She smiled to herself, and hurried into the classroom, determined to be first. Successful, she sank into her seat, and put her bags down.

She mulled over her first few hours at the Acadamy.

She'd met her childhood heroes.

She'd discovered that they were both like her.

She'd also discovered that one of them was her age.

And, as of the moment, she'd just discovered that she was a teensy weensy bit jealous of the one her age. After all, they were a literal hero, and mostly because they came from a special Line, a blood legacy. And she was capable too, but she'd never be a hero. Not like him.

That was a lot of information for the first day of school. And, she couldn't help but feel excited. Maybe, just maybe, they'd let her join the Line of the Subedaar, too.

Or, maybe, that was pushing it.

Whatever it was, she knew something big was happening. And she was ready--no, she was born ready--to take it, head on.

She wondered for a second, what it would be like, to go to Inchantan, maybe take revenge for two strangers that she didn't know. To be among people like her. To be able to use magic freely. Yet, something told her now was not the time, that it would be like digging her own grave if she were to go.

A hand waved in front of her face, "Where were you, all of Arithmetic?" Asked Ava, her nose barely inches from Ruhi's. Ruhi jumped, banging her head against Ava's.

Ava rubbed her forehead, "What do you have for a skull? A coconut?"

Ruhi flashed a sheepish grin, "Sorry, my bad, you scared me. I was with Mrigasya Ji. He was impressed by my deduction, and had a lengthy talk with me about the opportunities my skill can give me." It wasn't hard to give an act of being proud; she was already over the moon about her deduction, and the lie came naturally.

"Ah!" Ava smiled, "We heard about what happened from other students. They love you!"

"I doubt that," Scoffed Ruhi, "I messed up pretty bad,"

"Yeah, but the rest was no easy feat, itself." Ava bumped her shoulder lightly.

Ruhi decided not to argue, "Anyways, what skills are you thinking of choosing?"

"The Arts, Persuasion, Home Science, and Kalari, what about you?" Kalari was a martial art, primarily focused on weapons, yet still holding some value for hand-to-hand combat.

"Staff Fighting, Persuasion, Kalari, and The Arts. Wait, oh my god, we have three of the same!"

"Yes! I'm so excited! I wonder what everyone else is choosing?"

"Same here," Pondered Ruhi. "Speaking of which, where are they?"

"About that..."

"Yes?"

"They...bunked."

"Ah, okay--wait, what? They're skipping school the first day?"

"Yeah...there's a Circus in town."

"Yeah. I know. Weren't we going to go next weekend, when it comes back?"

"Rumour is, today's the last show. Forever. Someone important is terribly ill, or something. So, the entire thing is free. They tried to get me and Pearl to come, but we wanted to let you know first, so one of us stayed--me."

"Well, that explains why the class is almost entirely non-existent. But, it's not right. I can't go with you, but you should go--you seem terribly set on it," She said gently. "Class doesn't start for another 5 minutes. Hurry up, and get on your way with the horse, else you be late."

"Thanks, Ruhi, you're amazing. But...are you sure you can't come? I don't want to go without you--my heart was entirely set on us two going together. As was everyone elses."

"It's not right, Ava. But, I promise you, if you don't come back before dark, I'm going out looking for you." Ruhi raised her eyebrows.

"We'll be back in a few hours, don't worry. By evening, we'll be in our dorms." Laughed Ava.

"Well then, all's well, I'll pretend I never saw you. Actually, I have a better idea. When the teacher calls attendance, I'll call out 'here' for you all, so that no one comes under suspicion. In such a big class, I doubt proper attendance will be taken. It will be easy to fake your attendance."

"I'll let the others know."

"Please do! Now, out of my sight!" Ruhi shooed her away, and Ava laughed, walking off to the door obligingly. With a little wave, and a grateful smile, she disappeared.

Ruhi sank in her seat and sighed. Her friends had left. It was time to make some new acquaintances.

She got up, surveyed the room, and saw a girl. Her eyes kissed the corners, and she seemed to be of Northeastern Descent. She had a big face, that attributed to a big brain, framed with short midnight black hair, centered with glasses.

"Do I know you? You look familar." Said the girl, with a suspicious gaze.

"Likewise. Yet, nothing's coming to mind. I'm Ruhi, by the way."

"Well met." Said the girl, yet a warm smile slipped out of her icy exterior, which was shedding by the second. "I'm Xiaotong. But, please don't call me that. It's too long, and I don't fancy it much. My preferred name is Joy."

"Well, then, it's nice to meet you, Joy," Ruhi extended a hand, smiling.

The girl shook her hand exuberantly, a radiant smile shining on her face. "I'm awfully terrible at being mysterous, aren't I?"

"No, no--" The girl gave Ruhi a look and she winced. "Okay you're not great but you're not terrible at it, either."

"As I thought. Well, anyways, do you want to sit together? I've gotten no one to sit with."

"Same here...so, yeah, sure. "

The two sat down in the front of the classroom, and Joy conversationally asked, "So, what do you want to be when you're all stuffy and grown up?"

Ruhi laughed, "I want to be a warrior, but that's of no consequence. My parents will have me married off as a Queen, instead."

"That's...that's really sad...you should have a choice in what you're going to be when you grow up!"

"And I would, but I'm a princess. We're meant to host tea parties, not fight in wars."

"Honestly, what can I say? I have the same fate. I was born in a low-caste family from the Northeast. There, nothing except your birth-caste matters--it's nearly impossible to climb. I somehow got a scholarship here, because of my supposed intellect, but I doubt I'll be able to fix anything. It's my hope, though. I might be able to. One day."

Ruhi shook her head disgustedly, "This society is in the ruins. Someone need to fix this. How can society possibly prevail if its own members are suffering due to ridiculous and rigid systems?"

"Do you think there is anything we can do, sitting here, in a Skill Class?" Laughed Joy, some humour mixed in with the bitter.

"No, I suppose not. Maybe not now, but one day, this will have to change."

"I hope I'll be alive to see it!" Remarked Joy, and the two laughed.

Ruhi found it strange, in a wonderful way, that two strangers had become acquainted, maybe even become slight friends, just in a bout of oversharing, that turned into a philosophical discussion.

The two paid rapt attention as the teacher walked in, her long auburn hair framing her model-like face. "Hello, Class," She said, her voice quite angelic. "I'm Ms. Chandni."

"Ms. Chandni is truly like the moon. She's so beautiful!" Remarked Ruhi.

"Is that what it means? Her name?"

"Yup!"

"How'd you know? Isn't that the Ancient Tongue? The one spoken mostly in Inchantan? The dead city? Isn't it only spoken by scholars, now?"

Ruhi remained silent for a moment. She'd always been able to speak and understand the Ancient Tounge. Now, she knew why, but she couldn't tell the entire story the first day, to her new friend. And, she'd promised Kishore and Mrigasya Ji. "Well," She said carefully. "I haven't known that before today, but I've always known it. Probably because I grew up in a Scholarly household. You know how my father is--he's a lover of paper and pen. I probably learnt it from him." It was an expert half-truth. She'd never told a single lie. Ever. She despised the art of lying, but she was skilled at it, so she used that skill to evade having to lie. By lying to herself, perhaps, but she wouldn't admit it.

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"Well, that's a mighty handy skill you've got yourself, it'll do you well." Said Joy, staring deep into Ruhi's eyes.

Ruhi startled for a second, thinking Joy meant her lying, as she'd heard her thoughts. "My skill?"

"Of language?" Clarified a confused Joy. "What else did you think I meant?"

Ruhi laughed it off, "Oopsie daisy. My bad."

Joy laughed even louder, as she worked on the "About Me" form Ms. Chandni had given them. "Who on earth says 'oopsie daisy'?"

"Me!" Said Ruhi, chin up, but eyes twinkling. "You might say it's cringey, but I say it's geniuine."

"I was going to say childish, but cringey works, too," Smiled Joy, dodging a punch to the arm.

"Okay, okay," She relented, as Ruhi glared at her, playfully. Rolling her eyes, "Oopsie daisy, I accidentally said that the phrase 'oopsie daisy' was childish and cringey, and I take it back, because Ruhi will murder me, otherwise."

"Now, that's better. Okay, I'm going to work on the About Me form...want to compare answers after?" Ruhi asked, holding in a laugh.

"Sure!" Smiled Joy.

The two started working on their forms. The questions were simple. 'Where are you from', 'What are your talents', 'What are your dreams', 'What do you want to learn', 'Tell me a little about yourself'. The only strange thing was that, when they compared papers, Joy's paper didn't have one question--'What is the greatest acheivment you've ever done before the age of 3'.

Ruhi had said the only thing she, or anyone else who got that question, could really say--she'd started talking and walking at about 3 months of age.

"That's weird. Maybe, you misprinted it?"

Just then, a hurried Ms. Chandni came in, collecting their papers, and, with that sweep of her hand, Ruhi forgot what she was about to say. "What were we saying, again?" She asked, and Joy shrugged, having forgotten as well.

The class was remarkably fun, much to the surprise of the students. Ms. Chandni did not, unlike their other teachers, jump into the curriculum. Instead, she said she'd start the first week by going slow, getting to know eachother. This was done by playing many pyschological games, which she insisted would tell her more about what skills to train them in, and how to train them in those skills. The class, happy with this new way of learning, quickly came to like Ms. Chandni within the hour. At the end of it, Ms. Chandni even gave them each a chocolate. When she came to Ruhi, she whispered in her ear, "A special one. Just for you. Use it wisely, and only when you need it most." and enclosed the chocolate (which was not like the chocolate everyone else got) within Ruhi's hand.

Ruhi found it strange, and was thinking of saying something, but suddenly forgot. "What was I saying again?" She asked.

"Nothing, as far as I can remember." Smiled Ms. Chandni. "Off you go now, you have a fun day ahead of you, no?"

"Yes, sorry," Said Ruhi, politely, a troubled expression on her face, as she went out, trying to remember what it was that she was going to say. Or what it was that Ms. Chandni was saying before that.

Joy came out, a radiant smile on her face, "Mm...This chocolate is amazing. Quite exotic, I'd say! You haven't ate yours?"

"No, I'm saving mine for later." Ruhi shook her head, with a small, fleeting, smile. There's something strange about Ms. Chandni. I just can't put a finger on it.

"Well, I suppose I better get to Diplomacy," Said Ruhi.

"Shoot! I already promised my friend group I'd go to Arithmetic. Maybe catch up some other time?"

"Sure, definitely! See you!" Smiled Ruhi, just as the Grand Bell rang, resonating through out the intricately carved hallways of the Academy.

She left for her class, only turning around to take a last look at her new friend, who did the same.

I hope I'll at least find Kishore and Sam. Actually, no, I don't. Everytime I see Kishore, I'm learning some new, completely wack-o information, and every time I see Sam, I feel like punching him. How about some nice, simple, girl for a change, who's more like Joy, and not like those two? Vented Ruhi, innerly.

It took her another ten minutes to get to Diplomacy, and she was practically running, the other class being on the far west side, while she was on the far east side, of the school.

As she reached, she saw a class full of unfamiliar people, and sighed. Once again, she'd need to make a new friend. She saw a girl sitting alone at the side, and smiled. She, too, like Joy, seemed to be from the Northeast, and her demeanor was shy but friendly, seeming. She went up to the girl, and sat next to her--and unorthodox, but quite effective move. "Hi! I'm Ruhi. Who may you be?"

"I'm May! It's nice to meet you!" Said the girl. If she was weirded out by Ruhi's friendliness, she at least didn't show it.

"Yeah!" Shit Ruhi, pull yourself together, you've done this before. Come on, don't be such a nincompoop. It's just another girl. "So, where are you from?"

"I'm from the Northeast--Cheena, maybe you've heard of it? My father's the royal priest and teacher, there. What about you?"

"I'm from nearby, but the North side--Krishama. My father's in the royal family."

"Ooo! So, who is he? Your dad?"

"Um...his name is Hastina."

"King Hastina?! You're the girl from the assembly?"

"I'm surprised no one has noticed," Laughed Ruhi."But, keep your voice down, please! I'd like to keep things as they are."

"Gotcha. My lips are sealed, but that is so cool!"

"Thanks...anyways, did you know that I met another girl last period, and she's from the same town as you?"

"Wow! That's really cool! Although, I'm not surprised. I've found about a dozen students from the region I'm from, thus far."

"I'm pretty sure it's the same for me. All my teachers since morning seem to be from the same region as me!"

"Wow, that's actually a funny coincidence," Said May. "Anyways, want to play a game of truth or dare, while we wait for the teacher?"

"Sure, I love that ga--" Started Ruhi, but the teacher had walked in primly, and cut her off.

"I'm Madam Yang." Said the teacher, with a smile. "I'm pleased to make all of your acquaintence, and hope we all will have a wonderful journey together, learning negotiations, polite conversation, and polite behavior, this year. I can assure you that you will keep what you learnt with you, forever, and use it everyday. This class is something that will help you set up your life, and I want you to learn from it. "

"Yang...that's my last name," Whispered May.

"Looks like you're adding another person to that dozen, then," Chuckled Ruhi.

"And the first rule of polite behavior is not talking while someone else is speaking," Madam raised an eyebrow.

"My apologies, Madam." Said Ruhi at once.

Madam laughed, "Oh, lighten up! I'm no monster. Have fun while you learn! While being polite, of course.The first rule of Diplomacy is being of a mind at ease. The moment you find yourself ill at ease, you'll find that all you've learnt will go to waste. I want you to learn, but also know that this will be a fun class if you set your mind to it. There are some basic rules, yes, but even if you break them by accident, I'm not going to punish you terribly. I hope you'll enjoy my class, as well as learn with it. And that enjoyment doesn't come second priority."

"Thank you, Madam. I think I'll enjoy your class." Smiled Ruhi, and the others echoed the same.

The Madam then passed out curriculum and syllabus sheets, and told them to mail the extra copies to their parents, after looking over it themselves.

"Now," She said, "Let me tell you about our first project of the year. Acting. Diplomacy is a way of hiding who we truly are, and showing the opposition only what we want them to see. We need to play out an act, and it could be anything--maybe you secretely want to gather information, or maybe you're trying to get something from them, something more than what they are offering. Whatever it is, it's all an act, what you're telling them, what you're showing them. And so, we'll be putting on a play."

A student raised a hand, "What's the play about?"

Madam smiled, "That...is for you all to decide."

The entire class erupted with chatter, and Madam held a hand up. "But," She emphasized, "It needs to showcase all you've learned regarding Diplomacy this semester. And, there's a catch. The play is, largely, spontaneous."

The class groaned, but most were up for the challenge, and began discussing their excitement for the play.

The class went by in spectacular fashion, the students actually engaged in their project, for the first time, and Madam smiled affectionately, knowing she might be their favorite.

May and Ruhi were hitting it off, together, and had decided the two would write eachothers names down for the dorm rooms, and would board with one another.

Soon, the class ended, and they had all gone to the Room & Board Administration Office, where it seemed the entire N Class had gathered. The N stood for "Newbie" and Ruhi was not fond of the name, but took it obligingly, as a bored looking Guard handed her a slip of paper that said "First 100 Newbie Coupon". Apparently, she was one of the first of a 100 students (along with May), who had gotten there, and so, she would have one of the better rooms. "Find a third and final participant for your room-share." Sighed the guard, lackadaisically.

"Wait, so I need to find two participants?" Asked Ruhi innocently.

"Are you deaf? I said third and final participant." The guard's expression was irritated.

Ruhi turned to May, "So, we need to find two more people. I already have one in mind, but we need another."

The guard groaned, and May couldn't help but let out a chuckle, even through her pity, as the guard clarified, "No you do not need two more people. You need one more person, understood?"

"Very much! Thank you for your assistance, and sorry for the inconvenience." Politely said an oblivious, and entuhsiastic, Ruhi.

The guard waved them off, muttering, "I love my job, I love my job, I need this job, and I love my job."

May sent him a pitiful smile, and went off with her friend. "So, who's the other person you were talking about?" She asked.

"Her name's Joy, and she's really nice, and smart...I think you'll like her. Are you okay with that?"

"Well, you're the first person I've met so far, and I don't have anyone else to board with, so yeah...I'm cool with it."

"That's great! Let's go find her,"

"Where is she?"

"Um...I don't know...I was hoping to find her on the way or something..."

May looked at the hoard, of what was now about 500 persons, then back at Ruhi, "You're kidding me?" Ruhi stared back blankly, and May laughed, and sighed, "You're not. Well, I guess I'll have to remain true to my word. It's fine, let's go find her. I hope you have good facial recognition skills, because, otherwise, we're doomed."

"Don't worry, we'll find her," Smiled Ruhi, encouragingly, even though she, herself, looking at the crowd, didn't think it was going to be easy, or even hard. It was going to be treacherous.

The two, holding eachothers hands to make sure they didn't lose the other, made their way through the thick crowd. "I think I see her!" Said May, laughing.

Ruhi rolled her eyes, "You've never met her, so how would you--" She stopped midsentence and stared in awe.

Joy had been found, and she was in a competition with a boy, short, but with dark hair and an appearance suggesting he, too, was from Joy and May's Kingdom. There was a crowd around the two, cheering Joy's name at times, and at times booing.

May stared, "You're friend is really popular,"

"Two hours ago, I would've disagreed, as would she, with that statement...now, one the otherhand..." Ruhi shook her head in disbelief, and proceeded to ask a bystander what the competition was.

"Oh, you don't know? Joy and Gin are in a heated debate on Arithmetic. Quite fascinating to watch, I'd say." Said the girl, and she turned back to cheering for the two.

Well, that made sense. Joy's favorite subject was Arithmetic, and she was very knowledgeable in it. The poor guy was about to lose.

As if responding to that thought, Joy said her final conclusion, and the crowd cheered, evidently impressed with it, and announcing her the Victor.

Ruhi cheered for her friend's victory, and took May by the hand, pushing their way through the crowd once again, calling Joy's name. Joy turned around, smiled, and ran up to them, "Ruhi! I've been looking for you! Did you see me up there? And, who's your friend?"

"We've been looking for you, too. I saw you beat that guy--you were amazing! This is May. Joy, May, May, Joy. Now, we were wondering if you'd board with us? We got the First 100 N pass!"

"Nice to meet you May," Said Joy, smiling, a hand out.

May took it, "Likewise!"

"And, about the boarding thing...I don't know if I can,"

"Why? What happened?" Asked Ruhi.

"Well, I kind of promised the girls over there, that I'd be with them," She said, pointing to a large group of girls on the sidelines.

"Oh..." Said Ruhi, looking a little disappointed.

"Maybe next year?"

"Yeah. Maybe, next year..."

"Uh, guys?" Said May, "You might want to reconsider..."

The two followed May's line of sight and gasped, staring at the sight.

The girls had welcomed in a different member to the group, who, later, after Joy's furious inquiry, they found was a very popular, smart, and stuck-up, girl named 'Nat'.

"Look's like I'm pretty replaceable." Sighed a saddened Joy, who, happy to be with her friend, but disheartened at the fickle minded nature of the girls, tried not to show her disappointment, and was failing terribly.

"You've got us, though," Smiled Ruhi, and arm around her friends shoulder, "And you're irreplaceable. They didn't replace you, you replaced them--remember that."

"But-"

"No buts," Interjected May, "You're our friend, and we're rooming together, and we'll have so much more fun than those idiot girls."

Joy laughed at the slight against the girls, and the three made their way, once again, through the, now thinning, crowd, and joined the line, waiting for their turn to get their room-keys.