The Arcanist (second attempt)

I stood up as class ended, stretching from having sat in the same position so long. I reached out with my senses slightly and felt the energy of the light in the room. Stretching my arcane muscles, you might say. I also sensed the blistering summer heat outside. God I hate warm weather. I thought to myself. Even wearing a light t-shirt, loose jeans and pair of runners; I was feeling it as I stepped out of the school.

I better introduce myself before I go much further into the story. My name's Jacob Murphy; an eighteen-year old Australian living in Chicago. I stand about five foot eight, with dark hair that reaches down to around the middle of my back, bright blue eyes and, so I've been told, a handsome face. I like to think I've got a decent build. It may not be the bulky muscles of the Gridiron players (who all to often decided to get in my face. Until one decided to take a swing at me and ended up on the floor with my boot on his throat), but I'm not skinny either. It's the sort of build you'd expect to see on a professional gymnast or martial artist. I suppose I could also be considered well hung, tops out at around ten inches when hard, but I don't know (nor care) if size would really have any effect on the quality of sex. Oh, and I'm also a wizard.

Personally I prefer the term 'mage' after reading a rather... unusual chat log quote on bash.org. Now hear me out before you start giving me the weird looks. Magic exists and most everyone can use it, but very few people actually unlock that ability. Despite my rather limited arcane skills, mostly illusions and combat magic, I'm considered something of a prodigy; my body is able to handle far more magic coursing through it than most people, and how well a mage's body can take that is what determines how powerful they are. See; when you cast a spell, the energy for it has to go through your body at some point in the casting, the stronger the spell, the more punishment your body takes. It's not painful and it doesn't actually injure me since the human body temporarily cuts itself off from magic before any real damage is done.

Anyway, that's all you need to know about magic at the moment and that's not what this story really about (though there are a few points in the story where it's used, so the above info isn't a waste of time). This is about the most wonderful, incredible and beautiful woman I know. We'd been friends since I first moved to Chicago back when I was fourteen and had been going out since we were sixteen. She's kind, accepting, funny and is a skilled martial artist (we'd been sparring partners often over the years and she's a lot tougher than her 5 foot nothing stature would suggest). And the day this story starts was her 18th birthday. It was the middle of the week and we'd organised a proper party for the weekend, but I still wanted to make that day special for her.

She'd been dropping subtle hints at wanting to make love (something she'd held off on before now and I wasn't about to push her), I think. I'm not gonna lie; I can be dense sometimes, but I had a backup plan if I was wrong. She's the only person outside of my family (and who isn't a part of the city's arcane community) who knows about my talents and she'd remarked about how she wished that she could use magic. I'd tried to teach her, but it seems she's in the majority of people who can never use magic. But I'd been working on something that would give her at least some arcane power; not full magic, but enough for her to better understand it. It was going to be a surprise for her and would explain what I'd been doing in my lab lately (I'd been practising my potion-making as well, but since most potions need to simmer for several hours, I needed a way to fill in the time).

I waited for her by my car, we'd been living together for a few months now (with her parent's consent, of course) and I was used to her being a little slow to get away from class.

OOC: Closed to me and Kypanther.

*Reminder bump*

Sighing softly, Kyara pushed open the classroom door and quickly made her way down the hall. She was late... again. Her small, olive skinned frame moved lithely, with the grace of a jungle cat, something she had gotten from her love for swimming and martial arts. Long, dark hair brushed her hips, her bangs grazing lightly along her cheeks, half hiding bright honey colored eyes that seemed to stand out in her delicate face. Latin toned curves were clad in a simple black t-shirt and jeans as she made her way to the main entrance, a big smile on her lips as her gaze settled on Jake's car.

They had been dating for a while now, living together for only a couple of months, but she was sure he was it, the love of her life. It had taken a few days to get used to each other's habits, but she was so glad to have moved in with him. He had the kindest eyes, and a certain intensity in his gaze when he spoke about arcane magics that made her lose herself in his bright blue orbs, many a time forgetting to listen to what he was saying, to which he would just smile that half smile of his that drove her crazy.

"Hey baby" she said as she finally reached the car and slipped inside, leaning to give him a short kiss before strapping herself in "How was your day?"

Even after all these years, I was surprised by how graceful she could be. Granted, it was the same grace that had made me lose more than a few sparring matches against her, but that doesn't matter. "Boring and decidedly lacking in air-con. How about yours, birthday girl?." I said as I started the car and drove out of the school's parking lot.

There were a couple of reasons I wanted to get home quickly; the first was to get out of the heat; I'd rigged up an arcane air-con system that would use evocation magic to pull heat out of the air and turn it into light. Saves on the electricity bill and lightbulbs at the same time. Doesn't work in winter, but you can't have everything.

The second was to give Kyara her present. I was a little worried about it working though; I hadn't been able to properly test it since I'd keyed it to specifically recognise her and no-one else (considering that it allowed the wearer to use evocation magic and how versatile it can be; this safety measure was something of a necessity). Finally; I had set a couple of potions to brew before leaving that morning and I was hoping they hadn't spoiled since some of their ingredients were somewhat expensive (who knew cheetah hair would be so expensive per gram?).

"Oh! I completely forgot..." she said with a laugh, looking embarrassed. She never really did pay much attention to her own birthday, yet she had the knack of remembering everyone else's. "Class was ok. Mr.Snowthorn was being his usual boring self."

Ky was a bit surprised at the speed with which he wanted to get home. True, she knew he didn't like the heat at all but, today, it looked like he was hurrying more than usual, his normally calm face streaked with a frown of worry. Sliding her hand to rest gently on top of his thigh, she gave it a small squeeze "Hey... what's got you so worried, honey?" she asked in her quiet voice, the one she used when she didn't want to pry.

"Hmm? Oh, it's just those potions I started brewing this morning; if they end up burning then I'll never get the smell out of the lab." I didn't want her to know that I'd been making her present; she rarely came down to the lab and so hadn't seen me working on it. Not that I could blame her; most potions stink to high heaven while brewing, it's why I put a big extraction fan in when I got the place, sucks the fumes and smell out of the lab and shunts it outside.

The main reason I'd started the potions that morning was a way of making sure she didn't come down to the lab that afternoon and so that I had a truthful excuse for any anxiety I might be showing. Call me manipulative; but such skills have more uses than screwing people over. Besides; all that time I've spend watching Death Note has got to be put to use, right?

After a few minutes, we reached home; a smallish two-story place out in the suburbs (and I still owe Dad for getting it for us).

"Can you turn the air-con on? I just want to make sure those potions are okay." The only complaint Kyara had about my little system was that, while you didn't need magic to operate it, the temperature display (which was a crystal in the middle of the brass base) always showed the temp in Celsius. Hey, I grew up learning in the metric system back in Australia; if I'd tried to enchant it to display in Fahrenheit, it would've been off by god-knows how much.

I stopped in front of what looked like a blank part of the wall just outside the kitchen and mumbled a phrase in faux-latin. The veil I had set up over the entrance to my lab faded away and I was looking at the heavy steel door that Dad had helped me set up. There were an incredible number of rivets in seemingly random patterns across the surface, but very few of them were for structural stability.

They were part of the security system; eight of the rivets had to be touched in a specific sequence to actually open the door; touch the wrong rivet or one in the wrong order and you'll be knocked out by one hell of an electrical shock. I quickly entered the sequence and the door slid to the side, letting me drop down into my lab via a metal ladder.

I was probably exaggerating about the smell of brewing potions, but that's mainly when I remember to turn the bloody exhaust fan on. Which I'd forgotten to do that morning. I coughed at the smell, which reminded me of ionised air and quickly went over to the two potions I'd made that morning; a teleportation potion (which was giving off the ionised smell) and an invisibility potion (which had no smell, thankfully), turning the exhaust fan on and the two heating crystals off (it's either pre-charged heating crystals or gas-fuelled Bunsen burners; I went with the cheaper option).

"Remind me to put a notice on the fan down here sometime; I'm just about suffocating." I called up as I went over to a small wooden box on one of the numerous tables I'd set up against the walls. I quickly unlocked it with a key that'd been in my pocket all day and took Kyara's present out.

It was a gold bracelet with four groups of five diamonds spaced evenly around it. They weren't overly large, but it had cost me a fair bit. Engraved between two of the groups in flowing script was (I admit, it a little cliché'd) "J&K". I'd also spend the better part of the last two weeks enchanting it and had to be my finest work.

I climbed out of the lab and closed the door behind me, it's veil automatically returning once closed. "Happy birthday, Kyara." I said as I held the bracelet out for her.

*Reminder bump*

Nodding gently, she got out of the car and turned the air-con on, putting it to 20 degrees Celsius, hoping she remembered well. Hell, not that it matters. I'm still gonna get cold, as always. she thought as she headed for the kitchen. If Jake's sanctuary was his labs, hers was either the kitchen or the library room. Settling into the routine, she pulled out a box of pasta, some pieces of stake and a couple of other things as she heard his shout.

"I do remind you honey.... you always say you have something more important to do... which ususally ends up in heavy petting on both of our parts" she called with a chuckle, not noticing he had left his lab.

At his words, she turned and gasped. The bracelet was exquisite. "Baby..." she said in a slightly breathless voice as she dropped what was in her hands and walked towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his chest as she looked up at him. "You know you didn't need to..." she started before she bit her lip and stopped herself. It had taken her quite a while to stop protesting every time he bought her something.

Standing on her tip toes, she kissed his lips slowly, pressing her body gently against him. "Thank you.... It's beautiful."

"I think you'll like it for more than it's looks. Put it on and press down lightly on the engraving." I'd made the engraving work as a sort of on switch; once the bracelet was activated, it would hover slightly away from her wrist (a little like how Saturn's rings are around it) and all of the diamonds would turn to a deep blue colour.

"You kept saying how you wanted to use magic, so designed this to let you do so. It's limited to evocation magic; you know, converting energy from one form into another. Those diamonds tell you how much longer before the bracelet automatically switches off to avoid damage. Remember how when I was trying to teach you magic and we found out that your body won't let energy in for a spell? Well that gets around that small problem; instead of the energy going through your body, it goes through that bracelet. Try it on that candle over there." I pointed to a candle I kept on the dinner table (partly in case of a blackout, but also in case I decided to throw her an impromptu candlelight dinner).

"Just relax your mind, like I taught you to and you should feel the light in the room, like pinpricks on your skin. Imagine a hand grabbing it and taking it over to the wick of the candle. Then imagine that trapped light getting warmer and warmer, until it feels like fire, then release it."

Leaning against him lightly, she lifted her wrist to allow him to put it on. Following his instructions, she pressed the engraving lightly, watching as the stones on the bracelet changed to a blue color, the piece itself hovering slightly over her skin.

Closing her eyes, she relaxed her body against him, slowly pushing every other thought to the back of her mind, feeling her skin start to tingle lightly. Lifting her hand, she brushed ti along the other, seemingly taking what made her skin tingle into her hand. She imagined it burning, warming her hand almost to the point of scorching, before she opened her eyes, her gaze focused on the wick of the candle, her hand opening slowly.

The wick burst into flame as Ky released the magic, a fist-sized flame shot up before returning to a normal candle flame.

"That was perfect!" I said, amazed that she'd pulled it off so easily. I hugged her close and kissed her cheek. With practice, she wouldn't need the hand gestures and would be able to limit the energy a bit more (she went a little overboard this time, but everyone does that with their first evocation spell; I ended up setting fire to the living room curtains when I first tried lighting a candle). "Take a look at that group of diamonds facing you."

The bracelet was designed to always have one group of diamonds in plain view of the user (hence why it's floating away from her skin). The first one had turned a few shades red, leaving it at a deep purple colour. "When all of the diamonds turn blood red, the bracelet'll switch off. It'll rotate to that whichever group is at the front of the display is facing you. So when all five of those turn red, it'll rotate and the next group'll be facing you."

A surprised chuckle left her lips as she watched flame come to life. Then he was hugging and kissing her and she completely forgot everything else. He had that ability, and it had nothing to do with arcane magics. Cuddling against him, she listened carefully to his words before she gave him a tight squeeze.

"Thanks baby....it's wonderful" she said with a big grin before brushing her lips against his again and reluctantly moving away, knowing she had to get dinner on its way if they were to eat any time soon. "Steak with canjun alfredo sound good for tonight?" she asked as she started preparing everything.

"Sounds great." Noticing that it was a bit cold, he went into the living room and checked the temperature on the air-con. Maybe I should figure out how to add a Fahrenheit display. I thought to myself as I set it to 25. It'd help Ky. And who knows; maybe I'll get my head around that measurement system one day.

Once I'd done that, I went back and sat at the kitchen bench and flipped through a notebook of mine I usually leave somewhere around the house (precisely where varies) and went over my pet project, which had been put on hold several months ago for various reasons (laziness being the main culprit, unfortunately). There was an antique katana my grandfather had gotten his hands on somehow (he never said how) and I'd been trying to imbue it with all sorts of enchantments, but for some reason only the most basic ones would take. To say it was frustrating was an understatement. Of course, I was a bit distracted from my research notes by the smell of Ky's cooking. I swear, she's some sort of cooking goddess who's taken human form.

Less than 45 minutes later, Ky had dinner ready and served. Brushing her hair out of her face, she grabbed a pair of chopsticks she always had lying around and, with a deft movement, wrapped her hair up in a messy bun. Serving them each a drink, she sat next to Jake and started fiddling with her food.

"Taking up the research for the katana again?" she asked as she took a bite. Her brow frowned lightly as she thought of a couple of things she could do to add to the flavors. To say that she liked to try new things all the time was an understatement.

Her mind wondered for a bit before it settled on her body. She could feel the heat his arm gave off on her own, her skin slightly tingly and warm from being so close together. She shivered lightly, wondering to herself what his touch would feel like all over her body. Biting her lower lip, she quietly took a drink while she waited for his answer. She had waited two years to give herself to him completely, a few hours, days or weeks more wouldn't be too hard... would they?

"Yeah, but I still have no idea why the enchantments won't take. I used the same enchanting methods that I used for the air-con, your bracelet and the veil on the lab door. I'll run it by Max tomorrow after school; he might have an idea." Max was my boss, kind-of arcane instructor and my main source of reagents. He ran an old antique shop out near the university and I made good money helping him with that and his reagent trading (of course, he always palmed the heavy lifting off on me).

"What's up? Now you're the one who looks worried about something."

"Sounds like a good idea. I'm sure if Max doesn't have an answer, he'll know a book or two that might have an alternative" she said as she forced another bite into her mouth, suddenly not feeling as hungry as she thought she would be.

At his question, she blushed, hard enough that it actually showed on her skin. "I'm not worried.... Just thinking about a few things... mostly wondering..." she answered as she chuckled, playing with her fork "Daydreaming, you could say"

"Must be an interesting daydream for you to blush like that." I couldn't help the crooked grin that spread across my face as I pointed it out.

"You want to tell me about it or torture me with curiosity?" I took a sip of my drink as a waited for her reply.

She grinned at him before kissing his cheek and getting up, taking her plate with her. "I'll let your imagination run wild" she said with a chuckle as she slipped the plate on the dishwasher and put the left overs away. Finishing her drink, she walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, kissing the side of his neck.

"I'm gonna go take a quick shower... dont forget to eat the food before it gets cold, baby" she said before heading towards the bathroom door, her shirt and bra off by the time she reached it, giving him a peak at the swell of her breast and the soft skin of her back. Pulling the rest of the clothes off, she got into the shower and settled to enjoy the warm water sliding down her body, relaxing her muscles.

I was a bit stunned at her little show. "Why that little tease." I remarked to no-one in particular before finishing dinner. As I put the plate and glass into the dishwasher, I wondered if this was another hint at her wanting to have sex, or if she was just being plain evil.

Remembering something, I quickly ducked back down to the lab again and checked a few of the potions I had stored, namely two at the back of the cabinet. I'd originally made them as practice, never intending to use either of them, but I thought they might come in handy later if things did progress in the way I was hoping. One would increase my in-bed stamina while the other would increase the frequency and intensity of her orgasms. I put them back on the shelf; no point bringing them out if they aren't needed and headed up into the living room to think about how to proceed.

The answer came quick enough; a massage. It was a bit of a talent of mine and Ky had enjoyed them in the past. I figured if she was in an amorous mood; it'd be a good way to start. And if not... well; was I really going to rob myself of a chance to massage a beauty like her?

As she showered, she thought about what she had just done. Ky had never been one to be uncomfortable with nudity, actually enjoying the times when she was alone or only her mother was home, going around naked and sleeping the same way. When she moved in with Jake though, she toned it down a bit, only going around in as little as underwear, figuring it would help control both of their urges. Of course, they had both groped each other here and there, but they hadn't really ever seen the other completely naked.

Finishing her shower, she dried herself and wrapped the big towel around her before walking out, detouring to the living room when she noticed he was there. "So... any plans for tonight? Going to work on those potions?" she asked as she sat on the sofa, pulling out the chopsticks from her hair so it cascaded over her shoulder.

"Nah; I only needed to take them off the heat, I'll put them in the cabinet in the morning. I was actually thinking of giving you a massage; I haven't given you one in a while and I thought you might like one on your birthday."

I was hoping she'd agree, the way she'd been acting tonight made me think she was open to the idea of sex and even if I was wrong, she enjoyed them (especially the one where I'd used a bit of evocation to make it seem like I had four hands; the only problem with that was that it took a lot of concentration and left me with a monster of a headache the next day).

"I'd really like that" she said with a smile as she ran her fingers through her hair. She really did love his massages, the feel of his warm hand running along her shoulders and back always managed to relax her muscles.... as well as get her very excited. Gina could remember quite a few times that she had finished getting a massage from him and she would be wet, her nipples hard, her breasts feeling swollen and begging to be touched... Snapping out of her thoughts, she leaned to brush her lips against his lightly before stranding up, holding the towel lightly around her "Where do you want me?"

"Well, floor'd be too uncomfortable. The back of the couch would get in the way." So I have a habit of thinking out loud sometimes; not like it's going to kill me.

"Looks like it'll be the bedroom. Ladies first." I couldn't help but make an overly dramatic bow while gesturing with one arm towards the stairs.

Ky laughed and, goofing around herself, she got up, brushed her hair back and walked towards the bedroom, stopping to kiss his cheek when she passed him. Once there, she carefully crawled to the middle of the bed and opened the towel, leaving it laying on just her pack as she settled comfortably on her stomach.

"I'm ready" she said in a soft voice as her honey colored orb watched him.

I climbed on the bed after her and straddled her hips (the easiest way of getting to her back) and started to slowly work the muscles of her neck and shoulders first. As I did, I couldn't help but lean forward and kiss the back of her neck. I slowly worked her arms before moving further down her back, moving the towel down as I did so. "Enjoying yourself?" I asked, knowing the answer.

Finishing with her back, I moved down the bed until I could work her legs. I started with her feet, kneading and rubbing the muscles in one before working my way up that leg, my hands going almost all the way up to her arse, before doing the process in reverse on her other leg. As I worked the calf of that leg, I kissed her on the thigh, only a couple of inches down from the curve of her wonderful backside.