Astral Projection

Chapter Five: Competency | Part 6

Thirtyx was halfway through swapping his uniform for casual wear when the glow subsided. Benn rolled his neck and stretched his stiff legs before opening his eyes. Benn probably didn’t want the first thing he saw to be his roommate staring at him in an awkward state of stunned immobility, but there he was.

Benn swallowed and smacked his lips. “Sorry, I forgot to warn you. I try and schedule these chats for when you won’t be around, but with our new Comps assignments and everything…”

Thirtyx nodded his understanding. “So, this is what Rhea meant by a meeting with Grimmary?”

“Yeah, she’s next. Grimm wants to know about our Comps workload so he can adjust our palace duties and other training. He wants to make sure we have plenty of time to study—not that Rhea thinks we need to.” Benn stretched out his arms and clenched and unclenched his fists. He seemed to realize Thirtyx was still staring and dropped his hands abruptly. “Sorry. Astral projection is… unsettling. You have to remind yourself what your body is supposed to feel like.”

Thirtyx knew each extra morsel of information about Pfah magic put him in additional danger, but neither twin had directly used the words astral projection before, and he couldn’t help himself. “So your mind or spirit or…”

“Animus?”

“Right. Animus. It actually goes to the palace?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty disorienting. The Pfah have a potion that helps them readjust, but I have a set quantity to last me the whole term, and I have to account for the ones Rhea will steal after blowing through her own stash. Although…” Benn rubbed his eyes before maneuvering himself into a standing position with the poise and grace of a drunk Troll. “I have too much to do tonight. I think I need one. Can you guard the door?”

Thirtyx obliged, but he gave his eyes a good roll. “And who was guarding the door when you were halfway across the continent having tea with your dad?”

“Magic.” As he crouched beside his nightstand, Benn’s eyes glowed gold as if in demonstration. Had that nightstand always had an extra door on the side? “Come on, Thirtyx, I’m not careless,” he continued. “You were the only one who could open it. And who are you going to bring here besides Rhea?”

“That was harsh, but warranted,” Thirtyx grumbled.

Benn tipped a vial of liquid into his mouth. It wasn’t glowing or anything, and it was a perfectly normal shade of magenta, but looking at it prickled every one of Thirtyx’s defensive nerves. Then, it was gone, as was the extra door in Benn’s nightstand. 

Benn was already rummaging through his book bag. “I don’t really think I’m up for dinner unless you need me to go with you. Projection makes me queasy, and my workload is…” He completed the sentence with a noise somewhere between a sigh and a groan.

“Fine by me.” Thirtyx flopped onto his bed in an exaggerated pose of relaxation. “I’ve had enough of people today, and I have an essay I’ve been putting off.”

They settled in. It was mostly quiet, save for Benn’s disgruntled mumbling when Rhea jumped into his head for a debrief after her meeting with Grimmary. A few bars later, Thirtyx looked up to ask Benn a question and found him slumped against his pillow at a very awkward angle, his head half-resting on a book, fast asleep.

The day had been rough on everyone.

Thirtyx spent a few minutes finishing his paragraph to ensure Benn wasn’t just resting his eyes, but by the time Thirtyx packed away his study materials, Benn was audibly snoring. Thirtyx crept across the room and evaluated the precarious physics of his roommate’s situation. In a feat of dexterity that surprised even him, he managed to slide the book out from under Benn’s face and replace it with the pillow. While Benn was on top of his sheets, his blanket was mostly free. Thirtyx tugged it out from under Benn’s foot to cover him. The sleeping prince didn’t even twitch.

Thirtyx turned off the lamp and was settling into his own bed when he heard a mumble from the other side of the room. “Thirtyx?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re the best.”

Thirtyx chuckled. “Good night, Benn.”

Benn was asleep again before he could answer.