Ask to Join Royka: Acadamy of The Elements

[JacobRaze]

Mariko stopped. He was sweating bullets from training, and the fire didn't help. After a stomach growl, he decided to call it and left.

'Crap! Left my bag at the dorm!'

He began to make his way back. He crept up the quiet dorms up to his rooms and grabbed his grey bag that held his books. He threw on his uniform and his red-orange cloak, wore some clean shoes(for once), and was on his way before he was stopped by people in the same colored cloaks. He froze at the look he gave them.


"Hey Guys!'' Mariko attempted to lighten up the situation, but didn't help at all.

------------

Mariko got to the breakfast with a couple of bruises and cuts, but wasn't seriously hurt. He opted out on eating and just looked at the place. he took a deep breath and sat at a table that was fairly empty and took out the history book he kept studying, the red cloak sticking out like a, well, red thumb in a sea of different fingers.

 

[Fire Mana]

Parker's stomach gave a growl, telling him to give his body some form of nutrition.

Ugh, this is such a pain.

He stood up, grabbing his sycthe and bag, before shuffling into the line of other students. Luckily for him, the line wasn't quite as long and the cafeteria as a whole was less crowded now. He grabbed a plate, and piled it with eggs, bacon, and a stack of waffles drowned in syrup. He sat back down at his table, his sycthe now leaned on his shoulder instead of resting on the bench.

I should eat fast, class starts soon.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

For a moment, Anemi's question took Hanaka off guard. Not because the question was rudiculously weird though. It's just... Hanaka didn't even remember when is the last time someone asked about her element anymore. Cut it off, Hanaka. You are now in Royka, not Grillin anymore.

"I-I, I control plant you see. But I'm not good at all." She had a slight blush when answering, for a moment she didn't felt like she was belong here in Royka. "Actually, up until I come here I only know one other elemancer. He is a fire elemancer who is also in Royka, should be in the 2nd year by now." Now that she already finished all her meal but the meat, she carefully pierced one of it with her fork and ate it slowly, the
best part is for the last. She took a moment to appreciate the meat before turning back to her eating partner and continued to speak.

"That's why I'm really glad that I got a chance to enter Royka out of nowhere. What do you think about this school, Anemi?"

 

[Vaporeonn]

What did Anemi think of this school? Lot's of things. None were positive. Still, Anemi tried to answer in a way that Hana wouldn't get that vibe. "Well, it's certainly big. And I've already made friends, which is nice." She looked down at her plate. "I don't know what the classes will look like, but I hope I get to perfect my skills with them."

So, Hana controlled plants? Anemi hadn't ever met anyone who could do that. She wondered what kind of things one could do with such power. She imagined a person being able to use the plants as a shield, or using trees so trap enemies. It could be useful. Anemi just didn't like how self conscious Hana got, so she tried saying something to lift her up. "And since you got into Royka, your powers shouldn't be as bad as you think!"

Anemi saw many students start to leave the cafeteria, and concluded that class would be starting soon. They should hurry. "It looks like class starts soon. Shall we go?" Anemi got up, leaving the plate since she already saw the plates of other students lift up when empty, and levitate towards the kitchen. Telekinetic powers, possibly?

"What's your first class?" Anemi asked Hana. She looked at her schedule. "Mine is Introduction to Potion-making."

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Hanaka appreciates Anemi's attempt to cheer her. Maybe she's right, maybe she's not that bad... Although Hanaka doubt she would be able stand out compared to another students.

She then looked at her schedule. Which she wrote in the back of her notebook.

"I think we are the same class, at least for now." Hanaka showed Anemi her schedule, the first one is also showing introduction to potion making. Hanaka felt that this class would be interesting since she had tried to made some potion in the past, although the result wasn't good.

Just as she trying to got up, the sounds of a bell echoed through the whole school. It's strange because the sound didn't seems to came from any particular direction. Most students in the cafetaria exit the room immediately, some students who hadn't finished their meal either left it on the plate or tried to finish it as fast as they could muster.

"The bell rung. Let's go the class."

 

[JacobRaze]

The bell rung. After a couple of deep breaths, he got up and was going to his first class, the most exciting class,(no sarcasm at all) math. He grunted as he headed into a basic part of the building, one that held normal classes. The very basic math class was overall boring compared to the big Elemancer classes, but it was managable.

His next class, Control of Element, started soon.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

"Hello, check... check..." A high pitched female voice suddenly assault the ears of all the students, pulling their attention to whoever is speaking, though it seems the voice was coming from the wall of the building itself. Some students even tried to hit the wall, just to make sure there's no rock elemancer embedded to the school walls.

"Wow, is this really working? Cool!.... Hmm? oh yeah. Right. Back to business. Announcement to all new students, please gather at the multi-purpose hall. Cause we had captured the escaped principal-" The voice suddenly vanished. Leaving some students murmuring about what the heck just happened. But then the voice came back.

"Sorry, but to all new students, forget what I just said. Anyway, please come to the multi-purpose hall to attend the welcome ceremony. That's it for the announcement, See you later!" The voice vanished, this time for real.

Hanaka looked around her class and found that all students were as confused as her. Reluctantly some of the students got up from their seat and started walking toward the multi-purpose hall. The rest of the students follow suit.

 

[Vaporeonn]

Anemi was confused. Vanished principal? What could that be about? She didn't know if she was to stay in place, or get up. But, since everyone including Hana, started walking towards the hall, Anemi decided to go too. It was probably obligatory. Maybe she'd even see Mariko!

Anemi was really glad that she had at least one subject with Hanaka. She'd have to compare their schedules to see if there were others that they shared, too. Anemi wasn't sure if other students were as friendly as the ones she's already met, so having someone she knows near her made her feel empowered.

The way to the hall was plaved with shiny, white tiles, and a high ceiling that made Anemi feel like she was in a castle. A giant painting was on a wall to the left, and Anemi tried deciphering its meaning, but she was never the one to get the meaning of art right. It seemed like a battle was pictured, though. In the least, it's beautiful, Anemi thought. The way to the hall was no match for the actual multi-purpose hall, though. Anemi had no idea how it matched the rest of the school, that looked old and crusty. This hall might just make Anemi like the school a little bit more. She waited to hear what was next, staying as close to Hanaka as possible.

 

[JacobRaze]

Mariko sighed at the sudden announcement. "Wow, so i guess Pil's principal is still here. Glad she warned me." He said, putting his books back.

He stepped into the large hall where students filled the area around him on either side.

'Why are we so packed together?'

Mariko cut a bit through the croud, but he saw Anemi close by. He would prefer to be close to someone he knows.

"Anemi! Wait up!"

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Hanaka was overwhelmed by the hall. It is so big and make her feels so small, very much reminds her of the Grand Church at the capital. Moreover, there's some people who watched them from the ledge on the second floor. They were adults with varied color of cloaks, so Hana guessed they're Royka's elemental teachers. Hana was looking for the teacher with a dark-green cloak until suddenly she heard a voice.

"Anemi! Wait up!" She turned her head into the voice and saw a red-haired boy approaching her, wait no, he's approaching Anemi. Is it her friend?

Hanaka tapped Anemi's shoulder lightly, "who's the boy?"

 

[FrostCrispz]

Peter walked around the crowded hall, as many people stood around to hear the message. I'm just interested with the principal. Said something about catching them. He thought as he looked around. Everyone wore cloaks. Even the teachers, probably to describe what they taught. The main problem seemed to be that his cloak was the only one of the colour. Voices could be heard from all around, so it was hard to pin out people he knew. But he didn't know many people anyways, so that's something. "When's this going to start?" He asked nobody around.

 

[Vaporeonn]

"What boy?" Anemi asked, Hanaka's nudge surprising her. She turned around and saw a familiar face. Anemi smiled, happy to have finally seen him. "Mariko!" She said, maybe a bit too loud, since it earned a few odd looks. She blushed, embarrassed, but decided to introduce the two of her friends.

Anemi cleared her throat, then turned to Hanaka. "That's Mariko, the one we were looking for." She said. "Mariko, meet Hanaka."

 

[JacobRaze]

"Nice to meet you!" Mariko said, flashing a smile. "You were looking for me?" He turned Anemi Confused. "I was training before a group of second and third year fire guys tried to talk about how we should band together, a then i fell down stairs."

'That story sounds stupid.'

 

[Vaporeonn]

"Well, yeah..." Anemi said. Was it weird to be looking for him? Suddenly, she felt even more embarrassed. "But, you met people of your own element! That's cool!" Anemi didn't know how to change topics very well, but she hoped this would work. "I saw some too, but they didn't approach me, or anything."

Suddenly, she heard a tap on the miicrophone, and someone clearing their throat, and Anemi guessed that the ceremonial speech was going to start, so she shut up and waited for it to begin.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Then one we were looking for? Hanaka was confused for a moment, but then she remembered when Anemi invited her to look for her friend this morning.

"Ah, so you are Moriko. Nice to meet you. I'm Hanaka, please just cal me Hana." She greeted Moriko with a whisper because the hall had suddenly become silent.

 

[JacobRaze]

"As you know, im Rosana Romox. Im your vice Dean at this school. Im here to not so gladly introduce you to your Dean. Welcome Dean, Dean." A woman said. She stepped down as a man drunkenly stood up.

"Hey guys! Im Dean Easterdean, but call me Dean Dean, double Dean, or simply double d!" He said. He started going off on useless info, and eventually welcomed the new kids.

"Be ready for skills testing!"

 

[Spoiled Bread]

"Phew, finally Double D shut his trap." Hanaka heard a boy voice nearby.

"Yeah, boriiing. I wonder why he need two Ds though." another boy replied.

"Haha, who knows? let's make this joke of the year."

"Nah, my senior friend said this Double D had become a joke since day one..." The boys voices trailed off.

Hanaka woke up from her slumber and found herself still standing in the hall. She didn't even know that she had the ability to sleep while standing still. But, what happened? The students seems to started moving to somewhere else. She looked for Anemi and Moriko and found them nearby.

"I think I missed most of the ceremony. W-what happened? Why and where is everyone moving?"

 

[Vaporeonn]

"Hm?" Anemi was confused, but then remembered. "Oh! Skill testing, I think." She let out a huff. "I'm so nervous. I dont think I'll do too well."

The ceremony was... Boring. Apart from a few unfunny jokes, it was all blabbing about the classes, the history of the school, wishing good luck... Anemi also felt a tension between the woman who started he speech and the Dean - double Dean. How fitting when one's name matched their profession. Where do they find these people, Anemi wondered.

She noticed a few other students with gray capes walking out, and decided to follow them. They should know where the skill testing takes place, right? "Hey, guys, I'll be going to the testing now. See ya!"

Anemi ran up to the students, and asked if they were going to the testing. When they answered positively, she asked if she could come with. "Yeah, sure," a boy answered. "It seems like you don't know much about the school. We can show her around, right?" he asked his friends.
"Thank you," Anemi answered. "I'm Anemi Venti, by the way."
"Euri Haava. Nice to meet you, Anemi."

She was just making friend after friend. Maybe this stupid school wasn't as bad she she thought...

 

[JacobRaze]

"Oh, bye Anemi." Mariko looked dissapointed, but he switched up his mood. "I guess i should head out too. How about you Hanaka?" Mariko put on a smile held out his hand for a shake.

Out of the corner of his eye, enough students were gone, he could see a room. In there, the Dean was being yelled at by the vice Dean.

"Actually, i might skip." A mischevious grin sprouted on his face.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Hanaka shook Moriko's hand. She looked around for some other student but found none that has dark-green cloak.

"I will head out to the testing place." She gave Moriko a nods before she ran to random corridor, hoping to found a person to help her. No matter what kind of fun Moriko's skipping plan would be, she can't afford to mess up on her first day of school. Especially since one of her scholarship requirement is for her to obtain at least B+ on all subjects, including math.

"Hey, you. Come with me." A voice from the corner of the corridor startled her. Then a short boy with ushanka hat and dark-green cloak appeared. Hanaka was confused for moment because she thought that the right hand of this boy is a totem pole, but then she realized he just wore it like a hand puppet.

"Don't space out. Follow me."

 

[Platinum_]

Finally, it was the first day of school. Liam had been looking forward to this day since... what felt like forever! The Light Caster had awoken early, as he tended to do naturally, and greeted the morning sun into his vision as he peeked out the window. The blonde did notice, however, that he had a roommate! The other male was still sleeping comfortably in his bed, though. It made sense, Liam awoke a good couple of hours before the ceremony and class was even scheduled to start. He wondered who this other guy was, but decided against waking him up. He would meet him later.

He threw on the neat Royka Academy uniform, in which he liked very much - especially the pale yellow cloak that came along with it. He assumed it was to identify his element, which was a cool factor that helped personalize the students' looks. Plus, it matched the color of his converse, so it all worked out. He packed his things and made sure he was ready for the day, and set out to eat breakfast.

Liam was amazed at the architecture and size of the Academy, and ate his morning meal in awe. He hadn't introduced himself to anyone yet as he was too obsessed with taking in his surroundings. It wasn't until the actual Opening Ceremony began that he had sat beside another student. He made small talk and introductions to those around him for a few minutes, until the ceremony began. Liam listened on with enthusiasm for a little while... but then it became quite boring. The Dean seemed nice enough, but a tad cheesy. It was fine, though - the school had a huge reputation so this "Double B" was obviously certified and knew what he was doing.

After the formal introduction was over, Liam listened as there would be a "Skill Testing" - the same thing he read about the day before. He became nervous and stood, following the other students to wherever this testing would be held. He wondered what kind of tests he and the other students would be put through. Whatever it was, he would have to do his best. Making a name for himself among the other first years was extremely important if he wanted to succeed on his own accord instead of the reputation of the Ellos Family.

 

[JacobRaze]

Mariko slid by, listening on the conversation going on. Through a door, it wasn't clear, but he heard "secret". They argued and turned a corner nearby, so Mariko slipped in the door to follow them.

He followed them to a seemingly dead end. They input some code of taps, and the wall faded for a few seconds. It was old brick, looked like it could fall. Mariko slipped through the wall, but heard them turn around. It was dark and wet, like a gooey ink. The Dean and the Vice Dean calmed and dissapeared. He hid in a pocketon ink as they came back around and through the wall. This time, Mariko couldn't get through. Suddenly, he recognized the tar-like substance. Its the same stuffin the training rooms. There was no way out, so he had to go the direction the Dean had gone.

It led into an open room covered in tar

And chains...

And a man, groaning in pain.

 

[Vaporeonn]

The school was so annoyingly huge. Anemi felt like they took fifteen left turns, five right turns, and were walking for hours. It, of course wasn't as big as she made it seem in her head, but Anemi had a tendency to exaggerate when it came to things that she found annoying. It also seemed like the group she was currently with were friends before they enrolled into the academy. "Are we near the testing room?" Anemi asked.

"Yeah? Oh, yeah we are. It's right over there," Euri said, pointing at a huge, wooden door that led to the giant testing room. Anemi was so glad. She heard a bird chirp through one of the open windows, and got close to it so she could see it. Anemi liked birds. They could fly, and their songs were beautiful. Euri came close to her. "Stupid bird. They always make noise," he said, surprising Anemi, and with a quick flick of his hand a small, but harsh, breeze of wind flew by and knocked the bird off the branch. Anemi stared in disbelief.

"What?! Why did you do that?" Anemi asked, angry at Euri. She didn't expect that from him, or anyone who could control air, actually. They lived by rules of respecting nature, and everything in it. Why would anybody do such a cruel thing? Euri and the rest of the group, though, just laughed. It seemed like this was casual fun for them, but Anemi hoped it wasn't.

"What?" Euri said. "Don't tell me you feel bad for that." Yes, she did. The bird was just living its life, not hurting anyone, and Euri had the audacity to use his skills for the wrong.

"Yes! You shouldn't use your skills for... For... Harming innocent creatures!" Anemi said.
Euri scoffed. "The element of air is the most powerful element, and it shouldn't be wasted by goody-two-shoes who won't use its full potential. We can do anything!" He seemed angry. Anemi was upset, but didn't want to keep fighting. She chose to back down.

"Whatever," she said, and continued towards the testing room. When she entered, there were already a few students in there, evaluated by a strict looking woman. Anemi took a deep breath, and approached a few other students who were practicing. She wasn't ever going to associate herself with Euri or his friends again.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Hanaka asked the boy some questions like what is his name or where they are heading, but the boy didn't say a thing. The awkward silence surrounded them as they walked through the corridor.

Finally the corridor have up to an open field with a lot of trees and even some gardens on the side. It feels like the training room, but with more tree.

"DIE!! DIEE!! DIIEE!!!" A brown haired boy screamed and performed a barrage of whip attack with the big root in his hand. His opponent, a topless very muscular man with intricate tattoo all over his body just yawned while he summoned an even bigger root to block all the barrage. After a few more attack, the boy fell down, exhausted. Angered expression could be seen on his face.

"Rakujou.. you are too reckless and straightforward. This brute force technique may work if you have fire element-" the man's lecture cut short when the boy snapped.

"Shut up! I know that already!!" he got up and walked out of the room. Hanaka could heard he murmured something about incompatibility when he passed her. The muscular man sighed before noticing Hanaka and the boy.

"Oh, Derek. You found her. Thank you." The boy, who Hanaka now knew named Derek just gave the teacher a little nod before took a seat on the ground along with another students. Hanaka was planning to do the same but a huge hand landed on her shoulder, stopping her from moving anywhere.

"You are next, Hanaka." she was shocked at this statement. Me? next? Why?? She didn't felt she was ready. She wanted to watch what it is she supposed to do in the skill test. Realizing Hanaka's expression, the muscular man said. "Sorry, you must be confused now. Mwaha, silly me. I should introduce myself. I'm the plant mentor, my name is Lucas Adirai." He gave Hanaka a smile that might be supposed to be warm, but his towering build made his smile looks intimidating. Despite her fear of the man, Hanaka tried her best to fake a smile.

"So, the rules of this skill test is simple. try to hit me with anything. It's a battle. So Give me your all!! Mwahahaha. Do you understand??"

"I-I understand!" Hanaka tried to reply as confident as she could muster. But battle, right on the first day?? She was totally not ready for this. Still, she couldn't back down. The only thing she could do was to try her best.

After a few preparation. Now Hanaka was in front of her teacher. Hanaka looked at her opponent, looking for anything she could use. His stance looks firm, like he wasn't planning to move a lot, so she might not be able to rely on tripping him. His build looks so strong and there's three bracelet made of roots in each of his hand, probably used as a weapon, so close combat is out of option. Based on the previous battle with Rakujou, he also seems to be able to control a very thick root. By the way, where's that root? is it underground? Hana looked around the arena but found nothing. Conclusion from her assessment: She has no chance to win.

"Allrighty. Be ready." A girl with a sprout on her head was acting as a referee. She seems happy with her job though, since she said all those with brimming excitement.

"Three... Two... One... Battle start!!"

 

[Vaporeonn]

The hall they were training at looked very... Refined. And pricey. Anemi knew that air elemancers weren't materialistic, but this school just kept proving her wrong every time. The woman who was testing them seemed to be quite old, was tall and boney, and had grey-white hair in a bun. Her eyes were full of severity. Anemi shivered.

"Anemi Venti?" The woman asked. "You're up next." Anemi approached her with caution. The room was silent, and the air felt thick - or was Anemi just imagining it? She couldn't calm herself down, but, a few deep breaths helped. What would the woman ask her to do? What if she couldn't do it? "I want you to keep this feather in air for as long as possible." What? Was that seriously it? Anemi smiled with relief, thinking it was easy. But, then the woman added, "Anything under half an hour is considered a failure." And, Anemi was nervous again.

It started off good. The woman walked away from her to test someone else, but Anemi knew she couldn't rest. She had to do it all the way. The feather was in her arms, and the time started when Anemi lifted it off. Her eyes were focused on it, and she was more concentrated than ever before. She had to do this, and she couldn't fail. Time felt to be passing too slow. Anemi felt she was growing more tired each second due to the stress.

Students came and passed, but Anemi stayed glued to one spot, levitating the feather for, what she felt like was, an eternity and a half. Her legs grew weaker, her arms hurt, but she didn't move. The feather changed height, it went higher, then lower, and Anemi was on the verge of a heart attack each time, but it never touched the ground, well, her hands. Did half an hour pass already? Anemi didn't dare ask.

Suddenly, the woman, whose name Anemi overheard and remembered as Mrs. Diove, approached her, and with the same, stern look, she said, "An hour has passed already. You can stop."
Anemi felt like a weight fell off her chest. She couldn't believe what she just did. Stood there for an hour and keviatted a feather? It sounded easy, but Anemi now knew it wasn't. She bent slightly and thanked the woman, skipping out of the room. Now, she should go find her friends.

 

[JacobRaze]

Mariko ran. He had to escape that mess. He got to the wall and copied the entrance and booked it. He made it out to the courtyard and sat, trying to catch his breath after seeing that thing. He sat down on a patch of grass.

Breathing. Just breathing.

 

[Vaporeonn]

After backtracking to the great Hall, and realising that her friends wouldn't be there after an hour, Anemi decided to go somewhere to relax. She saw plenty of students go to the courtyard, and she thought that either Hanaka or Mariko would be there.

The courtyard was large. It had a few massive trees, all surrounded by benches. (most of which were occupied by students.) The trees threw a large shade, that covered the huge grassy area. The grass was cut short, so it was comfortable enough to sit on. Anemi then noticed a lonely spot near the second entrance to the courtyard, and saw a boy who looked similar to Mariko sitting there, but Anemi didn't have the best vision so she came loser to check. Once she was sure it was her friend, she called out for him.

"Hey, Mariko!" She yelled, running across the yard. Her friend... Didn't seem to be in the best condition. "Are you alright, Mariko?"

 

[JacobRaze]

He jumped at the 'Hey'. What if this was something big, and that he'd have to be killed since he knew. He looked at her.

"Im great! Just tired i suppose. Could go for some food." He sighed, laying on the grass instead. "Man, this place has some ugly stuff huh?" He muttered to himself. Anemi looked like she was enjoying herself, he didnt want to ruin that. Best kept a secret.

 

[Vaporeonn]

"I'm super tired too," Anemi said, taking a seat next to Mariko. "The testing was done by a total nut job, who basically ordered me to stand still for an hour... I managed to pass, though." She smiled, laying down on the grass. It was warm, but the sun wasn't shining that bright, and it was a bit cloudy. Maybe it was the work of some warming Elemancer or something, Anemi thought. She heard some familiar voices, belonging to Euri and his friends, but she wasn't going to let their presence ruin her mood now. She hoped he left her alone.

"How did your testing go?" Anemi asked, choosing not to think about the rude air elemancers.

 

[JacobRaze]

"Oh!" He cursed under his breath. "I.....didnt......take them?" He said so slowly and unsurely. "Something bothering you? Someone" Mariko asked, trying to change the subject. "I could help if you want."

'Whatever gets my mind off this'

 

[Spoiled Bread]

When he referee shouted 'battle start!', the only thing in Hanaka's thought is... how to battle, really? She never use her elemancer ability to fight before. A wooden spearhead flew past her, nearly stab her in the cheek.

"Don't space out! If this is a battlefield, you would have died." The piles of muscles that is her teacher signal for her to come charging forward. hanaka took a deep breath and screamed as loud as she could. She grabbed a handful of seeds from her sling bag and throw it to Lucas, which dodged it easily with a simple back step.

"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you this. But any student who can hit me once will be given special reward! Isn't this fun! Mwahahaha."

Hanaka looked at her opponent, distressed that her attack was avoided so easily. Still, she hadn't finished. She poured some magic energy into the seeds, instantly growing them into vines, which should be able to entangle Lucas, but Lucas sweeped his hand forward and the vines were pushed back to Hanaka by invincible hand. Oh, right. We have the same element.

"Now my turn." Lucas dig into his pocket and pulled a seed. "This is Seed Burst. The same spell as you just used." He then threw it at Hanaka with frightening speed. She couldn't even saw it coming, the next thing she knew was she already buried in vines. After a few moment, she was able to freed herself from the vines.

Aside from seed burst, she didn't knew other spell that can be used in battle. So she did the only thing she could thought. She dropped on her knees with a defeated expression.

"Aw, man. Really? It's just been two minutes!" Based on his experience, Lucas could think of two possibilities of Hanaka's behavior. First, she's surrendering or two, she just want him to lower his guard and deliver a surprise attack. Lucas carefully approached Hanaka while keeping his eyes on her hands, no movement or twitching. it seems she really was surrendering. He crouched down so their eyes were on the same level and pat her shoulder. He sighed, cheering up students was one of the hardest part of being a teacher, not as hard as doing all tose paperworks though.

"It's okay. No need to cry. we are all begin- GYAAAAH!!" His scream startled all students in the room. Except Hanaka. She just looked at Lucas with a nervous smile. "S-sorry mister Lucas." Lucas looked at his right hand, the one that he used to pat Hanaka's left shoulder. There's a small yellow flower biting into it now. There's no pain in this bite, but he never expected this at all.

"Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha." Lucas couldn't contain his laughter and spent the next two minutes laughing. When his laughter subside, he got up and declared. "Allright. We have our first winner today!!" The students yelled in excitement. Out of the three students that had been tested, Hanaka was the first one to be able to hit their teacher. Now they have witnessed that it's possible to win, their morale had skyrocketed.

Hanaka sat down with other students, her mind still processing how could this possibly happen. Lily's flytrap is a spell that she developed to ate those pesky mosquito flying around her ears, never thought this spell will help her in Royka.

"Allright. Into the next battle, Derek, You are next!"

Hanaka spent the rest of the time to watch other plant students fight their teacher one on one. It's fascinating that how each of them had a very different spells. So far Derek seems to be the one with most fighting experience among the students, she wondered how is is life at home.

After the lesson finished. She immediately went back into her room and picked up Toma-chan. "I'm so happy now Toma-chan. Let's go for a walk!" She walked around the school for a bit before she found Anemi and Moriko relaxing on the courtyard.

"Anemi! Moriko!" She waved at them before approaching the two elemancers.

 

[Vaporeonn]

"Bothered? Me?" Anemi shook her head. She didn't think she was that obvious. "Nothing's bothering me!" She sat up, digging her hands in the grass. The feeling of it between her fingers tickled, but it was pleasant. Anemi looked towards the other end of the courtyard, and grimaced when she saw Euri. He hadn't noticed her, thought.

"Well, there is someone," Anemi said. "These air elemancer kids who use their powers to toy with innocent animals." She turned her head so she looked at something else. If Euri was to see her, she wouldn't want to look like a creep. "But, they aren't bothering me. I just don't like them."

Anemi was about to ask why Mariko wasn't tested, when heard Hanaka's voice calling out for them, and Anemi jumped up when she saw her. "Hana!" She waited for Hanaka to come near them. "How did your testing go?"

 

[JacobRaze]

"Oh hey!" Mariko smiled, looking at his nonexisting watch. "I need to get up to my room for......cleaning my room. See you guys at dinner?" He said, smiling before scooting away.

He ran up to his room and grabbed hid history book.

"Jaysin Mortem is dead, so why is the most dangerous criminal residing in Royka?" Mariko whispered to himself.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Hanaka was about to answer Anemi's question when Moriko suddenly decided to leave. Ehh?? Is he avoiding me? Did I do something wrong? Noo... I don't want to lose friend right in the first day.

She then turned to Anemi with a panicked expression. "I-Is something wrong with Moriko? Or did h-he just avoid me?"

 

[Vaporeonn]

Anemi panicked as well. Not because she thought Mariko was actually avoiding Hana – he would never! – but because she saw that her friend was distressed. She had to quickly think of something to say. "No, no! He's been strange the whole time. I think something is bothering him, but he didn't seem to want to talk about it."

Anemi gestured for Hana to sit on the grass. "Sit, it's warm. You didn't tell me anything about the testing yet!"

 

[JacobRaze]

Mariko was interupted when he heard knocks at the door. He opened the door, and was frozen. "Hey Double Dean!" He said totally not suspicious at all.

"You missed testing, which can be punished severly, but i owe your dad quite a bit. We will have to test you seperatly in my office."

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Anemi's words calmed down Hanaka, a bit. At least she now knew that he didn't mean to avoid her. But something had been bothering him, huh... did he got caught when skipping school this morning?

Hanaka sat down on the grass, placing Toma-chan on her lap. She then started to tell Anemi about her exam. How she got lost, how Derek found her and the fihhting skill test. Though she gloss over most of her exam by saying 'somehow she was able to hit the teacher' and put more emphasize on things she thought were cool like Derek's wood possession spell which enabled him to freely control wood or how beastly their teacher is.

"Some students even think that he is a braggart that likes to show how superior his spell is compared to the students. Because he only use the same spell used by his opponents. Though I think he just want to show how potentially powerful each spell can become." She then babbled more about other students and how they fascinated her with spells she never saw before. There was a girl with sprout growing on her head who can turn sprouts into parasites, or a boy which fight by overwhelming his opponents with vines, or another students who use trees as teleportation. She then concluded her story with a sentence.

"My mouth feel dry... Sorry I babbled too much." She got slightly embarassed by this. Sometimes she just couldn't stop talking when she got overexcited.

"How about you, Anemi. Did you find the exam interesting?"

 

[Vaporeonn]

Anemi listened intently to what Hana was talking about. Hanaka being the first to manage to hit the professor was very fascinating, and Anemi felt proud of her friend. When she started talking about her experience, it seemed more uneventful than Hana's. "I kind of just had to levitate a feather for an hour," she said, blushing.

"Anyway, you're always with that plant. Is it... Kind of like a pet?" Anemi asked. She'd been wondering about it since she saw it in their room, and now it was together with Hana again.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Hearing Anemi's exam about levitating a feather for an hour, Hanaka coudn't help but thinking that it might be as tiring as holding an empty glass with an extended arm for an hour, a punishment she had undergone several times in the past. Though she kept that comment to herself.

Then Anemi asked her about a topic that she knew would be coming sooner or later: Toma-chan. Though she never thought thouroughly about this so she fumbled a bit before she was able to form a cohesive answer.

"A pet... yeah, guess you can say Toma-chan is my pet. Since I'm 4 years old I have been able to feel heartbeat... no, maybe life force swirling inside fruit. I got attached to some of them and start giving them extensive care." Hanaka gave Anemi an awkward smile.

"I know it sounds weird, but I think the power of my love and care had enable them to grow beyond the limit and make them an entity of their own. Just look at Toma-chan!" She proudly lift the coconut-sized tomato.

"He is 1 year old now and has grown strong and healthy. I can feel the swirling inside him stronger than ever. Other than Toma-chan I also has several more on my home. Like Pumpi- I mean, Jill and Jack the pumpkin and Tato the Potato." She stopped talking for a bit and realized that she had talked too much again.

"Ahh... I got overexcited again. Sorry that I babble too much nonsense." She laid down on the grass and closed her eyes for a moment. Speaking about her weird habit of hugging fruits is exciting and uncomfortable for her, since she doubt anyone would really understand her. Ah, she should ask Mr. Lucas about this. But for now, she just wanted to change the subject.

"I miss my home already. At this time of hour I usually spent time playing with my little sister. Do you miss your home Anemi?"

 

[Vaporeonn]

Home. Anemi lay on the grass again, keeping that thought in her head for a while. Did she miss her home? She hadn't thought about going back for quite a while, unless it was tied to a complaint about the school. What was home anyway? Mom's tries in cooking, the smell of burnt food, followed by her grandma's nagging ("Leave the cooking to me!") and the smell of her own cooking. Dad's students filling the plains in front of their house, mastering the element of air, and the harsh sounds of wind that could be heard during that time. Anemi wishing she could practice with her father, like them, but had to go to this stupid school-
Anemi sighed, feeling bad she wasn't homesick, but still missing it a little bit.

"I guess I do miss it a little bit," Anemi said. "I'd probably be hearing my grandma lecturing my mom about cooking." She looked up at the clearing sky. "I'd love to meet your other pets, Hana. And don't feel bad about them. Ahen I was little, I caught some wind and put it in a jar, and called it my pet, too." She laughed at the memory.