» Anxiety, Eleora and perhaps others

[Artemidoros Etherium]

Anxious was the word that best described Artemidoros at the moment. His greatest fear was that the Asperhands would not allow their daughter to meet him at the celebration. As he was bumped into by one more careless partygoer, he revised that fear. It was quite possible that his diminutive fiancé was already there and had been trampled or remained unseen in the throng. He should have arranged a place to meet in the area. However, he was unfamiliar with the town as of yet, so that was a bit difficult. All he had really seen were the student haunts on his trips as a student. He had not planned this far ahead.

Briefly, he considered turning and stepping on the heel of the fellow who had jostled him. The lout needed to watch where he was going in such a riot. Aside from being petty, he had a suspicion that his luck would fate that Eleora would seem him at the same moment he caused a ruckus. It was better to allow the other to go, merely favoring his back with a glare. His hand did sneak down to check that his wallet was still chained into his pocket. He had learned to guard the thing carefully in London.

He removed his black top hat, taking a look at the red feather on the front. Perhaps that splash of color might help. Removing the other handkerchief, the one he never shared with Eleora, from his back pocket, he mopped his brow. The stress of the search outweighed the cold in the air tonight. Putting away the handkerchief and donning his hat once more, he turned once more into the crowd. He hoped he would see her. With his black waistcoat and cloak, he matched most of the other males present. This was turning into a nightmare.

[Eleora Asperhand]

Almost everyone at the party was taller than Eleora was, which was not exactly the greatest aide as she pretended not to she was not eagerly looking for her fiancé. She was dressed in a brilliant red gown, happy for the excuse to wear less muted colors, and wrapped with furs. Still, she was not the most visible of sights, seeing as most of the crowd (including her chaperone) was taller than she was. It was a frustrating fact of her life, but one that she usually refused to admit to having any effect on her.

Attempting to hold her face as still as possible, the young lady let her eyes dart around the crowd as she stood with her flower ornamented fan moving slowly. She wished they had come together, but it was too late to change their plans now.

Her gaze was attracted by a flash of red. She raised her fan almost instinctively to hide a sudden, bright smile; she could not seem to keep from having emotion spring to her face whenever she sighted her fiancé. Schooling her expression to a much more civilized one, she tried to think of a way to attract his attention without jumping up and down like an uncivilized harpy.

She wanted to press the handle of her fan immediately to her lips, but such a display in a public place -- especially one as crowded as this -- would have been embarrassingly inappropriate. It would have been a wasted gesture, anyway, as he had not seen her yet. Well, she would simply have to move herself into his view so that they would not be forced to press their desire to see each other into the faces of those around them.

Moving casually with her chaperon at her side, Eleora started in a path towards Artemidoros without focusing on him. It was hard not to stare at him; they had been separated for too long. They had planned to meet, but still they had too keep up appearances and not appear overly eager ... but there were no better words to describe the way that Eleora was feeling at that moment.

[Artemidoros Etherium]

He had taken to wearing his saber again, something that had been forbidden at the school. Unfortunately, in this crowd it became a bit of a hindrance to quick movement. He mentally chastised the degenerate who had bumped him as he turned again and the hilt dug into his side. He calmly reached down to move it, for all that he was near cursing inside. Anxiety was becoming frustration and regret that he had not planned better.

However, the latest twist to seat the sword correctly had a benefit. He ended the maneuver looking directly at his fiancé, who was still a good distance away. For a moment, much of his thought process vanished. He could only stand and look at her eyes in the distance. He did tell himself that he was only assuring that she saw him. That small voice of protocol could be ignored, of course. They both knew it was lying to save face.

Schooling his face, he stepped off in her direction, walking calmly. Of course, the presence of so many people hindered his movements. As much as he felt that running over the intermediaries to reach his bride to be was the best course of action, he had to live in this town. Flattening potential customers or trampling their wives was uncouth.

He had a sudden inspiration into the dynamics of crowd mechanics at that point. Perhaps someone should do a study on the nature of a crowd and publish it, for while he struggled to make headway towards his destination, the crowd melted out of her way as if compelled. He slowed down further. If it were proper, he would have stopped entirely to wait for her. This gave him a greater opportunity to watch the crowd. The dynamics made sense to him now. Either alone or escorted, ladies had the right of way. As much of the problem he had was without a lady at his side, the space around him was preferable to stopping.

He stopped short of her, as custom dictated. Once he was sure that she was “officially” looking his way, he bowed and doffed his hat to her. As much as he would like to kiss her forehead or (heaven forbid) her cheek, this was much to public for that. He would have to wait for a presented hand. Short of a request from her, a request he doubted would come with an obvious chaperon nearby, he could not be more familiar in public.

“I would be honored to act as your escort this evening, Miss Asperhand. Please pardon the interruption if you are otherwise engaged.”

The formal words were almost a mockery of their situation, especially with the key word “engaged” present. He quirked the beginning of a grin before he could stop it. She was simply too gorgeous for words.

[Eleora Asperhand]

The fluttering feeling that beat against the inside of Eleora's corset as she moved towards her fiancé. She wanted to run to him like a chilld and fling her arms around him, but it was impossible. Not only would her fashionable skirt not allow for such quick movement, but it would have been a near unforgivable breech of etiquette. Artemidoros would likely not mind, but each pair of prying eyes was connected to a set of gossiping lips. They were always being watched, and all who watched them judged them.

Eleora returned the gesture as Artemidoros bowed, offering her gloved hand for a kiss. There was so much she wanted to say, but it was best to speak little. Later they would have all the time in the world for conversation. “The honor would be mine, Lord Etherium,” she said with a small smile. She felt as though she should be smiling widely enough to split her face.

She had to remain reserved and proper. If they were alone she could have called him by his given name, but even if it were permissible here she would not have. She knew her voice would break, or at least show too much emotion. She drew her fan across her cheek lightly. I love you. There were words that she wanted to speak, but it was better to let her fan speak for her.

Her ring was currently concealed within her glove, but Eleora was suddenly more aware of the band around her finger than was usual for her. She loved the gypsy ring Artemidoros had given her, not because of any special awareness of its material value, but rather because of the message that was in the stones. Speaking without speaking ...

Repressing a sigh, Eleora allowed her fiancé to fall in beside her. It was amusing that here she was the one whose will was considered, but when they wed everything that she owned would be his. It was not an issue for her -- she trusted Artemidoros completely -- but it still seemed strange. Not that it mattered if it was nonsensical or not. Things were as they were for no other reason than that they were that way. “It is a lovely night to start a new year,” she said mildly. She wished she could have said more, but at the moment they would enjoy the chilly night.

[Artemidoros Etherium]

Artemidoros took the time to look around as he (finally) made it to his fiancé. No one was paying them the slightest attention, save for the ogre following Eleora. It didn’t matter that the woman was far from old and fairly pleasant on the eyes. She was the “enemy” and so was an ogre in his mind. To be honest, she only was present to protect the honor of both families, but the lack of freedom chafed him. He wouldn’t even break the rules without a chaperon present. The lack of trust and the intrusiveness were the key irritants.

He tipped his hat to the ogre as he bent to kiss Eleora’s glove. He could hardly think of it as her hand with all that material between them. He gave her hand a very gentle squeeze as he took it for the kiss. Hopefully, the ogre would not notice that. He made it a point to meet Eleora’s eyes as he straightened from kissing her hand. The key was to be gentle and not seem to be handling her in a crude manner.

He noted the position of the fan. The wordless message drew a small smile and the tiniest of winks from him. It was too bad there was not something he could use to respond in kind. He turned slightly and offered her his arm. In this, at least, he could make a bit of contact within the confines of the rules. It was demanded of him to escort her in this manner in a crowd. He hesitated a moment, and then decided that he should offer the ogre his other arm. An ogre lady was still a lady. He would not be surprised if Eleora could read his thoughts. They had discussed ogres while at school and she seemed to be able to read his mind quite well. He almost thought it was magic.

“I will be back in town to check on construction of my house in a few days. You will be back in school by then, so I will send you word of the progress. I thought we might see about a table at the Three Broomsticks, unless you would rather walk awhile or had other plans. I am entirely at your pleasure, my love.”

Thinking back on it, he could have probably kissed her on the forehead in greeting. However, in this public of a place, that seemed inappropriate. He waited to see if she took his arm, what her answer would be, whether the ogre would take his other arm, and what other surprises might be in store for him. If she were still here at the turning of the year, he would most definitely kiss her for the first time. After all, wasn’t it bad luck not to kiss your love on New Year’s Eve? That is, of course, unless he chickened out of it.

[Eleora Asperhand]

It was a pity that both the weather and etiquette dictated that she wear gloves. Eleora wished uselessly that the kiss could have contacted skin, no matter how brief and chaste that contact might be. Even with the presence of her chaperone (Eleora had not bothered to learn the name of the annoyingly tall blonde) the young girl wished that she could have been less well behaved. She was going to be married to Artemidoros within the year, and it would be nice to express their affection to some extent.

All they had now was a fan and subtle gestures. Others did the same things and were empty and hollow. While Eleora and Artemidoros were sincere, it would be nice to not use the same meaningless actions that everyone else did. The brief pressure as he took her hand, a wink as she silently professed her love --

That was all they had. Their world was rigid. There was no room for them to be free.

Still, she was happy to have what they did. Etana was to marry shortly after she graduated as well, but her husband to be was near their father's age and in France. Etana would probably not meet him until shortly before the wedding, and the younger Asperhand girl was happy about it. It was not something that Eleora could completely understand, but she accepted that it was so. Her own life was much more to her own liking. She had a fiancé close to her own age who she both loved and found attractive, and even better Artemidoros allowed herself to be her own person as much as she could within the constraints of their society.

“The Three Broomsticks sounds like a wonderful idea,” she answered without bothering to look over at her chaperone. She turned her dark eyes up towards Artemidoros while keeping her head demurely dipped, a feat she had thought foolish when she had first learned it. “I will look forward to news about the progress of the house.” She did not trust herself to refer to it as their home, as blushing at the thought without speaking the words. She took Artemidoros's arm happily, wishing that they did not have to be chaperoned. It was at the point where she automatically disliked anyone who was assigned to her.

[Artemidoros Etherium]

Suddenly, a storm of rebellion roiled the normally calm Artemidoros’ mind. They were engaged. The betrothal document was so iron clad that even if they did change their minds, it was far too late. The original idea, to become betrothed so that he could release her later without stain, had not been a very good one. Too many of their relatives had touched the document. There were penalties and provisions that would ruin them both if they changed their minds now. It was a good thing they had decided they loved one another before they got a chance to read the document. One of the provisions even stated that he simply demand that she marry him on the spot. There wasn’t even the need for a ceremony, at least in the document. Signing the documents had been consent to the provisions.

He removed the hand on his arm with his free hand, entwining his gloved fingers with hers. His newly freed arm snaked around her middle, first pulling her into a brief hug, then releasing her and offering his hand to her other one to hold. He had seen married couples, a few at least, walking in such a fashion. Since his hand was not on her person, it shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, if this was a problem for her, she would let him know. The chaperone could go to the Blazes. They were far from the most demonstrative couple in the area. There was one pair kissing, if not worse, on the sidewalk in front of one of the quieter establishments.

He was almost brave enough to bend down and kiss her… almost. Although he could get by with a kiss on the cheek in private, or perhaps at midnight, that was something that might make people talk about her. This was pushing things quite far enough. He did not even turn to see what the chaperon was doing. She was still breathing, however, as she had finally moved to take his other arm. This put him in a rather amusing position. He wasn’t sure how to make his way to their destination. How did you “guide” two women at once?

“Please forgive me if this is too familiar. Simply let go of my hand and I will back off like a scolded puppy. If you would like my cloak for added warmth, it is yours for the asking. It is a bit harsh of a night. They have created a frozen pond over there. If you would like to skate, I will do my best not to look too foolish.”

He took a step toward their goal and hoped that the ladies would take the hint and come along. Otherwise, he might end up on his face. Of course, if Eleora or the chaperon did not like his actions, his face might end up sore for other reasons. He blinked as a snowflake landed on his nose. He had not expected that.

[Eleora Asperhand]

Eleora was surprised as Artemidoros removed her hand from his arm and took it in his own. His next action was even more of a surprise than the first, but the little Slytherin managed to realize what he was doing in time to actually enjoy the fleeting contact. Her smile was far too wide to be considered demure, but for a rash moment she did not care. Squeezing his hand gently, she walked with him towards the Three Broomsticks. The very existence of her chaperone was blocked from her mind as she determined that she would enjoy this evening and there was nothing that their tag-along could do to ruin it.

“I have yet to find you too familiar, Mr. Etherium,” Eleora said lightly, her face still stretched in an honest display of pleasure. “Perhaps after our first stop, some skating might be enjoyable. At the very least we can enjoy watching some of the more talented skaters.” She was an adept skater, but if Artemidoros did not want to skate she was not going to attempt to force him. No, it would be much more enjoyable to simply spend time with him even with the annoying presence of the ogre than it would be to freeze on the ice.

Snow was falling now, the flakes starting to cling to Eleora's hair almost immediately. The tiny bites of cold and wet were coming quicker and already beginning to freckle the street. “Perhaps the Three Broomsticks is an ideal destination for the moment,” she said, fighting the urge to giggle.

Too familiar, indeed. If only she could be more familiar with Artemidoros now ...

[Artemidoros Etherium]

He bent slightly so that he could lower his voice for her ears alone. The Ogre was on the other side now, but it still would not do to taunt her. Artemidoros had learned a lot by mingling during his first six months out of school. There was a lot more leeway in this sort of relationship than he had thought. He suspected that the “common knowledge” was kept restrained on purpose. If young people were afraid to cross the line, they were easier to watch.

“I have had more time to watch our peers socialize since I left school. Where others must be careful because the engagement might end, could you honestly see either of our families trying to break our contract?! I know that I would never do so, short of you asking me to do it. I have seen no sign of that occurring, so I believe we are quite safe with a bit more familiarity. As long as honor is satisfied, we are fine.”

As they made their way into the establishment, he was relieved to see several tables had come open. People had flocked outside to see the snow. He ensured that both ladies were comfortably seated before turning his attention to the mechanics of the place. They had a young girl checking hats and coats this evening, so he suspected that they would have people waiting the tables. No sooner had this train of thought left the station; a young red headed girl wearing an apron approached the table.

“Ye can take your seat sir. I’ll be takin’ ye orders. I would recommend the butterbeer. It is nice an hot.”

Her words made Artemidoros move quickly in order to cover his desire to wince. He took a seat opposite Eleora, as protocol demanded. She would have to ask him to move next to her if she wanted. He looked to the ladies, getting the expected nods.

“The ladies will have the warmed butterbeer. I would like a double of Ogden’s best, if you have it.”

He had acquired a taste for firewhiskey recently. It warmed him, though oddly seemed to have no other effect on him. After he had watched his friends drink themselves silly, with little adverse reaction himself, he had asked his cousin about it. Apparently, something in their family history gave them a resistance to alcohol. It might have something to do with the long line of potion makers he had as ancestors. He could get drunk, but it seemed to take a lot more than it should. It was an interesting advantage.

[Eleora Asperhand]

For a moment her mind rebelled. Eleora had been raised in a world of rigid rules, and that some of them might be malleable was unthinkable. But it was not as though her fiancé was suggesting that they break all the rules and turn into utter heathens. No, Artemidoros was simply telling her that they could take a few liberties if doing so did not effect their honor. It was not as though either of them would be marrying another; not only had their families all but carved the marriage agreement in stone, but she had given her word as well. This was their future, and she loved him.

They both had chosen this. She had a reminder in the six stones on her ring that she was adored. Artemidoros was often reminded of her feelings through the movements of her fan. By the time they had reached the Three Broomsticks she had turned the idea around in her head enough that it was making sense to her. It simply meant that they could take a few liberties as long as they were ... well, she would work that part out later on. For now what it meant was that they were allowed to hold hands, and possibly ... did it mean that he could kiss her? She clutched her free hand around her fan and was glad to be ushered quietly into a seat.

She remained quiet as Artemidoros ordered for all of them, and then idly opened her fan and looked down at it for a moment before closing it again and tucking it away. She was a little surprised that he had ordered Firewiskey for himself, but she assumed that he knew what he was doing. Now if she could only think of something to say! They had been so comfortable with each other at Hogwarts, but now that the idea that they could be more familiar with each other had been presented Eleora felt suddenly shy. "I had not been expecting snow tonight," she said quickly, and then blushed brightly.

[Artemidoros Etherium]

Artemidoros watched carefully as they proceeded. It was a bit difficult to watch her too closely as they walked to the shop, though he was amused to see that he had been correct: people were moving out of their way now that had jostled or blocked him earlier. A woman on your arm was a ticket to free passage through a crowd. There was no other good explanation. Soon, they were at the Three Broomsticks and headed to a table.

He watched the clutching of the fan; he watched that closely as she used it for messages that could not be shared in words. He was still puzzling over that when he made the order and managed to see her reaction, small as it was, to his drink order. Now, what did opening and closing the fan mean? Did it mean anything? He was still puzzling this out when the drinks arrived, she mentioned the snow, and then she blushed.

Those blushes for no reason he could fathom still amused him. He used to think that she did it on purpose to confuse him. As they had spent more and more time together, he realized that her mind had to be going places his could never follow. He must have said or done something that embarrassed her. There was no good explanation for an embarrassing thought to percolate up to her head. She was more innocent than that. He was the one who had the base thoughts, not her.

“I had heard there might be snow. I swear that I am going to have to find a fortune teller or a former sailor to predict the weather. The sailor would likely be more reliable, but the fortune teller, solemnly sitting before her crystal ball as she makes up an answer, might be just as amusing a diversion. Meer swears he found a fortune teller who actually predicted the future, but I believe he is joking with me.”

He tossed down the drink in order to steel his nerves. Then he looked at the ogre, who had done nothing to contradict him so far, and winked. Leaning forward slowly, so that Eleora or the Ogre could object, he kissed her quickly on the cheek and sat back. If she wanted to blush, then he would give her a reason to blush. Then he smiled and arched an eyebrow at her.

“It is our honor we must look to now. I believe that our honor can handle that small token of my esteem for you, Miss Asperhand. I do hope you can remain until midnight. It brings good fortune to kiss a pretty girl as the year changes. I would hate to have to find a girl of lesser beauty to kiss. That would be a shame.”

[Eleora Asperhand]

"I wonder if we could find a House Elf who can predict the weather," Eleora mused. "Surely they can do other magics than cleaning and cooking." It would be an interesting addition to their household -- a thought that caused another blush.

Then he quaffed his firewiskey and leaned in towards her slowly. For a moment she was confused, and then her eyes went wide. Was he going to kiss her? Now, with the leggy blonde staring at them with her face pinched in disapproval?

The kiss landed on her cheek, and for a moment Eleora was almost ... disappointed. She could not quiet understand that feeling; mere seconds before she had been fluttering around wishing that the unfortunate canker that was her chaperone would be enveloped in the earth so that the first time Artemidoros kissed her it would not be watched with such a disapproving glare. The feeling did not stop her cheeks from being died a delicate pink; the color deepened as her beloved spoke.

Her tongue did not want to work. Large dark eyes were wider than was normal. Eleora had indulged in private blushes as she thought of kissing the man she was going to marry, but she had not expected either of them to act on such a thought. Tonight they would have an excuse as solid as that of mistletoe.

But she did not want an excuse, and the annoyingly fair haired witch could crawl under a chair and shrivel up for all that Eleora cared. If it was simply Artemidoros's honor and her own to be considered, then so long as they did not make a spectacle of themselves she did not see why they could not share a chaste kiss. In a rare moment of rebellion, Eleora turned her fan in her hand and pressed the handle to her lips.

Flattery was nice, and Eleora knew that anyone who was looking in their direction would know that she had just asked her betrothed to kiss her. She was blushing brightly now, but sometimes the moment called for one to be more forward than would be otherwise seemly. If Artemidoros wished to wait until midnight he could, but now he knew she was willing to be kissed. "It would be a pity to force you to kiss a woman you did not wish to, Mr. Etherium."

[Artemidoros Etherium]

The blush from the house-elf comment actually made sense to Artemidoros. It was a bit difficult to think about households without thinking about… you know. He steered his thoughts firmly away from such thoughts. He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to check on their house (what a wonderful thought that was) without a serious amount of blushing. He might not blush as readily as she, but he had discovered previously that he could blush when his thoughts tripped into the wrong area.

He winked at the chaperone, who remained silent. Artemidoros thought he detected a bit of amusement around the eyes. The talking he had done in the months they were apart had given him a bit more education about life. He knew the chaperone was to keep things sane, not to stop them from exchanging an occasional kiss. They would not be able to canoodle in some corner somewhere, but they would not have done so in public in any case – or so he thought. The temptation might be more than they could handle, after all. The chaperone might be a good idea at that. He did wonder when it would dawn on his bride to be that the chaperone was saying and doing nothing.

“Perhaps we should practice that now. I would not want a clumsy kiss to spoil your new year. If I may be so bold…”

He leaned forward again, unsure if this might be pushing things a bit too much. They were almost teasing the chaperone at this point; that could not end well if continued too long. He pushed thoughts of the Ogre out of his head. There was no room for them in any case. Her eyes were drawing him in. It seemed that a man could get lost in there. She solved that problem for him, however, as she closed her eyes as he approached. He wondered if he was supposed to do the same.

His lips met hers. The world did not end. Explosions of fireworks did not… well, they did start going off outside, but that had nothing to do with this. He held the kiss briefly, and then resumed his seat. He had a feeling that his grin was that of an idiot. Fire or electricity should have come when their lips met. In that regard, it was a bit of a disappointment. So why did he want to do it again so badly that he gripped the table to keep himself in his seat?

“I hope that met your expectations. Midnight will be here long before we are ready to part, I suspect. I believe we should remain here for a bit longer before venturing to the ice. It is sure to be cold out there.”

Besides, he needed another drink. He tried to signal the girl waiting their table as he watched Eleora. Surely she would have something to say about this.

[Eleora Asperhand]

It took a moment for Eleora to realize that the fireworks were a real, external phenomenon and not some strange reaction within herself. They still seemed strangely appropriate for the moment, for although to most people this was just another moment, here something of note had occurred.

Of course the second that she thought that, the young lady blushed yet again. It was just a kiss ... just? Could a kiss be only that? Well, there was one thing that was certain: she liked it. She was not certain that she would ever stop blushing, but it was fact that Eleora had enjoyed kissing Artemidoros. What was more (and she was nearly certain that it was not ladylike) she wanted to kiss him again. Perhaps one day she would even work up the courage to initiate a kiss, but for now ...

Well, for now she supposed it was important to make sure that Artemidoros did not mistake her blushes for a sign that she had not liked the kiss or that she had thought it too bold. She glanced sideways at the blonde -- was that amusement on her face? -- before turning her full attention back to her love. "My expectations ... " how did she answer this question? She felt as though her face was on fire!

Kissing might not be some magical, sparkling thing that caused fireworks (probably, she supposed the fireworks could have feasibly been their fault), but it was definitely ... better, in some way. Perhaps it was because she was here with the man she loved, sharing the experience for the first time. Whatever the reason ... "Any expectations that I had were surpassed," she said a little breathlessly. She needed to turn her mind to other thoughts; she did not know how much more blushing she could handle.

Ice. Taking a quick drink, she glanced about for a window. "The snow will look lovely on the ice, but I am not entirely certain what effect it will have on skating," she said quickly. The weather again -- she needed to stop talking about the weather. She was acting as though she had never sat down and had a conversation with Artemidoros before.

Well, except for the kiss.

Blushing again -- still? -- Eleora flipped her fan open and raised it in front of her face, fanning quickly. She would change the subject, but the only other thing she could think of to talk about was her schooling, and somehow that seemed ... well, embarrassingly juvenile. She would be married before the year was out, and she was still in school. It just seemed as though she should not advertise the fact. She already looked young enough.

[Artemidoros Etherium]

Artemidoros smiled, as much at her discomfort as anything else. Her mere presence kept him off balance so often, that it felt good to take the initiative. She was blushing. He was fairly certain she enjoyed the kiss, but he wasn’t sure yet. The fact that it disconcerted her, however, was incontrovertible.

He watched her turn to look at the Ogre. Artemidoros suspected she just now understood what he told her about limits on their behavior. The Ogre, for her part, seemed amused by his action. She had neither objected, nor objected to it. They were well under the line, as he now understood things. Even if she had objected, he would have still managed the kiss. It was a win-win situation.

He nodded at her short response to his question. She sounded as if perhaps she was a bit too unsettled. The kiss certainly ended before she needed to breathe; why was she out of breath? It might have something to do with women and how they thought. If so, he would never know.

“Actually, I do not know if you can skate. I believe this is the first opportunity we have had for us to skate. If you cannot, or do not wish to skate, we can go watch. Or we can remain here or somewhere else warm. I have skated before, but it would be difficult for me to aid either you or the Og… the chaperone if you cannot.”

It was now Artemidoros’ turn to blush. That was the difficulty of using a name in your head. It tended to pop out at inopportune times. He nodded an apology to the now further amused chaperone. At least she appeared amused. If that was her angry look, they were in deep trouble.

“I was wondering how your final year is progressing or if there has been anything interesting occurring at the school. After seven years, I miss the place more than I expected. It is sometimes much more difficult to decide things on your own without someone to tell you the right answer. Things were simpler, yet very much more enjoyable there. Of course, that might simply be a lack of a caring person with which to discuss things. While I am thinking of it, I hope you enjoyed the hair combs I sent you for Christmas.”