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[Sub][right] Interacting with: [@Hero][/right][/sub]

The week passed easily in comparison to their brutal training exercises, though anything shy of being mauled by a bear would be considered easy when Professor Michail’s [i]enthusiasm[/i] defined the standard. Normally, lessons limited to ink and paper and lectures would find Clarissa itching in her seat despite the determination to absorb anything and everything but she welcomed the reprieve from action with open arms after a week whose highlights included a bloody massacre and their introduction to training exercises. Still, it felt surreal. Ghosts, courtesy of a training camp gone awry, lingered in the corners of her room while she drifted into slumber, the frustrating tug between her loyalty to the Church and her loyalty to her countrymen making smiles just a tad harder, and yet, life went on at Garreg Mach. She still woke before the sun, reveled in the beauty of it seeping through stained glass and filling the grand cathedral, walked the grounds with reverence in every step, laughed at whatever mischief her housemates wandered into, and snapped when she had to stop them from going too far. There were still books to read and assignments to complete and chores to wash up after. She found it reassuring, like the Goddess was reminding them that not everything is as world shattering as it seemed in the moment. 

Though today, the restlessness came back (a facet of herself she blamed solely on Jorah’s influence in her life). The Archbishop finally had time for tea! Though she’d suggested the idea on their first day, Clarissa never thought someone as important as Ioannis would reasonably have time for something as silly as tea with students. While it was never a question that Clarissa would become someone important enough to have tea with the Archbishop, she’d always imagined it would be after she took her place on the Roundtable and entered talks on how to best coordinate strengthening the Church’s presence in the Alliance. But it’d arrived so much sooner and Clarissa could barely contain her excitement, even if Jorah was a little put out over the fact he couldn’t monopolize her for the entire day. She had no doubt it’d be over quickly; it was only tea! 

She’d thought her good mood invincible to even the disturbing and inappropriate things Jorah thought acceptable to proclaim in public but the Goddess certainly proved her wrong. She’d swept into the cathedral eagerly, never truely needing an excuse to enjoy standing in such a holy place, and took her seat just as quickly. She didn’t know what would warrant early dismissal but it barely took the word [i]rumors[/i] to change her attitude. She straightened in her spot, immediately scanning the room for their teacher’s reactions. Not that it was necessary, she doubted anyone believed nothing had happened yet considering the interruption and implementation of heightened security, but the grim set to Professor Michail’s mouth spoke volumes. Clarissa doubted that the Knights of Seiros weren’t doing everything in their power to handle this but the Archbishop’s reassurances that their confidence in the Knights weren’t misplaced echoed Professor Euphemia far too quickly for Clarissa’s comfort. 

However, there would be time for speculation later in the evening. [color=FF650E]“Well at least our education isn’t in danger, just us.”[/color] Clarissa joked as she turned to her housemates. [color=FF650E] “In all seriousness however, I will always be available if you can’t find someone to accompany you on errands. Please don’t hesitate to knock on my door!”[/color] She figured she’d regret this decision in the coming weeks but she’d rather deal with the irritation than one of her housemates disappearing unexpectedly.