"Let the great protection of fire be on the place thou seekest. I call the bold heat of a torch here and now. Fireball!"
A rather small, brown-haired girl stood on the training grounds, focused intently as she chanted the incantation.
A large, yellow fire sphere formed at the tip of her wand. Winds burst from its core, stirring her short hair and making the ground tremble beneath her feet. She opened her eyes - her expression stern, focused.
She continued to chant, shaping the blazing sphere, compressing it smaller and smaller until it was no bigger than a human fist and ready to launch.
In her mind, this whole scene made her look undeniably cool and powerful.
But then...
"Ahh?" she gasped.
Her eyes snapped to the apple target at the far end of the field - about 500 feet away - just in time to see it struck by an arrow and fall into the tall grass.
She looked around. The wind still whipped around her from the unstable spell.
With a sigh, she closed her eyes and murmured a quick dispelling charm. The fireball vanished with a pop.
Turning to her right, she spotted a blonde archer girl standing with her arms crossed.
"Oopsie... I accidentally shot your target. Again. Definitely not on purpose," the archer said with a mock-sad expression.
She was nearly a head taller than the mage, forcing the smaller girl to look up to meet her eyes.
The sorceress puffed her cheeks, scowling - completely ruining the serious, professional image she had just worked so hard to project.
The blonde markswoman burst out laughing.
"O-oh, Dorothy... you looked so professional just a second ago," she teased, chuckling. "What happened? Did my tiny mistake upset you that much?"
"This is stupid..." Dorothy snorted, turning away as she started walking off.
The blonde girl chuckled. "Come back when you're in the mood to compete! But please, try to be more eager next time!"
Dorothy passed a few other students along the way; some of them were laughing too. She hated being there. Hated feeling stupid. With a clenched jaw, she walked out of the training field and headed toward a lone hammock tucked away from the academy grounds.
She lay there quietly, book in hand, reading in peace. A little sad after what had happened - yes, but she decided not to dwell on it. After all, in times like these, hardly anything was worth worrying over.
Then she heard a whistle. A familiar one.
"Again? What does she want now? Why can't she just leave me alone already!" Dorothy muttered under her breath, propping herself up on her elbows to check. Her eyes met the archer's.
The blonde girl froze, clearly surprised. "Oh... Dorothy? I didn't expect to see you here." Her tone was teasing again, though softer this time—less arrogant, with even a faint trace of empathy.
Without asking, she sat down beside Dorothy in the hammock. "Training only just started, y'know? We've still got hours before evening. Better to practice while we can."
Dorothy braced her small hands against the uninvited guest, trying to shove her off. But the effort barely made the taller girl budge.
"Dorothy?" the blonde asked, her expression a little apologetic. "Its not really like you won't come back today is it?"
"Why would you care? You ruined everything - as you always do!" Dorothy growled, pushing with all her might. It was cute more than threatening; her effort only made the hammock swing slightly.
The archer smiled warmly. "Feisty as always," she said, her voice laced with genuine adoration - a rare note in their usual back-and-forth.
Dorothy started punching her back, though the blows felt more like playful slaps. "Get out already! And leave me alone!" she cried, eyes blazing.
The archer's gaze drifted to the book lying beside Dorothy. "Strawberry Picnic..." she read aloud, raising an eyebrow. "Huh? That doesn't sound like part of the school's curriculum. Where'd you get this?"
Dorothy's cheeks turned pink, her punches faltering as she gasped. "I-It's just a book!"
The archer picked it up and flipped through it casually. She noticed several bookmarks tucked between the pages.
"H-hey! P-put it down!" Dorothy whimpered, reaching for it.
"What's got you so worked up? You just said it's just a book." With a smirk, she opened to one of the marked pages.
Dorothy's blush deepened, her voice trembling as she stretched out her arms. "No—no no no! Aveline! Don't look! Give it back!!" she whined.
The archer chuckled, clearly enjoying the little girl's flustered reaction. Spotting some highlighted lines, she dove right in and began to read aloud:
"'She wrapped one hand around my waist and pulled me closer. The action made me flinch-'"
Aveline stifled her laughter, biting her lip to keep it in.
"'...Our faces were inches apart as she raised her hand to tuck my hair behind my ear—'"
"N-no!! Please stop! Give it back! Don't read it!" Dorothy wailed, bouncing up and down to try and grab the book.
Aveline held it high above her head, laughing loud and genuine now. With a mischievous grin, she flipped to another bookmarked page, her voice dripping with mockery as she read:
"Her hand slid beneath my skirts-'"
"NO!! NOT THAT PART! PLEASE STOP!!" Dorothy cried, tears starting to gather at the corners of her eyes.
But Aveline went on.
"'fingers parting me, stroking until I gasped. Every thrust of her touch sent a shiver racing through me, wet and desperate for more, as she-'"
Her voice faltered. The cheeky tone faded, and the smirk slipped from her face.
Dorothy bit her bottom lip, trembling as if she might burst into tears, her blush burning even deeper.
Aveline was stunned. She had never expected the prim little mage to own, much less read, books like this. Yet somewhere inside, a flicker of hope stirred.
She'd always known Dorothy was different—aloof, distant, living in the orphan's dormitory without many friends. She had never seemed to have a boyfriend, nor anyone to court her. Aveline had always assumed it was because of her cold nature. But now… this changed things.
Aveline herself was too young to fully understand what kind of partner she wanted, or what sort of relationship she longed for. She had never even dared to make a move on her own.
"Are you done?" Dorothy finally said. Her composure had mostly returned; her voice, though edged with irritation and anger, was steadier now.
Aveline tried to laugh, but a nervous gulp betrayed her. "H-ha-haha… Who would have thought you read such stuff? I thought nerds like you only liked some lame, boring romance. But this? This is… unexpected."
It was hard to tell who ended up more flustered in the end.