Mysterious Rendezvous

Stalking the triop, I struggled to maintain the maximum distance possible while still tracking them through the campus streets. While it was a delicate dance of stop and go, I knew that if I got too close, I'd be subject to Aesandoral's keen, albeit drunken, perceptive capabilities. But no matter how much distance I maintained, this didn't stop me from hyperanalyzing every move I made. Knowing her as I did, I assumed that no matter how far I held back or how stealthy I was, she would sense me tracking the party. My paranoia was only reaffirmed as the group occasionally stopped while she adjusted her elven ears. 

I was all but positive that if I were closer, I’d be able to pick up on the subtle twitches of her actively tracking my approach. But, surprisingly, after every stop the group made, they always kept moving. Snaking their way down the various back alleys and cutting through busy common areas, eventually the triop reached the edge of the School of Arcanoartistic Duality. There, I watched as they approached the activated archway to the Elemental Waste Exoplane, where they briefly stood with a fourth, momentarily unfamiliar figure.

“No way,” I whispered, taking cover to inspect the small furry form that stood with them. “Captain Fig Bara?”

Captain Fig Bara was a member of a subgroup of rodentfolk resembling chinchillas the size of capybaras. The species all but went extinct in the Great Cataclysm, with only a few members of the race still living among the stars and one Captain Fig Bara, who once served under the banner of Admiral Fatemah Rashad in The Fated Mortal War two hundred years before the Great Cataclysm.

As a reward for her excellent service to the cause and remaining faithful to her post until the bitter end, she was given the chance at a new life in the future world. Flashing forward three thousand years, Captain Fig Bara was not only reincarnated but also helped in the founding of Al’magi, served in the Two-Generation War and has stopped aging thanks to the blessing of the Emerald Gale, the goddess of life and death.

With no war to fight in, Captain Fig Bara now acted as the Head of Security for Al’magi. The furry faculty member loved working with kids and making sure the education system was set up to guarantee survival in the real world. Technically, when the triop and I had the big fight outside the Mimic Café last year, she would have been the one we spoke with to lodge a complaint. That was if we hadn’t taken matters into our own hands, which seemed to be exactly what the triop was currently doing.

Peeking through the bushes, I watched as the four talked for a short while before all entering the exoplane together. As the portal closed up behind them, I quickly stepped out into the open and stared at the empty street where they had been moments before. The sight of them disappearing into another dimension pushed the Tahvin portion of my psyche into overdrive as anxiety began to overwhelm me. 

What are they keeping so secret that they have to go to the head of Campus Security? I spiralled as a panic attack gripped hold of my chest. Was I doing something wrong? I thought we were good after the summer? Were they done with me? Why didn’t they trust me enough to fill me in?

"No, stop it," I muttered, trying to calm my racing heart. "You've got to trust them. They're—they're not trying to hurt you..."

But no matter how hard I tried to convince myself of mine and the triop's relationship, the self-destructive thoughts would continue to plague me. Eventually, the chest pains from the panic attack became too much to bear, and I found a comfortable place nearby to rest as I kept an eye on the portal for their return. By the time I managed to remind myself that I had kept plenty of secrets from them over the last year and, in some instances, continued to do so, I had begun to calm down. Taking the next three hours of waiting to enjoy a ye' olde club sandwich and coffee, the portal eventually flickered to life, and they returned.

Having filled the last hour by reading Gossip Ghoul's recent article in the campus newspaper, I concealed my face with the parchment. As I glanced over the triop from my perch atop the nearby café’s balcony, I eyed the way they appeared to be beaten and bruised. Wiping themselves off with rags and chugging healing potions, I watched as Sharzin doubled over, vomiting up one of the elixirs.

“What the hell happened in there?” I muttered in the moments before more figures emerged from the portal behind them, revealing the Faculty Heads from each school of learning. “Oh gods, what kind of—”

My mind raced with reasons as to why they'd be having a secret meeting with so many high-level academics before thoughts of perversion filled the void. I couldn't help thinking of very specific, scripted scenarios where a handful of teachers and coeds mingled to improve grades. It was in that moment that my heart raced and my blood boiled. Just the thought alone caused jealousy to burn through me like a wildfire. It flared in my veins, causing my body to tremble as I fought the urge to scream and cry. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to rush over and pummel the Al’magi Deans. To channel all my magic into powerful punches and beat down those who would dare touch the triop. My triop.

But before I did anything drastic, risking my own freedom and the academic standing of my companions, I reminded myself that there was no way the nightmarish fantasy was true. I knew for a fact after the midterm results that their grades were fine, especially since they planned to test out of the final exam with a trial by combat. What became more important to me in that moment was the why. Why they were doing what they were and why they couldn't tell me.

As I skulked from my perch, watching as they chatted outside the portal, my mind occasionally slipped back into that nightmarish vision and my guttural reaction to it. As these moments came and went, I slowly began to recognize how the thoughts made my heart ache. How just the idea of someone touching them, any of them, made me hurt in a way that broken bones and acid burns never did. It was then that I began to accept that it wasn't just about the secrets. It was more. It concerned my connection with them and how, over the last year, I had grown so attached to being at their side.

Slowly, without me even noticing, my contractual protectiveness over the triop had evolved into something more. Just moments before, I had wanted to beat down a group of old men for simply imagining that they had done something lecherous. It was as though part of me wanted to believe that the triop were in some way mine. But they weren’t my possessions. They weren’t even my employees. We were friends and nothing more. But still, there was more deep within me. More than just the missions. More than making money.

It was them and how they made me feel. How the triop helped me forget everything from before and gave me a sense of purpose. Most importantly, how they made me believe that I could one day truly begin a new life. And maybe, just maybe, it could be with them.

No. No, that's dumb. I thought, focusing on the ways I interacted with each and how they made me feel. Though I do think it’s pretty apparent that Aesandoral likes me, and I mean, I like her too. A lot, actually. But then there have been those times with Rionriv where she gets flustered and pouty. The way she looks at me, and not to mention the times I look at her. I can't pretend that I don't have feelings for her, too. I mean, catgirl...hello? Then there’s Sharzin…she just seems like a go with the flow kind of girl. But she can be playful, and she's really smart, not to mention cute. She's the type of girl I could see myself losing countless hours playing games with. Not to mention, I have a sneaking suspicion that she's a little freak. I bet she would…mmm—

Allowing my mind to slip back to that torturous fantasy, I replaced the gaggle of senpais doing the dirty deed in the secluded extraplanar dimension with myself. A pleased giggle escaped my lips as I felt my pants grow tight. It was at that moment, as the fantasy was reaching a climax, that I realized what was happening.

Oh shit! I remembered, looking back to the girls as they leaned over to pick up the trio of gilds that had dropped.

Within moments, they began to search the area. Immediately dropping to my stomach, I hid behind the chest-high wall of the balcony, hoping that I had been quick enough. But the weretigress was already out of the bag.

“Hey, Izzz—” Aesandoral spoke coolly in the back of my mind. “Sorry for leaving so suddenly. We’re all done with our school project. Want to grab a bite in the mall in a bit? We have to clean up.”

“Yeah,” Rionriv’s voice now joined her sister's. “We’re really dirty and need to take a bath together, perv.”

“Ha-Ha,” I replied, my hand to my temple as I fought back the urge to fantasize. “Sure, I'll meet you in the shop. You owe me more than a free mall meal for leaving me with that Mimic Café bill.”

Crap, I should go back and pay that!

—ooo—

“So what were you up to today?” I asked over the food court meal of burgers and fries, attempting not to seem too much like a suspicious lover.

“I should ask you the same,” Rionriv parried my question with one of her own. “We suddenly each got a gild at the same time. Care to explain?”

“Well, you see,” I began, being well-prepared for this scenario. “I was lathering myself up in the shower and just recapping the summer in my mind. Then I thought back fondly to our stay in Fearnemyst and the deliciously torturous memories of all of you. I gripped onto my throbbing—”

“Eeeeeee—!” Aesandoral squealed, flinching violently and banging her knees on the bottom of the table. "Oooowwwww..."

“Yeah, enough, enough, perv.” Rionriv also replied quickly through her sandwich, using the food in her mouth as an excuse to shield her flushed cheeks with her hand. “I don’t want a rundown of your debauchery.”

Heh-heh-heh. I win this round. I thought proudly, a smile resting on my lips. Take that Ri—

“I wouldn’t mind hearing more,” Sharzin replied, biting into a chicken drumstick. “What’d you do next?”

Sharzin? What the fug, my gal?

“You’re such a freak,” I replied with a laugh, tossing a fry at her. “And I’ll let you use your imagination, my fellow degenerate-in-arms. Anyways, so what were the three doing that was so secretive?”

“A little of this and that.” Rionriv’s canned response met my follow-up question. “You know, preparation for the final exam.”

Having done this little song-and-dance over the whole semester, I rolled my eyes. With a glance between the three of them, I tried to gauge what was going through their heads. But, even though I knew something was going on, the triop were all equally tough to read. And while I wanted to press for more, I also needed to be respectful of their space. After all, my panic attack had taught me that I wasn't their boyfriend. I was a friend. And, even if we were more, I needed to trust they would tell me if I needed to know.

“Gotcha,” I replied coolly, trying not to seem worried or curious as I took a more passive approach than in previous conversations. “Well, like I’ve been saying. I know you've got it, but if there is anything I can do to help out, just let me know.”

“You know, now that you mention it—!” Rionriv popped off, suddenly hyper-engaged in the conversation. “The teachers were saying that since so many kids are doing the combat trials now, they needed to change the rules. The combat test isn't simply pass or fail anymore. Because of that, there's still a written portion, though it's worth less on the final for students going the combat route. So, I was hoping you could help us all study like you did last year.”

I looked at Rionriv for a moment, trying to gain any insight into what was going through her thoughts as she delivered this less-than-convincing argument. There was no way to tell, but the sudden request felt off. Not just because I was angry that Al'magi was messing with the original school bylaws and thus disrupting my story, but because I had been offering to help all semester. I couldn't help but wonder if this was truly a recent development or if she was still holding back something more?

This must have been the way she felt last year. I thought, taking a bite of my burger. I'll take your olive branch, princess.

“Hmm, okay, sus—” I replied cautiously as I eyed her with the same suspicious glance she always gave me. “A bit late in the term to get my help for that, especially since I've been offering the whole time. But yeah, sure. Let's cram.”

“I don’t know what sus means, but yay.”

As though they had been waiting for this exact moment, all three of the girls withdrew tomes and plopped them down on the food court tables. I couldn't help but eye them all suspiciously at this, even as I decided to let it slide. After all, I was just happy to be included once again, even if it meant going along with Rionriv's scheme as though I was none the wiser.

And so we all began studying together like old times. Our evening cram sessions happened as they always did. We listened to music in my tiny apartment while eating pizza delivered from the mall dimension and finding new and unique ways to awaken Aesandoral when she had dozed off.

Not wanting to give up on my quest to uncover the triop's scheme, I used this time to send more questions Rionriv's way. But, being her, she usually deflected by asking me a different question about whatever topic we were studying. Similar to her ability to console people, the sorceress was awful at playing cool in deceptive situations. And to be honest, it didn’t even make me mad anymore. It had become a fun game to challenge her ability to keep secrets while studying and watch her fumble, creating new, more elaborate excuses.

Continuing as I did, I began to focus less on schmoozing Aesandoral and stalking Shrazin, instead opting to tail Rionriv. What I found was that once a day leading up to the final exam, the triop would meet in one of the Al’magi schools and disappear for roughly three hours before returning with several high-level faculty. Then, shortly after these meetings, they would contact me, and we would get to studying. 

After three days of this, I began to notice a trend. Following each of these meetups, the study questions and academic subjects would become harder. By the end of some of these nights, I could barely think straight due to all of the forced memorization of sigils, incantations, and Magical Optimization in Power Output Metrics. But I stuck with it, because if I were struggling, I could only imagine how Aesandoral was doing.

Every night, we powered away at note-taking and problem-solving. And, in a surprise turn of events, with harder subjects now included in the sessions, Sharzin was actually doing the work. In fact, at points, she seemed so unusually zeroed in on something that I wondered if she had fallen asleep with her eyes open. But no matter how many pieces of crumpled parchment I threw her way, she always deflected them and glared back at me.

Then, after days of preparation, the day of the final test at last arrived. And with it, everything changed.