[center][h1][b]A Pot Stirred[/b][/h1]
Day 2 | Mid-afternoon | Zander's University of Magical Arts: Courtyard
collab between [@yoshua171] and [@Celaira]
[/center][hr]The mid-afternoon sun hung unusually low in the sky, shining its light over the quad of the university. The scent of rain clung to the air as empty storm clouds floated lazily through the sky. 

On a bench somewhat out of the center of the grassy area of the quad shadowed by the branches of a weeping willow a girl with short purple hair lounged, a bored expression on her face as she adjusted and then finally removed the bag that hung over her shoulder. 

After a moment or two, the girl rummaged through the bag at her side and retrieved her cellphone to check the time, only to find she had a record twelve text messages from an unsaved number, but a number that she knew nonetheless.

[color=#34FFFD]"Ugh."[/color] Was all she had to say before tapping the power button on her phone lightly to turn the screen back off.

[i]Not today, Estelle. Seriously.[/i]

[color=#921CBF][b]"You're here early, couldn't sleep?"[/b][/color] She said as she approached her friend, her school bag slung over her shoulder, though it rested in front of her, held by both hands. There was a smile on her lips and following her words she sat down next to Leah, leaving a few inches between them so she didn't make Leah uncomfortable...or feel awkward herself. She was wearing blue jeans, a hairband to keep most of her purple hair out of her eyes, and to top it off she had a white sweater on to fend off the wind. After all, it was a bit chilly that day and she didn't want to get sick.

Leah's aqua eyes fell on Madison as she approached, her bored expression exchanged for one of relief. [color=#34FFFD]"You could say that. I had work last night; when I got home it was already 6 AM. Estelle had decided to start calling my other phone incessently around then. Really glad I didn't take it with me, could've caused a lot of problems."[/color] Leah rambled, her voice betraying how tired and somewhat grumpy she was as she moved her bag to give Madison some more room on the bench.

She smiled empathetically, understanding what it was like, though for a totally different reason. After all, Madison wasn't a Hunter and she doubted she'd ever be. That sort of business was too daring for her, she couldn't imagine risking her life every day not to mention the trouble she knew some hunters had to go through just to acquire a proper assignment. Still, she'd had weeks where work was too much and her load of homework was particularly high. It got...difficult.

[color=#921CBF][b]"I'm sorry. I hope she's not bothering you too much,"[/b][/color] she said, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear and reaching down to her bag, to flip it open and fish within. After a moment she pulled out a packet of what appeared to be cookies. She offered a few to Leah, [color=#921CBF][b]"These might help. I can't guarantee it...since I made them myself, but they shouldn't taste bad at least."[/b][/color]

In all honesty she felt partly responsible for Leah's break up with Estelle, though on another level it was kind of a relief. The girl's bullying had stopped since that incident and she hadn't even gotten suspended. Of course, that was mostly because of Leah and a few of her classmates, who had stood up for her even after she'd walked away. She was glad Leah had stepped in when she had...otherwise it could've gotten really bad.

Leah silently took the cookies offered to her and munched as her phone dinged over and over again. As she ingested her friend's baked goods she could feel her energy returning to her little by little, and smiled. [color=#34FFFD]"Thanks, Maddie. I didn't know you baked, though. These are really good."[/color] Leah looked at her with a small grin, obviously ignoring the vibrating phone in her lap.

Her cheeks flushing slightly at the compliment, Madison glanced away, turning her attention to the numerous students making their way too and fro, some of them leaving, some of them just getting out of, or going into, class while others relaxed among the small glenn of trees that had been planted in the courtyard, or quad as most called it. She smiled a bit to herself as despite the light chill coming off the water further into the city at the coast, it was a beautiful day and she got to spend it with a friend. Well, at least some of it, she did have class after all. [color=#921CBF][b]"Thanks,"[/b][/color] she said a bit belatedly, [color=#921CBF][b]"My, um, mother taught me, though it was my grandmother's recipe,"[/b][/color] she continued, lightly tugging at one of her earrings, the same ones she always wore.

She let her hand drop back down to her lap where she began playing with the flap of her bag. After a moment she looked at Leah and asked, [color=#921CBF][b]"So are they working? I used a bit of magic in them to see if I could mimic the effects of caffeine, but without the beany taste of coffee."[/b][/color]

[color=#34FFFD]"Mhmm."[/color] Leah answered, her mouth full of cookie at the time. Once she swallowed the food, she looked at Madison, and folded her hands over her phone. [color=#34FFFD]"So, what do you think the odds of me being able to get into a few of your classes are?"[/color]

She beamed at Leah's response, happy to know that /some/ of her magic actually worked...sometimes. Of course, she'd been trying to make the cookies work for weeks. The first couple batches had literally exploded, luckily she'd managed to...well, make that stop. Of course, not before the cookies had ruined three pans. She definitely wasn't going to get to shop for herself for a few weeks. [color=#921CBF][b]"Mmm, I don't know. They typically seperate the magic-based classes by aptitude and type. Most, um, students with inborn magic go to the higher aptitude classes,"[/b][/color] she tapped her chin lightly, then fished a thin pamphlet out of her bag, handing it to Leah. It laid out the different class levels and while Leah would have seen it before, Madison always felt it was easier to understand when you looked at it...rather than trying to recall it from memory even if hers was uncannily good.


[color=#921CBF][b]"I'm in the second level and the typical inborn class is about one or two levels above my class. So the chances aren't great, given you've had more practice than me...and I can hardly make a small floating light without almost blinding someone."[/b][/color]

[color=#34FFFD]"I mean, no one has to know I was born with it. It's not like I have family that anyone would know about... Aside from Uncle Reates, of course."[/color] Leah smiled, but there was a saddness hidden just beneath the surface of her expression. At least she had someone though... That was more than a lot of others could say.

While she didn't frown outright, Madison's eyebrows lowered slightly and the joy in her eyes dimmed a bit before she reached out and rubbed Leah's arm in a gesture of comfort, a smile forming again. [color=#921CBF][b]"Well, I'm sure Reates makes up for the fair share of missed embarrasing moments, mmm?"[/b][/color] She ever so lightly pushed Leah, just to jostle her a bit, though unbeknownst to her, a little magic leaked through, mimicking the girl's own mood and the idea of comfort.

It was something that happened every so often with Madison, of course even when someone brought it to her attention there was little recognition of the action, as if she had not only done it unintentionally, but also had no recollection of the sensation.

Leah laughed softly, [color=#34FFFD]"Yeah. Definitely."[/color] As Maddie rubbed Leah's arm there was a small but audible [i]pop[/i] followed by a spark of aqua and purple particles. Leah knew what the reaction meant, but she didn't hold it against Madison as she couldn't control her magic, thus, she simply maintained her smile.

Jumping slightly at the sound, very briefly startled, having withdrawn her hand by reflex rather than rationale. [color=#921CBF][b]"Oh, sorry,"[/b][/color] she apologized, smiling awkwardly, though clearly Leah was playing it off as if nothing had happened. She really wished that she could at least control when she released vis, or how much she used, but for whatever reason it was really hard. Like trying to withdraw a cup of water by opening floodgates only a tiny bit. Sometimes she felt like it was an excercise in futility, but every so often she succeeded, and that drove her forwards.

Her hand finding its way back to her bag she offered Leah another cookie.

[color=#34FFFD]"You're fine, Maddie. It's no biggie. My magic doesn't play well with others when it's via contact. Dunno why, though."[/color] As if to punctuate the sentiment that she wasn't upset she gently pushed her shoulder against Madison's with a playful smile before taking the cookie that was offered to her.

Her awkward smile remaning, though there was a bit of relief in her eyes, Madison retrieved a cookie for herself--more for the taste than the energy--and took a bite, her eyes turning to people watch. It really was a nice day.

After a moment of silence, Leah's phone once again began to vibrate incessently, she couldn't help but glare down at the device. [color=#34FFFD]"Doesn't she have class? What the fuck does she even want?!"[/color] The girl growled more to herself than to Madison. 

While Madison frowned at her friend's frustration, the two both failed to notice the approach of a girl who happened to be holding a phone to her ear. However, the moment she took it away and closed it, was the moment that the ringing stopped. Approaching with sass writ in every step, Estelle made her entrance, her eyes a fiery glare as she saw Madison alongside the one she had to admit she still loved.

How could Nebula have just thrown away all the time they'd spent together for that birther trollop?! She just didn't understand what Nebula saw in Madison. She didn't understand it at all. [i][u]"So this is where you were,"[/u][/i] Estelle said almost accusingly as she sauntered over and then stopped in front of them, crossing her arms as she peered down at her "ex" expectantly.

Madison shrunk at the girl's approach, clutching her bag tightly against her. She really wished Estelle would just leave Leah, and by proxy her, alone already....

Hearing a familiar voice, Leah's eyes rose from her now silent phone, her glare matching that of her former girlfriend. At first, she didn't say anything, taking note of Madison's reaction from the periphery of her vision. Out of a desire to calm her friend she put her hand gently on her shoulder before addressing Estelle, [color=#34FFFD]"For the last hour or so, yeah. And?"[/color]

A small grin tugged at the corner of her lips as she kept eye contact with Estelle. The smile was something of a defense mechanism, she did it whenever she felt uncomfortable. She found that if you smiled, or grinned at someone who was mad at you they became a lot more likely to lose their footing in the conversation so-to-speak.

Though, if she was honest, she didn't want to be mean to Estelle. She wished she could help her. However, due to the girl's biggoted nature toward anyone who was born with magic, she knew that it would be too difficult for her to do so on her own, and would more than likely cause more damage to herself than it would help her ex.

Madison noticed the grin, but only vaguely recognized it, her attention more focused on looking anywhere but Estelle, while simultaneously trying to pay attention to her and Leah. Estelle seemed to like the timidness that she was displaying, and Madison hated that. Hated that she was letting the girl lord over her again. A frown crossed her brow, but she made no further indication of her feelings.

Estelle on the otherhand, was much more open about how she felt, her weight leaned on one side, aimed towards her ex in a subtle fashion while she displayed body language that closed Madison off from the interaction. Furthermore, she responded, the derision writ plain on her face, [i][u]"So you sat here with 'her' while I tried to talk to you, knowing I was at the school?"[/u][/i] There was a brief pause, before she continued, [i][u]"Wow, that's pretty cold, Nebula. Throwing me out to dry at your convenience? I came over to talk, but based on your behavior, well...."[/u][/i] Her jaw clenched as while she was putting on a very convincing strong front, she was considerably more vulnerable than she appeared.

The truth was she was hurting. She missed Nebula...and she even felt some regret, but it didn't matter, did it? Nebula didn't care about her feelings. If their relationship hadn't lasted as long as it had, she might have even thought it was a fling, but then...no one was 'that' malicious, right? Right.

When Estelle spoke again, Leah rose from the bench and folded her arms, her piercing aqua eyes locked on her ex. [color=#34FFFD]"Do [i]not[/i] talk about Madison like she's not here, and, also, stop treating her like she isn't a person. [i]No one[/i] deserves that, no matter what you think of them."[/color] Leah's voice was stern, her face contorted with anger. [color=#34FFFD]"I sat with her because she's my [i]friend[/i], and because she's going to help me register for classes here."[/color] Once her piece was said, Leah sat back down, her eyes still locked on Estelle.

Somewhat taken aback by Nebula's words, Estelle did her best not to react more than she had initially, having taken a small step backwards, her body language tense before she managed to relax a bit and try again after all it seemed that nothing she had said had reached Nebula, which was more than a little irksome. [i][u]"Fine,"[/u][/i] she said in reply before a brief pause. The silence almost had Madison biting her fingernails, but she managed to grip her bag tighter instead.

[i][u]"So I guess you're going to keep ignoring my calls then?"[/u][/i] Estelle finally said, a small frown on her face. The blunt question caused Madison to look up, and then over at Leah. She was...more than a little surprised that Estelle had really just asked.

[color=#34FFFD]"Until you adjust the way you treat people, yes. I don't want anything to do with someone who would treat anyone the way you treat Madison, or anyone born with magic for that matter."[/color] The words left Leah's mouth before she could stop them, followed by a sharp pain in her chest that she fought to ignore. This was killing her. She loved Estelle, she really did, enough that she didn't dare break her dreamworld with the actual truth behind why it upset her so much.

The girl needed to figure it out on her own. She needed to understand that not all those born with magic were bad, but Leah wasn't the one she would learn from. Their entire relationship had been built on lies.

Except for one.

Biting her lip a moment before sighing, she turned away and left, waving over her shoulder before stuffing her hands into her pockets roughly. This had not gone well at all....

Meanwhile, Madison let out a sigh of relief as soon as Leah's ex was out of earshot, her body visibly relaxing as she did so. She leaned back into the bench and closed her eyes, face upturned to the sky. She really hoped that stopped happening...she couldn't deal with people like that for long.

As Estelle left without a word, Leah bowed her head, her eyes looking toward Madison from beneath her bangs. She'd done the right thing, she knew, but she couldn't help the heartache that she was feeling. [color=#34FFFD]"Do you think she hates me?"[/color] Leah asked, her voice low as she clutched her phone in her hands.

She wouldn't have been surprised if Estelle did hate her, there were times where she hated herself, so why couldn't someone else?

At Leah's words, a frown formed on her face, though her eyes did not open right away. After a moment she moved to look at Leah, before pushing her lightly. [color=#921CBF][b]"No, I don't think she hates you,"[/b][/color] she said, smiling reassuringly. She really didn't like this. The fact that they had separated because of her...or the fact that Leah was hurting because Estelle wouldn't take the hint and buzz off.

Oops.... That had been harsh. She visibly winced at the thought, before looking down and away, fishing in her bags. She had brought some of the forms from the office. The ones Leah had to fill out for classes and whatnot.

She extracted them and offered them to Leah, [color=#921CBF][b]"Now, we can get along with our day and try not to let her bother us, or...I can give you a hug first."[/b][/color] Madison did her best winning smile as she said it, though her voice was just a bit shaky.

At Madison's words, Leah half smiled, her eyes seeming to lack a certain light that was normally present. When Madison offered a hug, the girl almost immediately leaned on her for support, a heavy sigh falling from her lips as she did so.

Once she pulled away from the hug, Leah's gaze moved down to the papers in her friend's hands. [color=#34FFFD]"So, what do I have to do with those?"[/color]

A certain warmth coming over her as Leah accepted her hug, Madison squeezed her once before letting her go. She cleared her throat--and head--a little before she replied, [color=#921CBF][b]"Well, mostly you read them and fill them out. It's pretty much just paper work haha."[/b][/color]

For a time, Leah simply stared at the pages in Madison's hands. It seemed as though she had picked up both a standard enrollment form and a class list of some kind. After a moment of trepidation, she riffled through her bag to grab a hardcover novel and gently took the papers from Maddie's hands, [color=#34FFFD]"Do you have a pen or something I could borrow?"[/color]

[color=#921CBF][b]"Oh, of course!"[/b][/color] She said, pulling one from a smaller pocket in her bag and handing it to Leah. [color=#921CBF][b]"Sorry, eheh."[/b][/color]

The girl took the pen with a grateful smile and began dutifully scribbling her information down on the enrollment sheet. She decided she was going to apply under her real name. There was no point in hiding it, there were only two people who knew the significance of it on the entire campus. After a few minutes of filling out various pieces of the same information, she came upon a section which gave her pause. 

[i]Magic Assessment Exam[/i]

[color=#34FFFD]"Mm... Maddie, what's this?"[/color] Leah questioned her friend, sitting up from her hunched over position.


[color=#921CBF][b]"Ah, well, students generally go through a few tests if they plan to take any magic related classes to see where they'd fit best. The test sorta figures out a person's aptitude, affinity...and well, if you've got any [i]inherent[/i] magic."[/b][/color] She rubbed the back of her neck a bit, watching Leah's reaction from the corner of her eye. She hoped that the test didn't put her off. [color=#921CBF][b]"I uh...the classes are typically separated by those with and without inborn magic, but there are exceptions,"[/b][/color] she looked down. [color=#921CBF][b]"Like me...I've got inborn magic, but I'm in the [i]normal[/i] class because I can't control it at all...but I guess you knew that already."[/b][/color]

[color=#34FFFD]"Hmm... Well, maybe I can fake it to get into your classes."[/color] Leah mumbled to herself as she scribbled her information down in the applicable fields. The rest of the form, which pertained to the courses that she was going to take, and when she was available for the exam she left blank. They would remain that way until she could talk to her uncle, and figure out what exactly she needed to do.

Smiling sympathetically at her friend as she heard the mumbled words, Madison decided not to say anything regarding that and instead watched people go about their business while Leah filled out what she could of the form. When she had done as much as she was able, Madison glanced to her and smiled, [color=#921CBF][b]"Now, enough with all this business, would you like a tour?"[/b][/color] There was a cheery excitement to her as she said it.

[color=#34FFFD]"Sure."[/color] Leah responded as she stuffed the application papers into her bag, and handed Madison her pen. [color=#34FFFD]"Lead the way, fair maiden."[/color] The woman spoke, a lopsided grin resting on her lips.

Madison brightened, got up, then lightly tugged at Leah's hand before letting go and heading into campus with a bounce in her step. She had blushed a little, but luckily for her Leah wouldn't see it through her back. Hopefully.