Monday, May 6, 2013

Sunday Snippet: Juvenile Behavior


Hi!

Oh wow, gorgeous weather today and I got to spend the whole day outside enjoying it! Seriously, it's so great to have an actual spring season. Usually we go from really crisp and cold to horribly hot and humid within a twenty-four hour period. Mild temps and lovely breezes are a total win. :D

I'm spending my night with my new TV boyfriends, Stonebridge and Scott, from Strike Back. And you know, Baxter is pretty kick ass, too. Only one more episode of the third season to mainline and then I get to play the waiting game for the fourth. Maybe I'll have to rewatch the episodes a couple of times to make the wait more bearable. :D And hey, I have two more eps of Arrow, so there's that. J

Tonight's post is from Juvenile Behavior, a short story where my two characters spend a lot of time doing silly things to avoid acting on their attraction. The Principle Mage reaches his boiling point and decides to force their hand. :D He also happens to be Owen's dad, so it's a fun dynamic to write.

Here's the tagline:

Freddie and Owen, top Adepts putting cadets through their paces at the Mage Academy, are very much in love, but refuse to act on their attraction. But when the Mage Principal has enough of their antics, he strips them of their rank and tenure and pushes them to act like grown-ups instead of juvenile delinquents.

And here's the preview snippet:

Orville Parker glared in his son's direction. Owen tried to muster up an appropriate response…but hell, he'd had too much fun to even try and deny the charges his father made. Cooling his heels in the maze with Freddie had been worth finishing off the bottle of Amberlane, even though the potent alcohol had been banned since the elder Parker's days at the Mage Academy. The stuff went down smooth but packed quite a punch, and sometimes the amber liquid induced hallucinations and could also trigger a dormant ability. Still, nothing his dad could say would change Owen's mind.
"You're both barred from classes."
Except that. Owen wouldn't stand to have something he'd achieved taken away because he'd actually gone and had fun for once. He opened his mouth to protest.
Freddie beat him to the punch. "Are you insane? You can't lose your two best instructors."
Ha, best argument yet. "Yeah, what she said." Owen held his dad's gaze. "Who else do you have on the roster that can teach new cadets how to master the gyroscope with their minds?" Exactly no one.
Orville shrugged. "We'll get by. You two aren't getting back into a study room until you've cleaned up your acts."
Freddie snorted. "What's to clean up? We have the highest percentage of cadets who make it through. No one else is even close."
Orville acknowledged her words with a brief nod. "True. But…" He paused. "When my top two Adepts are acting like recalcitrant teenagers, something must be done about it. And treating you like the age group in question seems a good place to start."
Owen didn't like the inference. "Since when does blowing off steam get lumped in with juvenile behavior?" Geez, his dad needed to relax a little.
The elder Parker lifted a brow. "Invisible shaving cream in the west corridor…" He held up a finger. "Levitating candelabras in chapel." He added a second. "Exploding confetti balloons in the main bathing suite. Cheap parlor tricks and beneath Adepts at your level." His hand slammed down onto the heavy oak of the desk. "You're supposed to set the example. The cadets follow your lead. You're the grown-ups." He growled. "Act like it, dammit."
Owen didn't have an argument, except… "Look, Dad, no one got hurt. That should count for something."
Freddie chimed in again. "Damn straight. Do you have any idea how much skill it takes to pull off half the stuff we did without putting anyone in the healing chambers?"
Orville shot her a blistering look.
She lifted a shoulder. "Okay, stupid question. Of course you do." She met his gaze. "What do you want from us here?"
Orville rose from the edge of the desk. "Sixty days probation where you two have to refrain from doing any kind of spell casting or conjuring." He held up a hand to stop any protests. "If you refuse, that's it. You lose all privileges and any tenure you've gained."
Freddie gasped. Owen didn't blame her, the punishment didn't quite seem to fit juvenile role his dad had cast them in. But…the man had a point, even if Owen hated to admit it.
He stood. "Fine. What do you suggest Freddie and I do to alleviate stress and tension?"
Orville lifted a brow. "You've got sixty days to figure it out. And I if I have to explain the myriad of methods you can use to bust boredom, you can't be my kid."
Freddie chuckled then laughed outright. Owen blinked and looked at his dad a little closer. The man couldn't be serious. Except…yes, he could.
Well, hell's bells. He'd be happy to oblige his old man.
Shrugging, Owen reached out and grabbed Freddie's hand, hauling her out of the chair. "Let's go, Freddie. I'm pretty sure we can figure out some grown up stuff to do."
Freddie smirked. "Sixty days, right? Yeah, plenty of time to get and be creative." Turning, she gave Orville a backhanded wave. "Just remember, you're the one who made this rather grand suggestion."

The sages tell me Orville may have opened a can of magic he didn't quite want. LOL



That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

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