The Counterweight (A Magisterium *Calron* Story)

#3

AN: You peeps wanted an update so...here's an update! :D

Enjoy, friends! : )

"Tamara, what if someone overheard us yesterday when we were in the corridor?", Jasper DeWinter suddenly got the nerve to ask, as he sat in the library with her, poring over books on chaos magic and counterweights for it. He was still very new to the whole idea of them both not only being Makars themselves, but also being each other's counterweight and had wanted to do some in depth research.
"Hm?", was all Tamara Rajavi said, her attention not at all on Jasper, but on the medium-sized time in her lap, which her eyes seemed to trail down quickly as she read each page, becoming increasingly more fascinated.
The dark-haired Asian boy thought about perhaps asking her what it was that she was reading that had her so invested to the point she barely noticed he was sitting right across from her. But, then he remembered just how seriously Tamara took her studies and anything that pertained to her academic success as a Magisterium student, and just decided to let her carry on in ignoring him.
At long last, the dark-skinned girl, whose complexion was more of a light cocoa brown, brushed back her ebony-coloured locks that had falling into her face, whilst she was reading and looked up startled when she saw her friend, sitting directly opposite her, resting comfortably on an overgrown, spotted toadstool.
"Oh! Jasper! When did you get here?!", she exclaimed, and was rewarded with a slightly amused eye-roll from the other.
"Tam, I've been here as long as you have. Remember? We came in here to study more about being a Makar and what that means to the counterweight involved when both people show an affinity for chaos magic. Or, did that book you were just lost to make you forget everything else?"
Tamara tensed somewhat as Jasper mentioned the tome she had been attentively reading that now sat right in her lap, with its front cover facing downward, so that if he wanted to know just what it had been that had captured her interest so, Jasper would have to flip it over to clearly find out.
"Tamara?", he asked worriedly, when she didn't say anything.
With a jolt, the dark-skinned girl instantly came back to reality and gave him an apologetic look.
"Sorry Jas, it's just this book. It-it's about the LGBT side of the magic world...our world. There's stuff in here that, well...it's kinda shocking. Like, did you know that in 1847, the first closeted gay mage is said to have gone to this very school and studied magic until his sudden death in 1865, when he finally admitted to his fellow male best friend that he had a deep, burning crush on him before he then died in said man's arms? Also, did you know that it was rumoured that Constantine's brother Jericho Madden had been in a secretive relationship with his own brother and that was why when Jericho died, he was so very distraught? It just goes to show that even then, people were going through the same things Call might be experiencing-", she started to say, but was abruptly cut off.
"That's-that's incest! You're telling me that Constantine had the hots for his own brother?! The same Constantine Madden who's also the Enemy of Death, Callum, that Constantine Madden?!"
Tamara sighed at Jasper's sudden outburst, before putting up a hand to stop him from blurting out anything more.
"I said it was rumoured, not that it actually did happen. That they were lovers...it's just an assumption made from viable evidence that Constantine and Jericho Madden were closer than even most brothers seem to be. They were each other's counterweight and so that alone, tied them together in this intricate, impenetrable bond... The book also says that most chaos mages at the time and even still today, tend to gravitate to their counterweight for support in all aspects. Most even begin to fall for each other.", but Tamara stopped there, as if she'd just realized who she was speaking to and what this all meant for not just Call, but her and Jasper as well.
Thankfully, Jasper seemed to pretend that he hadn't heard that last part and stretched from his place on the toadstool before he stood up and began to gather up all of the tomes he had been flicking through, in his arms. Likewise, Tamara relieved to see that he hadn't caught on to what she'd just told him about chaos mages with counterweights, stood up also and tucked the book about LGBT mages under her arm. Then, they both left without saying another word, to the Refectory, where they promptly broke apart to go to their respected tables.
"Call! It's so great to see you, again! Are you feeling better?", Tamara seemed to say all in a rush to the dark-haired boy who seemed to be steadily watching Aaron out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh, uh, yeah, I feel better. I think I just caught a bit of a cold or something, that's all."
Tamara nodded, but frowned slightly. He was still concentrating on watching Aaron, who was staring down at his plate of lichen and speckled, mushroom pizza with not a thought in his mind to actually eat any of it.
Something's not right with Aaron.
She thought, as she brought her fork down onto her own plate and pierced the corner of a piece of the large, dotted mushroom before carefully chewing it, methodically.
He's not usually this quiet. Well, maybe, but that's only when-
Tamara Rajavi's thoughts that had been swirling about her head came to a sudden halt and she heard the dull clatter of her fork as it hit the floor.
"Call!", she ended up blurting out without realizing she had, until Aaron Stewart cast her a startled look. His face paling at the sound of his friend's name.
Quickly, she mumbled an apology to both Callum and Aaron who were now both staring at her incredulously, under her breath.
There was a long moment of hushed silence at their end of Master Rufus' apprentice table, then Celia started to gossip to an Iron Year apprentice (who was sitting a few tables down) about how she thought that Master Rufus and Master Milagros would make a perfect match. Which only caused Seymour Bradshaw to chuckle at her antics before shaking his head and turning back to a group of boys who he now appeared to have make friends with.
Seeing that she was being ignored, Celia gave a reluctant huff of annoyance before she excused herself to go and get more lichen, even though she had no intention in actually eating it.
It wasn't till about halfway through dinner that Aaron finally spoke.
Call had claimed to have lots of homework to do having procrastinated due to his 'cold' and said that he should probably go and get it at least started if anything.
Surprisingly, Tamara had wholeheartedly agreed as had Jasper who had decided to engage in conversation with them and even Aaron, who Call was certain would've protested about him taking off to their common room so soon, didn't so much as nod in a dismissive manner.
Then, when he was positive that Call was far enough down the long corridor that he wouldn't hear him, Aaron finally bit the bullet and told them what he'd overheard.
"Look, I know, okay?"
This seemed to cause Tamara no apparent reaction but to glance at him, imploringly.
"Know what?"
Aaron sighed and it looked as though it pained him to voice the words aloud, but somehow he managed to.
"That you think Call's gay. I-I overheard you and Jasper when you were talking in the corridor."
Tamara pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a breath of air.
Of course, just my luck that someone would overhear!
She thought angrily, stabbing her mushroom slice repeatedly with a new fork she'd procured from Jasper's table.
And, it had to be Aaron of all people!
Her mind shouted to her as she winced outwardly.
"Well, then if you know, what's your opinion on the matter?", she asked him, as if she were implying something else entirely and not Call's undiscovered sexuality.
Aaron had a far off expression as he pondered her question, a sign that he was deep in thought.
Finally, he sighed and shrugged.
"I think you should stop meddling with business that is not really yours to concern yourself with and let Call tell you when he feels ready to involve you. Us. It's not right to assume that just because he didn't really reciprocate Celia's kiss when we got back, doesn't exactly mean that he's not attracted to girls, Tamara. It could just mean that he's not attracted to Celia, or any other girls at this time."
The dark-skinned girl sat there, too startled by Aaron's reply to say a word. She hadn't expected him to be so blunt with her about the matter, but maybe she should've known that when it came to Callum Hunt, Aaron was quick to defend his best friend, his counterweight. After all, Call and him shared a bond stronger than that of ordinary friends. A bond that could not to broken by betrayal from the other, lest they want to avoid ultimate corruption.
At long last, Aaron got up from his seat at their table, without so much as a muttered 'bye' to Tamara, leaving her to sit staring at her mutilated plate of dinner, wondering when everything had started to get more complicated between her and the blond boy.
She sighed and for the first time in a long while, wished she was back at home, at her family's manor house. Where life seemed simple and precise and the only conflicts were between her parents about who her older sister was seeing, such as Alex Strike, and Stebbins was always around to wait on her every passing whim.
So, it was with these thoughts of her family and all that she missed about them, that Tamara Rajavi broke down and cried, not caring at all in the least who saw her.