KUROBIS

Laying out the campus at the Academy (eh, working name for it, I’m looking for something else to call it). The main gate faces East, and the complex is laid out in concentric rings. Its proximity to the river says a lot about its significance, in a country with a predominantly arid climate. Its grounds are irrigated by hidden channels. This much water and greenery is considered extravagant, even the palace (across the river) doesn’t have such expansive grounds. Fountains and reflecting pools are everywhere. It’s a huge campus, I neglected to offer anything for scale, but to each of the six dormitories there are 40 single-occupant dorm rooms. The ten campus houses are huge, with some broken up into large apartments, for professors, full-time researchers, especially high ranking native and foreign students, and other high ranking staff. People come from all over the country, and surrounding nations, to study and work here.

The Academy is about two hundred years old, established by founder of the current reigning dynasty. Technology developed at the Academy is put to use all over the country. Military use is mostly limited to manufacture and harvesting resources. Alchemy, anyway, is too clunky for combat. The nation is an empire, but conflicts are small, and military activity is almost invisible in civilian life.

This is the facility where Nicola is transferred to, and meets Melanie. Here they study and research maths and sciences, and unite them in Alchemy.
In Nico’s country only nobility are capable of achieving this kind of higher education, she would have never made it here if not for her odd experience (witness to an uncommon natural phenomenon of interest to researchers at the Academy). The Army brings her here to be interviewed, she’s prodded for a while and is granted a longer stay at Melanie’s request (for her own research into her thesis). As a low-ranking enlisted person, Nico is considered of such little consequence that the Army thinks nothing of allowing her to stay.
Nico only received a grade-school education before enlisting in the Army, typical of her working-class family. She had to learn the language of science within a few weeks to share her insight with Mel. Once she learned the symbols and language however, it is apparent she has an innate understanding of the material.

Mel is the daughter of a foreign dignitary, and while in her country there is no class of nobles, in Nico’s country she is considered such. When her father was appointed to the position he took the family to Nico’s country for an extended visit, and Mel became fascinated by academia (she was 14, her father had also just remarried). Where she comes from, practical skill is valued above higher education, but Henning (dad) humors her and allows her to enroll six years later (again, her status in Nico’s country gives her the opportunity). In those few years she taught herself much of the theory and prerequisite material she’d need to get into the Alchemy program. She’s in her sixth year at the Academy writing her thesis when Nico comes around.

They live in the dorms on the north arch, NNW building

Also MY SUBCONSCIOUS, apparently. Had a good laugh over this

pervasive feminist themes, they even make it into landscapes