Incline 4: Student Nin

"Was that really it...?" I let out in confusion as me and Vadei left the building we had been told to go to. In theory, this is where our punishment was, but, they didn't do anything. They just sat us down and half-assed something. In fact, I even heard them ask why they were doing this!

"Student Vadei, hold on a moment." someone said before we got too far from the building. And, just like that, I was left on my own. I didn't go anywhere, because I would need her help to find the others. But, I was left wondering why they asked for her to come back inside.

Then, after a little bit of waiting, she came back out, "Move." Vadei demanded of me with a blank expression.

"Did... Did something happen?" I asked her as she stared at her palm in annoyance.

"YEAH!" she let out loudly, "They took away my ability to pilot the airship! They stole my knowledge!" she complained in frustration.

"How'd they steal your knowledge...?" I asked her, somewhat baffled by the claim.

"All the stuff I knew about the airship is no longer there now! It's gone! It's like it was never there!" she nearly screamed in my face before she moved away with a long groan.

"At least your hand isn't scarred anymore." I tell her with a shrug, only to get a quick slap against my chest.

"Yeah, but now I have a thing that is no longer there! I have this cool, personalised flight jacket, and no knowledge anymore of how to fly!" she exclaims before she drops down to moan.

I looked down at her before speaking, "You, what, piloted that airship for a few weeks? Surely you could not have made that into your identity...?"

"You wouldn't get it..." she grumbles before I rub a claw near her ear to get a reaction from her. However, instead of getting my claws slapped away, she just leaned on my wrapped-up leg.

"No, probably not. But, if it bothers you that much, why not get a job being an airship pilot? You could even buy your own one at some point." I advise her with a shrug. I was not really sure how to comfort her, if I was honest. It was just an airship, after all.

"Eh..." was all she had to say in response.

"I... I give up." I then sigh out in response to that. She was complaining about the loss of her airship ability thing, but she was not determined to return to that standard? I was happy to assume that she was just making a scene for the sake of it.

"Wait, help me up." she asked before I moved on with my life. And, with an action I would regret, I did what she asked.

"Are you in fact just bored!?" I demanded to know as she stayed in my grip, dangling from my arm. It was like I was not with Vadei for the moment, but, rather, Larishazza!

"I just spent several hours doing absolutely nothing while hearing someone drone on about something they themselves did not care about. Yes, yes I am bored!" she explained after dropping to the ground.

"Then find the others so we can not be bored then!" I demanded of the soon-to-be-tailless annoyance.

But, before she did so, she scoffed, "What, scared you won't be able to entertain me?" she taunts afterwards.

"I will throw you down the mountain." was all I had to say to that as she took the lead. Playing it up dramatically as she tried to find the others.

"I'm still not used to this. I want to go somewhere quieter." she complains as she spends several extended periods sniffing the air.

"Well, if you can't pilot an airship anymore, we aren't going to be going someplace quieter, are we?" I pointed out before we got back into our part of the academy.

"Oh, hello, Nin!" Einervaene cheerfully greeted as we bumped into her on the way in. In her hands was a package of some kind. But, I was not curious enough to try and snatch it or ask about it.

"Whiny-Einy." I greeted before smiling at the frown she gave me.

"So, what is it you two were called in for?"

"Some kind of telling off." I answer, shrugging just after.

"Wait, how come you didn't have to attend it!" Vadei demanded to know when she was reminded of how it was only us two who had to go.

"Well, in their words, I was a victim of the actions you two made on that day." she explains with a slight forward tilt in her posture.

"Victim!? You had plenty of time to get off that airship! Your magic is all about moving somewhere quickly!" Vadei exclaims in confused frustration.

"My magic is not about that at all. Besides, I wouldn't have been able to get off safely." she tells her with a bright, teasing smile.

"EUGH!" Vadei practically roars before she wanders off elsewhere.

"So I take it you've been having more fun than us?" I ask my friend after watching the other disappear.

"I wouldn't say that, I've just done stuff. But, now that you are here, I think I can enjoy myself." she tells me with a light blush as she makes sure I could see her smile.

"Ah, okay. So what have you been doing today? I've sat on my backside and drummed claws on a desk." I tell her before scoffing into a smile.

"Just following up on some of the talks we had about magic when we were helping Vadei out."

"So you came to a decision on what you wanted to do then?" I asked as I was pretty sure she came out of the talks undecided. Not that I could even remember what it was I suggested.

She then looks away with an annoyed expression, "No, not yet. So I just went to Mechanical House to the one who made my outfit to see if I could get anything to come of it."

"Doesn't the academy handle any quote-on-quote, uniforms?"

"Yes, but, I already went to him once, so I felt like it was best to go to him again." she explains with a held-out palm

"So the results are in the box?" I asked, contradicting my earlier thoughts about it.

"Yes and no. I have some notetablets in here and some sketches. There's also some material samples he gave me to try out."

"How are you going to test how your magic works on some sample pieces? You going to just let your lightning flow through it or something?"

"No, it's mostly for aesthetics."

"Why would you need material samples then?"

"So I can hold them against each other and pick a colour combination. Not that it matters, as he overruled my previous request when it came to colours." she explained before she rolled her eyes in frustration.

"What did you want, then?"

"Do you remember the outfit I originally was given by Rossie-chira?"

"Wow, haven't heard one of those honorifics in quite a while." I commented, diverting the topic completely off-course.

"Well, I don't know her actual name as I have only ever called her by that and I don't..." she mumbles embarrassedly with her usual blush.

"Don't worry, I'm not teasing. But, her name is Rose'lhia. I used to call her just Rose, like the flower." I explain. Somehow managing to prevent my mood from fouling during this discussion.

"Oh, alright, well, the outfit Rose'lhia gave me, do you remember it?"

"The white and red one that was somehow skimpy yet made for colder climates?" I asked with a smile. And I got a quick giggle from my friend for the effort.

"Yeah, that's the one. Originally, I intended for my new, or rather, this outfit to be like it in colour. With the exception of it having enchanted copper built into it as you can see. But, he didn't like the colour combination, so he made it completely black for the most part."

"In hindsight, he probably made the best choice, even if his reasons weren't related to them."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in our time away from Suhurlodst, we've been what? Through so many places and problems that only the gods know. We've trekked wastelands, you've triumphed over a stone-melting beast! If you wore white in that, you'd have ruined your outfit long ago." I explained.

"But even this outfit has seen better days. The copper is scratched and dented, melted in some places even. And the fabric is worn out and stained in other places!"

"And if you were in white, all of it would stick out even more." I pointed out with a gesture. Watching her in silence as she silently nodded in understanding.

"So what do you think I should have for new colours?" She then asked me.

"I'm sort of used to the whole, black and copper-orange look if I am being honest." I tell her as I couldn't think of her in any other colour scheme. And this was despite having seen her in different ones prior to this discussion.

"So you think I should stick to these colours?" she asked with a light blush coming to her face.

"I don't really know, I'm not exactly a fashionista here." I joke, gesturing to my bandages and the top she made for me.

She smiles at first, but she then goes into a state of thought, "Maybe I should ask Baltanthan, then? He only ever really saw me in my old outfit." she says before she turns around and heads towards the largest dorm section.

"Why him? He probably won't care." I asked before pointing out that Baltanthan usually liked to be left alone. Or, at least, not pestered and annoyed.

"I just said why, besides, he's our friend, we should go see him given our time away from here." she explains.

"And how are you going to find him exactly? You aren't Vadei, besides, even she doesn't know his smell."

"I remember his dorm, we can just go there."

"Oh, lovely." I comment as I remember our last trip there.

"Don't be like that, he won't mind."

"Alright, and what if he's not at his dorm? What then? We can't exactly wander this place looking for him." I remind her as I swing my arms wide to gesture to the great space we were crossing. And this was just one of the dividing sections of the academy! We still had a few neutral areas and other open spaces to go through!

"I'll just go up and look, then." she tells me before she hands me her stuff and puts some distance between us. But, that distance could not have prepared me for what happened next as she just exploded all over the place.

"Are you alright!? You didn't piss off the Thunder God did you?" I asked her after dropping her stuff so I could rush on over. But, she was not in pain, she was just a little baffled.

"Oh, yeah, that's right." she comments quietly as her face went a deep red. And she quickly picked up her stuff and went on ahead without me.

"Again, are you alright?" I asked after I caught up with the inexplicitly embarrassed woman.

"Be quiet." was all she had for me.

"What?" I let out, baffled as to where this was coming from.

"Be quiet... I don't need you encouraging me to do stuff I shouldn't..." she mumbles quietly before she turns to me in shock.

"Uh, okay." I let out with the same bafflement as before.

"I'm sorry... It was my lapse in judgement..." she mumbles as she churns up some grass with her boots while her faces hides behind the box.

"Okay." I said before I gave her a reassuring pat on the arm that was laced in uncertainty.

"Again... Sorry..."

"Can you tell me what that was about?" I asked with a raised brow.

"It was how I learned to do this." she tells me before she briefly turned into a lightning-person.

"How did what just happen teach that!?" I asked her loudly as I just could not see it.

"This outfit was made so I could use magic but avoid that. But, it seems that if I still try to do my main spell, I can still cause the problem to happen."

"See a teacher about it?" I offered as a solution she probably thought of long ago.

"You know a teacher can't help me with this..." she rightfully complained with a few sparks flying off of her for emphasis. Not that she needed to, it was an easily gotten point. One only had to spend a single day here after all to get it. You were encouraged to learn on your own with only the basics being taught by the staff.

Which, I guess, made me question why such staff were even here if we had to learn on our own. Our experiences determine our magic and all that nebulous rubbish. But, I've been using magic for less than two years now while this place has existed for lifetimes. At least, the lifetimes of people from my homeland.

"Yet, you still talk it out with us." I then pointed out when I remembered what we had just talked about. We had offered advice to her, so maybe a teacher would in fact be helpful?

"Because the others are my friends and you're... Nevermind. I'm just comfortable talking it out. Hearing a few ideas and all that. I'm still going to be thinking about it when I am not talking to you, obviously. But, you know." she rambled out with an initial pause at the start.

"Honestly, if I am able to offer any advice. It would probably be best for you to just practise. Slowly ease into what you feel needs improving on. We have experiences we can reference, after all. For example, that fight with Salahma has taught me I need to have something to protect me. Or, at the very least, something that lets me do this." I began to say to her before I poked her with my magic. Smiling at the end as her previously frustrated expression made way for a short-lived smirk.

"Stop it." she then demanded alongside a shock that travelled along my magic.

"Huh, didn't know you could do that." I huffed out, slightly impressed by how she conducted it.

"Well, it's not too different from my frame here. It is a magic path, after all."

I then went wide-eyed and pointed a claw at her, "Then why not look into that? Use your magic reactively and shock your attackers?"

"Because I would be exposing myself to a chance of death that I do not want." she answered before her head thudded in the air. A certain kind of gaze was directed at me when her skull came to a halt.

"Fair enough, but still. It might be something to consider if you are going to use your lightning form in any kind of fighting." I tell her, thinking of how she initially used that form against Salahma.

"Hm, I guess. It does keep a lot of threats away from me. And, from what I have learned back at Vadei's village. It can do quite well against weaker foes by simple contact." she recalls which in turn makes me frown. I did not want to remember that hive if I was being honest...

"And you could do that a lot better if you, spread yourself out if that somehow makes sense." I tell her before getting confused by my own words. Was I advising her to explode like she did just now...?

"I think I get what you mean, but let's focus on finding Baltanthan now." she says just as we cross into the lands of the main student population. And, the reception was a mixed one. Some were eyeing Einervaene just fine while my face garnered only disgust. It bothered me still, but, it was getting easier to tolerate.

"We're going to be finding him for a while..." I comment as I look down the many roads this place had. Dorm building after dorm building as far as the eye could see. In fact, there were so many the academy gave this place a unique luxury... Having its own shops and other essentials right on-site...

"No, we won't because I made sure to remember which number his dorm is." Einervaene tells me with a smile before she runs ahead onto a path. I, however, kept on walking on the relatively quiet road. And while she was getting lost in the trees and porch gardens, I looked at the paving. Smooth, grey stones of varying shapes in an almost random pattern.

"So why do you remember this?" I asked her once she stopped at a dorm that I did not remember at all. Probably because it was just like all the others with a few exceptions. Not that these exceptions were particularly helpful, mind.

"How do you not? He's our friend, we should remember where he lives for the time being." she exclaims as if I had done something wrong before she puts her stuff down. A quick succession of knocks came right afterwards.

"Coming!" I heard someone say behind the door before a scream came out of it when it opened.

"Ah, that brings back memories." I joked before I frowned to express the hurt I was feeling. I was trying to make light of the bother it brought, but, sometimes, I just couldn't. No rhyme or reason to it, it just happened sometimes.

"Is Baltanthan in?" Einervaene asked. Clearly ignoring what had just happened before the door had been abandoned. And, yet, despite how easy it would be for us to walk in... She kept us outside waiting.

Stop being polite just this once woman...

"Oh, hello you two." the man in question said as he came by the door with a mug in hand.

"We've been gone for a couple of months and all you have to say is that!?" Einervaene let out in shock.

Baltanthan then went quiet before he took a sip from the mug, "Was I suppose to know you had been somewhere?" he asked with echoed words.

"Yes!" was all Einervaene had to say.

"Oh, okay. Nice to see that you're back, then." Baltanthan said with an uncaring tone before he walked away from the door.

But, because we had not been invited in, "Can we come in?" the annoyance before me asked.

"Did I not just let you...?" he questioned before he rolled his eyes. And, once Einervaene got inside, I followed suit. Closing the door behind me and I rolled my eyes as I heard the panic from upstairs.

"So, how you been?" I asked after dropping down into a chair while Einervaene sorted out her stuff.

"Not much to say, been doing my classes and working on my magic." he answers as his gaze turns towards several jars of various metal nicknacks. Some rusty, others not.

"Surely you're doing something else? You look exhausted." I commented when I got a better look at the shadows under his eyes. But, all he had for me was a shrug.

"I've been running on empty for a short while now, getting prepared for the Inter-House Talent Display takes a lot out of you." he tells me before he rubs his eyes. With his gaze briefly looking at Einervaene's growing mess before it went back to me.

"What was that again?" I asked as my mind had lost some details about this place. And, who could blame me? I have been on an adventure, after all.

"Combat tournament for those who apply from any house but Mechanical House." he clarifies.

"Oh, that could be fun." I say to Einervaene just as she finishes up making a mess of the table.

"So why did you two come on by?" our exhausted host asked as he picked up a piece of metal. Before he dropped it all of a sudden as his trembling grip wasn't the best.

Then, when Einervaene came back up with the dropped item, "I wanted to hear your thoughts regarding my outfit and how I could improve it."

"Improve it how, exactly? As you can probably see, mine is not much." he reminds us as he gestures to the simple, dull blue tunic he had on. He then threw his thumb behind him and gestured to what appeared to be leather armour. But, it was probably just a carrying frame or something. Like a tradesman might wear so he could carry his tools on his person.

"I'm not looking for a professional opinion, I just want a friend's opinion."

"Friends?" was what Baltanthan chose to focus on before he scoffed.

"Is there a problem with that?" Einervaene questioned as a cute glare started to form.

"I dunno, just thought I'd have to do a bit more than just clean pots with someone for a few weeks." he quickly chuckled out which also got a smirk from me.

"Hey, come on, we did some hunting."

"You did some hunting, I just tagged along." he reminded me before I smiled at the bloody memories. And the ones that caused us other issues... In hindsight, it was only amusing, even if it wasn't at the time.

"Anyway..." Einervaene loudly said before she pushed some items towards him, "What do you think looks best?"

"Just the colours?" he asked as he stared at the frame near Einervaene's boobs.

"Hey, eyes off my pair." I joked, hoping it would get something from Einervaene.

"Yeah, they're hi-" she began to say before she turned redfaced. And I started to howl with laughter as a pout was directed at me.

"Shut up." Baltanthan said to me before he picked one of the metal samples up. And, this time, he did not drop it and his grip did not tremble. So, I guess he wasn't trying to use his magic.

"W-Well?" Einervaene asked with a still red face as her gaze kept going back to me. All the while, her hands visibly twitched by her sides. Though, one of them quickly went near her face so she could hide it partially.

Baltanthan's hands then came together and then parted, "Is there something wrong with your current attire?"

"No... I just wanted to improve it, so I thought I see if anyone wanted to see a new colour scheme..." Einervaene mumbled with barely understandable coherence.

"Right. So, just stick with it, then? You don't look ridiculous if a little... Slutty." Baltanthan said with no real restraint. Even if he did roll that word in his mouth before saying it. Not that it mattered, the fact I struggled to hold in my laugh got the blame put on me.

"Quiet!" Einervaene snapped as her blush came back in full force. But, it was hard to take her seriously as I just enjoyed seeing her embarrassed.

"But, yeah, I have no issues with it so make the choice on your own." he then said as he stared into his likely empty mug. And he put it down once he had decided it wasn't worth getting the last few drops out.

"Right..." Einervaene started with as she sat down, "So you have no problems with the way I look?" she then asked.

"No, but I also don't really care." he told her with a half-hearted shrug.

"I was hoping for something more than just..." Einervaene said with a sigh. However, how she was expecting something more baffled me. Baltanthan never really had much to say when we travelled with him. So he was never going to comment much on her attire.

"Look, I can't offer you the advice you want. You'll need to consult someone from Mechanical House regarding the features of your attire. However, you look fine. Beautiful even. So stop worrying about it." he said before he got up and went to fill up his mug again.

"Okay." Einervaene said with a small smile before she packed up her things. I then took this as the cue to get moving as we had done what she wanted. We got Baltanthan's non-existent feedback. Mission accomplished.

"So that battle thing, where can you find information about it." I asked Baltanthan as we started to leave.

"Anywhere really, it's one of Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding's biggest events. It's playing on the speakers and it has its own building in the middle bit of the academy grounds." he explains before he takes hold of the door as I stop in the frame.

"A building for the event or information?" I asked as knowing this place, it could of actually meant a giant arena. In fact, I am pretty sure I might of had my shell cracked over and over in it. And just thinking of that moment made my body heat up with anger. It was perhaps one of the most embarrassing moments I have had since I was introduced to the school...

"Information, obviously." Baltanthan clarifies with a roll of his eyes.

"Well, see you then."

"W-Wait... You're taking part?" he asked me before I reached the last step.

"I haven't decided. But, recent events have left me eager to do something." I tell him, and, I was not referring to my recent adventure. I was on about how bored I was in that limp-wristed punishment me and Vadei received.

"Nin!?" Einervaene called back when it became clear my lingering had put some distance between us.

"So, yeah, see you." I told Baltanthan before I waved at him.

But, I stopped when it became clear he was going to say something, "Now, if you do choose to take part. Just know I am going to make sure you know just how powerful my time here as made me... I want you to see the results of your choice." he dramatically threatened.

I cocked a brow and smirked, "I could punch you through that wall and blow up your dorm right here right now. So you better have learned something good." I joke before a walk away sniggering. At first, I moved slowly, hoping I'd hear something from him. But, he had nothing to say and all I heard was the door close.

"What were you talking about?" the still smiling woman asked me as she looked up to meet my gaze.

"Tournament of some kind. So I'll be heading to one of the buildings in the middle bit to try and get some information regarding it." I explain to her, initially trying to look out towards said section of the academy. But, due to how many dorm buildings there were here, I could not see them. I only saw more parts of this never-ending city of students.

"Why would such a thing interest you?" Einervaene asked me with a tone full of disgust.

"It might help me figure out my magic."

"You can do that without resorting to such barbarity." she scoffs as her gaze moves away from me.

"Don't you come from a land where a garden is a sign of wealth...?" I questioned with a raised brow after figuring out her thoughts.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked me with her offended stare bringing us to a halt.

"Well, if something so simple is hard to get, fights are surely a common thing, no? You'd have warfare baked into you." I reason as I remember some of the information I learned while I was human. How some city-states went to war over a few farms or the rights over one of the twin rivers.

"We have duels, but those are ordered, structured events soaked in a millenia-old culture!" she tells me as if those things really mattered.

"You are getting oddly worked up over this..." I let out quietly as I watched her expression. How it flared up alongside her tone and how her posture went rigid...

"I just don't like fighting, alright!?" she loudly clarified, drawing much attention from those near us. Yet, even then, I was confused and concerned. There was clearly more to this sudden sour mood.

So I made sure she was still willing to move and I took her somewhere quieter. Just so the onlookers would not trigger any kind of embarrassment. And, when I found us a quiet spot under a tree, I freed up her hands. I made her sit down and I did to.

"Is something wrong?" I asked her as I kept a claw on her stuff so she wouldn't try walking out of this. Not that it might do anything as this was just sample materials... But, hopefully, Einervaene was too thoughtful to just leave it with me.

"I... I don't like the idea of it, that's all..." she quietly answered while looking down at the tips of her boots.

"Any particular reason why?" I asked, hoping to get a little more to work with. As, if I could get a reason, I could discuss it with her. Not that I needed to as she did not decide if I could enter it. But, she was my friend, so I should at least try and help.

"You don't need to know..." she told me before she crossed her arms and sighed. And, I guess that was it. It was far too personal for her to be let out easily.

So, I sighed myself and drummed my claws on my legs, "Okay... Are we going to return this, then?" I asked, making it clear the topic was being changed.