Okay, this is another RP topic and even though we already have a perfectly good RP going, but I put some thought into this so at least hear me out.

You could say that this RP is more freeform than the other, but it could be argued that it's more structured, but I'll let you guys be the judge of that. So it's pretty much this:

Your characters are students in a magical academy.

I'll get to magic later. First, let me explain how the RP works. I will post "Story Arcs" in these Story Arc posts, I include Arc details, rumors your characters might have been hearing, and any interesting notes I want to add. Here's an example:

But outside of these Story Arcs, I do nothing but RP. It is entirely up to the poster if he wants to chase on of these rumors. If he chooses so, he can decide if the rumor is true, and in his posts can add more to the lead. Since I did post this thread, I will probably act as a mediator, if someone else disagrees with a particular post, I will step in and try to work it out. They can always settle it through PMs though. If 2 people decide to work on the same rumor, they'll be expected to keep in contact with each other so that their posts don't end up contradictory.

-Magic-
There are 3 spell tiers:

Minor
Medium
Major

Characters in the RP will be expected to create spells by their teachers. A player is limited to creating one spell per story arc. They will create a spell, and I will judge it and tell you how much it costs per use, and which tier it falls under.

Questions?

I'm in

Like I said on MSN I'm also in.

I am also in. Always up for role-playing. (It's cause I hate myself lawl!) [ALMOST AS MUCH AS I HATE HIM!]

Should I make a new thread for this or just start it in this thread?

typically there's a character roster/RP info thread and an actual RP thread so yeah

===========
Arc Information
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You are a wizard, or rather, a young man or lady who was blessed with magical energies. It is both your right, and civic duty to learn how to tap into and harness these energies. Your magical ability was probably passed down through you parents or maybe you were born to a magical creature. And there is still the possibility that you have lived your life in a a magically enriched zone, and was one of the lucky few to have drawn power from it. The ages of the other students range only from 12 to 13, those older are placed into remedial classes until they catch up to the normal classes.

Brighthaven has a rich history, in both its prestige and its large percentage of talented wizards. The school is centered in the middle of the city of Entrana, though it is more commonly referred to as the Academy City. The Academy City is thusly named because the majority of the houses in this sprawling city-state are occupied by students of Brighthaven. Even the shops here cater to the students.

Upon arrival you take note of the majestic stone walls surrounding the campus, but it is not until you enter through the gates that you realize that the school is larger still. You will be living in the school dorms until the end of your first year, or until you find your own place of residence.

-Rumors-
There are reportings of a bookshop within Entrana that is selling outdated textbooks.

-Notes-
To All: Your characters are all first year students.
There is a dress code, but first years aren't expected to pick it up until after the first month.
No spells may be created this arc.

Fill out the following and post it in the "Brighthaven Character Applications" thread that I will create.

Name:
Age:
Origin of powers:
Background:
Additional Information:
Notes:

On the first day of school, Renault Blackwood found that he did not want to go to the first year orientation. Nor did he want to leave the house. Even climbing out of bed seemed like a risky venture. But had it not been for the throaty chuckling that had begun to make its way into the back of his mind Renault doubted he would have even stepped across the threshold separating his room from the hall. Well, that and the fact that he was hungry. He had gotten used to the voices in his head years ago after all.

Renault crept quietly through the empty halls idly nodding his head to servants as they passed by. Perhaps it was his imagination, but the servants of the manor seemed to be rushing about rather quickly. And as he sat at the wide table slurping up whatever the servants had brought him, he wondered if they were planning something

“Young master Renaultus!” he heard someone call out from behind him.

Renault turned away from the table and awaited the follow up, frowning at the use of his extended name as he did so. The man who had supplied the voice stepped up to Renault and lightly bowed.

“You seem to be in good heal-“

“Let’s skip the pleasantries Edgar, I know you’re a busy man, and it wouldn’t sit right with me if you wasted your time chatting me up. Besides, such formality doesn’t suit you.”

Edgar was an uncle of sorts, my grandmother had mentored him in his past, and as such he came to visit fairly often. In one sense, he was more a father to me than my real father ever was, but at the same time he always seemed distant. He used to work as a magical tools dealer, but has recently been working with the government on regulating the trade of magical substances. So I suppose the term 'uncle' does fit him best.

The man named Edgar blushed a little and scratch the nape of his neck but carried on undeterred, “Well, since you are going to be leaving today I figured I’d catch you in the morning and give you a little talk before I have to leave.

“We’ve been over this before Edgar I-“

However, it was Edgars’ turn to interrupt and he shook his head lightly, “No, this is important,” he let out a sigh and began once again, “I know you’ve said that you have the voices under control and they don’t hold any sway over you, but with the circumstances of your magic…”

Edgar frowned and ran his hand through his hair but continued.

“We’re not at the point where we can distinguish what the voices mean, or why they’re in your head. For all we know they could be sapping your magic and…and…well I’m just rambling now. So look, I just want to remind you that every instructor at the Academy is a very capable wizard, so you can ask them for help if the voices ever cause you any problems. So can you promise me that at the very least?”

Renault sighed and rolled his eyes, he had been through this talk multiple times over the past few months, but broke down and said “Fine, I promise”


With that Edgar lightened up immediately, and a smile even managed to worm its way onto his face.

“Well good luck. I have to be leaving now. I’m sure you’ll make your grandmother proud.” he yelled out as he walked away.

“YES RENAULT, MAKE YOUR DEAR OLD GRANDMOTHER PROUD NOW. WE’LL MAKE SURE SHE GETS THE NEWS, AFTER ALL, SHE’S DOWN HERE WITH US NOW.”

Then came the throaty laughter.

Great, they were deciding to be especially annoying today.

Just swell.

"By all that is arcane and mighty! It's today isn't it? Gah! I'm not prepared. Oh! How am I supposed to deal with this?" Almedrin rushed about, grabbing everything he could find off the floor.

His mother frowned and crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the ground. "No no. More despair. More perplexed. How is anybody supposed to know that you need help if you don't sound properly distressed?"

"I'm trying Mother! I really am! But I have no idea what you want. Isn't the fact that I'm going to school to study magic enough of a clue?" He complained a lot to her, as always.

As always though, she didn't listen. "No son of mine is going to be ignored because he can't draw attention to himself properly. Now do you remember what I taught you?"

He sighed. "Yeah. Try and make as many friends as possible because probability dictates that my greatest rival will be the one who rejects me the most spectacularly. Meet as many girls as possible and take note of each one. The one that seems most like she wants to kill me is my future wife. And finally, don't try summoning anything without adult supervision. That way any giant ultra-powerful demon that comes through into our world will eat the adult first giving me time to escape." He wondered how his mother thought that any of that advice would be useful in any way at all.

"That's my boy! Now run along to school and don't return until you're confident you can meet your father's expectations. And make mother proud okay? And remember, a healthy boy is a happy boy! Be sure to make yourself as miserable and unhealthy as possible in order to truly appreciate your health."

"T-that seems counter-productive." He forced a smile through so as not to disappoint her. His mother pushed him out the door before he could say goodbye. He really wondered how his mother and father even got together. Maybe he was adopted. He shook his head.

He began walking towards the school, all the while hoping that he'd never ever have to use any of the advice he got. Also that everyone he met would be more normal than his family. Well, more normal than his mother really as she seemed genuinely crazy. He hoped he wouldn't go crazy when he was her age. After all, he spent more time around her than anyone else. He really hoped that he was on the 'nature' side of the nature vs. nurture debate.

Jordan was enrolled at the last minute into this “Brighthaven” school. He didn’t really know anything about it, but his parents were happy about it, and he was happy to get away from his old school. Because of his last minute enrollment, he hadn’t actually looked at the school uniform yet.

...This was a prank right? The uniform... had a skirt in it. Jordan wore a skirt once because he lost a bet, but...really? He checked the labeling on package. ”Three pairs of freshman uniforms.” That was just annoyingly vague. Jordan heard his mother, “Jordan hurry up. You don’t want to be late on your first day.” Dropping his doubt, Jordan quickly put on his on his robe and wizard hat.

The uniform didn’t contain the hat, but the dress code didn’t specifically deny them, and hats were something of a security blanket for him. His parents thought the wide brimmed hat made him look more like a witch than a wizard, but didn’t say anything because they knew he’d still wear but he’d just be upset.

Leaving for the school, Jordan was initially still upset about the uniform, but tried pepping himself up, thinking things like, “This is a new school, so it’s a fresh start.”, “Maybe the people here are nicer...”, “Maybe everything will magically get better.” “Maybe people won’t mistake me for a gi...” He paused.

“Maybe people won’t make fun of me for looking like a girl.”

Jordan looked around, he arrived on campus... but he didn’t know the school at all. He looked at his instructions. The first instruction was “Go to Homeroom.”... “But where... where is that?” Jordan thought, as he started to realize just how huge this school is (compared to his last). Jordan’s eyes started to well up...

...Perhaps Jordan should have attended Freshman Orientation.

The carriage ride was uneventful to say the least, but Renault took this time to open the box that his school things came in. In it were 3 uniforms that had been neatly folded and packaged into tidy squares. He set one uniform aside wear later on during the trip, and reached into the box and pulled out a note that simply read:

“Go to Homeroom.”

“Perhaps I should have gone to the First Year orientation….”

He crumpled up the paper and stashed it inside his pocket for later use. Renault dug around the box some more and finally laid everything inside the box out along the carriage, he felt this was a more efficient method of finding things and mentally applauded this act of what could only be called genius. He even helped himself to a pat on the back.

“YES, EVEN WE HAVE TO ADMIT THAT YOU DID A GOOD JOB ON THAT”

After laying everything out he made a mental list of his inventory, the box contained:

1x Empty Tome (presumably to take notes in)
3x Uniforms
1x Set of Writing Supplies (Let’s give them pens, quills are messy)
1x An Introduction to Magic by Rufus Shrugsworth

Now that he had everything set about he peered out his window and saw a large city of which he could only assume was Entrana. Donning the uniform he had carefully torn out of the packaging, he readjusted himself as best he could without a mirror. He was ready. He puffed out his chest with pride andstepped out of the carriage with poise and grace befitting someone of his stature.

And promptly fell on his face.

He was really just glad nobody saw him.

Of course…that pink haired girl off in the distance was looking at him awfully funny.

((That’s your cue Vua))

Freshman Orientation. Probably would have been a good idea. However, Lucretia had overslept in her tent in the brush near the front gate of the school. She had gotten a package with her uniform much sooner than anticipated, and took advantage of this to misinform her parents as to when the orientation really was. Her plan was to collect artifacts littered about the school grounds, but she had been up a bit too late last night studying a particularly fascinating runic design.

Oops.

But Lucretia always had a good sense of direction. At the very least, sheer luck would steer her to her home room...

...

The wind blew. Her hair tumbled about.

...maybe she should ask for directions.

Arriving at the school shortly after opening the package he had received from the school, Almedrin took a good look around. For once he was glad that his mother had been so insistent on his coming here. If she hadn't made sure that he'd gone to the orientation he would've been so lost.

He stared at the note. It read "Go to homeroom." He was just about to do that... if he remembered where his homeroom was. He really should've paid attention at the orientation. So in effect, even though his mother made sure he wouldn't be lost he still was.

"Damn. This is just not my day." He looked around. Maybe talking to the other students would help him remember where his homeroom was. There were a couple students who seemed just as lost as he was. He decided to head over to the nearest one. That being the pink haired girl. He was just about to head over there when a sudden gust of wind, that came out of nowhere as far as he was concerned, made him stumble. He caught himself only a few feet away from a tall, dark haired girl with brown eyes. He didn't notice her before because she had been standing too far to his right.

"Time to turn on the famous Merric charm. At least that's what Mother would want me to do. Uh, excuse me. Didn't see you standing there. That wind is pretty powerful huh? Well anyway, I'm new here and looking for my homeroom. Do you happen to know where that might be?"

After Jordan had been walking around a while, he started to become depressed as he somehow managed to wind up back at the entrance. Some kid was picking himself up off the floor. Jordan was slightly scared of him, because he had scratches and dirt all over, from recently falling on his face. J didn’t know of this, so the guy just looked like a ruffian to him. Gathering up his courage, Jordan started to walk up to the stranger (who was brushing the dirt off himself) so he could ask for directions.



“Do you know where Home...room... Your face is bleeding.”


"No it's not" he said as he wiped away the blood.

"...No, really" J stated, and as he started to back away slowly...

"You still looking for homeroom?"

...."Y...Yes."
"You don't... Do you know where it is?"
"Of course I know where it is! Only an idiot wouldn't!"...

Jordan started to blush.

"Present company excluded of course"
"C'mon! I'll take you to it!" The boy said as he grabbed Jordan's hand.

"...um... okay..."

After an hour of walking around the school.

"I...I may have embellished the truth just a little. But I have a feeling that we're close!"

"That's good..." J replied as he re-forces himself to remain optimistic.

A door opens, slamming Renault right in the face.

"Oh my..."
"Are you okay?"

"it's only a flesh wound!" Renault stated, desperately trying to cover bleeding nose.

Jordan starts looking around for an adult, before running back to the stranger. Slightly flustered, he eventually offers the stranger his handkerchief.

"You...you'll really give me this?"

"I... This is my fathers... I'll need it back... but..."

"I'll return it! I'll wash it, it'll be good as new!"

Jordan just now realizes that they haven't introduced each other. "Erm... I am... My name is J."
"Nice to meet you." Renault began pumping her hand with both of his hands in an overly eager handshake.


"Renault! Renault of the illustrious house of Blackwood!"
"Ah! I...I didn't mean to come off as so pretentious!"

"It's... You didn't sound pretentious." He was lying of course, but the boy didn’t have to know this.

"I feel awful! I never found the way to homeroom" the boy said as he glanced around.

"Where are we now...?"

Someone was talking to her. She quickly appraised him. "The wind is pretty powerful, huh?" Irrelevant, obvious statement. Trying to open to something else. "...and I'm looking for my homeroom. Do you know where that is?" He smelled magic. No artifacts though. Just him. Clothes too, but all the clothes smelled magic.

There was an artifact somewhere around here. Lucretia made a mental note to come and find it. She left the air waft through her nostrils.

...oh wait, it was the gate. Obvious. Mental knock on the head.

Lucretia felt as if she was forgetting something.

Oh right, there was a boy here. What was it he wanted? Homeroom? Oh yes, Lucretia needed to find her own way there, didn't she? She began to wonder what items might be in class... and what she might take for her own personal research. Certainly, in a school like this there must be all sorts of treasures and secret rooms and undiscovered baubles, like in all the storybooks at home. Lucretia began to feel excited.

Lucretia felt as if she was forgetting something.

She hadn't realized that she had been blankly staring at this boy the entire time.

Renault began panicking, his first chance to impress the girl had been dashed to pieces.

"C'mon think. You can salvage this Renaultus, you're a Blackwood, and Blackwoods are always getting out of nasty situations"

Clearing his throat he began to speak.

"You wait here, I'll find homeroom and get back to you" and with that he ran off in the opposite direction yelling out "Stay where you are!"

It was only once he had rounded the corner and was out of sight that he bent down to his knees and started breathing deeply. Staying indoors and reading hadn't done much for his physical health. He wasn't overweight of course, his grandmother had seen to that. But by no means was he in shape. Though the labored breathing may have only come on through the admittedly close proximity toward a girl.

Renault began retracing his steps and soon found his way back to the main gate. He would first ask for directions, this seemed prudent. Glancing around he was a black haired girl staring blankly at another student. Maybe they knew each other

Maybe they had gone to orientation.

Maybe they knew where Homeroom was.

...

And...maybe they knew where the washroom was. He had been holding it in for quote some time of course. And the running didn't help.

Renault sauntered over to the pair, well what he thought was sauntering of course, and asked "Excuse me, but would either of you by any chance no where homeroom is?"

"...and perhaps where the nearest washroom is?"

Lucretia gently turned her head to the other boy. He was asking something about the washroom. Lucretia wished that she knew, too, seeing as she had been camping out here for days. The breeze blew by. She could smell the magic on the new boy too. It was rich. Not potent, but... rich. Like money. It reminded of Lucretia of a rune-inscribed coin she found and without realizing it, she put her hand in her pocket and began flipping the coin between her fingers.

Oh yeah. There were two lost boys in front of her. Their magic scents mixed in the air and came about as a sort of... pompous confusion. Lucretia smirked, but just barely.

Almedrin stifled a look of bewilderment. Not only had the girl not answered his questions at all, indeed, she seemed to be ignoring him, but she was somehow able to draw another person who had no idea where he was to her.

"Amazing. You're like a magnet to people who are completely lost." He immediately regretted saying that. He had been thinking it but couldn't stop himself from saying it. He felt like an idiot.

Turning towards the new guy he replied. "Actually I have no idea. I was hoping she would know." He gestured towards the dark haired girl.

Maybe these people could be his friends. After all, his mother may have given him crazy advice but making friends is still good. "Ah, where are my manners? My name is Al..." He caught himself before he could give out his full first name. "Al Merric. My name is Al Merric. Of the Merric family." He smiled nervously, hoping his next few lines wouldn't come off as creepy.

"Seeing as how we all have the same predicament, might I hazard a question? What do you all say to being friends? Best to make friends early so we have more people we know later, right?"

Renault appraised the other boy, he had forgotten to do so earlier, and until just now he had forgotten that the other student had existed.."I don't know you, friendship should be nurtured, not decided on spur of the moment. I read that in a book."

After hearing that the boy was from the Merric family, Renault slipped into a mode he had not gone into in ages. Magical families tended to be proud, with far stretching origins. He paused, he would have to choose his words carefully now.

"But you gave me your name, and it would be rude of me not to tell you my own. I'm Renault, of house Blackwood." He passed out his family name, this was a test. There were of course two prongs to the question. One was to gauge the level of intimidation the name brought on. But the second was just common courtesy.

And with a nod of his head Renault extended his hand and said "It's a pleasure."

The Blackwood family. The boy had to be from that family. Al wasn't sure there was anyone who hadn't heard of that family. He shook Renault's hand.

"Indeed, a pleasure and an honor for me." He grinned, though he felt like frowning. First day here and already he'd met someone who'd outshine him just by being next to him. Of course he knew this was bound to happen eventually.

"You know, I'm kinda hoping that Mother was wrong because it sounds like this guy is gonna be my rival. Why is she always right? Or do I make her right because I put myself in situations where she will be right?" He did his little inward monologue without realizing he hadn't yet let go of Renault's hand. Not that he cared at the moment because he was lost in the theater of his mind. "And just how did she know that I would fall flat on my face the moment I took that last step of the porch? It's like she can tell the future without so much as thinking about it."

He turned his attention away from his thoughts when he noticed his hand was warm. He glanced down. "Oh. This is awkward. But... you have really nice hands." Somehow he knew that would do little to diffuse the situation. "So... you read that in a book. I heard that you should make as many friends as possible from my Mother. She's usually right. Always as far as I know."

"People are untrustworthy, even among family you'll find the unsavory sort of dealings humans are known for."

"IRONIC FOR YOU OF ALL PEOPLE TO BE SAYING THAT. KAKAKAKA"

Renault shrugged his shoulders and cocked his head.

"People lie."

Renault, found it rather odd that he could talk like this so easily. He was never very good at meeting new people, his father, the little of him that he did see had taught him at a very young age that other people could be absolutely vicious out in the real world. He never believed him for a second, but around this boy he felt oddly defensive. Was this friendship?

"But I digress"

But this other student felt like a friendly sort. Maybe he could connect with him. Yes, that sounded right. Connecting. Making friends. That was what his grandmother would have wanted him to do. At the moment school didn't feel so bad.

"Lucretia," she spoke. She had been attempting to listen to the conversation, and she heard some family names pop up. Rich people always tended to hate each other or something, right? Best to diffuse the situation.

...

She wondered if they had any priceless artifacts at home.

..."Stay where you are!"

Those words echoed over and over to Jordan... He leaned against a wall, and slid down. He was tired after wandering this school for an hour, and he was lost... and now he was alone. With his optimism running out, his eyes started to well up again. A teacher appeared, and noticing the almost crying child, stopped to help.

“Hey there, do you need some getting to homeroom?” A significant portion of students had gotten lost, and so the school had started sending out some teachers like this one to help lost students.

“...bu...buh (But I’m waiting here for Renault.)” Jordan started to stutter back, but to the teacher this just sounded like J was starting to cry... which he was close to anyway.

“C’mon, there’s still a good half hour to catch homeroom.” The teacher said, extending her hand.

“...okay...”

Five minutes later, they arrive outside of the Illusions classroom.
The doorway in was shrouded in shadows, and you could hear a crackling laughter coming from inside the class.

The teacher, who was helping J, quickly took a glimpse towards the door, and lifted her palm to her face before shouting in “Hey, nothing creepy, this girl is shaken up already.” The class room lit up and you could see the disappointed look on several kids who were eagerly waiting to startle anyone late... The homeroom teacher was among the disappointed, but he hid it better.

Catherine always had a fairly good sense of direction. It was actually one of the things she prided herself on, actually, so she obviously had no trouble finding the classroom where the first year Homeroom was being held, even in a completely unfamiliar place and an area the size of a small village.

That is a lie.

Truth is, the only reason she managed to find the right classroom in the first place is plain, dumb luck. Not that she will admit that to anybody of course. Heck, she can barely even admit it to herself. As far as she was concerned, she managed to find the right room on her own merits, which, unless something happens to prove her wrong, will probably not change in the foreseeable future.

Anyway, the Homeroom was taking way to damn long to start, and she, like everyone else, was starting to get restless. So, of course, when the plan to startle the newcomer fell through, her disappointment was clearly shown on her face. Not that she couldn't understand why the teacher called it off; Judging from the Newcomer's demeanor, she wouldn't be surprised if she was off crying in a corner until five minutes ago, but understanding it doesn't make the letdown any easier to sallow.

Eh, might as well make the best of it. She thought to herself as she motioned the newcomer to the empty seat to her left. Who knows, she might be able while away the time talking to her after all. Plus, Cathy was rather interested in the Newcomer's bright Pink hair, and now is a good time to inquire about it as any. Assuming she'd let her, of course.

"Well then, now that we all know each others names I do believe that it's time for us to go. I can't imagine that we're anything other than late to class." Al tried his best to ignore what Renault had said. It really did seem like he didn't want to be friends. And if that was the case then his mother would probably be right and Renault would end up Al's rival. If he just ignored evidence for that outcome then he was sure that he'd end up subverting it.

There were teachers coming out and bringing in lost students. At least Al hoped that was the case. He really should have paid more attention in orientation. "Hold on one second. I'll be right back." He sprinted over to the nearest teacher. "Excuse me good sir, but my companions and I seem to be lost. Could you lead us to homeroom by any chance? I'd really appreciate it if you could." He motioned to the others.

He was sure that getting them on to homeroom would prove his worth as a potential friend. And if it didn't then he'd just have to do more and more until he and the others were friends. "I will make sure that what mother said doesn't come true. I won't be shackled to her words this time." Grinning widely he ran back over to the others. He was sure that someone would think him strange, but he didn't care. For the first time in his life, he was master of his own destiny. And he liked the feeling.

Everyone was staring at Jordan... he was used to this, but to his pleasure it wasn’t the usual sneers and jeers he always got at his last school. He still couldn’t help from turning red. To the teacher, he started apologizing profusely, in a rushed embarrassed manner.

“Sorry I’m late, Igotlostamdthentherewasthisboyandhegotanosebleedthendissapeared!

The teacher responded calmly without even looking up from the book he was reading. “It’s fine, about half my roster hasn’t shown up. I’ll take attendance at the end of homeroom.

...but it’s too much effort to re-introduce myself to each new student as they walk in.” The teacher’s dismissive manner was calming in a way to Jordan who expected him to be angry, or at least upset. The rest of the class went back to doing their own things.

...except one girl. She was beckoning J to sit next to her. Unsure of what to do, J slowly made his way over.

"That was a close one, eh?" Catherine said the moment the other Girl was within earshot. "If the Teach didn't come in here before you did, you'll probably be blasted with six cantrips at once. That's what happened to the guy that came before you, and he's still Shivering." She motioned towards an obviously shell shocked young boy two seats below them.

"Name's Catherine. Catherine Arondight.But you can just call me Cathy." She continued, offering her hand to the newcomer. Even as she did so, the flowery scented pale pink hair of her new found neighbor is really starting to rouse her curiosity, and, against her better judgment, she just had to ask about it. Even if it might seem rude to ask personal questions from someone she just met.

"Say, uh...is that natural?"

Hesitantly, J offered outreached his hand to his new classmate, before quietly speaking “I’m J, Nice to meet you.”

There was only one thing she could be referring to. “Sort of... It um... I haven’t dyed it, or cast any magic on it... I don’t even know any magic... but it just changed colors one day...” Jordan wasn’t big on talking about himself though, usually those conversations ended with the other person shocked or even appalled, and Jordan short one friend. “...did you say you knew magic? Could... would you show me?”

J, eh? Strange name. Probably short for something. Oh well. Cathy thought to herself as J continued. Her first impression of J is that she is not really used to talking to other people, and thus far she hasn't really proved her wrong. With any luck, she'd grow more accustomed to her in the coming weeks, at the very least, enough to stop her mumbling all that often.

"Uh huh...Well, I haven't heard about anything like that happening before.....Well, I haven't heard about it happening to hair, at least." She pondered out loud "Its... striking, to say the least."

"Err, well....sure, I guess." She replied, with her previous thoughts interrupted by J's request. Truth is, despite her upbringing, she didn't really know that many spells, and the little she knows are mostly cantrips, but there's no need to let her new found friend know about that.

She raised her left hand to chest height, ensuring that J had a clear view of it (no pint in a performance without an audience, after all), and curved her fingers slightly inwards, as though she was holding a palm-sized ball. She pointed the index finger of her right hand at the palm of her left hand. Particularly observant people will notice a slight red glow surrounding her index and middle fingers. A few seconds afterwards, and small red marble shot out from her fingers like a bullet, and impacted on... mid air? Instead of hitting her palm like most people would expect, it encountered a curved, invisible something just above her hand. Only it's not so invisible now because the point where the ball impacted is now tinted a bright glowing red. The red dye wasn't stopping there, though. Like ripples through a pond, the red dye continued to spread along the surface of the shield until it's entirety is stained a luminous red Where there was nothing but air before, there was now a red glowing orb in her hand. She bounced it of the table, sending a series of red ripples along the impact point, before tossing it over at the pink haired girl. (Yes, it’s solid. Mostly.)

“So, what do you think? Pretty neat, eh?” Catherine bragged, obviously fairly proud of her creation. As long as she ignored the fact all she did was apply a color change cantrip applied onto a low level shield spell. She was hoping that no one would pick up on that, actually.

Renault rolled his eyes. Al seemed friendly enough. Perhaps even a little too friendly for his tastes. But he would play nice, his grandmother had always said that even the most unlikely of people could turn out as friends. "I guess I should give you my thanks, you've saved me all of 5 seconds..."

Renault began to walk toward the waiting teacher, grinning all the while his back was turned.

"Really, I appreciate it."

Lucretia followed the two boys and the teacher to homeroom. Friends. The one boy kept talking about that. Lucretia never had any friends in the village. They asked her to find stuff, yes, but never beyond that. Friends. Friends. She repeated the word in her head.

It made her feel... excited. Her chest was warm and her veins were hot. She smiled slightly.

Friends.

Friends.

The smell of this place was wonderful. It was fantastic, and the energy in it reminded her of union, tension, and happiness.

Friends.

Friends.

Lucretia didn't realize they were being walked through the classroom door.

Hearing Renault say that he appreciated Al's efforts only helped lift his spirits more. He was glad that he wasn't prone to breaking out into song and dance because he wasn't good at it. Because if he was good at it he most certainly would have done that. His mood couldn't have been any brighter. He was sure that he was glowing, so bright was this feeling. "Yes! Score one for me! Me: One. Mother: Zero. Today at least. There's nothing I can't do if I put my mind to it. I'M KING OF THE WORLD! MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE!" He wanted to spin around and spread his arms wide dramatically but he knew he shouldn't.

Al had forgotten that he intended to study Conjuration. He wasn't even sure if his new friends were even going to study the same things as him. He really hoped that they did. Then they'd get to see each other most of the day. And have such fun and grow close and possibly go on adventures and maybe he might even fall in love with Lucretia or even another girl he might meet! All manner of scenarios rushed through Al's head at high speed. Shifting images kept filling his mind, until one came up. A dark night, a stormy night, flashes of lighting and peals of thunder.

His smiling face suddenly froze up with fear. That image wasn't something he wanted to remember. He so desperately wanted to forget that night. "Bury it! Bury! I don't want to remember it." He tried to focus on something, anything else. He turned around, his face still carrying a frozen smile. Renault. The prospect of a new friend. He relaxed in no time. He just hoped that Renault hadn't paid attention to his face just then. Because the look of sheer terror on it might be enough to end their friendship right then and there.

"So... what are you two planning to study? I'm studying conjuration. Heh heh."

He also had forgotten that he was in class at the moment. And that he spoke that last line rather loudly. He was really terrible at paying attention to his surroundings. It's almost as if he had to be reminded of what was going on half the time.

Jordans’s eyes widened as his friend cast the spell(s). He had never seen magic cast before, he always assumed it wouldn’t be visible... like “luck” or gypsy “curses.” But Cathy elegantly cast ...something, flashy.

Cathy was his age, and she already knew magic? He had never even seen magic before, yet she seemed to perform it with ease. Jordan couldn’t help but mumble “...So cool...” before catching the orb tossed to him.

Hoping to have some classes with her, Jordan pulled his schedule from deep in his pocket, and unfolded it.
“Want to compare classes? ...I haven’t done anything with magic before, so mine class list is kind of... magic light.”

Renault sighed as he walked down the corridors of the school, only half listening to the excited chattering of the 4 other students the teacher had picked up. He knew he should have been trying to make as many friends as he could but he felt a little moody. He had never managed to help out that cute pink haired girl after all. The whole 'being new to the school' did nothing to help the matter. The teacher leading them down the hall was quiet but a nervous little smile remained on his face nonetheless. The man looked fairly young, Renault even played with the idea that he was a new teacher. It made him feel a little better knowing that even a teacher was as nervous to be here as he was. His thoughts were interrupted when the man spoke up.

"I should probably tell you this now in case you haven't already figured it out. But that paper that reads 'go to homeroom' should have changed into a listing of your classes by now"

Now curious, Renault pulled the balled up scrap of paper out of his hand where it immediately unfolded and smoothed out much to his surprise.

It read:

"Don't worry about your homeroom, you won't be shoehorned into a subject you don't want. You'll be switching around your schedule quite often your first year here. I know did"

Weeks in the future, but not many...

After a couple of weeks Jordan had finally started to get used to this new school. It was odd and bizarre, but simultaneously cool and interesting. He couldn’t wait to go back, the classes were genuinely fun, and the people were nice. He even made a couple of friends... but none of them knew his secret.

...Will they still be his friends when they found out?
...If they found out?


...He didn’t like to think about that... where was he before that? Right! He couldn’t wait to go back, in a day or two. He stared out of his window in the general direction of the school (His parents lived close enough that he didn’t have to join the dorms.), then back into his room. He was stuck here. Brighthaven taught many things to many people, but two lessons from home ec. rung true to Jordan.

1. Beakers are different than drinking glasses.
2. Not every clear liquid is water.


Jordan scratched his neck, where a magical necklace rest. The doctors had given him a “Zetta Dialysis Choker” to remove the toxin from his body, and told him to wear it at least a week after he appeared recovered... but the thing terrified him. (Aside from the name, it was a tight black choker that had a dark red glow to it.)

...This was going to be a long wait.

Almedrin decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to check his class schedule. Maybe everyone could compare classes and see how many times they'd be together in the day. He eagerly opened the note to find it now read:

He couldn't wait to compare class schedules with the others.

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

A few weeks later

Boring. That one word would describe his time at the school thus far. It was almost as if the universe conspired against him. He tried to make friends in his classes, but nearly everyone turned him down. Most of them thought he was way too weird. Those that did accept quickly forgot him. "Guess I'm not as important as their other friends then."

He sat in his dorm room, desperately trying to think of some excuse so he wouldn't have to go to class today. Nothing worked. He really wished he had drunk from an unknown potion in his alchemy class like he heard some kids 'accidentally' did. Then again, it might not be a pleasant experience. No, he had no excuse, so he would have to go.

He frowned. "This is so stupid. Why did mother insist I go here? She wouldn't have forced my sister to go." He blinked. "Sister." He hadn't thought of her in a long time. He really missed her. He wondered why she had to go and leave him like that. He shook his head. "Easy Al. No need to think about her. Thinking of her will lead to that night and thinking of that night will... BUNNIES! FLUFFY BUNNIES WITH CUTE TAILS! YES! BUNNIES!" He got up and rushed to homeroom. Maybe if he made it in early he'd get to study earlier and thus focus his mind on school. He only hoped.

Lucretia had thought the paper smelled nice. She read it.

Seemed good enough.

------

Lucretia had found a particularly interesting nut at the top of a tree. It absorbed much of the magic in the school's air, and had a lovely earthen scent. Lucretia pocketed it, and then spent the next night trying to figure out how to descend from the tree. The sun rose. Lucretia woke up. There was a stick in her hair. It smelled like flight. She pocketed it, too.

Oh right. Flight. She was still stuck in a tree. Hopefully she would find a way back to class before it started. Or at least down from the tree.

How did she even get up here in the first place?

Hm.

This was an issue.

"Well, sure." Catherine replied, as she fished around in her pocket for the slip of paper she was given awhile ago.

"Looks like we share 3 lessons together."

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

Cathy walked along the pathway that she took more or less every day for the past few weeks. Truth be told, the past few weeks have been pretty boring for her. She had expected to be learning to cast new spells right from the get go, but all they have done so far is basic spell theory and mana purification, stuff which she had already memorized since she was nine years old. Well, there was this incident in Alchemy class a few days ago where J drank some "Concentrated Sumerian Spider Venom", but that's not really something to be excited about. Still, they were going to start covering some new material in the new few days, so hopefully this boredom spell would end sometime soon.

She rounded a corner that would lead her straight to her homeroom, only to have the wind out of her by a sprinting brown head boy practically bowled her over in their collision.

"Ow...."

As Almedrin ran towards his homeroom he ran into a dark-haired girl. As in, literally ran into. "By the Akashic Records!" he exclaimed as he nearly collapsed onto her. "Oh dear, oh dear. Not good. Gah!" He tried to get up as quickly as possible while desperately trying not to escalate the situation. "Think Al, think. You have to say something. Aha!"

He got up and began apologizing profusely. "I'm terribly sorry Miss,I wasn't paying attention and I assure you that I had no intention of running into you like that." Noting that the girl was quite beautiful and not realizing he had been speaking his thoughts aloud he quickly added. "Not that I wouldn't want to run into you. I mean, not like this! I mean, you're kinda pretty and I think I'd like to see you sometime! I mean! I-I uh....." He quickly shut up, turned around and shook his head.

"Do over. I'm really sorry about that. Didn't mean to knock you over. Hi. I'm Al, Al Merric. And you?" He stuck out his hand again and immediately retracted it. "No that was terrible. Mulligan. Sorry for knocking you over. I was just so focused on getting to class that I wasn't aware of my surroundings. I'm Al Merric. Of the Merric family." He turned around. "Yes! Nailed it!" Turning back he added. "Do you need any help?" Despite not realizing that he was still speaking his thoughts, he was no longer on the train of thought leading to remembering that night. A nice distraction, even if unplanned.

Catherine's first thought after regaining her senses would be what exactly happened. Her second thought would be the fact that her new acquaintance is a very...unique person. He was obviously very flustered about what just happened, but there's a limit as to how far it could go before it stops being merely 'Flustered' and becomes 'Just plain weird.' Still, he seemed repentant enough, so it couldn't hurt to respond in kind.

"No it's not..." She couldn't even finish her sentence before the other boy started babbling about attraction issues. Even the hand that was offered to her was retracted immediately after while he once again got lost in his own thoughts.

"Catherine of the Arondights." She stated matter-of-factly, helping herself up as she did so. She has been on the ground long enough that any help he might offer would be way too late. She had heard that the Merric family before, but if one of their magus is like this, she hate to think about the state of the rest of their family. Hopefully, they won't be nearly as idiosyncratic.

"You should really work on keeping your internal monologues, well, Internal." She added.