Sammy’s tour sted a half-hour more. She seemed frustrated about having to cut it off, but she ‘really did have something she was supposed to be doing’ and couldertain Natalie all night. Her assigned duty for today’s freshmen hadn’t been tours, as she’d said earlier—and one-oours weren’t really a thing anyway—but had made an exception for Natalie, taking i.

  Which was great news. Natalie suspected tomorrow night, during the first party of the year—sorry, ‘school pride event’—she’d be getting lucky. There’d definitely beery betweehough not especially of a romantid … but that washer of them were looking for, she thought.

  How lucky? She guessed she’d be finding out. But she all but had an open invitation to stay in Sammy’s room, so unless she fucked things up, her night ought to turn out well.

  As for Natalie’s problem—the thiween her legs—well, she’d hahat as it came. Jordan had taken it in stride, but she was Jordan. Would irls be fih it? That was assuming she even got that far. But she thought she would. Sammy’s iions—and Natalie’s—had beey clear.

  After the tank’s guild tour, Natalie, as pnned, checked out the uild halls. Fortunately, or unfortunately, none were as iing as her adveh Sammy. It was, however, amusing—and intriguing—seeing each of the guild’s personalities. Individuals were individuals, of course, but each guild had a specific air about them: both on the rge scale and the small scale.

  The fighter’s guild was simir to the tank’s, but louder, more rambunctious … Sammy had mentiohat while the fighter’s guild’s parties were worth attending, you had to be aware that more property damage and injury happehere thaher fuilds bined. Safety definitely not guaranteed, when things got going. Which was a selling point to some, Natalie, holy, included. It sounded like fun. Apparently, it was a recurring minigame to escape the campus enforcers when they showed up to quiet things down. Natalie loved that sort of chaos.

  The mage’s guild, and the st of the buildings she visited—Natalie decided she would check out the healer’s guild if a skill developed for that branch, but not until then—had the most subdued atmosphere. Unsurprisingly, most mages were academics of varying sorts; the representatives hosting the freshmen welis for the tank and fighter’s guilds had been loud aroverted, but for the most part, the mage’s guild spoke in quiet, polite tones, moving about in a stiff, if expeditious manner. Her trip there was the shortest.

  Depending on how Natalie’s css developed, it was likely that she’d end up enrolled at the mage’s guild. Though, she’d learhrough her talks with Sammy that there were more politics at py between the guilds thahought. Te allowed students to enroll at two, but students looked down on it; there was tribe mentality at py, and especially between specific guilds. The tanks and fighters stuck together in much the same way the mages and healers did; the rogues, as always, stood apart, the third point to the trinary system.

  But even among tanks and fighters, dual enrollment was met with disapproval. She could do it, sure, and in fact she might have to, because the mage’s guild would have information she’d want to sort through, but if she wanted smooth sailing iank’s guild she’d have to not. Maybe she could make a friend in the mage’s guild, a access to their library that way? Natalie thought the whole situation was kind of stupid. Who cared if someone was in two guilds? But she also uood, kind of. There was fort in banding together—in pack mentality.

  The event took up most of the evening. It was dark when Natalie set out back to the barracks. She settled down for bed early, before the lights had even go. She did have an early wake-up tomorrow, sidering her decided-upon m routine. Early showers, where she could be alone … and where she wouldn’t be caught taking care of her problem.

  Settled down in bed, pajamas donned and arm set, she stared up at the ceiling and sidered her future. Not iionally, but because how couldn’t she? Today had been packed, and had been the first full day away from home.

  That was where her thoughts wandered first: home. She wondered how Mom and Dad were doing. For all Mom’s wailing at the train station, she had to be somewhat grateful for having the house empty. Though, she was definitely worried for Natalie’s safety. Te had outwardly seemed not far from a regur uy campus—which was hirious, because Natalie, going to uy?—but the truth was, she’d be seeing the reality of the situation shortly.

  This was a school desigo create hardened delvers … Natalie retty sure a normal uy didn’t have a death rate roughly equal to its wash out rate.

  The good news was, she’d made a friend of sorts through Sammy. A tact, at least. She’d o make more of those. She hadn’t bumped into any of the ‘politics’ that Te was infamous for, but she suspected that was because csses hadn’t actually started.

  It would be nice if Natalie could get away from it all. As a nobody from a own, she might be able tht? The politig of the major houses ervasive, but it would be a load off her shoulders if she could simply sidestep aligning herself with any of them. Though that came with its own problems. Having allies—even if it meant having enemies—might be better than cutting herself off from it all.

  She sighed, knowing it was sure to be a headache.

  Eventually, the lights shut off and the bustle of the barracks slowed. With so many people, and no strictly enforced sleeping hours, there remained a low buzz of noise … but Natalie’s tiredness eventually overtook her.