[IC] Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

[Konan375]

Leith smiled at Mei's attempt to cover up the fact that she had been asleep when he approached her, and had been about to say something when he was distracted by a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. He watched Lucillia's entrance with interest, and gave a small snort of amusement when she said she was a vampire. "Show off," he muttered under his breath with a smile.

He looked back at Mei "I guess we are," he said, answering her first question. "I'm a hydromancer." He grabbed his waterskin and poured a little bit of water onto his hand, but instead of splashing off his hand and onto the ground, the water beaded up in the palm of his hand. He turned his hand over and the bead of water moved with his hand and ended up on the top of his hand. The bead lost its shape, and the water trailed off his hand.

"That's pretty much it, what can you do? Other than that amazing talent of sleeping while standing. I've gotta ask, can you do it for an hour? Because that's what I was doing out there," he jerked his thumb back towards the gate. "I think I nearly missed being a part of this group."

[EliteCommander]

As Ssarak approached, he shook the hand of the Half-Esyire, Aruna, returning her smile. "Likewise. My name is Ssarak Dyreackthanose, and I would be happy to accompany you to the dormitories. I myself am eager to find my room, though I admit I am not familiar with how they will be assigned, or if we will select them ourselves." Ssarak said just before the swarm of bats appeared before them. At first, he was confused, but once they formed themselves into a woman, a vampire, Ssarak was immediately on edge. Like many across the world, Ssarak had always been taught that vampires were pernicious and deadly creatures, ones who ended the lives of others to sustain themselves. With Khan's speech about harming others fresh on his mind, however, Ssarak remained still, waiting to see the Headmaster's response. After a few moments, the vampire introduced herself as the alchemy professor at the College, something that came as a shock to several in the crowd, including Ssarak. While Ssarak was unsettled, he could accept it. He had found that so much was different outside his homeland that there was little to which he could not adapt.

Once the vampire, Lucilia, started off on her tour, Ssarak returned his attention to Aruna. "Well, at any rate, shall we be off?"

[Frettzo]

Collab between Coco Bean and Xiah

Xiah’s ruby lips turned up into a smirk when her eyes, fixed upon the miniature replicate of Tiien, shifted from violet to scarlet. She enjoyed watching the tiny figures, complete look likes to their Mortal counterpart, reactions to an unusual turn of events. The Foreas, a little casted away experiment by Kurth in his younger days, seemed utterly at a loss when their little artifacts no longer worked correctly and soon a small batch began to ready them to scatter again. All seemed so desperate to seek out the answer to their dilemma which pleased their unknown witness.

“Poor little things,” the Goddess of beauty, passion and love, cooed to herself. “This won’t be fun at all…”

“I would think not too if in your position.”

Suddenly Xiah jumped at the darker male’s voice from behind her, figure whipped about and weakly tried to hide the scene she had been so fixed on. Her dress slightly creased in the process and caused her to straighten it quickly. Immediately her voice took on a pleasant tone when she addressed her brother. “Aarem, ummm… lovely to see you again. What brings you here, brother?”

Naturally that was the wrong thing to say, the God’s face twisted up at her coy remark and oversweet tone. His body immediately attempted to side step around her, his eyes filled with curiously and wicked ideas spied where her attention had been. “You’re words are sweet as usual…even if they are fake, my dear sister.”

“Now, Aarem, don’t be that way. I am the Goddess of Love so it’s-“

The darker God merely held up his hand, silencing her mid-sentence. His next words held both bitter and envy, each word laced in poisonous dislike. “Save your ‘sweet’ words for Ren because they are better suited for kissing his ass. Not mine.”

Xiah just sighed, her lips curled up in a pout that hadn’t even diminished an ounce of her glamour. It was clear she didn’t appreciate Aarem’s words, even if they were true, that implied she didn’t follow her duty to the tee. Then again she shouldn’t have been surprised. He was always the worse one out of the godly bunch, her attention jerked back to watch Aarem finally come to her side and peer at the Foreas’s current situation. He leaned into fully absorbed the happenings followed by a slight disappointment.

“Is this it? Just Kurth’s old, worthless experiments having a fit over some rotten old artifacts not working?” His eyes turned to Xiah, his face frowned.

Xiah almost considered giving him the cold shoulder, her head turned away and not looking upon his. However, after several seconds, she decided against it. Mainly because it would prove him right and she hated that more. “I’ve been debating on how to go about this…”

An idea had started to form on her mind, one eyebrow raised in hinting over her now sky blue eyes and fully turned to glance at her brother. Aarem seemed to have read her mind and currently the notion pleased him. His pointed teeth showed in a dark smile as his form stepped a little ways out from her side. With surprisingly gentle touch, he tapped a small point just north from where the little walking ferns had made camp. At the contact, the model turned black, something dark and large had started to rise. It was a blob at first yet it took shape into something Aarem dubbed a Syphis. It was new way to control the Foreas’s population, a predator build to consume plants by turning them into ashes within its large maw and easily attracted by movement. Their first experience with it would be hellish for certain. Slowly Aarem repeated the process four to eight more times, each new Syphis hadn’t attempted to move. They just stood in a state of eagerness, their muscles flexed and became accustomed to being real, farther excited upon scenting the many different fragrances the Foreas had produced.

“Your turn…” Aarem said treating it as if it was little more than a game, the new formed creatures already started to stalk towards the unaware Foreas. Any unlucky Foreas caught in their path was far too quickly dealt with before they could sound an alarm in their panic, their screams and scents consumed by the beast in desperation to keep their element of surprise.

Xiah smiled, her finger gently brushed a small, single Foreas. It was a feminine looking one and young in comparison to others, her small form hunched over her own artifact in curiosity about her artifact’s problem. Ever since the Goddess seen this little one, it seemed to ever slightly be different from the others, a trait which had created a strong reason to keep the Foreas as Xiah’s…entertainment on Tiien. Besides, she mused, it would be fun to send this one off to the Mage College that her darling Ren was so fond. Xiah focused while she granted the little one a gift. A mageblood. The creature would feel a slightly and unexpected shiver crawl along its leaves, a sensation of an ant army paced about on her surface, gone shortly after it arrived without warning.

Aarem took his attention back to the College on another part of the game board. It didn’t take Duuri to know it was clear where…or in this case whom, his sour mood had drifted to because his words no longer interested in his currently moment. “Now that you’ve gotten something to do, I’ll leave you to it. There’s a particular…pest that hadn’t had my attention in a few days. Something I intend to rectify shortly.”

The next moment he was gone, the Love Goddess shrugged. Her eyes shifted back to the helpless Foreas once more. The heroine had been chosen and the threat sent, however there lacked something…ah, a warning. Xiah had almost forgotten it. What a terrible thing that would be as all them, her little toy, would’ve been slaughtered. She made an o with forefinger and thumb, and then lowered it to a large tree beside the sweet chocolate smelling Foreas. The goddess flicked the tree top causing it to fall. Though on the model the figurine merely toppled over with a soft thump, on the Mortal Plane it was far more menacing. The tree in question groaned at feeling its top shift and roots ripped from its ground station. In moment the trunk splintered, cracked about a now rotten middle, on its way downwards. Branches made loud snaps at being broken in its plummet to earth, taking with it any unmovable trees that ended up into a clearing.

Syphis had been revealed, several large brutish head raised at the tree’s fall, finally noted their cover blown. Eyes flickered back and forth until movement caught its attention: an elder Foreas male had shifted and now stood just feet in its reach. In a flash the animal’s mouth opened, a spark and grounding teeth latched on the elder. Tender, aged leaves were ripped apart while all witness would see its pitiful struggle before in moments it burned slowly alive. A signal for all hell to break loose when the rest leapt out to snatch their own meal!

"Speech... Of- BZZT -Mission." A relatively small Foreas, with a light bark colour, named Coco bean, spoke... Or attempted to speak, anyway. The problems with their Speech Artifacts were starting baffle everyone, as there seemed to be no solution at all to the problem! So, once the nearest Foreas turned to her and shrugged, she put her hands over her face, and slowly sat down, pulling the speech-enabling necklace off and starting to tinker with it. Sometimes just flicking it helped, but not by a lot. So that's what she tried first, but it still didn't work properly.

Soon enough she was on the verge of just giving up on it for the day. She was on a mission and she was falling behind the rest of the group, so she had to make up the distance. But as soon as she stood up and wore her Artifact, she caught up loud, familiar, and repulsive noises- It didn't take long before she identified them as branches breaking and a tree falling, and it took even less to know that the huge tree she was just sitting besides, was threatening to fall on top of her!

So, just a second before it got too intense, she rolled out of the way, leaves rustled and standing on end in sudden alarm. But she wasn't safe yet. While she had dodged the tree, now another threat made itself known. The sound revealed huge forms nearby, forms that mixed with fellow Foreas', revealing the death of fellow friends.

Other members of the group also noticed the beasts, and they tried to fight back, but as soon as they got in range for their spears or swords to touch them, they as well disappeared, mixing with the beasts' forms. The scenes temporarily shocked Coco, as beasts of this size and ferocity were a first time contact to most in the group.

Distorted screams and cut off calls for help were heard through the small group, and a small jolt of energy, shivering, pure energy, was felt through Coco's body, aiding her to stand and take a step back in hesitation. What was she supposed to do? She was one of the youngest in the group, and had very little combat experience! The only thing she'd even come close to killing before is a rather uncomfortable woodworm!

One beast was quick. After eating one of the foreas, it locked its eyes onto Coco, and sprung towards her in swift, sudden manner. Poor coco didn't know what to do, other than simply turn heel and run. Likely she only ran for a few seconds, but the constant need to avoid crashing into trees or slipping onto her face made it feel so much longer. Eventually, she grew tired, and she slowed down, turning around as she pressed her back to a tree and stared at her pursuer- The beast seemed fresher than ever, no signs of exhaustion or even confusion. Her whole body shivered in nervousness as she tried to listen for any escape, but her hopes were crushed as she instead caught wind of all the other beasts surrounding her- Presumably they had finished off the rest back at camp, or just tried to focus on her.

She was doomed, and though she kept shivering nervously, she knew that she had to just calm down. She slowly sunk into a sitting position while the biggest beast got ready to pounce. Then it pounced, its maw open as wide as it could, easily enough to fit half of Coco's body inside. And as it moved closer, Coco could feel heat- The air was getting hotter, more uncomfortable by the millisecond . It was as if the very air threatened to set her on fire, so she brought her arms up to shield her head, and kicked with one leg.

The kick contacted the beast, and to her surprise, the beast was thrown away in an instant, left on a seizure on the ground a few feet away. Only for a few seconds, before it quickly got up and, whimpering, it ran away. Surprisingly, the other beasts seemed confused, and hesitantly followed their bigger counterpart, escaping this one painful little fern.

"W-What..." She whispered to herself, the ethereal voice from her artifact still shivering just like her body, and eventually, her leaves.

Xiah smiled, her hands clapped for a brief moment as she allowed her eyes to linger longer upon her little…toy. She watched the events play out from the threat’s discovery to their sudden surprise when the Foreas female had shocked one of them! It seemed this was indeed a fine idea, she mused and the goddess’s lithe body leaned once more over the table top. Her eyes glimpsed the large herbivore predators retreated. Confusion and dislike for food that didn’t just run and scream had seemed not to settle with Aarem’s pets. In moments the large figurines disappeared from view into the thick, lush forests, eager to seek a better feast. Preferably, they thought, not one that fought back in such a violent way.

The fighting now died down, Xiah’s hand lowered down to scoop up the small model of Coco Bean. She held the Foreas close to her and spoke in sweet and soft voice. “Syphis… my dear little, Foreas, you’ve just met a Syphis. It seems they don’t like food that fights back but I doubt you like being eaten yourself. However, I think you might’ve exhausted yourself a bit with that little stunt. Pity…you should learn to control that mageblood of yours before attempting it again.”

Xiah tsked a bit, her voice took on a mother chiding that soon became a little childish giggle. Despite her picking up the little Foreas model, the creature had remained grounded but could easily hear the Goddess’s voice chime inside Coco Bean’s head for their conversation.

Confusion was clear in her body. Though she knew what had just happened, because she could feel the energy leaving her body, she couldn't just... Digest it. She couldn't believe it. She had heard stories and seen a couple memories of mages in action, and what she had just accomplished was pretty similar to a certain mage a century or so ago. But she could not nail it down. Her leaves kept twitching in nervousness as she stood up, suddenly feeling weak on the knees, and having to lean on the nearby tree to stay up.

Then she heard a voice. Soft and sweet, like a heavenly being that knew how she felt. And trying to pinpoint the location of this voice, Coco stopped cold in her movements, analyzing her environment to feel the vibrations- None.

'S-Syphis?' She thought, worried about this new voice in her head. 'Are you real?' She asked to her own mind, stumbling somewhat with one of the tree's root as she redtes her back on it. 'Who are you? Where are you?' She continued, lifting up a hand to gently caress her leaves and calm herself down. The beasts could be on their way back, for all she knew, and she wasn't sure she'd be as lucky in a second encounter. 'I... Mageblood?'

Eventually she let herself fall back to the ground, hands on her forehead 'Oh by the Tree... I'm speaking with myself...'

“I hate to pop your little bubble but no, you’re not.” Xiah said, a slight irritation in her voice at being compared to a mere illusion. She was no mere image without substance and to suggest such was insulting in itself. It seemed the little Foreas had riled up some of the Goddess’s vanity in her little comment. Xiah stopped herself from crushing the figurine within her hand into powder and instead calmed herself. Ren managed to make this work so why couldn’t she use his methods? She let the thought sink in then forced herself, not an easy feat for one use to just tearing into whatever angered her, to relax.

“It might be best you remember this: my name is Xiah and I’m the Goddess of Beauty, Passion and Love. “ The Goddess began in a full of herself tone, yet she merely continued unaware of it. Or really not caring. “If you think your imagination could even come close to imagining my beauty then maybe I should’ve never bestowed my gift… as for why you can’t see me, I’m in your head speaking to you through it. Don’t worry, I’m not going to take over or manipulate you like other Gods though because of your ignorance I should, but be thankful you’re cute. Just don’t push your luck too much.”

She cleared her throat a bit then continued. “It will take you a few weeks to get to the Mage School and to learn what you need to, however, to do that you need something to take you there.”

With that, the Goddess took her other finger and tapped the ground. Unlike Ren and Aarem, who had power and strength enough to create life, Xiah had to been more creative. Namely to conserve her ichor or fade away to nothing, last thing she wanted. So she made do with the wildlife at hand. Little pink dots appeared like in a game and each marked a different native to the Foreas’s world. One creature stood out above the rest: a behemoth. A wild and untamable force of nature that would travel miles in a blink of an eye without resting, with little worry he would turn and eat his passenger. He was perfect for the task. Xiah’s nail stroked the little creature as she coaxed him to where little Coco was at, in a short moment the Foreas would spot the gentle and milling creature push through the underbrush. It’s eyes fixed on her in wait to be mounted.

“Just hop on board… he’ll take you there but don’t dally too long. It won’t help you. Once there, write out this: Rune Master,” Xiah made the words in a way that Coco would understand and be able to do once she got there. “Now…off you go, no delay."

The information of having a Goddess inside her head was surprising. How, and especially, why had this Goddess, Xiah, chosen to speak to Coco? Undoubtedly it had something to do with the Syphis, but something told her that Goddesses didn't just randomly caused genocides. She must have had a plan. And now Coco was in the midst of it.

She nodded as the Goddess finished speaking, and noticeably perked up at the appearance of the Behemot- A big, yet so cute creature! Its scent was fresh and natural. It smelled of spring, even in the current season! So she wasted no time on getting closer to it and mounting herself on it, petting its back for a moment before holding onto it as strongly as she could.

Then the beast reared up, and shot off. It moved in jumps, easily clearing hundreds of meters in seconds with not a single problem. Though the speed at which it moved was a problem for Coco, as they eventually moved quicker than she could effectively hear and feel vibrations. Her knowledge of her surroundings suddenly vanished, and all she could see was a mush of dark gray. So she took this opportunity to actually be nice to the Goddess, as she had the feeling that she had said something that irked her off.

'Thank you, Goddess Xiah. For the mageblood and the Behemot.' She thought, hesitating slightly on what exactly to say to a Goddess. It wasn't exactly a common occurrence to have a deity inside your head! 'I like him, he's cute. Like a big fern dog!' She finished with a mental giggle.

COCO BEAN

Just a few hours into the trip and she could already smell it. A noticeable change in the atmosphere. Though she couldn't nail it down, there was something different in the air now, and the Behemot, or Narly, as she had chosen to call it, was slowing down.

The slowed down speed was welcome, because only then could she even start to actually feel the things that were around her. There wasn't much. Very few trees, rather flat terrain, and the feeling that this place's plant life was... Different. Different than that from home. But it wasn't a problem, today had been all about difference! First huge murderous beasts, then a Goddess inside her head, and finally, mounting a huge yet cute Behemot like it was her pet. Oh, and let's not forget that she apparently had mageblood now. Contact with the Goddess had ceased a while ago, and while she was glad to feel like she had some privacy again, she was also left with many questions.

Now she was headed to this Mage School that the Goddess mentioned, in attempts to find more about her new asset, and learn to control it. She was close, and she knew it due to the behemot's deceleration. Instead of traveling hundreds of meters in a few seconds, she was now traveling a mere fifty or even sixty. Eventually the Behemot made a sudden stop, and inertia took over from there.

Instead of a scream, just a distorted buzz was heard coming from Coco Bean as she was launched into the air and landed a few meters in front of the magnificent and cute beast. While it hurt somewhat, she had managed to fall in a not-so-painful way. Everything spun around as she regained her footing and recovered her senses, slowly the details of the environment around her filtered in, and she stood upright, dusting herself off and turning around to hug the creature that just brought her so far. She wrapped her hands around its neck as it merely looked around, and after a few seconds, it pushed her away and disappeared into the distance.

'Well, that was fun!' She thought to herself, leaves puffed out in excitement and alertness. Apparently it was a common state now to have her leaves puffed out so much.

So she clapped her hands as loud as she could, and was glad to find a nearby road. The scents there were very varied, and they only got stronger following a certain direction, so she guessed this was the way to the College. And indeed it was, as merely a few minutes later she could start hearing the rustle and bustle of a nearby crowd. It seemed to be dissipating.

'A crowd!' She thought excitedly, leaves once again puffing out as she focused towards the direction the sounds came from- But the building was closed. There was no way to get in for now, and only a few other beings remained outside. Presumably for the same reason as Coco, being late to something.

So with no second thought, she jogged over to the forms outside the building- A half-snake human, a human, an elf and a very strange-looking orc. "Hey! I'v- BZZT - Rune Mast- BZZT- Artifact!" She said in a distorted voice as she waved her arm at them, her artifact failing all the while, just like she had expected it to fail.

[Rtron]

Althalus

He immediately stopped as the Naga hissed at him, rather nasty looking scythe at the ready. He held up his hands in a placating manner, close to where one of his throwing knives were hidden. It paid to be careful, after all. The demon spoke next, introducing itself as Tyrael. Althalus chuckled softly behind his mask. Well, they're not trying to separate my spine from my body. For a moment he was silent, making sure no one was making any moves to try and kill him. "My name is Althalus Marik. I suppose you could say I'm lost. I was on my way to the Twilight College, to become a student, and was in sight of it when the gates closed. Apparently my leisurely pace was far too leisurely. Glancing about, I noticed an unusual sight. A Naga being ridden by a Wood Elf, which I now see wasn't as nearly as interesting as I thought it could be, and a demon talking to them. I could have either tried to clamber the walls and likely get stabbed by the guardsmen, or I could see what was going on over here and probably get attacked by you, Tyrael, or whacked with a tail." He smiled at the Naga, hidden behind his mask. "I chose the more interesting one as I've climbed far more walls than I can count. Even if this one has mages behind it's walls."

He glanced at the Wood Elf, injuries now obvious. "Now that we've both ascertained that the other isn't going to try and kill them, shall we go into the College and get her taken care of, or shall I be glared at by the Naga for a while longer while you take care of the Elf? Personally, I would prefer not to be standing around, waiting for my fate to be decided." Althalus had refrained from mentioning that he was assassin and his business was dealing in death. Best not to tell people who weren't specifically looking for that service. It tended to lead to awkwardness, violence, someone calling the guards, or all three. And as much as Althalus loved to cause casual mischief, the fun had drained out of that particular venture after the first few dozen times. Then again, He mused, it's fairly easy to guess that I'm involved in death of some sort. The armor isn't exactly inconspicuous and anyone who knows the mask or heard a passing description of it will be able to tell immediately. He smirked behind his mask. Wouldn't that be amusing? An assassin killed on the one time he wasn't planning on killing anyone for money for a long while.

As he waited for Tyrael to respond, he turned his gaze to the Naga. She was beautiful, he had to admit, but he refrained from saying that. In his experience(when he wasn't trying to kill them), Naga weren't the type to enjoy compliments. Or much social interaction for that matter. Then again, this one was also going to the Mage College, or at least she had business there. Lowering his hands, he asked, "And who might you be, my dear?" Althalus heard footsteps rapidly approaching him and turned around, the weak sunlight glinting off of the throwing knife he had drawn from it's hiding place in the process. As the thing(which he eventually remembered as a Foreas), tried to speak, Althalus raised both eyebrows, sheathing the knife he had drawn. "Uh...what?" A demon, a Naga, and now a Foreas. This really was turning out to be the more interesting of the two choices.

[Luna]

Colette

Colette finally left her room after doing some thinking making sure she had the large parasol with ehr. She exited the tower and put it over her head to block the son like from touching her frail pale skin, she had the broad with her as well just incase her hunger decided to sneak up with her. She looked around the school and the people there but kept her distance so she wouldn't smell their strong blood scent. She sighed as she finally stopped walking after five minutes and looked around. She wondered what the other vampire, Lucillia, was doing since she hadn't seen her since they had parted way. She sighed shaking her head thinking that she was far too busy to be dealing with the likes of a troublesome young vampire like her. She sat down on a bench to rest as her thoughts began to once again take her mind into their greedy cold grip.

I am really scared....how can someone like her have so much hope for me when I have lost hope so many years ago.....' she had thought with disbelief, after her parents mysterious death,some said that she killed her parents and drank their blood, and the servants abandoned the manor to avoid her, she had non stop assassination attempts left and right, but each failed and she had killed them all giving into her lust for blood each and every time. She started to play with her hair becoming unaware of anything and everyone around her.

After some time passed she paled when she felt her hunger began to sneak inside her mind. She quickly grabbed the misty glass vial the other vampire had given to her and drank of of the liquid before standing up quickly and went to find a guard to show the broach to since she had no idea where Lucilia was. She had found and guard after a couple of minutes and with shaky hands she had showed the broach to the guard.

"Please sir...I need help finding Lucilia and fast" she said unable to keep the shakiness out of her voice, no matter how many years she had been a vampire she always feared her thirst for blood, she just didn't have any one to help her like she does now.

[Rtron]

Aramir

"Still. You didn't have to. Thanks." Aramir said, smiling. The light and playful punch, while not hurting, rocked her light frame. Aramir managed to keep her feet though, and was still smiling. Maybe this wasn't going to be such a bad first day after all. Aside from her panic attack and subsequent embarrassment, she apparently had already made at least a friendly acquaintance. Someone who was willing to help, even if it was in an overly violent manner. As she talked, rather dismissively, to Khan(The headmaster? Aramir wondered) Aramir let her eyes wander and wondered slightly what to do with herself.

Which of the two teachers to join. The one with glowing armor who just fell to the ground as the chair he was sitting on literally crumbled away beneath him, or the pink haired one. One doesn't seem better than the other...though, Lidda doesn't appear to be accident prone.. She mused, when the decision was made much easier by Alaira offering to show here around. "Sure! I would appreciate it." Aramir said with a bright smile. She would need to talk to Khan later, but he appeared busiy enough right now. Best not to pester him with her problems as of yet. "Lead on." Aramir said, gesturing expansively to the College at large(it also provided a much needed relief from craning her neck to stare at the giants all around her)

As she glanced around, she allowed herself to marvel how far she had come, smile growing wider in enjoyment and excitement. Only a year ago she was sure she would live out her life as a member of the tribe, marry, have many children, and then die of old age as the cold took her. But of course, this was only possible because her tribe tore itself apart in front of her. She reached to her back, feeling the stitches that she had sewn to repair her vest and the scars beneath them. Her smile abruptly fell and disappeared, and she felt tears in her eyes. No. Not here. Not now. She commanded herself, hastily wiping them away before anyone could see them(she hoped). "So. Where are we going first?"

[Fallenreaper]

Mar

Before the human had reached into hearing range, Mar’s eyes lazily noted the Fallen Orc’s slight walk around her as his eyes lowered to glimpse the limp Wood Elf. She was glad the words out of his mouth were about the opening ceremony and didn’t insist she kill the humanoid. It likely would’ve been pointless and more a pain since it caused disagreeable reactions from other bipeds. Instead his form leaned down to haul the creature into his arms, likely to make the travel faster as he eager to be off. She didn’t understand why such significance should’ve been tied to this day. For her, and many like her, it was any other day. When he cradled the Wood Elf’s unresponsive body in his arms, the Naga was glad to have more mobility and freed from the clumsy weight but her thoughts had trailed off just after the new arrival came. Her reaction was a warning and instinctual causing the man, all she could make from his faint scent, to stop dead in his tracks.

He held his hands, slowly, as he walked towards him. Her eyes looked over, studied the garments from the mask which hide his face to his outfit that outlined his form for easy movement. Personally she didn’t like clothing. It served little purpose, only hindered her torso’s mobility while making her skin itch and redden.

Tyrael was the first to speak, breaking her from thoughts. Her body relaxed, slowly fell from its aggressive posture yet remained alerted. The man’s voice confirmed her tongue’s earlier flick scenting was correct as she narrowed her eyes upon him, clearly suspicious of him. It seemed he had gotten himself locked out. Some that seemed typical of certain males and something made her think this one would fit well in that area within her mind. Tyrael had proven himself several times over but this male hadn’t even the chance to, his currently mishap had dampened her expectation slightly. Why most humans are so curious? She questioned in a fleeted moment, only wasting time in their conversation that could’ve been used to farther their path to the College and rid them of the current wounded. Her eyes shifted to Tyrael giving a slight look against the time wasted. It was one she displayed on a few hunts with him, when the few times her instincts had actually been right to move, and hoped to encourage their departure once more. They far too exposed out here for her liking.

Already her coils showed signs of anxiety before the man’s voice became directed at her, her head snapped to him with an intense look. Her eyebrow raised but gave a short answer, the shorter version of her name as only those like Tyrael or other of her kin had earned the right to use the longer one. “Mar.”

Her head tilted upright to see yet another creature, leafy and odd, come trampling towards them. What looked like hands waved over her head, her voice distorted and cut out that only a few words were made out. Without thinking, Mar’s tongue once more tasted the air. It smelt strongly of sweet and coco, a rare spice found in a few parts of Yarsomere. At the only word she knew most about, Rune, her head turned to the Fallen Orc as if asking him if she was a friend of his. Though they both knew otherwise, at she thought so.

“We’re wasting time… just bring both of them along and let’s enter the College, we’ll sort things out there.” Mar’s voice made the suggestion clear to all involved but her body language was still on edge, her figure waited for the other two to move first before she followed.

[Sundered Echo]

FallenReaper/SunderedEcho - Khan/Xyden

As soon as Xyden saw that attention was no longer centered on Khan he slithered forward through the crowd to reach him. He had to find out exactly how welcome he was here. He reared to his full height when he reached Khan, to match the stature of the Esyire. When he spoke, his voice was wet and alien, and he spoke slowly, as if unused to speaking at all. “I bring greetings from the Depths… I am here on behalf of the Ocean Naga, seeking knowledge.” he looked expectantly at the Esyire for an answer, trying to avoid flicking his tongue out or quivering his fins in anticipation.

Khan stood there, his eyes watched the creature with a slight curiosity in his expression but make sure not to appear aggressive. It seemed, like the Naga before, the reptile’s height wasn’t completely reached until he rose up to be on eye level. A slight relief not to have to stare down and strain his neck, the Esyire listened to the male’s deep voice declare his origins as well as his race in a simple statement. Khan’s body made no movement at first. He stood there, both mentally sized up the situation for a bit then seemed to relax. “It seems you’re not the only Naga that has arrived at the College this week but arrived with a teacher, Tyrael, earlier than you.”

He took a breath and then continued, his mind wandered over the same speech he gave the one called Mar before. That didn’t, at least at first, to have much effect yet there wasn’t any incidents so something clicked. “As you know, you’re welcomed as long you bear no ill intentions at any one protected by these walls. Harm and violent prejudice will not be tolerated by me or any Twilight College staff. You’re allowed to your opinions and view, however as long as they don’t exceed pass verbal. Is there any specific requirements you need for your stay, if you chose to remain in the College?”

Xyden could not suppress his surprise at hearing of another Naga, and it would be evident to Khan that the news had unsettled him somewhat. “No other Naga have come from the Depths…” He said, before deciding to leave the matter for now. It was possible the Matriarchs had sent another without telling him. He thought about the other things Khan said. He didn’t really intend to express any views at all unless someone really wanted to know. He didn’t understand the Surface Dwellers and they certainly wouldn’t understand him or the ways of his people. “I wish to learn… Hydromancy…” He said, still unsure of the unfamiliar word.

“Then you would be studying with our Joseph Windsor, the Hydromancy teacher, learning to manipulate water. Maybe one day learn also to manipulate Cryomancy, or ice, as well. Joseph’s a Snow Elf so you’ll likely have to look down to meet him at eye level. You won’t begin training until tomorrow as the teachers of each MageBlood use the Opening Feast to allow students a chance to what abilities are unique with each magic and some like to show off a bit. Either way, its going to be a wonderful show and I encourage your presence even if its just see what you could one day be capable of.” Khan had considered what else he should say, yet it seemed better to allow the Naga to lead this conversation. The creature seemed uncomfortable, noted namely from Xyden’s hesitation in saying his mageblood, to say the least.

Xyden was pleased to hear the Archmage accept his presence so easily. The stories that this place would take almost anyone had proved true. “I will try to be there…” He said by way of reply to the invitation to this grand feast. With the most pressing matter out of the way, what remained was more for his comfort than a vital necessity. “Where is the nearest body of Water? Have you any water filled areas large enough for me within these walls?” He had had enough of dryness. He was very much looking forward to being submerged again and he hoped with all his might the College would have some watery areas.

Khan blinked for a moment at the Naga’s request. The Esyire’s mind drew a blank for several seconds as to the reason until finally it registered, namely since the creature and Mar only share a vague few traits. He shook his mind back into thinking once more then took time to reply. “Depending on how much you require and how quickly. If you would like, I can have Uicle call a few of his water Golems that would aid in keeping you wet until Val, Justine, and Joseph can create a pool for you. It won’t be as deep as the sea but at least it would better then just sticking it out on land. There’s also another option to consider is having one of the intermediate or advance Rune students create a rune necklace for when you tread on land. Can’t promise how many times you can use it but it’s a notion and good idea when you might need to travel. The College is known for doing missions for other cities, towns and local areas which we use for practice and aid in strengthening our mages’ magic.”

He waited for the Naga’s reaction, good or negative, as his eyes shifted to one of the College’s guards. “ Go fetch Val, tell her to bring Joseph and Justine, for a task I have. Also, have Val bring one of her Rune she uses for water creatures along as well.”

Xyden hadn’t expected the college staff to go so much out of their way for him the moment he arrived. He was slightly taken aback by their generosity. Khan seemed to be offering a means by which he would never have to be dry again. “That… Would be much… appreciated.” Xyden managed. He was completely unused to anyone doing anything for him. Normally he was the one serving others. Such was the life of a Myrmidon. There was another task set or him by the Matriarchs yet to do - discover the state, and threat, of the rest of the world. But that could wait. “While I wait… Have you any… recommendations?”

Khan took a moment to think, mainly because he had to determine the best options and weigh them. After a pause, he let his muzzle crack into another smile. “My first suggestion is to determine what you need in your head then list it off to a Dwarf like woman, wearing sooty gloves, goggles and looks like she’s been out of a forge. If you happen to get that down first then it might a good idea to interact a bit. That is if its not going to make you uncomfortable. It would make things slightly smooth at the Feast and more pleasant all around, some of these student might end up being in a mission with you or class together.”

The Esyire said that in earnest and fully felt it would aid the Naga’s acceptance here, even a bit. He added, “Is there anything else you need of me?”

Xyden looked for a moment at Khan. He seemed to think it would be a good idea for him to interact with all these Land Striders. Get to know them. That wasn’t why he was here. “No…. You have already done much.” He nodded at the Esyire before slithering away towards the dwarf woman who had appeared from a nearby door. He had many requirements to recreate the environments of home - volcanic vents for heating and light, sheltering outcrops, and enough room to swim a little. He doubted he’d get that much, and certainly not straight away, but even a small pool to sleep and relax in would be worth it.

[Toxic Diamond]

Aruna released Ssarak's hand and turned to ask the small gargoyle to go ahead and start off, but as soon as she turned around the stone creature let out an exasperated, "Finally", before starting off. She turned to speak to her companion on what she thought room arrangements might be, but as soon as she opened her mouth bats began to fly in from everywhere.
Aruna immediately recalled what she could on bats and odd behavior. What came to mind immediately was a vampire. She had fought one once, it had been a terrifying experience and she had barely gotten away alive. Aruna immediately snapped her tail like a whip and all the blades on it slid together with a quick shink to make a solid metal spike on the end of her tail. She also reached for her knife, but by this time she noticed thatneither the Headmaster, nor anyone else were attaching the vampire. When she introduced herself as a teacher Aruna couldn't believe it for a moment. Then she withdrew her weapons, and put her tail whip back the way it was by snapping it upward quickly.
So much for this being my sanctuary. It looks like I'll be in more trouble here than I was outside.
She turned to Ssarak and began walking with the gargoyle.She couldn't stop her adrenaline from pumping and decided to ask her companion something.
"So, Ssarak, what brings you to the college?"

[EliteCommander]

Ssarak followed along with the gargoyle and Aruna after the surprise of the vampire's arrival subsided. Aruna's response was much more visually hostile than Ssarak's, though she too realized that the vampire was not hostile shortly afterwards. Still, even as they were walking away, Ssarak noticed that she still seemed on edge. It seemed like the Half-Esyire was particularly cautious or nervous, though perhaps his experiences as a warrior had dulled him to the prospect of danger.

Shortly after leaving, Aruna asked Ssarak why he was at the college; a reasonable question. It had been long enough that Ssarak was not too terribly uncomfortable with talking about his past, though he doubted the details were appropriate for a casual conversation. Regardless, he gave no hesitation before answering. "I suspect it is for the same reason as you, to learn how to use my mageblood. I am a psychomancer, and have taught myself a small amount about by blood. As can likely see, I am a warrior by trade, hailing from clan Dyre in the Scorched Lands. I left my homeland a few years ago, and recently heard about this college and what it offers. The concept of magic intrigues me, and I am eager to learn. What of yourself? I know not if Half-Esyire show all of the same traits as full Esyire, but by the color of your scales, I am guessing you are of Lues mageblood as well?" He asked curiously.

[Toxic Diamond]

Aruna listened patiently and attentively as they walked. It was unsurprising to learn that he was a warrior. It was surprising, however to learn that he knew how to use even a small amount of his magical abilities. She had yet to discover anything. She assumed since she had Esyire blood, that it would automatically be magic. But she had never been sure.
"I am afraid I am unsure. I assume I am of Lues mageblood, as you said, given my scale color it would be probable... But I am unsure if I even have mage blood. I am here to see if I can, and if so learn as much as I can for protection against... My enemies."
She decided not to go further on that subject. He didn't need to know everything. But there were several things she wished to know from him.
"Um... If you don't mind me asking, how did you discover you abilities, or how to use them? Also, what are the scorchlands like? I... I'm slightly ashamed to say I've never gotten far enough in to see any kind of civilization."
She tried to hive him her best pleading look. These were things she had desperately wondered about for a while. She hoped he didn't consider it to be rude, or disrespectful.

[EliteCommander]

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Ssarak found it strange that Aruna seemed so nervous to ask these seemingly normal questions. He wondered about her origins; it seemed from what she was saying that she had never spoken to many Esyire before. He did his best to give her a reassuring expression and tone as he spoke. "I was born with the same blood as my father, and it was he who gave me my first basic lessons in its use. Unfortunately, he died early in my life, and Lues mageblood was a rarity in my village. He did set me on the path to be able to teach myself, but I fear I did not get too far on my own. My own training as a warrior often took precedence, but now that I am here, I can set myself on the path of learning once more."

"As for your question on the Scorched Lands, even I must admit they are not the most hospitable place in the world, but they were my home. It is hot year-round, and the intense radiation prevents anything that is not adapted to survive it from living there. My own village was a small and remote, and moved with the volcanically changing lands. We were all a part of clan Dyre, which encompasses a number of villages in the Scorched Lands. There is little that can grow there, and the creatures are deadly, so our hunters were required to be very skilled. Overall, it is a landscape that breeds strength in its people, as only the strongest can survive. The city of Felldor is not nearly as dangerous, though I am afraid I cannot give too much of a perspective on it, as I have only been to it on a few brief visits. It is a massive place built of dark volcanic rock, which houses the Head Chieftain of the clans. It is built on the most stable land area in the Scorched Lands, and as such is probably the safest place in the entire region. All clans recognize it as the hub of our people, and even if conflict arises between the clans, none would care cause trouble within its walls. Any trade from outside of the Scorched lands invariably goes to Felldor, and it represents a mixing of the cultures of all clans. Even if I preferred life in my home village, I had to admire it when I visited." Ssarak explained, trying to give as good of an overview of the region as he could. There were many more details he could give, but he did not want to overwhelm her with his initial explanation. "What about yourself? Where are you from? I must admit, I am curious to learn more of your past. Before our meeting, I was not even aware a Half-Esyire could exist."

[Rtron]

Uicle

Grumbling curses(most of the directed at Aarem), Uicle picked himself out of the splinters that had been a chair only moments before, selecting students to follow him on his own tour. As he began to lead the group out, Greg trotting beside him, he introduced himself. "I'm Uicle, teacher of Necromancy in the College. You'll notice three things about me, early on. One: I'm always carrying this staff." He held up his staff to emphasize his point. "Two, I have the worst luck in the history of Tien. Three, I wear my armor all the time. Don't ask about the first and get used to the second, and we'll get along fine. As for the third, I assure you it's not by personal choice, and the less you know the better." Which was an understatement, really. Aarem might decide to make a curious individual's life miserable. Maybe not as long as he had Uicle's, but long enough that Uicle would know it wasn't casual bad luck, and know that he caused it. Which was irritating, to say the least. Greg gave an impatient sounding metallic bark, drawing Uicle's attention to him. Chuckling, he added, "And this is Greg, who is with me most of the time, when he's not causing mischief for the rest of the College." Greg looked unabashed by the accusation. In fact, some might say he was proud.

"Well, follow me then. First stop is the Forge. A piece of advice, don't touch anything unless Tyrael, the Demonomancy teacher, says you can." On the way to the Forge, Uicle's words about his luck proved true. A small piece of the walls came loose, hitting him on the shoulder. When he tried to open the door to the forge, the handle came straight off, and as soon as he walked in, a hammer flew from a smith's hand and struck him in the face. To the students, Uicle said, "I did warn you about my luck." He continued cursing Aarem mentally, and waited with weary resignation for the next mishap.

[Toxic Diamond]

Aruna listened to Ssarak's description with eager ears. It was rare that she ever got to speak to an Esyire that was not hostile. This was the first she was hearing of any real specifics about her ancestral home. She smiled a bit and imagined it. A city of black rock, rising out of the ever shifting sand. She saw Esyires of all colors and clans in the city.
I bet with all that black, I'd blend in perfectly
Then Ssarak asked about her origin, And her smile faltered. She debated whether or not she should lie. Just tell him a fabricated truth. But her conscience wouldn't let her. Ssarak had told her his story, so she should tell himhrs... Or at least part of it.
"I was born in a small village called Lothring. My mother died giving birth to me, and my father thought I was an abomination to be destroyed... My mother's family considers me the reason for her death and only kept me barely alive until I was old enough to walk, talk, and think with any clarity, then they thrust me into the wilds. I've lived on my own for my entire life, on the edge of the scorchlands, fending off attackers. I heard of this place through gossip of farmers, and decided to find out if I had any magical aptitude that could help me in my... Endeavors. As for my conception..."
She gives him a grin.
"I never really wanted to know any details."
The gargoyle let's out a gravely chuckle.

[Ryonara]

Mei watched as Leith did his trick with the water droplet. "So big..." Mei was entranced at his display, as small as it was, and blinked when the water suddenly dispersed. Mei clapped a little at the show. "My my, that is interesting indeed. As for me, well.... I don't really know..." Mei rubbed the back of her head as though doing so would somehow give her an idea of what she should say. She had none. "I mean... I think I have mage blood, but I never used it before. I don't really know what I can do with it. I was sort of hoping that the college would help me figure that out." But Meirin couldn't hide her smile when Leith made a joke about her sleeping habits. It's not a proud thing about her, but she would humor the man for now. "I've been known to fall asleep in the oddest of places and positions. Back at my home, they found me asleep while I was hanging onto a tree branch with just my hands. Sleeping while standing isn't difficult for me. Wake me up on the other hand..." Mei trailed off that sentence with a bit of laughter.

"I think we should follow one of the teachers, no? I'm sure we can still talk while taking the tour." Being the aggressor this time, Mei grabbed Leith's hand and began to chase after one of the teachers. She soon found herself in a group of students outside a forge. This brought back memories of the one back home, though theirs was much smaller and more in the open. She heard some clamoring ahead of her, but there was so many students in the way that she couldn't see anything. "Did something happen? Are you okay?"

[Lucius Cypher]

Tyrael Marchosias

"Yes... Let us not waste any more time here. Come along, both of you. And try to keep your eccentricities in check." Shifting the weight of the elf in his arms, Tyrael lead the group back to the college gates. He barked out his orders and the gates opened once again, allowing them entry, but also closed shut once everyone came in. "Now than, would you please explain who-" But just as Tyrael was about to interrogate the new comers, one of his thralls arrived and whispered something into his ears. "-- ..- .... --..-- / -.-- --- .... / -. --- .-. -.. .. .... -- / -. . ..-. .. / .... .. -.. --- .... .-. .. - --..-- / .--. --- -.. / . -.-. -.-. / -.. -. .. / .--. --- -.. ... -. .. .... -- / . .... .. / .--. --- -- .- / -... .... .. -... . .... ..- .-. -.- / -.. -. .. ..- .... / .-.. .. . -.. -- .-.-.- / --.. .. / - -.-- / .-. -.-- -.. / -. . ..-. .. / .. .-. -.-- --- -.- -. / .-.. .. .-. / -.. -.-- / ... . .... ..-. .. / -.. -. .. / -- . ... .... .. - / .--. .. .. .-- .-.-.-" Tyrael groaned. Another problem to deal with. He gave the elf to his demon and pulled his face close to his own. "Bring the elf to the infirmary. Alive." There was a heavy dose of anger and hostility in his voice just short of outright yelling, which was a sudden change from his more monotonous and apathetic tone speaking towards the others. Once the whelp left, Karnage looked to the others. "Mar, I am afraid that something has come up. I know that it is not your responsibility, but I would be grateful if you take these people to another teacher. I think three are leading a tour right now. And now... I must go." Tyrael turned away and walked off, disappearing around the corner.

Lucilia Riovas

Lucilia had spent much of her time touring the alchemical gardens, showing off the various species of plants to the up coming students. She went over things such as which were best for nursing a cold, which provided warmth during a hot day, what made for the best insect repellant, which one could be made into an acid to eat through steel, what would help restore ones energy, and what made the hottest spice for stew. She would have gone on and on, if she didn't spy a familiar face in the distance. It was Colette, the vampire. She was being escorted by a guard, which meant that something must have happened. If Lucilia's hunch was right, Colette was feeling a bit... Thirsty. "Alright everyone, we will be moving onto the next area, the Whisper Mist Grove. Just follow the path there and I will meet up with you soon. Behave yourselves now." As the students dutifully went in the direction Lucilia had told them, she met up with Colette.

Once there, she dismissed the guard to speak with the younger vampire herself. Lucilia figured that Colette came to her because she was still thirsty for blood. She figured that this would be a common problem, even if she managed to get Colette out of her blood starved state. Old habits die hard she guessed. Lucilia took out a small vial of the Marrow Draught and held it out to Colette. "I'm glad that you took the time to seek me out, Colette. Still thirsty, yes? Drink a little of this than, and you should be well off for the next few hours."

Annabeth Gulch

Following Uicle towards the forge, the unfortunate teacher went through some bad luck on the way in. Annabeth witness first hand as part of the wall fall onto the teacher's shoulder, as he broke the door handle, and as a hammer beaned him in the face. That last one really surprised her. "Is... Is that something that normally happens? Flying hammers?" After the rhetoric, Annabeth did notice something else that might be of immediate concern. It came in the form of a large hammer that was held onto a beam on above them with nails. Problem was that the nails looked dangerously bent. Sure enough as soon as Uicle was near enough, the hammer slid off the nails. Annabeth reacted faster than she could speak or think, and the first thing she did was push Uicle out of the way of the falling hammer with all her might. Little did she know, she also pushed him right towards on of the workers holding a box of ornate steel daggers.

[Luna]

Colette Filiatrault

She nodded and took the small vial from the older vampire and drank it and sighed in relief when she felt her blood lust go away and she slowly stopped shaking. "Thanks Miss Lucilla I didn't know what I would have done if I haven't met you, maybe I would have killed again without your help" she said in a soft voice bowing to her before looking at her with a small smile. "Well I should get going I can see that you are very busy" she said very voice still soft but very polite like the young lady she was before she was transformed forever. She turned her back and began to walk away her hands folded neatly in front of her her arm keeping the parasol up above her head to block the sun light.

[Rtron]

Uicle

Uicle shook his head, chuckling softly. "No, just to me." He handed back the hammer to the worker, waving off his apologies. It wasn't his fault, not directly. He was just the vessel of Aarem's little game. He began to speak, explaining the Forge to them. "This, obviously, is a forge. It's run by the demonmancy teacher Tyrael. If you have anything you wish made, repaired, designed, what have you, bring your requests to him." Before the teacher could continue, explaining however, the student who had asked about flying hammers suddenly gave him a push. As he stumbled backwards, Uicle heard the thunderous crash and saw a massive hammer falling where he had once been. Gratefulness on his part was short, as he crashed into the worker with steel daggers. Uicle ended up on the ground, the worker ended up still on his feet but a distance away, and the daggers ended up flying in the air above Uicle. Through out it all, he had maintained a grasp on his staff, ingrained by long years of holding on to it. Then gravity took over and the daggers began to fall.

The necromancy teacher noticed them too late as he was picking himself up. "Son of a bi-" He began, before they finished falling. A multitude of thunks cut him off and he fell over. Silence. Utter silence from the crowd of students. The worker, walked over and began pulling his daggers from the body of Uicle. "Alright, you've had your fun. Stop terrifying the new students." The worker scolded the apparent corpse of Uicle. "Fine." Uicle picked himself up, and held up a hand to stop any questions. "I assure you I'm fine, though I had hoped to avoid revealing this for a while yet. Let's make a long story short and say there is no actual body in this armor, just my spirit. So, none of those were lethal..or hurt for that matter. Any other questions I haven't answered?"

[EliteCommander]

EliteCommander and Toxic Diamond Collaboration

Ssarak Dyreackthanose and Aruna Mortista

---

Ssarak returned the grin and gave a slight laugh. "As I can imagine." He felt sympathy for Aruna over her story, as it appeared she had to endure great hate through her life. With that in mind, it was no surprise she seemed to have such trouble dealing with social situations. "I am sure your time in the wilds served to give you strength, but it is unfortunate you had to experience it alone, with no family or clan. I cannot understand your father's opinion, as he obviously had no disdain for humans. I personally hope your time here is more...accommodating than what you have experienced thusfar. I remember when I first moved to human lands, I was taken aback by how hateful some can be towards those who are different, though in my case, such words were often said away from my presence." Ssarak commented, straightening his posture to call attention to his stature. "If anyone here gives you trouble for being what you are, feel free to notify me. I would be glad to be of assistance."

Aruna gratefully accepted his sympathy. It was rare that she ever got any. It was also nice to know that she wasn't the only one who had to go through living with hate. When he offered to help her with anyone who bothers she couldn't help but give him a big smile. "Thank you. Really, you have no idea what that means to me, but I don't think you should have to worry much. I'm used to bigotry by now, and I can handle myself... But I promise if there's something I can't handle alone. You'll be the first I call." She felt so odd. Rarely ever did she tell her feelings to strangers, yet here she was telling her most inner thoughts to a complete stranger. She felt exposed, naked. She didn't enjoy the feeling, but this Esyire had a talent of stripping away her defences. "It's so odd... This is the first time I've had a conversation with an Esyire that wasn't trying to kill me." She couldn't help but think: Actually I'm still not sure you won't try to later. She squashed the thought. It's hard to ignore a life time of paranoia though, and the thoughts kept going back and forth.

Ssarak couldn't help but to be a bit disappointed in his own kin when Aruna said she had never spoken to an Esyire before, though given her description of where she had lived, he understood why. "As much as I hate to admit it, I am not surprised that the Esyire you encountered were so hostile. Few civilized Esyire make their homes as far from Felldor as you described, so I believe you were exposed to the worst among us...though I am not certain if you would have found a home further in either. Clan traditions and values vary widely. Even within clan Dyre, I know of some that likely would have rejeced you, though others would have been much more kind. At the very least, the College here seems accepting of all types of people. The students themselves may or may not be, but I am not terribly concerned about their opinions."

Aruna listened, intrigued at what Ssarak ad to say. "It's not that I didn't believe that all Esyires were bad, it's just that they were more of a.. fantasy, or a dream than actual reality. As for the school, I've yet to be attacked, so I'd say things are going well." The Gargoyle stopped and turned to them. Then spoke in a gravely voice. "Here. These are the dormitories. each areaas a rune carved into the shape of the College sigil which when pressed and held, changes the room to suit each student’s unique needs and likes. Though some extreme changes might not be possible as it sometimes will not activate or break the rune completely. for more drastic changes, students must contact a teacher who will quickly create an adequate space which can be created or other matters with the more drastic changes. reverting the room back to its original state- a four stone wall room with a basic bed, table, and dresser. Goodbye." It turned and walked away. Aruna turned to Ssarak with a confused expression. "How do those things even work. Some of them give me an uneasy feeling." A stationary gargoyle on It's pedestal near them speaks with a resentful tone. "I heard that."

Ssarak held back a laugh, not wanting to offend the gargoyles any further. They were certainly interesting constructions, though he was unsure whether or not they were actually alive. They had developed personalities, certainly, but did they have their own souls? Of those questions he did not know the answer, though he was sure he would learn eventually. For the moment, he directed his attention to the task at hand.

"Hmm, so we shall be selecting our own rooms, n. I suppose it is fortunate we elected to come here so soon, as we will be able to choose first. Given the number of students I have seen so far, I am assuming there will not be enough rooms for everyone to have their own. Would you perhaps like to select the same room? I would like to ensure my roommate is someone I can get along with." Ssarak suggested. He had been living mostly alone for the past few years, but he would have no issue readaptng to living close to others. In his village, everyone in the community was essentially a close knit family, even if not by blood. They often lived close to one another, sometimes in the same structures depending on how many building materials they had available materials.

Ssarak's suggestion that they sleep in the same room made her cheeks flush with color. Who did this Esyire think was? Who did he think she was?! She didn't know much about civilized life, but one thing she did know was that males and females do not sleep together, unless it was for... Mating purposes. Suddenly understanding flooded her mind. That's why he was nice to her. Why he acted he way he did. All he wanted was to bed her. She felt a flare of annoyance and anger shoot through her. It wouldn't have bothered her if he had just come out and said that was what he wanted. She could have rejected him and been done with it. But no, he had to pretend to be nice to her, to be her friend. She felt like an idiot. "N-No! I would not like to share a room with you! What do you take me for?! You...." She was unconsciously moving her tail in a way that made the tail whip sound like a rattle snake tail. She poked him in the chest and stared at him with her intense green eyes. "You have a lot of nerve." She turns away from him and grabs the first door handle she sees before opening the door and slamming it shut behind her.

Perplexed would be an understatement for Ssarak's reaction to Aruna's outburst. He did not have the faintest idea what would cause her to become so angry, so quickly. He went through his head, trying to figure out if he had said or done something offensive, but his mind came up blank. This was a definite reminder to him that he was still not familiar with human culture, and she, more than anything, had been raised with theirs. He cursed his own isolation within his tribe for his ignorance of the outside world, and he hoped he could figure out what was wrong. He approached her door and spoke loud enough that he assumed she could hear him.

"Um, I am...confused. Did I say something offensive. Understand, I am not nearly as familiar with your customs as my own." He asked genuinely.

Aruna snorted at his words. If he thought she was stupid enough to fall for this twice he seriously underestimated her resolve. She turned back to the door and, making sure it was locked, she replied with an angry tone of voice. "Yeah, like I'll fall for that again! Go try and get another girl into your bed. Goodnight." She walks away from the door and sits wearily onto one of the two beds in the room. Getting ready to ignore anything else Ssarak says.

Being that Ssarak did not understand the connotation of what Aruna said, her response was entirely unhelpful to him. He was almost certain the rooms had multiple beds. She seemed to think he was trying to trick her, so perhaps she was worried about him being a psychomancer? Skilled psychomancers could completelely bend the wills of others, or at least of weaker minded individuals. He was nowhere near that level, however. "I...still do not understand. I can accept if you are angry, but I would at least like to know what it was I did, so that I do not do it to anyone else. Does it relate to my mageblood?"

Out of annoyance Aruna gets up, walks to the door and opens it a crack, her tail was still making the noise it had been earlier.
"You tried to charm me into your bed, pretended to be nice to me, and now you want to pretend and be innocent? Really?"
She turns and walks from the door again, this time slamming it shut with the tip of her tail. Then she registers something he said.
Something to do with his mageblood?.... Is that a euphemism?

"Charm you into my...wait?" Ssarak began, disregarding the door being slammed once again. The meanings of what she said started to click in his mind. Ssarak had lived in the common quarters with many of the others in his village for most of his life until he was married, so sharing a room had no significant to him, but for humans, it must have a more...intimate connotation. He suddenly became extraordinarily embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Wait, so for humans, sharing a room means that...I didn't...I shared a room with others in my clan for most of my life in the common quarters...I didn't know...I think...I think I will just go." He said, stopping himself from stammering on awkwardly and walking into the room next door. He hoped his rushed and stuttering explanation cleared up the confusion, or at least that he would have a chance to do so later. If that was what being a roommate meant to Humans, then perhaps the college did not intend for them to have roommates after all. Perhaps there were more rooms somewhere else of which he was unaware.

[Fallenreaper]

Mar

She was relieved when he sided with her line of thinking at last, following up with a warning. Being out in the open, unless on the move, and in a group that seemed intent on growing in size wasn’t an ideal situation for her. It chanced attracting unwanted attention among the unsavory wildlife, at least back in Yarsomere it have. Truthfully, Mar’s knowledge of Twilight College or its lands wasn’t the highest. In fact it severely lacked which created a slight paranoia in being such a place. Made worse that she was the only Naga around for miles.

She watched the Elf shifted in Tyrael’s arms then the Fallen Orc move, paused only to bark an order to raise the gates. Once in, Mar’s nerves had settled again to being surrounded by the stone walls. While it wasn’t underground, it was better than being exposed. Tyrael had just started to speak when a demon, one of his, had begun to whisper in his ear. Mar didn’t know the origins of the language that Tyrael had spoken and personally didn’t care. In their respect, they understood each other well enough to prevent misunderstandings and that was all that mattered to her. Her eyebrow pulled up when Tyrael passed off the wounded Elf to the demon. That was uncommon for him and a reason for her to be concerned, her stance unfazed when his mood quickly shifted. It became angry and threatening. He pulled the demon’s face closer to his own and made his orders clear. She had seen the method work well as the demon, the creature’s pace quick and hasty, took off for the infirmary.

The matter now taken care of Tyrael addressed her. Her curiosity had ceased the moment he asked her to escort the pair to another teacher, mentioning three were currently occupied with opening day matters. She merely nodded. Mentally however, the Naga sighed at the distasteful task. First her exploring had been interrupted when the wounded Wood Elf had been found and finally the other two arrived. Something inside told Mar she should’ve expected this but despite this, she was now stuck in the responsibility. Not for the first time either. Her thought noted Tyrael’s acceptance in Mesa Gaan to prove this.

Inhaling a bit, Mar turned to the other two. She aimed to complete the matter at hand and spoke.“Very well, follow me and once we find a teacher, they will determine the next course of action. I believe one of you distinctively said Rune and something about Artifact.”