@ Faculty OfficeMordecai looked up from the complicated formulae he had been examining.
:
"Oh, good day Professor. I'm doing very well, really." Mordecai was never really sure what to make of the history professor. Most teachers rarely spoke to students outside of class unless it involved academic matters or special assignments. From what he'd heard, Ververs was one of the exceptions.
"What can I do for you?"One afternoon...Dear Mother,
I apologize for the long delay between this letter and the last. Postage out home is quite expensive and even with my earnings I cannot afford to write as often as I would like.
Things are going well at Solrise, much to my relief (and yours as well, I'm sure). I have entered my third and final year of required study, and seem to finally be earning my place here. The students and faculty are polite, even friendly, both in class and out. As I mentioned before, I have made no secret of my nature, and so therefore I have to assume that they have begun to accept me as I am.
I believe that I have begun making some friends. It is hard sometimes, to leave my books and go socialize, but I know that you would not be happy if I went off to a strange land and locked myself away the entire time. One person in particular has declared me her "rival". She is a mage like myself, and almost certainly my equal in the magical arts, but she is far, far more rambunctious than pretty much any other person at the Academy. If you ever manage to make a trip out here, I believe you will get on with her like a house on fire.
Studies are going well. We have begun simulated combat training on top of our more academic subjects, mock-battling other classes (I am in class 3-F) as well as strange fake Fiends. It is really quite astonishing to see the wonders the faculty here can put together! So far we have done consistently well and my grades have been more than satisfactory. I am positive that the Elders will be pleased to learn that our efforts have not been in vain.
Please give my regards to the rest of the clan. If you are able to send a return letter I would love to hear news of the village, as I find myself missing it some days. If not, I will of course understand given the scarcity of courier services in our territory. With luck I will be able to return and see you in person within a couple of years.
Love,
Mordecai
The vampire looked over his letter and nodded to himself. No mention of the most recent battle, naturally; his mother would not be at all happy to hear that students were ordered into combat against real live Fiends, especially when the situation had gone so far sideways. Hopefully his village was remote enough that she wouldn't hear rumors of the event.
Well, if she did he would deal with the consequences later. Much later, most likely; in his years at Solrise he had received a grand total of three letters from home, and judging by the dates on each one they had taken weeks to arrive. Unless Mother herself managed to show up here in Barminster, chances were good that any stories she might eventually hear of the battle would be so vague that there would be no mention of certain vampires taking part at all.
Sealing the letter inside an envelope, Mordecai stood from his desk and left the small closet that was his dorm room, making for the front gates. He'd swing by the post office on his way to his weekly visit to the butcher, then return before curfew. Hopefully he'd find someone to walk with along the way; he always felt safer leaving the grounds in a group.