At Lunch

The nurse gives you a close inspection (but not as close as Susan's obviously) but in the end all she could find was that you had over-exerted yourself to a small degree. Nothing serious and nothing to prevent you from continuing your class later once you have recharged your energy via food. To your surprise you even get actual aspirin for your headache instead of some kind of magical elixir. "Practical cures are no less valid than magical ones, young man," Nurse Yola, an old crone of a woman who looked like the classic image of a witch but with white robes and a nurse's cap instead of a pointed hat, explains.

With that you make your way to the cafeteria to enjoy a nice lunch of spaghetti and meatballs, where you are soon joined by someone you have never seen before.

He looks to be about your age and yet he is very... small. He is not dwarven small but certainly undersized for a human his age, his school uniform loosely fitting on his bony figure. His sunken, grayish-blue eyes shift around nervously behind strands of his stringy black hair and he seems to be having trouble keeping his gaze on yours as he sets down the tray that is trembling in his almost skeletal fingers. "H-Hello..." he stammers nervously, "C-can I join you?"

You blink in confusion, looking him over and noticing the pin he wears marks him as a member of Pegasus House. You indicate with your free hand it is okay for him to sit (not that he actually needs your permission but he DID ask...) and you wait to see if he has something to say. After poking at one of his meatballs for a minute, he looks up at you and says, "S-Sorry. I... ummm... I thought I... r-recognized you. N-Not just from... orientation... but... do we have... a c-class together? An e-evening gym class... or-or something?"

His stuttering way of talking and his constant shifting in his seat makes him give off such a high strung aura that you find yourself having to fight down your own desire to squirm. You do manage to keep it suppressed however and even give him a friendly smile as you reply, "I don't think so? My gym classes are all in the early afternoon and I know a couple of girls from Pegasus House but I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting one of the few lucky guys who get to live there."

"N-not... really lucky..." he almost seems to sigh, the majority of his attention focusing on swirling a single strand of pasta around his fork, "L-living with a-al-almost all girls is.... f-f-frustrating... and th-they are p-pretty but they don't... really like me. F-For... obvious reasons..."

He vaguely waves his free hand at himself and, even though it is probably mean to think it, you can see how what he is saying would be the case. His emaciated form is not really all that traditionally attractive looking and less patient people are most likely driven off by his fidgety demeanor. Still, he seems harmless enough and you had been meaning to get to know more of your fellow male students.

That is when a memory comes back to you.

Of a time you had been in a gymnasium after dark. Or at least, been inside a dream set in one.

How had Susan described it? "Just some poor, horny Pegasus House boy who isn't too popular with the girls despite being around so many of them."

As you ponder why your fate has such an odd sense of humor, you and your new friend are interrupted by the familiar, cheerful voice of Selena as she approaches the two of you with her own tray of food. "Hey! Nice to see you again! Did you get my note?! Oh hello there, ArtieEEEEEEE!"

As the pony-tailed blonde switches her attention from you to your new companion (who you guess is named Artie), she loses track of where she is going and manages to literally trip over her own two feet. Her tray goes flying, fortunately not hitting anyone before it lands on the ground but the direction of her fall carries her in your direction and you reach out to awkwardly catch her before her head hits the table. Your grab causes her momentum to shift and so instead of falling flat, she drops to her knees. On top of that, instead of banging into the table, her head drops onto your lap instead. The two of you freeze in embarrassed surprise, Artie looking just as shocked, and you squirm as your realize that while Selena avoided the wood of the table, she is very likely noticing the wood in your crotch that is starting to poke her cheek.

She pulls back, scrambling to her feet and babbling an apology before she notices her spoiled food and seems torn on what to do. She then stops as she spots something next to her now ruined tray and reaches down for it. When she returns to a vertical position, she holds up a small green crystal that you realize is Victor's mystery gift to you. It must have fallen out of your pocket when she collided with you. She asks, "Is this yours? It's pretty!"

Artie's eyes suddenly widen as he spots what she is talking about and he exclaims, "C-Can I see that?!"

Surprised at his enthusiasm, you nod and indicate for Selena to hand it over, which she does with a smile. As Artie examines it closely, tilting it back and forth, you look up at Selena, who leans down to whisper in your ear. "That's Artie," she explains as you feel the soft breath of a woman's voice against your ear for the second time that day, "He's REALLY shy but he's so smart he's already in advanced classes for Potion Crafting and Medical Necromancy."

"Medical NECROMANCY?!"

The two Pegasus House members jump at your unexpected outburst. You had intended to whisper back but the unexpected combination of concepts causes you to blurt out the words loud enough to turn a few heads in your direction for a moment. Once everyone's attention returns to their meals, Artie licks his lips and says, "I-It's... more for... t-t-temporary measures. D-Don't turn a heart failure patient in-into a z-z-zombie... but f-f-**** the heart to keep going after it n-naturally stops s-so blood k-keeps going to the b-rain... u-until a donor heart arrives... or-or an alchemist... c-c-clones one."

You hum in thoughtful understanding and prepare to ask him why he wanted to look at the crystal but Mana suddenly runs up behind Selena and exclaims, "Are you okay?! I saw you fall over onto... this guy."

The straight haired blonde shoots you a look that shows she still does not trust you but has less anger in it than it did before. Selena turns around and sniffles, "I tripped and dropped my food..."

"We'll go get you more," Mana replies in a soothing tone, "they'll understand. And if not, you can have mine."

Mana then looks back at you and notices your table mate, her expression changing into a warm smile as she says, "Hi Artie!"

Artie looks down at the table again, muttering, "H-Hi... Mana..."

"Be careful around this guy," she says, jerking a thumb at you and speaking in a tone of voice where you are uncertain how serious she is, "he's a bad influence."

"Oh he is not," Selena interjects, "I think he'd be a good friend for you, Artie. Maybe you could show him your Summoning Battle cards sometime."

Mana rolls her eyes and starts leading her pony-tailed charged back towards the serving area. Your attention returns to the other guy and you quip, "I thought you said girls didn't like you."

"S-Selena's nice to e-everyone," Artie replies, "A-A-And I'm... n-not a threat... so M-Mana d-doesn't have to b-be mean... either. N-Not like... the others. They... make fun of me. Th-those wh-who aren't... wh-whispering behind my back at l-l-least."

You are tempted to ask if that includes Parisa but then you notice that his gaze has drifted from yours again. When you follow his line of sight you see he is looking at Selana and Mana as they walk away. You cannot tell if he is actually looking at their butts but he does seem... interested in watching their movements.

"Poor guy," you unexpectedly find yourself thinking, "he deserves to be balls deep in one or both of those two."

You blink and shake your head. Where had THAT idea come from? Granted, you would not be against the idea of being balls deep in one or both of them either but--

"H-Hey... uhhh," Artie suddenly asks, interrupting your unplanned, lewd train of thought as he looks back at you again and holds up the crystal, "C-Can I a-ask... w-where you... g-g-got this?"