Chapter Three: Welcome 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Winding Circle, or any of its people and/or places/things/other, but wish they'd visit. Based on (and with permission! Stay back minions!) Camilla Sandman's OFUM. Here's hoping I can live up to her and the authors of all the other stories I worships' standards.

And I would also like to say that the black robe worn by Miss DL in this chapter has nothing to do with the fact that in the Tortallan books, a Black Robe mage is among the most powerful. Really. No, I'm serious, I just remembered about it a few moments ago.

I would like to apologize for the delay in updating. It is a long story, involving my computer dying, college applications, and a hamster. (I did say it was a long story.) Anyway, I am going to work on something to entertain you with when I have spent too long not updating, but that may take a while as well. And remember, my Real Life DOES come before this, sadly.

"What's going on?" Shawna whispered to her neighbor. "Hey, isn't this the room where they all meditated for the first time?"

"I don't know," the neighbor whispered back. "It's the Hub for sure, anyway. Have you seen Briar yet?" she asked, changing the subject. Shawna shook her head. "Damn. How 'bout Pasco? He's dead sexy y'know."

"Um, nooo, haven't seen him either." Shawna looked doubtfully at the girl next to her. "Isn't Pasco like, really young?"

"Not really. He's older than the four were when they started their magic training anyway. I'm UnDeadGoat by the way," said the girl, holding out her hand. "The UnDead bit's important, make sure you remember that," she added.

"Shawna." They shook. "So what's—" She stopped talking when she realized many people were shutting up. She looked front of the crowd to see a bunch of people coming in.

"Hey! That's Rosethorn!" A girl standing a little ways away said loudly. "Hi Rosethorn!"

"Quiet," said a young woman, stepping up to a podium while the others she came in with sat on chairs placed behind it. She was dressed in what resembled a mages' robes, except that instead of being a color of one of the temples, it was black. What looked like a frying pan rested in a sheath on her back, and she held a bunch of papers in her hands. "I said quiet!" she said again when some didn't pay attention in their excitement at seeing their favorite characters. Well, some of their favorite characters. It didn't look to be enough room on the dais for all of them. Some girls were complaining at the lack of Briar, but quieted down quickly after seeing the look the black-robed woman gave them.

"Thank you. I am Miss DL, the course coordinator at WCTF," she said calmly. "No doubt you are wondering what you are doing here, if you were a complete idiot and did not actually read the letter the Ch—the glass dragons were sent with. You are here to learn what is Good and Right, and to learn what is Not Good, and Not Right." She paused to let the words sink in. "You will be here for the time of about a year or so. More, if you haven't learned enough. Any questions so far—" several hands went up. "—that are unrelated to the canon characters?" Several hands went down. "Yes, you."

"Where are we going to be staying?" asked an angsty-looking girl. Miss DL checked her clipboard.

"Ahh, Doranwen, correct?" she asked. The girl nodded. "You will be staying in the temple's dormitories. Which one you stay in will depend on what kind of fanwriter you are."

"So, like, are we going to be staying with them?" asked another girl pointing to the Canon Characters.

"No." said Miss DL shortly. There were sounds of disappointment from the students.

"Are any of us staying at Discipline?" yet another hopeful girl asked. Something quite frightening

happened just then. Miss DL smiled.

"No. But if you wish to go there, then you may," she said, and there were murmurs of amusement from those behind her. "But I would advise against it," she said in an undertone. She continued in a louder voice, saying "There are housing lists posted outside this building. Look for your name, find your guide, and they'll take you to your dormitory.

"Now for some basic rules," she said over the sounds of groans brought on by this statement. "First of all, unless they are teaching a class or you have a question regarding class material, you are to leave the Canon Characters alone. Do not attempt to tackle and/or glomp any of them, or the glass dragons will attack you. Do not annoy any of the Canon Characters by badgering them with personal questions, or the dragons will attack you. Do not attempt to bribe the dragons to get to the Canon Characters. You will be attacked. No random wandering around late at night, or the glass dragons will attack you.

"And that is about it," Miss DL said with a smile that made some students shiver. "If there are any questions, please hesitate to ask. Write it down and put it in the 'Questions' box by your dormitory, and we may get around to reading them. Welcome to WCTF all, and try not to get too hurt on your own."

Watching the students leave the Hub, Miss DL felt a hand on her arm.

"Why didn't you advise them not to go to Discipline a little louder?" asked Niko quietly.

"Because I did warn them," she replied. "If they didn't hear me, then they'll simply learn not to go there."

"That should be a painful lesson," Kirel commented. Miss DL smiled broadly.

"The best sort my friend," she told the blacksmith-in-training.

Shawna stood on tiptoes to look at the list. Aaaaaaaaaand...there was her name!

"Fire Temple?" she murmured. She shrugged. She'd been hoping for Earth Temple, but Fire wasn't bad. Who was the guide? Dedicate Skyfire? Who was that again?

"Oooh, Skyfire?" Another student had leaned over to see what caused Shawna's frown. "Heh, good luck." Before Shawna could ask what she meant, she heard someone bellow her name.

"WOULD SHAWNA JOHANSON PLEASE JOIN THE REST OF THE GROUP!" She winced, and trotted to the source of the noise. A tough looking wiry man with short red hair and beard Looked at her with dark blue eyes. "Nice of you to join us," Dedicate Skyfire said dryly. "If you all would please follow me." It was a command, not a question. The students trailed behind him in three neat rows; Shawna suddenly remembered Skyfire had been a general before taking his vows to the temple.

"I hope he isn't one of the main teachers," a girl next to her muttered, obviously having had the same thought.

So Skyfire walked, and they followed him. And they walked.

And walked.

And walked.

And walked.

"Are we theeere yeeeet?" Shawna was tired enough to lose all rational thought and began to whine. Skyfire stopped and turned, fixing the hapless girl with his piercing stare.

"Yes," he barked. "But thanks to your whining, you just earned your dorm-mates another lap."

"What do you mean?" someone asked, breathing hard. That had not been a happy walk. Skyfire, in reply to her question, jerked his thumb over his shoulder. There were the Fire Temple dormitories—

—just a stone-throw away from the Hub.

"You mean that we've been walking all over Winding Circle for nothing?" an outraged student exploded. "You've been taking us around in circles?"

"Yes, and thanks to your classmate's whining, you just earned another trip," Skyfire repeated, a wolfish grin on his face. All the students with him turned and glared at Shawna. She whimpered and hunched her shoulders as a tiny protection against their stares.

Later, when they were finally allowed inside the dormitory and while they were collapsing on their beds, Skyfire stuck his head in the door and added, "And I'll have a fifty page report on my desk tomorrow morning about what you learned today." There were immediate protests, including; "but we didn't have any lessons!", "but it's orientation week!", and the ever popular "fifty pages by tomorrow?!" Skyfire just grinned and pointed towards the pile of papers and writing utensils in the corner of the room before exiting.

The girls looked at one another in disbelief.

"I don't hear papers rustling!" came the Dedicate's bellow. One by one, they got up and selected sheets of paper, ink, and brushes, and returned to one of the desks that stood by each bed.

Shawna sighed as she dipped her brush into the ink and tried desperately to think of something she learned that day.

"Think they'd let us have coffee?" she asked her neighbor, massaging her leg with one hand. The girl thought a moment, then shook her head.

"Nah, prob'ly not."

Doom.

Notes: I re-did the enrollment form, but if you already sent in your form, you don't need to re-send it. Those of you expecting to see yourself in here—patience my friends, patience. And I am sorry it took me so long to get this up—homework and other things are piling up, and, sadly, my real life comes before this one (well, not if I had anything to say about it, but oh well), so do not expect amazingly regular and rapid updates. I'll try to get the chapters longer to tide all of you over (what, all seven, eight people who read this? Heh), but it's anyone's guess really.