Head to the library.

Across the campus is building larger than most others. You step inside and quickly realize why. It's a labyrinth of bookshelves, and you thought the Grand Master's office had a lot. This is overwhelming. There's a second floor above you with an opening in the center, allowing you to peer straight up and see the chandeliers providing light for the entire building. Students walk around above, and more do so down here as well. You really stick out if you didn't before. It isn't long before a tall, young woman dressed in the same school uniform walks up to you in a huff.

"Excuse me, but I'm the librarian's assistant, and I'm going to have to ask who you are," she demands.

"Oh, uh. I'm Kyle Warren," you answer as you pull out the permission slip from your pocket.

She pulls it from your hand and scans it over quickly. "Ah. I see... I apologize," she replies as she hands the paper back over. "Please browse our collection at your own pace, Sir Warren."

I like the sound of that.

"Do you know where I can find a girl named Eva Beela?" you ask.

"What does she look like?"

"Lavender hair. Bunnyfolk."

"Ah. Have you come to retrieve her? The only reason she's been allowed in here is because my mistress knows her father." She shakes her head. "It's embarrassing to make such exceptions. The last I saw her, she was that way. The back corner, through those aisles and to the tables."

"Thanks." You nod and walk towards her instruction.

It isn't long before you come to an opening filled with tables of people sitting and reading piles of tomes. Some are taking notes, while others are just lost in the words. Everyone is dressed in the same uniform as you've seen countless times, though there is one that sticks out like a sore thumb for that very reason. Eva is at a table garbed in her usual blue attire, and she has books as well. Though, it looks like a few people are speaking with her. Strangely enough, the one doing most of the talking is doing so in a library yet nobody is telling her to shush.

You've seen her before.

Her illustrious blond hair flows down her back, but protruding from the sides of her head is a pair of curved horns decorated with gem-encrusted golden bands. Her eyes are bright yellow to match. She has a set of earrings as well, each housing a shimmering emerald. Her body isn't covered by a sexy crimson qipao like last time you saw her, but instead a school uniform. What's different about hers, however, is that there's a lip cut up the bottom backside of her top to allow her gold-scaled tail to more naturally hang behind her.

Two other girls stand beside her, but she does most of the talking. Her friends just seem to be there to back her up.

"... and that's even worse than a commoner tainting our halls," the golden woman speaks. You catch the conversation midway through.

You think hard. You know you heard her name back when you saw her last. Niki lashed out at her, and Imaeris was there. He said her name was... Lady Malakae Vraelion. A dragon part of an illustrious lineage or something.

"Just leave me alone already!" Eva yells.

"Shh," someone turns to say with a finger at their lips.

Malakae scowls. "How dare you use such a tone. And you're annoying the other students just here to read in silence."

"You're being just as noisy," you speak up--arms crossed.

The dragon's feline-like eyes snap to you immediately. "You... I remember your scent."

"Kyle?" Eva turns with a sparkle in her eyes. Upon seeing your presence, she nearly trips out of her chair and stumbles to her feet. She hurries across the floorboards and throws her arms around you in a warm, tight embrace. After snuggling her head against your chest for a moment--long fluffy ears flapping about--she pulls away with colour in her cheeks. She straightens herself up, and turns around to stand at your side. "It's g-good to see you," she mumbles.

"Of course you two know each other," Malakae says. "Two of the worst sort of people. It's one thing to know your place as a commoner, but it's another to taint what it means to be a noble. Both of you. One who threw it all away, and another who wears a royal ring that he doesn't deserve."

"You recognize the ring?" you ask.

"Naturally. But a ring alone doesn't bring you respect. Frankly, I think it's an insult to the Empire that you'd even wear it, especially dressed like that."

"Yeah. If you want to look pretty, just check out Lady Vraelion," one of her friends adds from behind.

"She's the symbol of noble grace," says the other.

Malakae continues. "Just leave now before you embarrass yourself more. Take the rodent with you."

You raise an arm up in front of Eva defensively. "How about you shut the fuck up?"

Did I just channel Niki? It just came out...

If the library wasn't completely silent before, it definitely is now. The dragon's two friends look genuinely afraid. Malakae steps forwards and crosses her arms beneath her bust, and her inhuman, golden eyes are piercing. "Excuse me?"

Eva grabs your arm. "No, Kyle. Please don't. Do you have any idea who this lady is? If you make an enemy out of her, you make an enemy out of her entire family. If she wants someone dead, they're already dead. This is the last person here you want to mess with."

She's onto something. The other students are looking at our interaction with genuine fear.

"Eva and I were just about to leave," you mutter. "Come on."

"Do you really think you can just say that and leave?" a new voice comes.

As you turn, you see the boy from earlier--with short blond hair and bright blue eyes.

"I heard everything," he continues. "To say such a thing to Lady Vraelion is unforgivable."

"Are you here to defend my honour, Larsith?" she asks.

"Ah. Y-Yes." He takes a deep breath and looks straight towards you. "I challenge you to a duel. At dusk, we will meet at the sparring grounds and there I will defend the honour of my lady. Will you decline, coward, or accept and defend your own? Whatever amount it is you have."

You look between them and sigh. "Fine. I'll fight you later if it means we can go back to our business."

"Kyle..." Eva whispers. "You don't have to do this."

"You say that, but I always end up having to do this stuff. I think I'm starting to fall into the final stage of grief."

Not wanting to push things further, you take Eva's arm and the two of you walk back through the library together, though you can feel the looming glares on your back.

Phew. I'm glad we got out of there. The last thing I want to do is get banned from the academy in the first hour.

"Do you know who Ms. Labing is?" you ask quietly.

Eva nods. "She's a seamstress. Why?"

"Lady Sulta told us to speak with her. Also, she gave me this," you say as you pull back out the slip of paper.

"Back to school..." she mutters under her breath.

"What is it?"

"N-Nothing." She shakes her head. "But I think she wants us to get uniforms so we don't stick out anymore."

"I guess we'll be able to explore the academy better as students."

Eva looks down at her feet. "Yeah... I guess we will."