*COMPLETED* Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

[Kat]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Kurui wondered for a moment how often “overly friendly” guys were a problem for Rythe. She certainly understood the lightning major's reasoning, but didn't often have the problem herself. She had dated a few of the academy guys before and certainly knew enough about how their brains worked to know how to attempt to charm them when she wanted something like she had done with Teague, but that was far from a habit or anything. Normally she wasn't exactly the most social person so the chance to pick up random “fanboys” didn't come up too much. She never felt a particular need to be “nice” to anyone that didn't prove themselves worth her attention anyway. While she wasn't particularly mean or venomous without reason, only the most desperate or delusional of the guys at the academy could mistake anything she did as interest in them. Those kinds of guys were usually sad to the point where they deserved it and she could shoot them down without guilt though.
“Yeah, poor Lanie and all her super big problems. The way Miss Prodigy Popularity Queen is going she'll end up working for the royal family or something and be all rich and pampered forever. Erion forbid she has to worry about things like disappointing some Academy guys that think they're in love with her. It's not like any of them will ever probably have the chance to get anywhere near touching her anyway... I do get what you're saying though.”

Even though she had gone off on a bit of a tangent about Lanie, Kurui's mood wasn't dampened at all when they got to the enchanter's place. Things like this were always interesting to her, even as far back as when she was in Veltria and the traveling merchants passing through would occasionally have stuff like this with them. Enchanting in general was a fairly “new” science as far as the Kingdom was concerned. Although it existed for much longer than that, wide interest and official study in it was no more than a few generations old. It was to be expected though, even small insignificant feats of magic were something commoners saw with awe, being able to sell them these conveniences made enchanting highly profitable, and as such it's secrets were closely guarded and only passed on traditionally among clan and family lines. However a the lack of widespread understanding of the art meant that there were few standards to judge things on, and as such, all enchanters work wasn't equal. It was common for enchantments to be unreliable, ineffective, backfire unexpectedly, or be outright scams. For the longest time it was considered something of “gypsy art” amongst the upper classes and educated, an irony considering they would be the ones who could most readily afford the rare expensive materials that held enchantments the longest and most effectively. Despite all that though, the “traditional” practitioners who were genuine were usually better and could usually create things of a much greater variety than the “newer” Kingdom trained mages.

Despite coming here for examples of focusing crystals, Kurui was already browsing other stuff within a few seconds of entering the shop, figuring Rythe would ask about their crystals anyway. While she knew a little bit about enchanting from the academy, enough of it was still mysterious enough to be fascinating. Being educated in magic she also had the advantage of being able to sense magical energy in the various objects and know that they were real, although this wouldn't mean they would necessarily work reliably, but that was a risk that just had to be dealt with. The conveniences offered by enchanting were usually just that anyway, mere conveniences, nothing super powerful or essential, as the shop keeper would affirm with the selection he pointed out.
-“Hmm, compass that traces Void energy? Why would I want that? Finding something from the Void sounds like... a really stupid idea. It would probably just lock onto Cocepta's bad aura anyway, that's practically void energy already... or maybe show me where Nebula was hiding that one day...”
-”Handkerchief that heals? Sounds like an over-expensive potion... and less reliable.”
-”Heat drawing brooch, kind of pointless when I can make ice. It might block a fireball or something if I ever got into another fight like earlier today... then again that might overload it and make it blow up while I'm wearing it. Even a mild dose of the Ciley treatment doesn't sound too fun...”
-”Pen that records sound? Why is it a pen? It probably makes someone write down whatever it recorded, thats lame. It doesn't sound as useful as an actual memory crystal, and probably isn't even reliable as proof of anything since for all anyone knows it could be enchanted to make the user write anything.”
As interesting as the items sounded, most of them had little practical use that made them sound worth buying beyond the novelty of watching. One did catch her attention though.
“Tell me about that elemental ore thing. Is it small enough to carry around easily? How does it work after it's charged? Do I still have to chant and focus, or do I just run some magical energy through it to make the charged spell come out? Or do I throw it and it explodes or something?”
Depending on how convenient it would be to use, the idea of having a “quick fire” spell sounded appealing, even it might only be for one cast. She almost wanted to ask to test it out, but knew that might already burn out the enchantment. Instead she decided just to feel for the presence of magical energy to make sure it wasn't just a rock, then hope her luck wouldn't be too bad when she actually wanted to use it. If everything checked out and wasn't too expensive she'd settle on buying it, then go catch up with Rythe to head back to the Academy.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

"The elemental ore... ah, yes," replied the shopkeeper before turning around momentarily to access a wooden fixture behind him, one with many tiny draws built into its face.

Pulling one of them open, he retrieved a small, pocket-sized piece of ore, small enough to fit comfortably inside one's fist. Shaped like a teardrop, it appeared to have small shards of recognizable stones embedded in it, one for each element and then some which were practically unidentifiable given the numerous impurities apparent in the rock. Holding it carefully between his thumb and index finger, he displayed it to Kurui and Rythe, explaining, "This curious thing has only been used twice so far, but it stores any single-target spell you focus into it! It can only hold one charge at a time, but the spell can be released in an instant out from this sharp end here, with bit a tinge of magical power channeled into it! No need to cast the spell over again. Be careful with it, of course." Should Kurui take ahold of it, she could feel that it was indeed genuine, although the power felt wasn't quite consistent--it fluctuated every now and then, feeling almost unstable perhaps due to carrying so many tiny gems deep inside, but if anything, it certainly wasn't some kind of hoax.

Naturally, Rythe poked her head rather close to it, her curiosity having gotten the best of her. "So this is what a magic mineral embedded in ore looks like? Hmmm..."

"So it is, and it is likely due to some kind of unidentified gem buried deep within, but its function as a 'spell bank' is quite unique considering that some of the stones inside are normally just amplifiers or focus points. And though it is an impure crystal, I feel that its value due to its strange function is inherently high. It seems to have one or two charges left, at the very least! Today, though, I can sell it to you, only for the low price of 60 gold."

"...60 gold?" Rythe raised a brow, though her expression had gradually changed as she heard more and more of his story. "That's... still a little steep, don't you think? It's practically the price of a staff with a low-grade focus crystal, plus two sets of clothes. And we are required to simply take your word as to its true effects? Why not 30? Even a graded crystal is worth as much."

"Almost less than half?! My, what a haggler! But... it, uh, hasn't been seen before, you know!"

"Perhaps. But in the long run, it merely provides a relatively minor convenience. Not to mention, if it only lasts for one or two more casts as you described it to have, then it's practically disposable," retorted Rythe matter-of-factly.

The man sighed. "This could save your life one day! But, for a beautiful pair of Academy students such as yourselves, I will lower the price down to 40 gold."

The brunette turned to Kurui, then shrugged. Whether or not the Water Major decided to make the purchase, Rythe herself would scope out the Voidic energy compass, which originally was priced at around 100 gold, though she managed to haggle it down to 70, albeit not without an exasperated look from the clerk. After the transactions were made, the two headed back towards the Academy campus, stopping once they were inside the relative 'safety' of its gates.

~~~~~​

"Well, that was... tiring, in its own way," remarked the Lightning Major, who took a deep breath and gazed down at her new 'compass', the pointer of which seemed to spin aimlessly for a while before locking in one direction, towards one of the dormitories, strangely enough. "That's... mildly unsettling. Now I know what building to stay out of," she commented half-sarcastically.

"At any rate, are you going to attempt to put a charge in that ore you purchased? I suppose it could be useful for the trip, for whatever reason. It's at least good to know that even some raw ores can be sold for a decent amount of coin. I can only hope that the mine isn't barren by the time we arrive at the mines."

Spoiler

Kurui started out with 170 gold for pocket money; so she spends 40. Down to 130.
Acquired Mysterious Focus Ore.

 

[Kat]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

“Ooooh nice and small and it looks so cool. It's perfect, leme see!” It didn't take long for the shopkeeper to get Kurui's interest in the ore once she had seen it. She wanted to hold it for herself almost immediately, a request the shopkeeper seemed eager to grant if it would get him a sale. The energy in the piece wasn't exactly perfectly stable... but it was also easy to detect and she knew within a few seconds that the piece wasn't just a hunk of rock. With an almost childlike enthusiasm she decided she had to show Rythe, even though the lightning major seemed interested in another piece of the shopkeeper's wares at the moment.
“Look what I found! I mean, it's not quite the same exact stuff we're gonna find in the mine and the crystal shards in it are too small to be of use alone, but it kind of helps give me an idea what to look for. Besides, the shopkeeper says it can store a spell and and release it with only a small jolt of magic. It's only 60 gold and I'm totally going to get it.”
Kurui let Rythe take the ore for a moment to examine the crystals in it for herself while she went to arrange buying it from the shopkeeper. “60 gold, right? I'll take-” Before she finished buying it though, Rythe interrupted with her own feedback on the matter. She felt kind of foolish when she saw how good Rythe was at haggling and never expected such a skill from the lightning major. Even worse Kurui knew all her arguments made perfect sense too. She let Rythe do her thing, though she got nervous the shopkeeper might not want to sell when Rythe had gotten the price down to nearly half and was relieved when the haggling stopped there. “40 Gold just for us? You're too awesome, I'll take it! Thank you!” She quickly paid the shopkeeper before he changed his mind and gave Rythe some time to finish looking. It seemed like she had been worrying for nothing though, as Rythe managed to put the pressure on a second time when she settled on an item for herself and the shopkeeper still went through the second sale.
After they left the shop Kurui felt like the day had been worth it and didn't bother to bug Rythe to go to any other shops. She had her fascinating trinket of the day already anyway. “Hey, thanks for saving me some gold on this thing. That was really impressive, is it something you learn living in the city like this? Shopkeepers in Veltria usually aren't so flexible so I'm afraid I never really learned how to do that.”

~~~~~~​

It didn't take them long to get back to the academy, but it had still been a full day and was getting kind of late now. “Sorry we didn't find any better crystal samples than this, but I had fun and hopefully I didn't eat up too much of your time.” Kurui answered in a pleasant tone, although she noticed the lightning major's attention seemed to be focused on something else. “Oh, the compass you got, huh? I have to admit, I'm curious what you were planning to use it for. Kind of unsettling that it's pointing at something here at the academy, but I wouldn't worry too much. I really doubt there's a void rift around or anything, it's far more likely someone just bought something enchanted like us that it's picking up on. I mean, I don't put it past some of these traditional enchanters to dabble in void stuff, even if they're not supposed to. Actually... I don't put it past some of the instructors here either, Black seems like the type who would have deep dark secrets... just kidding. It's nothing to worry about... probably.” She wasn't sure how much her answer would satisfy Rythe, but the brunette seemed content to change the subject back to Kurui's purchase. “Oh, the ore? Yeah, I'm definitely going to put a charge in it. I figured it might be useful in case one of those delinquents tries to take me by surprise or something. But umm... I have a favor to ask before I head back and start packing for tomorrow's trip. Umm... could I ask you to try to putting a lightning spell in it? I saw how you stunned that guy earlier today...” she also remebered the effect Eliese's spell had on Teague, although THAT memory was still a little disturbing “...water isn't so great at disabling people and ice takes more gate control than I want to trust to a crystal. Since lightning is your element and your seem really good at it, you can probably do it better than me and not waste forever trying with an unfamiliar element like I would. I'd probably just end up blowing up the ore anyway... I mean you don't have to if you don't want to, I've probably bugged you enough today, but it would be nice to have if it's not too much trouble.”

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

"It's no problem," said Rythe in her usual tone, in response to the thanks her friend gave her. "Well, I did grow up around this area, near the inner ring of Elynsor City. And while most shops tend to stick to their prices rather firmly, the gypsies who usually work with enchanting are a bit more flexible, probably because they want a sale that badly, and also likely due to some kind of cultural thing. But either way, that's part of why their prices start rather high, as an invitation of sorts to come and haggle with them."

As she stared down at the compass, her brow furrowed. "Mr. Black, huh? You really think so? Well... I'd hope not. He does seem like the secretive type, but it is a little frightening to pin him as the type to experiment with those kinds of dangerous arts. Especially with how strict the Academy supposedly is about the use of practically anything Void-related, and for quite some time now. It's difficult to imagine someone just getting away with it, if they were caught. But anyway... I actually got the compass just in case anything unusual occurs at the mines. It's probably silly of me--I mean, we are traveling with a fully armed guard as well as several Academy monitors, but... it's just one of those things. I just figured it would help to know when danger's nearby." Sighing, she closed the lid on it, and looked back up at Kurui.

"I suppose it would at least help, since supposedly there has been an increasing series of Void activity in certain parts of the kingdom, especially in the forests. Luckily, not those mines in particular, but you never know. Anyway, yeah, that's no problem. Mind if I take a look?" After receiving the rock, Rythe examined it closely, then focused, chanting under her breath, soon finishing with the spell name itself.

"Arc Lightning." Though the tiny shards of elemental crystal upon the ore remained inactive, a faint yellow glow could be seen from deep within. The Lightning major shrugged and handed it back to Kurui with a slight grin. "Seems to work. I'd try to add another charge in there for you, but... you know, don't want to risk it too much since it could be limited anyway. Obviously, the spell in there is considerably more potent then what I used on that delinquent, but if something goes bad in the mines or on the road, that'll definitely help, I think."

"So, there you go. I'm probably going to get some rest, maybe do some last-minute studying in my dorm room before the big day tomorrow morning. Hopefully we'll get a decent group--with each other would be a lot easier. I'll talk to you later?"

If Kurui had nothing more to suggest before making her farewell, then Rythe would head back to her residence hall, leaving the Water Major to return to her own dormitory as well, or travel elsewhere if she was so inclined. It was evening now, and while not incredibly dark, the sun had already retreated from immediate sight, leaving the sky a dim shade of blue.

 

[Kat]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

“Thanks Rythe, you're the best. One charge will plenty, it just has to be a nice surprise to throw someone off while I chant my own spells, thats if they even get back up afterwards.”
After this last quick favor they parted ways for the night. It was still kind of early, but Kurui had some packing to do first, and the trip was pretty early tomorrow anyway. “We're only going to be there a few hours, I don't need to bring TOO much, a small waist satchel should do. I mean it can't be like he expects us to bring our own mining tools and stuff, that would be an expensive waste for one project and it's not like we'd even know what to get, we're not miners.” A few quick snack rations was an easy choice, and afterwards she re-read some of the books on the subject and recorded down any notes worth taking before folding and packing them, and there was of course the ore she bought earlier, but there was room for one more thing. She decided to bring something for first aid, just in case. Most students at the academy, herself included, had a few different things for this from the potion shops in the city, in case they got hurt in practice duels or spells backfiring or anything. The most common ones were health potions, a brew that acted somewhere between an energizing stimulant and then a rapid healing agent as it broke down further, mind potions which brought on a calm and helped regenerate magical energy, and a bitter brew called a panacea that neutralized everything from poisons to magical afflictions. Although she didn't seriously expect to use any of them, she settled on a small flask of health potion, as getting scraped up on the rocks or something sounded a lot more likely than burning out her magic energy or getting afflicted with anything.

Though it took awhile, mostly because of the notes, it was still a little early when she finished, but she decided to try sleeping anyway. It took awhile for sleep to come, as she kept rolling around and couldn't get comfortable or tired, but eventually it arrived. A few hours passed normally, or at least a few she had no memory of later, but then vivid dreams started to happen that she would remember. As if her mind needed to process everything that had happened over the past few days, it played through every event that had happened, from Teague's memory crystal, to the confrontation itself, to the fight earlier that day, and even imagined visions of Ciley's family. In the strange world of dreams though they didn't play out exactly real, despite the detail. Sometimes they would repeat over the worst moments, sometimes perspectives would jump, sometimes they would play out completely different. One of the time's it ran through Nebula's trap it was from the perspective of Teague, paralyzed and helpless. One of the times it played through the courtyard fight she was all alone, Sienna and even Ciley off somewhere else with their siblings while she got beaten and hurt. One of the dream sequences was her trapped in a mine cave in, with nothing but Black's un-nerving voice in the background in some language she couldn't understand, and yet another put her in the position of Ciley back home, except without being able to use magic as the soldiers came...

“Fuck! Fucking fuck! ...damnit …what the hell was that ...what just happened to me?”
She woke up a few hours later with a start, only to find herself breathing heavy with a racing heart and in a cold sweat. It took a few dazed seconds before she realized all of it was just a dream. She sat silent for a minute, listening into the quiet air of the empty morning to make sure nobody had heard her. “Why is this happening? Is it guilt? No all those things wern't even my fault, Teague kinda was, but I didn't know Concepta would be so damn creepy and I had nothing to do with Ciley or her family. Am I scared I got attacked earlier... maybe... fuck... it's probably a mix of everything. I don't talk about things enough and my brain can't handle it." She let out a deep sigh "I wish Sienna were here right now..."
Looking out the window told her the sun wasn't even up yet, though the sky wasn't quite dark enough for it still to be deep night. “I'm not going to get back to sleep now, but it's too early to wake anyone up... if I didn't already do it just now. I can't stay here though.” The room suddenly felt suffocating and claustrophobic. “I shouldn't even be awake this early, but I don't think they lock the bathhouse for these dorms, and it's only a short walk away, hopefully I wasn't loud enough that the monitors or anyone else are poking around. A good soak by myself might help me calm down a bit, and I'd have to do it later anyway... at least this way I won't be in a hurried rush before the trip.” She got up, grabbed an extra uniform to bring with her, and started to poke her face out her door, intent on making her way there but still being careful about it. It was nothing that would get her kicked out of the academy or anything, but she didn't want to answer questions right now...

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

When Kurui snapped her eyes open, returning to the world of the conscious, she would find no attackers, no plotters, no Sienna, and no bindings upon her--only solitude, along with the unnerving silence of her dorm room, as the dim moonlight shone through the window, providing a bluish tint to the night sky. The only thing would remain from the series of vivid dreams, if anything, was the sick feeling that initially accompanied them, accented by her occupancy of an eerily still room. Her potion and panacea lay safely stashed in her pack laying near the bed, as if to remind the student of her planned trip the next morning, and her uniform hung neatly from her dresser. Everything simply sat in place, contrasting with the violent struggles that occurred in her nightmares. An escape from the stifling chambers was undoubtedly in order, and she would find the halls just as empty as her room at this time of night, which was but a few hours from sunrise, but still early enough to ensure that Kurui would find a trip to the bathing room easy enough without being detected.

As it was in the same building, she didn't even have to step outside to take her bath, but as the bathing room was considerably larger than her own living quarters, it provided a much 'fresher' air and as a result, seemed much less suffocating. Several squarish, shallow pools of water were available, in which one could soak. Kurui would then be free to use any of these tile-lined areas to wash herself and get clean. The gentle sloshing of the water, her chosen element, would prove to at least be somewhat comforting, especially considering that this area often housed several other girls. Being along here, with the facilities for one's own use, was indeed something of a rare moment.

However, before she could get too used to things here, a loud clattering sound echoed through the area, breaking the silence in alarming fashion. From what the Water Major could tell, it wasn't too far away from her current location. Slight shuffling could be heard afterwards.

 

[Kat]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

The dash down to the pools was uneventful, so much so that about halfway there she stopped trying to be sneaky about it. For the moment it seemed the commotion she has caused hadn't attracted the attention of the monitors or anyone else... yet. In addition just being up and doing something was helping to calm her nerves now.

“I should do this more often, this place is so nice when it's empty and quiet like this. Now with any luck I can just lay back and soak for awhile without being interrupted, sound shouldn't carry out of here too well. I wonder how cold the pools are tonight?” She selected a smaller pool towards the entrance of the room and started pawing at the water. “Not freezing... but not great either. Let's see if I can fix that.”
“~~~~~~~~”
She crouched down towards the edge of the pool and started chanting a fire spell, trying to open a fire gate towards the bottom of the pool and leak some heat through into the water. Fire wasn't her main element and she wasn't that great with it, she certainly didn't use it in duels much or anything, but a simple spell like this in a stable setting was something she could pull off easily enough even with the unfamiliar element. Within a few minutes the pool was nice and warm, and she started to slip out of her uniform...

“-Gah?! The what?! was that?!” Before Kurui managed to get anything off completely, a loud sound rang down the halls, surprising her so much she almost fell in. “No, no, no, go away... leave me alone. I can't even get 15 minutes to myself without something happening this week!” She tried to ignore the sound, but in the dead of night she could still hear shuffling and other faint sounds. It was too unsettling to ignore. “It's probably nothing. I'm going to feel stupid if I run back to the room and hide now and waste my morning... but... maybe it's not... ugh... I'm going to hate myself for this, but I have to check now or I won't live it down...”
Determined not to waste her morning, but unable to ignore the uncanny sound, Kurui resolved to check it out... but carefully.
“~~~~~~~~~”
She chanted a water spell and opened a gate around her... but instead of jets of water coming out she created a thick mist. This early in the morning with no sun shining through anywhere, it would be hard for anyone to see her, or at least harder for them to see into the cloud then for her to see out of it. She planned to keep this spell going as she started back into the hallways to sneak around. It might have been excessive, chances were if it was another student sneaking around like she was then they wern't really anything to hide from. But if it was a monitor or someone else, this way meant she could dash away and they wouldn't see who she was... as long as they didn't start throwing area spells into the cloud with lucky aim or something she was pretty sure she could lose them and slip back into to her room...

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Thanks to the girl's relative studiousness and respect for Academy curriculum, which could hardly be said for some of the delinquents in the school, her understanding of the gates was more than enough to cast the fire spell quite easily, and soon enough there was a warm, gently steaming pool amongst the other much colder ones to welcome her in, a nice relaxing place to soak just for her. Or so she thought, anyway.

After having concealed herself in a clever application of the water gates she was so attuned to, Kurui would find that the halls, as well as the rest of the bathing room, was empty. The shuffling noise continued, however, and judging from the location, it came from a storage closet adjacent to where the Water major looked to take her bath. The mist-cloaked student found that as soon as she made it out of the washroom, a door opened to her left, no doubt leading to said storeroom. The culprit turned to look at Kurui and saw... well, little but a cloud of mist, and screamed. It was a girl's voice.

"Kyaaaaah!"

A mousey-looking, bespectacled girl with short brown hair, clad in loose sleepwear, had emerged from the room, only to fall right back down on her ass after being shocked by the Water Major's veil. Squinting her eyes, she waved her hands frantically. "I-I'm sorry! I was just looking to see if the uh, the uhm, the storeroom had any spare towels, because somebody stole the last one I had..."

 

[Kat]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Apparently Kurui's attempt at stealth didn't work all too well, as the mist seemed to cause more of a shock to her stalking target when she found the source of the noise than it did to help her stay unnoticed. On the bright side, even that reaction had meant at least nobody would've recognized her if she didn't want them to. Although for the scream it caused it might not have been a worthwhile tradeoff.

“Gwuh! Calm down it's just me!” The scream her sneaking caused somehow came a bigger surprise than anything a more “dangerous” target like a monitor or some stalker could have tried, despite the relative harmlessness of who it turned out to be. It was still enough of a jolt to break her concentration and make the water gates she was using for her mist veil collapse though, however given the circumstances the loss of her shroud probably helped her appear just as harmless to her surprised victim as she was to her.
“Geeze, you almost gave me a heart attack...” she voiced halfway angrily more to herself than the other girl, before catching herself and softening her tone. “Sorry, I'm not used to hearing noises this early in the morning, when I heard you digging around I thought you might be some creeper from the boy's building sneaking around or something. I swear I wasn't stalking you or anything, I'm only awake right now because I'm in Black's class and we're leaving for a mine trip for a class project really early this morning, I thought I'd start getting ready early so I'm not rushing last minute or anything. All I was going to do was have a quick soak in one of the pools before I heard you.” Her answer was somewhat of a lie, although it was a lot easier and less embarrassing to explain than nightmares that had woken her up. “Sorry about the mist cloud and everything, I just didn't want any monitors recognizing me and hassling me over something like this, I mean I know we're not SUPPOSED to be out at this hour, but I won't tell them anything if you don't. It's not like either of us is causing any harm, right?” She continued on with a bit of embarrassed fluster, hoping the girl she had startled wouldn't be bitter over the scare or a complete tattle and would instead be willing to play along and bend the rules with her.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

"W-Wah, I'm sorryyy..." whimpered the meek-looking girl. She could only stare listlessly at the taller, dark-haired student as the rather long-winded explanation was issued to her in short order. Whether or not it brought any sense of relief or understanding to the mousey one was difficult to tell with how dumbfounded she looked. It was almost as if the story Kurui told her had fallen on deaf ears. That or she was simply accustomed to taking the blame for herself, as her following statement. "No, I um... uh, it was my fault. I shouldn't have been out here!"

It took her a few more seconds for her to break out of her stupor before she looked up, pondered for a moment, then went on. "Ah, well, I... won't tell, if you won't." It was then, upon getting a closer look, that Kurui would see that the brown haired girl's lounge pants were on backwards. For one reason or another, she was out of order in several ways, from speech to appearance. "So, do... you have any spare towels I can borrow? I didn't find any in the storeroom," she explained before getting back to her feet and shutting the door behind her.

 

[Kat]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

The meek girl's timid'ness was something of a good sign to Kurui that she didn't have to worry too much about the girl getting her in any sort of trouble, a mean as it felt to think that way. She had little problem believing the girl's promise not to tell anyone.

“Thanks. Now about those towels... hmm there are none in the storage, there are usually a few. I guess it's because it's early and they haven't put any away yet.” Kurui had brought one down with her for her planned soak in the pools. “I wouldn't exactly call that one “extra” though. I don't want to “share” it with someone I hardly know. There might be a few more in the bath hall itself, but I don't want to share my peaceful alone time while someone goes digging around either...” She thought with a twinge of annoyance even as her voice hid it. “Try down in the laundry room, they've probably got tons of them down there, even if they haven't been brought up yet. It's not very far from here and the monitors seem to be ghosts this week, if they didn't hear the screaming earlier they're probably not even around. I'm going to head back to the pools now, but once I'm finished I'll be gone too.” She turned to head back to the pools and hoped the suggestion would drive the unexpected tag-along away... and that there would be no more interruptions this time.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

"O-Oh... okay. I didn't consider that room yet. Right, I'll be sure to uh, check," replied the brunette while exhibiting something of a disappointed look.

"Well, um... thanks then," was all she said before hesitantly backing away. Taking a glance at the door to the storage room, then to the Water major, she slowly turned and began to make her way down the hall, with shoulders slumped slightly and hands clasped at her front.

Despite the stranger's odd reaction, her reluctant departure did mean that Kurui was now able to take her bath in peace, for the most part.

 

[Kat]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Kurui felt a little bad about trying so hard to get away from her unexpected guest, it felt a bit mean considering how timid her visitor was, however Kurui knew all too well how important saying “no” was sometimes. Trying too hard to please everyone took an endless reserve of energy, like the kind Sienna had, but for someone like Kurui trying to be like that all the time would've just frayed her nerves and started to show eventually anyway. The encounter taken care of now she headed back to the bath house. “Look at me so jumpy. I swear I'm not going to get so worked up over any noises again, I don't care if I hear explosions outside this time. It's not like anything worse than monitors are around anyway and it's stupid of me to think any different. They can walk in on me naked this time for all I care, if they even decide to show their faces tonight. We'll see how gracefully they handle THAT.”

Luckily for Kurui there would be no more interruptions this time. The halls were just as quiet as they were originally as she made her way back, and the bath hall itself felt like a whole separate world once she got back. The pool she heated up earlier was still nice warm and she wasted no time stripping down and slipping in. The hot water made her feel extremely relaxed, even more so than a good sleep would have at the moment. She let herself sink down till the water was up over her nose, creating bubbles as she exhaled, and stayed like that for a good 15 minutes or so, just enjoying the warm sensation throughout her body and listening to the sloshing of the other larger pools, only coming up for quick breaths.
Sometime after doing this for awhile her hair managed to catch her attention instead. She would spend the next few minutes running scented soaps through it's lengths and rinsing it. While she didn't think she was overly vain about it or anything, her hair was one of the things she really liked about herself. In taking care of it she could sometimes get as “girly” as Sienna, even if she didn't normally let the mild “obsession” show any other time. Others might be able to call it a bit childish or superficial, but right now it was exactly the kind of “zen mode” distraction that would do her worlds of good. By the time she finished tending to long thick strands she had shaken off the influence of her bad dreams completely and even felt pretty good now. Some last minute touches of scented oils to the rest of her body and she was finished and ready for the day now. “All that and I'm probably going to be spending the day digging around in the dirt... oh well, it was a better use of my time than sitting back up in the stuffy room and feeling bad, so I'll call this a win.”
For a brief moment she wondered if Ciley ever experienced anything like this. Back in Veltria, Kurui had access to a bathhouse alot like this one that anyone with some money could use for a small fee. She figured Ciley probably didn't though, and it was a little depressing, but her mood now was such that she dismissed the thought with little more than a quick "that's a shame..." before it had any impact on her good feelings.

She quickly got herself dressed in a new uniform and headed back to the room to grab her stuff for the trip and spend a few quick minutes refreshing on the material in the book. When that was done she set out to the meeting place. As she walked along, it was no longer the monitors that were on her mind, it was early still and there wern't many people around yet, but it was also late enough that they wouldn't hassle her now. Instead she was now focused intently on what the trip groupings would be. “Come on, I'm turning this day around to be OK now, lets not risk having it ruined by getting stuck with a bunch of losers.”
Somehow she couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that if anyone could be that perfectly of a "mood kill" in this situation, it would be Black. Her gut instincts had been wrong about him a few times before though...

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

For once, the dark-haired girl managed to relax in peace, with the rather awkward visitor gone from sight and the facilities freed up for her to use as she pleased. It wasn't often that anyone in the dorms actually managed such luxuries, thanks to the uniformity of class times starting in the morning, regardless of a given student's chosen major. Being alone in her room was easy to pull off, but having the rather large bathing room all to oneself, minus distractions, was a much less common occasion and thus easy for many Academy girls to appreciate, with Kurui apparently no exception to this.

Her bath concluded quietly, leaving her feeling quite refreshed for the day to come, despite the less-than-pleasant dream sequences endured from earlier in the night. When she arrived at the meeting place, despite showing a bit early, several students were already waiting there as well, more than the small handful that showed up before regular class sessions. If it wasn't already clear that the trip was an important one, it soon became so when Kurui found that even some of the less punctual students actually bothered to attend during this slightly chilly morning. While it was just a bit cold, this was normal for the early hours of Elynsor's spring season.

Mr. Black was nowhere to be found, but at least two monitors were standing nearby, conversing with one another, with a few more arriving in short intervals. One of them, a girl with short pink hair and wide eyes, didn't seem to acknowledge Kurui's arrival in the slightest. The other was a man with well-kept, light brown hair, and he at least bothered to give her a nod.

Among the male students present were Lafton, Caldus, Reius, Helmer and Gray, boys who, while not quite as academically accomplished as Kurui, did manage to stay out of trouble unlike Teague and his lackies. Besides the first, who the Water Major was at least slightly familiar with due to having shared a classroom with him in self-study, as well as Reius, none of them had actually bothered to come to class this early in the past. She only knew the names of many of the others thanks to the attendance call. Anisse, Odetta and Celeste were the only three girls present at the time, and they stuck to each other like glue, holding hands, most likely in the hopes that they would be grouped together as well. Odetta, a noble's daughter, was something of the popular type, though not nearly as much as Lanie or the other 'stars' of the school; many could easily argue that Kurui was even prettier than she was, but the blonde-haired one's connections seemed to take her a long way, for many of her friends in the Academy were friends of her well-known family, the Adquists. Celeste, of the group, was one of the few that did come early as a regular habit. Recognizing Kurui, she gave a smile and a wave, though Odetta and Anisse didn't bother to emulate the motion, instead giving her a glance before reverting to their muted discussion.

Fortunately for Kurui, she didn't have to wait too long before more students began to show up, with Rythe amongst them. The brunette looked around briefly at the others while making her way towards her friend, a leather messenger bag slung over one shoulder. "You're here early, although I probably shouldn't be surprised. Looks like we get to find out who we're grouped with, finally. I'm slightly curious as to why Black didn't inform us of the arrangements sooner, but my guess is that he didn't want any of us with a particularly awful group to skip out, whereas it's pretty much too late to do it now." Despite her direct, analytical-sounding voice, her now brightened facial expression gave away enough to say that she was happy to see Kurui there. Judging from the way she interacted with them in the past, it seemed that Rythe simply wasn't fond of the other girls present, keeping her contempt for them, particularly Odetta, only thinly veiled.

"Well, here's to hoping we don't get stuck with anyone horrible. Should we wind up in the same group, I'm guessing that our mineral collection process will at least be efficient, if nothing else..." She wasn't quite as touchy-feely as Sienna, and thus was hesitant to show it like the trio of girls nearby, but Rythe gave a hopeful smile in Kurui's direction as the others finally arrived. While the rather serious student would have liked to chatter a little longer about her own plans regarding the mines, the subject was quickly derailed as several soldiers, likely members of the Elynsorian military, arrived on the scene, all of them young men, save for one strong-looking woman with black hair--who perhaps could've passed as Kurui had she taken up the sword, or had the capability to. "And that's our 'armed guard', I suppose... well, I certainly wasn't expecting someone like Emilia of the Twin Swords herself to come and protect us. Makes sense."

From the ranks on their arms, it was clear to see that these soldiers were relatively new recruits, most of them around Kurui's age. While there was more than one mark, indicating at least a higher standing than a truly fresh recruit, there were no grizzled veterans in the group, either. Even peasants could enlist in Elynsor's military, provided they proved themselves physically capable of doing so. While not quite as educated as Kurui and her classmates, these young men had taken the path of discipline, and it showed even in their posture. They had to grow up relatively quickly, it seemed, and had not the luxury of choosing whether to study or not, unlike boys such as Teague.

When it was time to announce the groups and form into them, many of the fledgling mages stuck in their own groups, perhaps in the hopes of making a statement against the pre-determined arrangements that Black had composed. The rather neat looking monitor that Kurui saw earlier made his way towards the center and spoke up. "Good morning. My name is Adel, and this is Mia," he announced, motioning towards the pink-haired girl at his side. "We'll be the monitors for today, and two of the groups will have us as a guide. The others will have a member of the Elynsorian Military watching over them. While they won't be able to provide you with information regarding the minerals, most likely--as that would be cheating anyway--they are more than capable of protecting you during the trip and in the mines. Our groups, divided into 4 students each, will also take separate coaches, since there are quite a lot of us. After I announce your names, you are to assemble and familiarize yourself with your monitors and each other. Are you ready to hear the arrangements?"

His inquiry roused a collective 'Yes' from the anxious students, and without further ado, Adel began to list off names. "The first group, which is to be with me. Odetta, Helmer, Gray, and Rythe."

A momentary look of shock crossed Rythe's features upon hearing this, and she looked towards Kurui with a frown. "Well... hopefully this trip doesn't go on for any longer than it needs to," she muttered with a resigned look. Shrugging and sighing, she bid her friend farewell for now before marching over towards the group. While Helmer and Gray seemed fine with the arrangement, having two lovely ladies paired with them, Odetta was just as disappointed as Rythe in discovering the setup.

He went on to announce several more of the groups, few of which would really matter to Kurui, as she was now aware that none of Teague's groupies, nor Rythe or the meek, stuttering boy from the other day, would be sharing a coach with her. The Water major only heard her name a couple minutes later, towards the end of the roll call. "And for the last group... Kurui, Reius, Anisse, and Dinn. Colt, swordsman of the Elynsorian Military, will be your guide."

Anisse was immediately recognizable as being part of Odetta's little group, the one who as less than friendly towards Kurui for whatever reason--in fact, acting downright bitchy once she got in line, if only in terms of body language. Dinn, a known prankster in class, immediately voiced his delight with regards to the situation. "Awwwyeah! Paired up with two hot-but-standoffish chicks, I mean, how can I complain?" He winked at both Kurui and Anisse, hoping for a positive response.

Reius was somewhat more civil, sighing and shaking his head. With chestnut brown hair and sharp features, he was considered handsome by many girls in the class, but like Rythe, tended to be on the serious side--or at least from what Kurui saw of him in the past. "I know you're an Earth Major, Dinn, but please refrain from compromising the structural integrity of the mine. As much as I'm sure you'd love to be holed in a cave with two girls and... well, two other guys," he said as a smirk crossed his features.

"Oh, that's alright, it just means one of the girls has gotta take two!" replied Dinn with a wide grin.

"Wow. I can't help but think your chances of getting lucky, if they were ever there to begin with, have dropped tremendously with that particular statement," remarked Reius.

"Hey, kids. I'm Colt, as the what's-his-face over there might have told ya. Straight from Aelwyck." The soldier assigned to be their guide seemed a bit more casual than his other military counterparts, but not to the degree that Dinn was, at least. "Just don't do anything too crazy and we'll be fine, alright? If we get into trouble, I'll defend you like my life depended on it." He gave a smile towards Kurui. "So... what are you guys collecting rocks for, anyway? Do you make spells with those or something?"

This triggered a sigh from Reius, who didn't say anything, perhaps hoping that Kurui or someone else in the group would bother to explain.

 

[Kat]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Kurui was glad to see others had come early too and that she wasn't the first one there. Even though she took her studies seriously, she didn't like to come off as one of the desperate overachieving geeky types. This was nothing new of course, as even awhile back when she scored in the top 20 of the quarterly exam she preferred everyone think some luck was involved, and preferred to believe that herself rather than think of herself as a bookworm... even if that WAS how she spent a lot of her free time instead of being overly social. Unlike Rythe, what Kurui read was more often stuff written for enjoyment rather than study material, but the study stuff got picked up a lot too.
It wasn't long until others started showing up, even others would almost never be early. It was OK though, it was cold out and Kurui didn't want any delays. She even considered trying to open a really weak fire gate at her feet to keep warm, but focusing on magic instead of the monitors when they got there would be disrespectful. “It's not FREEZING, it was just too warm inside and I'm not used to it yet... I'll get over it.” She noticed most of the others were a lot more social now than in class, possibly due to the absence of Black, but she didn't really care to try to mingle. She wasn't so standoff'ish that she didn't return any of the greetings she got, but she didn't feel the need to seek anyone out to hang out with until the monitors arrived, at least not until Rythe got there.

“Of course they wouldn't send send someone like Emilia, the Kingdom obviously needs such talent for hunting down those scary Redclaw boogeymen. The ROYAL Magic Academy just isn't anywhere near as important as chasing down petty bandits and blackmarket traders.” She remarked to Rythe's comment with a sarcastic tone. Although deep down she knew if the mine was as safe as it was supposedly supposed to be, she knew even the guard they'd have was a use of resources that MIGHT be able to be seen as wasteful.
“Anyway, forget Emilia. I'm more surprised Black isn't here. I mean I know he wasn't coming on the trip, but he's not even here to see us off?” She lowered her voice a bit, still not used to speaking badly about nobles “I mean, I know he probably had to pull a lot of strings to get this whole trip set up and everything, but sometimes he makes it really hard to think he looks like he cares. Like were we not even worth 20 minutes of attention before we leave this morning? Neh, never mind. I'm sure whatever else he's doing today is important.” Her tone changed again, becoming almost gossipy like something one would expect from Sienna. “I'm probably just still used to when we had Griden around, he had like... no life outside of the academy. He needed to get out there more, I'm sure he could have totally hooked up with like that lady from the crystal shop or something if he wanted to. Oh well, at least when he gets back he can brag about how he's a sexy war hero now and definitely not past his prime and stuff.” They had only a few minutes more to chat like before the monitors and their guard would show up to get things moving.

As their guard walked in and assembled, Kurui noticed they didn't exactly look like the most battle-hardened veterans or anything. Few of them looked any more important than just being a young body to swing a sword around, and, except for their leader, they wern't outfitted with much more than their weapons and a simple chestplate curiass with a chainmail coat underneath, and some thick leather greaves for protection. Kurui hadn't expected the best guard anyway, but it seemed to her that theses guys were no better than any random Academy student would have been if someone had thrown them the gear... at least at first. In just a few seconds after catching glimpses of them, something did manage to stand out to Kurui. Their discipline and they way they carried themselves was... really impressive. They way they conducted themselves made the Academy students look like a bunch of unruly children, sticking to their little cliques and stuff. They may not have been nobles, a lot of them were likely peasants, but somehow they commanded some measure of respect from her. It struck her as somewhat of a surprise too, she had seen soldiers before back in Veltria, but most of them were just there while their commanders picked up supplies or talked to “important people” and they were always on leave and getting drunk all the time, she had never really seen any of them “on duty” before and never expected this level of... competence. “Ok, so they're brutes with swords who can follow some orders. That still doesn't mean they're like totally amazing or anything... just... not a bunch of muscleheads.”

Student groupings happened soon afterwards. As the monitors read the names, the very first group came as a bit of a dissapointing blow. Kurui would find herself seperated from Rythe already. It was somewhat dampened by who else was in the group though. “At least I'm not stuck with Odetta. Poor Rythe must have terrible luck to end up with HER with out everyone in the class.” While Kurui had no actual personal reasons to hate Odetta, she tended not like most of the students from noble families anyway. Even though she grew up respecting nobles, it was a lot harder to defer so much to the ones that were actually around her age. Most of them had no actual responsibilities and were just haughty and spoiled. While they would someday take positions of leadership and importance, for now they were far less easier to be respectful towards than their parents or any any of the nobles to actually act like adults. Even though she wasn't grouped with Rythe, she was glad she wouldn't have to be faking any measure politeness or catering to a bunch of spoiled whims around Odetta.
The groupings went on rather favorably after that. In the next few groups almost everyone else she DIDN'T want to get grouped with got put somewhere else. “Geeze, how did I end up towards the end of the list? Oh well, I guess I can't complain too much, I can already tell of these groups won't find so much as sand.”
Kurui ended up being in the absolute last group. She didn't know much about her other group members and didn't have too much of a pre-formed opinion on any them except for maybe Anisse's standoffishn'ess and weird dislike of her for no reason she knew of. The other two members were quick to give her impressions though. Reius seemed like something of a geek, but he would probably be OK to work with at least and would probably know something about the material. She was less sure what to think of Dinn though. Her first instinct was to call him a immature horn dog... but... “He did call me hot though... and I wasn't even trying to get his attention or anything.” His forwardness about it was almost flattering in a way. She never really made any efforts to be “slutty” or anything and wasn't usually the type of person to get comments like that from guys, perhaps because a lot of them COULD tell so easily what her first instinct reaction to that would have been. “I can't tell if he's just stupid... or if maybe I do look really good. I did spend all that time getting ready this morning... bleh, he's probably just an idiot.” She decided at last, although she had a hard time commiting to that judgement for some reason. His attitude was still somewhat... too confident for it to stick. Although knowing he was an Earth Major was a bit unsettling considering they would be in a mine and that confidence seemed almost reckless. Earth majors usually used their magic is a bit of a different way than the others. While they could open gates and expel their element through like any of the other elements, they could also “conduct” their gates through certain basic kinds earth that wern't metal or dense crystals like gems. Other element gates couldn't be formed so easily in solid mass. This allowed earth mages to near-instantly warp chunks of their element into the ground or stone walls, the results of this were usually tremors or spectacular explosions of earth towards the surface of wherever the gate was. It was hard to predict and gave them a lot of surprise and flexibility, but more importantly it was incredibly destructive... not the most calming thing to have in a mine... although it might save her from having to beat at a wall with a pick if she did find a crystal, as she wasn't so good at using earth magic that way herself.
“I'm totally not standoff'ish, the people around me are just idiots too much of the time.” she voiced sarcastically, almost like a warning. A brief pause followed afterwards before she spoke in a lower tone somewhere between a serious and joking acknowledgment of his comments. “Also, once I've picked someone, I don't share myself... and they better not be trying it behind my back themselves.” Her opinions on her group formed and filed away in her mind, she was ready to go now. Overall it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, although not as ideal as replacing one of them with Rythe would have been.

Their group escort introduced himself a moment later. Almost immediately she had a better opinion of him than most of her group. He looked strong and reliable, and she even blushed a little when he said he'd defend them with his life. She certainly couldn't say she'd be willing to make that sacrifice for anyone in the group, they were nowhere near worth it. Sienna was probably like the only one she'd have considered it for, and she was like a sister to her now, practically family after everything that had happened. She wondered why a soldier cared about a bunch of academy students like them so much though. “I guess that what they train for. It's nice to see they're not all a bunch of farmers with some weapons and a crash course in hitting things.” Unfortunately his intelligence was the one thing that didn't surprise her expectations. His comment about crystals made her sigh a little, it was such common knowledge that crystals were just focuses that she thought even most commoners would know that. Still, she couldn't bring herself to reply back with the usual kind of biting comment she would've given any other commoner. “Oh, no, they don't “make” the spells at all, they just focus them. It's like a grindstone or something I guess, those don't make a sword, they just make it sharper... I think.” she answered, trying to compare it to what little of metalworking she had picked up knowledge of having lived in Veltria around lots of miners and metalworkers. “I mean I guess you can use them in enchanting to make trinkets that do things and stuff...” she suddenly remembered that enchanting was “gypsy art” and not always looked upon kindly by certain superstitious commoners. “-but we don't really learn much about how to do any of that. I couldn't make anything of it!” she quickly added.
“Anyyyway, if I find any crystals early enough I can show you what they do. I'm ready to leave whenever everyone else is.”

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Even from where she was, Kurui would find her friend Rythe, as well as the unsurprisingly upset Odetta, standing at opposite ends of the group from each other. While there had been no outright confrontations between the two, at least not in public, it was plain as day that they could do without each other. Odetta could only pout, and hoping for some sort of distraction to take her mind off of the unfavorable designations, turned her view first towards Celeste, who was in Mia's group, then to Anisse, giving a wave and making obvious facial expressions to signal her displeasure. While Celeste could only offer an apologetic look, Anisse mirrored these gestures, showing that she was about as thrilled to be in a group with Kurui--or perhaps with Reius and Dinn--as Odetta was with Rythe.

"Idiots? Ouch, babe! Hurting my feelings already... Heh, but hey--even idiots can be fun to talk to sometimes!" replied Dinn, taking the Water Major's comment in stride.

"Says the idiot," interjected Reius, demonstrating no lack of disdain, though he did say it with a slight, teasing smirk. "But then again, every court needs a fool."

"Haha, maybe. But I'll keep things fun around here. The girls can use you as a reference book and they can use me as a comfy, comfy chair," said the light-haired prankster with a grin.

"...Yeah, you can go and be a chair that nobody sits on," commented Anisse, who took a moment to check on her nails, only giving Dinn so much as a moment's glance.

"Geez, I didn't realize you Academy students were so... I dunno, lively!" A cheerful Colt looked on in fascination as to the verbal exchanges of these Royal Magic Academy students. His obvious curiosity, that of someone who had never before tasted an Academy mage's lifestyle, certainly did a good job of illustrating what kind of background he was from. "We always had the impression that everyone here was so... boring and quiet or stuck-up. Now I know it's only a few! A... Ahehe..." His enthusiasm wilted only a little as Anisse gave him a death glare. "Anyway, don't stray too far from me and I'll keep you safe. Or if you do, at least notify me."

Several carriages then pulled up, and each group was ushered into one. While there was certainly enough space to fit Kurui, Reius, Dinn, Anisse and Colt, these weren't the fancy, deluxe coaches that the Elynsorian nobility employed, and it was something of a tight squeeze.

Unsurprisingly, Dinn looked quite giddy at the prospect of a long ride with two girls of his liking. "Ooh, ooh! Put me in-between Anisse and Kurui. I promise I'll be good, huhu..."

"I don't know what your fantasies involve, but realistically you would be watched by two other men," quipped the spectacled honor student.

"Relax, guys. Ladies first, of course," said Colt, who opened the door for Anisse and Kurui. The other girl made it a point to sit on the other corner of the coach from the Water Major--on the seats opposite from her, but not facing her either. There would apparently be little, if any, interaction between the two females in the group, for whatever reason.

"Me next!" Dinn rushed in, his cheerful visage wilting only by a smidge when he saw that his two objects of desire were seated in a way that made it impossible for him to be snugly fitted between them. "Oh man, how could ya make me choose like that?! Huh... well, fine."

He ultimately chose to sit across from Kurui, and next to Anisse, though a large gap still lingered between him and the more standoffish girl, who looked to have no intents of closing the distance. Reius shrugged and took a seat between her and Dinn, looking relatively indifferent about what he might have seen as a most childish matter. This left Colt to sit beside Kurui, and he closed the coach's door. The group didn't have to wait long, as it was only minutes later before they started moving, with the gentle rumbling of the seats soon intensifying as they moved onto rougher roads.

"So, if we get ambushed for whatever reason, I'll go first, since I'm closest to the door," said Colt. "I'll soak up the damage while you guys can cast! In front of every good mage is a great warrior, after all," proclaimed the soldier with no loss of enthuasiasm.

Reius half-smirked. "I believe the saying was, 'in front of every good mage is a great book.' Or a 'better teacher'."

"Oh, is that what it was? ...Huh. Well, I like my version better."

 

[Kat]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Though Kurui could still see Rythe from where she was, she could do little more than offer a brief sentimental look, more so for the fact that Rythe was stuck with Odetta rather than the fact that Rythe and herself had been separated. She didn't want to engage any further in all the gesturing the others were doing though... and besides she had her own group to worry about now. She halfway wondered how familiar Rythe was with them and if the lightning major had the same wonderful impressions of them that she did right now.

“*sigh* We haven't even left yet and they're already fighting like a bunch of children.” she thought to herself, catching snippets of the conversation going on around her, especially Dinn's continued comments and Anisse's less-than-impressed reaction. “Can't even pretend to get along for one day for the sake of the project, can you? … then again he totally DID deserve that.” she found herself going on, having caught Dinn's innuendo but not saying anything about it herself. The truth was that she didn't actually care that much beyond a mild annoyance, but thought Anisse was still perfectly justified in shooting him down. Voicing any sort of opinion about it was a waste right now though, they wern't even out of public view yet and she was already embarrassed to be around all of them. Even Reius whom she expected to be more serious than the others (and to his credit partially was) was still getting involved in the bickering.
The feelings were amplified by at least half not a moment later when Colt commented on how “lively” they were. “Lively... yeah... I think you just caught us on a weird day.”
“Great, he probably thinks we're all a bunch of kids who need babysitting now... can we please just leave already?”

Her wish would be granted only a short moment later as their coaches arrived, although not a second and a comment from Dinn later and she realized the seating arrangements might already be a problem. Luckily Colt was quick to lend some kind of order to the situation, it came as a welcome surprise in more ways than one. It was more ordered than a random clamor... but also it was nice to see at least SOMEONE around here had enough class to respect the “ladies first” rule.
“Oh, uh, thanks.” she started with a bit or a surprise. “They should teach more of the guys here some of those manners and stuff.”
She chose a seat near the corner out of a slight desire to have a good window view, but no other real reasons. Anisse went in at the same time, but ultimately chose to sit in the exact opposite corner, despite Kurui offering no provocations or anything. “Fine, Ice Queen, hello to you too... if this trip sucks then it's your own fault.” she though sarcastically, although had a hard time staying too mad considering the way she usually avoided people too and wouldn't be talking to anyone right now if it wern't for the project. “At least I'm kind of trying...”
Them having picked their seats, Dinn was next to follow. Kurui could tell in an instant why he hesitated for a moment when he saw their seating arrangement, but when he finally chose she couldn't help but give Anisse a sly glance. She found Dinn annoying, sure, but he had chosen HER over Anisse, and that made her feel good for reasons that were probably selfish. She wasn't sure if either her stand-off'ish “rival” or the annoying playboy had noticed though, and didn't keep pushing it long enough to double-check.
Reius came next, and picked his seat with no discernible reasoning other than “just because.” Colt came last, and at first his reasoning seemed the same. It went considerably well, although nobody would say much for awhile until they had left the Academy and city limits and were out on the rural roads again. Kurui didn't mind, it was relaxing in a way to just enjoy the ride and take in the sights, as she didn't travel much outside of the city herself. It would be a bit of a ride though, and she knew it wouldn't stay that way the whole time.

When the silence was eventually broken, Colt would be the one to do it, much to her surprise. What was even more surprising was that it revealed to her the reason for his seating choice. While Reius was quick to reply in an almost casual kind of way, Kurui felt a streak of melancholy upon hearing the soldier's mis-quoted quote. “In front of every good mage is a great warrior...” she repeated to herself quietly, suddenly recalling Cileys words earlier “Now if any of these chumps would take me one-on-one and fight me that way, I wouldn't complain! Damn mage boys. Where I'm from, if you can't settle things in a single duel, you're not considered a real man!”

“Why would you be so eager to take a hit while someone else sits back way safer and better off to finish things up?” she blurted out, only a second later realizing exactly how bad what she was implying sounded.
The Academy had taught them a lot about the role of mages on the battle field, the classes about it were practically required for everyone except the nobles, whether a student actually planned to be a “Battle Mage” or not. It was played up to be something extremely honorable and heroic... yet... at the same time it was twisted in it's own way. While it was true some mages would serve hands-on in special units with some of the best knights and fighters like the Royal guard and go on dangerous missions that could change the course of an entire conflict, most mages in combat had a far different, less heroic role. For the most part mages would sit back behind the lines of fighters, sometimes in protected groups, and cast their magic as far into the enemy lines as they could. While it was true that this caused a lot of casualties among the enemy, such long distance spellcasting took time... time that had to be bought by other soldiers. The mages themselves were considered a valuable asset, to be protected and kept safe, even at the cost of other casualties. In fact while they sat back nice and safe, they were taught it was even acceptable if their defense... or their own spells even, caused some casualties among the rank-and-file soldiers if it had to be that way.
In classes Kurui had understood it from a logical point of view, it was completely unfair, but it made sense in it's own harsh way that she was able to accept. She wasn't so much surprised by Colt's acknowledgment of it too as she was by the fact that he seemed enthusiastic about it. She wouldn't bother to risk her own life for a single person here unless hers was tied to theirs, and even then she wouldn't be happy about it if it were a one-way deal. It all seemed like such a stupid thought process to her. Then again what she had just blurted out in her emotional jolt was extremely stupid too. Had they been at the Academy still, it would probably be worth a long serious lecture about saying things like that.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

"It's an Aelwyck thing," said Colt in reply to Kurui's comment about him opening the door for her. "Maybe you should visit sometime! Not all country boys are that bad," he added, trying his best to sound encouraging rather than flirty, though that was rather easy for the upbeat soldier and his normally positive tone.

"Aren't they known for producing the majority of Elynsor's food supply?" queried Reius, a hand on his chin.

"Heh, you really do know your stuff," replied the swordsman. "That's right! We've got farms as far as the eye can see. Fresh food straight from the source. And that means the road to Elynsor is well-traveled and real safe. Good place to get away from the busy city life, ya know?"

"Sounds boring," said Anisse, keeping her gaze averted elsewhere.

The coach ride's dynamic of back-and-forth banter halted during the first few minutes of the trip, but the group's "guide" made it a point to restore conversation, although Kurui's reply to his quote caused a stunned silence to sweep over her classmates. Colt, however, was unfazed by it.

"Hey, somebody has to do it, right? Plus, I'm not like you guys. I figure Erion gifted me with a sturdy body, so that's what I'll use for my kingdom. Swordplay's also a big deal in Aelwyck, even if we aren't considered one of the Nine Great Schools of the Sword--but we will someday!"

His enthusiastic proclamation was met with continued silence, even a raised brow from Anisse, and the soldier's tone grew more solemn afterwards. "In all seriousness though, it's not like I'm hoping to die, but if it keeps our kingdom safe, I'd never turn tail and run. I'd rather stand and fight the enemy now instead of letting my friends and family do it later."

Finally, Dinn spoke up. "Naah, don't even sweat it! They wouldn't even get close to us, 'cause I got walls all day," boasted the Earth major. With a versatile command over stone and rock, mages such as him, or at least the full-fledged ones, were vital to the capital's defense.

With some input from a fellow student, Reius soon joined the conversation as well, saying, "It's merely a tactical arrangement. Besides, if the line of soldiers fall, chances are we all die. So both are needed to function properly. Provided, yes, those like Colt suffer more risk, but it's our duty to keep them alive as they do the same for us. I would liken it to a machine, perhaps. A shame Mr. Black couldn't lecture on this."

Suddenly, a large series of thuds shook the carriage in which they rode. They came to a stop, and there was a brief commotion outside marked by the whinnies of the horses pulling them along. Nervous glances were exchanged between the other Academy students.

"Stay here," explained Colt. "I'll check it out."

 

[Kat]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

The stunned reaction of her classmates at her comment was about what Kurui expected. “That was stupid, why did I say that? I knew it was stupid before I even finished!”
It was the kind of thing where normally she would have kept herself quiet around this kind of company, the same way she had been taught to around nobles as a child... but the carriage ride has been relaxing, it made her sleepy almost, and for a second her sense of social awareness had slipped away and she was speaking as if she was around Sienna... or the rare few times she could get her parents to listen to her without worrying about their judgements. Kurui was good at keeping things to herself, but everybody needed to get things out sometimes.

It was a tense few fractions of a second... but a moment later Colt replied as if as nothing had happened and broke the tension... or at least lessened it. His answer was awkward in it's own way though. “Unexpected” was really the only solid word she had for it. She wasn't sure if his answer just sounded sympathetically simple to her and if it was something to pity because he didn't even realize his position... or if her and her classmates just came off as a bunch of spoiled worthless cowards for not being able to understand it right away when he had made it sound like... such basic nature for any good person. In a way she DID understand it, but making that claim even subconsciously to herself felt bad when she knew she had never done anything to prove it and still probably wouldn't ever willingly set foot on an actual battlefield.
“Sorry... I didn't mean to imply anything. That was just stupid of me, I didn't mean anything by it...” was all she could answer in a subdued voice, hesitating to meet anyone's gaze. She stayed quiet after that until the others had started a conversation again and managed to lighten the mood again. For once she was grateful for Dinn's persistent “optimistic” energy, although Reius's comments about Black giving a lecture on it almost came off as a kind of taunt or warning.

“-Huh?! Wha- was that?! Did something hit us?!” It wasn't long after the awkwardness had dissipated that another tense situation decided to unfold itself. Kurui hadn't been paying attention to anything outside when it happened, but it was obvious that SOMETHING was happening outside. Nobody inside had an answer, but Colt was quick to tell to them to wait here while he got some and rushed out of the carriage. Kurui had gotten herself down almost as soon as Colt left, but a peek through one of the windows, while it wouldn't be the best view ever and would only show things to the sides, might help shed some light on things.
“Think I'll get get an arrow through the face if I try to look outside?” She asked Dinn across from her with an obvious trace of nervousness. “You should do it with your amazing magic “walls for days” or whatever. It's probably just some wild animals or something.” She went on, although her expression showed she knew that what she was asking was a bad idea...

INVENTORY (because I figured I should do this eventually)

Spoiler

Aside from her uniform and the waist satchel...
-Elemental Ore x1 (charged with arc lightning x1)
-Study notes x1
-Health Potion (small flask) x1
-Ration "snacks" x3 (think of these as crackers or something)
-Gold x35 (didn't mention this earlier, but it makes sense she'd have pocket change I think)

I wont be posting the inventory again unless something changes.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Elynsor's Royal Magic Academy (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Kurui's nerves weren't restricted to her alone, as she would notice a similar uneasiness among her classmates, although it would be expressed in different ways. Anisse gripped her knees and shook slightly, while Dinn tried to brush it away with some nervous laughter. Reius appeared to be unfazed, although whether or not that reflected his actual sentiment was difficult to discern.

The Earth major was the first to reply. "Arrow through the... no, way! What kind of sick bastard would wanna mess up that pretty face? Ahehe... That's not a slaver's style, I don't think, if it is bandits."

Indeed, the caravan didn't look to be under attack, for when Kurui took a glance outside, there were no roving bands of ruffians or strange monsters to be seen. Nor were there additional thuds rocking the vehicle.

"If anything, I'm sure they just ran over something hard," muttered Anisse.

"Rather several of them, since there was more than just one jolt upon our carriage," said Reius, placing his knuckle on his chin.

As if to answer the students' various hypotheses about the origin of the holdup, the door swung open. Colt was there to greet them. "Hey guys!"

While Anisse heaved a sigh of relief, Dinn chuckled. "Whew, and here I thought you'd just fall over dead like in some kind of horror tale." The prankster was quick to receive retribution for his ill-timed joke at the hands of the other girl, who swatted at him, though he managed to slip out of the way.

"Me?" The soldier couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, right. As for what happened, uh... just some odd cracks in the road caused one of the wheels to break. Might've been a minor quake, who knows," he announced to the four inside. "But the driver swore they weren't there before, or that they had formed when we were passing. No big. Anyway, I'm going to help the coach driver fix it up, then we'll be on our way. The other groups are waiting for us to make sure we don't catch any bandits in the meanwhile. Hang tight!"

"I blame the Earth mage," said Anisse sharply.

Dinn's response came almost immediately. "No way! I wouldn't want to be stuck in a carriage with two of the class's most beautiful ladies at all! That would just be terrible, wouldn't it?!" The youth's sarcasm was intentionally exaggerated as he spoke, and he shrugged his shoulders towards the end of his sentence.

"So, why aren't you guys out there helping? Don't tell me Colt is the only real man amongst the lot of you," said Anisse, rather boldly, apparently being a bit more vocal now.

"Hey, he said he had it taken care of! Besides, three guys looking over a single carriage wheel would look kinda silly, huh?"

"Whatever. I bet you guys don't even know how to replace a spare wheel."

"It's actually not replaced so much as it is repaired," interrupted Reius. Anisse simply huffed and returned to her usual silence.

Several minutes later, Colt entered the coach once more, grinning. "Alright, we're good to go! If this is the worst of the troubles we encounter on the trip, I guess I really can't complain, huh?"

With that, the carriage began moving once again, perhaps just a tad rickety, but it kept rolling nonetheless. The swordsman took his place besides Kurui once again, looking a bit more relaxed. "What, were you guys worried or something?"

"Me, worry? Haha, no way. Like I said, walls for days!"

"I'm just glad it's not bandits."

Reius' brow was still furrowed, and he appeared deep in thought, though he said nothing.