I watched the ship arrive. It looked like a bumpy landing.

     It felt like a bumpy landing. 

     I felt like I was going to throw up. 

     Verse stood in front of my little hiding spot, clapping as the ship landed. 

     Whoever my new mage was, they had absolutely no idea how much I had eaten over the course of this week.

     I was gonna lose my well earned lunch.

     But instead of focusing on my agony, I focused on the passengers leaving the ship.

     Disheveled mothers and their energetic children, classes from various magic schools, officials, blah blah...

     None of them felt right to me.

     The last few to step out looked like a group.

     And someone in there felt right. I just couldn't tell who.

     A tall woman, with dark skin and auburn hair in stupidly long dreads. She wore a large hat with a tiny bell on the end.

     Not bad, but she looks like a professional witch. Probably already has a familiar.

     Three school kids muttering to each other. The middle looked like a nobleman's son. Messy brown hair, fancy clothes, a satchel.

     Maybe. But his group was already branching off and felt no compelling force as the drifted farther away from the group.

     That left only one. A boy, standing next to the witch. Unkept, long black hair, nice looking clothes, similar the the witch's. 

     As I watched the duo walk towards the venue, it became apparent that he was a handful.

     Verse tapped me on the shoulder. 

     "Hm?" I looked up at them.

     The spirit motioned to my tail and then at the visitors.

     I hadn't noticed, my tail was swishing across the grass, rustling both the dead leaves on the ground and the bushes. 

     Someone was going to notice us. Or rather, me.

     I stopped. Or tried to.

     I forced my tail down with my paws, wincing.

     A handful indeed.

     "I swear, we're being watched." I said.

     Aliki looked around. 

     Tons of people milling about, waiting for the ceremony to start.

     "Well duh. We're like, the poorest people here." Aliki replied, taking a toothpick layered with olives.

     I sighed. The olives were gone in seconds.

     She had a point though. In a clearing filled with high ranked and rich mages and mage apprentices, we stuck out like a sore thumb.

     Aliki continued to raid the snack table, chatting with some of the friends she had made on the trip.

     I glanced over at the vendors. 

     Lux stood there with his friends, talking (or arguing) with students from other schools and preforming elaborate magic tricks.

     The only friend I had made, and he was more of an enemy.

     I sighed and looked around. Everyone looked like they had a friend to talk to. 

     Or atleast someone they knew.

     I started to slowly make my way towards the forest surrounding us.

     I felt like the trees would be better company than a little sip of champagne I could convince Aliki to give me.

     Maybe later.

     I was wrong.

     The oak tree I had chosen to talk to kept falling asleep mid sentence, and I had to wait half an hour to get it up again.

     The stories were amazing

     The sleep schedule? Not so much.

     I lie in the grass at the foot of the tree, now the eight time the oak spirit had fallen asleep.

     Until I heard footsteps.

     I sat up immediately, looking around.

     Nothing but trees. And dirt. And grass. And bushes. And a guy looking over a bush. And some flowers. And-

     WAIT-

     I stood up, ignoring the fact that I had absolutely nothing to protect myself from the stranger except from some sticks. 

     "Hey! Who are you? Why are you staring at me?" I called out, grabbing a relatively long stick.

     The guy rolled his eyes and stood.

     Hot dam- I mean-

     He had dark skin, a few tiny scars along his wrists as far as I could tell, since he was wearing a fancy but messy long sleeve. 

     Well, not exactly wearing it.

     The guy didn't even bother to button up the top half of the shirt.

     "Are you good, man?" He said, waving at me.

     Ah shit I was staring.

     "Ah- yes. Who are you? Why were yo-" I said again, as he interrupted.

     "Call me Theo. I was just curious as to why you were lying in the middle of a forest riddled with deadly plants." He said, shrugging.

     "Oh. Uh... I needed a break from all the people." I said, nodding at the clearing in the distance.

     "I see. Mkay then, bye." Theo said, starting to walk off.

     I watched him take a couple of steps before calling out to him. "Wait! Why were you out here?"

     Theo paused. "Came to watch the Choosing. I never get a formal invitation so I have to hide in here." He replied.

     I tilted my head. "I thought everyone was invited." 

     Theo walked back over to me. 

     I think I preffered it when he was behind the bush.

     It was easier to pretend my face wasn't flushed.

     "Street rat. Mage apprentice. Rich people." Theo said, pointing to himself, then me, and the in the direction of the clearing.

     "Ah.." I mumbled.

     Theo and I stood there for a bit.

     "Hey, do you wanna see something cool? I think your tree friend went dormant." He asked.

     The oak tree had been asleep for a while.

     "Sure. But I have,to get back to the clearing, so it can't take long- AH-!l I yelped, as Theo grabbed my and took off, practically dragging me along with him.

     I might as well curl up and die now, because I was burning up.