10:16 Sat, May 2
How Not To Fall For A Dragon
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Chapter 151 Bonus Chapter 3- Do Not Touch Anything That’s Smoking
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Ellorie-Rae is… annoying. Not because of anything she actually does. That would be easier. If she were rude, or loud, or incompetent, I could simply decide I dislike her and be done with it. But she isn’t. She’s polite. Intelligent. Capable. She listens when Lexi speaks, she helps her with magic, and she doesn’t say anything particularly irritating. No, the problem is that she exists. And that she occupies Lexi’s attention. Which should, quite frankly, be mine. A few weeks ago, she could barely speak to me. Every word was soft, hesitant, like she expected me to snap at her if she said the wrong thing. Most of the time she avoided me entirely, which I found to be a very reasonable and practical decision on her part. Now? Now I can’t get her to stop talking. Ever since I dragged her drunk, barely-conscious self back to her room the night the hunters showed up, something in her seems to have… shifted. Apparently, saving someone from choking on their own poor decisions earns a certain level of familiarity. Unfortunate. She approaches me constantly now. Not just when Lexi is around, constantly. She starts conversations I did not initiate, continues conversations I am not participating in, and somehow manages to do all of that without actually being unpleasant enough for me to justify telling her to leave. Which is inconvenient. And Lexi, of course, is
thrilled. Her friend is comfortable now. Confident. Willing to spend time with us. That is what Lexi wants. Which means Ellorie-Rae is
now invited to join us more and more often. Which is… fine. In theory. Ellorie-Rae is not unpleasant company. She’s quick, observant, and
she doesn’t grate on my nerves the way most people do. If I had to tolerate someone, she would not be the worst option. But I do not
want to tolerate someone. I want Lexi. Alone. And Ellorie-Rae is making that significantly more difficult. Which brings me to now. The
cafeteria. Just the two of us. Which, under normal circumstances, would be ideal. Except Lexi is not here. She wanted to sleep in. She
insisted I still come to breakfast. Apparently, ‘not putting my life on hold’ is important, even when my life would very much prefer to
remain in bed next to her. She also assured me the Academy would keep her hidden as long as she stayed in her room. I trust that.
Reluctantly. So here I am. And for some reason, Ellorie-Rae decided that this was an excellent opportunity to join me. So the two of us
refers to myself and Ellorie-Rae. She is talking about… something. I am not entirely sure what. I stopped paying attention several minutes
ago. She does not seem to mind. I nod occasionally, just enough to maintain the illusion of participation while I eat. I could rush through
this, but there is no real point. Lexi is still asleep. There is nothing to return to just yet. Still, I would prefer to be there, in her bed.
Instead of here. Being observed. Because the staring has started again. It had mostly died down over the past few weeks. People had started to adjust, to accept my presence as something normal. Or at least something not worth constant attention. That progress appears to have reversed. Students keep glancing over. Whispering. Watching. They are trying to be subtle. They are failing. It is irritating. Apparently, sitting in the cafeteria with someone, anyone, is enough to spark renewed interest. A dragon, eating breakfast, not actively threatening anyone, and doing so with company? Unacceptable. Suspicious. Fascinating. I ignore them. Mostly. The only ones who are not staring are the wolves. Which is… strange. But predictable, I suppose.The only ones who are not watching are the wolves. Which is… noticeable. They keep their heads down. Focused on their own conversations, their own food. No whispering. No staring. No attempts to provoke. It feels… strange. But that asshole Aaron appears to be keeping his word. For now.
I glance down at my plate, and realise Ellorie-Rae has stopped talking. That, in itself, is unusual. I realise she has follwoed my line of sight, and has realised the same thing as me. People are staring. Again. Her eyes narrow slightly, tracking the same groups I had already
marked. There’s a flicker of irritation across her face, brief, sharp, and then her brow furrows. Yes. That is the correct reaction. People are
irritating. For a moment, she looks like she’s about to say something. Or do something. Then, just as quickly, her expression smooths out.
The tension disappears, replaced with a bright, almost cheerful smile. She picks up her fork and goes back to eating. Too casually. Too quietly. Suspicious. I narrow my eyes slightly, watching her. What is she doing? A second later, I catch the scent. Smoke. Faint and sharp.
Someone yelps. I turn my head just in time to see one of the students who had been staring at us jump to their feet, shrugging off their
jacket as it smoulders. They toss it to the ground, stomping frantically until the small flame dies out. I glance back at Ellorie-Rae. She
shrugs. But she’s smirking. Ah… A few seconds later, a piece of paper in someone else’s hand catches fire. Not an explosion, just a small,
controlled flame, spreading quickly enough to cause panic, but not enough to cause real damage. The student drops it with a shout. Then
the edge of someone’s skirt ignites. Across the room, small fires begin appearing. Here, there, unpredictable, precise. People start
panicking. Chairs scrape. Voices rise. Confusion spreads rapidly as no one can identify the source. They look around wildly, trying to work
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10:16 Sat, May 2
Chapter 151 Bonus Chapter 3- Do Not Touch Anything That’s Smoking
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out who is responsible, who is next. No one is hurt. No one is even properly burned. Every flame is contained Controlled Deliberate Impressive. I turn back to Ellorie-Rae, raising an eyebrow. She gasps dramatically.
“Oh no. Fire. We should get out of here!” she says, with absolutely no sincerity. She’s already standing, gathering her things, clearly expecting me to follow. I do. There is no reason to stay. We exit the cafeteria, and the moment we’re out of sight, she breaks Laughter Bright. Unrestrained. Entirely too pleased with herself.
“Did you see their faces?” she says, practically vibrating with amusement. I huff a quiet laugh despite myself.
“So that was you,” I say. She nods immediately.
“Yup. They’re not staring anymore. They’re too busy dealing with actual fires.” SHe explains. Logical. Effective. I can’t help it. I grin. That was… very well done. A thought occurs to me.
“If you can do that, why did you let people harass you before you were friends with Lexi?” I say, glancing at her. She shrugs, like it’s nothing.
“Lack of confidence, I guess,” she says.
“Normally I’d be worried about retaliation. But right now?” She gestures vaguely toward me.
“I’m with you. No one’s going to retaliate.” She pauses, then adds with a smirk,
“And even if they try, they’ll probably blame you anyway. Random fires? Very on-brand.” She laughs. I consider that. She is not wrong.
“That’s true,” I admit. She beams, clearly pleased with herself.
“Your control over fire is impressive,” I add after a moment, more reluctantly. Power is easy. Control is not. And what she just demonstrated was precise. Measured. Intentional. She lights up at that.
“If you want, I could help you practice,” she offers.
“Lexi’s probably still asleep, and you look like you need something to do.” she adds. I hesitate. I do not particularly enjoy being taught Especially not by someone who, until recently, could barely speak to me. But… She is skilled. And Lexi would approve. And I do need something to occupy my time until Lexi wakes up. I give a short nod.
“Fine,” I say. This time, when she starts talking, I listen. Closely. Maybe Ellorie Rae is not quite as irritating as I initially thought
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