[center][h1][b][color=green]A L B E R T A[/color][/b][/h1][hr][b][color=gray]'A' TRAIN — FIFTH CAR[/color][/b][/center][hr]
Alberta had the luxury of not having to interact much with Mandi these past two weeks. From the assumptions she'd made after seeing them plenty of times in class, she was convinced that staying clear of her bubbly classmate would be the best way to preserve what little sanity she had left. Upon hearing Mandi's absurd proposition — to which she prepared herself to shove them into the far left bench as a response — Alberta was again interrupted. This time, by bad poetry. Alberta pinched her arm to see if she was still awake, and unfortunately, she was.

It was enough to distract Mandi at least, and with the arrival of the steward, they were bound to have gotten the message at this point. But there was something more important on Alberta's mind — food. She was no stranger to skipping meals on occasion, but after missing yesterday's dinner and this morning's breakfast, coupled with her sprinting to the station fueled by adrenaline alone, hunger was hitting her terribly hard. Alberta sat up straight and addressed the steward with as much grace as she could manage.

[b]"[color=green]I'll have my own pot of tea. Black, please,[/color]"[/b] she croaked. A caffeine boost would help wake her up. [b]"[color=green]And whatever spring fruits you have available, too. Oh, and some scones on the side would be delightful as well. Thank you.[/color]"[/b]

When the steward arrived with everyone's orders, Alberta thought her fruits would come in a sizeable bowl she could keep to herself. Instead, the assortment stretched to half the length of the table, packed with slices of apricots, strawberries, peaches, and a bunch of other fruits in season. In the middle of the plate sat a neat pile of diced pineapple. Alberta just blinked at the large array of food in front of her, far too dazed to adequately process her shock. She took in a deep breath, as if she were about to lash out at her companions.

[b]"[color=green]You know what, just…[/color]"[/b] Alberta sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. [b]"[color=green]take whatever you want. I can't finish all of that myself anyway.[/color]"[/b] she finished, taking the plate with her scones on it. For the rest of the train ride she remained quiet and distant, taking slow nibbles from her food as if the events of that morning had never happened. 

[hr][center][b][color=gray]THE VILLAGE — OUTSKIRTS OF GENELOGIA[/color][/b][/center][hr]
Save for her atrocious physical stamina keeping Alberta a few paces behind most of the students, the journey to the forest village was somewhat bearable. Though she hadn't slept on the train, the pleasant lunch she had was enough to distract her from her deprivations for a time. Alberta was lucky she'd remembered to pack her water canteen, otherwise she would've [i]really[/i] struggled. Especially when the foliage started to thicken around her, making it harder to move about. Her face may have hit a few twigs and she may have almost tripped over a tree root or two, but Alberta didn't want to use up her remaining energy screaming into the trees above.

The atmosphere took a peculiar turn when the foliage started fading from spring greens hues into autumn reds and yellows. When the class finally reached the village, it was apparent the trees weren't the only strange occurrence. Alberta gasped at the sight of the plagued villager; she never thought she'd see something like that outside of the pages of books at this point in her life. When Ankaa asked to examine the very diseased man up close, Alberta scoffed with disapproval.

[b]"[color=green]The villagers must be boarding up their homes for a reason, and I'm betting it's because whatever that man has, it's probably contagious. If you even had half a braincell left, you'd know to stay away from him, Liu.[/color]"[/b]

Still, Alberta contemplated Ankaa's question. Making her hypothesis from a distance seemed like a safer option. [b]"[color=green]As for his skin condition, you don't see ones caused by the environment alone [i]that[/i] extreme on this side of Alrune. Most organisms responsible for those kinds of afflictions aren't as common in this particular climate, I believe.[/color]"[/b]

[b]"[color=green]If all of this is anything to go by,[/color]"[/b] Alberta continued, observing the vibrant autumn trees. [b]"[color=green]then it's likely the man's illness is linked to magic as well. A lot of disease-related spellcrafts take effect through physical contact or airborne substances, similar to how fungal spores found in soil or on plants can enter the body and cause infections similar to what that man has.[/color]"[/b] Though her earlier studies about such magic had been brief, her limited knowledge could prove useful. After all, the spells under the [i]Language of Wisteria[/i] were composed in a similar way.

[b]"[color=green]Either some crazy mage is going around casting diseases on people, or they're using magic to produce abnormalities in the forest's plant-life; some of which are inducing seasonal shifts in the trees, and bark-like lesions on the skin. There's nothing but dense forest for miles beyond this village, anything could be hiding in there.[/color]"[/b]

Alberta then glanced back at Ankaa, giving her a tense look. [b]"[color=green]Whatever the source is, we should talk to the other villagers about it first. The man can wait.[/color]"[/b]

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