Disnomia awoke once again at 7:00 to the crowing rooster alarm, despite there being no classes that day.
Disnomia: Whyyyy.
After getting dressed, slowly from annoyance and tiredness, Disnomia met with her friends. After meeting on the 1st floor they all went outside, or they would have. Instead on the ground floor of the monastery was Nazzareno to great them. With Amity and Scarlet arriving just after them.
Nazzareno: Sorry to grab you all so early, they setup your hearing tests now to check that I healed your ears properly. Please follow me to the hospital.
They begin walking to the hospital in the main school building.
Disnomia: My ears definitely work great, with that crazy alarm waking me.
Nazzareno: What is the alarm this year?
Uriel: It’s a rooster crowing. It doesn’t even make sense since it plays other times than morning.
Alceste: Actually roosters can crow at any time.
Nazzareno: Hahaha, that totally sounds like something Alcaster would do. You’ll have to deal with it for now, but you can shut off the speaker in your room with a spell you learn in the first few days of classes.
–
Soon they arrive at the hospital and have their ears checked in sequence privately by Dr. Alexandra, in a small wood paneled room with a chair, desk, hearing test machine on the desk, and a wheeled stool for the doctor.
Alexandra (to Disnomia): You passed the hearing test perfectly, and I can find no unexpected damage to year ears magically, or visually. You’re good to go.
While you’re here, is there anything else you needed?
Disnomia: No.
She starts leaving the room, then stops and turns around rapidly.
Disnomia: Wait! Actually there is something you can help with.
Disnomia starts rubbing her forearms with her hands, from anxiety about actually being about to talk to a doctor about medical transition, especially with no preparation.
Alexandra lightly grips Disnomia’s shoulder while smiling at her. Which Disnomia recoils at slightly, but accepts the comforting gesture.
Alexandra: It’s ok, what do you need?
Disnomia: I’m trans.
Alexandra: Oh. I don’t want to assume anything. Are you a girl, boy, or something else? And what are your pronouns?
Disnomia (struggling for words a bit): I’m, girl. S-s- She/her.
Alexandra: Ok let me make sure it says that in the system for you. Are you telling me this so I know, or were you seeking transition related medicine?
Disnomia (starting to recover from the anxiety): I’d like medicine, please.
Alexandra (confused): Huh how are you already marked as female in the system?
Disnomia: I’m from Maine. I don’t know what they did, but my dad says he got a client of his to pressure for me to be able to fix my birth certificate. That ended up in the law being changed entirely.
Alexandra: Huh, ok. May I ask what your dad does?
Disnomia: He’s an accountant.
Alexandra (incredulous): All right then.
Well I’ll mark that you’re a transgender girl just cause it’s medically relevant, and your pronouns of course. Now we’ll need to setup a proper session for what medicine you’ll be taking, I have tomorrow at 11:00 open, is that ok?
Disnomia: Ya, it’s not like I’ll be anywhere else.
Alexandra: Ok perfect. Before you go, I want you to think about if you want to temporarily stop puberty from happening, or to start feminine puberty with your peers, some of whom but not all will have already started. Normally I wouldn’t offer the second to someone so young, but you are clearly very sure. If there’s nothing else, you’re free to go.
Disnomia hugs Dr. Alexandra while smiling.
Disnomia: Thank you!
Alexandra (returning the hug) You’re very welcome. Now on you go, I’m sure your friends want breakfast and I still have to see one of them.
Outside the room Uriel is brought in to see Alexandra, while Alceste and Alma look worried. Amity and Scarlet have already long been seen and left.
Alceste: What took so long, are your ears ok?
Disnomia cannot contain herself and flaps her hands a bit in joy, and forgets she hasn't told anyone from the Academy but Alcaster and now Alexandra she’s trans.
Disnomia: Oh she just asked if there was anything else I needed help with, and I told her I need medicine for transgender people, well not quite like that.
Alceste: Wait you’re trans?
Disnomia (dieing inside): I-. I-y. Yes. And I just came out to you, and Alma. By accident, oops.
Alceste and Alma hug her, which Alma being so affectionate is surprising.
Alceste (just after ceasing her part of the hug): It’s awesome you’re gonna get medicine.
Alma (crying a little, and more reassuring herself): It’s going to be ok.
Disnomia: Huh?
Alma: It’s, j-just. I have a transgender aunt I loved to play with, who my parents won’t let me see anymore. She told me a bit about what dysphoria is like before she came out to them. I got to see her once since then, and she looked a lot happier.
So I don’t know how bad things are for you, but it will be ok, and they can’t keep me from seeing you at least.
Disnomia (smiling): Thank you Alma. I’m sorry about your aunt. And thank you too Alceste.
Alma (whispering so only Disnomia can hear): Thank you, friend.
Disnomia was still processing that Alma called her friend when Uriel re-entered the room.
Uriel: Guess who’s all goo- Um what did I miss?
Disnomia (ending the hug): I’m trans.
Uriel: Oh cool. Why is Alma crying?
Alma: It’s personal, can we get breakfast please?
Uriel: Heck ya, I’m starving.
–
They have a quiet breakfast sitting in the luxurious silk grass, away from the noise of the cafeteria. Mostly just enjoying each other’s company rather than talk. Until some time after they finished their food…
Alceste: So did anyone have anything to do today?
Disnomia: Well I’m meeting with Alcaster at 10:00. But we have plenty of time until then if there’s something you wanted to do?
Alceste: Ya I wanted to read more from this book on vampires I found in the library, and I figured I could read to everyone while we’re here.
Uriel: Why not.
Alma: Go ahead.
Disnomia: ooo sounds interesting.
Alceste: Alright, “Concerning Vampires chapter 4: The Horrific Origin of Vampires.” What a dramatic title. You’d think Alcaster wrote this, but he didn’t, um Hazord Murph did. I hope that’s a pen name. Anyway:
“Dear reader, you might be asking: All this information about vampires is great, but where do they come from? Well we are finally there. The origin of vampires is not pleasant as the title suggests. From what I gathered in my studies, vampires are the responsibility of one Milton Hazer, though little is known about how he did it. He left no notes, and no one was able to talk to him. As a vampire himself, he purposely allowed energy to build up until he annihilated soon after being captured and his reign of terror ended.
Milton over many years had captured many people, mostly teenagers from rich families as far as anyone can tell, and turned them into vampires in order to torture them. I’ll spare you the details of what that entailed, but I’m sure you can guess based on the previous chapters on how vampires are. The survivors of thi-”
Holy shit!
Alma: What, what does this poorly written book say?
Uriel (hugging himself): Please. Please stop.
Alma: Huh?
Uriel: I- I don’t want to hear anymore of this book.
Alceste: Sorry Uriel, and Disnomia and Alma. I didn’t realize it was suddenly going to be like that for this chapter.
Disnomia (holding her arms): It’s ok.
Uriel: Thank you.
Alma: Come on what does it say!
Julianus hovers near them unnoticed.
Alceste (handing Alma the book): You can read it yourself.
Julianus: And what are we reading kids?
The group: Gah!
Alceste: Oh it’s just Julianus. We’re reading Concerning Vampires, Professor. Or we were until it got unpleasant.
Julianus: What how did you open that book? A book like that is for older students.
Alceste: Um I just took it from the library. Why wouldn’t I be able to open it?
Julianus: The books are cursed. They not only mark in the advanced library curse system when they are checked out, as well as provide a magical path that can be illuminated to find one if someone keeps it for too long. For age restricted books, they won’t even open without knowing the spell for it. Please let me see that book.
Alma: Fine, here.
Julianus levitates the book so he can look at it.
Julianus: No wonder you could read this, it doesn’t belong to the school. Someone must have put it there. Hopefully not to scare first years. I’m sorry but I will be taking this.
Alma: That’s not fair!
Julianus (While Charlie and a couple of his friends walk up to greet Disnomia): We cannot have unsuspecting students reading a book like this, it should not have been in the library. Now carry on with your day, and don’t forget tomorrow is club joining day. Ah Charlie, Dorcas, John: You can tell these first years about clubs please. Goodbye children.
Charlie: Huh, oh we’d be glad to. Bye Julianus.
Disnomia, Alceste, Uriel: Bye.
Alma just gives a slight upset glare.
Disnomia: Hey Charlie, who are your friends?
Charlie: This is Dorcas, and this is John. Oh and for everyone else, I’m Charlie.
Dorcas has very short brown hair, and is wearing a long dress. John has long blond hair, and is wearing a t-shirt and skirt.
Disnomia (smiling), Alceste (smiling), Uriel (with a weary smile), Alma (indifferent): It’s nice to meet you.
John: It’s nice to meet you too.
Dorcas: What John said, er we know you’re Disnomia, who are you 3?
Alceste: I’m Alceste, that’s Uriel, and she’s Alma.
Uriel (now with a full smile): Oh I’m a that now am I?
Alceste: Oh sorry, I-
Uriel (laughing): No Alceste it’s fine, I know what you meant.
Charlie and his friends sit on the grass with the others.
Charlie: It’s nice to meet Disnomia’s friends, or well at least some of them. I can’t assume this is everyone. Anyway Julianus wanted us to talk about clubs.
They are sort of a mix of extra classes, and more typical clubs you might have at another school.
Dorcas: they have fun things like dueling.
John: And useful things like language classes.
Charlie: Clubs are also where you go for things like sports or theater. Any questions?
A phone alarm goes off. Which Disnomia ends.
Disnomia: Oh! I have to go see Alcaster. Sorry Charlie. See you all later.
Disnomia waves as she gets up and walks towards Alcaster’s classroom.
–
Disnomia enters the brown wooden room, and is greeted by the desks sunken into the ground so they are flush with the wooden floor, the chairs are stacked onto each other in sets against a wall. Alcaster is at his desk reading some book, which he closes and puts down.
Alcaster (looking at his watch): Is it time for your lesson already? Ah you’re right on time. Follow me out to the field. Normally we’d practice dark magics in here as you can see how the room is setup for some other students later, but even with hearing protection lightning wouldn’t be a good idea indoors, and this room is only setup to muffle itself to the outside world enough for normal classes. Come on.
They walk out to the sports field, Disnomia’s friends seeing them and following to see what they’re doing, as Alcaster flips a switch labelled muffle, and a great transparent grey shield forms around the arena, with odd rectangular spikes pointing inwards in horizontal and vertical groups.
Alcaster (turning around): Huh, do we have ourselves a watch party? Is that all right with you Disnomia?
Disnomia (smiling): Ya these are my friends.
Alcaster: All right then, please go sit in the bleachers for your own safety, and grab a pair of ear muffs on your way, things will get loud in here.
Oh and here for you Disnomia, put these on.
He hands her a pair of clearly cursed ear muffs, then with no movement or incantation, but holding his wand, starts speaking directly into her head as she puts them on.
Alcaster: Because we’ll be so close to the lightning I had Eli prepare cursed ear muffs to eliminate all sound for both of us, and I will be using a dual telepathy spell for us to communicate, alright?
Disnomia (Still talking out loud but the spell works whether she does or doesn’t): Yes.
Evidently Alcaster is better at this than Nazzareno, as Disnomia doesn’t experience double voice, even with her own voice still being audible from vibrating through her head.
Alcaster: Onto the lesson then. First show me something you are comfortable with doing.
Disnomia confidently tells the wand to produce little static sparks, enough to attract her wavy hair.
Alcaster: Very good, now how about something a little bigger? Try doing a little arc with your wand a few centimeters from this goal. Err, hold your wand close to the ground or it might be more powerful that expected to get to ground.
She walks up to the soccer goal with a metal frame, and tells the wand to produce a little arc from its tip to a bottom corner of the goal, holding her charred wand near the ground.
She watches the little arc as it goes into the goal, then jumps out near the bottom to the ground, fascinated by the little unstable plasma arc, like one you get in a plasma globe toy.
Alcaster: When you’re ready, start moving your wand further up and see how this affects it.
She starts moving up, back to a standing position, and the arc doesn’t visually do much to maintain itself.
Disnomia: It didn’t really do much?
Alcaster: Hmm, admittedly I don’t know much about electricity, maybe if you back away from it?
Disnomia starts slowly backing away from the goal. The arc to maintain its path does now increase in amps and volts, becoming a lot larger and more powerful, though still like a plasma globe toy, just bigger. Eventually Alcaster has her stop at about 2 meters away.
Alcaster: Ok that’s far enough, you’ve proven that you can-
Disnomia: Just let me go a bit further. I’m actually enjoying this.
Alcaster: Alright, but be careful, that’s looking dangerous.
Disnomia (stopping at 5 meters and ending the spell): Alright I want to try something bigger.
Alcaster: Ok, allow me to demonstrate my own lightning arc to the goal, and you’ll do the same, ready?
Disnomia: Ya, go for it.
Alcaster dramatically whips his wand forward and an arc of lightning like from a Tesla coil jumps from it to the goal, for just a second.
Disnomia instructs her wand to do the same, though without the fancy whipping motion, and it does it just fine. She jumps with her fists in the air at the success of that.
Alcaster: Would you like to try it without the ear muffs, it shouldn’t be too loud.
Disnomia: Hmm, alright.
She removes her ear muffs and holds them in her left hand. Then, again she does a similar bolt of lightning, and is met with the small but still loud bang of a Tesla coil firing once.
Disnomia (covering her ears, and cowering just a little): Ah, that was a bit loud.
Alcaster (taking off his ear muffs and apparently having ended the telepathy spell): Here, I’ll do the spell, and you can watch from a bit away. To get used to the sound.
Disnomia (walking a few meters away): Thanks Alcaster.
Alcaster does a few strikes while Disnomia watches. She is much less jumpy on the 5th go.
Disnomia: Thank you Alcaster, this helps a lot. I don’t think I can exactly get used to the sound of louder strikes like the one from yesterday though.
Alcaster: Oh don’t worry, I’m preparing a muffling spell we already had in the library for you to learn for that. If you would like you can put your ear muffs back on to try out some bigger strikes today though.
Disnomia: Sure, let’s do it.
They put their ear muffs back on, as Alcaster switches back to speaking in her head.
Alcaster: Ok for this please strike the ground directly. You did quite the damage to the statue of Nazzareno yesterday, which is fine no one is mad at you, I just don’t want to have to repair the goals like I did the statue.
Disnomia: Oh sorry, I didn’t even notice.
Alcaster: Again it’s ok, I was able to repair it. It’s just quite difficult to do. Now allow me to go firs-
Before Alcaster is even ready with the spell he wants to do, she apprehensively calls forth a savage lightning strike from her wand to the ground in front of them before Alcaster can psych her out.
Disnomia (wiggling her hands): This is a lot more fun without the sound!
Alcaster: Fantastic! Do a few more of those, and we’ll meet back here at the same time tomorrow for more.
Disnomia lashes out with a few more bolts of lightning, feeling tired, but having too much fun and does a few more, while Alcaster takes a sip from his flask. Soon she is satisfied and returns to the entrance of the field with Alcaster. He assures her she can keep the ear muffs, and says the curse has enough charge to last a week, while he turns off the muffle shield thing.
Disnomia: Hey do I have to leave it out in the sun like my jacket and floating ship statue?
Alcaster: Oh right no one would have told you that, sorry. You can charge curses manually and much faster with a wand making spell. Technically making a wand is just putting enough magic into an object. You could even turn a cursed or ritualed object into a wand if you focused on the object itself. Anyway try it out.
She does so as her friends are walking up, making the figure 8 motion she has down very well now from all the work creating her wand, and maintaining it every night, even if not actually needed. Seeing magic flow from her through the wand and into the curse on the ear muffs.
Alma: That was awesome!
Alceste hugs her.
Alceste: That was brave, good job.
Uriel: Ya go Disnomia!
Charlie, Dorcas, and John look at her in amazement.
Charlie: Wow how did you do that, especially as a first year? Classes haven’t even started yet!
Alma: Her wand was struck by lighting.
Alceste releases the hug.
Alcaster: Alma is correct, but to expand on that. Disnomia’s wand is elemental from being struck by lightning. I’ve actually done more research on that. And other elements are much easier to do haha. It should hopefully be required curriculum for 5th years starting next year, after more experimentation among the professors this year.
Anyway you don’t want to listen to me ramble, bye now kids, enjoy your weekend. Have fun at club selection day tomorrow!
Disnomia: Ya what they said, it’s why my wand loo-
–
Disnomia wakes up in what she would soon realize is a hospital bed, surrounded by her friends, and Alcaster trying to immediately shove a burger in her face once her eyes are open.
Disnomia (trying to shrink away from the burger): Ah what’s happening‽
Doctor: Alcaster stop it, give her space!
Alcaster (relenting and backing away, dejected): Sorry.
Piper: Hello there Disnomia. I’m doctor Piper. Do you know where we are?
Disnomia (relaxing and looking around at the white and green room, made of tiles and wood): The Academy hospital?
Piper: Correct. And what’s your name and date of birth?
Disnomia: Uhm, uh, buh. Di- Disnomia Pagodin. And um, 08/26/2010.
Piper: Good. Now you’re here because you were magically exhausted and you fainted. You exerted yourself far too much in your lesson with Alcaster. You will be fine with some rest, and the food Alcaster bought you at my request.
Alcaster (under his breath): More like demand.
Piper: What was that Mr. Negligence‽
Alcaster: Nothing!
Piper: I thought so. Would you like your food Disnomia?
Disnomia (smiling): Yes please. I’m starving.
Piper: I bet after Alcaster and your friends described what you were doing. Now you can hand her her food nicely Alcaster, no shoving it in her face.
Alcaster hands Disnomia her food, and she begins eating it, starting with the burger.
Piper: Considering this happened, it’s important I tell you that magic is like a muscle, you have to work it to be able to do bigger things, or well you’ll collapse with exhaustion. You’re lucky you didn’t overexert yourself too much or you could have been out for hours.
Alcaster knows better and shouldn’t have let his and your excitement get the better of him. But what’s done is done. As long as you take it easy, you should be fine to leave soon after you’ve finished eating. I must see to other patients, goodbye Disnomia and friends. Alcaster.
Alcaster (looking dejected at the ground): I’m sorry Disnomia.
Disnomia: It’s ok Alcaster, I know you d-d-d didn‘t mean for this to happen.
Alcaster: Maybe it’s best we call off tomorrow?
Disnomia: Maybe, I’ll see you Sunday instead?
Alcaster: Sounds good, I’ll leave you with your friends. See you then.
Disnomia: Bye Alcaster.
Alceste (as Alcaster walks out): You’re sure you’re ok?
Disnomia (humorously): Ya of course. I guess I’ll have to watch all of you eat lunch soon after we leave huh?
Uriel: And don’t you try to get out of it! This is torture.
Disnomia sticks her tongue out at him.
–
The rest of the day continues much like this, with teasing and rest.
