Page 36 of Elemental Affections

His cock swelled.

Clearing his throat, Ezzyn held up her paper full of notes. “Since I don’t have anything for you today, why don’t we spend your usual time going over these?”

Anadae blinked, surprised. A new smile lit her face. “I’d like that. Very much.”

Mentally reprimanding his cock to behave, Ezzyn took a seat.

Chapter 14

Ezzynspoketohernow. Small things, an encouraging nod during class, follow-up questions and the like. Greetings that weren’t short, monosyllabic utterances when she showed up to work in the lab. It should’ve been awkward, a reinforcement of how little they’d been interacting, but a natural rhythm settled into place instead. More often than not, he stayed, and though they still tended to focus on the work, theirs was a comfortable form of quiet. One that was easy enough to break for a comment or clarification, relaxed farewells when her time was up or he was called away. They weren’t sudden friends, but the icy wall that had divided them thawed after his intervention with Brint. They had spent hours going over her questions on his research thus far and the applications of magic in general. And though he was still annoyingly superior about utilizing fire first, he didn’t condescend her asking. Nor could she argue with the speed at which he obtained results. Yet.

Even Zhenya noticed something had changed, commenting as much while they exited the seminar two weeks after the Brint incident.

“Does Mr. Sor’vahl seem different lately?” Zhenya asked.

“Different? No. What do you mean?” Dae said, the words spilling out too fast for normalcy.

Zhenya, sweet and guileless, didn’t seem to notice. She rummaged in her bag, saying in an absent tone, “Just seems like he talks more in class these days. I know he’s not a professor, but before it felt like he was only here because he’s contractually obligated. I didn’t think he actually knew my name, but he’s seen my proposal for the Rhell trip already.”

“You’ve already submitted your proposal?” The fluttery feeling Dae got when thinking about Ezzyn—something she valiantly tried to ignore—replaced itself with a wave of mild panic. If the committee was already reviewing proposals, would hers stand a chance by the time she got it in? If she ever finished it. Which required starting.

“Just an outline. Notes I was working on with Professor Rai.” Zhenya blushed. “I know it’s kind of early.”

Dae had always prided herself on never missing a deadline at Helm Naval. Considered herself punctual and studious. Then she’d met Zhenya, who quite possibly would’ve gone on existing in a constant cycle of study, class, and research work without pause if not for Eunny, and now Dae, dragging her out on occasion to have a social life. Which Dae found ironic, since she hadn’t enjoyed a purely social outing that wasn’t tangentially related to work or Brint in years before she’d come to Sylveren.

“No, it’s just, I haven’t even started mine.” Dae gave her a weak smile. “Did E—Mr. Sor’vahl have feedback for you?”

“Yea, some suggestions on narrowing my scope. Thinks I’m trying to include too many schools of magic.”

Dae’s smile was more genuine at hearing Zhenya’s confession. Zhenya seemed to collect information on every type of magic as a magpie gathered a trove of jewels. Though never one to claim that any school of magic was inherently better than another, she did have an uncanny ability to work earth magic intoanything.A feat Dae envied, and had already benefited from a time or two when Zhenya’s knowledge on earth and water synergy had helped Dae understand an article.

“He said he’s experimented with purified soil and it doesn’t work. I still think there’s something to interdisciplinary works, maybe layering spells to blunt the transplant shock to the roots. It worked with my experiments on the lake, but I can’t really simulate the same conditions here as in Rhell.” Zhenya waved at the vast expanse of Sylvanor Lake outside their window.

Something flickered in the back of Dae’s mind, there and gone before she could fully grasp it. Like an almost-remembered word balancing on the tip of her tongue. She gazed out the window at the lake, her step faltering.

Zhenya stopped, not realizing she’d lost Dae until she’d gone a few steps ahead. “You all right?”

“Yea,” Dae said, voice faint. The lake beckoned, a whisper of waves sliding over rock gentle in her ears. “I just had a— I’ve got to check a … theory. I’ll see you later?”

Zhenya, no stranger to such bolts of inspiration, simply nodded. “Good luck.”

Making a sharp turn from her original path to the library, Dae opted for a side door in the Towers’ atrium. Drawing her cloak tight against the impending cold, she almost bumped shoulders as another figure came down the adjacent stairwell and made for the same exit.

“Excuse me, I didn’t—” Ezzyn drew up in surprise upon seeing Dae’s face beneath her hood. “Going out?” he asked, holding the door for her.

Dae murmured her thanks, stepping in front of him. She pressed her eyes closed for a moment, willing herself not to appear too … anything. It was a polite question, all the more reasonable since he knew she wasn’t heading back toward her room.

“I had a—feeling, about the lake,” she said. Her fingers wrapped tight around her arms, hidden beneath her cloak. She readied herself for skepticism, disbelief. A lack of interest or condescension thatshewould have any magical inkling of note.

Ezzyn fell into step beside her. “The lake,” he said, more of a statement than a question.

“Where are you going?” she asked instead of expanding.

“I was going back to housing. Belle Complex, for full disclosure.”

That startled a laugh from her, made her hands fall back to her sides. “For full disclosure?”

“I figure it’s only fair. Knowing where I live,” he said, nonchalant. “Seeing as I know—”

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