Page 164 of Plug and Drain

“This isn’t funny,” Nathaniel grumbled.

“Do you see me smiling?”

“What I see is a broken portal. And that you’ve lost control. As your friend, I understand. But as a person of sense—what the fuck were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t thinking about splinters, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“For fuck’s sake.” There were several thuds. More books? “None of these tell me how to fix it. My father will be terribly upset.”

Arken’s voice broke out, so harsh it made Susie’s heart jolt. “I care nothing for how your father feels.”

“Fair enough. But this is exactly why you should give your pet to me. You are being utterly irrational.”

“Susanna is not anyone’s pet.”

“A sore point for you,” Nathaniel quipped back.

“Not at all.” A pause. “Not at all.”

Nathaniel made a sound of disbelief, and there was the sound of rifling through pages.

“How is the book?” Arken asked.

“Illuminating,” Nathaniel said dryly. “This one depicts the dissection of a witch to try and reproduce the source of magic. It’s really quite…”

“Morbid?”

“Dedicated. Impressive. And misconceived.” Another sigh.

“I don’t want you to fix the portal,” Arken said.

“I know. I just…If my father notices…”

“Have you decided what to do about Kira?” A quick change in subject,

Susie lay breathing softly, trying to make sense of their conversation through her cloudy mind.

Who’s Kira?

She definitely wasn’t a student. She’d made sure to learn the name of all the first-years during Orientation Week, and none of the older students were called Kira.

“Yes,” Nathaniel replied. “And no. I’m still deciding what to do about her.”

Arken chuckled softly, but he sounded sad. “You’re delaying the inevitable. And distracting yourself with my affairs. I’m perfectly capable of handling things here.”

“You need to feed more.”

“I’ve made arrangements.” Arken cleared his throats. “There are volunteers.”

“Good. Incidentally,” Nathaniel continued, “I noticed a distinct lack of booze throughout your suite.”

“Yes,” Arken replied in a strained voice. “I made a change. Long overdue.”

Nathaniel made a sound of approval.

“You may go,” Arken said. “I don’t need you here, Nathaniel. You have enough to worry about.”

“It’s refreshing, as a prince, to be dismissed by a school-teacher.”