Running into Professor Relic wasn’t exactly in her plan-- not that she was trying to avoid him, but as they came toe to toe in front of his office, she handed the book off to him. “Th-“ She started, cutting her words short when he shook his head and dropped the book into whatever hidden shadow he pulled it out of. The emotionless stare he gave her was enough to tell her that her gratitude wasn’t welcome. As she walked away, she sighed almost raggedly. “What a long fucking day,” she muttered to herself. Diem turned in for the night, and without the early morning training sessions with Freya at the crack of dawn she was able to catch up on some much needed rest. She attended her morning classes as usual, noting the difference in the lectures that the professors were giving. They had moved from theoretical concepts, ethical debates, and history to strategy and tactics. Though she didn’t mind the more participatory aspect of in-class instruction, she could tell that morale was low. Gone was the passion for their craft and occupation, as they were forced to teach from an approved curriculum.<br/><br/>“This is supposed to be a place of education, not a damn military draft. If I wanted to do that, then I would have joined the Lancaster’s Imperial Guard.” Sera said as she tugged on her suit alongside Diem, who assisted her in pulling her wings through since she had already put hers on. “We’re essentially paying an learning institution to get our asses kicked. It's false advertisement, and a lot of students are asking for their money back.”<br/><br/>“I never really thought of it that way. I mean, I have a free ride, but for people like you with lots of money . . . well, yeah.” Diem smirked.<br/><br/>"Laugh it up, Diem. You're getting your ass kicked for free, so you're not doing much better than the rest of us." Sera said, leading the way out to the field where Maxim and Bastian were waiting for them. The demon smirked mischievously, making an attempt to wrap his tail around Diem possessively, which she batted away.<br/><br/>"Head in the game, Bash." She chided softly.<br/><br/>The firm rebuke of his advance elicited a snort from the demon. "I'll behave, I suppose."<br/><br/>"So, Urion is going to be watching. If he thinks we have potential, he'll take us on. Remember what we talked about." Maxim reminded them before they walked out on the field. Diem took a quick look around the grounds, unable to see anyone particularly unfamiliar watching, just curious students who watched for entertainment or learning purposes.<br/><br/>Rather than their usual challenge of reaching the untouchable X behind the instructor, the class was presented with a new drill with an even more difficult objective. Professor Relic summoned his shadow mimic, the soul of a former hunter. Bash let out a long whistle, "This ain't gonna be easy." He said, able to feel the power that radiated from the dark being. "Sera, up top with me." He said, and both the winged creatures lifted off the ground, hovering over Diem and Maxim who would evade attacks from below. Diem connected with them, allowing them to use her sight to help them anticipate events around them as she did. The four were doing well at first, effortlessly dodging blows and swipes, covering each other's backs like a well-oiled machine. They had natural synergy, as their team was well rounded, able to compensate for each other's weaknesses. The teams that were comprised of members from the same house were among the first to fall.<br/><br/>They were focused, aware of their surroundings and one another. When one of them went down, Diem charged them up, giving them the energy for a speedy recovering and replenishing their power stores. They were the last team left, and when they had the mimics-- and professor Relic's-- undivided attention, the attacks were much more difficult to recover from.<br/><br/>Sera fell after one of her wings was clipped and she was unable to take to the sky. Maxim laced his fingers together, holding his hands down low to launch Diem into the air. By the time she got there, Bash was down. Maxim moved to catch him as he fell, but before he could he caught a blade to the back and Diem was knocked back by a thick, black tendril. Her body skipped like a rock over the surface of water. Groaning after her head stopped spinning, she pushed herself up, wiping the blood away from her mouth and nose with her sleeve. It was yet another brutal loss, but she was proud of the way they performed.  She just hopped it was enough to impress Urion, wherever he was.