When Onmund woke up, he studied up on his incantations and then went to go have dinner, joining J'zargo in the dining area. Onmund liked having J'zargo as a friend. He was always laid-back and never complicated things. After dinner, they practiced their Destruction spells in the training hall together. J'zargo began bragging about how he was recreating a variant of the Flame Cloak spell and how he was going to demonstrate it next week when Onmund remembered the assignment that Danielle had told him about. He didn't even have a clue about what he was going to recreate. As soon as their practice session was over, he made a beeline for the Arcaneum.

After talking to Urag, he was sent off with a stack of spell books and catalogues. He took a seat at the table where he and Danielle used to study at and started poring over the books, wondering what in the world he could try recreating from scratch. He took a look at some shock spells and before long, became overwhelmed after reading about all of the work and research that was going to be needed to recreate those types of spells.

Just then, he heard a voice say, "Hello, Onmund. Mind if I join you?"

He looked up and saw Bridgette making her way towards him. He hadn't expected to see her there, but then he remembered that he had previously agreed to be her study partner. "Hey, Bridgette. Uh, no, go ahead and have a seat." The memory of their awkward moment in the tent that morning threatened to creep back into his mind but he tried to force them away.

Bridgette set the books down that she was carrying and took a seat in the chair across from him at the table. "Whatcha studying?"

"Oh, just looking for a spell to recreate. Tolfdir gave us an assignment that's due next week where we have to recreate a spell from scratch and I'm just looking for one that's easy to do."

"Wow, sounds hard," she remarked. "They have you recreating spells from scratch?"

He nodded. "What are you going to study?"

"The incantations for these wards that Colette is trying to teach me," she replied.

"Oh, I see," he said. "I'd be happy to study with you, but…this is kind of an important assignment."

"Not a problem," she assured. "You read your books and I'll read mine. I'm meeting my girl friends for a card game in about an hour anyway."

"Your girl friends?" he asked.

"Yes. Mariya and Gwynn from the Conjuration school," she answered.

"Oh, sounds like fun," he remarked. He had remembered hearing about the new batch of Novices that had arrived at the College since the Eye of Magnus incident but hadn't gotten to know any of them. Going back to his books, he tried to concentrate on finding a decent spell that he could recreate for his assignment. But all of the ones that he looked at seemed very difficult and time-consuming. Feeling discouraged, he decided to spend the next half hour helping Bridgette study about wards. When it was time for her to leave for her card game, she said to him, "Thank you for your help, Onmund. You're really sweet." Then, she got up and left.

Glad to have been helpful to someone, Onmund felt a little better going back to his assignment. But his positive attitude didn't last long. As he sat there going through the spell catalogues for the next hour and a half, he began getting more worried as he couldn't seem to figure out what he was going to do. Soon, worry was replaced by weariness, and before he knew it, he had passed out right there at the table.

He was awakened by someone tapping him gently. "Onmund," the person urged him. "Onmund! The Arcaneum is closing in ten minutes." It was Danielle.

In somewhat of a daze, he lifted his head up at her as she gazed over him with a slightly concerned look on her face. She picked up the book that he had been perusing for the past hour and placed a bookmark in it before closing it. Oh, great, just what I need; I'm about to get another talking-to from the Arch-Mage…But instead of interrogating him, she asked gently, "Do you want me to check this book out for you?"

He stared at her blankly at first before answering, "Uh, no, thank you." Suddenly feeling a little embarrassed for having been caught asleep there, he quickly added, "I'll just head back to my room."

Without even a hint of contempt or scorn, she quietly helped him pick up his books and took them over to Urag's desk for him.

"Thank you," he said to her after she had finished.

"Mmhmm," she acknowledged warmly.

Onmund felt like a total jerk, then. He remembered how he had talked to her previously and he couldn't just let her walk away. She was about to, but he stopped her. "Wait," he said. "I'll walk you back to your room."

She gave him a hesitant look but finally said, "All right."

He accompanied her out of the Arcaneum and they didn't say a word to each other until they got close to her door. "How's your spell coming along?" he finally asked to break the silence.

"I haven't started yet," she admitted. "I've been so busy today. Drevis was in my room for two hours this morning talking about a book. Then, I had something to work on with Tolfdir, and then Colette came to talk to me, and just now, I got done meeting with Arniel…" She then looked at Onmund with a sheepish expression. "I'm sorry…you probably don't want to hear about all that."

"No, no," he protested. "I understand."

"What about you?" she asked. "Have you found out what you want to do?"

He shook his head ruefully. "No. I can't figure out what I want to do. I guess I'll try again tomorrow."

"You seem to be working very hard, though," she remarked. "How's learning about Restoration coming along? Are you enjoying it?"

He smiled slightly, glad that this subject was no longer contentious. "Yes. I'm learning a lot."

"And Colette, is she a good teacher?"

"She's good. She seems a little paranoid sometimes but she's good at what she does."

"And Bridgette, your fellow student, you get along with her?"

He nodded. "She's very nice."

As he said this, he noticed her expression change. In a tone that seemed forced, she commented, "That's good you're making new friends."

Wondering about her sudden change in demeanor, he offered, "You should talk to Bridgette sometime. I think she'd be ecstatic to get to know you- a fellow Restoration mage and all."

"Yes, Colette has told me about her," she replied, seeming uncomfortable. "Colette has also told me a lot about you. She's very happy to have you as a student and she's said a lot of good things about you."

"Did she? That's good to hear."

Appearing flustered over something, she said, "Well, Onmund, I…I'd better go now. Will I see you in class tomorrow?"

"Of course," he answered emphatically. "I'll be there." He then decided to ask, "Hey, is everything all right? You seem upset about something."

Something flickered in her eyes, but she quickly answered, "Yes, everything's all right. I will see you in class tomorrow."

"Have a good night then," he said.

"Good night," she replied and turned around, disappearing into her room.

Just then, she looked as if she were ready to burst into tears, he observed, growing concerned. What could be bothering her? He turned around, as well, and went out the door into the dark courtyard. As he walked to his room, he thought to himself, I wish I could be there for her. I had said to her that I'd always be a friend to her, as well, after all. But as he changed into his nightshift when he was in his room, he knew that it was impossible for him to be the friend that he wanted to be to her. And it pained him. He climbed into bed, hoping for another day full of distractions. He'd have plenty tomorrow as he had to continue to research a spell to recreate.

Sometime during the night, after he had been sleeping for he didn't know how long, he awoke to a presence in his room. He saw Danielle standing there, and she approached his bed. He was surprised to see her there, but before he could say anything, she immediately climbed on top of him and covered his mouth with hers, kissing him. Onmund closed his eyes, kissing her back, and placed his hand over the back of her head, feeling the shape of her neck. For some reason, there was no feeling of embarrassment on his part- no feeling at all save for a need to have her completely. He held onto her tightly, continuing to kiss her with fervor until she pulled away from him. He opened his eyes, and gasped when he saw Bridgette's, not Danielle's face, over him. Something also caught the corner of his eye and he looked up and saw Tolfdir standing in the doorway, looking at them.

With a start, Onmund sprang up to a sitting position on his bed, having awakened from the dream. His heart pounding loudly and his breath coming out in short gasps, he stared into his doorway, thinking that Tolfdir or someone was going to appear at any second. No one came, and he slowly began to calm down, trying to make sense of what he just dreamt about. He thought back to the feeling of being kissed and remembered enjoying it very much. But I had enjoyed it when I thought it was Danielle kissing me, not Bridgette! he knew. What is wrong with me that I'd dream of such a thing?

He joined the rest of his fellow Destruction students in class that morning, and Tolfdir began the session by talking about the assignment that he had given them the day before. He then asked each of them what they planned to recreate if they knew yet.

J'zargo answered the question by saying, "J'zargo is recreating a variant of the Flame Cloak spell. It will only work on undead creatures."

"Fascinating," Tolfdir remarked. "Yes, the full Flame Cloak spell that works on all creatures is very difficult to recreate. Good on you for choosing a simplified version! And you, Brelyna?"

"I'm planning on recreating Oakflesh," Brelyna answered. "I'm still in the experimentation stages, though."

"That is fine," Tolfdir assured. "Experimentation is usually the most important stage when learning magic! How about you, Onmund, what will you be recreating?"

"I-I don't know yet," Onmund stammered, suddenly feeling like a total loser next to his two friends who seemed to be on top of things. "I'm still researching."

"Very well," Tolfdir sighed. "And how about you, Danielle?"

With a frown, Danielle admitted, "I haven't figured out what I will be recreating, either."

"All right," Tolfdir replied. "I understand you've been very busy. What exactly did Arniel discuss with you yesterday?"

As Tolfdir became distracted by the Arch-Mage's affairs, Onmund couldn't help but wonder if he was starting to lose his standing as Tolfdir's favorite student as of late. Before, during the Eye of Magnus fiasco, he remembered the professor constantly giving him words of praise and smiles of approval. There was no question that those were starting to taper off now, especially after he had taken on his secondary field of study. He was worried that such a thing was going to happen, and it seemed like they were.

Throughout the rest of the class period as Tolfdir practiced spells with them, he noticed that he was starting to be passed over with the praises and smiles and that they were going to Brelyna and J'zargo instead. With Danielle being the Arch-Mage, he was different towards her anyway, but Onmund felt like there was no reason for him to be treated differently just because he had started learning Restoration on the side. Maybe it's true what Colette had said the first time I talked to her? Maybe Tolfdir really does have something against her and the School of Restoration. However, he enjoyed learning both courses of study, and he didn't feel like giving any of them up. So he tried not to take it too much to heart and vowed to continue working hard at both at the same time.

After class, Onmund went with J'zargo back to the Hall of Attainment to eat lunch. As the two men crossed the courtyard, Onmund heard giggling off to his left. He turned his eyes to that direction and saw two young, female Novice mages standing in front the Hall of Countenance whispering to each other. One of the mages, an elf, had been looking at him and quickly looked away when he met her eyes, and the two girls erupted into a fit of giggles again. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, he sped up his pace towards the Hall of Attainment, causing J'zargo to rush to catch up with him. As soon as they stepped inside, he said to J'zargo, "What in Oblivion was that all about? Did you see those two girls?"

"J'zargo thinks they are the new Conjuration students," J'zargo replied as he followed Onmund over to the dining hall.

Conjuration students? he wondered. I wonder if those two were Bridgette's friends whom she had played cards with last night. I forgot their names. Why did it seem like they were whispering about us? In a lighthearted manner, he said to J'zargo, "Looks like you've got some admirers, Stunner!"

Lately, Onmund had taken to calling J'zargo "Stunner" not only after his skills with shock spells but also because he once bragged that he was very popular with the females in his hometown in Elsweyr. It had started as a joke but after a while, the nickname stuck. Conversely, J'zargo's nickname for him was "Striker" due to his skills with lightning spells.

"This one is not surprised," J'zargo responded glibly. "J'zargo knew he would have many admirers before long. But this one thinks they were talking about you, not J'zargo."

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Khajiit just knows these things," J'zargo replied. "Does it surprise Striker that he can have admirers, too?"

In an embarrassed manner, Onmund answered, "Well, no…never thought of the possibility."

"Take the Restoration Novice you are training, for instance," J'zargo began to explain. "What is her name again?"

"Bridgette?" Onmund questioned incredulously. "She…she's just a new friend of mine."

"Yes, but take it from the expert on such matters," J'zargo advised. "You are more than friend to her."

Onmund gave his buddy an indignant look. "J'zargo…no. I'm just being nice to her. If she's going to take it the wrong way, then she's-" Suddenly, he trailed off when he saw Brelyna staring at them from the doorway. He just looked back at her with a dumbfounded expression.

"Um, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Brelyna asked uncertainly.

Feeling flustered once again, Onmund began getting up from the table. "No. I was just leaving."

"Wait," she stopped him. "Before you go, I wanted to ask if either of you would be interested in helping me test out my Oakflesh spell. I think I've almost got it, but I just need to make a few adjustments."

"After you nearly burned this one's fur off last time?!" J'zargo said angrily. "J'zargo will pass!"

Rolling her eyes at the Khajiit's retort, she then looked at Onmund. "Please…I really need someone else to confirm that I've done it right."

Frozen with one leg already over the bench, Onmund felt trapped. With an inward sigh, he replied, "All right. I'll help you. I need to get back to the Arcaneum, though; I've still got a lot of work to do for my spell."

"It shouldn't take long, I promise," Brelyna said. "And I promise I won't burn you, either."

Onmund exchanged a look of uncertainty with J'zargo before following Brelyna out of the dining hall, out of the Hall of Attainment, and into the Hall of Elements. She then instructed him to stand in front of her and said, "I'm going to try casting the spell on you and then we'll see if it works."

"How are we going to know if it worked?" he asked.

At that, Brelyna proceeded to take a dagger out of her pocket and held it out in front of her. Immediately, Onmund's eyes went wide with fear and he cried, "Ohhh, no! You're not going to strike me with that thing, are you!?"

"It's the only way to make sure," she protested. "I promise not to swing hard. And I'll just strike at the thickest part of your robes. Let's see, that would probably be-"

"Forget it, Brelyna," he interrupted. "This is crazy. There's got to be another way."

With a sigh, she replied, "Then I'll cast it on myself and you can try hitting me with the dagger instead."

Onmund shook his head wildly. "No! I'm not doing that! Can't you…can't you possibly test it out on some inanimate object first?"

Letting out a heavier sigh, Brelyna replied, "I suppose I could. But spells can have drastically different effects on objects than they do on living things."

"I would think Oakflesh works the same on both," he said, hoping that she would be convinced.

"Well, all right. Here. Hold this book, then." She handed him the book that she had brought.

He held it up in front of him with both hands, and she asked, "Ready?" He nodded. She then proceeded to channel magicka into her hands and then cast the spell upon the book. The book momentarily glowed a bright green color and then returned to normal. "Think it worked?" she asked him when she finished her spell.

"I guess we'll find out…" he said, and stretched his arms out in front of him, still holding the book so that it was as far away from his body as possible since he knew what she was going to try next.

Holding the dagger in her hand, Brelyna took a step forward and swung it at the book. Onmund turned his face away, and he heard a loud RIP! as the blade tore through the middle of the entire book and the pages exploded out of his hands.

There was a great mess now on the floor between them, and Brelyna sheepishly muttered, "Oops. Guess it didn't work."

Sighing, Onmund bent down to help her pick up the pieces of the pages and the cover, saying, "I'm glad we tried it on the book first! Although, this wasn't one of Urag's books, was it?"

"No," she answered, gathering up the torn pages. "It was mine from home. I just don't understand. What could I be missing?"

"Well, I hope you figure it out," he said to her. "But at least you're farther along than even I am. I haven't even figured out what spell I'm going to recreate!"

"Well, good luck finding one," she sighed. "I can clean the rest of this up. You go ahead."

"No, I'll help you," he insisted.

They continued to clean up the torn-up book pieces from the floor in silence. When they had gathered everything up, Onmund handed her the pieces and she thanked him. Just as he was about to leave, she asked, "So…Onmund? Are you…dating that girl, Bridgette?"

At this, Onmund reddened and responded loudly, "No!" Immediately embarrassed, he lowered his voice and repeated, "No. What gave you that idea?"

"I was just making sure," she replied. "I've been hearing rumors about you from some of the younger mages. But I think they're just spreading lies."

"Rumors?" he asked. "Where did you hear this from?"

"Like I said, I overhead some of the new students saying stuff about you," she explained. "They might've been Bridgette's friends. I don't know what she might be telling them, but they all seemed like lies."

"What did they say?" he questioned, getting worried.

"Something about seeing you and Bridgette kissing. It's really ridiculous!"

"What?!" He then immediately thought back to the moment when Colette had seen him holding Bridgette in his arms in the tent when they were on Mount Anthor. The way that Onmund had jumped back made it looked like they were doing something bad when they really weren't. Oh, great. Just what I needed…to get caught up in some false rumors. I wonder if Danielle has heard them, too, he wondered. That would…explain her strange behavior last night when we were talking about Bridgette. Oh, man, I hope she hasn't heard any of it. She's going to think that I…fancy Bridgette or something. Which is totally not true! She was the prime object of his affection, not Bridgette!

"If they say something again, I'll talk to them," Brelyna offered. "I'll tell them none of that is true. I know you and Bridgette are just friends."

Onmund looked at her soberly. While not as close of a friend as Danielle and J'zargo were to him, Brelyna was still a good ally to have. It was true that he was under-appreciative of her prying into his business, especially when it involved Danielle, because she had once embarrassed him with her accusations of having a crush on her, but right now, he needed Brelyna's help more than anything. Please let Danielle know that those rumors are not true, he wanted to say. But instead, he said, "Thanks, Brelyna. I appreciate you sticking up for me."

"Anytime," she replied, and he left her to go about his business in the Arcaneum.

I've never thought of that before- Onmund's parents being proud of him for being a dragonslayer! That is a cool observation! I'm glad to hear that I'm effectively conveying Onmund's flaws and downfalls, and he won't be seen as just Mr. Perfect Wonderful Mage/Scholar. I can guarantee that he'll make plenty more mistakes before things become right, but rest assured, things WILL get right!