Private Tales Summa cum laude

[Zael Castomir]

Here's a great fucking idea. Train the best warrior-mages, drawn from all across Vel Anir's holdings, in the most intensive, strict, and brutal regimen known to Arethil, hone them into razor sharp weapons of war...and then send them all the way across Liadain to eat cake and make nice with the students at the College of Elbion. For what reason, exactly? Because some dumb smart guy who managed to get elected into the Republic (or some Captain Grealish type in the Guard, who knew) thought it would help the killing machines they themselves had been training for ten plus years get more in touch with their human sides. Or some bullshit.

Zael didn't have anything against Elbion, the students of the College, nothing like that. He and some other Initiates got into a harrowing scrap with some traveling College students and all of them had to fend off a swarm of Kraits together. Good times. What Zael had a problem with were the idiots and hypocrites in the Republic and/or in the Anirian Guard.

But. Here he was now.

He and Delaney Lennox had been selected to participate in what they were calling an "exchange program"--a test run of it. Some kind of deal way above even Proctor Penworth's, their chaperone's, head had been reached between the Republic and the Merchant Council. So...he and Delaney were just supposed to be here and fraternize with a couple College students who'd likewise been wrangled into this. That was it. No mission, no objective--nothing as concrete as "kill everything in this town" or "capture this rebel leader" or the like. Just that. Exchange cultures, see what it was like elsewhere.

Presently, Zael and Delaney stood before the massive walls which surrounded the College campus. Proctor Penworth was up at the gate just a little ways away, going through some necessary paperwork and administrative bullshit with the sentries posted there. Man, Zael was glad that it was Proctor Penworth here with them. This fucking guy was a piece of work. Everyone knew he took slacking and elevated it into a pure artform. And yeah, Zael was equally glad Delaney was here too and not someone like, say, Noel. Zael absolutely got the drive to be the best but damn, when you work hard you can't forget to play hard too.

And that was the idea. If they had to be here for this exchange thing, might as well play hard.

Zael was without his armor, just in normal clothes: doublet, pants. Apparently being in armor would've sent the wrong message. But at least he still had his sword at his hip.

He glanced over to Delaney. Said, "Can you believe we've been sent here and we're not supposed to kill anyone?"

Then an amusing thought occurred to him, and he laughed.

"Man, I'm startin to sound like Edric."

Delaney Lennox

 

[Delaney Lennox]

Delaney was extremely skeptical of this exchange program. She was also curious why they had decided on Zael and herself instead of Kristen Pirian or Chasmine. The good kids. The kids that wouldn't have to worry about. Zael with his fire and Delaney with her shadows...this was going to be a clustfuck.

Like her partner, she would normal clothes. Black top, black pants, black boots. Delaney was a simple girl. Her long white hair was pulled up into a ponytail that swished behind her with every step.

"I believe that they made a terrible decision and I am going to have to find a good place to hide the bodies." She responded to Zael. "At least they didn't send Bull. Everyone in Elbion would be dead within the week..."

Delaney Lennox

 

[Zael Castomir]

Zael had a nice throaty snicker at that.

"Dead and missin their ears, that nasty fuck." Everyone knew Bull had a thing for stalking after their weaker peers, and even lower classmen. He'd racked up a few kills--and those were just the ones other Initiates knew about. That wasn't out of the ordinary for how the Academy used to be, you had to do what you had to do, but, heh, with Bull being Bull, not even the crowd Delaney rolled with--Liliana's lot--wanted anything to do with him.

One train of thought led into another. Maybe Zael and Delaney were here because they got on someone's bad side. Some kind of punishment via awkwardness and boredom--such a thing wasn't novel by Academy standards.

"Delaney," he said, perking an eyebrow. "You reckon we were selected for this as punishment? Heh, maybe our little tavern party in Vel'Yuna got complained about. Some Proctor drew straws. Liza, Kristen, Gaage, and Alistair luck out, and here we are. What do you think? That or somethin else?"

Delaney Lennox

 

[Delaney Lennox]

Delaney let out a hmmm at his question. "It could be that. It has to be. I haven't done anything..." The words lingered in the air between them. Her face was deadly serious as she thought about the trouble she had, indeed, gotten into. Her shadows were needy bitches and she hadn't been on a mission in a little bit. Shit happened.

The real question was what did Zael do?

"Do you think we are going to have to share a room?" Her lip curled slightly in disgust. She loved having her own room at the Academy and she had no desire to share a room with a goodie Elbion student. Zael would be a better option either. She could deal with him.

Zael Castomir

 

[Zael Castomir]

Delaney had herself a pause as Zael could almost see in her expression the recounting of her troublemaking flashing through her mind. Made for two of 'em--Zael would need a parchment as long as the road from Vel Anir to Elbion if he had to write down everything that ran him afoul of the Proctors. It was all a delicate balancing act. Or was, at least, back when the Proctors could bury any Initiate they wanted to. If he hadn't consistently shown great promise, his recalcitrant streak would've earned him a nice cozy unmarked grave next to all the other washouts.

Do you think we are going to have to share a room?

"I fuckin hope so," Zael said with a bright grin. "I hope it's right in our College buddies' rooms. I'll sleep right in my own buddy's bed like I own it. Make him massage my feet or feed me grapes or somethin. If his room is trashed by the end of this I can just chalk it up to 'cultural differences.'"

Delaney Lennox

 

[Delaney Lennox]

Delaney threw Zael a side glance, "I am sure your roommate will love you so very much."

The two Dreadlord Initiates and Proctor Penworth finally arrived to find a matronly looking woman and two students around their age.

"I am Professor Matthews. I will be in charge of you both while you are here for the exchange program," the matronly woman said. Her voice was light but it had they undertone that could strike fear into a students heart. "This," she pointed at the boy, "is Eric. This," she pointed at the girl, "is Iliana."

Delaney couldn't help the snort that left her. It wasn't that their names were Eric and Iliana. It was that their names were so close to Edric and Liliana. It was like they were unable to escape the Academy even so far away.

"They will be your roommates, classmates, and guides. Proctor Penworth, let's go get you settled." With that the two adults left the four teenagers to their own devices.

VigiloConfido

 

[Zael Castomir]

The College was a grand structure, tall and impressive. Zael had been to Vel Anir proper a few times, he'd seen the Keep of Anir in the far distance and over the tops of the combined cityscape, and yeah, he'd say the College was a lot like the Keep. Wasn't this place hit by a Great Dragon some time back, though? Either they cleaned up fast or that was some bullshit tall tale.

In any case, they were here. Grand arching doors flung open to reveal the majestic foyer, its ceiling so high that Zael wasn't sure he could Fire Jump his way up to touch the top. Proctor Penworth and an Elbionese official led Zael and Delaney through hall after hall. There were kids of seemingly all ages around: chatting in small groups, laughing on their way to another class, nose deep in studying on benches, practicing harmless little cantrips at round tables with their friends and classmates. Zael was quick to note the one common thread through all of the students: they didn't have that look, that hard edge which defined a Dreadlord and the trials they had all faced and overcome at the Academy. The only blood they had ever seen were scraped knees and papercuts. They were soft.

Into a waiting room of sorts Zael and Delaney were led. Small, cozy, probably a place some of those bookworms out there came to study if it wasn't occupied.

Introductions.

And Zael perked an eyebrow, his head tilted in mild bewilderment, one side of his mouth stretched long in the same. Eric...and Iliana. No fucking way. This was surreal. Eric was even a short, scrawny lad with what Zael knew was going to be a reedy voice. Iliana was smiling brightly, hands clasped in front of herself, and she looked all the world to be a genuinely nice and naive person; she also had the build of a grain-fed farmgirl and tanlines to match.

The door closed as Penworth and Matthews departed. Zael craned his head over to look at Delaney, not even bothering to address either student yet.

"This is some kind of joke, isn't it? Some big elaborate joke. Ain't no way this is real." He bit his bottom lip, holding in a laugh. "This is too good."

Delaney Lennox

 

[Delaney Lennox]

"I think I have to agree with you," Delaney mused as she sized up their partner students. They were definitely not what she had been expecting but at the same time they were exactly what she had been expecting. Soft and adorable. It was hard to believe that these kids had magic like the Dreadlords with how sweet they looked.

"I am Delaney and that," she tilted her head towards Zael, "is Zael."

Iliana cocked her head to the side and smiled sweetly for a moment before her her smile shifted into something else.

"It is so nice to meet you, Delaney and Zael. Let's get a few things straight right off the bar. Eric and I get chosen for these little assignments because we are tied for number one in our class. We are also model students and every single professor believes that to be true. If you two do so much as breathe a word of what we actually get into, we will bury you so deep that you will never be found again..."

Gone was the sweet, naïve farm girl and in her place stood a woman who was already well on her way to being on Delaney's good side. Eric had shifted so his arms were across his chest and a smirk was on his lips.

Zael Castomir

 

[Zael Castomir]

Well, ho-lee-shit, dunk Zael into a vat of pink dye, pin a squiggly tail on his ass, and call him a pig--he hadn't seen that coming. These two looked like if Tinker had decided to play a prank on Edric and Liliana by making completely inverted versions of them--minus all the creepy doll stuff. Seemed the inversion stopped there. Which was great. Meant these two would have some spine.

"Don't threaten me with a good time," Zael said, flashing a fiendish grin to Iliana. "I might just breathe every word all over any--what the hell did you call em?--ah, 'professor' who just so happens to ask."

Eric spoke up, indignant. "She said--"

"Who the fuck was talkin to you?" Zael threw out a hand, swept it up and down, indicating the whole of Eric's scrawny body. "If Iliana here gave you a handjob, she'd rip your legs from your torso. Use the same polite tone you use to her with me and I'll let you keep both lips."

Zael gave an upward jerk of his chin, crossing his arms, inviting the two students to fire their own verbal assaults back at him, or, hell, fuck it, Delaney too, why not? This was how he bonded with people. One of the ways. The other way of taking in another's measure being a good fight. He, Delaney, every Initiate, all of them were connoisseurs of a good fight whether they wanted to say it out loud or not.

"Come on. What do you got? Hit me with it."

Delaney Lennox

 

[Delaney Lennox]

Delaney threw Zael the look as he gave poor Eric a dressing down. Who would've thought that Delaney would be the more civil one here...well...at least for now.

It seemed that Iliana enjoyed Zael's little speech too based on the smirk that had formed on her lips. "I will have you know that Eric is twice the man you will ever be, Mr. Castomir." Yes, Iliana and Eric had done their research on their Dreadlord exchange students. "He could quite literally make you disappear off the face of the planet. Now, shall we take a tour?"

Iliana did not wait for the two Initiates to respond before she started walking. Delaney followed after in silence as she smiled at Zael. It was clear that their hosts were fucking and while that fact made zero sense to Delaney, she had to give the girl props for standing up for her man.


"Don't pout, Zael, it is unbecoming," she said with a smile and bumped his arm with her elbow.

Zael Castomir

 

[Zael Castomir]

Zael lifted a hand and shook it in a quick, seesawing manner, that and his slight grimace indicating his middling impression. "I'll give that a three out of ten. We'll work on those jests until you got one that leaves me stumped in admiration."

They had enough time for that and to teach Eric how to suplex the shit outta someone. Kress, Zael wanted to see that. It'd be like when you spotted an ant scurrying along on the ground hauling some morsel eight times his size above his head and you just had to root for the little guy.

Iliana was quick to get the show on the road, and Eric dutifully followed her lead. Well, time to see how these "mages" went about their lives and their training and their classes. Zael, honestly, was curious about the whole thing. The College had an entirely different atmosphere about it. Foreign, really, something Zael would've never thought possible. Were these students even ready for battle? That...was what they were being training for, right? Battle? Of course. But everybody was so lax and happy, so far as Zael could see--they'd get crushed in a war.

Out in the hall as they walked, Delaney chimed in. Zael smirked. Oh what was this now, two versus one? His favorite. And if Gaage and Kristen were involved, Delaney's favorite too.

"Pout? You get into Chasmine's stash, Del?" And, partially referencing Iliana's earlier jab, he said, "I don't do the talkin for my dick, I let my dick do the talkin."

Delaney Lennox

 

[Delaney Lennox]

"You are disgusting, Zael!" Delaney growled in a joking manner. She, too, had noticed how happy everyone was here and it unnerved her. She was a happy person...when she was watching the life drain out of someone's eyes. These students were just happy.

"Is everyone so happy all the time?" Delaney asked the Elbion students.

Iliana looked back at her with a confused look. "I don't know what you mean...everyone is just...normal?" She replied with a shrug.

"You don't have to worry about a fellow student snapping and killing people? The Proctor - err professors - beating you?" Sure, the Academy had changed in the past year but there were still some Proctors that subscribed to the old ways.

Iliana stopped and turned to look at the dreadlords, "um...no...what the fuck do they do at your Academy?!"

Delaney just looked over at Zael like a whole new world had opened up.

Zael Castomir

 

[Zael Castomir]

You wouldn't think it, but there were a good number of girls around the Academy who were surprisingly prudish. As if they weren't all being trained to become Vel Anir's greatest weapons, blood and guts and all--and a few coarse comments were enough to bunch up their undershorts? Get out of here. Not Delaney though, and that's what made her alright by Zael's reckoning.

It didn't take much of a back and forth to get Iliana off-balance, despite the tough girl airs she'd put on back in the meeting room. Yeah, look, its how it was: the Students and the Initiates just came from two different worlds. And both Zael and Delaney knew that Initiates had it harder, whether they were privy to the specifics of the College or not.

Zael didn't answer Iliana's question--just let her have fun with her own imagination for a moment. He went on to ask his own, "Alright, what do your professors do here then? When someone acts like an ass?"

Eric, still perturbed by the suggestion that the "Proctors" at the Academy had the leeway to beat the Initiates, said, "Well, for most infractions it is usually just making us write an essay as punishment."

Zael let out a dry, wheezing laugh. "An essay!? That's it?"

Eric's shoulders hiked up in a shrug that was almost unsure of itself. "We...the College doesn't really have much of a problem with discipline. Why would we? Everyone who is enrolled pays to be here."

Zael's chin dropped and nearly touched his chest, his eyes staring out from underneath his brow at the boy. He slid a glance of ultimate disbelief Delaney's way. Said to her, "Are you hearing this? They pay...money...actual money...to be here."

Two fuckin different worlds alright.

Delaney Lennox

 

[Delaney Lennox]

Delaney was not shocked by many things. This shocked her. Essays as punishment and the kids pay to be there?! What the fuck was this place?!

"Maybe if they aren't getting beat and killed, it's worth being here?" Delaney shrugged. She couldn't imagine that.

"Wait," Delaney actually had a serious question for the Elbion kids. "Have you ever killed anyone?" Her brows were knitted together now.

"What the fuck kind of question is that? Of course, we have never killed anyone. We aren't monsters!"

Delaney actually growled at Iliana's response as the shadows she kept at bay started to travel up her body and wrap around her arms.

Zael Castomir

 

[Zael Castomir]

Here they were, stopped in the middle of a hall on the whatever-th floor of the College, pleasant well-lit environs, carpet, actual carpet, in this section of the hall, some gaggle of students ahead of them where the hall spilled out into a more open walkway, crossing said opening and disappearing around the next corner, everything so nice and calm, and the tag team of Iliana and Eric had just called down the reaper.

Zael laid a hand on Delaney's shoulder. Gave it a little pat. Now look, Zael loved to watch good fights as much as be in them, but that was the key. Good fights. Iliana talked a big game for her man Eric over here, but it didn't really matter how much magical talent someone had or didn't have if they didn't have the will to fight and the stomach to endure it.

Heh. If there was one thing that separated the Initiates from the Students, it was that.

Anyway, whenever Delaney's shadows manifested, play time was over. She wasn't joking. And these two students, soft as they were? They had no idea who they were talking to, who they had just upset. It'd be a fight alright. Not a good one, but a really, really short one.

Zael could only hope his presence and the brief contact bought some time from Delaney. Or else these twits were going to have a bad day and he and Delaney were going to be in a center of an international firestorm.

He stepped forward toward Iliana. Dropped a heavy arm around her shoulders--just enough pressure to communicate that he wasn't playing either. He smiled and the gesture didn't reach his eyes. "You get that one at a discounted price."

Eric, meanwhile, was staring at Delaney's shadows with a combination of fear and bewildered indignation, as if it were against proscribed rules to wield such magic in an unapproved location and he couldn't conceive of why Delaney would so flagrantly break them.

Zael gestured Delaney's way. "Because I'm sure Delaney will think of some way you and your friend Eric here can make it up to us."

Delaney Lennox

 

[Delaney Lennox]

Delaney threw Zael a glare as he touched her but it did pull her back from the edge. He was one of the few people who could get through to her and she had never quite figured out why either. They weren't particularly close. Maybe it was because of his fire magic? She closed her eyes and took a breath as he stepped forward to Iliana.

It was a few more minutes before she had control over her darkness again and her glare was now turned towards Eric. "You are fucking right I will, Zael." Her power may be safely put away right now but she was still pissed off.

Iliana shrugged out of Zael's arm and gave Delaney a look before she continued to walk. "Seems like the Academy is a terrible place," she said softly.

Zael Castomir

 

[Zael Castomir]

Crisis averted. Maybe if one of Liliana's gang were here, like that psycho Charon, they would have egged her on. But whoever was truly in charge of setting up this exchange program had enough awareness, or enough dumb luck, to not do that.

But hey. The day was still young, the night was coming and with some kind of Festival going on outside it was sure to be a blast. Who knew, maybe a few buildings would get burned down and Eric would have some blood on his knuckles for the first time in his life.

They kept walking, the narrow carpeted hallway changing into the wide tiled walkway--it was almost like an indoor thoroughfare, replete with potted plants and long fountains and all kinds of fancy stuff.

"Kheh, not as terrible as the College," Zael said, his goading smirk at odds with his casual tone. "They extort you guys here."

Eric, at last, chimed in. "We understand that your governance has undergone massive changes. Your 'Revolution.' Hasn't that affected the Academy in some way?"

"O-ho-hooo, yeah it has." Zael glanced over. "Tell em, Delaney. Tell em about the Ball. First one ever for us Initiates. That went over well."

Zael, kept from going to the Ball himself, was unaware that Delaney had similarly missed the First Annual Solstice Ball.

Delaney Lennox

 

[Delaney Lennox]

This college was fucking nice. Maybe they'd get some plants or some shit to brighten up the halls. Probably not though. They didn't get tortured anymore. That was the best they got.

Delaney threw a side glare at Zael. "I did not go to the ball. I was...sick. I had no desire to dress up and act like I like the majority of my fellow students." She used the word that these kids would understand.

"But, yes, there have been some changes. First, most of the Proctors don't force us to fight each other anymore. Oh and we don't have to murder a fellow Initiate in order to graduate. Oh Oh and we don't get tortured on a daily basis." Her voice was fake cheery as she spoke and then she immediately glared at them.

"So yeah...we are monsters because they made us that way..."

Zael Castomir

 

[Zael Castomir]

Momentary confusion crossed Zael's expression, then when it finally struck him he just let out a little, "Huh," and glanced askew to ponder it more. Well shit, he thought she had. Zael couldn't make it because the ass-end of a mission with Bull and Sieglilly took an extra day and a half because somebody had the brilliant idea to take a shortcut through a river crossing. Guess how that went. Looks like for all the Initiates that went to the Ball, there plenty others who didn't--Ralene, Delaney, Jaxan, there had to be others.

Delaney let 'em know about the delightful changes the Revolution brought. Pfft. In the case of the older Initiates, there wasn't no way the Academy was going to undo a decade of brutality with a single year of relative "niceness."

Then she said it again. Monster. Despite his best efforts at pulling the ol' stoic reversal on it, being called that still got under skin. Being called a soldier? Yeah. Being called a warrior? Hell yeah, Zael liked the sound of that better. But monster? Fuck that. Like they weren't human or something. He and Delaney and everyone else did what they had to do just to survive. Heh, well, what was the use? These College Students would never get it.

Perfectly timed to punctuate his point, Eric (keen, apparently, to shift the conversation away from what clearly was giving him no shortage of disquieting feelings) spoke up. Said, "Oh! Tomorrow, on the last day of the Festival of Fiery Skies, the College will be hosting it's own Festival Ball! Since you two missed the opportunity at your Academy, you could go to this one. Iliana and I will be!"

Either he missed the part where Delaney had said she'd no desire to dress up and play at an act, or he was trying to smooth over it and make the offer in the way one might give a gift as a means of reconciliation.

Zael was taken aback. "The what, now?"

"Come on, how often in life do you get second chances like this?"

Zael, still surprised by the suddenness of it, glanced Delaney's way as he assembled his own thoughts.

Delaney Lennox

 

[Delaney Lennox]

Delaney heard Eric's words and she heard the invitation but it did not seem to compute in her head. There was a ball and these two wanted them to go to it. A second chance? A ball without Dreadlords or Proctors?

"Fuck yeah, we are down!" Delaney said with the first genuine smile she had since they arrived. "As long as Zael will dance with me?" She asked as her smile turned slightly sheepish.

The evening consisted of the Elbion kids showing the Academy kids around the College. They both got settled in with their new roommates and everyone enjoyed a slightly less tense dinner. Delaney was okay with a quiet night because, honestly, she was fucking exhausted.

The next morning came sooner than the Shadow Queen would have liked but she got up in a decent mood. The four kids ate breakfast and then it was suggested that they go shopping for the ball.

"I am guess I can't wear my pants?" Delaney asked Iliana. Iliana scoffed in return and drug her in one direction towards a dress shop while Eric took Zael to a suit shop.

Zael Castomir

 

[Zael Castomir]

Eric's suggestion was met with critical success. Even Zael got a second dose of surprise: he'd fully expected Delaney to turn it down. Well, maybe all she needed was a nice change of environs and people who hadn't been trying to kill her nor she trying to kill them. And was that a smile he saw on her face? Not one of those Liliana-endorsed I'm about to kill you now and I'm loving every second of it smiles but an actual, gen-u-ine smile?

"Yeah. I'll dance with you, Del. You got it."

Look, that smile won him over. He liked what he saw. And that wasn't his dick doing the thinking; that might come later, depending on if Delaney got an Ella-style dress (whew, talk of the town for weeks, that dress, and Zael fucking missed it), but right now he had a clear head on his shoulders. And he knew that what he had just witnessed from Delaney was a thing most rare upon Arethil.

The rest of the day went by smooth as butter. Smooth, Zael supposed, if you liked guided tours and toe-the-line procedure. But hey, it was good enough. Work hard, play hard, and this was apparently a mission where he and Delaney were going to play hard--fuckin Kress knew they'd each had plenty of missions where they had to work hard.

Eric's room was cozy enough, and Zael didn't bother him. He didn't much mind Eric or Iliana. They were just...green. They had a good life and they didn't know how awful shit could be and that wasn't really their fault, was it? And besides, they earned some points by inviting him and Delaney along to the Ball. Eric was right. Second chances and all. Serendipitous timing, wasn't it? The only problem dousing his excitement with cold water was the fact that he couldn't dance. Look, who had time to practice that? Not Initiates, that was for sure. But hey, once upon a time Zael sucked at fighting too, believe it or not, but he kept at it and kept at it and he learned. To be good at anything, you gotta be willing to potentially make a fool of yourself first.

The next morning, on the final day of the Festival of Fiery Skies (Eric said they'd find out tonight why it was called that, and Zael couldn't wait), they needed something other than traveling clothes for the Ball. Zael scarcely had an idea of "dressing up" for himself, but he'd caught enough glimpses of rich merchants or nobility to know what it looked like.

Eric and Iliana took them to a husband and wife owned tailoring shop called The Threads of Fate. Cute name, there were probably two more just like it in Alliria. This one, though, happened to be two adjoining buildings--one which housed the women's wear, the other mens' wear.

And yeah, inside, there was a big arching portal that connected the two interiors so customers could flow freely between. Thin, translucent beige drapes hung down from the arch, partially obscuring view of one side from the other.

But air and voice carried easily between.

"Tell her no pants, Iliana," Zael called through the portal, flashing a grin to Eric. Then he called again, "Hey, Delaney, are you gonna surprise me with the color?"

Delaney Lennox

 

[Delaney Lennox]

Delaney didn't realize that the two stores were connected until they had entered. It was a pretty smart business plan because less stops were always a win when shopping. In Delaney's case, no stops were a win. She really wasn't a fan of shopping. She wore the same items of clothing until they couldn't be worn anymore.

"Of course, Iliana already told me that I am not allowed to wear black. Very cruel!" Delaney threw a joking glare at Iliana.

She actually liked the girl. They had stayed up talking most of the night. They were able to find some common ground and speak openly about their respective schools. She was alright. Delaney was a little (grudgingly) happy that Zael had stopped her from committing murder on day one.

Delaney tried on a few dresses that were just meh. She didn't feel right in them. She actually wanted to try tonight so the dress had to be perfect.

"What color do you want me in, Zael?" She yelled to the other side of the store.

Zael Castomir

 

[Zael Castomir]

"Not allowed to wear black? Iliana! How could you?" Zael called through the partition. It took a couple seconds for Eric to realize Zael was only joking, and then the reticence went away and he smiled a little. Zael smiled back and drove a playful fist into his shoulder.

"Alright, help me find a nice get-up. Somethin you would wear." He made a show of estimating Eric's stature. "Okay, somethin a few sizes bigger, but you get the idea."

"Really, it all centers around the coat," Eric said--unbothered. Hey, unbothered. After a day and night of constant ribbing, the grade A student was growing a grade A thick-skin yet!

"Then let's go find a good coat to start." He casually put his fists to his waist, "inadvertently" flexing his arms. "One that won't rip as soon as I stretch."

As they went along the wall peering at the ready-made coats under the watchful eye of the husband-tailor, Delaney called from the other half of the combined store.

"How about red? Red's my favorite color."

"You should be in her favorite color then," Eric said, not missing a beat at all. They grow up so fast.

"Hey, not a half bad idea." Then, calling across the partition again to Delaney, "I'll go in yours. So that means I'm headin there in pink, right?"

Zael, doing his best impression of a tittering gossip girl, covered his mouth with the tips of his fingers and exchanged a mischievous look with Eric. If the Republic had done one thing right with the Academy, their softening of it made teasing fun--you didn't have to worry too much about having your throat slit in your sleep anymore.

And there was no way this could backfire!

Delaney Lennox

 

[Delaney Lennox]

Delaney let out a huff. "If you dare show up in pink, I will murder you at the dance. You better be in black and I will be in red. We will be the best looking couple there."

Iliana raised a brow at her words, "couple?"

The Initiate rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean," she hissed at Iliana.

"Does he?" She asked with the rising of one eyebrow.

Of course, Zael would know what she meant. Right?!

After a few more dresses, Delaney found it. It was perfect. Red - check, sexy - check, sexy - check...her boobs and long legs looked really great in it.

"I found my dress Zael, but you have to wait until the dance!" She yelled over to him as Iliana beamed and Delaney twirled a couple times.

Zael Castomir

 

[Zael Castomir]

"Black it is," Zael called back.

Eric was grinning. "Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"She said 'couple.'"

If Zael had to rank his facial expressions throughout the years, this one would've come in a solid second place for cheekiness. "You jealous, Eric?"

If Zael had to rank Eric's facial expressions throughout the trip, this one would've come in a solid...yeah, first place for flushed. "W-What?"

Zael smirked, took hold of Eric's shoulder and rocked him back and forth. "C'mon man, Delaney's hot. You can say it. I ain't tryin to get you trouble or nothin, Iliana can't hear you. But pretty hot, right? In that pale, dangerous girl way. Don't test her on that, by the way, she was absolutely fixin to kill both you and Iliana yesterday. And that's kinda hot too when you think about it, right?"

Eric, who had evidently taken a while to catch Zael's very colloquial use of the word "hot," did eventually get it and, sheepishly but with a guilty smile, assented.

"That's the spirit. Let's get me a suit. Black on black. Black as can be. I'm gonna outdo Delaney with it."

With help from Eric and the husband tailor, they got something put together alright. And, well, Zael had to say, in the fitting whilst having the whole outfit on, he had never once in his life worn such a...what would you even call it? Fancy? High class? Aristocratic? One of them. Never worn such nice threads in his life before. At least it was probably the same for Delaney. Novel experiences all round here in Elbion.

Delaney called through the partition.

"And I got my suit," Zael called back. "Wait until you see it. Wait until all those other students see it--they're gonna be callin me My Lord Castomir."

Delaney Lennox