Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

[Takimaru]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

"Fufu... you'll be surprised at how many people in our year can't attempt a second layer casting without getting it wrong," answered Anwen gracefully, taking a moment to brush back a few brown locks that wandered a little too close to her eyes.

"Sure thing!" Tria said cheerfully in response to Hiri's request to teach her the game of Tharrow. "You might have to get used to a few things, like not taking anything personally... and Anwen winning all the time. But once you do, it's pretty fun!"

"Oh, don't make it seem as if I'm so fake!" exclaimed Anwen. "I just don't wear my reactions on my sleeve like some of us here."

Frey couldn't help but huff a little at the remark. "In my book, if other people can't read what you're feeling, you're hiding it from them."

"If that's the only text you go by, such a book won't get you very far after graduation," replied Anwen.

"Yeah yeah, and Tharrow will prepare you for everything noble life has to offer..." Frey trailed off, rolling her eyes.

"Hehe, that's enough you two. I'm sure it's just a matter of time until we find a game we can all enjoy," said Wenille.

When the subject had changed to the peculiar item that Tria had produced, Eilinor couldn't help but look on with interest. The Fire Major stopped and looked left for a moment, then right, as if listening to voices being told to her. While it was impossible for Hiri to know exactly what she had been told, the girl couldn't help but look back at the board intently.

What would come of it? While Eilinor didn't seem outright excited, it was difficult to say that she wasn't at least curious. Perhaps it was because the subject matter was so close to what she experienced everyday? After snapping out of her little trance, she shrugged and gave a slight nod.

"Good! Geez, I thought everyone was gonna back out on me for a sec," said Tria.

"I-I'll just... be the one to write stuff down," said Wenille, looking a little hesitant as the pink-haired girl placed the old mat down in the center of the floor. A stone with a hole in it, or 'looking piece' of sorts, was the only other item in the set. Wenille pulled out a few pieces of parchment, a pad upon which to write, and a quill. The other girls gathered around the mat, Eilinor included.

Upon closer inspection, Hiri would find that it had every letter in the Elynsorian alphabet, though written in a somewhat old-fashioned font. A few words were written on it; "Yes", "No", "Hello" and "Goodbye".

"Alright, everybody ready?" asked Tria. "Put a hand on the rock."

Eilinor gave a solemn, quiet nod, putting her fingertips near the edge of the stone. Anwen and Frey followed suit, waiting for Hiri to do the same.

"Now, if any presence in the room, or nearby, can hear us... please say hello. Or yes, whichever. Let yourself be known!" announced Tria fearlessly.

Slowly, but surely, the piece began to wander over towards 'Hello'. It was tough to tell exactly who was moving it, but even Hiri would feel her hand begin to move on its own.

Eilinor sighed and gave a flat look somewhere to her left. Was one of her 'visitors' just trying to be funny?

Finally, the piece stopped over 'Hello', and Tria's eyes lit up. "It worked!" Astonished, Anwen and Frey nodded in agreement. "Okay, so are you a guy, or a girl?"

Surely enough, the piece began to wander to 'G'. Then... it wandered towards 'O' and stopped there.

"GO?"

"Good job, you should have said 'boy' or 'girl' to make it easier," muttered Frey.

"Oh, quiet," said Tria. "Okay, well... who in this room do you think is the hottest?"

Her odd question earned her a giggle from Anwen. "Straight to what matters in the afterlife, I'm sure..."

Either someone was shaking, or the piece was... but it soon made its way to 'H' and settled there for a few seconds. Then, to 'I'... and 'R'...

"It's gotta be Hiri," pronounced Tria with a grin. "Now I KNOW Frey is moving it."

Frey's cheeks turned red. "I'm not moving it, I swear!"

Hiri felt an odd sensation wash over the back of her neck. She felt as though something had embraced her... but a look behind would show that nobody was there.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

"Sounds as though Tharrow's a game that is more enjoyable if you have the right sort of players, then," Hiri observed, making her own neutral comments known before Tria drew the group's attention to the new distraction of the moment - the stone and the board of letters and numbers.

Seeing that Eilinor actually seemed eager to try this, Hiri went along with it, glancing over several times at the fire major to make certain before kneeling down and settling into position with her hand on the stone alongside the other four girls while Wenille took notes.

Hiri smirked at the resultant "hello" result, and when she observed Eilinor's flat look to an invisible visitor beside her, Hiri giggled lightly and gave the fire major a shrug. At least she was in on the joke here.

They got to the message about being a boy or a girl, and the results were inconclusive. Given the multiple personalities of Eilinor's visitors, she supposed it made sense.

"Maybe there's a bunch of spirits in this room, and they're messing around with this stone as much as we are. Shouldn't assume we've only got one spirit listening in."

Hiri grinned merrily at the question about who the spirit thought was hottest and Anwen's commentary on it. Her smile waned as the rock went to H and then I... and it was replaced by an embarrassed blush when it went to R. She raised a brow at Tria's comment about Frey at this point.

"W-what does she mean by that, Frey?" Hiri asked, before gasping and putting a hand on the back of her neck.

"Something just touched me!" She looked around, seeing nothing. Then squeaked and raised both her arms slightly, removing her hand from the rock. "I feel like someone's hugging me!"

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

"A bunch of spirits? Wow, you really think so?" asked Tria. "I thought we'd be lucky to get even one, but this works!"

"I didn't know you were a believer," added Anwen, tilting her head at Hiri.

"Well, she's like me! Keeping an open mind to that kinda stuff is pretty important, yah?" Wenille chimed in.

Hiri's comments prompted the corners of Eilinor's mouth to turn up just slightly. The transfer student's subtle show of solidarity had no doubt earned her a few points with her odd friend.

At Frey's stammered excuse, both Anwen and Tria eyed her intently with sly grins, as if they knew something that the others clearly did not. The short-haired girl turned to Hiri immediately after her question was asked.

"She's just being a jerk about my uh... preferences," blurted Frey, before turning back to Tria with a slight pout. "But hey, either way, I'm not moving it!"

However, before Hiri got the opportunity to follow up with an easy question, her response to the sudden stimulus earned her reactions from everyone in the room.

"What? Really?! I-I can't... I can't see anything! Shit!" exclaimed Frey, panicked.

Anwen's brow furrowed as she put forth a skeptic look. "Are you sure? We -are- in a room with a Wind Major or three, you know..."

"I didn't do anything, I swear!" cried Wenille.
"Oooh, this ghost likes Hiri, I bet," said Tria, eyeing the Talean girl intently. "Can you still feel it? Is it there? Is it like a friend hug, or a family hug, or a sexy hug?"

As if to respond to the pink-haired one's inquiry, the presence would leave Hiri in that exact second. The feel was closer to the latter, but whether she wanted to disclose such information was up to her.

Meanwhile, Eilinor's eyes widened at Hiri. She stared for a moment, and stood up. The normally quiet girl's voice had gone up a few notches in volume as she cried out. "Wait, I see it, I mean, him... He's moving. He's going to leave!" Her eyes tracked a phantom that was apparently moving towards the door. The other girls looked on incredulously, unsure of how to react to the normally reserved student's exclamation. At the very least, Hiri had reacted first, so perhaps Eilinor's own words wouldn't be thought of as too outlandish...

Anwen cleared her throat. "Wait, just stop a moment. Are you positive? I'm not seeing nor feeling anything. Some papers have been written about this. People can and do move separate of their free will sometimes. If none of us touch this rock, it won't move--I guarantee that. I hope none of you honestly think this is the work of a ghost."

"The fuck was this and that then?" said Frey.

Tria looked to Anwen as though she was the odd one out. "Hehe, now you're just saying that 'cause YOU'RE the one that's scared, I bet! What if it is real?!"

By that point, Eilinor had stood up and was heading towards the door.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

"Yes, yes I'm sure! Wind majors can't just make wind feel like... fingers... Eeyah!"

Hiri crossed her arms in front of her chest and hunched over, hugging herself tightly, her mind completely having forgot to follow up Frey about her preferences. Instead she was not trying not to be molested by some lecherous unseen spirit.

And then, swiftly, the presence vanished as Tria asked her question.

"Whatever it was, its hands were way too 'friendly.' It touched my boobs! I could feel it."

Eilinor's voice raised louder than any of the girls were used to hearing her speak. She was following the unseen presence with her eyes and describing him as he left the room. Having felt the spirit's presence, and having heard Eilinor's own story not too long ago, Hiri felt certain that the Fire major wasn't making anything up.

"Follow him! Don't let him get away." Hiri hopped up to her feet and followed Eilinor out of the room, ignoring Anwen's attempts at rationalization, although she did call out to the others if they weren't speedy in following them.

"C'mon! Don't just sit there!"

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

"Definitely a sexy hug," quipped Tria in reply to Hiri's explanation of the unseen event, content to take the half-Talean's claim as a truthful one. Seeing as it was her grandmother's board, the pink-haired mage wasn't one to approach the situation with skepticism.

While Eilinor's actions might have earned her a fair share of ridicule in a different scenario, Hiri's follow-up ensured that her genuine belief in this 'spirit' would be echoed by the majority of the group. Tria was one of the first ones up, stepping over the board to give chase. "Heeey, wait up!" she cried, nearly tripping as she stumbled to get out of the room. Wenille followed shortly after. "M-Me too!" exclaimed the equally bubbly Wind Major after seeing that Hiri was indeed serious about such a pursuit. A glance back would show that Frey wouldn't be too far behind as well.

Down the hall and out the building they went, where the remaining bits of light showed that it was late afternoon. It didn't take much for Hiri to catch up to Eilinor, as the ghost-seeing girl wasn't of the particularly fit type. She hadn't made it more than two dozen or so steps out the front door before she stopped to place her hands on her knees and pant. "Hahh... hahh," wheezed the Fire Major. "He went off towards the boys' dorms," she managed to explain in between breaths, looking up into the distance as if seeing someone there. Naturally, there wasn't, although there were a few students still walking around campus; some gave sideways glances and raised brows at Hiri and Eilinor.

Tria, Wenille and Frey had arrived just in time to hear the girl's explanation of where this phantom had disappeared to.

"Like hell I'm going in there," said Frey.

"And you're the one who'd fit in the best," teased Tria, squinting her eyes as if trying to make out exactly where Eilinor was looking. "Oh well..."

Wenille made a face and giggled. "So that was... weird, ehehe. I'm sure you'd want nothing more to go to the guys' dorms, Eilinor, but that's beyond even me! You COULD just come to one of our parties sometime if you want to meet them that badly."

Eilinor frowned slightly. "No, it was really a man--I saw him, for a moment. He was tall, dark, and--"

"Handsome?" interrupted Tria. "Hehe... but in all seriousness, I didn't know you could actually -see- things like that. Have you been able to for a long time?"

The Fire Major looked more uncomfortable after having gotten direct attention from most of the group. All eyes were on her. "Uhm, well..." she trailed off, combing her thoughts for a proper sequence of words. It was such a straightforward thing with Hiri. Why wasn't it now?

As if to alleviate the awkward situation--or perhaps just aggravate it--one of the students passing by had made his way over to the group of girls. A look up would show Hiri a face she recognized, for once.
It was Alahan.
"Hello, ladies. Did... somebody run off with something?" He paused to turn and have a glance at the invisible culprit that Eilinor had her eyes on. "You seemed to be in a hurry there, for a second."

"None of your business," snapped Frey.

"It's nothing!" exclaimed Tria with a nervous laugh. "We were just seeing if someone was out here. Bye!" She urged the other girls to retreat to the safety of their dorm building.

Once they were inside, Anwen would find them. She raised her hands slightly as if awaiting an answer, then sighed.

Wenille sought to ease any tension leftover. "Well... that's enough spooky stuff for today, I guess. Are you okay, Hiri? Won't have trouble sleeping tonight?"

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri chased after Eilinor, darting behind her and waving her hands a bit to steady herself in her uniform's heeled boots as she rounded a corner. She almost bumped into the fire major as she stopped, huffing and puffing in front of the boys' dormitory. Just behind her, Tria halted, with Wenille and then Frey jogging up to them moments later. The group of girls caught their breath as Eilinor shared just where exactly the molesting spirit had scampered off to.

"D-drat! We can't follow it in there. None of the boys would believe us, and we'd just get in trouble." Hiri frowned and then crossed her arms across her body, still feeling uncomfortable with what had happened. The idea of an actual spirit crossing through the veil of death just to do... that. It made her shudder.

"It's okay, Eilinor." Hiri said to her friend when Tria pressed her about having regularly seen ghosts. "Tria isn't going to doubt you. I certainly don't. It was real. Not some trick."

She didn't want to push the fire major more than that if she truly didn't want to share more, but the cat was already out of the bag in Hiri's opinion. Before Eilinor could answer one way or another, Alahan chose that moment to say hello to the group, surprising the girls. Hiri gave a start as she turned her head to see the earth major. Nodding along with Tria, Hiri let herself be beckoned away to the girls' dormitory. She did give him an awkward wave goodbye as well, not really knowing why she'd done it. Perhaps she had nothing better to do with her hands.

Once they'd made it back to Anwen and the safety of the room, she relayed where they had followed the ghost. She then gave a snort to Wenille's comment.

"So long as that spirit doesn't follow me to my bedroom!" Hiri said. "Whatever it was, it needs to keep its hands to itself!"

Later on, as they walked back, Hiri put a hand on Eilinor's shoulder. "Um, so, do you have any idea who that spirit was? Was it, uh, one of your regular visitors? I just... that did creep me out a bit. You're... you're still okay with staying in my room tonight right? I don't want to be alone. At least, you'd be able to warn me about it... if it came."

That evening, Hiri would study with her room door open, wanting to keep the sounds of other people in the common room close by. She was actually eager for Eilinor to keep her company, and if the Fire Major felt at any point that night of telling her more about her connection to the spirits, the Talean girl would be rapt with attention.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

To Hiri's assurance of good faith, Eilinor responded with a sincere look of gratitude as she searched for the right words to say. While it had no doubt earned her trust and goodwill, it didn't take away completely from the nerves.

"Sure none of you wanna stay over tonight? I mean, whew... all that activity got me kinda spooked, y'know? Ehehe!" exclaimed Wenille, though whether or not she was joking was difficult to tell in such a context. "Anyway, I'd say no more of the creepy games. Especially if more of those kinds of things show up!"

"Agreed," said Anwen somewhat coldly. Perhaps she was just happy for the chance to avoid these sorts of topics.

"Oh, you girls are no fun," huffed Tria. "But I get it. I just didn't think so much would happen."

Wenille looked around, rubbing her arm to ward off the chill. "Well, ahm... goodnight, then. We'll have to do this again! Same time next week?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with that," said Frey.

"Maybe a little bit of drink would be good next time?" suggested Tria.

"If only to keep Anwen honest if we end up doing Tharrow again," remarked the blonde.

"The amount of alcohol in my system isn't going to change the blatant way you play," responded Anwen smugly.

After the last few exchanges were made, the girls said their goodbyes for the night... save for Eilinor, who agreed to stay the night with Hiri. The Fire Major opted to sleep on the floor, laying perfectly still on her back atop a spare blanket that her newest friend loaned her.

"N-No... it wasn't a regular. I have no idea who he is--I've never seen him before. Tan, short hair, a little frail. Whoever he was, he looked interested in you."

Allowing an uncomfortable moment of silence to pass, the girl then tried to break it by offering a few words of reassurance, however awkward they might be coming from her. "But maybe he won't stay? Some visitors just come and go. I've had a few that did that--get a feel, or two..."

"Thomand and Lindia are rather fond of you, as am I... but not in THAT sense. I've always gotten all kinds of visitors since I was a little girl, but people who can't see them usually don't get that kind of attention. Unless it was someone you knew? Do you... know anyone that passed?"

"I'll be sure to... look, and listen, like you asked. Don't worry, I don't often get much sleep anyway..."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri kept a candle light on as she made ready for bed. Slipping out of the school uniform and back into an ornately woven sleeping dress that her mother had picked out for her among the goods brought by the traders from Olao, a Talean island known for its weaving and dyes. Being related to the leading merchant king of Talea had its perks, Hiri and her mother had gotten first choice among the myriad dresses before the crates had been offloaded to the market stalls. Reds, blues, yellows, some with swirls, others with lines, and still others with a mixture of tear drops, spirals, and moon crescents had combined into limitless patterns running into each other. No two dresses could ever be alike, yet if it were from Olao, each one was a masterpiece. They felt good to the skin, and in the tropical weather one didn't need to wear anything else to bed.

Here in Elynsor, Hiri kept her small clothes on underneath, and slipped under another blanket for good measure. The air around her tonight felt colder, and even with Eilinor sleeping on the floor beside her, she could not drive away the thought of invisible hands gripping at her and cupping her body. It sent a shiver up her spine.

Once again she leaned over the edge of her bed and took a peak down at Eilinor, just to make sure she was there. It felt good to hear the Fire Major talk about the 'visitors.' Just to explain that so many of them were harmless, with good or neutral intent. These names, Thomand and Lindia, made her calm down some. The good spirits didn't need sleep. Maybe they would watch over the two of them, and keep the room clear of whoever it was that had touched her so blatantly.

(Do you... know anyone that passed?)

Hiri lay back down and stared at the ceiling, the scent of melting candle wax wafting across her bedside from the window sill. There was a small draft, she could tell by the way the flame flickered, and the ceiling was a grey stone with small cracks in it, like an old fossilized bone that her father had showed her once - a keepsake of his from Ayon. Dragon bone, the priests had called it. Her father was more shrewd. A great lizard perhaps, but not a dragon. Why did she think of these things now? Was she getting tired? The candle wax smelled pleasant. Memories of home in the dark, warm nights...

"I've known plenty of people," Hiri sighed, closing her eyes and letting her breath come in through her nose. Her chest rose and fell. Her mind was easing now. Yes, sleep was not far off, and the goose bumps on her arms were fading. The tenth bell was sounding at the cathedral, it's dull melancholic tone clashing with the eternal Talean summer in her memories.

"I'm sure some of them have passed on. A sailor on my father's ship perhaps? I suppose some of them might have had an eye for the captain's daughter."

Hiri yawned widely, her collar muscles tensing and shoulders pushing forward, then she sank down again, her body more relaxed.

"Thanks Eilinor. For staying and talking about these things, and even offering to be on the look out. I appreciate it. But you need sleep too, and you've been dealing with these things way longer than me. So concentrate on getting some rest. And if the floor is too hard, you can get up here with me. Just put your pillow down at the foot of the bed and promise not to kick me in the head, all right?"

The Talean girl smiled reassuringly and then turned over onto her side, setting her glasses aside and snuffing the candle with a small scissor-like device made of wrought iron that was gilded in silver and decorated with swirling floral patterns. The blades of the device snipped the end of the burned candlewick, collecting the charred remnants in a little box while extinguishing the flame. The bedroom became darkness with the faint whorls of smoke and the scent of beeswax hanging in the air.

"Good night, Eilinor. And Thomand and Lindia too I suppose."

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Eilinor couldn't help but stare a little as Hiri slipped into her sleeping clothes, moreso at the threads than the half-Talean girl herself. It was indeed unusual, an exotic choice of wear for the night, and the Fire Major peered upon the article with curious eyes.

"It's pretty," commented the girl, her gaze making it obvious that she meant to compliment the gown.

After the two girls had gotten settled into their sleeping positions, Eilinor did not hesitate to respond while staring up at the same ceiling as her newest friend. "Oh... wow. I don't really know too many people myself, live ones anyway. Sailors... I hear they're scary sometimes, the type to not associate with--or at least my father tells me. The ones in Elynsor, anyway, have a poor reputation. Some of the late ones aren't so bad, though, and if you keep company with them, I figure they... can't be all so terrible. I just hope that the bad ones aren't amongst the ranks of our 'visitors'..."

"No, thank... thank you. I haven't felt this at ease in a very long time. And I don't mind the floor, really."

Eilinor took a deep breath. She lay quite still, apparently not one for adjusting their position much before bed.

"Goodnight, Hiri. Thomand and Lindia say goodnight as well."

It wasn't long before the other girl went quiet. The only sounds she made were not that of a full-out snore, but of somewhat more audible breaths.

It was hard to tell if she was merely dreaming, or if it had been in the middle of the night, or how many hours it was since she closed her eyes... but Hiri heard repeated moans and sighs of what was undoubtedly sexual pleasure, the same sort of gasps that she had made when touching herself. They would fade soon enough, and a look around would show her nothing. A glance over the edge of the bed would remind her of Eilinor's presence, sleeping soundly for once, in the same position she had initially settled into.

Yet, for as eerie as the faint noises were, she would feel no invasive touch upon her skin as she did earlier that night. Whether she chose to go back to sleep or not was up to Hiri, but there would be no more disturbances afterwards.

Morning came, and Eilinor only woke up after Hiri did. The rings ever present beneath her eyes were somewhat less pronounced. "Mmff... good morning. Did you sleep well?"

Seeing how relaxed the Fire Major was reminded her that it was her last day off before the week started again. Perhaps it would just be a good day to stay in and unwind, to prepare oneself for the stresses of the school days ahead.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri took Eilinor's compliment on her nightwear in stride, explaining the nature of its origin on Olao. Hiri said that it might take a while, but the next time she spoke with her father, she'd tell him to bring some to Elynsor as gifts.

As for the comments on sailors, Hiri could only say that none of those on her father's ship ever had the boldness to approach her. The ship on the ocean was a country to itself, and the captain tended to be its king. The sailors were a rough, smelly, temperamental lot, but they had been respectful and protective of her because of who her father was and - perhaps - because she was a reminder of a kinder, softer life on shore. Some of the older sailors had families and daughters of their own, and the young ones had sisters her age who were in some cases distantly related.

"They were always kind to me. But there are good sailors and there are bad sailors. I guess it depends a lot on the captain."

---

Hiri slept soundly that night, except for the odd incident in the middle of the night, when Hiri heard those moans and the sound of sex. It was disturbing for Hiri, who had never experienced anything so much as a kiss, but at the same time, it seemed distant and immaterial. Did it have something to do with the ghosts? Was she hearing things from the spirit world perhaps? Or was it something more simple... like her dormitory neighbor having snuck a boy into her room at night?

Eventually the sounds died down and Hiri went back to sleep. She woke up the next morning to find that Eilinor had slept soundly, and apparently for the first time in a long while. That was encouraging at least.

"Yeah. Slept fine." Hiri told the fire major when she woke up too.

"Not exactly feeling very active today. Let's just hang out a bit until lunch. I don't want to think about classes just yet..."

Hiri didn't wander off campus that day, preferring to veg out at the dormitories. Classes would start again the following day, and that meant she'd have to focus again and deal with the stress as best she could. Fortunately, she seemed to have a bit of a head start compared to most students here, but Hiri had few illusions that things would continue that way. Pretty soon, the classes would catch up to what she knew, and then she'd be learning at the edge just like everyone else.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

The rest of the week went by rather uneventfully. She would always have a friend in Eilinor seated next to her; even Cleff managed to stay out of troubles in the lunchroom for the time being. The learning material itself didn't prove terribly difficult for Hiri, although seeing concepts and terms new to her ensured that it was nothing she could sleep on.

"...A-And that will be all for today," stammered Professor Averill, pushing up her glasses only after they had slid down towards the tip of her nose. "Have a good weekend, but don't forget that Spell Application is later." Her reminder was met with a series of collective sighs and groans from those less confident in their abilities. But Hiri, along with Eilinor, had less reason to worry--the two had been practicing the whole week. Wenille had only dropped by for two of those days, keeping fairly quiet about the reasons behind her absences for the extra training.


As Hiri walked out into the hall, Eilinor alongside her, she heard footsteps speeding up behind her in order to catch up. It was Wenille.

"Hey! Did you hear Cendricks is out today?!" exclaimed the green-haired girl, making no effort to hide her excitement. "Maybe we can actually have a practical applications class without being publically ridiculed for every single mistake! But I mean, we practiced and all, so it can't be that bad either way. It's just that when HE'S watching, I get all jittery, you know? If I were by myself, without anyone secretly judging me, I'd have no problem--just like you saw the other day!"

The three headed to the range early in order to warm up. They were given ample time, but a familiar face in Harell--the bully from the other week--was there, again. Did he practice on the same day every week?

As he headed out towards the exit, he couldn't help but notice Hiri's group, and grinned at them. "Hey, girls. Seen any ghosts lately? Stop any crimes?"

Eilinor simply frowned. Wenille rolled her eyes but did not grace him with a response.

After they were able to get a few spells in, with as much improvement as two hours a week could afford, the girls seated themselves as the other students from their class began to filter in. Two minutes past the time that Cendricks would have usually walked in, came an individual who Hiri could guess was her substitute. A much shorter man, possessed of neatly combed, dark green hair and somewhat softer features, made his way in, carrying a stack of books with various tabs of papers sticking out of them. Several rolled-up scrolls seemed to peek out of a bag he was carrying with him. He wore a modest moustache and walked with a slight tilting forward of his head, as if trying to peek over the top of nonexistent glasses. His style of dress could also be considered eccentric; in contrast to Cendricks' navy blue solids, he wore a pattern of criss-crossing brown and red.

Trailing not far behind the man was his assistant--a girl, perhaps not more than a few years older than Hiri, possessed of long black hair and icy blue eyes. She, too, was carrying some papers, presumably belonging to the senior mage in front of her given the way they were so generously bookmarked.


"That's Professor Ralan Hathwin. I hear he's Lanie's dad," came a whisper not aimed at Hiri from between some girls sitting a few spaces down along the wall.

"You can tell just by looking at them... although, you'd almost never guess by the way they act--"

"Hrm... this is it, right?" asked the professor. "Spell applications? Cendricks' class?" He received several nods of confirmation in response.


"I guess it is. The lot of you seem uh, less mean than I expected you to look," quipped the man, who was met with awkward silence. "For a Cendricks-run class, anyway, heheh. Though progress-wise, I'm... honestly not really sure where the lot of you are. Cendricks doesn't seem to keep logs of your performances, so I guess we'll just have to start somewhere. Oh, right! I'm Professor Ralan Hathwin, though you can just call me Ralan, I guess. If it makes you happy..."

"This guy is Lanie's dad? Wow," came a whisper that Hiri caught from the other side of her group.

His assistant flipped through some of the papers she was holding in an orderly fashion and handed him one of them. Professor Hathwin squinted at it a little, and looked around at the line sitting against the benched wall. "Oh, what's the fun in going alphabetically? Why don't we start with..." He circled a finger in the air before landing it on a seemingly random spot on the page. "Hiri... Lei Tan? Is she here?"

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

The next week passed by in a blur of day by day studying, goofing around, and hanging out with Eilinor and occassionally her extended group of friends, Tria, Frey, Anwen and Wenille, although the later had seemed a bit preoccupied that week with something that she didn't apparently feel like sharing. So it was a pleasant surprise when Wenille sped up to her and Eilinor suddenly after Professor Averill's class, sharing the news about Cendricks being absent.

"Oh good! The class might be fun for once!" Hiri agreed, falling into a comfortable routine of mostly agreeing with what Wenille hurriedly effused. "And secretly judging? Since when does he do his judging secretly? I wouldn't be surprised if he kept a posted list of all our failures nailed to a post in the royal square."

At the practice range, Hiri simply shook her head in confused derision at Harell's comment, but she offered no response. Let the boy have his weird taunts. They wouldn't make her feel bad.

The classroom filled and she, like everyone else, waited for their fill in teacher to arrive. Finally he did, and of course the buzz around his identity started immediately.

"So, he's Lanie's dad... should I know him? Or her?" Hiri asked Wenille, who would be more informed on gossip than she or Eilinor would be.

She gave a start when her name was called first and out of the usual order, but she put up her brown skinned, slender hand above her head.

"Here, Mr. Hathwin," she said, not exactly comfortable with calling the teacher by his first name, as no other teachers did that here. "I'm Hiri."

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Seeing that Hiri didn't need a second class with Cendricks to know what the rest of the students apparently knew about him, Wenille giggled and shrugged. "I mean, you know, the judgment of everyone else... I know HE'S not one to hide his criticism. I don't even think I'm that bad about performing in front of others, but when it comes to him... wugh!"

When Hiri asked about Lanie's dad, her more gossip-inclined friend would answer, "Well, yeah! I guess he's supposed to be some kind of genius, even though he doesn't really look it. Developed a lot of advancements in gate theory and in interplanar physics. Lanie, his daughter, is some kind of prodigy too... again, not that you can tell at first glance. Though I hear she's basically been graduate-level since her second year. She's a shoo-in valedictorian of the academy's senior graduating class!"

The class's newest student was the first to be called on, although Professor Hathwin didn't seem to pay her any extra attention as others often would for her skin tone. He gave her a slight nod when she stepped up closer to the range, then looked straight back down at his notepad. He began to speak without looking at her, his question seemingly issued to the group as a whole.

"So what has Cendricks tested all of you on? Gate width? Depth? Formation time? Attunement?"

A voice of a student Hiri didn't really recognize chimed in. "Uh... well, he just kinda has us hit targets all day... he's really strict about accuracy and speed."

Hathwin looked slightly puzzled at such a response, and scratched the back of his head. "Just like him, I guess. Not that they don't have their uses, but... hrm. Alright then, Hiri. Every time I say 'open', I want you to open a gate of your major. A small one, head sized. Then when I say 'close', release your focus. Ready?"

"Open. ... Close. Open. Close. ... Open. ... Close. .......... Open. Close. Open. And..... Close."
As she did so, the instructor jotted down some quick notes in shorthand.
"Alright. Now let's go with one for Fire, Water, Lightning, and Earth. They don't have to be big--cantrip-sized, like your hand, if anything. I'm going to repeat this process." He proceeded to do the same, recording down Hiri's results as needed.

The test went on for several somewhat awkward minutes. It was strenuous, no doubt, but at least there was far less pressure from Hathwin. "Ah, very good. Great results. Now, I'd like you to try and make the biggest gate you can. Don't hold back--if it gets unstable, I'll help you with it. Just try your best."

Hiri was then allowed to form the largest Wind gate she could muster. If she couldn't manage it by herself, she would feel Hathwin's hand wrap around her wrist, his energies flowing through her to help regulate the gate and close it in an orderly fashion. As expected, his level of control over the element was unbelievably precise.

"Okay, so we are going to do this for everyone, one at a time," announced Professor Hathwin. "That way we'll have some great data to start with."

"I thought we were supposed to just hit the targets?" asked a puzzled student. "That's what Cendricks wants us to do."

"Hmm," mused Ralan aloud. "Is that really why you wanted to learn magic? If you want to hit targets for a living, you can always get a crossbow."

"Well, no, but... are we even going to be tested on this stuff?"

"Next year, you will. Don't worry--this will make you a better mage. Now, erm... hm." The professor looked around the room, raising a brow. "There are more of you than I thought. I'll take half of you here, and I'll have my assistant Kurui watch over the other half."

The blue-eyed girl stood over to the western side of the range, beckoning the half of the class closest to her with a brief motion of her hand. Wenille, Cleff, and most of the boys ended up under her guidance. Unfortunately for her, Cleff was first, and the Lightning Major was all too eager to show off his capabilities. Already, Hiri could hear her calling for him to slow down. "Okay, small gates first! Don't rush it. Slowly..."


The others, including Hiri and Eilinor, stayed with Hathwin, although the former was allowed to stand off to one side and observe for the time being since her turn was already finished. While their substitute wasn't necessarily as handsome, strapping, or confident as Cendricks, he certainly had a calmer air about him, and the girls seemed more at ease under his watch. Because there wasn't any actual target practice involved, Eilinor could focus a bit easier.

However, only a few minutes passed before Hiri heard the loud crackle of lightning, followed by an exasperated shriek--which came from Hathwin's assistant.

"What were you thinking?!"

The normally quiet and orderly girl had taken several steps back, some of her hairs standing about--perhaps from the static discharge--as she showed a most horrified expression. Cleff had done it again, judging from the burnt spots on the ground around him. Hathwin's assistant frowned and shot a finger directly towards the professor. "Yeah, no. You're not here to impress me, because Erion knows that isn't happening. You can be in the other line. Try that near Ralan and see how you like it!"

"Kuh... stupid bitch," muttered Cleff under his breath as he fell into the line of Hiri's group. "Freakin' out over nothin..."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri stepped forward and did as Professor Hathwin instructed. The practice of opening and closing a wind gate - now that was something familiar to her. It's just what her mother had done with Hiri when they were living on the ship at sea. She'd done it so many times, it was just second nature to her by this point, so she opened and closed her gate when he indicated.

Then he asked her to do the other elements. This was unfamiliar territory, and Hiri frowned. She started with water first, because she'd seen her mother do that a bunch of times. Fresh drinkable water at sea was a godsend, and the ability to create it did not go amiss. Hiri cast her mind back to what she'd seen her mother do, and with a little effort and only a single error, she opened a water gate roughly the same size as the wind gate she'd just been opening. She closed and opened it for Hathwin's liking, then moved on to a Lightning gate. This she took some time with, but eventually got a hand-sized gate of sparking energy to open in front of her before quickly zipping into nothingness. She tried a few more times until she got the hang of it.

Fire and Earth however were straight out. She'd seen Eilinor make a fire gate plenty of times, but that didn't help her actually do it. Fire moved so differently from Wind that the act of opening a gate was diametrically opposed to every intuition she had. Same for an earth gate. After a minute of frustration with both, and slight beads of persperation on her brow, she slumped her shoulders and looked at the teacher.

"I just don't know how," she said, dejectedly.

He let her know it was okay and the results were as to be expected, and allowed her to return to her preferred element for the final exercise. The biggest gate she could muster; that was what he asked her to make. She wiped away her persperation and concentrated on the task. A moment of silence and a deep breath, and then she pushed with everything she had, opening a gate much larger than she had thought herself capable of, in a rush to make up for not being able to open even the simplest of fire and earth gates.

The air around them swirled manically, cloaks and mantles and skirts kicking up as a gate the size of a city archway materialized in front of her. Immediately she felt Hathwin's hand on her wrist, his energies bolstering her efforts to contain the wind. The gate stabilized, and the winds died down a bit, before she closed it quickly and smoothed down her uniform and tidied the loose strands of her windswept hair.

"Sorry, but you did say the largest gate," she murmured.

***

Later on she'd taken her place at the back of the line of pupils in Ralan's group and watched as others opened up their gates. She smirked at Cleff as he slumped down beside her, muttering about the teaching assistant who was now slightly singed with frazzled hair. She turned her attention to Wenille, Eilinor and her other friends to see how each of them fared.

"Promise me you'll show me how to open a fire gate, Eilinor," she said to the timid girl when she was done. "I'll help you out with wind, so we can get higher scores."

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri's apparent failure to summon a fire or earth gate caused a few giggles and chuckles to escape from the line. If she were to look back, she'd find no visible traces of such offenses.

However, her abnormally large Wind gate did cause quite a few squeals of embarrassment from many girls and gasps of awe out of some of the boys, although whether it was due to the Talean's natural prowess with the element or the free panty shots was hard to say.

"Ooh, excellent. You seem to have been doing wind magic from a young age. As for the other gates, don't stress too much on that end," said Hathwin. "DO give it some thought when you get home, though. You see, each of us has a comfort zone that we're... used to. A way of getting up in the morning, a way of eating food, even a way of, well, thinking. I think the reason why most students have trouble with learning different elements is because they haven't practiced the diversity of mindset necessary to do so. You see, attuning oneself to different elements requires just that, taking different angles. It's what we would define as real 'intelligence'--not looking to hammer away at one problem using the same old tired approach," he explained, only to see the reaction of the nearby students.

Some had zoned out, others were lost trying to understand what he had said. Only a select few seemed to be listening at all. "Er... I might have gone on a bit of a tangent. Excuse me."

"But yes. You must try to push your limits. It's like working a muscle. Just make sure someone is spotting you, of course." His comparison would draw some snickers from a few of the boys. Like Hathwin would know anything about working muscles--he was slight of build and looked like the type to spend the majority of his time indoors. Of course, nobody would say as much, but many thought it.

When Hiri sat down next to Eilinor, she would receive a slight smile and a proper nod from her friend. "Of... course. It's the least I could do," replied the Fire Major. "I like this teacher a lot better than Cendricks," she then added in a low voice.

Then, Hiri would hear the oddly loud sound of Cleff clearing his throat next to her. He would cough, and stammer something inaudible again, but when the Wind Major turned to look at the young man, he had averted his gaze forward again. Then, finally, seeing that his attempts to get her attention had failed, he finally spoke. "Uh... erm. I was wondering if... you could. U-Uuuhh..." stuttered Cleff. "Teach me too. Sick of failing all the time like this," he finally admitted. "You just... seem to know what you're doing."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

"Yes, for sure! This guy is a hundred times better than Cendricks. Maybe we could make a petition to the school council to change over to him?" Hiri said, nodding quickly to Eilinor's observation about Professor Hathwin.

"Or maybe we could just see if he needs some extra help in research! You know? Professors like him are always needing students to help them out. Maybe they'd let us have our spell application credits if we agreed to be his understudies. Anything to not be here when Cendricks gets back!"

Hiri was surprised by the loud cough from her other side and turned to glance at Cleff, whose eyes were facing forward. Hiri blinked and looked at him for a second more, then figured that maybe he'd had something caught in his throat and turned back to Eilinor. In short order, however, she heard him address her, which was something she hadn't imagined a guy like Cleff doing.

"Help you? Um... well, sure I guess. I can't say I'm all that great at Lightning though."

She glanced back at Eilinor, and then with a self-conscious, silent inhale scooted herself half way closer to Cleff and held out her hand to make the motion for opening a lightning gate.

"Just watch."

She did it slowly, not wanting to get it wrong. Lightning had a habit of shocking those who weren't careful, as Cleff well-knew by this point. Eventually, she got it right, and opened a sparkling ball of electricity out from the palm of her hand.

"Just do this until you're confident. Don't try to go for more. I think that's what the teaching assistant was getting at. You're trying to do too much, too quick."

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Eilinor stifled a giggle at Hiri's remarks. "That's... actually a really good idea. Cendricks would be mad if he found out, but we'd probably get yelled at the same amount anyway. But for understudies, do you think we're good enough? His current assistant is skilled enough to teach... apparently."

"If you wanna call it that," muttered Cleff, apparently having received none of the benefits of the assistant's teaching style. Luckily for him, Hiri seemed to be in enough of a mood to share her knowledge, or at least to tolerate his query if nothing else.

"Not all that great at Lightning? You're better than me... and I'm supposed to be a damn Lightning Major."

He stared intently at her demonstration. Although traces of puzzlement were evident in his expression, his focus on the details of her casting seemed sincere enough. Then, without further warning, he attempted to replicate her feat, and a crackle of stray lightning whipped past the two of them, luckily missing anyone nearby. However, a little guidance (or warning) on Hiri's end would calm his focus enough to relegate it to a smaller ball of energy. Maintaining it with apparent ease at such a level, Cleff blinked a few times. Some of the other students nearby peered over at the scene, in astonishment that the class flunkie was able to manage such a thing.

"But that's it? It's so... small," murmured Cleff, before allowing the sphere of wild energy to shrink after a few seconds and then dissipate. "I'll take your word for it though. Uh, thanks for not flippin' out at me." He fixed his gaze upon his open palm, forming and reforming a small gate of the same size.

Once everyone had been tested, Hathwin made his closing remarks.
"Thank you. I'll be sure to compile this data properly--I hope Hendricks can make proper use of it according to each of your strengths and weaknesses. Have yourselves a good weekend."

~~~~~​

After class had ended, Wenille and Eilinor walked out alongside Hiri as per usual. Cleff could be seen straying off in another direction, continuously opening and closing a small Lightning gate in his hand as directed. It wasn't a new compulsion by any means, but at least he was keeping it to a manageable size that time.

"Sooo, what do you say? It's about that time of the week! Tired of staring at books all day for the past week. I just need a good drink or two to forget about all that, sooo, let's go hit up Bragi Hall again tonight," suggested Wenille brightly. "Plus, I don't think that one crazy guy will be coming back there anymore. I promise I won't disappear on you like last time. This time, you're sticking with me! I'll just tell 'em that I'm not going upstairs if you aren't," added the other Wind Major firmly.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri felt an instant regret for her casual comment towards Cleff. She hadn't meant to come off as patronizing, but in her effort to give excuses for her own shortcomings, she had instead made him feel worse. She glanced toward the floor for the moment, after having summoned the lightning for him to see, and then, thinking quickly she tried to reassure him as best she could.

"Yes. You're a lightning major. Which means once you get the hang of it, and with some effort, you'll be better at lightning than I could ever be. It's just making sure you don't fry yourself on the way, yeah?"

That hadn't ended as smoothly as she would have preferred, but she saw that he was at least a little mollified, and she was more relieved still when he managed to produce a small ball of lightning with an open gate that wasn't shocking himself or anyone near him. She nodded at his thanks and then turned towards Professor Hathwin as he ended the lesson with an unlikely hope that Cendricks would use anything of his to teach them magic properly.

Leaving the classroom, Wenille soon caught up with Hiri and Eilinor and began discussing her proposal for the weekend. It occurred to the Talean that her talkative friend hadn't broached the topic of what happened last time in those upstairs room, and Hiri, suddenly reminded of a hole in her knowledge, sought to fill it immediately.

"Sure I don't mind, so long as Eilinor can come if she wants to. Bragi Hall would probably be the last place to find Trilbin and that's just fine with me if he's not there. Say... what did happen upstairs that last time? I let you go because you were so desperate to hang out with that crush of yours. Did he try anything - did you try anything?"

Hiri gave Wenille a smirking, mischievous sidelong glance and poked the green-haired girl with an elbow. She'd recalled that Wenille had been tipsy when she'd left her alone last time, so the girl's courage on that night was not in question, though her judgement maybe less so.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

"Trilbin... the guy who got dragged out of the last party, right? Why, has he been stalking you or something? Eugh... creepy," commented Wenille, who was then all too happy to change the topic to her adventures that night.

"Hehe, maaaaaaaaaaaaaybe~? Wouldn't you like to know," she teased, before continuing anyway, in a volume just short of a whisper. "He did, but I definitely wasn't gonna say no to THAT, y'know? But Galseth was most definitely a gentleman about it... I'd say we are pretty much official at this point. Afterwards, I even got acquainted with most of the others in the inner circle that organize the hangouts. In with the elite noble crowd, score! 'Cause from there... you're practically guaranteed a good place after graduation. No scrounging around for nobles to suck up to later on, or worse, doing mercenary or personal mage work. Better to have friends that you can look upon as equals, and then getting the good references from there, right? And heck... if you get in good with them, expanding your father's business network will be a breeze! I mean, if you plan to take over, but even if you don't, that's still some points with Dad, isn't it? Ooh, ooh. Also, I got a pretty snazzy necklace from Arianne and company, see?"

She tucked her hand beneath her collar to draw out a pendant between her fingers, a beautiful silver filigree diamond design with a glowing purple laying at its core. It seemed like a focus crystal fashioned into jewelry, although Hiri could feel a faint power emanating from it... one that made her feel oddly pleasant, like the way a whiff of a great perfume might do for her sense of smell, except this one affected her sense of touch in some strange, mental sort of fashion.

"It's supposed to be able to help amplify my spells and stuff," said Wenille, "but it's also just really pretty looking, a sort of membership token of the elites of the Academy." She then tucked it away, leaving Hiri feeling oddly empty and wanting of its visual presence.

"And besides," she added, "they're a lot less ahm, weird than some people in our class, y'know?"

Eilinor's mouth crinkled, as if in direct response to Wenille's comment. Noticing this, however, the other Wind Major shook her head and went on, targeting another individual in particular to assure the Fire Major that it probably wasn't her. "I mean SPEAKING OF, what did you tell that Cleff guy? He's always getting into fights and stuff, so I hope he wasn't trying to drag you into any of his angry brute business."

Once they had reached the vicinity of Eilinor's dorm, the more quiet of the trio decided to take her leave and break off from the group. "I'll be going now..." said the Fire Major, giving a half-hearted wave to Hiri and Wenille before shuffling into the building.

"So," said Wenille. "Let's get changed real quick, and then meet over at... that little artsy monument thing over there?" suggested the girl, pointing to a stone structure nearby that was halfway between a monolith and a cross. "I might wear the same dress as last time. Was thinking it might be a little poor of me, but at the same time, why let such a lovely garment go unworn, right? Ehehe."

~Bragi Hall (Boys' Dormitory) First Floor Lounge~​

Whichever set of clothing Hiri decided to wear for that time around, she would be at Bragi Hall before long. The setup was similar, save for that the haughty Edelia was nowhere to be found, nor were Harlin and Arbis, who had walked her home the other week. However, Tria, Anwen and Frey were there, as was Galseth, Arianne, Brenn, Rancent, Mirto and Davend. Wenille immediately gravitated towards Galseth, who didn't hesitate to wrap an arm around her shoulder, but she made sure to include Hiri in the group. They welcomed her with nods and smiles.

"Oh, it's quite nice to see you again, Hiri," said Arianne. "I trust you survived the week? Fufu."

"Something like that," said Wenille. "We didn't have to deal with Cendricks today, at least!"

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri's eyes widened and her jaw hung down as Wenille spilled the gossip.

"Weniiiiille!" Hiri exclaimed putting her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Seriously? You and Galseth? An item? And you went all the way? Really!? Oh wow, wow.... Was it good? I mean, was he... you know, gentle? Or..."

Hiri trailed off, her cheeks going slightly red. "Er, you don't have to answer that. Sorry! I'm being too nosy. It's just that he seems so cool and, I guess I'm really happy for you Wenille. I mean, you are happy about, right? He didn't pressure you or anything?"

Wenille's new necklace sparkled in the orange rays of the setting sun as she drew it out to show off to Hiri, who had never seen such a gorgeous piece of jewelry. The detail on it was magnificent, and more than that, it seemed to radiate with enchantment.

"Oh my! It's so beautiful! I can feel some sort of power from it. Definitely enchanted. Does it make you feel strange wearing it?"

When her friend tucked the trinket away it left Hiri feeling sad for some unknown reason. That sadness, it was an emptiness similar to the feeling of having finished a wonderful piece of candy and knowing that it was all gone and she couldn't have another. If that sort of feeling could be had just by seeing the necklace, she could only imagine what wearing one might feel like.

They walked on as Wenille started to gossip once again about other people, this time she managed to narrowly avoid insulting Eilinor and targeted Cleff, which Hiri had to admit was a tad unfair.

"Oh, he's not THAT bad. Cleff is just not really quick on getting things. Tries too hard. Typical boy behavior - wants to show he can do a huge lightning spark when he needs to figure out basic gate opening first. I just told him to take it slow, and I think it worked. With lightning at least, it's safer for us all if he learns some control."

She waved goodbye to Eilinor and expressed a little remorse that she couldn't hang out with her tonight, since she wanted to go to Bragi Hall, but promised to talk with her later, and that she was welcome to use Hiri's room if it was 'quieter.'

Then Hiri nodded to Wenille and said that if she was going to wear the same dress, then Hiri would too. It would be better if they both did it, so that if anyone got huffy about them not having an extensive closet of fine dresses, then they'd at least have each other to lean on. Hiri spent some time getting ready, doing everything in her power to look nice. Maybe Wenille had a point about hanging out with the elite group at the RMA. If they were open to having her with them, then that should be a good thing, right?

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hello Arianne. Yeah, we survived. And the lack of Cendricks actually made our weekend start on a high note. No one's been told what a horrible battle-mage they'll be one day."

Hiri smiled at Galseth when his arm went around Wenille. She didn't know exactly what to say to him, but she hoped that he was being good to her friend. He was an older boy and Wenille had been quite tipsy that night. Saying anything like that however would just ruin things for the other Wind Major, so she kept silent and hoped for the best.

She waved hello to the trio of girls, Tria, Anwen and Frey, and would be polite with the boys, Rancent, Mirto and Davend, though with them she felt uncertain, wondering if they were looking at her differently, knowing how Wenille had hooked up with Galseth last time.