---

The reaction was not uncommon. It seemed in a world of wonders and magic, many of which she found absolutely amazing, but time seemed to be something that, she wasn't certain. Maybe it reminded them of their own existence in the tapestry of the universe. Maybe it was simply really cool. There were occasions that she wondered if the immensity of it all wouldn't come crashing down on her mind. Most of the time, though, she just kept going forward and trying to enjoy everything.

"It's just what I was born with the ability to do. I don't know if anything else is better or worse." She didn't understand people's need to compare themselves, well she did but usually only with dance not with something outside of one's control. "I can, actually. But then we'd be the ones moving in slow motion to everyone else." She closed her eyes and fast forwarded the world for a few moments before bringing the world back into a normal time frame. "I could just teleport us to the port if you'd want. Short hops I can usually do without arriving yesterday or tomorrow." She grinned as though she was joking. She very much wasn't. Sometimes she ended up in all sorts of times and places.

Kirigina smiled back, meeting his beaming and his extended hand with a nervous chuckle and a timid, brief wrap of her fingers around his. "Tanya Kirigina, good day to you." Her laughter continued as he made to explain himself, and she raised a palm to wave down his apology. "Faux pas? Ne, I belong here more than in a magic school but I am told Arkus is quite equipped to teach wrench witches too." Briefly her mind wandered back to the observation deck and the brief time she'd spent on theirs. Noisy, crowded, but in all the wrong ways. Aside from the voices there was only the sensation of helplessly sliding through the air. She shivered, despite heavy garb and the sweltering engine heat of the compartment. Her arm crooked to carry her wrench clutched tighter at her shoulder. For that, the artificer was quite happy to distract herself with indulging curiosity.

"It is the logo of where I used to... still do? Work. A shipyard, we build airships some times, fix them most of the time." Kirigina paused in thought. The meaning of that symbol?... Well, it was known more or less to everyone who wore it, but in that general, vague, passed down way of things. To sum it up off the cuff, it felt wrong to chance perverting and diminishing the thought that originally went into the simplified crest they took for granted when they put their hats on.

"Well... It's supposed to be the people's fist, first raised in revolution and now, uh, grasping the machinery of the future. The Olyagovsk-Foevch plant was one of the first to go up, so back then," And still today though it sounded too confrontational to her to put it like that, "It was still like they were taking back what they'd been denied. Oh, suppose I should say first it is a shipyard of Verholt. I have never left before, it is strange to be the foreigner." Even for someone who spent all of their days locked in a ventilated steel tower. She shuffled her wrench in her grasp, sort of holding it up after Kress had called attention to it. "And thankee, every ship tech in Verholt carries one of these. The symbol is nice but as you say this is what really makes a technician look the part. At least home, here the tools are all different, it's very interesting."

Something slightly tugged at her attention. The name he'd given sounded familiar in very, very distant way. Alstein. Was that a common name in Cresia or something? That'd be a little rude to ask, plenty of people were sensitive about their names after all. "Is that answer sufficient-" For an instant she hesitating, tossing her word around in her head as her country's mannerisms suddenly felt a little conspicuous. "-Kress?" Just sputtering a name out alone. This was a wild and free place.

Click. Clack. Click. Clack

Her steps tapped out the rhythm of a metronome as she rounded into yet another service corridor. Her feet ached, and ached badly, though her face didn’t show it. Luckily, security had been uneventful. She had needed to break up a fight or two, and a few curious newcomers had tried to fiddle with technology that they didn’t understand, but other than that it had just been patrolling. Endless patrolling.

Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

This was not the only airship transporting students today, but it was by and far the largest, which was why she and the Captain were both here… and had been here for over a day without sleep. It was a new vessel, from the Workshop itself, but still every inch of it had needed to be inspected and deemed safe by Security. She and the Captain, along with the others who had joined them for this assignment, had swept every nook and cranny of the technological marvel before it set out. Now, they were seeing to the safety of the young spellcasters-to-be.

Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

Thankfully, they’d be landing soon. The Captain had already headed to the observation deck to watch over the gathering crowd, and she was on her final patrol round. Of course, not all the journey had been aching feet and impromptu peacekeeping, she’d also gotten to indulge in a bit of nostalgia. It hadn’t been that long ago that she’d been another bright face ready to see the academy, though their airship hadn’t been quite so nice. Still, it was on that initial journey that she’d met the Captain, and Linxi, and all the others who would make her life what it was. The memories almost made up for the aching feet. Almost.

Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

Suddenly, the sound of voices pulled her back to the present. Voices from… the engine room? She’d thought all the students had made their way to the observation deck already, but many had been curious about the airship… she prayed it wasn’t the “take things apart” sort of curiosity this time. Her figure click-clacked into the door frame, her eyes peering curiously into the engine room and being pleasantly surprised by the lack of disassembly.

Her uniform was coal black. A wide brimmed hat rested on her head, rising into a point. Her cloak was thin and breathable, and reached nearly to her ankles. It was somewhat difficult to make out the rest of the uniform beneath the cloak, save that it was black as well. Both the hat and the cloak were trimmed in bright gold, and both bore a double-A insignia cast in gold, one a hat pin, the other a brooch. The small gold plate pinned to her chest was carefully engraved: Christina Mett, First Lieutenant of Security. Bold red hair spilled out from beneath the hat, framing her face and emphasizing the bright red eyes that now surveyed the room.

Christina raised a hand in greeting to the two students before her, tipping her hat back slightly away from her eyes. “Good morning, is everything alright here? I’m with security, I just- wait.”

Her eyes landed on the azure-haired youth and widened for a second.

“Mister Alstein, we’re pleased to have you with us.”

She gave a nervous smile. They had been informed, of course, that the High Speaker’s son would be onboard. They had been requested to watch after him, it wouldn’t do for the child of a Seat to get into trouble on his first day. They had even assigned one of the other officers to specifically keep an eye on him… and yet here he was. Rozin would get demoted for this for sure. She couldn’t say the thought bothered her much.

“Ahem, my apologies. I didn’t expect to find anyone down here, most of the students have made their way to the observation deck. We will be landing soon though. If you’d like, the two of you can accompany me toward the deboarding gate.”

Her eyes glanced toward the girl with the wrench. “I can see you’re from the Republic, I hope you’ve enjoyed your time here so far?”

The Lieutenant was friendly enough, but there was a slightly unsettling lack of inflection in her voice that made her tone almost too official. The red eyes didn’t exactly help to ease tension either.

@ERode@Epsir

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The observation deck was rippling with excitement as the vessel drew nearer and nearer to the academy. Excitement, however, was not the only force in the room. For an instant, some of the surrounding students might have sense it: a thickness in the air, a small crackle of static electricity. In the next instant, however, the irregularity was impossible to miss. There was a sharp pop! and a young woman burst into existence about four feet above the crowd.

“Mm. Woops.”

There was another energetic pop and the white-haired woman had vanished again, only to appear standing on a nearby railing a beat later. She stood, carefully balancing on the railing, with a wide grin across her face. Her hair and skin were chalk white, her eyes deep pools of black, though even amidst the void there seemed to exist a surging warmth… or maybe it was just imagined. She wore a short cloak which barely passed her waist, spun from some sturdy grey-green fabric. Beneath it, she wore a loose-fitting shirt of white cotton that reached about halfway down her stomach. Her leggings were black, reached just past the knee, and were covered in an untold number of pouches, various shimmering odds-and-ends visible within them. Wide hoops of white gold hung in her ears. Her shoes were made of soft grey canvas. She gave a deep bow, still balanced on the railing, before looking over the baffled crowd of newcomers curiously.

“Welcome to Arkus Academy, everyone! My name is Linxi! I’m chief assistant to the Headmaster, so you’ll see me running errands around the campus all the time, it’s great to meet you!”

She leaned forward, looking over the crowd more closely.

“Looks like we’ve got a big class this year… did you all have a nice flight?”

Her eyes flashed around the crowd, examining the new spellcasters. There were plenty from outside of Cresia, though none that she immediately recognized as being from her own home. Still, they looked plenty interesting enough. They didn’t have to look so afraid, though.

A voice called out from the back of the room, dripping with feigned indignation.

“You know, Linxi, this is a massive breach of security.”

A man stepped forward, removing a wide hat from his head. His uniform designated him a member of Arkus’ Security force. His nameplate designated him as it’s Captain, Edward Finn. He brushed dark hair from his eyes, looking at the intruder with a raised eyebrow.

Linxi laughed, turning her head toward the Captain. “Sorry, Ed. I just wanted to meet them.” She hopped down from the railing and into the crowd, looking around at the students with a bright smile.

Edward shook his head, chuckling softly before returning the hat to its rightful place.

@Random Kitty@Lord of Evil@PigeonOfAstora@Scribe of Thoth@Indra

The boy stared down through the window at the academy that would be his life for the next few months. Taking in the architecture, layout and design, he briefly wondered what the other students thought of it.
Hey, kid.
Perhaps it would look like just another old building. To the optimistic, it might be a shining castle of opportunity. To the less enthusiastic, it could look like a prison.
Hello? Earth to Richard?
To Richard it looked like a shining crown, waiting for a king.
Ricky boy? Mr Ashfield? King No-Control?
This academy was just a step on his way, just another step on his road to greatness. But he would take the crown and-
Duncelord? Colonel Explodes-in-your-face? Mr I-have-no-parents-and-I-must-steal?
For just a moment, the boy's confident expression twisted into an expression of annoyance.
"Mort, I'm kind of busy here." Richard muttered under his breath.
Well I'm sorry to disturb his highness the talentless orphan from staring into space. But, as I've hoped you've noticed, we've got something more serious to worry about.
"And what, pray tell me, would that be?" The boy retorted angrily.
His voice had come out louder than usual, drawing the attention of the crowd around him. But before he could react, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. And then, the woman appeared.

Richard could see that she was quite well dressed. Not as richly dressed as some on the boat, or even Richard himself. Nevertheless, her manner of dress was elegant and nothing was particularly out of place, save for the strange pouches covering her legs. But by far her most striking features were her hair, the color of chalk, and her eyes, a deep black. Before he could look closer, however, she disappeared. Richard, like the rest of the student body, was confused. Where had she gone, and how had she come in the first place?
Use your brain, kid. Mortimer said in the boy's head. You won't see anything with those useless eyes of yours.
He felt the sensation like static electricity on his skin once more, and the white-haired woman appeared again on a railing.
"What the hell was that?" Richard muttered quietly as the woman made her introduction.
Teleportation magic, dimwit. What else would it be? The demon retorted. She's definitely one to watch.
The boy frowned.
"But teleportation isn't that rare, right? I've seen a bunch." He asked quietly.
Although admittedly, he'd seen more than his fair share of magical and technological advancements thanks to his sponsor.
Are you seriously - ugh.
There was a moment of silence between the two of them, but Richard could sense disappointment emanating from the demon.
Look, I don't do space magic, and I don't like people who do space magic, but even I know it's a lot harder than it looks. Mort said, finally. You humans spent decades trying to figure out how to go from one place to another without landing in a wall. How about trying to figure out how to put yourself into a moving object without porting straight into the ship's exhaust fumes?
"Well if you put it that way, I guess..."
He wasn't a spacial mage so he didn't know how it was, but surely it wasn't that bad.
Don't even think about it, kid. You'd end up with a limb in every engine on this tub if you tried, assuming you didn't die trying to handle the magic you need for something like this.
"Wasn't even thinking it." The boy grumbled.

The boy watched as the white-haired magician greeted the captain of security detail with some curiosity. He supposed they were colleagues or something, since she was the principal's assistant and all. He figured that the captain of security would be one to watch more, but he supposed that looks could be deceiving. Although, there was a nagging question he'd had ever since the demon had spoken about the white-haired aide.
"Hey, Mort, why'd you say we have to watch out for her?" Richard asked.
Do you really need me to spell it out for you? The demon communicated, in an exasperated tone. She's obviously a skilled mage, and skilled mages are dangerous.
"But she's the headmaster's assistant. Surely she wouldn't do anything bad to us."
Maybe to you. But I'm a different story, aren't I?
Warlocks weren't turned down by the academy, but that was usually because the demon stayed right where it was on the demon plane, bothering no one. Mortimer was in this world, though bound to Richard's book.
"I dunno, Mort. You're not that strong so maybe they'll just turn a blind eye." Richard muttered.
Yeah I'm weak, but I'd fry your puny brain into a crisp if I ever got out of this stupid book. The demon retorted. Besides, professionals have standards. If they let every little pet go because it's too pathetic to squash they'd have a full blown infestation on their hands.
He had to concede that the demon had a point, but he still didn't think it was necessary to show that much caution around the woman. She seemed rather nice to the children. As if Mortimer had sensed his reservations, the demon's voice resounded in his head once again.
Hey, this whole operation was your idea. I didn't think they'd kick up a fuss if you just put down warlock on the form, but I guess that wasn't enough for the great Richard Ashfield.

The boy's expression hardened and he tightened his grip on his book. The thick sarcasm coating the statement stung at Richard as usual, but it was all true. He was planning on hiding his connection to the demon Mortimer, as long as possible. It wasn't as though he despised warlocks - he'd admired his father so much that it was practically impossible. But he hadn't admired his father's connections to powerful demons, he'd admired the magical prowess that allowed his father to gain control in situations involving such higher beings. And that was what he wanted to build on during his stay at Arkus academy. Besides, even if warlocks weren't shunned at Arkus, it was a different story elsewhere.
"Fine, fine. I'll play it your way." Richard muttered.
Finally. It's about time you took some responsibility for your decisions. Mortimer grumbled. Now look alive. I've got a whole watch list to drill into your head and I'd bet on good old Satan's beard that we're extending the list before we land.

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Arael was sitting in the back of the room as she usually does, she wasn't really fond of the front and she didn't think people in the front were very fond of having her there either.
Hey Angel. You alright?
Yea I'm fine, I just doubt people want me close to them. She said as she was looking up to the three beings floating around her guarding her like she was the president.
Rarkel was always nice to her she had heard stories of demons making their warlocks suffer until they get a grip of them, but that wasn't how Rarkel did things. He had always protected her from evil people, that was why he had hurt the Anderssons. He told her they were evil people that were going to hurt her if they had the chance
That is understandable... Heads up somethings happening. He said with a kind of endearing tone

She reacted when Rarkel told her something was happening, he is usually right, she never understood how he was able to feel things happening before they did. But just as always something did happen, a woman who was a lot older than most of the students, there was no way that she was one.
She had pretty clothes and really cool eyes, she had the kind of eyes that can look wherever but you would never know if they were looking straight at you.
That is pretty cool, I bet she is really strong She said to Rarkel in an excited tone while lighting up and really focusing on her.
She sure is Angel, therefore she might be dangerous so try to not make her mad Rarkel said as the 3 Reapers around Arael started moving more in the direction of the woman almost creating a shield in her direction.

She started watching the other people in the room, there was a boy, maybe 14 or 15, he looked very rich and had perfect blonde hair, he was talking to someone, but no one was close to him, almost like... Hey Rarkel. does that cool guy over there have a patron like you? she asked.
Maybe, I can't really tell Rarkel said with a questioning tone almost asking "why do you want to know?" with his answer.
"hey you there with the book in your hands! Can you communicate with one too?" Arael asked while standing up to move over to where he was sat having her reapers move 4 feet behind her.

"Mort, I feel like you're wasting my time." The boy muttered.
What's that supposed to mean? The demon asked.
"All you're doing is telling me how much better everyone on this boat is when compared to me."
That's because they are.
Richard's expression flickered for a moment, showing his annoyance.
"I am NOT worse at magic than the stench mage."
Even IF that was true, it's not like you would win the fight. Mortimer retorted dismissively. I'm just trying to help you out, you know.
"Seems like all you're doing is insulting me."
Look kid, I wish I didn't have to-
"That's definitely a lie."
But the fact is you're so pathetic I don't have much of a choice.
Richard frowned in annoyance.
I'm really not that bad.
He wanted to say it but he knew arguing wouldn't help.
Since I've got a stake in this, it's my job to ensure that you know everything that could be a threat to us. Mortimer continued, ignoring the boy's thoughts. So that you don't get blindsided by people like-

"hey you there with the book in your hands! Can you communicate with one too?"

Said a young voice. Richard turned to the source of the voice, and was met with one of the most terrifying creatures he had ever seen. Mortimer cursed in his mind.
Oh hells.

The girl he had heard was there, younger than he had expected anyone attending the academy to be. Around her floated 3 menacing creatures. They looked like men made of rags, floating in a loose formation in front of the girl. Inside the rags he could see only darkness, and he was sure he did not want to be on the business end of the scythes they held in their hands. Outwardly the boy was smiling lightly, if a little confused. Inwardly, he was in turmoil. Who was this girl? What were those things around her? What had she asked, and why had she asked him?
Just say something, moron. Mortimer said suddenly.
Mort, what am I looking at? The boy asked in his head.
No clue. But you're making a scene. Just say something, anything.
After a short pause Richard opened his mouth to speak.
"Uh... What?"
Mortimer sighed in resignation.
Oh hells.

@Katthaj

“Perfectly sufficient, Tanya,” Kress replied, flashing an ok-sign with his right hand. “A very Verholtan symbol, isn’t it?”

Before either of them could delve further into the talk about the value of symbols in uniting a vast group of people and inspiring nationalism within the hearts of the downtrodden though, a familiar face popped up from the distance, the bright red hair and eyes, offset by pale skin that seemed to make both glow, making the person instantly recognizable. Kress had done his homework before entering Arkus Academy, after all, and Christina Mett, Lieutenant of Security within the Academy, was one of the people he decided to commit to memory first. Well, at least, after he did his reading on the teaching staff and the cafeteria workers. Unperturbed by her stark appearance and robotic tone, Kress replied brightly, “Pleased to see you too, Ms Mett. We were just about to head out anyways, so your escort would certainly be welcome here.”

After all, his uncle had eyes in his forehead and his mom still thought black scleras were high fashion. The physical eccentricities of the more magically inclined have long become normalized by the son of the Alsteins.

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He was just standing there, looking at her friends he looked kinda scared but also confused. Arael kinda tilted her head sideways in an asking stance.



"Ohh you didn't hear me sorry. CAN YOU COMMUNICATE WITH ONE TOO?" She said looking at him kinda confused.
Why is he acting so weird? he looks like he saw a ghost or something. she asked Rarkel
Because he did see a ghost so maybe give him some slack..

"No, I heard you the first time..." The boy said back.
He wasn't sure what she was talking about at all. A book? A hat? A bag?
A demon, dimwit. A demon contract. Mort said, interrupting his train of thought. She's a warlock.
The boy stiffened.
How do you know? He asked his demon.
She probably saw you gibbering to yourself, put 2 and 2 together and figured you and her were the same. And if she is a warlock then there's one guy who fits the bill.
The boy could feel the demon's attention shift to the girl's sentinels.
Let me guess, the guy's bad news? The boy asked.
...I don't know. Mort said after a short pause.
Richard instantly became more alert. Mortimer was a liar by nature, but he had good instincts for trouble. He was very good at evaluating threats, so the girl may have been much more dangerous than he'd imagined.
What do you mean, Mort?
Mostly know him from reputation. Saw him once, surrounded by... Those.
Who is this guy, then? What's he do?
Nothing.

Richard was confused.
What's that supposed to mean?
I tailed him for... I don't even know how long. I've been in the demon world longer than most but he'd been there since before I was on the scene. But he never did much of anything. No contracts, no nothing. Just... there.
And now... he might have a contract.
For your safety, I hope not.
Cold sweat slid down Richard's spine.
So what do we do, Mort? He asked, a note of urgency in his thoughts.
I don't know, think of something yourself. The demon hissed back.

Richard had no idea what the girl wanted but he did not want to drop the ball so early in the game. Thinking fast, he opened his mouth to speak.
"What do you mean 'one'? What the heck are you talking about?"
He would try to bluff her out, and he hoped that whoever her demon was wouldn't be able to sniff out Mort through all the layers of protection on the book.

@Katthaj

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"HEY! Dont swear its bad for you. I mean a protector, ohhh maybe yours is weak and does not protect you. Anyways im talking about the patrons, you know... The beings we make contracts with." She said in an explaning way.
Rarkel can you fell anything? Like can you feel if hes like me she asked.
I would say so, I do believe I know who it is. His patron is a coward, but he is one of the smarter demons in the realm we used to be in. He answered.
"Ohhhhhh... your patron is a coward, is he hiding in that book of yours? Is he scared of you? Are you able to control him well? Has he killed anyone for you yet?" She fired of the 4 questions like a machine gun.

While she was standing there waiting for him to answer she made her reapers move a little bit closer almost blocking the others view of them.
"I wont tell anyone if you dont want people to know, and they wont hear it if you tell me now" She said with a devious smile on her face.
She wanted to show of her powers to him, she wanted to show him that her Rarkel was the stronger demon of the two and that she was the stronger warlock, she wanted to show that cowardly excuse of a demon in that book that being smart means nothing when your warlock is in danger.
She would not hurt him obviously, she just wanted to show him that she could

Trying to keep it a secret is kind of a lost cause already. Richard thought to himself.
Of course, he didn't say it out loud.

The boy plastered a wry smile onto his face as the girl's scythe-wielding rag men moved to surround him.
Well this is a fine mess you've gotten us into. Mortimer said to the boy.
Mort, what's our angle here? The boy asked the demon.
This girl's nuts. Talking to her normally probably won't cut it, I have no idea what she'd do.
So I'm on my own then.
The demon said nothing, which Richard took as an affirmative.

The boy kept his expression stable as his mind raced to figure out what to do. The girl had more or less gotten things spot on, but the onlookers wouldn't know how true that was. It was all but confirmed that her demon could sense Mortimer, but he had the possibility to convince her - and more importantly, convince the onlookers - that he had no knowledge of the demon living inside his book. The boy opened his mouth to speak, but a short, slightly shuddering cough came out instead, likely due to nervousness.
Come on Richard, get it together. He thought to himself, trying to steel his resolve.
If the girl wanted it to happen, he would die, there was no doubt about that. He was fast for his age, but not inhumanly so. And the things surrounding him were far from human.

But if that was the case, he had nothing to be afraid of. The girl had thrown a wrench in his plans, but he at least had a small chance of getting out with what he wanted. A high chance of death in this case was nothing to fear, or at least, that's what the boy told himself.

Richard cleared his throat and tried again.
"So, you're asking about demons, I see." The boy said.
That would do for a start.
A bloody awful start.
Shut up, Mort.
The girl had every advantage right now and he desperately needed to build a foundation so that he could start building his narrative. Wracking his brain once more, he thought of a way to gain some leverage in this situation.
"I'm afraid my situation's... a little different to what you're thinking." The boy said slowly, eyeing the reaper-men. "But, before I get to that, do you mind if I asked for your name?"
You're really trying to hit on a 12 year old right now? Christ, save it for closed doors why don't you.
Inwardly the boy seethed but his anger was tempered by circumstance. The demon's voice had been tinged with a seemingly nervous caution, so the boy knew Mort was on edge as much as he was. So the boy ignored the jive - right now he couldn't afford to slip up, not even the slightest bit.

@Katthaj

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The boy was trying to avoid the conversation but Arael knew what was going on but she wanted to play along for a little bit, maybe the boy would open up about the sad excuse of a demon if he got to know her.
"Well, the name I actually use is Arael but that was technically given to me by my Patron. the name that was given to me by the Anderssons was Emma but please do call me Arael." Emma answered the boy.
Hey Rarkel, are you sure you know this demon? I don't want to look like an idiot if he doesn't have one, also what would the demons name be? or do you not know that? she asked.
Yea I know this demon, I believe his name is Mortimer but I am not completely sure Rarkel answered Arael
Ok, thanks I will see if I can make him talk to me by mentioning him.

"Sooo... I understand that you don't want to speak about your patron but if you don't want to speak to me about him maybe Mortimer would like to come out and talk to me himself or is he a coward like that? I won't snitch on you for being a warlock, we are the strongest of the magic users so I think we should be proud of it, even if you do have a cowardly demon." Arael looked at him in a kind of "please let me" look.
"Oh yea whats your name? I bet we could become friends if we tried" She said while smiling at the boy infront of her

---

The static, the noise. It was strange to her. She didn't seem to be affected by the sudden appearance of a fascinating looking woman. Well, not confused. No, it was definitely curiosity that came over her. She'd never known anyone else who could teleport, although it was so different than the way she did it. The static electricity, the pop. She could feel the ripple, the displacement, the sudden filling of it with matter. It felt a lot like her pendant, actually. And, to top it all off, it didn't seem to move her through time inadvertently. That would be very useful to learn.

Looking over to Callum, Xanara excused herself. She wanted to introduce herself to Linxi but, in her excitement she accidentally slipped across the ship, one minute prior to her leaving. It was as if she was there one moment and then just gone, a small ripple in space where, for just a moment, it looked like two places where there at once. Looking around, at least it wasn't too long, or in the future. But she did duck behind a post, waiting to catch up with herself. She needed to stay calm, upset or happy time had a way of slipping away from her. Breathe. Deep breaths.

Eventually she managed to make her way to Linxi. "Um," she was flustered from her little difficulty moving right, "hello. I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Xanara...I've never met someone else who can teleport."

@DrowsyPangolin

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Zach's attention shifted upward as the disturbance in the air seemed to grow. Whatever it was, the magic around them looked like it was converging into a singular point above the crowd. Surely this was expected, given none of the security seemed particularly phased. Zach was a bit surprised to see a person manifest at the site of the spell, though. He couldn't imagine teleporting into a moving airship was easy, or teleporting anywhere for that matter.

When the figure reappeared again on the railing, Zach finally got a good look at her. Definitely foreign, given those eyes, which was a bit surprising given that Arkus Academy had just recently opened to the wider world beyond Cresia. She must've been a special case; no newcomer would be an assistant to the headmaster.

As Zach expected, this woman's antics seemed to be commonplace enough, given the captain's familiarity with her. No need to be unsettled, then. What was unsettling was the girl with a horde of specters following her around as she walked across the deck. Must be some kind of golemancy or horrifying-looking nature spirit, he assumed. Despite their wraith-like appearance, Zach doubted any necromancer would be so bold as to have an undead creature floating blatantly alongside them. Other students in the crowd seemed to be giving them uncomfortable glances, so he could safely assume he wasn't only seeing them because of his blindfold.

Curiosity got the better of him after watching her converse with another boy for a few minutes, and the blindfolded boy quietly approached Richard and Arael. He didn't catch what they were talking about; he was too enraptured by the creatures standing behind her.

"Pardon the interruption, you two," Zach started, his blindfolded gaze turning as he pointed rather bluntly at the reapers, "I'm just a bit interested in your magic there. I've never quite heard of a technique that makes something so... err, creepy? Is that by design?"

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@Katthaj@Lord of Evil

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While Arael was talking to the boy infront of her she saw someone walk up next to them he had a blindfold on so either he was blind or he likes the dark, his hair was hazel brown contrasting his light colored ropes. The robes were not really the traditional monk robes, they were just a bit more high class making them actually look good.



"I would think so" she said looking back at them and smiling and then turning her gaze towards the boy with the blindfold. "I only summon them, its my Rarkel who actually made and designed them. Now they are only three but my Rarkel has said that if I get stronger I will be able to summon more of them." She said while looking like she was daydreaming just thinking about it. "Why do you ask also why do you have the blindfold?" she asked while kinda pointing towards his head.
Thats rude Arael you should not point. Rarkel told her
"Im sorry for pointing, I did not mean to be rude, Rarkel just told me it is rude to point." She said while looking at him kind confused if he could see her.

While they were talking she started looking out the window to her right, they were almost right above the Academy, she was looking forward to learn how to control her powers more and getting alot of new friends in the process. Rarkel was getting happy aswell, she could feel it, he knew she would be able to use his powers even more than she can right now in a couple of years at this academy.

Richard didn't ask why she knew Mortimer's name. Though it did alarm him a little, he wasn't particularly surprised. It bothered him that he had one less card to play, but then he hadn't been planning on playing it for this conversation. It would mean trouble in the long run if he encountered her under less friendly circumstances, but it wasn't of great impact to his strategy. Sadly, there was something else throwing a spanner into the works.
Head's up, it's another weird one.
Richard turned to look as the boy made his presence known.

He was a little younger than Richard, but they were roughly the same height. His gold-hemmed clothes gave him the image of a member of a church, though the thick leather glove and the live owl gave him the appearance of a falconer. And lastly was the boy's rather conspicuous blindfold. He heard that some monks undergo sensory deprivation as a form of training, so maybe that was what it was all about. Still, while he was certainly eccentric, he wasn't nearly as threatening as the girl, or Arael as she had named herself. Nevertheless he was another variable to consider.

Mort, what do you think about this guy? Richard asked.
Above average weirdness. Doesn't seem nuts like the girl. The demon responded. Though, maybe slightly nuts looking at how he just walked up like that.
Richard agreed with that assessment for the most part. Despite his appearance the boy was rather polite, so he probably had less screws loose than the girl did, at the very least.
Think he's exploitable?
Maybe. Less wildcard than the girl, but still a wildcard.
The brown haired boy had already helped Richard somewhat - he'd gotten her to reveal the name of her demon and the nature of the beings around the group. If he played his cards right he could use the interloper to his advantage.

Richard fixed a small smile onto his face as the girl asked the blindfolded boy a question and wondered how to take control of the situation.
Wait a second, Kid. Mort said suddenly.
What now?
The blindfold kid... He can see just fine.
Richard involuntarily furrowed his brow.
So that's not a blindfold? He wondered.
Probably a magic item. Mortimer commented.
Richard frowned a little. He held his chin as if deep in thought. He knew next to nothing about owl boy, and it would probably be prudent to fix that. Richard looked the boy up and down before opening his mouth to speak.

"Say, that is a good question. But, do you mind if I ask..."
Richard pointed at the owl on the boy's shoulder.
"Is that a real owl?" He asked the boy. "I've never seen one so close before. And also..."
He tucked his book under his arm and made a rectangle in front of him with his fingers, moving it so that the new face sat in the centre. Pausing as if to analyse the boy, Richard tilted his head slightly for dramatic effect.
"Yes, I've never seen someone quite like you before." He said, putting his hands down.
That wasn't a lie. The boy in front of him, as with the girl, were unique existences he had never experienced before. He wanted to get something out of this conversation, obviously, but a small part of him was curious about them.
"If you don't mind me asking, just who are you?"
Hopefully the boy would give Richard something he could use to leverage himself into a better position.

@Scribe of Thoth@Katthaj

Callum was about to respond to Xanara before being interrupted by the rather oddly dressed woman popping up and introducing herself. The head assistant, apparently. She looked rather flamboyant, though he was more interested in her magic. He had heard of teleporting before, but to see someone spontaneously and freely manage the discipline was impressive to see. Teleportation, temporal warping...Callum puffed one side of his cheek and jokingly pouted to himself.

Well Judge, what were you saying about meeting people like me, eh? Where the boxers at?

Or the Judge was taking the mick of him when he said that. Or he was hoping too much to find those like him just in the arrival ship. Yeah, that was probably it. The world of magic was diverse, after all, and he had to admit that he took up a niche corner.

He nodded as Xanara moved along to Linxi, and noticed her...popping? She disappeared, though there were faint distortions in her wake. He frowned and searched around the room, to no avail. In a few more moments, he saw her back in the room, next to the assistant. Hmm. He guessed she wasn't as in grasp with her spacial abilities, and popped up in the wrong place or something. He secretly was glad he didn't take her offer.

He guffawed and moved along the groups of students. Everyone seemed to be fraternising, anyway, so he guessed he should say hello to some folk, too. He looked around and saw a girl guarded by a group of shadowed creatures, talking to a boy with a book. Warlocks, he guessed. He weren't afraid of demons or the warlocks who made a pact with them, but there was a feeling of unease about it to Callum. And the fact that the figures looked so otherworldly didn't help.

He turned away and idly stared at the bumbling students, leaning against a railing, looking for others. Huh. He spotted a boy carrying dull metal equipment. He looked down at his own bracelet. Lead. Definitely lead. He wandered over and nodded with a grin. "Hey there! You're a dispeller too?" He held up his bracelet, hoping to strike a connection.

@DrowsyPangolin

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Haruko was laying down on a wet grassland. He can feel the water seeping through his clothes as he floated on the wet soil, the grass swaying in the breeze blown by the cool morning air. He looked up at the sky, covered by blankets of thick, white clouds. He wondered what it would be like to become a cloud, just letting himself be carried away by the winds of the earth, soaring through the open sky without a care in the world.

He stretched his arm upwards, opening his hands as if to get a handful of the clouds. Then he suddenly did. He was confused at first until he realized he found himself floating high in the sky, the puffy clouds rolling in front of him as he still laid up facing them. That's when he remembered he was sleeping, and he grunted. He almost forgot he was actually on an airship on its way to an academy for magic, to teach students like him how to practice and develop their skills in sorcery and other arcane arts.

Haruko paused for a second then sighed. He always believed dreams were better than reality, a safe and serene place to escape from all the noise and chaos of the real world. Alas, he couldn't just spend all of his living days in his dreams. Besides, if he focused enough, he could hear the distinct noises of his soon-to-be classmates, all seemingly excited yet nervous of what's to come. The airship he was in was just about to leave when he fell asleep, so he might as well take a look around and see if they're there yet.

He woke up from his slumber, sitting at a far corner of the room, stretching a bit and rubbing his eyes. He saw several people chatting around, all with their own distinct clothing, mannerisms, and personalities. He looked outside the window and saw the academy at a distance. He was very impressed by what he saw, but he was more interested on the clouds parting before the airship as it flew in the sky. Haruko stood up and leaned on the railing, listlessly watching the flying puffy cottons go by with the sounds of chatting at his back.

Yep, the newcomers were definitely interesting. Linxi noticed a few stand-out peculiarities amongst them: a young man with a blindfold, a boy who seemed to talk to his book… and a small girl with some rather grim-looking companions. Her eyes snapped across the room, however, when she noticed something: a ripple in space, and a girl being suddenly transported across the ship. Curiosity flashed on Linxi’s face as she began making her way toward the girl. She decided against teleporting around the crowd. Edward had his limits, and she didn’t want to antagonize him too much. Instead, she began to make her way toward the teleporting girl, who had ducked behind a pillar.

Fortunately, the object of Linxi’s intrigue came out of her hiding place. The assistant beamed brightly, nodding as the girl nervously spoke up. “Nice to meet ya, Xanara!” A hand, pale as porcelain, extended out toward the young psychic. Linxi smiled a wide smile, lights seeming to dance against her shiny black eyes. “Oh, well I hope I didn’t disappoint you! There aren’t too many of us, not that REALLY focus on playing with space, anyway.” A mastery of spatial distortion was an uncommon thing. Many spellcasters studied the basics of teleportation, sure, but it was usually only a matter of convenience, a small detour to augment their existing abilities. Few dedicated the majority of their time to the art of getting to places one shouldn’t be able to get to.

Linxi looked the girl over, still smiling warmly. “Yknow, I saw that little number a minute ago.” She gestured toward the spot where Xanara had been standing before. “It was really good! You didn’t end up in this, so that’s always a plus. Yknow, if I had a silver for every time I had ended up in a wall I think I could buy this airship… maybe a whole fleet!” She giggled, patting the pillar next to them.

“By the way, big fan of the outfit, where’d you find it?” Linxi beamed. A fellow teleportation specialist was one thing, but it was rare that she met other people who shared her passion for midriffs.
@Random Kitty

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Kellin had been making a show of staring out the window at the rapidly-approaching academy. In reality, he had been glancing back and forth between the great window before him and the ocean of irregularity that was the crowd behind him. He knew to expect a certain amount of eccentricity when coming to an academy for spellcasters, but the girl with the spectres surrounding her made him nervous. It didn’t help that Linxi decided to interject herself into the situation, felling his hopes that perhaps the adults would be a bit easier to deal with.

While contemplating the bizarre situation he now found himself in, the thin young man was made aware of one of the other students approaching him. He looked as though he’d been through a bit of a rough time, but compared to some of the others he was perfectly normal, hell, something about the way the young man carried himself even seemed familiar. As the stranger motioned toward a lead bracelet, Kellin nodded, tapping his staff against the floor. He smiled at the amber-haired boy, speaking up. “Good eye! Yep, guilty as charged.” He jutted a hand out. “Call me Kellin.”

@PigeonOfAstora

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A soft bell echoed throughout the airship, signalling that their voyage was at its end.

“We’ll be making preparations to land, please be sure to gather your belongings.” The Captain’s voice cut through the din of the excited crowd effortlessly.

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Xanara took the woman's hand. It wasn't a custom of her people, but it seemed to be common here. She preferred to meet with an embrace, the shaking was odd and it showed. "No, but it is interesting how it's so different. I mean, I could feel the shape of space change when you moved but you definitely do something different than I do. Like, it felt like you came into being where I kind of put two spaces together." She really wasn't good at explaining fully. Or explaining what she felt when Linxi had appeared, disappeared and appeared again. Or why it was so energetic and hers wasn't. "Um, and actually that happened just now and a minute ago. That's the problem. I'm pretty good about getting where I want. It's the when I want that's a problem. And I mean both when I teleport accidentally like I just did and when I arrive. At least this was only a minute or so early. Sometimes it's a day or a week, sometimes it's in the future. I kind of have this whole time space thing going and it's definitely responsive to my emotions. And that was way too much info for saying hello." Yeah, she needed to get better when she was excited but she just couldn't stop talking. Finally she did.

The comment about clothes brought her back to her normal self which was still fairly friendly and energetic. "Thanks. It's from my homeland. I...well I have a bunch of them in here." Xanara gestured to her pendant. "My father made this for me. He's a shaman but figured out a way to tap into my power so that I can access anything in my wardrobe back at home. And anything I put back in resets to the way it was when it was removed. It's very nice to have all my stuff from home. I'm from Orisa." Most people had heard or Orisian Coffee and Chocolates even if they knew nothing else. They tended to be luxury items.

@DrowsyPangolin