open.

[highelves]

Who: Anastasia and you!
What: Reading, swimming, coffee, and struggling with training.
When: Early July, after July 6th
Where: Around campus and Cafe de la Lune
Warnings: Last prompt has PTSD references. Will update as necessary.

A. rune readings.

[ for a good chunk of summer, ana can be found chilling in the library in any open area. she has a stack of books with her at all times, and her head bandage will be intact. she also has a bandage wrapped around her neck. somehow, she's got her reading glasses on and she seems to be engrossed in reading about various kinds of runes: defensive runes, to be exact. she also has a book on healing runes at the bottom of the stack.

at some point, her stack topples over, for whatever reason. ana bends down to gather her books, but as she rises...she hits her head on the edge of the table. ]

Owww....

B. swimming pool.

[ it's a hot summer, and ana needs some time to cool off. but she's not going to do it in the dorms. instead, she's going to go to the pool and try to get...reacquainted with the water. something she's avoided for a considerable amount of time. but she's here, wearing her sunglasses and her sundress over her bathing suit...and just. sitting at the edge, feet in the water. it doesn't look like she's getting in the water fully anytime soon, though. ]

C. coffee break.

[ occasionally, ana can be found at cafe de la lune, ordering lattes and reading at one of the tables outside of the cafe. her head wrap and her neck bandage are still on, though it isn't anything unexpected, what with the herald battle and all. upon closer inspection, one will see that she'll be reading a small book that talks about the different kinds of coffees in the world. interesting! ]

D. training troubles. (CW: ptsd.)

[ during the second week of july, ana can be seen at the training grounds with a small bottle of water in her hand. she's in a more open area with a training dummy, and she opens the bottle of water before setting it on the ground.

she pauses for a second. inhales, exhales. her hand moves over her pendant, while the other hovers over the bottle of water. slowly, water from inside of the bottle begins to rise......

until ana freezes up and lets out a gasp, and the water splashes onto the ground. her eyes are wide, her skin goes pale. after a moment, she puts her hand over her chest...and looks at the water on the ground, eyes downcast. defeated.

something's wrong. ]

E. wildcard.

[ hit me up on discord at coco#6616 or amplitude for any custom starters. ]

Comments

c

[lovebreaker]

[ Aiko has just discovered this place, but she loves it. Cafes have always been one of her favorite spots to hang out, and Cafe de la Lune seems to be no exception. It's the sort of place she can see herself doing homework... probably. Or hanging out with friends.

And speaking of-- ]

Oh! Ana, hi!

[highelves]

[ ana's drinking her latte when aiko approaches her in the midst of her reading. she doesn't mind, though. ana sets down her book and smiles up at her. ]

Hello, Aiko. Nice to see you once more.

[ she moves her coffee closer to her side of the table, if aiko wants to sit. ]

How are you doing?

a!

[caduceusoncall]

[The commotion draws Angela's attention quickly enough. It's easy to recognize Ana - they met fairly recently and the bandages are one of the first things Angela mentally catalogued about this student. She puts down the book in her hands and picks up her travel mug, making her way towards Ana to help pick up the books and make sure she's alright.]

Ah, are you alright?

[highelves]

Oh -- Dr. Ziegler! I am so sorry to bother you.

[ she's so embarrassed. she was advised to be careful, and yet...here she is, knocking her head into things. ]

I'm feeling alright, just a bit disoriented. Forgive my clumsiness.

[caduceusoncall]

You aren't bothering me at all. [Her voice is soft and genuine. It's her job to worry about students. And maybe her hobby, too.] You've been through a lot recently, I am not surprised that you are feeling disoriented. Do not hesitate to visit the infirmary if that feeling worsens or evolves into something more dire.

[One of the books she picks up is one about healing runes. Angela reads the back cover curiously.]

Are you thinking of taking up restorative studies?

[highelves]

I will keep that in mind. Thank you.

[ man, she feels like she's been in there more than enough lately. she can deal with this though, it's not that bad.

ana is a little embarrassed, though, when dr. ziegler picks up the book. the healing book of all things. ]

Ah -- yes, I am. I'm very curious to learn this particular category of runes, you see.

[caduceusoncall]

It's a fascinating subject, although I could be considered biased. [Angela laughs, sitting across from Ana and setting down the books she gathered up.] You might consider taking my class next semester. I have a chapter planned for the application of stabilizing runes, and general lessons tend to delve into the magic behind these sorts of things as well.

[She smiles softly.]

May I ask what prompted this interest?

[highelves]

Oh, that'll be perfect!

[ she's excited, honestly. runes!! and magic! there's so much to learn...

and then dr. ziegler asks why. ana keeps a straight face, but she tenses up. just a little. ]

I've been meaning to pick up some other types of runes other than the water-based ones I've always known. I think having a wide skill set would prove to be useful on the battlefield.

[caduceusoncall]

[Angela notes the tension, but doesn't comment. It confirms her suspicions that this is because of the excessive strain on the poor girl. So much conflict and aggression directed towards her...it's got to be draining.]

Water is traditionally associated with healing and lunar magic, from my understanding. That's why I asked - I was wondering if you are considering combining your studies or otherwise expanding them. You are correct, however! Varied skills are paramount to survival on the field.

[She taps her Halo.]

I rely on external equipment to keep me safe. I'm always so impressed when students like you have the initiative to produce your own magic.

[highelves]

[ ana nods, piecing together water and runes and --

no. don't. she has to clench her hand into a fist to keep her grounded and shoves down the bad feelings, paying attention to mercy again. she misses what dr. ziegler says up until "varied skills", and goes back to nodding and smiling. ]

If I may ask, what does your halo do, Dr. Ziegler? That sort of technology is very fascinating. I'm curious to know more about it.

[caduceusoncall]

[Angela's smile falters briefly before settling into a more practiced calm. It isn't her place to pry, but as faculty she needs it to be clear she's available should Ana need her. But perhaps now is not the time.]

Of course. This is an implant directly connected to what could be considered a magical "spine" of energy in my body. It functions as an extra sensory organ, tuned to observe and relay information regarding vital signs and status of wounds. It's a bit like accessing a memory - it is something I can do at will, but requires focus to see clearly. It can be tuned to search for magical wavelengths as well, although I have less use for that in my field of work.

[highelves]

[ .....holy shit. ]

Incredible. I'm simply amazed at how you were able to connect it to your sensory network.

[ this is a lot easier to talk about!!! ]

Did you figure that out yourself, Dr. Ziegler?

d, sure, this sounds like a great way to meet

[playitagain]

[Nana had been practicing, too -- moving through forms with her paired wooden katana in a rapid, flowing way and with a sort of trance-like state. UNtil she hears the water splash on the ground. That interrupts her--

She blinks, turns, and sees Ana with her hand over her chest, expression like that. She hesitates only for a second, before she fetches a towel on her way over to her.

Nana smiles, somewhere between nervous and reassuring.]

Ah--do you want to step out for a moment?

this is fine.

[highelves]

[ she's not expecting to be approached by someone like this, but she's not exactly turning the other girl away, either. ana shakes her head. ]

No, I'm --

[ she pauses. ]

... Maybe just for a moment. I'm...truly sorry for the ruckus.

A

[buddinghopes]

[Lia, who was just coming over with a stack of books of her own, winces a bit when she sees Ana hit her head against the table.]

A-are you alright, Ana?

[highelves]

Ah--Lia! A pleasure to see you again!

[ she's scrambling to put her books on the table first before she pushes herself back onto her feet. when she does, she's a little wobbly. ]

Pardon me and my clumsiness, you don't need to worry about me. I apologize for worrying you!

[buddinghopes]

[TOO BAD, SHE WORRIES ANYWAY. She reaches out to attempt to steady Ana, but hesitates a bit.]

It's good to see you again too... Studying hard, huh?

[lovebreaker]

[ She absolutely wants to sit, and as she does, she smiles. ]

I'm okay! [ Dealing with nightmares but it's... fine. It's fine. ] Just really glad I found a cafe like this--and you outside it!

[highelves]

Ah, yes I am! For Professor Andersen's extra class, actually.

[ which she is taking because she's a good student!!! ]

You too?

[highelves]

[ BIG MOOD. ]

Chipper as always, I see.

[ ana grins before drinking more of her coffee. ]

What brings you to the cafe?

[buddinghopes]

Sure am! Same class, even.

[Her books appear to be about several kinds of support runes, primarily, if Ana looks.]

I want to learn as much as I can...

[lovebreaker]

Hehe, I try! It helps that it's summer, you know?

[ aiko please you're taking summer classes-- ]

Mm, mostly I'm just exploring! But I really like cafes, and I'm kind of really in the mood for an iced coffee. It's the perfect summer treat!

[ She rests her elbows on the table, chin resting on her hands. ]

How about you? Doing some reading?

[highelves]

[ oh, same hat. ana does glance at the titles before moving her books a little more to the side. ]

You're welcome to join me, if you'd like! Professor Andersen's class is certainly engaging, isn't it?

[buddinghopes]

[And join Ana she does, setting the stack of books down.]

It really is! I'm really glad he's offering the extra class, to tell you the truth. Someone back in the Peacekeepers dabbled a little in runes and was willing to show me, but I didn't pick up as much as I would've liked before coming here.

[highelves]

An iced coffee sounds good right about now. I would drink it myself, but I fear that I may get a headache if I drink it too fast.

[ and that won't be hard, what with her head injury and all. ]

Yes, I am. I'm only just getting into the hang of drinking coffee, so I wanted to see what sorts of drinks were commonplace.

[ she holds up her little book on coffee! ]