Persephone left Inna in her room, having acquired a favor from Inna, The Eldritch Immortal. Inwardly, Inna was slightly worried about what kind of insane act Persephone would subject her to. Alas, such is the price of information.
Despite Inna signing up for various classes, the only one she truly cared about was "History of the Academies." She knew that the other classes she was going to "participate" in were likely dead ends. The academies were a staple part of this world, and Inna was fairly sure she would glean at least a minuscule amount of information from the class.
.....
Later that evening, Inna was resting in the common room when Ember exited the bathroom and hurriedly shrank away to her room wearing nothing but a towel. Inna inwardly chuckled and ultimately decided to speak.
"Ember, you know that you can just get dressed in the bathroom. You don't have to run around the house in nothing but a towel."
It wasn't until Ember (now dressed in a light pink nightgown) exited her room that she responded. "Then why didn't you?"
"Because I sleep in my undergarments, and I wasn't sure you wanted to see that," Inna replied as she casually ate a potato chip from the bag she was holding.
Ember's face instantly got a shade brighter. "I..uh." She was embarrassed.
"Unless you want me to walk around the dorm in nothing but my black underwear?" Inna joked casually. She enjoyed Ember's reactions.
Ember's face grew even redder as various images began popping up in her mind. Hastily, and quite loudly, she said. "That's fine!!" Mere moments afterward, she placed her hands over her mouth as if she was trying to hide what she had said.
Inna laughed for a while before she said. "That's fine then. I'll do just that."
Following that exchange, Inna went directly to her room, leaving Ember stunned and red-faced in the common room.
.....
Inna was sitting in the cafeteria alone. She seemed to be at peace. Inna was enjoying her breakfast. She hadn't seen Ember since last night's comical interaction, and she wondered if she had pushed Ember too far.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Ember sat down in front of her. She seemed to harbor some lingering embarrassment from their conversation last night. She wasn't able to meet Inna's eyes.
Inna inwardly chuckled a bit. 'Humans are so finicky. Ember is very easy to read, and it makes being around her a much-needed change of pace.'
Ember noticed Inna's outward smile and brightened up a bit. Her life up until now had largely been preparing to enter an Academy. Most of her family had chosen to enter the "Red Lily" Academy. However, she wanted to experience something new, something different. Ember knew exactly what to expect from "Red Lily." So she chose to attend "White Rose" and was fairly certain that she had made the best choice. She was grateful that her family hadn't ostracised or ridiculed her for it. Her mother and father had told her, "They were happy so long as she was happy."
Inna noticed Ember reminiscing. "Are you alright? You seem to be somewhat spacy."
Ember snapped out of her stupor and nodded. "Yes, I was just thinking about everything that led me to where I'm at."
Inna nodded. "I see, well, all good things, I hope."
Ember smiled and nodded. Her mood had improved greatly, and she was past her previous embarrassment.
.....
Inna sat in the back of a new classroom. Her feet were propped up on her desk. She was wearing a black tank top emblazoned with a band sigil, short dark jeans, and black combat boots. Of course, she had on her dark sunglasses as well. In her lap rested a notepad that was being scrawled on with moving black ink. She was taking notes.
In the front of the room, a young woman with blonde hair was going over the basics of the various Academies. According to her, there were four in total. White Rose, Black Thorn, Red Lily, and Blue Lilac.
Each Academy functioned the same way. They existed to help people control their soul powers and potentially offer them an education in whichever profession they chose.
Aside from that, there wasn't much discussed that interested Inna. She had been taking notes. However, the instructor hadn't witnessed Inna use her pen once and thus called her out. To which Inna replied "I am taking notes. Why would I physically use my hands to write when I can just use my soul to do it for me without any physical effort."
This made the teacher leave her alone pretty quickly and was vastly seen as the most exciting thing to happen in the classroom of merely twelve people.
.....
Inna exited the shower wearing nothing but a sports bra and boy shorts both of which were all black with purple accents. Inna heard some soft chatter and excitement from the common area and moved to see what it was. Ember was resting on the couch with a small green amulet lying on the table.
The amulet projected a picture of what could only be described as Ember's Mother and Father continually asking her: "Is that your roommate? Can we meet them? When can we meet them?" Ember seemed embarrassed by this.
Inna cloaked her body in shadows from the neck down and began walking toward Ember. She didn't even notice Inna until she was standing behind the couch waving at her family. Of course, they couldn't see anything but her head.
Her mom was the first one to speak. "Oh my, Ember your roommate is pretty. What's your name?" Ember blushed at this. A reaction that her mother did not miss.
Inna replied. "I am Inna. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Ignis."
Ember's father smiled. "This is my wife, Fia and I am Draco. There's no need for honorifics. Any friend of our daughter is a friend to us."
Inna smiled at that. "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Draco, and you as well, Fia." Inna took her leave after that, leaving Ember and her family to chat. She did not wish to interrupt them any more than necessary.
.....
Ember sat on the couch after Inna had left. Her mother was the first to speak with a sly smile. "You've got a crush on her, don't you Ember?"
Ember's face turned bright red and she looked away. "Mom!" was all she said.
Her mother chuckled in response and said with a wink. "Fine, fine. I won't tease you over it. She is very pretty, and I'd make a move on her if I were you."
After a bit of a long pause, her father spoke. "In any case, your mother and I will be visiting next weekend. We look forward to meeting your friends. Take care, Ember, and remember to study!"
With that, her family's projection disappeared, leaving Ember to think to herself.