Layla held out something that vaguely resembled a metal plate. It was rounded, gleamed in the light, and had a hinge on a flat end. On top, it had a small transparent window that revealed a grooved disk inside. That didn't make sense. Why--
As Melona noticed the speaker, she realized what she was looking at.
"A compact vinyl player?" she asked. "Layla, are you sure you want to give this to me? What if something happens?"
Compact vinyl was a fairly recent invention, Melona knew. It entailed some complicated shrinking enchantments that let one shrink a full-sized record player down, permanently, until it could fit in one's hand. It was complicated magic, and as such, it was expensive enough that it had to have represented a sizable chunk of Layla's profits."
Layla just laughed. "Mel, honey, it's fine. We do a better business here than you think. Losing this wouldn't be great, but I could just go out and buy another. Besides, I can trust you, right?"
Melona spoke without thinking. "You can trust me. But--but I'm kind of clumsy sometimes, and there are people at the Academy who--"
Layla laid a soft hand on Melona's shoulder and gave it a gentle, but firm, squeeze. "Now I tell you what. Do you have any friends with their own record players?"
Melona paused. She was pretty sure that Drif, her best friend--her only friend at the Academy, really--had one in her room. Melona had only heard her playing it once, when she was testing out a theory that recordings of chants by orcish shamans could help with the potion-brewing process. "I--I think so? Her parents had bought it for her a month ago I think, and--"
"Well, see if it's one of those fancier kinds that let you make copies of other vinyls, alright? That way you can go back to your dorm and try meditating to the recording. If it works, that's great! You can ask your friend to help you make a copy. If it doesn't work, that's fine too. Either way, you can bring the player back to me tomorrow."
"I--okay, Layla. I can do that."
"Good girl." Layla patted Melona on the head, and for a moment Melona felt completely at peace. If Layla was this good at helping her relax, then that player would have to work. "Now I think we're one for the day. You can run on back to your dorm and give that thing a shot, alright?"
"Alright!"
-------------
As Melona walked back to campus, she hid the disc player in an inner pocket of her robes. She didn't have classes to worry about today or tomorrow, and she was almost certain that Drif had mentioned having a couple of blank vinyls in her dorm room. Worst case scenario, she could at least tell people that she was trying to improve herself. Best case scenario, this would solve all her problems. She went--
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