Expectations When Expecting

Book 2, Chapter 3

Yuu cradled Grim in her arms as the boys led the way to the Headmage's office, following slowly behind as they opened the door to allow her in.

If Yuu hadn't known them better, she would have thought they were being chivalrous. However, the nervous smirk on Ace's face told her otherwise.

Damn. Send the pregnant woman in before you as a sacrifice, why don't you?

"Headmage, may we come in?" Deuce called just as Yuu entered.

She spun around, her jaw dropped as he smiled sheepishly at her.

Traitor! She thought.

Yuu entered regardless, dubbing it to be far too late for her to turn around and shove the others ahead of her.

From behind her, Yuu heard the fast footsteps of Ace as he entered, shielding himself with her.

"How's it going, sir?" He asked shamelessly.

The headmage, from behind his desk, looked up, brushing aside what looked like little animal figurines as he pulled a piece of paper in front of him.

"Ah. Thank you all for coming." He smiled brightly, ignoring Yuu's raised eyebrow. "I'll get right to the point. Now that the Heartslabyul incident is behind us..."

Yuu rolled her eyes, rubbing behind Grim's ears. He speaks as if we all didn't just survive a vibe check from god.

"I wanted to give you a proper debriefing on the matter. If you're to become mages, you need to fully understand the malady that befell Mr. Rosehearts." Crowley said, straightening his pages.

"You called it 'overblot,' right?" Deuce recalled, making the headmage nod, shooting Deuce a proud smile.

"Yes, that is correct." He stated warmly.

"My brother told me a little about that. He said that could happen to anyone who builds up too much blot." Ace spoke, sighing. "Sounds like Cater was pretty much on the nose with 'berserker mode.'"

"Yeah, but..." Grim squirmed for a minute until Yuu set him down onto a chair. The cat stood, brushing himself off as he smoothed out his fur. "What is 'blot,' anyway?"

"Ah," Crowley froze as if suddenly remembering something. "Indeed. For your sake and Yuu's, it would behoove us to start with the basics.I shall teach you all you need to know."

Yuu rolled her eyes as Crowley puffed out his chest proudly, the feathers on his cloak relaxing a bit, making him look like a pleased pigeon.

"Charity, thy name is Crowley!" He cooed, pleased with his own offer of information for others. He paused, noticing the somewhat uncomfortable expressions on his students' faces, and cleared his throat awkwardly, no doubt making a mental note as a reminder to self-praise himself in the mirror later.

Yuu had to physically choke down her laughter as her mind flashed to a comical image of Crowley preening in a mirror repeating the phrase, "Who's a pretty bird?"

"Now, 'blot' is a form of waste that is created as a byproduct of using magic. Just as cars run on gasoline, and in the process, expel dangerous gasses as exhaust... Casting spells consumes magical energy, and in the process, expels blot."

The young woman pursed her lips as she remembered the inky substance that dripped from Riddle when he'd first begun to break down. Feeling sick at the memory, she hugged herself slightly in an attempt to comfort herself.

"That doesn't sound very healthy." Yuu admitted, biting her tongue to prevent herself from expressing much fear at the memory.

"Quite." Crowley agreed, pushing on the bridge of the nose of his mask, readjusting it slightly. "Research into the nature of blot has been conducted since time immemorial. And yet, we still understand little about it."

Grim, who seemed to have sensed Yuu's small moment of emotional distress, hopped off of the chair and tugged at her pants leg to allow her to move to the seat.

"All we know for sure is that it is terrifically toxic, and excessive amounts can wreak havoc on a mage's mind and body." Crowley continued, tapping a bowl of butterscotch and cinnamon candies that reminded Yuu of the doctor's office.

Yuu took this tapping as an invitation for her to grab one.

"I guess that's why Grandma was always naggin' me to not overdo it with the magic, huh?" Ace said, recalling his own memories. "Here I thought she just didn't want me to break stuff."

Yuu pushed the butterscotch candy to her left cheek so she could respond.

"Knowing you, it was probably both."

"Hey! I'm not that bad!"

"To the point!" Crowley stepped in, putting a pause on the playful bickering between Yuu and Ace. "Power and peril are two sides of the same coin. Even the greatest of mages cannot cast spell after spell without consequence."

"So you're tellin' me I'm gonna get sick if I keep usin' magic whenever I want?!" Grim yowled from his spot in Yuu's lap, claiming himself a cinnamon candy from Crowley's bowl.

"Not necessarily." Crowley stated, his eyes shooting to the door for a brief moment. "Perhaps a demonstration would prove more efficient than a mere explanation."

Yuu turned around to look at the area where Crowley had been looking, feeling the room temperature drop to one similar to Ramshackle dorm.

She blinked as she recognized two of the three ghosts as they approached.

"Ghosts, assemble! I have a job for you!" Crowley announced, as they grinned mischievously.

"Huzzah! You summoned us, Headmage?" He giggled playfully, circling around Yuu three times, ruffling her uniform in the process as another flew past her.

"Not these guys again?!" Ace yelped as he recalled the ghost's playful wake-up calls when he'd spend the night at Ramshackle.

"Would you be so kind as to help me put these young students through their paces?" Crowley gestured toward the two boys and the cat monster, pulling Yuu away as if stating that she was an exception.

"T-this seems like a bad idea." Deuce stammered, looking at Yuu who shrugged before her own eyes widened in realization as she recalled the headmage's note.

Be Prepared.

"Ah. That's what that meant..." She said, the headmage grinning at her.

"Yeah, okay. We'll go a round or two with 'em." The ghosts chirped, grinning as if they were insane.

"Now, students, ready your magical pens. Prepare to receive a special lesson from your headmage!"