NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 9 - DIY
Chandrika
Chandrika wore her long black hair back in a ponytail, and wore a set of more practical linen clothes, sitting across from Gio. The silver-haired boy was absolutely demolishing a bowl of curry that she had recommended to him. Gio had ordered her a bowl of Spicy Chicken Udon.
In between bites, Chandrika pointed at Gio with a pair of chopsticks.
“Jean-Claude and I have known each other for years. The Castallane house is a big part of the national defense of the Ringed City and its territories, or so my grandmother tells me. My dear mother wants me to be amicable with Prince Donovan and his little troupe of followers, but he and I have never gotten along. Jean passed me a particularly unkind message from Donovan.”
… although I don’t know for certain he knew what he was saying.
“What was the message, if you don’t mind me asking?” Gio said, looking up from his curry.
After another mouthful, Chandrika replied: “he walked up to me, looked me in the eyes without greeting and said ‘Donovan sends his regards, and regrets that he won’t be here to see your special saree.’”
“ The prince has repeatedly mocked my people’s craft.” she continued.
“He has said that the saree I spent months learning to weave is a waste of time unbefitting of a princess… I guess I cannot blame Jean if he truly did not know that Donovan disrespects my people’s most valued heritage, but I wore that saree to greet my tutors back home. I wore it to greet my professor, and I will wear it on other special occasions in the future. It means a lot to me, and is symbolic of my journey as a sage of my people.”
Gio was pensive for a moment. “I guess I understood that I’d be going to school with nobility on some level, but it’s odd to me that your mother wants you to get to know someone just because of who he is,” he said, putting his bowl down.
“ My mother would probably tell me to just ignore him. And did you say princess?” Gio asked genuinely.
“Well… my country doesn’t have the same social system that the Ringed City does. Without getting into all the details, I am technically a member of the Council of Sages. All holders of the [Sage] skill in Ujjbala Sūrya are. There are currently 18 of us, myself included.” Chandrika pondered.
“Huh. [Sage] must be a good skill. I was very excited when I managed to get [Quick Study]. Does sage make you more… wise?” Gio asked.
“Well, we think that it might do something to that effect, but it’s different for everyone. My mother’s [Sage] allows her to stretch one moment into a thousand, effectively stopping time for her so that she may never be caught off guard. My grandmother… it’s difficult to explain, but she’s an incredibly powerful weaver. She sees patterns in everything. For me, I can more or less tell when important things are about to happen.” Chandrika said.
Finishing their food, the pair headed off to the Green Expanse.
_____
Gio and Chandrika sat down under a tree with vibrant pink blossoms. Chandrika worked on a large geometric swatch of fabric, while Gio was reading one of the books they had been issued.
“Oh yeah, what did the professor end up saying to you after class yesterday?” She asked
“He told me that I need to make my own spells.” Gio said, scrunching his face in disdain.
“What? I thought he said he was going to give you a commendation, whatever that means.” Chandrika replied.
“Well. he sort of did. I guess a commendation is an opportunity for specialized counseling. He basically told me that I was going to end up failing with only the spells I have available to me, and since I can’t afford to buy any spellforms, I should learn how to make them.” Gio sighed.
_____
Jean-Claude Castallane
Jean was tired. He had abused his body and overdrawn his mana reserves until he had managed to activate [Astral Deva Form]. He needed to catch up on sleep, so he went straight back to his room after class, not even stopping to eat.
The room was rather spartan in comparison to his bedroom at the estate, but Jean didn’t really need the creature comforts. He was resolutely focused on making the most of his time at Crystal Ring Academy.
After preparing himself for an early bedtime, Jean looked at his pillows, remembering that he had made the breakthrough in the storage technique by focusing on the satin covers. He picked up a lopsided stack of books, placed them on his desk, and got into bed.
Giorgio deGloria. Day one and he has already caught the professor’s attention. I don’t think I would have thought to ask for the books a day early. Incredible that he’s from the Copper Ring.
And Chandrika… I don’t know why she hates Don so much. I feel bad that all the other students are scared of her, but I’m glad that she’s talking to somebody, even if it’s not me.
Gio
Gio marched forward with a sense of purpose, huffing slightly. He rounded the corner and clicked his heels together, standing tall.
“I wish to use a commendation issued to me by Professor Anaximenes.” Gio declared, staring directly at the unmoving wooden statue of an owl.
Gio withered under the gaze of the lifeless statue. Gio tried to remember the puffy small owl from the day prior.
“Did Professor A already inform you of what I want to use it on?” Gio asked.
“Why is it a waste for me to learn this material now, if without it I might not survive until my third year?” Gio demanded.
"If it’s so special, then why did Professor A give me one so early?" Gio asked.
Gio recoiled slightly at the admission. Notoriously petty. Understood.
“Then how am I supposed to survive the semester? I need to either learn how to make spellforms now, or magically acquire spellforms from some other means. I don’t have enough money to buy what I need, and I know that nobody else at this school is allowed to give them to me.”
Whining? Damn bird. It seems like the faculty at this school are incapable of understanding how to deal with a Copper-Ringer. I don’t need to be coddled about my fiscal insufficiency. I don’t want handouts. I would love for someone to actually hel- wait.
Why did the librarian say chair?
The recliner.