Ojero watched as Roger threw himself onto a plush couch covered in cushions.
The young man seemed perfectly content, aimlessly scratching himself in places he probably shouldn't in front of others.
Orpham was busy helping himself to the food Roger always kept stocked in the kitchen.
They never saw anyone else in the small house that Roger called home, but the fridge was always stocked. If he had to guess, he would say Roger stole it whenever he had the chance.
And he always had the chance.
Their friend had a very bad reputation in Guestinore, being known as the "Nefarious Youth". When Roger had learned of that, he began scratching those words into the wood of various houses.
He called it his calling card, whatever that meant.
No one knew how Roger had bought the house, what he did when he wasn't stealing, or even where he had come from. One day the building was bought, and Roger moved in soon after.
There had been more than one call to have him arrested and thrown in jail, but they could never prove he did the crimes, and his friendship with Ojero and Orpham made it even more difficult to punish the boy.
Ojero's parents did not approve of them hanging out with him, of course, but knew it would be too troublesome to stop them.
"So, what's up with the glowing eyeballs Orph?" Roger said, having somehow obtained a bowl of grapes without Ojero noticing.
'Grapes aren't even native to the Duchy! They only grow in the Riverlane orchards, and there's no way Roger could afford the ones sold here! Only the merchants ever buy them! How the hell did he get some?'
The answer was of course theft, but Ojero liked to think that there were some things his friend owned that weren't the result of pilfering.
Orpham responded from the kitchen, having found himself some bread and cheese and was now making a sandwich.
"You know, the usual. Mr. Dan gave me an epic gem, I absorbed it, received some cosmic powers."
"What about aspects? Anything fun?" Roger asked before popping a grape into his mouth, as if one of his best friends gaining an epic elemental gem at sixteen was nothing special worthy of a better reaction than continuing to enjoy his snack.
"Light and Fate, if you can believe it. Should make for a pretty potent combination. Mr. Dan thinks the Academy will train me to be an officer. Apparently, Fate is really good at keeping people alive in battle." Orpham responded between chews of his freshly made sandwich.
"Sounds about right. That'll be a sight to see, you leading troops into battle. You better make sure I'm far from the frontline if you get command over me, though. Or else I'll hide all your clothes."
"What? Don't want to fight some Beasts up close and personal? Smell their breath as they try and kill you?" Ojero teased, knowing the answer before Roger even responded.
"Hard pass. Unlike muscle brain over there, I value my skin. It's a good trait to have. Very healthy."
Ojero walked over to the wall of the house where the only window had a large black curtain in front of it. Pulling it to the side with a rattle, he looked out into the street, daylight streaming in through the glass to brighten the room up a bit.
The town was much quieter now, with everyone either already at work or preparing dinner for the evening.
A few vendors, either brave or desperate, were still trying to sell their goods to the few people left browsing.
"Hey, close the curtains! You never know if some thief is looking to case a house!" Roger yelled, rolling off the couch. His grapes flew off his chest and into the air as he moved.
The short boy ran up to the window, quickly throwing the curtains back. The inside of the house grew darker instantly.
Roger peaked out of the side of the curtain, looking around and noting everyone who could have seen inside.
"Jesus Roger, this is Guestinore, not the Capital! There aren't thieves on every corner!" Ojero said, surprised by his friend's emphatic response.
"Do you know how many people in this town would love to have a chance at getting back at me? They all want to take my prizes! All of them!" Roger said, fear in his voice.
Ojero's jaw dropped a little.
"You're worried they will try and take back their stuff? That's why you're so upset?"
"It's not their stuff anymore! I stole it fair and square! If they want their own, they can earn it legitimately like any normal person! They are just lazy freeloaders!" Roger responded, returning to the couch and picking up his grapes. He blew on them a little before settling back down and continuing the snack on them.
Orpham now had a plate with his sandwich on it and promptly sat down next to the teenager, a look of approval on his face as he took another bite. His eyes also glowed a little brighter, seeming to respond to his positive mood.
"This is good bread, where did you get it?" He asked, sparing a glance at Roger.
"Stole it from Fraducci, the baker near the gardens. He might be as blind as a mole, but he can certainly bake."
Ojero's eye twitched a little.
'So he has a problem with other people stealing, but brazenly admits to doing it whenever given the chance? I swear Roger never changes!'
Letting his thoughts go unspoken, he sat on the couch between the two. Swiping a grape from the bunch Roger was holding, he tossed it in his mouth before speaking.
"So, why did you even want to see us today Roger?"
"Oh, well that has to do with all of us leaving for the Academy tomorrow." He said, sitting up before reaching over and grabbing the other half of Orphams sandwich, prompting a loud "Hey!" from the twin.
"The caravan arrived in town earlier today, and they brought with them a Magos."
That caused Ojero's eyebrows to rise.
'A Magos? For a simple Academy caravan? I wonder who else is going to join us at the Academy this year?'
The path the caravans always took made it so they started in the Duchy of Guestinore and made their way back towards the Capital. This was due to the Duchy being on the edge of the realm, making it easier to house and transport dozens of teenagers only during the trip back than both ways.
These journeys could take weeks, and having a Magos being away from duty for that long was a large loss.
A Magos was often considered the threshold from when a mage went from mostly physical to mostly magic, as mana began to replace most of their bodies with pure energy.
"What does that have to do with us today?" Orpham asked, finishing his sandwich and looking at his now empty plate disappointingly.
"Well, I just happen to know he is displaying his magic in the caravan camp tonight, as part of his practicing," Roger said before continuing with a grin.
"He seems to be of the flashy short, and it should be really cool to watch."