#i love these kids so much ahbdshjb

[brewbellwizardry]

Wiztober Day 1 - Schools

  “Welcome to Ravenwood!”

  Emory swept a dramatic arm around the spacious room, particles of magic fluttering out of the way as they stepped through the spiral door. They glanced back to make sure their entourage was still in one piece.

  Sure enough they were, Taane letting his jaw hang on its hinges as he lifted his eyes up, and up, and up, trying to drink in everything at once. His eyelids shuttered noisily a few times at the bright light filtering in through the highest parts of the canopies and he held Cecil’s slim hand a little closer. They were in a wide circular space filled with trees- and made of trees, for that matter. He could hear the distinctive buzz of magic in the air around them. 

  He’d never seen anything quite like it in Celestia, not even in the floating lands. 

  “I understand why it’s called Ravenwood now. There are so many trees!” He twisted around to look at them all, his hollow voice ringing unusually in the wide room.

  “Oh, err, I guess!” Emory chuckled, shifting from foot to foot. “This is the spiral chamber, the school is outside that door there.” They pointed across the room, Taane and Cecil following their arm to a red door that stood out against the natural browns and greens. “Do you guys want to check out the schools right away?”

  “Yes!” They answered together. Both their smooth faces, metal and wooden, were unchanging, but their voices had noticeably brightened.

  “Okay, we’ll start with Professor Balestrom, cause uh, he’s least likely to yell at us for interrupting.” They grinned nervously, thinking about the scolding they were sure to get from Cyrus.

  Well, they’d cross that bridge when they got to it. 

  -

They had led the two constructs to the storm school, Cecil staring openly at all the brightly robed wizards they passed on their way over. Cecil had tugged at the collar of their soft grey cloak self consciously, wondering how they could enjoy wearing robes in such deadly shades of yellow and red. They had to jog to catch up with Emory and Taane who were waiting for them in front of the classroom. 

  Once they were all there Emory swung the doors open wide, walked in and-

  “Merlin’s fucking beard!” 

  Emory swore loudly and grabbed the fronts of Taane and Cecil’s robes to pull them down to the floor, Cecil making a loud garbled buzzing in surprise. A fizzing noise went over their heads and Emory flinched at the unmistakable crackle of lightning hitting wood behind them. 

  Looking up to make sure the coast was clear, Emory found a group of wide eyed Diviners staring back at them, Balestrom stood green and froggy on his desk with his cane still pointed where the trio’s heads had just been.

  “Professor, I didn’t realise you were doing p-practicals today.” They managed to breathe shakily.

  He finally lowered his cane with a flourish, beaming down at the three of them awkwardly sat on the classroom floor. “Every day is a practical day! You know the rule, young wizard, always knock on a diviner’s door before entering!”

  “No I- I didn’t know that, actually.”

  “Hmm? Oh, that is a bit of a problem, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe you should make a sign, professor?”

  “A marvelous idea young Erin!” Balestrom leapt off the desk and padded his way down the runner rug until he was face to face with Cecil, who pulled their knees up to their chest in discomfort. “Fascinating, simply fascinating! And why might these constructs be here, young Emory? Are they in need of repairs?”

  “Oh, no! Not at all. That’s Cecil, and this is Taane. They’re from Celestia, we’re doing the rounds.”

  “Hi Taane! Hi Cecil!” A bouncy voice Emory recognised as Keelan’s called out from behind the crowd. “You didn’t get shocked, did ya?”

  “No!” Taane chuffed, tapping his fingers against the floor happily. “Not this time!”

  With a terse chuckle Emory climbed to their feet and extended a hand to their friends on the floor. They didn’t particularly want there to be a next time. 

  -

  When they arrived at the ice school Emory knocked once, twice, thrice before entering. “Professor Greyrose? Any spells we should be minding?”

  “No no, come in, dear!”

  They gave a relieved look to their companions, and though neither could mirror the expression Taane placed a hand on their shoulder while Cecil nodded sagely. They understood.

  Already acquainted with the unholy chill of the ice classroom Emory pulled their cloak tighter around themselves as they pulled open the door. The air from inside spilled out as a dense fog, and already the atmosphere of the class was in stark contrast to the one they’d visited prior. All the students were sitting in neat rows, Greyrose at the blackboard, and the sound of pencils scratching at paper seemed endless. It didn’t halt or change as they walked into the classroom, most students too focused on copying an amount of writing that would bring Emory to tears if they saw it in their own classes.

  They saw one student turn blatantly in their chair only to be elbowed by the one sitting next to them, and with a grumble they’d returned to their work.

  “Professor, these two are visiting the schools to learn about them, do you think you could tell them about thaumaturgy?”

  Greyrose hovered in place, tipping her hat to her visitors with a warm smile. “Oh, but of course! Now, where to begin? You see when the spiral was first sung into existence-”

  Oh dear, Emory thought, they were going to be here a while, weren’t they?

  -

  “Next up is the fire school with Professor Falmea, you’re gonna want to mind your feet, the floor can get kinda uh, temperamental.” Emory pulled one of the doors open and got hit by a wave of hot air immediately, blinking fast as their eyes started to water. 

  Taane took one look at the red hot floors and the fire based decorations and opened and closed his mouth with an audible ‘clack’. 

  No. He wasn’t walking into that death trap. It just wasn’t happening.

  Without a word he turned and walked away, sitting down on the curb opposite the building and neatly tucking his coat over his folded up legs. 

  Emory watched him with curiosity. “Err, Taane? Is something wrong?” 

  Cecil tugged on their shirt sleeve and they turned to them, very aware of the fact they were loitering in the doorway and that the pyromancers in the room had started to turn and stare. “Being made of wood means he’s not exactly fireproof. Less than you or I, anyway.” They murmured.

  Emory’s mouth formed an ‘o’, slightly misshapen by their fangs, and they nodded. “Right, no, yeah, I don’t want anyone catching on fire. Are you interested, Cecil?” 

  They eyed the bright robes, the mustard yellows and fire reds they’d seen before outside. 

  “No, not particularly.”

  “Alright. Sorry, professor!”

  “Just close the door already!”

  -

  Emory tried not to seem too eager, or embarrassed, about the crater of the sunken death school. On the one hand it was their own school and they took a great deal of pride in it, unconventional though it may be, but on the other they knew not everyone viewed it with the same endearment. 

  But despite their efforts they couldn’t help their long ears pricking up as they spotted the small circle of black and red surrounding a standing figure. “Hey, Malorn!”

  Malorn turned his head left and right before spotting them. “Oh! Emory! You bringing more students for me to ruin?” 

  Laughing nervously Emory looked back at Cecil and Taane. “Ahaha, he’s joking, I swear he’s joking.” 

  Taane clicked his fingers together with a stilted laugh, pressing past Emory straight towards the circle of students where he took a seat on the edges. This young teacher had good humour and this was the first class he had seen outdoors- how dreadful it would be to stay cooped inside all day, he wasn’t sure he could bear it.

  Cecil wandered over more hesitantly, a bit put off by the wicked grin of the student teacher, and sat down next to Taane. 

  “Welcome to our flock of black sheep, haha! Get it?”

  “Gods, Malorn.” Emory groaned.

  -

  The myth classroom was one they had been particularly dreading, and Cecil seemed to have picked up on that if the way they were standing a good foot from the door was anything to go by. 

  And given body language was just about all Emory had to go off when they weren’t speaking, they figured it must be so.

  “So uhh, the teacher for the myth school is Professor Cyrus Drake, and he can be… difficult.” They paused, took a deep breath, then knocked on the door. “Professor?”

  “Class is in session. Go. Away.”

  “Professor, there’s some new students here, we’re having a look at the different schools and-”

  “I am busy with my present students, I don’t need any more. Go. Away.”

  “Hmm.” Emory pulled a face. “So uh, this is not ideal, but I can probably tell you a bit about conjuring? Unless you guys really want to see the classroom, then we can! But I uh,” They cast a dubious look at the door, “I don’t think it’ll go over well.”

  Taane shrugged and looked to Cecil, who shrugged and looked to Emory. “You’re the tour guide.”

  “Alrighty, so conjuring-”

  -

  Taane had been taken by the life school the minute they’d approached it, head on swivel looking at all the flora and fauna that always flocked wherever theurgists gathered. He held a hand up to the sky and Emory had watched in awe as a sparrow landed on one of his outstretched fingers, delicate toes curled around the smooth wood like it was just another branch. 

  “I like this one.” He spoke, enamoured with the way the small bird hopped around the digits of his hand. Cecil leaned forward to look, having to stand right on the tips of their toes to see properly. 

  “You have always liked small creatures and plants, Taane.”

  While they lingered in the yard outside the life school students started spilling out the doors, books and wands in hand. A lady in green, Professor Wu, was the last out of the classroom and the trio watched with interest as the group of students arranged themselves around the trees outside. One student with a deer’s lower body stayed standing, but the rest sat on the ground.

  “Oh, I really like this one.” Taane made a beeline for the other students, settling himself in like he already belonged there. A few students gave him odd looks, but he paid them no mind. Cecil hung back with Emory, making a small laugh-like sound at their friend’s enthusiasm. This definitely suited him.

  -

  “And lucky last, this is where the balance students stay. The actual school is in another world, but we still have a teacher here too for the beginner students. I always found balance magic really difficult, honestly. The sand is too hard to keep together.” Cecil had latched on to Emory’s hand the minute they’d split off from Taane, who had been eager to sit in on the rest of the lesson Professor Wu was teaching, so they noticed right away when Cecil stopped walking in the middle of the balance campgrounds. Emory looked down at them, concerned. “What’s up?”

  “This magic… it’s not the kind I was looking for either.” Their tone was morose, and Emory frowned.

  “No? Not this one either?” 

  They shook their head, pulling their cloak up around their mouth so their voice was muffled. “It's not the right one. The one I was looking for… it’s not any of these. I was hoping to see those shadows again, the ones that moved like mist. They were so pretty.”

  Oh! Emory hit their hand against their palm with a smile “Cecil, I think I know what you’re looking for! That’s Shadow magic!”

  “It is? Where is it taught?” 

  Oh. Emory shifted uncomfortably, knowing they were going to let them down again. “Err, well, it’s not exactly taught here in Ravenwood. Ambrose thinks it’s too dangerous.”

  “But… all schools of magic are dangerous.” Cecil tilted their head questioningly.

  “Well, yeah, that’s true, but... I’m sorry, Cecil. Were there any other schools that you liked?”

  They made a low buzzing hum, considering for a few moments. “I liked some of them, but none of them felt right. If there’s no shadow magic here, I think…” 

  “...I think I’m going to find my own school.”