As agreed, I went to Tina's house in the morning for my 'lessons'. The elders' house was nice, but I was here for something that wasn't so pleasant for me at the moment.
I was confident that when I showed her my skills, I would end this waste of time, but I didn't expect to have to swallow my own words.
I had a very good memory, my blood magic constantly strengthened my body, mind, and soul, but when I started this campaign, my stats were reset. Without realizing it, after so many years in the forest, living savagely with Elise, I have lost a lot of skill in writing, as well as forgetting some not-so-important knowledge.
My writing ability made me write very quickly, but seeing how my handwriting became so horrible embarrassed me a lot. Tina smiled wickedly at seeing me embarrassed after confidently telling her that I didn't need education, it was humiliating.
I couldn't refuse Tina's reprimand after that, maybe I should practice a little. My need to develop my scholarly skills in this campaign is not exactly a top priority, but I think I'll try to recover the minimum to avoid looking uncultured about things that aren't magic.
Although I didn't like it, I decided to follow Tina's advice and let her teach me. With my skills, I hoped to make this not take too long.
...
I returned to the forest with Lys at noon after freeing myself from Tina's hands, who wanted me to stay for lunch, but I wanted to go back to Elise.
I greeted my beloved unicorn and we prepared dinner. I explained to her what I had learned with Tina and she looked at me with a confused, but attentive expression, and it was entertaining. That's how we spent the first part of the afternoon.
We hunted some spiders to keep ourselves in practice and in shape, and in the evening, we met up with Marril who came to hang out and collect the harvest from our small world's farms.
...
Things continued this way. Four to five days a week, I went in the mornings for Tina to teach me. Marril came once or twice a week to chat or share her knowledge, and to collect the harvests when they were ready. I spent quite a bit of time with Petunia, although it wasn't necessarily me, but a clone. After the night I took her virginity, I decided to compensate her in some way, and this way I could also learn things about her that I could use when I was in the original world.
I used to visit Petunia almost every afternoon, as I did when we were four, although it was different now being just the two of us. I pleased her desires for romance and always reminded her to keep it a secret. I also made her practice so that she could keep the secret of her relationship with me from her sister Lily when she returned for the holidays.
Andra settled in a small town where she reopened her brothel, but it wasn't as flashy as before. Business went down, but it was much safer. Thanks to some of the rituals I had, managed to improve the security and discretion, at least to some extent.
Andra also made progress with Eileen. They moved together to a house near the brothel. Despite Andra reducing her charms to a minimum, she remained an expert in the art of pleasure. Eileen became completely addicted to her skills in bed, which Andra used to seduce her without having to resort to her techniques.
...
The time passed and Christmas was approaching. There were some things here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary that needs to be mentioned.
Now I was at the camp with Lys, admiring how the magical landscape had turned white. The camp had a small barrier to control the amount of snow that entered.
I was drinking hot chocolate with Elise, sitting on a log, admiring the snow falling. We shared a cup, I took small sips and she would occasionally stick her tongue in to taste the delicious flavor of the chocolate.
"Newt and Tina sent us a letter," I told my companion as I wiped the chocolate off her lip.
"What did they say? Did the winter also affect them?" she asked.
"No, they're inviting us to spend Christmas with them," I said.
"Christmas?" asked Lys.
"Yes, it's a human holiday," I replied.
"What do people do for Christmas?" she asked, as she knew very little about holidays, and for her, being together every day here was like a celebration.
"I won't get into specifics, but mainly it's about gathering with family and friends, eating, having fun, exchanging gifts," I tried to explain. "It's usually a big deal for humans, but since it's just been us, I didn't bother mentioning it earlier."
"So, do we have to go?" she asked contemplatively.
"If you want to. Like I said, as long as I'm with you, nothing else matters and it'll always be that way. We can go if you want, but if not, we'll just spend this winter together like the previous ones," I said before grinning mischievously as I ran my finger through her fur. "A passionate winter seeking warmth from each other."
"Yes!" she exclaimed with some excitement at the idea, but then her mood seemed to quickly diminish. "But let's go to the party"
"What...? What's with the sudden change of mood? Besides, it was pretty clear that you wanted to have me all to yourself, naked and needing to hug your fur to keep warm," I said, knowing it was something she clearly thought about, our bond allowed me to know it.
"Yes, I do, but... we have to go," Elise said.
"Why?" (Red)
"Because... when we go back to our time, as you say, you will go back to your life with the other humans and I don't want to be separated from you," Lys explained.
"I told you that won't happen. Things will change, but we'll never be separated," I reassured her, stroking her neck.
"Yes, but if I really want to be with you, I need to learn more about humans and celebrate this holiday..." (Lys)
"Shh... you don't need to say more, I understand and you don't know how much it means to me that you want to do this for me," I kissed her cheek.
Understanding what Elise wanted, we confirmed with the Scamander couple that we would be going to their house and living with them until the holiday, one of Tina's requirements. Knowing who Newt was, we didn't think we'd have a problem with Elise being in his house, so we only worried about what was necessary, like getting a portable version of those zirconium crystals to allow her to communicate.
"If we're in Newt and Tina's house, does that mean you'll be far away from those girls you like?" (Lys)
"Don't worry, I'll send a clone... It's nice that my powers have returned." (Red)