Rudolf jumped slightly as he was addressed, focused on his target as he was. At least that meant his attempts at drawing the professors worked, if even the girl next to him managed to note his presence. The boy turned and gave an awkward dip of his head in response to her curtsy, somewhere between a bow and outright crumpling under her gaze. House Edmund was militarily unremarkable as far as he knew, so his knowledge of them was scarce. Gloucesters, Gonerils, Rowes; he knew their temperaments and their goals, but a family founded in maritime commerce was just beyond the scope of a House Bergliez education’s concern. He didn’t think there was a Hevring in attendance that he could bother for information, either; not that it would help him now that she’d put him on the spot.
“Oh. Nice to meet you too. I’m Rudolf.” The boy’s eyes flitted down to his feet as he paused, his lips parted ever-so-slightly as if he were internally debating whether to continue.
“...von Bergliez,” He eventually tacked on with some difficulty, as if the act of even identifying with his family had suddenly become a labor.
The sudden sound of splintering wood and shattering ice beside him sidelined any embarrassment he may have been feeling, as Rudolf tensed up like a deer staring down a chariot at full gallop. Once the cacophony of violence had quieted and he was certain he had somehow remained unscathed, he tensely craned his head back toward the source of the disturbance. There was ice
everywhere. If that pale-haired girl was attempting some overzealous show of power for the title of preeminent sorcerer in the class, she could have it; he didn’t want it anyway.
His sole consolation rested in Professor Malathice’s critique. It was targeted, unflattering, and confirmed that the distraction of the showy display of frozen death hadn’t completely erased him from everyone’s mind. If anything, Clarissa sounded like she was the one that had been blown off. Maybe he’d be banished from the class as a disgrace after all.
Rudolf stood a bit taller at that, then turned back to his target - or rather, the spire of ice that had replaced it - as he weaved another ball of dark magic between his hands.
“Sorry about that. Wh-what, uh- What were you saying?”That was right. Professor Tomai had introduced him as a member of House Bergliez. It’d slipped her mind after her conversation with Professor Euphemia but if she was being honest, Clarissa was certain anyone would have forgotten considering the poor thing’s demeanor. With House Bergliez’s control over the Ministry of Military Affairs, Clarissa expected someone more akin to Duke Gloucester or his son. Instead, Rudolf looked as if a stiff breeze would knock him over.
Her response was cut short as Lienna’s spell brutalized the target in front of Rudolf and she gasped as she took in the full extent of the spell Lienna’d unleashed. Uncontrolled, powerful, and vicious, Clarissa sent a silent prayer of thanks to the Goddess that the spell hadn’t started escaping Lienna’s control right from the start; otherwise, a sneaking suspicion told Clarissa that they may have found themselves with a few unexpected protrusions. Lienna’s potential was impossible to deny but until she learned more control over her magic, Clarissa wouldn’t want to share a battlefield with her.
Professor Malathice’s feedback, or lack thereof, only reaffirmed her decision to focus her magical training with Professor Simeon. He’d been the one who told Professor Euphemia that she needed to work on her Nosferatu spell and here she was doing that, only for him to tell her that it was
fine. Did she need to work on it or was it fine? It couldn’t be both! Thankfully, Professor Simeon had a direction and Clarissa smiled appreciatively. That was something she could work with, not that frustrating contradiction Professor Malathice offered.
“Well, I was going to ask how the first few days at the Academy have been treating you but I believe introductions are in order! Rudolf, this is Lienna Orhneaht, future Countess of Southern Gautier, and a bearer of the Minor Crest of Gautier.” Clarissa introduced her, recalling the way she’d chosen to introduce herself to the Unit.
“She very generously agreed to change dorm rooms with me so I’d have better access to the grounds and wouldn’t wake anyone up when I woke before the sun. She warned me that the room might suffer a little chill since the door faces outwards and she was right. Despite the consideration of the Church, I still find myself hanging blankets to keep the wind from prying it’s fingers around the door.” She sighed, a shiver running through her at the thought of the cold in her room.
“And you probably remember, Lienna, but this is Rudolf von Bergliez, newest addition to the Rose Unit. Hopefully with you here, the Crown Prince may be more inclined to keep a more level head.” Clarissa muttered irritably, following Rudolf’s example and turning back to her target.
“Oh, neither of you were there! Let me tell you, the man threw himself alone into a fight without any consideration of how his actions would affect the others. He took a blade to the side and no one could get to him until we’d managed to deal with the attackers. Professor Malathice retrieved him and provided him a restorative tonic, thankfully.” As the conversation carried on beside her, Lienna leveled a glare at Professor Tomai, her mood souring further at his worthless critique. “Don’t let the spell dawdle”? What the hell did that have to do with anything? It wasn’t like she held it back until it became too strong to handle; it just ran away when it felt like it, terrorizing the neighbours. And basics? What basics? Most of their black magic classes so far had been mind-bending theory from dusty tomes; the only “basics” she knew were the old parables her Oma told her as a child, and she didn’t think Tomai would be all that satisfied with hokey tales of drifting ice floes and clever crows as relates to the practice of deadly magic.
She was feeling much more un-cooperative than before when she realized Clarissa was talking to her, but took a conversation as as good an excuse as any to delay her next attempt. Maybe in the meantime someone would come along and replace those destroyed targets, though she predicted there’d be many more wooden casualties before the lesson was done. Anyway, Lienna paid closer attention as she was introduced, surprised that Clarissa remembered so many details. She wasn’t sure if this was just noble decorum or what, but the redhead seemed much more appreciative of the room switch than she really needed to be; the way Lienna saw it, Clarissa really came out the loser on that one, but at least she was happy with the arrangement despite its flaws.
She offered a short curtsy (or at least, her best imitation of one) to the black-clad boy between them as Clarissa introduced him, grateful that the other girl bypassed the initial awkwardness for her because Lienna did not, in fact, remember him. She didn’t even know what a “Bergliez” was, and until Clarissa’s introduction, she hadn’t even registered his face as the same as the new member of the Rose Unit. Not super surprising, given how the boy seemed to crumple under the weight of his own clothes, but if he was some Adrestian highborn like Clarissa’s mention of the Prince made him out to be, then she had to question why he moped around like a kicked puppy or something. She figured nobles had that excessive pride bred into them - but then again, there was Kellen, wasn’t there?
“His Highness is probably used to people risking their lives for his amusement. Maybe the Professor should have let him learn his lesson,” Lienna commented dryly once Clarissa had finished her story, barely resisting a roll of the eyes. She definitely believed he’d be that cocky and self-absorbed, given his general demeanour and the needlessly flashy way he harassed his training dummy - and if his future wife was any indication. Leave it to a royal to think they were invincible; it was probably easy to believe with throngs of servants chasing after you all your life, charged with keeping you safe under pain of death.
“A pleasure to meet you, Rudolf,” she added finally, peering at the boy with some difficulty. It was like he tried to worm his way out of view somehow. Weird. Anyway, if the boy himself lacked anything of interest, his magic certainly didn’t.
“Your spell was interesting,” she added,
“what’s it called? Is it some kind of advanced black magic?” Ah. Clarissa definitely fit the ‘maritime family’ archetype within Rudolf’s head. The ladies-in-waiting at the Nuvelle estate had the same way of droning on and on about inanities when telling a story. Was her drafty room really pertinent to the introduction? Rudolf had definitely never heard of a Count Orhneaht, and he doubted even a Faerghian county could escape his notice completely, so he could only assume Lienna was a future countess by betrothal rather than birthright. Wonderful, another Veronica to contend with. He’d done a stellar job of avoiding her so far, and the Prince as well for different reasons. With the way they gossiped about him though, Rudolf couldn’t help but wonder if that was for the best. His Highness couldn’t truly be that callous, right? Maybe Clarissa had just misinterpreted his motives there.
The boy fidgeted uncomfortably until the topic shifted away from Kayden and onto his magic.
That was something he could talk about guiltlessly, though the question left him momentarily confused. Was Adrestian sorcery really that distinct from the way it worked up north? No, dark magic probably hadn’t caught on in Faerghus yet, as busy clutching their pearls at the thought of such witchcraft they must be, and the peasantry was probably still clinging to the very basics set down by Saint Macuil.
“Ah, no. Dark magic. Totally different branch of magical theory,” Rudolf explained as he cast the orb he’d created forward to shatter the frozen pike that now rested in place of his target.
“The spell’s formal name is Miasma Delta if you want to look it up. Don’t think there’s other miasmas, though, so I’m not sure what the delta’s for…” He mused, mostly to himself.
Lienna crossed her arms as she listened, admittedly a little relieved that her first assumption wasn’t
entirely wrong; maybe black magic really was more about control of the earthly elements than… whatever dark substance Rudolf manipulated. Of course, her relief was short-lived, quickly overshadowed by the shameful fact that there was an entire
other swath of magical study she’d never even heard of.
“Ah, I see,” she answered carefully, offering Rudolf a thin smile.
“I’ll be honest, I was under the impression that there was only White Magic and Black Magic; two sides of one coin, I suppose.” She forced a small laugh, though her mind was already working. “Dark” magic? What kind of a name was that? She supposed it was probably more concise than smoke-drawn-from-the-mouth-of-the-seven-hells magic, but in her opinion, “black” and “dark” were much too similar of words to properly communicate the vast differences between the two schools. Hells, she didn’t even know what a “delta” was, and she only knew “miasma” as one of those flowery words used in scripture to describe something bad. Fire, Blizzard, Thunder - at least black magic was self-explanatory.
“Speaking of, your white magic was beautiful too, Clarissa. I’ve never actually seen it performed in person. But why did it affect your target and yourself?” Lienna called to Clarissa, not wanting the Leicester girl to feel like she was being snubbed after introducing them. Not that she was nearly as concerned about etiquette as she probably should have been, but of all the students in the Rose Unit (except Kellen perhaps, who was too gentle and naive for even Lienna to hate), Clarissa probably had the best standing in Lienna’s eyes so far. She was certainly the only solid connection she’d made thus far; in fact, with how grateful Clarissa sounded for the room swap, it might even be possible that the redhead owed her a favour. And, well, she was nice. She’d probably make better company in a pinch than Rudolf, although the boy had piqued her interest as well, especially when he talked about magic.
Speaking of which… Glancing to the now-shattered icicle Rudolf had targeted, Lienna squared up to one as well, giving herself no time to think and instead casting her arm out noncommittally toward it, in line with Tomai’s pointless instruction. To her surprise, she felt a less intense, but quicker rush of magic surge through her, and this time the spikes of ice materialized midair in front of her, flying forward like arrows and sticking into the bigger icicles downrange.
“Hm,” she hummed thoughtfully, peering at her new creation.
As the pair conversed, she turned her attention fully back to the task at hand. She regarded the target for a few longer moments before she traced runes in the air, light shimmering in her fingers’ wake. She focused on drawing them quicker than last time while maintaining the same intensity, with mixed results. A few of her runes were dimmer than usual and as she released the spell, she could feel it lacking its usual punch. The light that burst around the target reflected that and she clicked her tongue, pushing the disappointment aside. It was a new skill and she ought to expect it to take some time to master. Balancing speed and precision here was a delicate act and she’d master it like everything else she put her mind to.
Lienna stole Clarissa’s attention again.
“The Nosferatu spell leaves a weak wake of restorative magic while also allowing the caster to defend themselves. White magic isn’t well equipped for direct engagement with hostile forces so the only basic offensive spell offers a balance of offensive and defensive properties without draining the caster too much!” Clarissa explained cheerfully.
“And it is certainly beautiful. It’s another extension of the Goddess’ influence and I’m glad each day I have the opportunity to learn more.” “I have to say though, I haven’t had much of an opportunity to see either of your particular magics in action in my life. Well, black magic I’ve seen often enough but Ice magic is a rarity for me. And the intensity of your first spell was impressive, if not simultaneously terrifying. Are you naturally drawn to ice magic or did you make a conscious choice?” Clarissa asked, skipping the usual questions about formal education. Considering their last interaction, Clarissa was more than certain Lienna hadn’t had any formal education in the magical arts and the sheer intensity of her magic was born from that same survival instinct Clarissa noticed the first day.
“I suppose I’d like to open the question to the both of you actually!” Clarissa amended, giving Rudolf a curious look.
“Did you choose Dark Magic because of its prevalence in the Empire’s military or do you have a personal interest in the subject?”If Rudolf had any idea that dark magic would make him so interesting to foreigners, he would’ve just stuck to fireballs. But
no, he had to try and impress his father. Or rather, not argue with him when a spellbook was set down in front of him.
“Um. I was told I could either do what my tutor said or go back to doing sword drills,” Rudolf confessed awkwardly,
“I had no idea the rest of you were this far behind, honestly. I think dark magic caught on in the Empire centuries ago.” During the reign of Ionius the… Ninth, maybe? Whatever, he wasn’t a historian.
Lienna was a little taken aback by Clarissa's enthusiasm, pausing a moment after she finished to absorb all she'd said. She didn't do anything halfway, did she? Or even stop at the full way, for that matter. Some of the explanation went over Lienna’s head, but at least - for the most part - it was better than cryptic priestly platitudes about the manifestation of the Goddess’ love or whatever such garbage she’d expect from the priests.
Her question might have even been funny if it didn't sting a bit, bringing those painful memories of her Oma’s good years back to the forefront of her mind.
“Well, for me I guess it's kind of in between. I tried to learn fire spells, but I could only ever manage to summon ice,” she explained. She could still remember when her Oma tried to teach her how to light the fireplace with magic, or even just to light a candle, only for her every attempt to end in an indoor snowstorm. It
would be her luck to excel in the one thing no one wanted for in Hima, at the cost of the foremost thing she needed to survive there.
She chuckled humourlessly at the irony.
“Honestly, I don't even like the cold.” Clarissa felt a pang of sympathy for Lienna as another life decision revolving around necessity rather than any serious passion came to light but before she confronted that revelation, the Bergliez boy needed her attention.
“That is an interesting conclusion, Rudolf. I think the lack of familiarity with your discipline suggests that, while we in no way represent the entirety of our homelands, we have adapted other methods to solve the challenges the Empire resolves through aggressive magical application. An arrow through the eye at two hundred paces or the lance from the back of a pegasus serves that function equally well, if history is any indication.” Behind indeed. She would be caught dead before she let someone consider the Empire more advanced than the Leicester Alliance. But she could sympathise with family pressure. It was no secret the Empire’s military excelled in magical combat and the son of House Bergliez would certainly be expected to maintain that reputation. It made her think of her own mother and the chains that woman would have buried her under.
“I’m sorry you didn’t have the opportunity to choose it of your own volition. Familial expectation is exhausting to wriggle out from; I can’t blame you for settling between the two. If it’s any consolation, I think you’re quite gifted in the discipline!” Clarissa offered Rudolf.
“And, Lienna, I think it’s beautifully symbolic. You’ve taken something you don’t care for and gave it purpose and shape in a way that benefits you rather than hurts you.” Clarissa pointed out.
“I obviously don’t know your circumstances but the Goddess works in mysterious ways. While it may not have served you in the past, it can certainly serve you now and in the future. I can’t wait to see how fantastic you make it.”Rudolf paled slightly at the praise. That was not consolation, that was an empty platitude born out of pity. His spell sucked and she clearly just didn’t know enough about the art to disparage his performance. Clarissa had one thing right at least, the expectations were exhausting. If he had his way, his brother would be here bashing down spires of ice and he’d be holed up in his room without a care in the world as a shameful, forgotten scar on the Bergliez name.
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” Rudolf muttered noncommittally in Lienna’s direction. Surely the fault lied in her misinterpreting the formula for the spell or something; he assumed a fireball and whatever field of frozen death she’d conjured up from the frigid pits of hell had very distinct methods of conjuration. Or maybe an attitude problem. His instructors always said he had an attitude problem. Still, he’d managed the spells they told him to, whether he wanted to be there or not.
Well, so much for avoiding priestly platitudes, Lienna thought, although she couldn’t find it in herself to fault Clarissa for it. Naive and idealistic as it might have been, at least she spoke honestly; highborn or not, that was something she could at least respect. And, well, she’d be a liar if she said that the other girl’s words weren’t of some comfort.
“You’ve taken something you don’t care for and gave it purpose and shape in a way that benefits you rather than hurts you.” Lienna might have switched out “didn’t care for” with “passionately hated”, but she allowed herself a little pride in admitting that the redhead had a point; it stung a little to think about, but Clarissa had basically described her Oma’s lifetime philosophy of survival, one she’d preached to her granddaughter until the day she lost her mind.
“You sound like my grandmother,” she commented quietly, clearing her throat of the lump that threatened to root there.
“She insisted flexibility was the key to survival. Always told me to ‘be like water’.” She smiled sadly at the memory, glancing at Rudolf when he spoke again.
“Yeah, I’m getting there,” she replied simply, looking over her icy work. She still would have liked to migrate away from ice if she could, but now that she didn’t have to deal with the cold unless she chose to, she supposed it might grow on her yet. It saved her life twice now; she owed it a little credit for that, at least.
Clarissa watched Rudolf do the impossible: somehow shrink even further into himself at her words. Family was clearly a sore spot and if they’d met five years earlier, she’d be in the same boat. She gave Lienna a moment to collect herself but in that moment, the Professor caught her eye and gave her a pointed look. She returned it with a rueful smile and the dip of her head before bringing her hands up to start casting again.
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