~~~~~~~~

I grinned. I couldn’t wait to try it out for real. For now, I let the skill fizzle. The wind vanished. 

“You’re a very good girl. Your skill is amazing. It makes sense, seeing as you’re amazing, yourself. Your skills would have to be as good as you are.” I let her hook me into praising her. 

She deserved far more, and I was going to give her her fill later. In a number of ways. 

I had capacity for another skill, but I would have to have my second familiar before I could assimilate it.

I trailed off staring open mouthed out the wide window of my compartment at the snow capped peaks and massive verdant valleys, veined with glittering blue rivers and streams. Massive firs and pines climbed the mountains all the way to the snow lines. 

The sunrise peaking between the peaks and drenching the valleys in golden rays was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. 

Then, I saw it. 

Bayloft was perched amid the high mountain pass at the top of the Eirie’s. Beyond it, I knew the land flattened out into an inhospitable wasteland of snow and ice. 

The sprawling campus of Bayloft was right between this lush fall wonderland, and the depths of winter. 

Stone towers jutted from the sharp mountains. Rows upon rows of glowing windows, carved into the sides of convergent cliffs denoted dorms built into the mountains. 

The campus buildings themselves were massive, austere works of wood and dark stone. Something between a college campus and a mountain fortress. 

The Dungeon hall dominated the pass, a huge circular building, constructed around one of the deepest and oldest entrances to the Dungeon in the world. 

I shrank in my seat. Lucy joined me, radiating concern at my sudden reaction.

I’d wanted to go here for years. Since childhood. Ever since my goal of becoming a great Wayfinder healer had become serious enough for Wally to start getting me educated on the matter. 

Compared to the lazy afternoons reading about great adventures with Wally, Bayloft was looking very intimidating. 

A knock sounded on my compartment door. A moment later, without waiting for a response, a dark haired and bespectacled girl of about my age burst in.

I dismissed Lucy in a flash, wanting to keep my strange Class a secret for now. At least from the other students.  

I felt some irritation at the abrupt dismissal from Lucy’s bond, and I sent apologetic energy, as well as what I hoped was a promise of recompense later. She seemed mollified. 

The intruder ignored everything and dashed to the window and pressed her nose to it, straining to see Bayloft. 

“Chaos’ perky asymmetrical tits, look at those BUTTRESSES!” She cooed. 

I coughed, restraining a laugh at the insane comment. 

The dark haired girl squeaked and whirled on me, falling backwards into the opposite seat in a heap. 

“What are you doing?!” She demanded. 

“Sitting in my compartment. What are you doing?” I retorted. 

“Why didn’t you say it was occupied when I KNOCKED?!” Asked the girl, ignoring my question. 

“Didn’t get much of a chance before you barged in and started gawking out the window.” I snorted “How did you not see me when you came in.” 

“Seeing and noticing are two very different things.” The girl sniffed. “As a rogue, I know the difference, being versed in the art of stealth.” 

I couldn’t stop a grin from plastering itself on my face. 

I couldn’t imagine a less stealthy girl in the world. 

Her bright pink, slightly glittery top shimmered as she puffed herself up angrily. 

“Relax, relax.” I said, trying to preempt a confrontation. “Look, you’re welcome to the window. It’s a hell of a view. I guess you were on the other side?”

“Yes.” She admitted. 

She looked like she wanted to prove her stealth expertise.  Then in a flash, she was again glued to the window, like she couldn’t help herself. 

“It’s just so…!” She murmured in awe. 

“Big.” I nodded. 

“Synthetic!” She sighed, whistfully. Then recoiled. “Wait what’d you say it was?” 

“Uhhh. Synthetic.” I said. 

She nodded enthusiastically, pressing her nose back to the glass as the landscape flitted by, gradually giving us a rotating view of this side of campus. 

“Yeah.” She agreed. “The perfect merge of form and function. A staggering feat. I want to cut it up like cake and dissect it.” 

I wasn’t sure that was what synthetic meant, but delivered with such fervor and winsome enthusiasm, I wasn’t prepared to contradict. 

“I’m Eir.” I offered. “First year. You?” 

“Eir.” Chewed the girl. “Like the Eirie mountains. Or is it Air, like take a deep breath?” 

“The former.” I chuckled. “And yours?” I prompted again. It was difficult to keep this girl on tracks that weren’t her current fixation. 

“Jennifer Amelia Montil Valant three.” She recited. “Three because I’m the third one. Third one best one, as the saying goes. You can call me Jennie. Everyone does. Except dad. And mom. And Aunt Grace, but that’s just because she’s so—“ she made an expression of exaggerated dignity that was too specific to be coincidental. 

“That wouldn’t happen to be Grace Valant, of Bayloft University would it?” I hazarded. 

“You know Aunt Grace?!” She asked, surprised and suspicious. She actually pried her eyes away from the school. Though I realized that was just because the view disappeared as we entered a tunnel a second later. Lights flashed by regularly. 

“We’ve met.” I said, circumnavigating the question. “She’s pretty famous.” 

Jennie snorted loudly. 

“Famous!” She giggled. “Maybe if you think that Wayfinders are celebrities.” 

She broke down into a fit of mirth. 

Ummmm? Are they not? I was really starting to have my doubts about Jennie. 

The train was slowing noticeably. We rocked slightly in our seats as the breaks squealed in the back of the train. 

Jennie stood, surprisingly steady, in spite of the unsteadily decelerating train. With balance like that, maybe she really was some kind of rogue. 

“You’re that girl that Aunt Grace was talking about the other day, aren’t you?” She said, serious at last. 

I narrowed my eyes. 

“I didn’t realized she was spreading that around.” I gritted out. 

“Oh she wasn’t!” Jennie chimed. “I’m Level five and I like to snoop. She was just talking about a new student with mom. Don’t think there’s too many girls with half shaved white hair at the school. Do you?” 

Level five! If there were students that were already that far ahead…? Was I going to be the weakest freshman before I even started??

She shuffled uncomfortably. 

“Spit it out.” I said, flatly. 

“I chose this compartment on purpose, because I wanted to meet you.” She confessed, still squirming in place. “Aunt Grace has always been kind of… unaffectionate? Not in a mean way! She just….” 

Jennie waved her hands like she was trying to sculpt the idea out of clay. 

Then huffed. 

“She spoke very highly of you. Which does not come cheap. I just wanted to, I dunno. See what it took.” 

She smiled brightly. “And now I have! Goodbye!” 

She vanished. 

Like went invisible. 

For about two seconds. The door slid open by itself. Jennie reappeared in a shimmer.

“Fuck! My exit!” She muttered, and dropped a couple pellets on the ground. 

They turned out to be smoke bombs. 

When the white haze cleared, quite abruptly, I was alone. 

Well. 

I had just met my first classmate.