Summer 35th 514 AV
The walkway to the Alluvion Academy was as steep and treacherous as the walkways in Wind Reach and left Una with recollections of her past as her long legs began to ache. Each step was remarkably tall and left her bringing her knee to her belly button with each step. By the time she had reached the Skyglass Veranda of the Academy she was remarkably out of breath. The Academy sat like a fingernail, protruding from the edge of Tenten peak its outer shell far more rustic than most of the buildings in Lhavit. The wind and humid air brought the pungent smell of the wood to Unas weak nose filling her nose as deeply as the water itself when she went swimming.
The large heavy door inside the Veranda was set ajar from the frolicking day students finally being released from their duties. Classes were scheduled throughout the day and night, released students often rushed from the school so quickly at all times of the day that the door was left ajar frequently. Leth lit the building in a cool glow but could not pierce the cold stone interior of the narrow hallway.
Unas shoulders brushed other older students as she scoured the hallway for the receptionist that had taken her Kina and signed her up for the class, 'Research Articles For The Novice Scirbe'. The day with Alses had been unusually long and she had spent it largely distracted by her euphoria for the first day of classes.
During her entire childhood she had never had the chance to learn in any scheduled or industrialized form. She had quizzed the receptionist extensively before enrolling, inquiring as to the nature of the classes, teaching style of the professors, extensiveness of teaching matter, and so on until the receptionist had lost patience with her unending curiosity.
The horror and flickering eyes of the receptionist betrayed her dismay at seeing the glowing Charoda again and she quickly submerged herself in her papers once again.
"I am sorry to disturb," Una murmured in clumsy Common uttered from the exhausted mouth of someone who had spent the day speaking to raucous mages fighting for their right to see Alses and bring her to task over the Amendment that had come to fruition. "I only have one question this time," She assured with a coy smile, "Where is the Research Articles For The Novice Scribe taking place?"
The regal form of the Ethaefal Laera sat before her as frgaile and poised as a flower in Leths light. Without looking up from the papers she had buried her nose into as firmly as a foot stuck in mud she pointed down the hallway and gestured to the left. Almost laughing at the womans dedication to avoid more questioning Una waved a thank you that not received and proceeded down the carpeted hallway.
The carpet was faintly warm from the constant trod of student feet for which Una was grateful for as the sole of her shoes were thin from wear on the rough stone pathways that reached from one end of the city to the other. She ran her feet across the carpet the friction warming her soles delightfully. The door to the classroom was open as several other students slipped in. Turning the corner to follow the indistinct shapes of her peers Una glanced into the classroom before allowing her body to follow.
To her left the classroom was tiered into four rows with a long unbroken table flowing from one side to the other with numerous chairs haphazardly strewn about each level. Two sets of stairs, one on each side allowed students to enter the rows from either side. To her right was the front of the classroom where two tall blackboards were attached to the stone wall. Candles were lit on each of the desks as well as enough candelabras that the entire classroom was aglow in a shimmering arching recreation of Ivaks volcanic home.
At the front of the class, sitting at a desk hewn from the same piece of stone as the floor sat the small shrewd figure of a Konti. The same pale white hair and glassy white skin that was similar to the Konti with which Una had shared a ship with in her travels, it would have been difficult not to identify her race immediately. Her cheeks and nose were doused in a fresh speckle of earthen red and brown freckles while her eyes contained the same mirth of the sea as the Svefra
She met the equally pale and glowing gaze of the Charoda with a level of benevolence Una thought divine and her eyes did not waver from the professor as she took her place at the front of the class. Her small bound notebook hung at her side within her tightly clenched hand and her most treasured possession, the silver rimmed edge of the Polyglot monocle, hung from a silver chain on the left side of her body.
As soon as she took her seat the woman rose from her place, eyes finally leaving the Charoda. Looking about her she realized she had been holding up the class with her staring and blushed emphatically. No wonder she was staring at me...
"Hello Class, welcome to Research Articles For The Novice Scribe. I am Priya, and I will be your instructor during these four sessions. These sessions, as I hope you already know, will run from the 19th bell until the 3rd bell of the next day with two rests between. Before you lies the class Syllabi which I expect you to refer to over these next four sessions as it will outline the information required for the exam. There will be one class every ten days so you will seem to have plenty of time to study. Considering the amount of information we will cover, I expect you to spend all ten of those days studying between your other classes and activities." Her voice was warm and firm, with no hint of a threat or of leniency despite her diminutive appearance.
"Perhaps I should tell you a little bit more about me," She offered as she walked about the room, climbing up the stairs and back down so as to make sure she met every students eye. "I am originally from Mura, home of the Konti. I speak six languages; Kontinese, Common, Tukant, Nari, Vani, Nader-Conach. Though of course, this class will be taught in Common. I offer classes in all of these languages as well as in writing, Basic Calligraphy, and higher level classes in translation."
"Now please, pick up your Syllabi and we shall go over a brief overview of the expectations in this class, the information we will cover, and the homework you will be responsible for." She nodded as everyone plucked the paper from the cold surface before them. Glancing around Una noted that most of the students around her were human with a very few other races doused like seasoning between them. A few Konti sat in the upper rows, bunched together like a blooming white lilly. A single other Charoda sat in the back right hand corner although Una could not see the individuals face. Beyond that were the hallmarks of various other races Una was unfamiliar with excepting the colourful tinged hair of several Vantha whom Una averted her eyes from immediately. Drawing the paper upward she glanced over its contents with equal parts elation and dismay. There was a lot of information to cover.
"We will begin with outlining the different types of Research Articles; their weaknesses, strengths, differences, and language. From there we will practice reading Several Research Articles which will be the basis for your first assignment where you will read four different types of Research Articles, all of which are laid out for you here." She gestured to several small firmly bound manuscripts resting at the front of the class. "You will write a single page response in which you will provide an outline of the manuscript, theme, as well as three unanswered questions that the manuscript inspires in you." (Think about reworking this).
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Una was exhausted when the class finally ended and dawns dazzling fingers danced in the horizon. Finally she was allowed to rise to pick out the four different types of Research Articles she would be required to do her homework on. The first pile was languages, the second Botany, the third Astrology, the fourth Races.
Languages: A Comparative Analysis of Nari and Common Sentence Structure
Botany:
Astrology: The Rotation, Transformation and Uses In Navigation of the Constellation Icewatch Sky
Races: A Comparison of Song Recognition in Young Children of the Svefra, Charoda and Human Races
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