Javir sat on the edge of her bed at the inn, her mind still reeling from the day's events.
[A nim who can cast spells,] she thought, shaking her head in disbelief. [And a possible prodigy at that. What are the odds?]
She flopped back onto the mattress, staring up at the ceiling.
[Maybe this is what I needed. Something to take my mind off of-]
Her thoughts were interrupted by a tapping at the window. Javir sat up, her brow furrowing in confusion.
[What the hell?]
She crossed the room, peering out into the night. There, perched on the windowsill, was a small bird, an envelope clutched in its beak.
Javir's eyes widened in recognition.
[A messenger bird? Who could be sending me letters all the way out here?]
She opened the window, carefully taking the envelope from the bird's beak. It chirped once, then fluttered off into the darkness.
With a sigh, Javir tore open the envelope, unfolding the letter inside.
"Dearest Javir," it read, "I hope this message finds you well. I heard about what happened at the academy, and I just wanted to say how sorry I am. The way they treated you was distasteful and unfair. I know you were only trying to do what was right. Please, consider coming back. The academy needs someone like you, someone with a strong moral compass and a passion for teaching. Think about it. Yours, Miria."
Javir snorted, crumpling the letter in her fist.
"All I did was support a nim girl," she muttered, tossing the ball of paper into the wastebasket. "And apparently, that's enough to get you isolated these days."
---
The next morning, Javir made her way to the Blackflame household, ready to continue Melisa's magical education.
She found the girl waiting for her in the garden, bouncing on her toes with barely contained excitement.
"Javir!" Melisa called out, waving enthusiastically. "You're here!"
Javir chuckled, setting down her pack.
"Of course I am. I've yet to meet a teacher that made a habit of showing up late."
Melisa grinned, but then her face turned serious.
"Before we start, though, I need a favor."
Javir raised an eyebrow, curious.
"Oh? And what might that be?"
Melisa shuffled her feet, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Well, it's just... I need some hugs and kisses to be able to use magic. You know, because of the whole nim thing."
Javir blinked, taken aback.
[Right. I forgot about that little detail.]
But seeing the hopeful look on Melisa's face, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"Alright, kid. Come here."
She opened her arms, and Melisa practically leaped into them, hugging her tightly. Javir returned the embrace, feeling a strange warmth spreading through her chest.
[This is... nice. When was the last time I hugged someone like this?]
After a moment, Melisa pulled back, looking up at Javir expectantly.
"Kisses too, remember?"
Javir laughed, rolling her eyes, planting a quick peck on the girl's forehead.
"There. Satisfied?"
Melisa nodded.
"Yep!"
And, with that, she skipped off, scroll in hand, leaving Javir to shake her head in amusement.
[She's quite a handful.]
But as she watched Melisa practice the spell, her movements already more fluid and confident than the day before, Javir couldn't help but be impressed.
[Damn, she's picking this up fast. Her memorization skills at the very least are no joke.]
Melisa whirled around, a wide grin on her face.
"Did you see that, Javir? I think I've almost got it!"
Javir nodded, a proud smile tugging at her lips.
"You're doing great, kid. Keep it up, and you'll be a master in no time."
Melisa beamed, turning back around.
For a while, Javir just watched on as Melisa worked on mastering the Chilling Winds spell, the spell Javir was teaching her.
The girl looked so focused it was cute. She was moving a hand in the air, rehearsing the spellsign, eyes fixed on the scroll.
[She's got the movements down pat,] Javir mused. [Now it's just a matter of channeling the right amount of Essence and speaking the incantation correctly.]
As if on cue, Melisa took a deep breath, her eyes flashing with determination.
"Frigus, ventus, veni!"
A gust of icy wind burst from her outstretched hands, swirling around her in a miniature blizzard. Melisa laughed in delight.
Javir's eyebrows shot up, a grin spreading across her face.
[Well, I'll be damned. She actually did it! That fast, too.]
She distinctly recalled many of her former students, mostly teenagers and actual adults, struggling with this particular spell.
[... But, she made it look easy. Damn.]
As the icy wind died down, Melisa turned to Javir, a triumphant grin on her face.
"Did you see that? I did it!"
Javir chuckled, nodding in approval.
"I saw. And I have to say, I'm impressed. You picked that up a lot faster than most of my old students."
Melisa raised a brow but just as it looked like she was going to ask a question a thought occurred to her.
"Oh! Hold on, I'll be right back!"
She dashed into the house, leaving Javir to blink in confusion.
[What's she up to now?]
A few moments later, Melisa came bounding back out, her arms full of small, smooth rocks.
Javir tilted her head, curious.
"And what are those for?"
Melisa grinned, dumping the rocks at Javir's feet.
"I'm going to carve the spellsign into them! That way, I can make runes for these spells and sell them to my neighbors. Pretty smart, huh?"
Javir's jaw dropped, her mind reeling.
[She's... She's going to make runes? At her age? With no formal training?]
She shook her head, a disbelieving laugh escaping her lips.
"Melisa, how old are you again?"
The girl puffed out her chest, looking proud.
"Nine! Well, almost ten, but still."
Javir ran a hand through her sunlight hair, amazed.
"And you figured out how to make runes all by yourself? No one taught you?"
Melisa nodded, already starting to carve the first spellsign into a rock with a small knife.
"Yep! I mean, I had some books to help me, but I did all the experimenting and stuff on my own."
She looked up at Javir.
"Hey, do you think you could power these runes with your Essence once I'm done carving them? I bet they'd sell for a lot more if they were pre-charged!"
Javir smiled, a mischievous idea forming in her mind.
"Tell you what, kid. I'll do you one better."
She leaned down, whispering conspiratorially.
"How would you like to learn how to infuse runes with Essence directly from the environment? No need for a mage's personal power."
Melisa's eyes widened, excitement practically vibrating off of her.
"Really? You can teach me that?"
Javir grinned, ruffling the girl's hair.
"Sure can. But first, we should probably ask your mom for permission... Matter of fact, how about you get her out here and we can ask her to come with us."
Melisa nodded, bouncing on her toes.
"Right! I'll go ask her right now!"
She dashed off again, leaving Javir to chuckle in her wake.
[... She figured out how to cast spells as a nim, can learn spellsigns that quickly, and figured out rune magic on her own, without any teacher there?]
Javir shook her head.
[That's kind of scary.]
---
A while later, Javir, Margaret, and Melisa walked through the forest near the village, the sun filtering through the canopy of leaves above them.
Melisa darted from tree to tree, her eyes wide with wonder as she took in every little detail of her surroundings.
"OOH, look at this funny-looking mushroom! And this weird bug! Hey, what kind of bird is that? It's so colorful!"
Margaret chuckled, shaking her head at her daughter's boundless curiosity.
"Melisa, dear, stay close, please. We don't want you getting lost out here."
Javir grinned, watching the girl's antics with amusement.
"She's quite the energetic one, isn't she? I don't think I've ever seen a kid so excited about nature. Most people back home prefer to stay indoors."
Margaret smiled, a hint of pride in her voice.
"Me neither. But, I guess... Since she's been sickly for so long, now that she's gotten better, she's just that eager to make up for lost time."
Javir nodded, inhaling deeply as she walked alongside the nim woman.
She knew she was probably getting a little too close, breathing in Margaret's intoxicating pheromones, but at the moment, she couldn't bring herself to care.
[Just a little longer,] she thought, relishing the warm, fuzzy feeling spreading through her chest. [What's the harm in enjoying her company for a bit?]
Margaret turned to Javir, a questioning look on her face.
"So, what exactly are we looking for out here? You said something about a special pond?"
Javir nodded, tearing her gaze away from Margaret's alluring features.
"That's right. It's a specific type of pond, erm, one with bright blue water. But it's not just water - it's pure, liquid Essence."
Margaret's eyes widened, impressed.
"Liquid Essence? I've never heard of such a thing."
Javir grinned.
"Not many people have. It's a rare find, but if we can locate one, it'll make infusing those runes a whole lot easier."
As they walked, Javir found herself growing more and more curious about... certain aspects of Margaret's life.
For no reason at all.
"So, if you don't mind me asking... how did you and Melistair meet? What..."
[How does one ask this exactly?]
She settled on:
"What's a marriage between nim like?"
"Never seen one before?"
"Can't say I have. Nim back home are..." She looked away. "Not quite as free as they are out here."
Margaret nodded.
"Well, we've known each other since we were kids. Grew up in that village, fell in love as teenagers. As for our marriage..."
She paused, a knowing glint in her eye.
"Let's just say we have an understanding. An open arrangement, if you will."
Javir nodded, not entirely surprised (and only slightly relieved).
[Makes sense. When sex is as much a requirement as food, monogamy is just illogical. Unless your partner is just particularly committed, I guess.]
Suddenly, Melisa's excited voice rang out through the trees.
"Hey, I think I found it! The blue pond!"
Javir and Margaret hurried over, and sure enough, there it was - a small, crystal-clear pool of water, glowing with an ethereal blue light.
Melisa, in her excitement, nearly toppled headfirst into the pond, but Javir's quick reflexes saved her just in time.
"Whoa there, kid! Careful. This isn't regular water. If you fell in and ended up accidentally drinking that water in, you... Well, a lot of side-effects could occur, not many of them good."
Melisa pouted but obeyed, stepping back from the edge.
Javir knelt down by the pond, gesturing for Margaret and Melisa to join her.
"Alright, let's get started. Melisa, hand me one of those runes you carved."
As Margaret knelt beside her, Javir found herself suddenly, acutely aware of the woman's proximity. The way her shirt hung with gravity, giving Javir just the smallest peek at her chest.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, it got harder to breathe.
[Those eyes... Gods, she's beautiful,] Javir thought, her heart pounding in her chest.
Margaret blushed with a small, shy smile.
But before either of them could say or do anything, Javir felt a familiar chill run down her spine.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
A sense of dread settled in her gut.
[No... It can't be...]
She stood abruptly, her hand reaching for the sword at her hip.
"Margaret, Melisa, get behind me. Now."
The nim woman blinked, startled by the sudden change in Javir's demeanor.
"What? Why? What's wrong?"
Javir gritted her teeth, her eyes scanning the treeline.
That cold feeling could only mean one thing.
"Shadow Mages."