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Clarissa gave one last curtsy before she briskly took her leave, an extra bounce in her step at both the Archbishop and Auberon accepting her invitation. She hummed softly to herself as she left, committing the stunning architecture to memory as she left. She’d write a letter home tonight. Not only to let her family know she’d safely arrived but also to spill her delight to them as the day wound to a close. The classroom introductions had been mortifying but no more than she’d expected and thus far, the entire monastery felt like it’d fallen straight out of the fairy tales she’d read as a child. She paused on the bridge to gaze out beyond the mountains and take in the view.
In that moment, among the devout and the faithful, beneath the unerring gaze of the towering cathedral, enraptured in a world stretched out beyond the horizon, Clarissa felt a moment of peace. In that moment, the wind stole away her worries and her fears, all the burdens and expectations she’d placed on herself ebbed away, her tongue with all it’s sharp edges still and soft, she was only Clarissa, a girl who once dreamed of setting sail and never turning back to land again. She leaned on the edge of that bridge, eyes never moving from the horizon, and that little girl so long in the cave watched along with her.
The moment broke a moment later, a bright peal of laughter shocking her back into the present, and she cleared her head with a little shake. She gave the view one last look and continued on, changing course to head straight to the dorms. She’d take a trip around the grounds once she figured out where she’d be staying for the next year. She wove around other students, exchanging passing greetings as she did, as she took a cut through the gardens. There was a pleasant little spot with tables in one and she made a mental note to return here when she had lessons to complete. It’d make for a relaxing way to end a day.
Soon enough, she was at the dorms. She noticed a posting nearby with room assignments, although it seemed she wasn’t the only one with plans to get her room set up. Lienna Orhneaht stood at the board already, peering at it intensely. Perhaps she was figuring out where all her classmates were in relation to her. She stepped up to the board as well, frowning at what she saw. There was a clear division between the upper and lower levels, if she remembered everyone’s social class correctly, and it irked her greatly. Not to mention, she was trapped on the top floor when she’d have much preferred a bottom dorm. That way, she could just step out from her room and have immediate access to the grounds rather than having to navigate a hallway filled with whatever distractions the other students could offer and then making her way down a flight of stairs.
“What a bother.” Clarissa clicked her tongue irritably.
If Lienna were more skilled with black magic, the page might have burst into flames under her gaze, frustration mounting in her like a gathering storm as she struggled to decipher the damn thing. One would think something as simple as a chart with names on it would be a simple task to read, but apparently not; for instead of the neat, blocky letters she’d learned from scripture, this notice was written in an admittedly elegant, but excessively loopy hand, with all the letters attached to each other. Some of the letters she didn’t even
recognize, and only a few of the first letters of the names even stood out as letters at all—and of course, not a single one was “L”.
She nearly jumped when a voice sounded next to her, not realizing how she’d coiled herself up until she suddenly straightened at the words.
“Ugh, I’d say,” she couldn’t help but reply,
tsking her own disapproval. She removed a hand from its place tightly crossed over her stomach to gesture derisively at the notice.
“You’d think they let a baby write this, I can’t make out a word.”Clarissa’s brow crinkled in confusion. The names were quite clear, the handwriting even, elegant, and clearly well practiced. She’d be envious if she hadn’t spent countless morning practicing on her own in probably a similar manner. She glanced at the board, tilted her head, and it dawned on her. It certainly could be confused for scribble rather than script by those unfamiliar with the letters. It seemed her earlier hunch was correct. The girl wasn’t born into this but she certainly was trying her best and that was an admirable feat in and of itself.
“Oh, this is a rather common writing style in these establishments. It’s quicker and more elegant than block letters because your quill never leaves the parchment until you’ve completed a word.” Clarissa explained.
“It can take a little bit of getting used to and more than a little practice but it does make note taking much more efficient. Lienna, right? It seems you’re…” Clarissa tapped the room with Lienna’s name in it.
“Oh lucky! When I saw how the dorms were laid out, I’d hoped to be on the bottom floor but it seems they’ve locked me away upstairs.”The other girl’s pause set Lienna on edge, only for her fears to be confirmed when she replied. Lienna had never taken a blush in her life, but in its place was a wormy feeling in the pit of her stomach, reminding her just how out of place she was.
Something of a scornful look set into her brow as the other girl explained, a few venomous thoughts of how people from Hima who
worked for their living didn’t have the luxury to spend days and days practicing loopy letters crossing her mind, but as the other girl pointed out her dorm, she forced herself to stop. She’d always had a quick temper, and the lingering discomfort from her conversation on Crests didn’t help, but she had to remind herself that the rest of the world
had run off without her; if she was going to get angry every time someone pointed that out, she’d never have time for anything else. Fortunately, the girl didn’t stop at her correction, providing a much needed subject change.
“Well, you can have it,” Lienna scoffed, a bit of offense still clinging to her voice as she peered at her spot on the chart. Bottom floor, like the other girl said. With the commoners, despite her position as a future Countess.
“I could certainly do without the wind sneaking through the cracks in the door, and Goddess knows what sorts of characters skulking around outside it.” Ugh, like that raucous pair of boys from introductions. Who knew what time they’d be loudly schlepping back to bed, or in what condition. Or with
whom.
“If you’re amenable to a switch, I’d be delighted to offer you the upstairs room. Immediate access to the grounds in the morning is far more important to me than a cozy hallway.” Clarissa offered eagerly. It did seem like she made a poor first impression however, if the lingering edge to her words were anything to go by. Though Clarissa doubted much wouldn’t have crossed her; she was a girl thrown into a world she clearly felt out of place in and probably considered anything an attack right now, like a feral cat.
“And I’m comfortable enough with a sword to remind the things that go bump in the night that I bump back just as hard.”“Though I guess I’d better find a few extra blankets. I find the cold disagreeable at best but if you think the cold is going to creep in, I’d better prepare accordingly.” Clarissa sighed. Home was rarely cold, only for a bit in the winter, thanks to the warm winds the currents brought from beyond the mountains. The cold always made her feel so sluggish and tired; while the downstairs room was still worth it, she might need to take extra precautions to ensure she woke up before the sun.
Lienna’s eyebrows shot up despite herself, and she turned with a start to properly look at the other girl for the first time, albeit a bit incredulously. She could have fit right in with the Gautiers with that fiery red hair, but there was no way this girl was from Faerghus; aside from herself being the only girl in their unit’s Blue Lions, there was no way someone from as far north as Gautier wouldn’t have thought of the cold before anything else. Her nobility was obvious, but Lienna would have to admit she didn’t remember her country of origin, or even her name. More puzzling, she was
serious? That offer was sarcastic, she didn’t really mean-- well, actually, if this girl wanted to be on the ground floor that bad, Lienna wouldn’t mind taking her up on her… acceptance of her own offer, she supposed.
“Well, I know the wind would always find its way into my door, but maybe these ones are made of sturdier stuff,” she blurted out unexpectedly, before clearing her throat with a mental slap for letting herself stumble over what to say again.
“But yes, if you really want to be on the ground floor, I’ll be happy to switch. Just don’t take it as a favour.”She almost clapped her hand over her mouth at that, all but sewing her teeth shut in surprise. Why would she say that?? That’s what she always thought, obviously, but this was as clear an equal exchange as it could get, so why would she feel the need to add that? She wasn’t too overly concerned with what the highborn students thought of her—honestly a little scorn would be welcome if only to keep her from tripping over conversations like this—but that was rude no matter who you said it to, and it wouldn’t do to burn bridges
this early.
Lienna shook her head, raising a hand.
“Sorry, I…” she couldn’t think of an apology that wasn’t a lie, so she opted to move right along, peering at the other girl with a look of guarded curiosity.
“... I didn’t catch your name earlier,” she tried to recover, straightening a touch.
“Don’t apologize. I did say I despise liars and you are certainly anything but!” Clarissa laughed, waving off the stumble. Lienna may be a little rough but she enjoyed how straight forward the other was.
“Clarissa von Edmund, heiress to the Edmund Magravate, but please call me Clarissa. No need to stand on formalities while we’re learning together. I can let the Professors know about the room switch as soon as we’re settled in so it'll be all the more difficult to deny us. Not that I’m intending to take no as an answer but it’s always better to be prepared.”Lienna wasn’t even sure what a Margravate was, so ‘not standing on formalities’ would work just fine for her.
Clarissa was awfully forgiving, and while she was glad for it in this case, Lienna couldn’t help but wonder if that attitude ran deep enough to harm her. It was the same concern she’d taken with Kellen; maybe these noble types grew up so sheltered they didn’t realize just how vulnerable they could be when they left the nice high walls of their castles. Still, it worked in her favour, and Clarissa here hardly seemed as precarious as Kellen; she, at least, wasn’t pledging her unwavering loyalty for life after the first conversation.
At the comment about the professors, Lienna allowed herself an approving smirk.
“Clever.” She’d give her that; the ‘won’t take no for an answer’ confidence spoke to Clarissa’s privileged upbringing, but still, Lienna had to respect the attitude.
Perching a hand on her hip, she looked back to the notice.
“So which one is my new dorm?” she asked, more personable now that she’d seen a little more of Clarissa’s personality. The red-haired girl already knew she couldn’t read the script, so she might as well take advantage of the help before she had to reveal that little secret to anyone else.
“Will that put me in the middle of the Deer, or aren’t they organized by House?”“Your new one is here, right in between the rowdiest and quietest Deer.” Clarissa tapped her own name on the board where she was between Jorah and Isolde. An odd combination of wallmates.
“But honestly, it doesn’t change much for you. Before you were next to an empty room and another colorful Deer. As for organization, it seems they tried to the best of their ability to keep us in-House but they ultimately separated us into noble and common blood. I suppose even Garreg Mach is beholden to lowly political pandering.” The disdain in her voice was clear as she explained that detail. Someone would think an exalted religious institution that preached love, fairness, and equality would keep themselves above such worldly perspectives but even they perpetuated the separation.
“However, I was just thinking the grounds almost feel like they’ve come out of a fairy tale. Have you had an opportunity to tour the grounds yet?” Clarissa asked. Again she was already deviating from the checklist she’d set for herself but Lienna was someone she wanted to get a hold of and she wasn’t ready to let her go just yet. Lienna seemed to be warming up a bit from before; maybe she could get her to come around the monastery and learn a little more about her.
Goodness, Clarissa sure used a lot of long words where short ones would do. Lienna almost raised her eyebrow at the comment on separation of noble and common blood, surprised that a
noble would even notice such a thing, let alone talk about it like a sore subject. Of course, the notion of noble and common “blood” was almost a little funny itself, considering her own circumstances.
“Well, given my Crest I must have at least a drop of noble blood in me; maybe that will be enough to appease the Church,” Lienna commented, offering Clarissa a sly little smirk. That was more forward than she intended, but it would suffice; if not that, then maybe they’d be convinced by her noble fiancé, one of the little spies of which was skulking around Garreg Mach somewhere keeping an eye on her even as they spoke. Yes, maybe she’d take advantage of her new situation as well as a page from Clarissa’s book and start not taking ‘no’ for an answer.
As for the grounds, Lienna sighed, opting to omit the fact that she’d seen only as much of the grounds as she passed on her way to empty her stomach in the bushes.
“Not yet. I was speaking to the… I think he was the Eagles’ professor,” she said, suppressing a shiver.
“And I still haven’t officially met with my Housemates, and now with moving… it might need to wait until tomorrow.” Honestly, she’d even skip meeting her Housemates if she thought she could get away with it, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Even if she wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed for what would hopefully be the first sound sleep she’d have had in days.
She looked to Clarissa, remembering something.
“Or, actually, do you know how busy we’ll be tomorrow? Classes will begin, won’t they?”Clarissa nodded along as Lienna detailed her afternoon plans, disappointed but she empathized. She had plenty to do herself and Lienna would benefit from a longer rest period than she would have given herself considering how strange all this must seem to her.
“We’ll try again another day but I don’t actually know how busy we’ll be.. I imagine we’ll be quick to work with little time to adjust. We only have a year to learn as much as we can, after all. I wouldn’t count on much leisure time on most days honestly. It’s all so exciting; it feels almost surreal we’re here!”Surreal was one way to put it. If Clarissa thought Garreg Mach was like a fairy tale, then to Lienna it was all an impossible dream. Surrounded by buildings that had stood for over a thousand years, wrapped in expensive clothes and rubbing elbows with the heirs to all of Fódlan, all on the coin of her Count fiancé… honestly, it was terrifying; not just the strangeness of it all, but because she half expected to wake up from that dream any moment now, shivering and alone in her shack back in Hima.
“Surreal indeed…” Lienna commented awkwardly, tapping her fingers on her arm for a moment as silences stretched between the two of them. Finally, though, she looked back up, gesturing to the board once more.
“Well, we’d better get moving.”
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