Larrikan looks at the glass of water on the desk in front of him. He does not have the same air of stress and intense concentration the others did. He regards the water curiously, as if it were some astonishing new puzzle. One of his ears flicks as he thinks about it.
After less than a minute, he looks intently at the glass. If it were alive, it would feel hunted. Larrikan’s vulpine heritage is obvious as he intently looks at the water.
Everyone else in the room is a little unnerved by this, and they are all startled by a series of small cracking sounds, followed by a sharp, “pop!” of breaking glass.
The ice cube on Larrikan’s desk has broken the glass as it froze. Larrikan beams at the ice, grinning toothily and not much less unnervingly at the ice, then at Coldwillow.
Coldwillow regains her composure quickly, as she was just startled by the suddenness and the breaking glass. She tells Larrikan, “You pass. You are now a junior apprentice mage.” With a grin, she adds, “Your first assignment as an apprentice is to clean up the broken glass, and take the ice outside before it melts everywhere.”
Haoys and Thim are gobsmacked by the demonstration. They don’t react until Coldwillow says, “Examinations are over for today. You may go.”
Larrikan jumps up to clean up the mess. The other two leave more slowly.
After the glass is taken care of, Larrikan takes his things, and the ice cube outside. Valter is there, with Thim. Valter says to Larrikan, “So, how does it feel to fail, dog boy?”
Larrikan says, “I don’t know.” He adds, “Catch!” and tosses the ice cube to Valter.
Valter easily catches the ice, saying, “What does… hey, that’s cold!” and dropping the ice on the ground.
Larrikan says, “Yes, it is,” grins like an idiot, and bounds off.
As he leaves, Larrikan can hear Valter asking Thim, “What happened?”
Larrikan is in the mood to sing and dance with joy, and he knows just the place to do it.
After a quick change of clothes, and the brisk walk there, Larrikan bounds happily into Aykchenhause. People smile at the brightly clad, be-ribbioned fox, and are pleased to see him. His energy is palpable, and he soon has people laughing at a silly song and dance.
When Aykuhbowmedchen steps out of the wall, she is smiling, and asks, “What has gotten into you today, Larrikan?”
He laughs, scoops her up and twirls her around, practically singing, “I am now a junior apprentice mage!”
Aykuh is laughing, but the deep voice that says, “Put dryad down, fox,” is not.