A/N: Fair warning, I will not be fleshing out the classes very much. This is a fanfic, and I have neither the time nor the patience to do an in depth write up on the curriculum for this school. The fact that the Circle series focuses almost exclusively on ambient magic (besides constantly reminding us that academic mages are too stuck in their ways to appreciate what the siblings can do) means everything I show will have to be made up. Be happy with what you get!
As always thanks for the reviews! Added some new faces to the mix this past chapter. If you decide to review, I promise to answer any questions!
Tris's third class of the day was quite large. The first two consisted of maybe fifteen students each, but this one easily held fifty. The difference was this course included both mage and non-mage students, hence the larger lecture hall was a tightly stacked version of the other rooms. Each row fanned out in a semicircle, and taller stairs paired with thinner tables allowed more rows to fit.
Tris has chosen an end cap because the seats felt too close together in the middle. If her books had been so far to her left that it looked as though the adjacent seat were already taken by passersby, she did nothing to correct this misconception. Empty seats still peppered the room, so Tris did not feel guilty.
Xiaofan walked in just before class was set to start. Tris wasn't sure if her roommate was looking specifically for her or just an easy to get to open seat, but when their eyes met, the Yangjingi headed right for her. The professor entered the room before Tris and Xiaofan had any time to talk. Or at least, Tris made an educated guess that the young woman who had come in was the professor. She certainly set her books and papers down on the front table.
The woman looked as if she had just graduated herself. The nervous way she spoke only reinforced this impression. Like Smokewind, she clung to the podium, only lifting a hand away to push back the strands of her long, black hair that continually fell into her face. Both used the lectern as a crutch, Smokewind's was just physical. The teacher's constant glances at her notes did nothing to help keep her hair from impairing her vision or the sense of nervousness she radiated.
Luckily, the weathermage doubted the quality of the professor would affect her ability to pass the course, which dealt with academic writing. Tris knew writing was one of her strong suits; it had helped her survive her work with Dedicate Crane. If Xiaofan wrote as well as she spoke, the girl would have no trouble passing either.
This was now her second class where the professor seemed to run out of things to say about a half hour in. To the mage's credit, she did shift around quite a few papers, trying to find something to discuss but to no avail. With a quick goodbye and a promise to see them for a full lecture in two days, the professor fled the room before even the fastest students had time to leave.
"Thank you for saving a seat for me."
Tris's cheeks colored. She wasn't sure if it was ruder to lie about the seat or to tell her roommate that she hadn't even looked around for her. A half-truth was the best she could manage.
"I'm glad it was still empty."
"Would you care to join me for lunch?" Xiaofan asked hesitantly.
The Yangjinyi did not seem like the type to ask for company out of social obligation from what Tris had seen, so she could only assume Xiaofan was nervous about being turned down. It was a sentiment the weathermage could understand. Early on in her days of being passed around, she had tried to make friends. It didn't take long before she stopped asking.
She should refuse; after all, she was supposed to remain aloof to ensure the success of her charade. "I have time before my next class."
The two young women made their way to the dining hall. Unlike that morning, the room now brimmed with students, some of whom still rubbed the sleep out of their eyes. It was early for midday, so it was possible some were eating a late breakfast.
It had only been a few hours since Tris's breakfast, so she decided on lighter fare, grabbing some bread, meat and cheese to tide her over to supper. She did pick up a few fruits she did not recognize to give them a try. The lunch spread was a pared down affair, compared to the night before. Tris fully intended to take Xiaofan up on her offer to suggest dishes, but she wanted to do that when the full selection was available.
After a bit of searching, they were able to find a spot to sit across from each other. The two ate quietly. It wasn't as comfortable as the usual table banter among her own family, but the easy silence was better than forced small talk. Tris had no problem eating alone, especially if she had a good book to pass the time, but this wasn't so bad either.
"Thank you for joining me." Xiaofan spoke after carefully wiping her mouth. "I prefer not to eat alone."
It was more of an admission that Tris had been expecting from the otherwise stoic girl, even if she had guessed as much already. She reddened once again, uncomfortable at being thanked for common courtesy.
"If you need to prepare for your next class, I understand." It did not sound like a dismissal, just Xiaofan giving her a way out, if she wanted to leave.
Tris shrugged. "It's fine."
"Caitlynn joins you next, does she not?"
"We have 'Elementary Runes & Signs' together, yes."
"I believe all her classes are in the afternoon. Even after our short time together, I have realized the girl enjoys her sleep."
"I know the type." Despite years of waking with the dawn, Briar still preferred to stay abed whenever possible. These days that was decided more by the whims of his previous night's companion.
"It is another difference between Caitlynn and her cousin. I tend not to rise with the sun either, but on every occasion I have made it to an early breakfast, I have seen Andras here eating."
Tris was a little surprised that Xiaofan had mentioned him, but decided if they were on the subject, she would test the waters. "After her description of him, I was surprised to find him so inquisitive."
Xiaofan stared at Tris, several blinks passing in silence. "He spoke with you?"
"Yes..." It came out somewhere between a statement and a question.
"Unprompted?"
"It was really just a couple questions and a comparison of professors. We had both morning classes together; I suppose it was inevitable after our introduction last night." The weathermage shrugged; she had assumed her roommate would tell her that Caitlynn had grossly over exaggerated his disposition.
"Despite frequent encounters, he and I have never conversed, outside of meals with Caitlynn."
"You two haven't had any courses together yet." Tris wasn't entirely sure why she was making excuses to her roommate, but something about the way Xiaofan's voice had gotten quieter made it seem necessary.
Xiaofan nodded at the logic behind Tris's words. "We have not."
"Anyway, he wasn't exactly sociable." His farewell was cordial enough, but something felt off.
"That sounds more like the Andras with whom I am acquainted. I believe he only tolerates Caitlynn's interference because they are family. I have certainly never seen him seek out conversation."
Tris offered a wry smile in response. "I definitely wouldn't classify our interaction as conversation."
"I will be interested to know if his curiosity continues."
"Who are we talking about?" Apparently, their third roommate had come over while Tris and Xiaofan spoke.
Tris choked on the grape she had just popped into her mouth. Caitlynn was kind enough to slap her back a few times until it was dislodged. The weatherwitch still wasn't used to people being able to sneak up on her. The blond settled in next to Tris, fully ready to join the conversation.
"Your cousin."
The weathermage considered herself a fairly matter-of-fact person, but Xiaofan did not shy away from being forward either.
"What did Andy do now?" For her part, Caitlynn did not seem surprised that her cousin had done something noteworthy.
"He spoke to Meg."
"Do you mean he replied to her when she spoke to him, or…" She left the alternative unstated, as if too implausible to utter.
"He asked questions of her."
"All my hard work is finally bearing fruit!" The young lady's voice carried uncomfortably far, and several of their table mates turned towards the trio.
"You act as though he were mute before today." Tris quietly grumbled.
Caitlynn's eyes lit up. "Maybe, he likes you!"
Tris regretted her decision to come to lunch. She should have listened to her first instinct. It had not started badly but had devolved much too quickly.
"We just met last night. I highly doubt he is harboring some secret passion. I should hope we are all old enough to have discredited any notions of love at first sight." From what she had seen, individuals often had
inclinations at first sight, but it was not with people who looked like her.
"You're probably right." She tapped her chin lightly, deep in thought. "Maybe, he just thinks you're safe; you don't look like the fawning type."
It was a sensible conclusion. All of the men she had met saw her as just a friend. Well, that or they thought she was an easy target. Strange though he was, Andras did not feel like a bully. She was too well versed in the ways of the world to assume that adults, young or old, were any less prone to that habit. The harassment tactics might change, but a bully was a bully at any age.
"Then again, I don't even know that he likes girls. For all the attention they pay him, I have never seen him show interest in return."
Between her foster mothers and Daja, the idea held no novelty to Tris. Still, she was surprised to hear Caitlynn speak about it so nonchalantly. Mages tended to be a little more open minded about such things, but judging by the way Xiaofan's eyes widened, not everyone was accustomed to this arrangement.
"On the other hand, I've never seen him show interest in boys either." The blonde looked as if she was seriously contemplating this conundrum for the first time.
Tris firmly believed that you should like whoever you like, but that did not mean she wanted to have an open discussion about it. She learned years ago to keep any such feelings to herself. It was hard to decide which response was worse, mockery or pity.
For the first time, she empathized with Andras. Her siblings would never have so publicly discuss her own lack of amorous relationships, but whatever Caitlynn thought just spewed forth from her lips. It did not feel malicious but neither was it appropriate.
"Have you ever thought that his romantic inclinations might be his own business?" Her voice was steady and at a level that only the trio could hear.
Caitlynn had the decency to blush. "You're right; I just worry about him."
"If you'll excuse me, I need to go get my books before Runes and Signs." It was a blatant lie, but they didn't know that. Caitlynn hadn't even started eating, engrossed in the conversation as she was; Tris could extricate herself without fear of Caitlynn following.
She did not so much as make eye contact with Xiaofan as she got up to leave, hoping the young lady would stay with Caitlynn.
"See you in class!" The blonde recovered quickly.
Tris raised a single hand to wave goodbye without looking back.
This time, it was Tris who arrived just before the lecture was about to start. She knew without looking that Caitlynn had saved her a seat but quickly found a place in the front row, despite her previous reservations, as the professor began to welcome the students. If the instructor had given her a nasty look for her tardiness, Tris resolutely ignored it.
This professor was more like what she expected of a university mage: not as old as Smokewind but with short brown hair still peppered with white. His hands were spotted with ink, and his disheveled clothes said he spent more time reading books than worrying about his appearance.
Like Smokewind, he took his time with his lecture. He spoke slowly anyway, which helped to fill the time. The class would have felt like it was dragging, but this professor actually appeared to enjoy his job. It helped makeup for his slow pace. Tris understood that some people found classes such as this boring. Considering it was one of the areas that could help her become a self-reliant academic mage, the weatherwitch paid close attention to every word.
Being on the front row brought an additional benefit: a quick escape. Tris was out of the room before Caitlynn could even call her name. She had no intention of getting roped into another roommate dinner or, worse yet, be there when Caitlynn decided it was time to figure out her cousin's sexual orientation.
Instead, it was time to go exploring.
Lightsbridge had been built as a self-sustaining campus nestled in an uninhabited valley close to the Lairan border. At the time it was built, the nearest town was small but within a day's ride. The idea was that scholars should not be distracted by the diversions of a city. Or maybe they had just been concerned with keeping the general populace away from a large collection of novices mages.
Of course, with staff, students, and a constant stream of visitors ranging in from all corners, merchants were not going to ignore the change to capitalize on the school for long. What started out as a merchant town, just outside Lightsbridge's outer limit of land, grew into a full blown city that crawled up the sides of the surrounding mountains. Once it spread outwards as far as possible, it had slowly crept its way in until it collided with the very walls of the institution. They name the city Skyggebyen, a bit of humor on the part of the founders. The name roughly translated to Shade Town.
Many of the mages that graduated simply never left Skyggebyen, setting up shops along the busy streets. Now, students could find any distraction they wanted: bookstores, eating houses, theaters and taverns or even some of the less seemly entertainment. Of course, one day Tris wanted to see the bookstores, but with big plans for the library tomorrow, she decided to save that.
Today, she focused on the shops nearest the school, not wanting to venture out too far. Tris must have had the look of a student because shopkeepers identified her as one almost immediately. While in other parts of the world, this might mean she would have been ignored (all merchants know students don't have coin), but this area seemed to cater mostly to items a student would want.
It felt like in each shop Tris had to answer the same litany of questions. Was she a student? What year was she in school? Did she like it? Had she been to Skyggebyen before? Some threw in a few other personal (but not too personal) questions, but they all stuck close to the list of approved merchant inquiries.
Once these pleasantries were exchanged, it was Tris's turn to ask about their craft. Most of her conversations were short, the shops were not nearly as exciting as the Street of Glass in Tharios, but she found some interesting baubles: spelled quill and ink sets, crystals that could hold sound to be listened to again later, bags spelled to make the contents feel lighter.
Tris was especially interested in the last two. The crystal would be useful for lectures, and she wondered if Evvy could accomplish the same effect for a cheaper price. As for the bags, Tris stored away the information she gathered for Sandry. It would all go into a letter for her foster-sister once her routine was settled at school.
If the shopkeepers were surprised by the depth of a first year's knowledge, they hid it well. They did not hide their disappointment over not making a sale quite as well. Usually, prolonged conversations about a product indicated a higher chance of selling something, but Tris was pretty sure she knew mages who could manage better. She just thanked them for their time and moved along.
Determined not to return until after dark, Tris found a little eating house just off the main road. It seemed to have a good amount of traffic, and the smells were enough to make her want to try it out. She sat herself at a small two person table and waited. A spot outside would have been preferable, but this area was much too crowded for such arrangements. Even though it was still summer according to the calendar, Karang was far enough north that it never got that hot, a nice break from the Summersea heat.
"Hello Miss, what can I do for ya?" The man who bustled over to her table couldn't have been much older than her. Judging by the amount of flour and splashes of various liquids on his faded apron, Tris assumed he helped in the kitchen as well.
"I saw that you have some juice made from apples. I will try that." The available dishes had been posted at the entrance, but most of the names were unfamiliar to her. Luckily, apple juice was easy enough to piece together. "I am new to the area, so I am not familiar with the cuisine. Any suggestions?"
"A student, are ya?" He had squatted down next to her table until he was a little lower than she was. It was likely meant as a friendly gesture to keep her from staring up at him, but Tris just wanted to order.
"Astute assumption."
"What's a fresh young student like yerself doing all alone in the big city?" He had that generally flirtatious twinkle in his eye that she loathed.
"Well, I had hoped to eat something." Even if her eyes were brown now, she could manage to put some steel into them.
"A no-nonsense kind of gal. I like it." He straightened up once more to his full height with a chuckle. "Should I just bring you whatever, then?"
She thought about it for a moment. He seemed to have taken her jab good-naturedly enough that she didn't have to worry about any tricks. "Yes please."
"Comin' right up."
"Wait! Not baked sheep's head." Daja had mentioned declining that particular dish on her travels through Karang. Tris might have been more adventurous than some when it came to food but not
adventurous.
He laughed again as he walked felt like a good sign, so she decided to wait patiently rather than press for a reply. The denizens of the eating house ranged as widely as the rest of the city, perfect candidates for people watching.
The fact that all her professors spoke Imperial had not surprised Tris. It was the most widely spoken language across all the nations once ruled by the Kurchal Empire. However, the amount that the populace of Skyggebyen used Imperial had taken her aback. All of the shop names and even the menu had been in Imperial despite the fact that they were local dishes. Even the conversations going on around her were, for the most part, in Common.
Much like the other countries this far West, Karang had its own language, but apparently the medley of nationalities meant finding a common language was imperative. It made a sort of sense. Certainly, it worked in Tris's favor as she did not speak
The apple juice arrived at the table as she inspected her surroundings, and she found the sweet liquid quite pleasant. Tris was even more pleased to see that the dish the young man brought back in no way resembled a sheep's head, and it smelled delicious.
"
He announced with a triumphant smile. "It's mutton."
Tris rolled her eyes at his attempt at sheep humor. Considering his raucous laughter, the server enjoyed this reaction. Hungry from her busy afternoon, the weathermage grabbed her utensils rather than continue any back and forth.
"Let me know if you need anything." She waved away his accompanying wink as one might a pesky fly.
Once she was left alone to her meal, she decided she could get used to this kind of food. The mutton must have spent several hours simmering because it fell apart as she forked her first bite. The meat had a nice peppery taste, further enhanced by the cabbage that had been cooked with it. Even the boiled potatoes were tasty with a hint of dill.
In many societies, she knew that an empty plate was a compliment to the cook, so she made sure not to offend whenever possible. It helped that the food was delicious. The last potato served to wipe up the final remnant of gravy from the meat. Finally, she sat back with a contented sigh.
Tris thought she wouldn't mind spending every meal this way. During her travels, she had once again grown accustomed to quiet affairs. Now, more than ever, the dining hall held no appeal to her. Breakfast might be safe enough, but the enjoyment of her other meals was in serious jeopardy. What did the dining hall really have in its favor? In a city this diverse, surely she could find whatever type of cuisine she desired.
Unfortunately, she was still a merchant at heart. Meals at the school were part of the tuition; the expense of eating out could not be justified. Today's expenditure needed to be the exception, not the rule.
Her second sigh held a tinge of sadness. It was time to return to campus. Respectable shops closed for the day when the sun went down, and she had no intention of finding the pleasure district to see what night life was like in Skyggebyen.
After the last drop of her apple juice disappeared, she put down the proper amount for her meal with a little extra on the table.
"Come back any time brown eyes." Her server called across the small dining room. "I always like the chatty types."
Tris replied with a rude gesture that she thought would be understood. It was another Briar special. From the expressions of those closest to her and his resounding laughter, the message was received.
The walk back to her dorm felt much too quick. She eased into the common room, much stealthier than one might imagine for a girl her size. Not that it would have mattered had they been sitting on the couch. Luckily, they were either in their own rooms or out of the dorms completely. Not wanting to press her luck by dallying, Tris quickly gathered her bathing items from her room.
She had been pleasantly surprised to find out that "communal" bathhouse did not mean a single large pool for everyone. Rather, it was a large, steamy room with individual tubs surrounded by privacy curtains. The back corner seemed like the perfect place to enjoy a nice, hot soak.
It was hard to decide whether she closed her eyes against the blaze of magic from the pipes that brought up water and the tubs that kept the water warm or because she was simply exhausted. However, it didn't take long before she realized if she kept floating this way, she risked falling asleep in her bath. It wouldn't have been the first time, but Lark or Sandry would not be there to wake her.
Instead, she quickly washed her hair with the special shampoo and rinsed off the remaining dust from the city. By the time she was wrapped back up in a clean robe, Tris had a feeling she would sleep well tonight. She wandered back to her dormitory in this half-awake state.
"If I'd know you were bathing, I would have accompanied you!"
The earlier luck had not held out. Caitlynn lounged on the couch when Tris entered the common room.
"I prefer to not make such things a social occasion."
"Neither does Xiaofan." The blonde's eyes dropped down to the book in her hands, the stillness of the room only lasted a moment before she quietly spoke up again. "We missed you at dinner."
"I went down to Skyggebyen."
Caitlynn could not be kept down for long. "It's the best, right? I'd be happy to show you around. I may have only been here a year, but I already know all the best eating houses and bakeries."
"You learn a city better if you set off to explore it on your own." Tris rubbed the bridge of her nose, still unaccustomed to not feeling spectacles.
"Was your orphanage in the city?"
She had walked right in to that one. "I actually lived with a foster family, but we lived close to a city with a large market."
The coastlines of Capchen were littered with places that met that description.
"I just assumed... when you said orphan." Her roommates cheeks were uncommonly red now.
"Common mistake." A very real yawn conveniently interrupted the conversation. "But I am going to go to bed. I didn't sleep well last night, and it is catching up with me."
"Sleep well! I'll save you a seat in class next time."
"Thanks." It was going to be a long semester.
P.S. For those of you who care, I am not making up an entire culture either, so I am borrowing from Norway. Pierce doesn't really give us much to work with from countries we haven't visited, and Norway, apparently, has a traditional dish with sheep's head (which is mentioned in Coldfire). So voilah!
