Achronum

Bounties of Space

Danny Kingston

---

With an amused snort, the man kicked the hover cart into high gear and took off into one of the several tunnel ways branching out of the hanger. The driver wove between vehicles, tongue sticking out of his mouth each time he barely made it between hulking transports. The lights in the tunnels flickered more often than not, if it wasn't a strecth that was missing lighting entirely anymore. The rumble of engines and turbines echoed violently around in the tight, enclosed spaces, and a myriad of dents, scrtaches, and rust spots stained the walls and floor.

Eventually, the tunnel opened up into the Fallow Biome. The scattered lgihts around the biome glowed like a sunset in the pollution, and the acrid stench of molten metal hung settled like air in unprotected lungs. The Drag sat heavy just ahead, smokestacks and glowing windows and marching Maurauders greeting anyone who entered. The curve of the hover track took them away from the mercenaries and instead took them to a bustling crowd of hard and weary people, rough and wary of others, wandering through a slapdash business and entertainment district for the common laborer. Plenty to do to keep the mind off the exhaustion, to keep the coin in the Biome, to forget the haze and the pollution of a once fair city. Lights here lined the streets and walkways above them and virtual signs displayed street and business names, when they worked.

The driver dropped the trio off in front of a relatively unmarred building - a few questionable stains on large door but it was better not to ask - and whisked away into the crowded hover track. the sign above it, shimmering green and violet, announced it as Kol'Kill and a number of the people on the crowded iron walkway slipped into it even as others pushed past April, Danni, and Dorian without a second glance. A curtain in the window upstairs twitched.

"Oh, 'ow I 'aven't missed you Titan." Danni sighed, not bothering to remove his mask before they entered. "Who da 'ell said t'at livin' on met'ane moon was a good idea? I couldn't stand livin' in t'is metal dome, never seein' t'e stars, never seein' space, never gettin' ta zip around wit' my two besties. It's kinda like 'ell, ya know? But, 'ell doesn't 'ave drinks so let's get one!" Danni pulled open the door to Kol'kill and waved April and Dee in.

The inside was half full, the dinner rush not quite at its peak yet. A number of scattered tables were full, but one or two around the room still had space. Only one person sat at the bar along the left side of the room, insteresting colors swirling in the glass on the bar top. Sandix stood behind it, a tumbler shaking in their hands as they nodded at the group. Their life partner, Haxxal brooded in an opposite corner and nursed a large flagon of a steaming liquid while gaurding a spiral staircase that disppeared in up into the second floor. A small stage was set up at the far end and a harpsichord, scuffed and tarnished along it painted edges, sat besides it, a red skinned, wrinkled four armed Tardanian sat at it playing along while a pale woman sang on stage. Motes of purple light followed her and despite only one person singing, her voice sang in three different octaves, creating a complex round all on her own. It was clear what she sung went unknown to those in the room, but anyone could tell that while the song was energetic and upbeat, there was a sharp edge of meloncoly underneath it all that those who had lost everything could recognize.
"I'mma pop over to t'e bar, get myself a drink and a refill." Danni sloshed his half empty hip flask. "Y'all wanna grab a table so we can have a proper bite to eat? we can off t'e goods, scarf down somet'in' real quick, and t'en do a little noising around?"

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

Danny Kingston

---

Location: Training Room B
Skills: N/A

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! On se calme, on se calme!" Danni held his hands placatingly. "I didn't mean dat. Yeah, Poisson-Pas broke me, but I ain't know jack from shit about you so we're still chill. 'onestly, I'm just surprised ya ain't a toddler or somet'in'. Princess always mentioned the little sister and I coulda swore she said she was like, I dunno, five? But we can do dinner sometime, 'ave a little spa night, make an evenin' of it, ya know? Oh, Beanie, we can invite Zelds ta our fashion show! Did we ever pick a place, btws? I vote for middle of t'e school entrance, flirt wit' t'e stage craft group and see if t'ey'll put somet'ing' toget'er for us. T'at way everyone can bask in our beauty!" Danni clapped at his own idea, but his thoughts hit a stand still at Nemo's interruption.

"Aw yeah, that's my Beanie! Best of t'e best, t'at's why she's t'e bestest Bean- Wait." Danni whirled on Nemo from where he was congratulating Sabean to face Nemo. "Poisson-Pas, why didn't you tell me we were competin'? Like, I don't wanna pick t'e teams, t'at sounds like responsibility and I'm 'ere ta kick butt and 'ave fun, but I wanted to compete! Dee, Beanie, what was the competition? Can we 'ave a redo? Not t'at you don't deserve it Beanie, but I wanna play too!" Danni whined. Danni was too caught up in the whole fuck-Nemo-up-physically-and-mentally thing and he'd missed whatever they were competing over! Not cool!

And then Beanie didn't want to be on a team with him. What the hell? Princess didn't give a damn they were on different teams, Poisson-Pas didn't give a damn 'bout them as people since all they were was to make 'im look good as a judge's team and he had the audacity to leave Danni out of the competition of whatever the challenge was, and now Beanie didn't want to be with him. Did he smell? Was he having a breakout? Danni freaked out and quickly used his phone to check his face, sighing when he didn't see anything. He opened his mouth to protest, and loudly he'd like to add, but Beanie gave him the look that meant she was scheming and Danni paused, instead opting to link his arm through Dee's and propping his arm on Zelda's shoulder.

"Well, since Beanie 'ere thinks she can kick our buttons, we'll just 'ave ta prove her wrong. Tie us up, Poisson-Pas!" Danni demanded, the emotional roller coaster of a day making him buzz with more energy than normal. He definitely needed an outlet and the obstacles course was as good as any.

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

Danny Kingston

---

Location: Training Room B
Skills: N/A

"Well, Spicy-that's your nickname now btw, you're welcome," Danni said over his shoulder to the short stack at his back. "You might as well pull the trigger 'cause then at least I'd be just like my dreams, dead in a heap on the ground." Danni grumbled, arms crossed in front of him as he pouted. The three of them were so excited; they'd been sure the trio would have been on a team together and between the radio silence from Princess and Dee's just straight up acceptance of the situation, Danni felt the motivation to be here start plummeting.

Still, he leaned over to Beanie while giving Dee a thumbs up on managing to fuck with the teacher. "You're gunna spill t'e beans later, right? Like, dance, drink, spill t'e tea? Regularly fuck with him wit' whatever spooky shit you got outta 'is 'ead?" Danni stage whispered to her, while maintaining eye contact with Nemo. He decided he didn't like Nemo. Not picking Princess was an insult to her, which was an insult to all three of them, and then just brushing him off instead giving into his demands was just the nail in the coffin. Old guy was a dick. Yes, he was encouraging and yes, he was probably very likable but he broke the three of them up and that meant he was the devil.

Danni partically swooned into Beanie's arms at her declaration at Spicy. "Aw, you love me! I love you too!" Danni beamed and then whirled around on Zelda. "Okay, now Zelds, listen. T'at… I don't know if t'at was right but t'at doesn't matter. What matters is confidence, the presentation. Eyes on t'e prize and t'e prize is 'is mental stability. You're a kickass rockstar who can make flaming bees, alt'ough maybe lay off t'e flaming bees 'cause I ain't tryin' ta be Hootsifer ta Dee's Lilith and all t'at jazz, and t'at beats weird time jumps any day!"

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

Danny Kingston

---

Location: Training Room B
Skills: N/A

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Such a spicy freshie. Someone didn't 'ave t'eir coffee t'is mornin'." Danni laughed at Percy's outrage, sauntering over to throw an arm around his shoulders. He waved off Percy's accusations with a boop of his nose. "Never said Zelds ain't good 'nough; if Dee wasn't terrified of bees, I'd 'ave been pretty chill wit' t'e fire bees t'e other day. Super fuckin' cool 'onestly. I mean, respect for t'e flames and all t'at. But t'e t'ree of us winnin' toget'er 'as been a dream for years and I ain't lettin' a little 'iccup get in t'e way of t'at!" Danni reasoned.

Of course, it took a bit to register what their coach told him. April wasn't on their team? Instead, they would be on opposite sides of the field, every blow against the other another crack in the dream and victory cost not just tears, sweat, and.blood but friendship and bonds built with this dream.in mind. Danni couldn't even begin to consider it, pulling out his phone with a shaking hand as his vision blurred with unscheduled tears, no new unread messages begging for attention. April hadn't even respond to his text.

Did she even care? Did she like her new team that much? She got Leah, a new team, and she just decided that was good enough for her, fuck Danni and Dee?

Absolutely the fuck not.

Percy forgotten, Danni stalked towards Nemo. He could feel fire boiling under his skin and he managed to keep it under control, only a little smoke curling off of him for a moment, as he jammed his pointer finger into Nemo's chest. "Oh, so you can see t'e big picture? I saw you already out of t'e way of my fire when I messed up and blew up t'e judges table. You a fucking psychic or somet'in' too? You able ta peer t'rough time or do you just Madam Razz this shit? Well, you go back ta your crystal ball or go pop back two days or whenever t'e 'ell it was, and change your damn mind 'cause you sure as 'ell didn't see 'ow puttin' us at each ot'er's t'roats would fuck t'in's up." Danni seethed through angry tears.

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

---

Location: Dorm -> Training Room B
Skills: N/A

---

---

Dorian could hardly sleep the night before. Between what had happened with Percy, what he’d seen in his audition, and the anxiety of what team he, April, and Danni would be placed in, the nerves had eaten away at him until his eyes began to burn from exhaustion and he’d finally passed out for the night. That night he didn’t dream, or if he had he couldn’t recall anything but darkness. The knock woke him up, a tightness in his chest growing as he bolted upright in his bed and looked towards the door before noticing the two slips of paper that slid beneath the frame of the door. He took in a deep breath as the vice grip that plagued his chest had dissolved into pure excitement. This was as close to Christmas as they got in AA. Dorian bounded for the door, screaming all the while as he snatched the pages from the floor, pressing them against his chest so he couldn’t immediately see the results until Danni had a chance to as well (fully forgetting they came inside sealed envelopes) ”Get up! C’est l’heure! C’est l’heure! Allons-y Danni!” He wanted to go and grab April so they could all check the results simultaneously, but the loud squeal coming from her room let him know that she could hardly wait to open hers. He tossed both of the envelopes atop the mini fridge, pulling out two bottles of water as he emptied them inside of their electric kettle and popped it on to get water boiling for some coffee. Sure the school had some coffee shops on campus, but they carried cheap stuff that took so long to get to the west coast that it may as well be stale. No, Danni and Dorian needed a fresh brew purchased straight from the country it originated in.

Danni groggily peeked a single eye open, vision still hazy as Dee's banshee wailing dragged him out of sleep. He briefly considered throwing a pillow at the offending sound but just the thought of moving his arm left his muscles protesting and he promptly decided against it. It had been a long day with an exhibition he hadn't been anywhere near confident about and add in the nervous energy of desperation, sleep had been an elusive bitch. And now, for some reason, Dee was wailing at the ass crack of dawn. Danni just let out a looooooong groan before burying his face back into his pillow. Nope, too fucking early.

"Coffee." Danni demanded from his pillow, words muffled. Dee was saying something, but all he cared about was his snuggly cocoon of blankets and a popping hot, bitter cup of fragrant bean juice. Higher brain functions would have to wait 'til then.

Dorian couldn't believe what he was seeing from Danni. How could he not be excited for this?! He took the empty water bottle and tossed it straight at Danni. "It's bein' made already. Now get up!" There was a familiar clicking sound as the lever on the kettle flicked back up to signal that the water was ready and hot. Dorian meanwhile ground some beans of a Brazilian Dark Roast, pouring the batch into their French press before pouring in the hot water atop and letting it sit. "April's already squealin' next door! We must've got in toget'er but I wanna seeeeeee." They'd always tried for one of the judges teams, but not once had managed to score into it. But this year they all decided to not only make it on a judges team together, but they were going to win the Contest of Champions.

Danni grumbled as the water bottle hit him, and flopped over with a dramatic whine. It felt like it was 6am still and with no knock yet, it must have been. "Whatcha goin' on about? They haven't knocked. Can't we sleep 'til they knock?" Danni whined, though he sat up at the smell of coffee brewing. He struggled his way out of his cocoon and shoved himself up. He rubbed his eyes with a yawn, stretching at the end. He blinked, eyes protesting the flood of light, when he saw them: the envelopes sitting innocently on top of the mini-fridge. He gasped, lingering vestiges of sleepiness gone in an instant.

Danni tripped over himself as he stumbled off his bed and scrambled to the envelopes, picking his up with sparkles in his eyes. "T'EYCAMEIN?! WHYDIDN'TYOUWAKEMEUPFASTER?!?!!" Danni screeched excitedly, bounding over with both and waving Dee's eagerly in his face. OPENOPENOPENOPENOPEN!!!

Dorian snatched his envelope out of Dannis hand and held it so that his name was facing him. He looked up at D with sparkles in his eyes, the coffee could wait (it'd have to it took a few minutes to brew). "On t'e count of t'ree. One, deux, t'ree!" he tore the flap open at the same time as Danni had, pulling out the paper as his eyes quickly scanned the letter in his hand. Excitement welled inside of him with every word he read. Not only was he on one of the judges teams, it was Ser Nemos! He wasn't too crazy about Sabine, though he'd rather fight with her than against her, Zelda hadn't exactly given him anymore confidence especially after the way she'd just left her sister in a pool of water, he screamed as he saw Danni's name, and then froze at Percy's.

Dorian hadn't seen him since their kiss, one he wasn't even sure Percy would know or remember. He didn't even know why it happened, but it was a secret he'd kept to himself for now. Either way relations were strained with him, and he wasn't sure how well this team would work out, but he needed to have faith in Nemo. It was a judges team, a dream of Dorians, and that meant they believed this group had what it took to rival the Young Avengers.

Danni continue to scream as he tore into his envelope, quickly tossing it somewhere in the room as the team listing took his attention. Not-a-Fish's name was there at the top, which meant he got on a judges team! They thought he had what it takes to be a fucking Champion! He'd known it the whole time and now they finally recognized it! He took a few quick breaths to calm himself down, afraid he'd break out in flames if he didn't. Once he felt like he'd gotten it under control, he read the team listing.

Beanie was there at the top of the list, and he shrieked with excitement. Bad bitches were gonna kick ass in this Contest and then the world! Zelda Flynn… He frowned for a second before he remembered. Zelda, the little sister of April, duh! Flaming bees and all that jazz! Oooh, so fun! Maybe they could swap stories about Princess to bond!

He nearly vibrated out of his skin and slapped his best friend's arm. "We're on t'e same team! Dream team! Beanie, you, me?! I knew it! We knew it! You, me, Princess…" Danni's good mood went on a hard pause as instead of April Flynn, aka Princess aka Greatest Girly aka one third of the Dream Team, Percy Novikov stared back at him. Who the fuck was this dick ruining their Contest team? He felt like he should know this guy but his identity didn't matter. What mattered is he was ruining their perfect junior year and their chances at winning the Contest! "T'ey made a typo! 'ow unprofessional is t'at! Obviously, t'is is supposed ta be April Flynn instead of t'is Diana knock off. Or maybe Zelda was t'e mistake, but eit'er way we need ta go correct t'em! We were supposed ta 'ave Princess!" Danni declared, stomping his foot as he glared at the page.

Dorian brightened back up as Danni went off. "You're right. I'm sure t'ey meant to give us April instead of Zelda. Wrong Flynn clearly. We can bring it up to Poisson-Pas before anyone 'as to get embarrassed by it. I mean we bot' know 'ow unreliable magic can be." He chimed in, echoing Danni's sentiment. The coffee was just about done now as Dorian got up to gather their trailer thermos' so they could take their morning coffee on the go, placing the two cups near the French Press before slowly letting the strainer down to help express the oils. "Come on teammate let's get ready before we go and burst t'ier magical mis'ap bubble."

---

He walked arm in arm with Dee, confidence oozing off of him. He looked damn fine in the red accented uniform and they were about to get Princess on their team. Poisson-Pas would apologize, flip the Flynns, and everything would be right in the world! And if it didn't happen, he'd just let the dreams of friendship and happiness for this year crumble while he ugly cried in the training room. Maybe some uncontrollable flames sprouting here and there, no biggie really.

"Oye, Poisson-Pas!" Danni called out the second he entered the training room, blowing a wink and a kiss at Beanie. "T'e letter ad a mistake but we caught it, so you're welcome!"

Dorian saw Percy from across the room, his cheeks tinged pink as he looked away from Diana's brother and towards Sabine, giving her a meek wave as Danni addressed their coach. "Danni be nice, chances are Nimue made t'e mistake. Eit'er way we know you meant to chose April and not Zelda. Clearly a magical mis'ap 'appens all t'e time." He said just before sliding the lid on his Tervis, sending the sent of fresh Brazilian coffee wafting into the training room before he took a sip.

The Shattering of Aegis

The Snakeburrow Woods

_{16th of the Full Autumn Moon, 1698 P.A.
Evening - Overcast skies}

“Yeah, I s’pose a walkthrough the woods with ravenous rot infested wolves would be.” Esvelee agreed, nodding. “Never been nowhere but home and Wilree. If I didn’t have home, I’d probably take to wandering for a while myself but with the old man gettin’ older every day, someone’s got to keep the farms running. Red fern’s too critical to let fall to the wayside because of some wanderlust and all that.”

As the moon rose unseen behind cloying clouds and the night lengthened, the music of the Snakeburrow Woods rang out above the noises of the nighttime critters. Usually barely a buzz in the back of the mind, the rising music accompanied a slow swell of aether. Leaves in the distance crunched, a branch snapped, and the loud thud of something heavy hitting the ground in the distance broke the swelling melody. It came from the opposite direction from Cerric, Esvelee looking between the two points concernedly.

“Giles, you blumbling drunkard, get your flea ridden arse off the ground and keep walkin’. We still go a few days to go before we meetin’ with the conclave.” A voice laden with exasperation rang out through the woods. “I ain’t agree to this little scheme of yours just for your ass to die halfway through. So. Get. Up.” A sharp smack punctuated each word at the end, but still there didn’t seem to be a response.

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

Danny Kingston

---

Location: Audition Hall
Skills: Pyrokinesis

---

It was one thing to talk about it; it was another to wake up the morning of auditions knowing your team (and your chances of kicking ass in the Contest) was going to be determined by how well you avoided making an absolute fool of yourself in front of the judges. And if Danni was being honest with himself, making a fool of himself was a specialty of his. But it’d be fine - the name of the game was flexibility and Danni had that down pat. Mistakes would be made and like any other performance, he just had to roll with the punches.

Thankfully, Dee and Danni’s mutual love of coffee provided the perfect poor sleep recipe and as the edges of a night of tossing and turning crumbled away under the aggressively chugged caffeine on his way out the door, Danni couldn’t help but vibrate with excitement. The morning had been a whirlwind of emotions - he’d realized his original outfit was absolutely awful and he threw that pile of garbage in the back of the closet. If he started wailing about the last minute complication, no one but Dee, their neighbors, and anyone unlucky enough to be walking down the hall that early would know.

Thankfully, wardrobe malfunctions and last minute change of whimsies were something Danni was prepared for so he still sauntered his way to auditions in style. His original idea had been too much, too loud. The fire should be the star of the show, as much as he did love that shirt, and so he went something a little more formal than flashy: a white, long-sleeve button up shirt open at the small of his back tucked in the front into a well tailored pair of black slacks with a detachable black wrap skirt falling down the left leg all above his sturdy combat boots polished perfectly. It was certainly a change from the original but with sharp eyeliner, intentionally tousled hair, and a little glitter across the cheeks, Danni was feeling good and ready to dominate.

---

Danni threw open the doors to the training room and paused there for a moment, critically eyeing his stage. He didn’t take much seriously, but putting on a show was never a joke and he wanted everything perfect so he would shine as brightly as he knew he could. His targets were in place, six on each half with three close to the center and three against the far walls. “Good morning!” He sang as he found himself satisfied with the arrangement, all but running into the room like a little kid to a pile of presents on their birthday. “I’m so excited! Are you excited? I know it’s probably been a long morning, but ‘opefully I’m going to brighten your day!” Danni beamed at them, music starting at the snap of his fingers.

His original idea had been a complex dance routine with as many massive fireballs as he could throw in, one at every other step really, but Pops had shut that down for something more… controlled, if you can call fire controlled. Danni hadn’t ever really perfected his new routine but that was what the training would be for, right? So he went for it, letting himself fall into the rhythm of the music.

With a twist of his legs, Danni spun and fired off Hotshots at the nearest targets, three on each side of him. The first landed perfectly dead center, catching fire from the small burst he sent out. He shot the next with a push off the ground, hitting the second target and then whirling mid-air to hit the next. He smirked at the three burning targets and repeated the process, but he was a half a beat off and he barely hit the fourth, missed the fifth and hit a back line target, and then as he went for the last target, he stumbled and his final shot flew wide. Everything slowed down as the flames flew further and further and…

“Oops, sorry! You know, just excited!” Danni laughed weakly as the judges table caught fire. That… that probably wasn’t good, even if Nemo had calmly packed up his belongings and stood out of the way before Danni had even fired off the last shot. Creepy old man. Danni didn’t like that at all but he was already behind and needed to catch up - the teachers could handle themselves. The next part was an easy recovery anyway!

As the beat slowed down, Danni whirled around with his back to the flaming table and flourished at each burning target in tempo. The flames on targets one, two, and three all roared into ten foot pillars and stayed that way, Danni ignoring the tremble in his hand at the intensity. He felt his last flames roar but when he looked at the target, there wasn’t a pillar. Instead, the judges table exploded behind him and Danni tried his best not to flinch at the implications of attempting to kill the judges.

“Just keep going, just keep going.” Danni muttered to himself as his early confidence quickly waned, dread heavy in his chest. A perfect pirouette had all the flames in the room swirling towards him, following the edge of the skirt as it flared up along his side and then traveling up in whirling threads into a ball in his outstretched hand. With the flick of three fingers, three claws of fire roared past the first set of incinerated targets and slammed one, two into the further set of targets. The third slammed harmlessly against the wall.

Danni leapt away from the now burning targets with another spin, parts of the flames following his hand as it arced over his head. Nearly reaching the ceiling as the lances of fire soared under his command, one target on the opposite end of the room burst into flames while the second arc sputtered dead on the floor in front of the second. Danni grimaced at the site, three missed targets definitely was not as impressive as six or even four, but he couldn’t let that stop him - he’d get them on the finale.

With a swirl of his finger, the flames again whirled across the floor towards him and jumped for the final time, the fire surging up beneath him to give him a greater lift. It was shaky (sue him, he hadn’t practiced this part enough but it was hard, okay?! Bruises were ugly!) but he managed to stay stable so he brought his hands together and then apart, clawed as fire bubbled between them and grew and grew and…

Barely got larger than a soft ball.

The fire under him sputtered out and he hit the ground with a heavy thud, the wind knocked out of him as he lay there. He was shaking and sweating, the breath knocked out from him from the fall. Still had to work on flying like that. He pushed himself into a sitting position, and flashed a thumbs up in the general direction of the judges. “And t’at’s t’e Kingston touch!” Danni exclaimed as he pushed himself to his feet. “Can’t say I bored you, can you?” Danni winked at the judges and laughed, silently thankful he was not responsible for the clean up. In a few hours, Danni would recount how embarrassing it was but he was exhausted after that and all he wanted now was a shower and a cuddle pile nap.

The Glynwood Institute For Thaumaturgical Studies

---

Luc made a mental note of what their cohort overseer said. So they hid the cool shit down blocked off passages and darkened passageways, huh? Ma always said his curiosity would get him killed but look where he’d ended up, the first Dilore in a magic academy. Clearly he’d been doing the right thing so why stop now! Another tasty little morsel in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed in record time… until a whispering voice startled him from his thoughts and he started coughing as something went down wrong, very, very wrong.

In between wheezes and coughs, Luc snatched the napkin from the newcomer’s hand and tried to have some decency as he covered his mouth. It took a few moments until he was able to take in a deep breath without issue. “Yeah, yeah food’s great thanks. I’d like it better if it didn’t try to kill me though.” Luc wheezed back, eyes still watering, as he finally straightened up. Presumably in his Cohort, the stranger who offered him the napkin was clearly better suited to this environment, from his well fitting uniform to the colorful sash for extra fanciness to his very polite offer of a napkin. Though, Luc was curious how he knew Luc would have a coughing fit. Maybe he could use magic to see the future or something. The single strand of white hair did seem a little… unusual but hey, there was floating fire and magically controlled weather. What was a little hair on top of that?

“Sorry about that, thought I’d gotten all of it down. Always told to slow down, chew my food but once it’s in my hands, I cannot physically stop myself. Plus, didn’t eat much before this.Too tired from the trip to Pebblebrook, you know? Gotta remember not to hitch a ride with that guy again. He did not know how to drive a cart. Top marks for hitting every bump, though.” He could feel the tips of his ears burning as he kept talking but when it doubt, talk your way out. And that meant, put as much information in the air as it took for the other person to forget the embarrassing thing. What a greta first impression on his future friends. “But uh, how about you? Did you stay overnight in Pebblebrook or did you just pop in? It seems really cool, the whole poof and you’re here but also expensive. Also I have to know, is that a fashion statement or is it, you know, natural?” Luc gestured towards the guy’s hair. It was fine, Luc could salvage this. This guy approached him first and used magic to know about a coughing fit, he must know what he was getting into.

And still Luc hadn't noticed the sauce.

---

@Obscene Symphony

The Glynwood Institute For Thaumaturgical Studies

The night before found Luc hitchhiking into Pebblebrook on the back of a merchant’s cart, yawning and rubbing his eyes as a sharp rap on the side of the wagon roused him from his nap. His bag was nestled away in the back and he fished it out as the wagon’s owner chatted in his ear about something or another, but honestly Luc was ready for a bed to lay his head in so everything just went in one ear and right out another. A quick round of thanks, a meal, and a few rounds of just one more story, and Luc stumbled his way to bed, finally succumbing to the exhaustion clinging to the edge of his consciousness.

Of course, a life of early waking didn’t disappear over one late night, but even the most stubborn tendrils of sleep vanished on the ferry as it passed through the glittering lights. Filled with child-like wonder at the sight, Luc couldn’t keep himself still on the ferry and tried to catch the lights hovering over the water like fireflies, stretching his hand over the edge to reach what he could. Just seeing them served as a reminder that he, Luc Dilore of all people, was here to learn magic. Even the sharp pinch he gave himself (he still wasn’t convinced he wasn’t dreaming) didn’t diminish the goofy grin on his face as they approached the island.

“Oh, you don’t- I can carry mine, really it’s fi- No, please rea… And they’re gone. Cool, cool, cool.” Luc held his hands up in surrender as the two bags he brought were promptly removed from his possession and whisked away ahead of him. The brief glances from the upperclassmen made him adjust his school uniform awkwardly, if only because it was nicer than anything his family would typically wear. Even their nicer clothes were, as his ma would say, well loved but still plenty nicer than their field wear. But Luc felt like the fabric didn’t quite sit right on him, especially with some of those around him having altered it in some way. Should he have done that? What would he have even done? He’d normally just felt like clothes were clothes, a way to keep a person decent and provide some protection from the sun and the bugs and the nasty thorns and sharp branches, but here, they felt a little more important.

“Whoa…” Luc’s eyes grew wide stepping into the audience room as he spun in circles, unable to decide where to look first. The fire motes (yes he wanted to touch one. No, he would not. He was a commoner, not an idiot!) caught his attention first and then the soaring stained glass windows and then the enchanted instruments and then to the food. His mouth watered at the sight, his stomach making its interest known loudly enough that he apologized to those closest to him with an awkward laugh. “Just a little longer and you will be mine.” Luc promised the spread when he noticed they weren’t allowed to get any yet, before his attention was again on the splendor in the room.

Everything looked fancy, everything looked expensive. Luc suddenly felt very out of place again. Briefly distracted by the wonders around him, he came to the sharp realization there was probably more money in the expensive decorations and stunning art than his family would get in a year, or even five, and that thought made him freeze up. What if he broke something here? Would he have to pay for it? How would he even pay for it? They wouldn’t make him pay for like, a normal thing, right? They were mages…Couldn’t they just magic it back together or something? It was fine; if he broke something, he’d just run for his life and live out as a recluse like Granny until they forgot he owed them money! Perfect plan, no possible flaws.

The fall of silence over the crowd brought him back into the room and he turned as the Chancellor spoke. Second Battlemage Auristel, huh? If the silencing spell hadn’t been woven into place, Luc would have been tempted to ask how many families the Battlemage had torn apart, displaced at the behest of his masters. How many magicless folk suffered at his hand because they couldn’t defend themselves against whatever onslaught the tyranny of the Heptarchy demanded. This Battlemage was little more than a glorified dog- just waiting for his masters to snap their fingers like all his kind.

Actually, they might be an insult to dogs.

At the end of the day, it didn’t matter really. The Heptarchy won, the matter resolved, and the case closed. Luc shrugged off the dissatisfied slant of his mouth and embraced the excitement of the day instead, especially as the speeches finally dwindled down and he shot like an arrow from a bow at the table, not above shouldering a few people to get to it. A heavily ladened plate later and a content hum of appreciation as he chewed on whatever was easiest to show in his mouth first, he drifted back to his cohort overseer. One of his Cohort members was already there and another one was already waiting, but Luc was itching to explore and if he could just get a finger in the right direction, he’d be out of everyone’s hair. Though, irritating people in a place he had no friends in may be a poor decision and he grimaced at the twinge in his ear from how often Ma had grabbed it when she was cross with him. He dutifully shoved another morsel in his mouth and waited to cut into the conversation, allowing himself to marvel instead at everything in the room.

Court of Nuhl

_{October 9th, 528 - 12:20am}

Execution Level, Execution Chamber - Hasgad Holding Facility

“Oh dear, oh my. I’m trembling in my boots, little vampire. Of course you don’t give a damn about the mage. That's why I didn’t address you. Just behave like a good little minion and shut up.” Hasgad stuck out his tongue at Chadwick, before returning his attention back to Quinn. “Well, theoretically, if I trusted you at all. But the fact of the matter is I don’t and I have no issue turning you into a mindless blood bag, so I recommend you don’t!”

Hasgad scowled at Lyra after she insulted him. Him, an Inquisitor, a coward? She had to be joking. “The Grand inquisitor doesn’t tolerate fools either and charging into your little fold would make me just that. I just need to even the playing field a little and then we can resume our death match, if you prefer the difficult route.” His eyes darted to each of the rebels and back to Lyra. “You can taunt me all you’d like, but you and I both know you don’t have the stomach to go through him to get to me. You’re going to try and bait me, try to outmaneuver me, or whatever silly thing has the gears in your head whirring.”

Further into the room, there was a muffled click as the locking mechanism disengaged on the door opposite of them in the execution chamber. It cracked barely, and a curl of fresh air found its way through the room.

Meanwhile, the elevator whirred to life and it’s groan of descent echoed down the hallway, where heavy and hurried footsteps pounded down the passageway.