Angus hadn't even noticed Dawin rushing off, when he started for the lawn. Hadn't even really registered that the other boy had fallen over too. No, he was too annoyed for that. Too annoyed at his friends, the stains on his shirt and the fact that he had not been humored.

No, instead he'd been thrown outwards by Athrym soon-to-be Siordanti. In his mind he'd just been trying to get her some wedding guests. "Fine." He thought to himself, "see if anyone bothers to come. Duelists are all insane and I'm never going to sit near one again, see if I do."

His frustrations were high and running or boxing just wasn't going to cut it. He needed something that would tire his mind and leave him feeling less hateful. And it was hate that he was feeling or at least something close to it. His relationship with Nauleth had always been tumultuous, largely because their personalities either meshed very, very well or not at all, with little imbetween. It was something he could handle but not something he accepted from anyone else. Athrym wasn't Naul and Angus' near-limitless capacity for wild exuberance was finally being tested.

He needed to focus on something that he was capable of until he was too exhausted to walk. He stormed onto the lawn, finding his own patch, still without an umbrella and now soaked from the rain. It was perfect weather for Static.

Angus cast Hydrosmosis, trying to forget his emotions and focus on the mona. He focused on the puddles around him, asking the mona to draw them in together, to make a mass of water. He wanted to practise his control, something he was often lacking in and clearly needed. He raised his hands as though in prayer, asking the mona to help him with this goal. He needed it now, he would need it in the future and he could no longer overlook it. It was time to grow up.

Being mysterious, sentient things, the mona understood plenty, all without revealing themselves in any comprehendible, conscious way. At least, that's the way it always seemed. However, even if no volumes had ever been filled with their thoughts, their willingness to comply to a frustrated, focusing boy on the Lawn surely said something. Whatever it was.

Angus' field seemed to sink and pool at his feet like the puddles in the grass, heavy and reaching, running water beginning to stir as he finished his words. Slowly, water began to creep across the scorched grass and chilled earth, coming together from the reaches of his concentration to form a puddle about the width of his arm-span, still trembling in successive circles as tiny droplets continued to trickle in.

Even without a natural recess to gather in, the decent-sized pool seemed well-contained, a blatant and almost purposeful contrast to some of Angus' own current feelings.

Horace walked up to the Lawn quietly. He knew, just knew, Angus would be there. It seemed to be where a lot of the static majors went to get out their frustration. Laur had been walking with him but as soon as he saw Angus he sped up his pace. He could feel the Anger in Angus' field.

He walked up to Angus as the Mona finished up his request. "Hello, Angus. How are you doing?" He smiled. Lunch had adverse affects on all of the people who were there, not just Angus and Horace. "I am so sorry that happened. I should have never sat down. I don't understand why she became so offensive about the table. It is just a table!" Horace was more confused then a hingle in a cooker.

"Oogh, Horace, you're leaving me behind here. Please remember your legs are far longer than mine. Hello, Angus. Terribly sorry about all that cafeteria nonsense. It is indeed just a table."
She was rather worried about the outcome of this duel. She probably should have set some conditions, such as if I win, you get to stop being a clocking ass about a lunch table or something of the sort. But mostly she was focused on winning, and winning well. That Siordanti was going to cry.

Gaining some control over an aspect of his life was calming in itself. Angus exhaled, flicking his hands, better able to control spells when they contained an element of physicality. He moved his hands in a figure eight, to direct the water into the same pattern. He liked water, it was so malleable.

It wasn't impossible to talk and keep his focus on the spell. He just had to keep his hands moving and his eyes on the water. He didn't want to anger the mona, though.

"Not your fault, Ace. I should have known. Sorry about all that, Laureline." Angus said, his voice sounding slightly unfocused. Most of his attention was on the water. He decided to do one more exercise and then release the spell.

"Well I am still sorry none the less. I can't believe something like that happened just because I sat down. But enough about me. How is your head? You left before I could see if you were okay." Horace felt horrible that Athrym cast the spell. She obviously didn't want anyone sitting at the table, for some extremely obscure and odd reason. "She needs to learn to calm down next time. She could have actually hurt somebody ... besides herself."

The mona responded to his movements slowly, almost lazily, with no indication of impatience at all. If anything, his hand motions seemed more effective than if he'd just used words, large pool of water beginning to stir and flow, first in a small barely noticeable motion and then finally something faster. The puddle became a stream, mostly mimicking the figure eight, with a bit of water still clinging to the grass in the middle instead of joining the flow.

The spell was simple enough and the ground was far from thirsty. As the water continued to move to Angus' request, the stream seemed to continue to swell, still gathering water from the grass as it moved.

Angus spoke the syllables for Stillness, planning to halt the movement of the water and then allow the spell to end once it had. He was feeling much calmer now, more in control of his emotions.

He also felt much happier again. As soon as he released the spell, he was going to reply to Horace.

The mona seemed to comply slowly, like a quiet, exhaled breath. The movement of the water ceased over the span of a few minutes, pooling once again across the grass and spreading into the Lawn as if there'd never been a puddle at all.

(( SFSR ))

Angus exhaled as the spell released itself. He lowered his hands, as though finishing a prayer. He wasn't the most religious sort but he did at least have respect for himself and the world about him. He knew what could happen if you didn't pay enough heed to the mona, he'd learned that lesson through mishap, as did all students.

"Don't worry, Ace. I'm all well and good, takes more than a fall to get rid of me! I can't say I'm too pleased with how Miss Bruthgrave chooses to engage in tabular conflict." Angus said, still sounding slightly annoyed, though much more calm than he had been. "I appreciate your condolences, Laureline. I wish we had met under more favourable circumstances."

Angus bowed again, to Laureline. It was the polite thing to do, though it did look more than a little ridiculous. Angus was soaked to the bone. He used his left hand to slick his hair back from his face.

"Delightful weather, wouldn't you say?" He said, smiling. "Perhaps we should walk out of it, for a moment."

"Oh, no, it's fine, Angus. I'll think no less of you for being thrown off a lunch table by a runaway spell, believe me. Is your friend alright, by the way? I saw him run out of the cafeteria. He seemed like aa nice young man. And I agree, that was absolutely no way to handle people sitting at your table. Throwing Soundwave at them. Hmmph."

It was going to take something serious to allow her to forgive Athrym for her reckless actions, to say the least. You didn't just blast people off your table. Laur's method took slightly longer, but it involved a lot of ignoring and a lot of vicious glaring and eventually the stupid friendly person left and let her get back to her reading.

"And yes, why don't we?"

Angus' face fell. He hadn't even considered...

"Dawin? Is he alright? I just, assumed he was upright and..." Angus felt terribly callous. "I should have looked after him."

Angus began to walk, in the hopes of ending up out of the rain, at leats momentarily. There was a common room nearby, with a fireplace and books. Out of the wind and inclement weather. Angus at least hoped to dry off and warm up, before making the trek back to his dorm. It wasn't the shortest distance away and he didn't want to say goodbye to Horace and Laureline yet.

"Do you mind going inside? I feel the need to dry off." He said.

"Oh yes, we should." Horace said, brushing rain droplets from his brow. "Where were you thinking Angus? Do you know of somewhere with a fireplace? I want to warm up, warm up quick." Horace hugged himself, rubbing his arms.

"I know it is the rainy season, but I hope it lightens up soon. I haven't seen the sun in ages." Horace was exaggerating of course. He saw a slight inkling of sunlight on the sixth. It was only for a moment, but he saw it.

"Oh, yes, goodness, a fireplace would be amazing. You always have such good ideas. A fireplace, and, Angus, what say you to tea? It's a tea sort of day, I think."
She really needed to purchase a raincoat and an umbrella and wear them at all times despite there possibly not being any rain. She was getting soaked too often. It wasn't seemly.
"Do either of you know a place close by that has both of those things?"

Angus, now preoccupied with thoughts of the sweet and apparently assaulted Dawin, chose to nod. He decided it would be better to contemplate the younger man's health while dry.

"Yes, there's a common room, I'll show you." Angus replied, leading the way down the passages that led to it. "It should be quiet, you have to put your own tea on and everyone is too lazy to do it."

The common room was large, sparse and only partly furnished. There were some chairs for reading and some bedraggled books but not much else. It's main calling card was the fireplace that it possessed.

"Thank you, Alioe." Angus said, dropping down in front of it with a thump. "I consider this the first small mercy of the day, aside from the good company I am now keeping."

Horace almost ran to the fireplace, the flames frolicked just below his palms. After he was properly warmed up, he plopped down on a chair across from Angus. He looked back on lunch, so much had happened in such a little space of time. Athrym had cast a spell, it backfired, the lunch room exploded into silence. So much.

"So Laureline, some first meeting, wasn't it?" He rolled his eyes. "I am sorry you had to meet them like that. I wish it had been better, I really do."

"Oh, it's fine. And please. I hate that name. Please. Don't call me Laureline." She went to the back and put on enough water for three cups of tea, then went up to the fireplace to join the boys.
"Ahhhh, that's nice. These uniforms are too flimsy to handle the rain. At least you all get jackets. I've just got this dress thing. I hope we don't all catch cold, honestly. It's been awful this year. Can't go anywhere without the clouds deciding it's a perfect time to continue the water cycle."

"What would you prefer?" Angus asked, referring to Laureline's preference for names. "And yes, it has been terribly miserable."

Angus slumped back and looked at the ceiling. It was a stupid ceiling.

"This room would be improved by the addition of liquor." He announced. "They need to put a pub in here, it's ridiculous that no such thing is available on the grounds."

(( SFSR!! ))

Horace laughed at Angus' comment. He remembered the night that Angus, Nauleth, Fred, and him went out to a pub. That was some night. "Oh yes, a pub would fit perfectly in this room. While they are at it, they should put liquor cabinets in all our rooms. Then we all would have a romping good time." Horace chuckled, again. He thought on it a bit more and to him, liquor cabinets wouldn't be so bad in the rooms. Especially if someone was being entertained.

"Ugh, no. Or at least, I wouldn't use mine. Liquor doesn't agree with me at all." She'd always thought so, and now, after last week, she had explicit proof.

The fact that she'd woken up with an awful ink picture shot into her skin, with the biggest headache she'd ever had in her life, for one. Uggghhh. Alcohol had never been Laur's favorite thing, despite growing up with a father who drank a bit much sometimes, or maybe because of that; currently, the topic just wasn't sitting too well with her. Nowhere near well.

"I prefer just Laur. Having my full name yelled at me too many times as a child is enough to turn me off it forever. Ooh, I hope that tea's done soon, it's freezing in here all of a sudden. Evaporation, I suppose." She shivered and wished she had a cardigan and possibly a towel. Or even a large, slightly dirty sheet, which she'd found would do just fine last week.

"I shall procure it for you, my lady." Angus said, standing, not catching Laureline's reluctance to discuss alcohol.

For Angus it was the second finest thing in life. Possibly the third, depending on whether he was in love that week. He poured the tea with little finesse, allowing it to slosh into the cups with no aplomb. He handed them to Laureline and Horace.

"Pip pip, or whatever you're supposed to say." Angus announced, taking a sip. He stuck his tongue out after.

"It's hot!" He whimpered. "And bitter..."

"This is why one puts cool milk and sugar into one's tea. Here, hand that to me, I'll do them. How much do you take? If you don't take any, then it's just your fault that you prefer tea under the conditions of milk and sugar when you don't actually care for the conditioning agents." She poured a second's tip of milk into her tea, and sugar straight from the bowl; this way, you wouldn't waste more than one spoon if you wanted extra. She in fact didn't even waste one. The cup of tea, in what was clearly supposed to resemble good china but wasn't anywhere close as it was being entrusted to students, was swirled instead of stirred. It worked, and stopped her from having to find somewhere to put a dirty spoon. Problem solved.

"So, erm...Good lady, all I can think to talk about are classes. Clearly I'm lacking in conversation skills you obviously possess. Perhaps you could enlighten me as to an appropriate topic?"

Angus was still busy waving his hand in front of his face to cool his tongue. Truly, the burnt tongue was the cruelest injury in all the world. Except for having your achilles tendon cut. That would have been more inconvenient.

"Is 'at milk 'ill good?" Angus asked, since it had been sitting about for a while. "Gosh, wha' 'oo 'alk abou'? I li'e spor's. 'an't do much in 'is s'upid wea'er."

He blew on his tea and pretended he had some dignity. It was like watching a rooster pose. A damp rooster.

"I do sin'erely loathe Los'is." Angus said, nodding his head once, before taking another tentative sip of his tea.

"It certainly felt cool. If I've just given you food poisoning, I'm terribly sorry. I've never been much for sports, unfortunately. I've never even watched a game, but that may have more to do with my habit of studying all the time. I'm slacking off this semester, which is why you've met me at all." Laur daintily sipped her tea, which tasted not at all sour to her.

"Perhaps they've just put out a new pitcher from the icebox. In any case, let's hope so, as I'm in such a tea mood I don't care. Loshis is abominable. I'm so sorry we have to endure another month of rain. But then summer! Lovely, lovely summer. The sun will come out, it will be warm, I won't have to carry an umbrella everywhere...there will be exams, but they will be warm exams. Aren't you excited? I certainly am." More tea, thank goodness.

"I don't know about you, but I am most definitely going back to sit by the fireplace. Care to join me, Angus?"

"I woul' lo'e 'o." Angus said, his quite badly scalded tongue not enough to stop his attempts at gallantry.

He bowed slightly and offered Laureline his arm, trying to be a picture of galdori manliness, even with his tongue sticking out into the cool air. Angus was looking forward to summer. He loved hot weather. He'd noticed that the lower races tended to eschew far more clothing once the warmer months arrived. He wondered why galdori were so attached to their propriety that they wouldn't allow themselves the comfort and admirable view that informal attire provided.

"I mus' confess tha' I'm not looking forward to exams." Angus forced himself to lisp less, though a hint of it remained. "It's so much pressure for so little reward. I'd much rather learn something useful on the job. I feel too old for school."

There was one problem with that.

"It's a pity a gentleman isn't supposed to work until he obtains his education. It's not as though someone like me will ever have a use for quantitative." He added.