Opposites Attract..?
As the small glass ball bounced from wall, to floor, then back to hand, Jack's eyes were locked upon the three newcomers to his semi-private sanctuary. From what little research he could conduct of the campus, he had figured this would be the most private spot to indulge in his favorite outdoor activity. Apparently some students actually dared to go near the administration office — let alone behind it. Granted, this was the way towards the practice grounds, but that was on the other side of the small but wide building. There would be nothing to bring them over here unless they were looking for something. Judging by the tennis ball in the one girl's hand, they were clearly looking for the same as he was. A small smirk grew on Jack's face. Well, if they were looking to entertain themselves, he supposed he could spare some time to act as host. Jack's threw the his glass ball at the wall once more as he lifted his right arm to peer at his watch. Sky was late. This was not a new occurrence, but a rare one. Was was more worrying was that she had not given word of her lateness. Of course, he knew exactly where she was and what she was doing, but that was no excuse. He would have to reprimand her later. Jack's eyes returned to the three students whose eyes were fixed upon his glass ball. Two girls and a boy — fresh meat.
***
The small glass ball continued it's usual pattern for a few moments. Wall. Floor. A short distance away. Repeat. The question of the girl that had called out went completely unanswered as the seemly uninterested ball continued its rotation. Then, without warning, the pattern came to a screeching halt. The small glass ball was once again flung at the wall by an unknown force, but this time it did not rebound onto the ground beneath it. Instead, the ball's speed was greater; the force behind it increased. It had a new target. The small ball whistled through the air as it headed straight for the hand of the girl that had called out to it. The small glass ball rammed into the tennis ball she held, causing it to fly out of her hand and a few feet away.
The glass ball slowly rose in the air, stopping to hover in front of the young woman's face. It stayed there for but a quick instance, before darting behind her and at the now dropped tennis ball. Upon reaching its target, the glass ball halted once more. A sound similar to a glass bottle being crushed underfoot permeated the air as a crack began to form along the center of the ball. The crack widened greatly to show the shiny jagged teeth of the glass ball, as is pounced upon the tennis ball. With one swift motion, the glass ball chomped on the fuzzy green ball, engulfing it completely it its crystal clear maw. Then, it swallowed. The green ball vanished to the sound of a loud belch that came from the tiny glass sphere. The ball, satisfied, rose into the air once more, mouth closed with no sign of it ever existing. It hovered lazily back in front of the three students in its midst, as it waited, seemingly interested in their reactions.
I look on at the glass ball, somewhat astonished at the events that just took place. I actually found myself asking if the glass ball was jealous, and wanted us to play wall ball with it instead. I guess weird questions like this come up in magic schools.
"You know, if you wanted us to play with you, you didn't have to destroy a perfectly innocent tennis ball."
Noémi looked disinterested at the display. In a world where magic is an everyday occurrence, something that would normally defy all logic was meant with a cold stare and a disinterested glance. In fact, it made her more than a little mad at the strange glass ball, since such a thing was interfering with her original reason for even coming behind the building. She didn't speak though, she felt that the ball (and subsequently its owner) didn't deserve to be acknowledged by her.
Haruka just frowned at the current sight he had just witnessed… From what he had observed, that glass ball definitely had some magical properties, and could possibly be sentient. Either that, or someone else was controlling the thing, but these things were just uncertain to him. Right now he was having a hard time trying to acknowledge that something like that even existed, but of course, he had yet to fully experience what magic could do if used right… There was always room for the unknown.
Incredulity. Masked fury. Confusion. These were definitely the freshest of freshmen. Jack smiled to himself as he continued to observe the students. The question now what what did they know. All three of them certainly knew that his trick with the ball was magic, but it was obvious to him that they had no idea what kind. Jack squinted at the three of them. After a moment, he realized exactly how little the three of them knew. He could see the faint traces left by the divination chalice — the magical artifact used to show one's mana nature. These children must have just come from their first class and introduction to magic. Judging by the mixture of moon mana, it must have been Evangeline's lesson. Quiet woman; didn't seem to like Jack much. Then again, very few people liked Jack much. Jack's smile widened. The children weren't running away, which was a good thing. If Sky wouldn't have the time to get here, he might as well recruit new partners. With a flick of his wrist, Jack spun the tennis ball on the tip of his finger.
***
The glass ball merely continued to hover in front of the students. Their expressions were reflected in the ball's shiny surface, which grew in size at the ball started to move. Without any warning, the ball flashed forward, lightly bonking Laika on the forehead. Not wasting any time, the ball rebounded, and few towards Noémi and Haruka, striking them as well. Finished with its mission, the ball returned to it's usual hovering position. This time, however, the ball was not crystal clear. Light had begun to emanate from the center of the small sphere. Slowly, the light began to twitch and warp as a shape started to form. After a moment, a small, yellow, five-pointed star shone from within. The start twinkles for a few seconds, before breaking down, returning to the formless light. The next shape to form was a forked, neon blue lightning bolt, before it too broke down, only to be replaced by a tiny replica of a brilliantly shining sun. The content ball allowed the light inside to freely rotate between shapes as it waited, once again, seemingly wanting to see the reactions of the children.
Haruka was a little caught off guard when the glass ball struck him on the head, though it seemed like it didn't mean any harm from what he could tell anyways… Interesting enough, it started emitting a strange light and produced the image of a small, yellow star glowing inside it. Then came a neon blue lightning bolt and finally, the tiny replica of a shining sun. Scrutinizing these shapes for a moment, he quickly realized it was a visual representation of what their mana element was. It was intriguing indeed that it could detect something like that, but what both worried and interested him further was what else it could do.
Unlike Haruka, I was completely unaware of the connection between the shapes that were forming, and our mana natures. Instead I was slightly peeved that the ball had become a minor annoyance. Lunging for the glass ball, I try to catch it in my hands. If I am successful, I will throw it towards the wall.
Noémi looks around for the tennis ball, wondering if it just dropped somewhere, so they can ignore this strange individual and go back to their game.
Jack chuckled to himself. He was enjoying this game. It had been such a long time since Sanctuary closed its doors. Jack had forgotten how much entertainment children could be. Clueless balls of potential, grasping — sometime literally — at things that couldn't understand without any trace of fear. His journeys with Sky had been entertaining in their own way, but this was different. This, was harmless. This he could indulge in and no one would get hurt. At least, physically. Sometimes an ego could take a blow or two, depending on personalities. Jack's eyes were locked on the short girl with the dark haired ponytail who was currently trying to grab his glass ball. Swiftly Jack lifted an arm. The tennis ball he had been spinning on his finger moved into the position of the glass ball, and Jack's smile grew as he watched the oblivious girl take it and throw it at the wall behind him.
***
The tennis ball, thrown with anger born from confusion, irritation, and frustration sailed towards the wall with tremendous speed. With a soft 'thock', it smacked into the wall rebounded back towards the girl where it flew past her and her companions before hitting the ground. It bounced up, and continued to travel with a few more bounces as it rolled further and further away. The glass ball, still glowing with light as the three shapes inside continued in their rotation, slowly rose and fell in a rhythmic pattern. Its owner, who was tossing it in his right hand, was no longer staring at the three children. His eyes were locked on the tennis ball. Taking his other hand, which had been resting in the pocket of his large brown overcoat that was covering a well-kept black suit and matching tie, the man lifted it to the back of his head, where he placed it on the back of his head where it was covered in his untidy brown hair and began to scratch it in apparent confusion.
"I'm not sure what your ball did to you kiddo, but it sure didn't deserve that," Jack said in a matter-of-fact way.
I look quite surprised as a middle-aged man suddenly appeared to speak to me. While I'm not the most observant person in the world, I'm pretty certain that he wasn't there before unless he is a ninja of hiding in plain sight. Part of the reason I even decided to come here for wall ball was because it was flat and free of obstructions. Well, regardless, he is here, so I don't want to cause any misunderstandings.
"Well, ummmm. It isn't really that big a deal. Balls are made to be thrown right? I just wanted to play wall ball so…" I don't know why I'm so nervous, so I amend my behavior,
"Anyway, this ball kinda ate our other ball, so I figured we may as well use it." It suddenly clicks that the symbols on the ball corresponded to our mana natures, and I feel fairly stupid for not noticing sooner. Continuing my thought,
"I didn't see you come over. Who are you? Did you want to play with us?"
Haruka was about to stop Laika from grabbing the glass ball, still a little cautious of how it might react. Though before he could do so, Laika had already thrown the glass ball and shortly afterwards, the glass ball rather violently "ejected" the tennis ball, flinging it at wall at an alarmingly fast speed. It's momentum was thankfully negated when it bounced back but it had just barely missed Laika's head and kept on bouncing and rolling further way. Looking towards the ball for a moment, he started to run after it, managing to intercept it before it rolled too far away. Then, he returned to the others noticing that someone else, presumably the owner of that strange glass ball had presented himself. Without talking, he quietly observed him as he talked with Laika, wondering who he was.
Noémi watched the spectacle, before speaking up herself.
"I would like to know myself what happened to the tennis ball. My acquaintances and I were to play a game, and I will not tolerate any interruptions." Noémi knew his type, she had seen it before with those of her extended family. People who thought that their talents with magic made them better than others, and would take any opportunity to remind those around them how much better than they were. Of course she didn't realize the hypocrisy that it could be applied to her, but she did know that she disliked this person, and would be nothing but trouble for her and her friends… well, acquaintances.
Jack's smile persisted as he watched the only male in the group silently run after the now run away tennis ball. His two companions, on the other hand, were much more verbal on the situation. Jack returned his gaze toward the two girls. Their questions and attitudes could not be more polar opposite. The one who had thrown the ball seemed to be more curious about the situation at hand, while her opposite appeared to merely be annoyed. The former had shown the expected response, given her previous actions. The girl was a bit slow-witted, but kind and genuine at heart, it seemed. Her partial ramblings reminded Jack of Sky, in a way. Jack found the latter's indignity rather amusing. It was rare to encounter a person who was foolish enough to choose to remain ignorant of their situation and merely expect their proposed status quo to continue unabated. Jack had the feeling that this one would have trouble once it came time for them to have real classes. The inability to chance was one of the worst curses one could have. The boy, on the other hand, seemed to be more of the curious and cautious type. Not asking any questions himself, he allowed the other two to do the talking for him. It was a good tactic, given the situation.
Jack let his glass ball drop into his hand after a toss, before flicking his wrist and, like the tennis ball, made the small clear sphere spin and balance on his index finger. Despite the rotations, the images inside were still perfectly visible and not rotating along with the ball itself. Jack lowered his other hand back to his pocket and smiled at the white haired girl. "
Well kiddo, it would appear as if your tennis ball is right there," Jack shifted his gaze from the girl to the brown haired boy for a moment,
"and I'm so sorry to interrupt your proceedings, your highness; please forgive me." Jack gave the girl a wide smile for a moment before addressing the other girl.
"My name is Mr. Roman, and I'm one of the teachers here. Don't bother asking of what — none of you will be sitting in my room for a very long time. The paperwork alone to become eligible is a nightm- never mind. Not important." Jack's smile faltered slightly at the thought of paperwork, but it came back strong as he continued.
"What is important, in that the three of you seemed to have interrupted my solo game of wall ball. I would like to know what you think the appropriate punishment for this terrible transgression should be. Any suggestions?"
I'm largely surprised by this mystery man at first. I'm not sure what gave me this feeling, but it was almost like I could feel an awesome power coming from him. It wasn't just his mana either, his observational presence was totally overwhelming. Wait, hold on. I know this feeling… I've felt it before. A bubbling excitement starts to boil within me, I can't believe I didn't recognize him sooner! I can barely contain myself, as I simply wait for him to stop talking. I can't even really recognize exactly what is being said to me, so what I have to say will likely be completely out of context, but it is hard to stop me once I have something I'm set out to do something. Practically fangirling,
"Mr. Roman, as in, Jack Roman, master of illusion magic, inventor of perception magic, and number one most powerful mage in the world? I can't believe I didn't recognize you immediately. I knew you taught at the school, but I didn't think that I'd get to meet you in a place like this. You are something of a celebrity back home..." I start to blush, realizing that I had another one of my outbursts. Shyly,
"Oh, but I didn't realize that you were already playing here. I'm sorry for disturbing you, but it just looked like the ball was playing with itself, so I didn't know better. I'd really like to play a round of wallball with you, but if you just wanted to play by yourself then I understand." I look upwardly with eyes pleading for just one round.
"Roman?" Haruka thought frowning a little as he tried to remember where he'd heard that name before. Then, it hit him; his foster parents had been talking about some "dangerous individual" named Jack Roman… Supposedly, he was the fourth to be classified as strongest in the world in history so far, or as people more publicly called those individuals "Biological weapons of mass destruction". To add to that it seems he had been a mercenary in the past, a lot of deaths were on his head, mostly of more shady individuals but some other casualties were there too. Looking at Mr. Roman again, he was unsure if this was the same person he was thinking of, but either way, public knowledge is reliable, but it doesn't always inform everyone of everything. Even if Mr. Roman really was the person he thought he was, Haruka decided not to judge him too much from just meeting him. He didn't seem as bad as he'd heard he was supposed to be, but if he was, they'd probably be the first to find out just how bad.
Noémi herself wasn't impressed with the name, though she did know who he was. While her country wouldn't care who Jack Roman was, they learned a bit about him studying popular wizards of the time. To her, he was someone overblown, someone who naturally thought he was better than everyone and expected everyone else to accept it. Well, she wouldn't. Anyone could be a mage of that level with enough time and practice, and she knew very damn well she could surpass him if she put her mind to it. Still, for now, she had to worry about the here and now. She turned to Laika,
"Let's find somewhere else to play if this spot is occupied. We don't need some silly man bothering us, if we are to have fun we can do it without interruptions from anyone".
Jack's smile never changed as he watched the signs of recognition form on the faces of the three children. The dark haired one was the most familiar, but the other two seemed to be equally aware of his clout. The boy had a slight frown that vanished after a few seconds, while the light haired girl's scowl simply grew in intensity. Jack continued to be amazed at how all three of these children were nothing at all alike, personality wise. If these three weren't childhood friends, Jack had to wonder both how this group not only managed to tolerate each other but long enough to actually stick together this long on their first day here. Well, kids would be kids, he supposed. Jack flicked his index finger, causing the glass ball still spinning upon it to fly into the air, where he caught it a moment later. Taking his other hand out of his pocket, Jack reached out and tousled the hair of the dark haired girl, while turning to face the light haired one.
"You know, this 'silly man' could give you detention for your lip, kiddo," Jack said matter-of-factly, though his smile showed this clearly wasn't any threat,
"But there are so many forms fill out... Why does everything at this place have so much paperwork involved? Sanctuary never made teachers deal with this cr-" Jack cut himself off and raised the hand containing his glass ball to his mouth as he cleared his throat. Putting his hand down once again, he continued,
"But, either way, I'm afraid your leaving is out of the question. Your punishment has yet to be decided, but this young lady has given me an idea." Jack pat the dark haired girl on the shoulder.
"My original partner for my game that the three of you interrupted has be locked away in the dungeon by the paper demons, so I was forced to go without. But, three new knights in shining armor have shown up to valiantly take her place and rescue me from my solitude, it would seem. I do believe the three of you are now obligated to play a few rounds with me. What do you think?" Jack's final question was one not directed towards the group at large. His gaze was fixed upon the quiet boy, making it perfectly clear that the other two were not to speak, and that the boy would have to cease his streak of silence.
Haruka stood there awkwardly listening to what Jack said, he really did kind of agree with Noemi there when she told them to find somewhere else to play… However he just stuck around for now, listening to what Jack had to say, he took note of something he cut himself off from saying wondering if that were to come into play later. Then listening on, he also discovered that he was waiting for someone else to play with him though it seems she didn't arrive. So THAT was the reason he was playing here all alone, and it seemed he didn't mind the three of the playing the game with him instead, and in fact they were supposedly "obligated to". The last question he asked seemed to be directed towards him as well. He just shrugged not intending to say anything, however it also seemed like Jack wanted him to speak as he continued staring at him expectantly, so he did
"Sure." he said, keeping the conversation as simple as he could.
Noémi knew herself that such a thing was most likely not something any teacher could just order. But it didn't seem that Haruka or Laika were going to leave, and Noémi really didn't feel like heading off just to find something else to occupy her time. So she simply nodded, glaring at this Jack person the entire time. She'd play his silly game, for now, but she wouldn't like it, she didn't like him, and she would find a reason to make sure he never interacted with her again.
I don't need any further convincing to play wallball with a personal hero of mine. I literally jump up when I hear that Haruka wanted to play, and Noémi didn't storm off in indignation. Animated, I run up closer to the wall,
"Lets get the game started then! Since it is Jack's ball, I guess that means he gets to lead us off."
Jack's smile turned into a short laugh at the boy's single word response. If he was being honest, he hadn't really expected him to spout a fountain of sentences right then and there. The boy was too busy in his own head, most likely. The light-haired girl gave an equally amusing response. Her face showed clear signs of oppositional defiance, but her actions clearly showed something much more sad. He had wondered why this group that seemed to be a bag of opposites had stuck together this long, and he now had his answer. This girl was lonely. She had clearly latched on to the dark-haired girl's blind patience and friendliness and didn't want to have to put in the effort to make any additional friends. The boy was probably in a similar situation, though Jack had the amusing thought that he was more of a prisoner in this case. Gripping his glass ball tightly in hand, Jack began to move away from the three and back towards the wall, if only to have the dark-haired girl dart out in front of him anyway.
"Well, since you came here for this activity anyway, I'm going to assume that the three of you already know the rules to this game," Jack said after he took up his position and was waiting for the other three to follow suit.
"Normally I play with a three strike rule, but since there are so many of you, it will be single outs." Jack tossed his ball again as he placed his other hand to his chin in thought.
"There will need to be some sort of handicap too, since otherwise it won't be fair. The three of you are permitted to use any magic that you know to help you play the game. Attacking other people with the intent to injure is right out, of course. I, myself, will elect to forgo any magic for the most part. Though I may partake in a small boost here or there if only so that I can keep up with you youngsters. I'm getting up in years, you know. Back isn't as sturdy as it used to be..." Jack chuckled to himself as he caught his glass ball, and held it out for the three to see.
"This ball was enchanted specifically for wallball. You will find it to be heavier but faster than your standard tennis ball, and as I'm sure you guessed, the symbol inside is there to show who the ball is closest to upon touching the ground. You've all seen yours, so here is mine." The glass ball now had a fourth symbol in its rotation. After the tiny sun, a small replica of a human brain could be seen, before it turned back into light to reform into the yellow star.
"Alright then, let's line up and get started! Wouldn't want to waste any more time!"
After the three children had indeed taken up their spots, Jack continued,
"I'll be taking up your friend's offer; I'll take the first pitch. Hope you're ready!" Smiling at the three kids, Jack tossed his ball up a final time, before snatching it out of the air in his tightly clenched fist. His eyes were closed, and the smile was now gone from his face. Slowly, Jack widened his stance, and began to draw his ball hand backwards. The air in the small courtyard began to thicken. Rapidly the pressure began to grow, as small pebbles all around began to crack and turn into dust. The grass flattened itself as the very ground itself began to vibrate slightly. Jack's fist containing his ball began to shine with a fierce white light as power began to grow there. Jack opened his eyes.
"Here... We..." Jack said through his returned smile as he wound back his arm,
"GO!"
Ignoring any protests or actions coming from his new opponents, Jack flung his arm forward. The windows of the administration building rattled in their frames from the sheer force of air pressure that exploded from the launched ball. The ball itself rocketed through the space between Jack and wall, it's surface alight with power as its shape flattened from air resistance. The white light that had previously surrounded the ball turned into a streak as the ball made its way towards the wall at blinding speed. Just as the ball was about to smash the admin building to pieces, everything stopped. The air pressure instantly vanished, the sound that could be heard ringing in everyone's ears went silent. The earth once again stood still and the grass reached towards the sky. The ball, all the force behind it reduced to that of a simple toss, hit the wall with a soft 'clink' before rebounding harmlessly off it and rebounding towards the dark-haired girl.
Although I had thought myself adequately prepared for the start of the game, I quickly found that that couldn't be less of the case. Although Jack permitted magic use, it doesn't change the fact that I didn't even know how to release mana from my body yet, much less cast proper spells. I've done fencing, so it isn't like I have a slow reaction time, but I have no idea how I'm supposed to receive a ball traveling at the speed of a fighter jet. Thinking to myself, I try to run closer to Noémi so that there is a greater chance that the ball will be closer to someone else, though at the speed the ball is going, I somehow doubt that I'll even be able to take a step. That is, until the ball suddenly completely changed in speed. And it looks like I won't be able to avoid being responsible for this one, but I'm already going in the wrong direction.
"Just a little magic huh? I'm pretty sure that the admins aren't going to appreciate that throw." Knowing that I've already overcommitted, I start running towards the wall before the ball even touches the ground. Hopefully nobody is ready to throw it back in time.
Haruka watched as the ball flew at the wall with a velocity fast enough to create a sonic boom; it was clearly being influenced by magic. Before he knew it, the ball was almost about to hit the wall, however it's velocity drastically decreased at the last second nullifying the damage it would have done, it bounced off a wall like any other throw would have caused it to do. Seeing that Laika already had the ball, he himself waited to see where it would land if she hit it back, he readied himself to make a move when that eventually would happen sooner or later. Laika didn't seem to have the intention of catching the ball however as it flew right past her without her seeming to mind. Instead it hit the ground, Haruka decided not to be the one to pursue it just yet though and waited for a few moments, still standing there motionless for the moment.
Noémi watches the ball hit the ground. From the looks of it, it lands closest to Laika. Remembering the rules of the game, Noémi runs at it with surprising speed, scooping it up in one hand. Looking at Laika for just a brief moment, she tosses the ball at the wall, with absolutely none of the magic or technique of Jack.
Jack burst out laughing. Either these three kids were incredibly ignorant or incredible dense. Jack assumed it was probably a combination of the two, since none of the three reacted in any way he had anticipated. Throwing an object at supersonic speed didn't seem to raise even the slightest alarm bells in their heads, as none of them had hit the deck or even bothered to brace themselves. Jack supposed that they might have assumed it was a trick, which in fact, it was — while the pressure from a tiny fraction of his raw power was real, the light show and sounds were all part of his created fiction. But having completely recovered from any sort of shock or awe and merely continuing to play as if the building in front of them wasn't about to be blown to smithereens was too funny. These three were going to be a good bunch of kids for this school. Assuming they were able to cope with the learning process, that is.
Jack looked on, the occasional chuckle still escaping him as he watched play continue. The dark haired girl had made a run for the wall, while the light haired one went to grab it as the boy continued his streak of being incredibly neutral and indecisive. The light haired girl hurled a pitch of her own at the wall, but it was not fast enough to stop the dark haired one from touching the wall, thus keeping her in the game. Jack followed the ball's trajectory, and deduced it would be landing near the boy this time. A smile planted itself of Jack face as it seemed as if the boy would finally have to start doing something for himself. A sudden sharp vibration on Jack's left shoulder killed this thought. The smile on Jack's face was replaced with a look of slight confusion. Why on earth would Sky resort to contacting him this way and not in her usual way? Maybe now he would get the reason for her no show. A quick scan of the interior of the main school building told Jack that the woman was still where he had sensed her last. Jack frowned momentarily before sighing. This game would have to be cut short.
Jack suddenly appeared in front of the boy facing him with his usual broad smile on his face. Jack lifted his right hand so that it was slightly above his shoulder, facing his hand towards the wall as he lifted his second to place it atop the boy's head. Giving the boy a solid few pats, Jack closed his fist, catching his glass ball without even having to look.
"I'm afraid a disturbance in the force is going to have to result in this game being postponed," Jack said, looking at the three at large,
"I've been summoned by the princess in the dungeon. But, I am not one as to leave this poor wall wall behind alone without any players; it gets lonely. So, here." Jack reached into his pocket and picked out the dark-haired girl's tennis ball. Tapping it to his own glass one, a small concussion permeated the air as Jack cast his spell. Finished, Jack tossed the ball back to the dark haired girl.
"That should facilitate your play in the absence of a ref." Putting his glass ball back into his pocket, Jack lifted his hand and gave a small wave of farewell.
"Ta ta kids; I'm sure I'll see you around in the future." With that, Jack vanished.
Haruka watched as the ball bounced in his direction, assessing how he would go about intercepting it. Though before he could make a move, he noticed Jack seemed to have lost his smile, and was now frowning, even sighing a little. Then, Jack suddenly seemed to appear in front of Haruka with his smile back raising one hand towards the wall and unexpectedly raising the other and placing it on-top of his head. Haruka looked rather awkward but smiled nonetheless as he received two pats on the head before Jack told them the game has to be postponed; it seemed he had other matters to attend to. However before he left, he thankfully gave Laika her tennis ball, casting some sort of spell on it beforehand. Then, with a small wave and a word of farewell, he just seemed to vanish before Haruka could even wave back. Instead of doing so at what was now practically thin air, he just stood there, wondering where Jack could be off to.
As I run back from the wall, already breathing more heavily than usual with my sprint to the wall, however, it seemed that Jack had already been ready to leave. Quite a shame too since we only just began our game. Plus, although I had idolized Jack for a while, I didn't realize just how eccentric a character he was until I met him in person. For someone who in his books stresses the rules of illusionary magic, it didn't seem like he thought twice about using it against us. I mean, it was mostly harmless, but certainly gave me a different impression of him. I guess he just likes to keep things fun, so it isn't like I can't relate to that. After all, it is obvious on my face exactly how happy I am when I have my tennis ball enchanted with the rules of wallball. I wanted to express my thanks, but Jack ended up leaving before I had the chance. Now with the ball in my hand, I call out to others,
"So, round 2?"
Looking back at the others, Noémi simply shrugs when Jack disappears.
"Such an awful sounding man, I do hope I never have to take his class." She looks over at the ball in Laika's hand, and shrugs.
"I don't mind continuing, I was hoping our game would not have been interrupted in the first place, so long as there are no further interruptions then I suppose a few rounds will not hurt". She ponders a bit at that man though, wondering if the rumors about him were true based on what she saw, but quickly pushed any thoughts of that out of her mind. For now, she'd lose herself in the fun of the game, and not worry about things she could not change, at least for the moment.
Now that Laika had the ball again, she seemed like she was still up for playing in Jacks absence. Haruka nodded when she asked if they wanted to try their hand at "round 2", but he didn't say anything. He decided to focus on the game for now and talk later.
Laika is filled with energy as she draws her hand back quite overdramatically as if she was trying to make the throw more fun,
"In that case…" Laika throws the ball with all her force towards the wall to get the game started,
"Let the game begin!"
Noémi darts away from the ball with surprising speed, more agile in her dress than she appears. As the ball hits the wall and falls to the ground, she moves past Haruka, ensuring Haruka is closest to the ball when it lands.
Haruka starts running right as the ball was starting to land, he put in more effort to get to that ball in time. It was a close call, but he managed to catch the ball with just a little distance to spare. Then, he froze for just a moment, calculating his throw quickly before he threw the ball right at the wall. He made sure to use just enough force for it to bounce back a short distance from the wall; he'd rather not have the thing fly straight past him.
Laika sees a chance to go for the ball again, and takes it. She notices that Noemi ran out quite a distance, so this would be a good chance to get her tired out. As the ball comes down, Laika is well prepared to catch it, and throws a quick ball to sail past her. Immediately after, Laika moves close to the wall to avoid becoming too close to the ball.
Noémi doesn't even stutter, she easily plucks the ball out of midair and tosses it, the ball hitting the wall directly over Laika's head and bouncing to the ground behind her.
The game continues like this for a good half-hour. Laika was the first to get knocked out when she accidentally threw the ball back to herself. Haruka was next, who tired out from all the running he did to keep up with the surprisingly athletic Noémi. With the first game over, it was already noon.
Harkua sighed a bit and smiled
"Good game… Sorry I couldn't keep up…" he said between breaths… It had been a good while since he'd run around like this, especially considering how fast Noémi was compared to him. He'd really need to work on this skill if he were to keep up with the others during a sparring session at some point later on.
Laika pouts playfully,
"I probably should think more about where I'm throwing the ball." Looking towards Noémi with excitement,
"But gosh you know how to run in a dress. You made it look like you were wearing nothing at all."
Noémi blushes at the compliment.
"I certainly was wearing something, thank you very much. But it is nothing to me, my family places such a strict importance on being the best, naturally I stay in shape as much as possible." Hardly panting at all, she picks up the ball and hands it to Laika.
"Now that it is noon, I find myself growing hungry. Perhaps we should head to the cafeteria and see if this school can produce any edible food? I will try to keep my expectations low".
Haruka just nodded feeling his stomach growl faintly… He was thankful no-one else had heard that. Contrary to what Noémi thought, he was hopeful that the Cafeteria would serve some decent tasting food at the very least. Despite the rather discriminative environments he'd lived in, most of the school cafeterias he had gone to produced fine tasting foods… He was almost certain this place would do the same.
Laika takes a bit too much pride in having made Noémi blush. It is kind of amazing that she is able to keep herself so composed when she is feeling so bashful. Plus, like Laika, Noémi seemed to be pretty athletic. Even after all that running, she was still going. Though, another thing they had in common was hunger. After all, using up all that energy means that the tank needs to be refilled.
"Well, from what I've heard, the food here is pretty budget friendly type food since they don't charge students for meals. They don't make a lot of really fine dishes because there is a town so nearby with a lot of different kinds of places to eat. While eating out might be fun every now and then, I'm kinda hungry now, so I'd rather eat here."
Noémi frowns at that.
"I am not used to eating foods that aren't a very high quality. Still, I do not wish to travel far for my meals, and if I am forced to stay at this school, then I may as well learn to deal with food that is not always of the highest possible caliber." She motions in the general direction of the cafeteria, starting ahead of the other two.
"Shall we get going then? If you do not hurry, I am more than content leaving you both behind".
Without any further encouragement, Haruka started to walk towards the Cafeteria, however he kept his pace slow for now, waiting for the others to follow suit. He didn't exactly fancy going through a crowd without at least one person who was somewhat familiar to him.
Laika happily follows both Haruka and Noémi to the cafeteria, more than eager to get her fill. Thanks to the multiple areas to get food, it doesn't take long for the entire gang to get their chance to order something. Laika decides that a simple cheeseburger sounded nice for today, and takes it back to an empty table.
Looking at the options available briefly, Haruka settled for a grilled cheese sandwich, he usually didn't need to eat all that much to get around. Plus, it was always one of his most favorite foods that he ate yet. Though oddly enough, most Cafeterias he'd been to didn't serve them very often, so this was a rare delight for him. Scanning the tables around briefly, he decided to sit with Laika as there weren't too many other empty tables out there.
Noémi couldn't decide on what to get, so forgoing the main entrees altogether, she decided to simply eat off of the salad bar. Taking her food with her to the table the other two sat at, she picked wistfully at the salad.
"Definitely not what I am used to, but there really doesn't seem to be anything better. Oh well, food is food in the end, I suppose…"
Laika looks on with concern at Noémi, seeing her get such a light meal after all the playing we just did. Unintentionally mispronouncing Noémi's name wrong,
"Nowmi, I know you aren't used to the food, but are you really going to be ok on just a salad?"
Noémi looks over at Laika.
"I am fine, I am used to eating this little. There is no room in my family for those who eat gross amounts of food, I'm sure you understand. Also it is pronounced No-ay-mi, not this Now-mi or however you say it. Please learn to say it properly, it is not hard to do". She finishes only half of her salad before setting it aside, clearly done with her meal already.
Laika pouts playfully,
"Do I have to? I mean, it sounds so cute like this, yet still has a little bit of vigor in it. Kinda like a pet dragon. I mean, I guess it would be mean to call you something you didn't like, but Nowmi is the kinda name that gets guys to turn around. Right Haruka?"
Haruka felt himself flushing a deep shade of red
"U-Uh… I-I can't say for sure…" he said, sounding more than a little awkward in this situation. He had finished eating half of his sandwich and had the other half held in his hand just as this was going on.
Noémi shook her head with disgust at Laika.
"My name is not supposed to be cute, it is a name of respect. And why should I care what any disgusting male thinks? I do not care what others think, my name is my own and I am proud of it, and I do not want to hear it being made fun of" She glares at Laika over the table.
Laika looks somewhat apologetically towards Noémi,
"Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like I was making fun of you. I just thought it would be cute to have something like a nickname for you, but I guess that was just me trying to be friendly with you too quickly. I'm sorry." Laika also gives a glance over to Haruka as to say, "Sorry for getting you involved."
Haruka still looked a bit flustered and raised his hands slightly to signal to Laika that all was well… The entire thing had just caught him off-guard really. He continued to eat the rest of his sandwich a little slower than before being rather neat about it. This was something his parents had always taught him to do; as a child he had been quite the messy eater to say the least.
Noémi sighed at Laika's words.
"Obviously you are jumping to conclusions, but I won't speak any more about it. Let me know once both of you are finished eating, I do not know my way around the school and do not now how to get to our room, if I am indeed sharing it with both of you I must figure out how much space I will need for my things." She sat back and waited for the two to finish eating, glancing around at the cafeteria, obviously not impressed.
Laika seems to find that talking with Noémi means accepting that either she will be rewarded or shut down, with absolutely no middle ground. She really is a pretty harsh and demanding person, so sometimes she can be really hard to be around. Even still, since she is living with Laika, she will have to learn to look past it. Already Laika finds herself reframing Noémi's words, saying things to herself like, "We were going to do that anyway, just ignore the harshness." Nearly finished with her food,
"Well, I don't mind showing you around since I already have a feel for the place." Suddenly Laika remembers,
"Oh that is right, Haruka, you didn't have a chance to unpack either."
Haruka nodded slowly remembering he had forgotten to sneak away to unpack his belongings… Well, if he were to be truthful, they'd figure out his strange dressing habits sooner or later, and plus, it shouldn't be that bad, right?
Noémi nods, seeing them almost done eating.
"Very well, we'll go as soon as you're done. I would not mind a nap as well, I'm already terribly exhausted. I am not used to the different timezone yet, plus our earlier game has tired me out. Hopefully the dorms are to my liking, though knowing how the rest of the school has been, I sincerely doubt it."
Laika seems to withdraw a bit,
"Its ok for you to leave without me. I think I might want seconds, and Haruka already knows the way back." Plus, Haruka was pretty nervous around Laika before, so it was probably better for me to stay behind. Laika didn't actually want seconds, but all this awkward together time was starting to bother her, and she wanted a bit of space. Even despite this, she didn't want to tell them that, neither through words nor body language.
Haruka nods again, feeling a little more nervous about unpacking… Perhaps he should wait some more? It's not like they'll think that's any stranger than what they'd see if he unpacked, right? He started to make his way towards their dorm, perhaps he could just unpack when Noémi had dozed off or something.
Noémi follows Haruka to the dorm, not even bothering to see what Laika is doing. As she arrives, she opens the door first, and peers inside.
"Gosh, this is a small room, such a disappointment". She goes to the third bed sitting in the corner of the room, the one that Haruka and Laika haven't claimed yet, and sits on the bed, looking around.
"Hmm, along with everything else in this school, I am disappointed, but I suppose I can try and make do". She starts muttering to herself, completely ignoring Haruka.
Haruka just lay down on his own bed, not bothering to unpack just yet. Instead, he stared off at the ceiling, lost in thought about why Laika was suddenly feeling the way she was. Not to mention how exactly he was going to pull off keeping his set of clothes concealed from the other two.
With surprising efficiency Noémi has her things unpacked in only a few short minutes, and while Haruka is lost in his thoughts, lays on the bed and immediately falls asleep, after only a few seconds of closing her eyes.
After a while, Haruka looks towards Noémi, noticing that she had remarkably unpacked while he had zoned out. He also noticed she was more or less asleep, he took this opportunity to unpack, walking quietly towards his bag and opening it up. First of all, he pulled out the practically identical sets of clothes which he wore not really noticing anything different about any of them. He carefully places them as close the the edges of the closet as he could mention so they'd not be so visible unless all the clothes on the ends of the wardrobe were taken off all of a sudden. Then, he lay back down on his own bed again figuring he'd take a nap himself.
While Haruka and Noémi went back to the room to get their things put up and unpacked, Laika had started to walk around the courtyard. She still had so much energy that she found herself restless, yet at the same time felt pretty tired. Feeling like the exercise would do her good, Laika starts to jog around the courtyard, then finds a path to a nearby lake that looks like it would be fun to explore. Convinced nobody is around, Laika starts thinking out loud,
"Getting along is really tough isn't it? I know we just met and everything, but why does Noémi keep pushing me away so hard. Plus, I just feel like a bully whenever I talk to Haruka. He is so frightful and reserved, it is kinda hard to believe his nature is sunlight. I'm trying to keep things fun and spontaneous, but that approach just doesn't seem to work at all with them. Maybe I should just dial myself down a bit. I know I can be a pain to deal with, but I would really like having some friends…" Laika continues jogging, looking over the lake as if it held some of the answers she was looking for.
Soon enough, Haruka had dozed off himself sleeping quietly on his own bed… His dreams were filled with confusion, and even regret. Soon enough, he was tossing and turning every once in a while, but thankfully his stirring didn't make too much noise.
