A/N: Sorry for the delay on this one, had finals for my last college class. Special thanks to my lone reviewer, QueenChezzie, you rock! Also, thanks to my amazing friend and beta reader, CrosseyedButterfly. She was writing Pierce fanfics a decade ago and fully blames me for sucking her back in!


"Novice Earthborn." Madame Prothero's tone left Tris believing she did not have a much better disposition than the Headmaster. Unlike him, the assistant was a fit young lady who would have been attractive if not for the tight look on her face. Or maybe it was simply that her immaculate bun was pulling the skin on her face too tightly. "Here is your schedule. Novice Pasternack will show you to your room."

Her attention had been so focused on the tight, even writing of whichever scribe had drawn up her schedule, that she had not noticed the the other girl in the room. Being on the shorter side herself, Tris felt something in her neck straining as she looked up. The blonde was taller than even Briar, but smiling in a much happier way than the ex-thief, even at his most flirtatious.

"She is one of your roommates." Madame Prothero continued to explain as the tall girl's smile grew, her blue eyes almost disappearing in its magnitude.

"I'd be happy show you!" Novice Pasternack looked as if she truly were excited by the prospect of playing guide, which was better than someone who resented it, at least. "Follow me! And don't worry, I now my way around this place better than my own home."

Luckily, Tris was used to trailing after Niko and his long legs. Though the weathermage-turned-novice couldn't see her new roommate's legs beneath her skirts, her height indicated they would be just as long. She settled into the quick pace she had always used with her teacher.

"Earthborn. That sounds like a mage name!" Her voice was unusually high, perhaps a result of being so long and thin. Tris decided the girl reminded her of a flute.

"I'm an orphan. We got to pick our own names." It was partly true. Tris and Niko had agreed that the fewer lies she had to tell, the better. She was also avoiding the class on truthsaying like the Blue Pox. One of the special considerations that the Headmaster so despised. Anyway, she might as well have been an orphan, and she had picked the name. Her surname was meant to symbolize her foster-family's close affiliation with the elements.

"Oh," the tall novice only faltered for a moment at the new information, "well, Earthborn was a great choice! I can't wait until I get to pick mine. It may be the thing I am most excited for. Well, that and learning magic, of course." Tris was already lost, but the other novice seemed completely at ease as they passed hall after hall. Her guide waved at each passerby as if she knew they personally but never stopped to chat. "Pasternack is just so blah. The children in town used to call me Pastie. Not because I'm pale, mind you. Just, my parents own a bakery, so I guess it was pretty clever."

The novice looked back at Tris with a shy look of self-deprecation. Tris had been struggling up a flight of stairs that had not affected the girl's onslaught of words in the least; however, the lack of laughter at her nickname story must have caught her offguard.

"You know, like the little meat pies? Do they have pasties where you are from?"

"Yes." It wasn't the hearty laugh the novice must have been expecting, but it did not phase her for long.

"I guessed as much, you must be from the West somewhere. You hardly look like you're from Yanjing, and you're too pale for Sotat. I'm from Anderran. My family is originally from Namorn, but a few generations back, they decided they wanted to get away from the Syth." The girl stopped to laugh at her own joke, so Tris took a moment to catch her breath. The reformed redhead wasn't sure whether to be grateful for the excuse to focus on breathing or annoying at the chatter. "I guess it was a good thing we moved if you think about it. Since the border got smashed by those mages, things haven't been too good for Namorn. I was already here by then, but my family is still there. You heard about that, I'm sure. I mean, everyone back home has heard about that. It was the border to Anderran, but they have had skirmishes all over the borders since then. The Yangjing Emperor keeps denying it is his people testing the other border shields, but who else could it be? Oh no, you're not from Namorn, are you? And here I am just going on about your country's problem."

"Capchen." The complete lack of suspicion as Novice Pasternack discussed Tris's escapades in Namorn was reassuring after her visit with the Headmaster.

"Oh, then we're practically neighbors!" Tris returned a half smile over the girl's pronouncement. "I've never been there, mind you. In fact, I never travelled anywhere until I came here to study. Once I am a mage, I want to travel everywhere. Depending on what specialization I chose, I could study as a journeyman with other great mages. Maybe, I could go to Tharios to study for a bit. That would be something to see."

"Indeed." Her partner had finally stopped talking as she placed her hand over the door.

"The door spelled to let in the three of us and faculty. Some of the past students knew how to pick locks," Novice Pasternack whispered conspiratorially to Tris, who had her picks safely tucked in a hidden pocket. Briar's lessons had come in handy over the years. "They had to switch to spells to keep the students from playing tricks on each other."

The room they entered was cramped with a small table and four plush chairs all of which had seen better days. Each wall had another door on it, which meant they, at least, had separate sleeping quarters. While her old room at Winding Circle or at Daja's was better, her time at Stone Temple meant she understood it could be worse. A girl with thick black hair closed the book she had been reading as they entered. Judging by her creamy skin and distinct facial features, Tris guessed the girl was from Yangjing. Had her guide given the same rundown of border trouble to this girl?

"I see you have met Mistress Verbose." Her crisp Imperial accent took Tris by surprise, but Novice Pasternack's laughter at her new nickname meant no one was looking at Tris.

"Still better than pastie!" The blonde plopped down in one of the occupied chairs.

"I am Koh Xiaofan." The newest addition informed Tris as she took at opposite chair.

"A pleasure to meet you, Novice Koh."

"Xiaofan, please." Tris thought the girl's face had softened a little, but she showed very little emotion, a stark contrast to her guide.

"Oooh, how did you know that was her family name? I kept calling her Koh, thinking it was her given name."

Tris shrugged. "I like to read."

"Xiao, this is…" The blond stopped, looking horrified as she turned back to Tris. "I never asked your first name. Unless, you want to be called Novice Earthborn."

"Meghana." Tris told the girl smoothly, not missing the eye roll from Xiaofan.

"Meg, it is. You can call me Cait, short for Caitlynn."

"You will soon find that, although Caitlynn enjoys speaking, two syllables is simply too much for a name." Xiaofan was either the most serious girl Tris had ever met, or she had an even drier sense of humor than Tris.

"Full names make everything sound so formal, and if we're going to be roommates, we should be friends!"

Fairly certain that was a non sequitur, Tris shook her head at Cait, garnering a slightly raised eyebrow from Xiaofan.

"Meg, all your stuff came a few days ago. If you want to go see your room, it is the door on the right. I'm the middle and Xiaofan is to the left. Once you're settled, we can all go to the mess hall together for dinner."

"If you are amenable." Xiaofan sounded uninterested, but Tris got the impression the girl was studying her under her thick eyelashes.

"I suppose that would be alright." Tris might not have been there to make friends, but if she could avoid unpleasantness with her roommates, she'd make an effort. Besides, she could hardly use her winds to help find her way around.

"I shall be studying until such time." Although she had hardly any accent, Xiaofan spoke Imperial like someone who had been taught it by a scholar, rather than growing up around native speakers. Even Sandry was not so formal.

The "bedroom" was really a tiny hole with just enough room for a dresser, bed, and small desk. A magelight shone from the desk, casting a steady light into the room. At least, she would not need to create that for herself. Now that she thought about it, she had not seen a single brazier or candlestick since she arrived.

Her bags were on the bed, so she quickly got to unpacking. The small collection of books she had brought with her went on top of the dresser and some on the desk. Niko's gift of a book on wind scrying had stayed safely at Daja's. It was simply too rare an edition for someone of her status. Her wardrobe was not extensive, so it took little time to neatly pack it all away in the dresser. She would miss Sandry's light cloth that did not wrinkle, but an orphan could hardly afford clothes that brimmed with magic in every seam.

Only one item in her possession belied any sort of wealth, and only a perceptive mage would be able to tell. Still, she planned to keep it tucked away. Tris placed a hand on top of the small suraku, a miniature version of the one that had kept Daja alive after her family's shipwreck, practically feeling the presence of the missing trio in the box they had created. Only someone well trained in ambient magic would notice the glimmer of magic in the wood and metal trim. It opened for her touch, and Tris marveled once again at the noble lady's work. Sandry had been quite proud of the lining she had created. Taking the idea from the unmagic she had dealt with years before, no one would be able to tell that there was anything in the box, much less that it was magic.

Inside was a living metal shakkan, twisted into an unusual form. Customers preferred forms to promote health, wealth, happiness, or stability, but this shape was meant to drain away. The hair dye was a good start to keeping her identity hidden, but this was the other part. After her braids had been emptied, she was reduced to just her own stores of power, but that was nothing to scoff at. Tris had learned control over her sparking early in her teen years, but draining away a little of her power every day would avoid any accidents. The mostly copper tree needed no sunlight or new soil, just some of the metal pieces that Daja sent with her. Silver was actually the most conductive metal, but copper was a close second and much cheaper to feed.

Once everything was settled, she returned to the common room where Cait was pacing in anticipation.

"Xiao, she's ready." The blonde's voice easily carried through the sparse room.

A moment later the small girl joined them, shutting her door quickly behind her. Caitlynn left her door wide up, the vivid wall hangings and homemade quilt a riot of color. From what the weathermage had seen so far, this fit Caitlynn fairly well. Contrarily, Tris imagined Xiaofan's room to be the epitome of order. Judging by the girl's well-tailored clothes, made from a cloth costly enough to make Tris's heart ache, she came from wealth. Maybe, she had a shakkan of her own hiding in the room. They were quite popular in Yangjing for those that could afford them.

"Shall we go and attempt to eat what passes for a meal here?" This time, Tris was fairly certain the girl was making a joke and gave her a smirk in reply.

"At least the bread is good." Apparently, that was important for a baker's daughter.


Once again, Caitlynn provided the bulk of the conversation as they made their way down the hall, but Xiaofan interrupted her periodically to point out important things like the privy, the communal bathhouse, and corridors that led to classrooms or the boys' rooms. Caitlynn kept mentioning that she had meant to tell Tris all this on the way up.

Each floor had a senior or resident master student who was in charge of making sure rooms were in decent order and taking care of any interpersonal complaints that didn't require the full authority of academy staff. Tris tucked away each piece of new information. The more she remembered now, the less she would need to ask for help later.

The mess hall was a monstrous room with long tables evenly dispersed across the whole of it. Despite the cavernous ceiling, the noise level was bearable. Upon further inspection, Tris could see the runes in the walls and rafters to dampen the cacophony. Along one wall ranged a collection of large dishes with all different types of food. Xiaofan and Caitlynn had already entered the line to grab a tray, so Tris followed suit. The whole setup brought back some not so pleasant memories of her days in the temple dorms.

However, she was quickly distracted by the range of food in front of her. The dishes were ones popular in Emelan, Capchen, Namorn, and even some she recognized from her time in Tharios. Some, she was fairly certain Briar had mentioned from his time in the East. The soul healer had helped him enough that he had opened up to her about some of his pleasant memories and a few of the bad. Having not had any of the Tharian delicacies she had grown to love, she loaded up her plate with her favorites as well as a few of the dishes she was not familiar with.

"Oh, I see an empty spot!" Being that Caitlynn was by far the tallest of the odd trio, Tris decided to trust her bird's eye view.

"Lead the way."

Caitlynn forged ahead; the two smaller girls stayed close behind in her wake. This whole scene was like something from a childhood nightmare for Tris. Throngs of people on all sides, none of whom she knew. Only, in her dreams, they were all whispering about her, and she would be sitting alone. Silently, she chided herself for being unreasonable. This was not Stone Temple, and she was not that little girl anymore.

"You two sit here. I'll go around." Tris would never be as cheery as her tall roommate, but she could strive for slightly less pessimistic.

Each table had stools running the course, which at least meant that female students did not have to lift skirts to get over a long bench. Tris appreciated their practicality. The three had just settled when Caitlynn jumped up, her long legs knocking the table and causing no small amount of grumbling from others down its length.

"Andy, over here!" The girl was waving frantically at someone behind Tris.

A moment later, they were joined by a young man who Tris assumed was also around their age. Like Caitlynn, he was tall and blonde, even the same blue eyes. However, his smile was not quite as easy as his female counterpart, and Tris was not entirely certain he had wanted to join them. Still, he took a seat next to Caitlynn, directly across from Tris.

"This is my cousin, Andy... See, that's two syllables." The girl stuck her tongue out at Xiaofan in a very undignified manner.

"Good evening, Xiaofan." The girl beside Tris returned his smile, and Tris realized it was the first time Xiaofan had showed any expression.

"Andras Cadell, and we are actually second cousins on our mother's side." His expression looked more like a close brother dealing with his unruly little sister. Tris had made a similar face with Glaki a few times.

"I don't think she needs the entire family tree, Andy."

"Nice to meet you," Tris bobbed her head in greeting as she spoke, "Meghana Earthborn."

The smile on his face turned to a look of questioning. Caitlynn leaned over to whisper to him. Tris could only assume she had told her cousin of Tris's orphan status. The weathermage was already regretting her name choice. Niko had warned her, but she was being stubborn. Briar had gotten to choose his name, and she wanted something to remind her of her family during this charade.

Xiaofan, already accustomed to Caitlynn's strange behavior, was quietly enjoying her meal. Tris decided to do the same. It was safer than talking. The meal not definitely not on a level that Dedicate Gorse achieved with even the simplest dishes, but it was decent.

"Your tastes are quite varied, Meghana." Xiaofan's plate looked closer to Tris's than the two across the table. "Have you traveled some?"

"No, not at all. I want to try new things while at the academy."

Caitlynn had a knowing, sympathetic smile for Tris. Xiaofan still didn't know about Tris's heritage. Orphans didn't have money to travel, just like baker's daughters. At least, the blonde was sensitive enough to not announce it to the table. With any luck, Caitlynn would tell their other roommate quietly sometime in the near future, and Tris could move on. In classes, she would just be another face in the crowd. No reason to give explanations.

When she glanced across the table again, she noticed Andras was staring at her, head tilted to the side. Did he have something against untraveled orphans? Not one to back down, she returned his stare until he broke away to study his food.

"If you want, I could suggest some other dishes. Despite her time at the school, Caitlynn refuses to try any dish she cannot pronounce."

"How long have you been at school here?" Tris was happy to shift the conversation away from her own life.

"I arrived only a week ago, but Caitlynn has been here a year."

"Andy's been here even longer than I have." Caitlynn interjected, not one to be left out of a conversation. "I started out learning from a local temple until I came here last year to finish up at Lightbridge's primary school. He's been here for years. I was so glad to know somebody when I first showed up. We hadn't seen each other in forever, but I recognized him right away."

"It wasn't hard." He gave a small laugh. Especially for second cousins, the resemblance was undeniable.

Xiaofan smiled again at Andras. The expression softened her face considerably. Tris noticed for the first time that Xiaofan was pretty in a quiet way. Caitlynn, as well, was attractive in the more obvious sense. The disparity left Tris shaking her head as she tried another bite of food.

The cousins had impressive appetites, and Tris was left to wonder where it all went. Food consumption took over the blondes, and Xiaofan felt no need to fill in the conversational silence. Instead, the meal passed into a companionable silence that Tris preferred.

Andras broke the silence. "Well, ladies, I have some things I need to arrange before classes begin tomorrow."

"See you Firesday?" Caitlynn asked hopefully.

"Maybe." He gave an appeasing smile to his cousin before disappearing with his tray.

A sigh escaped Caitlynn, her first look of melancholy all day. "That boy would be a recluse, if not for me."

"Not everyone requires constant socialization."

Caitlynn ignored Xiaofan as she turned to Tris again. "He'd been here for years and had no friends when I came. I practically force him to talk to people. If he hopes to get a job some day, he will have to deal with people."

Tris just shrugged. She was not one to make judgements on others' level of interaction. If not for her extended family, she would probably stayed holed up with books and the occasional wind for friends. She didn't even want to think about what she would have been like if she had never found Winding Circle. Then again, she probably would have died years ago from her power going awry, if Niko hadn't found her.

"From what I have seen, he is more likely to find enjoyment from an evening of quiet reflection than any academy party."

"That's what worries me." Her final sigh quickly disappeared as she rounded on Tris with eyes that were suddenly as big as saucers. "Meg, you have to come no matter what, even if Xiao and Andy abandon me!"

"Come to what?" Suspicion dripped from every word.

"Just a small gathering of the students to celebrate finishing our first week of classes. It's a tradition."

She had come to dinner with her roommate, but this was asking a little much. "No thank you, I do not enjoy parties."

"But I thought you said you wanted to try new things while you were at the academy."

Tris blinked dumbfounded at Caitlynn. So far, the weathermage would have described the blonde as simple, but had the just led Tris straight into a trap of her own words?


A/N: Hope you guys like the new characters. Yes, the parallels are on purpose. Don't like it? Write your own fanfic! Next chapter will be the first day of classes and some more new faces