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Dejected faces and hollow praise. 

[i][color=#DC143C]The usual.[/color][/i]

It was unfortunate really; she'd still been holding onto a slim hope that things might be different amongst the other initiates. A hope that others would have put in at least some level of effort before entering the academy. Or at the very least that others wouldn't be so quick to take her every word as a slight and lock her away on some faux pedestal. Not that any of that mattered. She was used to all this. It was the norm. The standard. She'd just have to work harder. She'd push forward alone, like she always had, nothing had changed. 

[i][color=#DC143C]It never really does.[/color][/i]

It didn't take long though for the other girls to move on to discussing the intricacies of their favorite forms of entertainment once more. Interspersed somehow with discussions of their siblings. Honestly the ability of others to jump from topic to topic was equal parts amazing and [i][color=#DC143C]exhausting[/color][/i].

No perhaps that was too harsh an assessment of the other girls. It wasn't their fault that Vanna tired of the current chatterings, she'd simply had a long few hours. And with nothing of interest to direct her focus towards... well it was an unhealthy mix to say the least. At this point Vanna was surprised she hadn't completely zoned out. It was certainly tempting as improper it may be. 

Then, as if angered by her brief flirtation with impropriety, the entire cabin shook once more. The violent uptake in turbulence cared little for conversations of Hasta and romance, and the Lady of Diana found herself reflecting back to her earlier concerns of why their host had so rapidly departed the cabin. She had but a singular moment of eerie calm to ponder such thoughts before the windows became engulfed in darkness. A darkness that soon gave host to a lone red eye.

[i][color=#DC143C]The Void?[/color][/i]

This time Vanna didn't even receive a moment to process the creature, to compare it to those she had seen at the border of Potentia, before the cabin was thrown into disarray. The first upheaval caught Vanna completely by surprise as she found herself thrown to the far left of the cabin. Her already sore body got a rude awakening as she collided with one of the walls of the cabin. The following upheavals would not be so fortunate. 

Surprise only worked against a Diana once after all. 

Her hand was quick to grab hold of a railing above her head. Furnishing designed originally to hold luggage would now hold her. While her own movement may have been somewhat rooted, she still had to take care to not be hit by flying ([i][color=#DC143C]falling[/color][/i]?) objects like the chairs they had been so daintily sipping tea in moments before. During the height of the ensuing chaos her free hand ended up reflexively snatching a small object out of the air. Not that she had a moment to take stock of what exactly she had grabbed, not yet anyway. 

Finally the turbulence subsided, and as she regained her balance her right hand, the one not currently preoccupied with clutching a small foreign object, found itself grasping at her side for a familiar companion that was unfortunately not there in her time of need. Where was a lady's sword when she needed it most?

[i]Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz[/i]

With one final hum the flickering lights gave way and the room became engulfed by the darkness that surrounded the cabin. 

Beasts outside.

No guards within.

No lights.

No weapons.

It was... [i][color=#DC143C]bleak[/color][/i].

The odds were definitely not in their favor. 

And yet, in the darkness, where no one could see her, for the first time all day, Vanna smiled. 

This was but another trial for Diana's daughter. 

Composing herself, Vanna allowed her diligent training to take over as the smile faded back to neutral. [i][color=#DC143C]Glasses[/color][/i]? Yes that was the foreign object in her hands. The shape was rather distinct after all. The brief flickers of light that soon illuminated the cabin provided confirmation to the young lady's hypothesis. 

[i][color=#DC143C]Wait... Sparks?[/color][/i]

Hadn't the one with the Electricity Elementum already used her magic? How was she still able to summon forth more of her Elementum with the meagre mana pool of one without an Ars Armagus? Unless... Of course. [i][color=#DC143C]Nox[/color][/i]. The fact that it had taken her so long to notice was a mark of shame. Mentally reaching out Vanna could feel the power of Nox throughout the cabin. For most it was a poison, but to one with the potential of an Ars Magi it was a source of power. [i][color=#DC143C]Sustenance[/color][/i].

As she had so often trained Vanna began the familiar process of circulating her own Elementum. It was still only a faint boost but in situations like these every little bit mattered. As new found strength began to pool, Vanna reached around in the dark to find the wooden chair that had nearly slammed into her during their descent. The back post had shattered during the initial collision but that was unimportant. What Vanna required was one of the legs, and she found it easy enough to snap one such leg off of the chair. 

It was no sword, but she would make do. 

Wits regained, magic circulating, and finally armed, well legged, Vanna turned her attention towards her fellow students. "[color=#DC143C]Miss Noel,[/color]" her calm voice called out through the dark, "[color=#DC143C]I'd be much obliged if you might illuminate our surroundings. You should find your mana reserves finding an abundance of power in the cabin.[/color]"

"[color=#DC143C]As for our current situation,[/color]" she continued, "[color=#DC143C]as far as I see it we have two options. Wait here and passively hope for a rescue from a situation well outside the bounds of our control. Or...[/color]"

She let her word hang for a moment, another second for any still uncomposed to find themselves.

"[color=#DC143C]We can head out this door and find a way to make ourselves of use. Become active arbitrators of our faith. I can't promise we can truly help anyone, but we can at least look for an opportunity.[/color]" Another pause as Vanna allowed the others to consider the two choices she had proposed, "[color=#DC143C]Obviously I lean one way, but duty also dictates I do not abandon you all. So, until we come to some form of agreement, I won't pass through that door myself.[/color]"

"[color=#DC143C]Oh and Miss Grenoble,[/color]" she turned, "[color=#DC143C]catch.[/color]"

The underhand toss was gentle and on target, Dana's light had made sure she wasn't throwing blind, but even as she committed to the action Vanna realized it wasn't exactly proper. Her underlying excitement during the whole ordeal had slipped through ever so subtly. 

[i][color=#DC143C]Ah well.[/color][/i]