Merry Christmas, have an update!
The journey beyond the top of the slope wasn't exactly a grand affair. The way forward rounded inwards, curving towards a tall slit leading further into the dark rock structure. The walls of the crevice stood straight and sturdy, perfectly parallel, the width of the passage on the other side just enough for two people walking shoulder to shoulder. The usual violet glow that accompanied the students, though more intense due to the confined space, didn't seem to travel as far here. There was no way of telling how tall or deep the corridor went, the distances swallowed by a cold void.
Hagakure lead the way, a good degree of care in every step. Midoriya marched behind her, peering through the clear space occupied by Tooru's head, his eyes flicking between the luminous walls and the far shadows. They'd been thrown enough curve balls today, they wouldn't be caught off guard again.
At the rear of the group, Minetta was still working through conflicting emotions and wondering about the feel of Tooru's boobs.
The darkness ahead gave way to light far too suddenly, overpowering the surrounding purple glow and capturing the three students. It was a moment so shocking that the trio took a few seconds to properly respond, shuffling forward almost mindlessly. It was as though the flash beckoned them, drawing the group further in.
By the time Izuku had the presence of mind to halt the progression, the veil of white light gave way to warm amethyst. Hagakure had already come to a stop, her green haired friend marching into her back before he could follow suit. Minetta joined them an instant later, bouncing off of Midoriya's solid calf.
The three stood in a large, cylindrical room, maybe two thirds the floor space of the entrance hall. Like the passage they had just traversed, the walls stretched up into the darkness. Another collection of hanging crystals draped down from the abyss, the majority of their structure colorless and dull. The lowest tip of the stalactite pulsed with a pale glow, hardly discernible amongst the violet ambiance.
Somewhat off-center, leaning towards the "back" of the presumed classroom, there sat a slightly raised, circular platform. A wooden desk sat in the center of this dais, its dark mahogany surface coated in gleaming lacquer. The top was bare save for an adjustable lamp, an open notebook… and a small dog.
Izuku could feel the exact moment Tooru noticed the white puppy, the sudden surge of her shoulders and hushed intake of breath all the evidence needed. This seemed to rouse the resting pup, its eyes lifting from the note-heavy page to regard the three newcomers. Hagakure bit back a squeal as she realized this adorable little guy had a dark grey patch of fur surrounding its right eye.
Students and dog began a silent battle of wills, one in which the unseeable girl was rapidly floundering. Minetta shuffled his way around to the front of the party. There was a short pause as the boy with the purple orb-hawk organized his thoughts.
"What's with this dog?"
The tiny teen's inquiry shattered the proverbial floodgates as Hagakure flew into motion, gushing at the living embodiment of hand-holdable cuteness resting right in front of her. Izuku only just managed to catch her before she took off, her sudden rush nearly breaking his grip. He was unwilling to set the girl free on her object of affection, his emerald greens still locked with the pup's sky blues. There was… something underneath that stare.
The young hound glanced down, running a short scan over the notebook's scribble heavy pages. A moment passed before the pup reached out, swiping its paw across the right side of the book, slapping the tome shut. Again it fixed the three in front with a hard look, lingering with particular focus on the still fussing Hagakure. At once the pup perked, flicking its snout upwards over the trio.
"Aww," Hagakure cooed, "he's just so adorable!" The girl relaxed slightly, shoulders slumping as she deflated at the display of cuteness. Midoriya kept his grip on his invisible classmate, again meeting the odd dog's steely gaze.
Minoru chimed in, "We all saw him reading just now, right?"
Yes, Izuku was very conscious of that observation. It was why the boy was doing his best to keep Tooru from bounding over, his right leg pitched protectively in front of Minetta.
A sharp yip tore through the stagnant air, the white puppy again tossing its head towards the space over the three. Tooru gave a happy chirp in response as Midoriya screwed his face deeper into confusion.
"What are you trying to tell us," the hero hopeful questioned the small animal.
"Turn around you morons."
The trio complied, feeling an immediate rush of embarrassment. Stretching across the curved wall of the room, their length split in half by the vertical slit serving as the main entrance, were three long balconies. The spider-limbed girl from before sat with her head perched atop her knuckles, the remainder of her form hidden behind the smooth, obsidian surface of the banister. Her bored expression sat steady on the trio, a focus shared by the dozen plus other students in various spots across the three levels.
Tooru stood as straight and still as she could manage, projecting an air of calm. The whole not-able-to-be-seen thing did wonders for the girl, her nearly searing blush expertly hidden. A glance on either side revealed her new friends, by comparison, in less than optimal circumstances.
Izuku was in the midst of a damn good impression of a ripe tomato, his eyes bugging out as a mumble hurricane attempted to rip free of the hand he had clamped over his mouth. Minetta had gone for the more reserved response of folding himself into a ball and laying on his side, unresponsive save the occasional full body shiver.
Hagakure took up Midoriya's free hand whilst leaning down to haul up Minoru by the back of his jacket. Mumbling hero and human suitcase in tow, the invisible girl strode around to the left of the entrance cleft. The class of students eyed them the whole way, only the white pup's gaze drawn elsewhere.
A few columns of rungs ran up four points of the walls, a set carved at each end of the platforms. Arriving at the rungs to the left of the entry corridor, Tooru pushed Midoriya forward before depositing Minetta's fetal form upon the freckled boy's shoulder. A swift slap to the backside snapped Izuku out of his nervous breakdown, instantly sending him scrambling up the stone ladder.
For obvious reasons, Hagakure didn't bother to hide a smile.
The boys reached the first level, Minetta still on pause mode. The platform was railed in from the front by a wide, flat plane serving as a counter. Opposite this sat a slightly lower shelf meant to be a bench, the walkway between them maybe wide enough for two people to sidestep through in passing.
Izuku fixed his calming sight on one of his fellow students, denoted by the cobalt blazer he wore across his shoulders like a cape. The young man sat as reclined as he could, his long legs easily crossing the walkway to prop his polished black shoes on the counter ahead. If they wanted a spot, they'd have to get passed him.
Before Midoriya could even open his mouth, the boy's sharp, amber gaze fixed upon the hero-taku. The greenette froze, ignoring Hagakure poking at his thighs. There was a very familiar intensity in the boy's glare, one that Izuku was ill prepared to face again, in this place.
"Move on."
The order was given with absolution. Izuku heeded the words without pause, climbing with a quick, steady pace to the second level. Tooru followed, slowing just enough to spare a glance at the yellow eyed jerk. The boy spared a moment to run a hand over his slicked, silver hair, continuing to flick some dust off his left shoulder. One should, after all, take care to preen following an encounter with the rabble.
The three climbed on to the second level, sliding down to sit in the middle of the bench. Midoriya deposited his human cargo on a spot to his right, Hagakure sliding in on his left. Minetta had gotten over his social shock and sat silently, his gaze locked upon Izuku. The greenette just stared down at the counter, collecting himself after the short encounter. Tooru rested a palm on his shoulder, unable to say anything.
The room dimmed, the warm glow of the crystalline walls fading to a murky plum. The white light of the stalactite tip above cast a ghostly ambiance over the startled students. Their collective murmurs barely had time to build before a pillar of pink light beamed up from behind the desk.
The silhouette of the small dog, stark against the shining ray, began to slowly wag its tail.
Silence filled the room as a dim veil of shadows flickered from the base of the light shaft. A low, grinding noise of stone against stone sounded from beneath the beam. The little dog bounded over to the far end of the oak desk, rear end up and tail-a-waggin' as it gazed down at the source of the shadows, the grinding increasing in volume.
"Any minute now," a new voice echoed upwards as the fuchsia glow was steadily overtaken by the rising shade. A humming jingle rose out of the hole, prompting the puppy to jump into the gap. Izuku's hand caught Tooru's wrist, pulling the girl back before she could enact a "rescue" attempt. Not once did his eyes leave the space beyond the teacher's desk.
The warm glow of the classroom gradually returned. The invisible girl released a soft sigh as the panting form of her precious pup rose back into view. That air of calm was short lived as all three teens went still, the black eyed pup slapping its tail upon his dark haired perch.
A single, familiar strand of yellow stood out against the man's dark mane, dangling over the center of his brow. Tan hued eyes shined with focus as his gaze drifted across the room and those gathered in it, the rising platform coming to a halt as it came in line with the floor. When he caught sight of the trio from earlier, all together and frankly unamused, he allowed a small grin to form.
"Good day students," he boomed, striding around his desk as his voice filled the lecture hall, "I am Hokuto Senki, instructor for the intro course of heroics and the finer details intrinsic to life as the world's most popular form of civil service."
At this point the dog seated atop his head started pawing at his master's forehead, bunching up and stretching the skin over his eyes.
"And this," Mr. Senki pointed to his white pelted passenger, "is Osmund. He is one and four months and will be assisting me throughout the year. He is paid in love… by commission, not by the hour."
Osmund helpfully yipped before taking hold of his master's finger in his mouth, all the while persisting in "massaging" the man's brow. Mr. Senki did nothing to deter these actions.
A howling wind tore through the entry trench. The students huddled down, arms folded over their heads as powerful gales spun chaotically about the auditorium. Izuku hovered protectively over Hagakure who, in turn, snatched up Minoru and drew the small boy into her lap.
The torrent lasted three seconds before cutting off in an instant, leaving near total silence. All were quickly made aware of the haggard, heavy breathing coming from the prone figure down below. Hokuto stood before the young man in Aozora blue, staring at the haphazardly laid out student.
Osmund still had hold of the man's finger. He also continued to knead his brow-flesh. The pair had barely reacted to the gust at all.
The student, huffing all the way, trailed his gaze up the body of his professor. Midoriya held a note of humor as he watched the newcomer's crimson, bullet-shaped pompadour trace its way up the teacher's frame. The display could honestly be considered mildly threatening, in a funny way.
Red eyes met light brown, staring over a set of thin shades fallen too far down his nose. "So… can we just pretend I was on time today?"
Mr. Senki blinked. Twice.
A short chapter serving as an in between. Not much to really say about it...
The idea of having the classroom set up as multiple levels comes from Made In Abyss. I want to get across that Aozora is a place with very odd geometry: impossible ceilings, shifting layout, moving platforms. It's less a school and more like the lair of some fantasy overlord.
We get "introduced" to a few new characters here. We'll get a more proper introduction next time.
And that's it. Short entry, short commentary. The next chapter will have more meat to it.
Until then, hope you all have a happy new year.