Oh no. Aida didn't want to pick up another skill she had to train. She had enough to focus on, with making sure she settled in, blended in properly in a location where she wouldn't have Levi to help cover her ignorance.

  "As I said before, I will be unable to be personally involved in your training," Bruce said. "However, I have managed to locate some masters who are willing to spare a disciple for your tutelage. One is located in the Sundry Plains, the other is located in the Grassland of the Moons. Which location is closer to your place of employment?"

  "Aida is going to be in Burston City, so the Grasslands would be closer," Levi replied for Aida, as she tried to remember where the Grassland of the Moons was. Levi elbowed her, as if sharing a joke. "What a coincidence, huh? If you had taken that offer in Moonglade, you wouldn't have to travel at all."

  Aida chuckled weakly at the reminder. Oh boy. Sue's going to be so excited.

  "I see. Very good. I will make the arrangements, then. Expect to receive a letter from me as soon as you are settled in your work quarters. In the meantime, continue your Mana Cycling and meditation practices. The better your breathing control, the more conducive it will be to dealing with Ascension Meditation techniques."

  Bruce walked them out of the staff lounge, which now had a small line of graduates outside the door as more students began reporting their offers to Charma.

  "There we have it, some answers," Levi said triumphantly as they headed back to the front of the school, where they could see Sue sitting despondently on the grass with Caleb through the windows. She did not seem to have been successful in recovering her fire float.

  "Yeah, thanks, now you just made more work for me," Aida said scathingly. "How am I supposed to bluff my identity with a Master's disciple?"

  "Don't overthink it, the disciple is likely far removed from Buddington politics," Levi said encouragingly. "They're too busy meditating and cultivating their souls to be bothered with secular happenings."

  "What if they're so cultivated they can sense I'm not from this world? Will they banish me?" Aida hissed at him, using his words from when he first postulated she wasn't from this world. That finally made Levi pause.

  "Huh. If anyone could, it would be them."

  "That's it? That's all you're going to say?"

  "Look, don't worry so much—just deal with it as it comes. Stressing over it now is just hurting yourself early." Levi clapped Aida's back reassuringly.

  "Easy for you to say," Aida muttered. "You're not the one who would have to deal with the consequences."

  "Look, we still have a whole star cycle to hang out in Buddington. I'll help you come up with a viable explanation in case you get found out during that time."

  "This really isn't making me feel better."

  "What's wrong?" Caleb asked as they approached the pair. He had his arm wrapped around Sue, who was absentmindedly playing with the fingers in his other hand as she sulked.

  "Bruce is going to set me up with meditation training with some master's disciple," Aida groused as she plopped back on the grass in front of the couple. She eyed Sue, frowning. "Why are you so sad? It's not like we need the fire float now. We can all make the Buddington golem together."

  Sue lifted her head, giving Aida a watery smile. "No, I'm not sad about my float. I just—" she choked, looking to Caleb for help.

  "We were—just talking about Ezra," Caleb said, his eyes wide in clear panic as he tried to come up with an acceptable cover story. Aida and Levi exchanged glances as the two of them spluttered together some weak excuse about how sad they were going to be about not being able to see Ezra once they left.

  "Calm down, you two. It's painful watching you try to come up with a sensible lie," Levi said reprovingly.

  "We're not lying," Caleb said weakly.

  "Levi's right," Aida said, shaking her head. "If it's really such a private thing that you feel like you can't share it with us, then you don't have to. But don't force yourself to try to trick us."

  "Thanks Aida, you're the best," Sue gushed, leaping forward to tackle Aida in a tight hug, throwing the two of them onto the ground.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Aida looked up at Levi from where she was as she patted Sue's back, where he stood looking down at them with amusement.

  "Have Lily and Vanita turned in their offers yet?" Caleb asked, drawing Levi's attention.

  "We didn't see them in the staff lounge. Should we go find them?"

  As Aida and Sue brushed themselves off, Aida observed Sue and Caleb's body language. They seemed extra affectionate after their fruitless journey to the gate, a little bit more tender around each other. What did they talk about?

  Levi sidled up beside Aida as the slightly-happier Sue and Caleb led the way into the school. "Wanna take a bet on what made Suelina so distraught?"

  "I can't even imagine," Aida replied quietly. She glanced mistrustfully at Levi. "And I have a feeling I'm not going to like your suspicion."

  Levi coughed delicately. "What if she's pregnant?"

  Aida gasped, Levi's hand flying to her mouth in order to smother her shock. Fortunately, Sue and Caleb were blissfully unaware of what was going on behind them as they opened the door.

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

  "I did it!" Lily declared. "I accepted Healer Bokar's proxy offer with the herbalist. We'll be neighbors, Aida!"

  Aida joined Lily in her squeal, feeling her breath cut off as the tiny girl hugged her midsection tightly.

  "What about you, Vanita?" Sue asked eagerly. The four of them had found Lily and Vanita in the courtyard with Edward Sparks and Abedi. Pritchard, Shon, Myk, and Dev were a respectful distance away from the small group, though they were now approaching since they saw the group grow.

  Aida smiled in acknowledgment at the newcomers, though she was careful not to look at Dev for too long.

  "I rejected my offers," Vanita said shyly. "I'm going to work for my family to improve my mineral growth technique, and Professor Gemma said she'll work with me to refine my mana beads."

  "What about you?" Levi asked Edward. "Will you be in Burston City too?"

  As the boys began talking about their own plans, Lily skipped toward Levi, seamlessly joining the conversation. Dev slid into the empty spot the energetic girl had just vacated, Pritchard, Shon, and Myk filling in the gaps in the circle.

  "I suppose it's official," Dev said as he glanced around the circle, nodding at everyone. "We won't be seeing each other as often anymore."

  "Yes," Aida agreed. "Are you excited?"

  After a pause that lasted almost long enough to make Aida feel awkward, Dev said, "Why would I be?"

  "Um." The way Dev asked that question made Aida backtrack—she had been expecting he would say he was excited, as everybody usually was at the prospect of not being forced to go to school anymore. But that also means he’ll be faced with the clan inheritance issue full-time now. "Sorry, I forgot—did you hear? Lara—"

  "—accepted Jasper Riolt's offer. Yes, I know." Even though it was clearly a rebuke, Dev still smiled at her, letting her know she was forgiven. "I don't care about that."

  "Oh. I thought—" Aida stumbled again, confused. Hoping, but trying to avoid giving any more weight to the creeping thought in her mind than it already had.

  "Are you looking forward to life after school?" Dev asked in the silence.

  "She must. She doesn't have to see you every day," Pritchard said haughtily. He sniffed and gave Aida pathetic puppy eyes. "Please save me."

  She couldn't help but laugh at the comically sad face he gave her, with the corners of his lips literally touching his chin. "I am looking forward to having a more stable work life, instead of constantly getting sent out to random locations."

  Pritchard rolled his eyes to the heavens, his hands clutching at the clouds in agony. "And for us, our work life consists entirely of constantly getting sent out to random locations! What have I signed up for!"

  "Too bad," Dev snapped, uncharacteristically sharp. "You agreed to it."

  Aida tittered on the side as Pritchard—and Myk—started pestering Dev, trying to negotiate the privileges they would receive as members of his Adventuring group.

  "You get whatever privileges you can afford."

  "Let's have three days off every star cycle."

  "We get our rest days depending on the jobs we take."

  "No more than one job a week."

  "I will agree to this if the job takes two weeks."

  Finally, the bell chimed for the first golems of the afternoon to depart, stalling the spirited negotiations.

  "That's us," Shon said, looking around at his friends. He waved at the group as a whole as the other four boys began reaching out and shaking everyone's hand in farewell. Abedi gave Vanita an awkward hug, her face flaming (and possibly his, too, though it was hard to tell with his dark skin).

  Dev reached his hand towards Aida, who clasped his hand in return, smiling in relief, though her stomach tightened. It's almost over.

  Gripping her palm firmly, he pulled her into him, his face coming towards her.

  Time seemed to slow as Aida watched his lips approach hers, unable—and unwilling to—avert her face, put her hands up in defense, stop this from happening. Lifting her gaze, she met his icy blue eyes, which were fixed on her own.

  He seemed to see her. Everything else around them faded, and it was just the two of them, staring into each other's eyes.

  After an eternity, Dev blinked, and his face glided smoothly past her cheek, so that she was wrapped in his long arms, leaving her staring at the sky, her chin resting on his shoulder.

  "...good luck."