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"Leorin, might I have a word, please?" Her God Studies professor's smooth, rich baritone drew Leorin from her book. While it might not have seemed odd to be reading before class, her selection, [u][u][u]Melee Weapons of the Mayan Empire[/u][/u][/u], was a little more unusual. As she closed the book, slipping a worn bookmark between the pages, Leorin eyed the man who called to her. He was not a professor who typically remained on her radar. He was not one to send her to detention, but he certainly was not her biggest fan either. In short, she expected to fly by unnoticed for yet another year. Therefore, his request struck her as problematic. If she had learned anything since joining the Academy three years earlier, it was that 'can I have a word' was code for 'you're in trouble.' It was the first hour of the first day. If she already pissed someone off, it must be a new record.

She shoved back from her desk, found her feet, and sauntered over to the professor's desk. "What's up?" came her answer, hands lazily slipping into the pockets of her vest. 

His brilliant blue eyes were already weary as he regarded her with a small frown. Then, he worked his expression into one of more cheerful optimism; she could tell it hurt him a little, so she had to respect him for the effort. "It's the start of a new term," he told her, "so let's make sure we're setting ourselves up for success. Starting out strong."

It all sounded like something he ripped off a motivational calendar. Besides, why was he telling her all that before class even started? For all he knew, she was a changed woman. Maybe she found herself over the summer, and returned a far more studious student.

Nah, he knew better. And maybe she had to respect him for that too. Leorin loosed a small shrug, and offered a small smile of her own. "You got it."

As she returned to her seat, actually considering putting forth some effort for his sake, she realized that she forgot to bring both paper and a pencil. [i]Starting off strong.[/i] She snorted.