Haunting yet oddly upbeat music blended withhushed conversations as I wound my way through serpentine aisleways to a booth at the back, where four of my mage classmates sprawled casually. Brenda and her shy neko friend Yoi, the equally quiet human Dion, and a certain gnome… dressed in a flamboyant green suit.
“Hey, nice you could make it.” Cleggs stood, extending a hand in greeting.
“Thanks for the invite.” I waved to the rest. “Mage’s night out, huh?”
“Yup.” He glanced at Brenda and poked a thumb at me. “Andthisguy needs it, let me tell you.”
I slumped into the velvet maroon upholstery of the booth, gazing at the oddly un-elven whimsy of the place.
Brenda cocked her head. “What are you talking about? He’s doing decent in class. He’s barely behind Yoi in geomagic, and that’s sayin’ something.”
The nekojin woman blushed and shrank into the opposite corner of the booth.
“Regardless of how we’re doing, it’s good seeing you all. How’d you manage to…”
Brenda snorted. “Get reservations? You can thank Cleggs.”
My gnomish roommate grinned. “I know the drummer. He bumped some other clowns down the list to get us in.”
I cringed. There would be consequences. But that was a problem for another day.
Probably tomorrow.
A waiter stepped to our booth. “What would you like to order?”
I glanced at my friends. “Anything you recommend?”
“I’ll have a mermaid’s kiss.” Brenda shot Cleggs a sidelong glance. “And if you say it’s a pansy drink, I’ll break your nose.”
He raised both hands. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll have a brandy inferno.”
“I’ll try the mermaid’s kiss, too.” I honestly had no experience with fancy drinks. My hometown was close to Nagdyre, which brewed and exported legendary ale.
“Ha!” said Cleggs. “This guy needs a good kiss.”
“I most certainly…” do not. I let the rest of the sentence fall on account of it being atotallie.
I glanced at the four of them in turn. We’d had classes together, had studied together, had game nights in the dormitory lounge, but this was the first time we’d all been out somewhere socially. I blew out a long sigh. “It’s great being out with you guys, seriously.”
“Order whatever you want, my treat tonight,” said Cleggs. “I’ve had enough of you moping over the Blade Baroness.”
Brenda snorted. “He’s got the hots for her? Good luck withthat.”
I scowled at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
The waiter delivered our drinks, which glowed red in the case of Cleggs’ brandy inferno, and blue in thecase of the mermaid’s kisses, with bubbles like carbonation, but rising with the slowness of a hot-air balloon.
“Serious.” Cleggs lifted his drink to toast. “Why would you order a chilled drink? It’s practically winter.”
“I like them,” said Brenda.
We clinked our glasses together, producing a puff of rainbow smoke as the various bubbles and vapors mixed with each other. “Cheers.”
The five of us chatted and laughed, sipping colorful drinks, and falling silent to listen as the drummer jammed out a feverish solo from time to time.
Maybe I was relaxing, maybe it was the mermaid’s kiss, but curiosity finally got the better of me. “So what’s wrong with Lady Arazniros, anyway?”
“Cold as ice and sharp as steel,” said Brenda.
