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Motivation

Marcus and Bill had slipped away as soon as the teacher gave them all forms to fill out about electives and clubs and other stuff, they were both still a bit flustered, not quite as red, but--

After dumping the papers in Bill's locker room, they entered an empty classroom, closing the door. "Sorry," Marcus said.

"--It's ok," Bill said as he used the summoning plate.

The two popped up by the lake.

Luckily, they were early enough for the preparations to be only entering their final stages. August was brewing up ambrosia like usual, Albus and Mandy were exchanging peculiar looks of two people having stared at the abyss till abyss stares back, while blushing. Abyss might be a handsome person, after all.

"I wouldn't have gone along with it if I hated it," Bill added.

Looked like August was done and more people kept arriving, Marcus and Bill had to step asides seeing the ground light up like before a teleportation sequence.

"Sucks we can't remember, though," Marcus said.

"I don't think she attacks those who are already going at it, so--" Bill mentioned.

Huh? Was Bill suggesting they did it sober, in public? Marcus started turning red--

"If it looks unsafe we better kiss," Bill added, he had been looking towards the drink, so he didn't notice Marcus reddening.

Marcus realized it wasn't an invitation and let out a breath. That was even-- maybe he got a bit excited. But ok, Bill wasn't really that type of person. He did a practical observation and thought up a solution. Although Marcus felt it was best to just slip away in case of danger. One time Mandy did get them, but that shouldn't be the usual.

There were so many people there Marcus had a hard time finding anyone from the group they usually hung out with, but that was fine as well, they'd spot someone eventually, so they got snacks, found a good place and Marcus asked what had Bill been up to.

Turned out, the lady who ran the store there took a liking to him and made him her apprentice. She was a crafter of time-altering artifacts - slowing time down and speeding it up, so clocks. Like Bill, she also liked artifacts that served as decorations rather than worn ones, but she did make some wearables as well.

Bill said she was strict as heck and Bill had to do each part over and over till he got them right, so at home he let himself relax and get things wrong, not on purpose, but to make something complete as well, not just scattered parts. He said even those imperfect ones could be sold and that's how Bill got the tools and the barrier.

Marcus didn't really have much to say, just that he had an idea and he needed to test it, so he was trying out various material combinations and that--

"It would still be some ti--" Bill kissed him, interrupting in mid-sentence.

Getting over the startle Marcus returned the kiss, getting what this was about and with the corner of his eyes, he noticed that the party was already descending into mayhem. Quite fast-- and-- an unexpected combination - Mandy and Albus.

The danger passed and Bill moved away, aiming to get up to slip away to the house - if this was a game, then house was the 'safe place', but Marcus's heart was racing and no one would care--

So he pulled Bill back in and Bill responded although it could be because he felt like Marcus saw something he did not. But when Marcus started sliding his hands under Bill's shirt, Bill figured and started turning red, but still followed up.

Needless to say, they survived the party sober and properly slipped away when the offenders were asleep. Did they know of anything that happened in the event? No. They had focused on something else and had now consciously done what Marcus named as 'his biggest event in summer.' The only thing they did notice was someone multicasting various charm based spells, but those were dissolved before they could properly take effect.