It was Solday afternoon and I was studying as the door to our room opened. Helena was here too and we both looked up. Skadi and Cassie entered.

  “Girls, we need a plan!” Cassie announced.

  “A plan?” I asked.

  Skadi nodded. “The new year starts tomorrow. We should do something tonight.”

  “But… exams start in three weeks!” I protested.

  Helena closed her book. “No, they are right. We should do something. Take the evening off. We have been studying a lot.”

  “I suppose…” I admitted. “I never really celebrated the new year. For us it was just a lot of work. Maids were supposed to work extra hard.”

  “Even more reason to celebrate!” Cassie said.

  “You know, in the north it’s not that big of a deal. We truly celebrate in spring, when the monster attacks from the Everfrost Mountains lessen.” Helena said.

  “We should go to the beer garden!” Skadi suggested.

  “We could, but it’s not the same indoors.” I mused.

  “Actually, they have a special tonight. They open the tables outdoors and have a lot of fire and furs to keep people warm.” Skadi said.

  “What? There is snow outside! Even with fires, that is a horrible idea.” Cassie protested.

  “It does sound cosy.” Helena commented.

  “I think I would like that too.” I added.

  Cassie stared at us in horror. Then her eyes narrowed at Skadi. “You had this plan all along!”

  Skadi patted Cassie on the back. “It will be fine. Trust me, it is not that bad.”

  “Said the water mage. You all have a water affinity!” Cassie grumbled.

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  “Don’t you have a warming spell?” I asked.

  “Sure. But keeping that going while drinking…” Cassie said.

  “...will be excellent training!” Skadi finished. “But you won’t need it, trust me.”

  Cassie still grumbled but she agreed. We grabbed our jackets and made our way into the city. Frank, Chariot and Nyx were with us. It was about 17:00 but the sun was already setting.

  When we arrived I was impressed. The familiar tables greeted us, with the nice tap in the centre. But there were standing torches near each chair. Further, every seat had a thick fur blanket.

  “Wow, it looks a lot more luxurious.” I said.

  Skadi nodded. “It is more expensive, especially considering the date. But tonight is my treat!”

  I had the suspicion that Skadi had planned this for a while but kept quiet, since Cassie did not like the cold. While we looked around Skadi talked to a waitress, who showed us to a table.

  Once we sat down I did not need my jacket. The torches made it really cosy. And the blanket was so soft!

  “Nice.” I said while rubbing the fur with my hand.

  “Ok, so it’s a bit cozy…” Cassie admitted. She had opened her jacket but was still wearing it.

  The waitress returned with mugs and the menu. “Just like always, use the tap and we will charge you based on how much you consume. We will be open until early morning, because of the new year, and serve hot food the entire night!”

  “A shame that we do have classes tomorrow.” I mused.

  “They start two hours later though.” Skadi said, then sighed. “You did not notice, did you?”

  I blushed. “Um…”

  “Enough about classes, time to drink!” Cassie said while filling a mug.

  Once we all had our drinks Skadi raised hers. “This year was great, may the next be even better!”

  “May we crush our enemies and teach Ilestria a lesson!” Helena added.

  “To explosions!” Cassie cheered.

  “To, um, an undead horde!” I said.

  “Meow!” Nyx said, raising a paw, then she stared at the empty paw. I grabbed a small bone from my pocket and gave it to her.

  Helena snickered.

  Then we clinked our mugs and started drinking.

  “You know, the cold beer is actually okay, despite the snow.” Cassie mused.

  “There is no snow here, the torches have melted everything.” I pointed out.

  “Sure, but there is snow over there.” Cassie pointed on the road. “I never saw beer as a winter drink, you know.”

  “We had some when we tried to hunt rats.” Helena pointed out.

  “I know, you girls are a bad influence.” She complained, with a smile.

  “We never got any rats. I still want to try those but I just don’t have time.” I said.

  “With the assassin gone we don’t need spies that much. And you have a much better corpse now.” Skadi pointed out.

  “True! I can’t wait to raise it!” I said.

  “I can’t wait for the joint casting exam. We might be senior mages soon! Koyuki and myself are progressing nicely with our spell. How is yours going?” Helena asked.

  “Good, but it’s still a secret.” Skadi replied.

  Cassie grinned. “It will be awesome!”

  While we talked we browsed the menu.

  “I think this is perfect soup weather, for a starter.” I mused.

  “You don’t have to order everything in one go. Tonight they expect us to drink and eat for a while and keep ordering.” Skadi explained.

  “Soup does sound nice. Uh, there is a creamy mushroom one!” Helena said.

  I shook my head. “One day you will recognize the evil that is a mushroom. I will go for a nice beef soup.”

  As the waitress returned we ordered our first dish. While waiting I wondered something: “Are those normal torches, or is there magic involved? This place is surprisingly warm.”

  “I think they are normal torches but burn some alchemical fuel.” Cassie mused, after looking at one. “I do admit, they are doing a good job. It is rather cozy…”

  Skadi grinned.