Zoe took a drink as the future professor began what she expected to be his opening lecture.
It covered all the key points of what he hoped to achieve with the class. There were still some details to be worked out, but it seemed he would be running a mostly physical show aside from heavy casting drills until the students’ third year where it would shift to a magic focus. After that it became an elective like so many other classes.
“I believe Professor Kines noticed that problem as well,” Zoe said. She gave a short run down of his mage-knight club. “He’s been having the first few years do more exercise than casting.”
“Ah, good. I was concerned that next year’s second and third year students would both need the first year course. That should help things along.”
“Indeed,” Zoe said. A buzzing in her pocket caused her to stop and glance at her phone.
“I do have work to be getting back to,” Zoe said.
“Don’t let me keep you,” he said with a bright grin. “It was nice to meet a future coworker. We should meet again like this.”
Zoe stood, returning his smile. “Maybe I’ll stop by and play the piano once in a while.” She turned to a bartender who was looking very much like he wasn’t listening in. “Tom?”
“Don’t worry about it, I’ve got the school’s moneybags on speed dial.”
Zoe gave him a curt nod and headed outside, leaving a half-finished drink on the bar. With a thought, she was back to her office.
Treatment
Hot air permeated the entire building. The pleasant kind of hot air. It wrapped around and enveloped Eva. She didn’t need all the heating runes covering her clothes here. She didn’t even need clothes, but she couldn’t muster the energy to pull them off.
Eva reclined with a soft sigh, sinking deeper into the cushions of the couch. All of her aches and pains leaked out into the leather. The couch accepted all of it without complaint.
If it did complain, she might have been a little worried.
Her vision of the surrounding room slowly flickered out of her mind as Eva let down her guard and stopped concentrating.
A low sound droned on in the background. It sent quiet reverberations into her very core. Any superfluous noise got caught in the sound and never made it to Eva.
Eva felt at peace for the first time in a week.
A crack shattered the atmosphere.
Eva jumped. She glanced around for a moment before settling her vision on Arachne.
Eight eyes stared back. The spider-woman held a book shut in her claws.
“You were falling asleep.”
“I wasn’t,” Eva said. She dragged herself to a sitting position on the soft leather couch.
“What was the last thing I said?”
Eva pinched the bridge of her nose as she scrunched up her forehead. “Something about simulacrum theory?”
Arachne glanced at the pile of books beside her chair. “That was at least two books ago.”
“Oh.” Eva flopped back down on her stomach. “Better restart from there then.”
“Eva, it is the middle of the day. You shouldn’t be tired at all with your constitution. Is something wrong?”
The part of the couch she landed on lacked the warmth from her body heat. The cold of the leather somehow managed to be pleasant anyway. With a content sigh, Eva said, “Franklin Kines’ class is hard.”
“The combat class or botany?”
Eva gave her a glare. “Which do you think?”
“I would say botany, but then again, I am naturally talented in the art of tearing people to bits.”
“Tearing people apart would be easier than what I have to do.”
“And what’s that?”
“A back rub,” Eva groaned.
Arachne’s mouth split into a snarl. “You have to give your teacher a back rub?”
“Give me one and I’ll tell you.”
Her snarl ceased immediately. Eva did not miss the small twitches of Arachne’s claws. She slowly stood from her chair and moved past the center table. Her fingers twitched again as she towered over Eva.
Eva didn’t need to use flecks of blood to see the demon. Everything inside her women’s ward was so steeped in blood magic that it was almost like having eyes again. She still couldn’t tell colors apart and books didn’t have enough embossing on the words to stand out.
It was still the most comfortable place to be.
“I don’t know how.”
“It’s a back rub. You rub my back. With your hands.” Eva didn’t know more than that herself. “If you cut me, I’ll punch you in your teeth.”
“Okay.” Arachne reached down. She stopped just inches away. “Your shirt might get damaged.”
Eva almost put forth the effort to think about sitting up and pulling off her shirt. The muscles in her back tensed for one instant before they went slack. “I don’t care. I have more.”
Without further ado, Arachne’s fingers plunged into Eva’s back. They sat there putting a light pressure on her. Arachne seemed to forget the ‘rub’ part of the back rub for a few minutes. Eventually, she started pushing around.
She settled into a rhythm of pushing and pulling up and down Eva’s spine. It didn’t do near enough soothing of her sore muscles.
