There was something almost comforting about this kind of menial work. Yue was not a girl of manual labor by any means. She did not enjoy being made to do what was essentially free service for the college and the city. Even so there was a kind of nostalgia in it. If her old Teacher in the steps had put her to this kind of task she imagined it would have been turned into a trial to be performed until she passed out of exhaustion.
Yue assumed they were plenty welcome to take breaks or stop at any time in this case.
The small girl had positioned herself a bit on the outer edge of their little group. So she was the last to notice any signs of trouble.
She had entered an almost zen like flow state moving the rubble. Yue performed a looping tai chi like motion as she sorted the debris into neat piles. Yue had so slipped into the quiet peace that she had ignored
Calixtus small distressed noise at first. While she made more effort to pay attention to him due to her father's social position as a merchant.....old habits died hard and she often found herself tunning him out.
"You mongrels" Aiko yelled
That caught her attention. He stood up a little straighter . She was about to make her way back toward the rest of the group when a nasty little green thing jumped out at her. Her face immediately scrunched into disgust. She deftly avoided it. One or two others showed up to surround her.
Luckily they were uncoordinated in their movements. He easily diverted a a club swung her way by one, stomping it's ugly face, sending it to the dirt. Simultaneously she gut punch another that had tried to leap at her again.
Despite her blows they seem to take this as lucky hits and were noisily making all kind of demands.
She attempted to use the same spell on the nearest little creature that she had used to move the rubble. It didn't budge, branding some crude spear at her. A shame she would have liked to see it go flying. No matter.
She used the spell to pull the spear from the one in front. It zipped to her open hand. With a quick decisive motion she broke it over her knee and tossed it. That caught their attention a little.
They nervously halted their attacks for a moment. They seemed to be gauging if she was worth the trouble of reinforcements.
She stepped forward planning to go look for the others. The assorted green menaces raised their weapons (and fists in the case of the one whose spear was now in pieces.)
"Give us s'mthin at good and we'll let you pass!" One hesitantly demanded.
Yue glared at them. She was short and quite frail looking by nature but the look in her eyes. That was anything but timid. It was a look that meant business.
"Show me where the others you ambushed are and I let you keep all your bones." She replied coldly.
She removed her hair pin and tucked it into her top for safe keeping. just in case one of them tried a snatch and run.
They huddled up to discuss which only made yue consider testing out other spells on them. Luckily before she had decided on one they came to a consensus.
One rubbing it's hands together gestured for her to follow them. Likely they thought she must be foolish for willingly walking into whatever trap they were devising.
It was a short walk back to the scene of the crime. Even so she had to correct with a smack to a grubby hand as one of them had tried to pick pocket her.
When they arrived she saw the pitiful state of her fellow students. Huddled, hog tied and bloodied.
Calixtus she couldn't let get too injured or it might fall ill on her house if she were deemed responsible. Even so she might have let a little bruising slide.
but the girls. that was a bridge too far.
Her expression darkened if it were possible for it to look somehow more murderous.
