Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The mage surveyed the room, twisting the bottom of his braid carefully. It was the first classroom of kids he'd have to tune out. Most of these students he'd already been informed about and were slowly blending together in his memory. Their magic, while impressive for their level, never really grabbed at him.

When the children’s professor closed the door, the students set down their spell books or dropped magic they were in the middle of casting to turn and look at him. Their eyes glanced behind at the two mages hiding the short professor from view.

“Students.” The old man had said as he stepped passed the two and further into the room. The mage was vaguely sure this man had been the best magic user at one point. His hair was a deep black, his eyes a similar color. He waved a hand over his shoulder and to the people behind him. “For today’s lessons, we're going to take it a bit slower. We have two top ten mages visiting us today." The professor moved so the two people behind him could be seen once again. He waved to the man now on his left. "This is the sixth best mage in all the realms, Phil Minecraft."

Phil, who was younger than the professor but still rather experienced, stepped closer and smiled at the kids, giving a short bow. His blue eyes dancing among all eighteen faces. His blonde hair was pulled back in a neat tuft that was masquerading as a low ponytail. The kids all said hello to him, almost sounding like an enthusiastic robot.

"And this is the best mage in all the realms—" The professor motioned to the mage still stood at the door, who let go of his bubblegum pink hair and mimicked the blonde, "—Technoblade Minecraft." Technoblade's own blue eyes darted from kid to kid as they welcomed him with a similarly robotic tone. The professor focused back on the kids, a smile spreading on his face. "I expect all of you to be on your best behavior, okay?"

The students said a quick “Yes sir!” in almost perfect unison as they put away books and scrolls, all seeming to either glance or smile at one another.

The professor turned to the two mages. He waved a hand behind him and happily said, “These students here are all top mages. The best the school has to offer all in one room for you to choose from. Their fields of expertise vary greatly, so I'm sure you'll find a good kid to mentor.” The man’s hand fell as he continued to speak, his smile straining slightly. “If you may, please take a seat over by my desk. The students will show off their abilities in just a moment.”

“Remember.” The blonde man said as quiet as he could while they walked to the desk. “You don’t have to ask about these kids if none of their abilities speak to you and you don’t need to pick the best.” The two pulled extra chairs away from the long spruce desk they’d been instructed to sit at. It was nicely organized, about the size of the student's own desks, with a rolling chair for the professor. Said man was stood in the front of the classroom, busy explaining the days agenda to the students. “Got it?” Phil looked at the pinkette with expectant eyes.

“I know.” Technoblade muttered quietly. He looked down at the neatly organized desk, trying to catch a glance at names. It sounded stupid to say— of course he had to pick the best student from the best classroom taught by the best professor. That’s why the council sent him here to start his journey with promises of a bonus for choosing one of these kids. To the smallest classroom the school had filled with the best of the best.

There were six desks total, each long enough to have three chairs occupied comfortably. Five desks were lined up perfectly, full of kids, with a sixth centered in the back. The kids were each told what they'd be doing— Showing off the best magic they had in an effort to impress these mages and that more mages would be stopping by later.

And most kids took that seriously. They showed off their magic with such pride and determination. And some of it the Technoblade was almost impressed by. One breathed out a mix of fire and ice. Another made every light shine brighter. Some boy made flowers and trees grow while his twin sister sent out a fury of purple smoke to dishevel and destroy the greenery. All more basic level powers for their fields, with some pulling out stronger and harsher spells that they either barely mastered the night before or was purposefully flashy. But that was fine. They were barely adults. They had many years left to master their craft.

“That one is a dual caster in shadows and mimicry, and is trying to be a minor sigils caster.” The professor said quietly, as a short haired kid walked to the front, the shadows around all warping and screaming. “She can control the weather, causing storms, tsunamis, earthquakes, whatever you can think of.” He said when a girl carefully made way up, shaking the desks and lights with every purposefully delicate step she took. “He can manipulate weaponry and is trying to dip into the telekinesis.” He said about a boy who easily moved a sword that hung above the board and spun it around, all the while he half floated half jumped towards the board. The professor would sell each of his students with a big bright smile. He was proud of them and the kids were proud of themselves, as they each slowly showed off what they could do. Starting from the left of the lined up desks and going to the right. It was a show and the kids were decent enough entertainers. The only thing missing was popcorn and some decent drama.

Until it was over, and the three in the back were up. Then the professor's smile dipped down for a small moment.

“I must warn you both about these next ones. The Council could have my license if I don’t.” The professor leaned closer, covering his face with the attendance sheet. “These are my..” He waved his free hand around, quieting ever so slightly as he continued, “How do I say this kindly?”

Phil moved closer to the professor, “Whatever it is sir, you can say freely. It won’t matter to us.”

Because a mage is not limited by their limitations the pinkette could practically hear the words the blonde man was quite popular for saying. It had been drilled into his head from the moment they met.

“You don’t understand Phil.” The professor said to the blonde man, getting as close as possible so he could speak as low as his frail voice could go. “The next three are defective mages only here because of a new program being tested by the council. They’re past 30 percent.”

The professor pulled back and smiled, turning to the kids who were now all staring back at them. “Sorry about that.” The man said, adjusting the paper with his wrinkled, old hands. “I had to answer some questions.” The students glanced back at three kids who had yet to go up either with knowing or sympathetic looks.

This behavior was confusing to see. Why would those kids not smile? How could they assume they were talking about the three kids? Sure, defective mages were rather rare and something the council wasn't too fond of dealing with, but they just saw a girl who froze the whole room in place while she walked about, for crying out loud. The group of defects, who hadn't bothered turning around when the room went silent, were honestly the only characters that stuck out in the classroom of sameness Technoblade had been presented with.

“Tubbo Underscore, you’re up.” The professor said before turning to the two high ranking mages. “Tubbo here has a 46 percent magic deficiency. Though, that doesn’t stop him from being a dual caster having learned radiation and nature magic. And he’s trying his hands at being a quad caster, having learned a little fire and metal bending.” The professor spoke just as he had any other student, quietly bragging about their achievements at a volume no one but them could hear. The boy who walked up had been the shortest of them all and a brunette.

That wouldn’t be weird if he didn’t have small cream-colored horns the poked out just behind his temples and started carefully wrapping around goat ears that were replacing his human ones. And as he readied his hand on the chalks metal chalk holder, his eyes shifted from the deep ocean blue they were to a bright and fierce yellow only comparable to the sun. He quickly pushed down, easily bending the solid steel material. The pieces of chalk slowly slid down, making their way to his hands. When one hit him, he moved and picked it up, holding it just in front of his face. The off-white stick of chalk slowly had green veins infecting its surface, leaking out from Tubbo's pale fingers and moving up to the top. Then the veins faded in a similar matter. Only moments later, he threw the chalk in the air and quickly flicked out fire towards it. When the small spark touched the partially used stick, it exploded. Small chunks of chalk fell alongside white powder, smoke slowly rising to the top of the room and fading just before hitting the roof.

The class smiled and clapped, just as they had every other student.

“He’s a rather fast learner.” The professor said, doing a small check by Tubbo’s name. “But most of the magic he casts is weaker than it should be." The hybrid quickly bent the chalk holder back in place and made his way back to his seat. "That’s the only on record downside to his deficiency.” The man looked up and smiled wider. Technoblade caught the tallest of the defects, a void black enderian who had stains of white decorating his skin, staring back at them. The brunette said a few words, causing the enderian to look back and lean down, saying something. It was all too quiet for anyone of them to hear

“Ranboo Beloved.” The professor called out before leaning in and quieting his tone once more, “They have a 64 percent deficiency affecting their accuracy and casting chances.” The enderian, after a moment, stood up quickly. Their multi colored eyes were closed and, after two or three seconds, the hybrid disappeared in a cloud of purple particles that slowly fell dissipated just before hit the floor.

The professor chuckled and spoke quietly, “They are a singular caster in teleportation, with a minor in telekinesis. Thought they are debating attempting to learn mimicry as a second minor. They've got potential, are willing to learn, and even excited to show off any abilities they have.”

They ended up appearing right beside the rightmost desk in the front row. The enderian gave a nervous smile, backed up, then lifted their hand in the air as every pen followed suit with a small circle of purple surrounding them. They slowly walked to the front of the room, the pens following. Some suddenly dropped and others shot off into walls, though most did end up in the hybrids clawed hands.

They had black hair with lightning strikes of white mixed in. His eyes opened to reveal the left was a bright green and the right a deep red. Minus the normal features—like the horns that poked up from their forehead and straight into the air and tail that swayed slightly as he casted, just barely missing the floor—that accompanied every enderian mage, they were significantly shorter than every other one Technoblade had met. But he couldn’t tell if that was because Ranboo was only 19, some kind of dual hybrid, or if their deficiency might be affecting their height as well.

Ranboo bowed their head down towards the professor and mages. Then walked back past the first row of spruce tables, using his magic to return each pen to where it came from. Technoblade watched them more, eyes narrowing to try and catch the words the last defect whispered over to the enderian after they sat down. The desk they were at was almost purposefully separated, too far for the kids in front to hear what they were saying, but the students all clapped and smiled at Ranboo like they were friends.

The last defect, a blonde kid, glanced back at them. Their eyes were brighter than any blue he'd ever seen— like a clear afternoon sky times a thousand. This quick look caused the pinkette to dart his eyes away fast, acting as if he was glancing around the room in boredom instead of drilling holes into the group's heads. When the blue eyes moved to the left, focusing back on the shortest defect, Techno shook his head. He was trying to clear his mind of these thoughts. He didn't need to be picking apart kids he'd never see again.

“The last one.” The professor started, putting a check mark in the box by his name proactively, “Has a 73 percent deficiency. He is trying to be a quad caster of fire, earth, air and water.” The professor looked up from the paper and called out, “Tommy Innes.” as he set down his pen. The blonde boy carefully stood up and started a slow walk to the front, hands tucked away in his pockets. The professor just sighed, muttering, “He is a nice kid, really, but he doesn’t like doing magic in front of others and doesn’t listen too well. That doesn't usually stop him from casting and from his magic from being rather impressive at times.”

The boy, after finally arriving at the front of the room, looked around at his fellow students. He lifted his hand up in the air and created a tiny ball of fire. It wasn’t bigger than the size of a nickel, and when the boy brought it closer to him, it exploded right in his face leaving smoke and ash in its wake. By the way the boy’s free hand balled up, Techno could assumed that wasn’t the intended result. He was just glad the kid seemed unaffected, the pinkette didn't need to be writing an incident report on top of all this.

Tommy stole water from water bottles, gathering it all together just between him and other students, it seemed, for a moment, something was forming in the center—a small ball of sorts that was jagged. Then it fell to the floor. Suddenly the ball was broken up into tiny ice crystals along puddle that slowly spread to the rooms drain that was between the students and the board. The blonde dropped his hands and closed his eyes, eyebrows furrowing as he focused. A small breeze began to blow through everyone's hair, moving in a circle that slowly sped up. By the time the boy opened his eyes to check on what he'd done, the breeze became strong winds that shook the lights and blew away backpacks. The boy lifted his hands and carefully reached for a small bit of the winds before pulling it down to his hand. Except it slipped past his cupped together hands and joined back to entrapping the room. The winds grew stronger, even as the kid continued to try and stop it.

The girl who'd controlled weather stood when the slight fear became evident on the kids face. She raised her hands, carefully reaching for a small bit of the winds. She pulled it down into her other hand before she clasped it together. The breeze stopped. And when she opened her hands, a small tornado stood at her right palm. She forced her left hand to push down against the tornado until a gust of wind left her palms. When she lifted her left hand again, the tornado was gone. She then smiled at the professor, who thanked her, and sat down. The students around clapped for her before turning back to Tommy.

The boy didn’t even attempt earth as he silently walked towards the door, hands clasped together in tight fists. All the professor did was call out, “Hall pass!” before the boy left with one of the rulers that hung by the door clutched in his grasp.

The professor glanced at the other two, who was staring directly at him, and waved his hand. Only moments later the other two defects left after him, each with their own passes.

“Tommy’s deficiency causes him to have more... Unstable magic. Sometimes he leaves puddles on the ground, sometimes he’s engulfed half the room in an inferno of fire.” The professor shrugged, like he was speaking about a small drizzle in the distance. “When he can control his magic, he's probably the strongest elemental mage you'll meet." His eyes glanced to the other two. His gaze was sympathetic, as he commented, "It's a miracle he hasn't killed himself or anyone else by now."

"Shouldn't you go after them?" Phil asked, tilting his head slightly.

"They’ll be back in a few minutes.” The professor then laid the paper down, hands resting on the desk as he pushed himself up. His smile returned for all the class to see, hands moving to clasping together as a singular clap echoed through the room. It drew the remaining student’s eyes back to him and, after clearing his throat, the professor spoke. “All of you did amazing! Your abilities are truly spectacular.” He turned to the two guest mages as he continued talking loud enough for the kids to hear. “If you have any other questions, then feel free to ask either me or the students directly.”

Phil didn't even have to look at Technoblade to know they were leaving.

…

“Those kids were pretty good, huh?” Phil said, nudging Techno with a small smile. The classroom door was shut behind them, and they were left in the overly fancy hallway. “Shall we head to the next room or have you made your decision?”

Technoblade only rolled his eyes, quietly saying, “No, we're good to leave.” He tried to lead them towards the entrance hall of the huge school, but the blonde wouldn’t move.

“Who?” Phil asked, leaning forward with a raised eyebrow and big smile. “Because the council needs the name of the student to start adjusting schedules and preparing the assembly.”

Techno, after a moment, sighed and shook his head, “None of them. I’m not mentoring anyone.” And when the blonde sighed, Techno knew he messed up.

Phil, who had mentored several kids over the years, always talked up the day Techno could finally mentor. When he’d get the chance to change some kid’s life. Phil loved mentoring, loved teaching, enjoying every second. From perfect to defective mages, powerful to weak, they were all the same as he piratically adopted the kid for the few months the program went on.

And Phil's face tried not to show disappointment at the pinkette's words. He tried to look understanding as he sighed and said, “You know that won’t fly with the council. Every top mage has to mentor at least once.” Phil always waited for the day Techno, his favorite mentoree, would choose someone.

“I’ll pick next year.” Technoblade said, his eyes darting towards the next classroom. “None of these kids meet my standards.”

Phil just watched the pinkette, as if hoping to find some sign he was lying or joking around. When the blonde found none, he shook his head. Words quietly left his mouth, as if someone nearby would hear their schemes and report them. “If you go to every single classroom in this school and don’t find one kid who fits your standards then maybe, just maybe, the council will let you use that excuse. But that means you have to earnestly look and have a reason.” This had earned a huff of annoyance from the pinkette, which amused the blonde enough to bring back his smile, though more somber this time.

With a reluctant hand, Technoblade gestured in front of them and said, “Better to get over all three hundred classrooms quickly then. Lead the way.”

Phil just nodded. He started mentioning going down the list of top classrooms and how it’d take weeks, but the pinkette couldn’t care. Not for any reason other than how much more work it’d be. Spending practically every second of next few weeks sitting and watching. For just a moment, Technoblade debated picking a kid and throwing them onto Phil, but quickly shook the idea away.

~~~

Fifteen.

It took fifteen classrooms of kids, each holding about twenty to thirty kids, before his head ached so much he wanted to scream. The students in each classroom seemed to get louder and louder, powers weaker and weaker. The walks to the next classroom farther and farther.

Then the bell rang. The sound played through the halls and classrooms, turning the ache in his head to a proper stabbing pain. Doors opened up suddenly, one after another, as professors quickly assigned homework or wrapped up their thoughts while students packed their bags.

"Lunch." Phil commented, watching the students slowly start seep out of classrooms. Some looked over at them, others hurried past as they walked up to friends or towards their destinations.

"I thought they were supposed eat in classrooms?" Technoblade muttered, squeezing his hands into tight fists and keeping his voice low as the slow pour out of students became waves as more kids were done packing and left.

Phil shook his head, carefully continuing down the hall. "They have large dining halls here." He started, easily leading them in the same direction as the river of students. "Every kid eats together, so this might actually be a good way to see them and their personalities in action. Maybe even some powers and stuff."

The pinkette nodded, watching the students carefully. They mostly talked about nonsense, some saw this as an opportunity to show off more of their abilities, and few walked around lazily. The two made their way down and to the left.

"Remember that one girl? From the first classroom that could control weather?" Phil tried, nudging Technoblade carefully. "She must be pretty strong if she had to watch her steps."

"Or she did it to look strong." Techno pointed out, glancing around the crowded hall. The walls went rather high up into the air, curving into an arch that made up the roof. There were candles in steel cages hung from chains that illuminated the way. Both green vines and elegant paintings adorned the stone brick walls, with dark wood making up the support beams that stuck out slightly and made their way up.

"Well what about the third classroom?" Phil lead them to the right, easily maneuvering each crossroads. "The boy there, that could create ice, he seemed to be undershooting his potential with how strong his power was."

The pinkette half remembered the kid who pointed and froze a raging fire. It wasn't even his turn, and yet he stood and easily captured the out of control blaze in perfect blue ice, killing it quickly. Sure, he could do so much more, but Techno only rolled his eyes. "He was kind of rude." He looked off to the right. Past his friend, he saw the three defects from the first class slip into a room. A part of him did feel bad calling them that but he was too focused on his headache to try and remember their names.

Phil hummed, tapping a finger against his chin. "How about that one kid, Fundy?"

Techno raised an eyebrow, eyes focusing back on his friend. "You think I remember their names? There's like 30 kids per classroom." Fundy. Why did that sound familiar? After a moment, he nearly hit his own face as he quietly asked, "Wilbur's son?"

Phil nodded, laughing slightly. "You're not paying attention to what I'm saying, are you?"

"I am." Techno lazily shot back. "Fundy's just… Kind of…" He crossed his arms as he tried to think of a way to explain. "… Not. Strong." He hesitated.

"His electricity? Powering off the whole school wasn't strong enough for you?" Phil asked.

The pinkette shrugged. "It wasn't?" Though it didn't exactly sound like a proper statement.

Carefully, Phil set a hand on the pinkette's shoulder. He lead them through two wide open grand doors at the end of the hall. The space seemed to stretch on, filled with circular tables that each held twelve chairs and were in rows of six. The walls were the same pattern of stone brick framed with wooden support pillars. The stone bricks curved slightly into a flat roof, the support beam moved up past the curve with side beams cutting straight towards a new set of supports in the center of the room. Bright golden chandeliers hung from matching chains that held candles that seemed to forever burn. The whole place looked like a medieval style castle, but this area was almost overboard.

"We've seen, what—fifteen classrooms, average 25 kids. Plus the first classroom.." Phil's voice trailed off, as he tapped his fingers against Techno's shoulder. They stopped left of the door, near the wall, the laughter and shouts of children filling up the space. "Almost 400 kids? And none of them impress you?"

And Technoblade could have broke Phil's heart. He could have said that he had no interest in taking anyone under his wing. He had already said he didn't want to do this. But Phil had a way of looking at him, with this hope that he'd change his mind that just pulled at the strings of his heart. So, without much thought, he pulled out a random name from his memory.

"Tommy." Technoblade said, looking away from the blonde man before him. He really hoped there hadn't been multiple Tommys. "He impressed me."

"Innes?" Phil questioned, tilting his head. "The kid from the first room?"

The pinkette dug around his mind to try and figure out who Phil was talking about. "Yeah, that one." He glanced back at the blonde and saw the man smiling wide.

Phil's hand snaked around to pull Technoblade into a half hug. "The Council will be pleased you found someone." He said, eyes moving around the dining hall. "Is he your final choice or do you want some more time to decide? Maybe talk one on one? Visit more classrooms?"

"Final choice." Technoblade said, looking towards the door. "I'll mentor Tommy Innes."

And as they exited the dining hall, Phil over the moon and rambling about how fun it is to mentor while Technoblade tried to recall who was who, it seemed only the pinkette noticed the small bits of purple particles that were falling to the ground.

Part of him wondered if that was the illusive Tommy he was about to signing up to mentor. Though most of him was more worried how he'd get the kid to leave him alone during this whole four month long ordeal.

Chapter Text

Technoblade held his hand behind his back, eyes focused straight ahead. His boots clicked against the cobblestone road, joining the symphony of other noises from the horses and people surrounding him, all moving in their own way. They slipped in and out of the buildings that hugged the road on both sides, some were flying about in the air above with the birds, others hopped from roof to roof, and some sat on the side and talked to friends. Small roads shot off to the left or right every five or so buildings, made of dirt and gravel, with dumpsters, trash, and doors along. The main road had its own proper offshoots and crossroads, but continued straight.

All the buildings were a mix of colors and building materials. Some had andesite walls, others granite, though painted brick and wood seemed to be preferred for this area. Sudden turns, curves, fences, and different roofs of all shapes and sizes made the buildings easily identifiable. Things like grocery stores, stables, and clinics were off to the left crammed together. Homes, apartments, and hotels were more spaced out on the right. And right ahead, made of sandstone and granite, was the large building he was headed towards.

"Hey, Techno!" A voice said from behind him, louder than the music from a nearby club.

The pinkette turned his head so he could see the man speaking to him. They were short, with void black hair hidden mostly with a deep blue beanie. His tan skin was contrasted with a giant pale scar running from his forehead down to his jaw in a slightly jagged line. It crossed over his pale, almost white, gray eye and past his lips, cutting through and slightly revealing his gums and yellowish teeth. Though the tooth the weapon clearly hit was now made of pure gold, and his uninjured eye was a pure black.

"Hello." Was all Techno said before looking away.

The man put his hands in his blue jacket pockets, moving to walk in pace with the pinkette. "How were the classroom visits yesterday?" He asked, eyes focused ahead, back as straight as could be. "Did you find someone yet?"

"I did." Technoblade said, nodding. He moved one of his hands to pull at the bottom of his white button up, trying to smooth out some wrinkles. "Are you mentoring this year?"

The man laughed. "Why would I?" He looked off to the left, dragging his right hand out of his pocket, bringing a small white box with him. "I don't like kids."

"Didn't you graduate last year?" Techno asked, sending a glance the mans way, lifting an eyebrow.

The man rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and kids are annoying." He quickly opened the box and pulled out a cigarette, holding it in his left hand and closing the box with his right. "So who'd you choose?"

The pinkette shook his head. "I can't tell you."

"But you can give a description." The box was shoved into the pocket of his black sweatpants and the cigarette went in his mouth. He started snapping, small bursts of light sparking from his thumb before dying out each time, leaving a small bit of black soot staining his finger.

"Knowing you, Quackity." Technoblade said, stopping as the cross traffic of horses carrying wagons and carts took its turn on the roads, voice flattening. "You'll figure out who it is and pay the council to take him."

This caused the man to laugh, just as his finger finally created a flame. Quackity held it up to the cigarette, lighting it. He then pulled it out of his mouth with his left hand and shook the fire out of his right. "Promise I won't." Though it was more of a hopeful question to try and get a response.

When the road going left and right emptied, the two continued their journey with a handful of others. Though they quickly formed a small circle away from the smoke. The pinkette glanced at the shorter man. "It's a boy."

"Congratulations." Quackity cut in, half smiling as he blew out a puff of smoke.

"He's…" Techno's voice trailed off. Trying to drag something out of his mind. Though he was only left with the words Phil had said. "…Ill-tempered."

Quackity nodded, glancing up at the pinkette. "Yeah, who wouldn't be with that kind of defect."

"You know about him?" Technoblade reached up and pulled at the end of his braid, eyes narrowing slightly. Like Quackity had some kind of lock to his memory, he remembered the small trio in the back of the first classroom.

Quackity chuckled. "Phil's really happy your mentoring."

"Of course." Techno grumbled, shaking his head slightly. Even if he was pretty sure he was mixing the powers and personalities of the trio, his shoulders relaxed slightly and his mind quieted down. Even if momentarily.

"I never thought you'd take in a defect." Quackity let out another puff of smoke, pointing the cigarette Techno's way.

"And why's that?" Techno replied quicker than he'd intended, words as sharp as a pickaxe.

Quackity raised an eyebrow, shoulder's tensing slightly. His eyes wandered around the pinkette's face as he fell ever so slightly out of line, letting the moment drag on as he did so. Carefully piecing together his response, he managed a slow. "Cause you don't seem like someone who'd put up with all the…" He waved his right hand around. "Nonsense… That comes from mages like that."

Letting out a sigh, Techno glanced at the floor. Cobblestone turned to a similarly colored gray concrete just beneath them. Perfect and polish, devoid of the cracks and plaster that held the stone road together just moments before. Techno turned to face the man and gave his best attempt at a smile. "I put up with you just fine."

"Shit, really? This is you tolerating me?" The man laughed, waving a hand towards himself. "I'd hate to see you real upset." He gave a smile back to the pinkette, eyes shifting around the nicely cut grass and iron fence as they passed by, though the action was stiff. "I get it, though." Quackity pulling the cigarette out of his mouth and staring at smoke rising from its burning end. "I can't insult the great blood gods protege."

"You're looking too much into this." Technoblade didn't miss the pointed nature of the words, nor did he miss how the man sent the quickest of glares his way. They both paused a few paces away from the three story building that the concrete path had lead them too. The first floor was made of sandstone, with arches that held birch wood inside. The pinkette reached out for the door's handle and held it tight. "It's just a kid."

Quackity looked further up, at the windows lined with a black stone embedded into granite walls. "I'm just saying, it it weird. You don't exactly like people." He glanced at the pinkette before turning around. "Specially not assholes."

"I deal with you on a daily bases, I'm sure I can handle one kid." Techno replied, twisting the handle and pulling the door out. After a moment, he lifted his hand towards the man, hesitating before patting his shoulder. "See you later."

The man tensed at the action, and he hesitantly glanced the pinkette's way. "See ya." Was all Quackity said before he turned and headed back down the path, giving a small wave as he left.

Techno turned back to the door and stepped inside, dragging the dark oak door along with him. The first floor was birch walls covered in different paintings of each of the different council's from over the generations. A large black silver chandelier holding twelve candles in a neat circle hung from the sandstone roof, perfectly illuminating the small room. The dark brown floors had a nice white carpet on top, with a desk sat a bit away from the back wall, with an archway behind it leading to a small hall.

"Hello! How may The Council be of assistance today?" The person behind the desk, a kind sounding brunette, happily abandoned their paperwork and smiled up at him. Two horns extended out from their temples, past their bangs. They made a sharp curve back toward their head, hovering a few inches above their hair, then at about the midpoint of their head, they arched upward again, pointing into the air.

"I have a meeting…" Technoblade rested his hands on the desk, carefully running his thumb up and down the edge. "Bout the mentorship program. I've chosen a kid."

"One moment." The receptionist's tan, clawed fingers clasped around a silver handle, pulling open a drawer on their right. They dug around, glancing at tags and papers, before lifting a folder carefully into the air. "Name?" The asked, flipping it open and letting their eyes dance around the page. The outside of the creme folder had the days date.

The pinkette glanced around the room, something in his head told him he was being watched, despite the only other person being in front of him. "Technoblade Minecraft."

The receptionist nodded, their head lifted from the paper and Techno was only half sure their pure white, pupil-less eyes were focused on him. "You're just in time! Step on in and I'll let them know your on the way." They closed the folder, shoving a thumb in the direction of the door. "At the end of the hall will be two doors. When you're ready, open them and head on up the stairs. They'll be waiting."

He nodded, carefully walking around the desk as the receptionist put the folder back. The hallway had two lanterns hung from the roof, one close to the archway and another towards a set of large double doors on the other end, providing rather terrible light. There were also six archways, three on the left and three on the right, with desks and chairs inside. There was enough space at the end of the hall for two silver chairs to be on either side of the shut dark oak doors. Three empty and one not, which wasn't a surprise, people met with the Council all the time.

He was surprised when they looked up at him. The man— or, really, kid for that matter— had on a bright red, loose shirt with dusty blue pants that were torn and ripped. His bright blonde curls carefully covered the front of his face, going down just far enough on the sides to cover his ears. He stood, staring down at the pinkette with eyes brighter than a clear afternoon sky by about…

Tommy. This was Tommy.

On instinct, Techno straightened his back ever so slightly and held his hands behind him. Only then did he realize he was nearly three feet shorter than Tommy when the kid was slightly hunched over. And with the way he tightened his hands into fists and sent a glare the pinkette's way, he was hanging onto the height difference like a defense.

Tommy jumped in front of the doors, arms spread out like he was protecting the Council. "I won't let you in there." He nearly spat, eyes narrowing.

"Why not?" Technoblade asked, stopping barely four steps away from the boy.

Tommy closed his eyes and shook his head. "I won't let you mentor me." Then he glared at the pinkette, a tight frown glued to his face.

And while a part of him did ease up— since he might be able to convince the Council to let him skip out this year with some made up excuse about the kid— the rest of Techno scoffed, looking off to the right and shaking his head lightly. "I repeat, why not?"

A finger was pointed Techno's way, just barely hovering above his chest. Tommy's eyes barely glowed in the terribly dim lighting, somehow a more overpowering blue than before. Slowly, faint lines traces its way down the kids arm to his hand, fading away in the back as more appeared in the front. Almost like a soul torch illuminating its way through the caves the kid called veins. It made it's way to his pointed finger before it sparked to life was a small fire. With the new light source, it was hard to tell if Tommy's eyes really had glowed, of if it was a trick somehow produced by the candle above.

"I will not let you mentor me." He repeated, shifting slightly on his feet as he quickly glanced behind the pinkette.

"You're not answering my question." Techno glanced down at the fire, any residue of offense leaving his features as his eyebrows furrowed. "Saying the same thing will get us nowhere, so tell me. Why?"

Tommy shifted more, putting his right foot in front of him, lining it up with his attacking hand. His left foot carefully moved behind him, his left hand slowly falling to his side, as he carefully bent his knees. "I don't want to be mentored." He was quieter than before, glancing down at his feet. Like he was more focused on perfecting his battle stance then talking this out like adults.

"Like the Council will care that…" Techno nearly laughed, rolling his eyes. The Council always got there way. But then that half hearted smile dipped and his eyes widened just a bit. "…You don't want to be mentored."

"I don't care if I have to go through every mage able to mentor and then some." Tommy didn't seem to care that fire had slowly formed in his left hand, dripping down almost like lava, pouring onto the ground before dying out. "I'm not having some know-it-all try and tell me how to preform magic."

Technoblade quickly grabbed the kid's wrist, shoving it towards the right, over his shoulder. He traced a circle then an arrow shooting threw it, pointing towards Tommy's finger. Only moments later, it glowed a deep red and slowly pressed into his skin, passing through like nothing. The kid's fire, from his attacking and free hand, quickly shot out in a large blaze off to the roof. It shook the room slightly, though neither of them looked at it.

"What if I can get you out of this?" Techno asked, letting go of the kid.

Tommy yanked his hand towards his chest, looking at the skin that the sigil sunk into. "I already have a plan." His voice was loud and sharp as he flipped his hand to stare at his palm.

"And I have one that doesn't involve you attacking a bunch of mages." The pinkette rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"The fuck did you do to me?" Tommy asked, lowering his hand and focusing back in.

Technoblade shrugged. "Just a simple sigil, nothing too bad." He waved his hand in a small, quick circle. "Just wait a couple hours, then your magic should return." The pinkette turned quickly, seeing the receptionist still sat at their chair, facing away from them. When he looked back, his tone was lower than before. "Listen, I don't want to teach, you don't want to be taught. So if I'm your mentor, we both get out of this. No fighting required."

Tommy stared at him, eyes widening slightly. He opened his mouth, closed it as his eyes dancing around the pinkette's scarred face, then spoke. "Okay, but, like…" His voice drifted off as his gaze shifted behind the pinkette. "Promise?" His voice sounded hopeful as he dipped his head down slightly, as if he hiding behind Techno. "No work, no lessons, no nothing?"

"None of that, swear on my life." The pinkette nodded, closing his eyes momentarily. When he opened them back up, he could see the kid stood at his full height. His hand was up, all his fingers closed tight into a fist except for one. His pinky was extended out towards Techno. And after a moment of wondering if he was serious, Techno lifted up his own pinky and interlocked their fingers.

Tommy nodded, pulling his hand away and dusting off his shirt. He gave a small smile before looking back at the archway. "I look forward to our partnership, Mr. Minecraft."

"Just call me Techno, kid." Was all he said as he passed by and walked to the doors.

He could only faintly hear Tommy complain about the nickname as he walked away, the boy's voice fading behind him.

The doors groaned as Techno pushed them open, revealing a stairwell made of sandstone. Torches flickered on the walls, up near the slanted roof. His footsteps echoed off the granite, creating a song with the faint crackles and hisses produced by the flames. About half way up, the doors behind him had slammed shut. He didn't react, instead focusing on keeping his breathing steady.

At the top, the space opened up into a wide rectangular room, the walls the a similar granite, with the floor now sandstone. The windows were only sources of light, with about four on each of the three walls he could see. Across from him was an acacia desk with five void black chairs. All of them were occupied by adults much older than him. Behind them stood five more people, with the oldest of them looking like they just graduated. They all wore some kind of black outfit.

The Council quieted their conversation at his approach, eyes slowly turning from either one another or their desks to him. The Council in training, the kids behind them, all looked up from large books or away from their mentors.

The pinkette stopped just before the desk, his hands squeezing into tight fists at his side. He slowly scanned the Council members before bowing.

"Technoblade." A woman said, her voice as pointed as her gaze. The Lead Council. Her stone gray hair was pulled back into a bun, her piercing green eyes stared straight at him, commanding him to rise. She was sat in the center in a long black dress. The student behind her looked down at the book they were holding, then back up.

The man on her right took a hold of the conversation. His eyes were almost bug like, slightly budging out of his head and entirely black. "You've selected a candidate." And while it wasn't a question, it was clearly still a surprise. He wore a black button up and pants, matching the student behind him.

"Yes, Right Hand." Techno started, eyes focused on the bug eyed man.

The woman to the left of the Lead Council nodded, waving a hand behind her. Her student lifted her note pad and pen, flipping to a new page. "Name and class number." The woman said, folding her hands back onto the table in front of her.

Techno took another deep, slow breath, ever so slightly relieved to switch from speaking to Lead Council to Magic Affairs. "Tommy Innes, Class 1."

Magic Affairs nodded, leaning back slightly and beckoning her student forward. "Remember. Name, then class, then ask." She whispered, eyes focusing on the kid. Then she moved forward, back closer to the desk as she asked Techno. "State your reasoning."

And with a shrug, he said. "Seems like a good first pick." The pinkette glanced back at the student that was hurriedly writing.

"That is debatable." A man to the left of Magic Affairs said, laughing lightly. His black hair had small bits of white and gray poking through, his eyes a deep brown. He reached behind him, towards his student, who handed back the thin book she held. "Might we suggest one of these?" He said, sliding the book towards the Lead Council.

She easily stopped its movements, not even needing to look down. "Relations, I doubt we need this." The Lead Council did push it towards Techno, but with the way her wrinkled face scrunched up, it seemed she didn't want him to even look at it. "Shall we go over your duties and expectations?"

"We shall." The final Council Member said, a hazel eyed, white haired man with a small mustache. His hands shook slightly as he lifted up the paper before him, pushing up glasses that rested on his button nose. "For the next four months, you will be expected to teach Mr. Innes about magic and being a top mage."

"You will be expected to create a top mage." Relations continued, eyes moving towards the window on his left. "While your first student is rarely your best, you must act as if he will be."

Magic Affairs let out a small cough, covering her red stained lips with a wrinkled hand. Her eyes darted towards Relations, but her face seemed as polite as ever. "Every month, you and your student must appear before us and show off all progress he's made."

Techno's eyebrows furrowed, mouth parting ever so slightly. It was rude to interrupt the Council, but— "That didn't occur when I was a student."

The Lead Council nodded, waving her hand back towards her student. They jumped at this and, after a moment, opened the book in their clawed hands. Their deep brown eyes scanning the pages. "According to Section 4: Mentorship—" They stuttered slightly, glancing up at the pinkette. "—Subsection A.B.B, Defects with a history of violence or destruction, as of four years ago, are now required to present their improvements to the Council, in case removal from the program is required."

Technoblade took a moment to collect his thoughts, gaze flicking between each Council member. "This presentation…" He started, piecing together the correct wording. "Can a student fail?"

"Not exactly." The final member said, giving a small shrug. Then silence took over.

"What the Treasurer is failing to mention," Relations looked over at the final member, the Treasurer, glaring slightly. He carefully clasped his hands, resting them on the table. "Is that a lack of progress reflects badly on you." The other members nodded as he talked. "Which could call into question your license."

The pinkette gave a quick nod, closing his eyes momentarily. "What constitutes removal?"

Relations glanced at the other members before shrugging. "Violence, mass destruction, stuff like that."

The Treasurer looked nervously at Technoblade. "So far no student has needed to be removed, so the criteria is a little loose." He glanced back down at the paper, his eyes scanning for something. After a moment, he said. "If we all decide he is to be removed, he will be. Our reasonings will be provided if that occurs."

The Lead Council's hand waved towards the side, and the Treasurer passed down the paper he held carefully. "When it comes to results." She easily changed the conversation, knowing there was no more to be said about it. "Leniency is given to defects, though we still expect something." When the paper made it to her hands, she looked back down at it. "By signing this, you confirm your choice and agree to giving us results." She placed the paper on the desk, over the book. Her student took the pen from Magic Affair's student and set it down on the paper.

After a moment, he stepped forward and scanned the small contract. Results— Techno thought as he grabbed the pen— was vague enough. He should be able to make something up, and then defend that choice, especially with the kids help. So, he quickly signed on the dotted line. On a separate, solid line, the date slowly appeared in a yellow light, burning onto the page.

The Council seemed pleased, nodding and whispering as Lead Council took the paper into her hands. "Well, then, Mr. Minecraft." She passed the paper back along to the Treasurer as she spoke. "We look forward to seeing your teaching methods."

"The assembly will be Sunday afternoon, understand?" Magic Affairs asked, tilting her head slightly. Her brown hair falling off her shoulder as she did so. Her student mimicked the action.

"And the bonus will appear in your account by Monday at the latest." Treasurer added before leaning back and whispering something to his student.

"I understand, Council." Techno said, bowing once more. "If you do not mind, I will be going now." And when the Lead Council waved her hand, he turned and left.

Chapter Text

Sunday had arrived sooner than he had expected.

"Hello and welcome students and parents to the three hundred and fifty sixth annual Mentorship Ceremony!" A voice boomed, amplified by their own magic. It was met with thunderous applause from the crowded auditorium.

Sure, he'd only had three days between his meeting and now. There hadn't been too much work the Council needed to get done, since Techno had been the last to sign, but it still felt too soon. Too sudden.

"For all of those who are unaware, since our school is lucky enough to be in the capital of our country," The voice, a middle age man, had his fist close to his mouth with a small hole in the center. "We have the pleasure of housing the top twenty mages in each of the realms. Because of this, the seventh generation of Councilmen started this program." He carefully waved his free hand behind him, towards the borrowed, dusty portrait of the Councilmen he was speaking about. They were all young, human men from a long forgotten time. "Every top mage must take on an underling!"

Like a chapter in a book had been torn out. A very short, boring chapter.

The man center stage laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Then the tenth generation of Councilmen decided to cut that number down to just ten being required." His hand dropped to his side, his smile brightening as his eyes danced around the crowd. "But that doesn't stop the top eleven to twenty mages from opting in to teach our students year after year."

The mages backstage were buzzing with excitement. Some had done this countless times, others were new, but they all had big bright smiles and whispered among themselves like school children.

"Thanks to the thirteen mages here today, who I will introduce momentarily, our sixth year students have a chance at being the best." He closed his free hand into a fist, nodding slightly. "At creating a name for themselves. Protecting us all for as long as they can." He waved off to the right, opposite the mages. "So let's give a big round of applause to the Head Council herself, who will help to introduce these kind hearted souls, shall we?"

And everyone clapped. The audience, the principal, the mages. Even the backstage crew— who were starting to order the mages by rankings— shoved clipboards underneath their arms and quietly added to the noise. Techno wanted to clap along too, it wasn't often the Head Council came out for these kinds of things, but he didn't. He focused on breathing instead, his feet stuck to the ground like someone had encased his legs in rock.

The Head Council slowly made her way along the small stage, each click of her heels turning down the sound. Until she was beside the man. She lifted her left hand, squeezed in into a tight ball, then closed her eyes. She whispered something too quiet for anyone to hear, but that any sound mage would recognize. Right after the words were spoken, she opened her fist slightly and made a small hole in her hand. "Can everyone hear me?"

Her voice echoed off the walls, filling the auditorium, and the students all responded with various yeses. The backstage worker by the curtain gave a thumbs up and a few mages nodded.

"Good." She took a deep, slow breath, her free hand moving to rest behind her. "Since it seems your principal forgot the most important part of the explanation, I shall give it." Her eyes scanned the dark crowd of faces that all seemed to mend into one another.

"Alright mages, listen up." A backstage worker said, standing off to the line's left so they could all see him. "I've got to teach you all how to change the volume of your voice quickly, so pay attention and remain quiet, please."

"Students selected for the program will go onto study for the remaining four months with a mentor. At the end, each student will be ranked and can choose to either continue their studies with the school to try their hand at top ten." The Head Council gave a small glance the principal's way—

"You're going to hold your hand up like this, full fist." The whispering worker did as they said, hand in a tight ball. "Make sure you've got no air pockets, even a small one will make the magic affect the whole room and not your hand, alright? Do what I'm doing."

—Her face was wrinkled up, like she was insulted to even be thinking of this speech. "Or they may choose to pursue a different magical career aided by the Council. Their mentors alongside them every step of the journey for whichever path they choose."

"When that is done, you'll whisper into your hand the incantation. Sound magic is about speaking the right words, if you mess up the spell it won't work." They sounded fed up, but smiled like a kid on Christmas.

"But let it be known, just because you are not be selected here today, that does not mean you can't be a top mage." The Head Council tightened the hand by her mouth ever so slightly, almost closing off the circle. "For every student get a chance, no matter how they were born or where they stand today."

"Now, keep your hand close to your mouth and say—" They glanced to off the stage, shifting slightly. "—Spread my voice for all to hear. After than, you will open your hand and make a circle." He did just as he said he would, but then closed it moments later. "When your fist is open, it'll make the whole auditorium hear you. When it's closed, no one can hear, since your voice isn't passing through the magic." Their speech quickened as their coworker motioned them to hurry. "You will then say the name of your student and they will head to the stage. Stand there for a moment so photos can be taken then stand as far to the right as possible. Line leader, hi, you will stand by the Head Council and next in line will stand by to you and so on. Don't be afraid to rub shoulders, we have a lot of people going up there and very little space." He glanced down the line. "Opening your hand breaks the spell, understand?"

The mages nodded, all looking at their hands or at each other. The employee by the curtain spoke quickly to the first mage in line. "Get the spell ready and walk when your name is called. At the very end, when the Head Council thanks you all, follow her off."

With a final thumbs up from the backstage crew, the Head Council nodded, closing her eyes and moving her other hand to rest behind her. The principal took this as his signal and smiled. "Let us begin with our first mage, the thirteenth best in the realms, Sapnap Halo!"

The auditorium filled with applause and cheers as the black haired man in the front of the line made his way up towards the center. The Head Council went to the very right while the principal went to the very left, both clapping for the man walking up.

Techno couldn't focus on the man and his choice, though. He looked down at his hands and started picking at his nails. Until the backstage worker from before carefully whispered to him, "Mr. Minecraft, a moment." The two then took a few steps away from the line.

"Up next, the eleventh best mage, Quackity Spades!"

Techno's head turned, his eyes narrowing. Before he could question it, the worker quietly said. "The Head Council wanted me to ask if your hand should be enchanted before you go up their or if you'd like someone to accompany you." His smile from before was gone, replaced with a level of seriousness that looked foreign on their face. "The choice is yours, according to her."

"Up next, the tenth best mage, Eret Gem!"

"Someone accompanying me is better." Technoblade muttered, looking away from the worker and catching Quackity walking next to a taller man with brown hair. And while Quackity actually walked, his student of choice seemed to almost slide along the floor. The worker nodded and let Techno go back in line.

"Up next, the ninth best mage, Hanna Rose!"

They all moved down the line as the next mage made her way across the stage. The workers in the back whispering to each other as they started looking for people. Techno was too distracted by them to catch who Hannah, or anyone so far, had been mentoring. He decided he should probably pay just a bit more attention.

"Up next, the eighth best mage, Sam AwMan!"

And the mage with speckles of various greens and whites decorating his skin started the spell just as he crossed the stage with quick, confident footsteps. He held his right hand with his left and easily said. "I've chosen Tubbo Underscore as my student." And the auditorium hesitated slightly at the news. Then, from what little Techno could see, students clapped happily while parents started whispering. The brunette took a few extra seconds getting up there, even though he had hurried down aisle. His smile grew as he climbed the steps and accompanied Sam on stage. They shook hands, like most mages had done before, then turned to face the crowd for their photo.

Then they both made there way to the right. "Up next, the seventh best mage, Karl Jacobs!" The brunette next in the backstage line started making his way down with a slight bounce to every step he took.

"Of course Sam picked the kid who can blow stuff up." The mage in front of him, the second best, in a bright green button up and black dress pants, whispered.

The mage ahead of the second best laughed as she said, "It's nice to see kids branching off into dangerous powers." She swirled a strand of brown hair around her finger. She was the third best.

The second best shook his head. "Until they blow up a chunk of the school."

"Up next, the sixth best mage, Phil Minecraft!"

"Are you still upset Sam ruined your date?" The mage just behind Phil, the fifth best, asked, sending a small smile back towards them.

Phil glanced at them, rolled his eyes, then started walking with his hands clasped behind his back. He slowly scanned the audience as if he was a general and they were his soldiers. When he made it center stage, he moved his right hand up and said the incantation. Then he smiled at the sixth years. "My student of choice is Ranboo Beloved."

As the applause filled the room— and parents scoffed or rolled their eyes— the second best mage mumbled out. "He wasn't even supposed to be at school." He turned back to Techno, pointing a finger towards him. "I bed he was still upset he ruined his own date!"

Even if Techno didn't care about petty drama from years ago, he rolled his eyes and shot back. "At least Sam didn't knock out a teacher in rage." Now that the pinkette was closer to the stage, he could see that the trio had to have been sat in the very back, since the enderian was quickly walking up to the front from so far. It was kind of hard to tell with the lights, but some students smiled at Ranboo or offered high fives when they passed, while others rolled their eyes and scoffed.

"Up next--" And Techno had to wonder if the principle was tired of that line yet."--the fifth best mage, Puffy Marine!"

Puffy slowly moved, her neatly done white hair was half in a ponytail and half down. She waved towards the audience with her right hand, while her left was already prepared with the spell. "Foolish G. Is my student of choice this year." She smiled as the kids and parents clapped for the taller than average boy hurrying to the front. He used the stage as a singular step, crouching down to void hitting the spotlights. He ended up needing to sit on his knees to have his head in frame.

As they walked away, the principal announced. "Next we have the fourth best mage, Bad Halo!"

"Switching it up, I see." The second best leaned back and whispered to him, a sly smile on his face. His previous anger either having left him or was being masked.

The pinkette nodded. "I don't blame him."

"I wonder what he'll say for us." The second best adjusted his stance and dusted his shirt off.

The third mage, now in the very front, dropped her hands to her sides, glancing behind her. "Same thing, probably."

The second best nodded as the principal called the next name. "Next is the third best mage in the three realms, Niki Niachu!"

"I stand corrected." Niki smiled before starting her walk to the center of the stage. She clasped her already enchanted hand into a tighter ball and turned her head to the right, facing them all as she moved.

"Are you excited?" The second best turned fully to face him, dirty blonde hair framing his face.

Techno shrugged. "It's going to be a disaster."

The second best mage laughed, nodding. "That's the fun in it, right? Fucking up your first student?"

"I wouldn't phrase it like that, but sure, that's part of it." Techno glanced over the man's head to see Niki and her student walking to their spot. Only a little bit of stage remained for the two mages and their students.

"Next we have the second best mage in all the realms, Dream Taken!" The principle gestured over to the spot by the curtains and the backstage worker signaled Dream to start walking. He turned away and said "Good luck." Then walked across.

The backstage worker glanced at him before pressing on his ear. "Do we have the employee accompanying Mr. Minecraft selected yet?" The worker tried his best to remain unheard by the pinkette, taking a step back and turning his head. Just as Techno tried not to overhear their conversation, eyes glued up ahead as Dream started the spell, walking slowly to the center.

"No--" A voice on the other end, higher pitched and nervous answered. "--Volunteer." It was hard to pick up on the words, telecommunication spells were designed that way, but it held a clear understanding.

"Cowards." The worker rolled his eyes, looking back as Dream headed towards him with his student in tow. "The lot of you, I'll handle it." He was snappy, and pulled his hand away quickly.

The principal gave a slight glance their way, only speaking after the worker gave a thumbs up. "And finally, we have the best mage in the three realms, Technoblade Minecraft!"

And the audience seemed excited. More than with anyone else. And as Techno walked, the worker in tow, he couldn't help but watch them all glance around or whisper. Big bright smiles on all their faces. Only faintly could he recognize students from classrooms he'd visited. Talented students who all expected to be chosen. To have their moment.

He had only faintly heard the worker beside him activate the spell before holding his hand up and to the pinkette.

Techno stared at the back, where Ranboo had come from earlier. The left section of seats in the very last row is where he was fairly certain Tommy was sat. It was hard to tell, though, since he was looking down at the ground and the lights above shined right in his eyes.

"Tommy Innes is my student of choice."

And the kid looked up, his blue eyes wider than Techno had ever seen before. And after a second, Tommy stood and strolled down the aisle, hands in his pockets. One foot in front of the other, like none of this mattered. Yet eyes darted around the room and at other kids. He didn't smile until he got up on stage and stood next to Techno.

The worker had walked back behind stage at this point, so the pinkette didn't mind pointing it out. "You're smiling."

"It's called acting, genius." Tommy's smile strained as he whispered the words. The camera operator whispered something to the device before holding to their eye. After a few seconds, the flash activated and the photo was taken. Ten small squares slowly left the mouth of the camera, and after one was examined, the operator gave a thumbs up. At that, Techno led them to the left to stand right between the principal and Dream.

The Head Council waved her right hand, speaking into her left. "We thank all these top mages for taking time out of their days to educate the next generation, just as we thank each and every students for working so hard. We hope this small moment right here makes each and every second worth it."

The audience clapped once more. Only a few seconds passed before they were walking towards the right, the principal following them before breaking off at the center and talking about the order in which they'd return to class.

The second they were backstage, Tommy purposefully slowed them down. Seeing he was ahead of Techno, it was fairly easy to separate them from the group just enough to keep people from hearing them. "Taking time out of your day?" He whispered, eyeing the pinkette.

"If it wasn't required, no one would do this." Techno lightly bumped the kid's shoulder, trying to get him to keep up. "At least, not enough to justify the program remaining in place."

The kid nodded and quickened his pace, joining back in line with the students. They were lead through some doors and down a small hall. They took a right, then a left.

The Head Council spoke as they walked. "Students, your new classroom schedules will be handed out momentarily. For now, I must address your mentors." She made a right, moving across a main hallway, before pausing in front doors just left of a staircase. "All teaching will be done on the premises. You must get approval before leaving the grounds unless told otherwise." She gestured up to the staircases. "All teachings must start in your offices, which each of you will show your students to at the end of our walk."

"You will be allowed access to this area of the school." She pushed the doors open, leading them down a bright white hall with torches hung on the right side. She gestured around the room as she walked. "To the right is the gymnasiums. There are five total, so please reserve spots in advance. To the left are classrooms. There are ten of these so, again, request them as necessary." Her heels clicked against the tiled floors as they made there way along.

The gyms seemed to be exact copies of one another, with what seemed to be cream colored floors, light yellow walls, and light brown bleachers on two sides. The classrooms were normal sized, each ranging in a bunch of different shades of brown.

"These are off-limits to all students and staff not in the program, so badges will be provided in case security stops you. And if anyone is— for lack of better phrasing— hogging a room, please let me know immediately." The Head Council followed the hall as it turned right. "These six rooms are empty, use them as spare training rooms or classrooms as needed." The rooms she referred too were various shades of blues and a little larger than the regular classrooms. They were also devoid of furniture, but had a chalkboard. Then they all took a right, as the Head Council pointed off that same way. "These doors lead to the training rooms we discussed earlier." She then pointed to the left. "And these are simulation rooms, meant to prepare you for all kinds of terrain and battle situations you may encounter."

Then they left out another set of doors, now with the stairs on their right. Magic Affairs and Treasurer was waiting by it, the former holding a stack of papers while the ladder held bunch of lanyards. "Everyone is to grab a badge from Treasurer. Students, you must also grab your new schedules from Magic Affairs. Memorize your schedules as soon as possible to keep from making any mistakes." She then walked to stand by the stairs. "Make sure not to loose your badges, as it'll be fifteen dollars to replace. Mentors, once you and your student have got everything, head up to your office and make sure they know where they're going."

The line slowly went on as Magic Affairs double checked each paper and Treasurer had to figure out which badge belonged to which person. By the time it was Technoblade and Tommy's turn, the Council handed everything over quickly and started their walk towards the exits.

"Fifteen bucks?" Tommy mumbled looking down at the plastic that hung around the blue lanyard.

Techno shrugged, slipping it around his neck. "They've got to make money somehow, right?" He glanced up the stairs, most mentors and students had gone now, having made their way up rather fast.

The kid looked down at the schedule. "We're really doing this?" He asked, eyes scanning down the list.

"Too late to back out now." Techno pointed out, eyes darting down to the list. There were some classes he recognized the names of, mostly clubs he'd taken as a student. "What elective was dropped?" He asked, taking charge and leading them up the grand spruce staircase.

"None." Tommy said, dropping his hands to his side and following behind. "Cause I'm, y'know, defective, I take a special class where I sit with other defects and talk feelings and shit." His left hand tightened around the paper as he spoke. "They threw that one out."

The pinkette nodded, stopping at the top step. "Lucky."

Just before them was a nice hall. Not as grand as the main halls of the school, but just as nice. Made of stone brick with support pillars along the walls and a nice dark green carpet on the floor. There were three halls, one to the left, one to the right, and one straight ahead.

The kid nodded, a smile slightly creeping on his face. "It was probably because I skipped so many times it was like I was never put in there to begin with." He poked his head out, looking down the left and right halls. "Now, which way is our office?"

"It's my office," Techno walked down the center hall where three doors sat. "And it's the one right across from us, right there." He pointed to the door at the end of the hallway.

Tommy let out a long, drawn out whistle. "I didn't realize you were so important." He glanced into the windows of the two other doors as they passed. "Who are these two?"

"Number two." He pointed to a door on the right. "And number three. Dream and Niki respectively."

"Ah." Was all the kid said before moving past Techno and into the room. "You even got a nameplate on the door, how cool." His thumb rubbed against the nicely polished, golden plate on the door with black lettering that read Technoblade M. He left a very obvious smudge against it as he headed inside. Every word he said had a hint of sarcasm, his eyes looked at everything around him lazily.

Techno followed him in. His office had every wall replaced with bookshelves. Not literally, of course, but it looked that way. The light brown wooden outlines of the bookshelves were filled to the brim with different books, objects, and a couple potted plants. It all hid the stone brick walls easily, though two grand windows on the back wall were still visible, with cushions and pillows on top. "This is where we'll be staying. Feel free to sit in a corner somewhere and do whatever."

"I don't get a desk?" Tommy asked, watching as the pinkette crossed the room to sit at a long, spruce table. It was the only other thing in the office minus the seat.

"I can get you a chair." Techno mumbled, pushing some papers he'd left abandoned off to the side. "If you wanted to sit here." He gestured to the newly cleared spot and looked up at the kid. "Or you can sit at the window, but that's probably going to get us caught."

It didn't matter, though, because he was already headed for the corner furthest the desk, off to the left of the door. Tommy waved a hand behind him and examined the spot. "This will be fine."

"What time do you have this class?" Techno asked, leaning back in his seat.

"Noon." Tommy said, looking at the curtains that covered the door's window. "Every single day."

Technoblade fidgeted with his fingers, looking at the bookshelves on his right. "Now's probably the best time to mention something."

"Yeah?" The kid stiffened his back, turning to face the pinkette. "Don't tell me you want to be a mentor."

"I don't, but,." And Techno didn't miss the glare Tommy sent him. "Apparently because you're dangerous or something, the Council wants to meet every month to see you've improved." He did air quotes for the final word and tried to ignore Tommy's eye roll.

"Ah, yes, subsection ass, right?" The kid raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.

"A.B.B., actually." The pinkette cut in, sending his own glare the kids way.

Tommy nodded, clicking his tongue. After a few moments, he mumbled. "Shit."

Techno straightened his back and dropped his eyes to the desk. "Improve is vague. I think we might be able to pull off your behavior being the thing being bettered, and not your powers."

The kid scoffed, opening his mouth momentarily. Then he rolled his eyes. "When can I go back to class?"

The pinkette raised and eyebrow and said. "Soon as the bell rings."

Tommy didn't wait, he opened the door and shot out a quick. "I'm going to see if I remember how to get here." Before leaving, shutting the door behind him quickly.

"Okay?" Techno mumbled, turning back to the paper's he had abandoned and getting to work.

Chapter Text

"Day one." Technoblade muttered, spinning the pen around in between his fingers. His eyes narrowing on the page. "Introductions."

Tommy had positioned himself on the opposite side of the room. His brown bag was laid out next to him, with books and papers sprawled across the floor around him. The kid was laying on the ground, left arm propping up his head while his right held onto a pen. He glanced at a thick, hardcover book as he wrote inside a thin red one. Occasionally his eyes would move to a different book, or his pen to a different page.

Techno looked back down at his desk, where a packet remained. At the top was the words 'WEEK ONE' with the page itself broken up into boxes for the first five days. There were about four lines for each day used as summaries for the events and teaching. He took a quick peak at the next piece of paper. It was the exact same save for the top reading 'WEEK TWO'.

He glanced over to the right, where a letter sat. It had a quick layout of the first two weeks that Phil had planned out and had offered to him. If Phil was following his own layout, then he was currently playing some game to learn more about his student.

He set his pen down and sighed. "What are you doing?" Techno asked, watching the kid scribble something else down. He didn't fully care— and honestly didn't even expect a response— but the constant ticking of the clock and nothing else was starting to drive him mad.

Tommy glanced up, looking like he'd forgotten the pinkette was even in the room, then set his pencil down. "Studying." He quickly grabbed his highlighter and struck it over what he just wrote, before switching back to his pencil.

Techno nodded, looking over at his right. "Cool." He wasn't sure what else to say or what was considered prying. He instead chose to acknowledge that the books on his shelf were a little dusty. Maybe he could even reorganize them while he's at it. He would have a lot of time to kill.

"What's with all the books?" Tommy asked, rubbing one of his eyes.

The pinkette shrugged, looking back at the kid. "I like reading."

"Fuckin' nerd." Tommy mumbled, resting his head on his notebook. His voice returned to a normal tone as he asked, "Think you could read a book for me?"

Techno rolled his eyes. "I'm not doing your homework."

The kid lifted his head, letting out a small scoff. "Oh, yeah, cause you're doing so much important stuff right now."

Then the room died down into silence. He wondered if he could go visit Phil without anyone finding it weird. Or maybe Quackity to see why he'd changed his mind.

Instead, in the first box, he quickly scribbled down, 'Learning about one another' under the day one summary, before turning around and watched the clouds outside.

…

"Day two." Techno had his head in his hands, he was already tired of this.

Tommy had his back pushed against the wall. He was holding onto a brown book with a fire sigil on it's cover, mouthing the words as he read them. Eyes narrowed and face close to the pages.

The pinkette threw his pen in the air, watching it spin a couple times, then caught it with ease. He debated actually doing the kids homework for him. Maybe grabbing a book of his own. Anything to make the hour go by faster.

A loud sigh escaped the kid's mouth, as he hit the back of his head against the wall. "This is such bullshit." He said, quieter than normal but still loud enough to be heard.

"What are you reading?" Techno set his pen down and tapped his fingers against the desk.

Tommy looked at him for a moment, before closing his eyes. "The Believed History of Fire Magic."

"Oh, ew." The pinkette's face scrunched up.

The kid raised an eyebrow. "What's that reaction for?"

Techno's eyes glanced towards the metal cabinet to the left of his desk. "I hate those books."

"But you like reading?" Tommy pointed out, vaguely gesturing to the room around them.

"That doesn't mean I like every book in existence." Techno pulled at the edge of his braid. "Especially not the Believed History series."

"So you've read it?" The kid adjusted how he sat, so he was ever so slightly leaned forward with the book in his lap.

Techno nodded. "Every single one. All sucked."

Tommy laughed. "Why read them all, then?"

"Figured the more actual history we knew, the better the books would be." The pinkette glanced down at his desk. "But no, they just go further into speculation and folk tales." He looked back up and clarified. "Don't get me wrong, they're interesting stories, but those books portray them horribly."

The kid nodded, "Thank you!" He said, loud and excited as he pushed the book onto the floor. "Like, it's so confusing how they put things out of order or share conflicting stories." He threw his hands in the air, adding. "We know where fire magic comes from, anyways! Who cares about meteors maybe crashing down on the overworld with some… Some…" He waved his right hand into circles as his voice trailed off. He had a smile on his face and his eyes were slightly wider than normal.

"Well, they thought the meteors landed in the nether and then spread into the overworld through the portals." Techno corrected, his mind managing to pull information from the exact book Tommy had been talking about. "But that was before anyone realized the nether had a roof. And the stories aren't that bad, the books just need to be rewritten."

"Wait, I though fire magic did come from the nether?" Tommy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Techno nodded. "Well, kind of? They thought that it might have been when the portals opened it infected the people nearby, but in reality fire magic can be traced back since before ghasts were around." He paused momentarily, taking a deep breath. "It's long term exposure to the nether that gave people the ability to both survive against and control fire."

"Well, then, how do we do magic now?" The kid seemed more confused than when he was reading the book. "Like, how can I just choose to do fire magic if I've never been in the nether?"

The pinkette let out a small laugh. "Well, if you have twenty people who each have a unique power, and their DNA all dictates that magic ability of both parents is passed onto their offspring, you quickly have a society that can control any kind of magic."

"Huh." Tommy mumbled, glancing at his bag.

"Isn't genomics a first year class?" Techno asked, leaning back in his seat.

The kid shrugged. "Maybe?"

The pinkette raised an eyebrow, "How do you not know?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"I skipped a lot of first year classes." Tommy carefully picked the book back up, his eyes glancing down at where he left off. "This book would be better with pictures."

"It'd be twice as long." Techno grabbed his pen once more and quickly wrote in the day summary 'Lesson in magic history and revisiting genomics.'

…

Techno clicked his pen rapidly, foot tapping against the floor.

He was alone in a room with no sighing, no papers being flipped or written on. No small talk or questions. Just the stupid clock behind him that was ticking and ticking as it moved, and that he was debating throwing out a window.

Tommy was nowhere in sight. He was probably just skipping this class, seeing as it was probably more enjoyable than sitting and doing nothing, but Techno couldn't help but wonder.

"That's it." Techno muttered to himself, spinning his chair and standing up. "Tommy skips a lot. This is normal." He moved towards his wall, looking among the books. He really did need to clean them up and double check his organization since he'd added a lot of books since the last time he'd gone through them. Now wouldn't be a bad time, but if someone walked in and his student wasn't around, he was surely going to be in trouble.

But he didn't need to focus on that. Instead, he looked at the books behind him. His library was split so magic and history was on the left while folk tales and mythologies were on the right. When they got to the center wall, between the two windows, they met with a thicker barrier of wood separating the two sections. These books should all have Z, Y, or X as the starting letter for all the authors. And then it kept going down until they got to A by the opposite walls.

The door opened. It made the pinkette tighten his shoulders as his mind hurried to form an excuse. He could say Tommy was in the bathroom or in a training room. That they were headed to go do something important for their lessons and Techno was about to join him. He swung around quickly, mouth open wide.

But he wasn't faced with a Council member or a teacher or even a security guard. He was faced with the kid himself.

"Oh thank the gods." He mumbled, dropping his shoulders. He stepped towards his desk, narrowing his eyes. "Where have you been?" Techno asked, more accusatory than he'd intended. "Class started ten minutes ago."

Tommy just shrugged. "I was with Tubbo." He kick the door closed with the back of his foot. "Figured you wouldn't care."

The pinkette let out a small sigh. "Give me a warning next time so I can have a lie ready."

"Why? Something happen?" Tommy shoved his hands into his pockets as he glanced around the room.

Techno shook his head. "Well, technically, no. But if someone had come in, I'd have to explain where you are and why I'm not there."

Tommy shrugged, leaning against the wall by his spot. "Just say I'm doing some training in those… Simulation rooms, or whatever. And that you stepped up here to grab a book or something."

There was a moment of silence as the pinkette stared and the kid avoided eye contact. Tommy looked fine, his uniform was normal, his hair the same knotted look as before framing his face.

"Where's your backpack?" Techno asked, his eyebrows furrowing and he tilted his head slightly to the left.

Tommy only shrugged, he was relaxed. "Why do you care?"

After another momentary pause, Techno glanced away. "You got that test coming up, no?"

"Passed it yesterday." Tommy mumbled, moving his left hand out of his pocket and staring at his nails.

"What about the book?" The pinkette raised an eyebrow.

The kid used his thumb to pick at the nails on his other fingers. "Reports been submitted."

"Okay." Techno mumbled, glancing back at his books and pulling one out. He went back to his desk and quickly picked up his pen, writing down, 'Went over classroom expectation' in the summary. He then flipped to the first page and said. "You can borrow a book if you want to pass time."

Tommy didn't move, didn't respond to the pinkette, only stayed where he was staring at his hand.

…

"How much longer do we have to do this?" Tommy asked. He was sat at the window, staring downwards.

Techno sighed, he was sat on the floor, back pressed against his desk. "It's been four days."

The kid glanced in the direction of his voice. "Out of how many?"

"Eighty five."

Tommy hit his head against the glass. Not enough to hurt him or the window, but just enough to make a decently loud thud sound. "This is torture."

"If it makes you feel better." Techno mumbled, reaching behind him and towards his desk. "It's eighty days like this, four days of those weird improvement meeting with the council, and one day for the final rankings."

The kid let out a long, drawn out sigh. His feet was rested on the seat and pressed against his chest. His head hit his knees and his hands dropped from around his legs down to his sides. "This is too much work."

Techno nodded, even if he knew he wouldn't be seen. He managed to get a hold of his review packet and a pen. He glanced down at the day and wrote in its summary, 'Overview of what the following days in the program will look like.' He was fairly sure Phil— and every other mentor— was already starting to train and get a grasp on how their students powers worked and their limitations. But Techno wasn't about to fully lie in his records. Not yet, at least. Maybe if it looked like he went a bit slower, it would justify Tommy's ranking at the end of it all.

"What's with this folder on your desk?" Tommy asked, moving so he was properly sat on the seat.

"Which one?" Techno leaned his head back and stared at the roof.

The kid pushed his feet onto the ground but didn't get up. He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "It's like, a yellowish color? Has my name on it."

"Oh." The pinkette looked back towards the door. "It's a version of your student records with all the confidential stuff removed."

Tommy tilted his head. "Why do you have this?" He stood up, the floor creaking with each step as he moved to the desk.

"Council gives it to every mentor so they can know more about their student." Techno shrugged, wondering how much trouble he'd get in if he left his student alone.

The folder was taken by Tommy and he returned to his seat at the window so he could look through it. From what Techno had read, it wasn't much. Just the kid's name, age, date of birth, and the classes he'd taken. There were more pages behind those two, but it had felt wrong to look at them.

The sound of a piece of paper flipping echoed slightly in the room. "You read this?" Tommy asked, hesitantly flipping to another page.

"Just your classes." Techno said, tilting his head to the left, like that would let him see the kid. "Just cause I was curious if you were always an elemental mage or if you changed at all."

"I changed." Tommy mumbled, closing the folder.

Techno raised an eyebrow. "It didn't say that in the folder?"

Tommy shrugged, running his hand along the slight indent of his name. "It's cause they don't document changes that happen between schools."

"Really?" The pinkette started to pick at his finger nails. "What were you before?"

The kid got up, set the folder back down, and didn't say a word. Their conversation died there, and Techno knew it wouldn't pick back up.

…

"Day five." Tommy said, looking down at the paper Techno was writing on. "Talks of magic sets and power differences." The kid looked up, raising an eyebrow. "You're really taking this whole 'record keeping' thing seriously, huh?"

Techno set his pen down. "I have too."

"Why?" The kid was sat on the desk, to the right of Techno.

The pinkette shrugged, leaning back. "The Council wants it."

"Ah." Tommy tapped the fingers on his left hand against the table. "Fun."

"How do we want to, uh.." Techno hesitated, interlocking his fingers. "Approach.. The end of month assessment?"

Tommy tilted his head. "With the Council?" His shoulder's tensed slightly and his eyes shifted away. "I don't know. What are they even going to do?"

All Techno could do was shrug again.

The room fell back into silence. Tommy watched the clouds carefully pass by the windows, while Technoblade focused on the book he'd brought to his desk yesterday. He'd managed to get halfway through it, and figured it wouldn't be a bad time to finish it.

Tommy had gotten up, kicking his backpack as he focused more on the sky. "Do you think it'd be possible to control the sun?"

"Light magic?" Techno asked, glancing behind him.

The kid shook his head. "No, like, can you move it in the sky."

The pinkette carefully flipped to the page he'd left off on. "If someones tried, its not written anywhere."

"What about the moon?" Tommy watched a few birds pass the window in quick motions, cawing as went.

"Again, if someones tried, it's not written anywhere." Techno held the book down with one hand while the other propped his head up. "Probably cause it didn't work."

Tommy quietly asked. "Is your major sigils magic?"

Techno hummed in response.

"Did you have a minor?" Tommy sat back by the window, facing the pinkette.

"At one point, yeah." Technoblade's eyes glanced at the door. "Why do you ask?"

"Dunno." The kid shrugged, leaning back and pressing against the glass. "Figured it'd pretty hard to fake a mentorship if I know nothing about you."

The pinkette sighed, refolding the small crease in the corner of the page before turning around. "I used to have weapons manipulation as a minor but dropped it."

"Why?" Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"Personal reasons." Techno interlocked his fingers. "Are you taking any minors? Or is just the four majors."

"I used to have two minors." Tommy kicked his feet slightly as he talked, his arms crossing. "Light and Shadows."

"Cool." Techno nodded, then asked. "Why did you drop them?"

The kid scoffed. "This school doesn't offer either."

"Why not go to a different one?" Techno leaned forward slightly, raising an eyebrow.

"Personal reasons." Tommy said, mimicking the way Techno leaned in and spoke. "Do you have a second major or is it just the one?"

"Legally? Just the one." Techno couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the edges of his lips.

Tommy let out a quiet gasp, leaning in more. His eyes widened as he asked, "Mr. used illegal magic to win a tournament knows illegal magic?"

Techno frowned, glaring at the kid. "No need to be sarcastic about it."

"I'm just saying." Tommy shrugged, leaning back and hitting the window once more. "It's kind of well known you do illegal stuff."

"Maybe don't phrase it that way." Techno mumbled leaning back in his own seat. "But, fair, I guess."

Tommy laughed. "Why?" He raised an eyebrow as his smile grew. "Cause it sounds like you do drugs and shit?"

"All I'm saying is that I don't need the Council searching my office." The pinkette said, twisting back around in his seat. When he heard the snickering from the kid, he quickly rolled his eyes and said. "I didn't mean it that way."

"You making? Selling?" Tommy tilted his head, one of his hands covering his mouth.

"Neither." Techno sent a glare the kids way. "I just meant that I don't want the Council thinking anything like that and opening up an investigation."

"Mhm, sure." Tommy narrowed his eyes, getting up and moving back towards the desk. "Where is it? I won't snitch. Swear."

The bell rang, cutting the two off. Techno sent a silent thanks to whatever god or goddess intervened and quickly picked the kid's bag up. "Okay." He said, holding the bag Tommy's way. Having it so close, he was able to see it was a lot smaller than many of the bag's he'd see kids wearing. It also had small patches that were slightly off the base brown color stitched on top. "Time for you to go."

"Oh, come on." The kid said, snatching his back up and moving towards the door. "There's no need to be a buzzkill."

"I don't have drugs." Techno said, a little louder than normal. He pointed to the door, glancing at it slightly. "Not it's time for you to go." He narrowed his eyes, leaning forward. He looked back at the door only to see it was open, not by the kid just on the other side of his desk, but Phil.

"Am I interrupting something?" The blonde man asked, stepping forward in the room. He glanced between the two.

Tommy smiled, quickly heading to the door and saying. "I think your sons got some secrets." Before waving in Techno's direction as he left.

Techno leaned back in his chair and stared up at the roof. He let out a long, loud sigh. He ran a hand down his face and glanced at the blonde man.

"Well, he seems fun." Phil glanced at the door, giving a slightly strained smile. His hands were folded in front of him, his chest puffed out slightly as he stepped further into the room.

The pinkette shook his head, mumbling out. "Yeah, sure."

Phil stopped just shy of the desk. "So everything's going well?" He asked, leaning forward. His eyebrow was raised, his head tilting ever so slightly to the left.

"Yeah, sure." Technoblade reached down and held the completed first weeks assessment. He felt relieved that it was done, even if it was one week out of 16. A fourth of a month out of four. The paper was taken out of his hands by the blonde man, who quickly scanned the page.

The blonde's eyebrows raised. "This is…" He flipped to the next page, as if it would hold more information. "An interesting first week." Handing the paper back over, his smile seemed to strain slightly. "I heard you hadn't put in a reservation for any of the rooms downstairs yet."

"Should I?" He asked, looking down worriedly at the paper. Techno glanced off to the left and shifted slightly. "Like, I don't need to use those rooms."

"Well, yeah." Phil's smile was replaced by a slight frown and narrowed eyes. "Just a bit weird you want to train powers in a room full of irreplaceable books."

Techno blinked a few times. He opened his mouth, then closed it. "We haven't gotten to powers yet." And the blonde man's confusion made him tighten his jaw. His mind put together a schedule, his mouth repeating the words, all before he could really process what he was saying. "Well, this week was introductions, next is hand to hand combat. Then next month we'll start powers and control."

Phil nodded, his eyebrows raising as he did so. "That's rather smart. The final ranking isn't just power based."

"Right." Techno nodded as well. "It's a fighting competition. Throwing a punch out of no where is more effective than anything." Then he tensed slightly, the realization dawning on him.

"To some degree, sure." The blonde shrugged, voice indifferent. "But power development is still important."

Here Techno was starting to panic, and Phil was still finding a way to lecture him. "Right, right. But, we have a long time ahead of us." How could Techno get the kid to fight? Did he even know how to? "We'll get it handled." He said, trying to reassure himself more than anything.

The blonde smiled. "Of course." He waved a hand, dismissing the topic before changing it. "Do you know if Tommy's going to try and be a top ten?" His head tilted once again.

"I'd be surprised." The pinkette scoffed, shaking his head. Then realizing that that was maybe not the right reaction, he quickly added, "He said he was more into behind the scenes work, so." Techno's voice trailed off as he shrugged and glanced back down to his desk. "Do you think the Council will find my report fine?"

Phil nodded. "If you can prove it works, then it's fine."

"Good." Techno mumbled setting the paper down before looking back up. "Good."

Chapter Text

The second and third week had nearly been the same as the first. Techno wrote fake progress, Tommy either did school work or lazed around, and both largely let the days pass by them without much happening. It was mostly alright. Awkward, but alright.

But looking down at the letter in his hands, it was no longer fine.

"Saturday." Techno glanced up at the kid in the corner, who had taken one of the books off the shelves and was casually flipping through it.

Tommy flipped another page, letting out a quiet sigh. "Saturday?" He questioned, his eyes having a distant look to them as he read.

He carefully set the letter down. "The check in is this Saturday." Techno carefully folded his hands over the paper, watching the kid tighten his grip on the book. "It says we need to meet them in the gym at twelve."

"Who's letting me in the building?" Tommy flipped another page, voice holding the same boredom it always did when they talked.

"I am." Holding up an old, silver key on a thin rope. Techno's scarred hand shook slightly. This was it. "I'll leave the doors unlocked, just head in and get up here at ten so we can go over the plan."

The kid finally looked up, lowering the book into his lap. "We need two hours to go over the plan?" The edges of his mouth twitched into a smile. "Are you that bad a teacher?"

Techno shrugged. "It'd look like we're trying to do well."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "And I'll be expected to do well."

Letting out a sigh, Techno leaned back. "You do have to do well. You're supposed to be improving."

"Am I?" He asked, lifting the book back up and flipping to a new page. Tommy's eyes lazily moving from picture to picture. "Or are they just going to see that I can do magic still and pass me?"

Glancing down at the letter, Techno's eyes focused on a specific line they'd added just near the end. He glanced up, hesitating as he said, "I just need you to try and do decently."

"I'll do what I always do." Tommy leaned forward, focusing back on the conversation with a glare. "Walk in, do some magic, walk out."

"The one time you did that, you nearly created a tornado." Techno said, as flat as he could. "We need a proper plan."

Tommy looked back down, flipping to another page. He let out a long, drawn out sigh as he pulled the book up to his face, covering it completely. Techno just shook his head. His fingers tapped against the desk as he glanced back down at the letter. It was basic white paper with nicely written ink lettering that explained in too many words that they needed to be prepared for something. Techno's eyes darted around the page hoping for any kind of clue as to what would be happening, or how the check in would go. Something that wasn't vague.

"What have we been doing?"

Techno looked up, raising an eyebrow.

The kid was looking at him, book closed and abandoned at his side. After a few beats of silence, Tommy rolled his eyes. "What do your reports say?"

Sitting up straight, Techno easily said. "First week was getting to know one another. Second and third week was non-magic combat training." His eyes darted away momentarily.

"And this week?" The kid pushed himself up, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Techno shrugged. "Same as last week."

Tommy let out a small laugh. "Very creative."

"I didn't want to say we've been practicing magic this week." Techno shifted in his seat slightly. "And I couldn't really think of what else the Council would want to see besides magic."

With a quiet hum, Tommy walked forward, nodding as his eyes darted around the room. Like he was seeing something the mentor wasn't. "I can work with that." He stopped a few paces from the desk. His eyes focusing back on Techno. "First week, we learned a bit about one another. And while you tend to think before you act and I rarely think, we're not too different with how our school years have gone." Tommy gave a smile as his tone turned explanatory. "We started with non-magic combat to avoid a catastrophe so early into the program. Though, the first week was leaning more towards when to do magic and when not to rather than actual fighting. Then the second week was stances or whatever and the third we started actually fighting."

Techno's eyes widened slightly, and he was almost impressed. "Interesting."

"I'm not done." Tommy looked away, towards the book shelves. He puffed his chest out slightly as he continued, "And while it's going smoothly, I'm still not anywhere near being a proper fighter. You'll keep training me in combat for the next month and leave the last two for magic training." He looked back at the mentor, his face turning back into the uninterested look it always held. After a few moments of silence, Tommy nodded. "I'm done."

"So that's the story?" Techno asked, leaning forward. "Our training so far has been combat."

The kid nodded. "Yep. As long as your reports don't have too many words, we can take what you've written and slide them in." He shrugged, waving a hand dismissively. "Like, if you said you showed me how to throw a punch the first week. Then, yeah, you did, but you realized I was doing it unefficiently."

"Inefficiently." Techno corrected quickly, before going over the lie once more in his head. "That could work."

"You might want to write this down." Tommy said, reaching over the desk and grabbing a couple random pieces of paper. He turned them around to make sure they were blank before holding them the mentor's way. "So you actually remember the lie."

Technoblade scoffed, but took the paper. "I'll remember."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Oh, so we're pretending you didn't forget my name last week?" He tilted his head and crossed his arms.

Letting out a sigh, he reached for a pen and started to carefully write. "We built rapport the first week, mostly talking about our goals and future plans." He glanced up at the kid, who was trying not to laugh as Techno spoke. "The second week I wanted to see what you knew, so I had you throw a few punches and saw how you block. It was atrocious, so we decided to slow down and not only focus on when to throw a punch, but how. And what is an appropriate amount of force to fight with." He paused momentarily, writing down a few fighting moves he'd force the kid to do off to the left of the page. He'd need to teach the kid to punch, kick, block, and probably something extra that was a bit flashy.

When he moved to continue the timeline, Tommy had his hands on the desk and was leaning over him. "We decided we would continue fighting into the next month, and after that see how it goes with attempting magic." Techno spun the pen around his fingers, leaning his head against his left hand. "I'll have to reserve the gym a few days a week so we can keep this ruse up and we'll have to spend classes there."

"Will anyone be in there?" The kid leaned back and looked annoyed.

Techno shook his head. "Just us."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Perfect." He leaned back, hands going into his pockets as his eyes seemed to glaze over. "Can I go back to pretending you don't exist now?"

"Unfortunately—" Techno didn't miss the subtle sigh that came from the kid, nor the way he glared down at the mentor. "They're probably going to want to see what you can do and how competent of a fighter you are."

"I'll just throw a couple punches." Tommy shrugged. "How hard can it be?"

Standing up, Techno shook his head and said, "Fairly hard. Combat isn't just something you can coast along on, you need to actually have techniques and stances and know how to fight decently to impress the Council."

Tommy took a few steps back, stopping when he was near the center of the room. "I thought we agreed you're not allowed to teach me?" He slightly shifted his weight from foot to foot.

The mentor shrugged. "I thought we also agreed we'd both get through the program." He circled around the desk and walked until he passed the kid. "To do that, you need to pass these check ins."

"They can not be that serious." Tommy crossed his arms, glaring at Techno. "It's just a stupid thing to make sure you can actually keep an eye on me, and I'd say you're doing a damn decent job."

"You say that." Techno pointed to the kid. "But the Council won't. Now, act like you're about to be in a fight." Techno had his left shoulder face the kid, then parted his feet slightly, and brought his hands up.

Tommy lifted his hands. "Aren't you, like, not allowed to hit a kid?"

Techno shrugged. "I'm supposed to teach you to be the next best mage, and do you know what that entails?"

The kid's eyes narrowed. "What?"

Then a fist came flying, straight towards Tommy's head. He barely had enough time to duck.

"You need to know how to fight." The mentor threw another punch, moving slightly to the left. "Now act like you're in a fight and show me what you can do."

Tommy ducked again and again, under each punch sent his way. He mirrored the shifts to the side, glancing down at his feet as he did so. Techno sent punch after punch, left small openings the kid didn't take, while aiming for his head, shoulders, and stomach. He even debated kicking the kid, but decided to save that for a different lesson. He shifted left and right, circled just underneath the lantern, and kept attacking.

Eventually, Techno rolled his eyes, dropping his hands slightly. "Stop looking down, you'll get hit doing that."

"I'm watching my footing!" Tommy backed away slightly, his hands shooting into the air. "Stop acting like this is some bar fight and maybe I can focus."

"You're opponent won't give you a chance to focus in a real fight. One small mistake can cause you to lose." He raised his hands up once more, took a large step forward, then swung again. "In most cases, you're not even be able to get into proper positioning, and that's ignoring weapons and armor you and your opponent do or don't have." He circled the kid once more, leaving a larger opening for a hit that never came. They just did four laps of the circle. "I can show you a real bar fight if you'd like." He lurched his hand forward, grabbing one of the kids arms and smirked, tightening and slightly twisting it.

Tommy threw his first punch, hitting Techno's shoulder. "No thank you!" He half said half yelled as he pulled his arm free and stumbled backwards.

The punch wasn't anywhere near good, but it was a start.

"Keep your thumb on the outside of your fist." Techno held his hand out, palm up, then closed all his fingers and overlaid his thumb over the front of his index and middle fingers. "It's got to be like this or you'll break your thumb." He then lifted his arm. "And try to avoid curved punches, it's better when you first starting out, and in general, to go straight." He pulled his right hand back, then threw a slow, straight punch.

The kid fixed his hands and mimicked the slow movement. "This is weird."

"Well, yeah, you're whole front is facing me." Techno moved closer, grabbed Tommy's shoulders, then moved him so he was slightly sideways. "Dominate shoulder needs to be in the back. So since your right handed, left shoulder faces me at all times, okay? At an angle." He looked the kid up and down, shaking his head. He kicked the kid's foot. "Legs shoulder width apart and knees bent."

Tommy shifted slightly then raised his arms once more. "Like this?" He asked, hunching over slightly.

And it wasn't bad. His hands were a little low and his knees bent much more than normal. Technoblade took a slow breath. "You need to relax, you're too stiff. And your hands are supposed to be protecting your neck, along with your head. Lower your chin." He pushed the kids head down slightly.

Tommy shifted away, glaring at the mentor. "I am relaxed." He muttered. "You're just a perfectionist prick."

Techno dragged a hand down his face. "Breath slowly, lower your hands, and relax your shoulders." He carefully positioned himself in front of Tommy. "Shake away the nerves and focus on your opponent."

"I am breathing." The kid attempted to throw a punch without waiting to be asked. Frustration laced his tone as he jabbed his right fist forward. Techno raised his hands to block his face, so his arm was hit. Tommy pulled his hand back and shook it slightly, face scrunched up. "This isn't working."

Techno shook his head. "That's because you're tense and hitting fast. If you're going to swing fast, you need to have your body be loose." He angled himself so Tommy was seeing him from a side view, then threw a couple slow punches once more. "You also seem fairly new to fighting, so it's going to take a while to punch well, but give it time."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "So this is pointless?"

"No." Technoblade dropped his hands once more. "If you get in trouble, being able to fight is a good thing. Even outside of the program."

The kid only rolled his eyes and attempted the stance once more, but different. He tucked his head down way too far, his hands came up to cover his entire face with his fists above his head. He bent down further and curled in on himself. He stood like that for a few moments as they stared at one another.

"This isn't a joke." Techno turned away, glancing at his bookshelves as the kid dropped the act and sighed. The mentor's mind wandered as his foot tapped against the floor. There had to be a way to teach a kid who couldn't understand simple instructions.

Tommy shoved his hands into his pockets. He glanced towards Techno, then to the bookshelves. The mentor had barely caught this out of the corner of his eye, and then he saw the book the kid had left on the floor.

"I have an idea." Technoblade said, walking towards the door.

The kid raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth to speak, but was talked over.

"There's a small book storage for teachers," He started, picking up the abandoned book on earth magic, "It should have books with images on fighting."

Tommy scoffed. "A book." He turned back towards the mentor with a skeptical look.

Techno nodded. "Yep. It's got a bunch of text books, spells, and scrolls." He quickly returned the book to its spot on the wall. "We'll find a book that can teach you."

"And if we don't?" Tommy asked, stepping forward.

"Then I'll have to pull out my backup plan." He moved to the door, opening it up and gesturing for Tommy to take the lead.

Tommy did so, glancing at Techno as he passed. "And what's that?"

"My old mentor." Techno shrugged, following after the kid. "Now, come on, we have to be fast."

"Why?" Tommy followed close behind the short pinkette, glancing at the other two doors in the hallway.

"Students aren't allowed in there."

…

Pushing the door open, Techno took the lead inside. The old hinges creaked, echoing around the walls of the cramped space. The storage was dark, with a lantern every hundred or so steps, with walls covered in so many bookshelves and books it was hard to tell what they were made of. More shelves decorated the center of the space, leaving little room to walk around and navigate. Off somewhere to the right was another door, which lead to more books, with tight magical chains over it that they could just barely see.

"Wow, this place is sad." Tommy mumbled, hiding himself ever so slightly behind the mentor.

Techno lead them further inside, looking down to the left. There were at least fifteen rows of bookshelves. To the right, was about twenty. Including the three in front of him and all the ones on the walls, it was safe to say there were a lot of books.

"I figured this place would be more… Nice looking?" Tommy took a few steps forward, eyes narrowing as he attempted to read the faded words of a nearby book. "And better cared for…"

"Pretty sure it's this way to keep students out." Techno moved forward. He turned right and started leading the way towards the bookshelves labeled F.

"That's no excuse, this place is literally a sneeze away from collapsing." Tommy looked at each worn bookshelf they passed like something would jump out and grab him.

"Be nice." Techno sent a quick glare back the kid's way. "This place has almost every spell ever recorded from every mage important or not."

"Even the dangerous ones?" Leaning towards some of the bookshelves, the kid seemed close to grabbing one.

Technoblade rolled his eyes. "Technically, yeah." They turned down a row and he carefully read each title, stepping over copies of books abandoned on the floor.

Tommy, who had stopped near the beginning of the row and had been trying to pull a book off its shelf, stumbled away as the book remained locked in place with a slight gray glow. He nearly trip over a small stack of books, his back hitting the bookshelf behind him, and sent four brown books across the floor. Those went straight into a nearby stack of six dark red ones and ten more brown ones. He then quickly caught his footing, jumped over the mess he'd made, and hurried back behind the pinkette. "What are we looking for again?" He stuttered out, glancing back at the mess.

"Combat training, fighting stances, guide books…" His voice trailed off as he reached the end of this shelf. He turned to the next one, going from book to book. His voice was quieter as he added, "Something fighting related."

"Might I suggest this?" A voice, chipper in tone yet slow in speaking caught the two's attention. And turning, Techno was met with a kid slightly taller than him. With brown hair, tan skin, and vibrant green eyes. He was holding a maroon book with a broken spine.

"Slime?" Tommy tilted his head, his eyebrows furrowed. "The fuck are you doing here?"

Techno leaned forward, asking quietly, "You know him?"

Tommy gave a half hearted smile. "Kind of? We share a class."

"I wanted to see if I could find my father's writings." Slime stepped forward, holding the book out more. "You need this, though." He tilted his head, smiling a little too wide and with a bit too many teeth. Everything about him was wrong, honestly. His legs seemed a little too long, his shirt sleeves just shy of his wrists, his fingers a little too slender, and when he walked his feet seemed stuck to the ground.

When Tommy did take the book, after much hesitation, a thick green substance remained on the cover where Slime had held it, as well as the brunette's hands. "Thank you?" Tommy mumbled, face scrunching up as he tried to wipe the ooze that gotten on his hand onto the books nearby.

"Of course, Tommy Innes from Nowhere." Slime smiled, moving his still ooze covered hand towards Techno. "Nice to meet you, Technoblade Minecraft from The Antarctic." And in the pinkette's hesitation, Slime's smile turned into an almost mimic of surprise. Then back to a smile as he said in a slightly calmer and quieter tone, "Ignore the slime, it's the normal human kind, promise."

"I don't think…" Techno started, but seeing the way Tommy sent him a look and shook his head, he let the words die. Instead, he asked. "You're a student?"

Slime nodded. "Yes, Technoblade Minecraft from the Antarctic, I am."

And while he was put off by the student, Technoblade ignored the sinking feeling in his stomach and asked, "Then why aren't you in class?" He glanced away from the unblinking gaze of Slime. "This is staff only, you could get in trouble for being here."

And even though Slime opened his mouth to answer, a voice from behind cut him off. "Don't be a snitch, he's with me."

Techno took a deep breath, his eyes darting to the ceiling momentarily before he turned around.

The short, black haired man wasn't too far behind him. In his official uniform, he almost looked like a different person than the one he'd spoken with on the street. Almost.

Quackity's eyes widened. "Oh, shit, is this the kid?" He moved closer, looking past Techno and straight to Tommy. "He kind of looks like Phil. Is that why you chose him?"

Adjusting his stance, which included moving ever so slightly in front of Tommy, Techno shook his head. "This is my student, Tommy, and no. I chose him because he stood out among the crowd." He glanced to Slime, who had turned back to the bookshelves, running an ooze-covered finger over the author names and titles. Techno shoved a thumb Slime's way. "That's your kid?"

"Yes!" Quackity said, a little too eager as he walked closer and squeezed past the two. He wrapped an arm around the weird student and smiled. "Technoblade, Tommy, meet Slime."

Slime waved. "I am a normal human with a normal amount of bones."

He glanced Slime's way. "I'm Quackity." The short man said, slightly hesitating with his words before reaching a hand out towards Tommy.

The kid shuffled forward slightly. "Nice to meet you." He gave a half decent smile and a quick nod. They only shook hands momentarily. Then the room fell into a dead silence. Quackity looked between Techno and Tommy, while Slime had turned his attention back to the books on the shelves.

"So, what are you doing here?" Quackity asked, his smile tensing slightly.

Techno shrugged. "Teaching, learning, you know how it is." He hesitated before setting a hand on Tommy's shoulder. "What are you doing with a student? I thought you weren't mentoring?"

Quackity let out a quiet laugh. "Yeah, well, a bit after our talk he started following me around like some lost dog."

Slime nodded, looking over towards the two. "He lets me live with him."

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "You've been homeless this whole time?"

Tilting his head, Slime only smiled wider, the edges of his mouth seeming to split open just a tad, with something green replacing where the skin had once been. "I had a home! He took me."

Tommy and Techno shot a glance towards one another. The mentor opened his mouth slightly, trying to figure out how to both not accuse one of his oldest friend of kidnapping but also find out if he did, in fact, kidnap a student.

Quackity only let out a long, drawn out sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "What was your home?" He asked in a tone that made it seem like this wasn't the first time this had happened.

"A hole." Slime turned more towards the group. "Just down in the ground underneath a loose stone in the road. On Bakers Street."

"Anyways.." Quackity waved his hand, smile gone. "We're not here to talk about… His living situation."

"Or your kidnapping," Tommy muttered under his breath, glancing away and attempting to hide his smile behind his hand.

Technoblade elbowed him lightly, but he didn't exactly disagree. The situation was weird and he didn't care to find out more. Instead, they all fell back into silence, letting the still air swallow their conversation. Techno glanced Tommy's way again, he needed to find a way out.

Thankfully, Quackity hated the silence just as much as them. "Welp." He clasped his hands together, glancing between Techno and Tommy. "This has been weird, and a bit terrible, honestly."

Techno's shoulders relaxed slightly. He managed to say, "It always is with you." Under his breath before he could catch himself. In return, he got an elbow to the side from Tommy.

And if Quackity heard him, he didn't say anything. He turned and addressed his student instead. "Are we good to leave?"

Slime frowned, thinking momentarily, before nodding.

"Good." Quackity turned back towards the others. "It was kind of nice to see you and your protege." His smile returned lightly as he glanced between the two before focusing on Tommy, giving a small wave. "If you ever get tired of his voice, my office is the third door on the left in the right hall."

Tommy nodded, giving a wave back. "Good to know."

"Bye Tommy Innes from Nowhere. Bye Technoblade Minecraft from The Antarctic." Slime smiled and waved, following Quackity as he started to leave. They got to the edge of the bookshelves.

Then Slime turned suddenly and said. "I think the move on page 53 will be easiest to learn, but you could do the one on 42. Or 80, if you're willing to take the risk of failing." Then Slime continued walking, barely saying loud enough for them to hear. "But, knowing you, you'll take that risk."

Quackity remained at the edge of the shelves, glancing towards the other two with a raised eyebrow momentarily. Then he hurried to catch up with his student.

Tommy glanced at Techno. "Is Quackity your friend?"

Techno shrugged. "Kind of? We used to share classes."

The kid smiled, letting out a slight laugh. "He's nice."

"Come on." The pinkette nudged Tommy slightly. "Lets get out of here before important catches us."

…

Techno set the book down onto his desk and started flipping pages. "Lets see what that weird kid wanted you to try…" He stopped at page 53. It was a simple picture of a simple fighting stance, with words and descriptions on how to stand and swing and even tips on making punching easier. It was stuff that even a child could understand.

"What is it?" Tommy asked, hands shoved in his pockets.

"It's a more descriptive version of what I was trying to teach you." Techno carefully picked the book up and turned. He moved until he was a few paces away from the kid.

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Not again." He mumbled.

"Yes again." Techno nodded. "Even your slimy friend agreed, it's the easiest to learn."

"Okay?" Tommy crossed his arms, looking unimpressed. "And he thinks every human has four sets of teeth, so he's not exactly the best at knowledge."

Techno shook his head. "If you can do this, then the Council just might believe were taking it slow and not care that you've barely progressed." He flipped the book around and passed it along, acting as if it were made of glass. "Read up on it and then try. I'll point out what you do wrong."

Tommy scoffed, but took the book and darted his eyes from word to word, glancing at the picture every few moments. His eyes narrowed, hands tightening as he stared. And when he let out a long sigh, Techno almost asked if he could even read, since it seemed the kid was struggling with that more than anything. But Tommy looked back down, his feet shifting slightly.

"I have something to admit." He said, setting the book on the ground and easily falling into a perfect stance. "It wasn't that hard to understand you."

Techno rolled his eyes, and seeing as Tommy was already in a fighting position, he shifted his footing and gave a quick jab the kids way. The kid ducked under it like he'd done this all before.

"Hey!" He shouted, backing away. One foot behind the other just as any fighter would, even if he glanced down once or twice.

Techno moved forward, narrowing his eyes. "Why did we get the book if you understood me?"

When Tommy's back hit the bookshelf, his eyes widened and his eyebrows shot in the air. His mouth opened ever so slightly and his fists tightening up. "I just didn't want to do it." He said, face scrunching up fast. "Can you blame me?"

"Kind of." Techno was two steps away from the kid, and if he wanted to, he probably could have thrown a punch his way. Maybe even twist this into some kind of learning opportunity. But the bell rang, and the kid slipped away and closer to the door.

"Read the book." Techno said, pointing to the one left on the ground. "That way you can parrot some of the stuff in it and our little adventure won't be for nothing."

Tommy grabbed the book, then his bag, then glanced at the pinkette. After a moment of hesitation, he left without another word.

Chapter Text

The sun was bright, shining through the two bay windows on either side of him. The clouds were gone, the day a calm, peaceful blue. In any other context, it'd be wonderful. Techno might even have gone outside and enjoyed it all.

But instead he was stuck in here, staring at the bright white page with dried black ink. Despite only having been in the room a few minutes, he'd long sense stopped reading it. Techno was certain he could recite each sentences word for word. His fingers tapped against the desk, a dull ache slowly forming in his head. The paper was much easier to look through, each word blurring together in his eyes.

He had nearly thirty minutes before Tommy was supposed to show up. Then two hours before the actual check in.

Techno took in a deep, slow breath, closing his eyes. "First week was introductions." He muttered, setting the paper down and running a hand down his face. "Second was fighting stance, third and fourth was proper fighting." He repeated the words, face scrunching up slightly. "First week was introductions. Second was fighting stance, third and forth was proper fighting."

But knowing the words, remembering the lies, it didn't make him feel better. If even one thing was contradicted, one small bit misremembered or mistaken…

He shuttered to think what the Council would do to them, if they were caught.

Techno's knee bounced under the table. Tommy had decided to skip the last two days of proper class they had, leaving them now with nothing but the two hours to prepare before they were on the chopping block.

If, Tommy even showed up.

His gut twisted into a knot— what if Tommy skipped this too? Just failed to show up and left him all on his own? Abandoned Techno in the only moment he truly needed him. Part of Techno started to regret every choice that lead him here. If he'd just chosen a different kid or pretended…

Then two, soft knocks broke his thoughts. They were barely loud enough to be heard.

Techno tilted his head, glancing back at the clock behind him. 9:32.

Two more, louder knocks pulled him back to stare at the door.

"Come in." Techno called out, straightening his back.

The door opened, and there was Tommy himself. His hair was properly brushed, free of the usual knots and tangles. Instead of a uniform, he wore a red hoodie and blue pants. His left hand held onto the handle of the door, with his right gripping the side as he peaked around like a scared child.

He relaxed slightly. "You're early." He kept his voice flat. The kid didn't need to know how revealed Techno was to see his face.

"Well, yeah, you said to show up early." Tommy shrugged, pushing the door open more.

"I said ten."

"Close enough." The kid moved further into the room, closing the door behind him. He wandered to the center of the room. "So… What's the plan? Winging it?"

Techno shook his hand, standing up and smoothing out his black pants. "We need to stage a fight."

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Pushing his pink, braided hair off his shoulder and behind him, Techno easily explained. "I'm sure the Council will want to see your progress instead of just hearing it, so you need to do decently in a fight." Then he shrugged. "Or, at least, make it look like you can handle yourself."

"I could just fully kick your ass." Tommy linked his fingers together, arms extending slowly until his hands pressed outward, palms facing the mentor. "That would show I'm a decent fighter." Then they returned to his sides as he shook his wrists slightly.

Techno rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you couldn't beat me even with a hundred years of training." He moved around his desk and looked the kid up and down. "Now get ready."

Tommy smirked as he slipped into the basic fighting stance. "Yeah, right. Get ready to lose your number one status."

Techno didn't reply— only stepping forward, boots carefully clicking against the floor, shoulders rolling back as he stopped near the center of the room. Feet planted, hands held up. He held the perfected stance with such ease.

Tommy, on the other hand, shifted his feet slightly as his hands were balled into fists by his chest. He let out a yawn and shook his head.

"At least try to look engaged." Techno muttered, narrowing his eyes. "And look a little nervous, like you won't know what happens next."

Tommy smiled, tilting his head. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." He thought for a moment, then took in a slow breath as his eyes widened ever so slightly. "So what? You punch, I punch, repeat?" His mouth remained slightly open and his fists tightened.

"I was thinking more like—" Techno swung once, barely missing the kid. Then again. "—We sort of dance in circles for a bit before I knock you to the ground."

"Dance?" The kid threw his own punch haphazardly. It went a little too far to the left. "What specifically— Break dancing? Salsa?"

The mentor stepped back, rolling his eyes. "Have you been in a fight before?"

Hesitating, the kid glanced to the side. "No."

They stared at one another for a few moments. Then Techno sighed. "Okay." He carefully shifted his feet, throwing another quick jab forward. "Well, stage fighting is like dancing. And there is a fine line between fake and real that we need to tread like tightrope walkers. So that the audience believes us while it not being real." He swung again, watching the kid back away.

Tommy laughed. "Were you, like, a theater kid or something?" He swung to the right. Then to the left. Two punches the mentor easily dodged.

Techno shook his head and threw a jab at Tommy's shoulder.

The kid shifted to the right, aiming towards the mentor's chest with his next swing.

"Make that faster and I might let you hit me." Techno said, taking a step back and grabbing onto Tommy's attacking, pale wrist.

The kid attempted to pull free, rolling his eyes.

He smiled. "Or, you know, we just end it here." Techno pulled the kid forward and stuck his foot out.

Tommy stumbled, nearly catching himself. Only to trip over the foot and land on his right knee. "That's not fair." The kid said, twisting around. He sat on the ground and pointed an accusatory finger the mentors way. "I thought you weren't supposed to kick."

"Your goal of a fight is to win, not to fight fair." Techno crossed his arms, face falling. A small pang in his chest made him shift uncomfortably. "And kicking was never banned."

Shaking his head, Tommy let his hand rest on the ground. His eyebrows were furrowed and he closed his eyes. "Of course you'd say that." His voice was covered in venom.

They paused once more, both looking away in opposite directions.

It felt like hours before Techno spoke up again, though it probably wasn't even a minute. "We'll do something like that." He said, waving his hand around in circles. "But you should probably last a bit longer than that."

Tommy pushed himself to his feet. "Yeah, probably." He muttered, dusting off his jeans. "So, should we try that again?"

Techno nodded, slipping back into a stance. "We'll go on three, okay?"

"And then you swing or I do?" Tommy asked, tilting his head as his feet shifted slightly. His body was tense and his head ducked low.

Glancing away, the mentor slowly started circling the room. "Not sure. Maybe we can draw it out a bit like this." He took a deep breath, letting the kid carefully follow him. They made two loops around each other before Techno spoke, "Three." Then he swung.

Tommy barely ducked under the hand. "Whoa, man, where's the count down?" He ducked under another attack. Then swung, taking a sloppy step forward.

"Did you need a count down?" Techno tilted his head slightly, smacking the hand away.

"Well, saying that we'll go on three kinda implies there's a count down." Tommy moved to the side and away from another hit. "So, yeah, a count down would be nice."

Techno let out a quiet hum, debating the words as he took a step forward and struck with his palm, making contact with the kids head.

"How do you not know that?" Tommy asked as he stumbled back and raised his hands higher.

"We always just bowed before starting a fight." Techno shrugged, following the kid. He aimed lower, punching towards Tommy's stomach.

The kid doubled over slightly, keeping his right arm around himself, while his left swung aimlessly towards Technoblade.

His arm was grabbed and Tommy was twisted and shoved behind the mentor.

His knees hit the ground. "Come on, man." He twisted around and fell onto his back, spreading his arms out wide. He stared at the ceiling with a frown. "Is this seriously all it'll be? Getting my ass kicked in front of a live studio audience?"

"Well, I assume the Council won't react like an audience." Techno mumbled, shrugging as he moved closer to the kid. "But, I don't know. I'm sure they'll ask how things are going." He hovered over Tommy slightly.

Tommy shook his head "So we're going in blind?"

Techno nodded, closing his eyes. His hands rested on his hips.

"Great." Tommy let out a long, drawn out sigh. "So what's the actual plan? You lead the conversation and I stand there smiling?"

"It's supposed to keep you in line," Techno took a step back. "So I'd assume you'd be the one who'd be talking the most. Plus, you seem like a decent liar, so you know." He waved his free hand in a circle as he watched the door. "Just say everything's going great, that your excited about the program, and I'm a great mentor."

A smirk pulled at the edges of Tommy's mouth. "I don't know if I'm that good a liar."

Techno rolled his eyes. "Try your best." He nudged Tommy's arm slightly with his foot. "Come on, we still got a lot of time to kill and your no where near ready." He held a hand out for the kid, who stared at it for a moment. Then took it.

"Alright." He mumbled, letting Techno pull him up. "Lets get through this."

…

Technoblade lead them down the hall, his footsteps echoing against the walls. Tommy was behind him, being nearly completely silent in everything he did. They paused at the first set of doors on their right.

"Ready?" Techno asked, glancing over at the kid.

Tommy sighed, then nodded. He shook his head and suddenly he was smiling. He was bouncing on the heels of his feet and his hands were at his slides closing into fists before opening back up.

If there was one thing Techno could admit, it'd be that the kid was a pretty good actor.

The mentor nodded, his hands grabbing the door handle. "Basic rules for the Council." He muttered. "Don't speak out of turn, don't make too many jokes, and be concise with the lies."

"So I can make a joke?" Tommy asked, tilting his head.

Techno rolled his eyes. "I'm telling you now, it will not land."

"Maybe you just have shit jokes." The kid elbowed Techno's arm. "I never fail to make a room laugh."

The mentor scoffed. "How dare you." He narrowed his eyes. "I'm just telling you now, the Council is the definition of fun police."

Before Tommy could respond, Techno pushed the door open. The gym was just as he remembered during the tour, with cream colored floors and light yellow walls. There were light brown bleachers across from them and on the same side. There was only three rows, with ten people on the seats opposite of them.

"Hello." The Head Council said, center of the first line of people. Her student sat behind her, with a clipboard in hand and their back straight. The student gave a small wave as the conversations between other Council members and their students died quickly.

"Hello." Techno said, leading them further into the room. The floor had a bit of a burn on the ground close to the center. So assuming that's where he needed to go, he stood just before it. His student gave a small wave and a smile, half hidden behind him.

The Head Council folded her hands onto her lap. "How has your first month been?" The students behind the Council raised their clipboards and pens, most focusing on the pages. Only Magic Affair's student stared at them with her void black eyes.

Techno straightened his back slightly. "Steady." He said, nodding. "Slow, but steady."

While the students wrote, the Head Council nodded. Her eyes focused on Tommy. "Would you like to elaborate?" Her and Right Hand's students glanced at one another.

Techno glanced at the kid, then hesitantly set a hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Yes, ma'am." He carefully lead Tommy out from behind him. "We've been focusing more on hand to hand combat rather then magic, seeing as his magic is a bit wild, and he's been doing rather well."

Tommy quietly scoffed, lowering his head. "So much for concise." He muttered.

Techno only tightened his grip on Tommy's shoulders in response.

Head Council's eyebrows furrowed momentarily, then she closed her eyes. Nodding as she spoke, her voice level and words steady, she asked, "And, Tommy, how do you view your own progress?"

"It's been pretty good, I'd say." Tommy shrugged, glancing at Techno.

"And how is Technoblade as a mentor?" She leaned in slightly.

Tommy's smile got a bit wider. "Amazing. He's a great mentor."

And Techno swore the kid's eyes had sparkles in them, even if just for a moment. And with the way the Council seemed to both accept and love the answer, he thought Tommy might have some kind of access to magical charms.

Right Hand's eyes were slightly wide. "Elaborate, please." He started.

Magic Affair, whose mouth turned into a smile, finished the sentence. "Don't leave any details out."

For a moment, Tommy glanced the mentor's way. He shifted slightly and spoke quickly. "He's very… Blunt. He lays things out properly and doesn't waste time. And that's good." He waved his hand around in a circle, like he was trying to grab the rest of his answer. "Most teachers sugarcoat thing, y'know? Cause they think my defective magic effects my ability to understand concepts. So it's nice to have that change."

Techno blinked slightly and tried not to let his surprise show.

"And, he's pretty funny. Really takes away from the bruises, y'know?" Tommy continued, his eyes closed. "And smart. He'll help me study sometimes."

The Council's students all wrote down what he said, a few rushed, some slowly. But all focused heavily.

Head Council leaned closer. "And do you feel challenged? In this program? By your mentor?"

"Sure." Tommy nodded, voice a bit quieter. "I've hit the floor a few dozen times."

"Now, not to pivot too much." Magic Affairs said, carefully straightening her back. "But going over the available records of you training, it seems just a bit off." He voice was soft, but accusatory. "Tommy, do you mind explaining all that you've done this month?"

The kid laughed. "I won't be a hundred percent correct, so forgive me if I say something wrong." Then his eyes darted left. "We were getting to know one another the first week, basic stuff, yeah? Like what we classes we took, what our interests are, stuff like that."

Right Hand quickly chimed in. "Well, then, may you both tell us a fact about the other, then? Something we would know?"

The two mages made eye contact.

"Of course." Tommy said, carefully punching the mentor's arm. "I know he has a brother and father. I know he had a minor in weapons manipulation before dropping it, which, by the way, sounds so badass—"

Techno hoped Tommy hadn't noticed the way the Council frowned or tensed momentarily.

"—Like, If I wasn't near graduation, I'd so do weapons manipulation." Tommy paused slightly and balled his hands into fists. He glanced at Techno. "Sorry, back on topic. His turn."

The mentor tensed, glancing Tommy's way. "Yeah." He said, nervously. "My turn." He hesitated. He wasn't sure what the kid was thinking mentioning family when Techno's family is famous and Tommy's is not. "Tommy here," Techno started, eyes watching the side of Tommy's head for any indication he was about to say something wrong, "Has two parents? A mother and father. As well as a brother?"

Tommy laughed, sending a glare Techno's way. "I know I call Tubbo my bro, but that does not mean he is literally my brother."

The Council seemed to raise their eyebrows.

"Right." Techno said, nodding. "Right, you talk about Turbo so much he seems like your brother."

"Tubbo." Tommy quietly corrected.

Techno quickly nodded and hoped the Council hadn't caught that. "And you had two minors that you had to drop because this school does not offer them." After a moment of silence, he decided to pad out his conversation. "And that you're a multi-generational elemental mage."

Magic Affair's eyes widened. Relation's furrowed his eyebrows.

"You are?" Treasurer asked, leaning in.

Tommy's smile tense. "Yes sir. Twelfth generation, to be exact." He glanced over the mentor's way.

The Treasurer smiled. "Impressive. My family is only fourth generation nomencraft, thanks to my great great grandmother choosing ice manipulation." He seemed to frown slightly. "If she'd continued the tradition, we'd have been the longest line to date spanning just over thirty generations."

"Impressive." Tommy said, nodding. "My family was all over the place until my great however many grandmother chose elemental magic and pushed her kids to do the same. Then the rest is history."

Treasurer smiled, opening his mouth to continue. Only for Relation's to cough. "Are we done with this?" He asked, shifting slightly.

Techno leaned in slightly. "Are you really a multi-generational mage?"

Tommy's eyes widened. "You're the one who brought it up. Did you not know?"

Head Council nodded. "Yes, we are. Tommy, if you could walk us through the second week."

Techno barely cut in A, "I thought I was lying." Before pulling back and away from the conversation.

The kid turned away and gave a tense smile. "Of course, ma'am! It was kind of boring, though, in my opinion," He shifted slightly. "Mostly different stances and poses for fighting." Tommy quickly slid into a basic pose, body slightly angled away, feet shoulder width apart, hands held up and defending his chin and chest. "First he showed me this. Then he showed me a basic magic stance." His feet remained shoulder width apart, but his right hand aimed forward in an open hand. His left hand reached back and he bent his knee's slightly.

Techno narrowed his eyes trying to remember when he taught the kid more than one stance.

"Then there's this one, and this is specific for elemental mages, right?" He bent down, his left knee hitting the ground while his right remained up. His hands pressed against the floor, his body lowered. "It's supposed to be for summoning earth and fire easily. Then with air and water you want to do something like this." He shot up and raised his hands in the air. "He said something about how earth and fire are grounded while water and air are more free, which explains the different stances. Right, Techno?"

The mentor only nodded. He feared if he said a word, his voice would show just how surprised he was.

Tommy smiled at him and then shifted his feet once more. His knees were bent and his arm reached for a nonexistent sheath on his fake belt. "And this one is to prepare for sword fighting, then you have to hold a sword like this—" Tommy yanked his hand out, holding it in front of him, but was cut off.

"We understand, Tommy." Right Hand said. The students behind were all writing down what they saw hurriedly.

"You learned that all in one week?" Relation's asked, trying to cover his confusion and surprise.

"That and a few more." Tommy shrugged and returned to standing normally. "I'm a fast learner."

Head Council tilted her head slightly. "You've never show that level of knowledge before."

"No one ever been determined to teach me." The kid only smiled as he spoke.

Magic Affairs was quick to change topics. "How about your third week?"

"Just hand to hand combat." Tommy shoved his hands in his pockets. "And when to pick a fight, when to escape, why you might fight. All sorts of things." He looked directly at the Head Council. "Same with the forth week. Just practice, basically."

The Council all nodded silently. Except for Relations, who glanced away as he asked. "May we move onto a demonstration of everything you've learned?" Right Hand glanced at him.

Tommy opened his mouth to speak only for Techno to stop him.

Right Hand then looked to the Head Council. She nodded, then he spoke up. "Yes, we may." He carefully adjusted himself better on the seat before glancing around at the other Council members. When they all seemed ready, he nodded. "Okay, you both may begin."

Relations yawned and looked away, the Treasurer straightening his back, and Magic Affairs leaned in slightly. Head Council and Right Hand looked down at them with unreadable stares. Their students all prepared their pens.

Tommy shifted lightly. Techno nodded and turned to face him. "Ready?"

The kid only shrugged.

So they faced one another, shoved one of their fists into the palm of their other hand, and bowed. When they returned to standing straight, they slipped into their respective stances. One perfected from years of battles and the other just slightly wrong.

"Your feet are too wide apart." Techno mumbled, slowly starting to circle Tommy.

"Your too far apart." Tommy rolled his eyes, his reply just as quiet. He started to mimic Techno's footsteps.

The mentor raised an eyebrow. He took a step forward and started moving his fist back.

Only for Tommy to swing faster, a quick jab to Techno's newly exposed shoulder. It was almost purposefully light, but still moved Techno back slightly.

Tommy stepped closer and swung again. A little wild in a bad way, as the fist was just a bit short of whatever target it was aimed at. He then took a step back and narrowed his eyes.

Techno followed him, taking two hurried steps forward and throwing a straight punch.

The kid pulled his head back and the fist barely missed him. He took two steps back.

The mentor only kept following him. He swing for Tommy's head, the fist ducked under. Then he aimed towards Tommy's shoulder and the kid stepped to the side. Then he tried to hit the kid's side only for him to take another step back.

When the fist returned to Techno, Tommy moved. He stepped forward and punched straight.

And if Techno hadn't ducked under the fist, he was sure it would have hit him. Instead of dwelling on that, though, he pivoted to the side. He threw a quick punch into the kid's ribs.

Tommy bent over slightly, grabbing the arm and attempted to pull Techno behind him. Though he didn't make too much progress.

Techno swung around his body around, making Tommy stumble in circles. Then he attempted to kick the kids leg out from under him for a simple win.

Only Tommy managed to catch his footing just enough to jump. Then he dropped his weight to the ground and threw Techno off balance. He let hand go and watched the mentor stumble over him and away slightly. Techno caught a glance at a few students hurrying to write.

Techno caught his footing fast and spun just in time to shove away another hit. "I didn't teach you that." He dodged another hand and watched carefully. "Or those stances. Where did you learn all that?"

Tommy shifted back with every punch he threw. Like he didn't care if it landed or not. "I mean, you kinda did."

Techno stepped back and dodged another hit. Then he moved closer and quickly pushed the kid. "How?" He asked, as he landed a hit to Tommy's chest before he could catch his footing.

"The book." Tommy kept his voice quieter. He ducked under another swing, then hurried forward with a punch.

Techno let the punch hit his arm, then he kicked the kids leg. "You read that?"

Tommy fell onto one knee. "Figured I was fucking us up by skipping, so I might as well try even that out." He quietly said as he starting to get up.

He didn't give Tommy the chance, instead Techno kicked the kid's gut. He fell back, clutching his stomach and breathing faster. He didn't try getting up this time.

Techno nodded and gave a bow, mumbling. "Ease your breath, this can't look like your first fight." When he stood up, he turned and bowed towards the Council.

Tommy managed to push himself up, taking a slow breath as he bowed quickly.

"Impressive." Right Hand said, nodding.

Head Council looked at him momentarily, then closed her eyes. "A bit rough around the edges, but with time I'm sure that'll be fixed."

Relations even seemed to have leaned in so he could better watch the two.

Magic Affairs straightened her back, her smile falling slightly. "That is is?" She asked, tone clearly disappointed.

"Yes ma'am." Techno shifted slightly. "Is something wrong?" He glanced towards Tommy.

"This is a magic school is it not?" She asked, raising her voice ever so slightly. "This is a magical program— we are a magical council— correct?"

"Yes ma'am." Techno ducked his head slightly.

She waited expectantly.

After a few seconds, Techno added. "I'm not so sure what you're getting at."

"Where's the magic?" She asked, tilted her head. "The theatrics of it all?" A few other Council members mumbled as she continued. "Are we correct in assuming you both had a month to prepare, did magical stances, and have no magic to show for it?"

Techno's eyes widened, of course Magic Affairs was angry. "Well, I thought it would be easier to work on control first. If he can control his stance and breathing then maybe—"

Magic Affairs raised a hand and turned her head. "I don't want excuses, Technoblade. I want magical progress. Where's the fire? The storms? Where's your sigils? Demonstrations are not just about who wins or loses, it's a show. A display."

"Magic Affair." The Treasure started, voice hesitant as he bowed his head slightly. "It is upsetting not to see any magical progress, but the student could hold his own against his mentor. He lasted a bit longer than some of our top twenty." He raised his head and looked over at the two mages. "Not by much but… It is still impressive, no?"

The upset council woman lowered her hand, but refused to look at them. "I suppose." She started with a quiet sigh. "With more training, I'm sure we can have a change in ranking rather soon."

"But." Right Hand started, carefully continuing off Magic Affair's sentence. "We will need a magical demonstration next check in, understand?"

"Failure to do so." Relations cut in, clasping his hands together. "Will result in further discussions about your future in this program."

Magic Affairs nodded quickly. "For what is a magical program if no magical progress is made?"

Techno nodded, internally face palming. "Of course, Council." He really should have thought of some kind of magic to throw in. Or gave Tommy a sigil to active mid-fight. Just… Something.

Head Council glanced among the other members. "Anything else before we move on?" Some shook their head, others verbalized their nos. Either way, she closed her eyes and continued speaking. "Good. Tommy."

The kid, who was so silent Techno had forgotten was even there, raised his eyebrow. "Yes, ma'am?" He stepped forward, hands held behind his straightened back.

"The final part of your check in will result in each of us getting one question." Head Council started.

Right Hand continued. "Each question will need to be answered with complete and utter truth."

"Failure to do so." Magic Affair's eyes were still avoiding the two. "Will result in an automatic suspension from the program and further questioning."

Tommy shifted slightly. "Of course." He said, his voice steady.

Relations waved a hand. "Be as detailed as possible, understood?"

Tommy nodded, his eyes closed.

"Mentor," Treasurer said, waving a hand. "Can you cast a Liar's Sigil?"

Techno tensed his back.

Tommy sent a confused look his way.

And as much as he wanted to challenge the Council, he knew better than to. "Yes sir." He said as he carefully moved forward and held out a hand.

"What is…?" Tommy started, staring at the palm.

"The Liar's Sigil is a magical bind." Techno shifted. "For a few hours, you will be forced to speak nothing but the truth. No intentional lies, omissions of facts, nothing. All I need is your hand."

"This isn't—" Tommy shook his head, stopping himself from speaking. Then he set his hand on Techno's and took a slow breath. "Alright." A smile pulled at his lips. "We've got nothing to hide."

Techno hesitated, then raised his left hand. Carefully, he pressed his index finger to the back of Tommy's hand. He drew a circle, then an X inside of it. When he let go of Tommy, the mark turned a deep shade of red before slowly sinking into the skin below.

"There." He said, backing away slightly. "You may not tell a lie for the next two hours."

Tommy turned to him. "Two hours!" He repeated, his eyes widening and mouth hanging open slightly. He looked at his hand, then back to the mentor. "You have got to teach me that." Tommy mumbled, waving around the hand that had been cursed.

Techno shook his head. "Sigils aren't easy to learn, and the Liar's Sigil is one of the hardest non-attack spells to date."

Before Tommy could ask more, the Head Council spoke up. "Can you both finish that conversation later." But it wasn't a question, and with the way her eyes narrowed, the two looked back at her and nodded.

"Good." She said as she carefully rested her hands on her lap. "Let us begin with my question." She paused, looking down at the two mages, then closed her eyes. "Tommy, do you feel the progress you've made so far has reached not only the programs standards, but your own?"

The kid laughed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Well, define the programs standards and I can answer you." Then his smile fell and he looked surprised. "I'm sorry for the bluntness." He quickly added, glancing away.

"You do not know the standards?" Head Council asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I thought you only got one question." Tommy narrowed his eyes accusatory, then shook his head. "Damn, this lair's thing got me spouting every thought I have." He glanced back at Techno. "But, I assume I'm supposed to be a top ten mage."

The Head Council nodded. "That is the path we're hoping you follow, yes." She said, closing her eyes and looking lost in thought. Like she wasn't there. But she spoke clearly. "Do you believe you will reach the level of your mentor?"

"No." Tommy shrugged. "And I don't plan on it." After a moment of silence it seemed to dawn on him what exactly he'd told the Council. He barely managed to stutter out, "Top four or five seems more feasible given everything." As some poor excuse for saving the already forming disaster.

The scribbling of pen's from the Council's students wasn't helping at all.

Techno shook his head. Maybe he could have casted a failed sigil. Or fought back against the Council.

"Right." Head Council said slowly. Then she looked to her right. "Right Hand, I believe it is your turn."

The man nodded, pushing up a pair of thick square glasses. "Yes, I believe so too." He said, voice ever so slightly cheerful, like he hadn't heard what was just said. Or maybe he found it funny. "Tommy, what is something you believe you both should be focusing on to help you better improve?"

Tommy blinked a few times. "Like, magic-wise?"

"Anything." Right Hand said, slowly lifting his hand and waving it in a quick circle. "From magic, to behavior, to studies— anything."

"Anything." Tommy quietly repeated. He stayed silent, eyes darting around the room as he thought. Then he nodded. "Everything."

The Council raised an eyebrow. "Everything." Right Hand slowly repeated. "Are you sure that is the correct phrasing you want to use?"

Tommy nodded again. "Yes."

Techno tried not to scream.

"Let's be honest here, I'm a bad mage." Tommy started. "A pretty shitty student. All around kind of an ass." He straightened his back like that was something to proud of with a smile to match. "My mentor, however, has helped me to improve slightly in these fields." Tommy waved a hand back to Techno. "I believe that, with his help, I can continue to improve on all fronts. So, yes, I would say I still need to focus on everything so I may become something." Then he looked back and winked.

The Council seemed somewhat okay with the answer. The students glanced at one another as they wrote. "Alright." Right Hand said, nodding with approval. "That is certainly an interesting answer. But, alright."

Techno looked a bit confused, but nodded. He still wanted to scream, but not as loud.

"I believe it is your turn, Magic Affair." Right Hand said, glancing her way.

The two mages tensed slightly.

Magic Affair nodded. "I believe so." Her voice still sounded displeased, but she turned to face the two with her kind green eyes. "My question may be more simple compared to my fellow councilmen." She carefully spun her hand into circles. And as she spoke, a small light blue ball with jagged edges started to form. "Most use magic in their day to day to improve their lives, even in small ways. Even if the Council limits what a student can or cannot cast, that does not stop them."

The ball shifted and formed, a thing of pure ice acting like water. "So my question to you is how much magic do you use outside of school and without supervision?"

Tommy smiled. "Oh, almost none."

Magic Affair's face tensed. "If you are going to say magic you're not allowed to be casting, understand that we will not take action against you." The student's pen's slowed. Their eyes quickly glanced towards one another before their writing continued.

"You don't believe me." Tommy tilted his head. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

Magic Affairs smiled as she dropped the small ball. It disappeared before it hit the ground. "Magic can let us do many things, it is a part of us and something we need to treasure in case it goes away."

Tommy hummed. "Interesting thought." He started, shifting slightly. "You, see, there isn't much you can do outside of fighting with elemental magic. Especially with wild magic. You figure out what that means."

"Do you fight in your free time or do you do no magic." She quietly said, but it was never intended to be answered as she quickly moved on. "I do believe it is Relation's time to ask."

Relation quickly shifted, sitting up straight. "I do believe you are right." He said, leaning forward. "You seem to attract our attention a lot." He started, tone sharp, his fingers interlocked and his eyes narrowed. "Mostly it's bad, sometimes it's good."

Tommy let out a tiny scoff. "No need to remind me." He mumbled.

Relations leaned back, pushing his hair out of his face. "My question is if it's all intentional." He seemed bored as he spoke. "Do you like being here, in front of us, being interrogated? Or is it all just…" He waved his hand in circles for a few moments. Then dropped it and shrugged. "Accidental?"

"I rarely plan anything." He shrugged, his words shooting out of his mouth like he'd thrown a dagger. "And anyways, why would I willing want to be here and threatened constantly over my position at this school?"

Techno's left hand balled into a fist while his right rested on Tommy's shoulder. The kid shifted slightly closer.

And after a few seconds of silence, Relations shrugged. "It's the Treasurer's turn." He said, turning his head towards the said council member.

The Treasurer raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Very well." He glanced to the side, quiet for a moment. Then he spoke. "I've noticed that we've had to pay less for repairs. Why."

The statement made Tommy shift slightly. "I figured the budget could use a break?" He gave a small smile and a quick, dismissive wave. "But, really, I just stopped with all the magic stuff and things stopped breaking."

The writing slowed down. The students seemed to glance at one another or whisper and show notes. The Council was quiet as they sat.

"Alright." Head Council said, nodding her head. "Tommy, you may leave."

The kid glanced at his mentor before nodding. "Okay."

Techno squared his shoulders. He kept his eyes glued to the Council.

And when the door clicked shut, the Head Council spoke again. "It seems you are doing a fine job." She started. Her eyes were narrowed and her lips were held in a tight frown.

"But." Right Hand said, glancing towards the left.

Magic Affairs caught this look and continued. "The lack of magical demonstration was upsetting."

Right Hand nodded. "And we expected a little more in the ways of fighting. Especially after a month."

"You're reports made it seem like your student would have a bit more to show." The Head Council carefully reached back, taking her student's clipboard. "But while it wasn't the best demonstration we've seen, it is not near the worst."

Relations leaned back and whispered to his student. The Treasurer leaned in and nodded.

Nothing about it seemed to ease Techno's worry.

"Do better." Magic Affairs had a tense smile as she spoke. "We will be expecting a proper, theatrical magic demonstration next time."

Relations nodded. "And better answers to our questions."

"As well as a proper use of the amenities we've provided." The Treasurer straightened his back.

Right Hand smiled. "And more detailed reports that break down exactly what you've done."

Head Council raised an eyebrow. "Understand?"

Techno nodded, closing his eyes. "Yes, Council."

"Then you may go."

And Techno didn't waste any time turning around and leaving. The second the doors closed, a shaky breath left his mouth.

Tommy had been waiting for him by the door, tapping his foot against the ground with his arms crossed. His head had snapped over when the door clicked, and he quickly asked, "Well?"

Techno shrugged, slipping shaking hands into his pockets. "We might need to revise our deal a bit."

Tommy only raised an eyebrow as they both started down the hallway. Carefully hurrying away.

"Twice a week." Techno whispered, ducking his head down slightly. "We have to do real training."

The kid scoffed. "Once a week and half-ass training." He matched the mentor's tone with ease.

"Twice." Techno sent a glare. "Or we can go up to three, if you'd prefer."

Tommy hesitated. "Maybe I'll just go tell the Council everything. See how they react then."

A laugh escaped Techno's lips. "Yeah, tell them how we both have been avoiding our duties. I'm sure that'll go well."

The two made it to the stairs and faced one another. Techno with a raised eyebrow, and Tommy with a tight frown.

"Fine." He rolled his eyes. "Two days. Mondays and Fridays only. One proper day of training, the other gets half-assed."

"Deal." Techno extended his hand and Tommy shook it.

Techno glanced towards the ground. Tommy tapped his finger against the railing. While the mentor couldn't read minds, he figured they both felt this month had been a joke and the check in a disaster.

"Alright, that's it." Waving a hand, Techno dismissed the kid. "Now go— enjoy your freedom til Monday."

Tommy barely said goodbye as he pulled out his phone and slowly walked straight then turned right.

Techno half returned the goodbye, raising a hand in a vague wave the kid's direction as he turned towards the stairwell. His footsteps were slow and his hands wouldn't stop trembling.

That could have gone better. Way better, honestly. But at least they're okay. That's all he could think about— at least they're okay for another day.

His right hand trailed along the cool railing as he climbed. Everything was quiet as the janitors slowly swept and mopped the halls. It made his mind run wild in a poor attempt to fill the void.

They were fine, the Council said it. They weren't the best and not the worst. Right in the middle— that's good. Right? At the top of the stairs, he headed down the hall. Right in the middle, just enough to pass but not too memorable. They hopefully won't expect a giant increase next check in, so they were on a steady path for Tommy to do alright.

He pushed open the door to his office and hurried in.

He grabbed a small stack of papers from his desk and shoved them into the brown messenger bag he'd left in his chair. Then he clicked the latches into place and slipped the strap onto his left shoulder. And it nearly immediately fell. Techno glanced at the sky and fixed it. He pulled out his phone and headed to the door.

'Heading home.' Was the only words he sent to Phil. The details— which he'd definitely have to obscure— could wait for when they were in person. Or he wouldn't say anything. It was a flip of a coin, at this point.

He left the office, shut the door, and walked to the end of the hall. Then slowly down the stairs. When his phone buzzed, he shoved it back into his pocket and picked up the pace. Then it buzzed again and he sighed. Phil, or whoever it was, could wait. He just wanted to get out here.

At the bottom of the stairs, he went left and passed four classroom doors on both his left and right. Then he turned right. At the very end was two, double doors about twice the size of regular doors. Made of pure spruce with small bits of iron to help keep it all together. The handle was also pure iron. He pushed it open, letting the warm air wrap around him. It reminded him of how unnecessarily cold the school was.

He locked the door behind him with a soft click before dropping the key into his pocket. He'd return it to the Council later.

Techno paused just in front of the door and the strap slipped off once more. He barely caught it in time. "How does Wil wear this thing?" He mumbled, wrangling the leather back over his shoulder. It dug into his neck and kept trying to fall off.

"No, listen--"

A voice was just off to his left, attempting to remain quiet. He wasn't sure how he heard it with the noise of city beyond. Nor why it had made him pause.

"—I promise, it won't happen again. It's just…" The voice drifted off, silent for a few moments.

It drew Techno to attempt finding the source of the voice. It had to be off to the left somewhere. But the pillars that held up the school and the large stone walls that surrounded the premises had them covered.

"Tell him I'm sorry! Or, better yet, I'll apologize to him myself! Bring him some booze or something— that'll make him forgive me, right?"

And, normally, Techno wouldn't have ease dropped. It wasn't kind and non of his business who that was or why they're begging for a place to stay.

But the voice…

"Yeah, that was bad, I'm not saying it wasn't. It's why I'd apologize."

It sounded just a bit too much like his student.

"Yeah, obviously everything won't be sunshine and rainbows, but come on. He won't let me even stay an hour?"

Techno shifted slightly as he carefully walked forward. Maybe he could catch a glance of the hoodie or the hair. Just enough to confirm if he was right or not.

"Two hours, max. Just enough time too…"

A momentary pause.

"Holy shit, thanks man. Promise, I'll bring the best alcohol I can find and a damn good apology." Footsteps followed that slowly faded as whoever it was hurried away, taking the conversation with them.

Techno shook it off and passed the school's gates before turning left. It had been nearly seven minutes since they said goodbye and Tommy didn't seem like the kid to stay at school longer than necessary.

That wasn't him, Techno told himself.

Chapter Text

Their first training day had started off a disaster.

Techno had failed to reserve a gym— as apparently there was a wait list. Which left them stuck in one of the slightly cramped spare rooms. They'd been dancing around the subject of training for nearly ten minutes. And that didn't include the time it took for them to even decide to go to the room.

"This is, like, the size of one of them closet classrooms, y'know?" Tommy had his hands crossed and a disappointed look on his face. "I figured this would be—" He waved his hand in circles. "—like one of those big lecture rooms without the chairs and stuff."

Techno rolled his eyes. "Stop being dramatic, this is barely smaller than a normal classroom. And what closets have you see that are this big?"

Tommy just shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "A lot." He mumbled as he glanced towards the left. "Might want to leave the door open in case we need to run."

It had been pristine when they'd walked in. Recently cleaned, too.

"Doubt we need it." Techno said, but he still walked to the door and pulled it open. Then went back to the center of the room and waited.

They both quietly stared at one another. Sometimes they'd glance to the side or at the ground. But it remained deathly quiet for nearly a minute.

"So." Tommy mumbled as he shifted his stance slightly.

"So." Techno echoed, glancing back at the door. Then he clasped his hands together. "Do some magic."

Pulling at the collar of his shirt, Tommy asked. "What specifically?"

Techno only vaguely gestured his right hand towards the kid. "Something."

"Did you not do, like, any preparation for this?" Tommy tilted his head. "Like, what is considered magic practice? What am I even practicing for?"

"Well," The mentor let his hand drop to his sides as he spoke. "In this specific circumstance, it would be magic applied towards offense or defense. So do one of those."

Narrowing his eyes, Tommy opened his mouth to argue. Then hesitated and instead started walking backwards. He made it three steps back before the ground started to shake with a tremor so light it barely affected the way they both stood. A moment later, three deep cracks split the concrete just in front of the mentor, snaking toward one another. Before they fully met, the ground burst upward, dragging dirt and concrete with it. When it stopped, at nearly half the size of the classroom, a few small clumps of dirt fell onto the floor as it settled. A part of the concrete on top broke off and hit the ground.

"There." He said, hidden completely behind the five foot wide wall. "Magic."

Techno crossed his arms. "That was quick."

"Yeah? It's a shield?" Tommy walked around the wall with a tight frown. "Don't you want fast cover?"

Techno tilted his head to the right. "I mean, yeah, but…" He hesitated as he examined the wall.

Tommy let out a small sigh and said, "Listen, man, this is how I've been doing it since forever. And you've never done Earth magic before, have you?"

"Well, no, I haven't. But something about it is wrong." Techno reached forward, carefully tapping the dirt wall. More clumps broke off and fell towards his feet. "See, it's kind of weak."

The kid rolled his eyes hard, his head moving slightly as well. "Yeah, yeah, it's defective. Kinda like my magic." He had a look of surprise— with his mouth open and eyebrows raised— yet there was a performance to it that made Techno scoff.

"Your magic is unstable, not weaker." Techno backed away, heading towards the door. He'd brought his borrowed messenger bag down from his office and had filled it with every book he had on the four elements. "Who taught you this spell?" He asked as he knelt down and began digging through the books he'd brought.

"A uh—" He hesitated, opening and closing his mouth a few times. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a breath. "—A Earth and Water manipulation teacher a few cities over. I forgot their name, but I doubt you'd know 'em."

Techno grabbed a book with a big golden one on the front with the words 'Earthen Magic' just underneath. "You're not from here?" He asked, carefully standing up and slipping the strap over his shoulder.

Tommy shook his head. Then pointed towards the mentor. "What's the book?"

"Beginner magic." Techno brushed his thumb over the brown leather and glanced down at the book. "Earthen shields, such as this one, is one of the first things anyone learning earth magic perfects."

"Well, yeah, I know that. I did prefect it." Tommy scoffed, glanced back towards the wall. "How are you going to fix the defectiveness of an already perfected spell?"

Techno shrugged, flipping the book open. He looked through the table of contents, found said spell, then went to the page. The chapter was about all basic shields that was explained in a way a beginner at any age could understand. With photos of the movements and long winded explanations of how the magic worked and ways to teach it. Techno moved towards the kid. "Did you learn to walk when you make the shield?"

The kid nodded. "Yeah? Cause when something headed your way, you're on the move, are you not?"

"Well, yes, but." Techno stopped just before Tommy. "If your moving, the shield goes up based on how hard your feet hit the floor, like how jumping makes a shield the fastest." His eyes danced between the words and lines as he spoke. "But, apparently, it doesn't give the magic enough time to solidify the ground properly, so it's weaker." He glanced towards the wall. "Keep your both your feet on the ground, avoid moving around too much, and make a shield."

Humming, Tommy balled up his fists and waited. The light seemed to catch his eyes in a way where they seemed to glow, unlike last time. And his eyes were narrowed and his face contorted with a new look of concentration. Tommy's eyes darted to the floor, then back focusing on the first shield.

Then, the ground began rumbling slowly, shaking just a tad less than before. A foot or two away from Tommy, the concrete cracked once more, now with four distinct lines that were cleaner and formed a rectangle. The shield then raised up just a few seconds slower than the first and came out a foot or two smaller as well. As it steadied, the first wall seemed to quietly groan as it began to break. It fragmented and split like it was made of glass and something slammed into the center of it. Small clumps of dirt and concrete starting to fall off at the edges.

The two mages barely had time to step back before larger chunks of the first shield slammed to the ground and scattered along the floor.

When the dust settled and only one shield up, Techno glanced the kids way and hesitated. "That was…" Tommy was looking over at him with a raised eyebrow as he seemed to subconsciously picked at his nails.

Techno stepped over the rubble as he moved closer towards the second shield. He ran his hand along the edge of the wall, and it didn't move. He tapped the dirt and it stayed firm. "Stronger." He said quietly. His eyes lingered on the ground momentarily before he looked back at the kid and nodded.

Tommy blinked. "Seriously?" His eyes danced around the mentors face, and when Tommy noticed the confusion, his eyebrows knitted together. "Isn't that a good thing?" He asked, moving towards the intact shield. He threw a quick jab at the dirt and his lips twitched into a smile. Then another, harder, hit. His smile growing when it remained in place. "It was slower, but I mean, you said that'd happen. So I've made a proper shield, no?"

"Oh, yeah, that's good. Great, even." Something in the back of Techno head screamed that the first shield shouldn't have broken like that and remained in place.

But the wide smile and the slight sparkle the kid had in his eyes at something so small, so basic— something young children master without effort. That look, it made Techno bite his tongue. "It's a perfect shield." Was all he could figure out to say.

Tommy glanced at the upright wall, then to Techno. Then back to the wall. "Yeah." He mumbled as he started rocked on his heels. "Yeah, it's alright." He straightened his back and fought the smile down just enough to seem neutral as he shrugged. "What are you fixing next, Mr. Minecraft?"

Techno's face scrunched up slightly. "Don't call me that, it makes me sound old."

"You are." Tommy said with a small laugh. Techno ignored it.

"We can keep doing shields, maybe go into more complex ones." The mentor took a few steps away from the wall and stood shoulder to shoulder with the kid. "Or you could try to knock the shield down."

"I can knock it down?" The kid glanced at the mentor, with his eyebrows raised slightly.

Techno let out a small, sudden laugh. "Of course you can. These shields are strong, but not unbreakable."

Tommy looked back at the shield and shifted slightly. "Sure, okay." He mumbled, his shoulders relaxing as he nodded. "I'll knock it down."

They took a few more steps back until about a foot or two of space was between them and the shield. Tommy planted his feet and Techno crossed his arms. The two stared at the wall and silently waited.

And after a few moments, Techno asked, "You gonna do something?" As he glanced up towards the kid.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm trying to think of a spell to use." Tommy glared at the shield.

Techno fought back a laugh. "I know, I can smell the smoke." He barely managed to get the words out in a serious sounding way as he waved his left hand close to his scrunched up face.

Tommy let out a loud, long and dramatic sigh. "I should report you." He said extra loud, nudging the mentor's shoulder. "For bullying a student."

Techno looked over, opening his mouth to respond, and stopped when he saw Tommy's eyes. Being right next to him, Techno could see that the kid's eyes for sure glowed and that it wasn't the light. They were just faintly brighter than normal and, if the room was pitch black, they'd probably provide just a bit of light.

Tommy lifted one of his hands into the air as he took a slow, deep breath. The air around them started to noticeably shift as it was pulled towards his hand. Besides the faint breeze, it wasn't very obvious what was happening. But as the dust and dirt particles were slowly picked up and moved towards the hand and its collection of wind, it was easier to see the way it encircled his arm. How it slowly snaked up to his open hand, and how it danced just a bit above Tommy's skin.

He balled up his fist and pointed his index finger out. Then slowly, Tommy lowered his hand. His eyes focused on the wind, as small bits of dirt dropped and got free from it. For the most part, the spell remained intact. And when he was pointing at the wall, he closed his right eye and steadied his shaking hand just enough to aim.

"Fire." He mumbled, barely audible. And the wind it shot past his finger and out towards the wall. Tommy shut his eyes just as the wind slammed into the shield. It hit just below the center of it. Similar to the first, it fractured like glass, with a main point of where the wind hit and a few cracks that shot out towards the edges. Clumps fell to the ground, but at little less than half of it remained upright.

Techno raised an eyebrow. "What was that?" He asked, slipping the Earth Magic book back into the bag before he dug through to find books on wind.

Tommy shrugged. "Splitting Winds is the name, I think." More of the shield cracked and fell. "It's an intermediate spell."

The book Techno pulled out was leather dyed blue, with silver on each of the corners and white lettering. "Lets see…" He said, flipping it open to the table of contents. He found the page, went to it, and let his eyes dart along the words. "Stand like your aiming a bow."

"How do you aim a bow?" Tommy tilted his head.

Techno didn't even glance up. "Face me, keep your feet shoulder width apart, then hold your left hand up and aim forward." The book kept speaking about posture and breathing. "Take slow and deep breaths, and keep your body relaxed."

Tommy turned towards Techno as he nodded. "Should I hit the shield? It's already close to collapsing." He asked, as he looked to the right. "And are you sure I should be shooting with my left hand? It's not my strongest."

Techno stepped forward and looked the kid up and down. He lightly hit Tommy's shoulder back and lifted his aiming arm up more. "It's said that this spell is most effective with a non dominate hand. And it is has more complicated versions that makes your dominate hand more important later on, so getting into the habit of using this hand is good."

Tommy only nodded and focused more on the shield and the wall behind it.

"And when you call the air, pointing at the sky gives away the cast." Techno stood in front of Tommy. "It's meant to be secretive, so you need to call the air with your hand closer to your chest, behind you, or near the ground." He then glanced back at the weak shield and narrowed his eyes. "All have their downsides, like how much debris you grab and how much wind you lose, but overall it's not too different."

"Okay." The kid mumbled, pulling his hand towards his chest. Slowly the wind, dirt, and dust started to form around his hand again.

The wall was moments from falling, with pieces still dropping. But the painted stone behind it would be a lot stronger than dirt, hardened or not. "Shoot at the classroom wall." Techno said, moving towards the earth shield.

"What?" Tommy's head turned towards the mentor. His magic faltering slightly, leaving dirt and dust to fall towards the ground before he could get a hold of the wind once again.

"Shoot the wall right there." Techno clarified as he kicked the bottom of the shield and caused it to fully fall. It cracked and spread out just in front of Tommy. More dirt and bits of concrete got sucked into the current in the kid's hands.

"Best case scenario, two already unused classrooms are off limits as they repair the wall between them." Techno turned and moved back towards Tommy.

The kid raised an eyebrow. "How is that best case?"

Techno mimicked the kid's confusion. "How is it not?" He waved a hand Tommy's way as Techno's face returned to it's usual neutral expression. "Worst case you don't even touch the wall, meaning your magic decided to fail. But, if you can hit the wall maybe 10 feet away from you, that's good."

"And best case..." Tommy tightened his fist so much his knuckles started to turn white. "… The Council shoves a fine my way and I'm probably suspended. Did I get that right?"

"Oh, no, you're under my watch. I'd pay the fine and deal with whatever other punishment they have in store." Techno glanced down at the book he was still holding, then shoved it into his bag. "But if you destroy the wall so bad it needs to be repaired over the next few days? Then I'd say your an impressive mage with a good grasp on your magic."

"Seriously?" Tommy mumbled, eyebrows furrowed. But he pointed towards the wall. "I don't usually say this, but this is a bad idea."

"Hand higher up." Techno said as he ignored the kid and studied his positioning. "Straighten your back more and breath. Focus on the wall and imagine it shattering."

Tommy breathed just as he was told, his body relaxed. He closed his right eye and tilted his head slightly.

"Is your left eye better than your right?" Techno asked.

He only got a lazy nod in response.

Techno hummed. "Alright." He said, looking at the medium blue wall. "When your ready, shoot."

Tommy hesitated. A bit of dirt particles slipping out of the wind and down towards the ground. It took him a few seconds before he said. "Fire."

And the wind shot out once more, aimed right at the wall. It flew through the sky and slammed into it. The room shook, bits of stone from the roof falling, the wall splintering out and looking like a large black spider web was covering it. Then part of it started to crumble and fall. It felt out towards the other room mostly, and started as small bits of stone that hit the ground until a tiny hole formed. Then more fell. When it finally settled, a decent sized hole remained.

Techno couldn't help but smile. "Best case." He said, glancing down at the kid who was staring at him. Seeing those blue eyes, he pushed down his smile. "That was alright."

"I guess I'm an impressive mage." Tommy said, shoving his hands into his pockets with a cocky smile. Though it was just a bit too wide to not hold any excitement. "According to you."

Techno rolled his eyes. "I never said that."

"Oh yes you did." Tommy pointed a finger towards Techno's chest. "You said if I could crack the wall—"

"I never—" Techno tried to interject, regretting his earlier words.

"—Then I'd be an impressive mage." Tommy poked the mentor's chest a few times. Even as his hand was swatted away, he kept shoving his finger towards Techno. "There's no point in lying, you said it, I'm impressive."

Scoffing, Techno set his hands on his hips. "Do you even know what that word means, kid?" He shoved the hand down again and backed away with a glare.

Tommy merely shrugged. "Something like I'm one of the best mages, right?"

"Not even close." Techno mumbled and glanced away. Then he spoke normally again and pointed a thumb towards the wall. "Hold on, I said there would need to be a few days of repair, that's at most one day, maybe a few hours."

"Oh so you did say it." Tommy scoffed and glanced to the side. The kid then fixed his footing, squared his shoulders, and held his hand close to his chest. "I'll show you days of repair."

Techno glanced towards the wall. "Don't make me bankrupt, now." He mumbled, moving his hands behind his back.

Tommy grinned and didn't even bother looking the mentors way. The faint glow returned to the kid's eyes and the wind hurried towards his hand. Dirt and dust picked back up, most heading towards him and snaking around his arm and down to his hand. He pointed, aimed it to the right of the first hole, then nearly shouted. "Fire!"

The wind shot out like an arrow and pierced the wall like it flesh. It broke straight through, just two feet away from the original hole, and the room shook again. It continued to crack and fall. He then pulled his hand back towards him and shifted to the left slightly as the wind picked up again.

…

Techno pushed open the office door, stepping in and holding it open.

"Did you see?" Tommy said, moving past the mentor. Each step he took had a bounce to it. "Half of the roof fell! The roof!" Tommy was beaming and had been since they'd called it for the day.

The classroom they'd left was now in shambles. They already had people blocking it off.

Techno nodded. "Yeah." He moved further in and attempted to fight down the small bit of pride he had in the kid. "Hard to miss it when it nearly crushed me."

Tommy then laughed loudly. "I know!" He glanced Techno's way. "How does that even happen? I didn't hit a support beam, I don't think."

"I don't know." Techno dropped his bag onto his desk. "That was a good first day, though."

There was this look on Tommy's face, that almost seemed like he wasn't really present as he focused on the wall. But he was smiling anyways. "It was the best day." His voice sounded just a bit quieter, almost far away despite being only a few feet away.

Then it seemed something clicked in his head and he shook his blonde, unkempt curls left and right. "That we could have had." He clarified quickly. "With my magic."

Techno finally let his smile show. "You're a fairly good mage." He said, nodding. "I doubt we'll have many bad days."

And he didn't see how the kid reacted to that, as Tommy bent down and scooped up his bag just as the bell rang.

"Sure." He said, throwing the bag over his shoulder. Face turned to the door as Tommy hurried out.

Techno turned back to his desk and debated putting the books back. He doubted his brother needed the bag, anyways, and it'd be a lot of work going back and putting everything away only to grab it out for Friday. He focused on the books and his bag and ignored the incident report he'd needed to fill out. And he didn't even want to think of the cost or how'd he explain it all away.

It was a good first day and that was all the mattered to Techno right now. More of these and they'd probably be able to soar through the next check in and do nothing next month.

Chapter Text

Tommy silently slipped into the office without so much as a knock. He gave the smallest wave as he headed towards his corner and sat on the floor with his legs crossed.

Techno flicked his eyes toward the kid before focusing back down on the papers spread across his desk. He barely returned the wave.

"Hi." Tommy managed to mumbled out after a few minutes of stiff silence.

Techno twirled his pen in between his fingers and responded with a simple and quiet, "Hey." Before glancing back up at the kid.

Tommy opened his mouth, eyes focusing on Techno momentarily. Then his head ducked down, mouth shut tight and he pushed himself further against the wall.

A strange awkwardness settled between them, heavier than anything they'd had before. It wasn't very hostile, just unfamiliar. Like the air around two people who fought and forgotten how to apologize.

"I'm borrowing a book," Tommy mumbled, his voice almost masked by the ticking clock as he carefully pushed himself up. "If you don't mind."

Techno tightened his grip on his pen. The only issue with this silence was that they hadn't fought recently— quite the opposite, actually.

"Okay." He mumbled as he quickly returned to filling out a somewhat vague recollection of what had happened the previous day. He tried to ignore the quiet shuffling around the room as he remained hunched over the paper. It was awfully awkward.

Maybe Techno caused this, a small voice in his head tried to argue. Maybe he'd somehow offended the kid or gotten him in trouble in an unforgivable way. Or, unforgivable in Tommy's eyes. It caused Techno to start playing yesterday on repeat. They'd been in the classroom and Tommy made a shield. Then he summoned another. Then he broke it with wind and later the wall and half the roof. He ran through the day a few times.

He tapped his foot against the floor and set his pen down. When he found nothing from Monday, he tried going back further. Maybe Tommy held grudges and was good at masking them.

Techno glanced up at Tommy and noticed he was nose-deep in some dark purple book. His legs were outstretched and his shoes lazily tapped together. His bag was rested on his lap and his index finger ran against the corner of the hard cover. His eyes looked vacant, more like he was staring at the words than understanding them.

He tensed slightly, Techno needed to apologize. He wasn't sure for what, but he needed to.

So he opened his mouth to say something only to shut it just as quickly. He darted his eyes back down to the paper. Tommy didn't seem upset at him, or angry. Just off. Like something sucked the energy out of him before he'd even showed up.

Techno set the pen down and carefully picked up a different page. He debated, for what felt like hours, on what to say or if he should even speak.

"Anything interesting happen today?" The mentor blurted out, a little too loud. A little too sudden. It made his face scrunch up.

Tommy scoffed. "What are you, my mother?" It was clear he was trying to be funny, but his voice's usual joking disdain that'd accompany words like that was replaced with something more real.

"Probably not." Was all Techno could find to say, regret filling his mind. He glanced one more time at Tommy, and the kid was just sat there doing nothing. He held the book higher so his face was hidden by tn completely while his hands were tensed around it's edges.

Techno glanced back at the page he held and set down the blank paper quickly. He picked his pen back up and pulled a different paper up. He changed his focus— ten thousand dollars of damage. Mostly because replacing the stone wasn't cheap. And they'd have to find a mage who could make the same two colors of paint, and they'd want to be compensated for the dyes, wasted time, and the actual painting process. So it made some sense but it still felt like too much.

"Everything's the same." Tommy finally mumbled out. Techno looked up and saw the book's spine was now resting on Tommy's bag as he flipped to a new page. "As always."

Techno just nodded.

Silence took over the room and, despite the suffocating feeling it brought, it remained.

Until class was officially over and the bell cut through it. And followed was the noise of Tommy standing up and returning the book to its place on the shelf. He then scooped his bag up and threw it over his shoulder as he walked to the door. He hesitated, momentarily, at the bright brown wood. His feet shifting slightly.

Techno hesitated, opening his mouth once more. Just say bye, he thought. Just say it. He watched the kid grab the handle and open the door.

And when the words, "Have a good day." Finally left his mouth, it was too late. Tommy had already closed the door and was long gone before he could hear them.

Techno just sighed and glanced down at the paper. Then back to the door.

He didn't return to his incident report for a long time after that.

…

And he'd nearly forgotten the weirdness of the kid.

Sure, Techno drifted through Tuesday with his worry scratching at the back of his brain. But that night he'd decided Tommy was probably just tired and he'd went to bed with his feelings thrown to the side. Techno had other things to do anyways.

So he'd moved through Wednesday lazily. Most of his guilt and worry forgotten under loads of meetings, paperwork, and apologies.

It had started after a particularly boring meeting. He let out a sigh as he stopped just in front of his locked door, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the key. It was a small and a faint golden color and he slipped it into the lock with ease.

Then his eyebrows furrowed.

The way the key was turned, it was as if he was about to lock it. For a moment, he wondered if he'd somehow forgotten the way his own lock worked. Then he pulled the key out, turned the handle, and pushed it open.

It seemed to creak extra loud as it slowly moved until he could see into his office. Cautiously, Techno stepped in, with his right hand holding tight onto the key.

The room was mostly untouched. His shelves were the same. The curtains were still drawn open and letting sunlight pool across the floor in clean, perfect shadows. The light seemed to shine perfectly on either side of his desk.

Where a blond boy was sat. On his chair.

"You're in my office." Techno said, kicking the door closed behind him. Any bit of worry or confusion leaving his body.

Tommy was leaned as far back as he could be, his worn and dirty red shoes resting right on top his desk. On top of his papers. "I am." He said, almost smug. His arms were crossed and a cocky smile rested on his lips.

Techno narrowed his eyes. "How?" He hesitantly asked.

The kid chuckled lightly. "I have my ways." In some weird way, the laugh almost seemed forced.

Flexing his fingers, Techno stepped closer. "Why?" His voice was as steady as he could make it.

"What is this, twenty questions?" Tommy raised an eyebrow, smile dropping. "It doesn't matter now, does it?"

Techno paused on the opposite side of his desk. The wrong side. "You do understand I am still a member of staff? I have to report things like this and send you to the principle."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Obviously, but you won't." He started, looking off to the left.

"I could get in very serious trouble if I don't." Techno argued lazily as he moved to circle around his desk. His boots clicked against the floor as Tommy watched him with curious eyes.

Something more was behind them thought. His face ever so slightly different.

If Techno had to guess, it was disappointment.

"You'd get in trouble if the Council found out about a lot of things." Tommy said, voice as stiff as his shoulders. "So I'm sure you could let this one thing slide."

"I could." Techno mumbled, deciding to move past the kid and towards the window sill. The courtyard below, was full of students. Further away was an open field, a track, and other things for sports of all kinds being used by different classes.

And there again was that tense air, that swallowed the room whole. Just like the day before, but a bit worse, in Techno's opinion.

When he glanced Tommy's way, he was only slightly surprised that the kid was staring at the ceiling. His arms dropped to the sides of the chair as he pushed it onto it's back legs slightly. After a few seconds of hovering half in the air, he hit the legs against the floor with a thud. Then back up they went.

After a few thumps against the ground, Techno asked. "Can I have my chair back?"

Tommy looked over at him. "Will you snitch on me?"

"Ah, yes, I'm going to report you for breaking into my office." Techno rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Do you really think I'd do that?"

"Well…" There was a hint of humor in Tommy's tone as he smirked at the mentor. "… You look like you'd remind the teacher to assign homework."

"That does not mean I'm a snitch." Techno said, moving back towards his desk.

Tommy turned his attention away and towards the stony gray roof. "Well, snitch, your ceiling is boring." He blew his hair away from his face as his eyes danced around slightly. "You need something up there. Like an actual light source."

Techno glanced up. "Yeah, no thanks. I like my sunlight."

"What happens if it gets dark?" Tommy asked, looking towards Techno with only vague care.

And the mentor knew what he was doing. Keeping the subject away from Tommy skipping, it ensured he could stay longer. "I like the dark."

"At the very least, you could get some paint." Tommy lifted his right hand, pointing it towards the roof. "Like, imagine stars up there. It would look amazing— tie the whole room together. Trust me."

"Stars are for children." Techno said, but he kept his eyes on the roof. "At least the lantern idea made sense."

Tommy let out a small laugh. "I'm an interior decorator, you know. Best in the world. And I say stars are a much better idea and for amazing grown men." The humor he'd been missing yesterday was back like it never left. "Guess you wouldn't know anything about that, since you suck majorly."

Techno rolled his eyes. "I'm amazing enough to letting you skip class."

Tommy's smile dropped again.

"Listen," Techno continued speaking, resting a hand on the back of his chair. "I don't mind you spending time in my office." Better here than somewhere that gets you in trouble, he almost added. But he held the thought back. "Just respect my stuff, at least. And have a decent reason."

The kid looked down at his shoes and, after a moment, sighed loudly. He moved his feet off Techno's papers and planted them against the floor. "Do I have to give up the chair?" He asked, resting his left elbow on it's arm and his head against his hand. "It is very nice change of pace to be somewhere besides the floor."

After a moment of silent eye contact, Techno shrugged. "Do I look like I care?" He looked down at Tommy with a slight glare.

"Yes actually—"

"I don't." Techno interrupted quickly, looking away from Tommy with mild annoyance. "Now, why are you here." He tried to say it like a question, but it came out just a bit too stern.

Tommy opened his mouth. Then closed it. He looked towards the door for what felt like minutes. Then he pushed himself up. "I'm not telling you, so I guess I'll head out. Class ends soon anyways, and I've got Earthen History to attend."

Techno crossed his arms. "Where will you go until then?" He could feel his lips pull into a frown.

"Probably the bathrooms, since teacher's don't look in there often." Tommy glanced between Techno and the door. Then he nodded. "I won't come bothering you before class like this again, scouts honor." He started towards the door, lazily looking over his shoulder.

"You were a scout?" Techno asked, tilting his head slightly.

Tommy let out a small laugh. "Yes, actually" He paused before the door and focused on it. "I was too good, the other kids kept whining." His voice quieted down ever so slightly. "So they kicked me out."

The mentor hesitated then shook his head. "I'll believe you when pigs fly." Was his decided response.

"I could throw you out a window." Tommy barely threw a look back the mentor's way. "I'm sure that'd be close enough."

Something told Techno that the kid didn't exactly want to leave, maybe it was the way he was shifting. Maybe it was the way Tommy quickly turned and pointed to the mentor.

"That'd work, right?" He asked a bit too quickly.

Techno shrugged. "I doubt I count as a pig." He dug a hand into his pocket and watched the kid frown.

Tommy shrugged, slowly turning back to the door. "I guess your right." He said with a defeated tone as his hand reached for the door knob. "I'll get out of your hair now."

"Tommy." Techno said suddenly, making himself tense and the kid turn back to face him.

"Yeah?" The kid stuttered out as he tilted his head.

Techno couldn't think of a response, he only threw the key he'd used earlier.

Tommy caught it and studied it momentarily. "What?" He started, bringing the metal to his face.

"Don't make this a habit, got it?"

His eyes widening as he held it tighter. "This is—?" Tommy started, even if he looked like he knew the answer.

"A key to my office." Techno shifted slightly, eyes looking off to the left. "For emergencies only."

"Emergencies." Tommy echoed, glancing up at the mentor who nodded at the word. He tightened his hand around the key and quietly asked, "How will you get in your office?"

"I've got at least four extra keys lying around here, I'll find one and be fine."

Tommy hesitantly laughed. "You really take the fun out of breaking into places."

Techno let out the faintest of laughs. "That's what I do best." He said, then waved his hand the kids way, dismissing him from the room. "Now, go, since you're so keen on leaving." Techno moved to sit on his chair.

Tommy nodded and said a goodbye before Techno could offer to let him stay.

…

Techno had his hands interlocked and resting on his desk as he stared at the door.

The end of class bell rang four minutes ago. Tommy would slip in just as the second bell would go off to signal the beginning of class. It was his routine.

The mentor tried to keep himself calm as he waited. Time ticked on slower, like the world was trying to make him regret this.

Just a few seconds, he thought. Just a few more seconds and the second bell would ring.

And as if on cue, there it was. And moments later, the door opened.

Tommy slipped in with his right hand in his pocket. He carefully watched his footing before closing the door and using his left hand to adjust the strap of his bag. "How has your Thursday been?" He asked before looking towards Techno.

"Fine." Was all he could manage to say. Techno was more focused on Tommy's face and the way he blinked a few times. Then the way his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed.

The kid carefully walked further in and pointed towards the desk. "Has that, uh…" Tommy started, stopping just a few steps away. "Always been there?"

Techno shook his head. "I bought it."

Tommy tilted his head and dropped his hand. "You bought a chair?"

"I did." The mentor kept his face as blank as possible. It was opposite where he sat, and looked nearly identical to Techno's own.

It had dark wood that Tommy hesitantly touched the back of. Right next to his fingers were engravings of swirls and stars. "Why?" He slowly asked.

Techno shrugged. "You said yesterday that you were tired of the floor." He glanced down at his hands then back to Tommy. "Figured a chair would at least make the next few months a bit more comfortable."

"Is this a trap?" Tommy asked, pulling his hand away. His face contorted into suspicion. "Did you report me?"

Letting out a quiet sigh, Techno pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just sit down."

The kid seemed hesitant, but dropped his bag on the floor and carefully pulled the chair out. He examined it some more, and sent Techno another quick glance before sitting down on the red seat cushion.

"It's weirdly nice." Tommy mumbled, hands awkwardly held in his lap. "Again I ask, why?"

"Consider it an apology." Techno waved his hand Tommy's way, trying to dismiss his worry.

Tommy gasped. "So you did rat me out!" He loudly proclaimed with a look of genuine hurt in his eyes.

"For the last time, I am not a snitch." Techno said as he leaned in slightly and glared at the kid. Then he closed his eyes and repositioned himself back in the seat. "I'm apologizing for whatever I did to cause you to act so weird the past few days."

There was a moment, when Tommy seemed surprise. A brief flash in his eyes that was quickly replaced with a blank face as he waved his hand lazily. "That wasn't your fault it was… Something else. You know how it is."

Techno gave a halfhearted nod. "A bad day?"

Tommy let out a sudden noise, like a mix of a laugh and a sudden breath of air. "More like a bad week." He shot back in a low tone. He looked away from Techno and back to the chair. Nervously, he set his hands on the arms and quickly asked, "Do I still get to use the chair?"

"What am I going to do, return it?" Techno tilted his head and crossed his arms. "It was annoying enough to get up here on my own. Taking it back down would be a pain."

"Good." Tommy focused on the desk and carefully set his hands on top of it. His eyes looked at each paper and pen scattered around like he was memorizing each place it was in.

Techno nodded and let out a quiet breath of relief.

A few minutes passed of the two awkwardly staring in the direction of the other.

"Did I get you in trouble?" Tommy asked suddenly, looking up. "Cause of the classrooms?"

"Actually, no." Techno started to organize the pages carefully. "They have money set aside for destruction like that, so they covered the whole thing. " It was only four pages he'd been meaning to throw away. He pushed the pile to the side and started to pick up the few pens he left one his desk. "Honestly, they were glad we practiced magic at all."

The kid laid back in the chair and relaxed.

Techno hesitated after grabbing the last pen. He moved it closer to himself and held it in both his hands. Slowly he ran his thumb against the clip of the pen.

And that's where they remained until the bell rang.