Natalie could hear the loud, thumping musiearly from the Union Pza. The healer’s guild was in the back right of the five-proar, at least from the dire Natalie approached, and as she closed the gap to the white and green building—green was the color of healers, the same way gray was for tanks, or red fhters—it started to vibrate in Natalie’s head.

  She found herself grinning in anticipation. She’d been ho when she’d said that she hadn’t e to Teo party, but that the pseudo-uy was infamous for them? Well, she didn’t sider that a bad thing. Plus, after the events of the past few hours—ods, holy the past week—she could use a few drinks. Time to cut loose and burn off some stress. pany with Sammy was sure to do that. A girl with who her retionship hadn’t bee so suddenly plicated, like Jordan. Not that Jordan’s pany was ever stress-indug, just, it’d bee … again, plicated.

  People were strewn about the benches, yard, and the pointed edge of the pza leading up to the guild. Tons of them. Dozens and dozens, probably close to a hundred, outside alone, bleeding from the healer’s guild and out into the Union Pza, encroag on uild’s territories. Half the campus had to be here.

  Some stood about, drinking and talking, others pying various sorts of drinking games. They’d appropriated tables from somewhere ahem up outside, the inside of the guild apparently too cramped.

  Natalie even saw some couples getting probably a bit too frisky for public, emboldened by how the sun had set, and, presumably, the alcohol buzzing in them. Natalie only smirked, gng sideways as the couples so shamelessly—and not half as subtly as they thought—groped each other. It boded well for her. Managing the less appropriate parts of her css really might be easier than she’d first thought. The Te campus had redundantly made itself clear: not a prudish pce to be.

  Ihe healer’s guild was cramped, as expected of the packed outdoors. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, and the fshing, magical effects zipping around the room to add ambiahe music was even louder in here, though she grew quickly aced to it. Definitely, it wasn’t the same atmosphere as parties bae. Or, kind of. Same basic package: stands with drinks, cliques clumped together ughing and drinking, dim lighting and the smell of alcohol in the air.

  But everything was dialed up. And the crowd, the sheer number of people, was dialed up twice over. There were so many people. Natalie had been reminded stantly that she’d crawled out of nowhere-nd and to the capital city of Valhaur, but here, she was given ane one. Seriously, half the campus must have e to this party. It acked.

  Her eyes sought out Sammy. In face of the enormous press of bodies, she was suddenly ed about whether she’d even be able to find her. Sammy was waiting for her, right? Watg the doorway from wherever she was, maybe the upper baly? But people were streaming in and out, and Natalie didn’t want to stand in the way. She sed around the enormous lobby, and higher up, trag the stairs and the upper nding. But it was too dim. No success.

  Shrugging to herself—she’d find Sammy eventually—she waded through the crowd, headed for the drinks table. Sammy was Natalie’s first priority, but getting buzzed was a sedary mission. Might as well attend to that one first, then tackle the other afterward.

  She briefly he people here. She’d e dressed the way she usually did, though with a bit more effort than normal, and that robably a good thing, because even with the extra effort, she looked kind of scruffy. She wasn’t alone in that style, but most of Te’s studentbase had a casual form of dress that was only a step or two below Natalie’s formal.

  Te’s typical student was a stuffy aristocrat. Nobody looked oddly at Natalie for her jeans and t-shirt—and she even caught some appreciaivte gnces, but that probably wasn’t for her choice of clothing—but she felt a bit out of pce, regardless. Hopefully Sammy didn’t think she looked bad. Maybe Natalie would have to start paying some more attention to how she dressed. It’d been fine back at Tinford, but her ck of effort was a lot more noticeable here.

  Though, having those thoughts just made Natalie’s annoyance fre. Why the fuck would she care? If they thought Natalie looked scruffy because she hadn’t worn button-ups or a dress to a party, then that was their problem.

  The drink table, keeping to the trend, also wasn’t like Natalie was used to. Instead of flimsy disposable cups, there were crystal gsses stacked in rows. She eyed them, incredulous, w how the entire dispy wouldn’t end up broken e the m. Or even an hour from now. Or eve, sihe party was definitely underway. There were more than a few people already being rambunctious. Natalie hadn’t arrived te, but she hadn’t arrived early, either.

  Either way, Natalie didn’t pause for long, staring at the ridiculous dispy of crystal gss. It wasn’t her problem if they ended up broken. At a guess, they were more durable than they looked. Didn’t matter. She picked ohen took the heavy iron dle and poured herself a gss of, presumably, punch. At least that looked normal, though she supposed it was hard to make fruit punch ostentatious. What would they do? Add garnish?

  She sniffed. It smelled more strongly of alcohol than she’d expected. Stepping to the side to clear away from the table, she took a drink. The taste firmed it—they’d hadn’t gone light on the mixing.

  She didn’t pn oing wasted tonight, so she’d probably keep to one or two. The goal was to be ending up in Sammy’s room, and sex while pstered—while not the worst thing in the world—wasn’t her goal tonight. She needed her wits about her. She still had the ‘big reveal’ to navigate.

  At the reminder of that—how Sammy would react—she grimaced and took another drink.

  “Hey!” a familiar voiced excimed to her side, making Natalie blink and turn her way. “I was calling for you!” Sammy stood there, hands on her hips. “What are you, deaf?”

  Sammy grinned despite the words, cheeks slightly flushed, her friendly demeanor even more teased out by the excited atmosphere. Or more accurately, the alcohol. She’d definitely been drinking; the hint of redness on her cheeks made that obvious, if the wide smile hadn’t. But her words were spoken clearly, without a slur. Sammy wasn’t drunk, just tipsy.

  Natalie was suddenly appreciative that Sammy had made her iions clear. That, assuming Natalie didn’t screw anything up, the two of them would be ‘making it back to her room’. It cleared up aations oher—if anything happe’d been the alcohol. Definitely Sammy’s pn from the start. Still, she hoped Sammy wouldn’t get drunk-drunk. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t care, but for a first time, especially sidering Natalie’s circumstahe surprise additioween her legs—she’d rather Sammy had a mostly clear head.

  “Not yet,” Natalie answered, having to half-shout the words over the pounding music. “But by the time we leave, I might be. I ’t even hear myself think.” The bring music added to the ambiance, but seriously. It was loud.

  “It’s quieter up on the baly,” Sammy said. “Here, e with me.”

  She grabbed Natalie’s hand, and Natalie let herself be dragged away. She took a sed drink as she went. By Sammy’s flushed cheeks, she had some catg up to do.