You Cannot Put a Fire Out // Sebastian Sallow [Book Three]

Chapter Five: Reciprocal Exchange

Sebastian had been jotting down some notes in his office between classes, the door closed for maximum privacy, when a booming knock interrupted him.

"Sallow," a pointed, but friendly female voice called through the door. Ah, Dinah, the old codger. Sebastian had a soft spot for Professor Hecat during school, which only grew as the years passed by. She was positively ancient now but still kicking, and just as cantankerous and snarky as she had always been.

"Sallow, I don't have all day," she said, knocking again, somehow even more forcefully. Sebastian scrambled up from his seat, rolling his neck as he ambled over to the door and cracked it open.

"Hecat," he greeted dryly, ushering her inside and shutting the door behind them.

She smirked up at him, her gray, frizzy hair askew at the temples. "I hear that there's been some excitement with the new student."

Sebastian groaned. "Not you, too."

"Of course, me too! You think I wouldn't have heard? I'm not that hard of hearing yet." She popped over to his desk, grabbed the quill he'd been using, and began twirling it between her fingers. A drop of ink splashed onto the floor. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

Sebastian blanched. "Erm..." As much as he liked Dinah, she was not usually one to offer up her rapidly dwindling time to talk about feelings.

Dinah cackled. "Because if so, keep it to yourself." She tossed the quill back down on his desk. It barely managed to land on top of his notes, streaking the corner of the page with ink. Sebastian held back an exasperated sigh as Dinah continued, "Naturally, I'm here for another reason, although it might be somewhat related."

"Oh?" Dinah moved on to inspecting the Potions supplies he kept on some shelves against the wall. "Do tell." Sebastian sidled over to her, ensuring he was close enough to stop her if she began fiddling with his careful categorization of the aforementioned supplies.

"I want Damien to consider dueling with Jack."

"What?" That was certainly unexpected.

"Jack's very skilled," she explained.

"You've only had one class with him."

She tapped a container of dried dittany leaves with her finger before saying, "I only had one class with Damien before I realized he had a knack for it."

"Why not ask me to duel Jack?"

She smirked. "Damien's a better duelist."

Dinah had always been blunt, but her words still stung, even though Sebastian knew she was right. "That's not all though, is it?" he inquired.

"Of course not."

"Go on."

"I'm curious about the rumors. I'd like to see the two of them in action, side by side." She turned her attention back to Sebastian. "Wouldn't you?"

Would he? Sebastian wasn't entirely sure. A part of him wanted to prove the rumors wrong, but the other part of him, which he was currently struggling to tamp down, worried that the moment he saw Damien and Jack in the same room that the anxious thoughts forming in his mind would become too overwhelming, perhaps even take over entirely. And what then?

Sebastian seized control of the conversation. "How much do you know about Jack?" Dinah would be the best person to ask. She usually knew more than she let on, most likely a byproduct of her former career as an Unspeakable.

"He's an orphan," she stated nonchalantly.

Sebastian stepped back, catching himself before he bumped against the edge of his desk. "An orphan?"