Events passed by in a rapid, stunning blur of lights and sounds, of people congratulating Beatrice and slapping at her shoulders in shared triumph. The ecstatic faces of The Witches Three flashed before her, the three friends screaming in joy with tears streaming down Hanan's face. There was Lee and a couple of the young werewolves, then an upperclassman who smiled with oddly pointed teeth, and more people than she thought the school held. But always, there was Nova. The tech witch held onto Beatrice's hand tightly, leading her through the crowd and yelling for them to give her some space. Eventually, the wall of students parted and she stood before the Headmistress.

Still stunned dumb and speechless, the young druid barely registered that the Headmistress was congratulating her on the successful duel. There was a knowing smile on her face and pride in her eyes.

Turning away from Beatrice, the Headmistress announced the end of the duels and of the major game events for this year's Inter-School Games.

As a modest crowd of students that Beatrice had never met before swept her up and held her high, the earth witch caught sight of a young witch in dark robes standing before a wizard in a smart suit. Her head was hung in shame, and the man's arms were crossed in anger and disappointment. Carried by the crowd and her name being chanted deafeningly in her ears, Beatrice couldn't help but notice the tears rolling down Circe's face.

"You did it! You actually did it!" Sascha said, hours later in The Witches Three's room where the three friends had stolen away the roommates. I was hoping that you could do it, but how-"

"You did beautifully, darling!" Adeline squealed, cutting off Sascha in excitement but apologizing a second later. "I had no idea you could use magic like that!"

"Is that what you learned from being a druid?" Hanan asked so fast she tripped over her own words. "How do I learn how to be a druid? I want to learn the spell with the giant Venus flytrap!"

Nova chuckled and leaned back against the wall, listening to The Witches Three ramble. They had been talking about the match even at the spontaneous party the crowd of students threw for Beatrice in the dining hall. It was only halfway through the celebration that the earth witch realized that the excited crowd was made of non-human students. She saw the tell-tale fangs of vampires, the vaguely-wolfish mannerism of werewolves, the slightly pointed ears of the fae, and more. It took all Beatrice had to nod and smile and thank everyone for their congratulations till Nova again told the crowd to give her some space, and retreat with her to The Witches Three's room.

"Yeah, I can't believe I won either," Beatrice muttered, staring at her hands and her wand. She replayed the duel in her mind over and over, remembering every detail of it down to Circe's desperate cries as she was stuck in the Venus flytrap. It wasn't the cries of someone who actually worried about being eaten by the plant. No, she had been scared of something else. "I was sure that Circe was going to burn through all my plants, so I just did what I could," she continued.

"Well, darling, it worked beautifully. Though that fire tornado did have me sweating though." Adeline laughed and smiled softly. "But did you see everyone at that party? Not everyone of course, but quite a few, had their reasons for being happy you won. You won for all of them. For our dear Sascha."

"Yeah..." Beatrice trailed off, still staring at her hands. She blinked and looked up at her friends, and to Sascha in particular. "I'm sorry, I meant, I'm happy I could help you."

"It's okay, Beatrice. I know it’s a lot, and you must be exhausted." Sascha smiled, and the pixie in their hair waved at Beatrice. "You did something great today, way greater than a favor to me. Maybe you should get some rest though, you look like you need it."

The tech witch chuckled again and stood, brushing off her pants. "Sleep sounds good for her right now. Besides, it’s getting late and we ate too much. Are you good to go, Bee?"

"Huh?" The earth witch looked up at her roommate, at the joy in Nova's eyes and the hand outstretched and waiting to help her, to care for her. She smiled back and took the hand. "Thank you, Nova."

"Good night you guys!" Hanan said, still buzzing with excitement but trying to keep still by hugging a pillow close to her chest. "See you tomorrow!"

"See you all tomorrow, guys." Beatrice gave the three a small wave before leaving their room with Nova. "Good night."

"So. Penny for your thoughts?" Nova asked as the two walked the short way down to their own room on the same dormitory floor. "Aside from tired, I mean. I'm hoping for, maybe accomplished, and maybe satisfied?"

"I don't know," Beatrice said simply as she pushed open the door to her room and went through the motions of feeding her mandrake familiar who had started to squeak when it saw the two entering the room. She rolled her shoulders for a moment. "Definitely stunned. I can't believe I managed to do all of that, you know?"

"What do you mean? Beating Circe, or the spells?"

"The spells, for one. Most of them I've only tried to cast once or twice, failing both times. But I thought of my brother and how he would chase me around with flowers that would shoot out of the ground, and my mom who would enchant herbs so that they would grow larger and faster when we were running out of potion ingredients."

"So they were your family's spells. The real power of the Gaias."

Beatrice looked to Nova with surprise. "I never thought of it that way."

"Then you used those same spells to protect people that matter to you, and prevent some injustice from happening," Nova said matter of factly as she sat on her bed and leaned back. "Gaia through and through."

"Nova?"

The tech witch laughed. "Well, I'm not wrong. You just did what you thought was right at the moment. Just turns out it aligned with your morals and background, huh?"

That got Beatrice to chuckle a bit. Stroking the mandrake's leaves till Beau buried itself back into the soil of its pot, the earth witch mused. "You're right, of course. And the non-humans...There were so many! I had no idea."

"This was a win for them just as much as it was for you. And even if we only knew a handful, you helped a whole population."

"What?!"

"The population of non-humans in the school, Bee," Nova said with a laugh. "Not like a whole city. I'm thinking Statistics class back in High School."

Beatrice couldn't help but giggle. She sat on Nova's bed and leaned against the tech witch. "You really scared me for a second there."

"But it’s no less a huge victory, okay?" Nova smiled and softly kissed the top of Beatrice's head. Her words were quiet but true. "I'm so proud of you."

The earth witch sighed in contentment and took her roommate's hand in hers. "Hey, Nova?"

"Yeah, Bee?"

"You kissed me in front of the whole school."

Neither of them moved, but Beatrice could imagine the burning blush that was coming on Nova's face.

"I remember, you jumped the railing, fell—what was it, twelve feet? — landed like a cat and sprinted into the arena."

"I couldn't help it, okay." Nova's voice was muffled, having buried it in her hands in embarrassment. "I was so nervous watching the duel and the moment you won, I was just..."

"Yes?" Beatrice prompted softly.

"So proud of you. So happy for you. Just heart bursting with emotion, that's the best I can describe it." The tech witch muttered, awkwardly trying to express what she felt in that moment. "I wanted to scream, "That's Beatrice. That's my Beatrice."

The earth witch sat up and looked her roommate in the eye, her own brown eyes wide. "My Beatrice?"

The Asian witch looked away as she always did when she was incredibly flustered, but she nodded. "Yeah."

"Oh, Nova!" Beatrice threw her arms around Nova and planted a kiss right on her lips, hugging her so tightly and suddenly that Nova fell backwards onto her bed with her roommate on top of her. "I love you!"

"B-Bee?" The tech witch stammered, the blush standing out starkly against her pale skin. "I, uh... I love you too."

Beatrice giggled. "You're adorable, you know?"

"Huh?"

"You look so cool and collected, but you're adorable when you're blushing!"

"Hey!"

"You know what..." Beatrice moved so that she lay beside Nova instead. "I feel special."

"Well you are--"

"I mean I feel special because I'm the only one who can see you like this."

Nova laughed suddenly, flustered. "Bee! Well, I can say the same about you. You're beautiful, smiling like this," she smirked. "Why do I get the feeling you're not smiling because you won the huge important duel?"

Beatrice's smile grew a little bit more mischievous as she scooted closer and kissed Nova again. "You're right as usual because I'm smiling because I have you."

"You do have me, Bee." Nova's words were so soft and gentle that Beatrice couldn't help but gaze up at her. "I mean if that's alright. You're wonderful, and you've proven me wrong in all the best ways. Really, I'm glad I met you."

The earth witch smiled and cuddled up closer to her roommate, laying her head on Nova's shoulder. "But do you remember how we met? You were so mean, and you put a dividing line down the middle of this room."

"Yeah, I was pretty terrible," The tech witch said with an embarrassed sigh. "How on earth did you put up with me all this time?"

"Well for one thing, we're roommates and we have no choice but to live together."

"Thanks for that."

"And, I got to know you better." Beatrice planted a soft kiss on Nova's cheek. "Really, you did all the work. If you didn't open up to me, we wouldn't be as close as we are now. It was because you were brave enough to take the leap and trust someone else with your heart."

Nova kissed Beatrice's forehead in turn. "Give yourself more credit, Bee. It’s because you were such a safe person to open up to. You know what I thought of all you people born into magic. But you proved me wrong time and again, so..."

The earth witch's smile was open, vulnerable, and honest. Her words were even softer. "Thank you, Haneul."

That single word was all Nova needed. The Asian witch looked over to her roommate, the young druid that she had been sharing part of her life with for the past half year. Beatrice's deep brown eyes bore so much hope and kindness and love, so unashamed and vulnerable, Nova's heart ached to protect it. Quietly, she vowed to protect that smile, the little lopsided way Beatrice's lips pulled upwards, the tiny scrunch of her nose, the crinkle of joy in her eye. Nova's fingers brushed against Beatrice's skin, slowly, delicately, tracing the line of her jaw and down to her neck. The earth witch, gazing lovingly into Nova's sharp, dark eyes, treasured the softness that there was there now, the quiet trust and understanding that hung between them in silent agreement. It was Beatrice who moved the last inch that felt like a mile between them and their lips met.

Eyes fluttered closed, and there was only the two of them in the whole world. Nothing else mattered but this moment, save for the push and pull of emotions that the two laid bare before each other in a silent conversation. Soft lips met, and every touch was electrifying for the young witches, only just exploring what it mean to be with someone else, someone that they could entrust their whole being to. Something else was growing within the two's hearts past the understanding and trust that seemed to grow with each passing day: a love for one another and a desire for more days just like this. Just spent together, in each other's arms, without a care in the world.

The night passed by in bliss with a shared bed and blankets tangled around legs. It wasn't till late the next morning that the two roommates woke, and if it wasn't for Beau threatening to scream and defean the entire floor again, Beatrice and Nova would have slept in a peaceful pile well into the afternoon.

The earth witch groggily went to feed her mandrake while Nova stayed half buried in her blankets.

"Hey, Bee."

"Yeah?"

"How come we never end up sleeping in your bed?" Nova yawned, taking her time to swing her long legs over the side of her bed and find her slippers. Instead of slippers, her foot met something soft that bleated plaintively and sleepily rolled away. "Sorry, Fleece."

"I don't know. How about next time?" Beatrice said as she put Beau's plant dropper back into its drawer. "Oh, wait, no, I have a better idea! How about we put the beds together?"

"What, like push them together?"

Beatrice nodded and turned to survey the rest of their shared dorm. There was the strip of tape along the floor that split the room into two distinct halves, but if they put both beds towards the middle of the room...

As the earth witch was thinking, Nova sleepily got out of bed, stretched, and bent down to rip away the dividing tape. She then balled it up and lobbed it into her desk trash can. "There, no more divide."

"Nova! Are you sure?"

The tech witch shrugged. "Yeah, of course. It's our room after all."

Beatrice giggled and threw her arms around her girlfriend and gave her a quick smooch.

Brunch at the dining hall was loud and chaotic, buzzing with a vibrant energy that was infectious and seemed to wake up even the sleepiest of students. Everyone was talking about the major games, especially the duels that had happened throughout the past few days. Beatrice's name was on quite a few students' lips as she and Nova passed to find a free table. The hall was so crowded that the two were forced to take the two empty chairs at an already occupied table.

"Excuse me, may we sit here?" Beatrice asked the lone occupant who was slowly making their way through a bowl of porridge.

"Hmm?" The student looked back at Beatrice and had startlingly pale eyes of a gray so light it was almost white. He brushed a lock of his long dark hair behind one ear and nodded, motioning to the free chairs. "Please go ahead."

"Bee, I'll go ahead and get our food," Nova said, patting Beatrice on the shoulder before turning away to line up at the cafeteria line as she usually did. But in doing so, she left Beatrice alone with the student.

"Sorry for this, there were no other tables left," Beatrice explained as she sat politely opposite the student. "Were you waiting for others?"

"No, I usually eat alone," came the reply. The pale-eyed student studied the earth witch carefully. "You're the one who won the duel last night, aren't you?"

"Um, yes," Beatrice replied hesitantly. "My name is Beatrice Gaia. Are you an upperclassman?"

The student nodded. "Fourth year, set to graduate by the end of this year if all continues to go this well. My name is Nicholas."

Though the earth witch smiled, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease she felt. "It's nice to meet you, Nicholas."

"I suppose I have you to thank as well for my graduation in advance."

"What do you mean?"

Nicholas smiled, pulling his lips back over his teeth and revealing a set of pointed fangs.

"Oh!" Beatrice's eyes widened in surprise, but in the split second that followed she hope dearly that her face didn’t convey any shock or revulsion. Whether or not she did, Nicholas didn't say anything.

"Yes, I count myself among that group." He said softly, wary of any Hawkswood students passing behind him.

"Is that why..."

"The eyes? Yes, unfortunately."

"I'm so sorry." The young druid said preemptively, knowing that she was going to say something very stupid but unable to stop herself. "But how old are you?"

Nicholas just chuckled, which had Beatrice sighing with relief that he wasn't offended. "Much too old to still be a student, I can tell you that much. But I'm stuck in the body of a teenager, so there's not much I can do about it."

"But if you've been this age for a while now, why are you only now studying at Ravensburl?"

"I did only start my magic education four years ago, that's true." Nicholas sighed and stirred his porridge absentmindedly. "To be honest with you, I was working as the groundskeeper for the castle when it was founded. I tended to the gardens, trimmed bushes, scrubbed the fountain... In exchange for a place to stay. The Headmistress is surprisingly generous."

"I'm glad to hear she is! She does seem very altruistic. But the studies?" Beatrice prompted, invested in the mystery of this young vampire.

"I thought it wasn't my place," Nicholas said with a nonchalant shrug. "Non-humans learning magic was abhorrent; it was very clear wherever I went and repeated enough times that I started to believe it. You will not believe how many times I have been kicked out of wizard pubs once the barkeep found out I was a vampire. And they threw fireballs at me too, just to make their point and keep me out. But I heard through other vampires that this was a safe place to come to, so..."

"So you came here and asked Headmistress if you could stay."

"And after some years of working up the courage, it was still her who invited me to actually attend the classes and learn proper magic." Nicholas chuckled and leaned back. "Can you imagine, Miss Gaia? A vampire with a wand and familiar just like any other witch or wizard. It's two pewter rings and a bat, if you're wondering."

Beatrice giggled. "I was about to ask!"

A smile came on Nicholas's face, and it lit up his eerily pale eyes, softening his angular features so he didn't look as fearsome as his first impression as a vampire made him out to be. "And it's thanks to your duel that I can continue my studies. So, thank you, Miss Gaia. Thank you, from this old soul in a young body. You have a lot ahead of you, so don't you dare doubt yourself as I did."