Chapter 3
Ivex glanced at his watch. Five more minutes of class. He could do this.
"In conclusion," Mr. Liseran leaned against his desk. "Computers are part of things you use everyday. Tomorrow, we'll begin learning how to rewire a Scroll. Class dismissed."
Everyone got up and made their way to the exit. Wenara nudged her shoulder against Ivex, pushing standing up. "Come on, Jerk face, we're meeting Lior."
Ivex slung his backpack over one of his shoulders and shot a questioning gaze in Wenara's direction. "What about Jai? She's part of the team too, why isn't she coming to this meeting?"
Wenara grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door. "You'll see soon enough."
They exited the room and Wenara glanced about the hallway for Lior. "Ugh, where is he? Did we get out of class early or something?"
"A couple minutes," Ivex shifted his stance. "Wen, what-"
Wenara raised a hand to stop his question. "I said you'll see, didn't I?"
Ivex sighed and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. He took out his class list and began to look it over again.
7.00-7.45 am Breakfast
1st Class: Battle Strategies with L. Swarven 8.00 am
2nd Class: Plant Identification and Animalistic Emotions with D. Violet 9.00 am
3rd Class: Weaponry Training and Upkeep M. Fangorik 10.00 am
4th Class: Grimm Studies with A. Cato 11.00 am
12.00-12.30 pm break for lunch
5th Class: Mystralian History Studies with T. Rosso 12.40 pm
6th Class: Medicine in the Field with K. Midori 2.00 pm
7th Class: Independent Sparring /Free Hour 3.00 pm
8th Class: Technical Advancements in Human Technologies with J. Liseran
5.30-6.00 pm Dinner
Wenara nudged him. "Here he comes," she hissed. "Look alive, you weirdo. Also, you really don't need to know that," she gestured down at his class schedule with her head. "It's all pretty basic."
"What's that supposed to mean?
Right on cue, Lior pushed through the other students and nodded at Wenara and Ivex. "Hey. What did you call the meeting for, Wenara?" he glanced around. "Is Jai coming too?"
Wenara sighed. "Are the two of you related or something? Ivex just asked the same question," she waved her hand. "Never mind. Jai won't be coming, because I needed to talk to you two alone."
Ivex put a hand on his head and swayed. "Oh, my dear girl! You can't have feelings for me yet! We just met!"
Wenara smacked him. "Shut your face," the three of them began to move down the hall. "I wanted to ask your opinions on Jai."
Ivex snorted and shifted his backpack. "That's what this whole thing is about? Such a unique topic, Wen."
"I said shut your face," Wenara growled. "I need to know how the two of you think of her. I'm biased on the topic, because it freaks me out that she was in a dream I had when I was little."
Ivex sighed. "I don't know. Happy-go-lucky is a little on the extra side. Very intimidating."
"Right?" Wenara raised her eyebrows. "I mean, I thought I was pretty good at all this Huntsmen stuff, but then I see her, and I feel ten thousand years behind!"
Lior laughed. "This is the whole reason? You wanted to rant about Jai? Well, you guys can do think you want, but I like a team leader who pushes me beyond what I can handle," his smile faded slightly. "Without pain, how will you get stronger?" Lior dipped his head. "I'll catch you two later." he slipped off through the crowd of students, leaving Wenara and Ivex standing alone.
Ivex pressed the back of his fingers underneath Wenara's chin. She jerked away, glaring at him. "What was that for?!"
"You can stop gaping, Wen-An. Or drooling, or whatever you were doing."
Wenara slammed her fist into his arm. He cried out in pain, a mocking grin on his face. "You know I'm right."
Wenara crossed her arms. "Shut your face," she grumbled.
Lior spotted Jai standing in front of a classroom, amiably chatting with one of the guys on team DRGN. She caught Lior's eye and waved him over. "Lior, this is Guy. Guy, this is Lior."
Guy, who had been Gold-Sword only that morning, grinned at Lior. "'Efore you say it, yes, I have an odd name. I guess my 'rents had a sense of humor, eh?"
Lior grinned back. "That wasn't going to be my question, but thanks for that."
Guy laughed. "Well then, what was goin' to be your question?"
Lior shrugged. "I didn't have one. Hey Jai," Lior peered around Guy to look at Jai. "You got a minute? I wanted to talk training with you for a sec."
Jai waved at Guy. "I'll see you! We'll definitely have to talk about your adventures as a runaway!" She turned to Lior and hooked her hand on his arm. "Whatcha got, cowboy?" she asked as they were moving along the hallway.
"What kind of training are you planning to work into our daily routines?" Lior dodged a random girl dashing past him. "Will tardiness be one of the problems you're going to be addressing?"
Jai laughed, shaking her head. "You would have to teach that class! As far as training goes, I'm watching you guys for the next couple of days, then I'll plan the actual routines individualized for each of you. Did you have anything specific you wanted to work on?"
Lior shrugged as they turned down the hallway that lead to their dorm room. "I want to get stronger, I don't really care how you do it, but that's what I came here for."
Jai studied him. "If you wanted to get stronger, why didn't you go to Vale or Atlas, or even Shade? This is a school that most people think of as an easy school."
Lior pressed his lips together as she unlocked their room. "It's a good thing I knew better, hm?" He said, grinning slightly. "Otherwise I would have been a soldier by now."
Jai snorted. "I hear you. Though, I never thought about going anywhere other than Haven. It has always been my goal to come here."
Lior set his backpack down on his bed and sat down on the carpet on the girls' side of the room. The real reason he had come to Haven wasn't something he felt like sharing with Jai. He just had needed to get away from all the memories in Mantle. Even if he had gone somewhere else, those memories would have followed him, since his dad had gone to Vale to get his license and that was where he met Lior's mom, and Vaccuo had been a place that he'd gone for all his missions while in school. Haven was the only logical choice.
Lior leaned against the wall, watching Jai spread her homework out on her bed. "You would think they would give you desks in these rooms," she griped, reaching down to the floor to pick up her pencil.
Lior tapped a plank next to his head and a desk slid out of the wall. Jai stared blankly down at him. "When did you find that?"
Lior smiled mildly. "You live in Remnants' tech capital your whole life, you notice things."
Jai laughed, her eyes shining. "Thanks, Lior," she hopped off the bed and set her stuff on the desk. "Not too much homework tonight."
Lior shut his eyes. "Do you always do your homework before dinner?" he reopened his eyes, and smirked lightly up at her. "Isn't it hard to do it when you're sitting here, talking to me?"
"As a rule in our house, we had to get our homework done before we could eat supper," she waved her hand at him as she scribbled down an answer. "As for the second question, I come from a family that at one time had five of us children running around, along with two parents who felt the need to talk to you about the most random things all evening long. So just having you makes it easy," her eyebrows went up and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "When do you do homework?"
"I'll start at 10, and finish whenever I get done," Lior shrugged. "It's become a habit by now."
"Aren't you a morning person?" Jai asked, tapping her eraser on the desk. "Isn't it like murder for you to stay up late?"
"My body got used to less sleep."
Jai frowned, staring at the paper before her. "That's unhealthy, right?"
"Chock full of questions, hmm?" Lior pulled out his Scroll to check to see if Lacy had texted him yet. "Don't worry about me, Jai. I told you, my body has gotten used to it. Besides, despite what your current belief is, I'm stronger than I look."
Wenara spat out her chicken, pushing her plat away. "Ugh, why is everything in Mistral so spicy? I miss Vaccuan food."
Jai laughed and took a bite of her casserole. "You just aren't used to it yet, Wen. What about you guys? You like the food?"
Lior put a bite of his salad into his mouth. "I'm not picky, I'll eat pretty much anything but a couple types of fruit."
Ivex sucked on his soda, frowning at Jai. "Meh, I don't know if I like it. How do you put up with all this stuff, Happy-go-lucky?"
"Is that what you're calling me now?" Jai calmly placed another forkful in her mouth. "Amusing."
A girl with a messy braid slung over her shoulder sat down at their table. "Evening!" She said.
Lior glanced over and jumped, choking on his food. He coughed and Ivex slapped his back. The girl laughed. "What's got you so choked up, Lior? Get it? Choked up?"
"I get it," Lior coughed waving Ivex away. "Hilarious."
The girl raised her hand. "Over here guys!" She waved three other girls to the table. She turned back to Jai and her team. "I hope you guys don't mind if we sit here," she pursed her lips, and looked at Jai. "Do you?"
Jai shook her head. "The more the merrier!"
The girl shot her a broad smile. "Thanks! I'm Laura, Lior's best friend from Mantle, which I'm sure he was about to tell you."
Lior pointed at Laura silently, trying tot regain his composure.
The three girls Laura had waved over stood by the table. Laura pointed at each one in turn. "That's Winifred, or as we call her, Winnie," one of the girls, holding a book and not bothering to look up from it, waved before sitting down. "Our resident grouch-face is Reana," a girl with short hair rolled her eyes, sitting down next to Wenara. "And then you have our team captain, Flora," the last girl waved ecstatically.
"Hello all!" she bowed. "And hello to you again, Vaccuan girl!"
Wenara snapped her fingers. "I thought I recognized you! You're the girl who asked me if I was into gambling or something like that."
"Yup!" the girl planted her hands on her hips. "That's me!"
Laura sighed. "She can be a little on the crazy side, it seems," she mock-whispered to Jai's team. "Lior! Why don't you introduce us to your team?"
Lior, who had regained most of his composure by now, nodded. "Sure, uh that's Jai, Ivex and Wenara."
Laura groaned. "That's such a boring introduction! Ugh, you guys tell me your names. With a little more flare, please."
Wenara watched the new comers, a mild frown on her face. "I'm Wen, but Lior refuses to call me that for some reason, and I think that you have an unfair advantage over every other girl here."
Laura sent her a puzzled look. "What?"
"Never mind."
"I'm Jai!" Jai cut in. "I like to crush people in competitions and I really like your shirt! My brother got me into Flash-Bang years ago. Oh, and I'm periodically called Happy-go-lucky."
Laura's eyebrows shot up. "Really? It's the best show isn't it?"
Jai nodded, shooting Laura a double thumbs up.
Ivex cleared his throat. "Ivex. If you think Flora is crazy, how do you classify yourself?"
Laura glared at him good-naturally. "Ha-ha. For your information, I classify myself as a weirdo who has a lot of dudes as her friends."
"The term is tomboy," Wenara grumbled.
Laura stuck her tongue out at her. "No, it just means I have guys as my friends. I still like dresses and I use makeup."
Wenara crossed her arms, glaring down at the table.
Jai laughed, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that befell the table. "So! What's it like commanding a team filled with only girls, Flora?"
Flora giggled. "Well, I don't really command them, not yet anyway! But it's been a fun day so far!"
Reana nudged Wenara with her elbow. "I think Laura's a tomboy too, but maybe she doesn't want to stoop to our level."
Wenara snorted. "Doesn't want her prettiness clouded over with a label like that."
Without warning, Wenara and Reana began to float away from the table. Wenara gasped and tried to cling to her seat. "What the-"
Winnie barely glanced over at them. "Stop dissing Laura. It isn't polite," she tapped her finger on her book and Wenara and Reana crashed back down to the table.
Jai covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh. "Yeah, what she said! Except, I wasn't going to include the senseless violence."
Wenara placed her hands on the table and stared at Winnie. "You have telekinesis too?"
Winnie cut her eyes away from her book to look at Wenara. "No, it is more like I have control over gravity. I do not have a say about what happens to you after you are in the air, I can just decide if I want you to be engaged with gravity or not."
Wenara's eyes sparkled. "Whoa, that's cool! Do it again!"
Winnie refocused her eyes on her book. "I do not do requests, sorry."
Laura sighed deeply and placed her forehead on the table. "This is what I'm going to have to live with for the next four years! Feel sympathy for me, Lior!"
Lior chuckled with a tinge of nervousness. "Y-yes, you have my sympathy."
Laura straightened up and slugged him in the arm. "I was being sarcastic, you dolt! Why do you get so nervous over the most simple things? It's not like I'm asking you to marry me or something!"
Lior's face burst into a cherry color, and he got up quickly, mumbling something about how he was going to find dessert.
Wenara glared at his back as he left. Ivex patted her shoulder. "Don't worry fragile flower, I'm sure he'll soon see the error in his ways."
Flora moved her head back and forth in between Wenara and Lior's retreating back. A slow smile spread across her face. "I won't tell!" She sang, dipping a piece of cake into her soda.
Jai turned her face away, trying not to feel repulsed. She liked these people. It was going to be fun having them around.
Fun as in I'll constantly be trying to reign in their chaos, but yes, fun. Jai leaned back in her chair, observing the people around her. Ivex caught her eye and after discreetly jabbing a thumb at Wenara, he rolled his eyes. Jai felt a smile stretch across her face. Yes, very fun indeed.
"It feels like I fought team DRGN years ago, not just hours!" Jai grumbled into her pillow. "Why was today so needlessly long?"
Wenara placed her feet at her headboard and traced the details of it with her toes. "I don't even know. Why is that Laura girl no needlessly pretty? And what does Lior see in her anyway?"
"I don't know," Jai flipped onto her side to watch Wenara. "Why do you have a crush on a guy you met only yesterday?"
"I met him the first day, for your information," Wenara muttered. "Who said I have a crush on him? I know I didn't. Guys are stupid and I refuse to ever date a guy."
Jai laughed lightly, and threw a ball of paper at Wenara. "If you're going to say that, you may not want to be so obvious about who you're crushing on."
"It's not a crush," Wenara rolled on her bed to lock eyes with Jai. "I like his personality, and I want to learn from him, but how would I tell him that without sounding like a creep? Besides, what would you know about crushes. You haven't mentioned anything like a boyfriend."
Jai smirked, braiding a small section of her hair. "All I know about the subject comes from my little brother, Yukai."
Wenara snorted. "How would he know more than you?"
Jai looked up from her braid at Wenara. "He had a harem when he was in middle school, every day in elementary school he would come home with a different girl on his arm, and don't even get me started on how many kisses he had gotten by the time he was eleven."
"And your parents let him do this?"
Jai raised one of her shoulders noncommittally. "Enh, my dad was like that when he was a kid, so he understood Yukai's point of view, and my mom was just done with strictness by then."
"Your family sounds so different from mine," Wenara traced a pattern on her blankets. "My brother said if I got a quote-unquote boyfriend before I was sixteen, he would kill the boy. After sixteen, he'd have to meet them before he killed them."
"In my family, it really helps that three of my siblings have soulmates, and Yukai probably has one too, by now," Jai sighed. "I never got into it, because I was waiting on the perfect guy."
"You're going to be waiting a long time, Jai."
"I know," Jai gazed out their window. "Believe me, I know. Maybe one day, that guy will sweep me off my feet."
"Such a romantic," Wenara threw the ball of paper back at Jai. "I'd be happy with just a best friend who would have my back. I don't care about that lovey-dovey 'feelings' stuff or the romance, I just want a great friend."
"That sound romantic too, if you think about it, Wen."
"Hush, no one will know if you don't tell them!"
A/N: School time relaxation, amirite? Enjoy these ones while you can, because in a little while, they'll go on their first-year mission! Not for a while, but once it happens, scenes of excitement and danger will follow it like baby ducklings! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!
*Ahem*I'm going to be changing my posting date to Saturdays after this, because it gives me a little more time, and things won't feel as rushed. I'm going to try that, and if it doesn't work, I'll be doing biweekly chapters. That way, I'll be producing a higher-quality story.
Thanks for reading! I really appreciate the views! /Kronos\\
