Bawen felt his eyes quiver with a sudden flash of pain, a small pitious groan escaping him for a second. His head felt like murder, and he doubted he looked much better. It was strange, a moment ago he felt exhausted, but otherwise fine. Perhaps not eating since he left home was starting to affect him? He lifts his head from the table, resigning himself to get some food before looking to his immediate left, catching sight of Mark. ”Ah...” He grunts wordlessly, now keenly aware of what had spiked his agitation.

”Though...” He thinks, brow furrowing as his glare intensifies, ”The half-breed has at least learned how to shut his noise hole in the last twenty four hours.” He watches as a human girl hands the dog-boy a note pad, glare easing slightly as he realizes frenzied thrashings that followed resulted in barely passable text. ”Ye Gods...its literate.” he says quietly, actually shocked the chimera had the capacity. That his penmanship was better than Bawen’s was a revelation that went purposefully unaired.

He debated for a moment of stopping the exchange, but decided against it, unable to summon forth the energy. He couldn’t really read the notepad from his angle, and judging by the humans reaction, whatever impropriety Mark had spewed forth was more baffling than offensive.

Instead he turns to Magnhild, the only familiar face he was willing (or permitted, as was the case with Rikka) to speak with. ”It’s Voll right?” He asks, tone bored and flat as always. ”Marnahilde Voll? If I remember correctly, you took your practical examination after me. How did you fare? I’d have watched but I...was not in a position to do so at the time.”



Mori chuckles cooly as he feels Yvette’s claws dig into his arm, but does little else to stop her. He leans in a little closer, resting his chin right on the girls shoulder as he glaces about the room, his faux wings holding in a surprising amount of warmth as they cocoon both him and Yvette. They were getting more than a few stares, a mix of freshmen,unsure of how to respond the the frankly absurd display of PDA and implied sexual rompings of their upperclassmen, and a few older students. If he had to hazard a guess, he would wager that both his and Yvette’s looks had won them a few would be suitors, and now collectively they were expressing their disapproval to their opposite. That, or they were simply glaring at Yvette due to her being Ivy’s pet lap dog...er. Cat.

”Oh my Tiger..” he whispers softly into Yvette’s ear, voice tinged with venom despite the tenderness of the act. ”If It were not for you tearing a hole in my arm, I would have been convinced you were telling the truth. So what does Ivy have you doing this for?” He asks, huffing his words just enough to make them hot on the girls ear. He doubted he’d have such a rare opportunity to agitate Yvette like this again, so he should milk it for what he can. He leans in, planting a small kiss right behind the chimera’s ear, a rough clicking chuckle escaping his throat. ”The three of you aren’t really know for your aultruism after all.” He continues, the clicking chuckle still in his voice. ”And considering I’m the one who would have to patch them up, I think you could tell me that much...If not, I’m sure Elsa would be more than willing to talk to me..”

L'ilisht hardly paid any mind to the gossiping that was going on in the cafeteria, instead choosing to eat his hilariously large meal in relative solitude and peace. He didn't give half a damn about the petty bullshit they were talking about, something about some house near the campus that was-

HAUNTED. L'ilisht's blood nearly froze at that. He would never so much as admit it to a person, but the very idea of ghosts terrified him. The thought that there could be a creature out there capable of slaughtering people without any harm of reprisal violated a basic understanding of the nature of life itself: nothing was unkillable.

Except fucking ghosts. While he'd never encountered one, several of the Old Gang had come across haunted places before, and they all told similar tales: feelings of unease, even nausea, chills seemingly from nowhere, and inexplicable noises.

Ghosts were not something L'ilisht was going to fuck with. But that was why he felt immensely relieved when a tall moth-person came over and started saying that that was just a made-up story. The house was somewhere students went to fuck.

Well, he'd still probably avoid it then. He had the luxury of his own massive room if such a thing were to ever happen at school, and he didn't very much give a damn what his missing roommate would think about it.

Bastard could take a walk when it happened or something. Not like he wouldn't extend the same 'courtesy'. Really, it was just common decency to let somebody fuck in peace.

And now they were arguing about whether the place was really haunted or not. Oh, and now they were cuddling and getting cutesy?

Yeah, screw that. He was gonna go back to eating.

---

Yvette stiffened as Mori's breath teased her ear and her face reddened. A second lster at the second offense of using Miss Frost's first name her nails dug a little deeper into his skin. Freeing one hand Yvette held up one finger in the univeral 'give me a moment' gesture, complete with apologetic smile. With a few superfluous hand motions after that Yvette altered the behavior of soundwaves around her and Mori. No one beyond a few inches of the two would be able to hear what they were saying. Craning her neck to face Mori she made sure her expressions and body language looked like those of someone having a private but light-hearted conversation with a friend or lover. However, her words were anything but gentle and kind.

"Listen here you meddling jackass, Lady Frost doesn't have shit to do with any of this and I'm fucking insulted you have the balls to imply I can't think for myself. I am having a little fun of my own with these newbies and if you keep slandering my dear Frost's name I will make it my fucking mission to utterly ruin your life. Do we understand eachother? Are you going to be a prick and keep pushing me? Cause if not either get lost or..." Yvette paused, her pupils thin eliptical slits at the moment. "...help me out by playing along and keeping quiet about my...past games. If you're a very good boy I can even make it worth your while. But I fucking swear, do not fuck with me anymore. 'Kay, sweet cheeks?" She waited for Mori's response on that note still having not acknowledged the mention of Elsa.

Mori doesn't allow his surprise at Yvette working on her own to show beyond raising an eyebrow. ”I have the balls to imply it because I'm normally right." He starts slowly, taking a moment to enjoy the seething anger in the girls eyes. He could probably get her to snap if he kept pressing, and part of him wanted to. He'd heard rumors that Yvette could be brought to a literal frothing rage if one tried hard enough. However, Yvette was nothing if not unpredictable on her own, and he couldn't rightly risk collateral damage, no matter how amusing it would be.

He weighs his options for a moment, before continuing. ”Provided you're telling the truth, I..." He pauses, inching his face a little closer, eyes falling awkwardly between a heated glare and faux teenage bliss. ”Might be so inclined to let you play your game. But no injuries Yvette. Period." He adds, his tone uncharacteristically cold and devoid of his normally chipper trillings. It was not a tone he liked to use, it was an ugly clacking noise that grated on the ears. Something that a decidedly perfect young man like him should ever dish out casually.

And as quickly as it had come, it was gone. The warmth flooded back into his eyes as a more genuine smirk retook its place. ”In exchange, the moment we leave the cafeteria you shall be officially a fuck free zone"He chirps, before mumbling something quietly about that not being anything new. ”That said, I hope you have an exit strategy for this little silence spell of yours." He adds, bumping his nose gently against her. A prodding reminder of how this little meeting probably seems to onlookers. ”I believe you may have fucked yourself on this one Tiger." He adds, glad he was getting a parting shot in, and one so graciously gifted to him.

---

As much as she enjoyed talking to Rikka, there was only so much she could talk about before she just became mentally exhausted. Especially since she was writing in a notepad half the time. Writing is a very taxing activity. In the end, Magnhild happily ate her meal, only to be suddenly interrupted by a loud THUD! The pangolin merely glanced to the side, only to see the loud dog boy.. Not being as loud as he usually is. If silence was golden, then this guy's silence was priceless. After a few moments of watching the dog's antics, she went back to her food, not really noticing anything outside of what was on her plate.

The talk of haunted buildings and even Rikka's conversation with the canine went completely unnoticed as Mag devoured the pile of food on her plate. She felt her ears perk up as someone called out her surname. "It's Voll right?" The voice seemed familiar. Again she merely glanced up from her plate, only to see the sheep boy. ”Marnahilde Voll? If I remember correctly, you took your practical examination after me. How did you fare? I’d have watched but I...was not in a position to do so at the time.”

"I passed that one. Probably the only thing I passed though." she shrugged before biting into a meatball.
"Also it's Magnhild. Mag is fine though. And you are?" She said bluntly, she couldn't remember this guy's name at all.. Did she ever introduce herself to him?

Berke Bayamaar

It seemed to be that the place really was haunted. Or at least Berke thought that was the case. With the seemingly ever changing stance on it, Berke wasn't sure what to think. Still, he would rather find a fun haunted house than hear about someone's make out place, as that was just none of his business. He was tempted to see if anybody else wanted to find out more about it, but his eye caught sight of somebody sitting far away from the others. She did not at all look like she was having fun. Could she be feeling isolated from the group? If that was the case, then it was up to Berke to make things right.

Plonking himself down at the table with the feline, Berke beamed broadly at her as he said, "Hello. My name's Berke. What's yours?" He expected this to be the start of a beautiful friendship, unaware of the possibility this girl had chosen isolation intentionally, nor did he appreciate the significance of her resembling the one that was now the center of attention in the cafeteria.

@FlitterFaux

---

The cat girl's pupils expanded again at Mori's change in tone and she shrank away a little. Her lips parted slightly as though she were going to retort but she seemed to change her mind. She tried to laugh the whole thing off but close as he was Mori could easily see her face was redder than it had been.

"Mooo-riiiii~" she said in a singsong voice "I don't hurt anyone! Usually. But it's not my fault if people are stupid and get themselves into trouble. Buuuut you'll get your wish. Nothing I've set up, that you've almost totally ruined anyway, should lead to any harm. Really now~! What do you take me for? A monster?"

Yvette grinned in such a way that married innocent mischief with malice in an unholy union. The grin her sharper canine teeth stand out. Her eyes narrowed as she leaned in close again, challenging Mori's assertion that she was unaware of how things looked to the other students.

"Au contraire, mon amour," she started in a foreign language before closing the rest of the short distance between them. She kissed the boy passionately before he could stop her, and using her canines bit down on Mori's lower lip. It was hard enough to hurt but just shy of drawing blood. She then pulled away slowly, eyes locked with his, letting her teeth scrape over his flesh.

With a wink she turned back to the others who were mostly looking away in discomfort or envy and talking to eachother to feel less awkward about the show. Yvette let the area of silence linger a few moments more. It was created in such a way that allowed her to still hear everything around her, and she listened now to assess the damage Mori had already caused. She noted at the very least, the girl from the frontier that had spoken up earlier was still waiting to hear the rest of the story, albeit with a deep blush from having witnessed the interaction between the two.

---

A few students had wandered away entirely for a variety of reasons, including a very tall girl with long light blue hair wearing a very nice red robe. This one made her way to the quieter part of the cafeteria, a wry smirk on her face. She sat herself down in the seat Berke vacated after possibly admiring his departing posterior for a few seconds.

"Ghosts. Who does she think she's kidding am I right? At best it's just stupid pranks I'm sure. Or at worst residual magical phenomenon. Campfire story ghosts are a ridiculous notion."

She seemed to notice L'ilisht for the first time after having somehow missed the giant on her approach. Her eyes went wide and she looked him over. "Wow. And I thought I was big for a mage. What forge did you crawl out of? Same one as those boss classics?" She inclined her head towards his weapons, obviously impressed. "They just do not make em like you where I come from." She looked like she had a lot more to say but shifted her attention once more when she noticed Mycona.

"Oh hey, Mycona Fr- Mycona, yeah? Sorry I was such a bi- aaah, big dummy earlier. I didn't mean to offend. You're just... So different from what I'm used to. No that sounds kinda rude, too... I mean you have a unique way of talking. Anyway.. sorry."

---

The younger, smaller cat chimera startled at being addressed, jumping and turning slightly in her seat. She cluched at her tail which had poofed up and began smoothing out the fur once she caught her breath again. Taking in Berke's easy smile and friendly demeanor a fair portion of that anxiety seemed to melt away. She stopped hunching over and sat up straight to respond to the enormous boy.

"B-B-Berke. Nice t-to ma-make- make your- to make- y-y-y..."

Her stuttering was very bad and it was very obvious she was quickly becoming embarrassed and frustrated. But instead of trying to force the words out she stopped, held up a hand in request for a moment, and took some time to get control of herself. Clearing her throat she looked back at Berke and tried again to return his greeting.

It is... nice to make yyour ac-acquaintance, Mr. Berke. My nname is- is Elsa. Elsa... U-Urzenheim." She managed to speak mostly normally by focusing hard on each word, but there was a clear hesitation when it came to speaking her last name. When she did she also looked down and away as if somehow ashamed or disappointed. Hastily she looked back up to meet Berke's eyes, not wanting to seem rude. Unlike her sister Yvette, only Elsa's left eye was cat-like, while her right seemed the same as any other humans. Much of her wavy silver hair was covering her cat-like eye but had shifted away from all her sudden movements.

Berke Bayamaar

It seemed it was worse than merely being isolated from the rest; the poor girl almost seemed to have a speech impediment. Whether it was exactly that or just nerves shot to all hell, Berke was starting to see why she might have chosen not to join the others. It was not something she should be judged for, however, and instead it would just mean he would have to take extra time with her. His dad had once told him that when it came to those that seemed "impaired" that he should never point it out or treat them differently for it, as the last thing anyone wanted was to be treated like they were some kindof 'other'. Elsa Urzenheim was just another friend, albeit one he might have to wait patiently for her to form sentences, but he didn't mind that one bit.

"Haha, no need to call me "Mr.", Elsa. Nobody used any of those 'honorifics' or such back in Altay. That's where I'm from, by the way. It's a tiny little place out in Swazivan. So remote I never would have thought I'd end up somewhere so large and important. Funny, isn't it? How about you? Where did you come from?" He thought it only natural and polite to ask her about her origins after rambling about his for a short bit. As might be expected from someone from a teeny hamlet like Altay, Berke did not recognise the Urzenheim name as anything important. Aside from the more connected denizens, one could easily expect an Altayan to be incapable of naming the significant families of the realm beyond the Imperial house.

---

Mycona Frisa

Mycona had continued to observe the pair that had spoken of ghosts, in spite of them having turned to speaking among themselves, until she was interrupted by somebody else. She recognised this one. She was the one that had made things very warm back at the test area. She had gathered from Professor Leere that this one was called "Rayne". She was attempting to apologise for something, but Mycona did not understand what she meant. First she said something about being a "big dummy", but while she was certainly big, Mycona could plainly see she was not made of any of the materials usually put into constructing industrial dummies, so she did not understand what she meant by that. She said she was "different from what she was used to", but Mycona had no idea what she was 'used to', and neither did she understand why that prompted a feeling of guilt on her behalf. Lastly she told she had a "unique way of talking", but as mother had told her, everyone was unique, so she still did not understand the problem. Ultimately, Mycona had never realised that the girl had actually been in any way mean to her earlier, as she understand her questioning of her confusion over names to be hostile in any way, whether it was meant to be or not.

However, this was the first person to properly approach her since the one called "Rikka", that communicated in writing, so Mycona was not going to waste this opportunity. Unlike with Rikka and so many before her, she was armed with new knowledge imparted to her by Leonora on how to find friends. Leonora had explained to her earlier that it was best to engage potential friends in casual conversation the same way she had with her parents back home in order to encourage the growth of 'friendship'. Mycona had already mentally prepared multiple points of conversation that she could remember from back home.

"I do not understand why you apologise, but I know to 'forgive and forget'." Leonora had told her that it was important to acknowledge what others had said and respond to it, so that was what she did first. Additionally, mother had told her that when someone did something wrong and apologised, it was best to 'forgive and forget'. "How are you today?" She followed up with, not missing a beat. Mother always asked her that, so it must be a crucial part of making conversation. Once answered, there were many other conversational questions Mycona could remember, just waiting to be asked.

@FlitterFaux

L'ilisht almost growled when somebody bothered to speak to him directly during lunch. Almost. He may have been a miser, but even he wasn't that much of a lunatic. Yet.

No, he just slowly turned his head, barely repressing a sigh as he looked at whoever had managed to miss or ignore his fierce "Leave me the fuck alone for the love of fuck" aura. If only he actually had such magic, he'd use it constantly to his advantage. Alas, he only had his ugly mug at the moment.

Oddly enough, he was being complimented on his size. Usually, people were commenting on his skin. Or his arms. Or his eyes. Or any of the other many things that clearly marked him as a Chimera. And they usually didn't say nice things.

So, he'd take the compliments where he could. "I crawled outta my mom, thanks, but this baby...." Pausing for dramatic effect, L'ilisht patted his sword. "Came off a corpse a few hunnerd miles out West, give or take. Huntin' monsters an all that." He took a moment to give an appraising look to the girl who addressed him.

She looked human, or was far enough removed from a monster that it made no difference. Hardly unattractive, but...she was human.

He wasn't really keen on keeping up the conversation, though it was only partially because he realized that it was a human who addressed him. He wanted to keep eating.

So he did just that.

@FlitterFaux

Mark was one strange mystery, Rikka had told him that he could go easy with the writing but he still decided to go that route. She felt her pen already breaking once Mark put it down on the paper once more. She bit her lip as her eyes widened, she watched the pen almost pierce through the paper. How could anyone write like this, he truly was not right in the head. She softly tried to reach out to him but was to shy to talk right now. If she was not careful that pen might be put in her neck by accident.



My name is Mark

Rikka stared at the paper for a moment once she had gotten it returned. She was honestly surprised the boy could write something so soft with such an intense look on his face. Rikka blinked a few times and gave him a soft wave as she looked in awkward manner at him. So this boy his name was Mark. Rikka reached out to the paper to give him back a response. Mark continued writing... Okay she could get some coffee while he was writing this. Rikka stood up and walked over to the cafeteria shop to get some coffee. She returned and put her coffee down at her seat, she noticed that Magnhild had finished her a drink as well and decided to gesture if she wanted a drink as well. She waited a moment for her response and gotten her a drink as well from the shop. Rikka put it down at her spot and gave her sweet smile before casually sitting back at her seat. She noticed the Mark in front of her still writing. He was at WHAT-..., Rikka idly looked around her for a while and took a sip of her coffee just to notice that it was still missing its sugar.

She put a bitter face before standing back up again and walking over to the shop once more to get some sugar. She had to wait for the next delivery to arrive from the next delivery truck since the sugar was done. 5 minutes later she returned to her spot with a sugar stick found somewhere under the kitchen counter and poured it in her coffee. Perfect, after having taken a sip she looked satisfied to a brim. Mark was finished as well! She gave him a patient smile and read what he had written. It was about the smiley she had made. It was a bit confusing to draw so she understood why he was confused. Rikka wanted to write back to him but he was still holding onto the pen. He didn't give it back. Rikka gestured for him to give the pen back but he did not give the pen back. She gave a mad pout at him before she pulled another pen out of her bag.

Yrhen stiffened when she heard the cafeteria doors open, followed by the sound of many feet and voices heading her way. It was time for the tour to begin. Taking a deep breath she prepared herself to rejoin the group and resolved to stay as far away from the Breckenridge boy as was possible. Setting her face into her usual scowl she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall. She intended to look as if she had been fuming and not fretting over her arm.

As the students began rounding the corner on the heels of the staff members Yrhen did not even look in their direction. However, she was watching carefully from her peripheral trying to locate Alex. But the entire group passed ans she didn't catch sight of him. Not knowing where the boy was made her nervous. She peeked around the corner not expecting to see him hanging behind, or rather she hoped he wasn't. She was not pleased to see he was behind the rest of the group, behind her. Though it did seem to be for a benign reason; apparently he was helping another student with something or other. Damn, if I join the back of the group like I wanted he'll be coming right up behind me at some point. Even if I wait for him to pass I'll still get stuck with him, and if he notices me... I'll just have to leave him behind and see if I can use the rest of the group as cover between us. She was not at all fond of being in the middle of a crowd it was marginally more bearable in comparison.

She hurried away while Alex was distracted and quickly caught up with the others. She then slowly worked her way into the throng, cringing at every shoudler brushing against her and ever breath of warm air too close for comfort. It wasn't long before it felt like her skin was crawling, but she did her best to bear with it. She wore a severely unfriendly face to ward of idle conversation and keep everyone that saw her at a distance. It worked for the most part, as it usually did, though thankfully many of the others were not the least interested in her. She even managed to pay attention and enjoy some of the tour, in particular, the Arts building and the common area just before it. Groundskeeper Billy had already left quite the impression on her with his beautiful work on the main courtyard, but this place was a masterpiece of gardening. She made a mental note to come back as often as possible.

Upon catching sight of the truly monstrous form of Professor Malovroch Yrhen immediately tensed and her adrenaline spiked while other students literally recoiled. It was almost unbelievable that such a creature was a teacher and no less... an arts teacher in a decidedly feminine dress and with a talent for baking. Of course the more she thought about it the less unrealistic it seemed; monsters were often very intelligent and human hangups on gender roles were probably a very silly thing to their kind. She could just imagine a stuffy city dwelling traditionalist meeting Malovroch and the thought almost brought a smirk to her face. At any rate the enormous flame wreathed professor managed to put her somewhat at ease and she joined the numbers that decided to step forward and accept the offered baked goods. She did not regret the decision.

As the tour continued Yrgen made note of several classes in the Arts building she would like to take, and made a mental map of the grounds so she (hopefully) wouldn't get lost. The entire campus was bigger than some of the villages she had lived in which was somewhat intimidating. Not to mention examples of the school's wealth were in almost every square foot. It was a little hard not to feel out of place at times. This was especially true of the research building which the eerie professor Brovak considered his domain. This was an area where her weaknesses were sure to become apparent as her magic use was comparatively simple and underwhelming, despite raw experience. She made it a goal upon leaving the building to not embarrass herself at the very least.

The last two areas of the tour included another pair of locations Yrhen instantly fell in love with. The first was the indoor pool in the Athletics building which she didn't even get to see. Despite that she was already wondering if she could reserve the pool for private use since she'd sooner hang herself than let anyone see her in a bathing suit. Then there was the dormitory common area, which was a veritable jungle walled in by the enormous buildings. Even though there was likely to be many students using the area she was sure she could find a little corner for herself. By the time the tour was over Yrhen was feeling much better and rather excited about the school.

When the other students started nervously searching for a roommate following the announcement Yrhen confidently, more or less, walked up to professor Volkova and produced a letter and a completed form. This was a special request for a private room arranged weeks in advance and the professor simply nodded after glancing over the documents.

With that task smoothly finished Yrhen hastily made her way back to the cafeteria, determined not to have her meal ruined a second time. This involved avoiding contact with others, especially any faces she could recognize but fortunately this did not prove much of a challenge. Everyone seemed very into their own business or wanted nothing to do with her and that suited her just fine. Her tray laden with a wide variety of cheeses and more unusual cuisine, including roasted crickets, she left the cafeteria altogether and made her way back toward the dorms. Apparently not many others had thought to eat outdoors and it was not at all hard to locate a secluded spot among the foliage and took her first few bites of the delicacy she had missed out on earlier.

---

---

Professor Volkova sat staring at the clock in her small office, occasionally glancing at the shadowy figures moving about beyond the frosted glass window of her office. It was only the first day and she had to deal with disciplinary actions already, which didn't exactly set the tone for a good, uneventful year. She annoyedly bounced the eraser of her pencil on a scrap of paper with a list of students who had needed an appointment with her. There were far too many. And another one was due shortly.

Yrhen stood outside the office, steeling herself for what was to come. She had been there for a minute or two and she was beginning to think she was only working herself up rather than calming down. She took several deep breaths, preparing to actually open the door, then realized she was hyperventilating as opposed to taking slow even breaths. Halfway through turning the knob her answer to this was to hold her breath entirely. Halfway through the opening of the door she realized she had not knocked. She froze, thought about closing the door and knocking, thought about running, decided that was a really stupid idea, then settled on knocking with the door half open as it was. Holy crap I am such an idiot...

Volkova glanced at the door when she heard the knock, then glanced at Yrhen. Like so many others before her, this student was absolutely terrified by the prospect of disciplinary action. That would have to be remedied somehow - learning experiences aren't meant to evoke such fear, after all. "Come in, Yrhen. I was expecting you," the older woman said. She wasn't wearing the 'angry' or 'disappointed' expression one might expect in a disciplinary meeting, but rather something more neutral, perhaps bordering on soft.

Upon being prompted Yrhen stepped inside and took a few steps before she realized she had not shut the door. Rectifying this she finally came to stand before the professor, hands clasped nervously behind her back. Then she realized she was still holding her breath. She let the air out slowly and as quietly as possible instead of all at once like her lungs begged her to do. This led to what she felt was a rather awkward moment of silence, one that she hoped the professor would break.

Well, at least she doesn't look angry...

"Please, take a seat," Volkova said, indicating the chair in front of her desk.

Following the professor's instructions Yrhen managed to sit down without any problems. She sat there, then, still not having said a word.

"So, how about you tell me what happened at the cafeteria?", the Professor asked. It was less a suggestion and more an order, but she said it with no hostility in her voice.

"O-of course." Yrhen said, mentally kicking herself for the slight stutter that slipped out. "Well, I had arrived late this morning and was sent to the cafeteria where I... overheard someone, a short chimera boy, referring to another chimera student as... well, essentially a filthy half breed." She paused for a moment to take a breath, the memory bringing back what she had felt then. "I had meant to just move on but... I admit I lost my temper. I, ah, pulled him to his feet, slapped him, and started yelling at him." An image of the boys face and the look in his eyes played through her head.

"After a few moments I was more or less coming to my senses I suppose. But then... then, ah..." She swallowed hard, finding the memory of her arm going haywire and mostly numb especially difficult. Just keep it simple. She probably already knows all the details anyway. "Another student stepped in on behalf of the one I had hit. I.. At that point I decided it would be best for me to just leave. Professor Brovak stopped us and.. issued our disciplinary orders. Then I stepped outside for some air." She stopped there, not sure if she needed to say anything else.

Volkova silently listened, expression unchanging until the mention of Professor Brovak, at which she raised an eyebrow. She hadn't known Brovak to step in very often, and that he did suggested the situation was slightly more than just a squabble over 'racial purity'. "...Are you leaving anything out, Ms. Oharra?", the Professor prompted.

"I... the boy who interfered used magic. But it was nothing, really. Just some stunning magic. He was worried I was going to hurt the ki- the other student. It was nothing I couldn't handle." Now that was about as deep a lie as she could tell without completely fabricating a story. She had not been ok with what happened, not even a little bit. And it was definitely not something she was in any way prepared to handle. But she could not bring herself to admit these things. Experience had almost hardwired her to avoid showing any weakness or vulnerability. She kept her face as neutral as possible and maintained eye contact with Volkova, just hoping she wasn't using some kind of mind reading or truth detecting magic. Shit! Maybe I should have thought of that before I opened my mouth... Lying to a teacher? I'm making all kinfs of great judgement calls today, aren't I?

Volkova was, despite Yrhen's worries, not using any sort of magic whatsoever. But she wasn't hired into her current position without reason, nor was her military history meaningless. She knew instinctively that Yrhen wasn't telling the entire truth, but pushing further wasn't something she felt the urge to do - that was Leonora's job. And as far as she could tell, she had been told the truth in regards to the order of events.

"Very well, Ms. Oharra. And... What did Professor Brovak do?", the Professor asked. It wasn't exactly a 'required' question, but Brovak being involved in anything official irrationally worried her. She would decide on a course of punishment after Yrhen's response, regardless of what she learned. And she preferred getting information about Brovak from anyone other than Brovak.

If she knew Yrhen was lying Volkova didn't say anything, which Yrhen quickly decided was worse. But it was done, and better to let it go if she could get away with it.

Yrhen was a little surprised that Volkova wanted to know about professor Brovak. Wasn't that something she should already know? Since Brovak had been the one to step in Yrhen had just assumed he had explained the situation to Volkova. But maybe that wasn't the case for some reason? The question made her uncomfortable, as did the memory of his hand on her shoulder. Repressing a shudder she answered as simply as she could.

"He stopped myself and the Breckenridge boy, scolded us both..." [I]Another lie. You're on a roll, Yrhen. If anything Brovak only seemed to be dressing down Alex at the time. "...and then handed us both cards with our appointments for, well, this."

Volkova's expression changed from one of complete neutrality to one of understanding, followed by visible annoyance. "Breckenridge... That explains what Brovak is doing. Yrhen, did Professor Brovak say anything unusual to you directly?"

Yrhen remembered exactly what had been said, the memory was regrettably sharp. But she had already begun digging a hole based on omissions and lies so she opted not to repeat what Brovak had said. She shook her head and nervously glanced at a nearby clock. They had only been speaking a few minutes.

"It was that bad? I suppose I could always probe your memory," Volkova threatened. She was getting close to crossing her usual ethical line, but her unease with Brovak's involvement justified it to her.

Yrhen's breath caught in her throat and she felt her heart skip a beat. At the very real threat being openly voiced her composure almost broke entirely and she stutterrd out the first cover she could think of. "Why- n-no! No, that's not what I meant! It's just he d-didn't have much to say. Nothing unusual anyway." Oh fuck, please do not... Please don't start looking around in my head.

"Then I'll take your word for it, I suppose," Volkova said. She had no intention of following through with her threat, but now that Yrhen absolutely refused to say anything, she felt that her instinct that something was wrong was confirmed. "Now, on to your punishment. You weren't at the opening ceremony, correct?"

Yrhen resisted the urge to breath a physical sigh of relief. She couldn't tell if the professor actually believed her but at least she was letting it go. The thought of mind reading magic was as terrifying, if not more, than the possibility of a person teleporting right next to you suddenly. Or magic that disabled nerves...

"N-no ma'am. I was... held up at the train. Everyone had gone by the time I arrived." Yrhen answered, avoiding Volkova's gaze by staring at a paperweight on her desk.

Volkova nodded, shuffled around a few papers silently for several moments, and picked up her pencil again to start writing on what appeared to be a scheduling sheet. "While I can't grant you any leniency based on your not having been present when the rules on fighting and magic usage were told to the rest of the new students... I take partial responsibility for the incident at the cafeteria. As such, you will be meeting me here again at 1800 on the second day of classes, after your last period is over and during dinner hours. I will have food brought in so you may serve your required detention period undistracted."

Volkova's pencil stopped moving, and she looked back up at Yrhen. "Any requests?"

"Requests? I.. No ma'am. But if I may, how was anything that happened your responsibility? I was the one that couldn't keep my cool and caused all this trouble."

"Just go with it, Ms. Oharra. It's either that or I let any other staff member take you in, and that may include Professor Brovak. I don't think either of us wants that. If you need a justification though, it was my responsibility to inform all new students of the rules, and I allowed you to go uninformed, even though I wasn't aware of your late arrival until the tour began," Volkova said. She was being as genuine as she could be with the 'offer' (more of a very strong suggestion, really), and was hoping to make it clear that she was offering Yrhen an 'easy way out', so to speak.

With Volkova making things as clear as that Yrhen decided it would be best to accept what the professor was trying to do. She felt guilty about doing so but there was little else she could do at this point. She nodded that she understood, eyes still downcast.

"The Cafeteria is still serving dinner for another couple hours, if you weren't able to get anything before. I'll see you tomorrow during the entrance exams. You're dismissed, and good luck."

"Yes ma'am. Thank you ma'am." Yrhen stood and saluted before hastily seizing on the dismissal. She closed the door behind her and quickly put distance between herself and the professor's office. She really hoped the things she hadn't said wouldn't come back to haunt her.

---

---

Earlier that day Yrhen had let the fraternity boys decide what she would need for furnishings, as long as it was natural wood and some classic lanterns and candles were made available. Mostly she had spent a lot of time grilling her poor upperclassmen on the details of how privacy and security were maintained for each room. After the greater part of an hour she had decided she could live with the fact that it would take a professional mage on the level of the teachers to breach one of these rooms using teleportation or Vision magic. She also came away from the conversation even more fascinated with the workings of more complicated magic like that which protected the rooms.

Closing, locking, and thoroughly checking both the door and the windows Yrhen let her duffel bag fall to the floor and removed her gloves. The small rooms were sparesly furnished which was just fine with her. The second bedroom did not even have anything in it which somehow made her feel more comfortable. She ran her hands over the small desk, bedframe, and nightstand. Apart from her requested fire based light sources one of the fraternity boys had the insight to leave a stack of paper and an inkwell complete with its own classic quill. She hadn't asked for anything like that and had her own notebook and pencils but she found herself liking the extra touch.

She went into the bathroom and tested the shower, which heated up nicely and much hotter than what she was used to. A hot shower felt like the most wonderful idea right about now but she decided to wait until she was at least unpacked and settled in. That shouldn't take long anyway.

Returning to the bedroom she finally nodded to herself, satisfied. She felt much more relaxed now that she was alone in her own private room and decided to strip out of her heavy, stuffy clothing she had been bound up in all day. The relatively cool air was a huge relief after her day of being uncomfortably close to far more people than she was used to. Though the room was small it was still plenty large enough for her to finally stretch, really stretch. She sighed as she let go of much of the tension she had held onto and gently massaged a knot in her shoulder. She stood for a while, doing nothing much beyond uncramping various muscles until a thougg occurred to her.

I'm here. I'm going to be a mage.

With this realization her face transformed into an expression she had shown no other soul all day: undiluted joy. A sound halfway like a giggle and halfway an excited squeal escaped her lips as she threw herself onto the bed. She completely ruined the neatly made bed burying her face into the ridiculously soft down pillow, which was another pleasant surprise. All of the bedding was actually super nice but looked deceptively plain, and she hadn't even thought about just how important that would be. She rolled over onto her back, clutching the sheets and blankets to her chest while she stared up at the ceiling.

After some time just laying there enjoying the feel of the bedding she sat up and stretched some more. She then wrapped one of the blankets around her shoulders and walked back out to the main room to look over the kitchenette more closely. Ha, nicer than some of the places we've lived. I wish I could have brought Me'me and Pe'pe along. Maybe they could have stayed in the village? But no, traveling and looking for a new place in the cold seasons? Better to wait and- oh, that reminds me! I haven't written them a letter yet! With that thought she went to the desk and lit the candle resting there. Let's fix that.

---

---

The written test was about as grueling as she expected; there were very few questions she could answer confidently. On top of this some of the questions seemed a little off or had small errors in how they were worded. She answered these as best she could but her already limited confidence was used up quickly. Then came the final question. She had expected to have to explain why she wanted to be a mage, and a military mage at that. Military life was not easy or pleasant and more was expected of a professional magic user than the common soldier. Thus she had thought long and hard about her answer, and she often recited it in her head, so she began writing without skipping a beat.

Halfway through she suddenly stopped, and stared at the words she had written. In order to protect those that cannot protect themselves, and to uphold the values of our great nation... Now that I look at it on paper it all feels so... plastic. She scratched out everything she had written so far and flipped the paper over. Using her arm to cover her paper from any potential wandering eyes as a matter of habit she began again.

---

Not long after the written exams conclusion came the much simpler physical tests, which Yrhen felt she had a bit of an edge on. At least that was what she thought until she was instructed to pull a ridiculously heavy cart as far as she could. She had excelled at the running and long jump challenges without even using her full potential, but as she stared at the simple cart before her she knew with certainty she was about to embarrass herself. And in her mind, she was not wrong. Despite her experience with an oversized rifle powerful enough to pierce tank armor, the average time spent actually holding and firing the weapon was very minimal. Yrhen was athletic in her own right but she also had a very slight build and not much weight. This notable lack of raw strength was on full display as she struggled to move the heavy cart at all. To make matters worse the observing instructors were having a hushed discussion as Yrhen grunted, strained, tore up dirt, and sweated profusely with almost nothing to show for it.

After it looked like she would rather kill herself trying the feathered chimera stepped forward and with a very soft, gentle voice told her she had done well and should save her energy for the upcoming combat exam. Yrhen said nothing and met no one's eyes, only nodding in acknowledgment before stalking away with a scowl on her face.

---

---

Yrhen held on to that scowl from that point until the younger, larger Vance sibling called on her to join his group for the next phase of testing. Much to her relief everyone around her picked up on the signals she was putting out and no one once disturbed her. She listened silently as their overseer gave clear, detailed instructions on what to do. She was nervous about the initial magical familiarity test. It wasn't that she was inexperienced, quite the opposite. But her prefered abilities were centered around conserving as much energy as possible. Manipulating air was not very difficult, did not take as much energy as some other magical disciplines, and often did not require much precision or concentration. However, while the techniques she knew were useful they were also bound to be much less powerful than what she suspected the other students could do.

Alright then, why don't I keep it small and save my energy for the big test? I'm starting to feel sore from pulling that cursed cart anyway. I can just imagine how many of them were laughing at me. Doesn't help that I don't even know what half this stuff is. I better deliver on this big test, I owe it to my grandparents after everything they've sacrificed for me. Let's see if you can't make them proud, eh Yri?

Using only a little bit of magic Yrhen focused on two different points near the table. Expending small bursts of energy she created a small upward gust of air just strong enough to send one of the heavier materials (some small bit of metal?) about a foot into the air and then over the edge. Then, using more focus, energy, and as close to perfect timing as she could muster, Yrhen created a second gust from the floor. The chunk of material was again tossed upwards and this time almost at the exact height she was aiming for. Trying to make it look casual she reached out and snatched it from the air.

Internally she was really excited that bit of precision casting had gone so splendidly, but she reminded herself that it was probably an underwhelming show of magic. Expressionless she met the professor's eyes expecting to see boredom or worse, disappointment. Instead...

Is that look... is he impressed? It's subtle but I'm almost sure of it...

She turned away again and suppressed a smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. She almost missed the man's approving 'well done' as she stepped aside for the next student. Almost. That sense of accomplishment and boost in confidence only lasted so long as she watched the others show their talents or knowledge and time seemed to drag on. It actually wasn't very long at all but Yrhen had once again worked herself up to a fair bit of anxiety by the time Hans brought them to the cage to reveal the creature within.

She had of course noticed the covered cage on first entering the room but she felt it unlikely anything beyond the average student's capability resided within. It sounded like she wasn't wrong from the introduction given, but Yrhen remembered seeing on of these once long ago. She had kept as much distance between it and herself back then so she never learned what it was capable of or its name back then. She understood the very real threat the creature posed in its natural environment right away and today's test would be simulating an encounter to the monster's advantage. Worse than that, besides knowing the Deadlands were fatally poisonous, she had never even been close and knew next to nothing of the kind of terrain and flora one would encounter there.

She swallowed hard and stepped forward as her turn was called. She wasted little time in figuring out how the hood was supposed to be worn and secured. It's going to be very hard to hear and see in this thing. That alone could be fatal and if these Ashoppers are so obsessed over the filters.. anyone separated from the expedition probably don't live very long. And that's exactly the situation we're being put in... What kind of insanity even drives people to go into the Deadlands?! And just how many filters do you need to have a chance of making it out alive? Wait...

"Sir? How many replacement filters do individuals bring on an expedition?" She asked keeping her voice even and neutral.

"Several hundred at minimum, generally. Losing consciousness in combat with an Ashhopper is a virtual guarantee that even if you wake before they finish going through your stockpile they'll have eaten enough that you won't be able to make the return trip. Swapping filters is possible, but not advisable unless you already have a replacement in hand, and is virtually impossible with a damaged mask. The gases of the Deadlands will kill any non-Monster in seconds if you breathe them in."

Seconds...

"Let's put it another way: One small breath will give you a cardiac arrhythmia for the rest of your shortened life, even if you don't die. But I suppose you don't have to worry about that. If you're going to try to keep your air supply clean, you'd better do it well."

Uncertain of whether or not she could keep her voice even after hearing that Yrhen only nodded and checked her mask again before slipping it on. She nodded sharply at Hans to let him know she was ready, or as ready as she could be. Fully prepared or otherwise it was best not to waste any more time worrying herself into a panic.

She stepped into the room trying to ignore how tight the hood felt around her neck. She took in as much as she could about her new environment with her much diminished senses. It was beautiful in a way but very alien and threatening. She was sure much of the environment itself was hazardous if not potentially fatal. This was more or less confirmed by a swaying fungal growth and the very recognizable razor grass patches. She shuddered a little remembering every past experience with the sharp flora all at once. There were few things she hated more than razor grass and that was saying a lot.

The door sealed shut and she could at once feel the magical pressure from the Ashoppers coming into existence though she could not discern exactly where they were from that alone. As quickly and silently as possible she moved to the most effective cover she could find.

How much time do I have before they sniff out my filter? If they're so aggressive.. I should have come in here with a plan; now I had better think fast. I wonder... if this isn't actually too different from normal hunting? I probably shouldn't obsess over defense. There's nowhere to run, I'm too limited here. But... A thought occured to her and instinct told her to decide before she had a chance to overthink and hesitate.

She took several deep, rapid breaths and as quickly as she could pulled the filter from her mask. In the same moment her other hand clamped down on the hole left in the filters absence. She held her last breath. There was no telling what would come of this gamble and there was probably only a breath or two of clean air in the mask itself. This needed to work; there was no certainty her magic was good enough to clean the air without a filter. She hoped she wouldn't have to risk it.

Yrhen pulled back her arm and hurled the filter across the room. And then she waited, silent and still. It didn't take long for the Ashoppers to take interest, in fact some of them were on the filter immediately. Gripping her outdated Condenser adrenaline shot through her and she focused much of the air near the monsters into a single point.

Wait! Wait... The timing doesn't feel right.

Her instincts served her better than logic as usual. A few more Ashoppers broke cover to join what was quickly becoming a frenzied fight.

Wait.

Her lungs begged for a breath of air but she resisted and watched. One more, then two more. By the time her vision was starting to get spotty Yrhen was almost sure all the creatures in the room were tearing at the carbon filter and eachother. Her heart rate slowed and a sort of calm settled over her.

Now.

She set off the collected air like a bomb, which this spell more or less was exactly. Concussive force slammed into the Ashoppers bodies and they were torn to pieces far more effectively than she had expected. She quickly became acquainted with the fact that Ashoppers were not very well held together as several tiny body parts bounced off her even from her concealed position. Unable to hold her breath any longer the used up air expelled from her lungs with enough force to puff up her hood. She greedily sucked in another breath and forced herself to hold this one as well while she scanned for survivors. But this was proved unnecessary as the gas in the room started to be sucked away into the vents.

Did I really get them all with that one explosion?!

The door opened and filling the frame was the enormous form of Hans Vance. He gestured for her to come back out of the room and stepped aside as she did so. She was quick to remove the uncomfortable hood and taste some fresh air after her brief time in the stuffy thing.

"Miss Oharra, I would like the pleasure of being the first to say you passed with flying colors. I'll be sure to take your skills into consideration for your future classes and I apologize if you feel I underestimated your talents. The rest of the day is yours to spend as you see fit. You should enjoy yourself, I think you've earned it. The big man smiled at her and Yrhen very simply nodded in response to his praise. She walked out of the testing laboratory seemingly fully in control and calm, not looking at anyone else on the way. However, her thoughts were a whirlwind and she felt dizzy from keeping it all inside.

But above it all, at least for now, she felt truly happy. Professor Vance had respectfully kept his praise low key but she could tell...

I just aced that fucking test!!!

---

---

The cat-like girl's eyes widened a bit in surprise. She stopped clutching her tail and sat up straight. She looked into Berke's eyes as if searching for something, though what that could be was anyone's guess. Whatever she saw there it seemed to satisfy her and she actually smiled.

"N-no-nowhere special real-really." She said hastily, forgetting to mind her stutter. Her smile faded but she didn't look unhappy like she had before, just tired and nervous. She cocked her head slightly, her hair falling away from her face even more but she was too focused on Berke to notice. "A-actually if you don't mind I.. I would like to hear more about y-you and your home. I've.. never been to Altay."

---

---

"H-holy f-" The blue haired girls eyes widened in surprise and she burst into laughter. "Too fair! I walked right into that one! Monster hunting though? Respect." Still chuckling to herself Zyphyria turned her attention to Mycona as the other girl spoke and yet she never once gave off the sense that she was ignoring L'ilisht to do so.

"That's a fair philosophy. Me? I'm doing great! My tests all went well but I don't think that Leere guy liked me as much as you, if we're going by that weird number game he plays. How about you? What have you been up to since we last saw eachother? Do you two already know one another?" She asked pointing at Mycona then L'ilisht. She turned in Berke's vacated seat so she had both equally within sight. She seemed really interested in getting to know her new schoolmates but unfortunately fate had other plans. The clocks of the room lit up and rang all at once.

"Whaaaat? Already? Dammit that's so annoying! I didn't realize that chatty cat had chewed through so much time. Hey, why don't we walk up to the dorms together and get to know eachother better? Sound good?"

---

Elsa's ears stood straight up as the bells harshly cut off her conversation with Berke. They drooped in apparent sadness or regret as the girl that had just started calming down again started getting the remnants of her meal together. She looked back up at Berke the slightest bit of hope in her eyes.

"Are you.. can we... talk more? It's fine if you don't want- if y-you have plans."

---

6:00 AM, November 1st, 1210PW. 16 Degrees Fahrenheit. Overcast, Foggy.

---

"Welcome to the Institute. Keep your head down, keep your voice down, and keep your conflicts to the arenas, and you'll fit in just fine. Probably. Unless you do something enormously stupid." - The Headmaster

---

Once again, the Institute was woken up by various bedside alarms, violently vibrating beds, overhead lights switching on, and the like (dependent on what actually worked for any given student), just as it had been ever since the beginning of the new year. Normally, students saw the outdoor spaces nice and empty through their windows, and aside from the alarms and the sounds of their fellow students shifting about and getting ready for their day, the grounds were dead silent. The grounds were dead silent on this day as well, save for the quiet footsteps of one Professor Brovak outdoors, who was seen crossing through the path through the jungle-like dormitory commons to the north for the first time. A car-pulled wagon drove up the road on the east side of the dormitory quad, covered in an utterly enormous amount of crates and canvas sacks, all tied down with some impressive ropework. It wasn't moving any faster than the ancient professor was, as if the driver were trying to be seen by as many students as possible before finally passing the dormitories.

For the past several months, the school had been effectively ramping up to its usual "harder" schedule, and to signify the shift, there was to be some sort of event beyond the track and field. Whatever it was was a well-kept secret by the staff, though past years' events had included feasts, dances, a tournament amongst first year students, celebrations of esoteric and foreign holidays, talent shows, and the like. Whatever was planned though, it was definitely going to be interesting, if not outright dangerous in some way.

The Harvest Festival had gone off without a hitch just two weeks prior, and some of the more grumpy students and staff groaned and complained about the "back-to-back events" this month, despite having visibly had a very good time watching the Parade of Trolls dance their way across the Institute's grounds to scare away the winter cold, getting into fights with one another over petty rumors and romances, and getting absolutely plastered on the strongest harvest ales known to man. These curmudgeonly sorts would no doubt change their tunes once again when the event actually happened, but in the meantime, they would likely maintain their loud complaints for the weeks of preparation.

Perhaps more importantly than the celebrations, though, the academic year's first-quarter tests had recently ended. Nobody had received or would receive the grade they made on the test, and this was how the staff preferred it. In truth, the first-quarter test was just a formality, and all of the papers were given a quick glance for answers so utterly ridiculous that they had to be addressed, prior to being 'accidentally' lost during grading. By the entire school staff. In a bonfire. On their day off.

Today was also a day off for most of the staff, save for those working on the event's preparations. In place of classes, there was to be a field demonstration and a mock battle overseen by the Unoctocan Imperial Battlemage Corps, who were in turn only overseen by Administrator Boorkat Malkin (which was more than a fair arrangement, as it had become common knowledge that the only person at the Institute the Imperial Battlemages feared more than Professor Brovak was Malkin, for reasons unknown - the most ridiculous and popular theory being that they collectively had a shellfish allergy).

The clocks finally chimed in for students to go to and sit in the backs of their respective trucks, where they would be taken to the field. Breakfast would be served on-site in the form of Unoctocan military ration packs consisting of various canned pickled vegetables and canned pureed meats, with small pouches of instant coffee, some water, a disposable mini-stove, crackers, and a packet of gravy. Most of it tasted like cardboard, save for the vegetables, which tasted like brine. For many students, this would be the first time ever seeing the Imperial Battlemages. Two dozen men, women, and chimeras of indeterminate gender were seated at a different set of portable tables some twenty yards away from the students, and an extremely tall, hawkish woman seemed to lord over them. Their common uniform consisted of a blood red greatcoat and a matching garrison cap, with a steel cuirass. Most had taken off their cuirass and were using it as a sort of impromptu chair.

The tall woman was sporting a blood red greatcoat with white epaulettes with golden tassels, a white-gold cuirass beneath the open greatcoat, and a blood red kepi sat atop her short black hair. The front of her coat was covered in a dozen badges and medals of all sorts, and those familiar with the stories of the Empire's great heroes would recognize her as the younger sister of First General Cazel Uoyvvo, Clarissa Uoyvvo, most famous for holding the frontier town of Saraguss against a combined siege by deadlands Monsters and barbarian tribes for four months straight with only twenty soldiers at her disposal, without losing a single soldier or civilian life. Even Monsters and rural farmers had heard her name in passing, and she was known almost as well as her sister, the famed warrior-poet and commander of the Imperial Guard, or even the Kaiser himself, blessed be his name.

---

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---

---

Eleven weeks have gone by since the opening of the semester.

Magic Theory with Brovak: Standing on the rooftop, exploring Old Mordhaben's post office, smelling everything in the Cafeteria, literally eating dirt and licking dust off of desks, throwing water balloons at the Administrator, discussing the commonalities between these things. The later classes consisted of trips to the Laboratories, where Brovak took a laissez-faire approach. Students were free to do anything they wanted so long as, 1: it was a magical experiment, and 2: it could be cleaned up before the end of the two hour class. There were injuries, and Brovak ignored them in favor of letting his students take eachother to the medical building. When students asked what they were even supposed to be learning, Brovak always simply answered, "Figure it out yourselves. That's what it means to be a Mage."

Vision with Emilya: Emilya was, in most students' eyes, either vastly better or vastly worse as a teacher than Brovak, depending on who was asked. Her style was in direct opposition to his, and she followed after most of the classical schoolhouse teaching styles. Over the past three months, her classes have gone over all of the content of The Complete Guide to Basic Sight and The Mystery of Old Mordhaben. The Muses was next. The class covered basic rules on how Vision worked, and Emilya personally ensured that every single student in her class was capable of at least seeing a blurry image of what was directly behind them. Using The Mystery of Old Mordhaben as a guide, during the most recent weeks, Professor Emilya has consistently led the class on a psychic field trip through the history of the ruins miles away from the Institute. Though the meat of the course was different every day, every lesson began with Professor Vance drilling her students on detection of magical energy and identifying the shape of any given magic, via a solid fifteen minutes of writing numbers on the blackboard using otherwise imperceptible lines of undifferentiated magical energy. Many found it absolutely exhausting.

Compromise with Xander: Professor Thorne's misconduct continued, and so did the after-class beatings by various staff members. A leaked memo got out that Professor Thorne was to be disciplined by any staff member in the vicinity if he were caught engaged in any sort of sexual misconduct with a student. Despite this, Professor Thorne proved why he was still there: He was an exceptional teacher of Compromise. There was very little book learning outside of their homework, which mostly consisted of reading chapters from a compiled book of legends and epic poems about mages long dead. The Dragon and his Feast (in which a nameless young mage was captured by an enormous Monster lizard, and died as he killed the Dragon from within to save his village) was the most recent story in the nameless textbook. While the lessons wandered some, and Professor Thorne seemed distracted from time to time, the one thing he never faltered on was safety. If any student accidentally caused something to happen that wasn't 100% intentional (and somehow, Thorne always knew), punishment was swift, painful, and temporary.

Foundation with Hans: Each class has started with firearms maintenance. Half the class field strips their arms and cleans them while the other half maintains vigilance, and the two halves switch once cleaning is done. Afterwards, the lectures and practical lessons began. Professor Hans was still a relatively classical teacher like his sister Emilya, but he did take some liberties, and there was significantly less book work. Each class, he covered the earliest basics of various scientific subjects, from basic chemistry, to astronomy, to archaeology, to numerology, to psychology, and so on and so forth. The reasoning was that even cursory knowledge in every major field would massively increase survivability against magical effects that work off of the same knowledge. Even though Foundation acted like a brick wall in the face of magic, Hans made it very clear that out of the three branches of magic, Foundation required by far the most education to work to its greatest potential. Specializing in any one field of Foundation for protection was ill advised, because while one could specialize in Compromise and do well, one would only very rarely be able to choose their opponent, and thus needed to be prepared for anything.

Botany with Billy: Groundskeeper Billy continued checking his students' notes on their flowers' growth (or, in the case of one student, its death), always nodding sagely and placing copies of their reports in an ever thickening, ancient binder. The classes continued to be outdoors, near his gardening shed and his home between the Arts and Social buildings, and when it rained or snowed, Billy insisted that his class sit through it so they might better understand their plants. As it turned out, their books were weatherproof, but their clothes were not. But despite the weather and the cold and the wet, the lessons continued nicely, and students learned about dozens of the most common xenoplants, as well as the most useful and common wilderness plants. The Botanical Sciences class was less about gardening and more about merely surviving the wilderness, with a hint of chemistry and alchemy lessons on the side. In all, Billy's classes were the most useful to students because they focused strongly on plants that would cause problems for civilian families. Most of the students at one point or another had remembered something in their home towns that Billy had mentioned, and had sent letters home describing the plants that needed to be destroyed.

Poli-sci and Economics with Gnome: Professor Chompi proved time and time again that he was both a long-winded financial advisor, and almost completely unhinged. But he knew what he was talking about, and after the incredibly boring first three lessons (and their accompanying, extremely unpleasant homework regarding mathematical formulae used in the Unoctocan financial world), he eventually started playing 'games' with his class. Virtual trade wars and haggling lessons, so to speak. In Airelosia, Mordbauvin, Hasval, Swazivan, Unoctocus, Northern Flynenhael, Central Flynenhael, and Southern Flynenhael (or rather, in all regions they were likely to visit at any point), small town merchants all had their own unique bartering cultures, and Professor Chompi exposed his students to how any given shopkeeper would do things. In the Unoctocan Empire, haggling was kept to a minimum, and performed very quickly, on one's feet, as both the buyer and seller had better things to do. In Airelosia, haggling was harsh, aggressive, and involved more than a few threats, but typically resulted in both parties leaving more satisfied than they would have under the Unoctocan system. And in Flynenhael, haggling was expected, and often took place over a cup of tea and snacks, coupled with long-winded storytelling and desperately trying to get the upper hand by making one's opponent like one more than the opposite. The students typically preferred the Unoctocan method, because it was simple and it was the closest to simply handing over money. But many greatly enjoyed the Flynenhaeli method, and a small handful loved the Airelosian method. Chompi's classes, overall, were focused heavily on ensuring that students understood the Unoctocan political system (bills to laws, elections, passing of the throne, etc.), and on ensuring that students were satisfied with every decision they ever made, be it political, social, or financial.

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@Avant @Etranger @Rekaigan @HokumPocus @Taytay @Jay Kalton @Kaesus @ghastlyInc @Illiren @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN @liferusher

Berke Bayamaar

"Oh, well, like I said, Altay's not too big, so there's not that much to say." Berke began, surprised to find someone that wanted to hear about the tiny little village he had come from. A lot of people were more interested in talking about themselves. This was a refreshing change of pace, of course. "Anything unique about it is more just the way much of the region acts, really. We've got these zebra monsters we ride on, you see, and-"

Berke would have continued, had the alarms not gone off. It seemed it was time for them to pack up and leave. Berke would have expected that to be the end of their discussion, but it appeared that Elsa was keen for them to talk more. "No no, it's quite fine, Elsa! Come along, I can tell you all the little things about Altay you want to hear, and anything else you're interested in too." He got up and beckoned for her to come along with him. If the dorms were the only place to go, then the dorms would be their destination.

---

In the days to come, Berke went through his classes as middlingly muddled as ever. He didn't understand Brovak's magical theory class in the least, but taking on faith that the professor knew what he was doing, he attended to all the strange tasks with utmost diligence. He had many misgivings about throwing water balloons at administrator, however, and apologised profusely after each time. Emilya Vance's lectures were much more straightforward, though Berke's ability to preform Vision left much to be desired. Berke found Professor Thorne most bizarre, but at least his Compromise was better than his Vision skills. Hans Vance's class represented a return to normalcy, and even better, Berke found that his Foundation was his greatest magical skill to date. None of his magical skills were exceptional, but at least he could boast above averageness in Foundation. The Groundskeeper's Botany classes were almost like a slice of home life for Berke. While Altay wasn't much for farming, they did have to deal with more than a few hostile pieces of shrubbery that cropped up from time to time. The Altay approach to botany was less to find a clever way to deal with plant life and more to punch, slice, and burn it out until it didn't pose a threat to their activities. Berke didn't really understand the purpose of Professor Chompi's class; after all, what did all this economics stuff matter if they could just learn to work together? Berke wondered if they shouldn't be studying how Altay did things rather than all these greedy bank things.

All that was past him for now, however, as today they were set to have some "mock battle" or the other. Berke was all down for a friendly spar, as long as it remained that way. Given magic was involved, Berke was a little worried that someone might get hurt badly, but he assumed that the staff knew what they were doing. Not only that, but this would all be overseen by members of the Mage Corps, including Clarissa Uoyovvo, whom had been heard of even in Altay. With all these big shots around, Berke couldn't help but be a little nervous, but he was still going to do his best and nothing less.

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Mycona Frisa

Mycona would have launched into an excruciatingly detailed description of what she had been doing lately, had it not been for the sudden ringing noises. Zyphyria insisted that at this point, they go to the "dorms" instead of staying there. Mycona agreed to come along, eager to tell Zyphyria all about what she had been doing lately, and to find out if this large other wanted to be friends as well.

---

Mycona was pleased to finally get around to the magicking. She had been here a while already, and nobody had taught her anything new about magicking. Mycona, for one, loved Brovak's classes. She loved investigating every tiny phenomenon that he instructed them to investigate, and she especially loved telling him in excruciating detail all the things she had learned about licking dust and other curious activities. She was a little lost when it came to the free time moments, but she always found something to do. She once asked Brovak if she could magic him, and he said yes. The result was uneventful, however, and Mycona did not learn much other than that Brovak did not react much to her magic. Mycona found that she had already read a few of the textbooks used in the Vision classes, though while she could effortlessly regurgitate the text found within verbally, anyone that tested her would realise she didn't fully understand what she had read. It was clear, however, that it was more of a technical problem surrounding the meaning of words and other basic concepts than it was an inability to actually wrap her head around the idea of using Vision, and when explained more and more, she proved to be much better at using it than first demonstrated. Mycona's Compromise also proved to gradually improve with time. At one point, Mycona volunteered for Xanderthorne's "extra credit", though before she could figure out what he meant, they had a chance encounter with Leonora. Leonora told her that any further mention of "extra credit" or other offers made by Thorne were to be reported to her first, and afterwards took Thorne off somewhere. Mycona was not sure what happened, but Thorne never offered her extra credit again. Mycona took to Hansvance's class about as well as she took to Emilyavance's, which proved to be a recurring theme for most lessons. Mycona did not understand why they had a Botany class. She had thought she had come here to learn magic, not to deal with plants. However, while it might be outside her intent on coming here, she was just as eager to learn the intricacies of Botany as she was to learn about everything else. Mycona found Gnomechompi's class very informative, though she was starting to suspect that her constant interruptions to explain the definitions of words and concepts were irritating people. In fact, in many classes, at least a few people seemed bothered by her questions.

Mycona had come to many realisations during her time at Mordhaben's. One key understanding she had come to was the concept of a "lie". She had read of the word before, but she had yet to fully comprehend its meaning. Many times she had spoken to people and been told things like "there's a pot of gold right around the corner" or "if you run around the fountain all day you'll get one wish" and other such 'lies'. It was only after having fallen for them many times and having the fact that these were all deliberate falsehoods explained to her by Leonora that she began to understand what was happening. Now she had become more careful about what people told her, always wondering if a sneaky little 'lie' hid behind the words of others. She did not know why people wanted to waste her time and fill her head with false notions, but she did not enjoy the prospect. She wanted to learn real facts, not ones that only existed in a few cruel words.

Apparently they were to have a "mock battle" today. Mycona didn't fully understand the concept, but she had been told it was like the fight she had been involved in during the 'test', though Leonora had stressed again and again that she wasn't to make anyone dead, as that would be very bad. There was some group called the "Mage Corps" there to watch them, but Mycona didn't understand the significance of that, nor did she have any idea who the important members of their group were. All Mycona knew was she was here to have a 'fight' and stuff her face with as many of these rations as she could before they got started.

"You know what I hate, man?" Honehe was awoken from his silent contemplation by the disagreeable drawl of his unintentional acquaintance, Joseph Milit. By sheer dumb luck, he had chanced into a few conversations and interactions with him over the past few months. While mercifully quiet most of the time, the man would sometimes be triggered into ranting about something that had "gotten his goat" to people he knew, and since he had been unfortunate enough to have "broken the ice" with him, he often chose to gripe to him when he was nearby. Honehe wondered what he had done to deserve such a pox on his person.

"No, but I imagine you're about to tell me." Honehe replied disinterestedly.

"Fucking Brovak, man. Him and his dumbass wacky learning class where he doesn't explain shit and has people doing crap like eating dirt. Who the fuck eats dirt? I bet that jackass never ate a speck of dirt before in his life. He's just doing this shit to get on our nerves. Why the hell do they let this guy teach? He's not even actually teaching jackshit!"

With a resigned sigh, Honehe prepared to engage with him, if only to keep him from nettling him until he got a response. "Perhaps his advanced experience has given him some unique insight into how to teach magical theory? I'll admit I don't care for him or his methods personally, but I imagine he must know what he is doing." His line of logic was intentionally half-hearted. Honehe didn't care to defend Brovak, but neither did he care to encourage Joseph's inane complaints.

"Bullshit, asshole. Stupid motherfucker is just a stupid motherfucker. He could stand to learn a thing or two from the Vances. They know how to teach the right way. The military way."

"Ah yes." Honehe began flatly. "I never tire of hearing about your love for the military." He recalled vaguely hearing of his father being a soldier or something. Whenever Joseph got the chance, he would talk about how he preferred how things were run in the military, in spite of never having been a part of it.

"Hey, fuck you. The military is where my heart lies, don't judge. What, you think it's better in your sissy commune up in the mountains? Maybe we should all have a sing along and hold hands to learn magic. I bet that will work out." Joseph knew this wolfey bastard had some monster playhouse way beyond the Unoctoc. From the sounds of it, they were all batshit insane and had some dumb ideas about "bringing together monsterkind". Sounded like a complete pipe dream to Joseph.

"Yes, my sissy commune is a terrible awful place and we're all stupid for wanting a place to call our own. Seeing how stupid I am, it boggles the mind why you would deign to speak with me." The irritation in Honehe's voice was plain for all to hear.

"Well gee, I'm so sorry I tried to make some idle conversation. Maybe if you weren't so high and mighty all the time, you could appreciate me taking precious moments to grace you with my pearls of wisdom. But no, you want to be the special monster kid from buttfuck nowhere looking down on all these lowly humans. You can be special all on your lonesome if you wanna be, dipshit, just don't come crying to me when no one cares." With that, Joseph mercifully returned to ignoring Honehe for the time being. Honehe knew this respite was but brief, considering they had engaged in many hostile conversations of the sort, only for Joseph to return to gripe at him as though all the cursing and hot air was somehow deepening the bond between them.

The arrival of their truck at their destination proved to be Honehe's salvation, allowing him to distance himself from Milit for the time being. He imagined he would be quite enamored with the fact they were being overlooked by members of his precious military for this exercise of theirs. Honehe was only vaguely aware of this "Mage Corps" as being an elite unit in the Unoctocan military. It did not truly matter to him who they were or what they thought of them. When Honehe had gathered all he could from this place, he would leave this empire behind him and focus on his own. For now, there was naught to do but steel himself for the trial to come, even if it was unlikely to be of much importance.