"Ah. Well might not be a bad idea to research that..."
"That's a major oversimplification, but there's a lot of things that would take too long to explain right now."
"Sure sounds that way." Gareth says as he finishes his meal.
"Ah. Well might not be a bad idea to research that..."
"You could be quite the artist with that ability, Dylen. With the exception of the required classes, your courses are mostly up to you, so why don't you tell me what you're interested in so we can get you a schedule for tomorrow?"
Dylen ponders the question for a bit.
“I...guess I’ve always been interested in history sir, but I’ve never really had a chance to go to school before and I’ve always found the mechanics that visited my father’s junkyard savaging for parts interesting people, so if you teach something like how technology works I would like it. As far as my…ability...goes I would like to learn to keep tighter control over it, I don’t want to ever accidently hurt anyone.” Dylen responds, hoping he has provided a satisfactory answer to his new Headmaster. He wrings his hands together in an anxious nervous tick as he awaits the reply.
"We can easily get your courses set up then. Meditation to learn control, Basic P.E as required, History of Agartha, a Study Hall, Basic Magic, and I'll check with our leading techie to see if she could use any help in her lab. I'll make no guarantee of it though, she's busier than usual these days."
::Aananda? I'm not interrupting anything, am I?::
"Ah. Well might not be a bad idea to research that..."
"We can easily get your courses set up then. Meditation to learn control, Basic P.E as required, History of Agartha, a Study Hall, Basic Magic, and I'll check with our leading techie to see if she could use any help in her lab. I'll make no guarantee of it though, she's busier than usual these days."
"Thank you, sir." Dylen replies, nodding in agreement/relief.
::Aananda? I'm not interrupting anything, am I?::
::Not really. I'm on my way to bed. It's been an interesting evening. It seems that I have more grandchildren on the way than I realized. Fieri is expecting. And we got word from Taron. Tam caught up to them and for now at least they're all safe.::
::Then it has been a good day. Congratulations on even more grandchildren. Anyway, I have a new student here who was interested in mechanics. I said I would ask if you wanted any help in the lab. I did not promise you would though, since you've been so busy.::
"You are quite welcome, Dylen. Now why don't we get you a room to stay in? We can set you up a room of your own or you can share with someone else. You need not worry about privacy if you choose to share, of course. There is a dividing wall you can pull close."
While the others continue to chat, Fei quietly excuses himself from the classroom and descends the tower stairs. He continues down to the lower levels and into the workshop to discharge his energy cuffs.
His chore completed, the young monk heads for the cafeteria, wondering if the slightly late hour will ensure a quick and quiet meal. It does not appear so. ;)
::Then it has been a good day. Congratulations on even more grandchildren. Anyway, I have a new student here who was interested in mechanics. I said I would ask if you wanted any help in the lab. I did not promise you would though, since you've been so busy.::
::We talking basic mechanics here or Advanced Mechanics? James or Jim...probably Jim considering everything James has going on...will be taking over the basic classes from now on. No sense letting someone who doesn't know a spanner from a screwdriver into the workshop with the good tools. But I always have room for assistants if he or she has the basics down.::
"You are quite welcome, Dylen. Now why don't we get you a room to stay in? We can set you up a room of your own or you can share with someone else. You need not worry about privacy if you choose to share, of course. There is a dividing wall you can pull close."
"I am a bit tired from the road headmaster, would it be alright if I had a room of my own?"
Vai sees Fei enter the cafeteria, sad that she had missed him during the fight. She slides over to make room for him to join the group at the table before shyly saying, "Hi Fei. Everything going well?"
Ephebe exchanges a glance with Phaezeriel and bites her lip to keep from laughing as she thought about what he'd told her about Sima....She hoped that this whole situation wasn't going to end up with Vai getting hurt.
Krays stands and bows to Fei as he sits, then looks over at Ephebe.
::What's amusing? Did I miss something?::
Krays stands and bows to Fei as he sits, then looks over at Ephebe.
::What's amusing? Did I miss something?::
::Phaeze still has an active connection to Sima and...ummm...overheard some interesting observations about Keme and Fei....he couldn't help but share.::
::Really? Nasima isn't usually that forward...does she know that Vai is apparently interested?::
Fei gets a bowl of soup from the line, and makes his way past the table to greet everyone.
She slides over to make room for him to join the group at the table before shyly saying, "Hi Fei. Everything going well?"
He politely bows to all assembled and sits.
"I am told (repeatedly) that this is the case," he replies to Vai, a thoughtful look crossing his face as he notices strangers at the table. "I am glad everyone has returned from the...outing earlier today..."
::Really? Nasima isn't usually that forward...does she know that Vai is apparently interested?::
::Not as of yet. I'm not sure Vai has mentioned that to her. I'm trying to stay out of it. This is something they have to work out between themselves.::
::Oh, how interesting...and you're right. I'll not interfere either.::
"It would seem so, Fei. We were just talking about where they came from."
"Guys, this is Fei. He's a student here, with a slight, umm...kinetic problem."
"Fei, this is Tamara, Shara, Gareth, Juco and Maru. They're recent arrivals from a planet called Jegareth."
Fei gets a bowl of soup from the line, and makes his way past the table to greet everyone. He politely bows to all assembled and sits.
"I am told (repeatedly) that this is the case," he replies to Vai, a thoughtful look crossing his face as he notices strangers at the table. "I am glad everyone has returned from the...outing earlier today..."
"It was scary at times, I'm glad we pulled through." There were butterflies in Vai's stomach, but thankfully she was able to keep it together. "We missed you though."
"Guys, this is Fei. He's a student here, with a slight, umm...kinetic problem."
"Fei, this is Tamara, Shara, Gareth, Juco and Maru. They're recent arrivals from a planet called Jegareth."
"Hello," the young monk intones politely with another bow.
"I am a bit tired from the road headmaster, would it be alright if I had a room of my own?"
"Of course." The Headmaster says as he looks at a map of the school on his wall. "Let's see... there we go! He opens up a drawer and takes out a rolled scroll, handing it to Dylen. "That is a map of the school. You can also touch the walls and say where you want to go. That will make arrows you can follow appear. It's actually quite difficult to get lost in the school if you are supposed to be here."
"There is something you should know about this school. We have wards here to protect the students. Until recently they were somewhat unreliable, but they are fully operational now. While in the school people outside cannot scry on you without my permission, and I check with the student before I give that. The wards also keep fights from breaking out. You take a swing at a student and you'll be in Detention before the blow connects. The same happens if a student tries to hit you."
"One last thing and you are free to go and settle into your new room. You are interested in mechanics, I know, but have you learned anything about technology? We have a basic class you can start in if you haven't."
"It was scary at times, I'm glad we pulled through." There were butterflies in Vai's stomach, but thankfully she was able to keep it together. "We missed you though."
"Sifu Daiyu determined that I would be of more use going with her to...disrupt the flow of things. It is good that it worked, as it has taken me until just recently to regain my body," he says as he carefully picks up his soup bowl and downs some of its contents.
"It seems we missed out on something big, doesn't it?" Tamara asks the other newcomers. Juco and Maru smile and nod, while Shara tries to look like she isn't looking at Fei. "Hello Fei."
"Kinetic... that means moving, right?" Gareth asks Ephebe. "Shara's got moving magic too, so if they moved together would that help?"
Poor Shara just has a knack for taking a drink at the wrong time, and Tamara laughs as she gives her a few strong pats on the back to help the coughing fit.
"Hello, Fei. It's good to meet you." Tamara says, amused by the reactions of the young woman at her side. "Shara, maybe you should hold off on your drink for now."
"Of course." The Headmaster says as he looks at a map of the school on his wall. "Let's see... there we go! He opens up a drawer and takes out a rolled scroll, handing it to Dylen. "That is a map of the school. You can also touch the walls and say where you want to go. That will make arrows you can follow appear. It's actually quite difficult to get lost in the school if you are supposed to be here."
"There is something you should know about this school. We have wards here to protect the students. Until recently they were somewhat unreliable, but they are fully operational now. While in the school people outside cannot scry on you without my permission, and I check with the student before I give that. The wards also keep fights from breaking out. You take a swing at a student and you'll be in Detention before the blow connects. The same happens if a student tries to hit you."
"One last thing and you are free to go and settle into your new room. You are interested in mechanics, I know, but have you learned anything about technology? We have a basic class you can start in if you haven't."
“Thank you, Headmaster.” Dylen says as he accepts the scroll. “I’m glad to hear about the wards, that makes me feel…safe. I really don’t know anything about technology, despite a life long interest, I would be happy to join that class.”
Dylen gives an awkward half bow to the Headmaster then leaves to seek out his dorm room.
"I hope you enjoy your stay here." The Headmaster says sincerely.
::It looks like Dylen, the new student, will be in the Basic class.::
Upon arriving in his room Dylen takes his boots off and stows his backpack at the foot of his bed without unpacking it. He flops down on his bed without taking off his clothes and turns over and closes his eyes, exhausted.
As Dylen attempts to drift off to sleep he struggles with the new anxieties his current situation has created within him. He tosses and turns as he tries to shut off his racing thoughts and dispel the creeping fear that, once he is properly introduced to them, his new social group will soon turn on him as all his previous ones have. His extreme awkwardness has always made him a functional pariah over time, despite the fact that few have ever harbored him any real ill will and he has no true reason to think that the same won’t eventually hold true here. What disturbs him now is not despair however, but hope. Just because things have always seemed to go a certain way doesn’t mean they have to go that way this time he tells himself. It is this optimism, child-like in both its innocence and intensity, that disturbs his rest, the anticipation and expectations of it overwhelming.
His extreme physical restlessness causes him to sit up straight in bed with his back against the wall even as he strives for slumber. After an hour, lost somewhere between semi-consciousness and fitful sleep, she comes to him, as she sometimes does; the mother he lost long ago, summoned unbidden by the power of his memories. She is soft and warm and wraps her arms around him tenderly. Through his blurry eyes he cannot make out the features of her face but even if his eyes were clear he would see no details. He was too young when he lost her to recall the kind expressions of the one person who he feels certain truly loved him.
She whispers to him, not words per se but the gentle maternal murmurs small toddlers throughout history have recognized and been comforted by, despite their lack of coherent language. Her soft fingertips stroke the curve of his cheek as a tear falls free from his eye, a single drop of moisture that represents a lifetime of loss and loneliness. She wipes it away but this gesture is of no consequence for no dream, however vivid, can replace a loved one truly lost or heal wounds old when the heart was young.
What she can do though is bring a level of peace, transitory as it might be, to a boy who feels that the burden of the world on his shoulders is more than he can endure, despite his daily proving that that is a falsehood. In the real, physically manifested arms of a loss only half remembered, but sorely felt, he passes into the realm of dreams.
When Dylen awakens he is alone, with little memory of the previous night’s spectral visitation. He stretches to get the kink out of his neck. After showering in the bathroom and changing into the one clean pair of clothes he owns he unrolls his map and looks to see if there is a cafeteria or similar place to get a bite to eat in the Academy.
"It was scary at times, I'm glad we pulled through." There were butterflies in Vai's stomach, but thankfully she was able to keep it together. "We missed you though.""Sifu Daiyu determined that I would be of more use going with her to...disrupt the flow of things. It is good that it worked, as it has taken me until just recently to regain my body," he says as he carefully picks up his soup bowl and downs some of its contents.
"Ryleh mentioned something about that. I'm glad you're safe though." Vai says with a bit of a blush. "Has someone told you what happenned on the Plane of Storms?"
"Yes - I have just come from Sifu Daiyu's classroom where Keme was showing us what had occurred."
"Oh," Fei then says (more to himself than anybody else) as he puts his bowl down, not a hint of its contents on his face. With all of the recent tumult, he almost forgot about his conversation after the workshop meeting. This has truly been the longest of days...
"Vai, it is my...understanding that congratulations are in order for you."
Vai cocks her head inquisitively. "Why is that?"
"In regards to Sadie," the young monk replies with a small bow. "I wanted to express my congratulations, and hope for Lathander's favor in this new - and wonderful - beginning for you. May your days together be blessed," he continues with a smile.
Dylen reads the map then heads to the cafeteria and gets a tray of food, he hesitates then, not sure where to sit and wondering if he should approach some of his fellow diners.
Seeing the young man, holding a tray, and looking about uncertainly, Phaezeriel stands on his chair, raises one silver-clawed hand and speaks to Dylen's mind. Dylen can hear the friendly welcome in the voice.
::Hey there, my name is Phaezeriel and you have the new-student look about you. Come on over here and join us.::
Seeing the young man, holding a tray, and looking about uncertainly, Phaezeriel stands on his chair, raises one silver-clawed hand and speaks to Dylen's mind. Dylen can hear the friendly welcome in the voice.
::Hey there, my name is Phaezeriel and you have the new-student look about you. Come on over here and join us.::
Dylen jumps in startlement at hearing the telepathic voice but then smiles tentatively and approaches the table. “Hello.” He says as he takes a seat.
"Hello!" Says a black kobold in robes.
Now that he won't have to shout, Phaezeriel simply speaks.
Hello again, and welcome to Avalon. These are Ephebe and her husband Krays, Vai, Fei, and Fieri, and some other newcomers, Tamara, Shara, Gareth, Juco and Maru. We were all just getting accuainted and caught up.
It was like a blow, straight to Vai's chest. The calm congratulations. It meant he felt nothing for her. She needed to respond though, so she stammers: "Er, um. We're not really... I mean. She and I aren't..." she tries to take a moment to calm down, taking a shaky breath. "We're... not really dating... we're just friends... I..." she looks at Fei, his calm, serene features. "I mean... I kinda like... you..." the final word there is barely audible, and Vai breaks eye contact before finishing the sentence.
