Everyone sat quiet, our professor taking a more stiff and serious outlook.
"The flow of a warrior is slow, steady and incredibly strong with the energy being denser than that of a mage and a rogue. It lacks two things. Diversity and speed. Sure it has the sheer power and pure quantity, but what good does power do you when you're already slow enough to get hit by a blown leaf? Now for the mage. Having a quicker flow than the warrior and a pretty good density. What does it lack? Structure. The flow is weak and flimsy, with most of the density of energy concentrated in the brain for theoretical and strategical reasons. The rogue is perfectly fitting in the middle."
She paused for a second. She went back to her seat and took a sip of water before arriving back at the stage.
"The rogue's flow is not so fast, sharp, with mini cores along the paths acting as valves, preventing backward flow as much as possible. The flow is structured firmly and varies form user to user. The only downside is that the flow is similar at to the saying "Jack of all trades, master of none". It does not heavily depend on either side, therefore it cannot master any side."
Alana was busy tearing up the presentation, answering multiple questions from the professor with ease, and a lot of flair. Every now and then she would turn back and glance hastily at Kyle and I, after winking happily at Kainan.
"In a bustling city where ambition thrived, three types of bribery shadowed the streets. There was 'shadowed flutter', where a young merchant, enchanted by small gifts and favors, unknowingly allowed her decisions to be swayed, much like a butterfly drifting from flower to flower. Then came 'veiled deception', as an alchemist ensnared a naive vendor with enticing promises, only to reveal the hefty cost of his morality. Finally, 'titan's grip' emerged, with powerful tycoons using their clout to pressure people into compliance, crushing dissent under their weight. Yet the most insidious was 'soul's eclipse', which wormed its way into the hearts of the ambitious, seducing them into compromising their values under the guise of nobility, leading to a city where integrity faded like the last light of day."
I read this passage in one of many of Xilan's books about manipulation and techniques. I recalled it, and I could not categorize what Kainan might have done under any of this. He used something more dangerous. Love.
He painted the imagery of love and competence, tainting the very essence of her being with his flowery sweet words. Promises of warmth cloaking the inevitable darkness darkness. Snakes poison stirred with strawberry. Gifts of cushions with daggers underneath. I would call it "Cupidal Corrosion".
Or maybe they truly were talking and I was overthinking things. But why her? There were many fishes in the sea, and the Academy was by no means a desert.
Nonetheless, she was a good pick for the job. I wish I would have taken note of her first.
"That would be all. Thank you for paying attention."
The class erupted in a standing ovation, as the professor's expression got worse by the second.
"You're dismissed" he said as he just disappeared.
"That was insane! How did you know that she was the one for the job? What did you whisper to her? You got to tell us everything!" Kyle yelled excitedly as he shook Kainan back and forth.
"You better keep your promise" we heard a voice say.
As we looked to see where the voice came from Kainan stumbled, and was caught by Alana, who was behind him.
We all looked, smiling slowly. He got up and left out of embarrassment. First time I saw the big man make a move of emotion.
"That's that I guess. Also we haven't met up as a group in a while. You know where Ariana's class is? I know she's taking the mage course. C'mon, it should be down the hallway. It's been so long. We should regroup."
We left the class, to look for the rest of us.
We went down the stone hallways. As we strode through the corridors of this humongous school, we looked around for the Mage class.
"Amidst this lively backdrop, a pair of friends made their way down the hall, drawing attention from those around them. One had an air of charisma, their expressive gestures amplifying the excitement in their animated conversation. The other friend, with a more laid-back style, complemented the dynamic with a relaxed energy, their relaxed demeanor providing a perfect balance to the exuberance of their companion.
As they walked, the magnetic energy of the duo seemed to attract the gaze of nearby students. Heads turned, conversations paused, and curious glances were exchanged as they passed by. A few clusters of onlookers whispered among themselves, sharing knowing smiles and chuckles, while others leaned in closer to catch snippets of their lively dialogue, ignoring precious recess time for a little bit of gossip."
"You're writing is really getting better. How do you even have the time to take in all these situations that pop out of nowhere? How do you even notice them in the first place?" I asked.
"You dont see what you dont want see. If you do not expect, it will not become. I really dont have the time, so I have to make up for it by staying up late at night, skipping some homework and things of the like. At the beginning, it was pretty hard to add new characters, manage the structure, sequencing events, properly describing the setting and a whole bunch of babble. Writing is like quitting some bad habit. Its terrible at first, but it gets better. Speaking of better, look who it is" Kyle said as he pointed forward.
I looked where he pointed and made out three figures. The one in the middle being an elf, with a smile that never left my mind.
Adriana, Lola and Jamie stood before us. It was a long time since I last locked eyes with her, that it was very pleasant to stand before her.
I could never say the same for Lola.
"You little...!" she said as she pulled my cheek like an angry mother to her child.
During my time reading in the cave, I read my romance novels, and I was familiar with this situation. In most books, the woman in question would nag him for nothing at all, while the man would either have one of two trains of thought.
"I find it kind of charming. It's like she wants to challenge me, keep me on my toes. Maybe it's her way of showing affection" or "Why can't she just let it go? I thought we were having a nice conversation. This teasing is a bit too much".
I felt none of the two. Seems like I cant believe everything I've read.
"That's enough. I have a more interesting person I should talk to, a more pressing matter"
I politely, carried her out of the way, as I made a stride toward Ariana.
As I reached in for a friendly hug, Jamie stopped me, aggressively restraining my arms. Like 'someone' told her to do so.
"It appears that we have a lot we should discuss, Muna"