There was still a bitter taste in Theo’s mouth.

He had conjured water over and over, trying to wash it out to no avail. It lingered like the damp chill of winter that sank into your bones.

They had worked in silence after the incident which, while not too strange for Francis, was something Theo rarely managed to do. The dynamic between the two of them had fallen into a comfortable back-and-forth (and by back-and-forth, Theo said ten words to every word from Francis), and it was slightly disquieting for them to be back into stilted silence like they had when they first met.

Still, Francis stayed silent, letting Theo work through things, internally fuming as they terraformed.

It showed, as more than once Theo had lost focus and transformed what he was making into something more aggressive, like a patch of glass shards or one very memorable spot of hissing lava.

Needless to say, those were not conducive to plant growth. It took a few tries to turn them into what they were supposed to, but Theo learned a lot about his instinct improvisation in the process. Even if it was mostly about emotions and focus and his conflicted feelings regarding the near-execution he witnessed and was complicit in.

Even now, as the two of them walked away from the Woods, following the glowing signs of the Coins of Unity, he was distracted.

Francis coughed.

Theo had slowed down again. He sent a sheepish smile in Francis’ direction as he picked the pace back up.

He looked down at the Coins. They were pointed at another College, this time the College of War.

---

The two of them arrived just after sunset, as the lighting changed. The wooded interior of the College was warm, reminding Theo of a well-kept pub, but with more weapons on the wall (or an equal number in possession, if the pub in question was The Pub).

As always, Grant was at the reception, scribbling away with a quill. He looked as stern as always, hair as meticulously shaved as always. In fact, there was very little that seemed to change with Grant over time. A question that was percolating in the back of Theo’s mind asserted itself.

What would happen if the receptionists were unavailable at the Colleges? From what Theo could tell, it seemed like there was only one for each. Did he just manage to only catch the one person at reception? It felt like a rather restrictive job if one was expected to stay there all day every day.

They walked up to Grant as Theo thought that through. Grant didn’t acknowledge them at all, instead staying silent and focused as they approached.

“Hi Grant, could we take a look around?” Theo smiled, but Grant didn’t look up from the paperwork at all.

“Why?” There was a note of resignation hidden in his voice, mixed with a slightly seething irritation.

Theo ignored the fact that Grant really didn’t want to talk to them. “Francis and I are trying to find something.” Grant’s eyes finally left the paperwork in front of him, only to stare, unimpressed, at Theo.

“No.” Grants eyes returned to whatever he was doing. It was a simple, curt answer, that managed to say both ‘your request is declined’ and ‘fuck off’ at the same time.

Theo waited for an elaboration that never came. He looked over at Francis, who looked a bit uncomfortable. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.

“Is there a reason why not?” he asked, slightly confused at the barely-disguised vitriol.

“Yes.” With the curt responses, Theo thought that Grant was like a less fun Alan.

Much less fun.

Theo prompted Grant to explain. “What is that reason?”

Grant sighed, signing the piece of paper in front of him before moving on. “The captured spy from Etol.”

“Ah.”

If Theo thought the previous pauses were long and uncomfortable, this redefined what those words meant. He could understand a need for secrecy and enhanced security, but this felt a bit excessive. Still, he had no response…so he decided to just ignore it and try to continue the conversation.

“What can we do right now to be allowed in?” He wasn’t sure it would work, but he had to try.

Grant stayed silent.

Theo tried a different angle. “Hypothetically, if that wasn’t an issue right now, could you let us in?”

“No.” Grant was as descriptive as always.

“Why not!?” Theo was getting genuinely frustrated at this point, and even though a voice in the back of his head knew it was a bad idea getting snippy, he couldn’t help it.

For the first time since they entered the College, Grant put down his quill. “You are under the mistaken impression that you are allowed to wander anywhere you want. The College of War is a place of learning and combat, not a tourist attraction. We tolerate The Dancing Wind’s use of our facilities because they booked them beforehand, and paid to use them. They didn’t show up and ask if he could use them without warning, with no consideration for the state of our schedules.”

The frustration creeping into his voice turned to steel. “You will not be taking a step beyond this desk. I promise it.” And with that, Grant stood, hefting a battle axe taller than he was, slammed its butt on the wood floor, and making it very clear that if they didn’t evacuate immediately, he would put it to use.

It was at this point that Francis decided to contribute to the conversation. He put a hand on Theo’s shoulder, and held him back. “I apologise for my friend’s behaviour. Is there anything at all we could do to be permitted inside?”

Grant’s posture deflated, and with the hand not currently holding onto his axe he rubbed his eyes. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.”

Theo’s eyes widened in surprise. He was so used to Grant being antagonistic or irritated that he had started to think of him as a perpetually crotchety individual (which didn’t help their communication).

“Come back with a teacher or a warrior.” And with that, Grant sat back down and ignored them.

They walked out of the College of War, both occupied with their thoughts.

For the second time that day, Theo acknowledged that someone could be right (or at the very least, reasonable) but go about it like an asshole.

For the first time, he acknowledged that he could also be an asshole.

Meanwhile, Francis was surprised he had managed to handle and defuse that situation the way he did.

“Well, the charge will expire far before we can gain access to the College, so we’ll have to try again next week.” Theo summed up their situation. “We’ll need to bring someone else. Someone trustworthy.”

“…I don’t think I know anyone that you don’t already.” Francis admitted.

Theo wished Sparrow was here and not off in Etol. It would have made things easier. He mentally crossed potential people off the list, until one remained. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but they seemed like the right choice.

Theo smiled at Francis, more confident than he felt. “I have a person in mind.”