room like a hurricane on fire. Or an angry teenage girl, which, considering Ranvir’s powers, was more frightening. Her eyes were red and veins stood out on the side of her neck. She pointed a painfully straight finger at him. “You should be thinking about Shiri!” she screamed.

“Yeah,” Vasso said from the doorway. Ranvir gave him a questioning look and the teenage boy shrugged. Laila sniffed and nodded at Vasso.

“That’s right. You should think about… About,” she was sniffling now, barely holding back tears. “Argh!” she yelled and stormed out.

Vasso gave him a less than enthusiastic pointed finger, then followed behind her. Ranvir exchanged a glance with Frija. “What the fuck?”

“Shh,” Ranvir said. Then Shiri passed by the doorway.

“Mom, hi!” Frija said.

Shiri smiled and waved back. “Hi! Have you seen Laila?”

Frija nodded and pointed in the direction they left. “She came to yell at Daddy, then left.”

Shiri’s lips thinned, and she looked at Ranvir. He must’ve had a funny expression on his face, because her consternation turned to restrained amusement. Lips twisting at the edges, she left, waving bye to Frija.

“Hey,” Grevor said, popping around the corner. “Just making sure everything’s alright.”

Ranvir shook his fist at him. “I outta box you upside the head.”

Frija slapped a fist into her palm.

Grev just laughed and tossed his curly blond hair. His was not as tightly curled as Vasso’s, yet he still resembled the teenager the most out of all of them. Despite originating from different planes.

“You got some,” Grev flicked his cheek with a finger. Frija groaned and Ranvir ran the cloth over his face. He felt the bit of food unstick.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked his darling daughter.

“It was funny,” she said, meandering toward the door.

“I didn’t mean any harm,” Grev said once they were alone. “I just figured—“ he cut off as someone started screaming outside.