-Who taught you to draw a ritual circle? A heidel? -

  I’m trying my best; you don’t have to be so rude about it.

  -Well, I’ve every right to be rude if I think you’re going to get your arm Redacted torn off! –

  What’s so wrong with the circle?!

  -It’s backwards! –

  But Clive’s spell—

  -You’re angle is in reverse of how he emplaced it. That’s your first mistake. The second problem is that he triggers it through his ability; thus, the spell will never work without the proper array holding it from automatically activating. -

  So… I wouldn’t get my arm torn off?”

  -User, need I explain why you’re an idiot?-

  Thad studied the ritual circle in front of him and then glanced out at the shore and sighed, wiping away the ritual with his boot.

  No, you don’t. Oh… wait, actually, what if…?

  Thad started scribbling in the dirt, the circle coming together with different runes and glyphs, till he paused, prior to the last one.

  “Are you trying to reverse engineer my rune gate?”

  “Not reverse engineer it per se. Well, I mean, I did draw it backwards a secon— Clive!? Oh, umm, how long have you been here?”

  Thad stared up at the scholar standing over him, his hand on his chin as he examined the circle, his brow furrowed.

  “I didn’t sense you coming,” Thad added as the silence dragged, still surprised that the taller man had snuck up on him so easily.

  “Well, I wasn’t trying to announce myself. But really, you got all of this from watching me yesterday? You’re not nearly as simple as I suspected.”

  “Damn, Clive,” Thad winced as the scholar looked at him with confusion.

  “What? That was a compliment.”

  “But was it?” Thad asked, standing up and wiping away the draft of the rune gate.

  “Is it because it implied, I think you're simple?”

  -He’s not wholly wrong. -

  I swear to god, Clippy.

  “I mean, you would’ve gotten your arm ripped off if you’d taken it any further.”

  -See!-

  Thad let out a frustrated sigh and tossed the stick he’d been drawing with into the water in front of him.

  “I thought if I adjusted the triggering rune—”

  “You would have needed a second circle emplaced with a connection relay, but the attempt and theory were there. Have you been out here long?” Clive asked, looking at the sullen man, not quite sure why he seemed so perturbed. He’d acknowledged the validity of the attempt, after all.

  “A few hours. Couldn’t sleep, and thought I’d give meditation a go, but then I got bored and—”

  “You decided to decipher one of my spells in the mud, while you knew mangrove snatchers were lurking nearby?”

  “Well, I would’ve sensed them.”

  “I just walked up on you.”

  “I was concentrating!”

  “On a rune gate, that you wouldn’t be able to access even if you got the ritual correct?”

  “I did think about trying the rune trap… but then realized that it may not be the safest use of my time without thinking of a way to trigger it from a distance.”

  “I’m glad you came to that conclusion.”

  -Did you come to that conclusion, or was it me? -

  “Yes, well, a little nagging voice in my brain warned me against it. Why are you up so early, Clive?”

  Thad watched Clive start to answer, then stop, an interesting expression crossing his face.

  “I found that being awake, while the person you want to study is asleep, is probably not the best place to be.”

  Jason woke up as the sun filtered through the barricaded window onto his face. He squinted into the light and then glanced over at the empty side of the bed. His face grew flush as his mind replayed the previous night. The feeling of warmth beside him as he fell asleep. Of Clive’s arm draped across his chest, how comforting it had been.

  Was he really that lonely that he would feel this way about sharing a bed with practically a stranger? Well, at least Clive was a handsome one, in that ‘scientist who has their glasses taken off during a movie makeover montage’ kind of way.

  It was probably the hair.

  Jason was secure enough in his masculinity to acknowledge when a man was attractive, even if it was wonderfully subtle.

  Not that he was interested in men; no, he didn’t swing that way. That would be ridiculous.

  How dare Thad even insinuate that?

  He was definitely meeting up with Cassandra now, that’d show him.

  Jason covered his face with his hands and let out a frustrated groan, hoping that Clive hadn’t woken up when he had last night.

  There’s no way Jason was going to explain why he’d cried himself to sleep; it’d just been a long day. A day in which he had found out he’d practically died and been reborn a monster. Well, did died, there was no practicality about it.

  Did his family think he’d run away? Did they think he’d died?

  If his family thought he was dead, they would’ve had the funeral already. Were they even still mourning him? It had been over two months. He’d left everything and everyone on such bad terms.

  Jason stopped himself. This wasn't the right mindset, not with two people who could read auras so close… even if one of them was terrible at it. Jason clapped his hands to his face a few times, the sting bringing him back from the brink. The bed creaked as he got up, dark mist surrounding him as he changed into his combat robes.

  Opening the bedroom door, Jason walked into the early morning commotion of breakfast.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “Wait, that doesn’t make sense. How did you do that, Emmet?”

  Jason observed Clive looking rather shocked as the young child held out a card with a grin.

  “It’s magic!”

  “It most certainly is not,” Clive said, taking the card and examining it. Jason glanced over to see Thad smirking, his arms crossed as he watched the scholar have a minor meltdown from the couch.

  “Jason, you’re awake! Do you want to see a magic trick?!” Emmet asked excitedly, running up and hugging the affliction specialist.

  “Of course I wish to see the level of magic that's stumped the Adjunct Assistant to the Deputy Director of the Magic Society.” Jason laughed as he watched the kid shuffle the deck of cards.

  “This will be your card!”

  “The Jack of Wands?” Jason asked, looking at the card.

  “Prince, not Jack,” Thad chimed in as Jason handed back the card to Emmet, who appeared to re-shuffle the deck.

  “I need everyone’s attention as I call upon the forces beyond our world!” Emmet said, holding the cards high above his head.

  “He’s almost as dramatic as you, huh, Asano?” Thad said with a smirk.

  “Your card has now traversed space and time!” Emmet said with a grin, revealing the Prince of Wands from the top of the deck.

  “That’s quite impressive magic you have there,” Jason said with a smile, surprised that close-up magic still appeared in this world, only to notice Clive’s pensive face.

  “It’s not magic, Jason, he’s not nearly old enough to take on essences. And it’s not a ritual.”

  “I mean, he did call on forces outside our world, maybe Astral Card Magic is just too complex for you,” Thad said with a stifled laugh.

  “There is no such thing as 'Astral Card Magic' , and don't act like you understand what he’s doing either,” Clive said to Thad, who just smirked back at the scholar.

  “I am quite simple,” Thad acknowledged, only to have Emmet look from him to Clive.

  “Of course, Thad understands how my magic works; he’s my mentor.”

  “Well, that can’t be good,” Jason said.

  “Wait, you taught him this? Well then, explain it.” Clive demanded, looking at the young nobleman, who just shrugged.

  “A magician never reveals his secrets.”

  “Yes, we do, that’s what the magic society is for.”

  Neil sat on Dustin’s bed as the defender stood holding two different shirts in his hands.

  “Are you worried that they haven’t gotten back yet?”

  “Not really, even we took longer than expected on our contract, Neil.”

  “That was cause Thad got himself knocked out. Gods, do you think he overdid it?”

  “I think you're worrying about a contract you're not even assigned to. Now, focus, I need your opinion.” Dustin said, holding out the shirts. “This one’s more my color, but this one shows off my arms better.”

  “I don’t know why you've chosen me for fashion advice.”

  “Oh, I know yours is horrible. Thad's the brains of the operation.”

  “Hey! Then why ask?!”

  “Because he’s not here and I can utilize your power, with the proper technique. Now quickly, which one? Don’t overthink it, use your gut!”

  “Go with the left, then.”

  “Right it is!” Dustin said, throwing the other shirt at Neil, who dodged it and shook his head.

  “I can’t believe you got a date with a Geller.”

  “I know, right?! She’s funny, intelligent, a two-star adventurer, and god’s what a knockout.” Dustin said, a stupid smile coming across his face. “Like literally, her punches bend metal. I even saw a recording crystal of her knocking Humphrey Geller on his ass.”

  “Didn’t her brother threaten you?”

  “I think he tried, but he said, ‘Don’t you dare break her heart or I’ll break yours.’ But like, does that mean he’ll like date me and then dump me if I break Phoebe’s heart, or does that mean he’ll stab me?”

  “He is a swordsman, but let’s be honest, if anyone’s getting dumped, it's you, man.”

  “Fair point, she’s out of my league, I acknowledge that. You know, Neil? We should get you a date! I bet Phoebe could hook you up. Unless you're still hung up on Mercer?”

  “What?!”

  “You know Cassandra’s never gonna date you.”

  “Oh right, yeah, no, I got that.”

  “You never did say what she wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Ahhh, it was nothing important.”

  “Then you would have told me. Spill it, Neil.”

  “It was about Thad.”

  “What about him?”

  “She had cornered me about shoving him against the wall.”

  “So Thadwick did end up telling them, that’s kind of disappointing.”

  “...No, I told her.”

  “Why would you do something stupid like that?”

  “She thought… well, she thought I’d rejected Thad’s proposition to date me.”

  “Wait, what!?” Dustin started laughing, stopped, looked at Neil, and started laughing again to the point that tears formed in the corners of his eyes. “You and Thad? I’ve only seen him hung up on one person, and you’re not it! It was that one chick… oh gods, the elf girl, what was her name? It doesn’t matter… talk about out of touch.”

  “Yeah, like he would ever date anyone,” Neil said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear.

  “Ehhh, maybe now. I wonder how long his family will wait before they try to start setting him up with potential suitors.”

  “Hmm?”

  “I mean, even though Cassandra's not engaged, she still has meetings and dances she attends for the family. Thad sabotaged everything he went to, so they stopped, but now… they’ll probably try to marry him off before he reverts to his old personality.”

  “Do you think he’ll revert back?”

  “I mean, I hope not. This last month’s been amazing. And it’s going to be even better once I seal the deal with Phoebe!”

  “You’re acting as if you’re already in love with her,” Neil said with a laugh before looking at his friend with a worried expression.

  “I mean, she’s just so, you know,” Dustin said, motioning in the air.

  “You can’t confess to her on the first date, that’s insanity!”

  “But, like, what if it’s destiny? And I’m just wasting time I could be spending with her.”

  “You’re hopeless.”

  “I’m in love.”

  “Don’t tell her that!”

  “What if she says it first?”

  “Let’s not deal in hypotheticals that’ll never happen, Dustin. I know she’s the first girl you’ve had a chance with, but you need to keep it together.”

  “Say’s the guy, who nursed a crush since they were 13.”

  “I gave up on her years ago! Besides, I’m just very choosy when it comes to people I’m interested in.”

  “Right. Either way, we need to do more contracts. My savings are shot after this date.”

  “Even with the looting split, I gave you?”

  “Neil, I don’t think you understand how much I put into this date.”

  “I’m starting to get the picture.”

  Jason, Clive, and Thad got out of the carriage in front of the magic society. The contract had taken over half a week, despite the extra member; however, the time had also extended due to Jason taking two local board contracts he’d seen posted. A Mud Shab and a small cluster of flying eels, both sets of monsters giving Thad a run for which one looked more terrifying.

  Jason looked out at the Island and then back at Clive and Thad.

  “I’ll go make the report to the society, you should be able to drop by the jobs hall anytime to collect your share of the rewards. Are you sure you’re only taking enough for the potion?” Jason asked Thad, who nodded.

  “With the number of contracts you complete, you need the money more than I do to replenish your supply and heal people. Besides, I have Neil.”

  “Are you saying this contract hasn’t reinvigorated you to take more contracts?”

  “I was already starting to take more contracts, Asano.”

  “A trend that will surely continue,” Jason said with a smirk as he handed over a small stack of coins. He then looked at Clive. “Lunch tomorrow?”

  “Dumpling soup,” Clive said with a smile as Jason walked off with a wave. “You know you could join us, Thad.”

  “I’m going to join up with my team tomorrow. So, no worries, I’m not stepping in on your date.”

  “Oh, I see your confusion. It’s not a date, Thad, it’s merely lunch. I do have one question, though, before you go.”

  “Yes?” Thad asked as most of the coins vanished from his hand into his inventory.

  “How did that card trick work. You never explained it.”

  “Are you sure you want to know? It would make it less magical?”

  “You’ve already stated that it’s not magic,” Clive said as he watched Thad take one of the coins and roll it across his fingers in a fluid motion.

  “Fine, it’s mostly sleight of hand and misdirection,” Thad said as, with a swift flick of his hand, a second coin appeared.

  “So, you’re not using your inventory ability?”

  “A magician never reveals his secrets.”

  “You just said it was sleight of hand and misdirection, and I’ve already pointed out the flaws in that statement. People tell the magic society about their abilities all the time; it’s part of the reason we work with the adventure society. Now, please explain— wait, where did the third coin come from?”

  “Huh, that’s odd. How did that get there?” Thad mused with a smirk as he waved his hand and the coins disappeared.

  “Now, you're just being obtuse. Is this because I called you simple?”

  “Maybe,” Thad said with a smile as he held out his hand palm up, showing the three coins tucked between his fingers before two disappeared via his inventory ability. He took the other coin and studied it.

  “So, these are Jason’s coins, huhh. A little gaudier than I expected.”

  “Yes, you know the first time I saw them, I thought they were from an illegal spirit coin farm. I actually find them quite interesting because—”

  “Product of Jason… G’day Mate!”

  Clive froze, stunned into silence. However, despite this, the nobleman didn’t seem to notice as he continued to inspect the coin.

  Why did Thadwick Mercer know Jason’s language?

  "Wow that's super cringe."

  Clive wanted to ask but stopped as the nobleman resumed speaking in the local dialect, his cadence and accent matching his aristocratic upbringing. It had only been the phrase, a moment so abrupt that Clive started to wonder if he had just imagined it.

  Clive had forced Jason to read the coin to him, to explain its context. Had Thad just memorized what Jason had said? No, wait, that was impossible. Clive had asked Jason about the coins before he’d fallen asleep.

  And Thad’s accent when reading the coin… it was very different than Jason’s while still being the same language. The last bit, the 'G’day,' intentionally sounded like he was trying to mimic Jason's accent, poorly. No translation ability could do that, or at least none that he knew of.

  Clive thought back to some of Jason and Thad’s interactions, phrases he had chalked up to a fundamental social knowledge gap. Pieces of a puzzle clicking together, a theory forming.

  “Fascinating.”

  “What?” Thad asked, looking up from the coin towards Clive, his head tilting slightly to the side.

  “I think I figured it out.”

  “My trick? Oh, well, that's good, a lot of people don’t tend to notice what’s right in front of them.”

  “Yes, like me not realizing Jason was an outworlder, the signs were right there as clear as day.”

  “I guess, yeah. Not sure I would’ve used that analogy, but I’m happy you figured it out, Clive.”

  lightbulb moment. Now, here's the question will Clive tell anyone, or does he still need time to solidify his theory? Stay tuned!

  Bewildering, Flattering, and Mildly Intoxicating" by Evilphrog. Of course as this is an adjacent fic, not everything happens the same. However, I do think Clive waking up to Jason definitely fits! As always can not recommend this set of fics enough.