"Hurry up, you sloth! We've barely started; how can you possibly be tired already?" The girl dashing out of the bushes stopped, nearly tumbling over herself as she stepped onto the bank.

  Azi locked eyes with her, both unsure of what to make of the situation. In her fear, Azi hadn't bothered to cover anything, her starkness on full dispy for a rapidly reddening student. A student wearing the simple yet durable uniform embzoned with a familiar insignia upon the breast.

  "Cra, wait up please, I can only run so fast…" Another girl wearing the same uniform toppled out of the bushes behind Cra. She was out of breath, and with her rger stature, Azi wasn't surprised. No, what surprised Azi was she recognized the two.

  Cra Serfort, a name Azi was all too familiar with. The girl had been in the same css as her at the academy, something she would have rather forgotten. Near por opposites, if Cra was the sun, it would have made Azi the cold darkness surrounding it.

  But the past wasn't important, not yet at least. Why were they in the forest? Azi must have been closer to the academy than she thought, which only made the fact that she was naked far more embarrassing. She bit down on the rising heat in her cheeks and covered herself, trying not to draw attention to the object between her thighs.

  "C…" Azi stopped herself; did they recognize her? Her face had changed to the point even she had trouble realizing it was her. She observed the two, mostly Cra, as the other girl, Noelle, stayed doubled over trying to catch her breath.

  Cra's face was beet red, her eyes repeatedly darting between Azi's body and eyes as if she struggled to maintain eye contact. She wore an expression of interested shock, an expression that had never once been seen upon that stubbornly posh face.

  "Can you help me? I was…" Azi started, releasing the stone and letting it drop to the ground with an audible thud. She paused, trying to come up with an excuse that sounded pusible. There weren't exactly many reasons to expin away a naked girl in the spirit forest surrounding Gux.

  But then it came to her.

  "I was lost… I am lost," Azi corrected; she hadn't always been the best liar. "The Diadem is soon, correct? I was traveling through Dalia and was attacked after leaving the city. I managed to escape them, but I got so turned around in the forest I couldn't find my way back to the road."

  It was only a half-life. She had really been attacked in the night traveling to Dalia, and the diadem was only a week away.

  Azi eyed Cra, trying to not let any of the anxiety that pgued her mind show. Before either girl had a chance to speak again, the third occupant of the bank piped up.

  "You're naked!" The other girl shouted. Azi winced, pulling her limbs closer to her body. She had hoped they wouldn't bring attention to it, maybe even offer her one of their coats. But Noelle Minst had never been a girl of tact.

  "Noelle!" Cra snapped, her face an even deeper shade of red. "I'm terribly sorry, miss; this daft girl has no sense of shame."

  Cra apologized, something Azi had never seen her do before, and approached Azi while removing the protective cloak that was slung around her shoulders. She hadn't given the cloak to Azi, taking extra care to maintain eye contact, and stepped back with haste to reprimand Noelle.

  A quaint smile broke across Azi's lips as she slipped the cloak around her. The rougher fabric was scratchy against her skin, but it was warm and covering, so she didn't care. The lie had worked, and with a bit more luck, she'd be in fresh, warm clothes sooner rather than ter.

  "Thanks… uh…"

  "Cra Serfort, and this is Noelle." Cra stated with the stance and tone of a proper noble.

  "Noelle Minst," Noelle finished, giving Azi a wide grin. The grin quickly broke, the heftier woman eyeing Azi with curiosity. "You said you were attacked, right? That must have been terrifying. How'd you get away?"

  "I'm not sure… Two men attacked me. I was knocked out, and when I awoke, I was here in the forest," Azi expined, not caring to lie. Nothing about her situation, aside from the changes to her body, was particurly important to keep a secret.

  "Was that before or after you were…" Cra's eyes trailed down Azi's body, a grim expression clouding her face. Noelle's face was much the same, her eyes also assessing Azi's lower body. "We should get you to a healer, just in case."

  "A healer? Why? I'm fi-" Realization burned in Azi's mind. Two men had knocked her out, and she woke up naked in the forest. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, I'm fine, trust me. I don't think they… Never mind, I'm fine, truly."

  "Are you sure?" Cra asked, the uncharacteristic worry on her face creeping Azi out. Memories of snder and bravado with the humiliation to match fshed in Azi's mind. Cra had never treated her well, making an example of her impotence for their css to see over and over.

  A true noble, one who looked down upon those she deemed lower and ineffective. Someone who'd toss away a pawn at a moment's notice for even the slightest advantage. That was Cra… right?

  As Azi's eyes locked with the painfully concerned gaze, she was having a few doubts. She shook her head, giving the two girls an ever so slightly forced smile. "I'm sure, thank you though."

  "If you say so," Noelle chimed, shrugging her shoulders. "Still, we should at least accompany you to the academy. It's amazing you've sted this long without a spirit attacking you."

  "Noelle's right; it's almost a miracle, especially this deep into the forest," Cra added. The girl's earlier redness had faded, and her usual proper demeanor had taken center stage. Mostly. Azi still caught the gnces the girl kept shooting her way despite how well she tried to hide them.

  Azi sighed internally; she wasn't keen on returning to the very same academy that had tossed her out. Even more so afraid one of the professors might recognize her. But it was a risk she was going to have to take. What was the worst that could happen, they throw her out a second time?

  "So, pretty miss, got a name?" Noelle asked with another wide grin. Azi had always wondered why these two were always together; they seemed almost por opposites. The uptight, snooty Cra and the rexed, homely Noelle. She knew the two had come to the school together from a territory far to the west. But that was all she knew.

  "A…" Azi caught herself, biting down on her tongue and wincing in pain as she did. Of course she couldn't just tell them her name. Even if her appearance had changed, her name wasn't the most common, even less so at Gux. "D-Drassi. My name is Drassi."

  Azi cringed internally. Drassi? That was the best she could come up with. She pressed her lips together, awaiting the obvious outcome. But it never came. The two girls stared at her, both with a look of confusion at her pained expression.

  "Drassi, huh? Cute name for a cute girl; nice to meet you, Drassi." Noelle extended her hand out in greeting. Azi took it, jolting slightly as the girl attempted to shake it out of the socket.

  "Just… Drassi?" Cra asked.

  "Just Drassi."

  "I see…"

  "Well, Drassi, hows about we gets out of this forest and find you some real clothes? I bet you're starving as well." Noelle pitched, retrieving a roll of parchment from her belt. "And we best do it quick; wouldn't want that dragon finding us."

  "Dragon?" Azi's ears perked up. A dragon? A real dragon? Any spiritualist, real or failed, worth their salt would jump at the rumor of a dragon. Not only were they among the strongest of spirits, but they were also intelligent, some even able to speak like a human. Meeting one and receiving its gift was a boon like no other.

  "Yup, it's the whole reason I and the princess are out here in the first pce. One of the academy watches sighted the thing over the forest st night." Noelle continued, unravelling the scroll to reveal a marker's map. The enchanted piece of parchment glowed with two pale orbs over the yellowed sheet.

  The orbs indicated them, one for Noelle and one for Cra. It mapped the majority of the forest surrounding Gux, with the academy itself situated in the middle. Noelle pointed to the map just east of where the three were located and expined. "It was seen here; old Roy was pretty sure it was pink, but in the dark he couldn't be sure."

  Azi eyed the map with tickled excitement. It was pristine, detailed, and expensive-looking. Of course she had been given one when she had enrolled, but hers had been worn and barely functional.

  "Noelle!" Cra snapped, her eyes motioning for the heftier girl to approach. Noelle rolled her eyes and stood, leaving Azi to ponder the map. The two whispered a few things, Cra clearly upset about something. The girl's earlier curiosity and intimate intrigue in Azi seemed to have faded, but Azi didn't care either way.

  "All right, fine, fine. Come on, Drassi, the princess is getting uppity, and I'm getting hungry," Noelle returned, leaning over to retrieve the map, much to Azi's dismay. "It's only an hour's walk back to the academy; we'll lead the way."

  Cra led the way, storming off in the brush with Noelle and Azi gging behind. Azi wondered what had changed for the girl to return to her usual attitude, but she didn't dwell on it. She followed behind Noelle, holding the cloak tightly against her to shield herself from the increasingly frequent gusts of wind.

  Reluctantly she would follow the two back to the academy. What other choice did she have? With the Diadem soon, perhaps it was a chance; maybe it wasn't just her appearance that had changed. Could she contract a spirit now? It was a wishful thought that kept Azi trudging behind the girls.

  Was this the best idea?