Rowan startled awake mid-fall. He reached out, desperate, and latched onto a throw pillow as he crashed into the ground. A second throw pillow toppled after him and bumped off his face.

“Ow,” he muttered. Blinking against the dark, he patted around for his bedside lamp. What time is it? How early am I?

Unfamiliar lights flickered all around him, bright white and yellow out the window, brilliant greens and blues into the kitchen. Where…

Right, Kaidu’s place. He sucked in a breath and squinted at the clock. 4:40? Kaidu said to be up by five. Might as well get up.

Flicking on a small lamp nearby, he drew out his notebook and sat up with his back against the couch. Exp-gaining conditions, he wrote, then hesitated. Poison. Low HP. Jude?<--combat classes. After a second, he drew a line through Jude.

He left halfway through, but I kept leveling up. I don’t think he’s the key to me gaining levels, especially not since he’s a Bug Hunter, whatever that is.

He frowned, then added a note. I never paid much attention to what went into becoming an Enforcer—never interested me. Apparently it’s an understudy of some sort? But then, what about the Guards at the reception desk? Are they Enforcers, or independent?

He added a note to the book: Bug Hunter: lesser Enforcer? Reception desk guards? Going back to the remaining two conditions, he circled Poison.

I’ve been poisoned every time I’ve been low-HP so far. When I’m just poisoned, I don’t gain Exp, so it doesn’t work on its own. I should try just being HP-critical and see if that works. It’s quite possible I need both conditions to gain Exp, but I should confirm that before I go around poisoning myself for fun.

He snorted at himself and added a note: not that I want to die or anything…

The door opened behind him. Rowan startled and hid the notebook on reflex.

Kaidu frowned at him. He grunted.

“Uh, morning,” Rowan greeted him.

“Ikara asleep?” Kaidu asked.

Rowan shrugged. “Far as I can tell.”

Kaidu walked over to the other door and tried the handle. Locked.

“Yeah, she said she was going to—”

He pressed his palm against the door. “Studio Lighting.”

Brilliant white light blazed from the cracks around the door. Ikara shrieked.

“Wake up,” Kaidu ordered.

“I’m awake, I’m awake. Turn off the lights.”

Kaidu frowned. He pressed his hand harder against the door. The light burned even brighter.

“Ugh! I’m awake. I’m coming.” A pillow thumped against the door.

The light faded. Kaidu lifted his hand off the door.

“You can throw that light anywhere?” Rowan asked, curious. I can only produce fertilizer or water from my hand. If I could produce them further from me… well, it wouldn’t help much, but at least I wouldn’t have fertilizer all over my hands every time I use the skill.

Kaidu nodded. He glanced at Rowan. “Doesn’t work for every skill.”

I should try it, though. “How do you do it?”

He put his palm against the door again. “Best if you know the area you’re casting into. Want to make sure you aren’t activating the skill inside a wall, or it won’t go off. I’d start in an empty area and try to cast a little in front of you, not start casting through walls.”

He focused, furrowing his brows. “Visualize it in the space. Then… Studio Lighting!”

Another pitiful shriek. “Have mercy!”

“Get up,” Kaidu snapped.

Rowan scribbled in his book. “What about mana?”

“Cost is a bit higher. Not bad.”

He nodded. I’ll have to try it today while we’re training.

Hair mussed, eyes half-open, Ikara lurched out of the other room. “Urghhh.”

Kaidu moved to the cabinets and grabbed a handful of protein bars. He tossed them at Rowan and Ikara. Startled, Rowan lunged and caught the most of them. A few tumbled past his legs and thumped to the floor. Ikara stared and let the bars bounce off her chest, mouth half-open.

“Breakfast and lunch.”

Rowan grabbed up the bars and shoved them in a pocket. Ikara bent and numbly gathered hers. Impatient, Kaidu waited by the door.

“I… my shoes,” Rowan said.

Kaidu looked at his feet, then glanced at his own. Rowan’s wide toebox spread across the carpet, much wider than his narrow-toed black boots. “I don’t have shoes in your size.”

“We can buy some on the way there,” Rowan said, waving his hand. Kaidu’s already offered enough, I didn’t mean it to come off as an ask anyways.

Kaidu nodded. “Shall we?”

Hefting his tool-laden backpack, Rowan nodded. “Let’s go.”