* The Magic of Listening

*

Watching as Aesandoral and Rionriv chased each other around the track, I continued at a comfortable jog. I smirked, enjoying the view as the pair raced. The elf eventually caught up to her human sister, grabbing the back of her shirt and forcefully yanking her. With a shake of my head, I allowed my mind to wander.

All this talk of pushing past limits and striving to overachieve had poked at the mental dam. Even though I couldn't remember everything, I recognized the hypocrisy from telling Aesandoral to overachieve while I had dedicated an entire adult life to the exact opposite. And while my family hadn't been nobles, my lazing also had also partially been attributed to spiting familial obligation. 

As these thoughts settled in my mind like a stone at the bottom of the lake, my mood shifted. With every passing second that I danced around the ideas of purpose and goals, I felt the walls that separated me from a mental breakdown weakening. Finally, with a shiver of acceptance and readiness to move on, I determined that it was time to search for Sharzin, who had been suspiciously missing from this entire moment.

If I were a little rogue, hiding in plain sight...where would I be?

Eventually spotting her at the beginning of my final mile, I slowed my jog to a trot and approached the lounging groundling. Even in her all-black clothing, I had barely noticed her tucked into a grassy patch between the bleachers. Her form was surprisingly well hidden between the angular bands of sunlight peeking past the bleached wooden boards. In fact, the only reason I thought to search there, despite the pit that formed in my stomach as I glanced at them, was because as a child I had done much the same. 

Apparently, some things stayed the same regardless of which world you lived in. I thought, slowing my pace to a walk as I casually strolled up to the spot where she hid and plopped myself onto the seats above her—

Which were already scalding.

“HYAAAAAAAA—” I screamed as I jumped up, patting my butt.

These wooden benches shouldn’t have gotten that hot already. Damn you! You terrible sun!

And, with that, giggles erupted from under the stands.

“Dummy,” Sharzin whispered, peeking up through the bleachers at me. “You need to use a cooling spell before you sit. Everyone knows that.”

“Yeah, right.” I sighed, looking between the seats at her. “Everyone knows that, but lil’ol’ me. It looks less painful down there. May I sit with you?”

She shifted quietly to the side, making room in her shadows.

“Thanks,” I wriggled myself into the uncomfortably small space where I bumped my head no less than three times. 

This was met by more giggles from the girl who watched me intently. Glancing over at her, I caught the shy smile she tried to hide beneath the top of her hoodie. I'd be lying if I said the last head trauma I took was accidental, but the way she chuckled gave me a strange sense of similar joy.

“Not one for running?” I asked, finally settling into the arcanoturf grass uncomfortably.

“Short legs." She replied, pointing down the length of her body. "Distance runner, I am not.”

I watched as she extended her feet out and gave them a gentle kick against the ground.

With a nod, I rested back against the stands and glanced back towards the field, enjoying the same view Sharzin had been. On the other side of the track, the sisters were bickering over something. I watched as Aesandoral poked at Rionriv's bulging breasts, only to have a zap of electricity arced out. The archer then began to run away from her sorceress, who chased her, leaving a cloud of dust in her magical wake.

“What if something bad happened? Those two can run away. Do you expect them to carry you?”

“I expect them to leave me behind.”

I felt my stomach drop. That was not the thing you wanted to hear someone say about their teammates. It was fair, Esseria really was a leave-them-behind kind of world, but it didn't mean I liked it—at least, not now that I was living in it.

Damn, that’s grim, kid.

“You don’t trust that they’d stay to help you?”

“I trust that they’d do everything they could to aid me, but ultimately, I could always just hide and wait for the threat to end. I’d just find them after.”

“You’re going to hide from a lava flow or acid rain?”

Glancing over at her, I watched the girl's face as she processed my statement, while staring out over the track and field. Sharzin thought for a short while, her face scrunching as she calculated what to say next. 

“I am fairly certain that Rionriv could use her magic to throw me.” She finally spoke plainly

Bwuh?! What kind of answer is that? I mean, Rionriv could potentially have telekinesis, I don't know. She’s already pretty adept in spellcasting for a Second Year. But what the hell?

Wanting to put as much thought into my reply, I sat beside her quietly, thinking. Without a doubt, I could assume that Sharzin didn't want to die, but she also accepted that running wasn't her strong suit. And, with that said, I assumed this meant that Sharzin—like Rionriv's goal to remain in school to learn magic and Aesandoral's desire for more physical activities—wanted to stick to her strengths. Which, from my limited knowledge of the girl, I assumed was lurking.

“Okay, I think I understand,” I spoke with a sagely nod. “You believe that everyone should stick to their strengths. Running isn’t one of yours, so doing it wastes time you could spend being stealthy. Right? What other strengths do you have?”

“Exactly. So, if you have stealth training exercises, I’m all for it.”

Are we just going to gloss over the second half of that statement? Am I really that rusty at talking with people? Or is it just Sharzin?

“Well, let me investigate it. There’s bound to be some form of Stealth-Ninety-X training elective here. If I can find it, we’ll take it together. Wouldn’t mind learning to be stealthier myself if you’d teach—.”

“Don’t.”

“What?” I laughed awkwardly, glancing over at her. “Do you not want to be in a workout program with me?”

“Not that. I like you getting punched. You’re much better at it than Aesandoral. She cries a lot. So, you’re not allowed to hide.”

Oh, great. So, I’m officially the group punching bag even though I’m not really a tank. I’m technically the only healer. Sure, a bad one, but—anyways—

“Oh,” I muttered, rubbing at the back of my head and releasing another awkward laugh. “Well, can’t have that, now, can we?”

“Can’t have what? Slackers.” Rionriv hissed as she approached with a frustrated scowl painting her face.

Behind her, a statically charged Aesandoral looked like a cartoon character that had stuck a fork in an outlet. Whatever I had seen them bickering about, it appeared that she had lost.

Rionriv is always coming in so hot. Maybe I need to match it with something cool.

“Hey Rionriv,” I replied casually. “I was just chatting with Sharzin here about individual strengths. What do you see as your strength?”

The distant rumble of thunder matched the unimpressed look on her face. Instinctively, I gulped down what I wanted to say next and jumped to my feet. Forgetting where I sat, a dull thud rang out as my head connected with the wooden seat above me. Sharzin giggled once again at this, as Aesandoral instinctively stepped closer to me with a worried expression.

Holding a hand up, I kept the girl at bay as I wiggled myself free. Casting a glance at Rionriv as I did this, she did not appear amused or worried. Instead, she held the same glare as I met her gaze.

“My strength?” Rionriv grumbled. “My strength is not wearing this stupid outfit and pretending that running in circles will teach me anything! Meanwhile, you two are chittering away like a pair of young guirrets in heat over here.”

What the fug is a guirret?

Rionriv turned with a huff and began to storm off, the sound of thunder intensifying even though not a single cloud hung in the sky.

“I’m leaving to practice spellcrafting.” She announced. “You know—that thing we’re supposed to use at a magical university. I’m done with this running stuff!”

My heart stopped as I began to panic. I couldn’t let her leave. Unfortunately, as I looked between both Aesandoral's and Sharzin’s faces, it was easy to gather that this was normal. But, even from a loner’s perspective, I knew we needed to stay together and train.

Racing forward, I reached out and took Rionriv by the wrist. Immediately, electricity surged through my body as though I had grabbed hold of an electric fence. Everything in me screamed to let go, to release my grip before permanent damage could be done. But I kept my firm hold on her long enough to gain her attention.

“Let go.” She demanded, her voice rumbling with thunder as she remained turned away.

“N-no,” I said through gritted teeth. “Y-you’re right—R-Rionriv. S-sorry.”

The tingling of electricity ceased, and I released my grip with a shallow exhale.

I didn't understand how a girl who could be amazed by incantationless casting could control the air elements so effortlessly. There had been no casting of spells for the thunder, or the boost to her speed, or the arm taser. I assumed it had to do with her proposed elemental lineage, but I would need time to understand her. And to do that, I needed to play to her strengths.

Looking up at the sorceress, she had turned and stared back with a new expression. Her eyes met mine and shone with a curiosity about what I’d say next. But there was also something else. Maybe respect?

“Go on.” She crossed her arms, cocking an eyebrow.

“When I brought us all here today, I didn’t consider everyone’s strengths or preferences. Sharzin and Aesandoral taught me that. And you’re right. I promised that you’d all graduate, and that means practicing magic. So, how about instead of hitting the gym together, we start our days by doing a little bit of monster hunting across campus?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, all those vermin traps set up to challenge students on their march to class. Why don’t we spend our free time training our magic and muscles on them? Squash some corgsquitos and ratdogs.”

Rionriv smirked as what I had said seemed to have broken through to her.