Rho House Party I

Later, before their practice, Elena pulled Maya aside when they were alone in the hallway, on their way to the courtyard. "Listen, Maya. I have been digging through some big-boy books. I didn't find anything referencing spirit magic. But I dug further and have found some referencing Prima Maga, so I think the key is to search for books in Latin."

"What? When did you have time for that?"

"Well… I did show up for work the other day, but I was hiding in the library," she admitted, mischievously.

"Careful," Maya teased her, "Someone might hear you and think you were actually in a real library. You know, where people go to study."

"No one would believe I was in a library to study. For a quickie in some less visited sector, maybe."

"Gross!"

"Relax, Maya. I wasn't actually shagging in a library. I can't believe I'm more invested in this than you are."

"So we need to search for books in Latin. We don't know Latin," Maya noted.

"Speak for yourself."

"How could you possibly know Latin? We don't have that class until the next trimester."

Elena cleared her throat and her expression shifted to a darker one. With a strange hand sign, she began chanting:

"Triforium incarnatum, magnus carotta. Pinus sylvestris per omnia saecula saeculorum. Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus. Temus ver tenebris…"

Elena's look was fierce, making Maya shiver under a feeling as if she was going to get cursed.

"Huh?" Maya shrank back.

Elena laughed so hard she almost let out a tear. "Well, it's nonsense, but how hard can it be?"

The fluency with which Elena executed a string of nonsense words made Maya suspect that she had frightened people like this before.

"Sometimes, you really freak me out."

"You're cute when you're frightened. You should dress like a bunny for the party," Elena teased her.

"Ah… the party…"

Elena tilted her head at Maya's lukewarm reaction. "I thought you were all about experiencing what life has to offer. The party seems like a perfect match. Was I wrong?"

"No…"

A house party was something Maya never experienced before and always wished to, but thinking about attending was making her past insecurities resurface again,

"Don't worry, I'll offer you a special discount for the costume," Elena winked.

'Ah!'

Maya remembered Elena must already have a lot of commissions for costumes since the party was Halloween-themed. Although it was only midway through October, it was the only weekend not occupied by different events.

Since this year-round they didn't get approval for a masquerade in the academy banquet hall, the spooky season party will be held at Rho Minor House. It was the biggest dorm building with lots of space.

'Should I help her and try to learn a thing or two?' Maya was inspired by Tanya's recent monologue. 'It's not like Elena knows the first thing about clothing making, but costumes are forgiving and she isn't the one to refuse money.'

Contrary to Maya's expectation, the 'costumes' turned out to be just a minor accessory to pertain to the theme that was appended at the minute. It was very low-effort.

Maya put on paper-cut bunny ears on her head, and Elena styled her hair into two pointed buns that looked like cat ears. The rest of Maya's outfit was party clothes and accessories borrowed from Elena.

It was surprising she was close enough with Elena that she would allow her to raid her closet freely. Knowing Elena had an abundance of clothes from it being tossed just about anywhere in their room, she never had a chance to look through it and grasp just how much of it there was.

Elena was fashionable in her own way, but also, she was someone who would survive without any problem on just a handful of clothing items in total. The contradiction of why she had so many articles of clothing she never wore was a mystery.

It took Maya regrettably long to realize Elena's clutter was a product of two main reasons. The first one was Keith who showers her with gifts. The second one…

Well… just like everyone has an impulse to breathe, Elena has an impulse to swipe objects that don't belong to her. And it wasn't always something Elena needed or wanted. Her fingers were simply faster than her brain.

Since Maya couldn't tell what was illicit or not, all she could do was turn a blind eye. Maya picked whatever was suitable for her. Although she was careful not to pick any jewellery that was a gift from Keith.

Next was makeup. Maya asked Elena for assistance, fearing the result.

'It's not fair. She applies makeup with her fingers. How can people always drool over her?' It was a comment made by Sarah that suddenly resurfaced in Maya's mind.

For a girl who rarely wears makeup, Elena's hands were surprisingly fast and precise. After being asked to help Maya apply eyeliner, Elena grabbed her face without a warning, and in a single stroke, she was done. There was a perfect line on Maya's face before she even registered the movement.

'I guess her art skills do transfer across.'

Still, Maya's concern was justified since her roommate always carries a light scent of booze.

Fidgeting the whole way there, Maya was quickly hit by the lively and energetic atmosphere as soon as they arrived at the male dormitory where the party was held.

The party was in full swing. The ground floor buzzed with laughter and conversation, the occasional shout, and the continuous stream of thumping music. Students milled about, drinks in hands. The room was a colourful chaos of costumes, all under the eerie glow of multicoloured party lights.

The layout of the dorm was similar to Delta Major House, making her feel a strange mix of familiarity and disorientation amid the crowd.

"Hello, sexy," Keith kissed Elena after meeting them. "Nice to see you, Maya," he greeted her before stealing Elena away.

Searching for her squad, Maya pushed through the crowd of inebriated students. It struck her as odd how there were no restrictions on alcohol consumption for those underage. She herself was just days shy of seventeen, yet knew she could easily order a drink without any request for identification.

There was a certain appeal to this adult-like freedom and trust, an aspect Maya generally appreciated. However, she couldn't help but worry about the ease with which this enabled Elena to obtain alcohol.

The party was loud and messy. People were flowing from room to room constantly. Some found a corner to sit and play card games or engage in lively party games. Others lost themselves in the rhythm of the music, dancing in the common area. A select few even managed to secure a spot in front of the TV for a round of video games.

Yet, not all activities were as innocent. Couples commandeered the back couch for make-out sessions, while others squabbled over choosing the next song. The bathroom became a refuge for those who had indulged a bit too much, while others disappeared into the kitchen to partake in less-than-legal substances. The scent of smoke wafted in from those who had ventured outside to light up, completing the full sensory experience of the party.

"I was sure Kasper was in this dorm building," Andrea was talking.

"No. He's in the Rho group, not house," Linda clarified.

"It's so confusing. Why did they name both the dorm buildings and groups with Greek letters," Andrea complained.

After locating them, and having secured a spot in the common area, Maya enjoyed the night in her friends' company. A surprising amount of people wanted to hang out with her, and giving into the mood, Maya even submitted her question to their discussion.

"What would you do if you knew the world may end soon?"

"Huh? In what way?"

Aside from her friends, there were some other students Maya didn't know the names of that partook in their friendly discussions.

"It doesn't matter. You just know the fact that it may."

"Like a revelation?"

"Hmm… I'd definitely hit my bucket list," Andrea made the conversation move.

People shared their lists and Maya wondered what things she'd put on her bucket list.

"I'd try to save it," Linda's comment returned the flow into the direction Maya was hoping for.

"Huh?"

"If I knew the world was ending, I'd definitely do something about it. Crossing things off your bucket list is fine, but that's also accepting that everything will end. I'd want to hold on to it for as long as I can. This is where my friends live and my new life is…"

"Linda…" Andrea was touched.

"I want to save it too," Maya grabbed Linda's hands with sincerity.

'Crap… What am I doing? I can't let them know it's true,' Maya was a bit tipsy.

"Right. Trying to save it is good. But what are we saving it from?"

"What if it's a meteor?" someone gave an energetic suggestion.

"The hell? How would you fight that?"

"Shoot it down?"

"How? Mellgrah doesn't have rockets to shoot it down!"

The discussion was becoming heated, ignoring the logic that shooting down something that is already falling on you makes no difference.

"We have magic! There must be something witches can do! I mean, if a witch can create a world why would a meteor be a problem?"

"And where's that witch now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever seen the magic of such a grand scale?! Is there a mage capable of doing something like that today?!"

"Why are we fighting this is just a theoretical scenario?"

Despite discussion long abandoning the realm of logic, Maya was getting valuable input.

'What could I do against a meteor? I should ask Anastasia more about the foreseen end. What if there's nothing I can do?'

"Face it guys, witches of that time are a mystery to us like Egyptians building pyramids are. We can argue and speculate, but we can't say with certainty that we know how they did it. All we see is proof that they did. The 'technology' is lost today. Maybe we should thank the Lord of Light that it was because we live in a peaceful world."

'Peaceful? As peaceful as a world of magic can be.'

"What an interesting debate a bunch of drunk students can have," their debate became a spectacle for the nearby students.

"We should leave the world-saving to our seniors!" someone concluded.

On the topic of seniors, Maya's gaze was suddenly pulled toward Keith who was with his friends nearby. There was an absence of a certain someone by his side.

"Has anyone seen Elena?"