Melody of Mana

I finally arrived to the uniform fitting. It was interesting in that I had no idea what our uniforms actually looked like. The shop I was going to was obvious, due to all of the carriages out front of it and the large number of important looking people wandering around. Sadly Kala had a different day for her fitting, so I was on my own for this little outing.

A few gave me looks as I walked past all of them and into the shop, right up to the counter.

"My name is Alana, I'm here for my fitting."

"Ah lovely dear, you're the last. This way please." The woman led me into the back, where a group were taking measurements on the various girls lined up and lightly chatting.

"Stand here please Miss Alana." Within moments a seamstress was seeing to me.

"Did she just say Alana?" One of the girls in a rather more fancy outfit looked over at me.

"Um... Hi." I smiled at her.

"Are you the one who came up with the fire spell. My uncle was telling me about that. He said it was a rather new one."

"I am. Who is your uncle, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Lord Fallon." A few more of the girls were paying attention to us now.

"I met him only very briefly. I'm surprised he remembered me."

"Oh, my little sister is a bard. He was hoping that she could learn to do that. Thought it would make a good impression when she goes to apply for her spot in the academy. I don't suppose you'd share how it works?" Her eyes were gleaming as she asked, almost predatorily.

"As I told your uncle, you just summon very high purity liquor and light it. It really is nothing too complicated. The other bards I know have a hard time with it though."

The girl pouted. "She couldn't get it to work quite right. I was hoping there was something more."

I tried to shrug only to be glared at by the seamstress. "I'm afraid that really is how it works. Even I have a really hard time with it. The mana cost that first night almost dropped me on the spot." That was mostly true. It was harder than most of my other spells, and far more mana costly. I was bringing it down though, slowly but surely.

"A shame, but it is what it is. I'm Pinea by the way, a pleasure to meet you."

"And you as well."

Her acceptance of me seemed to encourage the other girls as well. The subject of most of our discussion was the uniforms we'd soon be wearing. While I thought they looked fine most of the young noble girls who generally wore skirts to their ankles were a bit scandalized.

The uniform itself was based on the armor worn by the few female mages in the kingdom's army. This was generally only worn while on guard duty to one of the women of the royal family, or while in dangerous situations. Due to the fact that there just weren't many women in the kingdom's army, and those that were were heavily, heavily discouraged from dangerous situations it was rather a more rare thing to see.

On the back wall was an example of both our uniform, and an unenchanted version of the armor for us to understand this. They stood side by side, the placement of their seams nearly identical. Even the skirts were the same 'short' length, going only to just below the knee.

While ours was made of cloth, the armor was mostly enchanted leather. It was supposedly made in such a way that if anything should strike it, it would harden like steel, providing excellent protection. There was a cuirass, gorget and helmet, with spaulders over the shoulders and an armored skirt. Almost every inch of skin was covered by it. The boots were calf height, and well made.

We had no gorget, though it did come all the way up to the neck. The helmet was of course excluded as well, having no purpose in classes. The lacing in the front mimicked the armor's design too. I nodded, it was modest, simple enough, and looked very warm. There were even stockings to go with it and the thick cloth which would cover us was dyed a couple of lovely blue colors.

"Yeah, the skirt is a bit shorter than normal, but it's not that bad. With the stockings your legs will be covered anyway, and those shoes look excellent. They look extremely comfortable." The boots on the uniform were the same as the military ones. They were light and supple, and looked wonderful to run around in.

My appraisal got a few grumbles.

"What about the top though?" One asked as she appraised it.

"It's high necked, but the cut is really good. I think we'll look great." That part at least met with widespread approval. The seams followed the curves of the body, which gave good emphasis to all the places they might want to show off if they were after a husband.

It all ended rather quickly. We mostly were just being measured, with a few rounds trying on test sizes to examine potential issues. That done the lot of us went out separate ways.

I personally had another thing I needed to take care of while I was up in this part of town. When I came into his shop Marcus looked at me harshly.

"My my my, look what the cat dragged in."

"Destroying that dress was hardly my fault."

"I'm aware, but you could of at least come to me afterwards."

"Eh, that whole week was insane. Everyone wanted all my attention and I was in a mood to tell all of them to shove it."

"Well, in that case, it may have been best to avoid my shop. I was enjoying the headache of so many very lovely outfits destroyed by that incident. The fact that the entire season was canceled nearly tanked my business. Still, sending Jackson?"

"My apologies. As it is I got a note from Lord Johannes?"

"Yes, he's paid for you to get some new clothes. Five outfits in total."

That would easily double my wardrobe. I could also look forward to really, really nice clothing.

"That's a bit much though, isn't it?" I was confused at the sheer scale.

"My understanding is that you saved his son's life, as well as the lives of many party-goers. Good job on that at least."

I nodded and began thinking about what to get. Marcus took me through a number of different shades and styles, example pieces he had, or other people's clothes they hadn't yet picked up. I needed one formal dress, which was my first pick. I went with a lovely midnight blue cloth, and a rather standard style, no point in looking too out of place. For my day to day clothes I got several different sets, in blue, two different greens and a yellow. More color could only do me good.

He agreed to have me one of the green ones ready by the next day. Something I was thoroughly grateful for. I had one more major operation left before I was actually prepared to begin school.

I was nervous when I arrived at Professor Rooke's home. I knew inside and waiting for me was some woman who I didn't know who would ostensibly help me find a maid that would, I hoped, serve me while I was very, very busy taking classes. I stood there alone, waiting. Eleanor had offered to come with me, but I'd said no, soon enough the good professor would be my guardian, if I couldn't trust him to get me through this, what could I? He'd nearly insisted that I undertake the task.

I was led inside by a maid who'd come to the gate to greet me. The walk up to the door was my first jarring event. Rooke's house was even more ostentatious than Lord Johannes' had been. We passed through a garden with neatly trimmed bushes and a pair of fountains burbling. The stones were white and cleanly swept beneath my feet as we moved along, quick steps leading me to the huge double doors.

As I entered I tried to not gawk around like an idiot, but it was difficult. I knew that the professors were likely nobles, and possibly extremely rich, but this was on another level. The entry room was floored with a warm cherry looking wood, with several alcoves for art spread about. I got the chance to examine one while the maid went off to find the lady of the house.

The piece was exquisite. A life-sized marble statue that had been painted or dyed somehow. While the figure's skin was still the pale white of the stone, the clothing had been gifted with marvelous colors. If I squinted I thought I could even see a weave to it. The man stood proud with hand raised. When I looked up I saw an even more shocking thing. Someone had replaced his eyes with emeralds. I tried to understand the amount of money invested in this one item, but knew only that it was far beyond me.

"It's lovely isn't it?" The soft voice from behind made me jump a bit. Of course with Lucien around I was as used to it as I could be now.

I turned to find a young woman, perhaps in her late twenties. She wore a fine dress of deep red, which went well with her dark hair and pale complexion. It took me a moment to realize that it was because of a sheen in her hair, something red shining through the deep brown.

"Yes ma'am, it is. The eyes particularly are striking."

"One of my husband's forebearers. That man lived about two hundred years ago, he was an archmage of some kind. My dear husband keeps it where he can see it all the time, to remind himself of what he aspires to. Ah, but where are my manners, you may call me Amelia."

"Is that so? Professor Rooke hasn't told me all that much about himself, so I only know what I've seen."

"Oh, then this is a rare occasion for me. What is your impression of him?" She quirked her brow, moving forward a bit.

"He seems to be irritated, quite a bit, by those who don't strive. There's not a lot of tolerance for those who don't show skill either. That said, he has shown me kindness, even if I did something that irked him."

"That's not a terrible assessment. I will say though that even those that lack skill will not gain his ire too much. As long as they keep working towards their goals." She took a few moments to think, then gave me a smile. "That's not why you're here though. I've been asked to help you find a proper maid, and so I shall. The candidates will be here shortly. Do you know what you wish to prioritize in your search?"

This seemed like a first test, but it was one I was not unprepared for. "I'm inexperienced in much of noble culture, so someone who can aid me in that, along with normal work might be best. Professor Rooke also said that this was a good chance to gain connections, but I'm not sure on where I should try to gain those to. I was hoping you might have thoughts on that. Since I know that those with a Minor Talent will likely value working for me the most, I think that I should aim for that as well."

She laughed. "Oh, that's fairly well thought out. I can see why he likes you. Let's interview them then, and we can talk about it afterwards."

I interviewed ten girls. All of them were just of age and quite proper. Of them six had a Minor Talent. Of those six, four were from branches of noble houses. The other two were from mothers who'd served in one, but were not a member themselves. One of those four I cut out myself, something about her was just too haughty, it felt wrong.

"What are your thoughts Alana dear?" I was asked after the last one left.

"I think either the Sarah, Daisy, or Emma would be best. I'm not sure which of them though."

Lady Amelia put three sheets before me. She'd had these three girls picked out already. "If you look at their references you'll see that Daisy simply has none, this would be her first major job. For that reason I would recommend against her."

I nodded. "Then Sarah or Emma. How would I go about making that choice? Both seem to have good references, and they both strike me as well prepared."

"Emma is the proper choice. Her family has some connections to mine. Even if she's just the daughter of a baron's second son. If she grows it will reflect well on you, Rooke, and myself."

"Did you have her picked out from the beginning?"

"Naturally Alana. I've gotten reports on most of these girls from their former employers. I also know enough about family lines to know who's who. I am a bit surprised you didn't pull out Irina on your list of potentials."

"Something about her seemed off."

"Good intuition. I'm told you rather embarrassed her cousin during the exam. I didn't think she'd come to the interview, but..." The older woman just shrugged.

"Was this all just a test?"

"Of course not. It was partially a test. I wanted to see what my husband did in you, and I did, but I also showed you how to choose a maid."

"And I suppose that since you arranged it, and you're already well in with Emma's family that getting her the job will gain you connections too?"

"Certainly. Use what opportunities you can to build relationships with those who can benefit you. Emma's family is not a major player, but they've done well by our family in the past, and this is their reward. Hopefully that relationship will deepen through this, and all will prosper. Even you, since you are being associated with both Emma's family, and my own."

"Lady Amelia, I feel like trying to manage all of this will be a true trial."

"Don't worry dear, it will come with time." She patted me on the shoulder and gave me a kind grin.

I spent the rest of my day learning how to do the proper letters accepting Emma. As well as one to Professor Rooke to thank him for his aid. That evening I made one for Lady Amelia in the style I'd been shown. She didn't tell me to, but I wasn't so truly dense as to not know to do it.