Barclay hadn't felt his magic for four months now. No whispering trees on the breeze. No tug of power when accessing his magic. None of that deep focus that came with performing a powerful spell. Even meditation had lost his edge. But the woods - even though there was still no itching in his head, no whiff of magic - the woods hadn't lost their edge. Even though he couldn't speak to the trees, he still recognized all of them. He knew them. He'd been among them. While he preferred to spend time in the tree he'd left in the school - it was thriving - the forest were still something to look forward today.
He usually went there for a morning walk, but this morning, he was distracted.
In one of the brooks, he saw a familiar figure swimming. Thierry seemed to be having fun and, when he emerged from the water, Barclay swallowed. Thierry was wet, and together with the sunlight, it made his wiry, muscled body seem even more cut.
Barclay wasn't the one to easily fall in love with people, but he knew what it felt like. And this was - Oh God. Thierry was coming for him. Barclay tried to shrink back, but he wasn't quick enough.
Barclay tried to avert his eyes from Thierry's chest. And from the wet pants that outlined... Barclay couldn't look at his eyes either! So he sort of ended up looking to the left. "I'm- I'm just taking a walk."