Harpia Harpyja

One day, Charlotte, Scarlet, and I decided to drop in on one of the alchemy classes that Ava was in.

The room wasn't nearly as big as the sparring one, but it was still much bigger than the classrooms of normal schools. This was so all classes could fit a lot of students in them at the same time.

The alchemy classroom held many cauldrons, heaters, and incredibly tall cabinets filled to the brim with all kinds of supplies. Jars with dubious-looking plants and strange objects floating in mysterious liquid were next to boxes of rocks a variety of rocks and stacks of dried-out leaves and pelts.

"Wow," I said, looking around. "This place is cool." It reminded me of some kind of temple or church from Earth.

"It is," Scarlet said, her tail tip wagging in an absolutely adorable way.

"You should see the weaving classroom, then," Charlotte said. "So pretty."

We sat down at desks and waited. After a minute, the teacher arrived, making all the students quiet down.

"Welcome to alchemy class," The tall woman said. She was a squidkin, with many tentacles hovering around her. She had arms and legs like a normal person, but they seemed to lack defined joints. Her hair was made of many, much thinner tentacles that were holding a variety of tools. "My name is Miss Cepha. Today is the third of the introduction week. For those who are new here, this class will have the same lesson or material being taught for one whole week. If you attend the class, I expect you to go at least once per week. During any other days, you may use the classroom to practice or make things by yourself."

"Now, this week's lesson is an introduction," Miss Cepha continued. "Learning some basic ingredient combinations and how to use the alchemy equipment. To begin, please, find a cauldron from the cabinet over here." One tentacle pointed toward a large doorway where many cauldrons could be seen in a large room.

We all got up and went over to that area to get cauldrons. They were made of enchanted iron, so they were light and impossible to stain.

As I reached out to grab one, I saw someone else also reach for the same one.

"Sorry!" The catkin girl said, pulling back. "I'll get a different one!"

"No, you can have this one," I said. I turned and picked up a different one.

When I got back to my seat, Scarlet asked, "Why did you let that girl have that cauldron?"

"Because I could have easily gotten a different one," I replied. "I was being nice."

"Well, she's staring at you now," Scarlet grumbled. I turned and saw that the catkin was indeed staring at me. She turned away, her cheeks coloring.

"I think she has a crush on you," Charlotte commented.

"Hmph," Scarlet said, curling her tail around my waist and scooting my desk closer to hers.

"Jealous?" I asked, smiling at her.

"Yes," She answered, leaning into me. "Got a problem with it?"

"No," I said, letting her cuddle me. "But I do want you to know that I want to have more than one partner."

"I would think so," Scarlet said, keeping her voice low. "You do have six Bond Bases. But still, I get jealous."

"And it's adorable," I said, leaning into her. Then the teacher began talking, and we paid attention to her.

During the entire class, I could feel the catkin's eyes on me. Maybe I would talk to her after class about it.