It had not been Elizabeth’s wish to have gotten duties in the kitchen. She was brushing the rags hard against the shining white plates, sparkling it clean from blemishes inflicted on it by various stains and foodstuffs. The burly head cook was next to her, overseeing her every move, and her eyes were impeccable in Elizabeth’s experience. Everything that happened in this kitchen was seen by that cook. Regarding how she had managed to get stuck doing this at all, she preferred not to think about it. All she would say is that it was not her fault, but rather someone else’s. It had merely been a situation of circumstance, and Elizabeth a victim of it, that had forced her into kitchen duty.

It was then that Elizabeth first began to feel the tremors. They were at first were light vibrations which were so light that Elizabeth thought that perhaps they were not truly there. However, their power soon magnified, and Elizabeth felt the quakes that emanated deep from the ground. Elizabeth set her arms at her side in order to keep her balance, and stopped the menial chores she was doing. Elizabeth had not even the faintest of ideas what it was that was making such a trembling. Elizabeth set down her white plate and wiped the soap from her arms. She ran out towards the door.

“Oy, where do you think you’re going?” the cook screamed at her.

[color=red]“I’m going to see what exactly this is, if you don’t mind miss,”[/color] Elizabeth said.

“Well, I do mind,” the cook said. “Hey, get back here!”

Elizabeth moved fast enough that the large cook could not even hope to catch her in time. She pressed on the doors of the kitchen, and they opened into the halls. Elizabeth’s eyes widened at the sight of a great many men and women who wore the clothes Elizabeth recognized as belonging to the denizens of the village. Their appearance resembled that of refugees. Elizabeth mind went in circles, not quite being able to click, unable to ascertain what event had undergone that had enabled such a catastrophe to occur. At that moment, the maid Naomi passed by her, with the younger and fairer maid Ruth following behind. Elizabeth had met Naomi on a number of occasions, and was better acquainted with the young maid, Ruth. Naomi had an expression which told Elizabeth that she had plenty of tasks at hand that needed her completion, yet when she saw Elizabeth she stopped her movement, if only a movement.

“My lady,” Naomi said. “Whatever are you doing here?”

Glancing back before turning back to Naomi, Elizabeth said, [color=red]“I had kitchen duty.”[/color]

“Ah, I see,” Naomi said. “Well, my lady, if you may excuse me…”

[color=red]“Hold on a minute,”[/color] Elizabeth said.

“Yes?”

[color=red]What is all of this?”[/color]

“Did you feel the tremors?”

[color=red]“Indeed.”[/color]

“Well, outside the Academy, it was quite worse. The academy, it is alive.”

[color=red]“Yes, I know. So its sentience allowed it to endure. So these people, they are…”[/color]

“They are refuges of a sort.”

[color=red]“I see. And where are the others?”[/color]

“Your peers and instructors? They are elsewhere, on higher floors, although beyond that I’m not sure.”

“[color=red]Is that so?[/color]”

“Yes it is, Elizabeth. Now, I and Ruth must get to work. These men and women need aid, after what happened to their homes.”

[color=red]”Yes, I am sure.”[/color]

The cook came bursting out, anger and frustrating directed at Elizabeth in her eyes. She dragged Elizabeth by the ears, Elizabeth shouting, “ow, ow, ow!” all the while, and shoved her back in the kitchen.

“We’ll be having no more of that now, will we?”

[color=red]”None of what?”[/color] Elizabeth said.

“No more mucking about,” the cook said.

[color=red]There is something more important going on.”[/color]

“Maybe so, but we still need dishes.”

[color=red]If that is all you need, I may be able to help you.”[/color]

Elizabeth waved her hand, and from it emanated magic. Invisible forces began to work, cleaning the dishes faster than Elizabeth ever could have manually, and it required no more attention from her. It was simply applied magic, just as engineering is applied mathematics. For Elizabeth, it was no great task once one figured out the essentials and substratum of the magic she learned.

“Oy, no magic!”

[color=red]”Maybe that work for an appeal that would work,”[/color] Elizabeth said, and pointed to the scattered men and women walking up the stairs outside the kitchen. [color=red]“But I think we’re passed that. Now, I think they would welcome a hot meal.”[/color]

“S’pose that makes sense,” the cook said. “Alright, I’ll bite. What do you recommend?”

[color=red]”You’re the cook,”[/color] Elizabeth said.