Jumbus

The Hourglass Order

---

Dropping off the tray into the Arch Zeno tower meant Leon’s task for the Doge had been completed. Stepping out into the night air, he found things were anything but peaceful. The commotion was coming from every corner of the city and it was not immediately obvious whether this was the good or bad kind. A deep unease took to Leon’s stomach. Just what exactly went down at the conclave? Considering the string of bad events, Leon didn’t imagine it would have been anything good.

Luckily, a drunken man happened to be passing who was more than willing to update him on the details. It was clear from the accent and spiteful tone in his voice that the man was Perrench. The odd cursing was something he could go without, but it made for a very clear conclusion. Leon was quite the enemy in the eyes of this Perrench drunkard, and there would be plenty more like him.

Leon disengaged from the conversation as soon as he could in search of a more quiet place to think. He strolled the quieter alleys of Mudville while he pondered on his next move. The winds of conflict had risen far earlier than he had expected. It was only a matter of time before Ersand'Ernise turned to violence, if it hadn't already started.

Sure he could flirt around with every party wearing the many masks of Leon. Shedding a tear for the Perrench, having a drink with the Kerremands, and of course having a ball with his ‘fellow Revidians’. Such a thing would be easy for him to do. But it didn’t feel right.

By taking the Doge’s offer to enter Ersand’Ernise, he had taken a side in all this. He couldn’t just play for all parties like before, any support he gave one side would draw stares from another. Frankly, he had no idea how to progress. Leon was a child born and raised in peace. He grew up calling all places his home. Now that war was just about inevitable, what could he really do?

Maybe it would mean more if he didn’t make an appearance tonight. Who knows, maybe the oncoming tide of war would inspire a new song.

Leon swayed his way through the quiet alleys of Mudville, plucking on his lute as he went. Once he reached the Castle, he planned to practice in the mess hall for the rest of the night.

---

Qualia: Mission Sub Rosa

@Erode@Click This@Yankee@banjoanjo@Medili

---

The dinner party continued as normal. Franz paid full attention to Bang and Nazca’s presentations. However, he spent little time thinking about the possibilities they opened up. There was no point in pondering problems he had neither the information or care to solve. The truth of Jeanne’s innocence was not a matter Franz cared for at all. But it was still important to be viewed in a light where that was the case, so he would continue eating while feigning a captivated interest.

Once Inti had finished, Franz reached for a napkin and politely cleaned around his mouth before addressing Bang and Nazca with a pleasant smile. “You two have certainly made a lot of progress for this investigation. It must be quite time consuming, no? I think it is a noble act to suspend your academic goals in the pursuit of justice. With only a short amount of time, we have not a second to lose of course.”

Franz turned to Jeanne. “As for my contribution Jeanne, I implore you to mark out the student record as requested by tonight so I may receive it by mail tomorrow morning. My investigation skill pales in comparison to what Bang and Nazca have demonstrated, but I am good with people. That registry will let me know exactly who’s door to knock on.”

Returning to his meal, Franz didn’t talk much about the investigation for the rest of the night. Instead, he spent the time with inconsequential small talk until it was time for him to depart back to his accommodations.

---

Franz had no plans to skip curfew. After all he had no method to pass by the locking system effectively. Even if such a thing was in his possession, he had no reason to skip curfew. Franz settled for a bit of violin practice before going to bed and getting a good night's sleep.

---

The Hourglass Order

Interacting with: Carmilla @Animus

---

Earlier that day

Leon was one of the first to leave Mathematics class. But instead of heading to lunch immediately, Leon waited at the door watching the exiting students go by. It seems he was looking for someone specific. Once Carmilla had crossed his path, he moved to politely pull her aside.

"Carmilla, if I could have a moment of your time. I was hoping that we could have lunch together. Just you and me." Leon took a pause before realising what he had said. "Unfortunately, I'm not asking you on a date. I believe we have some important things to discuss that could use some... privacy." He was glad he cleared that up. If she had thought it was a date and found it was something else, well, Leon didn't think she would take it well. Carmilla was so nice after all.

"It would be a pleasure to have lunch with you," she responded.

In truth, it was not a pleasure. As a result of maintaining appearances, Carmillia was still experiencing fatigue from Conversion class with Zeno Afraval. Her below-average capacity combined with her unique usage of magic that did not require much energy meant she was not particularly gifted in drawing much energy.

Though Zeno Afraval had specified to stop drawing at the slightest effects of fatigue from capacity drawing, Carmillia had continued past that in order to match up to the results of her peers.

"Do you have any place in mind for us to have this discussion?" she asked.

Experience from meeting fans had keyed Leon in on a few skills. Carmilla had some minor tension in her shoulders. It was obvious this was nervousness from being alone with a star such as himself. But she had no need to worry, Leon would try to set her mind at ease. "Please, it is nothing so special. Just a simple talk between friends. Although the subject matter won't be so savoury I'm afriad."Leon made eye contact with her and gave a reassuring smile. "But as it so happens, I do have a place in mind."

Despite her attempt to conceal it, it seemed that Leon had noticed her fatigue and consequently formed a misunderstanding. Carmillia rolled her eyes inwardly but let the matter rest.

"Please show the way," she said.

Leon lead Carmilla outside into the small grassy area outside of the Academy building they were in. He settled beneath a large tree providing plenty of shade from the dour weather. "I hope you don't mind us talking outdoors. I am particularly comfortable in the open, but I am happy to go back inside if you so wish."

"I'm happy with our current environment," she responded. It would be a hassle to head back into the school and search for a private spot. All she wanted at the moment was to catch a breather and focus on what Leon wanted to talk about.

"But onto the matter at hand, I wanted to talk to you about Jomurr" Leon explained. his typical showman expression fading to a more serious Leon. "I think you already know what I'm referring to."

"I do," she responded.

Given both of them had an abberation appear on their respective nightstands, it only made sense if one did appear for Jomurr as well. The only link between her and Leon was that they were fellow Biros and that also applied to Jomurr.

"It's possible he thought he was the only one to receive an abberation. It must have caught him off guard when you brought it up," she said. "I doubt he has any links to the Traveler and simply wanted to improve his own magic capacity."

She paused.

"It's possible Zeno Fades-in-Moonlight is already aware of this."

"Yes, I had initially considered the Traveller. Considering our lack of noble blood, it would be likely the Traveller would leave Jomurr out of the oppurtunity. However, I don't know if you have kept up with the rumours from yesterday and this morning, but it wasn't just us. Plenty of students woke up to an abberation yesterday morning. Some others kept quiet in any discussion about it. Should these rumours be true, perhaps every student could have received the offer."

Such rumors had indeed been spreading. The morning lessons were filled with hush discussions from other students regarding abberations. Carmillia nodded.

Leon leaned back and gave a drawn out exhale. "My apologies, that was quite a mouthful. I would be lying if I said that this whole thing hadn't been weighing on my mind all morning." With a chuckle, he pulled out an apple and started eating.

"As for Zeno Luna, I have not considered her involvement. Whats your impression of her?"

"I doubt she was involved in placing the abberations, if that's what you're asking," she answered. "That said, she probably knows much more about it than she's letting up on. It's likely there's a relation to the assasination attempt."

The persona that Leon Solaire often displayed did not strike her as one to possess intrigue towards such matters. She had suspicions before but her opinion of him was starting to consolidate around the fact he was no mere charlatan.

"Do you perhaps know something as well?" she asked.

Leon took a pause considering whether he should disclose more information to Carmilla. He had no reason to doubt her. In fact, considering she didn't touch her abberation, he was inclined to trust the girl.

"You know I have been questioning whether the attack at the plaza is all there was. Having our memories wiped is some powerful magic for it to just be defused. No one was caught and nothing notably bad happened. That is strange to me."

"I doubt this has much connection to the abberations but it is a scary thought none the less. Two strange dangerous events happening within less than a day is not a good sign."

Leon took a good pause to let that sink in. "I trust you Carmilla. I trust that this conversation doesn't spread further than us two until we find others with the same goals."

It looked like Leon had placed the pieces together as well. As far as Carmillia could tell, most of the students had not noticed anything, given she had heard no rumors about the matter.

"Your trust is in good hands," she reassured him.

Although Carmillia most definitely did not possess the same goals as the performer, this was an oppurtunity to get more involved with events that were conspiring in Ersand'Enise. For all the previous oppurtunities that Leon had nipped in the bud for her, he was now presenting her with a new one. The Sunblessed taketh and the Sunblessed giveth, she thought.

"It's clear that we should do something. Do you perhaps already have something planned in mind?" she asked.

Leon took a noticable pause to ponder what Carmilla had asked him. He had plenty planned was the obvious and honest answer. But it was questionable whether he should tell another student considering it involved the Doge. Even then, Leon was only following his orders to get some information out of the Arch Zeno's tower. As far as the rest of the events, he was in the dark and helpless as anybody else.

"Am I supposed to have anything planned? I came here to learn magic not topple some great magical conspiricy. I mean lets say one of the Arch Zeno's is in kahoots with the Traveller and he plans to erase the five rulers. What are we going to do, sprinkling colourful lights in his face?" Leon joked with a laugh at the end.

"To answer your question, I have nothing planned for now. I just wish to define a circle of trust. Maybe with enough of us, we stand a chance of against what's to come. If the abberations and assassinations are anything to go by, there could be danger on the horizon."

Is he truly just trying to play at being a hero? She pondered. It was possible to see shadows of his real personality when he had his guard down but that in itself was a problem. It meant if Leon was focused on lying, there were no telltale signs. It was probably a result of years of experience as a performer.

"I see. Yes, there is strength and safety in numbers," she responded.

"I'm glad you agree. This could be the start of a good partnership. I'll be thinking up group names should this circle start expanding." Leon joked as he stood up from the conversation. "With that, I would say were are just about out of time. I wish you good luck in your next classes."

Carmilia nodded courteously.

"See you soon, Leon."

---

Qualia: Mission Sub Rosa

@Erode@Click This@Yankee@banjoanjo@Medili

---

Franz had been quiet for the beginning of the dinner with the other students. It had been a taxing day, first cleaning then studying spiders. He had little to contribute to the investigation so far. He only had about half an hour to an hour to look over the student records before he was due to dine. Franz brought one copy to the meeting and left the other behind in his room for personal use.

After hearing Ryuuko talk, Franz politely set down his cutlery and began addressing the group. “I suppose I should start then. My presentation should be short enough.”

“On the table is a completed registry of the students in Bermuda. As you skimmed over, you will have noticed that there are photographic records of the students along with their nationality.” Franz turned his attention to Jeanne. “Miss Bordeaux, I have done you the liberty of underlining Egoists of a distinctly inhuman appearance as well as people of French nationality.”

“The former is in regards to the Egoist that you had seen earlier. Due to the varying quality of the photos it may be hard to see full facial features, so only cross out Egoists who are distinctly not the creature you saw that night.”

“The latter is in regards to the gunman or potential conspirators. I have marked out students of French nationality, but students of other nations can apply. This is simply identifying students who have may have reason to act against you to this degree.”

“That is all.” Franz said nonchalantly as he returned to eating.

---

The Hourglass Order

Interacting with: Carmilla @Animus Luna and Ikon @Force and Fury

---

Summary

Part 1:
Leon asks the group about the abberrations in their rooms. Carmilla admits she found one too. Jomurr hides that he absorbed his too. Luna intends to remove the remaining abberrations.

Part 2:
Leon is bored in his first classes then chills out under a tree.

Part 3:
Leon moves into the Castle with his unusually large room. He then starts a party at dinner that lasts until midnight. He then goes to bed, he puts out the offer for some to join him.

---

Leon sat at breakfast with the rest of his team and Zeno Luna. On the surface, he seemed happy and content. Eating in a blissful manner as if nothing was wrong. As if an abberation wasn't found on a night stand this morning.

Put who placed it? His first suspect was Luna, of course. After her display of dark magic, perhaps she saw fit to provide him with a morning abberation snack. Equally, Leon found the possibility quite likely that the others in his group would have received the same 'gift'. Outside of that, it was possible someone had snuck into the home. But first he had to confirm how the others had reacted to it; and there was a simple way to find out.

"Ah, I almost forgot." Leon said in a cheerful voice as he gave a flick of the wrist. A replica image of the apple sized abberation appeared in the middle of the breakfast table. "Anyone else see an abberation in their room this morning?" His expression a more serious focus as he went to analyse how the three would react to this sudden placement.

In truth, Jomurr had seen an aberration on his nightstand. It had been the size of a small firemelon and he had absorbed before a servant or lesser magic user like Carmillia might've. It was both his privilege and solemn duty as a member of the nobility, after all. he had to protect them. Of course, he wished he hadn't. That was only the second one he'd seen in his life, and the first had been much larger - the size of a man - so he and his brother had wisely avoided it. Truly, he wished he'd done so with this one too. His head pounded and it was an effort not look at Leon's poor approximation of an aberration with some eagerness.

He shook his head innocently. "I... an aberration?" he responded, concern in his voice. "Certainly not." He stared at it, face equal parts wonder and worry, or so he hoped it appeared. "There's one in your room right now?" he continued. Quickly, he turned to Carmillia, "This is ill news," he declared. "Did you, too, encounter one?"

For her part, Luna placed her utensils back on her plate, glanced at Leon uneasily, and then at Carmillia. "I'm gonna second that question and then, regardless of the answer, we're going upstairs and checking this out."

"I did encounter one," Carmillia responded. "It's still there upon my nightstand. I was planning on bringing it up once we were done with the meal."

Of course he gets in the way again, she thought.

Carmillia had briefly contemplated absorbing the abberation when she saw it but had quickly waived away the thought. She knew of abberations and that they've been known to appear everywhere. That said, it was far too much of a coincidence for it to appear on her nightstand. The memory manipulation on their first day had wounded her pride. She was a player, not a pawn.

Given that none of the townhome's residents tended to violate the privacy of the others, she had planned on leaving the abberation there till she had more information. That plan was now ruined thanks to Leon. The only silver lining was that her suspicions were now confirmed. The abberation had not occured naturally.

"I'll lead the way," she said.

Carmillia started heading towards her room.

Leon assessed the developing situation as he sipped his drink. He could conclude that Luna was not the one responsible. Her response would be out of place for someone trying to lie about it. As for the other two, Carmilla also saw an abberation and didn't touch it where Jomurr 'certainly did not'.

On the assumption the Traveller was responsible for this, it would make sense that Jomurr was left out given his noble blood. But on the other hand, Jomurr could have absorbed his abberation and lied about it. That conclusion left up the question of who is responsible for the small abberations. For now, Leon could not be certain of it one way or the other.

Leon could at least take comfort that Carmilla had equally ignored the temptation of abberant power. She was the only one here he felt comfortable trusting.

"And I will follow." Leon left his seat taking his last bit of bread from breakfast with him to follow Carmilla.

When they reached Leon's room, it took Jomurr only moments before realizing that the aberration before him was noticeably smaller than the one that had occupied his nightstand this morning. The alarm on the Zeno's face was palpable but, at this point, he scarcely trusted her. In fact, he did not even trust that she wasn't involved in the spreading of these aberrations. Already, she had sought to turn him and his fellow apprentices against the academy. She had used what she claimed was Dark Magic. She had lied through her teeth about the nature of Anna's disappearance. He did not have any proof, but he sensed it on a gut level. Perhaps she was with the Traveler and perhaps she was not, but Moonlight had her own agenda, hidden beneath a mask of casual, disarming, and nonthreatening disregard for protocol.

"This is... strange," she said, examining the thing for a moment. "I suppose you don't have any idea when it appeared, do you?"

Presently, they moved to Carmillia's room, and Jomurr noted that her aberration was smaller still, almost as if each person's aberration had been tailored for them. And if you put them there, he thought, you know that I absorbed mine. You know that I did my duty as a noble. Was this some sort of test?

"In any any event," Moonlight announced, "It was good that you didn't touch these. As a greyborn, they're no bother for me, but they can do horrible things to some people, I'm afraid." She regarded each of them, in turn, and lingered on Jomurr for perhaps a half-second longer. She shifted uncomfotably and stalked to the doorway. "For now, the hour is less early than it was. You should be off to your classes. It's your first day. Enjoy yourselves. I have people to talk to and questions to ask. I will handle this."

There was something almost... earnest about her tone, and for the dozenth time since he had known her, Jomurr wondered if he had not misjudged her. He shook his head slightly to clear it. "Yes," he replied, "you are correct and I bow to your wisdom. It will do us no good to linger on such grim matters, though I am curious to see what comes of your research and I remember your promise to be 'an open book' with us." Without anything further to say, he prepared to return downstairs, ready to head out the door and begin his day in earnest.

Leon left the house satisfied with the exchange. There were still plenty of questions left open about his companions, but he wouldn't get much more answers for the time being. It was off to classes now.

---

The school day was rather bland for Leon. Starting off with Mozaru’s test in sensing and drawing. Leon had taken a window seat and was currently as shirtless as he was every morning. This made displaying his drawing capability easy as he was doing it throughout the entire class.

Equally, Serra’s Avincian class was another breeze. Pick an adjective to describe himself in Revidian and Avincian? Well, Leon knew how to say magnificent in ten different languages. So for the majority of the class, Leon spent at a window seat absorbing the sun’s rays.

The way Giarrone ran his class had piqued Leon’s interest. Hearing others’ reasons for exploring a specific type of magic had illuminated him to all the different desires that draw someone to magic in the first place. His interest was held the whole time as he listened to the others describe their reasons for learning Binding magic. Unfortunately, Leon had little to say when it came around to him. Binding magic was not his primary interest when it came to magic and he had hardly seen all it had to offer. When asked to share, Leon answered honestly that Binding was an extension of Arcane magic to him. Allowing him to extend his abilities in another school further rather than using binding for its commonly intended purposes.

Leon had been looking forward to learning Arcane from a master. So he was hit with an overwhelming sense of disappointment when he attended Kedd’s class. Magic is absolutely not a science, it is an art form. Clearly, this teacher could comprehend the true beauty of magic if he were to say silly things like that. At least the Zeno was right about one thing, reading and effort were the best ways to master it.

Finished with orientation, Leon spent the rest of the afternoon sitting under a tree in the Arboretum. He snacked on an apple while practising his lute. It was oddly quiet compared to Leon’s recent endeavours. Perhaps he was getting some alone time in while he could. The nighttime was approaching and it would be anything but serene.

Once Leon felt inclined to begin moving into his dormitory, he left the park.

---

Leon was happy to have received such a big room for himself at the castle. He certainly didn’t mind having to stay in the commoner's district, especially when his friends in high places could arrange something like this. Leon got to work moving into his room.

First were the large closet and drawers where he began packing in his clothes. Neatly folded pants and shirts were placed in the drawers while particularly extravagant garments were hung up with the capes, which were ordered intently by colour. Next was the bookshelf, which left something to be desired. Frankly, it was too large. While Leon had a reasonable collection of books, the unused space made Leon look… uneducated. Perhaps he could pick up various tomes just to fill it up. Third, setting up the large mirror, squeaky clean and without a smudge. A table to the side held jewellery and valuables. Next to that was another larger table with arcane trinkets and tools for magical practice and applications. Finally, a large double bed which Leon took meticulous effort to make nicely.

By the time Leon had finished moving in it was already dinner time. With an excited grin and lute in hand, the boy descended the stairs to the mess hall to meet his company for the night.

It was to be the first night in the dormitories and Leon wasn’t wasting the opportunity to make a strong first impression. During dinner, he encouraged other students to enjoy the wine with their meal while he played a tune.

One drink, two drink, three drink, four. Leon plays his lute and they ask for more. Dinner had come and passed, but few had gone. Most of the students were still around drinking, the party was on.

It wasn’t long before the drinks had hit the crowd and Leon had little need to maintain his lute performance. Instead, the tempo of the night was held up by the rhythmic clapping of the crowd. Leon danced on the floor, the tables, with girl, with guy. He danced until his legs hurt then he danced some more. But this behaviour wasn’t brought on by the alcohol, no, it was from Leon’s passion for the art itself. Which was being displayed for all to see.

At one point, Leon pulled his now-famous trick. He lit his cape on fire and danced while it burnt up the fabric to his neck, drawing upon the power of the flame the whole way. It was risky. Given that he was fully sober the last time he performed it, there was a decent risk of Leon burning himself. But hey, he was a lucky guy. The finale came with a flash, but then he continued.

It was the early hours of Ipte when Leon finally finished. The dance had become more reminiscent of tired mass hysteria at this point and he was fine with throwing in the towel. He was more than impressed at those still standing and invited some to his room if they felt so inclined.

---

Qualia: Mission Sub Rosa

---

Once Franz has gotten back to his dorm room, he was displeased to see the smell had not been cleaned up. No matter, he thought, the cleaning crew should be around any time now. It was best that he just thrust his mind into his studies and let them do their job.

Another issue that had presented itself was the lack of any acceptable desk. All the tables here were far too low to the ground for Franz’ comfort. He must remember to get a proper Occidental desk put in place at the earliest possible time. No matter, he could make do for now and just continue his study.

Franz went to his stored belongings and surveyed his spiders while feeding them. Which one would mark his first study in Bermuda? Thor the tarantula was the largest spider of the three and also the most lacking in mental capability, this made him the easiest to produce some results with. But that would be too easy. Freyja the black widow, a size smaller with a greater degree of intelligence posed a larger challenge. Franz’ only web spinner leaves at least some physical record once a study is concluded. But no, Franz wanted to start with Loki the fringed jumping spider. Widely regarded as the most intelligent spider breed he was also the smallest of the three. Any progress was hard to make and even harder to see visually. Loki was a tough nut to crack. But Franz welcomed the challenge and wanted to get to work with all the free time he had.

Franz placed Loki on one of the low lying excuses for a table and went to grab his violin. The smell hit him again but he tried to put it out of his mind. The staff would take care of it after all. Raising the bow to the strings, Franz prepared to play. But another whiff of the room invaded his senses. No, Franz concluded, he could not wait for the staff to arrive and sort this out. It wasn’t just him either. Franz thought he could see that Loki was put off by the smell also. If the spider were to exhibit abnormal behaviour from outside sources during his study, it would ruin his notes. He got up and left the room to ask about getting cleaning supplies.

Franz proceeded to spend the next several hours cleaning the room. He was particularly thorough to remove any slight scent of last night’s mistake.

---

HORIZON: In Wastes, Our Dreams

Yeah I'm interested

The Hourglass Order

Interacting with: Carmilla @Animus Luna and Ikon @Force and Fury

---

Leon had a fantastic time with orientation after lunch with the Doge. He didn’t spend much time learning the tour itself. The majority of landmarks around campus didn’t interest him. No, orientation for Leon was orientating himself around the student body. By the end of the day, he had met a good chunk of them and flirted with the few he found interesting.

Leon was in good spirits when he returned to Zeno Luna’s home with the rest of his group. Minus Anna, of course. He was still curious where she would have run off to. She seemed nice. Well, in regards to himself at least.

Leon was simply swept away by Zeno Luna’s performance and let out a small clap when the spell was complete. A sunny barbeque while the time was definitively night, it was very impressive. The ‘sunlight’ wasn’t real sunlight, but Leon felt it being close enough that few could tell the difference. If this was the power of a Zeno, Leon wanted to reach those heights. Just what school of magic was she using? It was by no means an illusion…

Dark magic. The corners of Leon’s smile went ever so slightly down and his eyes opened up with the same minuscule movement. Ever so slightly Leon’s mood changed to a more serious one. This is a considerable shift from Leon’s typical control over facial expressions, however, the change would not be noticeable to people who weren’t watching him.

Leon’s thoughts went back to lunch with the Doge. This Academy was hiding big things because they believe they can get away with it. If Leon didn’t believe that before, the proof was now directly in front of him. A school of magic only spoken of in rumours was just non chalantly displayed before him as if the Zeno didn’t bother to hide it at all.

To further such a drop in Leon’s mood, he didn’t like the sound of dark magic either. To draw from nothing? Foolish. As someone proficient in selling fantasy, Leon had some knack for spotting one. There was always a cost to something. If dark magic was well known enough, he was certain it would be forbidden much like blood magic.

But he couldn’t allow such a serious mood to show. At the very least, dark magic was used to create a feast here. That was enough to set the matter to the back of his mind and sit with his group as if nothing had disturbed him.

“Yes, I am also curious about Carmilla’s enquiry,” Leon stated cheerfully.

---

The Hourglass Order

Interacting with: Carmilla @Animus Vyrik @Dark Light Ikon @Force and Fury

---

Leon with Carmilla

Between notable landmarks or even at places he didn’t care about, Leon seemed puzzled by the course selection sheets everyone was given. Even more baffling, it was the required courses registry he was studying so in-depth. What could have gotten the stylish prodigy so confused about the standard course registry?

“Say Carmilla.” Leon turned to his pale teammate with his best set of eyes. “You are proficient in Chemical magics, correct? I hope you will be able to make sense of this.”

Leon flipped his required course registry around to reveal that there is some ingredients handwritten on it. Lemon, vinegar, alum, quill. This was almost certainly the source of Leon’s confusion.

I am, but not by conventional standards, she thought. Carmillia edged in closer to Leon to take a better look.

“The lemon, vinegar and alum are most likely the ingredients for invisible ink. The quill to use said ink,” she answered.

You don’t really need to be a chemical mage to understand this, she thought. She pondered over it briefly. It was odd to give Leon that list given he clearly did not understand basic chemistry. A random prank? A course registry that someone had used as scrap paper and forgot about? Or perhaps it could simply be part of the school tour. A clue for an event of some sort. Nevertheless, it was unlikely to be anything important.

“Do you know what it’s for?” she asked, innocently.

"Invisible ink, huh?" Leon scratched his chin a bit in thought. "Sounds like a pretty advanced chemical technique. Do we need a Zeno or something to tell us how to reveal it?" Leon's face shone with sincerity as he asked this. He had never heard of invisible ink before and he had a poor concept of what constituted chemical magics.

"I wouldn't have a clue what its for though." Leon brought the page closer to his eyes to see if he could see the ink. He then looked back to Carmilla with a more devious smile. "Hey, you think someone wrote me a love letter on this same page? It wouldn't be the first time someone has put this much effort in. But I always appreciate it when they do."

“We won’t be needing a Zeno for this,” she responded, making sure to keep any mocking out of her tone. “There are multiple ways to reveal invisible ink but the most convenient method for us mages would be to use heat energy.”

As Leon continued his theatrics, Carmillia felt unsure whether or not to write him off. He appeared genuinely foolish but no mere fool would have success mirroring his.

Fool or not, it was a matter of fact that Leon Solaire was whimsical. They were having a conversation now but if their first encounter was any indicator, Leon could get bored at any moment and wander off. Opportunities to have his attention were scarce so she played along with him.

“As for whether or not it’s a love letter, we could solve that mystery by checking right now?” she said cheekily.

Leon listened intently to Carmilla's short explination. It didn't sound particularly difficult to reveal invisible ink. He wondered if it was really an advanced chemical technique or if she was just being nice.

Despite these inner thoughts, Leon's smile didn't falter once. As if the processes in his mind had no effect on his expression. "Well luckily I am somewhat of an expert in Arcane magic. This shouldn't be too much of a challenge." With a flamboyant flick of the wrist, the tip of Leon's right hand index finger lit up. The heat and light emitting from it fluxuating in intensity as Leon scanned for hidden messages."

"I hope it is some sort of love letter. Frankly, it would be really sweet. I already have a few guesses as who it could be from. That girl with the brunett..." Leon started listing a wide range of people as guesses. None really stood out, either because everyone on that list was generic looking or because Leon just couldn't describe them very well.

Enough with the love letter already, she thought. Carmillia waited patiently as Leon went on and on about the potential senders. It eventually reached a point where they were basically nondescript.

"If there is a hidden message, it should appear by now," she said.

As Leon applied heat to the page, nothing seemed to appear immediately, hence the rather long 'discussion.' However, as he moved his hand very carefully all of the way to the top and all of the way to the bottom, a hidden message appeared close to the latter: "Foundations in Drawing, Converting, and Casting in the Blood School of Magic (MF107) - registration will not count towards a student's course limit."

Blood Magic, Leon saw the oppurtunity to study Blood Magic. The veil of the showman gave way to the briefest uncharacteristic look of disgust. Although he had only heard rumours of such a school, the very foundation of it was antithetical to everything Leon believed. A school of magic almost entirely designed to harm others. He would spit on the paper if he wasn't in the company of others. And just like that, as soon as it had arrived, that look gave away back to regular Leon.

"Don't see anything I'm afraid. Frankly I'm a little disappointed after someone put in this much effort." While Carmilla's attention was drawn to his own course registry, Leon put his hand out politely toward her. "While we are here, I could check your registry as well. Who knows, yours might be more interesting than mine."

"I doubt there'll be anything, given that mine looks like a normal form. But it couldn't hurt to try?" she said as she handed him her own form. It had been brief, but Carmillia had caught a glimpse of his look of disgust. So the showmanship was a front, she thought. Or at least, partly.

Carmillia's understanding of Leon was not anywhere close enough to accurately guess what could trigger such an reaction. Her interest was piqued. It was doubtful that Leon would reveal it's contents which meant she would have to resort to other means.

Leon gracefully accepted Carmilla's course registry and lit up his hand to scan it once again. A short time after looking, Leon's eyes widened a bit as he brought the page closer to his face and angled away from Carmilla's sight.

"My Dearest Carmilla,"

"I knew when I first gazed upon your oddly pale charms under the moonlight that you had me. We had a great time at that merchant's ball in Perrence, didn't we? It is not an easy thing to say, so I had sought to write my true feelings in invisible ink. But... I love you and I hope one day I can gather the courage to tell you in person."

"Yours truly, you already know."

Leon left a long pause after reading that, looking at Carmilla with a shocked expression. "Carmilla... My lips are sealed."

"Oh my."

While such a person could definitely exist—smitten horny males were beneficial for business—none were currently present at the academy. Leon was clearly fooling around and his mischief would be revealed the moment he returned the form to her. Before that happened, it would be useful to poke more into his psyche.

“It must feel terrible for this person to bottle all this up,” she said. “I feel awful for being unable to reciprocate his feelings.”

Carmillia was staring at the ground in dismay. As if struck by an epiphany, she looked back up at Leon with hopeful eyes.

“As my fellow apprentice and someone who is experienced at this, maybe you could spare some advice. How do you handle confessions from all your fans?”

She bought it hook line and sinker, I'm such a villain Leon thought. While his ruse was ultimately a lie, it was clear she thought it was correct. So she was aware of some secret admirer. Leon felt a bit bad for tugging on heart strings like that. It had clearly affected his team mate deeply. But it was his duty as her teammate to let love shine.

"I think things like this just have a way of coming together. I can't offer much in terms of advice." Leon cheerfully smiled as he handed back Carmilla's course registry. "But I wish you good luck."

If you can do something about it, why worry? And if you can't, why worry?—that kind of mindset, eh?she thought. As expected, the form itself had no hidden message. Continueing the act, Carmillia feigned indignation and pouted.

---

Course Selection

Leon had a quick look over the selections for courses. He had little trouble choosing subjects he wanted to pursue:

Foundations in Drawing, Converting, and Casting in the Arcane School of Magic (MF102)
Foundations in Drawing, Converting, and Casting in the Binding School of Magic (MF103)
Dramatic Performance in Tragedy, Satire, Epic & Comedy (AR102)
Instrumental and Vocal Musics, Songwriting & Ensemble (AR103)
Etiquette, Decorum & Forms of Address in Polite Society (SK101)
Fundaments of Astrology & Divination in Magical Practice (AC105)

---

Leon with Vyrik

After his discussion with Carmilla, Leon surveyed the group of students around him. The Castle was going to be his accomodations, hanging out with all the commonfolk. It would be nice to find someone who would be there. As much as he liked his team, they all seemed a bit bourgeois for the type of party Leon had planned.

The boy in front of Leon wore a rather nice looking white jacket. From a distance Leon could see it was made by a rather nice fabric. This wasn't to mention the jewellery that adorned him. From attire alone someone would assume this person was a merchant. But his posture and walking demeanor betrayed any illusion of that. This boy was a commoner, or maybe a performer like him.

Leon slowly picked up pace to be next to the guy. "I don't mean to be rude, but you seem common, are you not?" He asked in a rather oblivious manner.

Vyrik was just on his way out of the building when someone spoke to him. The puzzled look on Vyrik’s face stuck for a moment and then slowly faded, morphing into a frown as he made sense of it. Then he replied.

”Oh Yes, I am quite common. You will find me everywhere. In fact you will probably bump into about ten of me just in this very hall.” he said as seriously and flatly as he could, mimicking the tone and mannerism that had drilled its way into his head over the course of Zeno Mozaru’s tour this morning. He leant in to add a whisper. "Also, I don't mean to be rude, but you seem a pompous mooncalf, are you not?" He stood back and gave a wide friendly smile, one that betray the barbs in his last words.

”Now, if you don’t mind, I have to go try teach a child who is likely giftless how to use a gift that I barely know how to use myself less he tell a lie and label me a wanted criminal.” there was serious concern amongst those words despite how he tried to play it off for its seemingly ridiculousness.

With that Vyrik spun on the spot and flicked out his cloak, whipping it up in a flourish with the little bit of the kinetic magic he had drawn. No he wasn’t a performer but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a little bit of that theatrical flair.

Leon was left a bit speechless by the exchange. He certainly wasn't expecting such a confrontational reply to the conversation. "Ah, well, good luck with that." Leon replied in a cheery tone. A smile hiding his dumbfounded and insulted mental state.

Jomurr Ikon the Third, busy walking by, heard a bit of the conversation, scowled, and pulled up alongside Leon, leaning in. "If I do say so myself, that fellow is profoundly unqualified to be a teacher of any sort." He pursed his lips, nodded just-so, and started to move on.

Leon slipped back to his group where he responded to Jomurr. "Well I don't know about that. He certainly has the... I can't describe it really. But I think he could be a good teacher. Not as if I've ever been to a school outside of this though."

Jomurr quirked an eyebrow. "Clearly..." he responded, letting a smirk slip through his imperious facade. "You are far too generous a soul, Solaire." He let out a sigh. "Now, shall we see what 'grand hall' or 'timeless' wonder awaits us next?"

"Yes, of course. I look forward to the Timeless Grand Library Hall" Leon joked. His expression turned back to his more chipper self as he enjoyed the tour.

---

Qualia: Mission Sub Rosa

---

How beneficial that the lady at the desk assumed Franz was the prosecution. Maintaining that assumption could help him gather more needed details. However, it was imperative not to explicitly state he was the prosection. Telling a blatant lie was sure to backfire and harm him in the long run.

“It is an unenviable position to be sure, defending someone whom common sense would dictate is guilty. To do such a thing requires great respect for the law. Even if every piece of information is screaming at guilt, you have to stand and give them a fair shot like everyone else. Like fighting a losing battle for someone you don’t believe in. It’s not for the sake of who you defend, but for the sake of the battle itself.” Realising that his eyes were trailing away in his self-aggrandising speech, Franz turned his sight back to eye contact. “I find such a thing to be strangely respectable. But here I am rambling myself as well.” Franz reciprocated a smile back.

“Nevertheless, I appreciate all your help. I imagine I will need it if I am to oppose Robespierre in an effective manner. Evening delivery to my dorm room would be excellent, having two or three copies of the records would be ideal. Thank you for your work.” Franz began leaving the desk but turned back for a final statement. “Who knows, maybe after all this is done the craziness will subside for a while. I’ll be sure to send you a bottle of wine or something celebratory in thanks should I be successful at the trial.”

How troublesome that people are so against the idea of defending Jeanne. It is to be expected given her reputation. But Franz will need to put in excessive work to win this trial once word got out that he was the defendant. He didn’t exactly need to win this case. But his ego would not allow him to lose either. He had his work cut out for him and it, unfortunately, would harm his time to study.

High risk, high reward. Something deep in Franz’ psyche liked that idea.

---

Once out of the building, Franz pulled out the clockwork sparrow. He spent little time admiring the intricacies of it because he wouldn’t be able to grasp the finer details without considerable time. From the looks of it though, it didn’t look as though Franz would be able to follow it effectively. So instead he settled on writing a letter to send back to Nazca and the group.

Dear Nazca,

I have acquired access to a registry of students in Bermuda, and I am expecting it to be delivered this evening. This should prove valuable in the investigation but will require time to read through. Inform the group that I wish to continue my studies for the rest of the day, but will rejoin you all once the documents have come in.

Regards,
Franz

With some awkward fiddling, Franz managed to get the small message onto the bird and send it into flight. Presumably, it would return to Nazca.

Franz began the walk back to the dorms. Hopefully, his pets were not too off-put by the smells of this morning, or the cleaning crew that, hopefully, came in and cleaned the place. He had a long day of study and note-taking ahead of him, a dirty room would disturb that.

---