<br/><br/><div class="floatright">(https://talenthouse-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/c_limit,f_auto,fl_progressive,h_1280,w_1280/v1394344352/user-176900/profile/s5fj9nehxxvvwxqihgyx.jpg)</div><br/><strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory </strong><br/>Well used to knowing what was going on around her, Alundra was aware of the gazes sent her way. A couple of guys interested in the hair and the petiteness, without giving a damn about the person behind the youthful looks. Pinkie Pie, sending those furtive looks got ignored… She had no idea what to do about the shifter… The mistrust ran very deep. Girl had issues, Cotton Candy was obsessed with frogs, apparently. Kylie… made her feel warm inside. Not like fire, that all encompassing, dancing joy that her true love created each and every time, but still. The more casual glance was safer, less confusing and complicated than something sultry… (Like how she looked at fire…) Coming on too hard and fast was not the way to endear yourself to someone like Alundra. So it was met with a cool gaze, just a momentary acknowledgement of the attention. She’d see what happened. But at least the gorgeous student’s snark got a genuine smile, albeit one hidden from the class, shared with no one.  Point to her. Invisibility…. Sounded complicated, prone to betrayals. Fire was easy, it flowed as It would, half obeying laws of nature and half wild and unrestrained. A metaphor? Nah. Interesting how much of magic seemed to be just… imposing your will on physics and telling logic to sit down, shut up, and wait quietly to be called on, if needed.<br/><br/><br/>Snug in her little corner pocket of isolation, as much as possible in the classroom of the popular teacher, Alundra screwed up an eyelid, trying not to sigh.  Rather a gross topic, and something she deeply didn’t understand. Who would want to spend any time with men at all, let alone extended intimate time? She was comfortable with the concept of being a lesbian, if not completely on board with the idea that meant letting people inside her walls. Fortunately, the discussion on willpower and how to shape spells was interesting. Force of will she had aplenty, even if some people would perhaps rightfully claim that she didn’t always direct it in a healthy manner.<br/><br/>The incantations were exactly what the redhead was working on, so more information helped.<em>I’d think the most important part of a flight spell was ensuring one didn’t launch into the atmosphere and be unable to breathe…. Second most important seems to be able to land safely, just as a guess. A flight spell that doesn’t produce flight just seems like, well, a failure to launch.</em>How was she going to phrase her own spell? Yes, Miss Merryweather had emphasized that creating the rhyme was extra credit, but Alundra wasn’t about to pass up a chance to get in a little closer with the lovely teacher.<em>Water three, constrained, burst free of the restraint…</em>Then probably something about fire, quenching….  The talk of ingredients and materials was all interesting enough, but the girl’s attention seemed a bit drifty. There were hints that Alundra, if she was going to venture much past her particular talent, might be something of a quick and dirty enchanter. But watching the much older mage casually transparent a wall definitely perked her up a bit.<br/><br/>That discussion about how important invocation truly was posed a bit of a brain teaser…  Hadn’t Merryweather just done some magic sans invocation? Was it just because of decades and centuries of all practice, or did the wand count as a focus? Or was it a slightly different topic, area, whatever? While she was the exact opposite of a showoff, the fiery one couldn’t resist just the tiniest bit of flair… flicking her fingers, she produced a miniscule spark, extinguishing well before it hit the table. But even Alundra thought that was cheating… She had no idea what caused the pyrokinesis, but felt it was likely something more innate, like werewolves, rather than more formal magic.<br/><br/>While the class babbled about identity and Lurkers and choice and such, Alundra was pondering about willpower and the limits of power there… If one truly believed themselves free of any boundaries, could they do anything? Was there a point where consequences outweighed ego, some sort of inherent universal sanity checking in to go nah? Or could that much power burn someone out, no matter how egotistical and iron willed someone was? Was a megalomaniac the ultimate power of reality? But even kinda messed up Alundra had her soft spot… The mention of bubbles got a smile, her attention eagerly focusing back on the professor.<br/>