Author Note: Hey everybody thanks for reading this. This work is going to be two chapters, so expect the next one next weekend. I'm just starting to learn how to write these characters, and feedback on my characterization of them would be greatly appreciated.
On Diana's desk she kept a planner with her schedule. It helped organize the busy day to day action of her school life. Almost every day, all of the fifteen minute slots were filled. On this particular day, a sunny Tuesday, her morning started at 5:00 am.
From 5:00 to 7:00 she patrolled the dorm halls, keeping an eye out for wayward students and troublemakers. The professors assigned her to this task at the start of the semester, so she did it every day.
7:00 to 7:30 was breakfast. About ten minutes of that were spent standing in line to get some eggs, toast, and a glass of orange juice. Diana sat with Hannah and Barbara, listening to them talk while she enjoyed her food.
After breakfast, until 8:00, she watched the main classroom hallways. Hallways became crowded as students filtered to their first class of the day. While watching them come and go, Diana also found time to assist a student with locating a lost textbook. No one assigned her the job of watching out for students, but Diana was always ready to assist.
Classes started at 8:00 and ran until noon. Diana took notes, answered questions, and brewed potions to the best of her ability. She learned about teleportation magic and potions that could burn through iron. On the other side of the room, Akko's potion fully burned through the magic cauldron holding it. Diana was the first to react, sealing the toxic material in a bubble before it could injure any of the other students.
From 12:00 to 12:30 Diana ate lunch. Again, she sat with Hannah and Barbara, though she talked more than she did in the morning.
The afternoon classes were next. They ran until 2:30 and were largely uneventful.
After classes were out, Diana dedicated 2:30 to 3:00 for watching the classroom hallways for the final time that day. She had to break up a fight between two upperclassmen, which luckily didn't involve any magic. Unfortunately, it extended the amount of time she spent at this task.
The next time block, which was from 3:00 to 3:30, was supposed to be tea time. Diana tried to set aside time to have tea a couple times a week, which she used to do back home every day. It was harder on her current schedule, but when she could she fit it in. On this particular day, that time went to giving an eye witness account of the fight.
She made it out of the office around 3:15, which didn't leave her enough time to make tea. Instead she found a window in the hallway lean against, looking out over school grounds. She didn't have to be at the library to study until 3:30, so she had some time to breath.
"Excuse me." Diana heard a quiet voice from her left side. "Can I ask you something?" She turned her head away from the warmth of the sun's rays to look at the person speaking to her. The girl was in her year, though Diana didn't know her name. She wore the standard uniform of Luna Nova and had dark brown hair and eyes.
"Yes?" Diana asked in reply as she stood up straight. This was the second request today, which was standard. She always did her best to help students in need; her resting time would just have to wait until later.
The other girl adjusted her hat. "I've been trying to cast the spell for teleportation, but something keeps going wrong. Do you have any tips on how to do it?"
Ah yes, the teleportation spell they learned that morning was a difficult one. It required precise wand movements and pronunciation to do correctly.
Diana pulled out her wand, just to have it ready, and asked, "Could you show me what you're doing?" That way she would see what parts needed work.
The other student nodded and brandished her wand. "I'll teleport this pencil." She said as she pulled a pencil out of her bag. After placing the pencil on the ground she pointed her want at it. She waved it the way they'd been taught and chanted the spell. The air around her arms glowed as she cast the spell, but no teleportation happened.
"What do you think?" The student looked at Diana eagerly.
"Try opening up your wand movement." Diana said with a nod. She displayed the movement, giving each swipe an exaggerated motion. "That should help."
"Ok, I'll try that." The girl nodded firmly and readied her want once more. She recast the spell, making the motions larger this time. Her arms glowed like before, but this time with a different result. The pencil vanished and reappeared a few inches to the right.
"Great job." Diana smiled at the success as the other girl stowed her want and beamed up at her.
"Thank you so much!" She scooped up her pencil and tucked it into her bag. "I don't know what I would've done without your help."
"It was no problem." With a small wave the other student was off, leaving Diana about sixty seconds to get to the library on time. She had a whole two and a half hours blocked out for studying and homework, so she would be there from 3:30 until 6:00.
When Diana arrived at the library, she found a table near the front to sit at. She unpacked her books and found a few more on the shelves before settling down in one of the chairs.
The work continued.
When classes ended for the day, Akko burst out of the classroom in a flurry of energy. Her afternoon classes were both lectures, so they were difficult to sit through. On sunny days like today, they were almost impossible. Now it was over and she was free.
Lotte and Sucy followed behind her at a slower pace, following the energetic girl back to their dorm room.
Once inside the room, Akko placed her bag in its place in the corner. She sat on her bed as Lotte and Sucy put their books away and gathered a few things. They were going into town today to get the new Nightfall book and see a roaming mushroom merchant. Akko decided not to go since she wanted to get extra time in practicing flying. The weather was perfect for it that day too.
"See you later Akko." Lotte chimed from the threshold on her way out, and the pair exited. The door had barely closed behind them when Akko reached for her broom. She stored it in the corner, leaning against the spot where the walls met. Her hand had almost reached it when she stopped abruptly, fingers half way clenched.
How could she have forgotten? The rule Ursula put in place when Akko fell off her broom for the tenth time, she should've remembered it sooner.
"Akko," Ursula said gently as she healed Akko's bruised legs. "You've made a lot of progress in your flying, but for your own safety you are not allowed to go flying alone."
The words echoed through Akko's mind, shattering the image of how the rest of her day would go. She couldn't fly alone. Lotte and Sucy had just left, so they couldn't fly with her.
Well, that was a problem, but Akko had a solution. Even though her roommates were gone for the day, she still had other friends who might join her. Akko reached the last few inches to her broom, securing it and slinging it over one shoulder.
She left the dorm room, closing the door haphazardly behind her. A few skips down the hall and she reached her new destination, which happened to be another dorm room. Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka should've been back from class by then, so Akko knocked on their door firmly.
"It's open." A coarse voice called from inside. Akko pushed the door open, glancing in quickly to see who was there.
Amanda lounged on top of the left bunk bed with one hand dangling down. She appeared to be the only person in the room. "Hey." Amanda didn't move as she greeted Akko.
"Do you want to go flying with me?" Akko didn't bother beating around the bush. She knew Amanda loved to fly and wouldn't turn down the opportunity.
"I'd love to." Akko's heart lifted as Amanda sat up on the bed. "But I can't today." Akko's heart plunged right back down to her feet and Amanda lifted one hand and placed the back of it against her forehead dramatically. "Nelson gave me detention again."
Probably for reckless flying, Akko thought to herself, but didn't say that out loud. She let out a sigh. "Ok, maybe next time then." With a glance over at the entrance to Constanze's workshop, Akko asked. "Where are Contanze and Jasminka?"
Amanda shrugged. "No clue. Haven't seen them since classes got out."
"Ok, see you later Amanda!" Akko put some force into her grin, turning to exit the room. Behind her, Amanda flopped back onto her bunk.
After the door clicked shut, Akko's grin slid off her face. So much for going flying today. If Amanda couldn't do it and she couldn't find Contanze or Jasminka, then Akko was grounded for the day. She took the broom off of her shoulder and turned it over in her hands slowly, silently apologizing for crashing so many times and causing this to happen.
No, Akko couldn't let herself mope like this. Even if she couldn't physically fly, there were still other things she could do. Maybe the library had some books on flying techniques. Yeah, it probably did, Akko reassured herself. If she went to the library, she could read up on flying techniques and it would almost be as good as actually flying.
With a firm nod to herself, Akko made her way towards the library.
She didn't even think to put the broom back in her dorm.