Igor felt very good since he met the girl. When he got home, for the first time he thought of useful things and did not feel the depression that took over him when he was there alone. That made him remember Ezequiel and the circumstances of his departure. He concluded that it was more than time to see if things were in their proper place, even against the will of the wizard who recommended that he did not return.

He went to the garden and opened a portal, but for security reasons he made the other side stay in the clearing where he destroyed the pumas. He passed to the canyon and closed the passage, starting the arduous walk to the cabin in a fast trot. The noises of the forest awakened him a certain nostalgia of the few days he spent there. With these thoughts, Igor arrived without realizing the time. The first thing he noticed was that the cabin was empty, but he would not know how long. He saw the secret message at the entrance and knew there was nothing to worry about.

The marks of the confrontation disappeared and he was left wondering what happened to the creature, but he imagined that it must have fled or been destroyed by the dragon. He opened a portal back home right there and went to dinner.

― ☼ ―

The next day, in one of the classes, one that Igor did not share with Eduarda, he found Valdo by his side because he had failed the subject. Kindly, he nodded his head as a greeting and the other reciprocated.

At the exit, the young wizard went to the academic directory after having a water at the bar and, when he entered, saw one of the seniors mistreating the gay colleague, the same one who had attacked him on the street. Annoyed by that, he advanced in his direction without being noticed and, when the guy was going to hit another blow, he grabbed his wrist using only one of his hands while pushing Valdo away with the other, protecting him. Angry, he said:

"Dude, it's easy to be a macho man, but you need to be sure you can handle it. Being a man is not to act like a hottie and go around hitting people. That's being a jerk, a jerk to the extreme." As much as he tried, the antagonist could not move his arm a millimeter, starting to feel pain. "Your name is Jaime, right? Well, Jaime, let's make the following deal: I don't bust you up or report you to Office of the Vice President for Undergraduate Studies and you don't attack anyone else or try to force the girls, agreed?

"You son of a—" He did not finish the sentence and started screaming desperately, full of convulsions all over his body. Unable to bear the pain anymore, he shouted. "Sorry, forgive me. I obey, I swear, agreed."

Igor released him and the electric shocks passed.

"That's much better, isn't it?" Igor asked, always very calm. "Here's the warning: if you hit him again or mess with the girls, especially Eduarda, you're going to wake up with a mouth full of ants, got it?"

"Y... yes!" Jaime agreed, nervous and desperate.

"Great, we're agreed." Igor looked down, laughed and continued. "For God sake, dude, you pissed yourself! What a fake macho this one! Take a picture with your cell phone, Valdinho, the kids will need to see this!"

With his head down he left as quickly as possible and Igor looked at the other colleague, who was a little hurt on his lip and embarrassed because it was not common for someone to take his side and help him. After a few seconds they laughed and Igor said:

"You're hurt, friend. Let's go to the infirmary to fix that. But the excuse for the nurse you invent, ok?"

"Ok, thanks, Igor," he said, grateful. "It's not normal... I mean... someone to help me."

"Relax, dude. These clowns are only macho in five or six against one, but I think they won't bother you again and I have nothing against being your buddy. Let's go." Igor put his hand on his new friend's shoulder, accompanying him to the infirmary.

They walked a little and Igor asked:

"Why was the jerk hitting you?"

"Because I told the pro-rector and the policemen who you were," he answered. Changing the subject he continued. "Aren't you afraid they'll talk about you, being friend with a gay, Igor?" Valdo was a little suspicious because it was obvious that the colleague was heterosexual. "These people will make fun of you and they will pick on you until they can't anymore."

"From where I conclude that it's not the kind of friends worth having, don't you think?" Igor laughed. "I don't care about that, not to mention that the girls don't think like that."

"Besides," he continued, taking the phone out of his pocket and showing the colleague all pissed off, "I think he'll prefer to stay out of it."

"Wow, dude, how did you take the picture if you didn't even touch your cell phone at that time?" Valdo asked, trying to understand the incomprehensible.

As an answer, he received only a cheerful and jovial laugh.

― ☼ ―

Eduarda finished lunch and went looking for Igor, finding him in his favorite place and sharing a sandwich with two dogs from the campus. At that moment, he looked up and stood up. Raising his hand, he let out a sharp whistle.

Fascinated, the girl saw a sizable bird lose altitude and approach very quickly, flying in circles. Igor raised his arm even more, offering his wrist and the bird landed softly, while he stroked it and murmured delicate compliments, speaking something unintelligible and that did not look like any language she had ever heard before. The bird was about sixty centimeters long and the wingspan could not be calculated, but it must have been almost a meter or even more. The chest of the bird and the inside of the wings were white with brown tones and the outside, neck and tail in dark gray, very beautiful and imposing.

The girl approached more and Igor spoke to her, still with his back to her:

"Come slowly so you don't scare the hawk, Eduarda." She obeyed, enchanted. "Now, don't move and I'll turn around and he'll see you."

"How beautiful!" she exclaimed. "What bird is this? It looks like an eagle!"

"A grasshopper hawk" he explained, giving a piece of chicken from the sandwich to the bird. "It is native to North America, but migrates here during their winter. But it is more common in the west and not in this region."

"You have an amazing way with animals, Igor!" the girl said, fascinated. "They all fall at your feet."

"They know I don't mean to harm them" he replied, shrugging and smiling. "It's all a matter of being in balance with nature."

"So, you become a new Saint Francis of Assisi." She laughed.

"Go, my friend," Igor said, releasing the bird that took flight beating its wings with an impressive vigor. He turned his gaze to Eduarda, giving his most captivating smile. "Saint Francis, Siddhartha, Gaia, the Goddess... they are all names for the same thing: balance of the Self with the Universe. I missed you in class today."

"I couldn't get a spot at that time and had to sign up for course two, but it worked out... only in physics."

"Wow, in physics it's much harder."

"It is, but I'm enjoying it because the teacher is very good."

"And how is the research to find your Don Quixote?"

"A bust," she said with a sigh. "You're the only blond in electrical engineering... so far! Maybe I dreamed it all."

"I don't think so." Igor smiled. "You're not the type to have hallucinations. Well, I need to go, work."

"Me too. I do an internship at Vargas Engineering."

"I know," he commented. "I work there and I've seen you a few times, but we're on different floors. Do you want a ride?"

"Of course I do," she said, accompanying the colleague to the parking lot. "What do you think of it?"

"I like it," he replied laconically. "I made a point of choosing that company because it is considered the best in Brazil in the field of high technology in electrical engineering and microelectronics."

"True." She smiled. "And the people?"

"I think they're all very nice. The director is a sensational guy. I work with the research team and I enjoy seeing how things happen."

"I wish I could stay there in the research, "Eduarda said, without thinking, "but they put me in the production."

"If you want, I'll try to talk to Levi. I think he likes me and he's a very nice guy. I'm sure he'd listen to me."

"I'd better not," she replied, alarmed. "Let's leave it like that and see how things go. After all, we're just interns."

"If you prefer it that way—"

"Yes, I do," she said, sighing relieved because she wished he didn't know she was the owner's daughter.

They were silent for a while and Eduarda studied the new friend, without understanding which of the crazy realities that she had gone through in the last days was the true one, to use his own metaphors that had left her intrigued all day and night, without taking him out of her head. Whenever she was near him she didn't even want to think about her savior, although the memory of the kiss had marked her so much. In fact, Igor had insinuated himself subtly in her mind and now he was installed there and with no forecast of leaving.

She saw Igor with the gay colleague, and the friend had his hand on his shoulder and she was annoyed, because she felt very much in love and concluded that he was homosexual. They were silent for some more time until Eduarda asked:

"Igor, do you usually go out, like... on Wednesdays?"

"I confess that I have been very homey, why?" the wizard asked. Smiling, he glanced at her for a few seconds and added. "Wednesdays is dating day, isn't it?"

"Nothing, no," she replied, with her face half red, "forget it. Yes, Wednesday is dating day."

Despite all her beauty, Eduarda was not very dating because she was a bit demanding in relation to the guys and she didn't even remember when was the last kiss she gave one, except for the mysterious Don Quixote. Her daydreams were interrupted by him who, stopped at the signal, turned to the side:

"Tell me, girl," he said, kindly. "Something bothers you?"

"Well, it's that there's a cool movie at the cinema and I don't have anyone to go with," she explained, a little embarrassed. "I wondered if you'd like to go, as friends, of course."

"I'd love to take you to the movies and we can also have dinner out, if you want." Igor was very happy. "I practically have no friends since I came back from London and more this trouble with my parents. When do you intend?"

"Wednesday?" Eduarda smiled.

"Agreed." They drived a little more and Igor parked the car, breaking the silence. "Look, we've arrived!"

― ☼ ―

The next day, Eduarda found her friend in the library, studying with Valdo. She was going to sneak out when he saw her and smiled, very happy:

"Hi, Eduarda, did you come to study?" he asked. "Sit with us."

"I did, yes, am I not going to disturb?" she asked, trying to hide her disappointment.

"Of course not. Studying what?"

"Calculus I," she answered, noticing from the books that it was what they were studying.

"The same as us," Igor said, smiling. "That way we study together and it's much better."

Eduarda did not want to say that she was actually looking for him because she never had any difficulty with the studies. She also noticed that Igor was too intelligent and even seemed to be a teacher and not a student. So she did not understand why he was there studying unless it was for his friend, which made her a little sad. The three studied until Valdo had to leave for a class, leaving only the pair. Unable to bear it, Eduarda asked:

"Aren't you afraid to hang out with him?"

"Why?" Igor asked, calm. "Because he's gay?"

"Exactly."

"What nonsense," the colleague said. "Silly prejudice."

"I agree," Eduarda said, smiling, "but the guys don't forgive."

"Well, I'm not worried about that." He laughed. "Not at all."

"And you, are you?" she asked, concluding that it was a real waste because the most beautiful and interesting ones always seemed to be.

"Me, gay?" Igor laughed and they soon got his attention because of the noise in the study environment. Lowering his voice, he continued. "What do you think?"

Eduarda thought it was better not to say anything because he was a complete mystery; but, sitting next to him, she made a point of leaving her thigh against his, feeling desire. He not only did not avoid her, but at one point he even caressed her and on another occasion he took her hand smiling.

At night, Igor picked up the girl at her house and, when he saw her a little more dressed up, he lost his breath and widened his eyes. She had put on a light makeup, which highlighted the beauty of her eyes, a soft red lipstick, which gave an irresistible urge to kiss her, and wore a blouse that left her tanned shoulders visible, shaped by the wavy strands of her hair. She wore simple jeans and, on her feet, wore a pair of sandals. He opened the car door for her and said, ecstatic:

"You are more beautiful than ever, Eduarda," he smiled and helped her get in. "I think I'm a lucky guy to go out with you."

"Thank you."

After the movie, having dinner, they talked about various subjects and Igor was disoriented and amazed. He felt so in love with her that what he most wanted was to be in a lonely and dark place, preferably kissing her all the time. However, she was very clear in saying that they would go out as friends. He was aware that his biggest problem was his total inexperience with girls.

No doubt he had dealt with girls in the Citadel where he had received along with them and many other children the hermetic knowledge of a science long lost to the simple mortals, but the question is that he had never had a passion awakened until that moment. All he knew, summed up to a short experience with a girl he loved very much, but that prevailed the fraternal friendship for both sides, to the happiness of both. Considering this situation, he opted for a neutral behavior and sometimes dropping a slight hint to test her, because the worst that could happen to him was Eduarda feeling bad and rejecting him without having a chance.

On the street, walking very close to each other, Eduarda took his hand and he squeezed, happy. As they passed a corner, he saw a small flower, already wilted, on the ground. He stopped and crouched down, picking it up. Eduarda looked at his careful way that, as he handed her the flower, caused her an intense glow making her turn into a red rosebud whose perfume was felt from afar. Smiling, he gave her the flower and she, without resisting, hugged him and gave him a small kiss on the lips.

"Will Valdinho be jealous of this?" she asked, jokingly. "He still ends up fighting with me."

"I'm sure he won't." Igor felt in the clouds, but did not understand the insinuation. "It doesn't seem to me to be a reason for that."

This somehow left the girl frustrated and sad, because it seemed more and more certain that he was homosexual and she did not know what to do but endure and be just friends with him. After all, Eduarda saw a co-worker, very cheeky, throwing herself at him and being ignored with a coldness that impressed. By the way, the colleague besides being beautiful never gave up on Igor and, from time to time, Eduarda felt like hitting her.

The problem for the young woman was that she felt something strong and inexplicable that happened suddenly, but it was something that she wanted more than anything else and did not think of running away from it. All she wanted was to succeed in conquering him in some way, feeling it as an obsession.

― ☼ ―

Course two is when you can take the same subject, but offered for classes of another course. The risk is that they can be much harder depending on the college, as is the case of the character. A. N.