Memory Bonds

Harmoni and Fleck stumbled back into Edinar School. It was late morning, just a little before lunch. Unless you wanted an early lunch, she supposed. They'd gone back to the town of Edinar after waking up. There'd been a few festivities when they got back, but the highlight had been last night. You couldn't release lanterns during the day. So everyone was winding down.

Harmoni and Fleck had helped clean up, and then been sent home. It didn’t look like the people in Edinar were completely done, but Ryo had insisted they’d have no more help from the students.

“Besides, we have magic, and you don’t yet. It makes you doing the clean up and us not very inefficient.”

They’d mostly done things like clearing the tables, washing the dishes, or taking strings of lights down. Fleck was particularly good at the last one.

But that was done. And they’d walked the distance between the school and the city four times in two days.

‘And whose fault is that?’

So Harmoni was ready to take a nap, and get some lunch. Or maybe she should eat first, then rest. . .

Suddenly, she heard a raised voice, coming from the entrance hall. She cringed, shoulders rising towards her ears.

Her ears dropped too, like an annoyed cat.

Her first thought was to move away. Then she recognized the voice as Eddie’s. That was different. Eddie always seemed to mumble her words.

Harmoni moved a little closer, straining her ears to pick out the specific words. But she pressed herself against the wall. She and Fleck had been in one of the smaller halls, one that wound past some classrooms, and the library. She didn’t want to be immediately noticed as she tried to hear the conversation around the corner.

“Harmoni was there with me,” Eddie insisted. She wasn’t yelling per say, but her voice was easily carrying. “I saw her get assigned a job in the office. I could see her working from the window. So could anyone passing the city center. Any idiot could tell you she was there yesterday.”

“Be that as it may,” the headmaster started, sounding genuinely confused, “a few other students say they saw Harmoni here at the school yesterday. She can’t be in two places at once.”

When Eddie spoke again, her voice was more subdued. Harmoni had to lean further to the side to hear.

“And would one of these students be Daphon?”

“Well, yes but-”

“To hell with Daphon!”

“Language.”

“To hell with language! Harmoni did the work! And Daphon has been nothing but an ass to her since she got here. And no one has ever done a thing, you included. If you-”

Eddie suddenly went silent, aside from a muffled sound of someone trying to speak with their mouth closed. Even that ended quickly. Eddie realizing it was futile?

“Enough Edith.” A pause. “More than one student told me they saw Harmoni at the school at that time. Your opinion of Daphon is somewhat moot. However, Ryo did just send a letter letting me know Harmoni was there.”

Harmoni couldn’t help but smile. Of course, Ryo would.

“That is why I am leaving. To look into the discrepancy. If Harmoni was as obvious as you claim, this should be easy to clear up.”

The headmaster then started to talk to Eddie about her “disrespectful” behavior. Harmoni considered going around the corner and defending her, like she’d just done for her, but she didn’t get the chance.

Harmoni heard footsteps behind her.

“Oh? Is there a problem with your work?” a familiar voice mocked.

Harmoni turned around in time to see Daphon, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He was a bit farther down the hall than her. But the hall was narrow, straight, and emptier than the front hall. It was very easy to see and hear him, for Harmoni. She moved a bit closer anyway.

“I wonder how that happened,” Daphon continued.

“What is your problem?”

“What?”

Harmoni was surprised herself. Truthfully, she hadn’t meant to stay that out loud.

'Yes!' Fleck mentally cheered.

He was so pleased on Harmoni’s behalf. She was getting better at standing up for herself.

Maybe not. She just had a limit. She’d done the same with Evin, after all.

“What is your problem?” Harmoni repeated. “I’ve never done anything to you, yet you make my life difficult every chance you get.”

“I told you,” Daphon said. But he sputtered a bit before he found his stride. “You only have, what? 100 years? Maybe 200, given you’re a freak. You think you can just come in and learn magic like it’s a superpower. You can’t appreciate it you-”

“No, that’s not it,” Harmoni said. She picked good timing in cutting him off. He’d not only found his stride but was going back to his usual, hostile, self when she stopped him. Harmoni glared, stepping into his space. “I don't think you actually care if someone appreciates magic as more than a superpower. I'm not sure you appreciate it more than that. You’re jealous. This is actually your second year. Did you think you could keep it a secret? I wonder how it feels, seeing the older students you knew last year? How embarrassing for you.” She leaned in, before pulling back with a disgusted look. “What? You think I’m so much better at magic? You want to cover up your shame by-”

“I hate you, because you’re a creep!” he spat out. “An absolute freak, and weirdo. You just sit there with intense expressions, like you’re threatening something that’s not there. If anyone tries to talk to you, you clearly don’t know how to talk back. You walk around with a monster half the time." He gestured at Fleck. Fleck growled slightly, standing between Daphon and Harmoni, but she didn't think the threat was physical here. "You're the one who's never made the effort of living here. Never mind why I specifically don’t like you, why would anyone like you? Better question, why are you still here? You clearly don’t want to be. You’re just here to use us. Well, I know you’ve felt magic. You got what you wanted. How about you get out?”

~~~

Harmoni sat up in bed. She blinked her eyes blearily, aware of her hair in disarray. Full elves didn't have that problem. She was roommates with Eddie. She'd seen her wake up with perfect hair, and go out the door without doing anything.

'Not even brush her teeth?'

'You don't brush your teeth either.'

'Well I don't have to brush my teeth, but I do enjoy it sometimes.' The stables had provided him with something for that.

Morning light was streaming through the big window, but it wasn’t bright as usual. The days were certainly getting shorter.

She sighed, staring at her lap for a moment. Standing up to Daphon had gone better than expected. He clearly hadn’t been prepared for someone to call him out so bluntly, and his tone had taken on some desperation even at the end. But, he had hit a sore spot with that last point. She was well aware she struggled with social interactions. Fleck had pointed out the same to her. She thought she didn't want to socialize. She thought she hadn’t minded being bad at it. But here she was, feeling stung.

She took a deep breath. Well, no point in sulking. She’d done enough of that yesterday. And the weekend was over. She had classes to get to.

Fleck was just waking up as well, getting a view of Asplenium’s scales. Asplenium could be pampered at the stables, but he didn’t sleep there. It was made for horses. He’d be crowding the place. He showed Fleck a cave in the cliffside by the school, and Fleck certainly wasn’t complaining. He’d grown up in caves. He liked it.

“You’ve got the wrong rider species if you like caves,” Asplenium pointed out.

But he was sort of joking. After all, he also liked caves, and had an elf rider instead of a dwarf.

Fleck stood up and shook off.

‘I think I’ll join you today,’ Fleck decided. He sent the message mentally. Asplenium was still asleep, and Fleck didn’t want to wake him. ‘Can you let me into the dorm?’

‘No point,’ Harmoni thought.

She stood in front of the bathroom mirror, fixing her hair.

‘I’ve got to get to class.’

The sun usually woke her up with plenty of time. Today, since the sun rose later, she woke up later. She wondered if the clock had an alarm or something so she’d never be late. She’d never slept in too long, including today, but she should head straight to class once she was out of her pajamas.

‘So I’ll just meet you at class.’

‘If you say so,’ Fleck thought.

Harmoni finished up, left the dorm, and started down the stairs.

She only made it a step or two when she heard footsteps behind her.

Harmoni turned, and saw a figure, but didn’t have time to make out more than the blurry silhouette, before she was shoved in the back, hard.

Harmoni tipped forward, her feet sliding off the step. She gasped, but didn’t have time to scream as the stairs raced up towards her. Her hands flew up automatically, and it did stop her from smacking her teeth against the stairs, but she still slammed against them. Her face hit her knuckles, and she practically rolled the rest of the way down.

She could just pick up Fleck’s panic, before the world went black.