“To be honest, I haven’t seen him that mad since the accident.”

  “Well, he and Geller have never gotten along, so I can’t say it’s surprising, Dustin,” Neil said as they both stared at the door. “Did anything else happen after?”

  “I told you, he’d gone to the Temple of Knowledge with Gabrielle, but seemed rather upset when he left. Then he mouthed off at Humphrey, and I took him home.”

  “Was he doing anything weird when you took him home?”

  “Well, he was just really… quiet. Like the only thing he said to me after the blow-up was ‘I just want to go home,’ which is why I took him back.”

  “And you didn’t think that was strange?”

  “I mean, it was, but like what am I supposed to do about that, Neil? I’m not a healer. I just thought that the reality of the situation had set in…you don’t think he’s trying to revert, do you?”

  “I think if that were the case, he would’ve never challenged Humphrey Geller to a fight.”

  “True… That’s not going to end well.”

  “Yep,” Neil said, hand hovering on the doorknob, dread of what version of Thad he would find filling his mind. It had been a nice reprieve after all… though he really didn’t want to try and sort out his feelings if Thad’s personality had shifted again.

  Well, the situation wasn’t going to get any better. He entered the room.

  It was dark, the windows magically dimming the afternoon light that poured in.

  Neil didn’t have to look hard to see the bundle of blankets sitting on the window seat, face leaning against the glass. The young noble looked wrecked, his knees pulled close to his chest, the blanket draped over his head like a hood. He didn’t acknowledge the door being open.

  Neil walked further into the room, followed by Dustin, who glanced at Neil with a worried expression.

  “Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?” Neil asked as he took a seat near Thad’s feet.

  Silence permeated the room. Neil could see the dried tear stains on Thad’s face; his eyes focused on the city outside.

  “Your sister sent us to check on you. Said you refused to come out of your room.”

  “She also said she was about to drag you out by your ankles, but Neil talked her down,” Dustin added, leaning against the wall of the bedroom.

  “Dusty!” Neil hissed at the defender, but he saw a slight quirk on Thad’s lips.

  “I don’t show up for training one day, and I’m already being threatened?” Came a quiet, exhausted reply as Thad glanced away from the window towards Neil.

  “Cassandra has high standards as a teacher, I guess,” Neil answered. “You just didn’t know because you’d been avoiding her for so long.”

  Thad looked away again at this and let out a defeated sigh.

  “There’s no avoiding anything. The past will just continue to fucking haunt me. Like some cosmic gotcha. What was I even thinking, telling Geller to fight me?”

  “I don’t imagine you were thinking,” Dustin quipped, receiving a look from Neil.

  “I didn’t know… I didn’t realize, I’d been such a…” Thad tucked his face into his knees. “No wonder he hates me.”

  “I mean, yeah, you fucked up pretty bad.”

  “Dusty!”

  “What, you want me to lie, Neil? It won’t change the past. What he did was shitty. So, let’s fix what we can now, so the future’s better.”

  “I don’t think I can even change the future. What if I’m just destined to fuck everything up? No matter what I do.” Thad said, lifting his face, his eyes brimming with tears.

  “I guess we have our work cut out for us then,” Neil said, placing his hand on Thad’s knee.

  “I mean, our lives have been better. So, like, I’d take that as a win.” Dustin said. “And who knows, maybe after Geller beats your ass, you’ll both let bygones be bygones and we can start training at their estate.”

  “I’d prefer not to die just so you can train with Phoebe more,” Thad said with a small, tired laugh.

  “I mean, it’s a mirage chamber, so you're not actually dying… You’ll only feel like it,” Dustin responded, as if it made the scenario any better.

  “You’re not really selling it,” Thad said, leaning his head back against the wall, the blanket falling onto his shoulders.

  “Not really sure, there’s a way to sell it other than it being a good training opportunity,” Neil said, pulling his hand back to himself. “And the fact you may get a good swing in at Geller.”

  “Thad, I have a question, so don’t take offense at this, but… What Geller said about Asano. You guys aren’t…”

  Dustin made a gesture with his hands, which Thad looked at in horror.

  “No! Absolutely not. First of all, he’s dating Cassandra. Sorry Neil. Second of all I’m tired of everyone gossiping about my love life. Do you know how many times I’ve heard the staff speculating about me and Asano? Cass even asked if you and I were dating Neil… Sorry again. I know you like her, and I’ve no idea where she’s getting it from.”

  “Nobody’s speculating about you and me?” Dustin asked, looking a little hurt.

  “Dustin, everyone can see how obsessed you are with your Geller. So, no, you're safe from scandal.”

  “Not even the magic society guy?” Neil asked, trying to appear nonchalant.

  “Clive? The man only has eyes for magical theory or Jason Asano… and he’s only aware of one of those passions! Like, if my sister should be worried about anyone, it should be him. But no, sorry to disappoint, my love life’s non-existent, which is probably a good thing, if the past is any indication,” Thad said his hands emphasized every point, the blanket completely falling away.

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  Neil felt immeasurable relief from both the information and the fact that Thad appeared to be back to his old self. If not, a little frustrated.

  Dustin glanced at Neil, his eyebrow raising ever so slightly. Only to stop as Thad looked at Neil with a hurt expression.

  “Why are you so relieved by that?” Thad asked, looking at the healer with confusion. “Wait… why can I tell? Usually, I can’t read you at all.”

  “I… I mean, well, Thad, um…” Neil desperately started to tamp down his aura, confused as to how Thad of all people was reading it.

  “He’s just glad he doesn't need to do any cleansing spells,” Dustin butted in, which seemed to placate Thad, who still looked slightly confused by the situation. And now that Neil was focusing on it, he could barely sense Thad’s aura at all, and the young noble’s emotions had been widely volatile.

  “Thad, are you feeling okay?” Neil asked, starting to run a diagnostic.

  “No, to be honest, I feel hungover or like I have a cold. I didn’t even think essence users could get colds.”

  “You feel cold? Is that why you had the blanket?” Neil asked absently, noticing something odd with Thad’s soul, almost as if it was bruised; it was truly bizarre to say the least.

  Near Thad’s jaw was the worst, though there was a bruise like a handprint on his right shoulder and even his left hand had been marked. Neil lightly reached out, tracing Thad’s jaw line, the young noble’s breath hitched at the sudden contact.

  “How did you get soul damage?”

  “What? Am I going to die?” Thad looked shocked, but his aura only mildly fluctuated.

  Soul damage that wasn’t physically apparent was rare, but… then it clicked.

  “What happened in the Temple of Knowledge?”

  Thad looked stricken, and Neil took away his hand, noticing that the rest of the soul also had very subtle damage.

  “Did the goddess appear to you?” He added, wondering if she’d done more than show herself, as he glanced at Thad’s jaw again.

  “I… um, I sort of… told her to fuck off,” Thad said, looking away from Neil, who couldn’t believe his ears.

  “What! I’m not even religious, and I know that’s a good way to get yourself killed!” Dustin gaped.

  “Why would you antagonize a goddess, Thad?!” Neil finally managed, surprise, a soul scar hadn’t formed.

  “To be fair, she antagonized me first!”

  “She’s a goddess, Thad! She can do whatever she wants!” Neil said, with disbelief.

  “That doesn’t make it right!” Thad stood up, throwing his hands out, before looking slightly faint and sitting back down, massaging his temples with a pained expression.

  “Unbelievable, every time I leave you to your own devices, you get attacked.” Neil bemoaned as he ran a hand through his hair before looking at the menace that he’d fallen for. Why did he have to like this idiot?

  Thalia watched Danielle pour them both tea with a practiced hand before sitting down.

  “It seems our boys' animosity has finally come to a head,” Danielle said, taking a sip of her tea. “I always hoped they’d become friends one day.”

  “We hated each other in the beginning as well.”

  “Yes, you came in from the storm kingdom with a rage I haven’t even seen your son manage.”

  “He comes by it naturally. I’d hoped he would’ve taken after my brother in that regard. The man’s calculatingly patient.”

  “The reason you’re here heading the Greenstone family branch, vs. the Main.”

  “True. Though with time and perspective, I don’t regret being sent here. I got to meet you after all.” Thalia said as she held her cup and looked out the window into the Geller gardens. “Should we stop this petty squabble before—”

  “It’s best we let it play out. I’ve seen how your son has changed over the last two months, but Humphrey hasn’t. If we want there to be any chance of them reconciling, I think we need to let them work out their hostility and jealousy towards each other. You remember how we became friends.”

  A small smile played on Thalia’s face.

  “You always thought you were the smartest person in the room.”

  “And you thought you were the strongest.”

  “Did you ever fix that sword I bent?”

  “No, I kept it as a memento. And it also serves as a good teaching instrument on how not to underestimate an opponent when you think you’ve outplayed them.” Danielle said, looking towards her friend with a soft smile.

  “The man Cassandra’s dating reminds me a lot of you.”

  “Jason Asano is a lot like me, if a little unrefined. I’m surprised your family hasn’t stopped the match.”

  “I’ve spoken of his potential, which has placated my brother for now, though he can only do so much. However, the main family is more focused on Thadwick at the moment,” Thalia said, taking a sip of her tea. “My brother hasn’t said it yet, but I think he intends to re-enter marriage negotiations with the Rimaros family. Believes the initial contract with House Irios will fall through.”

  “Didn’t you say the girl broke Thadwick’s nose?”

  “Zara did a lot more than that, but young children fight. And I won’t say he didn’t have it coming.”

  Phoebe looked at Dustin with disbelief as he stood in her room.

  “You can’t just make a bet on something that obvious and expect me to take the losing side,” she said, crossing her arms.

  “Please, Pheebs, I haven’t won a single bet so far, you’ve got to give this to me.”

  “You’re asking me to bet against my own cousin!”

  Dustin went to his knees, taking Phoebe’s hands in his, his icy blue eyes pleading, before he gently kissed the top of her hand. Phoebe felt her heart flutter at seeing the man who dwarfed her in size, prostrate before her.

  “I’m asking you to train Thad in fighting in his style, your fighting style, as a guardian, so that he stands a chance. But I know if you bet against him, that won’t happen.”

  “You’re impossible, you know that?” Phoebe said, looking away, a blush creeping across her cheeks.

  Dustin kissed her wrist softly before glancing back up at her.

  “Is that a yes, then?”

  Phoebe leaned down, her hands leaving his, to lift his face towards her. It was a soft kiss, one she knew he liked. He enjoyed it when she was gentle with him. She found it surprisingly cute, sensing the want permeating his aura.

  “You’re going to lose this one as well, just so you know,” She said with a smirk against his lips, only to let out a surprise gasp as he pulled her down to the floor with him, kissing her senselessly.

  “That voice is pretty grating.”

  “That’s your voice, Thad,” Neil said, shaking his head as they studied the recording crystal.

  “What? I sound like that?” Thad asked, pausing the recording.

  “Well, I mean, you’re not as bad now that you’re not constantly whining,” Dustin said with a shrug.

  “Yeah, now that you mention it… Your cadence and tone are different. It’s a relief since you talk so much more now,” Neil admitted, looking over at Thad, who looked mortified.

  “Can we continue?” Phoebe asked, her hand hovering near the crystal.

  “Yeah… Though if I ever start to sound like that again, just put me out of my misery,” Thad said, throwing himself back down on the couch beside Neil.

  The recording was from their second adventure society assessment. Thadwick, having demanded the recording be made to catalogue Humphrey’s weaknesses, when really it only showed his hesitations. However, the footage was one of the only tools they had for building a strategy around Thad not being annihilated by the man in the first five minutes.

  Phoebe paused the recording for a moment, where Humphrey stumbled.

  “You see that?” She said, pointing at her cousin’s face.

  “His handsome face?” Thad asked only for Phoebe to shake her head derisively.

  “No, his disorientation post-teleport. It’s something you have on him. Not to mention you're faster with your wind and lightning essences. You’ll outmaneuver him nine times out of ten.”

  “Ok, so I can run away from him… I need to actually fight him at some point.”

  “Then fight him, get in his face. Another advantage you have is that Stash is too low a level to be of any use other than as reconnaissance, so if you take—”

  “I don’t want to hurt Stash,” Thad said quickly.

  “It’s- a- mir-age- cham-ber,” Phoebe said, clapping with each syllable in exasperation.

  “I- still- don’t- want- to- hurt- him,” Thad clapped back at her.

  “Ok, I think that’s enough recording crystal for today,” Neil said, standing and grabbing the device from the air.

  “Good, cause I’m about to show Thad the benefits of a mirage chamber when it comes to recovering from attacks,” Phoebe said, walking out of the room towards the training arena.

  “Am I just destined to get my ass handed to me by a Geller?” Thad asked, standing and looking at his team.

  “I mean, at least she’s helping you. Even if she’s intimidating,” Neil said, noticing Dustin watching his girlfriend storm off.

  “I know, isn’t it great?” Dustin said wistfully, as Neil and Thad both looked at each other knowingly.

  “This is why nobody thinks you're sleeping with Thad,” Neil pointed out.

  “And after I threw myself at you and everything,” Thad lamented, pretending to faint into Neil’s arms, who caught him, far later into the fall than expected, making them come nearly face to face for an instant.

  “And this is why there are rumors of you two dating!” Dustin said, getting up to follow Phoebe.

  “Oh, sorry,” Thad said with a laugh as he straightened himself up.

  “Don’t be, I’ll always be there to catch you,” Neil replied, tucking a loose lock of hair behind his ear. “I would appreciate a warning next time, though.”

  And in the dim light of the room, neither noticed the blush present on the other’s cheeks.

  The first meme made for this Fic by a Fan! Thank you EvilPhrog!