BewitchedBotheredAndBewilderedFor one day out of the year, the orderly world of Faiella University succumbed to the forces of Chaos. Hundreds of students from the various years scurried around the campus as if some giant had recently kicked over an anthill. Most elder students possessed enough experience to survive this seething tide of humanity, but many of the First Years were floundering in the turbulent waters. Worse yet, the various Houses – already on the prowl for fresh blood – waded through the crowd like sharks, harassing those who displeased them, capturing those who gained their attentions. Professors joined the throng, attempting to herd the startled fish as best they could. But it was a losing battle and several strays could be found in the strangest places; some crying, others fuming. Regular class schedules were handed out like grim marching orders, while elective classes were fought over with vehement zeal. Lines formed and disappeared, while groups of students compared their fates for the coming year. Equal displays of disappointment and excitement were commonplace, many students enjoying a touch of Schadenfreudian glee at their friends’ expense. All in all, however, the day and year to follow promised untold possibilities. Over the voices and yells, a resounding voice boomed out of the bronze tubing of the address system. “Could all students please make their way to the Assembly Hall? The mandatory commencement ceremony featuring Chancellor Benedict will begin in ten minutes. Repeat, ten minutes until Chancellor Benedict’s commencement speech.” As much as Gillian looked forward to the start of the spring term, she utterly detested the first day of school. The yelling and jostling and chaos and sheer number of people all wore on her already frazzled nerves. Faiella University was nothing if not traditional. There was always some sort of commencement ceremony on First Day so when the announcement came to gather in the Assembly Hall, Gillian was ready and waiting only a few steps from the doorway. She gathered up Ginger, rushed up the steps into the Hall, and quickly made her way to the seat in the shadow of the highest right corner. ...only to find someone she vaguely recognized already there. Temnal had chosen this section of the hall not so much because of its seclusion, but because it was not so brightly lit as the other sections of the huge room -- yet still gave a good view of the proceedings. He turned to look at Gillian as she approached, the gold of his eyes in the shaded corner not unlike Ginger's. "Good morning, Miss Talbot," he said, smiling as he recognized her. Gillian halted abruptly, surprised anyone was already there. "I believe it's afternoon, actually," she replied. It was the sort of correcting comment that both her brothers detested. She knew that socially she shouldn't make them -- as much as it irked her to have things wrong, she found it often irked the people she corrected more -- but Temnal caught her off-guard and it slipped out. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, embarrassed. "No, you're quite right," he said equably, then added with a gleam of humor, "One of these days I may get used to a sky that doesn't cycle." She set Ginger down and brushed at her skirts to give herself a moment to recover. Gillian looked back up and smiled awkwardly. "Did you...um...get all the electives you wanted?" "I don't get electives yet," Temnal said with a trace of ruefulness. "Though of course that means I don't have to stand in registration lines yet, either. I do expect to enjoy Astronomy, however. Maybe that will help me get the sky sorted out." He looked curiously at Ginger. "Is that a dem-- No, of course it isn't, how silly of me. It's a familiar, isn't it?" “That has a name, you realize,” Ginger sniffed, nose held high. “You may call me Her Royal Sleekness and Fluffy-Tailed Wonderment of Creation and Beyond. And let’s get things proper, straight off. The gimp is my familiar. Not the other way around.” Gillian rolled her eyes. "I beg your pardon, madam," Temnal responded. "Another local custom I'm insufficiently familiar with, I'm afraid." "No, you're correct," Gillian assured him. "She says the most outrageous things. Don't pay attention." "Well, it is somewhat rude to ignore anyone who can talk," Temnal explained. Ginger preened. “See?!” The feline surreptitiously winked at Temnal. “I tell her that all the time, but she’s absolutely tactless.” Gillian glared at the cat. "It's only rude when they actually have something worthwhile to say." Ginger glanced between the pair, raising a dubious brow. “You know, I don’t recall you mentioning this one, Kitten. Have you been fanoodling behind my back? Hrm?” "Case in point," Gillian continued to Temnal, putting a hand on Ginger's head and pushing her down. "Did you ever find what you were looking for? About the Truesilver Transmutation?" "Not as such," Temnal replied. "That is, nothing in the way of a clear set of directions, but then, clear directions are more the exception than the rule in the more advanced alchemical procedures anyway, wouldn't you say? The masters don't put their secrets in books for just anyone to find. "I was able to tease out a few more clues, though. Oblique references here and there, and enough correspondences that I'm beginning to get ... well, at least a glimpse of the Path." Ginger blinked dumbly, her jaw dropping. “Oberon’s Hairy Balls, how is it possible that you actually found someone as unbelievably dull as you, Gillian?!" "Shhhhhh!" Gillian hissed, alarmed at where Ginger decided to take Amber's former king's name in vain. She looked around surreptitiously, hoping no one was eavesdropping. "Please don’t tell me I’m going to have to listen to you two prattle on about formulae and equations all afternoon. This is the height of cruelty. I haven’t got a nap scheduled until three o’clock!” Gillian swallowed a nasty retort and instead smiled at Ginger slyly. "You know, we had fish for lunch, which means lots of aromatic fish heads that will just get tossed away in the garbage. I bet if you go around to the kitchens you'll see Becca there and I bet she'll fix you up with some particularly lovely ones, stewed just the way you like them with lots of vinegar and garlic and lemon pepper. I bet she's already given her cat Sasha a fish head or two..." "Or you could try to sleep through the Chancellor's speech," Temnal put in blandly. Apparently all that had been heard by Ginger was ‘fish head.’ The feline hopped down from its perch and shot off like an orange bolt. “Get the hell outta my way, you stupid tossers!” erupted from the crowd, followed by a few shrieks and exclamations as students avoided being tripped up. Ginger was not above attempted hamstringing of those unwise enough to block her path. After all, shedding the blood of strangers was perfectly acceptable when fish heads were involved. Temnal chuckled. "All right, maybe I was right the first time and she is a demon." As more of the student body found their places, the faculty sitting on stage became more animated. "Yes," Gillian agreed with long suffering. She sank into a seat and her shoulders slumped. "I'm glad your Path is becoming clearer to you. It's your own personal Mystery. Very exciting for you!" she whispered. "I intend to study hard this semester," said Temnal. "I'm sure the Quadrivium is relevant in some way. Especially Music..." "Proclus Diadochus said in his commentary on the first book of Euclid's Elements of Geometry that music is the continuous in motion. I like that, don't you? He also said astronomy is the discrete in motion." Gillian screwed up her face behind her glasses. "I haven't actually studied Proclus, so I'm not exactly sure what he intended, but it seems to me that music is just as discrete as astronomy, music with its individual discrete notes and astronomy with its individual discrete heavenly bodies. I like the sound of it, but I really don't know what he means by the 'continuous' part." "The notes in music can flow into each other far more than discrete heavenly bodies do," Temnal pointed out. "That's especially true of the voice, I suppose, or the wind instruments. The flow of breath is continuous even though the pitch changes." Gillian's expression turned thoughtful. "I can see that." “Is this seat taken?” Seabhac asked. He gave Temnal a polite nod, but his eyes were all for Gillian. “I hope I’m not interrupting too much. I didn’t catch all the orange blur said to me, but I think I’m under orders to ‘disrupt the Source of all Tedium.’ “I pride myself on always listening to orange blurs.” Gillian laughed and smiled at Seabhac. She could feel a blush rising to her cheeks that she hoped wouldn't be visible in the dim light. Temnal looked up, mildly startled by the interruption, but answered Seabhac's polite nod with one of his own. "No, no one's sitting there," he confirmed. "Please, feel free to have a seat and join us," Gillian added. "Temnal, this is Seabhac. Seabhac, Temnal. Temnal is from the Courts!" "A pleasure to meet you, Seabhac," said Temnal. Seabhac extended his hand to Temnal. “Well met, Temnal. From the Courts, eh? I’m surprised by the number of people coming from there these days. It makes for a more diverse and intriguing student body, don't you agree?” "I like to think so," responded Temnal, briefly clasping Seabhac's hand in greeting. Seabhac sat down beside Gillian, ‘accidentally’ brushing the top of her fingers. She looked down at her lap but her smile widened. "I would certainly agree, yes." “Are you two in the same class?” "I believe this is Temnal's first year," Gillian replied, glancing over at Temnal for confirmation. "That's right. I'm just starting my second semester," said Temnal, then went on to explain, "Miss Talbot and I met in the library; she was helping me find something." Seabhac nodded with a wide grin. “Yeah, that’s where I saw her first. She was -- is -- far more interesting than anything there though.” Gillian looked up from her lap at Seabhac out of the corner of her eye, still smiling widely. She turned her attention to the stage. Down on stage, they could see that Prince Benedict had arrived. The Vice Chancellor began tapping her podium to attract everyone’s attention. Considering the sheer number of students still searching for a place to sit, this turned out to be a futile gesture. After some time, the Vice Chancellor coughed loudly, trying once more to get people’s attention. Finally, she established some sense of decorum in the loud auditorium. Her mouth opened and emitted a sharp sound like cracking ice. She blushed and coughed, only to try again. “Ahem. Greetings to the student body of Faiella University. Be you a new or returning student, today marks a new year in your life. A year of new opportunities. And new adventures. We like to consider ourselves a family here. And at this time I would like to introduce to you that family’s surrogate father. The Prince Benedict Barimen.” Pittman yielded the stage to the gaunt, one-armed prince. He strode up the podium, taking a moment to scan the room, as if studying and memorizing each individual face. Considering his brilliant mind, this might not have been too far from the truth. Any students foolish enough to still be standing caught his full attention. A simple drum of his fingers was enough to send them darting to their seats like whipped dogs. Finally, he gave a slight nod. “Thank you, Vice Chancellor Pittman. Thank you, esteemed colleagues. And welcome students of Faiella University. As I begin my new term as Chancellor, I would like to share with you my vision for this coming year. It is my firm belief that each of us must accept the responsibility of bettering our school. However, change cannot occur without sustained effort and an unprecedented level of commitment. That is why we must restructure our daily lives to accommodate this lofty goal. I'd like each of you to gaze deeply into your well of motivation, and re-evaluate your convictions. To imagine a bold new future without losing sight of the realities around you. That is the key. I am certain that many of you have your own visions of the future. For all us to reap the full benefits of our education, your participation, ideas, and enthusiasm are essential…” As Gillian and Temnal listened, Benedict’s voice began to fade away, growing increasingly distant. All the ambient whispers and sounds also became muted, as if they were being forced through thick wool. The silence became so absolute, it was as if the two of them were simultaneously going deaf. And yet, they could hear themselves moving in their seats, as well as each other’s breathing. At least each other. Seabhac didn’t appear immune to this unsettling phenomenon. Temnal's brow puckered, and he looked over at Gillian in puzzlement. He peered down at the stage, where the Chancellor now appeared to be going through a speech in dumb-show, glanced at the apparently oblivious Seabhac, then at Gillian again. "Miss Talbot, can you hear--?" he started. Gillian looked back at Temnal in alarm. "Yes," she whispered. "What's happening?" "I don't know. Is it only happening to us? I can hear you..." He looked around again, at the students surrounding them. "No one else seems to be taking any notice." He stood up in his seat, so as to be able to get a better view of the audience as well as the stage. Gillian turned to look at Seabhac. The color appeared to be leaching from the boy’s face and clothing. Indeed, everywhere they looked, an infection of grey began to spread, transforming the room into stark black and white contrasts. Everything began to slow down, the air growing heavy and stale and tasteless. And then, as if gripped in some horrible entropy, the people around them appeared to dissolve. They became translucent at first, only to fade into nothingness. Down below, three very real people sat amongst the empty seats, their coloration standing out sharply against the monochrome background. "Oh, Great Unicorn," Gillian whispered. "Why is this happening? It's not midnight! Cole...and Raina and Joao?" She turned and stared at Temnal. "And...you? You've experienced the Dark Hour?" "I..." Temnal stared back at her, his eyes wide and bright gold in a face that otherwise almost blended in to the black-and-white color scheme that had infected the hall. He thought of his weird experience a few nights ago. "Is that what you call it? But that wasn't like this. Things transmuted...they didn't disappear!" "No, you're right, this is somewhat different." Gillian looked around fearfully, half expecting to see shadows coming for them. "C'mon, we should be together when whatever is going to happen, happens." She tugged at Temnal's sleeve and started down the stairs to the others. Temnal followed along, partly because Gillian seemed to have some idea of what was going on, and partly due to the instinct of people everywhere to band together when threatened. He stepped carefully as if he didn't quite trust the stairs not to start dissolving, too. At the same time he looked curiously at the three people they were approaching, none of whom he knew. [continued in Larger the Group, Bigger the Target] |
