[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/tQYxTnX.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/OMrO8a9.png[/img][/center] [hr] [i]"[color=f49ac2]How's the knee, Vanna? Took a pretty nasty fall there.[/color]" "[color=#DC143C]Who won?[/color]"[/i] An unfamiliar ceiling. [i][color=#DC143C]Clean[/color][/i]. While the room itself may have been foreign, the smell was anything but. The sterile air, the subtle scent of antiseptic: it wasn't hard to recognize to the telltale signs of a hospital. Some hallmarks stay true regardless of country. The dressing may change but the essence will remain. [i][color=#DC143C]We survived[/color][/i]. [i][color=#DC143C]We?[/color][/i] Unless God possessed a sardonic sense of humor, being in a hospital meant she had survived the encounter with the Void. But had the others? How could any of the day's events be counted as a success if even a single one of her fellow cadets had perished? Was it even the same day for that matter? [i][color=#DC143C]Slow[/color][/i]. Her thought were racing- a scattered mind left to process the comedown of tumultuous events. She was filled with questions about the Void, herself, her fellow students, but now was not the time for such queries. She was alive the rest of her answers would come in time. Right now she had to take stock of the rest of her facilities as she did her best to sit up in the hospital bed. A dull ache coarsed throughout the daughter of Diana, her muscles no doubt pleading to be spared from such overexertion in the future. A brush of her hand revealed bandages and stitches addressing the wound across her cheek. The fresh pain of the attack was long gone, if anything the stitches hurt more than the wound itself. But even that pain felt dampened, no doubt the result of medication provided by the doctor in charge. [i][color=#DC143C]Tomorrow's pain[/color][/i]. Her shuffling must have alerted a nurse to Vanna's freshly conscious state as the door to her room soon opened. Vanna's lingering questions would go unanswered, at least for now, as it quickly became apparently that the nurse had a timetable to keep. And thus Vanna found herself whisked away for more tests. [i][color=#DC143C]Busy day[/color][/i]. [hr] An hour later, she found herself in a car ride with the other cadets, everyone had survived and mostly unscathed for that matter. [i][color=#DC143C]Mostly[/color][/i]. The cast around Penny's arm stuck out as a sore reminder of the harrowing duel. Still her gambit had worked, a fact the upbeat Venusian readily delivered to Vanna. Nicole's boundless energy and eagerness to fill in the blanks for the lady of Potentia was greatly appreciated. Although it was evident the events of the day had demolished previous pretenses of decorum. [i][color=#DC143C]Babe?[/color][/i] Well perhaps decorum wasn't the right umbrella to classify rules about referring to a Duodecim as babe under, but Vanna didn't exactly have the energy left to care. Besides the information provided was far too valuable to interrupt with lessons on [i][color=#DC143C]etiquette?[/color][/i] No, even that word didn't quite fit. [i][color=#DC143C]Tangent[/color][/i]. Her mind was getting sidetracked; the information about the mysterious enemy combatant in particular was far more pertinent. A mysterious Ars Magi-esque figure but one fighting on behest of the Void? It was news to her, and [i][color=#DC143C]worrying[/color][/i] news at that. But it also wasn't as though there was anything that could be done at this moment. Yet another problem for tomorrow. Today's battle, as close and difficult as it may have been, had resulted in a victory and that's what mattered. As she pressed her head against the window, looking out towards the military city that would be her home for the next few years, the normally inscrutable young lady couldn't help but smile. [i][color=#DC143C]Joy?[/color][/i] [hr] Another hour passed and the daughter of Diana finally took her first step in her new home. Her first greeting came not from a person, but from the blaring of music and the sight of a young redhead hard at work. [i][color=#DC143C]Shame to interrupt her.[/color][/i] “Oh--hey! They said you’d show up eventually. I’m Cara.” The other girl held out a hand in greeting that Vanna had no qualms accepting, sweat covered as it may have been. She had spent too much time around soldiers and sparring with her brothers to be bothered by such an inconsequential detail. "[color=#DC143C]Diana Khay Vanna of Potentia. A pleasure.[/color]" as her response left her mouth, Vanna found herself surprised at just how tired she sounded. “Is your face okay?” "[color=#DC143C]The cut will heal, but I must say I admire your dedication,[/color]" she responded truthfully, nodding her head towards the center of the room, "[color=#DC143C]Apologies for the distraction. Don't let me stop you.[/color]" She didn't waste any further time on pleasantries, she wasn't trying to be rude and hopefully the other girl would understand as much. She was simply tired. She needed a shower to wash away the grime of battle, and whatever hours of rest she could scrounge together to heal her body. And that's what she did. Her last thoughts before she drifted to sleep was a grim realization. She'd miss a morning run. [i][color=#DC143C]Slacking[/color][/i]. [hr] Any hopes she had for a relaxing initiation evaporated to the sound of trumpets. At this point the days were [i][color=#DC143C]blurring together[/color][/i], hopefully at the end of today the cycle would finally break. But now wasn't the time to ponder over such thoughts, she had a face to wash, teeth to brush, hair to straighten, a uniform to wear... The list went on, but the deadline was fixed, 30 minutes to make it to the main hall. Now was not the time to remain weary. Things continued to proceed at a blistering pace, a speech from the headmaster, tests by the facility, it was all just [i][color=#DC143C]noise[/color][/i]. A part of her felt shame at not properly investing in the day's activities. It was a grand day, and there was an obligation to treat it as such, but after having faced a Void and called forth her magic everything else felt hollow, [i][color=#DC143C]uninspiring[/color][/i]. The minutiae, the congratulatory speeches all felt like needless road bumps along her path. She had had her first taste of the rest of her life. It had been dangerous and humbling; a situation she had done her best to maintain her composure during. [i][color=#DC143C]But...[/color][/i] It had also been [i][color=#DC143C]fun?[/color][/i] As always, the Duodecim heir made sure to not allow her frustrations appear across her face as she daintily partook in the banquet laid out for the cadets. She wasn't one to join in the conversation around her, it simply did not interest her. No doubt she would soon be called upon to introduce her roommate, but until then she'd enjoy the food. Better than the front, worse than home. [i][color=#DC143C]7/10[/color][/i]