Page 64 of Class Studies
I frowned at the washroom. My sapphire-eyed mage was so good at not answering questions. After staring at the closed door, I sighed and made my way to the coffee maker. I had a half-decent pour over in my hands before Beryl returned.
He stood close to my side and stole a sip of my drink.
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m stuck on what to do next.” I pointed at my workstation, opting not to bring up the dress again. Or his coffee thievery.
Beryl’s lips tweaked up as he pulled my mug out of my hands a second time.
I leaned forward in disbelief.
He chuckled and took another sip before handing it back to me. “I mean, logically, the next step is to pour me coffee.”
I crossed my eyes. “Not about that.” I gestured to my workstation.
Beryl smiled at my annoyance but looked where I pointed.
After a moment, he shrugged. “Put them in Ashe’s coffee, and see the effects of ash on Ashe?”
“I’m not laughing at that,” I said crossly as Ashe’s alarm blared.
Saffron sat bolt upright on the couch, his blonde locks a mess. He blinked at the room as if trying to remember where he was. Ashe’s footsteps sounded above us.
“So,” Beryl said, not bothering to keep his voice down. “You have your fancy gadgets on. Whatcha learn and how?”
I looked at him skeptically but vaguely described what happened, leaving out the potion’s specifics. “My replication was flawless,” I finished. “But now I don’t know what to do.”
“It sounds like you need to start trying combos.” Beryl sipped his own coffee that he poured himself while I talked. “You smelled acid, grapefruit, and metal and heard crackling, right?”
I nodded. “But no copper.”
“Well, smartypants, what does all this mean?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Crackling is usually a spell’s components breaking. If it had been lighter, maybe it could be something unweaving.” I tapped my chin. “But it definitely wasn’t a pop, so the spell itself didn’t fail.” I chewed my lip. “I mean, acid and grapefruit are similar and indicate a loss of balance, but I’ve never smelled them with metal before.” I huffed. “What should I do?”
“I’ve no idea.” Beryl raised his hands in the air. “I don’t make potions. I sell them. Be creative.”
I bristled. “I’m more of a follow directions type of person.” I gazed into Beryl’s sapphire blue rims. “What do you do with your magic, anyway?”
“I do you.” Beryl reached out to tickle me.
I danced away and squeaked when I bumped into Saffron’s shirtless body. With one hand, he steadied my hips against his. With the other, he stole my coffee.
“Hey!” I said before he downed it.
Saffron coughed. “Oh gods, that’s terrible. Who made this?”
I wrinkled my nose and glared at him. “Don’t steal things that don’t belong to you.”
A smile played on his lips. He darted forward to kiss my neck, but stopped himself.
With an unhappy sigh, he released my hip and grunted. “Is there a difference between creativity and trying new things in an organized pattern?”
I blinked at him a few times, and my heart thudded in my chest. I loved patterns.
He rubbed his face before stomping to the washroom. The door shut heavily behind him, and the sound of the shower blended into the background noise of my tower. The stairs rattled, and Ashe, dressed in his MA pants and one of his red t-shirts, hurried down.
He took a deep breath when he saw me and Beryl. “Right, fucking dickhead’s in the shower. I’ll wait.”
I rubbed my hands on my PJs, deciding if I should warn Ashe that it might be a while. The Gentle Giant gave Beryl a fist bump before working the coffee machine.