Weeks zipped by for them— the games sometimes ran late, but other times, someone made a mistake and their matches ended early. They were glad for the early days, using the extra time to train their bodies and their magics. Gregory didn’t use his foresight when playing in class, as he wanted to get a good feel for the tactics.
Gregory’s birthday came and went with little celebration, as they’d been in a long class that day. The staff had made a small cake for them to enjoy, but only the three of them and Velma had gotten to eat any of it.
They had their second week off shortly after that, and now, it was almost over with. The grueling sparring against members of the Hardened Fist taxed them nearly to the limit every day. Magus Vemril continued to bring in different magi to help her, mixing the combination of magics daily. They won a match occasionally, but lost more than they won. Every fight taught Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn something new.
Mindie worked hard on those days, since accidents and injuries happened with each bout. She was surprised at the tenacity of the group, but also how they never devolved into finger-pointing. Each of them took the blame when a mistake of theirs cost them the match, even if they were being mended by Mindie at the time.
When the fifth day of sparring with Vemril came to an end, Gin told them they had the last two days to do with as they wished. They had dinner with the clan that night before retiring to their room, each looking forward to two days outside the walls of the academy.
~*~*~
“Good morning,” Daciana grinned. “Going outside today?”
“Yes, and we’ll be at Gin’s tomorrow morning when you get there,” Yukiko replied. “I don’t know if we’ll have another week off before the tournament, so we’ll drill you hard tomorrow.”
“We’ll be prepared,” Nessa said, taking her seat. “Vicky’s been coming along fast. You might be surprised by her.”
Victoria smiled softly. “I don’t know about that, but I am trying very hard.”
“Ness is right,” Daciana said. “You’re improving quickly, Vicky. The three of us are rapidly becoming the best in the class. Even Magus Igorson admitted it.”
“Have the clans approached you all now?” Jenn asked.
“We’ve had more ask to speak with us,” Nessa nodded. “Vicky has been invited to speak with the Iron Hand and Hardened Fist, as well.”
“I do not want to join the Hardened Fist at all,” Victoria shuddered. “They are ruthless and cold… All they care about is the money for the contracts. The Iron Hand has something they strive for at least, but I won’t join them, either. The three of us already know where we want to go.”
“Dia hasn’t approached us at all,” Daciana said, her ears twitching. “She will, right?”
Jenn put her hand on Daciana’s arm. “I’m sure she will after the tournament.”
“They’re waiting so we don’t get an even larger target placed on us by some of the other clans,” Nessa reassured Daciana. “Just wait. It’ll be okay. We wouldn’t be trained the way we have been if they weren’t interested in us.”
“She’s right,” Victoria nodded, “though I can understand the worry.”
“I’m not worried!” Daciana said quickly. “I just wanted to make sure.”
Gregory’s lips twitched, and he managed to keep the smile off them. “We have studying to do and, while we won’t be here tomorrow morning, I’m certain you three will be.”
“Of course. We stick to our training regimen unless we’re watching you train,” Nessa said.
“Speaking of, it’s time for Magi Squares,” Yukiko said. “Tomorrow will be here soon enough.”
“Yes, Yuki,” Nessa said.
“Okay,” Daciana nodded.
Victoria smiled at how deftly Yukiko had gotten the other two focused on work. “Understood, Yuki.”
~*~*~
The adept on duty at the gate had been surprised at the rank showing on their medallions, but let them go out without issue. Once they were outside the walls, they jogged to Gin’s home. The sun was just barely cresting the horizon as they jogged and the city was slowly waking up around them.
“Maybe we should have told them we were coming?” Gregory asked.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Yukiko said.
Something about her tone made Gregory give her a sideways glance.
It didn’t take them long to reach Gin’s. Yukiko had been a little ahead of them, so she was the one who knocked. They waited for a few minutes before the door opened.
Baylyss gave them a smile when she saw who it was. “Magi, it’s good to see you again. Please, come in.”
“Good morning, Baylyss,” Gregory greeted the older woman. “Is everything okay here?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I guess there isn’t a reason… I just got used to Elsa being the one to answer the door.”
“She would have, but I had just given her another task to complete,” Baylyss replied. “Are you here for the day?”
“And night, if that’s okay,” Yukiko smiled. “We’d also like to stay the following day, though we’d leave shortly after the novices do tomorrow.”
“I’ll make sure the room is prepared for you while you train in the garden,” Baylyss said. “I’ll let the children know you are here and get them gathered for you while you change.”
“Thank you,” Gregory said.
“Of course. Follow me, please.”
~*~*~
They were changed and on their way to the garden in short order. Both women wore smiles and exchanged glances behind Gregory’s back.
When Gregory stepped into the garden, he faltered. All of the children were lined up, holding up a sign that read, “Happy belated birthday, Sensei.” Elsa was in the middle of the group with a large smile on her face.
“Thank you,” Gregory chuckled. “I wasn’t expecting this.”
“I set it up with Dia yesterday after training,” Yukiko giggled. “We will train like normal, but otherwise, we’ll be celebrating your birthday. Elsa is making a cake, I believe.”
Elsa’s cheeks flushed slightly. “I will be doing my best.”
“I’m sure it’ll be delicious,” Gregory smiled. “I’ll look forward to it, as I’m sure the rest of you are, huh?”
The other children gave a chorus of agreement to his question. Yukiko and Jenn joined in a second later, making Elsa’s blush deepen further.
“First, we have training,” Gregory said, helping Elsa out. “After the Peaceful Fist, we’ll have you all do some sparring, okay?”
That got a cheer from the children. They set the sign aside and took their places.
~*~*~
“Good. That was good,” Gregory said, moving onto the mat. “Do you understand how she did that to you?”
The little boy picked himself up and nodded. “I went too far, and she used that to grab me.”
“You overextended on your punch,” Gregory agreed. “That broke your balance and, when she grabbed you, you didn’t have the leverage you needed to stop her from throwing you.”
“Excuse me, magi,” Baylyss said from the doorway. “It should be time to bathe before dinner.”
“Of course,” Gregory replied. “Everyone, rise. Bow. Dismissed.”
Jenn and Yukiko left the room, leading the girls toward the bath. Gregory took a seat on the floor of the room as he watched them go.
“Are girls really that special?” one of the young boys asked, staring at Gregory.
“Huh?”
“You always stare at them,” the same boy, with an upturned nose and beady eyes, said.
“Well, I’m married to them, and they’re beautiful to me,” Gregory replied with a grin. “One day, you’ll see girls the same way.”
“No way. Girls are weird!” the boy exclaimed.
Gregory chuckled. “Yeah, they are strange, but when you get older, you’ll find that strangeness is intriguing. I thought much the same as you do when I was your age, and now… well, now I can’t think of a day without those two.”
One of the older boys looked away, his rabbit ears twitching. “I, uh… I think that Monica is cute.”
“What?” the first boy asked, his nose scrunching up as if his friend had just betrayed him.
“Well, I mean… she’s still a girl, and weird,” the second boy said, his ears twitching more, “but… I like it when she smiles.”
“Yeah, I know how that feels. When I was your age, my best friend, Gunnar, and I used to hang around with Ria and El. The day that they went from just being weird girls to wanting to see Ria smile more… that was a shock.”
The first boy looked bewildered and altogether befuddled. “But…!”
“It doesn’t mean he isn’t going to agree with you,” Gregory said gently. “He’s just growing up. In a year or two, you’ll understand what he’s saying. Until then, let them be weird, but be nice to them. Men should treat women with respect, care, and protect them.”
The first boy nodded vigorously. “Yes, I will. Except Elsa. She’ll be the one protecting us.”
Gregory laughed. “Yeah, yeah she will. She was afraid, too, though. Did you know that?”
The boys drew closer and sat down in front of him.
“When she first came here, she was afraid that you’d all hate her.”
“Because she wouldn’t be with us anymore,” the oldest of the boys nodded, his square pupils fixed on Gregory. “We were a little angry that she was leaving us.”
“She wanted to help you all,” Gregory said.
“Yeah… she brought us stuff and left stuff out for us, risking her place here for us,” the oldest said seriously. “I told her to stop. We didn’t want her to risk it.”
“Elsa doesn’t listen well,” the smallest boy said with a grunt.
“She does, but she’s stubborn,” Gregory corrected him. “She didn’t want to lose you all. She thought of you as family, good family, and now look at where you are. Don’t you feel glad she’s so stubborn?”
The boys all nodded.
“Just be kind, be patient, and listen when they talk. Even if you disagree with them, listen to them. The worst thing you can do is ignore what they say or fail to hear what they’re trying to tell you,” Gregory said, thinking of how Amoria had tried to get him to see her as more than a friend.
All the boys nodded again, but the eldest spoke up, “Your friend, Gunnar— what was he like?”
“Gunnar? Strong, big, loyal, and honest, but he also had a mischievous streak. There was a time when he and I were going to try scaring the twins, El and Ria…”
~*~*~
Gregory was laughing with the boys when Yukiko came back into the room with a smirk. “Telling stories, dear one?”
“About Gunnar and me,” Gregory said, getting to his feet. “Passing the time while we waited to bathe.”
“Well, it’s available now. We’ll be seeing if Baylyss needs any help with dinner.”
“We won’t be too long,” Gregory said.
“Just make sure they clean properly,” Yukiko said as she left the room.
“Come on, guys. We’ll be as clean as we can be so they won’t have anything to complain about,” the oldest said, leading the way.
The others agreed and followed him. Gregory trailed them with a grin.
~*~*~
Dinner was simple, but still delicious. The soup for the apprentices came with pieces of jerky that had been soaking in their bowls to provide some aether for them. It was the only aether food they had, but Gregory didn’t mind, as eating with the children was still fun.
“I believe it is time for the cake,” Baylyss said.
“I’ll get it,” Elsa said, jumping to her feet and rushing off.
“She worked very hard on it,” Baylyss said as she watched Elsa go. “That’s why she missed sparring.”
“I figured,” Gregory replied. “She was a little distracted during meditation, too.”
“She has been since we had word you were all coming, and that your birthday was to be celebrated,” Baylyss corrected him. “So even if it isn’t the best cake, be kind to her.”
“I will be,” Gregory assured her.
Elsa came back a minute later, wheeling a small cart in front of her. Reaching the table, she took a deep breath before lifting the book-sized cake onto the table. When it was safely in front of Gregory, she exhaled, then smiled and pulled out a long, thin spatula. “This will cut the cake, and also serve it.”
“Thank you,” Gregory said as he accepted it from her.
She smiled, then pulled a small bowl from the lower section of the cart and placed it between the three apprentices. “This has bits of aether-infused fruit from Dia. I used similar fruit in the cake, but without the aether infusion.”
“Thank you,” Yukiko smiled at her. “We’ll make sure we add them to our cake.”
Gregory deftly sliced the cake into pieces and distributed them to everyone. His was the last and slightly larger than the others.
“Seems you wanted a bit more, and you haven’t even tasted it yet, dear one,” Yukiko smirked.
Gregory shook his head ruefully. “It just came out that way.”
“Or maybe our husband likes sweets?” Jenn rebutted with a smirk of her own.
Elsa hadn’t touched her piece of cake, even as the other children were already eating theirs. She watched them closely, waiting to hear what they thought.
Dividing the fruit from the bowl onto their plates, all three of them took a small sliver of cake and sampled Elsa’s work. They had smiles on as they took a second bite, and Elsa felt her fears fade.
“It’s very good,” Gregory said after the second bite. “Vanilla and strawberry?”
“Yes,” Elsa replied with a large smile on her face.
“It’s even better than what my mother can make,” Jenn said. “Did it take long to make the compote?”
“We had some already,” Elsa said with a worried look to Baylyss. “I used what we had.”
“I thought so, but it was the only way to make sure it was present in every bite. I will get it replaced in a few days,” Baylyss said. “Next time, just ask, Elsa. We might have been able to find another way to achieve the same thing.”
“Yes, Baylyss,” Elsa said, bowing her head. “I didn’t think. I am sorry.”
“As long as it doesn’t happen again,” Baylyss replied lightly.
