Mass release: 11/25
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"I'm sorry to hear that, Em," he said, and he meant it. "Here, let me get your bag. It's a spatial bag, right? Is all you have in it?"
A nod, "Thanks, Bhat," then she took her arms out of the backpack and handed it to him, his hand pretty much bigger than twice hers. "I won't be rude to you, don't worry. I just… I'm sorry you saw that, I… I don't know what came over me. I guess I'm nervous, and anxious, and scared even," she told him as they began to walk out, away from the crowd. "I'm not very… welcoming of the idea of being in here yet. It'll take some time."
"I can understand that. You know, I was a warden in the most lethal and dangerous maximum security prison for witchlings, and I got used to that line of work for decades. But then I suffered an injurie and Rhys asked me to come stay around him, around the young witchlings, because that would maybe help me get out of the dark place my mind was in. It took me two years to actually feel at home in here, to feel welcomed, but it happened. You are young, and you look adaptable, I don't think I'll take long."
"Coming here as the said-pupil of that maniac?" She mocked self-deprecatingly. "Oh, I would be surprised if I make any friend at all in the time I'll be staying in here for, Bhat. And I mean, student friends. You are the only friend I have as for now, and I'm eyeing befriending Grayson Qin too, he's really just awesome. I don't know about anyone else though, but two friends is better than being lonely, right?"
["Hey, we are your friendssssss!"] The mated couple hissed.
She chuckled softly, "I know, idiots. I'm talking about the humane typa friend, yeah? And you're not my friends, you two are my family. I've made the mistake of not listening to you before, but it won't happen again!"
["You are family to ussssss too,"] Peridot beamed.
["And you better lisssssten to usssss, hm,"] Jade groaned, still bitter.
"Talking to your familiars?" She nodded. "You know, no one even mentioned that to you here, but there's no record of any witchling ever, ever bonding any kind of snake. Never. If that happened, it was so long ago the records got lost in time and possibly in translation. Especially not two like you, you're very special, I don't find you weird or a freak, but special, kid. In fact, bonding two animals is absolutely rare. Simon Sisini was the first one to do that in about a century, with his two cats, Alvin and Simon."
"The ones names after the singing squirrels," she nodded, already aware that bonding snakes or two familiars were mostly unheard of.
He giggled lively, turning to the right, then left, and the up to a set of stairs. "Yes. You also like Alvin and the Chipmunks?"
She blinked, "Oh? No. I don't even know what it entails. Saoirse told me about it for the first time when telling me to watch out and stay away from Simon," is it okay to tell him that? "Because he'll try to ruin me for being Dior's pupil and some shit, since that maniac killed aun-" she paused, swallowing the word, "his mother. Now I think he'll try to ruin me because I mocked him, and not because of that. At least it'll be something to do with me, I actually gave him reasonable motives to screw me up."
"So," he pressed his lips together, "you never watched the movie?"
Ugh, why can't everyone be understanding like him? He definitely noticed I'm uncomfortable and changed the subject. "Nope," she giggled. "what's actually about it?"
He smiled gently at her, relieved with her relief, "It goes around the lives of three squirrel siblings, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. Alvin with the red vest is the hyperactive chaotic extrovert mischievous squirrel. Theodore is the one with the green vest, he's the fatty and the cutest, the youngest, he's adorable, innocent, and just wholesome. Then there's Simon, with the blue vest, he's the one with the brains, glasses, rational, introvert, and very much the opposite of Alvin, I think he's the oldest, but his best role is in the 3rd movie, my favorite out of the saga, the one they are in the island. Simon is my favorite character."
Well, he definitely sounds like the best one. "Is it a kid movie?"
Bhat giggled, "Technically, but it's for all ages. I love it. They are all amazing, but the 3rd one is definitely the best for me. Oh, there's also the trio of female singing squirrel that come in the 2nd movie, and stay for the rest, very cute, they are paired with the main brothers. In the 2nd they are like rivals, but they are family in the 3rd, again, the best one."
"You're making me wanna watch it," she giggled softly, following him to another hallway, then more five turns, and another set of stairs.
"We can watch together over some tea with cookies," he suggested. "Whenever you're free this week, since you won't be in class. I can also help you out with settling down, it'll take you a while since you new in the magical society thing. We can watch also my favorite movie sagas if you want," he offered, trying his best to help the kid who has no one.
Her heart warmed, "I'll like that, I'm a bit tired being lonely."
He petted her hair, "Have you ever watched a movie?"
"Hm," she tilted her head. I barely have memories of my past, when I lived with my family, most what I remember is about my mom, not much. "Cinderella, Snow White, Mulan, Aladdin, Beauty & the Beast, and Shrek."
"Was it… before you ran away?" He asked carefully.
Swallowing, she nodded, "Yeah. I never had the luxury of that after I ran away. I only remember those."
A nod, "Did you watch all Shrek movies?"
Emerald blinked, "Uh, it's not just one?"
"Ah, you ran that young," he pressed his lips together, starting to get genuinely worried for the mental health of the small witch at his side, with so much power but still hurt and fragile. "There are more movies, kid. There are also Pussy-in-Boots two movies so far, and I think there will be more in the future. Pussy-in-Boots is the cat that appears in the 2nd movie, he's my favorite character, I think you might like him."
"Oh? I remember loving the donkey," she giggled softly.
"Can you believe he had kids with the dragon?" Bhat told her.
"No way!" She gasped. "Did Shrek and the Princess have kids?"
"Fiona and Shrek? Yes. More than one," he smiled amused. "So, we'll watch movies over cookies and tea, and maybe some cake."
Emerald clapped her hands excited, "I have amazing recipes."
"Yeah? You should smile more, kid, it makes you even prettier."
She blushed, "Thank you, Bhat," they went up another set of stairs. "My favorite cakes are the Lemon Heaven and the Black Magic. Hmmm, I love lemon, and I love chocolate even more. Ugh, I miss chocolate."
"I can't wait to have some then. You look like a good baker!"
Her smile widened, a simple and genuine, "Say that after you eat the cakes I'm make. I'll try to always give you some when I make. Though I don't know if I'll be enough to satiate you, since you're so big. You must eat a lot, right?"
It was his time to blush, "Can you believe I'm the shortest in my family? Even my mom was taller than me."
Emerald's jaw dropped, "What? Are you sure you're human? You are like a giant, a Titan from the Greek legends."
"Oh, I am," he giggled. "Being too tall can be disadvantageous, kid. In fact, I believe that, as the shortest in your grade, you will have an upper hand in physical combat, since you will also learn that here. Most your classes will be with the class above yours. 19 and 20 who will turn 20 and 21 stick together. 21 and 22 who will turn 22 and 23 also stick together. The same happens with goes for the youngers. So, you should watch out for the grade above and under yours, they will study around you this year and the next, and the next, and until you're done here."
Oh no. Oh no. No. Not good. "I'll study with… Simon?"
Bhat couldn't help but adore the dismay in the girl, "Oh, yeah."
"I'm screwed," she cried. "I'll need some liquid courage."
"Oh? You like alcohol too? I can give you my secret drink recipe."
She blinked, "Alcohol? I never drank it, but I'll gladly take your special recipe, I promise to keep it a secret, and I always keep my promises. I'm actually talking about literal courage. I was thinking about selling the spell jars of liquid courage I made, but I think I'll be having them."
His eyes widened, "You managed to make liquid courage?"
"Yes. Why?" Emerald swallowed, slightly anxious. "Is it hard?"
"Kid," Bhat gasped, halting, "that's an advanced kind of spell that even masters have a hard time making. I heard that Dior always tried to do it when she was in Alexandrini, that and love potions, but she was a majestic failure in all. If I'm not wrong, she was only able to get them done like, 8 years ago or something. What do you mean you made it? You barely have any training and you made a liquid courage potion?"
What? Her eyes widened. "She… she handed me her grimoire,"
"Dior handed you her grimoire?" His eyes almost popped. "She never even allowed her daughter to touch those grimoires. She told her the spells in it, and never allowed her to even look at the pages. It's her biggest secret, those grimoires, and she handed you?"
What the hell? Saoirse never read them? What the…? "For real?"
"Em, kid, what the hell?" He gasped. "Don't tell me you got the love potion too?" But when her cheeks blushed, he got the answer to that, and that shocked him so much, his hand covered his mouth. "No way."
"Liquid love spell jars, love and lust bath potion, and lust perfume potion," she told him. Am I that amazing? "She told me those were spells everyone would expect me to know as her pupil. I thought… I thought it was the basics or something."
"Dior is crazier than I thought," he chuckled anxiously. "To think she would give her grimoires to an untrained, unstable witch, with absolute no control, who is strong enough to have almost killed her at that. And with no respect towards her, who talks with her like nobody, not even the kids in the Circle, dare. With no offense."
"No offense taken. I would rather you talk the obvious truth in my face, rather than in my back, or to pretend like you don't think that, just to make me supposedly feel better," like Saoirse.