Chapter 4: September

"Hey, David, mind if we sit?" Brock asked. He was accompanied by a lovely brunette.

"Sure. Guys, this is Brock Beeble. He's in my Sword and Staff class. Who's your friend?" he asked Brock.

"This is Trisha Macmillan. We're going together."

David nodded. Olissa and Flo introduced themselves, and then Brock and Trisha ordered their breakfast.

"I was kind of surprised you were eating in the cafeteria. I thought you might be one of the ones who chose to eat in their dorm room," Brock said to David.

"Maybe once in a while, but as the captain of the DIRT, I really need to remain visible. Figuratively, and literally."

The others chuckled at that, and Brock nodded.

"Why aren't you eating in your room?" David asked.

Brock shrugged. "I just prefer people. Classes are getting smaller and smaller, and what with us being on directed study, I don't see too many people. This lets me still socialize a little bit."

David nodded again. "What are you studying DS?"

"Elemandy and Metamorphosis. I still haven't completed the course run on some of my other subjects."

"Ugh. Metamorphosis. One subject I was never very good at."

"Really? I love it. Unlike Sword and Staff, which I'm not quite so fond of, or good at."

"Yeah, don't remind me. I failed my damned license exam."

"You? But, you're like, one of the best in the class! What happened?"

"Concentration issue," David said sourly.

"Oh. That sucks. But hey, if it makes you feel any better, I didn't pass, either."

"Really?"

"Nope. I think, out of the thirty of us who tested, maybe ten got their licenses. Devyn didn't even take the exam, since she went back to Chasco to be with her people."

"Yeah, that's a saving grace. I don't think I could handle failing if she'd taken it and passed."

"She was certainly the type to rub it in your face, wasn't she?" Brock asked.

"Yeah." Trying to change the subject, he turned to Trisha and asked, "So, what year are you?"

"Fifth, just like you guys."

"What's your specialty?"

"Keeping Brock from failing," she said with a grin. Brock blushed while David laughed. When he settled, Trisha said, "I'm DS'ing Animperium and Metamorphosis. We decided to do our Metamorphosis DS together."

"You're on Animperium?" Flo asked, chiming in on the conversation for the first time. "I'm doing Animperium DS."

"Cool. Maybe we could get together and compare notes sometime."

"You got it."

"What about you?" Brock asked Olissa. "What are you specializing in?"

"Spells, Herbology, and Divination," she replied quietly. "But really, I'm getting interested in my Healing classes."

"Not to mention your music. I heard your last concert last year. You play beautifully," Trisha told her.

"Thank you," Olissa said.

The group continued to chat as they ate. Olissa and Trisha both had an Intermediate Healing class to go to, so they couldn't dawdle, and Flo had a Hydromancy class. Trisha gave Brock a kiss, and Olissa did the same to David. The boys didn't have class yet, so they took their time.

"You and Olissa been together long?" Brock asked.

"We're not together," David said. "It's complicated. We like each other, but she doesn't want to be my girlfriend."

"That's gotta suck," Brock opined.

"It's not great," David agreed.

"Prof. Zoroaster?" David asked as he stuck his head into the office.

"Yes, David. I've been expecting you."

"Of course you have, sir," David said with a grin.

"You're here for your first real advisory meeting, correct?"

"Yes, sir. I've spent the last week looking over the various ways for me to proceed with my understanding of divination."

"And what conclusions have you come to?"

"That it's all very confusing," David replied.

Prof. Zoroaster grinned. "It can be. Do you have any idea what area of divination you would like to pursue?"

"I had a couple different ideas. I'm not sure which to pursue, or, if I should pursue both, which to pursue first."

"Okay. What were your two areas of interest?"

"Crafting divinatory objects, and high-level blockbusting. I know there's more to both of them than we were shown in class."

"There was, of course. To what uses would you want to put these skills?"

"Well, divinatory objects are just... useful. I mean, the viewing lenses at the Centaur Games, for instance... very useful. I'd like to be able to produce things like that, or to create magical mirrors, or maybe enchant a room so that it changes colors based on the mood of the people within it... I mean, divinatory objects are just good things to have."

Prof. Zoroaster nodded. "And the other?"

"From my history, I've seen that people who use anti-divination magic usually have something nefarious to hide. As I might - I haven't decided yet - take a job with the government somewhere, I think it's a skill that could come in useful to me in the future."

"So, you're not looking to pry into the lives of your enemies?"

"Why bother? I don't care what they're doing, quite frankly. I have enough work to do without involving myself with worthless people."

Prof. Zoroaster smiled. "Good answer. If you want my advice, then, I would suggest you tackle the blockbuster magic first."

"Okay... can I ask why?"

"It's a more limited subject. While there is more for you to learn than you were taught in class, there is not that much more. It is a subject worth months of study, but not years. As such, it makes sense to... 'get it out of the way,' so to speak, and then move on to divinatory objects after, which is a much more open-ended subject of research."

"I see your point. Do you think I should pursue both things?"

"Yes. Your reasoning for wanting blockbuster magic is sound. Government agents really are the only ones who can use such high-level magic legally. And, as I said, the subject is limited. While I think you will find the divinatory objects the more interesting and useful subject to you, learning the blockbuster magic first won't really impede that."

"Okay. So, if, for now, I'm to focus on the blockbuster magic, how would you suggest I proceed?"

Prof. Zoroaster pulled out a piece of parchment, and then a notebook. He opened the notebook to a marked page and copied down five book titles. He then handed the piece of parchment to David.

"I would suggest you get these books. The bookstore here on campus is not likely to have them. Walden's might. Start with these, and I think that you will be able to explore on your own from that point forward. These books all have bibliographies for further reading, so you can move from one book to the next as you need to."

"Okay. Thank you, Professor. So, I'll see you next week, I guess."

"Make it three weeks, David. Really, I don't expect you to cover a great deal of practical ground with blockbuster magic. It is a lot of theory, and you will need to integrate that theory into your thinking before you make any headway in your practice. So let's give you the time necessary to do that."

"Yes, sir. Three weeks, then."

"Unless you need to ask questions. Then my door is always open to you, of course."

"Thank you, Professor. See you in three weeks."

"Good luck, David."

David leaned against a table, sucking on a perfectly ordinary lollipop. He refused to touch pixie sticks anymore. His throat was a bit dry today, however, and so he needed the candy. He was in the rooftop greenhouse of Pegasus Dorm, waiting.

He didn't have to wait too long. Ellie showed up shortly after he got there. She gave him a kiss after he whisked away his lollipop to his Conjuring Room.

"Why did you want to meet up here?" she asked.

David shrugged. "It's quiet. Nobody's likely to come up here, now that it's dark out."

The two started walking through the rows of plants, moving slowly.

"So, how's your year going so far?" David asked.

"Okay, I guess. Having a bit of trouble with C&H."

"Who do you have?"

"Prof. Webster."

"Oh. I don't know her. She tough?"

"Not especially, but I'm having trouble understanding what she's talking about."

"You want some help?"

"Maybe in a week or so, if it doesn't click."

"Well, let me know. What about your other classes?"

The two talked quietly as they walked the length of the building, back and forth, discussing school.

After they had covered all Ellie's subjects, David asked, "How are you and Melissa getting along?"

"Well, at least she's calmer than Peanut was. Much easier to get along with."

"Does she talk to you?"

"No. But then, to tell you the truth, Peanut never said much to me, either. She was usually too busy being hyper."

David nodded. He felt bad for Ellie that she was missing the support of a familiar. He couldn't imagine having spent the last four years without Jailla's guidance and friendship. But then, Ellie was not going through the kind of crap he'd had to face.

"Well, at least she's not causing you trouble," David said, finally.

"No. And she's very affectionate, even if she doesn't talk to me. I think she likes having an owner that isn't asking her to do bad things."

"Probably."

"Does it still hurt, that Jim did that to you?" Ellie asked gently.

"It hurts me more that I didn't see it, quite frankly," David said sourly. "I'm still pissed at him, and I'd still love to give him a firm punch in the nose, but, as he points out, he was just doing what he does. Which is why I should have seen it sooner than I did."

"You trusted him," Ellie replied.

"And I should have known better," David retorted. "He wasn't trustworthy."

"But he was your best friend," she objected. "Who seriously looks at their best friend to check if they're a thief?"

"He wasn't my best friend. Olissa's my best friend. You and Gwen both ranked above him in my list of friends. No, I should have seen that one coming."

David turned to look out the window, then turned back to Ellie. "But I didn't bring you up here to talk about Jim."

"Oh? So why did you bring me up here?"

"It's time for another lesson," David told her, moving close and then leaning in, kissing her softly as he slipped his hands around her waist and then down onto her ass. Ellie inhaled sharply at that, but didn't break their kiss.

David backed Ellie up until she was pressed against a table. At that, he broke their kiss and hoisted her up onto the table, shoving several gardening tools out of the way in the process.

Without a word, David brought his hands up, then moved them downward and outward, with a final flick upward at the end. Ellie's clothing suddenly vanished in a soft flash of light.

"Eek!" Ellie cried quietly, embarrassed at her sudden nudity in a public place. "David, what if someone comes up here?" she asked urgently.

"Then I guess you'd be caught naked," he said with a mischievous grin. "So you might want to keep your moaning and screaming down."

As Ellie looked at him worriedly, David slipped his hands between her legs and gently pulled them apart.

"I don't know about this one, David..." she said.

David ignored her and bent down. He put his one hand gently on her chest and pushed her backward slightly, so that she ended up leaning back on her hands. This gave him better access, and he slipped his tongue lightly across her clit.

Ellie moaned loudly at first, then clapped a hand over her mouth. She bit her bottom lip as David continued, trying to keep herself quiet. David wasn't helping, as he slid his tongue over and around her clit, causing her body to heat up rapidly and her juices to flow freely. When he stuck his middle finger into her pussy and started to move it in and out, she groaned deep in her throat.

As David continued his oh-so-pleasant torture, Ellie was worried she might bite through her lip to keep herself from crying out in joy. She could feel her climax approaching, and she welcomed it, even though she had no idea how she would keep herself from screaming.

When it hit, Ellie's hips thrust hard, bouncing on the table. She kept her mouth clamped firmly closed, muffling somewhat the scream that ripped from her throat as her juices poured over David's hand and chin. David, meanwhile, continued to lick her throughout her orgasm, until she started to come down.

Once it was clear the height of her orgasm had passed, David removed his finger from her pussy and stood up. She was too out of it to notice that he was unfastening his pants and pushing them, and his underwear, down his legs.

Just as Ellie was beginning to catch her breath, David stepped in close and shoved his hard cock deep into her cunt. Surprised and caught off guard, Ellie cried out.

"Better not do that too much," David chided with a teasing tone. "Someone might come to check out what's going on."

"Oh, god, I love it when you do that to me," she said. After a few seconds of him fucking her hard, she said, "You know, if I get caught, you get caught..."

"I can turn myself invisible, dear. You can't," David reminded her wickedly.

"Oh, you're just so fucking evil," she replied, groaning in ecstasy as his dick pumped into her. She knew there was no way that she could keep quiet with him making her feel this good, but in this position, she had an alternative.

Ellie wrapped her arms around David's neck and pulled herself against him, locking her lips to his and thrusting her tongue deep into his mouth. The two tongue-wrestled as he continued to fuck her for all he was worth. She could feel her body heating up again, and she knew that another orgasm was on its way. When it arrived, her pussy clamped down on his cock as her hips shuddered and pushed against him. Her arms tightened, holding him firmly to her body as she screamed wantonly into his mouth, the sound mostly muffled.

As she came down from her second orgasm, Ellie released David and sat back. His cock was still hard as iron, and still buried in her pussy. David ended that as he stepped back. He took her hand and pulled gently.

"Come on," he said.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked as she slowly got off the table. She worried he was going to fuck her in one of the hallways.

"Not far," he said in non-answer. When she was on her feet, he walked her a few steps to the glass. "Lean over and put your hands on the window," he told her.

Ellie did, which pushed her ass out nicely toward him. As he slipped his cock back inside of her, she groaned softly. She had missed its presence while it had been absent. As David started to fuck her, he used long, slow strokes this time. He wanted her to think about her position.

"If anyone walks by on the rim, they'll be able to see us," she said.

"Not us. Just you. I'm too far away from the window," he reminded her gleefully.

"You bastard," she said with a smile. "Oh, god, that feels good."

"I know what will feel better," he told her. "Stand up straight."

She did, but this removed his cock from her pussy. This wasn't making her feel better.

David uttered the lubrication spell in his mind, and then he pressed the head of his dick to Ellie's asshole. Ellie moaned softly as his cock slid easily into her ass. They had done anal many times, and she had grown used to it, relaxing automatically at the first touch of his cock head to her hole. In only a few seconds, David's cock was fully buried inside of her.

At that point, David walked Ellie forward, pressing her tits against the glass of the greenhouse.

"Oh, shit, David," she said. "Now they would really see me. Us, now, because they could see you, too..."

"Yeah, I don't really care," he said. "I've just been teasing you. Does it excite you, knowing some first-year might come along and get a good look at your hot body?" As he asked this, David began to fuck Ellie's ass.

Ellie just moaned in response.

David whispered in her ear. "Close your eyes. I want you to pretend that one of your classmates is watching us."

Ellie inhaled sharply as the thought fully penetrated her mind.

"Spread your legs for him. Let him see."

Ellie groaned, but she did as she was told. David bent his knees slightly to keep fucking her.

"Now, reach down and play with yourself. Give him a show. Finger your clit to tease him."

Ellie reached down to frig her clit, her finger sliding rapidly over the erect little nubbin. Her breathing was rapid, her heart was beating a mile a minute. She could feel her next orgasm coming, and it was going to be a doozy.

"Wow, he's pulled out his cock, and he's jacking off to you," David whispered in her ear.

Ellie's mental picture immediately incorporated that thought, and her finger instantly started to move faster. Her hips pushed back harder against David's cock, forcing it deeper into her ass. Her climax was rushing headlong toward her now.

"He's right on the edge of coming now. Use your other hand and pinch your nipple for him," David whispered.

Ellie reached up and twisted her nipple. It was all she could take. She came, hard, crying out loudly, completely forgetting her need to be quiet.

As her orgasm washed over her, her ass squeezed tightly on David's cock, sending him the last inch toward his own climax, and he blew his load deep into her ass. The two writhed against each other for a long moment before they had both recovered from some very intense orgasms.

As David slipped out of Ellie, she turned and embraced him, kissing him fiercely, her body plastered against his.

When she let go of him, she said, "That was, without a doubt, the hottest, most arousing thing I have ever done in my life!"

David grinned and asked, "So, does that mean you don't want your clothes back now?"

David walked into the DIRT briefing room, to see that everyone else was already there. Seth and Dean Lengel were both there, also, as David had let Seth know that tonight would be the first night of active patrols for the DIRT.

"Hey, everyone. Sorry I'm late, I was working out a few last minute details.

"Okay, tonight's going to be our first night out on patrol. For the last week, we've just been acting whenever we happened to see things, while I got all of the planning and scheduling stuff put together. Now, with the exception of tonight, when all of us will be out there, we're going to have two teams roaming each night, with three people taking a break. The teams will, at least for now, be made up of essentially random members, until we find teams that work well together.

"What you're likely to see tonight is at least one fight. It's been six days since the last one, and that's actually longer than usual, so be prepared for it, in case it happens in front of you. Other than that, the usual amount of hazing and other petty rule-breaking is to be expected. The students still aren't sure we're serious yet, so also expect to be hassled if you have to detain someone or send them to detention.

"Charlie, Dusty, Colleen, could you guys come up here?"

As the three people came to the front, David said, "These are the patrol leaders I've chosen. In my opinion, I will be able to work best with them.

"Charlie, your team tonight will be Morgan and Leslie. Dusty, yours will be Martin and Karen. And, of course, Colleen that leaves you with Kyle and Chloe. As I said, guys, these teams were chosen basically randomly at this point. I don't know any of you well enough yet, nor do we have any sense of team dynamics, so we're just trying groups out to see which ones work, and which ones don't.

"Colleen, if you don't mind, I'm going to tag along with your group tonight."

"No problem, Cap'," she replied with a smile.

"Any questions?"

"When do you want us to wrap up patrols?" Charlie asked.

"Tonight, at ten. After tonight, the two patrols will start and end at different times, and we will also change up exactly when we're patrolling on any night. Because there are so few of us, we can't afford to be predictably in a certain place at a certain time. We need to show up unexpectedly. So, don't fall into a pattern. Wander almost aimlessly, though we will eventually start to focus on the problem areas, once we figure out what those are.

"Anything else?"

There was nothing.

"Okay, folks. Let's be safe out there."

David nodded to both Seth and Dean Lengel, then he turned to Colleen. "It's your team. Where are we going?"

Colleen's team had been patrolling for about an hour, first through a couple of the dorms, but now up on the terrace. They had encountered a few minor issues, nothing even requiring a detention sentence so far.

David knew that was about to change, however. As they came around a stand of trees, he saw students pushing and shoving each other. As they approached, the first punch was thrown.

"Don't shout," David told Colleen. He could tell she was about to scream, in order to stop them.

"But someone could get hurt," she replied.

"If you holler, they all run, and we don't accomplish anything," David pointed out.

Colleen nodded. In any case, they were there in a few more seconds, anyway.

"Break it up!" David barked. The two students most directly engaged ignored them, but the other four stepped back from each other. One of them thought to run, but Chloe had circled around the group and cut off his escape route.

"I said break it up!" David snapped, and pushed his way between the two, shoving both of them backward. One of them fell to the ground. The other looked about ready to swing on David.

"Oh, go ahead and try it, you little twit. I'll put you in the infirmary. Now stand down, before you actually get hurt."

The guy was still tense, but he lowered his hands. Colleen had already gone over and helped the other primary fighter off the ground.

"What's going on here?" Colleen demanded.

"None of your business, bitch," the one she was holding told her.

Colleen looked to David. She was obviously uncertain how to deal with being insulted, rather than answered.

David just looked at the guy. "You can answer us, or you can answer the dean."

"Fuck you, asshole!" the guy replied.

David turned to the other primary fighter. "You want to tell me what this was about?"

"He was fucking my sister," the guy seethed.

"And?"

"And what? He was fucking my sister!"

"How did she feel about this?" David asked.

"What the fuck has that got to do with anything?" the guy demanded.

"Rather a lot, actually," David replied. "At least ethically. What about the rest of you?" David asked the other, less aggressive fighters.

After a bit more digging, it turned out that the less aggressive fighters were friends of the two primary combatants, and that a minor skirmish had developed when the two groups had crossed paths.

David took Colleen aside while Chloe and Kyle watched the other students.

"What are you going to do?" David asked.

"What do you mean?"

"It's your team. Your responsibility."

"But you're here."

"If I wasn't, you'd have to figure out what to do. Pretend I went with Dusty tonight. What would you do with these guys?"

"Well... the two have to go see the dean, for sure. I'm not clear on what to do with the other four, though."

"What does your gut say?"

"It doesn't."

David frowned, and then turned away from her. "You four," he said, pointing to the less aggressive fighters, "each have two days of detention, starting tomorrow. Get going."

"This is bullshit, dude. I'm not going to detention just 'cause some rent-a-cop says so."

"You want to make it two weeks, instead of two days? Don't show up tomorrow. The dean has told me that will be the standard punishment for ignoring a DIRT detention order. I'm not going to argue it with you. Just go, before you get to chat with the dean tonight."

As the four walked off, David turned to the remaining two. "Hold out your hands."

The one whose sister was involved did so, and David enacted a handcuff hex.

"You ain't doing that shit to me," the other guy snarled.

"Fine," David replied, pointing his wand and saying, "Reteni!" The binding wraps coiled tightly around the offender, who struggled in vain to get free.

"Get this shit off me!" he yelled.

"DIRT policy requires you to be restrained while being escorted if we feel there is any danger to others. As you are clearly uncooperative, you are a danger. Now, walk."

"And if I don't?"

"Then I will render you unconscious and carry you to the dean's office. That will be very painful - for you - and somewhat embarrassing - again, for you. We're not playing around here. Now walk."

The guy glared at him, but turned and headed for the rock lift as directed. The other student followed more cooperatively, his face looking dejected.

"Buddy, if you think you're in trouble now," David said quietly to the brother, "just wait until your sister finds out what you did."

"Fuck," the guy opined.

"Good evening, David. How are you tonight?"

"I'm fine, Professor," David said to Prof. Blackstone. "What are we covering tonight?" "Well, now that we're all warmed back up from your summer off, we're going to start something a bit trickier. Last year, we worked at conjuring things out of a box, but the box was still in this room. Now, we're going to start working on conjuring things that aren't in your personal space.

"In my office, on the desk, there is a fuzzy yellow ball. It's for some Earth sport which I cannot remember the name of. I want you to conjure it from there, to your hand."

"That sounds... incredibly difficult," David admitted.

"It's not really that bad," Prof. Blackstone encouraged. "It's just an extension of the out-of-the-box method, really. You need to know where, roughly, in the room the object is, to have any chance of locking down its energies, but so long as you do, you simply do the same as you did for the box: look inside the contained area, find the energy of the desired object, and conjure it."

"Well, here goes nothing," David said.

And nothing was precisely what he managed. He couldn't conjure the ball, or anything else.

"Well, no one expected the first attempt to work," Prof. Blackstone said with a grin. "Just give it another go."

"It's gonna be a long night," David said with a self-effacing grin.

David had been right in his assertion. He had spent three hours, and accomplished nothing more significant than a headache.

"Well, I think that's enough for the night," Prof. Blackstone said. "I must say that you don't seem very focused tonight."

"I'm sorry, Professor. It's only the second night of patrols for the DIRT, and I feel like I should be out there with them. I know that I can't patrol every night; I have to get my work done. But as team leader, I feel responsible."

Prof. Blackstone nodded seriously. "I'm sure that Dean Lengel is rather relieved to have you in charge of DIRT. She at least knows that the person running things takes the job seriously. As to the patrols... well, as you say, you can't be out there every night. And even when you are patrolling, there's more than one group out, isn't there?"

"Yes. There are two teams out there."

"So there's always someone you're not overseeing. You're going to have to trust your teammates to do their jobs."

"Yes, sir. I know. And I'm sure it'll get easier as time goes on. But, like I said, tonight's the first night I haven't been out there with them."

Prof. Blackstone nodded. "Well, try to relax a little. You did okay tonight, though it would have been nice if you could have not conjured half of my desk blotter..."

"Sorry, Professor," David replied with an embarrassed grin.

"Ah, well. Try to work on it on your own, and see if you make any progress. I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"Yes, sir. Good night."

David hurried from Hyneman Hall down to Fensterman Hall. One of the teams, he knew, had already finished up for the night. Dusty was waiting in the briefing room with his report.

"Hey, Dusty," David said. "Anything happen tonight?"

Dusty shook his head. "Nothing serious. I gave out one detention for someone who was digging up the grounds."

"What for, for crying out loud?"

Dusty shrugged. "He wouldn't say what he was doing. He hadn't made much of a hole, so I gave him a day of detention, and that was it. Headed off some people who looked like they were thinking about causing trouble, but... quiet night, really. Just like last night."

"Yeah, wish mine had been. I didn't get to bed until midnight."

"Is that... really a problem for you?" Dusty asked with a knowing smile.

"Oh, shut up," David said good-naturedly. "Okay... how did your team work out tonight?"

"So-so. Morgan's kind of a whiner. Chloe's got it on the ball, it seems. She spotted two of the people we talked to tonight, including the guy digging the hole."

"Okay, good. Anyway, thanks for sticking around for me."

"No problem. I had homework to do, anyway."

David nodded with a smile, and then Dusty headed out. David looked over the report that Dusty had written, which was brief, but didn't need to be longer. After that, he pulled out one of his own books and waited for Charlie's team to come back.

"So, what, exactly, do you want me to take care of?" the man asked.

"Well, I want you to fix anything that's deficient, but there are some specifics I know of. The roof needs repair, and obviously, the house needs painting. Also," David said, continuing with the list of what he knew to be wrong with the Garibaldi house. He and the man were standing outside of it at the moment, discussing what needed to be done. Joe had already left for work, and Zyla was inside, unaware, as yet, that David was outside.

"Is there a budget?" the man asked.

"I will want an itemized breakdown of charges when you want payment, but no. Do what needs doing."

"You got it. I guess I need to see the inside of the house, now."

David walked up and knocked on the door. He noticed that the plaque he had put there was still present. He had magically affixed it, and it would take another magic spell to remove it. He wondered if Joe had bothered to try or not.

Zyla opened the door, and immediately smiled when she saw David.

"David, hi!" she said, hugging him. Grace, he saw, was in her playpen.

After she let him go, she asked, "What brings you by? And who's this?"

"This is Mr. Terkheurst. He's a contractor."

Zyla frowned slightly. "David..."

"Hey, you promised," David replied, tapping the plaque on the door. "Seriously, Zyla... you need the help. Stop being stubborn, and take it."

"But it's so much..."

David snorted. "Would you hesitate to give a friend a grana, if they really needed it?"

"Of course not."

"Helping you in this way isn't even that much of an inconvenience to me." Turning to Mr. Terkheurst, David said, "Go ahead and take a look around, then make a list of what you think needs to be done. I'll approve it item-by-item."

"Fair enough," the man said, and took out an InkyQuill and a piece of parchment. David, meanwhile, went over to say hi to Grace.

"I don't really know how to thank you properly," Zyla told him.

"Don't worry about it," David told her. "If it makes you feel any better, you can just think of it as me fulfilling a promise to a friend."

"Joe?"

David chuckled. "No. Joe's on your side. My friend Jacob, the one I... 'inherited' the money from in the first place... asked me to be generous, and help those around me. I'm doing what he asked me to. Not that I wouldn't, anyway. You two are some of the only friends I've got."

Zyla doubted that, but didn't argue with him over it. "Will you at least stay for lunch?"

"Sure, but I have to be back to the school by two o'clock. I have to teach a conjuring class."

"You're a teacher now?"

David grimaced. "Part of my apprenticeship. Prof. Blackstone is making me teach his class for him, while he watches me."

"Oh, I see. He must trust you."

"I guess. Or he likes watching me squirm."

Zyla giggled.

David was uncomfortable. He didn't find Haven to be a very friendly place. This had little to do with the people there, and a lot to do with the environment itself. Haven was cold in a way that thermometers could never really appreciate. It was empty, for the most part, and the only things one saw there were things that were actually in either Dugerra or Earth. There were a few Haven objects here and there, created by those who knew how, but for the most part, Haven was a desolate space full of people who either hadn't yet tired of watching the living, or those who simply hadn't yet had the courage to discorporate.

At the moment, David was looking for someone. He hoped it wouldn't be too hard to find him, as he didn't really have all day.

As another ghost came close, David said, "Excuse me, do you have a moment?"

"What do you want?" the ghost demanded.

"I was wondering if you knew where I could find Glenn Trebschau."

"Never heard of him," the ghost snapped, and moved on without further comment.

David frowned, but carried on. Several more people also were uninformative. Finally, however, he found a helpful soul.

"Glenn? You're not going to find him here. He'll be on the Earth side, watching over his old business."

"Can you tell me how to get there?"

After a pause, the ghost said, "Eh, I've got nothing better to do. I'll take you there."

"Thank you."

It was a swift trip to Haverhill for the two, and David's escort stopped short, pointing to where Glenn stood. David could see a factory beyond the shimmering barrier of Haven.

David thanked his escort, who immediately moved off, then David turned and walked toward the man.

"Glenn Trebschau?" David asked.

Glenn turned. "Yes?"

David sighed quietly. At least his escort hadn't lied to him. "Mr. Trebschau, my name is David Stroud. I'm a friend of your daughter, Zyla."

"Really? I haven't seen Zyla since well before I passed. How long has it been since you passed?"

"I... never really passed," David said. "I'm a demighost."

"I see. So, when you say that you are a friend of Zyla's..."

"I mean that I am still, currently, her friend. I spoke to her just yesterday, as a matter of fact."

"Did she have a message for me? Is that why you're here?"

"No, sir. Actually, she doesn't know I've come to talk to you. I've only recently been made aware of the problems she's facing because of your... uh... damn, you know, I've never asked this before: What do you call your still-living spouse?"

"Lately, I've called her plenty of things I'd not care to repeat," Glenn said. David chuckled at that. "But I think you mean in general? Most folks refer to them as their 'early' wife, or 'early' husband... you know, as a play off of 'late'."

David grinned. "I see. So, you're well aware of the grief your early wife is causing Zyla."

"Quite."

"Can I ask, what happened to Zyla's mother?"

"A double tragedy."

"I don't understand."

"First, she was taken from me in a plane crash, on Earth. Jenna wasn't a wizard, you see, which is why we lived in Earth. I was in my eighties already when I married her. Of course, no one around me really knew that. Anyway, after she passed to Haven, she was consumed by a mortessor. I can only hope she discorporated long ago."

David grimaced. The mortessor was the only monster living in Haven, and it lived off the souls of the dead. There was no escape from the belly of the mortessor, and it was a very unpleasant place to be. Most who were consumed would discorporate within a day. The more stubborn would hang on for a week, or maybe a month, trying to find a way to escape, but no one, in all of history, had ever done so. The energy released during discorporation was absorbed by the mortessor, and kept it alive and strong.

"I am very sorry for your loss," David said to Glenn, pulling himself away from his thoughts.

Glenn nodded in acceptance. "So, Zyla doesn't know you're here... what is it I can do for you?"

"I am trying to understand the situation that Zyla is stuck in. Why didn't you leave the business to your second wife?"

"I loved Lynn... but I never fully trusted her. She's showing me why, now. I always felt like she would have raped the business for every penny she could get out of it, and then left it for dead. I can't bear the thought of something I spent so much time building, being killed off for greed."

"I see. What would you like to see happen?"

"I'd love for Lynn to do a little growing up, leave Zyla alone, and for Zyla to take over the business."

"That would mean moving to Earth," David pointed out.

"Yes. And I know she won't do that. Her husband has a good job in Dugerra, which allows her to stay home. I hope they have children at some point..."

"They already do."

"Oh?"

"A daughter, Grace. She's nearly two now." David pulled out a picture of her he had brought specifically because he thought that Glenn might not have seen her. "I would have thought you'd have heard before you passed, even if you hadn't had the chance to visit..."

"She's a beautiful little girl," Glenn said, handing the photo back after a long moment. "The last year of my life, I was too absorbed in the business. I let pretty much all of my personal affairs go stale. It was, I see now, a serious mistake. One I wouldn't want Zyla to repeat. No, right now Zyla can stay home and watch the baby. Running a business would take up most of her time. I can't blame her for not wanting to do that."

"How much would it hurt you if she sold the business?"

"I would be sad to see it go that way, but I would understand. Zyla has her own life to live; she doesn't need to live mine. Why is this all important to you?"

"Zyla and Joe are my friends. Right now, because of this business, they are struggling, both financially and emotionally. I'm trying to get them to let me help, but they both have a stubborn streak about a mile wide."

"Don't I know it," Glenn said with a grin.

"I'm hoping you can give me some... well, some ammunition to use to get Zyla to give in."

"I see. May I assume that you are still a student?" Glenn asked, motioning to David's school uniform.

"Fifth year," David confirmed.

"You don't look old enough for fifth year," Glenn objected.

"Demighosts don't age."

"Ahh," Glenn replied. "I didn't know that. Well, what would you like to know?"

"Hey, David," Joe said, greeting him at the door. "Come to tear apart my house some more?"

David rolled his eyes and shook his head as Joe let him in the house. The ceiling in the living room was missing at the moment, and the roof rafters were exposed.

"Why didn't he just magically repair the damage?" David asked.

"He said the material was in such poor shape, he was actually going to have to replace it," Joe said with a frown. "This is going to cost more than you think," Joe muttered, so that Zyla wouldn't hear him.

David snorted. "Like I care. Is Zyla around?"

"Of course I am," she said from the kitchen doorway. "What's on your mind today?"

"I have someone with me who wants to talk to you."

"Okay..." she said, motioning to indicate she didn't see anyone else.

"Glenn, if you would?" David asked.

Before Zyla could even register the name, her father faded into visibility. "Hey, Drakee," he said warmly, using his nickname for her. "It's good to see you."

"Daddy!" Zyla cried. She went to him, but then realized she probably couldn't touch him.

"We'll take Grace for a walk, so you two can have some time alone," David said. He picked Grace up from the floor, bounced her in his arms a couple times, and then motioned with his head for Garibaldi to lead him out.

As they were walking up the lane, Joe asked, "How the hell did you find Glenn?"

"I asked around. Ghosts, by the way, are mostly rude."

Joe chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind." Growing more serious, he asked, "But why did you bring Glenn here?"

"Because I know that, despite your rough and tough exterior, Zyla runs that house."

"And?"

"And she needs to be convinced to let me help her."

"David..."

"Joe, let's be blunt. What the..." David paused, remembering there was a little child listening, and continued, "heck do you know about the legal system of Earth?"

"Virtually nothing."

"What do you know about Earth business?"

"Even less."

"Then why, for Pete's sake, are you refusing the help of someone who knows more about it?"

"Because you have your own life to deal with."

"Joe, you guys are part of my life. I'm your daughter's godfather, for crying out loud. You two are some of the best friends I've got. Hell, at this point, you're some of the only friends I've got. I lost most of them at the end of last year."

"But you have school stuff to do."

"I'm in my fifth year. My schedule is flexible."

"Really? Because I remember my school time, and I never really had much free time that last year when I was really studying..."

"The system changes in your fifth year," David explained. "Directed study classes are much more flexible. I have one class a day where I have to be on campus. Other than that, my time is my own. As long as I make progress, my professors are happy."

"Okay, I guess I'll accept that, but... just what is it you think you can do that we can't?"

"It's not what I can do that you can't. It's that I know what can be done, and you don't. I'm a techno by birth. I grew up with lawyers and taxes and licenses and all that other bull... er, garbage that goes on in America. You haven't got a clue. You probably don't even know what you don't know yet."

"Huh?"

"Do you know what the IRS is?"

"Nope."

"The Better Business Bureau? The Department of Labor?"

"Um... nope."

"See? You don't even know what it is you need to learn yet. I'm not a businessman. I admit that. What I am is someone who knows the system well enough to figure out what I need to learn in order to help you. I'm also someone willing to put that bitch mother-in-law of yours in her place."

"I guess. I just don't like inconveniencing others."

"Then why are you making my life so freakin' difficult?" David retorted. "I'm trying to help you, and you're not being terribly convenient about accepting!"

Joe couldn't help himself. He laughed at that. "Okay, you got me there."

The two turned and started to walk back toward the house. When they got there, they sat on the porch, letting Grace play in the grass, while they waited for Zyla to finish talking with her father.

In due course, the two came outside to join the others.

"David," Glenn said, "it was good to meet you. If you need any help in the future, feel free to contact me." The two shook hands, then Glenn faded out, waving to his daughter as he did so.

David turned to Zyla. "Okay, okay," she said, seeing the look on his face. "Come on, let's talk about it inside."

David and Zyla stepped out of the cab in front of a small office building in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It was fairly early in the morning, as David had his Sword & Staff class in the afternoon, so they needed to get things done with some speed.

"It's a good thing your dad ended up near the school. This would have been impossible if he'd decided to live in Texas, or worse, California."

"It's no accident, him living this close to Woodward. I'm sure he didn't say anything to you, but my father loved that school. Seeing you, wearing your uniform, probably brought a swell of pride to him."

"Didn't you? Love Woodward, I mean."

Zyla grimaced. "I'm not a very studious person. Woodward was very difficult for me."

"Hmm. You seem smart enough to me..." David objected.

"Thank you. But it wasn't my ability that caused the trouble. It was my interest."

"Ahh," David said in understanding. "Never figured out what you wanted to be when you grew up?"

"No, I did. It's just that I wanted to be a housewife," she replied with a smile.

David grinned, and then opened the door for her as they entered the office of the lawyer they had come to see.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Garibaldi," the man said, shaking their hands. Zyla blushed as David responded.

"I'm not Mr. Garibaldi."

"Oh, dear," the man said, now blushing slightly himself. "I had just assumed. I'm sorry. You are?"

"David Stroud."

"Please, have a seat. So, what can I do for you two this morning?"

"We need some advice and assistance establishing a business relationship between the two of us," Zyla told him.

"Okay, we can do that. For what purposes?"

"My father owned a factory here in town. When he passed away, that factory passed into my possession. It is still in operation, but I am trying to figure out exactly how I should proceed in dealing with it. I don't know whether to sell it, run it myself, hire someone to run it for me, or something else entirely."

"I understand," the man said. "And where do you come in?" he asked David.

"Zyla doesn't live in the area," David explained. "While I don't, really, either, I can get here much more easily than she can. As such, I've offered to do the necessary research and handling of details, to help her get what she needs to make the decision. Also, we should mention that her former stepmother is being a bit of a problem." David detailed that, while the lawyer took some notes.

"I think I've got all that," the lawyer, whose name was Mr. Becker, said. "So, you want to know what the best arrangement is between the two of you, so that Mr. Stroud can act on your behalf, but only up to a certain point."

"Yes. I mean, I'm not really too concerned about him trying to cheat me. If I was, I wouldn't be having him help me. But I guess it's better to have things laid out clearly in the agreement."

"Very true. Even between close friends, when handling large sums of money, or assets like these, it is always best to have clear lines drawn. It's actually almost more important with friends, because they are less likely to speak up for themselves if the other party does something inappropriate, not wanting to cause an argument."

"So, what would you suggest as a way forward?" David asked.

The lawyer then explained their options to them, and made his recommendations. By the time they left his office, they had signed contracts between them, and David was now a partner in Zyla's business, which gave him authority to act, within limits.

Once they'd left the lawyer, they decided to stop by the factory and see what shape it was in. Zyla had not been there in months, leaving it in the hands of the factory manager while she worked out things with her stepmother.

The cab dropped them off, and David frowned. He took out a notebook and his InkyQuill, to take notes.

"It needs a coat of paint," he said.

"Is that really a big concern?" Zyla asked. "Surely the inside is more important."

"If you plan on expanding, you will need to court some new clients. You don't want your facility to look run-down, especially from the outside. Besides, it's a building maintenance issue. Unpainted metal corrodes faster, and we're not that far from the ocean."

"Okay."

The two walked onto the lot, careful to avoid getting in the way of the lone forklift moving materials and finished parts back and forth across the yard. There was a massive door that stood open, allowing the forklift access, as well as helping ventilate the building. The two walked up to the door without hesitation.

"Hey! This is private property!" one of the larger men said menacingly.

"Which I happen to own," Zyla told him.

"So you're the one threatening to shut us down," the man growled. He tried to be intimidating, but David stepped between him and Zyla. The man was a few inches taller than David, but David was undead. The man looked into David's eyes and didn't press any further.

"I'm not threatening to shut anything down," Zyla objected.

"Yeah, right, lady. Get lost," one of the other workers said.

"You heard the man," the first worker said to David.

David said, in a quiet but clear tone of voice, "You can get out of my way voluntarily, or they can carry you out of my way on a stretcher. It's your choice, but you look smart enough to figure out which is the better option." David's eyes bored in on the man, and the man felt his insides wriggling. He stepped back out of David's way.

"Where is the manager?" Zyla asked.

"Office," one of the others said sharply.

"Thank you," Zyla said. She and David then turned and walked past the group, heading for the office.

The two spent a half-hour with the manager, going over the factory's finances, and making sure that he understood David's authority. As they were leaving, David could see, and even feel, the dirty looks they were getting from every employee they passed.

"Your stepmother's doing, I imagine," David said.

"Yes. The witch."

"That's not what you want to call her..." David said with a grin.

"No, but she was married to my dad."

"I gather he calls her some rather unpleasant things now, himself."

Zyla just grunted in response to that. In a few minutes, they were back in a cab headed back towards their travel gate.

"So... what do you plan to do now?" Zyla asked as they rode.

"I'm going to have to do some basic research into the business, first. Then, I'll talk with the workers. Eventually, I'm probably going to have to have a chat with your stepmother. Do you know when the probate hearing is supposed to take place?"

"Early November. Lynn had filed something or other with the courts early on, before they even gave me authority to act to keep the business running. That hearing went against her because she didn't have anything other than her word to back up what she was saying. Then she filed the... appeal? I think that's what it was called. Apparently that court is very busy, and couldn't schedule until November."

"Well, at least I have time to figure all of this stuff out, then. What do you want to do with the business?"

"I don't know. I'd like to keep it in the family, if I can, but I really don't have the time or the desire to run it."

"Okay. Well, I'll see what options you have, then."

"Thank you so much, David. I know we've been really stubborn about letting you help, but I want you to know that I do really appreciate what you're doing for us."

"Haven't done anything, yet," he said with a smile. "Thank me when I actually accomplish something."

Zyla smiled at him, and then they finished the ride back mostly in silence, while David considered all the things he needed to find out before he could even begin to come up with ideas for how to help them.

David ambled across the terrace, enjoying one of the last warm days of the year. It was the Festival of Merlin, and because it was a weekend, students were out all over the place, showing off their magic. David and the patrol leaders were walking the grounds to make sure that things didn't get out of hand. The rest of the DIRT was available, if needed, but David hadn't wanted to spoil the festival for them.

There had been no real problems during the festival, with the exception of some minor mischief, which was mostly caused by over-exuberant first-years who just needed to be told not to do what they were doing. He'd not had to send anyone to detention, which was just fine with him. He hated filling out reports.

As the day neared sunset, David's mirror buzzed. He pulled it out, and found Prof. Arpilla staring back at him.

"Hey, Cat," he said warmly. "What's up?"

"Hi, David. Where are you?"

"Near Santana Hall. Why?"

"Could you drop by my office for a minute? I need to talk to you."

"Sure. I'll be there in... say ten or fifteen minutes."

"Okay, thanks."

David fogged off with Cat, and then headed for the rock lift up to the Academy level. He didn't know what was up; he hoped she didn't have another problem for him to solve. He didn't mind helping her out, but he already had Zyla's problem to deal with for now.

David knocked on Cat's door, and she called for him to come in. He did so, and found her room filled with white roses.

"Wow," David said.

"Florist go overboard, did he?" Cat asked with a grin.

"Huh?"

"Oh, c'mon, David. It's okay. I just wanted to thank you for them. They're beautiful." Cat wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him strongly. He held on to her and kissed back, enjoying her attention.

Finally, she broke their kiss and leaned back, smiling at him.

David averted his eyes for a second, then looked back at her and said, "I hate to tell you this, and spoil my shot at a very nice thank-you... but I didn't send them."

Cat frowned. "You didn't?"

"No. And I wouldn't have chosen white roses, if I had sent flowers."

"These aren't just white roses," Cat said. "Watch." She let go of him and walked over to the nearest vase. She ran her hands softly over the tips of the flowers, and the flowers, which had been closed, suddenly opened. As they did, they also burst into color. David realized that the color was actually a light effect; the roses glowed. They slowly shifted colors through the entire rainbow of hues. David watched for a few minutes, until the roses finally faded, and then closed again.

"I've never seen roses like those," David admitted.

"They don't exist. These have to be an enchantment. And a hefty one at that. I was sure it was your doing, to cheer me up."

"Well, if I'd known it would cheer you up, I might have," David admitted. "But I didn't think you liked flowers that much... and I didn't."

"Hmm. I wonder who did, then."

"Was there a card?"

"Only from the florist, and it talks about care for normal white roses."

"I don't know, then. But I promise, it wasn't me. So, it looks like you have an admirer."

"Hmm," Cat said. She walked back over to David, and put her hands on his chest. "A secret admirer, so I can't thank him directly. Would you like to accept the reward in his place?" she asked David coyly.

"Well, if I must..." David said with a grin as Cat changed her office back into a bedroom.

"Okay. As you are aware, at the beginning of the year, I asked you to obtain two new items. You should have in your possession a parry dagger, and a buckler. This year, we will start off by teaching you not only how to use these defensive items, but when it is advantageous - and disadvantageous - to do so. Sometimes, the speed lost by having something in your off hand is more detrimental than not having the added protection is.

"Please be aware that, though we refer to these as defensive weapons, in both cases, they can be used to attack your opponent. The dagger is sturdy and sharp, causing all the obvious damage of a bladed weapon, should you have the ability to get in close enough to use it to stab or slash. The buckler is a very solid piece of metal; a blow to someone's face with it will certainly break their nose, at the very least. Turning it on edge and striking will concentrate the force, perhaps allowing you to break sturdier bones. We will learn all of these things as we progress, as well as the defensive tactics of both items, their ability to keep you from being run through by your opponent's sword.

"Neither of these items is of use to you while using your staff. The reason is very simple; the staff is a two-handed weapon, so your off hand is already busy. That doesn't mean, however, that your opponent might not be using a staff, and so we will practice mixed-weapon techniques with these items, as well. And, of course, during that, I will show you how a staff can be used to make its way through the extra defense of the companion weapon.

"Now, we're going to warm up with some simple movements. Please draw your sword and your buckler, and we will begin."

The class went through their drills, slashing with the sword, then pushing the buckler outward to defend against an attack, or twisting as if to trap an incoming weapon. They practiced moves designed to hide their sword hand, allowing them to surprise their opponent. Finally, they worked on moves that allowed them to use the buckler offensively when the opportunity arose.

By the end of the class, everyone was breathing hard and sweating profusely. Prof. Teller finally brought everyone back into line and dismissed the class. As per normal, they all lined up to shake his hand as they left.

When he got to David, he said, "Good work today. Could you stay for a moment? I wish to talk to you about something."

"Yes, sir." David stepped out of line and waited while the professor shook the hands of the remaining students. Once they were walking out of the gym, he turned back to David.

"Come over here," he said quietly. The two walked across the room, quickly putting distance between themselves and the departing students.

"David, I wanted to talk to you about your weapon carry exam. You are, by my estimate, the third-best student I have. Both of the two above you, and the two below you, passed their exam. I was wondering if you knew what had caused your inability to pass."

"Oh, I know, Professor," David assured him.

"Oh?"

"Yes, sir. It was a concentration problem."

"I would have thought we'd have worked on that enough in class..." Prof. Teller did, in fact, spend some time teaching his students to keep their attention focused on their opponent, tuning out the irrelevancies until only the things that were important to the fight entered their consciousness.

"Not that kind of concentration, sir." David explained the problem to the professor.

"Oh, I see. Yes, any time you use an external support system, you risk having that system fail, because you cannot control it. This is why it is best to reduce the number of external systems you have to count on as much as possible."

"Yes, sir. I understand that, now."

"Good. As you know, the next exam testing date is in December. I expect you to retest at that time. I also expect you to pass. If you do not pass, you will not be permitted to take this class in the spring."

David's eyes went wide. "I didn't know passing the exam was a course requirement."

"It's not. But in your case, it is abundantly clear that you have the knowledge and the technique to pass the exam without difficulty. That means that, if you don't, you are either not trying, or you don't have the necessary psychological makeup to carry a weapon. Either way, there would be no point in us continuing to train you for something you would never be able to do."

"Fair enough, Professor," David said. What else, really, could he say?

"I just wanted to let you know. I'll see you next class."

"Yes, sir."

David entered the DIRT briefing room and walked to the podium. The others were chatting with each other, just waiting for him to start their briefing. All nine of the other members were present, which was unusual. David didn't normally call the three members who weren't patrolling that day in for the briefing.

Seth and Dean Lengel showed up not too long after David arrived. Dean Lengel moved to the back of the room and sat in a chair. Seth nodded to David, and then stood behind him.

"Okay, folks, if we could get started..." David said.

The room settled quickly, and everyone turned to face him.

"Thanks. First off, sorry for calling in those of you who are 'off' tonight. Seth said there was something we all needed to know about. As soon as the briefing's over, you're free to go. Let me cover, real quick, the stuff that we would normally talk about.

"Last night, we broke up another fight. One of those people went to the infirmary, and is still there. His condition is not serious, but will take a day or two more to heal.

"We encountered three cases of vandalism. Two were mindless destruction. The third was graffiti. All cases were sent to detention.

"There were seven cases of petty misbehaving, none of which required disciplinary action.

"Tonight, we're hoping for a quiet night. With last night's fight, chances are that we won't be seeing one tonight... though the fights seem to be growing in number, so don't let your guard down.

"Also, I should point out that the negative behavior directed at us is growing. I've been keeping a record, and you guys have reported a total of one hundred incidents aimed squarely at us. Most of these have been very minor, such as name calling. In eight cases, someone has decided to throw something at us. In only one case was anyone actually struck, and that person ended up in three weeks of detention. I would expect this to continue, and to grow, as the troublemakers realize the school is serious about this program, and they figure out that the only way they have left to get around us is to encourage all of us not to do the job anymore.

"If any of you start to reach that point, please come talk to me. If you ultimately reach the stage where you do wish to resign your position, you will need to make an appointment to talk to Seth and me. Be aware that you may be asked to remain on the team until we can find a replacement for you.

"Now, having said all that, I think we're all in the right frame of mind to hear whatever it is that Seth has to tell us. Seth?"

David moved to the side of the room, so he could face the podium. Seth stepped up and looked at the team.

"As David pointed out, the fighting has gotten worse. With last night's graffiti incident, we think we've discovered why.

"We sent an image of the graffiti down to the Rimohr office in Bolmont, to see if the symbols found there had any relevance. It turns out that this symbol," he said, holding up a parchment, which showed a globe, punctured by three swords, with blood dripping down from the penetrations, "is apparently a gang logo. They have seen this symbol in several crimes in this region, but they don't yet have a name for the gang. However, with the symbol appearing here on campus, it seems rather clear that the gang is either trying to establish a presence here, or that one of its members is a student here, and is a little too proud of their affiliation.

"Now, if we assume the worst, that the gang is trying to establish a hold here, that means that you will all be targets for increasing violence. You're going to have to start watching your back when you're off-duty, as well as on. Things could possibly get ugly.

"Depending on what this gang's motivation is for being here, we could see any number of issues cropping up, from simple violence to organized crime. We need you to keep your eyes open, and to report on anything unusual you see. You all know what's unusual by now. There's the normal, expected rule-breaking, and then there are things that are more sinister. We need to know about those.

"Madame Lengel? Do you have anything you want to add?"

Dean Lengel rose and walked to the front of the room. Seth stepped aside as she approached, and then she turned to face the team.

"I want to apologize. I never expected you to be put in a position of real danger. However, if we disband the team now, it will only encourage the miscreants. I want you all to give careful consideration to your comfort with this situation. If you want to resign your position because of this new information, we'll understand. If you do decide to remain, please be careful."

"That's all I have," she said to David.

David turned to his team and said, "Okay, that's it, then. Charlie, I'll be going with you tonight. Those of you who have the night off, you're dismissed. Colleen, start your patrol in forty-five minutes."

"You got it, Cap."

"Okay. Let's go."

"David? Could I speak with you a minute?" Dean Lengel asked.

David looked at Charlie. Charlie said, "We'll wait for you out front." David nodded, then turned back to the dean.

Dean Lengel waited for the room to clear out before she spoke.

"I know this is a lot more than the team was expecting to have to deal with. I'm sure it's a lot more than you were expecting to tackle, too. Are you okay with the position you're in?"

"I'll manage," David said. "Depending on how things progress, however, you may have to give the team a bit more latitude in how we respond to certain violent situations."

Dean Lengel nodded. "We will re-evaluate things on a continuous basis now. You, me, and Seth will sit down twice a month to go over things, and see if changes need to be made."

"Okay."

"Do you expect anyone to leave the team?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"I'm not sure who, but I'd expect one or two of them to leave. This is, as you point out, not what they signed up for. I don't yet have a sense of who hasn't got the mental toughness to handle being on the outside."

"Can you?"

"Ma'am, I've been on the outside since the day I got outed. If I couldn't handle it, I think we'd have known by now."

"Fair enough, but my name is Emile, not ma'am."

David grunted.

Dean Lengel looked at him for a long moment, then finally said, "Well, I'm holding up your team. Please be careful out there."

"Yes, ma'am," David said, somewhat stiffly.

"David, how long is it going to take for you to forgive me for what I said to you?" she asked, distressed at his distant attitude, and unable to keep quiet any longer.

"I don't know. What you said to me in May was pretty harsh."

"I already apologized. I didn't have all the facts at the time I made that call," she replied, a pleading tone to her voice.

"I really wish you had waited until you did." With that, David walked off, leaving Dean Lengel staring after him with a distraught look on her face.