After a long five seconds of him staring at me in silence, I nod. “See you, I guess,” I mutter.
I finally muster the ability to turn around when his voice fills the bathroom. “Dysarthria!” he yelps.
Turning back around, I shoot him my most perplexed expression. “Pardon?”
“Dys…dysarthria,” he says.
“Dysarthria,” I echo. “Is that a condition you have?”
He nods, and a small flicker of understanding blooms in my chest. “Is that like a speech impediment?”
He nods again. “It makes it hard for you to find words?” He smiles, the relief of being understood clear on his face. For some reason, his content expression makes my inner turtle happy. “Ah. And I guess that little conversation station back there wasn’t easy for you.”
Loxley dolefully shakes his head, and I immediately miss his smile. Pointing at him, I continue, “Look, you don’t gotta be friends with anyone. I learned a long time ago to trust very few people. But then again, that’s coming from a reptile freak of nature like me, so socializing was never easy.” I chuckle and turn around, saying, “I’ll see you around.”
“Not a freak.”
Loxley’s voice is so soft I can almost pretend I didn’t hear it. But I did, and for the second time in two minutes, I’m freezing and turning to him.
“What?”
“You…you said you were a freak.” He shakes his head, like this is the most serious conversation he’s ever had. “You…are not.”
His precious eyes and flattering words make my soul feel light, and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because with his speech impediment, I can assume that every word takes a gargantuan amount of effort. And he spent it to make me feel better.
“Oh, uh, thanks, I guess,” I murmur. With that, I finally manage to leave the restroom. So, Loxley doesn’t think I’m a freak, so what? It’s probably just part of him claiming me as afamiliar. And this strange tingling sensation in my soul is purely a coincidence.
I need to find Seb and Kai so we can get back to Cosmo. I probably need to let my inner turtle out to swim. I also need to brush up on my spellcasting so I can pass this examination next week. And I need to hit up my online buddy, Speakeasy, so we can tackle another dungeon together.
There are plenty of things I need right now. And number one is to forget about doe-eyed boys with brown wavy hair who make my heart beat faster.
CHAPTER 7- LOXLEY
IF THE UNIONof Mages competency exam were a written test, I’d probably pass. But as it stands, I’m definitely failing. A small glowing red rock lies on the glass table in the center of the practice room. The squishy floor reminds me of a judo studio or something, and I fear someone’s going to sweep kick and knock me over.
But no, so far, the wizard proctors, Cleo and Girish, stand before me with an air of patience. I’m supposed to channel the modicum of magic from the small red rock, a practice piece of geo arcanum. As I wave my hand, nothing is happening, and I think the two proctors realize this too.
Cleo looks at Girish, then nods. “Okay, so for this portion, I’m going to slowly send a bubble of magic at you. Parry it or alchemize it at will. We swear it won’t hurt you.”
Nervousness seizes me. I’m supposed to be what? While I’m thankful I don’t have to talk, they’re asking me to do easy magical self-defense. I haven’t done any solo magic, ever! I told Auntie this was a bad idea.
Before I can find the words to concede, the dude, Girish, raises his hand. In moments, energy is pulled from the air above him into a massive ball, almost like a beach ball or boulder. It floats above us, and I’m sure my eyes are blown wide.
Then it’s coming at me.Okay, think Loxley. Summon an arcane sword to pop this bubble. With my palms out, I try to channel as much magic as possible. The bubble gradually gets closer, a looming green presence.Summon…anything…
When the bubble touches my face, I wince. It bursts into a hundred other bubbles floating around me, then dissipating. I feel no pain; I doubt it even touched me.
Except for the sheer humiliation of it all. I feel that.
Half an hour later, I’m sitting in the long corridor by the practice rooms. As I wait for Lisbeth to escort me back home, the rest of the folks taking the test are lining up in a room to get their results from Girish. My cohort, as Cleo called it, finished at the same time as I did. I didn’t come here to make friends, but now I’m in a little group. Everyone was so chummy both times we’ve lined up at the portal mansion in Cosmo. They all seem to be about my age. Kenta and that arrogant guy, Declan, couldn’t stop chatting with Sally. Shugo gives off gay vibes, but he’s not the dude I’m interested in.
Gordy, even in his Chinese dude form, is fascinating. Sure, it’s a glamour done by Kai, but it’s based on his human guise. And what a guise it is. He’s broad-shouldered, strong but not chiseled under his hoodie, with long, thick legs for days.
Still, I don’t want to objectify him; I want to explore the idea of him being my familiar. If he agreed, he wouldn’t be my pet, more like my partner.Can I really have a human familiar?
Most importantly of all, Gordy wants nothing to do with me.
“Alright!” Kenta and Shugo high-five as they walk out. “Union membership, here we come!” Kenta says.
