Page 48 of Group Studies

Completely unfazed, Professor Garnet motioned Beryl to follow him to the other side of the room.

“Now be good for your teddy bear,” Beryl said, smirking at Ashe. “Don’t forget to fill up his bowl and give him lots of toys, so he doesn’t get bored.”

Ashe snorted.

I let out an angry breath, not understanding how Beryl could be so relaxed about all of this. Beryl followed Professor Garnet to the other side of the room and showed him how to work the spells locking the door. I didn’t want my parting words with Beryl to be angry, so I watched them. The gray stone silently parted under the professor's direction to reveal a dark hall.

I shivered under Ashe’s arm.

“Be careful what you tell Ashe,” Beryl said, looking at Professor Garnet. “He’s still in training. And make sure Dot gets something to eat, she’s lost weight.”

Professor Garnet’s eyes darkened. “I was already planning on it.”

The stone wall slid back into place behind Beryl. As it slid shut with a click, my heart skipped a beat. I hated this.

“Right, Ashe, care to have a seat?” Professor Garnet said. He walked to the far side of the room, disappearing behind more layers of cloth.

I pulled out my phone somehow free of water damage. The notification chime went off in my hand.

Beryl the Boyfriend: A wizard doesn't finger his girlfriend, he Elixir.

Ashe groaned and pulled the black box out of my hands. “He’s the fucking flower cycle?”

When I didn’t answer, he shook his head, grimacing. Taking out his own phone, he stole Beryl’s contact info before handing it back to me.

I glanced at the time, my stomach growling quietly. At this rate, I would miss my evening PB&J. I had about thirty minutes before I had access to the alchemy lab. At least I’d have a bigger payment for my hair.

I gingerly seated myself one butt cheek at time and let out a light hiss.

The Gentle Giant wrapped his arm around my waist. Without watching what he drew, he traced the lines of a rune above my butt crack. His healing magic licked at my core as he eased my stretched-out muscles.

I gave him a smile in thanks.

The professor came out from one of his layers of cloth with a large tray of hummus, veggies and crackers. Although I started to drool as my gaze focused in on the food, Ashe’s scowl deepened until it was indistinguishable from his beard.

“You can use healing magic?” The professor asked, returning to the table.

Ashe grunted.

The professor set down his tray in front of us. “You didn’t test into a single advanced class. If you can heal, you should at least be in Metaphysics even if you lack a formal education.”

“And you’re a leech, professor,” Ashe growled. “Sleeping with one of your students in an office that shouldn’t look like a fucking middle eastern brothel. Yet, here we are.”

I ducked, not wanting to be in angry Ashe’s line of sight. The smell of cumin and tahini drifted up from the tray. I broke the tension by reaching forward and shoveling an unsightly amount of hummus onto a celery stick.

Professor Garnet folded his hands in front of him. “I’ll move past the Leech slur. I’ve been called them all and worse. It’s a harsh world for rimmed mages.” He narrowed his eyes. “Keep in mind, you’re vastly outnumbered here, Natty.”

I wasn’t entirely sure what Natty meant but based on context it was a slur for Natural Mages.

The two men eyed each other.

“Aphy and I have done everything but.” The professor relaxed his shoulders. “Don’t judge what you don’t understand.”

I swallowed my bite and tried to move us to a safer topic. “Do you have a fridge or something over there?”

“I do,” he said, gesturing to the other side of the room. “One can never be too prepared. The future is always unstable.”

I wanted to reach across the table and comfort the mage who shared part of my past. Since he gained his magic, he’d lived his life bouncing from one captor to the next until he landed at the Institute. I stopped chewing and met his ruby red-rimmed gaze as a thought occurred to me.

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