Seduction 101 - Part 2

Seduction 101: Part 2
By: Matthew Lichtenberger, AKA JousterL

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Altre awoke to find himself in the medical wing, sun pouring through the window directly into his face. He wasn't completely sure why he was here; only that waking up in such a manner wasn't a new experience to him. He stumbled out of bed and was halfway to the door before he realized that the bed sheet had been the only thing he was wearing. Flushing bright red, he ran back to the bed before any of the other occupants of the area woke up or noticed. He searched frantically while holding the bed sheet over as much as he could, and found a robe and some pants. Throwing these two objects on, he walked back to his room, still insistent on not letting his mind delve into the reasons he was in the medical room. He had almost successfully made it to the room when he heard someone mention Sera, and at this point a rogue penny on the mental tracks was discovered the hard way. He woke up some 5 minutes later in a classroom with the two students who had witnessed the collapse worriedly glancing at him.

"Oi, you ok? Yas been to a fall and I's wondering 'bout joo, ja now?" the first student rattled off in a bizarre dialect that earned an uncomprehending glance from the crane. The second student decided to translate, "You collapsed as you walked by. We were wondering if you were ok." At this point a train finally made it to the station, and things flooded back in. Instead of launching into the real explanation (it never worked, after all; he knew this from experience), he told a white lie about being narcoleptic to extract himself from the situation. It worked, and the two students left with a worried glance behind them.

Altre made it the rest of the way to the dorm room without incident, only to find that no one was there. He tried to think of any other areas that Sera might be at, and came up blank. So instead, he wandered around the hallways, trying to bump into other students so he could ask them nonchalantly if they had seen her. Unfortunately, he was without luck, and at this point he needed to get to his Clan Signs class.

Sera was actually hiding in a small abandoned classroom that her and a few other students had discovered their first year, and used whenever they needed a quiet place to relax and think about situations. Due to some residual magic in the area, they didn't need to shield their thoughts; the room did it for them. She'd been there since early in the morning, swinging between moods more often than a band groupie. After all, Altre's reaction to her sudden advance was just so... unrevealing of his feelings. He could've passed out because the thought of her being attracted to him was so repulsive that he just couldn't consciously comprehend it. He could've passed out in relief, thankful that he didn't have to broach the subject himself anymore. He could've passed out in happiness that she had feelings for him. It could be any of those or none of those, and Sera didn't know which one to put the most emphasis on. She really wanted either the second or third... certainly the first wouldn't have occurred... would it? He was her roommate, and seemed happy whenever he saw her. It was time to confront him and ask how he thought. Anything, even rejection, would be better than this dreadful lack of knowledge. She set out with one simple goal: to find him and confront him, and put the matter to rest.

Altre, meanwhile, had discovered that there was a reason his clan sign was where it was, and he was trying (and failing) to keep the curious inquiries at bay. After all, he hadn't discovered it... his doctor had when he had gone in for a physical.

The area the clan sign occupies is the area where many of a 'cubi's powers will manifest themselves, and it also often determines what specialty the 'cubi will take. For example, if the clan sign was on the forehead, that 'cubi would be quite gifted in intellect and would most likely make it in the world as a scholar or teacher.  Furthermore, the area also determined what sort of energy best benefits the 'cubi. So, taking the previous example, that 'cubi would most likely hang out around a library or school. Their main (and most delicious) form of sustenance would be a student suddenly understanding a particularly hard concept. On the opposite side of things, a failing student would slowly poison them emotionally.

Well, Altre's clan symbol was located in a place that was envied by many. It was exceedingly rare (something to the tune of one out of every five hundred thousand and fifty seven 'cubi achieved this), partially because it wasn't affected by their heritage. Most clan symbols were located in the same place as the parents, and the only reason they migrated anywhere would be people from different clans marrying.

“Altre, you seem hesitant. Surely you aren't afraid of showing your clan symbol. This isn't like most places, where you'll get attacked. So what's the problem?” The teacher stated, and Altre thought he could detect a vindictive tone behind the voice. Quickly, he stumbled out a response “Well, sir, normally I would, but knowledge is a weapon for others to use against me. After all, weren't we told to shield our thoughts at all opportunities?” The teacher looked at Altre oddly, “Yes... but everyone else has shown their clan markings with no hesitation, and we were able to delve into their various talents. I need to give you your particular pamphlet, anyway. It’s the first you’ll hear of the powers you’ll receive. Now reveal your clan symbol.”

One look at the expectant faces and Altre was sweating profusely. He tried to stammer out some sort of excuse… ANYTHING would do… but the teacher cleared his throat, and would obviously have none of it. There was nothing he could do… he’d have to reveal it, and then they’d know, and then he’d deal with that for the rest of his scholarly career, and what would they all whisper behind his back, and how woul….

“Oh for Fa’lina’s sake… All right class, I want you to read chapters 5, 8, and 9 for next class. I want a report on how to best mask your clan symbol, and the various ways it can still be revealed for each. Class is dismissed…” With that, the rest of the students filed out while the professor went over to Altre’s inert form and pondered. Why on Earth was this student so uptight? What was so strange about him that passing out became a viable option to escape from answering a simple question about clan markings? Unless… Oh… that’d be one reason. He walked over to a filing cabinet to the side of the room and unlocked it, grabbing a pink pamphlet and considering for a minute, before placing it facedown on top of Altre’s face, then walking out and locking the door behind him.

Altre awoke about 10 minutes later… to pink. His mind not immediately connecting what he saw with the obvious, he stood up and stared blankly as the pamphlet floated to the ground… and then the events came rushing back and he grasped the table to keep himself from collapsing again. He looked around, panicked, but relaxed visibly when it appeared that none of the other students were anywhere nearby, and that the teacher was no longer requiring an answer from him. After a couple calming breaths, he confronted the pamphlet that had priorly occupied his face.

Hello there, ‘cubi. By now, you’ve either stolen me from the locked filing cabinet of your Clan Signs class, been exceptionally loose in the tongue with the location of your clan symbol (in which case, why are you reading this? You should already know.), or you had difficulty in mentioning in public where your clan sign is. (Altre scoffed “Yeah… difficulty. Try passing out in the middle of class.”) Regardless, this pamphlet will……. Altre watched in amazement as the letters displayed so far began rearranging themselves. This may startle you a little. We had to verify that you indeed were part of the clan. If anyone else had been reading, we would’ve gone on for about a hundred pages on the history of Clan Signs, and why it’s so important to know all there is to… you get the point. Anyway… from what we saw, you had a rather interesting experience. Not used to confronting internal truths, are you? Well, here’s that truth for ya. You’re of the Si’Yira Clan. Your symbol’s located near your primary source of power. Uh-huh. Yeah. That. That’s where the majority of your powers are located. Hence, you’re going to have a rather… well, I won’t deny it… enviable class schedule from now on. The whole point of SAIA is to hone your powers… Anyway, there’ll be plenty of time to get the bureaucratic stuff out of the way later. Yes, you’ll have to prove that you’re of the clan. No, I can’t do it for you. Stop thinking you’ll be embarrassed, or you will be. Now, here’s what you’ll need to do. Go to Fa’Lina. You’ll need to tell her “ariyis”. She’ll know what to do. With this, the pamphlet melted into the air, leaving behind a nearly empty room with one very confused crane.

Hours later, Altre stood in front of the door to the headmistress, fidgeting and shifting his weight and doing a horrible job of appearing casual. Finally, he stepped to the door and timidly knocked on it. A warm voice emanated from within: “Come in, dear.” He opened the door to see Fa’Lina sitting at her desk, munching on a muffin and grinning ever so slightly. However, upon seeing Altre her expression changed to one of worry. “Oh dear, are you ok? Abel hasn’t tried to make any more moves on you, has he? I swear, if he has I may feed him to the librarians… they’ve been itching to get their hands on him since… well, anyway, what’s wrong dear?”

Altre meanwhile was blushing rather heavily, as behind Fa’Lina a portrait involving two past students of the SAIA had… erm… begun to work on creating more portraits. He tore his eyes from the act and sounds emanating from the wall, and mumbled something indistinguishable. “What was that, dear?” Fa’Lina was really beginning to get worried… Altre was probably one of the most troubled students at the academy, and this was including the angst ‘cubi and the adventurers-turned-‘cubi. Altre muttered again, and approached the desk. He took a piece of paper and a pen, and quietly wrote down the word ariyis on the paper. He then flipped it over, passed it to Fa’Lina, and went to sit down. Fa’Lina picked up the paper, expecting the worst. Seeing the word written on the slip, a slight smirk tugged at her lips, before she composed herself and walked over to where Altre was sitting. “Dear…”

“I knew something like this would happen! I’ve heard the rumors about how the clan symbol enhances the power of the major area near it… I just was hoping that I’d be an expert runner or something!” Altre began wailing, the day’s thoughts and feelings finally escaping him in a giant explosion of feeling. “Now what’s going to happen to me? Hell, I get embarrassed enough in my Seduction 101 class!”

Fa’Lina calmly patted Altre on the shoulder through all of this, her face twisted into a conciliatory look. However, lights danced in her eyes, as mischievous ideas began forming as to how she was going to take care of this. This will be fun, she thought, as Altre finally quieted down from his outburst.

“Dear, everything’s fine. You won’t even notice any changes, at least not for a while. The biggest change is that a couple classes we had scheduled for you will be pulled, and a couple times a week, you’ll go to a separate area of the school for tutoring.” Fa’Lina consoled… After all, Altre was in no sort of mind to be told that he was essentially being put into five hundred and six hundred level classes for Seduction. He also probably wasn’t in any mind to select who was going to train him…

Advanced classes are often taught as a symbiotic relationship. Two students select each other as tutors, and from then to the end of schooling are partners in each other’s classes. The classes themselves take a different form from the classic teaching model; for example, two students planning on Seduction as their main focus will spend days practicing the art on each other, and defending against the other’s practice. If one succumbs, the other must help, as each group’s progress is monitored at all times. Essentially, it’s a constant test. Impromptu contests have been founded at the Academy, where groups spar against each other, trying to demonstrate their finesse at the art. Contests get exceptionally interesting when the rivaling groups are of different power schemas. While not formally condoned by the administration, the faculty allows these to take place, as they increase experience between the groups with powers that they are not familiar with/able to defend against.

“But… the pamphlet mentioned that I’d need to select a partner for my studies!” Altre was almost stumbling across his words; he was in such a hurry to get them out. After all, this could be his only chance to get his anxieties out in the open… the way the pace went at the Academy, one day you’d be in your entry-level courses, and the next you’d be flying through CUB562.

A slight look of surprise went across Fa’Lina’s face… apparently the pamphlet must’ve really taken to this ‘cubi… it generally didn’t reveal that much information at the first read-through. Fa’Lina calmly explained the partner system and how advanced classes at the school functioned, all the while thinking, Damn, looks like I won’t have quite as much fun… oh well, I suppose I should be responsible with this… She then directed Altre to go get some sleep… he wasn’t of any mind to argue, especially since he had a lot to think about…

To be continued……maybe…..