A/N: So sorry for abandoning you guys like that! I can blame a couple weeks on Dragon*Con and finishing cosplays, but the last month I just wasn't feeling it. Add to that, my Beta is going through a lot right now, so I going to do my best to self-edit! Please forgive me any mistakes as I try to get chapters out to you all.

I have realized that I have been trying to speed towards the part of the story that I am most excited about and forgot to set up some descriptions and such. I will try to resolve that issue to give you guys a complete story, but do know there will not be tons of fully fleshed out characters.


Tris woke feeling well rested for the first time in days. She also felt her power buzzing within her. During her trip to Lightsbridge, the nights had been unusually stormy and windy during the day. Anyone who could see ambient magic would have noticed a trail of power, carefully bled into every weather pattern. It was a natural and safe way for her to get rid of her power. Unfortunately, Tris dared not do that here, with trained mages swarming around.

It was all part of her charade, but the magic dump required a careful balance. She needed enough enough power that she was not physically drained but not so much that it was noticeable to anyone who knew how to look. Checking to make sure her door was locked, Tris took out the living metal tree and set it next to her.

She started with meditation. No matter how far she was from the ocean it always felt like falling into the rhythm of the tides. Though it had grown over the last few days, her stores of power still ran much lower than normal. With so little to control, it had not gotten as unruly as it often did when left untended. For now, she tucked away a few errant strands of her lightning-like magic and physically reached for the tree rather than waste power by doing it mentally.

The sensation of her siblings' magical presence reached back out to her from within the tree. Originally, Tris thought that only Briar and Daja had worked on it, but the first time she had connected with it, Sandry had been there as interwoven into its twisted form as her other siblings. Rather than being a comfort, the overwhelming sense of them left her lonelier than ever.

It was not the first time they had been separated, but last time Niko and Little Bear accompanied her. She had not been completely separated from her extended family for almost eight years (excluding the brief time she was an invalid in Namorn), and now, it would be two years before she could see any of them. Even her teachers could not visit her without raising suspicion. Meghana Earthborn from Capchen knew no one from Winding Circle.

Her siblings' magical selves lay beneath her fingertips, but it was static, nothing like her lively family. She wanted their conversation, their understanding. She wanted to be Tris.

While these thoughts plagued her, the surprisingly warm tree gently tugged away at her magic, drawing it down into its curves. Her vanishing power did nothing to help the feeling of homesickness. If her eyes were a little puffy by the time she left her room that morning, neither of her roommates were awake to notice.


Compared to the day before, it was practically late by the time she wandered into the dining hall, but students still sat only in sparse clusters. With the thought of confirming Xiaofan's information, Tris scanned the room quickly.

Sure enough, Andras was tucked away in a back corner, a spot she likely would have chosen. His attention was so wholly engrossed in his meal that he barely looked as though he had time to breath between bites. It worked in Tris's favor, as he did not notice her arrival.

Despite her heavy dinner, breakfast was another hearty affair. Porridge with honey, milk and some dried fruit would work wonders to fill the empty feeling in the pit of her stomach. Of course, this plan backfired when the meal reminded her of one of their first breakfasts together. Sandry showed Briar how porridge was meant to be eaten. Even Rosethorn brought out some cinnamon to improve the otherwise bland dish.

Tris inspected the ceiling for a moment. She refused to become the "skirt" that Briar always accused her of being. Crying over a bowl of porridge surely qualified. Once she was sure it was safe, she returned to her food.

As she looked back down, she caught Andras out of the corner of her eye. He turned his back towards her to take up his tray without seeming to notice her. Maybe it was this bout of homesickness, but Tris couldn't help thinking it might have been nice to have some company for once. She shook her head at the silliness, sparing a half smile for her porridge. Skirt, indeed.

If good food couldn't dispel this cloud, she knew exactly what could: books.

Spurred on by this singular thought, Tris ate in earnest. She forced herself to keep a regular pace with each bite. It wouldn't do to get to the library only to have to turn around because of her stomach. Before long, the weathermage made her way up to the return counter with her bowl. She even spared a smile for the attendants behind the counter.

The trek from the dining hall to the library seemed longer than it had looked on the school map, but if she was winded when she finally made it, she was breathless when the double doors opened before her. Her fellow students gawked as she stood frozen in the entryway. Tris didn't care; she wanted to absorb every moment of this.

The library was five stories tall and bigger by area even than Heskalifos's. The center had been left open all the way to the spelled glass ceiling, allowing natural light to flood the room. Tables sat directly beneath this for working students and professors alike. Without a close inspection of the spells, Tris guessed that the ceiling would give light even on a stormy day, and she looked forward to testing this theory.

The library teamed with all sectors of university life. The professors were easiest to pick out with their full mage robes. Of course, Master's students were also allowed to wear robes, so it wasn't a sure bet. University students, unlike the primary school, did not have uniforms, but Tris was used to the wide display of clothing from the dining hall. Here, mages-in-training walked around in everything from her own sensible cotton dress and petticoats to the occasional kyten.

She noticed a number of Karang nationals, more than she had seen elsewhere in the school. The library had an extensive collection of books outside the realm of magical study, and the school welcomed locals as well as faculty and students. Here, both men and women wore variations of the traditional outfit called a bunad. For women, this looked like a chemise under a vest and skirt. The patterns varied widely as some were corseted, underbust, overbust, or a even single overdress. The male version was similar to what most men this far West wore. Sandry would have been better at picking out the nuances, but to Tris it looked like normal knee-length pants with an undershirt and vest. The tall white socks looked a little silly in her opinion, but then fashion was not her strong suit.

Waking herself from her study of the human interest, her mind focused back on the task at hand. Even from her first floor vantage, she could see that every inch of wall space and countless shelves held books. Some girls loved flowers, clothes or even jewelry; Tris loved books. This required a little more careful planning than her excursion into Skyggebyen the night before.

Several plans of attack came to mind, but she stepped out of the way of the entrance to avoid any more glares from those going around her as she thought through it. In the end, she chose to use today to familiarize herself with the layout. She would have time to delve into the shelves contents, but without a clear understanding of the library's system, she would have difficulty navigating in the future.

She decided to start with the first floor and make her way up. Not only did the first floor hold the most books of any floor, but this also meant she would only have to go up one flight of stairs at a time. The gleam in her eyes belonged more on a field of battle than in a library as she made her way to the first row of shelves.

While the first floor would certainly be useful, it was less interesting than Tris had hoped for the start of her exploration. Still, she applauded the well devised layout of the library. This level held all compendiums, anthologies, and any other research aid materials. Considering these texts were usually heavy and often used by academics, it helped that they were closest at hand and nearest the tables.

Tris strategically worked her way through the shelves, noting where the books changed from natural studies to compilations on magic. Some day, the book on which Niko had worked would join these rows. It would not be his first, but it was the most extensive.

She knew by the end of semester these shelves would likely be her new home as she looked for information for term papers. However, these were books that helped you find other books, and they required little more than a workable knowledge of the different sections. Certainly, little here would hold her attention for anything besides classroom supplementals.

It was time to move to the next floor.

This was where the fun began. The sections on magical learning were separated into two sections. Floor two and three contained all the books on academic magic, with a substantially smaller ambient magic section taking up the fourth floor.

Ambient mages were fewer and farther between, and it just so happened that few ended up being prolific writers. To be sure, she could hardly envision Frostpine or Rosethorn staying away from forge/garden long enough to write more than a chapter. It was too bad, really; ambient mages offered insight to the world of magic that even purely academic scholars could learn from. Niko certainly felt that way, anyhow.

The fifth floor held non-magical histories, and even, as she understood it, a small section of fiction that had piqued her interest. However, the second to fourth floor would no doubt garner the bulk of her attention over the next year. Of course, she was there to learn academic magic, but she would be remiss as a scholar if she did not take the opportunity to expand her ambient learning as well.

When she made it, red-faced, to the second floor, she noticed academic magic split itself into subsections depending on focus; titles stood out above columns of books near her such as alchemy, arcane, and, farther down the line, charms, elemental, healing and even love. She would avoid that last section. Tris wondered if there was a section on war magics. The school had a strict policy on using magic for violence, but no one could deny that war mages not only existed but also that several had graduated from Lightsbridge.

Reaching into a pocket, she withdrew a small slate and chalk. In her precise script, the ex-redhead began combing through the aisles. Today wasn't about deep study, but it wouldn't hurt to write down a few call numbers for books that grabbed her attention.

Her methodical foray came to a sudden halt when a cluster of girls blocked her path in the counterspell section. Fives girls fanned out around a railing. The walkways were barely big enough for two people abreast and spread out as they were, Tris would have been hard pressed to make it past their feet without tripping. The quintet kept stealing furtive glances at something below.

"Excuse me." She stepped up to the closest girl, keeping her voice quiet to not disturb other patrons.

"Who is he?" Either they had not heard her, or they were willfully ignoring her to carry on their conversation.

"Oh, that's just Andras."

Tris peeked over the edge of the railing to see the familiar blonde scanning a book. He had mentioned that he only took morning classes; she must have really lost track of time, if he was already finished for the day.

"Just? He's lovely."

Some of the other girls nodded in agreement.

"You think so, Deidra?" The girl who had known his name spoke up again; judging by her outfit, she looked like a native of the area. "You should go talk to him."

"You think so, Ester?" Deidra's outfit look more like what Tris was wearing, only a little nicer. The weathermade missed Sandry's outfits already.

Ester's smile did not reach her eyes. "He's been at school forever, and I hear he is really nice."

Tris scoffed audibly, but none of the girls were paying attention as they squealed their assent over this new plan.

"Okay, I will." Deidra gave the other girl a look of defiance, before she marched off towards the nearest staircase.

Tris had read about this is in the animal world, posturing and vies for power within a pack. Then again, this seemed more like a brood of hens than anything truly ferocious. Part of her knew she should just walk away. Certainly, she could have gone around the other way, but it suddenly felt like a very interesting social experiment.

One of the things that took the most getting used to about her new lenses was the clarity of her vision. It still amazed her when, a few moments later, she could make out the details of Deidra's face as she approached Andras. However, it was no consolation for having lost her winds. Eavesdropping had become a bad habit, but the voices and pictures they held had saved not only her own life but also the lives of her siblings enough that she now considered it a necessary evil.

Rationally, Tris knew this was not one of the times where listening in would save lives, but it might have cleared up a few things about her roommate's odd cousin. Deidra was conventionally attractive. She was the proper size: petite but not so small it seemed unusual. Her hair was brown like Tris's now, but where Tris's skin tone looked barely alive, Deidra's glowed. The same sun that had given her a lively hue had also kissed her hair with touches of honey. Her simple cotton dress gave no real indication of her origin, but it did accentuate her tiny waist.

"Watch this…" Ester's sly smile led Tris to believe the rumors about Andras were more widespread than his cousin and Xiaofan.

Apparently, Deidra thought that simply sitting next to him would spark a conversation. Whether he pretended not to notice her or was so engrossed in his book that he genuinely did not, Tris could not tell. When the little hen finally drew his attention with words, the weathermage found herself straining to hear what was being said.

For her part, Deidra smiled and batted her eyes in that way that girls seemed to think made them more attractive. Tris always thought it looked as though their eyelids were having seizures. Had she not noticed that he was not smiling in return, or was the girl going to ignore it?

The conversation looked entirely one-sided. From Tris's vantage point, Andras had not strung more than three syllables together in the short moments they sat together. When she reached over to playfully touch his arm, he moved from her graze.

His next question made the girl blush so hard it was visible even to those whose vision wasn't magically enhanced. The pack leader's laughter was loud enough that, despite the sound dampening spells, both Deidra and Andras looked up. Suddenly, Tris no felt like being a part of this exercise in social discourse, and it probably had quite a bit to do with the fact that she felt like Andras was looking right at her.

Before the gaggle noticed she had ever joined them, she slipped back behind a row she had already inspected. Deidra opted not to rejoin the girls upstairs, or, at least, Tris did not hear her amongst the lively chatter on the other side of the shelves.

A small part of Tris felt guilty for not having warned her about the possible outcome. Her culpability was mitigated by the knowledge that Deidra must have known Ester was challenging her, even a social outcast could tell that much.

She had not even made it all the way around the third floor when her stomach reminded her that she had skipped lunch. Going back down the steps, she couldn't help but smile. It might be childish, but an early dinner meant a good excuse to miss her roommates and anyone else who might be lurking amongst the usual dinner crowd.

As expected the dining hall had only a few students mulling about. Unfortunately, this also meant the full dinner spread had not yet been laid out. Perhaps, she would need to start making notes so she could draw up a schedule of when was best to stop by. She enjoyed a good meal.

At least the food that was out looked fresh, she had been afraid that it would be whatever was still sitting out from lunch. Then again, Gorse's kitchen had always been turning out something fresh and delicious. With as many people as the school fed, the probability seemed high that someone was hungry at any given time.

"Enjoy the show?"

The tickle of breath at her ear caused her to jump, followed by a few choice words in languages from across the world. She glared at Andras, wiping up the food she had accidentally flicked off her plate in surprise. She really missed her winds. Brown eyes must not be as frightening as grey because he walked around and sat down right across from her looking completely unruffled.

"That's quite a mouth you got there. I'm not even sure I recognize all those, and I've been here for a long time."

"I learned from a thief." She gave him a wry smile, making the truth sound like sarcasm.

He gave her his usual appraising look again before shrugging his shoulders. "I figured you had read it. Maybe, in a library somewhere."

She stared back at him unapologetically for a moment before returning to her food. If she ignored him, he might return the favor.

It was silent for only a beat before he spoke again. "You sure make friends fast. Where are they now?"

"Look," Tris set down her fork and knife to give him her full attention. "I was going through the library, but those girls were in my way. One of them practically dared the other to go talk to you. The only thing I am guilty of is standing in one place too long. Don't believe me? You will find I do not particularly care. Want an apology? Here's one: I am sorry a pretty girl came up to flirt with you. I am sure it was very trying."

His blond eyelashes flicked open and shut as he blinked at her onslaught of words.

"Now, if you will excuse me, I appreciate being disturbed about as much as you do, apparently."

It had been a clear dismissal, yet Andras remained sitting. Tris gave him another moment to get over his shock. When he started to eat instead, her eyebrows tried to disappear into her hairline. Maybe, he was just thick.

"Don't mind me. I find, if you look like you are with somebody, others tend to leave you alone." With those words, he tucked into his own plate of food.

Tris's mouth opened and closed a few times with rebuttals, but once it was clear he had no intention of striking up a new conversation, she resigned herself to his presence. People rarely approached her for casual conversation, but it sounded as if this was an issue for him. Dredging up a little empathy, she returned to her own dinner and tried to resolutely ignore her partner.

Within minutes, she could no longer resist glancing up with a scowl every once and awhile. She wasn't sure if it annoyed her more that he was still sitting there or that he was still sitting there silently. He felt like a puzzle she couldn't solve.

While she did not always understand people, Tris could usually place strangers into certain social categories based on appearances and interactions. He wasn't painfully shy like Tomas. Nothing about him outwardly would have made him an outsider like Daja's skin, Briar's tattoos or her, well, her everything. In a way, the good-looking young man reminded her of Sandry, or how Sandry might have turned out if her personality wasn't so unwaveringly optimistic. Sandry's early life experiences could have left anyone wary of others. Did Andras have something like that in his life?

"Something for you?" His smile wasn't harsh, even as he turned her words from the other day against her.

Why was she so bothered by him? Tris avoided people when interactions were not required. Here, no earthquake or pirates threatened them; she had not discovered his power and been required to teach him or need him to chase after a murderer. In fact, no tie existed to draw them together. All that lay between them was one nosy roommate and a couple shared classes.

"Not a thing." Her smile was sincere as she lifted her tray and got up from the table.

Andras Cadell could keep his mysteries for all she cared.