Currents of magic were as silk, saturated in the rich light of the full moon. Instead of basking in its radiance, like most of my kind, I was stuck in my dorm room studying for exams. Papers diagramming the human anatomy and bolded words with their definitions were splayed across my desk. A packet of practice essays was at my elbow, and a textbook with its corresponding lab manual taunted me with contextual jargon. The smell of hot espresso hit my nose as I took a sip with a heavy sigh. If only I could use magic as well as sense it, then maybe the information would just absorb directly into my brain.

The sound of the dorm door, followed by muffled shuffling, brought my attention away from the eye-glazing pages. The bedroom door swung open as my roommate stumbled inside, flinging her backpack next to her desk, and fell on her bed. It was instant. The magic I'm familiar with feels soft and tastes sweet. This was different. The whisper of magic that perfumed my roommate rubbed roughly against my skin and tasted of pepper and smoke, burning on the way down.

"Where've you been?" I coughed, awkwardly sipping the espresso in an attempt to soothe my throat.

"Le Fay Café," my roommate muttered, her arm resting over her eyes, "studying for that myths and legends exam."

My heart skipped a beat. "Le Fay Café?"

"Yeah, some fantasy-themed café downtown."

"Oh," I said, considering my words carefully. I knew Le Fay Café well. It is where children of magic can gather peacefully in plain sight. Common folk could find it, but it was unusual. Of course my culture-studying roommate would stumble on the hidden gem. "Get all your studying done?"

She laughed. "Only God knows. My eyes have failed me, and my mind is revolting. I even thought I saw a dragon dive from the top of the building!" The bed creaked as she shifted onto her side. "I took it as a sign to get some sleep and let fate decide my grade. So, good night and sweet dreams."

"You thought you saw a what?"

"A hallucination induced by sleep deprivation. You're the biology major. You know how important sleep is."

"And yet it seems we get the least," I grumbled, then asked, "Did you meet anyone?"

"Yeah," my roommate yawned. "Some guy also studying folklore. He was more focused on dragons, though. I guess that's where my brain got the idea."

"You don't say." I turned to the window, gazing at the moon emblazoned on velvet. The spice prickled my tongue like an ember, and a smirk pulled at my lips. So, a dragon and its rider are prowling about a college town. One can only imagine the shenanigans the two are getting in.

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Eternally Yours,

~ Phoenix