Vea's mouth pulled in a faint, amused smile. "We are prophets and seers, Aesir. Do you really believe there is no possible way we could have found you? We did not need to know where you were. Only where you would be." their gaze was still steady, but faint notes of amusement now glittered there.
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Aesir's mouth drew into a tight frown.
"What do you know about me already?" they asked, "Aside from me being chosen?"
They fiddled with their shirt sleeve where it was rolled up near their elbow, but they held eye contact with Vea.
"That you are a thief, but also an intelligent young person who will be quite capable in a fight. You may not have the best of education, but that is what this school is here for. Most of the subjects of prophecies do not have the right sort of education." Vea said.
"Right sort how?" Aesir asked.
They didn't like the implication that either 1. They dismissed previous education as "wrong," or 2. That they preyed off uneducated kids, like Aesir. But Aesir knew better.
"What do you intend to educate me in?"
"Any education, in some cases, or merely not enough of it. We intend to educate you in history, politics, swordfighting and other methods of defense and offense, reading and writing, mathematics, and anything else necessary. We have not evaluated you yet to see what precisely you need, this is only a list of what you may be educated in." Vea explained.
The statement made Aesir relax, even if just a little. They weren't ready to be reeducated, but if it just added on to what they had, it was more than welcome.
"Well, I suppose I'll have some foundations for you to work with. I don't know very much about mathematics, but I'm at least a proficient reader and writer. I've studied my share of literature and philosophy. However, I am mostly self taught. My mother taught me to read before she died, and I was left with those foundations. You'll find I'm a fast learner. I never make the same mistake twice."
Vea nodded slightly. "Of course. Well, we shall still need to evaluate you, but it is good to know that you are already proficient in reading and writing." they said calmly. "We may also educate you in magic, if we discover that it is something you are capable of."
"Can you not foresee my proficiencies?" Aesir asked, "It would save you a lot of time."
Their skepticism was lessened, but still strong. They also weren't too keen on learning magic; they learned a lot about it through text, but it was not something they ever intended to practice themself. It was always best to not poke your nose where it didn't belong, and for Aesir, that included magic and the supernatural.
"Well… either way, is there anything else I should know?"
"We could, but we have found that generally it is better to test you upon them. Relying too much upon our visions of the future can cause that future to change. Everything is reliant upon certain things being done in the present." they explained. "And there is not much else that you need to know of right now. Your roommate, Mazen Raffield, will help you get to know the school."
Aesir tilted their head a bit. That didn't fit with their preconceived notions on prophecy, but then again, they had only ever met with those who could obtain tiny glimpses into the future, not with people who could see a "chosen one" or whatever they were.
"Alright, thank you," Aesir replied, shoving hands into their pockets, "I look forward to meeting them. And I hope whatever it is you lot want me to do here, things work out."
Vea stood smoothly. "I am sure that it will." they replied. "Come. I shall take you to your room. Mazen is ccurrently in class, but they shall be finished in approximately…" Vea paused for a moment, eyes going far away. "Ten minutes. That will give you time to get used to your room, though I would prefer you did not leave it without him there to guide you about."
"Don't worry, I'm not too keen on getting lost in here just yet," Aesir joked, "I'll wait until class is over, at the very least."
They followed Vea, taking in their surroundings as they went. Aesir found themself already searching for a way out, should things go south. They tugged at the edge of their cloak. Although they kept trying to hide their nervousness, it always seemed to bubble to the surface.
The school was large, with various hallways and classrooms, but there were not as many students as there could have been. "There are not many students here." Vea informed them. "Only about 200, and some of them are ready to leave and fulfill their prophecies. You may find that some of your fellow students are far older than you, or far younger, but most are about your own age."
"How often do you take in children?" Aesir asked out of curiosity, "And if you do… well… I guess my question is why you didn't take me in sooner."
They looked down at their feet.
"I had to fight for my life out there, you know? And there were a lot of times I nearly lost."
"We don't usually take in children. The future can be murky, when the prophecy is too far away, and sometimes it is difficult to tell who the subject of the prophecy is. We would have taken you in earlier, had we known for certain earlier. You see, the future is like a tree. The past is the trunk, and the present is the first junction of branches. The further into the future you get, the more the branches split off and the more difficult it is to tell what or who the prophecy centers on." Vea explained.
"I see," Aesir replied, though they very much were still trying to fully digest it. That would be an understanding that would come with time. "You might be able to narrow it down some, but it would be hard to have your answer, especially when their choices and circumstances could drastically change. Even if you narrowed it down to say, ten children- well, that's a lot of resources to put into kids who might not be the subject, or even worse, may fight and compete because they think it makes a difference."
They shrugged a bit.
"That is, if I'm understanding correctly at all. Still, one can dream of what it might have been like had they not been forced to be a petty thief."
(Oh yeah, I totally missed the other post where you said you couldn't see my image. So here's a notebook link!)
(thanks!! Looks neat!)
"Precisely." they replied. "So we like to wait until we are sure as to who the subject is, before bringing anyone into the school. That is why we had to wait so long. We needed to ensure that you were the correct subject of the prophecy. Because, you see, depending upon certain actions being made in the present, it changes the future and sometimes the subject of a prophecy." they led him up a flight of stairs and onto the second level, then down a hallway.
(Thank you!)
"So whatever this prophecy was, it required my experiences on the streets. Because it probably changed me as a person," Aesir sighed, "And it changed me into the very person you needed. May I ask how close the prophecy is to becoming true? Just a basic estimate. Weeks? Months? Still years? How far in advance are you forced to find someone to make sure they're ready when the time comes?"
They followed up the stairs, ratty cloak billowing behind them. Their heels clicked on the stone floors as they stayed on Vea's tail.
(np!)
Vea frowned faintly. "That…is still uncertain." they replied. "We know you are the correct one for the prophecy, but there are a few different times and ways that you could fulfill it. And telling you could change the timeline." they explained, pausing before a door and opening it. "This is your bedroom. Again, you will be sharing it with your roommate." the room was a good size, with a twin bed against each wall. One side of the room was clearly in use, the bed unmade and clothing strewn haphazardly across it. There were two desks; one was clean, the other had papers, books, and some jewelry on it. It was the same with the two dressers. One was empty, the other full, with a few drawers cracked open and clothing peeking out of it. Finally, the bookshelf was half full, waiting for more books to fill it completely.
"Alright, I see. Only so much you can tell me before it'll change my trajectory," Aesir said, resigning to the fact they were not going to get much information on it.
"Do I have to pay for my accommodations here? I have some money, but not very much."
Their eyes swept across the room. Already much nicer than any inn they stayed at. If they had to pay, it was going to be expensive.
Vea raised their eyebrows faintly. "You don't have to pay for anything here, Aesir." they replied. "Not the bedroom, or the food. Or any necessities that you might need." their gaze swept over Aesir again, taking them in.
"Oh, wow- uh-um- okay," Aesir murmured, a bit surprised.
They let out a relieved sigh. There was no way they could have afforded it.
Aesir tossed their bag at the foot of their bed. It was a rugged backpack that had definitely seen better days, and it contained all that they owned.
"I will be on my way. If you need anything, do let me know. Whether that be clothing, or anything else." they said. They turned, and left the room, leaving Aesir alone. Their roommate should arrive sooner or later, but he wasn't there quite yet.
"Thank you, I will," Aesir replied. They would definitely take up the offer for clothes later. All they really had was what was on their back right now.
They sat down on the bed to wait for their roommate to return, afraid to really touch anything in the room before calling it home. Aesir glanced over the bookshelf, trying to read titles and see if they could figure out a little more about their roommate at a glance.
The books seemed to be an assortment of schoolbooks and…story books? Along with a few collections of old, fulfilled prophecies. On the bottom shelf was a small collection of notebooks that had clearly been well-used; likely it was preferred that Aesir stay out of those, they were probably personal.
It didn't take too long before Mazen came in, gaze landing on Aesir almost as soon as he entered the room. "Ah. You must be my new roommate, Aesir." he set his bag down on his bed, clearing their throat and holding out their hand to shake Aesir's, giving the other person a friendly smile. "My name is Mazen Raffield, I'm the seventh son of a seventh son, and I've been here for almost two years."
Aesir's gaze shifted away from Mazen as he came in. They gave a nod of acknowledgement.
"I'm Aesir. Good to meet you," they replied, carefully reaching out to shake the other’s hand.
Aesir's grip was very slight and hesitant, which was pretty reflective of how they still felt about everything here. They felt like their chipped nail polish, their tattoos, their rugged appearance, all made them stand out even more. They found themself wondering if they looked dirty or at least mostly presentable.
Maze's warm brown skin was clean and they had clearly been washing regularly, and their hair was shiny and healthy. His grip was firm, without being tight or painful, and he released Aesir after only a moment. "Good to meet you too. I'm supposed to show you around, I think. I was told we would have almost the same schedule, for now." they wore a button-up shirt tucked into a loose black skirt, a bright, emerald toned vest over the shirt.
Aesir found themself partially hiding behind the shadow of their cloak, way more self-conscious about how they looked than they ever really had been before.
"Alright, I appreciate you showing me around. If left to my own devices, I'd definitely get lost here."
They tried to be friendly, but they felt like their concern over the new situation clouded their ability to do so.
Maze nodded a little bit. "Alright. You can call me Maze, by the way. I would prefer he/they." they opened up their bag, pulling out some papers and a notebook and setting them on his desk. "Now then. I'll show you around for a bit before dinner. Sound good?"