Frost 70th, 120
Nuraku had been allowed to share a dormitory with Aeraku, given her lack of belongings. It helped make their situation more mutually affordable--there was one other student, whom they had yet to meet; supposedly this was a Rathor that they were placed with for commonality, but they had yet to meet this rare Rathor student. She didn’t come to her dorm that night--it felt strange to move in without meeting the one that had been living there, given their keepsakes were left out in the open.
Nuraku asked Aeraku to not probe such belongings, and Aeraku had little in the way of possessions as well. That morning, they freshened up and left for the main study hall. “We have a test ahead of us,” Aeraku warned. “We must pass it within three weeks.”
”It would be wise of us to study together.”
“This is for Gentevarese, correct?” asked Nuraku from where she sat upon his shoulder, still in the form of a white ermine with peacock tailfeathers.
”The idea of learning a whole new language intimidates me, to be honest.”
”Especially in so little time.”
“Fear not. This is an introductory lesson with optional lectures. We need only memorize common words and phrases and pass the test,” Nuraku assured her. “I have the names for the textbooks here on the Syllabus, and we will repeat and converse together, que?”
“Que?” Nuraku repeated.
“It means yes,” said Aeraku. “I’ve picked up a few words, though I am still nearly as green as you are in the subject.”
“Isn’t is strange being in a place of learning, considering where we grew up?” asked Nuraku. “I mean, we’re orphans of the Bloodless Kin.”
”Where was all this when we were children?”
Aeraku shrugged. “Daravin is a bigger empire. The institutions here are easier for the poor to access... provided they risk their lives for magic as we have. We weren’t mages then, as children, though I sought that power so I could attend this very institution... life led me astray elsewhere, as I have told you.”
Nuraku knew his story as well. She still hadn’t come to grips with what he was, but in the short time she knew Aeraku, she could tell he was as honorable as she was. Nuraku knew if she were in the same situation, she would fight every bit as hard as he does to fight that terrible curse... there was a time she would have sought a quick death, however.
Nuraku and Aeraku both sat upon a table within the study hall, Nuraku hopping down to the table while her dog Rathor friend went and retrieved the needed textbook. The leather binding was ornate, with decorative flowers emblazoned upon the front. ‘An Introduction to Gentevarese for the Common Tongue,’ it read. Inside were many pictures and words for common things, as evidenced by Aeraku opening the book halfway and flipping through the pages. “And so it begins,” he sighed sagely.
”It’s been awhile since I’ve studied within a scholarly place.”
“I never have,” admitted Nuraku. “Everything I’ve learned, I’ve picked up on my own on the streets.”
“Well aren’t you the street rat?” Aeraku teased, earning himself a roll of the eyes.
“I’m going to try,” Nuraku shrugged. “I’ve given up alcohol, my mind is clear... it’s time to be something, y’know?”
“Aye, then let’s get started. We need to know common words, and understand idioms... the names of objects,” said Aeraku. “We will start with the former,” he said, flipping to the correct chapter and setting a finger upon the words. Copying them down with ink, he passed a neatly written letter to the Molded girl. “Can you read these?” he asked.
“Um, yeah, I can read Aeraku. I’m from the slums, but I’m not an idiot,” she told him.
“I’m glad--I remember you couldn’t read when we were children. Somebody taught you,” said Aeraku.
“Vesta...” muttered Nuraku. “For all her problems, there’s so much she did for me. But this isn’t the time to get sentimental.”
Moving his hand to the first word, he said again “que” and waited for Nuraku to repeat.
“Que,” she said. “Yes.”
“Non. No,” said Aeraku.
“Non. No.”
“Bonjour. Hello, good morning.”
“Bonjour. Hello, good morning.”
“Au revoir. Goodbye.”
“Au revoir. Goodbye.”
“Merci. Thank you.”
“Merci. Thank you.”
“Fille. Girl.”
“Fille. Girl.”
“Garçon. Boy.”
“Garçon. Boy.”
“Femme. Woman.”
“Femme. Woman.”
“Homme. Man.”
“Homme. Man.”
“Chat. Cat.”
“Chien. Dog.”
And so on, and so on. The pair continued learning more words and their translations, until the entire Common Words section had been spoken. “Merci?” asked Aeraku.
“Thank you,” Nuraku repeated. “Chien?”
“Dog,” Aeraku smirked. “That is not all there is to me.”
“Shall I find the word for that which adequately describes you?” Nuraku teased back. She knew what he was, after all, but she would not hint such a thing to everyone else about.
“Hah, non, chat fille.” Aeraku regarded her with a scritch of the claw, smiling. “I’m glad to have met you, Nuraku. My spirits were low, but you have taught me that people like you still exist... or are at least stubborn enough to do so.”
The compliment flustered Nuraku, who turned away. “I have class soon. Look at the time... so do you,” she mumbled. “What do they have you studying?” she asked.
“Etherforging,” he sighed. “The dean said I have the mind... I am going to be eviscerated. But my night job involves maintaining cadavers as I have sought. I am truly blessed.”
Nuraku felt pangs of revulsion at the thought of Aeraku eating pieces from the corpses. “Be safe,” she told him wearily. “Au revoir.”
“Au revoir,” Aeraku repeated. “Goodbye.”
---
Running through the halls in her usual stoat-ly, jumpy way, Nuraku kept to the side of the corridor where the many dangerous shuffling feet did not walk, hopping along. She arrived to a series of offices connected to various professors and instructors. Emblazoned upon the placards above her were the names of various faculty associated with Animus.
“I guess this is it,” mumbled Nuraku. She found the door with the correct label, and peered up at the knob with a sigh. “I knew I should have stuck with the wolf form.”
Coiling her hind legs, Nuraku built up tension in her body, sinking low to the ground with a squat. Boing. As her feat shoved forward, she sent herself high into the air towards the knob, reaching for it. The metal collided with her chest, driving the wind from her before claws scrabbled to hug the smoth metal. Feet rapidly slipping on the surface beneath, she threw her weight to turn the knob until it allowed her entry.
Falling to the floor with a soft thud, she saw the door was ajar and pushed it the rest of the way with her little nose. “Sir?” she called into the office.
“Yes?” came a shrewd, masculine voice. “Please knock next time,” it said.
“Oh, sorry,” mumbled Nuraku, stepping through the threshold. Hopping forward, she climbed up into the chair and then onto the desk, sitting back to look the man in the eye, who had a variety of foods set out before him. “I was told to meet you at this hour,” she told him. “I’m Nuraku, your new student.”
“This late in the semester?” questioned a burly man who had more arm hair than head-hair. His voice was deep and rumbly. “The headmaster sure does... ah, well,” he sighed, setting aside the meal he’d prepared. “I’ll eat in class.”
“Something about a placement test?” she quizzed. “I’m sorry by the way, I thought this hour was open for you.”
“It ... usually is,” said the man, shaking his head. “Well, I suppose we’ll get started. How many animals have you imprinted upon?”
“Six,” Nuraku replied. “A white ermine, a raven, a boar, a spitting cobra, a wolf, and now a peacock,” she said with a wiggle of her tail-feathers for emphasis.
“Hum, I was warned of your Quirk, so you’ll never be able to perform Therianthropy,” said the instructor. “Perhaps I’ll see if you can perform Chimerism instead.” Rolling his eyes to the ceiling, he spoke before they shortly fell upon her. “Turn into a wolf, and in that same transformation, draw upon your ermine to give it a coat of white. Have you done something similar?”
“Well, I’ve Integrated, but nothing like that. I never really thought about it, I guess,” she said.
“It’s a more advanced technique the graduates often master before graduating. Those who are going to learn it already have from among the students in my charge,” explained the instructor. “It’s up to you to feel how you are going to draw together those concepts in your mind. If you’re getting nowhere, it’s best to train--but you can try, if you wish.”
Nuraku nodded. “I’ll try,” she said. Turning, she hopped down to the floor. “Give me a moment.”
Thinking over what he wanted, Nuraku held the dual concepts of an ermine’s white fur, and a black wolf within her mind. They were presences, to be certain. Nuraku often thought of them in a manner of isolation, but she found it easy to connect the two ideas; drawing upon them at the same time would be the challenge. Focusing, concentrating, she slowly began to draw upon her Rune of Animus, imagining exactly how the traits would coalesce.
She had to be creative. There were many possible variations and changes, and if her mind slipped, she had a hunch she could become something entirely different from what she envisioned. A wolf with ermine fur...
Before her instructor’s eyes, the woman on the floor began to pull inward, bones cracking, muscles popping. Pain blistered across Nuraku’s body, and she uttered a garbled growl as she stretched forward, setting her claws upon the stone tile floor as they grew longer, her musculature shifting, the tail feathers receding. Before long, she shifted her weight and stood upon all fours.
“Marvelous,” remarked the professor. “I will assign you with the upperclassmen,” he said. “You shouldn’t be far behind,” he added. “I’ll see you ...mmh, best skip class today and eat something. Tomorrow?”
Nuraku nodded. “I’ll see you then,” she said with a slight smile. “Thank you for the advice. I really was lost.” And with that, she left back to the library, lingering for her friend Aeraku as a white wolf with shorter, thicker white fur, her blue eyes earning her many approving glances. Perhaps the headmaster was wrong. A wolf may be the answer after all, but a wolf with white fur, rather. Chimerism should prove useful. It’s more varied than Integrating individual traits... if only I had more useful forms.
