Drizzle and Spark

Cold

A brand new day begins, bringing dew to every leaf and every flower alike. Although bright white clouds crossed the skies, the mighty sun pierced through them to shine over Auror, painting all surfaces touched by its rays in shades of gold.

An unusual drowsiness seemed to affect Evan's breathing this morning. The wolfman feels his body heavier than usual as he sits up in bed to perform a short body scan. Something's not right, he thinks, rubbing a hand around his cheek to find it rather feverish.

The redhead replays the events of the previous day in his mind, trying to make sense of what happened. Only then Evan regretfully recalls he'd been caught by the rain along with his roommate yesterday and that he'd allowed a water witch to shower first — all of which had likely led to him slowly developing the sniffles this morning. Shaking his head, the wolf moves to step out of bed.

He carefully performs a short series of warm-ups to test his limits. Upon noticing a lack of dizziness and some shortness of breath, he assumes the situation wasn't as bad as it could've been. It should be fine if I hydrate enough, he muses, settling for skipping workout this morning just to be safe. Before deciding to rest a bit longer, he selects an outfit for today's round of lectures.

As he sat back in bed, aware that he could have a few extra minutes of rest, Evan could hear the first buzz of Skye's phone. It brings a smile to his lips — something he wasn't aware of, as his eyes were trained on finding something to watch on his phone until it was time to get ready for class. The wolf equips his earphones, hoping they'd help him ignore the witch's sleepy blabbering and curses, too.

Before Skye would leave her bed for good, Evan gets up and sneaks into the bathroom for a shower. Sighing, he steps into the stall, hoping setting the water's temperature just slightly below his own would keep the fever from developing any further.

It wasn't until Evan had to greet his roommate that he was positive his voice hadn't been affected by the cold just yet. Such circumstances helped him decide to power through the day as usual for now. However, with such decision, also came a silent worry.

"Fine. You win... But if I wake up in pain tomorrow, you're piggyback carrying me to school."

The man begged the universe that Skye wouldn't be sore today, lest he'd pass out carrying her simply because he chose to hide his sickness for the time being. If she did wake up sore, I hope she forgot about that part of the deal, he thinks, although still preferring the first scenario. It was enough that one person would be facing negative consequences from that reckless race.

Luckily, Skye never mentioned any sort of pain to him. Perhaps her pride wouldn't allow her to demand compensation. The duo has a quick breakfast and leaves for morning classes. Allium joins them for a good portion of their way; Evan inevitably parts with the ladies to head to a different classroom for Ancient History lectures.

Usually, the man would've had no trouble staying awake this early, especially while his body processed the post-workout adrenaline still coursing through his veins. Today, however, even the simplest of colds seemed to knock Evan outta focus. Running a hand into his fiery hair, he laments how fragile living beings truly are. Lunch should help, he assured himself.

But it didn't. The wolfman headed to the cafeteria, accompanied by a couple of classmates. For this very meal, he had a whole recovery plan outlined — protein, carbs, fiber, sugar, healthy oils, lots of vitamins. He takes a seat with his comrades, the dish in front of him so colorful it could easily be mistaken for art. Evan was positive his family would be proud. He probably never had something so nutritionally balanced.

And yet, his stamina levels proceeded to drop through the day. By the time he attended to the last round of classes, his proud stride had turned into a lazy dragging of his feet. Evan felt so distracted and exhausted that he almost missed the familiar faces ready to watch the same Energy lecture as he would: Allium and Skye. Both girls start waving enthusiastically at him as soon as they notice him.