[h2]Linxi[/h2]

Linxi flashed a bright smile. “You’ve got a good eye to notice the difference! That’s a pretty good description of what I do, actually! There’s a little bit in the middle that you missed, but I can tell you all about that.” She looked as though she were willing to start rattling off that lengthy explanation on the spot but decided against it, for the moment at least. She brought a finger to her chin as Xanara explained her difficulties, nodding with a look of understanding. “See, I think that’s why there aren’t more of us. When spacial magic goes wrong it can go [i]really[/i] wrong. I think the only ones who really have it worse in that department are the transfiguration folks.” Linxi grimaced. “Seen some real bad stuff happen with transfiguration accidents.” She shook her head. “But don’t you worry about that, everybody has some trouble with it at first. You’ll get a better hang of it here. When I was a kid I would blink any time I got surprised. It wouldn’t have been that big of a deal, but it was out in the swamp, so there were lots of things that would jump out and surprise me. Of course I couldn’t really control where I went, so sometimes I’d end up underwater… or stuck in a tree… or on the back of a crocodile….” Linxi blinked her eyes, lights still dancing in the inky void. “Oh, no worries, I say hello the same way!” She grinned.

The white-haired woman leaned forward, examining the pendant. “Ooh, that’s convenient! I should look into getting something like that!” As Xanara mentioned her homeland a look of faint surprise passed over Linxi’s face. “Orisa, huh? I think I’ve heard of that…” She smiled a small, vaguely mischievous smile. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered a particularly baffled airship captain and several crates of ill-gotten sweets. “Great chocolate over there.” 
[@Random Kitty]
[hr]

[h2] Kellin Caen[/h2]

Kellin nodded with a smile. “Nice to meetcha, Callum.” The question the followed was met with a chuckle and a light shrug. “Oh, it’s not much of a story. I got in a [i]little[/i] bit of trouble back home and uh, decided to turn over a new leaf. You know how things go. All’s well that ends well.” Ordinarily he wouldn’t have even told that much, at least not to a stranger, but Callum didn’t strike him as the sort to judge a [i]questionable[/i] history… quite the opposite in fact.

When he’d set out he wasn’t sure what to expect at the academy. Frankly, he’d expected an insufferable crowd of self-important heirs and heiresses, but while there certainly were some of that sort, the majority seemed to be a motley bunch, wildly varied and unpredictable. He had expected to feel out of place, planned for it even, but perhaps the academy wouldn’t be too bad after all… or maybe he was getting ahead of himself. It didn’t matter much, it wouldn’t be the first time.

The bell rang, and Kellin stretched his arms above his head with a yawn. “Yep, about time.” The crowd was beginning to move away from the observation deck as the airship began its descent. As the academy grew closer, he became more and more aware of just how large the buildings were. For a moment, he felt a nervous tightness in his stomach. He was actually here. This was happening. He shook his head with a grin, turning from the window and joining the slowly moving crowd. He walked beside Callum, speaking over the excited voices of the crowd. “So what brought you out here?”
[@PigeonOfAstora]
[hr]

[h2]Christina Mett[/h2]

The lieutenant nodded, leading them out of the engine room and down the corridor. As they stepped out, she glanced between the two students. “I’m happy to hear that, I know traveling can be tiresome.” Her boots clacked softly against the floor as she walked. For a moment, her eyes lingered on the wrench carried by the Verholtian girl. “If you’re interested in airships, I’m sure you’ll enjoy your time here, we’ve got all sorts of vessels coming and going. You may even meet the Fifth. She visits fairly often.” Christina’s primary duty was security, but it wasn’t so long ago that she was young and curious.

The corridor came to and end, and the lieutenant led the pair of them up two flights of stairs. “Mister Alstein, out of curiosity, have anyone else from the security force spoken with you?” She would have to report Rozin shirking his responsibilities, so she might as well figure out just how poor of a job he’d done.

Finally, Christina pushed open a door, leading into a wide room where a few other security officers and various airship attendants had already gathered. The room was open a free of clutter, clearly meant to provide as much standing room as possible. Most of the far wall was a large, airtight gate. A row of portholes revealed the rapidly approaching landscape as the vessel glided effortlessly toward the ground. A pair of technicians were investigating the retracted ramp of brass and steel that would be their exit from the airship.

Christina motioned toward the gate. “Here we are. I hope you both enjoy your first day at the academy.” With a polite nod, Christina excused herself from the duo, joining her fellow officers and speaking to one of them in a hushed tone.

 Kress and Tatjana were the first students in the room, though some of the students with specialized travel needs were beginning to be led in by security. In the next few minutes the crowd from the observation deck began filing in.  
[@ERode][@Epsir]
[hr]

[h2]The Welcoming Committee![/h2] 

The airship made its rapid descent with astounding grace. Gliding smoothly through the air, the modern vessel almost wholly negated the turbulent landings of old. The great metal behemoth lighted on the verdant lawn of the airfield with all elegance of a songbird. The engines began to slow, the soft whine of turbines gradually fading to silence.

Edward Finn stood at the top of the stairway leading out of the observation deck. He cleared his throat, waving to the crowd. “Welcome to Arkus Academy everyone, if you’ll all follow me, I’ll lead you to the deboarding gate.” The captain turned, leading the students up the winding brass staircase and away from the observation deck. From there, it was only a brief walk down a wide hallway. As he led them, Finn was joined by two more black-clad security officers, their features mostly obscured by their large hats.

Finn led the crowd into a wide room that was clearly meant to be their exit. As more students filed into the room, the great gate making up the far wall of the room cracked open with a loud hiss and began to slide away. At the same time a wide, sturdy ramp extended out before them. As the gate opened, it revealed the green expanse of the airfield, the grass still glittering with morning dew. As the ramp came down to meet this field, three women approached the airship, watching as the students began to exit the vessel. 

Two of them were immediately visible from a distance, their red hair burning bright in the light of the sun. Looking at the pair of them, one might have taken them for sisters. The assumption was half right, and while they did look similar at a glance, their clothing suggested clear differences between  the two. The one on the left wore a loose-fitting robe, woven from silk and dyed shade of deep red and purple. Gold thread hemmed the garment. In addition, the woman wore simple wooden sandals and a tight ponytail, giving her an appearance that would’ve looked much more at home in an Osuunese temple than a Cresian academy. The other woman couldn’t have been more different. She wore a long burgundy coat over an iron-grey blouse. Her skirt matched the coat,and the straps that hung around her body were covered in pouches, potions, trinkets and all other sorts of oddities. A deep red rune was tattooed beneath her left eye, and her hair hung loosely about her shoulders. The two of them looked over the crowd of students with thinly veiled curiosity. Behind them, the last member of the trio spoke up. “It’s finally time.”

The third woman stepped forward, between the redheads, and made her way toward the crowd as they made their way out onto the field. She raised a hand and called out with a warm voice. “Good morning everyone, welcome to Arkus Academy!” Her long, flowing hair was a light silvery blonde color, a shade that was matched perfectly by her eyes. She wore a long, wine-colored coat over a cream sweater and a black skirt. She had a warm, serene expression as she drew nearer to the students. The other two followed close behind, flanking her on either side.

“I hope you all have had a wonderful flight. I’m sure you’re all very excited to go out and see the academy, and we’re very excited to have you here, but if I might have your attention for just a little while…” 

She paused with a smile, waiting patiently for the crowd to quieten down before beginning again. “My name is Ema Blackglade. I am one of the instructors here at the academy, along with Korina and Sira here.”

 She looked to the robed woman at her right, who nodded toward the crowd. “Hey there, I’m Korina Feltsi. If any of you are interested in alteration magic you’ll likely be seeing me a lot. She had an easy, laid back way of speaking, but her orange-red eyes seemed incredibly focused, examining the faces before her in great detail. For a moment, her gaze paused. “I see you’ve already met our headmaster’s assistant.” She sighed and chuckled as Linxi waved at her from the crowd. She shook her head and glanced to the remaining woman.

“Greetings to all of you, my name is Sira Hemwick! My areas of expertise are alchemy and artificery, but I dabble in all sorts of things. I hope you are all as excited as I am!” Sira beamed, puffing up with pride.

Ema spoke up again. “Now then, you’ll be free to explore the campus throughout the day, but in the meantime the three of us will be showing you around a bit. Think of it as a tour! I promise you, we’ll be brief. I know you’re all excited.” She motioned toward the airship. “The airship staff will see to getting your luggage over to the dorms, so be sure to collect your things when you go to choose your rooms. Now then…” She motioned at the wide clearing around them, a swathe of emerald cut into the deeper green of the surrounding forest. “As you can all see, this is the academy’s airfield. We receive visitors here from all over the continent all throughout the year. There are also a few airships here that were donated by the Workshop so that our artificers could get hands-on-training.”

Sira nodded, motioning toward a small, bronze-colored vessel across the field. It was clearly meant to be a personal craft, designed for speed and easy maneuvering if its slick, aerodynamic shape were any indication. “This one here is the newest donation, a prototype! We’re very lucky to have the relationship we do with the Workshop.” She pointed out a few of the other donated craft, rattling off a few details about each with a feverish enthusiasm. After she was finished she looked back toward Ema.

[i]”Alright everyone, if you’ll just follow me…”[/i]

Ema turned to lead them toward the great stone structures that towered in the distance. It might have taken a moment for the students to realize that her lips hadn’t moved, rather, it was as if she were speaking directly into their minds.


[@baraquiel][@Lord of Evil][@Katthaj][@Scribe of Thoth]