TheHangedMan

Breakfast University of Magic

Xinhua and Zane - A Whole New World

^{Collab w/@Ryteb Pymeroce}

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Xinhua waited in front of her room, clock ticking nearer to the appointed time of her 'date' - Xinhua gave a short, amused chuckle. Contrary to popular opinion, which stated that Xinhua shot down all men she did not see as worthy, she actually accepted offers like this quite readily.

Romance was not a field she was comfortable with, but she was not so insecure as to withhold her affection for another. Yes, her standards were high, but she did not expect anyone to meet them all. The priestess had some room for allowance, and those that did not meet them were rebuffed, but not so in a way to shatter their egos.

Still, one's reputation is crafted by one's personal high and personal lows, and Xinhua, when it came to dealing with her myriad of suitors, had many lows indeed; those that could not take a hint, low-lives of the most pathetic stripe, and pigs that thought of nothing but carnal pleasure. Many a man (and woman) had to be stopped the hard way, and such methods tended to be loud and attention grabbing.

Xinhua was not expecting much out of Zane, no, but he prayed the fool was not expecting too much out of himself either.

Zane arrived quickly having dressed up in a formal kimono. They looked similar enough to robes to get past the morons obsessed with the past while being breathable and easy to move in. This one in particular was black with golden accents, having a pattern of nordic runes based on resistance to lightning. It paid to be prepared for the option of inevitable death in the case of a failed date.

"A presentable attire," Xinhua's remark was nothing but passive, not particularly critical sounding, though her expression was approving. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards as she took notice of the patterns being presented on Zane's clothing. "Not too confident you will impress me, Zane?"

Zane gave a wry grin at her calling him out on his defences. "It pays to be prepared, milady." he replied, "After all, many of my fellow students can attest to the pain of displeasing a goddess such as yourself."

In theory, he could survive getting hit by her physical attacks if he boosted his durability, the trouble was that he'd run out of mana before her stamina ran out. It was a sad thing to admit that he'd finish before the woman, but honestly what do you expect when facing a dragon?

Xinhua laughed and presented her hand to the enchanter. "Keep that tongue silver, and perhaps you may yet strike gold." Though she didn't think that he would earn her ire by that degree, it was telling of his personality that he would so brazenly show his preparations for her wrath.

"Well then milady, shall this silver tongued rogue show you to where we shall be having our evening meal?" Zane joked, extended his hand for her to take it to make leading easier.

The priestess took his hand. "Lead the way then."

Zane led her through the halls, offering a few amusing anecdotes of some of his less risque escapades that had occurred in some of the classes, sprinkled in with some questions about her. After about five minutes of small talk, they reached the classroom turned longhouse.

"I figured you've probably eaten the best china has to offer, so I decides on something a bit more traditional and western." he explained, moving over to the firepit and spearing the meat, "I come from a line of blacksmiths who follow the old ways, from before the bloody prick Jehova became 'God'." He turned the spit, adding various spices, "Anyway as it's currently Ostara, I figured we could pay homage to the gods of fertility with a feast."

"So far so good," thought Xinhua. Still, flair like this was nothing she had not seen so far, though admittedly the flavor of it was new.

Xinhua also found herself a mite entertained by his recollections, brief though they were. He was as much a jester as she thought he was.

"Quite nice," she remarked. "Though I do hope that was not an attempt at a pick up line - a man paying homage to a god of fertility with a woman present, why, it does imply certain things."

There was no heat in her voice, and her mood was clearly at ease.

"Yeah, I wouldn't annoy them by implying that. People forget that Kronos was a god of farming." Zane replied, giving a smirk, "Anyway, it's a relatively simple ritual, we offer a portion of our feast to the gods as tribute. Back in the day it'd be for a bountiful yield in the Autumn. Are there similar traditions where you live?"

Honestly it was nice to talk about the old ways with someone other than Viola. While the diminutive summoner was a wealth of information on the old rituals, her disdain for gods, and humans, made it a bit of an awkward conversation.

She frowned, her voice not quite lowering, but lacking its forceful quality. "Though it saddens me to say, we have no such traditions, where I had lived."

There was the barest hint of melancholy in her voice, but the Dragon Priestess was much too disciplined to let such an emotion dwell, and her lips soon quirked up into a smile once more.

"But let me hear of your home. What traditions do you observe?"

Zane thought for a moment, before beginning. "Well, there is obviously the Midsummer and Midwinter feasts, celebrating the solstice. Then theres Samhain which is much more interesting. It's the day when the living and dead are closest, so we set the table for family members who have passed on and dine in the dark." He suppressed a small chortle at a memory, "My Master managed to stab himself when he attended the first time. We also put a horseshoe over our door every full moon, as that is when the fae are free to roam. They cannot enter a dwelling girded with iron." He stopped to add some vegetables to a soup broth. "So what about you. You must have some interesting traditions coming from a land unchained from the monotheistic hypocrites?"

Giving a rueful shake of her head, Xinhua's tone turned disdainful. "Traditions, where I come from, are all but gone. Would you believe I was not raised in the magical world?" Not a fact that she shared frequently, but not many people bothered asking, really. It was not a fact that she was ashamed of - it merely was what it was. "Most traditions that I have come to learn where late in life, away from my birthplace."

"I'm sorry." Zane spoke, his voice leaden with emotion. For one like him who delighted in magic, being raised without knowledge of their world was torture. Deciding to push away from the topic, he figured she could use a good laugh. "Hey, did you know Thor once had to dress up as a woman because a giant stole his hammer? No joke, the god had to trick them into thinking he was Freya. Not sure whether it says more about his masculinity or the giants stupidity that it worked."

She had to admit, she was rather shocked with how affected Zane seemed to be about that small bit of her past; she'd have thought it more acting on his part, but he felt genuine, here. She saw his attempt to lighten the mood, and she took it, more for his sake than her own. "Or perhaps, it might say something about Freyas' femininity, that it worked?" Xinhua was not one to slander gods, out of respect - but these were not her gods, and they were not here, at the moment.

"I'm just going to step away from you in case of sudden smiting." Zane laughed, only half jokingly. Goddesses tended to be a smidge more vengeful than gods. Just look at Hera. "Hmm... the meat seems to be cooked mostly through, so want to grab a plate?

As he said that he lifted off the skewer and with practiced ease began slicing up the meat into strips. Smells of beef, pork, and venison wafted out as he separated it into strips. He placed it on the table next to bread and some salad. "Sorry about the lack of potatoes or rice, they didn't come into Europe until Christianity turned this into Easter."

Chuckling, she turned her attention to the food, as requested. "While the lack of rice is displeasing, it will be good change of pace for me," she said. "If we do this again, perhaps I can show you cuisine from my homeland in turn?" Stepping up to the food, her head tilted for a moment, before turning to Zane with a quizzical expression on her face. "So how does one eat this?"

"Well, classically one ate with their hands and a knife. But that is far too barbaric so we shall make do with a more modern invention." Zane hands her a fork. "Not quite as sophisticated as chopsticks, but eh, it's what we use in the west." He gave a cheeky grin at the lady, knowing full well she knew what a fork was.

Xinhua did not snort, definitely not. "One day you western barbarians will learn. For now, I will have to debase myself to such simple tools." Taking the fork from his hand, Xinhua went through her meal. The food on her plate disappeared quickly, but the woman kept her same poise and grace, even as the food was practically vacuumed into her mouth.

"Hmm, acceptable. May I have another?"

"Of course, milady." Zane replied with an exaggerated bow, "Clearly battle is not the only thing you have an appetite for."

And so it progressed, with Zane continuing to cook portions and Xinhua devouring them with both speed and finesse. Truly it was a wonder that someone could eat that fast while not a drop of food made it onto her clothing or the table.

Xinhua, for her part, seemed to have no issue with the food presented before her. It was only when she felt eating anymore would be base gluttony on her part that she stopped. "My compliments to the chef," she said, giving an approving nod. "I must say, for someone that first struck me as a mischievous jester, you have proven surprisingly gentlemanly." In fact, while perhaps not the most eventful - or even exciting - date she's had, it was by far the most relaxing. Perhaps it was because Zane acted like he had nothing to prove to her, which in itself was a surprise.

"The Fool can play many roles, it's why it is both the first and last of the Greater Arcana." Zane laughed, before leaning in and whispering conspititirially, "Though it is probably down to the fact my father would kill me if he found out I didn't treat the women I go on dates with right. My mother would probably do worse." He shuddered slightly at that though. Whichever idiot claimed druids were peace loving had never met a real gaelic druid.

Xinhua's eyes lit up at the mention of his family. "Do tell?" she asked, urging him to continue.

"Well, my mother hails from Ireland's druid enclaves. Druids are actually similar to you in the fact they are both magi and priests, channelling the powers of their gods for magic. My mother's patron was Lugh, the god of the sun. Let's just say she is a very proud Destruction Aeon and move on."

"And what of your father?"

"An enchanter. Not one of those pansy ones who just take a made item and shove a few spells on them. He weaves magic into the item as it is forged."

"You have a high opinion of your parents," she noted. "They must have taught you much."

"They taught me the wonders of magic." Zane smiled fondly, "How about you, anything interesting about your parents?"

She shook her head with a laugh. "Nothing interesting, not even mundanely. My parents were, what was the term used now? 'Muggles'? And not very impressive ones, at that. Less than impressive, actually - they were scum."

Her words were cutting, but her tone was casual, as though this was an old topic that no longer concerned her. Her eyes did not say differently - they were as undisturbed as ever.

"You are blessed Zane, never forget that."

Zane didn't know how to respond to that. Pity wasn't something she would need nor want, her pride would make that hurt her. Instead, he merely gave his cheeky grin.

"Of course I must be blessed, to be on a date with such an angel."

Xinhua snorted. "I am unsuited to such flattery. If you must compliment me, simply call me by what I am - a Dragon, most noble and powerful." Without lacking in bravado, the Priestess stood up, a hand over her chest as sparks flew in her eyes - literally.

Grinning, she continued: "With that being said, you have exceeded my expectations Zane. Tonight was more relaxing than expected," a mischievous glint shone in her eyes, "however, it would be a shame to end our date and waste all the effort you spent on your wardrobe, now would it not?

Zane responded to that glint with a twinkle. "Oh, my dear dragon? What do you have in mind?"

"Tell me, have you heard of the legend of Sun Wukong?"

"We aren't going to steal magic peaches are we?"

Letting out a delighted laugh, Xinhua shook her head. The atmosphere suddenly darkened, and the sound of rumbling could be heard overhead.

"Oh no, but how do you feel about riding a storm cloud?"

"Sounds like a fun time." Zane laughed, "Thought I thought I was supposed to get you wet, not the other way around."

"You have yet to climb a waterfall high enough to manage that feat, jester," she said with a roll of her eyes. "But, if you want to make an effort, perhaps you can start now?"

She approached a window and thrust it open. Outside, it looked a storm was gathering as dark rumbled overhead - however, it seemed this storm was localized entirely above the building they were staying in.

"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus indeed..." Zane said, silently vowing to not get on her badside.

With a smirk, Nulong hopped out of the window, only to be struck by a bolt of lightning. Rather than being burnt to a crisp, the womans' form cackled with energy coursing through her veins, and a mist formed underneath her, eventually forming into a dark grey cloud.

She sat on top of the cloud, which was lighting up every few seconds as flashes of lightning bounced around inside of it. Grinning, Xinhua extended her hand out to Zane.

Zane grabbed her hand, feeling like they were about to rip off the scene from Aladdin. Though if she tried to get him to sing he'd take his chances with gravity. It wasn't that he was against singing in general, but musicals irked him somewhat fiercely.

Once Zane was on the cloud, the first thing he would probably notice was that it was as if he were on top of a particularly soft couch - the second was that his runes would be working into overdrive to keep him from being electrocuted.

"How is it?" she asked, a corner of her lips tugging upwards with mild amusement.

"Enlightning." Zane joked, his teeth chattering slightly at the electricity passing through him, "Maybe you could open a taxi ride for drunk students."

Laughing, she looked upwards then back at Zane. "Do you think you can handle more?"

"Well far be it for a gentleman to bow out before the lady is satisfied."

"You may regret your words jester!" With a jovial, wild cry, the cloud shot upwards at a frightening speed, joining the large clump of darkness above. There, the lightning was as a trees to a forest - the night sky lit up with a rumble of thunder and lightning.

Meanwhile, Xinhua and Zane bolted through that same sky at the same breakneck speed, with the priestess clearly enjoying the thrill, despite (or perhaps because of) errant bolts of lightning striking her majestic figure. The two had ridden for roughly five minutes, before Xinhua felt it was time to return.

After their trek through lightning covered skies, the cloud circled back towards the classroom they had occupied. Xinhua hopped off their ride, clearly exhilarated and with a smile from ear to ear, without so much as a hair out of place.

"Thank you, Zane. Tonight was a good night."

"Any time, my dear dragoness. If you ever need to forget the drudgery of the world give me a call. For now, I have counter-revenge to plan, adieu!" Zane said, ninja vanishing in a small explosion.

Xinhua chuckled. "Very well jester," she said as he left. "Until next time."

A good night indeed.

Breakfast University of Magic

Detention Time With Polyanna

^{Collaboration with: @Letter Bee & @EpicKDP}

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Polyanna waited in her office for her scheduled appointment with La'Tavia and William. The pair had the honorable distinction of being the first students to be issued a detention for the school year. On the first day no less!

As the the appointed time drew nearer, La'Tavia had time to calm down and get herself together before facing her nemesis. Polyanna and La’Tavia did not have the best relationship but La’Tavia was always too scared to say what was in her mind. Today though, today was going to be different as she knocked on the door to the office. "It’s us."

William entered the room, his self-loathing blacker than usual. He had come to the conclusion that his' taking on the detention was just him pretending to be kind and selfless when he in fact was a selfish jerk out only for his own 'greatness'. Exactly what his family thought about him.

He waited for La'Tavia to knock on the door and Polyanna to open it. He'd enter after the former.

Polyanna stood up, aging quickly in that span of time. Going from a girl in her teens, to a woman in her late twenties, the hazel haired Head Enforcers' uniform grew alongside her, accommodating her rather filled out proportions.

"Hey there kids," she said, grinning down on the two "Hope you brought a change of clothes. You'll be helping me scratch a small itch, so you'll be getting sweaty."

That, by the way, was a very deliberate choice of wording, on her part.

William lifted up his right hand, which held a bag containing a change of clothes. He then asked, "We'll be cleaning gutters or sewers, or is this going to be a combat mission?"

Dropping the bag she had strung over her back, she looked at William and replied to his question. "This isn’t a mission. We are about to fight Polyanna so get ready."

William looked at La'Tavia and said, "But that's what I tried to go to the forest for! To get materials for a weapon that can help me fight Polyanna on an even level!"

She laughed a bit before continuing, "Even level? Do you even know where that level is?"

Polyanna raised a brow, looking at the two. Should she say something...? It felt like she ought to say something. She was kind of flattered that they were breaking the rules to get on her level, but she really shouldn't be inspiring rule breaking in the first place.

"Anyway, it really doesn’t matter what the level is," The fire starter punched her palm, causing flames to ignite and dissipate, "if we want to win, we need to start improving now."

William blinked, "My blood, when combined with the proper materials, allows me to duplicate the weapons of legend, up to Excalibur. The closer the forging process was to the original weapon's, the less of my blood - You're right. Problem is that I have no combat spells whatsoever."

He then placed his palm on the floor, trying to conjure up a vision of one of Polyanna's previous fights! Polyanna swiped her staff through the air. With a sound like shattered glass, Williams burgeoning spell broke apart.

"No casting in my office you," she said dryly just as La'Tavia asked: “Did you bring materials with you?”

"Sorry; forgot that we weren't in the arena yet," William said to Polyanna before he said to La'Tavia, "Actually... I have a steel ingot in my backpack," he tapped said backpack, "And some wood and leather. But those will only be enough to make a Gram, Durandal, or very weak Excalibur." A pause. "And I would not have brought those if I hadn't remembered you were a fire mage."

“Good.” Looking at the kid, she could see how much alike they were. Always thinking of the next way to get stronger. The next best thing. Yet she had it in her mind that the best way to get stronger was to refine the basics. “Use this as a chance to refine the basics of what you know. Don’t worry about the quantity, it’s the quality....or something like that....” At that point, her brain went silent. She was thinking way too hard for her usual self and it was getting uncomfortable for her mind.

Her eyes then shifted back towards Polyanna, who seemed to be patiently waiting for the two to students to allow her to speak. “You ready to do this, old lady?”

"Pft, you kids really ought to learn some respect," the scolding was halfhearted, and Polyanna just kept smiling. La'Tavia might not have the warmest feelings for her, but she herself found her grit admirable - even if she was somewhat reckless.

"Good mindset, by the way. Refining your basics is a good path. Now, I've got a spot reserved for us in the training field." Stepping closer to the window of her office, Polyanna tapped it thrice in three different spots, before opening it.

"After me." And with that, she jumped right through it. On the other side, she landed right in the training field.

William followed her, fighting feelings of futility and despair as he pursued Polyanna, knowing full well that he was going to lose, that he'd prove himself nothing special, and that he was an unsuitable instrument for the 'Golden Ending', an unsuitable instrument for Humanity's advancing narrative.

La’Tavia jumped in last. Landing next to William, she fixed her gaze onto Polyanna. Her eyes burned with passion as she readied herself for battle. She ignited her entire body, engulfing herself into a raging flame, eyes white waiting to make her move.

"Nice to see you're all 'fired up'."

Polyanna twirled her staff, the white instrument of her magic sending vibrations into the air as it went. The area around Polyanna turned hazy, and she set her staff down. A lollipop materialized in her hand, and she promptly put the treat in her mouth.

"Now, we go for three rounds. Each round is five minutes. I've got no win conditions, so just give me the best you've got."

William looked at La'Tavia, set down his backpack and clothes pack, and took a steel ingot, leather strips, and a block of wood from the former, along with a hammer and two knives; a woodcarver's and a combat knife. "I am going to need you to provide a forge," the young man said to her.

“You’re looking at it.” She flared up more; offering her fire to her temporary companion.

William nodded, and slit his right wrist with the combat knife, soaking the steel ingot with his own blood, before the young man held out said ingot onto La'Tavia's fire.

"Normally, I'd attempt normal smithing," the young man said as the steel ingot began glowing with a golden light, "But right now, my blood and the magic of Stories will just have to compensate for my Un-Zane-ness."

He then began hammering the steel ingot into a blade, before whispering to himself, "Gram will be the best sword I can make; I hope Polyanna is no Odin."

“Odin or not, forge Gram better than it has ever been forged before.” Her voice was clear and stern. Her gaze still fixated on the instructor.

Polyanna gave the pair a cheery thumbs up. "Feel free to start at any time, by the way!"

William quenched the blade by slitting his left wrist and drenching the heated, forged metal with more of his own blood; it was clear that he was stretching the power of Story Magic to ward off the inevitable burns that his forging process would realistically bring. And by that, William's magic kept his hands from being burnt as he forged the blade, but that increased the amount of blood needed to forge Gram anew.

Taking the quenched blade, he splashed his still flowing blood on the leather and wood he also brought, and took the woodcarver's knife to carve a hilt. Another few minutes later, and with a golden glow, Gram was forged anew.

William then faced La'Tavia and said, "I'm ready now, and the sword is too."

I'll also be dramatically passing out once I lose too much blood, but that'd be a feature that makes me look good in this fight, not a bug.

“Took you long enough.” Now that the story boy was finished, it was now time to begin. She then took all of the flames that she was emitting and condensed them into a single point in the middle of her chest. The concentrated power of the flames then shot out like a laser beam towards Polyanna.

William lifted up his sword and slashed it downwards, unleashing a wave of pure force; nothing on the level of Excalibur's ability to manipulate light and heat, but surely enough to knock a person off their feet...

Polyanna vanished on the spot, the vacuum of wind left in her place imploding, before exploding violently. Nothing damaging, but definitely something that could get a person off balance. The candy mage herself appeared to their left, on the far side of the training field, waving at the two. "Almost got me there!"

William could not win a battle of attrition between him and Polyanna, even if he wasn't bleeding from both wrists. So he cut downward again, unleashing a wall of force that covered an entire side of the arena, hoping to catch his opponent as she ran.

“Get over here Will.” She beckoned to Will to come next to her. When he did, La’Tavia immediately used the opportunity to engulf the entire backside of the arena in flames, using the wall Will created as a cage. “As long as you’re next to me you won’t be burned." If she couldn’t catch her, she was going to smoke the woman out. There was one opening, and that would be the time to strike.

Will followed the instructions, saying, "Thanks, but I need you to cauterize my wrists; they're still bleeding out."

La’Tavia grabbed both Will’s wrists to close his wounds.

William hyperventilated in pain as the wounds were cauterized, presumably by the burning flames emanating from La'Tavia. He couldn't help but blurt out, "You know, you're quite a fine lady; once you're eighteen, call me."

La’Tavia looked at him briefly as how untimely his comment was. She was flattered but not overly impressed. Though he was man enough to attack Polyanna. Still she needed to stay sharp.

Polyanna nodded. Smart idea to limit her movement, though she was not so unaware that she'd run into a wall. Nodding to herself, Polyanna put another lollipop in her mouth, and cocked her fist back. Her punch crashed through the all like it was made of glass, and she sprinted towards the two staff at her side.

William wasn't blind; he knew that the lollipops weren't just a quirk - they somehow empowered Poly.

Detaching himself from La'Tavia's grip, the young man slashed again at Polyanna's shins, sending out a scything wave of force to try and get her to jump higher in the air; this was to buy time for La'Tavia to attack and force Poly to pull out another Lollipop.

Then he'd put his plan to action.

As Polyanna dashed forward, La’Tavia used the flames she set behind her to attack Polyanna, head on. The entirety of the flames came forward into a stream of fire hiding the two students from her direct line of sight.

'Excellent judgment,' thought Polyanna. 'Control could use a little work.' Polyanna hopped over Williams attempt, her stride practically not stopping.

Throwing her hand into the air, a thick cloud of sugar rained across the battlefield. A bit of the cloud pushed forward, smothering the flame and further muddying the vision of everyone in the field.

Of course, for Polyanna herself, she could sense the two students - with the battlefield covered in sugar, practically nowhere was a blind spot for her.

"What the hell!!" La’Tavia was a bit shook and saddened at her current state. Being covered in sugar was not the ideal feeling she had in mind. Polyanna’s candy magic was unique yet it was so annoying. The lollipop mage was a force she could not help but admire.

With her flames put out, her plan to train her control with Fire went up in smoke. Or so she thought. Not only that, she couldn’t see anything. So, how will she get out of this situation? She could not see anything around her and her ability to sense Polyanna’s presence was limited. Her mind thought for a second before coming up with an idea. ‘I’ll use my magic to find her.’

The fire mage closed her eyes and surrounded herself with a thin layer of heat. She could feel the team run up and down her body, as if being wrapped around a blanket. Then she slowly tried to push the sensation outward, to feel William next to her. This was her attempt at seeing without seeing.

William, however, didn't see this, and settled for slashing his sword downward once more, releasing another wall of force meant to push the candy-cloud aside.

Polyanna's impression of La'Tavia shot up a few centimeters. That was some quick thinking on her part, adapting her own magic to use the way she was using hers. Still, it was rather rough around the edges and she was unsteady with it.

Gripping her hand, the sugar covering the duo suddenly attracted each other, drawing them towards one another. If the two of them collided, as planned, they would be stuck to one another rather fiercely.

As William tried to keep his footing, he yelled at La'Tavia, "Burn it off! Burn the sugar off!"

La’Tavia could feel her body start to move on it’s own. Just as she was about to get a glimpse of something great, her efforts were cut short. Though she wanted to train, this fight taught her that efficiency means quickness. Efficiency means adaptability. So while she was trying to learn new ways to use her magic, she also couldn’t afford to waste time taking things slow.

Immediately, La’Tavia’s eyes opened at the sounds of William’s voice and she reacted to his words promptly, she burst fire from her body and began to use the force to spin herself around, she then, her body was engulfed in flames, again trying to burn the sugar off of her.

As she spun, the pillar increased in size to reach William, she tried hard to ensure his body was not burned by the flames. No, she made sure his body did not get harmed by her power.

While the sugar on La'Tavia burnt to ashes, those on William reacted very differently. The sugar instead melted, becoming a viscous fluid that covered him, dripping underneath his clothes before Polyanna's will arrested them, encasing the boy in the sweet from the shoulder downwards. Immediately, she rushed towards La'Tavia, while her concentration was still on William, and from her hand, a chocolate bar the size of volleyball appeared. With great force, she threw the treat towards the red-head.

William, still holding Gram, tried to use a localized wave of force to free his sword arm from the encasing shell of sugar. If he succeeded, he'd be trying to knock the chocolate bar off-course with a smaller 'lunge' of kinetic energy.

The sugar broke off, but his attempt to knock off the chocolate bar turned into something else. Rather than change course, the brittle sweet broke apart and melted as it approached La'Tavia. The chocolate landed in puddles at her feet and Polyanna changed directions, going for William instead of her.

A pinstriped candy cane the size of a lamppost appeared in her hand and she swung it towards the boy with bad intentions.

The fire mage took the fire that was around William and moved it below her feet to blast herself into the air. Once there, La’Tavia would revert to her usual combat style. Only this time, she would try that heat sensing again.

“Coming at ya, Teach.”

She said as she moved the fire from her feet to her hands and blasted herself towards the lollipop queen.

Another swing of Gram, and a wall of force appeared at William's side, hopefully enough to blunt the candy cane's impact; blocking it completely was out of the question because of the energy he had spent. Polyanna hopped to the side, out of La'Tavia's way and waved at her with a smile as she headed for a straight on collision with William's wall.

William risked it all; pouring the last of his strength into his wall, risking unconsciousness to strengthen the barrier to the point where Poly would have to pour effort into shattering the wall lest she risk a concussion.

La’Tavia was concentrating on her near sense ability. Her range was limited and it was new to her. Why did she not think of this before? Who knows, but it’s never too late to try. However her concentration was on her sense and not what was directly in front of her. Polyanna moved out of the way of her dive. At the last moment, she used her flames and used it to change directions to avoid impact. However, the sudden change blasted her so far that she hit a tree and feel out of the fighting area.

Wincing, the candy mage looked at the place where La'Tavia had crashed, her back turned to William. "That was one hell of a crash. Hope she's okay, yeah?"

William blinked as he said, "Oh, no; what have I done."

His' strengthening the wall had caused this. Inhaling and exhaling, he said, "Let me go to her."

Still not looking at William, she replied: "Match isn't over, and she probably hasn't suffered anything serious. Nothing that can't be fixed, anyhow."

William nodded, and with one dip into his reserves of energy, pushed his strengthened wall at Polyanna, launching it at a high speed.

The chocolate that had melted near La'Tavia earlier suddenly sprung to life. They had been behind William's wall when it melted, and now re-hardened into spikes that shot towards Williams legs.

"ARGH!" William screamed and fell down on his knees, but did not dispel the wall even as his legs bled, spending more precious blood. He kept driving the wall towards Polyanna, finding one last pool of desperate strength.

“Ugh, that was crazy. I really need to get better at multitasking. I need to make this ability as automatic and subtle as breathing.” La’Tavia got up slowly after smacking the tree very hard. Her back aching, she could only move on fortitude alone. Through her many battles, she never gave up once in a fight. She either won or lost.

“Hey Poly!!” She yelled over towards the woman, “how do I get YOUR approval for graduation?”

As William pushed his wall towards Poly, he asked, "I must echo the question - How do I get Master rank?!"

Jumping over the wall and around William, the woman responded with an incredulous voice. "You're asking that now?"

Just as she was about to retaliate against William, a loud clanging sound echoed through the training field, signaling the end of the round. Huffing in mild satisfaction, Polyanna approached the duo.

"Good effort, the both of you, especially you La'Tavia. I noticed you tried adapting my move with the sugar with your flames. Now, I believe you were both asking me something?"

William nodded, "What are the exact procedures to get Master Rank? A test set by three Masters, right?"

"We yeah but I’m not asking what the test is. I’m asking what do I need to get your approval. I have spent most of my time with you, Poly. You honestly care more about me than the other teachers do. They just look at me like I don’t belong.” She said gritting her teeth. She never really fit in anywhere. Always felt like an outcast so she always gravitated to others who were also outcasts. Probably why she could not stand people who act as if they are above others or those who just like to abuse people for their own enjoyment.

Still she knew she was into something. Something she needed in order to breakthrough to something. Once she was done speaking, she sat down to listen for her instructor’s reply. While she did that, she practiced expanding her Heat Sense’s territory.

William turned to La'Tavia at that, feeling ashamed for some reason.

With a sigh, Polyanna placed her hand on La'Tavia's shoulder. She didn't say anything immediately - much as she'd like to, she wasn't equipped to deal with emotional baggage like this. She was a fighter, through and through, and though that helped her enforce the rules, counselling was way out of her skillset.

Still, she could address the girls more immediate concerns.

"You know, most people don't ask for my approval for a reason - I'm a hard taskmaster, and my inclusion in your panel for your graduation will make things much harder than it could be."

Polyanna, after all, did not discriminate between students - whether she liked them or not, all would be subject to her rigorous standards if they saw fit to call upon her judgment.

"As for you, William, the Graduation, or Full Circle Exam, is a test you have to undertake in order to be recognized as a Master. It's held in the presence of seven Masters, one Grandmaster, and ol'Nick himself, they will provide judgment and overview of you as you complete seven assigned tasks."

Her gaze shifted to La'Tavia again. "Most students don't pass, and many simply drop out of the school entirely to make a name for themselves outside our walls - there's no shame in that either," she added quickly. Becoming a Master was a difficult task, after all, and while many a mage dreamed of becoming Grandmasters or Archemages - or more childishly, Archetypes - few were able to surmount the bottleneck known as Masterhood. It was not a title simply given, but a recognition of skill and power.

She broke her concentration to immediately retort to Polyanna, “If I wanted something easy, I wouldn’tve asked you. But I did for a reason.” La’Tavia stood up with a fiery look in her eyes. “I don’t ask for favors, I don’t ask for shortcuts. All I want is for you to be the Grandmaster present for my exam. AIIGHT?”

William, meanwhile, spoke to Polyanna, "I'll be honest, La'Tavia shows more determination than I do or I could."

“That annoys me to no end!!” La’Tavia snapped at William, “Why did you just stick to making That sword exactly how it was from the book? What is the point in limiting yourself so much?”

William blinked, "Because it literally is one of the limits to my sort of magic." He continued, "Basically, my Magic plays around with the stuff of stories; plot devices, plot components, tropes and cliches. And more importantly, it can only alter stories that already exist, like mine and yours' and Poly's."

“But is it?” La’Tavia asked inquisitively. “You can recreate Garm but you can’t make it out of a tougher material? Maybe a material that holds and elemental property. And who said you could not exceed the boundaries of your magic? Isn’t that why we come to this place? To do the impossible?”

William said, "Yes, yes, and the boundaries of my magic are also its skeleton; if it does not form or contribute to a Story, bad or good but hopefully good, then it collapses and becomes raw magical energy and not a spell; the magic falls apart the moment its skeleton is lost."

“Then put it back together.”

Hands akimbo, Polyanna watched the byplay between the two with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"Anyway," she cut in, "if ever you want me to oversee your exam, feel free to ask, La'Tavia. That spirit of yours is admirable; I look forward to your exam."

Another gong rang out, signaling that their break time was over. The Candy Mage grinned and took a step back as she brandished her candy-cane staff.

"A'ight, looks like it's about time for round two. Get ready kids - it's only gonna get harder from here."

Roughly ten, grueling, minutes later, and their detention time elapsed. Polyanna was true to her word - with each round, she escalated the difficulty, not outright overpowering them but bogging them down and continually harassing them with creatively terrorizing sweets, and neutralizing their strengths again and again and again.

Frighteningly enough, by the end of it all, the Head Enforcer hadn't even broken a sweat - naturally, she finished their bout with a popsicle in her mouth as she looked down at her charges in her child form, thoroughly satisfied.

William, meanwhile, had fainted.

La’Tavia breathed heavily looking up at Polyanna. She sat down and let out a deep sigh as she gathered the strength to talk. “What should I do next?”

"Right now? Change your clothes. You did good, you two. Your detention has officially been served."

“No, not about right now. I meant, what am I missing to become a master? Is it power?”

Polyanna nodded. "Power, control, creativity - take your pick. If you really want my honest opinion, you're lacking in all areas." It was harsh, but it was also the truth. La'Tavia was not untalented, and she was not even unskilled, but she was aiming for an entirely different level of skill, and so it was only natural that she fell short.

“I guess I should start over in my journey?"

Polyanna snorted. "No need to start over. You're developing nicely already - just keep in mind where you're lacking, and work on what you need to."

William had stirred awake by then, but was closely listening without intruding; this was Polyanna and La'Tavia's story.

“Fine then. I’ll just change my approach." La’Tavia stands up and begins to pick up William who she thought was still passed out. “Thank you teach. I’ll be calling you later to take my exam. I’ll pass first try.” She said with a smile and new found energy. Power, control and creativity. All things she could work on.

Hoisting William on she shoulders, she gathered fire around her and blasted off. This time, she didn’t use a giant amount. Her fights with Polyanna showed her how much energy she was wasting and she refined her skills some. Plus, she was tired so she needed to manage her power. With a better handle on her magic, she flew in the direction of the dorms.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

New post is up, and the banquet is underway. I've officially been made co-GM so now it's time I abuse my power muahahahaha try and get things rolling again.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

The Sorting and The Banquet

---

Hundreds of students filled out the hall, some older than others, and yet no less expectant. The Great Hall simply had that kind of atmosphere. In a moment, the first years were lined, and ready to be sorted. With a flick of his wand, Deputy Headmaster Filius Flitwick had floated an worn and - to the older students - recognizable old hat upon a high stool.

Silence reigned as the rip on the brim turned into a mouth, and the Great Hall was filled with the sound of its' singing:

The dawn has passed and morning's stayed

We've done away with fear!

Seven years of happiness

Have once more brought you here!

So once again, I'll do with glee

The task assigned to me

I'll know you and I'll sort you

Oh, where will you belong?

In brave and daring Gryffindor,

Stout and true of heart?

Or Hufflepuff, the all accepting,

In diligence is their art!

Perhaps Ravenclaw! Wise and bright,

With wit ever the sharprest!

Still there's cunning Slytherin,

More ambitious than the rest!

Now step up, put me on!

leave me to work my magic,

And I'll see where you belong!

The whole of the hall burst into applause as the Sorting Hat finished it's song, and with a flourish bow for something with no body or neck, it returned to absolute stillness.

It was when Professor Flitwick took a stand at a foot stool that the sorting truly begun. Names where rolled out one after another, and soon everyone was sorted, some more pleased with their selection with others, but sorted nonetheless. Everything proceeded without incident, barring a small reaction to the names of one of the students - "Malfoy, Delphini", stood out, as anyone with that last name would. As the last of the names was called, the Headmistress stood, and looked around at the assembled crowd. Her hair was white and she was wizened beyond belief, yet her eyes contained a youthful vitality that many would find hard-pressed to match.

"Seven years," her old voice was stern, but nonetheless contained a quality of warmth in them, "a very powerful number, magically. Seven years since the most momentous event in recent memory - I feel that is important, and yet there is another number that runs alongside it, in my mind. Lucky number eight. Eight years since the passing of, I daresay, the greatest Headmaster to have graced these sacred halls."

"Albus Dumbledore would have been happy beyond all measure to see all of you here now, happier, I would say, than receiving a pair of new socks," the old witch's' eyes crinkled as though she had told a joke, "I am a very different sort of Headmistress than he was, for he would have been quite done with this little speech in a moment, but I will not take up your valuable time for much longer; I'm sure you're all quite famished! That is all, thank you!"

Another round of applause and cheering resounded, until it tapered off as food suddenly piled in front of the students, and they began digging in.

Breakfast University of Magic

@AXIS A'ight, looks good, feel free to add him to the CS. You can start whenever you like, though just as a heads up another GM post is coming. Your assigned room no. is 22-A.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

@Cole hey no prob, IRL stuff comes first and all. I can co-GM if need be.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Aight, good to know. Will have a post up soon.

Breakfast University of Magic

Collabs are on going. Expect the next post to be a timeskip to the next day

Breakfast University of Magic

@AXIS okay, please add that in, and can I know why? Dropping your Master isn't a simple (or even accepted) thing in most mage circles, so this needs addressing.

Breakfast University of Magic

@AXIS Alright, looks good. Though can I asked what happened to their Master?