Showing posts with label Carey Nihael. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carey Nihael. Show all posts
28 February, 2012
A Birthday Picture for Carey
Today, Carey is 19 years old! He is loving life right now and is keeping himself busy between quintet rehearsal, hanging out with his friends (especially Moira, Aslan, and the oboe section), schoolwork, and lessons with Dr. Sorela. He is definitely another class clown like Kirby! Happy birthday Carey-Q!
12 January, 2012
Spotlight on: Carey Nihael
Full Name: Carey Alfred Nihael
Birthday: February 28, 1993
Method of Creation: #3- He's Kenyon's son! His name again comes from method 2 because he is named after Carey Idle.
Creation Story:
Almost as quickly as Kenyon jumped into the story pages so too did his son. I thought that the name Carey would fit perfectly here and have always liked the name used for a boy and wanted someone to make the name more convincing to me. I toyed around with Carey's age, first making him a young child of about 7 or so but ended up liking his name so much that I did some math and realized I could put him down as a senior in high school, making him a 2011 Newcomer.
I set off to incorporate him into the Lochgren Series, since he would be hanging out with Moira quite a bit at school but originally thought of him as some kind of aloof guy. I'm so glad I was wrong. I had no idea that he would end up being one of the main characters of the Lochgren Series, appearing in most of the chapters, by becoming one of Moira's best friends. From there, he quickly shone through as a genuinely caring and sweet guy who had a quirky side to him. He was a perfect addition to the oboe section and within weeks nobody could even remember the times before him there. He looks only so slightly like his father but is following in his musical steps. With a dad like Kenyon, whose best friend is Dr. Sorela, Carey is no doubt very close to him. Dr. Sorela is Carey's godfather and Carey calls him Bhren-meiro, a Keòen term of endearment along the lines of Papa or Grandpa.
A Short Bio:
Carey loves to tell people he was born in Kaytue, even though he only lived there for barely a year before moving to Tevernid where he lived for 8 years. Right before he was about to start 4th grade he moved once more to Pathreeah where he spent the remainder of his school years. Sometime after the final move, Carey was able to play a musical instrument of his choice in the elementary school band. For years he told his father he wanted to be just like him and play the oboe. After making absolute certain that Carey wanted to play for himself and not only because of him, his dad gave him his very own little student model and began teaching him lessons.
Carey describes his first encounter with his favorite little Obby as his father handing over his own instrument one day as he practiced, saying "Go on, give it a honk!" The rest is history. Carey went through middle and high school as a band geek and was immensely talented and driven. He loved to play and begged his father to teach him reed making so that he could handle anything on the fly. He also gave his school friends mini-lessons and tips to help them play, never keeping secrets about playing to himself. He was known in high school for always wanting to share his talents with anyone who asked and was the opposite of stuck-up.
He met a handful of his future section mates during his college audition and fit right in. He was a perfect counterpart to Kirby as they sat in band on the first part and often traded solos for fun. He quickly became a favorite of teachers and students alike and was always sunny and upbeat. All his life, people often joked that his name was perfect as it was full of care.
Five Fun Facts:
1. Carey can speak some Keòen and is learning lots more, being friends with four Keòen speakers!
2. Carey is the oldest of five. He has two brothers and two sisters: Justine, Johannes, Alicia, and Nick. He is very close to all of them, despite being 11 years older than Nick.
3. One of his closest friends, Jalen Matthews, is several years younger than him.
4. Carey is Moira's best friend.
5. His home nickname is Carey-Q, based off the misconception that his middle name is the same as his father's.
Birthday: February 28, 1993
Method of Creation: #3- He's Kenyon's son! His name again comes from method 2 because he is named after Carey Idle.
Creation Story:
Almost as quickly as Kenyon jumped into the story pages so too did his son. I thought that the name Carey would fit perfectly here and have always liked the name used for a boy and wanted someone to make the name more convincing to me. I toyed around with Carey's age, first making him a young child of about 7 or so but ended up liking his name so much that I did some math and realized I could put him down as a senior in high school, making him a 2011 Newcomer.
Carey as a Newcomer
I set off to incorporate him into the Lochgren Series, since he would be hanging out with Moira quite a bit at school but originally thought of him as some kind of aloof guy. I'm so glad I was wrong. I had no idea that he would end up being one of the main characters of the Lochgren Series, appearing in most of the chapters, by becoming one of Moira's best friends. From there, he quickly shone through as a genuinely caring and sweet guy who had a quirky side to him. He was a perfect addition to the oboe section and within weeks nobody could even remember the times before him there. He looks only so slightly like his father but is following in his musical steps. With a dad like Kenyon, whose best friend is Dr. Sorela, Carey is no doubt very close to him. Dr. Sorela is Carey's godfather and Carey calls him Bhren-meiro, a Keòen term of endearment along the lines of Papa or Grandpa.
Carey, age 18
A Short Bio:
Carey loves to tell people he was born in Kaytue, even though he only lived there for barely a year before moving to Tevernid where he lived for 8 years. Right before he was about to start 4th grade he moved once more to Pathreeah where he spent the remainder of his school years. Sometime after the final move, Carey was able to play a musical instrument of his choice in the elementary school band. For years he told his father he wanted to be just like him and play the oboe. After making absolute certain that Carey wanted to play for himself and not only because of him, his dad gave him his very own little student model and began teaching him lessons.
Carey describes his first encounter with his favorite little Obby as his father handing over his own instrument one day as he practiced, saying "Go on, give it a honk!" The rest is history. Carey went through middle and high school as a band geek and was immensely talented and driven. He loved to play and begged his father to teach him reed making so that he could handle anything on the fly. He also gave his school friends mini-lessons and tips to help them play, never keeping secrets about playing to himself. He was known in high school for always wanting to share his talents with anyone who asked and was the opposite of stuck-up.
He met a handful of his future section mates during his college audition and fit right in. He was a perfect counterpart to Kirby as they sat in band on the first part and often traded solos for fun. He quickly became a favorite of teachers and students alike and was always sunny and upbeat. All his life, people often joked that his name was perfect as it was full of care.
A sketch done during class one day...
Five Fun Facts:
1. Carey can speak some Keòen and is learning lots more, being friends with four Keòen speakers!
2. Carey is the oldest of five. He has two brothers and two sisters: Justine, Johannes, Alicia, and Nick. He is very close to all of them, despite being 11 years older than Nick.
3. One of his closest friends, Jalen Matthews, is several years younger than him.
4. Carey is Moira's best friend.
5. His home nickname is Carey-Q, based off the misconception that his middle name is the same as his father's.
04 October, 2011
Severin's Secret
It was a rainy morning, the kind of rain known in Keòen as Ⱥmèo iach. Moira, Severin, and Aslan were by now very used to their trek towards campus and, upon recent discovery of the campus shuttle, began taking advantage of that free service to arrive at the music building even faster. Today they were extra grateful for the shuttle's existence as the chilly rain turned everything vibrant but damp. Umbrellas of all different personalities- colors and shapes, bloomed on the sidewalks along the street and could easily be seen deeper into campus between buildings.
As the bell signaled a stop inside the trolley, the three of them got out and began trudging along towards the music building a short distance away. Moira had brought an umbrella from home on the return trip and was now very grateful that she had as the three of them huddled tightly together underneath the tightly woven, waxed canvas fabric and wooden mechanisms. It was barely big enough for them but they managed to make it work as they approached their destination. Both Moira and Severin had on traveler's cloaks that sheltered their hair from the rain and Aslan had on the sweatshirt he could be known, without a doubt, to be wearing or carrying close to him.
"Hah, it's only 7:50!" Moira said as she gently shook the raindrops from her umbrella.
"Yeah, record timing! We totally intercepted that trolley!" replied Aslan, cheerfully. "I love this weather! Nothing like good ol Autumn rain; reminds me of back home."
"Oh right! You're from the jungle too!" Severin replied, realizing that he was almost as close to the Kiillaanian jungle as Aslan was. "It rains a lot like this in Jadali too, but mostly in the forests near the mountains."
"And Rengoll!" Moira added.
"Hah, yeah, and Rengoll..." Severin added, "It's always raining there!"
"Wait, where's Rengoll?" asked Aslan, as they entered the warmth and dryness of the music building.
"Montàlo," Moira and Severin said together.
"Oh duh, I knew that... I think..." Aslan muttered as he headed for the lockers to store his bassoon before heading upstairs, Severin by his side.
"You two go ahead, I've got something to do upstairs," said Moira. She had gotten a message from Nathan Surcaston the night before and was expecting him, knowing full well what he was going to talk to her about. As the figures of her flatmates disappeared from view she opened the door to the stairs and headed to the top floor, passing Carey in the stairwell.
"Ohai, Carey! What are you doing?" she said cheerfully.
"Oh, just heading for my reed-making class. Starts in 2 minutes!" he replied, full of energy and slightly out of breath from running around.
"Sounds like fun, you better hurry up!" she replied, smiling. She could tell that Carey loved this class and was picking up his enthusiasm, becoming suddenly more energetic. It was a lovely gift that Carey had and one that Moira loved.
"Haha, I love this class! All 6 of us + Dr. Sorela telling us stories for an hour = fun! Best hour ever!"
They climbed to the top floor together. He opened the door for her and they walked in together. With a wave Carey gleefully skipped away and disappeared down the dark hallway that led to Dr. Sorela's office, leaving Moira alone, heading for the lounge. She hadn't been there much but had heard loads of stories that were spoken, created, or retold there- mostly from Declan but also from the upperclassmen who had some classics. She made her way to the old, dusty couches and knew that Nathan was there waiting for her. She could feel his aura long before she saw him.
Sure enough he was sitting alone on a couch along the back wall, wearing a nice collared shirt and tie, a blue vested sweater over it. He was sitting tall, his wide eyes almost glowing, a soft smile on his face. His hands were folded neatly in his lap and he appeared motionless and almost ethereal. He turned his head when he heard her footsteps and once he saw it was her he quickly stood and glided his hand forward.
"Hello, Moira! I'm glad you got my message," Nathan said in a soft voice.
"Good morning, Nathan!" Moira replied, shaking his hand. "You know, you're more like Dr. Sorela than you think!"
Nathan smiled and looked at her, his big blue eyes masking the obvious scars that covered his face from his accident two years earlier. "Oh yes, we are much alike. We must have come from the same aural plane."
Moira knew that he wanted to talk to her alone and away from anyone who might hear and made her way to the couch in the corner, sitting down. Nathan joined her at the other side, still sitting totally upright, a feeling of serenity surrounding him.
"Do you know why you are here?" he asked, lowering his voice even more, his eyes locked with hers.
"Yes. You've sensed it. Dr. Sorela told us and so I assumed you'd know too. He knows that you know," Moira replied, a tone of seriousness in her voice. "I'll answer all you need to know."
Nathan turned his head slowly, looking at Moira out of the corner of his eyes. After a pause he spoke. "How does it present itself?"
"Fear," Moira answered, her expression not changing.
"...and the word too?" Nathan continued.
"Yes, and all the words possibly relating to it."
"How common is it?"
"It's recognized but uncommon."
"Am I in danger of saying it?" Nathan asked earnestly.
Moira took in a slow breath before she spoke. "Yes, but we all are, but with you here I think he'll be all right. You're drawn to stay by him and protect him, aren't you?"
"Yes. Terabi has told me to watch him so I know it's real. It's not an... insect... or reptile, is it?"
"No, it's not any sort of animal. I don't have his permission so I don't want to say in case someone hears us," Moira whispered, barely audible.
"That's fine. I respect his business and your loyalty," Nathan replied, his eyes filled with trust. Moira knew that it wouldn't be long before he, and Aslan, would discover that Severin was deeply cursed. The imminence of his curse coming out was looming ever closer, she could feel it.
"I just hope that when it comes out you'll be nearby and that nobody sees it. I've heard the word a few times but Severin wasn't around. Just know that Severin knows that you know that he's cursed, but he doesn't know if you know by which and what it is."
"Worry not. I know when to act and how. I have a feeling it won't be far from now."
They stood up to leave but before they headed for the stairs Moira stopped him.
"Nathan?" she asked.
"Yes?"
"Stay close to Severin today. The beast is coming. I can feel it in his countenance."
"Fear not, I will. I plan to spend the evening at your house. This premonition is so great that you and I can both feel it. Enjoy your day, Moira."
Their worry that Severin's secret would be revealed came faster than they both thought.
The room was dark like usual. A complete opposite from the usually intense sunlight outside ("Hey, it's easier to see today since it's cloudy out!"), Severin and Aslan fumbled around, clumsily squeezing past the people getting out of the class before who were heading the opposite way in huge packs. Finally they found their way to where Nathan Surcaston was sitting, a backpack on one chair and a small book on the chair on the other side of him. He greeted them with a smile and scooted over so that Severin was now in the middle with Nathan to his left and Aslan to his right. They watched, their eyes getting used to the darkness, as the large auditorium room, the kind used for large class lectures, slowly filled up. People of every kind were milling in, climbing around others as they made their way to their seats. They could hear tiny snippets of conversations and smirked at a few of them ("Oh my GAWSH this yoga class is like... soooo awesomeeeee!") but otherwise remained quiet and still. Soon the room was mostly full and buzzing with hushed voices as they waited. Finally a door opened and their teacher, a tall man with a neat moustache and short, brown hair came strolling in.
"All right class. Today, we're going to talk about behavior modification therapy. I told you last time that we were going to watch a video so if you're afraid of spiders I would advise you to leave the room and have a friend take notes for you."
At this, several people snickered, and looked around waiting for someone to stand up. Nobody did so and after a couple more tense seconds the psychology professor continued on. In the darkness of the room none of them saw Severin begin chewing on his lip and wringing his hands, knowing that what they would watch was something very real and personal to him.
"We will be watching a video about someone with Arachnophobia who is learning to overcome that fear. The attempt of the researcher is to separate the anxiety from the object. If nobody has any questions we shall begin. It will take most of the hour."
The movie clip began. It was about a college-age girl who was deathly afraid of spiders in a completely irrational way. Her fear had no known roots, she explained, and she was willing to subject herself to major discomfort for the sake of information that could possibly be used to help others. The clip went on to show her getting hooked up to some machines that would read her blood pressure, heartrate, breathing, and temperature. Some of the class snickered, others looked bored, but the three best friends in the back of the room were watching with total attention, getting annoyed at all the texters and whispers of conversation going on around them.
The film was surprisingly intense, even for many who had appeared to be bored. It was as if the class could feel her aura of profound fear as she was very slowly confronted with a harmless spider. She was hysterical- panic, crying, hyperventilating at times. She looked absolutely miserable and it became hard for her to think, although despite all that she was able to narrate her feelings and thoughts rather well. Most of the room was now silent as they watched on as, near the end of it, she actually held the spider in her hand. A short followup signified the end of the film, with her a month later saying that her nightmares of spiders had gone down a lot and that she felt slightly better about the whole thing. She ended saying that it would take time to get over completely but after the first step it was much easier to do.
In the row in front of the three, a bored-looking boy was laughing to his friend, going on about how absurd phobias were and how they should be able to "just suck it up." Just then an angry voice interrupted him and he realized he should not have said that.
"You don't know what it's like! None of you! Nobody knows unless they have it. It's a very real thing and you better be grateful it's not affecting you!"
It was then that both Nathan and Aslan suddenly realized that Severin had been unusually quiet, and had now burst forth, vouching for this girl. The boy opened his mouth to say something but, after seeing the angry and serious look on Severin's face, knew that it was not highly advised so he simply yet truthfully said "I'm sorry" (Nathan, a Terabikai, confirmed he was being honest) and grew quiet, walking with his friends out the door. Aslan looked at Severin with a look of surprise, for he had never seen him defend someone other than his sister so fiercely.
"Severin... I noticed that you know an awful lot about the Realm. How do you know so much about uh... about phobias? You don't have one, do you?" he asked, lowering his voice so that only Nathan could hear them.
"I- ...I'll tell you later. It's a... long story..." Severin trailed off as we said these words, with a definite shakiness to his voice. "Just know that... well, I trust you guys."
With this, he sped off for his next class leaving Nathan and Aslan alone, heading the opposite way. Nathan turned a warm, caring eye towards Aslan and whispered in his ever so soft and Keoen-hinted voice,
"He felt her anxiety as much as I did, Aslan. I have a feeling he's about to tell us something that he's never told anyone before and it's important that we listen."
"Of course I will. I never knew that- someone so strong willed as him... would have a secret like that to try and hide..." Aslan's voice trailed off as he walked with wonder and slight guilt in his heart. What if I made fun of the thing that is his very fear? he thought. What could he possibly have been hinting at? What if it wasn't him who had this, but a relative?
Late that afternoon, after the late classes ended, Moira and Aslan returned to their rental home, followed soon after by Severin and Nathan. Severin was fumbling for the keys, deep in conversation with Nathan, having gone to the local tea house for hot chocolate on this cold and rainy day. They entered, drying off in the entryway, before joining Aslan and Moira on the couch, talking about their day.
Before long, but not in too big of a hurry (none had forgotten what Severin had said), the topic turned to psychology and what had happened in class. They (mostly Aslan) relayed everything to Moira, telling her about the movie clip that was played. Instead of looking confused or shocked, like Aslan expected, she kept stealing wide-eyed glances at her brother, as if expecting him to say something awful. Severin kept quiet and the color began to drain from his face. He nodded blankly as the story was retold. Nathan and Moira shared a look confirming what they had felt all day and both shared a reassuring look with Severin. Not forgetting his promise, Severin took a deep breath once the story had ended and opened his mouth to speak.
"I- ..." his once strong voice had suddenly gone weak. He opened his mouth to say something but he found it difficult to speak and so he closed it again. The three others were looking at him, Moira feeling a knot of dread at what would likely happen, Nathan looking as poised as ever, and Aslan slightly confused by everything.
"T-there's something I have to tell you," he began. They realized with a pang of horror that Severin had begun shaking, and sweat was forming on his face. He stood for a moment and it was clear that all color had gone from his face again and he sank back down, his legs shaking too much to support his weight. Moira got up and walked over to him, putting her hand on his arm, kneeling beside him.
"I'm right here Severin. You know you'll be safe with me here, and both of them as well. If you need me to talk for you just let me know." She spoke this in a very sweet and strong voice, and it took a moment for any of them to realize that she had said this in Keòen. It didn't matter, for all four of them spoke it, and Moira looked up at Severin, her eyes filled with compassion and encouragement.
"Yeah..." he replied, looking at his feet. "I trust them. I am going to tell them! Nathan's a Terabikai and would understand everything as it is, and Aslan has proved himself trustworthy."
Severin took a shaky breath and told Nathan and Aslan to sit on the opposite couch so he could face them. "I want you two to face me," he said, "and gather close. It will help."
Both of them, though Aslan more than Nathan, were a bit scared at how he was acting. They had never seen him like this before. They had seen him angry and certainly strong, but never reduced to such a feeble and anxious state. Nathan, of course, knew what he was about to say but Aslan really had no idea. Both of them felt and knew that he had something to hide; little subtle hints were dropped by Severin himself, but now they were going to hear just what that secret was.
"Draw that curtain behind you," he said, and Nathan sprang to his feet, blocking the small rays from outside with the beautiful butterfly tapestry that graced their large window. The room was now much darker, but this seemed to bring peace and comfort to Severin and Moira. Nathan returned to his seat and, moving the other couch closer, leaned in along with Aslan, their wide eyes glowing with trust, as they wondered what on earth he was going to tell them. They knew that it wasn't going to be easy and were prepared for anything that may happen.
"You must promise not to tell ANYONE of what I am about to say," Severin said, his voice slightly calmer now that Aslan and Nathan were so close. Moira had taken a seat right next to him, knowing that her presence brought him calm.
"We wouldn't dare," Aslan whispered. Nathan did not need to speak. By simply being a Man of Terabi he was bound to trust and would never dare mention a stray word. Severin knew this, and as he looked in Nathan's large blue eyes, he thought for a moment that he saw the defining mark glow briefly across them.
"What I am about to tell you is something that I have never told ANYONE. The only people that know are Moira and the rest of my family. I have gotten very good at hiding this and it's easily my weakest point. Watching that video today and as we've been studying this kind of thing has really set off this spot in my heart. Yes, I have a phobia. Mine is rational in its nature although it has gotten out of hand and has run away from me. I guess I should-"
His voice trailed off, as the realization of what he was about to do suddenly hit him. He tried desperately to stall his confession, to help his anxiety go down. He was quiet for a moment and nobody spoke. Then suddenly he began talking, a little too fast, and all at once.
"You know, this is kind of like jumping into a cold lake. If you hesitate at all you get more anxious and then you chicken out and it becomes unbearable. I just have to go right out and say it. I heard somewhere that by avoiding straight talking about it, it makes that fear unnecessarily worse..."
Once again he stopped, contemplating what to say first. Moira was looking up at him, his left arm in her hands, and she was rubbing it in a motherly sort of way. She was looking at him with a mix of worry and amazement now, as it was clearly evident that he had told nobody of this dark secret.
"I... I guess I'd b-better give a... back...ground..." by now he was shaking visibly. "You know... talk my way up to it...
"When I was five years old..."
At these words he made a sort of shuddering jump, as if he had said something awful. Beads of sweat were forming on his face more readily now and with a very shaky hand he wiped them on his sweatshirt. Breathing hard and fast he paused for a long time before speaking suddenly.
"I have the curse," he said quickly, eyes wide, "...the Curse of the Realm. The worst one out there since Sorela killed the next in line. I got it when I was five years old."
Nathan looked at him knowingly but this was all news to Aslan, who sat wide-eyed and silent.
"I- uh... we- we had this house along the coast you see... it was made of.... w-wood." The words gradually got faster until he was talking much too fast again. He began stuttering and his eyes grew wide again.
"...and it was owned b-by not just my mom but her brothers and sisters... I remember it like yesterday. It was small, but it had two floors. It was just... just a few of us. My aunt was there, and t-two of my older cousins... and Moira of course... We were downstairs on the ground floor and -"
His voice trailed off even more now and he looked like he was going to be sick. Moira looked at him and started rubbing his back, saying nothing. Finally, after collecting his wits, he continued, even more shakily than before.
"The word. I can't say it... But I must! I trust you... I'm going to say it... I have the protection of two of you and trust from all... We were p-playing outside... W-we were j-just h-having some f-fun... And then.... It j-just happened....."
At this it seemed that fear had gotten hold of him. He let out a scream and curled into a ball, shaking so badly it seemed like he would fall over. He was now crying out, as the memory of what had happened, one that he had suppressed for so long, was now fresh and in the air. Nathan and Aslan said nothing, but they both were feeling the immense aura that was present, even stronger than the girl in the video. Moira looked at him, ready to continue the story if he could not. Finally, Severin seemed to have found his wits once more and sat up, continuing his story.
"You don't have to say it if you think it will call the demon," Moira said, calmly.
"I can say it... I'm going to say it. Yes. Easy now... Then..... t-the house... there was a f-flash... it... it..... it c-caught... h-..... f-..... v-.... Oh Word, it c-caught F-F-FIRE!"
That last word that erupted from his mouth sounded like it didn't even come from him. It sounded so foreign that it was if someone inside him had said it. Upon saying this, hot tears of panic and nearly 15 years of suppressed anxiety had suddenly come out. Severin was now sprawled across the couch, his head in his hands, screaming and crying as if his whole body were on fire. He was digging at his face and it was Moira who gently took his hands away before he hurt himself.
He had done it. Tried only a handful of times, he actually named his own Unmentionable. Everyone in that room knew that he would only say that in front of people he truly trusted. He could barely even talk about it in front of his own family. As if a floodgate was open, crying uncontrollably, Severin began to howl out the rest of his story and many things after it. It became easier to tell the rest now that he had seemingly gotten the worst part over with.
"They became consumed! I was outside but they were in there! They perished! My aunt and two cousins gone! I watched as you-know-what engulfed that house and took it to the ground! We all were there and witnessed it! I stepped closer and was hit with a feeling of ice. I stepped closer though I was warned not to! It was caused by the beast who was after my aunt but it hit me instead! The cries! The anguish! It haunts my sleep! It haunts my days! It infects my mind and I can't stop hearing their cries or seeing people- everyone! Everyone engulfed in f-f-flames!!! I'm the toughest person anyone knows and I can't even say a four letter word!
"Nobody understands unless they witness it or have it themselves! It's a curse I would not wish on anybody but I know far more have it than let on! People think it's so easy to get rid of! They have no idea what desperate and great lengths they will go to... to dispel any mention of the word! They laugh when they hear people can't even mention certain words! They think it's some big joke! I've been carrying this burden for FIFTEEN YEARS! Don't tell ME it's a joke! This is REAL! I know because I LIVE WITH IT EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE! I may be good at hiding it but don't tell me it doesn't exist! I've tried to live with it but it takes so much more time than a day- a month- a year! I AM A CURSED MAN"
Suddenly, at the conclusion of these words, something happened that was not expected but prepared for anyway. Neither Nathan nor Moira thought that the demon would be daft enough to attack in both of their presence but they knew as soon as he hit the floor that they were wrong. Severin let out a tortured scream, his body jumping out suddenly, violently meeting the floor. His arms and legs flailing, his back arching, they could just make out the mark of the curse shining red in his eyes.
"HE'S GOT THE CURSE!" shouted Aslan in horror. "HE'S UNDER ATTACK!"
Nathan had already reacted and dove right at Severin's twisted body, moving faster than they had seen before. As he made contact with the floor he disappeared from view, leaving Moira and Aslan to look on with horrific awe as Nathan would demonstrate the power of a Terabikai 'most famous; the one they wish they never had to use but were grateful to possess.' All they could do were hold each other tightly and look away as bright light filled their living room.
"GET BACK, YOU UTTER FOOL!"
Severin, though barely able to control any part of his body, fully aware of where he was, could see the majestic figure of Nathan wielding a bow that glowed brightly blue. The curse imbedded in his chest stung him, pain and despair shooting in all directions, the nasty and twisted form of the demon that had captured him pinning him down.
"HOW DARE YOU TRY AND ATTACK HIM WHEN A TERABIKAI AND AN AURA OF PROTECTION ARE IN THE SAME ROOM!"
Nathan's normally timid voice was now loud as thunder, his eyes shining brightly, the mark of Terabi so visible in his large eyes that it seemed to cast its own light. He was poised, ready to fire an arrow of pure Lovelight straight at the demon.
"LEAVE HIM BE! RETURN TO YOUR FOUL WASTE OF FALSE DOMINION!"
He hissed and lunged forward, letting his arrow loose a second later. It pierced through the darkness of the Realm and as it hit the beast it shattered into lightning, spreading all over in small pathways along the beast's exterior, before collecting again, the mass of light flying back into Nathan's upheld bow. The beast, realizing that he could not cause more harm, let off a scream and retreated, leaving Severin in a diminished heap on the cobblestone floor.
He was totally exhausted mentally and physically collapsed in a shaking heap. Nathan approached Severin and silently placed his hand on his arm. On the other side, Moira and Aslan knew that the beast had left him because his screams were silenced and the mark of the curse no longer glowed in his eyes. They knew that Nathan was successful.
It was with a soft voice of deep love that Nathan spoke.
"Severin, what you have told us was very brave. We cannot possibly fully understand but we are honored that you trust us enough to help us carry your burden, and carry it we will. It is not a sign of weakness at all and I know that you know that. Our understanding has deepened and I can sense that some of that burden has been lifted off your heart. Your sister and I felt this coming but we did not expect that he would attack with both of us here."
Nathan stowed his bow of Lovelight back into his chest and with a final deep breath, closed his eyes and whispered Terabi's creed. Almost instantly, a feeling of warm peace came over Severin and he knew that Nathan had placed in him a calming aura. He felt immensely better at confessing his secret and knowing that he had two more people to help him carry this meant the world to him.
"A bow..." Severin whispered with awe before falling still. He was too exhausted to say more and watched with heavy eyes as Nathan knelt beside him and cradled him in his arms. They remained for a moment before Nathan whispered once more and fell back through the floor of Terabi's Realm, his body and Severin's soul appearing in the rental house once more. The horrors of that night were great and all of them were exhausted. Aslan and Nathan carried the barely-conscious body of Severin to his room where they laid him down in his bed. He promptly fell asleep and for the first time in his life slept soundly, too exhausted to let the bad thoughts of people and places on fire to further poison his soul. Even in as miserable a state as he was, he could hardly remember any days that he felt happier.
As the bell signaled a stop inside the trolley, the three of them got out and began trudging along towards the music building a short distance away. Moira had brought an umbrella from home on the return trip and was now very grateful that she had as the three of them huddled tightly together underneath the tightly woven, waxed canvas fabric and wooden mechanisms. It was barely big enough for them but they managed to make it work as they approached their destination. Both Moira and Severin had on traveler's cloaks that sheltered their hair from the rain and Aslan had on the sweatshirt he could be known, without a doubt, to be wearing or carrying close to him.
"Hah, it's only 7:50!" Moira said as she gently shook the raindrops from her umbrella.
"Yeah, record timing! We totally intercepted that trolley!" replied Aslan, cheerfully. "I love this weather! Nothing like good ol Autumn rain; reminds me of back home."
"Oh right! You're from the jungle too!" Severin replied, realizing that he was almost as close to the Kiillaanian jungle as Aslan was. "It rains a lot like this in Jadali too, but mostly in the forests near the mountains."
"And Rengoll!" Moira added.
"Hah, yeah, and Rengoll..." Severin added, "It's always raining there!"
"Wait, where's Rengoll?" asked Aslan, as they entered the warmth and dryness of the music building.
"Montàlo," Moira and Severin said together.
"Oh duh, I knew that... I think..." Aslan muttered as he headed for the lockers to store his bassoon before heading upstairs, Severin by his side.
"You two go ahead, I've got something to do upstairs," said Moira. She had gotten a message from Nathan Surcaston the night before and was expecting him, knowing full well what he was going to talk to her about. As the figures of her flatmates disappeared from view she opened the door to the stairs and headed to the top floor, passing Carey in the stairwell.
"Ohai, Carey! What are you doing?" she said cheerfully.
"Oh, just heading for my reed-making class. Starts in 2 minutes!" he replied, full of energy and slightly out of breath from running around.
"Sounds like fun, you better hurry up!" she replied, smiling. She could tell that Carey loved this class and was picking up his enthusiasm, becoming suddenly more energetic. It was a lovely gift that Carey had and one that Moira loved.
"Haha, I love this class! All 6 of us + Dr. Sorela telling us stories for an hour = fun! Best hour ever!"
They climbed to the top floor together. He opened the door for her and they walked in together. With a wave Carey gleefully skipped away and disappeared down the dark hallway that led to Dr. Sorela's office, leaving Moira alone, heading for the lounge. She hadn't been there much but had heard loads of stories that were spoken, created, or retold there- mostly from Declan but also from the upperclassmen who had some classics. She made her way to the old, dusty couches and knew that Nathan was there waiting for her. She could feel his aura long before she saw him.
Sure enough he was sitting alone on a couch along the back wall, wearing a nice collared shirt and tie, a blue vested sweater over it. He was sitting tall, his wide eyes almost glowing, a soft smile on his face. His hands were folded neatly in his lap and he appeared motionless and almost ethereal. He turned his head when he heard her footsteps and once he saw it was her he quickly stood and glided his hand forward.
"Hello, Moira! I'm glad you got my message," Nathan said in a soft voice.
"Good morning, Nathan!" Moira replied, shaking his hand. "You know, you're more like Dr. Sorela than you think!"
Nathan smiled and looked at her, his big blue eyes masking the obvious scars that covered his face from his accident two years earlier. "Oh yes, we are much alike. We must have come from the same aural plane."
Moira knew that he wanted to talk to her alone and away from anyone who might hear and made her way to the couch in the corner, sitting down. Nathan joined her at the other side, still sitting totally upright, a feeling of serenity surrounding him.
"Do you know why you are here?" he asked, lowering his voice even more, his eyes locked with hers.
"Yes. You've sensed it. Dr. Sorela told us and so I assumed you'd know too. He knows that you know," Moira replied, a tone of seriousness in her voice. "I'll answer all you need to know."
Nathan turned his head slowly, looking at Moira out of the corner of his eyes. After a pause he spoke. "How does it present itself?"
"Fear," Moira answered, her expression not changing.
"...and the word too?" Nathan continued.
"Yes, and all the words possibly relating to it."
"How common is it?"
"It's recognized but uncommon."
"Am I in danger of saying it?" Nathan asked earnestly.
Moira took in a slow breath before she spoke. "Yes, but we all are, but with you here I think he'll be all right. You're drawn to stay by him and protect him, aren't you?"
"Yes. Terabi has told me to watch him so I know it's real. It's not an... insect... or reptile, is it?"
"No, it's not any sort of animal. I don't have his permission so I don't want to say in case someone hears us," Moira whispered, barely audible.
"That's fine. I respect his business and your loyalty," Nathan replied, his eyes filled with trust. Moira knew that it wouldn't be long before he, and Aslan, would discover that Severin was deeply cursed. The imminence of his curse coming out was looming ever closer, she could feel it.
"I just hope that when it comes out you'll be nearby and that nobody sees it. I've heard the word a few times but Severin wasn't around. Just know that Severin knows that you know that he's cursed, but he doesn't know if you know by which and what it is."
"Worry not. I know when to act and how. I have a feeling it won't be far from now."
They stood up to leave but before they headed for the stairs Moira stopped him.
"Nathan?" she asked.
"Yes?"
"Stay close to Severin today. The beast is coming. I can feel it in his countenance."
"Fear not, I will. I plan to spend the evening at your house. This premonition is so great that you and I can both feel it. Enjoy your day, Moira."
*****
Their worry that Severin's secret would be revealed came faster than they both thought.
The room was dark like usual. A complete opposite from the usually intense sunlight outside ("Hey, it's easier to see today since it's cloudy out!"), Severin and Aslan fumbled around, clumsily squeezing past the people getting out of the class before who were heading the opposite way in huge packs. Finally they found their way to where Nathan Surcaston was sitting, a backpack on one chair and a small book on the chair on the other side of him. He greeted them with a smile and scooted over so that Severin was now in the middle with Nathan to his left and Aslan to his right. They watched, their eyes getting used to the darkness, as the large auditorium room, the kind used for large class lectures, slowly filled up. People of every kind were milling in, climbing around others as they made their way to their seats. They could hear tiny snippets of conversations and smirked at a few of them ("Oh my GAWSH this yoga class is like... soooo awesomeeeee!") but otherwise remained quiet and still. Soon the room was mostly full and buzzing with hushed voices as they waited. Finally a door opened and their teacher, a tall man with a neat moustache and short, brown hair came strolling in.
"All right class. Today, we're going to talk about behavior modification therapy. I told you last time that we were going to watch a video so if you're afraid of spiders I would advise you to leave the room and have a friend take notes for you."
At this, several people snickered, and looked around waiting for someone to stand up. Nobody did so and after a couple more tense seconds the psychology professor continued on. In the darkness of the room none of them saw Severin begin chewing on his lip and wringing his hands, knowing that what they would watch was something very real and personal to him.
"We will be watching a video about someone with Arachnophobia who is learning to overcome that fear. The attempt of the researcher is to separate the anxiety from the object. If nobody has any questions we shall begin. It will take most of the hour."
The movie clip began. It was about a college-age girl who was deathly afraid of spiders in a completely irrational way. Her fear had no known roots, she explained, and she was willing to subject herself to major discomfort for the sake of information that could possibly be used to help others. The clip went on to show her getting hooked up to some machines that would read her blood pressure, heartrate, breathing, and temperature. Some of the class snickered, others looked bored, but the three best friends in the back of the room were watching with total attention, getting annoyed at all the texters and whispers of conversation going on around them.
The film was surprisingly intense, even for many who had appeared to be bored. It was as if the class could feel her aura of profound fear as she was very slowly confronted with a harmless spider. She was hysterical- panic, crying, hyperventilating at times. She looked absolutely miserable and it became hard for her to think, although despite all that she was able to narrate her feelings and thoughts rather well. Most of the room was now silent as they watched on as, near the end of it, she actually held the spider in her hand. A short followup signified the end of the film, with her a month later saying that her nightmares of spiders had gone down a lot and that she felt slightly better about the whole thing. She ended saying that it would take time to get over completely but after the first step it was much easier to do.
In the row in front of the three, a bored-looking boy was laughing to his friend, going on about how absurd phobias were and how they should be able to "just suck it up." Just then an angry voice interrupted him and he realized he should not have said that.
"You don't know what it's like! None of you! Nobody knows unless they have it. It's a very real thing and you better be grateful it's not affecting you!"
It was then that both Nathan and Aslan suddenly realized that Severin had been unusually quiet, and had now burst forth, vouching for this girl. The boy opened his mouth to say something but, after seeing the angry and serious look on Severin's face, knew that it was not highly advised so he simply yet truthfully said "I'm sorry" (Nathan, a Terabikai, confirmed he was being honest) and grew quiet, walking with his friends out the door. Aslan looked at Severin with a look of surprise, for he had never seen him defend someone other than his sister so fiercely.
"Severin... I noticed that you know an awful lot about the Realm. How do you know so much about uh... about phobias? You don't have one, do you?" he asked, lowering his voice so that only Nathan could hear them.
"I- ...I'll tell you later. It's a... long story..." Severin trailed off as we said these words, with a definite shakiness to his voice. "Just know that... well, I trust you guys."
With this, he sped off for his next class leaving Nathan and Aslan alone, heading the opposite way. Nathan turned a warm, caring eye towards Aslan and whispered in his ever so soft and Keoen-hinted voice,
"He felt her anxiety as much as I did, Aslan. I have a feeling he's about to tell us something that he's never told anyone before and it's important that we listen."
"Of course I will. I never knew that- someone so strong willed as him... would have a secret like that to try and hide..." Aslan's voice trailed off as he walked with wonder and slight guilt in his heart. What if I made fun of the thing that is his very fear? he thought. What could he possibly have been hinting at? What if it wasn't him who had this, but a relative?
Late that afternoon, after the late classes ended, Moira and Aslan returned to their rental home, followed soon after by Severin and Nathan. Severin was fumbling for the keys, deep in conversation with Nathan, having gone to the local tea house for hot chocolate on this cold and rainy day. They entered, drying off in the entryway, before joining Aslan and Moira on the couch, talking about their day.
Before long, but not in too big of a hurry (none had forgotten what Severin had said), the topic turned to psychology and what had happened in class. They (mostly Aslan) relayed everything to Moira, telling her about the movie clip that was played. Instead of looking confused or shocked, like Aslan expected, she kept stealing wide-eyed glances at her brother, as if expecting him to say something awful. Severin kept quiet and the color began to drain from his face. He nodded blankly as the story was retold. Nathan and Moira shared a look confirming what they had felt all day and both shared a reassuring look with Severin. Not forgetting his promise, Severin took a deep breath once the story had ended and opened his mouth to speak.
"I- ..." his once strong voice had suddenly gone weak. He opened his mouth to say something but he found it difficult to speak and so he closed it again. The three others were looking at him, Moira feeling a knot of dread at what would likely happen, Nathan looking as poised as ever, and Aslan slightly confused by everything.
"T-there's something I have to tell you," he began. They realized with a pang of horror that Severin had begun shaking, and sweat was forming on his face. He stood for a moment and it was clear that all color had gone from his face again and he sank back down, his legs shaking too much to support his weight. Moira got up and walked over to him, putting her hand on his arm, kneeling beside him.
"I'm right here Severin. You know you'll be safe with me here, and both of them as well. If you need me to talk for you just let me know." She spoke this in a very sweet and strong voice, and it took a moment for any of them to realize that she had said this in Keòen. It didn't matter, for all four of them spoke it, and Moira looked up at Severin, her eyes filled with compassion and encouragement.
"Yeah..." he replied, looking at his feet. "I trust them. I am going to tell them! Nathan's a Terabikai and would understand everything as it is, and Aslan has proved himself trustworthy."
Severin took a shaky breath and told Nathan and Aslan to sit on the opposite couch so he could face them. "I want you two to face me," he said, "and gather close. It will help."
Both of them, though Aslan more than Nathan, were a bit scared at how he was acting. They had never seen him like this before. They had seen him angry and certainly strong, but never reduced to such a feeble and anxious state. Nathan, of course, knew what he was about to say but Aslan really had no idea. Both of them felt and knew that he had something to hide; little subtle hints were dropped by Severin himself, but now they were going to hear just what that secret was.
"Draw that curtain behind you," he said, and Nathan sprang to his feet, blocking the small rays from outside with the beautiful butterfly tapestry that graced their large window. The room was now much darker, but this seemed to bring peace and comfort to Severin and Moira. Nathan returned to his seat and, moving the other couch closer, leaned in along with Aslan, their wide eyes glowing with trust, as they wondered what on earth he was going to tell them. They knew that it wasn't going to be easy and were prepared for anything that may happen.
"You must promise not to tell ANYONE of what I am about to say," Severin said, his voice slightly calmer now that Aslan and Nathan were so close. Moira had taken a seat right next to him, knowing that her presence brought him calm.
"We wouldn't dare," Aslan whispered. Nathan did not need to speak. By simply being a Man of Terabi he was bound to trust and would never dare mention a stray word. Severin knew this, and as he looked in Nathan's large blue eyes, he thought for a moment that he saw the defining mark glow briefly across them.
"What I am about to tell you is something that I have never told ANYONE. The only people that know are Moira and the rest of my family. I have gotten very good at hiding this and it's easily my weakest point. Watching that video today and as we've been studying this kind of thing has really set off this spot in my heart. Yes, I have a phobia. Mine is rational in its nature although it has gotten out of hand and has run away from me. I guess I should-"
His voice trailed off, as the realization of what he was about to do suddenly hit him. He tried desperately to stall his confession, to help his anxiety go down. He was quiet for a moment and nobody spoke. Then suddenly he began talking, a little too fast, and all at once.
"You know, this is kind of like jumping into a cold lake. If you hesitate at all you get more anxious and then you chicken out and it becomes unbearable. I just have to go right out and say it. I heard somewhere that by avoiding straight talking about it, it makes that fear unnecessarily worse..."
Once again he stopped, contemplating what to say first. Moira was looking up at him, his left arm in her hands, and she was rubbing it in a motherly sort of way. She was looking at him with a mix of worry and amazement now, as it was clearly evident that he had told nobody of this dark secret.
"I... I guess I'd b-better give a... back...ground..." by now he was shaking visibly. "You know... talk my way up to it...
"When I was five years old..."
At these words he made a sort of shuddering jump, as if he had said something awful. Beads of sweat were forming on his face more readily now and with a very shaky hand he wiped them on his sweatshirt. Breathing hard and fast he paused for a long time before speaking suddenly.
"I have the curse," he said quickly, eyes wide, "...the Curse of the Realm. The worst one out there since Sorela killed the next in line. I got it when I was five years old."
Nathan looked at him knowingly but this was all news to Aslan, who sat wide-eyed and silent.
"I- uh... we- we had this house along the coast you see... it was made of.... w-wood." The words gradually got faster until he was talking much too fast again. He began stuttering and his eyes grew wide again.
"...and it was owned b-by not just my mom but her brothers and sisters... I remember it like yesterday. It was small, but it had two floors. It was just... just a few of us. My aunt was there, and t-two of my older cousins... and Moira of course... We were downstairs on the ground floor and -"
His voice trailed off even more now and he looked like he was going to be sick. Moira looked at him and started rubbing his back, saying nothing. Finally, after collecting his wits, he continued, even more shakily than before.
"The word. I can't say it... But I must! I trust you... I'm going to say it... I have the protection of two of you and trust from all... We were p-playing outside... W-we were j-just h-having some f-fun... And then.... It j-just happened....."
At this it seemed that fear had gotten hold of him. He let out a scream and curled into a ball, shaking so badly it seemed like he would fall over. He was now crying out, as the memory of what had happened, one that he had suppressed for so long, was now fresh and in the air. Nathan and Aslan said nothing, but they both were feeling the immense aura that was present, even stronger than the girl in the video. Moira looked at him, ready to continue the story if he could not. Finally, Severin seemed to have found his wits once more and sat up, continuing his story.
"You don't have to say it if you think it will call the demon," Moira said, calmly.
"I can say it... I'm going to say it. Yes. Easy now... Then..... t-the house... there was a f-flash... it... it..... it c-caught... h-..... f-..... v-.... Oh Word, it c-caught F-F-FIRE!"
That last word that erupted from his mouth sounded like it didn't even come from him. It sounded so foreign that it was if someone inside him had said it. Upon saying this, hot tears of panic and nearly 15 years of suppressed anxiety had suddenly come out. Severin was now sprawled across the couch, his head in his hands, screaming and crying as if his whole body were on fire. He was digging at his face and it was Moira who gently took his hands away before he hurt himself.
He had done it. Tried only a handful of times, he actually named his own Unmentionable. Everyone in that room knew that he would only say that in front of people he truly trusted. He could barely even talk about it in front of his own family. As if a floodgate was open, crying uncontrollably, Severin began to howl out the rest of his story and many things after it. It became easier to tell the rest now that he had seemingly gotten the worst part over with.
"They became consumed! I was outside but they were in there! They perished! My aunt and two cousins gone! I watched as you-know-what engulfed that house and took it to the ground! We all were there and witnessed it! I stepped closer and was hit with a feeling of ice. I stepped closer though I was warned not to! It was caused by the beast who was after my aunt but it hit me instead! The cries! The anguish! It haunts my sleep! It haunts my days! It infects my mind and I can't stop hearing their cries or seeing people- everyone! Everyone engulfed in f-f-flames!!! I'm the toughest person anyone knows and I can't even say a four letter word!
"Nobody understands unless they witness it or have it themselves! It's a curse I would not wish on anybody but I know far more have it than let on! People think it's so easy to get rid of! They have no idea what desperate and great lengths they will go to... to dispel any mention of the word! They laugh when they hear people can't even mention certain words! They think it's some big joke! I've been carrying this burden for FIFTEEN YEARS! Don't tell ME it's a joke! This is REAL! I know because I LIVE WITH IT EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE! I may be good at hiding it but don't tell me it doesn't exist! I've tried to live with it but it takes so much more time than a day- a month- a year! I AM A CURSED MAN"
Suddenly, at the conclusion of these words, something happened that was not expected but prepared for anyway. Neither Nathan nor Moira thought that the demon would be daft enough to attack in both of their presence but they knew as soon as he hit the floor that they were wrong. Severin let out a tortured scream, his body jumping out suddenly, violently meeting the floor. His arms and legs flailing, his back arching, they could just make out the mark of the curse shining red in his eyes.
"HE'S GOT THE CURSE!" shouted Aslan in horror. "HE'S UNDER ATTACK!"
Nathan had already reacted and dove right at Severin's twisted body, moving faster than they had seen before. As he made contact with the floor he disappeared from view, leaving Moira and Aslan to look on with horrific awe as Nathan would demonstrate the power of a Terabikai 'most famous; the one they wish they never had to use but were grateful to possess.' All they could do were hold each other tightly and look away as bright light filled their living room.
"GET BACK, YOU UTTER FOOL!"
Severin, though barely able to control any part of his body, fully aware of where he was, could see the majestic figure of Nathan wielding a bow that glowed brightly blue. The curse imbedded in his chest stung him, pain and despair shooting in all directions, the nasty and twisted form of the demon that had captured him pinning him down.
"HOW DARE YOU TRY AND ATTACK HIM WHEN A TERABIKAI AND AN AURA OF PROTECTION ARE IN THE SAME ROOM!"
Nathan's normally timid voice was now loud as thunder, his eyes shining brightly, the mark of Terabi so visible in his large eyes that it seemed to cast its own light. He was poised, ready to fire an arrow of pure Lovelight straight at the demon.
"LEAVE HIM BE! RETURN TO YOUR FOUL WASTE OF FALSE DOMINION!"
He hissed and lunged forward, letting his arrow loose a second later. It pierced through the darkness of the Realm and as it hit the beast it shattered into lightning, spreading all over in small pathways along the beast's exterior, before collecting again, the mass of light flying back into Nathan's upheld bow. The beast, realizing that he could not cause more harm, let off a scream and retreated, leaving Severin in a diminished heap on the cobblestone floor.
He was totally exhausted mentally and physically collapsed in a shaking heap. Nathan approached Severin and silently placed his hand on his arm. On the other side, Moira and Aslan knew that the beast had left him because his screams were silenced and the mark of the curse no longer glowed in his eyes. They knew that Nathan was successful.
It was with a soft voice of deep love that Nathan spoke.
"Severin, what you have told us was very brave. We cannot possibly fully understand but we are honored that you trust us enough to help us carry your burden, and carry it we will. It is not a sign of weakness at all and I know that you know that. Our understanding has deepened and I can sense that some of that burden has been lifted off your heart. Your sister and I felt this coming but we did not expect that he would attack with both of us here."
Nathan stowed his bow of Lovelight back into his chest and with a final deep breath, closed his eyes and whispered Terabi's creed. Almost instantly, a feeling of warm peace came over Severin and he knew that Nathan had placed in him a calming aura. He felt immensely better at confessing his secret and knowing that he had two more people to help him carry this meant the world to him.
"A bow..." Severin whispered with awe before falling still. He was too exhausted to say more and watched with heavy eyes as Nathan knelt beside him and cradled him in his arms. They remained for a moment before Nathan whispered once more and fell back through the floor of Terabi's Realm, his body and Severin's soul appearing in the rental house once more. The horrors of that night were great and all of them were exhausted. Aslan and Nathan carried the barely-conscious body of Severin to his room where they laid him down in his bed. He promptly fell asleep and for the first time in his life slept soundly, too exhausted to let the bad thoughts of people and places on fire to further poison his soul. Even in as miserable a state as he was, he could hardly remember any days that he felt happier.
18 September, 2011
The CHARMing Five
School was going well for Moira and Severin. It has been nearly a month since their first day and the days had now grown into weeks. Severin had become very good friends with Nathan Surcaston and spent much of his time with him doing random acts of kindness to everyone they could. Moira had become fast friends with the whole oboe section, especially Molly, Carey, and Winterwood. She also had become quite popular among the flute studio due to her outgoing and friendly nature.
As the members of the various major ensembles had become set in stone it was now time for the chamber groups to begin forming. People all over the halls were discussing groups they would like to do. Severin had already found himself as part of a woodwind quintet with Nathan, Ben, Trey, and Armando and was enjoying being coached by Dr. Kye. Moira loved quintet music and was quite excited to start thinking about forming one. Aslan had already agreed to play bassoon whenever she got the people together to play.
"Would you want to be in a woodwind quintet?" Moira asked Carey as they sat in biology. They had recently discovered that they had somehow both signed up for this class in between theory and music 101 and had become very good friends within a single class period. They now always sat together right in the front row near the door so they could run out and hurry back to the music building.
"That would be awesome! I've been thinking about it myself. Y'think we can round up five freshmen?" he replied, his eyes wide with excitement.
"I hope so," said Moira. "Aslan said he'd play bassoon if I got a group together. I'm sure there's enough freshmen to do it. Are you in?"
"I'm in! In like... winnnn-sauce..." he replied, thinking for a minute on a word that started with 'in' before giving up, making Moira giggle. "I guess you're the one organizing this," he went on. "Who do you want to coach us?"
"I was hoping Dr. Sorela could coach us," she replied with a shy smile.
"Well I don't see why he couldn't. He'd probably... consider it a high honor," he said, imitating Dr. Sorela's voice with amazing accuracy. "Who do you know who's a freshman that we could possibly round up for horn and clarinet?" he asked.
"I was thinking we could get Ravosilu to be our horn player. He's probably in a brass quintet or something by now but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Besides, if he was in it with us and we had Dr. Sorela as our coach he'd be fine speaking Catin."
Carey laughed in agreement before he suddenly interjected. "Wait! I know who we can get to play clarinet! Remember in theory the other day when Hsan Ba was talking about wanting to play regular clarinet once in a while? I bet he'd love to do this! Here- I'll text him right now!"
Moira tried to pay attention to the lecture while frantically writing down names on her notebook while Carey discreetly texted Hsan Ba with his phone awkwardly peeking out from under his textbook.
"Oh yeah! I forgot about Sean!" Moira exclaimed as she wrote down the composition of a sugar molecule next to Carey's name. "...Wait... what do you mean when you say 'regular clarinet?'"
"He plays bass clarinet in band, remember?" he said without looking up from his phone which had lit up already. "By the way he says he'd love to play clarinet for us," he added without missing a beat.
"Yay! That's 4 out of 5! I guess we can talk to Ravo before music 101," Moira thought out loud as she wrote Hsan Ba next to her own name. "How long have you known Sean?" she asked Carey.
"Oh he went to Pathreeah West High School with me all 4 years there. We ended up doing a lot of musical stuff together. He's straight from the Tellish quarters, if it wasn't obvious from his name. If you see any Tellish person in band you can pretty safely assume they're from Pathreeah," he said laughing.
"Really? Like who?" she asked, amused.
"Um... well, I went to school with Pierce, y'know, the horn player..."
"Oh yeah! He's my neighbor!" Moira exclaimed smiling.
"Oh really?! Awesome! Then you know Hugo too. They're best friends and I know them both well." He thought for a moment before speaking again. "Oh yeah! You know Rebecca, the trumpet player? The girl with blonde hair?"
Moira just looked at him confused.
"...The girl... with... no thumbs?" he added suggestively.
"Oh! Yeah, I know who you're talking about! She's hilarious!"
"Hehe. Her name is Rebecca and she's from Pathreeah too. She was a senior when I was a freshman. I know a lot of her younger brothers and sisters though. Almost all of them sing, if not play some sort of instrument... But anyway, see? All Tellish, all from Pathreeah!"
They continued discussing things and when they were dismissed from class they literally ran all the way to the music building and up the stairs where they caught Ravosilu Kribana just as he was walking through the door. Carey and Moira both ran up to him on either side and started talking to him excitedly.
"Ravo! Ravo do you want to be in our quintet?"
"We need a horn player, Ravo! Will you join us?"
He stopped and looked around, confused.
"N'za te tu hosa?" he asked, bewildered. "Oh, sorry! Ah... What is... is you want of me?"
Now that they had his attention, Moira mustered up the best Catin she could muster and said, slowly, "Kiki hosa tu... para... en... ermmm... woodwind quintet?"
Her slight grasp on Catin seemed to be good enough for Ravosilu to understand, for his eyes lit up and a wide smile came to his face. Thought her Catin wasn't as smooth as lots of the bilingual music students and was really a mix of languages he knew exactly what she wanted.
"Are you... asking me to be... nia en woodwind quintet with tutu?" he asked slowly, hoping every word he said was correct.
"Yes!" said Carey and Moira together, happily.
"Aiii, I'll do it!" he said happily. He then grabbed Fiara, who had just walked in, by the arm and began speaking fast Catin to her. She looked at him and nodded her head a few times before turning to Carey and Moira smiling.
"He says he hopes you're asking him to do a woodwind quintet," she said, Ravosilu smiling and nodding behind her, "He told me he's been looking for a quintet to be in since school started for it's one of his favorite things to do. Also, he wants me to let you know that woodwind quintet is his favorite and that he doesn't like brass quintet so much. Is this what you're asking?"
"Hooray!" they both shouted. "Yes it is! If he's in then our quintet is complete!"
Fiara turned around and relayed all of this to Ravo in flawless Catin. He asked her one more thing so she turned again to Carey and Moira who were setting their bags down on desks. "He wants to know who is coaching, and if it will be someone who speaks Catin as he's still not quite comfortable with the Kevian language.
"Don't worry," Moira said, looking at Ravo in his dark brown eyes, "Dr. Sorela will be our coach."
Ravo understood this and smiled widely. He wrote down his available times on a piece of paper and handed it to Moira. "It looks like you got yourself a quintet!" he said, smiling, confidently trying out phrases he had learned from his uncle.
"Isvari ni!" Moira replied, smiling at him. Ravo's mouth opened in pleasant surprise at Moira's good use of Catin and then took a seat nearby.
Two days later, Moira, Hsan, Carey, Ravo, and Aslan were all sitting in a classroom, Dr. Sorela standing tall and facing them with a smile on his face and love in his eyes. They had just finished reading through a couple of pieces that seemed fun and exciting to play and were packing up. All of them were pleased with how well they already blended together and really clicked. Moira had taken upon herself the leadership position and had listened to all of the pieces carefully.
"Now I want everyone to think about which of these pieces you really like so we can vote on what to play and everything" Moira said as they quietly discussed their favorites. Dr. Sorela gave them all a smile and a wave goodbye as he glided out the door and back to his office for Molly's lesson.
"We totally need a name for ourselves!" Hsan said, as soon as the door was again closed. The other four all agreed.
"How about an anagram of our names," suggested Carey.
"That's a great idea!" said Moira and Aslan together.
"What's an anagram?" asked Ravo.
Using his translator, Moira and Carey explained it to him. "Oo! That's a great idea!" Ravo exclaimed once he realizes what they were doing.
Carey walked to the board. "First, let's see if the first letters of our names spell anything. Sean, do you want your name to start with H or X... or S?"
"H, I guess," he replied, already a step ahead of Carey. "Cuz... if you spell it with H, then you can spell CHARM."
They all froze as the realization that their names really did spell out a word came upon them.
"That's awesome!" said Moira.
"It could spell MARCH too, I suppose," Sean went on, "but personally I find us all quite charming!"
Just like that, as quick as the idea had come to them, the CHARMing quintet was born along with the means of their introduction. They decided to have Moira introduce the four boys by letter, them playing a tuning A in response. When it got to Moira's turn, Carey or Sean would stand up and introduce her. They planned a couple short skits to present as a way to break the ice for the audience. Suddenly they couldn't wait to perform!
As the members of the various major ensembles had become set in stone it was now time for the chamber groups to begin forming. People all over the halls were discussing groups they would like to do. Severin had already found himself as part of a woodwind quintet with Nathan, Ben, Trey, and Armando and was enjoying being coached by Dr. Kye. Moira loved quintet music and was quite excited to start thinking about forming one. Aslan had already agreed to play bassoon whenever she got the people together to play.
"Would you want to be in a woodwind quintet?" Moira asked Carey as they sat in biology. They had recently discovered that they had somehow both signed up for this class in between theory and music 101 and had become very good friends within a single class period. They now always sat together right in the front row near the door so they could run out and hurry back to the music building.
"That would be awesome! I've been thinking about it myself. Y'think we can round up five freshmen?" he replied, his eyes wide with excitement.
"I hope so," said Moira. "Aslan said he'd play bassoon if I got a group together. I'm sure there's enough freshmen to do it. Are you in?"
"I'm in! In like... winnnn-sauce..." he replied, thinking for a minute on a word that started with 'in' before giving up, making Moira giggle. "I guess you're the one organizing this," he went on. "Who do you want to coach us?"
"I was hoping Dr. Sorela could coach us," she replied with a shy smile.
"Well I don't see why he couldn't. He'd probably... consider it a high honor," he said, imitating Dr. Sorela's voice with amazing accuracy. "Who do you know who's a freshman that we could possibly round up for horn and clarinet?" he asked.
"I was thinking we could get Ravosilu to be our horn player. He's probably in a brass quintet or something by now but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Besides, if he was in it with us and we had Dr. Sorela as our coach he'd be fine speaking Catin."
Carey laughed in agreement before he suddenly interjected. "Wait! I know who we can get to play clarinet! Remember in theory the other day when Hsan Ba was talking about wanting to play regular clarinet once in a while? I bet he'd love to do this! Here- I'll text him right now!"
Moira tried to pay attention to the lecture while frantically writing down names on her notebook while Carey discreetly texted Hsan Ba with his phone awkwardly peeking out from under his textbook.
"Oh yeah! I forgot about Sean!" Moira exclaimed as she wrote down the composition of a sugar molecule next to Carey's name. "...Wait... what do you mean when you say 'regular clarinet?'"
"He plays bass clarinet in band, remember?" he said without looking up from his phone which had lit up already. "By the way he says he'd love to play clarinet for us," he added without missing a beat.
"Yay! That's 4 out of 5! I guess we can talk to Ravo before music 101," Moira thought out loud as she wrote Hsan Ba next to her own name. "How long have you known Sean?" she asked Carey.
"Oh he went to Pathreeah West High School with me all 4 years there. We ended up doing a lot of musical stuff together. He's straight from the Tellish quarters, if it wasn't obvious from his name. If you see any Tellish person in band you can pretty safely assume they're from Pathreeah," he said laughing.
"Really? Like who?" she asked, amused.
"Um... well, I went to school with Pierce, y'know, the horn player..."
"Oh yeah! He's my neighbor!" Moira exclaimed smiling.
"Oh really?! Awesome! Then you know Hugo too. They're best friends and I know them both well." He thought for a moment before speaking again. "Oh yeah! You know Rebecca, the trumpet player? The girl with blonde hair?"
Moira just looked at him confused.
"...The girl... with... no thumbs?" he added suggestively.
"Oh! Yeah, I know who you're talking about! She's hilarious!"
"Hehe. Her name is Rebecca and she's from Pathreeah too. She was a senior when I was a freshman. I know a lot of her younger brothers and sisters though. Almost all of them sing, if not play some sort of instrument... But anyway, see? All Tellish, all from Pathreeah!"
They continued discussing things and when they were dismissed from class they literally ran all the way to the music building and up the stairs where they caught Ravosilu Kribana just as he was walking through the door. Carey and Moira both ran up to him on either side and started talking to him excitedly.
"Ravo! Ravo do you want to be in our quintet?"
"We need a horn player, Ravo! Will you join us?"
He stopped and looked around, confused.
"N'za te tu hosa?" he asked, bewildered. "Oh, sorry! Ah... What is... is you want of me?"
Now that they had his attention, Moira mustered up the best Catin she could muster and said, slowly, "Kiki hosa tu... para... en... ermmm... woodwind quintet?"
Her slight grasp on Catin seemed to be good enough for Ravosilu to understand, for his eyes lit up and a wide smile came to his face. Thought her Catin wasn't as smooth as lots of the bilingual music students and was really a mix of languages he knew exactly what she wanted.
"Are you... asking me to be... nia en woodwind quintet with tutu?" he asked slowly, hoping every word he said was correct.
"Yes!" said Carey and Moira together, happily.
"Aiii, I'll do it!" he said happily. He then grabbed Fiara, who had just walked in, by the arm and began speaking fast Catin to her. She looked at him and nodded her head a few times before turning to Carey and Moira smiling.
"He says he hopes you're asking him to do a woodwind quintet," she said, Ravosilu smiling and nodding behind her, "He told me he's been looking for a quintet to be in since school started for it's one of his favorite things to do. Also, he wants me to let you know that woodwind quintet is his favorite and that he doesn't like brass quintet so much. Is this what you're asking?"
"Hooray!" they both shouted. "Yes it is! If he's in then our quintet is complete!"
Fiara turned around and relayed all of this to Ravo in flawless Catin. He asked her one more thing so she turned again to Carey and Moira who were setting their bags down on desks. "He wants to know who is coaching, and if it will be someone who speaks Catin as he's still not quite comfortable with the Kevian language.
"Don't worry," Moira said, looking at Ravo in his dark brown eyes, "Dr. Sorela will be our coach."
Ravo understood this and smiled widely. He wrote down his available times on a piece of paper and handed it to Moira. "It looks like you got yourself a quintet!" he said, smiling, confidently trying out phrases he had learned from his uncle.
"Isvari ni!" Moira replied, smiling at him. Ravo's mouth opened in pleasant surprise at Moira's good use of Catin and then took a seat nearby.
Two days later, Moira, Hsan, Carey, Ravo, and Aslan were all sitting in a classroom, Dr. Sorela standing tall and facing them with a smile on his face and love in his eyes. They had just finished reading through a couple of pieces that seemed fun and exciting to play and were packing up. All of them were pleased with how well they already blended together and really clicked. Moira had taken upon herself the leadership position and had listened to all of the pieces carefully.
"Now I want everyone to think about which of these pieces you really like so we can vote on what to play and everything" Moira said as they quietly discussed their favorites. Dr. Sorela gave them all a smile and a wave goodbye as he glided out the door and back to his office for Molly's lesson.
"We totally need a name for ourselves!" Hsan said, as soon as the door was again closed. The other four all agreed.
"How about an anagram of our names," suggested Carey.
"That's a great idea!" said Moira and Aslan together.
"What's an anagram?" asked Ravo.
Using his translator, Moira and Carey explained it to him. "Oo! That's a great idea!" Ravo exclaimed once he realizes what they were doing.
Carey walked to the board. "First, let's see if the first letters of our names spell anything. Sean, do you want your name to start with H or X... or S?"
"H, I guess," he replied, already a step ahead of Carey. "Cuz... if you spell it with H, then you can spell CHARM."
They all froze as the realization that their names really did spell out a word came upon them.
"That's awesome!" said Moira.
"It could spell MARCH too, I suppose," Sean went on, "but personally I find us all quite charming!"
Just like that, as quick as the idea had come to them, the CHARMing quintet was born along with the means of their introduction. They decided to have Moira introduce the four boys by letter, them playing a tuning A in response. When it got to Moira's turn, Carey or Sean would stand up and introduce her. They planned a couple short skits to present as a way to break the ice for the audience. Suddenly they couldn't wait to perform!
10 September, 2011
Orchestra
Moira and Severin had gone home to eat lunch and had said their goodbyes to their new friends at the music building. They caught the free shuttle that went around campus and arrived at home at about 1:00. As soon as the door was closed, Severin looked at Moira and sat her down on the couch.
"Moira, there's something about Nathan that you need to know about. This is kind of a big deal."
Moira could tell that his heart was beginning to beat faster and knew that this was either really good or really bad news. Deep down she knew it was good news for she knew her brother well but was preparing for a surprise.
"What is it?"
"Did you... feel something about Nathan when you sat by him?"
"Uh..." She definitely did but wasn't sure what Severin was getting at. "Yeah, I guess so..." she finally said.
"Moira! Nathan's a Terabikai! He too holds the power-" he stopped suddenly.
"Are you for reals?!" Moira exclaimed.
"I kid you not. He speaks Keòen and everything! That makes five of us here that speak it, not counting Dr. Sorela."
"Oo, have you seen him yet?"
"No, I keep missing him. Have you?"
"No, I haven't seen him either. We should go to his office after orchestra this afternoon. From what I gather he's really excited to meet us. Oh word, Severin! Imagine if we became close friends of his!"
"I hope we do. If he's anything like Nathan then I'm very excited to finally see him. I wonder if he knows that he's the one who made it possible for me to-"
"Oh I'm sure he foresees many things, Severin," Moira interrupted. "Let's not get too carried away yet. I'm just as excited as you to meet him." As she said this she began rubbing her hands together in anticipation.
"So how did classes go?" she went on as she served lunch.
"Oh they're great. I share a few classes with Nathan and I'm in psychology with him and Aslan. It's great fun. Seriously, what are the odds I meet an actual Terabikai that I share classes with! This is amazing! I know of two Terabikai already and it's just the first day! How about you?"
"Heh, everything's going well with me. You're right- Langley is hilarious! I'm going to love that class. My others have been pretty fun too. Lots of stares as usual but we just stand out so whatever. I'm totally looking forward to orchestra. I can't believe you got first on that one piece! It's just us and Quinn and she's way nice. I've met a ton of people in my classes and can't wait to see who I become good friends with."
They continued to talk as they ate lunch and finally got ready to catch the shuttle back to the music building for the most anticipated class yet.
"Moira, there's something about Nathan that you need to know about. This is kind of a big deal."
Moira could tell that his heart was beginning to beat faster and knew that this was either really good or really bad news. Deep down she knew it was good news for she knew her brother well but was preparing for a surprise.
"What is it?"
"Did you... feel something about Nathan when you sat by him?"
"Uh..." She definitely did but wasn't sure what Severin was getting at. "Yeah, I guess so..." she finally said.
"Moira! Nathan's a Terabikai! He too holds the power-" he stopped suddenly.
"Are you for reals?!" Moira exclaimed.
"I kid you not. He speaks Keòen and everything! That makes five of us here that speak it, not counting Dr. Sorela."
"Oo, have you seen him yet?"
"No, I keep missing him. Have you?"
"No, I haven't seen him either. We should go to his office after orchestra this afternoon. From what I gather he's really excited to meet us. Oh word, Severin! Imagine if we became close friends of his!"
"I hope we do. If he's anything like Nathan then I'm very excited to finally see him. I wonder if he knows that he's the one who made it possible for me to-"
"Oh I'm sure he foresees many things, Severin," Moira interrupted. "Let's not get too carried away yet. I'm just as excited as you to meet him." As she said this she began rubbing her hands together in anticipation.
"So how did classes go?" she went on as she served lunch.
"Oh they're great. I share a few classes with Nathan and I'm in psychology with him and Aslan. It's great fun. Seriously, what are the odds I meet an actual Terabikai that I share classes with! This is amazing! I know of two Terabikai already and it's just the first day! How about you?"
"Heh, everything's going well with me. You're right- Langley is hilarious! I'm going to love that class. My others have been pretty fun too. Lots of stares as usual but we just stand out so whatever. I'm totally looking forward to orchestra. I can't believe you got first on that one piece! It's just us and Quinn and she's way nice. I've met a ton of people in my classes and can't wait to see who I become good friends with."
They continued to talk as they ate lunch and finally got ready to catch the shuttle back to the music building for the most anticipated class yet.
***
They found themselves in the band room for the first time. As they walked past people they knew and didn't know they headed towards their seats. They already had folders with their names on them marking their places so they cautiously took their seats and got out their flutes. Moira was in the very middle of the row with Severin next to her and Quinn on the end. She and Severin would be trading off the first part on all the pieces to round everything out and Moira would be playing piccolo on one of the pieces. This meant a bit of shuffling every piece but they didn't mind too much. Moira looked to her left and saw three empty chairs. She snuck a peek at the names on the folders even though she had looked on the roster outside. Right next to her would be Winterwood Rivers, someone she hadn't even seen yet. She noticed Carey's name on the next folder and was happy to be near another freshman that she would recognize. The folder on the end simply said "Zora :)" and she wasn't sure who that was at all.
Soon more people began to pile in carrying all sorts of instruments. Moira tried to warm up on some scales but was too interested in the people walking in to stay focused. She really wanted to know who Winterwood was! She recognized Hugo, her neighbor, as he jovially sauntered in with a viola case over his shoulder, talking to a girl that Moira recognized as Aurora Fraley, a violin player from orientation. Severin also recognized a couple people form his theory class like Jupiter Torsalo, who was quietly sliding her way to her seat in the violin section. Moira recognized Jeffrey the trumpet player when he walked in, talking to a tall guy with blonde hair who was also holding a trumpet case. Declan followed them in and she smiled as she saw Aslan come through the door with his bassoon case in hand.
He waved at her and she waved back, giggling. His seat was almost right behind her and as she turned around she was suddenly aware of the three clarinet players who were in back of her.
"Hi!" she laughed. The first clarinet was a young man with a soft smile. He waved at her and introduced himself.
"Hi, I'm Franklin!" he said, with an extremely thick Vetonian accent much like the one Jimmy Charles had. Moira shook his hand and then the hand of the beautiful girl next to him whose name was Meagan. She later found out that Franklin and Meagan were married.
"You'll find that like half the band is married to someone else either in band or not far from it," Meagan laughed. The bass clarinet player was a Catin guy named Murray who had an interesting punk style about him. By now Aslan had sat down next to Franklin and another bassoon player, this one with curly blond hair hidden under a hat with the sides pinned up, had taken his place on the end of the row. Moira soon learned that his name was Makay and that two of his cousins were in band.
After a while, she spotted Carey walking through the doorway talking to a tall man and a short woman. The tall man had blond dreadlocks and rectangular glasses that slid down his tall nose. He was carrying sticks and was dressed in torn jeans and a very faded shirt. The woman was a lot shorter than him and was quite obviously married to him. She had a round face and very curly brown hair. She had a round figure and was wearing unique layers of dresses, skirts, and shirts accented further with lots of bracelets and necklaces. She looked amazing and nothing seemed to be over-the-top in her style. She had a sling tied across a shoulder and in it was an adorable curly haired boy that looked to be about a year and a half old. As she walked in she untied the sling and handed her son to another gal behind her who had a stroller with another young baby in it.
Moira couldn't see what instrument this girl had but she was talking to Carey and soon walked over, pointing out his seat. She then walked over and sat down right next to Moira. So this is Winterwood, she thought. She was very excited to sit next to someone she had deemed so cool. Winterwood looked over and noticed Moira looking at her. She had a cheery smile and held out a bejeweled hand.
"Hi there! I'm Winterwood! You must be Moira. Dr. Sorela has talked about you a lot," she said with a wink and a smile.
"Wow! I really love your... outfit! I can't even decide if I like your skirt or shirt more. I've heard that Sorela has talked about us. I can't wait to meet him!"
"You haven't met him yet? He's dying to meet you! He keeps missing you and your brother."
"Wow!" Moira was in awe. "Do you know him well?"
"Oh yes, this is my 4th year here. He's the godfather of my son. Kindest man I know. Truly one of a kind."
"Wow that's awesome! So, you play oboe I presume, then?"
"Yes I do! I'll be your ally this term in orchestra. Ask me anything, I know the ropes quite well. Have you met Carey?"
"Yeah I have. We met at orientation, sort of."
Carey took notice and, smiling broadly, said a cheerful hello with a reed sticking out of his mouth.
"Just like his father," Winterwood laughed. "But anyways yeah, after rehearsal you should totally go to Sorela's office. Trust me- he'll know you're coming. Do you know where it is?"
"I think so. I'm totally going to go do that. I can't believe he's excited about us!"
"Well, he's very Jadali. Like, his name is totally Catin and he's a Man of Osai and everything but he totally identifies with that Jadali half. He loves being able to speak Keòen with students and since he knows practically all the history of Jadali he loves talking bloodlines and stuff. You'll love him, I'm sure!"
They continued talking and finally it was time for orchestra to start. A beautiful Catin girl with curled hair and a pink outfit stood up and Winterwood got her tuner out and began playing an A. All the winds began to tune and slowly the pitch changed from being quite rough to a lot smoother. After two more A's the director, Dr. Matthews, stood.
"Well, hello everyone and welcome to another exciting year of orchestra! This is my first year flying solo so we'll see how it goes. I'm Kirill Matthews and I'm also the cello teacher here. I'm so excited to be here and to be able to work with all of you. I recognize a lot of you from years past and, of course, all of you from your auditions which were very good. What I want to do now is introduce all the freshmen and new people in the orchestra so I'm going to go around and I want you to say your name and the city you're from. Let's start with the basses and work through the strings and then back to the percussion and winds."
The only new bass was a girl named Meng Ser who was Raellian and from the west coast. In the cello section there was one new student too, a guy named, oddly, Crunch West (his name was really Curtis, however). The viola section had three new people: Hugo Kelley of Pathreeah, Emma Zira of a city on the Falitonia-Baydi border called Arjiona, and a local girl named April Correll. There were only three new violin players as well. Amber Rule was a local girl, Aurora Fraley was from Rafi, and Shadrach Callahan was the graduate assistant, though Moira didn't catch where he was from. Finally it was onto the winds. Moira listened closely, anticipating her turn to announce her presence. There weren't many new people at all. Aslan represented the bassoon section and said he was from Kile Point. In the horn section the boy from Catarika that Moira briefly saw at orientation announced himself in Catin ("K'sa Ravosilu Kribana to ki maye Corro."). Finally it was onto her row and Carey announced himself as being from Pathreeah.
Moira stood up nervously. "I'm Moira Lochgren and I'm from Jadali."
She received many oohs and ahhs and although she felt embarrassed on the outside she was secretly happy to be treated like such a celebrity. Finally it was Severin's turn and he stood.
"I'm Severin Lochgren and I'm also from Jadali."
"Are you related?" asked Dr. Matthews.
"She's my sister. No, we're not married. I'm her brother and I'm older."
The orchestra laughed and Severin smiled, proud to be related to Moira.
"What city in Jadali are you from?" asked a guy in the violin section.
"Leena Eithre-Resa," Moira and Severin said, almost in unison.
"Oh that's cool! My parents are from Dahhod and they go back to Chabhàidd," the guy said. ("That's Sarlan Lochmont," whispered Winterwood. He's got a little Jadali blood.)
Orchestra then commenced as usual and, though awkward on the first day of rehearsal with lots of new people, it was very enjoyable and they all had a great time. They were halfway through the third piece when during a pause in the music Winterwood tapped Moira lightly on the arm.
"Look!" she said, pointing at the door. Moira turned and gasped, glad that she wasn't heard. There standing in the door was the tall, dark frame of Dr. Sorela. His eyes were so dark that they seemed to absorb light and his long black hair added to his darkness. Just as described, he was wearing all black, with a long black trenchcoat. He had a soft smile on his face and the whole atmoshpere of the room seemed to change. Severin saw him too and they both took a minute to realize who they were looking at. They turned back to the music and once they had a rest again they looked back and he was gone.
"How does he do that!" Moira asked, during break. "He seems to appear out of nowhere!"
"Well, he has Stealth, remember," said Winterwood. "I think he uses the Realm to get around but I thought Terabikai weren't allowed to use it for that purpose in front of people."
"They're not," chimed in Nathan who had walked by. "He probably just uses Stealth," he said with a smile and walked off towards some friends of his.
"He's a Terabikai too," Winterwood said, gesturing at Nathan with her thumb.
"I know! We found that out today! That's amazing!"
"It's so cool, huh! They really make a difference with their presence in a room. It's probably the coolest thing ever."
"By the way Winterwood," Moira had been dying to ask this for a long time, "Your son... What's his name?"
"Oh! I forgot to tell you! His name is Riedlan."
"Riedlan! That's an awesome name!"
"Hehe yes! It's Keòen even. I thought you might like that."
"Also, what's your husband's name?"
"Oh! Right. His name is Eagle. We're both from Isle Del Akai. He does percussion and also sings but he hasn't in a while. He decided that percussion was his thing. You'll see him in band too."
"Are you in band?"
"Nope, not this year at least. I only do orchestra, lessons, and mainly online classes so that I can be with my son. I'm part of a group of music major moms and we watch each others' kids."
"That's so cool!" Moira was liking Winterwood even more with every second. They thought a lot alike and she was very nice and helpful.
As orchestra came to an end Moira found herself a friend richer and couldn't wait until that evening when she would go to the local festival with Winterwood and her family, Carey and his family, and some other people from their section that she hadn't met yet. The first step, however, was meeting Dr. Sorela. Both Moira and Severin could hardly wait for that moment and it was finally almost at hand!
Soon more people began to pile in carrying all sorts of instruments. Moira tried to warm up on some scales but was too interested in the people walking in to stay focused. She really wanted to know who Winterwood was! She recognized Hugo, her neighbor, as he jovially sauntered in with a viola case over his shoulder, talking to a girl that Moira recognized as Aurora Fraley, a violin player from orientation. Severin also recognized a couple people form his theory class like Jupiter Torsalo, who was quietly sliding her way to her seat in the violin section. Moira recognized Jeffrey the trumpet player when he walked in, talking to a tall guy with blonde hair who was also holding a trumpet case. Declan followed them in and she smiled as she saw Aslan come through the door with his bassoon case in hand.
He waved at her and she waved back, giggling. His seat was almost right behind her and as she turned around she was suddenly aware of the three clarinet players who were in back of her.
"Hi!" she laughed. The first clarinet was a young man with a soft smile. He waved at her and introduced himself.
"Hi, I'm Franklin!" he said, with an extremely thick Vetonian accent much like the one Jimmy Charles had. Moira shook his hand and then the hand of the beautiful girl next to him whose name was Meagan. She later found out that Franklin and Meagan were married.
"You'll find that like half the band is married to someone else either in band or not far from it," Meagan laughed. The bass clarinet player was a Catin guy named Murray who had an interesting punk style about him. By now Aslan had sat down next to Franklin and another bassoon player, this one with curly blond hair hidden under a hat with the sides pinned up, had taken his place on the end of the row. Moira soon learned that his name was Makay and that two of his cousins were in band.
After a while, she spotted Carey walking through the doorway talking to a tall man and a short woman. The tall man had blond dreadlocks and rectangular glasses that slid down his tall nose. He was carrying sticks and was dressed in torn jeans and a very faded shirt. The woman was a lot shorter than him and was quite obviously married to him. She had a round face and very curly brown hair. She had a round figure and was wearing unique layers of dresses, skirts, and shirts accented further with lots of bracelets and necklaces. She looked amazing and nothing seemed to be over-the-top in her style. She had a sling tied across a shoulder and in it was an adorable curly haired boy that looked to be about a year and a half old. As she walked in she untied the sling and handed her son to another gal behind her who had a stroller with another young baby in it.
Moira couldn't see what instrument this girl had but she was talking to Carey and soon walked over, pointing out his seat. She then walked over and sat down right next to Moira. So this is Winterwood, she thought. She was very excited to sit next to someone she had deemed so cool. Winterwood looked over and noticed Moira looking at her. She had a cheery smile and held out a bejeweled hand.
"Hi there! I'm Winterwood! You must be Moira. Dr. Sorela has talked about you a lot," she said with a wink and a smile.
"Wow! I really love your... outfit! I can't even decide if I like your skirt or shirt more. I've heard that Sorela has talked about us. I can't wait to meet him!"
"You haven't met him yet? He's dying to meet you! He keeps missing you and your brother."
"Wow!" Moira was in awe. "Do you know him well?"
"Oh yes, this is my 4th year here. He's the godfather of my son. Kindest man I know. Truly one of a kind."
"Wow that's awesome! So, you play oboe I presume, then?"
"Yes I do! I'll be your ally this term in orchestra. Ask me anything, I know the ropes quite well. Have you met Carey?"
"Yeah I have. We met at orientation, sort of."
Carey took notice and, smiling broadly, said a cheerful hello with a reed sticking out of his mouth.
"Just like his father," Winterwood laughed. "But anyways yeah, after rehearsal you should totally go to Sorela's office. Trust me- he'll know you're coming. Do you know where it is?"
"I think so. I'm totally going to go do that. I can't believe he's excited about us!"
"Well, he's very Jadali. Like, his name is totally Catin and he's a Man of Osai and everything but he totally identifies with that Jadali half. He loves being able to speak Keòen with students and since he knows practically all the history of Jadali he loves talking bloodlines and stuff. You'll love him, I'm sure!"
They continued talking and finally it was time for orchestra to start. A beautiful Catin girl with curled hair and a pink outfit stood up and Winterwood got her tuner out and began playing an A. All the winds began to tune and slowly the pitch changed from being quite rough to a lot smoother. After two more A's the director, Dr. Matthews, stood.
"Well, hello everyone and welcome to another exciting year of orchestra! This is my first year flying solo so we'll see how it goes. I'm Kirill Matthews and I'm also the cello teacher here. I'm so excited to be here and to be able to work with all of you. I recognize a lot of you from years past and, of course, all of you from your auditions which were very good. What I want to do now is introduce all the freshmen and new people in the orchestra so I'm going to go around and I want you to say your name and the city you're from. Let's start with the basses and work through the strings and then back to the percussion and winds."
The only new bass was a girl named Meng Ser who was Raellian and from the west coast. In the cello section there was one new student too, a guy named, oddly, Crunch West (his name was really Curtis, however). The viola section had three new people: Hugo Kelley of Pathreeah, Emma Zira of a city on the Falitonia-Baydi border called Arjiona, and a local girl named April Correll. There were only three new violin players as well. Amber Rule was a local girl, Aurora Fraley was from Rafi, and Shadrach Callahan was the graduate assistant, though Moira didn't catch where he was from. Finally it was onto the winds. Moira listened closely, anticipating her turn to announce her presence. There weren't many new people at all. Aslan represented the bassoon section and said he was from Kile Point. In the horn section the boy from Catarika that Moira briefly saw at orientation announced himself in Catin ("K'sa Ravosilu Kribana to ki maye Corro."). Finally it was onto her row and Carey announced himself as being from Pathreeah.
Moira stood up nervously. "I'm Moira Lochgren and I'm from Jadali."
She received many oohs and ahhs and although she felt embarrassed on the outside she was secretly happy to be treated like such a celebrity. Finally it was Severin's turn and he stood.
"I'm Severin Lochgren and I'm also from Jadali."
"Are you related?" asked Dr. Matthews.
"She's my sister. No, we're not married. I'm her brother and I'm older."
The orchestra laughed and Severin smiled, proud to be related to Moira.
"What city in Jadali are you from?" asked a guy in the violin section.
"Leena Eithre-Resa," Moira and Severin said, almost in unison.
"Oh that's cool! My parents are from Dahhod and they go back to Chabhàidd," the guy said. ("That's Sarlan Lochmont," whispered Winterwood. He's got a little Jadali blood.)
Orchestra then commenced as usual and, though awkward on the first day of rehearsal with lots of new people, it was very enjoyable and they all had a great time. They were halfway through the third piece when during a pause in the music Winterwood tapped Moira lightly on the arm.
"Look!" she said, pointing at the door. Moira turned and gasped, glad that she wasn't heard. There standing in the door was the tall, dark frame of Dr. Sorela. His eyes were so dark that they seemed to absorb light and his long black hair added to his darkness. Just as described, he was wearing all black, with a long black trenchcoat. He had a soft smile on his face and the whole atmoshpere of the room seemed to change. Severin saw him too and they both took a minute to realize who they were looking at. They turned back to the music and once they had a rest again they looked back and he was gone.
"How does he do that!" Moira asked, during break. "He seems to appear out of nowhere!"
"Well, he has Stealth, remember," said Winterwood. "I think he uses the Realm to get around but I thought Terabikai weren't allowed to use it for that purpose in front of people."
"They're not," chimed in Nathan who had walked by. "He probably just uses Stealth," he said with a smile and walked off towards some friends of his.
"He's a Terabikai too," Winterwood said, gesturing at Nathan with her thumb.
"I know! We found that out today! That's amazing!"
"It's so cool, huh! They really make a difference with their presence in a room. It's probably the coolest thing ever."
"By the way Winterwood," Moira had been dying to ask this for a long time, "Your son... What's his name?"
"Oh! I forgot to tell you! His name is Riedlan."
"Riedlan! That's an awesome name!"
"Hehe yes! It's Keòen even. I thought you might like that."
"Also, what's your husband's name?"
"Oh! Right. His name is Eagle. We're both from Isle Del Akai. He does percussion and also sings but he hasn't in a while. He decided that percussion was his thing. You'll see him in band too."
"Are you in band?"
"Nope, not this year at least. I only do orchestra, lessons, and mainly online classes so that I can be with my son. I'm part of a group of music major moms and we watch each others' kids."
"That's so cool!" Moira was liking Winterwood even more with every second. They thought a lot alike and she was very nice and helpful.
As orchestra came to an end Moira found herself a friend richer and couldn't wait until that evening when she would go to the local festival with Winterwood and her family, Carey and his family, and some other people from their section that she hadn't met yet. The first step, however, was meeting Dr. Sorela. Both Moira and Severin could hardly wait for that moment and it was finally almost at hand!
19 June, 2011
The Ice Queen
The next morning was upon them and Moira and Severin got ready as usual. They wondered what kind of night everyone in the dorms had and were both secretly grateful to have avoided that part. While Moira was very social she knew enough from Severin's college experience that dorms were not fun in the slightest. Severin was less social, having inherited much of his mother's qualities, and was deeply grateful to have avoided the lonely, awkward experience a second time. Plus, he was worried that something might happen and that he would have a lot of explaining to do which he always sought to avoid. As he pulled on his shirt he couldn't help but wonder what Aslan would think when he inevitably found out...
"Are you ready?" asked Moira as she peeked around the corner, breaking his train of thoughts.
"Yeah let me find my cloak pin and I'll be ready to go." he replied, furrowing his brow as he tried to dispel his thoughts from coming back and focus instead on the upcoming events.
They were to go straight to the Student Center that morning for a breakfast and to receive their ID cards and other useful information. Their house was fairly close to the SC and they arrived almost before anyone else and upon entering the ballroom grabbed name badges from the center of their round table, writing their names on them. Since there were hardly any other people there besides a handful of parents and people who opted out of staying in the dorms Moira decided to make intricate doodles on her nametag to make it prettier before she peeled the backing away and stuck it to her shirt. Severin smiled at her creativity and decided to impose his calligraphy skills on his own nametag, making it look as if it were written by an ink quill and lifted from an old book. By the time he finished more students were beginning to pour into the room and luckily Aslan was ahead of the crowd and easily spotted.
"Hi! I was hoping you two would be here early," he said as he quickly trotted over to them and had a seat. He was wearing a blue sweatshirt which, Moira noticed, only increased the intensity of his large, round blue eyes. She blushed as he sat next to her and the three of them began talking in Keoen, discussing their evenings and reflecting on the day prior.
Finally the place was full of the young college students and the droning buzz was so loud that the three of them had to practically shout. They had since been joined by Aurora Fraley, the girl with the older sister that knew Seylah, and Carey N., the boy with the limping dad they had seen while in line to register. They were chatting among themselves when Aurora noticed a tall, thin boy with straight brown hair parted down the middle enter, craning his neck as if looking for someone. She got up and ran over to him and they disappeared into the crowd, not to be seen again until much later. Now that Carey had lost the girl he was talking to, he turned to Moira, Severin, and Aslan and engaged them in conversation. They were interrupted when Josh and Seylah joined their table, happy to talk to some music folk.
Once everyone was seated an array of breakfast food was rolled in on metal carts and each table was excused to get a bite to eat. Severin slinked his way through the crowd and quietly got his food, hardly looking anywhere but the floor. Moira was close behind him, surveying the tables of food as if examining their neatness and presentation, before catching Severin's eye and putting some fruit and bread on her plate. They quickly returned to the table and before long all of them were in conversation again. After a time, the conversation turned to faculty and students.
"So what are the professors like?" asked Carey.
"Hmmmm... That depends entirely on who the teacher is!" replied Josh cheerfully, his flaming red hair so bright it looked like it could outshine the room. "Who would you like to know about?"
"I want to know who teaches the first year classes. I mean, I know several already but I want to know from a student and not from my dad."
"Wait a minute Carey... Who is your dad?" interjected Seylah.
"Oh! My dad is Dr. Nihael. He subs for Sorela occasionally and works in the KSB Office as the auditions manager. He's the 2nd obby- ...I mean, oboe. Did I say Obby out loud? Sheesh, I need more sleep!"
"Holy crap are you for reals?!" said Josh, almost coughing on his orange juice. "I love that guy! He subbed for our history class when Dr. Sorela was out. You're his son! I can't believe it! That's so awesome!!"
Carey smiled modestly and nodded proudly. "He is indeed. I'm sort of following in his footsteps so I might see you in a quintet or something"
"That's so awesome!" Josh replied. Leaning in, whether for dramatic effect or as an effort to keep his voice from carrying Moira was unsure, he went on.
"Ok, now here's the scoop on the teachers. Theory 1 is being taught by Kye and Kribana again. Both are excellent so it really doesn't matter who you take it from. They're also both doing ear training again. It's kind of their specialty. I think Dr. Tao is also teaching ear training and I heard somewhere that our new violin teacher will be doing theory also. The intro to music class is being taught, as it has for billions of years, by Dr. Langley. He's way nice. And Severin since you're a sophomore I assume you've taken all those?"
"Yes I have indeed. I'll be going into the 2nd year stuff."
"Ok you have two options for theory. You could take it from Langley or Lay, and both are amazing since they're keyboardists. Ear training you have Tao or Hieldin Sorela. They actually got her to teach that class finally!"
Severin's eyebrows raised as he heard a very Keoen name. "Hieldin Sorela?"
"Oh yeah, she's Dr. Sorela's wife! When she teaches she goes by both of her last names to avoid confusion. She has taught part time here for years as a choir teacher and accompanist and after we lost Burke from retirement she agreed to fill his place. Hopefully she does a better job. Heh..."
At this news Severin became very interested and wondered what sort of a person she was. He'd heard things about her obviously since Dr. Sorela was so famous in Jadali and knew that they visited every summer, but didn't make the connection that she would also be a teacher here. At that moment he felt like he'd won the lottery- a school with TWO Keòen-speaking music teachers from Jadali, a new friend fluent in Keòen, and a lovely small house that would soon be getting another housemate.
"I'll have to consider that! ...When do I get to take classes from Dr. Sorela?"
"Ah! He teaches the first two music history classes. You can start them as soon as this coming spring if you'd like. I'm sure you're dying to meet him!"
"Yes I kind of am, actually. I'm very excited!"
The conversation turned once more and soon someone stepped on the stage that almost everyone had overlooked and began to speak into a microphone. Seylah and Josh left to go up front with all the other OL's and the chatter began to die down. After a long and pretty boring speech they were excused by majors to receive their ID cards and then to go to the computer lab downstairs and register for classes. As the music majors were excused Moira and Severin looked around to see who else was around. She immediately noticed Rachael by her bright red hair talking to Aurora and a couple other people. On her way out from getting her picture taken she looked back and noticed a short and filled out girl with snowy white hair and very pale, fair skin- her pale blue eyes hidden behind a dark frame. She had on bright red lipstick and was chatting eagerly with a shy-looking Catin boy who was apparently having trouble with the language. She overheard her say the word "flute" and as she and Severin left the room she waited for her.
"Hi! I overheard you talking about the flute!" said Moira, cheerfully. The snowy girl stopped and looked at her, smiling. Up close, Moira could tell that she couldn't see very well because her lenses were very thick and her eyes were all over the place.
"Why yes! I do play flute! Do you as well?" she replied, stepping closer to get a better look at Moira.
"I do! I have good ears and just picked that right out. What's your name?" Moira asked, as they began walking side by side towards the stairs.
"My name is Fiara May. I'm from here and have been playing flute for as long as I can remember. Would you mind helping me down these stairs? I'm as blind as a bat!"
"Certainly," said Moira, holding her arm as they slowly walked down, noticing that Fiara was wearing ice-blue jeweled earrings and had her hair braided back nicely, the same way her own mother did her hair on occasion...
"You have an accent from far away," said Fiara lightly, "are you from Jadali?"
"I am indeed! How did you know?"
"Oh I've heard some people on the tv and they had that accent so I asked my mum," she replied with an air of mystery in her voice. "Is it true that you have two colored eyes?"
"Yes indeed it is, look!" Moira stopped and held her eyes close to Fiara's so that she could see them.
"I see it! That's excellent!"
They continued on, Severin ahead talking to Aslan, when Fiara suddenly continued.
"I hear people speaking in Keòen. Are there more of you?"
"Oh yes, my brother is here too. He also plays flute and also percussion. His name is Severin. My name is Moira, by the way. We managed to find someone here that also speaks Keòen although he's not from Jadali. We're hoping he moves in with us."
"Amazing! I love people from afar! I look forward to playing music with all of you."
They were almost to the computer lab when Fiara suddenly spoke again, as if she felt her looks needed explaining.
"My friends call me the Ice Queen," she said with a mysterious grin. "I'm half Catin but have no pigment in my skin so nobody would know. It's like all the color melted out of me. I'm clear, like an icicle in a mystical ice cave."
"Oh! That's very nice," said Moira, surprised. She was delighted by this young girl and could hardly contain the excitement she had for being in a section with her.
They chatted the whole time they were in the computer lab, stopping only to listen for instructions. Fiara needed some help reading the small print but was able to register all right for class. They made sure they took a class together and ended up taking everything together. As they were leaving, Moira saw the Catin boy again and turned to Fiara.
"Who is that Catin boy you were talking to earlier?"
"Oh he is an international student from Catarika. He's Dr. Kribana's nephew. His Kevian is decent but he doesn't have a full grasp on it yet. I was speaking to him in Catin helping him learn some terms. I'm sure he'll be speaking all right when school starts. His name is Ravosilu Kribana and I hear he's a quite gifted horn player."
With that they exchanged contact information and parted ways, as the orientation session had come to a close. Moira and Severin stayed behind with Aslan, preparing to call Mr. Charles and sign Aslan onto the rent. They were beyond excited for school and to room with someone so similar to them. As they headed for the parking lot they shared their thoughts and speculations for the year as the shapes of Aslan's brother and sister in law came into view.
"Are you ready?" asked Moira as she peeked around the corner, breaking his train of thoughts.
"Yeah let me find my cloak pin and I'll be ready to go." he replied, furrowing his brow as he tried to dispel his thoughts from coming back and focus instead on the upcoming events.
They were to go straight to the Student Center that morning for a breakfast and to receive their ID cards and other useful information. Their house was fairly close to the SC and they arrived almost before anyone else and upon entering the ballroom grabbed name badges from the center of their round table, writing their names on them. Since there were hardly any other people there besides a handful of parents and people who opted out of staying in the dorms Moira decided to make intricate doodles on her nametag to make it prettier before she peeled the backing away and stuck it to her shirt. Severin smiled at her creativity and decided to impose his calligraphy skills on his own nametag, making it look as if it were written by an ink quill and lifted from an old book. By the time he finished more students were beginning to pour into the room and luckily Aslan was ahead of the crowd and easily spotted.
"Hi! I was hoping you two would be here early," he said as he quickly trotted over to them and had a seat. He was wearing a blue sweatshirt which, Moira noticed, only increased the intensity of his large, round blue eyes. She blushed as he sat next to her and the three of them began talking in Keoen, discussing their evenings and reflecting on the day prior.
Finally the place was full of the young college students and the droning buzz was so loud that the three of them had to practically shout. They had since been joined by Aurora Fraley, the girl with the older sister that knew Seylah, and Carey N., the boy with the limping dad they had seen while in line to register. They were chatting among themselves when Aurora noticed a tall, thin boy with straight brown hair parted down the middle enter, craning his neck as if looking for someone. She got up and ran over to him and they disappeared into the crowd, not to be seen again until much later. Now that Carey had lost the girl he was talking to, he turned to Moira, Severin, and Aslan and engaged them in conversation. They were interrupted when Josh and Seylah joined their table, happy to talk to some music folk.
Once everyone was seated an array of breakfast food was rolled in on metal carts and each table was excused to get a bite to eat. Severin slinked his way through the crowd and quietly got his food, hardly looking anywhere but the floor. Moira was close behind him, surveying the tables of food as if examining their neatness and presentation, before catching Severin's eye and putting some fruit and bread on her plate. They quickly returned to the table and before long all of them were in conversation again. After a time, the conversation turned to faculty and students.
"So what are the professors like?" asked Carey.
"Hmmmm... That depends entirely on who the teacher is!" replied Josh cheerfully, his flaming red hair so bright it looked like it could outshine the room. "Who would you like to know about?"
"I want to know who teaches the first year classes. I mean, I know several already but I want to know from a student and not from my dad."
"Wait a minute Carey... Who is your dad?" interjected Seylah.
"Oh! My dad is Dr. Nihael. He subs for Sorela occasionally and works in the KSB Office as the auditions manager. He's the 2nd obby- ...I mean, oboe. Did I say Obby out loud? Sheesh, I need more sleep!"
"Holy crap are you for reals?!" said Josh, almost coughing on his orange juice. "I love that guy! He subbed for our history class when Dr. Sorela was out. You're his son! I can't believe it! That's so awesome!!"
Carey smiled modestly and nodded proudly. "He is indeed. I'm sort of following in his footsteps so I might see you in a quintet or something"
"That's so awesome!" Josh replied. Leaning in, whether for dramatic effect or as an effort to keep his voice from carrying Moira was unsure, he went on.
"Ok, now here's the scoop on the teachers. Theory 1 is being taught by Kye and Kribana again. Both are excellent so it really doesn't matter who you take it from. They're also both doing ear training again. It's kind of their specialty. I think Dr. Tao is also teaching ear training and I heard somewhere that our new violin teacher will be doing theory also. The intro to music class is being taught, as it has for billions of years, by Dr. Langley. He's way nice. And Severin since you're a sophomore I assume you've taken all those?"
"Yes I have indeed. I'll be going into the 2nd year stuff."
"Ok you have two options for theory. You could take it from Langley or Lay, and both are amazing since they're keyboardists. Ear training you have Tao or Hieldin Sorela. They actually got her to teach that class finally!"
Severin's eyebrows raised as he heard a very Keoen name. "Hieldin Sorela?"
"Oh yeah, she's Dr. Sorela's wife! When she teaches she goes by both of her last names to avoid confusion. She has taught part time here for years as a choir teacher and accompanist and after we lost Burke from retirement she agreed to fill his place. Hopefully she does a better job. Heh..."
At this news Severin became very interested and wondered what sort of a person she was. He'd heard things about her obviously since Dr. Sorela was so famous in Jadali and knew that they visited every summer, but didn't make the connection that she would also be a teacher here. At that moment he felt like he'd won the lottery- a school with TWO Keòen-speaking music teachers from Jadali, a new friend fluent in Keòen, and a lovely small house that would soon be getting another housemate.
"I'll have to consider that! ...When do I get to take classes from Dr. Sorela?"
"Ah! He teaches the first two music history classes. You can start them as soon as this coming spring if you'd like. I'm sure you're dying to meet him!"
"Yes I kind of am, actually. I'm very excited!"
The conversation turned once more and soon someone stepped on the stage that almost everyone had overlooked and began to speak into a microphone. Seylah and Josh left to go up front with all the other OL's and the chatter began to die down. After a long and pretty boring speech they were excused by majors to receive their ID cards and then to go to the computer lab downstairs and register for classes. As the music majors were excused Moira and Severin looked around to see who else was around. She immediately noticed Rachael by her bright red hair talking to Aurora and a couple other people. On her way out from getting her picture taken she looked back and noticed a short and filled out girl with snowy white hair and very pale, fair skin- her pale blue eyes hidden behind a dark frame. She had on bright red lipstick and was chatting eagerly with a shy-looking Catin boy who was apparently having trouble with the language. She overheard her say the word "flute" and as she and Severin left the room she waited for her.
"Hi! I overheard you talking about the flute!" said Moira, cheerfully. The snowy girl stopped and looked at her, smiling. Up close, Moira could tell that she couldn't see very well because her lenses were very thick and her eyes were all over the place.
"Why yes! I do play flute! Do you as well?" she replied, stepping closer to get a better look at Moira.
"I do! I have good ears and just picked that right out. What's your name?" Moira asked, as they began walking side by side towards the stairs.
"My name is Fiara May. I'm from here and have been playing flute for as long as I can remember. Would you mind helping me down these stairs? I'm as blind as a bat!"
"Certainly," said Moira, holding her arm as they slowly walked down, noticing that Fiara was wearing ice-blue jeweled earrings and had her hair braided back nicely, the same way her own mother did her hair on occasion...
"You have an accent from far away," said Fiara lightly, "are you from Jadali?"
"I am indeed! How did you know?"
"Oh I've heard some people on the tv and they had that accent so I asked my mum," she replied with an air of mystery in her voice. "Is it true that you have two colored eyes?"
"Yes indeed it is, look!" Moira stopped and held her eyes close to Fiara's so that she could see them.
"I see it! That's excellent!"
They continued on, Severin ahead talking to Aslan, when Fiara suddenly continued.
"I hear people speaking in Keòen. Are there more of you?"
"Oh yes, my brother is here too. He also plays flute and also percussion. His name is Severin. My name is Moira, by the way. We managed to find someone here that also speaks Keòen although he's not from Jadali. We're hoping he moves in with us."
"Amazing! I love people from afar! I look forward to playing music with all of you."
They were almost to the computer lab when Fiara suddenly spoke again, as if she felt her looks needed explaining.
"My friends call me the Ice Queen," she said with a mysterious grin. "I'm half Catin but have no pigment in my skin so nobody would know. It's like all the color melted out of me. I'm clear, like an icicle in a mystical ice cave."
"Oh! That's very nice," said Moira, surprised. She was delighted by this young girl and could hardly contain the excitement she had for being in a section with her.
They chatted the whole time they were in the computer lab, stopping only to listen for instructions. Fiara needed some help reading the small print but was able to register all right for class. They made sure they took a class together and ended up taking everything together. As they were leaving, Moira saw the Catin boy again and turned to Fiara.
"Who is that Catin boy you were talking to earlier?"
"Oh he is an international student from Catarika. He's Dr. Kribana's nephew. His Kevian is decent but he doesn't have a full grasp on it yet. I was speaking to him in Catin helping him learn some terms. I'm sure he'll be speaking all right when school starts. His name is Ravosilu Kribana and I hear he's a quite gifted horn player."
With that they exchanged contact information and parted ways, as the orientation session had come to a close. Moira and Severin stayed behind with Aslan, preparing to call Mr. Charles and sign Aslan onto the rent. They were beyond excited for school and to room with someone so similar to them. As they headed for the parking lot they shared their thoughts and speculations for the year as the shapes of Aslan's brother and sister in law came into view.
07 June, 2011
A Gem in the Sand
Morning seemed later than usual, yet it still felt like it had arrived too soon. Moira looked at the time- 6am. They had two hours to get ready for freshman orientation. Severin technically didn't have to go but wanted a social experience and tour of campus among other things so he too had signed up, even though he had just finished his first year of college. They were still tired and somewhat disoriented from the long day of traveling but were very excited to start the day off and hopefully meet some of the people that they would be in classes with.
"How did you sleep?" asked Moira. "Anything happen?"
"Nay, not this time," replied Severin, stretching, "I barely even dreamed it. It was so nice."
They talked for a moment about the series of events that awaited them and both went to their bathrooms to shower and get ready for the day. Severin climbed upstairs much later and found Moira already in the kitchen, making some toast and cooking up some oatmeal. Her hair was still wet but she was already dressed in some of the most Jadali clothing she could find in the large wooden chest they had taken with them across the country. She had on a long crimson tied skirt, just stopping above her woven sandals, and had on a light yellow tunic with charming embellishments and embroidery, knitted as a graduation present by her grandmother, a master craftswoman of textiles. She looked like she was ready for anything and definitely looked like a Jadali-Kiillra. Severin sat down at the table and began to help himself to some oatmeal, spiced with some herbs they had brought with them, and felt very under-dressed.
Eating together, they began to speculate the dealings of the day. Severin pulled out a red piece of paper which had the basics of freshman orientation on it and began reading it aloud.
"Sounds boring..." said Moira, unimpressed.
"I can't wait to see how many people run up to us when they notice that we appear to be plucked from Jadali!" said Severin, trying to hide his smile. One of this favorite things was getting stares by Kiillaanian folk and hearing them talk about Jadali, even if for a moment.
"Well- get dressed in your best!" said Moira quickly, "You're the one who loves attracting curious onlookers!"
With all their things in hand, they prepared to head for the dorms. Mr. Charles had pointed it out on the way in so at least they knew where they were headed. Severin was dressed in a white tunic and a travelers' cloak and his black hair was just as curly as ever, a strong trait of the Lochgren family. His hair may not be golden blonde, like a typical Lochgren or like Moira's, but he was a Lochgren all the way and was very proud of his ancestry. He looked at himself in the mirror and was pleased by what he saw. A stone pendant hung around his neck, held in place by a black cord. It was a gift to him from a family friend who was a sculpture art apprentice. Moira was behind him making sure she looked good as well. Around her neck was a butterfly pendant that she found on her latest trip to Meren Bha and had quickly recognized as a true and rare apprentice piece.
Finally, at 7:30, they were ready to go and left their house, locking the door with their shiny keys behind them. They had put up a lovely handwoven tapestry over the large front window and looked over their shoulders as they walked down the road, admiring its beauty. It had a light blue background and had a large but somewhat abstracted butterfly of a bronze tan color on it- a symbol of Terabi. The Jadali flag was waving lazily in the wind on the flagpole that they were pleased to discover in the pictures Mr. Charles had sent.
"I wonder how many people Mr. Charles helps," thought Moira, admiring the lovely sunrise to her right.
"He's a wonderful man. Did you hear? His daughter is having a baby any day now. I think that's wonderful. I'd love to have him as a grandfather."
"Did you hear also that his other daughter is also in band here? She plays trumpet and is also married to a trumpet player. And his daughter having a baby lives in Tarra! I've always wanted to visit there. A flute player even! How awesome is that!"
Severin smiled as he heard this. Although at Attlefort Coastal he was a percussion major, his real love was the flute. It was all Moira's fault, he thought. She's the one who found that flute and then taught me how to play once she learned. She showed me to my true love.
They crossed the street and after about 15 minutes of walking noticed a large crowd of what looked like high school kids. Some stood alone in line, trying to look poised and mature. Others were chasing each other, yelling and giggling, some flirting. Some were chatting to each other and still others looked terrified. About half had a parent there with them and a few people had their whole family there. Moira and Severin took their place at the end of the line and talked to each other, the whole time glancing around to see if anyone was staring at them.
"Do you realize that we're likely going to become friends with some of these people?" Moira said, amused.
"I just can't wait until we find out our little group," said Severin, as he watched a rusty-haired boy walk by, accompanied by his father, a short man with a limp. "I wonder if any one of these people are a Terabikai."
Moira gave him an annoyed and warning look. "Oh not now! There will be a time for that. The last thing you need is to be thinking abou-"
Her sentence was cut off as three loud girls chasing a frisbee ran past, almost crashing into them. They jumped out of the way and just smiled at them, as an angry-looking man in line ahead shouted "Hey! Watch where you're going!"
As they neared the front of the line they noticed a girl a couple people ahead of them. She was wearing a knee-length beige linen skirt and a light blue capped sleeve tank top. Her hair was long and straight, way past her shoulders, but the reason they noticed her was because her hair was so red that it was literally orange. It was shiny and strikingly beautiful and as soon as they saw the man next to her they knew it was all natural. He was a short and round man, with a pointy nose and small jaw, and his extreme red hair was combed across in a side part. The girl and her father approached the table labeled J-M and there behind the table was a boy with hair equally as ginger.
"Oh my goodness! They're 'Airbhrochs!!" said Moira excitedly, in Keoen to avoid the inevitable awkward silence that would have followed, as she would have definitely been heard by nearly the whole vicinity.
"Shhhh! Don't talk so loud!" Severin replied, also in Keoen, "We don't want to be drawing attention to ourselves just yet!" although he couldn't help but notice that all three of them had the exact same hair color. "Besides, I believe the term that Kiillra use is redhead. It means the exact same thing."
Upon getting closer to the table, they noticed that the redhead working the table had a name sticker that read "Joshua Norbert." As the redhead girl approached with her father Joshua greeted them, not by asking for their last name, but by smiling and saying, "Hi Rachael! Welcome to campus! You'll totally love it here. Here's all the stuff you'll ever want to know and this one's for you Dad." As he said this he handed them both a shirt. "Your OL is Seylah Renvasu and she's over there (he pointed to his left) with a sign. Enjoy this time- she's a music major too and will make a lengthy stop at the music building. We made sure to put as many music majors in that group as we could."
Their ears perked up a bit more. So, this beautiful redhead and that boy were siblings, and both music majors! As she and her father walked away it was their turn to step forward.
"Hello, you two! What's your last name?" Joshua asked as they got closer.
"It's Lochgren," said Severin gently.
"Ah- how do you spell that?" he asked.
"L-O-C-H-G-R-E-N" he said quickly and clearly.
"Oh! You're the two from Jadali! You're music majors, correct?"
"We sure are!" said Moira grinning.
"That's great! I am too. I'm Joshua Norbert and I play horn," he said, shaking their hands. "You must be Moira..." he said as he handed her a packet of information, a tshirt, a bag, and a lanyard, "And you must be Severin!"
"We are indeed!" replied Severin, taking his own materials. "We were just noticing that the people in front of us had bright red hair like you. Are you 'Airbhrochs?"
"Believe it or not, we are indeed related to the 'Airbhroch family. It goes back a couple generations but yup my great grandparents are straight from Dahhod. I just recently found this out too and I love my hair so much." Josh replied, as if he had been waiting to tell someone this for weeks.
"Well we love our eyes," Severin smiled, "It's very nice to meet you. I'm glad we have at least... two people that we'll see this fall? Wasn't that girl that was just here your sister?"
"Indeed she was, you have a sharp eye! Although it's hard to miss our hair. The whole family's redheads! She's in your group- her name's Rachael, with two A's. Your OL leader is Seylah Renvasu and I can see her over there, where my sister and dad are standing. You're the first to get here. I hope I can chat with you later!"
With this he waved and they waved back, walking towards the sign which read "Seylah Renvasu" on a stake in the ground. She caught sight of them and waved and they hurried over. The only other people there were Rachael and her father, and when they caught sight of Moira and Severin they looked quite excited.
"Hi! I'm Rachael, and this is my dad Ezra. You must be the Lochgrens! My brother had heard that we'd be getting Jadali-Kiillra again and when he saw your names he knew you were the ones and made sure you got put with the group with mostly music majors."
Moira and Severin smiled at this and felt very honored that they had been talked about enough among faculty and students that they did their own sleuthing to get them situated with other musicians. They introduced themselves and then they all introduced themselves to Seylah and then all began talking about the instruments they played and where they were from.
"I'm a horn player like my brother. There's another redhead brother of ours here who plays trombone but he's a music minor and you'll only see him in band. His name's Isaiah."
As Rachael talked they couldn't help but notice that her eyes were a pure green, the color of emerald crystals in the sun. She had a soft smile and an oval face like that of Catins. Seylah was next to introduce herself. In a heavy Catin accent she spoke:
"My name is Seylah and I am originally from a city in Catarika called Tumira but I moved to Kiillaana when I was 9 and lived in Aildfror, Vetonia, until I was 15 and I moved to Sunway. I play violin in orchestra and hope to see some of you in it."
At this Rachael's eyebrows raised. "Did you say Sunway? My boyfriend is from Sunway!"
Seylah's eyes got wide. "Oh! You're dating Nathan Surcaston! He's a wonderful, wonderful young man. We went to school together and had class all the time."
Now it was Moira and Severin's turn to speak. "Wait a minute- did you say Nathan Surcaston? Why does that name sound so familiar... I know we just heard it somewhere...." It was Moira who made the connection first and enlightenment struck as she said "Oh Severin of course! He's one of the names on the basket of food that was left on our table as a welcome gift!"
"Ah, that sounds like exactly something he would do," said Rachael, smiling brightly, "He's always watching out for everyone and has this peace about him that fills up a room. It's like he glows with kindness. He too is a horn player and I must say I am very excited to be in band with him and my brother."
Moira and Severin were quite intrigued by this man now. Who was he? What did he look like? They looked at each other but didn't say anything yet, but the way Rachael and even Seylah were describing him made them wonder if he could possibly be a Terabikai. If he was, then he would be able to speak Keoen with them and so much more...
The hour went on and soon it was 8:30 and almost everyone had been sorted to their orientation leaders. There were 20 OL's in total, each with a group of roughly 10 students. When everything had settled down each group went to a different part of the grass that made up the central court of the dorms. In the center was a fountain with an abstract design of a globe with rings around it, with an area big enough for a few people to sit while the rest sat in the grass. Rachael's dad had left and it was just 12 of them (Joshua had come and joined their group until he had to be at the cafeteria organizing lunch) by the fountain. Wearing a skirt, Moira sat on the fountain bench next to Rachael, with Seylah and Joshua next to them.
They went around their circle and once again introduced themselves by saying their name, major, hometown, and an interesting fact. It was very informal and most people shyly looked around.
"Well I'll start. I'm Seylah and I'm your OL. I'm from Tumira, Catarika, but moved to Aildfror at 9 and Sunway at 15. I'm a sophomore here as a Music Ed major and I play the violin."
"I'm Rachael and I'm a Music Ed major. I play horn and I'm from South Kennywood. Something interesting about me is that my family breeds dogs and train them."
"I'm Moira and I'm from Jadali. I went to school in Taleah and chose to come here because there's a Jadali-Kiillra on the music faculty and I this college caught my eye, plus it was a change. I play the flute and I'm a performance major. Another interesting thing about me is that I found my first flute in a secondhand shop and bought it out of curiosity."
"The name's Carey and I'm from Pathreeah. I too am a music performance major and I play the oboe. Something interesting... Hmm... My best friend is 14 years old and both our families moved and ended up on the same street."
Severin recognized him as the rusty-haired boy that they saw earlier with the limping man and laughed as he realized that he had been thinking that some of these people they would come to know well. Here was one of them! Next to Carey was a tall girl named Georgetta who was a business major from here who liked rafting. Severin was next.
"I'm Severin and I'm also from Jadali. I am a music performance major on flute and percussion- you can't get much more different than that! Some interesting things about me are that I'm actually a sophomore and went to Attlefort Coastal University last year and Moira is my little sister."
The group oohed and ahhed and were very curious indeed about their dress and cool accents. Severin couldn't help but notice that a curly-haired boy with big, round eyes and a round face was a couple people away and kept staring between him and Moira, as if he wanted to say something but refrained out of shyness. He's have time to talk to him later and resolved to approach this boy at lunch. There was something oddly familiar about him...
"My name is Aurora and I'm from Rafi. I too am a music major and I play violin. Heads up Seylah, I'm Aury Estela's little sister! Something interesting is I love outer space."
The introductions kept coming. Two more people, Amy in econ and Rosie in business gave their intros and finally it was time for this young man that Severin couldn't get off his mind.
"My name is Aslan," he began in a very thick and odd accent that sounded like a mix of Keòen, Catin, and Binko, "I'm from Kile Point and I'm here because my older brother goes here ("Who is he?" "Declan, the trumpet player") and I really wanted to join him. I am also a music major and play the bassoon. Something interesting about me is that I really love to surf."
Joshua, though not in their group, decided to introduce himself anyway.
"I'm Joshua and I'm actually an OL but don't go until Thursday so I'm helping with all the registration details. I'm a junior majoring in animal medicine with a music minor and I play horn. Now get to work on your tour!"
Laughing, he ran off to the cafeteria to help with more details.
The tour of campus was very fun and certainly full of humor. They went through most of the buildings and Seylah was very good at keeping it all interesting ("This is a building I've never been in, so let's move on!"). When they got to the music building she had a lot to say and without going inside told them about how the classes were on the 2nd floor and how everything was fairly well-organized. Just as they were about to turn for another building a tall professor with chin-length blond hair ambled out the door and around the corner.
"That's Dr. Langley," whispered Seylah, "He's the percussion teacher and also does some advanced classes. He's great!"
They concluded their tour near where they started, at the cafeteria which was in the student center along with some games, the bookstore, and some other stores and shops. They waited quietly in line and then slowly made their way in. They were the 2nd group to arrive so they didn't have to wait long before entering and getting their choice of meals. Being pescatarian, Moira and Severin were a little worried about food but to their surprise and gratitude they offered lots of vegetarian foods. After grabbing what they wanted they made their way to a table in the back. As they sat down they caught Aslan's eye and waved him over. As he sat down, everything he had looked like he wanted to say came out.
"Oh I've been waiting to talk to you all morning! From the moment I saw you I knew you were pure Jadali Kiillra! I have tons of Jadali blood and speak Keoen!"
"You-... you do?" said Severin, his eyes wide.
" 'Ese, 'e tahre!" he replied.
Both of their jaws dropped. He was serious! Immediately they began to strike up conversation in their native tongue and he kept up no problem at all. Moira arose, holding her things, as she prepared to go back for something to drink.
"What's your crest?" asked Severin, in Keoen.
"My full name is Aslan Tilden Loch," he replied. The response was one he was not expecting. Moira dropped all of the things she was holding as her hands flew to her open mouth in shock and to stifle the scream that would surely have been let out as she loudly whispered "Osiel Iydan!" Severin spat out the water he had been drinking. Aslan looked taken aback but knew exactly why they were both looking at him with eyes as wide as saucers and their jaws to the floor. It was Severin who spoke first.
"You're.... you're of the... the Loch crest? The LOCH crest?? Does that mean you're-"
"Related to Mera Visi. Yes indeed!" Aslan knew exactly what he was going to say and, smiling, with Moira still staring at him speechless, finished his sentence for him. "I know what you're going to say next and yes I am related to Isli Loch AND Drakon Visai, though not as directly. Our common ancestor goes a couple centuries back but if you look at me you'll see that I have the green eyes found in his works."
Moira and Severin couldn't believe it. Here, of all places, they met a direct descendant of one of the most famous heroes in the history of Jadali! It was his ancestor's statue which stood majestically in the central square of Leena! Finally Moira collected her words and spoke.
"You're a Loch! I can't believe it! A Loch from Kiillaana who can speak Keoen! Tell me, does Herblore still run in your family?"
"Yes it does. My father is a pharmacist and although me and my brother are musicians we both have that healing power and a vast inborn knowledge of herbs both in medicine and in other uses."
Moira let out a squeal, a mix of dumbfoundedness and delight. The rest of lunch and in fact the rest of the day they spent talking about Jadali and crests and all manner of things. They talked to others from their group and others as well but always ended up talking to Aslan. By nightfall it was clear that they had become fast friends.
"Say, Aslan, where are you staying this school year? We have a house that can take up to two more people," Severin said, as the topic turned to housing.
"I really don't know, actually. For the moment I'm staying at my brother Declan's house north of here until I find a place. I know better than to stay in the dorms. I don't want to stay at his house forever because he's married an' all, and but until then..." His voice carried off as he realized just what Severin had said. He looked around as he thought and then quickly and excitedly said, "Can I live with you? We have a lot in common and I promise I'd be the perfect housemate!"
"That's exactly what we wanted you to ask!" said Moira cheerfully. "We have room for two more and you've proven to be the gem in the sand that we were hoping to find here. I felt strongly that we should go here, and it wasn't completely because Dr. Sorela was on the faculty. I have a feeling this was part of it."
"I would love to move in with you two! Where do you live?" Aslan replied, happy as if he had just heard the best news of his life.
"We live on the west side of Peace between Canton and Pillar. It's a small house with four bedrooms- two upstairs and two in the basement. It's got a recently added master bathroom so there's three bathrooms total and as far as we know it has plenty of space." Severin and Moira replied.
"That's really close! I'm set! Who do I call to move in?" he replied, excited.
"Call Jimmy Charles. He might be out of town since his daughter is having a baby but I'm sure he could get you a key. You can move in anytime you like!"
As Moira and Severin returned to their small home late that evening they couldn't believe the events that had taken place. Not only had they met several band students, they had also found themselves a third housemate and the beginning of a true friendship that would last forever. They couldn't wait for Wednesday to come upon them so that they could talk to Aslan as well as everyone else they'd met and show him to the house he would stay in for a long time to come.
"How did you sleep?" asked Moira. "Anything happen?"
"Nay, not this time," replied Severin, stretching, "I barely even dreamed it. It was so nice."
They talked for a moment about the series of events that awaited them and both went to their bathrooms to shower and get ready for the day. Severin climbed upstairs much later and found Moira already in the kitchen, making some toast and cooking up some oatmeal. Her hair was still wet but she was already dressed in some of the most Jadali clothing she could find in the large wooden chest they had taken with them across the country. She had on a long crimson tied skirt, just stopping above her woven sandals, and had on a light yellow tunic with charming embellishments and embroidery, knitted as a graduation present by her grandmother, a master craftswoman of textiles. She looked like she was ready for anything and definitely looked like a Jadali-Kiillra. Severin sat down at the table and began to help himself to some oatmeal, spiced with some herbs they had brought with them, and felt very under-dressed.
Eating together, they began to speculate the dealings of the day. Severin pulled out a red piece of paper which had the basics of freshman orientation on it and began reading it aloud.
Greetings incoming freshmen and transfer students and welcome to Orientation! Every year, KU hosts a special freshman orientation, running for the whole month of June, to teach the incoming class the campus layout, provide and assist in important procedures all in one place, and to teach them the basic ways of campus life. In order to help people meet other students that they will likely see in class, we do each session by major. Those with an undeclared or double major may choose which session to attend and each session runs for 2 days and 1 night. The dorms are open for people to stay but those who have already secured housing or wish to stay in a hotel may do so if they have indicated so on their sheet. Please refer to page 4 of the included packet for more details.
The session running from 8:00am Tuesday, June 7, to 4:00pm Wednesday, June 8, is designated for the following majors:
BUSINESS
ECONOMICS
LANGUAGE STUDIES
MUSIC
Please report to Larson Hall no later than 8:00am to receive your orientation packet, free tshirt, and for your orientation leader (OL) assignment.
The session running from 8:00am Tuesday, June 7, to 4:00pm Wednesday, June 8, is designated for the following majors:
BUSINESS
ECONOMICS
LANGUAGE STUDIES
MUSIC
Please report to Larson Hall no later than 8:00am to receive your orientation packet, free tshirt, and for your orientation leader (OL) assignment.
"Sounds boring..." said Moira, unimpressed.
"I can't wait to see how many people run up to us when they notice that we appear to be plucked from Jadali!" said Severin, trying to hide his smile. One of this favorite things was getting stares by Kiillaanian folk and hearing them talk about Jadali, even if for a moment.
"Well- get dressed in your best!" said Moira quickly, "You're the one who loves attracting curious onlookers!"
With all their things in hand, they prepared to head for the dorms. Mr. Charles had pointed it out on the way in so at least they knew where they were headed. Severin was dressed in a white tunic and a travelers' cloak and his black hair was just as curly as ever, a strong trait of the Lochgren family. His hair may not be golden blonde, like a typical Lochgren or like Moira's, but he was a Lochgren all the way and was very proud of his ancestry. He looked at himself in the mirror and was pleased by what he saw. A stone pendant hung around his neck, held in place by a black cord. It was a gift to him from a family friend who was a sculpture art apprentice. Moira was behind him making sure she looked good as well. Around her neck was a butterfly pendant that she found on her latest trip to Meren Bha and had quickly recognized as a true and rare apprentice piece.
Finally, at 7:30, they were ready to go and left their house, locking the door with their shiny keys behind them. They had put up a lovely handwoven tapestry over the large front window and looked over their shoulders as they walked down the road, admiring its beauty. It had a light blue background and had a large but somewhat abstracted butterfly of a bronze tan color on it- a symbol of Terabi. The Jadali flag was waving lazily in the wind on the flagpole that they were pleased to discover in the pictures Mr. Charles had sent.
"I wonder how many people Mr. Charles helps," thought Moira, admiring the lovely sunrise to her right.
"He's a wonderful man. Did you hear? His daughter is having a baby any day now. I think that's wonderful. I'd love to have him as a grandfather."
"Did you hear also that his other daughter is also in band here? She plays trumpet and is also married to a trumpet player. And his daughter having a baby lives in Tarra! I've always wanted to visit there. A flute player even! How awesome is that!"
Severin smiled as he heard this. Although at Attlefort Coastal he was a percussion major, his real love was the flute. It was all Moira's fault, he thought. She's the one who found that flute and then taught me how to play once she learned. She showed me to my true love.
They crossed the street and after about 15 minutes of walking noticed a large crowd of what looked like high school kids. Some stood alone in line, trying to look poised and mature. Others were chasing each other, yelling and giggling, some flirting. Some were chatting to each other and still others looked terrified. About half had a parent there with them and a few people had their whole family there. Moira and Severin took their place at the end of the line and talked to each other, the whole time glancing around to see if anyone was staring at them.
"Do you realize that we're likely going to become friends with some of these people?" Moira said, amused.
"I just can't wait until we find out our little group," said Severin, as he watched a rusty-haired boy walk by, accompanied by his father, a short man with a limp. "I wonder if any one of these people are a Terabikai."
Moira gave him an annoyed and warning look. "Oh not now! There will be a time for that. The last thing you need is to be thinking abou-"
Her sentence was cut off as three loud girls chasing a frisbee ran past, almost crashing into them. They jumped out of the way and just smiled at them, as an angry-looking man in line ahead shouted "Hey! Watch where you're going!"
As they neared the front of the line they noticed a girl a couple people ahead of them. She was wearing a knee-length beige linen skirt and a light blue capped sleeve tank top. Her hair was long and straight, way past her shoulders, but the reason they noticed her was because her hair was so red that it was literally orange. It was shiny and strikingly beautiful and as soon as they saw the man next to her they knew it was all natural. He was a short and round man, with a pointy nose and small jaw, and his extreme red hair was combed across in a side part. The girl and her father approached the table labeled J-M and there behind the table was a boy with hair equally as ginger.
"Oh my goodness! They're 'Airbhrochs!!" said Moira excitedly, in Keoen to avoid the inevitable awkward silence that would have followed, as she would have definitely been heard by nearly the whole vicinity.
"Shhhh! Don't talk so loud!" Severin replied, also in Keoen, "We don't want to be drawing attention to ourselves just yet!" although he couldn't help but notice that all three of them had the exact same hair color. "Besides, I believe the term that Kiillra use is redhead. It means the exact same thing."
Upon getting closer to the table, they noticed that the redhead working the table had a name sticker that read "Joshua Norbert." As the redhead girl approached with her father Joshua greeted them, not by asking for their last name, but by smiling and saying, "Hi Rachael! Welcome to campus! You'll totally love it here. Here's all the stuff you'll ever want to know and this one's for you Dad." As he said this he handed them both a shirt. "Your OL is Seylah Renvasu and she's over there (he pointed to his left) with a sign. Enjoy this time- she's a music major too and will make a lengthy stop at the music building. We made sure to put as many music majors in that group as we could."
Their ears perked up a bit more. So, this beautiful redhead and that boy were siblings, and both music majors! As she and her father walked away it was their turn to step forward.
"Hello, you two! What's your last name?" Joshua asked as they got closer.
"It's Lochgren," said Severin gently.
"Ah- how do you spell that?" he asked.
"L-O-C-H-G-R-E-N" he said quickly and clearly.
"Oh! You're the two from Jadali! You're music majors, correct?"
"We sure are!" said Moira grinning.
"That's great! I am too. I'm Joshua Norbert and I play horn," he said, shaking their hands. "You must be Moira..." he said as he handed her a packet of information, a tshirt, a bag, and a lanyard, "And you must be Severin!"
"We are indeed!" replied Severin, taking his own materials. "We were just noticing that the people in front of us had bright red hair like you. Are you 'Airbhrochs?"
"Believe it or not, we are indeed related to the 'Airbhroch family. It goes back a couple generations but yup my great grandparents are straight from Dahhod. I just recently found this out too and I love my hair so much." Josh replied, as if he had been waiting to tell someone this for weeks.
"Well we love our eyes," Severin smiled, "It's very nice to meet you. I'm glad we have at least... two people that we'll see this fall? Wasn't that girl that was just here your sister?"
"Indeed she was, you have a sharp eye! Although it's hard to miss our hair. The whole family's redheads! She's in your group- her name's Rachael, with two A's. Your OL leader is Seylah Renvasu and I can see her over there, where my sister and dad are standing. You're the first to get here. I hope I can chat with you later!"
With this he waved and they waved back, walking towards the sign which read "Seylah Renvasu" on a stake in the ground. She caught sight of them and waved and they hurried over. The only other people there were Rachael and her father, and when they caught sight of Moira and Severin they looked quite excited.
"Hi! I'm Rachael, and this is my dad Ezra. You must be the Lochgrens! My brother had heard that we'd be getting Jadali-Kiillra again and when he saw your names he knew you were the ones and made sure you got put with the group with mostly music majors."
Moira and Severin smiled at this and felt very honored that they had been talked about enough among faculty and students that they did their own sleuthing to get them situated with other musicians. They introduced themselves and then they all introduced themselves to Seylah and then all began talking about the instruments they played and where they were from.
"I'm a horn player like my brother. There's another redhead brother of ours here who plays trombone but he's a music minor and you'll only see him in band. His name's Isaiah."
As Rachael talked they couldn't help but notice that her eyes were a pure green, the color of emerald crystals in the sun. She had a soft smile and an oval face like that of Catins. Seylah was next to introduce herself. In a heavy Catin accent she spoke:
"My name is Seylah and I am originally from a city in Catarika called Tumira but I moved to Kiillaana when I was 9 and lived in Aildfror, Vetonia, until I was 15 and I moved to Sunway. I play violin in orchestra and hope to see some of you in it."
At this Rachael's eyebrows raised. "Did you say Sunway? My boyfriend is from Sunway!"
Seylah's eyes got wide. "Oh! You're dating Nathan Surcaston! He's a wonderful, wonderful young man. We went to school together and had class all the time."
Now it was Moira and Severin's turn to speak. "Wait a minute- did you say Nathan Surcaston? Why does that name sound so familiar... I know we just heard it somewhere...." It was Moira who made the connection first and enlightenment struck as she said "Oh Severin of course! He's one of the names on the basket of food that was left on our table as a welcome gift!"
"Ah, that sounds like exactly something he would do," said Rachael, smiling brightly, "He's always watching out for everyone and has this peace about him that fills up a room. It's like he glows with kindness. He too is a horn player and I must say I am very excited to be in band with him and my brother."
Moira and Severin were quite intrigued by this man now. Who was he? What did he look like? They looked at each other but didn't say anything yet, but the way Rachael and even Seylah were describing him made them wonder if he could possibly be a Terabikai. If he was, then he would be able to speak Keoen with them and so much more...
The hour went on and soon it was 8:30 and almost everyone had been sorted to their orientation leaders. There were 20 OL's in total, each with a group of roughly 10 students. When everything had settled down each group went to a different part of the grass that made up the central court of the dorms. In the center was a fountain with an abstract design of a globe with rings around it, with an area big enough for a few people to sit while the rest sat in the grass. Rachael's dad had left and it was just 12 of them (Joshua had come and joined their group until he had to be at the cafeteria organizing lunch) by the fountain. Wearing a skirt, Moira sat on the fountain bench next to Rachael, with Seylah and Joshua next to them.
They went around their circle and once again introduced themselves by saying their name, major, hometown, and an interesting fact. It was very informal and most people shyly looked around.
"Well I'll start. I'm Seylah and I'm your OL. I'm from Tumira, Catarika, but moved to Aildfror at 9 and Sunway at 15. I'm a sophomore here as a Music Ed major and I play the violin."
"I'm Rachael and I'm a Music Ed major. I play horn and I'm from South Kennywood. Something interesting about me is that my family breeds dogs and train them."
"I'm Moira and I'm from Jadali. I went to school in Taleah and chose to come here because there's a Jadali-Kiillra on the music faculty and I this college caught my eye, plus it was a change. I play the flute and I'm a performance major. Another interesting thing about me is that I found my first flute in a secondhand shop and bought it out of curiosity."
"The name's Carey and I'm from Pathreeah. I too am a music performance major and I play the oboe. Something interesting... Hmm... My best friend is 14 years old and both our families moved and ended up on the same street."
Severin recognized him as the rusty-haired boy that they saw earlier with the limping man and laughed as he realized that he had been thinking that some of these people they would come to know well. Here was one of them! Next to Carey was a tall girl named Georgetta who was a business major from here who liked rafting. Severin was next.
"I'm Severin and I'm also from Jadali. I am a music performance major on flute and percussion- you can't get much more different than that! Some interesting things about me are that I'm actually a sophomore and went to Attlefort Coastal University last year and Moira is my little sister."
The group oohed and ahhed and were very curious indeed about their dress and cool accents. Severin couldn't help but notice that a curly-haired boy with big, round eyes and a round face was a couple people away and kept staring between him and Moira, as if he wanted to say something but refrained out of shyness. He's have time to talk to him later and resolved to approach this boy at lunch. There was something oddly familiar about him...
"My name is Aurora and I'm from Rafi. I too am a music major and I play violin. Heads up Seylah, I'm Aury Estela's little sister! Something interesting is I love outer space."
The introductions kept coming. Two more people, Amy in econ and Rosie in business gave their intros and finally it was time for this young man that Severin couldn't get off his mind.
"My name is Aslan," he began in a very thick and odd accent that sounded like a mix of Keòen, Catin, and Binko, "I'm from Kile Point and I'm here because my older brother goes here ("Who is he?" "Declan, the trumpet player") and I really wanted to join him. I am also a music major and play the bassoon. Something interesting about me is that I really love to surf."
Joshua, though not in their group, decided to introduce himself anyway.
"I'm Joshua and I'm actually an OL but don't go until Thursday so I'm helping with all the registration details. I'm a junior majoring in animal medicine with a music minor and I play horn. Now get to work on your tour!"
Laughing, he ran off to the cafeteria to help with more details.
The tour of campus was very fun and certainly full of humor. They went through most of the buildings and Seylah was very good at keeping it all interesting ("This is a building I've never been in, so let's move on!"). When they got to the music building she had a lot to say and without going inside told them about how the classes were on the 2nd floor and how everything was fairly well-organized. Just as they were about to turn for another building a tall professor with chin-length blond hair ambled out the door and around the corner.
"That's Dr. Langley," whispered Seylah, "He's the percussion teacher and also does some advanced classes. He's great!"
They concluded their tour near where they started, at the cafeteria which was in the student center along with some games, the bookstore, and some other stores and shops. They waited quietly in line and then slowly made their way in. They were the 2nd group to arrive so they didn't have to wait long before entering and getting their choice of meals. Being pescatarian, Moira and Severin were a little worried about food but to their surprise and gratitude they offered lots of vegetarian foods. After grabbing what they wanted they made their way to a table in the back. As they sat down they caught Aslan's eye and waved him over. As he sat down, everything he had looked like he wanted to say came out.
"Oh I've been waiting to talk to you all morning! From the moment I saw you I knew you were pure Jadali Kiillra! I have tons of Jadali blood and speak Keoen!"
"You-... you do?" said Severin, his eyes wide.
" 'Ese, 'e tahre!" he replied.
Both of their jaws dropped. He was serious! Immediately they began to strike up conversation in their native tongue and he kept up no problem at all. Moira arose, holding her things, as she prepared to go back for something to drink.
"What's your crest?" asked Severin, in Keoen.
"My full name is Aslan Tilden Loch," he replied. The response was one he was not expecting. Moira dropped all of the things she was holding as her hands flew to her open mouth in shock and to stifle the scream that would surely have been let out as she loudly whispered "Osiel Iydan!" Severin spat out the water he had been drinking. Aslan looked taken aback but knew exactly why they were both looking at him with eyes as wide as saucers and their jaws to the floor. It was Severin who spoke first.
"You're.... you're of the... the Loch crest? The LOCH crest?? Does that mean you're-"
"Related to Mera Visi. Yes indeed!" Aslan knew exactly what he was going to say and, smiling, with Moira still staring at him speechless, finished his sentence for him. "I know what you're going to say next and yes I am related to Isli Loch AND Drakon Visai, though not as directly. Our common ancestor goes a couple centuries back but if you look at me you'll see that I have the green eyes found in his works."
Moira and Severin couldn't believe it. Here, of all places, they met a direct descendant of one of the most famous heroes in the history of Jadali! It was his ancestor's statue which stood majestically in the central square of Leena! Finally Moira collected her words and spoke.
"You're a Loch! I can't believe it! A Loch from Kiillaana who can speak Keoen! Tell me, does Herblore still run in your family?"
"Yes it does. My father is a pharmacist and although me and my brother are musicians we both have that healing power and a vast inborn knowledge of herbs both in medicine and in other uses."
Moira let out a squeal, a mix of dumbfoundedness and delight. The rest of lunch and in fact the rest of the day they spent talking about Jadali and crests and all manner of things. They talked to others from their group and others as well but always ended up talking to Aslan. By nightfall it was clear that they had become fast friends.
"Say, Aslan, where are you staying this school year? We have a house that can take up to two more people," Severin said, as the topic turned to housing.
"I really don't know, actually. For the moment I'm staying at my brother Declan's house north of here until I find a place. I know better than to stay in the dorms. I don't want to stay at his house forever because he's married an' all, and but until then..." His voice carried off as he realized just what Severin had said. He looked around as he thought and then quickly and excitedly said, "Can I live with you? We have a lot in common and I promise I'd be the perfect housemate!"
"That's exactly what we wanted you to ask!" said Moira cheerfully. "We have room for two more and you've proven to be the gem in the sand that we were hoping to find here. I felt strongly that we should go here, and it wasn't completely because Dr. Sorela was on the faculty. I have a feeling this was part of it."
"I would love to move in with you two! Where do you live?" Aslan replied, happy as if he had just heard the best news of his life.
"We live on the west side of Peace between Canton and Pillar. It's a small house with four bedrooms- two upstairs and two in the basement. It's got a recently added master bathroom so there's three bathrooms total and as far as we know it has plenty of space." Severin and Moira replied.
"That's really close! I'm set! Who do I call to move in?" he replied, excited.
"Call Jimmy Charles. He might be out of town since his daughter is having a baby but I'm sure he could get you a key. You can move in anytime you like!"
As Moira and Severin returned to their small home late that evening they couldn't believe the events that had taken place. Not only had they met several band students, they had also found themselves a third housemate and the beginning of a true friendship that would last forever. They couldn't wait for Wednesday to come upon them so that they could talk to Aslan as well as everyone else they'd met and show him to the house he would stay in for a long time to come.
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