whiteoak academy

[oshibana]

The country of Esmos has a proud tradition of raising the children of its noble houses into powerful mages who wield all manner of control over the magic that runs through the world. To this end, the most magically adept (and, typically, richest and most well-bred) children are sent to the prestigious White Oak Academy. Here, they learn how to get along and more importantly, how to mingle and socialize in high society. Etiquette and history classes are held alongside magical theory and combat and it's impossible to tell just which is more dangerous – the magic the students are learning to control or the social circles they're expected to begin navigating. Still, White Oak is known through the land for a reason and with nobles and royalty in attendance, the security and care taken in protecting their students make this the safest place in all of Esmos. Surely nothing could go wrong in a place like White Oak.

Comments

[calyptroll]

[Through gritted teeth:] The correct address for a sitting duchess is your Grace, Miss West.

[Technically true, although notably not a formality that Miss my-friends-call-me-Dulcie Calpiny ever seems to insist on with anyone but Lily.]

Don't be more foolish than you can help- if we agreed on a message beforehand, we could simply lie and say we received it when the teacher asks, no matter if we succeed or not. Think of a message and then, once you receive yours, write it down and give it to the teacher.

Assuming you even know how to write, that is. [She's seen her write all the time. Something about Lily just always makes her want to get in one last jab, anywhere she can, even when she knows it's inaccurate or unfair.]

[oshibana]

[ Th... there's just no winning here... ]

I... see... um, thank you... your Grace...

[ Just. Smile your way through class and collapse on Mina during your next free period. You can do it, Lily. ]

Then... would you like to get us started? So I can, um... follow your example...

[calyptroll]

[Dulcinea turns her back on Lily entirely, and cups her hands over her lips. With considerable effort, she calls up the magic of the air, bidding the wind to carry the softly-whispered words from her mouth to the recipient's ears alone, silent to any other.]

[She barely manages it, the message carried all but inaudible- but it does come through, as though she's pressed her lips right up to the shell of Lily's ear to faintly murmur:]

The next time you speak to me without permission, I will fill your bed with spiders.

[...Well, at least she sent a message?]

[oshibana]

[



Well she got the message, at least! ]

I... see...

[ She sets herself to write it down - then hesitates, her inclination to actually Do The Assignment and her desire to stay in her lane visibly battling it out. ]

Are you... quite sure that's the message you'd like the teacher to read?

[ there's absolutely no way Lily can tone it down into NOT being a threat without just outright lying about it. ]

[calyptroll]

Did I stutter Miss West? [Her enunciation is so sharp it could cut glass.]

[oshibana]

N–not at all! I'd be quite impressed if you could, in such circumstances, actually...

[ h e l p ]

I just thought... your intentions might be, ah... misunderstood by our teacher, is all.

[calyptroll]

[Flatly:] I'm not at all convinced that you do think.

It's a simple assignment. Try not to embarrass yourself.

[The alarming thing is, she's actually trying to curb her temper, here- remain merely insulting, instead of escalating. Frankly, Lily could be standing quietly in an empty room and it'd still piss her off. "Look at this bitch, standing. How dare she."]

[oshibana]

If you insist, your Grace.

[ ... okay, lily's a pretty charitable girl but even she has her limits and she finds herself deciding that if the teacher has Questions about it, Dulcie can handle herself just fine. ]

You didn't have any trouble getting the message through, did you? I should make a note of that as well, if it's the case...

[calyptroll]

Don't be ridiculous- it's not as though you're going to have any trouble with it, if you're even half as good as they think you are.

[Dulcie is a deeply honest girl, at heart. Even if it means admitting that Lily might, in fact, be good at something, she can't bring herself to lie.]

[She can sure make it sound insulting, though.]

[oshibana]

[ whiplash... ]

M-maybe not but... It's good to be thorough, I think?

[ Whether or not she'd meant it as an insult - it's true that Lily can't just rely on talent to coast by. ]

I'd like to ensure I do everything properly, at least.

[calyptroll]

If there's any strain in the spell, it's because I have little talent with wind magic. [Her jaw clenches, and she looks like she's only replying in words because she's too well-bred to spit.] Get on with it and get it over with.

[Not good with wind magic, no- not very naturally good with any magic in particular, as far as Lily would know from seeing her in class.]

[The truth is that she's an absolute expert at exactly one form of magic, and it's the one she's required to take with her to her grave. And she has never once flinched from duty- but there are times it galls, to know that she'll have to spend the rest of her life hobbling herself, never showing her potential to the public eye.]

[The elements of the natural world, wind and stone and water... they all just feel so cold and sterile to her, compared to blood magic. Light and fire are brighter, but they're just not the same.]

[oshibana]

[ Ah. Somehow, hearing that right from the girl herself makes Lily feel a little bad – not bad enough not to take a note of it (it's for class, she's not getting a bad grade just because the lovely Lady Calpiny is Like This) but it still strikes an odd note of sympathy with her all the same. The two of them might not get along, but she's seen how hard Dulcie works – how frustrating it must be for her results to be stymied by something she truly can't help.

With that, she turns her face away from Dulcie and carefully cups her hands around her mouth. A playful breeze catches her voice, just present enough to ruffle Dulcie's hair as it carries her words along. ]

Mulching is the addition of a protective layer around the base of your roses. This process helps your roses to retain moisture, suppresses weeds...

[ ... she panicked and just started reciting from one of her gardening books for lack of anything else to say. ]

[calyptroll]

Hmph.

[Dulcie scoffs audibly and looks away. Still, her expression softens just the tiniest fraction as she dutifully takes the message down in her perfect, elegant noblewoman's handwriting.]

[She's always been quite fond of roses.]

[Then she looks up and catches sight of Lily, and her expression sours again.]

This garden already has one too many flowers.

[Scowl once more firmly in place, she snatches up her paper and stalks off to go hand it in. Probably one of the least comfortable school assignments either of them have had in a while, but at least everyone survived.]