Clockwork Souls [IC]

[Astolfo]

Icarus was sitting, curled up on the ground in a hallway, his eyes red-rimmed and watery when someone suddenly charged directly into him, sending the both of them sprawling. Looking up to see who the new visitor was, he was immediately suspicious at first, remembering his earlier incident when he had met another lady just a few minutes before. When the girl simply smiled and offered a hand out to help him up, Icarus eased a little, hoping that this person wouldn't mess with him like that too. Mistaking the girl's next words as to be chastising, he gasped, before immediately bowing in shame.

 

"S-S-Sorry! You're right, I shouldn't have been just sitting in the middle of a hallway... Sorry, I'm a little out of it right now..."

 

Twiddling his fingers awkwardly, he hoped the new girl he just met wouldn't be mad at him.

 

”I’ve had worse scrapes and bumps than something little like this before. I should be fine before dinner.” Verona’s mouth still watered thinking about that feast that had been promised at...seven forty? The headmistress said forty, right? Looking down the hallway, whatever few people were still running around seemed to fight amongst themselves for rooms down here. Was this boy/girl somebody who already had a room? Verona was sure s/he was; it would be silly to just sulk around in the halls otherwise. Eyeing the nearest staircase, Verona asked ”Got a roommate yet?”

 

At the mention of the girl's injuries, Icarus' gaze involuntarily snapped to her face, checking for scratches and the sort. When he realized he was staring for longer than was necessary, he turned away suddenly. It was fine, the girl didn't notice, as she was rambling about dinner or something, but at that moment, his own stomach growled too. Turning a bright red, he almost missed her next question.

 

"A r-roommate? I don't have a room yet though..."

 

Immediately realizing the girl's intentions a moment after uttering his words, he tried to hastily repair the situation.

 

"We could try looking for one, u-um... T-Together! That is, if you don't mind..."

 

Reaching out involuntarily, he pulled his hand back suddenly when it brushed against the girl's fingers, wondering if he should've asked for permission first, unsure of why he was so jittery.

 

"Uh, so yeah! Want to go together? Your hands are really soft by the way!" Blurting out the last part before he took some time to think about his words first, he clapped a hand over his mouth, internally berating himself. Am I being weird? Does this girl think I'm being creepy?? Uwaah... What am I doing? Who goes and compliments someone's hands the first time they see someone? I don't even know her name yet... I'm so embarrassed...

 

Verona smiled at the compliment about her hands. Gripping the hand that had suddenly pulled away from hers and not really paying much mind to the blush on the boy’s face that rose from it, the blue-haired girl said ”Let’s go find a room! We’ll get the highest one we can!” With the girl guiding the way, the duo ran up the stairs and made their way to the next flight up. It was just before getting off the steps to the third floor, though, that Verona stopped, turned around, and looked at the boy. ”By the way, if you’re gonna be my roomie from now on...what’s your name? Mine’s Verona.”

 

Stumbling up the stairs after the girl trying to keep up with her speedy pace, Icarus tried to not think about how the girl's hand felt really warm. When she suddenly stopped, he almost collided into her, and to avoid such a situation by backpedaling, nearly fell back down the stairs.

 

Catching his breath, he tried to talk, but had a coughing fit when he accidentally inhaled a plume of dust. Choking it out, he straightened up before grinning with almost childlike innocence.

 

"I'm Icarus! Nice to meet you, Verona!"

 

With a smile and a nod, Verona led the way up to the third floor. Yeah, there were way less students up here. All those lazy bums downstairs probably just wanted less floors to climb up and down to get places. So if there were less students with each floor up she went…

 

”Come on, let’s keep going!”

 

Looking around for rooms to enter together, Icarus freaked out when he heard the girl's next words.

 

"W-W-We... T-The headmistress said we're not supposed to go up past the third floor! I-It's the rules, you know? We might get in trouble!"

 

Frantically making meaningless gestures in the air with his hands and panicking trying to get her to rethink her decision, he looked at her hopefully, his eyes wide.

 

Rules, right, I need to start paying attention to those now. Gotcha! Right after we take a room on the top floor! Then she saw the face. That hopeful expression and those wide eyes felt like they were just burning a hole through Verona. She’d seen that face many times before, and not once had she been able to say no to somebody after they’d shown it to her. ”Aw, fine,” she said. Pointing to a room near a window at the near end of the hall, Verona said ”The lights are out on that room. It’s ours for the taking; come on!” With that, she raced down the hall as fast as her legs would take her. That room was going to be hers. And Icarus’s.

 

Sighing in relief when the girl relented on her plan to go to the top floor, he shivered momentarily when he thought about the possible consequences of what would’ve happened if they had done something like that. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he ran after Verona as fast as he could, and for the first time that day, he realized he was feeling happy inside, unable to wipe the grin off his face. Even with all the less than favorable incidents that occurred earlier in the day, something about this made it all feel worthwhile again. And with that, they burst into their new dorm-room to be. Looking around at how spacious and rich the interiors were, Icarus had a feeling.

 

This is going to be a good year~!

[Merci]

"Isaiah! You better not plan on taking my marks here as your apprentice!"

 

Just as he was about to leave, a familiar, if somewhat unpleasant voice stopped him.

 

"Why are you here in the first place anyway? If you dare touching the freshman that I'll choose, I'll melt your arm off."

 

"My my, Ramillies, you certainly seem to be agitated today. There's no need for idle threats. Is the prospect of being outed as a pedophile that frightening to you?" Isaiah responded coldly, not bothering to turn back to the girl addressing her. "Your new 'friend' does interest me, though unlike you, I don't have such deranged fetishes that I'll strip and molest them."

 

Not to say that Caeil wasn't a promising individual, since she did seem to be quite intelligent and creative in various areas, but from the few interactions they'd had over the past years, he had ultimately decided that she was kind of a nuisance, preferring trial-and-error over simply calculating the whole thing from the start so as to not waste resources. She was too narrow-minded, too reckless, and while he would normally rejoice at another intellectual, this one in particular was hard to be around - though it was indeed a shame that the other person who was always fighting with her had to leave prematurely. What a waste of potential.

 

Even as they conversed, it was clear to the both of them that it was merely troublesome to deal with the other, especially considering how she was apparently descended from Almain nobles, perhaps even the very same ones his great-grandfather slaughtered long ago. So the fact that she'd been grouped with him for this year was bothersome. At the very least, she possessed enough intellect and common sense that it wasn't a complete loss in interacting with her.

 

"By your attitude, you weren't able to discover the secret behind the boy's wings - personally, I believe you made a mistake in stripping him, since by all likelihood they were contained in the clothes you so, ah, excitedly tossed away." He continued in his normal, high manner. "With that aside, as for why I'm here, I would assume it's for the same reasons you are - to watch and analyze the skills of the freshmen for when we'll have to take them on as an apprentice."

 

If nothing else, Caeil knew how to build a proper automaton, which was more than could be said of the majority of whatever was left of their year.

 

"You may relax, as while I'm indeed keen on learning more about that boy, I don't plan on taking him as an apprentice anytime soon. He seems too...flighty. If anything, he's probably nothing but a simpleton who got his hands on someone else's great invention. Of course, if you do learn more about the mechanics of those wings, it would be appreciated if you were to share that information with me. I would be more than glad to help." Not that he had his hopes high for such an improbable thing.

 

Then, crossing his arms as he finally turned to face her directly, Isaiah thought for a moment, looking through what he'd witnessed at the gates, before speaking again.

 

"As for the one I'm hoping to take on...while I still have yet to find out exactly what the others are capable of - though the unusual foreigner and the girl with the eggplant machine do seem promising - who I'm most looking forward to the supposed military officer who came in with the freshmen, rumoured to be another one of Admiral Leveson's daughters like Franziska. I do believe that she was the one in the wheelchair. It would be an honour to work with someone who actually has field experience, and due to our somewhat similar circumstances, who knows, perhaps we may get along?"

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"...I am not a goddamn pedophile, please and thank you.

 

...

 

Wait what the hell how did you know about that?"

 

Isaiah's remark shocked Caeil a bit. She didn't really think that she'd be seen when doing the full-body inspection on the boy, though in retrospect she just realized that she was doing it in a place where she could be seen by random passerby, and that seemed to include this Isaiah.

 

"Ugh...once again, I'm not a pedophile, so don't get any wrong ideas, damnit! And he's not young enough to make me a pedophile if I mole-

I mean, I'm just...ugh, maybe you're right and his wings were manifested by his clothing. I should've confiscated those from him. Who cares if he walks around naked in here anyway?"

 

Granted, she really didn't want this of all things to be her image of all things, so she tried to calm herself down before she started yelling again and make the situation worse. Isaiah knowing about this might bit her in the ass some times in the future, since he'd probably just tell a teacher just to further his buttkissing agenda. Well, assuming none of the teachers already saw it, of course. She didn't really get anything from the inspection anyway, so maybe she should just let it slide and forget about it.

 

"You may relax, as while I'm indeed keen on learning more about that boy, I don't plan on taking him as an apprentice anytime soon. He seems too...flighty. If anything, he's probably nothing but a simpleton who got his hands on someone else's great invention. Of course, if you do learn more about the mechanics of those wings, it would be appreciated if you were to share that information with me. I would be more than glad to help."

 

"It's just a solid construct made from Anima, apparently. it didn't actually look flight-worthy, so the biggest mystery is how he could take flight in the first place.

 

Also, nah. I'm definitely not going to pick him as an apprentice if the choice is within me, not even for the chance of learning more about his wings. I'm here to find someone actually promising, not a boyf- I mean sla- I mean lab ra- ugh I mean I'm here to find someone promising enough to be groomed as my rival. No use in mentoring unworthy people, after all. I guess that's the only thing we can both agree upon."

 

Caeil sighed for a bit. Of course, she would definitely try learning more about the boy, Icarus, since whatever secret he's hiding behind those wings, it would be able to create a great breakthrough as far as she's aware. Unless for some reasons he could generate so much anima by himself to propel himself to the skies, that boy definitely had something, an automaton, a device, or even an Artifact hidden somewhere to help him do that. Whatever it was, Caeil's biggest priority would be to secure her hold on that device, and study it closely, before she could reverse engineer it and incorporate its design with her own.

 

But that's for later. For now, Isaiah's right. She should just actually find a promising freshman to potentially tutor instead of focusing too much of her mindpower to that boy.

"As for the one I'm hoping to take on...while I still have yet to find out exactly what the others are capable of - though the unusual foreigner and the girl with the eggplant machine do seem promising - who I'm most looking forward to the supposed military officer who came in with the freshmen, rumoured to be another one of Admiral Leveson's daughters like Franziska. I do believe that she was the one in the wheelchair. It would be an honour to work with someone who actually has field experience, and due to our somewhat similar circumstances, who knows, perhaps we may get along?"
 

"Oh? I think I've seen her earlier. Wheelchair girl, that is. She does reminds me of Franzy, so she's probably her sister alright.

 

Eh, I'm honestly not too thrilled about her. If the rumor's right, she's a soldier first than an engineer, which doesn't really interest me. And really, I'm not here to help a damn cripple.

 

Haven't seen the foreigner and the eggplant girl you just mentioned. I guess I'll see them during the dinner."

 

Saying that, Caeil immediately left the place to go to her room to rest for a bit before the dinner. As calm as she sounded when on the topic of the freshmen, it's really was just an act, and she would've yelled still at the young man if she didn't restrain herself. While she shouldn't care about getting more bad reputation, being seen as a pedophile of all things was annoying, and she didn't want to make it got even worse from there.

 

"Though honestly, I'm looking forward the most to the noble looking girl that hung around with the oriental girl. Can't tell about why yet for now, but I can see her being a promising subject.

 

So don't you dare lay your filthy irradiated hands on her."

 

---

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

Roy Westlock

 

Walking through the inner hallway of Daedaus College, practically dragging Morgan by her sleeve, Roy rushed the pair to their shared room. Holding his free hand in front of him, he rose a few fingers, counting off the new students he saw out loud. "So, who did you see any of the new kiddos that looked interesting?" Glancing upward to assist his own memory he whipped his protege around a corner as he continued, "A lot of them certainly seemed more your type. I am sure you know what I am talking about, eh, Penny?" Reaching a flight of stairs, he quickly bounded up them, skipping five or so steps between each stride, "I didn't really see much of any impressive physical feats, or at least, nothing that could compare to how I did. I mean, there was that one guy who just walked right through and ignored the bullets completely. Not the brightest fellow, if you ask me, but that certainly took some guts!" Finally releasing Morgan as he reached the door, he swiftly turned the knob and threw the door open. "Home sweet home, eh?" Using a single stride to jump across the room, Roy landed on his back, directly upon his bed, his ankles crossed high above him as his dusty boots dirtied the headboard on which they rested. Closing his eyes, he allowed his mind to drift back approximately 9 years. "It really has been quite a while since we were in their position... y'know, the new students? I sound like a sap for this, but you were right earlier when you said that we have grown."

 

 

~Is it Ok to Burn with Passion~

 

Roy stood just outside the gates to the Daedalus College, trying to grasp the full gravity of the current situation. Though he has been involved in the workings of the city through his experience as a delivery boy, he was a dime a dozen. Looking, around, he saw dozens of other soon-to-be students around him, donning various pieces of mechanical equipment, some of them even accompanied by automaton. A particular among them managed to catch his eye: a small mouse of a girl, with an oversized hat and jacket. She hardly even reached his shoulder in height. "Hey, kid, with a physique like that you probably would have been better off bringing a huge-ass robot with you, don'tcha think?" Following a quick expression of disdain from the girl he had only just met, he decided to slip in an addendum, "Or maybe you will get a growth spurt! Who knows?" Aside from the daggers she stared at him, he received no response, so he decided to turn back toward the gate, leaning forward against it, with an arm above his head.

 

Peering through the bars, he saw the butler emerge, as he learned was the progression every year, before the gate in front of him opened up, the multitude of mechanical servants began laying down rubber bullet fire upon the students. Due to his passive use of overdrive to enhance his senses, he narrowly sidestepped a rubber bullet as it flew past his face, hitting the arm of the girl he spoke to. "I understand you are new to this, but I advise that you avoid getting shot. The bullets won't kill you, but it seems like they hurt, based on your expression" Turning back toward the school entrance, Roy grinned. Now was his chance to show everyone just how strong he was. Focusing Anima into the muscles of his legs, he felt them tense up and swell slightly, flexing themselves in quick twitches. Glancing back and forth with his Overdrive-enhanced eyes, he spotted a group of three butlerborgs turning the barrels of their weapons directly at him, but before any of them managed to get a shot off, he had already dove forward. Reaching forward with both arms, he slammed his hands down into the pavement, piercing it with the tips of his fingers as he yanked both arms toward him, bounding off of the ground forward. Reaching the leftmost of his attackers before it had a chance to adjust its aim, Roy grabbed onto it on the shoulder, tossing it so that it collided with the other two in the immediate area, clearing an opening directly in front of the door for other students to enter through.

 

~Nikopol~

 

Hearing the mechanical whirring and clanging of several more automatons turning their guns toward him, Roy slipped in through the door, met by two figures, only one of which he expected. Of course, there stood the human butler who controlled the guards outside, but additionally there was a much younger male, even younger than Roy himself. The boy was twelve years old at most, and from what Roy could identify by facial features, originated in The Orient. The Moon Islands, or something of the sort. The important part was that this kid somehow managed to get in before Roy, and by the looks of it, had avoided getting hit just as well as Roy did himself. Feeling sudden anger toward this child who managed to best him, Roy took an aggressive stance and spoke out against him, "Hey, kid. How the hell did you get in here first? Did they let you in beforehand, or something? There is no way in hell someone outran me, I jumped across the whole damn courtyard!" Reaching toward the boy in anger, Roy attempted to grab him by the collar, before The Oriental Kid casually stepped to the side, dodging Roy's arm just as Roy dodged the bullet earlier, smirking at him as if he was nothing. Roy was pissed. Swinging at him with his previously-withdrawn hand, Roy suddenly found himself on the ground, having been dodged once again, before a swift kick to his shin. Pulling himself back up, the child had already disappeared before Roy could try another attack. "Coward..."

 

 

Roy sat back up in his bed, hands clenched into fists with frustration. Even though those events were nine years in the past, to be so blatantly outdone by a mere child was something that Roy simply couldn't wrap his head around. The nine years since then Roy constantly trained his body and his Overdrive use, so that next time he wouldn't just be dodged and smirked at, but he didn't really encounter the boy. He only saw him occasionally over the years, as The Oriental Kid seemed to skip class most of the time. He had heard rumors ever since returning from the military that the kid was still around, but still hadn't had a chance at a fight. Taking a deep breath and loosing his hands, he looked across the room at Morgan, his vision trailing along the floor from the unkempt side of the room to her completely immaculate portion. It was almost as if their room had an invisible wall to hold back his mess. "Well, I know we just got here, but I think it would do us some good to see the new kids, especially if we are to be mentors." Jumping up from his bed, he removed the jacket he received from Morgan before their three years in the military, tossing it so it draped over his headboard as he casually gestured back toward the door. "Shall we?"

 

Stirling Rookwood

 

As the rest of the new arrivals managed their way through the College entrance, Stirling pulled his mask off, tucking it behind his Scarf were it belonged as he slipped into the crowd. There was no need for him to draw too much attention to himself. He had demonstrated his ability outside, and was convinced that it was well enough he didn't need to show off much more. Before long, the freshman were let loose in the dormitories, told that they were not to go above the third floor. "Shouldn't be too difficult," Stirling muttered to himself. Once again, this time was just the time to blend in. If this were some test about whether the students were brave enough to go above the third floor, he wasn't having any of it. Climbing the stairs till he reached the second floor, Stirling slipped into the hallway, casually walking down to the last room.

 

Opening the door, he glanced inside. The conditions were far from optimal, but definitely livable. "If living in a place like this will make me more skilled in using automatons or whatever they teach here, it will have to do well enough." Tossing his bag onto one of the beds, he decided to unpack later as he stepped back out onto the hall, leaving one of his tiny spider automata on the inner door handle so that he will be alerted when anyone else enters the room. Yawning, he looked down the hall, seeing  nobody else around. "I guess now that the official business is taken care of, I should work on socializing, if only a bit." Walking up to the nearest door to his room, he gently knocked on the door, unsure if anyone was even inside.

[Aix]

“Attention students, please head to the Great Hall for tonight’s dinner. As the wise people said, only the early birds catch the worm, late bloomers will not get the share of the food.”

 

The announcement was heard throughout the dorms, transmitted around the academy using a sort of complicated machinery that would allow the headmistress’s voice to travel and be heard by anyone.

 

The Great Hall was a massive multi-levelled room, used only for formal occasions like this one. The building itself was around 120 meters by 100 meters in area, containing only the Great Hall itself. The walls were ornately carved and tastefully adorned with paintings. There was a great domed ceiling at the top with a magnificent mural featuring the fantastical machines of the Lost Era. On the two sides of the hall were two extra floors in order to fit even more tables; on some occasions the bottom floor was cleared as a dance floor. Slowly, around fifteen minutes after her announcement, the flock of people started to fill the hall, and when everyone was seated, Victoria began to speak again.

 

“Tonight is a night that will be marked in history, for this is the start of a new generation of brilliant minds of our beloved empire. And to celebrate it, before you all that had chosen to be present in this dinner, we will present the best of what our kitchen could serve to you as a feast. Do not be afraid to enjoy it as much as you wanted, as long as you keep your manners.

 

Before we can start eating however, I believe that I still have to finish the announcements that I already promised to do before. This will not be long, so please bear with me for a bit. First, is about demonstration for our beloved college’s clubs and teams. The college will hold a demonstration of these clubs and teams to help our freshmen here to choose which ones would be fitting for them to join in. More information will be mentioned later, and this is mainly to tell you freshmen about what’s to come, and for your seniors to start preparing for this demonstration.

 

In addition, a number of teachers and senior students have so kindly volunteered to serve as mentors to you freshmen. They will be personally meeting and selecting you during this dinner party. Of course, should any conflicts arise, I, myself, will step in personally to resolve all arguments.

 

At the speech's conclusion, two doors on the symmetrical back wall opened, and a long series of butler bots holding trays of food streamed out towards the center buffet tables. Some even began approaching, drawn by the delicious aromas while the automatons were still laying out the dishes.

 

Elizabeth gave a slight snicker at those impatient people. "Well, they shall be taking the brunt of the assault." She raised her hand and sent a very loose spike of Anima towards the automatons. The special programming Elizabeth had input in them earlier was triggered and they began to act erratically.

 

At the same time as the automatons began to react, the front door to the Great Hall suddenly burst open. "My greetings to the teachers and students of Daedalus College. I am Duke Frederick of Holsburg, and I bring a personal invitation from the Emperor! Daedalus College has bee--" His words was interrupted as he took a serving of mashed potatoes to the face while the entire Hall broke out into chaos; the hacked automatons began flinging the food that they had so meticulously prepared with incredible accuracy at the people of the hall.

 

"WHAT INSULT IS THIS? I AM AN EMISSARY OF THE EMPEROR!" However, his words didn't seem quite so pressing at the time against the unceasing food barrage.

 

[spoiler=Directions]Either A. Join in on the food fight. B. Try to take down the damn automatons. C. Curry favor with the Duke by protecting him.

 

[Love of Ghibli]

After quickly making his way back to his hangar and hoped that everything was still going smooth back on that roof. He found the nearest pen and scribbled a note on some paper and then put that paper in an envelope. It wasn't the neatest job but he had to act fast. With all of these students running around trying to get to the dorms there was no doubt that someone could've thought jumping on a roof was a good idea. He took his make shift letter and walked back to campus. While seemingly roaming the campus grounds Tristan "bumped" into one of the other students in passing and his message was delivered. Now all that was left was to get back to that drink he was supposed to have. At least this time he felt he deserved it. 
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It was dinner time and it looked like he would have to make an appearance at this dinner for all of the new students. With the Headmistress instituting this new mentorship program thing it was probably important that he actually show up. Naturally, he was properly dressed for this event and he sat a table with other faculty members. It seemed like the event was naturally segregated by ranks and positions in the school. Which made sense. Students who've attended the school would want to sit with their friends and who other than teachers is bold enough to sit with teachers. Ahhh order and place...such a great world we live in. Tristan noticed that some students were whispering to each other while the Headmistress gave her speech. Tristan snickered. Youth being young...well having the chance to be young was simply refreshing. 

But that all changed, when the buttomatons invaded. Tristan was immediately skeptical seeing so many robots coming in at once he new that something foul was about to happen. Not that something was deliberately set-up foul just army of food carrying robots...its asking for trouble. After the first wave of students started getting pelted with food Tristan immediately stood up and sent his own anima flaring and with a snap of his fingers, which everyone could for some reason hear echo through the Dining Hall, shut down all of the butlerbots. A full two seconds after all of the automatons shut down another loud snap was heard from the door that they all came in. The lead butler himself, Sebastian, had reactivated the automatons. These automatons quickly went to work trying to clean food and clean the students that they damaged. And like any good butler he came with more automatons and they came with more food. For the best quality of any good servant is not loyalty or cleanliness, its anticipation. 

As the crowd in the hall was recovering from this brief moment of chaos Tristan took this chance to make his own little speech. By concentrating his anima to his vocal chords to help his voice carry in such a massive space he made sure all could hear him without exhausting too much effort. 

Welcome young minds. You may call me Mr. Tristan and it is my pleasure to be one of your new instructors and for those of you who are not new I am elated to be teaching you for another year. Ironically, I am one of your many automaton teachers at this school and it is my job to teach you how to make sure events like tonight don't happen. Tristan chuckles slightly. I've seen what the freshman have had to go through today in terms of finding their rooms and the "Entrance Exam" at the front gate. I think you all deserve a good rest. So eat, drink, fellowship and be merry. Hopefully you new students get to see the amazing and talented offerings of Daedulus College in the form of the upperclassmen. Unfortunately I can't join you tonight, as I have classes to prep for tomorrow. But I hope your first day at this prestigious institution doesn't sour you to the next four years. I wish you all a good feast and a good night. With a slight bow Tristan concludes his speech to some applause that come from some of his former students and he heads to the door. 

While approaching he cuts off his use of anima and makes his way to the exit. As he makes his way to the exit he looks at Sebastian clearly with a gaze asking "what just happened?" As he got right next to the butler the man servant simply mumbled "T'was a prank sir. Nothing of great concern." Tristan snickered as he did admire the boldness of this new disruptive character. Excellent he replied quickly. He wished he could've stayed but he had a friend waiting for him at home that he needed to attend to.

[Cosmo.]

Charlotte unpacked her belongings all afternoon, she put away clothes and decorated the room with objects from home including, a statue of a fox which was her favourite animal, and placed her jewelry around the room making the room shiny with the crystals reflecting the light. She continued chatting with her roommate and as she saw the sun setting she decided to start preparing for tonight's event. out of the various formal dresses she brought decided for a simple long black dress with a normal gown, ornate with a baby blue ribbon. She chose to only wear her lucky necklace that was gifted from her mom and some simple black ballerina shoes. And as she put the last shoe on, Victoria, the headmistress announced to come to the great hall.

Julius finished preparing too. " C'mon let's go to the hall before all the good food is taken!" She said as she got out of the room. She ran down the stairs. She got to the hall and after the headmistress finished her speech, chaos started. Mashed potatoes, salads, meat pies, buttered bread all was flying around. In the chaos she miracoulosly found Erina and before she could talk to her she yelled "Dodge!" at her, as a meat pie was flying towards her, luckily she heard her and dodged, and the pie smashed on the wall with the delicious filling now on the wall. "So.... Nice evening right?" She said to Erina almost as nothing had happened. And while she said that all robots shut down and the chaos ended. More food was being served and the night returned to normality

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

Sure enough, everyone had been summoned to The Great Hall for dinner, and Stellar listened to the announcements that took place. Then all the butlerbots came in with all the delectable foodstuffs for the students to chow down on. Some of the students had already been drawn in by the aromas, and Stellar joined them on the assumption that this was the cue to start. She might have seen a girl wave a hand out of the corner of her eye, but even if Stellar's brain actually registered that properly, she certainly would never have considered it a threat... until the same food that was set meticulously moments ago had rained down on the students. Eventually, Mr. Tristan had shut the hacked automatons down with a snap of his fingers, and as they were reactivated by Sebastian, their programming returned to normal. But the damage was already done. Mashed potatoes, vegetables, salads and more were scattered all over the place, and not only did a pitcher of gravy spill its contents all over Stellar's face and chest, ruining her top in the process, but the pitcher itself continued to soar in the air and hit another student on the head. 

 

Things got more awkward when the butlerbot responsible for flinging that pitcher of gravy had then tried to clean up the mess it made on Stellar first. Stellar was never comfortable being touched by anything else that moved, but knowing that it'd have to touch her breasts to do its job made it all the more embarrassing.

 

"Please... stop," Stellar told the butlerbot that approached her with a towel on hand, "I think I can do this with a little more dignity."

 

So she took her tank top off and used the back and insides of it to clean herself up. It was a good thing she was wearing a bra underneath at the time, or she'd get herself in trouble for indecent exposure... or perhaps she would anyway, who knew? Thankfully the automaton took a hint and left Stellar to her devices while it tended to the poor sap that had been hit by the pitcher it had flung whilst it was hacked. But she'd been meaning to give her further dirtied tank top to the automaton to wash... only to note that it was gone. She breathed a sigh of defeat, as she stood out in the open one item of clothing away from being topless.

 

'Well this was unnecessarily awkward,' she thought as she placed a hand on her hip.

 

"Go on ahead; I'll be right down," Julius called to Charlotte as he was still looking for a safe place to put his flintlock rifle, as well as the spare cash that he couldn't fit in his wallet without making it look too bulky. He eventually decided to stick the rifle under his bed where it was out of sight, and the spare cash he placed in a jacket pocket in wardrobe, before locking the door to the room and proceeding at a casual speed. He wasn't too concerned about being among the first to arrive, as even if he wasn't, the only thing he'd miss was the announcements that Victoria would've made before the feast.

 

However, Julius did arrive just in time to see the aftermath of what looked like a fight that had started when the automatons serving the food were hacked into, before they were all shut down by a teacher that later introduced himself as Mr. Tristan. Julius shook his head in disgust as all that food went to waste, being contaminated the second it hit a wall, an edge of a table, the floor or someone in particular. His mood picked up again when he saw Stellar clean off gravy that had splashed on her... using a tank top that she'd taken off in public. Not the brightest idea for any girl to do, least of all someone with such an appetizing chest, but it sure as hell took some stones for Stellar to have stripped down to a turquoise bra while there were so many eyes around The Great Hall. Then again, her options would've been bleak, so it was understandable.

 

But it didn't stop Julius from blushing slightly...

[Dad]

Oswald

 

"O'Donogh, huh?" Oswald said letting go of Attwells hand at last.  "That's a great name.  I like it a lot!" he said with a rather cheesy smile.  He was now deep in thought after meeting his new roommate.  But before he could take the new relationship any further, an announcement blared of the PA system of the school, declaring dinner for students.  And Oswald, who never went anywhere without Gertrude of course, perked up right away as the announcement ended.  Helping his roommate to his feet unwillingly, Oswald got excited.  "That's a way to get me interested!" he said excitedly.  "I love food!  Come on then!" he said now tugging Attwell in one hand and Gertrude in the other.  And upon their arrival to the dining area, Oswald stumbled in to find the area littered with food and debris.  

 

As he came to a screeching halt, Oswald was appalled.  He couldn't believe the mess.  But that wasn't the problem.  "How could people waste perfectly good food. . . in a food fight?" he said as he scratched the back of his head with his giant axe.  Sighing, Oswald found a nearby clean seat, and held his head low.  Now what was he to eat?  This was truly a tragedy.  A life scarring event.  Wasted food?  This was exhausting.  Were all the trials of Daedulus to be like this?  Will the lack of food always destroy his cheerful and uplifting spirit?  No.  Oswald wouldn't let this foolish splurge get him down.  He was going to go on his first solo mission in this new college.  He was going to:

 

FIND.  FOOD!

 

Standing to his feet, Oswald's smile returned.  There were scraps and portions that were untouched and remained off of the floor.  He gathered what he could as quickly as possible, darting in and around the dining area at incredible speeds in an attempt to complete a meal.  This was Oswald.  The food maniac.

 

 

Claire Ingham

 

Watching the students depart for their dorm rooms was always exciting.  After all, Daedulus was known to harbor the rather bold Darwinism of "survival of the fittest".  With a smile, she sneaked away to the library.  "I'd better see what I can dig up for Stellar, quietly," she thought to herself.  While the students were settling in, she found herself nose deep in the forbidden section of the library.  When she found the section she was looking for, Claire came to a pause.  She sighed, looking over the header of the books.  'Necromancy'.  But when she went to find books regarding the subject--

 

"They're missing?" she said softly to herself.  Claire rummaged through the books in the immediate area, hoping they had only been misplaced, but sure enough it seemed as though the Necromancy books had gone missing.  Wait.  Missing?  "That doesn't make sense.   Only staff are allowed back here.  Were they stolen?"

 

Claire put the thought out of her mind, as she tried to gather her bearings.  With a sigh, she took a close look around to make sure there were no others near her, before heading back to her classroom.  But who would steal the Necromancy texts?

 

Mortimer knew it was best to wait outside, not wanting to make a ruckus in the Library.  "Did you find what you were looking for, Lady Ingham?"

 

She shook her head.  "Not quite, Mortimer.  But there are somethings I know of my own.  I won't go into detail, however."  Just as she approached her classroom, there was an announcement for dinner in the dining hall.  She wasn't the most sociable of teachers, so Claire often ate alone in her classroom.  But tonight, she thought she would skip dinner and take an eye to the students for a bit longer.  Clearing her head, Claire headed down to the Great Hall, where students were already clambering inside.

 

"I wonder if we'll spot some potential, Mortimer."

 

The automaton said nothing, as they slipped inside.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"Eh...I'd rather not talk about it."

 

Lena's cold refusal to answer her question surprised Erina, but she decided to not push her to answer it. It's not really a serious question on her part anyway, and there's not much that she'd gain from Lena answering it. She really should just rest for now anyway. She's way too drained to do anything else right now. She considered taking a bath, but she had little to no will to bother with the hurdles. She could hear some grunts on Lena's part, and Erina saw her taking out some stuffs from her suitcase before entering the bathroom.

 

"I'll go take a bath now."

 

"Sure, go ahead. I'll just sleep here in the meantime."

 

As Lena entered the bathroom and Erina attempted to sleep once more, the redhead could then hear a sound of knocking on the front door. It was not really clear whether it was actually a knock or not due to how tired she was, but Erina decided to greet the person anyway, if only to tell them that everyone on the room was currently busy.

 

"Ah, hello there. We're sorry, but currently we're a bit busy, so if you want to visit, can you come later instead? Thanks, and see you later."

 

Yelling that was tiring enough, and as soon as she finished saying her greeting, Erina fell asleep soundly, not able to hear whatever the person knocking the door would reply to her sentence with.

 

 

Several hours passed, and Erina was now preparing herself to enjoy her dinner in the main hall, with the last thing separating her and her food being the headmistress's irritating speech. Lena had separated with her it seemed, which was a bit annoying. Erina wondered whether she could stomach her roommate acting this cold and cautious around her. But well, she definitely shouldn't concern herself much with it. She barely paid any attention to the speech itself, though the appearance of a random noble during the end of the speech was surprising.

 

And then, everything went to hell, figuratively. All the butler automatons had suddenly malfunctioned, and started to throw food to the students and teachers present. And then, Char suddenly arrived, warning her to duck, which Erina followed as a pie passed above her, hitting the wall in the end due to her dodging it just in time. The chaos then suddenly subsided for an unknown reason, but the male teacher that had just left the scene might have something to do with it.

 

"So.... Nice evening right?" Charlotte greeted her as if nothing had happened.

 

"Well...at least I don't get hit by anything. Did you get a good room and a good roommate, Char? Mine's kinda sucked. On both account, kind of."

 

---

 

Caeil smiled widely as she watched the girl that she had been eyeing for quite a while raised her hand a bit, just a split second before the automatons started to malfunction. It was easy to attribute it as mere coincidence, but looking a the girl's expression, it was pretty clear that she's the one behind this mess. Even if Tristan managed to handle the mess not long after it started, the fact that the girl managed to mess up the butler automatons with such ease and so little time definitely intrigued Caeil.

 

Take that, Isaiah! My pupil will definitely be better than the military snob that you're trying to pick up!

 

Normally, Caeil would've eaten the food as much as she could, especially since she was hungry at that moment, but eating can wait for later. Right now, she had to claim a potential pupil and rival as her own before anyone could lay a hand on her before she could. Wearing the proudest grin that she could manage, she rose up from her seat, and started to walk towards the girl's location. She looked like she's a snobby Britannian noble, which would've been irritating on normal circumstances, but Caeil was willing to overlook that fact due to the promising future that she saw on the girl. Not bothering with courtesy, Caeil tapped the girl's shoulders to inform her of her presence.

 

"You there. I'm a senior, and I'm going to take you as my pupil in this mentorship program.

 

I believe that "no" is not really an option you can pick in this case."

 

---

 

"So...this is what the current year's freshmen can do, huh? Heh, this is really shaping up to be an interesting year.

 

Now, now...who should I take in...?"

 

---

[Sethera]

Attwell couldn't help the smile he gave when his new roommate complimented his name. Does he not realize the bad rep this name brings? Or mayhap he simply didn't care. Either way, the redhead was sure he'd get along great with this fella.
 
The thief peered around the Great Hall, eyes widened at the food littering the area. His companion immediately dove in, seeking any untouched morsels he could. Attwell was about to follow suit when he found his sleeve forcibly tugged by one of the butlerbots. Whirring, the bot held up a tray of food, and if a bot could raise an eyebrow, he was sure that this one would be doing so. "Oh, this is grand!" Attwell grinned, snatching the tray from the bot. Glancing off to where Oswald was, the redhead put his hands around his mouth and roared out, "'Ey, Ozzie, t'would be a mite easier if'n ye asked the bots for some scran!"

 

Bringing the tray to the nearest table, Attwell dug in, not minding the stares he got for eating straight from the serving plate instead of from one of the personal plates. He'd go up to the buffet table like a civilized swell later...maybe. As soon as he finished this roasted ham. "Oi, didn't yer mas ever tell you fellas not to stare?" he asked. Well, he never had a ma, but most of these here nobs weren't orphans like him.

 

Speaking of staring...he saw one bluenette in particular gawping like a dead fish at one of the older birds. Raising a brow, the redhead snickered. "I'm surprised ye haven't burned holes in her by now."

"Dear me, dear me..." fretted Bartholomew. The alchemy professor deeply regretted coming out of his haven--no, laboratory--this time around, not having managed to fully escape the food fight. "First the rubber bullets, and now this! This day has just been full of excitement--too much if you ask me." Of course, he had figured out that this was a prank caused by one of their students. Rather ingenious, but he hoped he didn't get that one as a student. He wouldn't know how to handle that kind of personality. Though in truth, he wouldn't know how to handle most of these people.

 

"I just can't wait for this day to be over..." the brunette moaned, sinking down his chair.

[Aix]

All this time which she had been silent, Valencia Valentino had been concentrating. If one looked closely, one might observe beads of sweat as her eyes bored through the newcomers. She was never really an academic type, but now, her mind was hard at work, making complex calculations that were being constantly updated every time she received new data. What was she focusing so hard on, one might wonder, and the answer was quite simple.

 

"I've decided!" she declared to herself. Eureka! With that, she walked off the staff podium and headed straight towards a thin, pink-haired girl who was sitting next to an older girl in a wheelchair. "You!" she called out dramatically, as she wrapped one arm around the girl. Jumping up and basically abducting the girl from her seat, she landed by a red-haired boy with lazy-looking eyes. Pulling an empty chair from nearby, she sat the bewildered girl in her arms down. Then, she put a hand on a shoulder of each of the two she had selected. "You two will be my new freshman OTP! I'm quite elated to meet you two, my name is Valencia Valentino, the Professor of Love, and I will be your mentor!" She paused for a moment. "I also teach Close Combat, that's a thing."

 

"You there. I'm a senior, and I'm going to take you as my pupil in this mentorship program. I believe that "no" is not really an option you can pick in this case."

 

Elizabeth glanced up to see a rather smug-looking blonde. Her blonde hair, facial features, blue eyes, she seemed noble at first, but her posture, the way she spoke, it was all wrong. Elizabeth could tell at all glance that this girl paid little attention to social norms. Perhaps it was all the better, she would be able to allocate more time and effort into her work. Getting up from her chair with a smile, Elizabeth extended a hand.

 

"Pleasure to meet you, I am quite honored to have been chosen. My name is Elizabeth Frankenstein."

 

After all had settled, the now very indignant noble stood up at the front of the hall with hastily dried stains all across his fine clothing. He pulled out a scroll, and extended it. Using Anima to enhance his lungs and vocal chords, he grabbed the attention of the crowd. "AHEM! I am Duke Frederick of Holsburg, and I bring a personal invitation from the Emperor to Daedalus College in order to participate in the first ever Clockwork Games in two months! The games will be a competition that involves all aspects of war academic study, including close combat, automaton combat, and more. There will be a Freshman division, and a Seniors' division. There will be generous prizes for winners, and the school with the most victories may even have one request granted by the Emperor himself!"

[Merci]

Just as Isaiah had been about to leave, he could feel his breathing getting harsher, even wheezing, forcing him to stay in his dorm room just a little longer, using his respirator in order to recover. There was no way he was going to present himself at dinner under such a deplorable state. Asthma was truly a troublesome condition, since for all the advances Brittania had made in the past few centuries, none of them were enough to cure it. His own gadgets and the use of anima could do nothing but stave it off.

 

I'm late. That could pose to be a problem, especially if all the promising ones have already been taken on as pupils by others... With a sigh, he stood up once he was convinced that he'd returned to normal, before heading towards the great hall.

 

Needless to say, he wasn't exactly expecting food to be scattered about all over the place, as if a food fight had just occurred. Which was utterly ridiculous. Perhaps one of the seniors or teachers had decided to prank them by hacking the automatons, or something like that. A remarkable feat, but wasted on such a pointless event. In the midst of it all, he spotted an emissary of the Emperor, his noble clothes dirtied and covered in food, fuming but trying to suppress his anger. Although the student did not exactly take pleasure in such things, the sight was indeed amusing.

 

"AHEM! I am Duke Frederick of Holsburg, and I bring a personal invitation from the Emperor to Daedalus College in order to participate in the first ever Clockwork Games in two months! The games will be a competition that involves all aspects of war academic study, including close combat, automaton combat, and more. There will be a Freshman division, and a Seniors' division. There will be generous prizes for winners, and the school with the most victories may even have one request granted by the Emperor himself!"

 

"...Oh?"

 

This was, unexpected.

 

But at the same time, this may very well be an opportunity for Isaiah, for him to prove his worth and boost his fame. Regardless of his scores, he was still quite the unknown in this academy, so a competition such as this may just be what he needed. He was certainly confident in his skills to get him through, at least in everything apart from close combat. That one could be a problem, considering the fact that he was more of a long-ranged fighter and didn't have the physique to counter brute force. But it was only a minor problem. If he put his mind into it, even hurdles like that could be overcome.

 

Now then, the real purpose of this whole dinner was for the mentors to select and acquaint themselves with their eventual pupil. Out of the corner of his mechanical eye, he spotted Caeil picking the girl she mentioned earlier. He was barely able to hear her name, something along the lines of Elizabeth Frankstein.

 

An entitled highborn banding with another entitled highborn. Ramillies and Frankstein. Why am I not surprised?

 

Not to say that he looked down on her chosen pupil's skill, it was quite the opposite actually - he simply preferred those who gained their intelligence through hard work rather than through a 'higher education'. Besides, he doubted that even with whatever skill she may have, that she would be able to impress him. It would be bothersome to start from the ground up.

 

Standing at the end of the grand dining hall, he closed his real eye, and used his mechanical one to scour the room. There was the foreigner who must've had a wealth of exotic knowledge, and regardless of whether he was a nobleman or not, it wouldn't matter in another country - someone with skill like his could be put to great use.

 

Apart from him, the eggplant girl was without a doubt promising, since her mannerisms were far more like those of a street rat than a noble, and the contraption she used was too inelegant to be a Daedalus Weapon, meaning that it had to be personally manufactured despite such a lowly status. She seemed like the type who had to build her way up to the top, and those kinds of people were the greatest, in a sense. His own great-grandfather had started out like that after all.

 

However, he'd already decided the one who was to be his pupil from the moment he entered the hall, and promptly walked up to two girls wearing hats, chatting to each other.

 

"My deepest apologies for the interruption. Greetings, and nice to meet you two. My name is Isaiah de Neirland, and I'm a senior here at Daedalus College. Yes, that Neirland, I get that frequently." He introduced himself with a kind, welcoming tone. "I see that quite the mess has transpired here, but it's good to see that the both of you have emerged unscathed. Might I ask what exactly happened?"

 

One of them had pink hair and wore a practical yet somewhat formal outfit, though different from what one would expect from a Britannian noble. A Hollander, perhaps? He glanced at her with a smile.

 

"That aside, if I'm not mistaken, you were...the girl who crawled past the rubber bullets carrying three large bags, correct? I can see that you show some promise, so I do hope you'll do well in the coming years. The rumour that nine out of ten students drop out by the end isn't merely a rumour, after all."

 

Whatever the case, she wasn't remotely important, as he was quick to turn towards the other girl, who oh so noticeably wore a military officer uniform, and was even more noticeably sitting in a wheelchair. Her red hair differed from her older sister's, but those blazing eyes couldn't be mistaken for anything else. Just looking at her was enough to determine her life story, an officer badly injured in battle, forced to temporarily retire and undergo proper education, and news travelled enough throughout Britannia that there could only be one such person. It was so obvious that there was no way she couldn't be who he thought she was.

 

"As for you, I'm sure you have already been informed about the mentorship program, so surely you must know why I'm here. Amongst everyone in this hall, you stand out the most. Your clothes imply that you have been associated with the Britannian military in the past, and you seem to have a discipline about you that none of the other freshmen possess." He bowed slightly to the girl in the wheelchair. "It would be my honour to take you on as a pupil. Of course, only if you don't mind. For all I know, I may end up being the one mentored."

 

A pause.

 

"Before that, might I know your name?"

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

"Pleasure to meet you, I am quite honored to have been chosen. My name is Elizabeth Frankenstein."

 

"...Frankenstein, huh? Do you happen to be a novelist?" Caeil casually asked. She did remind her of the writer of her favorite book...or was the resemblance was with the character inside that book instead? It had been a while since Caeil read the novel. Maybe she should ask the girl about it sooner or later. Either way, with her offer having been fully accepted by her, there's nothing much stopping her from eating now.

 

"Well then, with that being settled, I shall return to my seat. I'm expecting to see you again tomorrow, and if I had to, I'll drag you from your room.

 

So well, see you later and let's see if you'll disappoint me or-"

 

"But...but that's not fair, damn it!"

 

Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of someone yelling in annoyance was heard echoing through the hall. Turning around to seee who it was, Caeil was not surprised that it ended up being her "beloved" headmistress Victoria. She seemed to be really agitated with the nosy noble standing before her, though Caeil herself didn't know and didn't care about the reason why.

 

"Two months, seriously? That would mean those Warschool snobs would get twice the preparation time for their freshman division!"

 

"Keep your tone lower. It's improper for a woman at your position to speak like that."

 

"Sc...you're right.

 

Alright then, everyone. Listen to me. First of all, pardon me for my earlier outburst. That was simply uncalled for from your esteemed headmistress, yes. Then, on to the main thing that I need to address here.

 

As it had become apparent, there will be the tournament that our noble friend here have just announced to us. However, there is one detail that needs to be pointed out. It will definitely be a certainty that we will be facing off against our rival academy, Warschool Britannia in this competition. Unlike us, they have started their new academic year curriculum two months earlier than us, and being an academy in the capital, they will definitely hear about this competition far earlier than us.

 

To put it simply, their freshmen have twice the preparation time compared to ours.

 

So...we shall definitely adjust your curriculum for the next two months in accordance to this. And I expect the mentors in this place to give our freshmen their well-needed knowledge to effectively compete here. The result from this will, of course, affect your grades greatly.

 

So for your sake of your grades, your presence in this academy, and our beloved academy's pride, I expect every one of you to do your best to defeat War- I mean to win this competition.

 

Thank you all for your time."

 

 

Standing before Erina was a sickly-looking young man, looking at her with interest. Even if he talked with Charlotte earlier, it was clear that he was not interested in her at all from his tone, and was just doing that to show some courtesy - to not make himself sound like a rude person  Well, he looked like a senior, so he's probably here to be a mentor, looking for a potential pupil to pick. If he did pick her, Erina just hoped that he's not too irritating and that he actually excels at engineering and such.

"As for you, I'm sure you have already been informed about the mentorship program, so surely you must know why I'm here. Amongst everyone in this hall, you stand out the most. Your clothes imply that you have been associated with the Britannian military in the past, and you seem to have a discipline about you that none of the other freshmen possess."

 

Oh. So it's due to that. That explains things.

 

"It would be my honour to take you on as a pupil. Of course, only if you don't mind. For all I know, I may end up being the one mentored.

 

...

 

...

 

...

Before that, might I know your name?"

 

He watched Erina with a lot of interest in his eyes as she was still looking at the person in front of him closely, squarely in the eyes. She knew this look. She had seen it again and again, and it was, to put it simply, irritating. At that point, she was not even noticing when a teacher dragged Charlotte away from her, or when the principal freaked out momentarily before announcing something. She kept on staring at the young man, her eyes showing a slight contempt that while she tried to hold it back to avoid looking overly rude, it was not completely blockable by her and what she felt was shown clearly enough on her eyes.

 

"You...probably heard about me from my young sister, aren't you?"

 

Erina then sighed, shaking her head. She knew that her youngest sister, Franziska, was here in the academy. She couldn't confirm it yet, but the young man's sight made her simply conclude that he had heard abotu her from her sister. And thus, it seemed that even right here in the academy where she hoped to start a new life for herself, independent of others, she would still be chained to her father's and her sister's reputation.

 

That thought alone completely agitated her.

 

"Sigh...let me say this first before you get any misconception about me.

 

I am not a prodigy in fields that would be vital in this academy, such as engineering or anything related to automatons. If you have heard about my sisters...I'm very different from them, and they have nothing to do with who I am. Right now I'm just sitting here as one of the freshman in this academy. Not as a former Navy officer, not as my sister's sister, and not as my father's daughter. I'm here to learn.

 

But...yes. My name...as I suspected you actually have knew...I am Erina Leveson, older sister of Franziska Leveson, who still studies here, as far as I know."

 

She tried her best to not explode with an outburst of her frustration at the young man before her, though instead, she ended up sounding still a bit agitated. Though, she couldn't really care if the young man didn't end up picking her due to her not ending up being the prodigy that he made her to sound like in how he talked and looked at her. If she's not a prodigy now, she could still damn well be one later.

 

"You haven't told me who you are yourself."

 

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

"I'm surprised ye haven't burned holes in her by now." Julius turned to whoever it was that said that, only to glare at the redhead that had been scoffing a ham straight off the serving tray like a caveman would. Normally he'd have thought of the perfect rebuttal for this kind of statement by now, especially if it came from one of his old buddies that'd always give him a hard time with the subject in question. But this... scum? Personally, the less interaction he had with the man, the better he'd feel about this whole thing. So he ignored him and moved on, specifically to go help Stellar out with her modesty issue...



 & 

 

​"Hey there, sweet-cheeks," Julius said in a charming tone, "Something wrong?"

 

At first, Stellar showed a shyness towards Julius having approached her in this manner, which was of course completely understandable given her current state. But after a while, and a big gulp, she finally grew the nerves to spit out what it was that was troubling her.

 

"I... need to borrow a top, if you don't mind," she replied, "My own one's been dirtied by all this gravy that splashed on me."

 

"Well that's unfortunate," said Julius as he unraveled his scarf, "Here, you can use this for now. I'd appreciate it if I got it back once you're done, but..."

 

"...it's a temporary fix for the problem I have right now," Stellar finished Julius' sentence for him as she wrapped his scarf around her bra, "Thank you."

 

With that, Stellar and Julius grabbed some food and ended up dining together. They were quiet at first, with Stellar preferring the silence since she wasn't much of a talkative person. Eventually though, after hearing a couple more announcements, Julius had decided that the silence had gone long enough.

 

"So what do you think of this mentorship program?" he asked out of the blue.

 

"Well, as a senior, I could theoretically mentor any freshman I want," replied Stellar, "I'm just not sure I want anyone..."

 

"Not sure which ones are the smart ones, huh?" Julius assumed.

 

"Actually, I've an issue with the whole premise. For... personal reasons," said Stellar, "Besides, even if I were to pick the smarter freshman, it might defeat the purpose."

 

"Fair, enough," as he said this, Julius caught eye of a certain someone, "Anyway, I better go sell myself before all the good mentors are taken."

 

With that, Julius got up from his seat and approached the someone whose eye he'd caught. Specifically, he'd caught eye of a slightly taller, equally large-breasted blonde with alluring golden eyes. The woman seemed a little mature to be any kind of student, which quite frankly was all the better since teachers would likely have more to offer in the mentoring department. Julius figured he should come to the blonde teacher before she had the chance to pick anyone else, and so he did.

 

"Greetings, ma'am; Julius Conray at your potential service," Julius introduced himself, "May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

 

Of course, Julius was willing to ask all the questions that he had to before the teacher could make her mind about him. He was just hoping to have the honor.

[Dad]

Oswald

 

Oswald was face deep in food by the time he realized what Attwell was suggesting.  He was right.  Asking for a plate would have been easier.  But then, the bots would have extra work to do.  Shrugging it off, Oswald had finally finished gathering food and sneaked a place opposite Attwell before he started to dig in.  "Cheers, mate," he said tilting a glass to Attwell.  But before he could dig in, a rather sudden guest wrapped their arms around Attwell and another that Oswald didn't yet know.  She announced herself as a member of the academy's faculty.

 

"You two will be my new freshman OTP! I'm quite elated to meet you two, my name is Valencia Valentino, the Professor of Love, and I will be your mentor!"

 

Well, that was odd, but it was an exciting start.  "Congrats, Attwell," Oswald said taking a bite of the chicken from his plate.  "Sounds like you've got a great mentor."  Oswald wasn't one for mentors.  He had always done everything himself.  He would try to avoid eye contact and mentorship with seniors and teachers alike if it meant he could work his hardest.  And after shoveling food down his gullet, Oswald grinned.  He was full, and satisfied.  "Some pretty mean pickin' around here.  That was fantastic, it was."  Picking up his plate, Oswald headed straight to the kitchen with the intention to wash it.  Disregarding school policies and procedures, he bypassed many others--student and staff alike--and went straight into the kitchen.  And it was quite the mess.  There were dishes everywhere, and Oswald wouldn't stand for it.   He got right to work, singing a tune as he washed.

 

"Oooooooooooh~," Oswald began to scrub the dishes at incredible speeds.  "A man's man, is that I am.  Hard work by my hand's hand, that's how I stand!"

 

 

 

 

Claire Ingham

 

She watched from the back of the Great Hall silently, as teachers and students chose who they would mentor.  It was a wonderful sight.  They talked over a great meal and discussed their relationships of the future.  "What do you think, Mortimer?" she said softly.  Mortimer scanned the area, observing others carefully.  "Great potential is within these halls, Lady Ingham.  I look forward to the success of the academy.  The Headmistress will be proud."  Before Claire could relish in the thought of the upcoming school events, her stomach growled.  "Oops," she whispered again.  "Guess I'd better take a seat of my own then, hmm?"  Taking a seat nearest the door, Claire retrieved a lunch box from one of Mortimer's many compartments.  She was always prepared. 

[Cosmo.]

Charlotte was chatting with Erina about their roommates, rooms and in general their hopes for the academy, they didn't take any food yet, when suddenly a young man was walking towards them.

"My deepest apologies for the interruption. Greetings, and nice to meet you two. My name is Isaiah de Neirland, and I'm a senior here at Daedalus College. Yes, that Neirland, I get that frequently."

"That Neirland, who's that Neirland, is he a writer, maybe my mom has a few books by him, or maybe he's a musician, that would be cool, if it was a musician i would have probably know him though, i quite like music..."she thought. "My name's Charlotte Van Holl.... AHHH!!" She was introducing herself, when she got forcefully grabbed by her arm and made sit near another freshman.

"You two will be my new freshman OTP! I'm quite elated to meet you two, my name is Valencia Valentino, the Professor of Love, and I will be your mentor!" 

The professor said. "Oh a mentor, i didn't expect to get one so fast! My name's Charlotte Van Holland, it's a pleasure to meet you."Charlotte felt a bit awkward, but she had to introduce herself, it would be rude otherwise. "I'm Charlotte Van Holland, but people call me simply Charlotte or Char. Nice to meet you. Now if you excuse me, i'm starving i need to get some food." She said to the other freshman as she got up and went to the buffet.

She had a plate full of food, mashed potatoes, an omelette and colorful various vegetables occupied the plate. She went back to Erina "Sorry if i interrupt you two, but if you're looking for me i'll be sitting over there" she said. Charlotte then sat down and started eating her dinner.

[Astolfo]

An hour or few after all the students had arrived at their dorms, the headmistress’ booming voice could be heard, calling all down to dinner. Bolting upright and snapping to attention, Icarus shook his head to clear up his mid-daydream cobwebs. As the message made its way into his head, and he caught the last few words, he looked around for his roommate.

 

”W-We have to hurry, or we’ll be late and we won’t get food! But we’re on the third floor, what are we going to do whatarewegoingtodowhatarewegoingto-” Running around in circles, it was almost reminiscent of a hamster frantically running on its wheel.

 

”Settle down,” Verona said, hatching a plan. Nobody ever said it was a good one though. Making her way to the window, the freshman said ”Going down the stairs would take too long.” Opening the window and looking down, the ground below them had some pavement, but there was a grassy spot if one could jump far enough. Landing on the pavement was probably a bad idea. Turning to face her roommate, Verona asked ”You’re not scared of heights, are you?”

 

Icarus’ gaze followed Verona as she made her way to the window, and an idea of what she was about to do slowly bubbled up in his head, leading him to immediately start shaking his head. ”Nonono this is a terrible idea! We’re not supposed to jump out the windows, I’m sure it’s a rule somewhere, and ahh, we might get hurt too! I-I-It’s not like I’m afraid of h-h-heights or anything though! Nope, no way!” Stuttering quickly as his tongue tripped over his own words, one could almost see the steam whistling out of Icarus’ ears.

 

”It’ll be fine!” Verona insisted, gripping Icarus’s wrist and bringing him to the wall opposite the open window. ”You just need a running start, and try to roll into your landing. Watch!” To prove her point, Verona got down on her hands and feet as though about to participate in a race, took a deep breath, then dashed forward with all the strength her legs could muster. Jumping out of a window was a new experience to Verona, but she knew when to jump through the open space. The descent of three stories toward the ground below...this was a thrill that never got old. Just barely avoiding hitting the pavement, Verona rolled into her landing as advised, and couldn’t help but exclaim aloud ”What a rush!” as she got up to her feet.

 

Turning up to face the window she’d jumped out of, she called out ”Now it’s your turn, Icarus!”

 

Icarus almost had a mini-heart attack when his roommate decided to test flying out for herself, but was able to breathe again when he saw that she landed safely - although it was a tad too close for comfort. Stressing out, he quickly backpedaled, looking into the hallway to make sure no one was watching, and then out the window to do the same.

 

”Thisisabadideawe’reallgoingtogetintroubleandgetdetentioooonnnn!!

 

Running at full speed before jumping out the window, Icarus caught his foot on the sill, immediately causing him to spin around and swing towards the wall again. Panicking, his iridescent wings instantaneously burst into the air, expanding out - albeit half-crookedly - helping him to keep his face away from the rock and spin frantically around as he tried to regain his balance and land properly. Flapping as fast as he could, he veered sharply when a gust of wind hit his wings, causing him to be yanked off balance and slam into the nearest tree. Landing on the ground in a jumbled-up upside-down heap, he stared at Verona with an aggrieved expression as his wings rapidly retracted once more.

 

Verona was, to say the least, surprised at the sight of wings. If she’d known her new roomie had such a cool trick up his sleeve, she’d have probably thought of going out the window sooner. That would be something cool to have in a roommate. Gripping Icarus’s wrist again, Verona began dragging him toward the main building. ”Come on, we can’t miss the feast! There’s gonna be lots of food!”

 

Gingerly stretching out his arms as he felt the prickles and scratches left by his less-than-perfect fall, Icarus sighed when Verona immediately grabbed his wrist and started dragging him to the dining hall. It didn’t seem like he’d get a break anytime soon. But it wasn’t too bad, he realized. And thinking about how upbeat and lively Verona was all the time, he thought the attempt at jumping out the window might have even been a bit exhilarating.

 

Quickly straightening up so his clothes didn’t get dust all over them and running along with her, they soon arrived at the Great Hall. It was obvious at this point they were late though, and gingerly stepping in, hoping that Verona and him wouldn’t be noticed, they snuck through the doors. Looking around, it seemed as if some sort of food-fight had broken out, before being ended just as quickly. Sighing as he wondered who was the one behind that particular incident, Icarus moved to grab a seat, but then turned around and grabbed Verona’s hand.

 

”Let’s eat together!” Suddenly turning red when he wondered if that might’ve been a bit forceful, Icarus reiterated his words. ”I-I mean, if you want to that is.”

 

”Let’s chow down!” Verona enthusiastically responded. Food tasted better when eaten in good company, and there was no reason to turn down the person she’d be living with. She’d have to get familiar with them eventually; better now than later.

 

A wide smile burst out on his face when Icarus heard her response. Sitting down in the seat next to her, they both began to eat when apparently some Duke started shouting. Pausing mid-bite, Icarus tuned in, hearing about the upcoming ‘Clockwork Games’. When he heard that they might even get one wish granted by the Emperor himself, Icarus couldn’t help but get super-excited. The events seemed super-fun, and if the Emperor could perhaps help him, he might even get to finally find out where he had come from and where his memories had disappeared to!

 

Icarus looked across to Verona, his eyes sparkling with energy.

 

”That seems super fun! I hope our school wins!”

 

”One wish from the Emperor himself. That would be nice…” With that one wish, Verona could see so much done. Well, now she had a goal. And Verona Roberts wasn’t a girl who let anything stop her easily when she had a goal in mind. Tearing a large bite into a piece of meat and subsequently chewing and swallowing, Verona exclaimed ”We’re gonna win that thing!”

[Sethera]

Attwell shrugged at the cold reaction he got from the bluenette. Not like he expected anything more from a toffee-nosed noble. Still, he couldn't resist the urge to josh him. He had looked a mite thick standing there like that. Thick as a brick? he sniggered. Oh, he loved the rhyming cockney of the city.

 

Glancing back at Ozzie, the thief saw that he looked to have finished gathering the grub and was returning to sit opposite him. "Cheers, mate," the blond raised a glass, and Attwell returned it with a grin. However, before he could finish his meal, a strange woman with two-toned hair, holding a younger girl with pink hair, put a hand on his shoulder. "You two will be my new freshman OTP! I'm quite elated to meet you two, my name is Valencia Valentino, the Professor of Love, and I will be your mentor!"

 

Wait what?! Attwell turned to his roommate with a pleading gaze that said, "Help me." Seemingly oblivious to his plight, the traitor just mumbled around a bite of chicken, "Congrats, Attwell." Eh? He was supposed to help him when he got accosted by a mentaller. "Some pretty mean pickin' around here.  That was fantastic, it was," the man picked up his plate and left for the kitchen. He was just spreading salt on the wound now, wasn't he? Taking up and leaving just like that. They were not after forming a bond? Oh, he would remember this, or his name amn't Attwell O'Donogh. The redhead shot his so-called new friend's back an evil look.

 

"I also teach Close Combat, that's a thing." What? This header taught close combat? He had thought she taught romance studies or some other nobbish thing. Glancing at the woman yet again, he heard the other girl speak. "Oh a mentor, I didn't expect to get one so fast! My name's Charlotte Van Holland, it's a pleasure to meet you." Oh, she had the same accent as the traitor, Ozzie. He was definitely getting a pillow thrown at him tonight. Or some other mild prank. The girl turned to him, "I'm Charlotte Van Holland, but people call me simply Charlotte or Char. Nice to meet you. 

 

"Nice to meet the both of yous too. Me name's Attwell O'Donogh," he replied, still a little gobsmacked at this sudden development.

 

"Now if you excuse me, I'm starving I need to get some food." And with that, the girl went to the buffet and piled it high with food. She had her priorities straight, at least.

 

Attwell took this chance to observe the teacher. Lean and lanky like him, she seemed extremely relaxed on the surface, but a romantic at heart apparently. Still, there was something about her...something that set his instincts on edge. Or it could just be because she's obviously a bit gone in the head. Still, best tread carefully around that one. And what did she mean by mentor? Had the school made an announcement before he and Ozzie arrived?

 

Before he could ask about that, the headmistress' voice caught his attention. "But...but that's not fair, damn it! Two months, seriously? That would mean those Warschool snobs would get twice the preparation time for their freshman division!"

 

Oh, Warschool. Hadn't he heard of that? From...Antony if he remembered right. He'd said to watch out for them. So they were some sort of rivals to Daedalus then?

 

The headmistress then addressed the gathered crowd. "Alright then, everyone. Listen to me. First of all, pardon me for my earlier outburst. That was simply uncalled for from your esteemed headmistress, yes. Then, on to the main thing that I need to address here." The main thing being that they were in fact rivals and there was some sort of competition going on.

 

Attwell shrugged. Not like he wasn't already gonna try his best here. That aside... He turned to Miss Valentino. "So...what's this 'bout a mentor?"

 

 

"Dear me, mentoring sounds like a bother. We don't have to do this, do we?" Bartholomew asked the nearest person. When said person just shook his head, he gave a sigh of relief. "Phew! Well, that's a relief! Though..." he glanced around the hall. "Well, maybe I can mentor somebody. They have to be a nice person though. I don't want to be picked on by my own student. And they should be interested in alchemy. Or maybe that's too much? Fine, just as long as they're nice, then I'm good with that." The person next to him just shook his head again and continued eating. When Bart started to ramble, it was best to just ignore him.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"Greetings, ma'am; Julius Conray at your potential service, may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

 

'Ah, hello. Me..? I am Violet Eightclouds, at your service." Violet answered the young blue-haired boy, slightly disinterestedly if going with her tone. The boy didn't strike up as someone interesting or manipulable enough for her. Still, looking at him slightly more as she tried to find something for her to be interested with him, Violet got the impression that he was someone resourceful, and from how he formed his sentence...maybe he's actually someone that tried to manipulate others too for his own gains? If that was really the case, then it could be interesting. Violet herself didn't really care much about the mentorship program for the most part, so even if her initial judgment on the boy was wrong, she wouldn't be disappointed too much. Smiling eeriely, Violet then continued to speak while she looked at the boy's eyes closely.

 

"I reckon you are interested in being my pupil, am I right? Then so be it, Julius.

 

Hopefully you can survive me~"

 

---

[Love of Ghibli]

In his haste to exit the party Tristan didn't get to hear the announcement about the school participating in the special games. Though this was something he already knew seeing as the Master of Whispers would be pretty bad at his job if he couldn't hear about a public announcement before hand. Nevertheless, he knew this would bring a lot more attention to the school than he really needed. More attention to the school means more attention to the faculty. Usually his military service record was enough to deter the onlookers, but games like this can have a shady aspect to them. Meaning shady people get involved. 

Speaking of Shady people Tristan walked his way to his little apartment a little ways off campus and once he went inside he noticed a little gift wrapped up for him on his bed. Someone had tied up his friend from before. I know I don't sleep on the bed often but this is inconvenient. He said as he removed the covering seeing that it was his same friend from his past life all growed up. As Jacob started gasping for air the two former friends made eye contact. What are you doing here? A friend can't say "hi." Tristan goes into his closet and picks up his Whisper Blade and a unsheathes it. Oh come on, I know you won't kill me and we both no I was better at taking a hit. You don't scare me. It's been a very long time since those days. In hindsight I've noticed that our characters were very...very lenient on us. They had to preserve our beauty, remember. Now we are too old to worry about such a luxury. The malice in Tristan's eyes struck true fear into Jacob. Jacob knew that what was coming was going to be far worse than anything he had ever faced. 

Okay wait! Look I came looking for a job! That's a lie. Its the truth! It's been hard to find work ever since what they did to us. We were children then and we're both over forty...So you must've been able to do something to pass the time and now. Well yeah but that was simple assassination jobs. sure they pay well but I couldn't just live my life killing people. Tristan tried his best to hide his snicker. Well you could actually and it wouldn't necessarily be the worst life. Let me guess you have nightmares too. Meh, alcohol helps. Your liver? Don't ask questions.

Tristan and Jacob exchanged a few back and forth words and he realized that even though Jacob had another motive it might be good to have someone off the books do more than just whisper when the games come around. Alright Jacob I think I do have a job for you. Some very important games are coming up and I think some rather dark elements are coming my kids way. Well its always good to fight fire with fire, but the two of us...Isn't that just a little unfair. Who cares about being fair? I want my kids to win. 

[宇佐見 蓮子@C94]

Though a roommate is to be expected, Aegis certainly didn't expect one to arrive so soon. For one, she had made sure to enter the building first, leaving the others in the dust. Not to mention, this is the third floor, right? So when the door opened, needless to say, Aegis felt somewhat surprised. Still, she was too engrossed in the joy of snuggling up to her blanket to really care.

"Sorry about the door and your things. So it's me again. I see you're finished with your sandwich now. Oh, and your eggplant automaton is really, really cool! I really love machines and stuff like that. Can you show it to me again? Oh, oh right, names. My name's Zeta, nice to meet ya! What's yours?"

"Aaaah, he's started saying stuff... So loud, too..."

Aegis thought to herself. She didn't pay any close attention to what he's been saying, so instead she lazily jumped off the bed, still wrapped in the army blanket and sluggishly walked over to Zeta with her eyes half-closed.

"Nnnmn... 'Ello to you and stuff... Your bed's the one over there... Ah!"

As she raised a finger to point on the clean, untouched bed beside her, Aegis finally got a good look at her roommate.

"You're the snazzy guy from earlier! The one who tried to talk to me when I was eating a sandwich, right?! What a coincidence~!" Aegis raised her arms in innocent joy, causing her blanket to fall off. She then moved on to eye the guy standing in front of him. As unrefined and uncouth as she is, Aegis is still a lady, and thus she has a sense of reservation or two about letting a man bunk up and sleep in the same room as her. As she leaned forward to get a good look at Zeta, Heimdall suddenly fluttered into the room, gliding just beside its owner.

"Hm! You don't seem like the dangerous type, so it's fine." She grabbed Heimdall as she turned around and walked back to her bed, stopping midway through to turn around, Heimdall nested like a plush toy in her arms.

"Ah right, almost forgot, forgot. My name's Aegis. I'll be in your care!"

Closing her eyes, she let out a bright, cheery smile.

When the girl flopped off the bed and then shuffled over and apparently half-asleep as well, Zeta couldn't help but internally sigh a little. A few seconds later, she immediately burst into full life, exclaiming about her revelation. Something about the half-silly but cheerful expression made Zeta unable to hold back his mirth, causing the corners of his mouth to upturn slightly. When she dropped her blanket, he moved to pick it up for her, as would be respectful, but she suddenly leaned up, coming close to his face. Stumbling backwards in surprise, he noticed the eggplant automaton from before buzzing near her. The girl seemed to deem him fine for being not dangerous though, which he couldn't help but find slightly amusing.

"Thanks for the approval."

"Ah right, almost forgot, forgot. My name's Aegis. I'll be in your care!"

"Nice to meet you Aegis! And I'll be in your care as well!"

When offered a smile as warm and wide as hers, Zeta could feel him becoming instantly relaxed and comfortable around her, as if she had been a long-lost friend.

The announcement for everyone to come to dinner came a short time later. Walking down and joining the rest of the students on their way, Zeta grabbed a plate of food and waited for Aegis to do the same, before motioning her over to a table to sit together. The plan to eat was interrupted by the headmistress coming in with a grandiose welcoming speech however, which soon devolved into a foodfight, which ended just as quickly.

Sighing and staying out of the trouble, what caused Zeta to perk his ears was what some Duke shouted across the room. Apparently there was to be a multi-school wide competition, and the winning school would get one wish granted by the Emperor himself! At the word "Emperor" though, Zeta had a momentary flashback to his home, thinking of the Emperor there. Wincing as a pang of homesickness struck him, he wondered if he could perhaps find a way back, through the Emperor's help, if their school won. Looking over to Aegis, he wondered just what she was thinking about the sudden flood of everything that had just happened from the headmistress' speech to the foodfight to now this, a huge chance for a huge reward.

What he saw was just a nonchalant, almost completely dull look. Noticing Zeta look at her, Aegis turned, asking, "What?" Sighing, Zeta motioned towards where the Duke was

"Aren't you excited? You know, about the Clockwork Games thing! If our school wins, we get to have a wish granted by the Emperor himself!"

 

Simply staring at him, Zeta began to feel slightly uncomfortable.

"If I don't get to blow things up, I'm not really interested-nya."
 

Frowning slightly as he took a moment to comprehend what she was saying, it clicked a half second later.

He was roommates with a girl who loved explosives. This was going to be quite a… bombastic experience, not even counting the chance their room might blow up along the way.

[Merci]

"I am not a prodigy in fields that would be vital in this academy, such as engineering or anything related to automatons. If you have heard about my sisters...I'm very different from them, and they have nothing to do with who I am. Right now I'm just sitting here as one of the freshman in this academy. Not as a former Navy officer, not as my sister's sister, and not as my father's daughter. I'm here to learn."

 

Her tone seemed agitated, perhaps because she believed that she was being held far too highly. As though he'd heard something amusing, the senior student chuckled somewhat. "Why of course. If you had already excelled as Knight-Operator, then there would be no reason to attend this college regardless of your condition, now would there? Truly, I have high expectations for you, Ms. Leveson, but relax, for they are nothing beyond reason... In a sense, the fact that you are admitting your lack of skill despite your former high status is itself a good sign. Even if you lack the knowledge, you have the necessary discipline. The mindset of a soldier. Which is more than what could be said of these other freshmen."

 

"But...yes. My name...as I suspected you actually have knew...I am Erina Leveson, older sister of Franziska Leveson, who still studies here, as far as I know."

 

Taking a step back, he held his hands behind his back and bowed as a sign of respect. "It is my pleasure to meet you, Ms. Leveson. As for your sister, we have talked more than once - though I'm afraid she never mentioned you. I have not seen her since the start of this term."

 

"You haven't told me who you are yourself."

 

It seemed that the other teachers and seniors were already choosing their own pupils, meaning that it was a good thing he'd been able to get to the one he wanted before anyone else could. The opportunity to mentor a former military officer was one that simply couldn't be thrown away, after all, especially if they were the daughter of Admiral Leveson. Not to mention, he had to admit that there was some part of her that resonated with him - her ill condition and his, along with the pressure of being descended from a famous military figure, he couldn't yet imagine a reason why they would not get along.

 

"Is that so? I thought I had... No matter. My name is Isaiah Faccio de Neirland. You are free to call me whatever you wish, and as my name may imply, I am also the great-grandson of the historical General Isaac de Neirland, most famous for tipping the balance in the Great Empire War a century ago, such and such. Unlike him, however, I am attending Daedalus College instead of Warschool Britannia, and am now a senior here."

 

Isaiah took a moment to observe his surroundings, assessing what everyone else was doing, before turning back to the former officer. His throat was beginning to feel a bit itchy, a familiar sensation that he had known as long as he could remember. Most of the time, such as right now, something this minor could easily be managed by using anima. Although, if that was all it took to cure his lung disease, then he wouldn't have ever needed to design his suit nor the accompanying respirator. Which most certainly was not the case. Occasionally, it would act up in ways that could not be treated with his power alone.

 

"Please forgive me if my appearance may look...frail in any way. I was born with an illness called asthma that affects my lungs. The challenge of overcoming it and meeting the expectations of me has never been easy." He informed her, using a slightly less formal tone. "Nonetheless, should you let me be your mentor, I assure you that it will not be a hindrance in any way. You will find that I am quite capable of handling myself, especially since I have made it all the way here. Perhaps you can empathize with this plight of mine."

[Aix]

Elizabeth sighed inwardly as the girl didn't even notice her offered hand nor respond with her own name. Truly, there should be a limit to how unaware and inept one should be to social conventions; humans couldn't live without society. Yet, this actually drew her curiosity a little. A social recluse, Elizabeth had little opportunity to observe such people for obvious reasons; she had a rather introverted distant cousin, but he shied away from her when she tried approaching him at a family gathering, and never once appeared again.

 

The whole fiasco involving the noble and the Headmistress was mostly ignored and put off to a corner of her mind, Elizabeth had little care for competitions, although she thought she would certainly enjoy spectating and seeing the capital once more.

 

"I certainly recall there had been a rather fanciful novel based on a great-great-uncle of mine. Before you leave, madam, may I ask your name?"

 

Valencia Valentino frowned as the girl seemed quite perturbed and promptly left. What a boring and normal reaction... but she was sure she could coax some better reactions out of the girl some day. She glanced over at the red-haired boy instead.

 

"So...what's this 'bout a mentor?"

 

"It means I'll be in charge of you, kid," said Valencia. "If you have any problems or questions, know that I'm always here for you. My specialty is close combat, so I also intend to train you two in that regard with my free time. You'll be my own special private students, I suppose."

[Sethera]

"It means I'll be in charge of you, kid," said Valencia. "If you have any problems or questions, know that I'm always here for you. My specialty is close combat, so I also intend to train you two in that regard with my free time. You'll be my own special private students, I suppose."

 

Oh? This would be fun. Close combat was what he specialized in, after all. "Looking forward to it, ma'am," Attwell grinned. He didn't have a mum, but he still knew his manners, after all.

 

The evening continued in much the same vein, the redhead chatting with a few other friendly fellas, and getting to know his mentor a bit more. She seemed a friendly sort, if not a bit mental, and he wondered just how things would go with her as a mentor. He also noticed a few interesting people, such as the bird in the wheelchair who knew that Charlotte person, or that enthusiastic pair of people, one of whom, the girl, seemed to have the same air of rascally charm he did. Wouldn't mind learnin' her story, he thought.

 

Still, everybody seemed to have found their "group" as it were, and it was obvious he wasn't part of any of them. S'pose Ozzie and I make for a group, and p'raps Charlotte and Miss Valentino could also be considered a group. But he did want to expand his circle, so the thief would be keeping a weather eye out for any interesting fellas, and mayhap getting to know them more too.

 

--

 

When dinner ended, Attwell returned to his room, only to see his roommate there already. Oh yeah. Ozzie still deserves to be pranked for what he did. "Oi, Ozzie, where were ye? You abandoned me to the tender mercy of a mentaller, ya know. That's not on. Not on at all." He also noticed the hole in the wall hadn't been seen to yet. Well, it'll keep the room from getting stuffy, so I don't mind. And a drafty room was better than no room, in his humble opinion.