It had been a whole four weeks since he had last used it. Magica Erebea he meant.

Chamo sat to the side, smoking a cigarette. "Hey Aniki, you sure you should be testing it out here? What if you damage the pod?"

"Not many places I can," said Negi as he conjured up the familiar sight of Mahora Academy, currently studentless. "If I want to make sure I'm at the top of my game, I need to focus. Vivio's training now and I'm sure her friend is with her too."

"So you want to keep pace with them," said a familiar voice as Fate materialized behind him, circling like a shark. "Mmm, Negi-kun."

"Fate," replied Negi, determined that the recreation wouldn't do anything that would upset him. "Why'd you come out now?"

"Why else?" inquired Fate with a lazy shrug, his pale eyes never moving away from Negi's own steady gaze. "You know that power is poison, it's doping at it's best. And yet..." And he picked up one of Negi's hands and rubbed it against his cheek. "You hit me."

Negi flushed at the intimate gesture. No, keep focused. This wasn't the time to let a recreation of the boy he wanted to convince he was right to fluster him. "That's in the past Fate. I've gotten stronger, more experienced. Right now, I could be fighting for your own survival as you sleep in the pod."

"And what then, if I'm truly released?" asked Fate, never letting go of Negi's hand. "Will you stop fighting? Will you talk to me, tell me that you're sorry, that you have a plan to save the magic world before it is plunged into chaos?"

"I don't know what I'll say," said Negi, clasping his hand with his. To anyone else, it'd look like a moment of shounen-ai as the world dissolved into sparkles. Literally. Chamo stifled a snicker. "I don't know what I'll do, or I'll say, but I promise you I'll defeat the wild plan of yours to destroy all that one loves."

"Interesting," said Fate as he drew closer until he was violating Negi's personal space. "And what will you do, say, when I wake for real?"

Negi smiled. "I want to be your friend."

"Well then, friend of Fate..." And Fate smirked as he leaned in and kissed Negi on the lips. Chamo burst into gales of laughter and Negi stiffened before the man drew back. "Catch me. With that darkness of yours."

Negi made a mouthing motion, and realized he had let his imagination run wild as his mouth opened and closed, opened and closed, no words coming out of his mouth save for a strangled squeak. In his surprise, he hadn't realized he left the door open completely for everyone to see that BL moment.

Goddamnit those dresses were getting to him! AAAAUGH!

Negi resolved to find some bleach for his brain. Clearly he had been around too much girl stuff to even THINK about things like this.

Aimlessly wandering around the city again (it was so big), Hayate had managed to stumble upon the Statuary. She walked up and down the hall, marveling at the various works of stone and metal. At first she had tried to flick some of the switches, but after three or four flips on a few didn't result in a thing, she didn't bother with they any further.

Her smile waned a little as she nervously glanced around. She didn't think anyone else was around ... and she didn't see any signs prohibiting it ... ... ... but it was probably just wishful thinking or Hayate critically failiing at spot or perception.

... Get up on the lion's back, Hayate! Yeah, alright~

She laughed a bit, hand rubbing the cold, hard, stone mane with quick affection, as if trying to give the skillfully personified rock some warmth, then pulled herself up and mounted the fierce but petrified creature.