Ravina started as thunderous applause echoed throughout the entire auditorium. She quickly joined in, clapping and looking around, blinking. Surrounded by a sea of students all clapping, she soon realized where she was. With a quick inhale, she stretched her tired limbs and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, wondering when exactly she had fallen asleep. It seemed that the headmaster's speech was over, to which she had paid very little attention.
"Ah, so I fell asleep listening to this," she pondered. "Well, it wasn't like anything was lost or gained." As far as she was aware, the headmaster was just making a statement about something or other. "Wait, I don't remember anything he said," she blinked in surprise. She couldn't even recall entering this building. Just how tired was she? She shrugged, thinking it might not be important.
After the headmaster left, they were dismissed by another teacher and released for the day. Ravina made her way to the administration office to learn about her classes and complete the final steps of her registration. From there, she looked over the list of extracurricular activities they handed her and thought about what groups she might want to join. There were quite a few, such as embroidery, floral design, reading, knitting, riding, and even dance, which did pique her interest. After all, fighting was a unique dance on its own, right? However, she decided against any of them as they were not really her thing.
She had come to this city with a goal in mind, one that she couldn't waste on such things as dancing in a ball room while everyone looked on in awe. No… that was not what she wanted. With that, she decided to leave, having already gotten her classes. She had also wondered about signing up for swordsmanship but thought against it, as she no longer had the drive to further her combat prowess. She could hold her own, and that was enough for her. If a situation demanded it, she would run—plain and simple. Leave fighting to the knights and survival to the nobles.
With plenty of time on her hands, Ravina decided to explore the city. The streets were utter chaos, as the layout was built without planning. Almost everything being sold was a product of a student, and while some items displayed impressive craftsmanship, others did not meet even that standard. Ravina found one such item, a low-quality handkerchief stitched with care but without skill. The frightfully unknown yellow object embroidered into the cloth was interesting, to say the least. While poor she could feel the craftsman heart and soul in every stitch. She found it cute and bought it, much to the surprise of the store clerk.
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She continued moving from shop to shop, stall to stall, for a few hours, eventually deciding to find a seat and enjoy some food by a luxurious fountain. As she waited for her meal, a familiar voice called out to her. Turning, she responded to the other woman's greeting, "Evelyn Moore, if I recall correctly," the woman nodded at her answer.
"The young daughter of the Raven," Evelyn Moore said with a gentle smile. "I had wondered where you had gotten to."
Ravina tilted her head. "Was there something I was supposed to attend to?" she questioned.
"Not at all, but I had hoped we might join the same clubs. After all, the Ravenshields have been of great service to the Empire, and it would be advantageous for us to become better acquainted."
Ravina nodded. "Indeed," she thought. Connections breed influence, and the Ravenshields were quite influential. She knew what this girl stood to gain from her, but what did she have to gain from her? Then she remembered Evelyn referring to the gentleman who had been rude to her as a prince. "And where would the crown princess learn to speak so frankly?" she pondered.
Evelyn smiled gently. "I have had my fair share of political games," she admitted. "However, I believe the lost daughter of the Raven would appreciate a more truthful conversation than a smiling facade. And truthfully, I would find such a thing refreshing as well."
Blunt and straight to the point, Ravina thought. While a typical woman might be offended at the subtle dig at her origins, Ravina found this woman to be someone she could indeed get along with. After all, she spoke the truth, political games would be nothing more than an annoyance for her. "Well, to celebrate fake friendships, how about you join me for a meal?" Ravina asked, raising a hand for a waiter.
Lady Moore nodded with a smile and said, "That would be delightful." She then joined her at the table.