Vuhtzev returns to the deluxe suite and finds Yatzir sleeping. He takes the blanket off his bed, then tucks it around Yatzir. A beard is growing on Yatzir's chin. Vuhtzev smiles, then goes into the lounge.

  He sits on a cushion, crosses his legs, and breathes. “Oletsef.” His tome appears, hovering in front of him.

  The pages flutter as he reads a previous inscription. His fingers trace the symbols. “This would be dangerous to cast underwater.” He turns the page. “No, too big.” He flips through his tome. “Maybe I need to write another rem.”

  Seol scampers into the lounge and stares at Vuhtzev. “What are you doing?”

  Vuhtzev sighs and sets his tome on the floor. “I'm looking for a rem to cast, but all of mine could bring this place down.”

  Seol moves closer and sniffs. “You don't have basic rem?”

  Vuhtzev shakes his head. “No, I grew up learning Taremit.”

  Seol plops on a cushion. “Who taught you that?”

  Vuhtzev glances at his suite. “The previous Bognunrach.”

  Seol scratches his head. “Why would Yatzir's mother teach you rem like that? You'd have been a child!”

  Vuhtzev raises a brow. “How old do you think I am?”

  Seol taps his chin. “You must be close to Yatzir's age.” He opens Vuhtzev's robe. “I guess you might be a little older.”

  Vuhtzev snorts and tugs on his robe. “I'm thirty-two.”

  Seol jumps back. “Thirty-two? But, you're a biluh!"

  Vuhtzev sets his tome down. “I've never taken a final exam before. At least, I never needed to at Etirvet. Setzah said it's a requirement for me to become a Chitzah.”

  Seol rests on the cushion. “The final exam is extremely difficult to pass. You'll have to duel a Chitzah!”

  Vuhtzev picks up his tome. “I doubt I'd have any trouble against them.” He taps the cover. “I grew up dueling.”

  Seol grabs another cushion. “Before we left, I learned a spell that can make objects float.”

  Vuhtzev leans toward him. “Will that help you during finals?”

  Seol nods. “I'm sure it'll come in handy!”

  Vuhtzev rubs his chin. “How do you cast as a cat?”

  Seol hangs his head. “With a lot of practice.” He perks up. “But, I can do it just fine in my zarachit! Watch!”

  Seol shuts his eyes and holds up his hands. The cushion floats above them. Seol peers at Vuhtzev. “Start with the symbol for -Vah, then make a chain.” A circular pattern appears on the cushion’s underside. “If it helps, you can imagine your opponent being lifted through the air as you cast.”

  Vuhtzev opens his tome, then symbols transcribe onto the page. He grabs a cushion. “Vah!” The symbols encase the cushion and it floats next to Seol's.

  Seol claps his hands. “Well done! You're a fast learner!” He pinches his fingers and moves them in a line away from each other. “What I'm doing now is blending in -Zar.” The cushion separates into six pieces with large -Zar symbols on the sides and small -Vah symbols on the top and bottom.

  The inscription in Vuhtzev's tome change into six small circles with -Vah and a large -Zar symbol in their center. He stares at the cushion. “Zar!” It separates like Seol's.

  Seol peers at Vuhtzev's tome. “Now that you have the basic rem down, you can deepen it. This part should be easy for you! I'm going to enhance the -Zar invocation using -Un. Since you cast using your voice, you can say Vahzarun.”

  The six pieces of Seol's cushion disintegrate without a trace.

  Vuhtzev sets his tome on his knee. A thick line encases each of the circles on the page, then he focuses on the cushion. “Vahzarun!” The six pieces of his cushion disintegrate.

  Seol bounces in place. “You did it!”

  Vuhtzev smiles. “Thank you for teaching me that rem!”

  Seol bobs his head and puffs his chest. “You make a fine student, bilach Vuhtzev.”

  Vuhtzev bows. “You make a fine teacher, Chitzah Seol.”

  Irāvah charges into the lounge. “Found you!”

  Seol squeals and runs around the grill. “You'll never catch me!”

  Irāvah holds up a pair of yellow underwear. “Wanna bet?” She turns them around. “Look! They even have your name on the back!”

  Seol squats on the ground and hisses. “I'm not putting that on my body!”

  Irāvah stomps towards him. “Oh-hoh! Yes you are!”

  Seol glances at Vuhtzev.

  Vuhtzev grins, then looks at the cushion in front of Irāvah. “Vah!” The cushion whacks her in the face and Seol runs into his room.

  Irāvah smacks the cushion onto the floor. “You let him get away!”

  Vuhtzev shrugs and crosses his arms. “He can't go far. You'll catch him eventually.”

  Irāvah slingshots the underwear at him.

  Vuhtzev peels them off his face and drops them on the floor. “What's the big deal anyways? Most of the people here are exposed.”

  Irāvah sighs and drops onto a cushion. “He’s bound for trouble walking around like that.” She lifts her hands. “We're supposed to be helping Yatzir." Her eyes flick to her suite. "Not running around with our TINY PENISES out!”

  Vuhtzev grunts, then shuts his tome. “How are we helping Yatzir?”

  Irāvah glares at him.

  Vuhtzev swallows and sets his tome aside. “I know you think I have an ulterior motive for being here, but the truth is… Yatzir reminds me a lot of myself.”

  Irāvah bites her nails. “How?"

  Vuhtzev stares at the lagoon. “I lost both of my parents when I was younger. My mother and Yatzir's were like sisters. When Imazet found out what happened, she began teaching me remit and taking care of me.”

  Irāvah scrunches her brows. “Your parents were friends?” She snorts. “I guess I see the resemblance between you two. You keep to yourself a lot. Yatzir rarely opens up.”

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  Vuhtzev glances at his tome. “It's sappy, but being around Yatzir makes me feel close to Imazet.”

  Irāvah purses her lips. “You saying you have a crush?”

  Vuhtzev stares at her, then touches the tattoo under his eyelid. “Maybe I do…”

  Irāvah makes kissy lips at him. “Vuhtzev and Yatzir sitting by the pond, locking lips until dawn!"

  Vuhtzev pops his knuckles. “All right, you asked for it.” He pounces on Irāvah.

  She laughs and throws him off. “Bring it, rosey cheeks!”

  They wrestle on the ground, then Yatzir walks in and stretches. “What are you doing?”

  Irāvah pins Vuhtzev. “Winning!”

  Vuhtzev growls and stands up. “Yeah right!”

  Irāvah wails, grabbing at his wrists. “Wait!”

  Vuhtzev carries her to the grill. “Hey, Yatzir! Turn this thing on! I'm feeling Irāvah kebobs for dinner!”

  Irāvah jumps off his chest and flips over the grill. “You ain't even got the balls to cook someone!”

  Vuhtzev opens his robe and shakes his privates. “Got’em right here!”

  Irāvah blocks the view of his crotch. “Gross!” She looks at Yatzir who is covering his face, yet peeking between his fingers. She smirks and struts to him. “Hey, bud.” Her arm hangs over his shoulder. “You’ve got a tent forming.”

  Yatzir grabs his crotch.

  Irāvah laughs and pats his back. “You two should spend some alone time together.” She skips to her suite. “And by alone time, I mean…” She spins around and crosses her index fingers. “Take a bath because you two stink!”

  Irāvah sticks out her tongue and leaves.

  Yatzir stands still. Vuhtzev closes his robe and walks to his tome. Yatzir is motionless. Vuhtzev smirks and approaches him.

  He lowers Yatzir's hands. “You make things so obvious.”

  Yatzir swallows and looks away. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

  Vuhtzev brushes Yatzir's cheek. “Says the guy who can't hide a blush!”

  Yatzir swats his hand. “I'm not blushing!” He squeezes his crotch. “Just a little…embarrassed.”

  Vuhtzev looks down. “Is that what you call this?”

  Yatzir turns around. “It's a normal reaction!”

  Vuhtzev picks Yatzir up and carries him into their suite. “Whatever you say, perv!”

  Yatzir flails. “Put me down!” He punches Vuhtzev’s back. “You Ogre!”

  Vuhtzev moves through their suite. “I think Irāvah had the right idea.” He steps into the bathroom. “You need a bath!” He throws Yatzir into the tub.

  Yatzir surfaces and spits out water. “Why did you—”

  Vuhtzev drops his robe and tome, then leaps. “Super splash!” He makes a huge wave.

  Yatzir snickers and swims to the ledge. “You're ridiculous!”

  Vuhtzev swims towards him and tickles his feet.

  Yatzir yips, kicks, and clings to the rim. “Knock it off!”

  Vuhtzev grabs Yatzir's ankle and drags him under. Yatzir struggles for a moment, then slugs Vuhtzev in the jaw. Vuhtzev releases him. They resurface.

  Vuhtzev rubs his cheek. “Nice hit!”

  Yatzir splashes him. “Well deserved, you jerk!”

  Vuhtzev laughs and swims towards him. “Maybe I can beef you up, so you'll be able to knock me out next time!”

  Yatzir swims back. “Get away from me, you pervert!"

  Vuhtzev grips Yatzir's leg and drags him closer. “Who's the pervert?” He tugs on Yatzir's robe. “I'm not the one getting stiff!”

  Yatzir smacks Vuhtzev's hands. “Says the one trying to undress me!”

  Vuhtzev stands up, water drips down his burly chest. “Says the guy who was ogling me in the sauna.”

  Yatzir lowers into the water. “You saw that?”

  Vuhtzev flexes his biceps. “Can't say I blame you. I am pretty fun to look at!”

  Yatzir sinks beneath the water and curls into a ball. Vuhtzev dives in, picks him up, and rocks him.

  Yatzir covers his face. “Just let me drown.”

  Vuhtzev moves to the ledge and sets Yatzir by the jets. “You're cute when you're flustered.”

  Yatzir peeks through his fingers. “No, I'm not.”

  Vuhtzev pushes Yatzir's hair off his forehead. “You're not the one seeing you act so pathetic.”

  Yatzir punches Vuhtzev's shoulder. “I'm not pathetic!”

  Vuhtzev sits next to him and toys with his hair. “Yeah, you are.” He grins. “But I like it.”

  Yatzir grumbles and brings his knees to his chest.

  Vuhtzev leans on the rim of the tub. “Are you going to go back out there and let them help you?”

  Yatzir shakes his head. “What's the point? Either my tzirem is blocked or I don't have any. They can't help me.”

  Vuhtzev hums and pushes Yatzir over.

  Yatzir shoots up. “What was that for?”

  Vuhtzev shrugs. “You're a pushover! People can do whatever they want to you because you don't fight back.” He splashes Yatzir. “I'm starting to think you don't want to cast remit.”

  Yatzir wipes his face. “That's not true!” He hugs his arms. “I just can't… I don't know why.”

  Vuhtzev gestures to the dome. “This is the place to learn.”

  Yatzir huffs and crawls into the seat. “What if they can't help me? What if everything they say about me is true? That I'm a failure. Better off staying home. A stain on my family's legacy.”

  Vuhtzev's brow twitches. “Your mother would hate to hear you say that.”

  Yatzir frowns. “I wouldn't know.” He rests his chin on the rim. “She wasn't around much…and if she was, then she'd take me to the Yarbil with her.”

  Vuhtzev furrows his brows. “Didn't she teach you remit?”

  Yatzir shakes his head. “Nope! I spent ever day reading in the Avportzet. That's why I know about remit and all sorts of things, but I can't apply that knowledge.”

  Vuhtzev waves his hand, then his tome floats to him. “Imazet taught me to only use Taremit. She said that one day I'd need it.” He touches the tattoo under his eye. “What if it was to help you?”

  Yatzir stares at him.

  Vuhtzev opens his tome. “All of my rem are used for dueling. Maybe she knew that you'd need someone watching your back.”

  Yatzir eyes the tome. “Is what you said true? That our mothers were close?”

  Vuhtzev shuts his tome. “Yes, Imazet was there the day I was born. I think seeing how happy my parents were made her want to have a child, too.”

  Yatzir taps the tiles. “Bet she didn't expect me to not have any tzirem!”

  Vuhtzev sends his tome into their suite. “She got to spend several years with me before you came along. There must have been hope that we'd be similar, but I think she realized we're not the same.”

  Yatzir draws in a puddle. “No kidding!”

  Vuhtzev turns to him and pats his shoulder. “I meant what I said. You're mom poured years of training into me because she knew that we'd be together one day and that you'd need my help.”

  Yatzir glances at him. “What's wrong with wanting a normal life? I'm fine in my cottage. My dad has his business.”

  Vuhtzev smiles and pinches Yatzir's ear. “Your mother was the Bognunrach. You are the heir to your family's legacy.” Vuhtzev hugs him. “I won't let you become a recluse!”

  Yatzir scrunches his face. “You should get some sleep.”

  Vuhtzev squeezes him. “I'd prefer to stay like this.”

  Yatzir rolls his eyes. “Pervert!”

  Vuhtzev chuckles and tickles Yatzir's sides. “I'm not the one with a hard-on!”

  Yatzir grabs his hands, then splashes him. “It's gone now!”

  Vuhtzev yanks Yatzir's robe open. “Let me see!”

  Yatzir balls his fists. “I'm gonna punch you!”

  Vuhtzev tilts his jaw forward. “Let me have it!”

  Yatzir lugs his fist. Vuhtzev plunges underwater and grabs Yatzir's ankles, dragging him down. Yatzir kicks Vuhtzev’s chest. Vuhtzev pulls Yatzir in, maneuvering between his legs. The robe settles on the bottom of the tub.

  Vuhtzev tickles Yatzir's sides again. Yatzir squirms and pokes his head out of the water. Vuhtzev rises and lifts Yatzir from the tub.

  Yatzir's cheeks are warm. He stares at Vuhtzev. Vuhtzev cradles Yatzir in his arms.

  Yatzir gulps. “Uh…” Something twitches against his taint. “Who's the one with what?”

  Vuhtzev carries Yatzir to the rim of the tub, sets him out of the water, and trails the droplets sliding down his boney chest. Yatzir's penis bounces to life. Vuhtzev's fingers dance along Yatzir's abdomen, then he puckers his lips and leans in.

  Yatzir crawls away. “Nice try, perv!” He runs into the suite.

  Vuhtzev thrusts against the jet. “Playing hard to get?” He climbs from the water and chases Yatzir, then slides across the tiles.

  Imartzah holds Netil in his flipper and glances between them. “I'll go out, then come back in.”

  They nod. Imartzah goes into the lounge. Yatzir snatches a robe off the rack and Vuhtzev does the same.

  Imartzah returns with a smile. “Ah, Bogenach! Vuhtzev! It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Imartzah, Bogchotz of Niruchah, and a friend of your parents.”

  Yatzir scratches his cheek. “Hi.”

  Vuhtzev walks over with a hand extended. “Nice to meet you!”

  Imartzah shakes his hand, then sets Netil on the floor. “Tomorrow we'll practice with zotzih in a special chamber of mine.”

  Yatzir raises a brow. “Isn't that for someone with metzih?”

  Imartzah nods. “Yes, zotzih is part of the metzih process. I believe I can help you slip into one, but you'll need to rest.”

  Vuhtzev purses his lips. “I thought having a metzih is the same as sleeping.”

  Imartzah strokes his whiskers. “I'll guide you into one, too, then we'll see if it's the same as sleeping.”

  Yatzir steps forward. “But, I don't have tzirem. How could I have a metzih?”

  Imartzah holds up his flipper. “First, you do have tzirem and I'm going to help you channel it. Second, you won't be having a normal metzih. I'll explain more after you both rest.”

  They bow and Imartzah leaves.

  Netil crawls to Yatzir. Yatzir picks him up and rubs his head. “Hey." Netil peers up at him. “You're having a good time, aren't you?” He scratches Netil's chin.

  Vuhtzev sits on his bed. “I'll see you tomorrow?”

  Yatzir nods, then goes to his bed and lays down.

  Vuhtzev stares at him.

  Yatzir rolls over and stares back. “What?”

  Vuhtzev stands up and walks over. “Can I lay with you?”

  Yatzir swallow, tugs Netil to his chest, and scoots back.

  Vuhtzev disrobes, crawls next to Yatzir, and pulls the sheet over them.

  Yatzir faces away from him. “Night.”

  Vuhtzev wraps his arm around Yatzir’s waist and presses his chest against Yatzir's back. “Night.”

  Poremit...The potential of magical abilities and spellcasting