It took great mental strength to drag himself to class, not at all wanting to face all that was coming, including having to face the very woman he had never wanted to show his face to ever again. He came to a mostly empty training hall save for Tolfdir.

"Onmund!" Tolfdir exclaimed. "Just the person I wanted to see!"

With no reaction, Onmund languidly stepped forward towards his professor.

"Is it true that you dropped Colette's class?" he asked him.

He simply nodded.

Tolfdir gave him a thoughtful look before saying, "Onmund…I underestimated you. For this I am sorry. You have great courage in recognizing your own strengths and weaknesses, and I am proud of you. Whatever the reason for deciding to come back full-time to Destruction, I am just happy to have you back. How did training with Danielle go?"

Onmund flinched at the mention of her name but he responded mechanically, "It went well."

"I am glad to hear that," he replied. "Ah, here she comes now."

At this, every muscle in his body stiffened as he heard the sound of Danielle's and Brelyna's voices coming into the room. He kept his eyes trained on the ground as Tolfdir greeted them and they all chatted for a bit. Soon, J'zargo arrived and class began.

"I'm going to make things quick this morning for I'll have to end class early," Tolfdir stated. "Colette is giving a short talk in here soon. But first, I wanted to announce that Onmund is back with us full time. He has decided not to continue pursuing his secondary. And I must say, this must have taken great courage on his part. The ability to recognize when one has taken on far too many responsibilities and then to trim accordingly is far more difficult than the very opposite situation, and I commend him for it. Anyway, let's get started with a few spells."

As their practicing of spells commenced, Onmund stole discreet glances here and there at Danielle, who seemed to show no indication on her face or in her demeanor that she was still reeling from their encounter yesterday. He had begun to wonder if she was desperately trying to forget the kiss, as well. But at the moment, she seemed completely fine. Her countenance was virtually unreadable.

As he had indicated first thing, Tolfdir ended the class early and soon, the other members of the College began filling up the training hall. Colette and Bridgette then arrived and took their places in the center of the circle and Colette started the assembly off by saying, "As you all may or may not know, Bridgette and I will be away from the College for a few months again to continue our training operation in Solitude."

At this, Onmund heard someone whisper sarcastically, "Huh, it's not like anyone notices anyway," followed by snickering.

Colette immediately stopped and glared at the group and Tolfdir spoke up, "All right, that's enough."

The whispering and snickering stopped and Colette continued with her talk about her and Bridgette's trip to Solitude, at during which time Onmund stole a glance over at Danielle, who was standing next to Tolfdir. He was surprised to see that her eyes looked downcast, and she didn't even seem to be paying any attention to Colette, or really to anyone else around her. What's wrong with her? he wondered. Something is bothering her, I can tell. But what? Is it…the kiss? Just then, he saw her look up at him and he immediately looked down at the ground, feeling his face grow red with embarrassment. He knew that he had ruined everything with that kiss coming out of the blue, not to mention the fact that he put both her and his reputation in jeopardy by doing that. If anyone happens to find out about it, either she or I or both of us will be toast, he realized. He hadn't really thought of it that way before, but it was true. Either one of them could be pegged with misconduct if word got out about the kiss. And the consequences of that were not exactly trivial. Depending on the severity of the misconduct, they could either be demoted or even expelled. He knew that he would never forgive himself if that happened to her. But, of course, it was his fault so she could just say that and he would be the only one demoted or expelled. And I would totally deserve it, too, he thought bitterly.

After Colette finished her talk, she and Bridgette bid everyone farewell, including coming up to Onmund to talk to him for one last time.

"I wish you luck in your studies," Colette said warmly.

"Yes, good luck!" Bridgette said. With a wink, she then whispered, "And good luck talking to the Arch-Mage."

Onmund felt sick in his stomach when she said this. Little does she know that I've completely blown it with the Arch-Mage, he thought.

When the assembly was over, everyone vacated the training hall, and Onmund went back to his room. It was now lunchtime, but he didn't feel hungry. He just sat down in his chair and opened up one of his books to read, but he could not focus on the words on the pages. His mind was swimming with all kinds of dreadful thoughts, like the prospect of getting expelled and what he was going to do if that happened. If someone asks me about what happened with Danielle, then of course, I'll tell them the truth. I'll tell them that I threw myself at her and that she had nothing to do with my inappropriate behavior- that she didn't ask for it. I'll then be told that I've acted abominably and that I'm a horribly indecent person. And then I'll be kicked out of the College…

At one point, J'zargo came by his room and asked him if he wanted to practice their spells together in the training hall, but Onmund turned him down, not exactly in the mood to do so. "Your face is long," J'zargo remarked, looking at him with concern. "Everything okay, Striker?"

He replied back to him, "I just don't feel well at the moment. Upset stomach, I guess."

"Nord needs more sugar in his diet," J'zargo declared. "Someday you will see that J'zargo is right."

Despite himself, he couldn't help but let out a little snort. According to J'zargo, sugar in some form- especially Moon Sugar, was the solution to everything. He had never tasted the stuff before himself, simply because it was expensive and hard to find, but according to J'zargo, it was "out of this world."

J'zargo left him, and he was all alone again. He ended up spending the rest of the afternoon reading a non-magic-related storybook to get his mind off of his depression and by dinnertime, he was ravenous, so he ate some Potato Soup in the dining hall.

Feeling satisfied, he walked back to his room in a slightly better mood, and he decided that he would go into the training hall after all to do some practicing. As he began gathering up his spellbooks, he heard someone enter the Hall of Attainment and when they walked past his room, he saw that it was Danielle.

Her arrival made him tense up, and he hurriedly gathered his stuff so that he could book it out of the hall without her seeing him. She had gone into Brelyna's room and they started talking. Finally, with his books and scrolls in hand, he rushed out of his room and started for the door when Danielle called out his name.

He stiffened, and then turned around to face her. He could only look into her eyes for less than a second before feeling embarrassed all over again, saying, "Uh, yes?" and then he looked away and fidgeted uncomfortably.

"I am taking all of you out on another field trip tomorrow," she said to him in her business-like tone. "Be ready to leave tomorrow morning at 7AM."

"Uh, yeah. Okay," he replied awkwardly.

She seemed to hesitate for a second, wondering if he was going to ask about where they were going and why, but she could see that he was very uncomfortable and so she just walked straight past him and back out the door, leaving him standing there feeling like he had just withstood a gale force of wind. He stood there for about a second or two more, trying to regain his composure before he finally stepped out himself so that he could walk over to the Hall of Elements to train.

When Onmund woke up early the next morning to get ready for their trip, he knew that he was definitely not looking forward to the ordeal of having to face Danielle again. He just hoped that it wouldn't be as unbearable with the four of them all there. He met up with the others in the Hall of Elements, and Danielle explained to them where they were going and what they would be doing.

"Arniel has asked me to charge this soul gem that he gave me," she explained, showing them the soul gem that she was holding. "This is a special soul gem that he says is critical for the experiments that he's doing. He has told me a little bit about his project, but he has asked me to keep it a secret until he is further along. So I'm sorry that I can't tell you exactly about what his experiments are about. But what I can tell you is that it's about the Dwemers and their sudden disappearance."

"So he's basically trying to find out why the Dwemers disappeared?" Brelyna asked.

"Yes," Danielle responded. "And apparently, this soul gem is an important part of the puzzle. He said that it needs to be charged three times in an apparatus called a convector, which the Dwemers had built. According to him, there is at least one convector located in each Dwemer ruin throughout Skyrim, and unfortunately, when the gem is charged one time in a convector, the convector gets destroyed in the process, so we'll need to find three separate convectors to charge this in."

"Sounds like fun," J'zargo commented. "This one is ready to go on a trip and apply his skills."

"Well then, let's go," she declared, and everyone followed her out of the hall.

So far, no attention had been called to Onmund, and he hoped that it would continue that way throughout their trip. But shortly after they left the College gates and crossed the bridge, Brelyna asked Danielle, "Where exactly are we going to find these convectors?"

"Arniel knows about six locations," Danielle answered. "Two of them are at Mzulft, so we will head there first, and then a third can be found near Shor's Stone."

"Oh! You and Onmund have been to Mzulft, haven't you?" Brelyna questioned. "Did you see the convectors there?"

"No, but we can look," she replied, looking over at Onmund.

Becoming self-conscious, Onmund simply shrugged. "I don't remember seeing them either," he mumbled.

At this, Brelyna gave him a look, the same look that he remembered her giving him from time to time whenever Danielle was around, as if somehow trying to figure out exactly what was going on between the two of them. It always made him uncomfortable, and this was no exception.

The four mages all continued on south, eventually reaching Kynesgrove as the sun set. The last time Onmund was there, he was alone with Danielle and things were better between them. He remembered the conversation he had with her about Marcurio here and how uncomfortable she was after that conversation. No matter how much resentment Danielle might've had towards Marcurio, at least he never threw himself upon her and kissed her out of the blue like I did! he thought ruefully.

When they went into Braidwood Inn, Kjeld and Iddra greeted them. When they saw Onmund and Danielle, they immediately recognized them as the famed mage dragon slayers who had saved their village a while back.

"You brought your friends!" Iddra exclaimed. "How about soup and drinks for all of you on the house?"

Danielle's eyes widened and she protested, "No, we couldn't possibly accept that! Please, we will pay for our dinners and for two rooms."

"Oh, at least have the drinks on us," she insisted.

With a sigh, Danielle conceded, "All right."

With all four mages seated at a table together, Kjeld and Iddra brought four bottles of Honningbrew Mead and four tankards and set them in front of them. They poured the drink into their tankards for them and then into their own two tankards, saying, "We should have done this before," Iddra declared. "But ever since you saved our village from the dragon and saved one of our very own, we have been very grateful." They then raised their tankards, and the mages did the same. "This is to the mages of Winterhold, the saviors of our village!" Iddra declared.

"Here, here!" Kjeld echoed.

Onmund raised his mug along with his friends and they all drank the mead right up. He was more of a fan of Ale than he was of mead but he remembered his father drinking it all the time. Coincidentally, Honningbrew Mead had been his favorite, and he would always have it at night after coming in from a day of hard work.

"I will bring you all some soup shortly," Iddra said and she and Kjeld left them alone at their table.

"This is J'zargo's first time tasting mead," J'zargo said when the proprietors were gone.

"How do you like it?" Onmund asked him.

J'zargo took another sip of his mug, smacking his lips a couple of times before replying, "It needs more sweetness."

Brelyna laughed. "You would say that! As for me, I can't really say I'm much of a fan of this stuff. You, Danielle?"

"I prefer wine, but this is pretty good, actually," Danielle answered.

Once again, when Onmund met her eyes, it was but a fleeting moment as he immediately looked back down at his table guiltily. He continued to drink his mead and converse with J'zargo, as Danielle busily chatted away with Brelyna. By the time the soup was brought over, they were all pretty much hammered and that's when things got interesting. Feeling giddy and talkative, Onmund said to his friends, "Hey guys, you wanna hear the story of how we killed the dragon here?"

As he looked at his friends, he saw Danielle suddenly give him an interested look. J'zargo replied, "Tell us the story, Striker!"

He felt a little woozy as he stood up from his seat, but otherwise, he felt great. He began his story. "So there we were, the dragon flying over us, and with a flash of lightning from my hands, I was able to bring the abominable creature down to the ground!" He followed this by pounding his fist onto his other open palm. "I had to jump out of the way as it came crashing down, almost crushing us! Then, it opened its mouth and a blast of fire came out! I warded just in time to shield us from the fiery blast-"

"Excuse me?" Danielle cried, beginning to stand up out of her chair, as well. She looked very woozy, but she steadied herself and gave him an indignant look. She was obviously drunk, as well. "First of all, that dragon breathed frost, not fire! And whose ward was it again that saved us both from its icy breath?"

"Oh, ho! Setting my story straight, are you?" he exclaimed, getting riled up. He then faced the other two mages. "I stand corrected! It was Danielle's ward that saved us." He then looked back at her and said, "But I dealt the killing blow, remember?"

"So?" she shouted. "If it wasn't for my Flames to severely weaken it, you would've had a much harder time!"

J'zargo put his hands over his head and declared, "Who cares who did what? Just tell us the story!"

"Ugh, guys, I have a headache," Brelyna complained. She then got up out of her seat. "I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to lie down. My head is really pounding."

"Just let me finish my story at least!" Onmund insisted.

"You're drunk," Brelyna told him. "And so am I. But I'm not used to this stuff like you are. I feel a little sick."

"All right, fine," he conceded. "Just as long as Danielle agrees that I had dealt the last blow to the dragon and killed it. Then I can go to bed."

"Ugh, Onmund, you're impossible," Danielle groaned dramatically. "If you want to take all the credit for killing the dragon, then be my guest. I just don't care, anymore."

"What? You don't care?" he questioned. "Then, why are you raising such a big stink over whether the dragon breathed frost or fire and who warded and who didn't?"

"Enough! You're starting to give Khajiit a headache, too!" J'zargo cried, but he was ignored.

"Because you can't get your story straight!" she slurred. "You're just telling lies!"

"I'm telling lies? I'm telling lies?! You know, I'm not the one at the College who's been spreading certain rumors."

"What are you talking about?"

"Guys! Enough already!" Brelyna interjected.

"Just slap him," J'zargo grumbled.

"No…" Brelyna started, but was interrupted by Danielle's, "All right, maybe I will."

In a move that surprised even Onmund, Danielle lunged forward at him but being in her extremely inebriated state, she just stumbled forward and fell right onto him. He held out his arms and caught her. Brelyna stepped forward, as well, attempting to steady her. "I got her, I got her," Onmund insisted, trying to hold her up. He had remembered her body feeling very light and fragile when he had helped her stand up after the battle with the Skeletal Dragon down in Labyrinthian, but now she felt very heavy and limp. He turned her face towards him and she uttered a groan, barely conscious.

"Take her to our room," Brelyna instructed in an impatient tone.

Onmund gently lifted her legs up and now carrying her in his arms, followed Brelyna over to Iddra.

"Uh-oh, too much mead?" Iddra asked with a mix of amusement and concern.

Onmund nodded. "We just need two rooms."

"Right this way then," she responded and led him to one of the rooms.

Brelyna followed him as he carried Danielle over to one of the beds.

"Let me know if you need anything," Iddra said before leaving them.

Onmund gently set Danielle down onto the bed. She was conscious, but she didn't look so well. Remorse began to rise within him as he recalled their little drunken argument. "You okay?" he asked her worriedly.

She groaned again, keeping her eyes closed. "My head hurts."

He put his hand on her forehead and then asked her softly, "Would a Healing spell work?"

"No," she answered, sounding annoyed. "No…"

"Onmund, you'd better leave her alone," Brelyna said. "We all just need to sleep this off."

He sighed, taking his hand off of her. "I'm sorry. I've been a real jerk, tonight. I'll just be going back to my room now." And with that, he left the two women alone in their room and walked over to the other room that he and J'zargo were going to share.

J'zargo was already there removing his boots and climbing into bed. "Did Striker get slapped?" he asked Onmund as he rested his paws behind his head.

"No," he replied, sitting down on the other bed and removing his boots. I probably should have, though, he said in his mind.

"What a wild evening," J'zargo remarked. "J'zargo is sure to feel this in the morning. Good night."

"Night," Onmund grunted and lay down on the bed. He passed out immediately.

Onmund sure has blown it with the Arch-Mage...or has he? You'll just have to stick around to find out! But yes, it totally could have been worse. He'll just have to hope that she doesn't tattle on him. Yes, I could see Tolfdir being a Nord; I guess it's not all THAT uncommon for Nords to be prominent mages (I'm looking at you, Farengar, Shalidor, Geirmund, and countless others!) But damnit, I want Onmund to be unique XD