Hey everyone! I'm back again! Happy 4th of July to all my American readers!

Honestly, though, I haven't worked on Elemental in a little over a week...oops. I've been kind of wrapped up in an idea I had for a story. It's actually not a fan fiction. It's going fairly well, and I've got a basic idea of a plot, and a lot of details for the characters figured out. It's been fun. I'll eventually get back to Elementals and related spin offs, though. Can't leave y'all hangin', after all.

Ah, more banter from Klaus and Selene. Enjoy. ;)


Chapter 36

Klaus' POV

"Perhaps." I said. Something similar to ice magic, huh? If she can't use ice, but can use it's opposite, she might be able to use ice through the reverse of fire, or more accurately, heat. That's an interesting theory, and I'm not surprised that the headmaster figured that out. Maybe I should have her try it.

"Perhaps can mean many things. You do or you don't." She was sitting on the other side of my desk, chin perched upon one of her palms, head tilted and looking at me, wide-eyed and expectant.

I smirk, "I think I'll leave it to you to figure it out."

"Klaaaaaaaus!" she whined, "But why should I when you already know the annnnnswerrrrrr!"

"To make you suffer." I looked back at the paper I was working on, knowing all too well that she was pouting. I withheld my smile, probably not too successfully.

Until her head popped into view. I jumped back in surprise, a blush rising over the bridge of my nose and tops of my cheeks. She had leaned backwards on my desk, her head plopped on top of my hands. She'd been mere inches from my face, hence the blush. Wait, what?

"Ha!" she cried, sitting up, "You're only teasing me, aren't you? Meanie bobeanie! What's the real reason? You don't really know, do you?!"

I took a breath and reeled in the rush of emotions in my chest before answering, "What's the use of knowing the answer if you didn't discover it yourself?"

Selene's POV

I scared him I scared him! Hehehehe… I don't know why but I feel really proud of having surprise him like that. I didn't expect him to jerk back so panickedly. Or to blush like that. It was kind of cute, to be honest.

"What's the use of knowing the answer if you didn't discover it yourself?" He deadpanned, regaining his composure. But I made him lose it, if only for an instance! Ha!

"Because, once I know the answer I can reverse engineer it and figure out the process to get the answer." I replied smartly. "It's how I learn math."

"Nice excuse."

"Why thank you, kind sir." I gave him a cheesy grin, then stuck my tongue out at him playfully. "Now, if you'd tell me what the translation of the headmaster's words, everything'd be juuust peachy."

"No." he repeated, but now I could tell he was just teasing me again.

"You may have control of your facial emotions, Klausy dear, but not even you can control the look in your eyes." I wagged my finger in his face, and I think what I called him both confused him and annoyed him, "Now quit teasing me or...or…" I thought a moment, "Or I'll singe your eyebrows off this time. Those'll take a lot longer to grow back than fade color."

He rolled his eyes, "Think about it. You're sufficiently smart. I'm positive you'll find the answer."

"But I'm too laaaaazy…"

"Then you don't really want to know, it seems."

"But I do! Only a lot's happened lately and my brain is fried!" I gave him the super-pouty-wide-eyed-puppy look that will usually work with most of my brothers.

I could see his inner struggle in his eyes-the only part of his face that could always be read. Yes! My special begging look is working! I turned up the power and make a little tear jump to the corner of one eye. I have perfected that look, trust me. It has taken many years and a lot of talent.

"No."

In complete shock, I lost hold on my face and my jaw dropped, "B-b-but…" I pulled up a teary face this time, but he shook his head.

"No means no."

"Unless it means yes." I tried, hopeful.

"No. It's doesn't work like that."

"That's debatable."

"No. It's not."

"Are you able to say anything besides that word?"

"Nope."

Klaus' POV

"Oh come ooooooooon!" she groaned. Messing with her like this was to much fun. I swear, a part of me feels that I'm being mean, but the rest of me is enjoying her reactions. She's very open with them. I doubt she'd ever be able to gamble without giving her hand away. Then again, she might just surprise me.

"Aww...is Swene getting fwussy?" I mimicked her baby talk from earlier.

She swatted my arm, not hard enough to hurt, but in a way that made an unnecessary amount of noise, "Looks like Klausy needs a time-out! Jerk." But she's laughing, "Man, I never thought I'd ever hear such a tone come from your lips!" Hers are stretched in a grin, one that suddenly turns conspiratorial. "You know, you're not the only smart person I know in this school. I could just go ask Isa or Alex or Zave…" At the mention of that boy something inside me starts to burn with fierce jealousy, a fiery monster in the pit of my stomach.

I don't want her going to him for help. I sighed and rolled my eyesx, feigning boredom to hide the traitorous jealousy. "You're able to use fire magic in a unique way. To use it, you're releasing heat and other factors involved. Ice, however, you cannot use because it won't work if you're releasing heat. Now, what would happen if you take in or remove heat from something?"

I see a light turn on in her head, "So I just have to make my magic produce an endothermic property instead of exothermic!"

Selene's POV

"Exactly." he said.

I think, "I think I've already done something like that, though not to the point of freezing something…"

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"Well, earlier, Yukiya had a really bad fever, and there's different medicines in this country than in Terra, and I couldn't find the right herbs. So, I used magic to draw the heat from his body into my own-I don't get fevers, see, and the heat didn't change anything upon entering me. But it dramatically reduced his fever."

He looked thoughtful, "Interesting concept for an interesting problem. This is a new type of thinking, I'll admit. It most likely won't be that effective with most people, but it might work perfectly in your case. Of course, I've never met anyone whose magical abilities mirror yours."

"I'm a special child." I gave him a closed-eyed grin, and I knew he was rolling his eyes.

"Sadly, I can't argue with that."

"It's not sad!" I defended, "It's the most awesome thing in zee world!"

"Reeeally?"

"Yup!"

"Are your chores done? We need to get to practice soon, and if they aren't done…" He gave me a look that sent me scurrying to do "my" chores.

…. …. ….

I sank gratefully into a chair in the dining room back at the girls dorm, setting a loaded tray on the table in front of me. I was exhausted. Klaus had decided to increase the rate at which we trained, claiming that I was getting too used to the slower pace at which we had been going. Therefore, it needed to be increased. He's a jerk. A jerk who, far too often, is right. Now that deserves a "sadly." I begin to shovel food into my mouth like a starving animal, not caring for manners at this point.

"Your sisters would be scolding you to high heaven for eating like that." said a teasing voice. I paused in my consumption of food, looking up. I chewed a few times before swallowing.

"Zave! What're you doing here?" I began putting food in my mouth again, though not so rapidly as before, as to be able to talk between bites.

"Well, I was with Isa and Alex, but then they started feeding each other and it got weird. I was getting up to leave when I spotted you sit down." He slid into the chair across from me, propping his chin on his hand, "So how's your afternoon been?" he glanced at my plate, "I'm guessing it was straining from larger-than-normal pile on the plate."

I swallowed and took a gulp of water, "Klaus decided to increase the training regiment workload-he gives me more homework than the teachers do!"

"You have my sympathy. He sounds like a slave driver."

"Pretty much. I can't really complain about the results, though. My magic's dramatically increased in many area's since this training began. With the exception of ice and water magic, but I think we've discovered a way to fix the ice magic problem." I shoved a heaping spoonful of some sort of thick, savory stew into my mouth. Yum.

"Really? How?"

"Well, it was actually due to something the headmaster said." I explained the concept of using something like ice magic by reversing fire magic.

"That's incredible!" He was genuinely happy that I was able to solve one of my magical problems in a way. "You sure are special." He gave me a cheeky grin.

"Tell Klaus that." I sniffed, "I said the same thing and he said 'Sadly, I can't argue with that.' The sarcastic poopface." He snickered at that, or it might of been at my childish choice of words. I gave him a look, daring him to challenge me. He waved his hand to show he showed no harm. I stuck out my tongue at him and he laughed. "So, how's your day gone?" Turning the conversation to him meant that I'd be able to quickly finish my food.

"Nothing particularly interesting. I'm pretty sure my time spent conversing with you are the highlights." Oh crap...he was flirting...I probably should tell him I don't really want to date soon so he doesn't get the wrong idea…

"Seriously? Something cool must have happened!" I prodded.

He laughed and launched into a story about him and Alex, his partner today in class. They had finished early, and so Alex, being Alex, decided he was hungry and decided to summon some food, as they'd been using summoning spells today. Alex meant to summon one muffin (you know which kind reader, and if you don't, you haven't been paying attention to Alex's obsession, which has been mentioned so many times by now…). He summoned about thirty. He had put too much energy into the spell in his excitement and summoned too many. But, instead of getting him in trouble, the teacher had thought it was funny and had him share with the class.

"Alex has issues! He really needs help with that ridiculous banana nut muffin obsession!" I giggled, putting down my fork. Zave glanced at my plate as he did so and his eyes widened.

"Dang girl! I've sworn it before and I'll swear it once more-you have to be hollow-boned or something! There's no way you could have eaten that much otherwise!"

"Don't underestimate how much I'll eat and you won't be surprised!" I snickered, "But I'm done. I'm at that point where I know that if I eat any more I'll regret it...I'm not Luffy and made of rubber and a literal bottomless pit…"

"Who?"

"Anime character."

"Ah."


Authoress: Okay, so one of the familiars I'm working on for this character in the story (meaning the new original one I mentioned in the A/N) is going to be like the cutest thing ever.

Selene: Oo! What is it?

Authoress: He's this albino rabbit-type familiar. He's got to forms: rabbit, and rabbit-humanoid. In humanoid form, he's about four feet tall. He's got shoulder-length hair and long, floppy bunny ears. He's super shy and very nervous, but he's completely adorable. Even more adorable than a flustered Elias.

Selene: Woah. That's adorable, all right.

Authoress: Totally. He hides behind his master-the character he's contracted too-when strangers are around, and he's got this strange love or organizing things. And, he loves carrot cake. Like, to the point of extremity. Only, his master rarely lets him have it because the cream cheese frosting isn't too healthy. And, he loves to cuddle. He's not a battle-type familiar. He falls into the category of companion-type. He's just the sweetest thing ever.

Selene: Aww! What's his name?

Authoress: Wycliff. I might change it, but I probably won't.

Selene: Ugh, so cute! You should bring him into the ender. I wanna meet him.

Authoress: I don't mean to be rude, Selene, but when it comes to cute things...you tend to come off a little strong. You'd probably terrify him half to death.

Selene (*pouting*): Aw…

Authoress: Seriously, though, if you want to cuddle, I'm pretty sure Klaus is taking a nap down the hall.

Selene: Yay! I'm going to go jump on him!

Authoress: Have fun with that. But it's not my fault when he throws you out the window or something.