some rules are made to be broken? :: kris

Ever since last week when Kris had taken Mollie for ice cream and then helped her hobble back to campus, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him. Olivier had tried interrupting her thoughts whenever she let her mind wander to him, but she couldn't help herself. She even knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help it.

Of course, when Kris had asked for volunteers in the Earalas class Mollie was a student in, Mollie had eagerly signed up. Olivier had warned her that this was probably not a good idea, but Mollie ignored him. Besides wanting to spend time with Kris, she actually wanted to help out with the seminar thing Kris was leading. Sure enough, when Mollie hadn't really had a chance to spend time with Kris at the event, she wasn't disappointed. She found volunteering to be really stimulating work, and ended up enjoying herself. Afterward, Kris had asked her to help him carry the supplies back to his room and she'd happily obliged. After they were finished putting everything away, Mollie realized she didn't want to part ways.

She couldn't help but think of Kris as a friend, even though he was her teacher. He was so passionate and funny, and whenever they spent time together she loved every minute of it. However, in class, it had caused her to withdraw a little bit. Usually Mollie was the type to answer every question, and she was always eager to volunteer for whatever extra work needed to be done in class. But her feelings for Kris, while fun and stimulating outside of the classroom, felt very awkward inside of it. It was hard to reconcile the easy way she could talk to him during LK with the way he was definitely a teacher during class.

Which was why she had asked him to come help her in the Earalas arena! It wasn't a total sham--Mollie really did need some help in the eilemaiden department. She'd definitely gotten better since being in Kris' class, but it definitely was not her strongest class. It was just a bonus that she'd get to hang out with him.

So, here Mollie stood, in the arena. She and Kris had decided to meet after lunch, so Mollie was waiting patiently for him to show up. As she waited she decided to try to work on her wielding. From a small spark she grew a palm sized flame and let it dance around in front of her. It was beautiful, the colors of the fire and the way they intermingled with each other.

Kristo walked toward the arena with a faux-leather messenger bag over his shoulder, hands in his pockets, and daemon pouncing next to him. He had his eyes fixated on the ground, deep in thought.

You shouldn't have even agreed to this, Holst was lecturing, looking up at Kris with concerned little daemon eyes. I've told you over and over again that this is a bad idea...I wish you'd listen to me. Your conscience.

I can control myself, Kris said, not moving his focus from the grass in front of each step. This is just a temporary lust stemming from this...unexpected pride that came from seeing a student from my class be so excited about the Kids program. That, coupled with having spent the day together, it just resulted in --

Intense sexual attraction? That doesn't make any sense, Kris. Stop trying to make this logical. Just treat her like a student, stop flirting, teach her a few Earalas tricks, and get the hell out of here.

Kris sighed. He knew Holst was right.

Promise me, Holst pressed. Holst didn't usually have to serve as Kristo's moral compass, as he tended to be pretty morally consistent. He had set boundaries with his students before, and never actually wanted to cross them. So this was a bit new to both of them.

"I promise," Kristo said softly aloud, so Holst would take him seriously. He looked to his little daemon with a light smile before looking up as he finally reached Mollie in the arena. She was playing with a cute little flame.

"Practicing?" he asked as he came up to her. "That's a nice little flame you've got there, but I bet you can do better." He smiled, lightly tossing his bag down on the grass nearby.

Mollie had been paying close attention to her ball of flame, so when Kris appeared behind her and spoke, she jumped a little. Instead of dissipating, the flame grew larger in a flash, as if it was a defense mechanism.

"Oh, boy," Mollie laughed. "Hi!" she said, turning and looking through her now toddler-sized fire to see Kris. He had a grin on his face that made the butterflies in Mollie's tum dance. Why the hell was she being like this?? He was a teacher! Regardless of her internal thoughts, Mollie smiled back at him. It was impossible not to.

Mollie threw the flame at Kris, underhand, like some sort of extreme version of Hot Potato. "Catch!" She made sure to guide the licking fire over to Kris, using her wielding abilities in a new way. Mollie was pretty good at keeping flames burning brightly when they were in close contact with her body, but the further away she sent them, the weaker they became.

Sure enough, as it sailed away from her and neared Kris, the flame got smaller and smaller. It was near palm-sized again when it got close enough for him to catch. She narrowed her eyes on it, willing it to stay in existence, even if it was small and cute again.

Kris watched Mollie's flame dwindle as it approached him, but he was still impressed that she had tossed it to him without losing the flame itself. He put both of his hands underneath, feeling the warmth that still radiated from it. He used his own eilemaiden as sort of training wheels, ready to hold the core of the flame alive if Mollie lost control of it.

"Alright, lesson one -- holding a flame at a distance," he said with a smile. "Remember, our bodies need oxygen just like fire does. Sometimes when we're straining ourselves and trying something new, we tend to hold our breath and tense up. Try taking a few deep breaths, feel the oxygen go into your lungs and imagine it traveling into your bloodstream and pumping through your veins.

"Now, your flame is an extension of what's happening in your body. We have oxygen all around us, but your flame needs the reaction between that oxygen and the fuel source -- your eilemaiden. So concentrate, connect yourself to the processes happening inside you, and breathe out through your flame."

Kris was thankful to be back in teacher-mode with Mollie. Teaching came naturally to him, and he greatly enjoyed hands-on experiences like this where he could help his students learn something applicable. Most of his courses were theory-based, which was necessary to truly understanding the ins and outs of the eilemaiden, but practical application was completely different and much more exhilarating.

And it kept his mind from going to inappropriate places, perhaps most importantly.

Mollie listened patiently to Kris as he helped her understand more about the inner workings of Earalas. She took a few deep breaths, trying to put into practice what he was teaching. She kept her eye on the ball of fire and was able to take it a few degrees hotter, as proved by the change in color the flame put out. A small smile grew on Mollie's face, but she kept concentrating. A few moments later it began to grow. It didn't get as big as it had been when she'd been holding it, but it was definitely noticeable.

She looked up at Kris and smiled brightly. "Better?"

She conjured up a second fireball, and tossed it lightly in the air. "Earalas can be so pretty."

Kris kept his eyes on her flame, smiling as it grew before his eyes. "Yes, that's great!" he said, looking over at her as she tossed a new fireball around casually.

"Earalas is beautiful, absolutely," he said warmly, walking over to stand closer to her. "But dangerous, if you don't know what you're doing." He put his hands on his hips, watching her play with the eilemaiden. "Is there anything in particular you wanted to learn about or practice? Sometime from one of your classes, maybe?"

Good, Holst said, noting that Kris was trying to keep their time together educational and on-track. Stick to what you're here for.

Mollie shrugged. "I just had some free time and wanted to come practice." She opened her hand wide and the fireball broke apart into five small flames. They flew around her like tiny fireflies. "I seem to do better when you're around to give me pointers, is all. But if you're busy, I understand!"