Chapter 6.
We spent the afternoon and early evening reading, drinking tea, eating, and then doing more reading. Sighing, I put the book I was looking at down and rubbed my tired eyes, standing up to stretch while raising my arms over my head. I paced about and stretched again, letting knotted muscles relax slowly as I let out a sigh. I caught Loki staring at me and he returned to his book when he realized I saw him.
"Restless?" Sif asked me and I resisted the urge to say "bingo" because I would just end up explaining it to them, and I was getting tired of that game.
"That, and my eyes are starting to cross from all the reading." I stood up on my toes again. "When is Fandral and Thor getting back, I need to burn off some energy."
Sif rubbed her eyes and sighed quietly, and looked at me as Loki drank from a tea cup and set it back aside on the dark wooded table he moved next to his chair to rest his cup on. He licked his lips as I leaned over the back of the couch next to Sif and looked at what she was reading. She glanced up at me and smiled and patted my hand with her calloused one as she studied me briefly.
"Missing your suitor Little Mouse?" He quipped and I shot a look at him that told him to watch it.
"That statement was so stupid, it gave me Forest Whitaker eye." I said and they both looked at me for clarification.
"He is an actor with a lazy eye, and for your information Fandral is so not my type." I explained growing irritated and Loki went back to his reading grinning to himself about his bad joke.
"Don't look so smug Magic Dance, you are so not my type either. I don't go for tall, annoying, and pasty."
"I shall do my best to hide my broken heart and refrain from shedding tears." He said in his usual sardonic way and I grinned at him as Sif giggled.
"Oooooh, God of Sass." I said and Sif laughed out loud, Loki gave a genuine smile at my joke. "Look out ladies, the sarcasm is strong with this one."
"I believe I prefer Magic Dance." He set the scroll he was reading down gingerly and stretched cat like as he sat in the chair. His demeanor looked relaxed and at paece as he looked in front of him, and he folded his hands over his stomach. He looked down at the floor with secret thoughts crossing his mind as I idly tossed an apple into the air and caught it. Sif broke the silence with a yawn and even she started squirming restlessly in her seat, her body unused to being sedentary for so long. I tossed the apple again and it got caught in the cup of the chandelier above me and we all looked up at it, unsure of how to get it down. Loki sighed and looked at me in annoyance, I shrugged as he rolled his eyes at me and I glanced back up at the apple.
"Oops." I said and blushed.
"Perhaps a walk will do us good." Sif said and we both looked at her and we all looked up at the apple in the chandelier. I felt embarrassment creep back in and I stepped back.
"Not the wilds" Loki said and looked again at the fruit. "We don't want a repeat performance of yesterday."
"Agreed Loki." Sif said tersely, and she looked back at me. "But if you tell anyone I agreed with you, I shall deny it."
"Why don't we just walk around and see where we end up?" I asked getting even more antsy and Sif stood and moved out from under where the apple was perched in case it fell. Loki stood quickly, something crossing his mind and he walked over to the door of the room and turned to me, I looked at him and back at Sif nervously.
"I have an idea, and know of a place that would be rather relaxing, do you like stargazing?" He asked and Sif eyed him with suspicion, I nodded and smiled wide. He opened the door and began to leave.
"Sif, take the Little Mouse and I shall meet you both at the docks, we will need a boat."
He vanished through the door and closed it heavily, knocking the apple loose and causing it to fall onto the sofa where it bounced on the cushions. Sif picked it up and handed it to me as Aimee hurried in and handed me a soft blue wrap sprinkled with beads and beautiful goldwork embroidery.
"What does he have planned?" Sif asked and I laughed as I dug into my bag for my phone and a set of portable speakers.
"I don't know, but bring your sword just in case. Mr. Creepy Pants is up to something, and I am hoping it is not involving two graves." I said and she took my hand to lead me out the door and to the docks.
"What is that?" She asked me as I carried my items.
"What is a boat trip without music?" I asked and she smiled at me and I showed her the phone. "I have over a thousand songs saved in here, all the great stuff."
"This should be an interesting evening." She said as we walked around a corner toward the docks.
"You may like some of my music, don't knock it. Just in case, how tall is he, we may need to dig his grave." I chided as we walked and she smiled at me warmly.
"You may be right, I will try to remember a shovel." Sif said and I laughed as we walked.
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Boats in Asgard are completely different from ours on Earth. For one they glide above the water and land through the air, and they are more graceful and streamlined to allow airflow over the hull instead of the large clunky things we have now. Almost Viking in design, they had two large stabilizing fins that arched up in the back and offered whoever was steering protection from whatever. I ran my hands over the hull and marveled at the design and aerodynamics of the craft when Loki appeared behind us carrying a heavy looking wooden case and heaved it over the side of one boat carefully and began untying ropes, throwing them about excitedly. Sif braced her hand and foot on the side of the hull as she helped me into to craft and I immediately sat on one bench nervously. I had no clue what I was in for, and I felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Where exactly are we going Loki?" Sif asked, suspicion lacing her tone as he gracefully climbed into the boat after her. "And will it be safe?"
"No Bilgesnipe where we are going Sif. Maybe a few Fire Sprites, but I can guarantee safety where we are going to." He said and secured the case to the hull as we drifted peacefully. He then wrapped one long fingered hand around the control and gently guided us away from the dock.
"You give one hint of threat Loki…." Sif warned and he rolled his eyes as we glided gracefully three feet above the water. I plugged the speakers and tapped Sif on the shoulder and we scrolled through the music I had downloaded. I found a shovel under one of the benches, and held it up for Sif to see and she laughed as I winked at her. I picked up the phone again and scrolled through everything on the phone.
"Any requests?" I asked and Loki took a vague interest in what we were doing together, yet still keeping an eye on the front of the boat as he guided it along. He moved his hand forward slowly on the control and we picked up speed over the water as the sun set.
"Surprise us." Sif said and I grinned and tapped on The Black Keys and Lonely Boy started playing through the Bose speakers. I then queued a play list and Loki smiled at me as we shot through the fading light.
"I like this," Sif said as the rolling drum beat pounded away. "Is all music from Midguard like this?"
"Some of it is pretty bad, but most of it is great." I said and carefully stood up on a bench and let the wind blow my hair back, on the road near the water, I saw some people look up at us and I waved reflexively to them as I pushed my hair out of my face. They looked back at me and I glanced over at Sif who smiled up at me and grabbed my hand.
"Over or under?" Loki asked as we approached a bridge in our way.
"Under!" Sif shouted and I turned around and laughed. Suddenly, we gained altitude and I was nearly thrown back as we went up and over the bridge and I laughed and cheered as we gained speed as we descended.
"Remind me to take Sif on roller coasters!" I shouted and felt giddy inside as we shot through the pylons.
"I am not that self destructive Loki!" Sif screamed and pulled me down off the bench, but I pulled away away from her.
"Lighten up Sif, this is awesome!" I yelled back, and laughed.
I felt like a little kid as we banked around an outcropping of rocks along a seaside cliff and headed out into open water. I stood again as we picked up more speed and threw my arms out and looked down at Sif to find her smiling back up at me. The wrap flew off my shoulders and Loki caught it before it could be carried away and wrapped it around one of his wrists.
"Good catch!" I shouted back at him and he winked back at me smugly and eased his hand back on the control to slow the boat as we turned around two rocky islands. He circled twice and I looked over the hull as he judged the best place to dock. Slowly he brought the boat to a full stop along a rocky shore and Sif grabbed a couple torches stored under one of the seats. Loki jumped out and used one of the ropes to tie off the boat and I stood up and waited, my hair windswept but we were still alive.
He politely put his hand out to help me out of the boat and Sif jumped down before me and ran along the shore, setting torches every yard or so. I cautiously took his hand and he helped me down from the craft, and I repressed a shudder as he looked at me with predatory eyes. I pulled away, and walked back a few steps. He looked at me as I turned and tried not to look directly at him.
I set my feet down in the wet sand and ran forward throwing myself toward a rock dramatically and wrapped my arms around it, knowing that Sif would enjoy a joke.
"Land!" I shouted and Sif laughed as she finished with her torches and left them in a loose circle so we would have some light. Loki climbed back into the boat and unsecured his case from the hull heaving it up onto his shoulder and walked up from the torches a bit and set it down, we walked up to join him and I picked up a few rocks along the way. I tuned them over in my hands and looked at the smooth stones as we walked.
"No tricks, Sif," He said carefully unlatching the brass and wood case. "Just a peaceful adventure, however Little Mouse tends for the dramatic I see."
He handed the wrap back to me and I shrugged as I put it over my shoulders. A breeze off the water made me happy to have it, and I pulled it around my shoulders as I looked at the box.
"I still would have gone under." She snapped as he opened the case and moved aside a cloth to reveal a gold and brown telescope carefully tucked inside, he lifted it and handed it to me as he removed the tripod for it from under another cloth. I laid it down carefully on the cloth he spread out on the sand and looked up to the sky. He began setting it up and Sif and I backed off to let him work in relative peace and turned the rocks I had picked up over in my hand again.
"Why all the way out here?" She asked then and I looked at her.
"No light pollution, you can see more" I said and they both looked at me briefly.
"Little Mouse is correct there." He said and adjusted the legs of the tripod so it was level. "And what exactly is the fun of life if you never take risks Sif?"
He carefully mounted the telescope onto the tripod and removed a cover and carefully screwed in an eyepiece that jutted out ninety degrees from the main scope. He blew some dust away and frowned at his work, looking over at Sif and grinning.
"Nice," I said and he looked at me. "You get a clearer image with a refracting telescope." He looked at me with surprise and I closed my eyes.
"Why does it continue to shock you that I have more than two rocks holding my ears apart?" I asked him feeling irritated at him and sighed. He removed the lens cover and carefully brushed dust off the lens with a soft brush.
"It amazes me," He said as he worked. "Because the few Midguardians I have had contact with, were intelligent in a singular course of study. You however, seem to be a scholar of many fields. I find that fascinating about you in a way, and somewhat strange."
He looked through the eyepiece and made a few adjustments on the focus and fine focus, he looked back at me and Sif put an arm protectively around me. I shivered from the cold and I guess Sif took it as me being afraid, because she rested her hand on her sword and gave me a squeeze.
"If you try to understand on thing, you should understand the rest. I wanted to be a Geologist and study Volcanoes." I said and sighed, "You have to know what effects on history Plate Tectonics have on the planet as a whole. The best way to see it is to look at History itself, and how the world was shaped by a single Tectonic event. I wrote an entire Thesis about the eruption of Kraktoa and its effects on trade and Socio Economic impacts in history. I made the argument that everything was effected, all the way down to trade and politics, and I got a very good grade on the paper. But, no one wanted to give money to the kid no one wanted, to study stuff no one really cares about." I said and picked up another rock and started skipping them as the sky turned a deeper purple.
"Geologist?" Sif asked as I skipped another rock.
"A person who studies the Earth and all its workings, mostly rocks volcanoes, and earthquakes, with a smattering of chemistry and the elements." I answered and picked up another rock to skip and managed three skips before it sank into the water.
"And what would your science do if it found all the answers to all the questions?" Loki asked, and I shrugged as I picked up another smooth rock about the size of a golf ball and walked over to the light of a torch to look at it.
"Found a garnet," I said and showed it to Sif. "To answer your question Loki, I suppose we would find other questions to ask, people are like that, always curious and seeking knowledge."
I sat back down next to Sif on the rock and she handed me back the Garnet, I tossed it in the air and caught it again. Loki took it from me as the sky darkened and looked at carefully, handing it back to me as I watched the sun set.
"I assume you can study until the end of time now," She said and I thought on it for a bit and rolled the stone in my hands.
"I could, but I will never be published as a serious scientist until I get an education, or a degree in my field." I said, "Everything is dependent on a piece of paper from a school that says you have a brain. Without it, you are looked down on and that is the double edged sword of the planet Earth. Too smart for one job, to broke to get the education for the other job."
I sighed, and looked up at the dark sky and Loki walked back over to the telescope quietly and panned it around the sky. I crossed my arms and looked back down at my feet as I nudged some of the sand around with my toe.
"Constellations are different here." I said and I scanned the sky for Earth, feeling lost and alone in the cosmos. Sif wrapped an arm around my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze and we sat quietly as Loki stopped and focused the telescope carefully on a point in the sky. From the boat, I could hear Man on the Moon by R.E.M playing and sighed again feeling so very small. A tiny speck in the universe, on an island with no escape, my only protection from the slightly creepy dude with us, Sif. It could be worse.
"Would you allow me to indulge your quest for knowledge?" Loki asked and I smiled politely and walked over to the telescope, he gave a gesture inviting me to look into the eyepiece. I hesitated a bit, making sure I was not playing into something and looked back at Sif. I bent over and looked into the eyepiece and saw the vaporous cloud of ionized gasses that made up a stunning orange and purple Nebula. I studied the beautiful oranges and deep purples carefully, marveling at the range of color and light and noticed a major star in the center of it and lifted my head and gaped at him in surprise.
"Is there a solar system in the heart of that Nebula?" I asked him, and he smiled approvingly at me and shook his head. I looked back through the eyepiece and adjusted the fine focus carefully.
"It is the Draxis system," he said and I waved Sif over to look. "I have been there and do not recommend it, no intelligent life there yet, but there is promise should the primitive creatures there choose to evolve."
Sif looked and gave an audible gasp as she studied the beauty of the comic vapors floating silently in space.
"Beautiful." She said as she looked and smiled at me and looked back again.
"Intelligence is subjective," I said to him. "To you Earth must look very primitive compared to your technology, but you can't judge a planet by their knowledge. Some planets have evolved at a faster rate than others, and some races have mastered their technology at different rates. We have cars and engines, you have horses. We have internet, you guys have...whatever it is you have." I said and Loki may have tried to ignore it, but he still thought about what I said his face betraying him.
"That being, you called it a Nebula," He replied to me and I nodded. "You are clever Little Mouse."
Sif moved away from the telescope and he took it back and started scanning the sky to find another interesting point in the universe and I crossed my arms. Sif made a gesture of her stabbing him in the back as he looked through the eyepiece and I hid a giggle.
"Astronomy Club. And don't be an asshole." I said and he gestured for me to look again into the eyepiece. "It was better than going back to the Halfway House and listening to everyone fight all night."
I looked into the viewfinder and decided instantly to be a huge smart ass when I saw the Globular Cluster he had pointed the lens to. I studied the mass of stars and shifted my focus a bit around it, sometimes clues to the universe were in the outlying masses.
"What is the galactic core that acts as the satellite for this particular Globular Cluster?" I asked Loki and he genuinely smiled at my question and Sif looked into the eyepiece.
"Unknown." He said and laughed as he leaned back against a rock. Sif stepped back and I looked at it again, enjoying the cosmic dance in front of my eye as the water lapped at the shore.
"Well Magic Dance." I said and pointed at the telescope. "You started this game, point it at something else. And don't try to trip me up with a black hole." I warned and Sif laughed behind me as he took control of the scope again and moved it about looking for something of interest among the stars.
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He did not know why he did not lie to her about the texts. He could have easily said that they were all well known, but he instead chose an honest course of action. Perhaps she would be more appreciative of honesty, and still be of help in his plans in her innocent trust. His eyes scanned as he slowly found what he was looking for and he waved her back over, she walked over hesitating as she stepped and bent to put her eye to the viewfinder, he noted her hesitation and the way she looked at him in distrust, filing the information away in his mind and estimated that she would be a bit of a challenge to him. But even the strongest of wills could be broken eventually.
"Count two planets from the star," He said and watched Lilliana adjust the focus carefully, her thin graceful fingers turning the nob deftly. "That is Xandar. It is populated by many races from across the Galaxy."
He watched her and she had to push her gossamer sleeve back to prevent it from bumping the telescope and upsetting the delicate instrument, not pressing her eye to the eyepiece as Sif had, instead peering down at it and blinking as she looked into the universe above her.
He had not planned to bring her or Sif out here but he felt it would give him new keys to unlocking how to manipulate and twist her for his use if he did. Perhaps she would also let something more slip from behind that guarded exterior she fought so very hard to keep. He noted that, and knew something in her past made her this way, the way she shrank away from touch.
"Have you been there too?" She asked him, genuine curiosity in her voice and began panning the telescope carefully, exploring the sky for herself. He thought about it and remembered the two women who promised him a crown, but only delivered pain and humiliation at the hands of their master.
"I have," He said and smiled watching her adjust the focus and thinking of her lost goals and feeling a bit of pity she could not reach her desires and goals here in Asgard. He found himself feeling something of sadness for the girl and he could see her in a laboratory, bent over a sample as she studied it carefully. Her face lighting up with every discovery and proven hypothesis, the wonder of the study unfolding in front of her. He felt angry with Odin about bringing here, yet feeling strange himself for the feelings he was having. So much more angry with fate because her birth denied her dreams.
"I found a comet!" She said and waved him over for a look and he bent slightly to look into the eyepiece and laughed at her excitement. It was a comet, and a sizable one at that, he adjusted the focus and carefully examined the object.
"You have found one, but I am not sure which one you have discovered. I should have brought some charts." He said and surrendered the eyepiece back to her. She looked and worried at the back of her hand again. He resisted the urge to physically stop Lilliana from scratching at herself and crossed his arms and leaned further back on the rock to look up at the sky. Lilliana let Sif look as he watched them both, and cleared his throat sharply. The sound grabbing her attention and her eyes looked at him wide, a bit of the feral creature breaking through.
"Stop worrying at your hand." He said and it came out harsher than he meant it to, she looked down with a tic of her mouth and smoothed the skirt of her dress as Sif looked up and glared at him.
"She is going to cause herself injury." He explained, sighing and let them go back to their explorations. He saw a bit of hurt in her eyes and the light he noticed that was begun to grow behind them faded a bit.
"My apologies Lilliana, I did not mean for that to sound so harsh." Loki said and couldn't believe he was even saying it himself, she smiled at him softly as a tiny point of light fluttered in front of her. She looked at it cautiously and watched it dance away on the wind, her head twisting about as she turned and stretched her hand above her head, reaching up to try to touch the tiny point.
"Loki apologizing." Sif said and crossed her arms. "This is very new."
Sif eyed him suspiciously and Lilliana gave him a half smile and she graciously accepted his apology. She followed the point of light and tried to catch it, but it flittered away from her and into the sky.
"I forgive you." And her smile widened as another point of light glittered into her face as one landed on the hair that was draped over her shoulder, vaguely reminding him of a star on a dark night. The one that fluttered in her face she caught in her hands and she opened them carefully to look in her cupped palms, the light from her hands shone on her face warmly as another two landed on one of her arms.
"Fire Sprites. They are harmless." Sif said and nearly caught Loki admiring her, quickly he looked up at the stars trying to hide his gaze. But looked back at her as she opened her hands and let the tiny point of light go above her head as other ones began to circle away in the darkness.
"They are so pretty." Lilliana said and stretched her fingers out to allow one to land on the tip of her index finger briefly before it flew away. More collected in her hair like a crown, and another rested on her cheek. She put her hand out to let another land on her fingers and she studied the tiny creature on it carefully, a star in her eyes from the reflected light. It lifted away as the rest of them left in migratory patterns, sparks from a bonfire filling the sky from her head and shoulders. She watched them go and the waves lapped quietly on the shore as she turned, letting the wrap slip down her shoulders. The smile on her face warm and sweet.
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It was late when we got back into the boat and began our trip back to the castle, the three of us were tired and Sif openly yawned as we gently glided over the water. Loki was slower going back as it was full dark and I lay back against the hull and looked up at the stars as we floated along, lost in my own daydream. Debussy came on over the phone and the soft first notes of Clair De Lune began playing through the speakers, Sif closed her eyes and let her ears take in the music as the piano music swelled into a crescendo. The bridge dark and massive loomed ahead, and Loki cautiously slowed to avoid the massive pylons as the music finished and the last notes were carried away into the night.
"Beautiful." Sif said and opened her eyes. "Midguardians are quite expressive." I nodded and smiled at her in the dim lantern light, I let out a sigh thinking sadly of all the things I wanted to see on my planet, but never did.
"There is a lot to the people on Earth." I said.
"We write music, we tell stories, and paint pictures of our dreams. We love too much and suffer, but we find something beautiful about it all. There is one artist who painted some of my favorite pictures, who was never famous while alive, but is appreciated for his talent hundreds of years after his death. I wish I could show them to you." I leaned forward and crossed my ankles sighing.
"Perhaps a future adventure." Loki suggested and I laughed and regarded him with a smile.
"Is that really a good idea? You did make a few dozen or so problems last time you were there, I am willing to bet that someone would not appreciate you visiting." I said and regretted it immediately, but when I looked up at him he was smiling and he squinted into the darkness ahead of him searching for any obstacles.
"It was a passing interest, and now I am overwhelmingly bored of the idea." He replied as he guided the boat around some rocks carefully.
"This is a Loki I have not seen for some time." Sif laughed and he glared at her angrily creating some tension between them.
"Sif, do you know when Thor and Fandral will be back from their adventure?" I asked trying to change the mood in the air, but failed miserably so I pulled the wrap up onto my head and draped it around my shoulders and began feeling uncomfortable.
I hummed along to one of the songs that began playing randomly. The melody was sad, but pretty and I studied the shawl as I spread one end over my lap. The beads and embroidery sparkled in the pale lamp light and I let myself sing along with the music as we rode through the darkness.
"Home is behind, the world ahead, and there are many paths to tread, through shadow, to the edge of night, until the stars all alight." I sang and let the song grow in my chest until the last two lines came out. "All shall fade, all shall….fade."
I ended the song and the last word was a barely there whisper that hung in the air as I leaned my head back against the boat and tried not to feel lonely. They both looked at me and I sighed and let my head fall back and I looked up at the night sky, dreaming of places somewhere far away and Sif leaned forward and touched the toe of my shoe. I looked at her and smiled as she looked at me.
"You have a gifted voice." Sif said and I looked up at Loki and he focused straight ahead, but he looked somewhat sad. "Maybe sing happier songs in the future." She patted my foot as I nodded back at her and jumped as the boat bumped into the dock. I stood up and Sif climbed over the side of the boat and began tying it off and I busied myself collecting my things and turning off the phone. Loki picked up his case, and helped me out of the boat, holding one of my arms as I lowered myself onto the dock. Briefly, he pulled me close before releasing me and whispered into my ear, scaring me and I tried to pull back. I did not like where this was going and I tensed for anything he might pull.
"Sing what you want, do not allow yourself to be silenced." I smiled in relief, surprised at him and he released my arm gently. He hefted his case and began waking ahead of us through the gate, I felt a strange pity for Loki as I walked along. Sif next to me as we laughed when a pair of rough hands grabbed him and slammed him against the wall, causing him to drop the case. Sif dove forward and caught it before it landed on the ground, and I pulled Sif's sword and growled at the red bearded man in heavy armor who regarded me with amusement.
"Let him go Eric the Red." I growled and Loki put a hand out on my shoulder to stop me. I poked the sword forward into the hard armor and inwardly cursed myself for aiming it where I had.
"Hello Volstagg, nice to be threatened by you again." Loki said calmly and the man looked down at me and smiled, but I refused to drop the heavy sword. Sudden laughter began to erupt behind him. The man called Volstagg released Loki and his mouth fell open at seeing me, his gaze flowing over my face as the wrap slipped down off my head and to the ground.
"Put that down before you get hurt Little Mouse." Loki said as Sif handed him the case and took the sword from me.
"Thor, you under described her beauty, and failed ta mention how fierce she was." Volstagg said and bowed to me. Fandral smiled, and went to gather me up in his arms, but I vanished from his reach defensively and he looked about confused as I reappeared next to Thor startling the massive God of Thunder. Thor looked at me and then looked at Loki in surprise and I grinned as his mouth fell open in his shock. He pointed at me and I giggled.
"She is a quick study." Loki said and picked up the wrap handing it to me as quick introductions were made between myself and Volstagg.
"My sincere apologies Lady, I did not mean ta frighten you." He said with a smile on his weathered face, and I nodded my understanding.
"You were not in your chambers, and one of the guards mentioned you were seen going to the docks with Loki." Thor said and crossed his massive arms,
"We did not know that you were also with Lady Sif, we were going to search for you but we saw Loki alone….we assumed the worst." I crossed my arms and glared at him, rolling my eyes.
"You assumed? Did you ever think for a minute that I would be fine? Judgmental much, remind me to never make a mistake or have one moment of transgression around you." I groaned and rubbed my face. My irritation rose seeing how people here worked, constantly judging people, and I was also tired from the adventure.
Never a good combination with me.
"Maybe you should start letting stuff go and stop judging people by their sins, the past is the past, and you need to bury it. We went out to an island, looked at stars, listened to music, and talked about the galaxy." I said and he looked at me with a hint of arrogance, his face showing anger as well and I started to regret my words.
"If you are going to be a king one day, may I suggest looking at people with better eyes?" I said and turned and walked away.
"Little Mouse," Loki said, stopping me before I got too far. "Be in the training yard tomorrow, we will begin your lessons in the morning."
I turned back and nodded at him, feeling that small bit of pity for him return as I stood there. Maybe he was not so creepy after all, just misunderstood, kind of like me.
"Will do Magic Dance, I hope your telescope did not get broken." I turned again and walked back to my rooms.