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“Good one ‘basic’,” Davina sniggers referring to my usual lateness.
I slink into my chair, bow my head forward so my hair shields my face, and I try my best to disappear.
After what feels like an eternity, the end of class bell rings and everyone evacuates in a mighty rush toward the exit. Melodie shoves an elbow into my ribs as she passes, then smiles sweetly, “Oops, sorry.”
Gods I hate the TON.
Once outside, I take in a huge gulp of crisp fragrant air and count to three slowly before releasing the breath. I move through the Zeneym Arena looking for Roman.
“Hey, you made it,” he says as I approach the grassy mounds under the weeping willow-bank trees.
“Barely, that last lesson was brutal.”
“How so?”
“The TON.”
Roman pats the ground next to him. “Tell me all about it,” he says passing me a bottle of mountain elixir.
Taking a sip of the sweet tasting refreshment, I unload the morning’s events. “Well, I got caught… again. High Power Omnisensus made me promise to attend all remaining power progression classes, I was late to class, the TON made it hard to concentrate on the lesson, and my magic didn’t cooperate. I think it’s time to acknowledge that I am a hopeless case.”
“You are not hopeless. You just need to up your practice. I’ll help you. We can start tomorrow. Unless you want to join me at the light pillars now?”
He plants a quick kiss on my cheek which catches me offguard. I look to meet his gaze, but he is already standing, his tall silhouette towering above me and I have to crane my neck to make eye contact. “Um, I think we should start fresh tomorrow.” I say pulling out a book.
“Okay. But Siriarna, I’m serious. Tomorrow morning, no excuses.”
“I said I would Roman, geez, give mesomecredit.”
“Okay, okay. Walk you home after class?” he winks.
“Sure. Meet me outside the Knowledge Room?”
“As if you’d be anywhere else,” he teases.
I watch him stride past the Zen River to the light pillars. He cuts a commanding figure; the rumours circulating say he is the son of one of the Olympian Gods. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Zeus himself, even though semi gods are the result of later generations and minor deities only.
The last lesson of the day goes by without incident, and I make my way toward the Knowledge Room. Roman is already there, leaning up against the outside wall waiting for me.
“Hey, can you just wait while I swap this out?” I ask as I reach him.
“Is there anything left in there for you to read?”
“I’m sure I’ll find something. I’ll just be a snap.”
Moments later, I am disturbed by a light tapping on my shoulder. I pivot around to find Roman looming above me with a crooked expression on his face. “It’s been ages Siriarna, and you still haven’t checked out a book. Let’s go before it gets dark, I’m starving.”
I hadn’t realised I’d been browsing for so long. After I check out the book I was skimming in the stacks, I’m ready. “Righto, let’s head.”
Strolling through the Zen, the nickname given to the Zeneym Arena by students, past the floral meadows on our way to our dorm huts, we walk happily in comfortable silence. Giving him asideways glance, I realise how lucky I am to have Roman as my best friend.
As he opens the door to my hut, he promptly trips over a stack of books. “My gods, you are such a slob, Siriarna.”
“My space, my way.”
His insult doesn’t bother me in the slightest because I love the freedom of living alone. Saying that, I clear another stack of books from my couch and flop down, glad the day is over. Roman joins me after diving into my fridge and drinking my last bottle of mountain elixir in one gulp.
“Hey, I was saving that for later.”
