Malche Academy is located in the depths of the Fell Woods, with its back to the Asfeltas mountains. For generations, the academy has functioned in a few buildings, part of a forgotten and mysterious complex which sprawls within the thick, dark woods. Old stone spires rise up from the canopy for a view of the entire forest and the mist covered mountains beyond it. The academy is connected to the nearby town of Linne by a single road and the so called Ghost River.
The academy itself takes up one of the large buildings of the sprawling archaeologycal complex. Surrounded by a recent wall, a single needle like tower is flanked by two sides of a crescent, ancient rooms refurbished for new use. to the left of the complex is a small out house which leads to a pier. The rest of the area encircled by the wall is a courtyard, dug up after being claimed by the forest, a few tress older than the academy itself still dot the yard. The stones on it form strange and alien patterns. Though definitely inhabited, the academy seems wild and overgrown, a strange, mysterious place from an age past, on the edge of the wilderness.
RoL - Malche, Greetings
3rd Day, High Igna.
6:00 AM
There are only three ways to get to the Malche Academy. A dangerous, three day trek through the forest path to Linne, braving the Fell Woods and crossing straight down, or traveling up the ghost river from one of the bridge settlements. Every few days, the ferry comes up to the Academy, a rickety boat led by an old man and his daughter, they make a living ferrying goods and people up and to the academy, through the haunting, eerie corners of the Ghost River. After a night's rest at the small academy boat house, they head back with whatever they managed to sell or buy off the mages. This time, they bring with them a small group of new students for the academy, docking in the small outhouse.
With the sun barely up, the small boat docked on the pier and the old Ravillan ferryman got off, walking slowly on the creaking planks of the docks. "Wuh're here." he said simply in an old and tired voice, turning to the occupants of the river barge.
While she certainly didn't mean anything by it, it was likely that
Enzo hastily brushed past anyone between her and the dock as her spritely form disembarked from the barge. It was also likely, despite the early morning hour, that the young lady had chattered a good portion of the voyage along the spooky river, or at least tried to. A rebuke from any one of the passengers would have sent her into a sudden and petulant, albeit a regrettably and relatively brief, silence. She stopped short, quite possibly too short, depending on how closely behind anyone was following behind, and her blue eyes widened in staunch and apparent admiration of the scene set before her in the scant light of dawn. Her lips shrank into a tight little 'o' and a sharp intake of air preceded an awe-inspired and drawn-out, 'Wowwwww! We're here...' She grinned a little upon her statement, then proceeded to make sure, 'We're
really, finally here?! THIS is it?'
The early morning fog rising from the placid surface of the Ghost River earned the occasional glare from the young Ignean, as if she distrusted the eerie calm of the place.
Riz'nah appeared grumpy, with her arms folded over her flat, young chest and her burning crimson eyes scanning over her fellow students, wondering just how many of them were adepts. "Oy, you girl," she barked as Enzo's nonstop chattering finally reached the pinnacle of irritation with the short-tempered Ignean, taking a firm stance and pointing her whole arm straight at her target. "Hush your mouth, you're boiling my blood." Her blunt words were accompanied by a hard stare, but just then the boat bumped into the pier and sent Riz'nah wobbling a bit to keep her balance as the Ravillan ferryman announced their arrival. Her glare disappeared entirely as she looked up to the spooky place, smelling magic all around and feeling the familiar press of unknown spirits as they remained hidden in the ancient place. As the human girl bounded from the boat, Riz'nah followed and then hastily crashed right into the back of the tiny girl, most likely bumping the girl a few paces forward thanks to Riz'nah's taller form. "Where else do you think this ferry goes?" she asked, the tone of her voice suggesting that perhaps she was not trying to be cruel but had simply not learned good manners yet.
The chill of the morning fog had permeated into
Nim's skin, as he stood firm on the ferry, his arms crossed over his chest to try to keep out some of the cold. The Terran was much more used to the sweltering desert heat than the damp cold of the forest's mornings, which sent a sight chill up his spine. As Riz'nah began to tear into the Ravillian, a small smirk broke over Nim's face, followed by a chuckle. He knew fully well that Igneans had short tempers, and assumed that that was what brought on this display of aggression. As the ferry arrived at the dock with a thud, Nim briefly stood his ground before stepping off in a calm silence, his eyes trained on the academy. Once safely on the dock, he turned back to the ferryman for just long enough to give the older man a brief nod before returning his gaze to the wall and building before them, waiting on the other new students to follow his suit.
The other Ignean made
Aeune question the wisdom of allowing a group of untrained magic users stay in the same place together, especially when some of them were obviously without the manners that should have been second nature. She, unlike Riz'nah, could at least hold her tongue in the presence of others, even when they were being somewhat irritating. Stepping off the ferry, Aeune looked around at the dock. The cold permeated everything, making it all seem damp. Aeune didn't much care for the wetness that seemed prevalent. She just wanted to meet the teachers and learn in peace. Maybe wrap up in a warm blanket next to a fire. She landed on the dock, light on her feet, and barely paused before heading away from the water, impatient to get to the academy.
Upon joining the others at a slow pace,
Falkyre found the mood tense due to the clear unhappiness of some. Smiling to himself at the humour of these people, he cast his eyes over the scene, raising his hands to place them behind his head with a relaxed posture. Although he remained silent, he couldn't help thinking to himself that this was going to be an interesting era. He believed the morning to be quite brisk, not unlike his home near the forest, incidentally the area was surrounded by tree's which made him think back on his origin. Falkyre had come here to seek new lands and interesting places, but if all were similar to this then he may as well have stayed. But new experiences and whatnot.
The old ferryman walked down the pier with the kind of calm that can only come from having seen everything and done everything, apparently ignoring the conversation between the young Ravillan and Ignean, he turned to the group as they got off the rickety boat and hinted them to follow with a single, near imperceptible nod of his wizened old face. "You ought to go with my father." said a young voice just behind the group. The ferryman's young daughter, Barza, looked at them with her trademark distant expression, her pale skin and ice blue eyes contrasting with her jet black hair. "There'll be teachers waiting for you at the academy entrance. Father and I will dock here until tomorrow and we'll be back every three days, so if you need to buy or sell something or travel to town... it's your best bet to do it while we're around." she added, the girl's voice seemed a bit tired and resigned. Who could blame her, she seemed to have the dreary fate of becoming the ghost river ferry-woman, after all, not an exciting career prospect.
Enchanted by the newness of this place, by the surrounding ancient trees and the prospect of what was to come at the academy, Riz'nah's brusque commentary on the boat toward
Enzo apparently evaporated into thin air as, dockside, the Ravillan girl continued her encompassing gaze of the scene set before her. She couldn't outright ignore the fact that the shaman rammed her backside, however, for it sent the brown-haired girl forward a number of lurching steps. 'I dunno, maybe this is just a rest stop er something,' Enzo said in defense with a nonchalant shrug as she re-adjusted the pack on her back. 'You're not a morning person, are you?' she then observed, but didn't wait for an answer. The girl proceeded onward, to finally get out of the way, and to follow the ferryman down the dock at Barza's suggestion, but not before soaking-up what the young woman had to say.
In truth, the place was the tiniest bit creepy.
Riz'nah would never fully admit it but the lack of sun and warmth and fire replaced by water and fog and darkness had left the fiery Ignean a little edgy, and when Riz'nah got edgy, she got irritable. The place felt alive as well, something she was sure her adept counterparts couldn't sense with all their scientific training but this place was full of spirits. Not bothering to apologize or help Enzo back to her feet, the young girl looked over her shoulder and around the thick pelt of her feral hair to the ferryman's daughter, wondering just what was up with her ghostly voice and appearance. Knowing that she was likely imagining things did not stop Riz'nah from wondering whether or not the Ghost River was named for other, more frightening prospects than its eerie location. "All right, let's go meet these teachers," she said after nodding shortly to the unsettling young daughter's placid words, happy to turn her back on the girl. Walking up the dock, Riz'nah followed, her long legs carrying her away from the creepy river and ferry-woman, coming up behind Enzo. "No," she replied to the girl with her choppy bob, looking down with her red eyes. "I'm not."
The actual Malche academy building was rather strange, of an architecture no one in the group had seen before, rivaling the scale and craftsmanship of golden age Imperial architecture, but much more strange and alien. The structure seemed to have been, at some point, part of a much large complex which had been swallowed by the woods. It was built of stone so smooth it seemed like a single piece of granite crisscrossed by tiny separation lines. Though the structure had been battered with time, one could tell it was magnificent at some point. The part of the large complex that served as the academy was crescent shaped, with an impossibly straight, slender tower in the middle which ended in a large, rusted iron halo. The crescent itself had been covered in alcoves and recent additions with a more typical human architecture, made with wood and roughly cut stone and thatched with straw and tile, all with a certain Ravillan flare. The crescent was positioned as if hugging a cobblestone courtyard, partially overgrown by roots and vines, in the middle of it was an ancient statue, its bottom half covered in moss, the top seemed to be a woman, sculpted in a bizarre style and draped in heavy cloth. Right under the tower one could see the main entrance to the Malche academy, a pair of heavy wooden and brass doors of clearly more modern construction, fitted to the ancestral threshold. Standing in front of the doorway, wearing a moss colored robe and partly enveloped in the morning fog that seeped from the river, stood an old bearded Hydran, his long silvery hair falling back to his middle back, the fins sprouting from his ears seemed slicked back as well. He seemed to be waiting for the new students with a bored expression on his face.
Aeune wasted no time leaving her 'fellow' classmates behind as she made her way past everything. The statue got the barest of glances, and as for the rest of the scenery, Aeune would have been more interested were it all ablaze. She really just wanted to get inside next to a warm fire, away from all the fog and wetness outside. She trekked up to the school, spotting the old Hydran, and gave him a nod of greeting.
The other students apparently held up on the way, the elder Hydran turned to Aeune and nodded back. "Good morning." he said in a voice as deep as the ocean, fog seemed to naturally form around him,wrapping around his robe and slowly vanishing as if being consumed. "Where are your fellow students, kith'la? (young one)" he asked in the tongue of the Planetarii.
"They are on the way, kai'la, (elder one)"
Aeune replied in the same tongue. She gave another nod of her head as she said 'elder', signalling her respect and recognition. He may not be of Ignan descent, but he still held authority over her by being an elder. She glanced back towards the docks, looking for those she had bypassed before turning back to the Hydran and waiting.
Brushing by the small, tomboyish Ravillan girl with her cheery personality,
Riz'nah blazed ahead, just a tad behind the other Ignean. The reticence of the other fire-born did not sit well with the forward and assertive young Ignean girl, finding her to lack that certain spark to which their kind was renowned. Once off the docks her bare foot sunk into a sloppy mess of tangled roots and mud, sinking up to her ankle with a wet squish. Looking down with flames practically pouring from her crimson eyes, Riz'nah kicked her foot free, slinging mud forward several feet with a squelching sound that made her tan skin prickle with gooseflesh. "Krikarr!" (damnit) she growled as she stomped her foot onto a nearby shrub and wiped free the unwanted filth. "This place is too wet." She was not complaining; her tone was matter-of-fact
, as if everyone would agree with her assessment. Her footsteps sounded off as one dry foot and one wet one crunched over the surface, feeling the ancient and strange spirit of the place beneath her feet. Up her eyes looked, taking in the peculiar architecture that the living forest had allowed to survive. She ignored the statue utterly as her eyes fixed upon the uppermost halo, wondering just what that was used for and whether or not they would allow her to explore unattended. The rusted iron was cumbersome and not in good taste obviously, but she reserved her judgments for more important things and pursed her lips instead of offering her usual verbal critique. "This place is weird," was the revised edition of whatever original assessment she'd thought up as she took in more of the strange and unfamiliar structures that the crescent shaped academy offered. Finally, she noticed the other Ignean girl standing near a Hydran elder and Riz'nah's mouth dropped slightly as she made an instant beeline for the old man. "Hello Kai'ithar (chosen elder). I am Riz'nah, proud daughter of the House of Igna," she offered, bowing her head slightly so that her wild golden hair fell forward around her face for a fleeting instant. When she picked up her head to look at the ancient elder again though, her eyes were less reverent as curiosity swam in her fiercely scarlet gaze. "It is unusual to see an elder so far from Ki'afisal," she said leadingly knowing better than to outright ask an impertinent question to an elder of her race.
Nim gave a dry chuckle under his breath, he maintained his stoic appearance, arms crossed over his chest. The Igneans were quite the spectacle for the more apprehensive Terran. He quietly plodded along behind Riz'nah, stepping into the wet, grimy muck with a cool expression of content glowing across his face as the damp earth sprung up from between his toes and his foot caused a delightful squish from the rushing muck. Walking much slower than the two Igneans, when Nim reached the elder Hydran, stopping just short of Riz'nah and Aeune. He gave a curt, but polite bow of the head, "Welcome, Kai'ithar, I am Nim'ael Theron, Son of Terra, and devout of the Tyla Desert." With Riz'nah already taking point of speaking with the Elder, Nim fell back into his quiet reserve, waiting on the others that had arrived with them to approach.
'Well, that's really too bad, 'cause you probably miss out on a lot by being such a grouch,' Enzo frankly stated to the lone shaman of the group, without airs or accusation, as if she were only commenting upon the damp morning air, before she meandered onward toward the academy, her gate alternately progressive and halting. It was perhaps an understatement to say she was easily distracted by each subsequent new thing that came into her line of sight, but with the scope of the Malche Academy before her, with the enormity of its aged façades and rusted structures engulfed by the unrelenting forest, the Ravillan teenager stopped short again, her eyes as wide as saucers. 'I hope we get a tour straight off!' she exclaimed as her attention briefly darted from stony nook to moss-covered cranny. Observing that Aeune, Riz'nah and Nim'ael, had already made their way to what appeared to be an entrance, complete with what Enzo hoped would be their tour guide, the girl quickly followed in the planetariis' wakes and greeted both the two more reserved students and the aged Hydran. 'Hi! What's next, do we get to go inside?' she said, combining greeting and questions together without missing a beat.
Falkyre moved steadily forward, not hurrying like the rest and taking his time to smell the soft morning air that was creeping from the tops of the tree's. He took his time to look around him, walking slowly forward as he glanced towards the forest, and with a pang was reminded of home. But he shrugged that off, remembering the reason of why he left, and continued on reaching the rest of the group. His eyes made their way up to the academy, sparkling in wonderment at the structure, unable to grasp the magnificence of the place. He arrived with the others, looking around them, remaining silent. He wasn't one to talk and so found nothing to say, but instead looked to the elder, bringing his hand up to his head, and making the notion of tipping his hat, in a form of dignified salute.
"Let them hurry then" replied the Hydran to Aeune, still in Planetarii tongue as Riz'nah and Nim'ael made their way to the courtyard where the Hydran and Aeune were, with a simple, small nod, he received their greetings. "It is hard to discover new places in ground heavily trodden." said the Hydran rather matter-of-factually to Riz'nah's question. Finally, the two humans arrived from the boathouse, Falkyre rather quiet and befuddled, and Enzo as excitable as a baby fellram. "It seems everyone is here." added the Elder, now in common language, since there were humans present. "Three planetarii and two Kith'kin, our numbers dwindle indeed." he muttered pensively in a barely audible tone. "Welcome to the Malche academy!" suddenly announced the made, the fog retreating for a second at the sound of his voice, as if quivering. "This is a center for learning and also for discovery, by coming here, you've accepted the tutelage of those who are further down the path of magic from you, and as such, insubordination and laziness will not be tolerated. In exchange, we promise you knowledge and power. If you're all right with this, follow me, if not, the Ferry will leave tomorrow morning." and with that, the old man turned around and walked towards the heavy brass doors, which opened before him as if by magic.
Aeune had managed to keep from rolling her eyes as the others caught up with her. Most of them seemed overly formal and excited. It was unnecessary in her eyes. They were here to learn, not teach. Giving the others a look of annoyance, she followed after the elder, not hesitating in the slightest. She had never hesitated when it came to learning.
At the notion of learning from those who had come before him in the art of the magics, a smirk grew on Nim's face. He slowly prodded along behind Aeune, dodging carefully around Riz'nah. He could see the Elder Hydran's disdain for the humans, and took slight comfort in knowing the fact that he already was among the ranks of the preferred race of the magically adept.
Cocking her head in Falkyre's direction, Enzo quietly, though with wide-eyed obviousness, regarded the only other human among the group as he made his way to the building. He was so quiet and so... serious? Honestly, it seemed as if everyone around here this morning was pretty serious. It wasn't that she didn't take learning seriously, she simply loved learning, but did everyone have to be so dour? Then, as if zapped by some imaginary current, the Ravillan girl snapped-to attention when the Hydran at the door addressed the lot of them, speaking his piece and giving something of a reprimand, though that went right over Enzo's head. 'Sir, hi, sir? Hi, my name is Enzo, but you probably already know that, but maybe not, uhm, sir...' she spoke quickly after the elder turned away, but paused as the doors opened. 'Sir, what may we call you? Are you our teacher?' she finally finished, relentless as ever, and followed on her tip toes after Aeune and Nim'ael, since the bearded fellow would probably see her better if she tried to make herself appear taller.
Following the group, Falkyre had taken in everything the elder had said, following the rest of the group at a steady pace, listening to the soft footsteps of everyone around him. As the other human glanced at him, a soft smile played on his lips, he was glad to know he had something in common with someone on this venture, even if it was only species. His pace increased slightly to catch up with the group, he didn't want to be left lagging behind after all.
Riz'nah's mouth opened for a reply to the Hydran elder's cryptic proverb but she lost steam halfway through and realized, rather quickly, that she had absolutely no comeback. Her mouth hastily snapped shut and her lower lip jutted as her brows creased, expressing rather poignantly her irritation with both her lack of response and lack of understanding for her elder's wisdom. When his booming voice addressed them she stood straight and proud like a soldier, easily a few inches above many of the others, particularly the effervescent human girl who had no idea about the subtle put-down she and the other human had received. Riz'nah let out a smug "heh;" a short laugh that probably came, to the humans, out of nowhere, but that she and the other Planetarii would understand. "Pff," she scoffed as the Hydran told them of the ferry's morning departure. Adept or not, she was here to become the best, whether these strange adepts understood her shamanistic ways or not. Hardly able to take her eyes off the elder as she could almost feel the magic radiating off of him, she fell into stride along with the rest of the pupils as the doors magically pulled wide. "So," she began, walking casually since her long legs carried her young, shapeless body further, "are all of you here adepts?" she asked shortly with expectation in her tone, looking mostly to the Terran and the other Ignean, wondering if perhaps there was another kindred shaman in the group.
The Hydran had walked but a few paces into the building when Enzo enveloped him with questions, zipping about him like a small bee. "Patience, child." said quite definitively the planetarii, before sighing and introducing himself. "I'm Ei'ren and we're not sure if I will be your teacher yet." noticing everyone was following, he decided to continue his explanation as the group passed by a long corridor leading, apparently, to the center of the tower. The walls were overgrown with moss and vines which had been cut in strategic segments to hang torches or reveal ancient mosaics and relief carvings of weirdly stylized humanoids fighting eyeless beasts. "Each student in the Malche academy is apprenticed to one of the archmages here based on their request, not all archmages take apprentices all the time, and some take more than others, its up to the archmage to decide how many apprentices they need for their research and how much time they can spare to teach." spoke Ei'ren, his voice echoing through the hallway, to the left and right the group saw a pair of doors, heavy and made from dark wood, the arches the doors were set were obviously an old construction. "In time, when your master has taught you all they can, you can be taken in as an apprentice by a different master between the academy, until you leave or become a master yourself and begin conducting your own research." spoked the hydran as if he'd given this speech a million times before. Finally, the group walked into a large, circular hall with extended up the tower, a spiral staircase hugging the outer wall and climbing up. From the very top, a hazy beam of sunlight fell on the middle of the circular hall. Aligned on the walls on either side of the entrance were four large wooden doors, nearly twice as tall as a man and benches were set along the edges of the room. Just below the staircase, on the far side of the great hall was a small raised stage and a podium. Distributed among the courtyard, rather loosely, were some 30 robed figures, mages of different ages and races, some silent, some talking, a few sitting on the benches and reading. Farther away, standing on the stage and also conversing were 7 more mages. Two human males, one short and a fat and one extremely tall and thin, with graying hair, a human woman, probably in her late 50s with long black hair and a cowled robe, a beautiful dah'kin woman with silvery hair coiling around her neck flanked by a Lynx man, shirtless and wearing all kinds of tribal adornments and another, Male Dah'kin, old and wizened, with short salt and pepper hair and dark rings around his eyes. A bit further away stood an Eolan and a Panther woman in heavy black robes. "This is the main hall." said Ei'ren as he came to a sudden stop. "Form up, tell me you names and your skills, I will then consult the other teachers and we'll decide on a trial for you before we pick apprentices." he added, the other students had gone silent and formed up in the middle of the hall, right across from the new adepts, whispering and letting out tiny bouts of laughter every now and then, without a doubt saying making some unflattering comments.
Aeune, being the closest behind Ei'ren, took a step forward, across from the other students. She gave them a look without making any facial expressions, then looked towards the mages. "My name is Aeune Das'laal, although at home I am called Das'lune. I use red magic along with bows. I have been studying on my own, and my special skills lay in enchanting, although I have yet to truly test myself in this area." She gave a small bow to the teachers before taking a step back and looking off into a corner, waiting for her fellow students to step forward as well.
Nim stepped up to the line and gave a brief bow to the Masters, "Nim'ael Theron. Adept of Green Magics. Self-trained and highly devoted to the nature of magic." His tone was simple and direct, with an air of heavy discipline to them.
In contradiction to her earlier zeal to leave the bog by surging to the head of the line, Riz'nah now shuffled along, taking her time as she took in the mosaics and tried to identify the unfamiliar, eyeless brutes. She caught the tail end of the Hydran elder's speech about how they would each be apprenticed to someone befitting of them and would like to have blurted out her pressing question about there being any shamans in the group when the parade came to a stop in the magnificently large hall and noticed the other peoples there. The other students' chattering and comments made no sense to her as her crimson eyes beheld the four wooden doors, wondering with a burning curiosity what exactly could be behind them. However, as she scanned across the robed instructors and found the two Dah'kin, she understood immediately what they must be protesting to - learning from one of the weak ones. Staring hard from underneath her richly golden brows, Riz'nah's glare sharpened on the striking Dah'kin woman before she settled on the male with his dark ringed eyes and severe haircut. She certainly hoped that the Hydran was not fool enough to lump her in with one of them to receive her teaching and was starting to question the level of respect she had originally regarded Ei'ren with. If he kept close company with Dah'kin then she wasn't so sure she trusted any of them. Waiting her turn, Riz'nah listened idly to the other Planetarii as they announced themselves, recognizing the Ignean's name but little else, all the while with her eyes pinned to the old Dah'kin. When she spoke, she stepped forward militaristically and announced in a loud, clear voice. "Riz'nah Thadar, proud daughter of the house of Igna! Red Flame burns in my heart, of which I currently know four spells. I know my magic comes from the heat of the sun, the spirits I cannot name, and the flame that burns ever inside me!"
Momentarily silenced by the Hydran's admonition, Enzo pulled her lips back over the edges of her teeth and clamped her mouth shut-- if she hadn't, she probably would have said something else despite the fact that her questions had just been answered. She proceeded along with the group as such, trying both to listen and visually absorb her surroundings since new and strange things seemingly abounded in all directions. Her muteness, however, promptly ended when she entered the hall. 'Oooooh, wow...' she uttered, her eyes tracing their way around those gathered, the stage, the perimeter of the room then up the spiral staircase. 'Th-' she started again, but was cut short, when Ei'ren requested their names and skills and as the other promptly obeyed, some more flamboyantly than others, Enzo listened. Though Auene and Nim'ael were mum on the subject, Riz'nah said she already knew four spells. The Ravillan girl wasn't at all that advanced. 'Well, my name's Enzo...and I, oh... Ginevra is my last name... anyway,' she started, practically jumping on the tail-end of the shaman's words, 'I practice white magic, though there's a lot more I would like to know, and I'd really, really like to learn something else, too, maybe yellow magic. I am...' she paused to think of a quick way to end,' I am... brave and not at all afraid to try anything new for the sake of learning.'
Falkyre had been busy looking around the vast hall, noticing out of the corner of his eye the way in which the others announced themselves. Deciding he should, he took a slightly step forward, bringing his hand up to his mouth to clear his throat softly. Returning his emerald gaze to the group, he began speaking in a soft musical voice. "Falkyre Everto, son of the forests deep within Rysallis. Unlike my kin I am proficient with blue magic and endearing with a blade." Falkyre finished with a smile around the group.
"Very well." said simply Ei'ren, his old, grey blue eyes lingering on each of the younglings for a second, as if memorizing the sills they had listed. "I will go confer with the teachers and then you will be given a trial, you'll have to act together for it, as a team, depending on the results, you will be chosen by a master." With that and a small bow, the Hydran began to walk off towards the stage, the other students scattering and becoming more relaxed once this had seemingly passed, each and every one of them had probably passed by a trial such as this at some point. After a few steps, however, Ei'ren turned to the group and added. "I suggest you spend a few minutes becoming familiar with each other's abilities and weaknesses, you might need this knowledge for the trial." After that last piece of advice, Ei'ren rendezvoused with the other teachers, the rest of the students scattered among the room, in groups or on their own, sitting on the benches on the edges and reading or talking, they were surely all there to see the trials and figure out which of the new apprentices would be joining the tutelage of which master.
Turning back to her fellow students, Aeune looked at them each in turn. "Whatever this trial is, I suppose it will involve our magics since we are here to learn to use them properly." Her eyes finally landed on her fellow red magic user. "Since you are so open with your spells, perhaps you would like to share first." Though she had said it in a perfectly calm tone, Riz'nah would know that she was purposely provoking her a bit. In her own passive way, Aeune was calling her out on her tendency to be quite so proud and boastful. "We should all share," she added, quickly enough that the others might not even catch her slight insult.
Another Red, a Green, a White, and a Blue. Riz'nah's fiery eyes tracked upward in a dramatic roll as the other Ignean, whatever her name was, opened her mouth to state the obvious. "Oh really, do you think so?" she asked sarcastically, leaning forward to literally hurl her words at the other girl for having gotten on her nerves so quickly. "Of course it's magic," she replied, folding her arms over her chest loosely to give that air of bravado that she seemed to have in scores. In actuality, she did not catch the passive insult that Aeune gently tossed at her - passiveness was a cowardly trait that she associated with the gentler, softer types like Hydrans and Eolans, not a supposed fellow daughter of the Flame. "All right," she said, taking up the lead as indicated, a place she liked to be. "My spells are mostly geared towards battle," she began, touching one index to the other as she began to count. "For ranged attacks, I've got Heat Beam and Rage," she said, adding her middle finger to the list as she counted. "If things get ugly and I need to get close then I can use my mace to help clear a path and then use Evaporate. If things get really ugly then I can cast Ignean Spirit on myself, but then I'll need cover to make sure no one hits me with Blue Magic," she finished, dropping her hands and looking to the Rysallean Blue Mage who's name she also did not catch. She had been listening to the important part of the introductions - what their colors and abilities were, not their names.
As the initial round introductions ended with Falkyre and the subsequent step was explained by Ei'ren, Enzo opened her mouth a couple of times to speak, but managed to catch herself before outright interrupting anyone beyond a soft, unstructured, interjected sound. 'I can heal and grant courage,' she succinctly explained, only after wrinkling her nose at Riz'nah's brassy tone toward Auene and her self- aggrandizing explanation of all of those four spells she knew. 'I can also perform first aid,' she added with a smile; though it wasn't a spell, she thought maybe it would be something the others ought to know. 'Oh, and I got an axe.' Then, as if anyone might actually care, she finished, 'It was my mom's.'
Falkyre had been listening to each of the mages in turn, thinking to himself about the spread of skills they had in which to tackle the tasks that would be set for them. "I'm a listener, I see and hear what others are blind too. I can also cast some blue magic spells and my heart is brave against fear." Falkyre ended his speech there, smiling to the group, ignoring any sourness between his fellow students.
The stoic smirk on Nim's face grew as he listened to the Igneans tear into each other. He heard a lot about their offensive capability, but nothing to protect them, which summoned a chuckle from deep within the Terran. "All of you Igneans are the same. You're all about taking the offensive, and jumping at the slightest glimmer of action." He once again folded his arms over his chest almost as if to signify his opposition to such action and redouble his stoic nature. "I cast green magic spells, specializing in defensive arts. I can slow my enemies, guard myself from their attacks, and pelt them with the earth itself. And if the going does get rough, I have no qualms in stepping up to combat with my knuckles on and shield in hand." He rolled the knuckles of his right hand, his large, green fingers flexing in a wave across his bicep.
Riz'nah listened to each of them as they explained their abilities and immediately sighed in relief as she heard Enzo detail that she knew how to heal - for an Ignean with a pension for getting herself hurt, that was a godsend. "Praise the gods," she said, looking at Enzo as her mind started to detail a bit of a plan. "You should stick to the back then and only use your mama's axe if things get ugly or you run out of magic," she explained, pointing a finger directly at the short Ravillan girl, her tone clear and direct. When Falkyre replied, he left Riz'nah with even more questions and she huffed, clearly in want of a less cryptic answer. "I didn't say all that to brag, you know," she explained, looking around the group with disappointed irritation. "I said it so we could think of a proper battle plan! This is a trial and I want the best instructor. We've got to show more than fancy spells and footwork. A plan would demonstrate some kind of forward thinking, so c'mon! Details!" she rallied, shaking her arms as she spoke the last part to try and light a fire under their bums. To the Terran's typical, plodding response, Riz'nah stuck her tongue out and then replied, "Then you should stick towards the front with us Igneans who are clearly front-liners."
Aeune listened to each person, then became mildly insulted as Nim basically called her entire people bloodthirsty. Then Riz of course went and proved him right. She pointed to her bow and shook her head. "I am not a front liner, sorry to disappoint." She didn't allow the insult to show on her face, however, trying to prove that not all Igneans were hot tempered like Riz'nah was trying so hard to prove. "And we do not yet know if this trial will be a fight. So, we should plan an attack strategy as well as remembering what each person is capable of in case it is something different."
'The back!?' Enzo practically squeaked in protest at Riz'nah's suggestion. 'Why do I hafta stay at the back?' the girl promptly demanded, her voice now in check, though she was no less indignant. 'Anyway, she just said she could be in the back,' she added out the side of her mouth with a subtle-but-not-really waggle of her thumb in Auene's direction. Enzo screwed the mouth on her sun-kissed face to one side, truly wondering what the trial would entail, and glanced between Falkyre, who was either beguiling or timid, and Nim'ael in all of his aloofness. 'I'm pretty decent at looking and listening for stuff,' she finally added to her list of attributes, '...and if I can talk my way into or out of something, I'd probably rather do that than actually fight.'
Brining his hands up in a 'whoa' motion, Falkyre stepped forward in between everyone. "Jeez, way to break the mould guys. Can everyone stop being so arrogant for once and focus? Everyone has a role they need to carry out, do what they do best and that's fine, but can we stop arguing about that? If we need a plan then sure, let's come up with one. But in my experience, plans work fine until you put them to practice, because I can guarantee you that whatever they're gonna throw at us ain't gonna be pretty, and we won't be prepared." Falkyre looked around the group, the smile replaced by a frown. He'd never met a more arrogant power hungry and smug bunch in his life, and he was sick of them already. Why couldn't they all just shut up and be nice, no point making enemies right now when there were plenty to be had out there.
Riz'nah slapped her hands over her forehead as if in woe at Enzo's question. Lifting them off, she shook them. "Because! what are we supposed to do if something happens to you; you're the only healer we've got!" she explained with exasperation, her voice growing quite loud as she tried to explain the simple genius of the strategy, using her arms to full effect and pulling them towards her as if she could literally 'draw forth' understanding forth from the girl. When the Rysallean stepped in-between her and Enzo, Riz'nah was bumped to the side somewhat ungracefully, though she quickly planted a foot and caught herself. Glaring at the interrupting git, the wild-looking Ignean was about to give him a piece of her mind when his words struck her, and, like a statue, she froze, mouth agape in utter indignation. "So you're saying that since we're going to fail anyway we shouldn't even bother with a plan?! Great attitude," she said with a mocking salute and a sarcastic nod. "I'm just trying to help us all make a good impression," she said, looking at Nim'ael, Aeune, then Enzo and Falkyre. "But if it's every man for himself that's fine by me. Just make sure to watch out for my mace and I'll make sure to watch my back!" And with that, she folded her arms over her chest and stood with her feet shoulder width apart, looking them all over to see what it was going to be: teamwork or anarchy.
Suddenly, Ei'ren returned from meeting with the other teachers, this time accompanied by the tall Dah'kin woman and the small, bare chested Lynx man. "I see you are making quick friendships with each other." said the old Hydran, his voice deep as the ocean as a way to get the arguing group to immediately go silent. "These are Mistress Khala and Master Roleau." he said pointing to the two that had come with him. "Mistress Khala is famous for taking little to no students--" he had began to say when the Dah'kin woman interrupted him, "They are usually a hindrance rather than an asset." Looking at her with exasperation for a second, Ei'ren turned once more to the group. "--yes yes.. well, and Master Roleau is our premiere white mage, he also knows some Lynx secret magics he shares with only his most trusted students." he concluded, to which Roleau added with a big toothy grin. "Or fortunate experiments, though many times they are one and the same." making it sound like a joke. "We've decided on a quest for you, first, my fellow masters will cast some spells on you as I explain, that will let us monitor the group." continued the Hydran, as he spoke, Roleau got a vial of ink from his belt and approached the group, heading first for Riz'nah and after dipping his index on the ink, he started trying to draw something on the young Ignean's forehead. "No moving now, a glyph of tracking is deceptively similar to a glyph of turning-you-into-a-chipmunk." he added as he moved on to the next person. Khala, in the meantime, began casting a strange spell on a large black obsidian orb she'd brought with her. "You are to head into the forest, we were expecting an order of mana potions from Linne, but it never arrived, follow the path and find out what happened to the order of potions, don't try to be heroes and come back if you don't find any sign by nightfall, you don't want to be out there in the dark. Understood?" he asked as Roleau finished inscribing the last of them with the strange glyph.
Aeune waited for her glyph to be drawn. She frowned slightly, not liking the idea of having some glyph that she didn't know drawn upon her. She glanced sideways over at Riz'nah, glad that the fiery Ignean had not been proven right yet. It seemed to be a different sort of task for them to take. She waited for the ink to dry before she pulled away and moved a bit closer to the door, awaiting the rest.
"I never said we would fail." Falkyre gave the angry one a tired glance as more people entered the room. He remained still for a moment whilst he was drawn on, thinking to himself how simple the task sounded. Of course it would be harder than expected, when was it otherwise? But he did like the sound of being in the forest again. He took a step back once the drawing had finished, making sure to brush his hair away from his face so it wouldn't mess up the ink. He walked towards the mage by the door, thinking it best to wait in company than alone.
'Well, somebody woke-up on the wrong side of the boat this morning!' Enzo flippantly commented after Riz'nah's heated explanation as to why the healer should remain behind the front lines and her retort to Falkyre. 'Nobody said they didn't want to work together, I mean, why work alone when you can accomplish things together...' she said, not to any one of her fellow students in particular, her mumbled thoughts only vocalized but trailing-off when Eir'ren returned and again addressed the lot of them. Enzo regarded Khala with a gawking but wide-eyed reverance as the striking dah'kin woman was introduced and she interjected her two cents. When Roleau was introduced and lightened the atmosphere, a smile again pulled at the Ravillan girl's mouth. She listened intently to the incantation and stood impeccably upright and stock-still (for a change) when it was her turn for the glyph to be drawn upon her brow.
After receiving his glyph tattoo, Nim bowed to the Lynx in reverence to the master mage. Though the glyphs were certainly not his type of magic, the Terran still understood enough to know that it was a high magic of some people. With most of the group that he had arrived with already quite riled up, Nim stepped back and waited. He took in Ei'ren's instruction about the forest and being sure to return before dark on attentive ears. The large Terran fold his arms once more in calm anticipation for their trial to begin.
Riz'nah's attention on Enzo was stolen as her eyes zeroed in on the Dah'kin woman, feeling the icy prickle of hair stand on her neck and travel down her back, like a dog raising it's hackles. The young Ignean only released her tension and the severity of her gaze when she heard that the weak one didn't take apprentices. Good riddance! She didn't have anything good to teach anyone, anyway. Having been engaged in argument with the small Ravillan girl, Riz'nah was surprised by the Master Lynx's approach, and butted her head at the extended finger causing it to slip down her hairline and smear across her forehead. Pulling hand away with an impatient sigh, Master Roleau reached out quickly and grasped her head to wipe free the ink on his forearm. With a firm touch, he stilled the shaman's head and drew the glyph. His finger felt like a paintbrush, almost tickling, and then he was gone, releasing her head as he went. Looking up as if she could see the symbol, Riz'nah felt it dry and then looked over at the glyph drawn on the others' foreheads, wondering what kind of spell this was. It didn't feel like red magic... Suddenly, the elder was talking and she listened intently to the mission explanation: potions hadn't arrived, follow down the path to get the answers, come back before nightfall. "Understood!" she replied with a determined expression on her young face, as if mere seconds away from a salute.
Aeune looked over at Falkyre, who was the first to join her near the door. She gave him a nod and looked back as the others followed. "We should get started right away," she said. "It is still early, so we have plenty of daylight left." She would leave the decision of splitting up, staying together, and which direction to start in with someone else. If they failed, she did not want the wrath of her fellow students upon her head. She had spent years staying quiet and to the back, and now was just as good a time as any to put those skills to use.
Falkyre smiled in the direction of Aeune, he seemed to be the only one in the group performing that facial expression. "I agree, but we need to hurry lest we be at the mercy of the forest." Falkyre sighed, looking from left to right. He was eager to be off and complete the task, he was hoping it wouldn't come to a fight but something told him otherwise. He was used to talking his way out of situations but in the end it all came down to bloodshed, a notion that made him nervous about the mission at hand.
As soon as the ink from the freshly-drawn glyph was dry, Enzo promptly reanimated. 'Alright! Headed out into the forest!' she announced, eager to start their trial, and plodded over to where Aeune and Falkyre were waiting by the door. 'Isn't this a great start to the day, guys? I wonder what happened to those potions...' she said, first directly addressing her fellow students before she trailed-off into thinking aloud. Shaking her head as if to bring herself back to earth, she urged, 'C'mon, guys!', and motioned to Riz'nah and Nim'ael with a beckoning sweep of her arm.
Hearing the general beckon for Riz'nah and himself, Nim bowed once more to Roleau in recognition and turned to the door. He walked to the door, not in any form of haste, but in a very deliberate manner. He maintained a calm expression, as the group thus far had not impressed him in a teamly manner, but he knew that they must be at least somewhat competent mages, in some way or another, so they would make to be sources of knowledge for him.
Looking first to Ei'ren, Master Roleau, and Mistress Khala (whom she was glad had not decided to speak or engage in the glyph drawing), Riz'nah's gaze then slid over to the door, where the rest of her fellow students had congregated. "All right, then," she said, marching over to the group, where it was currently being discussed to embark quickly and how nice a day the trial was making. Putting a hand to her chin to think a moment, she furrowed her brows as she tried to imagine what sorts of interruptions the potions cart could have experienced. No matter how she spun it, she couldn't imagine many humans in the Fell Woods. "We should stick together," she stated definitively, seemingly having forgotten her earlier declaration to watch her own back. She was still planning on that as well, but splitting up in the Fell Woods seemed worse than folly. "I'll bet this forest is infested with dangerous beasts," she said, looking to Nim'ael and Enzo, the healer and defender. Instead of feeling afraid, hesitant, or unsure of herself, Riz'nah was positively champing at the bit to get on the road and put a rest to whatever disturbance was inconveniencing the Malche Academy, her new home. Her eyes were wide and bright, her cheeks pulled high in an anticipatory grin as her fingers danced over the shaft of her mace - showing the most zeal since she'd arrived. "All right, let's go kick some mysterious-unknown-creeping-potion-stealing tail!" she said loudly, clenching her fist before her as if she were squishing the perpetrator right then and there.
Aeune listened to Riz'nah, who had apparently decided to be the leader. She couldn't help but feel the need to put in some input, since it would be up to everyone else to make the final decision. "We should start at the last place where the potions were known to be," she said monotonously. "We may be able to pick up the track there."
With a solemn nod from Ei'ren and an energetic wave from Roleau, the group headed out to the large door through which they had come just a few minutes earlier, Khala's eyes peering at them like a hawk's until the moment they left. Once more, the group passed the hall with strange sculptures on the walls until they reached the statue outside. Upon closer inspection, the strange statue seemed to be a cowled, crying woman holding her hands close to her body, all carved out of a single pillar of basaltic rock. To the north, past a palisade, they could see the tops of dark trees rising among the ever present fog that seeped out of the river. That was the way to exit the academy and from there they would have to hug the wall as they moved south into the forest and in the general direction of Linne. To the west was the boathouse they had just arrived at, the ferryman and his daughter peddling some hard to get wares there until tomorrow, meaning that if anyone needed provisions or equipment, now would be a good way to get them.
'I've never spent much time in the forest, I can't wait to see what's out there!' Enzo guilelessly declared; dangers or not, she was itching to check out her new temporary home and its surroundings. She smiled at Riz'nah, whose temperment had appeared to have improved, and then Auene, who offered the first suggestion of how to go about their mission. She returned Roleau's vigorous wave, took one final, sweeping glance of the hall, then left along with the group. Even though she'd already been through the same halls, the girl again viewed everything in sight with wide eyes, trying to taking in as much as she could on their trek back to the out-of-doors. 'So, guess we're headed to Linne then, huh?' she assumed, since Ei'ren said that was the potions' point of origin.
With the realization that they were about to send five magi out into the woods on this mission made Nim think that grabbing some potions to keep their energy in high supplies would be a generally good idea. The Terran reached down and grabbed his coin pouch. Roughly weighing the coins in his hand, he realized there was little to no way that he could afford one on his own, if they even had any here, since the supplies were missing. He didn't look back to the Master's as they waved. He had barely been at the Academy for but a few minutes, and he was already being sent away. He had come to the academy to get an education, not to go out and start fishing through some woods for a crate of potions. He quietly plodded along with the group, not the happiest, but not letting that trouble show. He wanted to get settled in to the academy and begin his training, not go on some mission just so that the masters could decide who got to train him. And he was sure they would all be fighting for that.
Riz'nah could practically feel the penetrating gaze the Dah'kin hag stabbed their way. The hairs on her neck didn't settle until they were all well into the courtyard with the crying woman statue, which she glanced at, wondering why the artist decided to depict her in such a sorrowful state. She couldn't sense any immediate spiritual presence around the pillar of basaltic stone but she had a nasty feeling there was some reason the elders had decided to keep that particular statue out in the front, for all to see. This was the Fell Woods, after all - who knew what awful things had happened to her. Snapping back into reality as she saw the approaching canopy of trees just outside of the academy walls, Riz'nah gulped and steeled herself against the small flicker of intimidation she felt as the misty fog blanketed the path they were supposed to take towards Linne. This would never stand; she was a Daughter of the Flame! She would light the path with fiery determination! No retreat! No weakness! Red fire and blinding light would scorch the enemy until there was nothing but charred remains! Blazing forward into glorious victory with her teammates was the only answer, and the only option she would allow herself to think on! Clenching her fists after her little mental pep talk, Riz'nah saw the ferryman and his daughter sitting about with some trinkets to purchase. Immediately, she made a beeline for the pair on the pier, standing on the other side of the boathouse to look inside at what wares they had to sell. "Whatcha got? I need some magic potions," she said, digging into her pocket to retrieve the few gold coins she'd come with. Pulling out 15 of them, Riz'nah slammed them on the counter and sighed sharply in frustration. "Anything I can get for that?" she asked irritably.
As Riz'nah approached the ramshackle ferry that was parked by the boat house, Barza raised her eyes towards her father, who simply nodded at her, telling her to tend to the costumer. "Hello, I trust everything went ok in the academ--" she began to say softly, rather shyly before she was interrupted by Riz'nah. "Uhm.. for.. 15 gold, you can have a lesser magic potion. We don't have many on stock, but you can take one."
Falkyre had followed the group to the river bank, casting his eyes around him as they went. He didn't think he'd need anything, though he used magic he preferred the use of a blade. Still it couldn't hurt to stock up on something. "Hey, do you stock any healing potions?" Falkyre took out a small leather coin purse, containing very little.
Riz'nah shoved all her coins towards the mystified looking girl, her tan hand somehow very out of place in this dim, damp place. "Gimme one of those, then," she replied definitively. She looked down to her leather belt, where her mace was strapped, and ran the tip of her finger over the handle, feeling the soft tanned leather grip that had worn in four placed were her fingers curled. Though she trusted in the metal club, she trusted far more in the Heat Beam that could pierce through the flesh and bone, or the Ignean Spirit that blazed within her. She looked over her shoulder as she heard someone else approaching and saw Falkyre. "Yeah, they've got 'em," she replied, using some of the slang that her mother hated most. Young ladies should be well spoken was a phrase the wild girl had heard often in Ki'Afisal. She nodded towards the pile of coins on the counter. "Fifteen for a lesser potion; may as well stock up," she figured.
Submissively, the young woman presented Riz'nah with the potion she had ordered. It was a small vial, small enough to clutch in one's fist, made of a thick, dark glass and filled with a murky blue ichor. The top was sealed off with a plug covered in a type of animal wax, hermetically closing the vial. The plug had a small cloth tab coming out of it, however, that would tear it off along with all the wax when one wanted to drink the potion. Unfortunately, it made it impossible to close again once it was opened. "Yes, we have healing potions too." replied Barza almost at the same time Riz'nah did to Falkyre's question, "They're 15 gold pieces each."
Aeune paid attention to the price, then realized that she didn't have enough to buy anything. Instead, she moved away from the sale counter and in the direction of the path.
Snatching the vial from the timid older girl, Riz'nah brought it closer to her face for inspection. She shook it to see how full the tiny vial was and tried to look into the dark glass to see the potion itself but was unable to do anything more than observe the watery-like liquid inside. Noticing the tab led her eyes to the wax seal and she immediately filled in the blanks - pull the tab, open the bottle, gulp it down and let the flames begin. Watching Aeune stalk off ahead of everyone else caused the Ignean to cup her hand around her mouth and call out "OY! Don't you wanna buy something? If coins are the problem then see if you can't pool your money with someone else who's fighting style matches yours!" Dropping her hand, she shook her head and stuffed the dark glass bottle into her fellram-hide belt. "Honestly, people just don't think anymore," she said as she stepped away from the boathouse, not caring who heard her since she obviously had cornered the market on forethought. Aligning herself near the path and well away from the murky water, Riz'nah started to stretch a bit, lifting her arms over her head and leaning to each side and then rolling her shoulders and bouncing a little to loosen up her muscles. "C'mon guys!" she barked in a way she was sure was very encouraging. "Daylight isn't gonna last forever, let's get a MOVE ON."
Yawning, Nim stretched his arms. He stepped back from the boathouse and found a new place for himself to rest. He folded his arms over his chest once more and shifted on his feet. the large Terran was growing a little impatient himself with the flighty questions, "Let's go, folks. We got to get going before night falls, at this point."
Having toddled over toward the merchant after Riz'nah and Falkyre, Enzo lingered conspicuously close behind her fellow students as they dealt with Barza. She surmised that her money wouldn't get her much, but at least it could get her something. The dilemma of what to get, regardless of how slim her pickings were, was written all over her face when Riz'nah turned to yell after Aeune. When the Ignean girl stepped away, Ravillan girl quickly slipped into the area that had previously been occupied. 'I think I can spot someone, ' she said, yanking open her purse, '...you know, maybe one coin, or something!' She flashed a grin at the ferryman's daughter and dug around in her small reticule, double-checking how much coinage she was carrying. 'Ohhh, should I get a healing potion? Probably, it's kinda what I do... but maybe...naah, I think I'll just do that. Sounds good, right?' This last question was directed at Falkyre, but Enzo didn't wait for an answer. 'Yeah, I think I'll take one of those. Sorry, did I butt in front of you?' she alternately stated to Barza and asked of Falkyre. Then, distracted by all of beseeching from behind, she glanced back, clutched her money to her chest and piped up, 'GEEEEZ! The sun's not gonna set by noon! Give us a sec!'
"Better you buy it than I, I don't have enough." Falkyre observed the contents of his finances, smiling shyly at the salesgirl. "My apologies for wasting your time." He bowed respectfully, throwing a smile towards Enzo before walking past her and after Aeune. He'd felt bad for troubling the girl, but the fact was he came from a poor background which didn't rely much on gold or riches, but on self sufficiency. Though he wasn't keen on the idea, the thought of a selfish, greedy world crossed his mind, a thought which made him sad inside.
"uhm.. uh.. don't worry about it." said Barza to Falkyre with a faint smile and a small nod as she took Enzo's 15 pieces of gold and handed the small Ravillan girl a tall, thin vial filled with red liquid. "We'll be docked here until tomorrow, I'm sure the teachers will give you a monthly stipend once you're accepted as formal students." she said, the girl's voice always sounded as if she was both tired and scared. "If you want something in particular, too, you can ask us to get it from town, since it's a few days trip by the woods."
'Ohhh! Thank you, I'll let everyone else know!' Enzo said to Barza as she accepted the vial. The scrappy girl smiled at the ferryman's daughter and tossed a, 'See ya!' back at her as she turned toward her fellow students, simultaneously slipping the vial into a safe place on her person. 'Hey, Falkyre, HEY!' she called after the only other human in the group, 'Hey, guess what, that girl says the school gives us money when we're accepted here as regular students!' She grinned, thinking that that was simply terrific news. Naturally, she projected her words well enough for anyone in the vicinity, and possibly beyond, to hear her. Enzo did not wait for his reaction, however, and instead jogged a few steps ahead to where the others were waiting. 'I'm ready!' she announced, as if Auene, Nim'ael and Riz'nah couldn't have deduced that all on their own.
Pleasantly surprised by Enzo's spunky reply, Riz'nah's face broke into a large grin and she laughed heartily in appreciation. It was a rich sound that, despite her Ignean recklessness, hinted at the grace and poise that she would potentially come into later in her long, long life. "Well at least one of you's got some spark," she replied in a tone that was dangerously close to complimentary. Continuing with the warm up, the Ignean bent her knee behind her and grabbed her foot to stretch out her quad, balancing well on just one leg. She repeated with the other foot and by that time, Enzo had just informed everyone that the school was going to give them an allowance if they were accepted as students and she dropped her foot to the ground, looking even more eager to get started. When the scrappy human jogged over to them and announced her preparation, Riz'nah, who felt as if she'd been very patiently waiting for the adventure to get started, clapped her hands once, bouncing back and forth on her feet as if she simply couldn't contain her fire. "Way ahead of you, let's go!" she said, and then turned down the path that had been indicated to them and started to run down it.
Nim extended his arms and cracked his knuckles, "Alright, off we go then." The Terran let a smile and slowly headed off after Riz'nah, not in too much of a hurry to keep up, but wanting to get the mission over with.
Aeune follwed behind the others, letting Riz'nah gain ground and walking just behind Nim'ael. She didn't see the reason to rush and miss something.
Falkyre had been dazing for a few moments before Enzo had begun shouting at him, it was a rude awakening as he jumped out of his mind and back to the present. "Oh, um, yeah that sounds great!" Falkyre responded with a smile.
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