[center][img]https://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjQ0LmRmNGQxMS5RMnhoY21semMyRWdkbTl1SUVWa2JYVnVaQSwsLjAA/allegratta-personal-use.regular.png[/img][/center]
[hr]

Wonderful. Bumbling idiots one and two took to stride with barely a breath’s hesitation. She’d foolishly hoped two years apart would have matured their behavior somewhat; perhaps she still had some penchant for fantasy after all. Clarissa rubbed lightly at her temples as Raimund finally took his seat once more, praying to the Goddess that the instructors would have the foresight to limit Jorah and Raimund’s activity before they bullied the entire grounds into it. 

But she turned away from the inevitable chaos as the other House’s spoke up. There would be time to mourn the loss of her sanity later. Her greatest concern were the other House Leaders. Auberon Galatea’s directness left little to the imagination and she appreciated that greatly. She’d need to get to know him sooner rather than later; his piousness was refreshing and a conversation with someone outside the Church about their beliefs would be a wonderful way to pass an afternoon. The Imperial Prince was another story altogether. A proper introduction gave way to informality startlingly quick and it was all she could do to not to roll her eyes. What was with boys at this age? They all wanted to drink, dance, and make merry with their pointy toys and ignore the weight on their shoulders. She felt a pang of sympathy for Auberon who, although still wanted to play with his weapons, seemed to have a reasonable head on his shoulders. Cethlean, Cichol, Indech, and Macuil guide the lot of them. 

Clarissa enjoyed the other Blue Lions as well. Kellen’s awkwardness was charming in it’s own way, reminding her of a child on their first day at Roundtable. Hopefully this year would ease the tension out of his nerves, poor thing. Lienna Ornheart struck her immediately as a survivor; she moved like she wasn’t entirely comfortable with her own skin, or more likely the trappings she now found herself in, and her closing point focused on creating relationships. Clarissa made a mental note to find out about her goals. Jorah may find himself stuck in the very thing he ran away from if he suddenly became sweet on her. She didn’t have much to go on with Derek. He hadn’t put much personality on display with his introduction and while it certainly could have been a strange case of the nerves or that he simply had no personality, she wasn’t ready to settle on that. 

The Black Eagles continued the trend the Blue Lions set. She didn’t particularly care for them, much like their leader. The siblings seemed less real and more a comedic relief from a play as extremely different as their personalities were. Valerian seemed eager to prove her point about all boys only caring about playing with their toys and she didn’t bother hiding the exasperated sigh at the whole ordeal. Another idiot, wonderful. At least she wouldn’t be partially responsible for this one. Of course, her wandering attention snapped back when the Princess Consort introduced herself and if she thought Lienna was a survivor, Clarissa knew Veronica was a shark. Another one to keep an eye on. Maybe she could find a way to rope the three of them into some activities so she could get a better sense of what was behind them. 

Although the professors and introductions left Clarissa with plenty of food for thought, none of it mattered in the face of the bubbling excitement at attending a sermon from Lord Ioannis himself. Even her furious disapproval at the idiot twosome was mostly forgotten. She barely made her goodbyes to the other Deers and was out the door as quickly as she could muster without running, absolutely beaming. It was such a blessed experience, having others who found comfort and solace and peace in the teachings of the Goddess. The Leicester Alliance wasn’t particularly faithful and while at home she could easily find companions in faith, her travels often kept her away for months and the Leicester Alliance was not known for its faithfulness to the Church. 

A gasp tore out of her throat as she froze. She’d known, objectively, about the Cathedral's splendor of course but seeing how the midday sun glowed through the stained glass, the Goddess a myriad of ethereal colors, in person was more beautiful than she’d imagined. And the people. Seeing so many, all here for the same purpose, united in their beliefs, basking in the sacred divinity that rose from the very stones was almost too much for her. It felt like an affirmation for all the things she;d worked towards, everything she’d done so far was correct, like a reward for the blood, sweat, and tears she’d poured into her life’s calling and it almost overwhelmed her. She could feel the tears prickle at her eyes so she wiped them away hurriedly and took her seat, letting the enthusiasm of the sermon sweep her away. 

Afterwards, she took a moment to compose herself. The rest of the day was theirs to settle in but she wasn’t quite ready to leave the Cathedral yet. She kept to the pews a moment, watching the others mingle as she just basked in the feeling of holiness that permeated the air, but that came to a quick end when she noticed the Archbishop wandering among the people. Again, she froze and she repeated some of Jorah’s more colorful language internally (because if he ever knew she sometimes slipped, she’d never hear the end of it and she couldn’t and wouldn’t deal with that). This was an amazing opportunity not just politically but also just for her. The chance to speak with the Archbishop? When would she ever have that again? With that thought, she forced herself to her feet and wove through the crowd to catch him.

[color=FF650E]“Archbishop, your sermon was inspired! I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything like it!”[/color] Clarissa gushed as soon as she caught up with him, forgetting her manners in her excitement. [color=FF650E]“Back home, the Church doesn’t have much of a presence and having the  opportunity to attend something like this… I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am! This is just absolutely wonderful!”[/color] Clarissa’s energy didn’t fade but she managed to reign herself in with a mortified look and then curtsied.

[color=FF650E]“My apologies, I let myself get carried away. Clarissa von Edmund, at your service. I have the honor of attending the Officer’s Academy this year; although, I supposed since you hand picked us, you must already know that.”[/color] Clarissa considered after her introduction.