92
It was relatively quiet in the Mess when Milo wandered in to sit with Cerena and her team. Belt was picking at his food, clearly on his last plate.
And Jassie was resting her head on the table, looking like she hadn’t slept in days.
“Are you alright?” Milo asked, taking a seat opposite her and next to Mila.
“Ugh,” Jassie moaned. “Don’t ask.”
“Alright,” he said, looking to Cerena, who shook her head.
Tania plopped down on his other side, sliding a plate in front of him.
“Ooh!” Mila reached over and plucked out a carrot stick. Then she held it up in front of him. “Ah!”
He dutifully opened his mouth.
“Is she wearing your coat now, too?” Belt asked, pointing his fork at Mila.
“Yeah,” he nodded. “I can’t get her to take it off. Pretty sure I’m never getting it back.”
“It’s snuggly,” Mila said.
“It’s creepy,” Jassie murmured, not looking up.
“Well, I think it’s kinda cute,” Tania said, leaning against Milo’s shoulder. “And he won’t admit it, but it makes him sappy every time he sees her.”
“It does?” Cerena squinted at Tania. “I thought you two were a couple?”
“We’re a throuple, I guess,” Tania said, snatching one of his carrot sticks and chomping on it.
“What?” Cerena blinked at her, then at Mila. “Seriously? I thought that was just a joke. Milo, you’re dating both of them?”
“Woah,” Belt said, holding his fork halfway up to his mouth, jaw hanging open. “Really?”
“Hmm.” Tania snapped her teeth into the carrot. “I might’ve said it wrong. I didn’t mean Milo was dating Mila and me.”
“I should think so,” Cerena said, looking a bit more relieved.
“He’s dating Mila, Selma, and me,” Tania said with a grin. “So, maybe it’s a fouple? Frouple? Fourple? I dunno. One of those things.”
“What even?” Cerena cried, unable to keep her voice down. “Are you insane?”
“Milo,” Jassie sighed. “What did you do?”
Milo shook his head, feeling his face and neck heating up. He knew he must look like a raspberry.
“It wasn’t something I planned,” he offered weakly.
“We didn’t exactly give him a choice,” Tania said, motioning at Mila to pick up Milo’s fork and feed him. “Of course, it wasn’t too hard. Was it, sheik?”
He frowned, opening his mouth for Mila. “Sheik?”
“Nevermind that one,” Tania grumbled.
“I can’t believe you’re… all of you…” Cerena glanced at Belt, who blinked back at her before wisely pretending he didn’t know what they were talking about and shoving his food into his mouth and chewing fast.
“I believe it,” Jassie said, finally lifting her head. Her eyes were red. “I always said there’s something suss about him. Look at him. He’s got beady eyes.”
“They’re not beady!” Mila snapped. “They’re cute.”
“They’re beady,” Jassie insisted. “And the fact you think they ain’t is a good sign he’s got some strange power to manipulate weak minds.”
“Milo, sweetie,” Tania said with a mischievous grin. “Please make Jassie get down on her hands and knees. I wanna see it.”
“Don’t you dare!” Jassie gave him a look of mock horror and held her butter knife between them. “Come near me, and I’ll poke out your eyes.”
Tania raised her eyebrow at the blunt implement. “With that thing?”
“Hey, it’s all I got. And I ain’t afraid to use it.”
“How do you…” Cerena gulped, still struggling. “I mean, how…?”
“How do we do the sex thing?” Tania finished for her, making Milo turn even more red. He tried to hide it by ducking his head and chewing. “Well, so far we only break his hips one at a time.”
Cerena flushed, too. She refused to look at Belt.
And Belt refused to look at her.
He suddenly found his plate to have some very interesting food on it, which he poked at with his fork. “Wow, these peas are great today.”
“I don’t think we need to, umm, talk about that,” Milo said, trying to clear his throat. “I’m sure there’s other things we can talk about.”
“Say ah,” Mila said, lifting his fork.
“Ah.”
Which caused Jassie to snort. “I think I messed up,” she said, flashing Tania a grin. “I thought Milo was the one in charge. But that ain’t what’s happening, is it?”
“Why, I surely don’t know what ya mean,” Tania said with a wide innocent smile while fluttering her eyelashes. “Are you suggesting we’re training Milo to engage in some seriously perverted shenanigans guaranteed to twist his spine and leave him soaked and aching for days?”
“Of course not!” Jassie put a hand in front of her mouth, acting scandalized. “I’d never think such a thing!”
“Good,” Tania said. “Because it’s supposed to be a secret!”
The two cackled loudly, high-fiving each other until they caught sight of Milo staring at them blankly.
He rolled his eyes. “Every day I regret coming to the Academy.”
“No, ya don’t,” Tania said. She jerked her chin towards Mila. “Now, say ah.”
“Ah.”
“Well, I’m confused,” Belt said.
“Stay that way,” Cerena sighed. “Please?”
“Alright.”
“Your rifle mod worked great, by the way,” Jassie put in. “The last dungeon was so much easier.”
“The damage output was incredible,” Cerena agreed. “I’m really thinking of picking up a mana rifle for back-up now.”
“You should,” Milo told her, swallowing. “More than once it’s saved my life.”
“Mine too,” Jassie confirmed. “But Cerena’s right.
The output is incredible. We hit a boss the other day and one round put a hole right through its skull.
If we could shoot any faster, I don’t think we’d need Belt anymore.
We could take him out to a pasture somewhere and let him run around a field all day. ”
“Neigh,” Belt said, not at all concerned.
Cerena smirked. “It wouldn’t be so bad. I could come ride you in the evenings.” Then she flushed and put her face in her hands as everyone shot her a surprised look. “I didn’t mean it that way! Why are you all so lewd?”
“It’s Milo’s fault,” Tania announced.
“Yeah, blame Milo,” Jassie said.
“How is it my fault?”
“Are you kidding?” Jassie pointed at Tania and Milo. “Wherever you go, you bring the lewd.”
“I don’t even know what that means.”
“I’m officially blaming Milo, too,” Cerena said. “It’s your fault.”
“What?” Milo looked to Belt.
“Don’t look at me,” the big man said. “I’m with her.”
“Traitor,” Milo muttered.
“Survivalist,” Belt countered, raising his fork.
“Have any of you heard from home?” Cerena asked.
“No,” Milo said, while Tania and Mila shook their heads. “Why?”
“Ah, no big reason. My parents wrote to warn me about Padrick.”
That made Milo sit up a bit more. “What about him?”
“They told me to avoid him or be nice to him,” Cerena said. “Not to encourage a friendship, but make sure there’s room for one later.”
Milo scratched at his head for that one.
Cerena’s family wasn’t hugely wealthy, but they were fairly well respected. So was Belt’s.
“Mine did, too,” Belt said. “Everyone’s worried about war.”
“War?” Milo took another mouthful from Mila, who was hardly listening. “What war?”
“Fallon Paddstone went to the Mage Court and gave them an ultimatum,” Jassie said morosely. “Either they give him a seat in the Court, or he’ll withdraw support from the Republic and consider joining the Mazelian Empire.”
Milo had already heard the teachers discussing it in their meetings a week before. But he’d put it aside as an unlikely event.
“He won’t do that, though,” he said. “Would he?”
“Who knows?” Jassie said. “Fallon’s crazy. Like, really crazy. And he already started pulling all his soldiers to the borders.”
“That is crazy,” Milo said, frowning. “He can’t think he can win a fight with the Mage Court.”
“Not alone,” Jassie said. “But with the Empire backing him? Well. He could cause some trouble.”
“And a lot of death,” Cerena said grimly. “My family has some land along the Mazelian border. They’re freaking out, obviously.”
Belt put a hand over hers. “It’ll work out. Fallon’s just bluffing.”
“I hope so,” Jassie said. “If he’s not, it’ll be civil war. My parents have told me if the Paddstone’s withdraw from the Republic, we’ll be following them. They told me to get ready to leave.”
That surprised Milo. “You’ll leave the Academy?”
“No choice,” Jassie said, sighing heavily.
Now he could see why she looked so tired.
She was probably losing sleep with worry.
“My father owes a debt to Fallon directly. Not a money debt. A favor. He practically worships that psycho. I think he wanted me to marry into their family. I can’t tell you how happy I was when I registered as a mage. ”
“Huh.” Milo stared at the tall willowy woman. “I hope it doesn’t get that far.”
“Me too.” Jassie shrugged and put her head back down. “I hate blasted politics.”
Cerena gave the other woman a soft pat on the back. “We all do.”
“How about your families?” Milo asked. “Where would they jump to?”
“We’ll stick to the Mage Court, I think,” Belt said. “My family’s nothing special.”
“Don’t say that,” Cerena said, slapping his hand.
“They’re very special. Mine will do the same.
Honestly, our people don’t have good feelings about the Mazelians, My parents are sore at Fallon for even thinking of joining them.
The only reason they didn’t want me to say it straight to Padrick’s face is just in case the war swings in their favor. ”
“That’s a bit mercenary,” Milo said with a wince.
“Yeah.” Cerena rolled her eyes as Jassie groaned. “Politics.”
“Blast it all,” Jassie muttered bitterly. “Blast and double blast. Actually, frouple blast or whatever.”
Tania reached out and took Jassie’s thin fingers into her own.
“No matter what,” she said. “You’ll always be our friend.”
Jassie twisted her head and nodded. “Thanks, Tan.”
Tania leaned in close and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear; “You know, I could get Milo to scoop out your brains and replace them with mush like he did to Selma? Then you’d forget all about your family and be happy all the time.”
Jassie squinted at her.
Then she blew air through her lips.
“Don’t tempt me.”