The main hall was vast with shiny, clean floors and walls. For all of the room, it was left barren. Open enough to give the impression of it being untouched. Nothing like the Obsidian Palace back home. Maizah wondered how often everything was scrubbed and polished— whether or not such a thing was even necessary. Maybe the Teio Omen was simply impeccably pristine by nature. 

Further down the hall sat the Oldenzier's throne, large and majestic, and three smaller, slightly less extravagant versions on a lower level. On the main throne, the Teio Omen symbol was more than likely carved into its making, but Maizah couldn't tell with Oldenzier Rivers sitting there as he was, all three Oldens taking their place beneath him, as well. 

Violetta Rivers, Zinnia Rivers, and another woman that looked remarkably like the both of them, but some considerable years older. Their mother, perhaps. 

Knelt in front of them was Jacinth, both hands folded neatly on her raised knee. She was positioned nearly perfectly in the center of the prodigious painted symbol in the center of the room. Her head was lowered respectfully. Even though Maizah couldn't be seen either way, she moved to hide behind one of the pillars, peeking around it. Better to be safe than sorry.

"How old are you?" Oldenzier Rivers was asking.

Maizah could see even from her distance the way Jacinth was ever so slightly trembling. She almost felt sorry for her. Another part of her was experiencing more... complicated feelings. Jacinth had never been so frightened by authority in Firelight City. She could only guess what made things so different in Ataraxia.

"Seventeen, Oldenzier Rivers," Jacinth said, and for all that she was clearly very nervous, she managed to keep her voice steady.

"And yet you have only arrived in Ataraxia to be among your people last night," Oldenzier Rivers said. His wording was pointed and harsh. Maizah couldn't tell if Jacinth noticed and, if she did, she couldn't tell if the words bothered her. She could only speak for herself and the way she felt her own heart clench. "Why the wait, Jacinth Sterling?"

Maizah tensed, awaiting an answer she was near certain she wouldn't like. She had to remind herself that none of this was about her, though. This was about and for Jacinth. No matter what, she would be happy for her. Proud of her because someone had to be.

"My family— my brother and sisters— are Furoan," Jacinth said. "Our family has never been well off. As second-born, I consider it a duty first and foremost to protect those closest to me. This was secondary, but that was before. Things are better, now, and I'm ready and willing to find my place here among the Teio Omen, Oldenzier Rivers."

Maizah's eyes had widened some in surprise. It was a pleasant answer. Touching. Perfect, really, and if she could have patted her on the back for it, she would have.

"I see," Oldenzier Rivers said. His face remained a clean slate much like the three Olden Rivers. Not even the blankness of his expression could rival that of Violetta’s, though. Maizah's eyes trailed to the woman, watching as she sat prim and tall but waved her fingers subtly out in front of her. She wondered why that was before Oldenzier Rivers spoke again and her attention returned to him. "That is respectable, Jacinth Sterling, though I hope you understand this will put you behind. The studies you should have begun as a child will start now."

Maizah's eyes widened. That would put Jacinth years behind, but that couldn't be. That wasn't the way it was supposed to be. What Jacinth had learned amongst Furoa would have covered many of the same things she would learn among Teio. She should be able to pick up where she'd left off.

Jacinth said the same, eyes finally shooting up to meet those of Oldenzier Rivers. "But I've done my studies in Firelight—"

"The studies in Firelight are not the same as the studies in Ataraxia. They will inevitably have been lacking."

Maizah flinched at the words. That wasn't true. She was certain that wasn't true—

"But I've—" Jacinth started to say but was interrupted.

"Calm yourself," Oldenzier River said. "That lack of self-restraint you begin to show will not be tolerated here. You may have been raised among the Furoa Omen, but you are not Furoan."

"Oldenzier—"

"Jacinth Sterling," he said, voice stern and almost harsh. Jacinth fell silent and seemed to nearly sink in on herself. "Calm. You will just have to work harder to catch up. Our mentors are more than capable of aiding you in the process."

As opposed to the mentors in Furoa, Maizah thought and tried to rid herself of the thought a second later. Tried to expunge the resentment growing foul and hot in her stomach. No matter how hard she tried, though, her efforts proved futile. 

She didn't know if she could listen to anything else. Didn't know if she even wanted to. How could she explain this to Kamaria? How could she talk about this with Jacinth when she wasn't even supposed to have heard any of it? 

She shouldn't have come. This would have to be an anger she'd need to process all on her own. It wouldn't be fair of her to push it off on anyone else— it had been her own choice to subject herself to it, anyway.

She turned and left quickly the way she'd come. Behind her, she heard Oldenzier Rivers say, "would you please leave Jacinth Sterling and I to speak alone?"

A glance behind her showed the Oldens standing and beginning to take their respective leaves. Her eyes lingered on Violetta for a moment, still wiggling her fingers in that odd manner. For a second, it looked as if Violetta stared directly at her, and a chill shot down her spine. She turned away and quickened her pace.