Zeri was lost in thought, recalling the conversation from the other week.
"I doubt you'll be put in Class A, but you'll be surrounded by idiots if you end up in Class G. Who knows, their idiocy might rub off onto you. Would be a shame to see that mind of yours go to waste."
If only Juliana was joking when she said that.
What a terrible fate, doomed to descend into idiocy, brought about by the people with whom he'd soon associate. Brow furrowed, he sat by himself in a lounge space within the male dormitory.
Zeri's familiarity with the class placement process gave him some comfort because he knew how it worked and why the school went with this approach. Students found out what class they'd end up in shortly after being accepted into Lanseal. The idea was to place them evenly across Classes A to G so all of them were on equal enough footing.
It wasn't perfect, of course. Class A and G inevitably shifted in opposite directions. A handful of prospective students with the highest aptitude were usually admitted the earliest and placed into Class A to start the process. From there, the school would go through all the different classes, filling them out as they admitted more cadets. Class G was always the last to be filled for the school year, giving it a hodgepodge feel.
Zeri was absolutely certain he was the last person to be selected for the school year. To be fair, Lanseal has been preoccupied with the ongoing civil war, ensuring they were ready for mobilization. The overall situation must've been that drastic if they only got around to him at the last minute, with less than a week before classes would begin, based on what Hubert said during their first encounter.
"I've lost count of how many people I met with today. You were the last person on my route today, though this meeting was even sooner than expected. Luck of the draw."
And that's how Zeri ended up here.
The handful of people he came across gave him their condolences upon finding out he was placed in Class G, as if they were mourning the passing of his dignity. At least he'd make sure it receive a proper sending-off.
Zeri already told himself he'd make the best of things.
He started with moving into his dorm room, which consisted of a bed on one side, a desk on another, and a window on the side opposite from the door. His bed was perfectly made, without any wrinkles within the sheets. The floor was spotless, not a single mess of things strewn about. His personal belongings he brought along to the school included his personal library of books placed on some shelves, a map of Gallia that was hung up, and some personal trinkets he kept inside his desk. He also set aside space for newspaper stacks, to keep up with current events. The room might have looked barren to other people, but for someone generally unenthusiastic about interior design, it was lively enough for him.
He moved in earlier than most other students, by about a day, because he wanted to immerse himself in the school as soon as he could before things picked up. He wanted to let things sink in, that he finally got into Lanseal after all this time.
Then his stomach grumbled, letting the hunger also sink in.
Time to go to the mess hall.
The mess hall was a large, open room with several rows of tables and chairs. The place being empty gave him the opportunity to appreciate the interior design. The floors were made of light brown wood, which was also used for the floors, wall designs, and window frames, while the walls themselves took on light beige color. Both the light brown wood and the beige walls made up the majority of the interior design within Lanseal, giving it a certain kind of extravagance and pride in being a military academy whose tradition went back several centuries.
Food was presented buffet style, letting students grab as much food as they needed while ensuring everyone would be fed. Even though only two classes came in at a time based on a schedule, the format let students stop and immediately prepare if an emergency mission came up, something more likely during the ongoing Gallian Civil War.
Zeri took his time filling his tray with food and carried it over to a table where he could sit by himself and have a nice outside view through one of the windows. This was going to be a peaceful meal, he thought to himself.
"Oh man, am I glad to find someone to talk to, it's like a ghost town around here! Lemme take a seat here and help myself to some beefsteak, I'm famished!"
So much for the silence. Zeri looked down at his tray to see his beefsteak suddenly disappeared, then looked up at this person.
"That was my beefsteak, you know. I was about ready to bite into it. The buffet is right over there, not like you'll have to wait in line."
"I swear, I didn't mean to do it! Sometimes I get a bit reckless when I'm hungry and I don't think."
"It's okay, I can always get another slice. How about we grab some and then get to know each other?"
"Works for me!"
Some moments later.
"I could get used to this food, it's good stuff! Oh yeah, I should introduce myself. The name's Avan."
Avan Hardins. A red-haired young man who is lively, charismatic, and rather hot-blooded. He can befriend just about anyone, thanks to his willingness to interact with them regardless of their background. Very straightforward in how he approaches things, Avan is the type of person who usually acts before he thinks, for better or worse. One thing is for sure, there's never a dull moment with him around.
"I'm Zeri."
"Nice to meet you!"
"You too. You know, I don't know whether to be impressed or dumbfounded at how you invited yourself to this table like it was nothing, me not knowing who you are, and then helping yourself to my food without thinking twice. Somehow, I'm already taking a liking to you. It helps that you're the first person I'm getting to know around here." He sighed slightly, knowing he was better company than nobody.
"Oh yeah, what class are ya gonna be in?"
"Class G, apparently."
"Yo nice, me too! I don't know what it'll be like, but I'm already glad to have you around! I can't wait to meet everyone else!" Avan laughed, cheerful as always.
At that, Zeri cracked a brief smile, something he didn't do often. "I'm looking forward to it. I wonder what they'll be like."
And so they chatted for a bit until Zeri's stomach grumbled. Avan was quick to point it out.
"My dude, you look like you need to eat! Let's dive in!"
"Ah yeah, thank you for reminding me. Letsee here," Zeri muttered to himself, thinking about what to eat first from the tray, the beefsteak, the bread, or the salad.
Avan meanwhile dived right in, eating with his mouth open, not a care in the world. "Better get on your food before I accidentally grab another bite."
"I dare you to try."
Avan readied his hands, ready to grab a roll of bread. Zeri was quick to deny him that opportunity.
"You're pretty good!" The manners of this guy, Zeri thought, they mean nothing to him. "Man, I need to unpack everything, I don't know where to put it all. You don't have to worry about helping me, I can handle it."
"You read my mind. I know they like to place students in the same class right next to each other, since they'll spend so much time together. There's the male and female dorms, of course, that's a given. I don't mind helping you unpack if it gets too much. Wait… that means… you're most likely next door to me…" Zeri was trying to process everything.
"Sweet! Oh man, I'm really looking forward to this school year!" Avan chuckled, genuinely happy to be here. Then he noticed someone else who appeared to be lost. "Hey you, over there! You should join us at 0ur table!"
"On my way over!" She was almost at the table when she stumbled and faceplanted onto the floor.
Both Avan and Zeri looked worried, with Avan speaking up first. "Need a hand? Hope you're okay."
The young woman soon picked herself back up. "I'm okay, sorry about that. Anyway, I'm Cosette!"
Cosette Colhearth. A blonde-haired young woman who is kind-hearted, cheerful, and hard-working. She is also something of a klutz, which people find to be one of her many endearing traits. Her generally optimistic personality makes her very likable.
"I'm Avan!"
"And I'm Zeri."
"Nice to meet the both of you! You're the first two people I met around here. I've been by myself in the girl's dorm this entire time, so I'm glad to see anyone from the other side. What class did the both of you end up in?"
"Class G," both said at the same time.
"Oh hey, me too! This school year is already going to be fun with the both of you as my friends! I know what we could do first! How about we get to know ourselves better?" She glanced at both of them, before continuing. "What're your goals with being at Lanseal? Me, I want to become a doctor, just like my father. Going through medical school is expensive and I can't afford it. Fortunately, I found out enrolling at Lanseal will let me learn at no cost. That's how I ended up here. Next, how about you, Zeri, what's your reason for coming to Lanseal?"
Zeri adjusted his glasses. "I came here to prove myself, to help my people overcome the prejudice we face everyday, in the hopes of one day becoming a hero. The biggest Gallia has ever known. Someone who my people can look up to, who is respected by so many others. Lanseal is where I begin my path to becoming one."
"I admire your drive and determination, Zeri. I'm sure you'll do well here!" Cosette applauded, being impressed by him. "And that leaves you, Avan, I want to hear why you came here, in your own words."
Avan brightened up. "I came here to follow in the footsteps of Leon, my older brother. He used to tell me about this school all the time and he's the reason I wanted to get into this place! I also want to find out what happened to him…"
"Oh yeah, Leon, I've heard of him! I believe in you! Letsee here, I want to be a doctor and Zeri wants to be a hero. What do you want to be, Avan?"
"I haven't thought that far yet!" He pointed a thumb to himself, as if it was a point of pride.
Zeri couldn't pass on the opportunity to comment. "So you do things in the moment and think right on the spot, am I getting this correct?"
"Well yeah!" Avan stated it as matter of fact.
Zeri, looking at him straight-faced, went, "So that's why you took my beefsteak…"
"He must've been really hungry, that's all" Cosette quipped.
Zeri sighed somewhat. "You can say that right." Then his stomach growled again.
"You're really hungry too!" Cosette said in response. "Want to look around campus after we eat? It'll be fun with my new friends!"
"Yeah!" Avan shouted. "Let's dive into our food!"
"Let's eat," Zeri said.
Maybe Class G won't be as bad as he thought.
He was in good company.
