[The Academy] Lesson: The Real Symenestra (Open)

[Louie Wein]

36th day of Fall 511 AV

Like the others, the awareness of their past life came. Louie was no exception and slowly but surely he was able to experience Ceil for himself. One day while reviewing some notes on that horrifying prophecy, he also chanced upon some of his notes about the symenestra. Like Louie, Ceil only knew about the race through books, reports, stories and the like. The old intelligencer's knowledge may have been outdated but they were far more accurate compared to Louie's and in her nature to want nothing but the right facts to be communicated she asked Louie "don't you feel bad for spreading lies about another race? Where is your respect for them?" Still unaware of that other personality forming in him, Louie just put it up as guilt since he felt that what Veldrys told him was true. Telling himself that "I believe you are right..." wait who? It did not matter because the right and proper thing was to fix it with another lesson.

But how was Louie going to do this? With more research and preparation? That would not work too well since he only had access to the same materials. How about the one who brought his attention to his mistake? Not Ceil though that one pointed him to the right direction by asking Louie "how about the spider?" That was right, "I can ask Veldrys! Thank you" thank who? This was getting from bad to worse and hopefully it would not get too bad before Louie reigned it in on Ceil becomes more influential than anyone would want. Like the first time Louie prepared a letter to send to Veldrys.

To: Veldrys Its Louie again and after our last meeting I think I have learned a lot. More than I wanted with the history of your people. You may not know this but I teach in the Academy and Lyceum so I believe that the children in the Academy can benefit a lot from your knowledge to become more understanding and accepting individuals. Are you interested in being a guest for one of my classes? Just tell me a day or two before you want to so that I can prepare the classes. I look forward to out joint attempts to nurture the young Denval minds. Your friend, LouieW Louie Wein

Well they were not really friends but suggesting that would hopefully make Veldrys more inclined to coming. In fact the whole letter was not really telling the whole truth. Yes the children needed to become a whole lot more understanding and accepting especially with all the shyke that Louie might have fed them into a frenzy. Another reason why he needed a few days to prepare the class. Oh well, he already handed the letter to the Chapel so that they can give it to Veldrys. "It is too late for second thoughts now" as Ciel reminded Louie on his way back.

Louie has done all that he could with the few days he could spare in the Lyceum looking for more information about the symenestras. Ciel was so satisfied that she did not interfere with anything too since he was getting updated with the times. "Wow, they hunt down people and they live underground? How the mighty have fallen" whatever that ambitious monster meant. Louie just ignored his strange thoughts and read more on his own quickly going through the darker things he already read before until he came to their products. "Symenestra culture..." he told himself was a very interesting thing. The weaving products especially from what he could see in some of the pictures. One day maybe he would get some of his own like when Ciel rises through the ranks, what? Alright that was a weird thought. Better to continue the research.

40th day of Fall 511 AV

"Alright class today I have a treat for you so stay nice and well behaved for our guest" instead of running around in fear and terror when they find out he is actually one of those symenestras. "He should be coming soon...very soon but here are some rules you should follow" so that Louie can avoid looking bad. "One, he is the guest today so forget anything I might have told you about the subject before because different people know different things" like the truth. "Two, make sure you ask a lot of questions if you don't understand anything" otherwise it would be up to Louie to keep the class going and he did not want to give any chances to show he was lacking in knowledge. "Three...be considerate about our guest today alright?" and not say anything bad about his people because "today's class is about..."

Symenestras

He could hear the loud gasps from the class when he wrote it on the board snapping the chalk in apprehension. No, there was nothing to worry about. Everyone has heard about them before so nothing could point to Louie for his mistake unless one of the student's said it directly like asking him why again. "Good question Wyle, very good question" and the answer was not that Louie made a mistake but because "learning is something we must pursue for as long as we can. There is never an end." That was "a very nice answer to save your skin. You would have been great in politics Louie" the voice in his head told him based on her own experience.

[Veldrys]

Louie Wein was definitely not Veldrys‘ friend, and thus he furrowed his brow as one of the people that worked at the Chapel handed the letter to him. The human had never been anything but polite in his presence, and his interest in his race seemed genuine. Meeting the children of Denval would be a good opportunity to teach them the truth about his race, but still. He didn’t trust the man. There was something about him that always gave him a bad feeling. He seemed too concerned at times, too interested. What did he really want?

He almost didn’t go, but if he stayed in the Chapel, he would never find out what was going on and what Louie had done to prepare the class. Did he want to fight racism or did he have exactly the opposite goal? Why was he so interested in the only Symenestra that had ever settled down in Denval? Did he have hidden motives?

He entered the classroom just a few moments after Louie had announced what the class would be about. There was no mistaking him for a human. Veldrys was tall, pale, with silver hair and brilliant amethyst eyes. His clothes were made of fine silk the like of which was rarely seen in the isolated settlement, and there was a red chain on his arm, the mark of Viratas, one of Denval’s patron gods. He was not a mere Symenestra, he had also been chosen by him.

„Good day, Mister Wein. Children“, he greeted them. At least he tried to do that. Chances were that all hell would break loose before he got more than one or two words out.

[Louie Wein]

Like a prelude to comedy that lives on tragedy, Veldrys had to make an appearance just as Louie revealed the topic of the day's lessons. Without a doubt some of the children were recalling the things that Mister Wein taught them before this, the things that needed rectifying by a true symenestra himself. Louie was going to reply and introduce their guest but before he could finish saying "good day Vel-" one of the boys shouted out that the spider has come for them. Frustration got to the teacher when he tried to claw his face to hide himself but Ciel easily told him his worries that "you didn't think it would work out well did you? Not after that you did."

All hell did break loose because whichever children who were not scared of the dreaded symenestra charged forward. First one...two...four which Louie told to "let me introduce the gue-" st? More like victim. He lost count as they charged straight for Veldrys to pile on the hurt before he could do the same to them as what Louie mistakenly told them last time. The way things was looking now, Louie knew that Veldrys was not expecting that sort of a welcome. Heck, the children did not even greet Louie with any sort of enthusiasm when he came to teach and he could not feel anything but jealousy even if he knew that the enthusiasm they had now was bad.

Veldrys was a grown spider, man. He could take care of himself whatever happened to him. Louie turned back and walked to the front of the class ignoring all the terror that was going on and took out his teaching stick. Apparently even if they were still Denval born, they were still children and he could not use his rapier and has to make do with his so called 'teaching stick.' Rapping it on the board he yelled "quiet!" and paused to see if he got the attention away from the spider attack.

"As I was going to say, today's lesson is about symenestras and who better to teach us than one of them?" Then the dreaded question came from Wyle when he said "didn't you say that they we-"re something that Louie did not want Veldrys want to find out because he quickly knocked the stick on the desk again to say "we can wait for questions after the lesson because..." Because...what would be a not so suspicious reason? "...because we wouldn't want Mister Veldrys to waste class time saying the same things over and over again." The boy tried to rush his question in again but was quickly stopped by Louie giving him a direct glare. It looked like he was going to be in trouble because of this lesson whether from Veldrys or one of the parents. Stupid voices in his head suggesting stupid ideas.

[Veldrys]

As one of the boys shouted that the spider had come for them, all that Veldrys could do was stand there and stare at him incredulously for a moment. And then he turned to Louie, a questioning look on his face. What had the man told his students? Had he prepared them for the lesson at all? He opened his mouth, about to ask him, but he never got the opportunity to do so. His eyes widened as the children charged forward, almost as if they … as if they wanted to kill the evil Symenestra? What was going on? Was this real?

He wondered if he should just leave again, but if he ran away from a couple of children, nobody would respect him anymore (even if they looked like little demons rather than human beings at the moment). So he positioned himself behind Louie’s desk and raised his hands. „Children, stop! I haven’t come for you. Mister Wein wouldn’t let anything happen to you.“ He looked at Louie, hoping that the man would confirm that and that he wouldn’t sacrifice his students in the name of some kind of secret goal.

Fortunately Louie managed to calm the children down a little. While he spoke, the Symenestra stood next to him, hands clasped behind his back, head raised, as if the attack had left him unaffected and listened. As he hear Wyle, he furrowed his brow and cast a glance at Louie. What had he said? Had he told the children bad things?

„Actually …“ he said once Louie had ended. „… asking questions wouldn’t be a bad idea. Do you have any questions for me children? Unless you had something else in mind for this lesson, Mister Wein?“ He sincerely hoped that he wasn’t wasting his time, and that the lesson wouldn’d end with a concerned citizen and his little demons stabbing him.

[Louie Wein]

Fortunately Veldrys did not seem to have a clue of what had actually happened or maybe it was one of those things that anyone would overlook after a near death experience even if it was potentially at the hands of children. Never underestimate the children, Louie would advice Veldrys if he had the chance since it was one of the first things that he learned when he started teaching and that was also why he wanted to prevent Wyle from saying anything more because Louie was a great teacher. Veldrys also suggested the same when he mentioned that nothing would happen to the children right?

But Veldrys was not one of those children and Louie would not be too concerned with what the symenestra actually thought as long as he accomplished his goals. However that meant that "the lesson is all under your control Veldrys" at least as long as the truth that Louie might be an intolerable racist risks coming out. A few moments of Wyle and his nervous stuttering in front of the dreaded spider alone, Louie offered before there was anything comprehensible from the boy's mouth whether "would you like me to tell Mr. Veldrys what you wanted to know the last time?" At least that way he would be able to retain some semblance of him being a teacher.

Symenestras Is it true they live in cold, dark caves? Do they really eat humans to gain their power? Why is their arms so long? Are the webs really for nice clothes? .

That was the only things that Louie could remember right away about that messed up lesson which would not offend Veldrys in anyway or show that he is a bigot, hopefully. At least until he accidentally slips up or one of the children does it for him. Right now, he could only pray to one of those gods in Denval like Viratas since he is so closely related to the symenestra and Veldrys which reminds him...

What is Viratas to the symenestra?

Obviously not a question from the children but more for himself.

[Veldrys]

Veldrys didn’t doubt that the lesson was under his control, just as Louie had said. He just wasn’t sure if the children were under his control. They looked more like a bunch of wild, little animals than school children that were eager to learn. He looked at Louie for a moment, then he looked at the children doubtfully, and finally he considered the questions he had been given. Cannibals? He made a face. He had heard of Symenestra being rapists and drinking blood, but that was new. He’d always atrributed that trait more to Myrians.

He turned to the children and hoped that they would keep quiet this time. „Yes, we live in caves“, he answered the first question. „Actually we live in one, big cave somewhere south of here. Our city, Kalinor, is in the cave. It’s not particularly cold there though. In fact I find the temperatures in our cave rather pleasant. And no, we don’t eat humans.“ He looked at his audience and shook his head. „I can’t imagine that you’d taste very good“, he remarked somewhat dryly. „We eat a lot of soft fruit and vegetables.“ He thought it would be best to leave the part about them occasionally drinking blood and what they had to do in order to enjoy meat out.

„As for my arms …“ He looked at the arms in question and furrowed his brow. „I’m not sure. They always seemed a little strange to me as well. Maybe long arms are better for climbing?“ He shrugged his shoulders. „As for the webs … we actually walk on them. All the houses in Kalinor are connected by thick ropes. We also call our families webs. The silk for our clothes comes from silkworms.“

„As for Viratas, he is our patron god, just as he is Denval’s patron god. He is everything for us. There is a big temple dedicated to him in Kalinor.“ He paused for a moment to give them the opportunity to think about his answers, and then he asked, „Do you have any questions at this point?“