It was finally time to go back to the International School of Magic for a new semester. Colin took the Journal of Facts with him, hiding it in the bottom of his school bag. Not that he didn’t trust Aditi and Undine with the thing, but he knew how strict security check were at the entrance of the ISM. A student with an old looking book in their bookbag? It’s probably a spellbook he’s studying on his free time, nothing out of the ordinary from someone studying magic. The same old looking book in a student’s suitcase? That’s immediately more suspicious! ("You never know what kind of forbidden goods teenagers can get their hands on!" where often heard saying the oldest security guards to their younger co-workers.)
While both Aditi and Colin were going to the ISM as students, Undine was coming with them as Colin’s servant. Even though he had wanted the siren to stay with his parents and help them at home while he was at school with his younger slave, his parents had insisted he took Undine with him. (He heavily suspect it was to serve as a chaperone, make sure they don’t do something that would hinder their studies, like accidentally becoming teenage parents.) The ISM may be open to commoners (and free), it has a reputation so good no nobles would pass up the chance to go this prestigious school. As such, students having live-in servants in the dorms was far from unheard. (It’s just that, usually, they are the same gender as the student they serve, and said student still live in the dorm and not a house usually attributed to a teacher.)
Naturally, once back at their home, Aditi and Undine insisted to unpack by themselves, the two slaves refusing any assistance from their master. It left Colin bored to the point he seriously considered using the Journal of Facts, regardless of the dangers. The teenager felt guilty about living were a teacher’s would, and was seriously contemplating turning his home into a school sanctioned bookstore, a place owned by the ISM and maned by a small group of voluntary students, housed in living quarters situated above the store… He was, thankfully, stopped in his tracks by the bell ringing.
As he opened the door, he was greeted by another Râkshasa student. "Hello, I heard the residents of this house wanted to learn our language and culture. It’s rather rare for strangers to want to learn it, you don’t know how happy I was some does! Let me present myself: I’m Rabhya taaj Râkshasa, princess of the Râkshasan empire, and I’ll have the honor of being your tutor in the language and culture of my peoples." Princess Rabhya bowed slightly as she finished speaking. But it wasn’t the fact his request from the start of the first semester was only answered at the start of the second, or the fact a princess was the one to volunteer, but how much said princess looked like Aditi. Sure, Rabhya had longer hairs, put in an elaborated hairdo, and extruded an air of regality that even her excitement at someone wanting to learn about her culture couldn’t totally mask, Colin was no less certain this princess was Aditi’s tween sister.
That’s when said slave Râkshasa came to the door and asked "Who was that at the… door…" suddenly loosing all momentum, both in speech and her walk, as she saw another Râkshasa looking so much like herself.
Shock was as clear as day on Rabhya’s face too, but she was able to stay calm enough to ask the question that was burning in her mind. "Is your name Aditi, by chance?" After receiving a timid nod as answer, the princess ran to her long lost twin-sister crying, taking her in a bear-hug while an unending stream of Râkshasan words flew out of her mouth.