So this was originally written way back before Chapter 46 was released and the College arc began, but I finally sat down to finish it tonight. It probably seems rather patchy because I moved bits around but didn't edit much. Still, hope you'll enjoy it!
The door creaked a little too loudly at the hinges, sounding loudly throughout the lecture theatre. A hooded figure hastily slipped through the door, attempting to enter without drawing any more attention to herself than she already had. Unfortunately for the newcomer, the heavy door slammed shut with a loud 'THUD', startling the rest of the theatre. To the lecturer's credit, he didn't so much as flinch at the interruption.
"Thank you for joining us, please take a seat." An inhuman head nodded in her direction, red pinpricks of light making direct eye contact. Chise blushed in embarrassment as she quickly found a seat in a sparsely-occupied corner of the room.
With the brief interruption over, the lecture resumed as if nothing had transpired.
"Most of you currently major in alchemical sciences, a few of whom are taking a minor in magecraft. As you may know, magic and alchemy are commonly said to be one and the same, although achieved with vastly different methods. However, there are some key differences between the two. While alchemy follows the laws as established in other fields of sciences, magic allows for much greater flexibility in what can and cannot be accomplished."
With a slightly exaggerated gesture, the dimmed lecture theatre was illuminated by the blazing glow of a flaming bird, which seemed to have materialise out of thin air. A few scattered gasps and murmurs were heard among the students. The bird preened upon its perch on the lecturer's robe-clad arm, cawing voicelessly. A gentle nudge prompted it to dissipate into the air like a spent flame.
Chise smiled as she listened to the chatter around her. This was a party trick that Elias seemed to be particularly fond of, one which had few practical uses but never failed to amaze. It was still a technique of a level that Chise was years away from attaining as an apprentice mage. Conjuration alone is not a difficult type of spell to cast, given the right conditions and environment. But in the absence of suitably natured spirits or fairies, the caster would have to rely on their own magic energy in order to form a conjuration of their design. Even the vast pool of magical energy stored within her Sleigh Beggy body alone was not sufficient for her to attempt a similar spell, if she didn't have enough experience in spell-casting.
"Now, would anyone like to try their hand at using magic?"
Oh no, audience participation. A phrase most dreaded by shy introverts such as herself. The apprentice mage pulled her hood lower over her face to avoid eye contact, as if the lecturer wasn't already aware of her exact position. The rest of the theatre was quiet as no one was eager to be called to the front and teased by their friends for the rest of the day. His gaze seemed to linger on her for a brief moment, before moving on to other targets.
'Crisis averted,' she thought in relief. Through their mental link, she could hear Ruth sniggering at her.
Red eyes scanned the room for candidates, eventually stopping on one student who had been distracted by his phone throughout his lecture thus far.
"You, over there." He said in a firm voice, one which dared others to disobey him. The student's classmates laughed as he jumped in his seat, nearly dropping his phone. He sheepishly made his way down the stairs towards the front of the lecture theatre.
Chise felt some pity for the poor student. Casting spells as an apprentice mage was nerve-wracking enough, let alone as an alchemist with zero prior experience. The sheer number of things that could go wrong in even the most basic spells was enough to deter unsupervised experimentation, although that hadn't stopped her in the past. Of course, Elias would definitely step in if things didn't turn out as planned. Still, at least she isn't the one down there in front of everyone.
"Are you nervous? Your emotional state can affect how your magic is cast. Perhaps some company will help with that."
'Oh no, you don't-'
"Would our latest addition like to join us in front?"
The mental link with her familiar was flooded with laughter as she reluctantly left her seat in the far corner and walked towards the pair, face red with embarrassment as she felt gazes of the entire class on her. A gloved hand gripped her arm gently, guiding her into position next to the other student. A slight squeeze on her upper arm seemed to say 'sorry for doing this', but she didn't sense too much sincerity, especially when she turned back and saw the mischievous glint in her beloved's eyes.
A cart wheeled itself before the unfortunate students. Two unlit candles stood before them.
"This will be a simple exercise. Use only magic to light these candles."
In the absence of neighbours, Elias offered his own magical energy to use in casting the spell, resting his hands on their shoulders to aid in channelling his energy. The gesture was innocent, but Chise still panicked over how it would appear to the other students. She wasn't ashamed to be in a relationship with the inhuman mage, but for that image to be the first impression left on everyone...
"Relax, focus on the task at hand," he said in a low voice, seemingly directed at her. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and pictured a candle being lit by an unseen flame. Since Elias was providing energy as opposed to other fae or spirits, a chant to convey her intentions wasn't needed. Sure, she could have tapped into her own supply without too much effort since it was a simple spell, but that could potentially reveal her Sleigh Beggy nature if she wasn't careful with controlling her output.
Within her mind's eye, she saw the movement of magical energy around her. True to his name, Elias' magic manifested as thorny vines, twisting and reaching for her slightly outstretched arms. Aware of her intent, they gathered between her hands, sparking into flames as they came together in a ball of concentrated magic. When she opened her eyes, a small flame danced before her atop the wax candle. Light applause sounded from the rest of the lecture theatre once the soft orange glow appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Chise turned to face her mentor, who had a fond look in his eyes. A few moments later, a second flame appeared on the other candle.
"Good work, both of you. Please return to your seats so we may resume the lesson proper."
A small crowd gathered around Elias, hounding him with various questions about the lecture and magecraft in general. Chise quickly gestured to him that she was going ahead first, to which he curved his eyes slightly, a subtle signal that he had acknowledged her message. Satisfied with the reply, she left the lecture theatre, blinking a few times to adapt to the brighter surroundings.
Once she reached an open area, she paused, realising that she had no idea where the canteen was.
"Map… where's my map…" she muttered to herself, digging around her bag for the information booklet Adolf had given her upon arrival at the campus. A light tap on her shoulder caught her attention. She spun around expectantly. "Eli-"
"Hey, I couldn't help but notice you seem to be lost. Maybe I can help?" A vaguely familiar face and voice asked.
"Oh, you're the one from before. Th-thanks for the offer." She tried not to show her disappointment as she recognised her demonstration partner from before.
"You're going to the canteen, aren't you? Here, I'll take you there." He offered a hand to her, smiling gently.
Chise wasn't blind, she knew that this boy was trying to charm her. Gosh, she was so inexperienced at these things. Back in middle school, she was too worried about keeping her grades up and avoiding the jaws of more hostile faeries to pursue any sort of relationship, platonic or romantic.
"Sure, thank you." She didn't want to seem rude by rejecting him outright. She busied herself with rearranging the contents of her bag, pretending not to see the outstretched hand so she wouldn't have to address it. To his credit, the boy seemed to take the hint and retracted his hand. Instead, he placed it on her back and nudged her in the general direction of the canteen. Chise was still learning about gestures which are commonly expressed between acquaintances in England, but she was fairly certain that this wasn't one of them.
'Chise, do you need me to come in?' Ruth's voice asked in her mind, sensing her discomfort.
'No, it's alright. Can you tell Elias where I am?'
'No problem.' A piece of her shadow split off and slid across the ground, reforming into a black dog when he was nearly out of sight.
"I don't think I've seen you around school before. Are you new to the college?"
"Yes, I'm just an auditing student actually."
"Ah, that explains it. I'll gladly give you a tour around school after lunch if you're interested. I'm Sebastian, by the way. What's your name?"
Oh no, now we're using given names. "Ch-Chise."
"That's a beautiful name, it suits you very well."
Simple flattery. It's a Japanese name, he probably doesn't even know how to write the characters, let alone understand the meaning behind her name. She gave a forced smile, an expression she had practiced for most of her life. "Thank you, you're too kind."
As the pair walked, Chise's mind was running through several different outcomes for the situation she somehow found herself in. 'Sorry, I'm already engaged to a centuries-old magecraft professor' didn't seem like an appropriate statement somehow. Speaking of Elias, what if he saw her with another male? Will he get possessive again? She had already lectured him about learning to control his actions especially when they seemed morally questionable, but her fiance was still like a child learning why he shouldn't pick a fight with the playground bully who took his toy.
"You did well at the lecture earlier. Have you done magic before?"
"I have some experience with magic, yes."
It took way too long to reach the canteen. Chise turned to thank the boy and leave, instead he guided her to a table and dropped his bag onto an empty seat.
"Wait here, I'll bring lunch for both of us."
"Actually, I'm waiting for someone-" But he was already gone, heading over to the counter to order food. Great, he was either deliberately ignoring her hints, or he truly was the densest person she had ever met. Considering the man she lived with, that was saying a lot. She just wanted to disappear and pretend this awkward situation wasn't happening, groaning softly into her hands. Sometimes, she envied both her familiar and mentor, with their abilities to meld into shadows any time they wanted to avoid contact.
'Chise, he's reaching your location soon. I'll be outside the building if you need me.'
She almost missed the grim's message, as lost in thought as she was imagining how the inevitable confrontation would go. It wasn't until a warm hand patted her head that the words registered. She didn't have to face the newcomer to know who it was.
"Elias, you're here!" It was hard to keep the joy and relief out of her words.
"Sorry for making you wait, Chise. The alchemists were holding me back with their endless questions. I didn't even know it was possible to feel suffocation without physical contact." A human chin leaned down to rub against her scalp. The higher-pitched voice was unexpected, but not surprising. A few stray strands of long wavy hair tickled her cheek as the head above hers shifted slightly.
"People are going to get the wrong idea if you keep rubbing my head like this."
"What's wrong with showing my affection for the person I love?" He asked as he pulled back in mock offence.
"Mm, it's nothing." She grasped his left hand, which came to rest on her shoulder. The outline of his ring was barely visible through the white glove, but the feel of its solid band as she gripped his slender fingers brought comfort to her.
"I thought so." He placed his leather folder on the table, pulling up a chair to sit on. Upon seeing the unfamiliar backpack, he paused. "Do you have company?"
Oh dear. "It's the student you called to the front earlier. He offered to show me around college later."
"How generous." Elias tilted his head, a blank expression on his face. He didn't emote much in his human glamours, explaining once before that they weren't worth the extra effort to animate unless completely necessary. 'You'll say that they look fake anyway,' he said then, which was when she realised that her initial comments on his Simon-esque face had wounded his pride quite a bit.
Before he could comment further, Sebastian had returned with two trays of food.
"Are you Chise's friend?"
Neither mages had a chance to speak up before he placed the trays down, sitting directly opposite of Chise at the rectangular table. Elias' body language became more tense, using more force than necessary to grip the backrest of another chair and seat himself.
A few tense seconds passed, until Chise tried to break the ice.
"Elias, this is Sebastian, he was in the lecture earlier."
She could tell Sebastian was sizing him up, eyes narrowing slightly as they swept across her mentor's (feminine) features.
"Yes, I remember you. Pleased to meet you." Elias offered a hand in greeting, as he always did. He gave a forced smile, which Chise tried to ignore.
"Likewise, Miss Elias." They shared a handshake that was firmer than necessary. She might have attributed that to misgendering Elias, but he doesn't actually mind how others address him. Besides, he chose to don this glamour, so he can't complain to her later about this incident.
Once they were properly seated again, Elias spoke up.
"Chise, do remember that we have a lesson later. I've already booked a study room in the Experiment building for 2 o'clock this afternoon."
"Oh, are you her tutor?"
Elias glared at him with slightly narrowed eyes.
"I am her mentor." His words were spoken with annoyance. Only 2 sentences were exchanged before he started showing his dislike for a person. That was a new record, noted Chise. She muttered a soft 'itadakimasu' before digging into her sizeable plate of rice. Elias cleared his throat to signal a change of topic.
"Nicely done during the demonstration, Chise. Your control over magic is improving."
"That's because I have a good teacher."
"Don't think I'll go easy on you during your quiz later, though."
"Alright…" Chise sighed.
"Ah, so she's the one who's teaching you magic!" Sebastian interrupted, much to the annoyance of both mages. "I would love to observe one of your sessions, I do have quite an interest in magic myself."
'Then why were you so reluctant to participate before?' Chise thought, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.
The rest of the lunch continued in stiff silence, as the two students focused on finishing their plates. Upon seeing that they were done, Elias closed his book and stood up.
"Shall we get going?"
"I know a shortcut to the Experiment building, it's faster if you cut through the dormitories." Sebastian pointed in the general direction of their destination, before leading the group to set off. He seemed to reach for Chise's arm again, but stopped when he saw Chise gripping the other girl's hand. He dusted off his pants to hide his initial intents, but Chise was all too aware of what he wanted to do.
"Chise, why is he coming with us?" Elias whispered, his annoyance obvious to the apprentice.
"He insisted and I can't just chase him away, that'll be rude." She quickly ran through a list of options on how to politely reject him, but seeing how Sebastian had already missed or ignored so many of her previous attempts… hang on.
"Aren't the dormitory blocks warded against magical and alchemical spells?" Chise asked. Elias stared blankly at her for a few seconds, trying to understand the meaning behind her sudden enquiry. A few seconds later, his eyes widened with understanding. He released her hand, instead placing it on her other shoulder and drawing her closer to his body. The shape of his feminine torso was unfamiliar, but his touch was still the same.
As they cross the gate into the dormitory blocks, Sebastian spoke up again. "Do either of you need to grab anything from your rooms? Now's a good time t-"
He turned to face the mages, just in time to watch the image of a white long-haired girl dissolve into that of a tall, skull-headed creature with red eyes glaring down at him.
"Wha-"
"We have all of the necessary materials with us. May we proceed with haste? It's nearly 2pm." Elias tilted his head, feigning innocence. Everything went as expected, the glamour dissipated the moment they stepped through the anti-spell ward.
"Professor Ainsworth! O-of course, it's this way."
They resumed their journey, while Chise noticed that Sebastian's posture seemed stiffer than before. He also kept glancing at the phone in his hand, possibly praying for an excuse to escape from this situation. To his relief, his phone buzzed with a text notification.
"My friends are looking for me, I'll have to join some other day. Sorry!" He bowed slightly and sped off. Chise and Elias stood in the middle of the courtyard they found themselves in, watching as the boy ran back towards the canteen.
"Well, that took long enough. Humans are such a bother." Elias huffed in annoyance.
Chise grinned. "He's even worse at taking hints than you are. Most of us aren't this dense."
"At least we can conduct our private lesson in peace now, it's tiring to teach magecraft to a whole group of students."
"You didn't have to do that, though! Do you have any idea how nervous I was?" She said accusingly.
"Being outside your comfort zone isn't necessarily a bad thing." Elias replied with a grin in his voice. "Besides, it wouldn't do to continue the lecture if the demonstration had ended in failure."
"I was tempted to have lunch without you after the lecture. Maybe lunch with Sebastian wasn't such a bad idea." Upon seeing his flabbergasted expression, jaw hanging open and red pupils enlarged, she laughed. "I'm just kidding, I won't leave you so easily."
"But that implies you may leave me again." He's pouting again. It's interesting how she's learnt to read such minute expressions after just over a year of being with him.
"Barring another major incident, I don't think I'll be doing that any time soon." She grasped his left hand, fingers seeking out the hidden ring under the glove. She stroked it a few times, reminding him of the promise she had made to him in the forest.
He sighed. "Alright, I trust you."
"Me too."