[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/saJefsm.png[/img] [h2][color=881515]C[/color]armillia [color=881515]C[/color]arbonneau[/h2][/center] [center]Interacting with [@Force and Fury], [@Izurich] and [@Jumbus].[/center] Ardredelle Latvar was sweating. Carmillia found it odd but dismissed it. Karan Harachorra had just finished his speech and Zenith Upta had taken the stage. She had just announced the start of the apprentice selections. This event would dictate much of a student's future life at Ersand'Enise and it didn't take a genius to understand that. Even the two seated on either sides of her were had stopped their yapping, albeit for different reasons from her. They were paying attention to see if they were fortunate enough to be grouped together with any handsome young men. She had already tasked her underlings from The Crimson Hand to identify prospects amongst the student body but it paid to be prudent. The selections allowed her to observe the students first-hand. She could observe how they carried themselves as well as which Zeno favored them. She needed to understand which pieces were worth procuring. Diplomacy was not unlike a game of chess; the first few moves often dictated the course of the game. The Doge of Revidia was a prime example of this. His time at Ersand'Enise no doubt laid the foundation that led to his rise to power. Carmillia made mental notes of the students as time passed and names were called. She could make out whispers of conversations as some grew restless. With five hundred new students, it was a given that selecting apprentices one at a time would have been a lengthy procedure but nobles had to maintain their appearances. With the current round of apprentices chosen being of lower castes, Carmillia allowed her attention to drift back to the Arch-Zenos. The seven mages who stood at the apex of magic. Despite the amount of time that had passed, they still maintained their grandeur and were imposing figures. Even Arch-Zeno Latvar was no longer disheveled. [i]Even Arch-Zeno Latvar was no longer disheveled. [/i] Carmillia paused at the thought. At the start of the selections, Arch-Zeno Latvar was clearly perspiring and ill at ease. The memory perturbed her. Why had she dismissed at the time? The Arch-Zenos who had started the procession off with a flamboyant display of magic. The Arch-Zenos who understood the importance of their image. And yet one had looked disheveled upon the stage that all the students had their eyes on? Carmillia was focused on the fact that she didn't seem to care at the time. [i]No one seemed to care[/i]. Carmillia had been on alert since the ceremony began, paying close attention to prominent figures such as the five keeper of thrones and the Arch-Zenos. Arch-Zeno Latvar had looked proper at the time. And yet she couldn't recall when the transition from prim and proper to disheveled had occurred. The gap in her memories. Her uncharacteristic behavior. [i]Memory and behavioral manipulation.[/i] Carmillia's mind went into a flurry of thoughts. Who? Why? When? If something had occurred during the ceremony and her memory had been tampered with, it was unlikely she was the sole target of the perpetrator. Given that no one seemed to notice anything amiss, this had been a wide scale spell. Who was the perpetrator? Arch-Zeno Latvar herself? She was one of, if not the most powerful chemical mage in the world. She would have been capable of such a feat. It would explain her fatigue. But that begets the question of why? What had happened? The Five Thrones were present. A thwarted assassination attempt? Though there was a gap in memory, it was small. A matter of seconds, a minute at most. Something had occurred in the midst of the ceremony and someone wanted to avoid any questions. What could- "Are you alright?" The questioned snapped Carmillia back to the present. She turned to look at Maddeleine. "You seemed a little bit out of it," she said, hesitantly. Without missing a beat, Carmillia composed herself and responded. "I'm just disappointed Yvette was picked ahead of us. I had hoped we would've all been placed in the same group." "Oh, you! It's not like we won't be able to talk anymore just because we're in different groups." Carmillia simply smiled back. With Maddeleine satisfied with her response, Carmillia turned her attention back to the selection. Trying to figure out what had conspired was akin to attempting to solve a puzzle with missing pieces, it would have to wait. She needed Bernhard and the rest to do more digging. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/dDAl8GI.png[/img][/center] Fades-in-Moonlight or more commonly known by the moniker, Luna, was to be Carmillia's mentor. Prior to her arrival to school, Carmillia had gone through the profiles of the faculty. Zeno Fades-in-Moonlight was one of those that stood out. A mentor known for their unorthodox ways. She had one of the highest RAS amongst the Zenos despite being of the commoner caste. She was also a Greyborn. The other apprentices selected along with Carmillia were Leon Solaire, Jomurr Ikon III and Ilannaq Sigmundottir. She had heard of tales of Leon from before and Jomurr was the son of a duke. Both would serve of use. As for Illanaq... [color=e783a4][b]"A... ah... uhm..."[/b][/color] stammered the girl. She was clearly flustered by Leon for reasons Carmillia couldn't fathom. Ilannaq was a merchant. She had noticed her during the procession. Illanaq stood out due to her silvery white hair, not unlike Carmillia's own. She had also displayed her aptitude with arcane magic, conjuring out a pair of flaming wolves as a performance. [i]Her demeanor though...[/i] thought Carmillia. It was too soon to write Illanaq off but she was not a priority for Carmillia. In order to spare herself and the rest from any more of the Illanaq's fluster, Carmillia proceeded with her introduction. "It's a pleasure to have been selected by you, Zeno Fades-in-Moonlight, or would you prefer Zeno Luna? I'm embarrassed to say this will be my first time meeting someone from Nashibansek so pardon me if I display any ignorance for your customs," said Carmillia. She turned to her fellow apprentices. "Likewise, I am looking forward to studying along aside the rest of you, Leon Solaire, Jomurr Ikon III and Illanaq Sigmundottir." Carmillia ended it with a small curtsy; just enough to show respect but without any indications of submission. [hider=Summary/Information/Edit log] [b]Summary:[/b] Carmillia notices the discrepancy in her memory and her lack of interest in it. Carmillia gives an introduction to her new mentor and fellow apprentices. [b]Information:[/b] [indent] ❖ Maddeleine Marchand and Yvette Chamonix are the names of the two girls Carmillia has been talking to, their names a courtesy of [@Force and Fury]. ❖ Carmillia did notice Penny who briefly talked to her and the rest earlier but I had no idea how to fit in this post, it'll be mentioned in future interactions.[/indent] [b]Edit log:[/b][indent] ❖ Fixed some grammatical errors. ❖ Changed some word choices. [/indent] [/hider]