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So, this most certainly wasn't updated on July 4th and you have my apologies.

It was a mix of work and Stranger Things that delayed my editing a bit.

Mostly Stranger Things.

And a bit of The Good Place.

—————

          Vera sat outside of Mr. Mudelin's room alongside Talli, flicking a ball of paper back and forth with Cinder. There was always the random muffled explosion or worried warble from Puff that would sound off, but by now even Talli had stopped worrying about it.

          But when there was a loud meow the two immediately shot their heads up. 

          Jeremiah trotted up to them with a small letter shoved into his collar, drawn to Talli's broad smile as she showered the cat with affection.

          Puff's not gonna be happy about this. Vera thought, looking at the letter impassively. She always wondered what Káel's strange uncle tucked in the unlabelled envelopes, a tantalising secret kept to Káel's eyes only. 

          All at once the light flickered on, Vera striking Talli with a determined smile. "Do you have any paper?"

          Talli pulled a little piece of paper and a pen out of her satchel, presenting the objects to her friend.

          She grabbed them and immediately scribbled, smiling contently as she folded up the piece of paper and wedged it in Jeremiah's collar. If Ray was in on the investigation she'd have to tread carefully. Ears were far too open for messages, especially when she had yet to tie their true plans together.

          "Wh-what's that?" Talli whispered, her concern growing as Vera's grin intensified.

          "It's a note."

          Talli flushed red. "A-a note? Like a-a l-l- um.."

          "It's just a note."

          The giant doors creaked and Káel tiresomely walked out of the room, a smudged butterfly meticulously drawn in black ink on his cheek. There was a distinct burning smell coming off his combat suit, and he barely noticed Jeremiah until he almost tripped over him.

          Puff wasn't far behind with his excited bound, ecstatic to be free at last and licking Káel's face to try and cheer him up. He quickly retracted though, coughing and spitting from the bitter tang of Mr. Lightwood's artwork.

          "Four more days," Káel sighed, rubbing his eyes with a drawn yawn. He was too tired to even utter an ouch as Puff spotted Jeremiah and scurried up his back as a tiny drake.

          "And a half," Vera added.

          The three walked casually through the halls, Talli shooting Káel worried glances as he limp along. He already explained he'd rolled his ankle while falling on his face to avoid one of Mr. Lightwood's attacks, but that didn't provide any comfort to their conversations. It was completely overboard to Talli, running into unicorns didn't justify allthe fireballs and immobilization seals. After all, Unicorns didn't shoot spells.

          As the trio entered the nursing quarters, Ms. Metulas, one of the healing and chemical sciences teacher stopped, giving Káel an amused smirk. "Right on time."

          "Yup," Káel sighed, pulling Puff off his shoulders and dropping the terrified dragon in Talli's arms.

          Ms. Metulas scrunched her nose up as she approached Káel, scanning him up and down a couple times. "What'd they do? Light you on fire?"

          "Close enough," Káel grumbled.

          "Wh-why do they keep beating him up?" Talli squeaked. "They're g-going a little far."

          "He wouldn't get so beaten up if he knew how to protect himself properly," Ms. Metulas chimed, muttering under her breath while her hands lit up with an energetic green sheen. "Oh my, that rib is a bit cracked, they seemed to have upped your training dear."

          "I'm betting on more than one cracked rib after that kick," Phantom snickered.

          "Mostly crossfire, he was attacking Mr. Mudelin more than me," Káel replied.

          Ms. Metulas chuckled. "Both of them this time? Probably some sort of stupid competition they're having, can't imagine them both in the same room for a good reason." She finished up with Káel's injuries, rubbing Puff on the nose and gifting him a small wedge of jerky as a treat. "That's it, I'll be seeing you tomorrow then, same time I'm guessing?"

          Káel nodded. "Unless I can't walk."

—————

Saw Ray and Truvius together in the library, watch your back.

          Káel skimmed the small note again, its rigid twirls unmistakably Vera's handwriting.

          But Truvius in kahoots with Ray?

          He moved his gaze, slow and deliberate as it swept across the room to land on his roommate, fixed to the thick textbook he was currently studying on his bed.

          "Hey Truvius."

          Truvius paid Káel a quick glance, glueing his eyes right back to the page he had been muttering under his breath. "What up?"

          "What's up," Káel corrected, crumpling the note up after flashing it to Phantom. "So... Ray, huh?"

          He saw the panic set in Truvius' gaze, a deer in headlights now staring down Káel with a twitchy smile. "What about him?"

          Káel shrugged, pulling Puff into his lap to play with the dragons furry mits. "I dunno, just saw you two talking... in the library."

          A chord of worry struck in Káel's heart as Truvius paled. It had taken a couple weeks, but Truvius was the first one on Lumi to score a friendship with him and knowing he'd gone behind his back to Ray would be a royal slap in the face. 

          But despite the sickly complexion, Truvius swallowed, nodding in understanding as he went back to pretending to read. "Yeah, it's supposed to be a surprise."

          Káel's smile deadpanned at the word, dread pulling at his vocal cords as his mind played out a worst case scenario. "A surprise?"

          There were worse fates than Truvius stabbing him in the back.

          A surprise party.

         Planned by Ray.

          Truvius caught the joy as it seeped from Káel's body, only able to laugh in disappointment at his roommate's reaction. "You know, most people like to be appreciated when they go away forever.

          "We call those funerals on Earth, they suck." 

          "Well, that's what me and Ray were trying to do. You only gave him two weeks so he asked me to help out... with your surprise funeral. Which isn't going to be a surprise now."

          Káel sucked his lips in to keep from laughing, his eyebrows slowly rising as he nodded along to Truvius' misinterpretation. "I'm sure it will still be surprising."

          "And I'm pretty sure we have a test tomorrow." Truvius muttered, flipping his page and cocooning his mind in the textbook once more.

          With a Phantom at his disposal, Káel decided on better plans for his evening. But before he went to bed early he had a letter from his uncle to read.

Dear Nephew,

My apologies, my secretary must have failed to read the entire letter to me, she is careless in that manner. If I could permanently take you back to Earth I would, but I lack the means to do so and for that I must apologise. As for your guardian, I've never heard anything so silly. If it's a real dragon Jeremiah has no power over it, I'm failing to wrap my head around how he would be bullied by a cat.

Also, I didn't think I raised a whiner, you should be grateful to receive such fine training, Cobalt is one of the best lumience combat schools in all of Lumi. If you are truly intent on stopping these lessons then do something for yourself, rather than running to me like a spoiled brat. For one it's bad for my image and shows how much of a begging coward you are.

As for that broken battery, I'll ignore how suspicious your wording was. No, you do not have to return it, a broken battery is trash to me. I do not however, wish for this trash to be traced back to me, so I'll remind you to take good care of it.

I do hope Lumi is treating you well, and look forwards to reading about further acts of delinquency. 

Sincerely, Staz

          Káel glared at the letter, catching one last note at the bottom of the page.

Please be aware I did read your entire letter to him. Twice.

-His careless secretary

—————

          Vera walked into Mr. Mudelin's class, the iron maws slamming behind to call the class to her entrance. Mr. Mudelin himself only gave her three seconds of attention. "Late, the exam has already started Strylez."

          With a pressed smile she ignored his stare. It was Cinder's fault for attacking the dragon clock when she'd decided on an afternoon nap. "But present nonetheless." She said, pulling off a staged bow for the glaring teacher. "Apologies sir, I was just making sure I was completely ready."

          "Your lack of a combat suit certainly shows that," he replied, quickly skimming the crowds of students. "Minefeld, you have a new partner. Please refrain from sending Strylaz to the nursing wing."

          She locked with Truvius' gaze, an evil smirk pulled by the joy in her mid. He had successfully avoided her conversations, never landing himself alone under her wrath because he knew it would spell the end. He was working with Ray, and they had some cruel plan for Káel that she was going to rip out of him.

          The snitch had nowhere to hide now.

          "You will all be assessed in pairs-."

          "Truvius and I would love to go last," Vera called, smiling mockingly at Mr. Mudelin's souring expression.

          "And Strylaz has volunteered to go first, without even hearing what the exam is." 

          She hid a smile as she stepped up to Mr. Mudelin, Truvius timidly joining her side as the teacher backed their classmates to the walls. 

          "This module was on moderate attacks," Mr. Mudelin started, pointing Truvius and Vera to opposite ends of his classroom. "I would like you to spar with your partner using the spells you have learned in this class. You will be marked on accuracy, control, defense, and restraint." 

          Vera smiled as she felt Mr. Mudelin's lingering gaze. She could rough up any of her classmates with novice spells. 

          But victory wasn't acing the exam. 

          She paid Truvius a nod, a trickle of flames dancing across her fingers in anticipation for the teacher's signal.

          Victory was making the book boy squeal.

—————

          A fireball whipped across the classroom with a thundering crack, Truvius barely throwing up a shield in time to deflect it. But without delay two more went flying for the defense, Truvius jumping out of their way as they smashed through his spell like a blanket in the wind.

          Káel was already glad he hadn't gotten Vera, but Talli was equally as likely to kill him.

          "She's really good," Talli whispered, flinching as a spray of flames flew at their faces, stopped by the rippling forcefield Mr. Mudelin had been kind enough to cage the brawlers in.

          Káel silently nodded, focusing on the sparing match that looked more like a duel to the death. 

          Truvius had gotten to throwing some attacks, Vera shooting most of the spells out of the air with her own as she ran after her fleeing opponent with a shrieking battlecry. Káel still couldn't tell if she actually had the upper hand in the fight. Truvius was definitely running like a traumatized chicken, but he hadn't taken even a lick of fire in the ordeal, skillfully batting away her spells with an array of shields and last minute rolls.

          "Strylaz, please try something other than red lumience," Mr. Mudelin announced, still scribbling down notes as Vera stopped, shooting her teacher a devilish grin. 

          "Alright," she said, pressing back her knuckles with a crack as she muttered a spell under her breath. 

           Almost as if he was reading her lips, Truvius clicked in with a sweep of panic, jumping from the spot he'd been standing in as an orange glow lit up the floor and burst with a roaring explosion. 

          "What a sweet girl," Phantom said, a whimsical sigh earning a weird look from Káel. "Nothing quite like purposefully trying to blow up your friends."

          Káel sighed, gritting his teeth as Vera's explosions echoed through the class.

          It was starting to look like she wanted to kill him.

          He moved his attention to Mr. Mudelin, still passively taking notes on the fight without a flicker of worry. Even an explosion right next to his shield couldn't rattle him, he was a hardened statue of judgement that called itself a teacher.

          "I hope your moderate attacks aren't like that," Káel whispered, smiling at the worry growing on Talli's face. "At least, try not to aim for my face."

          "S-s-sorry. I'm not g-good with ranged l-lumience..."

          "I'm crap at it too, I'm just asking you not to kill me," Káel replied, chuckling nervously as Vera finally clipped Truvius' shoulder with a fireball and sent him tumbling into a portion of the forcefield. 

          He scrambled back to his feet, most of the impact absorbed by the enchantments lacing his combat suit. However, none of the fear had faded, Truvius heaving for air as panic clogged his lungs and shook his body. The look on his face was something Káel had never seen before, set completely on Vera in numbed terror as his entire surroundings melted into an indistinguishable blur.

          Vera seemed to revel in the moment, her cheeks flushed with adrenaline as she took a few steps closer to Truvius. "Is this the best you can do? Top of the class downed by a fireball?"

          "We did not cover taunting in class Strylaz," Mr. Mudelin cut in, marking something on his notes with a distasteful frown.

          "Did we cover running away while your enemy shoots spells at your back?" she sneered, snapping her fingers so a fireball whizzed past Truvius' head. With another step her grin twisted into malice, a fiendish growl raking at her voice. "Bonus points to the biggest coward."

          "I'm not a coward," Truvius muttered, flinching as one of Vera's attacks rattled his shield.

          "Oh, I couldn't hear you whispering," Vera said, forcing Truvius' out of his spot with another explosion. "You'll have to speak up coward!"

          "Every insult from this point forwards is a lost point," Mr. Mudelin boomed, his voice carrying over the cacophony of howling attacks Vera threw at Truvius.

          But now Truvius hadn't taken to running, choking the flames with a gale of wind spells and freezing over every explosion Vera tried to pull off. Káel was half expecting Vera to show some panic at being gradually overpowered, but classically enough, Truvius' display had her gritting her teeth and doubling down on even more attacks until the floor had a steady rumble to it.

          As the rainbow of spells reached its peak, Vera finally slipped up, her foot clipping an ice seal Truvius had planted on the ground. With the sudden fall she lost her focus, her flurry of spells shattering all at once as her face struck the floor in the shimmering bubble of dead silence. 

         Truvius took two steps towards her, his shadow sweeping over her head as he folded his arms. "I'm not a coward."

          Vera breathed out a sigh, focusing on the buzz running through her jarred wrists as she shook with laughter. Everything on her face screamed lucky shot, her fiery hair cascading down her face as she flipped onto her back, hooking her foot around Truvius' ankle and delivery a powerful kick to his stomach.

          While he tried to catch his balance Vera shot to her feet, slipping behind his back to pull him over her shoulders and face first onto the floor, the firehead mocking Truvius prior position as she folded her arms to loom over him with a mocking bite. "Prove it." She gave Mr. Mudelin a wary glance. "Not an insult by the way."

          Truvius lingered on the floor, his expression perfectly visible from Káel's angle. Despite Truvius' best efforts, the shock that had seized every inch of his expression was chipping away, rage boiling in his silence as he dug his nails into the stone ground.

          Just as Vera was about to let out a sharp sigh Truvius snapped around, his lips barely moving as a white streak shot out and slammed Vera upside the head. She immediately stumbled back, clutching her mouth while her brain worked through the pulsing pain shooting up her tongue. 

          Swallowing the salty iron coating her teeth she pulled her hands back down, a smirk stretching the split in her lip as she pulled Truvius to his feet. "Getting better," She said, smacking Truvius' back with a chuckle. "Still took it without a combat suit."

          Káel and Truvius were practical twins staring at Vera, horror stealing their words as she obliviously smiled past the stream of blood dripping off her chin. If Káel hadn't known it was all hers he would have applauded it as a pretty realistic try at zombie makeup, half expecting her to be missing a tooth or two at this point.

          "I've seen enough," Mr. Mudelin announced, staring at Vera's face like a common occurrence. "Minefeld, please ensure that Strylaz reaches the nursing quarters. Your examination has ended and you don't have to return to class."

          Truvius hesitated at the order, Vera looping her arm through his like a squirming snake to pull her prey towards the door. Judging by the unflinching frown, Mr. Mudelin thought little of the spectacle, waiting for the doors of his classroom to slam back into place before calling up the next pair.

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Quality Quip #32: 

From America's quote master

'They misunderestimated me.'

~George W. Bush