Realistic or Modern St. Drexel International Academy

[Viper]

And RP between fleurdelys and I​

 

[fleurdelys]

It was the first day of a new school year and the students of St. Drexel International Academy were greeted by an especially picturesque campus. The bright September sunshine made everything from the precisely groomed lawns to the pristine white stone walls of the school seem more vibrant than ever. Even the students themselves added to the picture-perfect scene: a steady steam of people flowed along the paved path towards the main building, the majority clad in crisp black uniforms with a handful in white speckled among them like stars in the night sky. A cloud of chatter followed the mass of teenagers as they were guided by faculty into the assembly hall where they were then divided by class. Those in black filled up the rows upon rows of metal folding chairs while the select few in white occupied a smaller section at the front of the room that was comprised of larger cushioned seats. The countless conversations made the room swell with noise as people piled in with their friends and waited for the year's formalities to start. Those who had no one to converse with were left to admire - or perhaps idly observe - the portraits of past headmasters that lined the walls, hung inside gold-plated frames like kings and queens of yore.

As the minute hand on the clock tower inched closer to twelve, the crowd of students dwindled until there were only a few stray kids rushing towards the school where they were greeted by degrees of scoldings for their tardiness. By the time the tower's bell ninth and final toll faded into an echo, St. Drexel's opening assembly was underway.

The grand stage at the front of the hall was empty except for the single podium at its center. Once the meeting began, a tall, thin man strode across the platform and took his spot behind the stand. From head to toe, his appearance was as perfect as the rest of the school: his lanky body was clad in a meticulously tailored suit, and not a single one of his curly dark hairs was out of place. There was a palpable air of importance around the ebony-skinned man that ushered a near-instant silence as he appeared, commanding any remaining whispering to a swift close. From behind silver-rimmed glasses he briefly scanned the room, his attention lingering on the students seated comfortably close to the stage. After a moment he laid a hand on the microphone before him, his long fingers curling around the metal to adjust its angle before he finally spoke.

"Welcome to a new year at St. Drexel International Academy. Whether you are resuming your journey towards greatness, or are merely at its onset, the fact that you are here today means you have the potential for excellence." Each word was enunciated clearly in his strong, steady voice that was so powerful he almost didn't need the electronic amplification. "For those who are new to the school, I am Headmaster Engelhart and this will be my tenth year leading this school to greatness." His lips parted to continue, but he paused so allow a short bout of clapping to run its course. As it died down, his lips spread into a small smile. "Thank you. Now, as you are all aware, our student body is divided into two groups: Diamonds and Coals. The former is comprised of our First Class students who not only possess remarkable skill, but are also the reigning champion of their select talent. Needless to say, our Diamonds are the shining pride of St. Drexel itself."

There were a few whoops from the front rows that were swiftly and sharply hushed by a faculty member nearby. But the headmaster was unfazed and continued without missing a beat. "However, wearing our black uniform is far from shameful. As I mentioned, every single one of you sitting before me today has the capacity to be as brilliant as any of our students in white. After all, any piece of coal can become a diamond under the right conditions. Easily said, but here at St. Drexel it is easily proven as well; now please allow me introduce living evidence to you all." The tall man directed his gaze towards a teacher standing by the very first row of Diamonds, which prompted them to usher a number of students onto the stage. Once they had lined up in a row next to the podium, Engelhart held out an arm towards them. "These are our newest Diamonds this year. Some of these students have just transferred to St. Drexel, but most were Coals who bested a First Class student and earned their spot at the top. Please join me, everyone, in congratulating their accomplishments." He put his hands together and began to clap, prompting the rest of the crowd to follow suit. After a few moments he gestured for the students to return to their seats and by the time he was alone on the stage again, silence filled the room once more.

"But let this serve as a message of caution to each and every First Class student here, even the ones we just acknowledged: reaching the top is not the end of the road. Just as you rose, you may also fall. Thus there is not one person in this school who can ever rest. Becoming the best takes tremendous effort, and remaining the best takes even more. And so you must all work your hardest each and every day in order to hone yourself into a greater you. You must not and can not stop moving forward, for the world will not wait for you to catch up." Engelhart scanned the room as the words left his lips, observing the expression on the students' faces. "This is especially true this year. I have had the privilege of leading this school for a full decade now, and I have decided the time is right to introduce a new aspect of the student experience. As it will pertain primarily to our Diamonds, I cannot divulge the details at this time; however, I can say that it will add another layer of competition with a reward yielding even greater privilege and prestige than what our First Class Students currently enjoy."

This was no small announcement, and there was a substantial reaction among the students to match. Mumbles and whispers spread throughout the audience like wildfire while the teachers scattered around the vast room tried to settle everyone back down. The headmaster watched with the corners of his lips gently upturned as he waited yet again for his listeners to return their attention to him. "Now, I will turn the podium over to our Student Council President Erik Duvall who will review some changes around our campus in addition to some information about St. Drexel's school festival. Thank you all for your attention, and I look forward to seeing the fruits of your labour this year." With a slow, graceful nod Engelhart exited the stage, leaving an applauding audience in his wake. A few moments after he disappeared from sight, an athletic, brown-haired student in a white uniform took over the spot where the older man had stood.

"Good morning everyone. I hope everyone had a safe, fun, and productive summer." It was hard to tell what was brighter: the young man's smile or his voice. "Unfortunately there are a few boring things I have to go over, but we'll end off on something exciting, I promise. So to start with, the curfew in the Diamond dorms is now 11:00pm opposed to 10:30, while the curfew for our Coal students is still 9:30pm. Diamonds may also have a guest stay for one night a week should they desire, but they must be approved by your RA first. Next off, our Diamond cafeteria has new menu options this year..." Erik carried on briskly, peppering his tedious laundry list of announcements with as much humour as he could. Remarkably, he seemed to remember most of the information by memory as he only glanced at his notes once in ten minutes.

Understandably, it was difficult to hold the respectful, undivided attention of so many students when the subject matter was less than thrilling. It was especially difficult as most of the news concerned the Diamond students, and not the Coals that made up most of the room. Acknowledging this, Erik kept things concise and to the point and was onto his final topic in just a short amount of time. "With all that out of the way, let's talk about the festival. For those new to St. Drexel, it is one of the major annual attractions in the area that pulled in half a million visitors last year, which was an all-time record. There are three major aspects: a talent show put on by Diamond students, individual attractions hosted by Coal classes, and the always popular Showdown where Coals can publicly challenge Diamonds for their title. As always, our festival will take place from the second weekend in November until the end of the third, which ends just before Thanksgiving." Erik quietly cleared his throat before he went on.

"Your class representatives will go over the specifics and help initiate festival planning in the coming weeks. And as of today, we are accepting volunteers from both divisions for our Festival Committee who will help in the overall coordination of the entire event. So if you're interested in joining, please come down to the Student Council room within the week! We're located in the main building, just across from the administrative office. Due to the short amount of time before the festival, our goal is to confirm our members by next Wednesday and begin operations the following day."

Erik opened his mouth to continue, but seemed to catch himself on a thought. When he resumed his speech, his tone carried a thinly-veiled sternness there had been no trace of until now. "All that said, I suppose I should make it clear every student is expected to contribute in some capacity. Aside from providing us with extra funds for our school, the festival plays a pivotal role in our reputation and widespread exposure. Its success benefits not only us, but for the generation of students to come; and for that reason, a lackluster event is not an option. So, if you fail to meet these expectations, then be aware that there are indeed consequences."

The inattentive chit-chat had fallen dead by the end of his speech, the rather abrupt onset of solemnity choking the idle noise out of existence. A tense, strained pause was left at the end of Erik's spiel, but it was swept away almost instantly as the boy's demeanour gradually warmed back up. "Well, that concludes our opening assembly; you will now proceed to your homeroom where you will be introduced to your class reps and begin classes. So let's all have an amazing year full of growth and discovery! Thank you everyone!" Erik gave a small wave before the left the stage, the rest of the students giving a final round of applause as he walked off.

With all the formalities finished, the teachers strewn about the room began to corral their classes together. The rows of Diamonds left first and were proceeded by the Coals behind them. Once exiting the assembly hall, the First Class students headed towards their own wing of the school while the remainder traveled in the opposite direction to theirs.

 

[Viper]

How could one describe St. Drexel International Academy? It was a castle among huts, a pearl among oysters… a diamond among a hundred pieces of coal. This place was one of a kind and so were it’s students. All around the world people sung its name with praise, and in some cases, that was a literal statement. There were so many parents who tried to bribe their children into the school, but only one ever succeeded. First Class Heir they called him, the next in line to the fortune that was so large the Headmaster created a new diamond title just to fit them. But Headmaster Altmann Engelhart was not a greedy man, he was an ambitious one, so when someone donated enough money to double the size of his campus, he bent a rule to make it happen.

But honestly, who cared about any of that? Deacon was not here for the education or the reputation it brought him, he was here to save his own skin. The law was such a troublesome thing that was often too boring to pay much attention to, but thankfully it was flexible. Headmaster Engelhart had influence in all corners of the world apparently because instead of sitting in some jail cell or getting recruited by a dark alley government organization, Deacon Nikolaos was sent out of Greece and to America free of charge and now was getting free room and board.

“Oh if only baba and brother were here.” Deacon mentioned out loud to himself in a heavy accent as he stood outside of the magnificent building that stung his eyes when he looked at it directly in the sunlight. It was such a shame that Deacons father was in jail back home and his brother was in some strange combination of being in hiding and working on getting baba out. This was nothing abnormal so Deacon was not too worried, but in order to make sure they were not worried about him, Deacon did send them letters informing them of where he was and the fact that he was now considered the best, teenage thief in the world. When they had a chance, Deacon was sure they would respond…. they always did eventually.

There were a handful of people still heading into the auditorium, most of them wearing black, and as Deacon looked at the horde he couldn't help but feel but envious. He looked much better in black than white for obvious reasons but at least he could still wear his dark gloves which he snapped over his wrist to make sure they were secure. Even off the job, it was better not to leave fingerprints if possible. Sure his long, messy ponytail left a risk of leaving DNA behind at any given moment but he was not about to cut off the only challenge he had left when it came to his job.

Deacon took his spot near the front row with all of the other Diamonds, Deacon staring at the grandeur around with without shock but still glee. Considering his little 'hobby', he had seen better, but that didn't mean he could not appreciate how much money everything in this place cost. During the presentation that Deacon had barely been paying attention to, he glanced around the room putting a mental price tag on everything in sight. That is of course excluding the time that he was actually put on stage since this was his first year here after all. Standing on stage with light in his eyes was strange. It’s not the he was shy, far from it based on the grin he gave the crowd as they clapped for him, but it was not everyday that he was able to brag about stealing… typically that kind of thing he kept secret for obvious reasons. But whatever… as long as this school kept him out of the secret services that was all Deacon cared about.

~~~~~

As the speeches came to and end, Deacon could not get out of his seat fast enough. Unless he was staking out a place or waiting or a guard to take a pee break, he could not sit still for long. It was barely even the first day and Deacon already knew that this would be a problem. He got bored easily and classes, at least back home, were boring. He hardly ever went to them and there was no reason Drexel would be different. The rules of his admission were not too detailed, after all. He just had to maintain his First Class Thief status, that was it, there was never a mention of how well he had to do in all of the other core subjects which basically meant that Deacon could ignore them in favor of more… stimulating activities. He would at least attend everything on his first day though, he could do that for baba’s sake at least.

First up, homeroom. Deacon headed into room 122, the homeroom of him and about 11 other students. The room was just as luxurious as the rest of the school, but that was too be expected. What was not to be expected was the old, Victorian esque style that was interlaced with fully modernized class materials such as a digital whiteboard. Each Diamond student had their own identical desk, a large wooden table that looked like it belonged more in some old guys study rather than in a classroom. Each of these desks were clearly new, no signs graffiti from the previous years, and they were pre-stocked with everything from paper to pens to a laptop that could be used just for this classroom.

Deacon let out a high pitched whistle in response to the tech in the room. He knew a good number of people back home that would pay a fortune for even just a handful of these computers. Restraining his basic instincts, Deacon took an empty seat near the back of the classroom, closest to the door so that if something went wrong he could make a quick get away. He leaned back in the comfy seat, kicked his feet up on the desk, and started to look at his new classmates. He was still a bit new to English but he could converse and talk well enough to eavesdrop a bit before anything started.

Up in the front of the room sat a blonde hair boy who was not exactly sitting in his chair, but was lounging comfortably as he softly spoke to a few of the other students nearby. His hair spilled down the back of the desk chair in light waves that could have been natural, but there was no sure way to tell. He looked perfectly at ease among this crowd, that was for sure.

Also in the back but near the window was a small guy with dark, straight hair, who was staring outside absentmindedly. His hands however were moving underneath the desk, twisting and being stretched like he was performing some strange hand exercises. At his feet was a large suitcase, it was a bit worn down but heavy looking. Deacon was half tempted to ask what was inside or look himself but he restrained that urge as well, doing his best just to scout out the scene.

And that was only two of the weirdos in this place. Being skilled at one thing in particular apparently made you eccentric…. Deacon didn't have a right to judge but he let himself chuckle as he tried to imagine what all of these strangers did for a living that let their odd appearances go unpunished. His own red hair pushed the limit of what was allowed for his profession, there was no way he could get away with vibrant blue or purple hair.

Speaking of blue hair…. As the bed rung across the campus two figures entered into the room. A girl with deep blue hair and glasses came in accompanied by a deeply tan man. They stepped to the front of the room and smiled at the small classroom. “Hello, everyone! Glad to see many familiar faces that I recognize from last year!” The girl sung, raising her hand in a wave as she began walking around the classroom, handing out a napkin and a jam filled roll to every student as she spoke. “For those of you who are new...I am Ari Kuraiinu, First Class Chef and one of the student representatives of this class. This is my co-rep, Nathan Luther, the First Class Journalist. He is also my boyfriend of two years now!” The girl shared this information enthusiastically whereas her boyfriend looked down at the paper in his hand, the tips of his ears turning red. He was taking attendance, or keeping record of the morning, either way his hand was flying over the paper in front of him with a focused pace.

“Nat and I met two years ago when we were voted into the position of student rep and we have been leading this classroom since then! But…. we are graduating at the end of this year so for those of you who still have time in sparkling Drexel, think about if you want this wonderful role. As is the nature of Diamond Class, you can petition for a change in class rep at any time as long as you have the majority vote so technically you could usurp us at any time but we know what we are doing up here so there is no point in that! Besides, working in the same group as Nathan is sort of like my dream job because now I get to see him all the time at school and out!”

“Ari, we should probably move onto attendance.” Nathan reminded her with a cough, trying to change topics clearly. Although the male class rep was in a relationship with his partner, he didn't seem to feel comfortable announcing it to everyone in this way.

“Oh, right! But just calling out names is boring, and as Diamonds the headmaster expects us to be beacons of light and influence in this world, so we are going to get an early start at good and proper Diamond behavior!” By now Ari was done handing out her treats, which was something anyone who had been in her homeroom before would know that she did normally every day. “For those of you new here and even those who are not, remember that we are the top of our craft and the world has high hopes for us. The press will be paying attention to us for the rest of our lives and we MUST be ready for them as well as any other interviews we will definitely have. So, what I want all of you to do it stand up, come up to the front of the room, and talk. Tell us your name, your First Class talent, and make us love you! Nat here will keep record of what you say like the wonderful journalist he is and give you pointers about how to talk! Attendance and a Diamond exercise in one!”

“We are going to start with…… you!” Ari closed her eyes and pointed towards the back of the room at the small boy from earlier. It took him a second to realize she was talking to him but eventually the boy got up to the front and stood there, waiting patiently for Ari to finish. “Okay good. Once you finish we will be giving you guys your class schedules. Although I doubt it will happen because of how great our staff is, but if there is a problem with your schedule you can just talk to them and they will fix it right up! Okay, you can start now!” At this Ari finally took her own seat near the front and began munching on her jam roll as she intently watched the other boy begin to speak. Like any school, the first day of class was always filled with awkward, often hated ice breakers. The only difference was that at Drexel, instead of in the hopes of encouraging friendships it was to teach public speaking for the already famous youth.

“I am Kazimir Volya.” He started formally, keeping his hand locked in front of him in a tight grip that would not be noticeable unless someone was used to looking for abnormalities in physical behavior. As the boy spoke, there was a touch of a Russian accent remaining depending on the phrase but, perhaps due to his talent, it was not as apparent as some of the others in the classroom. Each word was well enunciated and chosen however, that much was clear. “I am the First Class Puppeteer and I will, unfortunately, be refraining from sharing the core of talent at the moment. We do not have much time, yes? Still, since I have been asked to make an impression, allow me to briefly show my talent.”

“I am self taught and I have been studying this craft since i was a child.” The voice was Kazimir’s however it did not come from his direction, or at least it did not appear to do so. His mouth was still but not in a way that hinted that he was forcing it to be that way, he seemed relaxed in the jaw.

Kazimir continued to speak without moving lip or bone, but this time it was the deep voice of an older man, coming from the opposite direction as before. “Although he does have a long way to go, he is proud of being at Drexel and knows that he and his fellow homeroom students will only improve as the year progresses. So in the spirit of getting through everyone before homeroom ends,-”

“-I hope you enjoyed that.” Kazimir finished without his own lips, smiling gently as he reached out to take his schedule and seat. He got a number of claps in response to his antics, most of them coming from the new students, not including Deacon who simply nodded his head and made eye contact to show his approval. Puppets were freaky, not that Deacon would admit that, but Deacon could at least appreciate a boy who knew how to keep things suspended into the air with just ropes. It was a hard talent, that Deacon knew from experience.

Ari was the first to speak up after the claps died down, jumping back up to the front of the classroom. "That was great, Kazimir! The press always loves it when us Diamonds give them a bit of a preview of what we can do, good idea! What did you think, Mr. Professional Journalist?"

Nathan looked up from his pad and stated, “That is the same thing you said last year, almost verbatim.”

Kazimir let out a chuckle and a smile, “Was it? Sorry then.” Although he as apologizing, he was not about to redo his introduction and took his seat, returning to his hand exercises that seemed to be a trademark of his resting stance.

“Alrighty then…. Who should go next….?” Ari continued, not about to waste time on having someone redo their introduction. Ari once again closed her eyes and waved it around the room until it settled upon a new person, “You!” She started, finger pointed at a girl this time.

 

[fleurdelys]

The only good thing about the opening ceremony was looking at Erik Duvall. But even that lost its charm pretty quick.

Still, Avery managed to pretend she was paying attention. The First Class Singer sat straight in her chair with one leg crossed over the other knee and her hands folded neatly in her lap. She would rather be tweeting or checking her Snaps, but it was hard to do so when she was at the front of the auditorium and in full view of every single teacher around her. And so, needless to say she was more than relieved when the snorefest was finally over and they were sent on their way to homeroom.

"I'm so glad that's over!" She stretched her arms in the air, a bright smile on her face as she walked out alongside a couple of her fellow First Class students. As she followed the rest of her peers to their classroom, chatting cheerfully with her friends, she also made a point to pick out some of the new kids. She paid particular attention once they split off into their individual Diamond classes. Most of the faces were familiar to the seventeen-year-old, but there were a couple she hadn't seen before. One guy caught especially caught her eye, although not in the most positive way. His hair was pulled in an unkempt-looking ponytail and his dark gloves stood out in stark contrast to his crisp white uniform. Ugh, what is he? First Class Neckbeard? It took all of her willpower not to wrinkle her nose in the middle of her conversation, but she managed to avoid making an expression that might to her judgmental thoughts.

He looked strange but as long as he minded his own business and left her alone, he could wear a balaclava and cat ears for all she cared. With that, Avery shrugged it off and continued talking with her friends all the way to their classroom. Once they took their seats, she immediately retrieved her phone from her bag and began to tap away at the screen. After firing off a quick tweet about the assembly - saying nothing about how absolutely boring it was, of course - she had just enough time to take a photo with her friends before the bell rang. Their class reps, Ari and Nathan, entered the room with the pervasive sound, almost as if it was their cue to make their appearance. As she laid eyes on the blue-haired girl, Avery couldn't help but turn to her friends and roll her eyes. She had the pleasure of sharing a class with the pair since she started at St. Drexel. While the singer didn't mind Nathan much - he was actually pretty cute, in a weird, bookish way - the sight of Ari honestly made her want to puke. And the sound of her voice made her feel like she was going to have an aneurysm. She had the insufferable pep of a kindergarten teacher on excessive doses of Prozac, and she was about as cool as a crazy, cat-loving spinster.

But Avery put on her mask of attentiveness again once the bespectacled girl began handing out her treats. "Thanks, Ari," she said with saccharine sarcasm before immediately handing off her roll to one of her friends. Even if it wasn't made by the First Class Chef, she didn't need the calories. Sitting back in her seat, she crossed her legs again and folded her arms across her chest as the class representative went on to introduce their ice breaker/attendance exercise. Oh god, are you serious. What were they, in first grade? The young musician exchanged quick, exasperated glances with her girls again before she looked forward again. Kazimir was the first victim, and the class' attention shifted to him once Ari had finally shut her goddamn mouth.

Kazimir was kind of a weirdo too, but as a fellow performer who utilized the power of the human voice, Avery greatly admired his skills. A small smile came upon her lips as he displayed his talent for the class. She had seen him in action before, and it seemed like he had improved his craft even further. Once he was finished she joined in the applause, gently clapping her hands together without being overenthusiastic. When Ari resumed her place at the front, she immediately stopped and crossed her arms again. She watched silently as the girl picked the next person - Raya Volkov, another oddball in the class. I'm put with all the freaks and geeks as usual, the Canadian girl said to herself as she watched the shorter, dark-haired female rise from her seat and stand at the front of the room.

Admittedly, she didn't know Raya well at all - but that was by choice, and it was one that Avery planned to stick with. The girl was quiet and had a mean case of resting bitch face. Not to mention the fact that she wore an eyepatch and, oh yeah, her talent was shooting guns. Still, she supposed she had some basic respect for her - more than she did for Ari, at least - what with the fact she got viciously assaulted by bullies and all. As a result, she watched with true attentiveness as the girl at the front of the room started off her introduction with a small wave of a surprisingly small, dainty-looking hand.

"Good morning, everyone." Similarly to Kazimir, there was a hint of an Eastern European accent in her oddly gentle voice. "My name is Raya Volkov... I am a First Class Sharpshooter at St. Drexel. I competed at the Olympics, and I am now here." She fidgeted a little, her one visible eye drifting between the back wall and the class reps sitting at the front. "Hm... My talent... it cannot be shown here."

No freaking kidding, Avery thought, sending the girl beside her a wide-eyed look before looking forward again. A short but awkward silence filled the room as the girl glanced out the window, apparently in thought. After a moment she seemed to snap out of her reverie and promptly pulled the hairtie off of the braid trailing down her right shoulder. "I suppose this may be a substitute." With that, the girl turned to face the wall with the classroom door on it and took several steps back until she was standing at the opposite wall. Pinching her hair elastic with her left hand, she held it up to eye level and stretched it out with her right. It remained there for not more than a second before it flew across the room, striking the light switch and turning off the overhead lighting. Avery raised her brows gently as Raya walked across the room to retrieve her hairtie from the floor, her dark hair spilling into waves as she walked. She wasn't sure just how big the room was exactly, but was big enough to make the girl's feat relatively impressive even without considering the accuracy and nature of her trickshot.

The singer joined in another round of polite applause as Raya turned the lights back on and dipped her head in a polite nod of thanks. "I apologize it is not impressive. Thank you for watching." Having nothing else to say, she silently listened to her feedback before she returned to her seat and began to redo her braid.

Several more of her classmates followed Raya after being randomly chosen until it was Avery's turn. Smiling brightly, she stood up and strolled confidently to the front of the room. Placing a hand on her hip, she waved to the small group of talented adolescents sitting before her. "Hey, everyone! I'm Avery Norton, and if you haven't heard of me then you might've heard of my music. I'm a First Class Singer from Canada who got her lucky break where, like, everyone seems to these days: YouTube." She tucked her hair behind her ear, her rings glimmering in the light while her bracelets quietly jingled with the gesture's movement. Her gaze drifted around the room as she spoke, making eye contact with whoever was giving their attention to her. "I go by the stage name AveN, which is what you can search if you wanna follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat. You can also find me on Spotify, Soundcloud, and YouTube - of course - under the same handle, and if you want to support me you can buy my album on iTunes or Amazon! It's called 'Iridescence' and it's my debut album - hopefully just the first of many more to come."

"As for my talent, I think I'll let my music speak for itself. I'd love to sing for you guys right now, but I don't think it's fair if I take up so much time from the rest of you, right?" She tilted her head to the side slightly. "Like, there's not a lot of time. It'd be mean of me to take away from anyone else. But honestly, I'd love to keep talking with you guys too about my music and inspirations so if you're interested, hit me up! Slide into my DMs if you're feeling shy, I promise I don't bite, unless you're into that kind of thing." Avery grinned coyly, purposely making eye contact and flashing a quick wink to Nathan as she spoke. "So yeah! Was that okay, Nathan? I've done so many interviews really, but it's just so hard when you don't, you know, like, have a clear structure or questions to go off of."

 

[Viper]

Deacon couldn't help but let out a small ‘oo’ in response to Raya, or at least her talent. Sharpshooter was a very, very interesting talent to have. Apparently this school really did take in people of any kind, even those that had skills that could be criminal if given the right push. Still, this girl did not strike Deacon as the criminal, murder type though. Despite the chance that this girl was actually just a goody goody with sharp eyes, Deacon was intrigued enough that he leaned forward in order to pay more attention to what she was saying and doing. He had to talk to this girl and get answers to his questions. Was it just the Olympics she was involved in or had she done more… profitable extensions with her gun talents? Had she ever shot someone? Was she going to join the military after Drexel or what? Maybe they worked in similar channels!

After showing her talent, Deacon was one of the loudest clappers in the room. That was most definitely a useful skill to have and he was jealous that he did not have it himself. “Nice, nice.” He verbally praised, nodding. This was way cooler of a talent than puppets or the other things he had seen so far… and would see, Deacon supposed. He made sure that he made eye contact with this gun woman before she sat down though, giving her a large grin and a thumbs up with a black, gloved hand.

Nathan meanwhile, as he did for all of the speakers, kept his eyes on his paper in front of him and only looked up briefly to check if she succeeded in her talent and to examine her body language. For Raya, his feedback was simple and seemingly impersonal, "Be more confident". Awkward pauses and fidgeting were not interview material. But that was a good way to show her talent since it could be done in all places, even those where guns were forbidden to even be on a civilian. Nathan added on one more interesting point, “Sharpshooting requires a steady hand, an interview is no different. Focus on your body being steady and your words will follow.”

A few more people went up, none as interesting as Raya, but then Avery came up. She was vaguely familiar to Deacon, but there was a difference between familiar and interesting. This girl looked more like the type he would steal from rather than steal with. To translate, she looked like the type to cry when she broke a nail while carrying bags of money. Boring… but necessary to keep him occupied. To make it worse, her bracelets were so loud that Deacon could not keep his eyes off of them. God, how much did all that jewelry cost? And more importantly, could he get them off her without her or the others in the class noticing? Deacon grinned as he posed the question to himself, now fully intending on doing that during his stupid little introduction speech thing he was going to have to do.

Back up in the front of the room however, Avery was just finishing her speech and Nathan kept glancing up and down from his notes. He had interviewed Avery a few times in the past and so gave her special attention, meaning that there was a lot less writing down and more eye contact between him and Avery. Nathan was not a shy boy, but when it came to public displays of affection or flirting, he was a scarlet mess. He was slightly used to Ari being bold about their relationship, but hearing it from another person was not something he was used to... and it showed. Nathens pen immediately froze and his face turned red when Avery mentioned biting and winked at him, something that everyone including Ari noticed. Nothing would happen, Nathan was not the type to cheat, however seeing how frazzled he got at the very, very pretty singers attention was enough to cast doubt in some people's minds.

He was still reeling from her wink so when she addressed him directly only moments after, he hesitated. “That was good, as always... “ He started before clearing his throat and continuing, ever so slowly regaining his calm persona, “But, uh, you don’t have to self promote yourself so much during an introduction. Most modern day interviews typically tag that information in at the end, or ask you about it…. But without a clear prompt I understand why you said those things. Thank you.”

“Yeah, thanks Avery!” Ari piped in, handing Avery her schedule in the attempt to end the conversation quickly. Ari did not hate Avery as a rule, but she would be lying if she said she was fond of any person that made Nathan blush like that. “I guess it’s time to move on now, yeah? How about you, Bell, you haven't gone yet.” Ari prompted, calling on the first person she saw.

“Of course.” Bell responded with a smile, swaying out of his seat and up to the front. He gave Avery a friendly smile on the way up since he had not had a chance to greet her yet today, although he had originally planned on it. As was the case for him though, it was not uncommon to get a crowd of people surrounding him and he was not the type to tell people to go away so that he could speak to another person unless it was an emergency. Still, he would have a chance to check in soon enough, he was sure.

Habitually, Bell ran a hand through his long hair before starting to speak, the motion a hair commercial in the making. “Hello, everyone.” He started in a softer voice than many boys his age, his french accent not too heavy but apparent, at least in comparison to many others such as Kazimir . He spends nearly all of his time in France still, so abandoning his native tongue or it’s verbal patterns was never needed or encouraged. Besides, people liked his accent… or at least that is why they said. “I am Belvedere Bello, but most of my fans and friends call me Bell for simplicity, so that is what you can call me too since if we are not friends already, I hope to become one. I am here as Drexel’s First Class Model for the second year in a row.” At this point, Bell leaned back against the wall, giving the room a smile, “I don’t really feel that walking between the desks is a fair way to express my talent, however, I can say that I have been doing this job since I was seven, so I would call myself very talented and passionate about modeling and fashion. Sadly, these uniforms do not let me show off my wardrobe that I have collected over the years, however if any of you need to borrow an outfit or need help doing your makeup and hair, I am more than happy to help. I have an open door policy as well so come by room 25 in the Diamond Wing anytime. Makeovers are a hobby of mine so I won't mind at all."

Bell fell silent at this point, comfortable up in the front but not really having much more to say. Unlike normal interviews, it was not like he could talk about who he was wearing or what his plans were for the future. So instead of blabbering about something off topic, he turned to Nathan for feedback. “That was more of an invitation than an introduction, but not bad despite it's small length” Was all he said in response to Bell’s short speech.

“Thank you Nathan. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” Bell responded, not taking the criticism personally in the least bit. Ari handed him his schedule and he took his seat, not looking at it until he sat back down in his own seat.

After a few more people went, homeroom was almost over and Deacon had yet to go. To make it worse, by the time that he was called he had been tapping his foot against the side of his desk for over ten minutes. These people were so boring and he was so sick of translating! Was it really too much to ask that at least one person speak greek here so that he did not have to spend all day trying to figure out what the hell people were saying? And English was such a dumb language, it broke its own rules almost every other sentence… how he learned to speak it was a miracle in of itself. But profit and not wanting to get arrested were great motivators in this case.

When Ari finally called on Deacon, he was the second to last student to take the stage and before even standing up he let out a groan and the word “Teliká” which translated into “Finally!”. Considering how antsy he was, Deacon was split between wanting to talk for as long as possible just so he would not have to sit down again or to put in the bare minimum so that all of this would get over with quickly. In the end though, Deacon didn't make a choice, his hands did for him and he followed suit.

The singer who had been flashing around her jewelry so adamantly before was the unfortunate first target of Deacon’s kleptomania. What did she expect though, showing off that kind of thing in public? She was practically asking him to steal from her. Since Deacon was not the type to ignore an invitation like that, he purposely walked past her desk and within the blink of an eye, Deacons hand flashed out of his pockets to slip one of Avery’s larger bracelets right off of her arm before returning to his pocket in the same motion. Easy peasy. No one, at least anyone who mattered in that moment, saw this go down which was for the best because it would have ruined his first impression on these English speaking nerds.

Once at the front, he did not hesitate and immediately raised his voice in order to make sure the room heard him. “I am called Deacon, but you shall call me Hermes!” He started, taking off his hat with a flourish and flashing his trademark grin at the room. His greek accent was incredibly heavy, but despite the fact that he was still learning the language, he did not hesitate. He spoke like he acted most of the time, unabashedly confident even when he should not be. “ I prefer it because I am the modern day incarnation of him! For I, just like Hermes, am the God of Thieves! Seen here-” With a flourish, Deacon pulled out Avery’s bracelet and showed it to the class, letting it sparkle from the overhead lights in contrast to his dark gloves. “Got this from popstar over there as I passed just now! So know this, I am the first, First Class Thief Drexel has ever had and so long as I am stuck in this damn school, I am going to leave a mark on it. So if there is anything cool or one of a kind on this campus, tell me, yeah? Since I doubt I will be coming to class again any time soon, I’m gonna have a lot of freetime, and let’s face it, better I snatch someone else's shit rather than yours. So keep an eye out for me, sound fair?” With a wink, Deacon finished, and was met with more or less silence.

Nathan was looking at Ari as if she had answers as to why his boy just broke formula. Everyone up until this point had been polite and/or formal. Deacon had not only swore, but in a way he had threatened the classroom. “You-did you just threaten to steal from us?” Nathan asked, it not clear he if was actually looking for clarification or if he was just too shocked to comprehend.

Deacon shrugged, “Eh, more or less. Don’t worry though...” At this point Deacon threw the craclet back at Avery, not really caring if she was paying attention enough to catch it or not. It wasn't his, why should he care? “... Headmaster whatever-his- name has a condition that I have to return everything I take so even if I get something of yours, it will be back in your possession by the end of the week…. Probably.” He snickered, making it unclear if his ‘probably’ was a joke or not.

“You really should not do that during introductions or interviews.” Nathan stated, as if Deacon had never considered such things. “And swearing is a general no as well. No one on TV-”

“-I’m a thief, I won’t be going on TV or doing interviews.” Deacon interrupted, shrugging.

“Interrupting is also not what you are supposed to do.” Nathan was surprisingly pushy on this matter, which was not surprising considering that interviews were a major part of his journalism, so seeing someone not take it serious was more than frustrating.

Deacon started to open his mouth to retort, but Ari jumped in. “We should probably move on, yeah? Homeroom is almost over after all. So here is your schedule for the semester, you can go back to your seat now, Deacon.”

“Hermes, actually.” Deacon corrected, taking the paper and returning to his seat, legs kicked up on the desk and hands in his pocket like before. He was pleased with how that went. It was sort of fun to be open about his ‘grabby’ hands, but it would not last. He would settle down with his little show-off tendencies in time. After all, a thief was useless if people recognized him on sight. Until then though, it would be enjoyable to see how far he could push these people when it came to their patience and himself when it came his ego.

 

[fleurdelys]

There was a someone who seemed to clap more enthusiastically than most, which made Raya feel... somewhat happy. She didn't think her talent was very flashy or interesting in general, so to get a positive response from her modest display was kind of nice. However, she did not linger on the fleeting feeling very long. After Nathan's feedback, she gave a subtle nod of acknowledgement. It was true - being interviewed required the same confidence and calm as on the shooting range. Raya already knew this was her major area of improvement, having watched her past interviews herself. In truth, she thought she had actually gotten a bit better with public speaking. But then again, there was always room to grow. Regardless, she was thankful for Nathan's encouraging critique. It was always comforting when someone was kind about their opinions.

When she returned to her seat, Raya noticed a boy wearing black gloves give her a big smile and a thumbs up. Hesitantly, she looked from side to side to see if his gesture was meant for one of their other classmates. When she saw no one else, the corner of her lip curled in a small, awkward grin as she gave him a tiny nod before quickly taking her seat. She supposed that might have been the person who clapped particularly loudly. His appearance was a bit unusual compared to the rest of the generally well-groomed, proper looking Diamonds. But he seemed nice enough, she supposed.

The dark-haired girl placed her hands neatly in her lap once she had finished redoing her braid. She clapped alongside everyone else, but neither said nor did anything otherwise. But despite the lack of expression on her face and statuesque composure, Raya was actually quite interested in everyone else's talents. She greatly admired her classmates and, as she witnessed everyone else's abilities, felt privileged to be among such amazing people. The only thing that was mildly disappointing was the fact that Avery didn't sing a single note. Not even a quick 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'. It would have been nice to have some music to break up everything else, but Raya understood her perspective. It could be taken as quite rude to take too long with her introduction. In the end, she settled on quickly scribbling down Avery's stage name and the title of her album to look up later on.

As the girl finished her speech, Raya watched as Avery placed a hand on her hip and smiled at Nathan. From her seat, she noticed that the boy's face was burning beet red and that his pen had stopped in place. Blinking, her gaze shifted from Nathan to Avery and back again. Did she miss something? Did he fall ill, perhaps? Raya frowned as he provided his feedback, albeit with less confidence and poise than before. But after a few seconds of talking, he seemed to find his stride again and was back to normal once more.

No one else seemed overly concerned over Nathan's sudden shift in attitude - especially not Avery or Ari. The singer merely giggled and shrugged her shoulders innocently at her feedback. "Oops! Sorry! Well, thanks anyway." As she took the schedule from Ari, she seemed to hold eye contact for just a split second longer than normal before she bounced back to her seat, where her friends instantly exchanged whispered words with her.

As the next student made his way to the front, Avery and her friends settled back to silence. Raya saw the singer give Bell a smile and a wave before she seemed to sit at particular attention. It was no surprise that a girl like Avery had lots of friends, and especially one like Bell. The Bulgarian girl's attention shifted to the blonde model once he began to speak. He seemed like a nice, gentle person - someone much different from the other boys she had known. And of course, he was superbly handsome. Obviously a First Class Model had to be attractive, but Raya couldn't help but feel as though his beauty radiated from deep inside his heart. She couldn't explain why she felt this way, though - perhaps it was just a gut instinct. In any case, for a moment she felt tempted to write down his room number and take him up on his offer... but quickly refrained. She wouldn't be able to keep up any makeover that was done on her, so it was best to not waste his time and effort at all.

Like the rest, Bell soon collected his schedule and returned to his seat. Raya continued to give the speakers her quiet, dedicated attention - although occasionally her eyes wandered to some of the antics going on around her. As homeroom went on, the students around her started to grow increasingly bored and restless. Even she began to fiddle with the end of her braid, having the urge to get up and stretch her legs at the very least. But she hung on. There were only a few people who hadn't gone, so she would be able to get up very soon.

Eventually, the boy who had liked her talent was called up by Ari. Raya's shoulders jumped ever so slightly at his loud groan and exclamation. Despite her surprise, she looked at him with a blank, steady gaze, her face slowly following him as he got up and made his way to the front of the class. He passed by Avery, who was busy checking her phone with one hand underneath her desk. When he took his spot he began to speak loudly again, which made Raya sit back a little bit in her chair. As he grandly proclaimed himself as Hermes, he took off his hat and smiled at the rest of his classmates. He was a bit odd, but he had an undeniable aura of confidence and pride that Raya - who lacked such things herself - couldn't help but admire.

Just as this thought ran through her mind, he brandished a shining bracelet and held it out for everyone to see. As he did, some of Avery's friends quickly tapped her shoulder, causing her to finally look up from her phone. "Oh. My God," she said, undoubtedly much louder than intended. She put her phone down and began to look at her wrists and fingers, checking for anything else that had been swiped by the First Class Thief. Raya arched her brow curiously while Deacon - or Hermes, she supposed - went on to ask everyone to report anything "cool" or unique to him so he could steal it. He finished with a wink, much like Avery had, but unlike before the class representatives just seemed confused. Maybe... he is not so nice, Raya mused as she watched Avery's jewelry fly through the air in her general direction. The singer jumped up to catch it, but fumbled with the item in her hands before she finally secured her grasp around it. While Deacon and Nathan had their exchange, she glared daggers at the thief before examining her bracelet for any signs of damage. From her seat nearby, Raya heard her muttering something about 'First Class Neckbeard'... whatever that meant.

After Hermes' unorthodox introduction, the atmosphere among her classmates felt relatively tense. As the boy took his seat again, she held her gaze steady at the front. She didn't have anything valuable or interesting to steal - her Olympic medal was her only valuable possession, and it was safe at home in Bulgaria - so hopefully he'd leave her be. But after his speech, she began to feel uneasy about his appreciation of her talent. Still, she tried to shake the thought off as the final student took the thief's place at the front of the room. Thankfully, they had a much more normal introduction that seemed to settle everyone back down again. Once they were ushered back to their seat by applause, the door to the classroom suddenly opened.

Erik Duvall, whom they had all seen just a short time ago, strolled into the room with a bright smile. "Sorry to come in unannounced like this. But it seemed like you were all finally finished, so I thought this was a good a time as any." He stopped in the spot where most students had stood for their intros, and clasped his hands together at chest level. "I'm just going around to all of the Diamond classes to tell you guys about the 'extra layer of competition' that Headmaster Engelhart mentioned earlier this morning." He fell silent for a moment, allowing the students to murmur among themselves briefly before continuing on.

"I see you're all very interested in this, and I'm sure you're all also very excited to get back to class so I'll keep this brief." Erik made eye contact with Ari and Nathan before looking around at the other Diamonds as he spoke. "You all know that you're the best at what you do - that's why you're sitting in your seat right here and right now. But in the real world is not a closed environment like St. Drexel. There will be people just as good as you, if not better. To be the best out there" - he pointed to the window - "just doing what you do is not enough. You have to do more, and you have to be willing to do anything to be on top." There was a passion behind his words that was rising in a steady crescendo, but it came to a sudden stop as he took a pause. When he opened his mouth again, he spoke calmly, as he had before.

"That is the reason for this competition. It will help us First Class students learn to find success in the real world in a very simple way. All Diamond students will be assigned tasks in certain intervals that must be completed within a certain time frame. These may be given individually, in partners, or in groups. By the deadline, each student will be assigned points based on how the task is completed. There will be a scoreboard installed in the common courtyard of St. Drexel for all to see. Once all the points are given out, the student with the lowest number of total points will be demoted to the Coals." Erik fell silent yet again to let the class react, but resumed his speech quicker this time around. "The tasks will be decided by Headmaster Engelhart and other members of the faculty. They will then be given to me to distribute to the class representatives, who will then hand them out to you. You may choose not to participate, but you will receive negative points for ignoring tasks, which will surely lose you your Diamond status. Which, by the way, you cannot gain back for the rest of your time at the school."

"But I'm sure you're all wondering about the prize at the end of it all. It is quite simple as well: you can ask anything of the Headmaster and you shall receive it. And it is truly anything."

Erik smiled as the class erupted into chatter. There were only a handful of people who did not immediately turn to their neighbour to discuss this prospect, and Raya was one of them. She sat still, staring ahead at the Student Council President as he looked around with what almost seemed like pride in his eyes. She didn't feel particularly excited about this idea, to be honest. In fact, she was almost dreading it a little. What sort of tasks would they have to do? There weren't a lot of things she was really good at... not that she wanted to win the prize, but the prospect of becoming a Coal gave her a sense of unease and anxiety.

Before she could think much else about it, Erik clapped his hands together once. "Well, that's all the information I have for this time. We will tell you more as the time comes, but if you have any questions about the information I have just told you, feel free to email the Student Council and we'll get back to you as soon as we can." He then gave a short nod towards Ari and Nathan. "Thanks for your time and your hard work. Have a good first day, everyone!" With a wave, he walked out of the room, leaving the class in the wake of his announcement.

 

[Viper]

The entrance of Erik nearly ruined the high Deacon had gotten from his introduction. Deacon was not in the mood for a repeat of the mornings assembly, however any sort of displeasure went out the window as soon as Erik explained what the ‘extra competition’ would be. It was a bit complex, some convoluted point system that looked like more trouble than it was worth, but to be honest, Deacon felt excitement at the idea. He could not get invested in classes or clubs, never could and never would, but competitions? Well, that was just another word for a challenge, and anyone who knew Deacon was aware that he was unable to turn down a challenge once it was presented to him. As long as the tasks were not to take some dumb written exam, then he was confident that he would flourish, if not win the entire thing. And although Deacon was not a greedy man, surprisingly, the idea of having any wish granted appealed greatly. The Headmaster had influence over law makers in Greece... could Deacon use that wish to get his father out of prison or to wipe away their criminal records? The chance that it was possible made it worth fighting for.

To be honest though, it would not have mattered if Deacon wanted to participate or not. He had no choice. His arrangement with the Headmaster and the law was not only that he had to stay in Drexel, but he had to stay a Diamond. This side competition could ruin him if he refused to participate and so he would, no matter what it took. His family taught him that the ends justify the means, always, because at the end of the day the only thing you can rely on is family and yourself, so better look out for them both.

This was not the case for many of the others in the class however, so their reactions to the news was a bit more varied. Kazimir immediety put his hands over his eyes and rubbed his temples with his thumbs, “Oh god no.” He muttered. He hated this kind of thing, and not just the competitive aspect, but working in teams or in pairs. He hated having his scores presented to the rest of the class to see, and above all, he hated the fact that all of the effort he had taken to become a Diamond could get thrown into the trash just because of some dumb game the Headmaster decided to play. Plus, why even do this? Besides maybe some decent footage, this seemed like more effort than it was worth both for the staff and students. The teachers, or whoever was doing this stuff, had to individually make sure each student had the right number of tasks to make this fair, they had to judge how well the student performed, and that was just scratching the surface. Then there was the students, who now on top of their normal school activities and jobs outside of school, they now had to focus their attention on this.

Stupid fucking politics, that’s all this is. Kazimir thought, having enough control over his own mouth to keep the worst of his comments to himself. And of course, this comes up right when I’m working on a new puppet design... this is just my luck. He added, not bothering to take his hands off of his eyes even as Erik left the room.

Bell, in opposition to Deacon and Kazimir, didn't really know how he felt about all of this. Admittedly, they did not have a lot of information yet and until everyone got their first task, they likely would not fully get a feel for this but so far it didn't seem any more ridiculous or strange than anything else Drexel had done or what Bell had experienced in the past. Turning around in his seat, Bell sought to find some sort of back up, someone to bounce ideas and thoughts off of so that he could figure out how to feel about this development.

The young model was not the only one who needed to get some emotional and mental support, so very quickly, Ari raised her voice above the chatter. This was news to her and Nathan, and although she was trying to be optimistic about the situation, it was still a curveball that she needed to speak to her boyfriend about. “Alright everyone. This news is very exciting so I’m going to let us out a few minutes early so that everyone can have time to absorb this information before you head off to your next class. Thanks for all the hard work today!” And with that, she immediately turned on her heels and stood next to Nathan who stood up to meet her. The pair stood close together so that they could whisper, the only sign that the conversation was not actually positive was the tight grip Nathan had around his notebook that threatened to crinkle the paper for good. The main problem between them was simple, what if one of them was dropped down to Coal? But the main positive was that they, against rules even, would have each others backs to complete tasks or normal homework if it became too much for one person.

Since class was over now, Bell took the opportunity to get out of his seat and approach one of the people in the class who he was most familiar towards. “Avery, you look beautiful today” Bell called out, waving a hand in her direction just like she had done during introductions. To Bell, saying ‘you look beautiful today’ was the same as saying hello, or at least it was said often enough to be his catch phrase. “Is that a new necklace? I don’t think I have seen it in any of your photographs before.” This kind of thing was also common for him to notice, fashion being his passion after all. And Avery in particular was someone Bell kept an eye on after they had spoken to each other a few times in the past. She was lovely. It was clear that she took care of her appearance and cared about how she looked, and that love for a varied fashion sense was something the pair bonded over.

But commenting on Avery’s appearance was not the reason he had came over here. Bell leaned up against Avery's desk, hands on the desk and his head tilted towards her in a way that gave her a great view of his cheekbones. “So, this Ranking competition… Drexel truly does always have something up it’s sleeve, doesn't it? How do you feel about it? I have yet to make a decision myself, although it does seem interesting.” Brushing his hair out of his face he gave Avery a small smile, “At least you and I have experience in these sort of competitions that demand a variety of things from us, I imagine many other Diamonds are not as varied in their talents.” Bell truly considered it a shame that some students were going to be punished for their talents being more narrowly focused, but Bell supposed that the teachers would take each talent at an individual level and account for that sort of thing. They would not give a physical activity to a talent based mainly on the brain for example…. Or at least Bell helped for everyone else's sake that this was the case.

"And then there is the prize..." Bell brought up the positive side of this event, but once again he found himself stumped on how to feel about it. He did not want for anything... or at least nothing that he could be given. Bell was tempted to ask what Avery would want if she won, but he hesitated and thought better of it. It could be private, and besides, they were not so close that he would risk seeming nosy. So instead, Bell asked another question in the same ling of thought but more emotionally distant. "People are going to be putting in their all in order to win, are you going to be one of them?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The news about the tasks were met with mixed emotions back in the Diamond wing of the school, some thrived at the sight of competition but others were too overwhelmed about the idea of losing their Diamond status to care even about the reward that was being offered to them. Across campus however, in the larger but less fancy building, the Coals were ecstatic across the board. This was now the third way they could possibly get a ‘promotion’. The first was simply surpassing the current Diamond over the summer, the second was during the showdown in the festival but that was only offered to a handful of people, and now there was this. If the current Diamond failed, they could rise. There was no downside for the Coals, there was only benefits.

The Coal wing of the school was much larger than the Diamonds, which was expected due to there being about 100 Diamonds and about 1000 Coals. In fact, the Coals didn't even have a wing, they had a building, and this building left much to be desired. It was true that this school was better than nearly any private or public school in the country, however in comparison to the fully modernized, fully designed, Diamond wing, the Coals place of work was lacking. It was all of good quality, but the gardens were less tended to, the desks were fine but clearly had been in use for a few years, they had a white board rather than a digital one, and there was a lack of personal touch. For the diamonds, nearly everything was hand made or at least designed by masters of their craft, but for the Coals, they got mass produced, but high quality items. Nothing told a story or was done for a purpose other than functionality.

The same could be said about most of the Coal’s time at the school. Their dorm rooms were separate from the Diamonds for one, and these students had to share rooms that all looked nearly the same unlike the Diamonds who got personalized bedrooms to fit their needs and talents. Even the cafeteria, which may have been the same physical space, but the food was not at the same level as the Diamonds. The Coals ate food that put normal schools to shame, but the Diamonds got professional chefs to make their meals and were able to pick from a menu even. And finally, no Coal was anywhere near to the Diamonds in status or the respect they were given. Even Coal class reps were lower than the lowest Diamonds. That is what made this competition so intriguing, it offered them a chance for glory and luxury inside and outside of the school. One of the only things the two groups shared equally was the common area where anyone could relax or take part in leisure activities without bias.

The one who informed the Coal classrooms about the competition was not Erik or a class representative, but a teacher who was put in charge of that homeroom. The classes were organized like this because unlike the Diamonds whose classrooms had at most 15 people, the Coals had around 30 on average. This number was large enough, and expectations were not as high, so it was deemed for the best that a teacher take charge of the group. Class reps were more assistants than leaders in the Coal community.

The teacher of one of the Coal classes cleared her voice before continuing on with her explanation of what the Diamonds and the campus was going to be doing over the next few weeks. “Now, although this competition the Headmaster is hosting does not directly involve any of you and you should not be taking part in any of the events unless directly informed, there is still a chance to be lifted to Diamond status. So task or not, do your best over the next few weeks because should a Diamond fall, then the best of you will take their place.” The teacher who ran the homeroom told the class, highlighting the fact that they were not meant to participate themselves but could still benefit.

The chatter in the room immediately flared, but in the center of the room was Leo, pen frozen above the piece of paper he had been doodling on and his mouth practically hanging open. The boy had been at Drexel for three years now, he was talented and passionate about his craft, but he was still a Coal to everyone's disbelief, shock, and honestly, disappointment. Leo, or rather Leonardo's, parents were Diamonds themselves back in the day so they had expected the same of their son and the son had expected of himself too. Yet here he was, one more year left and he was still wearing the black uniform that suited the angsty teen far too well.

“No, fucking way.” He finally muttered once the news was fully comprehended. His emotions were in a spin, mixing shock, joy, and determination at the very idea. This was amazing! Derek, the first class Painter, was a lazy piece of shit and there was a large chance that he would flunk out of this ‘competition’ or whatever they wanted to call it. That meant one thing… The title First Class Painter was practically Leo’s… well, as long as he beat out the other Coal artists, but Leo had no intention of being beat by this. This was his last chance to make it to Diamond status before he graduated next year. He had to win. If Derek lost and was dropped down, Leo would take his place no matter what... or else he may as well abandon painting all together.

Leo was not the most friendly of boys, his temper and standoff expression always kept people away, and normally Leo was too busy practicing his craft to socialize without anyone outside of the artistry field anyway, however in this moment all he wanted to do was celebrate with someone. And it seemed like a lot of people in the classroom felt the same way because even after the teacher tried to calm everyone down so that they could finish homeroom and announcements, people continued to chatter and talk excitedly. The teacher eventually gave up, sitting at the desk in the front of the classroom with an expression half frustration and the other half understanding. After all, who could blame the Coals for being happy? The reason they were at this school was to become a Diamond and now it could happen, maybe even without them putting in any more effort than normal. The game had changed, and for the Coals, it was for the better.

 

[fleurdelys]

Erik's appearance recaptured Avery's attention and - perhaps more importantly - distracted her from the fact that she had been burgled by Mr. First Class Asshole. She sat forward in her seat, placing one arm across her desk and resting her chest on top of it. She placed her other elbow on the table next to the opposite hand and cradled her face in her palm. Although she didn't have any true interest in any personal or intimate relationship with the Student Council President, she always liked to try and catch his eyes. It proved to be difficult, though, as he seemed to make eye contact with her no more than anyone else in the class. However, she didn't get upset about this subtle failure - the singer simply didn't have the mind to be as she, too, was enthralled by this whack of new information.

"Is this for real?" One of the girls next to her said once the class erupted in individual conversations. "I hope everything they give me is really easy, I cannot become a Coal!" Avery sat back in her seat and turned her body to face her friends, nodding in agreement. It was a lot to process, but her initial feelings were more or less the same. Between working on her music and social media presence, she had more than enough on her plate already. She couldn't afford to become a Coal, but she couldn't let the other aspects of her career suffer either.

When Ari's voice rose above the rest, the silver-haired teenager looked in her direction. The other girl had no sign of distress in her voice, but Avery kept her gaze on her as she promptly went over to speak with Nathan. As her own friends continued their discussion, she watched them for a moment as they spoke closely together in hushed voices. They both looked sort of tense. However, she soon shrugged it off and turned to her friends. Their business was their business, and her's was her's. She jumped into the conversation with her classmates again, but her attention was quickly drawn away when she saw Bell coming towards her.

"Bell!" Avery called out in a melodic squeal. "Oh my god, you're one to talk! You're top notch eye candy as always. I'm always in awe of how perfect your looks are." She turned towards him and out of her conversation with her friends. While she liked her girls well enough, she really considered them to be something like... background characters. Whereas Bell on the other hand was her equal and her comrade - a 'main character' sort of person, just like she was. Not only was he freaking gorgeous but he had a sweet, gentle soul that no one could possibly hate. And of course, his sense of fashion was totally unrivaled. Avery had no qualms about admitting she looked up to him for style inspiration and tips. As such, when he noticed her new accessory she found herself smiling widely.

"It is! I'm not surprised you noticed, you always have such an incredible eye. It's from Marc de Garneux's new line." She flipped her thick hair over her shoulder and picked up the necklace delicately to hold up the sparkling pendant so he could get a closer look if he wanted to. Avery smiled at the beautiful young man as he leaned against her desk, admiring the perspective he gave of his perfect features. Unsurprisingly, he shifted the subject to what was on everyone's tongues right now: this new competition. As he spoke, she nodded in agreement. "Like, I think it'll be totally interesting for sure. I just hope it doesn't get in the way of everything else because there's absolutely no way I'm dropping down to Coal." The singer tucked a strand of hair behind her ear habitually, revealing sparkling studs that had been hidden under her locks.

At his comment towards their experiences in competitions, Avery grinned a little wider. She loved talking and hanging out with Bell. They clicked so well. "That's so true. Well, like I guess that's why they might do some group or partner challenges, right?" She tilted her head to the side slightly. "To kinda, like, balance things out. Putting strong competitors like you and me with people who might not be so experienced, you know?" Like Kazimir, and a couple other Diamonds she knew about. "But that prize, though! Asking anything from Headmaster Engelhart? You know people are gonna ask for some totally weird stuff. But me?" Avery pursed her lips and gently tapped her chin with a thin, delicate finger as she considered Bell's question.

"Hm, right now, Bell? I don't think so. I want to get the things I want with my own skills and by my own merit. And I can't think of anything I want that I can't achieve on my own someday." Her tone was relatively nonchalant but her eyes shone with an honest resolve. "What about you? Is there anything you want that would drive you to win?"

-----
​

Another year at St. Drexel and another year as a Coal. Jae-seong felt a strange mix of disappointment and determination as the opening ceremonies finished and they were funneled into their individual homeroom classes. As he walked through the halls of the school into the Coal wing, he gazed at the facilities around them. While they were still nicer than any other place he had been to, the Korean boy knew that they were comparatively shit next to what the Diamonds had in their part of the school. Obviously not a lot of Coals went to the Diamond wing very often - since they had almost nothing for them over there - but it wasn't like they were prohibited. Any of them could go over anytime they wanted, but they couldn't use anything there. Essentially, the whole place was "look, don't touch" if you weren't a First Class student in a fancy white uniform. So, naturally, almost no Coal went over. It was just torture seeing what you could have, if you were just a little less shit at what you do.

When he thought about it, he was upset at himself for still not reaching his goal. But this sense of failure also drove him to want to do better. As Jae-seong took his seat and sat through homeroom, he pulled out his phone and began to play a mobile game while he half-listened to the teacher drone on. All the while, he tried to formulate his plan to finally make it to the top. Over the summer he had been following Hyun-suk, the First Class Gamer, and thinking of ways he could finally beat him. Or more specifically, thinking of a game where he could be victorious. Although he had a few ideas to start with, they were admittedly fairly weak. While he improved his own skills, so did Hyun-suk. It felt like someone was dangling a carrot in front of him - something he wanted was right in front of him, but it was always just a little bit out of reach ahead of him.

But it seemed like this year he - and the rest of the Coals - would be in luck. The new 'extra competition' the Headmaster had mentioned essentially gave them all a chance to jump into Diamond, so long as there was a First Class student who messed up. When Jae-seong's teacher began to explain it, he found himself actually putting his phone away and listening for once. He stared at her with wide eyes, a sense of excitement eclipsing his sense of self-disappointment. So if Hyun-suk failed, he could be a Diamond. Just like that.

Even though there wasn't any way they were to participate, Jae-seong couldn't help but wonder if they could impact the competition in some other way. It wouldn't be easy, of course, but since they were all in the same space surely there would be some opportunities for interference? As his mind filled with possibilities and his heart swelled with hope, he felt his lips breaking open in a huge smile. Unsurprisingly, everyone else in the room seemed to be experiencing a similar sense of joy and exhilaration, as there was a palpable energy buzzing throughout the whole room.

Jae-seong looked around to observe everyone else's reactions, and his eyes naturally fell upon the student beside him. It was a dark-haired boy with a piercing glare and a sharp tongue he had seen and spoken to in passing a few times before. If he wasn't mistaken his name was Leo and he aimed to be the First Class Painter. Shockingly, even his cold expression seemed to have warmed with this incredible news. Smiling, he turned to the side and decided to take the opportunity to try and have a nice conversation with his fellow Coal. "Isn't this incredible?" he asked. "Finally, a break for us! I wonder if Headmaster thought he'd take pity on us for once, huh?" He smiled and chuckled a bit to emphasize he was just kidding. "Anyway, you wanna be First Class Painter, right? I dunno anything about who's the Diamond for that right now but you think you got a good chance or what?"

 

[Viper]

Although Bell was used to receiving compliments on his appearance, he did still enjoy them and desired to get as many as possible. Bell smiled as Avery commented on his appearance, fixing his hair in order to make sure that he deserved the praise he was getting. “I would hope so, it is in my job description to look the best that I can at all times.” And by that he meant it was his job to look perfect, just as Avery said he looked. One never knew when the paparazzi would appear, and although the modeling businesses was not as much as an attraction as singing, they still got enough attention that a hair out of place may be noticed and made fun of in the next printing. A singer could get away with not looking amazing all the time, a model could not.

“Ah, Marc de Garneux... “ Bell mused, nodding his head in familiarity. He knew the name and he had met the man once or twice over the years. Seeing that Avery was offering him a closer look at the piece of jewelry, Bell accepted. Leaning forward he took hold of the necklace and examined it, generally just checking to see how well it had been cared for and what it was made out of. In cases like this, it became apparent how Bell did not care about boundaries. He got into Avery’s personal space without a second thought, getting so close that they could easily smell each others perfumes. To him, doing this sort of thing it was nothing serious or rude even. Despite the fact that Bell did not think twice about it, others did, and these kinds of action is what made fans and observers think he was in a relationship with people like Avery. If they were not together, why else would his face be so close to hers? And even if they were not a couple, many fans pushed for it despite the fact that Bell had done nothing to encourage them directly… although he also had not tried very hard to stop rumors relating to his dating either.

“I remember him…” Bell added without moving further away, “He was very polite to me when I last met him. He gave me a set of earrings, if I am thinking correctly. I am more than happy to let you borrow them if you would like to complete the set, yes?” Bell offered this casually, not minding sharing his fashion with those he knew would value them in the same light that he did. In fact, he did not mind sharing his possessions with even those that did not. He could always get a new pair of pants or necklace after all.

Only once the conversation turned to the school and the competition did Bell pull away, returning to his leaning position. “I agree. I have no interest in being a Coal either.” He had worked hard to become who he was at this point, and the idea of losing that status was not appealing. There were worse things than being a Coal, but if Bell was just a Coal than he may as well just go back to being a full time model and taking classes online or at home. Although the social aspect was fun, the reputation and opportunities brought on by being a Diamond were the only real reasons he gave up 3/ 4 of his year to be here. Being a Coal would not make it worth it.

“Put strong competitors with weaks ones, huh?” Bell mused, scratching his face in thought. “Well, even if that is the case, I’m sure we will flourish. Although I will say, I hope at one point we can pick out partners. Perhaps then you and I can join up? Our careers don’t really line up professionally so this would be one of our few chances to become a team.” Bell admitted this, not thinking that Avery was weak but simply saying that he would enjoy working with her in comparison to some of the others at this school. He got along with most people, but Avery was more similar in mind which made her easier to work with than the more physical or aggressive types. Besides, her company was pleasant and never quiet. She always filled in the gaps that Bell left open during conversations, which was appreciated.

Bell laughed, agreeing with Avery as he thought about a few names in particular who had odd tastes, “Yes, people will likely ask for odd things. ” No matter the age, people were strange, and when given a chance at anything, far too many people would pick something impulsive like money. But Bell was not impulsive like that, he thought alot about his future because with the future came grey hairs and wrinkings. “Well… I’m not sure what I want, but if I had to choose right now…. I suppose I would want to secure a contract for myself after I am older than 20. It’s harder to get a modeling job after that because no one knows what age will bring, but the Headmaster could make sure that I have something waiting for me, no matter what. I’m not sure if he would be able to offer me that, but it would be nice not to have that on my mind as I move forward.”

Belvedere answered honestly, perhaps too honestly, but Bell was not a liar nor was he the type to shy away from topics that were hard to talk about for him. If someone asked, he would answer honestly. Even if it was a topic that people normally waited until they were in an intimate situation to discuss, Bell would just spill it like it was nothing. The problem was, people rarely asked those sort of intimate questions, so Bell never shared them. Today was no different and Bell quickly moved on from himself and onto someone else.

Avery faced a similar situation where she did not know what she wanted, however Bell found her reasoning for not knowing far more impressive than his own. “Get it yourself and with your own skills? That is a noble sentiment… and I truly admire that about you. You are always so determined and progressive about getting what you want.” This too what honest, but Bell felt the need to help Avery think of something she could not get alone. “Perhaps, if you had to ask, you could request something as simple as permission to come back to Drexel and perform once a year, or maybe assistance making your next album? Even if you could get it all by yourself, there is no shame in trying to make getting to the finish line a bit easier or faster. The more hands at work the more that gets done, after all.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hell yes it is!” Leo responded before he even knew who he was talking to. Turning towards the voice, Leo found one of the Asian kids looking back. The face was familiar… maybe? Damned if Leo knew. He knew most of the artists in the Diamonds and Coal classes, but since this other kid was not one of them, Leo could not guess what his name was or what he was aiming to be. Confusion likely showed on Leo’s face for a moment, but he just continued talking despite that, “Man, I don’t care what his reasons are! We Coals have always needed more chances to beat the Diamonds, and he gave it to us!”

When the other kid knew that Leo wanted to be the first class painter, he felt a bit more bad that he did not know anything about the other boy. It was the price he paid for never joining any clubs and spending all of his time in the art room though. Maybe Leo would ask, if this did not turn out to be a one time conversation which was highly possible. Many times Leo had spoken to ‘outsiders’ and then would not speak to them ever again, even if they passed each other daily or were even in the same classroom. But that was high school for those unwilling to make the first move in social circles.

At the mention of Derek, Leo’s face twisted into a sneer, one that most people were far more used to seeing on the young painters face. Leo was all too familiar with Derek Aldrich, the current First Class Painter. He was from the UK and had come here four years ago, making this his senior year and his fourth year as a Diamond as well. No one had managed to steal the Painters throne in all that time, which included Leo unfortunately. And with time comes desperation, and desperation leads to people making dumb, stupid choices. In this case, Leo became Derek's bitch, to put it crudely. Derek always has at least one Coal doing his bidding at a time, things ranging from laundry to homework to carrying his bags. In return, those Coals got tips and tricks from the master himself. Leo, in a moment of frustration, became Derek's slave practically and has been dealing with this shit ever since. No matter how rude Leo was, Derek never actually fired Leo, likely due to some deep down sadism at seeing the slightly younger boy being too proud to step away himself or give up.

Letting out a groan as these thoughts passed through his mind, Leo answered his neighbors question. “Derek? Oh yeah, I’ll be First Class Painter in a week if I know that guy, and unfortunately, I do. You could put a million dollars across the room and he still would not go over there and get it himself.” And that was the truth, Derek was sadism, sloth and artistic natural talent mixed into one blond bastard. If he had to do something, first he would try to find a way to make, intimate, or manipulate someone else into doing it in his place. This included painting, and although Leo could not prove it, but he knew that Derek had once or twice turned in another artists work as his own. “ To be honest, I don’t know how he became and stayed a Diamond with his work ethic, but fuck it, it’s in my favor now!”

“What about you though? Have you got a chance with whoever is your Diamond ‘superior’?” Leo put quotes around the word superior with his fingers, showing how little he believed that all Diamonds were better than Coals. With a First Class like Derek, it was easy to become disillusioned with those people. Asking what this other kid was up to was just to be polite, but curiosity took over and Leo felt the need to push for just a bit more information. “I’m gonna be honest with you, I have no clue what you are even going for. Tech or something?” Leo motioned towards the phone that was openly sitting on his neighbors desk. Normally that kind of behavior was not allowed in class unless it had to do with someone's talent, so it was not a bad guess to make that this kid was going into programming or something.

 

[fleurdelys]

"Well, you're always killin' it, Bell." Avery winked at her gorgeous friend. And she was being honest: she couldn't think of even a single time where the French boy didn't look completely stunning. His hair was always perfect, with never a hair astray; his outfits were always on point with perfect coordination, fit, and style; and, most importantly, he carried himself with an air of confidence that made everything come together. Part of her wished that all men could be like Bell - although she supposed that if they were, he wouldn't be in the revered position that he was currently able to enjoy.

After she offered Bell a look at her accessory, the model leaned far into her personal bubble without a moment of hesitation. In turn, Avery didn't even bat an eyelash even as the scent of his cologne drifted into her nose seemingly straight from his skin. In her periphery, she could see her friends' attention turn to them as they leaned in closer to whisper to one another. However, despite the smug satisfaction she felt bubbling up inside of her, the singer kept her focus on Bell and her necklace, making sure to act completely normal. While her relationship with him was totally platonic, she was more than aware of the rumors that circulated both around the school and online. Many speculated that they were dating one another, and even more people urged them to do so - and Avery could easily see why. Not only were the pair frequently captured together by the paparazzi, but he had a pretty common presence on her social media as well. And of course, they were both attractive, talented young adults - the very stuff that people went crazy over. In fact, she was pretty sure there were even fanfiction about the two of them floating around out there.

Between the two, Avery tended to be a little more proactive about shutting down rumours about their nonexistent romantic relationship. Occasionally she would throw something out there that subtly reminded people they were just friends. From what she could tell, it seemed to do both their careers well to act this way. By still feeding the media with borderline coupley pictures they appeased those who 'shipped' them; yet, by clarifying that they were both still single, they were still able to appeal to their fans who idolized and evidently had celebrity crushes on them. While not perfect, Avery thought it to be a win-win situation. And so she was ever so pleased whenever Bell did publicly something that could be interpreted as romantic. Of course, knowing that there were girls out there who were jealous of her relationship with him was a bit of a bonus ego-boost too.

Following a few moments of inspection, Bell spoke about Marc de Garneaux himself. Unsurprisingly, he had met the man they spoke of. When he offered earrings to complete the set, Avery's eyes lit up. "Oh my god, really? Bell! That's so sweet of you. If you really wouldn't mind I'd love to take you up on that offer - I've actually got this photoshoot coming up and I think matching earrings would really complete my outfit." She beamed, her face reflecting genuine joy. The other perk of being friends with Bell was having access to his incredible wardrobe. While he did open up his doors - and his closet - to everyone earlier, she felt a head above the rest since she could reciprocate his kindness. "Ooh, but you gotta come check out some of the things I got in exchange, okay? I did, like, an advertising gig with Relucci recently and they gave me some gorgeous pieces that I think would really suit you, too."

Once the topic shifted back to the school competition, Bell sadly fell back to his previous distance. When he agreed on her stance of staying a diamond, Avery nodded. As sweet and kind as the model was, she wasn't surprised that he, too, had no intention of dropping down to Coal status. He definitely deserved to be amongst the First Class. And so did she.

Bell remarked that he hoped they would get to team up, at which point the silver-haired singer found herself smiling brightly again. "Oh my god we would literally be the. Best. Team." She clapped her hands together, her meticulously manicured nails shimmering in the light. "That would honestly be, like, my dream, Bell! We would definitely be on top for sure. There's like no way at all we could ever lose if we were working together!" Unless it was at something totally gross like cleaning the bathroom or some other nasty thing that was beyond artists like them.

The subject moved onto what they would wish for, at which point Bell shared a very honest, somewhat vulnerable thought. Avery found her head gently bobbing in acknowledgement. "That really makes a lot of sense. I mean, I think you'll be totally fine, like, well past your twenties and even beyond that. You have such a timeless beauty and you take such good care of yourself, so it'll definitely last." Although there was still a bubbly energy behind her words, it was more subdued as she spoke seriously and sincerely. "Besides, these days there are a lot of, like, older models. So I think you'll be good even without the Headmaster's help. But, yeah, like I totally get what you mean. You gotta think about your future, right? That's so smart of you!" She perfectly understood the logic behind Bell's thoughts, though. Unfortunately, beauty could be fleeting. All it could take was a nasty scar, or burn, or some other injury and your face was ruined. Plastic surgery could only change so much. And not to mention the unpredictable effects of aging! But she truly believed that Bell would be find on his own, because she truly did admire his talents.

Singing and performing was different, since it was all about one's abilities that could always be refined and rarely often regressed. After Avery shared her own desires, she was praised by the boy for her nobility. "You're too sweet, Bell." She touched a hand to one cheek and lightly waved the other in front of her. "But those are some really good ideas... I guess I didn't really think of that. I'll totally keep them in mind if I do win! You're totally right, it doesn't hurt to make things a little easier, or to have them done a bit faster." If she kept herself relevant and in the spotlight, and put out more quality albums, there was no way she'd be fading into obscurity any time soon.

"I mean, I just wanna do enough in this competition so I don't get demoted... Someone else can have the prize for all I really care. But you always gotta be prepared for anything, right?" Avery shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. "Hm, maybe if I decide I don't need it, I'll defer my wish to you! Do you think they'd let us do that?" In actuality, there were probably a lot of questions that were unanswered and there were probably even more loopholes that students would think of. Absently, she wondered just how in the hell the Headmaster and the rest of the administration planned to handle all of that potential for chaos.

-------
​

The guy next to him was even more enthusiastic when he spoke. Jae-seong started slightly at the painter's gung-ho reply, but soon found himself smiling a bit. It was kind of nice to actually speak to him and not just be snapped at immediately. Even though it was evident in the other boy's face that he had no idea who he really was - let alone his name - the Korean boy didn't really mind. There were a lot of Coals, after all, and a lot of his fellow students were often so engrossed in their own business that they didn't pay attention to anyone they didn't need to. It seemed Leo was probably one of them.

Nevertheless, the energetic painter didn't seemed to care what the Headmaster's thinking was. Chuckling a bit, Jae-seong nodded. "Yeah, you're right, man. The system's been skewed against us for too long, so I'm just glad that the playing field's been evened out a bit." He pretty much understood why the Diamonds were so heavily favoured in almost every way - it emulated real life, essentially - but comprehending the truth didn't make it any more palatable.

They continued their conversation, but Leo made a face at the very mention of the First Class Painter. Jae-seong arched his brows slightly, wondering if he had chased away the brief moments of pleasantry and opened up a can of anger. Thankfully though, all he got was a groan as his classmate answered his curiosity. "Whoa, really? A million bucks?" He adjusted his glasses and scratched the side of his neck idly. Surely that was an exaggeration... but it didn't seem that way, judging by the way the painter was talking. In any case, he didn't know enough to argue so he simply gave the brown-haired boy a thumbs up. "Well, I'll be rooting for you then! Sounds like at least you put in the work to deserve being a Diamond."

When the question was turned back towards him, Jae-seong's eyes widened a little. He honestly didn't expect Leo actually inquire about him, but he supposed it was at least a pleasant surprise. Since he was caught off guard, he took a moment to ponder. "Hmm... well..." He touched a hand to his chin and frowned a bit before speaking. "He's really good at figuring out how to accomplish tasks in the most efficient, effective way... And he actually puts in the effort, unlike this Derek guy. So I guess I don't have as much of a clear-cut chance as you. But I'll be damned if I give up before I even see how things turn out! You never know what twists life throws at people, right?" He grinned.

The surprise continued as his fellow Coal went on to confess that he had no idea what his First Class aspiration even was. "Haha, not exactly. I guess I look like the nerdy, computer-hacking type. But no, I'm actually fulfilling some other stereotype!" Jae-seong let out an open, easy-going laugh and playfully shot a pair of finger-guns at the other boy. "I'm gunning for First Class Gamer. The guy already in Diamond is one of the best guys out there, and totally famous. But I've been studying him a lot, and I think my edge is gonna be that he's still kinda young and naive. So I'm gonna try and use that to my advantage! Or maybe... some of the other Diamonds will?" He tilted his head a bit to the side, thinking on this new idea. It was entirely possible, actually. Hyun-suk was pretty well-loved by the general gaming community, and as far as he was aware, he got along with the other Diamonds as well. But in this type of competition where no one was safe, Jae-seong had to wonder if someone would plan on throwing the young teen under the bus just so they could keep their spot.

It was entirely possible, although he wasn't sure how good he felt about it. Unlike Leo, Jae-seong didn't have a bad opinion of his First Class counterpart. He just wanted to beat him, and that was it. But he supposed that in this school, it was a bit of a dog eat dog, survival of the fittest system. As cruel as it was.

"Well anyway, my name's Jae-seong Won." Grinning, he leisurely extended a hand to his classmate. "Sorry I already know your name. Your reputation precedes you a bit, though."

 

[Viper]

“Swing by anytime then.” Bell offered Avery, more than happy to share his earrings with her. They were simple studs, but beautiful none the less. Bell knew enough about fashion that although men could get away with wearing earrings, men were still not encouraged to wear those that were large and hanging. Thakfully, Marc de Garneaux had a talent to make even simple jewelry interesting and unique. He changed what they were made out of, used shapes besides circles, and in the case of the earrings that Bell was talking about, they were wings with the gems placed at the peak of the feathers.

Avery was sweet, and unlike most of the people Bell spent time with, just like how his wardrobe was open to others so was Avery’s closet to him. He did not cross dress, often, so most of her outfits were off limits but jewelry and pieces of some of her more casual clothing he could pull off with minimal effort. It was nice to share in this way and he would certainly take her up on her kind offer. “We’ll make it a date then. Text me when you are free, yes?” Once again Bell’s foreignness was showing. Just like how personal boundaries did not matter to him, the word date did not mean anything romantic. It was a term used for when a pair of people spent time together, doing an activity and/or eating a meal in each others company. He knew that in America or other english speaking countries that date was normally just used for couples, but Bell did not change his way of speaking despite that.

“I thought the same thing.” Bell commented, pleased that Avery felt the same way about their partnership as he did. “I suppose there is no way of making that happen, we are trapped under the whims of whatever the Headmaster and teachers want us to do and with whom.” Luckily, Bell felt that he could work with anyone he was paired up with and was more or less content with not being in full control of his situation. Avery however, as much as he knew of her, told him that she was not the type to accept being powerless. Guessing this, Bell offered one last comment in the hopes of easing this thought from her mind should she be having it. “No matter, I suppose. In time, once we are further along in this game, I imagine we will gain more control and a deeper understanding of how all of this will work.”

For a brief moment, Bell’s smile fell off of his face when Avery said that he had a ‘timeless beauty’. He certainly hoped so, but fate could be unkind to even the best models. Car crashes, fires, illness, surgery, and even just bad genes appearing later in life. Bell’s parents were not gods when it came to their looks, and although Bell would never say it, he feared that as he matured he would start to look a lot more like them. Her words, which so many people had said to Bell, was meant to be comforting, which Bell appreciated, however they could not help that the phrase ‘timeless beauty’ made Bell think of the word ‘time’ and then ‘age’ followed right after that. Word association was not always a fun game for kids, but sometimes a quick pathway into a negative psyche.

But once again, Bell realized the good intentions and put a smile back on his face as quickly as he could. “Thank you for your kind words.” He managed to say before the conversation continued back towards Avery. And when she mentioned giving her wish to him, Bell grinned with teeth, which was a rare expression on his face since he was far more fond of smiling with his mouth closed. “You are an angel even to consider doing that for me. But the victor will be decided a long ways away, so for now, I suppose we needn't think of it.”

Bell took his own example and pulled a neatly folded up piece of paper out of his pocket, glancing at in thought. It was his class schedule, and like any Diamond, it was an equal mix of core classes and extracurricular’ classes that were specifically aimed towards improving the talents of the Diamond class. Since this was only his second year at Drexel, Bell was still pushing out some of the lower level, basic classes that were expected of any american student. These core classes were, occasionally, shared between Diamonds and Coals so no one knew if they were going to walk into one of these core classes and be the only Diamond, or even worse, if they were going to walk in and find out that they were the only Coal. This year his schedule was set up perfectly down the middle, all of his fun classes during the first half of the day, then lunch, and then all of the dull, core classes.

Right after homeroom, Bell was supposed to head right to Ballet, a dance class offered to the Diamonds for numerous reasons. In Bell’s case, it was to improve his grace and balance. Following that he had his one on one session with a veteran model who would give him tips and tricks, help him make connections in the actual job market, as well as a lot more beneficial lessons that could only be learned from someone who was well versed in the field. Then there was Design and Tailoring, which was a class built with the purpose of teaching students how to design and then make clothing of all kinds. This class was common for any Diamond in the Theater department, but it also drew in students like Bell who may not have plans to make clothing but would benefit knowing how to repair outfits or to understand how they were made. Then there was lunch, which was the same time for all Diamonds and Coals both. Finally, Bell’s day ended with English Writing and Composition, and to Bell’s dismay, Biology and Chemistry both.

Bell, to no one's surprise, was not a science nerd. He hated it to be honest. All of the white coats, goggles, and gloves were not his style…. Mainly because there was no style to be found in any lab. But that was not the main reason why Bell hated science. Even the idea of dissection made Bell queasy, and the idea of actually cutting into an animal revolted him. As for chemistry, there was always the danger that during any experiment he could get burned or chemicals could get on his clothing and ruin them. The fact that those rooms had showers and places specifically designed to wash chemicals out of the eye made Bell not want to enter them in the first place.

All in all, Bell loved the first half of his class, and like most Diamonds, dreaded the other half. But that was what a liberal education demanded, so they must obey. “Well, it could be worse.” Bell voiced, trying but mostly failing to be optimistic as he flashed his paper towards Avery. “How does your semester look? Do we share any classes this year?”

~~~~~~~~~

The conversation was going well, even after Leo was asked about Derek. And had he put in the work to become a Diamond? “Dude, if you only knew how much work I have done you would be surprised that I’m not teaching at this stupid school.” Leo did not think this school was stupid, however their conditions for picking Diamonds were. There was not a single day out of the year that Leo did not paint and draw. Once a week he met with a tutor he used his allowance to buy, then there was the time he spent ‘learning’ from Derek, and during summers Leo took up as much of his mothers attention as possible as he attempted to learn her tricks, and that was on top of the summer tutor he had as well. Leo breathed paint more than air, and all it did had done was make him tired and irritable.

“Good.” Leo said with a sharp nod when Jea-seong said that he would not give up. “Nothing pisses me off more than quitters.” And people who did not try, like Derek or some of the other Coals who were content with just being accepted into St. Drexels in the first place. “Fight tooth and nail until you get what you want, even if getting to that finishing line is literal hell.” That was at least Leo’s experience in this fucked up, unfair world he was forced to be born into.

This kid being a gamer was surprising, but looking at him now, gamer was the second stereotype that Leo would have guessed. If not a nerd, than a geek. Not that Leo could judge him for looking like a stock photo of what a gamer would look like since Leo himself could be considered a stereotype. Guys like Leo, that look and acted like him, were often thought of as rebels, the type to spray paint walls to ‘stick it to the man’. The only difference between that kind of rebel and Leo was that instead of using spray paint to support political change, Leo used a brush to honor the past masters.

After laughing at how both of them were, more or less, walking stereotypes, Leo spoke in response to his neighbors musings. “A gamer? That’s cool, I didn't even know Drexel took that kind of people in.” Leo was glad to hear it though, for even though he did not put much stock into being able to play games better than others. “I don’t play video games or do digital art, but damn, I have seen some amazing art in games. Some of those games look better than half the artwork that comes out of this joint.”

“Ever hear of Okami? That game was inspired by Japanese art styles, such as ukiyoe paintings and kirie art, and from everything I’ve seen of it they perfectly used teactures that come from a 2D art style to make a 3D setting. I think a lot of the textures were hand drawn too, which I can really respect!” Leo rambled this off in a quick breath, the japanese words flowing off his tongue without a second thought or trouble. Normally Leo spoke rather crude, but when discussing art he may not have slowed down, but he took on a tone of an expert, or at least of someone who knew what they were talking about enough to use technical terms rather than phrases normally used by laymans.

Leo let out a harsh, forced ‘oh oh oh’ that was part laugh and part an exclamation of confidence as the topic went back to the Diamond monarchy. “Oh, if I know those Diamonds, and I do, I know some of them will jump on your Diamonds age in a heartbeat. People think we Coals are bloodthirsty, but they have never seen Diamonds fighting each other. They are all vain, proud idiots.” Leo scowled but he threw his hair out of his face as he returned his piercing gaze back to Jae-seong, “If they don’t jump on it, you should. I'm happy to help too! I’ll do anything to dethrone those pompous Diamonds.”

Leo eyed the hand this ‘Jae-seong’ extended for a moment. But after a second of registering what the action was, Leo reached his hand out as well and shook it, grinning as well. “Yeah I knew your name, man” He lied, not being very convincing. The next thing that Leo said however, was as true as Leo could ever be. “But if you know me from my reputation, I’m surprised you even spoke to me. Most people keep their distance after I punched that guy last year for knocking over my easel.” To be fair though, no matter what that other guy claimed, he did it on purpose. Leo was justified in what he did and he would do it again, even it it made his bad reputation in this school even worse than it was. “Whatever those assholes say though, I’m not a bad guy.” Just sick of everything and everyone, Leo added in silently, feeling the need to justify himself.

It was only after Leo said this that he wondered which reputation Jae-seong was talking about. Was it the angry one, where Leo was known throughout the school as the loner who would not talk to anyone that was not a teacher? Or was it the other one that Leo was far more ashamed of, the one that made Leo into a failure? Leo was, after all, the child of two artistic geniuses yet he was still a Coal even after three years in this place. It was this reputation that gave Leo the former reputation. He got sick of people bringing up his family and making fun of him for not meeting their level of talent, so he punched and fought them until people had something else to talk about when it came to Leonardo Morse.

After a moment of silence, where Leo seemingly did not know what else to talk about now that they had slightly exhausted the Diamond conversation, he picked up his pencil again and started to fiddle with it. “So… do you think the teacher is going to let us go early? It doesn't look like people are going to shut up any time soon. The Diamonds bought some new sculptures that I want to at least see before one of those spoiled assholes break it in the name of ‘creative freedom’.” And once again, Leo’s one track mind showed itself, his art always on his mind. If the teacher let him out early, Leo would have time before his next class to run over to the Diamond quarters and snap a few photos.

 

[fleurdelys]

Bell’s invitation to text was met with a bright smile and a wink. “Mais oui!” Avery chuckled, exercising one of the few French phrases she knew. She felt another small surge of satisfaction, a happy warmth that rose in her chest. Although she was well aware of the fact that he was not asking out on an actual date, she felt quite happy to have the label put on it anyway. But the superficial giddiness of making a ‘date’ with Bell was fast-fading as the topic turned to more serious matters; specifically, this strange new competition. As the model commented that they were stuck with whatever the administration decided, Avery nodded in agreement. It sucked, but it was true. They were all at the mercy of the higher-ups and whatever they decided. But Bell was right – once things got going, she was sure they’d have a better grasp on how things worked. After all, surely it was all designed so that only the smartest people learned to manipulate the system and the rules. That was how everything at St. Drexel worked, right?

Their conversation rolled on to touch on Bell’s beauty. When she watched the smile fade from his lips, Avery felt a small pang of panic. Had she said something wrong? She’d only been telling the truth and trying to comfort her friend. Almost instantly she began to replay her words in her head, attempting to pluck out whichever might have been most offensive. But before she could find anything, the smile that returned to Bell’s face brought everything to a stop. He offered what seemed like a cordial acknowledgment of her compliment and left it at that.

Avery fought back a frown and kept on chatting. Typically, she didn’t give a shit about offending people… unless it was someone like Bell. Someone she considered an equal, someone she admired, or someone she felt she could gain something from. Then she cared. She cared a lot. If she wanted to be an all-around star, she needed all of the solid connections she could get. So even the tiniest comments, even single posts on Twitter and Instagram could matter in the long run. She hoped that she hadn’t offended him, not only because he was a friend, but because he had a lot he could offer her professionally.

But as they continued to converse, Avery’s worries eased. Bell smiled again, wider this time, with a brightness that banished any doubts she had. He even called her an angel. “Well, I’ll definitely keep it on the backburner then, ‘kay?” She clapped her hands lightly, pleased that she had actually just overreacted.

After some time, Bell brought out a piece of paper that turned out to be his schedule. “Ooh, that’s a good idea.” To be totally honest, Avery had gotten so swept up in the opening ceremonies and exciting pieces of news that she completely forgot about her classes. You know, the real part of school. Humming gently, she turned around and reached into her bag, where she had her schedule folded up and stuck in the middle of her agenda. The singer pulled the entire notebook out and set it on her desk where she flipped it open and unfolded her own piece of paper. She studied the neatly designed table carefully, her lips tightening together as her eyes drifted over the words on the page.

When her friend spoke up and showed her his schedule, she took a look at it side-by-side with her own. “Hm… oh! We actually have Chemistry together.” Avery glanced up at Bell with a sly grin and a small giggle, enjoying the unintentional pun. “So that’s probably going to be the only saving grace of that class.” Similarly, she was hardly interested or particularly good at the sciences. Chemistry and Physics were definitely her worst, considering how much math was involved. Unfortunately for her, she had Biology in the morning and Physics right after it. “Looks like we won’t be sharing Bio though… but I’m sure we can study together! We’re, like, in the same level, so. But other than that, seems we’re outta luck, Bell.” Her last morning class was Music Composition, something obviously specific to a First Class Singer such as herself. Her other two afternoon subjects were Keyboard and her own personally tailored session with a professional solo artist. As a whole it wasn’t too different from Bell’s, but the distribution of her core and extracurricular subjects was a bit annoying.


Meanwhile, a few seats away, Raya had decided to engage in a similar activity. Silently, the young woman laid out her schedule on her desk next to her phone. A group thread was displayed on the screen, where text bubbles rapidly popped up from the other two participants. Her eye shifted between the device and the paper a few times before she began to type on the screen with her two index fingers. ‘In the am: phys ed, history, personal training. Lunch, then eng writing, math, practice rang.’

She frowned at her typo, and quickly corrected: ‘*range’. Typing in her native tongue was much easier but she was getting the hang of texting in English. As her own message formed itself into electronic existence, her friends excitedly typed back. The dark-haired girl found herself smiling, relieved that she shared at least one class with each of them. She hadn’t made very many friends since coming to St. Drexel – it was only these two that really stuck by her. It was probably because they were outcasts to some degree as well. Oddities pushed to the fringes to live out their strangeness out of the way of everyone else. Not that she particularly minded. Actually, she was used to it. If anything, it would be strange for her to be part of the popular crowd and at the center of attention. Raya considered the thought for a moment and felt a minute shiver bolt up her spine. Perhaps some other girls fantasized about having a million friends and being popular with all of the boys (or girls, she supposed), but the idea just felt frightening to her. She was right where she belonged, and definitely quite happy to stay there.

The bell sounded – it was a gentle, sweet tune unlike the jarring ringing she was used to – and pulled her back to reality. Raya looked down at the conversation she had fallen behind on and quickly fired off another message: ‘c u in physed!!! C: C: C:’ One of her companions was a First Class Fencer, and so she also needed to keep her body in good shape. Moreso than Raya did, in fact.

Filled with quiet excitement, she stood up and began to pack up her things. As she did, she absently wondered how many of her homeroom classmates would be following her to gym class. Surely only very few, she thought, noting that only a handful had particularly physical talents.

----------
​

“Huh, really?” Jae-seong nodded slowly, wondering if Leo would actually divulge how much work he put in. Surely it was a lot, though. Art took a ton of time and effort, especially if one wanted to be good. Then again, he supposed the same principle applied to anything. Hell, he himself spent almost every free moment playing something. While it probably seemed like slacking off to most people – and occasionally it actually was – generally Jae-seong was busy honing both his basic mechanical skills and his proficiency at specific games. Very busy, in fact.

Gaming was not impressive or respected by default like being an artist. Although Esports was on the rise as a legitimate competitive sport, it was still looked down upon by most people. But what most people didn’t understand was that gaming took stamina, strategy, and pure skill just like soccer or baseball. Believe it or not, sitting for long periods of time, intensely focused on the game at hand was exhausting both on the body and mind. One had to have perfect timing, aiming, and positioning – just to name a few. And they had to have the smarts and adaptability to utilize different strategies to win. It might not seem like it, but being a serious gamer was hard work. Not only that but playing at a high level in one game was hard enough, let alone trying to get good at a wide variety of them like a First Class Gamer would. Jae-seong was actually quite passionate about representing the merits of high-level gaming, which was why he would continue to work hard at it.

Leo commended his determination and expanded on the notion. The Korean boy felt his eyes light up as the other spoke. “Yeah, man! I like the way you think.” He made a fist and lightly pumped it in the air at shoulder level. “Gotta be willing to go through hell and back to get what you want.” For measly Coals like them, that’s what they had to do. They weren’t like Diamonds, many of which were born lucky and with silver spoons in their mouths. They had to be willing to get their hands dirty and claw their way to the top.

That aside, Jae-seong was pleasantly surprised when Leo showed no qualms with his gaming aspirations. There had been other Coals who scoffed at the notion, claiming that both he and the First Class Gamer were just hogging up space in the school with their ‘childish dreams’. While he tried not to let it bother him when it did happen, it was always nice to get a positive reaction. And not only that, but the darker-haired boy was actually engaging in the topic itself. “Yeah, there are a lot of really incredible artists and designers who work on video games. Honestly, it sounds cheesy, but I think there are a lot of games you could consider works of art.” Jae-seong sat back in his chair, a small grin played upon his lips as Leo brought up Okami. “Man, heard of it? I’ve played through that at least four times.” He chuckled lightly, amused at the fact that not only had he heard of the game, but he was geeking out a bit over the style. “It’s really gorgeous in every way. The music, the story, the visuals – everything. A work of art.” Absently he adjusted his glasses on his nose, nodding for emphasis.

The conversation took another turn back to the Diamonds, where Leo agreed they would pick at any flaw they could. “For real. They’re ruthless.” Jae-seong frowned a bit. He almost felt a little bad for Hyun-suk when he thought about what sort of awful things the other bloodthirsty Diamonds could get up to. He was a nice guy who really never did anything wrong. But maybe that was just the kind of wake-up call he needed in life. “Anyway,” he went on, shaking the thought out of his mind, “I appreciate that. I dunno much about art but I’ll help you out, too, if I can. At the very least, we Coals should try to stick together, right? Or at least try and be better than what everyone expects of us.”

Following this, Jae-seong introduced himself properly. He was pretty sure that Leo didn’t know his name, but he didn’t care enough to call him out on it. Since coming to school in America, he had gotten used to people forgetting his name, mispronouncing it, or even giving him a new one entirely. Perhaps it was a bit sad, but he didn’t put too much stock into making his name memorable. At least his given one. Hopefully his gamertag would be up there with the likes of Pewdiepie one day.

As the aspiring artist commented on his reputation and Jae-seong’s apparent defiance of it, the boy shrugged a shoulder and laughed once more. “Hey, I didn’t knock over your easel. So no need to punch me, right? And no need to avoid talking to you. And anyway, I can see now you’re not a bad guy. So hopefully this is the start of a new, better reputation for you!” In actuality he hadn’t really considered the fact that he could’ve been punched or yelled at until he started talking. But maybe that was because he didn’t feel it was that likely? Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter now – they were already talking. Although a brief but slightly awkward pause fell upon them as a lull placed itself in the midst of their chatter. When Leo spoke again Jae-seong glanced at the teacher, who was glancing over some papers at the front of the room. “Huh… I mean, I hope so. It’d be the smart thing to do, anyway. Nothin’s gonna get done here at this rate.” As the words left his mouth, his phone buzzed loudly against the table. Quickly, Jae-seong scooped it up and looked at the screen. “Oh, an update...” he mumbled, tapping on it a few times before he became enthralled in the text that appeared.

The boy was still scrolling through the patch notes a couple of minutes later when the teacher cleared her throat and clapped her hands together. “Okay, class – we’ll cover the other homeroom topics tomorrow. Why don’t you all get a headstart on your next classes? And don’t forget to start thinking about the school festival, all right?”

It wasn't clear how many students heard - or cared - about her words, which were partially drowned out by the ever-increasing volume of the chatter and the sound of chairs scraping against the floor. Jae-seong slipped his phone into his pocket as he scooped up his things and turned to Leo again. "Hey, if you're still going to check out those sculptures, mind if I tag along? It's always sorta nice to see what new shit the Diamonds got this year. Kinda motivates me to keep trying harder, you know?"

 

[Viper]

It was fun to hear other, non-native people speak french. There was always a clear accent no matter how small or simple the phrase was, and although some people would say that it made the other person hard to listen to, Bell found the English accent given to french words cute. After all, they were trying hard to speak properly, and in the case of people like Avery, they were trying to relate to him on a more personal level. Bell could appreciative the attempts enough that even the worst accents or badly formed sentences could be seen as sweet.

There was also the fact that Bell knew that he had a heavy accent for the English language so he did not really have the right to argue with anyone about their accents. If he really tried, in time he was sure that he could force out his french accent, however there was no point in doing that. His English fans always praised his accent and more or less, Bell understood and could speak English with no issues. There was no harm being done so there was no reason to change what he was more comfortable with.

“Merveilleux!” Bell said at the same volume was the rest of his words but with more enthusiasm, the french word not too far off from the English word for marvelous. Sharing a class with Avery was great on its own merits, but sharing the worst class on the list with her was a miracle. “I’m glad that out of all of my classes, we have chemistry together… It is not my forte, you see. Neither is biology but I would still be happy to study with you should I understand enough to be of any assistance.” He did not expect to be able to help her very much, but he always learned better in study groups than alone so it was nice to have the option already available him. Not that it would have been a problem though since Bell never had trouble making friends or finding people to study with him. The other Diamonds wanted to make business connections and the Coals liked how spending time with Diamonds made them feel good, either because they were sharing the spotlight or because they could feel pride at being smarter than a Diamond for once. There was also the fact that Bell simply drew people in with his looks and quiet yet extroverted personality.

“Shame that you have nearly all science classes, I’m not sure I can handle two, let alone three.” It was a true statement, Bell was concerned already about two sciences classes, and although he had one class built around his second language, he was not as concerned about it in comparison to science cores. “But I have confidence in you, you normally get good grades, yes?” Bell had no way of knowing this since, although he liked Avery and considered her a friend, he definitely did not know everything about her or was in the type of relationship where he can casually just ask her what her grades are without it being the topic of conversation. Based on the aura she exuded, Bell felt it safe to guess that she was at least okay at anything she did. Bell tried, but in normal education establishments he was more of a High B's student with maybe an A- or two thrown in there.

Slowly Bell took back his schedule, glancing at the paper again and then at the digital clock positioned at the front of the classroom. With a sigh he folded up the paper and in one fluid motion, placed it in his school coats inside pocket as he pushed himself off the desk and into a standing position. There was time between now and class, however the dance room was not a typical classroom, of course, so it was placed closer to the auditorium that the student body had been in earlier. Meaning, it was a bit far.

“I should probably get going now.” Bell informed Avery, “I doubt that we will be doing much today in Ballet, but I would rather be sure that I have time to get ready should I be wrong.” Bell naturally wanted to look his best even while dancing, and in order to look as amazing as he did, he needed time. Even if all the teacher would want him to do was put his hair up, he wanted to have time to make it the perfect ponytail or bun, whichever worked best in the dance room lighting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~​

When the teacher told the Diamond class that they were free to leave or to do whatever they want, Deacon rushed out of the room so that he did not have to stay around these people for any longer. Why would he want to stay? Pompous goody goodies, that’s all they were. Although to be fair… that gun chick seemed interesting. She had an eyepatch for god's sake! How cool was that!

Considering Deacons family and past, it was not a big surprise that he knew people that had eye issues enough that an eyepatch was a preferred, cheaper option in comparison to getting a creepy glass eye or whatever it is that people replaced their eyes with nowadays. Deacons own father, Theron, had an eyepatch after he got the eye almost got stabbed out entirely during a fight. This happened when Deacon was young, and since Theron did not want to scare his youngest son with the nasty wound, he put on an eyepatch and instead said that he got into a fight with some pirates and when he won, they recruited him. The eyepatch was proof that he was now an official pirate! Of course Deacon knows the truth now, but apparently the eyepatch grew on Theron who now wears it habitually and only takes it off when the wound, which was not professionally taken care off, hurts too much that even cloth makes it sting.

Deacon smiled to himself at the thought of his father and the silly story that he had used on his son who, even back then, was highly into unrealistic things such as pirates and greek gods. Honestly, Deacon still sometimes pretends to still believe the pirate story as an inside joke between him and his Baba. ‘Maybe next time I send him a letter I will tell him that I met another member of his pirate gang. That should give him a good laugh’ Deacon thought, the idea amazing him enough to convince him to make contact with the ‘pirate’ girl.

With a bit more energy and leg kicking than necessary, the first class thief swung himself out of his far too fancy desk and onto the floor that was more shiny than his future. With almost dance like feet, Deacon turned and twisted his way through the desks and backpack littered floor until he was standing just outside of the classroom. He had no interest in watching her pack up her bag… which for some reason she unloaded for homeroom. Hell, this school offered nearly all materials to students so why bother bringing anything besides, at most, a notebook to take home with you at the end of the day?

Either way, Deacon leaned up against the wall near the door of the homeroom as he waited for Raya to exit. The moment that she did however, Deacon practically threw himself off the wall so that he was propelled semi in front of Raya but semi at her side, forced to walk partially backwards in order to avoid running into her. Thankfully the dexterous Deacon was talented on his feet and was able to keep his feet from tripping over themselves as he raised one of his hands up to his forehead in a mock salute slash wave.

“Hello, Sharpshooter” He greeted, his casual mannerisms not matching the fact that he almost cut her off in order to make a grand entrance. Giving a stranger a nickname did not help Deacon seem polite either, but Deacon loved nicknames and he gave one to nearly everyone he knew so that was not going to change. Not that she had a way of knowing it, but Deacon honestly remembered her name, he was just choosing not to use it. Hermes was the name he had given himself and now used it more than his given name, at least in most circles that he found himself in. Sharpshooter was going to have to do until another, better nickname came up.

Keeping pace despite walking backwards, Deacon continued talking with a heavy accent that threatened to be not understandable if Deacon spoke even slightly faster. Thankfully, he barely knew what he was saying so talking as fast as he did in his own language was not an option. “Nice eyepatch! It looks super cool! So are you blind or are you just trying to see in the dark? Most of the people I know have had their eye damaged and are all scared up.” Deacon grinned thinking about all of the scars he had seen in his life, actually finding them cool rather than distracting or unappealing.

“Can I see? I’m curious to see what it looks like.” He continued, thankfully not reaching out to force it off her. It was a miracle that he did not because, at least when it came to talking, was not known for being subtle. Oh he could keep secrets just fine, but manners were a weakness to no one's surprise. Clearly no one who found manners important would ask to look under someones bandage upon first meeting them. It’s not like he had family around all of the time to teach him that kind of thing after all, and even if Deacons family was around all the time, manners were not what he would have learned anyway.

Deacon was clearly following Raya, interested in her although she likely was not so interested in him in return. He was the type people liked to watch, but only from a distance. Loud, bold and unforgiving were not the best traits to draw people in close, especially upon first meeting them. But shyness was a trait Deacon lacked, so even though he was able to notice when people wanted him to clear off, he did not do so as long as he was having fun. And why should he? If his will overrides theirs then he deserves to get what he wanted. In a dog eat dog world, that's how it worked.

“Random question, but do you know a guy named Spike? He gets around alot and with your skills I thought you may know him.” Spike was a criminal, but he was not a killer. The man was like a solo, underworld version of Drexel where he invested in people who had talents that he may be able to use all over the world. In the case of people like Raya, he would never ask them to assassinate people, or at least as far as Deacon knew, but it was always a good idea to have a few people on staff who could protect themselves or others. All Deacon did for the man personally occasionally being paid to steal something specific and in return Spike pawned off whatever Deacon could not sell at local shops or ransom back to the original owners.

It was at this point that Deacon fell in line with Raya rather than walking just ahead of her. Seemingly in turn with this, as Deacons physically started to act normal so did the subject of conversation, “So, where are you headed? I have no idea where we are in this school since i have not had time to scout out the place. Pshh, even if I did have time I would still need a few days to look in every nook and cranny. I've been in towns that were smaller!”

Deacon had physical education next, but he was in no rush to get there although he would be lying if he said that the idea of running and jumping around did not appeal to him. Even though he was wearing this stupid, constricting uniform that he did not even have the tie on for, he would still happily take a jog around this far too big campus.

~~~~~~~~~~~​

“I don’t know shit about Okami’s story or music, but if they put so much time into the visual then I’m sure the rest of it is just as great.” Leo commented, giving Jae-seong the benefit of the doubt since it was not like he knew enough to even make a small guess about the rest of the games quality. Well, any games quality.

“People think we are dirt. We already are better than what they expect of us” Leo glared as he said these words, his hand clenched around the pencil in his hand so tight that it could break any moment. It was clear that Leo’s anger was not directed at Jae-seong, which became clear as a moment later Leo’s hand and face relaxed into a smile. Dropping the pencil with a light clink, Leo point a thumb behind his back at one of the other Coals in the room as he chuckled, “Well, most of us are better than the Diamonds expect. I won’t give everyone the same credit than you and I get.”

Leo gave Jae-seong a very obvious double check when the other boy said that he could already tell that Leo was not a bad guy. Leo made a few half laughs, half choking noises before he eventually knew what to say. Only what came out was a forced display of casual thanks as Leo started to pack up his handful of materials in order to avoid eye contact, “Whatever, thanks, dude.” Thankfully, at this point Jae-seong’s phone went off as Leo tried to wrap his head around the unexpected and rare compliment.

This kid was weird. People were not normally so nice and accepting in high school, let alone a place like Drexel that could be compared to a wild savana with Diamond lions and all black baby zebras. And within that metaphor, Leo was the rare lone zebra who liked to kick his own kind. ‘Damn, I need to get out more if I am getting so thrown off over one little compliment.’ Leo thought, disgusted that he was so flattered by something that this other kid and most other people would not think twice about. Still, it was nice to… well, having someone be nice without expecting anything in return. Maybe Leo would try to be bit more friendly, at least to this guy? Sure he was no artist but there was nothing wrong with having someone to chat with in homeroom.

Leo was already packed up by the time the teacher gave them leave to go, so Leo got onto his feet and was about to say goodbye to Jae-seong, but he came to a halt when the other boy spoke first. “Uh, yeah, sure. I won’t stop you.” Although Leo acted as if he did not care, he did have a very small smile on his face as he waited for them both to be ready.

The Diamond’s had their own building where any and all ‘special’ classes took place. Common core classes were held in the Coal buildings since they were the mixed classes, but most Diamonds specific classes were held in the smaller, but better building. Coal students could only borrow things from here for after school study and during their independent study hour where they were actually taught the talent that got them a place in this school in the first place. It was almost funny, in a frustrating way, that Leo got accepted here because he was a good artist but he was only officially getting to learn about art for one class out of the day, the rest were normal high school classes.

“Shame that that Diamond’s don’t have a computer lab or anything.” Leo commented as they walked a, thankfully, semi short distance to the Diamond wing of the school. The spoiled Diamond bastards had computers in their rooms, it came with the personalized large rooms and attached bathrooms. “How is the Coals computer lab? Or did you use discount Drexel sometimes offers to buy one for yourself?” For someone whose talent was based around gaming, the quality of the internet as well as the computer they worked on was important, Leo at least knew enough to know that, although he did not know the specifics about what made a good gaming computer and what did not.

Paint was not all the same, but Leo had plenty from home and he was not ashamed to enter the Diamond wing and use their art room if he really could not stand the Coal art room. What the Diamonds had though was more than just paint and easels, they had master sculptors and art pieces set up in order to ‘inspire’ any of the artists that happened to see it. Unfortunately, teenagers were teenagers, and when Diamonds wee spoiled like they were, then they could break whatever they wanted with little to no consequences.

The hallways dedicated to art in the Diamonds wing was made up of several halls, but the one Leo was heading to was newly designed. Last year it was some indoor water fountain display, but this time the hall was a monument to sculptures of all kinds from metal to stone. These masterpieces were only enhanced by the window wall which lead out into a garden like area. The window itself was part of the art because, although most of it was clear and normal, the top quarter was handmade stained glass. These windows let in plenty of natural light, some of which was rainbow, but today the rising sun created a light golden glow within the room.

“Oh wow!” Leo whispered when he first walked in, the typically angry boy seemingly speechless at the sight before him. He wasn't even upset, at least not now, at the fact that the Diamonds got to see this everyday like it was nothing, but Coals like him had to put in special effort to see what he came here to study in the first place. Leo did not touch anything but he did reach a hand up and sort of hover over one of the stone, hand chiseled pieces near the start of the room.

Without prompting, Leo started muttering half to Jae-seong and half to himself about what he was looking at. “This is a piece by Michael Quane. Not as many people carve stone as much as they used to, but Quane continues to make stone carving seem ‘whimsical’ or at least that is the word a lot of people use to describe him. I don’t know if I would call this whimsical, but I do love how he often combines animals and humans into one piece.” The one Leo was talking about was about a horse and a rider, the human laying on the horses back and hugging the beast below him. The horse looked back at the man, seemingly concerned for it’s rider.

“My father is a sculptor,” Leo shared, still staring at the art pieces within the room, “I don’t share his skill with 3d art, but I do dabble in the craft…. I may not be able to replicate these but I do love to see them. These fucking diamonds will break them in no time though…” As if his words reminded him of half the reason he came here, Leo started walking around the room and snapping pictures of the sculptors at multiple different angles even when he had to twist himself into strange positions to get the visual. At any other time he would have cared about what he looked like in other people's eyes to some extent, but he was focused and barely realized that Jae-seong was watching him.

 

[fleurdelys]

Bell’s praise created another little burst of joy in Avery’s chest. She smiled brightly at him, quite pleased that her friend felt the same way about their classes. “It’s such a relief that we’re in the same boat about these subjects.” The singer sighed, her shoulders relaxing slightly in demonstration of her sentiment. “With both of our big, beautiful brains working together, I’m sure we’ll make it through just fine.” Her head bobbed gently to reinforce her statement. To be honest, though, this was quite the optimistic thing to say. Unsurprisingly, St. Drexel did not mess around with their classes: each and everyone of them was run by a dedicated teacher who never gave people slack… Well, at least for free – if certain rumours were to be believed. Nevertheless, there was really no need to be a buzzkill just yet. Even if both of their grades ended up being totally shit, they had to at least start on a high note.

Especially since she had a triple whammy of nerdy, boring science classes. As Bell offered sympathy for her situation, Avery pouted and placed a hand over her heart. “Ugh, isn’t it, though? Pray for me, Bell. Pray hard.” Her tongue poked out from between her lips as a wrinkle briefly appeared on her nose. It faded as her European friend inquired about her marks. “Aw, you’re too sweet, Bell! I hope your confidence isn’t misplaced. I mean, my grades are not terrible or anything – I’d never totally fail a class – but I’m definitely not some, like, genius whiz-kid.” She placed a hand on her hip and shrugged casually. “Anyway, I’m sure you’ll be fine, too. You can do anything you put your mind to!” Avery’s smile reappeared, leaving all trace of her distaste for the sciences behind.

As Bell looked up towards the clock at the front of the room, Avery turned her head to do the same. Time to go already, it seemed. The class began to stir as the other students started to gather their things, including her friend. When he spoke she looked back to him and nodded a bit. “I should probably do the same. But hey, maybe I’ll see you at lunch time. And if not, in Chemistry, for sure.” The silver-haired teen grinned as she gave him a little wave. “Have a great morning, Bell! Hope your classes don’t suck.” With a short chuckle, she returned to her seat to gather her own things up and rejoin the two girls she had somewhat unceremoniously abandoned.

-----
​

St. Drexel’s First Class Sharpshooter was engulfed in thoughts about gym class. After Raya pondered over which of her classmates would be joining her, she thought about her friend a bit, and then began to wonder what sort of activities they would be doing. There was undoubtedly a large variety of physical talents among the Diamonds, and there was surely no ‘one size fits all’ type of curriculum that would suit every individual’s need. For instance, she didn’t need as much cardio as perhaps her Fencer friend would. Similarly, other students might not require strength training or muscle building. It was a curious subject, and something she was actually a bit excited to see. After all, this school was nothing less than amazing. All of the facilities and resources were absolutely top notch – certainly worthy of a world class school. In fact, sometimes she had difficulty believing that she had been fortunate enough to get into such a wonderful academy.

Raya’s mind was onto the subject of St. Drexel herself as she walked out the classroom. However, her contemplation was interrupted by a figure that seemed to suddenly jump out at her. The girl reflexively stepped away, her head snapping to her side to see who had popped out like that. Her brow was furrowed deeply and her visible eye narrowed sharply, her heart beating quicker as her gaze settled on that odd boy from earlier. Unconsciously she brought her bag closer to her side, her senses honing in on every little movement he made. Despite his casual backwards stroll and his easy-going salute, she felt quite uneasy around him. His introduction spoke volumes to his character, and when she thought about it, she honestly wasn’t too interested in learning any more.

But there wasn’t much she could really do. He was here, walking next to her, and greeting her by her talent. Raya’s lips tightened together as she gave him a small, slow nod in acknowledgment. “Hello there.” Her voice was soft but short, as it tended to be. The dark-haired girl eyed him warily as he started to speak a mile a minute. Lips curled into a notable frown as the wrinkle between her brow grew deeper. It was difficult to understand everything he was saying, seeing as she was still learning English and his own accent was quite heavy. Still, she managed to catch enough of it. The thief was complimenting her eyepatch, and asking why she had it. “I’m blind,” she said simply, seeing no need to both lie or elaborate. Obviously she was only blind in the one eye, but she figured there was no need to clarify what she had meant.

When he jumped onto seeing what was beneath the material, she immediately began to shake her head. “No… sorry, you can't.” Raya took a not-so-subtle step further away from him, wary of just how far his boldness went. As a result of the bullying she had faced, she was also still considerably nervous when people – especially ones she didn’t know – got too close to her. Thankfully, Deacon made no movements to try and see for himself. But she kept herself on high alert nevertheless. Not only was it hard to tell just what he would do next, but he had demonstrated just how dexterous and sly he could be. It would be foolish to underestimate that.

For now, it seemed he just wanted to continue his rapid-fire interrogation. Deacon asked if she knew someone named Spike, referencing her skills as a reason why she may know of him. Although some people might have asked for this man's last name, Raya didn't even bother. She knew of no one named Spike at all, nor did she know of anyone who went by that name. So she simply shook her head. "Um... no, I don't." She didn't particularly feel comfortable with the way he mentioned her proficiency with guns... but she somewhat expected it. It was not an uncommon reaction for people to make up or assume things about how she used her sharpshooting abilities. But usually those things were left as whispered rumours and not thrown out right in her face like they just had been. Gulping, she quietly added, "I've only shot at... unliving targets... no people." It felt silly to have to add this, but she didn't want Deacon getting the wrong idea or developing strange expectations of her.

After his slew of questions, the boy adjusted his pace so he was at her side. Raya’s muscles tensed as he continued the conversation, now moving along to a topic that was at least more conventional. “Physical education,” was her next reply, as short and as quiet as the last. She glanced at him warily, wondering just what he wanted with her. Most people left her alone from the get-go, and a lot of people who actually spoke with her often got turned off by her simple, somewhat blunt responses. Although Raya was unsure what his intentions were, she was at least fairly sure he’d soon get bored of her.

She continued on for a few more paces in silence before she noticed that, for some reason, Deacon was still here. Clearing her throat quietly, she hesitantly looked over at him. “Um, do you… need help? Where are you going?” Raya’s frown was tenacious and her discomfort remained obvious on her features. Still, she supposed that if she helped him out, he’d probably just leave her alone soon enough.

-----​

“Oh, uh, fair enough.” Jae-seong let out a sheepish laugh, a bit surprised by Leo’s somewhat coarse way of telling him he knew nothing about Okami. But the feeling did not linger long and it was pretty much instantly water under the bridge. He was used to people speaking pretty harshly from playing online multi-player games; but it still took him slightly aback.

His surprise was soon replaced with a mild discomfort as the painter corrected him on what others expected of them. The boy’s eyes widened a minuscule amount as he watched his classmate’s hands wrap tightly around the pencil in his grasp. He leaned to the side ever so slightly, anticipating the wooden tool to break right in half in the painter’s furious grasp. But then, just like that, a smile seemed to chase away all of his anger and the pencil fell to the desk with a quiet clatter. Leo brought forth a bit of disdain for some of their fellow Coals, but also gave him a subtle sort of compliment. “I’m honoured to be given the same credit as you after just a short time after formally meeting,” he said, his voice sincere but his lips also curled in a mildly uneasy grin. He thought well of the painter so far, but his rather abrasive manner did take a bit of getting used to.

At the very least, it seemed that Leo took Jae-seong’s own compliment with just about as much grace. Then again, they were a couple of teenage guys – it wasn’t like anyone could really expect them to gush at each other like girls might. He supposed there was some kind of comfort in both of them having the same apparent inability to take each other’s compliments well.

But there was still a silence that fell between them as Jae-seong tended to his phone for a bit. At least until it was time for them to move on from homeroom; at that point, he felt a bit happy that the aspiring painter didn’t mind him tagging along. “Cool, thanks, man.” The Korean boy grinned at his new acquaintance, amused to see a subtle curve of the other student’s lips. He stood up, pushing his chair back as he slung his bag over his shoulder. “Let’s go then.” Once they were both ready, he started making his way out of the classroom.

The transition from the Coal’s building to the Diamonds was subtle, but noticeable to most people. Their section of St. Drexel was definitely nicer than the average high school, but it still did not hold a candle to what the First Class students got to enjoy. Everything was state-of-the-art, in pristine condition, and seriously like something straight out of a movie. As the two boys made their way into ‘enemy territory’, so to speak, Jae-seong couldn’t help but still marvel at the expensive furnishings and features of the luxurious wing. It seemed that every time he ventured over here, there was something new.

As Leo remarked about the computer lab, Jae-seong shrugged a bit. “Yeah, but I guess it could be too risky if someone decided to mess around with so many expensive machines.” He scratched the side of his neck idly. “Like, if there was a First Class Hacker or something… they’d probably just mess it all up. Besides, I guess it’s always better to use a computer in the comfort and privacy of your own room.” Especially with the type of stuff that teenagers undoubtedly liked to do and look at. But it was fine; he had his own setup figured out pretty well by now. “Nah, I don’t really like to use the computer lab for anything but school work. I’ve got a PC I built on my own, but I have used some of the Drexel discounts to upgrade it since I started here. It’s always better to have your own rig rather than buy the shitty premade ones. They’re almost always a rip-off with cheaper, proprietary parts.” The boy adjusted his glasses before he added, “When you build your own computer, you can pick and choose every single part and tailor it to your exact needs. It might be a bit pricier in the end, but it’s always worth it.” Not only that, but it was fun and much more rewarding to be able to use the fruit of one’s own labour.

He had realized that he had rambled a little bit, but hopefully Leo wouldn’t mind. A short silence fell between them once the topic faded away but strangely, Jae-seong didn’t feel that awkward. As they ventured further into the art wing of the Diamond building, the blonde found himself in awe of these new sights he’d never seen before. He whistled quietly as they passed through the numerous sculptures. Each was perfectly crafted to the point he wondered if they were actually 3D printed to something. “Damn, this is really nice… can’t believe I’ve never been over here before.” It was a beautiful and strangely serene place, especially with the way the sunlight passed through the delicate stained glass of the window wall. “Wish we had something this cool over in our part of the school.” It seemed like the type of spot that would be great for just relaxing and unwinding under the high pressure and stress of St. Drexel’s student life.

While Jae-seong admired the scenery, Leo seemed to be similarly impressed – in fact, even more so. The bespectacled teenager had stopped to look around the hall for a few moments before his gaze wandered over to where the other boy was. Curiously he wandered over to the sculpture he stood by, his hands resting comfortably in his pockets. Just as he came up to Leo he started to talk about the sculpture and its artist with an unexpected amount of detail and passion. As he spoke, Jae-seong nodded slowly, taking in his words but somehow feeling as if he wasn’t exactly on the same page. He had never been much of an artistic person, and it always felt as though people who were just ‘got’ art in a way his mind was simply incapable of. But he could appreciate Leo’s insight and critique, at least, and felt motivated to at least try to offer some of his own. “It’s crazy that he was able to make such a scene in such detail. It’s like they were real, but just encased in stone.”

It felt a bit dumb to offer such a simple comment, but Jae-seong did his best to shrug it off. He was trying his best in a world he knew nothing about – hopefully Leo get that and not bite his head off for saying something kinda stupid. Although he couldn’t be quite sure, he had a feeling the artist wouldn’t. He seemed to be in a different state compared to before, something a bit calmer and happier than how he’d been in the classroom.

Leo went on to talk a bit about his father, and his appreciation for his craft. “That’s awesome. I’m sure having your dad as a sculptor really gives you an extra layer of appreciation for all these.” He nodded slowly and idly followed him as he walked around, taking pictures of the art around them. “You really think the Diamonds would break these, though? Like… that’s kinda crazy. Why would they do such a thing? It’s so nice here, I don’t get why anyone would want to ruin it.” He frowned a bit. “Is that what happened before or something?”

 

[Viper]

“Blind? So not like a pirate then? Shame...” Although it was a touch disappointing to learn that she didn't keep her eye covered in order to shoot in the dark, it didn't keep Deacon down for long. And why would it? His dad was blind in one eye too, shit happened! Deacon was sure that one day he would have a wound or scar that permanently damaged him, he would bet money that the cause would probably have to do with falling off a height and shattering some bones past natural repair resulting in him being too weak to put much weight on them. But that was not now and therefore not Deacons real concern.

What was concerning, or at least disappointing was that she would not let him look under the eyepatch. “Aww. But I bet it looks really cool….” He whined but he still did not reach to look for himself. Instead Deacon just allowed himself to imagine what her eye looked like under there, and what he came up with was nothing very interesting. It was a eye, just like the one he could see, but it was a bit more cloudy. Those three little scars were likely not very deep and probably did not impact the eyeball at all. Deacon could not picture her with anything more gruesome than that under there considering the rest of her appearance but people were surprising and that was what made others so fun. "Maybe you can show me some other time."

“Really? That’s surprising.” But maybe not. Spike could not be everywhere, and if this girl never once shot at a person then he definitely would not need her protection. “I guess you're a gentle sort then?” Deacon questioned, raising a thin eyebrow at Raya. He asked this question sincerely. Sure she did not radiate friendliness nor did her talent really imply any sort of softness, but her lack of experience in hurting others, and the way that she seemed repulsed by the idea, gave Deacon the idea that she was not a fighter… just some girl with a good eye and a fast trigger finger.

“You should try shooting someone one day.” Deacon started, and for a second it seemed like he was going to leave it there based on how silent he became. In reality though he was just lost as he tried to find the right words to communicate what he wanted to say next. “Try paintball or snowballs or something. I bet shooting is a lot harder to do when the target is trying to shoot you back.” Deacon had only been paint-balling once, and he barely remembered it besides people yelling at him to stop climbing on top of the barricades and jumping around so much. With his new skills, he would probably be killer at the game since he would be able to dodge and/or find strange, high places to shoot from. And the whole shoot you back part reminded Deacon that he may actually be in the military one day, forced to learn how to use a stupid, loud gun that was worthless to his craft as anything but a last resort. That part sucked... paintball was a lot more appealing.

Deacon was having fun with this girl so far, she was making him think a lot at least, not that it was hard to do. This thief had a habit of getting carried away when it came to his craft, his speech, and even his mind liked to go off into tangents. It always kept him occupied at least. He was a mile a minute in all ways, more than capable of entertaining himself even if at the end of the day he liked company more than solitude. Raya’s attitude was not anywhere near enough to chase Deacon away, not yet.

“Hm? Help?” Deacon thought for a moment. “Nah, I’m good. I’m actually going to physical education as well, so I’m just going to follow you there, yeah?” Although he asked, he clearly was not going to take a no as an answer. “What does a gunman like you need with physical education though? You need short sprints from cover to cover and that’s it… or at least that’s all I’ve ever seen people with guns do.” He added that last part in quieter, which meant it was more at a normal volume than most of what he said. The lower volume implied a lot about when, where, and why he saw people with guns.

Filling in the silence was Deacons specialty, and he was not bad at changing topics abruptly either. “I’m excited for this class actually.” He said, fixing his mess of a ponytail in an aggressive manner, as if tugging it tighter would make the loose ponytail stay in place better. “I haven't gone to school in a while and out of all my classes this may be one I actually attend! It will be easy, don’t you think? Not to mention useful unlike all the other shit this school wants to force me to ‘learn’.” Deacon was saying this stuff without having had looked at the rest of his schedule, but he knew he was right. Anything that involved sitting at a desk was an automatic no. And desks at this place was a fair guess, or maybe thrones? “As long as they don’t make me do yoga or some other boring thing, this should be fun!”

It wasn't long after Deacon said this, and some more rambling on Deacons part, that the pair reached the gym likely to Raya’s relief. The gym was just as great as the rest of the school, which was no surprise. The place was covered in the schools colors, black and white, although there were spots of colors brought into the room by the many different types of balls neatly lined on the sides, never too far from the indoor volleyball net, basketball court, and the like. Color was further added by the banners on the wall, some of which were the schools crests, while some were honorary positions for the best athletes the school had ever had. Basically, the high walls of the gym were covered in the faces of past Diamonds that had played in that very room or were currently doing so.

The gym also lead into other, subrooms such as the changing rooms and showers which were of course gender specific, but they also lead to more gym equipment like a full workout room, a pool, and an indoor obstacle course that put American Ninja Warrior to shame.

On the far wall from where Deacon and Raya entered was a large door that lead to the outside, and more importantly, to the outdoor gym which shared a few of the sports equipment like the basketball court, but that door also lead to the track ring, the football field, the soccer field, and to Deacons great joy, in the distance there was the outline of a high and low rope course.

Deacon naturally was the most excited for what he would be best at, the ropes course and the obstacle course. For what he lacked in physical strength he greatly made up for in speed, dexterity, and stamina. He could run rather well, and he could do gymnastics with the best of them. Better than all that thought was his parkour which would make any type of balancing act or obstacle course fun.

Looking at all of this caused Deacon to let out a long whistle that started out rather high pitched and slowly faded into nothingness. “Nice…” Was all he said, but based on the toothy grin on his face he felt more excitement about this place now than he did only a minute ago.

Sadly though, it wasn't like the teacher was going to just let the kids run off and do whatever they wanted to on the first day. Class had not started yet but most of the students were already gathering on the bleachers in clumps of white and black. Deacon had thought this was a Diamond only class, but clearly it was not, or at least today the classes were to be combined. Only time would tell if this was a permanent mixing or if two teachers would walk through that door and split everyone up shortly.

Although not that it would be hard to do considering that the students had split themselves up already. Diamonds were with diamonds and Coals were with coals, which seemed to be a habit in this place, not that Deacon understood why. Perhaps it was because there were no other thieves at this school, but Deacon did not see the Coals as lesser than him in status or talent. They were not rivals, disciples, or peers, they were just people who he shared very little in common with. But that was not strange either, so who cared which class the black clad students were in. Everyone bleeds the same, so the saying goes. Or as Deacon said, everyone's money is the same no matter what wallet it comes from.

“So what do we do now?” Deacon asked, glancing slightly down at Raya, clearly intending to stick with her. Deacon was not sure of the decorum for classes like this since there were no clear desks to signify where he was to sit nor was there someone shouting instructions. To be fair, it’s not like Deacon cared much for manners and orders anyway, but he did at least want to know them so that he knew what instructions he was choosing not to listen to. That way if he ever decided that he needed to behave or take attention off of him, he would have that option. Raya was his contact in order to figure out that information, and unfortunately for her, he was also still interested in her, so by her side he stayed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo was not observant, at least when it came to people. He could point out an ancient artist based only on the tools they used to make something, but people? Not even if he was paid could he notice people's subtle eye twitches or way people’s bodies flinched away in discomfort. Leo was too angry, too bitter, and all in all, selfish to see these things when his eyes were even slightly covered in a red haze. Unfortunately, anger and jealousy were not uncommon in the ambitious Coal so being un-observant was also not uncommon.

Back on the move, the pair eventually continued their conversation. “You made your own computer? Cool.” Leo admitted, not knowing more than the fact that making high tech computers was not easy… especially with a budget like most teens had. He used the schools computer exclusively after he had broken his past laptop and his parents refused to get him another one. It was a shame though, because even though Leo prefered painting he did dabble in digital drawings as well. With the laptop he lost any chance he had at getting a sketch pad. “I’ll trust you when you say that homemade is better… I know it’s the same thing with colors but I doubt that’s anything like what you are talking about.”

Leo did not mind the other boy rambing about his talent, even if a lot of it made no sense whatsoever. Leo was sure that he did the same thing with painting, but that was something they would have to deal with if they wanted to talk. Clearly the pair did not have interests that overlapped so these intelligence gaps were bound to happen often. Besides, Leo valued passion in others. He respected passionate people, no matter what it was they were interested in, because that meant that they cared greatly and worked for it.

“It’s not like you have a reason to come around here.” Leo said as he pulled out his camera, not really realizing that this place could be used for relaxation rather than just inspiration. “But yeah, same. The Diamonds get all the good stuff. The Headmaster clearly has money to spare since he is putting on this extra compeition thing this year, but of course it's all still put towards the Diamonds... as if they need more attention. Why bother even have Coals if all he is going to do is ignore them?” Did he want a school full of angry, jealous people? Because in Leo’s mind, that was mainly what the Headmaster was getting out of having the Coal class.

In response to Jae-seong’s comment about the sculpture seeming like they were people just cased in stone, instead of Leo judging the boy, instead Leo laughed out loud. He wasn't laughing at Jae-seong, but at the images that came with the notion. Leo grinned as he added his own take on his new friends words, “Sculptors are real life Medusas. I like to think that some random, traveling sculptor back in the day was the cause behind the Medusa legend, ya know? I can just imagine him leaving some random stone head somewhere and some idiots actually thinking that some monster turned a dude to stone.” Sculptors trapped people's bodies, painters trapped people's souls… or at least that is what some legends seemed to think. The concept amused Leo, mostly because it was all shit made up by superstitious idiots, but also because it put painters on a higher pedestal than their physical counterparts.

“Oh hell yeah! You should see my house, every room has at least one statue of some size and our backyard is more statues than garden!” And if Jaeseong though that was bad, then he needed to see the walls which either had multiple framed paintings hanging there or the walls were directly painted with detailed drawings. Those images never stayed for more than a year before his mother would paint some new mural just for fun. The only exceptions were Leo’s room, which he could paint however he wanted whenever, and a handful of the finger paintings that Leo had put on the walls when he was too young to know what art really was. Big surprise though, from the very stary they encouraged Leo to paint on the walls no matter how young or terrible he was.

“Yeah. They would.” Leo said bitterly. “If it’s not some random athlete being clumsy and breaking things because they just don’t care, some random artist will come down here and fuck these guys up in the name of ‘artistic expression’.” He could imagine it now, although he didn't want to because it pissed him off beyond belief. “Someone will probably paint over one of the statues turning them into a clown, or something that may as well be a clown considering how stupid it will look. Maybe one person will smash the arms off of one the sculptures in order to ‘replicate’ the Venus de Milo. Spoiled shits like to do that kind of stuff because they can or because they don’t care.”

“I’m sure that the First Class Hacker and all the other computer guys are ruining their computers weekly too, they just get replacements. And the PC’s in the Coal dorm tend to fry out too once in a while, so I would bet money that some aspiring hacker is messing with them. People just like to break things, ya know? If they don’t pay for it or have to deal with the consequences then why not?” Which was part of why Leo occasionally would break someone's nose. In the moment, it seemed like a fair trade. And even though Leo did not know for sure if broken computers were caused by stupid teens, he was confident that he was right in his guess.

Leo took a pause in his angry ranting when Jae-seong asked about last year. The question seemed to distract Leo enough to calm down even if only slightly. “Sort of. It was an indoor water fountain like set up last year so it’s not like they could break it as easily as they can this stuff, but from what I know, they tried. I know they had water fights in here often and a few times people put dye or bubbles in the water that ended up staining or bursting some pipes, but that’s all I know that happened. I didn't have as much reason to be here back then.”

“At least with these I can enjoy the sculptures whenever I want without worry about who or what I will walk in on.” Leo explained, finally no longer twisting himself in odd positions and now just idly clicking through his photos in order to make sure they all turned out and he got what he wanted from visiting here.

With a sudden click, Leo put away his camera and turned to Jae-Seong, “Whatever, doesn't matter. I can’t control it so I may as well forget about it. Can we stop talking about Diamonds? I already have to see Derek at lunch today and I don’t want to have my fill of Diamonds before I even see the shitface.” Although clearly, Leo was already sick of Diamonds but apparently that was his default so he must have meant it was better to stop talking about them before he couldn't tolerate it even a little.

“Where are you headed?” Leo said, changing the topic just as he had requested. “I’m heading to some dumb public speaking class. I’ve heard that literally all you do in that class is memorize speeches and recite them with a debate or two mixed in…. It’s gonna suck! In case you can’t tell, I’m not the most charming guy in the world!” Leo was more than aware that he was hard to talk to, and unless he was angry, he did not care much for talking in front of groups. He had to get very worked up before he would want to stand up there and talk to the assholes around him. “I’d so much rather have math or somthing…” Leo added quietly, his preference for hard work over people clear.

 

[fleurdelys]

The boy was disappointed that she was unlike a pirate, which confused Raya a bit. Did pirates necessarily have to have full vision? Why would they wear eyepatches if they weren’t blind like she was? And most importantly, why was he actually let down by this fact? The girl’s frown deepened as she momentarily lost her grasp of what was going on in this conversation. But none of it really mattered – she had no need to know about pirates, not right now at least – and her classmate recovered from this brief discouragement in a heartbeat. So she supposed there was no need to linger on the issue of why she wasn’t like a pirate.

However, Deacon’s disappointment was not at bay for long, and returned when she denied him a look beneath her eyepatch. Raya gulped, still bracing herself for some sudden action or movement where he would try and pull her patch off. Because Lord as her witness, it had happened before. But thankfully he seemed to respect her wishes – this time, anyway – and let the subject drop on a hopeful note, mentioning that perhaps he could see another time. Still on edge, Raya could only muster a tiny nod. “Um… right.” It was a bit strange and unsettling that he was anticipating a ‘cool’ sight, and wasn’t immediately giving up on seeing her injured eye forever. Most people didn’t care so much about it (or her), and would just leave her alone if she didn’t let them see. Or, of course, forcefully get a peek instead.

But this boy was a bit strange himself, she supposed. But as was she. This was a case of ‘the pot calling the kettle black’, if she remembered the expression correctly. Realizing this, Raya wondered whether she should really be surprised that Deacon was speaking with her now. Because, as that other expression goes, ‘birds of a feather, flock together’, right? Although there was some minuscule comfort in being in the company of someone as unusual as she, the sharpshooter couldn’t quite bring herself to fully relax around him. He had proven himself to be a bit of an oddball, not necessarily someone trustworthy.

So far, at least. When he asked whether she was of the gentle sort, Raya shrugged her shoulders. “I… don’t know.” Calling herself gentle felt intensely awkward. It was the kind of thing best left to others to decide about you, not something you would call yourself. Not without being boastful, at least. In any case, Deacon followed up his question by encouraging her to shoot someone. Gasping quietly, she turned and looked at him with a widened eye. “N-No, that’s wrong...” Helping her father with hunting all of those poor, sweet, innocent animals had been difficult enough. So there was no way she would be able to take a human life, even if they were someone bad.

Just as she began to get a bit flustered at the prospect of killing or injuring another person, Deacon added that she should try paintball or snowballs. Raya blinked, her expression going blank before she looked away, her cheeks warm and red. “Oh… I see.” She didn’t know he had meant it like that. Perhaps she was thinking too poorly of him, what with his fixation about her eye, and his shady friend Spike. “M-Maybe. I’ve never been to paintball.” Throwing snowballs had been something she’d enjoyed when she was a child, but nothing so much in recent years. Except having snow thrown at her, at least. Having a snowball fight actually sounded quite fun, but she wondered if there would be anyone willing to participate. Everyone was quite serious about their studies and their future, after all – there wasn’t much time left to play around in the snow. Let alone go to a paintball range, which seemed like it might be fun as well.

Unbeknownst to the thief, he was making her think quite a bit, herself. Raya was often lost in her thoughts and in her head, but so far their conversation was bringing her mind onto subjects she normally didn’t think about. But unlike Deacon, she couldn’t quite say that she was having fun. Despite his friendly, talkative demeanour, she was still unable to bring herself to trust or relax around him. It still seemed like it would be best if he left her alone to her own devices… However, as he declined her help and declared he would be joining her in PE, her hopes of returning to her solitude were dashed. “Ah, okay then,” Raya replied, a mild tinge of defeat in her soft voice. As the question of what she would need with gym class came up, she pondered it in silence for a quick moment before she answered. “You need strength to hold guns steady for a while. And to be able to focus on your body, and world around you. And practice aim.” It seemed like a bit of a wishy-washy answer, but she felt her limited English holding her back. If she could speak in her mother tongue she felt as though she could give a better response… but that would be useless. So she hoped that Deacon understood and was satisfied with that.

It seemed as though when one topic was finished, Deacon was ready to charge right into another. As he pulled at his messy ponytail, he expressed his excitement for the class. Raya wasn’t overly surprised that he felt this way. He wasn’t a conventional student who would be content with conventional classes. And he evidently had tons of energy to spare. So perhaps it was good that his first class would be gym. But she wasn’t sure she could agree on the class being a walk in the park. Getting too deep into this conversation was not something she particularly wanted, though, so she left her sentiments short and sweet like usual. “Easy… perhaps.” All of the professors seemed quite serious about their classes and their teaching, so she doubted they’d purposely make it easy. However, maybe Deacon was so dexterous and athletic it’d be simple for him anyway.

Surprisingly, his comment about yoga did provoke a bit more comment from the teenager. “Yoga can be good for you.” She glanced at him quickly before looking back in front of her. “Flexibility may be good for… thieving.” It felt kind of bad to say that, since she was sort of encouraging him to be better at taking things from people. And so Raya shut her mouth after this, not wanting to say anything worse.

Thankfully, the pair soon reached the gymnasium. Raya had seen it before, but taking in every banner and decoration in the shining, perfectly maintained facility was still impressive. The only thing she wasn’t a huge fan of was seeing the leagues of athletic Diamonds, past and present, staring down at them. It felt like they were being watched and judged by people greater than them… which she supposed could be good motivation for many others. But for her, it just felt a little unnerving. However, the grandeur of the entire place was so incredible that her feelings did not last terribly long. Even though her expertise did not have a designated area, she enjoyed sports and was looking forward to getting on the courts to participate in some games.

While she took everything in, she momentarily forgot about Deacon at her side – that is, until he whistled. Raya looked at him, almost slightly surprised that he hadn’t wandered off and away by now. As he asked her what to do, she frowned slightly once more. “Um… get changed, I guess.” More and more students were joining the groups on the bleachers, and she supposed they should, too. The dark-haired girl rubbed the back of her neck, suddenly realizing she was presented with an opportunity to break away from her unusual classmate. “I’m going to go,” she went on, pointing towards the girls change room, “So… see you.” With that, she hurried off and away, glad that he wouldn’t be able to join her there.

As she passed through the doors to the girl’s change room, she breathed a small sigh of relief. The whole interaction hadn’t been wholly unpleasant, but it had been uncomfortable enough for her. Feeling herself relax, Raya ventured further into the room. It was shared between the Coals and Diamonds, but even here the First Class privileges were obvious. There were lines of numbered but open lockers for the Coals to put locks on to use for the duration of the class, just like any other gym. But about half of the entire room was dedicated for the Diamonds, who had their own mini-change rooms labeled with their names. A teaching assistant stood in front of this separate section, checking people’s student IDs and handing them their personal keys to their changing areas. Pursing her lips, Raya walked past the Coals’ lockers and joined the line-up with the other Diamonds. After providing her ID, she was given a key and directed over to her own little stall.

After glancing at her name, she opened the door and stepped inside. It was quite spacious, with its own locker within the room as well as a bench and several hooks. A fresh uniform sat on the bench in front of her, along with a pair of socks and shoes if she needed it. Putting down her bags, Raya removed her clothes and replaced them with her uniform. It was quite nice to be able to enjoy such luxury, but it felt kind of wrong to flaunt it all in front of the Coals. Then again, she supposed this no different from the rest of St. Drexel.

Once she was dressed, Raya exited the room and quickly ran into her friend, the First Class Fencer, Eleanor. She was a tall, slim, pretty girl with long, black hair and deep brown skin. However, she had quite a nasty temper and a sharp tongue, which had – thanks to several fights with the ‘popular’ Diamonds – earned her a reputation as an outlier, just like Raya. However, despite all this, the pair of them got along well. The other girl smiled and waved as she came up to the sharpshooter. “Hey, girl, there you are!” Her fellow Diamond pulled her into a quick hug before the pair headed back outside to join the rest of the students. “Who was that guy you were walking in with?”

“A classmate.” Raya frowned again as they headed to the bleachers, looking around for signs of Deacon. “The First Class Thief...”

“Huh, we have one of those?” Eleanor joined Raya in scanning the crowd for Deacon. “Well, was he bugging you? Want me to tell him to fuck off or what?” Her brown eyes twinkled with delight but her companion quickly shook her head as they found some seats among the bleachers.

“No, no, it’s okay… but thank you.” Raya smiled at her friend, grateful for her offer and her entire presence. She felt weird talking to Deacon, but he didn't do anything to deserve her friend's wrath. It was best to just move on, anyway. After all, surely when the class got started he'd be too busy to hang around her. “I’m sure he’ll find someone else here.”

-----------
​

Leo seemed to be as impressed as most people were when Jae-seong mentioned he made his own computer. When his artistic classmate made a comparison with making homemade colours, the blonde nodded and grinned. “It is! And I mean, I dunno what it’s like to make your own colours, but I think it’s more similar than you think. Like, you can control just how you want it rather than relying on what some manufacturer decided for you.” The smile lingered over his face. It was nice to find some common ground between their two passions, especially as they were so radically different from one another by nature. Even if the link was a bit of a stretch at the most.

Still, Jae-seong appreciated that Leo respectfully listened about gaming. It was refreshing to have someone actually take in what he was saying – or at least be quiet when he spoke about it – instead of just shutting it down as child’s play. It was so easy for people to write off all the hard work and practice he and other eSports professionals put into their games. But no one would think twice if his sport of choice was soccer or baseball instead. And it wasn’t as if he wanted anyone to fall over themselves praising his chosen path – Jae-seong just wanted people to respect what he did. Even if they didn’t get it. Which seemed to be something Leo was doing, to some extent at least. After all, the blonde was pretty sure he’d hear about it if the other boy felt otherwise.

Of course, even though he was pleased at the artist’s respect, Jae-seong kept it to himself. It wasn’t cool to just blurt out how much he appreciated it: not with this timing, and not after they just started talking like this. So he went along with things, respecting Leo’s passion in turn. As the topic shifted to the Headmaster and his choice of budgeting, he nodded in agreement. “I think we’re, like… literally the coals to stoke the fire beneath the Diamonds. If that makes sense. Like, we’re motivation for them to keep doing good, keep working harder to be the best - ‘cause if you don’t, you’ll end up ‘losers’ like us.” He threw up his fingers in quotation marks as he mentioned the word ‘losers’, evidently not seeing either of them as such.

The conversation rolled along, leading into his own insight. Hearing Leo laugh sent a prickle up his neck, a hot feeling of embarrassment that sparked the urge to defend himself. However, before he could open his mouth, the other boy built on his comment, settling his knee-jerk reaction right back down. Although a bit of colour still lingered on the boy’s face, he nodded, turning away to look at another sculpture and hide his expression. When Leo finished speaking, he laughed. “Yeah, actually… that’s really smart. I could totally picture that. I think every fairy tale and myth out there probably started with something logical and real, and then just got blown out of proportion to make a good story. Like how people exaggerate their own stories these days to sound cool, you know?”

In between Leo’s picture taking and their admiration of the art, their chit-chat seemed to come easier than Jae-seong would have expected. When he mentioned his house, the boy chuckled a bit. “For real? You guys should just open up your house as an art exhibit if you need some extra cash.” Picturing that kind of home in his head felt otherworldly. He could never imagine his parents doing such cool things with their own house back in Korea. Ever.

But things shifted to a less amusing subject as Leo bitterly explained how some Diamonds would ruin everything just to be ‘artistic’. Jae-seong frowned and furrowed his brow, turning to give his companion an incredulous look. “What the hell? Are you serious? That’s next-level stupid.” He shook his head, glancing up at the nearest sculpture nearby. “How self-absorbed do you have to be to think that it’s actually okay for you to ruin someone else’s hard work and try and make it your own? And to probably pass it off as making it ‘better’ on top of it.” Even though he didn’t know much about art, or hadn’t even been aware of this place until now, he felt himself angry as well. It was so ignorant of people to do these things. And it wasn’t like a video game or something, where the code could be patched up and no one could tell the difference. The types of vandalism Leo mentioned were undoubtedly next to impossible to repair.

“Yeah, people just like to fuck shit up,” Jae agreed, nodding at Leo’s words. “The Hacker’s like these art vandals. Just running wild, doing what they want because they can, and getting away with it because they’re ‘special’.” He folded his arms over his chest, anger bubbling and boiling feverishly within him as they spoke more and more about this subject.

Luckily, as Leo described the fountain, he felt his annoyance subside slightly. Actually, in all truth, dyeing and adding bubbles to the water sounded a bit cooler – like performance art, kinda? - but the fact that damage was still infuriating. All these Diamonds were like spoiled brats, given the world and having no sense of how lucky they were to enjoy their privileges. Still, he had to admit one thing: “That’s not as bad as ruining these statues. All of this seems more relaxing and interesting, though.” Jae-seong inhaled deeply and sighed. “I hope no one messes them up. I think I might even wanna come here now and then, too.”

By this point, Leo seemed to have looked through all his photos as he put his camera away. When he asked to stop discussing the Diamonds, Jae-seong nodded and laughed. “Yeah, true. I guess we got a bit carried away bitching about them. Better to talk about something else.” A lot of Coals ended up doing this, though – ranting and complaining about the First Class students to one another. It was only natural, really. They got the short end of every stick and were looked down upon constantly. It made one resentful and bitter, and one couldn’t just keep such things bottled up inside forever.

The subject changed to what class they had next. “Ugh, public speaking?” Jae cringed. “My condolences. That sounds terrible. I wish you luck with that, man… I don’t think I’d be that good, either.” Even though he was used to streaming live, it wasn’t quite the same as public speaking. Standing up, looking professional and confident, and delivering speeches was worlds away from sitting in front of a computer, talking while playing video games. “I’ve gotta go to programming class. At least something that I need. Why did they stick you in public speaking, anyway?” He tilted his head curiously, a mildly confused frown on his face.

Regardless of the reason, it seemed like they would be parting ways for now. It was a bit surprising that they struck up such a conversation and actually ended up hanging out a bit… but Jae-seong did kinda have fun. Leo wasn’t as bad a guy as people made him out to be, and he actually wouldn’t mind chilling with him later down the line. “Hey, Leo, you use WutsAp or anything like that?” The bespectacled boy pulled out his phone from his pocket and woke it from its sleep. “I dunno how many classes we have other than homeroom, so if you wanna like… hang out or something at lunch or whatever, that’d be cool.” He offered a smile to the boy, wondering how he’d react. To be honest, most of Jae’s friends were gamers or some other kind of geek, so it was easier to just ask them to hang out, or for their gamertag or something. But Leo was none of these things, and he still had that temper to boot, so he couldn’t help but brace himself for rejection despite the time they'd shared.

 

[Viper]

Deacon made a sound that was part hum and part agreement, “Ναί… Yes, I would say you are gentle.” Although his impulse at first glance was that she was indeed violent, now that he was getting a closer look and more interactions, clearly she was not. Unless she was faking it, which was possible, this girl was a softy. It wasn't a bad thing, a bit boring maybe, but far from bad. After all, on an average day, Deacon considered his family softys as well.

Although busy talking, Deacon noticed her initial rejection of his ‘shooting people’ idea. All he could do at first was laugh, although he did eventually clarify once he stopped finding her gasp so hilarious. “Paintball is fun! I did it once as a kid!” Deacon exclaimed, bringing his hands up as if he were pretending to shoot a gun, “It hurts like Hades, it turns you purple and blue, but its super worth it! Fancy place like this, I’m surprised they don’t have a range made for you only!”

“Strength? I guess… I wouldn't know really, I’ve only used a...a uhhh…” Deacon’s speech suddenly froze as he once again raised his hand in a gun like shape and started muttering in Greek until the English word came to him. “Pistóli...pistóli…. The tiny gun thing…. Pistol! I’ve only shot a pistol a few times. But it was not very heavy, even for my little arms back then, but I guess bigger guns would need more muscles, yeah? Like those bomb gun things...” His words implied that he used the gun as a child, or at least as a younger teen, but despite possible assumptions, it was just to make sure he could protect himself when his father was out of the house. It was not something he carried around or actually ever had to use. And the 'boom gun' was a grenade launcher.

When Raya first said that yoga could be good for you, Deacon made a “Ugh” sound and scrunched his face like he had tasted something horrible. However, he eventually let his face relax and even started nodding. “True. It’s not always easy getting these long arms and legs through windows, maybe it would help me with my hobby…." He had a lanky figure, like the rest of his family, and although he was already taller than a lot of people his age he was fairly certain that there was more growing to be done. " Yoga is still boring though.” There was no way he was going to give in on that point, but at least he bent his opinion a little bit.

“See ya!” Deacon said with a salute like wave once they were at the gym. And he would see her later, whether she liked it or not. It was almost remarkable how much Deacon did not care to notice how on edge he made people. He was at the top of the food chain so he could do what he wanted against those who did not prove themselves to be worthy of his respect, or at least his respect of boundaries. There were people, not friends or family, that Deacon respected and feared enough not to steal or even disrespect them. So far, even if he found Raya interesting, had not earned the ‘do not bother’ status yet.

Once he said his goodbyes and got a last look at the ‘classroom’ and his classmates, he headed off to the boys changing room. He had no reason to think that his Sharpshooter friend had lied to him, but what she had not done was warn him of the changing room that was dedicated to him.

At first he was confused, why did that door have his name on it? But the teaching assistant handed him a key, giving Deacon enough information to figure out what was happening. “This is some other Diamond thing…” He muttered into his empty, changing room that was quickly starting to feel like a prison cell. It wasn't that Deacon did not like small spaces, air ducks and hiding in boxes were fine, but something else about this changing area put him on edge. “Akatháristo” He said once again aloud, his words roughly translating to ‘gross’. All of this private space was so unnecessary that Deacon had half a mind to go change with the other, non-Diamond students. It wasn't like he had anything to lock up besides his class schedule and uniform after all. He didn't even have a phone...

Holding back his desire to go join the rest of the group, he changed quickly. Even if it was still white, Deacon liked his gym clothes far more than the uniform. First, there was no dumb tie, and second, it was loose so he felt that he could move far more freely now. Unfortunately, the act of changing had caused Deacons ponytail to fall out. As he exited the boys changing room, his slightly wavy red hair hung a little bit below his shoulders and, still with his black gloved hands, he tried to put it up again but only succeed in doing another knot that would undo itself at the first sign of extreme movement. Putting his hair up didn't seem to be something he was used to, which was not wrong.

What he was used to though, was strangers. He wasn't shy, but he was admittedly annoying, so he walked back over to Raya. “Sharpshooter.” He greeted again, grinning and pulling at his gym shirt a bit, “Will this school let us wear these all the time? It’s way more comfy and it suits us a bit more, don’t ya think? Those suits suck.” He flopped down onto the bleachers at this point, and by flopped, he simply let himself fall backwards in a way that could have and should have cracked his skull or spine. Deacon however seemed unharmed, kicking his feet up off of the ground to make his position seem far more lounging. He was comfortable on those bleachers, and apparently he was always comfortable.

At this point Deacon took the time to check out the other girl from the corners of his eyes, not being too subtle about it but at least he was refraining from sizing her up openly. “Heya!” Deacon greeted eventually, now turning his attention to the other girl with the long black hair. Apparently she was deemed interesting enough to talk to. “You two friends? I’m Deacon, by the way, but I go by Hermes most of the time so call me that. What are you? A ninja or something?” She was in a class dedicated to athletes so he could guess that she did something physical with her life. As for why he guessed ninja… it was just because they were cool and he was really hoping this school had one of those. Plus, pirates and ninjas were a classic combo.

“Oh yeah, I’m a thief. I’m supposed to tell people that now that I’m a Diamond apparently.” It was going to take some getting used to, but in Diamond ‘culture’ apparently your talent came right after your name. It sort of made his job harder but so far he had no reason to hide it… although he was sure that he would meet someone who he would not tell his true identity to soon enough. Best to enjoy the lack of lies and secrets while he could, although sometimes secrets were fun. If he were more subtle he would start stealing secrets and blackmail material just for kicks and curiosity.

The sound of two metallic doors screeching open caught Deacons attention, but he spared them no more than a sidelong glance. There were a pair of adults, both somewhere between 20-30 years old. But that was where the similarities ended. The woman in white had blonde hair in a tight bun, her face sharp and angled, with narrow eyes that gave her a permanent glare. She had high expectations of her students, but her strictness was born from good intentions. She was never a Drexel student, however she was known for being a triathlete and a fairly well known mountain climber, strength and dexterity combined. Still, she accepts no laziness from Diamonds and has no issue with taking Coals under her wing. She values talent and hard work, that’s it.

The other teacher, the Coal one, was a Japanese man who was clearly starting to bald, however besides the slight start of a beer belly, he was all muscle. He could probably bench multiple students with ease. He was a new teacher, he has only worked at Drexel for one semester, and so far his reputation was mixed. Skip class more than twice and you fail, but besides that, you could get away with a lot. He was playful, prone to jokes, but he has a reputation for insulting any student that is not ‘fit’ and does blame his students personally for not being good enough to become Diamonds. These dual behaviors make him the type of teacher that people either completely love or absolutely despise.

But these pair worked well together, her strict kindness and his rude playfulness was the only reason that these Diamonds and Coals occasionally would have joint classes. Oh, they were not friends outside of work, but in the professional universe they were more than functional.

Unfortunately, Deacon didn't seem to consider them that important. He kept his leaning posture and his attention on his new ‘friends’ instead of the two people who were clearly teachers. It wasn't that he wanted to be rude, he just didn't care either way. They certainly looked average enough to Deacon at first glance. And average was dull. Even when the adults started talking his kept his comfortable position.

"Alright everyone!" The Diamond professor called out, "I am Professor Christensen, and this is Professor Ando . We are your teachers this semester, and as you can see, this class is made up of both Diamonds and Coals. Most of the time we will be separate but at times we will have joint classes, alright?" She did not wait for an answer and instead just continued talking, "I see that most of you knew to get into your gym clothes... if you have not, then go do that now and hurry back. We will not wait for you. I fully expect you all to be changed and ready to get moving the second the bell goes off."

Stepping up, the Coal Teacher, Professor Ando, started to brashly speak to the class, "For this entire week we will be assessing the general skill set of you lot. So get ready to sweat and do things that you are shit at, yeah? Neither of us will tolerate quitters and if you skip a single day this week, it is the same as failing a final exam. Basically, you skip this week and you won't pass... so be here."

With a sharp clap of her hands, the female teacher smiled at the room, "With that out of the way, let's stretch a bit and then we are going for a warm up run around the court a few times!"

~~~~~~~~~

“I hate the fact that I agree with you.” Leo muttered, knowing that Jae-seong was right when it came to the Coals being the motivation to keep the diamonds moving. “We get burned up and thrown out while they get polished and turned into million dollar rings. Hell, even Santa uses Coal as punishment.”

“Mythology is awesome. I drew a piece last near based on the story of Narcissus, the vain guy who fell in love with his expression. The guy died while staring at himself, forgetting to eat or sleep. I painted Narcissus’ reflection as beautiful but I made his actual body nasty.” Chuckling Leo gave Jae-Seong a grin, “He was disgusting and I loved it.”

Turning away from the topic of myths, Leo responded to the gamer comments about his house. “Oh, we have! Not because of the money thing though, my parents are pretty well off already. Our house is in a number of popular magazines every year actually. ” In fact, Leo’s family was super wealthy, meaning that Leo was rich too. Their house was huge, they had a large property line, and Leo had always gotten to travel to other countries at least once a year in order to ‘inspire’ him. Most people were surprised when they learned this considering Leo’s brash mannerisms, but it was the truth.

What could Leo say when Jae-seong agreed with his anger over the statues? He had said a lot already and anything more would likely just be a colorful string of creative curses that would put sailors to shame. But he didn't want to leave Jae-seong hanging so in response Leo let out a quick, “I know, right? Fucking dickwads.” He was including the hacker into his comment because, although in a different way, this spirit that he caused chaos with was the same “Yeah, these statues are on a whole different scale than fountains… I would love to sketch or paint here one day so we should definitely come back.” Leo unintentionally said we, and although he did not even realized that he said it, he meant it.

“If I didn't have to see “my superior” today, I would be more than happy to bitch about them all day. But I do sooo-” Leo shrugged, letting the topic drop.

Mentioning classes and public speaking, Leo scoffed in pure disgust. “This is my third year here so honestly, I should not be taking such a low level, basic class. But after the fights I got in last year they decided that I needed to ‘learn to communicate with my words’ so I have to take an extra core class. So now I only have my Independent Study period to do anything with painting, the rest are cores.” In general, Coals had to take more core classes that had nothing to do with their interests than the Diamonds did, but Leo had to do that… and plus one more. There was detention last year and now public speaking this year, it sucked. “I don’t even need to learn programming but that would be so much better. You're lucky.”

Now that it was time to actually get to class, Leo expected for them just to part ways like he normally did with people he rarely got to conversing with. But to his surprise, and joy, Jae-seong stopped him. “My WutsApp? Uh, no?” Leo responded, honestly not knowing what that was, but he was happy to keep in contact with this gamer so he pulled out his phone once again and flashed it at his new friend. When showed like this it became apparent that this was the newest model on the market at the time, further highlighting just how much wealth his family had. “I’ve got a normal phone number though. ” After saying that he rattled off his number and the pair started to leave the Diamond wing of the school. “But yeah, text me. I’d be cool to hang out again.” Leo had to hold back from saying that he would love to hang out since it seemed a bit too sappy to say that. And he was not a sappy person so the very idea of being that honest was unappealing.

“See you Jae-seong!” Leo said as they parted, his training in art techniques from around the world helping him properly pronounce his new friends name the way it was supposed to be. It was a small thing, but being able to say things in other languages without too much of an accent was something Leo prided himself on. Sure, he had been having other languages mixed into his education since he first learned about art, but it was a good talent to have at Drexel since only a portion of the class was from English speaking countries.

Leo walked away from the Diamond building and Jae-seong in a surprisingly good mood… perhaps even optimistic? It was odd to feel this way, but it was a welcome change. Life was a terrible, pointless act that was more pain and sweat than it was rewards or joy, but little things like victory and friends made it easier to get through. Up until now though, Leo was severely lacking both, but perhaps that would change? With Jae-seong he had the first time in a long time to make a friend. And with this competition there was a chance that he would find victory over Derek. What could be better?

Although he probably looked like the fool, the thought of beating Derek at painting made him smile. “What are you so happy about Leonardo?” a far too familiar voice said with a singing like tone, and just like that, the smile and sense of optimism vanished in an instant and Leo turned and looked down the hall. There, leaning against a wall, was a young boy with ruffled blonde hair, green eyes, and his Diamond uniforms coat hung over one of his shoulders rather than properly tucked in like it was supposed to be.

“Derek.” Leo shortly said, his fists immediately tightening into a ball at the sight.

Sauntering over, Derek held out his backpack, “Got some time to spare before class?” Class was in five minutes. There was no time to take Derek to class then trek back over to the other side for Public Speaking even if he ran the entire time.

“Plenty” Was all Leo said, his hand clenching his greatest enemies backpack as he loyalty followed Derek back to the Diamond wing.