Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Lutetia City: The Monastery

Tiko

Tiko

Draconic Administrator/Mentor
Administrator
Mentor
Nexus GM
As written by Rōnin

"...and on the Eve of Felling, Saint Aria Valentine - against the orders of Grandmaster Tarko - marched the 32nd Armored Battalion 'Firebrands' through Lornaine Forrest, where she faced heavy resistance from Mephistoles' hordes..."

The gray monotone of Sister Gunxa's voice drowned the classroom in agonizing stillness. 'History IV, The Ramsey Conflict through the Lutetian Renaissance' had a reputation as one of the most boring classes in the entire Monastic curriculum - do in no small part to the emotionless lecture-style of its teacher. The audience of proselytes slumped in their chairs, many of them already asleep on their desks, using their arms as pillows. Only the most studious of scholars remained attentive.

Aaro Caresin was not studious, but neither was he tired. The young proselyte squirmed in his seat, quick green eyes making glances to the windows and the amber sunlight streaming in from the Forum just outside. What he wouldn't give to be out there, training, then stuck here in lecture.

He took a glance at the desk next to him and the girl seated therein.

"Psst." He whispered. "Celeste." He picked up a scrap of wadded notebook paper, set it at the edge of his desk, and flicked it at her.
 
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As written by Faithy

Jimmy wasn't stupid by any means, but he had a tendency to tune people out after a certain amount of time, probably due to his poor attention span or maybe it was because they were just too boring for the young adult. Whatever the reason, he was scrunched down in his seat, his arms crossed against his chest with both legs crossed on top of the desk. His head was tilted backwards and though he didn't snore, it didn't take a genius to realize he was out cold. This seemed the only class he had problems staying awake in, though he admittedly drifted off in all of his classes at least one time. Every once in a while, he would startle himself awake and start listening again only to nod off once again. Maybe he needed to exercise before coming to this class to truly get his adrenaline pumping. Or maybe they should hire someone that wasn't so damn boring. Yeah, that's what they should do to resolve the sleeping issue.

"Ughh..." Jimmy muttered, sliding open his emerald eyes, he glanced over towards Celeste and Aaro before shaking his head in an attempt to keep from passing out again.
 
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As written by Krysis

~Celeste Hogan~

If she could bottle her voice, she could make a fortune, helping people sleep. Celeste was struggling to make notes, but had barely gotten three words on the page, alongside the date. The material wasn't exactly dry, but the Sister's voice combined with the heat of a room full of students was a recipe for a sleep aid. Celeste recrossed her ankles, pushing her toes against the hardness of the floor in a mildly painful way in an effort to actually pass this class.

It took the compact brunette a moment to realize it wasn't her imagination. The boy next to her had actually flicked a wad of paper at her. She blinked at him once. Twice, the flash of blue through the curtain of her hair indicated incredulity. Trying to wake up enough to know how to respond. Then she shook her head, turned to face forward again, and mumbled out of the side of her mouth, "Aaro, are you looking to get your ass kicked in the practice ring? I did it once, I can do it again."

Not that she really believed it would be easy. Far from it. He was at least six inches taller than her, with longer arms and legs too. She might be technically faster from an extra two years of training, and maybe even a little stronger, but it wasn't enough of an edge when he could stay out of her reach.
 
As written by Rōnin

A flush of red painted Aaro's cheeks. "Maybe if you want to face me without a practice sword on your hand..." It was no secret among the proselytes that Celeste was one of the best swordsman in the academy. Her dexterity and sheer mastery of her movements had bested warriors several times her size - Aaro included. It'd gotten to the point where few people would agree to spar with her outside of fencing class, where participation was graded.

He grumbled, forcing his pride into check. A beating after class wasn't what he wanted. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to go down to Lemeux square with me during our free period after this class. I hear there's a new cafe that just opened up." He leaned back in his seat and rested his arms behind his head. "But y'know. If you're going to make threats, maybe I'll just invite Jimmy instead." He grinned at his fellow proselyte. "You like coffee, don'cha Jim?"
 
As written by Krysis

Her fellow proselytes knew of Celeste's hard won skill with a sword, which was actually not easy for her, so she blushed at Aaro suggestion. She had to practice obsessively to get it right and so felt like any acknowledgment was undeserved. Put an axe in her hand and she moved like a ripple of water, born to wield a heavy, awkward blade, but she had been told that she had to use a sword and never questioned it.

She looked down at her almost empty notes and shook her head a little, unhappy about her refusal. "Can't. I'm too close. I don't get free periods anymore. Even if there is no class, there are just not enough hours in the day at this point. Don't you have things you need to do too?"

Then she glanced at Jimmy, a year closer to 'taking the silver' than she was, and was glad that he wasn't looking at her. She found that her personal awkwardness rose sharply when talking with anyone so-- so-- Cool. Or even being looked at by such a person. Her cheeks turned crimson at seeing him notice her and Aaro and she hastily turned her attention back to the teacher before hissing to Aaro, "If Jimmy says yes, I'll go too."
 
As written by Faithy

Thankfully for Jimmy, the two were enough entertainment to keep him from going back to sleep. He had witnessed the beating that Celeste gave to Aaro quite a few times and it was very impressive to watch. Grinning at the two, he stretched himself back out, though he didn't drift off. The mention of a new cafe had his full attention and at that moment, he would give anything to be there. Hell, almost anywhere was better than the class they were currently stuck in. Smirking when invited to go with his fellow proselyte, Jimmy knew that he was being used to get Celeste to go with Aaro, but he didn't care.

"Sure, Aaro, I absolute love coffee." His grin increased when Celeste although previously stated she was too busy to go with Aaro changed her mind and left her fate on his shoulders. He had noticed how pink the female's cheeks had gotten earlier when he looked over at the two and he was beyond flattered. Glancing back towards the younger male, he gave a thumbs up.

"I'd be happy to check out the cafe with you."
 
As written by Rōnin

Aaro shot Jimmy a sly grin, nodding silent thanks. Though a few years his senior, Ó’Suaird always had his back. He didn't know Jim too well, but he'd liked him the few times they'd spoken. He seemed like a quiet but easy-going kind of fellow - rare for someone of his age and station within the academy. Most senior proselytes were more like Celeste, their noses to the grindstone, working frantically to earn their silver. As far as Aaro could tell, James was a refreshing break from the norm.

Aaro looked back at Celeste amid her protests, perking a brow. Her point was valid. The closer a proselyte came to "graduation age" (anywhere between nineteen and twenty-two) the less free time they had throughout the day. There was no formal date or set time at which a proselyte graduated into knighthood - it happened on a case-by-case basis. Older students were simply observed more closely by the masters and were allowed to take the silver when they were believed ready. As a result, most senior proselytes spent every minute of their day working their asses off to impress the council, or were otherwise occupied with the plethora of difficult tasks available only to ranking students: forging their own sword or working on advance projects.

...but of course, a bit of fun now and then couldn't hurt...

"It's settled then," Aaro sat back in his chair, "we'll all go down to the cafe after this class." He looked at Celeste's expression, rolling his eyes. "Don't look so mortified, Celeste. We'll have fun. It'll be good for you. Both of you." He rolled one of his shoulders forward. "How you seniors spend all day meditating, sparring and rotting in lectures is beyond me. Someone needs to remind you that the outside world exists, and it mine as well be me."
 
As written by Script

On the opposite side of Aaro to Celeste, a fourth figure looked up from his notes as he overheard talk of a venture out into the square, casting a hesitant glance in their direction. Inarin's pen continued to scratch across his exercise book even as his attention diverted slightly from Sister Gunxa. Much of the material she was covering he was familiar enough with to fill in anything he missed from his own knowledge.

Where many of the order's proselytes devoted the majority of their efforts to excelling at their swordplay and what was considered the more 'exciting' elements of their training, Inarin was very much more inclined towards the scholarly side of things. His penmanship was far superior to his swordsmanship, and whilst he scraped by with passing grades on the physical side of his training, he shone in his academic performance.

Of course, his studiousness wasn't the best catalyst for popularity, and combined with his natural quiet shyness, Inarin was far from a social butterfly. A disappointing majority of his interactions with students involved them asking him to borrow his notes after they'd fallen asleep listening to Sister Gunxa.

He imagined Aaro would be doing just that, later. It wouldn't be the first time.

Suppressing a quiet sigh as he listened to them whispering about their plans, he turned back to his notes. At least it would be a conversation, however brief.
 
As written by Faithy

Jimmy just nodded back, knowing that he was helping out the lad even if he really did want to go to the café. Dropping both legs down onto the ground, he yawned widely and decided that if the coffee was good, he would stop by the joint before coming to this class to get some coffee. Maybe that would keep him awake, though he truly doubted it. Returning his attention towards Aaro, he watched him all but tell Celeste that she was coming whether she wanted to or not. The proselyte did have a point after all, fun was always good, especially during this point in their life. Grinning, he wondered what she would have to say to that, but knew if she protested again, he would remind her that she said she’d go if he did.

“What’s this fun you speak of? Never heard the term.” He grinned again and glanced over towards Inarin, someone that Jimmy was sure had never spoken a word unless directly talked to. He was studiously taking notes, like always and was probably one of the smartest guys in the joint. Jotting down something on a piece of paper, he folded it into the shape of a shark, well more or less before flicking it over at him. If anyone needed to have fun, it was Inarin. Hopefully Aaro and Celeste didn’t mind the teenager being invited. The note, if read was an invitation to Inarin to come with the three of them to the cafe.
 
As written by Script

The note landed neatly on the desk in front of Inarin, and he blinked in surprise. For a moment, he looked confused. He gathered that it was supposed to look like a fish of some sort, but what was it ... oh. There was writing on it. He almost blushed at his slowness (whoever said that he was easily embarrassed?) and hastily unfolded it.

Part of him was expecting some sort of insult, and so it was a pleasant surprise to discover the opposite. He'd not really spoken to Jimmy much - given the boy's seniority they didn't share a lot of classes, and his out-of-class interactions were ... limited.

After pausing to make sure Sister Gunxa wasn't watching, he glanced over his shoulder at Jimmy, giving the older boy a questioning look as though to ask 'Really? Me?'

A moment later, he nodded meekly with a small smile, before turning back to his notes. The smile remained as he wrote. He was glad that someone had taken his usual seat right at the front of the class today. Now he just had to not make a fool of himself. He made a silent prayer to Eleu that he didn't have one of his episodes today. It had been a while since the last one...

But no. Worrying about it would only make it more likely to happen. Inarin turned his mind back to the lecture, resolving not to let his nerves get the better of him.
 
As written by Krysis

Celeste had no intention of backing out. Sure there was no marriage and she was pretty sure flirting was against the rules too, and there was no way an ugly girl like her could-- But it was nice to dream anyway. So she gave Aaro a curt little nod and started really working on her notes so she wouldn't feel so guilty about goofing off later. The work didn't stop the little smile that tentatively got comfortable on her lips, though later she would wonder why her face was hurting.

She totally missed the note passing to Inarin, mostly because she was being so diligent, but probably would have considered changing her mind rather than hanging out with the clever little guy. It wasn't that she had anything against him personally, but more that she had this thought that she had to do everything on her own as much as she could. And he might try to help her where she was lacking. And he intimidated her with how easily he took to Everything other than the violent side of paladin training. Not that she could admit that.

Then, silence. Unexpected, ominous, silence. Celeste looked up at the front of the class, terrified that she had... Nope, not her. Sister Gunxa had someone else in her sights.
 
As written by Rōnin

"I hear there are these great pastries there, too," Aaro dreamed into the distance, his voice unconsciously growing louder, "big rolls of sweet bread with custard dipping sauce..."

"Mr. Caresin," the bored voice of Sister Gunxa took on a slightly sharper edge. She stood at the front of the class, hand on her hip. "Since you have time chat with your friends in class, then I must assume that you are already well-versed in the conclusion of the Valentine-Barrows war." She squinted at him from behind her spectacles. Even with her glasses, Sister Gunxa was extremely nearsighted.

Aaro squirmed in his chair. "My apologies, Sister Gunxa -" He quickly pressed his front two fingers to his bottom lip and bowed at the neck - an Evequec symbol of respect.

"No, proselyte. Not this time. You've interrupted my lectures far too often." She wrapped her desk with hard, bony knuckles. "If you're so knowledgable in the affairs of our nations history, then please ... come up and finish my lecture by telling the class the conclusion of the Valentine-Barrows war."

All eyes turned to him - some still half-asleep. Aaro gulped. He had no way out now. If he couldn't give at least a passable answer in front of the class, Sister Gunxa would issue him demerits. He already had several - the last thing he wanted was to be disciplined, or worse, to have to retake History IV.

His eyes shifted slyly to Inarin. One of the smartest kids in the school. He hatched a plan.

"Just let me collect my notes..." he cleared his throat, making a show of stacking the nearly-vacant sheets of paper on his desk. His fingers slipped and the leaflets flurried off of the wood, landing in a heap near Inarin. "Woops! One moment." A murmur of giggles followed Aaro as he rose from his seat and knelt at the side of Inarin's desk, gathering the papers.

As he went to his knee, he looked up at his fellow proselyte, gaze flitting between Inarin's eyes and the neatly-organized notes on his desk. Aaro's expression was a desperate, pious plea.
 
As written by Script

Inarin's heart had skipped a beat on seeing Sister Gunxa's stony gaze directed towards him, and it had taken him a moment to realise that it was in fact aimed slightly to his right, at Aaro. He let out a quietly guilty breath of relief that his lapse of attention hadn't been noted, before a pang of pity for the other boy as the sister expounded on her displeasure.

When Aaro rose and his notes scattered, Inarin winced. What was he doing? Was he trying to annoy the Sister even more?

It was only when the other boy met his eyes that he cottoned on. His eyes flicked guiltily towards the front of the class, but the Sister would never notice anything at this distance. Sighing lightly, he subtly nudged a sheaf of his notes towards the edge of his desk.

"Focus on the importance of Saint Absolon's consecration, and the martyrs of the 7th Company," he whispered, offering Aaro a small smile, "Sister Gunxa loves that part, she finds it romantic."
 
As written by Faithy

Jimmy studied Inarin closely, curious whether or not he would agree to go with the three of them. At first, he was sure that the answer was no, mostly due to the look that was given, but when the teenager nodded with a smile, the twenty-year-old grinned widely. Returning to his notes, he noticed Sister Gunxa’s unimpressed gaze drifting over towards the three of them. Which one was about to get her scathing remarks? Following her line of sight, he realized it was Aaro. Immediately feeling sorry for the male, the black haired male felt sorry for his fellow proselyte.

“Bummer…” He whispered as the Sister started to rip into the male. Then again, it wasn’t like Aaro was being quiet. Not even the apology was enough to send her back into her boring lecture. He started to interrupt, but knew better, especially as close as he was to getting his silver. Instead Jimmy just watched as Aaro made a plan on the fly, one that seemed to work as Inarin allowed him to get his notes.

Very sly… Jimmy made a note to insist that Aaro pay for something at the café for Inarin.
 
As written by Krysis

Celeste totally missed the deliberate dropping of notes by Aaro, mostly because she had been ignoring him rhapsodizing over the pastries in hopes that he would get the hint and stop talking in class. She might have missed it even if she had seen it. She was very aware that she was not fast to make plans or to see the things that other students found obvious, though the long plan was something she was good at.

So she jumped up and started gathering the few bits that had scattered her way, efficient at the task at hand, and apparently blocking the Sister's view of Aaro's pleading with Inarin since the teacher didn't call him on it. At least, until she heard the whisper and kinda just froze in indecision.

It took a sharp word from Sister Gunxa to remind Celeste to return to her seat. She hid behind her hair, as usual, hoping no one noticed the conflict on her face as she twists her hands into a knot on her lap. It was wrong to cheat and get out of a punishment. It was wrong to let a comrade suffer if one could aid him. It was wrong to stay silent. It was wrong to speak up.

Please let there be antacids available at the cafe.
 
As written by Rōnin

The endangered proselyte looked oddly at Celeste as she returned to her seat after jumping into help him. He couldn't help but notice the dark look on her face. What was the matter with her? Ah well. No time to worry about it now.

Clearing his throat, Aaro made his way to the front of the class while reviewing Inarin's notes. This was a delicate procedure. If he sounded too smart, Grunxa would suspect something. He needed to reach a happy medium between ignorance and attentiveness that would convince his teacher that he was at least somewhat studious.

He turned to face the class, shuffling nervously on his feet - an act. In truth, there was nowhere that Aaro was more comfortable than in front of crowd. Whether he sparring in view of his peers or goofing off for his friends, Aaro was most comfortable when he was being watched.

"The Valentine-Barrows war," Aaro began slowly, eyes flitting back and forth between his notes and the class, "ended with the execution of Mephistopheles and the dissolution of the brief alliance that he had managed to forge between the necromantic cults and the Garou tribesman in the south. Dame Aria Valentine ascended to sainthood after her gambit in Lornaine Forrest saved the entire city from the surprise attack that would have otherwise consumed it." He frowned. He was sounding too much like Inarin. He needed to be more unsure of himself.

"Uh. It wasn't all good, though," he scratched behind his head, "the battle burned down nearly a quarter of Lornaine, and a bunch of villages with it. The entire Monastic 7th Company 'Brightswords' martyred themselves in the retreat, holding off the hordes while giving Valentine and her troops a chance to escape. They all died in the flames." He nodded solemnly - his face suddenly paling as he read a note at the bottom of Inarin's text. "Uh, except one! Saint Absolon was the only survivor. He suffered burns so grievous that chunks of his armor fused to his flesh and couldn't be removed." Aaro made a face, and he shot Inarin a brief glance. Seriously?

"We um. Doubtless owe much to their sacrifice," Aaro continued, folding the notes, "Lutetia as we know it wouldn't be here today without their valor."

Grunxa stood impatiently off to the side, still scowling - but noticeably less angry. "Hmph. Well it appears you aren't entirely the slacker I took you to be, Mister Caresin." She turned to the class. "Indeed, we owe much to the 7th Company. The Valentine-Barrows war was the last major conflict Lutetia has faced besides the House Caer skirmishes. Were it not for the strategic brilliance of Saint Aria Valentine and the prowess of the Monastic Paladins, this city would have burned with-"

She was cut off as the distant sound of church bells resonated through the room. Seventh hour had ended. Class was over.

The students were already spilling out of their seats and gathering their things. "Test next week!" Grunxa bellowed over the cacophony of screeching chairs and thumping books. "The Clerical-Inquisition dispute through the Barrows War! Fill out your study guides!"

Aaro had already returned to his desk. He made sure Grunxa wasn't looking before offering Inarin his notes. His grin was wide and relieved. "I owe you. Big time."
 
co-written by Script and Ronin

Inarin watched Aaro read with trepidation, sure that at any moment Sister Gunxa would demand to see the notes and identify them as his own. He wasn't that worried about himself - he almost never got in any trouble, and so he doubted he'd get more than a slap on the wrist - but if the Sister realised that Aaro was cheating to avoid punishment... the Monastery was a lot less forgiving of dishonesty than it was of inattentiveness.

Given that Aaro was one of the few proselytes that ever gave Inarin so much as the time of day, he hated to think the boy might be kicked out over something that he'd enabled.

He didn't miss the glance that Aaro shot him regarding his description of Saint Absolon's fate, and he shrunk down slightly in embarrassment. One of the texts he'd read had given a detailed account of the injury for the purposes of leading into an explanation of how modern plate armour could have prevented such a tragedy. It probably hadn't been that important a detail, in hindsight.

When Aaro finally finished and the Sister begrudgingly accepted his account without question, Inarin let out a quiet sigh of relief. As the bell rung and the class began to file out, he waited at his desk until Aaro approached.

At the other boy's words, Inarin's cheeks reddened slightly, "Ah... it's no big deal, really," he stammered, carefully tucking his notes away into a folder that he then slipped into his bag. "And sorry. About how disorganised they are, I mean. They were only meant as rough notes for a write-up later, that would be easier to read... and the bit about the armour was just because in the text I was readi-"

"Dude," Aaro grinned wide and true, resting a hand on Inarin's shoulder, "you saved my ass. Let's say I owe you a favor and leave it at that. Besides, if you think that's disorganized..." He shook his head and held up one of his own notes - vaguely scribbled on with a smattering of out-of-place facts and figures. In the bottom corner was a rough sketch of what looked like a chimpanzee in full-plate fighting a monster that looked like a cross between a centipede and a chicken leg.

Inarin went a touch pinker at being interrupted with a hand to his shoulder, but when Aaro held his notes up he couldn't help but laugh, a smile crossing his face as amusement briefly banished his nervousness. "I don't know about that..." he murmured, "It's a ... unique style?"
 
As written by Krysis

"That has to be the nicest way to put it that I have ever heard." Celeste shakes her head at Aaro and Inarin as she hands over the few bits of Aaro's notes that she still had. She had turned over the top piece of paper rather than look too closely at the grotesque caricature of one of the Sisters that was a teacher, since it wasn't like she had been invited to look at it.

She keeps her voice low, so it doesn't carry over the sounds of the other students gathering their gear, "Aaro, you could have just admitted that you weren't paying attention. She would have just had you do lines or something. Why go through all this? It's not like you fooled any of us. I don't think even Sister Gunxais is fooled."

Celeste shrugged her backpack into a more comfortable place, leaning closer to the two younger boys, "And if you get caught, you'll have pulled Inarin down with you. That is so--" She breaks off then, blushing herself as she looks up at Jimmy, not sure the older boy was in on the scheme. She also didn't know Inarin was invited to go with them to the cafe, so she awkwardly looks one boy to the next, not sure how to proceed.

"Ummm. Are you guys ready?" She finally asks.
 
As written by Faithy

At some point in time, Jimmy fell back asleep again, so he completely missed Aaro's shining moment, which was probably for the best. He hadn't been sleeping at night, which only made this class all that more unbearable. In fact, when the church bells rang, Jimmy jolted away, almost yelling out in shock. He fell backwards in his chair, hitting the ground hard enough to send pain shooting through his back. Grumbling, the twenty-year-old climbed back to his feet and grabbed his books and notes, or rather lack of notes. Shaking his head, he glanced over towards Aaro, Inarin, and Celeste hoping that they were too busy with their own conversation to notice how ungraceful he was at that moment, especially since he normally was quite the opposite. Walking over to the three of them, he arched his brow some.

"Let's go you three. Hope you two don't mind, but I invited Inarin." Jimmy grinned and sauntered out of the room, not giving them any chance to object. Aaro especially shouldn't mind considering the other male saved his ass. Celeste might, but she would get over it, probably. Once outside, he inhaled deeply and released the breath slowly, trying to wake himself back up.
 
As written by Rōnin

He looked over to Celeste, rolling his eyes with clear disinterest. "Please. I would have sooner claimed to have stolen Inarin's notes without his knowledge then to bring him down with me." He grinned with the haphazard disregard of a scoundrel. "Sometimes you just need to take a some risks, Celeste. Life's no fun otherwise."

"Hope you two don't mind, but I invited Inarin."

"Not in the slightest, as long as he doesn't mind stepping outside the Monastery," Aaro teased, "seriously In, when's the last time you took a stroll through Lemeux?" He looked over at Celeste. "Or you, for that matter. Merciful Elueu, sometimes I think Jim and me are the only cultured proselytes in this entire academy." He gathered his things and began making for the door. As he walked, he dug into his pockets and pulled out a meager collection of coins and crumpled bills. He frowned.

"Uh. Hey, guys, how put-together are your finances right now...?"

With the Monastery providing most of the proselytes needs (and with all members of the Monastic Order forbidden from owning private property, aside from trinkets and personal frivolities), currency wasn't particularly easy to come by. All proselytes were granted a meager monthly allowance - enough to get out into the city and do something nice every now and then. The idea was to allow students the opportunity to get out and learn more about the city they would eventually defend without letting them have too much fun. The allowance stacked, so proselytes who didn't get out much would accumulate funds.
 
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