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Though Meredith’s impromptu lesson supplement was a speedbump to his concentration, Aaron couldn’t deny that it was, in a way, kind of exciting. Not only was the sudden flood of magic a shock to his own, but the feeling of sunlight, actual sunlight entering the stream was… exhilarating. Not just from a practical standpoint, either; aside from the very tangible burst of energy, the idea that he had, by proxy, finally worked with [i]sunlight[/i] was like a glimpse into a very exciting future. After all, that was what light mages were known for, their biggest claim to fame: the power to protect, and also to destroy, by manipulating the single most dangerous substance known to vampires. He knew on an intellectual level that such a power would someday be his to command, but to [i]feel[/i] it, even just for an instant, was a kind of thrilling he hadn’t experienced before, and couldn’t wait to feel again. 

Things calmed down for the rest of the lesson, and though the excitement never quite faded, it wasn’t long before the two of them were working well in tandem, having found a rhythm that worked for both of them. By the time the lesson was up, Aaron felt leagues better than he did when he came in, like he’d just come back from a run in the woods. 

As jazzed up as he was, he was still definitely ready for a break, but Aaron hardly took two steps toward his coat before Meredith whirled around in his way, asking for his number. He opened his mouth to give it, but hesitated, remembering the conditions of his isolation, should he agree to undertake it.

[color=f0d705]“That’s a good idea, but do you think we could exchange numbers later?”[/color] he suggested, hoping a friendly grin would cover the outright [i]oddness[/i] of the request. [color=f0d705]“There’s just a good chance I’m gonna be getting a new phone soon; no point in giving you a number that won’t work in a few nights.”[/color] 

[color=FB007D]"Oh, yeah, totes! Just let me know when you get your new stuff working and we'll do a tradsies then!"[/color] Meredith agreed, unphased by the request. [color=FB007D]"Not like you can get away from me anytime soon anyways!"[/color]

Vaguely ominous statement aside, Aaron nodded in agreement, bidding Meredith goodbye for the time being. With that hurdle jumped, he collected his coat and made his way outside, leaving the front unbuttoned to take advantage of the chilly air. He had nowhere to go, really, and with the benches covered in snow he opted to lean on a wall near the entrance, calmly watching the snow. He could feel a bit of fatigue creeping in from his lesson, but it paled in comparison to the buzzing of his magic: His body might have been starting to feel the strain of the magical workout he’d just undergone, but his magic was raring to go, alive and excited from the new and challenging stimulation of more complex work. He was greatly looking forward to tackling the challenges in store for the next lesson; in fact, daunting as his major was, the fact that it came with early access to higher levels of Affinity Mastery was definitely a silver lining. With any luck, the eagerness of his magic would persist throughout his education, and that enthusiasm would help protect him from the grim possibility of affinity loss going forward. 

But that was far too dour of a subject to dwell on, and for the first time in a week, Aaron was feeling… content. His magic’s thrum, the pleasant fatigue of exercise, the satisfaction of a job well done in class; it all worked together to bring him a rare tranquil moment, his head not clouded with the worry, fear, or dread for the future that usually harried his waking mind. It was a little selfish—moon only knew there were plenty of things that deserved his attention right now—but if dark thoughts were content to stay at bay, he wouldn’t invite them back just yet. 

Holding his palm out in front of him, he let his magic flow freely, forming a trio of little lights in his hand, slowly orbiting one another. They weren’t very bright—there wasn’t much light on a cloudy night aside from what he could pull from nearby street lamps, and he had no interest in pulling very hard to brighten them—but they were charming, occasionally forming links among themselves as they traveled. The sight brought a smile to Aaron’s face; a few months ago, merely pulling light from the environment required full focus, and now pulling and shaping it felt as natural as breathing. If he wanted to think very hard on it, he supposed it was reassuring, a tangible example that, at least in this one single area, he was actually moving forward for the better. 

He passed a few minutes that way, until his magic finally calmed down enough not to be bursting at the seams—a smirk met his lips at the thought that Meredith’s out-of-control magic might be a bad influence on his. Flicking his wrist to check the time, he noticed there was still an unread notification on his phone, from Max of all people. Right, that came in right before class started. Sighing, Aaron supposed he’d deign to take a look, fully prepared for some poor taste jab about Varis’ survival as he pulled his phone from his pocket. 

[indent][color=8585AD][i]> Attached: 1 IMG
> Thought you dyed your hair for a sec smh[/i][/color][/indent]
Hm, not about Varis after all. Aaron peered at the image, examining it for a moment in confusion. At first, he wasn’t really sure what he was looking at; upon realizing it was a mage in a garish outfit, he felt no more enlightened. Aaron was no fashion expert, but at least he didn’t walk around looking like a Charms student that got into a fight with a can of paint. What about  this had anything to do with— oh. He finally noticed what must have been the focal point of the picture: a heavy leather collar around the mage’s neck, secured with… what on earth [i]were[/i] those things? Straws? 

Aaron rolled his eyes, closing the image. It didn’t matter; this was no different than any other of Max’s “Fido” comments. Collared mages weren’t the norm, luckily, but they were common enough that you’d see them from time to time; a few—this one included, obviously—walked around campus, and Aaron had seen his fair share accompanying nobles and delegates at Noila Castle. Fortunately, despite her rather… particular preferences for the dress code of her mages, Her Majesty wasn’t a fan of collaring, and popular opinion in his circles was that it was something of a faux pas: frowned upon, but best dealt with by pretending you didn’t see anything. Was this Max’s class partner, then? If that was the case, Aaron didn’t envy him. It sounded more than a little distracting to try and dance around that elephant in the room and work on his magic at the same time. 

[indent][color=f0d705][i]> Classy.[/i][/color][/indent][right][sub][@Achronum] [@Scribe of Thoth][/sub][/right]