Private Finished Lost and Loaded

Ven laughed.

It was short and weak compared to his normal robust laughter, but Ven was cold, and he was tired, and the closer they got to their destination the wobblier things became. His vision was starting to double and Ven could see a different set of woods behind one set of that double vision. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he closed his eyes. "I'm young, a teenager by human standards."

He was surprised by her compliment, so much so that it took him a moment to realize what she was trying to do. He nodded and said, "Thank you" and then "Yeah! That's it, you're getting it."

Ven had to think for a long moment his room number.

"I think it's 17B," he said. "It's the one on the second floor, past the fireplace. There's a picture of this old guy with a beard like this-"

Ven demonstrated the beard with a hand motion, then shoved his trembling fingers back into his pockets again.

They were so close now. He could be warm again soon! Ven picked up the pace as much as he could through the dizziness.

"I don't know," he said, trying to explain why he thought snow was beautiful. "I guess it's because, before I knew there was magic and vox somni and starlight academy, the only kind of magic I had was when I would go to sleep and wake up in the morning and everything was white! It felt like magic."

It sounded silly now that he said it aloud. But, he figured, "I guess you really didn't get to experience snow beneath the water, huh? But you probably saw many amazing things that would seem like magic to me."

"big baby, youre like a young grandmother," Ven mumbled under his breath, but there was some good humor starting to slip into it now that they were back on the edge of the academy grounds.

He felt like he'd never feel warm again, so the first thing Ven was going to do was to crawl into a nice, warm bath. Or maybe not. Maybe he'd just go straight to bed without leaving his body someplace weird.

His vision doubled again and he forced himself to stay in his own body as best as he could.

"Yeah," he said. "Come visit me. Just...not tonight. I'm going to try to sleep. Do you...uhh...do you sleep?" he asked.

If Ven could dream, he'd dream of he coral reefs she was describing.

'I'd like to see it," he said. 'Please do. Paint it, I mean."

He wondered if she was a good painter. He wondered if maybe, if he could stomach a few afternoons with this frustrating fish lady, if she'd teach him how to paint if he'd help her with his English.

Ven yawned.

"Thank you for helping me get back," he said. He reached one of his frozen hands out towards her and said, "Did anyone introduce you to the handshake?"

Ven opened the door to the school and held it open for her while they finished their conversation. He bathed in the warmth that came flowing out of the school, relieved with the idea that

Ven was doing okay when she asked if he wanted her to sleep with him. He figured, given her lack of English skills, that she meant it innocently.

Then, she asked if he wanted to do the sex and Ven's face turned scarlet. His eyes widened and his mouth opened and he gaped like a fish.

Okay, that wasn't innocent. Did she know what she was asking? Oh god, Ven hadn't really done anything like that before, and while she was nice he wasn't sure if he really wanted to do something like that and--

"A handshake is when uh," Ven said, but he was still flustered, and now he was getting dizzy, his head was spinning, his vision doubled and--

Ven passed out.

His body went rigid suddenly, tensing like it'd been hit by a gunshot. It dropped to the ground and plopped onto the floor of the entryway, sliding a bit on the stone and messing up the rug that was there for students to wipe their soggy shoes on.


Ven's wolf shape materialized in his bedroom.

The last thing he'd been thinking about was how small his bed was. There's no way two of them would have fit in it.

Ven's wolf stood in the bed and he gave a huge exhale.


That was awkward.

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Cabel Sokol was heading into the school when he caught a familiar and unfamiliar sight.

By caught he meant tripped over and by familiar side he meant Ven's body sprawled out in the doorway. There was another person standing near Ven, so when Cabel picked himself up off the floor, he sighed and said, "Were you baby-sitting Moon Moon? Thanks for keeping an eye on this kiddo. I'll get him back to the dorms, that's where I'm going."

Cabel reached his arms down, lifted Ven up beneath the armpits, and dragged him down the hall.