Two Couples
The hallway echoed with the noise of students pouring out after class. Marion pushed his way through the crowd—and stopped abruptly.
Right in front of him, pressed against the wall, Rico and Xin were glued to each other. It wasn't a shy kiss, not a tender touch—they clung together as if welded, Rico's hands low on her back, one even on her butt. He pulled her tightly against him as if he wanted to devour her.
Xin laughed in between, then kissed him again, awkwardly but with an intensity that made no secret of it. For her, it was probably just another step in "understanding humans." For Rico, it was pure triumph.
Marion felt the blood rush to his face. No charm, no tact. They're making out here as if there's no world outside their mouths.
A shiver ran down his spine—out of disgust, but also something he didn't want to admit.
Then he felt a gentle hand take his.
Tamara stood beside him, her gaze calm, almost serious. She said nothing, simply laced her fingers with his.
Marion took a deep breath. Yes. I have Tamara.
Without a word, they walked on, hand in hand, past Rico and Xin. Rico barely noticed, too absorbed in his game. Xin briefly opened her eyes, saw Marion, and smiled into the kiss—as if it were all perfectly normal.
Marion looked away, squeezing Tamara's hand tighter.
Doubts
The evening was quiet, the sun sinking behind the academy walls. Marion and Tamara walked slowly across the courtyard, hand in hand, gravel crunching under their steps.
"Marion," Tamara began softly after a while, "I'm worried about Xin."
He turned his head. "About Xin?"
"Yes." She looked serious, lips slightly pressed together. "She seems so… naïve. As if she doesn't even know what she's doing. And Rico…" Tamara hesitated. "He's not exactly known for being careful. I don't want him to just take advantage of her."
Marion was silent for a moment. Images flashed through his mind: Xin holding up a bloody rabbit pelt with a laugh. Xin speaking calmly about poisonous plants. Xin "affirming" Rico with a kiss on the cheek.
"I don't think her naïveté is the problem," he finally said.
Tamara looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"
Marion sighed. "It seems more like the opposite. Rico probably thinks he's in control. But… I think it's her instincts. Her desire for closeness. And apparently Rico is giving her exactly what she wants right now."
Tamara frowned thoughtfully. "You think she's using him?"
"Maybe not consciously," Marion replied carefully. "But… she's not as helpless as she looks."
Silence lingered for a moment. Only the rustling of the trees in the wind could be heard. Tamara looked at him for a long time, then squeezed his hand a little tighter.
"Maybe you're right," she murmured. "But still… I hope she doesn't get hurt."
Marion gave a faint nod. Or that someone else doesn't get hurt…
Shopping Trip
The sun was high when Tamara, Jenny, Katie, and Leon set out for the city. The streets of Parzipazio were crowded: merchants hawked fabrics and spices, children darted between the stalls, beastfolk carried baskets under the calls of their masters.
"I absolutely need a new dress," Katie declared as she strode confidently through the crowd. "One that really fits. You know, skin-tight. Something that makes an impression."
"Of course," Jenny replied sharply, "because you're so inconspicuous otherwise."
Leon walked beside them, hands in his pockets, wearing the gentle smile he never seemed to lose. "I'll help you find something suitable," he said to Katie. "Sometimes you don't see yourself the way it really looks."
Katie nodded, satisfied. "Good. Then you'll tell me whether it makes an impression."
Tamara sighed softly but held back. For her, shopping was less a game of attention and more of an obligation. Still, she was glad for the distraction—and perhaps she would find something she actually liked.
Jenny followed with folded arms, her gaze everywhere and nowhere. "Let's see if I find anything. Probably just junk again."
They entered a shop filled with fabrics, colorful ribbons, and shimmering mannequins. Katie immediately rushed to a rack of tight-cut dresses, pulled out a deep red one, and held it against herself.
"Too daring?" she asked.
Leon looked her over briefly, then shook his head. "It suits you."
Katie grinned. "Exactly what I wanted to hear."
Jenny giggled. "Oh Leon, the eternal gentleman. Keep this up and she'll think you're her personal fashion consultant."
Leon just shrugged. "I'm only saying what I think."
Meanwhile, Tamara chose a simple blue dress, held it up, and turned slightly in front of the mirror. It suited her—subtle and elegant. "Do you think this works?" she asked Leon quietly.
He nodded at once. "Absolutely, it works on you. It accentuates your figure. Marion will love it."
A hint of red touched her cheeks, but she only smiled briefly and carefully put the dress back.
While the girls tried things on and Leon gave honest, sometimes cautiously phrased comments, the conversation drifted to Xin.
"I still find it strange how quickly she's grown into everything," Jenny remarked casually, twirling a velvet hairband in her hand. "A few weeks ago she was a street girl, now she's sitting in our class like it's the most normal thing in the world."
"She's gifted," Tamara said seriously. "You can't deny that. But… sometimes she still seems very foreign. I think she doesn't understand a lot."
Katie snorted. "Oh, she just needs to learn how things work. If she's smart, she'll adapt. If not, she'll drop out again."
Leon remained silent.
The girls exchanged glances—some mocking, some thoughtful. But the topic dissolved into the hum of shopping.
In the end, Katie and Jenny had new dresses, Tamara a hairband—and Leon a quiet, satisfied smile, as if he had fulfilled his role as "fashion consultant" with flying colors.
Nighttime Dare
The moon stood high as Marion, Tobia, and Manuel quietly slipped out of the dormitory. Gravel crunched beneath their steps. Ahead of them lay the dark forest, a black sea of shadows and whispers.
"I'm telling you, this is a damn stupid idea," Tobia muttered, tugging at his cloak.
"Brother," Manuel whispered with a grin, "that's the whole point. A dare. If we pull this off, we'll be legends."
"Legends?" Tobia gasped. "Or dinner."
Marion remained silent. Surprisingly calm, he studied the narrow paths that stretched into the darkness. It wasn't that he felt no fear—quite the opposite. But he had learned by now that fear wouldn't kill him. Not permanently.
"Come on," he said quietly and took the first step.
The forest was still; only now and then a branch snapped. Manuel tried to appear brave, but his voice trembled when he whispered, "Did you hear that?"
"Stop it!" Tobia hissed. "I swear, if something jumps in my face out here, I'll scream so loud the whole academy wakes up."
Marion snorted softly. "Then hurry up, brother."
They crept on until suddenly voices drifted between the trees. Female voices.
The three froze.
"…I'm telling you, it's true!"
"And I'm telling you, that's nonsense."
A rustling—and two figures stepped from the shadows into the moonlight: Xin and Jenny.
"What the—?" Manuel nearly let out a scream. "What are you doing out here?"
Marion narrowed his eyes. "That's exactly what I was about to ask. Why are you here?"
Jenny put her hands on her hips as if it were nothing. "Because we were discussing girl stuff. And you discuss that… privately."
"In the middle of a creepy forest?" Tobia blurted, eyes wide.
"Yes," Jenny replied dryly. "Private doesn't mean comfortable."
Xin nodded seriously, as if it made perfect sense. "We shared secrets."
Manuel stared at them, then burst out laughing. "Secrets? At night? In the forest? You're crazier than we are."
"Says the one who's about to wet himself," Tobia growled.
For a moment there was silence—and then a branch snapped behind them. All four flinched.
Jenny grabbed Xin's arm. "What was that?!"
"A rabbit," Xin said calmly.
"Oh great!" Tobia groaned. "Just great!"
Marion couldn't suppress a grin. "Well then, dare completed."
But as they started moving again, it was clear to everyone:
Whether rabbits or humans—this forest was not entirely empty that night.
Scaredy-Cats
A rustling in the undergrowth, then a deep snort. They all spun around, eyes wide.
"There! There was something!" Tobia gasped, jumping back and nearly tripping over a root.
Manuel raised his arms, ready to hurl a spark spell.
Jenny clung to Xin. "Oh damn, oh damn!"
And then it burst out: a deer.
It stared at them with wide eyes before bolting off in panic.
Silence. Then Manuel erupted into booming laughter. "A deer! We almost wet ourselves over a deer!"
"Brother, I almost did wet myself," Tobia panted, still pale as chalk.
Xin, however, looked at them all with her calm, slightly puzzled expression. "You're real scaredy-cats," she said dryly.
Then she thought: A few months ago, they weren't this afraid. Back when they killed my family.
But now she was bound to Marion—by a name. That made him her master. And although she sometimes still felt foreign in this world, she loved her new life. All she wanted was to stay close to him, to protect and support him. To fulfill his visions. Only his only vision seemed to be to be seen. So she had no choice but to be human herself.
She did not say it aloud. Only the faintest, almost imperceptible smile flickered across her lips.
Marion, still with his heart pounding, cleared his throat. "So… uh… what exactly do you talk about with these… uh… girl things that brought you out here?"
Jenny raised an eyebrow, grinning, ready to make a sharp remark—but Xin beat her to it with complete seriousness.
"I'm on my period," she explained matter-of-factly, "and I wanted to know how to deal with it."
The group froze. Jenny clapped a hand over her mouth, giggling, her cheeks glowing.
Marion's face turned dark red. "Oh… uh… that… um…" He turned away, pulling up his collar as if he could hide in it.
"You're way too curious, Marion," Jenny teased with a laugh. "Don't ask if you don't want to hear the answer."
Tobia laughed so loudly he nearly stumbled again. "Brother, your face! You're redder than a fire spell!"
Manuel snorted. "He's probably about to write a thesis—'Girl Secrets for Beginners'!"
Marion buried his face in his hands. Why did I ask?!
Xin simply looked at him, completely unfazed, and nodded seriously, as if everything had been settled.
Tamara's Lecture
The next day, after class, Tamara sought Marion out. She was already waiting at the end of the hallway, arms crossed, watching him as he stepped out of the classroom.
"We need to talk."
Marion froze. He knew immediately what it was about. Jenny told her.
She led him into the garden, away from the others. Her eyes sparkled—serious, but not angry. More disappointed.
"So," she began, "I heard you turned bright red last night when Xin mentioned her period."
Marion grimaced, feeling the heat rise to his face again. "Uh… yeah… that was… well…"
Tamara sighed deeply and shook her head. "Marion. Honestly? That's nothing to be ashamed of. It's the most normal thing in the world. Every girl has it."
"I know," he muttered.
"Apparently not," she replied sharply. "Otherwise you wouldn't behave like a child who just heard a swear word."
Marion looked at the ground. "It was just… embarrassing to hear it so openly."
Tamara stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're my boyfriend. And as my boyfriend, you should be able to handle that better. Don't you remember? You once bought something for me when I couldn't."
Marion slowly lifted his head. "That's true… I did."
"And did you make a fuss back then?"
"No."
"Exactly." She smiled now, more gently. "So get used to it. It's part of us. If you really want to stand by my side, you have to accept that—without turning red right away."
Marion nodded faintly. "I'll try."
Tamara briefly rested her forehead against his shoulder. "Good. That's all I ask. I love you, Marion—but sometimes you just need to be more grown-up."