Chapter 30: A thorough apology

I wake up the next morning to a knocking on the door. Seriously? It's still way too early to hunt for gossip! Ellen proposes to deal with it, but I object. Another two knocks on the door. "A moment of your time… please?" Suddenly my chest feels tight again. He's here to apologize. How should I deal with him?
I calmed down, but I'm not ready to forgive him. His behavior was not ok, fated by the game or not. I sigh, stand up and head to the door, still in my nightgown.
"Wait a minute, I need to properly dress myself first.", I inform him. There is no way, that I will appear in front of him in my night gown. …at least not yet.
I mean never! Never! That man doesn't deserve my love! I may be willing to give him my forgiveness, but nothing more.
I brush my hair and put a fresh robe on, before I open the door. I look him directly in the eyes. He looks a bit embarrassed. And depressed. And ashamed.
Yeah, you should be ashamed. "Elise. I believe I owe you…", he starts apologizing. Of course you do. He sighs. "Miss Cochran has taken responsibility for carelessly allowing certain information to become available. It was inappropriate for me to jump to conclusions, and I did not treat you as a gentleman should. I am sorry."
Yeah, you should be. But I suddenly can't muster my anger up anymore. "If you really are sorry, you should make up for it.", I finally bring myself to answer him.
He looks at me confused. "Make up? I don't understand…" I take a deep breath.
"You gave me a bad memory. You should make up for it with a good one. This way you would really take responsibility for what you have done.", I explain to him.
He thinks about my proposal for a moment. "It sounds like a reasonable request. But what do you have in mind?", he inquires carefully.
"Dinner at the Glen." I don't have to think about it for long. "It would be inap- ", he begins, but I interrupt him, "People think, that I would sleep with you, and you think a dinner would be inappropriate? I'd like to inform you, that I was asked about your bed skills." He seems shocked about the last part.
Well, he is a scary teacher, no one would ask him about mine, right? "Well, then…", I begin. He will probably need some time to think about my proposal.
"Very well. I will notify you about the time, as soon as I have the reservation." …He agreed? I didn't expect him to agree so fast.
Somehow my mood has significantly improved. "It seems that I spend a great deal of time apologizing to you." I smile wryly. "Sounds like marriage to me.", I tease him. He sniffs. "Perhaps so. As the lid is off the box, I will make the appropriate announcements. Fear of reprisals should discourage at least some of the attention."
I thank him, although he will certainly overdo things, and make the whole student body fear me. But such is the fate of a wife of a scary teacher, I guess.

I attend one of his blue magic classes, later in the day and he makes the announcement of our marriage, without actually telling anything about the circumstances of our marriages. But he doesn't forget to remind them, that they have to respect me accordingly. And respecting me accordingly means in this case 'fearing me', of course, but I doubt he realizes that.
After class I experience the pleasure of being treated like a contagious disease. Why can't they simply ignore me? No crowding around me, no running away from me? Suddenly I feel really lonely. I'm not a very social person, but I don't fare well without any interactions as well. I start to wander around. Should I go to him?
Like the player did? Blue magic envelopes me and I look up to see his door. I raise my hand towards the lion doorknocker, but hesitate.
I can't lie to myself anymore, I have a crush on him. But that doesn't mean, that I have to pursue a relationship with him. However, I could need some comforting and my roommates seem to be unable to give me that right now. Ellen has some strange image of me now and Virginia is insensitive by nature.
I take a deep breath and knock on the door. "What is your issue for coming here?", asks me the lion doorknocker as usual. "Uh… seeking advice?", I reply.
I won't say, that I'm actually seeking comfort. "What is it?", he asks from inside. Was he also bothered, or why doesn't he open the door?
"It's Elise. May I talk to you?", I answer him politely. The door swings open. "Very well. Come in." I step inside and close the door behind me.
Looks like he was sitting at his desk a minute ago and writing something, the ink is still open. Yes, he uses a quill. "I... May I sit down?", I gesture to the couch. Standing here is so awkward. He nods and I sit down, while he seats himself in the armchair. I start to fidget a bit, avoiding his gaze. Oh great.
What's wrong with me? Where is my usual calm? "Once again, I must apologize for my rough treatment of you yesterday." I finally manage to glance at him.
He seems to avoid my look as well. At least I'm not the only one. "You deserved more respect. Not only as my wife, but as a person who has so far demonstrated integrity. You should know, that it was a hollow threat." Was it really so hollow? I'm pretty sure there was this end, where the player would be confined in the dungeons until the divorce. "I would never banish a student to such a fate, merely for causing me embarrassment." But you would do it, if the student would collect enough demerits. Though that is at least more reasonable. "I see.", I reply in a neutral voice. "Is there something else you need?", he asks me.
Am I already annoying him? He doesn't seem annoyed though. "Ah, I… it's just… I don't know how to bear with their treatment of me…", I confess. "Pardon?"
"I could bear keeping the secret, I keep a lot of secrets from my parents already after all, but now, since everyone knows about this… I'm the 'teacher's wife' now, even after our divorce, I will still keep this label. And since the teacher is scary, so am I, everyone is afraid of me now. Not to mention, that many seem to think of me as 'used goods' now…", I complain. "You may find that the members of the magical community are more understanding of unusual lifestyles than you imagine."
I feel, like I know what you mean, when I think about Potsdam and her marriages. But not being considered a virgin anymore, isn't really what bothered me…
"I don't know how to deal with the abandonment. Even my roommates act weirdly towards me now. I can't bear the loneliness.", I explain to him the reason for my depression. "… I can't imagine." Of course, he is used to loneliness. I sigh. Why did I come here anyways? To cry like a baby?
"I'm sorry for bothering you with this. I guess, I just needed to talk to someone, who won't run away from me on sight. I'm just not used to being disliked by everyone." I avoid his gaze. "I. I don't dislike you.", he tries to comfort me. I look to him, but I can feel my cheeks getting warm, so I turn away again, before he notices. "You have many admirable qualities. You are a spirited young woman with a healthy curiosity, that you are learning to temper with wisdom. You are generous and brave. You are an intelligent and diligent student." I… I don't know how to deal with compliments. I'm bad with them. I fidget around a bit.
"Of course, you are also a young woman, and you prefer the company of your kind.", he adds. He sounds a bit… somber, doesn't he?
"I also enjoy your company though, otherwise I wouldn't be here now.", I remark. "Oh." He seems surprised. "May I visit you again?", I dare to ask him after a minute of silence. "I am very busy with preparations for the final exam. Perhaps… some time over the weekend would be acceptable." Mission complete!
"Thank you." "Oh, and about the Glen? Come to my room on Thursday at 7 pm. Unless you already have other plans?" I shake my head.
"Good day to you, Elise." I bid him goodbye and head back to my room.
He really sucks at comforting, but somehow I feel lighter now anyways.

The next day, Minnie approaches me, to apologize for leaking our secret and thank me for helping her Kyo. In the evening is the first storm in April – and that means we have to do the Thunder Call. Good thing, Hieronymus scheduled the dinner for Thursday and not Wednesday, otherwise we would've to reschedule.
I dutifully wake everyone up, and we head to the gym, where we dance as loudly and wildly as we can. It's really tiring, but I can let some steam off this way, without gaining weird points. And the fire dance was really pretty, but I'm a bit tired the next day.
People are still avoiding me, but I barely notice it, since I'm full of anticipation for the evening. I'll have a date with him, at the Glen! Well, it's not a date-date, but an apology-date, of course, however that doesn't matter. What matters is, that I will be dining at the Glen again. With my husband this time. Just the two of us.
Sure, his entertainment skills pale to Potsdam's, and even Damien would be a better conversation partner, despite his possessiveness and everything, but I do enjoy his company for some reason. And with some reason, I mean my crush on him, which is nothing more than a stupid teenager-crush.
I teleport myself to his doorstep at the appointed time and knock on his door. The lion doorknocker asks his usual question and I answer, "I have an appointment." The door swings open, and I step inside. I don't really understand the door enchantment, why does the door open itself sometimes, and other times Hieronymus has to open it? "Good evening, Hieronymus.", I greet him, while I close the door behind me. "Good evening, Elise.", he answers while looking up from his desk.
He has been working until now? "You're not in your robes.", he observes. Why would I? There is no need to wear the uniform, when leaving the campus, which is why I'm wearing black jeans and a white blouse. I did my hair into a bun and wear some black pumps. It's an extremely simple outfit, elegant enough for dinner, but not overdressed, since he wouldn't appreciate it, if I would make too much effort in looking pretty. It probably would make things awkward for him.
"Is that a problem?", I ask him, after re-inspecting my outfit. Is it weird or something? Did I make a mistake? I'm not good with fashion. "No. Let's go."
He approaches me and takes my arm to teleport us to the subfloor parking lot. I follow him towards a black Bentley (not one of the vans?), and we drive to the mall parking lot. I don't bother to try small talk and only hum an Irish rock song quietly. We get seated at a corner table again. I take a look at the menu-scroll.
Yup, I still can't read more than half of it. "You may ask me for advice, if you have problems choosing.", Grabiner remarks, after noticing my conflicted expression.
I look up to him. "I want something I didn't have before. I had the taste-changing jelly, the salmon crepes, giggle salad…", I begin to describe to him all the dishes I had before. "… so I would like anything besides these dishes. Something preferable magical or weird." A small smile appears on his lips.
"I see. I will order the dishes for you." I thank him politely. After ordering, we wait in silence for the first dish to arrive. It's the awkward kind of silence…
"Ah, I informed myself a bit about 'deconstructivism', like you suggested. It was not to my taste, as you can imagine, but it's interesting nonetheless."
Is he actually trying to converse with me? How unusual. "Yeah, I thought so. I think of the buildings more as 'interesting' than as 'pretty' as well. Like upside down houses.", I answer him. "Upside down houses?" "Yeah, some houses were built in a way, that they look as if they were build upside down. It looks funny, but I wouldn't want to live in it." "Are you interested in architecture?", he asks me. "Interested, but not well-versed. And right now, I'd like to concentrate on learning about magic instead.", I answer him honestly. "I see. Well, you should concentrate on your studies for now anyways. You seem to be quite good at green magic, so you should have more than enough time to learn other things as well."
In this moment, our first dishes arrive. I stare at my dish. It's some kind of bluish-clear soup with lemon-like fruits. I take my spoon and carefully test the taste.
It tastes a bit sour, but very refreshing. Hieronymus chuckles a bit at my wary behavior. He got himself the salmon crepes I had last time. The soup tastes very good, but… isn't it a bit cold in here? I'm starting to get goosebumps. Hieronymus seems to notice this, he cast a warm breeze for me. How thoughtful.
"It's a side-effect of the soup. The ice-fruits have a cooling effect, which is why this soup is mainly consumed in summer. They serve it the whole year however, since it's the favourite dish of snow faeries.", he explains to me. Magical! "Awesome.", I whisper. I really like the lemon-like taste.
The next dish looks like breaded flounder with cucumber relish and roast potatoes for me and steak with Otherworld vegetables for him. Doesn't look very weird?
I start eating. It's yummy, but it doesn't taste odd? I look at Hieronymus. "What is special about this dish?", I curiously ask him. He looks up from his dish and gives me a small smile. "Wait a bit, then look at the table behind me." Confused, I follow his command. "Oh.", I exclaim. Things, which are near to me, appear as sharp as ever, however if I look into the distance, I'm able to see details, I couldn't see before, for example the stitch muster of the dress of the harpy-like woman, sitting at the other corner of the room. So this fish improves my eyesight? "Interesting.", I compliment his choice. "How long will this effect last?" He shrugs. "Only for a few minutes."
I continue to silently eat. The silence persists, while we wait for the last dish, before the complimentary dessert.
"May I ask you a question about the magical world?", I break the silence. "What is it?" I was a bit afraid, that he would be annoyed at me for trying to talk to him, but if he is indeed annoyed, he doesn't show it. "What kind of jobs do wizards do?" He raises an eyebrow at my question. "You don't need to think about that, you're still a freshman." I roll my eyes. "I don't ask, because I want decide on one. I'm simply curious." He clears his throat. "I see. Well, skilled black magicians can earn their living by crafting and enchanting various things, for example jewelry, clothes, potions, even buildings are sometimes created using black magic. For enchanting, you also need sufficient skills in other magic colors, of course. Then there are cleaners, who simply get rid of enchantments and other traces of magic. White magicians can work as memory collectors, wiping the memories of the mundane, who got in contact with the magical world. Or they can work as spirit mediator, getting rid of poltergeists, or mediating with friendlier spirits. Diplomacy is very important for our society, since we live together with various more or less sentient, non-human creatures. Some blue magicians work as decorators and sell their illusions, mostly to restaurants and similar places, since they don't last too long. Other blue magicians work as maskers, creating cloaks for the mundane world. There is also a mail service, run by blue magicians, who use teleportation for transport. Green mages work often as healers or farmers. There are many more jobs, some similar to the mundane world: judges, law enforcers, politicians, historians, cooks, authors, magical researchers… However, whatever you decide to do in the future, having fundamental skills in all magical colors, is essential."
The last 'dish' arrives, two cups of some milk tea for the both of us. I take sip. Tastes sweet, with a hint of cinnamon and chocolate.
"What kind of tea is this?", I ask Hieronymus. "It's called 'Lucky Dream Tea'. It's supposed to give nice dreams.", he explains to me. "Does it really work?", I ask curiously. So magical! "Not always, but most of the time. It won't keep all nightmares away, but your dreams will definitely be more pleasant, than without it."
That is so awesome! I take another sip, quietly enjoying my magical dream tea. "Thank you very much for this evening, Hieronymus.", I thank him with a smile.
He returns my smile lightly. And I take another sip, to hide my slight blush. It's not easy, living in the body of a sixteen years old…
Our complimentary desserts arrive, and I pop one of the strawberries in my mouth. Soo refreshing! He pays the bill and we head back to the academy.
I hope the dinner wasn't too expensive, I didn't expect to get to eat so many dishes…