FATE/REGALIA
YEAR ONE
1/5
Sometimes, to learn of the future...
… You must know of the past.
The heavy footfalls of the tall young man echoed in the stairway as he dutifully climbed the impossibly long spiraling tower. The slight hurry in his pace indicated a man well aware of the consequences of being late, but even so, he still had the time to return the greetings of the students he passed on his way to the upper floors. For every “Good morning, Advisor!” he gave out a “Yeah, good morning.” It was more out of courtesy than anything else, but as serious of a person he was, he felt that he should at least give a presentable image to the other students of the dormitory, newcomers or not.
Eventually, the young man arrived to his destination: the highest floor of the tower, one shielded by a pair of sturdy doors adorned with etchings of flowers and plant-life. He groaned internally, cracked his neck and checked that the jacket he was so proud of was without a speck of dust. Then, flicking a strand of his brown, unruly hair out of his face, he knocked on the door with powerful strikes.
“Jack? Do come in,” a gentle voice answered from the other side. “I have been waiting for you.”
As the young man entered, he was once again greeted by the familiar sight of the office of the Dormitory Head of the Clock Tower Faction. The bookshelves, the intricate contraptions silently humming, the collection of rare plants encased in glass cubes… it was the personal taste of the young woman sitting behind the gigantic mahogany desk smack-dab in the middle of the room.
Roselia McKlennington, just in the process of combing her lustrous, long hair gave Jack a smile that could have melted away the winter.
“Good morning, Jack. I presume that everything has been prepared for?” Roselia asked. “Today is a big day, after all.”
Jack Boston, the Advisor of the Clock Tower Faction, saluted the woman before him and nodded sternly.
“Yes, ma’am! Everything has been taken care of!” he informed her. “All that is left is for the Dormitory Heads to gather into the auditorium!”
Roselia giggled at the stiff demeanor of her underling and put away her comb. At the same time, she offered a silent look at the latest cube of glass on her desk, silently running a finger across its surface. Her face suddenly lit up as if she had gotten an exciting idea, and the Dormitory Head turned to look at Jack once more.
“I know this may sound strange, Jack, but… what do you think of this flower? Apparently, it is a rare mutation of the spider lily, or so I was told,” she said with a beaming smile. “This color that changes from white to blue… it is truly splendid, is it not?”
“Yes, very, ma’am,” Jack answered, allowing a stoic smile to appear on his lips. “It was a very thoughtful gift from—“
Faster than one could yell out “embarrassment!” Roselia had started waving her hands in panic and making unintelligible noises. In addition, her face had grown absolutely pink in shade, something Jack had to admit was a rare sight.
“I-i-i-i-it is quite alright, no need to say anything more!” Roselia hurried to say, before coughing very matter-of-factly. “And this is not a gift of any sorts. If anything, it is a reward for the help I provided with a very troublesome situation that my friend had gotten into.”
Jack blinked twice, before pointing at the flower with slight confusion showing on his face.
“In other words… it is a gift from—“
“Wawaahahahaha! W-we better hurry now, Jack, or we shall be late for the meeting!” Roselia overpowered the man with her voice. “Come now, come now!”
Before he could even protest, Jack had been pushed out of the room by the surprisingly strong hands of Roselia. She might have been the strongest Master in OLYMPUS, but even Jack thought her specialty had not lied in brute strength. That was closer to the territory of the Burgundy Witch that kept harassing Lady Roselia for some reason or another.
“Ukekekeke!”
A sudden, vulgar laugh caught the attention of the two. As they had left the office, something had appeared to take Roselia’s place behind the table. Or, to be more accurate, it had plopped itself right onto the table, now stretching on it like some sort of overfed cat. The green creature directed its malicious eyes towards the two.
“Master, Master, what’re you getting all flustered for?” creature asked with a smirk. “Everybody in the dormitory already knows ‘bout your boyfriend, so you might as well—“
The double-doors were slammed shut faster than Jack’s eyes could perceive, shutting of Trickster’s impudent speech from their ears. Still looking like steam could rise from her ears at any given moment, Roselia turned to look at her Advisor and pointed her finger accusingly at him.
“T-this is something to be forgotten, Jack Boston! Now, let us make haste!” Roselia half-shouted.
“But ma’am, wasn’t that a little harsh—“
“Immediately!”
There were only few times that Roselia McKlennington raised her voice; and whenever she did, it was best to obey her orders immediately.
That was what Jack Boston had learned during his year as the Advisor of the Clock Tower dormitories.
****
“We are here, ma’am.”
Having opted to take the fastest route, the two had arrived in front of the doors leading to the auditorium inside Athena Academy. The imposing size of these doors made Jack cringe in his mind as always, but it was simply his personal distaste for the architecture of the building. In other words, he could easily put aside such trivial matters.
Besides, he had more important matters to attend to. Seeing that Roselia was now ready to enter, Jack hurried to the doors and pulled them open, ready to turn aside and let the Dormitory Head pass first.
If only things had been that simple.
“Opening, it’s an opening!” a high-pitched female voice yelled out.
“Yeah, it’s a true opening!” another, very similar, shouted loudly.
Jack grimaced at what was going to happen, and immediately threw himself to the floor. This proved to be a wise choice, as two small bodies zoomed through the airspace that had been previously occupied by his head. This human-missile double-attack had become so ingrained part of his daily life that he no wonder had even the strength to wonder the meaning behind it. For a moment, Jack saw a flurry of two heads with messy, multicolored hairs, before the assailants crash-landed perfectly into the other end of the hall. It was a catastrophe well-avoided.
“… Jack. An explanation, please.”
Or, perhaps not. To his growing horror, Jack saw how the two girls, twins in every sense of the word, had barreled straight into the blonde girl behind him, now clinging to her like some sort of leeches. The sharp-toothed mouths seemed to be gnawing on her head and shoulder, as these two idiots had not yet realized that their intended target had long-since evaded them, and that they were now on an express train to the danger zone.
“Umm, you see, ma’am… this is, something, well…” Jack stuttered, trying to find a decent explanation despite feeling the beads of cold sweat running down on his face. “It, it is just a game developed by Kakra I and Kakra II! Simply a game!”
“A game, I see…” Roselia asked, a sweet smile on her face. However, to Jack’s horror, the sweetness seemed to hide behind it a good deal of rising anger. “So it wouldn’t be held against me if I made it a ‘Game Over’ right here and now, right…?”
“W-w-w-w-wait ma’am!” Jack almost screamed and sprung to his legs. With speed that was surprising for someone of his stature, he leapt to his liege’s side and forcefully removed the two hungry idiots from her. “Kakra I! Kakra II! Apologize immediately! That was not me you dunces assaulted!”
“Hmh? Whazzat?” the first girl asked, now biting her thumb. “Oh… Oh! If it ain’t Sis!”
“Ah, yay! It’s Sis!” the second girl rejoiced, throwing her arms up. “What’cha doing here?”
“Pondering what sort of punishment should be in order for this unexplainable attack towards my person…” Roselia grunted, looking at the two with clearly tired expression.
The twins grinned in unison, still held up in the air by Jack like he had been a mother-cat holding onto them.
“Punishment for Jackie!” Kakra I happily exclaimed. “He started this!”
“Yeah, yeah!” Kakra II shouted in agreement. “Jackie should be punished, he’s the bad guy!”
As the cocked eyebrow of Roselia was aimed towards her Advisor, Jack hastily waved his hands, as if trying to dissipate any fog of doubt that momentarily made the opinion the girl had of him cloud over. Then it was the time for the hasty explanation.
“It is not my fault, ma’am! These two dunces kept pestering me about fighting-lessons, so I agreed upon it… never thinking it might lead to them ambushing me at every corner!” The desperation was clear in the young man’s eyes. “You have to believe me, ma’am, I never intended this to have any adverse effects on you, it is just that—“
“—Just that these two Advisors of mine are a true pain in the ass.”
Like a crow landing from its perch, a black-haired boy floated from somewhere above the two, landing gently, and almost weightlessly, on top of Jack’s head. Then, with precise strikes, he karate-chopped the twins in their colorful heads, sending the two crashing into the floor. While the two menaces were recovering, the boy then hopped down to the floor, dusting off his black cape that had the purple emblem of Atlasia plastered all over it like a very unfashionable shield.
“My, Mr. Al-Liever. Good morning,” Roselia greeted the boy, having regained her sunny smile. “I trust you are doing well?”
“As well as I can with these two goofing around,” Vega Al-Liever, the Dormitory Head of the Atlas Faction, grunted. “Seriously, every day it’s the same song and dance… for once I’d wish I’d have some peace and quiet for myself.”
“Buuuuut~!” Kakra I piped up, her head still stuck in the floor. “This is the way Veggy likes it!”
“Riiiiight~!” Kakra II imitated her sister. “Veggy likes ‘em young as always!”
What followed was Dormitory Head and Advisor of the Clock Tower Faction directing expressions of extreme discomfort towards Vega, who was now practically roaring in rage. Blushing like mad, the black-haired boy grabbed the twins by their heads and lifted them up, bringing their smiling faces right in front of his own, fuming one.
“Shut up! Shut up, you fake-lolis! I don’t wanna hear it! People like you should be thrown into a cage and then shot into outer space! Wanna see me do that, huh? Huh!?” Vega bellowed. “If it weren’t for you, my life would be so much easier!”
“Hmh? What’s up, guys? Some new sorta game? Ooh, looks fun!”
While the charade between of the Atlas Faction might have continued longer if they had let it, the new voice that had joined the conversation drew all the attention. Having ascended the stairs after Roselia and Jack, now the group found themselves looking at a young woman with a blazing red hair and vigor unlike any other in her eyes. She was wearing a flamboyant scarf, and the slightly protruding canine-tooth she had made her look like a beast of some sort.
Same, however, couldn’t be said about the young girl following her. She had a black hair with a single red stripe, and the look on her face was downright menacing. Still, she stuck close to the older girl in a manner not unlike of a spoiled little sister.
“Ah, Miss Ayame and Miss Suzakushou,” Roselia greeted the two with a nod. “I have not had the pleasure of seeing you two in a while. How has life treated you?”
“Ooh, Roselia! Yeah, I’m fit as a fiddle! Just like lil’ Suzaku over here,” Ayame returned the greeting and grinned. She then proceeded to pat the girl next to her on the back so hard she grimaced. “You could say we’re bursting with energy! Flame of the youth, as they say! Gahahaha!”
As the rambunctious redhead continued her overbearing laughter, Jack snuck a peek at Suzakushou, still looking a little worse for wear from the overeager pat. He gave encouraging nod to her, but even though she saw it, she quickly turned her face away, the sulking expression appearing on it once more. The black-haired girl was like a bush of thorns, and Jack knew that her recent appointment as the Advisor hadn’t done her any favors. From what he had heard, she tended to lash out against everyone but Ayama for any meager excuse.
When with her beloved “Aneki,” the girl was as meek as a kitten, on the other hand.
“Excuse me… might I request passage? The meeting shall be starting soon, and I would like to avoid being late…”
This time, the voice that caught everyone’s attention was like a chime of the most beautiful bell. All eyes fell upon the young woman wearing the uniform of the Athena Academy, the spider lily pattern haori on top of it being the only sign of her more personal style. Following this black-haired beauty, often called the most beautiful girl in all of OLYMPUS, was three other people.
First came a younger-looking girl, eyes half-closed like she had still been asleep and her blue hair in a mess that was quite magnificent to behold. She was situated strictly behind-and-left to the girl in the front, announcing her position as the black-haired girl’s subordinate.
The two coming behind her were equally of Asian origin, but the aura around them was very different. The young man was lean and tall, like a beansprout, his brown hair on a short crop. The strict look in his eyes was sharp as a knife… as was the blade he carried on his back. The woman he was guarding, however, could not have been more different. A playful, almost idiotic smile plastered all over her face, she skipped over to the group full of joy. Her monkey-tail was swishing back and forth, announcing just how excited she was. Unlike the others, her dress-code was barely below the risk-zone, what with her uniform being heavily modified to resemble the clothing often worn by martial artists of ancient China.
“Gahaha! Kurotsuchi! You made it!” Ayama laughed and bowed her head curtly to the princess-like girl. “And little Nemue, too! You’re so grown up these days!”
While she complimented the blue-haired girl, Ayame kept brutishly mashing her head back and forth in spectacularly failed attempt of tousling her hair. However, the vacant look on Nemue’s face told that either the girl barely felt this, or she simply had better things to do than to enter in a small-talk with the brusque Dormitory Head.
“A fine morning to you, Ayame-san,” Kurotsuchi greeted the redhead, before bowing to the rest of the gathered group. “And to everyone else as well. ‘Tis a joy to see all of you so eager at this early hour.”
“Some little eager than others…” Vega grunted and shot a nasty glare at the twins still dangling from his hands. “So? What’s with this odd East-Asia Choo-Choo-Train? Aren’t you a little old to be playing kindergartner games?”
“Mr. Vega, “ Roselia quietly said and cleared her throat, causing the crow-like man to blush. “Manners.”
“Oh, nothing as exciting as your proposition, I am afraid,” Kurotsuchi answered and smiled gently. “We simply happened to meet with Tao Zhen and Yu Fu on our way here.”
“Indeed. Which is why I would like to ask you to refrain from such unpleasant imagery… Lord Vega,” Yu Fu, the lean young man, spoke with his lilting tone. “I do not guarantee the consequences will be most pleasant to you… Lord Vega.”
“This upstart brat…!” Vega growled, held only back by the gentle giggle of Roselia and her hand on his shoulder.
“Fuyu’s not a brat, you know? He’s a prooooooper gentleman!” Tao Zhen announced with a proud smile, her tail patting the boy on the head. “Plus he’s got ‘em cheeks like marshmallows, so it’s oooookay!”
“Miss, please stop mashing up my name in a way that makes it sound like a season in Japan,” Fu Yu grunted, slightly troubled look on his face. “Also, I might have mentioned this before, but please speak properly. When you slur you sound like a child.”
“Whaaaaat? Didja know, Fuyu, dat boys find this irresistible?” Tao Zhen pouted. “I’mma on a bullet express ta Poplar Town! You should totally try this sum time!”
“Popular Town, Miss, Popular Town,” Yu hurried to correct her and grimaced. “And I do not think I want to be popular amongst the male population any time soon.”
“Che~! Boooooring~!” Zhen complained, before looking back at the rest of her comrades. As she did so, her face lit up as if she had just remembered something. “Oh, right! I axe-too-ally just met a total brat! An’ whaddya know, she turned outta be a pain in the tail!”
“A… brat, you say?” Roselia asked, her eyebrows rising in curiosity. “What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, she in dat… ya know, whatchamacallit, Youth Initial D?” Tao Zhen tilted her head.
“Um, ma’am, I think you mean the Youth Initiative, where the Pantheon selects promising young recruits, under the age required to enter Athena Academy, and brings them to OLYMPUS for preliminary training before shipping them back to main land,” Jack said from the sidelines. “I heard that those who pass the test are granted a free pass to OLYMPUS with some special privileges… I think they have started it in preparation for the middle-school that they want to build in a few years.”
“Yeaaaah, dat thing, just dat!” Zhen clapped her hands together and flashed a corny thumbs-up to Jack. “So, ya know, I ran inta this brat one day and she ain’t lettin’ me get any peace of mind! Just lookit this pre-schooler!”
Then, like a magician, Tao Zhen reached somewhere near her back, and pulled a red and dirty something from there, presenting it to the group of Dormitory Heads and Advisors like a particularly snot-nosed hare she had ran over with a scooter. As the confused group peered in growing confusion at the thing, it suddenly jolted alive and started squirming in the monkey-tailed girl’s grasp, throwing kicks and punches wildly around. In midst of all that flailing, she hissed and spat to the ground like an angry raccoon; an image strengthened by the booger dangling from her nostril.
“I’m not a pre-schooler, dammit! I’m already fifteen years old! Almost fifteen years old! Don’t you dare look down on me, you gorilla of a woman! I’ll beat you up! I’ll beat you up good!” the thing screamed with a cracking voice. “Fight me fair and square and I’ll bust your ass!”
“Ah.”
Kurotsuchi was the first to break the confounded silence amongst the audience.
“This… this is a girl, is it not?”
Indeed, the thing with a clumsily cropped red hair and clothes so dirty it made her look like a street orphan, hollering curses and threats to Tao Zhen with all of her lung-power, was indeed a young girl. A particularly scrawny kid at that, the bandage over plastered over her nose giving a definite image of someone who climbed trees just fall from the very top because of her own clumsiness.
“I got a name, you overgrown soybean!” the direction of the girl’s anger was now changed towards Kurotsuchi. “I’m Li Hong, and you better remember! When I’m free from this gorilla of a woman, I’m gonna bust your ass, too!”
“S-soybean!?” Kurotsuchi seemed to receive something a verbal shock, freezing in a halted, shocked expression.
“Ehehehe… soybean… toybean… beanbag…” As if activated by that bizarre insult, Fujou Nemue started muttering to herself this strange string of words. She then proceeded to rub her sleepy face happily against the Dormitory Head’s chest. “Mmm… Mmm… definitely beanbags…”
“B-beanbags!?”
If possible, the poor princess of the Fujou Dormitory grew even more shocked.
“H-hey! Watch your mouth, you brat!” Jack growled and stepped forward to confront the little intruder. “Lady Kurotsuchi is the fragile flower of our school, our pride and joy! Do not dare to insult her with your dirty little mo—“
The admonishment by the Advisor was cut short as one of the flailing punches of Li Hong connected straight with his face, catching him completely by surprise.
“Bueeh! Take that, Flight-Jacket!” Li Hong taunted and wiggled her tongue at Jack. “You ain’t gonna stop me, I tell you!”
“Can it, pipsqueak! I could throw you into the maw of ARES for such brutish way of behaving!” Jack shouted back, visibly angry now. The small girl only laughed mockingly at this threat.
“Try it, try it! I’m as strong as they come! Ain’t nobody in this city that can defeat me!”
Tao Zhen, who had been following what had happened so far with mild curiosity tilted her head and lifted Li Hong slightly higher, causing the girl to give a panicky glare into her direction. As the redheaded brat stared at her, Zhen gave a look towards the staircase, then at the girl, then at the staircase, and finally back at the girl.
“Oh. Wanna know one thing that’s totally gonna defeat you?”
“W-what, Peachbrain!?” Li Hong growled.
Tao Zhen grinned innocently; too innocently for it to be nothing but a threat.
“Inertia.”
What followed was a masterful throw of the Athena Academy Bowling Champion as she took some speed and hurled the small girl into the stairs with a perfect arc. The sheer force with which Li Hong was thrown forward was enough to make her automatically curl into a vague ball shape, and thus, before the eyes of the group, the little girl barreled down the stairs with an incredible speed. Her echoing scream grew more and more distant, until it eventually disappeared completely, leaving behind only an awkward atmosphere.
Tao Zhen dusted off her clothes before flashing a doofus-like smile to the rest.
“So? We gonna go or what?”
None in the group had strength to answer that question.
****
The large doors of the auditorium slowly closed behind the group that had entered. Before them was the usual sight of the colossal auditorium, now completely transformed. Gone was the audience that usually filled more than half of it. Even the stage had retracted back into the floor to give way to the simple white expanse that now dominated the view. Combined with the large, crystal blue windows, the auditorium felt almost like it was floating in the clouds.
… Rather ironic, considering where they were.
In the middle of the unblemished floor was a long, sleek table, surrounded by chairs with extremely high backs, looking like they had been carved out of a single slab of marble. Currently six of these seats were empty, while eight of them had both person sitting on them, and another standing behind them in attendance. This was the traditional way the meetings between the Dormitory Heads were held: with their personal Advisors watching over their lieges, ready to assist them in any manner necessary. And, of course, the Dormitory Heads themselves around the table, discussing whatever it was currently that troubled the city they were an essential part of.
Of those Dormitory Heads and Advisors currently in attendance on their seats were:
A fragile-looking white woman, paler and thinner than any healthy person should have been. Her red eyes were staring straight ahead, and behind them laid the truth of her painful condition, constantly assaulting her defenseless body. Behind her was the knight with strong features and hair of similar color, his large broadsword resting against the ground with his hands on the pommel…
—Einzbern Dormitory Head: Irillis von Einzbern, and her Advisor: Iranis von Einzcroft.
A woman like a steel rod, her back straight as a sword and her face eternally hidden behind the metallic helmet created out of metal unknown to mankind. She was like an unmoving, regal statue, position even more heightened by the silver crown infused into her helmet. Behind her was a young woman smoking a cigarette. Her beautifully braided, golden hair clashed brutally with the pair of sleazy eyes that scanned the room with every breath she took
—Sea of Estray Dormitory Head: Queen, and her Advisor: Teresa Hellovan.
A man with a flowing, black hair that was like silk. The loose, almost transparent clothing he wore just emphasized the lean build of his body, one befitting of a status such as him. The purple eyes of the man momentarily glanced at the arriving group, but he quickly focused back onto the table, as if afraid to look anyone in the eye. Behind him was a man much sturdier, one with shaggy hair and small stubble of beard. His grin seemed almost ever-present, and the small sparks of lightning emerging from his fingertips faded into his pitch-black clothing.
—Ryougi Clan Dormitory Head: Ryougi ENKAI, and his Advisor: Ryougi Raika.
An impossibly tall woman who was more handsome than beautiful, wearing a school uniform reminiscent of a ball-gown, fitted with steel plates that offered protection. She played with a lock of her silver her, absently-mindedly biting her lip with her long fangs that were almost like those of a snake. Behind her was another woman, one very well-endowed and clear smug arrogance crowning her face. Her lustrous green hair seemed to reflect the sunlight as she played with a pair of dice on her palm to pass the time.
—Dead Apostle Dormitory Head: Celestina Franderwelder, and her Advisor: Vanis Vandestam.
A man with a blood-red hood thrown up so that most of his face stayed hidden. But under it, one could clearly see a bone-white mask with two burning eyes that seemed to be ablaze with some sort of inner fury not aimed towards anyone in particular. The cloak he had wrapped around himself hid most of his body well from the view. Behind him was a young woman with a short hair, most of her face hidden by a mask that hid her mouth from the view. However, her mysterious eyes that had bewitched many men were as powerful as ever, and thus she courteously averted them from everyone else.
—Middle-Eastern Association Dormitory Head: Hubris, and his Advisor: Gluttony.
A young man, much younger than the others gathered, suffering from a clear case of albinism. His square-rimmed glasses were riding high up his nose, enhancing his studious image. However, the priestly robes he wore over his uniform told of a different background, as did the small sphere full of strange glyphs orbiting slowly around his head. Behind him was a young woman who would have blended well with the shadows had it not been for her midnight-blue hair that glimmered like stars. Her purple eyes stared straight ahead, and her mouth was a serious line.
—Taima Dormitory Head: Tsuchimikado Kintori, and his Advisor: Tsukirin Rakusei.
A man with a bright smile on his face and a bright orange hair, his clear and excited eyes darted around room barely containing the excitement he felt. The scarf of multiple green colors he wore was so long that it was wrapped multiple times around his neck, and still it almost hit the floor. On his waist the man had a collection of pouches around which a sweet fragrance of herb was strong. Behind him was a very young woman, little older than a child, who was constantly dripping with water. She had wrapped a black rain-cloak around herself, but it didn’t prevent the slight glimpses of her soaked uniform. The soaked hair and the insomniac eyes told their own tale, too.
—Chivalric Orders Dormitory Head: Somerled MacInnes, and his Advisor: Nautilus.
A straight-backed young man with golden, curly head and a serious expression of nobility that almost screamed of a prince. His clothing, made of much finer material than those of a normal student, had been hidden under a chest-plate and a small cloak which would not have looked out-of-place if worn by an extremely wealthy Roman officer. Behind him was a gigantic young man, like an iron rampart of a castle, silently looming above his liege. He was like a siege tower with his short, dirty hair and passive, grey eyes. Even the mace he carried strapped on his back seemed like another part of him, an extra limb growing from an unusual spot.
—Assembly of the 8th Sacrament Dormitory Head: Lorin Urbicus, and his Advisor: Paen Hotillan.
These eight were already in their place, and now that the rest of the group took their seats, the thirteen Dormitory Heads of OLYMPUS had once again assembled. There was only one thing missing from this equation, and before this variable arrived, none of them could start the meeting. It might have been Roselia, sitting near the end of the table, who was recognized as the strongest of the lot… but it hardly meant that she was their leader. On the contrary, there was someone with abilities much better suited for such a task.
“So…?” Tsuchimikado Kintaro finally broke the silence, leaning to the table with his elbows and supporting his head with his hands. “Does anybody know what’s up with this meeting? It’s not often we’re called here so early.”
“I betcha it’s something great!” Somerled guffawed. “I mean, the last time we got Queenie here appointed as the Dormitory Head! And that, if anything, was a great decision!”
The metal helmet of the person mentioned turned towards the excited Somerled.
“Can it, Leprechaun. I did not take this position to make friends with the lot of you,” Queen grunted, the hollow ring of the helmet making her tone sound more monotone than it was.
Somerled chuckled and made a playful gesture towards the girl.
“Aw, shucks! Here you go again, acting all tough towards us. Everybody knows that underneath that helmet, you’re just a big ol’ softie~” he snickered, unaware of the rising danger present in the fist-clenched hands of Queen.
“Pipe down, Somerled,” Lorin Ubicus said with an even tone and put his hand on his shoulder. “This is neither the time nor the place for your antics.”
“Haha, sorry, sorry,” Somerled answered and scratched his cheek. “Just got a wee bit excited there.”
“It is the norm by now, so do not fret too much about it,” Celestina quipped from the other end of the table. “As expected of you holy men, jumping to action before you even manage to form a coherent thought.”
This snide comment made Lorin frown in dismay, but from Somerled it only prompted another burst of rapid-fire chuckle. Seeing the big grin on the boy’s face, Celestina gave a sly wink to him, which he returned in an exaggerated manner. The not-so-subtle exchange made Lorin sigh heavily as he brought his palm to his forehead.
“But it is indeed strange,” Roselia spoke, turning the direction of the conversation back to the right tracks. “We have not had a proper meeting in a long while. I wonder what is the cause?”
“Perhaps… perhaps s-something has happened?” Ryougi ENKAI asked, only to whimper as the meaning of his own words caught up to him. “Oh, o-oh dear… I hope that nothing has happened… I hate it when something happens…”
“Calm down, ENKAI,” Hubris spoke out with a graveling voice and turned his gaze to the boy, who promptly attempted to make himself seem smaller. “You’re being unsightly again.”
“Awwwww, no he ain’t!” Tao Zhen giggled. “ENKAI’s just the cutest thing like dis, ain’t he, Irillis?”
“Umm… why are you asking me that?” Irillis asked with a troubled expression and tilted her head.
“Huh? Why else?” Ayama butted into the conversation from her side of the table. “You two are dating, ain’cha?”
Voicing the worst kept secret in Athena Academy caused the two conspirators to let out very similar yelps as they nearly jumped out of their seats. Good-natured laughter filled the room, and suddenly the blushing couple found themselves under numerous stares ranging from teasing to warm. However, since they were waiting for the meeting to start, there was nowhere to go, and thus they had to endure the embarrassment, as much as they wanted to make a quick getaway.
Thankfully, the rescue came in a form of a side-door opening at the other end of the auditorium. All the gazes were gathered towards the people emerging from the door. Two small figures, one even tinier than the other, walked towards the table with quite the different strides. While the one walking in the front took long, confident steps, the one behind had to jog to keep up with the pace. This smaller individual coming last, only diminutive 133cm tall, could be heard muttering angrily under her breath as the two got closer and closer to the table.
The one coming first suddenly leaped into a jump, and somersaulted herself over the tall back of the white chair at the head of the table. She plopped down on the chair with almost lazy landing, and then proceeded to put her feet on the table as if signaling how little she cared for the formality of an event such as the meeting. Only few seconds afterwards did the other person catch up the one sitting, and she hesitantly took her place behind the chair.
The one who stood standing was a young girl with a spiky hair, protruding canine tooth and pair of eyes that seemed to be plagued by a constant irritation. Small and radiating an aura of a person constantly annoyed, it was hard to be mistaken about the identity of this girl. She was the Advisor of the Japanese Half-Bloods Faction: Kireji.
Or as the rest of the dorm had affectionately dubbed her: very angry little person.
As for the person now sitting at the head of the table, wearing blue Japanese clothing that were in direct opposition with the dress-code, her blue hair descending upon her shoulders like a waterfall and her blue eyes staring at the gathered Dormitory Heads with both power and mischief in them… there was not a single person on OLYMPUS who would have not known her.
She was the Dormitory Head of the Japanese Half-Bloods Faction: Aogami no Iratsume Hime.
“Yo. Sorry about taking my sweet time,” Iratsume Hime said, and the rest of the Dormitory Heads greeted her with nods. “Had to drag lil’ Kireji here out of some trouble, you see.”
“Who toldja to butt inta my business, huh?” Kireji muttered under her breath and shot her Dormitory Head a dirty look. “Ain’t no reason ta be late ‘cause of that!”
“Well, enough about that. It’s not interesting, anyhow,” Iratsume Hime calmly ignored the protests of her girl, causing her to growl in the background like a particularly angry terrier. “But to make up for the lost time, I’ll allow skipping the usual formalities. Let’s cut straight to the heart of the matter.”
“That being…?” Kurotsuchi asked, peering at the face of the young Dormitory Head.
“You have probably heard that the Youth Initiative has arrived to the city a few days ago…”
These words caused most of the group that had gathered outside avert gazes awkwardly, creating a momentary confusion amongst the table.
“…. Well, anyways,” Iratsume Hime continued, deciding not to press the matter. “I decided to do something useful for a change, and invited their most promising member, indicated by the initial test given to them upon arrival, to spend a day with us. To be more precise, this person will be spending the next few days touring the various dormitories to see just what life in OLYMPUS means for those with great abilities. Responsibility, duty and all that good stuff… In other words, I’m being selfishly taking a kid from the boonies and dropping the whippersnapper right into the midst of the action.”
The slightly self-deprecating words caused the rest of the Dormitory Heads to chuckle at various levels. If there was one thing they had learned about the head of the Half-Blood Dormitories it was that she never took herself too seriously. As sharp in mind as she was, and as deviously clever as she was, she always knew that there was someone out there who could make a fool out of her… and thus she covered all the bases, just in case.
“And I suppose this person is waiting outside?” Roselia asked with a smile, a question to which Iratsume Hime answered with a nod.
“Yeah, you got that right. Give me a moment…” the blue-haired girl turned to look back at the door through which they had arrived. “Alright! You can come on in, kiddo!”
Once again, the side-door was flung open, but this time with far less force. Once it had opened up enough to allow passage for a small person, a figure slipped through the crack and emerged into the dim light of the auditorium. The sight of this newcomer invited various expressions of curiosity from the Dormitory Heads and Advisors gathered. All eyes were focused on the single child slowly approaching the table. However, as slow as the pace was, there was no fear in those steps. If anything, they were lazy steps.
“Oh, now ain’t that kid cute a a button,” Ayame chuckled and grinned to Roselia, who answered with a smile.
“Indeed. A rather beautiful child, I must admit.”
Short, greyish blue hair. Eyes like those of a fox. A smile that was lazy, friendly and sly at the same time. In other word, a kid that was like a vulpine pup had appeared before the Dormitory Heads.
“Let me introduce you guys to our guest,” Iratsume Hime said and grinned. “This here’s the young genius who won the prize of spending a few days with boring big-shots…”
The kid grinned at those words.
“… Mori Kaoru.”
To Be Continued…