Try For A Kiss

The two of you stare into each others eyes for a bit longer, your breath crashing against the Professor's as you both pant lightly. You start to raise your head, moving it closer to hers and for a moment it seems she is moving hers closer to yours as well.

Then she places the fore and middle fingers of her right hand over your mouth, causing you to pause in your advance. "Ah," she says and you almost sense disappointment in her words, but that may just be you projecting your own, "I am flattered but, even as lax as Wizarding society is regarding such matters, there is one absolute rule even Roh'demus insisted on: A Master must never take advantage of an Apprentice. Or a teacher and student respectively, in this case. The balance of power is too uneven and the social responsibility to ensure the prosperity of the next generation is too important to ****."

With that, Aspecta gets up off of you, helping you to your feet as she adds, "And besides, after an accident like that, it is best to have you looked at by a proper nurse. I do not see anything wrong with your body or aura but I am not trained in the healing arts so it is best that you are seen by someone that is. It should be lunch time by the time you finish, should there not be anything I'm not seeing, so then go eat and come back here for the rest of your class."

You nod in understanding, even though it does make your head throb to do so (or maybe it is from trying to figure out how much time you lost focusing on your power if it is almost lunchtime) and you head for the door. As you are grabbing the hall pass hanging on the inside of said door, the Professor suddenly adds, "Though, in the interest of ensuring you are properly educated about all aspects of that law... it is permissible for an Apprentice to take advantage of their Master if they can manage it."

At your dazed confusion, she explains, "If they are powerful and clever enough to do so, then the Apprentice must at least be the Master's equal... if not their better. Though, there is the understanding the Master will not make such a feat easy for the Apprentice. In fact, in older times, there was even an understanding that the price for a Master teaching a member of a family richer or more influential than their own was to be wed into the family of their Apprentice if and when they did eventually surpass them."

For a moment, you wonder if she is legitimately tempting you with a sexual reward to ensure your hardest studying or she is legitimately helping you understand just how deeply intertwined sexuality is with the world of magic. Still, your headache is not getting any better and at the very least you would like the magical equivalent of aspirin.

Your first few minutes in the hallways pass uneventfully but as you draw nearer to the nurse's office you round a corner and...

Uh oh.

After all that has happened with Harmony, you would think you would be able to handle a scowling blonde stomping towards you. Yet Mana seems hell bent on proving you wrong as she glares daggers at you while approaching. She stops in front of you and your headache grows as you realize you have not yet talked about that... incident in Selena's dream. "And just where are you going?" she growls.

"Nurse's office," you reply, holding up your hall pass as proof.

"Not planning to go some place you shouldn't?"

"Look, I meant what I said," you groan, rubbing the bridge of your nose, "I honestly don't know how I got in there and I'm sorry for seeing something I wasn't supposed to see."

You resume your journey, Mana following you suspiciously. "I don't believe you," she finally states, "MAYBE you didn't mean any harm but there's no WAY someone could Dreamwatch accidentally! And you're getting too friendly with Selena, so what are you up to?"

"I've talked to her all of twice," you grumble, "so how is that 'getting too friendly'? And what are YOU doing out here? Don't you have classes too?"

She flashes her own hall pass at you and actually smirks a little as she replies, "A guy in Spellcraft Mending tried to play double grab-ass with me and Selena. I put the perv in his place."

Sighing, her smile fades into a grimace of frustration as she adds, "Unfortunately, the teacher only saw that last part so I have to go have a lecture about how inappropriate it is to slam a fellow student's head on a desk. Again."

From there, her expression morphs to one of worry as she further adds, "Damnit, he better not try again on her while I'm gone."

She looks legitimately forlorn and concerned, which is rather touching. "I get it," you say, "You really are worried for her beyond just being a bodyguard, aren't you?"

Mana tries to scowl at you again but some of the initial anger has been taken out of her sails. "She's like a sister to me," she replied, "and I will protect her no matter what happens to me."

You bite your lower lip in thought and when you speak again, you try for a more peaceful sounding tone. "I really am sorry about what happened," you say, "Selena seems like a really nice girl and I honestly do not mean any harm to her. Is there any way I can prove that to you?"

The straight-haired blonde looks away from you and the two of you keep walking down the halls. The disciplinary office comes up first but, just before she departs Mana turns towards you one last time and says, "I'd like to say, 'stay away from her for the rest of the semester' but..."

She shakes her head. "Be asleep by 11:30 PM tonight. I'll come pick you up, if you don't 'accidentally' end up Dreamwatching again. I need to explain some things to you."

Confusion plays over your face as you watch her go. Is she planning to just talk about this Dreamwatching in general or is something else going on? And should you even trust her? She seems earnest enough but...

Your temples throb again, reminding you of your original purpose and you go on your way, deciding to save such thoughts for later.