~ * ~ * ~

Gaurin's class was mostly empty that afternoon. Since it was a drop-in class serving people of all ages, that was to be expected. Sometimes, other obligations prevented people from attending.

Ellie had been a no-show for a while, in spite of her not having any obligations of any kind. Zinnia took more diligent notes because of her absence, on the off-chance that Ellie would have a personality transfusion and want to get caught up.

The current unit they were working on was the subject that lit the academic fire in her: anthropological studies. Her main interest lied in the study of language development within a cultural context. How did particular ways of speaking come about? What are the morphological differences between languages like Casternian and Erzyan, and what impact did those country's cultures have on how those languages came to be?

Peeking into a world outside of her own enthralled her. It was in the classroom that she could explore far-off places and go on adventures in her mind.

Henrik Stenberg sat in front of her, his head down on his desk. She poked her pencil into his back. He jolted upright, his pencil case falling to the floor. Sergi Puig, an older merchant, couldn't hold in his laughter.

"Thank you, Miss Trotter." Gaurin said. "As I was saying, pragmatic competence is your ability to successfully interpret the meaning of someone else's words. That is, the meaning that they meant you to understand." He turned around, writing his next words on the chalkboard. "Pragmatics are not to be confused with semantics. Mrs. Yida, what are semantics?"

Damali Yida flipped through her notebook. "The meaning of words in relation to one another."

"Correct. Mr. Muk, what are pragmatics?"

The son of a carpenter, Hae-il Muk never failed to show up to class without wood shavings all over his clothes. "The way you change what you're saying depending on your environment."

"Mr. Stenberg, is there anything you'd like to add to that?"

"I agree with Hae-il's answer." He lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Mr. Puig?" Guarin asked.

Sergi scratched his beard in thought.. "Hm... It's about the interaction of the speakers and the words that they're using."

"I'll settle for that. I'm afraid that we're out of time today. We'll carry on with this lesson tomorrow." He clapped his hands together. A cloud of chalk rose in front of him, making Zinnia cringe. "If you didn't sign in at the start of class, then please do so before you leave."

She shoved her notebook into her bag, and slung it over her shoulder. Henrik kept his in his arms, the pages folded and in disarray. He was two years older than Zinnia, but treated his things as well as someone half his age.

"Is Linden coming over today? Agatha wants to show him her tooth."

"Shouldn't a fairy have taken it away by now?" Zinnia asked. The other students filed out of the classroom, some of them breaking off into small groups of their own. Gaurin stayed seated at his desk, reading through a textbook.

Henrik shrugged. "She didn't want to give it up until your brother saw it. And, I'm sorry to break it to you, but..." He cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered, "fairies aren't real."

"Don't tell my brother that. He'll have a fit."

"So would Agatha. Want to see a face so red it'd put an apple to shame? Make her cry."

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"That's cruel. I thought you were a helpful sort of person, not a harmful one." Zinnia teased him.

"I am helpful! I'm going to be a doctor. That's one of the most helpful kinds of people you can be." Henrik said.

That sounded familiar. "Pulling a Johanna?"

"Yeah. From what she tells me, Baekstadt's a beautiful town. The university there has everything. It's not just for medical students." He picked up his fallen pencil case. "You should apply for a scholarship. We could go together so it's not as lonely."

Zinnia shook her head. "It's too soon. Besides, I highly doubt Chieftess Navarrete would like another Stenberg leaving her."

"You could take my place. My job's not too hard, and it pays well."

"I'd rather not. I've got my hands full enough already." His job was too depressing for her tastes.

"I wasn't being serious. Anyway, I've got to go get Agatha and Linden."

"Do you have room for Mace and Myrtle? It'll take a huge load off of my shoulders if you do." Zinnia asked.

"A load off of your shoulders for what? Are you doing some night time farming?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Something like that. The pigs have been fighting lately and I want to check on them as soon as I can." Zinnia said.

"Okay, yeah, I can bring them all over to my house. My parents won't mind."

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you around, Zinnia." Henrik gave her a smile, then hurried off on his way. The children's lessons would be ending shortly, and their building was thankfully next door. He'd be able to round the four of them up without any problem. Linden, Mace, and Myrtle loved Henrik like he was the older brother they didn't have.

He deserved better than working for the Navarrete family. It wasn't fair.

Zinnia hesitated for a moment at the doorway.

Gaurin's pencil scritch-scratched across his pages. He didn't look up.

She removed her hairpin, shoved it into her bag, and then left.

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A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story's main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well.

The next post will be Chapter 6.4.

Chapter 12 (the real Chapter 12) is out now on the main site. This week, voting will end Sunday at 11:59 PM EST.