When they arrived at the building, it didn’t take them long to find the one that the Headmaster had given them. It was small and simple but they didn’t need a lot. There was one open room with a little kitchen and a bed room off the side of it. In the kitchen area of the open room was a table with two chairs. In the area off of that there was a small sofa and a chair as well.
Poking her head into the bedroom, Natalie noticed only one bed. This was going to be interesting to say the least. She figured she’d take the couch, which would probably be best. She then fully went into the bedroom and noticed that in the closet there were clothes hanging there. The Headmaster had outdone himself. There were also a formal dress and a tuxedo in there. “What could those be for?” she wondered. Oh well, she’d have to figure it out later.
She went back out into the main room. Negi had sent the girls back since they had to get back to the classroom and finish up the haunted house with their classmates. “I hope you don’t mind, I know you’d like to get settled and all, but I was hoping I could talk with you.”
Natalie looked at Edward. He just shrugged. “Oh course Negi, what’s up?” she asked.
“I was curious about your magic actually. Dimensional magic, alchemy, I’ve head of them both but I’ve never really seen them.”
“Well mine’s a bit more than just dimensional magic but it’s the primary use of my abilities. I’d say it’s more spatial. To put it simply, I can open doorways to anywhere I can imagine. I can also send things through those doorways to other places as long as it’s in the same world I’m in. The only thing I don’t really do is take people. Ed’s the only exception I’ve ever made to that.”
Edward nudged her giving her a look as if to ask her why she was telling him all of this.
Natalie just chuckled and shook her head. “You’re too paranoid Ed.”
“I’m not being paranoid! I don’t know about you, but I don’t know anything about this kid and I don’t think it’s a good idea to be telling him so much!”
“Edward,” she said through gritted teeth. It was clear she wasn’t happy with him. “I thought we’d gotten past this trust thing.”
“Yeah and the last time I trusted your judgment when it came to a person that wasn’t exactly normal I ended up in a coma for two days…”
Natalie took in a deep breath trying not to blow her top. What had gotten into him rubbing that in her face and now of all times? She had expected him to get mad about that before and hadn’t he actually told her that he wasn’t mad about it? “Ed, what’s gotten into you?” she asked softly, still mad but also hurt. “You know what, I think I need some air…” she said as she grabbed Negi’s hand and lead of him out of the room.
“Natalie! Wait!” Edward shouted just before the door closed. She didn’t come back after he’d called for her. “Damn it.”
Edward flopped down on the couch angrier at himself than at her. He didn’t even know what had come over him. Negi was just a ten year old kid and he knew there was no reason for not trusting him it just hurt seeing Natalie so friendly with him. How much more of an idiot could he be?
Outside, Natalie and Negi just sat on the stairs to the building. “I’m sorry about all of that. I don’t know what came over Ed that he’d act that way.”
Negi chuckled a bit. “It’s quite alright. It sounds like he’s just worried about you. I would think he cares for you a great deal.”
“I know,” she replied with a sigh. “He just has weird ways of showing it.” She needed something to throw but there wasn’t anything around. Frustrated, she put her hands together and held them in front of her face leaning against them for a moment. She then put them down on the stone and a small stone ball appeared in a quick flash of light. “Oops!”
Negi looked at her oddly. “What was that?”
Natalie chuckled. “Ed does it better than I do but that’s alchemy,” she said taking a hold of the ball. “I can’t really control it, it just sort of happens for me. Ed can create just about anything at will.” She then handed the ball to Negi.
Negi looked it over. It was a little ragged but it was clearly a ball. “How does this work?”
Natalie shrugged. “I don’t know as I can explain it, not completely anyway. But from what I know basically you take something of equal mass and composition and make it into something else. Most people need to draw circles to make it work but there are a few like Ed and myself that can do it without drawing the circle first.” She then stood up. “How about I show you what I’m really good at though.”
“Oh your dimensional magic?”
Natalie nodded as she took her pen from her pocket and transformed. “Here, let me see that,” she said holding her hand out for him to give her the ball. “Now if you’ll stand on the other side of the stairs,” she said. Negi did as she asked and she went to the other side. Holding her staff she created a portal and then rolled the ball through it. It rolled out at Negi’s feet.
“That’s amazing!” he said.
Natalie chuckled and put her hand to her chest to change back. “That’s only a simple demonstration Negi,” she said with a laugh. “It’s not really all THAT impressive. I’m sure you’d seen and even done things more amazing than that.”
Negi blushed a little and laughed. “Either way, it’s still amazing. You’re really very talented.”
At that moment a rodent’s head popped out of Negi’s jacket hood scaring Natalie. “That’s an understatement Negi!” it said in a rougher sounding man’s voice.
“Chamo-kun, don’t scare the poor girl like that!” Negi scolded.
“Aw come on Negi, this girl is perfect! You should…”
“Don’t even say it Chamo-kun, I’m not making a pactio with her.”
Natalie chuckled. “Sorry Chamo, but I don’t think that would go over well.” She knew all about Chamo the ermine. He was a dirty minded, perverted little rodent that was more selfish than most people. He only helped Negi when it was in his best interest to do it.
“You know about the pactio?” Negi asked.
“Yeah, it’s a long story as to how though.”
Chamo sighed. “No chance of changing your mind.”
Natalie shook her head. “Nope, besides, I already have a partner, even without a pactio between us.”
This gave Chamo an idea. “I could do that…”
Natalie shook her head again. “No Chamo.”
At this point Negi got up. “I think we should go now. I know you still need to get settled in. Oh, are you and Edward going to be attending the Mahora Festival Ball tomorrow night?”
“The what?” Natalie didn’t remember the manga story ever mentioning anything about a ball. She actually thought they did fireworks and the like at the end of the first day. This wouldn’t be the first time things weren’t exactly a she knew them though.
“The first night of the festival it seems they have a ball. It’s a formal affair to celebrate the opening of the festival.”
“Huh, that must have been what that was for,” she said to herself remembering the formal wear she had seen in the closet. “I guess we are,” she answered with a smile.
“Oh good, then I’ll see you both then. I have quite a busy day with the martial arts tournament and patrols tomorrow so I probably won’t get to see you again before then.”
Natalie laughed. She figured he might be wrong considering by then Chao Lingshen will have given him the Cassiopeia time travel device. She kept that to herself though. “Alright Negi, I’ll see you tomorrow at the ball.”
He waved to her as she got up and headed back inside. She still had Edward to deal with. Hopefully his head had cooled a bit while she’d been gone.
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