Felix is eager to try another ability. He chooses precognition, because it sounds the most intriguing and challenging. He asks Eleanor for some coins, and she gives him a handful. She tells him to flip them, and try to predict the outcome. She says, "Precognition is not as reliable or clear as you might think. It's often influenced by your subconscious, your expectations, and your emotions. You might see what you want to see, or what you fear to see. You have to be objective and open-minded, and not let your biases cloud your vision." She cautions, her tone wise and serious.
Felix nods, and starts flipping the coins. He tries to use his psionics to peer into the immediate future, and see the result. He finds it very hard. The images are blurry, fleeting, and contradictory. He sometimes sees heads, sometimes tails, sometimes both, sometimes neither. He can't tell which ones are accurate, and which ones are not. He feels frustrated and confused.
Eleanor notices his struggle, and suggests a different approach. She tells him to flip one coin, and then try to see the outcome as it's in the air, before it lands. "This way, you'll have a more specific and immediate target, and a shorter time span. It might be easier for you to focus and perceive." She advises, her voice helpful and patient.
Felix tries it, and finds it better. The images are still not very clear, but they are more consistent and coherent. He can see the coin spinning, and then landing on one side. He can even feel a slight sensation of which side it will be. He's not 100% accurate, but he's close. He feels a sense of accomplishment, and wonder.
He then decides to push himself further. He asks Eleanor to flip the coin for him, and to catch it before it lands. He wants to see if he can predict the outcome at the last possible moment, when the coin is about to be revealed. Eleanor agrees, and does as he asks. She flips the coin, and catches it in her hand. She looks at him, and waits for his answer.
Felix concentrates, and tries to see the coin in her hand. He feels a strange sensation, like a flash of insight, that lasts for less than a second. He sees the coin clearly, and the side it's on. It's heads. He opens his eyes, "It's heads."
Eleanor opens her hand, and shows him the coin. It's indeed heads. "That's amazing, Felix. You saw the present, right before it happened. That's an interesting observation about precognition, but you see the obvious problem with using that, right?" She asks, her tone curious and impressed.
Felix nods, feeling a bit deflated. He understands what she means. Seeing the present right before it happens is not very useful, because he doesn't have enough time to act on it. By the time he processes the vision, the event has already occurred. "Yeah, I see. It's too late to do anything with it. It's like seeing a trap after you've already sprung it." He says, his voice disappointed and realistic.
"Exactly. Precognition is tricky that way. Sometimes you see things too early, sometimes too late. You have to find the sweet spot, where you can see things soon enough to react, but not so soon that they change. It's a delicate balance, and it takes a lot of trial and error to find it. Though that's no reason to give up." She says, her tone encouraging and optimistic.
Felix sighs, "I guess you're right. Though I'm not sure what to do here. Danger sense is too vague, and precognition provides precise information that's too hard to act on when it's certain. If only there was a way to make danger sense more specific, or maybe make danger sense and precognition work together to cover each other's weaknesses. What do you think?" He asks, his voice curious and thoughtful.
Eleanor looks at him with surprise and admiration. "That's a question that's been asked many times before. There have been many attempts to combine danger sense and precognition, with various results. Some of them work better than others, but none of them are perfect. If you're interested, I can lend you some books and research notes on the topic. You can read them at your own pace, and maybe come up with your own ideas. Who knows, maybe you'll be the one to crack the code." She says, her voice proud and intrigued.
Felix feels a spark of excitement, "Really? You'd do that for me? Thank you so much, professor. I'd love to read them. I'll let you know what I think, and if I have any questions." He says, his voice eager and grateful.
She smiles, "You're welcome, Felix. I'm happy to help a promising student like you. I have a good feeling about you, and I think you have a bright future ahead of you." She says, her voice warm and sincere.
He thanks her again, and the class continues. He learns more about the other abilities, but his mind is still on the books and the research he's going to do. He can't wait to get his hands on them, and see what secrets they hold. He feels like he's on the verge of a breakthrough, and he wants to seize it.
The class ends, and Felix goes to Eleanor's office to get the books. She gives him a stack of them, and tells him to take his time. He thanks her, and leaves with the books in his arms. He feels like he's carrying a treasure, and he can't wait to open it.
He goes home, and finds Nya along the way. She greets him with a smile, "How was your day, Felix?" She asks, her voice cheerful and friendly.
He smiles back, and says, "It was good. I learned a lot, and I got some books from Eleanor that might help me with my psionics. How about you?" He asks, returning the question.
She says, "My day was fine too. I talked to some students, and am ready for the weekend. I'm glad I get to spend time with you." She says, her voice happy and affectionate.
They walk together, chatting and laughing. They feel comfortable and relaxed with each other, and enjoy their company. They arrive at Felix's house, and find Melina and Grog in the living room, cuddling and making out. They at least have their clothes on, for now. Felix and Nya clear their throats, and they break their kiss. "Oh, hello, you two. Did you have a good day?" She asks, her voice cheerful and unashamed.
Felix and Nya look at each other, "Yeah, it was good." They both say, their voices awkward and amused.
Melina grins, "Good, I'm glad to hear that. Grog and I were just talking about going out for dinner. Do you want to join us?" She asks, her tone inviting and playful.
Felix and Nya hesitate, not sure if they want to be a third wheel. "No, thanks. We're good here. You two have fun." He says, his voice polite and reluctant.
Melina nods, "Alright, suit yourselves. We'll be back later. Don't wait up for us." She says, her voice teasing and suggestive.
She and Grog stand up, and get ready to leave. "Bye, Felix. See you later." He says, his voice friendly and casual. Felix waves, and says, "Bye, Grog. Have fun."
Melina kisses Felix on the cheek, and whispers, "Be good, sweetie, and don't do anything I wouldn't do." She says, her voice joking and loving. She then kisses Nya on the other cheek, and whispers, "Take care of him, Nya. He's a handful." She says, her voice warm and trusting.
Nya blushes, and nods. Melina and Grog then leave, leaving Felix and Nya alone in the house. They look at each other, and feel a bit awkward and nervous. They both know what they want, but they're not sure how to start.
Nya breaks the silence, "So... What would you like to do?" She asks, her voice shy and curious.
Felix thinks for a moment, "I was kind of thinking about reading these books, but I wouldn't want to just read and leave you alone..." He says, his voice hesitant and considerate.
Nya smiles, "I'd like that too. I can read with you, if you want. I'm curious about what you're reading." She says, her voice supportive and interested.
He agrees, and they go to his room. They sit on his bed, and open the books. They start reading, and soon get absorbed in the material. They learn about the history and theory of combining danger sense and precognition, and the various methods and experiments that have been tried. Some of them are plausible, some of them are ridiculous, and some of them are intriguing. They discuss their opinions and observations, and share their ideas and questions. They find themselves getting closer and more comfortable as they talk.
At some point, Nya leans her head on Felix's shoulder, and he puts his arm around her. They don't say anything, but they both feel a warm and fuzzy feeling. They enjoy the intimacy, and the contact. They continue reading, but it starts getting really late. Felix gets the idea of setting up his thought form to specifically keep reading these books. The thought form resumes with the books at his desk where they left off, while Felix lays on his bed wondering if Nya would really join him on his bed.
Nya looks at him, and joins him on the bed without talking about her decision. She smiles, and snuggles close to him. He smiles back, and holds her hand. They don't need words to express how they feel. They just know. Though as the lay together like that, they hear Melina and Grog get back. They go to her room and obvious muffled sounds of sex come through the wall. Nya blushes, and Felix rolls his eyes. They both decide to ignore it, and focus on each other instead. Felix then admits to her, "You're actually the first fellow beastkin to ever be nice to me... Until I met you in my first class with you, I thought basically all other beastkin would be clan beastkin who'd hate me for being clanless."
Nya looks at him with sympathy, "That's terrible, I'm glad I could show you that not all beastkin are like that. I'm even happier that I got to know you. You're one of the best people I've met."
Felix then asks, "If you don't mind me asking... Why did the Silver Claw clan exile you? Bia wasn't too specific when he said he wanted me to stay away from you because you were an exile..." Nya sighs, "It's a long story, but the short version is that I was born with a weak constitution, and couldn't cultivate qi properly. When I chose magic instead, that was considered the final straw. They don't tolerate weakness, or deviation from their traditions."
Felix frowns, "That's awful. You may be physically weak, there's no point in denying that, but that's not the only thing that matters. You're a very good person, and an intelligent mage. You deserve respect, not scorn.” Nya smiles, "Thank you, Felix. You're too kind. I don't regret my choice, though. I love magic, and I'm good at it. I'm happy with who I am, and I don't need their approval. I have other people who care about me, like you and your mom."
Felix hugs her, "I'm glad you feel that way. You deserve to be happy, and I'm glad I can be part of it. You're amazing, Nya, and I'm lucky to have you in my life." Nya feels her heart flutter, and she hugs him back, "You're amazing too, Felix. You're smart, strong, brave, and sweet. I'm lucky to have you too."
They cuddle and fall asleep together. Feeling safe and content in each other's arms. Felix wakes up first, and gently nudges Nya. She stirs, and opens her eyes. She smiles at him, "Good morning."
He smiles back, "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" She nods, "Yes, very well. You're a good pillow, and a good cuddle buddy." She says, her voice teasing and playful. He laughs, "Thanks, you too. I like having you here with me."
They sit up, and stretch. They then talk about what they learned from the books, and what ideas they have. They realize that the main problem with combining danger sense and precognition is the trade-off between specificity and timing. Danger sense is vague but timely, while precognition is specific but untimely. They need a way to bridge the gap, and make the information both clear and actionable.
Felix suggests, "What if I enchant some kind of two sided object for this purpose? Like a disc maybe? Encoding danger sense on one side, and precognition on the other?"
Nya considers it, "I'm not sure if that would work, but it's worth a try. Though you'd have to figure out a way to make the two sides communicate with each other and give you the resulting information. Maybe you could use a magical circuit or a telepathic link?"
Felix conjures a metal disk and starts working on encoding each side. Then as he holds it and wonders how to make the two sides communicate with each other, it hits him. He encodes the communication between the two sides on the rim. He looks at Nya, "I think I got it. The rim will be the interface between the two sides, and will relay the information to me. The danger sense side first sense danger, it will pass that to the precognition side which will filter what future events could be the source of the danger, and pass it back to the danger sense side to give me the more specific information as intuition."
Nya looks impressed, "That sounds brilliant, Felix. It could work. You should test it out, and see how it performs." He nods, "Yeah, I will. Though for right now, I'd promised to meet Luna at the academy entrance, and bring her back here to meet Melina. Would you like to come with?"
Nya has to decline, "Actually, I have some work to do as a teacher over the weekend to prepare for next week's classes, but I'll be back later after I'm done." He understands, "Okay, no problem. I'll see you later, then."
They both head downstairs, and see Melina and Grog having morning sex again in the kitchen, this time with Melina bent over the counter. Nya isn't as overwhelmed by it this time, but still clings to Felix as Grog drives into Melina from behind. "We're heading out, mom! Be back soon!" He says loudly to be heard over the sex sounds.
Melina and Grog both pause, "Okay, sweetie, have fun!" They say in unison, their voices cheerful and distracted.
Felix and Nya leave, and go their separate ways. Felix goes to the academy, and finds Luna waiting for him at the entrance. She's wearing a simple dress, and a sun hat. She looks cute and summery, and Felix smiles at her. She smiles back, "Hi, Felix. Ready to go?”
He nods, and they walk to his house. Though Felix wonders if the timing is bad, if Melina and Grog will still be at it when they get back. He doesn't want Luna to see that, and feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. He decides to warn her, just in case. "Hey, Luna, can I ask you something? It might be awkward, but I'd rather you hear it from me than see it for yourself." He says, his voice hesitant and serious.
She looks at him with curiosity, "What is it, Felix? You can tell me anything." She says, her voice supportive and attentive.
He sighs, "Well... My mom and Grog are... kind of a thing now. They're dating, and they're very... physical. They might be... you know... when we get there. I don't want you to be shocked or offended, so I thought I should tell you beforehand."
Luna blinks, and then laughs. "Oh, Felix. You don't have to worry about me. I'm not a prude, and I'm happy for your mom and Grog. They seem to like each other a lot, and that's nice. I don't mind if they're... busy. I can wait, or ignore it, or even join in if they invite me." She says, her voice amused and open-minded.
Felix looks at her with surprise and admiration, "Wow, Luna. You're really cool about this. Thanks for being so understanding." She shrugs, "No problem, Felix. I'm just being realistic. We're all young and beautiful, and sex is a natural and healthy thing. There's nothing wrong with enjoying it, as long as everyone consents and respects each other. Your mom is a wonderful woman, and Grog is a nice guy. I'm sure they're good together."
Felix agrees, and they continue walking. They arrive at his house, and enter. They don't hear any sounds from the kitchen, so they assume Melina and Grog are done or resting. They go to the living room, but find them having sex there instead. With Grog sitting on the couch, bouncing Melina on his lap.
They both freeze, and stare. Felix feels awkward again, while Luna feels intrigued. She looks at them,"Hi, Melina. Hi, Grog. Sorry to interrupt, but we're here to talk to you, Melina." Melina and Grog look at them, and smile. "Oh, hello, Luna. I didn't expect you to come so early. I'm glad you're here, though. Would you like to join us?"
Luna blushes, "Well... If you don't mind, I'd love to, but... can I make a suggestion? I have a fantasy that I'd like to try, if you're open to it." Melina and Grog look at each other, and nod. "Sure, sweetie. What is it?" Melina asks, her voice curious and willing.
Luna takes a deep breath, "I... I want to roleplay as a captured and helpless elf maiden, who is about to be ravished by a big and strong orc warrior. I want you to be the orc, Grog, and you can do whatever you want with me. I want to feel like I'm at your mercy, and that you're taking me as your prize."
Grog grins, "That sounds hot, Luna. I can do that. I'll be your big bad orc, and you'll be my cute little elf. I'll make you beg for more, and scream my name. Though as a 'conqueror' who would be the losing side? Maybe Felix can play the role?” Luna looks at Felix, who looks shocked and flustered, "Oh... I didn't think about that. I don't want to make him uncomfortable, or involve him if he doesn't want to."
Felix looks at her, and feels a mix of emotions. He's surprised by her fantasy, but also turned on by it. He's not sure if he wants to participate, but he doesn't want to ruin her fun either, "I... I don't mind, if you want me to. I can play the role of the defeated male, if that's what you want. Though how would we do that?"
"You could just lay down on the ground like you're defeated, and then the rest of us could pretend you're beat up in our dirty talk without you actually having to be hurt." Grog suggests with his voice helpful and creative.
Melina chimes in, "Ooh, that sounds like fun. I want to join too. Luna could pretend to be his captured wife, and I'll be his captured mom. In fact, let's say Felix's pretend role is being a farmer. So you'll be the big bad orc breeding the farmer's wife and mother after coming to his farmstead and defeating him."