Synopsis: Has there ever been that someone special in your life that you've wanted to get to, but never had the chance? Well, it seems like Jenga Harkdale may just have that chance.

Episode 1: Quandries
Jenga and the gang move to college! How will a year in close company affect them? Only way to find out, is to read.

Notes: I did this in a few hours. it was really fun. the story unfolded into little parts that i did NOT have planned, but fit almost perfectly. i love this story.

Story:
Cupidit ac Patienti:
Episode 1: Quandries


Tanith Lee. Ray Bradbury. Jacqueline Carey. Cecilia Dart-Thornton. Eoin Colfer. He’d read them all. He searched the shelves of the bookstore, Brooke’s Books, but to no avail.

He was turning to give up, when he saw it.

Just a simple black book, no markings, save for a small emblem on the spine. It was not a slim book, but neither was it big. It wasn’t tall, but neither was it short.

He reached to touch it, running his hand up it’s spine. When he touched the emblem at the top, he had an urge to pick it up, and study it closer.

The moment he removed the book from the shelf, it seemed Brooke, the store’s owner, a French rabbit, appeared right next to him. “You wish to buy?” she asked in her odd French accent. Jen could only nod. Brooke smiled. “You’re special, you know? I’ve never seen that book before, except when I first stocked it on a shelf all the way across the store. It wanted to find you. Books do that.” She clasped her hands around the one of his that held the book. “This book is special. Even moments after I put it on the shelves, it disappeared. I have never seen it since. May goddess bless you, sir. Free, it is to you.”

Jenga blinked in surprise, then started to stammer. “B-b-b-but, I-I can’t! It has a price!” He blushed and tried to find a price tag on the book. He was embarrassed. He wasn’t used to getting gifts, especially from the owner of his favorite store.

Brooke laughed in her strange way, taking the book from him. “It has no price. See?” She leisurely turned to the back cover, and tore the price sticker gently away from the book. She pushed it toward Jenga. “Free.”

Jen blinked, then smiled. Still a bit embarrassed, he spoke softly, “Thank you, Brooke.”

She put her hands on her hips and roared with laughter for a few moments, only furthering the embarrassment of the poor, confused wolf in front of her. After a few moments she stopped, then spoke again, “Do not be thanking me, Jenga. Thank the book, for it chose to find you. But promise me this: Never, upon your life, abuse its power. Doing so, would ruin your world. You are warned, Jenga. Warded with the armor of the Goddess, get ye gone from my shop! Go forth and read your heart’s fill, Jenga! Do not waste what the Goddess provides.” By this time she had pushed Jenga almost out the door, and he could only blink futilely as he was thrown out onto the sidewalk, clutching the book.

He sat there for a while, stunned. A few people passed by, but none paid him any heed. Armor of…the Goddess? What? He shrugged, getting up, and started the short walk back to Drez’s house.

As he walked, he studied the curious silver emblem engraved into the spine of the book. Both covers and the spine were entirely black, except for that tiny emblem. It looked to resemble the shape of…a wolf. Jenga shrugged, and decided the wait until he got back to Drez’s house to start reading.




When he finally got there, he found things in an uproar. He looked left and right as Drez’s younger brother, Danny, and his younger sister, Dasha, ran back and forth, carrying things. He noticed a few of his things among them, as well.
He was about to yell at them, then he remembered: It was moving day. That was why he had gone to the bookstore. He, Drez, and Evan were moving to Turon City to go to college there, at the University of Science and Art. He didn’t want to be bored on the three hour drive, so he had gone to buy a book or two. It seemed like he had been gone for a little too long, if they had started putting his things in the car already.

He stepped inside, just as Dasha rushed by with Danny, carrying one of Jen’s smaller trunks. They collided, and clothes and books went flying. He sat there, stunned for a moment, then started laughing. He helped them gather up the loose articles, then sent them on their way.

He went to Drez’s room first, to find it empty of anything except the bed and desk. Drez was sitting on the bed, looking sad. Drez was never sad.

Jen walked quietly over to the big fox, and put a strong, comforting arm around his midsection, pulling him close. Drez snuggled closer, a stray tear rolling down his muzzle to plop onto Jen’s chest.

Jenga squeezed him tightly, rubbing behind his ears to comfort him.

Drez sniffled and a couple more tears left his eyes. “It…it just feels crazy, to be going…it’s like I’m leaving part of my life behind.” He sniffled again, squeezing Jen tighter. “I know I’ll come back, but it’ll be hard, y’know, adjusting to a new place.”

Jen just smiled sorrowfully, and turned so he could hug the fox fully. He squeezed him tightly, with every essence of strength in his body, until he felt as if Drez was a part of him, his body, his soul. “Yeah. I know, bro.”

The two sat like that for a while, until Drez pulled away from Jenga’s chest, wiping his eyes. He smiled softly at the wolf. “Thanks, Jen…I don’t know what I’d do without you cheering me up.”

Jen chuckled and wiped a stray tear from his friend’s face. “Heh, me cheer you up? That’s gotta be a first.” He grinend widely as Drez punched him jokingly in his pec. “C’mon, let’s go fnish getting everything into the truck.” Drez nodded, and they went to Jen’s room to finish moving his things. Nobody commented on how wet Jenga’s shirt was, or that Drez’s eyes were red. Sometimes, it’s better not to pry into the matters of friends.






















One year later, Turon University of Science and Art.

“Dammit, Drez, stop leaving the cokes in the freezer!”

“Sorry bro, won’t next time.”

“Yeah, well, clean it up now. Jen’ll throw a fit if he sees this - “

“If I see what? And since when have I been the deciding factor for things like messes? Hm?” Jen stood in the entryway to the kitchen, bare chest puffed out, and his paw tapping the floor. The other two looked away, trying not to blush out of embarrassment. “Well? Is one of you going to explain?”

“Er…well…Look, we kinda…don’t want to stress you out. Like, at all.” Evan rubbed the back of his neck, the red of his cheeks deep enough to show through his dark fur.

Jenga stood the for a moment, one hand covering his eyes, the other folded across his midsection. The other two shifted uncomfortably. Why had they even tried this? It was going to end up like this anyways.

“Let me get this straight. You two, who go out of your way to attend your classes and work full-time to pay the rent, are worried about me being stressed.” He sighed deeply. “Look, I appreciate the thought, guys, but I’m fine, if not better off, if you don’t go out of your way to do things like this. Hell, why are you guys even worried about it in the first place?”

“You just seemed…out of sorts lately. We thought maybe you were stressed from classes…” Drez trailed off, feeling embarrassed. It wasn’t a lie, but it made him upset to see his best friend so annoyed by this.

“Guys, thanks, but please. You know how much I hate gifts that I don’t need or deserve. Just go back to what you did before this. I’m going back to bed.” And with that, Jen spun on his heel, and walked back to his room, leaving the two to look embarrassed.

“We…really screwed that up, didn’t we?” Evan scratched his neck sheepishly.

“Yeah. I think I do know what’s bothering him, but I guess that doing this doesn’t help him.” Drez sighed, going to clean up the exploded cokes from the freezer.

Evan sat in silence for a bit, then asked, “What’s bothering him?”

Drez blinked, “I think he feels alone. He needs a mate. And not just some fuck-buddy. Somebody really for him. But the chances of that are zero to none.” He sighed, finishing cleaning and going to wash his sticky paws.

“Well, we could always try renting out the spare room and see who decides to come. Who knows, maybe the new roommie would be who he wants? Besides, he had a point back when he said we have to work too much. It’s a hassle to pay the rent and buy food every month.”

Drez rubbed his paws with a towel, drying them. “That…actually sounds like a good idea, Evan. I’ll put the sign up as soon as I can.”






Once he was safely in his room, Jenga flopped down on his bed. He needed to read. He reached under his bed for a book…and found one he thought he had lost.

It was the black book. He had never opened it.

He lay back on his pillows, feeling a bit excited, yet afraid. Who knew what lay inside? Only one way to find out.

He opened the book.

The title page was simple:

A Book of Shadows
Seph

He cocked an eyebrow, and turned to the copyright page.

Except, there wasn’t one. It wasn’t just torn out. No, there was no sign of damage. The page just wasn’t there.

Which meant this book had never been published.

Jen flipped to the center of the book, his eyes alighting on a page that contained what looked like a recipe:

A Spell For Being Brave

Ingredients:
Yourself
When:
Whenever
Where:
Wherever you like

When assaulted by forces you seem, say upon yourself this rhyme, times three:
“Goddess guide me through this day,
Give me courage so I may stay.”

It was….interesting, in Jen’s eyes. Which, oddly enough, were slowly drifting closed.

Soon, soft snores emanated from his room.