#malorn

She doesn’t look up when someone sits beside her. A younger student — if he can even be called that these days, with the workload he’s taken on. 

“Y’know, some people say the full moon symbolizes harvest,” he says without being asked, dangling his feet over the side of the chasm. “Or celebration.” 

She only hums in reply. Soft. Noncommittal. She’s had to add that to her arsenal of defense mechanisms. That cool, aloof calm, as though she doesn’t care so deeply she feels like she might collapse. A star in the process of burning out and dying. A fitting mood, for a Necromancer, but far from a pleasant one. Perhaps that doesn’t matter anymore. 

“...Are you okay, Morg?” 

She almost nods. Almost shakes her head. Almost pitches herself off the edge of the world to avoid answering the question. She ends up shrugging. 

“I guess.” 

“...That’s not very convincing.” 

She manages a soft laugh. “Yeah, maybe.” 

They’re both quiet for a moment. 

“...Professor Malistaire...” 

“—was beyond saving,” she answers, even though he never finished his question. “Professor Drake is burying him on Dragonspyre. He sent me ahead of him to... deliver the good news.” She says the last part like it leaves a foul taste in her mouth. Her magic pulses, and the grass around them shrivels. 

“...You didn’t fight him on it?” 

Another shrug. “I don’t know, Malorn. I figured the good people of the Spiral deserved to know they were safe from him. I...” 

Lately I haven't had much time to stop by my dorm. Which means I don't see Malorn too often either. The Arcanum was nice enough to give me another one, and I offered it to Malorn as a new place to hang out in hopes we could see each other more, but he rejected it. He said: 'It wouldn’t be the same'. Not quite sure what that means, but either way, he continues to stop by the dorm in Ravenwood. I try to take some time to find him there, but lately I've been met with bad luck.

But I started notice something about the place has changed a little bit. Which can mean he didn’t clean up, or, that he got something new as a gift and left it there for me to find. Always bringing a smile to my face even when he's not there.

Something did start to bug me though. It was almost as if he started to avoid me, or he became super busy himself. Always rambling about the influx of new necromancers, or the new program Merle wants to introduce into the school. Then quickly running off as if it became his top priority. It didn’t bother me in the beginning. I get it, I'm very busy these days too so I can't really blame him for that either. But it started to nag at me more and more as it happened. What happened to making time for each other, what happened to all the gifts in the dorm room, what happened to when he would smile at me. It became all I could think about, a broken tape recorder forever playing in my mind and heart.

Soon I couldn’t really face him anymore. I stopped seeking him out, and never heard any resistance from it either. But I could never try to forget him, the tape recorder stuck on the play button. Memories filtering through it with cracks and spots missing. Me missing from each frame, but him being in the center. Bearing the beautiful smile I dreamed and longed for daily. Maybe if I said something, maybe if I told him how much I actually did like him. How much I loved him; maybe I would still be in frame.

People began to notice this change, assignments from the Arcanum professors slowed, my time being spent more on petty side quests to ease the inconvenience in their daily life. Trying to drown out the increasingly loud recorder; not minding even if things take more time than they should. But eventually, I had nothing left to do. Asking the professors for anything else that they could possibly need help with only to end with silence or shaking heads. Being met with such silence just bringing me back to the beginning. Shining a perfect spotlight on the one necromancer, the one person, I would just love to even see right now.

Not being able to take much longer, not being able to bear a strong face for much longer, I retreated. I couldn’t go back to the dorms. If I saw anything that resembled him, if I saw his jacket on the desk chair, if his plant that he gently took care of wilted and withered away; I don’t know what I would do. Which meant one option, the Arcanum apartment. I found myself at the door, staring at the metal handle. Turn the handle, and leave it all behind. Put the recorder back into its box and let it start collecting dust. It's for the best, it's the best for the spiral.

Once I turned it and entered what I thought would be a cold, dim, empty room I felt something strange. The light was on, there was a plant near the doorway that wasn’t there before. Wait, this is one of his favorites. Quickly turning to put the door behind me, I was greeted with a fully furnished apartment. The dark oak, the dark decals, it's all signs of him. I hurriedly walked forward. This has to mean something, he wouldn’t just do this for nothing. Maybe its fine, maybe he didn’t forget about me.

Laying on the bed with a party hat and a party blower in hand was Malorn. He smirked and blew it triumphantly, jumping up from his spot walking closer to me; "Happy Birthday!"

I stood there in shock. Just staring at him with so many emotions swirling inside me. "I thought- I thought you left me?"

"About that…" he said shyly, scratching his face as a nervous habit.

"I didn’t intentionally avoid you. I really was busy with all the school things I said. But I also was planning this!" he panned to the room with his arms. "I moved all of our stuff here! You said it would be easier and that we could see each other more. But I wanted it to be special as well, I didn’t want it to just be another one of our places. So I took some time with it, and it ended up finishing right before your birthday. So… I figured… it’s a perfect birthday present."

It took me a minute to process all the new information. To calm all the fear and anxiety I've been feeling for what feels like months now. But all I could do was well up and hug him; tightly.

Snuggling my head into the crook of his neck, "Thank you… but please at least let me know you didn’t leave for good. You scared me."

He put one arm around me and one gently on the back of my head, "Yeah my bad… but welcome home."