“I wanted to show Nikki all the plants,” Ravi explained, waving at the mage in question. “They’re new to herbology, and how are they supposed to learn proper magic if they can’t even identify the plants?”
“It’s a good argument.” Tori eyed Ravi as if he had lost a few marbles. “Why you thought you had the know-how to do any of that is beyond me. But sure, you have a good point.”
“Nikki’s my escape buddy; of course I had to show them,” Ravi replied, indignant.
“Escape buddy?” The light dawned, and Tori regarded Nikki with new interest. “You’re the one who exploded the gate open so we could get in?”
“Uh, yeah. That was me.”
“Right on.” Tori held up a hand for a high-five.
Feeling very, very strange about that gesture but not willing to make things awkward, Nikki tentatively touched palms with him.
“Anyone who fights against the Jaeggi is okay in my books.” Tori beamed at them, and the expression lightened the man’s whole demeanor. He went from grouchy to welcoming in a heartbeat. “Welcome to my greenhouse. I’m Tori, mated to Baldewin. Have you met him yet?”
Nikki had to think about it. “I have? Big guy, looks like he can crush boulders with his thighs?”
“That’s my husband. Biggest teddy bear you’ll ever meet, though. When they came up with the term ‘gentle giant,’ they put Baldewin in the definition.” Tori shook his head with a fond smile. “Thankfully. I wouldn’t have fallen for him otherwise. So, how are you settling in, Nikki? The dragons overwhelm you yet?”
“Hey!” Ravi put a hand to his chest, all bristling with umbrage. “We are not overwhelming.”
“Excuse you very much, do you remember who you’re talking to? Do you know how overwhelmed I was the first month I was here? All these dragons roaming around, acting like I was something to wrap up in gold silk, and meeting kings without any instructions on how to do so, with barely anything to my name. It was a wonder I didn’t have anxiety attacks. Nikki’s in the same boat I was in, more or less. I want to make sure they’re okay with being thrown into the deep end. When you’re not used to being properly loved or wanted, all the sudden attention can be smothering at times.”
He got it. Nikki stared at this man in an entirely different light. Tori got it. Sometimes it was overwhelming just being in this castle because everyone around them was so attentive and caring and patient. Nikki hadn’t had that since their parents. That was why being with Gunter was so restful, as Gunter didn’t hover like some did.
But how did Tori know this so well? For the first time since coming here, Nikki actually wanted to ask a question of another mage. “You know it too?”
“Sure. My old clan was—still kinda is—a bunch of bastards. Homophobic in the worst sense. I had to escape them.” Tori rolled his eyes at the memory. “Turned out to be a good decision in the end, although it totally stressed me out at the time. I met Baldewin because I left. But I know a little about what it’s like to be new here. You doing okay, Nikki?”
Nikki felt their guard drop a little. The sincerity of the question couldn’t be dismissed. Tori really wanted to know. And Nikki found themself answering, honestly for once. “I am a little unsure of my footing sometimes. You all give so much and demand so little.”
“Yeah, they’re like that.” Tori’s smile was full of understanding. “You have to understand, for five hundred years they had no mages. No new ones, at least. No chance of ever being mated, of having another rising generation. So just to meet you is like a dream come true for them. They’re a little giddy with it. It does feel odd for us, though, the ones who have to justify our existence. If you’re wanting something active to do, to pull your own weight, you can always come here. I’ve got a lot of work that needs to be done and not always enough hours in the day to do it.”
Nikki thought about that. Tori might be alright. At the very least, studying magic out of a book wasn’t going to teach them everything they needed to know. “Are there any plants that can cause explosions?”
Tori’s head canted, then he turned as if taking in the greenhouse as a whole, like he was running through a mental inventory. “In the wrong combinations…yeah, several. Why?”
Whatever hesitation Nikki had disappeared. “I’d love to help you out here, Tori.”
Catching on, Tori snickered. “You’re my kind of people, Nikki. Feel free to swing by any time. But seriously, are you okay? Physically, I mean. I saw the Jaeggi drain magic out of Cassie, once. It was brutal and her recovery took a while. I really think you should be checked out by Sora.”