By Blood and Craft [IC Thread]

[Arcran]

Servius slinks into the dining hall behind his companions, doing his best to appear as a nobody which, when you're a sickly twig, isn't all that difficult. If he was a nobody people would ignore him and he could focus more on just training.

When the food arrives Servius tears into it with relish. While he hadn't received the majority of the real benefits of being a noble, quality food was always a pleasure he had been able to enjoy. The days on the trail had taxed his body and his palate, the trail food not providing nearly the standard the boy was used to.

For a short time Servius simply sits in silence, happy to eat without interruption. When Elana interjects with his question Servius considers answering, only to have the others quickly interject their own replies. Tiberius' claim is more than enough to interrupt Servius' train of thought; not only could he take himself to the sky, but he could bring others with him? Servius frowns at that; were the others that strong? That far ahead? All he was good at was making the earth move just enough to help him, not accomplishing great feats. Even what the boy had done in the dorms was far greater in scope than anything Servius was capable of. He'd need to work harder than he had at home if he wanted to keep up, it would seem. At least he'd have a real teacher here.

Of course, when Servius sees Manius he visibly slides down in his seat, trying to make himself as small at possible. At home, Manius had usually just ignored him, rarely making him the target of his ire. Usually, but the few times that that had not been the case had been more than enough to teach Servius his lesson. He'd beat him someday, but right now? Having his face be used as a floormop wasn't high on his to-do list.

"Whatever lets me beat him," he finally mutters in reply to Elana's question, more to himself than anybody else.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Wow, okay, yeah. As soon as we're aloud to go outside, I so want to try that!" Elana said excitedly. "I mean, if that's okay," she added, after thinking that sounded kinda pushy.

She tilted her head curiously at Servius's softly-spoken words. "Beat who?" she asked, not quite whispering, but keeping her voice low enough that it shouldn't easily be overheard by kids at other tables in the bustling dining hall.

[Segrain]

"Fly faster than a horse? How fast do horses fly?" - Cornelia glanced at Tiberius with puzzled expression on her face, but the question in her thoughts remained not asked. Elana - who, apparently, took it on herself to keep everyone involved in discussions and direct the conversations - already switched her attention to somebody else's words, and they sounded more important than bragging about crafts and abilities. Innocent wishes like healing (on which Cornelia could comment, but now was not the right time) and flying are one thing, but beating somebody? Was it truly the right thing to do with talents that they had and education that they were supposed to be receiving here? Girl frowned and, taking another sip of water to avoid being dragged into the conversation too soon, looked at the Servius, studying his reaction. Were they really going to discuss something like this on the first day in the Academy?

Of course, having a pleasant table talk was out of the question now. So the only enjoyable thing left was the first decent meal after the long travel, and Cornelia gave it proper appreciation. She was eating slowly, but certainly not due to any lack of enjoyment, and having at least the cup of water at her lips excused quiet girl from joining the conversation - at least until discussion will either return to more appropriate topics or go too far to be left without comments.

[Starbin]

Lucius Maro Virgilius

The conversation took a turn for the interesting when Servius began muttering under his breath and Elana took the comment and ran with it. He leaned back, listening to what was said.

[Hyperbolic sine]

"Sure." Tiberius answers Elana with a smile. He then shifts his attention to Servius, whom apparently she managed to get to talk: quite the feat, at least judging from the short period he has been acquainted with the earthcrafter. Wonder whom he's talking about.

[Zelphas]

Gaius quietly continued eating, though his attention turned to the group. He saw Lucius doing the same, and smiled to himself. At least one other member of his team understood the value in gaining information rather than giving information.

[TooManySecrets]

Elana

You don't notice anyone using craft, though whether that's because it's not allowed or whether they are and you're just not noticing it or something else entirely is hard to tell. You could use your own craft to find out one way or the other but that might not be wise if there's a rule against crafting.

Servius

Unfortunately, your attempts to hide go about as poorly as they usually do around your brother. He glances over to you and, when he sees you, a big insincere smile fills his face.

Everyone

One of the students walks over to your table. He turns towards Servius and you can see a certain familial resemblance between them, but where Servius is small for his age this boy is well-muscled and fit. "Ah, brother, it's good to see you. I was worried that I would never see your face again. And what a tragedy that would be." He nods. "Oh yes. But, it looks like you made good time ... all things considered," he says meaningfully.

[Starbin]

Lucius Maro Virgilius

Lucius considered saying something biting to the larger boy, but elected to keep quiet for now. While he was somewhat annoyed by this boy's general attitude, he didn't know anything about him ... or his brother Servius, for that matter. And to be honest, Servius hadn't given him any reason to defend him. Besides, sometime you need to fight your own battles.

Lucius sipped his water, watching Servius and his brother carefully ... how this turned out would be key to Lucius' perspective of both boys from here on out.

[Hyperbolic sine]

...he was definitely talking about him, wasn't he? Bet he's a firecrafter.

It didn't take a genius to figure out the true meaning behind Manius' words, nor what was the probable outcome. Still, Tiberius shoots an encouraging look towards Servius, in hope of the boy defying his expectations and standing up for himself.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Elana gave a cheery grin at Tiberius's agreement, before the approaching student drew her attention. Her face went from casual interest as the boy approached to welcoming friendliness at his first words to...a flat look of annoyed confusion as he continued talking. She didn't even need the passive enhancement of her aethercraft to perceive the insulting disdain in his words. She didn't say anything, because she had no idea what their relationship was like. She and her siblings teased each other all the time.

Granted, that didn't sound like teasing. It actually sounded like just the opposite of teasing, seemingly positive words made mean-spirited by tone and history. But who was she to judge another family's relationships?

But if that were so...the real question, to Elana's mind, was why the two brothers would be so at odds with each other?

[Zelphas]

Gaius kept his face carefully neutral as Servius' brother talked. On the one hand, Servius was just an Earthcrafter, and his brother seemed to be popular among the other students; on the other hand, if the group he came with were supposed to be his "team" of some sort, then he might get penalized for slighting his teammate. Therefore, he simply sat, waiting to see how Servius would take his brother's jibes.

[Arcran]

As Manius approaches, Servius slides further up in his chair, bringing him to his full, unimposing ten-year old height. He looked younger than that, with his long, gangly arms and almost unhealthily skinny frame. The glare coming from his eyes, on the other hand, was coming from anything but a ten-year old; even to an idiot the amount that Servius hates his brother would be abundantly clear.

Servius' eyes flick around the table as Manius speaks, trying to figure out what he could do. Running, of course, was out of the question; if the first thing he did here was flee from Manius he'd be branded a coward for the rest of his time here. There was no way he could hope to fight his brother; he had four years and probably at least eighty pounds on him without even taking his prodigious crafting into account. Still, at the same time, Manius probably couldn't fight him, right? In public, in a dining hall of all places? If he was careful he couldn't get picked off when the teachers weren't looking, right? It would be dumb to taunt Manius, but this could be the first time ever he could get away with it.

"Hello Manius," the sickly boy says, only the hint of a quiver in his voice. "All things considered?" he says, voice acting as if he didn't know what he was talking about. "I don't - Oh!" he says suddenly, as if the thought had just come to him. "Do you mean the fact that I didn't leave with my mouth still on mother's teat? It was a struggle getting all my things here without all the servants you seemed to have," Servius says, knowing how reckless he was being but hardly caring. "I managed alright though. I didn't know you cared, to be honest. It's nice."

[Starbin]

Lucius Maro Virgilius

Lucius raised his eyebrows in a bit of surprise, wondering what the relationship was exactly between these two. He was used to bullies, having survived them for almost all his life. But he rarely would engage one head-on, recklessly even. Maybe it was a calculated risk that his brother wouldn't react in public. Or maybe this was normal for their family. Or maybe Servius was actually of a higher station than his brother. Regardless, Lucius remained quiet for now - he was still uncertain of expectations, both for conduct here at the Academy and with regards to the five he had arrived with.

Once an action was taken, once you drew lines and picked sides, it was difficult to go back and change your mind. Calmly, he waited, but he remained prepared to move out of the way should this turn into something else.

[TooManySecrets]

Manius' smile, if anything, grows wider and he pats Servius on his shoulder. "Oh brother, it seems like the trip has left you rather irritable. I know that new experiences often leave idiots confused and angry, but I never took you for a fool. Perhaps we can have a discussion about your mental well-being later on. In private. I'd hate for your companions to think less of you after our little discussion."

"Speaking of which." Manius glances around at the others at the table. "Since my brother seems to have found a sharp tongue but lost his good manners in the process, I'll have to introduce myself. Manius Vibius and this is my little brother."" He pats Servius' shoulder again. "My favorite little brother."

He looks back at Servius and then leans on the table next to him. "But you misunderstand me brother. I wasn't commenting on your inability to find anybody willing to help you with your travels. Father had contacted me and told me you had been recruited. He had also told me a little bit about your instructor, Gaius Horatius Scaeva. Seems the agent isn't held in all that high a regard by his colleagues. I was worried that he was incompetent and that your association with him might bring dishonor to the family. And to you, of course. He seems to have brought you here safely, though not in the best of moods, so perhaps he isn't as bad as they say."

Manius leans away from the table and raises his head a little as he looks all around the dining room. "Brother, I can't say that I could recognize this Gaius Horatius by sight. Perhaps you could point him out to me?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

So, let's be clear here, Elana had a really good sense of people. She was naturally sensitive to the emotions of others. Most people she could read like a book. Even firecrafters, sometimes, although they were harder. That said, Elana also had her own beliefs and prejudices. To her, family was pretty much sacred. The idea of two siblings having the relationship that Servius and Manius actually had was...pretty much unthinkable. So when Manius put on that facade of compassion, Elana was all too happy to take it at face value. She got the sense that Servius was, perhaps, prone to this sort of irritability, that Manius was trying to get him to relax before he alienated himself from his new dorm-mates. That would have kinda fit with what they had seen of him so far. Hopefully he'd warm up eventually.

"Elana Pirea," she replied, again wearing a friendly smile, to Manius's introduction.

[Arcran]

"Only little brother," Servius can't help but mutters, not wanting there to be any confusion among where he stood in his brother's eyes.

As Manius mentions Horatius' ineptitude, Servius has a sinking feeling in his stomach. He could handle a lot of things, but if Servius was stuck with an inferior teacher on top of everything else? That wouldn't help his plan at all. He needed some edge here.

Each word by Manius cause's Servius face to blanch just a bit more, ending with his brother asking for where Horatius was. Sure, he could do that at home, but here? They shouldn't care, right? They were supposed to be as equal as students from all walks of life could be. It wasn't even like he'd been here long enough to actually earn enough seniority to really matter, right?

Servius makes a show of looking about, clearly trying to find somebody. "I'd love to," the boy states as he looks about, "but I don't think I see him here. Maybe he went back to his quarters?" the young boy says, one of his knees shaking profusely beneath the table.

Spoiler: Actions

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We like to lie! (1d20+4)[21]

[Hyperbolic sine]

Tiberius observes with a puzzled expression the two brothers exchanging "pleasantries", unable to see through Manius' false kindness: it' not like he isn't used to attrition between siblings. Servius is his teammate and that alone would assure his support should things escalate, but for now Tiberius considers himself a neutral party and thus he sees no reason not to be on friendly terms with both of them; still, saying that the agent that picked him is an incompetent is like saying that all six of them are, and that's a bit irritating.

"Tiberius Horatius." he introduces himself with a polite smile. "But remember, not being held in high regards does not imply incompetence. Only unpopular opinions." he then adds with a hint of annoyance.

[TooManySecrets]

Manius inclines his head politely towards Elana, in acknowledgement. "Pleased to meet you, Pirea."

"I'd love to, but I don't think I see him here. Maybe he went back to his quarters?"

"Really?" Manius' smile disappears for a moment — he seems actually surprised — but it comes back in an instant. "Well, I'm sure he had something more important to attend to then watching over you, hmmm?"

"Tiberius Horatius. But remember, not being held in high regards does not imply incompetence. Only unpopular opinions."

Manius turns to Tiberius. "Well, Horatius, smoke doesn't always mean fire, either, but I'd like to ere on the side of caution. Now, I'd love to trade quips, but I have some work I must attend to. Good evening." Manius then leaves.

[Starbin]

Lucius Maro Virgilius

Lucius sat quietly during the exchange, and it was over before the rest of them could respond. It was certainly interesting - Servius had indeed stood up for himself, almost to the point of being rude. It raised questions about what the real relationship was between the two of them - not-so-friendly rivalry, sibling domination, or simple jealousy?

Rather than take a side just yet, since Servius had done little to earn any sympathy for himself yet, Lucius continued to be silent. He could respect that the boy hadn't rolled over, but there was more to learn here. However, the comments in reference to their selection agent did make it clear none of them probably understood the politics or social dynamics here.

Spoiler: OOC note

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Just so y'all know, on weekends my post rate drops ... family time and all that. Hopefully that isn't too big of a deal? If so, just consider Lucius in watch and learn mode

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Good to meet you too," Elana said as he left. Guy seemed a bit arrogant, honestly, but decent enough for all that, she figured. "That's lucky, your brother being here too," she said to Servius with a wistful smile, because Elana had absolutely no clue here, no she did not. But she knew that she would have felt a bit more comfortable with more familiar faces around.

[Zelphas]

Gaius quietly watches Manius go, feeling like he missed something. Maybe it was just a siblings thing? He shrugs and returns to his food.

[Arcran]

Servius lets out a sigh as Manius leaves, doing his best to keep it to a small one. Servius looks at Elana with a strange expression, not quite understanding in what world having his brother here would be lucky. Was she making fun of him?

"Yeah. Lucky," he says bitterly, pushing some food around on his plate, his appetite gone, keeping his eyes locked tightly on the plate. Maybe things wouldn't be as good here as he thought they'd be.

[TooManySecrets]

Dinner doesn't go on for much longer. There's another series of bells and the remaining students and teachers get up to leave. The students who had brought out the food in the first place come out to clean up. Taking the hint, you get up as well and leave to return to your rooms.

_/ _/ _/ _/ _/

You are now back in your rooms, with the sky outside rapidly darkening. You have still not seen Gaius Horatius anywhere since first arriving at the Academy.

Spoiler: OOC

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If the party wants to do any particular action, you can do that now. Otherwise, I'll just skip to the next morning.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Elana was considering just turning in for the night, but there was something nagging at her. She actually really kinda wanted to know what the rules were on crafting in the Academy, during meals and otherwise. She was sure it was something that would be explained to them...but not necessarily before breakfast tomorrow. "Hey guys, I'm going to go see if I can ask Instructor Horatius what the rules are for like...crafting and stuff here. Anyone want to come?" she offered, partly to be friendly...buuuut mostly because she kinda didn't want to go wandering the Academy halls alone at night, even if he was pretty much right down the hall. Made her apprehensive.

Spoiler: OOC

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In other news, is Instructor an appropriate title for him? I wasn't sure if it would be Instructor or Professor or something else or if we're just supposed to use his name.

By the way, if everyone else would rather just skip ahead, Elana can just talk herself out of doing it tonight if she doesn't have company. Autophobic and all.

[Arcran]

"I will," Servius says simply, rolling off his bed and walking over. It wouldn't be a good idea to be roaming around at night, but Manius wouldn't expect him to leave his room, right? Plus he wanted to know how much he could get away with in the dining halls if he had to try to defend himself.

[Zelphas]

Gaius opens his mouth after Elana finishes speaking, pauses as Servius speaks up, and then decides to speak regardless. "I'll go with as well," he says, smiling. It would be good to know how much crafting was allowed, and where it was allowed; plus, this will give him a chance to see if Elana actually was any good at gathering information, and it would be better for her to have someone other than just an earthcrafter along with her if things went wrong.

[Starbin]

Lucius Maro Virgilius

Lucius hadn't spoken while they sat in awkward silence after the meeting with Marius. Too soon, they found themselves back in their common room, sitting around wondering what to do next. Elana spoke up first, wanting to find their initial guide. If nothing, it seemed appropriate - they had been here long enough to wonder what the rules and expectations were, rights and responsibilities, limits, etc. With a small smile, he nodded to the older girl. "I have some questions, too."

Spoiler: OOC note

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Let's do this!

[Hyperbolic sine]

"Excellent idea, count me in." Tiberius says, nodding approvingly. Not that having to break a rule would stop him, but if you know in advance you can prepare contingencies...or at least be more cautious.

"Do you have any idea where he could be? I didn't see him at all."

[Starbin]

Lucius Maro Virgilius

Lucius was quiet for a moment, but when nobody answered he said softly, "The temporary rooms." He pointed down the corridor he remembered their Instructor pointing.

Spoiler: OOC note

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Per the arrival post ...

[Segrain]

Cornelia was less certain that it is so necessary to bother busy and important agent with their little problems so soon. But what could provincial girl know about the proper traditions and customs of big city? Maybe it is what they are expected to do - at least, judging by everyone else's eagerness to go look for their Instructor, it looked like a definite possibility. But either way, everyone already decided to do it - and, whatever will happen, she could not leave her... neighbours to face it on their own.

"If this is what you all want to do..." - shrugged girl, looking down the corridor. - "I have to remind, though, that he did not specify where exactly is he going to be, or how long is he even going to be there. Are we going to just check one room after another?"

Who knows. Maybe it was considered politeness in cities.