CHAPTER 3

Mara paced around the couch, running lists over in her mind, muttering softly.

Arkan frowned at her from where he lay on the couch, "Dude…"

"What?"

"Why?"

"WHAT?"

"Why are you acting like this? You just got into your dream school, and the Royal Academy. Plus, we won the games yesterday. Aren't you at least tired from that, if you can't be happy?"

"I don't have time to be happy. I mean, I am happy. But there's too much to do. I need to plan out my schedule so I have time for everything."

He lay back on the couch rubbing his face, "Everything except free time."

She smiled, "Actually, I will. I'll use the time to multitask."

"So, not free-time?"

"Is it really a waste of time if I enjoy it?"

"Mara, that is not my point." He sat up again, "If you work yourself to the bone, you'll get really sick. Or permanent greying."

"I won't be! I'll be getting the schedule for the Valkyrie academy tomorrow at orientation. The Royal Academy borders on the Valkyrie area, so it's a quick commute. I'll plan out my classes from that point, leaving time to come back to Vanaheim for classes, visits, and my extra activity. I might even have time to get a job to bring in money to support myself."

"What? With you dowry and the winnings you should be good?"

"Only for the first two semesters. Royal academy classes cost money, and so do the tests to see if you can even get into the class. Not to mention supplies. I'll need books, notebooks, pencils, pens, ink. And clothes. I only have about seven sets of clothes and two pairs of boots with a pair of slip-ons."

"I have way too many questions, and way too little sleep to stand you right now. I'm going back to bed. Wake me before you leave, ok?"

"Sure."

She paced around for a while longer, pausing every now and then to type a note on her laptop on the dining table. Everything was in order.

Except for everything.

It would be in order tomorrow.

Mara looked outside. The sun had long since set. She sighed, turned out the light and curled up on the couch, trying to sleep the rest of the night away.

..

The next morning

Traffic was already starting to flow in the gates to Asgard. Not as much as it would be on a market day, but it was still substantial.

Mara slipped on the horse and grabbed the bag Arkan handed down to her.

"So…"

She shifted on her feet, "Yeah."

"This is goodbye. Or is it more of a see you later?"

"It should be a see you later. I'll keep in contact, and try to visit every weekend and holiday we get."

He nodded, focusing on the golden spires of the palace, "what's your plan?"

"Today? Get to the V Academy grounds, find my dorm, and get things set up. Classes for the semester don't start anywhere for another week, so I should have time to get everything together and get settled."

"Will you be ok?"

Mara smirked up at him, "What, worried, are we?"

"Mara, you've been like a sister to me. Plus, we're cousins. Is it really so wrong of me to worry that you could get hurt?"

"Nothing could hurt me at the Royal Academy, and if I get hurt during training at the V Academy, there's healers. I don't plan to do much other than school and visits to you and grandad."

"Oh, yeah. Have you told your dad yet?"

She shook her head, "No. I was going to send a letter to him sometime this week. Could you tell grandad for me?"

"Sure." He looked back at the hazy forest in the distance, "I should head back. Promise to be alright?"

"Triple wolf promise. See you around Arkan."

"See you."

He nudged the horse around and set back off into the rising run. Mara stared after him for a minute, then turned and flowed into the Golden City with the rest of the people.

Asgard was definitely more awake in the morning hours, but people were still sparse. That at least meant she didn't have to dodge as many people or carts on her way to the academy. It was in the middle of the city, close to the borders of the palace.

It was a large building, but the training fields were larger. Mara paused halfway up the steps. She could see the stables from there, and a few horses milling about in the ring. The dorms were pretty close by there, and large.

It made sense, since there would be several hundred girls any given year. The academy would run for five years, and if the student passed all the tests, she would become a Valkyrie. There were plenty of women at the tryouts in Asgard.

She walked in. A line was already forming at a desk, where a Valkyrie was checking a list and handing out keys. It wasn't long before she was standing at the head of the line.

"Name?"

"Mara Gardener."

"Identification?"

Mara handed over small card, and the woman scanned it, marked something on a chart, and then handed her a silver key.

"Building 4, level 6, dorm 6G, room 6G2."

"Thank you ma'am."

"No problem. Next in line!"

Mara walked out of the building, shouldering her bag, holding the key. There were two on it. One must have been to the main dorm, the second to her personal room. There was a tag attached to the ring, marking what the lady had said.

She paused in front of one of the buildings girls were streaming in and out of. A large brass 2 was over the double doors. The girls going in looked only a couple years older than her. Most seemed Asgardian.

Mara kept walking, checking all the buildings. Each number was a different color, a golden three, a black 4. She stopped in front of the last building on the block. It had a silver 6 over the doors. The girls going to and from seemed her age.

It wasn't that busy, as the day had only started. She walked to the stairs, counting the levels. Level 2, level 3, level 4, level 5… level six. Her level. She stepped off, checking the first door label. 6A. The door across from it was 6B.

The hall was long and bare, save for landscapes of Asgard. The rooms inside must have been enormous, as there were entire murals and tapestries between doors. She stopped three doors away from the first.

6G. she fumbled with the keys, trying to guess which one was the right one. She picked, and slid it in. But as she grabbed it, it turned in her hand. It was already unlocked.

That meant at least one of her roommates was already present. She stepped inside.

The main living area was quite bland. A small kitchen, a circular table with stiff chairs around it, and a couch with two plush chairs facing a coffee table. The walls were gray, as was the tiled floor and ceiling, but the trim was metallic.

There were three doors on one wall, one on the far wall. The farthest door led to a balcony. But the closest doors were open, except for the one in the middle. Mara could hear giggling come from the closest one.

Two girls walked out. They were the same height mostly. The slightly shorter one had curly brown hair, the other had a short, choppy auburn bob. They looked up at Mara standing next to the door, holding her bag.

The brunette rushed up to her, grinning, reaching out a hand, "Great! The bands all here!"

"Uh, what?"

"Oh, I recognize you! You're the one who did the tricks with the horse!" she held out her hand, "I'm Valka, remember?"

Mara shook it tentatively, "oh, yeah, right… sorry. I've been busy with… things."

"That's ok!" Valka pointed at the red-head, "This is our roommate Cheryl! Cheryl, this is…" she turned to Mara, "I'm so sorry. I don't recall your name."

"Probably because I never told you. You also never asked."

"Oh no! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be rude." She held out her hand again, "I'm Valka Summers. What's your name?"

Mara shouldered her bag again, "Mara Gardener."

Cheryl grinned, "Oi! I know that name!"

"You do?"

"Yeah! Aren't you that chick who won the Freyja Games a couple days ago?"

"Uh… yes?"

"Epic. You and that guy were legendary." She held out her hand, "Cheryl Winters."

"Summers and Winters?"

"Yeah. We know. Too bad your name isn't Spring."

"Pity." Mara edged along the wall to the doors, "Listen, I have to unpack, and do… things."

Valka grinned, "That's okay! Do you want some help unpacking?"

"I think I have it covered."

"Ok! Oh, and word of advice, the smaller key on the ring is the room key!"

"Uh, thanks."

Mara walked into her room and closed the door behind her. She looked around. The room was pretty nondescript as well. The walls and floor were the same as the main area. There was a black metal frame bed set with a white bedspread. A wooden desk sat in one corner, with a lamp on it. There was a wooden night stand with another lamp.

A larger lamp stood on the ground between wooden slat doors and a floor to ceiling bookshelf. The bed was pressed up into a corner. In the middle of the wall was another door. Mara tried it. It led to a marble tiled bathroom. There was three of everything in there. It was obviously communal as well.

She walked back to her room, setting her bag down on the bed, sitting down next to it and looking around. It was quite plain, but large. And nothing was bolted down. Another bonus, there was more than one color.

Her old room had been less than half the size of this place, and everything was white. The bed, the walls, the trim, the ceiling, everything. There had been no closest, no desk, no night stand. Only one lightbulb had been on the ceiling. And she couldn't lock the door from the inside.

She could only be locked in.

Mara remembered when her mother would lock her in there for three days at a time. The light would either never go out, or never come on. She didn't have a choice over it. The switch wasn't inside. And the walls had been thick. She could never hear if someone was walking by.

But she could always feel it. At least Mara was able to hide books and her devices under the mattress.

She shook her head, then opened her bag. She quickly put all the books onto a single shelf. The pictures went on the one above it. Mara opened the closet doors. Shelves for pants and other things, racks for shirts, and a little shelf on the ground for shoes. It came equipped with twenty hangers.

She put everything away, leaving the doors open as she turned back to her bag. The laptop and communication tablet went on the desk. She pulled the final item out.

A little knit fox stuffed with cotton. A gift from her sister. Mara placed it gently between the two pillows at the head of the bed. She hung the bag up in the closet and admired the room.

A knock sounded on the door and it opened. Valka stood in the doorway, smiling. That seemed to be a theme with her.

"Hey! Unpacked yet?"

"Uh, yeah."

"That was quick!"

"Didn't really have much."

"Oh?" she sidled into the room, "Well, if you want, Cheryl and I were thinking about eating lunch together at the market, and heading to the art exhibition. I heard the princes did pieces too, and they're being showcased. They might be there, since it opens today!"

"Well…"

"There's this little sandwich shop I visit with my family. They have really good food. There's also soups and salads if you like. And I think there some good shops around there too, so we could go shopping after lunch before heading to the gallery."

"Salad sounds good… and I do like art… are there any supply shops nearby?"

"Yeah, and this adorable little bookstore. The sweetest old lady runs it, and theres always a bunch of cats around. Wait, are you allergic to cats?"

"No. I'm not really partial to them. Never really been around them."

Valka grinned, "That's ok! Do you want to go with us?"

Mara shrugged, "Sure. I need to get familiar with the area anyways. Plus, I'll get to see the Royal Academy."

"Oh, are you interested in applying?"

"I am applied. I just need to enroll for my first class."

"Oh great! Congrats on getting in! Cheryl and I can get the food while you enroll, if that's ok?"

"Nah. I'm registered in the system, so I can head there tomorrow or something."

"Ok, come on then!"

Mara followed her out. The girls walked side by side through the building after locking their door behind them. It was a short walk to the market. The little shop Valka had mentioned was close to the academy, and several groups of women were already sitting outside.

They walked inside and picked out their food. Cheryl and Valka got sandwiches, but Mara grabbed a fruit and a salad. They sat outside in the shade at a little wicker table.

Valka and Cheryl started talking almost immediately, about the shops, the food, the exhibition, even the weather.

Cheryl turned to Mara, "So, you like art?"

"Yeah." She took a bite of the fruit and frowned.

Valka frowned at her, "What is it? Not a fan of fruit?"

"I am. But this fruit is Asgardian. It came from these orchards."

"What?"

"It's not as firm or fresh as fruit from the fields out near my home. It also tastes, I don't know, almost savory. I'm kinda used to really sweet fruit."

"Really? Where are you from?"

"Mid-Vanaheim."

Cheryl grinned, leaning forward, "That's so cool."

"It's really pretty out there. There's whole fields of wildflowers, and great rivers, and massive forests. Nature magic is strong there, and you can taste it in the produce."

"I have heard stories that Vanaheim was the first realm made by Gaia, and her most beloved."

Mara shrugged, taking a bite of the salad, "I don't know if that's true, but nature is quite strong there."

Valka leaned forward, practically whispering, "Is it true Frost Giants just… wander around in the cities?"

"Uh, yeah? What of it?"

"Don't they… you know? Attack anyone?"

Mara scowled, "Right. I forgot you were Asgardian. Let me inform you here and now that most everything you know about them is a lie. The most crime done by foreigners in Vanaheim is by Asgardians."

They looked quite taken aback, looking at each other nervously as Mara stabbed her salad viciously.

Cheryl coughed, "So, you know some of them?"

"Several. And they are very nice people. Very kind and good natured. Excellent with kids. They make good doctors for children."

Valka cleared her throat, "So, anyways, why are you here at the academy?"

"Same as you. To learn to be a Valkyrie." Mara stood and threw away her bowl and peel.

She walked back to the table, "Right. You two finish. I'm going to that supply store. If I'm done there before you find me, I'll come back."

She strode off to the store across the street, leaving the two girls looking after her, quite confused. Several women were in the shop, browsing. Mara grabbed a cloth bag from a shelf and filled it with the supplies she would need: paper, notebooks, pencils and pens, and the like.

She paid quickly and walked out, finding her roommates about to walk in.

Cheryl looked at the bag over her arm, "Prepping early?"

"I want to be prepared."

She shrugged, "Alright. But it's our turn. Let's go clothes shopping."

They walked to the next shop. Mara stood awkwardly behind the two as they giggled over dresses. Valka looked back at Mara.

"Hey."

She started, "What?"

"What's wrong? Don't see anything you like?"

Mara shifter nervously, "I don't really need clothes. I have seven sets of my outfit. I don't really need anything."

Cheryl looked horrified, "You have no dresses?"

Valka stared at her, "And all your clothes are brown leather pants and loose white button-up shirts?"

"Uh… yes?"

They looked at each other, then at Mara, speaking in unison, "UNACCEPTABLE."

Valka grabbed Mara's bag while Cheryl dragged her to the racks.

Cheryl pointed at the rows of dresses and skirts, "Pick out five dresses. I'll pay."

"But-"

"Do it."

Mara walked around, poking at the dresses, settling on mostly pastel colors, except for an emerald green dress. They were all light and flowy, and exceptionally soft. They reminded her of the wispy clouds she'd see in the early spring.

Cheryl grabbed them, placed them with two other brightly patterned dresses and rung them up. She handed the five dresses back to Mara.

"Alright. Please tell me you have shoes."

"I do. And I quite like my boots."

Cheryl looked down at her feet, "I'm getting you a pair of nice boots at the shop next door."

"Wait, no-"

But she couldn't stop the determined women as they herded her out and to the next store. Mara tried to protest as Cheryl rung up boots, a necklace, and earrings to match each dress. Cheryl just shushed her, putting a rose perfume and flower hair clip on the counter.

Mara scowled, holding her three bags, only one of which she needed, "Are you satisfied now?"

Cheryl smiled, "Very. Let's head back and get dressed."

They ferried Mara back out of the store. She growled, slightly irritated, feeling like a sheep being harassed by dogs. Her eyes flicked down to the top dress in the bag and felt her scowl loosen slightly. No-one had ever bought her a pretty dress before.

The closest she ever got was a loose piece of cotton that went down to her ankles, had long sleeves, and a tall collar. The collar had been tight, nearly choking her. But it was the only dress she was allowed. She only had it for a week before it was destroyed by her mother.

But it had been worth it.

Mara felt her scowl slip away as she eyed the girls to either side of her. They had only known her for what, two hours? They had bought her more dresses than anyone in her family had, and they were pretty ones.

Yes, Cheryl and Valka were being pushy. But they never needed to do this for her. But they did. The group walked inside their dorm and separated to their rooms. Mara set her supply bag on the desk and pulled out the dresses, laying them on the bed.

Compared to the bright colors in the woods, or the brighter ones in Asgard, they were barely anything. But they were the most colorful things she had ever owned.

Valka and Cheryl walked into the room.

Cheryl grinned, "Like them?"

"Yes. These are the prettiest things I've ever owned."

Cheryl grinned, but then her gaze fell on the closest, "I can tell. Did your mother never buy you pretty dresses?"

"No. My father was the one who bought my only dress. It got ruined, so another was never bought."

"Girl, wow. That is majorly scary."

Mara shrugged, "I never really cared."

Valka sat on the edge of the bed, avoiding the dresses, "Which one are you going to wear tonight?"

Mara frowned, eyeing each. She poked a long sleeved dress that came down to her calves. It was wispy, and the fabric was see-through, but layered so nobody could see her body. The neck line was quite low, but Mara loved the pastel purple color, and how it had deep purple wisps mixed in, like foam in a forest brook.

Cheryl clapped, "An excellent choice! Now go change, quickly!"

Mara grabbed the dress, slipping into the bathroom while the girls fished through the second bag. She slipped out of her clothes as quickly as possible, pulling the dress over her head.

She walked back into the room, holding her old clothes. The girls grinned.

Valka nodded, "That is gorgeous on you. Put on the boots, do up your hair with the clip, and put on the earrings. We'll get dressed in the meantime."

They walked out of the room before Mara could stop them. She sighed, sitting on the bed and pulling on the boots. She stood, wincing. The heel was high, and they were tighter than she would have liked. They were form fitting, just above the ankle, at the bottom of her calf.

But as she twirled, the dress spinning out, they felt half good. Mar loved the way the dress brushed against her legs. It was softer than the heather in the forest and flowed around her legs like water. Sure the bodice was tight, but it was pretty.

Cheryl walked back into the room, wearing a red floor length gown. She frowned at Mara as she put her hair up into a bun.

"What's up?"

Mara looked at the ground, "I don't know how to do my hair any way except a pony tail. And I don't know how to use the clip, or earrings."

Cheryl sighed, "Sit at the desk chair."

Mara sat, and felt as her hair came loose. Cheryl tugged at different locks, pulling them up. She heard a soft snap and felt Cheryl's hands leave. The hair stayed up. Mara turned, watching as Cheryl grabbed the earrings.

She scowled at Mara's ears, "It's a good thing these are clip ons."

"Why?"

"Your ears aren't pierced. You can't wear regular earrings yet."

"Oh."

Cheryl shrugged, leaning forward, "Its fine."

Mara felt her ears being pinched slightly before the sensation was replaced by a heaviness. Cheryl turned back to the bed, grabbing a bottle.

She turned to Mara, "Wrists."

Mara held her wrists out, letting Cheryl rub a few drops of perfume on her wrists.

"Now rub that on you neck, under your ears."

She did, feeling the earrings brush against her hands.

Valka walked in, grinning ear to ear in her golden dress, "You ladies ready?"

Cheryl grinned, "We are now!"

"Let's go!"

Mara followed them out of the dorm. As they walked out of the building, she could tell that the sun was setting. Looking up, she could see the first star in the sky. There was a stream of girls from other buildings walking with them.

Valka whispered to them, "Looks like we aren't the only ones going today."

It was a decent walk to the art gallery. Mara's feet were throbbing in the tight boots, but she was distracted by the looming shadow of the Royal Academy.

She turned to Valka, "The art gallery is on the grounds of the Royal Academy?"

She giggled, "Yeah! It's like, the one time people who aren't enrolled can enter the grounds."

Mara scowled as they walked inside. There were already many people milling around. Mara turned to Valka, only to find that her roommates were lost to the throng.

She sighed, then turned to a painting nearest to her that didn't have as many people. A bowl of fruit. How original. She had counted, what, sixteen paintings of different fruit arrangements on the way to this section?

At least she was alone in this section.

Mara stared at the painting for a minute, before a voice startled her out of her thoughts.

"Do you like the painting?"

She whipped around, dress flaring. A man stood behind her. He had a green tunic and black pants on. His boots were almost an exact match to hers. He had pale skin, and dark hair pulled back into a bun. He had eyes that shimmered like emeralds.

She cleared her throat, "Well, as far as painting go, I can assuredly say that it is… a painting."

He tilted his head to the side, "What?"

She waved at the painting, "It's just… I've counted at least 16 paintings of fruit arrangements on this floor alone. It seems like all painters here have a one track mind."

He nodded, "That's harsh, but not wrong. I didn't notice that."

She smiled, "I bet you also didn't know the artist was miserable while painting it."

He went stiff, staring at her, "How do you know?"

She pointed, "Look. Look at the brush strokes. Every one, exactly the same. The blending was done to methodically. And you can see from the cracks in the paint that the paint was applied thick, or the brush was pressed very hard, or both."

He nodded, "Go on."

"You can hardly see the brush strokes. If not for the cracks, if you didn't look closely, one could say this is a photograph."

"How does that mean the artist is miserable?"

"You can tell a lot about someone by how they paint. This tells me that they didn't really care for the subject material. Or for painting all around. It's a good painting, but it has no heart. It's lifeless. You can tell. The table only has the shadow of the bowl on it, and there's no background."

He nodded, then pointed at the next painting, "And this one?"

She observed the painting of a vase of flowers, "Same story. But, with an additional note. The artist fell asleep halfway."

He chuckled, "How can you tell?"

She pointed at one corner, "This part is more cracked. And this middle part is thicker, meaning they feel asleep on it and smudged in, needing to apply more layers of paint to fix it. Everything except that corner has the same amount of cracks, and the middle part is the most raised."

"You are really good at this."

"You can also tell from the subject itself." She pointed, "The flowers on this side are fresh and stiff. But in the later parts, they're slightly limper, with more of a brown. It's hard to notice, but the artist probably did, since he had to make it darker."

"You are scarily intuitive."

Mara giggled, "I have a friend who is obsessed with art. I learned as much as I could so we could talk about it, and I kind of got into it as well. Working the fields most of my life has made it easy to spot little differences."

"Your friend is lucky to know you." He walked to the next painting, "What can you tell about this?"

She glanced at the painting of an empty vase, "This artist is also miserable. They walked away halfway through."

He laughed, "ok, explanation please?"

"The bottom half has more cracks, meaning it was exposed more."

He smiled at her, eyes gleaming, "you are really good. So, if the artist was in front of you, what would you say?"

She scrunched her nose in thought, "I'd tell them to stop. It's obvious they don't have a passion for it. It's more of, I don't know, a duty to them. I'd advise them to take a break and come back when they find something worth painting. Something they love."

He crossed his arms, "what would you paint?"

She smiled, "Obviously I'm biased, but nature. Where I'm from there are huge fields of wildflowers crossed with little streams. And there's this beautiful waterfall over this gorgeous teal lake. And in the late winter, around dawn, the mountains are purple, surrounded by pink sky, and there's a slight haze of mist around it, and fog surrounding the forests."

"That sounds beautiful."

"It is. And in the fall, the trees are a thousand colors, and the leaves form a carpet, and the brooks start to run cold. And that's just the sights. There's also paintings of feelings."

He tilted his head again, "feelings?"

Mara waved her hands excitedly as she talked, "Yes, like the feeling of eating wild strawberries warmed by the sun in a field in summer. Splashing on the river banks with friends, trying to get them wet, and avoid the water, but everyone ends up soaked. Nights in fields of tall grass, staring up at the millions of stars, making your own constellations. Nights curled up on the couch under a blanket with your father, in front of the fire while a blizzard is outside."

He smiled softly, "Those sound like amazing things."

She opened her mouth to speak again, but heard a voice call her name. She turned, seeing Valka and Cheryl rush up, but pull up short when they saw her partner.

Valka cleared her throat, smiling nervously, "Um, hi."

The man nodded politely. But his eyes rarely left Mara's face. He had a look of curiosity, like he had found something interesting. Mara frowned at him, taking in his sharp face for the first time, feeling like she had seen him before.

"Brother!"

The group turned, Valka and Cheryl giving little squeaks. Prince Thor was striding right for them, grinning. That strange woman, Amora, was next to him.

He grinned at the lot, "how are you ladies doing tonight?"

The girls squeaked as Mara sighed, "We're doing fine, thank you."

He nodded at the painting of the vase, "What do you think of my brothers painting?"

Mara went stiff, feeling Loki's eyes on her, seeing a smirk grow on his face out of the corner of her eye.

She cleared her throat, crossing her arms, "Well… I did explain my thoughts to him, and I will stand by that. They are good paintings. But the subject matter is quite overdone."

Amora snickered as Thor frowned. Mara heard her roommates squeak again.

Loki pointed to a painting on the opposite wall, "What would you have to say of that painting?"

She looked at the painting and burst out laughing, chuckling and snorting as she bent over double.

She stood back up and smiled, "I'd advise the artist to not quit their day job. I honestly can't tell if the painting is meant to be abstract, or if they just did a shoddy job of trying to paint fruit. At least one can say it has a lot of life to it."

It was Amora and Loki's turn to burst out laughing as Thor crossed his arms and huffed.

He frowned at the floor, "That's my painting…"

Mara smiled, patting his arm gently as her friends hyperventilated, "It not the norm, so it's good. Just say it's an abstract and no one will notice."

Valka cleared her throat, visibly shaking, "Mara, we should head back now…"

She frowned, "I'm fine to stay."

Amora frowned at her, "Mara… Gardener?"

Mara faced her, "Yes?"

Thor chuckled, "It seems we cannot stop running into you Lady Gardener."

Cheryl frowned, "wait, you lot have met before?"

Mara frowned shifting, "Yeah. They walked me to the field on sign up day. And they were present at the games."

The girls glared at Mara as Thor laughed, "Your performance was impressive. You will make a fine Valkyrie!"

"Thank you."

Loki smiled, "you'll be attending the Royal Academy as well?"

"That is the plan."

"That will be a hectic schedule."

"Not if planned correctly."

Thor cleared his throat, "What are you planning on taking?"

Mara shifted, "I know they have classes on magic, so those. I'm hoping they have botany classes. Or classes on curses." She looked up, "I don't mean classes on casting curses. I meant removing them."

Amora smirked, "You're ambitious, aren't you?"

Mara shrugged, "You say ambitious, I say driven."

Valka cleared her throat, "We should head back to our dorms…"

Cheryl nodded, "Yeah. If you want to get enrollment done tomorrow you need sleep. Especially since building two is hosting a party tomorrow."

Mara threw her hands up, "What is with everyone insisting I need sleep?! I don't need it!"

Valka sighed, "Obviously you need sleep. Let's go."

"I am NOT-"

They grabbed her arms and started to drag-lead her away. Mara looked over her shoulder. Amora was smirking and wiggling her fingers after them. Thor was already leaving. Loki waved, smiling.

He called after her, "It was nice to see you again, and nice to talk to you! I hope we meet again!"

Mara laughed, pulling an arm free and waving, "I hope so too! Enjoy your night!"

Valka and Cheryl rushed her out of the building into the night. The wind had a slight chill, but there were no clouds covering the sky. Mara looked up at the stars and smiled.