Recovery took quite a long time, and by recovery I meant laying face down in my bed sleeping the day away while Kha’Miero draped an arm around me, holding me against her chest and cuddling with me as we both slept for quite a long time.

Unsurprisingly the Draconian was the first to wake up, getting out of bed and heading to take another bath just because, during which I just continued dozing before she stepped back into my room to tell me that it was time for dinner.

I just waved her off and half listened to her as she tried to convince me, and when that failed she told me she would bring some back before leaving me be in silence; I drifted off again after that, and by the time I was awake fully the sun had set and the moon was up.

This was definitely not the best way to spend a day since being completely nocturnal after being ’normal’ for so many weeks in this world alone was a hard change to get used to, but honestly there was more than enough to do and ways to tire myself out to get back onto that regular schedule.

The fact that I hadn’t been wearing that item that doubled the benefits of sleep meant that I was feeling roughly the same despite having spent well over eight hours sprawled out in this bed, and it meant that later I could equip it and ensure I was good for the upcoming day.

When I got up and began to get into some more comfortable and loose clothes, I was relieved - and honestly a little surprised - to find Hecate, Kha’Miero and Seraphina sitting and chatting quietly on the couches, picking at a loaf of bread while sipping wine.

"Did something fun happen while I was asleep? Are we celebrating something?"

My voice drew their attention immediately, and when Kha’Miero beckoned for me to join them I couldn’t help but raise a brow when I noticed that there was cheese on the platter too, taking this to a whole other level in terms of it just being a late night snack.

"In a sense, I suppose we are. Bo’Katari informed us at dinner that the various areas that we knew the Cultists were at... they were empty. At first we were all concerned since that would suggest they were moving, but the Sinner confirms that there has been a drastic decrease in the ’presence’ surrounding Mythia."

That immediately caused me to furrow my brow as I looked between the three of them, expecting someone to tell me that that was just a joke - and a poor one at that - and that they were eating bread and cheese while sipping wine because someone had gotten a super high grade on a test or something.

When no such explanation was forthcoming I just leaned back on the couch and nodded slowly, trying to wrap my head around the idea of this Cult just backing off of Mythia after being so hellbent with causing trouble for all of us.

"That..."

"It isn’t a reason for celebration, we were just... hungry. Not hungry enough to go get a real meal, but far more than just slightly peckish. It was Hecate’s idea too, and she said it’d be best if you had something heavier to eat whenever you woke up."

The purple haired Noblewoman nodded to me and pushed the platter closer, offering me the thick slice of fluffy bread and some pieces of pale yellow cheese that looked really good, especially when I saw Sera gently waving a flame above the cheese she placed on her bread, melting it and enjoying more of its flavor.

I took a piece of both and began to eat, my stomach informing me immediately that a single chunk of bread and some cheese wasn’t going to cut it, so soon enough I was on my fourth serving and washing it down with some sweet wine, enjoying this quite a bit.

"Because they announced that there are many that are pushing for everything to return to normal, but for now the Academy wants to continue to exercise some caution, as does the city. So for a few more days we’re going to be dealing with some lessened academic pressure..."

Nodding, I continued to eat before tilting my head as I asked "That just means the tests are going to be harder though, right?", which wasn’t answered immediately as the three of them looked at one another for a few moments, meaning that there was something else going on.

"Most likely, but they were also floating the idea of swapping the theoretical and controlled tests out for something more practical after what just happened. Not everything in the Academy is revolving around combat, yes, but one of the core principles that it wants to teach us is how to take care of ourselves."

Kha’Miero took the wine glass from Sera and added "And one of the things they were thinking about doing was offering students the opportunity to take on a more active, hands on role by signing up to possibly head out with some Professors to do all sorts of things."

I was surprised by that, and the idea was one that had merit but also was rather concerning since this was so drastically different... though at the same time it was right within the scope of what the Academy was meant to do for us, just not for us first years.

This was usually reserved for the third and fourth years, so hearing that it was being floated around as an idea for here and now was surprising, but after what had just happened it did make a lot of sense.

"So... I’m assuming you were weighing the pros and cons of signing up?"

Before the Draconian could speak Sera leaned back and said "Kha’Miero was trying to convince me that it would be worthwhile. I would rather wait and spend these first two years going over the theory some more, but I can’t say I’m not tempted to head out into the world using the Academy’s purse."