The next few days passed semi-peacefully. The Student Council was furious that one of their members was attacked. The conservative students were humiliated and thrown into disarray. This became the first time that Vanessa majorly slipped up in public. At first, her obsession and poor personality were mere far-fetched gossip. Now, they were hardened fact.
On the other hand, Marc and Corrine grasped the opportunity. He used this incident to seize greater control in the conservative faction with the excuse of better containing Vanessa's messes. Many conservatives realized just how bad serving Vanessa could be, and sympathized with him. Meanwhile, Corrine's calm, poise and timely assistance was noted by many in different factions. Her evaluation went from a 'transparent, weak-willed lackey' to a 'shy, helpful young lady'.
Vanessa was none the wiser. Marc and Corrine insisted that The Butterflies should keep various rumors away from Vanessa for her mental health. Which was true, but the pair was more interested in keeping Vanessa contained. So, The Butterflies didn't tell her. No one wanted to be the next victim of her rage.
The president and the headmaster chewed out the Disciplinary Committee for their lack of oversight on the issue. The chair still resided in the residence hall in part to keep the crazier students under control. Aayla felt a bit bad for them because they been called out earlier that night. They couldn't be in two places at once, right?
Vanessa returned to her life of dorm room arrest. Not all of The Butterflies joined her. They started having second thoughts about this leader of theirs. With Marc and Corrine 'bravely petitioning' Professor Foryl for leniency on their behalf, many Butterflies felt gratitude. Of course, they didn't know that this was the plan that Professor Foryl and Marc came up with.
Aayla sighed in relief when the university handed out Vanessa's official punishment. It was downplayed to detention and community service, but that would still keep Vanessa away from her.
**********
Trouble just kept on coming. Ever since the first trip to Forest Waypoint between the first and second exams, the students and merchants had been clamoring for more. The students loved taking a break. The merchants loved it as well, though they were more concerned with the students' wallets than their mental health.
With a mostly successful first outing, even more pressure was placed on the university. Several professors even started to complain. The university couldn't supply enough materials for their experiments and the students' practice activities. Headmaster Marin was forced to allow weekend trips for students with good grades and behavior.
Who was the one responsible for verifying the students in Nafriton Residence Hall? Nurse Rouse and the Residence Council. Who would actually do all of the work? Aayla Glowery. Admittedly, Theo was an excellent helper.
That's how Aayla became swamped with work. Between patrolling campus in search of Terran creatures and reviewing trip applications, Aayla barely had time to study. She gritted her teeth as she furiously looked through the applications.
Why couldn't the Student Council handle all of these?! Was their fancy office and all of their underlings just for show? Wait, Aayla was technically an underling of the Student Council. Darn it. That's why she got stuck with the job.
Aayla massaged her wrist. She sat in the front office with a pile of papers next to her. All of them had to be done that night for the weekend trip to Forest Waypoint tomorrow. Why did they have to wait until the very last minute to submit these?
Theo chuckled at Aayla glaring at the stack of papers. Several pens wrote on different papers while he leisurely read a book. Aayla turned her glare towards him. Magic was so unfair. The pens would do all the work while Theo could study.
"You might want to hurry up, Ms. Glowery. All of these forms need to be signed by tomorrow morning."
"I know, I know," Aayla grumbled.
A knock sounded on the door before it creaked inwards. A fragrant smell entered the room. Ramona peaked inside with a bag in her hands.
"Guess who came bearing gifts? I brought dinner from the professors only café."
Aayla's eyes lit up. The food there was delicious. She quickly grabbed the bag and sat down. Theo enviously watched her eat. Aayla smirked and deliberately talked about how great the food was.
"So, what's the occasion? You rarely bring food over."
"Well, I had a meeting Headmaster Marin when he asked me to pass something on to you."
The mood instantly dropped. Whenever that old man wanted something, it was usually trouble. Ramona slipped a package over towards Aayla. It contained an official looking letter.
"This is… from the police department of Forest Waypoint?"
Ramona sternly nodded. "Yes. Apparently, they've been having more issues in town with strange animals. Some seem like the ones on campus, while magic beasts have been seen scouting around the outskirts of the city's domain.
They have heard about Nafriton's efforts containing the creatures on campus. So, they've requested to cooperate."
Aayla felt like something was wrong. This wouldn't cause Ramona to buy her dinner from one of the best places on campus. She slowly swallowed her food.
"What does that have to do with me?"
"You were requested by name. You made quite the impression on some people when you handled that snake on the first outing. They would like for your help handling other creatures in town. Only for the less dangerous ones, of course."
She spat out her drink. Maybe taking a sip after asking her question was a bad idea.
"The reward is fairly decent, but…" Ramona trailed off after she glanced at Theo. The reward wasn't enough to offset the attention that Aayla would get. Especially since it wasn't necessary to get her back to Terra. The situation could be dire if someone noticed the similarities between her physique and the Terran creatures.
"It's your choice. The university will be sending a team, which you are not required to be a part of. With finals coming up, Headmaster Marin won't let you go for more than a week. Essentially, you'll just show some officers the basics for a few days."
"What about the residence hall?"
"Mr. Lawlor here should be able to handle it."
"Then what about the investigations here? The ones for the creatures and the maze?"
"Mr. Forolan and Mr. Vear can help with the maze investigation. Security has gotten used to the methods that you've demonstrated, so they'll be taking over the animal cases."
Her fork tapped on the table. Maybe Aayla should get off of campus for a while? Vanessa was getting angrier by the day. Aayla sighed. She needed practical chances to practice her magic anyways.
"Fine. I'll do it."
**********
A couple of days later, Aayla packed her bags and headed to Forest Waypoint along with the Nafriton delegation. No one really paid much attention to her amidst the frenzied travel. She stuffed her stuff on a carriage and crammed herself in between some excited fourth-years. It wasn't every day that they could accompany their professors out into the field.
Upon arriving back in Forest Waypoint, she followed the crowd to their lodging. Aayla looked up at the tall, elegant building in the heart of the city. Many bellhops eagerly took their baggage. With the decrease in guests, they would take all of the tips that they could get.
Aayla dropped off her single suitcase in her room then set off to explore. The professors would greet the various officials. The students didn't need to go, but almost all of them did to schmooze and introduce themselves to the city's officials. One could never have too many friends in high places.
Her absence went unnoticed. Which was good for Aayla. She had other plans. The last time she was here, her investigation into the Terran creatures was cut short. Armed with more information, Aayla knew what to look for now.
In the depths of her heart, she still hoped that there was some way to get back home. A few rodents and birds later, Aayla realized that she wasn't learning anything new. Aside from the fact that even grown men could have a surprisingly high vocal range when startled.
The investigation continued without success. Aayla returned to the hotel that evening. The Nafriton delegation was happily chatting in the lounge when she arrived.
The welcome banquet was over. Several servants enthusiastically attended to the delegation and remaining officials. The manager beamed as he watched money flow into the hotel's pockets.
Her stomach faintly growled in protest. She had missed lunch today. Aayla checked her watch. Time for a late dinner. She hastily walked through the lobby. Two grinning staff members manned the front desk.
She ordered a simple meal for room service before heading back up to her room. Aayla made it back to her room mostly unnoticed. The rest of the evening was spent reviewing the day's notes. After comparing them to her previous ones, Aayla went over them again.
That was really strange. Several of the cases felt subtly different from the others. Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence but thrice is a pattern. Aayla couldn't put her finger on exactly what was so different though.