Rodrick looked down, surprise blooming across his face at the young woman standing in his door. He had nearly ran right into her on accident and had to steady himself against the door frame to stop them from colliding. He looked at her for a moment, taking in her appearance with a quick glance. His first thought was that she had really cool hair. His second was complete confusion as to why she was standing outside his door. Had she just said something about roommate? That would explain the other furniture, but she was a woman, a pretty one at that. Was that sort of thing allowed here?

He was about to respond, when he looked in her eyes for a second and froze. They were an interesting yellow, not unlike his, but there was something else about them that made him feel uneasy. His instincts from years living in back alleyways had given him strong survival instincts, and right now his instincts were telling him that this woman was dangerous.

He was taking to long to respond. The situation was going to become awkward very soon. A part of him wanted to run. Generally he would have listened to that part of him, as it had helped him survive up until now, but what was he going to do? Charge through this young woman and run away screaming? His face somehow managed to turn slightly more pink at the thought. He was being stupid, and still taking too long to respond.

Some of the things his mother had taught him about making a good first impression finally started to kick in. Letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding, Rodrick gave Lorelei the most bardishly charming smile he could muster. “Lorelei, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Rodrick” He said shaking her hand firmly but being conscious not to squeeze to hard. “Forgive me, I hadn’t realized I had a roommate.” He said, stepping back out of the way and holding the door so that she could enter.

"Ah but I assure you, the pleasure truly is all mine." Lorelei gave him a wink before walking past him. She'd expected that she'd throw him off a bit, wanted to even, as people caught off guard revealed a lot about themselves in those following seconds, but this had been almost painful. She almost felt bad for him. Almost. "And I wasn't expecting a roommate as dashing and gentlemanly as yourself." Was she being over the top with her flattery? Absolutely, but she hoped it would stall him for a moment longer.

She surveyed the room briefly, noting the instrument on his bed. So he was a musician, she could work with that. Quickly she spun back around to him and grasped one of his hands, trying to tug him back into the room as she spoke excitedly. "Come! I just need to quickly change and we can head down to the main hall." She gave him her best friendly smile, but then she let it fall. "I'm sorry, am I being too much. Sometimes I can be too forward. If you wish to go down to the feast alone I understand." Lorelei bit her bottom lip sheepishly and looked down as she let go of his hand. Her left arm dropped to her side and her right crossed over her chest, grasping the top of her opposite arm in an insecure manner. Mentally she wondered if he'd play her game or not.

Through an extreme force of willpower Rodrick managed not to blush at being called dashing. He had known Lorelie for an entire 30 seconds and already she had him completely off balance. Was that on purpose? No, he had to be overthinking it. He tensed a little as she grabbed his hand suddenly. He disliked being grabbed but managed to suppress the fight or flight instinct that had served him so well over the years. This young lady was simply being friendly, forward, but friendly. There was no need to be so jumpy. He walked back into the room, the door shutting behind him as he did. "Not at all. It would be nice to walk down with someone. I haven't had a chance to meet anyone yet."

Rodrick knew that first impressions were important, and so far he was pretty sure he was blowing this one in every way imaginable. No one should be this awkward and jumpy. His mother had shown him how to charismatic and charming, he should be able to pull it off now, right? He forced his body to relax a little and he adopted more natural stance. "If I had to guess, I'd say your uniform is in that wardrobe over there, mine was in this one. And there's a bathroom behind that door so you can change." He said as he pointed towards the wardrobe on the opposite side of the room, and then to the door that led to the bathroom. He smiled warmly at her, hoping he hadn't come off as too weird.

A look of relief washed over the girl standing in front of Rodrick as she looked back up at him, smiling once more. "Oh thank goodness! For a second there I thought I may have scared you off. It would be like me to scare off the first person I met." Lorelei let out a small giggle and was delighted as he seemed to relax a little. Perfect. She wished to learn more about this tiefling if she were to be sleeping in the same room as him. She needed him to be a bit more comfortable with her if she wished for any sort of truth, though.

Her eyes followed to where he was pointing, having already guessed these things, but she made no comment about that. She'd let him feel helpful. "Oh you are a gem and have saved me from a potentially awkward situation!" There was a grateful tone to her voice and she moved over to her wardrobe. Upon opening it she saw her uniform first, then noticed some of her things had already been put away. How dare Zendan allow someone else to touch her things! She would have to have strong words with him later. Her eyes then fell on the harp and she gave it a glare. In the back of her mind she could hear her teacher yelling at her that it was a lyre, not a harp. Same difference, old woman… She thought to herself briefly before grabbing her uniform.

"So, Rodrick, you must tell me about yourself. I noticed your lute over there, are you a musician? I, myself, am a bit of a singer and just adore music." She had begun undoing her top as she walked across the room, heading for the bathroom, paying no mind to the fact that her actions may once again fluster him. Lorelei entered the bathroom and began to change, however she left the door open in order to hear him speak.

Rodrick pointedly stared anywhere else besides at Lorelie as she began to unbutton her shirt. She was certainly not shy. But she had seemed just a little different when she looked in her wardrobe. Annoyed maybe? Certainly an odd reaction, maybe she thought the uniform was ugly? Deciding it was none of his business, Rodrick looked down at his lute. Yes, he supposed he was a musician of sorts. Musician certainly sounded better then, 'formally homeless orphan with nothing to do but play his dead mothers lute and try not to be stabbed in his sleep.' Still, he didn't feel right calling himself one. He lacked the finesse an charisma of a real musician, and he certainly couldn't call himself a bard like his mother. Did this school teach classes about performing? It was called an adventurer school...so was everything they taught just combat related?

Realizing he hadn't actually answered her question yet, Rodrick cleared his throat a little before calling back, "I guess you could say that. I know how to play at least. I can sing a little, though I'm sure your voice sounds better than mine. Your voice has a musical quality to it." It was an odd thing to say, but it was true. Her voice did come off as oddly pleasing to the ears. It was Rodricks experience that pleasant voices were often good at carrying tunes.

He paused for a moment before calling out again. "What about you? Do you play any instruments?" he secretly hoped the answer was yes. A part of him missed being able to play music with someone else, and Lorelie certainly seemed friendly enough. Perhaps they could play together sometime.

Lorelei smirked a little to himself as he spoke of her voice. Perceptive, that was something she found a bit admirable. "You're too sweet. I'd love to hear you play and sing sometime, I'll even lend my voice to the song if you'd allow it." She finished dressing, a little disappointed she didn't really have enough time to bathe, but she could do that later in the evening. She wanted to have time to soak and satiate the siren side of her.

She stepped out of the bathroom as he was asking about her. "Well I'll be honest, my voice is the instrument I know best. My…" She paused, trying to think of the correct term for what Zendan was to her. "Benefactor has decided I'm to learn how to play the lyre, but I must admit that it's much harder than I thought it would be." Lorelei sighed as she threw a glance at her wardrobe once more before turning her attention back to him. "Well shall we head to the feast? We don't want to be terribly late, do we?" She gave him a cheeky smile, knowing that if they were late it was entirely her fault.

A benefactor huh? Rodrick knew that some talented bards had someone who would pay them to travel and perform across the continent. It was a pretty lucrative position to be in, as they took care of pretty much everything for you. Her voice must have been even better then he thought. "That sounds lovely. It's been a while since I've had anyone to perform with." He said earnestly.

Rodrick was about open his mouth to say they should indeed head to the feast when a small chime sounded in the corner of the room. "Attention all students, the feast will begin in 10 minutes. Please make your way to the Main Hall now." Rodrick looked over at a small crystal that was sitting in the corner of the room. He had kind of wondered what that had been for, but hadn't taken the time to investigate it yet. Was it a smaller version of the giant one in the Main Hall? He felt a little odd about having a talking crystal in his room but he didn't have time for that now. "I think heading the feast is a good idea." Rodrick said as he popped up off the bed. "Sounds like we might want to hurry a little too."

Rodrick moved over to the door and held it open for Lorelei. They would certainly be cutting it close.

Lorelei's head whipped around to the crystal in the room as Athena's voice chimed out. Intriguing, so they'd have a magic crystal watching their every move? She'd have to keep that at the back of her mind at all times then, not that she really planned on doing anything nefarious while she was at this school. "Sounds like it." She agreed with a nod as she followed him, thanking him as he held the door open for her.

Once they were both outside she moved to stand next to him and then linked her arm around his, smiling at him. "I do hope we can find a table that'll let us both sit with them." She said, knowing that some weren't entirely accepting of tieflings and even sirens if they figured out what she was. She wouldn't lie, that was one thing that could really get under her skin. No sense in judging right now, though, as there was no guarantee anyone would treat them differently yet.

Rodrick smiled back at Lorelei as she linked their arms. It took every ounce of poise he had to not blush again, but he thought he pulled it off alright. The pair made their way to the main hall, walking quickly but not outright running. Rodrick could feel the stairs from some of the other students who were also cutting it close, but he ignored it the best he could. He had always been stared it, it was hard for people not to stare at a man with large horns and red skin, although he figured they must have made an interesting pair.

The two arrived in an already slam packed ball room. Nearly all of the tables were full at this point, as hundreds of students sat, talked and laughed. It was almost overwhelming. It had been quite some time since he had been around so many people. There was only a few places the pair could sit together, so Rodrick moved too a table that had the most interesting looking group he had seen in a while. There were, what looked like, two mages, one with a big grin and blonde hair and the other's who face looked as though might commit murder soon, a dwarf who looked as stiff as Rodrick felt, a young woman with very white hair, an elf woman who was...drenched? That was interesting. A young man with a metal arm, and a girl with very pink long ears and a fox tail. Rodrick didn't think he had ever seen such a group. He was going to look for somewhere else to sit, not wanting to disrupt the group, but the lights suddenly dimmed and many of the student began to get very quiet. The feast must have been starting.

"Forgive me, but I hope you all don't mind if we sit here." Rodrick said the the group of fascinating people. The two sat just as the room fell silent, and six figures walked out from the front of the ballroom.

---

---

At the front of the room there were three tables position to face the rest of the room. The two on either side had 15 or so seats and was occupied by older looking men and woman of different races. It wasn't hard to guess that these were where the teachers and staff members sat. The table in the center only had 6, and was currently empty. But as the lights dimmed and the chatter in the hall quieted, six figure walked out to stand behind the middle table.

The first one was an ancient looking goblin. His face looked grumpy, and he carried a massive book that was nearly as large as he was. Spectacles sat on top of his head, and he seemed to be grumbling to himself. Next to the ancient prune of a goblin was a middle aged man with a perfectly pressed suit, an eye patch, and a hand-and-a-half longsword inside a brilliant scabbard at his side. On the opposite end of the table was a man dressed entirely in dark leather with a beaked mask covering his face, and a beautiful drow woman who moved so gracefully every step she took looked like a dance. In the center of the group was woman with a long, snake like body, and one of the most ancient looking wizards anyone had ever seen.

The group all moved to the table, almost in unison, and sat, all except the Naga woman who had no chair. The woman raised her hand for silence, although it wasn't really necessary at this point, paused for a moment, and then spoke, her voice coming out clear and easy to hear.

"Hello students, and welcome to Hoseforn's Academy for Gifted Adventurers. I am pleased to see so many of you, both new and old. For those of you who are new hear, I am Maurine Rickter, and I am the Vice Dean of this school. Before I give you over to Mr. Hoseforn himself I must remind you all of a few important rules."

"The first, is that harassment of another student is strictly forbidden. Any discriminatory, racist, or sexist behavior is not tolerated within these walls. You are all adults, I highly recommend you act the part. The second, is that anyone caught stealing from another student will be expelled immediately. The third, is that any and all physical conflict must be confined to the Hall of Combat, where official duels may be moderated. The fourth and final rule, is that due to recent changes in the world, all missions taken on by first or second year students will be accompanied by a staff member, both to ensure your safety and the safety of the outside world. As always, a list of your classes will be waiting for you upon your return to your dorms. Classes begin early tomorrow morning, so I suggest you don't stay up too late."

"Now I hand you over to Asmodius Hoseforn. Eat your fill tonight, future adventurers. Tomorrow continues your path towards greatness."

A polite round of applause sprang up from among the student's, mostly those who had been here for some time. As Maurine squatted down slightly, the ancient wizard sitting next to her. He cleared his throat, but it came out so load that the entire room shook. He paused for a moment, and then cleared his throat again, this time it came out just loud enough for all of the students to hear.

Hoseforn straitened his back, looked out at the students, and called, "Well you heard the woman. EAT!" As he yelled eat Hoseforn waved his hand and the room exploded with movement as platters of delicious looking food popped into existence at all of the tables. Plates and silverware appeared in front of each student. Nearly every type of food one could imagine appeared, from roasted birds and boars to perfectly crafted salads and exotic looking fruits. Pitchers of wine, beer and water appeared along the tables with cups and mugs aplenty. Music sprang into life, seemingly coming from nowhere as the students cheered loudly. The feast had officially began.

@Inertia@StOpossum@LuckyBlackCat@Tae@Omni5876@Aerandir@datadogie@Heartfillia@Ryik@Duoya@mantou

Anise was of course mystified by everything around her. But also couldn't help but snrk at some of the attitudes she saw on some of the people she met. She had traveled with far more than was really necessary, carrying several pots and pans and a fire kits, a tent and a bed roll. She didn't have the same luxuries that many of the other students had. Crampernap was kind enough (Or desperate enough) to foot the bill for part of her studies. The rest would be her own responsibility when the time came. Upon arrival, several of the students had already dressed into uniforms, all matching and pressed. Well, even if this school was better, it still had some of that air of superiority she wasn't fond of. This was particularly evident as she approached the giant crystal

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

Anise was already through her bag for the letter, which was wrinkled and crumpled and not well preserved. "Yes, yes I have your letter, you oversized appraisal spell. Seriously! You could have been the size of a simple crystal ball! Why bother with all the excess!"

"Letter accepted. Welcome Anise Paige. This is a map of the school grounds, your dorm number is 802. 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." Anise sighed and took her package. As she left she was muttering more to herself. "Sheesh such a bossy crystal. Whatever you say Princes Prism..." She looked back at where the crystal stood and curtsied before sticking her tongue out and spinning back around.

Finding her room was easy enough. It seemed there wasn't anyone else there as far as she could tell. She quickly disrobed and took her required bath. Admittedly, it felt really refreshing after her long journey. Her tome was right beside her, as always. She wasn't about to let it roam free in a school. That was a good way to be expelled or worse. She exited the bath, drying her hair with a gust of warm air she conjured with her magic as she looked at the uniform. Well they were comfortable. Easy to move around in. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her in a uniform... That was definitely a sight she never thought she'd see.

But that meant it was time to head to the hall for feasting. She took her map and opened up her spellbook, as the symbols inside slowly merged together into a mound of ink. It opened its eyes and eagerly absorbed the map from her hand before spitting back out a blank piece of parchment. "Point me to the Mess hall." It sunk back into the pages forming an arrow in the direction she was supposed to head. Snapping the book shut, she tied a leather strap around it to ensure it didn't open up by itself.

She was a little late to arrive, with there only being one spot for her to barely squeeze between. There was a large group of individuals there, each far more colorful than the majority of the class. "Move aside, I'm squeezing in." She said, pushing her way into the table. There were many humans, but also a girl who looked to be of elven or fey decent, a dwarf, another tiefling, and a wet girl. Not sure what happened there.

At the hall, she was given a lecture on conduct. Harassment was forbidden for race or sex or social standing. That was fine. She had dealt with plenty of that already. But what about harassment against those who deserved it? Like jerks. She might need to look into that deeper. Wouldn't want to be expelled. And if that were the case, it wasn't hard to see why Crampernap was shunned by the rest of Academia. The woman seemed somewhat of a bore admittedly. But when the floor was given to Hoseforn, well she perked up. His words were short and pleasant. Who doesn't love being able to eat? From that brief interaction he gave, he seemed like a fun guy. A little like Crampernap after you get to know him. Maybe she was a bit too quick to judge this school?

"Well, I most certainly don't need to told twice to eat!" Almost before everyone else, Anise began filling her plate with food. She started with the baked goods, danishes, pies, puddings. She loved the taste and texture of baked items. "Soooooo~ We should introduce ourselves. I am Anise! You may ask me anything!" @Everyone

---

Once Finn managed to get some of the hair out of his mouth, he smiled at Valencia and Selena. “I don’t mind the fluffiness. However, that changes when you get some of the fur in your mouth. “

Selena felt her face turn red as she pulled back slightly as Finn made the comment back to Valencia, so he could easily see her. She flicker her tail around her waist and between her legs pinning it there so it wouldn’t happen again. “Do not worry about it Selena…”Selena looked up to see Finn smiling at her. Which only made her calm down slightly and smile back. Sitting straight once again. The lights dimmed and the main teachers came in. She looked ahead as a tall horned man with red skin excused himself and sat down with another woman.

She noticed the hair, and the eyes. Finally a race she recognized! The girl was a Siren! The only race that knew the location of Inarikami. The Sirens were never aggressive towards them, and had kept their location a secret even after they were chased off the mainland. So they kept up peaceful relations with them. While Inarikami was considered holy ground, they were allowed a much smaller island to stay/rest on. Kitsune would often travel and trade with the sirens on that island. Selena was taught their language as well, despite the siren’s royal family being murdered, they believed that they might reorganize one day and Selena will have to visit them.

She didn’t know if she should say anything though.. She had heard they had nearly disappeared after that fact...going into hiding. She didn’t have time to think about it though, as another girl told them to move over and sat down just before it started. Another girl with horns...like the man...but purple instead of Red. Selena was a little nervous, cause she never seen a race like that. Admittedly she was a little scared of their look. Because that is how often humans were depicted in the horrible stories of the past aggression against the kitsune.

But if this Siren was walking with him and her arms were hooked with his...perhaps she needed not be worried. She looked over to see the Teachers coming in, a woman with a snake’s body did the most talking. She felt a little bad when she brought up no harassment of other races. While she didn’t, she felt bad that she was even scared of the two horned people across from her.

The old man at the center cleared his throat. Selena’s ears suddenly flattened as she yelped in pain. She put her hands over her own ears. She couldn’t hear what was said next over the ringing in her head. She took a few breaths and was about to try and mutter out a healing spell but she didn’t have to as she felt a warm hand over her ears and the pain washed away.

She looked up to see Finn had reached up and healed her with a runestone that he was holding in his prosthetic. “I hope that was enough to help…” He said with a slightly concerned look on his face.

She nodded, "thank..you." her face red as he removed his hand, her ears rising up only slightly. As the room was still loud at first for her. She was Mostly embarrassed for yelping in the hall as she noticed a few people not at their table looking at her. She turned her gaze downward to the food on her table. The surprise of seeing it suddenly there taking her mind off it quickly. Her tail escaping once more at the sight of the chicken. But she didn’t reach for it, she was still unsure of customs here and decided to watch others. The purple horned girl introduced herself as Anise.

She then decided to go, saying while looking to Finn first, who gave her a comforting nod. ”Hello...I... Selena Vixen.” Her face red with embarrassment. She flustered realizing she didn’t say it properly like she did with Valencia. But she then did what Mrs. Reinheart taught her. She pointed to Valencia and Finn while looking at everyone at the table and continued. “These are...my friends. Valencia… and Finn Reinheart!” She managed to say with a small smile as she felt like she said it properly. Her tail sweeping more behind her as she pushed her hands together and into her lap.

It’s nice to meet you…” She said in another tongue while looking at the blue haired girl. She closed her eyes as if catching her mistake, She then spoke again, in the common tongue. “It is...nice meet you all.” as she glanced to everyone.

Arn had finally started to release his death grip upon himself that was leaving his knuckles white and the back of his hands red. When the bow wielding white haired lad asked something than never in his life the dwarf would think he would hear outside the hushed whispers of the Iron Keep Halls.

"Excuse me, you did just say your Arn HammerStone? Are you related to Krum HammerStone?”

The young Cleric lost all his composure. He snapped his head in the direction of the young bowman so fast that his speed would have broken his neck had it not been resting on a properly muscled roped neck of a dwarf who had been training for almost 50 years as a cadet. His already big eyes extended greedily across his face occupying more real estate in an effort to visually understand how the name of his estranged uncle could be proceeding from a human lad.

Back in the deep halls of the mountain kingdom few spoke the name of the once celebrated blacksmith. Those who did, spoke in an negative tone. Not out of disrespect, but out of pity and shame. Two words that should never be linked to a dwarf that wanted their names to be sung in glory in the Ale houses of the kingdom.

Arn had never met his uncle, having not even been born when the man left the close knit dwarven community. He had only learned bits and pieces from hearsay and small talks he had with his mother. His father would never speak of him and while he did not openly renounce his brother, it was clear that the memory of the once famous warrior was not welcomed in the HammerStone clan.

The young Cadet uttered an almost babbling “What.. HO.... How…?” The obvious disbelief and total shock in his voice readily apparent to any one within ear shot or paying attention. His current behavior would have been quite and affront to his military training and stoic people.

Indeed, his drill sergeant often said. “Control your emotions, surprise is like getting caught with your pants down…it makes it easy to get Fucked!”

The fates seem to be smiling upon the young dwarf. A distraction came in the shape of an accidentally tail swipe given by the strange, yet enthralling, fox girl whom Arn had tried to analyze via his peripheral vision. The timely arrival of two demon looking individuals and an interesting colored haired girl to their table, coupled with the good natured teasing of the curiously tinted pleasing silver haired girl at the end of the table, allowed Arn to calm himself and gather his wits about him.

As if this obvious hand of luck was not enough, the appearance and sudden commanded silence of the entire hall as a group of eye catching individuals further diverted attention from the erring dwarf. He silently thanked the fates and hoped that this great amount of luck would not negatively affect him in the back draft.

It was almost evident how he neatly packed his emotions back in order as efficiently as he packed his ruck sack for a long march. The stoic face that he presented to the world appeared once more on his face and his hands once again interlocked like the gates of Iron Gate Fort.

The young dwarf waited patiently as some food and introductions went around. Once he had the full attention of the white haired bowman again he proclaimed clearly. “Please excuse my sudden outburst. Krum HammerStone is my uncle. Please forgive my forwardness but If I may, how do you know that name?”

Finn was smiling at Selana as she finished introducing herself, Valencia and himself. She was really pushing herself out of her comfort zone. He glanced back to Arn as he got his attention once again. Being formal with him. He smiled at the dwarf and said, "Well that would mean we are cousins. Because I call him Uncle as well. My father and he are close friends, and he spent some time with us over the last four years." He paused to give the dwarf a moment to let the confusion set in. Before pulling back his left sleeve. Revealing the ghostly glow of the core of his prosthetic. "Where he made and has adjusted this for me."

A sudden wave of jealousy and cryptic anger swept over the dwarf, the origin unknown.

Cousins? How could a human be considered family? Had his uncle gone as far as to mate and form a family with a human? If so, were there other cousins unknown to him in the world? Why had his uncle preferred the company of humans over that of his own flesh and blood?

Arn’s mind was a whirlwind of emotions. Thankfully, other than a slight twitch to his left eye and the tightening of his hands, not much was revealed. His voice was controlled as he hoped to ask the questions that flashed in his brain in a more proper way.

When the young man showed him the prosthetic his mind raced even more with questions that threatened to make the young dwarf almost faint. However, thanks to his strong mental fortitude instead Arn was able to produce a forced. “That is very interesting. He made this?” His tone was tinted with disbelief but with hope and wonder.

Finn's smile faded slightly, as the Dwarf barely moved a muscle. Not even seeming excited at the prospect that in this vast world, they knew the same man. Krum mentioned a falling out with his brother before. Perhaps Krum's brother had a larger influence on his son's outlook on his uncle. Or perhaps it was the cousins comment. Humans never did get along with Dwarves... perhaps dwarves had the same feelings towards humans? When he asked if he did make this he tilted his head to the side, glancing at the table he grabbed a fork with his left hand and spun it between his fingertips as easily as one would with real fingers. "Indeed he did. He also made my leg as well." He added with a smile. Pulling his pant leg up enough to see the blue glow of the core just above the boot. "Also excuse me for calling you cousin. I just grew close with the man, he's gruff and ornery at first. But a good man. Just don't break any of his creations...." He said with a chuckle...suddenly feeling old bruises long gone pop up on the back of his head from a head smack from the few times he did break one or both of them.

Arn’s eyes were glued to the arm first and the leg second as the archer showed him the marvelous items. A deep sadness settled in Arn’s soul as he felt cheated from having interacted with a man capable of such wonders. His face remained calm but his eyes briefly showed that slight sadness to the world.

The young cadet gave a slight shake of his head. “No excuse need to be given. You must forgive me. You see, I have never met my uncle.” His eyes went back to the prosthetics. “However, I had heard that he was capable of great works of metallurgy but nothing could have prepared me to witness such a marvelous work. You are very lucky.” He then looked at the young bowman. In the young dwarf’s eyes there was a slight tint of sadness and longing.

As quickly as it appeared it was gone. “Please forgive me. I do not believe I caught your name.”

Finn did catch the hint of sadness in the dwarfs tone and in his eyes. " I'm sorry, I didn't realize you didn't meet him. " He said scratching his ear. When the Dwarf asked his name he answered, "Finn Reinheart. It's a pleasure to meet you Arn Thurson of the Stonehammer clan Vassals of the Battlehammer Clan ." He said offering his left hand for a handshake.

Arn extended his own callused hand and taking the metal forged one. It almost felt as if he was holding his own uncle. For it is said, that a blacksmith pours their very soul into their creations. The young dwarf offered Finn a slight smile as he nodded in deference.

"You honor me and my clan addressing thus. I shall take no further of your time." The young cadet let go of the archer's hand grabin his mug of Ale raised it towards Finn. "To your health." And he took a swig, downing the drink in one gulp. He was going to need a few more of these before he could steady his emotions.

@Aerandir

---

---

As Lorelei and Rodrick took a seat amongst the group, Lorelei gave everyone a friendly smile before turning her attention to the figures now entering the hall. She eyed all of them, taking note of which ones she wished to talk to while also listening to the rules. Those should all be simple enough to follow. Before she knew what was really happening there was a feast in front of them, impressive. She slowly began gathering some food of her own as the tiefling woman who squeezed in shortly after her and Rodrick insisted that they all introduced themselves. She decided to allow others to do so first, examining each character instead. The strange fox girl introduced herself in broken common as Selena and then the two white haired people next to her. She didn’t pay them much mind until something caught her completely off guard. A language familiar to her, yet also almost a stranger to her in the years she’d gone not hearing it rang in her ears. Her head whipped to Selena, staring at her in stunned silence for a moment. ”H-how do you know this language?” She finally asked the girl, speaking in her native tongue for the first time in many years.

Selena’s ears twitched towards Lorelei when she spoke up. She reddened slightly and bowed her head quickly in apology. ”Forgive me… I learned it when I was a little kit. For whenever a Siren would visit our home.” She said fluently. ”I admit it has been a while… But I recognize you were a Siren from your characteristics… It’s hard not to with that vibrant beautiful hair color.” She said with a smile and a cock of her head. Her tail up and swaying gently behind her. She felt at ease speaking a tongue she learned when she was little. Fond memories of the few times she was allowed to leave the Shrine, and travel to the small island they designated for the Sirens rest and stay on.

Lorelei blinked at the girl as a memory was unlocked in her mind, something she’d forgotten long ago. For a brief moment she felt tears well in her eyes, but she shoved them back down as she let out a small laugh. ”Please don’t apologize, I just wasn’t expecting it. It brings my heart joy to hear my language again. My mother had always spoken highly of the Kitsune, I feel lucky to finally meet one.” Her mother’s voice rang in her head and something inside her cracked a little, a brief moment of sadness filling her eyes. ”I’m Lorelei, it’s truly a pleasure to meet you.” She switched back to the common tongue so she didn’t have to introduce herself twice, but she was giving Selena a genuine smile.

Selena started to panic when she saw tears well up in the siren’s eyes. Did she say something wrong? Was she not supposed to speak in this tongue? But it quickly went away and she breathed a sigh of relief when the girl laughed and spoke up again. Her tail swayed more as she felt warm that she brought joy to this girl, without even meaning to. She was pleased to hear that her mother spoke highly of her people. Thankful for that knowledge. When she then switched back to the common tongue and introduced herself. She smiled brightly. She knew what she wanted to say, but the words were lost to her for a moment. She looked to Finn who was busy talking to the dwarf next to him, then back to Lorelei. But then she suddenly remembered. ” Please...thank you. The pl--- pleasure is me?… mine! She said, her skin turning as pink as her hair. She remembered Finn saying something like that before. She hoped she said it right.

Rodrick

Rodrick stiffened slightly as the teachers walked out and took their places at the head table. Years of living on the streets had given Rodrick good instincts when it came to people. When bumping into the wrong person could mean a knife in your stomach, you quickly learned to tell who was dangerous. Everyone of these teachers were dangerous. The old wizard man, the wrinkled goblin, and the snake woman had a sense of power that Rodrick couldn't place his finger on. He had never been around a lot of magic user, but he suspected this was the feeling a powerful mages gave off. Rodrick had felt people like the man with the eye patch before, usually from high ranking military personal or guard captains. He had a hardness and strength to him that Rodrick suspected came from years of discipline and combat. The drow woman, wow she was pretty, actually seemed rather pleasant. Rodrick couldn't quite place her either but she had a kindness and feeling of strength that he hadn't really experienced before. Then there was the man with hooked mask...

The longer Rodrick looked at him the stronger the urge to run became. He had 'felt' people close to that before. It came from people you avoided at all costs. It came from people who just as content to stab you as say hello to you. Their was no doubt in Rodrick's mind, that man was a killer. The man with the hook mask must have felt Rodrick's stare, because he turned his head to look right at Rodrick. Well, to be fair it was hard to tell where the man was looking, but it certainly felt like he was looking at Rodrick. Rodrick looked down quickly, and actually started to sweat a little. And then snake woman, who introduced herself as Maurine, began to speak and Rodrick felt the mans gaze move away. He might have sighed in relief a little.

The speech was quick and too the point. Immediately after Hoseforn stopped speaking food exploded across the table, and Rodrick's eyes grew huge. The smells were intoxicating, and Rodrick's stomach growled in anticipation. He hadn't eaten anything but a piece of kinda stale bread and cheese since this morning. This was without a doubt the most food Rodrick had ever seen. Rodrick began piling food onto his plate, grabbing some of everything, and started to dig in. It tasted incredible. After the first few bites he realized he would need something to drink. He spotted a pleasant looking purple liquid, was that wine? It smelled nice and fruity so he poured himself a glass of it. It tasted almost as amazing as the food had.

A few of the other students started to introduce themselves. The tiefling woman who had shown up just after Rodrick and Lorelei introduced herself as Anise. He had rarely seen any others of his kind, so he was a little excited to have another one of his people in the same year as him. The pink fox girl introduced herself as Selena, the young woman with white hair as Valencia and the young man with...was that a mechanical arm..cool... as Finn, before her and Lorelei started speaking in a language that Rodrick didn't understand. One of the two dressed in robes, the one who had looked like he wanted to strangle the blonde one before, introduced himself as Ixius and as a member of the Magus Librarium. The Magus Librarium sounded familiar, though Rodrick wasn't sure why.

"It's nice to meet you all, my names Rodrick." He said, bowing his head slightly to everyone before taking another drink of wine. Damn it tasted good.

Anise of course quickly surveyed the table. She had only briefly given most of the people nearby some thought appearance-wise. Her mind was mostly on everything in the Hall. The lights, the food, the staff. As she turned to address everyone, she was eating something she had grabbed. That was when one of the students spoke up, introducing herself and a few others.

”Yes nice to meet you Sel-ACK!” Anise was taking a bite of a danish and unfortunately began choking on it when she noticed the flicking tail and the healing provided by one of the companions nearby for the large ears she had. How had she missed that! They were clearly so obvious. ”Selena! You wouldn’t happen to be a Kitsune would you?” She reached over the table to get a better look.

The pages of the books she read might have been blank now, but her own mind wasn’t. The same long ears and tail she had seen before! But those recollections were always written more like a monster legend, or a fairy tale. To think she might be able to learn from the source! ”You have to tell me about your history! I want to hear your side of what happened.”

Selena was still smiling after talking with Lorelei. When she was startled by the purple one named Anise who started talking to her but suddenly choked on her food. A concerned look came on her face as she half stood up. But sat back down once she asked if she was a kitsune. Suddenly standing up and leaning over the table to get a closer look at her.

Involuntarily, Selena pulled back. Her ears flicked down and her tail wrapped once again around herself for comfort. Her face was growing red at the intense focus on her. ”I...um... “ she didn’t have a chance to answer as Anise then asked for her history, and what happened. Clearly flustered, she was confused. Did she mean her personal history...did she know who she was? She couldn’t know…

She must of meant her people’s history… but where to start… that would take a long time. ”I um… Yes… I a Kitsune.” She started off. ”Do you… mean all history? How we started? My side? “ She glanced at the table, ”What mean...my side?” She felt so overwhelmed she was getting quite confused.

Anise was trying to find something to write with. She had her tome, but no real implement to actually write anything. Still, as she searched for something, she looked back at Selena, her eyes wide with excitement and smiling quite brightly. ”Yes! Your side. I’ve only seen a few mentions of what happened from my time reading, but many books say contradictory things, especially in relation to the group it is written about. I’ve had some claim that my kind is an ill omen! Clearly that is not the case as presently none of us are being struck down by the gods. So obviously there were some things written about the Kitsune that are inaccurate, yes?”

Without a proper writing utensil, she took the back of her fork and dipped it in a gravy boat, and wrote it on a scrap of paper she managed to pull from the books she kept with her. She looked back at her, eagerly awaiting her response. It amazed her that no one else seemed to have the slightest bit of interest in her presence. It was a historic day to hear that members from such a unique group were, in fact, still alive.

Selena watched with her head cocked to the side as Anise searched for something. She tried to listen to her, but she spoke so quickly it was hard to follow. She watched as she took a fork and dipped the back of it into the gravy boat. Selena had a hard time using utensils… but she knew it wasn’t something you wrote with… She was going to say something about that but when she looked at Anise who was clearly ready for her answer.

She lifted her right hand to her mouth as if she was about to bite her nails.. But she didn’t. ”Um… “ She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the words that she did hear. After figuring out what she meant generally, she sighed. Opening her eyes as she pulled her own tail into her arms. ”We...were hunted...and killed. Because Humans were scared...scared of Kitsune magic. Because not same as humans. And greedy for our weapons...and our...our fur.” She shuddered at the thought of her ancestors being hunted for that last reason.

She couldn’t just say they left the continent… she didn’t want them to find out about her home. ”So we ran...hid in forest, and mountains…lived as normal foxes. To avoid hunters. Lived in hiding, Still hide. But we used to it now.” .She said. Not knowing if that was going to be enough for her. She fiddled with the fork next to her empty plate still. Still not wanting to fill her plate, till she watched how others did it… and putting off the fact she still doesn’t use these strange utensils very well at all still.

They ran into the forests and hid as foxes? Well that is most certainly an interesting idea. Though if her readings were correct, then they would be quite large for foxes. And even then, many foxes were hunted already without also being seen as evil and deadly (a common theme Anise noticed). Which meant that trappers and hunters would still be after them in some sense. This led to a whole slew of other questions

”I see! How did you avoid other trappers or hunters who merely sought fox fur, Oh! And how did your people pass down their culture? Did you speak orally? Do you have any writings from before you hid in the woods? Does your family live in fox dens or burrows? Oh and I haven’t even begun to get into just how Kitsune magic works!”

By this point she had given up on the fork, having forgotten about it in her excitement. She would need to transpose this later. She also had shut out the majority of the group for the time being, being completely enthralled and enraptured by what she felt would be a most harrowing of tales.

Selena suddenly realized she opened a bunch of questions with what little she said. She grew more nervous by the second. But she didn’t have much time to even think when Anise suddenly asked one question after another. On one hand she would have loved to answer some of those questions. But the sudden rapid fire of complex and very detailed subjects that would take forever to answer caused Selena to wrap her tail tighter around herself as her ears folded down once again. She rubbed and wrung her hands together. and started to look down.

She didn’t know what to say, she didn’t want to be rude, but she felt embarrassed with all the questions. Especially when she couldn’t answer some of them truthfully. Some of this stuff she hasn’t even told Finn!

Her eyes darted around the table as she struggled to talk. ”I… Um. We stayed… she started to feel overwhelmed with all the noises as people got louder.

@Heartfillia @Aerandir @Inertia @mantou @datadogie @Omni5876 @ChaoticLaw @Tae @StOpossum

Karya had just sat down when, for some reason, the fox girl whacked her human friend in the face with her tail as he turned to look.

"Hm?" Karya tilted her head. Sure she must look a little out of place, with most others appearing more kempt, but was that really so awful? She was here, and on time, wasn't that enough? All this formality was yet another thing she didn't quite understand. Looking down, she noticed her skirt had gone rather form-fitting... Ah, so that could explain it. She'd heard many cultures were quite modest, with their women wearing long skirts. She shrugged. What was wrong with thighs? Most people had them, unless they were nagas or merfolk.

The awkwardness, thankfully, began to dissipate as the seemingly unfriendly white-haired girl made a joke. Karya chuckled. "Nice to meet you too!" she said, eyes flicking around at everyone. "I'm Karya."

She grinned up at two other new arrivals, a man with red skin and horns, and a blue-haired woman. At ease to see more non-humans join the table, she gestured to the nearby chairs. "Sure, feel free to join us!"

At that moment, the lights dimmed, the vicedean making her speech. Karya listened intently, her expression turning unusually serious near the end. Two words sent a chill through her. Recent changes? Her ribs clenched so hard they ached. Did Xan's disappearance have anything to do with these changes, whatever they were? Even when the speech ended and a delicious looking array of food popped up, she remained silent for a few seconds. That silence was broken when another, rather hungry newcomer joined the group, introducing herself as Anise.

"Hi!" Karya brightened up again, at least outwardly. "I'm Karya. Soooo, what are you specialising in here? I'm a mix of druid and ranger, and it's mostly plant magic I use, although other types may be worth branching into... Ehhh, no pun intended." With an awkward laugh, she rubbed the back of her neck.

As the others started to tuck into their food, she filled her own plate. Although Anise used the weird utensils that had been laid out - a blunt knife, and a metal stick with prongs on the end - Karya didn't get why they were necessary, nor did she know how to use them. She picked up a duck leg and started munching away at it. The food here was quite something, she thought as she did the same with a corn cob, alternating between taking bites out of each one. Admittedly, smaller bites than she would have taken if not for the squirming in her stomach. What was going on out there that she didn't know about?

It helped that for the most part, the atmosphere around the table had livened, Arn beginning to open up as Finn showed him his dwarven-crafted prosthetic arm. More technology Karya was unfamiliar with the exact workings of, although since some wounded nymphs used expertly woodcrafted, rune-inscribed prosthetic limbs, she figured it had to involve magic of some kind. Not that she knew much about dwarves, but it was said they didn't bother with spellcasting... Clearly that assumption was wrong. "Magic infused, huh?" she asked Arn and Finn. "Rune magic? Runecrafting and regular crafting really do go great together."

She set down her food for a moment and poured herself a large mug of red wine, unaware that goblets were for wine and mugs were for ale. A container was a container. After taking a swig to steady the bout of unease, she lowered her voice. She didn't want to bring down the mood, but she had to ask. "Also... Just curious. Would anyone happen to know what these recent changes are?"

Meanwhile, Anise poured forth questions to Selena, some a little too personal. Overhearing the bit about hunting, Karya grimaced - humans at their worst once again. She'd heard stories of some humans burning down forest-dwelling communities out of fear. Understandably, Selena looked less than comfortable. "Heyyy, how about we skip right to the bit about magic?" Karya butted in. Forthright as she was, she had some sense of boundaries. "I mean that's a subject we're on already." She glanced back at Finn and Arn, then at Ixius, who had yet to loosen up.

She could only hope her question about recent changes hadn't brought up any more uncomfortable subjects for anyone.

---

---

Finn nodded to the Dwarf and raised his own drink to him in thanks. Taking a drink of his mug as well, before Turning his attention to the soaked wood nymph named Karya, which he heard was specialized being a Druid and Ranger. "Magic infused, huh?" she asked Arn and himself. "Rune magic? Runecrafting and regular crafting really do go great together." He closed his eye and gave a slow nod.

”They do indeed.” He said with a small smile. Glancing down at his arm as he flexed the hand, he wouldn’t be here at all without it. He was grateful to Krum with all his heart. As well as his father of course.

He glanced over to Selena as she started speaking to the girl with blue hair. His eyebrows raised with a bit of surprise as he realized he didn’t know what language they were speaking. He just assumed Selena spoke Kitsune only a year ago. He smirked when Selena seemed to be growing more comfortable. He started filling his own plate, looking at the new arrivals that had shown up.

"Also... Just curious. Would anyone happen to know what these recent changes are?" Before he could answer what he heard, Anise suddenly realized that Selena was indeed a kitsune. She suddenly bombarded her with questions, and Finn listened quietly, he had heard most of this already. Though he had never asked where her home was. She seemed quite intent in never returning.

Things suddenly escalated quickly as Anise asked more questions. He glanced at Selena who visually was looking overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. He discreetly grabbed her left hand and squeezed it as he noticed her tail wrapped tightly. Around herself. She always did this while extremely distressed or nervous. He knew the Tiefling meant no harm, but that was enough questions for now. ”Look, Anise..” But he was cut off by Karya who tried to change the subject and Ixius, calling Anise out for making Selena uncomfortable. He nodded a Silent thanks to the irritable magus at the end of the table.

Selena’s eyes were closed as others started cutting in to change the subject...some more than others. Still she felt horrible that now because she couldn’t handle the questions, now two of them were bickering. She felt pathetic...till she felt Finns hand on hers.She didn’t look at him, but she took a few breaths. And slowly calmed down.

While the two mages would exchange a volley of sharp words, he felt Selena’s hand soften. Looking at her he saw she was calming down. Glancing at her empty plate he sighed sadly. She must have been worried about how she ate, and being rude to grab food...despite everyone else having no issue.

He quickly let her hand go before taking her plate and filling it for her. Focusing on the chicken. As his family quickly found out, it was her favorite food. He then saw she had not pulled out her ...chopsticks.. As she called them. She must have forgotten about them. Knowing she was embarrassed using normal utensils. Despite the many times trying to teach her. Finn had made her some according to how she described them. Without hesitation he pulled an arrow from his quiver, and with a small twist of his wrists, snapped it in two, sliding the feather tipped end into his boot. The same motion pulling a knife out from that same boot, he expertly whittled down the broken end, before snapping in half once more, then breaking off the arrow tip. A few more quick strokes with the knife he finished his rough chopsticks, slightly thicker but usable.

She opened her eyes as she felt Finn’s hand leave hers. She saw him starting to fill her plate with the very chicken she was eyeing and felt her stomach growl...An embarrassing sound. She looked away and pushed her hair over her ear, trying to not look at Finn. Though as soon as Selena heard the snap her head jerked to look at Finn. She turned slightly red as she realized what Finn was doing. While it embarrassed her, it also gave her a warm feeling inside. She decided not to say no. He would only say some excuse and continue with his plan anyway.

The whole time that the others were chatting away, Valencia was feeling more than a little overwhelmed. Whilst she had the freedom to clam up all she wanted, to suppress herself, she instead was turning her head this way and that, trying to pick up on everything and not wanting to miss out on what anyone was saying. This only meant that she missed out on a lot, and was only overwhelming herself a little further, to the point where it was hard enough to control her expression, particularly as she wanted to at least look friendly to the people around her.

What didn’t help was that others seemed to know eachother or have some kind of relation to eachother, which meant they at least had something to go off of. It saddened her a little bit, as Valencia didn’t know what to do. Whilst perhaps many of the people she was presently sitting with knew how to converse properly with others, it made Valencia realise that those she had been talking with prior were people that she had known for most of her life, and who were essentially required to converse back to her. She wasn’t used to meeting new people, and this was her first, harsh experience of a public schooling. So, Valencia reaches forward, picks up a single apple, and leans back in her chair, eating silently.

Finn made sure that there was no way for Selena to get splinters before handing it to her, glancing over to Valencia as she was still very quiet. And eating an apple. He double checked her plate and confirmed that it was just an apple. After a moment, a tiny smirk appeared on his face at the very moment a plan came to mind.

He smiled a cheeky smile and leaned forward while looking at Valencia to get her attention. “I think you’re eating wrong.” he said before taking a drink from his mug. While he did, his eyes did not leave her face.

Whilst Valencia had been somewhat observant in her surroundings before, it took her a moment to realize that Finn was speaking to her. It was a realization that made her blink a few times to break herself out of the shell she had unintentionally trapped herself in, shifting her gaze over to him and leaning forward a touch to look past Selena. “Oh?” She asks, smiling almost as if she was ashamed of herself, though with a touch of curiosity. “How so?”

Finns cheeky smile grew for a moment before he cleared his throat. “Well.. first off. An apple is either a dessert, or a palate cleanser. You can't start off your meal with either of those.” He said trying to sound sophisticated. He thought he heard that somewhere...probably his mother. But it sounded right.

He glanced around the table, standing up and grabbing a plate. He whirled around Selena and Valencia quickly and clearly with ease. He offered the plate to her as if he was a waiter. With a bow. “Might I suggest to the beautiful lady a fine... he double checked what he grabbed. Using his free hand to wave around the plate to show how marvelous it looked before saying quite flatly. “...Duck... all the while a charming smile was on his face.

Finn’s efforts definitely worked in making Valencia feel a little better, for a small albeit slowly growing smile had appeared on her lips. She found it a touch amusing how much effort he was trying to put into playing waiter, and with her hands took the plate that she was offered. “Well, if one truly was knowing what he was talking about, he might recognize that this is Duck à l'orange,” she adds, with a little giggle. There was, however, still a touch of despair in her eyes. The publicness was getting to her a little bit, however she was forcing herself to make do.

Finn squinted his eyes as if he was suspicious of what she said. Standing up after she took the plate. A forced frown as he tried to show himself doubling checking his memories. “Nono..not Duck à l'orange. I have it on good authority it’s just called Duck.” He said nodding to himself.

Waving his hand after thinking about it. ”BAH no matter. That is only the first part. The second part, which is the most important part. Is to dine with friends.” He said while pulling a thin champagne glass, seeming out of thin air. He had expertly tucked behind his back with the belt over his uniform. Grabbing it just before he moved around the two girls. Using this motion to hide what he did. The bow giving him time to make sure it was secure. Though it was clearly half of it probably had spilt out during his little show.

He offered it to her in a toast. And blinked a couple times. Having an afterthought. Well.. I guess knowing you’re with friends is kinda the first part. So the food would be second and dining with… you get what I mean.” He said with a wink. Hoping she would realize what he meant.

Reaching back to the table, Valencia picked up her own glass, and then proceeded to clink the glass against Finn’s in a toast. She couldn’t help but feel very appreciative of the fact that he was trying to include her, though in the back of her mind, it just made her wonder how much worse it would be if it happened to all come tumbling down. She made sure to kick that thought away though, and try to grasp onto the rope that he was dangling into the well. She felt a touch bad he had to pull her out of that same well, however.

“Thank you,” Valencia says softly. There was a little bit of light in her eyes now that she had been given some glimmer of hope that she could actually interact with people. In a quieter voice, one directed toward Finn, she adds, “It’s nice knowing that I at least have friends here. From where I come from, I, well, I don’t exactly have too many of those. I… Well, both of our names carry our own burdens.” Her voice was practically a whisper by the end, though she did take a sip of her drink, for perhaps the first time since the food had arrived.

Finn cocked his head ever so slightly when she started speaking in a softer tone aimed only for him. He nodded, as she brought up names once more, something she picked up on outside his room. She clearly never offered her last name, and while Finn did have ‘friends.’ growing up. He felt they hung around to meet his dad, or brothers at times. “Well, despite being dastardly charming” He said clearly being sarcastic. ” I didn’t have many real ‘close’ friends myself. “ He said in a quieter tone as well to respect her privacy. ”However we are here to.. ‘Be our own person...by our own efforts.” He said with a smile.. ” So let's help each other as new friends and ignore the past burdens?”

Valencia had to admit, Finn was charming, and the way that he quoted what she had said earlier was pulling at her heartstrings a little - it made her glad to know that he had listened to what she had said. “Our own persons, by our own efforts,” she repeats the words that he replied, just as quietly as he was speaking. The thought came to her mind that the pair of them whispering to each other like they were might raise some eyebrows, particularly those with a pair of pink fluffy ears nearby, and it made her giggle perhaps a touch nervously. She does, however, clink her glass against Finn’s once more, giving him a bit of a brighter, more appreciative smile. “Perhaps we’ve got to sit down and talk properly at some point. Without a thousand students, a thousand friends, hereabouts.”

Finn continued to smile as she echoed her own words. He raised an eyebrow as she clinked his glass again and presented the idea of sitting down and talking properly...alone… A hint of red appeared on his face as he smiled with a nod. “With that smile. I’ll be looking forward to it.” He raised his glass one more time, before moving back to his seat.

The young woman could not help but notice the hint of red that had appeared on her friend’s face, her own cheeks having turned just a tint pink from the charming compliment that she was given by him. “I’ll be looking forward to it, too,” she whispers, her eyes watching him move back to his seat for a few moments. Once they returned to her meal, so wonderfully provided by Finn himself, she murmured one word before breaking into giggles as she began to eat. “Duck.”

@Heartfillia @Aerandir @Inertia @mantou @datadogie @Omni5876 @ChaoticLaw @Tae @StOpossum

”The bits I’ve… unintentionally... overheard from the Librarium was that same fact and that it has been happening for 7 months or so. This other ‘bit’ I’ve heard, which I’m personally unsure if it is unrelated or not, is that there’s been a string of killings where the bodies found were oddly mutilated...”

Stunned into silence, Karya let Ixius' words sink in. The aftertaste of wine turned sour in her mouth as the casual banter faded into the background, food and drink suddenly the furthest things from her mind. Closing her eyes and clenching the handle of her mug, she shook her head. No, no, no, she couldn't think the worst. If a wood nymph had been found, surely the news would have gotten back to the forest communities by now. And Xan was tough. She HAD to be alive...

With a deep, shaking breath, Karya opened her eyes. "Oh gods..." She glanced from Ixius to Anise, her other hand balling into a fist on the table. "All the more reason to get stronger, huh? To do the best we can as adventurers. To look into things like this and put a stop to them." The sheer grit in her tone likely left no doubt that this was personal.

Although the more lighthearted conversation - Finn chatting up Valencia over food and champagne, Calven's cheery introduction - seemed a world away, she overheard mention of the Magus Librarium. For Cal's sake, she forced a smile. "Good to meet you Calven! And yep. Ixius, you heard him, about getting along." She gave Ixius a mock pointed look before turning her attention back to Calven, her expression serious once more. "Not to bring down the mood too much, but if you're from the Librarium, you wouldn't have heard anything about this? About what's been happening lately?"

More talk about the horrors going on in the world. This wasn't what Selena needed right now, Karya thought with an inward shudder. Even though the kitsune girl had calmed down to an extent, her distress was still clear from her quietness. Karya didn't want to be the one to put a damper on the feast, but she had to find out as much as possible.

Despite his best efforts to mask how uncomfortable he was, Toma wasn't skilled enough to hide it. That was probably to be expected - he wasn't really sure how to act when he was near so many people for the first time, and while he was far from an introvert, it would probably take a while before he could avoid feeling claustrophobic in such a large crowd.

Toma jumped slightly when another student sat in the chair next to him, suprised.

"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."

Toma felt a little disturbed thanks to her choice of words, but she was smiling and her voice was amiable. Maybe it was a city thing to talk about tasting fear, or it was some kind of joke...

Eventually, he relented and began to relax. Even if she was a little eccentric, she was willing to initiate a conversation with him - Storalla knows that he probably wouldn't have worked up the courage to talk to another student during the feast.

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but I am not very good at being scared on command..."

Toma stopped talking for several seconds until he realized that he hadn't introduced himself yet and had pretty much shut down any conversation from happening.

"Oh, um, my name is Toma - it is a pleasure to meet you, Alexis."

Toma wasn't exactly sure what the people at Hoseforn would be like, especially since the only people his age that he knew left Whitelot years before for various apprenticeships, but he felt Alexis was pretty tolerable. Wait, that sounded kind of harsh... Toma really didn't know anything about her other than how she looked, so he was struggling to form an opinion on her. Alexis' white hair and red eyes made Toma think that she was some kind of nonhuman, but other than that she looked like a normal person - maybe she was an elf, or a human that really doesn't go outside, like, ever.

Really, even if she was an Orc, Toma was just glad that he could finally talk to someone his age.

"How are you enjoying things at the academy so far? I only arrived an hour or two ago, and the stables here could easily fit all the livestock from my hometown. That's not even mentioning the water-dispensing contraption in our rooms - that's probably worth more than the rest of my village put together!"

Small talk - his mother had told Toma before he left that the best way to get better at talking with people... was by talking with people.

The room was mostly full at this point, with the table the pair were sitting at being one of the least populated. Toma was honestly a little glad for that - there were hundreds of people within the hall and having a table that was relatively unfilled made him feel less crowded.

The lights began to dim, and Toma turned to look at the part of the hall that remained lit. An empty table was slowly being filled with people, presumably the head staff of the school. Toma was a little uncomfortable with the presence of the Goblin and Drow (Toma never heard of a goblin smart enough to be a teacher, but considering his own illiteracy, he didn't feel right to pass too much judgment), but only became concerned when a woman with the lower half of a snake literally slithered into view.

Toma knew that he would struggle with interacting with nonhumans - he had only ever seen a few Elves and a Dwarf before, with the rest of his knowledge on other races coming from stories he heard by older adults... And most of those stories usually started with Orcs eating people or Sirens singing men to their graves. But this lady actually looked like a monster - he might mistake a Siren or an Orc for a human if it was dark, but no one would think that a person that was half snake was a human. If she was a student, Toma felt he could probably just keep his distance and try not to talk too much with her. But she was a teacher - what could he do? Sit in the back of her classes and pray that she gets full from eating the other students first?

Toma didn't seem to realize how ridiculous it was to think a teacher at a famous academy would devour a student.

As Ms. Rickter spoke, Toma only grew more uncomfortable. He was still nervous about her being a Naga - a lifetime of prejudice wouldn't be erased with a short speech. However, this was dwarfed by how ashamed Toma felt. She didn't speak like a monster, and when she was talking about the rules, Toma found them to be quite reasonable. If someone had stolen from him, he would definitely want them to be punished (Though he'd prefer to kick their ass rather than have them be expelled from such a nice school...) - it only made sense that she would have felt the same way, if he had said something about her appearance.

When she spoke about classes, Toma desperately hoped that he would not be placed into any that Ms. Rickter instructed - if he felt this ashamed just from judging the woman too quickly, he couldn't imagine how bad he'd feel if he did something to offend her.

Toma was shocked again as food seemingly materialized on the table, but he was beginning to grow less surprised as his day went on. Not that things were becoming less fantastical - but after so many impossible events in a row and a week since his last hot meal, Toma really didn't have the energy to be shocked at his ignorance of magic. Instead, he reached for the pitcher of wine and began to fill his cup, before grabbing the roasted leg of some bird he couldn't identify.

"Our Teachers seen quite... Unique, don't you think? I didn't expect Mr. Hoseforn to be so brief."

Toma ate voraciously, finding the food to be far tastier than anything he had back in Whitelot. The young man had never even had salt before, let alone the more exotic seasonings and spices that covered the food. Despite the small town's proximity to a coastal trade city like Windlton, Whitelot lacked the funds necessary to buy luxury items like spices. Soon the feelings of shame at his racism began to fade, instead being replaced by curiosity.

Tarkus, the paladin who had applied Toma to Hoseforn, didn't seem very rich. He was an accomplished adventurer or at least claimed to be, but he settled down in a backwater town with only a single magic item to his name. Did the man just save every gold piece he ever received and used that to pay for Toma's admission? Toma couldn't imagine the Paladin doing that, even if they did have a good relationship, but what other explanation was there? Even if Toma knew what a scholarship was, he would doubt that someone illiterate like he was could receive one.

The hall had seemed to erupt in conversation after the food appeared, students eager to talk with one another and make friends. A few students, seemingly uninterested in the food, were already leaving. As he finished his second glass of wine, Toma paused and reached for the pitcher of water. Classes were starting tomorrow, and while he wouldn't be surprised if Hoseforn Academy had some magical hangover cure, Toma really didn't want to risk a blinding headache on his first day.

Toma also grabbed several apples and carrots, placing them into his pack for later. Oats, like his name suggests, favored cereal and grains more than fruits and vegetables... But Toma really doubted that the donkey would complain about a free meal. Remembering that girls were usually fond of animals, Toma spoke up again.

"Did you have any pets back home, Alexis? I used to live on a farm, so I had quite a few. I wish I could have brought my favorite hen, Mouse, with me..."

Toma had left the Chicken back on his family farm, after realizing that it did more work than the Donkey. Like Oats, she was named after her favorite food - She was an even better mouser than the neighbor's cat.

Toma had eaten quite a bit of food in a short span of time - he had several older siblings when he was growing up, so he had to eat quickly if he wanted to get enough. He still picked up various pieces of exotic fruits and strange meats and snacked on them, but that was mostly out of curiosity rather than hunger. He'd probably take some of the various loaves of bread with him for later, if he decided to copy some of the more asocial students that had already left the feast.

@Ryik

---

---

After her conversation with Selena, Lorelei began to observe everything that was going on around the table. She noticed Rodrick drinking some wine and she gave him a small grin. ”Ooo that looks yummy, I think I’ll have some too.” She poured herself some wine and took a sip of it, rather surprised at the quality of the wine. This stuff could get dangerous very quickly and wondered if Rodrick realized the same thing. She had quite a bit of experience with alcohol and had gotten good at recognizing when something was deceptively strong.

Her attention got pulled away from her drink as Anise began bombarding Selena with an immense amount of questions. She glanced at Selena and immediately recognized she was uncomfortable, whether it was from her not being used to speaking the common tongue or the nature of the questions Lorelei wasn’t entirely sure, but either way she didn’t like that her new acquaintance seemed upset. She began to open her mouth to say something, but others beat her to it. The wood nymph next to Rodrick, Karya, suggested skipping most of the questions, but the one that really caught her attention was the black haired magus, Ixius. He had a sharp tongue and in her experience a sharp tongue meant a quick wit. Lorelei eyed him for a moment with an almost predatory gaze as she gave him a pleased smirk. She then looked back at Selena and Anise. ”I think it would be more entertaining if she didn’t answer ANY of your questions, keep you in suspense of what is true and what isn’t.” She said to Anise before swapping to the Siren language and quickly speaking to Selena.

”Don’t answer her questions if you even have the smallest worry it may put you or your people in danger. Protect yourself and your people, that is the most important thing.” She gave the girl a small reassuring smile while out of the corner of her eye she caught Finn and Valencia having a moment. She gave both of them a playful smirk before turning her attention now to the blonde haired magus as he introduced himself. He’d been rather quiet since she’d joined the table, but now he seemed rather eager as he stood introducing himself. As he went to sit back down, however, she caught the slightest of trembles in his hands. Was he nervous? How interesting.

”Well aren’t you just cute as a button.” She said as she eyed him and gave him a grin. He wanted them all to get along, but she had a feeling some here would continue to butt heads a bit. In fact Ixius seemed not too fond of Calven as it was and she didn’t see that changing any time soon, but perhaps she’d be proven wrong.

Karya then mentioned getting stronger in order to be able to help out with issues in this world. Lorelei leaned back in her chair as she responded to this statement. ”Meh I’m only in this for the money…” She took a sip of her wine with a cheeky grin as she waited to see how many people here would have an issue with her response.

---

Selena took the chopsticks and smiled warmly, Finn then looked over to Valencia, who was eating only an apple. She looked back at him and saw a look in his eye. He was alway so aware of his surroundings and always made friends wherever he went. He was confident and fearless and unbelievably kind.

She had looked to Karya now who had left it open to just the magic question. She thought for a moment about what she wanted to say, She had a small smile when she heard Finn's first comment to Val and decided to just start eating. She had heard the others introduce themselves, including the blonde haired boy named Calven and was grateful to the one called Ixius for taking Anise’s focus off of her..but she said nothing to them. She remembered something when Karya brought up what was happening in the world...something Mr. Reinheart spoke of, and one of the reasons he and Mrs. Reinheart escorted them to the academy. But again, she wanted to calm down a bit more.

She used her newly acquired chopsticks to start eating, quite quickly really, which would have been quite odd for everyone to see for sure, especially picking up the bigger chicken pieces. When she heard Lorelei speak up, she looked up at her. Who then turned to her. While her cheeks were full of food of course. She turned red when she spoke up in her own language, reiterating that she shouldn’t say anything that might put her people in danger. She swallowed what chicken was in her mouth and nodded. Letting out a relaxed sigh. Then answering Lorelei with ”Thank you… “ Slightly muffled as there was still chicken in her mouth despite swallowing a lot of it. She put a hand over her mouth.

She looked over to Karya, once she was comfortable again, and softly said. Um...miss Karya?” Once she had her attention she then said, ”Mr. Reinheart...I mean… Finn’s father. Said there was. M-meny adventures. Um, experienced ones? That worked with Mr. Reinheart. That were...eh… She thought for a moment, as she remembered the wording. “Vanished with trace.” She looked confused. ” With...OUT… trace.” She said nodding to herself.

”He say roads are no ...s-safe anymore. To travel alone...he said.

Things around her started to feel... Uneasy for her. It was a feeling that was familiar to her. But what was it... She then heard all the calls against her to stop, all the people turning the gaze toward her in annoyance. Then the siren on the row as her spoke something in a tongue that she was unfamiliar with, followed by a jab at her, tearing down Anise's excitement even further. Apparently her expectations of this place were closer to correct after all. "meretrix tacete..." She muttered in the infernal tongue she was born with. She always saved it for cursing.

Everything started feeling more familiar now. She remembered... She hadn't actually said anything in that tongue since she was a child. She always spoke it when she was angry at the other kids. When the made her feel alienated. Perhaps this was all in her head, but in such a case, she was not aware. However, she was far more aware of the social cues everyone else was presenting once she was snapped out of her fixation. And a few of them had made it painfully clear. She felt a tinge of frustration and jealousy. All she wanted was to be excited about learning something new. She already realized she had made Selena uncomfortable, and apologized for it!

She silently bit her lip as an easy way to relieve some of her stress. It had been a while since she felt out of place like this. And the last time she did, she met Krampernap. Ever since then, even if she never really needed to pay attention to that feeling. He made it sound like he didn't want her, but words didn't mean anything. He never shut her out.

They continued to talk about people disappearing, but she had no desire to join in now. She also wasn't feeling hungry anymore. She meant no harm from it honestly. She was just excited. Still, she listened in to the conversation. Mostly seemed to be disappearances. She wondered if any of those could have been caused by. She spoke again, once more muttered under her breath. "So in other words, we really don't know anything do we..."

She huffed and gathered herself. If there was nothing to be gained from suffering through this humiliation then why bother. She didn't look at anyone at the table and started to stand. "I'm not feeling particularly hungry. I'm retiring for the night." She started to stand but was stopped by something.

Selena, after answering Karya went back to finishing her chicken on her plate with a small frown. She looked up just as the blonde haired boy was pushing a plate to her. A bit akwardly in front of both Arn and Finn. Her ears perked up as she snatched one of them with blinding speed and a small smile on her lips.

But that faded when she heard Anise speak up once again. She didn’t hear much of what was said between her and Ixius, but with how she looked annoyed/ hurt. As she stood up not looking at anyone. Guilt shot through Selena once again when she stood up quickly as well. ”um miss anise?!” she asked quite suddenly. Her face turning beat red.

Selena spoke up to her. Anise turned to face her. She seemed embarrassed about something "Hm? Yes, what is it?"

I-I... sorry. But I have questions...if that’s ok?” she gripped her hands tightly and nervously and wrapped her tail around herself, the tip of it wacking Finn in the back of the head. Pointing to her own forehead where Anise horns were. “What... those round things? D-do they hurt? And... and...” she asked trying to keep eye contact but failing. As she scratched her own cheek. “can..um please? Can I touch ? If ok! she added on waving her hands back and forth quickly showing she could say no if she wanted.

Anise was silent for a moment, stupefied by what was just asked. It started with a tiny snicker, giggling to herself, but eventually it evolved into a full laugh as she sat herself back down on the table and started caressing her horns herself. "Haha-No my horns don't hurt at all. In fact, they are a lot more like my hair or my fingernails than you'd think. Feel free to touch them if you'd like." Selena excitedly stood up from her spot at the table and rounded the corner for the chance to touch the strange protrusions spiraling out of her head.

She spoke to Selena, but addressed this question to everyone at the room. "You know, I did introduce myself with 'ask me anything.'" Hopefully this would lead to a different line of questioning: one from curiosity and intrigue.

@Heartfillia

The metal armed lad had been otherwise pulled away to other more fertile pastures to sow….whatever wild oats are. The young dwarf had heard that saying from one of the farmers which had given him a lift and stated that schools such as Hoseforn’s were great for sowing them. The insinuation was lost on the sheltered mind of the cadet however. Arn finished his draught of ale after Finn had also drunk to his health. This insinuation was the least of the pressing conundrums that began to rise in his mind. He had many questions.

The answers did not manifest from the bottom of the mug he was drinking from no matter how convenient it would have been. No longer the center of attention, the cleric in training considered what had transpired. Finn had stated that his uncle, a man who had once been of great renown and which had fallen to neglect due to his dabbling in magic that went beyond the socially accepted practices of shamanism, rune crafting, and to a very small extent the healing magic of a cleric. Why had his uncle chosen to embrace another family?

Something else that baffled him was the whirlwind of emotions that had manifested themselves in his stomach like a maelstrom that threatened to engulf him and sink him to depths of uncertainty. These feelings were the kind of which he had never felt before. Had his father played a part in his uncle’s departure? What exactly had transpired to make such a celebrated figure be so taboo? Would he face the same treatment after his own stay at Hoseforn’s?

At this difficult time in his life, the wise words of his old drill sergeant were like a life preserver in the raging waters of confusion. “When in doubt, stuff your face full of food and mead!”
The table in front of him practically groaned and was filled to the brim with food. The other people at his table started to talk to each other. While the young dwarf still did not know his reason for being at this place among other unknown variables, he figured the best way to attack this issue was to treat his time at Hoseforn’s as a mission. The first thing was to gather information.

His hands reached for the delicious smelling dishes all around him. Dwarves had no social norms or etiquette when it came to feasting. This was evident in the hearty portions and quick disappearance of the food from Arn’s plate. While they were not pigs when it came to eating, they still where not shy in their delight of enjoying food. Indeed, it was actually considered a compliment to the cook when food disappeared from plates and was consumed heartily.

The constant shoveling of food actually helped the dwarf to stay out of the various conversations around him and afforded him the opportunity to really take a look at his table mates. The Dwarves kept just enough tabs on people in regards to military movements and political situations that could translate to said military movements. Apart from that, very few interchanges of culture between nations ever transited across the huge gates of Iron Keep.

This meant that ignorance was a two way streak. He knew very little about those on his table and in turn, those around his table, save probably Finn, knew very little about him and his people. Arn’s eyes delighted on the variety around him as much as his taste buds delighted on the bounty of food.

Taking in every detail he could, he began at one end of the table to his right and swept it towards the left making sure to commit to memory as much detail as he could of the people fate had managed to sit around him. He began with the water soaked girl who had commented on Finn’s metal arm. At the time, Arn had only slightly nodded in her direction.

"Rune magic? Runecrafting and regular crafting really do go great together."
He remembered her comment and while not blatantly staring he took in her sight really looking at her for the first time. She was very well put together. Slender frame and riged, almost bark looking tan skin made her look like a pretty flower come to life. While dwarves did not really have a type of woman in general, they were not blind and appreciated the physiology of other races if nothing more. Kyera was attractive for sure and it did the young cleric no harm in acknowledging that.

His face shifted to the left as his hand picked up piece of bread which he dipped in what looked like hearty stew and then lifted the soaking morsel to his mouth. The young cadet appraised his so called cousin and the two girls who sat opposite of him. The pink haired, fluffy tailed girl with big almost bunny ears was for sure eye catching. He had never seen anything like her before. Not in the limited amount of books that was available to him. Basedon the reactions of others at the table, the purple skinned, spectacled horned Anisel specifically, the dwarf inferred that Selene was not a common sight.

An almost inconceivable smile quickly fluttered along his lips but he hid it behind a mug of ale. While he did not necessarily have anything against mages, he enjoyed the banter between the human Ixus, whom he recognized as having been the one to get bumped upon his arrival, and Anise. The blonde haired Calven seemed to be a child trapped in a grown up body. Apparently, Arn was not the only one who did not fully appreciate the boy’s bubbly demeanor.

His ears caught more than he intended from the trio to his left. “Our own persons, by our own efforts,” Arn digested the saying Finn had offered the lass named Valeria. The girl had light hair matching that of his so called cousin and looked very much human. However, the hue of her skin led the observant cadet to bet there was more to the delicate porcelain like face. To a dwarf, family was first and foremost. The honor of the clan needed to be upheld over your own desires. Unknown to Arn, this was the reason why Krum had fallen to whispers. He had pursued a passion and neglected his rightful place as the heir to the StoneHammer clan. Indeed, the young cleric was only at the school to add the necessary skills of being a battle field medic. In this way enchance his own honor and by association, that of the clan.

The sweet dulcimer like voice of the lady directly in front demanded his attention as he gulped down a hearty helping of sweet roasted ham. ”Meh I’m only in this for the money…”
The cleric raised an eyebrow in a mixture of agreement and denial of that statement. It was almost a dwarven trait to pursue riches and glory. However, very few did so as adventurers. Lorelai intrigued the young cadet. Not only because she was very exotic but also because she gave off an air of self-assured deadliness that made a few hairs on his back shiver. He was not necessarily afraid but for a dwarf who had been raised all his life in battle, reading your enemy’s battle ability was a skill that was pounded into you quite literally.

He was surprised how much complete strangers were willing to disclose to each other. While emotionally speaking, this opened up conversation and fostered friendships. Logically, it was beyond the dwarf’s understanding. However, this did not stop him from gathering any and all data.

"Just how far could these cases span over Ealinata...?"
He stopped mid chew as the conversation turned away from magic aptitude, mythical progeny, and other mundane subjects to actual practical concerns. While the dwarves did little to react to the woes of the rest of the world, even the Iron Keep had experienced a certain increase in patrols and the feeling of some underying danger could be felt in the upper echelons of leadership. Of course, as a lowly foot soldier, Arn was not privy to information that could be useful. Not tht he would disclose any information as readily as his fellow students were doing. Instead, he kept his peace and kept chewing.

"So in other words, we really don't know anything do we..."

Arn grunted as the food trying to go down his gullet and the chuckle that tried to escape it collided. He coughed with his mouth closed and grabbed his mug of Ale to help the invading food to wash down. Knowing full well that his near choking would bring attention to himself, he decided to get in front of the awkward moment by tackling the bull by the horns and also introduce himself as politeness dictated.

He cleared his throat as he stood up to his full 5 foot height and in a clear voice proclaimed. “I have had the pleasure of meeting some of you already.” He nodded to Cal and Finn. “I would like to introduce myself to the rest of you here. I am Arn second son of Thur of the HammerStone clan. Proud vassals and banner men to the BattleHammer clan, protectors of the Iron Keep. It is a pleasure and honor to make your acquaintance.” With that he gave a sweeping dignified bow to all on the table and promptly plopped down.

@Heartfillia @Aerandir @Inertia @mantou @datadogie @Omni5876 @ChaoticLaw @Tae @StOpossum

As Selena explained what she knew from Finn's father, Karya bit the inside of her lip. If even some of the most experienced adventurers had disappeared, who knew what was behind this? Calven replied right afterwards, letting on that he, too, was personally affected. That his father was struggling with the case at best, missing with the others at worst.

"Yeesh, I hope your father's ok," Karya said. "I mean, he's gotta be a powerful mage, right? So hopefully he's just busy with the case, and helping solve it." She finished with an awkward smile. As reassuring as she tried to sound, her words probably weren't much comfort - Selena had made it clear that strength wasn't enough.

She sighed as Calven wondered aloud how far the cases extended across the land. "Not gonna lie," she replied. "Pretty far. The rangers in the tribe I'm from were looking into some disappearances in the nearby towns, and..." She swallowed down a tight, painful lump in her throat. "And one of them went missing herself." She didn't mention that said vanished ranger was her sister. It wouldn't be fair on the other students to burden them with her personal issues.

"Ehh, I hope that wasn't too many questions." She gave the group an apologetic look. "But you see, this is the very reason I'm here. To get strong enough to look into this, and any other cases. Especially involving missing people." She didn't blame Lorelei for her motivation - going by tales from the traders, a decent level of wealth was particularly important in urbanised areas. The main thing was how well they'd all work together, especially with the dangers ahead.

Her gaze fell to her plate. The food no longer looked appetising, but she'd have to eat if she was going to have the strength to train tomorrow. That and avoid making the once-cheerful atmosphere even more depressing. At least Selena had livened the mood a little, asking what Anise's horns were, and if she could touch them. A soft giggle escaped Karya's lips. Maybe, even after that conversation, Anise and Selena would start to feel comfortable here.

She took a few bites of the corn, washing them down with a sip of wine, then a glug. Her sturdy constitution meant she didn't get drunk quickly, but she hoped that if she drank enough, it would block thoughts of worst case scenarios from her mind.

"On that subject," she addressed everyone, "but on a more positive note, anyone else want to share why you picked the adventuring life?"