When asked to envisage a prestigious and prodigious Magestrava’s attire, there would be an inevitable majority that would describe an image of fanciful and flowy robes with impeccable colors, undoubtedly made of expensive materials. Truthfully, this may very well be the case for the more subtle philosophers and desk-bound researchers that oft make up the ranks of the magical elite. It wasn’t, however, the case for one looking to be a criminal investigator—in other words, a public servant. An investigator's work often became as physical as it did mental. Clothing could get muddy, bloody, torn by suspects armed with blades and otherwise damaged by all manner of things. Fancifully pretty dresses were cute and all, but it was essentially a matter of survival to wear more practical wear. Form fitting materials that weren't [i]too[/i] form fitting, a cape that couldn't be easily grabbed and didn't get in the way, cloth that was easy to wash grime away from, and at least passable protection from sword strikes and the elements; those were staples of practical investigator’s clothing. Idly scraping off some mud from the base of her foot and flicking off some beads of morning dew from her top with little more than a small sigh, it went without saying that Aoife Halloran had come to expect dirt to get on her outfit as part of her daily routine. It was quite early in the morning preceding the opening ceremony; before most people thought it sane to wake up, when even the likes of Aledine Academy’s guards were still locked in the phase between sleep and wakefulness. Fresh mud and bits of moisture on her attire, crossed with faint dark spots under her eyes signified that the investigator had been up and about throughout the night before and into these early hours of the morn. With the expanded freedoms afforded to her when she reached her 17th year of life, Aoife quickly expedited on the opportunity to acquire a schedule of increasingly less indoors class time and significantly more outdoors practical time. Add the benefit of the adults’ trust that she would uphold any responsibilities awarded to her, Aoife also quite happily took up jobs that the educational institution normally would not have afforded her prior. Two years later, the ginger-haired young adult continued the formula of finding jobs and acquiring information with equivalent vigor to when she excitedly joined the academy. Well, at least when the job or bit of information was exciting or had some modicum of relevance to her family’s spirit situation. Unfortunate, then, that the current job held neither descriptor of exciting nor relevant. While the job was lacking, the reward, however, held the prospect of a surprisingly large sum of money—and more relevant to Aoife’s interests: a decently sized box of rare spices. The job itself seemed simple enough, and the fledgling investigator had given the estimate that she would be able to complete it before the opening ceremony. It was as follows: [i]A fellow classmate’s canine companion had for reasons unknown ceded the comforts of company and ran away. Here’s a description and a really vague drawing. Find the mutt and bring him back.[/i] Aoife let out a mildly irritated puff of breath and condensation, and adjusted her hood, shifting her weight simultaneously. Despite the minimal movement in shifting her center of gravity, the action made a loud schlopping noise coming from beneath her feet. [i]An easy job, I said… Done before the opening ceremony, I said…[/i] The occupation of investigative work and the act of finding things went hand in hand, to the point that finding lost items and people could be called a specialty. Upon receiving the job the day prior, Aoife quickly went to work with what she was given. Seeing as the dog had been lost that morning, information on its whereabouts would be fresh and potential witnesses would not have gotten far. The dog was supposedly quite fast, and it was supposedly bred for endurance, so there was no telling how far it had gotten within a few hours. The redheaded Magestrava eventually found herself pointed toward the deep confines of the Sundown Forest. At this time of year, the deepest portions of the forest became a dank and unwelcoming morass, and the dog had apparently gone in. It was easy to get lost in the academy’s forest, and the unfriendly wildlife did not make it much more hospitable. Still, let it not be said that Aoife Halloran would abandon a job just because there was going to be some mud and animals. [i]But perhaps she would abandon a menial enough job if no substantial progress would be made for fourteen hours…[/i] “Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!” Aoife let out a short yell into the forest for little reason other than to alleviate her own boredom at the onerous task. She had been in the forest for a night, and even had to fend off the occasional beast. The horizon glowered with the colors of dawn, painting what could be seen of the sky through the foliage into an odd purple-violet hue. Satisfied from her short yelp, Aoife focused her attention back toward traversing through the forest and finding the dog. She took out a small toy with a bell attached to it, something the dog’s master had claimed would attract the dog from some distance. [i]Doubtful[/i]. Irony then when there was a squish of mud, the sound of a twig snapping, and an out of place rustling in the brush. All in reaction the the light jingle of the toy’s bell. All with a low, rumbling, [b]deep[/b] growl. [i]Well, at least he seems to have followed a general heading…[/i] --- “Here’s your dog. Entirely unharmed as per our agreement,” Aoife said, handing the leash to the dog’s master. “My…! It appears you had quite the rough time finding him. Thank you for your trouble!” she chimed, daintily taking the leash with a cheerful smile that wouldn’t look out of place in an advertisement. “Ah… One question,” the readhead tilted sideways at the waist, peering at the canine as he had retreated behind his master. Aoife’s clothing had more than a few tears across the thinner materials, and there was quite a bit more mud caked onto her attire than the preceding hour from when she had procured the pet. “Yes?” “Is that… really a dog?” with a weary note, Aoife held her hand at the beast’s height; the tips of its ears easily reached to her chest while it stood on four legs, “When he charged at me, I thought I had ran into a warg or even a grim… I’m just glad that animals will submit to displays of power.” “Why, Aoife, of course he’s a dog. A Lismosi Wolfhound. They’re all this big!” the senior classmate held up her free hand and waved casually, as if the knowledge were the most common of facts. [i]Though frankly, I probably should have known. But you and everyone else only described him as big, not as a hulking leviathan…![/i] The investigator cleared her throat, “I see. I’ll remember that for future reference.” Without much more to say, the high-class classmate soon paid the money promised and the pair went their separate ways, to do whatever morning rituals until the opening ceremony. In Aoife’s case, something along the lines of a bath and a power nap... En route back to her room, the investigator made a mental note to only take the magic related cases… Scratch that. She made it into an actual note within her grimoire-like notebook. There was no immediate need for money, so she wondered why she took the case in the first place—at least some reason other than the very wrong assumption that it’d be easy to find “a big dog lost on campus”. --- [i]Mission Accomplished…[/i] Two words capriciously scrolled through Aoife’s mind as she exited her dormitory room following the ninety minute nap that she had prescribed to herself, happy to have gotten in sleep before having to properly begin the day ahead. Completely out in the hallway, the senior offered a short glance toward the other end, peering in the direction of a dorm room belonging to a certain troublemaking power grabber. Somehow, the thought of the morning’s dealings with the giant dog reminded her of the often rowdy guard postulant. That the opening ceremony was soon served as a reminder that the two may come face to face at some point. With the person in question, Aoife did not have any personal problems, so to speak, though it occasionally appeared as if that pink-hair had a bone to pick with [i]everyone[/i]. Proceeding a faint shrug, Aoife made a dusting motion over her new set of clothes, brushing a hand over the feather decorated article as if metaphorically brushing away the issue. Turning about, the redhead made her way down the flights of stairs, past the lounge, and out of the building. With some time to spare before the ceremony proper, there was room to wander about. In spite of this, she headed straight for the seating area for the ceremony, noting what appeared to be some fleeing school boys on her way...