A/N: Two reviewers this time, super exciting! My beta is now writing her own Tris FanFic, so editing will probably go slower from now on. However, it is much better than me posting without someone going to back notice that I left out entire words because my mind was moving faster than my fingers.

Hope everyone is enjoying reading as much as I am enjoying writing!


Caitlynn had kept them late enough at dinner that Tris not been lying when she told her roommates she wished to retire. Xiaofan seemed just as ready for solitude, even if their other roommate wanted to chat more. Unfortunately, once she was alone in her tiny bedchamber, the anticipation of new classes had kept her up. Not even a couple hours of her driest tome had managed to close her eyelids. It was the repetition of her usual meditation breathing that had finally passed her into unconsciousness.

Sleep may have come slowly, but that did not delay the rising sun. Used to being one of the first people up, Tris was not surprised to hear the first bell after she was already dressed and creeping through the main room. Caitlynn was a loud sleeper, and from the sound of her snores, the first bell had not interrupted her in the least. Xiaofan's room was as silent as ever, but Tris did not intend to set the precedent of playing dorm mother.

Checking once more to ensure she had the proper materials for her first two classes, Tris retraced her steps to the dining hall. It was less busy this early in the morning. Students could pick their own courses, so many shied away from early morning lectures. It was easy to find an empty corner. Her fare that morning was plainer, not wanting to exacerbate a bad night's sleep with rich food. Instead, she thumbed through the required reading for Foundations of Magic. Her early morning class had not had an associated book; however, she had scheduled her first three in a row with the last after lunch.

Once she had taken up her tray, she set off towards the classrooms, her schedule tightly in hand. Classes were six days a week with Watersday off to rest. Students could only take so many courses, so Tris had chosen four to begin. From what she understood, that was typical. Part of her had wanted to take more, but she would already be graduating early because of her exemptions. No need to stick out more.

The lectures were only an hour long every other day, so she signed up for all four in one day. This meant she a day off in between for assignments and studying. It seemed like the best use of time. Hopefully, coursework would be light work for the first day because she intended to use most of her next day to familiarize herself with the library.

Like the dining hall, the classroom corridors were not as busy. Luckily, she did not have to ask for directions as each hall had an associated letter and specific room numbers. Everything was sequential, just the way she liked it. As expected, she was one of the first people to arrive at the lecture hall.

While Tris was exciting about finally starting on her academic credential, she took a moment to scope out her choice. Usually, she would have gone with a front row seat towards the middle, where she could see any notes and hear even the quietest instructor. However, this area usually garnered the most attention. Likewise, she was afraid that sitting too far back might be an indication that she was not paying attention, and therefore, lead the instructor to try and engage her further.

In the end, she picked a seat off to the side in a middle row. It said, "I will be attentive but do not expect you to learn my name." A few other students had walked past once she was done making her decision, but she ignored any looks as she took her seat.

The room was set up similarly to the dining halls. Long, skinny tables stretched across the room front to back with chairs facing the front. Each row was a small step higher than the last, allowing students to see over each others' heads. This was good news for the short weathermage.

She was just beginning to set up her area when a shadow passed behind her. In her experience, people tended to leave space wherever possible, unless they were traveling in groups, so she was mildly surprised when the person sat right next to her. Even more surprising, she recognized the face.

Caitlynn had been quite clear that her second cousin was antisocial, something Tris could appreciate, yet here he sat right next to her. Thinking about it logically, it was quite possible that her roommate was not the best judge of social interactions. In some ways, the young woman made Sandry seem like a recluse.

Tris greeted her new neighbor with a bob of her head, receiving a similar motion from the novice. She waited, but he was already getting his own materials ready. Seeing as how he had not launched into conversation, she settled into her own seat. Maybe, he simply recognized a kindred spirit and thought that sitting together decreased the chances of strangers speaking to them. Whatever the reason, as long as he didn't plan to get chatty during lecture, he could sit wherever he wanted.

"Everyone find a seat." An elderly gentleman, so hunched over you could not see his face, entered the room with only those words by way of greeting. His cane rapped sharply on the floor with every step to his podium. No one seemed inclined to inform him they were all sitting already.

"This is Fundamentals of Scrying. Should you have stumbled into this class by accident, leave now. You know who you are."

Eyes darted everywhere, but no one in the room so much as breathed. Still, the instructor just waited, back to his audience. Finally, a girl in the third row grabbed her possessions and darted from the room. Tris could have sworn she heard the girl crying, which seemed a little overly dramatic, even if the situation was embarrassing.

"First one down. She will not be the last." When he finally turned around, the old man began to slowly straighten himself out. The endeavor looked painful. Even at full height, he was not tall, barely peering above the podium. Dark, sharp eyes were undimmed by the wrinkles that lined his face.

"If you are so sure that your question or comment is important enough to interrupt me, you may refer to me as Master Smokewind." Tris doubted he would think anything important enough to interrupt.

"No doubt some of you have heard of me." Tris groaned inwardly at her luck. Niko had mentioned this mage before, but he had been old when Niko attended. How could he still be standing, much less teaching?

"If you have not, ask around before you decided to waste my time. The deadline to switch lectures is end of week. I do not make exceptions."

Smokewind paused here, as if waiting for someone else to call it quits. In fact, it felt as if he wanted them all to leave, but Tris refrained from looking around, unlike the other students. Andras was just as still beside her. For her part, Tris was much too stubborn to give up now. It was like a personal challenge.

"You may be wondering why I chose the name Smokewind." His voice was surprisingly strong for someone so old. "It is simple. The first thing you will learn about scrying is that this is all it is. Just smoke on the wind. A vision will be there one moment then gone the next."

Now that he was no longer telling them to quit, several of the students had relaxed in their seats. Tris gave the smallest smile at the truth of Smokewind's words. For her, the phrase held more meaning than many thought possible.

"You there, girl." Smokewind's bushy white eyebrows flew together in a deepened scowl.

Tris was staring straight at the pointed end of the instructor's cane. She spared a glance around her, but she knew she was the only female in that section. Andras had already turned to watch her reaction.

"You seem amused by something. Tell me, are you able to scry?" How could a man that old possibly have such good eyesight?

"No, sir." That was a blatant lie, but better not to open the floor to any questions as to what scrying she could do. Never mind the judgement her powers brought on, wind scrying was the last thing she wanted people to know about her.

"Then why the smirk?" She saw no spells on his eyes, and he was not even wearing spectacles. Which meant, even at his age he could see better than she could. The world was, indeed, an unfair place.

"Your description just reminded me so much of what I have read about scrying." Vague but diplomatic, it was a decent explanation. She would have to keep a tighter rein on her expressions around him.

"Hmph. It is a rare natural gift." Tris did not so much as sigh when he turned his attention back to the other students, abandoning his study of her. "You all will quickly learn that any talent you may possess is inadequate, at best. While scrying can be learned, forget any studying you have done on your own. It will be a hindrance, rather than a boon, to my instruction."

Everyone else had already looked back up front as well. Everyone except Andras. Tris could enjoy people watching as much as the next introvert, but she did not care to be on the receiving end of the past time.

"Something for you?" Her head never turned as she quietly asked at him in her best impression of Rosethorn. Hopefully, Smokewind's hearing was not as good as his eyesight.

Tris barely made out his shrug as Andras looked back towards the front of the room. "Not a thing."

"Some of you may have been excited that this class had no required text." The mage instructor had abandoned his cane for the podium, holding on as if it was the only thing keeping him standing. "For several years, my reading list was the single most extensive bibliography of any course including master's level. The field lacked a current compendium that covered the basic applications of scrying, which brings me to my point. "

Tris had the sneaking suspicion she knew where this was going.

"A former student of mine spent some time gathering scholars for just such a work." That student just happened to be Niklaren Goldeye, Tris's teacher. "While the text has not been completed, he has afforded me access to the sections that will be covered in this introductory course, as a personal favor. University scribes are working on creating copies, and I will be handing them out next class."

This was almost comical really. Had Smokewind not already proved he had the eyes of a hawk, Tris might have risked an outright smile. It was too much for the first day of school, as if the entire school was conspiring to reveal her identity. Next, she would walk into Foundations of Magic to find that they were testing for ambient magic.

"I expect many of you will struggle with the high level content. If that is the case, I suggest you become friendly with your fellow students until the chaff is separated. Then, you all can find the appropriate classmate to latch on to. Or fail."

The room was silent save for the creaking chairs, as students shifted uncomfortably in their seats. No one knew how to take his comment. From the stories Tris had heard, she figured Smokewind did not care how you passed his lecture as long as it fell short of breaking any college rules and did not inconvenience him.

"Now that we have that out of the way, let us begin with the basics. The word 'scry' comes from a shortening of the word 'descry' which simply means to see something. The first academic use of scry in a magical context was in the work Præter Conspectum..."


By the time class ended, Tris had a page full of notes and a small amount of concern over four courses in one day. Her second one started in just ten minutes, so she would find out quickly enough if she was in over her head. Luckily, her next lecture hall was only a few doors down from Smokewind's.

The other students had clumped together as they exited to quietly discuss the new found fear of their professor. Tris deftly avoided these clusters. She had no intention of following Smokewind's advice. True, she enjoyed teaching Briar how to read when they were young, but this was different. Even Keth had the excuse of coming into magic late in life to make up for his hardheadedness, and Glaki was a child when Tris helped her. No, at a university for magic, handholding was not on her list of things to do.

"Are you avoiding them because intend to be the top of the class?" Andras had made his own escape by following her path.

"No." Truthfully, she planned to get sufficiently mediocre grades. Students with outstanding grades got attention. Even if that had been her intention, it was an odd question to actually put to someone.

Her roommate's cousin was studying her hard again, apparently, surprised by the answer. She did not wait for whatever conclusion he would come to. The next classroom was set up much like the first, so Tris went to the same spot. It had not done her much good, but if she controlled her expressions this time, maybe it would. Once again, she went through the ritual of laying out her notebook and quills.

"Is this your favorite spot to sit?"

The voice came from behind her. Second day at the university and she she already recognized this boy's voice. Sure enough, Andras lounged behind her with his increasingly familiar inquisitive look.

"I hadn't given it much thought." She was already turning back towards the front as she spoke, but she could have sworn she heard him chuckle under his breath.

He had managed to surprise her, without her winds to tell her who was around. However, if he had expected her to strike up a conversation about the coincidence of their schedules lining up two classes in a row, he was in for disappointment. Besides, there were not so many options available at their level that having sessions together with the same students would be unusual. Several of the other students had come Smokewind's lecture as well. Xiaofan had mentioned she was in Tris's next class and the one after midday was with Caitlynn.

She waited for another random bout of sociability from behind her, but he remained quiet. Tris considered herself dependably taciturn. She spoke when interested in a subject or when the situation called for it, but the purpose of small talk eluded her. This young man was aggravatingly unpredictable. He kept popping up with random questions. Even when he was quiet, he looked like he had something to say.

"Good morning everyone!" Tris had mistaken the man who now stood in front of the podium as an older student until he placed his books on the front table. "Welcome to the start of a new semester."

Tris wondered if the professor was from Sotat. He looked like he could be related to Briar… if Briar had a happy side to his family. His pearly white teeth, shown to full effect by a broad smile, contrasted nicely with his tan skin.

"I'm Master Argyris. As this course is required for the first semester, all of you are new students or just coming from the primary school. Hopefully, this will be a good introduction not only to our craft but will also give you a good feel for what university life will be like."

Master Smokewind and Master Argyris must have gone to different teaching academies. The contrast in greetings alone was night and day. Likewise, while Smokewind seemed an ornery, old professor, rooted to his lectern, Argyris moved around the front of the room with ease. His hands moved expressively as he spoke.

"Please keep in mind that between all of my sessions, I have about 60 students every semester, whereas you have three to five of professors. If I don't know your name, it just means you aren't one of my problem students."

He smiled at his own joke, and Tris heard a smattering of giggles from the girls in the class. She imagined many crushes were blooming as he spoke. The instructor couldn't have been more than 30. The weathermage could rationally accept his attractiveness; it simply did not affect her the way it did other women. Judging by the amount of sighs coming from her female peers, Lightsbridge was not exempt from this silliness.

"I was only kidding, of course. Actually, why don't we take a moment to get to know each other? You can all introduce yourselves. First name, surname and something interesting about yourself: a hobby, where you're from, your intended specialization, something of that nature. Let's start over here and go across the rows."

"Hello, my name's Jory Larsen, and uh, I don't know. I'm… I'm from Lairan."

As the first young man finished his introduction, Tris couldn't help but judge the professor a little for this frivolous use of time. Her judgement deepened when the exercise did not progress as quickly as she might have hoped. Everyone seemed perfectly capable of saying their name, but they all muddled through the "something interesting". Most defaulted to where they were from, with the occasional hobby thrown in the mix.

Oddly enough, Tris had a plethora of things she could say that would be terribly interesting. In her 18 years, she had momentarily stopped the tide, survived an earthquake, thwarted a pirate attack, brought someone back from the brink of death, and helped stop a serial killer. Then, there was her entire time in Namorn, but even had she wanted to, she could not mention any of this. Which meant by the time it rolled around to her, she was no more prepared than any of her classmates.

"Meghana Earthborn…" Her pause was as telling as everyone else's stammering. "And I enjoy a good thunderstorm."

Tris was quite pleased with the sudden inspiration. It was true and innocuous enough. After all, she didn't say she liked to play in thunderstorms.

"Ah, yes. Some of my favorite reading weather." Apparently, this news warranted a sigh from the front row.

No one sat beside her, so the introduction trail continued to the person behind her.

"Andras Cadell, and I am completely unremarkable." Tris shook her head at his response.

"I doubt that, Novice Cadell, but your answer is memorable all the same."

She had momentarily entertained a similar answer but discarded it as trite. If Andras really thought he was the first person to say something to that extent, Tris would have to question his intelligence, but she did not want to glance back to gauge his expression. It would have looked too much like interest on her part. Instead, she just waited for the rest of the room to finish.

"Thank you all for your introductions. I still cannot promise I will remember everyone, but I find the exercise extremely helpful. Now," he paused again to give full weight to his half smile, "down to business."

When he spoke again, it was as if he had turned on his professor voice. "Lightsbridge is unparalleled in its instruction on academic magic."

Heskalifos might beg to differ, but Tris still had a bad taste in her mouth from her time in Tharios. She wasn't about to take up the argument on their behalf. It was only natural to have pride in one's school. Tris would probably argue that Winding Circle was the best place to learn ambient magic.

"In this class specifically, we will look at a brief history of magic as we learn to control and expand our power."

Ambient mages with more volatile leanings, like her own, would have gotten themselves killed without learning control by their age. lt was one of the many differences between academic and ambient magic. Likewise, Ambient mages had a store of power within them but the real power was drawn from their surroundings, often unwittingly. Continual use of their power helped them learn control and efficient use of that power. For purely academic mages, magic was all internal, like a muscle: the more they used it, the stronger it grew.

"As you might imagine, increasing the limits of your power will come in handy as you progress here. However, there is another reason for requiring this class in our first semester. As you are all starting out, classes include very little practicum. I know that you are all excited to finally be allowed free range with your power inside these walls, but please remember you will need that magic for my class."

"It may be tempting to try new spells, but I promise time enough remains for that. Perhaps more than any other class, the more you devote yourself here, the better prepared you will be for the rest of your time at Lightsbridge."

His serious voice was quickly replaced by a self-deprecating smile. "Now I've gone and made myself sound overly important."

The chorus of giggles began again.

Master Argyris had moved on to the schedule, attendance policies, his expectations and so forth, but Tris was lost in her own thoughts. Perhaps even more than Master Smokewind's sharp eyes, this class would be a real test for her. Before she came, Tris already knew that she would focus her studies on charms and potions.

While both required magic, their grounding in runes and herbs meant they were not as power intensive as spell based learning. The trick was controlling her power to make sure the forces in it did not alter the nature of the working. This required concentration on her part, but left little room for discovery of her true power, hence the living metal shakkan to get rid of any excess power that built up.

Now, she would have to be careful not to drain off so much that she could not perform whatever tasks were intended to build up the magic stores of academic mages. Tris had come in knowing full well this would not be easy, but the weathermage was nothing if not stubborn. She would make it work.

"Well, that is all for my first day of class speech. Does anyone have any questions?" Apparently, her mind had wandered longer than she thought.

The room was silent except for a group of girls down at the front of the class who were whispering to each other. Tris was fairly certain these were the giggle culprits. Finally, one brave girl raised her hand.

"Yes, Novice… oh, don't tell me. I know you like to paint in your spare time." The young woman nodded empathically. "Novice Botterill?"

"Yes!" Tris had never seen someone so excited to be called by their own name.

"What was your question?"

"Oh, we were just wondering if you had office hours for visitation? You know, in case we have questions or need help with something."

"A very good question, Novice Botterill. I should have covered that earlier and passed right over it. My office doors will be open after the last lunch bell on Sunsday, Starsday and Airdays for two bells. If you all have classes during this time, we can make an appointment to meet."

The idea of a private appointment seemed more than the girls could handle. This was, of course, more than Tris could handle, but she kept herself from committing the desired eyeroll.

"Any other questions?"

This time, the class remained silent.

"Well, I know there is still some time left in class, but as it is the first day, I don't see anything wrong with letting you all go a little early. See you all in two day's time."

The room did not clear out as quickly as Smokewind's had. Tris was in no particular rush either. Not that she was waiting around to try and steal another glance at Master Argyris, but now she had time to kill before her next class started. She didn't know if the room had a class meeting in it at the moment, and she did not want to stand around outside the door until they were done. Better to kill a little time reading here.

"He's quite popular." Andras leaned against the front of her table, his back to her.

"And he knows it." Tris had never been a fan of vanity.

His breathy laugh spoke of agreement. "Still, I'll take him over Smokewind any day."

"Not sure yet. At least with Smokewind, you know exactly what you are getting."

It was hard to tell from the back of his head, but Tris imagined he was studying their professor once again.

"I can see your point." He finally turned around to face her. "These are my only classes today, so see you around."

Tris just nodded goodbye, a little glad he wasn't in her next class as well. He was an odd kid.