She met up with Ala and Naell in the dining hall and they slowly made their way to the first class of the day.
"Thank the Goddess tomorrow is the weekend. I'm feeling wiped out today," Ala said.
"I am looking forward to the family call later today," Naell chirped, her ears swaying with excitements.
"It's such a drag we only get one per week."
Inoua walked along quietly, reviewing the events of the morning in her mind. She looked up when the conversation died down and two arms looped hers, meeting a pair of pitiful gazes. She smiled.
"You know it doesn't bother me at all. I'm fine guys." she said firmly.
She knew what they thought. That she was saddened by the fact that she had no one to call. Her relationship with her mother was nonexistent. A rare occurrence among the chimaera having the ability to bond with their offspring from the moment they are laid. Her connection with Luika was severed when the voice appeared. Coupled with her late hatching and the demanding nature of being Vata of all chimaera, they had had no time to rekindle their bond. The occasional call was the closest contact they had had since she joined the Academy.
"I finally have enough saved up to buy the wind blade whip,"Naell said, changing the topic. Her excitement vibrated through her airy hops, dragging the two of them along.
Ala and Inoua couldn't help but giggle, her excitement contagious.
"Ala, will you help me with the bonding process? I'm afraid of messing it up." She said. Of the three girls only Ala had a spiritual weapon, an intricately carved pendant with a seafoam blue gem set in the centre with deep black beads interspersed around it. The gem was said to be a relic of the mertribe, formed at the time the seas came into being and concentrated with the power of water.
For Ala, it was the primary reason she could survive on dry land.
"Of course. It would be my honour. Congratulations Naenae. As celebration what do you guys think of drinks and barbecue?" Ala asked.
"Yes. We must celebrate this momentous occasion," Inoua said.
Spirit weapons were rare crafts made with additional magical effects. They were rare due to the expensive nature of the elemental materials required, the expertise of the craftsperson and the high failure rate in crafting. As such, they cost way too much to be purchased by the average consumer.
Naell had been saving up for years to buy the whip. Unlike Ala whose family gifted her her spirit weapon when she arrived at the Academy as a child, Naell's family, a minor noble house, had been chipping and saving up to get her the whip she had asked be kept in reserve for her.
"What about you, Inoua? What spirit weapon do you have your eye on?" Naell asked.
"No idea. I haven't found one that synergizes with my skill set yet. Maybe I'll find it this time around."
"We'll keep looking," Ala comforted her.
They bumped into Zaed and Usi at the door of the classroom. She groaned in her heart. Though she knew that it was inevitable to meet them in an Academy of twenty students she wished they would stay a trillion miles away from her.
"Good morning Inoua, Naell, Ala," said Usi.
"Good morning Usi," both Ala and Naell said at the same time.
Inoua narrowed her eyes, her gaze turning icy.
"Stop using your power on them," she said.
"I have no idea what you mean," Usi said innocently. "Are you worried that your friends may like me more than they care to admit?"
She ignored her and turned to Ala and Naell.
"Hey, are you okay? Can you hear me? Don't look at her. Focus on my voice." She snapped her fingers in front of their faces, watching the struggle in their eyes as they faded in and out of consciousness.
"Stop it or I'll make you stop." She snarled at Usi.
Zaed too a step in front of her, his stance protective and wary.
Usi let out a mocking laugh. "You know you aren't allowed to stop me."
"I can try," Inoua said quietly.
They stood there, at an impasse for a moment before a cold voice cut in.
"What are you doing?"
Inoua watched as Usi's eyes lit up at the sight of Jua and Sefu like a predator who had just been handed a juicy steak on a platter. Her gaze turned intense as she focused before her forehead wrinkled in a little frown.
She couldn't help but roll her eyes. It seemed these two were immune to her charm.
"Usi is using her charm on Ala and Naell."
Jua frowned, nailing her with his gaze. "Release her. Now."
Usi smiled playfully at him.
"Not so fast, handsome. Training rules. Either they break free on their own or ask for help. And I don't think you two need any help, right?"
Naell and Ala shook their heads in unison, a dreamy smile on their faces.
"What do you want?"
Usi licked her lips. "Why don't you give me a kiss?"
"No."
"Oh." She pretended to be crestfallen, pouting. "How about she," her finger pointed to Inoua, "gives me that lovely dagger at her waist."
Juan turned to her, his gaze calm and composed.
Inoua's hand reflexively hovered over her hip. She didn't want to hand over the dagger. She reached out and grabbed each of their hands.
"Out of the question. And, just for that, I'm going to make this hurt."
She turned and nodded to Just who siddled up to Zaed. Sefu, the ever silent hulking figure, walked over to his other side.
She rolled up her sleeves, her bones twitching and cracking as her figure grew a foot taller, her hands extending into claws and her nose turning into a feline snout.
"Don't move." Her voice contained the force of every ounce of restraint she had been holding back for the last twenty years.
A thrill of pleasure rushed through her as she watched the confidence in Usi's eyes falter and morph into fear. Her body trembled, but refused to move.
Inoua stepped into her space. An arm raised then lowered. The scream tore from her throat, rendering the hushed whispers around them silent. Five new scratches appeared on Usi's arm, deep enough that the flesh turned out and exposed bone.
Her ears twitched as she heard the change in breathing of her two friends. Usi had dropped concentration due to the pain. Instead of relief, the desire to destroy burned even brighter in her chest.
She raised her arm again before it was grabbed in an iron grip.
"That's enough.To the principal's office, all of you."
The teacher, Ms. Afia had arrived too.
How convenient.
Slowly, regretfully, she morphed back. Usi nailed her with a glaring look full of hatred.
Good. That's much more honest than that irritating syrupy look.