Game Night

"That's an excellent opportunity! As upperclassmen, of course we need to make sure that the underclassmen are up to Nafriton's standards."

Lyse's eyes lit up at the student's words. Indeed, that girl embarrassed him during the first exam. The finals would be an excellent opportunity for payback.

"Hehehe! We definitely need to kick out unworthy leeches."

"So what Deputy Heston is her godmother? If she shouldn't be here, she shouldn't be here."

"There's been too many commoners around anyways."

Ah, the hypocrisy of many noble students. They complain about others not being qualified, yet the conservative faction has the largest number of freeloaders and incompetents. The students quickly became excited at the thought of finally kicking out another commoner.

"Serves that witch right for daring to make Sir Foryl look like a fool!"

Then someone took it too far. A glass shattered on the ground. Lyse ferociously glared at the student. The others instantly shut their mouths. The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

"Who, exactly, looked like a fool, you idiot?"

"So- sorry Sir Foryl! You're definitely not a fool! I, I, I –"

"What he meant to say, Sir Foryl, is that she took a mere accident too far and got you into trouble!"

The silent Marc Lupton finally spoke up. The student gave him a grateful look as Lyse's glare turned towards Marc.

"There's no use worrying about what's in the past. We can't change it. Besides, Professor Foryl protected you and cleared that misunderstanding right up. What we can do is look forward to the future, and even the score."

Lyse slowly calmed down and a cruel grin spread across his face. Someone seems to have forgotten who the true instigator and their intentions were. The gathering soon returned to life.

Marc slowly sipped on his drink. Let the game begin. Those idiots were so easy to manipulate. No matter what happened, Marc just provided information. The other students were the ones who encouraged revenge. Now, all that he had to do was wait. Either one of two situations would occur.

Aayla Glowery would reveal her abilities and competence to the world. She would become proof before Lyse's very eyes that powerful wizards could come from anywhere. Professor Foryl would protect Lyse again while Marc would use that opportunity to wear down on the Lyse's noble superiority complex.

Otherwise, Aayla Glowery would most likely be eliminated from Nafriton. One more stain would be removed from this sanctuary of magic. Professor Foryl would shield Lyse from the wrath of Deputy Heston while Marc would instantly become highly trusted.

Either way, Marc would confirm Aayla's abilities and Professor Foryl would increase his control over Lyse. As a bonus, Deputy Heston would be enraged with the conservatives. The only variables were how much and how many other neutrals followed suit.

The rise of Marc Lupton was imminent. When he rose to the top of the conservative faction, Marc's actual mission would begin. Then all those who crossed, suppressed or opposed him would fall.

**********

Unaware of the many eyes on her, Aayla steadily worked in the dining hall. Once a week, she would try to have an event for residents. By far the most popular was game night. Wizards loved upstaging each other in trivia games. They would have loved Jeopardy if they lived on Terra.

Tonight was another game night. The residents were anxious for something to settle their nerves after the third round of exams. They excitedly pounded on the doors.

"Just a few more minutes! Everything's not ready yet!"

Aayla finished setting up the last few decorations on the serving tables. Large scoreboards hung up on the walls. Small bells had been placed on each table. Each table would compete in various topics for first place while dinner was served. Aayla would ask the questions, while Dormi would judge and keep track of scores.

More excited knocks sounded from the doors. Aayla quickly walked over to open them.

"Hold your horses! It's only one minute after dinner time."

Students started excitedly pouring in. Some just wanted food. Others wanted to join the game. Those who wanted dinner grabbed to go orders, while those who wanted to play signed up and sat down at a table. Excited chatter echoed throughout the room. Aayla smiled.

Though she could hardly hear herself think over all of the noise, she was really happy. The first few events had very few people. Attendance steadily grew as residents grew curious. People enjoying the events that you organize was really validating.

At first, Aayla just put some events together to look like she's actually working. She didn't need to pretend now. Even a few of the professors stopped by last round and gave a few recommendations on topics and questions. All of them were from the neutral faction, except a couple of progressives.

"Everyone, either grab your food and leave or sit down! We're about to begin the first trivia round!"

No one heard her and just kept talking. Suddenly, a loud screech like a knife on glass or a poorly played violin blasted from the windows. The talking stopped as everyone covered their ears. Aayla gave an appreciative pat to the nearest wall.

"Can everyone hear me now? Are y'all ready to start?"

Resounding cheers echoed throughout the room.

"I suggest that you keep it down or Dormi might make whatever sound she just did again. I'm sure none of you want that. The rules are the same as last time. I ask the questions, you answer and Dormi judges. Only one person per table can speak at a time. Let's begin with our first question!"

The bells kept ringing for a long time. Cheers abounded for correct answers, and jeers for incorrect ones. Soon the entire dining hall was focused on what would be the next question from Aayla's lips.

About 20 minutes in, two figures entered along with those grabbing to go dinner boxes. Daren and Chris silently sat down at a table with a few of their neighbors. Ever the people person, Chris could always make more friends.

Daren sipped on his drink while the table grew rowdy. He had never really tried anything alcoholic before. The excitement of the game was infectious. Even Daren cracked a small smile.

Chris looked over and laughed. "I can't believe it! Mr. Serious is smiling!"

Daren's face returned to its serene state. "No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were. This is more fun than you thought it would be. Aren't you happy now that I've dragged you into the world of the living?"

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

The other members joined in teasing Daren. The faint smile returned. Chris was also extremely happy to see him smile. Ever since Headmaster Marin forced the pair to help out around the residence hall, Daren had seemed happier.

At first, he was annoyed. That little bookworm hated dealing with people. The worst of people and crushing expectations were exposed to Daren when he was little. Years later, he rarely talked with anyone aside from Chris, his family and the headmaster. Now, Daren would have occasional chats with his neighbors and classmates.

Chris glanced at the girl asking the questions. Daren more easily accepted her as a new member of the investigation team than Chris expected. Even after learning about Daren's heritage, she often treated Daren like he was made of glass rather than kiss up or attempt to seduce him.

Perhaps because Aayla genuinely often treated Daren and himself like annoyances, fools or helpless babies, Daren slowly dropped his guard. She was now a colleague, not just a mere magical case study. Even Chris was impressed by her animal wrangling.

Her expectations seemed to decrease rather than increase. Aayla never let them get away with anything bad if she could help it. No skipping work, no skipping investigations, no paying off people to do classwork. There was probably no one else on the planet who would treat the heir of a City Lord like that. Chris didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

If he knew that Aayla viewed Daren like a rich mayor's son instead of the heir to a powerful micro-nation, then he would understand. Chris did know that Daren's world had begun to change for the first time in over a decade. And he had no idea what this would mean for anyone.

**********

*** Trigger Warning: Bullying/Physical Violence ***

"Why didn't any of you tell me about that f***ing wh**e working with MY FIANCE! What the f**k is that trash Marc doing?! How could he miss such a thing?"

CRASH!

A vase shattered against the wall. An overturned table lay on the floor. Delicate tea cups and vases lay broken across the floor. A student who looked like a maid carefully picked up the broken pieces over the slick floor.

"Lady Landrienne, please calm down!"

"Yeah, Sir Forolan would never willingly breath the same air as that tramp!"

"Headmaster Marin and Deputy Heston must be scheming something, otherwise that thing wouldn't have the guts to get near him!"

In a fit of rage, Vanessa kicked the student cleaning the floor. The student didn't dare to resist. After a few more kicks, her rage slightly cooled. Another girl entered and dragged the now unconscious student out of the room.