Supernatural Taxes

41) I pity the dean's secretary

As expected, she found him in the library. The dean —bald, middle aged and sporting a fabulous handlebar mustache– was lounging in his usual comfy chair, surrounded by serious encyclopedias yet reading Calvin and Hobbes.

Usually they would have nodded to each other and Atla would have moved on to her spot a few shelves away. But this time Atla kept approaching and the dean kept reading.

He grinned and turned the page.

"Don't you have things to be doing, sir?"

"Oh yes, there's a whole host decisions and plans that need to be made to reschedule and relocate the exams. Quite frankly it's daunting, so I was hiding out here hoping the problem would solve itself." He said this so comfortably and affably that it felt like they were two good friends discussing a sports game.

Atla was just a little jealous of his social skills, "Surely this isn't a good hiding place, sir." This was the same place that she'd passed him the last two years, someone else had to know about it.

"You're right, but my secretary's a softie, I've got, say, three more hours until he drags me away to do my work," He winked.

Atla was silent for a moment. "Uhh, I pity your secretary for asking this, but could you procrastinate rescheduling exams for the rest of the day?"

"I could, but I'd need a good excuse to convince Management..."

"He's leading you on Atla," Advised Thanos, so she cut to the chase, "We're going to challenge the Tower of Darkness tonight."

"The three of you?" He remembered Nora from their orange curse presentation. She nodded. "Do you have a chance of succeeding?" He spoke more seriously now, as the dean of the university and not the cordial cartoon enthusiast.

Atla looked at Thanos, "We do. So please don't reschedule exams just yet, I don't want to spend another month studying."

"Is that why you're challenging the Tower?"

"That's why we're doing it tonight, but I mostly just want to shut these whiners up." Atla almost started using colourful language before remembering who she was talking to.

The dean nodded and got up, "You've convinced me, I'm glad that you're tackling this Atalanta. To be honest I'm getting overwhelmed with the atmosphere on campus. I'm going to go find a proper hiding spot, it will be fascinating to watch a magician's take on these things."

He spoke with pure academic interest, unusual, since studies of magic and grimoires were near nonexistent.

***

Nora tightened the last rope rigging, tying down their commision to the top of the green machine. "Thanks for doing this on such short notice."

"No biggie, the society hasn't had such a strange project in a long time and it was a good way to procrastinate studying. Oh but if it has too much strain it might break, the glue hasn't dried completely yet." Amanda, the chairperson of the art society grinned.

They were on pretty good terms so Nora asked the art society for a commision late last night and promised to repay the favour with some desirable buds and flowers from her back garden.

"Are you sure you don't want to rejoin the society? I'm sure you've got a talent for it somewhere in your genes," Amanda asked idly.

"Yeah, it was fun but I'm not that good at art and I got busy with lots of other stuff, thanks for the offer but..." Nora trailed off a bit trying to think of a legitimate reason of why she left this or any of the other societies she drifted to and from, but even explaining it to herself was difficult so she gave up.

Amanda wasn't perturbed, "Oh no problem at all, I wouldn't want to force you into something, whatever makes you happy. What do you wanna use that for," she gestured to the commision.

"We're gonna go challenge the Lord of Darkness," Nora said, excitement evident in her voice.

"You and Cactus Girl huh?"

"She prefers Atla," Nora said automatically.

Amanda grinned, "So that's who you left us for," She said teasingly while Nora objected to being guilt tripped.

Nora checked the time for an escape route, "I need to go meet Atla at the Tower of Darkness now, thanks again Amanda." She hopped in the Green Machine which thankfully started on the first try.

"Nora," Amanda called through the window that didn't wind up, "I'm glad you found someone to be close to."

Nora paused, "Me too."

She sped off in the green machine that her momhappily lent her the keys to. Her dad -who'd been knitting at home the pastweek- also supported her, to Nora's surprise, handing her a new scarf andsaying, "Go back up your friend."