Declan frowned at his friend’s words but didn’t move to help, as the picture looked unharmed and Mack seemed to be getting it back in its rightful place. Still frowning, he turned back to his professor and found her up from her desk and approaching him, bracelet held out like she was gonna put it on him herself or something.

“Um. I think I better get him back home. If you’re okay with my general idea, I’ll get you a more defined idea by email either tonight or tomorrow in class? And I’ll take a half dozen of those bracelets if you bring them to our next class.”

Mack muttered something that might have been a curse and Declan stepped over toward him, looking away just as his professor’s arm swung through the spot his left arm had just occupied.

When he looked back, he was surprised at how close she was but he figured she was worried about whatever damage clumsy Mack had done to the outer office. He moved out of her way, speeding up as she came sort of awkwardly through the door. Giving her an apologetic smile, he grabbed his buddy by the elbow and headed for the door to the hallway. “Dude, don’t wreck the place. I like this class,” he hissed in a sotto voice. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, Professor Lilt. Don’t forget the bracelets,” he said, pulling Mack out of the reception office and into the hall.

Outside the building, Declan studied his buddy, who was smiling and looking around the campus, most likely at girls. It almost appeared as if he had completely forgotten the whole picture frame incident in less than a minute.

“Dude, you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“You’re not yourself today.”

“What are you talking about? I’m fine… great, in fact.”

“That’s what she said, right?” Declan finished his buddy’s common phrase.

“What? Who?” Mack asked, brow furrowed.

“Your girl… Lilly?”

“Lilly? Yeah, she thinks I’m great,” he said matter-of-factly, his head swiveling to check out everything around them.

Some instinct made Declan look ahead of them, further downhill. A decidedly feminine figure walked toward them, her outline and movements instantly recognizable, at least to him.

“Oh, speaking of babes, there’s yours now,” Mack said.

“Yes, there she is,” Declan said in a wondering tone, eyes focused on the girl in question.

“And somehow she’s with you… the biggest dweeb I know,” Mack said with a grin.

“Yeah, but he’s my dweeb,” the beautiful platinum blonde said, still thirty feet away, her own eyes locked on the witch. Her gaze flickered to the pair of muscular students further uphill and her head might have given just the slightest of nods.

The pair nodded back and peeled off, crossing the street and heading more toward downtown than toward Arcane.