Chapter 3: Introductions

POV: Rosemary

It was a little awkward walking the young ambassador through the school. Rosemary's bright pink standing beside Alex's dark leather drew eyes almost immediately. Student began to stare and murmur as they passed by. But she couldn't blame them for being suspicious or curious. After what happened last semester, a bit of suspicion was warranted.

The pinkette tried to ignore the eyes watching them and focus on the task at hand. She walked the stealth student through some of the school's classrooms on their way to the dorms. Alex mostly listened, remaining quiet but for the few occasional questions. This only made things more awkward. Rosemary was used to doing most of the talking in her group. Between Sage's shyness and Thyme's indifference, she and Parsley usually carried the conversation. In fact, some would say that Rose talked a little too much. But Alex didn't seem to talk at all, and with no Parsley around to help make small talk, the two mostly walked in uncomfortable silence.

Alex didn't seem as uncomfortable as she was though. His eyes constantly flicked around, peering at classrooms and hallways from above his mask, seemingly taking in every detail. Rose got the impression that he was far more observant than she was. How many times on missions had she just rushed into a fight without thinking? A lot… But Alex didn't seem that type. He seemed more… calculating. If he was one of Mage Country's top students, prestigious enough to become an ambassador, then maybe she could learn something from him?

"So, um, how was the trip from Mage Country?" Rosemary attempted to start up an actual dialogue with the boy.

"Tense." He responded simply.

"Tense? I thought the roads up north were pretty safe to travel? Did you run into dangers along the way?"

Alex shook his head, violet eyes closing. "Luckily no. But when one is sent to travel in the direction where dangers were reported, it is best to remain on guard, don't you think? The ones who attacked your academy might not be Mage Country's enemies, but since we were sent on a mission to aid you, they could very quickly become our enemies." He looked over at Rose even as the two continued walking towards the dorms. "With potential enemies in this region, it is best to not become too relaxed. Tension isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is a normal part of any mission."

Rosemary listened, mouth slightly agape. She had never thought about missions that way before. She had always thought of them as fun and adventurous! But hearing Alex's reasoning made her re-think things. He was probably right. Missions could be dangerous and should be taken more seriously… She needed to get more serious… So she could protect her friends…

If Alex was her age, then she had a lot of catching up to do. She couldn't waste anymore time. She needed to put her guardian training first!

They soon arrived in the dorm's lounge area to Rosemary's relief. She could see some of her friends were still hanging out nearby and began to lead Alex over to them. Sage and Snapdragon were sitting by the window together and Amaryllis was in a large chair nearby polishing her axe.

"Hey everyone!" She bounced over to them. "Where did Thyme and Parsley go?" She had been hoping to get everyone together at once.

"Class, I guess", Snapdragon shrugged. He and Sage hadn't even looked up yet. Both were very focused on painting Snapdragon's nails a nice shade of turquoise.

"Oh okay. Well I brought Alex here to meet you guys!" She said excitedly. "He's the head ambassador from Mage Country!"

Sage squeaked in surprise, almost spilling the bottle of polish in her hand. Her gaze snapped up, finally seeing Alex standing calmly beside her best friend. Snapdragon seemed even more startled though, hastily attempting to push Sage's nail polish collection out of sight behind him with a look of panic.

The young ambassador chuckled at the display. "Sorry to interrupt." His eyes fell on Snapdragon's fingernails. "Please don't halt your activities on my account."

Rose felt a little guilty now. She hadn't considered that Snap and Sage were doing something private. This is exactly the kind of situation she could avoid if she were more observant! Darn it!

For the first time ever though, Rosemary was thankful when Amaryllis spoke up.

"Him? He's like, what, our age?" She was setting down her axe and looking at he boy quizzically. "And what's with that get-up? The Fall Festival was last semester ninja-boy."

"Amaryllis! He's our guest!" Sage hurriedly whispered.

"He's not my guest." Amaryllis said snarkily. "Besides, if Mage Country wants to come here and observe us, then why can't we observe them too?"

Rosemary facepalmed silently beside Alex, but the ambassador didn't seem offended.

"A fair point", Alex said. "I have traveled a long way to assess the needs of this school's students, so your candor is appreciated. I have no time to waste on flattery or half-truths if I am to thoroughly gather the facts I need."

Amaryllis pouted. Perhaps she had been hoping for some sort of reaction out of the ambassador and was disappointed.

Alex continued, "I dress like this while traveling on missions, not for any festivities' sake. I have never excelled with straightforward combat. It requires a brute strength which I do not possess. I find I get better results if I can slip into the shadows and make my attacks unseen."

Snapdragon's eyes widened a little. "You're a shadow mage."

Alex nodded silently.

All three women looked to Snapdragon in curiosity.

"My father told me about your kind. Mages from the north with the ability to manipulate shadows to hide themselves. Even the strongest of Guardians can't match their stealth capabilities."

Alex smiled behind his mask. "It is true, some mages from my homeland have a talent for such magics. It is not a common gift though and takes many years of practice to truly disappear into the shadows unnoticed. That is why I wish to see some of your school's warrior training while I am here. Until I master the art of Shadow Stepping, I need to find new ways to defend myself. I am told there is no better place to train as a warrior than here at High Guardian Academy."

"That's right!" Rosemary chimed in proudly. "And Snapdragon and I are about to head to our next class if you want to come!"

Sage stood up, clearing her throat politely. "Um, Sage", she pointed to herself, "Snapdragon, Amaryllis." She pointed to each of her friends in turn.

Rosemary facepalmed again. "Drat! I knew I was forgetting something…"

Alex laughed softly again. "My pleasure, I'm sure. I am Alexandrite of the Archmage's Court. Thank you for hosting me and my companions." He bowed to them courteously.

Sage and Snapdragon mimicked the bow awkwardly in return as Amaryllis yawned loudly, feigning boredom.

"We better get to class", Snapdragon said, eager to draw attention away from his somewhat rude best friend. Alex nodded in agreement and let both Snap and Rosemary lead him away towards their next warrior tract class.