(p1 on my profile!)

"Hello, Ten."

She didn't wait any longer; she ran. It wasn't toward home, it wasn't toward anything– all it needed to be was away.

She ran as fast as her feet could take her, turning random corners until she dared to throw a glance over her shoulder: nothing.

Gasping for air, she slows and scans the area frantically. Who's to say he hadn't already transformed into a bird, or a bug, or a cloud? She flipped to check behind her and almost jumped when she saw him already there, staring again.

"I'm afraid running won't help you, dear."

How did he get there so fast with all his wits still about him? He must have access to some teleportation spell that she wasn't privy to. He was right: he could catch her wherever she ran. What she needed was to be hidden. She knew one combination– "hush" and "obscure"– that would blend her into her surroundings. It would take a lot of energy, but it was all she had.

Just as her lips had begun to form around the words, The Author took notice and called out a counterspell quicker than she could finish reciting half of her own. She slumped to the concrete like a ragdoll, limbs bent into strange positions, and he stepped closer to peer at her unmoving self.

"Apologies. Instinct."

Unable to speak, she only blinked in response.

"Right," he said. "If I give you your voice, do you promise not to try anything?" He paused. "Blink twice if yes."

Honestly, she didn't have many other ideas of what to do to get out of this. None that would work on the most powerful man alive, at least. She blinked twice.

"Wonderful." He released her voice from its magical prison, and she immediately fired off her defense.

"I only steal a little from those that have enough. I never target the same person twice. I've never used a spell to hurt someone. I take what I need, and if I have enough for the month, I'll stop until I run out of rations. I'm willing to reform completely if you'll grant me a period of grace. Really, I don't do this to hurt others. It's out of necessity. This is all I'm good at."

He raised his eyebrows. "Are you done?"

Tenley stiffened, if that was even possible in the state she was in.

"Have you no empathy? Magic is part of me. I've seen what happens when people go without it– they're emptied of something sacred, they go mad! I've never taken someone's life from them, so why do you have the right to do it to me?"

"I'm not going to do anything to your magic," he asserted.

"What? Why not?" Despite her fierce opposition, she still expected him to follow through on his mission. That was why he was here, after all. Or so she had thought.

"You've pioneered some of the most infamous combinations to date. You've managed to escape my top mages time and time again. The only way I could get to you without you evading me was to deceive you into taking something I knew you wouldn't be able to resist. You're practically unstoppable."

These all sounded like negative things he was listing off. She was sure it was some sort of trick, but there was so much sincerity in his face. "I don't understand."

He shakes his head. "Ten, I want you as my pupil."

For a moment, she's too shell-shocked to say anything. "You do?"

"I do." He reversed the stunlock he had placed on her and held out a hand to help her up. "Here."

She took it with the agency she had over herself again, and stood.

"Would that be something that interests you?" He asked.

"Yes," she said without hesitation. The thought of studying with some of the best magic-users in the world in the most prestigious institution to date, using her magic for good, for purposes greater than her own– it was absolutely exhilarating. "Yes, I'll do it."

He shakes her hand. "Perfect. It's a deal. From now on, you can address me as Dr. Amado."

"Dr. Amado. I can't believe it. The Author wants me as a student," she gushed, still shaking his hand. "I'm a huge fan of your work, sir. Sorry for appropriating it."

The edges of his mouth turn up into an amused smile. "They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery."