The campanile bells ring out a familiar melody that marks the afternoon break. Translated, that means no more classes for most of the cadets for the day. Many of them take advantage of this by pouring out of the campus buildings, and rushing either for the dorms or for the gates to the city.

Others, however, take a more leisurely approach, heading out to the green to find a tree to study under, or just taking advantage of not having to do anything in particular, and taking a leisurely stroll on the paths.

An elderly Naga stands beside the way, his arms folded together in the ample sleeves of his robes. He flicks his tongue, then turns to regard a poodle cadet walking up. Advisor Bryant Tremaine bows in greeting. "Good day, Cadet Bellefeuille. I trust you have been diligent in your studies?"

The young poodle woman meets the Naga's bow with a smile. She steps off of the walkway and out of the rush of departing students to talk with the man without being hassled by students eager to get to their off hour activities. "Hello, Tremaine. Yes, I have been very busy with my studies, especially after returning from Sylvania. I certainly should not have been taking the time for such frivolous activities, but you know how Kathrine can be when it comes to my relaxing. Any road, I was just about to find some shade to study under. " She pats the book under her armor. "Would you join me?"

The Naga adjusts his mouth in his attempt at a smile. "Certainly," he says, in nearly perfect Rephidim Standard, lacking the traditional drag on the "s" that so many Nagas exhibit. "Did anything interesting happen in Sylvania?"

"Yes, some worrisome things, I do believe. It may be nothing, but I sent a brief message to the Temple about what occurred, in case they wish to know more." The cadet begins walking off the pathway towards a grouping of trees shading a spot devoid of any students at the moment. "You see, Lord Kurai – now Count Kurai – was asked to join Gallis. As you may very well know, Gallis attacked Sylvania a holiday or so ago. This offer was a slap in the face to the Czar. Count Kurai refused the Gallisian offer in favor of the Czar's offer. Oh yes, did I mention I met the Czar? A very nice man, new to the position."

"Ah yes. That would be Czar Justinian the Eighth, as his father recently died of old age. Actually, Gallis has been encroaching upon the lands of Sylvania for quite some time," the Naga notes, going into "teacher" mode. "Indeed, the serious expansion into Sylvania began as long ago as 6047 by the Rephidim Time Reckoning, with the reign of King Renard the First. You see, at that time, young Justinian the Sixth had been studying in Gallis when his father – Czar Justinian the Fifth – had died during the Dead War. King Renard claimed to be acting in the interests of young Justinian the Sixth, to 'help' him 'reclaim' his land from 'squabbling counts'. The bulk of Gallis' gains were conquered during that period … though they gained a considerable deal more in the following generations. For many years, though, they have halted at their current holdings, their northernmost position marked by Spearhead Point. The fort there is known as Spearhead Keep… " He rambles on in this vein about the history of the Gallisian/Sylvanian conflict.

The cadet continues to walk, silent as she listens to her advisor's information. At last when she enters the shaded wood, she turns towards the man and holds up a hand to stop him from rambling any further. "I understand, Tremaine, thank you. But I do wonder just what will become of this. Certainly Sylvania's victory over the Gallisian army drove them back, but I do not believe they will simply give up, given their words at the Harvest Tide gathering. Menteur, the man who offered Count Kurai the title, mentioned that if the Count was not his ally, then they would be enemies. I do worry about what will happen now that I have met the people. They are … backwater people lacking refinement, but they seem to be quite friendly."

"They will do as they have done before, I am certain," hisses the snake. "They shall continue to fight, to press northward. Recently, they broke past Spearhead Keep, but they were turned back at Tempest Keep. They may find another route to take that is less of a challenge than that castle. Perhaps rather than directly assaulting castles, they will seek to cut off lines of supply. There are many options at their disposal. If nothing else, they have time on their side."

Up ahead, there is a male poodle standing beside the path, chattering loudly with a couple of lady poodles. It only takes a moment to recognize the boy as Eustace do Varr – the spoiled son of Arch-Inquisitor do Varr himself. He's not as impressive as he might seem with his Rhian bodyguards out in the Bazaar, but he seems to be inclined to puff up his chest and talk big regardless.

"Another war, then. I wonder if Rephidim will be involved this time. Count Kurai mentioned, however, that he did not want his country run in the way the nobility runs this country. Not a man of words, Count Kurai. No, he may have trouble getting outside help, if he asks for any at all. And if it is offered, he may not accept."Having said this, the woman glances off into the trees thoughtfully before her ears perk up and she leans slightly to shift her gaze to something behind the old man. "Oh, wonderful. Eustace do Varr is here. Perhaps he will not notice me, so I can be spared his intolerable bragging," she whispers carefully to the Naga.

The Naga ponders this. "Well, the Gallisians will be sure to play on his weaknesses. Oh … Yes, Master do Varr. One of your countless suitors … if he weren't so busy courting every – ahem … Pardon me. I am forgetting myself."

Elise frowns at the comment. "Yes, a regular… romantic… he. As if I did not have enough trouble these days, I cannot simply dismiss the son of the Arch Inquisitor Supreme so eas-… "

The woman's whisper is cut short, when poodle boy happens to look down the path and notices her. His smile widens as he sees Elise … but it quickly fades as he sees her snake escort. "Oh, well, what have we here? My dear Elise, you really should display better discernment in who you keep company with! Don't you know that we might soon be at war?"

Elise quickly puts up a fake smile and lifts a hand to wave a little to the other cadet. "Hello, Cadet do Varr. And yes, I have heard of the troubles with the Nagai Empire. However, Tremaine is my personal advisor and has been a trusted friend of my family for years. I will not simply dismiss his company due to rumors."

Eustace frowns. "Well … I personally think that we should be a bit more careful. He could be a spy, you know. Or what if he has been carefully placed to take out young and promising future officers in the event of war? I really think he shouldn't be here on the campus. Of course, in his absence, I would be more than happy to escort you wherever you're going."

"I am quite fine, thank you. And I should remind you there are Nagai serving within the Temple as well. I have perfect faith in Tremaine's loyalty to the de Bellefeuille family and to Rephidim." Elise takes a few steps forward in front of the Naga and forces her smile to be a bit wider. "But must you bring up such troublesome topics? Sinai as of late has become increasingly filled with ill rumors of war and what not. I would rather speak of something else."

Eustace cocks his head to one side. "Oh? And what might that be?"

"Why, how are your studies? I trust you are doing well in them," she asks.

Eustace's ears blush. "I'm … I'm doing just fine, thank you." His two female "admirers" seem to be getting bored of the little confrontation, and drift off. This only serves to make Eustace's ears redden all the more.

The poodle woman takes a few steps closer to Eustace and folds her hands neatly behind her back. "I would certainly hope so. I am certain your father has such very high expectations of you. The son of an Arch Inquisitor. It must be very stressful," she says.

Eustace frowns. "I … I don't like the way you're talking. I'm … I'm … " He's short on words, evidently. And short on friends too, it seems.

The Naga just folds his arms back under his sleeves.

The other poodle's smile drops a bit and she shakes her head a little, closing her eyes. "I am sorry if I brought up a disagreeable subject. Are you… having trouble in school?"

Eustace takes a step back, then another, then he reaches for his belt, fumbling about for the hilt of his uniform sword. "I … I … " But once his hand is around the handle of the sword, he draws it out in a smooth motion. Apparently he's been practicing at something. "I challenge you … to a duel!"

The Naga looks to one side of the path. "Lady Bellefeuille, perhaps we should depart now."

The woman's eyes flick open and she folds her arms across her chest, tilting her head a little to the side. "No, I am not going anywhere," the cadet tells the Naga before addressing the other poodle. "Now, Eustace, are you certain you want to attack me? I apologize again if I brought up a hard subject for you. If you like… I will… help you with your studies. I will not tell anyone, and no one has to know. I am here to help you if… you need it?"

Eustace says, "This … this is a matter of honor! Draw your sword and defend yourself!"

In Imperial, Advisor Tremaine hisses, "Might I advise the lady that killing young Master Eustace might be ill-advised? So would be getting killed."

"And whose honor have I attacked in all this? I simply asked how your studies were, and mentioned concern over the possible stress you may be having. Eustace, do you really wish to kill me that much? We have had our differences before, but I see no reason why we cannot be friends. Is this what you really want?" asks Elise as she stands still with her arms folded. Her ears do wilt at her advisor's words, however. "And thank you, Tremaine."

Eustace's lip quivers, and the poodle looks at his blade uncertainly. "No … not to the death. First blood or yield."

The female cadet shakes her head again and unfolds her arms. She offers a hand to Eustace. "There is no lost honor here, Eustace. If it means so much to you then I will gladly withdraw all I said. I have no wish to spill anyone's blood, yours or mine. Yes, there may be wars. And if so, we may be called to fight, too. But I see no reason to battle here. We are both of the nobility, both cadets here. If you need help, I will help you. No one has to know. No blood, no fighting, just a new friend. Would not that be… better?" She tries to smile a little bit more despite her fear. Thankfully her cloak hides her nervously twitching tail fairly well.

"Only … only if you yield," says Eustace. "I'm the better swordsman here, all right? I won't say a thing if you won't … but that's how it is, okay?"

"Very well, Eustace, I yield. Are you happy now?" The woman frowns a little but continues to hold her hand out. "I do this for your sake, but I hope you do not plan on solving all your problems this way. Someone may not yield – someone who cares more about honor than I – and they may kill you."

Eustace looks genuinely surprised … then sheathes his sword, as the smug look comes back to his face. He quickly retreats into his usual full-of-himself shell. "Well … there now. And don't say I didn't warn you about your Naga friend here." He turns to leave.

The Naga hisses (in Imperial), "'Like pearls cast to yiffles.'"

"The offer still stands, Eustace. But if you decide to take it… please cease this acting? I know you need the help, and probably a real friend," says Elise. She sighs a little before glancing towards the Naga and switching to Imperial. "I had no idea his ego was so fragile."

Eustace turns back, and his smug smile wavers. He stands there a long moment, then mumbles, "I'm sorry." Then, he quickly pads off, keeping close to the wall and the shadows of the willows.

Before Eustace can get away Elise quietly responds, "Don't forget what I said." The boy now gone, she turns around to face the Naga and opts to speak in Imperial lest someone overhear. "He said he was sorry. Eustace. First Ones, I feel sorry for him now. He must be having a great deal of trouble to keep up that act."

The Naga hisses, "I have heard that he has a knack for getting himself into trouble. He was wooing the Fire Mage, Kelsey von Kabril, when word got out that he … ah … But that is a rumor. I should not speak of such things. In any case, he seems the sort to … ah, to use a mammalian phrase, 'bite off more than he can chew'."

"Perhaps he just needs a friend. He could be doing all this just to be wanted, or to cover up some failure of his. Maybe I should keep an eye out for him. He may seem very obnoxious but I do not believe that is how he truly is. You saw him falter. He may very much want to drop the act." Elise shakes her head again and glances down at her sword. "I carry a real weapon, not simply for show. To think we could have killed each other right then and there. I … wonder if my father had this much trouble."

The Naga looks thoughtful for a moment, then hisses, "He may very well have, Lady Bellefeuille."

This causes a smirk to cross the poodle's face as she looks up. "Well, that is comforting, in a way. Anyway, I was just about to get back to my studies. I thought you might particularly enjoy this text of Nagai history. Shall we begin?"