[Chapter:02]
After putting his stuff away, Kiritsugu met up with Ben and Audrey, the latter of whom was pleased to hear that she would have some actual heat in her room, and was awaiting the arrival of the VK's along with Jane's mother, Fairy Godmother.
She was the headmistress of the whole school, and had her dark brown hair done in a bun behind her head, and wore a formal lavender suit while she stood beside the royals awaiting the arrival of the limo bringing the VK's.
"Nervous, Ben?" Fairy Godmother asked the crown prince.
"Just slightly," The Prince admitted, "But I will not back out of this decision and am sure that this is for the best of the children who never got a chance!" He proclaimed with a higher tone at the end of it, sweating only slightly.
Kiritsugu had to admit, Ben could be a bit of an airhead, and in his mind, it's impressive that he had managed to grasp some concepts when it came to ruling a nation. But he had his heart set in the right direction, even if most would call him a bit deluded.
"Relax, man," He said to his fellow prince, "It's going to be fine, take a breather."
"Right," Ben replied as he took a few breaths, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief provided by Fairy Godmother, "Thank you."
"They should've been here by now," Audrey complained as she looked for the limo along with everyone else, tapping her finger on her crossed arms ever so.
Now under normal circumstances, Kiritsugu could use reinforcement to give his eyes the ability to see miles away, but since he was standing next to one of the most potent magic uses alive in Auradon right now, he didn't want to for risk of getting caught performing Magecraft for something she would probably see as not necessary.
Luckily none of them had to wait any longer, as the image of a black limo came over the horizon, and soon enough the band behind them began to play their welcoming song.
'Maybe this was a bit too much,' The Magus thought as he realised Ben maybe went a bit overboard with the welcoming ceremony.
Soon the limo came to a stop near the curb, and not a second later did the driver come out to open the back side door, where two young boys his age, one with short salt and pepper hair while the other had long back, fell out and appeared to be wrestling over some candy and sending childish insults at each other.
'Huh, didn't expect that,' He thought as the band suddenly came to a halt as everyone just stared at the two go at it.
Following the two boys were two girls, one of them being a dark blue haired girl dressed in what Kiritsugu figured was fashion design, definitely the Evil Queen's daughter, and next to her was a girl with purple hair and wearing a more wicked outfit consisting of purple and green colours.
Deciding it would be best to stop this before it got out of hand, Fairy Godmother stepped forward followed by Ben and Kiritsugu, which the girls seemed to notice and slapped them upside the head to get them to stop wrestling and stand up straight.
"Please leave everything as you found it," Fairy Godmother said to them as she noticed the 'borrowed' stuff in the long-haired boy's hands, "And by that I mean leave it, please."
Catching on, the teen threw everything back into the limbo, before turning towards the Royals, specifically, Audrey.
"Well hello, Foxy," He said smoothly as he strutted his way over to her, while his friends were either snickering or rolling their eyes, "The name's Jay."
Kiritsugu tried and failed to suppress a snicker at the face Audrey wore and imagined she was mentally throwing up from the rather bold introduction, something that Audrey didn't take too kindly, and sent a glare towards the platinum blonde.
"Welcome to Auradon Prep!" Fairy Godmother interrupted, hoping to stop anything bad from happening and break the monotony, "I am Fairy Godmother, Headmistress of the Academy," She introduced with a small curtsy.
"Wait, THE Fairy Godmother," Purple Head asked with a new found interest, "As in bibbidy bobbidy boo?"
"Bibbidy bobbidy, you know it!" She said with the brightest smile possible.
"Wow," Purple Head said with fake surprise, but some interest, "I always wanted to how Cinderella felt, what with you just appearing out of nowhere with a smile and that nice, sparkly, wand."
Kiritsugu looked at Purple Head for a while, a suspicious and funny feeling popping up in his gut as he noticed her specifications onto the wand, but shook it off feeling for now and would make his judgements later.
"That was a long time ago," Fairy God Mother said, recalling the events with a small smile, "But as I always say, 'Don't focus too much on the past, or you'll miss the future'."
Deciding now was a good time for introduction, Ben cleared his throat and stepped forward, Audrey and Kiritsgugu following in his step.
"It's great to meet you all," Ben said as he stepped forward to introduce himself, "My name's Ben."
"Prince, Ben!" Audrey added, also reminding everyone she was there before latching onto his arm, "I'm Audrey, Princess Audrey, his boyfriend!" She said with as much clarity as possible before pointing to Kiritsugu, "And this here is Kiri," She said with no flashy intro, as if he were a bag in the wind or a stray dog you found on the street.
"Kiri?" The longhaired one asked, pronouncing it the girl way and chuckling along with the shorter white and black haired one.
"It's Kiritsugu, actually," Kiritsugu properly introduced, only 'slightly' annoyed at the pronunciation of his nickname.
"Kiritsugu, huh?" The blue haired girl said as she strutted over to him, "Are you a prince too?" She asked as she played with her hair, giving off a cute innocent look.
"Umm, yes," He answered, slightly stepping back to give himself some space, slightly weirded out, "My mom is a Queen."
"Wow," She said as she took another step closer, "I mean, my mom's a Queen as well, so I guess that makes me princess too!"
"Except the Evil Queen has no royal status here!" Audrey reminded, "And neither do you."
'And just when I thought her bitchiness couldn't grow any more,' Kiritsugu thought as he gave Audrey a glare she ignored, before returning his attention to the new arrivals.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, uh.."
"Evie," She introduced with a curtsy, "and that there is Mal, Jay, and Carlos," She said while pointing over to the girl in purple, the tall, longhaired boy, and the short white haired one in that order.
"Sup," Carlos greeted with a nod while Jay raised his hand, while Mal gave no try at a greeting.
"Well, now that we're all acquainted with one another, why don't you three show our guests around," Fairy Godmother suggested as she looked to the three royals, "I'll see you tomorrow for your classes, and remember," She began before holding out her hands and flashing a shining smile, "The doors of wisdom are never shut! But the library does close at Eleven, and remember your curfew."
With that said, Fairy Godmother made her grand exit, leaving the seven kids to themselves with the hope they would get along swimmingly.
Taking the lead, Ben stepped forward and decided to introduce himself, his hand outstretched to Jay formally.
"It's so good to-" Jay punched Ben in the arm, "-Meet you all..."
Jay just smiled and gave a thumbs up, attempting to show his version of a greeting was in good faith, while Ben just rubbed his shoulder for a second and went to mal.
"This is a momentous occasion," He said as he held his hand out to the purplette, who just stared at him for a while, while Ben did the same before the former just coughed into her fist, "Uh, this is a momentous occasion,"
He continued as he reached Carlos, and finally got a handshake, as well as a hand covered in chocolate, "Oh, is that chocolate? Heh," He said as he licked his fingers.
He finished with Evie, who also shook his hands as well a send him a flirtatious wink, which Ben just smiled of, "And the day our two peoples learn to live as one!"
"Or the day you show four people where the bathrooms are!" Mal shouted, mocking Ben's speech while managing to get a laugh not only from her friends but also Kiritsugu.
"Seriously?" Audrey muttered.
"A little too much?" Ben asked a bit sheepishly.
"Yes," Mal and Kiritsugu said at the same time before both of their eyes met, and mutual respect was held for a second.
"So much for a first impression," The Crown prince said with a laugh which he and Mal shared.
Kiritsugu froze as his eyes glanced back and forth from between Ben and Mal, making sure that he saw everything right.
Audrey seemed to notice as well, and decided to break things up before any hints of any kind of relationship could develop between them.
"Hey, you're maleficent's daughter, right?" She asked as she stepped up to her.
"Audrey," Kiritsugu warned.
"Relax, Kiri. I just want to let our oh so welcome guest that I totally, do not blame her for what her mom did to mine. You know, cursing her after her birth."
Kiritsugu didn't believe it one bit.
"Oh, it's fine," Mal said, stepping up to face Audrey with her arms on her hips, "After all, who am I to blame you for not inviting my mom to the party. You know, after inviting literally everyone else in the kingdom."
The two stared down one another while letting out their own bit of forced laughter, and Kiritsugu could practically see the heat coming off their eyes.
"Hey, you know what sounds great?" He said as quickly got in between the two women, "How about we get started on the tour?"
"Oh, good idea," Ben quickly agreed as he turned on his heel, preparing to lead everyone.
Mal and Audrey gave each other a final look before the later turned her back to the former and latched onto her boyfriend's arm.
The group walked through the courtyard, with Ben explaining the basic history of the school while the children of the Isle looked around. They soon passed by the statue of King Adam, and as soon as Ben walked past it, Kiritsugu felt the release of Prana as the statue changed into the King's Beast Form.
Admittedly, Kiritsugu thought it was a rather freaky thing, especially for the incoming freshman who had no idea of it and close to pissing themselves when Ben would walk by.
Carlos seemed to have the same reaction, as everyone turned around after hearing a high pitch scream and saw him being carried by Jay bridal style and staring up at the statue with a freaked out expression.
"You alright?" Kiritsugu asked.
"T-the statue changes," The white-haired boy stated while pointing at it.
"Carlos it's okay," Ben said, calming him down, "My father put that there to remind everyone that anything is possible."
"Does he shed much?" Mal asked, looking up at the statue.
"Yeah, Mom doesn't let him on the couch anymore."
Mal gave a small laugh at the joke before turning around, wanting to get the tour over with, while Jay realised he was still holding Carlos and dropped him before going to join the rest of the group.
Dusting himself off, Carlos looked up at the statue and clapped his hands, expecting it to change again, but with no result.
"Don't bother, the statue only works with Ben and his family," Kiritsugu told him.
"It's... So freaky," Carlos commented, unable to take his eyes of the statue.
"Yeah, and don't worry, you're not the first to freak out. If I remember correctly, someone passed out after seeing it transform," The blonde said to the white-haired boy.
Said boy nodded before he and Kiritsugu went to join the others inside the school building.
When everyone went in, the Isle kids were practically in awe at the underlying architecture of the school, admiring the old fashioned and shining clean floors and walls.
"Wow," Jay said while Carlos let out a whistle and Evie gasped.
Mal, however, was focused on a different topic and looked at the Royals with a question in mind.
"So tell me, you guys have MAgic here on Auradon, right?"
"Yes Magic exists here, but it has been retired for years, and nobody practices it anymore," Ben said, while Kiritsugu looked away, knowing that was not true, "Really, all of us are just ordinary mortals."
"Who happen to be Kings and Queens," Mal added.
"But of course" Audrey but in, taking Ben's arm and putting it around her shoulder, "Our royal blood goes back hundreds of years," She said with arrogance.
"Oh I bet," Mal said with another forced smile as the two went back to staring at each other.
The tension was thick enough to be cut with a knife, and Kiritsugu looked for a way to end it as soon as possible.
His solution came when he saw a Familiar face coming down the stairs.
"Hey, Doug!" He called out, getting the teen's attention, "Can you come down here for a moment.
Doug was a teenager like them, standing at average height with fair skin, ahead of neatly combed hair and glasses over his brown eyes.
"Perfect timing, practice just end?" Kiritsugu asked as he saw he was still in his band uniform.
"Yeah, what'd you need?" He asked.
"Oh, perfect," Ben said as he was glad to have him here, "Everyone, this here is Doug. He will help you with your class schedule while he and Kiritsugu show you around," Ben summarised, "And If there's anything else you need, feel free to ask m-"
"Doug or Kiri!" Audrey said, interrupting Ben and putting said boys in the spotlight while laughing awkwardly with Mal, scaring Kiri slightly.
And then she left, practically dragging Ben out of the room.
"Don't worry, you'll eventually learn just to ignore her," Kiritsugu said to the four, "Now moving on, let's meet someone who is actually a nice person," He finished, motioning to Doug.
He stepped up in front of the gang and adjusted his glasses.
"So, I'm Doug, son of Dopey," He began, "That's Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Happy, Sleepy... Hi Ho," He went as he looked over at Evie.
"Hi, I'm Evie," She said as she waltzed over to him and waved her fingers at him.
Doug could only stare at her in a lovestruck trance, before Kiritsugu snapped his fingers in front of Doug's face, knocking him out of hi Dopey facial expression.
"Wha-oh, right," He went as he cleared his throat, "So, I put in the requests for your classes. Basic stuff, History of Pirates and Woodsmen, Safety rules for the internet, and Remedial Goodness."
"Let me guess, new class?" Mal guesses, already figuring the school would have a go at trying to turn them to the good side.
"I know, isn't it exciting?" Kiritsugu joked, getting a small laugh from the guys.
"So, how about the rest of the tour?" Evie asked.
"Right, I guess we'll start with the courtyard?" Kiritsugu said as he turned to Doug who shrugged and figured it was a good enough place to start.
The tour took a good portion of the afternoon and was met with a literal game of twenty questions just about every corner, most of which seemed to be about magic, which Kiritsugu attempted and somehow succeeded in derailing.
Through it, all Kiritsugu also managed to learn a bit about the new arrivals, and he had to say they didn't seem all too bad.
He wouldn't lie if asked if he believed that they would cause some bit of trouble, and besides Jay trying to swipe a few candlesticks, everything went pretty okay.
Walking into his room, Kiritsugu let himself collapse onto the bed with a groan, feeling a bit tired with his body instructing him to go to bed now.
Unfortunately for him, he was terrible at following instructions.
'It's like what, six? I have time for a 'bit' of practice.'
Rolling out off the bed, Kiritsugu went to the side of his bed, pulling the drape of tools he still had hidden under there. He did a quick count to see everything still there, including the practice swords he 'borrowed' from the gym.
"Now, what to try?" He asked aloud as he sat criss-cross in front of the drape
He had been doing plenty of reinforcement and structural grasp training for over a week, and he figured enough of that. Maybe a bit of tracing would do?
"Okay, let's try it," He said as he rolled up his sleeves and was ready to begin.
TRACE ON
Activating his circuits a channelling the necessary Prana, Kirisugu pictured the image of one of many nameless longswords he had seen before a flash of light blue energy came to life in his hand. The energy began to take shape and transform into the longsword he envisioned.
However, unlike the swords in front of him which were made of metal, this one was made of pure solid ice.
Pulling the sword close to him, he began to thoroughly analyse it to see if he possibly either messed something up or was missing anything regarding the mental blueprint he used to create the ice sword.
It was the same size and shape of the sword he imagined and appeared to lack any cracks or significant flaws. However, Ice was not the same as metal, so there were a few minor things.
The blade was dull and would take more than a few swings to cut something properly. The weight, while balanced, was a lot less than that of a regular metal longsword and probably wouldn't give out as much force, and most of all, it was very fragile and would probably break after the first hit.
However, there were ways to counter those flaws.
Using the one other spell he knew, Kiritsugu began to reinforce the blade and channelled just enough Prana into it too.
Now, thanks to the spell, the blade was as sharp as obsidian and strong as iron so that it wouldn't break after a few swings.
"Alright, now let's see how many I can create this time," Kiritsugu said as he placed the sword down beside him and was ready to create another.
[End]