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


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

"Butcher... a wild pig?" Harlin instinctively made a face at the example. "Definitely not my thing. Maybe if I wanted to be stuck as a servant, or a chef's assistant all my life, but Iiii'm just gonna stick with gate magic. I mean, handling swine intestines isn't something YOU care to do, is it?" he then asked, somewhat warily, as the point went completely over his head. In Talea, pigs were the primary source of good meat and all too often something roasted during a celebration or banquet. Everyone, girls included, would help prepare the meat, and the very presence of a pig over a spit was the sign of a great meal ahead.

At such an animated response regarding the viscera of farm animals, Arbis could only shake his head and shrug. He blinked a few times in response to Hiri's wink, only to nervously turn his face away afterwards. While not quite as blatantly ignorant as Harlin, the blonde proved much harder to read. The Talean girl could feel his gaze upon her on occasion, but he never did work up the courage to actually ask her to dance, especially seeing as she had already entertained Harlin a few times.

The green-haired lad was far too outgoing for his friend to get many words in edgewise, so it seemed, and proved the most comfortable in providing timely responses. "Above us is... yeah, more rooms. The same thing you have in your dormitories, for the most part." He would correct himself after a brief pause. "Uhh, not that I've been in the girls' dorms, mind you, but that's what I hear, that they were all constructed using the same blueprints, I mean...!"

He let out a nervous laugh. "Anyway! Let's head out. Arbis and I will keep you safe and warm tonight," he joked, leading Hiri outside into the cool night air. The taller of the two followed wordlessly after giving a slight shrug.

"Don't worry, we're not going to try anything erm, unsavory," Harlin would add.

Arbis could only raise a brow at the comment, but would choose not to add anything to it.

The walk back was not a particularly long nor eventful one. Other students could be seen doing the same thing, generally traveling in pairs or larger groups. As expected, Harlin did most of the talking.

"Well, overall it's a pretty safe campus. I'm not sure how it is in Talea, or whatever, but I hear that for the most part, as long as you're with someone, there isn't anything to worry about. We are on the inner ring of Elynsor's capital, after all, so you don't have to worry about homeless folk begging you for alms or random thugs looking to mug you or worse. There's good folk within these walls, and I really hope that the Academy keeps it that way."

When they arrived at Hiri's dorm, Athena Hall, the two boys stopped just outside the door. Arbis was the first to speak, for once. "Guess I'll head back now. See ya." He gave a wave of farewell to Hiri and Harlin before stuffing his hands in his pockets and padding off.

Harlin waited a few seconds for his cohort to get out of earshot. "Erm... guess he's still bummed out about that rejection of sorts. After all, looks like your friend might be getting lucky, maybe. Tends to be the case when people just head upstairs like that, in those kinda parties. Aaaanyway, guess I'll get going too. But if you ever wanna show me what the inside of the girls' dorm rooms look like, do let me know, won't you?" He grinned, as if to show that he was kidding, though it was difficult to tell at times with someone as flippant as him. "Hope you had a good time."
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri slowly swept the front of her upper teeth with her tongue as Harlin responded in a manner that showed he'd missed her point entirely. This didn't prevent him from making a judgemental statement about the enjoyment of pig butchery, which she confessed had always been a very fun pastime in her grandfather's kampung - a village center overlooking the port town, of which he was practically the governor-king by dint of his wealth. The kampung was the residence of Hiri's grandfather, grandmother, and six great-uncles and aunts, along with their children and grandchildren, and in some cases even great grand children. It was always alive with firelight from the torch poles, and in the center fire pit, there was usually an animal of some sort on a hand turned spit, where various family members would take turns in tending to it. The task of cleaning the organs of a wild boar was the traditional territory of the women, and Hiri had from a very young age lined up with her cousins in the flowery, colorful garbs of Talean design and taken a kidney or a heart or a string of pig intestine and washed and scrubbed and scraped the blobs of meat until they were ready for preparation. No part of the animal went to waste, and the offal were considered delicacies.

Her grandfather, a man respected and viewed like a king, would have the honor of coordinating all tasks, and he had loved to join the children, both the boys and the girls, and show them the proper techniques. He was a proud man in some sense, but never too proud to join his family and be a part of the social kitchen.

"Actually, where I come from, it's quite expected to be able to handle pig intestines," she told Harlin with a frown. "Even the richest of us know how to cook, because it's a family experience. Most of us don't have servants, but even when we do, it's considered important to lend a hand in the cooking. Do you find that strange?"

Hiri didn't know whether to be a little self-conscious or a little angry about this. These western nobles clearly had some strange ideas about what is and what is not done. It was difficult to understand for her.

Later on, as they were walking back to her dormitory, she again gave Harlin a quizzical look as he brought up the idea of 'doing something unsavory.' Was that really all that was on his mind? Her frown deepened and she decided to direct her gaze more to Arbis, or when he got too shy, she would instead look up at the stars. She decided that if anyone was going to do something to keep her warm, savory or otherwise, she'd prefer that it wasn't Harlin. He was just too immature. Her thoughts instead would drift towards the older boys she had met earlier tonight. She thought of the way Wenille had been so bold and so apparently successful with Galseth. Maybe if she were that direct, she could get one of the cute, strong ones to take an interest in her too. She thought of Rancent and Mirto. Perhaps she should have danced with either of them. Mirto was rather charming and Rancent had a nice, quiet quality about him, plus he knew ships.

She broke out of her reverie once they reached Athena Hall. Arbis had quickly made his good-bye and headed back in the direction of his dorm. It had happened so fast that he was already turned away and didn't see Hiri waiving him a good night. Harlin stuck around though, long enough to say one more thing that earned an eye roll from the half-Talean.

"Yeah... I'll let you know. Have a good night. Thanks for the dance lessons." She waved to him as well, and then entered the dorm, heading up to her room. "Don't hold your breath though," she muttered after the door had closed behind her.

***

That night, Hiri had trouble getting to sleep. She was distracted by nagging thoughts about Wenille. Was her friend actually getting lucky tonight? With the guy of her dreams no less? Had he taken her to his room and kissed her? Had he held her tightly by her waist? Had his hands gone up and down her back? Maybe lower? Had he pressed her body against his own? Had he leaned over her on the bed? Or had they gotten that far?

Hiri had truthfully not much to go on when it came to matters of the bedroom. She had heard stories from the sailors aboard her father's ship, but much of what they said had flown over her head. They had described wild and raucous parties, where drinking and overly friendly women had been plentiful. It was a far cry from the high society she and Wenille were a part of here at the RMA, but the tales they told of the bedroom. Of hands over the curves of women, of their mouths kissing a girl's body all over. Of their manhoods getting hard just by the sight of a girl they desired. She wondered how one might feel pressed up against her. What would Wenille do if Galseth showed her his? What would it look like?

For a time, Hiri imagined an idealized version of what might be going on between her friend and Galseth. Somewhere in the middle of this dream, Wenille had been replaced with Hiri, and Galseth had switched from himself to a nameless, sometimes faceless man. Occassionally the dream Hiri would look up to see Mirto. Sometimes Rancent. Then curiously enough, she would see Alahan. No matter who it was, she imagined the weight of a strong, powerful boy against her, holding her down firmly, yet gently. His lips kissing her all over. His tongue meeting her tongue... her neck... her nipples... and yes, maybe elsewhere.

Hiri's hand had at some point found its way between her thighs, and as her dream neared a fluttering conclusion, her body responded in kind. At length, she sighed and turned over, breathing heavily, her dream done. She found that though she was still awake, her body had unwound and some small weight had been lifted from it. She blushed at herself, and felt glad that she was in the safety and privacy of her own room. Hiri resolved to quiz Wenille mercilessly about what had happened once they met up at class. It might end up being far more mundane than it had turned out in her dream, but that wouldn't matter so much. For once, Hiri found herself somewhat in awe of what sort of experience her talkative friend might have had. About half an hour later, Hiri drifted off to sleep for real, with a smile on her face, looking forward to the next day.
 
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Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

"O-Oh, I see..." Harlin seemed to hesitate for once upon seeing the girl's frown. "Nono, not really STRANGE, or anything! I just forgot you weren't from around here, since your Elynsorian is so good," he would then add, trying his best to play it off. His newfound cautiousness wouldn't last for too long, however; five minutes seemed to be the longest time he would retain any kind of careful mood. After that, it was back to the same old Harlin. While Hiri had only known him for a few hours or so, it wasn't difficult to figure out some sort of pattern with the green-haired youth's behavior.

On the way back, Arbis would manage only an awkward grin in response to Hiri looking towards him, before averting his gaze rather prematurely. He didn't seem much for words... which, when compared to his talkative friend, might have been considered a blessing for the rather weary Hiri. To have two Harlins, both trying to talk her ear off, might have been a bit much.

Luckily, there was only one. As expected, he didn't miss a chance to get a few words in here and there even when it was down to just the two of them. "Not a problem~! I'll see you around. Don't dream of me too much tonight, or you'll be late for whatever it is you have planned tomorrow morning," he teased, limiting his molestations of Hiri to verbal ones. Of course, it wouldn't be him that the Talean beauty would go on to fantasize about that night.

For her, it would be someone decidedly more mature and handsome... a Mirto, or a Rancent. After all, compared to most of the students that Hiri had laid eyes upon during her first days in the Academy, those in Brenn and Arianne's circle of friends were easily the most attractive in a physical sense, and seemed well cultured in the social sense as well, enough so to avoid the awkward moments that Harlin ran into with her. With those boys, there was confidence but not cockiness, a certain sureness of themselves. It wouldn't be a surprise if it transferred over to their skills in romance.

While Hiri might not have been the most experienced of girls in a sexual sense, she did know what felt good for her, and how to at least bring herself to orgasm with the right kind of touch. It wasn't hard to imagine that at least one form of her imaginary, nameless lover could do the same... and so he did, with the exact kind of rhythm that she liked. With her satisfaction achieved, Hiri could finally find rest...

~~~~~​

The sleep that Hiri brought upon herself with her session of self-pleasuring proved so deep and satisfying, that by the time she finally opened her eyes, the sun was higher than she expected it to be. It was already long past early morning, headed into the afternoon--she was late!


Or so her first instinct would tell her, until she suddenly remembered that there was no class today at all, thanks to Wenille's reminder from the day before. Two whole days off. She could afford to relax... even sleep in, if she wanted.

The latter plan would have to wait, however, as a gentle rapping could be heard upon her door. Who could it be? Hiri had met quite a few people in the past few days, but perhaps not so many that she'd be getting visitors this quickly. On the other hand, it was the girls' dormitory, so that would probably rule out any of the males she met...

When she did get around to opening the door, she would indeed see a familiar face. Not that of Wenille's, who she was likely itching to talk to--but that of Eilinor's. She had a somewhat pitiful look, with dark rings under her eyes to show that while a good night's sleep had found Hiri, it certainly hadn't found the tormented Fire Major.

"Sorry... for bothering you on your day off. I just needed someone to um, talk to..." she began. The mousey one merely lingered in front of the door, perhaps too shy to invite herself in.
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

As soon as she heard the rapping on her door, Hiri rolled out of bed, needing the excuse to move about anyway.

"Coming. Just a moment," she said in a sing song voice.

After she had finished relaxing last night, Hiri had changed over to a fresh pair of underwear and a sleeping duster decorated in traditional floral patterns from her home island. It was a nice set of pajamas that also doubled as casual house clothes that she wouldn't be afraid to wear around the dorm or even in public - excepting of course the judgmental tastes of some Elynsoran students.

Stepping daintily across the cool floorboards, Hiri plucked her glasses from atop the dresser and then after settling them into place on the bridge of her nose, she opened the door to look in mild pleasure at seeing a familiar face. It was the quiet fire major, Eilinor.

"Hi there, you're not bothering me. Come on in." Hiri took a step back and waived Eilinor over to her bed, where she was invited to sit with her back against a pillow leaning against the wall. After closing the door, Hiri sat down on the bed, folding her legs crosswise within the duster bottom and then took the spare pillow and rested it on her lap. The tucking in of her lower limbs made the slightly tall islander girl shrink into something of a floral statuette repose as she eyed her guest.

"So what's up? Something on your mind, Eilinor?"
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri's relatively unique style of dress wouldn't attract any obvious negative judgments from her eccentric acquaintance; if anything, Eilinor was quick to overlook what she was wearing altogether. It seemed she had more immediate worries at hand. The girl's dark hair was frazzled, more than usual, and she glanced from side to side nervously before fixing her gaze upon the half-Talean's face. The hints of strain in her visage could be seen to fade, however, as Hiri extended her invitation for the Fire Major to come inside. It was one that Eilinor seemed all too glad to take, and she made a more confident step from the hallway into the other girl's dorm room once she was given approval to do so.

Heaving a sigh of relief, she scanned the area. While there were still a few crates about, she looked pleased nonetheless. "Oh... it's nice and quiet, in here. The real kind of quiet. I like the energy," remarked Eilinor, carefully removing her shoes before taking a seat upon the bed with her back against one of the pillows for support, just as her hostess had indicated. Already her features showed more ease, and the usual stiffness in her posture had dwindled significantly. "It wasn't anything really important... I just couldn't sleep at all last night thanks to the voices, I mean, all the others talking at once, and I figured it might be nice to converse with someone who's still uhm, you know... alive. Some hours they're a lot more lively--others they aren't. But I don't hear much of anything right now. Which is good," she went on to explain.

"I-I mean, they tend to leave me alone altogether when I'm... with you," Eilinor added, somewhat bashfully. A faint blush formed upon her cheeks. "But the visitors are most numerous around certain locations. Like one of the clubhouses used for meetings, and even one of the boys' dorms. I mean... I don't go there, but when I pass by, I can tell it's really bad. And some hallways in the school, too. The ones who are usually with me aren't that bad, even if they bicker sometimes--Thomand, Reiss, Lindia and Ronnas, to name a few..." She would go on for several more minutes about what Hiri might guess to be ghosts, with intermittent pauses. Whether the Talean girl simply chose to listen to her other stories, or steer the subject towards something else, was up to her. If she didn't choose to interrupt, she would find that the Fire Major was quite capable of rambling on about the various 'visitors' she had. On the other hand, this Eilinor was about as animated and expressive as Hiri had ever seen.
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri rested her chin on her hands and listened patiently to Eilinor's odd situation with voices. In Talea there were tales of cursed individuals who were haunted by the ghosts of traumatized souls that could not find rest. Ghosts were nearly always regarded as a bad thing in Hiri's culture, and she didn't feel completely comfortable with Eilinor making the case that there could be some restless spirits hovering around.

"Who exactly are these voices?" Hiri asked, it some marked hesitance in her voice. Certainly she felt concern for the fire major, but it definitely was an odd stituation. "And why don't they let you sleep?"

Hiri was happy at least about one thing. That these voices, or ghosts perhaps, were not manifesting when she was around. Maybe that meant she was charmed against them or something? Hiri didn't really know all the details about her people's superstition. That was usually something that Grandfather liked to profess great knowledge about - and her Uncle Tahn, who was younger by only a year than her own father. Grandfather and Uncle Tahn loved to tell stories, and it was from them that Hiri had learned about ghosts and other traditions of the isles. Her father told stories rarely - maybe he just wasn't very good at it, or preferred to let the more talkative members of her family have their way.

"If you really are having trouble sleeping, you're welcome to sleep in here on the floor or something," Hiri offered.
 
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Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

"They're different kinds of people," explained Eilinor, "and I've talked to them for... about as long as I can remember. I guess it's because they don't really sleep either. Maybe if it was just one or two, I could get them to stop long enough for me to relax a little, but there's just so many at any given..." The girl trailed off somewhat, pausing to look behind her. Apparently failing to see what she thought might have been there, she turned back to Hiri and continued. "Um, oh. Any given time, depending on where I am. Even my own room is kind of cluttered with them. Sorry, sometimes I'm just so used to hearing them that I'm not really used to it being so quiet. But it is nice here."

The offer that Hiri extended forward was far more generous than Eilinor expected. While the Fire Major seemed all too excited at first in light of the chance for momentary relief from her invisible tormentors, the initial wave of giddiness gave way to a hint of worry. "That's so kind of you! I mean... a-are you sure? I wouldn't want to bring anything bad here. Not that I have anything bad, but in some buildings there are..."

If the half-Talean cared to ease Eilinor's concerns, then they would fade a little faster, though worries seemed to be a big part of the strange girl's life. "I apologize for not going with you two out there in the city. Big crowds make me real uncomfortable. When I go to the practice range, I like it best when no one is there. But whenever Cendricks teaches, he has us perform one at a time, while everyone is watching, like you saw. It's just hard... harder than I can ever make myself ready for. And sometimes my visitors all try to give advice at once, but then it just gets distracting!" She sighed.

"As for their names, or who they are, I'm not even sure myself. But I have vague ideas. First there's Thomand. He's a real gentleman, to me at least. I think he might have been a knight of some sort. Then there's Reiss, he was a... um. Some kind of barkeep, maybe? Or maybe just a drunkard. He seems to know a lot about taverns. Lindia was a mage here at the Academy, as was Ronnas. I know I'm forgetting at least two others, but those are the ones that talk the most," she explained.

"For some reason I just feel so comfortable talking to you about this. I tried telling another girl once and she said it might be Voidic possession. I'm sure it's not though, since my own frequent visitors, the ones that can go anywhere with me, don't actually tell me to do anything bad or impure. They just... bicker sometimes. You know, like a family or group of friends would? I guess it's normal, since whenever I see other groups of friends interacting, they do the same thing. Joke with each other, laugh and talk. Even fight, but it passes. I... sometimes wonder what that's like," she said thoughtfully, talking to herself as much as Hiri. After remembering that she had a listener, she blushed a little. It was a very embarrassing admission, though perhaps not surprising to the one sitting beside her.

"But if it really is true, I'm afraid that some kind of priest will accuse me of having done something to deserve it. They say that Voidic possession is like a punishment of some kind to those who aren't pure in Erion's eyes. I've never even really touched a boy, though... I don't know. Maybe I already forgot what I did that was so bad."
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Eilinor's answers didn't necessarily calm Hiri's superstitious concerns, but at the same time, hearing that the spirits had normal sounding names and histories and were not apparently aggressive towards the fire major made Hiri a bit more accepting of them. They didn't sound like the demon spirits of her uncle's tales - the women dressed in red with blood dripping from their fingertips, or the spider children who lurked in the shadowed corners of the ceiling, waiting to bite young, living babes and curse them to a short life of misfortune and eventual transformation into a malicious undead spirit.

These western ghosts seemed incredibly tame by comparison. Annoying, perhaps, but even then it appeared there were quiet spots where they did not appear. Like Hiri's room.

The half-Talean wondered what was so special about her room, or even her presence, that made the ghosts shut up.

"It sounds like having so many visitors would be enough to drive someone insane. At least you seem to have learned to handle it well." Hiri offered, not certain of what one was supposed to say when a newly met friend confessed to having a bevy of unwelcome ghost groupies.

"If staying around here helps to keep things peaceful, then of course, you can bunk here. Believe it or not, I'm used to sleeping in cramped quarters and within earshot of other people sleeping. On sea and on land as well. I have fifteen first cousins, and we all slept in the same long room until I became a teenager. I didn't need spirits around to keep me awake. Someone was always talking or snoring."

Hiri went back to listening about Eilinor's worries and her problems with going out into crowds. Hiri would offer a nod of her head and some hums and grunts that signaled she was still listening intently. When it came to something like Voidic possession and the Church of Erion's views on those matters, she was at a complete loss. Her mother spoke of her faith sometimes, but didn't make a big deal about it because father's family had their own beliefs and the spiritualism of the islands was the religion that she had been brought up with. She did pray with her mother on occassion, giving thanks to the blessings of Erion as if he were a distant cousin to the gods she knew and that he would protect her as well because she was descended from her mother's people. At least, that was how her mother had explained it.

"I don't know much about Erion priests, but it sounds stupid to blame you for it. In Talea, those who have been cursed are usually victims from some supernatural spirit with evil intent. The spirits target the young especially, to feed off of stronger emotional energies. I don't say this to alarm you, I'm just saying, there are plenty of explanations where you're not to blame, so I wouldn't assume that was the case if I were you. Obviously, something has happened to you, and maybe you need help to release these spirits. But at least they don't seem to be harmful towards you. You can count your blessings about that."

Hiri hoped that Eilinor might be able to see the bright side of things, though after having spent years with the voices, it probably would come as small consolation.

"What have your parents said about these voices?" Hiri asked suddenly. She hadn't heard the fire major mention her family before.
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

"Insane..." Eilinor's gaze dropped at the word as she repeated it softly, more to herself than to Hiri. The very word itself seemed to bother her, though she chose not to dwell on it for long, carrying on casually as if starting the conversation anew. "You're right. Handling them is the best I can do, since I don't think they will be leaving me anytime soon. Though you being around is helping a great deal, so yes, that would be... ah, thank you."

The islander girl's explanation of her living situation back home was as surprising as it was comforting to Eilinor. "Fifteen--... cousins?! That's... quite a large amount. And with everyone sleeping in the same place? I couldn't imagine living under such conditions," remarked the Fire Major. "I don't mean... any offense by that. Though I do remember Reiss talking about all of his brothers and sisters, of which he seems to have quite a few. Even then, it's not as if you are poor, which he was. I was always under the impression that having so many relatives was often a trait of people from the countryside. *sigh* There's still so much about the world that I haven't learned," said the girl, a slight sense of wonder in her voice.

"I only have one cousin that I know of, and we don't keep in contact regularly at all. I do have a brother..." she started, hesitating to continue.

After another pause, she would ultimately surrender to the temptation to keep talking, as Hiri's openness proved all too encouraging. "He is training to become a knight, like my father, and seems to have inherited his skills as well," she continued, her expression souring by just a miniscule amount. "With me... not so much, of course, and so my parents sent me off to the Academy to get educated in what they called 'a useful trade'. But though I had no family background in magic, I somehow managed to learn it in my first month." Eilinor had never managed to sound so proud about the fact. "Ronnas and Lindia helped greatly in that regard, even if they didn't agree on all of the theories. My first gate was really one of my proudest moments, even if my family didn't get to see it."

"But I think it was actually even worse at home, with the loneliness... before I met some of my other visitors. My parents were always so busy, so I had little else to do other than deal with the few visitors wandering about our ancestral home. So I rather envy the way you seem to have been surrounded by so many people that I imagine cared for you." While her brighter tone faded by that time, she still managed a faint smile.

She listened carefully to Hiri's own take on the matter. "I suppose I should be thankful for as much... Reiss is the most negative, but Thomand and the others aren't so bad... most of the time. Depending on where I go, though, there are really bad ones hanging around. Sometimes they're even attached to people, as you say. Though not just the young ones. Even older people are... 'haunted' by visitors, sometimes positive in their presence, sometimes very negative. The feeling given off by the less pleasant ones is often unbearable."

At the question of her parents and how they saw such an affliction, her shoulders drooped. "My father always said that I only experienced such things because of my unwillingness to talk to other people. Even though most of the people he introduced me to were haunted by really disturbing visitors, and that was part of why I shied away from them. My mother... well, she told me that I would stop hearing the voices of the spirits soon enough. She always seemed hesitant to talk to me about it, and every time I tried to mention something that a visitor said, she would assure me that it wasn't a huge concern--even if the visitor was speaking loudly or very urgently at the time. Reiss always cursed at her, too."

She went quiet afterwards, perhaps out of surprise that she had even managed to share so much. When she did finally speak again, it was on an entirely different matter.

"I just remembered, my books were... I'm not sure who did it, but I think they were stolen the other day," she explained with a sigh. "I don't think I forgot them, but they aren't in my desk, my bag, nor my locker. I still need to replace them. So, would you... mind going to the bookstore with me?"
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Eilinor's story wove itself together strand by strand, slowly forming a mental tapestry of her family life, her personal struggles, and like most people, it was what she left unsaid that had the most impact. Hiri pictured the normally shy girl as someone living in the shadow of a talented sibling; someone who longed to be the apple of her father's eye, but unable to connect with him. Her mother, who it seemed might have more patience and understanding about Eilinor's condition, appeared unwilling to talk about it.

As for the condition itself, Hiri thought it was all rather unsettling, though worthy of investigation. At the very least, Eilinor did not sound insane. Her visions were vivid, the memories and description orderly and following a logical course of cause and effect. Even if these visitors turned out to not be real, they were most certainly real to Eilinor, but not in a way that made her unpleasant to be around.

She met Eilinor's request to go to the bookstore with a cheerful alacrity that defied the fire major's gloomy past and celebrated her stalwart advance into talkativeness.

"Sure! Let's got the bookstore. And maybe afterwards we can get something to eat. Just let me get changed."

Hiri bounced her way off the bed and let her flowery duster slip off and pool down at her ankles as she stood at the edge of her closet, topless and deep in consideration of whether to dress in her preferred, boy-style sailor outfit or in something more appropriate for an academy girl. She sighed and thought better of things, taking her RMA clothes off the hanger, slipping on a bra and skirt before finishing with the uniform top and green mantle. The thigh highs and soft slippers followed before she re-adjusted her spectacles and checked her hair in the mirror, using a coral hair clip that was a gift from her mother to fix her ponytail in place.

"Right, that's me ready. So... new books. Shame you're not a 'windy' like me, or I'd let you borrow mine. If we find out who stole yours, we should definitely make them pay back the replacement cost."

She held the door open for Eilinor and then strolled alongside her as they walked out into the academy quadrant.
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri's cheerful response brought visible ease to the mousey Fire Major's expression. Here she had found a friend, someone willing to actually spend time with her in spite of her visitors and her less than exciting past, and she couldn't help but to be a little excited about it. Eilinor couldn't help but to show a budding smile, looking up to the Talean girl--only to find her topless as she pondered her various clothing options for the trip ahead. Respectfully averting her eyes, she returned to twiddling her thumbs nervously, still unable to shed the giddy look upon her face.

Once the 'windy' announced herself ready, Eilinor would look up with a nod. She spent noticeably less time on herself, if any, and while she wasn't a particularly unattractive girl, the Fire Major hadn't taken care of herself quite as well as Hiri or Wenille. Her hair was straight and less frazzled than Professor Averill's, but she still had noticeable dark rings under her eyes, little in the way of cosmetics to cover them up, and nothing in the way of fashionable or cute accessories that Academy girls often enjoyed wearing. She would look rather plain next to Wenille, let alone someone like Arianne or Edelia, so it was no wonder she wasn't invited to these same parties. Still, it didn't mean that Hiri couldn't spend some quality time with her, and she looked all too glad for the fact.

"Finding who took them? I haven't the slightest clue of who would," responded Eilinor. "Maybe a Fire Major, or someone with a Fire Major friend... but I'd have no idea where to start. But it's not as if I spend my money terribly often, so this really isn't a big deal," she would then add.

With that, the two of them headed to the bookstore. It was one of the few shops within the boundaries of the Academy proper, and thus not a terribly long walk from the dorms. Within the large, two-story structure were rows upon rows of shelves, full of books and related supplies for studious aspiring mages. Not cheap by any means, but necessary. While crystals and other accessories could be purchased at many places outside the gates, the specific texts were only available at this particular shop.

"That will be 450 gold," pronounced the cashier, a cheerful-looking fellow. Eilinor produced the necessary currency with a slight sigh, placing it on the counter for the employee to take and count out, then quietly took her books. It was a short and direct transaction, as the girl didn't seem keen on making small talk with those in the store and knew exactly where to find what she needed, even amongst the countless rows of shelves. Had a similar incident with her books happened before?

"Oh, hello Eilinor," came a feminine voice from the right. A look in that direction would show Hiri its source, a girl about her height with shoulder-length brown hair, pale skin, and the faintest trace of a polite smile. She was clad in the garb of a Water Major. "Buying books? Again?"

"Yes," responded the Fire Major quietly. "Someone stole mine... again."

"Mm, that's a shame. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for you," replied the girl who had yet to be named. It seemed she would stay that way for Hiri, as any introductions from her were omitted. "See you around," was all she said, giving the Talean little more than a glance before heading off towards another part of the store.

After the two exited the shop, Eilinor would nod, clutching her books tightly to her chest despite the fact that her bag was ready to do the job of holding them. "Okay, finished. Thank you," said the fire specialist. "You said you wanted to eat? There are a few restaurants close to here... as long as we stay in the inner circle, we should be fine."
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri maintained a scrutinizing silence as Eilinor went about the business of purchasing new books. Hiri had only ever been in this bookstore once, briefly with her mother to select the starting books for her courses. It was an impressive little shop, but the money spent on books was staggering to her mind. Even coming from a wealthy family who could afford it, she thought back to the prices of books in distant ports and the comparison was like night and day.

"Are you sure you can afford this? It's happened more than once?" She asked her two questions in quick succession. "Don't you think it's something more than bad luck if it happens more than once?"

Whatever the answer she got, Hiri didn't want to spoil Eilinor's mood too much, having been pleased to see her grinning at the time they left the dormitory. So she allowed the transition to the topic of food.

"What sort of food does the inner circle have? Do they get much from the docks? Fish? Rice? Spices?" Hiri was in the mood for finding something resembling her idea of home cooking. She had half a mind to explore the outer circle and go get some cooking ingredients from a local market. She had doubts that she could convince Eilinor to make that kind of trip with her though, so she pocketed the idea for another time.

"Or maybe, do you have a favorite place to eat?" she asked the Fire Major.
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

"Yes," replied Eilinor. "It's not as if I have anything else to spend it on. To be honest, I haven't even had an excuse to leave the campus grounds up until now," the girl would go on to explain. "Bad luck? I don't know. It's hard to say. It can't be Thomand or Lindia, even though they never see the culprits. It could be just about anyone else with a physical form. Most of them wear false faces around me--except for you, of course--and so it's difficult to pinpoint exactly who does it. Though maybe I shouldn't trust my locker so often..."

It wouldn't take too long for Hiri to push towards a less depressing subject. The fire mage broke her chain of internal thoughts to answer the new questions posed to her.

"Food? Ahm... yes. For fish, we get all kinds, though I don't really know the names of all of them. You'd have to take a look for yourself. Same with the rice. I think most of those grains are imported from overseas or transported from the south. I've heard it's much cheaper in the outer circle if you know where to look, but I'm really not the person to ask about that. And I hear it isn't quite as safe out there, so I never bother going... not that I even spend much time off campus. Too many things for me to handle at once."

"But there is a place I go to sometimes for eating out, not far from the academy," she added quietly. "It has... lots of different kinds of bread. Would you want to go with me?" asked the dark-haired girl, as if her newest friend was in any position to refuse.


She was right--the two didn't need to walk very far at all after leaving the gates, as Eilinor stopped at a restaurant located less than two blocks away. As she had said, there were numerous kinds of fancy breads displayed in the window, and the smell of freshly baked loaves wafted from within. The sign above read "Liranie Softbreads" in masterfully done lettering. It looked like a fairly casual yet tidy place within, and so it wasn't difficult for Hiri to guess that Eilinor really did like the food here, as opposed to simply preferring it for being within a safe and cozy distance.

Inside, there were even more choices. Various breads with different flavors ranging anywhere from sweet to savory were on display; some were topped with finely shredded cheese, others filled with cream, jam or chocolate, and a few were even stuffed with meat or sausage. Nowhere in Talea could Hiri find such an amazing assortment of bread! While rice was the staple grain in the islands, the shop made it evident what Elynsorians preferred with their meals. Here, it could qualify as a standalone meal in itself.

Eilinor went for a selection of small sausages wrapped in glossy dough, along with a small meat pie to go with her simple choice of spiced water as a beverage. The place wasn't too busy despite the wonderful smells that were no doubt pouring into the street, and so the girls had many tables to choose from. There were other Academy students there, although the half-Talean wouldn't recognize any of them--except for one. It was Trilbin, and he had apparently spotted her before she had the chance to do the same for him.

"Hey, Hiri," he greeted, following up by giving a glance to Eilinor. "Out with your girl friend? Can't say I recognize her... but I guess I can accept that. I knew you had better taste than to go for those jerks at Bragi Hall," added the lad, pausing as if to be blessed with some sort of passionate expression of agreement.
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri let the comments about false faces and trust in lockers slide. She didn't know how to respond appropriately, and thought it best to abide with silence and ponder the situation and her companion out in good time. It would not hurt Eilinor to come to her own conclusions about herself and her actions through simply airing her feelings on the matter to someone. Hiri thought it best if she remained a sounding board for the moment. Her mother and father both had always stressed the value of being a good listener, and her grandfather and uncle had made the virtue come naturally by dint of being good tale weavers. Now at least the skill was coming into its own by helping her friend in a time of need.

The broaching of food as a new topic was always a good course to follow any serious or depressing talk, as it was an avenue of respite for all folks with a pulse and a desire to live. Hiri, despite her slim features and small stomach, had an appreciation for all things tasty, and counted herself adventurous enough to go and have a taste of the local cuisine.

"Lots of different breads? I never thought there would be much variety to something like that. Of course, I'll go with you!"

They arrived at the casual but tidy bakery and patisserie, whereupon Hiri learned at a glance that these western races had truly pushed the boat out and explored the possibilities of bread flavors. Hiri followed suit with her friend, purchasing a small sausage pie that was enough to satisfy her appetite without leaving her feeling heavy. Outside of village feast days, Hiri was fairly rigid about not over eating - a habit she had picked up from routine rationing during oversea voyages.

Her meal was almost half finished when the peace of the moment was ruptured by the appearance of Tribiln, who invited himself to her table unbidden.

"You can accept that?" Hiri mouthed, still trying to get her mind around Trilbin's odd comment on Eilinor's presence, but his followup statement ended up irking her more, and she took the pause in his speech to offer a curt response.

"I don't know what it is with you and those guys, but leave me out of it, okay? I'm not picking sides and to tell you the truth, they were nice to me. I don't think they're jerks."
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri's response did just enough to visibly fluster Trilbin, who proved far less adept than the girl at hiding his irritation. He took a deep breath, only to blurt out a partially cultivated response. "Well, you're wrong about them. It's better that you find the truth about those guys now rather than later."

On the other side of the table, Eilinor suddenly stopped chewing on the latest bite of her meat pie, her expression quirking as if she had discovered something bitter in it. But whatever she did bite into, she ended up swallowing it instead of spitting it back out, only to maintain her silence the whole time. It didn't take much for the Wind Major to know that it wasn't necessarily the food that was bothering her friend.

"I've been around this Academy since the beginning of the year, so I'm just looking out for you," Trilbin went on to explain. "Some people are just rotten on the inside, and I'd hate to see you victimized by those types," he added in a concerned tone.

Meanwhile, Eilinor went on chewing her food quietly. Trilbin gave her another glance before turning his attention back to Hiri. "Anyway, I'll leave you two at it. Just think about what I said, alright?" With that, he gave a polite, if somewhat dramatic, nod of his head before strolling out of the shop.

The dark-haired girl's body language only loosened after he was gone from sight. But she would remain quiet, focusing only on finishing her meal, unless Hiri were to make a comment. After an extended bout of silence, Eilinor would finally manage a remark. "I don't know him... but Lindia says he tries too hard."

Eilinor would wipe her mouth only after cleaning every last crumb on her plate. Then, she'd wait for Hiri to finish. When it was time to leave, she managed a smile as she stood up slowly. "Thanks... for coming with me. It was nice. I'm glad that you didn't find me too strange."

It was rather abrupt; after all, there was still some time in the day. But the Fire Major seemed convinced that it would be the end of their little outing for the time being, and soon made her way back with her newest friend, unless Hiri thought to steer her elsewhere.
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri felt embarrassed that Trilbin was acting like this so loudly in front of people in the shop. She wished he would take his voice and dramatics down a level for once, and worried when she looked over and saw the disturbed and awkward silence come over Eilinor during Trilbin's excited response.

At least this time Hiri could credit the boy with being honest with his feelings.

A part of her wanted to be honest right back to him as well. She wanted to tell him that yes, she appreciated his concern, for what it was worth. And if he'd been a friend, rather than the barest of acquaintances, she'd probably take his advice to heart. But he WASN'T her friend. He'd neatly skipped that step in his mind, and was now expecting her to believe him over the others purely on his hearsay, without evidence or proof, other than his own deluded, self-created problems with them, punctuated by his coward's punch that had rightfully backfired on him. She wanted to say this and more. She wanted to say that she could look out for herself, thank you very much, and to please refrain from interrupting her lunch with her friends in the future. And furthermore, she thought that all those boys that he hated so much were hotter than he could ever be, and he should take that up on his high horse and gallop on!

But Hiri said nothing. She couldn't. By the time all of that dialogue had gathered itself in her head, Trilbin had made his ridiculous bow and was marching off to his next misadventure. The moment had well and truly passed. So lacking a timely retort, she simply crossed her arms on the table in front of her and buried her face in them before launching into an aggravated groan.

Eilinor's remark made Hiri chuckle darkly.

"I think Lindia's right. Ugh. I'm sorry you had to sit through that Eilinor. I had hoped we'd have a peaceful lunch."

Hiri ate the rest of her meal alongside the fire major, likewise cleaning her plate. When they both rose to leave, she smiled at her new friend as she cleaned her spectacles on the hem of her skirt.

"No it was great. I'm glad you showed me this bread place. I'll come back here again for sure. And hey, even if you are strange..." Hiri placed her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose and brushed her long ponytail back into place.

"It's a strange I'm okay with. I'm fairly certain there'll be things you find strange about me too. But friends don't mind the strangeness. Besides, you're a thousand times better than Trilbin."

She walked back to the dormitory with Eilinor, content that the girl wanted to go back and not feeling that it was her place to push Eilinor into other activities. The fire major was a shy girl, and it didn't make sense to push her so quickly into a different lifestyle.

Hiri invited Eilinor to bring a mattress inside her own room, making good on her agreement that the girl could stay over until her condition mellowed out. Hiri was in the mood to go find Wenille while the afternoon was still young. She did want to know how her other friend had got on that night at the party, after they'd been separated.
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Eilinor allowed a slight giggle to escape as she covered her mouth. "Hehe... I almost can't tell whether that's a compliment or not. But a thousand is a lot, so I hope this is a good thing." She then paused for a second, as if hearing someone's quip, but managed to shake it off for the time being, continuing on her merry way just beside Hiri. The girl's tendency to steer back towards the Academy showed, and the two of them soon headed through the familiar gates once again, returning to the relative safety of the campus... not that the streets they were just on provided anything to worry about, outside of the momentary visit from the half-Talean's new stalker of sorts.

However, once they returned to the area where the dorms were, Eilinor began to look a little restless, and hesitated when it was about time for them to part. "Ah... well," she started, her gaze shifting downwards. "Are you, doing anything else today?" the girl finally blurted out after another moment of silence. For whatever reason, she didn't appear to want to be alone now despite her bee-line straight back to the Academy, and Hiri could easily tell as much.

And if she agreed, heading on to Wenille's dorm room afterwards, Eilinor wouldn't hesitate to follow this time around.

~~~~~​

When Hiri arrived, knocking on the door and prompting it to swing open a few seconds later, she would find that the atmosphere wasn't one of privacy, where the two Wind Majors could chat about the other night's events. As Wenille swung the door open, the scent of incense wafted out from within her chamber, and candles were lit all around. For a moment, it seemed as though Hiri could have been interrupting something potentially romantic or somesuch... but given her friend's reaction, it was apparently nothing of the sort, though she could hear whispers from within, hinting the presence of others.

"Oh, hiya Hiri!" greeted the green-haired girl with a smile. "Get much sleep last night? Hehe... I know I didn't," she added with a soft giggle. "But it's the weekend, so who cares! Come on in," urged Wenille, stepping aside so as to make way for her latest guests. Her eyes blinked twice in surprise upon catching Eilinor's presence just behind the more outgoing girl, but she wasn't about to exclude the eccentric Fire Major.

The interior of Wenille's dorm room was fabulously decorated. Perhaps not as elaborately as some of the homes of important folk that Hiri had visited in Talea, but compared to her own room, which was still a work-in-progress with all of the crates that still needed to be unpacked, the chamber in which she found herself put forth a startling level of contrast nonetheless. As Hiri looked back at Eilinor, who could only crinkle her mouth, she would see a full body-sized mirror with a silver filigree frame hung up on the back of the front door. There was another large, oval mirror in the main room itself, with similar motifs adorning its edges, and Wenille's bedframe appeared to match. She seemed to have a preference for the leafy designs, as they matched even the large decorative rug that took up the majority of the square floor, covering the plain wooden planks that made up every room's floor in its bare state. However, even her sense for decor couldn't cover every trace of the room being what it was--an Academy dorm room--and the slightly cramped feel of it reminded Hiri of as much.

Even with the space concerns, it didn't help that there were already three other girls in the room, sitting in a circle upon the large rug. Hiri recognized them as Tria, Anwen and Frey, the three girls she had run into at the party just the other night. Tria looked over and waved, putting forth an infectious grin, while Anwen gave a more subdued, yet polite smile with a nod. Frey perked up and allowed her gaze to hover upon Hiri with obviously interest for only a moment longer than what might have been considered normal.

In the center of their 'circle' was a wooden board, on which sat an arrangement of runed stones and small figures sculpted from various materials.
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

"Oh. It was meant to be a complement. Sorry if I said it wrong. I just meant that he wouldn't be as enjoyable to your company, even if he had a thousand times to get it right." Hiri adjusted her glasses and put a hand on her hip, realizing she was getting tongue tied.

"Oh... that's a bit mean of me too. Okay, we'll say that I find you pleasant to hang out with and leave it at that! Right? Right. On we go."

When they got back to the dormitory, Hiri was semi surprised to find that Eilinor didn't want to go off by herself anymore and shrugged indifferently to the question about what she planned to do for the rest of the day.

"I was thinking of heading over to Wenille's room. I'm sure she wouldn't mind one extra."

~~~

The wind and fire major would find a small gathering of friends inside Wenille's room, and the Talean would wave to the familiar faces. She raised a brow at Wenille when she talked about not getting much sleep.

"I'm guessing you're going to be full of details about that, aren't you? Obviously I'm not getting in trouble for keeping you from acting on your drunken inhibitions?"

Hiri stepped into the room, waved a hello to Tria, Anwen, and Frey, before looking about for a free space to sit. Finding none, she simply adjusted her skirt and knelt next to the odd wooden table and runes on the floor.

"I think your dorm room needs an extension, Wenille. Maybe with all of our majors combined, we could burn down that far wall, sweep it away with some wind, and use some water and earth to make a mud n' clay room about 50 feet that-a-way."

Hiri pointed beyond the assembled girls to emphasize her point, and hoped that it would at least get a chuckle out of some of the group. Otherwise she'd have to deal with awkward silence.

Regardless of how it was taken, she'd change the subject to the rune board.

"Okay, obvious question time. What is all of this?"
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Wenille put forth a devious grin. "Hehe, maaaaaaaybe. The details might have to wait until later though! And no, but I'm not gonna be the only one to have all the fun next time. I guess there's a pretty exclusive afterparty--and thanks to Galseth, I got in! But don't worry, I'll be sure to put in a good word for you. Anyway, don't just linger there in the hall, you two."

While it wasn't difficult for Hiri to earn smiles and nods of approval from the three girls, they looked somewhat surprised to see Eilinor trailing behind her. Still, despite the tinge of awkwardness that the Talean picked up on, there were no outright protests against the less popular girl's presence.

The trio giggled at Hiri's quip. "I'd love that, but I don't think the next person over would appreciate it," joked Tria.

"You overestimate our abilities," added Anwen. "Especially Frey's. I think you'd end up having to pull most of the weight--I hear you're an excellent wind mage."

"Oh, shut it," muttered Frey.

"I know, I know, it's a tight fit," said Wenille. "I'd love to have them extend it for me, but you know how it is around here. Still, it's enough space to play Tharrow. Oh yeah, speaking of which, that's this game right here. Each person is a noble with their own staff, like these little figures here. Basically you take turns casting runes and making moves on the board, but you can also make temporary alliances with other players. Still, there can only be one winner in the end, so..."

"It's a pretty backstabby game," Frey blurted out.

"I'd like to think of it as an exercise in social finesse, tactics, and thinking outside of the box," remarked Anwen.

"Yeaaah... maybe a bit of both, right?! But we HAVE been playing this game for the past like, two hours or something. Why not change it up?" suggested Tria. "Here, I brought something pretty neato from my late grandmother's stuff."

The girl reached over beside her, grabbing a small chest and opening it. Inside was a mat, with numerous letters, and a distinctly shaped flat stone with a circle in the center. "Basically all of us place our hands on it, and if there are any... y'know, spirits in the room, they can communicate with us through the board! Someone has to stand by and write it down, though."

"Oh geez," said Wenille. "Isn't that kinda like, creepy?"

"Well, I dunno. Maybe if you're really that scared. Aren't you interested in finding out what kinda ghost is watching you change in this room? Hehe."

Wenille huffed. "Wow, you're way more of a perv than you look, Tria! Okay, well, I don't know. Hiri and Eilinor just got here, after all. What do you think, Hiri?"

Eilinor could only stare at the set with wide eyes, though whether or not this was due to interest or fear was still difficult for Hiri to decipher.
 
Re: Thought is the Wind, Knowledge the Sail (BlueSlime) GMed by Takimaru

Hiri joined in Anwen's mirth after she teased Frey.

"Hahaha, oh, I don't know about excellent. But if you can consider not completely messing up a second layer casting to be excellent, then I'll not argue."

Her eyes looked keenly down to the Tharrow board, trying to follow along with the basic description and surmise the basic gameplay. She didn't consider herself a deceitful person by nature, but this could be a fun game. She wondered who had been winning.

"You'll have to teach me to play it sometime," Hiri said to Tria, just before the girl took out her late grandmother's game and started to explain it. As soon as communicating with spirits was mentioned, Hiri took a deliberate glance over at Eilinor, having a bad feeling about how the girl would take it. In fact, she mouthed a question to the fire major, trying to see if she was okay with it.

If Eilinor made some sort of signal that she was okay with it, or interested in finding out if the spirits hanging around her constantly would talk with everyone else, then Hiri would consent to trying Tria's game out.

However, if she could get nothing out of Eilinor, or it seemed that the Fire Major was on the verge of bolting, Hiri would intervene.

"A-actually, I wouldn't feel very comfortable doing that," Hiri said. "It's bad luck for the living to communicate with the dead - most Taleans believe so anyway, and I've heard too many stories from my grandfather and uncle to want to take the chance. If you're going to do that, then I'll just have to go."

Hiri was a bit superstitious about such things, but what she said was designed to be for Eilinor's benefit. Already, the fire major was considered an outsider. Maybe passing off some unfamiliar cultural taboo as an acceptable reason for avoiding the game would take away any negative attention from the quieter girl.
 
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