[Center][h1]Meruin Hazy[/h1][/center][hr]
[Indent]"I still do not approve."

Reina Wisdom, archmage, war heroine, premier spatial mage and master of the (really) little mage glaring up at her, chuckled sardonically. Truly, she might've taken her apprentice's glare more seriously had she not looked so unintimidating; with a face like hers, an angry glare looked more an adorable pout rather than anything threatening.

Besides, she knew her apprentice, and she knew she was more sad than angry, perhaps a bit apprehensive too - she could see it in those, big, beautiful, expressive emerald orbs of hers; Reina would never admit it, but one of the reasons she took Meruin as her apprentice was because of how captivated she was with her eyes. She'd lived a long life, but never had she seen eyes as clear as hers.

"Then it is fortunate that I do not need your approval."

Her apprentice "harruph'ed" and crossed her arms, and she forced herself not to laugh at her expense again. 

"I would learn faster if I was with you," she argued, staring pointedly at her. 

Reina nodded. "Yes you would." At Meruin's perplexed stare, she elaborated. "Faster? Yes. I could teach you all I know and you would not even be of majority - of that, I am confident." She was a good teacher, but more importantly, Meruin was an excellent student. She was even tempted to call her perfect, despite how often she found the word to be meaningless. "More? No. Despite my incredible wealth of knowledge, there are some things I cannot teach you. Things that no single person can, in fact."

"Such as?"

"Perspective, for one," she answered. "No matter how much I teach you, no matter how quickly you learn, you would only have learned from a single, limited, perspective, no matter how wide a perspective it is."

Meruin huffed again, but made no further argument. In truth, she was already aware of this, but still disliked it greatly. It seemed that no matter how serious a student she may be, she still had her petulant moments. It was hardly surprising, however - prodigy or not, she was still a child.

". . . I'll miss you." In a rare moment of sincerity, Meruin looked up at her master, looking sadder than Reina had ever seen her before.

They weren't related by blood, but Meruin considered the woman before her to be her mother, more so than the woman who birthed her, and even if she didn't express it much, she loved her with all her heart. She was her teacher and her world, and the past few years with her were the best ones of her life, a time she wished could have gone on forever.

Reina understood. For her, it was overwhelming just how attached to her the girl had become, but in time she began to consider her as the daughter she never had. Which is why she needed to stay at the academy, even if it pained her. 

It was for the best.

The Silver Witch pulled her into a hug, and Meruin squeaked in surpise. Her master was about as expressive as she was, and rarely did hugs. 

"And I you, my little apprentice," she said, patting her head affectionately. Any other time, Meruin might have been annoyed at being patronized, but this time, she simply nodded her head. 

"Now, go. You've a long day ahead of you. Best get started," she whispered, urging her along. It was time.

Nodding once more, Meruin took her luggage, and after saying farewell once more, made her way through the maze of greenery, map in hand, before finally finding her way to the gardens.

Her heart still heavy, this was how Meruin found herself surrounded by beings of all kinds. At once, her sadness was replaced by her innate curiousity and drive to [i]know[/i] things. Looking around her, she found no shortage of fascinations in what were potentially her classmates. She could see selkie's, and something that was probably a naga - or was it a slythereen? - and all manner of mystical beings. 

It was not her first time encountering such beings, but their presence here, so close, in such numbers and with such variety reminded her about her masters words with a renewed clarity.

For the first time since coming here, Meruin began to feel excited.

She sat for awhile, a bit isolated from the rest. Her curiosity aside, she didn't do well socializing with others. It wasn't that she couldn't, but she had no desire to, something she was aware bothered her master. Perhaps another reason she saw fit to saw fit to send her here.

Finally, the time came when the headmaster arrived, and Meruin found herself impressed. She'd hewr if him. He was a mage even her master approved of, and the assortment of intellectuals and professionalz seated behind him respectfully did well for that image. 

His speech was rather run-of-the-mill, but it was spoken with conviction and honesty that left little room to argue with. When Meruin felt something wriggle in her pocket, she got up immediately, bringing her luggage with her. Pulling the paper out of her pocket, she went through the map quickly, memorizing the directions needed and made her way to her room.

As it turns out, she wasn't ths first one.

" . . . Hello." 

And that was a socialable as she got before walking ahead and simply claiming a side of the room for herself by tossing her bag into the bed and emptying its contents. Books, papers, more books, scrolls, more papers, bigger books, and more spilled out. Clearly, the contents of the bag exceeded it's actual capacity - a gift from her Master.

With a huff, Meruin set to work arranging her things, scarcely paying attention to her new roommates behind her.[/indent][hr]
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