Summer Showers

Sheets of rain thick enough to obscure the castle drummed across the roof. It was also pouring through the gardens with enough force to knock some of the leaves off the trees.

He was not going walking through that mess, no matter how insistent Ienzo got. He'd gotten soaked enough when their impromptu picnic turned into a race for cover. At least they'd managed to ditch the other apprentices - though he wasn't sure Ienzo realized that was the idea.

He could ignore the youngest researcher's push and manipulation. Dilan could maybe make an interesting conversation out of it. But he was about as eager to be stuck in a shed in the pouring rain with, say, Braig and Ienzo sniping at each other as he was to slog through the rain back to the castle.

A sudden rise in volume caught his attention, and he blinked. When had Ienzo moved away from the door? "You didn't hear anything I said, did you?"

"No."

"Well of course he didn't. He was probably congratulating himself on ditching Braig."

His head snapped away from Ienzo to see a bedraggled Even standing in the doorway, a surprisingly angry little smirk glinting in the lightning. "Damn."