Friends Don't Let Friends Date Kensers

[Khy Marah]

Bethas 17th, 2711
CAFETERIA

"Tocks.” Khymarah muttered as she glanced at the clock over the gates of the University, collecting her green uniform skirts in one hand and an armful of paperwork in the other arm, walking at a brisk pace. Her scarlet locks trailed behind her in a thick array of loose curls, like some strange cape against her pale skin. Heels rapping sharply on the pathway, the eighth year rushed through the campus towards the Static wing. She was dreadfully late for class, having become caught up in her artwork and completely missing the time.

“Tocks, tocks, tocks!” She hissed, her brisk walk turning into a light jog, dual colored gaze focused solely on her destination. In the mid morning sun, a few students lingered on the pathways or in the gardens, biding their time in free periods or escaping on the excuse of ‘lawn practice’. A chime sounded from the Church, announcing the turn of the hour, pushing her into a run.

“Clocking hell!” The redhead growled, now flying along the pathway and towards her destination. She didn’t pay attention to the ninth forms along the way, ignoring everything in her singular focus to get to her class before I was too late, and therefore didn’t hear the muttered monite or pay attention to the shift of the mona before her. The air before her legs became solid, a low wall made out of nothing, and with a spectacular explosion of sketches and painted images Khymarah tripped. She hit the ground hard, grazing her palms as they took the brunt of her impact and crying out in shock and pain. The students on the path made sounds of false empathy, before bursting out with laughter as the younger student came to an abrupt stop.

“What a clutz. Go back to Bastia half-breed.” One of the dark haired boys sneered, straightening his jacket and running a hand over his pristine hair to smooth it flat. Khymarah rolled over, dragging herself into a sitting position as his friends laughed as they left the scene of the crime, looking down at her hands with a quiet sound of pain at the sight of the bloodied and grazed palms.

“Kensers. Stupid, clocking, kensers.” She said under her breath, blinking back the sting of tears, face red with embarrassment and anger. Sitting on the ground in a sore and sorry heap, the galdor scanned the papers around her with a sigh, moving to start gathering them slowly.

Alioe, she hated this place. Why her father had sent her here, why he made her stay here year after year….She didn’t need Brunnhold.

Pulling the artwork together, she collected them into a pile as she got to her feet, brushing uselessly with the back of one hand at the dirt on her uniform. There was no way she could take herself to class in this state, not in this mess. Gods but she didn’t want to spend her morning in the infirmary, she didn’t have the energy to have that conversation again.

Perhaps she could steal away to the passive’s dorm and spend her day with them. At least there, she could hide away from her peers and offer some assistance. Then again, whilst she knew whilst the passives wouldn’t object to her presence, not all of them were comfortable with a golly in their space.

Changing direction, Khymarah made her way to the cafeteria, pushing the doors open with her back and sweeping inside. She could at least be alone for a while, most of the students already well and truly attending their classes.

[Elisora Rivaen]

Now that she was doing nothing but flip through the grimoire that Professor Hulle gave her, Elise was slowly regretted the series of decision she made earlier this morning. Her gaze floated across the words senselessly. Not that it would matter considering she had painstakingly read the whole book by last night. Her deadline was to finish by this weekend, but Elise couldn’t ignore the insistent voice in her head to try to impress her new mentor, the upperclassmen Professor Hulle had assigned to her.

Elise sighed out loud, not hiding the noise considering there was no one else in the cafeteria. Her demonstration class had ended surprisingly early and she was left to do nothing but wait until her next class. The library probably would have been a better place for her to

Her roommates had attacked her with questions, wondering whether or not she got into trouble. After she assured them that everything alright and let slip about Daalton tasked to tutoring her personally, the squeals from their room could probably be heard by the entire dorm. Their jealousy for her surprisingly didn’t come for the fact that Elise got an advantage in her studies, but rather the fact that she was introduced to the handsome senior.

Olira and Jesmyn had even spent the entire morning convincing her to look nicer. While Elise made sure she always looked put together, she didn’t usually join in on her friends’ morning routines. Today, her two roommates pointed out that there was nothing wrong with a little effort to look pretty since she had the chance to spend time with an older boy. And when typically she would reject, Elise let them powder her face, tint her lips a deeper red. She had even chosen to wear her newer uniform, the one that hugged her figure better.

Unfortunately, Elise felt silly the more she thought about it. She had been given the wonderful opportunity to learn directly under Professor and even given a chance to be trained by a skilled senior and all she could think of was her childish crush. What was she thinking? What was she hoping for?

By the goddess, she had way too much nervous energy. The thought of sitting for a second longer was unbearable. The fifth form student stood abruptly and slammed the grimoire close loudly, the noise resounding the empty cafeteria. She needed to go… somewhere. Anywhere, really, to shake off the hyperactive energy buzzing in her veins.

Trying to shove the massive book into her bag, the girl didn’t pay much attention to her surroundings as she headed toward the door. She caught the sight of the door opening a bit too late and there was no time for her to get out of the way. Crashing right into the other girl, Elise being smaller in stature stumbled and fell on her rear. Her grimoire slid across the cafeteria, out of her reach. The fifth form student cried out more in surprise than in pain, slightly disoriented for a brief second.

An upperclassman, clearly. A beautiful redheaded girl with mismatched eyes. Her heart leaped in her chest as she scrambled to collect the fallen papers. She took extra care not to crinkle any of them, but worked as quickly as possible. Jesmyn had always warned her not to piss off their seniors – an advice Elise had never given much thought before. Still, she knew how some of the other students could act, who would look for the smallest excuse to argue, to fight. Elise couldn’t afford anything like that. Jumping to her feet, she offered the fallen items to its owner. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to. I didn’t see you there! Really, I… I’m really sorry.”

Elise took another look at the older student, as her head was lowered in apology. Her eyes caught sight of the girl’s bloodied hands. The blood was bright red – fresh. Without thinking, words of concern came out of her mouth, “Your hands...”

[Khy Marah]

Bethas 17th, 2711
CAFETERIA

Khymarah gasped as she came into contact with another body, spinning with wide eyes to look down at the younger girl now on the floor, a grimore sliding across the floor like a well shoved stone in winter curling, her own papers flying from her arms again like so much celebratory confetti.

Perfect. Just perfect.

“Oh clocks! I am so dreadfully sorry! Are you okay?” She said with genuine concern, moving to reach for the book and papers, whilst trying to also help the girl to her feet. All of which was unbelievably hard in her current state. Straightening with a sigh, she waited for the younger student to stand up and accepted her paperwork with a grateful smile. The brunette before her looked to be a couple of years her junior, familiar in the way that a stranger passed by in the street enough times becomes familiar.

“No no, entirely my fault. I wasn’t even facing the right direction. You absolutely have no need to apologise.” Dropping her own gaze quickly, the red head looked down at her hand before before laughing as though it was nothing and tucking it away behind her skirt.

“Yes I uh...an accident you see I uh...I tripped. Clumsy really, I should have been walking but I was running and...well you know how it is. Ninth forms practicing their physical barriers...or...something.” Her laughter faded as did her words, the eighth form quietly standing with her eyes down cast and biting the inside of her cheek firmly to stop the anger and sadness that wanted to bubble up. Her field buzzed gently, before settling again.

“I’m sure they’ll feel really bad about it tomorrow.” Khymarah finished feebly, before shrugging it off with a well practiced smile. If she smiled, then the world wasn’t quite as ugly.

“I probably should go to the infirmary but clocks I just don’t have the desire to fill out those incident reports they have to do. Honestly just...give me a little patch up and let me move along!” The older girl tittered nervously, ignoring the sting of drying blood in fresh grazes. She lifted her eyes a little, gesturing to the grimore.

“Living conversation then? That’s a good major, if the mona want to listen. I dabble, but seems that Static is more my wheelhouse. Oh, here look, bowl you over and not even bothered to tell you my name. Khymarah Theraldon. I’m in eighth form.” She said with a smile, offering a hand to shake before wincing and drawing it back against herself, avoiding touching the forest green uniform.

Thus far, today was really just...just the worst.

[Elisora Rivaen]

“Yes I uh...an accident you see I uh...I tripped. Clumsy really, I should have been walking but I was running and...well you know how it is. Ninth forms practicing their physical barriers...or...something.”

Elise winced as her eyes darkened. The older girl’s nervous laugh certainly didn’t make it seem like it was a simple accident. Older students messing with younger ones was a tradition in Brunnhold. She should know, considering that she was at the age where she was old enough that if the seniors bothered, the adults wouldn’t give any care. “Seems like a bad fall.”

Taking another look at the girl’s hand as she explained, Elise noted a few lacerations. Not too deep, but they would need to be cleaned.

“I could help with that,” Elise claimed without much thought. While she might be considered reserved, the young woman was sure of her own abilities, especially her developing skills in Living magic. Healing mild cuts like the ones on her senior’s hands should be no trouble at all. “It shouldn’t take too long. That is, if you want.”

The younger girl returned the redhead’s smile after the introduction. Khymarah certainly seemed nicer than most of the older girls. Especially the pretty ones who seemed to think the world was theirs. “Elisora Rivaen, fifth form.” She shrugged at the mention of Living conversation. Professor Hulle had said that she had raw talent for the Living mona, but Elise was still somewhat unconvinced. After all, most of her family dabbled in Static and Perceptive magic. “I have been seriously considering it, although admittedly I haven’t truly chosen it. Although, these days, I have been spending most of my time studying it.”

Elise was just going to suggest that they leave the cafeteria when the doors opened harshly, swinging to slam the walls. It revealed her fellow fifth form student, with blonde hair and piercing green eyes. Nayra Halle. One of Freya’s closest friends and another infamous bully of their year.

Their eyes locked and Nayra doubled back. She didn’t say anything, simply glared at her and walked back out. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what the girl might be doing. Freya had been itching to find her for days. Ever since Elise defeated her in their duel, the bigger girl had been teased about losing and needless to say, she decided was to blame. Ignoring the fact that she was who challenged her in the first place. Freya and her goonies had been looking for a chance to corner her, but so far Elise had managed to avoid them. She was confident that she could take one or two of her fellow students at once, but four? She would rather go through the extra trouble to avoid getting serious injuries.

Pressing her lips together, Elise turned back to Khymarah. She couldn’t afford to wait and give her tormenter time to arrive. It would probably be clear to the older girl that she was worried as she shifted uneasily on her feet. “Perhaps we should do this somewhere else?”