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The journey to Garreg Mach Monastery would have taken them days if they rode hard and followed the traveler's roads, but Imogen was delighted to realize that Caius was as reluctant to drop her off the academy as she had been to leave him. So instead of days, their trip lasted weeks. They stopped to examine every little thing that caught her interest, visited towns along the way to try their local dishes, set up camp only where their view of the night sky was unobstructed. Imogen had never thought her life boring before, especially when she went out of her way to experience new things every day. But now that she had a taste of the world beyond her quaint Yarrow, she didn't think she could ever stay put there again. Or anywhere, really.

The weeks on the road with Caius had been the most fun she's had in ages. High up in Fódlan's Throat, settled upon a tree she claimed as her own, Imogen thought she had understood how vast the world truly was. To think that was really just a sliver! When she's bedridden and dying of old age, surrounded by all the treasure she amassed during her stint as a pirate legend, her grandchildren would be gathered around her, not-so-secretly waiting for her to kick the bucket so they could fight over her fortune. To while away the hours, they would ask her to tell tales of her incredible life and she would mention this moment. Resting under a blanket of stars after having discovered a world of endless possibilities. Then she'd probably go on about how she had [i]at least[/i] six nobles fighting for her hand in marriage and then, just as she draws her last breath, she'd call out her favorite grandchild and tell them they get everything and [i]ha, too bad, non-favorites, you should have tried harded at currying my favor.[/i]

…wait, what was her point again? Oh, right. Basically, these last few weeks have been forever etched in her heart.

Caius had arranged the trip with her spontaneity in mind and it seemed he had perfected the formula. They reached the neighboring town the night before the opening ceremony, with enough time to get some rest at the local inn. On the not-so-bright side, it meant they had only the wee hours of the night to say their goodbyes. Caius would leave in the morning—he had this thing where he absolutely will not step foot inside Garreg Mach; which, uh, she probably should've asked about—and she would make the final trek to the monastery alone.

Parting with him proved more painful than she anticipated and she was a blubbering mess of tears and snot in between bursts of excitement at the prospects tomorrow would bring. Sobs and laughter alternatingly wracked her frame throughout the night until she finally cried herself to sleep. Imogen awoke the next day with all her belongings neatly packed, the corner of an envelope sticking out of her favorite heart-shaped bag, the one he'd crafted for her birthday years ago, and no Caius in sight. Her lips jutted out in a pout and her eyes narrowed exaggeratedly, neck craned up so that none of the tears that had welled up would fall anywhere but back inside. [color=ffb5c2][i]No fair![/i][/color] He knew she wanted to see him off. Caius doesn't get any more tears after leaving without a word, that jerk.

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It was the doodle on the board that snapped Imogen out of her half-dazed stupor. She blinked away the vestiges of her daydream, looking around to get her bearings. Here's hoping the pretty professor didn't say something too important. Paying attention was never a specialty of hers, although to her credit, she did catch snippets of her welcome speech. Deer, house, Jorah; it sounded like the beginning of a letter. There was more the professor had to say, but by then, she had been too busy laughing at the sketch of a knight on a horse. It almost looked familiar!

After the professor dismissed them, her classmates began to introduce themselves one by one. Imogen tried her best to keep track of their names, although she had a tendency to put her own spin on them as a way to remember them better. So let's see. A laidback-seeming but regal-looking Rai who's going to the cafeteria to… eat wyverns? She probably misunderstood something there. A no-nonsense Clary with hair like fire and lots of serious words at her disposal. A smiley Jory who talked a lot and made her think of sunshine. He's leading them somewhere? She had been so intent on memorizing their names and faces that the class dispersed without her realizing, missing the chance to introduce herself. Although, Imogen supposed that was for the best. Her house didn't have a name--though it does look kind of like barn, so maybe she can mention that--and she didn't know where to get fancy titles like theirs, so her introduction wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining.

Imogen followed the last of her classmates out into the courtyard, unsure what she should be doing next. Explore? Get to know the others? See if they actually served wyverns in the cafeteria? Students and teachers alike were scattered in the vicinity, including fire-haired Clary and smiley Jory who looked to be sharing an intimate moment behind that pillar over there. Imogen liked to tease the couples back in her town, but it might be too soon to do that here, so she restrained herself for the moment. Instead, she plopped down onto the first open space she found in the courtyard and laid on the grass with arms and legs spread wide, looking up at the sky idly.

With so many things happening today, Imogen realized she'd hardly gotten the chance to really absorb her new surroundings. She traded in her mountains for another; one unfamiliar, untested, its secrets unknown to her. There was a reverence to this place that she could feel in the air, unsettling almost, a stark contrast to the wildness of Fódlan's Throat. Imogen wondered if she'd ever get used to it.