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[hider=better late than never: the stables pt. II, with chionne and only]
The stable boy wiped his brow as he finished replacing the pegasus’ last horseshoe. He gave it a pat before turning to Chionne, who stroked its mane gently. She nodded, using her free hand to dismiss him before turning her full attention to the animal. It was still highly nervous, but once the stableboy left, he was considerably calmer.

[color=#66cdaa]“Hopefully you’ll stop throwing fits whenever you’re ridden.”[/color] She chastised it calmly, taking the reins in hand as she led it to its stable. Once she locked it up, she stretched her arms before placing her hands behind her head, stopping as she spotted a blob of pink hair. Ah, this is the one Michail had been talking about.

Dropping her arms, she held a hand to her lips and blew out a loud whistle.[color=#66cdaa] “Oi! C’mere, you,”[/color] She waved her over.

Imogen came bounding over without hesitation, reacting to the call instinctively. She was just about to find the stable boy to see if there was anything she could do, but this seemed way more interesting. The woman who called her over was vaguely familiar, although she was certain she'd never talked to her before. Was she a professor? Or one of those church people?

[color=ffb5c2]"Hey! I know you from somewhere,"[/color] she beamed at her. [color=ffb5c2]"Need help with something?"[/color]

[color=#66cdaa]“If you’ve frequented the stables, probably. An extra pair of hands is always welcomed, though that isn’t what I had in mind,”[/color] Chionne admitted, unpinning her sleeves and rolling them back down. [color=#66cdaa]“You’re one of Michail’s students in that one group or whatever, right? Urswick? I was wondering if there was any relation to Caius Urswick.”[/color]

Imogen’s ears pricked up at the name of her favorite person and the burst of excitement that overcame her was palpable. Because Caius was an ex-knight, she thought she would have come across someone who knew him within the first few days she arrived at Garreg Mach. But she had no such luck until now.

[color=ffb5c2]“Yep! He’s my dad...ish?”[/color] Imogen pursed her lip as she tried to think of how to explain their relationship. It wasn’t like she was officially adopted, even if she did take his name. She shrugged, deciding to just leave it at that. The lady probably got what she meant. [color=ffb5c2]“Yeah, basically my dad. So, so, do you know him? Are you like an ex-girlfriend? I’ve been looking for someone to tell me stories about him!”[/color]

Once her sleeves were fully taken care of, Chionne shook her head. [color=#66cdaa]“What an overactive imagination, though I worry that your first assumption was ‘ex-girlfriend’,”[/color] She laughed, leaning against the wall of the stable. [color=#66cdaa]“Most every Knight of Seiros knows one another, former or otherwise. He disappeared into Alliance territory some years ago, though I was surprised to hear he had a kid. I think Michail was his former squire as well before he squired for Kalliope, the current Captain. He’ll probably have the stories you’re looking for.”[/color]

Pausing for a moment, she remembered something. [color=#66cdaa]“The name’s Chionne, by the way. What’s Caius up to these days?”[/color]

Imogen's eyes lit up considerably at the mention of Professor Mik being his squire. That precious information was enough to offset her slight disappointment at not finding a former flame (the huge age difference wouldn't cross her mind until much, much later), and she made a note to badger Professor Mik later on. Dozens of questions were already piling up in her head, although she was sure to forget half of them before she'd get the chance to see the knight-professor.

[color=ffb5c2]"I'm Imogen!"[/color] she supplied happily after Chi introduced herself, briefly pointing at herself. [color=ffb5c2]"Mostly, Caius goes into the mountains to hunt and then he goes and sells them to other towns. He used to train me too, but now that I'm here, I bet he's all by his grumpy lonesome."[/color] Imogen laughed as memories of their time at the village came flooding back. No matter how hard she tried to work on his image, everyone in Yarrow still feared him and often used her to pass along any message they might have for him. One of her biggest regrets was that no one but her knew how terrible his jokes were.

[color=ffb5c2]"He never told me how he ended up there. He just goes"[/color]—Imogen lowered her voice to mimic his—[color=ffb5c2]"'I needed to get away from it all' and then makes a grunting sound and then changes the subject."[/color]

It was nice getting to talk about him, Imogen thought, even as a sudden wave of homesickness rushed through her. The attack on Luin and the urge to do something useful had been consuming her thoughts as of late; this was a nice change of pace. Oh, crap, but now she’s thinking about it again.

[color=ffb5c2]“Hey, you know about Luin, right?”[/color] Imogen frowned, unable to stop herself from inquiring even though she was supposed to be enjoying all this Caius talk. [color=ffb5c2]“Does that happen a lot? Bandits just go and destroy everything and kill people for no reason?”[/color]

Chionne nodded, shoulders rising as she let out a wistful sigh. [color=#66cdaa]“No. I’d be lying if I said that bandits usually leave the villagers be when they plunder, though,”[/color] She admitted. [color=#66cdaa]“And of course, the more daring ones outright steal people, but...wanton destruction isn’t common. Think the plague made it so their kind was more focused on surviving than anything.”[/color]

She looked out in the distance at nothing in particular, though she did push herself off the stable wall. [color=#66cdaa]“Now everyone’s buzzing with conspiracy theories. Some say it’s a new invention some thug came up with, others predict it’s retribution from the Goddess since Luin hasn’t been donating as much as usual,”[/color] She laughed. [color=#66cdaa]“The mage you all captured is still being interrogated. Lady Arianthe’s arrival must mean they got something out of him, so we’ll see.”[/color]

Imogen scrunched her nose. Caius had written to her about his own concerns about these current events, but his was more straightforward. Along the lines of, "evil people are up to no good, you must be vigilant." It gave her some reassurance to know that bandits don't usually go around making villages go boom for fun, but it didn't completely quell the urge to get out of the monastery and help. These bad people are up to something, and the sooner they figure it out, the better.

[color=ffb5c2]"You know, I never understood why people always involve the Goddess when things happen." Even though Caius worked for the church, he didn't raise her to be overly religious. Unlike Clary or [/color] Aubie who were so earnest in their beliefs and did just about everything in the name of the Goddess, lest they provoke her wrath or fury or whatever it is they say, she preferred to think of the Goddess as a mostly hands-off, benevolent deity. She'll sprinkle some miracles every so often because she's cool like that, but Imogen didn't think a being so holy and powerful would waste her time meddling in petty human affairs. 

At the mention of the mage she had left unconscious, a pang of pity shot through her. He definitely deserved everything he got for trying to make everyone explode, but Imogen still couldn't believe his ally could so easily leave him to the wolves, so to speak. She maintained that even if she were to turn evil—like, say her future husband gets murdered by the king because he was framed for treason, and driven mad by grief, she becomes an undercover spy in order to avenge him—she would never abandon friends and allies like that.

[color=ffb5c2]"Lady Aria… oh! the super nice green-haired lady,"[/color] Imogen thought out loud. [color=ffb5c2]"I hope Professor Mik tells us what they find out. I wanna know what we need to protect people from! Next time we go on a mission, I want to make sure no one gets hurt and—"[/color]

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Something triggered Imogen’s internal alarm just then, beckoning her toward the row of shrubbery behind Chi. At first, Imogen had been startled, nearly convinced that she somehow summoned the bad guys by talking about them. But then a rustling of leaves caught her attention, and a familiar hissing sound made her realize who the culprit was. 

[color=ffb5c2]"Watch out!"[/color] she called with a laugh, just a second too late. A clawed paw emerged from the shrub and swiped at Chi with an angry meow.

[color=#66cdaa]“Lady [i]Arianthe[/i],”[/color] Chionne corrected her. [color=#66cdaa]“It’s disrespectful to--”[/color]

She was cut off as she winced, looking down at the cat. Letting out a sigh, she looked down at her scratched calf. Kneeling down, she reached out a hand, though the cat hissed and backed away some, every hair on end. Shaking her head, the woman stood up, shrugging. 

[color=#66cdaa]“Cats don’t like me, unfortunately,”[/color] She admitted. [color=#66cdaa]“I never could properly communicate with them.”[/color]

[color=ffb5c2]"Communicate?"[/color] Imogen plopped onto the ground after Chi got up and started clicking her tongue. Her attempts to reach out to the very wary cat were more successful. Although his ears were pricked up and his tail was puffed out, he allowed her to scratch behind his ear. He never took his eyes off Chi. [color=ffb5c2]"Like actually talking to them? You can do that? Do they tell you funny things?"[/color]

[color=#66cdaa]“Mhm. It’s why my services mostly revolve around training the horses, pegasi, and wyverns that the Knights of Seiros and students here use,”[/color] Chionne frowned down at the scratch, though she didn’t linger on it for too long. [color=#66cdaa]“It's not a very impressive Crest power, but I’ve always been able to understand animals. They understand me, too--though I guess what I say isn’t impressive to the feline community.”[/color] She joked. [color=#66cdaa]“You guys haven’t gone over Crest abilities in your classes yet?”[/color]

[color=ffb5c2]"Uh, yeah, Crest powers, right,"[/color] Imogen's lips curled as nervous laughter bubbled up her throat. They've probably gone over Crests in class, although put on the spot, she was having a hard time recalling pertinent information about it. Because Caius had advised her to talk as little about her Crest as possible, Imogen hasn't had much exposure to the subject. She knew it was a big deal to have one, although she didn't necessarily know why.

[color=ffb5c2]"But anyway, what do you mean not impressive?"[/color] Imogen's eyes had widened at the thought of Chi's abilities. There were so many cats and dogs she would've loved to talk to! [color=ffb5c2]"Does that mean you can have bird spies? Ooh, or actually have a fly in the wall. Wow wow, that's so cool!"[/color]

Raising an eyebrow, Chionne looked a little confused for a second. [color=#66cdaa]“It does serve well for espionage, but it isn’t as handy elsewhere,”[/color] She admitted that much, though as she raised her hand to her chin, she tried to remember. 

[color=#66cdaa]“Let’s see...Malathice--[i]Professor[/i] Malathice has that sensory ability of his, though considering he’s been studying Crests for as long as he’s been able to read, I think he’s technically an exception to the rule in how effective a Crest can be,”[/color] She recalled. [color=#66cdaa]“There’s also Michail’s, I think it’s some sort of strengthening ability? Then there’s the nurse--shoot, I forget hers, but I remember thinking it was really only good against other Crests. If you look into it, those with Crests usually come with extraordinary abilities, like enhanced strength or magic, superhuman reflexes, and even the ability to see your opponent’s moves. ”[/color]

Realizing she had basically only properly explained one, she shook her head. [color=#66cdaa]“They range from person to person, and their extent also varies. I remember hearing about Professor Malathice’s in particular, so I guess that’s why he stands out the most. It started as only being able to sense how many people were in a room. Good for sneak attacks, but not too handy. Now I hear he can sense everyone around the entire Monastery, and can go even further if he chooses to track specific people. If you’re ever curious, I highly recommend speaking to him about it, it’s the only thing he’s willing to talk to anyone about.”[/color]

She nodded, shooting Imogen a grin. [color=#66cdaa]“In comparison, talking to animals isn’t nearly as cool. Handy, just not as useful as I’d like it to be,”[/color] She confessed, though her laugh afterwards showed she didn’t really mind.

With eyes aglow, Imogen listened with rapt fascination, like she'd been bestowed a fountain of knowledge and she wanted to drink it dry. Definitely not a look she wore in her actual classes. But who knew Crest abilities were so interesting?! It sent her reeling with thousands of thoughts and questions. She wondered if she could ever find a way to sneak up on Professor Mal. And of course, Professor Mik's would be something like that! She still thought Chi was selling herself short--hers is still one of the cooler abilities for sure and she told her as much. 

Imogen wondered if everyone in the Rose Unit had Crests. She knew a handful had mentioned they had one… maybe that's what they all had in common and why they were in special classes. What abilities did they have; she never thought to ask before. Was Jory's to be super charming, or like super aim so he never misses? Maybe Clary actually had Saint-like powers and that's why she's so awesome.
 
In the middle of imagining what Kel could do, Imogen gasped as a very important realization dawned on her. [color=ffb5c2]"Is that what Dogberry is?"[/color] she asked without preface, grabbing Chi's hands excitedly. So she had superpowers too-- she’d have to tell Caius all about it. [color=ffb5c2]"I thought everyone had their own version of him, but maybe that's my special thing!"[/color]

Suddenly bursting with excitement, Imogen leaned over and gave Chi a tight hug. She was practically bouncing with joy, making the little kitty, who had been happily resting against her leg this whole time, jump up and hiss as it scuttled away. Who could have thought that talking to Chi was the remedy she needed to cure her of her earlier doom and gloom anxiety? 

[color=ffb5c2]"Thanks for the chat, Chi! I hope we can talk some more later. I gotta run right now though. I have to write a letter to Caius right now and let him know!"[/color]
[/hider]

[hr]
Last night had been the best sleep Imogen had since the incident at Luin. Ever since her talk with Chi, Imogen felt as light as a feather; restless still, but channeled into a more positive "can't wait to do things!" instead of the desperate "have to do things" that plagued her as of late. Her to-do list for the day was already brimming with more enjoyable tasks: ask Professor Mik all about Caius; attempt to sneak up behind Professor Mal; find out what kind of Crest superpowers everyone had.

She arrived at the arena with a spring in her step and an infectious energy that made the not-so-morning people she passed by glare crankily as they sipped their coffees. Imogen addressed everyone with her usual cheery greeting, although there was little time to socialize before the professors began today's activities. Early morning training! It was like being back home with Caius again. He liked to take her on a hike up the mountains right before the sun rose, when the air was crisp and sometimes biting, and there they practiced until her stomach protested its hunger.

Imogen automatically reached for one of the training swords but stopped short, looking at her bare hands in contemplation. She looked around for Iz, trying to remember how amazing she fought before her thoughts trailed off into how she had manically beaten up that last mage. It probably wasn't a good thing to ponder, and she had enough decency to look sheepish in the off-chance one of the others' ability allowed them to read her thoughts, but it felt [i]good[/i] letting loose like that. Without her sword, she didn't have to worry about proper stances and correct form.

Her hands balled into fists and after one more second of hesitation, Imogen skipped over the sword and rummaged through the weapon chest for gauntlets that fit. The added weight took a second to get used to, and she took another moment to do some practice jabs. She grinned. Something about this felt right, as though she was writing with her right hand her whole life only to discover she was naturally left-handed instead. The tiny sensible part of her worried that trying out a new weapon during their first assessment would mean she'd fail. But the professors did say to get their preferred weapon, and she was certain this was hers now. Besides, it had little spikes all over the knuckles. Those were like tiny swords, right?

By the time she made her way to her own dummy, a couple of the others had already begun their demonstrations. Imogen paused to watch the magic users, distracted by the sheer awesomeness of it as usual. Clary's has become her favorite to watch. Something about the burst of light and the way it faded into a shimmering glow, like little fireflies scattering in the wind, made her feel like she was back at home. And plus, it cemented in her mind that Clary was an actual saint.

When she finally stopped being distracted, Imogen faced her dummy with a determined grin. [color=ffb5c2]"Okay, I'm going to attack you now,"[/color] she announced and nodded to herself as she pretended it responded with its permission.

Imogen started with a basic combo: jab, cross, hook, uppercut. Then a roundhouse to finish the set. The dummy held up too well for her liking, torn and shredded where her attacks landed with a slight tilt now after her kick connected, but nowhere near as damaged as she hoped. Although briefly disappointed, she wasn't discouraged in the slightest, considering it growing pains.

One more time! Imogen pounced on the target, channeling the wild energy she had back in Luin. She wrapped herself around the dummy and positioned herself so she was perched upon its wooden, makeshift shoulders. Then she let loose a barrage of punches, along with a war cry because she swears that adds more power to each of her strikes, until the dummy's head snapped and was knocked clean off.

Imogen hopped off and picked up the fallen head to assess the damage she'd done. [color=ffb5c2]"That was fun!"[/color] she laughed, making the dummy nod in agreement.