Where the wind blows...

[Muffin-Moip]

Gulls squaked loudly as they wheeled about over the docks, echoing cries muted by the thick, rolling fog. A gentle wind pulled and pushed at the mist, forming dancing figures in the watery air before disolving and seperating. If a person were to look at this shipyard, truly stare at it, even they would not notice the young girl sitting upon the ground near the docks. Her gray and white kimono blended in with the fog around her perfectly, coupled with her pale white skin and silver hair giving her the appearence of a figure of mist formed by the water-side breeze. Even though the maiden sat perfectly rigid, the foggy air around her seemed to bend and flow with her, making it seem as if she swayed and flowed along with the mist.

"Stop it now," Maera muttered under her breath, ending the statement with a sharp whistle. Almost immediately, the breeze stopped gathering and flowing around her, letting the fog simply sit and compress around her like a thick cloak. Wind and breezes like that werevalways drawn to her, breaking from their normal routes and habits to crowd and swirl around her, basking in Maera's similar soul. She had the wind inside her, and that was what drew them to her, as if she was a fellow air current.

"But I'm not," Maera exclaimed loudly into the misty, still air. "I'm just a girl, waiting for transport to my new school. Transport that should have been here by now." She looked quickly up and down the docks, silver hair swishing noislessly about her head. The only signs of boats were those already tied to the docks, vacant and unmoving except for the occasional lapping wave. No boats moving, no guide to meet her, nothing.

Just the unmoving, foggy air around her.

[Creator]

Then, from the mist, the silhouette of a figure in a small wooden boat began to form, slowly approaching the docks in silence. As he became more clear, it could be seen that the man wore a dirty white t-shirt and blue jeans, coming off as more of a laborer than a teacher. He stood with one foot on the front of the boat and one in the center, which demonstrated that it couldn't hold much more than two people. The man had a strong build and long, wild hair that reached his shoulders. He appeared to be in his late forties, hair changing from black to gray and tired eyes that scanned the shore, searching for his new pupil. The boat stopped, and he leapt up, though he soared over onto the ground, much more distance than such a small leap should have given.

Once Maera shouted out into the air, it was much easier to find her. He was a good distance away, but, zooming along an inch or two off the ground, Jack closed the gap rather quickly. He stopped suddenly, producing a bit of wind in the opposite direction, and landed. "Maera?" he asked, as if anyone else would just be standing out here. He extended a hand with an attempt at a smile and said, "Jack, pleasure to meet you."

[Muffin-Moip]

The man had so suddenly appeared in front of her that it made Maera recoil, sending her flopping back wards onto the ground. Embarrassment flooding to her cheeks in a large stain of crimson, she reached up to grasp the older man's hand before her, using it to help lever herself off of the ground. Great, she thought sulkily. First few seconds of my school life and I've already made a fool of myself. I'm not even there yet.

"Koomaera Windsorrel," she mumbled, trying her hardest to firmly shake Jack's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you also." In her moment of embarrassment, Maera had failed to notice the breezes start up again, shifting and playing with her hair like water. Letting go of Jack's hand, she gripped a hand on each of the fans at her waist, casually resting them there as one might put their hands on their hips. "Am I correct in guessing your from the Academy?" Meara questioned while brushing silver hair from her face, annoyed that the wind had started up again.

[Creator]

He helped her back to her feet, his grip seeming to be charged with electricity and magnetism. "Don't worry, I've fallen over for stupider reasons than that." He turned toward the water and took in a deep breath, then thrust a palm out. A moment later, the boat came drifting toward them, moved by some unseen force. He stepped down into it and took a seat, motioning for her to get in. Oddly enough, there were no oars. "This'll be our method of trans-por-tation," he said amusedly, steadying himself. "More reliable than it looks."

[Muffin-Moip]

Although Jack had said it was reliable, Maera looked skeptically at the small boat he had summoned. It was tiny, barely a two person vessle, and as Jack settled himself into his seat, she could swear the boat had sunk a few more inches into the water. Biting her lip, Maera stepped cautiously twords the edge of the dock, looking down at Jack and the boat.

"You sure it's safe?"She asked apprehensivley, once again eyeing the small craft. "I don't do well with water, and if that thing sinks..." She drew a finger a finger quickly across her throat, emphasizing her point.

[Creator]

Jack chuckled softly to himself, the boat rotating slowly to face away from the dock. "Well, I promise it's not gonna sink, but if it does we have alternative methods. This is just easier and more comfortable for students usually." He stood, planting himself firmly, and thrust a palm toward the dock. There was a rush that ripple the air, and the boat was moving out into the lake, propelled by some invisible force. They slowed down after a moment to a more relaxed pace and he sat down, still keeping a palm facing back that made the mist blow and the water ripple behind them. "So, we have a thing or two we're s'posed to work out about your classes. Everybody has the same schedule for most of the day, but the last four classes are electives." With his free hand, he removed a folded-up slip of paper from the pocket on his shirt and handed it to her. It read, on four separate lines,

Music, History, Potionry
Holy, Flare, Summoning
Dragoon, Samurai, Thievery
Puppetmaster, Survival

"Just circle one from each line," he said. "'F you need me to explain any of them, just let me know."

[Muffin-Moip]

Maera reached out one shaky hand to accept the slip of paper Jack handed her, quickly scanning the four lines of classes. Even when her attention was focused on the paper, she found her eyes drifting to the grey, foggy water as the boat slugged through it. But Maera snapped her eyes back to the class schedule, before she could begin to panic.

"Lets see....." She reached inside one sleeve of her grey and silver kimono, searching for the charcoal pencil she usually kept in there. "Music would be best, and I do have my own set of panpipes." Maera circled Music quickly, a neat charcoal circle surrounding the word. "Summoning, definitely...Um, Jack? Along with the summoning, do we also learn banishing or dispelling?" She whistled sharply, trying in vain to dispell the breezes gathering around once more. They had been following her from the dock, blowing and easing around her, and almost sending the schedule into the water.

"Oh well," she gave a sigh, giving up on trying to get rid of the renegade breezes. Maera returned to the list, scanning the third line. "Hmmm, samurai class would be useful. Would help with non-magical combat." Another circle. "And..... puppetmaster." Finishing the last circle, she gave a look at the list.

Music
Summoning
Samurai
Puppetmaster

With a final nod, Maera handed the schedule back to Jack, careful thhat the breezes around her couldn't snatch it out of her hands.

[Creator]

Carefully, Jack took the slip of paper, folded it up, and tucked it back into his pocket. The boat sped up again, taking them swiftly toward the school. "Well, I didn't actually go to the Academy myself. I don't know much about the curriculum other than what I do, but I'd imagine you'd learn that in Magic class. Anything you want to learn, you can usually find a kid who already knows it, or find a book about it. That's the great thing about this place. You can learn a lot about a lot."

He reached behind him in the boat and produced what appeared to be a genie's lamp. It was slender and white, with some sort of gauge on the side, with the needle pointing all the way to the left. "This is for you. Incredibly handy device, if you know how to use it. It can store a large amount of energy. For most people, it holds about half the amount of energy you have at any given time. If you're running low in a tight situation, and you thought ahead to fill her up beforehand, it just might save your life." He held out the lamp to her, becoming very serious. "But the longer you leave energy inside, it starts to fade. After about a week, it will be gone. Don't just fill it up and assume it'll be there a month later." He held the lamp sideways, showing that the lid didn't actually come off, and smiled. "But you ain't that stupid. To use it, just stick the tip to your stomach. It'll know what you want it to do."

{Lamp of Vitality}
A sleek white Arabian oil lamp.
Can store up to half a person's maximum amount of energy. Has a gauge to show how much is stored.

[Muffin-Moip]

She cradled the lamp with trembling hands, admiring its sleek elegance. Its Arabian design was obvious, adding to the beauty of the ivory color. And half my power, stored in here, she thought, stroking tenderly at the vessel. VERY useful if I'm in trouble, or even if I'm tired.

"So, if you never went to the Academy, why are you the one to be guide? No offense, but wouldn't they send someone who maybe was teacher or older student?" She had tensed when the boat had sped p slightly, but Maera continued to stroke the Arabian lamp. It's smooth, ivory like surface comforted her, blissfully cool and soothing under her hot, panicked hands.

((Blech, sorry its a bit short))

[Creator]

"I'm a teacher. I meant I wasn't a student," he said, bringing his other hand forward with a thrust. The boat launched forward and slightly upward, surrounded by mist, and when they came down, they were skidding along the grass. The mist wasn't quite as thick now, and there was a large building close by. "Welcome to TMA. It's not half bad. And I'm not just a guide, I'm the one who'll be helping you master your abilities."
Jack flew away.
((Gotta cut it short! Dx *Vanishes*))

[Muffin-Moip]

Maera squealed a bit as the boat launched forward over the water, landing roughly on ground that appeared from the mist. With panicky breaths, she climbed awkwardly out of the boat, tightly griping the sides until both her feet were on solid ground. Giving a sigh of relief, Maera turned to where Jack had exited the boat.

"So, I just go to my first class now?" But her words met empty air, Jack mysteriously having vanished from the misty landscape. Giving a quick look around to make sure he really HAD left her, Maera started for the large castle-like building, assuming it was the school.

"Guess it's time to go to class, then."

((So, what thread do I go to for my first class?"))

[Creator]

((Well, classes haven't exactly started yet. xD Now you can go rp anywhere in the forum. We haven't had classes so far, but they should be starting up pretty soon here.))

[Muffin-Moip]

((kedoky, thanks))