Nia was tapping her pen idly against her desk when the alarms sounded. The sun was low in the sky, per usual as Moroi usually began their days after the sun had set or at least started setting. As one of the few members of Moroi royalty on campus, Nia received a certain amount of special treatment, which included the two students occupying desks at either side of hers. 


To her left was Finlay, a dhampir guard in his eigth year at the academy. Mostly surly and quiet, he wasn’t one to talk as much as brood. To Nia’s left sat Aoife, ever bright and sharp. Aoife had graduated the previous year but was immensely talented in combat, thus allowing her serve as the “senior guard” of Nia’s pair of dhampirs. As a new graduate, Aoife didn’t have too much to do and therefore volunteered to sit in with Nia during her classes. Finlay, not wanting to be outdone, volunteered as well, and so there they were. Nia found his desire not to be outdone by a girl one year his senior rather endearing, especially when said girl already had two strigoi under her belt to match the few dozen strikes of other accomplishments. Rather, Nia knew that Finlay’s skills lay out of the heart of combat, but that was besides the point at the moment.


“Students, please exit to the halls to the left quickly and quietly,” the teacher instructed. Aoife was on her feet in the blink of an eye, scanning the empty halls for danger. 


“Clear,” she told Finlay, and the younger dhampir immediately guided Nia in the correct direction.


[color=moccasin]“Would you two just calm down for a second?”[/color] Nia said, rolling her eyes but complying with their intentions. As funny as disobeying her instructions would have been, Nia knew that any danger that came to her wouldn’t just land her in trouble; it’d also end up hurting her dhampir guards one way or another, and that was the last thing Nia wanted after just beginning to crack open Finlay’s hard exterior and finally starting to impress Aoife, the resident prodigy. 


“We’ll calm down after we can guarantee your safety, Princess Cordellenia,” Aoife said, reverting back to polite courtesies under pressure. Nia sighed, following the older dhamphir through the halls. Finlay shot her a sympathetic look.


“Don’t mind Aoife. She’s just worried,” he reassured Nia. The Moroi princess snorted a laugh as Aoife called back a “I heard that!” before waving the pair down a side hall, away from the other students and towards the Moroi royalty’s private lodgings for emergencies.


[color=moccasin]“Do either of you have any idea what’s happening, by any chance?”[/color] Nia asked, entering the quaint room as Aoife held the door open for her. A silence followed, prompting the Moroi to look back at her two guards with narrowed eyes. [color=moccasin]“Spill.”[/color]


“We’re not sure,” Finlay started, looking at his partner for guidance, “but there are only a few reasons why the academy would call an emergency like this without any warning.”


“Of course, nothing’s for certain,” Aoife interrupted, reciting another book-guided disclaimer before pursing her lips. “However, such succinct emergencies would only be called in case of a Strigoi attack—which is unlikely, so you needn’t worry about that Nia—or…”


[color=moccasin]“Or?”[/color] Nia prompted, frowning as she waited with crossed arms. If she had to play the pampered princess card to get information out of her guards, then so be it.


“Or,” Finlay continued, glancing at Aoife for any indication that he should hold his tongue. There was none. “It could be... a Fallen One.”


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[@TheMinorFall]