Kiran leaned against the wall outside of Administrator Dorne's office, arms crossed, tapping his fingers idly against his sleeve. Across from him, Hush stood with his usual composed demeanor—mostly composed, anyway. His clothes were drenched, the occasional droplet of water slipping from his sleeves onto the polished floor.
Kiran raised an eyebrow. "So… I'm guessing Elias happened?"
Hush let out a slow breath through his nose, his face an unreadable mask. "You could say that."
Kiran sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, sounds about right."
There was a short pause before Hush, his curiosity finally getting the better of him, asked, "Is this… going to be a common occurrence?"
Kiran turned his head to regard him properly, considering the question. "Oh," he said, dragging the word out as if weighing something very important. "You have no idea what you've signed up for."
Hush frowned. "Elaborate."
Kiran smirked but waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, I will. I just need to figure out where to even start."
"Alright. So imagine a living fire hazard—a guy who has exactly zero fear, endless enthusiasm, and a very selective grasp on consequences."
Hush raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, sure, Elias is a genius when it comes to fire," Kiran continued, "but does that mean he should be trusted around literally anything remotely flammable?" He shook his head. "Absolutely not."
Hush stayed silent, listening as Kiran continued ranting.
"There was this one time—I swear to the gods—he got kicked out of a blacksmith's forge for 'reckless pyromantic tendencies.'" Kiran used air quotes before throwing his arms up. "A forge! That's literally the one place in the world where setting stuff on fire is the entire point!"
Hush blinked. "How…?"
"No idea. He never explained it." Kiran shrugged. "Then there was the time he tried to cook an entire meal using only his hands, which, spoiler alert—went terribly. Oh, and let's not forget the time he "accidentally" destroyed a wooden training dummy because, and I quote, 'I just wanted to see if I could make it burn in reverse.'"
Hush opened his mouth then closed it again, choosing instead not to interrupt.
Kiran kept going.
"And when you tell him not to do something?" Kiran laughed, shaking his head. "It's like a personal challenge. 'Elias, don't set that on fire.' Boom. Engulfed in flames. 'Elias, that's a structural support beam, leave it alone.' Next thing you know? There's an explosion."
Hush groaned softly, running a hand through his damp hair.
"Oh, you think I'm done?" Kiran continued, his tone borderline amused at this point. "I promise you—by the end of this month, he's gonna have at least three more close calls with school property."
"I don't see how that's possib—"
BAM!
The doors to Dorne's office swung open, cutting Hush off mid-sentence.
Elias emerged first, rubbing at his arm where his new mana-restricting armband sat snugly. His entire expression radiated the careful caution of someone trying not to look like they had just received a punishment.
Right behind him was Bohdi, who casually walked off towards the dorms like he had just been escorted out of a fancy party rather than a disciplinary meeting. His hands were leisurely tucked into his pockets, his smirk firmly intact.
"See you later, Mr. Model Student."
Kiran and Hush both immediately picked up on the wary glance Elias shot toward Bohdi after that comment.
Kiran raised an eyebrow.
Hush, meanwhile, locked eyes with Elias for a single moment.
Then, slowly, wordlessly, he exhaled and dropped his head into his hands.
Elias blinked, then pointed at him. "What's with him?"
Kiran, with zero hesitation, gestured toward Elias.
"You."