We Sail Tonight for TMA

[sapphire]

Dark mist filled the air as Sini Arash ducked towards the ground, hoping for a glimpse of the cold, cracked earth below. She was panting hard - the thermals had gone with the sun and now her wings beat frantically, desperately trying to level her descent through the darkness.
Up ahead she noticed the stinking pool of filth and ectoplasm that was the Ghost Shipyards. Shivering, she wondered why the representative of the Academy had wanted to meet here. Still, she was sure she hadn't read the letter wrong - her mother had taught her to read all those decades ago...
Her mother. Sini turned her mind to other things, detaching herself from the pain of those memories. She flew faster, a blue streak shooting across the sky. Why would she care if anyone saw her? Let them come. Let them meet their deaths.
Dark thoughts bombarded her, welling up from deep inside. Afloat in a sea of rage and agony, she didn't notice the ground rapidly approaching and barely felt the smash of impact. She lay there awhile, unable to move.
Eventually she forced herself to stand, her sharp eyes scanning, looking for her escort. Tired from the flight, all she wanted to do was sleep. Only fear, apprehension and excitement kept her standing.
She didn't have to wait long.

[Creator]

"You okay?"
The voice came from an approaching figure, a tall man of about 6'2". As he came closer, his features became more distinguishable: sandy blond hair that stood up about four inches, a thin, wiry body that made him seem like he had been stretched out, and an unusual outfit. He had baggy white pants that were tucked into a pair of black boots that fit him snugly. Apart from that, he wore a sleeveless, open black jacket that only went down halfway to his belly button. It had puffy white edges along the top of each arm-hole, and around the back and sides of his neck. A pair of white wristbands clung tightly to his wrists, though they weren't all that attention-grabbing. He walked slowly up to Sini and stood there next to her, comparing her to a piece of paper he held. "Yep, you're the one. Welcome, I'm Brett, your escort and master teacher. We're gonna make some great progress, I can already tell."

He looked around, as if planning out what they would do next. Finally, he turned toward the water and sighed. Kneeling down, he plunged a hand underwater and closed his eyes. Then he stood, holding a small amount of water cupped in his hand. It began to glow, and without warning stretched out, the light seeming to expand, and began to wrap around Brett as if it were trying to consume him. As it engulfed his entire body, it began to shrink, slowly conform to his shape, until it just looked like he was glowing himself. Then the light shattered and faded into the air, leaving Brett with a few minor changes. His hair was a steely blue, as were his eyebrows. The wristbands and the puffy parts of his jacket had changed as well, taking on the same color with just a hint of translucency. "Great. We're all set."