Chapter 113: Late Night
{Javir}
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Javir pushed the doors to her manor open, her shoulders sagging slightly with fatigue. It had been a long day at the academy, filled with endless meetings and paperwork, but finally, it had come to an end.
For a moment, anyway. She couldn’t say she was done working for the night.
[Ugh, sometimes,] she thought with a wry smile, [I wonder if I should have just stayed a traveling mage.]
As she stepped into the main room, the sight that greeted her brought a small smile to her lips.
Melistair and Margaret were on the couch, cuddling. Their purple skin almost seemed to glow in the warm lamplight, their tails intertwined, those heart-shaped tips rubbing up against each other.
They broke apart when they noticed her, Margaret looking slightly abashed while Melistair just nodded in greeting.
"Don’t stop on my account," Javir teased, hanging up her cloak. "It’s not like I haven’t seen worse in this house."
Margaret chuckled, her cheeks darkening with a blush.
"W-Welcome home, Javir. Long day?"
Javir nodded, making her way to the kitchen area.
"You could say that. The academy’s been in an uproar since Melisa’s little heroics at the gala."
As she busied herself making a cup of coffee, Javir couldn’t help but marvel at how resistant she’d become to Margaret and Melistair’s pheromones.
Once upon a time, walking in on a scene like that would have had her weak in the knees. Now, these two’s pheromones were like a decent perfume in the air.
[Melisa’s pheromones, on the other hand...]
Quickly, Javir shook her head, banishing that train of thought.
"How are things here?" she asked, leaning against the counter as her coffee brewed. "Any word from Melisa?"
Melistair shook his head.
"Quiet day. No news is good news, though, I suppose."
"Agreed."
From there, they chatted for a while, discussing the latest gossip from the academy and the city. Javir could feel the tension of the day slowly melting away, replaced by the warmth of companionship as she went about making her drink.
She walked over to the glass doors separating the main room from the garden and stared out for a moment.
Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her from behind. Margaret (and her incredible breasts) pressed against her back, her breath warm on Javir’s ear.
"You know," Margaret murmured, her voice low and sultry, "if you’re looking to relax... you’re welcome to join us."
Javir’s breath caught in her throat.
[... That’s new.] Javir blinked. ["Us"?]
Sure, she’d been with Margaret plenty of times, but never with Melistair. And obviously never with both of them.
For a moment, Javir was tempted. Very tempted. Even though she was firm in her preference of women, the thought of joining in on Margaret and Melistair’s evening rituals admittedly didn’t repulse her.
But responsibility nagged at her. And, eventually, it won out.
"I... I can’t," she said reluctantly, her voice slightly strained. "I have more work to do tonight. Can’t afford to get... distracted."
Margaret’s lips brushed against her neck, sending a shiver down Javir’s spine.
"Are you sure? We could just have a quickie..."
Javir chuckled, turning in Margaret’s arms to face her.
"Margaret, darling, we both know there’s no such thing as a ’quickie’ with you. The whole manor knows about your all-night sessions. I’m pretty sure the neighbors do too, with how loud you get."
Margaret ducked her head, pulling her face out of Javir’s sight so she couldn’t see the embarrassment on it. Melistair laughed from the couch, not even bothering to deny it.
"Another time, perhaps," Javir said, pressing a quick kiss to Margaret’s cheek. "Go on, enjoy your evening. And try to keep it down, hmm? The girls need their sleep."
With bashful grins, Margaret and Melistair headed upstairs, their tails intertwined once more.
Javir watched them go, a mix of fondness and something else – regret? desire? – swirling in her chest.
[... This night almost went very, very, differently,] she thought, turning back to her now-ready coffee. [If I didn’t have to head out again...]
She shook her head.
[Well, unfortunately, I do.]
---
Javir climbed the last few rungs of the ladder, pulling herself onto the roof of a somewhat tall building. The cool night air was a welcome respite after the stuffy confines of the manor.
[No matter how many times I do this,] she thought, [I’ll never get used to sneaking out like some rebellious teenager, hehe.]
Her eyes scanned the rooftop, quickly spotting a figure crouched near the edge. Raven’s dark clothing made her nearly invisible against the night sky, but Javir knew what to look for.
"Right on time," Javir said softly as she approached. "Any movement?"
Raven shook her head, her eyes never leaving the building across the street.
"Nothing yet. But they’re in there. I know they are."
Javir nodded, crouching down beside her student.
This was one of the Shadow Mage hideouts Raven had pointed out shortly after Javir fought Miria. One of many.
It had been, of course, a huge part of why Javir had opted not to have Raven thrown into a dungeon. And, now, looking at the place from above, she felt certain she’d made the right choice.
"Run me through the plan one more time," Javir said, her voice barely above a whisper. She was the one who came up with the plan, but she wanted to make sure Raven remembered it.
"I’ll approach first, cloaked. They know me, or at least, they think they do. Once they open the door, we move in fast and hard. No mercy."
Javir nodded.
"It’s going to be tight-quarters combat in there," Raven noted. "These places are usually tiny."
"We’ll need to be careful with our spells, then. No wide-area effects."
"Understood," Raven said, already pulling her cloak tighter around herself. "Are you ready, Professor?"
Javir took a deep breath, centering herself.
"Indeed. Let’s do this."
They made their way down to street level, Javir hanging back as Raven approached the nondescript door.
She watched as Raven knocked in a specific pattern. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the door creaked open.
Javir didn’t wait to see more. She was already moving, her hands tracing spellsigns as she charged forward.
The first Shadow Mage barely had time to register surprise before Javir’s spell hit him square in the chest. He flew backwards, slamming into the far wall with a sickening crunch.
Raven put her head down and charged in, her daggers flashing in the dim light.
"W-What the-?"
That was all that mage was allowed to say as Raven’s blade met her throat. Blood sprayed and Raven automatically, emotionlessly, went to find another target.
There were only a handful of other enemies, but the cramped space of the hideout made the ensuing fight chaotic and brutal.
Javir went to cast a spell only to be cut off by a knife she had to side-step. She gave up on magic altogether then and instead drew her own shortsword out, impaling the man’s head in one fluid motion.
A Shadow Mage lunged at her, dark energy crackling around his hands. Javir sidestepped, grabbing his wrist and using his momentum to slam him face-first into the wall.
She followed up with a quick, focused blast of Fire Magic to the back of his head, making sure he stayed down.
"Javir, duck!" Raven’s voice cut through the chaos.
Javir dropped without hesitation, feeling the whoosh of air as something passed over her head. An Ice spell. The mage responsible was relieved of his head in the next moment.
And... that was it.
By the end, Javir was panting heavily, her robes splattered with blood.
She looked around the room, taking in the carnage.
Bodies littered the floor, some still twitching. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the acrid smell of spent magic.
"Well," Javir said, trying to inject some levity into her voice, "that was certainly a workout. You’ve been holding out on me in our training sessions, Raven. You’ve gotten a bit..."
But Raven wasn’t listening. The young woman was staring at one of the corpses, her face even more unreadable than usual.
Javir sighed, moving to stand beside her former student.
She recognized the look in Raven’s eyes – she’d seen it before, in the mirror, after her first real battle.
[Though, that was after my first time killing someone. By now, hasn’t Raven killed... well, a lot of people, if she’s been working for the Shadow Mages her whole life?]
And yet, the look on her face right now was unmistakable.
"Come on," Javir said softly, placing a hand on Raven’s shoulder. "We’re done here. Let’s go home."
For a moment, Raven didn’t move. Then, slowly, she nodded, allowing Javir to guide her towards the exit.
---
"You did well tonight," Javir said as they neared the academy. "I know it must not be easy, but what we’re doing... it’s necessary. Remember that."
Raven blinked.
"It’s actually very easy, I assure you."
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Javir raised a brow.
"... That right?" Javir muttered. "Well, in any case, good job. Go ahead and get some rest, alright?"
Raven just nodded, turned, and walked away without a word.
Javir watched her go for a moment before turning and doing the same.