FFXIV Write: 10 – Channel
noun
http://www.dictionary.com
the specific, prescribed, or official course or means of communication
“Huntress Aultena Sephimiri.” The majordomo announced, stepping aside as he admitted the cerulean miqo’te. Her amber eyes latched on to the only other occupant of the room, the Dean of Magics in the Studium. The elezen rose to his feet, stepping from around his gargantuan desk to greet his visitor.
“Ah, Miss Sephimiri, we’re honored to host our student patrons whenever we have the time. Shall I show you where your donations have been allocated? We have some excellent programs in mind for our second-years–“
She stalked across the room on near-silent feet, tail lashing in a fury as her ears pinned back against her night-blue hair. “What you can do is tell me why you’re allowing the foreign students to be harassed and debased without doing a damn thing about it?” Her voice was calm, even, but that made it all the more frightening with the intensity of her golden eyes. “I have it on most excellent authority that one of your students, Ilmaux, has been going around bad-mouthing the visiting students. Is this really what you allow in the spirit of cooperation that Mistress Leveilleur has tried to instill in the populace?”
“Uh…” The man was so poleaxed by the accusations and the implications that he was absolutely caught off-guard.
Aultena continued to pace the room like a caged panther, her eyes taking in the opulence in which the man lived. “I want him put on academic probation and a full inquiry made into these accusations.” The huntress demanded. “Or else I’m going to go through every available channel I can find until I take this matter before the Forum itself if I have to.”
“Come now, Miss!” The man blustered. “There’s no reason to carry things that far. We’ll get to the bottom of this! Of course we don’t want our newest students to feel unwelcome or unsafe here, that goes against all the principles of studying at the Studium. I will see to it that Ilmaux is placed under house arrest in his dormitory pending the investigation so he’s unable to threaten or cajole the other students into silence.” Moving to a nearby pull rope, a tug of it caused a servant to appear in the door. The man looked at him with a serious mien. “Send two of the campus prefects to collect Master Ilmaux from whatever class he’s in, I think it’s Master Provin’s Divination at this bell. Have him taken to quarters and held there until you receive word from me.”
“Of course, Dean.” The servant replied, scurrying off to carry out the man’s orders.
“Is that enough to satisfy, Miss Sephimiri?” The man said, straightening his jacket collar. The miqo’te huntress continued to stalk the room, which was particularly unnerving. He couldn’t decide if she was planning to murder him or if she was just walking off her angry energy. Either way, he was quite certain he didn’t want to find out. He wanted to get her out of the room as soon as possible and keep himself, his skin, and all his limbs intact.
“It isn’t, not by a long-shot. I will be reporting this incident and your lapse in dealing with it to Miss Leveilleur. I’m sure she’ll be very interested to know how badly you’re caring for her students-from-abroad. Perhaps they’ll need to rethink some of the faculty if you’re all going to allow this kind of thing to run rampant right under your noses.” Aultena had no patience for ignorance, but especially willful ignorance. And to turn a blind eye to young, impressionable souls getting bullied and mistreated when they’re just here to try and learn and better themselves? That was twice irksome.
Granted, she had to hear about it all second-hand from Katja. T’Shira seemed to think the issue beneath her notice, or somehow unimportant enough to bother Aultena with. It made the blue miqo’te sigh; there had to be something she could do to build trust between her and her sponsored student.
“There really is no need to get Miss Leveilleur involved, I’m sure we can come to some manner of amiable solution for everyone.” The Dean said, pleading with the Tailfeather miqo’te.
Aultena turned, heading for the door. “Fair enough, I won’t tell her. Yet. But I want to see and hear about results, Dean, or you’ll get to see me when I’m angry. And I promise you, you do NOT want to see me when I’m angry.” Exiting the door, she was gone as quietly as she came, but the palpable sense of danger also left with her.
The Dean slumped into his chair, wiping the perspiration from his brow, feeling for all the world like he’d just escaped being trapped in this cage with a hungry lioness.