"What made Lady Siri not leave her room today?" Perching her chin on her hand the blonde woman looked up, staring at the darkening sky.

"...and that is why..." A voice somewhere far away rattled on.

I don't get it, Lady Siri didn't look like she was worried by something nor did she seem upset.

"...enchanted items from previous lectures..."

What if she simply grew bored? Impossible, the girl could spend all day in the library reading the dullest of text and leave with a sad frown wanting to read "one last book", which would properly multiply into half a dozen.

"...this will be a public event..."

I can't crack this open.

Sofia sighed loudly as her head sunk low between her arms.

"What is the teacher even saying?" She mumbled to herself rolling her head to peek at the front of the class. "Meh, I will get notes given to me later."

The young Junker began to space out at the back of the class an empty seat haunting her mind. The words flew through the cold stone hall twisting into an unintelligible mess as the last fraction of the bell passed by, slowly and agonizingly so.

The sound of footsteps filled the air causing the phlegmatic noble to rise to her feet like a resurrected corpse.

"Come on Sofia, you are a Junker. Lady Siri didn't wake up and her elven maid was off doing her own thing. That's it." The frontier woman took the air in inflating her chest like a toy in an effort to take care of this strange molasses she felt her muscles turn into.

No matter what she tried to think, Sofia still needed to check on the Firmusian. Firstly because she liked the pale northerner and secondly because she needed to. Even if she avoided exploiting the Blackworm directly, the proximity to her still netted benefits. The Academy seemed content with her reigning in the unstable mage and seeing Siri staying in the bounds of the Oriri inner sanctum where they could keep their own eyes on the mysterious Firmusian. And the matter of aiding her House was suddenly brought up by nobles she previously met.

"Ugh, city nobles and their games," The enchantress wanted to kick the chair next to her but kept herself still with thoughts of her next intrigue.

The issue Sofia struggled with was the fickle opinion of other parties which could harm her and Lady Siri's plans. They had already seen her coming back from the mansion without Lady Siri and coming back there would give the impression of Sofia losing her grip on the Blackworm. In addition, the new faction the girl was creating could be seen as a congregation of lap dogs rather than a true faction one could join.

"I could go to my room or try my luck with Lady Siri. If I want to show that I haven't lost favour I need to go to her. But I would need a reason, a nice visible reason to do so." The blonde human muttered to herself as she walked down the alley flanked on both sides by empty desks.

"Miss Junker," A gentle voice gripped the human from her thoughts. "May I take a moment of your time?" Sofia couldn't help but feel calmer beside a fellow faction member.

"Of course."

"I need your advice on a delicate matter. Lady Siri might have made a mistake not shouting at me." Aoife seemed to shrink in front of the Junker as she spoke.

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"Don't say that, you're overreacting." She rested her hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

"You think so?" A sparkle of hope appeared in the ginger's eyes.

"I do... you still haven't said what you did though."

"Before the class, a group of students approached me and began to speak to me. I don't know how but the topic of Lady Siri came up."

Of course, they did. Sofia kept listening, nodding her head along further deepening her animosity toward the city nobles.

"I told them about how Lady Siri helped me with my homework and then they asked if she could help them."

"And how did you reply?"

"I didn't know how to respond and they spoke nicely to me so I said that she would." The noble in front of her sheepishly answered.

"Hmmm, do you know who did you spoke to or at least their title or rank?" The Junker asked if it wasn't the worst thing she expected but it had the potential to severely hinder any plans the Blackworm had.

"They were rather tanned with black hair with gold trimmed collar."

"You were speaking to Oriripoli nobles?"

"Is that bad?" Aofie's eyes rose with an increasingly more guilty look in them.

"Not sure, I'm more confused though. Would have expected a Western House to be interested in our faction," Sofia scratched her chin as she pondered before she raised an eyebrow. "I think we should report this to Lady Siri."

"Is that necessary? You said that-"

"That is fine but I will be going there with you or without you." At Sofia's half-truth, the younger less experienced noble instantly cracked and followed the blonde heroic noble toward the far side of the Academy.

The whirl of the wind trapped in the long corridors of the Academy whooshed loudly past the busy students soaking them wet with rain as they rushed, seeking shelter from the savage winter cold. Going against the flow two nobles of minor titles headed toward the wide building at the back of the complex.

Both of them sighed in relief as they entered inside free from the capricious weather outside. Ice-cold water dripped from their clothes covered in the thinnest layer of ice which melted instantly as they climbed the stairs to the highest-ranked member of their cliche.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

The two stood still in front of the door, unsure if anyone was on the other side.

"She is still sleeping?" Sofia scowled, accidentally letting her thoughts outside.

"I thought she left the city for a while to ride horses?" Aoife said with a puzzled look.

"How did you come up with the idea?" Sofia turned to ask, fixing her dress which sagged a little from the rough weather.

"I just thought that's what high nobles do?" She answered before continuing as the flat-chested woman watched her with bewilderment. "Sorry, I heard from my Lord Father that is what a high noble in charge of our region does."

"You might be correct, minus the to-ride horses part."

"Why is that?"

"How would I put it? Lady Siri has a particular reaction to animals. As if she had never seen one before." Sofia explained remembering the many faces of amazement, panic and utter terror the pale mage made when fighting off a goose.

The two nobles ready to leave after talking themselves into finding an answer turned their head toward the door as its tired wood began to creak.

"How can I help?" A tall elf wearing a servant's uniform opened the door and greeted them gracefully, as she emerged from the darkness behind her.

"Ummhhh..." Both of the nobles had their mind stop at the bizarre sight of the most perfect servant appearing from seemingly the void.

"Ibis, you said you're not going to leave today." A very heartwarming whine emerged from the darkness as something began to pull Iris's left arm back into the void. Two half-moons, one blue and one gold stared at the elf from behind completely ignoring the two nobles.

"Mana Light." Iris casted a spell, banishing the darkness into the furthest of corners. "Lady Siri." She gently pulled her arm to her side pulling the high noble dressed in her night gown with it.

"You promised." The snow-white heiress looked not too eager to talk with the people waiting for her before eventually giving up as the towering elf didn't budge.

"Lady Siri I need to speak to you for a moment." Aoife spoke up with an uncharacteristically dominant voice as if she wanted to order herself to speak. She quickly explained the same thing she had described to Sofia to the motionless doll-like mage who stared daggers at the two.

"Is that a problem?" Lady Siri asked tilting her head to the side, her glowing eyes losing all edge.

"You're not angry?" Aoife asked.

"No." She answered resting her hand on the door ready to slam it close.

"Lady Siri, should I pick you up in the morning? And what should Aoife say to the Oriri nobles?" Sofia asked hearing the surprised click of the ginger's heels who was too relieved at her luck and Siri's gentle yet odd nature to continue the conversation.

"Yes, and say to them they should bring deliciousness." The Firmusian answered before she finally had enough and slammed the door shut.

"Siri, that was rude." A warm gentle voice ridiculed the girl from behind the door.

"Iris?" An unusually hurt voice of the high noble made Sofia imagine the maid standing there with a torture implement, so horror-struck the girl sounded.

"Open the door and make a proper farewell."

*Click*

"Bye huemans." An accented goodbye echoed through the corridor as the high noble opened the door before looking up at the elf who shook her head as she dispelled her spell shrouding the room back into darkness.

"They both have night vision?" Aoife asked.

"Apparently so," Sofia answered. "At least we learned that Lady Siri was taking a break." She turned around ready to leave the building.

"Take a break from what?" The wind mage asked.

"Lady Siri, as strange as this sounds isn't used to all this noise and meeting new people. Went back to what she knew from Firmusa, even if for a day."