Fruit and Nuts

Koschei stormed into their shared dorm room, slamming the door behind him and startling Theta as he sat not-studying at their writing desk. "Do you have any idea what Borusa just told me?" Koschei demanded and then continued before his friend could do more than open his mouth. "That old gasbag just accused me of being mad! Me!"

Theta snapped his mouth shut and gave him a Look.

Koschei didn't notice. "Can you believe it? A Lord Professor, calling one of his students a nutter? Not exactly very decorous, is it? Simply because I don't share their stuffy old codger traditionalist view of the universe, he thinks he can just throw around wild accusations of mental imbalance—I mean, yes, there was that one time I set free all the scruffernids in the refectory and the whole Academy had to be shut down for the rest of the week until the hazardous materials crew could get the kitchens sanitized, but the fire was a complete accident, and that's hardly indicative of being off my trolley, isn't it?"

Theta raised a brow.

"Well, all right, and there was that time that I ran naked around the quad during convocation, but that was only because I lost that bet to you, and you know it!" Koschei pointed an accusing finger. "It hardly means that I'm…that I'm…bananas!" he spat.

Theta suddenly smiled brilliantly, and just like that, Koschei could feel his bubbling anger draining, burnt away by the gleaming radiance of his friend's grin.

"Even if you are, that's all right," Theta reassured cheerfully. "I love bananas!"