AVIS IN BETWEEN (Lesbian)

Part 15 AVIS IS HAVING A LOUSY BREAKFAST

I offered to buy her a new dress or, worse still, to borrow one of Avis's! I'm not better than the local society: they, at least, don't pretend to have progressive views. I'm just playing Richard Gere inviting my pretty woman to the elite party. I must apologize.

"Everything will be ready for our arrival. All chambers are lovely: I ordered to bring a vase of your favourite marigolds. But every servant in the Eagle castle knows that already," Zarya speaks in a ladylike manner, casting quick glances at me.

Kaleb is playing with salad leaves, making a green pile, "Shall we inform Livius before the Ball?"

"Stop doing it! You are getting on my nerves... Someone expects us not to come, so let's ruin their plans and visit the castle as it was said in the official invitation: three of us. Have you taught her anything?"

She doesn't even ask me! Hello, I'm sitting in the same morning room!

Blondie cringes looking at her.

"I might have known! You can't be trusted. You had one task, Kal!"

It seems that the couple has changed their characters: Kal is more apologetic, while Zarya is strict trying to hide real emotions.

"Wait a minute!" I put away my brooding about injustice of social roles and Richard Gere. "He did his best. I was just a bad student. Did you expect to come back and meet Avis the Warlock? And you know what: it was almost impossible to cram all magic spells into my head within several days!" I say, straightening my back. Her words are so annoying; I can't help myself. "Look what I can do," I pronounce the "funny serpent spell." Kal and Zarya are giving me pity stares in silence. Seconds are passing. All I can hear is the clock ticking. I look back at them.

Oh cringe!

"You two deserve each other," says the girl, taking a sip of her hot bluish beverage. "Act on an old plan. Don't talk much to birdpeople, just a small talk. Don't tell about the total memory loss. If they start asking questions, say that your condition is improving, and you already have the memory of me and Kal. And not a word about your magic absence! We'll be near you the whole time and try to turn the conversation away if something goes wrong."

"The Prince might want to have a private talk with you. Be ready. Don't say much. Act natural..." Kal's plate is still crammed with cold scrambled eggs. He hasn't even touched his breakfast yet.

"How am I supposed to act natural and at the same time pretend to be her?" I blush, thinking about the way Avis's "private conversations" with Livius might have gone. "What was my relationship to the Prince?"

"You were his favorite mage. He would always give you or our group very special or difficult assignments," answers Kaleb.

"You are his special bird," Zarya is pulling Kal's plate closer and starts fiercely eating his forgotten breakfast. Blondie has ignored the subtext in her words.

I see. His favorite. As favorite as Cygnie was for Avis? That's presumably why Zarya did not want me to go to the Eagle castle with my almost blank head and blank magic powers. Nevertheless, she didn't put all information straight. Is marigold trying to teach me a lesson? They both warned me about dangers of the world beyond the Hare castle lands... Or she's not exactly sure herself about my personal life. Even Avis's lover knows nothing about my... her shifting animal. Avis could have been a very private person.

"Why do you ask these questions?" she continues irritatingly. "You want one thing now another: one day you don't want to know anything about Avis or this place, avoiding us like the plague; now, out of sudden, when your ass is on fire, you want to know more? Where were you during the time that was given to you to practice magic? Why didn't you ask Kal as many questions as possible before facing the entire royal court?"