Robin Brier, the quiet halfing at Starfall

"Excuse me," You tug on the pant leg of the man standing between you and the Wizened Wizard. "You're in my way." The tall human looked around bewildered, before finally looking down. You were used to it. Besides being a three foot tall woman, you didn't exactly go out of your way to draw attention to yourself. A knack for illusions and a habit of literally blending into the background didn't help either. "He called my name."

"Sorry," he mumbled as he stepped aside. Your parents were farmers, their parents were farmers who in turn expected their grandchildren to be farmers. Except you were the odd one in your generation. You wanted to learn magic. While initially doubtful about your decision, your parents were more than happy to fund your move the human kingdom in order to attend Starfall Acadamey, if for no other reason than to avoid a repeat of your Aunt Tilde. Her amateur enthusiasm tended to find new and interesting ways to explode at least once a month.

While you were definitely skilled with magic, you were less skilled when it came to interacting with people three times your size. In fact you only had a passing acquaintance with a few other students who attended the same classes as you. As evidenced by the whispers coming from the crowd.

"Robin Brier? Who's that? She's tiny. How can you tell that's a she under all those robes? Aren't they hot?"

Your voluminous, hooded robes were in fact a size larger than they needed to be. You liked them that way because even when you were to stand in front of a crowd, you could put the hood up and pretend no one could see you. And they weren't hot because underneath the robes, you weren't wearing a thing.

You climb the steps to the dais and stand before the Wizened Wizard, hands trembling as you feel the weighted gaze of your fellow students. The room grows quite and the Wizened Wizard looks down at you and smiles gently. "It's quite all right, your familiar is already waiting. All you need to do is ask them to come out."

His words comfort you as you step into the summoning circle. You reach out with your magic and let it fill the air around you, teasing the edges of reality and whisper a single word. "Come." Lightning blinds and thunder deafens. You shake your head trying to clear it. And then you feel something soft press against you foot.