“So I hate to ask this, but mind if I crash here tonight?” Ben said, turning to Sonya. “Since I gave up the room I was renting I need to find a place to stay, but your place is a fair bit comfier than the floor in Falk's shop in the meantime.”

“Or instead of treating my shop like an option you could get a room from an inn.” His teacher grumbled.

“It’s no issue,” Sonya told him. “I was actually going to see if you'd perhaps be interested in renting the spare room. It’s been quite nice coming home to cooked meals, and I’m sure Thera would enjoy having more food options than whatever raw vegetables and leftovers are around when I can't make anything.”

“You sure? I wouldn’t want to impose.” He was quite tempted by the idea. Their home was closer to the shop compared to where he was previously staying, and he was already storing his stuff there while he was gone. Aside from that, it would make adventuring with Thera more convenient if they could just have breakfast or dinner and go.

“Having you here for a month already went rather well I think, and it’s nice having the house so lively. Of course, this is all if Thera doesn’t mind.”

“Hmm? Will you give up on the marriage jokes if I say yes?” She asked, thinking she’d found a way to regain some peace.

Unfortunately Ben immediately shot her down. “I’m sorry, but I can only stop when I stop finding it funny. I’ll sleep in the shop tonight.”

“Gods, no sleep here instead of the floor,” She immediately gave in, not wanting her friend who she just went through a god's trial with stuck sleeping on the ground, no matter how much he insisted on annoying her. “I can’t believe you’re enjoying it that much that you’d turn down having a place to sleep.”

“What can I say, it’s how I am. Can’t help wanting to talk about my beautiful fiancée and all,” he told her with a joking smile.

Thera could only sigh. “Anyway aunty Sonya, think I could ask a favour from you too?”

“Hmm? Of course Thera, what can I do for you?” Her niece typically didn’t ask much of her, she couldn’t help but be a little surprised.

“Well since Anailia said that my levels in all my magics will improve my magic control as a whole, and it sounds like it would contribute to my quest to gain levels, I was hoping you could take some time to teach me some life magic.”

Sonya wore a complicated expression when her niece asked that. “Thera, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

“But I have the affinity at 22, I should be able to learn the skill even if it will be harder than getting dark magic.” All the women in her family had a decent compatibility with the skill, while she’d never considered it herself before the trial she knew it could be useful.

“It’s not that I don’t think you could learn it if you want, it’s just that if you don’t raise your control more it will be akin to someone going into the life valley, especially starting out. The effects could be rather severe.”

“Oh that. Don’t worry, I have a solution that will probably work pretty well.”

“You do?” Sonya asked, not sure what she meant until she pointed at Ben.

“Wait, you’re going to use me as a practice dummy for potentially dangerous life magic? Didn't you say something about the life valley causing mould to grow on people while bacteria eat them alive?”

“You have a ridiculous life resistance, you’ll probably be fine. Besides,” She started as a playful smile formed on her face. “Don’t you want to help your beautiful fiancée?”

Falk immediately burst into laughter as his niece got her little revenge, and Ben gave in. “Fine, I’ll help until you get the skill at least. The first time you succeed probably won’t be too rough on me, right?” He asked, turning to Sonya who wouldn’t meet his eyes.

Gonna take that as it might hurt a little. It will probably be fine. He tried to convince himself, hoping he didn’t agree to something that would get him confined to bed to heal again.

“Well as long as my disciple can still work I don’t mind too much what you do to the boy, but I should probably head out. Meet me at the shop bright and early tomorrow and we’ll see just how you’ve improved.”

“Sorry Falk, you mind if I start up again the day after? Myriad asked me to check up on his other believer in town so I wanted to do that tomorrow.”

“If it’s a task for your god then I don’t mind. Didn’t realize you had another believer here.”

“I converted her with my honeyed words. Not to brag, but I occasionally try to do what my god wants.”

“I don’t think there's a single person on this world that would consider an apostle who only occasionally works towards their god's interests as bragging, but as long as none of the divine retribution you’re getting one day rubs off on me then that's all that matters.”

“Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure Myriad doesn’t have enough believers to pull anything like that off.”

“Anailia does and you still chipped her avatar,” Thera muttered, which Ben was happy to ignore. That was really just a difference of opinions after all.

“Anyway, I’ll see you in a couple days.”

Once Falk left, Thera got up to start getting ready for bed herself while Ben stayed up to unpack his spacial bag and chat with Sonya for a while.

After tossing the small bit of luggage both he and Thera brought into it, he’d filled the rest of the space with books and tools, the most important clearly being his kiss the cook apron. Besides that though he made sure to get plenty of books on topics he wasn’t sure he could learn much about from Falk, like sewing, cooking, and stoneworking, on top of as many ones on enchantments as he could comfortably buy from the craftsman's guild. If he was going to figure out a way to make a brace that could perfectly contain Thera’s passive magic then the secret was going to be in mastering enchanting, he was sure of it.

It was as he was flipping through one of the enchanting books he was more hopeful about that Sonya spoke up.

“I just want to say I am so, so sorry about my sister,” She said with as much sincerity as she could muster. “I know she can be a handful but I never would have imagined her forcing the trial or an engagement onto you.”

He continued to try to make his way through one of the more complicated passages with one mind, focusing the other on the conversation. “Don’t worry about it, honestly with the amount I gained from the trial I can’t exactly complain, and it’s not like I’m involved with anyone at the moment or even looking to be. Being engaged for a while won’t be so bad.”

“Well having said that, do you think you could ease up on Thera a bit? A man shouldn’t joke when calling a woman beautiful after all.”

“It’s not like I’m joking about her being beautiful,” He told her while he pulled ideas through his head. “But yeah, I guess it’s been a week already, I’ll ease up unless it’s ever particularly funny.”

Since he had his nose buried in his book, he didn’t notice Sonya perking up to his response, nor was he aware of Thera briefly stopping to listen as she went to wash up before she slept. Sonya though was in a perfect position to take note of her niece's pause and shimmering face.

“So does that mean you don’t have any issue with romance outside of your race?” She asked, probing and instantly having more fun with her sister's decision.

“I guess that sort of thing depends. I can’t say I’d be attracted to all hominid types, let alone all races. The head of the church I was summoned to, father Yan, was some sort of one-eyed lizard man…” He pulled his head away from his book as he thought for a minute. “Actually I never learned his race, did I? Either way that's a bit out of my strike zone.”

“But Thera would be in it?” Sonya asked, pushing forward with her curiosity.

“Like I said, Thera’s pretty but at the same time I’m not looking for anything and she’s mentioned that she isn’t either. Besides, it’s not like I have romantic interest and I’m not throwing away one of the few friendships I have in this world because she happens to be a single girl.”

“Well, “ Sonya said, finding herself immediately more entertained by her sister's meddling, “Not exactly single anymore, is she?”