Mana Academy (IC) (Open, Fantasy)

[Saleon]

Amanda Stradt
The Storyteller
Outside the Aquo Building

---

---

Virgil looked at her scribbles on paper, turning his head a little. He scratched his head, before flipping the pages up until he was actually back at his last 3 words, "Endearing", "found", "you." Virgil then flipped pages forwards to the end, leading him to write a couple more things, "no", "find", "unlikeable." He pulled out a small smile, hoping she would perk up. The girl did seem to take things the wrong way a lot. Fortunately, Virgil was apparently a therapist. Or maybe he was just the type to note the shifts in facial expression.

Virgil then jumped down and on to the rim of the bed, then back to the side of Ambrosia. He moved over, patting her cheek in a kind old sage's manner.

“Professor Stradt! What exactly happened here?” Cecily inquired.

Amanda turned over, her head rolling over to see the nurse's face. "Don't worry, she just needs a small rest. She overheated while training. She just needs a cup of water and a bit of a nap."

“...’Found’...’endearing’...So what you’re saying is...he actually...found me endearing?” Ambrosia blinked, as she read Virgil’s words, and then re-read them. Her eyes were large with shock, as she realized that in her mind she had gravely misunderstood Oliver. He did not dislike her-he just did not know her very well. She blushed brightly, and wished she could call for Oliver. However, he was gone, and she was too weak to get out of bed to go find him. Sighing at her bad luck, she felt glad that Virgil was with her to comfort her. “...Thank you Virgil...Could you...maybe message him and tell him that I’m sorry?” she inquired. She knew that if anyone could hunt him down, that the little mystical mouse could find him. “...Also...um...can you...tell him...I find him nice?...Um...” She did not want to come across as too bold, but she wanted to be honest. She eyed Professor Stradt, uncertain as to what to do.

Virgil looked at her, his eyes tilting a bit. He squirreled out of her blankets, before getting a larger pen and a piece of paper. He pulled out his notepad and scribbled down, "write", "letter" "to." He then sat down, looking at her a bit. The letter was nicely made, fine paper. He also put a small pad underneath so she could press into the paper.

Amanda then wheeled over, a grinning smile as she noticed Ambrosia ruffling a bit. She then turned to Cecilia, not to arousing suspicion, "how has the infirmary been?

[Luminesa]

Amanda Stradt
The Storyteller
Outside the Aquo Building

---

---

“...’Found’...’endearing’...So what you’re saying is...he actually...found me endearing?” Ambrosia blinked, as she read Virgil’s words, and then re-read them. Her eyes were large with shock, as she realized that in her mind she had gravely misunderstood Oliver. He did not dislike her-he just did not know her very well. She blushed brightly, and wished she could call for Oliver. However, he was gone, and she was too weak to get out of bed to go find him. Sighing at her bad luck, she felt glad that Virgil was with her to comfort her. “...Thank you Virgil...Could you...maybe message him and tell him that I’m sorry?” she inquired. She knew that if anyone could hunt him down, that the little mystical mouse could find him. “...Also...um...can you...tell him...I find him nice?...Um...” She did not want to come across as too bold, but she wanted to be honest. She eyed Professor Stradt, uncertain as to what to do.

Virgil looked at her, his eyes tilting a bit. He squirreled out of her blankets, before getting a larger pen and a piece of paper. He pulled out his notepad and scribbled down, "write", "letter" "to." He then sat down, looking at her a bit. The letter was nicely made, fine paper. He also put a small pad underneath so she could press into the paper.

Amanda then wheeled over, a grinning smile as she noticed Ambrosia ruffling a bit. She then turned to Cecilia, not to arousing suspicion, "how has the infirmary been?

Ambrosia stared for a moment, as Virgil crawled out and rushed to get something. When he returned, he had a pen-one fit for a human hand-and a piece of paper. After a moment of staring at the pen and the paper he had given her, Ambrosia understood that Virgil wanted her to write a letter to Oliver. She blushed brightly, and held the pen near her lip, nervous. A letter?! He wants me to write a letter?!...Oh but what should I write? A love letter? A letter asking for his forgiveness?...Should I ask him on a date?...Or should I ask him to train with me again?...Aaaaahhhh I don’t knooooowwwww... She tapped the pen against her temple, trying to think of what to write.

In the meantime, Cecily giggled discreetly at Ambrosia’s wide-eyed, anxious reaction. She knew the stress that came with writing letters to someone whom one cared about. Yet Ambrosia was so vibrant and spontaneous, almost nothing like herself. Ah yes...being a young girl in love...it’s the best and the worst feeling in the world... she reflected. Her most recent interaction with Rabbit came back to mind, but she shook it off as Professor Stradt asked her a question.

“...The infirmary? It’s been...mostly quiet, actually...Ambrosia is the first patient I’ve had today,” she answered, a little relieved by the lack of patients with serious injuries. “Artosh was even able to go out, though I don’t know where he is. And I haven’t seen John all morning. But that’s okay...I like being able to relax, for some time. I’m sure after all that this place shall be busy after the Quarterly Exam...”

[Saleon]

Amanda Stradt
The Storyteller
Outside the Aquo Building

---

---

Virgil looked at her, his eyes tilting a bit. He squirreled out of her blankets, before getting a larger pen and a piece of paper. He pulled out his notepad and scribbled down, "write", "letter" "to." He then sat down, looking at her a bit. The letter was nicely made, fine paper. He also put a small pad underneath so she could press into the paper.

Amanda then wheeled over, a grinning smile as she noticed Ambrosia ruffling a bit. She then turned to Cecilia, not to arousing suspicion, "how has the infirmary been?

Ambrosia stared for a moment, as Virgil crawled out and rushed to get something. When he returned, he had a pen-one fit for a human hand-and a piece of paper. After a moment of staring at the pen and the paper he had given her, Ambrosia understood that Virgil wanted her to write a letter to Oliver. She blushed brightly, and held the pen near her lip, nervous. A letter?! He wants me to write a letter?!...Oh but what should I write? A love letter? A letter asking for his forgiveness?...Should I ask him on a date?...Or should I ask him to train with me again?...Aaaaahhhh I don’t knooooowwwww... She tapped the pen against her temple, trying to think of what to write.

In the meantime, Cecily giggled discreetly at Ambrosia’s wide-eyed, anxious reaction. She knew the stress that came with writing letters to someone whom one cared about. Yet Ambrosia was so vibrant and spontaneous, almost nothing like herself. Ah yes...being a young girl in love...it’s the best and the worst feeling in the world... she reflected. Her most recent interaction with Rabbit came back to mind, but she shook it off as Professor Stradt asked her a question.

“...The infirmary? It’s been...mostly quiet, actually...Ambrosia is the first patient I’ve had today,” she answered, a little relieved by the lack of patients with serious injuries. “Artosh was even able to go out, though I don’t know where he is. And I haven’t seen John all morning. But that’s okay...I like being able to relax, for some time. I’m sure after all that this place shall be busy after the Quarterly Exam...”

Virgil sighed a little, followed by almost wanting a chuckle. He pulled out his notepad and scribbled down a helpful hint, "Dear", "Oliver,". Virgil was a creature of simplicity.

Cecily then responded, “...The infirmary? It’s been...mostly quiet, actually...Ambrosia is the first patient I’ve had today.” The infirmary had been a little quiet, to the relief of the overstressed staff. “Artosh was even able to go out, though I don’t know where he is. And I haven’t seen John all morning. But that’s okay...I like being able to relax, for some time. I’m sure after all that this place shall be busy after the Quarterly Exam...”

Amanda looked to Cecily, stretching a bit, "I guess most students realized they need to train, but not to train to the point you suffer a heat wave." Her eyes made a certain glance to Ambrosia, subtly, before returning to Cecily. "Well, such is the fun for us, isn't it?"

"The Quarterly Exam will be interesting. I've mostly gathered what I can from what the substitute taught. She had detailed notes over what she was able to get to, what she found difficult to cover. Fortunately. I'll make sure to instill a deep fire in each student. Hehehe, they will see fear...--" her eyes glinted with a menacing spark-- "and they shall overcome it. But probably next exam. This one will be pretty simple. If they somehow fail... I will refocus my students until they exceed their potentials."

She then grinned a little, "or something like that. I'm sure that was in the last teacher's conference by some administrative type. Usual stuff."

[Luminesa]

Amanda Stradt
The Storyteller
Outside the Aquo Building

---

---

Ambrosia stared for a moment, as Virgil crawled out and rushed to get something. When he returned, he had a pen-one fit for a human hand-and a piece of paper. After a moment of staring at the pen and the paper he had given her, Ambrosia understood that Virgil wanted her to write a letter to Oliver. She blushed brightly, and held the pen near her lip, nervous. A letter?! He wants me to write a letter?!...Oh but what should I write? A love letter? A letter asking for his forgiveness?...Should I ask him on a date?...Or should I ask him to train with me again?...Aaaaahhhh I don’t knooooowwwww... She tapped the pen against her temple, trying to think of what to write.

In the meantime, Cecily giggled discreetly at Ambrosia’s wide-eyed, anxious reaction. She knew the stress that came with writing letters to someone whom one cared about. Yet Ambrosia was so vibrant and spontaneous, almost nothing like herself. Ah yes...being a young girl in love...it’s the best and the worst feeling in the world... she reflected. Her most recent interaction with Rabbit came back to mind, but she shook it off as Professor Stradt asked her a question.

“...The infirmary? It’s been...mostly quiet, actually...Ambrosia is the first patient I’ve had today,” she answered, a little relieved by the lack of patients with serious injuries. “Artosh was even able to go out, though I don’t know where he is. And I haven’t seen John all morning. But that’s okay...I like being able to relax, for some time. I’m sure after all that this place shall be busy after the Quarterly Exam...”

Virgil sighed a little, followed by almost wanting a chuckle. He pulled out his notepad and scribbled down a helpful hint, "Dear", "Oliver,". Virgil was a creature of simplicity.

Cecily then responded, “...The infirmary? It’s been...mostly quiet, actually...Ambrosia is the first patient I’ve had today.” The infirmary had been a little quiet, to the relief of the overstressed staff. “Artosh was even able to go out, though I don’t know where he is. And I haven’t seen John all morning. But that’s okay...I like being able to relax, for some time. I’m sure after all that this place shall be busy after the Quarterly Exam...”

Amanda looked to Cecily, stretching a bit, "I guess most students realized they need to train, but not to train to the point you suffer a heat wave." Her eyes made a certain glance to Ambrosia, subtly, before returning to Cecily. "Well, such is the fun for us, isn't it?"

"The Quarterly Exam will be interesting. I've mostly gathered what I can from what the substitute taught. She had detailed notes over what she was able to get to, what she found difficult to cover. Fortunately. I'll make sure to instill a deep fire in each student. Hehehe, they will see fear...--" her eyes glinted with a menacing spark-- "and they shall overcome it. But probably next exam. This one will be pretty simple. If they somehow fail... I will refocus my students until they exceed their potentials."

She then grinned a little, "or something like that. I'm sure that was in the last teacher's conference by some administrative type. Usual stuff."

“...‘Dear’...‘Oliver’...” Such a simplistic start. Ambrosia stared with some frustration at the paper in front of her. After a minute of racking her brain for ideas, she decided to do what she did best-or worst-say exactly what was on her mind. Slowly, she began to write down her thoughts, carefully examining them to see if they were appropriate. At the very least, she hoped that Oliver would not think she is a total goof. Maybe after I write him a neat, well-written letter, he’ll only think of me as a part-goof...Yeah...and then maybe he’ll want to train with me again... she told herself.

Cecily nodded. Rabbit had left her instructions as well, despite his utter dislike for writing his thoughts down. Yet she was glad that he did-he left her tips about each of the students, along with their skills and their weaknesses. He also left her a schedule of exercises which the students needed to complete after the Quarterly Exam. “...I only hope I can be of any help to them...I’m nothing like Rabbit, either in skill or in personality...But you’re right. Being tough on the students right now is what they need. Though you may have to help me...I’m a good fighter, but not the best...teacher...if you know what I mean...” she explained, nervously.

[Saleon]

Amanda Stradt
The Storyteller
Outside the Aquo Building

---

---

Virgil sighed a little, followed by almost wanting a chuckle. He pulled out his notepad and scribbled down a helpful hint, "Dear", "Oliver,". Virgil was a creature of simplicity.

Cecily then responded, “...The infirmary? It’s been...mostly quiet, actually...Ambrosia is the first patient I’ve had today.” The infirmary had been a little quiet, to the relief of the overstressed staff. “Artosh was even able to go out, though I don’t know where he is. And I haven’t seen John all morning. But that’s okay...I like being able to relax, for some time. I’m sure after all that this place shall be busy after the Quarterly Exam...”

Amanda looked to Cecily, stretching a bit, "I guess most students realized they need to train, but not to train to the point you suffer a heat wave." Her eyes made a certain glance to Ambrosia, subtly, before returning to Cecily. "Well, such is the fun for us, isn't it?"

"The Quarterly Exam will be interesting. I've mostly gathered what I can from what the substitute taught. She had detailed notes over what she was able to get to, what she found difficult to cover. Fortunately. I'll make sure to instill a deep fire in each student. Hehehe, they will see fear...--" her eyes glinted with a menacing spark-- "and they shall overcome it. But probably next exam. This one will be pretty simple. If they somehow fail... I will refocus my students until they exceed their potentials."

She then grinned a little, "or something like that. I'm sure that was in the last teacher's conference by some administrative type. Usual stuff."

“...‘Dear’...‘Oliver’...” Such a simplistic start. Ambrosia stared with some frustration at the paper in front of her. After a minute of racking her brain for ideas, she decided to do what she did best-or worst-say exactly what was on her mind. Slowly, she began to write down her thoughts, carefully examining them to see if they were appropriate. At the very least, she hoped that Oliver would not think she is a total goof. Maybe after I write him a neat, well-written letter, he’ll only think of me as a part-goof...Yeah...and then maybe he’ll want to train with me again... she told herself.

Cecily nodded. Rabbit had left her instructions as well, despite his utter dislike for writing his thoughts down. Yet she was glad that he did-he left her tips about each of the students, along with their skills and their weaknesses. He also left her a schedule of exercises which the students needed to complete after the Quarterly Exam. “...I only hope I can be of any help to them...I’m nothing like Rabbit, either in skill or in personality...But you’re right. Being tough on the students right now is what they need. Though you may have to help me...I’m a good fighter, but not the best...teacher...if you know what I mean...” she explained, nervously.

Virgil nodded, setting down at the side of the sheets. His teeny feet dangling off the side. He decided to give her some privacy. Whatever she wrote would probably need a quick check anyways. He pulled out a small sharpening rock and his sword, beginning to softly scrape at the sides to keep it nice and ready. The sword was large for his size, and minus the small handle, the blade could be a letter opener for a human. His heavy armor and arctic accoutrements was a rougher cloth and metal. The steel on his clothing was not made to give off a blinding light sheen. It was rough and sturdy, like that of a strong warrior. Or so it would look if the person was his height. At the moment, the sword seemed like a hefty stone rather than hard steel. It was only in combat that it glowed with a mysterious pale blue energy. In combat, it was cold to the touch, likely freezing the hands of whoever tried to wield it, had they not been Virgil.

As Amanda talked with Cecily, the nurse racked her head in thought. “...I only hope I can be of any help to them...I’m nothing like Rabbit, either in skill or in personality...But you’re right. Being tough on the students right now is what they need. Though you may have to help me...I’m a good fighter, but not the best...teacher...if you know what I mean...” Cecily confided, sighing a little. She also gave off a nervous chuckle.

Amanda looked up to her, giving a slightly annoyed smirk. She rolled just a little closer, before playfully plopped her on the head with a soft chop to the top of the head. Not in a painful matter. "Silly Cecily. I may help you, but I should also tell you as well that you are a good teacher. You may not think it, but this school tends to pick good teachers.

"and the one thing that qualifies any teacher as a good teacher, great, is a deep care and love for their students. That's what it takes to be a teacher. Don't think lowly of yourself," she added.

[Finsternia]

Shaun Calhoun & Dominique Corleone

The first reaction that both boys had was a feeling of uneasiness and awkwardness as they both heard Artosh's joints pop and crack from his movement. Dominique especially had a hard time dealing with it and quickly winced and groaned, trying his best not to cover his ears at the sound. The constant cracking and popping wasn't something that he heard unless he walked passed the closed door of a certain room in his home.

When he was a few years younger he would pass by it; the soft sound of muffled screams and yelling filled the usually quiet corridor of the home was followed by the sound of soft, albeit distinct sounds of either fingers, arms, or kneecaps being smashed or popped out of their sockets only to be replaced by even more muffled screams. Even the sound of crying was heard. And then, there would be silence after a period of time. It was if nothing or nobody was ever in the room to begin with. The only noise was the sound of glasses clanging together when Mother was washing dishes or the sound of soft clacking as Prince ran up and down the hardwood floors. And before he could be spotted, he would quickly move away from the door and watch as he saw his dad and a couple of his workers walk out as though nothing ever happened. Although he could see in his deep golden amber eyes that there was something lurking and hiding in him. It was full of malice and frustration. But also a sense of relief. But then again, his eyes were usually like that when it came down to doing his job.

But once it was over, Dominique's body released a small shiver before he was quickly brought back to what was going on around him. "Huh?" Was all he said to himself ever so quietly as he watched Shaun's expression on his face change from being concerned and anxious to now filled with a mixture of deadpan and annoyance.

"So in other words, he asked you to watch over me as if I couldn't handle myself while using the word 'mentor' as a cover-up?" Shaun suddenly spoke to Artosh with a sense of slight disappointment and annoyance. He then sighed and combed his white locks with his hand before speaking to him once again, now with a more friendly appearance. "Sorry. Just ignored what I said." He explained to the teacher before looking down at his legs and crossing them while listening to what he had to say next.

Both boys soon looked towards the new mentor's hand as he waved his attention towards Shaun's constructs and watched as he explain on practicing on moving targets. And soon afterwards, the sight of what looked like deep purple tattoos covered the bodies of his terra cotta warriors. Shaun and Dominique watched intensively as they saw the bodies of the once still and quiet creations now become sentient and full of life. Mana now flowing through their clay bodies. And weapons in hand as well. Shaun giggled softly at the sight as Dominique sighed and closed his eyes knowing that now he would have to partake in what seemed to be a challenge. As Artosh explained his rules for the challenge, both boys got up and dusted themselves off and showed off a set of soft smiles that were filled with charm and excitement. At least they would have something to do as well. Soon, Shaun conjured up the long bow that he was using previously and altered it to make it shorter so it can be used while moving quickly.

Dominique on the other hand sighed as he knelt down and lowered his right sock, revealing what looked like to be a small firearm of sorts. It was all gold with what looked like silver embroidery styled as and vines covering the entirety of the butt of the pistol with a large golden rose in the center of the entangled vines. It may seem extra to most, but its one of the perks of being the son of a mafia member he guessed.
While at ground level, Dominique picked up a handful of dirt that was close by and closed his hands. He sighed and remembered what John told him the other day. Just like playing music. That's all there is to it. And with the sound of small humming for about a few seconds, Dom opened his hand to reveal to both of the guys a small handful of what looked like to be bullets. He then placed them into his pistol one by one as the sound of satisfying 'clicks' filled his ears. Once full, he placed the remaining ones in his pockets. Looking at both Artosh and Shaun, he sighed and stretched his neck without any sounds of popping and chuckled heartily. "Okie dokie. Once we're done, can we go and get something to eat? I'm starving. Oh! And I'll be more than happy to make all of us some food with the permission of the chef." He chuckled. "I'll think about what would be nice to make afterwards." He said as he combed his hair back as well. The soft dark curls flowing freely through his hands. Shaun looked at Dominique in surprise as he pulled out his gun from his sock. How did he manage to carry it around with him so freely without him noticing or even seeing him with it. He looked at Artosh to see what his reaction would be as well as he was rather surprised and confused rather than scared or anxious.

Artosh Luxenia

The white haired professor winced at the sudden outburst of his student. Artosh isn't dumb enough to not notice the pain from the young man's voice. It seems like Shaun felt like Allistor looks down at him like he is a toddler that needs to be taught how to walk or how to hold a spoon properly without spilling the food all over himself. His lips contorted into an awkward and nervous smile as he waved his hands around and laughed the situation off. "Sh-Shaun, it isn't like that! Allistor just feels ashamed that he needs to leave and he has not enough time to spend with you and help you with the exams and all that! That's why he asked me to help you two!" Though, seeing that the young mage seemed to have put on his cool headed and seemingly steel like persona. Artosh sighed from within, the calm finally setting in him. 'I've said what I have to say... I don't want those two to get into an argument because of silly me's silly way of telling the situation...'

He then shook his head and when he raised his brilliant sapphire eyes to look at Dom, another suprising view was revealed to him. "A-A-A-A-A g-gun?!" For mages such as him, guns are nothing but the mundane's way of self defense and a way of power. With a wave of a mage's hand, such tool would scatter into sparkling shards of light or melt as magical flame consume it. Mages who use guns are uncommon. After all, majority of mages are very conservative and still lean towards older weaponry like swords like Allistor or bows like Shaun. Though when one is out of magic, a gun sure is useful and especially when confronted by mundanes where magic cannot be used to its greatest extent. Though Mana Academy doesn't restrict such weaponry, their students are walking weapons themselves and carry weapons at their disposal too, seeing someone use a gun was still a shock. 'I didn't detect any damage to his mana streams just awhile ago... Might be because of his inclinations to his family...' There was some magic that flashed in Dominique's hands, forming what seemed to be bullets as they were loaded into the gun's magazine with precise and lightning fast hand movements. 'Ooooooor that...'

Artosh sighed and placed his hands on his waist. "I'm sorry... I was just taken a back with the gun. Never expected one of my students to be a gunslinger after all." The white haired professor smiled his approval at Dominique before that smile turned into something ferocious as his eyes glinted with the light of battle and his eyebrows arced into sharp points. "Very well! Be on your guard boys! Arcane golems, initiate proper countermeasures! Rise and charge, Knights of the Earth!" The terra cotta warriors seemed to have heard the mage's command and, in unison, have stomped down on the ground. Their synchronized movement released a small shock wave comparable to an abrupt earthquake. There were small dents on the soil, clearly because of their strength. The terra cotta warriors then slowly rose up as the ground beneath them rose, forming rock pedestals as tall as the two boys. These's pedestals were lined up with the same runes that the warriors are branded with.

With a sudden flash of light, the pedestals exploded into a barrage of rocks that flew at every direction. As the dust settled, the two boys would see the terra cotta before them have changed. Their faces are obscured by helms and in their hands were pikes, lances, and long swords. Their other arm held a stalwart shield, good for bashing the enemy during a charge and defending one's self from the enemy's attack. Beneath them were horses made out of hard rock, their unscratchable hide marred by dazzling lines and runes of deep purple magic. The horses then suddenly whined and reared up, their eyes burning with purple as they saw Shaun and Dominique. At that moment, eight knights made of earth and soil started to gallop at full charge towards the two, their weapons brandished and alight with purple fire.

[Luminesa]

Amanda Stradt
The Storyteller
Outside the Aquo Building

---

---

“...‘Dear’...‘Oliver’...” Such a simplistic start. Ambrosia stared with some frustration at the paper in front of her. After a minute of racking her brain for ideas, she decided to do what she did best-or worst-say exactly what was on her mind. Slowly, she began to write down her thoughts, carefully examining them to see if they were appropriate. At the very least, she hoped that Oliver would not think she is a total goof. Maybe after I write him a neat, well-written letter, he’ll only think of me as a part-goof...Yeah...and then maybe he’ll want to train with me again... she told herself.

Cecily nodded. Rabbit had left her instructions as well, despite his utter dislike for writing his thoughts down. Yet she was glad that he did-he left her tips about each of the students, along with their skills and their weaknesses. He also left her a schedule of exercises which the students needed to complete after the Quarterly Exam. “...I only hope I can be of any help to them...I’m nothing like Rabbit, either in skill or in personality...But you’re right. Being tough on the students right now is what they need. Though you may have to help me...I’m a good fighter, but not the best...teacher...if you know what I mean...” she explained, nervously.

Virgil nodded, setting down at the side of the sheets. His teeny feet dangling off the side. He decided to give her some privacy. Whatever she wrote would probably need a quick check anyways. He pulled out a small sharpening rock and his sword, beginning to softly scrape at the sides to keep it nice and ready. The sword was large for his size, and minus the small handle, the blade could be a letter opener for a human. His heavy armor and arctic accoutrements was a rougher cloth and metal. The steel on his clothing was not made to give off a blinding light sheen. It was rough and sturdy, like that of a strong warrior. Or so it would look if the person was his height. At the moment, the sword seemed like a hefty stone rather than hard steel. It was only in combat that it glowed with a mysterious pale blue energy. In combat, it was cold to the touch, likely freezing the hands of whoever tried to wield it, had they not been Virgil.

As Amanda talked with Cecily, the nurse racked her head in thought. “...I only hope I can be of any help to them...I’m nothing like Rabbit, either in skill or in personality...But you’re right. Being tough on the students right now is what they need. Though you may have to help me...I’m a good fighter, but not the best...teacher...if you know what I mean...” Cecily confided, sighing a little. She also gave off a nervous chuckle.

Amanda looked up to her, giving a slightly annoyed smirk. She rolled just a little closer, before playfully plopped her on the head with a soft chop to the top of the head. Not in a painful matter. "Silly Cecily. I may help you, but I should also tell you as well that you are a good teacher. You may not think it, but this school tends to pick good teachers.

"and the one thing that qualifies any teacher as a good teacher, great, is a deep care and love for their students. That's what it takes to be a teacher. Don't think lowly of yourself," she added.

“Oof!...Heh, I suppose you are right,” Cecily answered, with a bashful grin. “It’s just that I was simply chosen more for my nursing abilities than for my teaching skills. I’m a much better healer than I am a teacher, I think...but that does not mean I am necessarily a bad teacher. Yes, I will do my best. Once Ambrosia is well, perhaps I can also go out to help train some students? Though I would hate to leave Shade and the other nurses with all of the work, if we got anymore patients,” she explained.

Cecily did not have much interaction with the students, outside of the infirmary, so she wondered how she would be able to reach out to help train them. Or maybe they would be more welcoming toward her than she thought. After all, despite her occasional violent outbursts at the Tournament, she was otherwise rather polite and unassuming. But she certainly had skills, and had not spent all her years in the Magical academies in the United Kingdom for nothing. “You’ll have to let me know, Professor Stradt, if there are any students I can help train,” she suggested.

Behind them, sitting in the bed, Ambrosia never said a word. She did not even look up as Cecily was speaking next to her. Laser-focused on her paper, she wrote in furious, elegant script what probably should have been just a short apology. Yet it was therapeutic to get all of her thoughts and worries on paper. She simply hoped he would like what she had written. After a few minutes, she finished, and turned to Virgil. She folded the letter into a slip small enough for him to hold, and then handed it to him. “Here! Now you take this to him, okay?” she requested.

[Saleon]

Amanda Stradt
The Storyteller
Outside the Aquo Building

---

---

Virgil nodded, setting down at the side of the sheets. His teeny feet dangling off the side. He decided to give her some privacy. Whatever she wrote would probably need a quick check anyways. He pulled out a small sharpening rock and his sword, beginning to softly scrape at the sides to keep it nice and ready. The sword was large for his size, and minus the small handle, the blade could be a letter opener for a human. His heavy armor and arctic accoutrements was a rougher cloth and metal. The steel on his clothing was not made to give off a blinding light sheen. It was rough and sturdy, like that of a strong warrior. Or so it would look if the person was his height. At the moment, the sword seemed like a hefty stone rather than hard steel. It was only in combat that it glowed with a mysterious pale blue energy. In combat, it was cold to the touch, likely freezing the hands of whoever tried to wield it, had they not been Virgil.

As Amanda talked with Cecily, the nurse racked her head in thought. “...I only hope I can be of any help to them...I’m nothing like Rabbit, either in skill or in personality...But you’re right. Being tough on the students right now is what they need. Though you may have to help me...I’m a good fighter, but not the best...teacher...if you know what I mean...” Cecily confided, sighing a little. She also gave off a nervous chuckle.

Amanda looked up to her, giving a slightly annoyed smirk. She rolled just a little closer, before playfully plopped her on the head with a soft chop to the top of the head. Not in a painful matter. "Silly Cecily. I may help you, but I should also tell you as well that you are a good teacher. You may not think it, but this school tends to pick good teachers.

"and the one thing that qualifies any teacher as a good teacher, great, is a deep care and love for their students. That's what it takes to be a teacher. Don't think lowly of yourself," she added.

“Oof!...Heh, I suppose you are right,” Cecily answered, with a bashful grin. “It’s just that I was simply chosen more for my nursing abilities than for my teaching skills. I’m a much better healer than I am a teacher, I think...but that does not mean I am necessarily a bad teacher. Yes, I will do my best. Once Ambrosia is well, perhaps I can also go out to help train some students? Though I would hate to leave Shade and the other nurses with all of the work, if we got anymore patients,” she explained.

Cecily did not have much interaction with the students, outside of the infirmary, so she wondered how she would be able to reach out to help train them. Or maybe they would be more welcoming toward her than she thought. After all, despite her occasional violent outbursts at the Tournament, she was otherwise rather polite and unassuming. But she certainly had skills, and had not spent all her years in the Magical academies in the United Kingdom for nothing. “You’ll have to let me know, Professor Stradt, if there are any students I can help train,” she suggested.

Behind them, sitting in the bed, Ambrosia never said a word. She did not even look up as Cecily was speaking next to her. Laser-focused on her paper, she wrote in furious, elegant script what probably should have been just a short apology. Yet it was therapeutic to get all of her thoughts and worries on paper. She simply hoped he would like what she had written. After a few minutes, she finished, and turned to Virgil. She folded the letter into a slip small enough for him to hold, and then handed it to him. “Here! Now you take this to him, okay?” she requested.

Virgil stood up, hearing the call of adventure. His eyes glinted as he lifted up his large sabre, looking towards the sky. He then hopped forwards and grabbed the folded letter. It hopped down from the bed, preparing for a long journey. He darted out the room, before realizing he had already gone some distance away. He sighed, before coming back in and looked for Amanda. He then hopped up to her. He pondered for a second, before tugging on her sleeve and scribbling down in his notepad, "where", "Oliver?"

Amanda noticed him, looking down. After noticing the letter, she turned back to Ambrosia. Virgil motioning out a shush sound with his teeny little fingers. Amanda grabbed her own brush, inscribing a small samurai to appear on the ground, the size of Virgil.

The small samurai saluted Virgil. The white rat commander gawked at the samurai. The warrior made of ink nodded, lifting his own sword and pointing out the infirmary. He began marching out in that direction. The warrior had been a complicated creation, in a sense. After observing Oliver's combat, it didn't take long to grasp the traces of magic that he uses, his signature. Well, she was a teacher. After tracing that signature, all it took was following any trails of magic he proliferates.

The samurai and Virgil headed off to find Oliver.

---

Amanda then turned her head back to Cecilia, "good. So many people here need a confidence boost. I will force it into them.--" She had a mischievous grin, before softly moving back to a calm set of eyes-- "I think some training practice will help for the both of us. I am sure it will be a tranquil day. If there is a problem I'm sure they'll know where to find you."

She then grinned to Ambrosia, "So are you ready for some more fun, Ambrosia?" She poked the student's side to get a jitter out of her.

"Heat got her winded. Do you have some water, Cecilia?" She said, smiling.

[Imperial--japan]

Valerie was pleased that Soleil had seemed so encouraged by her suggestion, and that he continued to support their cause by offering even more suggestions. Valerie felt that she should feel bad for not truly feeling anything or being able to express her feelings properly. As happy as Soleil was, she was completely indifferent, but still managed to maintain the facade. Perhaps when she eventually reversed her dreaded affliction she would be able to apologize to Soleil for her awkwardness, but until then she had to make do.

"All very viable suggestions." Valerie stated.

"Other than coming up with ideas, would you like to practice any of these? Or would you like to train possibly?" Valerie suggested, attempting to not let the conversation lull.

“Y-Yes! Let’s practice all of these! After all, a-all of them should have good uses for our exam,” Soleil explained, “s-steam and fog both obscure vision, so if we have to fight then we can use it to cover ourselves...or others...our friends...and a storm could cause damage! Yes, we could actually fight really well together!” He suddenly became excited, only for someone’s memory to quickly play in his mind, as he started going through ideas.

Kasumi.

He remembered the first time they had worked together, to make the dancing ice-girl. He remembered how fragile she had looked...and how fragile and sweet Kasumi had looked. They had really worked well together, for the short time they had been together, and for a second his heart began to ache. His sweet, happy expression faltered for just a moment, and he looked away. He knew Valerie probably would not understand his personal reaction, however, and so after he reacted in such a way, he turned back toward her and smiled a little more gently.

“...W-We’ll...work on all of them. We can start with fog...b-but to make fog, we’d also need a temperature difference. Right now, the water is cool...th-that means you need hot water, or water cooler than the beach-water...Once we’ve done that, I can use my wind to move it around a little...What do you think? Let’s try it.”

Valerie tilted her head in curiosity as she questioned if she had misspoke. Had she said something wrong? Soleil appeared distraught by something and Valerie wanted to feel concern for something who had treated her so well despite hardly knowing her, but she couldn't. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but she couldn't feel genuine concern. She hated it. Yet she could not even 'hate'. She was simply numb. She would fake it for others however. She would fake it for Soleil's sake and those of her classmates.

"Yes. Let us proceed." Valerie said while putting on a smile. That, like her very existence, was an act, but it was all she could do until she could escape her....'situation'.

The two would train in creating the fog for the better part of an hour. Valerie was insistent that they get their team-moves down for perfect sync and technique. Luckily fog wasn't a very difficult process to create between the two of them. However, they would need plans to navigate amidst their own fog. They would get to that eventually. Valerie was overall happy with Soleil's willingness to work as a team and calculated that their chances of performing well on the upcoming exams were acceptable. As the two continued to train, Valerie would find her mana reserves to be weakening a little, and she had no intention of ingesting a blood vial in front of Soleil.

"I do believe it would be wise to break for a bit." Valerie suggested.

[Luminesa]

Amanda Stradt
The Storyteller
Outside the Aquo Building

---

---

“Oof!...Heh, I suppose you are right,” Cecily answered, with a bashful grin. “It’s just that I was simply chosen more for my nursing abilities than for my teaching skills. I’m a much better healer than I am a teacher, I think...but that does not mean I am necessarily a bad teacher. Yes, I will do my best. Once Ambrosia is well, perhaps I can also go out to help train some students? Though I would hate to leave Shade and the other nurses with all of the work, if we got anymore patients,” she explained.

Cecily did not have much interaction with the students, outside of the infirmary, so she wondered how she would be able to reach out to help train them. Or maybe they would be more welcoming toward her than she thought. After all, despite her occasional violent outbursts at the Tournament, she was otherwise rather polite and unassuming. But she certainly had skills, and had not spent all her years in the Magical academies in the United Kingdom for nothing. “You’ll have to let me know, Professor Stradt, if there are any students I can help train,” she suggested.

Behind them, sitting in the bed, Ambrosia never said a word. She did not even look up as Cecily was speaking next to her. Laser-focused on her paper, she wrote in furious, elegant script what probably should have been just a short apology. Yet it was therapeutic to get all of her thoughts and worries on paper. She simply hoped he would like what she had written. After a few minutes, she finished, and turned to Virgil. She folded the letter into a slip small enough for him to hold, and then handed it to him. “Here! Now you take this to him, okay?” she requested.

Virgil stood up, hearing the call of adventure. His eyes glinted as he lifted up his large sabre, looking towards the sky. He then hopped forwards and grabbed the folded letter. It hopped down from the bed, preparing for a long journey. He darted out the room, before realizing he had already gone some distance away. He sighed, before coming back in and looked for Amanda. He then hopped up to her. He pondered for a second, before tugging on her sleeve and scribbling down in his notepad, "where", "Oliver?"

Amanda noticed him, looking down. After noticing the letter, she turned back to Ambrosia. Virgil motioning out a shush sound with his teeny little fingers. Amanda grabbed her own brush, inscribing a small samurai to appear on the ground, the size of Virgil.

The small samurai saluted Virgil. The white rat commander gawked at the samurai. The warrior made of ink nodded, lifting his own sword and pointing out the infirmary. He began marching out in that direction. The warrior had been a complicated creation, in a sense. After observing Oliver's combat, it didn't take long to grasp the traces of magic that he uses, his signature. Well, she was a teacher. After tracing that signature, all it took was following any trails of magic he proliferates.

The samurai and Virgil headed off to find Oliver.

---

Amanda then turned her head back to Cecilia, "good. So many people here need a confidence boost. I will force it into them.--" She had a mischievous grin, before softly moving back to a calm set of eyes-- "I think some training practice will help for the both of us. I am sure it will be a tranquil day. If there is a problem I'm sure they'll know where to find you."

She then grinned to Ambrosia, "So are you ready for some more fun, Ambrosia?" She poked the student's side to get a jitter out of her.

"Heat got her winded. Do you have some water, Cecilia?" She said, smiling.

Ambrosia and Cecily both could not help but watch as Professor Stradt used her Magic to create a tiny, mouse-sized samurai. Ambrosia's eyes were large with wonder, as she watched the little construct almost independently interact with little Virgil. She of course also thought the scene was brain-meltingly adorable, and her eyes twinkled as she watched Virgil, in his soldier-like gravity, as he went to go send her letter. Cecily watched Ambrosia's reaction as she was almost holding back a squee, and giggled. Professor Stradt was definitely a skilled Mage, with abilities as quirky and powerful as the woman herself.

Once Virgil left, and Professor Stradt questioned her, Ambrosia popped-up in the bed and paid attention. "Yeep!" She was uncomfortable being poked, and the look in her teacher's eyes was one of clear mischief. She had no idea what she was planning, but the young girl knew that her methods of training were probably fairly unorthodox. Or they could involve lots and lots of adorable little soldier-mice. The cuteness of so many mice, of course, would probably distract Ambrosia from training properly. Whatever Stradt was planning, Ambrosia prepared herself. "...Um...fun?...Uhhh...s-sure...maybe..." she mumbled.

"Oh sweetie, you don't need to be nervous. The more you train the better you'll get. You've just got to take a deep breath and dive in," Cecily told her, "I'm sure that Professor Stradt after all has some very interesting exercises prepared for you." She then went and got a bottle of water from the fridge, so Ambrosia could re-hydrate herself. Feeling a little playful herself now, Cecily turned to the teacher and questioned, "So what fun exactly do you have planned?"

[Saldinado]

Shaun Calhoun & Dominique Corleone

Hearing the amount of awkwardness and nervousness in his words as he explained his reasoning, Shaun soon softly blushed and cleared his throat as he tried not take his sudden feelings of outburst and anger out on the teacher. As the saying go, "Don't kill the messenger." He suddenly said out loud. He knew who it was meant towards so he didn't need to direct it to someone so obviously as he said it with his head down looking at his feet. "I apologize for my actions, so please don't feel bad about doing your job...hehe." He laughed awkwardly. "But I don't think that we won't be upset or bother by your help, right?" He said towards Dominique, who was quite honesty thinking about whatever they were going to eat and was completely zoned out until he suddenly felt something softly slap against his arm, which was his partner's own had swatting him into reality.

"Wait, what?" He suddenly said a bit panicked from being disturbed from his daydreaming before laughing softly. Shaun looked at him and sighed softly before looking back at Artosh to show him a certain look in his eyes. They seemed to portray a more comical way of saying, 'See what I have to deal with?' before he himself laughed and began stretching a bit to get warmed up somewhat. But soon he was broken out of his warm-ups with the exclamation of the teacher showing his reaction towards Dominique's preferred choice of weapon.
Looking at his reactions, Dominique softly sighed at Artosh as he held his gun towards his waist. He forgot that for those at this Academy as well as the mages around the world seem to resort to more mundane and older weapons such as swords and spears. He could never understand how they did it, but if they lasted this long, then good for them. But then again, they also had a more magical advantage towards their human counterparts so they could have also added to their gains throughout their history. "Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything that might seem to throw off some huge red flags. I rarely use this with only being in the case of well...theses as well as self defense and business use." He now had a more stern look on his face and grunted while yawning a bit from a slight sense of tiredness. Maybe a good nap after this could do the trick.

But soon both of the boys' feelings of tiredness and embarrassment were suddenly washed away as the booming voice of Artosh reined over them only to see that his words caused Shaun's terra cotta warriors to suddenly come alive and create a small shake in the ground similar to an aftershock of an earthquake before they both looked up to see that they watched the warriors tower above them as they stood on columns of earth as though they were gods looking down upon them before they suddenly covered their faces from the abrupt explosion of the pillars as they exploded filling the air with dust and small rocks revealing to both boys the sight of what appeared to be would-be knights with their weapons of long swords and pikes similar to medieval armory and weaponry. And they all sat proudly upon the backs of earthen horses as they displayed colors of deep purple and black similar to the horses of perhaps the Headless Horseman if they were to give a comparison. Their phantom bodies as deep as obsidian rose up in excitement as they all soon began to charge towards both Dominique and Shaun. Shaun's eyes narrowed as he watch them come towards them as he quickly conjured up a shield. Dominique soon followed in suit as he too, although not really a man of such...vintage uses, also quickly produced a shield of his own, albeit more lightweight, yet still durable to protect himself from on coming hits.
Shaun looked towards Dominique before looking back at the charging horsemen before whispering something to him. "We'll split up from here so that we can at least avoid any forms of firsthand tricks from them. From there, I'll think of what should happen next. But for now, let's try and see what their tactics are." And upon getting closer, both boys ran off in the opposite direction away from the horsemen both getting along the sides of them before they all realized that they were standing in opposite places. Shaun softly panted as he looked across to his left to see Dominique looking at the warriors. Shaun then realized something. "I see...So it seems like he and him sorta have the same type of fighting styles. But...Do I really want to do this? Maybe I should see where this will lead us with his gameplay." He muttered to himself, waiting to see how Artosh and his newfound army would react.

[Saleon]

Amanda Stradt
The Storyteller
Outside the Aquo Building

---

---

Ambrosia and Cecily both could not help but watch as Professor Stradt used her Magic to create a tiny, mouse-sized samurai. Ambrosia's eyes were large with wonder, as she watched the little construct almost independently interact with little Virgil. She of course also thought the scene was brain-meltingly adorable, and her eyes twinkled as she watched Virgil, in his soldier-like gravity, as he went to go send her letter. Cecily watched Ambrosia's reaction as she was almost holding back a squee, and giggled. Professor Stradt was definitely a skilled Mage, with abilities as quirky and powerful as the woman herself.

Once Virgil left, and Professor Stradt questioned her, Ambrosia popped-up in the bed and paid attention. "Yeep!" She was uncomfortable being poked, and the look in her teacher's eyes was one of clear mischief. She had no idea what she was planning, but the young girl knew that her methods of training were probably fairly unorthodox. Or they could involve lots and lots of adorable little soldier-mice. The cuteness of so many mice, of course, would probably distract Ambrosia from training properly. Whatever Stradt was planning, Ambrosia prepared herself. "...Um...fun?...Uhhh...s-sure...maybe..." she mumbled.

"Oh sweetie, you don't need to be nervous. The more you train the better you'll get. You've just got to take a deep breath and dive in," Cecily told her, "I'm sure that Professor Stradt after all has some very interesting exercises prepared for you." She then went and got a bottle of water from the fridge, so Ambrosia could re-hydrate herself. Feeling a little playful herself now, Cecily turned to the teacher and questioned, "So what fun exactly do you have planned?"

Amanda waved off the cute samurai and Virgil. She sorta knew it was an open secret at this point, but Ambrosia wanted to think nobody knew. Virgil sure did have an independent stride. Virgil hunted down Oliver, ready to hand him the letter.

Amanda Stradt then looked back to Ambrosia, moving back a little as Ambrosia smashed outwards in a display of eclectic embarrassment. Ambrosia then looked up to the teacher and asked meekly, "...Um...fun?...Uhhh...s-sure...maybe..." Amanda giggled a little.

Oh sweetie, you don't need to be nervous. The more you train the better you'll get. You've just got to take a deep breath and dive in," Cecily told her, "I'm sure that Professor Stradt after all has some very interesting exercises prepared for you." Cecily and the others then refilled and re-hydrated, turned their eyes to Amanda, "So what fun exactly do you have planned?" She also took a small drink of water.

Professor Stradt jumped back a little, "O-Oh, I didn't quite think of more training yet. Mostly just thought she'd bright right up from the threat of it." --she still had a playful look-- "Cecily, how about you try training Ambrosia? I want to see how your training system looks. Yes?"

[Luminesa]

Amanda Stradt
The Storyteller
Outside the Aquo Building

---

---

Ambrosia and Cecily both could not help but watch as Professor Stradt used her Magic to create a tiny, mouse-sized samurai. Ambrosia's eyes were large with wonder, as she watched the little construct almost independently interact with little Virgil. She of course also thought the scene was brain-meltingly adorable, and her eyes twinkled as she watched Virgil, in his soldier-like gravity, as he went to go send her letter. Cecily watched Ambrosia's reaction as she was almost holding back a squee, and giggled. Professor Stradt was definitely a skilled Mage, with abilities as quirky and powerful as the woman herself.

Once Virgil left, and Professor Stradt questioned her, Ambrosia popped-up in the bed and paid attention. "Yeep!" She was uncomfortable being poked, and the look in her teacher's eyes was one of clear mischief. She had no idea what she was planning, but the young girl knew that her methods of training were probably fairly unorthodox. Or they could involve lots and lots of adorable little soldier-mice. The cuteness of so many mice, of course, would probably distract Ambrosia from training properly. Whatever Stradt was planning, Ambrosia prepared herself. "...Um...fun?...Uhhh...s-sure...maybe..." she mumbled.

"Oh sweetie, you don't need to be nervous. The more you train the better you'll get. You've just got to take a deep breath and dive in," Cecily told her, "I'm sure that Professor Stradt after all has some very interesting exercises prepared for you." She then went and got a bottle of water from the fridge, so Ambrosia could re-hydrate herself. Feeling a little playful herself now, Cecily turned to the teacher and questioned, "So what fun exactly do you have planned?"

Amanda waved off the cute samurai and Virgil. She sorta knew it was an open secret at this point, but Ambrosia wanted to think nobody knew. Virgil sure did have an independent stride. Virgil hunted down Oliver, ready to hand him the letter.

Amanda Stradt then looked back to Ambrosia, moving back a little as Ambrosia smashed outwards in a display of eclectic embarrassment. Ambrosia then looked up to the teacher and asked meekly, "...Um...fun?...Uhhh...s-sure...maybe..." Amanda giggled a little.

Oh sweetie, you don't need to be nervous. The more you train the better you'll get. You've just got to take a deep breath and dive in," Cecily told her, "I'm sure that Professor Stradt after all has some very interesting exercises prepared for you." Cecily and the others then refilled and re-hydrated, turned their eyes to Amanda, "So what fun exactly do you have planned?" She also took a small drink of water.

Professor Stradt jumped back a little, "O-Oh, I didn't quite think of more training yet. Mostly just thought she'd bright right up from the threat of it." --she still had a playful look-- "Cecily, how about you try training Ambrosia? I want to see how your training system looks. Yes?"

"...Me? Train Ambrosia?" She turned toward the young girl, with an uncertain look in her eye. She had yet to train a student by herself, one-on-one, and she did not know Ambrosia very much at all. She did not even know the girl's Magical element, since she had only just arrived at the island when Ambrosia had come as an enemy Mage to cause havoc. Cecily would have to get to know the girl on the fly. "...I suppose I very well could, if you want me to...but...given her...condition..." She turned and examined Ambrosia, as she took another gulp from her water-bottle. "...Should we wait for the evening? Unless there's a way I could keep the sun off her body...We could perhaps try to train in the gymnasium as well, if we can do so without destroying the building..." She quickly remembered the gymnasium, which had not been used much, since Soleil blew the roof out on the first day of class. It had been fixed-temporarily so, anyway-but she figured they could at least do some basic training in the building. She turned to Professor Stradt, as if to ask for her opinion.

[Serah]

After leaving Ambrosia in the infirmary, Oliver headed back to his room.
What would've taken thirty minutes at worst ended up taking several hours, and so, most of his distillation was pushed back.

He sighed when he entered the room, shaking his flask, the vague sound of fluids hitting the sides of the container made him sigh.

"... I should stop going outside when I have distillation plans. It always pushes my plans back. If I want to go back to the bar, I have to make something that truly knocks him out.
To make him proud." He looked at the chest that contained his small distillery longingly, humming the strong smell of mint and alcohol.

He sat down next to it and looked around for a minute.
"Begnion? You around?" No answer.
"Figures."

He closed the door with some wind and began working again.
However, his work was cut short once again when not even an hour later, he was disturbed by light knocking at his door's lowest point.

He fumed a bit, almost spilling the liquor he was pouring in his flask, but steeled himself and closed the chest once again as he opened the window.

"Oi." He spoke sternly as he made the door open.
Oliver hadn't moved much, he was still sitting on the ground, but looked somewhat angry, or at the very least he looked annoyed.

A few months of not having any human contact made it sort of difficult for him to be possibly angry at anyone if he thought of it rationally.
Which, he oddly did quite often.

"... The mouse. Vigil? Vigi? Virgil. Yes. What is it?"

[Saleon]

Amanda Stradt
The Storyteller
Outside the Aquo Building

---

---

Amanda waved off the cute samurai and Virgil. She sorta knew it was an open secret at this point, but Ambrosia wanted to think nobody knew. Virgil sure did have an independent stride. Virgil hunted down Oliver, ready to hand him the letter.

Amanda Stradt then looked back to Ambrosia, moving back a little as Ambrosia smashed outwards in a display of eclectic embarrassment. Ambrosia then looked up to the teacher and asked meekly, "...Um...fun?...Uhhh...s-sure...maybe..." Amanda giggled a little.

Oh sweetie, you don't need to be nervous. The more you train the better you'll get. You've just got to take a deep breath and dive in," Cecily told her, "I'm sure that Professor Stradt after all has some very interesting exercises prepared for you." Cecily and the others then refilled and re-hydrated, turned their eyes to Amanda, "So what fun exactly do you have planned?" She also took a small drink of water.

Professor Stradt jumped back a little, "O-Oh, I didn't quite think of more training yet. Mostly just thought she'd bright right up from the threat of it." --she still had a playful look-- "Cecily, how about you try training Ambrosia? I want to see how your training system looks. Yes?"

"...Me? Train Ambrosia?" She turned toward the young girl, with an uncertain look in her eye. She had yet to train a student by herself, one-on-one, and she did not know Ambrosia very much at all. She did not even know the girl's Magical element, since she had only just arrived at the island when Ambrosia had come as an enemy Mage to cause havoc. Cecily would have to get to know the girl on the fly. "...I suppose I very well could, if you want me to...but...given her...condition..." She turned and examined Ambrosia, as she took another gulp from her water-bottle. "...Should we wait for the evening? Unless there's a way I could keep the sun off her body...We could perhaps try to train in the gymnasium as well, if we can do so without destroying the building..." She quickly remembered the gymnasium, which had not been used much, since Soleil blew the roof out on the first day of class. It had been fixed-temporarily so, anyway-but she figured they could at least do some basic training in the building. She turned to Professor Stradt, as if to ask for her opinion.

"Waiting a bit works. And the gym might be best," Amanda says, nodding, "she uses fire." Amanda wheeled over, placing her hand on Ambrosia's forehead. She then wheeled back. She hadn't been around for much of the schoolyear, so it might help her see some other students, "while we are waiting, how have the other teachers been? Who is still around?" She then yawned a bit, lifting one leg so it crosses the other. Her hair glistened like a gilded flower.

---

"Oi." He spoke sternly as he made the door open.
Oliver hadn't moved much, he was still sitting on the ground, but looked somewhat angry, or at the very least he looked annoyed.

A few months of not having any human contact made it sort of difficult for him to be possibly angry at anyone if he thought of it rationally.
Which, he oddly did quite often.

"... The mouse. Vigil? Vigi? Virgil. Yes. What is it?"

Virgil wrote down, "Virgil." He then lifted behind his back and lifted a large letter from Ambrosia. "Read." he said, "she", "silly", "person." "she", "say", "sorry." A tiny samurai made of black ink nodded, sitting in a meditative state.

[Serah]

Amanda Stradt
The Storyteller
Outside the Aquo Building

---

---

"...Me? Train Ambrosia?" She turned toward the young girl, with an uncertain look in her eye. She had yet to train a student by herself, one-on-one, and she did not know Ambrosia very much at all. She did not even know the girl's Magical element, since she had only just arrived at the island when Ambrosia had come as an enemy Mage to cause havoc. Cecily would have to get to know the girl on the fly. "...I suppose I very well could, if you want me to...but...given her...condition..." She turned and examined Ambrosia, as she took another gulp from her water-bottle. "...Should we wait for the evening? Unless there's a way I could keep the sun off her body...We could perhaps try to train in the gymnasium as well, if we can do so without destroying the building..." She quickly remembered the gymnasium, which had not been used much, since Soleil blew the roof out on the first day of class. It had been fixed-temporarily so, anyway-but she figured they could at least do some basic training in the building. She turned to Professor Stradt, as if to ask for her opinion.

"Waiting a bit works. And the gym might be best," Amanda says, nodding, "she uses fire." Amanda wheeled over, placing her hand on Ambrosia's forehead. She then wheeled back. She hadn't been around for much of the schoolyear, so it might help her see some other students, "while we are waiting, how have the other teachers been? Who is still around?" She then yawned a bit, lifting one leg so it crosses the other. Her hair glistened like a gilded flower.

---

"Oi." He spoke sternly as he made the door open.
Oliver hadn't moved much, he was still sitting on the ground, but looked somewhat angry, or at the very least he looked annoyed.

A few months of not having any human contact made it sort of difficult for him to be possibly angry at anyone if he thought of it rationally.
Which, he oddly did quite often.

"... The mouse. Vigil? Vigi? Virgil. Yes. What is it?"

Virgil wrote down, "Virgil." He then lifted behind his back and lifted a large letter from Ambrosia. "Read." he said, "she", "silly", "person." "she", "say", "sorry." A tiny samurai made of black ink nodded, sitting in a meditative state.

"Silly person? Not sure I'm understand the whole situation, but okay." He shrugged, but still took the letter.

The whole situation was difficult for him to understand, and he wasn't quite sure of who they were talking about.
"Is it from Ambrosia or whatever her name was? Wonder why she's saying sorry for if that's the case." He wondered aloud briefly, then looked left and right for a knife before coming to the realization that he could create one by himself.

"Right, what is she telling me about? And why a letter of all things? Can't people be less formal for three seconds?" Sighing, he opened the letter and read the contents, the first words were already enough for him to raise an eyebrow.

[Segral]

Nick Rider

Nick blinked as the sun hit his face. He hadn't gone out much yet, mostly staying inside his dorms and whatnot, doing what he usually did: write. He had been writing a poem about mud. Not the most romantic of subjects, but one near and dear to his heart. He had been having writer's block, feeling trapped inside. He decided some fresh air and sunshine, things Nick usually avoided, would be good for his writer's block, as well as being surrounded by his natural element. He meandered over to the beach, where two figures were already, but Nick didn't notice that, as he was too busy reading over his poem. He sat on a rock and looked over what was already there.

What comes after rain on a summer's day?
What sits where it is, left to lay?
What is caused by water but was given birth
By the solid strong Earth?

It sticks to our shoes like a loving friend
But soon enough it leaves us for the floor
Splashes on our legs

That was all he had. Nick stared over it some, scratches it slightly, mutters a bit, before tearing it in half and throwing into the sand. "Useless crap." he thought. "So bad. Could it be worse?". He then noticed the other two, a male and a female. He sighed slightly. He didn't like interaction, but what else was there to do? He turned to the two of them.

"H-hello." he said in a near whisper. "A-are you training or something?"

[Luminesa]

“Y-Yes! Let’s practice all of these! After all, a-all of them should have good uses for our exam,” Soleil explained, “s-steam and fog both obscure vision, so if we have to fight then we can use it to cover ourselves...or others...our friends...and a storm could cause damage! Yes, we could actually fight really well together!” He suddenly became excited, only for someone’s memory to quickly play in his mind, as he started going through ideas.

Kasumi.

He remembered the first time they had worked together, to make the dancing ice-girl. He remembered how fragile she had looked...and how fragile and sweet Kasumi had looked. They had really worked well together, for the short time they had been together, and for a second his heart began to ache. His sweet, happy expression faltered for just a moment, and he looked away. He knew Valerie probably would not understand his personal reaction, however, and so after he reacted in such a way, he turned back toward her and smiled a little more gently.

“...W-We’ll...work on all of them. We can start with fog...b-but to make fog, we’d also need a temperature difference. Right now, the water is cool...th-that means you need hot water, or water cooler than the beach-water...Once we’ve done that, I can use my wind to move it around a little...What do you think? Let’s try it.”

Valerie tilted her head in curiosity as she questioned if she had misspoke. Had she said something wrong? Soleil appeared distraught by something and Valerie wanted to feel concern for something who had treated her so well despite hardly knowing her, but she couldn't. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but she couldn't feel genuine concern. She hated it. Yet she could not even 'hate'. She was simply numb. She would fake it for others however. She would fake it for Soleil's sake and those of her classmates.

"Yes. Let us proceed." Valerie said while putting on a smile. That, like her very existence, was an act, but it was all she could do until she could escape her....'situation'.

The two would train in creating the fog for the better part of an hour. Valerie was insistent that they get their team-moves down for perfect sync and technique. Luckily fog wasn't a very difficult process to create between the two of them. However, they would need plans to navigate amidst their own fog. They would get to that eventually. Valerie was overall happy with Soleil's willingness to work as a team and calculated that their chances of performing well on the upcoming exams were acceptable. As the two continued to train, Valerie would find her mana reserves to be weakening a little, and she had no intention of ingesting a blood vial in front of Soleil.

"I do believe it would be wise to break for a bit." Valerie suggested.

When Valerie finally asked to take a break, Soleil was almost glad to stop. He sat down on the sand of the beach, and the soft, white dust puffed around him before settling. His new training partner had the concentration and speed of a computer, and she had insisted that they practice until every detail was perfect. Of course, he did not mind. Valerie did not beat him or show any sort of real anger toward him, though he did wonder if she occasionally wanted to show frustration and just could not do so. Nevertheless, he was glad that they had practiced so much in under an hour, and appreciated her attention to detail. He himself had trained all his life the same way an artist paints, trying to make the images he created exactly the way they appeared in his mind.

The sun sparkled down on the water behind him, and he stared out at it. He could not remember ever training with someone, beside his mother and Oliver. Now people actually wanted to train with him. To study with him. And they did not beat him when he made mistakes. He felt so much less pressure around Valerie, and the sigh that came from him felt like the slow deflation of a hot-air balloon. Labored, but satisfied. "...Th-This is fun. I-I haven't...had so much fun training...in a long time..." The cold breeze fell over his face, and despite being cold and his nose feeling nippy, he enjoyed the prickly sensation. It soothed his tense muscles and mind, and reminded him that the only pressure he faced was an exam.

Just then, however, someone he did not recognize approached them on the shoreline. Soleil had never seen them before, but like him the new boy was shy and uncertain. He could definitely relate to the feeling, and after a moment he stood and wiped the sand off his pants before approaching him. "Hello! W-We just finished a training session, a-and we're taking a small break, but you're free to join us and to hang-out! Th-Then maybe we can continue all together! I-I'm Soleil," he greeted, holding out his hand for the new kid to shake.

[Luminesa]

Amanda Stradt
The Storyteller
Outside the Aquo Building

---

---

"Waiting a bit works. And the gym might be best," Amanda says, nodding, "she uses fire." Amanda wheeled over, placing her hand on Ambrosia's forehead. She then wheeled back. She hadn't been around for much of the schoolyear, so it might help her see some other students, "while we are waiting, how have the other teachers been? Who is still around?" She then yawned a bit, lifting one leg so it crosses the other. Her hair glistened like a gilded flower.

---

Virgil wrote down, "Virgil." He then lifted behind his back and lifted a large letter from Ambrosia. "Read." he said, "she", "silly", "person." "she", "say", "sorry." A tiny samurai made of black ink nodded, sitting in a meditative state.

"Silly person? Not sure I'm understand the whole situation, but okay." He shrugged, but still took the letter.

The whole situation was difficult for him to understand, and he wasn't quite sure of who they were talking about.
"Is it from Ambrosia or whatever her name was? Wonder why she's saying sorry for if that's the case." He wondered aloud briefly, then looked left and right for a knife before coming to the realization that he could create one by himself.

"Right, what is she telling me about? And why a letter of all things? Can't people be less formal for three seconds?" Sighing, he opened the letter and read the contents, the first words were already enough for him to raise an eyebrow.

The moment Oliver opened the letter and began to read it, Ambrosia’s writing had hit him and had caught his attention. Unlike most letters, it was not very formal in style or in language. However, one could almost definitely hear her voice in the words:

Dear Oliver,

I’m really sorry for making such a mess of your breakfast this morning, and for not being a good sparring partner, and for taking your words the wrong way. I didn’t think that being a ‘spaz’ was cute, so I try not to be a spaz, but I guess that’s just me. I don’t know how else to be, but if that makes you happy then that’s okay by me. You’re sweet and cute and friendly and you made me feel really happy inside today. I didn’t want that to end because I happen to be a super-weird girl with a super-weird personality. I wanna get better at sparring, but most importantly I wanna spend more time with you. If you don’t want to, you can tell me and I’ll be okay, but I’ve never had anyone like me so I felt really happy when Virgil said you thought I was endearing. So that’s why I wrote this letter and that’s why I’m saying sorry. I hope that’s okay.

Love,
Ambrosia

Ambrosia was back in the hospital room, in the meantime, listening to Cecily and Professor Stradt speak, while worrying about how Oliver would perceive her letter. Was she too informal, or should she have tried to be more ladylike and proper in her writing? The battle between the two sides continued as usual, causing the girl’s brain to feel as though it was ripping itself apart.

[Segral]

Nick Rider

Nick was surprised at the warm welcome. Although, it seemed like Soleil was like him, nervous, shy, and the new kid on the block. It was refreshing to know you weren't the only person like you. Nick took his hand in a brief and weak shake, taking in Soleil's nervous demeanor and stutter. He probably had worse anxiety than him, and that was saying a lot.

"Thanks. I'm Nick by the way." He gave a small smile. "Sure. I'd like to train with you guys. I haven't done much training since I got here anyways."

He settled down onto another mossy rock, as a pleasant breeze tickled his skin as it blew over him, slightly stirring his hair. Sunlight streamed down, warming him and his rock, making it a good spot to sit. The water was beautiful, sparking like a glass of champagne. It was...perfect.

"Who's your friend over there, Soleil?" he inquired.

[Luminesa]

Nick Rider

Nick was surprised at the warm welcome. Although, it seemed like Soleil was like him, nervous, shy, and the new kid on the block. It was refreshing to know you weren't the only person like you. Nick took his hand in a brief and weak shake, taking in Soleil's nervous demeanor and stutter. He probably had worse anxiety than him, and that was saying a lot.

"Thanks. I'm Nick by the way." He gave a small smile. "Sure. I'd like to train with you guys. I haven't done much training since I got here anyways."

He settled down onto another mossy rock, as a pleasant breeze tickled his skin as it blew over him, slightly stirring his hair. Sunlight streamed down, warming him and his rock, making it a good spot to sit. The water was beautiful, sparking like a glass of champagne. It was...perfect.

"Who's your friend over there, Soleil?" he inquired.

"I-It's nice to meet you, Nick!" Soleil answered, his words bubbly and happy like the water on the shoreline behind him. He then watched as Nick walked away and sat down on a nearby rock, taking in the scenery. Soleil did not blame him. Here on this spot, the world seemed perfect and still, like something out of a painting, or out of a photograph taken from a distance, except that they were in said image and enjoying it. Even the exam seemed much further away than it actually was, and so for a moment the young Mage almost seemed to forget about it. Sitting down next to him, he responded, "That's Valerie. She's a new friend of mine. She doesn't talk very much...b-but she's still very sweet, and she's a really good Mage too..." He turned and beamed encouragingly toward Valerie, as though he was asking her to maybe add some information about herself to the conversation. "...Y-You should come and sit with us, Valerie!" he called, even though she was not very far away.

[Khasinkonia]

Gwyndolynn(Gwyn & Lynn) Talyllyn

The dorms were growing rather boring. Gwyn and Lynn were usually on the same frequency, especially when one, but even someone who wasn’t one of dynamic duo could be bored by their study. So Gwyndolynn closed their book, and left their dorm room. Perhaps there would be somebody friendly enough to train with. Worth a look around school. Two sets of eyes were better than one, even compared to a better height, so unfusing it was.

Not that they minded. It was sort of habit to move as one regardless for them. The stereotype of creepy twins could be applied to an extent, but for Gwyn and Lynn, this stereotype could by some accounts be quite accurate. Nonetheless, around the campus they went. It wasn’t long before the spotted a few people they vaguely recognised from around the school. No harm in making a new friend or three. They could use some other people to banter with other than one another, as as close as they were there was no shortage of material, yes, but it was sometimes rather boringly obvious what the other twin would come up with.

They approached the two guys down by the beach.

“Hello!” they said in unison rather bubbly, “Would you mind if we hung around? It’s nice to maybe study and learn with others for a change.”

“I apologise if we’ve interrupted something,” Gwyn quickly added.

[Luminesa]

Gwyndolynn(Gwyn & Lynn) Talyllyn

The dorms were growing rather boring. Gwyn and Lynn were usually on the same frequency, especially when one, but even someone who wasn’t one of dynamic duo could be bored by their study. So Gwyndolynn closed their book, and left their dorm room. Perhaps there would be somebody friendly enough to train with. Worth a look around school. Two sets of eyes were better than one, even compared to a better height, so unfusing it was.

Not that they minded. It was sort of habit to move as one regardless for them. The stereotype of creepy twins could be applied to an extent, but for Gwyn and Lynn, this stereotype could by some accounts be quite accurate. Nonetheless, around the campus they went. It wasn’t long before the spotted a few people they vaguely recognised from around the school. No harm in making a new friend or three. They could use some other people to banter with other than one another, as as close as they were there was no shortage of material, yes, but it was sometimes rather boringly obvious what the other twin would come up with.

They approached the two guys down by the beach.

“Hello!” they said in unison rather bubbly, “Would you mind if we hung around? It’s nice to maybe study and learn with others for a change.”

“I apologise if we’ve interrupted something,” Gwyn quickly added.

Soleil jolted slightly, as he heard the new pair of voices talking behind him. He turned and looked over his shoulder, and noticed the twins Gwyn and Lynn standing behind the group. He had never seen them before either. Perhaps since everything at the school was now mostly peaceful, more students were freeing walking around campus and relaxing. He was just slightly nervous about the prospect of a beach literally full with people, as now they basically had a small party. Yet these two new students also seemed approachable, and so he waved to them. "H-Hello! You're not interrupting anything. Come hang with us!" he called. He also low-key found their speaking in unison to be rather strange, but considering the things he had seen in his life, Gwyndolynn were hardly the weirdest people he had met. Beside, now that they had a large group, they could all train together and be friends.

[Khasinkonia]

Gwyndolynn(Gwyn & Lynn) Talyllyn

The dorms were growing rather boring. Gwyn and Lynn were usually on the same frequency, especially when one, but even someone who wasn’t one of dynamic duo could be bored by their study. So Gwyndolynn closed their book, and left their dorm room. Perhaps there would be somebody friendly enough to train with. Worth a look around school. Two sets of eyes were better than one, even compared to a better height, so unfusing it was.

Not that they minded. It was sort of habit to move as one regardless for them. The stereotype of creepy twins could be applied to an extent, but for Gwyn and Lynn, this stereotype could by some accounts be quite accurate. Nonetheless, around the campus they went. It wasn’t long before the spotted a few people they vaguely recognised from around the school. No harm in making a new friend or three. They could use some other people to banter with other than one another, as as close as they were there was no shortage of material, yes, but it was sometimes rather boringly obvious what the other twin would come up with.

They approached the two guys down by the beach.

“Hello!” they said in unison rather bubbly, “Would you mind if we hung around? It’s nice to maybe study and learn with others for a change.”

“I apologise if we’ve interrupted something,” Gwyn quickly added.

Soleil jolted slightly, as he heard the new pair of voices talking behind him. He turned and looked over his shoulder, and noticed the twins Gwyn and Lynn standing behind the group. He had never seen them before either. Perhaps since everything at the school was now mostly peaceful, more students were freeing walking around campus and relaxing. He was just slightly nervous about the prospect of a beach literally full with people, as now they basically had a small party. Yet these two new students also seemed approachable, and so he waved to them. "H-Hello! You're not interrupting anything. Come hang with us!" he called. He also low-key found their speaking in unison to be rather strange, but considering the things he had seen in his life, Gwyndolynn were hardly the weirdest people he had met. Beside, now that they had a large group, they could all train together and be friends.

Gwyndolynn(Gwyn & Lynn) Talyllyn

The two of them each made exactly the same expression, a wide smile with hands clasped together, and each introduced themselves.

“We’re glad to meet you!” Lynn said, “My name is Lynn.”

“And I’m Gwyn,” Gwyn continued.

This guy welcoming them, they silently agreed, seemed a bit on the awkward side. But that wasn’t any reason not to like him. Shy people seemed to be nicer once one got to know them anyway, so he was seeming quickly to become a prime candidate for someone who might befriend them, which was certainly a pleasant notion.

[Luminesa]

Soleil jolted slightly, as he heard the new pair of voices talking behind him. He turned and looked over his shoulder, and noticed the twins Gwyn and Lynn standing behind the group. He had never seen them before either. Perhaps since everything at the school was now mostly peaceful, more students were freeing walking around campus and relaxing. He was just slightly nervous about the prospect of a beach literally full with people, as now they basically had a small party. Yet these two new students also seemed approachable, and so he waved to them. "H-Hello! You're not interrupting anything. Come hang with us!" he called. He also low-key found their speaking in unison to be rather strange, but considering the things he had seen in his life, Gwyndolynn were hardly the weirdest people he had met. Beside, now that they had a large group, they could all train together and be friends.

Gwyndolynn(Gwyn & Lynn) Talyllyn

The two of them each made exactly the same expression, a wide smile with hands clasped together, and each introduced themselves.

“We’re glad to meet you!” Lynn said, “My name is Lynn.”

“And I’m Gwyn,” Gwyn continued.

This guy welcoming them, they silently agreed, seemed a bit on the awkward side. But that wasn’t any reason not to like him. Shy people seemed to be nicer once one got to know them anyway, so he was seeming quickly to become a prime candidate for someone who might befriend them, which was certainly a pleasant notion.

Soleil found them slightly disconcerting, now. Every movement and every expression was identical between them, and while they seemed to be rather amicable, he could not help but feel something was off about them. Nevertheless, he greeted each of them politely, smiling in return at them. “I-I’m Soleil! Soleil Rise. I-It’s a pleasure to meet you!...I’m sorry about my stutter, by the way...I’m just...i-it’s a habit...” he explained, a little anxious. He feared that they would think he was afraid of them, when he was not actually afraid of them but simply naturally nervous.