“Ah, Maeve Loravyr!” called the innkeeper as she came down the stairs for breakfast.

That was odd -- she knew that Castian was already waiting for her at a table. Surely he wouldn’t have left her a note if she was going to talk to him right now. She walked up to the front.

“Mail,” said the pleasant-mannered gnome, and stood on his tiptoes to reach over the desk and hand her an envelope.

“Thank you,” Maeve said, and began walking over to join Castian. She flipped the letter over and immediately felt a wave of dread.

“What’s wrong?” Castian said, smiling as she sat. “Got an ex-boyfriend trying to get you back?”

Maeve shot him a look, and showed him the wax seal on the back of the envelope.

“It’s from my parents,” she grumbled.

“Oh.” Castian’s eyebrows raised. “What does it say?”

Reluctantly, Maeve tore it open and began to read -- silently.

‘Darling Maevelyn,’

‘Your father and I miss you ever so much. The months have been long since you left, though our work is keeping us busy as always. We ran into Professor Wynoake the other day and had a lovely chat about you. You know you can always come back to the Academy, right? He assured us that you’d always have a place if you wanted to return, and certainly pursuing magecraft would pay much nicer than your humble guildwork, no?’

‘You should come visit us soon -- we are lonely without your mischief. Tell us how you have been! What has your life brought you? Have you made friends? Perhaps a potential spouse to bring home?’

‘Love always,’

‘Mom and Dad’

Maeve’s face was a burning red, and she seethed with annoyance and embarrassment as she quickly folded up the note.

“Well?” Castian said.

“Nothing,” she muttered.

Castian smirked in a way that she very much disliked, but before she could protest or chastise him, she saw his hand glow blue with arcane energy and felt her eyes begin to cloud over. The magic swirled in her head in a pleasurable, pulsing way, dimming her awareness and trapping her inside, her attention transforming into a soft little ribbon, flowing effortlessly…

A snap of his fingers and she gasped and remembered herself.

Castian was now holding the letter.

“Maevelyn, huh?” he grinned.

She grimaced and went to snatch the parchment. “You --”

He held it out of reach. “So you never finished your schooling?”

She gave up on trying to retrieve it and folded her arms.

“No,” she mumbled. “My parents were heartbroken. Ancient history that they can’t let go of.”

“Well,” Castian said, smiling salaciously, “perhaps if you bring home a charming suitor, they’d ease up on you.”

Somehow, she felt herself flush impossibly deeper, her eyes going wide.

“EHHHHH???”