FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Hazy thoughts filled my head as I began to come to. A twisting and churning feeling rang throughout my body, making my consciousness unbearable. I couldn't even open my eyes, the noxiousness unceasing. The only thing I could do is faintly shift my body, turning onto my side.

My senses and feelings slowly came back to me, allowing me to discern my surroundings. The side of my face was met by a soft cushion. It felt immaculate, as my head practically sunk into it, an amazing texture as well. Despite how good the cushion felt, it did little to dissuade the nausea that licked away at my head.

Amid my turmoil, my mind raced to figure out what's going on. Memories being vague and hazy, they slowly began to recollect. The morning, the carriage, the argument. It all filled back into my head.

Finally mustering the strength to open my eyes, I sit up. At first, my blurred vision offered no help in discerning where I am, but yet it slowly came back to me. Looking around, I notice I am still in the carriage we were in when we departed.

"He's awake," a hushed voice said at my side.

Before I could turn my head and see who said that, a pang of nausea wriggled throughout my body, causing me to lurch forward and grab my head.

"Are you okay, Sir!" the voice roared out.

Steadying myself and taking a deep breath, I look at where the voice came from. What met my eyes was someone covered in full plate armor. Their helmet had a metal visor that fully covered their face. They were holding a small crystal ball in their hands. It almost looks like a communication node.

I recognize the heavily armored man being the one driving the carriage in the rain. "C-Cooper?" I asked while rubbing my head.

"Sir yes Sir!" He gave a near-perfect salute with much ferocity. "The captain told me to watch over you while they left, Sir!"

I look to my side to see that the carriage door is open. The rain seemed to cease as I slept and is now replaced with nice shining rays of sun. Also outside of the carriage, I realized that there was a finely decorated building. A plethora of humans and beastmen walked in and out of it. Each was adorned in fine robes and held books in their hands. Students?

"We made it to the school?" I ask while my eyes adjust to the light outside.

Cooper nodded, his perfect posture unwavering. "Sir yes sir!"

"By the way," I start while pointing at his hand. "Wasn't that a communication node-"

"LAWRENCE!" A booming yet familiar voice roared out from a distance, cutting me off mid-sentence.

The familiarity causes me to instinctively shiver. I look to my side, the sound of frantic footsteps catching my attention. Out of the open door, I see Felicity making a mad dash toward the carriage. Her charge was unrelenting as she closed in. The sight was intimidating and I felt my heart skip a beat.

Only mere moments later she finally arrived at the open door. She stomped one of her feet inside of the carriage and lunged toward me. I couldn't even react in time as she grabbed my sides and pulled me out of the carriage. Her fierce grip latched onto me as she stared into my eyes. My feet didn't even touch the ground as she held me.

I felt my throat tighten, almost reacting instinctively in defense. Yet, Felicity quickly wrapped me into a tight hug. Her warm grasp enveloped me, causing me to sigh in relief. Her hug was not short, nor was it ceasing, it simply got tighter. So tight, I could feel my breath leave.

I tapped her on the shoulder, a signal to let me live. "Missed you too," I wheezed. "You can put me down now."

She did the opposite by tightening her grip. "I came as soon as I heard you were awake," she spoke, warm breath brushing against my neck. "You just up and passed out, I thought you died or something."

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a couple of people started to stare. The small group began to culminate, more people murmuring and questioning what was going on. They wore a plethora of expressions, most confused.

"Hey, we're starting to get an audience," I say as the life is being squeezed out of me.

Loosening her grasp, she snapped her head to the amassing people. "Hey!" she roared, the sound piercing my ears. "Don't you people got someplace to be? Scram!" Her voice was as cruel as the Demon King himself.

The confused people began to disperse, murmuring all the way. A few people lingered, still giving skeptical looks, but they quickly departed after Felicity gave them a deathly glare.

Felicity loosened her grasp and released me from the near-death hug. Placing me on the ground, she grabbed my shoulders. Not saying anything, she only looked at me, brown eyes shining with relief.

I caught my breath, before returning her stare with one of my own. "Just still light-headed is all, nearly dying takes a lot out of you," I said with a light-hearted chuckle. However, I knew I was lying. These blackouts are something else entirely. But that can wait.

Felicity returned the chuckle as her grasp on my shoulder loosened. "You have a knack for making me worried."

I shrug. "What can I say, I just have that effect on ladies."

She rolled her brown eyes and smiled. "C'mon, Amelia's in the school waitin'," she said while lightly patting my back. She whipped her head back at the carriage. "Cooper!" Her once tender voice was back to being cruel.

From inside of the carriage, Cooper gave a salute. "Yes ma'am!?"

"Watch the ride, we'll be back!" Her booming voice echoed out, prompting a couple more head turns.

The man saluted. "Yes ma'am!"

I myself gave Cooper a small departing wave as we started walking off. It's only polite.

Me and Felicity both began walking toward the large school. The cobbled path was littered with puddles, a sign of the recent torrent that once spilled across the city. Yet, the students who rushed in and out of the building didn't seem to even notice the water as they splashed through the puddles. People chatted in its courtyards while they congregated in groups to socialize. Despite the recent storm, this place is alive with all sorts of activity.

After taking in the sight, I looked toward Felicity. "So, did you two get along or something?"

Felicity didn't look at me but kept walking. "What?"

"You and Amelia, you said her name without a hint of disdain earlier." I look back toward the massive building we're getting closer to. "Did your icy heart crack?" I teased.

"Guess so." The fox chuckled a little. "After you passed out on us, we kind of settled our differences." She scratched the pack of her head. "Seeing you like that," the volume of her voice lowered. "We sort of found common ground." She sounded almost embarrassed.

"Nice," was my only response. Honestly, that's pretty relieving. I thought those two were going to skin each other alive if they kept that argument going. Maybe it's a good thing I passed out.

Once we made it to the large doors of the school, we were blocked by an immense crowd. The doors were already wide open as a flood of people rushed in and out of it. We had to squeeze through the crowd to enter the building.

As we finally managed to break through the sea of people, we got to examine the inside. The interior was as grandiose as the exterior, it was almost breathtaking how decorated it was. A large crystal chandelier was hanging from the incredibly high ceiling, casting a glow on the spotless wooden floor beneath us. Elaborate staircases twisted up to a series of hallways and corridors.

The further we went into the lobby, the thinner the crowd became. Despite the lessening people, the entire interior was almost drowned out in a flood of voices talking. Most of the people seemed to congregate at entrances and hallways. While the open space of the lobby had groups and crowds of people, they were dramatically smaller than the larger ones. At the center of the main lobby was a circular desk with several receptionists. They were talking with students and writing things down.

"What kind of school has a receptionist's desk?" I ask while pointing to the disgruntled looking receptionists.

Felicity was scanning the people in the lobby, looking for someone. "This place is so big it's practically its own city-state." She didn't even look at me as she spoke, only looking over anyone she seen.

"Huh," I said while I joined her in her surveying. "Well, where's Amelia at?"

She started squinting. "She should be around here somewhere."

We continued surveying the plethora of people in the lobby, observing each individual. It didn't take long before I found a familiar rat amongst the crowd. She leaned against the wall while looking like she was sulking, a frown on her whiskered face. Despite the fact she was still wearing her glasses, her red eyes looked sad.

I waved out at her to get her attention. "Hey! Amelia!" I cried out.

In a split second, she perked up her head, ears swiveling to my location. As soon as she spotted me, her gloom dissipated. A smile quickly grew on her face as she made her way over. At first, it was a small trot until she giddily picked up her pace.

I continued to wave at her. "Hey, Amelia. I-"

She cut me off with a swift hug, much to my surprise. I froze for a second as I felt her arms wrap around me. After collecting myself, I reciprocated the action, wrapping my arms around her. Two hugs in one day, a personal record.

The rat started mumbling loudly, trying to say something. I could hear tears swelling up as her eyes became watery.

"Calm down, I'm still alive," I say as I pat her on the back while trying to retract the hug.

Amelia clung slightly before letting go herself. "You just passed out and I was so worried and-"

"Spare the sympathies," I laugh while patting her shoulder. "I already got an earful from this one." I nodded toward Felicity.

"Oh," she said as she wiped away her upcoming tears. "I'm sorry."

I offer her a reassuring smile. "No, no. You're good." I pause for a moment before the whole reason why we're here hits me on the head. "Oh! Did you guys see Evelyn yet?"

Amelia finished composing herself and shook her head. "No, the lady at the front desk said she was teaching a class right now."

I look around the huge interior of the school a little more. "Really?"

"Yeah," Felicity chimed in. "She was kind of a bitch about it."

"Language," I teased while nudging the fox. "But, did she say where the class was though?"

Felicity scratched the back of her head. "Pretty sure she mentioned it's on the second floor."

I turn my gaze to the stairs "How about we go see where it's at, yeah?"

The two nodded and we started heading toward one of the large twisting staircases. Despite classes being held, students still walked about the halls, littering the place as they mucked about. Some simply walked to and fro while others used magical devices to lift and carry them. Even by just being in the building you can feel the magic that flows through the air.

I even notice stone golems picking up trash and carrying an assortment of supplies through the building. Magical janitors.

As we started walking up the steps, the grand scope of the school kept surprising me. Despite our destination being the second floor, it felt like we already climbed several flights of stairs, only to still be on the first floor.

A variety of the school's students were rushing up and down the same staircase, making its navigation difficult. Amelia, however, was looking around, practically amazed at all of the magic around her. There wasn't a trace of the gloom that was on her face before. That's nice.

"You like this place huh?" I ask Amelia as a way to spark a conversation.

That rat's ecstatic face snapped to look at me. "Yeah! It's really amazing!"

"It's uh... it's pretty big I guess," I reply while looking down the stairs at the grand lobby we were once in.

"I know right!" Amelia said as she started down an enthusiastic rambling. "I think I would make a great student here! I recently found out I had an affinity for water! How about you both?"

"Take a wild guess as to what mine would be?" Felicity said while grinning.

"Uh... Holy?" Amelia said with a confused tone.

A hint of laughter bubbled up in the fox. "Never knew you were a genius."

"How about you Lawrence," Amelia turned her gaze toward me while tilting her head.

Shit. "I, uh," I find myself instinctively averting my gaze. "I forgot mine?”

Amelia tilted her head to her other side. "Really?"

I try and find a way to change the subject. "Oh look! We made it to the second floor!" Thank god.

My efforts seem to have been successful as Amelia didn't push the question further.

As we reached the second floor of the massive building, we started down a long hallway. The corridor itself was wide and full of students. Lining both of the walls was a series of doors with plaques above them. Each plaque had a name, which were probably those of the professors who taught the class.

The three of us were tentatively looking at each of the doors, examining the names above them. We kept our eyes peeled, looking for any hint of Evelyn.

"So, how's Evelyn like?" Amelia asked amid our search.

I think back to our old party days. "She's..."

"She's a lot," Felicity responded while chuckling.

"Yeah, last time I saw her, she-" I started before accidentally bumping into someone.

The human man I bumped into recoiled, clutching his belongings. "Hey! Watch where you're walking you fucking prick," he said with a smug look on his face. "You know how expensive this uniform is? I don't want some homeless man ruining my style." He dusted off his robe.

I gave him a dismissive wave. "Sorry 'bout that. No harm no fowl right?" I said with a light-hearted laugh.

"I'll show you a fowl if I find a stain on this thing." The man tried his best to sound threatening.

Felicity, in a burst of rage, grabbed the man's shoulder. "How about YOU watch where YOU'RE going!" she roared while emphasizing her words by poking the man on his chest. "Hallway's big enough!" Her voice boomed while staring daggers into the man.

He looked at Felicity and then back at me. "Tch." was his only response. He tugged his shoulder out of her grasp and continued down the hallway, muttering something.

Amelia looked at the man and then back at the aggressive fox. "Felicity you didn't have to be so mean. It was an accident."

Felicity scoffed, diffusing her angry tone. "He was asking for it."

I shrugged in agreement. "In a way he was," I chimed in while laughing.

Amelia looked slightly annoyed. "Actually, shouldn’t you two and your other party members be world-renowned heroes? I mean, Lawrence told me a lot about how you guys defeated the demon king," she said before pausing. "A-And that's a pretty big deal, right? But it doesn't seem you're being acknowledged for that."

I start to resume our search down the hallway while I think back to my past. "Heh, about that."

Felicity released an audible sigh while she followed closely behind me. "During that whole fiasco, after we killed the big bad, we thought we were going to become famous."

"Well, you should be! I think it's unfair that you aren't," Amelia interjected.

I offer an empty chuckle. "Tell me about it."

"While the military acknowledged our efforts, the nobles pulled out some legal bullshit to take the credit" A slight snarl made its way on Felicity's face. "Think about it from their perspective. Some rag-tag group of nobodies kills the literal demon king while the nobles don't lift a finger? Can't have that."

"At the time we didn't really care, we were a pretty small name party, so we just took what we got," I said while trying to help explain.

"Looking back on it now, we got dealt the shorthand." Felicity's snarl etched further into her snout. "Saved the country for a bag of coin." Her face now twisted in malice while her voice had a biting edge to it. "Not even that big too."

Amelia was speechless for a moment as we kept walking. "That's..." she started before pausing, seemingly unable to think of how to describe it.

"Scummy?" I said.

"Bullshit?" Felicity chimed in.

Amelia simply looked between us. "Y-Yeah, that..."

I look back to the hallway, the main reason we are even here. "Let's just get back to looking."

We walked to the end of the long door-filled hallway, and we found nothing. Not even a hint of Evelyn.

"You sure she's up here?" I ask, uncertain if our directions are correct.

Amelia nodded in reassurance. "The receptionist told us her class was on this floor."

"She probably lied to us," Felicity said while groaning.

"Maybe we should ask around?" Amelia asked.

I give a slow nod while I begin to survey the hallway. Fortunately, there was a properly dressed wolf beastman walking down. His fur was immaculately groomed without a hint of matting. He wore a gold monocle and his posture spoke volumes of his uptight character. The wolf looked like a textbook example of a professor.

"How about that guy?" I point to the wolf. "Looks like he knows the place."

Felicity nodded while turning her gaze to our subject. She waved him down with a faux smile. "'Scuse me, sir. Mind if I ask you somethin'?"

"Hmmmm," the wolf said while looking at each of us. "Make it snappy. I have been teaching all day and I am absolutely ravished." He raised his snout slightly while an audible "Hmph" came from him.

"Do you know where Evelyn's class is?" Felicity inquired further.

The man simply rolled his eyes and sighed. "You want business with that drunk?"

"Uh." The fox slowly nodded her head. "Yeah?"

The wolf looked annoyed that we even said her name. "I have no idea why the headmaster even favors that no-class alcoholic degenerate." The titular "Hmph" escapes his snout again. "They moved her class to the third floor. But if you ask me, it should have been ME getting the promotion, but that's bureaucracy for you." More pompous sounds could be heard as he resumed walking down the hallway.

Felicity's polite demeanor shattered into one of sheer confusion and annoyance. "Thanks?"

"I guess the receptionist was wrong," Amelia said.

Felicity nodded, an almost pleased look on her face. "I knew she was a bitch."

"Language," I said while nudging her.

---

After backtracking to the staircase and going to the third floor, we resumed our search. We ended up in another hallway, looking at the plaques for any hint of Evelyn's presence.

Amid our hunt, a loud bell rang out, echoing throughout the halls. A split second later, students spilled out into the corridor. They rushed and hurried toward other rooms and the stairs, bumping into each other in their hasty movements."

"Lunch time?" Felicity asked while weaving through the onslaught of people.

"Guess so," I replied while trying to do the same.

"Well, I guess Evelyn's class isn't in session anymore," Amelia said while almost being dragged away into the crowd.

We persisted through the flood of bodies until the hallway was nearly empty again.

Continuing in our search for Evelyn, we observed each door on this new floor. That was until the peculiar smell of alcohol filled my nose. I winced at its recognition and looked between Felicity and Amelia, who also shared the sentiment. We looked to where the smell was coming from and our gazes were met with a classroom door. It had a paned glass window and a plaque above it that spelled out "Rosmarinus".

Amelia sighed. "I thought that was her. I guess some other professor is an alcoholic."

I shook my head while pointing toward the plaque. "Nope, this is it, Evelyn Rosmarinus."

Amelia almost looked shocked. "Rosmarinus!?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah?" I said while confusingly tilting my head. "Never heard of a last name?"

"N-No, like, Rosmarinus, THE Rosmarinus," Amelia replied, her face mimicking her shock.

Felicity also looked confused at Amelia's exclamations. "Uh?"

"You know, the famous family Rosmarinus. The family renown for their mastery over astral sorceries Rosmarinus?"

I think for a moment then shake my head. "Doesn't ring a bell."

"Did she never talk about her family to you?!" Amelia looked absolutely astounded.

Felicity shrugged while walking closer to the door. "No, not really,"

"Never really mentioned it," I said while following behind her.

Amelia looked almost light-headed as she staggered back. Almost passing out due to our ignorance of famous people.

As we approached the door, it sounded like an argument was happening inside of the classroom. Despite the bell dismissing all of the students, there seems to be activity within.

I recognize that drunken voice anywhere. "That's definitely her in there," I say while reaching for the door handle.

Felicity nodded. "Never thought I'd miss that voice."

I slowly twist the handle and creakily open the door. I keep it only slightly cracked ajar, enough to peer inside. And peer we did.

What we saw was a drunk opossum with a bottle in her hand. She was swaying about haphazardly while she was arguing with a small cat beastwoman. The white-furred cat seemed to be displeased with the opossum as she was lecturing her. Despite the argumentative nature of the cat, she seemed to be an assistant to the opossum.

"Ma'am, you really need to stop drinking while you're hosting classes," the cat said with an annoyed tone. "I can't keep denying the pressing questions about a drunken professor teaching the students."

"Bahhhh! Those *hic* goobers can shove it." The opossum retorted, raising her almost empty bottle in the air. "They won't do nothin', they know I'm the best mage *hic* in this school." She took a quick swig of the contents inside the bottle.

Amelia leaned closer toward me as we peered inside the room. "This is the person who can find your stone?" Amelia whispered to me.

I sigh in regret. "Yeah."

A hushed but bubbly laugh came out of Felicity. "She didn't change one bit," she said while looking into the room.

"Well, time to introduce ourselves," I say as I lightly knock on the ajar door before fully opening it. "Excuse me!" I intervene as I take a single step inside of the room.

The cat snapped her head to look at me. "Oh! I'm sorry but Miss Rosmarinus won't be taking visitors right now." She waved me off while pointing toward the door. "Please come back during office hours, then I can set up an appointment."

I offer a polite smile. "Well you see-"

The opossum snapped her inebriated head to look at me. "L-Lwarence?" she slurred as she swayed back and forth.

"In the flesh," I said while unable to hold back a smirk.

"Lawrence!" Evelyn squealed as I saw her drunken face light up with excitement.

I took a couple more steps inside the room before the drunken opossum dove into a hug, bottle still in hand. I quickly wrapped my arms around her, my excitement fueling my actions. That makes three hugs. Record broken.

"Oh. My. God. Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod, Lawrence I haven't seen you in... in like forever!” She started bouncing up and down in place, with me still in her arms. "Decided to finally marry me and came here to sweep me off my feet?" she giggled while practically burrowing her furred face into my neck.

"Not quite," I pat her on the back, a signal to cease the hug. Didn't work. "We actually-"

Her grasp tightened. "Do you still cook? You were like really really really good at that." Despite her forming coherent sentences, her drunken tone made it tricky to discern her words.

"Kind of, but-"

Evelyn swiveled her head to look at her assistant. "This guy right here can brew up the meanest batch of booze I've ever had."

The cat simply raised an eyebrow.

I look at her skeptical assistant and give a nervous smile. "That's an exaggeration."

Evelyn loosened her hug, albeit slightly. "Mmmmmmmmh," she removed her head from my neck and looked upward in thought. She remained like that for a moment before diving her face back into me. "No."

The assistant gave a heavy sigh. The embarrassment is evident on her annoyed face.

Evelyn finally released me from the hug and looked into my eyes. She shifted her gaze to Felicity, who now began walking into the room.

The opossum walked closer to the fox, looking her up and down. "I see you still hang around this tall oak," she said while looking back at me for a moment.

Felicity stepped a little closer to her, looking down at the drunken mess. "Nice to see you too."

They had a brief staredown. I couldn't tell what each of their intentions were, I simply watched as they bore holes into each other's souls. The room was quiet for a moment. Tension rising in the air. That was before they dove into a hug themselves.

"I missed you so much you brute," Evelyn said while smothering her face on whatever part of Felicity she could.

"You too you drunk," Felicity said while seemingly tightening her embrace.

Cute.

They maintained the hug for a moment before retracting.

Amelia finally scurried into the room. "Uhm, hello," the rat nervously tried introducing herself.

"And who might this be?" Evelyn asked while looking at Amelia. "Has Lawrence already amassed a hoard of swathing women? Without me?!"

"No," I say while sighing. I point to Amelia and then to Evelyn. "Amelia this is Evelyn."

"Hi," the rat waved.

Then vice versa. "Evelyn this is Amelia," I say.

Evelyn simply smiled while downing the last of whatever was in her bottle. She looked down the barrel of the glass, looking disappointed at how empty it now was.

I walk over to Amelia and pat her on the back. "She's my former employee turned apprentice," I say with pride.

"Ohhhhhhhh," Evelyn replied with an eyebrow raised. "How scandelous~" She put her free hand to her mouth, trying to look shocked.

I roll my eyes before shaking my head. "Anyway, we came here to talk to you," I say while looking toward the cat and then back to her. "In private if you don't mind."

"A proposal!?" The opossum looked ecstatic. "Took you long enough-"

"No." I cut her off before she says anything regrettable. I clear my throat. "This is serious."

"Oh," Evelyn replied as she seemed to drop the drunken goofiness.

The cat looked between me and the opossum. "Miss Rosmarinus, might I ask what's going on?"

Evelyn didn't even seem to acknowledge her, she only rubbed her furred chin in drunken thought. "I am in no condition for a serious talk with my old companions." Her tone became increasingly serious. "Give me some time to clear my head," she said as she turned her head toward her assistant. "Lilly take them to my room, make sure they're comfortable,"

The cat nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Evelyn began to stumble out of the classroom. Even though such a simple task took her a couple of fumbling minutes, she finally managed to make it out and started walking down the hallway. You could hear her excited ramblings fade away as she continued down the hall.

"If you may," Lilly said with a quick but polite bow. She didn't move but stayed still in her exact spot. "Please gather around." She pulled out a smooth stone from her pocket. The rock emanated an ethereal energy as a small rune etched on it pulsated with a purple light.

While confused, we obliged and walked closer to her.

"Aren't you gonna, like, take us to her room?" Felicity asked while looking at the cat.

"Indeed," Lilly said while she raised the stone.

The purple rune on the stone started to shine. The emanated light increased to a point where it was blinding. I instinctively shielded my eyes as the purple hue practically enveloped the entire room. Accompanying the light, a buzzing sound started to erupt. Then in an instant, it stopped.

I uncover my eyes, confused. I looked around and was even more confused to see that the surroundings were different. We were not in the classroom like we were mere seconds ago but in a tall cylindrical room with a spiraling staircase going upward.

"Follow me please," Lilly said as she started walking toward the steps.

"Wait, what just happened?" I ask while rubbing my head.

The cat giggled and pocketed the rock. "First time teleporting?"

I replied by furrowing my brow and giving a confused look.

"We teleported with a simple waystone," she said while gesturing to her surroundings. "We're in the adjacent tower to the school, where all the professor's quarters are."

"The teachers live in the school?” I ask, unable to douse the confusion in my tone.

Felicity patted my shoulder as she started following the assistant. "Told ya, big school."

We followed the assistant as she started walking upstairs. The spiraling staircase was large, but not as tall as the one in the school.

"You know," Lilly said. "I've never heard Miss Rosmarinus sound so serious before." The cat's gaze was focused solely on the stairs. "You must go way back. Former friends?"

"Yeah, you can say that," Felicity replied. You could tell she was holding back a snicker in the way she spoke.

"I'm so sorry for how she acted," Lilly emphasized.

"We're pretty used to it," I respond.

Lilly sighed. "But still, she really is one of this school's best mages and professors, yet all she seems to do is drink."

"Tell me about it," I say. It's hard not to mention her past of drunken escapades.

We climbed the spiral stairs for a few moments longer until we reached another floor plateau. There were a couple of well-decorated doors lining the walls. The assistant walked to one of the doors and unlocked it. She stepped inside and motioned for us to follow.

We all stepped inside behind her. The room was dark, the faint glow from a curtained window served as the only light in the abode.

"One moment please," the assistant said before snapping her fingers.

In an instant a couple of lanterns hanging from the ceiling were lit, illuminating the interior. Inside of the room was quite luxurious. A sizable kitchen with a long table. A large window with a curtain blocked the daylight from outside. On the ground, on top of the spectacular wooden floor, there was a large circular yet immaculately textured red carpet. A rack lined on the wall held an assortment of wines.

Lilly walked to the window and undid its curtains, letting the blinding daylight flood in the room. The newfound brightness let us inspect the room even better now.

I look around in awe for a moment. "Woah, Evelyn has quite the house."

Felicity looked around, an unimpressed look on her face. "Mine's better."

The cat walked back toward the door we just entered in, exiting the room. "Miss Rosmarinus should be here in a few moments. Please make yourselves comfortable," she said with a quick bow before leaving and closing the door behind her.

I gave a soft departing wave but my attention was glued to the interior of the room. "Since when do professors live like this?"

"This school has a lot of funding behind it," Amelia responded. "It's one of the main reasons why it is so successful."

I walk around the house to explore, looking in and out of the many different rooms. Felicity seemed to have the same idea as she began rummaging through whatever cupboards she could find.

"A-Are you sure you should be doing that Felicity?" Amelia nervously asked.

"Yeah." Felicity's snout was buried inside of a cupboard. "She won't mind."

I myself started opening any doors I found. Behind one door there was a pristine bathroom with a massive tub that looked like it could fit four people. Another door led to an outdoor balcony, just showing how high this room is, overlooking the school. You could even see the droves of students coming and going as they pleased. And from here I could also faintly see the carriage we came here in.

I wave in vain to Cooper and went back inside of the home. Opening another door, I find the bedroom. The bed itself was huge, king-sized, with a luxurious blanket and fluffed pillows. Drapes of silk hung from the ceiling, veiling the bed itself.

I pulled back the veil and kicked off my shoes before flopping onto the mattress. I practically sunk into the cushion as I fell into comfort. I laid on my back and crossed my legs while putting my hands behind my head.

Amelia nervously walked into the room. "Are you sure she will be okay with this?" The rat asked while looking around the room. "Won't she get mad if we mess her place up?"

I didn't even try to move as the comfort of the bed consumed me. "We go way back. Trust me, she won't mind."

Felicity barged into the room, holding a small loaf of bread in one hand and cheese in the other. "Loohks cmomfy," she said while chewing on something.

The fox sat next to me on the bed. She crossed her legs and kept cramming food in her mouth.

"Try not to get crumbs on the bed," I say while proceeding to fall into the embrace of the bed. "That's unforgivable."

Felicity chewed for a moment before swallowing whatever she was eating. "Want some?" she asked while handing me some bread in one of her hands.

"No," I said while barely managing to shake my head. "I'm good."

Felicity changed her gaze to Amelia, who was now sitting on the other side of the bed. "You?" Felicity asked while presenting the cheese in her other hand.

"Oh yes please!" Amelia said with much enthusiasm. "Thank you."

Felicity laughed while she tossed the cheese to Amelia, who almost dropped it. "You don't seem to mind us eating her food now, huh?" the fox said.

Amelia didn't even acknowledge the remark as she started nibbling into the cheese.

“I guess she just really likes cheese." Felicity shrugged and then proceeded to take another chomp out of the bread.

I turn my attention back to the ceiling, basically zoning out while I experience the immaculate bed. After Felicity finished devouring the bread she was voraciously eating, she flopped down and lay beside me.

"This is unreal how nice this bed is," I say, trying to spread my enthusiasm about the bed.

"It's decent.” Felicity started to shuffle closer to me while lying down. "But I think I found something a little more comfy."

"I disagree," I say in denial.

"That does look quite comfortable," Amelia said after she finished nibbling away her cheese.

After there was no more cheese left, Amelia began to hesitantly lay down on the bed. She shuffled on my other side as she flopped her back onto the mattress. Her gaze was practically fixated on the ceiling as her face started to turn red. At first, there were at least a couple of inches between us, then Amelia started to slowly scootch closer little by little. This was until she was practically touching my side with hers.

Felicity, almost in response to Amelia's movement, quickly slithered her arm under my head and wrapped it around my shoulder. I ignored her advances and simply enjoyed the comfort of the bed. But I can not deny the body heat emanating from Amelia and Felicity was very nice. I felt like I was between two snug blankets.

We continue to lay in silence. Amelia at my left, Felicity at my right, while I am stuck in the middle. I try my hardest to fight the drowsiness the situation invoked.

"Lawrence, you mentioned that you forgot your magical affinity," Amelia said, breaking the silence. "How do you forget something like that?"

"Touchy subject," Felicity mumbled.

I keep my attention locked onto the ceiling, slightly less drowsy as there was now a conversation, albeit one I don’t want. “Okay, I kind of lied.” I can't help a sigh that escapes my lips. "Truth is, I don’t have one.”

Amelia was speechless for a moment. "What?”

I try to lighten the mood by giving a light laugh. "Unlike most people, who are born with at least a middling amount of mana, I got the bottom of the barrel, not even a single magic point to my name."

Felicity's grasp around me tightened.

”I’m… I… I didn’t know,” Amelia replied.

”Don’t feel bad. Things like this just happen sometimes.” I try to continue the lightheartedness but fail. “Nothing I can do about it.”

"Is... Is that why you pursued alchemy?" Amelia asked, hesitant in her question.

"That's..." I pause for a moment, trying to think of what to say. "That's another topic."

"I see," Amelia said before falling into silence, not prodding the conversation further.

Despite the awkwardness of the silence, we all continued to lay on the bed. I lost track of time as I almost dozed off.

The loud opening of a door shattered the quiet like broken glass.

"I'm hooommmeeee~" A squealish voice cried out.

Evelyn's words echoed throughout the whole abode, this prompted all three of us to flinch. We could hear her footsteps walking about on the wooden floor.

"I see you helped yourself to my food," Evelyn peppily said while we could hear her strolling to the bedroom.

I start to realize how awkward of a situation we are in. At this point, it looked like we were all snuggling on the bed. Actually, that is kind of what we’re doing.

"Better have saved some for-" Evelyn paused as she finally entered the room. She had a giddy smile that quickly turned into a wide-eyed stare when she noticed that we were all on her bed.

"This is not what it looks like," I said.

"It is what it looks like," Felicity teased while tightening her grip around my shoulder.

Amelia stayed silent but I noticed her face turned an even brighter shade of red, almost like it was on fire. She started to mumble something, but it was inaudible.

"A threesome without me?" Evelyn laughed as she proceeded to walk into the room.

I could feel sweat start to accumulate on my brow. "No no no no, that is not-"

Before I could finish what I was saying, Evelyn hopped on the bed and straddled my waist. She was smiling with questionable intent as she rested her pink hands on my chest. Her fingers slightly gripped my shirt.

"Mind if I join?" the opossum said as she started to move her hands downward.

"Yes I do," Felicity said.

I was silent. I couldn't even process how this would end up.

"Just kidding~" Evelyn giggled with a palpable amount of mischief. "Now scooch over you big oaf," she said as she nudged Felicity.

Evelyn squeezed in between me and Felicity, forcing herself in as she lay down. She wrapped her arms around both mine and Felicity's shoulders, looking between both of us giddily.

"I haven't seen you two in so long!" She squealed.

At this distance, the noise hurt my ears. I can only imagine the pain Felicity is in with those big fluffy ears of hers. Before I could recover from the deafening scream, I noticed Evelyn give both me and Felicity a quick smooch on the cheeks. Despite her soberness, I could still smell the alcohol on her breath.

"We missed you too," I said with a smile.

Amelia perked her head up to get a better look at the opossum. "Miss Evelyn. If you mind I ask, how did you sober up so quickly?"

Evelyn raised her head to look at Amelia. "Lucidity spells work wonders when you're drunk," she laughed as she flopped her head back down.

"You should try my anti-hangover potion," I said while looking at Felicity. "Works wonders too. Ask Felicity,"

The fox groaned.

Evelyn giggled. "Unlike that brute of a fox," she looked at me and winked. "I don't get hangovers," her giggling turned into mischievous laughter.

The fox groaned harder.

"Any who," Evelyn cleared her throat. "Before we get into some serious talk, want to go out for dinner?" She sat up and looked down at me. "We have to catch up! It has seriously been way too long.”

"If you're paying," Felicity said.

"For sure," I replied

Amelia also sat up herself. "That would be great!" Her enthusiasm was quickly drowned out by nervousness. "I-If I can come, that is."

Evelyn closed her eyes and excitedly nodded her head. "Oh! You know what just crossed my mind?"

"What?" I questioned, her enthusiasm was practically contagious at this point.

"Where's Djura at?" Evelyn asked. "It would be amazing if he came with us too! I haven't seen him in years!" She started clapping her hands together. "We could like bring the old gang back together!"

I could almost feel my expression sour. Looking between Felicity and Amelia, I notice that their once relaxed faces cracked into those of concern.

Evelyn seemed to notice our expressions and tilted her head in confusion. Almost trying to ask what happened without speaking a word.

Though in the moment, all I could do was smile at her. "We'll talk about it while we eat, yeah?"