The schools when they lose a loved one for the first time
Storm students lose that creative⌠spark they previously had and were known for. They wonât talk to anyone, and definitely wonât talk to you if you mention the terrible storm brewing outside, or if you try to give your condolences. Sometimes, youâll be able to hear heartbroken sobs if you lurk outside of their dorm. Please, knock on their door, invite yourself in if you have to, and show them that there is still more to life than this grief.
Ice students become colder than ever before. They shut themselves off from everyone, freezing the door shut to their dorm room. They donât attend the funeral. They become angry, and tend to lash out to their loved ones verbally. Their touch will give you frostbite if theyâve sunken that deep into their own depression, so please be careful, and Iâd suggest a warm coat and some mittens before you hug them.
Fire students are⌠not the most stable at this time. They arenât safe either. Their possessions tend to be blackened and burned beyond recognition, and their own skin may be as well, if no one is willing to care for their friend who is so obviously in need of love and friendship. Many fire students donât survive the aftermath of their own grief, so please care for them.
Death students have the short end of the stick, as usual. They blame themselves for this. They say it was their fault. At the funeral, all of the flowers wilt and die when the death student speaks. They wonât cry in front of anyone. Theyâll stop eating, or doing anything to continue their own existence. Please, take care of them. Donât let them go out and fight monsters, because theyâll pick dangerous fights they know theyâll lose. Please, love them, and tell them they study death because without it, the Spiral wouldnât be balanced. Remind them that without death, life wouldnât be worth living.
Myth students do not react well to their own sadness. The tightrope they constantly walk between dreams and reality frays, their footsteps too heavy and grief-stricken. They sleep for days on end, smiling slightly, but with the remnants of unshed tears caught in their eyes whenever they wake. They walk as if constantly in a dream now, sometimes youâll worry that theyâll never wake up. Please, be their alarm if you have to. Wake them, and hug them so tightly that they canât deny that itâs real, and that they are here.
Life students⌠oh goodness, those poor life students. For all those years they spend studying the vibrant nature that is Life⌠they donât know what to do when it ends. They canât understand why they didnât see it, why their healing spell fizzled or why it wouldnât have worked even if they used one. They walk around in a daze now. They canât speak of the one they lost. They feel like everything they worked for was for nothing, if itâs all going to end anyway. Please, remind them of why theyâre still here, of why everything is worth living for. Sometimes, advice for a life student can be the same for a death student.
Balance students become like bad reflections of themselves. Instead of the mild mannered support everyoneâs used to, they are temperamental. They canât use spells at all anymore, they canât meditate, or read, or even sleep. They blame themselves, for not protecting and being there for the one they lost. They need the wisdom of old friends. Even if you donât think you know what to say, talk to them. Please, tell them to take as much time as they need, but to remember that they can rely on others.