Akane shook her head to rid herself of the infernal thoughts racing through her mind, causing a flutter in her gut at Aido's teasing. I'm never going to get him to stop all that flirting. She turned to look at him over her shoulder as the lobby came into view. He grinned back cheerfully, oblivious to her thoughts. She sighed and turned back to look ahead. Selfish Vampire, you tease me without a care in the world.
The pair emerged from the corridor, into the foyer, to find Kain sat in one of the ornate seats, his head thrown back with his arms over the back of the couch and his legs stretched wide. Ichijo sat opposite him, with one of his many mangas in hand. Others were also making their way down the stairs, coming from corridors and doorways.
Ichijo looked up as they entered and waved cheerfully to the pair. Aido's happy mood dimmed slightly as Akane moved forward and greeted Ichijo.
"Good evening, Miss Nakamura. I'm glad you feel ready to join us. I hope Aido hasn't been too pushy with his teaching."
"Oh, no, he's quite a good teacher, when he puts his mind to it." Akane turned to flash a small smile at Aido over her shoulder. Ichijo chuckled at the frown Aido sent his way as Akane turned away.
"And, I'm sorry I didn't come to your Birthday Party." Ichijo waved Akane's apology away with a smile.
"Don't worry, Miss Nakamura," he began, standing to speak to her. "So much has happened to you in such a short space of time. It was unfair of me to put even more unnecessary pressure on you. Birthdays come about every year. You can come to the next one!" His smile was wide and welcoming. Akane's shoulders dropped in relief with a sigh, a thankful smile gracing her face.
Ichijo and Akane continued to talk, the boy leading the conversation, asking Akane about the books and mangas he'd brought to her. He wanted to know what she 'd read and what she'd enjoyed best, saying he would go through his collection again and pull out what would better suit her reading tastes. The many reading materials he'd brought her on her first day in The Moon Dorms had been an eclectic mix of horror, romance, action, adventure and one or two more risqué texts, that had caused Aido to do a doubletake when he'd seen them on her dresser. Akane, however, had barely scratched the surface of the mountain of literature Ichijo had gifted her, but she didn't have the heart to discourage him from bringing her more when he looked so damned happy to do it.
As the last of the students began filling the room, Shiki and Rima joined them at the seating area, while Kaname emerged from the corridor leading to the library. He left to quickly retrieve his bag from his room before coming back, intending to speak with Akane.
"Miss Nakamura?" he called as the students parted for him to reach his progeny. Akane sat in a single-seater chair, facing out into the room. Two large, white couches flanked her sides, occupied by Aido and Kain to her left and Rima and Shiki to her right. Ichijo sat opposite, in the twin to Akane's chair. The ornate, granite coffee table nestled in the centre of them, housed their bags, books or, in Rema's case, sweets.
Akane's eyes were set on the Pureblood before he spoke. Her senses recognising his scent instantly as he re-entered the room. His and Aido's scents were the quickest and easiest she could recognise. Ichijo, she knew, had an almost green grape scent, then there were others, like Kain and Rima, whose scents were not so easy. Not only to distinguish from other scents but compare to a scent she was familiar with from her Human memories. It's hard to describe something when you don't have anything to compare it to.
"I have taken the liberty of collating the notes I had from all our classes, into this file," Kaname said holding up a simple black, ringed folder. Akane stood and accepted the notes soundlessly. She opened the file to find neatly handwritten instructions and lesson plans, timesheets, and schedules. "It should help you with any study sessions you and Aido have, as well as during class," he added when Akane began flipping through the poly-pockets that held the papers.
"Thank you," she replied as she sat back in her chair without another glance at her Master.
Ruka was near the foot of the stairs and frowned intently at Akane for her lack of gratitude for Kaname's thoughtful assistance.
"You should be more grateful!" she spat indignantly, gaining Akane's attention but she did not raise her head to look at the blonde. "Lord Kaname went to a lot of trouble gathering those notes for you when he has better things, he could…"
"Ruka," Kaname interrupted her tiredly. She stopped and turned to him at the call of her name. His expression was not stern but there had been an edge to his voice that portrayed his wish for her to drop it.
Ruka huffed, folding her arms at being scolded (yet again) for speaking out about the ex-Human, but didn't say more. She was surprised Aido hadn't scolded her for being so passive towards her sire. She would have expected him to call Akane out and apologise but he did nothing except stand to look at Kaname's notes over her shoulder, concentration etched on his features.
The chatter of the Night Class began to rise in volume until suddenly they quieted simultaneously. As if a collective decision had been reached and everyone began to gather their belongings and face the main doors. Akane looked around curiously at the sudden lull in the conversation, and the others around her as they stood, their bags, and belongings in hand.
"Time to go, Nakamura," Aido advised with a grin. Akane gulped.
Her nerves for her first trek through the changeover, coming back full force. This is it! No going back now! She was to walk through the doors and be properly revealed to the Day Class. She just hoped she wasn't too affected by the scents from her former classmates. Shiki held out a glass of water to her, two small tablets already sinking to the bottom, dissolving into nothing, and dying the water pink.
Akane accepted the glass with a small nod of thanks, not caring for its' origins, and drank the contents quickly, then placed the glass on the table. She turned to Aido, who was eying her strangely. She frowned at him in question, tilting her head to portray her confusion. The serious expression shifted instantly to be replaced by the more common expression he wore when interacting with the Day Class. Huh? Akane mused to herself as the students began to exit the dorms. What's he thinking now?