"What took you so long?" Margo asked as she approached him, holding two different pairs of shoes in either hand. "Thought it was just watching for newbies, pointing them to the testing room, then voila! Done!"

Eliot was starting to make drinks for them, using quick gestures to make the bottles tilt and pour out the exact amount into the shaker. He glanced up briefly, trying to keep a neutral expression in place.

"Well, like usual…I had one straggler," Eliot sighed as he focused on a bottle of grenadine.

"Did you wave your hand, threaten to shock his balls, and he got a move on?"

He paused, tilting his head. "How did you know it was a guy?"

Margo rolled her eyes as she put the shoes on a table, crossing her arms over her chest. "El please, you're not fooling me with this 'there was a straggler' and try to act like its nothing shit. So let me guess – did this guy get all excited about the sparks and try to show off his powers to you?"

Eliot shook his head as he capped the shaker before shaking the mixture several times. He conjured two martini glasses from nowhere and filled both glasses, one floated over to Margo. She took the glass and studied the contents – his signature cocktail was usually a neon green color but this drink was rosy pink.

"Tell me, when was the last time we ever met someone who didn't know magic was real before they got here?" Eliot mused as he wrapped his fingers around his glass.

"Like the first years? C'mon El, what are you getting at?" she drawled with a shake of her head. "People are recruited all the time to take that stupid entrance exam and most of the time they turn up looking really lost."

He took a small sip from his glass, keeping his eyes on Margo's. "Bambi, I'm talking awkward, sad puppy lost."

"So?"

Eliot put his glass down and allowed a small smile to cross his lips. "You remember how you got lured to Brakebills? Apparently this guy got a "manuscript" for some lost story in a book series he's obsessed with and he had to run after the pages. He looked…oh god, so helpless but so adorable. He asked a lot of questions but not in an annoying way – one gem was 'Am I hallucinating?' after I explained where we were."

This was the big news? She had to wonder if her friend was messing with her until she noticed a familiar twinkle in his eyes. Oh, she had seen this look plenty of times with El…

"El, please. This puppy may not even pass and you're already getting your hopes up," Margo sighed before swirling the contents of her glass. She tilted it toward her lips, pausing. "Unless, this is the part where you tell me you rigged his written or something?"

Eliot shook his head and picked up his glass again, pointing a finger at her. "Ah I didn't help him with the test," he began, "but I did hear from a source in the Psychics department that the new guy blew up at the Dean for getting pushed around and boom! Magic happens!" He sipped his glass, watching Margo's reaction to this bit of news.

"What made the boy snap?" she asked.

He swirled his glass around, watching the contents sink to the bottom. "Supposedly the board asked him to show them a physical trick or some other kind of proof that he could do magic. He said he couldn't do anything. Fogg gets up and yells at him to do something, then the guy yelled back and suddenly it's raining cards around them. The cards rearranged themselves into a castle but apparently, the guy didn't know what he was capable of."

She frowned as she placed the glass on the bar counter, trying to picture the scene Eliot was describing. Either the magic had just reappeared in this guy's lineage or no one else in his family bothered to tell him anything until now. It wasn't an uncommon situation but most of the newbies had figured out early on that they had some kind of affinity for magic. Oddly, she didn't think Eliot went for the shy ones…

"What's his name?"

"Quentin Coldwater," Eliot replied. He took a long sip from his glass while his other hand performed a gesture to refill Margo's.

"Is he like your other boy toys?" Margo asked as she took a sip. Eliot seemed to go for guys with an air of mystery about them, usually they walked a fine line between cocky and confident. Bonus points if they knew how to dress themselves without looking like a bedraggled mess.

"Actually funny you mention that," Eliot began as he tapped a finger to his chin, "he's short, has longish hair in his face, and he does that "nerdy collegiate" look, clothes-wise. Basically, he looks like a sad, confused puppy that needs our help."

Margo rolled her eyes, put the glass down, and began to head upstairs to her room. "You mean he needs your help. El, c'mon we talked about this!" She began to ascend the stairs but felt the young man's slim fingers on her shoulder.

"Bambi, please," he murmured. "At least come with me tomorrow to give him a tour. I know you're a little curious to see how awkward cute this guy is."

Margo stilled, pursing her lips as she stared at a scuffmark on the next step. She glanced back at Eliot who was returning her look with a pleading one.

"Maybe we can share him? God knows he might not even know how to have fun," Eliot added.

Well, Eliot had her there – a threesome was secretly on Margo's bucket list, but she'd been holding out for a decent lay that was down with letting Eliot join the mix. Honestly, the boys at Brakebills were boring and she was starting to wonder if she'd have better luck with, ugh…a hedge witch. She usually didn't go for mousy types with sagging shoulders and hair covering their faces, but in this case…

"He sounds like he needs to get some," Margo mused, turning to face Eliot. "Well, I have one class tomorrow morning, but you can come grab me after to meet your little virgin froshie."

Eliot tilted his head, a sappy smile spreading across his face. "Ah Bambi, you're the greatest!"

"I know," Margo replied, "and you can start making it up to me by telling me which shoes I should wear tonight…"

"There you are! He should be settling into his new room by now!"

Margo groaned as she flicked a strand of perfectly curled hair out of her face. "El, you're already stalking his schedule?"

"Come on – let's go before we miss him," Eliot ordered as he led the way to Quentin's hall.

Margo trotted behind him, weaving her way around the other students in her tall heels. She ascended the stairs to the first year dorms and stayed close as Eliot rounded the corner.

"Quentin!" she heard him say upon entering the room, "this is the distraction you've been waiting for!" Eliot stepped to the side as Margo sashayed up to him, her eyes falling on the pale young man who lifted his head in her direction.

"Hi," she murmured with a winning smile. "I'm Margo."

The young man stared at her silently, making no attempts to return the greeting. She stepped toward him and picked up the end of his tie, twirling it in her fingers.

"This is him?" she mused, analyzing Quentin's expression, posture, and clothes. Oh Eliot was right – lost, dazed, and utterly clueless. He probably had never been around someone as stunning as her, let alone experienced anything further than a tame kiss and maybe holding hands. She pursed her lips as she tried to suppress the numerous ideas she had of corrupting his innocent mind with Eliot's help.

"Hmmm…he's not that cute," Margo added after a pause, casting a sideways look at Eliot. Eliot returned the look with a coy smile, which she mirrored while dropping Quentin's tie.

Eliot gestured to the door, beckoning for Quentin to follow him and Margo. "Let's show you around," he called over his shoulder. "Chop! Chop! Time is wasting!"

Quentin blinked before he slipped past his irate roommate, silently relieved by the pair's timing. He could deal with Penny's insults later.