Now, I had known that the class would be full of Qin students. Technically the college is open to all Imperial citizens, but given how work assignments function for Semadrans, and given the paltry pay those work assignments award us, it is rare for us to attend college. I knew this, but it was still a shock when I looked up from the podium and saw three hundred pairs of Qin eyes staring into me. In the wake of my time at the border, the Qin made me hostile and skittish. The anxieties I’d carried within me hardened into something stupidly caustic. I grew willful. I became what the Qin refer to as “uppity” in an elf: there was a decided lack of simpering graciousness in my carriage. I dropped my things and wiped the sweat off my forehead with the sleeve of Sorcha’s old shirt. I scanned the room and saw three hundred Qin faces utterly disinterested in me and what I had to say. I saw three hundred Qin faces who saw me as an inconvenience. And far in the back, I saw a single Semadran face. In the back row sat a young Semadran woman, her chin held up just enough to betray an intriguing level of defiance. The only empty chairs in the entire hall happened to be located on either side of her. Dirva had advised me to find one or two students who seemed genuinely interested, who were taking avid notes, who nodded along when I spoke, and to teach to them. I decided to teach to her.

The roster was still in my hand. The brewing resentment within me would not let me waste an hour reciting three hundred Qin names. “I assume everyone is here,” I said. The halls had been built by elvish mimic engineers, and the acoustics were perfect. My voice carried well without needing to be raised. I dropped the roster on a table next to the podium. “Feel free to mark your presence, if you wish, after class has ended. Since this is a beginner’s course in Athenorkos…”

A Qin man in the third row let out a sharp, derisive laugh. “You can’t just ignore formalities. Read the roster.”

“No. Since this is a beginner’s course…”

“My position requires a record of attendance!” a Qin woman a few rows over said.