Study for tomorrow.

Walking back through the stone paths of Delmorgan Park, you decide it is probably best if you return to your dorm to get some studying done. Tomorrow you had illusions, alchemy, summoning, and archaic sorcery. Professor Sloss's assigned reading had been less than thrilling but you still felt you should go over it once more. He also said anyone who could hold an illusion long enough would be exempt from the first test. You groaned at the memory of your failed attempts and bowed your head in almost certain defeat as you entered the school building and took the hall leading back to House Phoenix. Ophelia also wanted to meet up in her office after dinner. That thought put a little extra spring in your step.

You entered the courtyard where House Phoenix was located and made your way to the doors. Thinking of your other classes tomorrow, you remembered that you haven't studied up on your familiar at all. You did practice some alchemy when creating a perch and a nest for your bird though. Alchemy, like evocation, seemed to come naturally to you and that was a relief. Maybe you could get away without studying that particular class tonight. You push the door open to enter and, as usual, students were studying or socializing in the common room but you didn't stop on your way to your own room.

Entering your room, you find your Phoenix standing at attention on his perch as if expecting you. You drop your bag on your desk and collect the food Harmony had gifted you. Your attention returning to your bird, you began stroking his head and held up a piece of dried meat to feed him. He expertly plucked it from your fingers and swallowed before giving a satisfied squawk. You fished a few more pieces of food out to feed him before deciding it was probably time to get to work reading your illusionist's tome. "I don't suppose you want to do my reading for me, do you?" You sigh to your bird. Another squawk being his only reply. "Yeah, me either boy." You laugh as you take the seat at your desk. Pulling the tome from one of the drawers, you place it on the desk in front of you and open to chapter one. Like before, the material is a slow read talking about how to bend both light and shadow to your will. Focusing on one or both of these elements, an illusionist will almost paint an image into existence or blot it out entirely. It continues to explain that illusions will deceive most people at a glance but could fold under close examination by another with training in the art before going into detail about arcane gestures and casting spell words. It's a bit boring but you try to suffer through hoping to get to something more interesting. As you are about halfway into chapter two and it covering topics of casting time and duration, you hear a knock at your door. You know you need to get through this material but are happy for this distraction.

Standing up you turn for the door and announce to the visitor outside. "Coming." Two steps are all it takes to reach the door in your small room. You pull the door open and find Harmony standing in the hall. "Oh. Hello Harmony. I wasn't expecting you." You greet her.

"You did invite me to check on your phoenix." She states as a matter of fact.

"Yeah. I guess I did." You slightly laugh as you remember your conversation is psionics class earlier that day.

"Well? Are you going to invite me in or aren't you?" Her voice indicating she is perturbed with you as usual.

"Right. Of course." You say stepping aside and opening the door fully. "Please, my lady, would you like to come in." You joke making light of her unusually formal behavior.

Harmony just rolls her eyes at you but enters the room. "I see you weren't lying when you said you made him a perch." She declares approaching the bird. Your familiar tilts his head to one side in regard to the girl approaching him. "I see the work is actually rather... Skillful." She admits upon examining the perch, almost tripping over her own tongue at the compliment.

"Thanks..." You answer as Harmony's attention returns to the phoenix. "Would you like to see his nest? It's over there, on top of the wardrobe." You point to its location.

"I suppose I should see that his bedding is adequate." Harmony turns and walks closer but her shorter stature and the height of the wardrobe made it difficult to see the nest.

Quickly moving your chair over for her to stand on, you position it in front of the wardrobe. "My lady." You joke again but offer her a hand.

She gives a very slight smile that only touches one corner of her lips before taking your hand. "Thank you." She says surprisingly politely and then steps up onto the chair. It is hard to see her face as she inspects the nest but she lifts one hand to gently pat the bedding. With her standing on the chair, you have a perfect opportunity to check out her shapely ass up close and it does not disappoint. You resist the urge to reach out and pinch it. "You made this?" She inquires with a bit of astonishment or disbelief in her voice.

"Yes. I used my alchemy ring to transmute it." You answer.

"This is actually rather soft and the intricacy of the woodwork..." She stops as she realizes she is gushing over your work. She turns around to you, her face as stern as usual. "Admirable." She asserts as she extends her hand to you.

Taking Harmony's hand, you help her step back down to the floor. "Thank you." You respond to her restrained praise. Harmony simply nods to you then approaches the phoenix once more.

"May I pet him?" She questions.

"Sure. You can feed him if you want." You respond. "The food you gave me is right here." You open the lower desk drawer and retrieve the sack of feed. Harmony extends a finger to delicately stroke the bird's neck. Your familiar tilts his head and leans into the girl's affectionate caress as he closes his eyes and lets out a soft cooing noise you hadn't heard from him before. You dig out a piece of dried fruit and hand it to Harmony. "Here." She takes the food from you with her other hand and holds it out for the familiar. He slowly opens his eyes but hesitates a moment, enjoying Harmony's touch, before lightly plucking the piece of fruit from her fingers. "I think he likes you." You smile at her.

Harmony glances sideways at you, gives another slight smile, and blushes faintly but promptly regains her stern composure. "Have you named him yet?" She asks.

"No." You confess. "You wouldn't happen to have any good ideas for one would you?"

"Well, let's think." She says resuming her delicate touch to the bird's neck. "Something powerful and noble. Phoenixes are known for their healing and regeneration abilities as well as their flames and are bright. Typically seen as beacons of light." She explains. "How about... Pharos?" The phoenix squawks, flaps his wings, then nuzzles his beak against Harmony's fingers.

"I think he likes it." You laugh. "You want your name to be Pharos?" The bird repeatedly nods his head as if to signal affirmation causing both you and Harmony to laugh. "Pharos it is." You turn to face your blond classmate. "Thank you."

Harmony's slight smile just a little bit bigger this time. "It needed to be done. You cant have a familiar without a name." The faint blush returning to her cheeks, she averts her gaze from you. She notices the illusionist's tome on your desk. "Did I interrupt your study?" She asks with concern.

"Oh, that. I already read it the other night but I'm having trouble maintaining an illusion." You admit. "I was hoping that reading it again might help. Professor Sloss said anyone who can hold an illusion for more than two minutes will be exempt from the first test."

"Well, I can tell you, I took his class last year. Professor Sloss is a master illusionist, probably one of the best in the world. Under his examination, almost any illusion will fade. The exercise is a trick to prove a point." She warns you.

"But still, even without him around I can't manage to hold one for two minutes. And, the longer I do manage, the less real it looks." You explain.

Harmony smirks at you. "So the great wizard does have a weakness." She taunts. "Illusions are more art than anything. You can't **** it. I might be able to help you later but I have to go and work on a divination project. Maybe after dinner?"

Your heart sinks for a minute. You told Ophelia you would come to see her after dinner. But, now that Harmony has started to warm up to you, you wouldn't mind spending more time with her, especially if she is willing to help you with your illusions. "Yeah... Possibly." You sigh walking her to your door. "I told someone I would help them after dinner. Hopefully, I have time."

"You shouldn't neglect your own studies to help others with theirs." She scolds.

"Your right but I did say I would help." You say as you open the door.

"Well, don't get yourself into these types of situations in the future." Harmony tells you. "If you have time, stop by my room. It's on the third floor, room thirty-two. But not too late." She pauses for a moment as she ponders something, looking sort of nervous. With a slight shake of her head, her composure returns and she steps out into the hall without another word.

You watch her plump ass as she hurries away before closing your door. You turn and look at Pharos who cocks his head inquisitively. "You and me both buddy." You say to the familiar. There is a little over an hour before the dining hall starts service.