The Fated Entrance Exams

[*Bloodlines]

Elena'd been a lone wolf for quite a while now and her current investments were getting her next to nowhere. She had more to worry about now than just herself, especially with the repairs on her ship taking as long as they were and costing twice as much. She had considered several of the factions for a while, but none of them quite stuck with her in a meaningful way.

After talking to Aidan for a short while, Elena decided to bite back her reservations and send in her application to the Rowan Academy and, at the end of it, take the exams. They told her it would take a few weeks as the waiting list to join was long, so Elena took the time to explore the campus. After a few hours, she headed out of the campus for something to eat when the same person that processed her paperwork intercepted her.

"How would you like to take the exams tomorrow?" the woman asked.

That surprised Elena. "Tomorrow?" she said. "You told me a few weeks."

"Yes, I know," she said, offering no explanation. "Will tomorrow work for you or not?"

Less than a day later, Elena sat at one of the many desks that filled the academy's testing room. The test controllers gave her the written test, a piece of scratch paper, and a pen with an ink well. When the timer started, everyone flipped to the first page and began the exam.

The test was extensive and lasted several hours, including a number of topics from history to arithmetic reasoning. Elena was glad she'd been a quartermaster for a time, keeping her general skills with mathematics fair. The history part was easy.

Once the exams were done and graded, she was passed her grade by one of the snobby looking test controllers who turned her nose up at Elena. Average in Mathematics, Above Average in Arithmetic, Gifted in History, Average in Reading Comprehension - she wasn't surprised there - and the list went on. The good news? She passed with a pretty good score.

Next was the fighting portion, something Elena was looking forward to after hours of being pent up inside the testing room.

The physical portion went better, for the most part. Physically, Elena was quite the athletic, demonstrating an impressive strength for her size and dexterity as well as gymnastics. When it got to the fighting portion, well, her opponent should have worn a cod piece. The cadre overviewing the fight were a mixture of amused and annoyed at the dirty tactic.

Over all, both tests went well. She thought it was over when suddenly she was told there was a final test.

((Your move, Serena! :D))

[*Serena]

It was too bad no one really seemed either willing to elaborate on what this "other test" was, or when it should take place. In fact, nothing was scheduled, and in the end Elena was left with the usual "we'll let you know if and when your application is accepted".

Although he had said otherwise to Elena, Aidan didn't show up at the first test day, neither he did at the second, giving the impression he probably forgot about it, but as the woman left the Arena with the others, she would find the Factor loitering in the common room, a newspaper he was clearly not very interested into opened in front of him.
As the recruits walked by, he raised his head and looked for the woman, offering her a greeting with a lazy gesture of his hand.

"So I heard the tests went decently." He offered with an amused smile "I hope the date wasn't too sudden, but at least you didn't get to grow bored while waiting"

[*Bloodlines]

Elena halted midstride when she spotted Rhistel and made her way over to him when he waved.

"Eh, it was a surprise," she said. "But think I handled it well enough. Probably woulda scored better with a bit more study time, but passed."

Elena nodded back down the hallway she came from. "There was a mentioning of a last test," she said. "But nothing was scheduled for it. Told me I should wait for the results."

[*Serena]

"Confidence is a fairly good first step, as long as it's not misplaced," he replies in his usual mater-of-fact tone as he stood up from the bench, then at the mention of the other test he just raises an eyebrow.
"They might have thought you still didn't take the Academic ones, the tests do get their order switched, at times," he explains with a clear lack of interest in the subject.

"I am afraid now comes the waiting part, you will probably receive news on whether you have been accepted or not at the address you provided... in the meantime, I guess you can start with getting a general idea on how things work around here... care for a tour?" He asks, looking at the woman and whoever felt like stopping as well on their way out among the other recruits.

[*Bloodlines]

"No stranger to waiting," she said. "Lead the way."

Elena would follow Rhistel through the corridors and common areas of the campus, taking in the place.

[*Serena]

"...and this is where we deal with those in need to, for any reason, receive money," he stated relentlessly as they walked by the Credit Department offices.
He had been talking nonstop since they left the Academy, explaining everything they came by, and giving the impression he was doing his very best to have it sound EXTREMELY boring.
"Useless to say, Credit is rather quiet compared to the Debt Department, most Namers would find it akin to a free day, when they have duties here... And yes, every Namer, at some point, will have to do office services, better get used to it..." He added offering a gesture of greeting to someone as they walked by.

[*Bloodlines]

Elena did her best not to look bored, and she was failing. She'd never seen bureaucracy at work and wondered if they hadn't wandered into the halls of the Fraternity instead. All the paper pushing and lifeless berks sitting at desks issuing out permits and licenses made a shiver crawl down her spine. This wasn't her. She didn't belong here. Maybe the exit was nearby?

"Right," she said. "You'd think the Guvners would handle a lot o' this. Isn't it a bit, well, redundant?"

[*Serena]

Exit nearby? Hard to tell, all those corridors looked exactly the same!
Nonetheless, Elena's reactions seemed to amuse the other more and more as they continued, until he finally couldn't really hold back and started chuckling a bit (granting himself some weird glances from a couple of Namers nearby, who probably had never believed the Factor was able to laugh)

"Relax, Miss Blazhe, I'm just messing with you," he states turning around and stuffing his hands in his trouser's pockets with a relaxed gesture. "You ain't going to run away just because of few document's are you?"
"Still, to answer your question... yes it is redundant. It's bureaucracy, sometimes "redundant" is just another meaning of that word.
But you just beat someone's ass just to pass your test to get in here, so you probably have already figured out it is not all about bureaucracy without me telling you..."

[*Trigonometry]

Archiving was something that Karsperus took part in too often. If he wasn't information gathering, or doing mercenary work, then this was where he'd be. However, it wasn't something he found droll or lifeless despite it's repetitive and bureaucratic nature. Karsperus was an Arcanist after all, writing reports and organizing data was par for the course. He did the same for his own research albeit at a much smaller scale.

It was then that he heard the familiar voice of Factor Aidan with someone he didn't recognize. Karsperus didn't know every Namer or Factotum in the faction but he was active enough to run into familiar faces more than once. He didn't know this person at all. As he eavesdropped, he started to understand. This was a possible new recruit and the Factor was showing her around the facilities.

That was when he approached, answering a question he heard in passing. "We don't have free access to the Fraternity of Order's archives, not to mention the nature of what we archive is entirely different. We have copies of every instance of money changing hands in this city. We know who owes what to whom, and we can use that to seize assets. That is how we came to own the Hall of Records. This ability our Faction has comes at the need for bureaucracy." He directed his statements to Elena, as he then turned to Rhistel and offered a slight bow. "Fair Cycle Factor. I couldn't resist meeting the new blood."

Karsperus' demeanor and choice of clothing portrayed clearly a member of high nobility. His speech and demeanor simply seethed with that blue blood superiority. Yet it was not all that he was, for those who achieved things only by birthright would be the exact opposite of what one would find among the Fated. His hands were rough from manual labor, a strange blight covered half of his body originating from his left arm, and the more careful eye would notice all the telltale signs of an active planeswalker. Everything in his person had a purpose for being there, enchanted weapons, rings, amulets, even his clothes. And the arcane eye would notice many carefully weaved protective spells showing that this was a practiced arcanist, which slightly contrasted with the choice of martial weaponry he kept with him at all times. He rested his hands over the pommel of his longsword as he greeted the two.

[*Serena]

The half-elf turned at the approaching man, offering him a smile and a small bow as well in greeting, seeming genuinely happy to meet him.

"Factotum Blake. I was just scaring away some new potential recruit," he offered with a hint of amusement, turning then to the woman at his side.
"Miss Blazhe, this is Factotum Karsperus Blake. Factotum, Miss Elena Blazhe. She just completed her... last test, and now will be waiting to know the results. I was showing her around a bit, starting with the boring stuff..."