Square's characters don't belong to me…my characters do.
She heard the whispers as soon as she entered the classroom for her test.
"Did you hear about that girl who faced Leviathan? I heard she beat it in a record time!"
"Man! She's only fourteen! I wish these little upstarts would stop showing us older cadets up and learn their place!"
"Well I heard she just barely survived. The GF probably took pity on her and let her win."
"Stupid! GF's don't let anyone win!"
Xaria shook her head and sighed. The rumor mill at Balamb Garden had been in full force ever since word had gotten out about Ainsley's successful junction with Leviathan. Ainsley herself was staying in the Infirmary for a few days, per order of the sometimes overzealous Doctor Kimuri. Xaria shot the gossiping cadets a look before sitting in her assigned desk and console. As she placed her books on the desktop, her deskmate leaned over.
"So, Sari, ready to die?" Xaria laughed quietly at the sandy-haired boy.
"Some of us actually study, Tibor" she replied. Tibor put a mock startled look on his face.
"Me? Not study? Pfft! That's absolute nonsense." Xaria shot him a bemused look and pulled out the latest issue of Combat King out from under his book pile. Tibor put a look of horror on his face.
"Those horrible librarians have been sneaking Combat King into my book pile again!" Xaria playfully whacked his arm with the magazine and then handed it back to him. "Hey," he grinned, "It is assigned reading by Zell.
"True," admitted Xaria, "but I'm in that class and this issue hasn't been assigned yet." Tibor clasped both of his hands to his chest.
"Foiled again!" he exclaimed as Xaria laughed at his antics. She then elbowed him to be quiet at Instructor Barak entered the room to administer the written exam.
"Before I start the test," the instructor began, "I'd like to congratulate all of you for making it this far. The training and studying you have had to do in order to prepare for this exam has been immense, and you all have borne it well."
"Awww…I bet you say that to all your classes," Tibor whispered. Xaria placed her hand over her mouth and repressed the urge to giggle.
"Remember, you must score above 80% to pass and move on to the field exam," Instructor Barak continued, "good luck to all of you. You may now turn on your consoles." There was a chorus of soft beeps from around the classroom as all of the students turned on their computers. Xaria studied the first question.
[1. Name one monster that lives on the Alcauld Plains, and two of the spells it carries.]
'Well, that's easy,' thought Xaria to herself. She answered,
[ The Bite Bug is one of the common monsters on the Alcauld Plains. It carries the spells Fire and Scan. Occasionally, with a stronger Bite Bug, the Fire spell is substituted by the more powerful Fira.]
Xaria breezed through the next twelve questions, all on simple monsters, before coming upon a harder history question.
[14. Esthar and Galbaldia have fought two large wars. Name one of them and how it affected the society of each.]
Xaria sighed. It was going to be a long exam.
Two hours later, Xaria entered the cafeteria. She could barely think as facts about various monsters, weapons, and political events flashed through her mind. She quickly grabbed a salad and then sat down at a table by herself.
"Yo! Sari!" someone called. Xaria looked up from her tray to see Tibor enthusiastically waving for her to sit at his table. Xaria was surprised. Although Tibor was an entertaining deskmate in class, she couldn't remember ever talking to him outside of class. She shrugged and picked up her tray to move. Tibor slid over a seat and she sat down between him and a large dark-haired boy who she vaguely recognized from her classes. Tibor pointed at the boy.
"Sari, this is Calder, he's in our class." Tibor said. Calder held out his hand and Xaria shook it.
"Xaria" she introduced herself.
"So you're the person that Tibor always tries to cheat off of. I've heard about you. You're pretty smart." Calder told Xaria. Xaria blushed slightly.
"Not really," she replied, "I just study a lot, unlike some other people around here." She shot a look at Tibor who whistled aimlessly and averted his eyes.
"Yeah I've been telling him to study every since he was my roommate, but he just won't listen." Calder said. Xaria smiled. She then looked at Calder's pile of books and noticed that he had the book on Sorceresses that she had been looking for.
"So you're the kid who keeps taking out this book!" she exclaimed, plucking the book from his pile, "I've been looking for this book for weeks. I could have used it before the exam!" Calder looked sheepish.
"Yeah, I guess it's kind of overdue," he admitted, "But it's really interesting!" Xaria smiled.
"I forgive you. Actually, I'd still like to read it. Can I borrow it?"
Calder shrugged, "Sure, just return it kind of soon, you know. It's overdue." Xaria nodded and added the book to her pile.
"Hel-lo! I'm still here!" said Tibor. Calder and Xaria both looked at him. "So," he continued, slightly embarrassed, "What did you guys think of the exam?"
"The monster questions and weapons questions weren't bad, but the history was kind of hard." Xaria told him. Calder nodded in agreement.
"I hated some of the monster questions, they were all so bor-ing. I didn't mind the history though. I like history."
"Yuck," Xaria said to Calder, "He didn't study and he's still going to do better than me!"
"My dear Xaria," Tibor said, "There is no way that you are going to do worse than I did. I don't study, remember?" Xaria narrowed her eyes at the slight term of endearment that Tibor used.
"I'm not your 'dear' anything, Tibor," she said aridly.
"Ouch!" clasped one hand over his heart and put the other across his forehead as if he was about to faint, "Your words, my lady, are crueler than the sharpest sword." Xaria wanted to giggle at his antics, but put a stern look on her face.
"Let that be a lesson to you then," she told him.
"Oooh, shot down," remarked Calder. Xaria giggled, and then rose from her seat.
"I'm going to visit a friend in the Infirmary. I'll see you both later," she said, gathering her books in her arms.
"Wait!" said Tibor. "You don't mean that little girl that junctioned Leviathan, do you?" Xaria's eyes narrowed. Tibor looked slightly startled by her defensive reaction. "Hey," he continued, "I just want to make sure she's alright. I mean, I heard that she was only fourteen." Xaria simply nodded and then turned to Calder.
"Thanks for the book," she said, waving goodbye. Tibor watched her as she left.
"Oh man," said his friend, "You've got it bad." Tibor shot Calder a look.
"Shut up."
She heard the whispers as soon as she entered the classroom for her test.
"Did you hear about that girl who faced Leviathan? I heard she beat it in a record time!"
"Man! She's only fourteen! I wish these little upstarts would stop showing us older cadets up and learn their place!"
"Well I heard she just barely survived. The GF probably took pity on her and let her win."
"Stupid! GF's don't let anyone win!"
Xaria shook her head and sighed. The rumor mill at Balamb Garden had been in full force ever since word had gotten out about Ainsley's successful junction with Leviathan. Ainsley herself was staying in the Infirmary for a few days, per order of the sometimes overzealous Doctor Kimuri. Xaria shot the gossiping cadets a look before sitting in her assigned desk and console. As she placed her books on the desktop, her deskmate leaned over.
"So, Sari, ready to die?" Xaria laughed quietly at the sandy-haired boy.
"Some of us actually study, Tibor" she replied. Tibor put a mock startled look on his face.
"Me? Not study? Pfft! That's absolute nonsense." Xaria shot him a bemused look and pulled out the latest issue of Combat King out from under his book pile. Tibor put a look of horror on his face.
"Those horrible librarians have been sneaking Combat King into my book pile again!" Xaria playfully whacked his arm with the magazine and then handed it back to him. "Hey," he grinned, "It is assigned reading by Zell.
"True," admitted Xaria, "but I'm in that class and this issue hasn't been assigned yet." Tibor clasped both of his hands to his chest.
"Foiled again!" he exclaimed as Xaria laughed at his antics. She then elbowed him to be quiet at Instructor Barak entered the room to administer the written exam.
"Before I start the test," the instructor began, "I'd like to congratulate all of you for making it this far. The training and studying you have had to do in order to prepare for this exam has been immense, and you all have borne it well."
"Awww…I bet you say that to all your classes," Tibor whispered. Xaria placed her hand over her mouth and repressed the urge to giggle.
"Remember, you must score above 80% to pass and move on to the field exam," Instructor Barak continued, "good luck to all of you. You may now turn on your consoles." There was a chorus of soft beeps from around the classroom as all of the students turned on their computers. Xaria studied the first question.
[1. Name one monster that lives on the Alcauld Plains, and two of the spells it carries.]
'Well, that's easy,' thought Xaria to herself. She answered,
[ The Bite Bug is one of the common monsters on the Alcauld Plains. It carries the spells Fire and Scan. Occasionally, with a stronger Bite Bug, the Fire spell is substituted by the more powerful Fira.]
Xaria breezed through the next twelve questions, all on simple monsters, before coming upon a harder history question.
[14. Esthar and Galbaldia have fought two large wars. Name one of them and how it affected the society of each.]
Xaria sighed. It was going to be a long exam.
Two hours later, Xaria entered the cafeteria. She could barely think as facts about various monsters, weapons, and political events flashed through her mind. She quickly grabbed a salad and then sat down at a table by herself.
"Yo! Sari!" someone called. Xaria looked up from her tray to see Tibor enthusiastically waving for her to sit at his table. Xaria was surprised. Although Tibor was an entertaining deskmate in class, she couldn't remember ever talking to him outside of class. She shrugged and picked up her tray to move. Tibor slid over a seat and she sat down between him and a large dark-haired boy who she vaguely recognized from her classes. Tibor pointed at the boy.
"Sari, this is Calder, he's in our class." Tibor said. Calder held out his hand and Xaria shook it.
"Xaria" she introduced herself.
"So you're the person that Tibor always tries to cheat off of. I've heard about you. You're pretty smart." Calder told Xaria. Xaria blushed slightly.
"Not really," she replied, "I just study a lot, unlike some other people around here." She shot a look at Tibor who whistled aimlessly and averted his eyes.
"Yeah I've been telling him to study every since he was my roommate, but he just won't listen." Calder said. Xaria smiled. She then looked at Calder's pile of books and noticed that he had the book on Sorceresses that she had been looking for.
"So you're the kid who keeps taking out this book!" she exclaimed, plucking the book from his pile, "I've been looking for this book for weeks. I could have used it before the exam!" Calder looked sheepish.
"Yeah, I guess it's kind of overdue," he admitted, "But it's really interesting!" Xaria smiled.
"I forgive you. Actually, I'd still like to read it. Can I borrow it?"
Calder shrugged, "Sure, just return it kind of soon, you know. It's overdue." Xaria nodded and added the book to her pile.
"Hel-lo! I'm still here!" said Tibor. Calder and Xaria both looked at him. "So," he continued, slightly embarrassed, "What did you guys think of the exam?"
"The monster questions and weapons questions weren't bad, but the history was kind of hard." Xaria told him. Calder nodded in agreement.
"I hated some of the monster questions, they were all so bor-ing. I didn't mind the history though. I like history."
"Yuck," Xaria said to Calder, "He didn't study and he's still going to do better than me!"
"My dear Xaria," Tibor said, "There is no way that you are going to do worse than I did. I don't study, remember?" Xaria narrowed her eyes at the slight term of endearment that Tibor used.
"I'm not your 'dear' anything, Tibor," she said aridly.
"Ouch!" clasped one hand over his heart and put the other across his forehead as if he was about to faint, "Your words, my lady, are crueler than the sharpest sword." Xaria wanted to giggle at his antics, but put a stern look on her face.
"Let that be a lesson to you then," she told him.
"Oooh, shot down," remarked Calder. Xaria giggled, and then rose from her seat.
"I'm going to visit a friend in the Infirmary. I'll see you both later," she said, gathering her books in her arms.
"Wait!" said Tibor. "You don't mean that little girl that junctioned Leviathan, do you?" Xaria's eyes narrowed. Tibor looked slightly startled by her defensive reaction. "Hey," he continued, "I just want to make sure she's alright. I mean, I heard that she was only fourteen." Xaria simply nodded and then turned to Calder.
"Thanks for the book," she said, waving goodbye. Tibor watched her as she left.
"Oh man," said his friend, "You've got it bad." Tibor shot Calder a look.
"Shut up."