The swordsman clearly has no intention of answering the question. In fact, he hasn't paid attention to any of what the teacher has been saying, opting instead to clear his head and wait for the group to start moving again.
Andra eyes Kijani and Joseph expectantly, sure that at least one of them will want to reply to the teacher's question!
"Come on, boys! We're gonna be classmates here. What sort of students are we all gonna be?" she asks, grinning.
Chomski chuckles at Andra’s enthusiasm.
"An excellent one, I should think." Joseph says, examining the back of his hand. "I need only unlimited access to the resources of this establishment and I will change magical theory forever."
Andra grins at Joseph. "That's the spirit! I bet you'll discover something really impressive and be a famous wizard someday."
She turns to Kijani, despite his refusal to participate. "You look like you've gotten to swing that thing around more than a few times," she remarks, looking at the giant sword on the man's back. "Are you studying to master that too?"
The swordsman sighs, and reluctantly turns to the girl. "I am not studying anything. What is there to learn about blade or bow in some book?"
"There is always plenty to learn, I would understand that would rather likely be what you are here for after all. Some of you might seek knowledge, other's answers. While you may not say what it is, I trust you all have their reasons," he says. The rain began to pick up, "To orient yourself, you are free to explore the campus at leisure. The Spire Dormitory shall be your home. Farewell and good day to you all young students."
He says pulling out an umbrella, bowing to you all and making his leave. Your first day now begins.
”Andra, I’m not sure if you had a place in particular you wanted to explore but, I thought maybe we could settle into our rooms and maybe meet up after to explore around campus to get the lay of the land?”
Chomski looks around.
”Everyone is free to join. I’m just a little nervous on my own and would love the company.”
As the rain begins to fall harder, Emmet extends a hand out towards Andra, and a mechanical umbrella pops up out of its thumb, opening to keep her dry.
"I'm sure there's some great books about swordsmanship and archery out there. I'll find you one - I bet you'll like it!"
"Certainly! It's harder to get lost with a friend, after all. I'd love to explore some - I haven't had a chance to see the campus... yet..." Andra's voice trails off as she sways on her feet a moment, eyes unfocusing.
Images flash through her mind - a dark tower silhouetted against a backdrop of tightly-packed clouds. Shadowy figures scurry about its base, while inside flickering light illuminates young children furiously scribbling away in large tomes...
Her construct companion seems ready for Andra's momentary loss of balance, and quickly moves to support her with the same arm it's using to provide shelter from the rain. She grips the cool metal with a hand, and steadies herself after a moment. "...Sorry about that!" she says with an embarrassed smile. "Shall we get moving?" She looks to the other two. "You two are more than welcome to come, if you like!" she offers, though she suspects that Kijani at least is likely to decline.
The warrior lets out a weary sigh. "You are far too cheerful about this."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Mischief lands on the constructs umbrella hand, taking shelter from the rain. When the construct catches its master, he is somewhat dislodged, resulting in the bird hanging upside-down from the metal finger. He looks around for a moment, taking in the new view of the world. "Behold: I am a bat!"
"I can show you the way to the dorms." Joseph offers, turning and marching for the dormitory. "I have already attended a semester here when I was fourteen. My parents were searching for a temple to Huehxolocoatl, the chicken serpent, some hundred miles south of here. They thought it was too dangerous for me to travel with them as they were trying to find the temple before some cultists did so. Planetary conjunction, resurrecting dead gods, destruction of the solar system, that kind of thing." He chuckles, as if doomsday cults were of little concern. "I thought them overcautious but, well, that is parents for you. I was the youngest student here at the time and finished the semester with top marks. I have found the resources available here to study magic are the best in the world, so I have returned to research my thesis on unified magic theory. How did the rest of you end up here?"
"Neat!" says Andra, as Emmet bends down so she can climb atop his shoulder. The golem seems designed for this purpose - with a seat perfectly sized for its creator built into its shoulder, complete with handholds for easy climbing.
"One of the people who raised me learned magic here," she explains as the golem begins to walk with a surprisingly fluid motion, easily keeping pace with Joseph and the others. "I grew up with stories about this place - and I always knew that one day I'd go here. I had a very... unusual introduction to magic that wasn't very good for me, but now I'm finally going to learn to use magic properly!"
The rain continues its beat, slowly cascading down as the skies at the moment greyed. The campus as you walk around is well tended to, with a variety of building using both native and foreign building techniques.
Kijani silently follows along with the group, keeping as straight a face as possible while the others ramble on.
A young woman trots out from a one-story dormitory building, shielding her head with a silk umbrella reinforced with dry reeds. Four stone spires surround and rise above the building, “You’re the new students, o? You’ll be rooming with us in Spire Dorm. Come in, I’ll show you the place,” The woman gestures with her umbrella toward the door, taking a few steps back toward the building’s welcoming, dry overhang.
A catfolk sprawls beneath the eaves of the dormitory building, a sliced and sticky mango laying on a cloth on his chest. He looks up from licking the juice off his fingers, his mouth spreading into a toothy smile, “Care for some mango?” he says cheerfully while gesturing idly to the fruit, “Or if you’d prefer something to cheer you up from the rain, I have some wine brewing back in my room.”
“Don’t offer them your moonshine!” Esi scolds, before addressing the heroes again, “This is Chizire. Don’t become a slacker like him.”
“I don’t need to study. Amurruns have the best magic, everyone says so,” Chizire says, “Esi here is trying to run the entire school. Even playing teacher for the new students, it looks like.”
Esi blows out a sharp breath, “Koride told me to get them settled. Said that handling the new students was our jo.”
“Fft. Do we look like attendants to her? Not yet, we aren’t,” Chizire replies, turning his attention back to peeling the skin off another slice of mango. Esi waits for a moment before scuffing her foot at the catfolk’s tail and then stepping over him to go inside.
"Good meeting you both! I'm Andra." The young woman turns to Emmet. "Why don't you wait out here for now. I'll get your maintenance taken care of once Esi's shown us around."
The construct takes a knee so Andra can dismount, and steps underneath the overhang, out of the rain. It watches the catfolk almost curiously.
Mischief takes wing, cutting through the rainy skies and alights upon the catfolk, quickly helping himself to a beakfull of mango. "Tell me more of this wine." He croaks.
"I am not a new student." Joseph scoffs. "I am Joseph Curwen, and I have attended the academy before. I have returned, older and wiser, to continue my education." He looks Esi up and down. "And what is your position here?"
Kijani resists the urge to roll his eyes. "Just show me where I can sleep. With any luck, I will wake up anywhere else."
Esi didn't seem to mind the bird snatching some of the mango away, not even attempting to swat it away, as if in a small daze, "You can sleep outside if you don't like it here," he says taking a bite of the mango. His eyes drifting towards the strange construct of Andra's.
"I apologize, though I wasn't told we would have alumni. My name is Esi, Esi Djana, a pleasure to meet you all. This is of course the Spire Dorm, where you will be staying for the duration of your learning here," she gestures you all to follow her in, Chizire not moving from his spot partially in the way as you all likely follow her inside. You go through a long hallway to a commons room at the center back of the building that connects to two more hallways. The room is very open, a beautiful mosaic pattern flanking it from both sides, with couches, tables, and cushions everywhere. A door similar to the front that you entered is there but seems to be made more into a patio.
"We have six rooms available and furnished down the east hallway, but your always welcome to furnish it how you please with your own personal effects. I know plenty of students buy all sorts of furniture from the city to adorn them, a few even bringing stuff from home," she says with a smile on her face, "This is the commons room. Great for group study and game night."
She points down both hallways, "On both sides are restrooms and bathrooms at the ends of the hall. I would suggest before we continue you pick your rooms. I'd like to show you to some of the fellow students that also live here."
Knowing somewhat of what to expect from his previous semester at the school, Joseph wastes no time claiming a room that was as out of the way as it could be. The room had far too little shelving for books and scrolls, to little floor space for summoning circles, and no desk to speak of, but it would do for now. "A shopping trip is indeed in order, Mischief. Bookshelves, alchemical equipment, we need it all!" Joseph shouts to his familiar, wherever his familiar had gotten off to. The school itself had all the things Joseph needed for his research, but it was useful to have his own things in his own space set up the way he liked them. It had a window, at least, which would be useful for venting fumes from alchemy and brewing potions.
He leaves his pack and the things in it on the bed for now. Unpacking could come later.
Mischief struts into the dormitory tower in the confidant, arrogant way all birds do. Making his way down the center of the hallway, he makes sure to spread his wings wide to take up as much space as possible. Coming to a room that is adequately centrally located so as to be sheltered from tornadoes, he enters, looks around, then begins flitting from one fixture to the next, testing the perchability of the various objects in the room. It was not as magnificent a room as he deserved, but it would suffice until he could get some contractors to build him a more appropriate rookery.
"It is truly wonderful to meet both of you, Esi and Chizire. If you'd like, I have a wonderful recipe for a mango chutney in her somewhere, I could make it for you sometime. I would love a piece to see how mangos taste in this part of the world. Thank you, so much." The gnome devours the mango offered.
"And thank you Esi. First days can be nerve wracking and it's great to have someone like you showing us around. I am not sure who Koride is but they definitely chose the right person for the job!"
Mischief swoops down on the intruder!
Esi waits for the new students to pick a room and return to her, "Excellent, now to show you some of the student that are also staying here and attending classes. Anchor should be here..." she says before a young Chelish male enters from a door as you all walk by.
"O' I didn't see you all, you must be the new students, welcome. My name is Ignaci," he says with a polite smile.
"Greetings, Ignaci. I am Joseph Curwen." Joseph did not have the best social skills, but he still needed to know what magics his fellows specialized in - if any - in case he needed assistance in his research. "And what is it you are studying here?" He asks the chelish man.