Chapter 2: July

David had moved into his house two days after he had toured it with Joe and Zyla. It had taken him that long to learn how to hire fairies, and to then make arrangements with a group of fireflies, and also a group of brownies, to keep the place clean and well-lit. He wondered if he should hire on some other fairies to tend the outdoors, but he'd worry about that later. The twenty brownies had only taken up one of the servants' rooms, so if he needed more help, there was plenty of space for them. The fireflies, of course, lived in the rooms they were intended to provide light for.

Once he'd moved in, he had tried to become comfortable with the place. The problem was that it was just so large, it felt like he was the only person staying in a hotel. He had, however, made use of the basement, to practice his spellcasting. He also found that it made a nice place to practice his sword and staff work, in case it was raining or dark outside.

Now David was walking into the local adult education center in Bolmont. Mostly this facility was used to teach non-wizarding skills to adults, like the beginnings of trades such as metalworking and woodworking. It also had some "self-improvement" classes, however, like the one he was being forced to enroll in.

"Hello, can I help you?" the receptionist asked politely.

"Yes, I'm supposed to be joining an anger management class."

"Oh, okay. What's your name?"

"David Stroud."

The lady looked down at her list and quickly found him. "Yes, you're signed up. Could you sign this? Right there at the bottom."

David signed the registration form and handed it back.

"Thank you. Now, your class meets at nine o'clock every day for the next two weeks, not including weekends. It's in room 14, and your instructor is Mr. Grushka."

"Mister? Not Doctor, or Professor?"

She smiled at him. "No. He has degrees in psychology, but he's not a doctor."

"Joy," David said. He nodded to the lady and walked down the hall until he found room 14. When he walked in, there were already several people present. The teacher, however, was not.

David sat down without saying anything, and simply waited. Not too many people in the room seemed interested in talking. David wasn't interested in striking up a conversation, either. He was sure that everyone in this class had been forced to be here by some means.

Just before nine o'clock, a man walked in who was obviously the instructor. The man strode up to the front of the room, and then turned to face the class.

"Okay, let's count... nine. Yes, you're all here. Well, I don't know why the cleaning crew keeps insisting on arranging these chairs in rows. This is a discussion class, so if you would all rearrange your chairs into a circle..."

There was much shuffling of chairs as the students moved as requested. David ended up sitting directly across from the instructor.

"Now, my name is Mr. Grushka. I have a bachelor's and a master's degree in psychology from an Earth university."

"Which one?" one of the men asked.

"Florida State," Grushka replied. "Now, what we are going to do in this class is, first, determine what triggers your anger and aggression. After that, we will discuss ways in which you can channel and refocus those feelings into less destructive actions. The very first thing I'd like us to do is to go around the room and introduce ourselves. Tell us who you are, what got you sent here, and what you hope to get out of this class."

David listened respectfully to each person as they spoke, but he made no effort to retain a single word of what he heard, beyond their names. Finally, it came his turn to speak.

"My name is David Stroud. I was sent here by the court as a part of my sentence, and what I hope to get out of this class is... um... to get out of this class, in two weeks."

The other students chuckled, but Mr. Grushka frowned. "You have no goal for improvement here?"

David shrugged. "I don't believe I have an anger control problem."

Mr. Grushka looked down at his file. "You were convicted of aggravated battery," he replied. "Certainly that speaks to, at the very least, an aggression control problem."

"Not necessarily," David replied. "It all depends on the circumstances surrounding the aggression, now doesn't it?"

"What could possibly warrant putting a man in the hospital for months?" Mr. Grushka asked.

"The man in question had just beaten a close female friend of mine. He broke her arm and three ribs, and fractured her jaw, busting out two teeth in the process, among other various cuts and bruises. Under the circumstances, I think I did a rather remarkable job of controlling myself."

The class murmured about that.

"An interesting position to take," Mr. Grushka said. "We will certainly discuss it at length as the class goes on. Now, let's move on to the next person, shall we?"

"How did your first day go?" Jailla asked David that evening. Familiars were not permitted into the classes, and so Jailla had spent his day flying around the Pendergrast Manor estate, learning where all the best shade trees and fruit bushes were located.

"Pointlessly, mostly. Do you think I have an anger management problem?"

"Not particularly. If anything, I think you perhaps rein yourself in a little too tightly. When you do finally let loose, it's with such pent-up force that it's like a dragon attacking the village."

David chuckled. "Maybe. But I don't like to go off on people without a good reason."

"Yes, I know."

"So, the guy told me that I would have to come back the next day. Well, I was getting pretty tired of hearing that from him, and I told him so. He gave me this snotty-assed comment about how he didn't need to listen to me, and that I should get out of his space. So... I... moved his space, by punching him hard enough to knock him down." The man, named Scott, finished his story with a firm nod.

Mr. Grushka said, "And did this get your carriage fixed any faster?"

Scott frowned. "No. In fact, it's still not fixed, because the bastard took it apart piece by piece after he had me arrested."

"So, what did you learn from that?"

"That I should have beaten him a lot worse," Scott said. Others in the room chuckled, and Mr. Grushka glared at them.

"Can anyone here think of a better response than hitting the man?" Mr. Grushka asked.

"Busting the wheels on his carriage," one other guy said.

"Trashing the workshop," another suggested.

"Filing a grievance with the Royal Business Bureau, detailing the fraud," David replied. Mr. Grushka looked at him in astonishment.

"You are suggesting paperwork?" he asked.

David shrugged. "It's only a carriage. Important, but not something to get violent over. What I would have done is file the grievance, hired a carriage to take me to work every day, and then billed the shop for the carriage rides."

"And you think that little worm would have paid up?" Scott asked derisively.

"That would have depended on the decision of the RBB. But chances are, if he really was defrauding you, then he would have had no choice. In any case, you wouldn't have lost your job and spent two months in a management facility over it. The carriage rides would have ultimately cost you less, even if they hadn't been paid back."

"Hmph," Scott said.

Mr. Grushka turned to David. "And why was it not possible for you to use this same kind of logic in your situation? The Rimohrs would have dealt with the man you assaulted."

"But who would have dealt with my conscience?" David asked.

"You're saying your conscience would have bothered you for not harming the man?"

"My conscience would have bothered me for not protecting my friend. The best I could do to quiet that voice was to even the score."

"But the score wasn't evened, was it? Your friend is out of the infirmary. Your victim is not."

"But my friend was not responsible for the course of events. The perpetrator was. Punishment for the guilty should always be more severe than the crime they have committed."

"But that punishment is supposed to be handed out by the state," Mr. Grushka pointed out.

"Legally speaking. Not necessarily ethically speaking. What I did was illegal, which is why I was arrested. That does not automatically mean it was wrong," David told him.

"You can't see that what you did had serious consequences? To you, and to your victim?"

"I paid my consequences... and my 'victim', as you call him, got what he deserved."

"Can you not think of any better way to have handled the situation?" Mr. Grushka asked.

"Not and still look at myself in the mirror every morning. Can you?"

"I would have allowed the Rimohrs to deal with him, as is proper."

"Well, I guess you don't have that much self-respect to lose, then."

The class oohed at that. It was a rather challenging remark.

"Perhaps my self-respect comes from finding a better way than violence to deal with situations," Mr. Grushka replied.

"The course of action you suggest isn't dealing with the situation. It's passing it off to someone else. Ultimately, you're preaching avoidance rather than taking responsibility. When I suggested to Scott that he could have filed a grievance, that would be Scott taking responsibility for the situation, and doing what needed doing to get the situation dealt with. It's a process he would be an integral part of. What you are suggesting that I should have done was to sit on my hands and watch an abuser get off with a slap on the wrist. He was sentenced to three months in a management facility. He's serving his sentence while in the infirmary. Now, if you honestly think that three months was sufficient to his crime, then I'd suggest you go back to Earth, because we don't need that kind of bone-headed crap on this side of the travel gate."

The class actually applauded David for that. Mr. Grushka looked very upset.

"All right, David. Sum up what you've learned in the first week of this class."

David tried not to snort out loud, but failed. "I've learned that you live under the mistaken notion that violence is never an acceptable response."

Mr. Grushka leaned forward. "You are a man with a lot of pent-up anger, Mr. Stroud."

"Really?" David asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, how about this: how about I throw rocks at you every day for seven months; try to cause serious bodily injury to your friends, putting one in a coma; have your supervisor belittle you and try to get you fired for a year; then make sure one of your best friends betrays you to one of your enemies, and we'll see just how annoyed YOU get! Do I have a lot of pent-up anger? You bet your motherfucking ass I do. The fact that I'm not going around beating the crap out of everyone who annoys me kind of proves that I don't have an aggression management problem! As to my pent-up anger, you haven't done squat about teaching me how to get rid of it, so no, I haven't learned anything this week."

Mr. Grushka was rocked back in his chair at this little tirade from David. "I... see..." Mr. Grushka said. He made some notes in his notebook and, without further statement, moved on to the next student.

"This place is gorgeous," Jess said to David. Since they lived in Bolmont, David had invited Gwen and Jess over for dinner. Mainly, he just wanted some company in his big, empty house, if only for a few hours.

"It's all right," he agreed. "I still don't feel comfortable here."

"You've been cooped up in that dorm room too long," Gwen told him.

"That, and a jail cell," David said. He related the story to them as best he could without going into all the details of the situation.

"Anger management," Gwen said, snorting derisively. "They should have you teaching a course on anger management. Of all the people I've figured you would go ballistic on, you've never lost control that I've seen. The one time you do..."

"I never lost control," David objected. "I did exactly what I intended to do. That's the fallacy in this stupid class. It assumes that aggression is never warranted, and it tries to teach that you must be out of control if you hurt someone. But if you make a conscious choice that violence is the appropriate response, then that's not lack of control. At most, you can call it poor judgment."

"You really think violence is okay sometimes?" Jess asked.

"I didn't beat the man senseless because I thought it was the wrong thing to do," David said. "He hurt someone. The only appropriate response to that is for him to be hurt himself. Anything else is delusional wishful thinking."

"If you feel that way, then why didn't you take Marcus apart your first year, Cherise your second year, or Prof. Quayde your third year?" Gwen wanted to know.

"Because the equation didn't balance in that direction," he said.

"Huh?"

"On the one hand, I could have hurt those people. Maybe not Quayde, I don't know how strong he actually is. But I could have done... something. On the other hand, I could do what I did, and let it go until I found some other solution... although, keep in mind, Quayde was ultimately dealt with violently, just not by me, and I did eventually beat the snot out of Marcus. Twice. And I came dangerously close to killing Cherise after she hurt Olissa.

"The reason I didn't, say, choke the life out of Cherise was simply that it would have done more harm to me, and, indirectly, to Dean Lengel, for me to act out, than to just allow the situation to continue. Violence has to be applied with consideration. In other words," he said with a rather ironic grin, "you have to manage your aggression."

Gwen chuckled, and even Jess grinned.

"All right, Mr. Stroud. You are presented with a belligerent man who is standing in front of you, calling you names and trying to provoke you into a fight. What do you do?"

"That depends on the circumstances," David replied.

"I just told you the circumstances," Mr. Grushka said with exasperation.

"No you didn't. You told me the situation, not the circumstances. Do I know this man? Have I had dealings with him before? Is he intoxicated? Do I have a sense of whether he will attack if I try to walk away? Is he of a build to make a fight a drawn-out affair, or could he be dealt with using a single physical or magical attack? I cannot draw a reasoned conclusion about what I should do, without knowing the conditions under which the situation occurs."

"You can, then, still foresee an instance where you would use violence in this situation."

"Of course I can. I can think of several reasons I might, depending on the circumstances. If, for instance, I'm aware that the person is drunk, and when he's drunk, he will attack me if I try to walk away, then I would be a fool to turn my back on him. Or, if I have spent the last year dealing with his abuse, and I know that the only way to shut him up is to engage him physically, then it makes far more sense to do so now than to allow the stress to build up to a breaking point."

"You haven't learned a damned thing from this class," Mr. Grushka told him.

"That's because there was nothing taught here worth learning," David replied. "Your assertion that violence is, by definition, wrong is errant nonsense. Since I refuse to 'educate' myself with incorrect information, I cannot learn from your teaching. You should retitle your class Anger Submersion and Aggression Removal, because you're not actually teaching us to manage things, just to shove them aside for a 'nonviolence at all costs' approach. Which would work fine, if everyone in the rest of the world agreed with it, but they don't. We live in the real world, and in the real world, applying violence to certain situations is the only appropriate response. This class is supposed to teach us how to control that response. You haven't taught us anything of the sort."

"You realize that, if I report to the magistrate that you aren't trying in this class, he will have you cited for contempt?"

"And you realize that if I report you to the Ministry of Education for trying to coerce a student just because he doesn't agree with your methodology, you'll lose your teaching license?" David responded. "Now, see, if I had an aggression control problem, I'd have decked you for threatening me. But I chose a nonviolent option, because it better served my needs. That's aggression management."

The class applauded David. Mr. Grushka looked at him with a mix of despair and rage.

"Mr. Stroud, your attitude toward this class has been abysmal. You have, however, raised enough philosophical points to make it obvious that you have been paying full attention, and you have certainly been participating. As such, I am passing you. Hopefully, despite your attitude, you will have learned something from this course."

"I learned to ask for a different teacher, if I ever have to do this again," David said.

Mr. Grushka glared at him, handed him his certificate of completion, and waved him out of the room.

David walked out and caught a carriage back to his home. He went into the office, which he had already cleaned out and begun using for his own purposes. He added the certificate to the folder containing all his criminal records, which included his original sentence for being a demighost, along with his release papers from that sentence. He wondered just how thick this file might become over the next thousand years or so. He closed the cabinet, not wanting to think about it.

At least that phase of things is over. I suppose I don't have any more excuses not to go back to Woodward and talk with Dean Lengel... but it can wait until Monday. I want to enjoy at least one more weekend.

David drove his glidecar up to Gorumshead and parked outside the entrance to the school. He stepped out of the vehicle, and then looked up at the mountain. From this perspective, it was impossible to see anything of the school. He sighed, knowing that he was just delaying. He straightened his coat, looked forward, and entered the school grounds.

As David rode up on the rock lift, he decided that his first stop would be to talk with Madame Abernathy. He wanted to say hi to Cupcake, on the off chance that he was going to be banished from school grounds, and he also had some issues to discuss with the vet.

David entered the vet's office, to find no receptionist. He wandered back to Madame Abernathy's actual office, to find her writing out some kind of report. He knocked softly on the door jamb to get her attention.

"David!" she said brightly after she looked up. "Good to see you! Come in!"

David walked in and sat down in the chair across her desk from her.

"Did your familiar need a checkup, or were you here for other reasons?"

"Well, Jailla could probably use a checkup, but that's not why I'm here. I came to talk to you about the riding guild."

Madame Abernathy set her papers aside so she could focus on what he was saying. "Okay, so, what's on your mind?"

"Well, really, I just came to give you the opportunity to withdraw your request for me to be your co-petitioner. I assume you no longer want my name associated with the guild."

Madame Abernathy frowned and looked confused. "Why would you assume that?"

David sighed. "You haven't been informed, have you." It wasn't a question.

"Of?"

"I was sent to prison just after the end of the school year."

Madame Abernathy's eyes got a little wider. "For what?" she asked.

David explained the situation to her briefly, without giving out too many details.

"So that's what happened to Cat. I saw her with a bandage on, but wasn't able to talk to her, and I haven't seen her on campus since."

David frowned himself. He hadn't spoken to Cat since he'd gotten out of prison, so he didn't know what she was doing with her time. He decided he'd have to check up on her, no matter what occurred when he went to see Dean Lengel.

"As to the petition," Madame Abernathy said, "I see no reason to change my request to you, nor to remove your name from the petition itself. Since you're still wearing your chevron pin, obviously the king doesn't care that you were sent to prison."

"I assume he doesn't even know."

"Trust me, someone in the government knows. Chevrons aren't given out lightly, David, and they keep track of the people who have them. The king can grant or revoke those at the drop of a hat, literally on a whim. If anyone thought your actions deserved the king's attention, you'd know it by now."

"Jacob did say that the king was unlikely to be upset by my actions... or at least, he said the king he knew wouldn't, and that this king was supposedly much like the one he knew."

"Jacob is... not from around here?"

"He's a trapped demighost. The last king he met was over a hundred and fifty years ago."

Madame Abernathy nodded. "Well, our current king is a fair and even-handed man. I'm sure, if he knows about what you've done, he also knows why... and chances are, he agrees with you."

David smirked.

"Now, back to the reason you came here. The petition. I would still very much like your name to appear. Have you made any decision about whether or not you wish to be a co-petitioner?"

"There is one other issue," David said.

"Oh?"

"I haven't yet spoken to Dean Lengel. She seemed rather upset about my imprisonment when she called me. I am supposed to discuss 'my future' with her at some point. It is possible she will expel me."

Madame Abernathy waved her hand. "Not relevant. The guild is not related to the school. I got to know you through the school, but that is where the guild's relationship with Woodward ends. Not," she continued after a moment's pause, "that I think that Dean Lengel is going to expel you, anyway."

"She seemed rather annoyed."

"I'm sure she's gotten over it by now."

"Maybe. We'll just have to wait and see."

"So, have you made a decision concerning the petition?"

"Yes. If you're still willing to have me, I would like to join you. Dean Lengel did give me one useful piece of advice, however. We should have everything prepared before we file the petition. That way, we will know that my schoolwork will not interfere with the petitioning process."

Madame Abernathy nodded. "That is sensible. We will need to go over several things. What will you be doing for the next week or two?"

"This week, nothing that I know of. Starting the middle of next week, I'm going to be taking a boating course in Earth."

"I see. Well, then, we will work out as many details as we can while you're here. Of course, I imagine that right now, you have other things you need to do."

"Some, yes."

"Well, good luck with Dean Lengel. Just drop by here when you have a fair chunk of free time, and we can begin to work on things. Thank you, David, for joining me. I'm not sure that the petition would succeed without your help."

"I'm just honored you asked me, Madame Abernathy."

"I think at this point, you can call me Ellen. If we're going to be working together, that whole 'Madame Abernathy' thing is going to get annoying."

David chuckled. "Okay, Ellen. Anyway, I'll drop by either later today, or tomorrow."

"Very good. See you then."

"I'm going to go spend a little time with Cupcake now, if you don't mind."

"I don't, and I'm sure she'd appreciate it. Take her for a flight, if you want."

"I just might do that."

David walked out of the office and back to where the pegs were housed. Cupcake, upon seeing him, galloped over to him. She stopped and nuzzled him, expressing her affection and joy at seeing him.

"Hey, girl," David said to her quietly. "How are you feeling? Did you miss me?"

Cupcake nickered at him in response.

"Want to spend some time in the sky today?" he asked her.

Cupcake whinnied softly, letting him know she would enjoy that.

"All right. Well, let me go get my saddle, and we can go."

David spent three hours flying around with Cupcake. Finally, when he felt she'd had enough, he brought her back to the paddock. He removed the saddle, then walked her around for a while. After that, he took her inside and groomed her, then led her back to her stall, where he made sure she had fresh food and water. He patted her on the neck, and she nuzzled him.

"I don't know what's going to happen with me later today," David said quietly to her. "If I don't see you for a while, I'm sorry. I'll try to find a way to visit regularly."

Cupcake nickered softly in confused acceptance of his words, and David patted her neck one more time. With that, he stepped out of her stall and walked out of the stables.

As he exited the stables, he saw that someone was waiting for him. He smiled to see Sam leaning against the paddock fence. He went over to her immediately.

"Hey, Sam," David said.

Sam embraced him and gave him a passionate kiss. After that, she let go of him and turned, so they could walk away from the paddock.

"How was your prison time?" she asked.

"Dull."

"And your anger management class?"

"Idiotic."

"How so?"

"I don't consider 'never use violence under any circumstances' to be a viable method of anger management."

"Oh. That's really what he told you?"

"For two weeks. Any time any one of us suggested that we would ultimately resort to violence, he acted as if we'd suggested we were going to assassinate the king."

Sam chuckled at that. "Still, you passed, right?"

"I wouldn't be here, otherwise. I'd be back in jail, most likely."

Sam nodded. "Well, as you may have guessed, there is a reason I showed up at the stables."

"Is it a fun reason, or an unpleasant reason?"

"Well, since I have a feeling you only consider one reason to be 'fun'..." Sam said with a grin.

"And that's not it?"

"No. Dean Lengel sent me to summon you."

"Joy. Why didn't she just have Kippy do it?"

"She figured you were less likely to blow me off. I gather you were supposed to come see her when you got out of prison."

"I never came back to Gorumshead at that time."

"What have you been doing?"

"Visiting friends, seeing what my homes look like."

"Homes? How many of them do you have?"

"Three. So far, I've only seen two of them."

"Well. Anyway, I'm supposed to take you right up to Emile's office, with no stopping along the way for anything fun... so that will have to wait until later."

"Assuming she doesn't kick me off school grounds altogether."

"Do you honestly think she would do that to you?" Sam asked, surprised.

"You didn't hear the tone of her voice when she called me, Sam."

"Oh."

"Has she said anything to you about it?" David asked.

"No... I've... purposely stayed out of it. I didn't want you to think I was meddling in your life still, and... well, I got a sense from Emile that she didn't really want to discuss it, either."

"You may feel free to save my butt at any point, Sam," David told her. She grinned. The two walked the rest of the way without saying much to each other.

Once they reached the entrance to Beckett Hall, Sam said, "I'll let you go the rest of the way yourself... If you promise me you're actually going to go to her office."

"Aw, Ma, do I have to?" he said, using a pouty kid voice.

"Yes, Junior, you do," she replied in her best motherly tones.

David sighed. "Okay, okay, I'm going."

"Good. Come see me when you're done, so you can tell me what happened. I'll be in my apartment." Sam kissed him once more, and then she stepped back and waved him through the doors.

David stepped into the building and walked down to the dean's office. He stepped in, to find Tracy in her usual spot.

"Well, hello, David," Tracy said warmly. "Good to see you. You don't look any the worse for wear."

"I managed. Is the dean available to ream me out now?"

Tracy smiled at him, and then looked down to check if Dean Lengel was on a call. "Yep, she seems to be free. Go ahead and go in."

David stepped to the door, straightened his coat, and checked his clothes before he knocked. Though he'd been in this office many times, this was the first time he felt truly uneasy about what would happen on the other side of the door. Finally, with no way to further delay things, he knocked.

"Come in," the voice said. To your eternal doom... David's mind added in.

David opened the door and stepped forward. Dean Lengel didn't say anything immediately as he stepped to her desk.

"You required my presence, Madame Dean," David said formally.

Dean Lengel frowned and sat back. "I asked you to come see me when you got out of jail. That was last month some time."

"If you were me, would you have been in a hurry to have this meeting? A discussion of my future, right after I've been released from prison, can't be a positive conversation. I assume you'll be wanting this back," David said, looking down and removing his Information Officer badge. He set it on her desk, and then returned to his original stance, which was very nearly "at attention".

Dean Lengel got up and came around her desk. She stepped in front of David, and he could see tears in her eyes.

"I never should have made that call, David. I'm sorry. I... wasn't thinking. What you did for Cat..."

"What I did wasn't really for Cat. I did it because it needed to be done."

"I understand," Dean Lengel said. "I never should have said... what I said. I was just so stunned that you had, after all this time, gone off and broken the law like that. I should have waited until I'd calmed down, had a chance to talk to Cat... I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"Does this mean you're not going to expel me?" David asked.

Dean Lengel's eyes widened. "I never even considered expelling you! Good lord, David! Did you really think I would?"

"I didn't know what to think," he admitted.

"Oh, god," Dean Lengel said. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around David. He held on to her, but not as securely as she was holding him.

"I'm so sorry, David. I didn't mean to put you through all that."

After a solid minute of hugging, Dean Lengel stepped back, and wiped her eyes. She stepped back around her desk, to help her control her emotions. She grabbed a tissue and wiped her eyes, then blew her nose.

"As to your badge," she finally said, "Yes, I do want it back, but only because I have another one for you to wear this year."

As she sat back behind her desk, David said, "Oh?"

"Yes." She opened a drawer and pulled out another badge. This one was the shape of a shield, mostly filled with a firebird. The firebird was clutching a wand. The banner above the bird read, "Discipline Response Team". She set it on the desk in front of him.

"What's this about?" David asked.

Dean Lengel motioned to him to sit down. As he did so, she said, "As you pointed out to me last year, we've had an increase of fighting on campus. There have also been increases in vandalism, hazing, and other inappropriate behaviors. We looked over several different ideas for combatting it, and what we finally decided on was the Discipline Response Team, or the DIRT Team, for short. The team is made up of upperclassman students, and their job is to help enforce discipline on campus. Unlike your position as Information Officer, the DIRT members are authorized to detain students, escort them to my office, to detention, and, in a very limited capacity, to mete out small punishments."

"Who all is involved?"

Dean Lengel just handed over the list. David knew some of them by name, but he didn't know any of them more than that. He handed the list back.

"Just ten of us?"

"Originally, there were going to be sixteen. We were going to have sixth-years acting as patrol leaders, and a seventh-year as team leader. The problem was, we couldn't find any sixth-years or seventh-years interested in the job. They were all too caught up in their studies. So, we decided that the fifth-years would elect their patrol leaders, and their team leader. I'd be rather surprised if you didn't end up as a patrol leader."

"So, if you were expecting five sixth-years... then... three-person patrols?"

"Right. Seth tells me that's the right number to use. More is inefficient, less is unsafe."

"But then, shouldn't you have chosen either nine or twelve people?"

"We didn't want the team leader to be required to be a patrol leader. They might go out on patrols with the other members, but their job would be to make sure things were coordinated and scheduled, and to keep everyone aware.

"So... do you want the job?"

David picked up the badge and looked at it for a long moment. Finally, he pinned it to his coat. "I'll admit, I wasn't expecting a promotion when I walked in here."

Dean Lengel frowned. "I really am truly sorry about that, David."

David nodded in acknowledgment. "Well, I'll let you get back to work. Who's going to be the new Information Officer, by the way?"

"Actually, I was hoping you would stay on in that capacity, as well."

"How will people recognize me, without the IO badge?"

"I don't think it's going to be that big of a problem," Dean Lengel said with a smile.

David smirked. "Okay. I will make sure to be back here in time to board the school carriage before it leaves Woodward."

"Are you not staying here on campus somewhere?" she asked.

"I have no one to stay here with. Although I'm sure I'd be welcome at Sam's, it's unfair to her to keep imposing myself in her space, now that we're not really closely associating anymore. Lise is in Erle, and Cat lives off campus."

Dean Lengel nodded. "Have you heard from Louisa lately?"

"I spent a week with her at my lake house last month. She helped me get it all cleaned up and ready for use. It's been sitting for at least a hundred and fifty years, so it was a bit dusty."

"I bet. How is she doing?"

"As well as can be expected. Busy. Still... rather unhappy." David frowned, and so did Dean Lengel.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I'd hoped that the new city might improve things for her. Well, anyway, I will see you... when I see you."

"Yes, ma'am," David said. Dean Lengel shot him a very stern look, but he ignored it. "Have a good day."

"You, too, David."

David knocked on Cat's apartment door, then looked around casually as he waited. It didn't take too long for her to answer the door.

When she saw who it was, Cat grabbed him in her arms and pulled him tightly to her. She pressed her lips firmly to his, and her tongue soon slipped into his mouth. David let his hands rest on her hips, enjoying her welcome.

Finally, after over a minute, Cat let him go. "I'm so glad to see you," she said with meaning. She took his hand firmly, and pulled him inside. "Come with me."

David walked quickly behind Cat - he had little choice, as she had a death grip on his hand - waving to the kids as he went through the living room.

"We'll be back in a second, you two. Behave yourselves."

Cat pulled David into the bedroom, and then she closed the door. She turned and embraced David again, her tongue once more assaulting his in a most pleasant fashion.

After another long session of tongue wrestling, Cat stepped back.

"You have no idea how much what you did means to me. I can't express how you made me feel when I found out what you'd done. This is just a very small part of how I'm going to say thank you."

With that, Cat slowly dropped to her knees. She unfastened David's pants, and then yanked them and his briefs to the floor. His dick was quite hard after her kissing. Cat wasted no time, but took hold of his cock with her hand and then plunged her mouth onto it. She pushed her head forward until she had taken his entire cock in her mouth. She held it there for a long moment, and then worked her throat muscles, massaging the head of his dick.

Slowly, she pulled back off his cock until just the head of it was in her mouth, and then she plunged all the way onto him again. Five times she did this, and then she began to bob her head on his cock, sucking and working her tongue back and forth.

David was in heaven. Cat's mouth felt wonderful, and every time she would deep throat him, he felt as if his eyes were crossing. He could feel his heat rising, and he knew that he would cum soon. He groaned, to let Cat know just how good she was making him feel, and rested his hands lightly on the top of her head.

Cat continued her movements until David grunted his final warning. With that, she pushed her head all the way onto his cock again, working her throat to massage the head of his dick. David couldn't withstand that, and he came immediately, grunting repeatedly as his cum spurted from his dick directly down her throat.

Cat swallowed every drop of his spunk, and only when he was done did she pull back, so that she could breathe. She gently ran her tongue along his dick as she slowly let him loose, so that he would be clean. Finally, her lips slipped off the head of his cock, and she gave it a little kiss before standing back up.

"Wow," was all David could manage to say.

"This is all we have time for now, what with the kids being awake, but you're spending the night, Mister Stroud, so I can thank you properly."

"As you say, Professor," David told her. She blushed and smiled at him.

"So, Madame Abernathy says you haven't been on campus since you got out of the infirmary. How come?" David asked. The two were sitting quietly on the sofa together. The children were getting ready for bed.

"No particular reason. I don't have anything that I need to do up there until next month. I have all my class materials planned out."

"Don't you visit friends?"

"Niobi is my best friend, and she lives here in town. Well, okay, in fairness, I guess you are my best friend..."

David grinned, and squeezed her hand.

"Teaching isn't the same for me as for people like Sam and Louisa, David. To me, it's just a job. An enjoyable job, yes, but not something I'm crazed over doing."

David nodded. "Is there something you'd rather be doing?"

"Not really. Teaching gives me about four months of the year off. The pay's not great, but it's enough to live on without struggling, and I get to meet a lot of interesting people. And I do enjoy teaching people to morph. If I could just get my personal life settled out, it would all be great."

David chuckled. "Yeah, personal lives have a way of making even the best situation a pain in the ass, don't they?"

"Yeah. But at least I have a friend like you to help out when I need it."

"Glad to be of service."

The two sat silently until the kids came out to say good night. Angela gave her mom and David both a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and Garrett gave David a hug. Then the kids were off to bed.

As soon as Garrett's door closed, Cat scooted closer to David. She'd been keeping a slight distance between them, but no longer. She pressed herself up against him tightly, and laid her head on his shoulder. David wrapped his arm around her, and the two sat for a while, not saying anything, just being together in the candle-lit room.

Finally, after about twenty minutes, Cat said, "Come on, let's go to bed. Well, let's go to the bedroom, anyway," she added after a slight pause.

David chuckled and stood up from the couch. With a wave of his hand and a silent spell, he extinguished the five candles in the room, leaving the house dark. Cat led him down the hallway to her bedroom. As Cat closed the door, David picked up the candle on the nearby table. Taking his wand, he muttered, "Chosina hono." His wand emitted a small flame, which lit the candle. David set the candle down and used his wand to light three others in the room, giving them ample, but soft, light to see by. With that done, he put away his wand.

Once he was done with that task, David returned to Cat's side. She kissed him passionately, and the two embraced strongly, enjoying the feel of each other's body. After a while, though, Cat pulled away from David gently. He let her go, waiting for her to speak.

"I want us to be together tonight, David. I am a bit worried, as I always am, that Garrett might hear us, though."

David grinned. "This time, I have a cure for that." In only a few seconds, David had enacted the privacy field that he had perfected at Denise's house. The silvery sheen reflected back the candle light, making the room even brighter, but still giving the soft and romantic feel to the space.

"And they won't hear anything?"

"Not a peep. You could scream at the top of your lungs, and they won't hear a sound."

Cat arched her eyebrows at David, and bit her lip. "I think I like this."

David grinned.

Getting serious, Cat said, "It isn't enough for me to just say thank you for what you did in May. You sent yourself to jail over me. Bonnie told me exactly what happened. You are a very special person, David."

"So are you," he said softly.

Cat smiled. "Well, tonight, as my way of thanking you for what you did... You may do to me anything you like. Anything at all."

"You're not even going to tell me I'm not allowed to hurt you?" David asked with a grin.

"I trust you not to go too far. If you feel the need to injure me for what you went through, you do what you need to. I'll heal."

David's eyes went a bit wide at that, and he stepped close to Cat. "I could never hurt you, Professor," he said.

Cat's body immediately flushed with arousal. David smiled to himself. He knew that would get her going.

David moved behind Cat, and then he reached back around and began undoing her blouse. He moved slowly, keeping his body pressed up against hers, so she could feel his erection pressing against the small of her back. It didn't take him too long before he had her blouse undone, and it soon found its way to a corner chair. Her bra quickly joined it.

David took a moment to stop and caress Cat's tits, molding them gently and running his fingers slowly over her nipples.

"Oh, god, David. You are so good at this..."

Finally David let his hands slide down, across her abdomen, and he began to unfasten her pants. They soon fell to the floor, and her panties followed suit. Now Cat was standing completely nude, with David behind her. He helped her step out of her fallen clothes, and then he picked them up and set them out of the way.

"I want you to stay facing that direction," he told her. "Don't turn or look at me."

"Okay," she told him.

David walked over to Cat's closet, and he quickly looked through to find what it was he wanted. She had several of them to choose from, and so he took two of the thickest ones. He stepped back over to Cat, and dropped one of the scarves on the bed. He folded the scarf still in his hands so that it would make a perfect blindfold. He slipped it over her head, and then tied it in place tightly, making sure that it would not slip off.

David then picked up the other scarf. He made a loop in one end of it, and then he took Cat's hand in his, slipping the loop over her wrist and tightening it down. He gently pulled her hand behind her back, and then brought the other hand back, as well. He quickly and securely tied her hands together, so that she could not get free.

Now that Cat was secured the way he wanted her, David moved around to face her.

"Are you scared?"

"No. I trust you," she told him.

"Not nervous, even a little bit?"

"Yes," she admitted, her voice trembling a little.

"We're just going to have a little fun tonight. Don't worry."

David leaned down and ran the length of his tongue over one of Cat's nipples, and then the other. She moaned deeply at the feel of that. Carefully, David turned Cat around and sat her down on the edge of the bed. He pushed her back until she was lying comfortably on the bed, and then David stepped away to remove all of his clothes.

Cat squirmed as she waited for him, because she wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. By the time he returned to the bed, she had grown rather nervous.

David did not get onto the bed, but instead, he leaned down over the bed, and he slipped his tongue out, pressing it against Cat's clit, which he had access to since her legs were well apart.

Cat jumped and cried out in surprise, and then in pleasure, as he kept up his tongue-lashing. While his tongue worked her over, he climbed onto the bed between her legs. Cat moaned and sighed as he flicked her clit repeatedly. When he started to suck on it, she really began to squirm, her arousal climbing rapidly toward its summit.

David slipped his finger into her pussy, slowly fucking her with it as his tongue continued its work. In only a few more seconds, Cat cried out in ecstasy, her body shuddering with orgasm.

David let Cat's clit loose, and he slowly removed his finger from her opening. He watched with careful interest as she slowly began to recover from her orgasm. When he felt she was over the shivers, but long before she had fully settled down, David moved forward, placed his cock at her entrance, and slid home in one smooth motion.

Cat screamed out in surprise and utter joy at being so filled up by him. Her orgasm returned to full strength, and it lasted for a long time as David slowly moved his cock in and out of her.

It was a couple minutes before Cat had settled down from her climax, while David continued to fuck her slowly.

"Oh, shit," she said, somewhat in awe. "That was fantastic!"

"You think you're ready for more?"

"I'm not sure, but I want to find out!" she enthused.

David placed his hands on the mattress, and he began to thrust into her fast and hard. Cat was crying out immediately, her squeaks and squeals coming in time with David's thrusting. She was quickly in the throes of another orgasm.

David did not slow down for her, because he was very close to his own climax, and he needed the release. He actually sped up his thrusts, and in only a few more seconds, he came, blasting a load of cum deep into her pussy.

David pulled out of Cat, and moved to the side, trying to catch his breath. Cat was busy doing the same.

"Hands going numb yet?" David asked with a chuckle after he'd gotten his breath back.

"Not yet. It's not the most comfortable position in the world, but I can manage. Are you done with me already?" The tone of her voice indicated she would be disappointed if he was.

"Not even close," David replied. "I'm just taking a bit of a breather. You can roll onto your knees, if you like."

David helped her as she tried to turn over, and soon enough, she was kneeling on the bed.

Having recovered from his orgasm, and with Cat kneeling, naked, in front of him, David could feel his cock ready to return to hardness. He decided to help it along.

David sat on the bed, and then he reached out for Cat. Taking the ends of her blindfold in hand, he pulled her forward. She bent down as he pulled. Soon, her lips came into contact with the head of his dick. She immediately opened her mouth, and then David took hold of the knot at the back of her blindfold. He forced her head down, shoving his dick halfway into her mouth. She closed her lips around him and began to rub her tongue back and forth. David kept hold of the knot, forcing her head up and down on him. Cat happily sucked him until he was as hard as ever, and then beyond.

Finally, David let her loose. She did not sit up, because she didn't know what else he had in mind. David got up from the bed and moved around behind her. As he knelt between her legs, he pushed her upper body down, so that her shoulders were pressed into the mattress. She turned her head so she could breathe. This lifted her cunt to give David ready access.

David slid his cock deep into Cat's pussy. She moaned at the feel of him, and he pounded her as roughly as he could. It didn't take too much of this before Cat was once more screaming out her orgasm.

As Cat came down from her latest high, David pulled out of her, and uttered a spell. Cat didn't hear him, as she was too busy trying to catch her breath.

David said, "You ready for the next round?"

"Oh, god..." Cat moaned, but her tone wasn't one of despair, but one of anticipation.

David reached forward and grabbed the back of her blindfold, pulling her up off the mattress. He used his other hand to hold his dick in place as he pressed the head of it to her asshole.

Cat stiffened. "David, wrong hole! I mean, I've never..."

"You said anything I wanted," David reminded her. He continued to press slowly into her ass. Cat moaned again, but this time in anticipation of pain. The lubrication charm that David had cast worked its usual magic, and David slipped into her ass with little trouble.

"Oh, god, that feels so fucking huge..." Cat moaned.

"And that's just the head," David told her mischievously.

"I'm going to die," Cat groaned. David just chuckled, and continued to press into her behind.

Slowly but surely, David's cock sank its entire length into Cat's rectum. When he was finally inside her fully, he paused. He had not let go of her blindfold, and her head was pulled back while her ass was being filled with his rod.

"How does it feel?" he asked seriously.

"My god, I've never felt anything so big."

"Does it hurt?"

"No. It did a little, at first, but... no, it just feels... I know your cock is big, but it feels like you've shoved a log in me!"

"Are you ready for more?"

"You're not in all the way yet?" she exclaimed.

"Yes," David said with a chuckle. "But I'm not moving."

"Oh. Well... take it easy on me. I'm a virgin."

David slowly pulled his cock part way out, and then slid it back in. Cat moaned in obvious pleasure at that. He repeated his moves until he was sure that she could handle them, and then he stopped again.

David let go of Cat's blindfold, and moved both of his hands to her shoulders. This bent him over a little more, but he didn't care. He used the leverage on her shoulders to help him move, and he began to thrust into her ass in short but rapid strokes. Cat was immediately screaming in joy. After a while, David moved his hands from her shoulders down onto her tits. He pulled her up, arching her back so that he could easily fondle her tits as he continued to fuck her ass.

For long moments, the two kept this up. David was coming close to his next orgasm, and Cat was, as well. They quickened the pace further, and David used longer strokes. Meanwhile, he started to pinch and roll Cat's nipples.

That was all Cat could take, and she screamed out his name, shuddering through a massive orgasm. Her ass squeezed down on David so hard that he could barely move. He shoved his dick all the way inside of her, and enjoyed the feel of her shudders and jolts. It was enough to send him over the edge, and he loosed his load of jism deep into her.

It only took a minute for David to recover, but Cat was nowhere near coherent. He slowly and carefully pulled out of her behind, making sure not to cause her any pain. He then gently laid her down on the bed, removed her bonds and blindfold, and cuddled up next to her, waiting for her to regain her senses.

Finally, Cat was able to think straight once more. She pushed herself more tightly against David.

"Thank you. Again," she said.

David just smiled at her. After a little while, they decided to take a shower, and then they went to bed.

For the rest of the week, David spent his days with Madame Abernathy, and his nights with Cat. It was the easiest place for him to sleep, since she was willing to have him in her bed. She knew that he wouldn't be a permanent companion for her, but right now, she didn't care. She would take what she could get.

On Friday, David was on his way to speak with Madame Abernathy again when his mirror buzzed. He pulled it out to see who was calling.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Good morning, David," Dean Lengel said.

"Oh, hello. How are you today?"

"I'm fine. Could you join me out front of Alton Hall, please?"

"Okay. I'll be there in just a couple minutes."

Dean Lengel nodded, and then David put away his mirror. He changed course only slightly, since Alton Hall and Savage Hall were right next to each other. He arrived at the dome covering Alton Hall in no time.

The dome, which was a highly reflective enchantment, prevented unauthorized personnel from entering the work site, or from seeing the new construction. David watched himself approach as he walked toward the Dean. She was standing with several other professors.

"So, what's up?" David asked.

"It's time to unveil the new and improved Alton Hall. Since you were responsible for its funding, I figured you should be here."

"Oh. Okay. Are we going to do that whole ribbon-cutting thing, or do we just go behind the curtain?"

"We will have an official ceremony when school begins. For now, we'll just slip in through the dome."

Everyone moved as a group toward themselves, until they reached the surface of the dome, and then they passed through.

The new Alton Hall was much cleaner and crisper than the old building. It was also somewhat larger. It was a two story building, in a "T" configuration. They were facing the main entrance, which led up some steps to the two large wooden front doors. The leg of the T was where the front door sat. Across the "bar" of the T, the hallways were exposed to the elements, covered, but enclosed only with a short wall and some columns. At the left end of the second floor, the roof gave way from tiles to glass, as a new greenhouse of some sort had been added.

"What do you think?" Sam asked.

"Very pretty. I think it's lost a little of the character of the old building, though."

Sam nodded. "Yes, that seems to always happen with renovations."

"How, really, is this a renovation? This looks like a whole new building."

"Well, they reused all the materials from the old building. They just shifted them around. Then they brought in new materials for the additions. So, it is a renovation, in a way. Just a major one."

"Not too major. Doing this in Earth would have cost millions."

"Well, they need a few wizards to cut the costs," Sam said with a chuckle. "Come on, I'll take you on a private tour. I'm sure that you don't want to spend all that time with the potions department."

"You're the only one of them I know more than to say hello to."

"Well, come on. We'll see the building together."

Sam and David walked in through the front door and down the main hallway. Sam pointed out the new location of the department office, which was now much easier for students to find. She then showed David her new classroom, which looked very much like her old classroom. Here, however, her office and workroom were attached directly to her class, so she didn't have to go far to get from one to the other.

Leaving Sam's room, they found themselves at the T-intersection. Directly in front of them was a much nicer, wider staircase than before. The old stairs had been narrow, and had gotten clogged easily at class-change times.

Sam motioned down to the left and said, "It's just more classrooms down that way."

"What's this empty space supposed to be?" David asked, gesturing to an area next to the stairs that had nothing in it.

"This will be a study nook, where students can safely work on potions during their out-of-class time. The area will be heavily enchanted for protection."

"Will this be open at night?" David asked.

"Until about midnight. Why?"

"Well, just in case I needed to make up a potion."

"You don't have to worry about that. Come on."

They walked to the end of the hallway and entered a large empty space.

"What's this going to be?"

"The first-floor library, still. They just haven't put the furniture and the books back yet. They made it a little bigger, so that we could bring in some nicer furnishings."

"That'll be cool."

Having seen the entire first floor, they went up the main staircase to the second floor.

"Toward the front of the building is just classrooms, workrooms and offices. Down that way are classrooms and the second-floor library. The only really interesting things up here are the two sun rooms, and the greenhouse museum."

"I gather these are the sun rooms," David said, gesturing to the spaces on either side of the main stairs, which had huge windows letting in daylight. Some particularly ingenious magic had been used to bend the actual sunlight, because the windows faced north, and the sun was currently off to the east, but the room was still bathed in sun.

"Yes. They're a nice place to relax, look at the plants, or perhaps read a book. The real jewel is down here."

Sam led him down to the end of the west-side corridor, which brought them to the greenhouse museum. The room was not entirely glass. The roof was made up of large glass panels, but the walls merely had large windows. This room was not yet receiving a lot of sun.

"Like the sun rooms, this room has been enchanted to receive sun most of the time. But right now, the sun's just too low in the sky."

"Why put a greenhouse here, though?" David asked. "There's not nearly enough room for all the classes to use it..."

"It's not here for practical use, it's here for educational use. This will be our museum of important plants. They're not in here yet, but we plan to have one specimen of every major potion-making and healing plant, to show what they look like. It will help students get a better sense of what they're dealing with, and they'll be able to come in here and really study the plant visually, so they'll be sure to recognize it in the wild."

David nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. It's a nice room, too."

"Yeah."

"So, that's the new and improved Alton Hall, huh?" David asked. "Looks like the king's money did a good job."

"Come on, it was your money. And there's one last feature for you to see."

Sam led David down the stairs, and back outside. They walked around to the side of the front leg of the building, where there was a door.

"Go on in," she told him, gesturing to it.

David took hold of the door handle, and the door opened for him. He stepped inside, to find a well-stocked workroom. The strange part was that the room did not lead to the rest of the building; the only exit was the door they'd come in.

"What's this about?"

"This is your workroom," Sam told him.

"They built in a workroom just for me?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, no, not quite. You inspired the idea, though. There are four of what they call 'OA' workrooms. OA means Outside Access. This way, those special students who deserve it can be given their own workspace, without compromising the security of the rest of the building."

"That's not a bad idea," David said, impressed. "I guess I need to give my key to Alton Hall back, huh?"

Sam snorted and tapped David's badge. "You're going to have keys to a lot more than Alton Hall soon enough, I imagine. Anyway, this space is yours. I stocked it with all of the basics. I didn't know if you were working on anything specific."

"Honestly, I've been so busy lately that my potions work has been on the back burner. I have a couple things I'm fiddling with, but no big projects. Maybe now that school is starting up again, and I'm on less of a rigid schedule, I can do more with it."

"Good. Oh, and, just so you know, my workroom is on the other side of that wall, and my classroom is on the other side of that one."

David grinned. "So I can just poke my head in and say hi."

Sam chuckled at the image that conjured up. She slid close and said, "I don't suppose you have time in your schedule for us to christen this room, do you?"

"Oh, I think I can squeeze you in..." David said with a smile.

"No, you have that backwards. I'm supposed to do the squeezing. You do the thrusting."

David smiled at her, and then they kissed, beginning a long session of passionate fun.

"So how do we even go about finding available building options?" David asked Madame Abernathy.

"We contact the Office of Property Registration," she said. "They have a division that keeps track of land and buildings for sale."

"Damn Jim," David said.

"Hmm?"

"Him and his damned thefts. I missed my GovOps class that talked about the OPR."

Madame Abernathy chuckled. "Well, it's no big deal. I've already mirrored them, in fact, and they sent me a list of available properties for us to look at. What we have to do is weed out the unsuitable properties, and then we can go look at what's left."

The two divvied up the list of land and went through them quickly. There were a lot of them, but as they had good detail about each property, it didn't take a lot to figure out which ones weren't useful to them. In the end, they had only eight to look at.

"This will take us the rest of the day, I'm sure," Madame Abernathy told him.

"Probably. We've only got today and tomorrow. I have to leave for Boston tomorrow night."

"Okay, well, let's get cracking, then."

They had seen four properties so far, with no success, and they were beginning to lose hope. The fifth property was an old, unused pub. The building was in good, sturdy condition, made from strong wood beams and planks. The front doors were nicely carved slabs of wood, as well. Inside, the place was dusty. David enacted a lux charm to allow them to see the building. The main room was large, with wooden floors and plastered walls. There was a balcony walkway above, which led to the various rooms. The spiral stairs were recessed into an alcove.

"The building was inspected just last year," the property representative told them. "Here is the inspection report."

David took it and looked it over. He noted only a few minor issues mentioned. "Have any of the problems listed here been corrected?"

"The slight leak in the roof has been repaired. Other than that, no, the building remains untouched."

"Why is this building empty?" Madame Abernathy asked.

"It's too far out of town. Once its original purpose was ended, the owner tried to turn it into a pub, but being as Gorumshead is a good mile away, travelers simply stayed at the Slyther Inn or the Mystic Wolf."

Out of curiosity alone, David asked, "What was its original purpose?"

The woman who was showing them the building blushed slightly, and she said, "It was a brothel."

David turned to Madame Abernathy and, with a huge smile, he said, "That puts a new twist on riding guild, now doesn't it?"

Madame Abernathy burst out laughing.

Once Madame Abernathy had gotten herself under control, they asked to see the second floor. It was, as expected, bedrooms and bathrooms, with two small sitting areas.

"We could make this work," Madame Abernathy said quietly. "It would require some reworking of the interior layout, but the building is sound, and the architecture is rather nice."

"Apparently it was an upscale brothel," David said.

Madame Abernathy blushed.

"There are no outbuildings," David pointed out. "We'd have to build stables."

"Chances are, we'll have to do that with any of the properties. Only a farm would have stables automatically, and then the buildings wouldn't be suitable for the guild itself."

"True, I guess. How much was he asking for this?"

"I'm not sure," she told him.

David turned to the representative. "How much did he want for the place?"

"One hundred eighty thousand granas," she told them.

To Madame Abernathy, David said, "That's pretty high for the amount of work we have to do to get this land ready."

"It's too much," she replied, frowning.

David looked to the representative and asked, "How low do you think he'd be willing to go?"

"Due to some... legal irregularities... the banks will not finance this property for him. Therefore, he has to carry the mortgage himself. He's been through that process five times already, and he's had to reclaim the building due to the people not being able to afford the payments. I don't think he's going to go much lower. He feels if you're going to try to whittle down the amount, you probably can't make the payments."

"There's no way we can handle that much, and still do what we need to," Madame Abernathy said out loud.

"How bad do you want this building?" David asked her quietly.

"I think it's the best we're going to find," she admitted.

"Do you want to check the other three properties?"

She shook her head. "They were very marginal. This was the last place I thought might really work. It would be a miracle if any of the other three was even worth seeing."

David nodded. He turned to the representative again. "Call the owner. Tell him that I am offering him 120,000 granas."

"I can tell you now, there's no way he's going to go for that."

"Cash," David said simply.

The representative blinked at him twice. Madame Abernathy grabbed David's arm. "David! We haven't got that kind of money!" she hissed.

"That's where you're wrong, Ellen." To the lady, he said, "Make the call."

It didn't take her long to come back with an answer. "He said, if you can have the money by tomorrow, you have a deal."

"Tell him to meet us at the bank. Right now."

After purchasing the pub, David set up an expense account for Madame Abernathy. He left the renovation of the guild hall in her hands, as he knew she had some specific ideas about what she wanted, and he, honestly, didn't care about architecture in the slightest. He hoped he'd left her enough money, because he wasn't sure exactly when he'd be back in Gorumshead to check in on things.

At the moment, he was riding in a taxi to one of the local boating schools. He'd spent the previous night in a hotel, having come through the travel gate and taken another long cab ride to get to this town. He was scheduled for ten full days of intensive seamanship training. He owned a home in the Florida Keys, so he felt he should own a boat to get to it. If he owned a boat, he needed to know how to properly run the thing. He didn't, however, have a whole lot of free time, so he had chosen a school that was both well-respected, and offered a demanding course of short duration.

Arriving at the school, he paid the cab driver and got out of the car. Jailla, who had been hiding uncomfortably in David's coat, climbed out onto his shoulder, and then winged off to a nearby pylon to wait while David went into the main office to sign in.

The young lady at the counter smiled at him. "Can I help you?"

"Hi. David Stroud. I'm here for your Master Motor Yacht course."

"The ten-day instruction, right?" she asked.

"That's the one."

"Okay. Yes, there you are. Now, we'll need your ID."

David had obtained a Massachusetts identification a long time ago, for use at times like these. The school had a street address that the students were allowed to use for such purposes.

"Now... what kind of boat do you own?"

"I don't."

The lady looked at him curiously.

"I figured I'd learn how to operate one before I bought one. I thought that might help me get the right kind."

She smiled. "Very sensible! Okay, I'll just mark that here. Now, over on that table is your course package. It includes all the books you'll need, plus some DVDs, which you can watch after classes are done for the day. There are also some review pages, practice quizzes, and some other things like quick-reference cards. We've also included some trinkets, like a key chain and a bumper sticker, stuff like that. Now, since you chose the 'residential' package, you have a room reserved at the motel across the street. Here's your key. You're in room 42. Why don't you go over, unpack your books, read through your schedule, and get ready? Classes start in about a half hour."

"Okay, thank you."

David took his materials and headed out. The box was heavy, and he knew that he was in for a lot of learning for the next two weeks.

David entered his motel room after another long day of class. He raised his arm so Jailla, who had spent the day flying around the neighborhood, could climb onto a comfortable spot on the clothes rack. David had been at the school for eight days so far, and he was sure that his head was about ready to explode with all the new information he'd been cramming into it. He was thankful for the learning potion he had brought with him that allowed him to permanently remember all this information. It wasn't the sort of thing to be used all the time, as it forced him to remember everything, including entirely useless information like the middle name of the guy who sat next to him in their session on navigation that morning.

David dumped his books on the desk, and kicked off his shoes. On the off chance that someone might need to get a hold of him, David had set his mirror on the table, in plain sight. He looked at it now, to find two scratches in its surface.

David picked up the mirror, dialed and said, "Return first call."

The scratches in his mirror suddenly merged, indicating that both calls were by the same person. Then the scratch disappeared, to be replaced by Mr. Garibaldi's face.

"Hey, Joe. What's up?"

"Hey, David. You don't answer your mirror anymore?"

"I'm in Earth. I can't answer it in public."

"Oh."

"What's wrong? You seem a bit... irked."

"Sorry, I was getting worried about why you weren't answering me. Anyway, can you come down to visit? Zyla's come down with a rather nasty little bug and, while the healer says it'll go away in a week or so, she's having trouble taking care of Grace. And I, of course, have to work."

"Shit. I can't leave here until Friday. Can you hang on until Friday night?"

"Should be able to. I can ask our neighbor to help out until you arrive. What are you doing that you can't get away from?"

"I'm taking an Earth educational class."

"Oh. Okay. Well... get here as soon as you can, okay?"

"Will do. I'll see you and Zyla on Friday night."

"Thanks, David."

"No problem. Talk to you then."

With that, Joe fogged off, and David set his mirror back on the table.

I wonder how serious Zyla's illness is.

With that, he wandered off to the bathroom. He needed a shower, to help him relax and get rid of the salt in his hair.