The Woodward Academy,

Chapter 5: October

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David was riding one of the awks across the moat. He was using it to go from Pegasus Dorm, where he lived, to Thunderbird Dorm, the housing for fifth- and sixth-year students, where Rose had asked him to meet her. He was a bit nervous; it was the night of their sex-date, and though he had practiced his lessons as thoroughly as he could, he was still worried about how he would be able to do in the thick of a sexual encounter. He once again thanked Prof. Phillips mentally for the help with his concentration; sex magic required an insane amount of it.

The awk deposited David at the dorm, and he made his way to the third floor, and then to the room, which was more of an apartment than anything. He knocked on the door, and waited briefly.

When the door opened, Rose was standing before him. Her long black hair shimmered in the evening light, seeming to almost have a bluish tinge to it. Her dark blue eyes stared intently at him, while her soft lips smiled in greeting. A thin sweater and jeans covered her voluptuous body, and she was not wearing any shoes.

"Hey, David," she said softly. It was the first time he'd ever heard her be less than assertive. "Come on in."

David walked in and looked around. The 'dorm room' was like a one-bedroom apartment, and he was currently standing in the living room. A small dining / kitchen area was off to his right, and a hallway on the far side of the room led back to what he assumed was the bedroom. He turned back to Rose.

"How do you manage to live here?" he asked her.

"Oh, I don't. This is my sister's room. She spends all her time in her boyfriend's place, so she said I could use this tonight. I wanted somewhere private," she explained with a smile.

"Well, I certainly don't mind," David said, moving close to her. He pressed his lips to hers, and the two kissed for long moments. Rose's tongue was the first to come out to play, but David's joined it immediately, and the couple embraced strongly as they continued to lip wrestle.

Finally, they broke their kiss, Rose a little breathless. "Let's go back to the bedroom," she said after a second, and took his hand, leading him down the hallway, past the bathroom and into the bedroom, where there was a nice bed and some other furnishings. Rose sat down on the end of the bed, and David joined her. The two immediately resumed their kissing.

After a little while, David finally got up the nerve, and he moved his hand up to gently cup Rose's breast. She moaned approvingly at his touch, and he began to squeeze and fondle her tit. He could tell by feel that she was not wearing a bra. This intrigued him, and he slipped his hand off her breast, and then down to her waist, so he could push his hand up under her sweater. She made no protest as he did so, and his hand slid along her bare skin until he was once again cupping her ample mound in his hand. He felt something out of place, however, which distracted him, and he broke their kiss.

Rose pouted at him, but he ignored that for the moment. He used both hands to pull her sweater up and off her body, tossing it haphazardly into a nearby chair. When his gaze returned to her breasts, he realized what he had felt. He fingered one of her nipple rings and gave her a mischievous smile.

"Like them?" Rose asked.

"They're certainly different. I've never been with a girl with body piercings before. Doesn't that hurt?"

"Not at all. And if they get rubbed just right, or tugged on, it can feel really good," she replied, hinting strongly.

David grinned, and then he leaned down, bringing his lips over one of her nipples. She sighed as he sucked on her nipple, and then she gasped as he flicked his tongue over it, making sure to make her nipple ring bounce as well.

David continued to play with her nipples for a long time, moving back and forth between them. After he'd had his fun, however, he sat back from her. "Undress for me," he said.

"You're not gonna do it magically?" she asked impishly.

"No, I'm not risking that spell tonight," he replied.

Rose stood up and unfastened her jeans, slipping them down over her hips and letting them fall to the floor. "Panties, too?" she asked.

"They'll just be in the way, otherwise," he replied. As she was sliding her panties off, David closed his eyes and quickly chanted. Suddenly, Rose felt as though his hands were roaming over her breasts, and she gasped, then moaned softly as her panties fell to the floor. She quickly moved back onto the bed with him.

David returned to kissing her for a long moment, then he leaned back, his hand massaging her breast. He closed his eyes briefly and whispered, "Ailodau oyinni." Rose didn't see anything happen, but that was what David was hoping for. What had happened was still out of her sight. As he continued to caress her, he kicked off his boots, which was a bit of a challenge, but he managed. Finally, he had to release her. He stood up and removed his coat, tossing it on top of her sweater. He then took off all of his clothes except his underwear. He wasn't yet ready for her to see that.

Moving back to her, David took hold of Rose's hands, which were in her lap. He leaned forward and kissed her, still holding her hands down. Rose groaned into his mouth, liking the feel of not being able to use her hands. As they continued to kiss, David took her right hand and raised it up over her head. Then he took her left hand and did the same, so that her arms were now straight up, her hands touching.

Now David concentrated a little, and the barely visible tendril of energy he had concocted earlier slid up along his arm and wrapped itself firmly around Rose's wrists, binding them tightly together so that she could no longer use her hands. At that point, David let his hands slide down her arms and back onto her tits, so that he could fondle both of them as they still continued to kiss.

David finally broke their kiss and moved slightly away from Rose. She looked up at her hands, seeing the tendril holding her in place and smiling. Suddenly, David used the tendril to push her backwards onto the bed, and then he took hold of each leg, just behind the knee. He folded her legs up until they were pressed against her stomach, and with a little concentration, two more energy tendrils shot out and wrapped themselves firmly around her legs, keeping them firmly bent. They then snaked around her back to join in the middle, and slowly forced her legs apart, until she was spread open as far as she could stand.

David looked down at his handiwork, and grinned slightly. Rose was testing her bonds, and the slight movements made her tits roll very nicely. He reached down and stroked his finger over her pussy lips, which were on full display now. His finger came back soaked.

"You really like this, don't you?" he asked her.

"Oh, god, yes!" she replied. She bit her lip and looked at him with a bit of pleading. "Are you going to fuck me now?"

David pushed his underwear down off his hips, revealing his iron-hard cock. "I think I have to," he replied, stepping close to her. He considered lifting her off the bed, so he would not have to lean over, but didn't want to push his luck. Instead he bent his knees and put the head of his dick against her pussy opening. In one smooth thrust, he buried himself inside of her.

"Oh, yes!" Rose cried out. "Oh, god, fuck me hard!"

David obliged her, slamming his cock into her as fast and as deep as he could. Rose was panting and crying out with each thrust, trying her best to help out, but she was fairly immobile, restrained as she was. David didn't need the help, anyway; his hips were slamming against her with every plunge into her cunt.

"Yes, oh, fuck! Squeeze my tits!" Rose encouraged. David kept one hand on the bed, but moved his other onto her breast, massaging it as they continued to fuck.

"Harder!" Rose cried. "Squeeze harder! Ungh, oh, yeah, fuck me!"

David was already going as fast as he could, and he could feel his climax approaching. He mauled Rose's tits as he fucked her, and then finally, he drove his dick into her as far as he could, and froze, spewing his load deep inside of her. He grunted repeatedly, as each spurt of cum filled her pussy.

When David finally came down, he pulled his cock out of her cunt, and saw his cum leaking out of her. He was breathing hard, but he was not done for the evening. His partner hadn't come yet, and that could not be allowed.

"Will you take long to be ready?" Rose asked, panting herself from their coupling.

"Um... it might be a few minutes, or... Close your eyes."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I don't want you to see what I'm about to do," he replied.

"Hmmm," she said, and then closed her eyes.

David hoped he could maintain his concentration through all of this, but he closed his eyes and quickly faded to ghost and back, and was able to maintain Rose's bindings throughout. He knew from earlier experience that he should be ready to go again now, but he wasn't yet coming back to hardness.

David considered what to do next, while he looked down at Rose. "You can open your eyes now," he told her. "I'm ready to go again."

"Can I suck your dick? Please?" she asked.

"Hmm. I'd have to release you for that," he said.

"No you won't!" she assured him quickly. "Just flip me over on my stomach, so my head is at the edge of the bed!"

David was unsure how that would help, but he did what she suggested, using the energy tendrils to move her, since they had a much better and safer grip on her than he could have. He allowed her to bend her elbows, but she was still basically staring down at the floor.

"I don't see how you're going to get my cock in your mouth this way," David objected.

"Just push my head back and shove that gorgeous thing down my throat," she enthused. "God, I can't wait to feel it!"

David shrugged, and then put his hand against her forehead, lifting and pushing until she was facing forward. Her mouth opened to accept his dick as he stepped forward, and he slipped it inside. Rose sealed her lips around him, and began to caress his shaft with her tongue. This quickly brought him back to hardness, and he began to rock his hips back and forth, sliding his cock in and out of her mouth.

David could feel his dick hitting her throat, and she was grunting happily each time it did. He was enjoying the hell out of this, but he knew he needed to consider what else he could do to her magically. That was, after all, the point of the exercise.

While he continued to rock his hips against her face, he closed his eyes and envisioned his fingers strumming her clit. He muttered the spell, and Rose immediately groaned in pleasure. He kept up his concentration, and her moaning increased, rapidly reaching a crescendo as she came, her screams muffled by his cock. She bucked and twisted, and David finally relented, pulling his dick out of her mouth and ending the spell. He still had her bound, however.

"Do you want more?" he asked her after a few moments.

"Yes!" she screamed.

David thought for a second, then he loosened the tentacle that held her legs spread. Now she could kneel, and he moved her so that she was on her elbows and knees, her pussy just waiting for his attention.

David climbed onto the bed with her for the first time, and he slipped his dick into her waiting cunt. Rose groaned in bliss as he started moving inside of her. He started out a little slower, but quickly started to pick back up.

"Oh, shit, yes, that's good. Just like that!" she told him. "Now... pull my hair!" she suggested strongly.

David's eyebrows shot up, but he shrugged mentally, and then reached down and tugged lightly on her long hair, which reached nearly to her waist.

Rose moaned in frustration. "No, don't lightly tug it! Yank! Grab it like the reins of a horse and ride me hard!" she cried out.

David was very surprised by this, but again, figured she knew what she wanted. He reached down to grab a handful of hair in each hand, about halfway up her back. As he leaned back, he pulled on her hair, forcing her head to come up. As he held it there, he began to slam his dick into her as hard as he could.

"Oh fuck me yes!" Rose screamed. She was panting and grunting now, clearly becoming more aroused. David continued to rut into her, driving her body forward with each hit, only to force her back onto his cock by yanking on her hair. Rose was in ecstasy.

David pulled out one last trick. He formed a final energy tendril, and let it snake along her side, and then forward, until it found one of her nipples. He let it slip through one nipple ring, and then move on to the next, until it was grasping both of them at once. Finally, as he continued to slam into her at full force, he pulled on her nipple rings, hard.

Rose immediately went into overload, her climax ripping through her body. David continued to fuck her as her cunt rhythmically gripped his dick. He was not ready to come again himself, but what he was feeling at that moment was very damned nice.

David continued his pleasant assault on Rose's body until she finally started to come down from her climax. He immediately stopped pulling on her nipples, and he very slowly came to a stop inside of her. Finally, he released her arms and legs from the bondage, and he dissolved the energy tendrils. He slipped out of her pussy, and he gently moved her into a comfortable position on the bed, before lying down next to her.

It took Rose several minutes before she could say anything at all, but while she wasn't coherent, she managed to reach down and stroke David's cock with her hand, keeping him nice and hard.

Finally, Rose looked at him and said, "My god, I have never been fucked that good in my life!"

David smiled in embarrassment. "I'm glad you liked it."

"Liked it? Holy shit," she said in wonderment. After a minute of more silence, she pushed herself up on her elbow.

"But, you know," she said with a smile. "I really think that I need to find out how well you can do at sex without the magic... so I can tell how much the magic was really doing!" she said.

David knew this was bullshit, but since her mouth was already wrapping itself around his cock before he could even form a response, he just laid back and let her suck on him. He had a feeling that he had a long night ahead of him.

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"Where the hell have you been?" Nate asked as David sat down to breakfast with everyone. It was Monday morning.

"With Rose," David said simply.

"All weekend?" Simon asked. "You went over to her place for your sex-date Saturday afternoon!"

David shrugged. "She wanted to be thorough."

Simon's and Nate's jaws dropped. Jim just shook his head, and the girls giggled.

"Where is she now?" Gwen asked.

"Getting ready for class."

"Are you two going together now?" Olissa asked. David nodded. "Good for you."

The group continued to chat about little things until they were finished eating.

"We'd best hurry, guys, or we're going to be late for C&H," Jim said.

David, Olissa and Rick got up with him, and they all headed out. They were supposed to be learning something difficult in class, and none of them wanted to be late.

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"David, what's the deal with the ghosts?" JJ asked. The others in the room looked up.

David looked at him questioningly. "What are you specifically referring to?"

"Well, I know ghosts are real and all, but back in Earth, I never saw one. Here, they're all over the place. And they own the castle? What's that about?"

David chuckled. "Okay, so the handbook needs a chapter on the Dugerra-Haven interface, is what you're telling us." The others chuckled. David said, "In Earth, there are only specific spots where you can see ghosts. This is because the barrier between Haven and Earth is only thin enough in those particular spots. In Dugerra, however, the barrier between the two places is thin almost everywhere, so you can see ghosts pretty much everywhere in Dugerra."

"Oh. But what about the castle?"

"They don't own the castle, but they do occupy it. The school made an agreement with them, in order to keep the ghosts from becoming troublesome. When you have to live with ghosts, you have to make accommodations to keep everyone satisfied."

"Oh. Okay."

David marked down on his list of things to include in the handbook something about ghosts, and then he returned to talking with Dirk about an article on fairies.

"We really should get some direct input from the fairies themselves," David said. "So that we make sure we're not giving inaccurate information."

"How would we do that?" Dirk asked.

David rolled his eyes. "Ask one of them? They're all over the place... Hell, I'm being taught by one, and escorted around by another... and everyone's RA is a fairy..."

"Okay, okay. I just don't really know any of those people very well."

"Make up a list of questions... like an interview. Then I'll introduce you to one of them," David said. "Or I can make the list, if you want."

"No, I'll do it. I know what I'd like to know about fairies."

The group continued to work until it got late, and then David said, "Okay, guys. I think that's enough for tonight. Let's wrap it up and go home."

As they all started to leave, Cherise said, "David, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure. See you guys later," he told the others. When the room was empty, he turned back to her. "What's on your mind?"

Cherise bit her lip and looked off to her left, then finally she turned back to him and asked, "Would you like to go out sometime?"

David raised his eyebrows. It was the first time a girl had ever asked him out. Unfortunately...

"Well, I would, Cherise, but unfortunately, I'm already seeing someone."

"Oh? Who?"

"Rose Waters?" David asked, wondering if she knew her.

"Oh! Well, that's okay, then!" she said, her voice brightening. "Well, um... I guess I'll see you next week."

"Sure, Cherise. Have a good night."

"You too!" she said cheerily, and then bounced out of the room. David shook his head again, and then collected his stuff and left.

At least she took it well. It would be uncomfortable to work with her if she'd gotten angry over it or felt hurt.

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Nate and David were returning to their dorm room together. They both had to retrieve books for their next class, and on the way, they discussed Jim's continuing search for a girlfriend.

"Why didn't he stick with Flo?" Nate asked David.

"I think that was mutual consent," David replied. "Jim could never live down the embarrassment of their first encounter, and Flo, from what he says, isn't really looking for a steady boyfriend at the moment."

"Does that mean she's celibate, or playing the field?" Nate asked with interest.

David grinned. "Why, you looking for a date?"

"Always," Nate replied.

David just laughed.

When the pair opened the door to their room, they heard a rustling noise, and there were papers strewn on the floor. The two looked at each other in a bit of alarm, because they couldn't immediately see what was causing the noise. They moved over to the desks, and then they chuckled to themselves, as they spotted Koda, Simon's bat, rooting around in Simon's desk drawer.

"Koda, what the hell are you doing?" David asked with a grin. "I doubt he left a banana in there for you..."

Koda chirped something rapidly, but did not stop what he was doing.

"He said," Jailla told David, "that Simon asked him to look for something, and that you should mind your own business."

"How rude," Nate said, when David related it to him.

"Quite," David agreed. "Makes me want to stick him in a cage and play loud music at him."

Koda screeched and chittered vehemently. Jailla said, "He... did not like the notion."

David said, "What'd he say?"

Jailla replied. "I don't use that kind of language."

David laughed.

"Well, whatever. Don't get stuck in there, Koda. You know, someone might just come along and close the drawer on you."

Koda looked menacingly at David. David ignored him, and grabbed his textbooks. "You coming today, Jailla?"

"Yes, I think so," Jailla replied, looking at Koda. The two left the room, leaving the bat to his search.

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"What's this?" Rose's roommate asked upon seeing the package lying outside the door. She glanced at the card attached and snickered.

"Rose, it's from your boyfriend!"

Rose came out of her room wearing a nightie. She took the box and put it on the table, looking to see if there was a message on the card. There wasn't, so she set it aside, and unwrapped the package.

When Rose opened it, something popped, and the most awful smell began to fill the room.

"Ugh!" Rose cried out, waving her hand futilely in front of her face. The other girls in the room scrunched up their faces, as well, and backed away as far as they could.

"What the hell is that?" one of them asked Rose.

"I don't know! Maybe he was trying something that went bad."

"Well, get him over here to fix it!" she screamed.

Rose went back to her room, still waving her hand to try to dispel the odor, and picked up her mirror. She dialed and said, "David Stroud."

After a few seconds, David's face appeared. He didn't look like he'd been asleep, as she wouldn't expect him to be, if he'd just dropped off a package at her door.

"Hey, Rose," he said cheerily. "What's up?"

"Your gift backfired, that's what's up!" she said.

"Gift? What are you talking about?"

"The box you left here. It's stinking up the place! You get over here and fix this!"

"I'm on my way," David said. He still had no idea what she was talking about, but she sounded angry enough that it wasn't important yet.

David arrived at her room in just a couple minutes. She opened the door to let him in, and he smiled at her.

"Nice outfit... oh, shit, what the hell is that smell?"

"You tell me! It came from your box!"

"I didn't send you a package," David said simply.

"Yes, you did! It's right there on the table!" she asserted angrily.

David went over to the box, for once glad that he did not have to breathe. To breathe meant to smell, and smelling wasn't something he wanted to do. He picked up the card and looked at it.

"That's not my handwriting, Rose. It's not even close." David stared at it. Though it was clearly not his own script, it did look familiar to him. He could not place it, however.

"Then who sent it?" she demanded.

"I don't know," he replied.

"Well... do something! Get rid of this god-awful stink!"

David considered for a long moment, trying to think up what he knew about possibly removing odors. There was only one spell, from MagEc class, that might work. David raised his hands and shouted, "Alisin angamoy!"

Nothing happened.

"Who the hell is Allyson Angamoy?" Rose asked, a little irked.

David looked at her funny. "It's a deodorizing spell. From MagEc, don't you remember?"

"Oh. No, I don't pay a lot of attention in that class."

David shook his head, and then scratched it. He wasn't sure what else to try. Finally, he asked, "What, exactly, happened when you opened the box?"

"There was a popping noise, and then this horrible stench," she said. She was holding her nose now, and breathing through her mouth.

"Did you see any vapor or smoke or anything?"

"No."

David thought for another moment, then pulled out his mirror.

"Who are you calling?" Rose asked. David ignored her for the moment.

David dialed and said, "Professor Stott."

"You're calling a professor? It's nearly midnight!"

After a minute, Prof. Stott's face appeared in the mirror. "Oh, David. I was asleep. What's the matter?" She knew that something would have to be wrong for him to call this late.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Professor," he said, letting her know immediately this was not a personal call. "But someone has played a prank on a friend of mine, and I thought that perhaps a potion was involved. The prank was contained within a box. When the box was opened, there was apparently a popping noise, and then the room was filled with a horrible smell."

"What does it smell like?"

"Have you ever been in a swamp?" David asked.

"Yes..."

"Imagine that, only moldy."

"Ouch. What is there inside the box now?"

David looked. "Nothing that I can see. It's just an empty cardboard box."

"Sounds like a pretty advanced stink bomb to me, David. They could contain the potion in a magical bubble, which would break when light hit it, releasing the potion, which would aerosolize as soon as it was loose in the air. That would be the pop you heard."

"Okay. What do I do to get rid of the odor? It really reeks in here..."

"I'll send someone from maintenance over to deal with it," she said.

"Oh, shit. I forgot all about maintenance. I shouldn't have woken you."

She waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Professor."

"Good night."

As David was putting his mirror away, Rose asked, "How do you have the brazenness to call up a professor in the middle of the night? And how do you not get chewed out for it?"

"Professor Stott is my Potions Master," David reminded her. "She is also my friend."

"Oh."

"Where are your roommates, by the way?" David asked.

"Locked in their bedrooms, trying to avoid the smell."

"You want to put on something less comfortable? Before the maintenance guy gets an eyeful..."

Rose blushed, and then retreated to her room to throw on clothes. While she was gone, David picked up the card again, and studied the handwriting. He knew he'd seen it before, but he just couldn't place whose it was.

By the time Rose came out of her bedroom, the maintenance wizard had shown up.

"Good gravy, that's awful," the maintenance man said. "Well, no trouble. It'll just be a couple minutes, and we'll have that snapped right up." The man set out a small device on the table, and he tapped it three times with his wand. Immediately a wind filled the room, moving toward the device. In seconds, the room was devoid of all odors, completely sterile to the nose.

"You need the box?" the man asked.

"No," Rose said. David kept the card. The man took the box and left.

"Sorry I blamed you for it," Rose said.

"No one else you could blame, really. I mean, it is my name on the card."

"But I should have recognized it wasn't your handwriting."

David shrugged. "No big deal."

"Didn't I wake you up?"

David snorted. "No, I wasn't going to bed for another hour."

"Oh."

"What were you doing up this late, though?"

"I was getting ready for bed. I don't get up until 7:30, so I get plenty of sleep, don't you worry."

"Okay. Well, I'll let you and your roomies get to sleep, then."

Rose kissed David deeply for a long moment, and then they parted.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Shouldn't you be apprenticing?" Gwen asked when David sat down for dinner. The pixie popped in to take his order, and he dealt with that before answering Gwen. Finally, he turned to her.

"We finished up for the day. We're starting a new section of herbs in the next session, so she didn't want to start on it when we only had a few minutes."

"Makes sense to me," Gwen said. David's food soon arrived, and everyone chatted while they ate.

About halfway through his meal, David was interrupted when a box thumped down on the table next to him. He looked up to see Rose standing at the table.

"What's that?" he asked.

"So you didn't send this one, either?" she asked him.

"Nope. Does it say it's from me again?"

"No. The card is creepy, actually." Rose handed it over. David noted it was the same handwriting as the last one.

"What's it say?" Olissa asked.

David looked to Rose, who shrugged. David read, "A symbol of your relationship."

"What the hell's that mean?" Gwen asked.

"Hell if I know," David said. "What's in the box?" David asked Rose.

"I don't know. Given what happened with the last one, I didn't want to open it."

David rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I'm with you there. And I don't think we should open it in here, either."

"What happened with the last one?" Gwen wanted to know.

"God-awfulest stink bomb you can imagine," David told her.

"Ugh. Marcus again?" she asked.

"Who's Marcus?" Rose asked. "Oh, wait... that's the guy that was giving you shit all last year, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," he replied. To Gwen, he said, "I don't think so. This is not his style. If he was up to his old tricks... well, she'd probably be in the hospital already."

"What?" Rose asked, concerned.

David waved her off. "I'll tell you about it later."

"So who, then?"

"I don't... wait, let me see the card again." Rose handed him the card, and he looked at it carefully. "Yeah, I could swear I've seen that writing before. Let me..." David dug around in his book bag until he pulled out a folder of notes. He leafed through it until he found the sheet he wanted, and then set the card down beside it, comparing styles.

After a minute, he sat up and said, "Well, I'm no handwriting expert, but they look the same to me."

Rose looked down and nodded. "Yeah, see, here, and here, those words are exactly the same."

"So who wrote it?" Gwen wanted to know.

David frowned. "Don't worry, I'll deal with this." He put his notes back, and then handed the card back to Rose. "You eating?" he asked.

"I already did. I didn't think you'd be here now."

"Apprenticeship let out early," he explained. "You want to open this up outside? If it's another stink bomb, the wind will clear it."

"Yeah, okay."

"Mind if we come?" Gwen asked. Olissa nodded.

David looked to Rose, who shrugged again. They all headed out of Byron Hall, and made their way into an open field. The light was fading, so they called over one of the fireflies to help them see.

Rose set the box down on the ground, and knelt beside it, then she undid the wrapping, and opened the flaps of the box. Inside was...

"Ugh!" Rose said, sitting back. David leaned down to see what it was. When he saw, he was very glad Jailla was not with him today. The bird's neck was snapped, and its head was twisted backward in a very unnatural position. There was a card beneath the dead bird, which David plucked out.

"What's it say?" Rose asked.

"It'll never fly," he read.

"What's that mean?" Gwen queried, confused.

"The first card said it was a 'symbol' of our relationship... and this one says 'It'll never fly.' The message is pretty clear. Someone wants you to break up with me," he said to Rose.

"I don't take orders from others," Rose said, scowling.

"Yeah, me, either," David said. "I'll take care of this. I'll have a talk with the... uh... perpetrator... the next time I see them."

"Okay," Rose said, willing to accept that.

"What do we do with the poor bird?" Olissa asked.

"Professor Schmidt, maybe? Maintenance? Who deals with dead animals?" David wondered.

"We don't get many of those around here," Gwen said. "In fact, I've never seen a dead animal on the grounds before now."

That gave David an idea. He closed the box, and then he stood up and pulled out his mirror.

"Professor Stott again?" Rose asked, allowing her jealousy to show.

"No." He dialed and said, "Misty Inverness."

In just a second, there was a soft flash of light, which was much more visible in the dim light, and then Misty floated before him. In another second, she was full-sized.

"Hi, David! What's up?"

"Hey, Misty. This is kind of an unpleasant question... but do the fairies deal with dead animals?"

"Yes, unfortunately, we do. It's a sad job, and we hate doing it. Why?"

"Well, someone decided to play a very sick joke on my friend." He picked up the box, but did not open it. "I don't even want to show it to you, but it's in here."

Misty reached toward the box, but when her hand got within an inch of it, she flinched. He saw her face pale, and a tear came to her eye. After a moment, she reached out and took the box from him.

"I'll take care of it, David," she said, trying not to cry.

"Thanks, Misty."

She left without her usual smile and good wishes.

"So you have an in with the professors, and the fairies. Is there anyone on this campus you don't have connections with?" Rose asked.

"Um... the licensure committee?" David asked, a little nonplussed at her jealousy. The others chuckled. "Misty is my legal escort. I can't leave campus without her."

"Ah. Well... I'm gonna head back to my room now. I have a report to get done tonight."

"Okay. Good luck."

Rose kissed David, and then headed off.

"You sure it's not Marcus?" Gwen asked.

"Quite sure, now. I'm going to have to deal with who it is, though."

"Why aren't you telling us?" Olissa asked.

"Well, no reason to spoil her... um, their name if I can clean this up with a simple talk."

"Her, huh?" Gwen said, seizing on David's slip. "So you've got girls fighting over you now. Way to go, stud."

David turned his head. "Even if that were true, one of them is crazy, clearly. Is that really something to be happy about?"

"I guess not. You sure you can deal with this?"

"Sure? No. But I'll give it a shot."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Good morning, David," Gwen said. Others greeted him, as well.

"Hey, guys," he responded. He placed his order when the pixie arrived, and then he looked over at Devyn.

"You look troubled, Devyn."

Devyn looked up, startled. She had been deep in thought. "I am sorry, I did not mean to be rude."

"You weren't rude," David replied. "You just seem to be having an issue this morning. Anything we can help with?"

Devyn blushed. "Um... no. Thank you, anyway, for offering."

David eyed Gwen, who at least pretended not to know what the problem was.

"Where's Rose?" Olissa asked. "She usually eats with us."

"Rose and I broke up last night," David said.

"That was short," Nate opined.

Olissa frowned. "What happened? Not the thing with the dead bird, is it?"

"No, it wasn't that. She and I are... uh... how do I put this... 'intimately incompatible'."

"I don't think I even want to know what that means," Simon said with a grin. The others chuckled.

"That's good, because I wasn't going to tell you," David said.

"Well, I'm sorry it didn't work out," Olissa said.

David shrugged. "It's okay. We didn't argue about it. We just had a talk, and we agreed it would be best if we went our separate ways. This is one of the reasons I chose her for my Sex Ed partner: since we don't travel in the same circles, there won't be any awkwardness now."

"Yeah, unlike me, every time I see Flo," Jim said, a bit morosely.

David grinned at him, and said, "That is entirely your doing, Jim. She hasn't said a word about it."

Jim just blushed, and said nothing further.

"So what are you doing today, David?" Gwen asked.

"I'm going down to watch the Centaur Games," he replied. "Anybody want to come with?"

"What, exactly, are the Games?" Nate asked.

"Think Olympics for centaurs," David said.

"What are Olympics?" Nate asked.

David rolled his eyes. "You damned Dugerrans and your lack of Earth culture knowledge!" he said good-naturedly. "The Games are a series of physical events designed to show the athletes' prowess. Running, jumping, archery, and things of that nature."

"Oh, okay. That sounds like it could be cool."

"Didn't you go last year?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, with Sarah," he said, frowning. "But Giendia is competing this year, so I figured I'd go and cheer her on."

"Giendia?" Simon asked.

"A centaur friend of mine."

"You have a centaur friend?" Nate asked, surprised.

"Yeah, why not?" David replied, a little irritated.

"No reason," Nate said defensively. "I just didn't think you got out that much."

David smirked. "So, anyone want to go?" Several of them decided to make a day of it, and they all finished up their meal so that they could go to the games.

-----

After Misty joined the group, they all went down into town. They were heading for the stadium, when suddenly David stopped.

"Hey, guys, you mind waiting a minute? I need to pop in here to get something."

The others said they didn't mind, and so David headed in to Mark Hall's Cards and Gifts. He looked around for a few minutes, but couldn't find anything that fit what he was looking for.

"Can I help you?" the clerk finally asked.

"Yes, I'm looking for something special to deliver a short message."

"What's the message?" the clerk asked.

"'Good luck today'," David told him.

"Ah, rooting for one of the centaurs, are we?" the man asked with a grin.

"Yeah."

"I have just the thing for you." He pulled out a small item that looked a bit like a fortune cookie. "This is a sparkle card. We enchant it with your message, and then when it is broken open, it displays the message in your choice of colored sparks dancing in the air."

"That's perfect."

David paid for the gift, and then left the shop to join the others.

"All set?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah. Let's go."

-----

The group arrived at the stadium in the middle of the shot put event. A resounding thud! announced a throw by one of the athletes.

Rick said, "Damn! How much does that thing weigh?"

One of the other spectators said, "Sixty pounds."

David sat down in the front row, and Gwen sat next to him. Olissa and Rick sat in the row behind them, and Jim and Nate sat behind them. Misty was remaining invisible today, so as to not intrude on the group's fun, she'd said.

David turned to Gwen. "Is everything okay with Devyn? She seems to be a bit more reclusive than usual lately."

"She's... actually, you know what? You need to talk to her. Privately."

"About what?"

"Just ask her what's bugging her. I know, but I'm not allowed to say anything."

"Oh. Okay, I guess. You think I should do it when we get back?"

"Whenever. It's not a big rush... but don't let it sit too long."

"Right."

"And thanks."

"For what?"

"Not trying to make me tell you what it's about."

"You said you couldn't. I take that to mean you made a promise. It's just wrong to ask someone to break a promise without a damned good reason."

Gwen smiled at him. "Where's your centaur friend?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. I don't see her or her father yet. But then, they don't compete in this event, I don't guess, so they're probably off resting up somewhere."

The group watched as the centaurs threw their shots, lofting the heavy weight over a hundred feet through the air. It was very impressive, but David didn't have a horse in this race, so to speak, so it wasn't as interesting to him.

Suddenly, the group heard, "David!"

David looked to his left, to see Dubnin and Giendia approaching. David stepped to the railing to talk with them.

"I'm glad you came!" Giendia said.

"Wouldn't miss it," he told her. "Have to see you win your first gold medal."

While Giendia blushed, David asked Dubnin, "Will you be in the steeplechase this year?"

"As always," he confirmed.

"Good luck to you," David said.

"Thank you," Dubnin replied.

"And for you," David said to Giendia, pulling out the sparkle card, "I got you this."

"What is it?" she asked, turning it over in her hands.

"Snap it in half," he told her. She did, and out poured a shower of blue sparks that danced in the air, arranging themselves until they spelled out, "Good Luck Today!" Giendia squealed in excitement, and in a few seconds, the sparkles faded.

"Thank you!" she said. She reached up and hugged him, and David hugged her back. Finally she let him go.

"We'd better get ready for our competitions," Dubnin told her, smiling at David.

"Okay." To David, she said, "Thanks for the wishes. I'll see you after, right?"

"Sure. Good luck!"

David sat back down as the centaurs moved off.

"That was a nice thing you did," Gwen told him.

"She gets nervous. I figured she could use the support."

"Not to mention, she's cute," Gwen said, nudging him.

"Hush," he told her. She giggled.

-----

The next event was referred to on the program as the Sled Pull.

"Isn't this kind of event demeaning to them?" Nate asked. "I mean, it goes back to their animal half, rather than their human one."

Gwen replied, "Centaurs do not disdain their horse heritage. They are proud of who they are. Their equine bodies give them great strength and speed. Keep in mind, they're not humans with horse parts, or horses with human parts. They're centaurs."

Nate nodded, and then everyone watched them set up for the sled pull. The sled in question was a curious affair. It was a very long sled with a box of weight near its back. David suddenly recognized it.

"Oh! This is a tractor pull!"

"Huh?" Gwen asked.

"In Earth, they do this event with big machines. As they pull the sled, the box of weight moves forward, making the sled dig into the ground more, right?"

"Looks that way. I've never seen this event."

"They use machines... for a strength competition?" Nate asked.

"Well, it's about mechanical strength, and the skill of the driver. Earth culture has a lot of competitions between machines."

"I didn't know that. I'd like to go see one, someday."

"They're very loud," David warned.

Just then, the sled pull started. A large centaur stepped to the front of the sled. He clearly spent his time working on his strength, as he was a muscular, powerful creature. They hooked the sled up to him, and when he was set, he started to pull. He strained and hauled against the harness, his hooves digging deep into the ground, as the weight box moved forward on the sled. Finally, the centaur could go no further, and he dropped to his knees, panting and sweating. The crowd applauded his effort.

"I wonder how much weight is in that box," Jim said to Nate.

The same spectator as before told him, "It starts at a thousand pounds. They will up the weight in future rounds."

"How do you know all this?" Jim asked the man.

"I bought a program," he said smugly. Jim blushed.

The sled pull continued through three rounds before a winner was declared. The centaur who won looked like a combination of a massively powerful horse, and Mr. Universe.

After several more events, they finally called out, "Next event is the steeplechase."

"Dubnin is in this one," David told Gwen.

"Who's Dubnin?"

"Giendia's dad."

"Ooh, getting in good with the parents..."

"Quiet, you!" David said. Gwen giggled again.

David rented a viewing lens so that they could watch the race. David waved to Dubnin when he saw him come out on the track, and Dubnin waved back. Soon, the race was off. The centaurs bolted off the starting line, and were quickly out of sight. David looked down to the viewing lens, to watch them racing across the track, hurdling barriers and jumping across ditches.

In a little while, the centaurs came racing back into the stadium. Dubnin was actually in the lead, but just barely. When they crossed the finish line, his opponent had edged him out by half a body length. The crowd cheered. The locals had taken third place. Dubnin fell just short of winning a medal.

"Sorry he didn't win," Gwen said to David.

"He didn't win last year, either. I get the feeling he never wins."

"Next up, archery," a voice announced. "Archery competition in twenty minutes."

David saw Giendia pacing around, nervous and fretting. He waved to her, and she came over.

"Nervous?" he asked her.

"Terrified. I've never been in a competition this big!"

"You'll do great. Just relax, take your time, and make your shots. And try to have fun. Remember, even if you lose, it's not the end of the world. There's always next year."

"Thanks, David." She gave him another hug, and then trotted off, back to her position on the line.

Gwen said to him, "She really does seem to need your support."

David nodded, and then they turned to watch the competition.

Just like the previous year, the first round was a simple archery shot. Giendia hit the bull's-eye without trouble. As the rounds progressed and they had to hit moving targets, he could see that she was struggling a little bit, but David felt that was mostly nerves. She was still in the competition, though, which was good.

As they got to the round with the two swinging rings, David was a bit nervous for Giendia. This was a tough one, and he wasn't sure she was in the right frame of mind to make the shot. Still, when it was her turn, she seemed to not even hesitate. She raised her bow, nocked her arrow, pulled it back and almost instantly let it fly. It sailed right through the middle of the rings, hitting the bull's-eye dead center. The crowd erupted in cheers, David included. Giendia was one of only four archers to manage this. Three were in Gorumshead, and one was at another arena. They could see his performance with the viewing lens.

The final round was next, and David could see the terrified look on Giendia's face. He didn't blame her. He had no idea how anyone made this shot, yet the previous year, one centaur had nailed it. The three spinning wheels stood between the archers and the target, and the wheels each spun at a different speed, with different holes in them.

The archer in the other stadium shot first, making it through one wheel, but embedding his arrow into the second. Now, it was up to the Gorumshead archers to try it.

The first archer succeeded in getting the arrow through the first two wheels, but the third wheel caught his arrow and threw it to the ground. The crowd groaned in sympathy; he'd been so close.

Giendia was up next. She stared at the wheels for the longest time. Finally, as her time was running out, she lifted her bow, her arrow already in position. She drew her bow back and immediately let the arrow fly. It sailed cleanly through the first wheel. Through the second wheel, the fletches on her arrow scraped the edge of the opening. As her arrow passed through the final wheel, it caught just the very end of her arrow, sending it in a new direction. Her arrow embedded itself in the target, but instead of the bull's-eye, she hit the third ring out. The crowd cheered wildly; she still had the best shot so far.

The final centaur stepped up to the line, staring confidently at the wheels spinning before him. About halfway through his time, he lifted his bow and pulled it back. In another few seconds, he let his arrow fly. It was the first wheel that deflected his shot, which still embedded into the target... in the same ring as Giendia's shot.

"There's a tie!" Gwen said as the audience erupted.

"How will they break the tie, I wonder?" David asked.

The wheels were removed from the field, and then a new target was brought out. The target was very, very small.

"What is that, like the size of a grana?" David asked incredulously.

"It is exactly one and a half times the size of a grana," Dubnin said. He had suddenly appeared next to the stands where David was sitting.

"How can anyone hit that?" David demanded.

"Just anyone, cannot."

"Can Giendia?"

"We will have to see that," Dubnin replied. David could tell he was nervous.

Giendia's shot came first. She had to hit the target from one hundred yards. She stared intently for a long moment, then she raised her bow, looking along the arrow to get her aim. Once she was ready, she pulled back and released her arrow all in one swift motion. The arrow sailed through the air, and with a resounding thwock! embedded itself into the target, near the outside edge. The stadium erupted with applause and cheers.

Once things had quieted, the other centaur stepped to the line. He took his time, looking over the situation, and then he raised his bow and pulled his arrow back. For another long moment, he paused, making sure his aim was steady. Finally, he let the arrow loose. His arrow slammed into the target's very center. The stadium went crazy.

Dubnin looked to David. "She will not be happy."

"Hey, she took second place... and that shot was nothing to be ashamed of!"

"I hope you will tell her that," Dubnin told him. "She won't believe me."

After Giendia received her medal, Dubnin actually motioned David to come down onto the field with him. David did so, and they walked over to where Giendia stood, downcast.

"I'm sorry, Father. I missed that last shot."

"Like hell you did," David told her. She looked at him, surprised. "You hit a tiny target at three hundred feet! You should be damn proud of that shot!"

"But he beat me," Giendia objected.

David motioned to the group of archers, who were milling around the winner. "And you beat all of them! Some of them are a lot older than you, too!"

Giendia smiled very slightly. "You really think I did okay?"

"No," David said, "I think you did incredible!"

"Thanks."

The three of them talked for a little while, and then David made to return to his friends. As he did, Giendia called him back. She trotted over to him.

"Thanks for coming today, and supporting me. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. I enjoyed it. You're great, and it's fun to watch."

Giendia blushed for a moment, then she got control of herself. "David, there's a friendship ceremony coming up next weekend. I was wondering if you'd like to come."

"What's a friendship ceremony?" he asked.

"When centaurs become good friends, when they start to trust each other, they participate in the friendship ceremony. It's an old, formal tradition. It's a way to... I'm not sure how to put it into human terms. I guess the closest analogy would be political. It's like a public treaty signing. You're telling the community that you have formed an alliance. The idea doesn't translate well, I guess... but I'd really like to take you to the ceremony... that is, if we are friends," she added, insecurity creeping in.

"Of course we're friends," David assured her. "And I'd be happy to come. Where is it?"

"If you'll meet me here, next Saturday at two o'clock. I'll lead you to the place. Otherwise, you might get lost," she said with a grin.

"Oh. Okay. Well, I'll be here."

"Thank you," she said, blushing. David hugged her, and then they parted. He went back to his friends, and she headed off to find her father.

"What was that about?" Gwen asked.

"She invited me to a ceremony of some kind," he told her.

"Oh. Well, that's nice."

"Yeah."

They sat and watched the rest of the games. They were interesting, but the reason David had come was to watch Giendia compete, so they didn't hold his attention quite so raptly as before. Instead, he was considering.

What the hell is a friendship ceremony, really?

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David leaned against the wall outside Devyn's Divination class. He had forgotten for a couple days that Gwen had said he needed to talk to her, but seeing her at dinner that evening had reminded him, as she had looked distraught.

As the class let out, David straightened up. He wanted to make sure not to miss Devyn in the crowd. He spotted her, though, and noticed that she was alone.

"Devyn!" he called out. She looked up, and saw him. She headed in his direction, and soon it was just the two of them in the hallway.

"Hello, David," she said politely. "What can I do for you?"

"Actually," he said, feeling a bit uncomfortable, "I was wondering if there's something I could do for you. You've seemed very... well, upset lately. I asked Gwen what was bugging you, but she told me to talk to you... so I'm talking to you. Is something wrong?"

Devyn tightened her lips and then sighed. "There is," she said. She turned and started to walk slowly. David kept pace with her. He waited patiently for her to start.

"You know that Gwen and I are girlfriends, right?"

"Yeah."

"I haven't found any other lesbian or bisexual girls on campus to perform my Sex Ed training with. I'm sure that there are some... but finding them is not easy. You cannot just come out and ask a girl if she is bisexual."

David nodded. "I can see the problem. Gwen said that you were bisexual yourself... so... why can't you just ask a guy? Or would Gwen object?"

"No, she would actually prefer that I ask a male."

"So, why aren't you?"

"I have tried," Devyn said morosely. "I have asked several males. They have all said no. Some of them... rather impolitely."

David sighed in frustration. "I'm sorry about that, Devyn. Is there anything I can do to help you find someone?"

Devyn turned to him. "You could say you will do it," she replied quietly.

David's eyebrows shot up briefly. "You want me to be your Sex Ed partner?"

"If you do not find the idea objectionable," she said.

"No, I don't find it objectionable at all. My only concern would be how it might affect the relationship between you, Gwen, and myself... but I'd be happy to be your partner if you want me to be."

Devyn smiled at him, which was rare for her. "Thank you, David. I appreciate your help."

They had reached the exit of the building, and David opened the door for her.

"No problem. When did you want to? Just so you know, I can't do it on Saturday, I have a prior commitment."

Devyn shook her head. "I am not ready yet. It may be a few weeks."

"Oh. Okay, that's no problem. Say, out of curiosity, who did Gwen pick as her partner?"

"She did not pick anyone. She is not participating in the Sexual Education portion of the class."

"Wow," David said, surprised.

After they'd walked a short ways, Devyn asked, "Are you sure you do not mind, David? I do not want you to do this just because you feel sorry for me."

"I don't mind at all, Devyn. You and I get along, you've got a pretty nice body, and... well, not to be too blunt, but I like sex. If you'd asked me from the very beginning, I'd still have said yes... well, I'd have made sure Gwen was okay with it, first."

Devyn smiled at him again. "Thank you. I needed that reassurance."

"No problem. Come on, I'll walk you back to the dorm."

As they walked, Devyn asked, "What are you doing on Saturday? Another Sex Ed partner?" she suggested with a grin.

David chuckled. "No. Giendia, my centaur friend, has asked me to attend a centaur friendship ceremony with her."

"Oh. That is... unusual."

"How do you mean?"

"I am familiar with the centaur ceremonies, at least the common ones. It is unusual for a non-centaur to be involved. It is not prohibited, just uncommon."

"Oh. Well... she asked, so I said yes. Hey, this isn't some kind of, like agreement to marry her or anything, is it?"

Devyn chuckled. "No. Centaurs have ceremonies for a lot of things. They like to formalize relationships. It is merely a public recognition that you two are close friends."

"So... why is it uncommon for non-centaurs to participate?"

"Centaurs do not make close friends with non-centaurs very often. It is a trust issue with them; while they accept other races, and they readily work with other races, they do not fully trust them. Since the key to the ceremony is trust, it is rare for them to ask a non-centaur to take part."

"I see," David said, though he wasn't sure he did, fully. The two of them walked back to the dorm in comfortable silence after that, until they reached Devyn's dorm room.

"Thank you for your help, David," Devyn said. "I hope I will not disappoint you."

David smiled gently at her. "Don't worry about that. Just practice your skills so you can get them right."

Devyn gave him a hug, which was very unusual, and then she headed into her room. David walked back to his own room, mulling over what she'd told him about the friendship ceremony, and fantasizing a little about what she might look like naked.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Hey, David,"

"Hi, Cherise," he said. He was sitting at lunch. He was alone, because his schedule forced him to eat late, after his MagEc class. Everyone else had already eaten. Cherise sat down next to him.

"I hear that you and Rose aren't going together anymore," she said.

David looked sideways at her as he continued to eat his lunch, but he nodded.

"How come?" she asked.

David replied, "We just decided that we weren't a good match."

"Oh, well, that's a shame," she said, a slight pout crossing her face. Then her look brightened. "But, hey, since you're not dating now... want to go out sometime?"

David sighed. There was no way he was getting involved with this psycho. He turned to face her. "I don't think you and I would make a good couple, either, Cherise. Especially after what you pulled with Rose."

"What ever do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"Cherise, don't bullshit me. I've been staring at your handwriting for two months working on the handbook. I know it when I see it. It wasn't nice, what you did."

Cherise frowned and said, "I was just trying to point out something you apparently finally figured out... that you two weren't right for each other."

"I don't like people interfering in my life, Cherise. From now on, let's limit our contact to the handbook work, okay?"

"Well, if that's what you really want," she said.

"It is."

Cherise sat still as David got up, having finished his lunch.

"I'll see you on Tuesday," he told her, and walked off. Cherise stared after him, a grim look of determination crossing her face as she watched him go.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David had decided to dress up for the friendship ceremony, and so he put on his fancier coat. As he was getting ready to leave, he looked over at Jailla.

"How do I look?"

"Like a peacock," Jailla replied with a mirthful chirp.

"Big help you are. Do you want to come with me, or do you want to stay here?"

"Actually, could you let me out to fly while you're gone? I have no interest in centaur ceremonies, but I haven't stretched my wings in a few days."

"Okay, but I don't know how long this will take."

"I will wait near the top of the entrance lift for you."

"That works. Well, I guess it's time to call Misty." David used his mirror to call her, and she was soon standing before him.

"Ooh, wow. Someone's all dressed up," she said with a grin.

"I have to attend a ceremony with the centaurs. I'll need you as my escort today, and I'm not sure how long it will take, either."

"Don't worry about it. I have all day. Are you part of the ceremony?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll accompany you invisibly. That way, I won't get in the way."

"Okay." As Misty disappeared, David called out, "Come on, Jailla." With Jailla on his shoulder, and Misty invisibly tagging along, David headed out.

As David rode up in the rock lift, someone zoomed by on a SkyRider. He couldn't tell who it was, and they didn't come back, so he promptly forgot about it. He reached the terrace level, and Jailla chirped his good-bye and took off, flapping off into the sky to get his exercise. David smirked at him, and then made his way to the rock lift that led to ground level.

Walking along the road to Gorumshead, David could swear that he was being followed. Each time that he looked around, however, he didn't see anything. Finally, he shrugged and wrote it off as paranoia. He made his way to the stadium, to wait for Giendia to show up. He knew he was early; he hadn't wanted to risk missing her.

In only a few minutes, Giendia entered the stadium. She saw him sitting in the stands, and trotted over to him.

"You made it!" she said with a smile.

"Wouldn't miss it," he told her. He climbed down out of the stands to stand beside her. "So, where to?"

She walked slowly, so he could keep up with her. She led him out of the stadium and down a road that quickly led into the forest. They had chatted about little things along the way. After about a mile's walk, suddenly Misty appeared in front of them both. Giendia reared up ever so slightly, startled. David, too, was surprised to see her.

"Misty! What's the point in scaring the shit out of us?" he asked.

"I am not willing to go any further away from the castle, David."

"Are you tied to the castle somehow?" David asked.

"It is my home. Fairies don't usually leave their home, once they've settled into it."

"But this is a special occasion."

"Which is why I've already come so far."

David turned to Giendia. "How much further is it?"

"About a mile," she told him.

David asked Misty, "Can't you go one more mile?"

Misty shook her head. "I cannot. I am already very uncomfortable. If you choose to go on, I cannot accompany you."

David frowned. Giendia asked, "David, what's this about?"

David shook his head at her. Finally, to Misty, he said, "I'm going with Giendia. I made a promise to attend, and I'm going to."

"I understand. I will return to the castle."

As Misty disappeared, they resumed walking. David explained the situation to Giendia as they did so.

"I don't want to get you in trouble," Giendia told him.

"Too late to worry about it now," he said. "I'm already breaking the rules. If I'm gonna get in trouble, anyway, might as well do what we set out to do."

"I guess," Giendia said, a little concerned. "By the way, I should mention this. A centaur can hold their breath comfortably for about two minutes, and in an emergency, for up to three."

"Okay..."

"You'll need to know that. How long can you hold your breath for?"

"Sixty or seventy... years..." David said with a chuckle. Giendia looked at him curiously. "I'm a demighost. I don't need to breathe," he explained.

"Oh! Well, then we'll just pretend that it's the same for you as for centaurs."

"All right... why is this important?"

"You'll understand when the ceremony starts."

"Okay."

When they arrived at the spot Giendia had been leading him to, it turned out to be the base of a waterfall, with a large water basin at the bottom. He also saw four other pairs waiting, along with one centaur dressed in what David assumed was a ceremonial robe. He noted that the two other female centaurs present, other than Giendia, were topless. David tried not to stare.

The centaur in the robe walked up to them. "Welcome," he told them both. To David, he asked, "Has the nature of the ceremony been explained to you?"

"Well, Giendia told me what the purpose was... but she hasn't told me what the ceremony entails."

The centaur nodded. He said, "Very well. What will happen is this: each pair will enter the water together, and walk to the center of the pool. There is a rock there where Giendia will lie down on her side. You will give her time to take several breaths, and then you will take hold of her shoulders and push her head under water, holding it there."

"What?"

"You must hold it for longer than would be comfortable for her, but not so long as would harm her. I assume she's already told you how long that would be."

"She did... But, what's the point of that?" David asked.

"She is demonstrating her trust of you. She will be in such a position that fighting back will be very difficult. She is showing that she trusts you to let her go before she drowns. After you have done this to her, she will then do the same to you. Given that you are a human, you will be able to float next to the rock, and she will push you under. Do you understand?"

"Yes," David said, nodding.

"Good. We will begin soon."

David moved to the water's edge with Giendia, to witness the ceremony's beginning. The centaur spoke in a language that David did not comprehend, and he didn't want to spoil the mood by asking Giendia to translate.

The first pair to enter the pool were two males. David watched in fascination as they each submerged the other. It looked somewhat scary to David, actually. As the centaurs switched places, he could see that the one who had just been underwater was clearly out of breath.

Finally, the first pair left the pool, and the next names called were Giendia's and his. To David's discomfort, Giendia removed her top at this point. He worked mightily hard at not staring at her breasts, which were very nicely proportioned for her body.

"Um," he whispered, "do I need to undress?"

She smiled at him. "You might want to remove your coat and boots, but otherwise, no." David did as she suggested, and stood back up. "Come with me," she said. She took his hand, and the two walked into the water together. By the time they reached the center of the pool, Giendia was actually pulling David along as he floated, because his feet no longer touched bottom. She helped him up onto the rock, and then she climbed onto it, lying on her side, her upper body turned slightly, to face him.

"You might want to kneel," she told him. "It will make it easier for you." David did as she told him, and stared into her eyes. "I'm ready when you are," she encouraged him.

"Take a couple deep breaths for me," David said, placing his hands on her shoulders. He made sure not to look down as she did. "Okay. Three, two, one, now," he told her. On the word 'now', he pushed on her shoulders until her head was beneath the surface. Silently to himself, he counted to one hundred fifty, which would be roughly two and a half minutes. He kept a close eye on Giendia's face, which he could clearly see. He saw her face change from ease to unease, but she didn't look ready to panic. When he finally hit 150, he moved his hands from the front of her shoulders to the sides, and he pulled her upward until she was well clear of the water.

Giendia took a deep breath, and then smiled at him, to let him know she was okay. David rose from his position, and then helped her rise off the rock. She didn't stand on the rock with him, but instead, slid off into the water.

"Okay, now you need to get into the water with me," she told him. He stepped off the rock, plunging into the water, and then coming to the surface, treading water beside her.

"Whenever you're ready," he told her.

Giendia placed her hands on his shoulders, and pushed him beneath the surface. He felt no discomfort, and, in fact, as he was basically forced to stare at her chest now, he was quite content. He counted to one forty before she let him up, and then she pulled him back to the side of the pool, so that the next pair could go.

They watched in silence as the remaining three pairs performed the ceremony. Then the ceremony leader said some more things in that language that David couldn't understand. Suddenly, the centaurs were each turning to face each other. Giendia did likewise to David.

"Put your arms out like this, only reversed," she told him. She had both arms held out to her front, one palm facing up, the other palm facing down. David mirrored her actions, so that their palms were touching. "This is to symbolize our partnership as friends, with neither of us dominant, which is why we have one hand each on top and on bottom."

David nodded in understanding. They stayed like that while the leader said several more things that were utter gibberish to him. Finally, Giendia let her arms drop, and David did likewise. The leader said a few more words, and then they were done. The others moved away, but the ceremony leader walked over to David.

"You performed well," he told David. "Thank you for respecting our traditions."

"Thank you for including me," David replied. The centaur nodded, and moved off. David turned to Giendia, who had put her top back on while he had spoken to the ceremony leader. He wasn't sure if he was glad of that or not.

"Is it okay to perform magic here?" David asked.

"Yes, why?"

David pulled out his wand and performed the drying spell on himself. As he put his wand away, he said, "I hate walking around in wet clothes." Giendia giggled at him as he pulled his boots back on. "Speaking of clothes," he said, "why was everyone but me naked?"

"Centaurs don't normally wear clothes unless it is very cold out. We have no body modesty."

"But all the female centaurs at the Games..." David objected.

Giendia explained, "We know that it upsets humans and some other races to see naked women in public. We respect that, and so we cover up when we expect to be around them. The ceremony, however, is supposed to be performed in our 'natural' state, so we wear no clothing. Did seeing me naked upset you?"

"No!" David said, a little too vigorously. "You are very pretty. I was just... surprised. If the ceremony is supposed to be performed naked, why didn't I need to get undressed?"

"Because being naked in public isn't your natural state. Your natural state is to wear clothes. How you can stand it, I don't know, but that's what you humans do," she said with a grin.

David chuckled. After that, Giendia got more serious.

"I really do want to thank you for taking part. It means a lot to me."

"I'm glad you asked me," David replied.

"Say," Giendia said, "I know it's not that long a trip back to the school, but you wouldn't want a ride, would you?"

David arched his eyebrows. "You mean, on your back?"

"Yeah."

"Um... that's not... like, taboo or something, is it?"

Giendia blushed. "Kind of. Some centaurs think it's demeaning."

"You don't?"

"Not as long as we're not being forced to do it. I'm offering voluntarily. How can that be demeaning?"

"True, I guess."

"So, you want to?"

"Okay," he said. He moved to her side, and put his hands where her hips would be, if her human part had hips. He jumped, and made his way onto her back, settling in comfortably.

"Am I too heavy for you?" he asked in concern.

Giendia smirked. "Not even close. You might want to put your hands around my waist, so you don't fall off." David did so, and then Giendia started walking again, at her normal pace, rather than the slow walk she'd had to keep up so that he could stay with her. This way, it took them no time at all to get back to the school.

David slid off Giendia's back, and moved around to face her.

"Thanks for the ride," he told her. "And thank you again for inviting me to the ceremony."

"I hope you don't get in trouble for it," Giendia said.

David shrugged. "It was worth it, if I do."

Giendia knelt down, bringing them much closer to the same height. Then she hugged him. David embraced her in return, and they stayed like that for a while. Finally, they separated.

"Giendia, where do the centaurs live?"

"I'm afraid it's even further from here than the pool is."

"Damn. It would be impossible for me to visit until the end of the school year, then. I'd be interested in seeing how centaurs live."

Giendia smiled wanly. "And I will miss you."

"You can always come up to the school, if you want," he offered.

"I might do that. How would I find you, though?"

"Just ask a student or a teacher to contact me... unless you have your mirror with you..."

"We... don't use mirrors to communicate. It's a cultural thing."

"Oh. Well, still, you could ask someone to call me."

Giendia nodded. "I'd better get home, David. Thank you so much for coming today."

David hugged her one last time, and then he stepped back. She rose to her feet and then trotted off. He waved when she turned to look back, but then she settled into a gallop, and was soon out of sight. He turned and entered the school.

I wonder, David thought to himself, just why our friendship is so important to her. I can't think she's looking for a boyfriend from a human, though... damn, what an upper body she's got on her! Anyway... it was interesting, to say the least. As for the why... well, I guess that doesn't really matter.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Hello, David," Prof. Stott greeted him when he entered. "How did your ceremony go on Saturday?"

David walked over and gave her a kiss, which she gladly accepted. "Hey, Sam. It was... interesting. Confusing, but interesting."

Prof. Stott chuckled. "Life can be like that sometimes."

"So what are we working on today?" David asked her.

"We're going to start talking about the deathshrike family of plants."

"Never heard of them, but they sound poisonous."

"They can be, if handled incorrectly. But they can be a valuable asset to your potion making, when used at the right time."

"Okay, so... what does deathshrike look like?"

Prof. Stott pulled a large jar down from the shelf and set it in front of him. The plant was made up mostly of thorns, with a single, blood-red flower in the middle of a ring of dense thorns.

"Let me guess... the flower is the only useful part, and you cannot cut off the thorns to get to it."

Prof. Stott smiled. "Very good. You're learning. All members of deathshrike look something like this, though each is, of course, slightly different."

"So, what do you use it for?" he asked.

She passed over a scroll that contained an essay on the uses of deathshrike in potions.

"By the way, you'll be having a test on your potions knowledge in a couple weeks. Obviously, it's not a graded exam, but I want to make sure you're retaining the knowledge we're going over."

"Okay," David said, nodding.

"Now, get on with that. I have to work up a potion for tomorrow's class."

When David was finished with his apprenticeship time, he spent some additional 'friendly' time with Sam, which meant he didn't leave her workroom until well after dinner. As he was walking across the terrace, to go back to his dorm, he felt as though he was being watched. A quick look around spotted only one person nearby, and they were on a SkyRider, zipping straight toward him. They whizzed past at high speed, missing him by five feet. He had caught a glimpse of pink, but little else.

What the hell was that about?

David shrugged and walked on.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Hey, guys?" Simon said, getting everyone's attention. They were all sitting at dinner together. "Have any of you noticed Koda being... weird?"

"He's a bat. He's always weird," Jim said.

"You know what I mean," Simon replied.

"Weird how, exactly?" Nate asked.

"Just... doing stuff you think he shouldn't be."

"Why do you ask?" Jim wanted to know.

"I've had Koda for a couple years now, and he seems different since we got back to school this year. You guys haven't noticed anything?"

They all shook their heads, but then David said, "Hey, wait a minute... what about when he was looking through that drawer?"

"What drawer?" Simon asked.

"A few weeks ago, Nate and I came back to the room, and found Koda rummaging through your desk drawer. He said that you had asked him to look for something. He was rather rude, actually."

Nate nodded in agreement.

"Strange. I've never asked Koda to look for anything... he sucks at finding things. And I've never known him to be rude, either."

"What do you think is going on with him, then?" Nate asked.

"I don't know. Just... keep an eye out for him, would you, guys? And let me know if you catch him doing anything else strange. I don't know what's going on, but I'm wondering if I'm going to need to have him checked out. Maybe he's getting sick somehow that is affecting his behavior."

"Could be," Jim agreed.

"Okay, we'll keep our eyes open. Right, guys?" David said. The others agreed.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David's session with Prof. Stott was abbreviated this day, as it was Halloween, and David was supposed to join the ghosts for their Night of Haunting, which started at sundown.

As David walked out of the Potions building, he was greeted by Cherise.

"Hey, David."

"Oh, hi, Cherise. What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the Halloween Feast together."

David sighed. "Look, Cherise, I told you, we aren't going to date. We aren't compatible."

"Oh, I think you should really change your mind, David," Cherise said, her voice growing even sweeter than it had been.

David was annoyed now. "And why is that?"

"Because if you don't, I might have to let it slip to the dean that you were off campus without an escort the other day. I saw you go into the forest with that centaur girl. I saw your fairy leave. You could get in a lot of trouble for that."

David's jaw set. She was right; he could get in a lot of trouble for that. He didn't want to go back to the facility.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I told you. I want you to take me to the Halloween Feast."

"I'm not going to the feast. I spend my Halloween with the ghosts. Now, if you'd like to go there..." David offered, knowing that she would definitely not enjoy that.

Cherise shuddered. "Ew! No thank you! I'll let you off this time, David, but you and I are going out on Saturday, or you'll regret it."

Cherise stepped away, then turned and blew him a kiss with a sweet smile. Then she hopped on her SkyRider - a pink one - and zoomed away.

So, she's the one I saw the other day. And probably responsible for the feeling I've had that I'm being watched. David sighed. He didn't need this crap. He also knew he had to hustle, however. Sundown would be approaching soon, and he needed to be up at the castle for that.

At least tonight I'll get to blow off some steam. I have a feeling life is about to get stressful. Great, just great.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
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