<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=205751.msg11442419#msg11442419">Quote from: Chloe Milev on 11-07-2015, 06:21:21</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote"><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: andale mono;">Professor Yarminda's Slumber Party</span></span></div><br/>He was also happy to hear that Arturon would be cleared of wrong-doing and restored to his former position.  He didn't deserve to be punished for any jerks in Bemmea, the sooner they left this place, the better.  "Dance?  I'd like to see that, how about it Utari?"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>"I don't know, it's meant to be a prefect-only thing."<br/><br/>The other girls immediately protested, saying that trying to keep it a secret will only motivate them to try and find out for themselves.<br/><br/>"Oh alright; it's just a silly little dance, meant to show that not everything about being a Prefect's going to be uptight and by-the-book.  It's a good way of dispelling initial worries at a loss of social life, and to encourage bonding."<br/><br/>"Give us a demonstration!" Asma cheered.<br/><br/>"Alright, here goes..."<br/><br/>Utari stood up straight, then bent her upper half forward.  Then putting her clapped hands together she alternated jumping between one foot and the next.  The girls had a good laugh before moving onto other things.<br/><br/>The rest of them visited the top of the tower, where the stars were not just celestial bodies unfathomable distances away, but nearby sources of light which could move about in the night sky forming new constellations.<br/><br/>"Wow, how did you do that?" Zull asked Professor Yarminda.<br/><br/>"Ah, but simply by willing it, my dear," the teacher responded.  "No spells required.  Why don't you try first, Evgenia?"<br/><br/>Evgenia focused, squinting her eyes at the sky.  The constellations rearranged themselves into a large cross.<br/><br/>"Hmm, efficient, but it could use a little pizzazz," Elmira said.  With her turn, she moved the stars about into a double helix.  "A design I saw in a book somewhere.  Didn't know what it meant, but it looks nice."<br/><br/>It was fun, although the night was winding down and eventually it came time to rest for tomorrow.  Yarminda shown them to their quarters, which were like posh guest bedrooms in castles, two double-sized beds to a room.  Their doorways ran down the hallway in parallel pairs, and Zull and Naila decided to bunk with Kleris.  There was an adjacent shower room, which the elf girls used before hitting the hay.<br/><br/>"Your turn, Kleris."  The image of a towel-clad drow came out to greet him and Naila, who giggled in response.<br/><br/>"You smell strongly of cherry, I hope you didn't use up all the shampoo."<br/><br/>Zull shrugged her shoulders.  "It's not like there aren't other bottles and fragrances in there."<br/><br/>By the time Kleris cleaned up and returned, Naila was asleep and Zull was in her underwear reading a spellbook, licking her finger to turn a page from time to time.<br/><br/>"Been a crazy first two months here, huh Kleris?" she asked.  "I can't help but feel that stuff's going on I have no idea about, in more ways than one."<br/><br/>She looked over at Naila, smiling snugly as the plush green blankets covered her up to her neck, leaving only a cute little head resting on a pillow.<br/><br/>"Ninety, ninety-five...ninety-nine, maybe, of the people at Redhurst don't even know each other from an old life.  A fellow countrywoman, maybe, but a family member, or folk from the same village?  It is odd, to be surrounded by so many strangers, but even amidst it all, we can form a community.  I don't get it; I heard Professor Yarminda's explanation of Redhurst's origins, but we have no ties to any land, our campus travels.  There are many places Headmaster Andarlin can set down, join a local community and help it grow, make that place a beacon and teach the kids wizardry."<br/><br/>She pulls down the sheets to get under, and bids Kleris to do the same.<br/><br/>"Or maybe that's our strength, to not be held down by any nation or plane.  To be wherever we're needed most, to give the students a greater understanding of the multiverse and all its people.  What do you think, Kleris?"<br/><br/><hr/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote"><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: andale mono;">Archtowers of Bemmea</span></span></div><br/>As Lillin opened a gate for them to run, an <em>alarm</em> sounded, and the tower started to reverberate with growing commotion of doors and yelling.  "Whatever happens, let's just be alive to see it!"  They continued trying to find any stairs down, coming to more halls and doors.  Kleris focused on detecting any thoughts behind doors, and choosing an empty one, shoved it open for them to escape through.  Thankfully the tower, while magical and strange, was also practical, and they were able to eventually find passages down, though it took some detours and pauses for Arisad's subordinates to pass by while they hid in side rooms.  Finally, though, they made it to a new door on the ground level, which somehow expelled them from the same door from which they originally entered.  At least now they had an idea where they came from, and started fleeing through the city just as their pursuit came out after them.<br/><br/>[Bluff &amp; <em>detect thoughts</em> 9+20 = 29, success]<br/></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Zull tried to cover their tracks down a narrow alleyway with an<em>obscuring mist,</em>but that was not to last as several familiars flew above their position, a mixture of birds of prey and large insects tracking their every move.<br/><br/>"For once I'm not happy to see birds," Rensha said.<br/><br/>Lillin cast a<em>magic missile</em>at one of them, although this only seemed to slow it down rather than take it out of commission.<br/><br/>"No, this is how you do it," Carson said as he sent them into disarray with a<em>gust of wind.</em><br/><br/>"Conserve your spells, people!" Arturon exclaimed.  "We'll need every bit to get out of this place!"<br/><br/>The group exited out into a chaotic assortment of tents and kiosks, all stacked with caged creatures, runestones, boilding cauldrons, and other esoteric magic.  Even without that most useful of divination cantrips the spell energy could be tasted in the air.  Uniformed teenaged mages about Kleris' age were out and about, one set blue and green, the other white and red.  They seemed to belong to different schools, by the looks of it.<br/><br/>"There they are!" Arisad shouted, pointing his two shield guardians to give them.  "Do not let the blonde-haired human girl escape!"<br/><br/>Arturon, who was far in the back gave a meaningful look to Kleris as he darted past.  Running up to one of the gawking white-red students, he spoke to them.  "Those Corxin shits are going to try and claim them and rub it in our faces.  Are we going to let this opportunity slip by?  Hell no!"<br/><br/>This seemed to work, as the white-red students took this as a call to arms.  While more than a few headed for Kleris' group, the others preemptively fired off spells at the Corxin mages.  In no time at all all manner of spells were flying about the marketplace, from<em>daze</em>to even a<em>dispel magic.</em><br/><br/>The shield guardians barreled through the crowds, knocking a few cages loose and setting the monsters free, adding to the chaos of the scene.<br/><br/>Rensha kicked in the head of a fiendish frog which nearly pinned down Zull.<br/><br/>"You all right?!"<br/><br/>"Yeah, but what about Arturon?"<br/><br/>The Allainian prefect was grappling with several of the students before yanking free as one of them got<em>dazed.</em><br/><br/><em>Kleris needs to make another distraction now.</em>