For posts by me, Melody is the default colour, Eirik's written like thus.
She noticed a small alcove a short distance away, which seemed to be occupied by only a lone student. That one may work, the space seems big enough for two students.. She walked to her chosen side of the alcove, placed her bag against the wall. The bag contained her primary grimoire, her static theory books and miscellaneous supplies, and some other material she’d use to practice static. She allowed her field to expand a little to politely caprise the other occupant’s even as she took out her supplies, and turned around.
Deep within the Church of the Moon, Eirik Maste allowed his field to branch forth. The Cloister, while secular in appearance, had the unmistakable sensation, an eternal spell woven along its walls. Within, there was a sense of safety, the mona laden with a calm that the fifth-form student could hardly ever attribute to himself. He took a breath as he passed by the few students within, allowing his attention to fixate on a space to call his own. In the air, the young galdor felt the different breeds of mona, though he abstained from shifting his attentions too much lest he lose his nerve and become distracted. Allowing his field to pull back towards himself, he then sought to clear his thoughts, his eyes falling shut as he allowed stray thought to fall by the wayside. I’m here for a reason, he reminded himself, his breath slow and heavy as he crossed his legs underneath him.
Oh! Melody couldn’t stop the soft exhalation as she had her first look at the seated Gioran student, the field’s touch simultaneously informing her of the high concentration of static in the other student’s field. She wasn’t sure she would have judged the age correctly, the lad was almost gaunt, but looking closer at his face, she thought she recognised him. He seemed to be one of those students who were duelling a few ten-days back… The boy’s concentration must have been total, to have not noticed her field yet, and she didn’t want to be rude and begin with her own exercises without a greeting of some sort. Yet distracting someone concentrating on monite wasn’t just rude, it was idiotic. Melody settled for slightly flexing her field in warning and began to draw her own spell circle as she waited for acknowledgement.
The slight shift in the movement of the mona around the Gioran alerted him to the presence long before he opened his eyes. Fields were difficult to ignore, but while the relationship the Gioran had with the mona was young and immature, he certainly understood the nature of patience. He took another breath as he raised his hands, sweeping his arms in a circular motion. Fingertips extended as he began to speak. His soft tones carrying the Monite and beseeching the particles in his vicinity to act on his behalf. Sparks formed directly in front of the young galdor, the syllables drawn out as if carried in song. The sparks appeared more readily until they formed into flame, carried by the air and fed with oxygen. At last he reached what he desired, and continued to feed the fire with the upkeep of his spell. Two minutes later, the flame persisted, suspended in mid-air until the boy willed for it to cease. He opened his eyes, surprised to find that the older student lingered before him. He didn’t recognize the other galdor, but it wasn’t so difficult for him to imagine that.
She looked several years his elder, but by the recognition he felt in her field, perhaps she knew him somehow? Curiosity bled into the young galdor’s presence, stretching forth in his flexed field before he drew back. Soft laughter escaped his lips as he leaned back, pushing his hands behind him and leaning his weight on his arms. “May I help you?” he asked, his words smooth, with little to yield from his tone but the curiosity he allowed to flow from his field. The galdor took the opportunity to look around him, sweeping his grimoire into his lap as pink irises combed the floor. His rucksack was directly beside him, the strap slung over his left knee and his coat set where his hands supported his weight.
Finished with her circle Melody seated herself on the floor, easily falling into the cross legged stance she favoured for concerted practice or meditation. She sat facing the boy, for on closer observation he did seem younger than her, and began with some basic breathing exercises. She always felt that it aided her focus and since it worked for her, who was to say nay even if it was a bit unorthodox. She saw the slow bloom of a flame held mid air in front of the boy and the controlled way the boy put it out. This wasn’t a fumbling attempt by any means. Melody took from the supplies heaped nearby a small brick of lightly blue tinted glass, and had just drawn breath when the boy opened his eyes.
”Hello,” Melody didn’t exactly smile but her expression was open, ”Would it be okay for me to practice here? She cocked her head slightly before going on, ”I’m working on my Static exercises as well.. “
“The space isn’t mine to give out, is it?” he asked in turn. The elder student surprised Eirik. There was no smile on her face, but her tone led him to believe her friendlier than some of the other students he’d had the misfortune of crossing paths with. He allowed his field to caprise hers. Pink irises shifted as the younger sorcerer sought the other’s gaze. The Gioran chuckled softly. Always, he was tense, for the environment was often hostile. In this moment, however, the teenager was at ease. Beseeching the mona to act on his suggestion always brought that ease into further light, and he allowed himself to delve deeper. The particles around Melody were rife with Static as well, though a cursory understanding had him suspecting that she had other magic at her disposal as well. He could feel the electric twang of Static, so utterly familiar and welcome.
He chuckled, lifting his eyebrows in surprise as he asked her, “Are you always asking students to work in similar spaces with them? There’s plenty of space here and yet... “ he trailed off, humming in thought before he completed his inquiry,
“You chose this one. Of course, I don’t mind! It’s a pleasure to work with those with similar academic interests. A pleasure I’m too often without, I’m afraid.”
Melody was expecting the Gioran would either simply nod, granting permission, or be brusque and tell her, politely or not, to go elsewhere. She hadn’t expected the length of the response, though it wasn't as if she was upset with that. As a new student, every conversation with a fellow student was an input, helping her to get a better idea of the pulse of Brunnhold as she thought of it as. She waited till the student finished, then offered with a small smile and a nod ”I’m Melody, 9th year, transfer student.” she took a quick glance at the rest of the cloister, her smile turning slightly rueful as it met the younger student’s eyes again. ”It’s always better to be polite, especially when you are unsure of the expected behaviour norms...
The boy had raised a good point, why had she subconsciously chosen to work in an alcove where someone already was working rather than in a totally unoccupied one? ”I think, “ looking down to gather her thoughts for a second, she again glanced up. ”A single student is apt to be overcrowded if a group of students join in, assuming this place gets more crowded a little later in the evening as more classes are let off.. Two students, are less likely to be crowded out while still having more than enough space to work independently."
She gave a quick self mocking grin then admitted in a lower voice, ”Also, when you are trying something with mona that you are not dead sure you can do almost by rote, it’s better to have someone nearby who can spot you, even if subconsciously.”