[FweepFwopFwoop]

Lauffeyra ran across campus, just shouting an yelling. "Come to the Pageturner tonight at nine to celebrate school spirit! Woo hoo!"

[Eskal]

Cormac rested his wings once in a while by taking to the ground to spread the word.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

Time passed, and then it was finally time to be at the event. The plan had worked, the place was packed with students. "Now to convince them to actually sign." Lauffeyra huffed. "Got my work cut out, to be sure." She stood atop a small stage on the far side of the shop and addresses her fellow students. "Hey everyone! Do you know why we're here?!"

"To celebrate school spirit!" Was the energetic reaponse.

"That's right! Because Belle academy is a great place that deserves to be celebrated!" The crowd roared in response. "Now tell me this: how many of you know someone who comes from Havard's Pass?" A large number of hands were raised. "And how many of you are actually from there?" A sizable number of gads went down, but a good number stayed up. "So you know what they do there. But if you don't, allow me to fill you in."

"Havard's Pass is a region whose people are bigoted, superstitious, and afraid of change, or anything they see as different. In Havard's Pass, people who are seen as different are killed. Killed by entire towns. Killed for being different. Killed for being homosexual, a nightkin, a Mage..." The room was silent. A pin could be heard dropping. "You here who come from this place, you know exactly what I mean. And when I say they're killed by the whole town, I mean they make a spectacle of it. They parade these people about before they kill them. And they have no qualms over killing someone for being something they perceive as 'dangerous'. Even if that person is just a child." A few gasps were heard. There were tears in the eyes of some.

[Eskal]

Cormac sat outside the hang out drinking some hot tea with Marius. "Damn, I'm tired."
"Same."
"Do you think she can handle the rest? I'm sure Astien's wondering where we are." Cormac sipped his tea.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

"In Havard's Pass, a child who is discovered to be a mage is tied to a stake, then paraded around their town, before finally being butned in front of the townspeople. all of the townspeople." There were a dew murmers and gasps. "But here at Belle Academy, we don't have to worry about that, right?" She paused for a moment. "If only. I don't know why the people of Havard's Pass act that way, because I'm not a person who allows myself to let fear rule over me and my actions. But there are people who do, and some of them are right here at our beloved school. I'm sure by this point, you've all heard of what's happening with professor Tymnas. I don't really know what's happening, I'll freely admit this, but the board is going to do something terrible to him out of fear, out of the same fear that drives the people of Havard's Pass to harm children. Now, I'm sure some of you are thinking about how that's exaggerating, but let me tell you this: professor Tymnas is pregnant, ad they plan on killing his unborn child along with him!" The crowd began to murmur and mumble amongst itself, a few loud gasps of shock and horror being heard.

[Eskal]

Once they finished their tea, Cormac and Marius returned to the house.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

Back at the house, Astien was alone, again writhing in pain. Though this time, it wasn't a case of false labor. Astien didn't know what it was, but it wasn't labor, and it wasn't false labor. He clutched his belly, panting and sweating.

[Eskal]

"Astien?!" Marius shouted. "What's going on?"
"Where's Delas?" Cormac asked.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

"I don't know… where Delas is. But hes not here. Aaarrgghhh, aaahh…" he groaned. "I don't know what's happening. This isn't… aaaahh, this isn't false labor."

[Eskal]

"Should I send Cormac for a medic? How long has this been going on?" Marius asked.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

"I don't know… a half hour? I really don't think a doctor is necessaryyyyyyyaaarrrgh! Oohhh, oow. It feels like... Like something's shifting. But it's not Aiden. Something else is moving. Something else... Is going on inside me."

[Eskal]

"Like what?" Marius asked nervously.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

Astien shook his head. "I don't know!"

[Eskal]

"I think we should get a doctor then," Cormac stated. He was out the door before Astien had the chance to object.
Marius took Astien's hand.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

Astien sobbed. "As if I weren't in enough trouble! He's probably going to come back with some kind of spy who's planning on killing me if they get close enough. I can't go five minutes without something terrible happening to me, I swear."

[Eskal]

Marius kissed Astien's forehead. "I won't let them hurt you. If anything he'll get one of your friends."

[FweepFwopFwoop]

Astien could only nod as he panted heavily.

In the town's hookah lounge, Heceril sat smoking, blowing out rings and relaxing.

[Eskal]

Cormac made his way to the hookah lounge, knowing from past experience that it would be the most likely place to find the elf. "Heceril," he said through the smoke. "Something's going on and I need you to come and check it out. Astien's in a lot of pain."

[FweepFwopFwoop]

Heceril sighed, exhaling wispy towers of smoke. "Very well. Let's go." Heceril and Cormac made their ways back to the house, and Heceril entered the bedroom where Astien lay on his bed, still groaning and panting. Heceril pulled an odd looking crystal out of his bag, along with a small wand. Sticking the crystal onto the wand and moving the wand across Astien's belly, Heceril raised an eyebrow. "What?" Astien asked, slightly panicked. "What's wrong?"

"That's... Odd, to put it mildly." The elf noted.

[Eskal]

"Is there something wrong?" Cormac asked.