The chaos apprentice, Fenter, was having a pleasant little nap when the pounding drug him from his plesant dreams of thwarting world domination attempts and drowning in wine (not necessarily in that order). The messenger at the door let him know he was urgently needed in Latania's office.

Three hours later, Fenter finally enters the office. Toothpaste stains flake across bits of his muzzle.

A Naga in dark robes slithers past Fenter, on his way out of the house. He doesn't even look at Fenter. There's something unnerving about his eyes – something so … unlike any of the Nagai. It's as if his eyes are those of a dead animal.

Fenter shivers as he glances at the Naga. ( Perhaps he ate a bad yiffle… or worse, a sophomore. That's probably one of the most unhealthy things I can imagine. )

A glance of the Naga's ring identifies him as a mage of the Sphere of Mind. But he is out of the house, rather than staying around so Fenter can gather anymore by a casual look.

Fenter jams his hands in his pockets, returning his gaze back to his destination. He makes a point of walking as slowly as he can.

Fenter quietly trudges up to Latania's office door – tapping on it ever so gently with the guild ring upon his finger.

"Come in!" comes the sharp reply from inside.

The Rath'ani slowly eases the door open, trying to flash his best smile to the Cervani life mage. "Y-you wanted to see me, your worship?"

Latania motions to a stool in front of her desk. "Yes. Sit down."

A little snake in the corner sulks, sitting on a stool that faces the wall, a cap made of a piece of white parchment rolled into a cone perched on top of his head.

Fenter nervously walks to the stool and sits down. "This is about the chamberpot, isn't it?"

The white Cervani wrinkles her nose. "Something like that. Do you know of a creature named Envoy? She resembles an Aeonian, but has wings as well."

"Stop slouching!" Latania growls to the Naga in the corner.

The snake jolts his body to rail-straight posture … but it ever so slowly starts slumping again.

Fenter says, "Er… yes ma'am. I met her in the Bazaar many months ago."

The Cervani focuses on the Rath'ani once again. "And has she said or done anything unusual during that time?"

The snake in the corner hisses, "Don't forget about me! Isssn't it time for me to go now?"

"She mentioned having an inkling to eating people's brains at one time. And there was that one ocassion where she mentioned knowing about my Gr-… er… I mean … my friend that pays my tuition," Fenter replies.

"You've just eared yourself another ten minutes," Latania mutters to the young Naga – then whirls around to glare at Fenter. "Idiot. Something like this was bound to happen to you sooner or later. I should have your useless hide expelled from the college. I WOULD have expelled you by now had it not been for the board stopping me."

Fenter shrinks down in his stool. "It was just a chamberpot, Ma'am. And she really didn't try and eat my brains."

The Naga in the corner pouts and slumps even more.

Latania growls, "She would starve with a meal such as yourself." The Cervani leans back in her chair and steeples her hands. "I am going to tell you something that I've not told many people. I tell you because I hope to let this sink into your useless head… "

"Do you remember the night when the Savanite witch escaped in the stolen airship?" the Cervani asks.

Fenter says, "No, ma'am."

"Do you remember all that talk of escaped slaves from the Titus estate, perhaps?" Latania says.

Fenter says, "No, ma'am."

Latania sighs. "Do you remember when I was late in returning to the campus? There was nobody to teach my class that morning… "

Fenter says, "No ma'… er… OH! Yes, I remember. I came in early that day. First one into the classroom I was."

The Cervani rolls her eyes. "I'm sure you were there with bells on." She clears her throat. "But do you know where I was?"

Fenter says, "Er… slept in late?"

"No, you dolt! I was in the Temple," she growls. "I had been hired to heal a slave by a Temple Inquisitor. When my patient disappeared, I went to seek out my employer to collect payment. My payment was waiting for me… but so was a throng of other people, just dying to ask me a mob of questions."

Fenter blinks.

"What sort of questions?" pipes up the little Naga, who has now turned around in his stool, and has his chin propped up on his arms (which, in turn, are supported by a couple of coils of his length).

Latania continues. "Apparently my employer, whom Envoy was my contact for, was a suspected traitor. And the slave I healed was a rebel and escaped with the witch."

The life mage just spins around and GLARES at the Naga.

Latania growls, "Interrupt me one more time, and your bottom will be so sore that you shall have to walk around on your hands." She gestures to a drawer in her desk – the one that holds her paddle.

The Naga blinks a few times, then sucks in his forked tongue and spins around on his stool, moping again.

Fenter shrinks down.

The Cervani looks back at the Rath'ani. "I was accused of being in league with the rebel inquisitor and his lackey, Envoy. It took much convincing to prove my innocense. But afterwards I met up with another inquisitor – a poodle, if I remember correctly. He told me quite a bit about Envoy, and told me why I should have no more dealings with her. I am telling you this with the hopes that you shall perhaps absorb a small useful fraction of it before you bring ruin upon yourself and your whole family."

"Envoy is, first and foremost, insane. But not in the respect that most are insane. She has delusions of toppling great people, or perhaps something else. Who can understand the mind of an insane person?" Latania rubs her nose. "Envoy is nothing more than the traitor inquisitor's lackey. She uses people to gain information or anything else that might benefit herself, and then abandons them to pick up the pieces after she is done. When she was done with me, I was left to argue for my freedom and reputation in the Temple; I'm sure others have been left with much worse." Latania inhales sharply through her nose. "She must have been surprised to find that I was free when we met again at Avi Kromo's party. But she went out of her way to insult me, with information she gleaned from you. It was as if she was BRAGGING to me that nobody could touch her."

Fenter blinks. "Er… do you think that she might use… er… you-know-who to do something to me?"

The little snake offers, "I could bite her!"

Latania shoots another glare at the snake, but keeps quiet about repremanding him this time. Perhaps what he said appeals to her. "I can see her disgracing your family, or perhaps she hopes to use you to gain ground in the Temple." She thinks for a moment. "What were the circumstances of her revealing the information?"

Fenter says, "Er… we were in the Rephidim docks. I was having a nice bug on rye with mayo. And she just came up and asked me about it, in front of some noble wolf guy and a fox. Not to mention anyone else that might have been in earshot… "

"FOOL!" Latania snarls. "She was threatening you! … letting you know that she was aware of your … relations. No doubt she'll try and use it to humiliate your poor family."

Fenter says, "But… but… the nice fox that said he was accused of killing the Captain Astromancer said she wasn't all that ba-… er… uh… I mean… "

Fenter says, "Oh dear."

The Cervani jumps from her seat. "I FORBID you from seeing her again. Do you hear me? Idiot … you'll not only put your family in ruin, you'll get us all murdered! Bah … if I had any sense at all I'd expel you and wash my hands of all of this."

"Don't expell me!" the raccoon pleads. "I'll probably get sent away to Himar or some other miserable place! Pleeeeeeeease don't expel me!"

Latania frowns. "No, I won't. But remember – I do this not for you, but for myself. With you here, I can keep an eye on you. And I intend to keep a very close eye on you from now on."

"You may go now." Latania reseats herself and waves a hand dismissively to the raccoon.

"And if you messss up … I'll bite you!" hisses the little snake helpfully.

Fenter jumps down from his seat and hurries toward the door. He winces at the snake's words.

"And Fenter… " Latania says as she twists her chair to face away from the raccoon. "You are hereby confined to school grounds for the next three months. Perhaps that shall aid in keeping you out of trouble."

"Yes ma'am," the raccon replies blearily. He slips out of the door, shutting it gently behind him.

"Now then." Latania turns her attentions to the young Naga. "You may go. But I expect you to have written for me two thousand times: 'I will not bite the hall monitor'. Understand?"

The snake pouts. "Ohhhhhhkay." He hisses to himself as he slithers out of the room, still wearing his "dunce" cap.

The snake quickly turns and adds a "Yesss ma'am!" before he ducks out the door.

The Cervani watches the snake leave out of the corner of her eye. As soon as he's gone, she lets out a deep sigh and closes her eyes. What a day.