I watched the others sip wine and eat to their hearts content. 

      Meanwhile, I worried about Yuka.

     I was on eleven olive sticks and was currently starting on the twelfth.

     "Hey, Master Aliki. You shouldn't eat too many of those, you could get a stroke." One of the women beside me said, leaning on my shoulder.

     "How old do you think I am, hunny?" I said, shrugging her off.

     The lady, Master Lusk from the capital apparently, stumbled a bit to regain balance.

     She hesitated for a moment before shrugging. "I don't know, actually. Apologies." 

     "Apology accepted. But you might wanna take a break from the wine." I replied, taking the glass out of her hand.

      The witch nodded and continued to blabber on about her apprentice.

     That's all they seemed to do. Talk talk talk about how their apprentice was rich, high ranking, fast learning, blah blah blah..

     Whenever they asked about Yuka, I told them the truth. The truth resulted in awkward stares and a quick change in subject.

     I sighed, finding a bench to sit down on. Three more olive skewers down. 

     I was about to stand up and get another one, when Yuka came rushing over to be. 

     "Well hello there! Where have you been?" I said, crossing my arms.

       I changed my attitude when I saw how freaked out he looked. Leaves in his hair, cloak messy, breath quick and uneven.

     "What happened? Did those noble kids chase you or sumthin'?" I asked, worried. 

     Yuka shook his head. "I.. just met a spirit. Verse, right?" he gasped.

     Verse? Verse was here?

     "What? How.. where..?" I stuttered.

     Yuka finally caught his breath. "This guy, he led me to them, and we went to this waterfall place in the forest, which I'm sorry, I ran off, but we just like, talked and it was a lot and they gave me this-" he rambled, frantically digging in his cloak pocket.

      He took out a large crystal, an iridescent sky blue that gave of rainbow lights. I recognized it. 

      "Put that away, boy!" I hissed, shoving his hand back into his pocket.

     A quick look around told me that no one had seen. 

     "How did you get that??" I asked.

     "Verse gave it to me!" Yuka replied. 

     "Excuse me, would all apprentices and their mages make their way to the front?" A voice called out from the clearing. 

     "We are going to talk about this later, okay?" I whispered, then put on a smile and walked back towards the crowd.