Mana Academy (IC) (Open, Fantasy)

[Luminesa]

Exam Prep Time - 1 week until Quarterly Exam

Classes ended at their normal time that day, and with the end of the day came the beginning of the study-period for exams. Everyone would have to work to make sure they knew their skills, and who they would be working with for the practical exams. Urgency was in the air for most of the students, and everyone had plenty of work to do.

Soleil could not decide whether he wanted to go to the library or not. He wanted to do more physical exercises with Oliver, but he would have to find his room to do so. Deciding he would take his chances and try to find Oliver before nightfall, he walked around campus and looked for his room in the dorms. He certainly felt good being able to walk freely, without any back pain and without his magic being inhibited by internal damage. This meant that maybe, just maybe, he could develop his physical skills in time for the exam. Eventually, he found Oliver's room, and he knocked on his door. Oliver had stated before that he generally stayed in his room unless bothered, though Soleil hoped that asking to train with him would not constitute "bothering".

"...H-Hi...Oliver?...I-It's me, Soleil...I-I wanted to come study with you...W-Would you...like to maybe train with me more, before sundown?...A-And...I could...maybe help you with...with...um...controlling the Mana in your arm?...Wh-What do you think?...O-Or if not, you could...teach me how to play video games with you...or I could go away..." He got redder and redder with each word he spoke, and he felt as though he would do better to shrink away and to find Shaun.

Though Shaun was about to have some trouble of his own. A certain vampire-girl had healed to the point where she was able to frolick the campus, and she had decided that the first thing she would do is find a "study-partner". Carrying a load of books in her purse, she headed for Shaun's room, with the intention to camp-out there. Thus, when she reached the door, Ambrosia knocked loudly and yelled, "Helloooooo! Are you in your room, Shauuuuuun? I wanna study with you!"

[Serah]

Exam Prep Time - 1 week until Quarterly Exam

Classes ended at their normal time that day, and with the end of the day came the beginning of the study-period for exams. Everyone would have to work to make sure they knew their skills, and who they would be working with for the practical exams. Urgency was in the air for most of the students, and everyone had plenty of work to do.

Soleil could not decide whether he wanted to go to the library or not. He wanted to do more physical exercises with Oliver, but he would have to find his room to do so. Deciding he would take his chances and try to find Oliver before nightfall, he walked around campus and looked for his room in the dorms. He certainly felt good being able to walk freely, without any back pain and without his magic being inhibited by internal damage. This meant that maybe, just maybe, he could develop his physical skills in time for the exam. Eventually, he found Oliver's room, and he knocked on his door. Oliver had stated before that he generally stayed in his room unless bothered, though Soleil hoped that asking to train with him would not constitute "bothering".

"...H-Hi...Oliver?...I-It's me, Soleil...I-I wanted to come study with you...W-Would you...like to maybe train with me more, before sundown?...A-And...I could...maybe help you with...with...um...controlling the Mana in your arm?...Wh-What do you think?...O-Or if not, you could...teach me how to play video games with you...or I could go away..." He got redder and redder with each word he spoke, and he felt as though he would do better to shrink away and to find Shaun.

Though Shaun was about to have some trouble of his own. A certain vampire-girl had healed to the point where she was able to frolick the campus, and she had decided that the first thing she would do is find a "study-partner". Carrying a load of books in her purse, she headed for Shaun's room, with the intention to camp-out there. Thus, when she reached the door, Ambrosia knocked loudly and yelled, "Helloooooo! Are you in your room, Shauuuuuun? I wanna study with you!"

As Soleil started to speak, Oliver opened the door with a gust of wind.
It was one of the many elaborate tricks he had developed to avoid getting up when in a really stressful situation in a game.
It didn't need much concentration, nor energy and was incredibly useful when Begnion needed to go out.

Now it was simply a reflex.

"Oi." Oliver said initially, standing up from his chair, on his screen could be seen the map of a galaxy in the shape of an eight, with various spheres of differing colors and sizes covering vast amounts of space.
along with that, there were some wireframes of spaceships. However, the screen was focused on one planet, one called Teos, renamed from the looks of it.

"Training? Guess I could go for it. Could go for games as well, but it wouldn't really be a good idea considering the exams are coming up.
Come on, let's go. Where do you want to train?"

[Luminesa]

Exam Prep Time - 1 week until Quarterly Exam

Classes ended at their normal time that day, and with the end of the day came the beginning of the study-period for exams. Everyone would have to work to make sure they knew their skills, and who they would be working with for the practical exams. Urgency was in the air for most of the students, and everyone had plenty of work to do.

Soleil could not decide whether he wanted to go to the library or not. He wanted to do more physical exercises with Oliver, but he would have to find his room to do so. Deciding he would take his chances and try to find Oliver before nightfall, he walked around campus and looked for his room in the dorms. He certainly felt good being able to walk freely, without any back pain and without his magic being inhibited by internal damage. This meant that maybe, just maybe, he could develop his physical skills in time for the exam. Eventually, he found Oliver's room, and he knocked on his door. Oliver had stated before that he generally stayed in his room unless bothered, though Soleil hoped that asking to train with him would not constitute "bothering".

"...H-Hi...Oliver?...I-It's me, Soleil...I-I wanted to come study with you...W-Would you...like to maybe train with me more, before sundown?...A-And...I could...maybe help you with...with...um...controlling the Mana in your arm?...Wh-What do you think?...O-Or if not, you could...teach me how to play video games with you...or I could go away..." He got redder and redder with each word he spoke, and he felt as though he would do better to shrink away and to find Shaun.

Though Shaun was about to have some trouble of his own. A certain vampire-girl had healed to the point where she was able to frolick the campus, and she had decided that the first thing she would do is find a "study-partner". Carrying a load of books in her purse, she headed for Shaun's room, with the intention to camp-out there. Thus, when she reached the door, Ambrosia knocked loudly and yelled, "Helloooooo! Are you in your room, Shauuuuuun? I wanna study with you!"

As Soleil started to speak, Oliver opened the door with a gust of wind.
It was one of the many elaborate tricks he had developed to avoid getting up when in a really stressful situation in a game.
It didn't need much concentration, nor energy and was incredibly useful when Begnion needed to go out.

Now it was simply a reflex.

"Oi." Oliver said initially, standing up from his chair, on his screen could be seen the map of a galaxy in the shape of an eight, with various spheres of differing colors and sizes covering vast amounts of space.
along with that, there were some wireframes of spaceships. However, the screen was focused on one planet, one called Teos, renamed from the looks of it.

"Training? Guess I could go for it. Could go for games as well, but it wouldn't really be a good idea considering the exams are coming up.
Come on, let's go. Where do you want to train?"

The door blew open so fast, Soleil had to jump out the way so it would not hit his face. Inside, Oliver had been playing a game, just as he said he normally did. The younger Mage couldn't help but stare at it for a moment, having never seen a video game before. The screen was a picture of a universe that he guessed was not that of their own, as strange as it looked, and colorful planets that were also not part of their universe spun around within that universe. It was massive, expansive, and strangely pretty. His eyes glittered with curiosity, as he now had several dozen questions forming about this wonderful "game", and the device on the floor from which it emanated.

Yet as Oliver spoke, he was reminded that there was little time for games at the moment. He blinked, and then turned back to Oliver, a little bashful. "O-Oh!...Right...The forest is usually where I go...It's quiet, and there are no demons now...s-since...um..." Before he could finish the sentence, he changed the subject. "B-But...um...after w-we...are done training...d-do you mind if I come in here and...w-watch you play your game?...I-I've...never seen a video game before..." he explained, now with an embarrassed little smile.

[Serah]

As Soleil started to speak, Oliver opened the door with a gust of wind.
It was one of the many elaborate tricks he had developed to avoid getting up when in a really stressful situation in a game.
It didn't need much concentration, nor energy and was incredibly useful when Begnion needed to go out.

Now it was simply a reflex.

"Oi." Oliver said initially, standing up from his chair, on his screen could be seen the map of a galaxy in the shape of an eight, with various spheres of differing colors and sizes covering vast amounts of space.
along with that, there were some wireframes of spaceships. However, the screen was focused on one planet, one called Teos, renamed from the looks of it.

"Training? Guess I could go for it. Could go for games as well, but it wouldn't really be a good idea considering the exams are coming up.
Come on, let's go. Where do you want to train?"

The door blew open so fast, Soleil had to jump out the way so it would not hit his face. Inside, Oliver had been playing a game, just as he said he normally did. The younger Mage couldn't help but stare at it for a moment, having never seen a video game before. The screen was a picture of a universe that he guessed was not that of their own, as strange as it looked, and colorful planets that were also not part of their universe spun around within that universe. It was massive, expansive, and strangely pretty. His eyes glittered with curiosity, as he now had several dozen questions forming about this wonderful "game", and the device on the floor from which it emanated.

Yet as Oliver spoke, he was reminded that there was little time for games at the moment. He blinked, and then turned back to Oliver, a little bashful. "O-Oh!...Right...The forest is usually where I go...It's quiet, and there are no demons now...s-since...um..." Before he could finish the sentence, he changed the subject. "B-But...um...after w-we...are done training...d-do you mind if I come in here and...w-watch you play your game?...I-I've...never seen a video game before..." he explained, now with an embarrassed little smile.

"Hell, I can let you play yourself, it's a strategy game. If a little complicated at first, you shouldn't have many issues handling it once you pass the first hour of gameplay.
But let's do that once we're done with the exams, can't fail those." Oliver responded.

"Now come on, to the forest, what do you want to train?
I should be fine on my own, I've gotten the global hang of it again, I just have to boost the depths of my mana reserves.
They're definitely not what they used to be. One day maybe, I'll tell you why I talk about it in a past tense. Either way, I also have to figure out when and how to use my arm for combat." He continued, waiting for Soleil to start moving.

It wasn't entirely true that Oliver hadn't gotten around finding uses to his new arm. Actually, he was pretty used to it after only a day with an arm made of stone.
A true testament to his mental fortitude and adaptability. However, he mostly found uses in his everyday life. Such as cooking for instance.
Where cooking once took a full hour, with the help of his arm to ward off any oil bubbles popping into his face needing to be warded off with a gust of wind, now it took five minutes to cook something.
Which honestly was a lot of time gained on his part.

The only real issue he had to face was the lack of feeling in his arm.
Which made it harder to hold anything living, in fear of crushing it immediately.
However, holding anything else, even a glass seemed to be a non issue, as he adapted almost immediately. Whether it was due to his alcoholism or simply an ability to adapt to the worst of situations, he didn't know.

Minding the latter issue, he went inside his room again and searched some kind of coffer at the back of his room.
If Soleil looked, he could see various alembics and other manners of distillation tools.
At the bottom of it laid his flask, filled with an alcohol only he seemed to be able to take, and only he held the secret to. Though its aroma filled the room quickly, a nicely scented aroma filled with touches of mint, chocolate, oddly, and actual alcohol. Although hidden with the aforementioned aromas.
Maybe if he could make it as a mage or the head of the family, he could start a distillery.

"Now I'm ready. Let's go."

[Saldinado]

Exam Prep Time - 1 week until Quarterly Exam

Though Shaun was about to have some trouble of his own. A certain vampire-girl had healed to the point where she was able to frolick the campus, and she had decided that the first thing she would do is find a "study-partner". Carrying a load of books in her purse, she headed for Shaun's room, with the intention to camp-out there. Thus, when she reached the door, Ambrosia knocked loudly and yelled, "Helloooooo! Are you in your room, Shauuuuuun? I wanna study with you!"

Shaun Calhoun

After the announcement of the exams as well as the end of classes today, Shaun was now in a sort of heightened sense now. It was all now a fast and antsy mixture of anxieties, confidence, and fun -if he could call it that- that was filling him up with each passing minute.

Within the confines of his own room he himself has been mostly getting his books and past assignments and notes straighten out and readied for the upcoming week. With the help of being the only one within his dorm room besides the occasional friends that come up to play some video games, chat, eat, or just do all three at the same time, he was usually able to get up and do whatever he wanted in a more quicken and easier studying or relaxing and comfortable environment.

Relaxing on his bed with Leon at his feet while he was looking at his notes and books about the topic that he knew he needed the most help and study on, while his room was filled with the sounds of music and the smell of what seemed to be oranges, blueberries, and vanilla, the Solum himself was busy being preoccupied with his work as well as a having a tinge of laziness to hear the door of his dorm room being knocked on.

After about a few seconds longer than it would usually take an average person to do so, he jumped only slightly in being startled by the noise only to hear someone behind the door. Their voice was filled with sweetness, confidence, cheerfulness, and even a hint of annoyance. Female by the highness was given off of their pitch. Raising an eyebrow at the fact that they wanted to study with him. With Leon still not moving Shaun had to move his legs from under the lazy feline and get up to go up to the door and opened it only to see the one that was the cause of the voice.

"Oh! Well hi Ambrosia; nice to see that you're up and walking around and looking better; albeit a little paler, but that's none of my business." He giggled before smiling at her as music was being heard behind him. "So you would like to study with me? Well sure; well um, would you like to come in, or do you prefer somewhere else?" Compared to before where he would stumble and rush and become embarrassed upon talking to the older teen, now he was able to speak to her with the shame confidence and certainty that he had with his friends or brothers to a point and not feel that embarrassed as much as before.

[Luminesa]

The door blew open so fast, Soleil had to jump out the way so it would not hit his face. Inside, Oliver had been playing a game, just as he said he normally did. The younger Mage couldn't help but stare at it for a moment, having never seen a video game before. The screen was a picture of a universe that he guessed was not that of their own, as strange as it looked, and colorful planets that were also not part of their universe spun around within that universe. It was massive, expansive, and strangely pretty. His eyes glittered with curiosity, as he now had several dozen questions forming about this wonderful "game", and the device on the floor from which it emanated.

Yet as Oliver spoke, he was reminded that there was little time for games at the moment. He blinked, and then turned back to Oliver, a little bashful. "O-Oh!...Right...The forest is usually where I go...It's quiet, and there are no demons now...s-since...um..." Before he could finish the sentence, he changed the subject. "B-But...um...after w-we...are done training...d-do you mind if I come in here and...w-watch you play your game?...I-I've...never seen a video game before..." he explained, now with an embarrassed little smile.

"Hell, I can let you play yourself, it's a strategy game. If a little complicated at first, you shouldn't have many issues handling it once you pass the first hour of gameplay.
But let's do that once we're done with the exams, can't fail those." Oliver responded.

"Now come on, to the forest, what do you want to train?
I should be fine on my own, I've gotten the global hang of it again, I just have to boost the depths of my mana reserves.
They're definitely not what they used to be. One day maybe, I'll tell you why I talk about it in a past tense. Either way, I also have to figure out when and how to use my arm for combat." He continued, waiting for Soleil to start moving.

It wasn't entirely true that Oliver hadn't gotten around finding uses to his new arm. Actually, he was pretty used to it after only a day with an arm made of stone.
A true testament to his mental fortitude and adaptability. However, he mostly found uses in his everyday life. Such as cooking for instance.
Where cooking once took a full hour, with the help of his arm to ward off any oil bubbles popping into his face needing to be warded off with a gust of wind, now it took five minutes to cook something.
Which honestly was a lot of time gained on his part.

The only real issue he had to face was the lack of feeling in his arm.
Which made it harder to hold anything living, in fear of crushing it immediately.
However, holding anything else, even a glass seemed to be a non issue, as he adapted almost immediately. Whether it was due to his alcoholism or simply an ability to adapt to the worst of situations, he didn't know.

Minding the latter issue, he went inside his room again and searched some kind of coffer at the back of his room.
If Soleil looked, he could see various alembics and other manners of distillation tools.
At the bottom of it laid his flask, filled with an alcohol only he seemed to be able to take, and only he held the secret to. Though its aroma filled the room quickly, a nicely scented aroma filled with touches of mint, chocolate, oddly, and actual alcohol. Although hidden with the aforementioned aromas.
Maybe if he could make it as a mage or the head of the family, he could start a distillery.

"Now I'm ready. Let's go."

Soleil

Soleil watched as Oliver searched through his room, and talked about his Mana Reserves. Oliver did seem to use a lot of Mana for his attacks, so Soleil wondered if they should perhaps work on increasing that first. Otherwise, Oliver would never work well in a team. His power would be too unstable. "...Y-You could tell me about it now, actually...a-and...I-I've been told that...while I'm not a good fighter...I have good Mana Control...Maybe I could help you! I-I could help you increase the depth of your Mana Reserves, so you can use a wider variety of attacks!" Brightening at this idea, he smiled and added, "A-And you could continue to teach me how to fight properly! We could help each other!...D-Does that sound like fun?" He ignored the sweet smell of the alcohol in Oliver's flask, as the boy came to the door.

Ambrosia

The squeaky, smooth rap music met her ears as soon as Shaun opened the door, and Ambrosia squealed with delight. The room smelled sweet and fruity, almost romantic. Immediately, she started to think of things other than studying, but she decided to try and control herself. Shaun would probably throw her out, if she tried anything, and she wanted to get to know him better at least. Thus, she hopped into the room, and she put her books on the floor next to his. "Okay! We can study whatever you want! I...haven't been paying much attention recently in class, since I got out the infirmary...and out of my room...and so we can just start wherever works best for you!" she exclaimed.

[Serah]

"Hell, I can let you play yourself, it's a strategy game. If a little complicated at first, you shouldn't have many issues handling it once you pass the first hour of gameplay.
But let's do that once we're done with the exams, can't fail those." Oliver responded.

"Now come on, to the forest, what do you want to train?
I should be fine on my own, I've gotten the global hang of it again, I just have to boost the depths of my mana reserves.
They're definitely not what they used to be. One day maybe, I'll tell you why I talk about it in a past tense. Either way, I also have to figure out when and how to use my arm for combat." He continued, waiting for Soleil to start moving.

It wasn't entirely true that Oliver hadn't gotten around finding uses to his new arm. Actually, he was pretty used to it after only a day with an arm made of stone.
A true testament to his mental fortitude and adaptability. However, he mostly found uses in his everyday life. Such as cooking for instance.
Where cooking once took a full hour, with the help of his arm to ward off any oil bubbles popping into his face needing to be warded off with a gust of wind, now it took five minutes to cook something.
Which honestly was a lot of time gained on his part.

The only real issue he had to face was the lack of feeling in his arm.
Which made it harder to hold anything living, in fear of crushing it immediately.
However, holding anything else, even a glass seemed to be a non issue, as he adapted almost immediately. Whether it was due to his alcoholism or simply an ability to adapt to the worst of situations, he didn't know.

Minding the latter issue, he went inside his room again and searched some kind of coffer at the back of his room.
If Soleil looked, he could see various alembics and other manners of distillation tools.
At the bottom of it laid his flask, filled with an alcohol only he seemed to be able to take, and only he held the secret to. Though its aroma filled the room quickly, a nicely scented aroma filled with touches of mint, chocolate, oddly, and actual alcohol. Although hidden with the aforementioned aromas.
Maybe if he could make it as a mage or the head of the family, he could start a distillery.

"Now I'm ready. Let's go."

Soleil

Soleil watched as Oliver searched through his room, and talked about his Mana Reserves. Oliver did seem to use a lot of Mana for his attacks, so Soleil wondered if they should perhaps work on increasing that first. Otherwise, Oliver would never work well in a team. His power would be too unstable. "...Y-You could tell me about it now, actually...a-and...I-I've been told that...while I'm not a good fighter...I have good Mana Control...Maybe I could help you! I-I could help you increase the depth of your Mana Reserves, so you can use a wider variety of attacks!" Brightening at this idea, he smiled and added, "A-And you could continue to teach me how to fight properly! We could help each other!...D-Does that sound like fun?" He ignored the sweet smell of the alcohol in Oliver's flask, as the boy came to the door.

As Soleil went on, Oliver took a swig of his drink.
However, due to the general resistance of the man, Oliver hardly even flinched at the purity of the alcohol, nor the taste.

"You know you've hit a new low when you think that the alcohol you drink is less bitter than you are." He muttered, raising his eyes to face Soleil while closing his bottle.

"Well, since you don't know my family, you obviously don't know what we specialize in.
It's monster hunting, and we're one of the last houses that do that reliably. We've essentially distanced ourselves from politics as much as possible so that we could focus on that.
All of our members, while we aren't many, have extremely deep reserves of mana. Mostly to survive the spells we use.
Since you weren't there when we fought Katelyn, you don't know what I did. Not yet at least." Oliver explained calmly, as if he had dissociated with reality for a second.

Then again, his booze likely had a part to play in that.
It was almost more hallucinogenic than it was booze at times.

"Since those spells can very much kill me now, I'd rather avoid using them and focus instead on finding more practical uses for my arm.
As for you, I could teach you how to fight better, yeah.
You know, I was never against the idea that someone might help me, as much as I may look like that.
There's only one thing I don't want help for. Aside from that, I welcome just about any help for anything."

[Saldinado]

Shaun Calhoun

Shaun only blinked and remained silent for a moment as he looked at the female in front of him. So she didn't know that much about anything on this exam? This irritated him to a great amount because if she didn't know what to do then that meant that he would have to teach her. And he didn't have the time, patience, or energy to do such a thing; asking questions were something that he never really minded as they were ones that involved him mainly talking and the former usually understanding what was being said; though even they had a limit as to how much can be said in such a set amount of time.

Sighing softly to himself he shook his head and looked back up at Ambrosia with his normal pastel violet eyes which conveyed a sense of calmness and uncertainty yet still had a rather welcoming and warming feel to them. "Um... Sure? I'll try my best to help, but I must admit that some of this stuff will mostly be seen in the book so that'll mean that you'll have to take notes. Here's a key on note taking: Take only what's relevant to you. Anything else that's just there to be flowery is probably unimportant to you if it doesn't directly pertain to the topic that you're taking notes on. I'll tell you some more things along the way, but um... Come in and make yourself comfortable."

If she were to see in the opening from the door behind Shaun, Ambrosia could see that his room seemed to be mostly clean and tidy with everything mostly in its places, with the exception of a hamper which were filled with his clothes that he wore from days prior to today. Mainly workout attire even with the sight of a jockstrap laying in it casualty, which upon glancing a quick peak at, made him become a bit taken aback and have his face turn a soft rosy pink from embarrassment. He looked back at the teen that stood in front of his door and softly laughed in slight awkwardness and explained himself to her.

"Oh, um, please mind my mess in the corner. Haha... Just was preparing for laundry day and I was getting my clothes situated for the week. But hey; by all means make yourself comfortable. Um... I have my desk where you can study or maybe you prefer the bed? I dunno I mean its all up to you."

[Luminesa]

Soleil

Realizing that Oliver had no reason to accept his offer. He was much better as a fighter, and as a controller of large amounts of Mana, than Soleil was with his own Mana. He frowned, and stared off to the TV screen, thinking. Oliver did not need help with this, but maybe he could help him with something else? He did not know. Perhaps he would think of something while he himself was learning to fight. After a moment, he turned back to Oliver and smiled cheerfully. "I understand. L-Let's get going, before it gets too late! I-I want to practice specifically offensive magic...I don't think I'm...t-too bad at defensive magic, but I-I...probably need to learn how to fight before the week is over..." With this, he rushed out the door, toward the forest, excited to get started.

Ambrosia

She nodded, understanding that she had a lot of work to do, and she plopped down on the rug, impressed by the cleanliness of his room and the refreshing scent. At least they both shared a love of tidiness, neat designs, and sweet-smelling things. This brightened her mood just slightly, and encouraged her to not be scared to study with Shaun. "Ah, don't worry about it. The rest of your room is quite nice. You'll have to tell me what sort of air-freshening you use to get your room to smell so nice, as well," she answered, with a giggle.

She then opened a book on Elemental Mana, and she began to flip through it, taking notes. She could sense he was slightly annoyed by her lack of attentiveness to the material, so she wanted to impress him by being as studious as she could be. Unfortunately, she did not like reading very much, and got bored quickly. She wished she could maybe initiate a conversation of some sort with Shaun, to try and lighten the mood even more.

As she wrote notes on the various Elements, and the nuances of controlling them, and highlighted those notes in a bright-pink, she wondered if maybe she could sneakily ask him more questions about himself. She would start with questions about the material, and would slowly snake toward questions about him. "...So Shaun?...Ah...what's your favorite subject so far?...Um...I'm trying to figure...how to control my Fire Magic better...I'm not too good at controlling my Fire, even though that's my natural element, so yeah...That's probably the thing I'm gonna have the most trouble with..." she explained.

[Finsternia]

Allistor Abendroth

Exams are coming and Allistor is going. He could only sigh in relief as he could get away from the stress that are test papers and making leaves turn to furnitures. Yet the black haired teen is still uncertain with this. He'll be fighting a war, he sure knows that. He just hopes that everything goes all well. Matthias have already arrived and took care of his belongings. He just needs to say his farewells to those people in the Academy before he comes back to Vienna.

Dressed in an elegant outfit fit for royalty and a prince, Allistor left his room and strolled out of the Aquo dorms. He wants to visit and say his farewells to Shaun before he could go. He could still remember their race in the lake. He underestimated Shaun's skill and experience, he only factored his own physical strength and long arms and legs. He was just too cocky with it and now he owes his boyfriend a favor. A smile broke on his face as he remembered coughing and catching his breath as he finally reached the shores with Shaun catching his breath too but with a triumphant smirk on his face.

He made a turn here and there, abusing his knowledge of the secret paths of the Academy that he discovered during his wayward days of direction confusion. He finally emerged inside the Sollum dorms and traversed the halls. Every single lamp and light source flickered with a bluish haze as he past by, practicing his ice magic as he went through the halls. He finally came to Shaun's room, smiled at the plaque card that depicts his boyfriend's name and the room number, and knocked on the hard wood. "Hey baby? It's me. Are you in there?"

Artosh Luxenia

Artosh was back to his typical jolly and bouncy self and inside his doctor's lab coat. He was arranging the medicine cabinets by alphabetical order when a perky ding! resounded from the other room. The white haired teacher then walked towards the sound, which was an oven, and pulled out a whole circle of pizza. He cut it up, arranged it on a plate alongside a nice glass of matcha green tea, some biscuits, and slices of apples and lychees. Carefully, he lifted the tray, using some of the Arcane to help him with the weight. His shoes tipped and tapped on the tiled floors of the clinic as he searched for a specific bed. Slowly, he shifted the covers and smiled at Rabbit. "Bunny-chan! I brought you some food!"

[Imperial--japan]

Valerie Teichmüller

It was already time for the students to start prepping for their exams, and Valerie already encountered her first dilemma. She had nobody she wanted to practice with in particular, but she was almost certain that in order to meet expectations during the practical portion of the exam, that she would need to find suitable individuals to train with. She weighed her options and shook her head in disappointment. It was very likely very few actually would recognize her, much less remember her name. Such was the downside of purposely making oneself obscure from the happenings of public life.

"I imagine most would pair with people they know....another unlikely instance for myself. What a shame." Valerie internally monotone'd to herself. She sat on a log in the nearby woods, often coming here when she sought to brainstorm away from the incessant babbling of her peers.

"I can practice myself....perhaps enough skill will allow me to pass the exam despite the detriments of not having a cohesive team." Valerie muttered. This was an important deal for her, and so she continued to run through the various scenario's on how she could proceed.

[Saldinado]

Shaun Calhoun

"Hm?" Was the first thing that Shaun said as he heard Ambrosia speak to him about what was his own favorite subject. In all honesty, he never really thought about anything like that. He brought an index finger up to his mouth and put on a face of contemplation included with soft humming before coming up with one and nodding a few times and sighing.

"Oh well if I would have to pick one, then I would say that the subject of construct making is a great one for me. Its been a skill of mines ever since I was able to control my own powers. My family has been known for their long and extensive skills and ideas about constructs that can be as small as a mice or a toy car to something as even as large as a tank or even elephant." He chuckled softly and ran his hands through his now short yet soft and semi-curly hair before sighing and looking down at the notes he was taking, which if one could see, were extremely neat and organized even color-coated by words and their definitions or a date in a certain time period and its significance. Looking back up he decided to try and answer her question about her own skills in the only way he knew how.
And so grunting to himself he crossed his legs and looked at Ambrosia with seriousness yet a sense of calmness and softness to show that he wasn't going to give her some textbook type of answer.

"Hm... Oh... Well let's see. I know that this may sound all cliche or you've heard it before, but the best way to control your magic is by practicing," he smiled at her and giggled at his own response shaking his head slightly, "as you yourself can determine how you want to control and use it. I will say that there might be some that are just naturally gifted in that sense, but still, they still needed to practice on mastering it. Now as for how? Well, I would first say that you must have the motivation and dedication to put time and effort and energy into spending time to practice it. Because without the motivation you'll never really be able to practice."

"Secondly, try and do it at a pace in which you feel more comfortable at doing. Whether its starting today, tomorrow, or maybe even next year I guess. But do it at your own pace and have the time to do something like that. Make special times for yourself to try and practice your magic; like a pianist does by practicing every 30 or so minutes, you can do so with your magic. And do it in an environment that makes you feel comfortable and gives you the confidence to make you say, 'Okay! I can do it today.'. And um, lastly, um... Ask for help if needed; there are numerous of students and teachers around you that can help you with figuring out what exactly you need to focus on or do. I know someone now who's going through the same thing that you're going through." He then chuckled and closed his eyes before hearing a small knock on the door and the words that followed after.

"Oh." Was all he could say as he excused himself from talking to Ambrosia and getting up and walking to the door, but not before turning to Ambrosia and smiling at her. "And my fragrances? Well I usually have them shipped over from the mainland or have someone here help me create them. Helps to have friends in high floral places." He laughed before turning around and opening the door only for it to reveal the sight of a tall, slender young man with raven hair and his usual piercing grey eyes looking down at him. He felt something in his stomach churn a bit as he knew that maybe this was the time he knew would come.

"Hey Allistor. Um... Would you like to come in? I was just studying with Ambrosia; and talking about some things with her." He smiled and laughed in an attempt to hide his anxiety and worries.

I have a feeling as to why you're here after all.

[Serah]

Soleil

Realizing that Oliver had no reason to accept his offer. He was much better as a fighter, and as a controller of large amounts of Mana, than Soleil was with his own Mana. He frowned, and stared off to the TV screen, thinking. Oliver did not need help with this, but maybe he could help him with something else? He did not know. Perhaps he would think of something while he himself was learning to fight. After a moment, he turned back to Oliver and smiled cheerfully. "I understand. L-Let's get going, before it gets too late! I-I want to practice specifically offensive magic...I don't think I'm...t-too bad at defensive magic, but I-I...probably need to learn how to fight before the week is over..." With this, he rushed out the door, toward the forest, excited to get started.

"You could still help me with those spells a bit later down the line though.
Currently, it just wouldn't be a good idea. You could still help me with my regular spells though." Oliver continued, following Soleil after barely having time to close the door.

"I just forgot for a moment that I could use something other than my demon killing spells is all.
Not turning down your offer at all." Once they had reached the forest, he turned to Soleil again.

"Do you want to go further in, or do you want to stick around the borders? Your call."

[Luminesa]

Soleil

Realizing that Oliver had no reason to accept his offer. He was much better as a fighter, and as a controller of large amounts of Mana, than Soleil was with his own Mana. He frowned, and stared off to the TV screen, thinking. Oliver did not need help with this, but maybe he could help him with something else? He did not know. Perhaps he would think of something while he himself was learning to fight. After a moment, he turned back to Oliver and smiled cheerfully. "I understand. L-Let's get going, before it gets too late! I-I want to practice specifically offensive magic...I don't think I'm...t-too bad at defensive magic, but I-I...probably need to learn how to fight before the week is over..." With this, he rushed out the door, toward the forest, excited to get started.

"You could still help me with those spells a bit later down the line though.
Currently, it just wouldn't be a good idea. You could still help me with my regular spells though." Oliver continued, following Soleil after barely having time to close the door.

"I just forgot for a moment that I could use something other than my demon killing spells is all.
Not turning down your offer at all." Once they had reached the forest, he turned to Soleil again.

"Do you want to go further in, or do you want to stick around the borders? Your call."

Soleil

:...R-Right!...Now! Let's hurry!" Soleil rushed toward the woods, wanting to hurry and get started. As he looked at the forest, however, and at how dark it was becoming, and he bit his lip. While there were no demons in the woods now, the deep woods still probably contained other creatures, and he wanted to avoid violence as much as possible, outside of his training, and the outer woods provided a large enough space for a fair amount of training. Turning back to Oliver as he caught-up, he agreed with the older boy. "...W-We can...just remain on the outskirts of the woods...Th-That doesn't bother me." He took a deep breath, and hopped in place for a moment. He then smiled at Oliver, perked again, and asked, "Okay! Where do you wanna start?...Huh?"

As he was speaking, he noticed an odd-looking girl walking toward the forest alone. As she sat down on a log in the woods and began to mutter to herself, he called to her, concerned. "...H-Hello?...Excuse me!...D-Did you come here to train as well?...I-If you did, you can come join us!...O-Or...if not...um...you don't have to!...But the offer is open!" he called, a little timid at the sight of this girl with whom he did not normally speak.

Ambrosia

"...Heh...you...actually sound like you would make a good teacher, to be totally honest," Ambrosia answered, with a shy giggle. She then scooted a little more off the bed, closer toward him. For once, she was actually interested in learning. Her family had forced her to learn their methods of performing Magic, none of which came naturally to her, and so while she had become somewhat-capable over time, she had lost her desire to perform Magic seriously some time before coming to the Academy. Of course, her family had sent her anyway, hoping she would continue to learn things the way they expected her to learn them. Yet Shaun spoke to her gently, encouraging her to work at her own pace and to ask for help when she needed it. He did not force her toward a specific method of using her Magic, just more or less toward whatever was comfortable. "...I would kinda like some tips on actually using my Magic, though...especially on making constructs. I, uh...was kinda not on my best behavior the day we learned how to make battle-constructs, if you know what I mean...Lynnefleur and all..." she requested. Who knew? Maybe Shaun could revive her interest in actually using her Magic.

Just when they seemed to finally be reaching some momentum in their conversation, however, someone knocked on the door, calling Shaun "baby". Ambrosia's ears perked, and she stared over at the door. Who called Shaun "baby"? Did he actually already have a girlfriend?...No. That was a boy's voice. He had a boyfriend? Her fears were confirmed when Shaun opened the door, and there stood Allistor, a solemn expression on his face. He was even more gorgeous than Shaun was, and yet she could tell just by looking at them. The entire mood of the room flipped, and both boys were awkward and almost-silent. Something was deeply wrong. Of course, Ambrosia did not know that Allistor was about to leave for Europe, to go to war against House Rise. All she knew was that her first crush, no matter what she tried, would now never look at her the way she wanted him to look at her. Yet she did her best to hide her discomfort and anguish, and stared down at her notes, trying to feign interest in them while her insides churned themselves into butter.

Rabbit

Rabbit had plenty of time to rest that day, and when he awakened in the evening, he actually felt better. He still was a bit weak, though this was mostly from hunger and disorientation. As he sat upright, he yawned, and put his mask on so he could look around. He stared outside, at the late evening, and watched the wind blowing through the trees. Everything was so peaceful now. He closed his eyes and sighed, taking a moment to appreciate the brisk coolness outside his window, and the warmth of his healing body under the covers. He even began to sing to himself, his voice soft and thin, but oddly charming. He was enjoying not having Mikhailov's memory crushing him constantly, and even as he would have to travel tomorrow to join Henry in a war, he only wanted to focus on the moment.

After the first two verses, he stopped and sat in silence, listening to the birds chirping in the distance. As he was sitting, he heard a soft ding! from another room, and then Artosh suddenly walked into the room and brought Rabbit a large platter of food, including a pizza. He blushed at the large amount of food, and stared at his friend. "...Oh!...Thank you, Artosh, but...I do not know if I can eat all of this myself!...Perhaps we should share the pizza?...The tea however..." He took his mask off, and he took a sip of the fresh, hot tea. With a soft sigh, he finished, "...The tea is lovely all in itself. Though I will try to eat as much as I can without fainting...Did you make all of this yourself?"

[Serah]

"You could still help me with those spells a bit later down the line though.
Currently, it just wouldn't be a good idea. You could still help me with my regular spells though." Oliver continued, following Soleil after barely having time to close the door.

"I just forgot for a moment that I could use something other than my demon killing spells is all.
Not turning down your offer at all." Once they had reached the forest, he turned to Soleil again.

"Do you want to go further in, or do you want to stick around the borders? Your call."

Soleil

:...R-Right!...Now! Let's hurry!" Soleil rushed toward the woods, wanting to hurry and get started. As he looked at the forest, however, and at how dark it was becoming, and he bit his lip. While there were no demons in the woods now, the deep woods still probably contained other creatures, and he wanted to avoid violence as much as possible, outside of his training, and the outer woods provided a large enough space for a fair amount of training. Turning back to Oliver as he caught-up, he agreed with the older boy. "...W-We can...just remain on the outskirts of the woods...Th-That doesn't bother me." He took a deep breath, and hopped in place for a moment. He then smiled at Oliver, perked again, and asked, "Okay! Where do you wanna start?...Huh?"

As he was speaking, he noticed an odd-looking girl walking toward the forest alone. As she sat down on a log in the woods and began to mutter to herself, he called to her, concerned. "...H-Hello?...Excuse me!...D-Did you come here to train as well?...I-If you did, you can come join us!...O-Or...if not...um...you don't have to!...But the offer is open!" he called, a little timid at the sight of this girl with whom he did not normally speak.

Oliver didn't seem to mind the girl next to them.
He actually didn't mind a lot of people, but that was simply due to his mental prepositions.
He didn't mind the company, most of the time, but simply isolated himself as a reflex. Maybe he unconsciously thought that he was dangerous to people around him?
It wasn't exactly something he had thought about in a while.

But either way, it wasn't the time to think about such things.

"Well, Sunny, let's start the training, yeah? Last time, we did physical training and practical training.
This time, we'll be leaning on the theory. Tell me, how do you see magic?
Do you simply see it as something you tap into to do supernatural things, or do you see it as something other? Your answer will likely tell me why you focus on defense rather than offense, other than your notable dislike on inflicting pain." To this, Oliver sat down on a rock and took a swig of his alcohol and dissociated for a moment.

"Hm... Nice." He seemed to be looking at something others couldn't see. Although with his reaction no one could guess it was Shino.
For a brief moment before realigning with reality, one could see his hand twitching to reach out to her. In response, he simply grabbed his hand firmly with his stone arm. Once he had realigned, he let go of his hand and became calm once again.

"I'll tell you why I'm asking this: There is a belief in my family that mana, and how you use and how much you can use depends on how you perceive it, along with other natural factors, of course, such as natural affinity, mindset at the time of fighting, the place you're fighting in and your own body, to keep the mana in and avoid it overriding you.
Of course, there's nothing that properly states that it works for everyone, nobody really knows how mana works.
The ability you have to manipulate mana depends on your natural affinity, and the way you perceive it. You, however, seem to have a high affinity and a very shallow perception of how mana works." He stood up from his rock, and put his hand forward.

"See, right now, my mind is slightly clouded, but my perception of mana is that it's a living energy that helps me in times of need. A metaphorical friend, of sorts." Once he concentrated, a noticeably strong wind came forth,initially seemingly rolling around on his body harmlessly despite seemingly slashing at any and everything around him, then, it suddenly shot forward, almost hitting Soleil, but bypassing him and cutting forth at the grass right behind him in a small, yet quite clean circle.
As if the grass had been mowed but only in a square of 2x2 meters.

"See how it was precise despite my inhibited mind? It literally bypassed you, and cut behind. In that regard, you could literally shoot through small obstacles and still come victorious.
Simply because the sheer level of control you have on your mana is that strong. However, control, with my vision of things is a bit of a strong word. I prefer to say influence."

[Luminesa]

Soleil

:...R-Right!...Now! Let's hurry!" Soleil rushed toward the woods, wanting to hurry and get started. As he looked at the forest, however, and at how dark it was becoming, and he bit his lip. While there were no demons in the woods now, the deep woods still probably contained other creatures, and he wanted to avoid violence as much as possible, outside of his training, and the outer woods provided a large enough space for a fair amount of training. Turning back to Oliver as he caught-up, he agreed with the older boy. "...W-We can...just remain on the outskirts of the woods...Th-That doesn't bother me." He took a deep breath, and hopped in place for a moment. He then smiled at Oliver, perked again, and asked, "Okay! Where do you wanna start?...Huh?"

As he was speaking, he noticed an odd-looking girl walking toward the forest alone. As she sat down on a log in the woods and began to mutter to herself, he called to her, concerned. "...H-Hello?...Excuse me!...D-Did you come here to train as well?...I-If you did, you can come join us!...O-Or...if not...um...you don't have to!...But the offer is open!" he called, a little timid at the sight of this girl with whom he did not normally speak.

Oliver didn't seem to mind the girl next to them.
He actually didn't mind a lot of people, but that was simply due to his mental prepositions.
He didn't mind the company, most of the time, but simply isolated himself as a reflex. Maybe he unconsciously thought that he was dangerous to people around him?
It wasn't exactly something he had thought about in a while.

But either way, it wasn't the time to think about such things.

"Well, Sunny, let's start the training, yeah? Last time, we did physical training and practical training.
This time, we'll be leaning on the theory. Tell me, how do you see magic?
Do you simply see it as something you tap into to do supernatural things, or do you see it as something other? Your answer will likely tell me why you focus on defense rather than offense, other than your notable dislike on inflicting pain." To this, Oliver sat down on a rock and took a swig of his alcohol and dissociated for a moment.

"Hm... Nice." He seemed to be looking at something others couldn't see. Although with his reaction no one could guess it was Shino.
For a brief moment before realigning with reality, one could see his hand twitching to reach out to her. In response, he simply grabbed his hand firmly with his stone arm. Once he had realigned, he let go of his hand and became calm once again.

"I'll tell you why I'm asking this: There is a belief in my family that mana, and how you use and how much you can use depends on how you perceive it, along with other natural factors, of course, such as natural affinity, mindset at the time of fighting, the place you're fighting in and your own body, to keep the mana in and avoid it overriding you.
Of course, there's nothing that properly states that it works for everyone, nobody really knows how mana works.
The ability you have to manipulate mana depends on your natural affinity, and the way you perceive it. You, however, seem to have a high affinity and a very shallow perception of how mana works." He stood up from his rock, and put his hand forward.

"See, right now, my mind is slightly clouded, but my perception of mana is that it's a living energy that helps me in times of need. A metaphorical friend, of sorts." Once he concentrated, a noticeably strong wind came forth,initially seemingly rolling around on his body harmlessly despite seemingly slashing at any and everything around him, then, it suddenly shot forward, almost hitting Soleil, but bypassing him and cutting forth at the grass right behind him in a small, yet quite clean circle.
As if the grass had been mowed but only in a square of 2x2 meters.

"See how it was precise despite my inhibited mind? It literally bypassed you, and cut behind. In that regard, you could literally shoot through small obstacles and still come victorious.
Simply because the sheer level of control you have on your mana is that strong. However, control, with my vision of things is a bit of a strong word. I prefer to say influence."

Soleil looked over at the new girl for a few more seconds, until Oliver asked his first question. He turned toward him, his expression becoming anxious as he thought about how he saw Mana. Essentially, how he saw the core of his being, the core of who and what he was as a Mage. There was no right answer, but sometimes the most important questions in life did not necessarily ask for 'right' answers. Only 'true' answers. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Oliver with a calm expression. He almost seemed breezy, in fact, if one looked directly at him-his eyes seemed clouded from concentrating so much. And yet slowly, the clouds seemed to part to reveal his thoughts, as he spoke them.

"...My Mana is...my paint. It is...something I use to create. To bring life where there is none," he explained, his stutter noticeably gone as he spoke now. He lifted his hands to show Oliver, as though he planned to summon something in them. "...When I was little, I...felt very deeply that my family...lacked a true sense of 'life'. They had given birth and had raised my cousins...as my mother had given birth to and raised me...but they did not see the 'life' they had created. They did not appreciate the most basic and most intricate details of their form, of their existence...and so awakened in me a desire...to bring that 'life' into being. The...shapeless understanding within...When I first started creating my constructs, I simply formed them based around what I was feeling...but then I discovered that the world around me was also worth recreating...Nature. All of the beautiful things that...existed outside of me, outside of my home. And so my shapeless understanding of the world became a...a desire for beauty..." He finally stammered, as he defined the reason he created his constructs.

"...I eventually began to form constructs not only because I loved the world around me, but also because...I realized that the creatures I formed, I could endow with love...Not quite in the sense of loving you, or loving a pet, but...I could give them a sense that some higher being had...loved them into existence...and wanted only to marvel at their beauty. At the few moments they existed in my hands, or by my side...not as weapons, but merely at the light that glowed off them, or the texture of their fur, or the way that the moon's light caused them to glitter...or even just the way we might have seen each other for a few moments, our eyes meeting, and perhaps feeling that my own little creation...had become aware of its loving creator..."

Now he finally created, in his hands, his little fawn once again. It sat in his hands before rising and turning toward him. Indeed, the little fawn seemed almost aware of its tender creator. And Soleil himself stared down at the little fawn with all the love a mother might show a newborn to whom she had given birth. He pet the creature, and then looked back to Oliver, with a slight frown. "...It is why...It was so difficult for me...to even consider creating weapons of them...Can you imagine being born, and simply being told that you only exist to fight?...Not to love, or to be loved, but for a few minutes of causing pain to another?...I...I found that to be...painful for the both of us...Even now, I am still learning...how I can make something I love fight...without making it feel it is simply...being used...Huh?"

He noticed that Oliver had disassociated with reality for a few moments. He saw someone, probably as a result of drinking so much alcohol. Quickly, he had pulled his arm down when he realized he was reaching for this imaginary person, but Soleil had seen this strange action. Fortunately, he said nothing, merely nodding and smiling to Oliver. He then gasped a little, as Oliver blasted him with wind, almost knocking him back. "...I-I see...I-I prefer to call it...creation, then..." he whispered, almost reverent of the word itself.

[Finsternia]

Allistor Abendroth

Allistor stood still, grey eyes dazed, as the white haired teen stood in front of him. Shaun was smiling and laughing like the bubbly young man that he loved but there's the hint of sadness and nervousness behind the jolly facade. They both know what's coming. A war that could not only kill Allistor but also his family. He could stay in here and let the Noble Houses clash and destroy themselves back in Europe. Allistor could just hide in this small island away from the conflict and suffering that would be brought by the wars of the powerful few.

But it was his duty. As the future Lord of his House, and the Archduke of his family's "Archduchy", he must fight with his people. His eyes looked down, unsure and tired and full of worries, at his boots and Shaun's feet. What will happen if he dies? Could he bring himself to go there to risk his life? What about his friends that loved him? What will happen to Soleil when the only thing that has remained of his "hero" was an ice cold corpse? What about Shaun? Can he bring himself to hurt these people?

Shakily, he took Shaun's hands in his and gripped them tightly. His eyes were looking at the other boy's elegant and long fingers that could do wonders on the piano keys. These hands that could make beautiful sculptures and magic. He could still remember the first time they met. It was for an activity in Aether's class and they need to learn how to combine elements. Shaun made a dragon made out of clay, mud and soil. It's hide was slightly soft with an equally soft moss covering it. Allistor then gave it semi autonomous life through frost fire and its very being cackled with the eerie blue flame that made the once wet mud into an icy and cracked skin of frozen rock. They did well during that time, getting a good score. Could he still come back to make such wonders with his boyfriend once more?

Slowly, he brought Shaun's hands towards himself and placed a kiss on both of them. His eyes were starting to tear up at the edges, the tears shining in the faint light and has made his cold grey eyes look softer and more gentle. "I'd ask you to go out with me before I would go but... I lost our bet right?" He smiled at Shaun and pulled him into a hug, his face buried on the white haired teen's neck and sniffing his lavender scent. They both loved the smell of lavender, and perhaps this would be the last time he would smell Shaun's own lavender fragrance. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry if I need to leave you behind... Matthias has taken my baggages already and I was given the choice to leave now or at any day this week... I want to stay, I really do... I can't just leave you and our friends here... I want to be here with you, baby..."

[Luminesa]

Allistor Abendroth

Allistor stood still, grey eyes dazed, as the white haired teen stood in front of him. Shaun was smiling and laughing like the bubbly young man that he loved but there's the hint of sadness and nervousness behind the jolly facade. They both know what's coming. A war that could not only kill Allistor but also his family. He could stay in here and let the Noble Houses clash and destroy themselves back in Europe. Allistor could just hide in this small island away from the conflict and suffering that would be brought by the wars of the powerful few.

But it was his duty. As the future Lord of his House, and the Archduke of his family's "Archduchy", he must fight with his people. His eyes looked down, unsure and tired and full of worries, at his boots and Shaun's feet. What will happen if he dies? Could he bring himself to go there to risk his life? What about his friends that loved him? What will happen to Soleil when the only thing that has remained of his "hero" was an ice cold corpse? What about Shaun? Can he bring himself to hurt these people?

Shakily, he took Shaun's hands in his and gripped them tightly. His eyes were looking at the other boy's elegant and long fingers that could do wonders on the piano keys. These hands that could make beautiful sculptures and magic. He could still remember the first time they met. It was for an activity in Aether's class and they need to learn how to combine elements. Shaun made a dragon made out of clay, mud and soil. It's hide was slightly soft with an equally soft moss covering it. Allistor then gave it semi autonomous life through frost fire and its very being cackled with the eerie blue flame that made the once wet mud into an icy and cracked skin of frozen rock. They did well during that time, getting a good score. Could he still come back to make such wonders with his boyfriend once more?

Slowly, he brought Shaun's hands towards himself and placed a kiss on both of them. His eyes were starting to tear up at the edges, the tears shining in the faint light and has made his cold grey eyes look softer and more gentle. "I'd ask you to go out with me before I would go but... I lost our bet right?" He smiled at Shaun and pulled him into a hug, his face buried on the white haired teen's neck and sniffing his lavender scent. They both loved the smell of lavender, and perhaps this would be the last time he would smell Shaun's own lavender fragrance. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry if I need to leave you behind... Matthias has taken my baggages already and I was given the choice to leave now or at any day this week... I want to stay, I really do... I can't just leave you and our friends here... I want to be here with you, baby..."

Now Ambrosia could not ignore the two. She looked-up and stared at both boys, watching as Allistor gripped Shaun's hands in his. She watched as they stared at each other, and how Allistor-the cold, handsome knight, who frightened and enchanted all of the younger students, including Shaun-started to cry. Shaun could only stand awkwardly and watch him, at least from what she saw, but the boy never pulled away. He never looked away front Allistor. They hugged tightly, and Allistor even called him "baby". There was no doubt of their relationship.

She was upset now for two reasons. She knew Shaun would never love her-not the way he loved Allistor, not the way he stared up at the other boy with utmost attention and waited for him to speak. Yet she was also upset because she sensed something horrible was indeed about to happen. The older boy was heading to Europe, and there was a possibility he might not make it back. He did not want to go. And Shaun did not want him to leave. She could tell from the sorrow in his voice, when he had first greeted Allistor.

Ambrosia sighed shakily, and she stood up, not sure what to do. She certainly could not focus on her studies, but she felt that she could not simply sit on the bed. An anxious, heavy sensation rose in her chest, and slipped into her throat. She gulped it down, but it merely came back, and she shivered. "...Shaun...Allistor...?" She did not know what to ask either of them, what to say to either of them. She more or less spoke their names to confirm their relation to each other, to force herself to understand that this was the reality. Even as she was standing by the bed, Ambrosia could not bring herself to walk toward either of them, to join in the hug. She felt too scared, too uncomfortable, like a viewer watching a tragic movie in a theatre. She could not simply walk through the screen and make things well, so she merely observed silently, biting her lip and lowering her eyes to keep from crying.

[Serah]

Oliver didn't seem to mind the girl next to them.
He actually didn't mind a lot of people, but that was simply due to his mental prepositions.
He didn't mind the company, most of the time, but simply isolated himself as a reflex. Maybe he unconsciously thought that he was dangerous to people around him?
It wasn't exactly something he had thought about in a while.

But either way, it wasn't the time to think about such things.

"Well, Sunny, let's start the training, yeah? Last time, we did physical training and practical training.
This time, we'll be leaning on the theory. Tell me, how do you see magic?
Do you simply see it as something you tap into to do supernatural things, or do you see it as something other? Your answer will likely tell me why you focus on defense rather than offense, other than your notable dislike on inflicting pain." To this, Oliver sat down on a rock and took a swig of his alcohol and dissociated for a moment.

"Hm... Nice." He seemed to be looking at something others couldn't see. Although with his reaction no one could guess it was Shino.
For a brief moment before realigning with reality, one could see his hand twitching to reach out to her. In response, he simply grabbed his hand firmly with his stone arm. Once he had realigned, he let go of his hand and became calm once again.

"I'll tell you why I'm asking this: There is a belief in my family that mana, and how you use and how much you can use depends on how you perceive it, along with other natural factors, of course, such as natural affinity, mindset at the time of fighting, the place you're fighting in and your own body, to keep the mana in and avoid it overriding you.
Of course, there's nothing that properly states that it works for everyone, nobody really knows how mana works.
The ability you have to manipulate mana depends on your natural affinity, and the way you perceive it. You, however, seem to have a high affinity and a very shallow perception of how mana works." He stood up from his rock, and put his hand forward.

"See, right now, my mind is slightly clouded, but my perception of mana is that it's a living energy that helps me in times of need. A metaphorical friend, of sorts." Once he concentrated, a noticeably strong wind came forth,initially seemingly rolling around on his body harmlessly despite seemingly slashing at any and everything around him, then, it suddenly shot forward, almost hitting Soleil, but bypassing him and cutting forth at the grass right behind him in a small, yet quite clean circle.
As if the grass had been mowed but only in a square of 2x2 meters.

"See how it was precise despite my inhibited mind? It literally bypassed you, and cut behind. In that regard, you could literally shoot through small obstacles and still come victorious.
Simply because the sheer level of control you have on your mana is that strong. However, control, with my vision of things is a bit of a strong word. I prefer to say influence."

Soleil looked over at the new girl for a few more seconds, until Oliver asked his first question. He turned toward him, his expression becoming anxious as he thought about how he saw Mana. Essentially, how he saw the core of his being, the core of who and what he was as a Mage. There was no right answer, but sometimes the most important questions in life did not necessarily ask for 'right' answers. Only 'true' answers. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Oliver with a calm expression. He almost seemed breezy, in fact, if one looked directly at him-his eyes seemed clouded from concentrating so much. And yet slowly, the clouds seemed to part to reveal his thoughts, as he spoke them.

"...My Mana is...my paint. It is...something I use to create. To bring life where there is none," he explained, his stutter noticeably gone as he spoke now. He lifted his hands to show Oliver, as though he planned to summon something in them. "...When I was little, I...felt very deeply that my family...lacked a true sense of 'life'. They had given birth and had raised my cousins...as my mother had given birth to and raised me...but they did not see the 'life' they had created. They did not appreciate the most basic and most intricate details of their form, of their existence...and so awakened in me a desire...to bring that 'life' into being. The...shapeless understanding within...When I first started creating my constructs, I simply formed them based around what I was feeling...but then I discovered that the world around me was also worth recreating...Nature. All of the beautiful things that...existed outside of me, outside of my home. And so my shapeless understanding of the world became a...a desire for beauty..." He finally stammered, as he defined the reason he created his constructs.

"...I eventually began to form constructs not only because I loved the world around me, but also because...I realized that the creatures I formed, I could endow with love...Not quite in the sense of loving you, or loving a pet, but...I could give them a sense that some higher being had...loved them into existence...and wanted only to marvel at their beauty. At the few moments they existed in my hands, or by my side...not as weapons, but merely at the light that glowed off them, or the texture of their fur, or the way that the moon's light caused them to glitter...or even just the way we might have seen each other for a few moments, our eyes meeting, and perhaps feeling that my own little creation...had become aware of its loving creator..."

Now he finally created, in his hands, his little fawn once again. It sat in his hands before rising and turning toward him. Indeed, the little fawn seemed almost aware of its tender creator. And Soleil himself stared down at the little fawn with all the love a mother might show a newborn to whom she had given birth. He pet the creature, and then looked back to Oliver, with a slight frown. "...It is why...It was so difficult for me...to even consider creating weapons of them...Can you imagine being born, and simply being told that you only exist to fight?...Not to love, or to be loved, but for a few minutes of causing pain to another?...I...I found that to be...painful for the both of us...Even now, I am still learning...how I can make something I love fight...without making it feel it is simply...being used...Huh?"

He noticed that Oliver had disassociated with reality for a few moments. He saw someone, probably as a result of drinking so much alcohol. Quickly, he had pulled his arm down when he realized he was reaching for this imaginary person, but Soleil had seen this strange action. Fortunately, he said nothing, merely nodding and smiling to Oliver. He then gasped a little, as Oliver blasted him with wind, almost knocking him back. "...I-I see...I-I prefer to call it...creation, then..." he whispered, almost reverent of the word itself.

"Sorry to have scared you. Wasn't my intention." He resumed his thinking pattern, seemingly already sobering up.

"The way you interpret mana is nice, it almost could've been something I could've gotten behind. But so far, if you look at it pragmatically, it's something that's actually quite shallow. It revolves around two, three ideals in total maybe. Love, protection, and birth. I'm not saying you should get rid of that way of seeing things though.
Far from it." He shrugged for a moment.

"I suppose it's not something I'll be able to understand entirely. I've never been raised in the optic that I could create things. But, again, magic affinity does play a part in that. When you have certain combinations, you entertain different desires, different ways of thinking. You, as a Light mage, are more prone to creating living things to protect and see flourish, and while your element may have some fighting applications, you aren't someone made to hurt others. In a way, you can be proud of that. What makes it hard for you is that you're a 'common' Light mage, one that prefers healing and creating rather than destroying." As he spoke, he stretched his arms, as if they had suddenly gone sore.

"I'm going to ask something of you. Try to dissociate Wind and Light as two different elements.
You'll use one for one things, and the other for another. At some point, I'm sure you'll be able to mix them to do great things, but for now, let's just focus on that.
I want you to try and focus on wind only as something to attack, or redirect your foe's attack. In short, we're going to work on your reflexes and vision. Afterwards, we'll work on your reflexes without vision. You'll have to rely on hearing only."

Taking a swig off of his bottle again, he closed it set it against the rock he was sitting on, and put his hands in his pockets.

"You're going to have to take the tells I have when using wind, or metal. And you'll defend yourself, either by dodging, or redirecting my attacks.
Tell me once you're ready." With that, he sighed and got into a position where he wouldn't be knocked away should Soleil return the blow.

Once Soleil would say the word, several wind blades would shoot out, with various tells prior to sending them, telling where exactly the wind blade would land.
The tells were mostly eye related, Oliver always looked at where he was going to attack before actually sending whatever it was that he wanted to send.

[Luminesa]

Soleil looked over at the new girl for a few more seconds, until Oliver asked his first question. He turned toward him, his expression becoming anxious as he thought about how he saw Mana. Essentially, how he saw the core of his being, the core of who and what he was as a Mage. There was no right answer, but sometimes the most important questions in life did not necessarily ask for 'right' answers. Only 'true' answers. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Oliver with a calm expression. He almost seemed breezy, in fact, if one looked directly at him-his eyes seemed clouded from concentrating so much. And yet slowly, the clouds seemed to part to reveal his thoughts, as he spoke them.

"...My Mana is...my paint. It is...something I use to create. To bring life where there is none," he explained, his stutter noticeably gone as he spoke now. He lifted his hands to show Oliver, as though he planned to summon something in them. "...When I was little, I...felt very deeply that my family...lacked a true sense of 'life'. They had given birth and had raised my cousins...as my mother had given birth to and raised me...but they did not see the 'life' they had created. They did not appreciate the most basic and most intricate details of their form, of their existence...and so awakened in me a desire...to bring that 'life' into being. The...shapeless understanding within...When I first started creating my constructs, I simply formed them based around what I was feeling...but then I discovered that the world around me was also worth recreating...Nature. All of the beautiful things that...existed outside of me, outside of my home. And so my shapeless understanding of the world became a...a desire for beauty..." He finally stammered, as he defined the reason he created his constructs.

"...I eventually began to form constructs not only because I loved the world around me, but also because...I realized that the creatures I formed, I could endow with love...Not quite in the sense of loving you, or loving a pet, but...I could give them a sense that some higher being had...loved them into existence...and wanted only to marvel at their beauty. At the few moments they existed in my hands, or by my side...not as weapons, but merely at the light that glowed off them, or the texture of their fur, or the way that the moon's light caused them to glitter...or even just the way we might have seen each other for a few moments, our eyes meeting, and perhaps feeling that my own little creation...had become aware of its loving creator..."

Now he finally created, in his hands, his little fawn once again. It sat in his hands before rising and turning toward him. Indeed, the little fawn seemed almost aware of its tender creator. And Soleil himself stared down at the little fawn with all the love a mother might show a newborn to whom she had given birth. He pet the creature, and then looked back to Oliver, with a slight frown. "...It is why...It was so difficult for me...to even consider creating weapons of them...Can you imagine being born, and simply being told that you only exist to fight?...Not to love, or to be loved, but for a few minutes of causing pain to another?...I...I found that to be...painful for the both of us...Even now, I am still learning...how I can make something I love fight...without making it feel it is simply...being used...Huh?"

He noticed that Oliver had disassociated with reality for a few moments. He saw someone, probably as a result of drinking so much alcohol. Quickly, he had pulled his arm down when he realized he was reaching for this imaginary person, but Soleil had seen this strange action. Fortunately, he said nothing, merely nodding and smiling to Oliver. He then gasped a little, as Oliver blasted him with wind, almost knocking him back. "...I-I see...I-I prefer to call it...creation, then..." he whispered, almost reverent of the word itself.

"Sorry to have scared you. Wasn't my intention." He resumed his thinking pattern, seemingly already sobering up.

"The way you interpret mana is nice, it almost could've been something I could've gotten behind. But so far, if you look at it pragmatically, it's something that's actually quite shallow. It revolves around two, three ideals in total maybe. Love, protection, and birth. I'm not saying you should get rid of that way of seeing things though.
Far from it." He shrugged for a moment.

"I suppose it's not something I'll be able to understand entirely. I've never been raised in the optic that I could create things. But, again, magic affinity does play a part in that. When you have certain combinations, you entertain different desires, different ways of thinking. You, as a Light mage, are more prone to creating living things to protect and see flourish, and while your element may have some fighting applications, you aren't someone made to hurt others. In a way, you can be proud of that. What makes it hard for you is that you're a 'common' Light mage, one that prefers healing and creating rather than destroying." As he spoke, he stretched his arms, as if they had suddenly gone sore.

"I'm going to ask something of you. Try to dissociate Wind and Light as two different elements.
You'll use one for one things, and the other for another. At some point, I'm sure you'll be able to mix them to do great things, but for now, let's just focus on that.
I want you to try and focus on wind only as something to attack, or redirect your foe's attack. In short, we're going to work on your reflexes and vision. Afterwards, we'll work on your reflexes without vision. You'll have to rely on hearing only."

Taking a swig off of his bottle again, he closed it set it against the rock he was sitting on, and put his hands in his pockets.

"You're going to have to take the tells I have when using wind, or metal. And you'll defend yourself, either by dodging, or redirecting my attacks.
Tell me once you're ready." With that, he sighed and got into a position where he wouldn't be knocked away should Soleil return the blow.

Once Soleil would say the word, several wind blades would shoot out, with various tells prior to sending them, telling where exactly the wind blade would land.
The tells were mostly eye related, Oliver always looked at where he was going to attack before actually sending whatever it was that he wanted to send.

"...Shallow?..."

Soleil spoke the word softly, as though he was stroking it like a kitten's fur. His eyes widened, and he frowned sadly. Was that all that lay behind his feelings toward his Magic? Was his power merely a bunch of shallow illusions in his heart? He released his little Fawn, and he held his hands to his chest for a moment, directly over his heart. His desire to create, to love something into being, to protect his beloved creations...

"...All of that...is shallow?...I..."

He did not allow himself to finish. Not yet anyway. Oliver was still talking, and he was telling Soleil to split his Wind and Light Magic, to focus on using his Wind Magic to attack. He closed his eyes, slowly silencing himself and allowing his bubbling emotions to settle. He then replaced them with something else: a will to attack. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and stared at Oliver with a cool, determined look. He then gradually extended his arm toward him, holding his open palm in his direction. Generally, Soleil did not like to attack unless he was defending someone. The last sparring session had been a practice-brawl, and he had defended himself for most of the fight. Now, he would initiate.

...He...attacked them...

...My creations...The only things...that have brought me joy...He said my work...no...

My heart...he said my heart is...shallow...

...That there is...nothing there...

Slowly, a vortex of wind formed in his hand, swirling around the center of his palm and growing until it represented a hand-held typhoon. Using his feelings of anger and indignation as fuel, he created a very unusual sensation in his chest: aggression. The heat of a battle rising with the temperature of his body, as he prepared to fight solely to attack another person. The small typhoon in his hand slowly stretched and straightened itself, until it formed a new shape-a sharp, emerald-green spear, whirling with Wind Magic. This time, he was not using his Light Magic, as Oliver had requested he not do. Taking his Wind-Spear in both hands, he took a deep breath, as launched himself toward Oliver, forcing himself to beginning.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" he screamed, as he aimed to strike Oliver.

[Serah]

"Sorry to have scared you. Wasn't my intention." He resumed his thinking pattern, seemingly already sobering up.

"The way you interpret mana is nice, it almost could've been something I could've gotten behind. But so far, if you look at it pragmatically, it's something that's actually quite shallow. It revolves around two, three ideals in total maybe. Love, protection, and birth. I'm not saying you should get rid of that way of seeing things though.
Far from it." He shrugged for a moment.

"I suppose it's not something I'll be able to understand entirely. I've never been raised in the optic that I could create things. But, again, magic affinity does play a part in that. When you have certain combinations, you entertain different desires, different ways of thinking. You, as a Light mage, are more prone to creating living things to protect and see flourish, and while your element may have some fighting applications, you aren't someone made to hurt others. In a way, you can be proud of that. What makes it hard for you is that you're a 'common' Light mage, one that prefers healing and creating rather than destroying." As he spoke, he stretched his arms, as if they had suddenly gone sore.

"I'm going to ask something of you. Try to dissociate Wind and Light as two different elements.
You'll use one for one things, and the other for another. At some point, I'm sure you'll be able to mix them to do great things, but for now, let's just focus on that.
I want you to try and focus on wind only as something to attack, or redirect your foe's attack. In short, we're going to work on your reflexes and vision. Afterwards, we'll work on your reflexes without vision. You'll have to rely on hearing only."

Taking a swig off of his bottle again, he closed it set it against the rock he was sitting on, and put his hands in his pockets.

"You're going to have to take the tells I have when using wind, or metal. And you'll defend yourself, either by dodging, or redirecting my attacks.
Tell me once you're ready." With that, he sighed and got into a position where he wouldn't be knocked away should Soleil return the blow.

Once Soleil would say the word, several wind blades would shoot out, with various tells prior to sending them, telling where exactly the wind blade would land.
The tells were mostly eye related, Oliver always looked at where he was going to attack before actually sending whatever it was that he wanted to send.

"...Shallow?..."

Soleil spoke the word softly, as though he was stroking it like a kitten's fur. His eyes widened, and he frowned sadly. Was that all that lay behind his feelings toward his Magic? Was his power merely a bunch of shallow illusions in his heart? He released his little Fawn, and he held his hands to his chest for a moment, directly over his heart. His desire to create, to love something into being, to protect his beloved creations...

"...All of that...is shallow?...I..."

He did not allow himself to finish. Not yet anyway. Oliver was still talking, and he was telling Soleil to split his Wind and Light Magic, to focus on using his Wind Magic to attack. He closed his eyes, slowly silencing himself and allowing his bubbling emotions to settle. He then replaced them with something else: a will to attack. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and stared at Oliver with a cool, determined look. He then gradually extended his arm toward him, holding his open palm in his direction. Generally, Soleil did not like to attack unless he was defending someone. The last sparring session had been a practice-brawl, and he had defended himself for most of the fight. Now, he would initiate.

...He...attacked them...

...My creations...The only things...that have brought me joy...He said my work...no...

My heart...he said my heart is...shallow...

...That there is...nothing there...

Slowly, a vortex of wind formed in his hand, swirling around the center of his palm and growing until it represented a hand-held typhoon. Using his feelings of anger and indignation as fuel, he created a very unusual sensation in his chest: aggression. The heat of a battle rising with the temperature of his body, as he prepared to fight solely to attack another person. The small typhoon in his hand slowly stretched and straightened itself, until it formed a new shape-a sharp, emerald-green spear, whirling with Wind Magic. This time, he was not using his Light Magic, as Oliver had requested he not do. Taking his Wind-Spear in both hands, he took a deep breath, as launched himself toward Oliver, forcing himself to beginning.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" he screamed, as he aimed to strike Oliver.

Once Soleil blew his fuse and essentially went berserk, two conflicting thoughts flared up immediately, as Oliver started to take side steps to avoid Soleil's attacks.

The first was somewhat more of a lament.
He wondered why he had done this, his poor choice of words had gotten the poor sod angry and hurt. It was far from his intention.
It always seemed to happen once he started talking to an outsider about his family's beliefs, for a moment, he thought of never speaking about it again, never address the issue ever again.

But that wasn't exactly a good way to deal with it. Burrowing into a hole when confronted with issues was not something he did on a regular basis.
Now, he had to deal with it. And he would.

The second thought was more of a appraisal of what was going on.
To a degree, this was what he wanted. He wanted Soleil to know how to defend himself and pull the strength to strike back from within himself.
Oliver thought briefly of encouraging him, telling him that this was the way.
But in a way... It really wasn't.

What Soleil was doing now was simple, unadulterated rage, blind, powerful.
But it wasn't a way to fight, should Soleil's future foe have any form of discipline, he would be beaten down just as fast.

Even right now, Soleil could barely land any solid blows, he scratched him several times, and it did deal damage, but not strong enough to be able to do any proper lasting damage.
From outside however, anyone could think Oliver was the one being beaten back.

However, he thought of several things as well, what if it Soleil had actually understood? What if he simply forced himself to attack him by emulating anger and purposefully misunderstood?
As soon as that realization had dawned on him, a determined look that had once been lost came back.

The wind blades he was supposed to send were sent flying towards Soleil at various angles as he created a wind axe.
After all, in Fire Emblem, Axes were strong against Lances.

Once the wind blades had finished crashing down, he created a second axe, this time out of metal.
After all, having only one was suicidal, so why not go the extra mile and create a second one?
His first move would be to block, or redirect at least, the incoming spear.

[Luminesa]

"...Shallow?..."

Soleil spoke the word softly, as though he was stroking it like a kitten's fur. His eyes widened, and he frowned sadly. Was that all that lay behind his feelings toward his Magic? Was his power merely a bunch of shallow illusions in his heart? He released his little Fawn, and he held his hands to his chest for a moment, directly over his heart. His desire to create, to love something into being, to protect his beloved creations...

"...All of that...is shallow?...I..."

He did not allow himself to finish. Not yet anyway. Oliver was still talking, and he was telling Soleil to split his Wind and Light Magic, to focus on using his Wind Magic to attack. He closed his eyes, slowly silencing himself and allowing his bubbling emotions to settle. He then replaced them with something else: a will to attack. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and stared at Oliver with a cool, determined look. He then gradually extended his arm toward him, holding his open palm in his direction. Generally, Soleil did not like to attack unless he was defending someone. The last sparring session had been a practice-brawl, and he had defended himself for most of the fight. Now, he would initiate.

...He...attacked them...

...My creations...The only things...that have brought me joy...He said my work...no...

My heart...he said my heart is...shallow...

...That there is...nothing there...

Slowly, a vortex of wind formed in his hand, swirling around the center of his palm and growing until it represented a hand-held typhoon. Using his feelings of anger and indignation as fuel, he created a very unusual sensation in his chest: aggression. The heat of a battle rising with the temperature of his body, as he prepared to fight solely to attack another person. The small typhoon in his hand slowly stretched and straightened itself, until it formed a new shape-a sharp, emerald-green spear, whirling with Wind Magic. This time, he was not using his Light Magic, as Oliver had requested he not do. Taking his Wind-Spear in both hands, he took a deep breath, as launched himself toward Oliver, forcing himself to beginning.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" he screamed, as he aimed to strike Oliver.

Once Soleil blew his fuse and essentially went berserk, two conflicting thoughts flared up immediately, as Oliver started to take side steps to avoid Soleil's attacks.

The first was somewhat more of a lament.
He wondered why he had done this, his poor choice of words had gotten the poor sod angry and hurt. It was far from his intention.
It always seemed to happen once he started talking to an outsider about his family's beliefs, for a moment, he thought of never speaking about it again, never address the issue ever again.

But that wasn't exactly a good way to deal with it. Burrowing into a hole when confronted with issues was not something he did on a regular basis.
Now, he had to deal with it. And he would.

The second thought was more of a appraisal of what was going on.
To a degree, this was what he wanted. He wanted Soleil to know how to defend himself and pull the strength to strike back from within himself.
Oliver thought briefly of encouraging him, telling him that this was the way.
But in a way... It really wasn't.

What Soleil was doing now was simple, unadulterated rage, blind, powerful.
But it wasn't a way to fight, should Soleil's future foe have any form of discipline, he would be beaten down just as fast.

Even right now, Soleil could barely land any solid blows, he scratched him several times, and it did deal damage, but not strong enough to be able to do any proper lasting damage.
From outside however, anyone could think Oliver was the one being beaten back.

However, he thought of several things as well, what if it Soleil had actually understood? What if he simply forced himself to attack him by emulating anger and purposefully misunderstood?
As soon as that realization had dawned on him, a determined look that had once been lost came back.

The wind blades he was supposed to send were sent flying towards Soleil at various angles as he created a wind axe.
After all, in Fire Emblem, Axes were strong against Lances.

Once the wind blades had finished crashing down, he created a second axe, this time out of metal.
After all, having only one was suicidal, so why not go the extra mile and create a second one?
His first move would be to block, or redirect at least, the incoming spear.

As promised, Soleil had been struck almost immediately by the wind blades as he had charged forward, signaling the beginning of the battle. Each sword sliced painfully through his clothes, causing bright-red gashes to appear on his arms and face. The pain had shocked him, and he staggered back as the swords assaulted him. Yet this hesitation only lasted a second, and as he recovered he found the strength to strike back at Oliver. Ignoring the searing pain, he focused instead on fueling his anger, on continuing the fight and on driving Oliver back.

I am not weak! I am not shallow! All of those years I have struggled alone...I struggled alone because I saw something different! I saw something outside of my House!

As the thoughts swirled in his mind and furthered his anger, he decided to morph his weapon. Stepping into his attack, he stabbed at Oliver as he had now done several dozen times before. Yet the shape of the weapon shifted, becoming that of a sword. This sword was somewhat different from that of his first shortsword, which was dull and weak. It was much longer, and the blade was now a light-green, with the hilt resembling a chrysalis. He then swung it, clashing against the axe that had formed from the remaining wind-swords.

...You don't know me...You don't know...what I have sacrificed...how hard the path I have chosen has been for me...To wield and to hone and to love my Magic into being!...Yes!...You don't know what it's like...to love your Magic!

He tightened his grip around his sword, and then he stepped forward, continuing to push hard into the axe's blade. His eyes glowed eeriely in the bright, ghastly light of the clashing weapons, and as he arched his brows and grit his teeth, he almost looked transformed. "...Ghh...Nghhh..."

Yes! To love your Magic, so much that it comes to love you! So much that it becomes paint, or music, or feeling...You don't know!

"OLIVEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!"

His eyes flashed, as did his blade as he pulled back for just a moment, before slashing directly through the axe. As it exploded into wind, he then rushed directly at Oliver, slashing at his shirt and attempting to hit him head-on. "I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOUUUUU!!!" he shouted, continually pumping himself with adrenaline to drive forward. Yes. He only needed to continue pumping his own anger through his veins, to keep the bad blood coursing through his system, until the fight ended, and he had won. Yet all the while, the prolonged anger felt so foreign to Soleil, so strange, that as he finally slashed Oliver in the chest a couple of times, he gasped himself at what he had done.

He now stood, awkwardly, with both hands around the hilt. His eyes held a darkened glint, as the light around him faded, and he stared, wondering if he had done the right thing. Regardless of the regret he was feeling, he mumbled, "...Now you have to attack again. If you don't attack, I...I'll continue...I'll hit you until you're exhausted!...I-Is that clear?!" He raised his voice near the end of his threat, as though he was trying to regain the confidence to keep fighting.

[Imperial--japan]

Valerie Teichmüller

Valerie was presently surprised by the appearance of the students before her, and their quick inclusion of her despite her relatively unknown status was enough to make her stand their clueless for a moment. Regardless, she wasn't going to turn down an invitation of joining a group when she herself had little choice in the matter.

"Valerie..." She muttered and gave a slight bow to them. This was her way of showing appreciation to those who took her in. Now she would simply need to pull her weight, assuming that those she'd come to briefly meet were familiar with each other already. It wasn't until Oliver brought up that they would be learning theory that she smiled. She liked to imagine she was relatively experienced in more philosophical matters, and that was exactly what magical theory really was in the long run.

"Tell me, how do you see magic?" Valerie thought about such a weighted question and its intentions.

"Magic is me imposing my will on the world around me, and mana is my instrument. Magic can be used for all sorts of things, good and bad. In the end, magic is a tool for mages to push themselves past what it means to be human. The greater ones control of mana, the more skilled they are at imposing their will." Valerie concluded. Surely not a position held by the majority, but it would be foolish to think that nobody else held such a view of Magic. She knew the necromancers she was victim of did. However, she held such a view even before her ill fate. She would not allow those necromancers to taint her mind, despite tainting her spirit and body.

Valerie stepped back as the situation before her seemed to grow a little tense, with the other boys scream echoing around them.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" She stood wordlessly, unsure of how to proceed. Was she supposed to be doing something? Did she join in? She wasn't sure. In the meantime, she managed to adjust her face into one of concern. How she wished she was able to genuinely express such an emotion, thought currently it was beyond her.

[Serah]

Once Soleil blew his fuse and essentially went berserk, two conflicting thoughts flared up immediately, as Oliver started to take side steps to avoid Soleil's attacks.

The first was somewhat more of a lament.
He wondered why he had done this, his poor choice of words had gotten the poor sod angry and hurt. It was far from his intention.
It always seemed to happen once he started talking to an outsider about his family's beliefs, for a moment, he thought of never speaking about it again, never address the issue ever again.

But that wasn't exactly a good way to deal with it. Burrowing into a hole when confronted with issues was not something he did on a regular basis.
Now, he had to deal with it. And he would.

The second thought was more of a appraisal of what was going on.
To a degree, this was what he wanted. He wanted Soleil to know how to defend himself and pull the strength to strike back from within himself.
Oliver thought briefly of encouraging him, telling him that this was the way.
But in a way... It really wasn't.

What Soleil was doing now was simple, unadulterated rage, blind, powerful.
But it wasn't a way to fight, should Soleil's future foe have any form of discipline, he would be beaten down just as fast.

Even right now, Soleil could barely land any solid blows, he scratched him several times, and it did deal damage, but not strong enough to be able to do any proper lasting damage.
From outside however, anyone could think Oliver was the one being beaten back.

However, he thought of several things as well, what if it Soleil had actually understood? What if he simply forced himself to attack him by emulating anger and purposefully misunderstood?
As soon as that realization had dawned on him, a determined look that had once been lost came back.

The wind blades he was supposed to send were sent flying towards Soleil at various angles as he created a wind axe.
After all, in Fire Emblem, Axes were strong against Lances.

Once the wind blades had finished crashing down, he created a second axe, this time out of metal.
After all, having only one was suicidal, so why not go the extra mile and create a second one?
His first move would be to block, or redirect at least, the incoming spear.

As promised, Soleil had been struck almost immediately by the wind blades as he had charged forward, signaling the beginning of the battle. Each sword sliced painfully through his clothes, causing bright-red gashes to appear on his arms and face. The pain had shocked him, and he staggered back as the swords assaulted him. Yet this hesitation only lasted a second, and as he recovered he found the strength to strike back at Oliver. Ignoring the searing pain, he focused instead on fueling his anger, on continuing the fight and on driving Oliver back.

I am not weak! I am not shallow! All of those years I have struggled alone...I struggled alone because I saw something different! I saw something outside of my House!

As the thoughts swirled in his mind and furthered his anger, he decided to morph his weapon. Stepping into his attack, he stabbed at Oliver as he had now done several dozen times before. Yet the shape of the weapon shifted, becoming that of a sword. This sword was somewhat different from that of his first shortsword, which was dull and weak. It was much longer, and the blade was now a light-green, with the hilt resembling a chrysalis. He then swung it, clashing against the axe that had formed from the remaining wind-swords.

...You don't know me...You don't know...what I have sacrificed...how hard the path I have chosen has been for me...To wield and to hone and to love my Magic into being!...Yes!...You don't know what it's like...to love your Magic!

He tightened his grip around his sword, and then he stepped forward, continuing to push hard into the axe's blade. His eyes glowed eeriely in the bright, ghastly light of the clashing weapons, and as he arched his brows and grit his teeth, he almost looked transformed. "...Ghh...Nghhh..."

Yes! To love your Magic, so much that it comes to love you! So much that it becomes paint, or music, or feeling...You don't know!

"OLIVEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!"

His eyes flashed, as did his blade as he pulled back for just a moment, before slashing directly through the axe. As it exploded into wind, he then rushed directly at Oliver, slashing at his shirt and attempting to hit him head-on. "I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOUUUUU!!!" he shouted, continually pumping himself with adrenaline to drive forward. Yes. He only needed to continue pumping his own anger through his veins, to keep the bad blood coursing through his system, until the fight ended, and he had won. Yet all the while, the prolonged anger felt so foreign to Soleil, so strange, that as he finally slashed Oliver in the chest a couple of times, he gasped himself at what he had done.

He now stood, awkwardly, with both hands around the hilt. His eyes held a darkened glint, as the light around him faded, and he stared, wondering if he had done the right thing. Regardless of the regret he was feeling, he mumbled, "...Now you have to attack again. If you don't attack, I...I'll continue...I'll hit you until you're exhausted!...I-Is that clear?!" He raised his voice near the end of his threat, as though he was trying to regain the confidence to keep fighting.

Progressively, Oliver became somewhat proud, proud that he had managed to make Soleil attack on his own without anyone's help.
The pain he was inflicting was strong, but it wasn't like he wasn't used to it. It had been a part of his life, and it would likely be that way for the rest of his life, but he didn't care.
Right now, he felt as if he had managed to do at least one thing right.

"Clear as day..." He muttered under his breath, recreating his axes. For a brief moment, he let himself look at Valerie, to address her response.

Valerie Teichmüller

Valerie was presently surprised by the appearance of the students before her, and their quick inclusion of her despite her relatively unknown status was enough to make her stand their clueless for a moment. Regardless, she wasn't going to turn down an invitation of joining a group when she herself had little choice in the matter.

"Valerie..." She muttered and gave a slight bow to them. This was her way of showing appreciation to those who took her in. Now she would simply need to pull her weight, assuming that those she'd come to briefly meet were familiar with each other already. It wasn't until Oliver brought up that they would be learning theory that she smiled. She liked to imagine she was relatively experienced in more philosophical matters, and that was exactly what magical theory really was in the long run.

"Tell me, how do you see magic?" Valerie thought about such a weighted question and its intentions.

"Magic is me imposing my will on the world around me, and mana is my instrument. Magic can be used for all sorts of things, good and bad. In the end, magic is a tool for mages to push themselves past what it means to be human. The greater ones control of mana, the more skilled they are at imposing their will." Valerie concluded. Surely not a position held by the majority, but it would be foolish to think that nobody else held such a view of Magic. She knew the necromancers she was victim of did. However, she held such a view even before her ill fate. She would not allow those necromancers to taint her mind, despite tainting her spirit and body.

Valerie stepped back as the situation before her seemed to grow a little tense, with the other boys scream echoing around them.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" She stood wordlessly, unsure of how to proceed. Was she supposed to be doing something? Did she join in? She wasn't sure. In the meantime, she managed to adjust her face into one of concern. How she wished she was able to genuinely express such an emotion, thought currently it was beyond her.

"Don't mind him, I'm teaching him how to defend himself. But, pardon me if I may seem somewhat offensive, but that seems quite similar to what a book description of mana may say.
Where's your personal touch in that? Do you see it as nothing but a tool, only something that can help but that you wouldn't trust to guide you?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should part from it, everybody has a different way of viewing it, people can be as open or shallow as they damn please.
Maybe my interpretation is wrong because I don't know what you specialize in?" He cut himself off to dodge an incoming blow expertly, as if he hadn't even thought about it.

"Now, pardon me, but I'll have to get my full attention on this, unless I'm going to get stabbed to death." With that, he jumped back and threw an axe at Soleil's torso, then used his wind to boost him out of the way.

Once again, Oliver's body was covered in wind rolling off of him, although this time, it almost seemed like it was an armor.
Soleil would have to get creative if he wanted to pierce it, although so far, even by giving himself a handicap by not using his Predator arm, the fight was quite exhilarating.

[Luminesa]

As promised, Soleil had been struck almost immediately by the wind blades as he had charged forward, signaling the beginning of the battle. Each sword sliced painfully through his clothes, causing bright-red gashes to appear on his arms and face. The pain had shocked him, and he staggered back as the swords assaulted him. Yet this hesitation only lasted a second, and as he recovered he found the strength to strike back at Oliver. Ignoring the searing pain, he focused instead on fueling his anger, on continuing the fight and on driving Oliver back.

I am not weak! I am not shallow! All of those years I have struggled alone...I struggled alone because I saw something different! I saw something outside of my House!

As the thoughts swirled in his mind and furthered his anger, he decided to morph his weapon. Stepping into his attack, he stabbed at Oliver as he had now done several dozen times before. Yet the shape of the weapon shifted, becoming that of a sword. This sword was somewhat different from that of his first shortsword, which was dull and weak. It was much longer, and the blade was now a light-green, with the hilt resembling a chrysalis. He then swung it, clashing against the axe that had formed from the remaining wind-swords.

...You don't know me...You don't know...what I have sacrificed...how hard the path I have chosen has been for me...To wield and to hone and to love my Magic into being!...Yes!...You don't know what it's like...to love your Magic!

He tightened his grip around his sword, and then he stepped forward, continuing to push hard into the axe's blade. His eyes glowed eeriely in the bright, ghastly light of the clashing weapons, and as he arched his brows and grit his teeth, he almost looked transformed. "...Ghh...Nghhh..."

Yes! To love your Magic, so much that it comes to love you! So much that it becomes paint, or music, or feeling...You don't know!

"OLIVEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!"

His eyes flashed, as did his blade as he pulled back for just a moment, before slashing directly through the axe. As it exploded into wind, he then rushed directly at Oliver, slashing at his shirt and attempting to hit him head-on. "I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOUUUUU!!!" he shouted, continually pumping himself with adrenaline to drive forward. Yes. He only needed to continue pumping his own anger through his veins, to keep the bad blood coursing through his system, until the fight ended, and he had won. Yet all the while, the prolonged anger felt so foreign to Soleil, so strange, that as he finally slashed Oliver in the chest a couple of times, he gasped himself at what he had done.

He now stood, awkwardly, with both hands around the hilt. His eyes held a darkened glint, as the light around him faded, and he stared, wondering if he had done the right thing. Regardless of the regret he was feeling, he mumbled, "...Now you have to attack again. If you don't attack, I...I'll continue...I'll hit you until you're exhausted!...I-Is that clear?!" He raised his voice near the end of his threat, as though he was trying to regain the confidence to keep fighting.

Progressively, Oliver became somewhat proud, proud that he had managed to make Soleil attack on his own without anyone's help.
The pain he was inflicting was strong, but it wasn't like he wasn't used to it. It had been a part of his life, and it would likely be that way for the rest of his life, but he didn't care.
Right now, he felt as if he had managed to do at least one thing right.

"Clear as day..." He muttered under his breath, recreating his axes. For a brief moment, he let himself look at Valerie, to address her response.

Valerie Teichmüller

Valerie was presently surprised by the appearance of the students before her, and their quick inclusion of her despite her relatively unknown status was enough to make her stand their clueless for a moment. Regardless, she wasn't going to turn down an invitation of joining a group when she herself had little choice in the matter.

"Valerie..." She muttered and gave a slight bow to them. This was her way of showing appreciation to those who took her in. Now she would simply need to pull her weight, assuming that those she'd come to briefly meet were familiar with each other already. It wasn't until Oliver brought up that they would be learning theory that she smiled. She liked to imagine she was relatively experienced in more philosophical matters, and that was exactly what magical theory really was in the long run.

"Tell me, how do you see magic?" Valerie thought about such a weighted question and its intentions.

"Magic is me imposing my will on the world around me, and mana is my instrument. Magic can be used for all sorts of things, good and bad. In the end, magic is a tool for mages to push themselves past what it means to be human. The greater ones control of mana, the more skilled they are at imposing their will." Valerie concluded. Surely not a position held by the majority, but it would be foolish to think that nobody else held such a view of Magic. She knew the necromancers she was victim of did. However, she held such a view even before her ill fate. She would not allow those necromancers to taint her mind, despite tainting her spirit and body.

Valerie stepped back as the situation before her seemed to grow a little tense, with the other boys scream echoing around them.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" She stood wordlessly, unsure of how to proceed. Was she supposed to be doing something? Did she join in? She wasn't sure. In the meantime, she managed to adjust her face into one of concern. How she wished she was able to genuinely express such an emotion, thought currently it was beyond her.

"Don't mind him, I'm teaching him how to defend himself. But, pardon me if I may seem somewhat offensive, but that seems quite similar to what a book description of mana may say.
Where's your personal touch in that? Do you see it as nothing but a tool, only something that can help but that you wouldn't trust to guide you?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should part from it, everybody has a different way of viewing it, people can be as open or shallow as they damn please.
Maybe my interpretation is wrong because I don't know what you specialize in?" He cut himself off to dodge an incoming blow expertly, as if he hadn't even thought about it.

"Now, pardon me, but I'll have to get my full attention on this, unless I'm going to get stabbed to death." With that, he jumped back and threw an axe at Soleil's torso, then used his wind to boost him out of the way.

Once again, Oliver's body was covered in wind rolling off of him, although this time, it almost seemed like it was an armor.
Soleil would have to get creative if he wanted to pierce it, although so far, even by giving himself a handicap by not using his Predator arm, the fight was quite exhilarating.

Soleil paused for just a moment, as Valerie spoke to Oliver, meekly adding her own presence to the group. Something about her face seemed strange, and as Soleil calmed himself for just a moment, he noticed that Valerie's expressions seemed totally empty, as did her voice. She almost spoke as though she was a ghost, not another student. And yet nothing seemed malevolent about her. She seemed more or less uncertain, rather, as to whether or not she should join the fray. Eventually, she decided to stay on the outside-looking-in. Soleil was fine with this. "...I-If you want to fight Oliver when I'm finished...y-you can do so as well..." he mumbled, his normal kindness peeping through for just a moment. Yet that disappeared, as Oliver gave the cue to continue fighting, and so he did.

Turning back to his opponent, Soleil guarded himself with the blade of his sword once again, as Oliver assaulted him with more wind-axes. He grit his teeth, and once again, he pushed himself to slash through the axes. His anger had made his body physically stronger, to the point in which he could break apart an axe-construct, and as he rushed through it, he glared fiercely at Oliver. Yet he hesitated just for a moment, as he noticed that in the midst of this breakthrough, his opponent had created armor made from wind, to try and guard himself from any further attacks. An almost-proud grin appeared on the younger boy's face, as he realized he had pushed Oliver into a corner. Now he only had to break the armor, and he would win.

...I'm not afraid!...I'm not afraid!...I can finish this fight!...I'll prove my skills, and you won't call me shallow again!...

He pulled back, and reeled his sword back behind his shoulder. Pushing his Manastream further, a shock of Wind Mana flowed through his arms and into his sword, sharpening the blade and elongating it. The Wind Magic then surrounded himself, and he was covered in his own sort of armor. He then thrust his sword forward, and in the last moment, he moved all of the Wind-Armor into his sword, making it even longer and even more powerful. As he slashed into the armor, a massive storm seemed to begin around the two of them, two forces of nature and two wills seeking to overpower each other. "...I...WON'T...LOSE...TO YOU!!!" he screamed, as he cut into Oliver and managed to crack the armor.