[For a brief, beautiful moment, Sayaka can think that Hubert von Vestra has fallen for her baited trap. Thank the goddess for that much; she doesn't relax, not even slightly, but there's an undoubted bit of relief when he grabs that volume for her. It's the exact one she needs, too! Hopefully he doesn't notice how her eyes almost gleam, in both recognition and excitement--before she schools it back and takes the book from him.]
Ah, thank you! I'll be glad to direct him over here, next time. But I really don't mind it--I'm always glad to do something nice for my classmates. They're always so busy with everything else here, and it doesn't hurt to help a little bit.
[She does seem very earnest about it... but it's sort of hard to believe that she'd really go this far out of her way for someone she barely knows. Much less for books on dark magic, which most people prefer not to deal with at all... But he'll let it go for now, there's no sense in accusing her of something so small, after all.]
Until next time, then.
[He's just going to make sure to grab a book and pretend to be interested in that instead of loitering around. Surely this doesn't look suspicious in the slightest. He was definitely just here to check out books on dark magic.]
You know what, never mind. Politely curtsy, and with a bit of vigor that almost seems both like fleeing and entirely too much excitement (if Hubert's particularly eagle eyed (heh), he'll notice Sayaka opening the book right away as she leaves the door, clearly proving a lie), Sayaka takes her leave. Boy oh boy does she have a letter to write to her father, but that can wait. New magic and new learning await, and she fully intends to utilize it to good effect!
And to good effect it goes; the letter doesn't...go well, to say the least (it's useless, she should've expected, and her father just tells her to go on with life like normal), but it's. Well, not okay, to say the least, but it's just another thing on her plate! No pressure, right? Right.
...Wrong, but that's a problem for Sayaka of the future. At any rate, she's got more important things to worry about--and today, it seems to be pairing up for some magic exercises on the training grounds. Alright, makes some sense, and there's a mix of different classes, so at least it'll be a good opportunity to practice.
...It seems that way at first, and then Sayaka hears who she's being paired with and. Ah. Okay. She sees. This is just her life now, isn't it??
May as well not make a stink, at least...once they're all paired and instructed to practice, Sayaka will meet Hubert with a curtsy.]
Looks like we're partners. Are you ready to get started?
[Hubert does watch her leave, and he smirks to himself when he notices her flip the book open on her way out. She isn't exactly someone he would have expected to have an interest in dark magic; that's certainly interesting.
Of course, in the following days, Hubert does keep an eye on Sayaka. She isn't the only one he's been watching, but he's certainly even more intrigued by her now. He doesn't really expect to get an opportunity to see her use dark magic any time soon... and then he's immediately proven wrong when the Professor decides to pair them up for magic practice.
Such things are usually rather boring for Hubert because he has to downplay his own abilities so as not to raise suspicions, but this? Oh, this is interesting.]
I am indeed. Would you care to go first?
[He manages not to smirk, but boy is it a struggle!!]
[He. He cannot possibly be serious. There's no way he's actually caught on, is there? No, no. Clearly not, there's no possible way. There's likely no denying the way Sayaka has tensed up at that statement that gives her away but...]
Are you sure? I have to admit, I'm...not exactly very good at magic. Maybe you should go first? I think I'd learn a little better by watching someone else, first.
[Okay, well that does get a smirk from him, but since that's basically his usual expression anyway, surely it's fine??]
Very well.
[He sincerely doubts that she's going to be that quick of a learner from just a small display anyway, so he turns to the practice dummy and aims a simple dark spell at it. It's obviously something he's practiced a lot given how fluid the motion is and how the dummy shakes when hit, but this isn't anything particularly out of the ordinary for dark magic either.
Hubert turns to Sayaka, raising an eyebrow as if to say "your turn".]
[Sayaka watches; at least feigns watching closely to pretend to be less experienced than she is. She supposes she's not surprised that he's experienced in the same arts that she is, but she can do better. She can do so much better, and a part of her wants to prove that.
The other part, that's less competitive, knows she has to keep such things to herself. Alright. It at least makes sense, at least.]
Alright. Here goes nothing!
[Sayaka has not been able to reasonably do Reason magic since she arrived here. Hell, she can't even do Nosferatu, despite having a decent grasp on healing. Uh. Fuck it we ball??
...She has proceeded to roll a 8, so at the least, it doesn't backfire on her. Sayaka at least hits the dummy with some magic, but that fire ball is looking very distinctly tinged with some dark magic and Sayaka's already just. Kind of looking defeated. It was a solid hit, though.]
[Hubert inclines his head a bit as he considers Sayaka's spell. It wasn't exactly proper Reason magic, but it certainly says something that she was almost able to disguise it.]
Though I see no reason to hide what you're capable of. You won't improve if you don't push yourself.
[Perhaps a bit funny coming from him when he's so determined not to let anyone know the extent of his own capabilities, but that's a different matter entirely as far as Hubert's concerned.]
[And her bluff is called. Shit. Sayaka's eyes close for a moment in frustration, though she manages the monumental feat of trying not to let that show on her face. She has a reputation to maintain, dammit, and she's going to manage it.
Breathe; keep calm, smile, be polite.]
It's not exactly proper for a lady to have an affinity for this sort of thing, you know. [She hates this already, but is there any more use in hiding it?] Why should I push myself in something like that? I'd rather not appear...odd, towards others. I don't even know why I have an affinity towards it to begin with.
[It's good that she doesn't know why she has an affinity for it; otherwise it could be something like... well, like what Lady Edelgard went through. Dark magic has always been an enigma however, and sometimes things like this happen. Sayaka just so happens to have the talent for it - but her worries certainly aren't unfounded. The Vestra family has earned plenty of fear and suspicion from other noble families over the years simply because of that (though everything else only adds to it).]
I understand your concerns, but surely you realize that during our time here, we will be expected to contribute to our class. If you cannot master Reason well enough to rely on that, then what will you do?
[Ah, a sore subject. Perhaps he went a bit too far in assuming that she wouldn't be able to carry her own weight; he'll have to be careful of that in the future.]
I did, yes. I do not mean to say that your powers of healing are unimportant, but I imagine the Professor will want us to be capable of offense as needed.
[A small, slightly less aggravated sigh. Sayaka gets it, she really does...]
...I've been told this whole time that taking part in such things is unladylike. Uncouth. And unneeded, most importantly. A lady shouldn't be dabbling in anything like this.
[Still, Sayaka pauses. Considers for a moment before calling magic into her hand--the actual magic she uses, rather than disguising it. And while the hit she lands is better, there's still plenty of room for improvement.]
[This is precisely why Lady Edelgard's plans must come to fruition. There shouldn't be so much focus on what is "ladylike" and "uncouth". Sayaka's a young woman capable of using a rare kind of magic - shouldn't that be celebrated and encouraged rather than ignored?
But such thoughts have no place here; they only serve as a distraction at the moment. Hubert's already resolved to fight for Lady Edelgard's dream and nothing would ever change his mind - but this is yet another instance that reminds him why that dream is so necessary.
He watches as Sayaka tries again, this time without attempting to disguise her magic. Hubert nods, approving.]
Certainly not a bad start. Have you learned this much only from books?
[That's his assumption anyway, given that she doesn't seem to be embracing her power.]
[Sayaka tips her head a bit at the question, her expression shifting back to it's usual.]
Pretty much entirely, yeah. I've...tried to play around with it some, to a little bit of success? [thus, the almost fire ball] But I've pretty much been going off whatever I've been reading, without too much deviation from it.
It seems like the best way to avoid it backfiring. I've heard that it can go pretty bad if it does.
I'm impressed. It's notn often one can grasp even the basics from text alone.
[It's genuine praise, but he does nod at the last part.]
Dark magic in particular requires care with study, though it would seem you've not only taken that into consideration, but learned to improvise with it.
[It's...strange, to hear such easy praise from someone who could easily kill her, her father, and everything she knows. She's not sure if that's a good thing; this could very well be him trying to gather blackmail material. He could easily let this be spread like wildfire, and she's pretty sure that would essentially blacklist her from any noble's idea of a perfect woman. Her father wouldn't be able to marry her off or continue his lineage, and it'd--
Sayaka manages a smile, though; fake as ever, but she does nod her head with a small semblance of pride.]
It's far easier than I would have expected. But...I guess outside of how it makes me look to outsiders, it's not entirely bad.
[Sayaka chuckles a bit, sheepish. She'll gather some more magic into her hand while she talks, though, concentrating.]
Have you done a lot of research into it yourself, Lord Hubert?
[Does she truly believe that? That dark magic isn't all that bad - aside from appearances, of course? It seems rather unlikely... but Sayaka wouldn'thave come this far in her training if she didn't have some interest in dark magic, so perhaps there's a bit of truth in her words.]
I have, yes. Dark magic has caught my interest; I've been hoping to learn more here.
[That's not the truth, but it's close enough. Saying he's been studying it since childhood would be more accurate, but hardly suitable for the lie he must live for the sake of Lady Edelgard's plans.]
I am surprised that it's something you find interesting... perhaps we'll learn more together.
[Given the smirk he says it with... is that a threat??]
Edited (Phone tagging is hard, f) 2023-03-03 00:18 (UTC)
Sayaka can't help but tense at that. That smirk is unmistakable, and though her expression doesn't change, she does not like it one bit. That smirk could carry countless implications, each worse than the last, and--
Well, Sayaka chuckles a bit. It feels almost forced, somehow.]
Ah...well, I suppose I would not mind that...?
[There's a twitch in the magic she uses, before Sayaka looks away from Hubert for a brief moment to release that magic. It lands a solid blow against the dummy, leaving a crack in it as Sayaka winces and places her hand on her head.]
Ah--but you don't need to, if you don't wish. You're gonna have your hands full keeping Princess Edelgard safe, right?
[Ohhh, her regrets are many for holding that spell so long, ow.]
...I don't suppose we could return to this in a bit? I'm sorry, I think I might've gotten too distracted...
[That much likely isn't a surprise at all; everyone knows House Vestra serves the throne, and Sayaka's spoken with Hubert for more than five minutes, so she must know it's true.]
Of course, I've no doubts that we'll have plenty of opportunity to learn more from the Professor.
[Which means "we're going to be paired up frequently since we're the only two dark magic users in this house".]
But yes; take a break. There's no need to push yourself too hard.
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no subject
Ah, thank you! I'll be glad to direct him over here, next time. But I really don't mind it--I'm always glad to do something nice for my classmates. They're always so busy with everything else here, and it doesn't hurt to help a little bit.
no subject
[She does seem very earnest about it... but it's sort of hard to believe that she'd really go this far out of her way for someone she barely knows. Much less for books on dark magic, which most people prefer not to deal with at all... But he'll let it go for now, there's no sense in accusing her of something so small, after all.]
Until next time, then.
[He's just going to make sure to grab a book and pretend to be interested in that instead of loitering around. Surely this doesn't look suspicious in the slightest. He was definitely just here to check out books on dark magic.]
no subject
[sayaka he literally said--
You know what, never mind. Politely curtsy, and with a bit of vigor that almost seems both like fleeing and entirely too much excitement (if Hubert's particularly eagle eyed (heh), he'll notice Sayaka opening the book right away as she leaves the door, clearly proving a lie), Sayaka takes her leave. Boy oh boy does she have a letter to write to her father, but that can wait. New magic and new learning await, and she fully intends to utilize it to good effect!
And to good effect it goes; the letter doesn't...go well, to say the least (it's useless, she should've expected, and her father just tells her to go on with life like normal), but it's. Well, not okay, to say the least, but it's just another thing on her plate! No pressure, right? Right.
...Wrong, but that's a problem for Sayaka of the future. At any rate, she's got more important things to worry about--and today, it seems to be pairing up for some magic exercises on the training grounds. Alright, makes some sense, and there's a mix of different classes, so at least it'll be a good opportunity to practice.
...It seems that way at first, and then Sayaka hears who she's being paired with and. Ah. Okay. She sees. This is just her life now, isn't it??
May as well not make a stink, at least...once they're all paired and instructed to practice, Sayaka will meet Hubert with a curtsy.]
Looks like we're partners. Are you ready to get started?
no subject
Of course, in the following days, Hubert does keep an eye on Sayaka. She isn't the only one he's been watching, but he's certainly even more intrigued by her now. He doesn't really expect to get an opportunity to see her use dark magic any time soon... and then he's immediately proven wrong when the Professor decides to pair them up for magic practice.
Such things are usually rather boring for Hubert because he has to downplay his own abilities so as not to raise suspicions, but this? Oh, this is interesting.]
I am indeed. Would you care to go first?
[He manages not to smirk, but boy is it a struggle!!]
no subject
[He. He cannot possibly be serious. There's no way he's actually caught on, is there? No, no. Clearly not, there's no possible way. There's likely no denying the way Sayaka has tensed up at that statement that gives her away but...]
Are you sure? I have to admit, I'm...not exactly very good at magic. Maybe you should go first? I think I'd learn a little better by watching someone else, first.
[surely? this will work???]
no subject
Very well.
[He sincerely doubts that she's going to be that quick of a learner from just a small display anyway, so he turns to the practice dummy and aims a simple dark spell at it. It's obviously something he's practiced a lot given how fluid the motion is and how the dummy shakes when hit, but this isn't anything particularly out of the ordinary for dark magic either.
Hubert turns to Sayaka, raising an eyebrow as if to say "your turn".]
no subject
The other part, that's less competitive, knows she has to keep such things to herself. Alright. It at least makes sense, at least.]
Alright. Here goes nothing!
[Sayaka has not been able to reasonably do Reason magic since she arrived here. Hell, she can't even do Nosferatu, despite having a decent grasp on healing. Uh. Fuck it we ball??
...She has proceeded to roll a 8, so at the least, it doesn't backfire on her. Sayaka at least hits the dummy with some magic, but that fire ball is looking very distinctly tinged with some dark magic and Sayaka's already just. Kind of looking defeated. It was a solid hit, though.]
...Well, at least it was better than nothing...?
no subject
[Hubert inclines his head a bit as he considers Sayaka's spell. It wasn't exactly proper Reason magic, but it certainly says something that she was almost able to disguise it.]
Though I see no reason to hide what you're capable of. You won't improve if you don't push yourself.
[Perhaps a bit funny coming from him when he's so determined not to let anyone know the extent of his own capabilities, but that's a different matter entirely as far as Hubert's concerned.]
no subject
Breathe; keep calm, smile, be polite.]
It's not exactly proper for a lady to have an affinity for this sort of thing, you know. [She hates this already, but is there any more use in hiding it?] Why should I push myself in something like that? I'd rather not appear...odd, towards others. I don't even know why I have an affinity towards it to begin with.
no subject
I understand your concerns, but surely you realize that during our time here, we will be expected to contribute to our class. If you cannot master Reason well enough to rely on that, then what will you do?
no subject
With all due respect, Lord Hubert, I am a perfectly capable healer. I am capable of contributing without resorting to such things.
[That's a sore subject, to say the least.]
...But I imagine you mean contributing in a manner suited to offense, don't you?
no subject
I did, yes. I do not mean to say that your powers of healing are unimportant, but I imagine the Professor will want us to be capable of offense as needed.
no subject
...I've been told this whole time that taking part in such things is unladylike. Uncouth. And unneeded, most importantly. A lady shouldn't be dabbling in anything like this.
[Still, Sayaka pauses. Considers for a moment before calling magic into her hand--the actual magic she uses, rather than disguising it. And while the hit she lands is better, there's still plenty of room for improvement.]
...How was that, then?
no subject
But such thoughts have no place here; they only serve as a distraction at the moment. Hubert's already resolved to fight for Lady Edelgard's dream and nothing would ever change his mind - but this is yet another instance that reminds him why that dream is so necessary.
He watches as Sayaka tries again, this time without attempting to disguise her magic. Hubert nods, approving.]
Certainly not a bad start. Have you learned this much only from books?
[That's his assumption anyway, given that she doesn't seem to be embracing her power.]
no subject
Pretty much entirely, yeah. I've...tried to play around with it some, to a little bit of success? [thus, the almost fire ball] But I've pretty much been going off whatever I've been reading, without too much deviation from it.
It seems like the best way to avoid it backfiring. I've heard that it can go pretty bad if it does.
no subject
I'm impressed. It's notn often one can grasp even the basics from text alone.
[It's genuine praise, but he does nod at the last part.]
Dark magic in particular requires care with study, though it would seem you've not only taken that into consideration, but learned to improvise with it.
no subject
Sayaka manages a smile, though; fake as ever, but she does nod her head with a small semblance of pride.]
It's far easier than I would have expected. But...I guess outside of how it makes me look to outsiders, it's not entirely bad.
[Sayaka chuckles a bit, sheepish. She'll gather some more magic into her hand while she talks, though, concentrating.]
Have you done a lot of research into it yourself, Lord Hubert?
no subject
I have, yes. Dark magic has caught my interest; I've been hoping to learn more here.
[That's not the truth, but it's close enough. Saying he's been studying it since childhood would be more accurate, but hardly suitable for the lie he must live for the sake of Lady Edelgard's plans.]
I am surprised that it's something you find interesting... perhaps we'll learn more together.
[Given the smirk he says it with... is that a threat??]
no subject
Sayaka can't help but tense at that. That smirk is unmistakable, and though her expression doesn't change, she does not like it one bit. That smirk could carry countless implications, each worse than the last, and--
Well, Sayaka chuckles a bit. It feels almost forced, somehow.]
Ah...well, I suppose I would not mind that...?
[There's a twitch in the magic she uses, before Sayaka looks away from Hubert for a brief moment to release that magic. It lands a solid blow against the dummy, leaving a crack in it as Sayaka winces and places her hand on her head.]
Ah--but you don't need to, if you don't wish. You're gonna have your hands full keeping Princess Edelgard safe, right?
[Ohhh, her regrets are many for holding that spell so long, ow.]
...I don't suppose we could return to this in a bit? I'm sorry, I think I might've gotten too distracted...
no subject
[That much likely isn't a surprise at all; everyone knows House Vestra serves the throne, and Sayaka's spoken with Hubert for more than five minutes, so she must know it's true.]
Of course, I've no doubts that we'll have plenty of opportunity to learn more from the Professor.
[Which means "we're going to be paired up frequently since we're the only two dark magic users in this house".]
But yes; take a break. There's no need to push yourself too hard.