[h3]Parthenia Harland Ciran[/h3][i]of House Ciran[/i]

[hr]

Had Parthenia had lesser self-control, the disappointment on her face would have been palpable. Oh, sure, she had still outplayed Leonid at his game, but there was little better than seeing someone who deserved it eat crow… or rather, flowers, in this case. Not every plot or play could always be a complete winner, though. He had bowed out, but he had given her so much more ammunition in doing so… well, overdoing it was a thing, too, so she held back a bit. 

[b]“A social butterfly you are not, to refuse such a flower,”[/b] she chided, even as he turned faked disrespect into a real one. Parthenia still wasn’t sure if the girl was actually a lowborn, but that didn’t even matter, here. As far as she was concerned, any lowborn student that had made it to the academy had [i]earned[/i] their place, and was worthy of their station and place alongside their noble peers. 

Even if some of the commoners did look rather… unorthodox. 

[b]“Really, what a poor performance,”[/b] she lamented, as the Sylmare heir beat a swift retreat before Parthenia could properly chastise him for the [i]real[/i] breaches in etiquette. Well, there was always later.

Turning back to Lapis, she canted her head slightly as the girl made her introduction. Parthenia was [i]sure[/i] they had met before, even if she insisted otherwise. She idly suspected Lapis was lying in some way. She was tempted to press her on it, but thought better of it. Everybody had their skeletons in the closet, and the way she had introduced herself was telling in and of itself… Well, she had the entirety of school to figure it out. Patience was the virtue of nobles, after all.

[b]“Is that so?” [/b]she answered. [b]“What a strange title you have there, but a pleasure nonetheless,”[/b] she continued, with a little curtsy. She had a good guess of what that implied, shifting her perceptions of Lapis’ upbringing slightly, even if she was still skeptical of her implied origins as a commoner. A very, very poor one. She didn’t comment on it. [b]“If Leonid Sylmare decides to give you anymore trouble, don’t be afraid to come to me. Disrupting some of the self-important or harebrained schemes of my peers is a bit of a pastime for me.”[/b] Parthenia gave her a grin before she excused herself to mingle with the other students as the tour continued, properly, this time. 

The little group tour was more or less what she expected; she took a closer notice of the mess hall, enjoying the alluring smell of food being prepared for the coming dinner banquet, but glossed over the cathedral itself. The architecture was pretty, though.  The Academy itself she would explore on her own time.

Lastly came the dorms and their room assignments, which surprised Parthenia on the sheer audacity of some of the assignment penned on the parchment outside. To her absolute delight, if she didn’t know better, it seemed almost as if the combinations were designed for maximum chaos among the student body. Cohabitation? Roland and Elivinthia? [i]Sherry and Leon[/i]? Perhaps she would have to reevaluate her opinion of the Archbishop. Either he was as clueless as a duck or he was a master of her craft, and a kindred spirit… 

She would have to find out. 

Her own assignment with Lapis was interesting, too. It wasn’t as interesting as being paired with Elivinthia or as amusing as sharing a room with Sherry or Roland, and would make a late-night liaison –if she wanted one—harder, but Parthenia could certainly work with it. It would make uncovering Lapis’s mystery easier, she was sure.

[b]“It would seem we’re one of the few girls with a traditional dorm experience,”[/b] said Parthenia with some amusement when she found her dormmate again. [b]“The archbishop has an interesting sense of humor…”[/b]