Codex Alera: Out of Milliways

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[ooc: Any unlinked entries are unfinished/unwritten/otherwise not ready for reading. A lot of these are mostly speculative; if you have any suggestions for others, or OOMs in the Aleran universe not in Tavi's journal you'd liked to be linked to on this list, ping the mun.

It may be noted that, for the most part, there aren't many OOMs planned for in canon books. For the most part, they've been done already by Jim Butcher, and very well. I don't particularly feel like threading six books worth of material--or even just the two, three, or four that come from events Tavi is present for.

Again: for questions, suggestions, or requests, please ping the mun (see profile).]

It started out in mathematics, of course. They had been working a problem, and a suggestion made by someone was utterly wrong. Tavi could see what to do, but he was several steps ahead. He had no idea what the actual answer was--but he could see how to find the rest of it at a glance.

Another hand went up, several desks away. A glance took in a boy just about his own size, sort of mousy. He started filling in the details--and when they got to the next step, Tavi supplied the method.

(Next to him, he suspected Max was paying little to no attention--but then, there was a particularly pretty classmate of theirs a few seats away. It hadn't taken more than a couple days to figure that out about the Antillan. It was amusingly exasperating to Max's far more studious roommate.)

The rest of that class was much the same way, really--Tavi seeing the method and generalization of the approach, the other boy (Ehren, he remembered noting) supplying the details and specific answers. It was a natural rhythm, in its way, and between them they didn't miss a beat. Tavi had flashed him a quick smile as the class ended, but both of their small sizes meant he lost track in the crowd leaving.

*

Once outside, Tavi stops and starts scanning the crowd. "Max, wait up a minute. There's someone I want to talk to--maybe he'll want to come to lunch."

In the few weeks since Second Calderon, everything's changed.

Uncle Bernard has been busy getting settled in as Count Calderon--somehow Tavi feels like he gets to see his uncle less. Amara's been coming to visit, which is nice; Tavi never thought he'd make friends with a Cursor of the Crown, but he has. A part of him hopes he can serve Alera with that much effectiveness one day, even though he doesn't think someone like him is likely to.

Some other part whispers he'll be a Cursor one day, and to be patient. Tavi hates being patient.

Aunt Isana's been trying to hide how worried she is about his moving away, although it only takes his enthusiasm for the classes he'll get to take to start putting a smile back on her face. And sometimes Tavi isn't sure if he should try to talk to Fade alone about what happened--Araris Valerian died fifteen years ago. Do you understand, Tavi?--and sometimes he knows with absolute certainty it isn't the right time.

Which is why Tavi's now out watching the sheep, instead of getting ready to go. He volunteered. So long as he's out here, things are almost like normal. He doesn't want to go back--there's too much to do, and see, and explore. He's getting all he ever wanted now, and doesn't even begin to imagine where it might lead.

He just needs a little quiet, and a little time. Sheep are good for that.

Tavi has been telling himself for days that he's not worried about the start of his term at the Academy. After all, it's what he's wanted for years.

(He's not worried at all about going in without any furies. He doesn't need them--he's gotten this far without them. And he knows, from being in the Bar, that not everyone has furies. That the Alerans came from the Romans and the Romans definitely didn't have furies, and they somehow learned and built the Realm. So crows if he couldn't do the same. And he would. That much he is dead certain of. )

But he's gotten used to being a page, and learned his way around a little bit. So classes on top of that can't be too bad, right?

(The whole roommate thing isn't intimidating at all, either. After all, he doesn't have to worry about what kind of impression he makes, right? Besides which, under Gaius' patronage or not, he was still just the furyless Calderon boy. So long as he stays normal and friendly, the rest of the impression really doesn't matter. It won't be anyone important anyway. It's not like he's a little nervous about dealing with whole new world like this all alone.)

So, after a day of running a few messages for the First Lord and learning his way around the city more, he's finally headed back to his room, still munching on some bread from the market and fully intending as he pushes the door open to simply flop on his bed and maybe get some reading done for classes ahead of time--if only for lack of anything to do.

"TAVI, YOU LITTLE CROW-BITING--!"

Uncle Bernard's voice rang out as the boy sprinted out of the kitchen and into the yard, biting his lip to hold back a fit of giggles.  That went off even better than expected, he congratulated himself as he dodged around Beritte and made for the pen where the sheep were kept.  Uncle Bernard would get over it, he knew--probably almost as soon as he dried off. Hopefully.

Maybe.

Well, it had been a boring day anyway.

He crouched down by the fence and peered around, mentally starting to curse as he saw Aunt Isana standing there. Damn it, she probably knows I'm here...

"I know you're there, Tavi," she called out right on cue.  "We will find you eventually. Just come out."

Tavi tried his best to clamp down on his giddiness and minor fear of punishment, knowing it would make it even easier for his aunt to find him if he didn't.  Okay, Tavi. You need a plan...

And then Fade was there, smiling witlessly at Tavi.  Instantly Tavi knew what he was doing.  Some part of him felt horribly bad about it--after all, it was Fade who had inadvertently helped him get the prank set up, and had distracted everyone enough he could pull it off.  But... well... there he was.  "Fade," he hissed.

Fade looked at him with that blank expression.  "Tavi, Bernard, wet."

"Yes, Fade. You know Aunt Isana works with water, so you should go find her and ask her to dry off Uncle Bernard," Tavi said quickly in a fit of inspiration.  For a moment, Fade's eyes seemed to glitter, and then he shambled off to intercept Aunt Isana as she bore down on them across the yard.

Now for stage two... Tavi glanced around the yard, looking for an escape route.  "Fade, what are you-- Fade, stop that. Where is Tavi? I know you've seen him..." Tavi breathed a sigh of relief, eyes still scanning. Don't want to go into the barn, too obvious, but Uncle Bernard's still at the house... But then he heard a door slam open, and he knew his time was up. Without a thought he bolted across to the barn door, yanking it open and throwing himself in before pulling it shut behind him, as he gave way to his fit of giggles.