3.13 Procuring a Tutor

“So,” Delta said. “I’ve got a business proposal for you.”

Maddy had leaned her staff against the wall and sat at on one of the Oasis’s benches, next to Delta. She basked in the mana regeneration effect, looking less fatigued by the second. Her hat was also off, now, with her bright blue hair on full display. It was short, straight, and well-maintained, unruffled by the hat she’d been wearing. It went down to her shoulders. She had warm gray eyes. Paired with her hair, and build, she’d always been a distinctive-looking girl.

“Business proposal?” Maddy asked, amused. “You’re trying to put a team together. No need to phrase it like that.”

“Well. Kind of. Like I said, it’s complicated. The team part is only a maybe.” Delta shook her head. “We’ll get there. First, an actual business proposal, not a team invite. That squad I joined—one of them is a mage.”

Maddy blinked. “Okay. What role?”

“Aegis?” Delta wrinkled her nose. “Actually, as the dynamic stands, she’s more of a booster. But she has the potential to be an aegis. Her support skills are innate, so she has no problem getting those out, but her spellcasting abilities, the ones linked to her arcana rune, are … lacking.”

“Okay … ?” Maddy said. She didn’t see where Delta was going with this.

“We’re looking for a teacher. Someone we can trust. Who has a bit of discretion. Er, a whole heaping of discretion.”

“A whole heaping?”

“It’s weird. A bit of an explanation.” Delta chewed her lip, looking around the Oasis. There were plenty of other mages seated on nearby benches, recovering from their mana expenditures. “Hey, can you do that thing with the sound bubble?”

“Uh. Sure?”

She traced her finger in the air, imprinting a fist-sized arcane diagram of complex white lines in the air. A second later, it fizzled, and all outside noises disappeared. Nobody could hear what they were saying, now.

“Man. That’s seriously so useful.”

“It better be! Took me weeks to learn. It’s a tricky one.” Maddy tilted her head, waiting expectantly.

Delta wasn’t embarrassed about explaining Zoey’s class to Maddy, but she did think it deserved a segue of sorts. Though, launching straight into it would be pretty funny … Delta fought away the impulse to do so. Much as Maddy’s reaction would be more amusing that way, Delta needed to be a professional. Which she could do, when the situation called for it.

If, admittedly, only through great effort.

“What’s the weirdest class you’ve ever heard of?” Delta asked.

Maddy blinked, adjusting to the swerve in topic. “Huh. That’s a good question.” Her brow furrowed down as she puzzled over it. “Oh! Mom told me about a guy who called himself a ‘devourer’.”

“Eh?”

“Got stronger the more he ate! Was like, four hundred pounds, Mom said. Ate monsters, even, from the various shards he worked through. That’s a pretty weird class.”

No kidding. He ate monsters? “That’s real?”

“I mean … I think so? Mom met him, apparently, back when she still wayfared. But she could’ve just been making it up.” Maddy shrugged. “But you asked for weird classes. Most of those are made up, I’d figure. Heck, most of everything feels made up, sometimes.”

“Most of everything?” Delta was letting herself get distracted, but talking to Maddy was always interesting; she was constantly saying stuff that had Delta’s head tilting. Probably what growing up with in a reclusive family of mages did. “What’d’you mean?”

“Oh, I dunno. Like, there’s so many rumors floating around. People like to tell stories. Part of the human spirit.” She shrugged. “Makes the truth hard to find.”

“Can’t argue that, I guess.” Maybe normally Delta would continue down this conversation, but she tracked herself back to the matter at hand. “I’m sure you can guess why I asked.”

“She has a weird class,” Maddy said.

“Exactly. Uh, even weirder than what you said.”

“Really?”

Delta supposed Maddy’s curiosity might be a useful thing, here. Plus, she was a bit odd herself … that might help in a roundabout way. Odd things meshed, right?

“Now,” Delta said, “she just needs a teacher. So you wouldn’t have to do anything you didn’t want to, of course. This is just a disclaimer. But, uh. Her class is sex-related. She recharges mana through … having sex with other people.”

Maddy stared at her.

Delta laughed. “It makes resting between fights more interesting, I’ll tell you that. If a little less … restful.”

“Wait,” Maddy stuttered. “You’re serious?”

“Me? I’m always serious.”

Maddy raised her eyebrows at that.

Delta smirked. “Okay, but this time, I am. And like I said, it’s a disclaimer. Doesn’t affect you.” If Maddy didn’t want it to, at least. But Maddy had never come off as particularly open to sex. She got awkward when Delta talked about girls. An impression that Maddy’s blushing and stuttering, now, was reinforcing. “She needs a teacher, and we’re willing to pay well.”

“Uh,” Maddy said. “Teacher … shelve that for a second. You wanted to invite me to the team, too? With her?”

Delta paused. “I mean, we’re figuring that out. If you’d fit. Not to be rude. The other teammate … she’s got standards. And it’d need to be a unanimous agreement.”

Maddy leaned back, looking affronted. “You don’t think I’m good enough?”

“She might not,” Delta clarified. “I’m pretty sure I barely squeaked by. Maybe, I only made the cut because she was in a rush to get going.”

“You?” Maddy seemed shocked. Delta had a reputation at Treyhull; for a second-advancement, she was pretty good.

“She’s old blood,” Delta said. “Maker, you’ll see what I mean. But yeah. I mean, I think she’d accept you. But it’s a maybe.”

“Huh,” Maddy said. Zoey’s odd class seemed to have taken a brief back seat; Maddy, like any wayfarer, was interested in the opportunity to put together a promising party. “And she’s good, as well?”

Delta paused, remembering the way her annoying blonde teammate had carved through their latest adventure, first with her bare hands, then later, when armed with a shortspear, with even more breathtaking fluidity. All while protecting Zoey, not letting a single scratch onto her until they’d reached the boss … which had been a particularly difficult fight, for a second-advancement shard.

Delta thought Rosalie was arrogant, but to say it was unfounded would be a lie. It couldn’t be more founded. Which forgave it in some part … but not entirely. She had a lot of mixed feelings when it came to Rosalie. She shook the thoughts off.

“She’s good,” Delta said. “More than good. Pound for pound, probably the best third-advancement lancer in Treyhull.” Because she was no longer second advancement—she’d progressed this morning. Delta hadn’t been so lucky. To think Rosalie had been in the Fractures less than half the time Delta had, and already had hit third advancement. Zoey’s rune had helped her along, having delved two shards with her compared to Delta’s one … but even so. Astonishing.

Maddy leaned forward, incredulous. “Best? In Treyhull?”

It was a lofty claim for a city as big as Treyhull. But Delta believed it. “You’ll see what I mean.”

“Coming from you, I can trust it … but still. Really?”

Delta didn’t like talking up Rosalie, so she wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, really.”

“Wow.” Maddy’s brow scrunched down. “Sounds like you’ve brought a real opportunity to me.”

“Comes with unusual circumstances,” Delta reminded her.

Maddy paused, remembering the reveal from earlier. Zoey’s ‘sex class’. She colored, then coughed into a fist. “Right.”

“Again, you wouldn’t have to do anything you didn’t want to,” Delta said. “Well, sort of. She has a ‘linking skill’, so you’d need to … do something. But just once. Or, maybe more than once, to refresh it. But we could take care of recharging her.”

Maddy’s cheeks continued to color. “Wow. That really is … quite the class.”

“Think on it.” There were still other qualifiers to make—the lewd nature of the shards they would venture into—but Delta wanted to let Maddy digest the first half before getting into the sticky details. Plus, her joining the team was up in the air. Delta was talking to her for something else, first and foremost. “But teaching Zoey. That’s separate from everything. She needs training, big time, and you’re one of the best mages I know.”

Maddy blushed and looked away. She’d always been easy to fluster with compliments. She fiddled with her hat. “I’m not that good. And teaching someone … that’s not something I know how to do.”

“We care more about being able to trust you,” Delta said. “We don’t want the details to her class leaking.”

“Why?”

“She’s strong. And easy to exploit. It’s the reason the old blood paired up with her. Er … the first part, I mean. Her being strong.”

Though, being easy to exploit … Rosalie knew that, too, and maybe it was one of the reasons she was sticking with Zoey. Just, not to exploit her, but to protect her. It didn’t sit wholly right with Delta how cold and logical Rosalie’s decision-making process was, but Delta could tell she was conflicted … that Zoey’s wellbeing wasn’t wholly a non-factor. Just that Rosalie wished it could be. That she could be heartless.

That girl was a mess.

“Huh,” Maddy said. “Well, I’ll keep it a secret, then. Of course.”

“Thanks.” Delta wholeheartedly believed she would. First, because she hadn’t a clue just how powerful Zoey’s runes were—that they accelerated bonded target’s own advancements—and because that was just who Maddy was. Or, seemed to be. Appearances could be deceiving. Maybe an amusing thought to have, when applied to an illusionist. But they needed a teacher, and Maddy was their best shot. “So you’ll do it?”

“Well,” Maddy said. “Let’s talk details. Pay. Life as a mage isn’t cheap, you know.”

***

A few hours later, after running errands, Delta found Zoey in the guild’s central hall, as they’d agreed to previously. Blondie hadn’t returned; she was still out and about, doing … whatever she was doing. She hadn’t specified. To be fair, she had no obligation to. Her business was her own; their discussions had been over team tasks, only.

Besides Zoey. Zoey’d spelled out her personal plans pretty in depth. But she was a more open book than Rosalie.

Even if Delta knew there were some suspicious things going on with her. She believed Zoey had memory problems. But something was off, despite that. The way she spoke. Her ignorance in certain places. Her reactions to certain things.

The reflection’s commentary on Zoey’s ‘secrets’, the most glaring red flag. Same for Rosalie … but of course the old blood had secrets. Zoey’s were the ones that were more intriguing.

As she said, though. Everyone’s business was their own.

“Hey,” Delta said, slipping into a chair opposite Zoey. “What’cha reading?”

Zoey blinked and looked up; she’d been lost in the thick tome, poring over it while chewing her lip.

She plucked a bookmark out of her inventory and tucked it between the pages, then closed the book and showed Delta the title.

‘The Alchemical Laboratory: Tools, Techniques, and Experimentation,’ by Magistra Eliza Gold.

“Sheesh,” Delta said. “You’re really going for it.”

“That’s the goal,” Zoey said. “Sabina seems confident that field-alchemy is useful in wayfaring. And I think when it comes to our shards … maybe it’ll be even more so.”

Delta paused as she thought about that. “Huh,” she said. “Yeah, probably. Potions are convenient.” If only specialized ones weren’t so expensive. Sure, mana, health, and stamina were easy to come by, but anything more complicated than that could start breaking the bank.

“You find Maddy?” Zoey asked.

“Yep.”

“Good news?”

“Good news,” Delta said. “She’ll do it. Though, her time’s valuable, and she knows it … so it won’t be cheap.”

“Didn’t think it’d be. You said she was good. Plus, dealing with the … odder aspects of my class. I get it.”

“Well. It’s not like she’ll be dealing with them. We’re the ones that’ll keep you topped off.”

“Yeah, but even knowing it’s happening has to be awkward. Halfway through our lesson, I’ll need to go ‘take a break’. It’s weird.”

“It’s pretty weird,” Delta agreed. “And … Maddy’s not …” How did she put it? “Well, she’s going to blush a lot. She’s not me.”

“Thank god. I don’t think I could handle a second you.”

There it was again. ‘Thank god’. Singular. So weird.

Delta rolled her eyes. “Wow. Should I be offended?”

“Well,” Zoey said, laughing. “One’s great. Just … two. Sheesh.”

Delta gave her an amused look, masking the way her heart skipped. ‘One’s great’. It was barely even flirting. Why did it make her stomach flutter?

Ugh. Delta wasn’t falling for her teammate. It would make things way too complicated. Especially with Blondie in the mix, who was nauseatingly head-over-heels … and in her own mess of confusion, seeing how romance was supposed to be the last thing on her plate, considering her stated priorities.

“Anyway, she’ll be ready for you tomorrow morning,” Delta said. “Second bell. You’re paying for the private training room, too.”

“I can afford it?”

“Sure,” Delta said. “Just, it’s gonna be a big chunk of change. Might have to beg your girlfriend for a loan.”

“What if I beg you, instead?”

“You plow some good dick, Zoey, but not that good.”

“Really?”

Delta shrugged.

“Also, not that good?” Zoey asked. “I’m offended.”

“Maybe seeing’s different from feeling,” Delta smirked. She’d been with Zoey, but hadn’t had Zoey inside her, yet. The opposite, actually—she’d been in Zoey, with Zoey’s own cock. Which had been pretty mind-blowing. “But I’m a hard girl to impress.”

It was just taunting, and Zoey knew it. Delta wasn’t so rude as to insult her ability in bed and mean it. Just, teasing was fun. And she liked to keep her partners on their toes. When time came the two of them were together in a more traditional matter—without being in opposite bodies—she wanted Zoey to work for it. To impress Delta.

Or, next time Delta was in Zoey’s body, for Zoey to work for it, too. A good fucking came with effort. Honestly, that was a big part of the appeal, for Delta. Seeing her partner trying their best to make her squirm.

Er, her thoughts were straying.

“Also,” Delta said. “I want you to pay up, tonight. Check this out.” Reaching into her inventory, she pulled out the fruit of today’s errand-running. She slapped down a harness made from black leather.

Zoey blinked at it, not recognizing the object.

“For mounting the linking plate,” Delta grinned. “Had it rush-ordered. She made it on the spot. Not for cheap, too … but I couldn’t wait.”

Zoey paused, understanding hitting her. “Ah. Tonight? Already?”

“I’m taking her out for a ride,” Delta confirmed, smirking. “Hope you and Blondie didn’t have plans.”

“Why so quick?” Zoey asked.

She was growing flustered. Delta’s grin widened at that. The idea of Delta using Zoey’s cock to fuck other girls wasn’t just something that appealed to Delta, however much Zoey was pretending to play it cool.

“Because it sounds fucking hot,” Delta said. “That’s why.”

Zoey rolled her eyes. Still trying to play it cool. “Well. A deal’s a deal, I guess.”

“It sure is.”

The question was, what exactly did Delta want to do with it?