Our other protagonist's day was marginally less boring, and only because she did not, in fact, have to authorize the newest delivery of the toilet paper that supplied an immense tower's bathrooms. Alas, she knew not what modern toilet paper is, and cannot compare to the luxury that is wiping your ass with something that does not leave you butthurt. I wonder, sometimes, if certain people suffer from this, as well. But I digress, because talking about other people's asses is all well and good provided they're fictional, and the people I am talking about are most decidedly not fictional.
ARGH, focus, narrator, focus! Need Focusin!
"Congratulations, everyone, for making it to your second year!" Louise wanted to ignore the rather plump elderly woman that spoke. She really did. She was far too upbeat for the early hours. Louise had been terribly nervous, and incapable of getting a proper night's sleep. This left her somewhat grumpy, but even so, she knew one fact that she could never forget.
Since her magic sucked, her academical scores had to remain the best in the class, otherwise, she'd fail entirely. She had, in every piece of theory, the best grades ever recorded in the entire... Well, she had the best grades ever recorded in theory. In practice, she had the worst. Even pathetic mages could get weak spells off. Hers?
Hers just went boom. And while tremendously useful in certain circumstances, including chastising members of the male sex, since her explosions were harmless if painful, it was still humiliating that a noble of her stature couldn't get off the simplest spell.
"From this year onwards, I will be teaching in this academy, and I am quite glad to have you all in my class." This time the woman was a fair bit calmer, which Louise could be thankful for. Her ears were kind of sensitive that morning. It didn't help that the nightmare she'd gotten for the five minutes she'd managed to sleep for had left her with a headache and the urge to murder everything that annoyed her. Except that one was common. It was just more potent that morning. "My name is Chevreuse, my attribute is Earth."
If Louise had to guess, she'd say that the woman was a line class mage, or a very low level Triangle. Most of the teachers in the school were lines. The more powerful mages generally rose ranks in the nobility fast enough that they would never bother with the school.
"My runic name is Chevreuse the Red Clay."
Louise was mildly interested in how she'd attained the name. Because a runic name was actually kind of serious business, and it generally corresponded to the kind of mage you were. For example, her mother's own runic name was based on her personal and most powerful spell. Though, mostly, Louise wondered how someone named "Red Clay" would wear purple.
Yep, the aged teacher who had just given her boring introduction had a, frankly, ridiculous purple robe and wizard hat combo. It's an insult to the dignity of magic. Unless it's Magicka and you're blowing things up, at which point it's a nod to the spirit of mages everywhere. The teacher's eyes scanned through the crowd, wondering why there was one student that seemed to be furiously taking notes of her introduction, while most people looked, as she expected them to, bored.
She wisely chose to ignore the closeness between a redhead and a silver haired boy. Evidently, she'd been told of that particular redhead's antics and the fact that she actually had permission to be a flirt. It was... weird, but just that. So she went on with the explanation of her role and task.
Louise was too engrossed in her book to particularly care. More important studies had her attention. She was currently trying to reduce a particularly fat book into a more manageable handbook she could rapidly study from, so that it was more convenient for her. Simple concepts were easily remembered, whilst long and drawn out explanations were rather hard to reproduce verbatim.
"Now, can anyone tell me which are the four main elements?" The pinkette nearly scoffed at this. Anyone could. Even commoners! Normally, she'd have droned the answer, and simply continued reading. She probably wouldn't even have to pay attention... but that morning she wasn't feeling particularly up to the task of multitasking. So she let it pass. Participating in these pointless quizzes helped not her grades.
Louise would always wonder how that blonde fop had managed to obtain a rose as a wand, but he raised it and almost let off bishie sparkles. Did he really think he was that pretty? She couldn't deny that he was mildly attractive, but that was at best. She never understood her peers in their adoration for his looks. Blonds really didn't do it for her.
Mostly, anyway.
"The four elements are fire, water, wind and Earth!" He'd emphasized the last. "Oh, what a coincidence! Just like yours, my element is Earth! My name is Guiche de Gramont, runic name Guiche The Bronze. Please, keep it in mind!"
Clearly, he needed a lesson in how to not overly dramatize everything he did, but Louise was not fit to give it. Unless it involved exploding him. Again, her headache made the urge hard to resist entirely. What annoyed her was not the exaggerated motions he'd utilized, or the unnecessary introduction. It was...
Sucking up to the teachers. The blonde girl next to the fop seemed vaguely annoyed by his overly dramatic gestures. Louise couldn't care less either way.
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Gramont." Though she sounded almost like she wanted to suck up to Guiche. Maybe a lesser noble that just had more talent than average wanting a name for herself through help of a high name family?
Guiche's family didn't have such a high standing, or did it..?
Regardless, for some reason she frowned at the idea of a teacher pandering to certain students more than the others. She just didn't find the idea particularly palatable, and although she'd been mostly on the benefitted side of the equation, it had been due to her hard work at keeping her grades up enough that her abysmal practical grades couldn't force her to drop out.
She rubbed the bridge of her nose and willed the headache away, wishing she could magically make it go. As all the matters involving magic, it only worsened.