CHAPTER 105: BEFRIENDING

The dining hall smelled like burnt eggs.

Aegis sat at their usual table, picking at something that might have been porridge in a past life. Sophie sat pressed against her left side, Scarlett sprawled across from them, and Lune delicately eating actual food she’d somehow procured from somewhere else.

"This is so weird," Scarlett announced, poking her breakfast with a spoon. "I think it just moved."

"That’s the protein," Sophie said, stealing a bite from Aegis’s plate. "Probably."

"Why are you eating mine if yours is right there?"

"Yours tastes better."

"It’s literally the same thing."

"No, it tastes like you."

"That doesn’t even make sense."

Sophie kissed her cheek. Then her jaw. Then her neck.

"Sophie, we’re in public."

"So?"

"So maybe save the foreplay for later?"

"This isn’t foreplay. This is just how I eat breakfast now."

Scarlett made a gagging sound.

"You two are gonna make me lose my appetite."

"You were already complaining about the food."

"Yeah, but now I have two reasons."

Lune continued painting in her notebook, apparently immune to the chaos. Her brush moved in quick, precise strokes. Probably drawing Sophie molesting Aegis at the breakfast table.

[Actually, maybe I should talk to Sophie. Like, really talk to her.]

The thought felt weird. She’d been treating Sophie like a particularly horny pet since she’d arrived. Which, granted, Sophie seemed to enjoy. But Lune’s words from yesterday kept echoing in her head.

"Hey, Soph?"

"Mm?" Sophie was now licking her ear for some reason.

"Can you... sit normally for a second?"

"Why?"

"I want to talk to you."

Sophie pulled back, suspicious.

"Are you dying?"

"What? No."

"Are you getting married?"

"No!"

"Are you pregnant?"

"That’s not—Sophie, I just want to talk."

"Boring." But she stopped trying to crawl into Aegis’s lap, which was progress. She did keep hold of Aegis’s arm though, fingers intertwined. "What about?"

"How are you doing?"

Sophie blinked.

"Fine? I had three orgasms this morning."

"Not what I meant."

"Four if you count the really small one."

"Sophie."

"What? You asked how I was doing. I’m doing great. Vera’s tongue is weirdly long."

Scarlett choked on her porridge.

"I meant with classes," Aegis said, refusing to process that information.

"Oh. Those are fine too. Boring, but fine."

"Just fine?"

"I mean, they keep trying to teach us stuff we already know. Basic magical theory? Please. I was reading about that when I was twelve."

"You were?"

"Yeah, you had all those books in your room. I read them when you weren’t around."

[Books I had? Ah, I guess this is a natural evolution of the backstory I wrote.]

"Which ones did you like?"

Sophie perked up slightly.

"The one about dimensional theory was cool. And that journal from the mage who went crazy trying to map pocket dimensions."

"Arcturus’s Folly?" Aegis remembered from the lore.

"That’s the one! He was insane but his math was solid."

They spent the next few minutes arguing about magical theory while Scarlett looked increasingly lost and Lune painted them with tiny smiles on their faces.

"Nerds," Scarlett muttered.

"Says the girl who memorized every sword technique manual in the library," Sophie shot back.

"That’s different! That’s practical!"

"So is dimensional theory!"

"For what? When are you gonna need to calculate pocket dimension vertices?"

"You never know!"

Aegis watched them bicker, realizing she’d never actually seen Sophie interact with her friends like this. Not the hyper-sexual gremlin mode, just... normal.

Well, normal-ish.

"What about home?" Aegis asked suddenly.

Sophie turned back to her.

"What about it?"

"Do you miss it?"

"Sometimes." Sophie shrugged. "Mom’s cooking mostly. Dad’s terrible jokes. The barn cat who kept trying to eat my hair."

"Mr. Whiskers."

"You remember Mr. Whiskers?"

"Of course I do."

[I absolutely do not but apparently my backstory included a barn cat.]

Sophie smiled, a real one this time.

"He was so stupid. Remember when he got stuck in the milk bucket? And dad kept saying we should rename him Bucket?"

"Wow. How talented.]

They both laughed. Even though Aegis had no actual memory of this, something about it felt... right. Like muscle memory for emotions she’d never experienced.

Her HUD flickered.

Dialogue Options:

1. "We should go back to visit soon."

2. "Tell me more about what happened while I was gone."

3. "Want to explore Rosevale with me today?" [SPECIAL]

[Special option. Interesting.]

"Want to explore Rosevale with me today?" Aegis asked.

Sophie tilted her head.

"Don’t you have classes?"

"So do you."

"Yeah, but I skip mine all the time."

"Then I can skip once."

"You? Miss Perfect Attendance?"

"I’m not—okay, yeah, but one day won’t kill me."

Sophie studied her suspiciously.

"Why?"

"Because I realized we haven’t actually spent time together. Just the two of us. Without..." Aegis gestured vaguely.

"Without you railing me against various surfaces?"

"I was going to say ’distractions’ but sure."

"So this would be like... a date?"

"Like hanging out. As siblings."

"Siblings who—"

"Yes, Sophie. Siblings who occasionally fuck. Happy?"

"Extremely." Sophie bounced in her seat. "Can we go to that bakery near the fountain?"

"Sure."

"And the bookstore?"

"If you want."

"And there’s this shop that sells these really interesting magical—"

"We’ll see."

Sophie kissed her again, quick and happy rather than trying to explore her digestive system.

"You’re the best sister ever."

"Only sister."

"Still counts!"

"Get a room," Scarlett muttered.

"We have a room," Sophie said. "Aegis just won’t let me use it properly."

"Because Lune is usually there!"

"She could watch. I don’t mind an audience."

"I’ll pass," Lune said without looking up from her notebook.

"Your loss. I’m very entertaining."

"I’m sure you are."

"Want to find out?"

"Sophie," Aegis warned.

"What? I’m being friendly!"

"You’re being horny."

"Those aren’t mutually exclusive."

---

Three hours later, Aegis sat in Divine Magic class, trying not to think about how she’d just agreed to spend a whole day later with her fictional sister who was real now.

Sister Mirabel stood at the front, explaining something about holy water that Aegis was definitely not absorbing. Hard to focus when Serilla Frost had decided to sit directly next to her despite the dozen empty seats available.

"You look distracted," Serilla whispered.

"I’m fine."

"Thinking about that sister of yours?"

"Why would I be thinking about Sophie?"

"Because the entire dining hall saw you two planning your little date."

"It’s not a date."

"She was borderline sitting in your lap."

"She does that to everyone."

Serilla leaned closer.

"You know what your problem is?"

"I have several. You included. So, which one specifically?"

"You treat everyone like characters in your personal story."

Aegis stopped and stared at her.

[... Well, that’s uncomfortably accurate.]

"I don’t—"

"Your sister, the princess, that sweet little singer. Even me." Serilla’s voice was amused rather than accusatory. "You interact with us based on what you think we want to hear."

"That’s called being polite."

"That’s called manipulation."

"Says the girl trying to steal someone else’s girlfriend."

"At least I’m honest about what I want."

"Are you?"

"More than you are."

"Miss Starcaller! Miss Frost!"

They both looked up. Sister Mirabel stood directly in front of them, radiating disapproval.

"Since you find your conversation more interesting than my lesson, perhaps you’d like to demonstrate the blessing technique I just explained?"

"Of course," Serilla said smoothly. "Though I believe Aegis would be better suited for the demonstration."

[This bitch.]

Aegis stood, trying to remember literally anything from the last ten minutes. Something about holy water? Blessings?

Her HUD flickered.

Dialogue Options:

1. "I need you to repeat the instructions." [BLUFF]

2. "Of course I was paying attention." [LIE]

3. "Only if Serilla assists me." [SPECIAL]

[Another special option? Interesting.]

"Only if Serilla assists me," Aegis said. "The technique requires synchronization, doesn’t it?"

Sister Mirabel’s eyes narrowed.

"It’s typically performed solo."

"Sure, but the resonance would be stronger with two people. Basic magical theory."

"That’s not how divine magic works."

"Isn’t it?" Aegis held out her hand to Serilla. "Want to find out?"

Serilla laughed, actually laughed, and took her hand.

"You have no idea what you’re doing," she whispered.

"Nope," Aegis whispered back.

"You’re just making this up as you go."

"Absolutely."

"Perfect. So am I."

They stood facing each other, hands linked. Aegis reached for her mana, pushing it outward. Serilla did the same.

Their energies collided, sparked, then—

BOOM.

The explosion wasn’t huge, but it was enough to send both of them flying backward. Aegis slammed into a desk. Serilla hit the blackboard. White smoke filled the room as students scrambled away from ground zero.

"Ow," Aegis groaned from the floor.

Serilla started laughing. Not her usual sharp, mocking laugh, but something genuinely warm and delighted.

"That was terrible!"

"That was your fault!" Aegis shot back, but she was grinning too.

"My fault? You’re the one who made up a technique that doesn’t exist!"

"You’re the one who went along with it!"

"ENOUGH!"

Sister Mirabel stood over them, absolutely radiating fury. Her habit was singed at the edges. There was soot on her face.

"Both of you. Detention. Every evening for the next week."

"A week?" Aegis protested.

"Would you prefer two?"

"...No ma’am."

"Class dismissed. Everyone out. Except you two disasters."

Students filed out quickly, whispering and giggling. When the room emptied, Mirabel glared down at them.

"That could have killed someone."

"But it didn’t," Serilla said cheerfully, still sitting on the floor.

"By pure luck!"

"The best kind of luck."

"This is not funny, Miss Frost."

"It’s a little funny." Serilla looked at Aegis. "Back me up here."

"It’s definitely a little funny," Aegis agreed.

Mirabel pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Detention. Seven days. You’ll be transcribing holy texts."

"Together?" Serilla asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. I only have one detention room."

"Sounds fun."

"It won’t be."

"Everything’s fun with the right company."

Mirabel looked like she wanted to throw something at them.

"Get. Out."