Snippet #2464865

Date: Tuesday, December 31st
Time: Noon

At noon, a bell began to ring. Those who took note would hear twelve distinct clanging peals, not precisely melodic, but not excessively clamorous, either. Certainly the bell was loud enough to be heard throughout the Academy.

Throughout the balconies of the student rooms, older students called "Lunch, firsties! Come to lunch!" There was good-natured laughter as they led the way, down the various stairs and through the nearest of the two doorways leading inward from the Great Hall.

Those in the left hallway took the first right, while those in the right hallway took the first left, and they all met in the middle, where another double door stood open.

The Dining Hall was a large room, longer than it was wide, with four pairs of narrow parallel tables down its length, and one perpendicular to them at the far end. As the students entered, the Chatelaine directed them: "Suns to the left, Candles to the right. First-years to the back two tables and please be seated. Suns to the left, Candles to the right--"

Luthien de Mendici, headmaster of the Liminal Academy, stood in front of the final table, the one that was perpendicular to the others. He was facing the two closest parallel tables, and equidistant from them both. When all of the first-years were seated at these two tables, Luthien looked the gathered students over, smiling slightly, his gold eyes gleaming with a warm light.

"Welcome," he said, his voice clear and precise. He lacked either of the local accents, speaking with neither the abridged and slurred diction of Shadowtown, nor the particular enunciations and cadences of Aeolia. "I am very pleased to welcome you all to the Liminal Academy."

"Though I have met most of you but briefly, it is my impression that you all have great potential, which I hope to see blossom in your time here. I will shortly ask you to introduce yourselves to your new classmates and teachers, so that we may all begin to get to know each other. Before that, though, it is my duty to inform you of the rules of the Academy."

"Firstly," said Luthien, "Many of you carry weapons, either openly or concealed. I would be the last person to fault this practice, but you should know that attacking a fellow student with a deadly weapon is grounds for expulsion, regardless of any actual injury sustained. Likewise for magical assaults of any kind. There is, of course, an exception made for drills and sparring under the supervision of an instructor."

"Secondly, there are many doors to and from the Academy. However, you are not permitted to leave the Academy via any door but the one you entered by, except under the supervision of a teacher. If you came from Shadowtown, you may return there via the left-hand door from the Great Hall, and likewise those from Aeolia may return via the right... but in either case, you are not to enter the other city."

"Finally, I expect you all to respect and obey your instructors, as well as the other staff members of the Academy. Some of you in the House of Candles are unaccustomed to having adult authorities in your life, while some of you in the House of Sunlight are perhaps more accustomed to giving orders than to following them. Nonetheless, I expect you all to make an effort in this area."

"And now, if you would each stand up in turn and give your name, and perhaps say something about yourself, if you wish." Luthien smiled, and gestured to the first of the first-year students, inviting them to stand and introduce themselves.