You remember enough to get back

Hurrying down the street and away from the Church you replay the events in your mind. After a few reruns you come the conclusion that being a teenager was absolutely going to get you burned at the stake. Though you were glad you got to experiment with magic in a way you'd always wanted to.

You look over your shoulder to make sure none of the three of them were following you and let out a relieved breath that you are alone. Slowing your hurried jog so a calmer walk you take the right turn and end up on the second street the carriage driver had told you about. From here it was four blocks to the left turn. Or five? Uh oh.

You weren't truly lost. You can fly so being lost in a city is kinda impossible for you but flying would be a massive use of magic and you didn't need to do it now. You'd keep on this block for four block then turn left. It was supposed to lead to the gardens so even if you get the street wrong you should see them from ground level.

As you walk your thought go back to the Priestess, well her chest. It was remarkable hard to get things that big out of your mind. How soft and warm they felt against your face. The smaller boobs of the two academy student pressed against your sides tried to push the Priestess's out of you focus. You remembered them from the bathes properly now. They had been on the raised platform wearing towels. You wondered if glasses existed in this world?

Huh. You thought as your mind went from boobs to the practical solutions to a genetic condition not naturally cured by magic. Maybe you were coming out of your horny teenager brain. Then the sight of the three women pressed against each other looking up at you as you recited the passage shoved its way into your consciousness. That felt about right.

The buildings increased in height and number of people around grew to the point you recognised the street you had been abandoned on. You looked down it half hoping to see Anastasia waiting for you to come back. Alas she was not present so walking was your option.

You had to keep going straight here but couldn't remember if it was two or three blocks. You stuck with two and after checking for traffic walked across the road.

You could tell from the smell it was nearing midday. The stores along the road you were walking had opened their fronts and a mixture of fresh sweets, breads, pastries and the occasional savoriness of meat wafted out from them. The smell made you stomach wake up but you'd had a decent breakfast so weren't especially hungry. What it did do was remind that even if you were hungry you had no money to buy anything.

You wondered how the Academy views it's students working? Considering it student body was made up of nobles you doubted their would be many rules because the only one's who'd need to work were their on sponsorships. Presumably the Academy had some jobs for it's students, teachers aid and sort. You resolved to ask an attendant when you got back.

You're way back had been reduced to a crawl. The people seeking their lunch were crowding their favored stall forcing you to get onto the road to avoid them.

When you neared the end of this block you saw something that was going to turn your crawl into a halt. The next block wasn't the garden but you could see greenery over the tops of peoples heads. People who were swarming both the sidewalk and the road. They were all watching something but you could see over their heads to guess at what.

Checking for traffic you hopped across the road and quickly forget the idea of slipping through. You were going to have to go around but you were close enough it didn't bother you, you were enjoying the walk.

A flash of light came from other the crowds heads and was followed by lots of ohhs and ahhs. You tried to get a glimpse through bodies but couldn't. You could just fly. You readied your legs for kick off when he stopped. No one else was flying. It hadn't occurred to you until now but you hadn't seen anyone airborne. Since everyone was here for the shopping flying didn't make sense but to watch a street performer or something of the sort, surely people should be trying to get a better view. Maybe it was illegal? Too many mid-air crashes **** a total ban. Or maybe it was becasue this was a performance, nothing airborne that could get in the way.

You look around as another obscured flash lights up the crowd. No one is watching you and you are curious. You extend your perception bubble around you just in case someone is about to run into you and raise a foot and coating your shoe's sole with magic. In mid air you put your weight onto it. It takes a second and your balance is shaky but you are in the air. You raise your other foot and do the same. Once you'd climbed enough to see you were impressed.

A woman in what looked like a jesters outfit was dancing in tune with a dragon. Her outfit had loose strips of cloth that would twirl out and flutter around with a life of their own as puppeting them with magic. The fluidity of her movement and her control over the strips was hypnotic, she'd even incorporated her aura into the show. It's colours shifting in time with her movements and outfit, in some instances almost creating a ghosted image of herself as she dance. Yet another instance of something you were fundamentally unable to being done to an exceptional degree.

The dragon was much less impressive. When you'd started to dabble with magic manifestations was you first stop so you did know this. Her dragon was a motley coloured thing darting around her body, through her arms and legs when a gap formed but the movement and the colours were a distraction. To keep people from looking closely at it and seeing the different sized wings and how it's body grew and shrunk as it moved around her to avoid contact which would shatter it.

You kept watching it so distracted by the woman's movements your perception bubble slipped out of your control. "Is he flying?" The voice was soft and came from your left but got your attention. If flying was illegal being spotted was a bad idea.

You drop the magic and plummet to the ground. Catching yourself from colliding with a tiny bubble below your feet.

You don't look at the child who had seen you instead acting like you were trying to see over the heads of the people in front.

"He's just jumping." A older voice said. You let out a sigh of relief at not having been caught but think better than do it again. You hope you'll get to see more of the performer at some point because that was pretty cool to watch. You hadn't gotten a look at her face but that outfit would be hard to miss.

Walking down the block away from the crowd you remembered how much fun you'd had with manifestations. Because were essentially just making a hologram it was pretty easy and didn't require you to invest your magic into something so unlike imbuing and enchanting it was something you could do.

You recall the street performers motley dragon and remember the one you'd spent weeks working on. You looked around to make sure no one was watching and stopped next to a building. Out of nostalgia you felt like recreating it. As a kid it was as tall as your knee now it didn't make it halfway up your shin. A long thin body with short legs and long wings that connected along its spine rather than at its wing joints. It used to be a a grey with the occasional golden scale that would catch the light as it moved but this time you made it as colourful as the performers. A rainbow of scales that shimmered in the light.

It was flapping directly in front of you as you formed it. If it was a good replication of what it used to be you weren't sure, its face was a little chubby and its while its body was smooth it's legs were too short making it look deformed. You adjusted it face to give it a sharper more predatory look slightly elongating its snout, you lengthened its legs and made it's claws a little bigger. You widened the wingspan to fit its longer legs and with a grin at remembered time spent you took a deep breath and exhaled. As your breath hit the dragon you let go of the spell. The dragon dissolving in a shower of sparks and tiny fireworks. The last bit was on a whim but it made you smile.

"Wow." The voice was accompanied by a round of applause and you looked back towards the performer to see that you had attracted some of the spectators who hadn't been able to get a good look at her.

You smiled and feeling a little silly for being so distracted to not notice the attention bowed a little. Your audience looked at you expectantly and inspiration struck.

You remade the dragon on the ground in front of you and a bowl next to it. You made the dragon hop and bounce around playfully. The kid who had vocalised their amazement held out a hand when your dragon went near. You had the dragon slip around his arm and land on his head. He couldn't actually feel anything and it took a decent amount of focus to make sure none of the dragons parts glitched through the kid. Because of how you'd made it it wouldn't shatter at unexpected contact, instead seemingly passing through it.

The kid sounded ecstatic to be involved and you made the dragon lean down to look at their face. It grinned as it spread it wings and hopped off his head and exploded into a small fireworks show, each scale on it's underbelly lazily floating down glowing softly.

This got another round of applause and you looked expectantly at the bowl. People waited to see if you would do anything but as it became clear you would they started to wonder off. Not a single person put a single coin into the bowl. The coin would have passed through it and ended up on the ground but you thought the intention was obvious. The kid hung around a little longer before their mother pulled them away.

You let the bowl disappear and shrugged. At least it was fun and you got to do something you hadn't in done in ages. You returned to your walking until you reached the end of the block and turned. The garden was in front of you and you hurried up your walking a little. It was nice being outside but after your magic usage your previously disregarded stomach was requesting your attention once more.

You decided against further attempts at busking. It could in a similar vein as flying and you didn't want to get in trouble. At least the view of the garden gave you something to focus on.

In the carriage ride in and out of the academy you hadn't gotten more than passing observation. As you walked closer you were surprised by how open it was. People with sitting on the grass eating, children were running around and getting closer you saw some raised beds with vegetable growing in them. Not large be dedicated food production but some of the local food produce sellers or restaurants could likely use them. It wasn't walled off but children were avoiding running too close to the area.

Past the grassy area flowers and low shrubs grew in well ordered sections. From the ground you couldn't discern what pattern those sections made up but it was it was still nice to look at.

Approaching the street around the edge of the garden for the first time you had to wait for carriages. They were slow moving and the drivers were keeping a watchful eye on everyone near them. The carriage's occupants were largely ignoring the outside world chatting to each other. Unlike Anastasia's none of them had illusions to disguise their occupants, in fact none at all had any enchantments of any sort, not even the shock absorbing ones for wheels. Anastasia's carriage's enchantment must be complex enough to that requires a high degree of skill to create or money to pay for it.

There was a break in the carriages and you hurried across giving a nod to the closest driver who slowed a little to make sure you crossed safely. Reaching the grass you took a breath. The smell of growth filled your lungs and your it felt a little like home.

You strolled along the edge of the garden observing the people lounging on the grass eating lunch. It made you hungry and you walked a little faster hoping you wouldn't miss the academy's lunch. It's a pleasant walk and since there are less people and those there are aren't under any sense of urgency you spread your perception out. Feeling those around was as calming as the garden itself. Their relaxation enforcing your own. Soon enough see a road break through the garden leading up the hill soon enough and when you reach it you can see the academy sitting atop.

As you climb and you reach the trees you peer through them. It isn't a wide band but it takes about a minute at your leisurely pace to get past them. You didn't really know why you thought so but it seemed likely if you went for a wonder you'd find a well defined clearing or two.

Nearing the gates you looked for the pedestrian entrance. The gates on the road were closed and you couldn't see a way to open them. You soon spot the slightly smaller gate on the other side of the road from you. You check for a carriage then walk over to it. You couldn't see anywhere to insert your stone but reach into your pocket to grab in for when you do.

"What do you want?" The woman's voice came from the pedestrian gate but you couldn't see anyone.

"Hello?" You asked peering through it.

"What do you want?" The voice repeated but you couldn't see the speaker.

"I'm a student. Lord Christopher." You hold up your stone in confirmation of your statement.

Rather than open their was laughter. "Yeah and I'm a Princess Anastasia. If you're going to try sneaking in at least dress the part." The jeering tone got a flat response from you. Not from the jeering but because Anastasia was right about your clothes.

"I'm on a sponsorship. I have a key stone." You hold the stone closer as proof.

Rather than someone coming to inspect it a rock comes out from inside towards your head. You easily grab it out of the air. "Now you have two." There was more laughter and you looked at the rock unsurprised that it was in no way magical.

You took a step back to look at the wall around the academy. You could jump without any effort and you couldn't see any magic that would prevent you from doing so but it might create an incident. "How can I prove I'm a student?" You ask instead hoping there would be some pass you could sort out quickly.

"Bring your sponsor." The woman was still not visible and was starting to annoy you.

"I can't summon her." You complain.

"I got time to wait." The woman was enjoying this.

You looked at the wall again and calculated the exact amount of magic you would need to jump it. You weren't going to, she was a guard for a large number of noble off spring so she would no doubt utter crush you the moment you gave her a reason too.

"Fine." You realsie you don't really have a choice here. Edin was with Anastasia so they would come back eventually, unless they already had and you were stuck out her until Edin sent someone to look for you.

You sat and then lay down on the grass. With nothing else to do you re-conjure your dragon to distract yourself. Making it spin in the air, flip, disappear into smoke then reform as he had just disappeared. You worked on speeding him up. The street performing made her dragon move both remarkable quickly and fluidly as it swirled around her body. You weren't going to start dancing with it any time soon but it indicated an area you could improve.

You weren't sure how long you spent making it flirt around above you before you got bored. You made it land and curl up to sleep on your chest, working on small movements like fake breathing and twitching muscles as if in a dream. It did make it seem more alive but the fact you were doing it didn't improve the illusion for you. You sat up letting the dragon dissipate as you did.

"Are you really going to make me wait out here?" You call out and get no response. Either she was ignoring you or couldn't hear you. Debating if getting up was worth you effort you felt someone walking up the road.

The woman was carrying a bag over her shoulder and looked rather happy. When she saw you she hesitated a moment.

"They won't let me in." He answer fishing out your stone as proof you belong here. She looks at then at you then back to it.

She shrugged and resumed her walk. When she reached the gate she knocked and it opened for her. You walked over hoping she was going to let you come in with her. When you got near she looked back at you. "You really a student?" She looked at your clothes.

"I'm on a sponsorship. Only arrived in the capital yesterday." You say hoping it would explain.

"He's with me." She said walking inside.

You hurried to the gate partly assuming the guard was going to slam in closed in your face. As you passed under it you looked for the guard to give her a glaring. But she wasn't there. You looked around the small passageway for her but she was nowhere to be seen. "Where's the guard?"

"What guard?" You saviour asked.

"T-the guard she wouldn't let me in?" You suddenly felt like you were going crazy. "She was here."

"The gate doesn't have a guard." She looks at you like you are in fact already crazy.

"B-but she, I. Huh." You turn back to the gate house when laughter explodes behind you. "What?" You asked spinning around.

"Had you going for a bit there. She's there." Your saviour pointed into the gate house and you look back inside. Still no one there. "She's up there."

"You sure you want to trust him my Lady?" The voice came from the gate house. You look at then craned your neck up to see a woman glaring down at you from the window.

"Hi." You wave staring at her torn between being annoyed at her and embarrassed you didn't realise the gate house had a second floor.

"You shouldn't stare." You saviour says.

"Right sorry." You answer looking back to her. "Thanks by the way. I'm Christopher." You smile at her hoping the fairy wasn't feeling vindictive and your back wasn't about to catch fire.

"Lucia." She smiled back. "And don't worry about it sponsored have to stick together right." She says with a grin walking a head of you. "Come on lunch will be ready soon." She skips ahead happily leaving you behind.