The rest of the event went on much like you would expect.

Once Grant was resuscitated and allowed to breathe air again he avoided Andromeda for the rest of the night. Whether it was because he was warned against raising a hand against another student, or because he was personally afraid of having his airway collapse again was unclear. No one was brave enough to ask him about the matter regardless.

It did have a positive effect on Andromeda’s situation though. After seeing her brutally lay a man larger than herself out on the ground in under five seconds, people seemed a lot less willing to crowd around her, especially while there was still a hand shaped red mark on her cheek.

After wandering around the hall for a bit and eating the small bit of food she could manage, she found a small alcove in the corner of the room that no one was sitting in. While she was mostly left in peace, there were a few people who worked up the courage to approach her after what she did.

The first was an elderly man dressed like one of the butlers from earlier. He was the (self-titled) man servant to Grant and personally apologized on behalf of his master. Andromeda said that she paid it no mind and that there was no bad blood between them. On hearing her say that the elderly man breathed a sigh of relief then pardoned himself so that he may return to Grant.

She knew that this wasn’t on Grant’s word that he came over, but she appreciated that someone owned up that what he did was wrong, even if it wasn’t Grant himself.

A few more passed by, a few dignitaries, some former students of the college, and Evelin again. All gave a few short greetings or introductions, and Evelin just begged her not to make a big deal of the matter and that she would sort it out later.

Andromeda wasn’t interested in continuing with him. She came here with a specific purpose and slap fights with holier-than-thou nobles wasn’t it. What she would do if he continued however was not settled yet, and she made sure Evelin knew as much

The night continued much like that for a long while, every once and while one of the waitstaff would come by to offer her a drink or food, but she still wasn’t feeling well enough to eat. Nothing much else happened, though there was really only one positive thing that happened that night, and it was that she met another one of the students.

Andromeda had a really clear view of the room from the corner she found herself in. It didn’t take long to notice which were the other students.

Grant was easy to see, as he seemed constantly winded the entire night and avoided looking in her general direction even if it meant not looking someone else in the eye. His black head of hair also stood out against the brightly decorated room.

Andromeda was fairly sure she had the merchant’s kid picked out. Out of the whole room, the only person who wasn’t wearing a dress or fancy robes was a short young man, probably 18 years old, who was wearing pants, a tan coat, and a beige vest. He was definitely the most chatty of everyone in the room, making the rounds multiple times before anyone made it around once. He seemed alright, if a bit loud.

Another was really easy notice because the poor man looked like he was about to fall over. He was tall and lanky, a thin mustache growing on his lip. There were two dark bags under his eyes and every time he broke off a conversation it looked like he was going to burst into tears. Andromeda thought she wasn’t great in situations like this, but this man looked allergic to them.

The last one wasn’t actually someone she saw first, they came to her.

“Good evening, I hope you are having a pleasant time tonight.” A melodic voice said.

Andromeda turned to see that the nearby seat that was empty a moment ago was not occupied by a blonde girl in a simple pleated dress.

“I mean, I’m not, but thank you for the thought.” Andromeda said.

“I’m terribly sorry to hear that. I hope that you can find something you enjoy tonight.” She said.

Andromeda was surprised that she didn’t already know what happened, it must not have been seen by everyone in the room despite how loud it was. Even if she didn’t know what happened, she should have seen the bright red mark on Andromeda’s face.

Then she looked closer at the girl. She wasn’t looking in Andromeda’s direction, she was staring straight forward, her eyes clouded. Then Andromeda understood.

“I’ll do my best, are you having fun at least?” Andromeda said.

“I am, I’ve met so many interesting people tonight, all of them sound so nice and inviting, I was worried I wouldn’t find much to do once I arrived, but I’m so happy I have.” She said.

She seemed genuinely happy to be here, which was nice. From the way things were going she was worried that everyone was going to walk away tonight in a bad mood.

“May I ask your name?” The girl asked.

“Andromeda.” Andromeda said.

“A pleasure to meet you Andromeda, you have a lovely voice.” She said.

“T-thank you?” Andromeda said. The girl laughed.

“I’m sorry, I like to hear people’s reaction to that. It always catches them off guard.” She said with a giggle. This girl radiated an air of positivity that surprised Andromeda. Ever since she stepped foot in this room she has either met people who hated her guts or were afraid of her for some reason, everyone else was just being polite, or doing their job.

“May I know yours?” Andromeda asked.

“You most certainly may, my name is Alice Magrisal. If you don’t mind me asking, what discipline of magic are you here to learn?” Alice asked.

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That was a good question. She kept hearing about disciplines left and right. In the books she read, people from earlier, and now. She wasn’t entirely sure what constituted a discipline versus just magic in general. She faintly remembered that mending was a subsection of something else, but she was unsure what that was now. It had been a moment since she read the mending book.

It wouldn’t be a good look to flatly say she didn’t know what it was though, so she needed to be a little coy.

“Honestly, I don’t know. It’s part of the reason I came here. What better place to figure it out than here, right?” Andromeda said. This was a shot in the dark, she didn’t know if this was something she was already supposed to know, or if it was still an open question.

Alice smiled.

“How brave! I was still unsure if I should come and I was already set on what I needed to learn. You have my respect, Andromeda.” She said, This person was too much, every word that came out of her mouth sounded genuine and kind and it really threw her for a loop.

“What do you plan on doing? If you don’t mind my asking.” Andromeda said.

“Oh me? I am here to fully master Divination.” She said.

That was a word she was familiar with. Divination was brought up in the book she was reading before she came in. It was a simple kind of magic right alongside Mending. This might be a good chance to learn more about it.

“I’ve heard a little bit about it, but could you tell me more?” Andromeda said.

This was a double suggestion because it would be a great way to learn about magic without using it, but it was mostly because talking with Alice was distracting her from the gradually increasing pain in her chest, and that she was a pleasant person to talk to.

“With pleasure.” Alice said.

----

Divination is a splendid practice. For the longest time in my youth I only knew darkness. I could only hear and smell and feel the world around me. Though I was born mystical I was limited by what I could be told. But along came a blessed woman who taught me that I could reach higher than it seemed I was destined. She came to be my teacher.

“Some say to see is to understand, but that is not so. To understand is to see.” She would say.

Divination is the art, no... The miracle of sight without seeing, to know without vision. To understand a world without your eyes.

I understand you know about the flow, yes? The flow is in all things; in the trees, the rivers, the sky, even ourselves. It flows where it pleases, and the flow knows no displeasure.

Divination is the careful, complicated, intimate understanding of flow. On the deepest possible level. To see it in your mind's eye and to know where it is. Rather than where you believe it to be. It is the concept that the world is simply one unthinkably leviathan flow.

Within Divination there are many practices. Prescience, Dowsing, Clairvoyance, among others. They all come together to give their users an understanding of the world around them.

My teacher, my dear wonderful light in this dark world, she taught me about Divination. She opened the door to me so that I may live in this world without it. Every moment of my life, from the rise of dawn to the fall of dusk, every moment is spent refining its usage so that I may use her gift to me all the better.

The world is not simply limited to what is before me. It's everything around me, from the ice bouncing in the cups, the breath on the lips of those who speak, the light from the candles.

I am just a small part of it all, I can “see” myself, and you, and everyone else. All in one beautiful flow that we call our world.

Sometimes I just find places to sit and settle, just so I can better focus on the world around me and feel its unique flow. Like now, for example. Every new experience is just a new facet of this world and its beauty.

-----

Andromeda was lost for words.

Alice painted such a vivid picture in her mind, the positivity she exuded made sense now. She wasn’t just seeing the world around her, she was feeling everything around her.

It made Andromeda feel small, that this calm and collected girl next to her was seeing a whole world that nobody around her could quite understand. Even if they knew divination themselves, they couldn’t understand it like she had.

It made sense why she was here. Compared to herself, this girl had a talent and ability to feel and know things that were awe inspiring. Truly a talent above anything she knew.

Alice wiped away a tear and laughed again.

“I’m sorry, I get emotional when I talk about it sometimes.” She said.

“Oh no, it was fine, amazing even!” Andromeda said.

“You flatter me.” Alice said.

“No, I swear, it was mesmerizing.” Andromeda said, she leaned over and put her hand on Alice’s. Alice turned toward her, but didn’t look up at her. Her face, which to this point had been nothing but the deepest, kindest smile, was twisted into a concerned frown that felt like blasphemy to even witness.

“Your hands…” She said under breath. She traced Andromeda’s fingers with her own. The more she did, the worse she seemed to take it. It was concerning to see. On a plain and visceral level, it felt wrong to see such a beacon of light like her frown.

“Your hands, what happened to them?” She asked.

“My hands?” Andromeda asked. As far as she knew, the only thing that was wrong with them was that her fingers were bleached white. But besides that they seemed fine.

“Yes, I can’t explain why I feel this way, but something feels… Different.” Alice said.

“I’m not sure what you mean. They might look different, but they feel fine.” Andromeda said.

“No, I mean, well… I don’t know what I mean. In my whole life I’ve never felt something like this. I wish I could look closer, but that wouldn’t be polite to ask of you.” She said.

“If you ever want to take another look, all you need to do is ask.” Andromeda said.

When she heard that, her smile returned.

“Would you let me, won’t that interfere with your learning?” She asked.

“We’re classmates right? Let’s just call it sharing notes.” Andromeda said.

-----

The night continued and eventually the festivities settled down. People started leaving slowly, and the room emptied out until there were just a few floating groups of people still talking and making merry. They too were politely escorted to a secondary room to continue, while in the ballroom the five students were gathered together. A sitting arrangement of 5 seats was set up around a small coffee table.

First was the short merchant’s son, to his left Andromeda, to his right was the tall and lanky one with the mustache, to the right of him was Grant, and beside him was Alice. Standing above them was Evelin. She signaled for the butlers to bring over a choice few selections from the tables as well as a pot of tea.

“Ah yes, now that the festivities have concluded. Let us begin with the introductions properly.” She said, Then the real games began.