The mere fact that the young girl seemed to have mistaken her voice for one coming from the below the stone platform didn't quite convince Willow that the girl wasn't confused. Nevertheless, she didn't question it. She shifted a bit, looking towards the lecturers as they announced the start of the discussions. Seeing as Ms. Kristoff was not discussing yet and they were free to do whatever they wished, Willow turned back to the girl.
"
I'm Willow by the way!" She introduced with a smile and she faltered for a moment before extending her hand for a shake. "
Are you staying for this lecture or do you have other plans?" She questioned in an attempt to be friendly, idly looking over the platform again. It wasn't that she didn't find the lecture interesting but the Academy was just as fascinating.
For a moment, the sound of clinking glass drew Winona's attention away from the lady before her. However, the initial moment of curiosity quickly faded when it turned out nothing interesting came of it. It was just a man using a lot of fancy words. Talking about 'Fram Boys' and whatnot. Winona would continue to lend her attention out of politeness, but the man just kept going, and going, and-
From a young(er) age, she'd always been taught not to interrupt when adults were speaking, but that didn't mean she had to listen to all of it, right? Right! Having sufficiently convinced herself it was okay to ignore the man holding a speech, she returned her gaze to the lady before her. Having done so just in time to catch her cheerful introduction. "
I'm Winona Sera of the House of Nito!" she responded with the same proud intonation she'd used countless times before.
Accepting Willow's extended hand, she used it to pull herself up to her feet. Rather than shaking it. "Can I have other plans?" Winona asked in return, the excited tone hinting at her preference, "
I need to go to the library for my ques-" She halted her sentence and gave Willow an apprehensive look-over. "
You're not a villain, right?"
Willow put the name in her memory. She had no idea what the House of Nito was and if it meant anything here in Enia. As long as she had been staying and travelling through the world of Enia, she's never gotten a handle in their noble families. There were just too many to count and, frankly, Willow didn't really think they were too important.
Still, she could ask some of the Enians they had in the group later.
She was surprised that Winona had used her to get her to stand up but Willow managed to keep her ground. "
Yeah, the professor said that we can do whatever we want until the lecturer we prefer arrives." Willow responded with a small shrug and tilted her head in curiosity as Winona mentioned a library before pulling back with a very interesting question.
"
I don't believe that I am." Willow responded honestly. Sure, she's been thrown into jail for reasons… that she didn't quite understand. Something about polymorphy? In Ithya, it was just something that people had and people utilized to help others. So she wasn't quite sure why in Enia it would be considered as something worth going to jail over. Therefore, she isn't a bad person but rather simply misunderstood.
After listening carefully to Willow's words, Winona had reached her verdict. She wasn't a villain. Winona had met villains before. Clad in armor and heavily armed. Those villains were more than happy to announce their intentions as they attacked the Aepian people. Thus, simply asking is a surefire way to figure out if someone was a villain.
Convinced of Willow's non-hostile status, Winona hastily fetched her bag. Vigorously digging through the abundance of content to find one of the books that would help explain her quest. After producing a significant amount of ruckus, she presented an old tome to Willow. "
Since you're not a villain," she began, flipping through the pages as she spoke, "
I'm on a quest, a really important one!"
Having found the page she'd presented to Anthea before at the Black Cat, she once again used the drawn image of Grandmaster Nito as reference. "
I'm looking for books about him, Grandmaster Nito, Sylvie told me the library could have some, but I don't know where the library is... Do you know?"
Willow looked pleased as Winona accepted that she wasn't a villain. She wasn't sure what had convinced the girl but she wasn't about to argue with it. She listened on intently at the mention of a quest, Willow had always been eager to help others.
She looked over the page and slowly nodded. "
The library huh…" Willow tried to jog her memory but they had just entered for the most part too and whichever halls they've gone down on were all mixing up in Willow's mind. Curse the academy for having very similar interior designs. She hadn't been paying attention to the signs either.
"
No, not really. But I'm sure there's a map here somewhere." Willow reassured her before gesturing for her to follow. "
Have you already looked around for the library?" She questioned, wondering if they can narrow down their search of the academy.
"
A map?" She repeated back at Willow. Her expression changing to a puzzled one, presumably pondering whether she'd seen one around or not. The answer was not. In fact, it didn't even cross her mind as she was internally occupied with the ridiculous idea this place would have a map. What if intruders came to overtake it? They'd simply follow that map to wherever the treasures were.
Winona was about to reject the idea when Willow presented another. Simply searching the place seemed like the best option. "
I haven't, no, but! We could go together! Mom always said it's safer that way." She explained while hastily grabbing her belongings and shouldering her backpack. Nearly tipping back off the platform as her body tried to adjust to its weight.
"
Let's go! Eh, that way!" She then exclaimed after finding her balance. Pointing the curved crest of her staff forward in the direction of a randomly selected hall. Starting to move towards it moments after, without any form of consent from her new travel companion.
Willow made a cautionary move as Winona nearly fell off the platform when she carried her things but she managed to balance herself just in time. Maybe it is a good idea that she would go with Winona on this voyage. She gave a muted nod - it is true, traveling with others is better than traveling alone. There is strength in numbers if everyone in the party is in agreement on what the priority is.
As Winona moved down the hall, Willow spared a glance towards Theo and Arturo - hoping to catch their eye and signaling that hopefully she would be back by the next lecturer. Emphasis on the hopefully.
With that, she hurried to follow Winona and curiously looked around. The academy was far too big for them to search with just the two of them. She idly wondered what kind of lectures happened within these walls. It was an esteemed academy after all. Unfortunately, aside from the guest lecturers, she doubted she would ever come back here again.
Snapping back to their current objective, she turned to Winona. "
Why don't we try asking a staff here? Make the process of searching go by faster?"
Soon after the two adventurers set out on their quest into uncharted territory and realized they didn't know how to get to their destination, a high pitched voice piped up from behind them.
"You look weird." There stood a boy in a prim, stuffy suit with a lollipop in his hand, even shorter than Winona.
Despite having the collective wanderlust of the entire world keeping her moving forward, Winona too had to admit this wasn't getting them anywhere fast. Halting in place, she glanced around. Both left and right the walls looked exactly like the ones they'd been passing so far. There was no way of telling where they were going at this point, and Willow's suggestion to remedy this was a sound one.
"
Staff.." Winona muttered to herself in response, "
If I were a staff, where would I be?"
Pondering for a while, her eyes eventually landed on the staff held tight within her hand. Of course! A staff would know where to find a staff. With blind faith in her method, she closed her eyes and spun around in place. Pointing her staff in the direction fate had chosen. Only to be greeted by the sight of a child at the end of her staff once she opened her eyes. "
Ahh! Ehm- wha-? Who're you calling weird! You're weird!" She retaliated to cover up her initial shocked reaction.
Willow gave Winona time to ponder over her suggestion before she wandered off for a few steps, looking around the bends of the academy to look for someone who knew their way around the academy. Anyone would do really, a student probably knew more than they did about the layout of this place. She was disappointed to see that no one was coming around, they were all likely very busy with the guest lecturers being around.
She moved back to Winona just in time to see her spin around with her staff and nearly hit a smaller guy with it. Willow quickly moved back, an apology ready on her tongue but the guy had already spoken and Winona had responded in kind.
She couldn't help but laugh at that. Willow knew that she looked out of place in such an illustrious academy as she was still wearing some form of adventuring gear as well as very casual clothing as opposed to the guy's suit that honestly looked uncomfortable to be in. She didn't appear to be someone who would go to a place like this. She raised a hand, giving the boy a grin. "
Well, maybe it's because I'm not Enian." She pointed out. "
And I'm just a visitor here."
The child's eyes focused on the staff in front of his face before focusing on Winona.
"Nu-uh," he said calmly, plucking the lollipop out of his mouth and pointing the swirly sweet end at her.
"You are, weirdo." He turned to Willow with his eyes narrowed.
"You're from Aepia?" He looked Willow up and down before continuing.
"Eww, you're an Ithyan, aren't you? My dad says Ithyans are so poor that they can't even afford to buy water for a bath, and you live in swamps," he said with a childish smile.
"Hihi, that's gross!" He sniffed the air before biting down on the lollipop again.
"You don't smell as bad as her though," he said, sticking his tongue out at Winona, and accidentally dropping his lollipop.
"Aw!"
Winona couldn't believe what she was hearing. This whole conversation went against everything she'd been taught. This boy before her was rude. No. Beyond rude! And to his elders no less! She'd expected Willow – the elder amongst the three of them – to show some form of disciplinary action. Instead, she chose to laugh it off. In turn, prompting Winona to look at her with bewilderment. "
Wha-?"
And whilst she tried to regain composure, the boy simply continued with his foul manners. Calling her a weirdo, as if! "
I am not! You are!" She retorted hastily, shooting another glance towards Willow. Still convinced she'd put a stop to this, surely. "
Are- are you not gonna stop him?!" She eventually sputtered after listening to the boy for a few more sentences. Winona knew better than to tell an elder what to do or how to act. But not while her worldview was being verbally attacked with every word uttered by the boy before them.
Willow tilted her head at the boy's continued attitude. Her smile became strained at the attack on her own world and she shifted in her position. Bold words, coming from people who hide behind their walls and their guards and continuously beat down their own citizens to elevate themselves. If they carried the same attitude towards Ithya, Willow wondered how long they would last. Probably not long, if they started insulting every Ithyan around them. There's a reason why their communities have strong bonds with each other - if you isolate yourself in a way that would make you hated in the community, then your chances of survival were slim.
She placed a hand on Winona's shoulder as she turned to Willow to reprimand the boy. She really had no place to say anything against a noble. "
Unlike you, we don't put monetary value on survival necessities. You call us poor, but that says a lot more about your community than ours really."
"
Now, now, let's stop calling each other childish or stinky. We're just guests here for the lectures. How about you? Did you come with your father or are you a student here?"
The boy huffed as he pulled out another lollipop from his pocket and unwrapped the packaging, flustered by Willow's retort. His scowl was replaced with a smile beaming with pride as soon as Willow asked about him.
"Yuh-uh. My dad's here giving a lecture. I'm not a student yet, but I'll be one soon!" The boy's grin widened.
"I was playing in the gravity slides at the library earlier, but the butthead librarian kicked me out." He somehow managed to maintain his smug look as he spoke of his
exploits.
And just like that, everything was right in the world again. Soothed by Willow's reassuring hand placed on her shoulder. As well as the astute retort from her lips. All working in tandem to put her mind at ease. Yet, despite Willow's words clearly requesting to halt the name-calling, Winona couldn't resist basking in their victory. Returning the previous 'courtesy' by sticking out her tongue at the boy. Which, by any stretch, wasn't name-calling.
After that, most of the boy's words were met with a petty disinterest on Winona's part. Shifting on her feet. Glancing around the hall. Doing anything she could think of to have her body express she didn't care. At all! …Up until he mentioned the library, which reignited her interest in the boy. "
We're looking for the library! Do you know the way?" She asked, suddenly sporting a much more friendly tone.
Willow blinked. Oh, it looked like the kid really was from prestige. She idly wondered which of the two guest professors was this boy's father. And to think that he looked at Ithyans so lowly, she also wondered how they thought of the Ithyan guest professor who was considered one of the best in their field. "
Who's your father, if you don't mind me asking?"
"
Say how about this? If you take us with you to the library, I think I can sneak you inside again and you can continue playing?" She suggested. It was a fair trade between the two of them - they both have something to gain from doing this. Even a kid would be able to understand the equivalent exchange.
"Like I'd help a nincompoop like you," he said before sticking his tongue out back at Winona. The boy beamed with pride.
"My dad's Henri LaFramboise, the great Templar Knight," he said, swinging his lollipop to one side with each syllable.
"I'm Michel LaFramboise." He seemed to freeze up as soon as he heard Willow's proposition.
"I suppose… nobles like me should be leading people like you," he rationalized.
"I'll lead you there, but... you've got to promise to get me in too! Otherwise I'll yell!"
