ThreeBlindMiceApril 7th, 50SA For 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 – wadded through the crowd like sharks, harassing those whom displeased them, capturing those whom 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 Schandenfreudiam 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.” Joao stood on a tiny knoll that jutted out between two of the paths on the Boylan Quad. The small size of the knoll meant that he had it to himself, a tiny island from which he could watch the streams of students. First Years, as clueless as he had been a year ago today, and the higher classes. And of course the professors. The knoll was only for the chance to catch his breath and take a brief look at his class schedule. The address system broke him out of this contemplation. He had hoped to meet one of his friends and compatriots, but the disadvantage of living off campus combined with the throngs of people meant that he had not immediately found Raina. Or Rusalka. Or Gillian. Or Cole. But they were out there, somewhere. It would not do, Joao thought, to hear the commencement without them. And thus he stood on this knoll on Boylan Quad for a few extra moments, hoping to spot one or more of them. Or vice versa. "Sometimes it really stinks to be short," Raina muttered as she tried vainly to push her way through the crowds of much-taller students. Usually, she could weave among them like the dancer that she was, but First-Day throngs in full-gowned regalia moved as quickly and were as viscous as cold molasses. She found herself pressed into a pack, her schedule crumbled tightly in her petite fingers and clutched to her chest so it would not get snatched away. As she neared Boylan Quad, she edged her way, sidestep by sidestep, toward a knoll between the pathways. She hoped to be able to stand atop it to see better, but as she neared the little hill, she saw it was already occupied. Far from being disappointed, however, Raina grinned widely and quickened her pace. "JOAO!" she called out, waving a tiny hand up at him. Cole had no trouble spotting Joao atop the little rise, but he nearly stumbled over Raina as he too headed in that direction. Deducing from her shout that she was a friend of the Rebman, he took her waving hand. "Allow me, miss," he said politely, and then he bulldozed a path for both of them. He considered setting her up on his shoulders, but decided that they hadn't been properly introduced. "Oh!" Raina gasped. Too startled to try to pull away, she galloped along behind the lanky stranger. The students scattered before Cole like woodsmen dodging a falling oak. Some cursed, others gawked. But the journey through their ranks became decidedly easier for the diminutive Raina. Joao turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Even with the throngs and hordes of students, Raina's voice chimed in his ears like a musical note, or the beginning of a song. He scanned the crowd, chiding himself as he realized that spotting her in the group of students might not be as easy. So it came to be that he saw Cole first, making his way through the crowd, making room for himself...and for Raina. Joao cupped his hands to his mouth. "Raina!" he called. He paused a beat. "Cole!" he added. He lowered his left hand and waved for his right. Once they were within a few feet of the knoll, he stepped off of the knoll to meet them both. "You've met already!" he exclaimed with a smile. "Only just," Cole smiled back. "But she seemed to know you, so that's good enough for me. Maybe you can introduce us?" He looked around. "And then tell me where the hell I go next, because I have no idea at all." "Cole, did you say?" Raina asked, glancing at Joao, then smiling politely up at his friend. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for clearing a path. I'm Raina. Raina Baronson." "Cole's from Perondor." Joao said with a smile. "And while we shouldn't discuss it here, Cole also knows about the Darkest Hour too." Raina's eyes widened and she squeaked in muffled surprise. Cole raised an eyebrow. "Charmed," he said. "Come." Joao said, pointing in the direction of the near end of the quad. "The Chancellor's commencement speech is in less than ten minutes. We've got to get to Assembly Hall." He looked at Raina and grinned. "If it were not so scandalous, I could carry you on my shoulders, da?" Raina giggled. "We've done it before," she teased, blushing. For the moment though, she simply slipped her hand into Joao's. Joao took the hand and slowly tightened his around it as Cole spoke. "Sounds like there's a story there for another time. But excuse me now while I make a wake." He started toward the direction that Joao had pointed. Once again, Cole cut the Gordian Knot of bodies like a keen blade. Too stunned to protest, most people simply assumed the three students were honored guests or the like. Before they knew it, they’d slipped through the massive double doors and into the hall’s cool interior. Seats were filling up rapidly at the back of the room. As admired as Prince Benedict may have been, few wished to be anywhere near his chilling presence lest his attentions fell upon them. Raina followed with Joao, not wishing to lose the advantage of the wake. "How did you do with getting into your electives?" Joao asked the two of them as he kept himself and Raina as close behind Cole as he could manage. "No idea," Cole replied. "I know I got into fencing, because Colonel Kel didn't kick me out of her special pre-semester classes. The rest will sort itself out eventually, I suppose." "Most of them," Raina answered. "But I got Advocat," she added with a despairing moan. Joao squeezed her hand. "I was more fortunate in my magic courses. But I wound up with Hartnell for History. I was hoping for Tamm. They say Hartnell knows history almost as well as if he time-traveled to witness the events personally, but he suffers no fools in his classroom." Cole strode to the front of the auditorium and took the center seat of the first row. "Ah," he pronounced, "a seat with leg room." Raina glanced around uncomfortably, but finally sat next to Cole gingerly, as if she thought the seat itself might object. "Are we supposed to be up front?" she whispered to her two companions nervously. "We can sit anywhere we like." Joao said. "However, sitting in the first rows runs the risk of drawing the attention of The Rенерал." he said, automatically slipping to give Benedict the Rebman military rank of General, rather than his academic one. "Our companion has already proved that he does not fear such a thing." Cole looked genuinely puzzled. "Why should I? He's not going to kill me. Any other attention he directs toward me is bound to be a learning experience. The row's not reserved. No problem." He shrugged. Joao smiled at Cole's explanation. "Shall we not do the same?" Joao asked Raina. Raina smiled weakly, nodded and settled into her seat, though she did not seem entirely reassured. Between the two men, she almost seemed to shrink into obscurity. Most of the faculty had already gathered up on the platform and were talking amongst themselves. Several of the professors took note of the trio as they sat down, including the indomitable Professor Advocat. He nodded to Raina, an indecipherable grin parting his pale lips. Obscurity would not be had by her today. Vice-Chancellor Pittman, whippet-lean and twice as twitchy, made her way to the podium. She smiled at the trio appreciatively. Breathe, Joao thought. No one else so far had dared the front row. He wasn't certain that anyone was in the first three rows for that matter. "We can do this." he said in a low voice, almost entirely for Raina's benefit. He then looked up attentively at the Vice Chancellor and gave a respectful nod of the head. Cole smiled back at Pittman. He stretched his legs out in front of him, crossed at the ankles, and leaned back in his chair with his hands clasped behind his head. Brave students began to fill a few of the seats near the trio, most of who wore second and third year colors. Cole, Joao, and Raina all received polite and interested smiles, but no one possessed the courage to engage in conversation. Pittman grew increasingly anxious, repeatedly glancing toward the rear entrance. After several minutes, a lean tower of a man stepped up onto the stage. His rigid features and dark hair were unmistakable, the Prince Benedict. With determined strides, he crossed to Pittman and took her hand. Joao's already ramrod straight posture seemed to increase as Benedict stepped onto the stage. Raina and Joao heard a creaking sound beside them, wood being placed under strain. Cole’s left hand had tightened around his armrest hard enough to leave indents with his fingernails. He appeared completely unaware of this activity. It was difficult for Joao to tear himself away from watching the Vice Chancellor and Benedict's interaction. He watched Cole's strange reaction on the periphery of his vision. "Cole!" he hissed, lowly, in warning. Raina touched Cole's arm gently. "Cole?" she whispered, alarmed. Cole looked over at Joao, puzzled, and then down at Raina's hand and on to his own arm. His right eyebrow raised slightly. In a low voice he said, "Well, that's odd." He tried relaxing the hand, with no success. Deciding that it would look odd if he tried prying the fingers loose, he simply covered it with his right hand, shrugged at his companions, and returned to watching the stage as if nothing were bothering him. By the time Benedict had completed his perfunctory greetings, Cole had regained control of his left hand. Fortunately, once dispelled, its riotous activities did not resume. However, a nagging sense of rage. . . no, jealousy. . . clouded his heart with poisonous clouds. In time, these too faded into obscurity, leaving no explanation. Prince Benedict moved to his chair and gave a nod to the Vice Chancellor to begin. She 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. As the jealousy faded, Cole raised his left hand before his face, examining it, stretching the fingers experimentally. Finding that the sensation had passed, he smiled at his companions, shrugged again, and returned to watching the stage. Though he appeared relaxed, he avoided looking at Prince Benedict. Joao looked up attentively at Prince Benedict and the Vice Chancellor. He briefly dared to alight a hand on Raina's shoulder for support before he formally folded them in front of him. And so arrayed, Joao prepared to listen. Raina cast one last worried glance over at Cole, but then, with Joao's support, settled in to listen to the address. After some time, the Vice Chancellor coughed loudly, trying once more to get people’s attention. Finally, she established some sense of decorum from 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.” Joao gave an unconscious motion of the head in bowing respect as the Rенерал appeared. 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 darting to their seats like whipped dogs. Finally, he gave a slight nod. “Thank you, Vice Chancellor Pittman. Thank you, esteemed colleges. 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 the trio 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 trio was simultaneously going deaf. And yet, they could hear themselves moving in their seats, as well as each other’s breathing. Joao struggled against it as best he could. Boilerplate it might be, but to be unable to hear it was unexpected and most unwelcome. He moved his head fractionally in Raina's direction, and mouthed an interrogative noise in her direction, if she was experiencing this, too. After a moment, he did the same for Cole. Raina touched Joao's hand and looked over at him, alarmed. She glanced over at Cole as well to see if he was having similar problems. Cole looked around the auditorium, attempting to make sense of what was going on. His right hand clamped his left firmly to the arm of his seat, in case that was somehow the source of the effect. "What's going on," Raina whispered to Cole without moving her lips. It was as much to hear herself as to get an answer to her question. As the sounds dimmed into silence, the colors around began leeching from the room and everything within it. Every person slowly transformed into black and white statues, their movements becoming still and lifeless. This strange transformation did not stop there, as their bodies began to fade like fog touched by morning light. Soon, only the monochrome room remained. Actually, this wasn’t quite true. Two figures, vibrantly colored in comparison to their surroundings, sat at the far end of the auditorium. [continued in Larger the Group, Bigger the Target] |
