There was a clear gap between Nelson’s and Nia’s enthusiasm when it came to touring the school. While she tried her best to pay attention to her father reminiscences about his school days, she could feel her attention immediately slip whenever he began to talk about how he loved his study groups and sitting in the library for hours.

She had heard the story multiple times in the past, but her father always seemed to feel the need to repeat it.

“Your Mama and I hated each other when we first met. Her Physical club kept getting funding over my Inscription club, while my club got more attention from the professors and press. I thought we’d never get along while she was on her exchange program, but once we graduated, I realized I really enjoyed her company. She also made a weird sounding excuse to be specifically stationed at the research center I first worked at, and it’s been going great since. I have an adorable daughter because of it too!”

Nelson elected to never tell Nia about the dozens of duels he had with Annette over the years, which resulted in him losing many bets resulting in Annette taking him out on dates.

Eventually, the pair arrived at the dorm building for the incoming children cohort. A kindly old lady with greying black hair greeted them at the door.

“It’s nice to see you again, Nelson. Is this your daughter?”

As the old lady ruffled Nia’s blonde hair, Nia began to wonder why everyone was so obsessed with petting her head.

“It’s nice to see you too, Mother Isabelle. She is my daughter. She’ll begin to study here next week. I trust her in your care.”

Mother Isabelle smiled towards Nelson, and took Nia’s hand into hers.

“I look forward to you being here. Your father and mother were one of the brightest and sweetest students that stayed here.”

Nia returned the smile and turned back to her father, who waved back.

“Mama just told me that they want me over at the capitol for a meeting. We’ll be back to pick you up after lunch.”

Despite being a total stranger, Nia felt fairly comfortable around Mother Isabelle.

Actually, now that I think about it… Nia sniffed Mother Isabelle’s sleeve and had a sudden realization.

“You kind of smell like a Grandpa at my village!”

Mother Isabelle’s eyes shifted slightly to the side, and Nia tilted her head with it.

“Do you know who?” Nia excitedly asked as Mother Isabelle’s frown grew.

“Is it Elder Phalk? We used to talk a lot in the past.”

“Yes! How’d you know I was thinking about Grandpa Phalk?”

“I can tell you the story over tea. Come inside, and I will prepare a pot for you.”

“Ohh! Do you also use the Magnificent Baron Ash mix for your tea?”

“Yes, I do.”

“No wonder you smell the same!”

Nia peppered Mother Isabelle with questions about Elder Phalk as they walked through the halls of the dormitory. The various pieces of art that hung along the well-worn hall absorbed Nia’s chirpy voice. If a passerby glanced into the window, they could have mistaken a granddaughter and grandmother taking a slow stroll through an art exhibit.

By the time that the two arrived at the kitchen for the dorm, Nia had talked her own throat dry, and gratefully accepted the tea. The two were silent for a moment as they sipped.

“Mother Isabelle!” A brunette teenager dressed in a simple white shirt and loose shorts walked into the kitchen. “Could you place an order for more exercise supplements? Me and George are beginning to run out. Oh, who’s this?”

The man turned to Nia, who happily said “Hello! I’m Nia!” before turning to ask Mother Isabelle about whether she was a new resident.

“Good afternoon, Sebastian. That’s correct. She’s from Elder Phalk’s village.”

Nia watched an incomprehensible look creep onto Sebastian’s face.

“The Elder Phalk from when I was young?”

“The very same.”

The two shared an awkward chuckle as Nia continued sipping on her tea.

Nia chatted with Sebastian while Mother Isabelle busied herself with preparing some extra tea and some cookies for the two.

Sebastian was also a student that was attending the same academy that Nia was enrolling into. He offered to show her and her friends around the older students’ campus when they arrived and settled in.

“I attended a different academy when I was your age, so I don’t know what the layout is for yours…” He had mentioned, to which Mother Isabelle replied that she would show the children around when it was time to do so.

As the supply of cookies and tea dwindled, Nia found out that Sebastian was classmates with James and Peter, and was actually good friends with them.

“They live in a different dorm, but we have a lot of the same lectures. They’re really cool guys! Peter grew really tall, really suddenly. That was a surprise.”

Sebastian told Nia silly stories about the pranks that they had done, including sneaking a frog into the classroom, putting fake chairs where their classmates sat, and general mischievous deeds as Mother Isabelle looked on disapprovingly.

By the time Sebastian had told Nia all of his favorite memories, Mother Isabelle had made the executive decision to brew a cheaper tea.

“Oh! I know this one too, it’s the Ash Tea that Elder Phalk always gives me when I visit! He said my visits started getting too expensive… “ Nia exclaimed when Mother Isabelle opened the box that contained the grounded tea leaves.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Sebastian giggled as a small amount of color flushed Mother Isabelle’s cheeks.

“I just thought of this but, did you want a quick tour of the rooms, Nia?” Sebastian’s eyes lit up as he found an idea to further entertain the young girl as they waited for her father.

Nia nodded, quickly gulping down the last bit of tea and thanking Mother Isabelle.

The art heavy theme was consistent throughout the wings of the dormitory. Sebastian pointed out rooms and noted whether they were empty, or if someone was currently living there.

“This room with the green chicken sign hanging on it is Sally. She’s around your age and a good kid, but she’s home with her family right now.

This room with the pink penguin sign is Dennis. I think he’s out with his friends in the city, so you’ll probably meet him when you move in.

This room with the brown rug and flower patterns is Kim. She’s in the library studying for her summer exam. Oh, she isn’t taking classes because she failed, she signed up for some introduction course for using Shell. She can show you what that is later, I can’t really do it myself.”

Nia’s head began to spin with the number of names and associated fun facts that Sebastian was throwing at her, but tried her best to pay attention. It appeared that every student was currently out of the dormitory, so she didn’t even have faces to connect to the names.

They walked across a hallway and up to an open door.

“Oh, this room used to be Mattias’s room. He graduated this year, so you missed him by a few days. You’ll probably be taking this room when you move in, so treat it well.”

Nia peeked in at the empty room, which faintly smelled of flowers.

It looks pretty plain… but I guess that’s because no one lives here.

The rectangular room was adorned by a bedframe, wooden table, and a modestly sized cabinet. There was a decent amount of space in the middle of the bed, with a pale impression of a removed rug outlined in the middle.

“Mother Isabelle made Xing clean it up. Oh right, Xing’s your next door neighbor. I know for a fact that he’s home.”

Sebastian skipped over to the next door over and knocked loudly.

“Hey! Xing! Open up!”

“...What do you want, Seb…”

The door creaked open and a short teen with moppy black hair peeked out from behind.

“Oh, I see. Someone’s taking Mattias’s then? Happy to meet you, I’ll be your neighbor, Xing Hei.”

Xing reached his hand for a handshake, which Nia happily accepted.

“I’m Nia Sol! I’ll be living here next week. I look forward to meeting everyone!”

Xing gave her a light smile, and suddenly disappeared back into his room, the door lightly swinging open a bit more.

“Xing’s specializing in Magic, so he’s always staring at books and locked up in his room or the library. He drags me there pretty often so that I can carry his books back.”

Sebastian pointed at a large pouch that peaked out behind the door, which had swung halfway open. Nia could see books and papers littered around the floor, with a small clearing that she assumed led to Xing’s bed and desk.

“Here, consider this a welcoming present. It’s a hand-me-down that Mattias gave me when I first came here. Consider it as me passing on a memory of him from me to you.”

Xing reappeared with an extremely thick and well worn notebook in his hand. “This Academy is Dumb!” was written in faded ink across the front. When he handed it over, Nia was surprised by how heavy it was.

“You don’t have to be too careful with it. One student scribbled a rune onto one of the pages so that it can’t be torn, burnt, or water damaged. Another student accidentally made it so that the pages don’t ever run out. Weird stuff, but it helps keep on the legacy. Makes it really heavy, but it’s fun to read.”

Sebastian nodded slowly then commented, “I still can’t believe you got that book over me.”

“...You did get it first, then you immediately started trying to do some exercises with it and Mattias grabbed it out of your hands.”

“But he said I could do whatever I wanted with it!”

Nia opened up the notebook to the first page while the two older students bickered.

~~~

Father enrolled me into the Royal Academy because the King asked him to. I am not excited, but it is an order from his Highness, so it must be done. The newly constructed dormitory is of an acceptable quality, so I do not mind being moved out of my quarters.

But I do mind. I miss my comfy bed.

The Mother that oversees us has a soothing voice. Two of the younger children were already fighting as I arrived with my belongings, and she calmed them down before I was halfway through the lobby. The two children apologized to me and offered me candy as a token for making my entrance into the dormitory unpleasant.

The candy was nice.

~~~

Before she could read further, a sudden flow of comfortable energy washed over Nia. Sebastian and Xing looked over to the direction of the kitchen.

“Looks like Mother Isabelle is calling us over. Let’s head back.”

The trio headed back to the kitchen as Sebastian and Xing continued to bicker about the proper original owner of the notebook.

“...really happy to see that you’re still in great health, Mother Isabelle! I feel like you’ve only gained energy since the last time I’ve seen you.”

“Nelson, you drop by every month to see me. I appreciate the compliments but I know I’m not getting any younger. Seeing your daughter only reminded me of my age. Oh, speaking of, here she is now.”

Nia saw her father, mother and Mother Isabelle idling by the kitchen table. Nelson waved to his daughter and noticed the journal.

“Oh! I see you have the “Dumb Academy” book. The guy who had that when I stayed here was pretty cool. I think he’s actually a professor now. I’ll have to find out where he teaches and ask him for a drink sometime. Actually, if it’s who I think it is, didn’t he write that title when you two were out drinking, Papa?”

Annette elbowed Nelson, who looked embarrassed as he stammered his uncertainty.

The family thanked the dorm residents and returned to the carriage that was sitting outside.

“...Mama, have you still not apologized to Mother Isabelle about the mess you made a month ago?”

“No comment.” It was Annette’s turn to blush with embarrassment.

Nia excitedly relayed the stories that Sebastian and Xing had told her on the carriage ride back to the main square. Her parents grinned at each other and laughed at the antics that the boys had gotten into. The rest of the day was a blur for Nia, having already experienced so much earlier in the day. She would vaguely remember visiting a library, more parks, and listening to her parents chat with some old friends.

By the time that they got back home, Nia was the most exhausted that she had ever remembered being.

“Funny how you and Nia get tired with social activities, but you never seem to get tired of jumping around and doing physical activities.”

Nelson poked fun at his wife and daughter as they laid sprawled on the couch when they arrived home, smirking to himself at the scowls he received from both of them.

When Nia had finally recovered from her evening nap, Nelson handed her a notebook with ”Enchanting Children with Enchantment” written across the front. He had asked one of his friends for a favor, and received a summary of the lessons that Nia would be learning over the next few years.

Her father simply waved her concerns off when she questioned whether it was technically cheating to read the contents of the notebook before school even started.

“Your early years at any academy will always be focused on basic academia. The four Paths will be introduced, but you probably won’t learn anything meaningful.” Nelson placed the notebook on top of Nia’s head.

“Enchantment huh? I know you always hated this Path. Are you trying to make our daughter more like me?” Annette picked up the book and flipped through the pages, not actually reading any of the words.

“I just had a feeling she’d like it. She gets bored of Magic lessons instantly, and she already has good practice with Physical and Ranged activities. No harm in branching out.”

“Mama, Papa, what are you two talking about?”

Nia’s parents looked at her, each other, then laughed.

“Nothing dear. We can worry about it in a few years.” Annette scooped Nia up in a big hug, that Nelson joined.

As she became smushed between her two parents, she couldn’t help but think of how weird they were sometimes.