Rhysel paused, then added, "I guess I should say that I don't mind being the subject of poetry, I'm just still feeling a bit guilty for stumbling across it. I'll get over it, I'm sure, but it may take a few days."

"Considering how things went subsequently, I have to say I'm glad you found it," Tekaal replied.

She squeezed his hand. "I'm glad you're not mad at me for it."

"Not even at first," he said. "Panicky, yes, rapidly inventorying my belongings to determine how difficult it would be to move across the country, yes, but not angry."

She giggled at that. "Yes, please don't move."

"I should hope not. It would be frightfully inconvenient."

"Kanaat would probably be quite put out with me, having to find a replacement teacher and all," she quips.

"In the middle of term, too," Tekaal replied. "He'd have to get someone to substitute for my classes."

"I'd rather avoid that. I don't need him mad at me."

"I doubt he'd be particularly upset with you. Aral Pyga likes you, after all."

"You never know. Could just be she likes my cooking."

"Weren't you friends prior to your cooking for her?"

Rhysel adopted a thoughtful expression. "To be honest, I don't really know. I didn't see much of her before then. My first two weeks here weren't spent in Esmaar, and then I spent some time alone."

He nodded. "Well, it's possible she just likes your cooking, but somehow I doubt it."

She grinned. "Oh, it's more than that, yes. But I don't know if I was a friend or merely a responsibility before we started spending time together somewhat regularly. She's definitely a friend now, though."

"That's good," Tekaal said.

"Yes. It's good to have friends. I don't have all that many yet."

"You have more than I do."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Do you prefer it that way?"

"My preference about having friends never really entered into it. The sorts of things one generally does to go about obtaining them never seemed worth it to me, however."

She mulled that over. "I've never thought about it that way. It's just sort of happened to me, when I've made friends."

"You have a more amiable demeanor than I," he pointed out.

Rhysel smiled. "You seem pretty amiable to me."

"This isn't at all usual, though."

"I'm glad I get to see under the formality. Although even when you've been all formal, you've still be likeable. It's not like you're rude or anything."

"I try not to be. I'm out to make enemies to an even lesser extent than I'm out to make friends."

She smiled. "Either way, though, you're likeable. At least, I think so."

"Thank you," Tekaal said happily.

She squeezed his hand. "You're welcome."

He smiled.

She fell silent, enjoying the walk. After a moment she said, "If you'd like to try, you might be able to carry that post another way."

"How difficult is this to learn, and can it be taught en route? If we need to stop to do it, I will probably not arrive at class my customary fifteen minutes ahead of time."

"It's not exactly easy, but we can keep walking while we do it. I can float it while we see if you can manage it too."

"All right," he said agreeably.

She takes the post from him and places it in the air, letting it float along besides them for a moment. "Remember how it felt when I spoke in your mind?"

He nodded.

"You should be able to feel something similar from the ground beneath your feet and the air around you. It'll be much fainter, of course, but it'll feel the same way."

He attended to his surroundings obediently. She walked in silence beside him, giving him a chance to try to pick it up.

After a bit less than a minute, he said, "Got it. Chords."

She nodded. "Good. Now, the low note of the chord you're getting from the ground is the solidity tone. Can you isolate that one?"

He hums a low note.

She smiled. "I guess so. All right, now you want to take that note and add it to the chord you're getting for the air."

He frowned slightly, but said, "Done. Odd chord, that."

"Yes, some of the combinations are unusual. Air's not usually solid, after all. Keep that chord in your mind, and pick a spot of air within arm's reach - it's important that you choose it in relation to yourself, not to the surroundings, or else the post will float in the same place and not move with you." Tekaal nodded. "Now, you want to apply the energy of the chord you're using to the same spot of air - just as you did when you projected the tone for handfire. Take the post and put it in the spot while you do the projection of the energy. If you did it right, it will stay in the air and follow along with you. You're creating a pocket of solidness that will hold it."

After a moment, he picked up the post and set it in midair half an arm's length before him. "Can the location be moved the same way the handfire was?" he asked.

"Yes, although it's a bit trickier."

"How do I go about it?"

"You push it with the air around it." She pondered for a moment, working out her explanation. "The simplest way to explain it, I guess, is that you imagine a wind - there are a couple of different tones in a breeze than there are in calm air like this. You add those two tones to the energy you're holding - add the notes to the chord you're visualizing. Then you've made it mobile and can direct it around as you do the handfire."

He nodded.

"Well, you've now got two simple workings," she smiled. "There are more efficient ways to manipulate the air around you, but they take more explanation and are harder to learn."

"Probably best to wait until they can be transferred, then."

"Most likely."

"Will it be difficult to make the mental transformation from the flavors and textures you associate with the workings to the tones I've been using?" he asked.

"I doubt it, since I know that visualization as well. I can hear the energies as the notes, but I have much more difficulty working with them that way, which is why I revert to the others - but the knowledge is there." She smiled. "This is all rather exciting for me, that you can do that." She gestured at the floating block of wood.

"Why?"

"Several reasons, really. First, because I managed to decipher the infusion working from the scrolls I have. Second, because I think it's a valuable piece of magic to be able to do - the infusion that is. Thirdly, because it means that magic can be shared with people who didn't have it before. I know several back home who would volunteer for the process once it's been shared out a bit."

He smiled. "And I go down in history as the first test subject."

"In more ways than one. If my magic takes root here in any sort of large measure, you'll be known for that here as well as at home. Hopefully you can cope with fame," she added impishly.

"I shall just have to add another aspect of my life to the list," he said. "My name is fairly well-known in town for acting as it is - but I'm not recognized on the street or in school, because I'm careful to get deeply enough into character onstage that in day-to-day life I'm apparently unrecognizeable. Even when I don't have the help of a mask."

She smiled at that. "The mask definitely helped, but I couldn't pick out your voice until after I saw your name in the program. Something about it was chiming faintly in the back of my mind, but not enough so that I could identify it as your voice."

He nodded. "It also helps that I normally go by my last name alone. On a handful of occasions students have asked me if I'm related to the actor."

Rhysel laughed merrily. "I assume you say yes?"

"I do," Tekaal smiled.

"Have any of them ever asked you to get 'the actor' to sign something for them?"

"Yes," he chuckles. "I take whatever it is they want signed and return it to them with my signature subsequently."

She laughed again. "That's rather nice of you."

"I'm reserved, not selfish."

"I've noticed. Everyone I've talked to speaks well of you too."

"Really?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes. Keo obviously thought highly enough of you to suggest you as the ideal person to learn and teach my magic. And Korulen and her friends that've mentioned you generally had a favorable impression. One of them thought you were strict, but that's the worst thing I've heard said about you."

"Interesting."

"How so?"

"I don't know. I don't usually get the chance to know what others actually think of me, with the sole exception of theater reviews."

She nodded. "I like you rather a lot." She squeezed his hand fondly. "I think you're charming, polite, gentlemanly, artistic, talented, and intelligent. And I absolutely love your voice." She grinned as she looked up at him. "Now you know what I think of you."

Tekaal turned exceptionally pink. "Thank you," he managed.

"Most welcome. Oh, and handsome too."

He coughed and got a trifle pinker. "Thank you."

They continued their journey in companionable silence, and eventually arrived at the school. Ar Kithen pushes open the door and proceeded to the lift.

"You may want to reverse the magic," Rhysel said, reaching for the post.

"Ah, yes," he said, undoing it.

She took the wood, tucking it under her arm. She did not, however, release his hand.

"I suppose all we need do to break the news is stroll into the hall like this," he said as the lift neared its destination. "There are more gossips than Aralan Mehaas in this school."

She laughed. "I'm fine with it if you are."

"I have reservations, but that is only to be expected."

"If you'd rather I let go, I can. I'd rather you don't feel uncomfortable."

"My reservations are not nearly sufficient to make me want you to let go."

"All right. Although you'll have to let go to teach, I expect."

"Regrettably, yes."

"Don't worry. I'm not going to run away to the bottom of the world." She grinned.

"Oh, good. It's so disorienting to walk around the edge, and I've never been to the bottom of the world so I couldn't teleport there to chase after you."

The lift came to a stop and opened. "Well, you could travel through it now - once you've learned how."

"Interesting. Like an earth mage? But that still involves a gravity reversal."

"Or like a water mage - although I've never tried to breathe water or earth myself. I just provide my own air." She exited the lift, pulling him along with her. "I've never experienced the gravity reversal, though, so I've no idea what that feels like."

"I stepped off the edge once," he said, shaking his head as he circumvented a knot of staring students. "It was rather nauseating."

"I've heard it is. Haven't been to the edge myself, let alone tried to step over."

"We can go sometime if you like, although it's really not all it is rumored to be." He held the classroom door for her.

"I come from a spherical planet, remember. The sight alone will be rather worth it to me. And thank you," she added as she walked through the door, setting post and satchel down at her usual seat.

He sat in the seat beside her rather than relinquishing his hold on her hand. "You're welcome. I suppose there wouldn't be anything like it on a sphere."

"Nope. There are some fairly impressive cliff formations near my Master's tower, but I don't expect they look anything like the edge of your planet does."

"Probably not. There's no bottom to that particular cliff. It's also ten miles long. Or high, depending on how you look at it."

"Yes, the cliffs I used to dive from weren't nearly that big."

"You used to dive from cliffs?"

"Most of us did - my Master's apprentices, I mean. He never approved of it, but we did it anyway. We'd jump off, gathering the magic as we fell, and catching ourselves before we'd hit bottom."

"I see. Sounds like a hazardous pastime."

"It can be, if you're not careful. I eventually gave it up. I mostly did it because my Master didn't want us too, and I was going through an anti-authoritarian phase."

Tekaal nodded. "Esmaar lacks cliffs to dive from, so we are unlikely to have that problem."

"Probably for the best. Although if there's a place around her air mages go to unlock their power, there may be similar sorts of goings-on."

"They normally need to be taken farther south to leap off any natural formations. There are tall buildings they can use, however."

Rhysel nodded. "I guess we'll just have to see what happens. I don't know what the propensity is for discipline problems here."

"There are some, but they tend to be minor."

At that moment, Lutan opened the door. "Ar Kithen, I heard somebody saying - Dragon drown us all! It's true!" she said, holding a hand to her mouth and stepping back.

Rhysel watched Lutan's reaction with mild amusement.

Tekaal observed the girl dispassionately. "Can I help you, Aralan Mehaas?"

"No sir. I will - um - be back when class starts. Bye." She ducked out of the room and footsteps could be heard rapidly carrying her away, presumably to tell everyone in the school.

"I rather suspect," Rhysel said, amusement tinging her voice, "your students may not be particularly attentive in class today."

"That is entirely possible," he said. "Which is a pity, because today is pop quiz day."

She laughed. "From her reaction, you'd think a monster was about to eat her or something."

"It's probably an odd revelation that I exist outside the school. Students in general often have difficulty picturing their teachers in other contexts, and I suspect this holds even truer of me than most. She's already been sufficiently jarred by running across me in the art supply store."

"Yes, that did seem to throw her," agreed Rhysel.

"Although it probably makes more sense to her now."

"Probably. Although the reason we were there together was more to do with getting the materials I needed, like I told her. Whether or not we're dating wouldn't have affected that one way or the other."

"True, but she doesn't know enough details about the circumstances of the shopping trip to have come to that conclusion," said Tekaal.

"Well, I have mentioned to her - several days ago - that you were going to acquire my magic - Kanaat gave me permission."

"I see. But even so, I assume you didn't go into depth about affinity woods, and all of the other items you could have found - albeit probably after asking directions - without my accompanying you."

"No, I didn't go into details."

Korulen and Kaarilel poked their heads into the classroom. Kaarilel immediately started squealing. "That's so CUTE!" she exclaimed. Korulen, meanwhile, suffered from gales of silent laughter.

Tekaal looked at them disapprovingly.

Rhysel grinned at Korulen's amusement. "Something funny?"

"I'm sorry," the thudia gasped, and resumed doubling over with mimed guffaws.

Rhysel quirked an eyebrow curiously. "Don't pass out, now."

"I think I'll be okay," Korulen said, grinning from ear to ear as the laughter finally subsided. Kaarilel was still squealing to herself, although she mercifully kept the volume down.

"Somehow, I wasn't expecting helpless laughter to be a reaction I'd see." Rhysel grinned at Korulen.

"What were you expecting?" Korulen asked. Tekaal looked increasingly uncomfortable.

Rhysel squeezed his hand reassuringly, hoping to set him a little more at ease. <Relax, Tekaal, if you can. Please? We knew there'd be a reaction,> her voice sounded in his mind. Pointing to Kaarilel, she said, "Her reaction, for one. Surprise, for another. I don't really see anything funny about it though."

"I just never expected it," Korulen said. "I mean, I guess it makes sense, kind of, but still!"

Tekaal settled down somewhat upon receiving Rhysel's mental message. <Sorry I can't do this two-way yet. I'm all right with the reaction, though.> Rhysel went on. To Korulen, she said, "Unexpected things seem to happen to me a lot lately, as I'm sure you're well aware."

"Guess so. So, um, yeah." Korulen sat in her usual seat and Kaarilel followed suit. "Are you guys going to start offering your offworld magic classes next term, or wait another one?"

"I don't know yet. I only performed the infusion-working last night. We haven't had time to work out a teaching program or anything yet. Why?"

"Because I want to sign up for it. It sounds cool," Korulen said.

"You do?" asked Kaarilel. "You're already doing so much work! How can you fit a whole other kind of magic in?" Korulen shrugged.

Rhysel grinned at that. "You'd be a welcome addition - at least, I think so. I'll let you know when we've worked things out then."

"Cool," Korulen replied.

Rhysel looked from Korulen to her friend. "What about you, Kaarilel? Were you interested in it as well?"

"No way," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not even a very good wizard."

"Oh, you're fine," said Korulen bracingly.

Rhysel smiled. "You're a better wizard than I'll ever be." She winked at the girl.

"I guess," Kaarilel said dubiously.

More students started coming in, and Tekaal reluctantly released Rhysel's hand to take his place at the front of the class while they assembled.

Rhysel smiled brightly at him as he let go and dug out her notebook.

The class was unsettled, trading whispers about the significance of Rhysel and their teacher having been seen holding hands and exchanging wild speculations about how long this may have been going on.

Rhysel listened to the gossip with a rather amused expression on her face, finding the students' reactions moderately funny.

A human boy behind her tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey," he said in a whisper, "are you... you know... dating Ar Kithen?"

"Yes," she replied quietly with a grin.

"She said yes!" he exclaimed, forgetting to whisper.

The hubbub, almost impossibly agitated before, became even more so.

"Ahem," coughed Tekaal, and they quieted down for the most part. "If you will all stop discussing the no doubt fascinating topic currently on your minds," he grumbled, "can someone summarize the reading for today so we can get on with class?"

Korulen volunteered, as she was often wont to do, and delivered a concise summary of several phenomena, during the course of which monologue most of the students decided that they really ought not to discuss Ar Kithen's love life during class while he was watching them.

The rest of the class proceeded uneventfully, until fifteen minutes prior to the end of class, when Tekaal distributed a quiz. The class emitted a collective groan and started penning their answered to the questions, most of them finishing well before class time was up and being dismissed early.

Kaarilel was among the stragglers, and Korulen and Lutan hung back to wait for her until she turned in her quiz; the three of them then went off, with Korulen winking at Rhysel as they left.

Rhysel said softly to Korulen as she departed, "See you tomorrow?"

"At dinner? Oh, yeah," Korulen said over her shoulder. "See you!"

Rhysel waved to the departing trio.

"That," said Tekaal as the door shut behind the girls, "was even more unpleasant than I had expected it to be."

"I'm sorry it was difficult for you." Rhysel packed away her things again.

"The worst of it is likely over," he said philosophically.

"Probably so." She smiled at him, picking up her satchel and the post again, and reaching out for his hand.

He took it with a smile. "Where to?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to stop home for a moment to drop this off." She gestured with the maple block. "Unless you had something you'd like to do first. Oh, I also need to write a note for Kolaan so I have enough food to feed everyone tomorrow."

"Who's that?"

"He's the one who picks up and delivers my groceries for me."

"Ah, I see. What are you planning to make?"

"Sort of a sampler - a variety of things. Keo's parents own a bakery, and she said they'd be interested in some off-world recipes. So I figured I'd make a bunch of things, and give them the recipes for whatever they liked."

"That sounds wise."

She smiled. "I'm glad you approve. If you'd like, I can teach you how to use a transfer point as well, while we're at it."

"By all means."

"Feel up to braving the halls, or would you rather teleport outside?"

"I would sooner teleport. In fact, I am almost inclined to have substitutes come in for my classes until the force of the news has died down," he said dryly, casting the teleportation spell and landing them just next to the transfer point. The shiny black duck was pacing around on it, apparently investigating it.

Rhysel laughed at Tekaal's comment. "If it would help, I could skip your class tomorrow, although I'd enjoy being there." She looked rather amusedly at the duck.

It quacked at her.

"Hello to you too," she said to the bird, kneeling down next to the point, pulling Tekaal down with her. He knelt obligingly.

"Put your hands just here," Rhysel indicated a space inside the confines of the point's magic, "and close your eyes."

He obeyed.

"Now, if you remember what the ground felt like when we were walking to the school, you'll want to feel this spot of ground in the same way. It will sound slightly different to you - unique. This is where those variations I told you about come into play. The notes you're visualizing won't sound like pure notes, they'll have some timbre and resonance changes to them. Pick it out and remember it."

He concentrated for a moment and then nodded.

"I'll have to take you through this time, as I can't give you the other signature - I don't have that level of skill in mind kamai yet." She stood, taking his hand again as she did. "Ready?"

"Ready."

She jumped the two of them to her tower, letting go of his hand once they arrived. "Now do the same thing here. I'm going to set this stuff down." She put the products of her shopping trips on the worktable, and dropped her satchel next to it, while he picked up the second signature. He touched the point, assimilating the associated tones in the same way.

"Got it?"

"Yes."

She moved to stand next to the point. "Good. Now stand on the point, and sort of twist the signature of this point with the one back at the school, then release the energy like you did with the handfire. You'll appear on the other one. Do the same thing to jump back. I'll wait here for a half-minute or so. If you're not back by then, I'll jump through myself to see if you're okay."

"Twist them?"

"Sort of merge the two chords together."

"Ah." He disappeared, and then reappeared a moment later. "Fascinating."

She smiled at him. "You're a quick study. I think the perfect pitch helps a lot. I don't know how well it'll help with teaching though. The note you hear for handfire, for instance, won't necessarily be the same note that another mage will hear. Although it will always be the highest one in the fire chord." She picked up her linkpaper as she spoke, scrawling a rather long list for Kolaan, which she finished it with [That's it. Sorry it's rather a lot. Could you get it here by one in the afternoon tomorrow?]

"The notes vary from person to person? How curious."

"As I said, it's a visualization. So the individual using the tool will interpret it in his or her own way. That's why we describe them as the highest or the loudest or the third one from the bottom instead of by naming the pitch of the note itself."

"I'd assumed that was because not everyone has perfect pitch, or because you don't know the local notation system."

Rhysel set the linkpaper down, having finished her list, reaching for his hand again now that hers were free. "That's everything I needed to do, so I'm at your disposal for the evening. And I don't know the local notation system, nor do I have perfect pitch, so I can see where that assumption would come from. But how it's visualized is an aesthetic thing - like how you prefer red over blue."

"Ah, I see. I suppose that makes more sense with how the various woods sounded - it wouldn't make sense if everyone heard the same unpleasant chords from any wood other than maple; then everyone would have the same affinity wood."

"Yes, exactly."

---

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