3.15 – Creativity


    Days ticked by, and the daily routine of T, while packed, becamefortable and nearly repetitive. Not that repetitive was bad. Repetitive was how practice became instinct, and well-honed instincts kept delvers alive.


    Natalie, Sofia, and Jordan delved after ss each day. None were as interesting as the first. They’d lucked into an amazing set-up with Ana and Liz. The other mages and healers they found to trial were, whilepetent, as all T students, not remotely as skilled or as good of a fit as the first team.


    The delves were less interesting in other ways, too. Namely, the stickier sort of encounter Natalie had gotten into near the end. Though that had been … fun … she was d it wouldn’t be an every-day thing. She was starting to ept—even enjoy—the stranger parts of her ss, but that didn’t mean she wanted every delve to end with a body-shaking orgasm, writhing in the grip of dozens of powerful vines. Or whatever else the dungeon could cook up.


    Especially because it would get rather hard to exin, rather fast. Not just disappearing via trap—or worse, it happening in the open—but the rewards she would have to sneak out. At least, until she brought her team into the loop.


    Both Ana and Liz had no shortage of teams to trial for, though Liz much more so than Ana. Healers were valuable, doubly sopetent ones, and triply so ones with the surname Beaumon. Though circumstances of birth didn’t matter <em>as much </em>at T as the greater world, they still mattered, with connections opening and closing doors someone like Natalie could never manage on her own.


    Not to mention, T <em>was </em>only a four year institution. When they graduated, having made allies in the form of the royal family would be, to say the least, a valuable asset.


    So, almost every open team wanted Liz. She might not be joining them. Natalie hoped she did, but she had to admit it was unlikely. Then again, maybe? Natalie nned on asking Liz about it, today. Since it was the secondst day before the weekend, she only had one more trial, and had delved with two other teams. Whether she wanted to join Natalie’s group should be mostly solidified.


    Spars were as interesting as always, being Natalie’s favorite part of the day, barring the obvious: after-ss delves. And, uh, the other practical experience-earning encounters her ss demanded of her, with Jordan and Sammy. But favorite academic part.


    Unfortunately, there was a downside to sparring ss. Or not <em>exactly </em>a downside. Just something Natalie hadn’t a clue how to deal with.


    “Think it’s a coincidence?” Camille asked. “How our ss has most of the better students, and so does theirs?”


    Camille had ‘made friends’ with Natalie. Being the woman Natalie was almost certain had caught her in the restroom, using an illusion of Tess to put on a show, Camille’s presence was, to say the least, awkward. Even a weekter, the knowing smirks she sent Natalie’s way made her face heat up. Natalie didn’t know if she should confront her or just ignore the teasing. Thetter was easier in the short-term, and with how much she had on her te, it had been what she’d chosen.


    Though she didn’t need to tolerate Camille herself, just the awkward circumstances of what she knew, and how she apparently liked tormenting her. Barring that, the dark-haired woman was apetent mage, had interesting insight, was one of the few low-borns like Natalie herself,. Moreover, she was gorgeous and fun to talk with—when the topic didn’t turn to how ‘interesting’ Natalie’s illusions were, and whether she’d ever ‘gotten creative’ with them.


    Natalie had even offered for Camille to trial with them, but she already had a team. Apparently, she was strictly aligned under House Gylver, and her patroness had organized a team in her stead with little choice on her part. So, lowborn, but not connectionless. Natalie, Sofia, and Jordan were likely close to unique in that regard. Like Camille, they’d qualified by raw talent alone, no extraneous factors, but unlike Camille, and most other lowborns at T, they’d done so without being noticed. From the far south of Valhaur, no-wherend to put it generously, they’d snuck past any major house’s attention. Or even minor house.


    “Coincidence?” Natalie echoed. “Probably not. I get the feeling T picked sses carefully. How else would me, Jordan, and Sofia be together?”


    “Bigger picture than that, even,” Camille said. “Not just putting people who know each other together, but it seems like the good sses have all the talent, and the bad sses … well. Don’t. Remember yesterday?”


    Natalie wrinkled her nose. She didn’t likeying down a nket statement like ‘everyone from yesterday was terrible’, but it was true.


    For the past week, Instructor Robin had had them sparring against students from other sses. Internal fights only did so much, since it didn’t take long to learn each other’s abilities. The primary benefit from fighting other students was the variance in skillsets, the same as found down in the dungeon, and thus a growing capability to adapt to an unknown opponent.


    “They weren’t the best,” Natalie agreed.


    “But today.” Camille whistled. “ss twelve.”


    Today’s opponents were a different matter. For maybe the first time, they were, as a whole, <em>losing. </em>Not that these fights were really about winning or losing, but Natalie suspected everyone kept track. She wouldn’t say she had enormous ss pride, but she’d been noting each of her ssmate’s performances, and the ss as a whole, and had been satisfied after spars each day, seeing theme out as an overall victor.


    “They’re the ones to watch for, if I had to guess,” Natalie said.


    “To put it lightly. Bet the top list is gonna be half full of them. Guess it makes sense, too. They have Elida and Johanna.”


    “Elida and Johanna?”


    Camille gave her an odd look.


    It gave her a shback to Sammy—when Natalie had demonstrated her cluelessness to the ‘political situation’ at T.


    “They’re important, I’m taking it,” Natalie said dryly.


    “Maybe you should spend less time <em>practicing </em>with your illusions,” Camille said, “and more on learning who <em>the best students of the year </em>are.”


    Natalie’s cheeks colored. Like usual, Camille made it obvious she knew what had happened in the restroom, but never pointed it out directly. Alwaysyered in innuendo. But to her actual point—“I’m more focused on my own business.”


    She realized her mistake a second toote. A grin split Camille’s face.


    “Yes,” Camille leered. “You’re <em>very </em>upied with yourself. I’m well aware.”


    “Shut up.” By instinct, she went on the offensive. “And for someone talking about this so much, I’m starting to think <em>you</em><em>’re </em>just as creative with <em>your </em>spells.”


    Camille blinked at her. “With my spells? How?”


    Bizarrely, the confusion seemed genuine. Natalie flushed even deeper. “Your vines and stuff. Please.” She was a nt-based mage, and Natalie had learned first-hand how that could be … employed in certain ways.


    “My vines?”


    “You’re fooling no one.”


    Slowly, Camille pieced it together. Her mouth fell open. “Are you suggesting what I think you are?”


    Mortifyingly, Natalie was pretty sure Camille really hadn’t ever considered it. To be fair, Natalie’s mind had only gone there because of the encounter down in the dungeon.


    Face crimson, Natalie turned away and crossed her arms.


    “You really have an imagination,” Camille said, shaking her head. “I aspire to it. Maybe I <em>will </em>aim for some creativity.”


    “Elida,” Natalie said, trying not to let that image linger. “Who is she?”


    “Don’t try to change the topic. Any specific suggestions?”


    “Elida,” Natalie repeated firmly.


    “Maybe you want toe help? Teach me? A lesson from mage to mage?”


    Natalie froze.


    Camilleughed, and before Natalie could respond, she’d moved on. Maybe too quickly, and with her own pink tint to her cheeks, as if thest sentence had gone too far, slipped out by ident.


    “Elida Parda-Halt,” Camille said. “Third daughter to Ardell Parda-Halt. You seriously don’t know her?”