Fate - First Reply Another Test

[Noel]

Upon entering the place she shoved her arm up against her nostrils. A wave of offensive scents assaulted her, causing a slight gag to be forced up from her throat. All of the wait staff were women who barely wore enough clothing to cover themselves. Was this how all pubs worked?

Certainly a few years ago she had noticed some of the other male students pay a different kind of attention to her and she, in turn, had occasionally allowed a wandering eye to linger on some of her classmates. But this was, well, she just thought the outside world would be a bit more equitable. Instead of a tavern full of men with underdressed women waiting on them hand and foot there'd be... something else.

"Much more appealing than the gals back at the academy, don't you think?" Fermin replied to Edric's suggestion while gesturing towards a particularly lithe brunette.

"Why is the floor sticky?"

The stale aroma of spilled ale had permeated all of Noel's olfactory senses and Talea's observation served to further sour the mood. "I think that's beer." At least, she hoped it was.

"Are these the kind of places you normally wander off to on your missions Edric?" she questioned pointedly as the four students all took a seat at one of the rounded tables. Noel wasn't even sure what to order at a place like this. She'd yet to even try alcohol given its status as contraband on campus. Perhaps she'd just follow the other three student's lead.

 

[Edric]

Edric waved towards one of the women. "Me?"

He countered towards Noel quickly.

"No, no." That was of course a complete an utter lie. Though he'd only been on a few missions outside of the Academy, he had always made it a point to...venture during them. One time he had been sent with an Initiate named Ydrin to Vel Tellmir. The two of them had sneaked off in the middle of the night to go to one of these taverns.

They had been fifteen at the time, though pretended to be older. No one in the tavern had seemed to mind, and especially after Ydrin had used his magic to turn some coppers they had into gold.

That was before the Revolution though.

Before Ydrin had been 'accidentally' killed by one of the Proctors.

One of the Waitresses practically bounced over towards the Initiate's table. There was a bright smile blossoming on her face as she looked down at the students, her gaze lingering on Fermin in particular.

"Well howdy there! Is there somethin' I can get Ya'll?"​

Edric looked over towards Fermin with a smirk, but quickly answered. "I'll have an ale, please."

 

[Noel]

Edric was absolutely insufferable from time-to-time. Or, more appropriately, all of the time. She shook her head in disbelief but didn't bother voicing any further opinion.

Then, a spark of jealousy surged when the waitress greeted the group of trainees with her eyes locked on Fermin. Of every person here she had to zero in on the one boy at the academy that didn't grate on Noel's nerves. Not that she had a crush on him or anything even if he was attractive. And, sure, maybe she did actually have a crush on him but she wasn't dumb. Dreadlords didn't get to love.

Or at least that was what they were told growing up. Those lines had been blurred in recent years.

"Bring a bottle of whisky, and four shot glass," the redhaired initiate said with enthusiasm, "it's my birthday and we're celebrating."

"Oh, we've got a party then!"​

The waitress winked before turning towards a giggling Talea who ordered herself a glass of mead.

"Ale," Noel chimed in before the server ran off to fetch them their order. "You're birthday?" she asked while a questioning eyebrow rose.

"Makes it more fun. Plus they usually give you some freebies."

In a hurry the maiden returned to their table carrying a large tray and distributed the ordered drinks while pouring all four of the students a shot of whisky. She also laid a cake of some sort in the center of the table.

"Our famous honeyed cake for the birthday boy. Please don't hesitate to wave me down if you need anything else," she added while keeping her gaze trained on the fiery haired student.​

Noel sipped her ale, nearly gagging again on the foreign bready taste, and glared daggers into the brunette's back as she went to wait on another table. "People drink this for fun?" her question held a hint of bitterness.

 

[Edric]

"Honestly." Edric said as he put down his own mug. "I think ninety percent of people just do it for appearance sake."

There was a frown on his face as he looked at the amber liquid within his mug, head shaking slightly in disbelief that anyone would actually enjoy such a thing. Granted, he felt that way about most food and drink. Back at the Academy they weren't exactly served the most top notch meals.

Even after the revolution.

"I've had worse."​

Talea piped in, Edric looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"There was a mission once...with Vance. We had a chance to get away and..."​

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's always the people you least suspect."

Edric said with a 'tsk' of his tongue. Hand quickly went reaching into the center of the table, picking up one of the glasses of whisky. The the strong smell of fermented rye entered his nostrils, his nose scrunching for a second.

"Next thing you know Noel is going to say she's snogged a noble from Oban." He tipped the glass to his lips, then downed the whisky.

 

[Noel]

"I wouldn't kiss and tell," her retort was swift and she wore a coy smile, pressing her glass to her lips once more, "when in Sene, I suppose." At least she wasn't insane, the stuff tasted repulsive and the alcohol burned on the comedown.

"We went fishing on a mission once." It had been one of the more fun activities she'd been involved in. But that mission had been in the midst of the revolution, supposedly a scouting exercise into the Falwood. Proctor Patrice had taken Noel and her best friend at the academy into the woods. The first day was normal, they went fishing, Patrice taught the two initiates how to cook, it was a good memory. Then the next day he led them to a clearing. He used his magic to create a nullification sphere and armed them both with a knife.

Luckily, most of the other students didn't bother to ask Noel why she and the Proctor came back alone.

Fermin downed his shot glass and then poured himself another while refilling Edric's. "This stuff is way better, you just down it without tasting it."

That seemed just as ludicrous to her as drinking something revolting but hey, why not give it a try.

Her head kicked back and then immediately jerked forward as the liquor burned at her throat. She held her mouth wide before proclaiming, "that's even worse than the ale!" Fermin downed his second drink before pouring himself a third and refilling Noel's.

 

[Edric]

Distracting Fermin was going to be a lot easier than he'd initially thought. Perhaps the other boy was just tired of the system they now found themselves in. Perhaps he was seeing that all their hard work was coming up for naught.

Something Edric could sympathize with. "Fishing?"

He mused on that for a moment, lifting the glass of whisky to his lips and tipping it down. He felt the burn down his throat, sliding through him with a trace of heat rushing through the entirety of his body. A pleasant tingle up the base of his neck followed a second later.

"Augh, blah. Ew."​

Talea said as she downed her own, a cough escaping her throat as she nearly choked on the liquid fire.

"That's...umm...interesting."​

Quickly the other Initiate grabbed her mead, taking a long sip in hopes of some form of relief. Edric smirked at her, shaking his head. "What about you, Fer?"

Edric asked, his tone almost genuine.

"Any good memories?" He knew they were few and far in between for all of them.

 

[Noel]

"Yes, fishing. It's quite... relaxing." It was especially enjoyable when done in the presence of good company. You got to eat a decent meal afterwards too.

Noel pressed her index finger against the filled shot glass towards their ginger companion. She'd stick with the less-burning foul-tasting liquid instead. Fermin accepted the glass but displayed a faux sense of injury at both Talea and Noel's rejection of his drink of choice.

"A good memory?" Noel's shot glass coursed down his throat to punctuate the question. "Sure. I got a few." His words started to slur and the freckles on his cheeks seemed to connect themselves as his flesh went redder.

He sipped on the brown liquid in the fourth glass, likely deciding to pace himself as the alcohol worked its toll. "I was supposed to kill some drug pusher. Easy enough. Procured a bit of his 'supply' for myself and had the wildest dreams." He slapped his hand on the table, as if suddenly remembering something else, "oh! This other time, Bull and me stumbled into a brothel on the way back from a job. I didn't walk straight the rest of that day."

Noel cast a frown in his direction while taking a large gulp of her beer. She rose to her feet and simply proclaimed, "I'm going to the ladies room."

She took a few steps in the direction she assumed a restroom (or hole in the ground) would be while keeping her gaze trained on the table. Particularly Edric.

 

[Edric]

Edric steadily let one eyebrow begin to raise.

He wasn't entirely sure if Fermin was just bragging, or if the boy really did tend to cut loose when they were away from the Academy. He had never seemed the type around the Proctors, but perhaps Edric had misjudged him somewhat.

Funny that.

His gaze flickered up to Noel as she stepped away from the table. "Don't fall in."

Not giving her a chance to answer Edric immediately turned back towards the other two, only to immediately notice that Talea was already swaying somewhat. He blinked, having only seen her take one drink and a few sips of mead.

"Talea?" He leaned in slightly. "You alright?"

"I think...hiccup...I think the alcohol is effecting them."​

He didn't need to know who 'them' were. Edric probably knew more about Talea's magic than anyone else at the academy. "Ha! Well have another drink then!"

Fermin encouraged, pushing Noel's full glass towards Talea and taking another shot himself. Edric feigned the same, but threw the liquid on the ground behind him. He slammed the glass down.

Then the Initiate pushed himself to his feet. He swayed slightly, then motioned the way Noel had gone. "I'm gonna...goo...find an alleyway. Mostly so I don't run into Noel."

The other two made some sort of noise that he half ignored, and with quick steps Edric carried himself away from the table and towards the backdoor he had earlier spotted.

 

[Noel]

Edric made his way into the alley and found one Noel Schwarz standing before him. Arms crossed, foot tapping, and a crease forming between her brows. She'd made her way out here the second she observed him stand up from the table.

"Trying to stiff us with the tab?" Her voice was cold and unflinching. "Or was this always the end goal?"

She knew the answer and while she wanted to hear him say it she also didn't want to give him the satisfaction of some sarcastic retort he'd no doubt offer. "Next time you want to make a colossally shitty day even worse can I suggest you simply expose someone else to Fermin's lovelife and that dingy tavern?"

In a fluid motion Noel's arms uncrossed and she made her way towards Edric. Chestnut eyes sized the other student up as the varying possibilities swam through her head. Noel was fairly certain she could take him down but not one hundred percent certain. It'd surely be easier to just knock him out now but if she failed he'd get away and go do whatever awful idea it was he planned on doing. Instead perhaps she should try something she wasn't entirely good at. Calmly understand what he had in mind and try to talk him out of doing it.

"What braindead idea did you foolishly come up with that you had to plan all of this," her arms formed broad circles around them in the dank alley, "just to accomplish?" OK, so, maybe the calm part was simply impossible for her after the day she'd had.

 

[Edric]

Noel was upset, that much was easy to read on her face, the tone of her voice.

Lips thinned for a brief moment, and something seemed to cycle through his mind. Did he pretend innocence? Did he tell her the truth? Neither option seemed particularly good in that moment, particularly given the expression on her face.

"What are you talking about, Noel?" Edric demanded sternly.

Lying would get him out of this. It usually did.

"I came out here to piss." He gestured to the alleyway wall. "No other reason. Just wanted to get out of that sink."

His shoulders rolled in a shrug. "I didn't mean to...drag up things with Fermin. He did that himself. I know you like him, but I can't help he's a prick."

An opinion Edric had always held about the boy.

For a brief second he paused, then continued. "Maybe you're taking this all a bit too seriously..."

 

[Noel]

"I do not like Fermin!" Her shout rang out against the walls of the alley, likely even carrying into the tavern itself. "And I am not being too serious!"

Noel's vision went red with fury. Her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles glowed white. Inadvertently the platinum metalworking that decorated her leather armor began to fray at the edges and untwine. The dark haired trainee gritted her teeth and took yet another step closer to Edric.

She wanted to fucking scream. This had quite possibly been one of the worst days of her entire life and now she had to listen to Edric's utter nonsense.

"Fine! You aren't planning a thing. Go on, piss. Relieve yourself. I'll wait right here and we can go back in there together," her finger pointed directly at the backdoor he had just come from, her breaths turning to ragged huffs of hot air.

It was a miracle that she managed to stop herself from throwing a punch at his stupid jaw.

 

[Edric]

It was in that moment that Edric asked himself how far he wanted to push this.

The question rang through his head like a bell. It rolled around, cascading like a ship in the middle of a hurricane. A frown touched his lips for a moment, and he took half a step back. At this distance she was practically kissing him.

Hands raised almost immediately as he watched the bits of platinum raise on her shoulders.

Eyes flickered from the shiny metal to Noel's face.

"Woah!" Edric said, his voice shaking somewhat.

"Alright alright, Noel." He told her quietly. "It's fine...We'll go back in..."

His throat cleared. "I just need you to uhh...ya know."

Edric made a swivel motion with his finger.

"I'm a shy pee'er." His shoulders rolled, a nervous smile touching his lips.

 

[Noel]

A face of cold stone stared at Edric. Brown eyes turning several shades of hellfire red while her brows formed a distinct V-shape as her vision bored into the Dreadlord-in-waiting. She hadn't expected that the fool would come clean immediately but in her anger she'd lost track of what was actually happening. Was he actually going to push it that far? Or was he now trying to call her bluff?

"Are you serious right now?"

Noel allowed a laugh to escape as she shook her head in disbelief. "Yeah, OK, I'll turn around." She twisted in place and stared out into the exit of the alleyway. Noel was fairly certain that Edric wasn't going to try and attack her and if he ran back into the tavern, well, she was pretty sure he wouldn't do that either. "Let me know when we can go back inside I guess!"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms again in frustration. Unsure how this situation could get more outrageous at this point. Unless, of course, he actually did start to relieve himself.

He wouldn't dare though, surely not. "You know how ridiculous this is, right?"

 

[Edric]

"Sure do." The only warning Noel would have was that slight tug at the edge of her consciousness. That tug at her very soul.

It was Edric's magic reaching out, grasping, stretching indiscriminately.

He had never been able to control it entirely. Whenever he took power, whenever he tried to seize it from something. There wasn't a way to direct it, at least not yet, and so instead of pulling from something specific he just reached for all of it at once.

Those inside the tavern would feel the same, likely too drunk the notice. The moss on the stone would wilt and die. The flowers on the balconies above would fade away. That was just how it was. He didn't have the control, not yet.

What he did have was speed. Strength.

The entropy of others bolstered him, pushed him. Made him faster than any human had a right to be. His arm reached around Noel's throat, his other hand quickly coming up to brace it. "Sorry, Noel."

He whispered in her ear, choking her into unconsciousness, pinning her to himself.

"But if it's only me." Edric breathed. "Then they know who to blame."

If they managed to catch him anyway.

 

[Noel]

Noel was far too flustered to notice Edric's use of magic, taking the few seconds of consciousness she had left to further admonish him. "You really expect me to believe you're going to take down your trousers an-" her words were replaced by a gurgles as the corners of her vision got blurry. Knees went weak, sudden panic overtook her, and despite her attempts to break free the initiate eventually relented and embraced the comfort of darkness.

Her body laid upon the cobblestones of the alleyway, seemingly lifeless if not for the rising of her chest.

---

It wasn't really possible for her to gauge exactly how long she had been out for. Seconds, minutes, hours... it probably wasn't days but who could really be certain.

A gentle palm came up to her forehead, her eyelids squeezed tight, and a dizzying wave of confusion cast itself like a fog over her mind. What happened? Retracing her steps she remembered they were at the tavern and, did she consume too much alcohol? She didn't think it worked that quickly.

No, she went outside, had to listen to Edric's nonsense for far too long. Then he'd requested she turn around so he could, well, y'know... Edric. That damn bastard. That selfish, egotistical, prick! Who in the world did he think he was? What was he even planning!?

But it didn't matter now. Noel didn't care about stopping him from whatever reckless act he planned to commit. If he wanted to get himself expelled or sully the name of Vel Anir that was now his business. She wasn't going to try and stop him from being a complete imbecile.

No, her mission had shifted. She was owed her pound of flesh and she was going to beat the ever living shit out of him.

 

[Edric]

Edric hadn't wanted to do what he did, not really. Despite their constant barbs he genuinely liked Noel. She was stern, overly serious, but good. She had proven herself more than once in the field, and in the classroom she outpaced him by a mile.

Not that he'd ever admit it.

Those were the reasons however that he'd done what he had. Edric simply couldn't risk her getting in the way, couldn't allow her to try to stop him. This was for all of them. This was to make sure Talea, that Fermin, that Noel or Edric didn't end up as glorified babysitters.

The Doge wanted an Initiate, worse, he wanted two.

No way in fuck was Edric letting that happen.

So after he made sure that Noel was still breathing and he'd hidden her away in a dark corner of the alley Edric had doubled back towards the Palace. He moved quickly, using his magic to draw on those around him. Then he had scaled the outer wall and quickly made it across the grounds.

No wonder they need us. Edric thought to himself as he slipped from one bush to the next, dashing across a path just as one of the guards walked by.

Before long he found himself scaling the side of the Palace, fingers digging into the gaps between smooth marvel stone.

 

[Noel]

At this point, whatever point in time this point was, Edric could be anywhere. A few blocks down the street or halfway across Cortos. There wasn't any real sense in hunting him down. It'd be like looking for one very ugly, very annoying, needle in a haystack.

Instead Noel could simply go to where she knew he would eventually be.

She walked with purpose back towards the Palace of the Doge, towards the quarters that had been assigned for the four initiates. He may have been thick-skulled and he was likely up to nothing good but there was no way he would skip out on the academy in his final year. He'd return to the quarters they'd been assigned and travel back to Vel Anir with them tomorrow. Of course, he'd be sporting a black eye and hopefully a fractured rib but he'd be on the boat back home.

Once she approached the gates she headed of to the side exit, using a strip of platinum to hoist herself over the half wall. A bit more navigating through the large shrubs and decorative plinths of the courtyard led her to the awning just underneath the window they had all hopped out from at the beginning of the evening. She eyed the window, calculating how she was going to get back up there.

"Excuse me dear, do you need access to the upper level?" an old woman who had shown them to their quarters earlier happened to walk by her, jingling keyring in hand.

A grin touched Noel's features as luck had finally turned her way today, "why yes ma'am, yes I do."

 

[Edric]

Edric moved across the roof like a shadow.

In his head he knew exactly what he was searching for. They had not been in the throne room for so long, and what little time they had spent in there had been distracted, but he was no fool. He'd taken in his surroundings, watched for everything he could.

That was what they were trained for, what the Academy had shaped them into it.

It didn't take long to find what he was looking for; the skylight that had hung directly over the Doge's throne. He stepped up to the curve shaped glass, peering through the transparent dome. A frown touched his face as he noticed it was empty, lips thin.

Then suddenly two figures moved through the room.

"This is an excellent deal, Marcus, and excellent deal. With the Dreadlords we'll be more protected than ever, even the Solar Choire wo-"​

Edric could not hear the rest as the Doge and his companion stepped out of the throne room and headed through a door. The Initiate glanced up, following their path and noting that it lead to another skylight.

Quickly he moved across the roof, following the Doge's path.

 

[Noel]

For the second time she was lead through the foyer of the palace. Down its perfectly decorated hallways, underneath its complex stained glass ceilings, and all while her boots rested comfortably atop the plush rugs that lined the shining marble floors.

However, on this occasion, she wasn't looking in awe at any of it. Her eyes were trained on the elderly servant who was leading her back to her quarters whilst her mind ran in circles about the best way to exact her revenge.

"This is where the Archduke of Zenitil stayed when he came back in 349," an open palm gestured towards a large arched door. "And just ahead to the left is a rare painting by Ezekiel Algrite, I'm sure you've heard of him, one of the most famous landscape painters in the history of all Arethil. And a Cortosi to boot!"

She'd prattled on about the history of the palace the entire time and Noel could've sworn they were taking the scenic root back just so the woman could have someone to inform about all of this history.

"You know a lot about this place," Noel added in a monotone voice.

Beaming until one could see all of her teeth (or at least the ones she had left) the old lady added, "yes! I've been here since I was your age! It's been a pleasure serving under the," she cut herself short as the Doge passed in front of them.

He smiled and waved at her. Noel just hoped that he didn't wish to converse with her.

 

[Edric]

Edric peered down through the skylight, his lips thinning as he noticed a pair of shadows watching just out of his view.

One of them seemed to move slightly, the other stood still as a pillar? Guards? No. The Doge hadn't shown any propensity for the sort within his own halls. A frown pulled over his lips for a moment, and then he crept forward once again.

The Doge continued his pace through the palace, taking a left, a right, and then moving slowly towards what appeared to be a more isolated section of the Palace itself.

No skylights presented themselves to Edric, not here, but as he crept closer to the edge of the roof he spotted a balcony just below. Through open doors the young Initiate could hear his future victim speak.

"Finally we'll be rid of the Church. We'll have some safety in the city, Marcus."

"Yes, My Lord, but at what Cost? The Anirian's ar-"

"I know your reservations. I know, but Vel Anir is much further away than the Radiant Church. At least with them at our backs we'll have a looser chain. As much as I despise it."​

Edric listened only with half a heart, his fingers digging into the side of the building as he slowly began to lower himself to the balcony.

 

[Noel]

"Ah, here is one of our Dreadlord visitors now," the Doge said with both hands clasped together. "How are you finding the accomodations?"

Was Noel supposed to refer to him by some honorific or was just sir appropriate? She wasn't really certain and after the day she'd had she felt a certain amount of hate towards the supposed holy man. He was the one that was going to take someone away. She may not have particularly liked Edric or Talea, and she wasn't sure how she felt about Fermin anymore, but Noel was positive it wasn't right that any of them should spend even a week in Sene.

Much less the rest of their lives. "It's fine, sir."

She could see the frown forming upon his wrinkled face, miring his features. There was no point in leaving a pause or letting him continue the discussion any further. Noel faked a yawn and added, "I am actually quite exhausted, I'm just trying to get back to my quarters that you so graciously provided," her arms stiffened by her side as her faux yawning ceased.

They'd been trained on how to deal with nobles seeing as they anticipated spending their lives in service to them and the shift away from that had been quite recent. Treating the Doge as a noble may not have been correct but it felt appropriate enough.

"Right! Of course, you've had a long journey. Good night," the Doge and his accompanying party departed as the old woman led Noel further down the hallway, towards her room.

 

[Edric]

Students at the academy were taught many things.

From an early age they were shown how to fight, how to kill, how to plan, and how to escape. What they were rarely taught about was the morality of it all. Even in the last year the subject had only been brushed over. Proctors finding it difficult to communicate a world of grey's in a way that the students would understand.

After all, even now they were meant to be soldiers.

So it had almost always come down to two simple things; protect Vel Anir, and protect your fellow man.

That was what Edric was doing here. In his mind there was a justice to this. The doge might have been innocent. He might even have been a good man, but he was taking away a life that was not his to take. This was not the fate they had been promised, and Edric would make sure it was not the one they would suffer. No matter what the consequences were.

Through the door of the balcony he heard muffled noise, the sounds of a goodbye. A door opened, and a light flickered on somewhere. The young Initiate held his breath, waiting, cloaked in the shadows. He did not know how long he remained there, how long it took, but eventually the light went out, and Edric slipped into the room.

What happened next was a blur.

His hand clasping over the Doge's mouth, his magic seizing the old man. A brief moment of fear, shock, and then he was gone. The Doge's life drained away in an instant, his heart stopped by one powerful pulse.

The balcony door closed behind him.

Edric little more than a ghost as he bounded back towards the roof. Just moments slipping through the same window that he had escaped from earlier. His expression calm, steady.

Until he saw Noel standing in the antechamber.

 

[Noel]

They weren't much further now, the elderly guide informing her that they'd be taking a shortcut, then a zig-zag through several other pathways of the palace. Eventually they reached the suite that the four apprentices had been assigned. Noel turned the handle and passed through the threshold, shutting the massive oak door behind her.

She paced in the common room that stood between the four bedrooms. Trying to work out exactly what she was going to do when she saw that brute again.

Noel didn't wait long with her thoughts as after just a few moments Edric slipped in through the window.

For a second she simply stood there and glared in his direction. Standing perfectly still and letting the tension of the moment hang in the air a bit longer. Let the prick sweat a bit.

Then a long polearm with a hammer formed in her right hand and her face turned sinister, "you're a dick." Her words were venomous as she stepped forwards, closing the gap between the two, and holding her long ranged hammer in both hands now. "I was trying to help you and you grab me from behind? Choke me into unconsciousness? Leave me in an alley behind a sketchy tavern in a strange place!"

Her voice had crescendoed into a shout. "Give me one reason I shouldn't start beating you until you can't walk straight." She'd worked herself up into such a rage that her face once again resembled a tomato and her voice became shaky from the adrenaline.

 

[Edric]

For a few seconds Edric simply stood there frozen for a moment.

Fighting Noel wasn't an option. Not because he couldn't win, but because what it took to win would kill the palace's entire garden and probably some guards as well. There was no way to beat her without someone else noticing, and that would just attract attention.

Reasoning with her?

Trying to fully explain himself?

That was as pointless as a fight. It would defeat the purposes of knocking her out, distracting the others. They would all be implicated if he told her. No. He wouldn't be doing that either. Pointing out that he had hidden her in the alleyway likely wouldn't help much either.

His lips thinned for a brief moment, glancing at the weapon in her hands.

Edric bit his tongue for a moment, raising his hands in the air. If she wanted to beat the shit out of him then he would let her. She had ample enough reason to, and a fight wasn't worth it. Not here. Not now. "We're all going home."

He said sternly, his expression nothing but stone.

 

[Noel]

"We're all going home?" Yeah, of course they were. They were leaving tomorrow and they'd be back at the academy before the end of the week. Was he really trying to, "the Proctors aren't going to care if you come back with a broken bone or two."

Not that she was actually going to break any of his bones. At least, she didn't plan to.

It did seem a bit out of character for Edric though. He wasn't usually one to shy away from a fight and trying to hide behind the academy's staff was definitely something some students tried since the revolution but she never would've imagined Edric going for that. If only Noel had not been in such a rage she might've thought about it more carefully, tried to dissect his words and better understand his meaning.

If only.

Her feet slapped against the marble as she rushed him, holding the long-staffed hammer lower and bending her forward shoulder at an angle, preparing to swing the implement at her full strength. But then, at the last second, she pulled the weapon further back and took a heavy stomp just before Edric. She rammed the opposite end of her platinum rod into his stomach.

It was firm but it wouldn't cause any serious damage. Had she struck at him with the hammerhead he'd likely have seen a few shattered bones, this way he'd likely just have the wind knocked out of him.

Noel grabbed Edric by the hair and held his face upwards, "don't ever do that again."

With that she let the hammer rod meld and reform into the armor it had been prior to their little encounter. She turned on her heel and headed back towards her room. Whatever dumb thing Edric had done tonight would just have to be on his head. She was done trying to help that pompous asshole.