Fable - Ask A Spectral Howl

[Noel]

Noel finished up her work on the blade as Chas gave her a rundown of the reading. A sun didn't sound so bad, bright and with lofty goals. She was liking the start of this reading, even if the advice to surround herself with good people was largely unnecessary.

She had an entire class of good people around her.

"Huh," it was a singular word as the reading went on and Noel had to remind herself it was just what the strange girl 'saw' in the bottom of her mug of tea. A situation of great strife was vague enough to mean anything but Noel was sure that the climb to reach the heights she aimed for would be full of struggles.

Then came the coup de grace. Chasmine confirmed that her reading wasn't necessarily a good one.

"Anchor to the sun?" she tilted her head, taking the pale waif of a classmate in. "You've got quite the active imagination Chas, but, I'll keep that in mind." She grabbed hold of the repaired sword by its hilt and then looked it over, metal shifting slightly as the edges were smoothed out. "Although I think clinging to a sun might give me a nasty burn."

Noel held the colichemarde out towards Chas. "Here, good as new."

 

[Chasmine]

"My great, great, great grandmother predicted the fall of the Kingdom of Hamlin down to the exact day by reading the King's tea leaves," Chasmine remarked wistfully, "but she was much more experienced in the art of it than I." In attempting to think back to a portrait that had once hung in the hall of her family's home in Alleria, Chasmine found she could not remember it, nor, consequently, what that ancestor looked like.

The thought might've bothered her were it not for the presented sword, gleaming as if new in the hands of Noel Schwarz, "I suppose that is always a risk one takes with the sun," she agreed, "but it might also give you a lovely warm glow."

She reached out to accept the colichemarde, nary a smile on her face but rather an expression of quiet wonder, "Might this be able to kill a demon, do you think?"

 

[Noel]

"I think a warm glow would suit me," Noel said as her lips curled upwards.

Her smile only grew as Chas asked such a bizarre question. "You plan to slay a demon?" The tone in her voice, gave a clear indication that Noel believed her classmate was trying to, for the first time in her entire life, make a joke.

She liked joking Chasmine. "Of course it can slay a demon! Easy as pie."

 

[Chasmine]

Indeed, a warm glow would suit her well. Everything about Noel was rather cold and stiff, but the kiss of warmth from the sun could certainly add something nice to the mix.

Unfortunately Noel gave Chasmine far more credit in the subject of humor than she was due. Humor did not come easily to her.

"That is a relief," Chas said with a straight face, "all my tea leaf readings this year have shown me a demon in my future. It is why I have begun training with Proctor Basmarc, to better learn the art of swordplay."

 

[Noel]

A small laugh escaped between Noel's lips. "Proctor Basmarc? We don't have a Proctor Basmarc, Chas."

It was a tale they all told each other when they were younger. When things were far more grim than today but many of them still clung to that childlike optimism that life would get better. Change in some positive way. For most of them that sort of determination was beaten out of them in the coming years.

Or, for initiates like Noel, they just obsessed over training and stopped telling ghost stories. "Well, if Basmarc ever drops the ball let me know. I can teach you a thing or two... but, in the early morning, before daybreak." Before any of the other students could see that Noel Schwarz was training with Chasmine Grey.

 

[Chasmine]

"Proctor Basmarc? We don't have a Proctor Basmarc, Chas."

"His schedule is highly irregular," Chasmine agreed. That would certainly make it difficult for him to teach classes, though so would his status as dead and cursed but she didn't mention that part. It was rude to talk about things that were beyond another person's control as if it were a flaw.

At Noel's offer, though, she looked up with some alarm, "I am nearly due for my report to him and I am short one duel. Daybreak would be quite perfect, thank you Noel."

 

[Noel]

"Hard to learn from a Proctor with an irregular schedule," Noel added, resigned to the fact that Chas was going to keep up this silly little charade. It wasn't worth an argument, if she wanted to play make believe then Noel would let her have the win.

Besides, it was the offer of training that interested her more anyway. "Should probably get at least some sleep then, we can meet in the sparring rooms at sunrise."

 

[Chasmine]

Always the prudent one, Noel. Sleep - hah! Chasmine liked to agree but sleep was hard to come by for her on most evenings. On the days she need not rise early she would sleep in medicinally dosed bliss.

"Of course," and then looked back to the blade in her hands, wonderingly warm about the entire affair, "thank you Noel. This is truly a gift ... I should like to repay you in earnest some day."

How she might do that Chasmine had no idea. Though her true family was on the wealthier side, she had no money to speak of and had not been in contact since being taken to the Academy. What had become of them? Were they still in Vel Anir? Had they moved on? She knew only that her cat had died at some point over her years here simply by his ghostly presence.

"I'll be going now," she then said rather abruptly, "good night, Noel."

With a wispy smile Chas stepped around the taller Initiate and headed out her door, closing it quietly behind her.

 

[Noel]

"Night Chas," she called out after the other initiate. No sooner had the door shut that Noel allowed herself a small giggle at the whole affair. "Demons and catching suns."

For a few hours Noel stole some slumber, though she rose immediately when the first rooster crowed. Throwing on fresh fatigues and summoning her platinum store to form around her in the armor she typically wore for anything combat related on campus.

Heading down towards the pre-arranged sparring room she snuck inside. There was still a chance that someone, a Proctor or initiate, might find her training with the ghostly student that was so far below her in martial skill. Or, at least, in Noel's mind she was far below her.

But that didn't much matter. They were all here to serve Vel Anir as Dreadlords, it benefited everyone if she could help Chas fight. And who knows, perhaps with enough training she really could slay a demon.

 

[Chasmine]

"Good morning," Chasmine arrived from the opposite direction shortly after, her usual misty-eyed self. She did not wear armor as Noel did, but donned her usual class sparring robes that had always appeared to be two sizes too big. She'd cinched the extra material at her waist and rolled the sleeves and pant legs to expose spindly, pale ankles and wrists.

She pulled from around her shoulders a bag from which she extracted a small cloth pouch that smelled faintly of pressed flowers and leaves, "I realize this is not equivalent to what you have done for me, but I made this tea leaf mixture for you last night."

Chas offered it to Noel with a gentle smile, "It's to help with relaxation and focus. It should pair nicely with your needlepoint."