Chapter 37. Grit Works Hard
“Was that all?” Falar asked. “We have some actual work to finish instead of entertaining you with performative bluster.”
Jextor huffed massively.
“Yes, yes,” I said. “Oh, and grade the damn exam already. Minnelil is shivering with antici—”
“I handed them over to Coratorus. He will handle them,” Falar interrupted me.
Ferne stifled a laugh in her chair. Great. I walked to the door and opened it. “Fine. Grit’ll need a set of winter gear as well, I guess? I’ll tell the Bursar you approved me getting her some.”
“Wha—!” Falar shouted, but I closed the door on him.
Jextor’s laughter made its way through the door faintly. That had been easier than I had anticipated. I breathed out, shaking my head. I hadn’t considered what the trip would be like, but the reality was starting to dawn on me.
Stuck in a blizzard with Falar and Jextor. Brr.
It was lucky that Grit had asked me to get her invited. At least I would have someone somewhat sensible with me. Even though the fact that she considered Falar attractive was solid evidence that she had to be at least as crazy as everyone else in here.
Well. Time to go tell her and Ang the good news. I just hoped Bursar wouldn’t overheat when she got the bill.
The coats weren’t that expensive. Comparatively.
Fek hollered at me from the table at the back of the Dinner Hall.
I started toward the back, but Frederik waved at me as I walked past him. “Hey, Lina!” he shouted.
I stopped and sighed. Nearby students turned to look. Fahn, the third guy who had come to invite me to the hazing ceremony sat on the opposite side of the table from Frederik and sighed as well. He rolled his eyes toward the ceiling and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest.
Frederik didn’t seem to notice. “Want to sit here?” he said, patting the chair next to him.
“Sorry,” I said. “I promised to eat with the others.” I guess he had deserved at least to be answered in full sentences. I still wouldn’t sit next to him and be ogled at by the ass on the other side of the table. Doubt gnawed at the back of my mind, telling me that Frederik was planning to trap me, use me in some game of power in the council. I should strike before he could do the same to me. I couldn’t ignore the voice, but I didn’t need to do what it said either.
I smiled at him like I was sorry for something. “I heard Falar told all of you no. Sorry. He’s a right bastard.”
“Yeah, it is what it—“
“How come you’re going?” Fahn said, interrupting Frederik. “And now I hear even that Jonungaard from your dorm is going too?”
He had done his best to make the word sound like an insult. My smile had been pretty fake, but the scowl was not. “Maybe she deserves it for working hard and being intelligent. You should try it, sometimes.”
Frederik pursed his lips and his eyes darted around. Fahn’s face grew red.
“Ahem,” Frederik said, coughing in a way that could have been a chuckle. He smoothed his face and waved a hand at Fahn. “You know how Falar is. He does what he pleases and doesn’t care a damn what anyone thinks about it.”
“And if you actually want to walk directly into the blizzard in your slippers, I’d be happy to give my spot to you,” I said. “The only merchant around just sold the last furs he had.”
Fahn’s face was still tense, but he did stop to think for a moment. “Well, maybe I wasn’t exactly thinking of going myself. With Falar and Jextor, to boot. But it’s the principle that counts!”
Frederik chuckled and reached over the table to slap him on the shoulder. “I think these first-year students are doing a service to us all. Have you seen the shape the roads are in?”
Fahn rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. “There aren’t any roads to the north.”
Frederik snapped his fingers and smirked, pointing his forefinger at Fahn.
He grinned at Frederik, then turned to scowl at me. “Fine, I guess. Have fun freezing your ears off.”
I chuckled. “Thanks. I bet it will be great.”
I owed Frederik one for that. It was getting hard to keep track of all the debts if I didn’t start paying some off soon.
Goddamnit, fine.
“Let’s have that lunch soon,” I said to him.
Frederik’s face lit up. “Tomorrow?”
“Sure,” I said. “Later, boys.”
I walked away and chuckled at the indignant huff that Fahn made behind my back.
“What did Frederik want?” Fek asked. “Fahn scowled so hard I could see it even with him facing away from us.”
I sat next to Minnelil on the opposite side of the table from Fek and Grit. “Hah. Actually, wait, how?”
“He obviously turned around when you were walking off,” Grit said. “But yeah, I’m interested too. What did they want?”
“The Fahn git tried to give me a hard time about Falar’s trip. Frederik smoothed it over.”
“He’s good at that,” Minnelil said.
“Yeah, so it seems. I’ll pay him back by going on that lunch with him tomorrow.”
Minnelil frowned, knife and fork stopping mid cut. “You… you know you don’t actually need to do that?”
“Huh? He didn’t need to help me. Fair’s fair.”
“Frederik is a nice guy,” Fek said. “He wouldn’t think about it in that way.”
“Besides,” Minnelil said, setting her fork on the table. She looked directly at me. “You don’t need to pay back people by going on a date with them.”
“Shouldn’t need to, but it is what it is,” I said, facing her stare. “But it’s not a date. He has a stupid chin. He can think whatever he wants. It’s only a free lunch.”
“All the lunches are free,” Fek said, picking up a piece of meat on his fork and peering at it.
I shrugged. “So it’s even less of an issue. Don’t worry about it.”
Minnelil turned away and sighed. “I don’t like it,” she muttered so softly I hardly heard it.
I patted her on the back. It was just a lunch, but I sort of got what she was trying to say. The problem was that the world didn’t work that way. Maybe it did for her. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “It’s fine. Fek said he’s a nice guy.”
“But Fek’s a dumbass,” Minnelil muttered.
I snickered and she grinned as well. “I can handle myself. I’ll go on a lunch with you too, if it makes you feel better.”
The sides of her mouth crept to the side and up as I watched, and she finally chuckled. “I might like that,” she said, the dimples showing above the corners of her lips.
“But we eat together all the—“
Grit bumped Fek with her shoulder and he oofed.
I looked away from Minnelil’s face. Grit was looking at me with her big red eyes squinted and I let go of Minnelil’s shoulder.
Grit glanced at Fek, who glanced back with a look of confusion. “Uhm, have any plans? When can we go get the winter clothes?” she asked me.
“Angrybibidalis promised he’d have them ready before end of the day.”
“Anglhromendiabilis,” Fek said.
“Anyway,” I said. “Let’s go check them in a couple of hours? I want to do some channeling first. I think I’m getting the hang of it.”
“I get you. Fek, let’s go to the Beach?”
“I was going to go clean the workshop with Hector. It’s fun because he can—“
“I’ll come with you,” Grit said. “Oh, wait, that actually does sound good! I’ve been studying up on reanimating a skeleton. The workshop is starting after the trip, so I want to check out the space. They don’t usually let people in unless a class is in session.”
“Nice!” Fek said, turning to Minnelil. “Want to come—ouch!” Fek winced, and reached to rub at his shin under the table.
“Huh?” I said.
Minnelil smiled at Fek, shaking her head. “Thank you for the offer, but I think I’ll pass. I want to start preparing for the next exam already. I’ll read and try not to disturb you while you practice, Lina.”
“It’s not a problem,” I said.
Grit bounced up. “Right! It’s settled. Should we get going?”
Fek stuffed the final potato into his mouth and mumbled something that sounded like a yes. He stood and waved at us, munching.
“What a weird couple,” Minnelil said.
“I’m calling Jextor and Falar a couple,” I said, watching Grit pull Fek away.
Minnelil chuckled, flashing me a wide smile. “Do you want to get accidentally killed by Jextor slapping you on the back or meticulously killed by Falar dismantling you? Because it’s only going to be a matter of time until either or both happen, if you keep saying things like that out loud.”
The channeling was becoming easier, but any distraction broke the flow of mana. An itch at the tip of my nose, a flash of anger at Fahn. Wondering what Grit had been up to and forcing myself to stop wondering.
But when I made things quiet, managed to reach in without tripping, I could draw a solid glowing line into the air. I considered trying to draw a rune, but even thinking about the complicated shape made my concentration wobble. The mana flickered out.
Minnelil lay on her bed, reading some book. When I managed to draw a good line, I glanced at her, checking if she had noticed. Most of the time she had, nodding at me.
I was getting tired, but I’d try once more to make her look at me again and see if I could smile back. Worth a shot.
Thanks for this week! We’ll be back on Monday. If you want to read ahead, Patreon has advance chapters and bonus adult content for you.