On the whole, this past month had been the most unusual and exciting of Kenna's young life.<br/><br/>Growing up as she did as a fosterling in a tiny village on the border between the central valleys and the Pavin Weald, knowing the details of a world maybe three leagues across to an intimate degree, the letter of summons (addressed to her! by name!) was a surprise. Moreso, that it was hand delivered by one of the Queen's Finest, a dark-skinned youth with laughing black eyes and a ready grin full of mirth and mischief who had also been tasked with seeing her safely to the other end of her journey. He had arrived with a traveling noble and her entourage, which included a handful of his fellow Finest, and they had all congratulated her on the matter before presenting a few coins apiece for a purse to sustain her.<br/><br/>That alone had been a heady experience--usually strangers looked at her oddly, as she stood out among the taller people of her village. Most assumed she was a Night Person, but that seemed unlikely. She was small and green, and they were tall and grey. She was mostly sure she was something else, but neither she, nor her foster parents, nor any of the sages or visiting nobles they'd consulted on the matter had ever known what that might be.<br/><br/>Her parents had been both pleased and sad for this development. Father had been almost stoic about it as he helped her pack for her journey all the way to Aldis, peppering their discussion with practical advice and suggestions for securing respectable lodgings upon reaching the big city. (How he had known any of this was a mystery, but she ran several of his ideas past her escort and he confirmed that Father had not been far wrong.) Mama had nearly been in tears as she embraced Kenna that morning, and even Mother seemed less than her usual impassive and towering strength and calm. It was the last that seemed strangest of all--Mother was, of her three parents, the least emotional, who showed her love for her husband, wife, and foster daughter in a dozen ways without every admitting a word out loud. To see her awkward and blushing was almost as embarrassing as walking in on her, Mama, and Father in a tender moment.<br/><br/>The strangest part of it was that the Envoy, whose name was Tandou, had addressed Mother as Dame Gynnifer before bowing to her in a way that made the tall, strong blonde almost as uncomfortable as seeing her only heart-daughter off on a long journey. He'd addressed Father and Mama by titles as well, but Kenna was too startled by the revelation that Mother had ever been more than a humble village blacksmith to pay much attention. Instead she had leaned down and growled at him that if anything untoward happened to Kenna, then Mother would be quite displeased. This, rather than intimidating the young man, had only encouraged him to grin wider.<br/><br/>"Naught to fear, good Dame! Her virtue is safely entrusted. I'm<em>caria</em>," he'd replied with a playful wink at Father, who snorted quietly when the visiting Noble had called out "<em>mostly</em>caria" to general laughter.<br/><br/>Indeed, he'd proven a fair traveling companion, eager to help her sift through her thoughts and decide which last minute advice was useful (most of it) and which was parental over-caution (surprisingly little). As they stayed in way-houses or inns almost all the way to Aldis, she found that Tandou was as good as his word so far as being mostly<em>caria</em>was concerned, saving any flirtation for pretty men about his age. And even with those distractions, such as they were, the pair made good time.<br/><br/>Not even Tandou's stories could prepare her for the sight of the city itself! But he seemed to expect that and kept a discrete yet firm hand on her reins until at last they made their way to the heart of the High Ward, to the Tower of the Art itself, and parted from her side only then, delivering her into the gentle custody of the faculty who had gathered to meet with her (as the letter had stated). How they knew to be ready on this day puzzled her for a time, but no doubt it was something the Roamer-kin Envoy had arranged earlier when she was still trying to wake up enough to eat breakfast.<br/><br/>So here she was, a sore bum from days in the saddle and an empty belly because breakfast had been hours ago, and Tandou had escorted her into a small meeting room with a curving table in a rough u-shape and places for a dozen people, but with only three in attendance--an older man with snow-white hair to his shoulders, a taller and more slender man with dancing brown eyes, and a Rhy-cat that gave off (as did they all) a regal air of bored indifference.<br/><br/>"Dean. Maester Hirsch. Learned Theron," Tandou said, sounding as polite and formal as he ever seemed to, bowing from the waist. "I present to you the demoiselle Kenna Falzin of Underleaf village."<br/><br/>"Thank you, Envoy," the older of the two men returned his nod. "I hold your duty discharged and release you to the Queen's pleasure."<br/><br/>"My honor to serve," Tandou said again, repeating the bow. Then he turned to go, winked, and departed, leaving her to the scrutiny of the three...<br/><br/>The elderly man did not leave her in suspense for long. He leaned forward, presumably to get a better look at her, and spoke in a strong, deep voice that both commanded attention and seemed to reassure at the same time.<br/><br/>"Be welcome to the Royal College. I am Dean Nicodemus Wade, responsible for all who enter these halls and tasked with the overseeing of matters pertaining at Her Royal Majesty's pleasure. These are the Chair of Psychic Arts, Theron," here the rhy-cat gave her a slow double-blink, "and the acting Chair of Shaping Arts, Mathis Hirsh."<br/><br/>"I'm going to break protocol and assume that nobody remembered to explain to you what all this fuss is about," the younger man said, looking directly at her with a smile playing on his lips. "Kindly stop me if I am in error, but I imagine that you, young Kenna, are not entirely sure why you have been summoned to meet with the three of us today."<br/><br/><em>That</em>, the Rhy-cat's voice came to her thoughts,<em>is putting it mildly.</em><br/><br/>The Dean turned to regard his colleagues with an expression of surprise.<br/><br/>"Did they really? Oh dear."