“Really?”
“I am not invincible,” Benjamin said, wryly. “Just because I am an Elite student, I still have to play by the Elite rules.”
“What happened?”
“Don’t worry about it. I should have expected it, before I started poking around things that most folks don’t care to.”
“What kind of things?”
“Things that if I were anyone other than Benjamin Carson, I wouldn’t have had to deal with it.” He said. “I’ll make sure to stop by and sign for it until the-”
“You don’t have to-” Neil began.
“I do. So please accept my apology in advance. Unless I bribe someone—but that would be troublesome—and taking any legal action would cause trouble for you,” Benjamin said, tapping his chin in thought.
“You shouldn’t bribe people,” Neil heard himself say. “It’s not—if people find out, it’s not really,” he faltered. Bribing was a way of life among the rich and famous. He’d just never had enough currency to indulge in such high stakes. “You shouldn’t do that.”
“If you prefer that I didn’t, then I won’t.” He said, pleasantly. “I suppose we’ll be seeing more of each other then.”
Neil flushed. “I guess,” he said, slowly. “Same time, every day?”
“The dispensation is for three weeks, so yes. Is this time acceptable?”
“Yeah. I usually stop by here before work.”
“Excellent. I usually finish tutoring around now. So I’ll just stop by here on my way back to my floor, alright?”
“Great,” Neil found himself smiling.
“Thank you.” Benjamin said, relieved. “And since it was rather rude of me, my most humble and sincere apologies for the disturbance, for invading your room and the inconvenience in the weeks to come.” With hand over heart, he bowed formally at the waist.
“Er, it’s nothing, really.” Neil blushed to the tips of his ears. “It’s just—I’m not really worth all of that fuss.”
Benjamin straightened at once, an indescribable look in his soft brown eyes. “Just the same, that does not excuse my own behavior. I can successfully negotiate a merger between two feuding companies, a mere Courier from MedBay is hardly something to work my temper up.” He shook his head. “It’s been a long day, excuse me and good evening.”
Neil hurried to let him out as he turned to face the door. “Thanks again,” he said, as the door slid open. “I really appreciate it—and I’m sorry to interrupt your evenings too.”
“Don’t mention it. A change of pace is always good.”
“Right. See you.”
“Don’t forget to take it,” Benjamin said, a teasing glint in his eyes. They were lighter now, almost golden.
Neil swallowed. “I’ll take it right now.”
The door slid shut. Neil found himself grinning even as he keyed in a sequence he hadn’t used in years. It was one that required dual confirmation to allow him to leave the room. An old failsafe he’d employed after sleepwalking a few times and being woken by a worried dorm supervisor.
He only ever roamed about when things were too stressful to handle and after today, he had a good feeling that it wouldn’t hurt to activate the extra function.
Benjamin’s worried face floated through his mind and Neil groaned.
Today really was weird.
~*~*~*~*~*~
He did take the potion.
It was exactly as he remembered it, and maybe a little worse, though it felt just as disgusting as it had the first time. The slimy feeling had him rushing to the refresher and rinsing his mouth in the sink. Grimacing, he threw his head back and gargled. Next time, he’d be sure to keep the glass of water handy.
Spitting into the sink, Neil was unsurprised to see that the water was clean, not a hint of the rich purple color or the golden flecks. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what was in that potion, but it was probably a good idea to look it up anyway. Wandering out of the refresher, he swabbed his face with a towel. Tossing it to the pile of unsorted laundry on the spare chair in the corner, he stifled a yawn.
His work uniform was somewhere in that mess, but a wave of weariness washed over him, prompting an even bigger yawn. He tried and failed to remember if he’d felt this tired after taking the potion the previous night, but that took too much effort.
Jamal would most likely yell if he schlepped off for the day, but the good feeling he’d had from earlier, evaporated now. Each limb seemed to be ten times heavier than usual and his bed looked so inviting that Neil couldn’t resist.
It’s only a minute or two…
Neil tugged one end of the blanket over his head and curled up. It scarcely took more than second for his eyes to close. The flicker of magic in his belly stirred and coiled, settling down as if for a nap. He barely noticed it. The overwhelming urge to sleep and stop thinking made itself known more urgently than before.
He supposed that was proof that the stimulant was doing something, but he wished the results were a bit more useful. Sleep was a good thing, he was sure, but he doubted that would make his magic return.
Nuzzling into his favorite pillow, Neil wondered how to tell if someone was dragel or not. He could have sworn that this was the second time he’d noticed Benjamin Carson’s eyes changing color as if it were something that happened every day. Not that he spent a great deal of time, looking at Benjamin’s eyes, but it was obvious enough to take notice.
It was also a detail he’d only ever noticed at the Baronsworths.
####
Thanks for reading my story! Now that you’ve finished, won’t you please consider leaving a review? Reviews help readers decide what to read next and help them to discover new authors. If you’ve read the first three episodes of Neil’s story, then you already know that I’m Chera Carmichael, also known as Scioneeris, the author of the popular hp creature fic, known as “There Be Dragons, Harry.” TBDH features my original dragon creature, the dragels, also known as Elemental Dragons. I created them years ago, along with their special world, Nevarah. I’m so excited to present my first original serial with them and I look forward to sharing this adventure with you. There’s more stories to come and more Circles to entertain you, so stay tuned for the next installment—I’m writing as fast as I can!
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