“Over here, Caroline!” Sentra waved her hand to catch the other woman’s attention.

Caroline, dressed in her plain country-styled clothes, was easy to spot in the crowd. It puzzled Sentra somewhat that Caroline hadn’t updated her wardrobe by now. Even with her recovery, shopping for tailored clothes shouldn’t be an issue with an Archmage salary.

“Thanks for waiting for me Sentra.” Caroline said after giving the blond a hug. “I’m kinda embarrassed, but I got lost…”

Sentra laughed, eyes twinkling. Several men walking past stumbled. After days of sleeping, bathing, and not doing anything, the blond beauty was back to her former glory. Only her thin gauntness suggested something wasn’t quite right.

“Don’t be embarrassed, you’re still new to the city. It’s easy to get lost.”

Caroline nodded, but still felt a little ashamed. She’d actually been to were they were going: the Blue Bird Cafe.

When Sentra’s invitation had come in, and that was the met up place, Caroline had almost turned her down. But when she thought about it, she realized the best way to get rid of a bad memory was to override it with a good one.

The Blue Bird Cafe was exactly how it’d been all those years ago. Blue and covered in bird themed art. It’s popularity hadn’t lessened either, as it was packed when they arrived.

“Are we going to find a seat?” Caroline said, seeing the amount of people inside and the line outside.

“Ho ho ho,” Sentra gave a laughing smirk. “I got us reservations!”

“They do that?”

“For the right people.”

Before Caroline could ask, Sentra pulled her along through the door and up to Front Waiter. Saying her name and reservation number, the Front Waiter immediately brought them to their spot.

It was the exact same table Caroline had sat at the first time she’d come here. They were next to the window, with a clear view of the street.

‘…what are the chances…?’ Caroline thought, wondering if she should laugh or cry.

With Sentra there, the experience was a lot more fun than last time. She knew everything on the menu, plus some off menu items, and what things went best together.

It turned out that Sentra was a very “take charge” kind of person. Other than asking if Caroline had things she specifically didn’t like, the Healer ordered for both of them. Her authoritative tone made the waiters straighten their spines. It was like she ran the place.

When the waiter walked away, Sentra suddenly tilted her head and looked apologetic. “Sorry. I should have let you order what you wanted.”

“Nay, you’ve been here more often than me anyway. I don’t really know what to order. It’s kind of nice having someone figure that out for me.”

Sentra knew Caroline was making excuses for her.

“Well, thanks for not being upset at least…”

“Why would I get upset?”

Sentra’s eyebrow rose. “Most people don’t appreciate my… hm… bossiness.”

“Then they must not know you well enough and your job. Thio says Mages don’t like taking orders, even from Healers. And the Knights aren’t any better. I can’t imagine how frustrating it is to be a Healing Mage and having to deal with such stubborn people.”

Sentra blinked several times and then burst out laughing. “That’s true! But I can’t believe Archmage Thio admitted it!”

“Eh? Why’s that so surprising?”

“Because he’s the worst offender! The worst one! I’ve had to scream at him more than once because he’s just run off and do whatever he wanted. How can I heal people if they’re running away from me? That brat, now I know he knows… if he ever does it again, I’ll make his life miserable…”

Caroline silently lit a candle in her heart for Thio. She hadn’t meant to betray him like that, but running from Healers is a big no-no. Did he have a death-wish she didn’t know about?

“How long have you been a Healer, Sentra?” Caroline asked, trying to divert attention away from Thio for a bit.

“Hm? Oh, let me see… 18 years I think.”

“…wait,then how old were you when you joined?”

“Sixteen. It was that or get married.”

“What?! Doesn’t that mean you’re…” She did some quick math. “..34?!”

“Yep.”

Caroline’s mouth dropped open in total disbelief.

Sentra gave knowing smile. “Mages age a lot slower than the general population and live a lot longer too.”

“They do?”

“Of course. Did you not know? It’s considered one of THE benefits of being a Mage.”

“Oh. I never heard.. No, I think it was mentioned in passing, but I didn’t understand what they meant. I just thought they meant Mages get really old and liked having long beards and hair.”

“That’s accurate in it’s own way.”

“Still though… staying younger for long… how is everyone not trying to be a Mage then…?”

“Talent, my dear. Talent. Getting in to the Air Defense is not an easy task. Anyone can be a Magician if they self-study and have some mana affinity, but Mages are set apart. The entire Empire’s magical library is behind them. We’re talking over a thousand years of academic studies and spells at our disposal, most of which aren’t available to the general public. The aptitude standards for Air Defense Mages is insanely high because of that.”

As she was speaking, the tea, cakes, and small desserts were brought to their table. They both paused the conversation to drink and eat.

“If that’s the case, does that mean Thio’s really talented?”

“Yes it does.”

“Hm…” Caroline ate a piece of cake. “I knew it! He told me he was just good at spell combinations and it wasn’t that amazing. But who gets promoted that quickly if they aren’t at least a little bit amazing?”

“Is that how he views himself?” Sentra raised both eyebrows. “He’s always so stoic about everything, I had no idea he was so self-depreciating. ‘Just’ ‘spell combinations’? Let me tell you, he’s a genius with layering and combining spells. I’ve never seen anyone do what he does, and do it as quickly as he does too. He’s saved about as many people as I have with his quick thinking, even people who ranked higher than him.”

“So he’s really a genius…” Caroline looked pleased and then wrinkled her brow, sighing. “I’m the polar opposite of him. I can’t do any magic at all. I’m a little jealous.”

“Really? I’d rather have your constitution than magic. Not only are you physically built like a rock, you’re somehow able to resist curses. I bet you could resist regular spells too. THAT is something to be jealous of.”

Caroline thought for a moment. “I guess it’s true that the grass is greener on the other side.”

“The grass is what?”

“Oh, it’s saying from where I come from. Basically, everyone else’s life always looks better than your own. It’s actually implying that’s not true though, and people should be content with what they have instead.”

“What a great saying! I forgot you’re not from the Empire… what’s your home country like?”

“It’s…” Caroline squirmed uncomfortably, trying to think of things she could actually describe. “…different. We don’t have a King or Emperor. We vote for our leadership. Uhm. We celebrate different Holy Days and Festivals than you guys…”

After a few minutes of Caroline’s disjointed rambling, Sentra patted her on the hand. “It’s alright. If it’s difficult to remember, then leave it be.”

“Thanks.” Caroline said, looking relieved. “Oh, I wanted to ask, what’s Thio like at work?”

Sentra gave a single laugh and then rolled her eyes. “Different then when he’s with you, I assure you. He’s usually very serious and focused, only concerned with work. The only time he socialized was when he was forced to at work parties or when Evans somehow talked him into going to a bar. The only time he wasn’t on missions was if his superiors told him he needed to catch up on paperwork. And even then I’m fairly certain he’d sleep in the office instead of going home. Was his house cursed? I never could figure out why he avoided going home. All I know is watching him made ME exhausted.”

“I,It can’t have been that bad…” Caroline muttered, a little worried. She knew he went on missions before being moved to the Research Institute, since he often talked about the places he visited in his letters. But it hadn’t occurred to her that he’d volunteered for more than was normal.

“No, he was really that bad. We got along because we both have a strong work ethic and I dabble in experimental healing spells, which he found interesting. The difference between us is I know when to take a vacation. I don’t want to be driven into an early grave because of work, and I didn’t want him to do that either. I’d remind him that he was mortal and needed rest, and he did not like it. As a professional, he couldn’t ignore me but he also didn’t listen to me either.” She clucked her tongue at his stubbornness. “And don’t get me started on the sad state of his love life before you came along…”

Caroline sat up a little straighter. “What do you mean?”

Sentra saw her interest and her eyes lit up with amusement. “That guy… Don’t take this personally, alright? Even by Mage standards he’s a twig. He struggled lifting heavy boxes, so he used weight reduction spells on everything. It was just sad. I always thought… if this guy gets hit once, he’s going to break. Fragile like glass.”

“H-hey, he’s not that weak! I mean, he’s a little bit weak, yeah… but that… that just means he’s slender! Not everyone can be a manly-man! And what about his face? He’s got a great looking face! That’s got to count for something!”

“So skinny guys are your thing, is that what you’re saying? As for his face… doesn’t he just look gaunt? If his face was more filled out, maybe…”

“You’re just being picky because you’re beautiful!”

Sentra blinked and then laughed so hard the other guests were startled. After gaining control of herself, she straightened back up.

“It’s true that I’m beautiful.” The blond flicked back her hair with a hand and tilted her head up teasingly. “But I’m just saying what most women think when they see him. I can’t help it if I agree with them as well.”

Caroline unhappily picked up a cup of her tea and sipped it, grumbling, “Women here have no sense of taste in men…”

Sentra grinned slyly. “Well, he did have a few women who took interest in him. Not that I understood why, of course.”

“What?” The younger woman almost spit out her tea. “Who dared!?”

“Oh? I thought you wanted him to be popular?”

“Er, no, well… I just…”

“Now, now. You’ve no reason to worry, even if they were interested. Any time they tried to flirt with him, do you know what he’d say?”

Caroline shook her head, curious.

Sentra cleared he throat, lowered her voice into a monotone: “Why would I have time to go out with you? Who are you anyway? You know what.. Never mind. Here, I have some work for you. Since you said you’re free this evening… completing these by tomorrow should be easy. If you’re ever bored again and need something to keep you occupied for the evening, please me know. There’s always work to be done and an extra helping hand wouldn’t be amiss.”

Caroline face stiffened as she tried not to laugh at Sentra’s imitation of her husband.

“I actually heard him say that, almost word for word. The girl hitting on him had to stay the entire evening to complete the work he gave her. If looks could kill, she’d have murdered him a dozen times over…” Sentra shook her head. “Worst of all, he almost never realized he was being hit on. He’d get this perplexed look on his face, like he didn’t understand why they were there...”

“He can’t have been that oblivious to every single one…”

“Only once did he notice. I was there for that too. I don’t know why I’m always there to see these kinds of things but I am. Thio might not be the best looking man in the world, but only an idiot would ignore how fast he was getting promoted. There are always women who’ll grab a man’s cape for that. One girl really tried for his cape. Followed him around, kept grabbing his arm to rub her chest against him, and when that didn’t work, straight up told him she wanted to bed him.”

“She didn’t!”

“She did. Thio’s face went totally blank. That’s when I figured out when he got stressed he went expressionless. It was the most amazing thing to watch. His whole body shuddered, visibly, and he cast a Repulsion Spell on her.”

“A what spell?”

“He invented it, he might have made it up on the spot for all I know. It’s a combination of bunch of different spells. Every time she got within a certain distance of him, the spell would activate and push her away. Usually into someone or something else. It caused a huge hassle in the office, so they eventually reassigned her and he’s never had to see her since.”

“Good for him!” She looked pleased and then tilted her head, eyes darkening slightly. “He said I was the only girl who ever chase him though…”

“Hm, chased? Oh! You can’t possibly classify a cape-grabber as a genuine candidate for his affections? She was harassing him! For weeks! You don’t actually want him to count such an awful woman, do you? To count her would be giving her a place of honor in his heart.”

“What? Ew! No!”

“Then what he said was true. Goodness! What kind of country did you come from, that you would count yourself and a harasser as equals?”

“No, that… I didn’t… uh…” Caroline wrinkled her brow and decided to change the topic. “Was it really alright to use magic at work like that though?”

“Are you kidding? That spell was amazing! Super useful! I’m pretty sure it helped get him promoted, again. His Superiors were practically giddy with him for thinking it up.”

“Uh… that… I mean I’m glad he wasn’t punished but… shouldn’t using magic against another Mage be taken a little bit more seriously though?”

“Hm? Why? Us Mages are all about magic. Whether it’s healing or dropping fire balls on our enemies heads, we’re obsessed with our spells. As long as no one dies, someone who’s good with magic in the Air Defense can be forgiven for a lot of things.”

“…you guys are so ruthless…”

Sentra shrugged. “Not really. Thio was just more valuable. And, anyway, there were lots of witnesses to cape-grabbers behavior. She was like that even on missions. It was really inappropriate. If he hadn’t done something, I would have. It was interfering with work.”

Hearing this, Caroline nodded, cramming a cookie in her mouth and munched it angrily while muttering. “…how dare she rub herself all over him, only I get to do that…”

Sentra shook from trying to suppress another wave of laughter.

“You really like Thio don’t you?”

“Yes, of course?”

Tucking her hands under her chin, with elbows on the table, Sentra asked with amused curiosity. “What’s so great about him?”

“Let me see… he’s really handsome, I mean that’s what I think anyway, and gentle and kind and generous. He’s a good cook, and a hard worker, and smart.. Oh, but I guess he’s really a genius, isn’t he? So he’s a genius too, hehe!” Caroline gave a small bashful smile, appearing shy. “He says I’m pretty and good at embroidery. He’s always treats me like a lady, even though I’m… I’m not really one. You know, being an Adventurer, I’m rough and tumble… no one really thinks of me as a woman… so it’s… it’s kind of nice how he treats me like I’m delicate… sometimes… anyway…”

Caroline had whispered the last bit, apparently embarrassed by her own words.

Sentra stared at her in open amazement, her tea cup stilled half way to drinking it. When she’d asked that question, she hadn’t expected such an honest and straightforward reply.

It’s no wonder Thio had gone soft. Even though he was a curmudgeon who seemed hell bent on dying by overwork, he’d have to be a corpse not be moved by such devotion. And when Caroline said such sweet, saccharine praise of him she blushed just like an innocent maiden.

Sentra bit her lower lip. This girl was adorable! If Sentra wasn’t aware of Caroline’s raw physical power, she’d have compared her to a puppy. Loyal, excitable, and distressingly cute.

As they talked, Sentra decided she quite liked Caroline. Her professional curiosity turned into a sisterly one, and by the end of their visit she determined to stop by more often. The younger woman hadn’t made any real friends in the city yet, so it was up to Sentra to make sure such an innocent young lady got into the right crowd early on. She certainly wouldn’t trust someone like Thio to help.

That man might love his wife, but he was useless is social settings. If Sentra left it to him, Caroline would end up a wallflower. And that was simply unacceptable.