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[hr]The trip to Glynwood was appropriately uneventful, not that Eli would dare complain. With a familiar target on his back and a fresh new opportunity to flaunt it, he knew better than to hope for trouble, but at the same time, he kept expecting some new sense of awe, wonder, or even fear to break up the monotony his life had become over the past several years.

He’d been hopeful that Glynwood would be that break. His first time living away from home, his first time studying high levels of magic, and all of it in the most historically and magically significant institution on the continent - that should all have gotten him absolutely giddy with excitement! But as much as he logically [i]knew[/i] it was all very exciting, awe-inspiring, and even emotional, it just… wasn’t. Even as he stepped out of the teleporter and into Pebblebrook and got his first glimpse of the magically manipulated sky, he was still waiting for it all to finally hit him - a moment he was beginning to fear would never come. 

Now, that wasn’t to say he was entirely without interest in the whole affair. The ceremonial boating journey to the school with its whimsical magelights, that first full glimpse of the campus grounds in their famous ruined crater, it was all visually stunning and intellectually impressive. It just felt… empty. Because no matter how hard Eli focused on the idea that many of the most important mages in Cresvald’s history had walked the very same ground as he now trod, how his classmates would shape the continent’s magical and political future, and how the mysteries to be discovered here were as deep as the ruins themselves, he also knew the ugly truths lurking beneath the glamour of it all. Those vaunted historical figures were as famous for petty politicking as they were for their magical prowess; his classmates were probably cynically scoping each other out for their usefulness as he spoke, and magical developments and discoveries were so often hoarded away like treasures, even in a society so ostensibly dedicated to the advancement of the collective knowledge. 

Eli had hoped that that sort of cynicism, the type that had tainted his view of Pontaion and everyone in it, wouldn’t follow him to Glynwood, but he was wrong; it was as if a patina had formed over his former idyllic visions of the school, its shining appeal dulled and darkened by harsh reality. 

Inside, the air of the hall at the speech’s commencement was intimately familiar to Eli, closely mirroring the mood of a mixed debate hall as the speaker finally deigned to commence the business of the day. The rapt, eager attention of some, the simmering discontentment of others, even the grumbling impatience of those who just wanted to get to the food were all just as common in the vaunted halls of the Heptarchy as they were at an Academy commencement; be the attendees 18 or 280, green or learned, nothing changed [i]that[/i] much. 

[color=FFD187][i]Least of all the gossip,[/i][/color] Eli remarked with distaste, his eyes falling on the chattering group ahead of him in the crowd. Of course, privileged enough to be surrounded by some of the most influential mages in Cresvald’s history and their principal concern was who was sleeping with whom. Good to know a little piece of Pontaion would always be around wherever he went. 

The speech itself was remarkable in its… unremarkability. Perhaps Eli shouldn’t have been surprised, Chancellor Nortwin being known for his eccentricities and all, but of all the myriad things he was expecting from Glynwood, the very last among them was [i]mediocrity[/i]. The Chancellor was a busy man, but he was also the beating heart of the Academy, and such was his renowned passion for the institution that he was rumored to have fiercely clung to his position through decades, if not centuries, of attempts to oust him. If the man was so animated by his love for the Academy and its students, it was hard for Eli to believe mere scatterbrainedness explained such a curt and generic welcome. Was something else going on?

Whatever it was, there was little time for deeper reflection once the commencement speeches came to a close. As soon as the silencing enchantment was lifted, the ballroom came back to life, warm chatter rising into the rafters as the sea of students began to sway once again. As for Eli, he was jolted from his thoughts by a bump to his shoulder, a dark-haired student in a poorly-fitting uniform barging unceremoniously past him to the refreshment tables. 

Brow furrowed in surprise, Eli watched the boy depart, a look of confused fascination taking over his features as he watched the boy wolf down hors d’ouvres like a starving animal. He almost laughed, smirking impolitely for a second before schooling his features more politely as the student returned to his Cohort, seemingly oblivious of his audience. No, no, he shouldn’t laugh; that was too rude, he knew just as well as anyone that anyone could get into Glynwood on merit, and by dint of being here this guy clearly had just as much merit as any of the rest of-- oh no, now he had sauce on his face! 

Gossiping crew now long forgotten and spirits lifted, Eli followed the hungry student’s lead and made his own way to the side tables, although his choice was a touch more modest, a magically chilled fruit and custard dessert popular on the Southern coast. Nabbing a spoon and a cloth napkin, he endeavored to keep his expression as neutral as possible as he sidled up to the dark-haired student, following his gaze toward the others and leaning slightly to speak. 

[color=FFD187]“Any good?”[/color] he asked, tone low enough not to interrupt the other students as they observed. He kept his eyes on the others, save for a quick glance, but discreetly offered his hungry acquaintance the napkin. [color=FFD187]“I should hope so; awful lot of grief getting in here if the food sucks.”[/color]
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