I figured by now Maxis would be mad, but judging from the bags under his eyes, he�s been just as busy as me. Busier, since he�s spending his Sunday afternoons tutoring. Lisa asks if there�s any lemonade, and Maxis walks off to what I assume is the kitchen.
�So are you a mage as well?� I ask Lisa, figuring it�s my best bet at idle conversation. She looks vaguely pained and shakes her head. �No. I�m an accounting major. I just wanted to try something different.�
There�s a slightly hysterical edge to the end of her statement. I hear Blitz chuckle softly. An accountant taking a magic class? I�m staring at the table, chewing on my lip, thinking. I had wanted to maybe try that class on Lycanthropy Maxis had talked about, but I wasn�t sure an acting major would be able to take it. If an accountant can learn magic though, what�s to stop me? At least I have some personal experience. The bitterness is there, even in my thought, but I push it away. Not now. It doesn�t matter anyway.
I feel someone tap my shoulder and I jump a little. Maxis just puts a glass of lemonade into my hand.
�Thank you.� I say.
�No problem.�
The glass is cold and a little wet in my hand. I take a sip, the combination of sweet and tart mixing nicely in my mouth. I gulp down half the glass without thinking. Maxis is strange. One minute on, one minute off, and most of the time you�re caught trying to figure out which way he�s going to jump. But he means well, I�ve decided.
�No really, thank you.� I say again. My tone is serious.
�For what?� Maxis looks confused, his head half turned to me as he sits back down across from Lisa.
�The blastboard�and the help.� I can feel the flame in my face as I drop my eyes. �I never thanked you.� My skin is dark enough to cover faint blushes, but I�m never lucky enough to get those. When I blush, I blush hard.
�Well, really, how could I not?� Maxis shrugs his shoulders. �I mean, I had the old board lying around and with everything that was going on, you were obviously in trouble. How could I not help someone who was screaming for it? It doesn�t make sense.�
Huh? I can�t think of anyone who would just jump in and help someone they didn�t know because they needed it. That�s why I was yelling fire in the first place. I mean, everything costs something. And people don�t risk their lives without knowing how much it�s going to mean for them. Not for strangers. Sometimes not even for friends. Or family.
I must look like I�ve been hit in the head with a lead pipe because I feel Blitz lean over and say softly, �I�m never quite sure what his reasoning is, however I assure you he�s always well intentioned and quite honest, almost to a fault.�
I can believe that. �Well, thank you anyway. I appreciate it.� Blitz leans back to his chair.
�No problem, any time.� Maxis says with a half smile, almost as though he expects this to be a common occurance. I really hope not. I appreciate the help, but I don�t want to need that kind of help ever again. So I just nod.
And that�s it.
�So what�s up? How was your weekend?� He asks a few seconds later. He seems genuinely interested, his body leaned forward a little.
�Busy.� I say. Maxis is easy to talk to and I find myself rambling on. �I haven�t had to sit through a class since middle school, and the homework is already looking rough. Oh, do you know how to switch a registered class in term?�
�Oh, yeah, you can actually do that online.� He reaches on to the table, grabs a screenpad and hands it across the table to me. I stretch forward and take it from him. Our fingers touch.