Ella was giving Wolfe an apprehensive look, but she nodded her agreement and went to grab her school supplies while the others took the opportunity to draw a bit of blood from their Familiar and mix it with a paint marker. Wolfe was shocked that neither complained much, even though the small tube had to be a fair bit of blood for a small lizard such as Flame.
“My Family heirloom is a storage device, so I will sit this one out since I know the spell,” Cassie explained, then handed Ella a premixed paint marker and leaned against Wolfe while the others worked.
Their wooden discs, provided by the school, were much higher quality than the ones Cassie and Wolfe had used, durable enough that they wouldn’t need to be protected with resin.
Wolfe went along with them and carved another, knowing that someone was likely going to make a mistake the first time. Ella’s handwriting was surprisingly good, Mary’s was a bit flowery but passable, and the only failure was Reiko, who placed one of the runes out of order.
“Here, use this one. It’s better than waiting to do it again.” Wolfe suggested.
The moment he placed it in front of her, Flame licked it clean and then let loose a small burst of fire and lightly singed it dry.
“No other Familiars fingers on your Witch’s talisman? That’s understandable.” Wolfe told the lizard, who seemed very excited to have its intentions understood.
Pup didn’t even bother to get up, still resting his head against Mary while she filled the runes on her talisman with the mixed paint.
“Oh, this is so much better than doing them by calligraphy. Plus, they will last longer since the runes won’t rub off. Excellent idea, Cassie.” Reiko commended her as she finished the talisman.
“Now, do we just have them nearby, or do we need them to touch the talisman?” Ella asked.
“For a Familiar, have them touch you. The more skin contact, the better because it increases the rate of mana transfer and will make the process faster, so you don’t exhaust yourself.” Reiko explained, looking at Wolfe and smiling.
Ella was wearing the school-issued long silk pyjamas, which might be an issue, but Mary chose a nightgown, so her legs and arms were bare as she wrapped herself around Pup.
“We’re all friends here. No need to be shy. Or I can just put my arms around your waist.” Wolfe suggested.
That was what he did with Cassie, and it worked excellently, but he couldn’t say that around strangers.
“I have a better idea. Wolfe, close your eyes.” Cassie suggested.
Wolfe wasn’t sure where this was going, but he had high hopes. Especially after he felt a piece of cloth being tied around his head as a blindfold.
Someone pushed his pant legs up, and then there was a round of quiet giggles before soft flesh landed against his chest, and bare legs rested against his. Wolfe wrapped his arms around Ella’s bare waist and felt her wiggle a little, getting comfortable.
“So I just hold the talisman and draw as much mana as I can through him into it?” Ella asked.
“That’s right. Wolfe, if it helps, you can push a bit of mana as well if you have the ability. I know Flame does.” Reiko explained.
“Not a problem. I can do that a little bit.”
He drew as much as he could into his mana pouch before they started. It wasn’t even close to full, but it should be close to what he had available for the second talisman with Cassie, the one she wears as a Family Heirloom.
“Alright, here we go,” Ella muttered, and Wolfe felt the pull as she began to draw mana as fast as she could.
Wolfe added his own stored mana smoothly over the course of a second, completing the spell with a surge as he let the talisman drain the last of his capacity, and Ella gave a silent shudder in his arms before going limp against him.
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“Oh, that looked intense. Wolfe must have a pretty good Compatibility and mana flow rate.” Mary cheered, making Wolfe smile.
“Ninety-Seven percent Compatible with both of them. That’s why the Headmistress didn’t strip either of them of their Familiar bond.” Wolfe explained.
“Wow, that’s crazy compatible. I think I’ll only be in the mid-eighties with Pup, and that’s still really high.” Mary sighed.
“Now, draw mana from your Familiar, and fill the talisman you just created. It will let you cast a few spells instantly with stored mana, which will be really useful if you actually have to use the shield spell we’re learning next.” Reiko explained.
This one didn’t have to be a talisman. They could just memorize the incantation and visualization to activate it. It was part of their innate magic, and eventually, they would be able to do it with just a thought, so Wolfe assumed that he would get a chance to watch and learn, but that wasn’t his fate.
“We need to keep drawing from our Familiars until we have it right, and contact helps, so I’m sorry, but Wolfe, you will remain blindfolded,” Ella explained.
“Understandable. With a human Familiar, you will need time to get truly comfortable around them.” Wolfe agreed.
Going against his resistance, Ella moved out of his lap to lean against his left side, and a second body leaned against his right. That must be Cassie.
While they worked on the shield spell, Wolfe focused on the sensation but then realized he, too, could be working on something magical. Fire Magic was the only Magi circle he knew, but a bit of warmth wouldn’t hurt anything.
He focused on the spell circle, then on releasing heat into the area around him. It was slow going at first, and it was hard to maintain his focus with the two Witches’ bodies pressed up against him, but eventually, Wolfe managed to maintain a steady warmth in the room.
It required very little power, only a few percent of what he could continually draw, but the effect was exactly what he hoped, bringing the temperature in the room from a cool twenty degrees up to around twenty-eight, where it was more comfortable for everyone to have next to no clothes on.
By the time Wolfe had mastered the technique, it was getting late, and the girls were packing up their school bags while making plans to meet before class.
Reiko and Mary left as soon as their supplies were packed, and Ella got up to put her pyjamas back on so Wolfe was going to get up as well, but Cassie shifted to face him, pressing her chest against his arm.
“I don’t mind if you stay the night. Being close to your Familiar, even while sleeping, helps the aura.” She whispered.
“I would love to, but I should change,” Wolfe suggested, pointing to the fact he still had nothing but pants and a blindfold on.
“Just lose the pants.” Cassie decided, then tugged them down and realized Wolfe hadn’t had time to put boxers on.
“As I said, I should probably change.” He laughed, imagining the look on her face.
“No, just go lead him to the bed, Cassie. We have a lot to talk about tonight.” Ella said softly, and Wolfe felt a hand guiding him.
Once at the bed, he was arranged on his back in the middle and with a body on either side. Then a blanket was pulled over them, and his blindfold was finally removed.
“There, that’s better,” Cassie said softly, cuddling up against him as Wolfe wrapped her in his arm and pulled her close.
Ella leaned over the top of Wolfe to face Cassie and began to whisper in an apologetic tone. “What I wanted to tell you was that I might have snuck a head start while you were sleeping last night. But what I learned was amazing. His, uh, fluids contain mana, and you can work with them for an hour afterward to either cast spells or build your aura.”
“You did what? All the way on the first night? Ella, I knew you liked him, but isn’t that a bit fast?” Cassie whispered back.
“No, not all the way, just with my mouth. The mana burns when it reaches your stomach, but in a good way, and you can use it to build your aura.” Ella explained quickly, emphasizing the point about it being good for the growth of her aura.
“Really? I never considered that. But you promised no head starts, so you had better not do anything tonight. Just meditate and build your aura.” Cassie replied.
The two shook hands on their deal, and Wolfe pulled them both partially on top of him before beginning to drift off to sleep, vaguely amused by the fact that they were making such deals as if he weren’t here to have a say in them.