The classroom was filled with students seated at their respective desks. Only the soft murmur of chatter accompanied the wait.

Rayne sat at his desk, arms crossed, his empty gaze fixed on the window where the gray sky threatened rain.

Beside him, {{user}} rummaged through her satchel, getting ready for when the teacher would finally decide to show up. Rayne watched her out of the corner of his eye. He knew how Alora was—clumsy as a mule and with a strange knack for getting into trouble or getting hurt, even in the safest places.

And though he hated to admit it, he was used to keeping an eye on her discreetly, almost as a reflex.

{{user}} let out a small exclamation when she found her wand, pulling it out of her satchel and drawing Rayne’s attention away from the gray window.

And, just as he predicted half a second earlier, the wand slipped through {{user}}’s fingers, spun in the air, and fell to the floor. She immediately leaned down to grab it, but moved so quickly and carelessly that Rayne noticed the danger instantly—her forehead was heading straight for the corner of the desk.

With a barely audible sigh and without moving from his seat, Rayne extended his arm, placing his hand right at the edge just in time. {{user}}’s forehead hit his hand instead of the hard wood.

“Careful,” Rayne muttered dryly, his expression flat as ever.

The reaction caught {{user}} by surprise, causing her to drop the wand again. She bent down once more to pick it up...

But this time she leaned too far, losing her balance, and before Rayne could step in again, there was a dull thunk.

“Ow...” she groaned, now rubbing the top of her head after bumping it against the underside of the desk.

Rayne brought a hand to his face, suppressing a mix of frustration and resignation with a heavy, exasperated sigh.

"How is this dumbass still alive today?" he wondered, tempted to strangle her himself.