The bell rang, and the class filed to combat practice. Ro didn't even wait for the pairings. She headed straight for her dummy and began to work. Once more Sarge didn't acknowledge her perfect accuracy when practice ended. He only grunted and left. Ro shrugged it off and began stretching to prepare for whatever the new exercise would be.
She shivered. Suddenly, it felt like someone was watching her as she stretched. She turned around and saw a fully dressed Alexi leaning against the bleachers. She couldn't help but notice how sexy he looked in his v neck distressed t-shirt over tight dark wash jeans. A chain hung from his hip, connecting a belt loop to something in his pocket. His golden hair was damp and tousled around his head. Ro felt sick to her stomach. After what he had said she realized how wrong it was to find him attractive. He walked over with a knowing smirk, as if he could read her thoughts. She blushed slightly.
"What do you want?" She asked coolly as she continued to stretch.
"Oh nothing. I was just admiring the view." He shot a look at her protruding behind. Ro straightened immediately and glared at him. "Since I have you alone though, I suppose I'll ask if you'll go to lunch with me this Saturday." Confusion flashed across Ro's face as Alexi waited for a reply.
"Why?" she asked after a minute. His face darkened in annoyance and she felt a cloud descending over her mind. Her mouth opened to say yes but before she could she was pulled backwards into warmth. A long arm wrapped around her waist and she felt hair tickle her cheek and the back of her neck.
"She can't because she will have weekend training." Laine's voice pronounced from beside and slightly above her ear. "In fact, she will have training every weekend for the near future. So, don't ask again." Anger flashed across Alexi's handsome face. The fog on Ro's mind lifted.
"You always seem to have a protector looking out for you." Alexi said coolly, "But I wonder what their motives are." Ro felt Laine stiffen behind her. She looked up at him. His expression was angry and there was something else there she couldn't identify. Alexi walked away and casually raised his hand in a mockery of a wave.
"Thank you for lying like that. I don't know why but it felt like I was going to say yes before you intervened." Ro told Laine gratefully once Alexi had left. "Um also, could you let me go now?" She asked. He was still holding her to his body, and she was beginning to feel uncomfortable. In response, he released her.
"I wasn't lying. You will have weekend training sessions with me from now on." Ro groaned. She really looked forward to her weekends without training. "You want to get better, don't you?" He prodded. Her shoulders slumped.
"Yes." He smiled a little at her tone.
They continued with the training to identify openings. Ro was improving rapidly. Practice ended with Ro feeling good about how she was doing. She was tired, but she was getting better.
When Ro got to Momo and Aerie's room, she found a new addition there. Brawn, Aerie's partner, was sitting cross legged on her floor with a bowl of water in front of him. Momo sat across from him with another water bowl and Aerie was sprawled on her bed watching them.
"Sorry for intruding." Ro said as she crossed the room to the dresser and put her bag down. She began pulling clothes out of it as Brawn said,
"No, I am the one who is intruding but I am just terrible with water magic and Aerie said Momo could help." His voice was deep and gravely.
"Concentrate." Momo scolded him.
"Sorry." He mumbled and returned his attention to his water bowl.
Having what she needed now Ro crossed back to the bathroom and shut the door. She could still hear muffled voices coming through the door every so often as she removed her clothes and glasses and stepped into the warm water.
She showered and dressed quickly, feeling uncomfortable because there was a male on the other side of the door. She was just reaching for her glasses when Aerie threw the door open.
"Sorry, I've really got to go." She said by way of apology.
"What if I had been changing?" Demanded Ro.
"I waited." She said peevishly as she began closing the door.
"Wait!" Ro put her hand on the door stopping its progress. "I'm getting out."
"Then hurry!" Aerie chided. Ro grabbed her glasses from the counter and bolted from the room. In her haste to get out, she stepped in Momo's water bowl.
"Dammit!" She swore as the displaced water sloshed on the floor. She removed her foot.
"Put your glasses on, you blind person, then you won't trip over things." Aerie yelled through the door. Ro glanced at her hand and stopped moving. Silence filled the little room. Slowly she slipped the glasses over her eyes. She turned her head, hardly daring to look at Brawn. He was staring at her with total bewilderment on his face.
"Sorry you had to see that." She said slowly and stepped past them to sit at Momo's desk. Brawn watched her the whole way.
"But you're the Nug." He sputtered out.
"Yep that's me."
"But you're pretty." He said and blushed realizing what he just said.
"That's subjective." Momo pointed out. He looked at Momo now, still flabbergasted. The bathroom door opened again.
"You won't tell anyone, right? It's a secret." Aerie said coming out. He looked back at Ro and large grin overspread his face.
"No wonder why you don't care that we call you the Nug." He laughed, "It's just a private joke for you three. And here I was feeling bad for you. I want to try them on." He put a hand out for Ro's glasses. She sighed.
"We're doing this again?" she asked dryly. Each one of the three of them had tried the glasses on back when they had first found out about Ro. They worked slightly differently for everyone. Momo had grown a hunchback and warts. Aerie had gotten buck teeth, a unibrow and an extra twenty pounds.
"Apparently." Aerie said with a smile for Brawn. Ro sighed and passed her glasses to him. He put them on and stood in front of her mirror.
"Wow, you really are blind." he commented. Then looked at himself. "Yikes!" he exclaimed. He had grown a beer belly, his muscles all appeared to be sagging flab now, his hairline was running away from his forehead and his eyes were too close together. "They're really cool but why wear them?" He asked passing them back to Ro.
"I don't like the attention I get for my looks." She said simply.
"Who else knows about this?" He asked looking around the room.
"Just us thr-four." Aerie corrected herself, "and Alexi," She grimaced when she said his name. "and Ky."
"Professor Arzandia knows and lets you do it?" Brawn asked.
"Why wouldn't he?" Momo asked reasonably.
"Because its magic we haven't learned yet and its dangerous." He looked around and saw everyone's nonchalance. Then he frowned, "But doesn't this make all the attention he pays the Nug seem a little inappropriate?" He looked from Ro to Aerie as Ro ducked her head.
"Well Ro doesn't mind!" Aerie said with a wink. Ro snatched up a pen from the desk and threw it at her.
"Mind your own business!" she said with emphasis, gesturing with her head to Brawn. Aerie's face painted with outrage.
"You wouldn't dare!" Brawn looked between the oblivious to what was going on.
"Wouldn't I?" Ro asked with a smirk. Aerie waved her hand and sent a slap of air straight for Ro's face. Ro raised her hands and an angled shield of shadow deflected it around her. She waved her hand then and sent the water that had spilled onto the floor streaming at Aerie's face.
"No!" Aerie screeched with laughter, "Not your foot water!" she put both hands up not only stopping the advancing flow of water but turning it back on Ro.
"You won't get me!" laughed Ro as she stood and put both of her hands up in front of her as well. The water froze mid-way back to Ro, jiggling in the air, unable to go in either direction. Momo looked up at the water hovering ominously over her head. Aerie raised her eyebrows at Ro and smiled mischievously.
"No, you don't!" Momo said with venom. Before Aerie and Ro could drop the water, she clapped her hands together and pulled them apart. The water split in half. One side hit Ro squarely in the face, the other hit Aerie.
"That's what you get." Momo stated. Brawn looked at mirrored faces of stunned outrage and burst out laughing. Then Momo joined in. Aerie pointed at Ro.
"Your face!" she gasped as she began laughing too. Ro looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't help it. She laughed too. And just like that, to Aerie's delight, Brawn became a permanent addition to their study sessions.