Chapter 90 - Ice Cream (Patreon)

Spring was in the air! Like a switch had been flipped - or more accurately, a dial had been turned - winter gave way to spring, with snowdrops blooming and brisk breezes fluttering robes. Felix sat down at the coven’s usual table in the dining hall, a little surprised to be all on his own.

This… this still was their usual table, right? He hadn’t gotten so stuck in his books that they’d all moved without telling him? He was just starting to think he had a handle on the material. One way to look at it was everyone had eight or so extra years of education on him, and it’d be impossible to catch up. At the same time, he’d missed the basic years of education. Years where wixen were learning their ABCs and how to count, just like in the mundane world. Yes, he’d been missing a large number of basic concepts everyone expected him to know… but now he was mostly caught up. 

He just didn’t have an intrinsic grasp on the differences yet, nor did he know all the little cultural things off the top of his head. Paracelsus continued to assign far too much homework, but Felix found he enjoyed his assignments the most. They usually boiled down to ‘talk with his friends, then write down the summation of what they told him.’

Felix shuddered to think what would happen if he tried to hand in Sora’s stream of consciousness.

A tray clattered down in front of him, and Felix jumped. He hadn’t seen Hazel approach, and still didn’t see the girl.

“Enjoying your invisibility necklace?” Felix asked with a grin. It had been a little unnerving to chat with Hazel when he couldn’t see her facial expressions at first, but eventually figured it wasn’t any different than having a phone call. Hazel loved that necklace. When she wasn’t in class - the professors had quickly put a stop to it - she was wearing it. Felix was willing to bet she slept while wearing the necklace! He hoped there wouldn’t ever be an emergency.

“It’s the best.” Hazel said after a minute. Felix glanced at her tray, smiling at the results. Some lettuce, some cheese, and best of all - chocolate ice cream. 

For some reason he couldn’t fathom, Hazel kept getting a small scoop of ice cream with her dinner, then not eating it. Felix was more than happy to take it off her hands and finish it off for her. Best he could tell, it was her way of being friendly, finding a little way to be kind.

Alexandria kept trying to either cut her food with magic, or charm it to jump into her mouth. Felix didn’t think he’d seen a single meal eaten ‘normally’, although he had to admit she’d gotten much better over the year. Vivian pushed her food around half the time, and was always consulting the tea leaves ‘to find true love’. Sora ate like she was starving, and Erik’s straight-backed manners would fit right at home in any formal dining setting.

Felix swore he was the only one who ate normally. Licking his plate was very reasonable, no matter that he was the only one who did it.

“Glad you like it! Do you know where everyone else is?” He asked. “I’m half-convinced I’m at the wrong table. I know Alexandria’s off practicing rituals, but the rest?”

Hazel’s snort was not ladylike at all.

“Erik’s with the headmaster, Sora’s at Stravolux practice, and Vivian’s kissing some boy in a broom closet.” Hazel said. Felix imagined she was ticking items off her fingers… but given how the lettuce was being smooshed around on her plate, her hands were clearly occupied.

Felix did a double take.

“Wait, Vivian’s dating someone new?” He asked. It was virtually impossible to keep up with who his friend… dated might be a bit of a strong word. Was seeing?

“No.” Hazel paused. “She’s decided she doesn’t need the thin veneer of ‘dating’ anymore. Kissing is fun, why not find someone to snog with no further expectations?”

“Oh.” Felix said, not sure why it was making him feel funny. Perhaps…? Maybe…?

Nah, that was crazy talk. She was way out of his league. They’d kissed once, yes, and it was very nice… he could see why Vivian would enjoy kissing. 

Well, enough fantasy. Back to reality.

“Hey, how’d you do on that Charms test?” He asked Hazel.

Man. Wild to think ‘magic’ was now reality.

“Alright.” Hazel mumbled.

Felix was about to ask more - he’d gotten a point taken off question 12, and he wanted to know Hazel’s response - when he got interrupted. Lance Thalorian sat down heavily next to Felix, with Teysa Talven, Lance’s friend-slash-minion - basically, his Sora - sat down on the other side. Felix suddenly felt cornered, nevermind that Hazel was the one sitting in the corner.

“Sutter.” He greeted the boy.

“Thalorian. Talven.” Felix cautiously greeted back. It was weird using their last names, but they got all prickly when he used their first name, as was normal.

“Extra ice cream?” He asked Felix, nodding to Hazel’s tray.

“Well-,” Felix started to answer, but got cut off.

“Listen, I was looking for a chance to get ahold of you. We’re hoping to buy a few items from the noonie world, and word is, you’re the person to get them. That right, yeah?” Lance asked. His way of asking felt a little stilted, and a little off, but Felix just chalked that up to never really interacting with the other boy. There were clear factions in Camelot, and people rarely crossed friend groups. People especially avoided Erik and the rest of ‘Morsin’s Monster’s’.

Except Vivian, but that was mostly to kiss other boys.

“Sure?” Felix said. “I’ve got a bunch of stuff right now, if you’d like to-”

Again, Lance cut him off. Felix was reassured by his choice to join up with Erik - the bloke was solid, a pleasure to be around. If this was Lance when he wasn’t spouting off about his grandfather? Cripes.

“I’ve got a purchase order right here.” Lance said, sliding it over with a quill. “I already signed here at the bottom. Makes it all official and formal-like.”

Felix looked over it with a frown.

RC cars? Toothpaste? Mr. Clean magic eraser? Cucumbers? The entire thing read like a list of items someone had heard about, but had no idea what they actually were. Half the prices were nonsense as well, either far too much - Felix was going to stay quiet about those - or ludicrously underpriced.

“I can’t get you a projector for $3.” Felix said. “It costs a lot more than that, and it wouldn’t wo-”

“Okay, let’s cross that off then.” Lance said, leaning over and striking the item out.

They ‘negotiated’ over the other items, which mostly consisted of Felix pointing out the slightest problem with an item, and Lance uncaringly crossing it off. It was weird, it was like he didn’t want any of the items or something.

“Alright then.” Felix said, reaching for the quill.

An invisible hand suddenly seized his wrist.

“That’s not Mammon’s paper.” Hazel said.

Lance and Teysa just about jumped out of their skins. Teysa drew her wand.

“Who’s there!?” Lance asked, whipping his head around. Felix rolled his eyes.

“Hazel’s with me.” He said. “You know, the whole second tray?”

“What, your friends aren’t willing to be seen with you?” Lance spat out.

Teysa grabbed the paper, and the two vanished so fast Felix could’ve believed they used magic to teleport out.

Flaming - magical teleportation - was taught in the fifth year, and it sounded exciting!

“That was weird.” Felix said.

“Bastards.” Hazel snarled, and Felix leaned back at the sheer venom in her voice.

“I’m missing something.” Felix said.

“That was not a purchase order.” Hazel was clearly working herself up. “That was some sort of nasty contract that would’ve bound you to… I’m not sure, the images weren’t entirely clear. Lots of potential ideas in their heads.”

Her voice suddenly cracked, and Felix had a crying, invisible girl on his hands.

“Where’s Erik when you need him?” Felix wondered out loud to himself.

He had absolutely no illusions about any consequences for Lance. It was his word against Lance and Teysa, they were respectable members of the nobility, versus his ‘castoff’ status, and evidence? What evidence? Plus, they had money, and he didn’t.

No, trying to get justice normally would be an utter failure.

It was a good thing he was part of a vengeance coven, along with one of the few powerhouses that could match the Thalorians. Felix didn’t want to lean on Erik too heavily, but even he could see this was an indirect attack on Erik.

Plus, it was always possible to add additional targets to the coven.

“Shhh, shhh, it’s alright.” He tried to soothe Hazel. “Here, have some ice cream. It can’t hurt. Everyone feels better with ice cream.” He nudged it over, finally realizing that Hazel was staying, instead of running off. Progress? He hoped?

It was all a little overwhelming.

Hazel’s sobs slowly tampered off, and Felix felt the witch slowly shifting around next to him. He saw a spoonful of ice cream vanish. 

A moment later there was a deep moan that brought a furious blush to his face.

“Why is it so good!?” Hazel wailed… then promptly burst into tears again.

Where was Erik when Felix needed him!?

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AN: The last of the time skip chapters! End of the year is coming up quite soon