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Makai Royal Academy; her newest prison... no, that probably wasn't fair to say. Yes, it was regulated, but only with classes: otherwise it seemed thus far that she could come and go and do as she pleased. It might actually end up being her sanctuary, somewhere that she could be just another face in the crowd instead of the closely guarded darling of a small village where everyone knew everything. She was so sick of that. If no one learned her name before she graduated, well, the witchling didn't think she'd mind that at all.

Étaín had returned to her home village for a few days after the Hallows Eve ball, shaken and distressed by the events of the evening. With a Grave of Fairies trial about to occur, classes were not following normal schedules anyhow and the magic in the forest was far more potent, allowing her to feed. Luckily, she had moved into her surprisingly spacious dorm rooms before going to Lumena for the ball. It had only taken her a few minutes to get rid of her tour guide, the older witchling had wanted to go study for his trial. He left her in the dining hall with the list of places he had been told to show her and scurried off. Of course, snacking a bit on his magic might have encouraged this faster, but Étaín had desperately wanted to be alone. Since he took her offered out, she did not have to resort to more... under-handed tactics.

Walking briskly toward the door to her rooms, Étaín was pleased to note the still-empty hallways. Slightly off-balance was not how she wished to present herself; even if she disliked everyone on principle, she wanted to make a decent impression. Thinking of what to do with the day, she remembered the additional door off the main room of her suite that she had yet to explore. Perhaps today would be a good time to do so, it was probably just a closet or something where she could store her trunks. Moving through the main door, Étaín froze. Standing in front of a pile of belongings she had not left there was another witchling who looked just as surprised as she felt. A roommate? In what part of that tedious paperwork had she indicated that she was willing to have a roommate?!

Taking one step forward, the toe of her uniform shoe tapped something that slid easily against the floor. Keeping her eyes on the redhead in front of her, Étaín reached down to pick up an envelope. Eyes darting from her ...roommate... to the envelope, she finally opened it. It was a note explaining the rooming situation that had come up; she didn't read much of it, just enough to confirm that she did, in fact, now have a roommate.

She opened her mouth to say... something. But nothing came out. Closing it again, she looked at the other girl almost helplessly and held out the note. The whole week had really just not gone as planned.
Moving only enough to allow the door to close softly behind her, she watched as the redhead...Drusilla...took the pathetically written notice of their rooming situation and prattled. Did the other girl always use so many words when only a quarter of them were necessary? Tucking a stray curl behind her ear, Étaín focused her wandering thoughts into the present when Drusilla offered her hand and asked her name.

"Étaín. Étaín Díomasach." She offered her own hand in return, hoping Drusilla did not notice her slight hesitation. She was not used to much physical contact and felt slightly awkward performing even this simple social convention. But she would get used to it, she refused to be awkward when everyone else was so natural and comfortable. "It is... a pleasure to meet you. I apologize, I am a bit scattered today." As if. Étaín was rarely scattered and the fact that she really was more off-balance than usual made her grumpy. It also had yet to be seen if this meeting was a pleasure; though the whole situation obviously was not Drusilla's fault, so it would be rude and a waste of time to blame the other girl. "Unexpected situations don't help improve the issue."

Managing, hopefully without making it look forced, a small smile; Étaín raised her left hand as well to lightly clasp it over their joined hands for a moment, almost in apology, before moving over to her empty trunks. Slowly and methodically, she began to close her luggage; nesting smaller cases in the larger. The second room would not be serving as her closet, so she wanted to take up as little of the space she did have claim to as possible. As she worked, she watched her roommate toying with the last items lingering in her boxes and grasped desperately after some safe smalltalk.

"You have just arrived today, then? I had to make a quick trek home."
Had she forgotten something? A genuinely amused grin flirted at the corner of Étaín's mouth and lit her already brilliant eyes. She would never admit to having gone home for comfort. She had been off-balance, but generally wanted very little to do with the frigid wisp that was her mother.

In fact...

Recognizing her mother in her current behavior shook the black-haired witchling enough to have her forcing herself to relax and attempt friendly. This rooming situation was not her fault and was not Drusilla's fault and it would be hard to find sanctuary in her room if the environment remained so stilted.

"Oh, no, but... thank you for your concern." Amused eyes probably seemed slightly at odds with her words, but what could be done? Drusilla was not looking at her; the redhead looked as though she might want to escape. "My mother needed some assistance and... well, my father passed less than a year ago; so I felt compelled to go help. I did warn her it will not always be easy to get away..." Affecting a soft sigh, Étaín began dragging her nested trunks to serve as an additional useable surface in the shared living area and made another attempt at friendly conversation

"You don't mind if I leave this over here, do you? We could use it as a table or for books or something." Sliding the trunks under the window, Étaín turned and sat on her trunks and watched Drusilla unpack her bedding. "Things to be attended to... I hope nothing negative. That would be a hard way to leave home."

Étaín Díomasach had just recently arrived at Makai: recently actually being the prior day. While she had debated not bothering to attend this ...gathering, she couldn't resist the opportunity to dress up. Her father had gotten the gown she wore on his last trip to Moonfall befo----on his last trip to Moonfall. Anyway, it had been too large then and she had yet to have had a chance to wear it: so between getting to do so and the rumors of the many Reapers about the town, the stoic young majin had almost eagerly made her way to Lumena.

Reluctantly having shed her heavy, fur-trimmed cloak at the door, Étaín was pleasantly surprised by the heat of the large ballroom, allowing her to enjoy the feeling of silk gliding over her skin instead of only being able to think of how cold she was. Indigo silk drifted behind her, fluid as water, as the candlelight caught in the gems embroidered into a flowering vine along her back. Moving with confidence, she strode toward the unoccupied shadows and fringes where she could watch the proceedings.

Deep indigo eyes silently took in the scene. Étaín never had been big on joining in.

As she slid along near the walls, she liberated a goblet of cider off one of the refreshment tables. Finding an alcove where she could lean comfortably against the wall, Étaín browsed the crowd; bemused by the mannerisms of the celebrants. The room had a festive air that seemed dragged down by undercurrents of tension. Being fresh from a tiny, isolated village herself, she wasn't aware of what might be going on, but she definitely couldn't help but notice the atmosphere of forced joviality. She found herself taking a few steps away from the wall and could almost overhear the conversation closest to her, between a blushing, green-haired student still in his uniform and a striking, green-eyed witch garbed in fabulous lace and strings of black pearls. Something about ...witch-eaters?

Delicate brows shifted into a frown, hardening Étaín's jewel-toned eyes, as she snorted in disgust.

'Weak-willed fools.'
Étaín had frozen in a stiff posture the instant the doors of the room cracked into the wall mere feet from where she lingered. Time seemed to slow around her and all she could do was watch the pieces of the door fall. Screams echoed strangely, all sounds dulled to a murmured roar the moment the crazed Reaper entered the room.

Trapped in memories, the young witchling had been unable to move and not powerful enough to assist even if she hadn't been overwhelmed by visions from her not-so-distant past.

As each event transpired in front of her eyes, her traitorous mind overlaid images of the attack on and subsequent death of her father. She did not blame the Reapers for killing him, she blamed only her father for his weakness in devouring a witch's heart. This traitorous beast, however, was far more powerful and crazed than her father had been---but before the powers he held turned inward, she had seen the same look that had been in her father's eyes when...

Blinking, Étaín felt as though time snapped back into place around her when the white-haired Sage moved in to hold the rogue Reaper and protect another Makai student. Sounds of shock and horror assaulted her ears without the buffer of shock and the only thing she could think of was escape. Shaking and pale, the majin girl looked frantically for a path to the main doors. She had to leave. The wild emotions and loose magic were overwhelming, making it hard to control her hunger.

As groups reformed and tried to recover from the catastrophe, Étaín tried to slip from the ballroom: as unseen as she had entered.

She was not amused. No, amusement was in fact not on the docket for today's events. At all.

Étaín was angry enough to actually feel heat in her normally-chilled cheeks. She had been traveling with a group of witchlings for some training in Moonfall---well, not with them, with them; honestly she had not even bothered to ask their names---but now none of them were to be found and they were supposed to be returning to Makai. They should have left hours ago. Now, she had wasted the entire morning waiting for the group and not one of them had appeared or left word of whether or not they had traveled ahead or...nothing. How. Rude. If she had known they were so thoughtless, she would have simply returned to the academy on her own.

That was her plan now, truth be told. But she had been courteous enough to leave a brief note at the inn in which the group had stayed, in case the others did return there. Idiots.

Indigo eyes flashed with further annoyance when the square she was attempting to pass through was full of milling, angsty townsfolk. She had been ignoring the murmurs and the random, panicked passersby in the streets between here and the inn, but now, she could all but taste the fear and panic in the air. The Summoner's Hall loomed ahead, so that was obviously where the crowd had been or was trying to get to. She had vaguely wanted to see the Hall before leaving, Moonfall was not on her list of places she frequented, but now she had the sinking feeling this was a poor route choice. Stuck in the crowd, with nothing better to do, Étaín finally listened in on some of the conversations...

Rogue Blackhearts? Captured youths? Plotting Knights? That might explain the absence of her classmates; good thing she had spent as little time with them as possible, wasn't it? Though, if they really had been taken by Blackhearts, well---the lucky fools were in Poena Privus, weren't they. She would walk those secretive halls one day, carrying a scythe and the right to cut down any of the foolish, contemptible Majin who could not control their power and appetite...someday. If she got very, very lucky and kept one very minor secret.

Annoyance dispersed as the girl made her way into a small side door of the Summoner's Hall. Étaín lingered against the wall, watching and listening as the famed Miusa addressed the assembled Knights and some potential volunteers. They were going to try and infiltrate Poena Privus...absolutely fascinating. She knew her youthful, inexperienced presence would not be needed, appreciated, or possibly even tolerated; but to be able to sneak inside the home of the Reapers... if she could manage to steal along for the ride, the adventure was well-worth the risk. But that was probably a rather large 'If.'
A quiet flare of a foreign power caught her attention and drew her slightly away from the wall, searching. Étaín had never felt a presence like this one and upon scanning the room could not miss the stately man in flowing purple that emerged from the shadows across the room from her own observation spot. His long ears defined him as something beyond what she had experience with, but his power was ancient, almost...reassuring. Perhaps he was the 'in' she was looking for. She would go along on this mission! She had to!

Hesitating a moment longer, but seeing him settle in to observe, Étaín felt safe enough to approach. Moving carefully through the crowd, she coaxed tears to her eyes and a lost look to her face. Blinking away a tear, she calculated her angle and stumbled slightly as she entered what she thought might be the exorcisma's sensory range. Sniffling softly, the witchling looked mournfully toward Miusa and the Knights as she wiped away a tear with the back of her fist, mumbling as though speaking to herself;

"What do I do? I can't go back to Makai without them! Why would anyone take my classmates?" She let out a ragged sigh, blinking soulful indigo eyes. " I feel so bad for staying in that shop so long, what if I had been able to warn them to run...or something?!"

Letting out one last soft sob, Étaín let her shoulders droop as she watched the groups preparing to move out.
The witchling did not have to feign her wide-eyed reaction when the tall man came over and wiped the tears from her cheeks. His touch was so delicate and his sleeves were so much warmer than her chilled skin. Étaín blinked up at his kind smile, mildly surprised at how simple it had been to secure his sympathies. In the back of her mind, she calmly noted that tears were, in fact, highly effective. Fascinating. She had not ever been much of one for manipulation; she preferred detachment and observation. But she had little issue with aiming for something she wanted and pursuing it. She had seen other girls use rambling babble quite effectively as well...

Keeping her shoulder hunched, so as to appear smaller, Étaín took a deep breath and watched herself dry-wash her hands.

"Thank you, so much, Sir. I... I know there was nothing I could have done, really. I just feel so guilty. When I couldn't find them and I heard about the disappearances, I was so relieved that I wasn't with them, I..." Shimmering indigo cut through sooty lashes to look up at Cassiel. "I want to go along, to see that everyone is alright. But I don't think Professor Miusa would approve. But I promise I would stay out of the way! I just want to see them safe, for myself..."

Stopping her fidgeting entirely, Étaín darted her head up to look into the exorcisma's gentle golden eyes. "With so many powerful people, do you think I would be in the way? I just want to see...I just want to see."

That wasn't even entirely a lie. She certainly wouldn't get in the way and she did just want to see... Poena Privus. She didn't wish ill on her schoolmates, she hoped they were fine. But the Reapers took them, so they must have reason.