Discussion goes on for the rest of the hour and pizza is agreed upon eventually. Plans are made, and eventually the chimes ring out to signal the end of free time. It’s back to the dorm rooms after, one light after another flickering out as the cadets find sleep after a long and difficult day.

The next several weeks pass more uneventfully than the past few days. It may almost be disappointing, going from facing down multiple Voids sitting in classrooms and staring down reams of homework and stacks of academic material. There are still both physical and magical drills that take place over the intervening time, but both are more strictly regimented and more limited in scope than the cadet’s earlier trial by fire.   

For the more restless of Nova Lux’s students there is at least some good news in the announcement that comes the day after their initiation: The students are now allowed to explore the city without supervision. There’s a curfew in place for cadets, but otherwise the city of Palmyra is theirs to explore during their evenings and weekends.

The city itself is, as Nicole has noted, not Hasta. Palmyra’s ancestry is Russian, built on the bones of an old port city, but its future is an eclectic mix of European and Asian influences. Several generations of immigrants and refugees have influenced the culture and feel of the sanctum city, shown in the mix of languages that paint billboards and street signage. In some places old stone buildings give way to steel skyscrapers and packed housing structures reminiscent of old Eastern living, the city forced to expand upward rather than out. 

It’s a military city, the most prominent features being Nova Lux, the Officer’s Academy, Palmyra’s Military Zone, and all the structures required to support of those pivotal institutions. Yet there’s still some charm to be found amidst its streets, some bastions of society and entertainment. Movie theaters, karaoke rooms, arcades, restaurants, shopping districts and parks, while they might not be grand affairs or cultural landmarks there’s something for everyone. 

During these weeks, several pieces of news also circulate through the academy and amongst the student body. The chief item of interest is the announcement of the academies’ Inaugural Ball, a joint event held for both the newly minted Ars Magi and recently enrolled students from Nova Lux’s sister school, the Palmyra Officers Academy. Officially it’s billed as a chance to build relationships between the Ars Magi cadets and the peers they’ll be working with over the coming years, though the more cynical speculate it’s more likely an opportunity for the Imperium to show off their new crop of weapons to the Duodecim’s various dignitaries. 

Until then though the five girls from the Laurus have time to themselves and the city to explore--at least when they aren’t in class.