Headwing Central (IC)

[Eli_In_Chains]

Gideon turned and watched the fox that had shown up, smiling to himself as he seemed to be looking for someone who was clearly not present. Perhaps he was after that new student, the jaguar he'd seen... If that were the case, it was only right to inform him which way the other had run off. That didn't mean that was what Gideon would do, of course... From the looks of things, though, the fox had time before his next class and no way to spend it. Well, if nothing else, he's not bad-looking. Worth a look, anyway.

He lowered the weights he'd been working with to the ground and grabbed a towel from a nearby incubus too focused on working out to notice anything of his getting stolen, draping it around his neck as he headed over to the fox.

"I'm not sure, but unless I'm mistaken, you don't make your way down here often. Right? What brings an apparent academic down to the gym? Unless you were looking to tell your new roommate he'd be late for class, that is. He left not fifteen minutes ago, seemed in quite a hurry. Jaguar, somewhat antiquated fashion sense?" It was blatantly obvious Gideon was just having fun explaining what he was able to tell from apparently insignificant details. "Name's Gideon. If we've met, I can't say I remember."

[Tapewolf]

"Niall Daryil," the fox said, unfazed from long centuries in the academy and the omniscience of Fa'Lina.  "And yes, that was him.  I'm glad he's not roaming lost or something, anyway.  And no, I don't come here often, though that might have to change.  And no, I don't think I know any Owona clan members."

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

His mind on the class he just exited, Horethen almost trampled over the small 'cubi in a bright robe trying to get his attention. Short, although somewhat thickly built for a female, slightly cross eyed, She must be young then, new to shapeshifting. Unless it's an affectation, but that would be an odd one indeed. She was asking where a  lecture hall C-21 was, but that wasn't any of his own classrooms, and Horethen looked around a bit in askance before replying. He lowered his mindshield and projected.

"I am new here myself, little miss, and I do not know its location. A harsh smile broke out on his features. And I am hardly learned. I am Horethen, of the Aldoraethar, my own deeds are small, but my clan is venerable. But come, walk with me. We shall accost someone until they yield the information we seek.

Keeping his own shield lowered, Horethen walked over to one of the more undressed students; as the local "culture" favored abbreviated costume, those seemed like the best candidates for someone who had been there a while, and threw out a line of thought. "This lady here wishes to know where Lecture Hall C-21 is. Do you know?"

[Eli_In_Chains]

Gideon extended a paw towards Niall, smiling amiably. "Well, you do now. Nice to meet you, Niall. Can't say I've known any Daryil clan members, either." The cheetah took a second to glance up and down over Niall's form, noting the fox's build and clothing--it helped that he was bare from waist up, aside from a pair of shirt sleeves attached at the shoulders, revealed more of his musculature--and, to the extent he could with all the shapeshifting going on in this Academy, made a somewhat educated guess about his combat experience. Overall conclusion, if he really needed to, it was likely Niall could defend himself against a Being, or a Cubi not too well-versed in fighting. Of course there was really no way tell, in the end: Gideon had been bested by more slender opponents than Niall before, after all. "I've heard the gossip about them, of course, but there's gossip about every clan and I know better than to buy into it. Your clan leader's not really as crazy as they make him out to be, I'm sure."

[Tapewolf]

"Well met," Niall said, "I have not met my lord, my upbringing was a little haphazard.  But I have read his laws, which I find fair and just, and I have corresponded with him.  He likes his fun, but I don't believe he's insane in any legal sense.
"You do him honour to call him my Leader," he added.  "Since he is not ascended.  He has tried to mimic characteristics of an ascended clan using his cunning.  Some take this as an affront, but others say that there will never be another true Clan Leader and that Cyra was the last.  If they are true, his fakery may be the best our race can hope for.
"Be that as it may, Daryil makes no secret that he wishes his clan to rank among the high ones if he can do so."

"In fact, his last correspondence urged me and my father to explore the new science of computing machinery.  He believes that by using complex mathematical models, it may be possible to work out why others have failed to ascend and learn from their mistakes."

[justacritic]

Kart looked down in exasperation at the errand that he was sent to complete. While he was not running, never running as that would call the arm of the Headmistress like a bar of iron to block their way. Still his power walk would lead him towards Dr. Ink's office. Whether or not the panda would get there without any collisions was another matter... 

[Eli_In_Chains]

"Well, to be frank with you, I don't know all that much about these sorts of things. I couldn't name all the triwing clan leaders if you paid me." Gideon shrugged dismissively. "And even had I known Daryil wasn't ascended, he still leads you to some extent, and still heads up the clan. Refusing to acknowledge that is semantics. Anybody that picky is just looking for a reason to ignore your clan, so their snooty opinions are justified." The cheetah scoffed, shaking his head.

"Social politics, am I right? It always boils down to "I'm better than you", but nobody wants to just out and fight to prove it."

[Tapewolf]

"That may be," Niall said, "But Taun and some of the other Founders get pretty pissed about Daryil being called a 'Leader'.  And Owona clan are close allies to Taun from what I understand.
"As for our clan's aims, they are not militant in nature.  Where he wishes to expand his reach, Daryil seeks to do so by means of peaceful cooperation and mutual benefit.  He finds that than force of arms eventually leads to resentment and a backlash and that alliances are a better approach.
"Maybe it's still a little early, but I believe the days are not too far off when one can go around with their headwings in plain sight, within certain realms, at any rate.
"For now," the fox added, "I think his craziness is part of a desire to improve the image of the 'Cubi race, though I'm not sure it's working.  So far it's earned us a reputation as mischievous tricksters.  Though I suppose that's an improvement over being labelled as soul-stealing monsters."

[VAE]

The jaguar decided to reply by mental projection, streaming thoughts directly into the short succubus's mind.
Ilya's wing, thought mail! When was the last time, back when I gave a paw to Arize during the finals, what was it, deriving the basic conjuration formula from aether theory axioms? Still can't believe the commission didn't notice.. granted , that cubi on the board seemed far more interested in chatting up our invocations lecturer. The cat succubus smirked inadvertently at the memories, but quickly refocused at the situation at hand, lowered her mindshield and replied in kind.
Forgive me, for I had mistaken you for a member of the faculty. Regardless, it is an honour to meet you and I am thankful for your assistance, Horethen of clan Aldoraethar. Myself, I am Kallis, of clan Ja'Krath of which I could tell likewise. She raised her shield for moment, then lowered it again. Forgive the intrusion, but I am curious. . . is speaking by one's mind rather than throat the custom of this place, or merely yourself? It is a habit of 'cubi and those skilled in the ways of thaumaturgy after all.

[Eli_In_Chains]

"Well, whatever politics Owona gets into is between her and Taun. And Daryil, if he has a problem with it. But from what you've said, he doesn't sound much like someone who's concerned with appearances. Unless he's allying himself to them." Gideon shrugged, not wanting to delve into a conversation about who was allied to whom, or why. So he disagreed with the thought of going with peaceful solutions all the time; wasn't likely to matter that much, in the end. All the nicest people needed their dirty work done eventually, and being that he was going into adventuring, that dirty work was his intended stock and trade. As long as blood was going to end up on someone's hands, Gideon would prefer they be his. It tended to prevent your own blood getting on someone else's.

"So Niall..." Gideon leaned against the wall of the gym, crossing his arms over his chest. "How long are you free before your next class? Enough time for a friendly spar?" He considered adding 'I won't hurt you,' but figured it probably came off as a bit too... arrogant. Accurate, in his opinion, but arrogant. Well, he doesn't need to know I'll be going easy on him, anyway. He wasn't sure whether they'd be able to get a spot in one of the rings, but it was worth checking if the fox was interested. Or perhaps they could find an open space that didn't have too many people nearby. One or two of the cloisters were probably empty right now, they would likely do.

[Tapewolf]

"You know, I think I might," Niall said.  "I never really wanted to be an adventurer, but self-defence is always useful.  And it's been a while, I can't let myself get rusty.

"I have about an hour," he said, glancing at the marble again.  "But if we can keep it under 30 minutes that would be great."

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

It felt nice, to have a response in the kind of a civilized 'cubi, although the thronging waves of emotion and thought from all around in the hallway from unsecured minds made it a little difficult to understand what the other said. Still, he caught the gist of it, and nodded to the other before sending.

"No, I am afraid it is not the custom here to communicate such. It is merely the way of my home clan, and I would bear you no ill-will if you prefer to speak with your throat. I think it has less to do with skill and more to do with custom; we of my clan very rarely communicate with non-'cubi without a retinue of followers to speak for us, so the need is not very great. But come, let us find you that lecture hall. How much time do you have before your class starts?

Half listening for an answer, Horethen kept his own mind shiled down and resumed accosting passers-by for directions.

[Eli_In_Chains]

Gideon nodded and turned to watch the sparring matches going on in the rings presently. It seemed that one wasn't reserved for class at present, and--just going by the worn look on the combatants' faces--would be vacated before long. "I don't think that should be much of a problem." He said before pressing his face into the towel around his shoulders to clear any sweat that he'd missed and beginning to walk towards the ring, his hand lifted in a gesture for Niall to follow him. "What was your last combat class? I wouldn't want to go into this expecting an expert and finding a novice, you understand; if I can help it, I'd prefer not to hurt you by accident." Gideon smiled and started getting to work on his pre-fight stretching. Twisting at the hips, pulling his arms across his body to loosen his back muscles, cracking his knuckles, and all sorts of other fun-looking things.

(OOC: Tape, would you be interested in doing this sparring match in an instant messaging client, so as to not have dozens of short posts clog up the thread as it proceeds? Once it was played out pretty much in full, we could consolidate the match into one or two more formal posts, so that it could be posted up here in a more complete, polished form. Not an order, just a suggestion. ^^; )

[VAE]

For a moment, Kallis appeared puzzled, and soon enough, Horethen received another message.
Curious... if the speakers aren't of the 'cubi race, how do they know what message to relay? As far as I know, without the aid of magic, a being mind is no better at picking up a thought aimed at it than a sieve can scoop up water, and demons aren't much better. But yes, let us go.
The cat took out her pocket watch again and looked at the dial.
To the best of my knowledge, the class begins in about fifteen minutes - and I have spent at least as much wandering these halls to no avail.

[Tapewolf]

Niall furrowed his brow for a second.  "A refresher course in self-defence.  Level 3, I think," he said.  "That was about 25 years ago, but I've done enough of them in my time.  It should come back quickly enough."

"Did you have any particular rules in mind?"

[Eli_In_Chains]

Gideon shrugged, cocking his head at the two cubi still stubbornly trying to show each other up in the ring, before glancing over at Niall. "It's a fight, isn't it? If I get knocked out, you win. If you get knocked out, or give up, I win. Polishing it up by saying certain moves are dirty or unfair is... at best, dishonest." He was starting to consider jumping into the ring to knock out one or both of the fighters just to get them out of the way, but unfortunately he didn't get a chance. They hugged as though trying to murder each other's consciousness had all been a game, and walked out of the ring. Ugh. No proper resolution... how can people stand to not finish things? He gestured to the now-empty floor with a grin. "Those rules work for you, Niall?"

[Tapewolf]

"You said it was to be a friendly spar," Niall said, raising and eyebrow and suppressing a hint of irritation.  "What you're proposing sounds more like a brawl.  Not particularly sportsmanlike, if I may say so."

[Eli_In_Chains]

"I've always found sportsmanship to be dishonest and rather pointless. I don't like things that serve no purpose." Gideon paused, biting his tongue before he continued along the scathing line he would usually pursue on this topic. No need to lay into him. No chance of getting anywhere with him if he thinks I'm a dick. "But, whatever floats your boat, I suppose." He said, smiling. "Very well, if you were to set the rules, what would they be?"

[Tapewolf]

"It depends what you're trying to do," Niall pointed out amiably.  "My lord doesn't really subscribe to the Demon way of thinking and prefers us to avoid battle if we can.  I think that's a difference of opinion we'll just have to try to set aside if we can.
"For me, sparring is more a game or a means of exercise, so if we can I would prefer to keep things above the belt, no eye damage and nothing broken or scarred.  I'd prefer to avoid too severe cuts either, I'd rather not miss the next class or hurt my chances of being able to pull later on," he added, with a very slightly coy tone.

[justacritic]

Kart bumped into the door of Dr. Ink's office. The panda didn't notice that he had walked all this way so soon. Kart Scubs sighed, this visit wasn't likely to be uneventful. The doctor, while following the Oath of Hippocrates had a preference for other people's pain. Still better to appeal to professionalism. "Dr.Ka'rith, it is me Kart Scubs. I'm here to pick up that drug cocktail for our clan founder."

[Meany]

The library was quiet.  Dosve both loved and hated it for that reason.  Oolong didn't trouble him, for he did not require to speak to her often.  A simple divination 'point me' spell helped him to find many books that he cared to look for.  Of course, it had been so long that he had conversation that wasn't piteous, confrontational, or awkward that Dosve would have welcomed the words.

The textbook actually had decent information about the process of metallurgy in artifice.  He was particularly interested in the effects of combining softer metals with harder metals to make a strong metal that was flexible.  It seemed counter-intuitive to lessen the hardness of a metal in that way, but he empirically knew that a sword that could flex instead of break was infinitely useful.

He realized then that he missed his sword, and the ability to just go out on a nine hour excursion for entertainment by inserting the sharp metal into the soft bodies of people thinking they could take him in a fight.  It was at this point that Dosve knew that his stay at the SAIA wasn't going to be fun, given this longing to be out in the action again, and that perhaps that was the point.  Perhaps She was punishing him for failing so spectacularly by spending a few centuries utterly miserable.

If that was the case, then so be it.  He would serve his sentence and be free one day.  He had a life expectancy of three millenia, it was inconceivable to him that Her cursebreakers would take that long to find a reverse for his infirmity.  But he was growing tired of the library; time to go to class.

Re-shelving books, and fetching his crutch, the dog evacuated the library, and passed down the halls to the Industry building.

[Eli_In_Chains]

(OOC: BLAAAArrrrGGHHggghhglgleffgghhhghh. Gah. I wish I had gotten this done MUCH sooner than I did. Curse my life for... existing... I shall do my best to stay on top of things better in future. Also, I know Malyka Ka'rith's owner is here on the forums somewhere, so if you're reading this I apologize if I got him out of character. I've left some cookies out on the counter for you, but Santa ate them a while back, so... he may have left some crumbs? ^^; )

Gideon nodded, amiably as he could, and hopped into the ring. "That suits me fine, I suppose. Keeping you from getting a date would be a damn shame; though if the injuries were bad enough, sympathy lays might come your way too." The cheetah said casually, holding out a hand to help Niall up. That was sportsman-like, right? It certainly seemed like the sappy sort of thing Niall would indulge in, but Gideon didn't have much practice putting on a friendly face in the ring. Usually he was all about intimidating his opponent, weakening their psychological defenses and control as much as he could.

~~~

Malyka Ka'rith. What could be said about him? Other than that he was an absolutely malicious bastard who only got into medicine because of his affinity for pain and anguish, that is. To be honest, not all that much... "Oh, Kart! You again. I was wondering when your turn would come up again." The fox turned to his patient and held up an (apparently) oversize syringe full of a swirling poison-green liquid. "Let me just take care of this student; the doctor will be right with you, Mister Scubs..." The mouse's eyes went wide and she started to squirm nervously. "Ohh, I'd forgotten, you're afraid of needles, aren't you? Unfortunately this is the most efficient way to get the medicine into your bloodstream, so unless you're not too sick for class after all..." Immediately, the mouse bounced to her feet, excuse after excuse spilling from her lips as she blazed her way out of the good doctor's office, spinning Dr. Ink around dizzyingly as she whizzed by.

"Works like a charm every time. Now, Mister Scubs, the medicine for your leader, yes...? I took the liberty of doing something new with it this time, in the hopes it may better alleviate his condition." He pulled a brown paper bag from a nearby cupboard, holding it out between his fingers. "Instead of pills, here are the raw ingredients mixed together. Tell him to steep a tablespoon of the mix in a cup of hot water until it's a dark orange; he should know perfectly well how to make tea. It'll taste terrible, but ought to do the same thing as his regular medicine. One dose a day. Inform me if there are any changes in his status, would you?" Of course, giving Kart the medicine in tea form wasn't strictly necessary, but the doctor knew what annoyed the panda and anticipated some sort of response. It was always difficult to get a rise out of this one, not that Ink ever did less than his level best. Pushing buttons was rather his 'thing'.

[Tapewolf]

"Works for me," Niall said, and got into the ring hoping he wasn't going to regret it.  Even so, better I regret it in here than outside where everyone would love to kill me.

[justacritic]

Kart closed his eyes and gave a fake smile, if one was looking for it, they would be able to say that his expression would be irate. Figures out of all the types of applying his leader's medicine it had to be the one thing that he hated among everything in the world. The panda respected and would never doubt the professionalism of the doctor. However he just couldn't help himself while taking the medicine with his thanks. If Dr. Ink wanted to fan the flames, then he was going to give it as good as he got. "Thank you very much Dr. Malyka Ka'rith, I am sure Aunt Marian would be overjoyed to hear of your effort to help our poor leader. Why I believe she would approach with nothing but earnest praise. How novel! Giving him the medicine in the form of tea!" Aunt Marian, 165 going on 4, an adventurer hippie succubus whose weapons were peace and love and sheer optimism to the point of terrorizing the forces of evil through fortress walls. She was also a student here and thought that Dr. Ink's antics were just "cute" and thought the best of the fox. With her around everything around Dr. Ink would taste of joy, rainbows and lollipops for weeks after she left. Not a tone of sarcasm emitted from Kart's voice, the only sign of such was the extremely formal style of speech. Your move Doctor was the thought behind the mind shields       

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

In all of his admittedly somewhat limited years of life, Horethen had never before had to deal with the task of attempting to have "two" conversations at once. The technique of mental "shouting" made for a more declarative mode of communication, and one, when removed from the silent solemnity of home, that was awkwardly public, which made the young jaguar 'Cubi feel undressed, in a fashion.

Some of our Speakers have magical training, but most simply; Excuse me, do you know where room C-21 is? We need to be there in fifteen minutes but most who have that talent do not want to spend their lives as servants, understandably. Excuse me, do you know where room C-21 is? We need to be there in fourteen minutes. Most are taught an intricate kind of sign language. They are usually to our rear and right Excuse me, do you know where room C-21 is? We need to be there in fourteen minutes., so it is often a matter of a 'language' of subtle shapeshifted signs to convey what they are supposed to Thank you very kindly. speak. Did you catch that? What the green elephant with the demon wings said. I do believe we have enough time to make it, if we hurry. 


Horethen made a face, thinking of his own newness to the compound and assuming we do not get further lost.

[VAE]

Kallis looked at the tall jaguar incubus, and lowered her shield again.
.. Yes, and I presume we should reach the lecture in time. her ears folded backwards for a moment, accompanied by the rythmic tail movements getting quicker It's... I have been through almost the same way - just that the portal at the end of the L-shaped way over didn't quite resemble one, and there was no one else going through the time and it looked like a window...not like I haven't been through some odd-looking waythroughs before, like the hallway in our lyceum  which wrapped upon itself after an accident with dimensional magic.  just..  Let's go, anyways.
After a silent while, as the pair reached the place of confusion - a large window-like door linking the building to another one by an air corridor clearly suspended by advanced spellcraft,  she broadcast again. Nice sight, I wonder/Thank you for your assistance so far, you have been most kind.Two thoughts, sent at once and slightly intertwined, a short pause, and a tail flick. If I may pry.. what of the country you come from? What does your clan, and your countrymen pride themselves in?  this is a place full of things I haven't seen... often, and you walk so surely.. it is making me unbearably curious.

[Meany]

A soft thump preceded the canine by about fifteen seconds.  He had passed by the home economics wing on his way to the lecture hall, and was waylaid by the enthusiastic teacher.  She had assumed that his lack of a leg would affect his ability to dodge, and thus his delay was minimal.  As it was, Dosve fully expected to be the last to arrive.

Which was promptly undone by sighting a pair of cats, a male and female, in the doorway to the lecture hall bridge.  The canine stood still for a moment, making sure his emotion filters were properly in place to keep  surprise from leaking out, and inclined his head, "Good morning..."