DRAGMANTICAR: A Valentine's Day Exalted Datequest

"By the way, did the Headmistress ask you anything when you came for the interview?"

You lay back in warm water and luxuriate. Why is being warm so comfortable? It's not like particularly amazing or expensive or anything, but it's just so comfortable. It speaks to some primal instinct within you. When you're lying in patch of warm sunlight, you kind of want to just curl up and stay there forever, like a cat, and laze about forever.

"Hm?" Six stops splashing water about and wades over towards you. Your eyes are closed, but you can feel the movements through the water. "Like what?"

"Like... hm... a secret ambition or something?" You repeat from your memories with your eyes still closed, willing to open them now that you're so comfortable. How did she put it, again? "Ambitions to act as fuel?"

"Oh, yeah. That." Six sinks a bit deeper into the water. "Yeah, she did."

"What did you say?"

"Oh you know," Six brushes it off. "Same old same old."

"Six." You open your eyes and sit up. "I'm serious here. I really want to know what you said."

You look over to see Six staring at you. She has an odd look on her face, one that you can't place. It seems like there's a lot more of those than you thought in the beginning. "Why?"

"Why?" You rhetorically repeat her question. "Because it's kind of obvious that I don't know enough about you. I didn't predict you leaving home, I didn't predict you going to Beitton, and all that stuff made me realize that I don't know you as well as I thought I did. So yeah. I'd like to know you better Six."

Six licks her lips and sighs. "You're too blunt about this Five. Haven't you always been the formal one?"

"You're not the only one who can change." You shoot back a response.

"...okay. You're right." She sighs again. "Okay, what I said earlier wasn't wrong. I do want to fill in my weaknesses, round out my edges. I want to get better, stronger at things. I'm hotblooded, hottempered. I get angry at people at things too easily, I don't have any patience, I can't step back when I get too involved. I know all my weaknesses."

"But the reason I chose Beitton, rather than any other school that could have helped me, I think is because I don't want to end up like our sister."

Your sisters. One flashes to your mind immediately. One who is managing your family's assets and businesses. Two, who is serving in the legion. Three who is already happily married. Four, who has followed your mother into the faith. Your elder sisters. "Our sisters?"

"Yeah." Six nods. "Do you know that, One was never the one who suggested that she take over family affairs? But she didn't have a dream or ambition. She spent her time playing at hobbies, but she never found anything she was really invested into. So when mother asked her to manage the family business, she couldn't find a reason to refuse."

"She didn't choose it. She let herself be chosen for it." Six furrows her brow. "That's something I definitely don't want for myself."

It made sense. Sort of. Being beholden to the family, this was something every dynast struggled with. Those with great ambitions, so great that they could cause changes to ripple across the entire empire, they might be able to escape that chain of responsibility. But for the rest of you, you could only put up with it. "So what do you want to do?"

"....I don't know yet." Six admits.

What?

"What?"

"I mean, I don't really know what I want to do yet, but I'm hoping to find out by the time I finish school." Six falls back into the water with a splash and lets herself float along the surface, face up. "I'm going to try everything and see what I like, you know? Fall and rise again? If I don't find something I like yet by the time I graduate, I'll probably join the legions. But I'm going try my best to find something that suits me, something I really want to do before then."

"Hah." A smile creeps onto your face. "Then, in that case, while I'm here, I'll help you the best I can."

"Huh?" Six tries to sit up quickly, too quickly. She smashes into the water and flails about for half a second before she drags herself out of the water. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah." You nod. "Were twins right? We do everything together. I want to improve myself. That's what I told the the headmaster. So, I'll help you find what you want to do, too."

The grind that spreads across Six's face is huge. "Five I love you, so much right now. So so much."

You grin. "I know."

"I'd give you a hug right now but-"

"No, no." You wave it off. "I know."

The two of you smile foolishly at each other like a pair of dorks. Eventually though, the grins fall off your face. "So, what have you tried out so far, anyways?"

"Um, not much." Six starts ticking off on her fingers. "I've tried out the martial arts club. That's alright. I signed up for introductory classes of thaumaturgy, though I don't think I'm actually going to try the sorcery path. I'm also going to take some politics classes the coming semester."

Ugh. Class selection. You hate this part. You're somewhat sickened by the reminder that you'll have to decide on a courseload in the next week as well. "How did you find the martial arts club?"

"Oh, that's fun." Six rises out of the hot spring. Water sloughs off her shoulders as she strikes a pose. "It's styles from all over the empire, mixing in one giant melting pot. Do you know Marsa girl? The one I pointed out earlier."

"Yeah." You rise out of the water, too, and find your towel. You should probably get going. The afternoon's almost over. "You said she was good."

"Yeah, she's really good." Six inhales deeply, and steams starts rising off her body as the water literally evaporates off her skin. Showoff. "Couldn't fight her at all. Once she got going she crushed me. But like...."

"But what?" You slash your arm to one side, and droplets of water clinging to your frame peel themselves from you and fly through the air onto the ground. Your master would beat you black and blue for this frivolous use of the Water Elemental Style that he taught you, but he's not here so you don't care.

"She's really weird," Six confides in you. "Like when you punch her, she smiles. It's not like she enjoys the pain, either. It's like she enjoys the act of getting fought."

"If you say so." You and Six chatter about her martial arts club while you leave the hot springs and get dressed. Six's frame and yours are actually fairly similar, but you are a little bit more slender than she is, without as much muscle, and so her spare set of clothes are a little bit loose around the shoulders, where they slip a little and show a bit more skin than they're supposed to. You continue listening as you dress.

There's apparently two rising superstars in the martial arts club, outpacing even Six. Marsa, who's from the threshold returned to get a proper education, and a Tepet Natsuhi, who is by all appearances a high class dynast princess with a sterling pedigree and a great reputation. Apparently she lost to Marsa in their first sparring match, and now she's been pursuing a most unseemly grudge against the other girl, constantly challenging and losing to her. Natsuhi, Six confides in you, is not all that strong, apparently her grounding is in mostly ceremonial styles of martial arts, not ones meant for combat, but she is advancing at an extraordinary pace. Natural talent, Six calls it. Pure talent.

"You think this is what you want to do?" You ask Six. She look at you thoughtfully, then suddenly, without warning, punches you in the shoulder. It actually does hurt a bit!

"Why are you so eager, dummy?" She frowns at you, while you gingerly rub your shoulder. "Look, I've got like years to explore everything I want to do. We're not in a rush."

You wince. "Well, we just talked about it, so that's what I'm thinking about. That's all."

Six huffs, and runs past you. You chase after her. "Wait, where are we going?"

"Dining hall, idiot!" She yells back at you. "It's about time for dinner!"

Choose up to 3 slots of people to sit with:
[ ] A wood-aspect who seems to be eating entirely with her left hand. Her appearance is that of weak breeding and her right arm hangs completely limp at her side. (One slot)
[ ] Marsa and another very tall girl, who seems to be glaring at her. Marsa chatters on happily while the other girl completely disdains her. Or stares at her eyebrows. One or the other. (Two slots)
[ ] An air-aspect who looks like she's engrossed in a book, but actually is peaking over the edge and sneaking small glimpses at everyone else. A table away there seems to be a water-aspect doing exactly the same thing, but snatches glimpses exclusively at the other girl instead of across the room. (One slot, choose which)
[ ] Two water aspects and a wood aspect. One of them looks like a rich girl and the other two their cohorts. They chat amicably among themselves and the rich girl occasionally is asked a question which she answers quite cordially. (Three slots)
[ ] A somewhat short and plain looking wood aspect in a corner. Every so often she'll sprinkle condiments onto her food from a container she retrieves from her side. She shivers strangely everytime she takes a bite. (One slot)
[ ] Two wind aspects chatting and eating amicably. One is slumped over on the table, sighing while the other one seems to laughing at her friends expense. (Two slots)
[ ] One idiot peeling fruit with a giant daiklaive. Seriously what the fuck. You think she's a fire aspect, but she's almost entirely wrapped up under a thick layer of bandages so you can't quite tell. (One slot)
[ ] An empty table. You'll take your chances and see if anyone decides to join you. (R A N D O M)

QN: I took 2 weeks to brainstorm all their freaks and weirdos for you so you can be assured that they're all quality waifus.

@Imrix thanks!