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The office of Wizard Claudia, Costamaret Distinguished Professor of Quantitative Enchantment, Dean of Students, Head of the Committee on Diversity and Interspecies Accessibility and Member of so many others, overlooked the courtyard of the University where Policant's statue once was, and where students gathered as she and her friends had. It made for a lovely view, but also a front-row seat at any protests. Her door was always open and the fortunately-not-cursed cloakrack beside it often covered, but for once she was getting some quiet time, so she could finally read her student’s final projects -- she was very much looking forward to “The Theory of Gizmos and the Limits of Magical Computation“ and she was not going to let it be bothered by that rapping sound on the window. Were the students throwing food, now?
She was writing a floating note "ask Olga re: soundproofing" when she realized -- the students had left already, it couldn’t be them -- and caught a glimpse of gold plumage out of the corner of her eye. She waved her left hand while continuing to mark up the paper with her red quill pen, and the spell dematerialized the window long enough for Elda to glide through and perch carefully on the arm of a wicker chair between the middle of two haphazard, slowly rotating, piles of levitating papers, flapping her wings gingerly.
Elda's beady eyes fixated on Claudia. The latter sat at her well-upholstered desk chair in wizard’s robes over a classic peplum, furrowing her eyebrows and making the occasional note in the margin. The ends of her hair slowly wriggled, threatening to unmake her messy bun. Finally, at the sound of a soft griffin-cough, Claudia looked up.
She smiled at her griffin friend. "Elda! How was the study abroad program? You look in wonderful shape!" Then she looked about the strewn papers and sighed. "I'm so sorry about the mess, I haven't had time to clean up in ages, but Ruskin helped me set up a magical index so I can get the papers I need, so don't worry about messing anything up."
Elda had already taken the hint, and glided across the room to wrap Claudia in a fluffy griffin hug. "It's -- fantastic -- to see you too! Oh, I have so much to tell... Blade sends his love. I think he misses you."
"Oh, he understands", Claudia replied, though a wistful look crossed her eyes. "That's just how our relationship is. We're heroes, both of us. He's so often questing, and I have so much to do here, but we find time for each other. But do tell me, how was the Western Continent?" She snapped her fingers, and a dozen papers from different parts of the room disengaged from their respective stacks, and converged to form a neat pile on her desk. "Ah, here is my file on it."
"No need to look up your files," Elda said. "I'll tell you everything! The other continent is splendid -- and just gorgeous to fly over. I'm glad Flury was able to come along and help smooth over the introductions. Though it's rather sad how he still thinks that one day I'll realize I'm in love with him...
"But anyway -- it's so different over there, and quite refreshing, really, being in a workshop where it’s all designed for people with claws and wings, even if the scale is a bit large for me. Bit of a shock for the humans and dwarf students: good thing we required levitation as a prerequisite. But Grrettl, the giant, you remember her? She was so happy to be in a place that was the right scale! And of course Amphictyon, Endymion's younger brother, had no problem -- dragons are not so different from griffins after all.
"It's funny, though... how the students reminded me of the Pilgrim parties, sometimes. Wide-eyed and ready to have an adventure laid out for them, without any of the tough or messy bits. But I think they really did grow through the experience. And I'm looking forward to having griffin exchange students next term!"
"And I'm looking forward to finding places to house another dozen griffin-sized students. I'm sorry", she added as Elda began to speak up, "We'll be delighted to have them, and they ought to be accommodated as well as any of our other students, but somehow the person who remembers to think of these things is always me.
"Policant's lovely, but he's all visions and grand ideas, and somebody has to see to the day-to-day work. And it was all much easier when Querida was around and could glare everyone into submission. At least I've got Wizard Melissa doing all the hard work for the Sexual Harassment commitee now, but there's so much else. I love the students here, but these days they're so coddled, as you say. I don't even know what they're complaining about, Lydda's griffin apprentice Luca has been working out fantastically, I love her marsh stew. And do you remember how bad the food was in our days? But did we complain -- no, we just solved it ourselves."
"I think we might have tried complaining, before it was obvious that it wasn't going to get anywhere," Elda interjected. "But, Claudia, you do seem overworked."
"It's all these final projects I've been going through. They're brilliant," she said to Elda, unrolling a holographic scroll. "See, Shirin has a plan to warp the space around the doors, for universal design, so all the griffin and giant and dragon students can make their way in easily. And this, unrolling another scroll, is what Rolfgr calls a Periodic Table of Elementals, though really it's more like a family tree, showing how the different types relate to each other."
"And this is Marjatta's magical checkbook that balances itself, though of course it has to be tested properly before we can use it for anything serious at the University, but in the long run it should make it easier for everybody. I really am appreciating all these calculating cantrips we have now, it means people don't need to rush to me to crunch their numbers -- which was something, for a while I was worried we were going to run out of gold from Policant's pedestal before anyone noticed -- but somehow I still get just as many questions."
"You always were the one that everyone asked for advice, even as a first-year," Elda replied. "But don't you think you need a break?"
"No, really, I can't!" Claudia's face lit up. "There's so much to do, and I swore when I was made Professor that I wasn't going to be be like Corkoran." She searched Elda's face for a reaction to that name, but there was none. "He's still on the faculty, you know, and can be surprisingly useful at hitting up the merchant families for research money. Or at least it keeps him out of the way.
"Anyway," Claudia continued, "remember that first assignment in college, when we put our souls into the work -- not literally -- and he gave us all C's and D's without reading a word?" Elda winced in reply, and Claudia continued, "When I was assisting my first class with him, I thought I caught a smirk of delight that it would be my turn to have to read the work of young upstarts who thought they were the next Wizard Derk. He thought I'd soon enough grow bitter like him, and go through the motions of teaching like it was an old memorized spell.
"But I haven't, and I won't! When my students are wrong, I think through why they though they way the did, and I tell them why they're wrong! And then they actually learn, and I'm so proud of them!"
Elda nodded sympathetically. "I'm proud of them, and I'm proud of you, Claudia. But I'm worried you'll become just the way my family did when we were running Pilgrim Parties."
"Blade did make that sound really awful. The University isn't nearly so bad."
"But I've seen what having far too much responsibility does to people, and it took us years to recover properly from that. And what if at some point you just snap and start killing people?" At Claudia's shocked expression, Elda clarified. "I mean, I don't actually think you would do that, I just wanted to get your attention."
"I'm honored by your faith in me."
"No, seriously, Claudia, the term's over, why don't you get out and take some fresh air?" As Claudia looked back at her student projects, Elda said, "Just give them all A-pluses, they won't complain. You know they deserve them. Olga and I have been making plans to explore the Northern Glaciers: we were thinking that, before we go out to other planets again, we should get to know our own better. Drop everything, take a year's leave, and come along with us! You can invite your favorite students to join as assistants."
"That's so tempting..." Claudia said, leaning back. "But you know I can't. The University would fall apart if I vanished." She paused. "I suppose you're going to tell me that it's not the University you're worried about."
"I was going to tell you that I think the University could take care of itself, if you give it a chance. I mean, obviously I'm worried sick about you -- who wouldn't be -- but if the students are as great as you say," Claudia nodded, "it'll all be fine. They can help Luca make spells to cook the types of food that they want. My exchange students have already been thinking about how to make the buildings more accessible for their griffin friends, and they can work with Shirin. Oh, and don't you have an actual Bursar here? Your students can teach her to use the calculating spells. And then they can... fix the next problem, which you haven't even thought about yet, so it’ll be their problem and not yours. And they’ll have Policant to guide them, and bail them out if anything goes really wrong."
"But--"
"If your students haven't volunteered, before, it's just that they've been intimidated by you." That was not the point that Claudia was going to bring up at all, but Elda continued. "I know what it's like being intimidating, I'm a griffin!"
"But I'm not in--" Claudia injected, but Elda cut her off. "Yes, I know you're always hitting yourself for not being as stony as Querida. Nevertheless. You're the Emperor’s sister, a legendary wizard who's brilliant with figures, went to the Red Planet as a first-year, and you're Professor Chair-this-and-that." Elda peered around to look at the nameplate. "So even the people who realize that you're nice and they can ask you for help, they’re not going to argue when you say you can fix everything."
Elda gazed curiously at Claudia, who chewed her lip, and replied. "And now you're going to tell me that, no, I can't. I'm only one person." This time Elda nodded, and Claudia continued. "I suppose it's my cursed Imperial pride. We're raised to think we're practically gods, and that everything will be fixed if we have the right person in charge.
"But I should know better," Claudia continued. "After all, what did we really learn from this education of ours? Not the magic, but that we can do so much more as a team. And it's time to let our students learn it, also. I wonder how I can set up the curriculum to best teach it?"
"If I didn't think you needed a break right now," Elda said carefully, "I would help you figure it out now. But I think it'll work better if you let the students figure it out for themselves while you think it over from a distance. And just think! Glaciers! Ice elementals! We can investigate the legends of snow spirits and frozen castles. I've invited Blade and Kit along too."
Elda smiled quietly as Claudia sat in concentrated thought, as if doing an involved mental calculation. Finally, Claudia spoke up. "I suppose that if I keep on going around on University business when I know I'd rather be there with you, it might set off my travel jinx again. And that really wouldn't do. So I suppose I'll have to come along."
Elda’s face became suffused with a beatific smile. “I knew you would! And it’ll be just like old times, only better! Let’s go!”
The picture window briefly dematerialized again, and the few students and faculty who remained on campus were treated to the sight of a woman in flowing robes soaring through the sky, levitating just inches above the back of a great golden griffin.