Everyone knew Elodin was as cracked as the potter's cobblestones. He was the notorious madman of the University. Rumours of his unstability wove around him like an intricate but loosely spun spider's web, until truth and gossip were tangled together in a jumbled mess. He had started a fight in a tavern because some noble wouldn't stop using a certain word, he had thrown Kvothe off the rooftop after a fight, and the most ridiculous rumour of them all is that he had blindfolded himself for three days but miraculously remained in one, albeit rather bruised, piece. His presence elicited sighs of exasperation and caused people to throw their eyes heavenwards, clicking their tongues and shaking their heads in sorrowful amusement as they gossiped about his eccentricity after he left, snickering and sneering.
But that didn't change that fact that he was the most intriguing, if not the most frustrating, Master of them all.
You complained about his lessons along with every other student, but underneath your scorn was a deep vein of fascinated admiration and hushed awe for the eccentric Master Namer who seemed as if he had stepped right out of the pages of a book about the Fae. He was certainly missing a few marbles, no doubt about that, but you would be lying to yourself if you didn't find that part of him attractively carefree and boyish. Better than Master Lorren, who almost always stood as unblinking as a cold pillar of stone. Better than Master Kilvin, who would fume in a red-hot rage when one of his lamps went out unexpectedly. Better than Master Arwyl who would reproach you harshly if you didn't wash your hands before entering the Medica. Better than the Chancellor who aged prematurely because of all the troubles at the University, and definitely better than Master Hemme, the king-high bastard of the lot who was often responsible for raising your tuition to an extortionate rate.
To put it simply, you had a tiny, but definite, crush on Master Elodin.
Even if he was prone to leaving articles of his clothing behind.
Today you were at another renown lesson of "Introduction to Not Being a Stupid Jackass", and things were still as peculiar and confusing as usual. Uresh had promptly left the room after Master Elodin had made another request for him to...practice a certain act of intimacy, exasperation was written plainly all over Kvothe's face, and even gentle Fela was beginning to show signs of a mind strained by endless frustration. Tempers were running short and the tension was so thick that it was almost a tangible taste upon your tongue, sticky as melted sugar and bitter as coffee beans.
And then Elodin decided to take off his socks and storm out of the room after declaring that his time could be better spent teaching a donkey to swim.
That didn't help matters very much.
One by one, every student began to file out of the room slowly, not to follow Master Elodin, but to head somewhere else where they could vent their frustration in peace. Soon, the room was quiet as the Tomes and empty except for you.
It was your time to shine.
Quick as a flash, you picked up Elodin's discarded socks and ran after the owner, who was plodding down the hallway sulkily, calloused feet stomping on the grey stone floor. He was muttering under his breath, unaware of the terrified students who scuttled hastily and shied away from him like spooked horses, whispering behind their upraised hands.
"Master Elodin!" You cried out, socks clutched in a tangled mess to your chest. "Master Elodin, don't leave yet! You've forgotten your socks!"
Upon hearing the sound of his name, said Master turned around, the scowl on his face evaporating into thin air as he realized that it was just you and not the annoying Master Hemme. "Oh hello (y/n)," he greeted you cheerfully in an enthusiastic tone that contradicted his foul mood just seconds ago. "How lovely it is to see you again so soon! Thank you for bringing me my socks. I had a hard time sliding down the corridor without them. Here's a reward for being such a good student!"
Before you had time to react, the tall dark-haired man plucked his socks out of your hands and dropped a small kiss upon your brow, as gentle as a mother's caress and as light as a feather, so small that it was almost ticklish. It was over almost as soon as it had happened, but you felt his lips burn an electric current into the marrow of your bones, sending shivers up and down your body for what had seemed like centuries while he straightened his back once more, grinning down at you with that trademark cheekiness of his before waving goodbye and sliding away in his newly-returned socks, humming jauntily while you stood as still as a pillar of salt, your face growing redder with each passing minute.
Everyone knew Elodin was as cracked as the potter's cobblestones, always missing a marble or two. Rumours of his notorious acts of madness followed him everywhere, as intricate and well-woven as a spider's web. He was prone to starting fights over small matters, tended to throw students off roofs in a fit of temper, and blindfolded himself for nothing more than his own amusement. His presence elicited sighs of frustration and exasperated eye-rolls, but a new reaction has now been tossed into the mix.
A blush and a fluttering heart.