[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/dd1dfa33-b8c0-444a-8561-58aa2eea9b45.png[/img][/center][right][sub][@Scribe of Thoth][@Hero][/sub][/right]
The rest of the day after the fog cleared was less eventful than Lienna expected. Veronica was full of piss, vinegar, and ominous warnings, sure, but “I hope you don’t come to regret your decision” wasn’t much of a threat when she was already feeling pretty good about how things turned out. The fog cleared to reveal four very unlucky bandits and an angry, but very much alive princess: all things considered, things worked out better than Lienna expected. 

The others were shocked at the sight, as one would expect, but aside from a suspiciously short line of questioning from Michail, nobody really had much to say on the matter. All the better—Lienna wasn’t interested in talking about it. Besides, with the entire class somehow limping back in one piece, and with scores of displaced villagers in tow, there seemed to be bigger fish to fry than the quick and unceremonious burial of a few impaled bandits. 

But even as they got back to the Monastery and she watched half her classmates shuffle around like ghosts, what confused Lienna was how [i]ordinary[/i] everything felt. Sure, the bodies were a disturbing sight, and she’d confess some weakness in the knees after fighting for her life, but it didn’t feel… life-changing. Not the way the realities of bloodshed seemed to hit her classmates, anyway. Could it be that she really was just, tragically, [i]used[/i] to it? It wasn’t like she’d ever taken up a place on the front lines, but even the semi-annual raids in Hima, which brought with them fire, death, and destruction, eventually felt routine. Everyone knew what to do: grab your children, run for the forest, try not to be found, and scrape together whatever was left in the morning. The terror in the moment never faded, sure, but the aftermath was simply not extraordinary. 

It seemed dark, but Lienna supposed this might be the same. All that really changed was the change of scenery in her dreams, from frozen forests with the glow of fire on her back to idyllic fields marred with blood and ice. She still woke up panting, but that was already routine. Why taking four lives didn’t astonish her more was a heavier consideration than she was interested in getting into, but she decided she’d chalk it up to that lifetime of exposure to violence and the satisfaction of finally holding her ground. It was them or her, after all; she won, she’d earned the right to go on and prosper. Why should she suffer a weight on her conscience when she simply did what was in her best interest? 

That’s what she would tell herself, at least. 

For better or worse, she got plenty of time to mull over it. Most of her classes were droned out of books she couldn’t parse and filled with classmates who stared into the distance, pallid and still, paying as little attention as she did, so there didn’t seem to be much expectation for her to listen. Hmpf. The “Heroes of Luin” (she didn’t miss the baskets outside the other students’ doors) seemed to finally appreciate the meaning of battle, at least. Still, she was eager to get that day behind her, if only to clear the endless, tedious loop of wondering in her head. At the very least, the day brought a few new things to wonder over: For one, Lienna stepped out of her room that morning to find a letter bearing Count Francis’ seal. Unfortunately her fiancé had written it in that illegible loopy style the nobles had, but it [i]looked[/i] like a matter of some importance; her guess was further justified when Auberon approached her later in the day, “asking” her to meet him to talk about some topic he’d only divulge as “politics”. Maybe the Queen chose a new national flower or something; that seemed like something patriotic and inane enough to get Auberon’s feathers ruffled. 

A Rose Unit meeting to debrief the battle seemed like an appropriately uninteresting end to an inappropriately uninteresting day. With no frame of reference, most of what was said went far over Lienna’s head, although she did concede an inward groan at Auberon’s recognition. Just what he needed, a further inflated head. The withdrawal of some students she couldn’t remember was as unsurprising as everything else had been thus far, though the introduction of a new addition to the Unit was interesting, although if the “von” in the new kid’s name denoted Imperial heritage rather than Leicesterian, Lienna suspected the two might not get along. Hells, she half-expected Veronica to rally the Black Eagles as a whole against her. Of course, she was hardly intimidated; doubly so when the new boy revealed himself to be so insignificant looking the eye practically slid over him. 

Lienna was impatiently waiting for the meeting to come to an end when Auberon turned around and addressed the Lions, her brow raising in response. “Can’t let the Deer outperform us”? She had to wonder if he hadn’t laid eyes on her garden of bodies when he got back after the battle. It had been totally unexpected, sure, but performance was performance, wasn’t it? Or perhaps he was just insecure that he was the only Lion applauded and the other two scolded in the debrief. 

[color=baa7c7]“Fine,”[/color] she tepidly agreed, leaning an elbow on the desk in front of her. [color=baa7c7]“But don’t bother coming to get me for another ‘sunrise spar’.”[/color] She just barely resisted rolling her eyes. 

Across the room, Tomai looked over at Veronica, who was looking right at him. Letting out a sigh, he stood from his seat with a book in hand. He mechanically walked over to Lienna, knocking on the wood of the desk to catch her attention.

[color=red]“We need to talk. Come,”[/color] He stated simply, taking off as quickly as he came.

[hider=What are you, an expert?]Lienna blinked when a knock on the desk grabbed her attention, and she followed the offending arm up to see Professor Tomai, looking not entirely pleased. Wanted to talk, did he? Confused as to why he wouldn’t have brought whatever this was up at the end of their earlier black magic class, she glanced around the room for a possible cause, only to find a murderous-eyed Veronica pouting across the room. Ah. The Imperial Rose was still mad, and pressuring her countryman to do her dirty work. It took all Lienna had not to openly sigh, but she stood regardless, making her disinterest known—at least to anyone who was looking—as she followed Tomai out of the room. What exactly did Veronica expect out of this? Expulsion? Well, probably, but it was Veronica’s word against hers, and Lienna had a sneaking suspicion that the four bodies outside of Luin and the (mostly) intact Princess fell more on her side of the dispute than Veronica’s. 

But rather than be frogmarched across the Monastery like a prisoner out for questioning, she picked up the pace a bit to fall into step with Tomai, straightening up to look at him. [color=baa7c7]“And where will we be talking?”[/color]

[color=red]"I'm going to my office, but we can talk on the way and get it over with. If we finish before, great, if not we finish there,"[/color] He stated, though he decided not to leave her in the dark for too long. [color=red]"I'll admit, I took you for a shrewd one, but using other people as bait did end up surprising me."[/color]

Lienna’s eyebrows raised in surprise that he’d just come right out with it, but her expression quickly turned outright unamused. [color=baa7c7]“Bait?”[/color] she scoffed, [color=baa7c7]“Like I said before, it was—”[/color]

[color=red]"You knew the cover of the fog was just enough that you could escape your enemies, and in an opportune moment chose to get them all together to take them all out at once,"[/color] Tomai cut in, deciding that he wouldn't hear whatever excuse she had. [color=red]"Truthfully, it’s a practice best used when you have the edge over the enemy. That said, when you enact such a plan, someone usually [i]volunteers[/i] to act as bait, they don’t get thrown in unawares."[/color]

Lienna’s mouth was still open to continue her explanation, but after a second of thinking she closed it, narrowing her eyes at her professor. [color=baa7c7]“Fine,”[/color] she conceded, dropping her innocent act. She crossed her arms, straightening her back a touch as she turned her face resolutely forward. [color=baa7c7]“I suppose the excuse that there wasn’t much time for explaining won’t help me, so what’ll it be, then? Expulsion? I shall write to my fiancé. Or do you mean to throw me at the mercy of the Imperial guard?”[/color] She wasn’t sure if such a thing existed, but surely there was some branch of the Adrestian military responsible for disposing of would-be assassins. 

Tomai openly rolled his eyes. [color=red]"Spare me the theatrics, will you? I had enough having to listen to the princess consort's tales, I'm not in the mood to listen to more babbling,"[/color] He ended up replying flatly. [color=red]"I have to assume you're old enough to realize when you're in the wrong, and despite protocol stating that I need to bring this up to Michail, my time is more valuable than his, so I'd rather nip this in the bud as soon as possible."[/color]

He opened up the book he had, withdrawing a page to read off. [color=red]"Truthfully, I'm more concerned that you don't have as much control over your magic as you believe. The princess consort was injured in the process, but with the strength of the spell used that each bandit was dealt with, I can deduct that while you cared little of her fate, you weren't actively looking to kill her. Am I correct?"[/color]

Resisting the urge to groan, Lienna looked off somewhere in the other direction, though curiosity drew her eye back when Tomai produced a page from his book—not that she could read it. Where she expected a dire warning, however, she got something much more baffling. Tomai didn’t think she had as much control as she thought? It took all she had not to burst into laughter. She was lucky any of those icicles went in the right direction! She only trusted her life to her magic because she had only a split second to think and no other options; no way in the seven hells would she ever have thought that she was good enough to go toe-to-toe with [i]four[/i] murderous bandits, however dull they might be. Preserving Veronica had been an afterthought at best; it was a miracle she didn’t get skewered with the rest of them. 

[color=baa7c7]“No, of course not—”[/color] she began to answer, though as she finally looked Tomai in the face again, her half-lie died in her throat. It wasn’t like she owed this man any explanation, but… well, there was something piercing about him that she wasn’t sure she could hide from. Tomai always gave her the impression he could see right through her, so she sighed, deflating a bit. It would be pointless to lie to him. 

[color=baa7c7]“... well, I was really more focused on dispatching the bandits,”[/color] she confessed coldly, ripping her eyes back to the path ahead of her. [color=baa7c7]“But no, I didn’t [i]intend[/i] to kill her.”[/color] 

He gave a noncommittal noise of acknowledgement, never really taking his eyes off her. [color=red]“Glad to hear it,”[/color] He muttered, clearing his throat. [color=red]“But in the spirit of fairness as the [i]Goddess[/i] so loves to decree, I would like to hear your side as well.”[/color]

Well, that was a lot tamer than she expected. 

Lienna looked to Tomai in surprise, though if he was content to get right along with the conversation, she certainly wouldn’t stop him. But what was there to say? She’d given Michail all the highlights, and Tomai read between the lines all on his own. 

She glanced up at him suspiciously. [color=baa7c7]“Are you asking as an investigator, or as a professor of magic?”[/color]

[color=red]“Both,”[/color] Tomai replied bluntly.

Narrowing her eyes, Lienna stopped walking, weighing her options for a moment. If Tomai really was acting at Veronica’s behest—and not Veronica the student, but Veronica the future Princess Consort—then she wasn’t interested in incriminating herself further. But, at the same time, she couldn’t see Tomai interested in wasting his time to placate a noble of a country he didn’t even appear to live in anymore. And, well… she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t itching to get his insight into what she’d managed to do that day. 

Staying in her spot, she tapped her chin for a moment, putting her thoughts in order. [color=baa7c7]“Well, we were alone with the carriages,”[/color] she began. [color=baa7c7]“Veronica went off into the forest for a moment, and while I was alone, those bandits approached on horseback.”[/color] 

She paused a moment as a chill crept up her spine, the fear that struck her in those long approaching moments still fresh, even in memory. [color=baa7c7]“When I realized they weren’t going to pass by, I hid in the weapons’ cart and tried to arm myself. They came closer, so I activated that wand Professor Michail gave me, creating the smoke.”[/color] She twined her fingers together, eager for a distraction. [color=baa7c7]“I had a bow, and when they opened the cart, I shot one of them. I thought I got him, but I later learned that the arrow just glanced off his helmet. In the confusion, I jumped out of the cart and tried to distract them.”[/color] 

[color=baa7c7]“But the injured one found me first, and by then, my weapon was gone.”[/color] She swallowed. [color=baa7c7]“He, uh— he grabbed me, so I stabbed him with the wand.”[/color] The last few words came out as a humourless chuckle, the image of a frail girl stabbing at a grown man with a stick ridiculous even to her. But as her thoughts turned to what happened next, the tint of distress that was creeping onto her face melted into an expression of pure concentration, her eyes focused in the distance, as if on the man she’d killed in the fog. 

[color=baa7c7]“I squirmed out of his grip and moved back. And since I didn’t have anything but the wand, I focused into it, and cast Blizzard.”[/color] Lienna waved her arm out before her, miming the motion she’d taken with the wand. [color=baa7c7]“A rune flashed before me, and the spell resolved stronger than I’m used to. The area of effect must have been at least twice as large as normal.”[/color] 

Her voice turned monotone, calculative. As if she were examining the evidence herself. [color=baa7c7]“The other ones heard the commotion and approached; I hid, and made a run for the edge when I got the chance. I didn’t expect to get so lucky again, let [i]alone[/i] take them all at once. And then, well,”[/color] she shrugged. [color=baa7c7]“You know the rest.”[/color] 

Tomai ended up listening intently, his eyebrows raising a few times, but he otherwise remained completely silent. Whether or not he was looking for something was unclear, but it was obvious he wasn’t going to say anything until Lienna finished. Once she did, however, he remained quiet for a second, thinking to himself as the two of them resumed walking. 

Taking in a breath, he finally decided to respond. [color=red]“So the reason your magic was greater than usual was because of that ‘rune’—which would be your Crest,”[/color] He started there. [color=red]“It may have been an unconscious decision made under duress. Interesting...did you feel anything different? A surge of power, a chill, a change in your subconscious?”[/color]

Lienna furrowed her brow. [color=baa7c7]“My Crest?”[/color] she repeated disbelievingly. Really? She’d lived with this thing her whole life; she was under the impression that she didn’t have any of those fancy superpowers some people seemed to have with them. Or was magnification of magic something all Crests could do?

She chewed her cheek in thought, but finally replied, [color=baa7c7]“I suppose the magic felt more… willing. Like it jumped out of me rather than being pushed. I thought it was the wand, though; it felt like it was pulling energy from me when I used it for the fog.”[/color] She looked back up to Tomai incredulously. [color=baa7c7]“Are you sure it couldn’t have been the wand? The rune wasn’t familiar to me. Or… I don’t know, maybe a little, like I might have seen it in one of those tomes of yours or something. But I’m fairly sure it wasn’t the Gautier symbol. Or is the rune that appears when that happens not necessarily the symbol we draw to denote a Crest?”[/color] 

[color=red]“The wand’s gem would have given you a small boost of magic, yes, but not to the magnitude that I saw when we returned,”[/color] He corrected her on that much first, albeit he was a touch confused on her second point. [color=red]“If you have the Crest of Gautier, then that is the symbol that appears before you. Are you certain that you have said Crest?”[/color]

[color=baa7c7]“Yes,”[/color] Lienna blurted out, almost laughing. [color=baa7c7]“What other Crest would I get that deep in Gautier territory? Besides, with the rumours I heard about some of the Gautier men in history, it’s a wonder every peasant up there isn’t red-haired and promiscuous.”[/color] It was a crude joke, fine, but it got the point across. She would certainly hope it was the Crest of Gautier she had, seeing as she upended her whole life for—she held up a hand, remembering something. [color=baa7c7]“Oh, and when I arranged my engagement with Count Francis, he had a priest from his territory confirm it with one of those machines the churches have—a Hanneman machine,”[/color] she corrected herself, recalling the Professor’s explanation at the start of classes. [color=baa7c7]“Lots of people would falsely claim to have Crests to get the sort of deal I got, see.”[/color] 

She twined her hands behind her back, getting back to the topic at hand with a thoughtful frown. [color=baa7c7]“Why would a different symbol appear before me, then?”[/color] Hopefully there was some small detail they were overlooking—it would be embarrassing, to say the least, if it turned out she simply couldn’t recognize the symbol of her own Crest after all. 

[color=red]“If you have the Crest of Gautier, then the Crest of Gautier is what appears whenever your Crest is activated. That’s just basic Crestology,”[/color] he insisted. [color=red]“Other Crests don’t appear on accident, this is the [i]only[/i] consistent part of Crests that’s been confirmed for hundreds of years.”[/color]

[color=baa7c7]“Then are you [i]sure[/i] it was a Crest I saw?”[/color] Lienna shot back, crossing her arms. [color=baa7c7]“What if it was just a rune? Runes appear when some spells are cast; maybe it was a remnant of the cloaking spell within the wand. Or maybe the combination of my Blizzard and whatever the fog spell was ended up casting something different entirely?”[/color] 

Tomai leveled a flat look, coming to a stop. They had reached the long bridge, and he figured this was as good a spot as any. Looking around, he made sure there wouldn’t be anyone else walking towards them as he extended his hand. Several runes appeared in a magical circle, slowly gathering power; it was obvious that he was charging up the spell to specifically show off the circle to Lienna. He carelessly fired off the spell, turning back to her without looking at where it went.

[color=red]“[i]That[/i] is a runic circle—you can’t do anything with a single rune, you have to weave them together in order to create a spell,”[/color] He explained before closing his eyes. Holding up a finger, he concentrated hard, a flash of a Crest appearing before him before fading away. Opening his eyes, he opened his hand as he gathered a small amount of magic, the same Crest appearing in the center.

[color=red]“And [i]this[/i] is a Crest, same symbol that appeared before, and this is specifically the Crest of Lamine. There’s a clear distinction between the two,”[/color] He stated plainly.

Lienna peered carefully at Tomai’s demonstrations, but was no more moved in her evaluation. [color=baa7c7]“I’m telling you, it wasn’t my Crest that appeared before me. And it wasn’t that one either, for the record.”[/color] She chewed her cheek, puzzling over the problem despite having none of the knowledge required to solve it. Could single runes “break” off of larger matrices and fly out with a particularly strong spell? Did that even make sense? She paced a little in place, trying to come up with [i]something[/i] useful to suggest. 

[color=baa7c7]“And I know what the Crest of Gautier looks like, before you ask,”[/color] she added defensively. [color=baa7c7]“It’s… it’s like— like a circle holding two lances, one up and one down.”[/color] She vaguely drew out the symbol in the air before her, and crossed her arms once more, clearly frustrated. 

While he was willing to listen to her, it was clear that Tomai wasn’t swayed. [color=red]“I’ll agree that that doesn’t sound like the Gautier Crest, but as I said, if you have that Crest, then that’s what showed up. Either that, or you were mistaken in the Crest you initially identified with,”[/color] He stated calmly.

[color=baa7c7]“Shh!”[/color] Lienna hissed, quickly looking around the area for anyone who might overhear. She froze for a second, hands curled up to her chest like a panicking grandmother, before throwing them down and stepping closer to Tomai. 

[color=baa7c7]“I-I mean, please don’t go saying things like that like it’s nothing. Someone could hear,”[/color] she explained, her voice barely over a whisper. She felt a little foolish for spouting off like that, but it made the situation no less dire. Nonetheless, she straightened her posture, and did her best to wipe the sudden panic off her face. 

[color=baa7c7]“Listen, Professor. I’m sure it’s not surprising that my whole arrangement here hinges on me having a Crest,”[/color] she continued. [color=baa7c7]“But Count Francis won’t just take in a peasant from [i]Hima[/i] and send her to the best school in Fódlan for [i]someone else’s[/i] Crest. You don’t understand, the Gautiers are the most Crest-intensive House in Faerghus. They disown their own children for it! And they don’t just need [i]a[/i] Crest, they need [i]their[/i] Crest, [i]Gautier’s[/i] Crest, so they can secure a strong bloodline and wield the Lance of Ruin and—”[/color]

Lienna cut herself off when she noticed her voice was rising. She took a slow breath, bringing her hands down in front of her, and her tone of voice as well. [color=baa7c7]“I don’t know what’s going on, but there must be some other explanation because [i]I have[/i] the Minor Crest of Gautier, okay?”[/color] 

[color=red]“There really isn’t any other explanation,”[/color] He replied, albeit in a lower voice. [color=red]“The study of Crestology has its rules laid out, there really aren’t any exceptions or rarities in the basics. While the study of the secondary abilities are still in question, never has there been a case where the actual Crest appears as another.”[/color]

Despite having said his piece, he figured there was another way to confirm. [color=red]“But if you’re so certain, I have a Hanneman machine in my office. Let’s go ahead and confirm it for ourselves, shall we?”[/color]

Lienna shifted on her feet, glancing around the area once more. The logical part of her brain told her to drop the issue, let Tomai puzzle over it on his own, and pretend nothing ever happened. Something in her wondered if she’d put her hand over Tomai’s Hanneman machine and really see another Crest pop up, and thereby watch the life she’d so carefully built for herself go up in smoke. But that was impossible, right? She’d been tested on not one, but [i]two[/i] Hanneman machines, and even if the dusty old one in Hima’s rundown church malfunctioned, surely the newer model Count Francis requested himself wouldn’t make the same mistake. Other Crests were all but unheard of in that area, and even if one managed to weasel in, the odds were overwhelmingly in Fraldarius’ favour. It would be foolish to even agree, and let whoever was watching her witness that tiny sliver of doubt in the Count’s contract. 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t those logical voices that won out, but the burning curiosity behind them. She drew a shaky breath, but nodded. [color=baa7c7]“Alright.”[/color] [/hider]
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