The Star Of Thuania exited jump on the edge of the Zeria system, two week's travel and thus two weeks of communication lag from Rivka's home planet. The starliner was one of the fastest ships in space and outpace only by the dedicated couriers used for the most vital communications of the rich and the military, Rivka would have no letters from home awaiting her with the journey here having kept pace with civil mail.

The queasy sensation in the back of her mind cut off abruptly as the vessel returned to normal space but that did not mean she relaxed. The last few days had been spent on a reduced schedule of training as her face healed but she was still wearing a dressing pad across her left cheek and despite treatment was constantly accompanied by a dull, aching throb from the injury.

This rapid recovery was through a combination of her apparently inhuman durability and magically assisted expert medical care with no expense having been spared on ensuring she was healed from what would have been a fatal injury to an unprotected human. Whilst she had grown up relatively privileged this mostly meant that Rivka had a very real sense of just how much had been casually spent on her medical care even when it came to the most minor scrape or bruise.

More importantly though was the dozens of people she had killed and injured in defending herself. The kidnappers she could accept but the passengers unfortunate enough to be poor enough to be in neighbouring cabins and thus caught in the literal crossfire? Even if she had done what she could Rivka felt a smouldering level of frustrated anger and guilt. She had to do better, she would do better, maybe at some point in the future she could even try to make it back to those she had wronged. For now though it was time to make her first appearance as the draconic ward of House Sepra and be introduced to this academy she would be attending for the next few years.

This did remove any choice when it came to attire and her lack of suitably ludicrous costumes compared to those of the nobility she had interacted with. Rivka now found herself in a superbly tailored double breasted military jacket of lustrous powder blue fabric blessed with impossible and distracting softness. The buttons were gold of course and intricately decorated with the burning land heraldry of her 'adoptive' family, then more gold trim at hems, shoulder, heavy embroidery upon the high collar.

Combined with the matching knee length skirt, white and gold damask stockings and high boots she was fairly sure that her outfit cost more than even a skilled professional would earn in a good year. Then there were the accessories, at her side she now carried a high grade mana focus in the form of a sword that she had absolutely no idea how to use, an intricately etched blade, a grip wrapped in wyvern hide and decorated with gems harvested from some rare and lethal stellar anomaly. It was near completely useless to her yet worth more on par with the value of an entire prosperous town. But it was part of the uniform.

And so Rivka felt utterly self concious as she disembarked from the private shuttle hired to deliver her to the academy grounds, travelling separately from the handful of young nobles she had met aboard the liner who were also heading to return or attend. She stepped out to find that the shuttle landing platform was a secluded grove surrounded by flowering trees, blast vent grates hidden amidst coloured brickwork and blandly attractive young white uniformed servants already unloading her luggage. Much more luggage than she had ever packed. They paused to bow but made no move to speak to her as they returned to her work then her HUD contact lenses flicked into life as they connected to the local grid.

She found herself being directed to a shaded pathway that apparently headed to 'incoming student acclimation' but she took a moment to collect herself first. Apparently she did not have to worry about her belongings but she paused to smooth her skirt, tug at the sword belt and inconvenient weight at her side, test her low heeled boots in the unfamiliar gravity. Apparently Zeria was a little lighter than her homeworld and there was an odd if quite pleasant scent to the air. She brought up a hand to press at the dressing still in place across her cheek, that would draw notice. Deep breath, golden eyes closed, right. She had to make her best first impression and, having composed herself, she strode down the indicated path.

Rivka was aware a minute or two later of her shuttle rising into the air as others decended and ascended, obviously a good number of landing pads hidden amidst the carefully sculpted forest she now walked through. Paths also merged and she gave a polite nod to the tall young man she encountered on the way, he in turn assessed her carefully before doing a double take at her golden and reptilian eyes. By contrast he was dark skinned, blue eyed and white haired, obviously the result of cosmetic gene tailoring even if that was not made evident by his sculpted features or being effortlessly poised and athletic at six foot five. She definitely found herself looking as well before jumping a little as she was addressed.

“Lady dragon, I did not know that we had any of your heritage attending in our year. Might I beg you for an introduction? I am Lord Alec Lyman Rosas.” He sounded warily respectful and despite towering over her, nervous. Rivka considered. Of course they were both in uniform and even if her sword was awkwardly slapping against her leg instead of carried with effortless ease as seemed to be the norm for nobles, he had no reason to suspect her to be anything other than some terrifyingly gifted scion of whatever noble house had just spawned a dragon and thus leap upward in their hierarchy.

She cleared her throat. “It is nice you meet you Lord Rosas. I am Rivka Karri Nagel, draconic ward of House Sepra.” He straightened from his bow at this answer, a look of realisation, though he still regarded her rather warily. “A pleasure then Lady Nagel. Might I ask who you duelled on the way here though?” He indicated his own left cheek before turning to continue along the path, she also moved to continue walking along, shifting a hand to try to steady the unfamiliar weapon at her hip.

That was a sore spot, she set her jaw a moment and hesitated before answering. “It was a kidnapping attempt rather than a duel. Lord Rosas.” She did need to frame this carefully and much as her own anger was focused on her own failings? That was going to be a sign of weakness if she spoke about it. “None of my assailants survived but there was considerable damage to three decks of the Star Of Thuania.”

The young nobleman gave what looked like a genuine smile at that. “Of course. Foolish of whomever it was to attempt to assault one such as yourself Lady Nagel. Rest assured that non here are likely to risk your wrath though I am sure there will be no shortage of groups seeking your favour.”

This sent Rivka's mind reeling just a little given the way she had been treated by her supposed 'peers' aboard the starliner. Was this Alec very different to normal nobles or was it literally down to them having met her wearing what they presumably considered miserable rags instead of the same attire as themselves?

She was about to find out, turning a corner in the manicured forest to be confronted with a colonnaded building of marble veined with silver, an expanse of smooth grass in front where dozens of similarly uniformed boys and girls her own age mingled, more arriving as individuals or small groups from various paths emerging from the trees.