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The magierprinz nodded, putting a hand against his chin.  [color=gray]"I admit that is not within my range of experience."[/color]  A few seconds passed before a thought passed into his head.  [color=gray]"I've never controlled souls or puppets before myself, but since it seems ... others are not arriving ... perhaps you could deliver me a few pointers?  Since you are here, this would be a good time for me to start experimenting with this type of magic myself.  Maybe I can start building my own little army?"[/color]  In truth, soul magic was something the mage had been avoiding for a little bit of time.  His last sentence was said with a smile, but there was a little truth in it.

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The teacher frowned slightly as Livia appeared to give off the most roundabout and unexplanatory explanation she could.  If that was the game the headmistress wanted to play, that was fine.  Aetheria would reveal anything she learned with absolute and academic certainty, but little more.  [color=lightyellow]"I hope your own projects are going well then, and I am excited to see them published in the future.  And I am curious about your own experiences."[/color]

Of course, if the headmistress was willing to help her out in other ways, it could be useful.  The pair of them could come to an agreement on different terms.  [color=lightyellow]"I have some other rudimentary research, but nothing close enough to completion for the headmistresses eyes.  If you were willing to give me a ... more updated ... version of her tears, that would be helpful.  There is some variation even in the batch you gave me, and it would help me test a few hypothesis about how they work and perhaps provide information about the phoenix that we would both consider useful."[/color]

A small scroll found it's way out of the teacher's bag.  If Livia bothered to read it, she would find herself seeing strange glyphs and what seemed like an ancient version of Latin.  [color=lightyellow]"Lastly, try getting her to read this.  Just to satisfy my curiosity.  Samples of writing from the old, middle, and new kingdoms of Egypt, in addition to writings from various eras of Greek and Latin literature."[/color]

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Maoin leaned into the pettings, tail wrapping around her newest benefactor and ears twitching as her owner's hand ran across her head.  Oh, it felt soo good.  After a little bit of purring though, the black haired looked up into the eyes of her mistress.  The pettings never lasted long enough coming from the ice mage, and it was usually a bit of a disappointment.

[color=darkslateblue]"Mistress ... have I been a good kitty?"[/color]  It was a bit of a strange question, but everyone else seemed to say something along those lines when she was petted.  Her lady never made those sort of comments, which confused the neko.  Her owner's petting schedule was random at best.

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When the dragon entered her furious rage soon after waking up, the yelling and words sent Fia into one of her most common emotions: shock.  The fourteen year old simply stared at Sorcha, feeling like she was being held there by the force of fear itself.  When Luna's hand pulled her out, there wasn't really a person there anymore to respond to the kind woman's words, or to resist the guiding hand that maneuvered her like a doll.

She didn't even realize she was following someone else really until she felt a sudden warmth fill her stomach, and the crimson haired girl realized she was crying.  Brushing away her tears with her hands, she looked at her newest companion.  A wolf girl?  A hellhound?

The phoenix was self-aware enough that she knew she'd normally be really upset at what just happened.  She still was.  But this new person gave her a sense of ... fulfillment ... she hadn't felt before.  Despite her tears, she found herself looking at her newest companion silently, curious about what was going on, and who this person was.