Ashe's lips curled into a pout when the old man proceeded to ignore her for some stupid girl who was trying to mimic the dancing that the silly grown ups had done. While it bothered her now, it soon wouldn't. She would forever be the quiet girl in the background, more interested in books than the company of others. The one that was never heard when she did try to speak up. It hurt now, but she would soon get used to it. She would enjoy the fact that she could go around unnoticed for the most part.

There was one who never failed to notice her. Emma, the girl who's hand she had held. They had become friends quickly and as they grew up they only got closer. Emma was a Fire Mage, a hard worker even if she lacked talent. There was an accident in training, one person was injured though not severely, another was killed, Emma. The next day, Ashe had shown up at training with a tattoo, a dragon wrapping around her forearm. The dragon was a creature that represented fire, it was a dedication to the friend she had just lost.

Ashe was always skilled at the manipulation of her element. Wind would swirl around her fingertips with just the slightest movement. She was so intuned with the wind that she could manage some semblance of flight without the special kites or suits. She could only get a few feet off the ground and moved rather slowly, but it was more than most could manage. Her favorite techinque was creating spheres of concentrated, controlled, air. Small ones could be used to attack, but she could also create them large enough for her to ride. If she kept focus on a single small sphere, she could move it around freely without having to touch it, rather than just throwing it and hoping it hit something.

Graduation day for Ashe was bittersweet. She stood by four others who had all proven that they were skilled in their element. But the Fire Mage was not the one that she wanted to stand by. The fingers on her right hand lightly brushed the head of the tattoo and she only partially listened to Sensei Toma's speech. She accepted her seal with the group and bowed when it was time. Then they were all excused, for a short while at least. Their first binding ceremony was only a short time away. 

Ashe had no intentions of celebrating with the others. Their training may have been done, but none of them had actually done anything yet. What was the point of celebrating? Instead, after they were excused, she slipped away from the group seemingly unnoticed and disappeared among the trees. She only went a short distance away, to her favorite spot. While some trees held bindings on them, others did not. Her favorite spot was a tree that did not yet have bindings. It was a perfect tree, with branches that created a perfect place to sit. The Air Mage climbed with the tree with practiced ease, settling into the spot that had seemingly been made for her. Out of her bag she pulled the book that she was currently reading, and quickly lost herself among it's pages.