Chapter Text
Waking up on the first day of Senior Year, Adaine did not expect to feel the bone-deep exhaustion of spending another year in education. She was one of the two Bad Kids who had thrived in school, throwing herself into the next extracurricular challenge or pursuit for greater knowledge.
But waking up on that first day, just staring up at the ceiling, Aelwyn long since deciding a bunk bed ‘no longer suited one pursuing a career as a librarian’ Adaine’s thoughts were not again.
The week leading up to now, she’d been absolutely thrilled at the prospect of her final year, what was next on her path not only as the Elven Oracle, but as Adaine Abernant-O'Shaughnessey, newly graduated adventurer and top of her class Diviner. Riz had shown the Bad Kids his conspiracy board of all the places that they could enrol; now they had the qualifications they needed after much nagging from Fig and Kristen. They were both very appreciative and in awe of the amount of work he had put in for all of them – especially given how far gone they were at the start of junior year.
Everyone had plans, everyone knew what they wanted to try this year. Adaine had a list of ideas hastily thrown together that she had promised herself that she would go through properly and narrow down, but no time felt right.
So as she lay there, still staring, her crystal chiming by her side of her friend’s message – mainly Fig asking what they thought would be best to wear as the new champion of Ankarna, Goddess of New Beginnings – there was a strong desire to just not.
Turns out, saving the world three times now, working on unpaid position as an Oracle (now rectified), being at a devastating handicap during wizard classes, having your friend’s slowly recover from near burn out and the stress of interpersonal relationships -Adaine does not talk about what happened with a certain conjurer and does not want to stop asking – really takes a toll on a person’s psyche. To the point where de-motivation has dug a little hole in her chest and seems like it just wants to stay there for the moment.
Boggy starts to stir before Adaine’s mind can linger, which makes her turn her head to the side, looking at the timepiece on her nightstand. She still had time to get ready. There was a new pair of earrings Jawbone had gifted her as a birthday present, after he had noticed that she had been staring at them in the jewellery store window.
A teardrop earring of pale aquamarine that had caught her eye one day, and she had kept coming back to it. A very specific shade is what Jawbone had said in that observant tone of his, pointing at the other blue pieces in the window that hadn’t caught her eye. He had, unfortunately, such good perception that he had noticed her mind was always stuck on something that he could never put his finger on, but then also noticed she never gave herself a chance to properly sit with it.
That roiling uncertainty began to rise in her stomach again, something gold and warm passing across her mind's eye, chased by a chilled blue wind. But before it could develop more, she heard, “Adaine darling,” Aelwyn’s voice floated across the hall, elegant and melodic in the way she always held herself.
The wizard tower that they both shared had been renovated recently, Jawbone deciding that the two girls (ladies Aelwyn kept correcting) needed their own room. Now, at the top of the stairs was the shared Sanctum Sanctorum with a room branching off at either side. Aelwyn was more than happy to donate some of the money she earned from being Kipperlily’s smuggler to aid the renovation, now that she was there for the foreseeable future.
Without realising, Adaine had floated off into the memory of when that was decided. Jawbone had bristled at Aelwyn’s offer for no other reason than he wanted this to be a place for all of his girls to just come and relax; they didn’t have to provide anything for it. Many times, he reminded the family of Mordred Manor that Professor Aguefort was paying him far too much for his job, but also for housing anywhere between 3 and 5 of Spyre’s thrice over saviours at any given time. Aelwyn had bristled back, still not used to people giving her things for good reason with nothing expected in return. It used to be a monthly argument when she had first started to settle because Aelwyn had demanded to pay rent, to put something towards the household.
The only way that was settled was that Jawbone had kept ‘losing’ his card when they had gone out shopping, only for Aelwyn to jump in and claim ownership of the payment, but Jawbone would just put the balance she paid back into her account after the fact. Aelwyn, who never had reason to check her bank account, never noticed that her bank balance had always stayed the same.
A brief acrid taste on her tongue and a stinging in the eyes brought Adaine back to the present, the wash of a Detect Thoughts spell being pulled away from her, followed by a soft laugh from her sister.
“Darling, for the Elven Oracle, you spend far too much time in the past,” Adaine had moved her head to the door, seeing her sister in some dress pants, a clean white shirt and a cardigan covered in cat hair, leaning on the door frame and smiling softly.
“Did you Detect Thoughts on me because I didn’t answer you?” She asked, now realising she had to start to get up to get ready, else Aelwyn would start asking questions. And she knew her sister well enough not to drop it until she got an answer that satisfied her.
“Maybe, it was more to check you were awake to be perfectly honest,” Aelwyn started to check her nails, trying to look nonchalant, but Adaine could feel the pick of concern start to fizzle over her from her sister’s presence, “And anyway you are usually up about 10 minutes ago, all bright eyed and bushy tailed ready for your first day? Why are you still in bed, baby sister?”
Legs swinging over the bed, that tiredness Adaine felt before settled like a stiff cloak over her shoulders, slumping her forward. Not even awake enough to try and mask it. Aelwyn, having noticed this, started to enter the room slowly so as not to frighten the younger Abernant-O'Shaughnessey into slipping into that mask she always wore.
Settling on the mattress next to her sister, Adaine felt her sister’s eyes take her in. She didn’t feel self-conscious about the analysis, but she felt self-aware of it, especially when her sister placed a hand on her leg, prompting her to look up.
Aelwyn’s eyes were full of concern, of love, of so much warmth that Adaine couldn’t help but lean forward on her. Her sister, her tormenter, her greatest supporter and her anchor for the storm that had been brewing since the night of Junior Year election decided to push through her. Feeling her arms wrap around Adaine’s shoulders, tears pricked at her eyes.
“Aelwyn, I don’t think I want to go to school today.” At the prospect of not knowing what was going to happen? But what was going to happen? Why does she have such a reaction to the idea of going to school? “I don’t know what’s wrong, I don’t know why I’m feeling like this.”
Aelwyn hushed her, rocking her now, slightly awkwardly. She was getting better at comfort, definitely, hugs, she was a professional on but certainly nothing further than that.
“Why, what’s wrong? Did you have a bad vision? Not enough sleep? Do you think you’re going to get a panic attack?” Ever the practical one in times of stress, Aelwyn was trying to find the source of this so she could. Adaine shook her head, thankful for her sister trying to help, “Did one of your friends say something last week? Do I need to talk to them?”
“No, it wasn’t that,” Boggy had hopped over to the pair, Adaine instinctively putting a hand over him, feeling the waves of calm in reach.
“Are you worried about seeing someone again?” At that suggestion, Adaine felt a bolt of lightning behind her eyes, finally realising.
She turned to look at her earrings again, and felt her mind bring up a pair of warm, slitted gold eyes surrounded by a pale blue scale. There was also a chase of a smug tone chiding her, reminding her of something that tasted like deceit. Nervousness and anxiety began to bubble as she realised why.
You’re going to see him again
And she didn’t think she was ready for that.
*
Oisin Hakinvar didn’t regret a lot of things.
Being a Dragonborn just came with the nature of the species.
They were prideful, stubborn, possessive, and so sure in their judgment of a person and their actions that it was practically unshakeable. And he had always been praised when growing up that he had the best judgement in a person. What he had lacked growing up in pure strength, he made up for in his intellect and his ability to weave the Arcane around him.
He didn’t regret joining Aguefort, despite his family pressing him, saying that there were better schools for Dragonborns in Spyre – ‘But not for me, those schools are for the fighters and the barbarian’s, I can’t even lift a sword. You think sending me there would be best?’. He didn’t regret being friends with Ivy, that sweet wood elf from their first year, who he only started talking to because she asked for help ripping some tape for her calluses, her parents had bought her a new bow she was breaking into. He didn’t regret the High Five Heroes, later the Rat Grinders; they were a good adventuring party with whom he got along well, especially in the early days. After that mission in the Mountains of Chaos, though, he didn’t know where his judgment was based. He had decided he needed to find someone to talk it through with someone to see to what degree of separation he should view that year and a half.
The thought of the someone he needs to talk to led him to the one thing he does regret.
Adaine Abernant
Even now, while getting ready for his first day of Senior Year, he felt a pang in his chest where a rage crystal once sat, her name fluttering in his heart like a bird stuck in a cage. Standing in front of his mirror, even he could see the yearning and guilt in his eyes staring back.
Adaine
Everything about Adaine was perfect to him, her voice, her disposition, her eyes, even the way she moves left and still leaves him wanting to just stand there and bask in the essence that is her. He remembers the first time he saw her in her first year, with an orb that he couldn’t tell at the start was a joke or not, wider than her torso, pushing the strains of her backpack so she needed to carry her books instead. How often he had longed to have the confidence and ask if she wanted him to carry her books for her, to lighten that load.
By his Ancestor’s he cursed himself for everything he had a hand in with her.
He remembers in one of their shared entry classes – Spells and Forms to Take – that she had tried to copy the teacher’s form on Chromatic Orb. She had been trying it for 7 minutes (no he wasn’t counting, he’d just finished all his forms and found his eyes wandering) when he had noticed a little furrow between her blonde brows, when he had noticed she bit her lip when she concentrated too hard. For a reptilian species who he knows doesn’t sweat, he recalls the clammy balm of nervousness and awe as he watched her practice over and over again only to get the form right 4 minutes later (okay maybe he had been counting a little bit).
She had laughed, too loud, too sharp, when she had gotten it and immediately felt embarrassed at the noise, spots of colour on her cheek, before she had curled in on herself. There had been a twitch in his finger, and his foot had moved just barely, aiming to go to her side and congratulate her when the teacher had called her out and demanded a demonstration after she had just disrupted the class.
Her first Chromatic Orb cast in class was Lightning.
Tasting the ozone on the air and Adaine’s magic, he had excused himself to the bathroom in that moment and he had never stopped thinking about her since.
Summer between Junior and Senior year was spent with a lot of regret and reflection. He had to help his family out with his Ancestors hoard – no one spoke about his Grandma and how it came about but when Oisin spent too long thinking about it about his vengeful Oracle and the fury he had seen that day, he could feel his heart start to race and often had to excuse himself before he got too worked up. Safe to say, he became quite well off after the distribution of the hoard. Nothing had called to him, but he already had plans to sell some of it off to find more suitable things – flashes of necklaces and cloaks and rings and jewels on pale skin and fair hair keep him awake at night itching to provide.
There was some time in the summer as well when he and the rest of the Rat Grinders were summoned to Aguefort. They hadn’t been escorted per se, but they were heavily accompanied. There was an eagle Aarakoca that he had seen wander the halls in Junior year, hearing whispers of Council of Chose, and Wanda Childa, and doppelgangers following him alongside a couple of officers from the local Police Department.
The Principal had some customary questions one would expect for individuals who were responsible for nearly bringing the apocalypse, both questioned together and separately. It was an ordeal lasting a couple of days in the end.
During one of Oisin’s one-to-one interviews – Aguefort refused to call them interrogations, ‘You’re not under arrest dear boy, you were manipulated into doing something that you had no control over and murdered, you are a victim of circumstance, and I need you to understand that’ – the Principal had offhand mentioned that Adaine would be coming into school just before the school started to return some books on curses as an offhanded comment and he had practically choked out asking when and could he be there and what time was she going to get there, long since passed to level of coolness where he didn’t pretend he wasn’t desperate at the thought of seeing her again.
Aguefort had given him a wry smile, a twinkle in his eyes, this being the biggest reaction he had gotten from the Dragonborn regardless of what he had been asking. Unfortunately, though, Arthur wasn’t going to give him that information. At the time, Oisin had slumped, knowing it was too good to be true.
Later, when leaving, walking through the empty hallways, counting down the days until school started and he could see her again properly, he felt a chitter of arcana across his scales, which caused him to stand ramrod straight.
He knew that taste of this magic, had felt it thrown at him, had felt it blanket him and weave around him like a lover’s caress.
Oisin didn’t regret a lot of things, but had regretted not having Teleport stocked for that day, finding himself having to Misty Step in quick succession to the library, knowing that Adaine was there. Having so many things he needed to say to her, so many things to apologise for, the words bubbling up all summer as he had kept an eye out in Elmville for her, but seeing nothing.
Faster, faster, faster, he had moved only to get to the library to have one second of her in view before that snap! of the Teleport spell took her away from him again.
And oh that one second had been divine.
Had she done something new with her hair? He was sure she didn’t have boots like that before the summer. Her jacket was the same, but he had noticed a new patch on the sleeve. He had spotted an earring of aquamarine which sent a fission of something up his spine when he realised it was the same colour as his scales. A very specific colour that was hard to find.
Immediately, he had crowded into the space she once was, her scent still lingering in the air, soothing the agitation he felt that he had missed her. That crackle of her magic he picked up from across the school, settling on him like he would wish she did.
He had nearly stooped to picking up the books on curses she had just dropped off in any hope that he could pick up some of her lingering warmth, until the librarian had come up to the desk from the back room and was asking why he was in school while it was out.
Now he was more prepared.
He hadn’t rehearsed a speech; he didn’t think she would appreciate it if he decided to speak from a script. No, this had to come from him genuinely. He would give her anything that she wanted, and he knew what she would want the most was honesty.
So he had already packed his things for school the night before, laid out his outfit so he didn’t have to think about it. He had thought about getting her a gift as well as the apology; however, he didn’t want to think about her assuming he was trying to buy him over. He remembered the tone she used when he was asking about lending her some diamonds for spell craft and all of the time she spent fighting to try and get a paid position so she could support herself
No, he had to be genuine, and he had to win her over as himself or he would have no chance.
So, he got to school well in time, he knew that the Bad Kids typically arrived anywhere between 45 and 10 minutes before assembly/class had even started, Adaine obviously being one of the people to get here the earliest. He set up in the cafeteria first, which gave him a good vantage point of the field at the entrance so he could see when everyone arrived.
And he waited.
And time passed, and it kept passing, no sign of Adaine.
He had started to panic until he saw members of the adventuring party start to filter in and group together, Riz first, then Gorgug and Mary Ann, Kristen, Fig and finally Fabian. They were all looking at their phones with a look of concern, but not overwhelmingly.
He kept reading the same name on their lips, Adaine.
That concern started to manifest in him as well, making him stand up suddenly, scaring a couple of adventurers at the table beside him. A Sending spell was on the tip of his tongue, ready to send to Riz when Ivy had placed her hand on his arm, shocking him into the present. Coming to in that moment, he hadn’t realised Rueben, Ivy, and Lucy had been sitting on the table with him.
Ivy was speaking, but he wasn’t paying attention until he heard her say: “Are you worried about Adaine?”
Yes, he answered, or he thought he had. His body had lurched forward at the mention of her name coming out of his best friend’s lips. That note of concern was as foreign as the name spoken from her. And that was when he found out.
Adaine wasn’t going to be coming to school today.