[Countdown to Midterms: 107 Days Remaining]
Event: "A Tired Student"
Status: Dangerously Social
Gods Rolled: Natural 1
You have been paired.
---
Class started with a sentence that should have sent fear into every student's heart.
"We're starting our first group project today," Professor Irelia said, completely serious, as if she hadn't just declared a bloodbath in the making.
The room filled with murmurs.
I felt my soul leave my body.
She raised a slim hand and summoned glowing symbols into the air. Names rearranged. Groups locked into place.
I squinted.
Damian Ravenheart.
Felix Anderson.
Alex Wren.
Elara Vael.
…
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
Then slowly looked up at the sky as if expecting the gods to reveal themselves.
"Is this supposed to be some sort of romcom?"
"Definitely," Crescent whispered in my mind. "And you're the hot mess protagonist."
---
Damian spotted the group list and let out a triumphant laugh. "Yes! The gang is assembled!"
"Why are you like this?" I asked.
"Because destiny favors the bold."
Elara, the fire-lance girl from before, slid in beside me, casually tossing her hair over her shoulder.
"Oh," she said. "We meet again."
I tried to smile. Failed. "Fancy that."
She smirked. "You always look like you just got caught sneaking cookies."
Is it because I look small?
"That's… not far off."
Alex arrived last.
Or rather, she appeared—quiet as ever, settling beside me like she wasn't one heartbeat away from short-circuiting.
I didn't look at her.
She didn't look at me.
We both looked at the desk in front of us like it held the secrets of the universe.
Damian, of course, picked up on none of it.
"So!" he declared. "Who's ready to build a magical ward matrix that will probably explode and get us all detention?"
I raised my hand.
Alex raised her hand.
Elara looked mildly intrigued. "Explosions sound fun."
Damian grinned. "This is going great."
---
Our assignment was simple in theory:
Design, inscribe, and test a basic defensive ward as a team. Present findings. Don't die.
In practice?
It meant a week of group meetings, magical calculations, field testing, and—of course—trying not to get roasted alive by any sudden magical misfires.
Damian was thrilled.
Alex was tense.
Elara was all confidence and quiet snark.
And me?
I was spiraling.
---
We found a workspace near the practice field and began planning.
"I'll handle the mana flow mapping," Alex said coolly, sketching diagrams in neat lines. "It's my specialty."
Damian was sprawled out on the grass, doodling lightning bolts.
"I'll do glyph carving! I'm an artist."
"You nearly carved 'oops' into a training dummy last week," I muttered.
"That was intentional! For intimidation!"
Elara stretched. "I'll handle the elemental infusions. I can anchor the ward with fire stabilizers."
Everyone looked at me.
I blinked. "I'll… coordinate."
"You mean boss us around?" Damian grinned.
"Exactly."
I shot Alex a glance, hoping for backup.
She didn't say anything.
But she flushed slightly.
Eyes darted away.
And my brain helpfully flashed the memory of fabric bindings and soft curves before I slammed the mental door shut.
---
Crescent was dying with laughter inside my head.
"So… your dormmate is flustered. The fire girl keeps looking at you like you're a puppy. Damian thinks this is a camping trip. And you are barely functioning."
"Thank you for the commentary."
"You're welcome. This is better than pastries."
---
We worked for hours.
And by "worked," I mean: Elara did most of the stabilizing, Damian nearly carved the ward into himself, and Alex spoke only when absolutely necessary—her words sharp, controlled, a wall between us.
We avoided eye contact.
Even while standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Well... shoulder-to-chest.
Even while accidentally brushing hands while passing the chalk.
I didn't bring it up.
Neither did she.
Elara seemed to notice though.
---
By sunset, the ward circle was etched and humming faintly in the grass.
"Let's test it," Elara said, fire already sparking in her palm.
"Maybe we should wait—" I started.
She threw a Fire Lance.
It slammed into the ward. The runes flared bright gold. The impact rebounded in a harmless shockwave.
"Nice," she said, satisfied.
Damian clapped. "We lived!"
Alex stared at the ward for a long moment.
Then quietly said, "We'll need to reinforce the outer sigils by tomorrow."
I turned to him. "Hey… can we talk? Later?"
She stiffened. Then nodded once, stiffly.
"Fine."
---
[System Notice: Group Project Progress: 32%]
Bond Status – Aeliana (Alex): Shaky
Crescent's Comment: "Step one: Survive the project. Step two: Fix your mess. Step three: Don't explode."
She is still amused.