The Raccoon and His Boy - A Varian x Reader story

XV

"So, how's the work with the compass going?" Varian asked curiously as he walked beside you down the forest path. The thin layer of snow crunched beneath you as you walked, some of it already becoming slush from the rising temperatures. Winter in Corona was always very short, but you were still disappointed it was coming to an end, especially since you hadn't been able to enjoy it ever since the ice skating disaster a month ago.

"I think I've fully mastered Water by now," you told him, focusing on his question so you wouldn't feel too sad. "That's actually part of why I called you over. I was wondering if you might be able to help me get started on Light or Earth, since you sometimes deal with those things in your alchemy."

"I can try," Varian shrugged with his response. "Magic and alchemy are very different, but I guess my experience could probably help a bit."

"Even if not, I also just wanted to spend time with you," you added, slipping your fingers into his. He squeezed your hand through the rubber of his gloves. "Well, that I can guarantee."

You walked a bit more in silence, the only sounds being the noises of the forest and Ruddiger and Star following you from behind, each begging for food in their own respective animal language. You grinned when you finally reached your destination – a wide, grassy glade exposed to the morning sun from one side, where all the trees had been struck down over the years and in their place stood a collection of stumps.

The moment you and Varian were seated on the stumps your pets came barrelling toward you, and you tried to distract them as much as possible while Varian pulled out a few apples for them to snack on. Once Ruddiger and Star were finally busy with their own food, Varian passed you a ham sandwich and started munching on one of his own.

You were so eager to show Varian everything you'd learned that you scarfed down the sandwich in just two minutes. You waited for Varian to finish eating while rummaging through your bag for the compass and running your finger over the smooth surface, namely the glass above the Earth and Light sigils, which you would be practicing that day.

"Would you like to do the honors?" you asked when he finally finished his sandwich, holding the compass out to him. He took in a deep breath and blew across the surface, and you felt the magic flare ro life along with his breath tickling your fingertips. "I still don't understand how that works," Varian said as you twisted the compass so the arrow pointed to the Earth sigil, painted in green.

You shrugged. "I guess magic isn't always logical. Besides, does it really matter if it works?"

Varian chuckled and agreed, but he was watching the compass with intensity, as if not sure what to expect. He hadn't seen you use it that much, so the nervousness was understandable.

"The books I've been using said Earth isn't too hard to control," you told him in an effort to calm his nerves. "Anything with a direct connection – rocks, plants, dirt – should be easy to handle if I'm specific enough with my commands."

"I know," Varian said, taking a step towards you. "How are you starting? What command did you have in mind?"

You shrugged. Now that you were actually trying to think about it, the options for commands were much more limited than you'd imagined. The idea came to you when you spotted a small turquoise flower a few steps away, and you focused your energy on the compass, visualizing the petals growing bigger.

Varian's yelp didn't sound great, and you opened your eyes to understand what had sparked the reaction. The command had worked... it just worked a little too well. Every petal was about the side of your foot, and they draped across the grass and blocked out a huge chunk of the green blades.

"Okay..." you muttered, examining the compass in your hands. "That wasn't exactly the reaction I had in mind..."

"But you got a reaction," Varian replied, coming up beside you to get a closer look. "That's what matters."