Magical (A Quest of Vacations, or Starsigns, or Something Else)

[SeekerofDreams]

"You... probably know a lot about this school," You continue. Of course he does. He's been here since it was founded. Even if nobody talked to him a lot, you're sure he's overheard lots of interesting things by now.

"What's there to know about?" The spirit replies. "Students come. They go. Some of them come back. They teach. I am led to believe that's how schools work in general."

You... can't actually think of a good argument against that. "And times like this?"

"They don't happen. Even when Gran was worried about... Never mind that." He shakes his head, leaving you to wonder who- and what- he was talking about. "I don't remember this ever happening before. Of course, most can't speak to me, and the ones that can do not bother, so I could be mistaken."

This just leads you to wonder why the lockdown has happened. But everyone's been wondering that, and you don't think you're anywhere closer to the answer than you were a week ago. "Maybe there's something dangerous out there."

The spirit shakes his head. "I would not be sure of that. There is very little that Will-O-Wisp students haven't been expected to face in the past, and they usually survived quite handily. If there is something that is too dangerous to expose the students to... we may be seeing another war."

"...War?" But the spirit has vanished, meaning that you probably shouldn't disturb him further.

You've never heard about any sort of war taking place on Kovomaka, not within the last few generations of wizards. Certainly nothing recent enough to have had any sort of impact on the school, or the spirits dwelling there.

Then again, you should have figured a spirit you just met wouldn't be as easy for you to understand as the ones back home.

---

As the school year approaches, that means certain things about your education have to be decided.

"Those that arrive for term early get first pick of homerooms," Miss Ketchup explains, holding a number of clipboards with papers on them. "These assignments will be permanent, so if you aren't entirely sure of your decision, you should ask for advice from a returning student."

Homerooms, you have been told, are important. They are where all of your morning classes will take place- afternoon classes are purely voluntary, and you sign up for them separately- and your homeroom teacher is the first one you should turn to for major issues. Miss Ketchup, her brother, and Miss Madeleine all have homerooms with open spaces, and they're all qualified to teach about spirits, so maybe you should stick to the ones you can recognize.

You listen around the room for a bit, overhearing various students discussing the teaching styles of the teachers you're considering, and eventually you come to a decision.



[ ] Miss Madeleine is probably the most relaxed teacher in the school. She's known for going off on tangents in class, and is relatively easy for students to approach. She also doesn't seem to mind missed homework all that much. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that while she does always talk about spirits, most of her lessons, in recent years, have been centered around Starsigns, so very little of what you learn will be actually relevant to your life. (Known classmates: Sorbet, Mokka, Chai.)

[ ] Sir Mustard- apparently he was knighted at some point, but nobody knows why- is very good at teaching the practical applications of magic, and one of the theories for his particular brand of power involves the Water Spirits. He's very good at ensuring that his students all have friends among their classmates, assigning mostly group projects, but he also spends a good portion of class time keeping certain... belligerent personalities... from killing each other. (Known classmates: Caramel, Nutmeg, Raspberry.)

[ ] Miss Ketchup is known for teaching a rigorous curriculum. She has high expectations of her students, assigning them whatever work she believes they can handle. While she's willing to give assistance to those that actually need it, most choose not to take her up on it because they've seen how busy she keeps herself and don't want to disturb her. She enforces strict discipline on her class, to ensure a proper learning environment, but her students don't get a lot of chances to talk to each other. (Known classmates: Sugar, Merlot.)

 

[SeekerofDreams]

Despite being a returning student, and so already having her homeroom assigned, Raspberry still gave the sign-up sheets a good once-over.

You know this because she runs up to you after breakfast, before everyone has had a proper chance to disperse to wherever they want to go today. "Rye!" She calls out to you, while seemingly trying to keep her voice down. "Rye! I need to talk to you!" If she was trying not to be overheard, you think it worked- if she hadn't said your name, you probably wouldn't have listened in.

"Is something wrong?" It's probably just about your homeroom assignment, you can't think of any other reason she'd want to speak with you all of a sudden.

Raspberry pauses, as though she's not entirely sure. "I mean, not with me, but... I was thinking that you should come to my room later. Some of our classmates will be there, so this could be your chance to get to know them. There's something, I'm not sure if it's important to talk about it, or if we're supposed to know about it, but... I have to share it!"

This sounds like it could get you in trouble. Maybe. Except the one telling you about this isn't even sure about it. "So, um... who's going to be there?"

"Well, there's you and me, of course. And you already know Caramel... Have you met Bel and Nutmeg?" You're pretty sure Bel is the felin with wind magic, but you've never actually spoken to him.

"I know Nutmeg... Boulderfall, right?" You check, and get a nod in return. "I haven't really met Bel yet, though."

"That's all right. You'll be meeting him now, if you come along. I mean, maybe you don't want to, and it's fine, really, just-" She cuts herself off, having just remembered that she needs to breathe.

"I... guess it'll be okay." You'll have to deal with all of them eventually, right? You might as well get to know them outside of the classroom first.

---

Fitting a group of five students into one small room proves to be an exercise in claustrophobia. "Rasp, why did you bring us all here?" Caramel asks, sounding just as confused as you are. "If this is just to gush about the new librarian again..."

Raspberry flushes, which just looks strange with light blue hair. "I-I wasn't gushing!"

"Really? I'm not sure what you'd call it, then." The human leans back against the wall, crossing his arms. "Then again, I can't think of why you'd bring both Nutmeg and Bel at the same time for that."

"Yeah, why are you making me put up with him?" Nutmeg complains, shooting a glare at the felin next to her. "It's not like he'll add anything to this. He'll just decide it doesn't matter a few days from now."

"And you're overly stubborn, but you don't see me constantly complaining about it." This close, you can see that his fur is actually closer to red than brown, apart from a bit of white on his tailtip. You aren't sure whether that's common or not- you don't get a lot of felins who want to visit hot springs. "So, who's the new kid, anyway?"

"I'm Rye Seabreeze." You feel sort of like you're intruding, even if you were invited. "I'm here because I work with the Water Spirits."

"Bel Pepper. I use wind magic." He doesn't clarify whether he means spirits or the Starsign of Puffoon. It's probably going to come up later. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too." Even if you still have no real idea of the circumstances behind it. "I just... wish I knew why we were here." And thus, once again, everyone's gazes turn to Raspberry.

"Okay, okay!" She stands up on her chair in order to get some more height. "So, you know there's a few loose boards in the wall of the meditation room? And it's the one that goes right up against one of the staff rooms?" Okay, so you're probably going to get in actual trouble for this, good to know.

Nutmeg groans. "Please tell me you weren't eavesdropping on the principal."

"...Sorry." Her voice is suddenly quieter, which at least means she probably realizes just how many rules she was likely breaking. "Anyway, I'm not sure how big any of this is, but... if any of you don't want to listen to this, you're free to go." Even if you'd probably have to agree to go to the same place. Or just head to your room, where nothing ever happens.



[ ] Listen to Raspberry's story.

[ ] Leave.

 

[SeekerofDreams]

...What are the chances of a teacher coming to find you? So long as you never discuss this anywhere you could be overheard, you don't think you're going to get in all that much trouble. Particularly since you weren't the one eavesdropping.

"I... didn't have any sort of plans, anyway," You admit. "It probably couldn't hurt to stick around."

"I can think of a few ways it could," Caramel says. "But they aren't all that likely, and you know what? I'm curious. Count me in."

Bel shrugs and leans back. "I'm already here, so why not?" Which causes Nutmeg, who was giving the door a considering glance, to apparently stop considering.

"If Bel's going to stay here, I am too." One of these days, you should probably try and figure out what their problem is. "So... I guess we're all staying."

"Y-you are?" Raspberry jumps up a little in excitement, just barely managing to avoid her feet landing on her braid and sending her tumbling off the chair. "That- All right. So, this happened just yesterday..."

---

I'd first noticed the wall in that area was loose a few months ago. Not much really happened with it, then- I believe the staffrooms on the upper floors see more business, particularly during the break. But I didn't let myself forget about it, because I thought it could be helpful, somehow.

I'm not sure what I thought it would be good for, but I liked to sit there, just for the chance I could hear something others couldn't. And eventually, finally... it paid off.

I hadn't expected to actually hear anything that day. I just sat down there like normal, because I'd always get a good view of whatever someone decided to practice with the magic dolls. But I did hear something! I heard Principal Biscotti talking to somebody.

"I would like to thank you for coming here on such short notice," He said. The principal always sounds serious, but his voice sounded heavier than usual for some reason. "Especially after what happened with Kale. I know you may not wish to talk about it, but if there's anything you know that you couldn't, or didn't want to tell the regular authorities..."

And, of course, who would respond but Cider Rainbow? "I didn't expect you to get straight to the point like that. But, yes, there is something. You see, my sister is a wizard. Too young for real training, of course, but old enough to call the Dark Spirits her friends. That's why I had to remove her from our parents' care- they never did like those who wielded the power of darkness."

Him having a family shouldn't have been any sort of surprise. I guess I just never stopped to think about it, because what part of a beauty mage is more important than their art? The end product of any sort of inspiration should say something about a person, and none of his pieces that I saw let on to any of that.

The principal sighed. "It is sad when parents cannot learn to appreciate the magical talents of their children, particularly when they use magic themselves."

"Anyway, the kind of power she'll one day wield doesn't matter as much as the kind I saw on our vacation to Puffoon. We were mostly there to see Ganache, but there was still some sightseeing involved, and I'm sure you know just how... barbaric the larger cities can get. And in a moment of fear... my sister summoned an Enigma. She had no control over its actions, and I had to banish it from this plane, but..."

"You think Kale might have been interested in that kind of power?" I no longer knew what they were talking about. What's an Enigma? Who is Ganache? For that matter, who's Kale?

"After all we went through, I would hope not, but... I cannot deny the possibility."

---

"I would have listened past that, but that's when a magic doll hit the wall next to me and I figured it would have been safest to move somewhere else," Raspberry finishes. "And I was wondering what you all would think of it."

"That you shouldn't have been eavesdropping?" Bel suggests. "Or maybe to pay attention if someone is fighting the dolls?"

Caramel blinks. "That's all you got out of it? I mean, I know you don't really follow art, but... just about the only name I recognized was the Wind Planet. I thought you'd at least pay attention to that."

"That would require him to have an attention span," Nutmeg states, "Instead of just running around bothering everyone."

You're still thinking about the story. About how nothing Raspberry heard makes any sense to her, and it doesn't really make sense to you, either. And, honestly, this probably isn't something that you should be discussing.

But... you're still curious. You want to know more. And even if there's no reason this conversation should ever leave this room... maybe you should try and contribute something.



[ ] Point out that this was apparently something the normal authorities didn't hear about, for some reason or another.

[ ] Maybe it would make more sense if you knew what an Enigma was. Perhaps you should look up types of monsters?

[ ] The name 'Ganache' is familiar to you, like you've heard it before somewhere. If you could just remember what that was...

[ ] Maybe this all has something to do with the lockdown?

[ ] Or you could just... not say anything, other than reminding the others not to talk about it later. You don't see how any of this is relevant to you.

 

[SeekerofDreams]

There's one thing about this story that you recognize. One thing, in a swirling sea of mysteries that not even the spirits can reliably help you to navigate. "Ganache..." You sound out the name, slowly, carefully. "I think... that name's familiar to me, somehow."

And, suddenly, everyone's attention is on you. "Really?" Caramel asks. You aren't sure if he's trying to sound uninterested or not, but if he is, he's clearly failing at it. "Where?"

You think back. Where did you hear that name before? Or... you didn't hear it, did you? Not in conversation, at least.

"It... was in a book," You recall. "I don't know if it's the same person, but... Ganache Nighthawk was in Miss Madeleine's class of XOXEO." Thinking about it, it's sort of surprising you forgot. He was sort of the only named member of the class, and he got a lot of mentions.

"It would make sense," Nutmeg admits, putting a lot of thought into it for someone who only stuck around out of spite. "The Nighthawk family has had connections to the Dark Spirits since time immemorial. One of them is even believed to be the most powerful wizard alive." That part, too, is familiar to you, because that's why Ganache was mentioned so often.

His sister was the incredibly powerful wizard mentioned. You're really starting to wonder how you could have forgotten about that, it's not like any of the books about Will-o-Wisp's early history failed to mention that kind of thing.

"The class of XOXEO..." Raspberry gains a look of incredibly concentration. "I would have to double-check, but I believe that was close to the year when Cider Rainbow graduated the academy, though I don't think anything ever mentioned his homeroom. It's... possible that the two of them could know each other."

"But should we really be looking into this?" Caramel sighs.

Bel nods. "This sounds like something the adults should be dealing with. And even if we were to hole up in the library until term starts... what could we possibly find that would explain things?"

"I'm sure there's something," Nutmeg declares, and if you didn't know better, you'd say there's literal fire burning in her eyes. But voxes aren't particularly known to have fire talents, and you've seen her messing about with the earth, so you put that thought out of mind. "Even if it's just more context for what Raspberry overheard, the information has to exist somewhere."

"Doesn't mean it's in the library," The felin points out with a swish of his tail. "Even if it does seem to have copies of every book that's legal to own, and maybe one or two that aren't." It can't, of course, or else you wouldn't have had to sort new books out after your arrival, but you get what he's trying to say.

"What, do you think the information we're missing is illegal?" You check. As far as you can tell, the things that usually end up being banned are books that hold powerful curses in their pages, or give step-by-step instruction on things like ritual sacrifice of sapient beings. Also a few books of prophecy, but you think that's mostly to avoid messing up the future. And those tend to end up in the hands of people who are willing to use them no matter what anyone does, so you're not sure why they bother.

"The principal asked if there was information that couldn't be told to the authorities." Caramel starts drumming his fingers on Raspberry's desk, much to her annoyance. "In that case, it could easily be something that regular people aren't allowed to know. But there's also a chance that it was something our new librarian didn't want to tell them."

Bel stands up. "I'm not taking any chances," He declares. "I'll see you around, Rasp. Cara. Rye." He strides out the door without acknowledging Nutmeg.

"...I'm going to look," The vox decides, glaring at the door that her nemesis just vanished out of. "I mean, I'll probably stop if an actual adult tells me it's not allowed, but... I just need a place to start."



[ ] Bel's right. This is something you probably shouldn't be messing with.

[ ] Maybe you should help Nutmeg...
-[ ] Start by looking up the Nighthawk family.
-[ ] Try to find a class list for Miss Madeleine's class of XOXEO.

 

[SeekerofDreams]

You're not too worried about accidentally finding out something it's illegal to know. You think there's generally a good reason for it if something's been banned, so odds are you're not about to find huge troves of forbidden knowledge in a school library.

It'd be interesting if you did, but... if commonly available information was enough to tell you about things you're not supposed to know, then clearly it hasn't been hidden well enough. So long as you know when to stop, everything should be just fine.

"I'll help you," You tell Nutmeg, because it's not like you had anything else to do to begin with. "I think it's the class in particular that's important- they're supposed to have done something, a long time ago- so maybe an old class list? If we can find one, I mean." Homerooms are tricky. Students come and go, arriving at the school and then leaving again, and only the teacher remains constant from year to year. Graduation lists are simple enough to track down, but you'd probably need at least five years worth of lists to find all the students, and you still wouldn't be able to sort them out from the rest.

You know the information has to have been kept someplace, but that was centuries ago. Even if they're still around, you aren't sure where those records would have been kept. But this class was supposedly important, so maybe there's a chance?

"I think the library has a few old yearbooks," Caramel suggests. "I'm not sure if it has the year you'd be looking for, but it'd be a start."

He's right, that would be helpful. The school's big enough it'd have to sort out students by class or be completely useless. And even if you can't find the exact year, you might still be able to find a few names if it's within three or four years.

Of course, then you'd have to figure out when everyone graduated... but that's something to think about later.

Right now, you're just glad you've found something to do.

---

Thankfully, the hardest task is finding where the yearbooks are kept. There actually is a book from the correct year, sitting on a nearby table, bearing the marks of having been flipped through many, many times.

One section in particular seems to have gotten much more attention than the rest of it- corner folded down, both ways, looking for all the world like it's wanted to just fall off for a very long time now.

That page, conveniently enough, happens to be Miss Madeleine's class. Her picture has the Starsign of Night displayed next to it, beneath a stylized picture of a Light Spirit, leading to the question of how many people actually read the yearbooks, at least when it comes to classes not their own. The students, too, have images of their talents next to them, which makes it easy to read through.


Airsupply, Lemon- A felin next to a Lightning Spirit.

Ashpot, Kale- A human next to an Insect Spirit.

Cheaptrick, Cabernet- A puppet next to a Poison Spirit.

Cracks, Chocolat- You aren't sure what he is, but apparently he can talk to Stone Spirits?

Farmer, Peche- An Envoy of Love with a Love Spirit drawn next to her.

Lakeside, Blueberry- A human girl with a Water Spirit next to her. You're starting to notice a pattern...

Lumberyard, Cassis- A human who was apparently a disciple of the Blade Spirits.

Maplewood, Pistachio- You already knew what he looked like, but you aren't sure you realized he talked to the Wood Spirits before.

Mintblue, Candy- A female human next to a Wind Spirit... Or, rather, a Wind sticker.

Nighthawk, Ganache- The presence of a Dark Spirit comes as no surprise. It's what his family does, after all.

Pintail, Kirche- A human with a Fire Spirit next to his picture.

Rainbow, Cider- There is, of course, a Beauty Spirit there, as listening to Raspberry told you there would be.

Scorenote, Arancia- Given her name, the presence of a Sound Spirit next to her picture doesn't surprise you at all.

Tearclown, Olive- You aren't sure this human was actually old enough to go to school... but then, she could talk to the Beast Spirits, and maybe that's all that mattered.

Ketchup- There's no picture next to her, for some reason.

Mustard- He doesn't have a talent displayed, either.

Mokka- The Starsign of Erd, underneath a Machinery Spirit. Just as you knew there would be.


You sort of wonder why Mokka's the only one with a Starsign marked- Double Talents are incredibly rare, you weren't actually sure they existed outside of robots until you met Miss Madeleine, but seeing every kind of spirit and no Starsigns that would have been taught about... from a Double Talented teacher, that seems sort of strange.

But homerooms are voluntary, and so this tells you nothing about the class itself. Nutmeg seems to be trying to figure out if anything is worth taking notes about. You actually think you might have an idea where to start...



[ ] Didn't the name 'Kale' come up before?

[ ] Why does this book have a sticker in it?

[ ] Sir Mustard and Miss Ketchup don't have their talents listed... Could that mean something?

[ ] You've actually encountered a lot of people who were in this class.

[ ] ...Didn't Blueberry Lakeside go missing at one point?

 

[SeekerofDreams]

Your eyes are quick to fall on the most obviously strange thing. "Well... someone put a sticker here. Do you think that's important?" This page has obviously been well-loved, what with it being the only one that shows signs of having been turned to. You aren't sure why anyone would do anything to mess with a page they spend so much time looking at, let alone with something so valuable.

Then again, maybe you're just used to living with stickers and books both as commodities. You never had any books unless someone forgot theirs, and the only stickers you ever saw were the ones other people stuck to their bodies as protection from the elements. The ratfolk are very protective of their creations.

Nutmeg takes the book from you. "It looks like it's been here for a while," She comments. "Since this book was new, even." You aren't sure how she can tell that much, but the sticker does look rather faded. You wouldn't have even been able to tell it was a sticker if you hadn't been running your paws over the page, and felt where the paper became slightly uneven. "Stickers are valuable. I can't see why anyone would waste one like this."

"Maybe they were fixing a typo?" You suggest. You aren't sure there actually is anyone who goes around correcting their books, but... "But then they would have done something about the other two, wouldn't they?" Unless, of course, the magical talents of Ketchup and Mustard were just as much a mystery back then as they are now. But that's ridiculous, right?

"I would think so." The book is closed, and returned to its spot at the edge of the table. You aren't sure if it's in quite the same place as it was before, but you don't think anyone will mind. "Sadly, the name of Candy Mintblue is one I don't think I've ever heard before."

That is, of course, a problem. You can't figure out what's special about a person if you know nothing about that person to begin with.

"So we should try and figure out what happened to her next?" To you, it makes sense. You doubt anything about this wizard's childhood would tell you more about her than whatever she grew up to become. And of course she became something, if she was part of this class, where there has yet to be a member confirmed dead.

It takes a few moments for your future classmate to respond. "That... might help," She admits. "If I am careful about it, I might be able to bring up the subject with Mokka. But I'm not sure. He... sees a lot more than he lets on."

You don't disagree. The very fact that he figured out what she and Caramel had planned for the wall without being told is unnerving.

"It's still a place to start, right?"

Nutmeg nods. "I suppose it is. But... maybe you should talk to someone who was involved in this class, too. Mister Rainbow is here, of course, and Miss Madeleine taught them, but... there's actually a lot of them that you can ask, if you're careful about it."

The way she puts it, it suddenly seems a bit less like a good idea. There's things you're willing to get in trouble for, but you aren't sure this is one of them.

At the same time... how much trouble can it really be? You're just asking questions.


[ ] Accept Nutmeg's request.
-[ ] Talk to Miss Madeleine.
-[ ] Talk to Miss Ketchup.
-[ ] Talk to Sir Mustard.
-[ ] Talk to Professor Pistachio.

[ ] Decline Nutmeg's request.

 

[SeekerofDreams]

It doesn't take much for you to agree. After all, if what Bel was nervous about is you accidentally breaking any laws, there can't be anything to worry about if there's someone who can tell you when there's a question that shouldn't be answered.

Not that you're going to run into any of those. You might not even get to the subject you're planning to, it's not like you know enough about these people to know what buttons to push. But Nutmeg asked you to do it, and you agreed, so there's no backing out of it now.

Miss Madeleine is currently sitting in a comfortable-looking armchair, though you're pretty sure she wasn't there a minute ago. She wasn't anywhere within your range of senses a minute ago, and you're starting to wonder if she smuggled in one of Pizza's hats or something. Even with her being human, you highly doubt independent Warp Magic is one of her capabilities.

She's already Double Talented. You just don't think there's room for any other sort of incredibly rare magical ability.

But you're not going to ask how she got here. That would be rude, and being polite is probably the best way to get to the information you want, so long as she has it.

"Oh, Miss Madeleine. I was actually hoping to ask you something."

"If it's about the homeroom assignments, those are already set in stone." You wonder how many times she's had to say that. "If it's something else, though... go ahead."

She may be expecting you to ask about her talents. Or about things for the new school year, or even just why there's three more days before you're allowed to go outside again. Or about writing letters back, and maybe you should do that at some point, just so nobody forgets that you exist. And those are all things it would be nice to know about, but that's not why you're here.

"Well, I was wondering... what decides the classes that someone teaches?" You've heard she mostly talks about Starsigns nowadays, but in XOXEO, everyone in her homeroom was learning how to harness the power of the spirits. "I mean, there's no real reason for it, just..." You're curious, and it might help you get onto the topic of what you'd actually like to know. Or, rather, what you were asked to learn.

Still, the teacher's eyes brighten up, and you think you just may have asked the right question. That, or she's using magic for the effect. Given how she controls both light and darkness, you don't think it'll ever be possible to tell.

"I was wondering if anyone would ever ask that. You see, it's all to do with the students."

"The students?" Somehow, that's the last answer you'd expected.

"Yes. There's no reason to teach something that just goes over their heads, after all. And thanks to my... unique qualifications, my classes are able to be much more broad than most. So if a class is mostly voxes, I will mostly teach about the kinds of magic commonly available to voxes. Or if everyone has a Starsign, I will try to tailor my lesson plans around that. Once, my class was made up entirely of users of dark and light magic... That was enjoyable, when everyone wasn't trying to kill each other." You aren't sure whether or not she means that literally, and you're too scared to ask.

"So, if your class was made up entirely of those who can talk to spirits, that's what you would teach?" Like that one class, so long ago. The one that clearly has some sort of mystery to it, that has several members hanging around the school even now, with a secret that you're wondering if you can decode.

You probably can't. Not if they've been able to keep in hidden for eight hundred years without saying a word. But that's not going to stop you from trying.

Miss Madeleine nods. "That's exactly correct. In fact, during the school's early days, that's what my classes tended to look like. My Starsign was... much less well known, at the time."

That's... strange. After all, between having occasional conversations with things nobody else can see, and turning into a light purple beacon every night, you would have expected the latter to always be the most visible. But maybe she just never went out at night.

Funnily enough, none of the students from the year you're wondering about could talk to Light Spirits. But it's not like that was ever a common power, so you don't think much of it.

Maybe it's something one of the twins can do. It's not like the yearbook was at all helpful to you when it came to those two.



[ ] Continue on the topic of her Starsign.

[ ] Wonder why she doesn't make it known what spirits she talks to.

[ ] What does she do about Double Talented students like Mokka?

 

[SeekerofDreams]

Still, aside from the obvious oddity when it comes to knowledge of her talents, everything Miss Madeleine has told you so far makes sense. You guess it would have to, if this is official school policy, but it's nice to know there's a reason behind everything that's happening. You'd almost thought you'd left logic behind at the hot springs.

"What about Double Talented students?" You continue, deciding against mentioning Mokka by name. You aren't sure if his decision to pursue further education is meant to be common knowledge yet or if he just planned to slip into class on the first day without really telling anyone.

It's hard to trust a person when you can't read emotions from their voice.

"Well, like everything else, that depends on the student." Miss Madeleine doesn't seem inclined to drop names, either. You wonder if anyone ever asked her about old classes before. "Some of them lean more towards one talent than another. A number of them do end up learning both at the same time, through afternoon classes if need be, but just as many choose to focus on the aspect of their powers that they have in common with their classmates, particularly if the class composition is skewed."

Skewed, like the class Mokka was a part of had been. Though you still aren't sure why it took him so long to go back and learn about Starsigns. You'd think he either wouldn't care at all, or he'd focus on learning as much as he could as soon as he could.

Still, you think that's more of a question for Nutmeg to ask. You're not getting involved in that yet.

So you just nod along with what the teacher says. "I... guess it would be hard to teach something that doesn't apply to most of the students." Which is a big part of why your class of choice is one that doesn't focus on Starsigns, even if it does make you wonder what Nutmeg's doing there. You assume she either had her reasons, or made a poor decision back when she arrived at the school.

Given what you've seen from her, both are very likely possibilities.

"Precisely. Though it is a shame I don't get to teach much about spirits anymore... Maybe I should put on a light show sometime." By the time you've managed to properly picture it, Miss Madeleine has already vanished from her chair.

...Seriously, how does she do that!?

---

"So, you didn't learn anything?" Nutmeg doesn't sound particularly upset. Maybe she knew it was a long shot and just wanted you out of the way for a bit.

Still, you wouldn't say there's nothing you learned. "Well... She's apparently not trying to keep how she's Double Talented a secret. I think it just happened." Which is sort of strange to think about. How does a whole planet just forget what a given person can do? "Also, she keeps appearing and disappearing and I have no idea how she does it."

"You and the rest of... everyone. I think the betting pool was at six-hundred-thousand bira last time I checked." That's... that's a lot of bira. You think that might actually be more than enough to pay for a student's entire education.

"Is it... really that important?"

Nutmeg shrugs. "I don't know. I guess she's been doing this for a while. The teachers are in on it, too- I think Sir Mustard and Miss Ketchup are the only ones who were here last term and not a part of it, and they say it's because they already know. But they still refuse to actually tell people." She sounds a lot more annoyed by this than you expected.

Though, on second thought, you aren't sure why you expected anything less. "Do you think they know?"

"It'd make as much sense as anything else they do. There's a reason people call them the school cryptids." She shakes her head. "Anyway, I talked to Mokka, and I think I found something a bit more useful."

"Really?" You guess it would make sense. It's probably easier for someone to remember former classmates than a particular set of former students, and easier to ask about them, no matter how famous they may or may not be.

"Apparently, that student with the sticker by her name can't actually use magic. She can talk to the Wind Spirits, but she can't use their powers. I'm not sure what she was doing in a magic school, but apparently she had the best grades in her class, so I guess things worked out pretty well." You aren't sure how much she believes it. You're pretty sure Will-O-Wisp students, in general, are supposed to have some kind of actual powers.

Not that people who can talk to spirits but not call upon them isn't a thing that happens. It's just that most of them don't go to school for magic, and they only live for a couple centuries at most. Versus this person, who...

"...I think I read about that," You remember. "She used to be a wizard, but then stopped being one for some reason. Maybe the principal just didn't feel like kicking her out of the school." As terrifying of a thought as that is.

Nutmeg, too, seems unnerved. "You can stop being a wizard?" She doesn't even bother keeping the horror out of her voice.

"That's what the book said. It was... something about Valencia Beach, but I'm not sure it ever happened to anyone else." You wish you could remember the title of the book you read, but it just... slipped out of mind.



[ ] ...Maybe you shouldn't be looking into this anymore.

[ ] ...Maybe you should try to find that book again.

 

[SeekerofDreams]

It turns out, that finding books on a topic is simple. As long as a subject exists, and considered appropriate for students, there will be a selection secreted away somewhere in some corner of the library, overlooked by those that don't want to look past the horrible clash of colors that makes up this quiet room.

Finding a specific book, on the other hand... that's more difficult.

"Maybe someone else has come by and checked it out?" You suggest. You haven't felt the need to apply for a library card, not when you're living in this building and can come here to read whenever you want, but you know there's people who think differently.

You've been looking through sections on history and geography both, because those are both things you remember reading, but then, you never claimed to fully understand the shelving system. Particularly when a large portion of it seems to be arranged by weight.

You can sort of get why, it reduces the odds of some student or another dropping it on themself, but you just can't figure out how all of this is arrranged.

Nutmeg isn't offering you any help, either. "If that's the case, I suppose there's nothing we can do," She says, running her paws along the edge of titles that look familiar to you, but that you can't tell where they're from. "...Are you sure you'd recognize the title?"

Thinking about it? Not really. You've been doing a lot of reading, and the particulars of what a book is called never really stood out to you as much as whatever information is kept inside.

Information is valuable, but you'd never bothered to think that book titles can be valuable information as well. You'd never needed to, with the grand total of fifteen books scattered around the inn, none of them about the same subject and all of them with particularly distinctive covers. It's something you vow, at this moment, never to overlook again.

But you don't want to mention this to Nutmeg, and she doesn't force you to answer, and you resign yourself to returning to this library at another time.

---

A couple days before the proper start of term, the lockdown is lifted, to an extent. Several new faces appear, those who have acquired their own transportation here and wanted to spend the extra time with their families. You don't see any commuter students until the next day, which is less a school day and more a morning-long assembly/entrance ceremony/excuse for the principal to get up on stage. Probably to give the new commuters time to sign up for homerooms.

It all takes place on the lawn of the school, because there's nowhere else with enough room for all the students, and you can already tell that it's only even practical because of the intervention of Sound Spirits. Students sit all over the place, in the grass, a few lucky ones managing to acquire chairs from... somewhere.

There's some others that brought out blankets and such, for some reason. You guess they weren't kidding when they said it would take the whole morning.

Still once again, you need a place to sit. You decide to try and find space...


[ ] By the Ronsanu twins.

[ ] Near Raspberry and the others.

[ ] By Mokka.

[ ] On your own.

 

[SeekerofDreams]

It doesn't take much looking through the crowd to spot two identical outfits in green and blue. You work your way over to them, noting that there's more people in the area than you would have thought possible to gather in one place. You've never seen anything like it before.

Currently, Sugar is leaning against the wall, while Sorbet is actually sitting out on the lawn. "Do you mind if I sit here?" You ask. They haven't really had a problem with you so far, but you also haven't made much effort to connect with them, and you'll all be in different classes. You don't even know them well enough to tell their voices apart, most of the time. You just differentiate them by clothes.

Sorbet shrugs. "Why not? Someone's going to, eventually." You guess you're not the only one wondering how so many people can fit on the same lawn, even if it's one as big as this.

You nod in thanks, and settle down on the grass, wincing a little as it prickles at you. It hasn't rained in a while, and it seems like the plants are trying to beg you to water them.

Not that you know how to do that. You wonder if Sorbet is dealing with the same thing right now.

A white sparkle catches your attention, as a golden-haired girl glowing with the Starsign of Day approaches. "Is there any room for one more?" She requests. "See, everyone keeps complaining that I'm hurting their eyes..." And, of course, these are the closest shadows.

"Really?" Sugar crosses her arms, looking very unimpressed. "Starsign glows aren't that bright. Unless you're trying to hide from monsters, in which case you might have a problem."

Sorbet grumbles something you don't quite catch, but that probably wasn't all that flattering. You decide not to touch that for the time being. "So, who are you, anyway? I'm Rye Seabreeze, and these are Sugar and Sorbet Ronsanu."

"Cocoa Daybreak." Cocoa sits down, leaning as much into the shadows as she can. "I'm going to be in Miss Madeleine's class." Sorbet glances over at her.

"Huh. Same as me."

---

A few minutes later, the announcements start, heralded by a blast of noise that's impossible to describe except that it certainly worked to get your attention. It's Principal Biscotti who's speaking, or so you've been told- you can't actually see him from here.

It starts, of course, with everyone being welcomed to the academy for the year, general hopes that as many of you as possible can succeed... all that stuff.

"Now, we have a few staffing changes this year," He continues, after a point where Cocoa has fallen asleep and Sugar seems to have taken to counting the blades of grass. "First of all, I am sorry to say that Mrs. Sammich has had to leave the employ of Will-O-Wisp Academy after an incident that occurred over break. I am not at liberty to discuss the details."

For whatever reason, the Sound Spirits seem to have decided to broadcast someone coughing loudly. It's over quickly, though, and the principal continues.

"She has been replaced by Cider Rainbow. In addition, Professor Pistachio Maplewood has agreed to come to the academy and lecture in the afternoons. The sign-up forms for afternoon classes will be available in two weeks, and you can pick them up at any faculty office. Afternoon classes themselves begin in a month, so be sure to sign up for the classes you want before then. Morning classes start tomorrow, and for any new students who need help finding their homerooms, maps will be available at the front entrance."

The rest of it seems to be advice for returning students, which would be more helpful if there was any chance of you remembering it over the course of the year, or of it not being mentioned again once it's relevant to you.

Still, you aren't sure anyone else is paying attention, either. Not in this area at least.


[ ] Talk to Sugar.

[ ] Talk to Sorbet.

[ ] Talk to Cocoa.

[ ] Maybe try and actually pay attention.