Asmodius Hoseforn sat crossed legged on the floor of his balcony that overlooked Hoseforn's Academy for Gifted Adventurers. His eyes were closed and odd pipe with a blue and green crystal in its bowl sat in his mouth. He mumbled something to himself for a while, though the words were incoherent to anyone who was listening. The warm sun and slight breeze made the day almost picaresque. Who could have asked for a better start to the new semester. Hoseforn stopped mumbling and removed the pipe from his mouth, letting out a stream of rainbow colored smoke. "How goes the ceremony preparations Mari." He called without turning his head to look behind him. His voice was ragged, but came out strong and far clearer then someone would expect from someone so ancient.

A stunning woman moved next to him, her long green and black swayed lightly in the wind. She wore silky white blouse that stopped midway down her stomach. Her long green and black body moved almost silently behind her. "Everything is ready. But you knew that." She said, her voice silky and pleasant. Mari peered over the balcony, watching as a flood of students poured into the Main Hall. It was easy to tell the new students from the old, as returning students already had their uniforms on. Form's of all shapes and sizes and colors poured into the school. This was, perhaps, one of the few places in all of Ealinata that everyone was welcome. "Of course I knew that, but it's polite to ask." Hoseforn said, opening one eye slightly before taking another puff from his pipe.

"Right. How kind of you. I'm sure you also know you shouldn't be smoking. It'll shorten your life." Mari said smirking lightly as Hoseforn coughed out a laugh as if she had made some great joke though no one else would understand. "If smoking was going to kill me Id've been dead centuries ago. Ahh Dex, you're back. How did it go?"

Mari managed to hold back her surprise as she noticed Dex standing behind Hoseforn. That man was unnaturally quiet. Maya's senses were excellent, and wards she had in place around her should have made it impossible for anyone to sneak up on her. Yet somehow Dex always managed to appear without her noticing. It was, frankly, creepy as hell.

"They were dead by the time I arrived." Dex's voice came out in a flat and muffled tone. The mask that hid his face also made his voice echo lightly, although he wasn't hard to understand. "I only found one thing of interest." Dex said as he pulled out a blackened scroll with a thick dob of black wax sealing it and offered it to Hoseforn. Mari involuntarily recoiled away from the scroll. "That thing is...Wrong" She hissed, her voice losing all the pleasantness it had held before. The blackened scroll gave off a grotesque and unnatural feeling, as if touching it would cause you to rot from the inside out. Maya had seen cursed and evil objects before. But had none had felt like that.

Hoseforn's stared at the scroll for a moment, his face becoming serious as he plucked the scroll from Dex's hands. He studied it for only a moment, his brow furrowed, before pressing the scroll against his left hand. A small hole appeared in Hoseforn's palm and he pushed the scroll into it, the hole disappearing once the scroll was fully inside. "Well done as always Dex. Maurine, please gather the rest of the staff. The welcoming feast will be beginning soon." Mari nodded her head slowly, trying to erase the horrible feeling that the scroll had left in her stomach. She knew that Hoseforn was only trying to distract her from the scroll, but it was a distraction she was more then happy to indulge in.

As she turned to leave she spotted a thin, red skinned young man with large goat like horns protruding from his head. His clothes looked filthy and ragged and a lute was strapped securely to his back. He looked more like he belonged in a alleyway somewhere then at an elite school for adventurers. "What is it?" Asked Dex as he stepped over to the edge of the balcony. "I believe I just spotted Maya's little project." Maurine said before slithering off to gather the rest of the staff.

---

Rodrick walked tentatively down the path towards, what he hoped, was Hoseforn's main hall. One hand held that strange scroll he had found some weeks ago, and the other held onto the strap of his lute, as if he would need it to ward off an incoming attack. There was a part of him that felt like this had to be some cruel joke. He had never applied to Hoseforn's. He had never even dreamed to apply to Hoseforn's to be honest. He lacked the money, skill, or influence required to enter, so why would they have reached out to him? It had to be either a prank or a mistake.

"I came all this way, might as well see for myself." He mumbled to himself.

Rodrick moved apprehensively into the Main Hall, and was met with the strangest sight he had ever seen. In the center of the room was an enormous crystal. The crystal was roughly two stories tall with a giant beam of light flowing into the bottom of it. The crystal was surrounded on all sides by separated booths and students were standing in them, seemingly speaking to the crystal. Hesitantly, Rodrick moved towards the crystal and stepped into an empty booth. A shimmering rainbow of color appeared before. It looked almost like a cloud, and it glowed with each word it spoke. "Greeting's new student. I am Athena. Welcome to Hoseforn's Academy for Gifted Adventurers. Please present your acceptance scroll now."

"Uhhh.o..kay." Rodrick said, slightly blindsided by the enormous talking crystal. He held up the scroll, feeling as if this is were any hope he had of a new life would come crashing down on him. A small beam of light flashed over the scroll, and strange glyphs that had not been visible before glowed brightly. "Letter accepted. Welcome Rodrick Malentine." The acceptance letter changed suddenly into a, what Rodrick could only assume, was a map of the school. A multi colored line was drawn from the main building to one of the buildings on the outskirts of the school. "This is a map of the school grounds, your dorm number is 634. A fresh uniform and any supplies you require will be waiting for you. Please change...bathe... and return to the Main Hall within an hour and a half for the welcoming feast. Attendance is mandatory."

Rodrick had lots of questions. Was this a dream? Where had the scroll come from? Why did this crystal have a name and why was it speaking to him? But there was one question had bothered him for weeks, but he had been to afraid to ask. "How am I supposed to pay for all of this? I don't have any money." The crystal halted for a moment, before flashing again. "Your time at Hoseforn's has been covered by an anonymous donor. We require no money from you for the foreseeable future." This only raised more questions in Rodrick's mind, but it would have to wait. With the map held in his hand, he made his way towards his new dorm. The tiniest spark of hope forming in his heart.

---

There was a commotion outside the academy walls as three horses rode towards the main gate. Two with single riders, a female and male, riding on either side of a horse with two riders. The commotion was about one thing in particular, the girl with long pink ears and tail riding behind the white haired boy. No one has seen anything like her before and it was clear that they were all interested. It was an afterthought that a famous Adventurer was escorting them.

This was the reason they were escorted, Fenros and his wife Tanya wanted to make sure they were safe on the road. The route they chose so Selena could see the country. Though every small village they passed it was the same thing, they were the center of attention because no one had seen a Kitsune before.

Not that Selena noticed. She was so entranced with seeing all the new sights, sounds and smells; the stares didn’t bother her. Her arms wrapped around Finn's waist as she tilted her head far back, so far that if she let go of Finn, she would have fallen off the horse. Her eyes wide open amazed by the sheer size of the walls. None of the walls of her island were ever that big. Her nose twitched as she smelt something delicious. Her tail flicking as her head followed her nose. Till she saw a booth with smoke coming from the side of it, meat was sizzling on sticks over it.

She was about to ask if they could try it but before she could they came to a stop. She looked over to Mrs. Reinheart as she spoke up. ”My goodness, it’s been a while hasn’t it? “ She said looking towards her husband. ”It’s hard to imagine Ms. Maya, and Ms. Rickter is still teaching here all these years. I doubt they wouldn’t even recognize us.“

” That’s probably true, you’ve somehow gotten even more beautiful over all these years.” Fenros said with a smirk.

Finn closed his eyes and let his head drop."DAD. Come on you just had to wait ten more minutes before being weird again." He said slightly exhausted. This only gained a hearty chuckle from his father and giggles from his mother. Selena just smiled thinking it was adorable how Finn's parents loved each other and often showed their love just to make things awkward around Finn.

”You know he had to get one more in Finny…“ His mother said before reaching over and almost pulling Finn off his horse with a hug. At which Finn grew embarrassed at all the on lookers. .” Mom!” .” Oh come now, you can spare your mother a final hug. You are my baby after all.” She said quickly before Finn let out a huff and allowed her to hug him a moment longer. Before she turned to Selena.

.”You be safe. If you need anything, don't be afraid to write to us. Ok? She said as she reached over and gave Selena a hug as well. To which Selena returned it, holding back a tear. She had never received this much love from her own mother...she never remembered a time when she actually hugged her own mother. ”Yes… I write many letters...I Make sure Finn is good as well!” She said with a big smile, with her tail sweeping from side to side. Her smile only to grow bigger with Finn groaning to himself.

Finn's mother gave Selena a smile and let out a shuddering sigh. Holding back her own tears as she fanned herself with her hand. Fenros gave his son and Selena a smile and a nod each before Finn clicked his tongue and urged his horse forward into a walk through front gates.

Selena looked back to see Finn’s parents watching for a moment before turning away themselves. She could feel Finn taking a few deep breaths as he prepared himself. A few moments later they stopped in front of a stable, at which Finn kicked his right leg over his horses head and slid off the left side. Turning around and holding the stirrups while patting his horse's neck. Looking to Selena as she slid off the left side with a tiny oof.

He then pulled his bow off the right side of the horse's saddle and spun it over his right shoulder with a well practiced motion, easily hooking to the loop on his back. While he did this Selena pulled her small pack, as well as Finn’s while he spoke to the stable boy. Once done he grabbed his own bag with a thanks and they made their way to the main entrance.

Selena walked close to Finn on his left side, Her ears twitching almost to every sound. It was a lot to take in at first. When they entered the main doors and saw the enormous Crystal her eyes were bright at her amazement. Especially when she noticed it was talking. She quickly grabbed onto Finn's prosthetic arm and shook him slightly asking in her own tongue excitedly. as she glanced at Finn and back to the crystal. What is that large crystal called? How is it talking?!

Finn smiled and shook his head, answering her in her same tongue. "I...not know. I never seen something like that. He looked to the other students who were offering it their acceptance scroll. "Give it the letter.." He said pulling his own acceptance letter out and shaking it in his hand.

Selena nodded and quickly pulled it out, making her way to an open both as she dragged Finn along with her into it. Causing Finn to redden at how close they were together. But it seemed to not bother Selena.

"Greeting's new student. I am Athena. Welcome to Hoseforn's Academy for Gifted Adventurers. Please present your acceptance scroll now."

Selena quickly unrolled the scroll and presented it with both hands as flat as she could, showing it to Athena Is..Is this.. She was about to ask if it was good to see when she let out a loud Yip when she was cut off by a light that scanned her letter.

"Letter accepted. Welcome Selena Vixen." Selena and Finn watched as Selena’s acceptance letter changed before them into a map.

"This is a map of the school grounds, your dorm number is 658. A fresh uniform and any supplies you require will be waiting for you. Please change... Bathe... and return to the Main Hall within an hour and a half for the welcoming feast. Attendance is mandatory."

Selena frowned. Looking down at herself and sniffing clearly confused with a frown on her face.. ”I smell? How I smell?” Her face reddened when she realized she said that in front of Finn. “I swear, I bathed in river this morning!” She said embarrassed.

This only made Finn turn red and scratch the back of his head. “You smell just fine Selena. I’m sure it’s just the same message for all students. Not that he tried to sniff her. He could smell the herbs she had used this morning. Quite clearly.

He quickly offered his acceptance letter to the crystal as well, hopefully proving to her his theory.

Thankfully it was. The only change was the room number of 645. Finn let out a breath as they exited the booth. The two of them making their way to the dorms. Passing many interesting people as they did.

Selena was glad there was a feast soon. She was already hungry. But perhaps she would take that bath beforehand to relax. And to make sure she really didn’t smell and Finn was just being nice. The mention of a bath though made her long for the baths back home...the large hot springs that felt soo good.

They split up to go to each of their dorms, Selena saying she would meet Finn at his room after so they could go to the main hall together for dinner.

Selena immediately dropped her bag on her bed and went to find the baths wanting as much time as she could to make sure she didn’t stink. Not even taking a moment to look around or look at her new uniform.

Riding in a carriage was a lot more enjoyable than walking. The ability to look out and observe everything around the carriage whilst not worry about the huffing of breath after walking long distances, particularly for those that frequented armour upon their persons, was quite appealing; walking did have it's own benefits, though Valencia Coquerdale was happy enough to sit and wait for the carriage to arrive at it's destination. That is, sit still. Very still. Motionless, in fact. Enough so that perhaps the staff of Hoseforn's Academy may question whether her particular carriage was delivering a student or a statue. The armour definitely helped Valencia fit into the latter. The wings, too, might have helped were they not tucked in underneath the plates. Valencia just hoped that the uniform that she'd be receiving was comfortable enough.

Finally, the carriage came to a halt, and the coachman (so wonderfully provided by her father along with the carriage itself) announced that they had reached their destination, the front of the Academy. It almost embarrassed her that she had to be escorted to the Academy like this, for she knew that the coachman was also there to tell her father how she had acted on the trip, to keep an eye on her during it, as if she was not her own woman and capable of handling herself. She knew this because she had opted for riding a horse of her own to the Academy, and let it settle in the stable for the duration of her stay for whenever she would need to ride, however her father had overruled it. She supposed she had to thank him for not providing a full escort of some frustrating mercenary group or the likes, creatures flapping around like she was an empress, for that would probably have ensured she didn't come home and instead live out the rest of her days pretending to be a statue out of embarrassment. Stepping out of the carriage, Valencia dismissed the coachman, watching him as he rode away. Only as he entered the distance did she notice a quad of heavily armoured horsemen following on behind the carriage, and corrected her earlier thought; although she wasn't being directly escorted, her father had definitely assigned guards to follow behind. Smart, and thoughtful.

Turning her attention to the Academy itself, Valencia took in everything that was in front of her. The grounds were beautiful, both for their picturesque visuals and for the freedom that they granted her. Here, she was free of the metaphorical chains that her father had on her. Well, she was certain that provided enough push, he'd try to keep an eye on her and her progress, but it was a pleasant thought, at least. Valencia was certainly not the first to arrive, she saw plenty of other people also around, and she was smart enough to pick out the students that had been here before from the first years such as herself; Those that had their uniforms already on, and thus already had uniforms in the first place, were quite obviously ones that had already been around. First years such as herself, and some of the other unsystematically-dressed individuals fumbling their way around, did not have said uniform yet. Such an identifying difference was due to vanish by the end of the first day, she knew. The young woman began to walk, ignoring glances from those who had an interest in the intricately-patterned dark steel armour, or perhaps even those who had an inkling of who she was and where she hailed from.

Entering the Main Hall, Valencia paused to savour the grandeur of the room, before her eyes settled on the most prominent feature, the crystal. It was enormous, and she had to take a few moments just to imagine who had the idea of shoving the thing inside of the building, barely questioning how they managed to do it. Following the lead of other students, Valencia trotted her way towards one of the booths that circumferenced the crystal, passing an embarrassed first year student who seemed to be grouching to another equally embarrassed first year about how they smelled - going to a school publicly certainly seemed like it would be interesting, judging by that interaction. The whole ordeal of the crystal was piquing her curiosity however, and she was quite excited to see what would happen when she stepped inside the booth - to which the answer was the greeting from Athena. Like the other students, Valencia was asked to present her acceptance scroll, and once she had done so, was informed of her dorm number - 658 - and told to change, bathe, and return to the Main Hall. The note at the end almost made her wonder how long Hoseforn's Academy had been standing. Attendance is mandatory. Her father frequented the use of such a phrase, and it made Valencia wonder if her father had been to Hoseforn's Academy before her. "Thank you for your assistance, Athena," Valencia spoke smoothly, once her ordeal with Athena was complete. She stood in the booth for a few more moments, just taking in the crystal and the room itself, before proceeding to use her newfound map to make her way towards the dorms.

Soon enough, Valencia made her way along the halls of the dorms, searching for her own, and adjusting the strap of the pack that was over her shoulders. She had considered taking her armour into the school some other way so that she didn't have to carry both it and the bag. However, upon leaving home, she had decided that she would have a much better time if she just wore the armour and carried the bag at the same time, in order to ensure the safe journey of both her personal belongings, and of the armour itself, too. Her eyes constantly flickered down to the scroll and then back up to the dorm numbers, following them along and counting out in her head along with the signs. 684... 655... 656... 657... Foxgirl! Valencia stopped dead in her tracks as she almost ran into one of the students that she had noticed earlier, the one that had been talking about her smell. "Oh, hello!" Valencia says, stepping back to give the other person room. It was then that Valencia noticed that the other had actually been coming from the room that she had been assigned. Oh. A roommate. This will be... Pleasant.

Arn had returned from his daily work at the shrine on the Fort’s compound to a curious scroll sitting neatly on his humble bed. Clerics, just like any other military member, had spartan accommodations. This meant that their rooms had no locks and could be easily accessible to anyone. Theft was heavily frowned upon and discouraged via lashings or sometimes even worse, cutting off the offender’s hand.

Easy access to habitations did not really give others the right to enter other’s rooms. After a quick talk with the Barracks Seargant, none had been able to even identify a possible culprit. His superior, Master Hardal spoke simple yet very wise words. “Why don’t you just go to Hoseforne’s Academy and find what that is all about.” So a long journey later, made longer due to the fact that he could not simply borrow any of the War Boars or Great Goats that his military units employed.

However, the two month land journey enabled him to help people on the road and receive rides from travelers, farmers etc and experience life outside the cloistered walls of the Iron Gates Fort. it had been high time he initiated his Tempering anyways. Perhaps, it had even been a ploy from his wise master to get him out and into the world. This latter was not entirely unplausible.

Whatever the case, here he was here now, starting at the impressive architecture of Hoseforne’s. He was dressed in his everyday Gambesson, a black sort of jacket with matching black pants. His pack contained his armor, a few travel rations and most important of all, his Warhammer. His Warhammer was a sight to behold. Intricately engraved though none of the runes had been active for quite some time. It could also be considered a maul but thanks to his dwarven strength, Arn was able to wield it in one hand.

As he took he steps towards the Main Hall, he noticed a bulky warrior type purposefully bump into a person who could only be a magic user based on the dress and light body frame. Though Arn had no particular love or hate relationship with mages, he could not stand by and abide any sort of disrespect, especially for purely prejudiced purposes.

To pay back the other burly offender, he stepped into the person’s path. Thanks to his low stature, bulk and innate strength, bumping into the dwarf was like bumping into a small boulder. The offending warrior emitted an audible grunt as he was not expecting the collision. The human uttered an audible curse and looked down at the dwarf. Arn merely looked up and said calmly. “My apologies. Please be careful. You could get hurt bumping into people like that.” The other man gave the cleric a mean look but decided against any further altercation and moved along muttering under his breath.

Arn followed him with his gaze until the bulky man was out of sight in the mass of people and continued into the Main Hall. Despite having seen the majestic halls of his people under Iron Keep which boasted awe inspiring columns and architecture, even he could not help but widen his eyes and take in his breath at the sight of the magic crystal that command the Main Hall. It was more than the beautiful gem like exterior, his own limited magic affinity seemed to hum. For as many knew or rumored, anything that glints is a dwarf’s weakness.

The young cleric’s eyes scanned the room and identified cubicles that had many people going in and out of them. He found it interesting and impressive that such a great amount of people were able to keep from falling into chaos. Yet something inside him had known that he was to come here and he had somehow known that the cubicles were for sorting people. His logical and tactical mind made notes of this. This sort of efficiency would be helpful in other applications, such as triage.

He proceeded to an available line and waited patiently for his turn. Many students around him grumbled on the wait but the dwarf was used to this. Lines and the military were like inseparable lovers. So he inched along, straight backed and stoic faced until it was finally his turn. He entered the booth. Suddenly there was a voice that seemed to be speaking directly to his mind. He was surprised but the only physical evidence of that was the slight straightening of his back.

"Greeting's new student. I am Athena. Welcome to Hoseforn's Academy for Gifted Adventurers. Please present your acceptance scroll now."

“Yes ma’am” Arn replied smartly and he efficiently produced the scroll that had started it all. A light scanned the document and the female voice sounded in his head again.

"Letter accepted. Welcome Arn Thurson of the Stonehammer clan Vassals of the Battlehammer Clan.”

Arn lifted one eyebrow at how accurate Athena had addressed him following the dwarven protocols. He expressed his impressed feeling by nodding ever so slightly towards the small jewel in a sign of respect. Inanimate object it may be but it deserved to be acknowledged.

"This is a map of the school grounds, your dorm number is 785. A fresh uniform and any supplies you require will be waiting for you. Please change...bathe... and return to the Main Hall within an hour and a half for the welcoming feast. Attendance is mandatory."

“Understood.” His baritone voice again said properly and he exited the booth looking at his map and following the highlighted path to his room.

He moved like a stone amongst the tide of students. He saw many familiar and unique sights. There was even a point when he thought he saw a girl with pink hair and fox ears? He had no time to verify this as the sea of people swallowed her up. Shrugging, he continued down the rows of apartments to one labeled with the appropriate range.

The young dwarf moved from floor to floor until finally he was at his appointed room. He placed a hand upon the door experimentally and heard an audible click. Again, his eyebrows raised appreciatively. He was about to enter when his nose caught the scent of something scrumptious. He identified the smell coming from a blonde mage type entering a room a few doors down.

His stomach grumbled, having eaten only bland travel rations. He was glad that there would soon be a feast. Dwarves were known for their hearty appreciation of good food and good drink. Trained and shaped to be a deadly force, this did not mean that the young dwarf did not indulge in good food when available.

Inside the room he could see a humble but efficient set up. The room was much bigger than his own habitation back at the Fort but it had no fancy flourishes. He directed his attention to one of the stand up closets and was happy to find that there was even a place to set his armor for easy cleaning and storage. He continued to unpack his sparse belongings, an extra pair of everyday Gambesson and a ceremonial Doublet that was meant to be used for grand ceremonies.

The crystal had mentioned a school uniform. “I wonder if I am to wear my uniform to the feast or if I am required to wear my ceremonial garb?” Unknown to him, there were even small versions of Athena in the rooms and through out the school. This sort of comunication system would be quite lusted after by any military.

---

---

Selena was just in her room for less than a minute before going to check for the large baths. She heard there were two types from Mrs. Reinheart. A large bath filled with hot water, as well as a waterfall of sorts of hot water as well. Not a real waterfall as Mrs. Reinheart clearly said three times. Selena was used to cleaning herself before getting into a bath with a bucket. But Mrs. Reinheart said people would often just use the shower to clean themselves while in it. This was unheard of on her island. She simply had to see it.

She made sure to grab her towel and herbal soap. Then quickly made for the door. Only to suddenly be stopped in her tracks as soon as she opened it. She let out a small yelp as she was not expecting anyone there. Her face red with embarrassment at that said yelp.

She then heard the girl say hello. Her hair long and silver, which complemented her porcelain skin quite well. She would have been more surprised at her hair color for a human if she had not met Finn and his mother. Both with white hair despite their age. Her ears folding back with her face still red. “Sorry… Almost walk into you.” she sighed and smiled as her ears popped back up once more with a quick bow of her head. She added as she looked back at the girl standing infront of her. ”Hello. I...am Selena Vixen. It is...nice to meet you.” she managed to say with a clear heavy forign accent.

She then realized the girl was standing infront of her door and it clicked with the two beds inside. Her face brightened as her eyes grew wider. Her tail flicking side to side as her ears perked straight up. ”You are Roomate? Mine yes?” She was excited for the concept of rooming with another girl. She always had her own room growing up.

@datadogie

Rodrick

Rodrick found his way to his room without much effort. A magical map that led you right to were you needed to be was quite amazing at making life easy. The dorms were large and all located on the outskirts of the campus. As Rodrick passed by building he couldn't help but wonder at the grandeur of it all. Everything looked so clean, almost impossibly so. No only was it clean it felt...alive. Like the entire campus was humming with something that Rodrick couldn't quite put his finger on.

The young tiefling found what he assumed to be his dorm building. Out in the hall was an interesting collection of characters, all heading towards their respective rooms. He quickly, and somewhat nervously, noticed that there was a large mix of both male students. Were the dorm's co-ed?

Choosing not to think about that right now Rodrick quickly started counting down the door numbers. "634.......634......6...30...4 Here." He whispered to himself. As he reached out and touched the door nob he felt something click. Had the door just unlocked itself? How odd. He pushed the door open and looked at his new room. The room wasn't overly large but it was certainly spacious. He noticed a comfy looking bed, a desk, and large wardrobe. Books, papers, quills and ink were all stacked on top of the desk. In the other corner was a simple looking door, but when Rodrick opened it he let out a small gasp. A bath...THERE WAS A BATH. How long hat it been since Rodrick had gotten to take a REAL bath. He quickly put down his lute and rushed over to the large tub. He ran his hand around the edges of the tub. For a moment he wondered how he was supposed to get the hot water when he spotted the knob on the end of the tub. Slowly, as if scared it might explode, he turned the knob, and watched in wonder as steaming hot water poured out.

Barely able to control his excitement, Rodrick tore off his tattered and filthy clothes and hopped into the tub. It was like years of hardship were being peeled off of his body. This wasn't simple hot water. Pain he had forgotten he was feeling melted away. As he scrubbed himself he noticed that the dirt and grime came off far easier then he had expected. Was even the water in this place magic?

After a while Rodrick finally peeled himself out of the bath. He found a fantastically fluffy and soft and fluffy towel sitting nearby and wrapped it around himself. He looked down at the ragged, decrepit clothes he had been wearing. If he was being honest with himself they probably needed to be burned. He wandered over to the wardrobe. Hadn't the giant talking crystal told him a uniform would be waiting for him. He opened the wardrobe to find a stunning uniform staring back at him. It was sleek and black. A long sleeved black shirt with the Hoseforn emblem embroidered in gold sat next to a black coat with golden pads on the shoulders. Some cream colored pants and a new pair of black boots finished off the outfit and a small red cape finished off the outfit.

He hesitated only a moment before putting the uniform on. It fit perfectly! That wasn't an exaggeration either, it actually fit perfectly. It fit snuggly against his skin without restricting any movement. It was soft and comfortable, but felt thick and sturdy. Were these made magically too? They almost had to be.

Rodrick sat on his bed with a sigh. He felt overwhelmed. This whole thing felt like a dream, one he prayed he wasn't going to wake up from. He never would have imagined anything like this was possible. He wondered who his secret benefactor had been. Why would anyone have wasted their time with him? Was it something his mother had done before she passed? She never would have had enough money to pay for a place like this.

A solemn sadness started to creep over him. He had never been able to stop missing her. He wished for the thousandth time that he could talk to her just one more time. He wished he could hear her voice, or feel her hugging him, just one more time.

Without really realizing what he was doing, Rodrick picked up his lute and began to play. The music came naturally to him at this point in life. He didn't think about what he was doing, he just poured his emotions into his lute. This was always his coping mechanism. Music stopped him from falling further into the sadness that he had feared would swallow him whole one day and allowed him to express himself in way words had never been able to.

Rodrick didn't play for long. Some part of him knew that he needed to get down to the main hall again. He certainly didn't want to risk being late. Carefully, Rodrick placed his lute on his bed and grabbed his map, and stepped out of his dorm into the hall, hoping that he was ready for what came next.

The magic shard on the wall between the beds seemed to glow once outside the vision of the young dwarf. Young by dwarven standards that is. His beard, only palm long, was a far cry from those dwarves who had lived near 200 or more years. Though not as long lived as the near immortal elves, some dwarves had been known to live to almost 500 years old. However, due to their constant quarrels with Orcs, other races, and sometimes even themselves, the great majority of dwarves tended to be between 200 and 300 years of age.

This long life in comparison to some demi humans, humanoids, and humans, meant that they had long memories which were slow to change. Since most dwarves were not very adept at magic, many saw magic users as devious and to an extent cowardly. Clerics, rune users, and shamans were sort of exempt as the magic was very practical and applied in a religious sort of level rather than a mystical sense.

Many dwarves would have smashed the orb immediately. Arn himself would have been wary of such a sentient magical device being in his room. As it was, when the gentle and cordial voice of Athena spoke from somewhere to his side, Arn automatically stepped further away from the sound and immediately started to reach for the hidden dagger in his boot while he scanned the room.

“Students have a choice between utilizing one of the student uniforms provided in the top drawer of your dresser or any other garment you may have brought for the Initiation Feast.”

Arn looked about and quickly identified the Orb. He stood up but did not approach or sheath his dagger again. “My apologies Lady Athena, you startled me.” Then with a more controlled voice he inquired. “I assumed your jurisdiction extended no further than the Main Hall. Apparently I was mistaken.” The young dwarf used politeness to mask his irritation at having a device that could indeed be helpful but could also be used to monitor him.

“Various locations are available through out the campus for the convenience of the students.”

The cleric stared at the orb but finally decided that it would be impossible to read an inanimate object no matter how interactive it may be. He shrugged and proceeded to give the uniforms provided a look over. The colors were much too flashy in comparison to the reserved ones utilized by the dwarven military. He also did not know the purpose of the scarf but he would wear it regardless.

The young dwarf appreciated the need for a school uniform. With the myriad of students, all different shapes and sizes. He placed the uniform on his bed and finding himself a towel proceeded to exit meaning to find a communal bath like he had on the military. Instead, after walking down and up the hall, he found no bath. Returning to his room, the young cleric realized there was yet an other door. could it be? Could this place be so lavish that each dorm room has a bath all of its own? The answer was a resounding yes.

This made him a bit melancholic as he was used to an open shower where all the cadets had shared a quick bath during only specific hours. This time however, the bath had a tub and a stall, a place to hang your towel and a place to hang your caddy. A very shiny mirror with some innate light hung over a very nice vanity and sink. There were also toiletries provided. Arn had only brought a small bag of sweet smelling sand. The military cadet decided to stick with what he knew for now. He was done much faster than the average person due to his training of quick showers to conserve water. He did not even wait for the water to warm up.

Finally refreshed after two months of travel, he returned to the shared room to change into the school uniform. He found it interesting that his uniform fit him perfectly. It was not too tight or too loose. These curiosities and the way that the school seemed to cater and know exactly what the students need it put him a bit on edge. He looked at himself on the provided full length mirror. He raised an eyebrow. He actually looked nice.

He spent more time on his beard that the whole bathing and dressing. Using a natural bristle comb, he brushed his beard tenderly and careful. Every one knows that a dwarf’s bear is his pride. The single braid the only adornment to his dark brown beard. He fidget with it a bit then patted it to rest with the remainder of his beard. His half pony tail was nice and tight with the rest of his hair falling as if with a skirt.

Being only a cadet, he still had all his hair. Veteran campaigners used to being in battle helmets for a long time sported balding or bald heads. Indeed, though he sported a beard, the facial features of the young dwarf marked him as one having just barely reached adulthood. He took a deep breath and turning sharply on his heels turned towards the door and headed to the feasting hall following the directions of the interactive map scroll.

He was of course a bit early. Thankfully he was not the only one. A pair of magely looking youths also seemed to have the decency of arriving early to an event.

---

---

The foxgirl’s accent was… Quite different. Definitely not from anywhere local, and there were definite signs that English was not her language. Valencia swore that she had heard somewhere about some kind of fox-like race, however she couldn’t really pull any other bits of knowledge from her mind - likely she had either heard of them or read of them in passing; such tended to happen when tutors were trying to pour as much knowledge as they could into your mind in an attempt to please their benefactor. Particularly when that benefactor was known for committing deeds of evil, and they had no clue if they would fall victim to such if they failed in their task.

At the very least, this Selena seemed to be happy that she had gotten a roommate, based on that cheery expression. Valencia herself was unsure about how she felt - she hadn’t had to room with anyone else before, nor did she have much social experience that wasn’t filled with eloquence and elegance, courtesy of her father. Whether she liked it or not, Valencia knew that it was at the very least going to be an interesting experience. Perhaps she could try and keep her family name a secret, though she doubted it - if anyone put the name Valencia and One of the only people, perhaps the only person, to have Gargoyle features together, they’d likely come to a very realistic conclusion.

Still, Valencia believed that it was worth it to try. No harm done if they figured it out in the end, right? By then, she’ll have made a name of herself as a good person. “My name is Valencia,” she says, giving a little bow of her head to Selena. “It’s nice to meet you too. I do believe you’re correct in the assumption that we’re roommates, unless this academy is so magical that the moment I step through the door I’m magically shoved into a different room,” she says.

Selena’s smile strained just slightly, her eyes scrunched up while her head tilted ever so little to this side. Looking quite confused as she seemed to process the saying. After placing a finger on her lips and then asked “Is that not how doors work? You open door and you are in new room? How is it Magic..al? “ Selena clearly misunderstood.

“That… Was a joke,” Valencia responds, after a half-moment of just staring at Selena. She was just a touch concerned that Selena couldn’t understand it, but she mentally shook her head. She didn’t know if that was just because she was used to joking to the servants back home, and that people outside of the estate’s walls didn’t joke as much within a serious, harsh world. Looking past Selena, Valencia began to examine her room from the doorway.

Selena groaned inwardly when Valencia said it was a joke. Hopefully she didn’t think she was an idiot...she just couldn't decipher the language quickly, even after a year. She nervously smiled again with a sad attempt at a chuckle. Before she realized she was still just standing in the doorway. She quickly moved to the side inside the room and bowed her head a couple times “Sorry! I still in the way.”

“Oh, no problem,” Valencia replies, despite the contrary - she likely would not have been able to fit past the other girl, not because of any personal width but because of the slight bulk that her armour provided her. Any attempt to slip past might have unintentionally turned into a shove just due to the weight of both her and her armour. It was also due to this fact that once she entered the room, she took a step to the side, just in case Selena still intended to leave even after she had entered. From there, she silently let her eyes wander around the room, though at the end, they flitted between the bathroom door and the towel that Selena was holding. “Stealing towels?” Valencia tries another joke.

Selena watched her for a moment before deciding that this was the moment to make her escape. She turned to walk out when she heard Valencia suddenly ask a question. Her tail straightened as she tensed. She took a moment and turned around, as if double checking she did take a towel which wasn’t hers...but clearly she didn’t because she took it from her bag.. Darting her eyes out to the hall then back to her new roommate she smiled. ”Ehhh no. I um… was looking for main bath.” she said with a small laugh. Oh Goddess….herself... why was she so bad at making friends.

The result of Selena’s words was another glance down at the towel and then back at the bathroom from Valencia in slight confusion. A main bath? Valencia was more used to private bathrooms, of which there was one right there. A quick trot over to the bathroom door and peeking inside confirmed the present of a shower-bath. Stepping back from the bathroom, she turned to lean against its doorframe, staring at the other girl inquisitively. “You do know we have a bath here, right?” She asks.

Selena tilted her head to the side as she watched Valencia trot over to a door. After she opened it and looked inside she turned back around confirming there was a bath in their room. Selena blinked multiple times before slowly moving over and peaking around Valencia. Her eyes wide as she noticed a tub and long pole with a flat thing and many holes coming out of it. Was that the waterfall Mrs. Reinheart spoke about. ”Eh?” her eyes darted from the bath to her roommate and back... then towards the hall then back in checking for other doors. “This is... She looked confused This is bad place for main bath… others walk through our room to use it? She asked, her eyes wide as she looked up to Valencia.

Valencia wanted to hide her face in her hands at that last comment, though she had to press against the doorway for Selena to have room to peek around the imposing presence of her armour. At this point, it was clear that it wasn’t a class problem, more-so that it was a locality problem. Things were clearly different from where Selena was from, in that she appeared absolved in the belief that there was a primary bath for all to use. Valencia sincerely hoped that she wasn’t going to have to show Selena how to operate a shower, because if that was the case, she’d prefer to send Selena out to find the Main Bath in the hopes that she was able to shower and dress before Selena got back.

“No, no, this isn’t the main bath,” the silver-haired girl responded, offering a shake of her head. “This is our bath. There might be a main bath out there, but we do have a bath of our own here. And a shower,” Valencia replies, motioning over to those of which she spoke of.

The confusion in her eyes melted away as she began to understand. ”Ooooh” She was intrigued. All the rooms had their own baths? That was unheard of on her island. There was a bathhouse in every village. “We do not have private baths where I grew up. Just bathhouses. Very very big baths.” She said, widening her hands to emphasize her statement.

“Do you mind? I use first? “ She asked with her cheeks turning quite red. While she was too nervous to ask how to make the shower work, maybe she could figure it out by the time the water got hot...if not she would ask Finn.

We’re going to be late if she can’t figure out how things work, Valencia thought to herself. Bathhouses would likely always have the water in them, so who knew if Selena even knew how to turn on a tap. It was her first day at the Academy, so Valencia did not want to be late to the main hall. There was just a touch of hesitation, before Valencia gently took Selena’s arm and tugged her toward the bathroom.

“We’re going to double check you know how this works, alright?” Valencia says. Speed wasn’t the only reason why she wanted to check - she would admittedly feel a little terrible if Selena decided to turned into a boiled fox. Releasing Selena’s arm, Valencia began to point to the knobs of both the shower and the bath to walk the fox through them. “You turn those ones for it to get hotter, and those ones for it to get colder. You can move the showerhead so it’s pointed wherever you prefer best, like if you want to stand up close or a little further back. Also, this,” Valencia tugs a little on the shower curtain. “Need to be closed while you shower, if you decide to shower, so you don’t spill water everywhere. Does that all make sense?”

Selena only turned more red when Valencia took her arm. Apparently she wasn’t confident enough looking that she figured out she didn’t know how to use it. She simply nodded as her ears folded down and her tail curled up around her right leg and up against her chest. She nodded and gave confirmation “hmms” As she was shown how it worked. As Valencia finished and looked to her she nodded again with a small smile. Yes yes… THANK YOU” She said with a warm humm afterwards and bowed her head quickly.

She realized she couldn’t relax if they had to share this bathtub. Her lips pursed and scrunched to the side. That is a sad thing. Perhaps she could draw up another bath after. “I promise I do quick.” She added as her tail unfurled and swayed slightly at the same time her ears popped straight up.

Valencia gave Selena a look that clearly showed her confidence in the foxgirl’s last statement. Then, she smiled. “Alright, Selena. You be quick, then,” Valencia replies. With that, she walked out of the bathroom, shut the bathroom door behind her, and internally groaned. Having a roommate was going to be a challenge, she could only hope that Selena didn’t snore at nights - that would just make things unbearable, but at least now Selena seemed willing to learn how to use modern devices. The shower. With that, Valencia began to take off her armour, piece by piece, placing it on an armour stand that was clearly there for that purpose. Valencia would take off the undersuit once it was time to hop in the shower herself. Her sword, however, she rested beside her bed. Even if she wasn’t going to be wearing her armour when she went to the main hall, Lazarus was going to be coming with her.

Selena gave a nervous chuckle at the show of confidence Valencia had on her face. Once she left Selena in the bathroom she began to undress, neatly folding her clothing and placing it on the counter in the room. Once done she went to the bathtub and turned on the hot water, quickly pulling the curtain over just so she didn’t forget. She was surprised at how quickly the water grew hot. As she could feel the heat of the steam already. Was there a hot spring just under the academy? She placed her hand under and involuntarily let out a yip. It was hotter than she expected, but she smiled. She was used to the hot waters of the spring of the mountain. Even though it was always a dance of sorts getting in and getting used to it.

She turned the knob for the ‘shower’... honestly...why shower...waterfall sounds better. She pulled back quickly as she got sprayed with her head sticking in. Giggling at the surprise. She hopped in, and after the same dance of getting her feet then hands wet, fully went under the hot water. Letting out a satisfied sigh. She could get used to this. Normally they would just use buckets to dump water over them to get the soap off. The thought of this jolted her in remembering she was to be quick. She turned to look for the soap quickly. Valencia who would have been hearing all of this surely would have heard a startled yelp and deep thud.

“Ooooowwwww” She moaned as she slowly pulled herself up. Rubbing her hip. Thankfully she didn’t hit her head...but her arm and side were sore from the slip. After getting used to it for a moment she then turned the water off, lathering herself up before turning it on again.

Once done she shook her hair and tail, getting as much water as she could out. Then she got out and dried off. She could barely see with all the steam but she managed to get her clothes and opened the door. True to her word she was quick. She let out a warm hum and smiled. Her skin red from the heat of the hot water. It appeared she enjoyed being boiled. “Done! Thank you Valencia!.” She only hoped she didn’t hear the fall. As she moved around her towards her bed and placed her clothes neatly next to her swords that she had laid out on them.

By the time that Selena came out of the shower, Valencia had unpacked her bag, and placed the bag itself into an empty chest so that it wasn’t sitting around. Valencia herself was laying on top of her bed, having just been listening and waiting for Selena to finish up in the bathroom; That being said, she had definitely heard the thud, and her gaze turned to the fox as she exited the bathroom. “Thank me? Thank you for being speedy,” Valencia replies. As she got up and walked to the bathroom, she asked, “Didn’t bump yourself too badly, did you?”

Selena froze as she was untying her own bag. Her ears fell and tail tucked between her legs. Her fear came true. She turned around and gave a nervous smile with her head slightly down. “N-no… I fine.” she tried to chuckle softly. “I did not...Realize? That tub slippery when wet.” She finished while brushing her hair from her face. Her skin somehow was even more red than before.

“Indeed, tubs do tend to be a bit slippery,” Valencia says, taking note to check how much soap there was in the tub. Shutting the bathroom door behind herself, Valencia slipped off her remaining apparel, and took a moment to stretch her wings a little, having had them trapped under her shirt for a while. It wasn’t painful, and she could go for as long as she wanted without needing to stretch them, but boy did it feel good to flex them a little bit.

With that having been done, Valencia reached over and turned on the water with the curtain somewhat closed, in order to test the water and make sure it got to a temperature that she liked before she entered the shower; she didn’t want to boil herself as much as Selena clearly had with her reddened skin. Once the water was good enough, Valencia climbed into the tub. She took a few minutes to wash herself, including using the soap, rinsed herself off, and then climbed out to dry herself off. Wrapping herself in a towel, Valencia came out of the bathroom. “All done,” she says cheerfully, making her way over to the closet in order to get her uniform.

Now completely embarrassed, Selena covered her face as soon as the door closed. Letting out a groan. She didn’t focus on it too long though, She started to get really cold. She first pulled a rune stone out and applied some mana to it, hot air started to emit from it and she used this to dry her hair, as well as her tail. Once dry enough she brushed them thoroughly.

She moved over to her wardrobe and opened to see the same uniform she saw on other students. She loved how it looked honestly. Though completely different from her style she was used too. As she started putting it on she was surprised at how soft it was. It was not nearly as soft as her silk clothing. But it was still comfortable. It was heavy, but it was also a bit comforting in a way. She finished putting on the armor pads on her shoulders when she started to feel a bit choked. Not that the uniform was too small, she just wasn’t used to it being all the way to her neck. So she unbuckled just the top buckle. She sighed with relief.

It was at this moment Valencia came out, saying she was done. With a bit of cheer on her voice. It would seem they both enjoyed a hot shower. Though she saw her skin was not red at all compared to Selena’s. Odd… But what made her pause and stare for a moment were the wings on Valencia’s back. So… she wasn’t a human. At least, like Finn. She couldn’t pry her eyes off them, as she was so fascinated. They were beautiful, maybe a little scary looking kinda like a bat, but nevertheless, beautiful.. But She never heard of any humanoid species that had wings.

She looked away before Valencia would see her staring. She wanted to ask what she was, but she didn’t want to seem rude. She didn’t know how to even ask that. She almost felt like she was looking at something she wasn’t supposed to see, which made her cheeks warm.

She looked at the skirt. She wasn’t a fan of the criss cross pattern. But she sighed and slipped it on, as well as the long black stockings that went up to her thighs and knee high boots. There were shorter shoes in the wardrobe...but they looked silly. She then took her red obi and wrapped it around her waist, then her belt for her two swords, then her thick knotted belt that covered the sword belt.. She did not put on the cape, she was thankful Mrs. Reinheart told her they were not too strict on the uniforms. Deciding this was enough,

After placing her things in a neat pile she moved to the door. She paused and turned around and asked softly. “I...um… do you want to… go together to feast?”

Valencia was just finished with dressing as Selena asked her the question on going to the feast together - she didn’t truly know that Selena had been staring at her back, though she had a bit of a suspicion; After all, Gargoyle wings were not exactly the most common of things, and admiring what parts strayed from a typical human was the best way to work out what race someone was without asking. For her part, Valencia was wearing the standard black shirt and red scarf, as well as the armoured plates on the shoulders and plaid-like skirt, and like Selena was wearing stockings that went up to her thighs however had opted for shoes instead of boots. Finishing the slipping on of her last shoe, she stood up, and picked up her sword and it’s sheath before turning to Selena.

“Of course,” Valencia replies with a smile, primarily because refusing would have been quite rude, but also because she was going to have to be nice to her roommate and it would be good to learn some more about her and the obviously-quite-strange place that she came from. Valencia leaned over a little, fitting the sheath and sword to her belt, and once that was complete, made her way over to the door. It was then she realised she didn’t actually have a key for the dorm’s door. “No keys?” She asks rhetorically. “I suppose the dorm locks itself if it doesn’t detect either of us or something.”

Selena raised her hands together up and against her chest, a smile on her face when Valencia accepted. She was clearly holding back more excitement than she was showing. Selena feeling that despite her mess ups she was possibly actually making a friend. She turned and opened the door when she heard her ask about the keys and then the door. She nodded as she exited the room “I walked up to door, heard big click and door was open. My hands full of stuff at moment.” She said as if it was such a wonderful thing. Almost like a child.

She stopped and quickly turned around. “Oh sorry, before we go. I must also stop by Finns room so we all go together..” She realized she didnt explain who Finn was. And quickly added. “Finn is close friend, he come to school with me! Is.. Is this ok?” She said with a big smile.

A nod was offered to Selena as a response from Valencia. “Of course, we can go and meet up with Finn,” she replies. She had a feeling she knew who Finn was already - probably the student that Selena had been talking about smells with when Valencia had originally passed her heading towards the crystal with Athena. “Do you know what room he’s in?”

Selena looked extremely pleased.”Yes! Room…...” She paused for a long moment suddenly looking confused. Then as if a bolt of lighting struck her and she quickly said “Six..four...Five.” She then pointed down the way she came from before. Then started walking towards his room. Valencia was quick to follow Selena, closing the door behind both of them.

They rounded the corner and there Finn was, standing in front of his door. While he wore all of his uniform, he also had the top buckle unfastened on his shirt. His leather bandolier/ Chest protector over his shirt, his bow over his back and quiver of arrows on his right hip. Selena Smiled and ran over to him, whilst Valencia just watched as she walked over. “ Finn! Finn! Did you know there are baths in our rooms? Pr...rivate baths? I made sure I dont smell like Athena lied about!.” She said quite loudly and matter of factly.

Finn looked over when he heard Selena calling him. Only to close his eyes with a small smile as she loudly proclaimed she didn’t smell. He did answer though with a chuckle. “Yes, I know about the bathrooms. Sorry I should have told you. I told you before I am sure she just says that to everyone. ” He looked over to the silvered hair girl that was walking up to them. The fact they were walking together, he figured she must have been the roommate. He smiled at her and gave a polite bow. “As, you may have heard, my name is Finn. Finn Reinheart. It is a pleasure to meet you.” If his mother taught him anything, it was how to be polite to a lady.

Valencia gave a bow of her head toward Finn in response, giving him a smile. At least he seemed to be pleasant and knowledgeable about the modern world and it’s utilities. “I have indeed heard a little about you. My name is Valencia, it’s nice to meet you, Finn,” she says.She swore his surname was familiar, though she waited for the pair to finish talking before she asked anything about it, if she decided to.

Finn was a little surprised that she mentioned she knew a little about him. He smiled, unsure what to say to that comment so he moved on. “I’m assuming the shower was quite an experience?” He said looking back to Selena. Only imagining what she would have done upon seeing it. Selena only scratched the skin behind her ear embarrassed at the thought of falling in the bath. She smiled though and nodded, hoping Valencia wouldn’t say anything. “Yes, Valencia show me how to work bath and mini waterfall… Much nicer than river.”

“Indeed,” Valencia replies, quite amused by the way that Selena called the shower a waterfall. She supposed in away that Selena was correct; the shower was indeed an artificial waterfall of sorts. “Though I suppose that bathing in a river does have some charm to it, being out in nature and all. But baths and showers are a lot more pleasant.” She notes, nodding. Then, Valencia turned back to Finn. “Say, have I heard your surname somewhere in the past? Reinheart, correct?” She asks, with some curiosity.

Finn smiled, as many times as his mother tried to tell her it was called a shower, she was adamant to call it a waterfall. He did rub the scars on his cheek as they were talking about showers and baths… his cheeks seemingly warm warm to the touch.. However that quickly went away when Valencia spoke to him again, asking about his Surname. Letting out a sigh, he smiled. “Yes, I’m sure you have. You most likely have heard of my father Fenros Reinheart the Dauntless. Or perhaps any of my four brothers who made names for themselves as well as Adventurers.” He said softly, as if growing slightly tired of saying that line a thousand times. But still with a smile.

Everyone knew the Reinheart name, many knew of his four brothers. And every time someone heard his last name he would immediately be known as, the son of, or brother of. He pushed the thoughts to the side as Selena popped in with “Come, we walk to feast and talk.”

It was true that Valencia knew of the Reinheart name, and knew of Finn’s father, Fenros Reinheart. She did not, however, push the issue. She knew what a burden a family name could be, it was why she was choosing not to say her own family name in order to avoid that burden herself, and let people see her for who she was and not for her father or his deeds. She was her own person, separate from him, and wanted to keep it that way. “It appears I was correct in that I’ve heard your name. No matter, you’re your own person, presented by your own efforts, not that of your family,” she says, giving him a sad little nod of the head. Her gaze moved to Selena as the fox suggested they go to feast and talk. “Hungry, are we?” Valencia jokes, motioning for Selena to lead the way.

Selena turned to Valencia and gave a big nod. “Always ready for food!” She said happily. Before moving further down the hall, not before grabbing Finn’s real wrist and dragging him along. Finn, who at Valencia’s comment caused him to pull his head back and to the side with a tiny hint of a smile. Finally meeting someone who understood him...was not ready for the sudden jerk that almost caused him to fall over. “Alright alright! We can go!” He quickly added as he caught himself.

Valencia couldn’t help but raise a hand to her lips to giggle as he almost fell over, and then turned to walk with them towards the Main Hall for the feast. She could not help but feel excited, though all that showed on her face was a simple smile, as she didn’t want to embarrass herself by looking too girly and excited at everything, even if that was her true expression beneath her exterior. “Onwards, then,” Valencia says, walking with the pair towards the Main Hall.

It didn’t take them long to walk through the main hall doors. Selena still dragging Finn by the wrist, she let go as she spun slowly around, looking up at the architecture. She then looked around to see many of the first years still here, including a dwarf… she had seen one before who fixed up Finns arm when the idiot broke it by ‘accident’ She also noticed two boys wearing robes...one seemly over his student uniform. Coming to a stop at a table near the three, she turned to Finn and asked in her native tongue. ”Why are they wearing robes?”

Finn, who had pulled out chair’s for both Selena and Valencia glanced over and said softly “They are magus’s… Eh…” he thought for a moment before switching to Selena’s tongue. Magic wielders..” to which Selena nodded in understanding and thanked Finn for the seat as she sat down.

Valencia offered a polite smile of thanks to Finn as he pulled out a chair for her and Selena, sitting herself down and flattening her skirt. “Thank you,” she says, folding her arms on her lap, though she had to sit and listen to him and Selena speaking in a language that she did not recognise. She shrugged it off, just glancing between the two for a moment, then, jokingly, said “I agree,” giving them a wink - it was obvious she didn’t have a clue about what either had just said.

Toma stretched as he came to the main gate of Hoseforn. The journey had taken a week of constant walking, and while the young man enjoyed the difference in scenery, his donkey Oats was far less amicable with the distance they had to move. Toma couldn't really blame him - after all, if he was the one pulling the cart, Toma would probably have liked the trip much less. Toma could see a few other of the new arrivals as well - although, he was the only one who was walking. Everyone else was either coming by horseback or carriage, and Toma tried to shake the jealousy he felt. He wanted to ride the small wagon he brought with him, but it was small enough that even a slight bump or hole in the path sent him falling off.

Still, no reason to be jealous - he probably could have hocked some items in Windleton if he really wanted to purchase a ride to Hoseforn. And besides, Whitelot was pretty close to Hoseforn, all things considered.

Toma directed his cart inside the academy, doing his best not to cause too much of a disturbance as he made his way through the crowd of students. He spent 10 minutes wandering around aimlessly, but luckily he managed to find the stables (after a particularly annoyed book vendor at the Hall of Preparation yelled at him). Trusting the Stable Master with Oats and his wagon, Toma quickly shifted directions to the Main Hall. Everyone else was headed there, so he probably needed to go there too!

The man marveled at the various buildings he saw in the grounds of the academy - many of the vendor stalls in the Hall of Preparation were larger than most of the houses in his home village, and the church in his town was nothing compared to the Main Hall he was walking up to. As he followed another student in, he saw a massive crystal, easily twice as tall as his home.

"Woah..."

Toma had seen a gemstone before - Mrs. Redwood had a ring with a small sapphire as its stone, something her husband had bought in Windleton for their 10th anniversary. But Toma couldn't even imagine what kind of monster would need a crystal this big to make a ring...

Toma's odd train of thought had seemed to take up a bit of time - another student was waiting behind him, clearly annoyed at how he wasn't going to the crystal in front of him. Snapping to attention (and apologizing to the student), Toma quickly walked up the gargantuan crystal. Finally, the exacerbated student grabbed Toma's shoulder and pointed towards one of the booths nearby.

"S-sorry, thank you..."

Head down and blushing, Toma quickly shuffled to the booth he was directed to. Suddenly, a rainbow of colors appeared in front of Toma, and he nearly fell back in shock, his small scream of fear causing several students to turn and look at him.

"Greeting's new student. I am Athena. Welcome to Hoseforn's Academy for Gifted Adventurers. I apologize for any surprise I may have caused you."

Toma got back up, staring uncomfortably at the crystal. He never really seen much magic before - the odd healing spell from Tarkus, the town paladin, was about all he had ever seen. Nothing nearly as advanced as this crazy crystal...

"O-oh, it's okay... Just spooked me a little, that's-"

"Please present your acceptance scroll now."

Toma quickly pulled out the scroll he had found a week ago. While most of his luggage was horribly dirty from the trip, he had managed to keep the scroll in almost pristine condition. He didn't know how to read, after all, so he wasn't sure how much damage it could take before it was illegible. A ray of light shown on the scroll as the man opened it up, and before he could be surprised again, the crystal had managed to finish its observation.

"Letter accepted. Welcome, Toma Enow."

The scroll changed before Toma's eyes, the ink shifting shape and colors until a map was formed.

"This is a map of the school grounds, your dorm number is 645. A fresh uniform and any supplies you require will be waiting for you. Please change... bathe... and return to the Main Hall within 34 minutes for the welcoming feast. Attendance is mandatory."

Toma nodded to himself, thankful that there was clearly a line leading him from the hall to his room. He wasn't exactly the most well-read, and his sense of direction wasn't the best either - trying to find his dorm would probably be impossible if not for that.

"Where's the river? I will need water if I'm to bathe."

"There is a bath within your room."

Toma shook his head and began leaving for his room. He was thankful for the help that the weird crystal thing had given him, but a bath in his room? He had heard luxuries like that existed in Windleton, for the wealthy, but he had never bathed in a private bath. He had always done so in the river...

Still, if the Crystal said it was true, it probably was. It had to know far more about this place than Toma did. Toma hastened his pace, desperate to not be late for the feast - attendance to that was mandatory!

Eventually, he came to his room - he didn't even notice the small click as the door unlocked itself for him. He did notice the luxury of the room before him, however. The dorm room was only slightly smaller than his old home... but when you considered that his old home was a single room large, and this dorm room was part of a massive academy and filled to the brim with furniture of the highest quality, Toma quickly realized that the place was probably worth more than many of the houses in his old village combined...

Toma gulped, finally coming to the realization that he really shouldn't be here. There was no way in hell he could afford it if he had to pay to be here, and Tarkus didn't exactly seem like a crazy rich guy... He fingered his Sword slightly, the thought of asking it a question coming to mind.

He shook his head and began undressing, dismissing the thought. The spirit within was far from coherent, and if he asked it a question it might go on some nonsensical word-vomit monologue again. He had given up talking to it on his journey to the academy, and Toma really didn't have the time to worry about it right now.

Peeling off his sweat-stained tunic and breeches as quickly as he could, Toma explored the room, searching for the bath that the crystal was talking about. The wardrobe had a few uniformed within, and Toma would probably leave his old clothes there only to forget about them later. There were two beds, so obviously he must share this room with another student...

Toma must have gotten here too late and they already left for the main hall! Hopefully whoever they were nice, whoever his roommate was.

Toma finally found the bath, and after about 10 minutes of investigating and burning himself, he finally managed to find how the water worked. He didn't even know what to call the tub, or how the knobs managed to make water warm - but warm water was something he was not familiar bathing with, and it felt very nice! Eager to finish as soon as possible, Toma rushed through his shower and took one of the towels nearby to cover himself with.

"How the hell do I put this on...?"

Toma had managed to don most of the school uniform, just struggling in tying the cape... cowl? The only thing he ever wore similar to it was a cloak, and he didn't see the point of such a garish item... Giving up, he simply decided he would not wear the item. If someone was upset by that, he could just ask them to show him how to put it on.

Or kick their ass if they're mean about it...

Toma fixed his belt and Baldric, making sure he wouldn't accidentally hit someone with his scabbard. Satisfied, he grabbed his map and quickly began following it towards the Main Hall, thankful that it was once more giving him directions.

---

As he arrived at the Main Hall, Toma was shocked by the sheer number of students. He didn't think he was late, but clearly, he must have been pretty close to the time the feast started. There were more people here than he had ever seen in his life...

Toma looked around, eager to find somewhere to sit and eat after his journey. Many of the tables were already claimed, older students having congregated and forming their own cliches.

Luckily, since many people were sitting with each other, there were still a few empty tables. A few tables caught his eye, especially one with a few kids dressed in weird cloaks and a dwarf (aren't they fun to eat with? They probably know the best beers). But Toma really didn't want to be rude and ask to sit with someone - besides, one of the humans looked a little annoyed already. Instead, the young man chose to sit alone - people might come in later looking for seats, and worst-case scenario, he really didn't mind eating alone. What mattered was that he was getting a free meal.

... And that he was sitting away from the more exotic students. Toma was very surprised to see so many nonhumans in the hall - humans were still the majority, but Toma would guess that a little under half were another species. Most of them were Elves and Dwarves, the odd Orc making Toma a little more nervous. Orc slaves were pretty big in Windleton thanks to their strength, similar to how Elves were valued for their dexterity and speed. Because of that, more than a few escaped Orc slaves arrived at Whitelot because of its proximity to Windleton, and while Toma couldn't remember any trouble being caused by the Orcs, he had definitely heard stories from older villagers.

Some of the students even had wings and other more exotic body parts - one girl had a fox tail, which really weirded Toma out. He never heard about a race like that... If he didn't think it would be frowned on, Toma probably would have kept a hand on his sword the whole feast.

But they were students too, right? Toma breathed slowly, making sure that he wouldn't embarrass himself as he did with the crystal from earlier. If they were too dangerous or monstrous, the academy wouldn't have accepted them. Treating them badly when he didn't know them would just make him an asshole. If they were training to be adventurers, that meant they had to be good people.

Arn had followed the crowd of students into the dining hall. He had believed to be early due to the lack of long lines, but the dining hall was so vast that it easily accommodated the students who sat on long tables. He had tried to find a table that was not already being used to sit apart and solitary rather than be coaxed into engaging into conversation.

The dwarf had enjoyed his walk towards the Dining Hall. The school was well suited to house the multitude of students. The grounds sported trees and patches of grass that were gently traversed using the flag stone paths. Benches dotted the paths here and there and small ponds completed the scene of extreme serenity. Truly a place to focus on training.

While looking at the map he also noticed an area labeled “Training Grounds”. He made a mental note to visit this in an effort to maintain his physical and weapons training up to date. The Academy boasted many buildings and classrooms. It was not wonder that it held such a reputation for training and producing quality adventurers that would serve rulers and the elite as mercenaries, body guards and sometimes even in their armies.

A thought started to nag at him as he walked. Getting entry into the Academy was very difficult. One had to be of exceptional skill or exceptional wealth. Arn had neither. While it was true that they were vassals of the Battlehammer clan, the patriarch being the cousin to the ruling dynasty for more than six generations, his own StoneHammer clan was nothing more than a small family. They were little more than glorified landowners. Even amongst the bannermen of the Battlehammer clan, his family was medium in power and importance at most.

While it was true that a few members of his family had distinguished themselves amongst the people of Iron Keep, the young cleric was definitely not amongst them. His brother Krev, was a legend amongst the Underdark, or the Beneath as some other races called it. While the legend did not extent much beyond the confines of the great Iron Mountains and the dwarven kingdom, many inside these borders knew the name.

Another well known person was his uncle, Krum of the Silver hand. Now HE was famous and known through out the world as the great Magic Smith. He had devised a method of combining magic and metallurgy to produce prosthetics that almost mimicked the original body parts. Despite this this obvious useful and worthy achievement, many in the dwarven kingdom frowned upon the blatant use of arcane magic.

His own father, Thur, had not spoken to Krum since he left the ancestral home almost 100 years ago. Nor had Krum returned, even after graduating from Hoseforn’s. It was rumored that the Magic Smith had set up shop in some remote location Krum’s wares however, had become highly priced and came at a high price.

Arn hoped to one day be able to set his eyes and study one of these wares. As a cleric, having the ability to make broken men whole and in this manner enhancing the fighting force of Iron Keep was almost a necessity. He needed to do this despite the bad taste in his father’s mouth. Delving so deep in the Arcane was very untoward of an honorable dwarf who relied solely on the strength of his arm.

So here he was, in the Academy his estranged uncle had once attended and which he had no idea how he managed to enter. After all, he had not applied or had the means to enter. This was a matter he needed to figure out. But first, he needed to figure out where to sit.

The cadet was not really shy but his social interaction was limited to either dwarven people who were boisterous and hearty or the military professionalism drilled into him. In situations such as these, he often opted for the latter. This is why after failing to find any spots readily open and been give a few dirty looks from tables filled mainly with humans or mainly with non-humans, for he looked very much like just as short human, he worked up the nerve to approach a table that had the most open seats. Currently it housed two girls and three boys.

He approach from the direction of a white haired lad who was sporting a bow. He stopped a respectable distance to the lad’s side and clearly opened his mouth to efficiently say. “Greetings. Respectfully request to use this seat if it has not been taken yet”. The lad, who seemed to be just slightly taller than him but much more lite, offered a friendly "of course" and pointed to the seat next available seat next to him. His eyes caught something pink from the corner of his eyes and realized he was looking at girl who had long fox ears. The girl smiled and nodded, obviously trying to be friendly but Arn quickly assumed a thousand yard stare posture. He had been graciously allowed to sit and he did so.

So now he was here, sitting with the white haired archer to his right and a blonde haired boy to his left who was really eagerly looking at him. A second mage type (was he the one who had been bumped?) sat to the left of the blonde boy. A silver haired girl and the fox girl sat to the right of the welcoming white haired archer. The young dwarf was trying to make no eye contact, with his hands clasped in front of him and resting rigidly on the table. His back straight and his face stoic. Every now and then he would steal glances at his table mates. He most often looked at the pink haired fox tailed girl. As a Cleric, he was very interested in anatomy and he had never seen or heard of a demi human with fox ears. To be fair, his interaction to the outside world was very limited.

He took long controlled breaths. Hoping that he varied company was enough to deflect any sort of engagement in his direction. After all, why would any care to engage a dwarf who seemed to be content in keeping quiet? The seating arrangement would also enable him to stay in middle ground as it seemed that the two boys knew each other and the two girls and the white haired lad was a trio. Unfortunately, there seemed to still be some space open in front of him. He hoped that the feast would start soon. Dining times at the Fort always meant quiet. Then perhaps there would be some sort of presentation that would further aid his mission of staying in the background.

Alexis

As the day of reckoning finally came, Alexis took her first steps through the gates of Hoseforn, a place known across the entirety of Ealinata for the famous adventurers it produced. The courtyard, the main hall, the giant glowing crystal in the main hall, everything was larger than life, no matter where Alexis looked.

Speaking of giant glowing crystals, it seemed to be sentient, given the booths full of students talking to it. It was exciting, stepping to a booth and having her own personal rainbow appear in front of her. She reached out to it right away, but her hands phased right through.

"Greeting's new student. I am Athena. Welcome to Hoseforn's Academy for Gifted Adventurers. Please present your acceptance scroll now."

There it was, the crystal's voice. The rainbow seemed to pulse with each word. She wondered if messing with the rainbow affected her... Or it. Can crystals have genders? It seems like a magical automaton. It's called Athena, so the intent seems to be a feminine identity, or perhaps that's just because it was deemed more agreeable when dealing with would-be adventurers? Unless some form of necromancy was at work, binding the soul of a woman named Athena to the crystal. Something that big and crystalline seems like it'd have the magic properties necessary for that. Alexis reached out to the rainbow again, waving her hands through it and observing how the light would bend. Try as she might though, it just seemed like an ordinary projection of light. Makes her wonder if mirrors or prisms would have an effect.

"Please present your acceptance scroll now."

It seemed she took long enough that Athena felt the need to repeat herself, so she got on with it and pulled out her letter of acceptance.

"Letter accepted. Welcome Alexis Atropos."

As she spoke the words, the letter of acceptance glowed slightly, its text disappearing, replaced by a map of the school with a colorful line going from the main building to a separate building.

"This is a map of the school grounds, your dorm number is 777. A fresh uniform and any supplies you require will be waiting for you. Please change...bathe... and return to the Main Hall within an hour and a half for the welcoming feast. Attendance is mandatory."

Dorm number 777 huh... She did try to use magic to improve her luck with school life, but for it to manifest in such a way... Actually, does it have anything to do with her magic? If this crystal determines everything, then it probably had no effect, which would mean it's a coincidence?

How mysterious. It was more believable that someone or something was behind this. Alas, she'll probably never get an explanation for this. Oh well, time to never think about it ever again.

Alexis, finding that she could not contain pieces of Athena's rainbow in a rudimentary magical container, said goodbye to the crystal and moved on to her dorm. It only had a single bed, so it seemed she had the room all to herself. It also seemed decked to the nines with instruments of pure GAMING. When they said the dorms contained any supplies students would require, they weren't kidding. Her room resembled a combination of a casino and an arcade, perfect for practicing pretty much any spell she could think of. She had brought a few things, but there was no way she could bring physical versions of all the objects relevant to Gambler magic. Did they do this for anyone with the Gambler class? Sure, the cost of all of it pales in comparison to the tuition, but it was still impressive. How many Gamblers were there in Hoseforn's? It wasn't exactly a popular class...

In any case, she took a long shower, enjoying the luxury of magically heated water on demand, then tried on the school uniform. It fit in quite well with the rest of her wardrobe, and she liked the way it looked on her. She didn't hear anything in the school rules preventing students from accessorizing, so she didn't see the need to change anything else about her look. With that, she was ready to head back towards the Main Hall for the feast.

When she got there, it was a bustling cacophony of dissonant chatter. Students from all walks of life were here, and a number of students were of races Alexis had never seen before. In particular, the girl with the large pink fox ears and a tail stood out among the crowd, to the point of drawing constant lingering glances and stares from other students. She had never seen a bestial race with qualities such as hers, though it wasn't that unusual given the numerous similar races.

It was more peculiar, in her opinion, to see a young man sitting by himself, gawking at practically all of the other students and acting stiff and twitchy, a sign he's on edge. Alexis walked up to his table and sat herself down next to him, uninvited.

"Hello. My name is Alexis. I could taste your fear from across the room. Mind kicking it up a notch? My favorite flavor is abject terror." Alexis gave the man a warm smile, not matching her words at all.

@Duoya

---

It worked. Lorelei was still in disbelief that it worked. How long had she been plotting this, longing to get away from him? So many failed attempts and so many consequences for said failed attempts. Of course this may also have repercussions, especially when he found out HOW it came to be. She couldn’t think about that right now, though, and instead decided to focus on the fact that she finally had some freedom. She could finally do as she pleased! Well kind of...for this to work she still needed to focus on the things the thieves guild had been trying to teach her. Some of it she was happy to learn, but other parts of it she was dreading.

Lorelei was pulled out of her thoughts as the carriage pulled up to Hoseforn’s Academy and she glanced out the window to watch all sorts of students milling about. Finally the carriage came to a halt and she opened the door, stepping out as she pulled the hood of her outfit off her head. She turned to look at the man who had been driving the carriage and gave him a grin. ”Thanks Archie, I can take it from here.” She began to walk away, but the man called out to her.

”Now Miss Lorelei, you know I was instructed by Master Zendan to accompany you in and make sure you were truly accepted. If you weren’t then I was to immediately escort you back.” He said, scolding her in a way one would a small child. A small look of annoyance crossed Lorelei’s face for the briefest of moments before she turned back to Archibald with a winning smile.

”Really Archie, I’ll be okay. I have my acceptance letter right here, it was confirmed back at the guild it wasn’t a counterfeit right? Or are you doubting the skills of our mages?” She gave him an accusatory look and he became slightly flustered before she went on. ”Don’t worry, I won’t tell them. Truth is, I question them sometimes too. I’ll tell you what, I will send word back to Zendan and give you the highest of praise. I’ll tell him you even escorted me to my rooms! You might even get a promotion out of it. Do we have a deal?” Archie seemed to hesitate for only a moment more, but then he sighed and nodded. He’d been aching for a promotion for a while and if anyone could persuade Zendan to give it to him, it was his precious gem Lorelei. Finally Archibald drove the carriage away and Lorelei was free to go about things.

She decided to follow the flow of students into the Main Hall and upon entering she let out a small whistle. Never before had she seen a crystal like this and a small part of her wondered how much something like that would be worth. She quickly shoved that thought aside as she approached one of the booths all the other students had been going to. "Greeting's new student. I am Athena. Welcome to Hoseforn's Academy for Gifted Adventurers. Please present your acceptance scroll now."

"Damn, this place is fancy." Lorelei said as she presented the scroll. She watched the runes glow, slightly intrigued by them yet having no clue what they meant. She was confident that this was probably some big magic, though. "Letter accepted. Welcome Lorelei Vilinza." The scroll proceeded to change into a map and Lorelei found herself nodding in approval. This would be very helpful in finding her way around this large place. This is a map of the school grounds, your dorm number is 634. A fresh uniform and any supplies you require will be waiting for you. Please change...bathe... and return to the Main Hall within twenty minutes for the welcoming feast. Attendance is mandatory." Really? She only had twenty minutes? Well of course… She left the booth in a hurry, shoving past a few students who began to yell at her yet as soon as they saw her murderous stare they shut up.

Having a map of the campus made navigating to the dorms incredibly easy. She was thankful that she didn't have to waste time searching where she needed to go because at this point she was likely going to be late. She glanced around the halls, noticing the variety of people there even though there weren't many at this point. Most had likely already made their way to the Main Hall. She looked at the numbers on the door until she came to 634. She went to reach for the handle, but the door opened and and she came face to face with a tiefling man. She blinked in confusion for a moment, but quickly recovered as she gave him a once over. "Well if you're my roommate I'm certainly not going to complain." She smirked up at him as she placed a hand on her hip. Her other hand extended out to him as she introduced herself. "Lorelei Vilinza at your service."

@ChaoticLaw

@Heartfillia @Aerandir @Inertia @mantou @datadogie @Omni5876

Amidst the coaches, one in particular stood out. A small open-top carriage, drawn by a horse-shaped wood golem, pulled up outside the building.

"Huh. They weren't kidding when they said this place was huge." Karya craned her neck as she climbed out. This was quite a change from the huts of the village. While she generally considered large, closed structures unnecessary, she wondered what kinds of mysteries this one held. She stretched out her back and limbs, easing the stiffness that had developed over the journey. Grateful as she was to the chauffeur, she'd been cooped up in that carriage for way too long, and relished the chance to explore. "Thanks!"

The coachman, Gwydion, gave a low chuckle. "Just don't get yourself into trouble."

Karya rolled her eyes. She knew Gwydion was joking, but a good portion of the village had initially opposed her enrolment. Her parents, most of her extended family, many close friends. It had taken a lot of convincing for them to relent, but they still feared losing her, like they'd lost Xan. That ache in her chest soured her excitement. "Oh, don't worry," she replied, with a strained laugh back. "I won't." Quite the opposite, she'd become the best student she could be, and track down her missing sister. She had to.

Shoulders back and head high, she joined the wave of students heading inside. As she entered the hall, her eyes widened at its standout feature. A massive spire of crystal, stretching up to the ceiling, and talking. She'd seen plenty of stone magic before, but never anything like this. As she stepped into the booth, she shielded her eyes from the sudden burst of colours.

"Greeting's new student. I am Athena. Welcome to Hoseforn's Academy for Gifted Adventurers. Please present your acceptance scroll now."

Blinking away afterimages, Karya dug through her leather backpack and pulled out the scroll. "Hey Athena! Nice to meet ya, I'm Karya! And that's quite some rock magic." Was Athena some kind of stone spirit, she wondered, or was a staff member somehow talking through the crystal?

"Letter accepted. Welcome Karya of Brackenglade."

The scroll's text shifted into a map, a line running towards one of the outer buildings. "This is a map of the school grounds, your dorm number is 785. A fresh uniform and any supplies you require will be waiting for you. Please change...bathe... and return to the Main Hall within twenty minutes. for the welcoming feast. Attendance is mandatory."

Karya's look of fascination turned into a grimace. "Ehhh? Twenty minutes? Good thing there are ponds just outside."

"There is no need to use a pond. You will find a bathtub in your room."

A bathtub? Karya frowned. Obviously it must be a body of water, like an artificial lake, but why have them indoors? With no time for questions, she thanked Athena and rushed to the dorms. Thankfully it didn't take long to find her door, which clicked open as she approached, revealing a spacious room with two beds. A travelling case on the ground indicated her roommate had arrived a little earlier. Karya smiled - as someone used to living in a close-knit community, she'd hoped for a room share. Her half of the room had already been set up with a workbench, and a few potted plants in the corner.

Not that she had much time to look around. She headed to the room at the back, and stared blankly. This was a bathtub? She'd expected something bigger, more lake-like. The metal basin looked rather cold, hard and cramped, not to mention the most glaring issue of all. "How can this be for bathing," she muttered to herself, "if it has no water in it?"

She jumped as, from the sleeping quarters, a voice piped up. "You have to turn the taps."

Karya gave a breathless laugh. Athena. Of course - the crystal she'd spotted on the wall between the beds. "Oh hi again! Looks like I've got a second roommate, the more the merrier!" She turned one of the knobs on the tub, water gushing out of a pipe. She had no idea how this system worked - was it even sustainable? Why go to the trouble of setting up indoor baths when there were perfectly good lakes and rivers outside? Still, after all that travelling, she couldn't complain. She plugged the bath and let it fill up, steam rising from it like a hot spring.

Once it was full, she turned off the tap and stuck her finger in. "Ah!" She jerked her hand out and gripped it. "Athena! It's a little hot."

"Turn the other tap for cold water."

Karya turned the second knob, eyeing the water level. It would overflow if she wasn't careful, but she had to let it cool down before she could take the plug out. When it neared the top, she turned the tap, but instead of shutting off, the flow gushed faster. Rivulets cascaded down the side of the bath, all over the floor. Well, crap. Her roommate wasn't going to be happy. She swivelled the tap the other way and set about grabbing towels, mopping up the flood, only to make more of a mess as she reached into the tub for the plug.

By the time she'd finished cleaning up, the towels were sopping wet. She undressed and climbed into the hard-earned bath, wincing from the sting of heat, but the temperature was now bearable at least. Since there was little time to relax, she scrubbed with floral oils and clambered out. Unable to dry herself for lack of clean towels, she donned her uniform while soaked, dampness seeping through the fabric. Oh well. She was used to drying off naturally anyway.

Her hair and clothes dripped everywhere as she ran down the hallway, through the grounds, back into the main hall. Glancing around at students chatting and gathering, she breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't late, but she nearly had been, given the limited number of empty seats.

One of the students caught her notice, with pink hair and rabbit ears. No, fox ears, she corrected herself as she spotted the tail. She table she and others sat at still had many vacant chairs, but with a flicker of apprehension, she noticed many of the students there were humans. She'd met a few travelling humans, some open-minded, others disdainful of races unlike them to varying degrees. At least these ones were willing to sit with a fox girl and a dwarf, and the blond guy in particular seemed pretty friendly.

"Hey!" With a warm grin at the group, she approached them, placing her hand on the back of an empty chair. Her wild tangles of hair dripped water all over the table. "Mind if I sit here?"

Arn, ever the cadet, had focused his attention beyond the immediate party at his table, to analyzing those at other adjacent ones. He noticed that the vast majority of the student’s were humans. Which made sense as the race proliferated and reproduced at much faster rates than Dwarves. Non humans were the obvious minority with small pockets sitting close together with those of similar backgrounds or race.

He was just finishing appraising the weapons of a what looked like a some beast men looking group when he heard a sound that made the hairs on his back stand straighter than a phalanx of spears ready to receive a Calvary charge….the clearing of a throat meant to catch your attention before being addressed.

“Hello there, I couldn't help but notice you staring at the empty space in front of you. Here, face us instead,"

The young dwarf’s head swung slowly to this left slower than the Three-ton metal and stone doors of the Iron Keep. Finally, his eyes caught sight of something that made his skin craw under his chain shirt. The eager and smiling face of a blonde lad was looking straight at him. The boy’s eyes bright and expectant made the cleric in training swallow hard.

Arn tightened his interlocking fingers so hard that a lesser race’s skull would have been crushed between them. His mind raced trying to find excuses to avoid interaction. However, there was no possibility for tactical retreat. Especially when the deadly first introductions were fired into him like a cloud of ballista bolts.

"My name is Calven Fallard - but you can call me Cal!" the blond chirped happily before pointing to the magus next to him, "...and this is my lovely roommate Ixius Delthrane! We’re both from the Magus’ Librarium if you’ve heard of it."

The dwarf offered a slight nod to to Cal and in the direction of Ixius. He may abhor the idea of being chummy with strangers but he was still required to show proper etiquette and respect. Keeping the majority of his body taunt and facing forward so that only head was turned in their direction, the dwarf took a deep breath and then produced a properly respectful and polite voice.

“Greetings, I am Arn Second son of Thur HammerStone and Vassals to the BattlerHammer clan. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Yes, I have heard of the Librarium.” He immediately snapped his head to the front as if to signify that he had done his social obligation of being polite and that the conversation was over.

As he did so, his heart dropped as yet another new comer showed up. The dwarf started to scan the other tables nearby. He was looking for some sort of dwarven looking body that he could excuse himself to under the premise that he might know them. At least, if there was a dwarven person then they could be quiet together.

---

---

Finn looked at Valencia as she winked at them and laughed at her comment. ”Sorry about that.” He was going to explain why Selena jumped into her native tongue when a dwarf asked if they could sit next to them. At which he nodded and replied, ”Of course!” indicating the seat next to him.

Once the dwarf sat, Finn offered a polite smile, but it looked like he was content with staring away from them. Clearly he felt nervous, Finn could tell just by looking at him. So he decided to let him settle down for a minute before he would introduce himself. But the boy on the opposite side of the dwarf took it upon himself to speak up. He glanced over at Selena whose ears were perked up and eyes were wide with wonder, looking at all the different races of the students around them. Her tail swaying gently and smoothly back and forth behind her. Perhaps he should warn her to keep her tail close just so she wouldn’t trip anyone, or have anyone step on it. He reached out and placed a hand on Selena’s shoulder.

This caused her to look at Finn with surprise, and ask. ”What is it?”

He paused when he heard the dwarf introduce himself. “Greetings, I am Arn Second son of Thur HammerStone and Vassals to the BattlerHammer clan. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Yes, I have heard of the Librarium.”

Blinking a few times, His mouth was open still as he was just about to answer her, but it closed. He released Selena’s shoulder and raised a finger asking for a moment before he turned around in his seat and looked at the dwarf called Arn. ”Excuse me, you did just say your Arn HammerStone? Are you related to Krum HammerStone?” He said with clear excitement in his voice.

Selena cocked her head in confusion at Finn’s excitement till the name clicked for her as well… Wasn’t it the same man who came and fixed Finn’s arm? Her attention however, was pulled away when a girl appeared before her. On the opposite side of the table. She then realized it wasn’t just a girl, but she looked like she was a living tree?! Selena blinked a few times, not answering as she was surprised at seeing this beautiful girl was dripping wet. Her new uniform was soaked, moreso in some areas than others as her skirt was...quite form fitting...
”E..um..please…” Was all she could say at the moment. As she pointed to the chair much like Finn did with Arn.

It was this moment Finn looked over to greet the new girl only to see her for a split second before his vision turned all pink. Selena’s tail had wrapped up around Finns face. The tail’s poof was so large it looked like Finn had no head. His head jerked back on the sudden floof. The air it waffed did smell pleasant, and was extremely soft. But Finn got a mouthful of fur. He tried moving the tail but Selena seemed to be holding it till he called out. ”Ack..SELENA!”

At which, the tail whipped around off his face, With Selena having her hand over her mouth and saying. ” Sorry Finn,” Her eyes genuine, as she didn’t realize her tail did it. It often had a mind of its own, as she explained to Finn many times.

Everyone was beginning to flood into the room, and Valencia was slowly becoming a little overwhelmed by the amount of people that were present. Valencia had been tutored entirely privately, however she did not share the same attitude as the posh snobs that had the same type of education when it came to being with so many people. They could go out and find whoever they wanted to meet or to talk to, but on the other hand Valencia did not share their same spirit. She would much rather people come to her and not the other way around upon a first meeting in an environment like this, particularly so that she could observe them first; She didn't want to end up meeting the wrong crowd, and she figured it was a much more reliable idea to assume that any of them would more likely jab at her than come to her with a pleasant greeting. A good way of identifying them, she believed.

Valencia's mental focus moved back to those closest to her, taking some amusement at the whole confusing aspect of trying to get everyone seated and various conversations being interrupted as people, either sheepishly or confidently, asked if they could sit next to one another. Definitely, it seemed a lot of individuals didn't know eachother, though there were some exceptions such as Finn and Selena. For not the first time since spotting both of them, she questioned what kind of relationship they had. They seemed like close friends, but at the same time, had Selena just tried to block Finn's vision with her tail subconsciously? Was that perhaps some jealousy? Valencia wouldn't be able to blame the fox girl; The new girl that showed up had clearly decided that bathing without clothes on was for the common folk, and that she had taken it upon herself to show them just how efficient wearing clothes in the shower was. Plus, Valencia knew that she herself was quite easy on the eyes. She couldn't blame Selena for being a little jealous.

All those thoughts were done whilst Valencia was remaining completely still, having subconsciously gone statue-esque. Only now did she break out of that, moving her arms up to rest on the table, allowing herself to properly search around her and take everyone in from a non-peripheral angle. She did, however, lean forward to peek past Selena and toward Finn. "C'mon, Finn, don't you like a fluffy scarf?" She jokes, grinning. Then, she leaned back, and figured it was time to introduce herself to the newcomers. "To those I haven't introduced myself to, my name is Valencia. It is nice to meet you," she says.