“Who died?” The question came from right beside my ear and I almost jumped out of my skin. Reflexes stepped in and I flung a fist up and back over my shoulder, hearing a satisfying thwack as the back of my hand connected.

“Shit, Ra.” the voice came back muffled, as I turned to see my fist firmly indented in Agate’s nose. “Rude.”

I withdrew my hand quickly and glared at him as my heart rate returned to normal.

“Don’t loom over people and murmur in their ear from behind, you creep!”

Honestly, wasn’t one stranger breathing into my ear enough for the day?

The offender poked deep inside his nostrils and checked his fingers, I assumed for blood.

“Creep, eh? Been called worse.” He shrugged. “You should be nicer to your partner.”

“Partner?” I spluttered. Where had this idiot even appeared from? I cast around but only saw the closed doors of Second year dormitories. Had I made it this far already? I had been so lost in my thoughts that I’d lost track of my surroundings. Wait... “How long have you been following me?”

“Not important,” he waved the question aside. “Yeah, partner. Took the stones, didn’t they?”

The smug grin that spread across his face made me want to punch it again.

“Yes.” I muttered.

His speckled green and brown eyes sparkled.

“So? Who was right?” he wheedled.

I pursed my lips. The two moons would collide before I answered that.

“Don’t worry,” he patted me on the back twice then seemed almost shocked at what his hand was doing and withdrew it, pulling something from his pocket. “Anyway. Here.”

He shoved a suspiciously stained scrap of parchment at me.

“What’s this?” I raised an eyebrow as I took it between two fingers, avoiding a large brown stain along one edge.

He glanced around at the few students wandering to and from their rooms, before leaning in close.

“Time. Place.” he whispered, and winked. “Got it?”

Was he this ambiguous with everyone? I found it very frustrating to be this confused by something that should be simple. I threw him a look that I hope conveyed the fact that I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

“I get that look a lot.” I didn’t doubt it. For a moment I thought I saw the corners of his lips twitch downwards, but the next second it was gone and he pushed on before I could be sure. “Details for our first meeting. I was right, our deal stands. Mutual back scratching and such.”

“Oh, yes. I suppose so.” I did still want to learn advanced magic. If the only way to do it was to make a deal with this deranged deviant, then I’d have to suck it up. I wondered what he would want in return. Hopefully nothing weird, though our encounters so far didn’t give me much hope for that.

“Good.” he nodded, satisfied. “Need to put you to work. Lots to do before the other Guilds show up.”

“Guilds?” And what kind of work?

He rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Do you ever come out of that over achieving study hole? We’re hosting the next Guild Ball.” He rubbed his hands together. “That means lots of custom- ah visitors, you know, to meet.”

“You attend the Guild Balls?” My imagination did not stretch far enough to picture him in any kind of formal attire. I mean, at the moment he was wearing a heavy blacksmithing apron over a pair of leggings, but I’m fairly certain he had no shirt on now that I was paying attention. In fact, was that...

“Like what you see? Got it pierced a few weeks ago.” He twisted the small ring in his nipple and I turned around mortified.

“I’m leaving. I have classes.”

“Ok. Don’t forget the note. Read it, then eat it. No evidence.”

Was he serious? It was hard to tell...

I flapped a hand over my shoulder and kept walking towards the other end of the Second-year building.

“Ra!”

Argh! Let me leave already!

“What now?” I demanded, as I spun on my heel. “And my name is Sierra.”

“Everything ok?”

“Huh?”

He scratched the back of his head and wandered closer again so he didn’t have to shout.

“You looked upset. At the offices. Don’t have to say.”

That’s right, the letter. I had been distracted by his appearance but that didn’t change the fact my parents were on their way.

“My parents are coming here.”

“For the Ball?”

“No, because of-” I faltered. Oh gods...maybe they were coming for the Ball. That changed everything. This could be even worse. What if they wanted...

“Maybe they’ll snag you a man!” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively in what I suspect was an attempt to cheer me up. The words were exactly what I didn’t want to hear though.

A man. He sounded like my parents. They wanted a husband, no matter how capable their daughter, and had made it devastatingly clear. Maybe I had even less time than I thought. Gods I hoped not, my plan was nowhere near ready...

I pried open his note as he watched me read it, his head cocked to one side.

Tomorrow. Noon. Rosie’s tea house.

“I don’t need a husband.” His eyes widened at my tone. I pushed the note back at him. “You eat it.”

He took it, a solemn look on his face, and slowly placed it in his mouth without breaking eye contact.

“Blech! I expect you to catch something from consuming that. See you tomorrow.”

He nodded, grin hanging wide as he mashed the parchment between his teeth.

I walked away shaking my head. Please let this ludicrous plan work. I really didn’t have any other options.

Still, as odd as he was, it was kind of sweet that he had noticed I was upset back at the office. Hang on.

“You followed me all the way from the offices?” I shouted as I turned around ready to charge.

A random First year in his green robes cowered away from me. Agate had disappeared and I was just some crazy girl screeching into a street of strangers.