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After several years of creative differences, Linnea and Eric leave her mother's original magic school and seek investors to found their own. By this time, Linnea has her doctorate in philosophy, plus Eric a master's in engineering, so it isn't too hard. They have to start out smaller than the other school did, as there are already six other competitors across the country, but they don't mind starting out with more humble beginnings.
They do have their own creative differences -- Linnea wants to call it The Academy of Esoteric Studies, while Eric wants to call it The School of Awesomeness -- but they finally compromise on "College of Theory and Magical Engineering." Then they fight over whether or not Daria should be invited to teach. Linnea finally relents and allows it -- for a disastrous two weeks. After losing several buildings to a flood, and then a fire, Eric reluctantly agrees that Daria is too much of a safety hazard to leave her alone with students -- especially since they have a tendency to imitate her. Both teach until their school gets large enough to need full-time administrators, then Linnea retires from teaching and becomes the full-time president of their university. Eric refuses every attempt at promotion and stays a full-time teacher for the rest of his career. Linnea and Eric eventually marry when they're nearly thirty. They never bother to have children, but they do regret that a little after awhile, so they take in two pre-teen foster children when they're in their fifties. Their school remains small but well-respected, and both of them earn solid reputations in the academic community. Their engineering department even becomes one of the strongest research hubs for combining magic and technology. Oh, and Daria is allowed to guest-lecture once in a while . . . but never, ever substitute teach. |