The guy almost skipped as he made his way to our normal chairs in the middle of the room. Holding his tablet beside mine, I angled my feet for our instructor. When he looked up, I gestured to Pascal's.
"I think Pascal's starting to manifest, and his tablet took the brunt of it. He said his homework's on there, but he's a bit distracted."
"Pascal?" There was a smile on the teacher's face. "Oh, I was worried he wouldn't. No, let me have that and I'll get someone to repair it. Keir, can you take notes for him today?"
"I will," I assured him. "I'll also make sure Ms. Rhodes knows, but if you'd like to give her a heads-up as well, that might make this easier for him."
"Will do," he said. "And if there are any rogue manifestations, I won't make a big deal out of it."
"That will make him feel better," I said before heading to my seat.
"And?" Pascal asked.
"Told him you might be manifesting," I explained. "He won't embarrass you, and said he'll handle the tablet. Just expect thisto be erratic for a few days. It really is a lot like puberty, but instead of random hard-ons, you'll pop flowers."
Pascal smiled down at his hands. "I'm so far behind."
"I know some people who can catch you up," I pointed out. "I think they also owe you a bit."
"Aspen?" he asked.
I made a face. "More like Torian and Hawke."
And that made his head twitch. "Hawke?"
"Believe it or not, he's very skilled with Summer magic, Pas." And I held his eyes, hoping he wouldn't say too much with so many around us.
Pascal just nodded. "Makes sense. I can't say I've ever noticed his power before, but he is a duke."
"Exactly," I agreed.
But all during the lecture on various metals and their benefits and problems for the fae, Pascal kept jittering. I couldn't think of a better word for it than that. His leg bounced for a bit, then he was picking at his nails. When that didn't help, he began tapping on his desk.
Unable to take that, I slid a pen and paper over to him. When he gave me a confused look, I whispered, "Draw. Don't care. Just do it quietly."
Which made him nod quickly in agreement. His mind was not on the lecture at all. Granted, I couldn't blame him. I'd known I would get power, but how much and what kind had been a mystery. All fae manifested with something, and we purebreds tended to do it young. For the faelings, it was different.
About twenty percent of them never manifested any meaningful power. Others got skills that were terrifying in their intensity, but the range was so narrow, they were basically one-trick-ponies. Fin had been like that. He'd manifested the ability to manipulate minds, and most protections couldn't block him.I'd always been able to, but that had resulted in me babysitting him for years.
Right up until he'd died.
Which made me look over at Pascal again. I would not let him make a mess of this. I didn't really care if he ever manifested. Pascal was a good guy, and the kind of friend who didn't ask for much. He was easy to spend time with, and usually had a smile on his face and a laugh waiting to jump out.
To him, it mattered, though. Everyone wanted to be special. All of us hoped we'd have something to make us stand out - but in a good way. Being a Legacy in a school filled with temperamental and powerful fae was not the place to constantly feel helpless. He probably didn't think his combat abilities made up for it either.
Rain did. I knew I did. I had a feeling Aspen was happy with him lately, but telling him that would feel like a platitude. Nope, he was finally getting a magical ability, so we'd find a way to help him. I would, at least, but I hoped my friends would be willing to join in.
Yet the moment class was over, Pascal wanted to jump up and hurry out. I caught his shoulder, all but making him wait for me.
"You need to go see Ms. Rhodes," I told him.
He shook his head. "No, I think I want to keep this to myself until I'm sure it's not just a coincidence."
"It sure doesn't sound like one," I said, hoping to reassure him a bit.
So he sighed and turned to face me. "Look, if I say I'm manifesting, and then nothing happens? Do you know how stupid I'll feel? Keir, I just want to figure out what it is. I'm late, so that means it won't be powerful, but I don't care. If I can only make glamours of shadows on walls, I'll figure out a way to makethe best shadow glamours ever, ok? I just want to know what it is before people start getting expectations."
"I'll also point out that shadows aren't exactly a weak thing." And I turned him for the door. "At least tell me you'll skip practice this evening and rest a bit? Manifesting will wear you out."
