Richard listened to the back and forth between Beatrice and Talia, helping his much shorter friend carrying her suitcase. They walked up the cobblestone road, passing by flower laden storefronts and cordoned lanes. When Talia brought up him having mentioned Bee a lot, Richard groaned, remembering how people usually interpreted them.
It was very common that when people saw an unrelated boy and girl as close as they were, they assumed they were boyfriend and girlfriend. And there was no polite enough way in the Prydainian language Richard could say “fuck no”. Richard’s idea of a girlfriend was many things, but an overly hyper, meme-loving, insult-slinging lesbian was not one of them. It wasn’t like people hadn’t tried to pair them together. Richard’s grandfather and Beatrice’s parents thought they’d make an interesting match in middle school, perhaps becoming a political powerhouse. But Richard’s lack of interest in politics and Beatrice’s lack of interest in men quickly had that discussion fall apart. Not that Richard would have considered it for a second. The thought of being in a relationship with Beatrice made him want to throw up, laugh, and die all at the same time.
Thankfully, Beatrice “let him down” gently, graciously brother-zoning him. He nodded in agreement, before adding his own two cents in.
“Yeah, Bee and I have known each other since forever. She’s like an annoying little sister, or a toddler I have to keep on a leash.” he remarked, making sure to emphasize the diminutive way he addressed her. He knew her height was her weak spot, and one of his favorite ways to antagonize her.
At being called “Richie”, the redhead tried not to visibly cringe. He hated being called nicknames with an almost allergic reaction. The only people allowed to give him any kind of well-meaning epithet were his parents, who affectionately called him “Dick”. Beatrice made her way around this rule often by using insults in the place of nicknames.
“I-It’s just Richard, actually. A-And I don’t yet. My ability hasn’t manifested.” he confessed, looking down at the ground in some shame.
“I don’t even know what type it is. I just hope it manifests after the
sacramentum. I don’t want to weigh down my mage. Are you hoping it’s anything in particular? Bee already has super strength.” he noted, gesturing to the trunk he was helping to carry.
Strolling down the boulevard with their suitcases in tow, the trio had just made their way to the corner when Felicity heard a familiar call, looking behind her to see another of her friends joining the group.
“Oh! Elena! You’re here! Hooray!” she greeted her, stopping where she stood and waving the redhead over.
She had met Elena, ironically, during their swimming section of their PE class. Because Felicity refused to swim, citing her lack of skill and constantly claiming periods or stomach trouble, their gym teacher had finally given up trying to get the stubborn girl in the pool, and had delegated her to cleanup duty instead. She cleaned the poolside, changed the filters, cleaned the locker rooms, and brought out towels for the people who did swim. She also repaired swimsuits that got torn or didn’t fit correctly, and started drawing sketches of swimsuit designs she might create. She had asked others if they would model her designs for her, and found a willing partner in Elena.
She had kept in touch over FaceTome and Picto over the summer months, and was gleeful to see her friend again so soon. If she wound up being partnered with Elena, that would be great! They could get so much work done together, with Felicity drawing up and creating swimsuit designs, and Elena testing them!
“How was your summer? Did you do anything fun? Are you excited to meet your mage? I’m so pumped to meet my familiar!” she exclaimed, wanting to know every detail that might have been left out over chat.
Natsu