Things had been wild and crazy for Nina since the orientation presentation. Everyone wanted to look at the pocket watch that she had been given. The looks she got were mixed between awe and jealousy. Nina didn’t care though, they just couldn’t handle the fact that she had worked so hard for this and been rewarded. She wasn’t going to let their petty insecurities bother her. She had a responsibility even more so now to succeed and she wasn’t going to let anyone take that from her or stop her from getting there.
Her first class was Dr. Rothstein’s basics of medicinal alchemy class. She couldn’t wait. When she arrived there wasn’t anyone there yet and Rothstein had yet to arrive. Nina sighed and leaned back against the wall outside the door, her books clutched close to her chest. A few moments later she saw Adrienne coming down the hall and it looked like he was running.
“What the…?” she said as he raced past her. Shortly behind him she saw a group of about six girls chasing after him.
Nina just sighed. First day of classes and it would seem that he already had a fan club. She should have known better. When he’d realized it was Nina standing there, Adrienne quickly turned running through the girls back to her.
“Nina!” he said as nearly crashed into her. “You gotta save me… they’re nuts!”
Seeing Adrienne practically clinging to Nina the group of girls made a collectively annoyed face. Nina just stared them all down. “Leave him alone,” she said sounding rather displeased.
“Why should we?” one of the girls said copping an attitude. “Just because you’re little miss perfect around here doesn’t mean you can order people around.”
Nina handed her books to Adrienne and stepped up to the girl. Nina had a good four inches of height on her so when she stepped up she had to look down a little. “Where should I start? First of all it’s clear he’s not interested and second he already has a girlfriend anyway.”
The girl looked at her a bit confused. “Excuse me, he has a girlfriend? How would you know that?”
Adrienne smiled and walked up behind Nina and put his arm around her. He had caught her drift and was playing it up. He didn’t exactly realize she meant it.
Nina just grinned at the girl. “How do I know? Simple, I’m his girlfriend. Now, unless you want more trouble than you can handle I’d suggest you and the rest of your little fan club leave Adrienne alone.”
The group gasped in shock then looked angry. “It figures…”
Nina thought she would have a little more fun with this. “Oh are you jealous? I can’t help it if I have the complete package, brains, talent, good looks, and you don’t. Besides, what makes you think someone like Adrienne would go for ordinary girls like the group of you?” It really was a bit out of character for her to be this arrogant and condescending, that was more Amy’s specialty than hers. It was worth it though if it made the mini horde of mindless little girls leave Adrienne alone. Thankfully they could take a hint and walked off grumbling to themselves.
Nina let out a long breath. She had been so nervous standing up to them like that. Adrienne hugged her since he still had his arm around her. “Thanks Nina. I swear, I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here. That was a pretty impressive story making them think I was your boyfriend.”
Nina turned to look at him and took her books back and held them close to her chest. Her cheeks flushed a bright red. “Well, I didn’t exactly… I mean it wasn’t really a story was it?”
Adrienne looked at her innocently confused. “It wasn’t? You mean you meant it?” When he asked his own cheeks flushed red. It was actually rather adorable against his snow white hair. A few strands had fallen out of his braid when he’d been running and had settled over his eyes and cheeks.
“Well if you don’t want…” Nina started feeling a twinge of pain at the thought he might not have actually wanted that.
Adrienne put his hands up and shook his head rather energetically. “No! That’s not… I mean…” He sighed and smiled. “Is that what you want?” he asked his voice turning soft and happy.
Nina held her books a little tighter and looked away from him a bit embarrassed but smiling. “If you don’t mind…” she replied softly. “If you want to be… you know… I wouldn’t mind…” Nina’s heart raced in her chest. It was beating so hard that she thought it might actually explode.
“Are you kidding?” Adrienne asked sounding as excited as a little boy. “Of course that’s what I want! I just, well…” Adrienne blushed more as his voice started to sound a little embarrassed. “I just wasn’t sure that’s what you wanted too.”
They both laughed and were still laughing when Dr. Rothstein arrived. “Well don’t the two of you just look so eager to get started,” he said smiling at them.
“Hi Dad,” Adrienne said with a smile.
“Adrienne, we talked about this the other day. When we’re here you have to call me Dr. Rothstein like all of the other students,” he said scolding him a bit.
“Sorry… I mean, hello Dr. Rothstein.”
“Hello sir,” Nina chimed in as well.
Rothstein just chuckled. “Well it would seem that you are the first ones here. Come along, let’s not stand here milling about in the hallway,” he said as he unlocked the door and opened it. He then stepped out of the way allowing the two of them into the room before following behind them.
Inside the room were six tables, two chairs to a table, and a desk at the front facing the tables. Dr. Rothstein set his bag down on the desk and started taking out his things. Nina and Adrienne took seats at the front table to his left. A few minutes later more students filed into the room until finally, every seat was taken. Nina looked around and noticed that every person in the class seemed to be a lot older than she and Adrienne. She had expected at least a bit of that given what Dr. Rothstein had told her but she didn’t expect them to be that much older. They all looked like they could be at least twenty; some looked like they could be older than even that.
“Good morning everyone,” Dr. Rothstein said as the room settled down. “Welcome to Basics of Medicinal Alchemy. As I’m sure you all already know, I’m Dr. Gregory Rothstein and I will be your instructor for this course and its accompanying lab this semester. Since you are all here, you’ve proven that you have first rate academic track records so I’m expecting great things from each and every one of you. Now let’s get started.”
Rothstein turned to the board and started writing. Nina opened her notebook and took out her pen and started writing. Adrienne, being a bit embarrassed nudged her. “With the craziness I forgot to grab my stuff when those girls chased me out of the library earlier…” he whispered.
Nina just shook her head and chuckled to herself as she slid her extra notebook and a pen over to him. “You owe me,” she whispered back with a wink.
Adrienne smiled at her as he opened the book and started writing as well. “You have no idea how much…”
“Now who can tell me what the greatest taboo in any form of alchemy is?” Rothstein asked as he turned back to face the room. Every hand went up. This was probably the easiest question he’d ask them the entire semester.
He looked around the room and then decided on a young man in the back of the room. “Human Transmutation,” he answered.
“Very good, that’s exactly right.” When he spoke, the woman sitting at the table behind Nina and Adrienne put her hand up. Seeing it, Rothstein acknowledged her so she could ask her question.
“But if human transmutation is taboo and forbidden, how is medicinal alchemy allowed? Isn’t that human transmutation also?”
Rothstein chuckled. “That it is and that’s the million dollar question now isn’t it? There is a fine line between helping people and playing God. When the taboo speaks of human transmutation it focuses primarily on trying to create life from nothing or from death. We must never try to bring the dead back to life and we must never try to make people in another way using alchemy. In medicinal alchemy we simply use what is already available to fix what already exists nothing more, that is why it is not a taboo nor is it illegal to practice medicinal alchemy. That is actually an excellent question to lead us into our first lesson today…”
For the next hour Rothstein spoke of the origins of Amestrian medicinal alchemy. He even touched upon the alchehestry of Xing though he admitted to not knowing very much about it. Nina thought she might have to share with him what May and Alphonse had taught her about it someday.
When the class was over, Nina and Adrienne walked out of the room together. When they came out, Amy was there waiting for her. She couldn’t help but to smirk seeing the two of them together. “You know if Havoc saw you two he’d be heartbroken,” she said with a laugh.
Nina rolled her eyes. “Good, then maybe he’d get the hint and leave me alone. Why are you here anyway?” she asked.
Amy just shook her head and held up a letter. “This came first thing this morning from Dad. I figured I’d wait for you before I opened it considering what the Fuhrer did had to have reached him by now.”
Nina sighed. She had purposely not told her father right away just because she knew Mustang was probably right about how angry he’d most likely be. Though she really shouldn’t be surprised that he would have found out on his own considering it was probably all over the Eastern branch of the Academy already and someone was sure to have said something to him about it. “Alright, give me a few minutes and I’ll meet you back at your room.”
“It’s OK, you can go Nina,” Adrienne said. “After that little show you put on before class I don’t think I’ll have any more trouble…”
Nina just laughed. “I didn’t think you would. I just wanted to walk with you, that’s all, but if you’re sure you don’t want me to come with you…”
Adrienne shook his head. “No that’s not it at all; I mean…” he just sighed. “Aw hell…”
Nina put her hand on his shoulder and just smiled at him. “I was only messing with you, calm down. I’ll see you this afternoon OK?”
He noticeably relaxed and nodded. Then he realized he still had her notebook. “Oh before I forget,” he said trying to hand it back to her.
She gently pushed it back towards him and hugged him. “Keep it for now…” she said softly. “You can give it back later. I’ll see you later.”
Adrienne blushed and hugged her back. “If you say so, then I’ll see you later.” He walked off leaving Amy and Nina standing in the hall.
“Well aren’t the two of you just so cute,” Amy said poking fun at her sister.
“Whatever,” she said grabbing at the letter in Amy’s hand and taking it. Opening it she took the letter out. “Aw man…” Nina said with a sigh.
“What is it? What did he say?” Amy asked reaching for the letter. Nina handed it her so she could read it too. She couldn’t help but to laugh. “And here I thought he was going to be mad. Oh well, at least it looks like you’re off the hook for now.”
“Yeah…”
No comments:
Post a Comment