Glasses are refilled dutifully by Aiya, who plays hostess with a well-practiced smile. Nicole is not entirely imaging things—here the Duodecim girl is queen. If she doesn’t actively relish it, she is at least so accustomed to it that she doesn’t give her privilege any second thought. 

“Rules?” Asks Aiya when Dana speaks up, as if the Norban was speaking a different language. “Ooooh, was there someone in particular you wanted to kiss, Noel?” Aiya asks mischievously. Her gaze, which flickers between Dana and the large cadet she’s planted next to, clearly implies what she means. 

“We have a spare cabin for that, you know.” She suggests, though she can’t keep her face straight for long. “Just kidding. You don’t have to play, there should be some other games around here.” She says, absolving them of their party obligations. 

Nicole and Penny, who volunteer, earn a somber salute. There’s one or two officers who excuse themselves from the proceedings to play cards—and offer Dana and Noah a new little circle to join—but Penny’s new friends and the rest soon begin the game.

It goes until the wee hours, until the boat finally makes its lazy return home. 

So to do the officers and Ars Magi, one way or another. Everyone survives. 

[hr]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ZiVx7LJ.png[/img][/center]
[hr]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/4jhIwHp.jpg[/img]
[b]𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚊 𝙻𝚞𝚡 𝙰𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚢
𝙳𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚜 [/b]
[b]𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟸𝟸𝚗𝚍, 𝟷𝟷𝟽 𝙰𝚅[/b]
[b] 𝚄𝚗𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎 [/b]
[i]Dana Noel, Penny Grenoble, Nicole Cognoscenti[/i]
[hr]
[/center]

Until the next morning, at which point it probably feels like it’d be better to be dead. 

The hangover is predictably horrible for those that indulged. Not as bad as having an Armagus forcefully shoved in ones body, but maybe only just a little better. 

Priya is the only partygoer that appears unaffected, dropping by Radiant Storm’s dorms with plates full of eggs, aspirin, and big glasses of water. 

By the time the lucky(?) Ars Magi make it to the common room they’re in time to hear the afternoon news reports: A heavy front of Nox is sweeping down across the coast, a slowly-building vortex of toxic magic.

Thankfully, there are still a few vacation days left. They’re not all that cheery, though. Soon enough the Palmyran military is confirming that the storm will be hitting the city, and the preparations begin soon after. Barricades are re-enforced, shelters shuttered, Nox diffusers checked and re-checked. There’s a palpable air of unease that turns to sinking dread. This is not the first time such a thing has happened, but such storms have never boded well, and no sanctum city has ever weathered one without issue.

By the time the cadets are back on duty they have new briefings waiting for them. Nova Lux’s Ars Magi will be second in the line of defense should anything break through the walls and the full-fledged Magi defending them. Teams are to be deployed throughout the city at strategic points to repel any invaders, along with a small detail of officers to supervise and coordinate the defensive efforts.

And so begins the storm of the century.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/4jhIwHp.jpg[/img]
[b]𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚊 𝙻𝚞𝚡 𝙰𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚢
𝙶𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙷𝚊𝚕𝚕  [/b]
[b]𝙰𝚞𝚐𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝟾𝚝𝚑, 𝟷𝟷𝟽 𝙰𝚅 [/b]
[b]𝟺:𝟶𝟶 𝙿𝙼[/b]
[i]Dana Noel, Penny Grenoble, Nicole Cognoscenti[/i]
[hr]
[/center]

The tempest hits at exactly 1600 hours. 

Radiant Storm has not gone far from home. They’re posted up in Nova Lux’s Grand Hall, the same place where the fancy ball has been held prior. Now, however, it is not nearly as festive. Temporary workstations have been set up for the teams of officers gathered inside, each squad of cadets led by a senior overseeing their work. Large monitors display satellite images of the city, blurry infra-red diagrams that track the storm as it descends on Palmyra.

Rain is hammering down against the massive, curtained windows. Leaves and debris from the sprawling gardens outside gust by, and the massive trees outside jitter and sway dangerously in the howling wind.

Unlike usual, Radiant Storm doesn’t see many familiar faces among the hall. Penny spots cadet Grey busily at work on the radio, but she’s too busy to acknowledge the Ars Magi. Most of the officers are, which leave the magical girls to sit, wait, and catch what snippets of conversation they can.

What they can glean is that the senior Ars Magi are hard at work at the city walls, keeping out the worst of the Void that come with the storm. They, however, have the less exciting job of playing reserves. Which means a lot of waiting around, and not much way to kill the time between themselves. 

The night drags on. Rain hammers down harder, and the cracks of thunder can be heard. Through the dark fog outside are the occasionally flashes of lightning. They do little to illuminate the world beyond the window.

Then something happens.

In the distance there is a worrying crash–something not quite the crack of thunder, but somehow similar. Suddenly the team of officers are moving and shouting, taking clipped directions from the woman in charge. Her hand is pressed against her ear, and she barks several quick orders to the cadets gathered nearby.

"Divert all the squads to the Vault." The woman barks. "Send everyone!" 

When she turns to address Radiant Storm her tone is urgent: "Nova Lux is under attack." She informs them. "All of you, head toward the medical wing immediately."

The location is intimately familiar to each of the Ars Magi. In addition to the patch-up jobs after their training operations, the medical wing was one of the first places a Nova Lux student got acquainted with. The barrage of tests, physical exams, and eventual surgery all took place there. Of Nova Lux's organs, this is one of the most vital.

"The enemy...are Ars Magi."