That evening, the boys are gathered in their room, collars loosened, boots set aside, the last scrape of the day fading from the corridor.
Lewis reaches for Tarzan, while Parsley, John, and Morris settle into the soft business of bedtime, unbuttoning cuffs and folding things neat.
Edwin
Lewis, may I borrow Tarzan for a bit? And, if it is not too much, I should like to stay awhile.
Edwin stands in the doorway with his blazer clutched to his chest, shy but plainly hopeful, as if asking for the book is only half the errand.
Parsley
Of course he may. He has come at the right time, I think.
John
We can make room for him. It is better than staring at the wall and pretending that is rest.
Morris
A visit is welcome. The room is quieter when someone is not trying to seem important.
The little circle loosens, not much, but enough. The book passes hand to hand, and the evening becomes something gentler than duty.
✓ Quest Accepted
Integrate Edwin into the circle
+ New Item Acquired
Tarzan
“Lewis grins and invites him in. Letting him sit on Lewis's bed. Lewis hands him the book and says he really hopes Edwin likes it. He's curious what Edwin will think of it after he reads it.”
Lewis grins and makes room on the blanket. He passes Tarzan over, and the little circle opens for Edwin without fuss.
C. S. Lewis
I really hope you like it. I should be keen to hear what you make of it after you have read it.
“Lewis gives Edwin a friendly smile to set him at ease.”
Lewis answers with an easy smile, the kind that asks nothing of Edwin but comfort. The lamp keeps the blanket circle warm and small while the book rests between them, already claiming its place in the night.
“I wait for Edwin to respond.”
Edwin looks from the book to the faces around him, then gives a small, pleased nod. The circle holds its easy hush, and his shoulders loosen as if he has already decided to stay.
Edwin
Yes, I think I will.
Parsley’s hand shifts closer to the lamp, making room without a word. The night remains quiet, but the little company feels more complete.
“Lewis resumes discussing the plans for the hike on Saturday and where they might find supplies for fishing. Making sure to include Edwin in the conversation.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +0)
Lewis leans in over the blanket and draws Edwin into the talk as if there had never been a gap in it. Saturday’s walk becomes real, with the woods, the stream, and the question of where boys might find a line and a hook without drawing notice.
C. S. Lewis
We can look for fishing gear on the way, if you want. Someone in the village may have a bit of line to spare.
Edwin
I should like that. I have never managed a proper outing like it.
John tips the book with one hand and begins sorting the plan into practical pieces, while Morris keeps watch at the doorway and listens with half an ear. Parsley’s smile widens at Edwin’s interest, and the circle quietly makes room for him in its counting.
John
Then we want a route that leaves us time for the water, and a stop where we can ask without making fools of ourselves.
Parsley
Edwin can come with us, of course. He knows what we mean now.
Edwin’s shoulders ease at that, and he edges closer to the lamp, the book still safe in his lap. The little company feels less like a borrowed corner of the dormitory and more like a circle with a place left open.
Quest Complete
Integrate Edwin into the circle
“Lewis nods and says they would be happy to have him. He asks how many of them have ever been fishing before?”
SUCCESS (Good Etiquette, rolled +1)
C. S. Lewis
We should be happy to have you. How many of us have ever been fishing before?
The question hangs over the blanket, easy and practical, and it turns the little planning game into a shared ignorance they can laugh at instead of hide.
Edwin
Only a little, once or twice with someone older. Not properly, I think.
John
Then we make the first proper attempt between us. That is better than pretending knowledge we do not have.
Parsley
I have not fished at all, but I can carry things and keep quiet, which seems useful enough.
Morris
And I can still watch the door while you all discuss worms and lines. Someone ought to stay sensible.
A few soft laughs pass around the circle. The lamp makes the boys' heads seem closer together, and the pressed leaf lies tucked in Lewis's notebook beside Tarzan, as if the new plan belongs there too.
“Lewis grins and says he will jave a lot to teach them on Saturday then. He asks if any of them have a knife or flint they can bring?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Humour, rolled +2)
C. S. Lewis
I shall have a lot to teach you on Saturday.
The grin comes easy this time, and the little circle seems to take it as naturally as the lamp-light.
C. S. Lewis
Have any of you a knife, or flint, you can bring?
John
I have a small knife. If the day needs cutting or trimming, it can come.
Parsley
I have neither, but I can remember who promised what, which is sometimes more useful.
Edwin
A knife sounds exciting, but also terribly serious. I want to help, though.
Morris, still by the door, lets his gaze flick from the corridor back to the blanket ring, while the pressed leaf peeps from Lewis's notebook beside Tarzan.
“Lewis says that if they catch anything, the knife can help them prep it, if they can get a flint to make fire, they could cook their catch. George back home taught him how.”
C. S. Lewis
If we catch anything, the knife can help with the cutting. If we can get a flint, we could cook it. George back home taught me that.
The little circle answers with an easy stillness, as if the plan has simply acquired a practical spine. Edwin leans closer over Tarzan, and Morris keeps the doorway clear while the lamp burns on.
“I ask if they have any ideas for finding flint?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +0)
C. S. Lewis
Do any of you know where flint can be found?
John
By the old paths, perhaps, or where the school stables break up the chalk. It turns up in the rough ground.
Parsley
If we cannot find any, we could ask at the village and sound very innocent about it.
Edwin
I know a little lane where sharp stones lie in the bank. They may strike sparks.
Morris
Then we have a sensible errand for Saturday, not just a dream of supper.
The question changes the circle at once. John nods toward the map; Parsley draws Edwin a little farther into the blanket ring; Morris looks from the doorway back to the lamp, as if weighing what has just been admitted.
“Lewis grins. He says that sounds like a plan. He settles into a comfortable silence for a bit before asking if they all know how to swim?”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +0)
Lewis lets the silence sit for a moment, the lamp humming softly over the blanket circle. Then he grins and asks whether they all know how to swim.
John
I do, though not prettily. Enough to keep myself afloat.
Parsley
Only in the shallow end, and only when no one is watching.
Edwin
Yes, a little. There is water by home in summer, and I managed there.
Morris
I can manage, if the river is not offended by me.
The answers come one after another, easy and plain, and the circle settles around them. Lewis's notebook lies open beside Tarzan, the pressed leaf showing dark against the page, while the wet cuff still carries its faint smear.
At the doorway, Morris shifts his weight and glances down the corridor. The boys have answered openly, but the question has also made their little plans feel more real, as if they have all just stepped a pace farther in together.
“Lewis tells Parsley he can swim well enough to help if Parsley has trouble.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled -1)
C. S. Lewis
I can swim well enough, if you get into trouble.
Parsley turns toward him at once, the corner of his mouth lifting with relieved surprise. The little circle feels warmer for the plainness of it.
Parsley
That is a comfort. Thank you.
Edwin brightens and leans in over Tarzan, one finger resting on the page as if the book itself has joined the promise.
Edwin
Then it will be all right, if we are careful.
John
Careful is the proper beginning for any good plan.
Morris eases a little from the doorway and gives the corridor one last look. The lamp keeps its steady pool over the notebook, where the pressed leaf lies against the open page beside the dark smear on Lewis's cuff.
“Lewis asks Morris to close the door and relaxes back. He asks Edwin if there is anything he wants to ask about them?”
SUCCESS (Good Etiquette, rolled +2)
Lewis eases back on the blanket and asks Morris to shut the door properly. The room grows a shade more private as the latch catches, and the boys seem to settle into the small, guarded comfort of being shut in together.
Morris
Of course.
Morris crosses to the door and turns the handle with care, then returns to his place by the frame, now relieved of the watch and a little less stiff.
C. S. Lewis
Lewis asks Edwin if there is anything he wants to ask about them.
Edwin
Only whether I am doing it right. Being here, I mean.
John’s mouth twitches with approval, and Parsley angles a little closer to the lamp, as if making room for the question itself. The notebook lies open beside Tarzan, the pressed leaf still tucked inside, and the dark smear on Lewis’s wet cuff catches the lamplight.
John
You are doing it by speaking plainly. That is more than most manage.
Edwin
Then I should like to know what sort of things you all notice, when the others are being fools.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what Edwin notices when the others are fools
“Lewis admits he watches people a lot, so he tends to notice patterns and when people are hiding something. He looks to the others to answer the question too.”
C. S. Lewis
I watch people a lot, so I notice patterns, and when someone is hiding something.
The others take that in at once, the little circle tightening around the lamp. Lewis's notebook stays open by Tarzan, the pressed leaf showing at the fold, while the dark smear on his wet cuff glints when he gestures toward the rest of them.
John
Then you notice the useful things. Who is pretending, who is frightened, who is only waiting to be asked.
Parsley
And who keeps their mouth shut until the room feels safe.
Edwin
He means it plainly. That seems the right way to begin.
“Lewis waits to hear what kinds of things the others notice when people are being fools.”
The little circle goes quiet for a moment, then John gives a short, rueful laugh. Edwin shifts Tarzan onto his lap, listening as if this is the best lesson of the evening.
John
It is usually in the eyes first. The ones who talk too loudly, or the ones who are watching to see if they will be laughed at.
Parsley
And the fellow who keeps making a joke just a shade too late. He is trying to cover that he has lost his footing.
Edwin
Then they do not all look the same. That is useful to know.
“Lewis asks Edwin what he notices about people when they are being fools?”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +1)
C. S. Lewis
What do you notice about people when they are being fools?
Edwin
Sometimes their mouths go first and their minds lag behind. They say things to sound brave, or clever, and their hands give them away.
Edwin
His eyes flick to the others, then back to Lewis, weighing the answer as if it matters.
John
That is the trouble with fools, they spend so much time performing that they miss the room.
Parsley
And when they are trying hardest to look certain, that is usually when they are least certain at all.
Edwin
Yes. And if they are frightened, they try to make someone else laugh before anyone sees it.
The circle tightens by a breath, not with alarm, but with recognition. Edwin has answered plainly, and the others let him keep speaking.
Lewis's notebook lies open beside Tarzan, the pressed leaf peeking from between the pages, while the dark smear on his wet cuff catches the lamp when he shifts his hand.
Quest Complete
Learn what Edwin notices when the others are fools
“Lewis agrees and lays back on the bed. He asks of the others sometimes think him a fool with how blunt and honest he always is?”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled -1)
Lewis eases himself back onto the bedroll, one shoulder sinking into the blanket as the small circle around him settles into a looser shape. The lamp keeps burning low and steady.
C. S. Lewis
Do you sometimes think I am a fool, for being so blunt and honest?
The question lands without fuss. Edwin looks down at Tarzan, then up again, while the others wait with the easy patience of boys who have already chosen to stay.
John
Sometimes, yes. But more often I think bluntness saves time, if a boy can bear what it costs him.
Parsley
It is not foolish to be plain. It is only dangerous, if the room is full of people who prefer shadows.
Edwin
I think it is better than guessing. You sound as if you mean what you say, and that makes other people braver.
The blanket circle loosens again, not breaking, just settling into comfort. Lewis's notebook stays open by his elbow, the pressed leaf visible between its pages, and the dark smear on his wet cuff catches the lamp whenever his hand shifts.
“Lewis thanks them for that. He says at least they know that it means all his compliments and promises are real.”
C. S. Lewis
Thank you. That is comforting, at least. It means my compliments and promises are meant.
Edwin
I think that is exactly the point.
John
A boy is easier to trust when his words do not keep changing shape.
“Speaking of trust, Lewis asks Edwin why he wanted to hang out here tonight with them instead of his dormmates?”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +2)
C. S. Lewis
Speaking of trust, why did you want to spend tonight here with us instead of with the boys in your own dormitory?
The question settles the blanket circle into stillness. Edwin eases the book back onto his knees and looks down at it before he answers, as if weighing the room itself.
Edwin
Because this feels quieter. In my dorm, a boy can be lonely even with other boys snoring all around him.
Edwin
And because here, no one makes a joke at the wrong moment and expects me to pretend I enjoyed it.
John
That is a sound reason. A man may sit among companions and still not be in company.
Above them, the lamp throws a warm island of light while the rest of the dormitory stays dim and private. The door remains shut, the pressed leaf lies safe in Lewis's notebook, and the dark smear on his wet cuff catches a little gold as Edwin stays with them instead of drifting back to his own bed.
“Lewis nods his understanding. He says that Martin, Tom, and Will are good people, but they don't seem particularly close yet. And Lewis gets that because he has only just started getting close to Parsley, John, and Morris.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +2)
Lewis gives a small nod, the kind that admits a point without making a speech of it.
C. S. Lewis
Martin, Tom, and Will seem like good people, but not all that close yet. I think I understand that. I have only just begun getting close to Parsley, John, and Morris myself.
Edwin
That sounds right to me. Some boys are built to stand in a row, and some only become a row after a time.
John
A useful distinction. Company is not the same thing as trust.
Edwin
No, and trust takes looking after. If you let it sit out too long, it goes cold.
A faint smile passes through the circle. The lamp keeps its low gold pool, and the notebook lies open beside Lewis's elbow with the pressed leaf tucked safely inside.
Parsley
Then it is a good thing we are all here tonight, keeping it warm.
“Lewis agrees. He says Edwin can stay as long as he needs, so long as his dorm mates know he is here so they don't go looking for him. He lays back in bed and shuts his eyes for a bit.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +1)
C. S. Lewis
Edwin can stay as long as he needs, so long as his dorm mates know where he is.
Edwin
That is fair. I would not have them hunting the room for me.
Lewis eases back on the bedroll and folds his arms loose at his sides. The lamp keeps a small gold island over the blanket circle while the notebook lies open beside him, the pressed leaf tucked inside and his dark cuff still marked.
John
I can see to it. If anyone asks, I shall say where you are.
Parsley
And if they ask why, we shall say you are with us.
Edwin shifts nearer the lamp, comforted by the answer, as the circle makes room for him without fuss. Lewis lets his eyes close for a moment, and the boys keep their voices low around him.
“Lewis lets himself doze off. Confident that Edwin will sleep in one of their beds if he stays the night. He lets the evening calm take him.”
Lewis’s breathing evens out on the bedroll, and the room keeps its whisper-soft rhythm around him. Edwin stays tucked in the lamp’s circle, while John and Parsley trade a last low glance before settling still.
“Lewis wakes a couple hours later needing a glass of water. He looks around to take stock of his friends.”
A little later, Lewis stirs and sits up for water, the blanket circle still held in its sleepy hush. He takes in the dim shapes of Edwin, John, and Parsley before the room settles back around him.
“Whose bed did Edwin end up in?”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled -1)
Lewis angles his head toward the beds and finds the answer at once. Edwin has ended up in the narrow cot nearest the lamp, tucked into the space that was left open beside the others, while his own room stays out of sight behind the closed door.
C. S. Lewis
Edwin is with us, not merely visiting.
The truth costs him something small and immediate, though, because the movement wakes the room a little. The blanket rustles, and the dark smear on his wet cuff catches the light as he shifts his arm.
Edwin
Did I take the right place?
John
You have taken a place in it, which is the important part.
Parsley
Stay there, then. It suits you.
Edwin gives a sleepy, pleased smile and settles deeper into the borrowed bed. Lewis’s notebook lies open by the pillow, the pressed leaf visible where it has slipped nearer the edge.
“Lewis closes his notebook to preserve the leaf, and gets up for a glass of water from the washbasin.”
Lewis folds his notebook shut over the pressed leaf, then swings his legs off the bedroll and crosses to the washbasin in the dim hush.
Water splashes softly into the glass as the others keep their places in the lamplight, the little circle now quiet and settled around Edwin’s borrowed bed.
“Lewis drinks the water before he tiptoes back to his bed.”
Lewis drinks in one steady swallow, then sets the glass down softly and pads back across the boards. Edwin, John, and Parsley stay hushed in the lamplight, watching him return as if the room has learned to breathe quietly.
“Lewis wiggles his arse and whispers, "take a picture, it will last longer." Befor grinning to his friends and crawling back into bed.”
Lewis gives the room a sly little wiggle, then slips back under the blankets with a grin. Edwin, seeing it, has to bite back a laugh, and the shared silence turns warmer for it.
Edwin
You do that very seriously, do you?
John's mouth twitches, Parsley ducks his head, and the pressed leaf in Lewis's notebook lies open beside the dark smear on his cuff, all of it tucked safely inside the lamp's quiet circle.
That boy is liable to receive corporal punishment for his insolence.
“Lewis gives a hushed giggle and says, "if you're all going to stare at me, I should at least put on a good show."”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled -1)
C. S. Lewis
If you're all going to stare at me, I should at least put on a good show.
His hushed giggle slips out with the line, and the room answers at once, not with noise, but with the soft collapse of held-in smiles.
Edwin
Then you must keep going, because that was very good.
John
He says it like he means to entertain them, and somehow that makes the dark less awkward.
Parsley
I think he enjoys being watched, just this once.
The notebook stays open beside the pressed leaf, and the dark smear on Lewis's wet cuff catches the lamp again as the boys settle deeper into their circle.
“Lewis snorts and jokes of they want a private show they can ask later. He winks at them and settles back down to sleep.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Humour, rolled -1)
Lewis gives a soft snort, and the little circle answers with another round of stifled smiles rather than proper laughter. The blanket stays tucked around him as he lets the joke land and the room keep its hush.
C. S. Lewis
If you want a private show, you can ask later.
He adds the wink, quick as a flicker in lamplight, and Edwin looks delighted all over again. John’s mouth twitches at the edge of a grin while Parsley lowers his eyes, pleased and embarrassed in equal measure.
Edwin
I shall remember that.
John
He knows exactly how to loosen a room without breaking it.
The joke settles the last stiffness from the circle. Lewis eases back onto his bedroll, and the dark smear on his wet cuff catches the lamp once before his sleeve turns inward.
The notebook lies open near the pressed leaf, but no one reaches for it now. Around the lamp, the boys keep their places, quieter and more trusting than before.