Expectations When Expecting

Book 2, Chapter 4

The two boys and the cat slumped to the floor in exhaustion, having been properly pummeled by the ghostly residents of Ramshackle dorm.

"Hey, Headmage, what's the deal?" Grim gasped, shakily lifting his head to glare at the bird-man. "What does fightin' ghosts got to do with blot?"

"Ahh, but it does in a way." The Headmage chided, annoying the cat further. "Direct your attention to the magestone on your collar, Mr. Grim."

Grim sat up, using his paws to scoop the stone up only to yowl in surprise. "My magestone looks all grungy now." He yelped, rubbing it aggressively against his fur.

Yuu made her way over to the cat, holding out her hand while holding a wet wipe in the other. She tried her own methods before huffing in exasperation.

"It won't rub off!" She grumbled, handing it back to the cat.

"Precisely." Hummed the headmage. "That inky black stain is the byproduct of spellcasting known as 'blot.'"

Deuce looked to his own pen, eyes wide. "There's some grime on my magical pen, too!"

"Ewww!" Grim hissed, his tail puffing slightly. "This is capital-G Gross!"

Yuu looked at the headmage, concerned with its apparent stubbornness. "Is... Is there some way to get rid of it?"

He gave her an assuring nod and a soft smile, cooing as he spoke to her, as if she were a helpless chick. "Yes, of course."

"Like some kinda special soap or somethin'?" He asked.

Yuu shifted in her spot slightly as Grim clambered up her back and onto her shoulder.

"With sufficient rest, blot will vanish from your magestone. This is why a magestone is so valuable to magic users." He croaked slightly as he spoke. "Not only does it aid your casting, it also serves as a lightning rod of sorts, to prevent blot from accumulating within the caster."

"I see." Deuce said, examining his magestone. "So when our magestones start to get cloudy, that means it's time for us to ease off."

"Correct. Eat well and get plenty of sleep, and most of the blot will clear away."

"Gotcha." Grim hummed, pleased as he voiced his discovery. "So when I become an even greater mage, I'll be able to fire off spells left and right! Pa-PEW! After all, I do plenty of sleepin' and eatin'."

Yuu rolled her eyes. "That's not how it works and you know it." She chided, booping his nose.

"People vary greatly in their capacity for magic. However, save for a few key exceptions, there is little variance in most mages' tolerance for blot." Crowley informed.

"What's that mean?" Grim grumbled as he rubbed his nose.

"In essence, it means that those who possess a great capacity for magic must be meticulous in their efforts to avoid accumulating blot." Crowley said, his eyes downcast. "Take Mr. Rosehearts, for instance."

The group sat tensely for a few moments, recalling the horrors of the first week of school before Ace brought it upon himself to break the silence.

"So folks who know their way around magic gotta lay off once in a while. Seems simple enough."

"Correct. That said, it isn't anything that mages at YOUR level need to worry about. How very fortunate for you!" Crowley cawed, proudly smiling as he was pleased with his information.

Yuu resisted the urge to groan loudly.

"I...guess that's only kind of an insult?" Ace shrugged, visibly biting his tongue.

"Anyway, I think I get it." Grim said dismissively as he summarized Crowley's words. "Use magic, get blot. Blot bad. Sleep and food good. But is that really all it took to make Riddle activate berserker mode?"

Yuu looked at Crowley who appeared to have been expecting that question.

"The accumulation of blot is significantly affected by the sorcerer's mental state." Crowley explained as Yuu fixed her attention on him. "Anger, fear, panic, sorrow... Harboring those sorts of negative energies hastens the accumulation of blot by a significant degree. This, in turn, leads to the dreadful state known as 'overblot.'"

"'Negative energies,' huh? Interesting..." Deuce contemplated aloud.

"Do you recall the giant shadow that appeared behind Mr. Rosehearts?" Crowley asked, Yuu's memory flashing to the hideous inky beast that seemed to be attached to Riddle's body.

"How could I forget..." Yuu said, feeling a faint dizziness wash over her.

"Such manifestations are believed to be the result of a fusion between blot and negative energies. I'm afraid that's the extent of what current studies have revealed to us, however. There remain many mysteries surrounding overblot. After all, there are not many opportunities for study and observation."

"Let's hope it stays that way!" Ace yelped, horrified at the information as he continued to process.

"It is fortunate that we were able to snap Mr. Rosehearts out of it so quickly. If that had been allowed to continue..." Crowley began, the conversation taking a somewhat somber turn. "AAAH! It is a prospect too terrifying to consider!"

Grim jumped up in Yuu's lap, slamming his paws over his ears at the headmage's sudden outburst. "W-what's your problem?! Yellin' outta the blue like that!" He hissed, bristling at the birdman, who simply smiled sheepishly.

"Forgive me. I lost my composure." He said, coughing awkwardly into his clawed hand. "In summary, the use of magic is always accompanied by a certain degree of risk. And I expect you all to keep that in mind."

The group paused to look at each other, all hesitantly nodding in agreement; "Yes sir."

"Thus concludes your special lesson from the headmage himself! How wonderfully kind of me. Now, back to your classrooms with you." Crowley cawed, attempting to usher the group out of his office.

Yuu, however, lingered back for a moment, tapping her foot as if waiting for Crowley to acknowledge her.

"Aren't you forgetting something, sir?" She said, alluding heavily toward her desire to return to her own world.

Crowley froze for a moment, staring blankly as he did so before flinching slightly.

"Ahhh, yes... A means to send Miss Yuu home. Right, right." He said, giving Yuu a forced smile. "I have been diligently searching for one, of course. I have certainly not forgotten! It is merely that I've been quite busy of late."

Crowley's glowing golden eyes shifted around the room, refusing to meet Yuu's skeptical gaze, drawing the attention of Grim.

"Your eyes got all shifty all of a sudden."

"I-I'm certainly not lying!" The Headmage squeaked before clearing his throat, his voice returning to its original pitch. "The October interdorm Spelldrive tournament is consuming a great deal of my attention at the moment!"

Yuu blinked, unimpressed as Crowley continued to ramble.

"In fact, I've a meeting with the assembled housewardens immediately after this."

Crowley's words seemed to have caught the attention of Yuu's charge as he leaned forward, suddenly interested.

"What's a 'Spelldrive tournament'...?"

Yuu rolled her eyes in annoyance as Grim gave Crowley the perfect excuse to change the subject. Dammit, Crowley.