Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-67.167.27.143-20130815010410/@comment-5482419-20130930103558

My take:

17 is adulthood in Vale and the students are expected to handle their own affairs.

I know, I'm no fun. But it would tie in nicely with Ruby's character arc - she's still considered a minor, but her position comes with the expectations of an adult. How is she supposed to grow into that role if she's still being supervised by Dad?