Fay likes the Warden, and wants you to play up to her.

Fay gives you a crooked smile. "I think you should do your best to keep the Warden on our side," she says. "What did she suggest?"

"She said I should get with Sharper and practice up in dueling," you reply. "Teach the first-years. Work on my endurance. And apologize to Master Elbegast and try and get on his good side, for conjurations and enchantments."

Fay shrugs. "Dunno if it's worth getting on the Dwarf's good side," she says. "You'd just see more of him, and he's as cranky as he is short. But if you can get the Tutor and the Warden both on your side, you've probably got a clear path."

You nod. "I actually hate dueling," you say.

"Warden knows," Fay says. "She'll be that much more impressed if you take it on. Queen bitch that she is."

You roll your eyes. "Warden actually gets off on dueling," you say.

Fay giggles. "You calling her a perv?" she says. "Well, all right, I did first. But she's much nicer than the ones we had to deal with in Minerval."

"Too true," you say.

You cough and rub your eyes at the smoke and incense fumes inside Granny Threadneedle's cottage. She's sitting in her chair, smiling and nodding as you and Fay work out the meaning of her card reading.

"Are you well satisfied, ladies?" Granny says.

Again, it's a title that goes with the office, likely, since she seems no older, than, say, Barbara Torch, and probably younger than Bertha Beeblossom.

You nod. Your head swims a bit in the fumes. "We know what to do."

Granny Threadneedle laughs, a long, rolling vibration of mirth. "I'm sure you do," she says. "I'm sure you do." She dabs tears from her cheeks.

"Bye?" you say.

"Farewell, ladies," she says.

You and Fay take your leave, staggering a little unsteadily into the clear air outside Granny's cottage. Her pumpkin-headed servant leads you back through the maze-enchanted woods and back to the path to the village of Turnbuckle. You sit a while nursing mugs of milky tea before you're ready to mount your brooms back to the Boarbristle Academy.

Spend the Warden's FAVOR to set things up with the Tutor, Preston Sharper, to practice dueling, dismissal, and banishing with the first-years. Gain +1 XP. Spend 5 XP to gain +1 Bravery and get better settled in Leontes. Take a goal vs. DILIGENCE from the Tutor.

"I'm glad to see you take an active interest, Miss Woodbine," Preston Sharper says. Leontes' Tutor is a retired magical duelist himself, like the Warden, and oversees training for the scholars of his House. He's still wickedly quick, though he routinely wears protective wards to discourage anyone from testing him outside of a formal contest.

The Tutor, the Warden, and the Assistant Warden, Asteria Hornbeam, trade off in helping build up your stamina via lengthy exercises of banishing, dismissing, raising wards, and deflecting spells. Though your advanced spellwork classes suffer, your ability to sustain magical effort quickly rises.

"I'm impressed," Fay says. "And here I thought you were this languid scarecrow weed of a girl."

You look at yourself in the mirror. "I was," you say. You look back at Fay. Your lips part, then press together.

Fay dabs at her eye. She swallows. "I, ah," she begins. "For me?"

"For you," you say.

Fay's drippy eyes leak in earnest over her broad, pale cheeks. Her breaths come fast and deep. "Well, then, I'd better be worth it."

"Oh, Fay," you say. Now she's got you crying too. You swallow and clear your throat. "I've got to go see Sharper. He's got my first assignment."

"Well, all right then, Teacher," Fay says. "Will they have to call you Mistress Woodbine?"

"I don't know," you say.

"You know Golondrina's been asking about you," Fay says.

"Yes," you say.

"I told her we'd see her once you got settled in to your new thing," Fay says. "Am I right?"

"Yes," you say. "Let's see her soon." Your heart beats faster, remembering Golondrina, tall, strong, red-haired, her skin hot from the secret dragon-fire inside. "Yes."

Fay grins. "Thought so."

Preston Sharper introduces you to your first class of novices. "This is Miss Woodbine, a senior student," he tells them. "Since your preparation for the Academy has been deficient in basic magical conflict, Miss Woodbine will be drilling you on wards, deflections, and simple attacks." He looks to the blinking-eyed first-years in their bright new red Leontes robes. "Try not to break her."

You have a -2 GOAL vs. Diligence to successfully complete remedial training of a group of House Leontes first-years who missed getting training in dueling, or didn't reach basic mastery before admission.

You have 1 XP.
You have +2 Ambition, +1 Bravery, +2 Cunning, +0 Diligence.
You know the Forbidden Spell TRANSFORM and the spell MORPHO PHALLUS.
Your FRIENDs are Fay and Barbara Torch, the Warden of House Leontes.

Next Move?

• ENCOUNTER Golondrina. Roll +Bravery(+1) for a reunion.
• Try to ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL in a hurry. Roll +Diligence(-2) and see how your impromptu training holds up.
• Something else?