the Sineclave

Title: so far I've just dubbed it "The Sineclave" 01/?
Authors: beautifuldorian & midnightsfall
Rating: Eventually R; so far PG-13
Verse/Fandom: Original, Eidolonia
Summary:

Two very different young men are forced to share a room when attending school. Thus, the chaos that ensues when one makes friends with the cool crowd... a story of prejudice, romance, growing up, pretty boys, and other shit we haven't decided on yet.

Danielle by Lady Chance
All others by Lady Entropy
Eidolonia and everything within copyright 2006 Lady Entropy
contact at kittiklaw yahoo DOT com
OR
. com

Part One: Roommates

The great sign on the edge of the street read "The Sineclave, Academy of Magic". The School itself was, simply put, huge. Carved seemingly from a single gargantuan block of white marble, it went up for six stories and descended into the ground for three more. The intricate figures and drawings that swirled over its surface, and the looming cat statues on the roof, declared it a school, watched over by the feline spirit of wisdom and curiosity.

Airy yet still imposing, the massive double doors loomed over the street, the stairs that led up to them meticulously scrubbed. Here in the better side of the City, there were students streaming up and down the stairs, of all ages and races.

The dormitories were actually in a separate building, one that had to be reached by going all the way through the school, or so the scroll said when it arrived with a map to the new students. Many of the younger students staring up at the magic academy looked intimidated, with wheeled cases in tow behind to contain their possessions for their first year of school. It was easy to tell which were there for the first time - they gawked like country cousins, while the older students merely raced up the steps, laughing and talking and hailing old friends. The entire grounds had an air of cheerful intensity, a somber dignity that seemed not at all lessened by the jubilance of its younger students.

Many of the adults that went up and down were also students; some were teachers. A great deal of people passing by had tails, or wings, or were in brilliant colors as though an artist had upended their palette upon them. It was a busy center point of interaction, with knots of disparate people talking to each other readily. Here stood a tall man speaking to a tiny woman with neon-striped hair and a huge black cat; there were two men with leathered wings and demon horns exchanging witty banter with a delicate young man who turned heads everywhere he went.

It was completely, unbelievably, dizzyingly overwhelming, and all Hitomi could do was stare with his mouth hanging open. For once his sister was quiet, too, standing next to him in much the same state of shock. People streamed around them to both sides, there at the base of the stairs where the level cobbles of the street ended and the seamless marble of the Sineclave began.

Looking up at it, even Danielle had to admit it was impressive. He didn't like to. To do so threatened his haughty, holier-than-thou air in a way he hadn't been prepared for. People were one thing, but places... It was overwhelming, to say the least, and it took everything in him to not stare too stupidly. He decided that wasn't too bad, since everyone else was too caught in staring, themselves, to pay him much mind. He longed for a moment when there weren't other people around, so he could admire it properly. He hadn't ever seen anything quite like it.

As it was, he stood off by himself, regarding those who didn't look to be entirely person with disdain, whenever he could spare a moment from the breathtaking structure before him. There weren't many of these moments, so there was a little more disdain in them than there might have been otherwise, to make up for it.

A man with white-tipped rusty ears and three fluffy fox tails brushed past Danielle, but before he could react, a massive bell in the tallest tower that stretched up over the street began to ring with a deafening clang. Many of the ogling students jumped, and began to hurry upward; the white-furred and golden-haired girl standing right in front of Danielle raced upward. Her brother, shorter and dark-furred and haired, stumbled after her, but tripped on a step and pitched forward onto his face. His bag left there on the step, he scrambled to get to his feet. To their credit, the people around didn't step on him or his things; and after a moment a tall man with spectacles stopped to help him up.

The bell continued to ring, and Hitomi gathered his things with a babbled thank-you to the professor who'd stopped, and raced inside, toward the dormitories. Once inside the massive doors, the hallways were vaulted and the main one led straight forward, to a courtyard; the compound was shaped like a horseshoe, the gardens and trees in the courtyard stretched up to the paved walk paths that went from one of the huge buildings to the other. These were brick, two mirror images that went up for three levels and had countless neat rows of windows.

It seemed only the younger students were headed in this direction; most of the first-years stopped to stare again. Fortunately, there was another professor there to greet them, a lovely young woman with hair the color of fire, and a cheerful smile. "If this is your first time here, come over here!" she called, voice booming loudly through the crowd. Some of the smallest students immediately obeyed; others moved more slowly, still staring up at the intricate brickwork.

Danielle found he was grateful to be told what to do. He even sighed in relief, but smothered it quickly. Those emerald eyes lingered on the architecture for a long moment- just so he could think about it later, and not forget just how amazing it had been-, before he gathered himself and went to follow with the rest of the first-years, quietly muttering under his breath- something about it being about damn time-, and walking with his hair- cornsilk blonde, and falling in thick tresses to his waist- in his face. It was a wonder he didn't walk in to anyone. All things considered, actually, he probably did, but he didn't bother to apologize for it. He felt he was above the need for that. If he walked in to them, it had to be because they were in his way, and not because he was being careless and inconsiderate. Anyone who thought differently just didn't know any better.

"Welcome to the Sineclave, the premier magical academy this side of the world. I'm Elaine, and I'll be your professor in the Illusionary arts. Now, you'll be there for the next six years, so I suggest you all make an effort to be civil to your fellow students. Harassment of any kind isn't allowed here. You'll report to the dormitories as listed on your schedules; girls to the east wing, boys to the west. Ladies, the woman in charge of your dorm is Madame Legii, here." The fire-haired woman motioned to a tiny, wrinkled old lady with frosty hair, who motioned the first year girls off to the right. The little dark-haired cat boy watched his sister walk away, more than a little nervous, and now that he had time to stop and think, he was getting a little scared.

"Gentlemen, your superintendent of living space is Mr. Kisell, and he'll be showing you around your building." The man she motioned forward was tall, stern-faced, and had massive wings covered in white feathers. He looked down his long nose at them, and sighed, before gesturing for them to follow and turning smartly up the bricked path to the boys' dorm. Hitomi - and the others - scrambled to follow.

Danielle hesitated, but only for a moment. He hadn't expected so many people who weren't all people, and he certainly hadn't expected to be forced to deal with any of them. He was beginning to suspect his mother had lied, just to make sure he went. His grumbling darkened, and he walked quickly to catch up. Displeased as he might have been, he knew better than to risk getting in trouble- or worse, lost. Being lost was the worst thing that could possibly happen, and he was determined to never, ever let it happen. It was a loss of control that he wouldn't allow himself to have. So he hurried, but he still hung back a little, eying the other boys and picking out those he desperately hoped he would not have to share a room with. Most of them were included on the list.

Only about half of the forty or so boys streaming through the doors after Kisell looked as though they had extra parts - wings, tails, and strange colors, too tall or too short. The man was saying something about an alphabetical order, and a number on their schedules. Paper rustled as they rummaged as a whole in bags and rucksacks for their schedules. He detailed some of the rules - no vandalism, no fighting, a curfew, that sort of thing - and informed them where the mess and showers were, as well as what time the bells rang. Some of the more industrious students were scribbling down notes as he spoke. "Tomorrow morning," he finished, "there is an assembly for the first-years. Your map shows the auditorium. There, the Professor will address you, and you will then commence classes.

At any time you are not in classes, you are to be accounted for. You are our responsibility and you therefore answer to me while you are within these walls. Now, off to your rooms!" In a mass panic, the group of boys split and began to go up and down the hallways. The first-years had residence on the third floor, in the southern half of the building; like a herd they trundled upward, most of them cowed into hushed whispers by their uncertainty as they moved. Hitomi didn't talk to anyone as he went; he just sighed at the sight of the stairs. At least he was already in training. He could already pick out some of the other students who would learn to hate going up and down every day.

It wasn't just having parts Danielle didn't consider belonging to people that made them unworthy as his attention- there was a list of qualifications, and those who didn't pass were passed over. He had kept his papers on hand- no undignified rummaging was allowed-, and he looked over them... and probably walked into a couple more people, without considering being polite about it. He had a sinking feeling about this alphabetical business- it never ended well, he'd heard. He hoped, at the very least, he didn't have to share a room with one of those... freaks, but he knew the chances were slim. He would probably wind up with one, just because someone was trying to spite him. He swore under his breath, looking disgruntled in the manner that generally makes other people walk a step away, when they can manage it. He didn't much like the look of the stairs, either. It was all so much.

Hitomi didn't seem deterred by the stairs. Room number already memories, he replaced his papers in his bag and heaved the heavy sack onto his shoulders. Short and slender or not, he was of the Nyendamo race, and their own personal brand of religion and culture allowed that no child go without martial training and the discipline that came with it. So it was with the deft skill of one used to avoiding blows in a practice arena that he skimmed through the crowd, up the stairs and out of sight. He knew what it was like to have to share a room; he was determined to get to his room first, and lay claim to enough personal space of his own. Sharing with family was bad enough, but a total stranger?

He wanted to be entrenched, knowing that he wouldn't have the guts to tell someone to shove off even if it was necessary. And so he reached the door of number 361 with remarkable speed, ahead of most of the other students who were pushing and shouting amongst themselves. Darting inside, he took stock of the room - bigger than his room at home, with a bed on either wall and a large window, as well as a door on one side that led to a tiny lavatory stall with a small mirror hanging over it. Well-lit and painted a crisp light blue, it wasn't all that horrible a room, and with a sigh of relief he sat down on the bed beneath the window, head spinning. He missed his sister already, and had to fight the urge to immediately start a letter to his mother.

Danielle took his time finding the room- far longer than he really should have. It was time he spent narrowly missing walking in to things, and having to walk right up to the room numbers to read them. He didn't want to take forever getting to his room, but it worked out that way, and when he finally found the right one, he stepped inside and dropped his bag without even looking at the room's other occupant- just headed over to the empty bed and sat down with a relieved sigh. No, he was not going to enjoy those stairs in the future. His mother would be pleased he was getting proper exercise, at least, he mused, flopping down to sprawl out, shoes and all. He didn't seem to realize he wasn't alone, and let himself relax. He figured there must be someone else there already, but they were being quiet, and quiet generally meant unimportant and easily intimidated, which made it all right. From his place on his newly-claimed bed, he dragged his bag over and did a quick rummage, to make certain he hadn't broken anything in dropping it.

As the other boy walked into the room, Hitomi looked up, eyes wide. The blonde looked aloof and disinterested, and the young Nyendamo bit his lip and inched back a little more on the bed. With hair as dark as midnight, and fluffy, furred ears and tail of the same color, he struck all those looking at him as an adorable little thing, with big indigo eyes and a hesitant smile. Taking in his new roommate, he spared a moment for a quick prayer to the fickle god of luck, Miska, and pulled himself up off the bed to begin unpacking. They only had so much time, and he knew very well that the next day the crunch would begin. He kept glancing toward his roommate, hoping that the other boy was just tired and wouldn't always have that pinched, unhappy look to him. Until now he hadn't stopped to worry that he might get stuck with a bully, or someone distasteful, but now it was a valid fear as he set a small cat statue on the pale wood of the standard-issue dresser that sat there. "It's awfully big, isn't it?" he said hesitantly, trying a smile on for size. "The school, I mean." His voice was soft and gentle, and he shifted from one foot to the other as he placed his stacked uniforms neatly into the drawer. Already in one, he made the picture of cuteness in the short pleated skirt and sailor-cut shirt.

Danielle paused in his rummaging, and glanced up at his room mate. He'd hoped the other boy didn't talk. It appeared all his hopes were being dashed. A sneer tugged at the corners of his lips, and he sat up to eye Hitomi, green eyes piercing. He paused for a long moment, and it became clear that, whatever he saw, he disapproved of it. But then, he seemed like the sort of person who disapproved of a lot of things, and wasn't likely to ever change that impression. "Yes. I suppose it is," He replied, before he started taking his personal possessions out of his bag- there wasn't much there - a small cloth-bound book, pencils, and clothing. And that was all. He laid them all out neatly, before he rose to put them away. There were still things in his bag, but they were things that would stay in his bag.

A thought crossed Hitomi's mind as he watched the other boy unpack. What if this was one of those rich kids who'd have his things delivered? The uniform was required, as were certain books for certain classes that the school did not provide. Still, he supposed, it wasn't any of his business, and he finished unpacking by setting a bamboo-framed photograph on his dresser. The picture held a small army of cat-people, all waving and smiling, tails and ears perked and erect. The boy must have had a huge family. Judging by the slightly worn look of his uniform, he was probably not very wealthy, and his books looked second hand in their stack on his dresser. Hopefully that wouldn't be a problem here.

After all, they just lived together - their classes might be different. But he still had an obligation to be polite. "I am very pleased to meet you," he said shyly, wondering if he should offer his hand, and finally he bowed stiffly, hair falling into his face and the fluffy banner of his tail twitching anxiously.

Danielle paused in refolding his uniforms, before he put them away, and eyed Hitomi again for a moment before continuing. It was the look given to someone when the other person doesn't really care what they have to say, and wishes they would just be quiet. "I wish I could say the same," He said, not looking up again. His school things were what he had left in the bag. They were new, and he didn't see any sense in giving anything the opportunity to happen to them before he would have a chance to use them. He would take them out as he needed them. It seemed like the best course of action. Once his clothing was put away, he returned to his bed with his book, casting Hitomi another look, as if to say "You're still there?", when the few manners he possessed wouldn't allow him to.

With a slight frown, Hitomi stemmed his displeasure. He hadn't meant anything by it; it was politeness and common courtesy that demanded he be civil. So he sighed, and tugged on a strand of his hair, whose thick black weight stretched almost to his knees, and tried another smile, though this one was decidedly colder. He would not give this stranger the dignity of knowing that he'd gotten to him, and so he turned back to his stack of personal books - each one treasured and revered for itself and the expense it represented to his family - and stood on his bed to arrange them on the shelf meticulously. He would ignore the other boy if necessary. As he was finishing, the door swung open to reveal a tall young man with a wide grin and light brown hair.

"Hey, you guys must be my neighbors!" he said cheerfully, and waved, golden eyes bright. "I'm Brennan Maddock, I live right across the hall in three-sixty-four. You guys must be pretty close to me in the alphabet. Got names? Dinner bell's about to ring!" Hitomi almost fell off his bed at the startling sight of the stranger, and he hesitated, shyness springing to the fore when confronted with an actual friendly classmate.

Danielle bristled, and neatly placed the last of his clothes in their drawer. There was a shell growing over him, nudged into place by the sound of someone friendly. Friendly people were trouble, he had learned. You couldn't trust nice people. They were too unpredictable. The unkind could be relied on to always be unkind, but even nice people had bad days, and that was when they got you. "You know, you're supposed to knock. It's polite. You could have hurt some one," He said, voice smooth and soft. Calculated and controlled. He walked over to his bed, to tuck that little book beneath his pillow. A diary, perhaps? He certainly didn't seem to want this strange person to know it was there. "I'm Danielle Nalialis, and I do not like nicknames, so that you're forewarned." He crossed his arms while he spoke. Another forced layer of space between him and their unexpected visitor.

The taller boy - who looked like a very lanky thirteen or so, the same age as the two of them - blinked in startlement, and then grinned. "Maybe you shouldn't be stupid enough to stand behind the door," he opined impishly, and added, "So you'd take issue with being known as Dani? Give it a day, and the whole school'll be calling you that," he laughed, grinning. "All my sisters came here, they say it's great, but it'll drive you nuts. How bout you, fuzzy? Got a name? Or is it even in a language that translates from hermit-hick speak?" The smirk he offered Hitomi was a little cruel, and the cat-boy flushed darkly and said nothing, turning back to his things. "Anyway, anyone with a title to their name is joining us in the library after dinner and I thought perhaps I should extend an invitation.

That is, if you're of the Nalialis -I'm- thinking of." Come to think of it, the Maddocks were an influential family from the deep south that few people knew much about. Hitomi tried his best to ignore the other boys, but his ears went back anyway. His mother had warned him about this kind of thing, but he'd been silly enough to hope that it might be a place free of prejudice and slurs anyway. It took all of his willpower to ignore Brennan when he continued. "Oh, I guess it doesn't talk. What'd you do, cheat on the entrance exams?" he taunted, then snickered and shook his head. "See you after dinner, Dani," he crowed, and went to knock on the next door in the hall.

Danielle frowned. He looked... utterly bewildered. The nickname irritated him, but the idea that he wasn't the only one who disliked his roommate because he wasn't entirely a person pleased him, on a level he didn't even realize. It made him brighten just a little, and relax his posture. He grinned over at Hitomi, and it wasn't at all pleasant. "And here I was worried I would have to spend all of my time locked up in here with you. That was silly." More than that, though, he had been worried that this would be a place where they made you treat everyone fairly. He wasn't sure if he could suffer that. It just wasn't in him. All right. From his place on his newly-claimed bed, he dragged his bag over and did a quick rummage, to make certain he hadn't broken anything in dropping it. There was a twinge of guilt, further down than he had any control over, but Danielle ignored it easily. No one was stopping Hitomi from standing up for himself, now were they? Yes, that soothed his conscience, and he continued to look pleased.

Of course, if any professors had caught sight of that behavior, it would have been a detention even now, before the official start of term; such things were staunchly frowned upon. But for those who didn't get caught, there was little to stop them. Hitomi tucked his tail around his waist, trying his hardest not to feel stung by the disdain and superiority in the other boy's smile. "The less time I've to suffer in your hateful company the better," he hissed quietly. "But -my- mother taught me manners, and not to insult people even when they're fully deserving. A true gentleman stands back and allows his disparagers to make fools of themselves without his aid." The little dark-haired boy lifted his chin, and slid the empty mess of his bag under the bed.

He told himself that he didn't care if he wasn't invited to some nobles' party; he could go find his sister and they could explore on their own. He might have said more, but then the dinner bell rang, a deafening noise so close, and he sighed. There would be no sleeping through that in the morning. Without another word for his roommate, he started for the door.

The other boy's words brought another stab of guilt, but this one he quickly squashed without reasoning it out. He didn't need to defend himself. He couldn't admit that he'd just been bested by one of those, either. That was more humiliating and wounding than the words themselves could ever be. He spared a moment to smooth his clothes before he slipped out into the hall, to follow everyone else to dinner. When in doubt, go with the crowd, after all. He found he was looking forward to meeting the other boys. That was nice. It had been a long while since he'd really been looking forward to anything. Having something to look forward to helped him feel a little better- not, he reasoned, that he had anything to feel bad about to begin with.

Upon entering the dining hall along with the group of girls that also straggled through the courtyard, Hitomi made a beeline for his sister, and sat with her on one of the long benches. The airy room was in a wooden building, high-roofed and attached to the kitchens, which backed onto the left leg of the school building itself. It was impossible to get lost; more impossible still to miss Brennan as he waved cheerfully from one of the pine tables where a group of young men sat at one edge. None of their member were furred or winged, though of the half dozen boys, one was black as pitch and had navy blue hair, and three others were quite pretty enough to be girls.

But this was normal enough - more than half of the Chankorians were just as dark in skin, though it was a brown and not a blue - and Brennan seemed to be the leader of this little posse. All of them were well-dressed and groomed, though one had wild red curls that refused to hold still around his freckled face.

On the other side of the mess, where the youngest classes of girls had congregated, Hitomi willingly suffered the cooing of some of the girls his sister had already made friends with. This, at least, he could handle. Out of his eleven siblings, only one other was also a boy - the eldest. With eight younger sisters he knew well how to tolerate girls, and while Haruka chattered away happily at them next to him, he could at least concentrate on the brief prayer before the meal, and then the platters that were carried out by clockwork servants. These were a marvel in and of themselves - some covered neatly in brass, others in glass so that one could see the mess of cogs and pulleys within to make it work.

Danielle had been a little worried about where he was going to sit, but he responded to Brennan's greeting by sauntering over to his table readily enough. He almost smiled, but it fell flat, so he just waved instead, examining the other boys curiously. It was interesting to see all the differences in people, and it fascinated him. He didn't get out much. "Hello," was all he said, when he waved, absently smoothing his clothes again. It felt insufficient. "Again," he added. That felt a little better. He spoke only to Brennan- he didn't like talking to people for a first time, when he could avoid it. It could make for some uncomfortable social situations.

"Boys, this is Dani," Brennan said with a smirk. Dani, this's Keeli," and he nodded to the black youth, who grinned back, teeth startlingly white, sapphire eyes glittering with mischief. "That's Shannon." The redhead waved and winked, brown eyes warm. These boys didn't seem like total cads. "The short-shit there is Julian." A gorgeous young blonde man with an upturned nose and glacially blue eyes made a rude gesture at Brennan before offering Danielle a reserved smile. "And this is my cousin Nicolas." Nico scooted over to make space for Dani between Brennan and himself with a curious grin. He was pale, with black hair and violet eyes. "And -this- is Lysander."

The last boy was short and had blood-red hair, and a sweet enough smile under silver eyes. "Have a sit. I guess you're from the islands, huh? You look it," Brennan observed, taking in Dani with a slight grin. It wasn't often one saw such a pale Chankorian. It was something a sign of rank - only the commoners spent enough time in the sun to become tanned. None of the men here seemed to be too sun-touched - although in Keeli's case it would have been damned hard to tell. All of them seemed welcoming enough; Danielle looked acceptable enough like their standards. It was nice, to belong to something like this. Nico and Julian had resumed a card game as the food was passed down the tables; a second year next to them leaned over and grinned.

"Best enjoy the lazy pace while you've got it, ickle firsties," came the teasing laugh, quickly drowned in the sudden clatter of tableware. This earned a few more rude gestures from the boys, and things settled into an even pace. It was quite easy to hold back and observe the dynamics here; these boys all seemed to know one another relatively well.

Danielle sat down with an annoyed sigh, gathering his hair in one hand to pull it back behind his shoulders. The look he gave Brennan was displeased. "I told you, I don't like nicknames of any kind. My name is Danielle," He spoke quietly, but there was a harsh edge to his voice. He was used to getting his way, no matter who he was talking to. It would be awhile before he adjusted to not being able to get what he wanted just by asking. There it was again... work. He wrinkled his nose and shook his head a little. There was little he disliked more than work. He was not, however, so lost in his musings that he couldn't keep an eye on all the other boys, to figure out who was closest to whom, and why, if he could manage it. Observing people was one of the very few things he enjoyed doing. He wondered if it would seem strange, with so many people here. He hoped not. "I told you that. I don't like being ignored. But yes, you are correct."

"Ohhh, he's got balls," Shannon snickered, and just like that he was accepted without question. A laugh rippled around the table.

Brennan passed Danielle a plate of what looked like rice studded with raisins and walnuts. "Yeah, well, keep 'em in your pants," he snorted, but he didn't seem at all angry at Dani for correcting him. "I call Julie Julie, and he hasn't skinned me yet."

Julian looked up from his cards, and he growled faintly. "I'll be looking up spells for it first thing in the morning, if you don't cut it out." Brennan merely burst out laughing, and Julian cast Danielle a cross look. "He calls people whatever he feels like," he muttered, looking disgruntled. Nico reached over to pat his shoulder reassuringly. Lysander shook his head, readjusted the silver spectacles on his nose, and turned the page in his book. Keeli nudged Shannon and the two of them began a game of toss-the-roll, at least until it landed on Lysander's book, and the little redhead snatched it out and pelted it at Keeli's head. It bounced off and flew onto the next table over as Keeli let out a startled curse.

When it came flying back, Brennan immediately grabbed the whole basket of rolls. "What say we show those bitches what for?!"

Nicolas plucked the basket out of his hands. "You are NOT getting suspended first day for starting a food fight," he said firmly, and his tone brooked no dissension. Brennan pouted at him, but he did not waver.

"Welcome to the table," Shannon grinned from across the water pitcher. "We all went to primary school together, so we're used to this. It gets a little wild at times." This was accentuated by Julian stealing a roll from the basket Nico held to fling at Brennan. This compelled another round of cheerful curses between the two of them.

Dani looked a little overwhelmed- and felt twice as much-, but it wasn't anything he couldn't overcome. He took the plate to prod at it, before he actually started eating. "Skinning would be too messy, and too much work, besides. You could just mute him for a day or two." Here he paused, to eye Brennan. "It would do him some good, I think." He was surprised to find a teasing note in his own voice. He had intended to be genuinely unkind, but it had faltered somewhere along the way. "It gets worse, you mean? I'm not sure I'd like to see that. It sounds like a worrying prospect." He smiled faintly, and poked at his dinner. It was nice to fit somewhere, and with so little effort! He wasn't sure why he'd been worried about coming here at all, any more.

"We're not supposed to use magic outside of class," Julian scowled, and pulled the battered roll out of his juice. Brennan snickered and ruffled Danielle's hair with over-familiarity.

Nico sighed apologetically on Brennan's behalf. "He's just like that."

"Don't ask why we put up with him, we couldn't tell you," Shannon added, and leaned onto Keeli with a sigh.

Lysander shook his head. "The food is getting cold," he reminded them. Like any group of teenaged boys, they forsook talking long enough to actually make inroads on dinner, which was a veritable feast of all the best foods, with some very common dishes and some very exotic ones... and lots of desserts. Brennan and Shannon cheered to see them, and Nico and Julian even put away the cards when they saw the pies being passed along.

Danielle tried to duck the hand on his hair, but only with moderate success, as he didn't want to get his hair in his dinner, either. He settled for grumbling and glaring at Brennan, before turning to his food with earnest attention. He began making a mental list of the things he liked about this place... The food was definitely at the top of it. He gladly ate his fill- mostly of foods he was familiar with, as it didn't feel like a day for adventure-, and marveled at the sweets. "I don't know that we even had food this good back home," he said, sounding rather surprised, but pleased.

Shannon grinned. "They have students from the school of culinary art come over sometimes; you should see the stuff we get then." Brennan agreed with him, fork already in a piece of cherry pie. None of the boys seemed to hold back or hesitate in taking seconds or thirds of anything; they were boys, after all, and while the chatter numbed down, there was still the occasional request or joke, or the sound of Lysander turning the pages and brushing crumbs off his book. It was a scene of idle camaraderie, and only Julian was giving Danielle a suspicious look, eyeing him with an expression that didn't reassure. Not outwardly hostile, but still calculating... that one was more than a little unnerving.

Danielle shifted uncomfortably beneath that gaze, trying to concentrate on the food in front of him. It wasn't the sort of look he had defenses prepared for. Half of him wanted to look Julian in the eye, and the other wanted to crawl under a chair and hide. The second part was usually ignored, and Dani didn't see any reason why it shouldn't be now. He looked up from his dinner, and lifted a brow at Julian. It wasn't confrontational, just a way of saying... I know you're staring, and now you know I know you're staring, so quit, and I won't say anything about it. It seemed to be another one of the default expressions. They had certain... comfortable ease to them that said they got a lot of use.

Julian lifted an eyebrow in return, and only looked away when Nico touched his shoulder. Shrugging nonchalantly, he flipped his hair over one shoulder and ignored Danielle in favor of Nico. The two of them seemed to have a dynamic all their own. "Do not pay him any attention," Keeli chuckled, voice low and rumbling. "He is like a cat - always superior and never flawed. Or so he would tell you." This earned a dark look from Julian, and laughs from Shannon and Brennan.

"If you don't stop bickering we won't have time for the library," Lysander reminded them, as other students were now trickling out of the room, the dinner hour nearly finished. "Unless you don't want to have that little party?"

"Of course we do!" Brennan protested, and Keeli smirked.

"It would be a shame to waste all of the liquor we smuggled in," said the dark-skinned boy with a chuckle.

"Or all of those fireworks," Shannon added cheerfully.

"I knew I should have taken that wager that we'd have detention before school even technically started," Lysander sighed, but he was smiling.

Danielle suddenly brightened- even if they were joking, it meant they were the sort who were likely to get into lots of trouble. Trouble was fun. Dani never got to get into any fun trouble at home. His mother was around too much. "I'm... Not sure if you're kidding or not. But I'm really hoping you're not. Are you?" There was a certain awed note in his voice. These were the sort of people he'd been warned about. This meant, of course, that they were the very same sort of people he'd been hoping to get involved with, because all warnings do is make you want to do the very things you were told not to.

"Would we joke about things like explosives?" Shannon demanded, an affronted look on his face. With a snort, Keeli boffed him lightly.

"You joke about everything, Shannon," he said dryly, then turned a devilish grin in Danielle's direction. "But we do have some stuff to make the night worthwhile. We're not restricted to the grounds until the morning."

"Which means," Brennan crowed gleefully, "we can go out to the clearing and do whatever we damned well please until the sun rises, and nobody will give a goddamn."

"In other words, we can set fires, get drunk, smoke up, not sleep, and, if we really engineer things right, get laid," Shannon sighed wistfully. Then he looked down at Lysander who sat next to him, and nudged the shorter redhead. "Will you actually join us this time?"

"And miss out on a hangover for Assembly and the first day? How could I resist -that-?" came the sarcastic reply as Lysander rolled those silver eyes. "But yes, I'll come."

"We will too," Nico agreed easily, ignoring the grumble Julian voiced as he said this.

"This might be our last chance to have this kind of fun before we're shackled into the rigorous school life. Will you ask the girls, Julian? You know they'll all say yes to you," Brennan wheedled.

The blonde snorted, but nodded. "Can't have a -total- sausage fest, now can we," Julian muttered, earning a pat on the shoulder from Nicolas. It went unsaid that the two of them were completely uninterested in women, and more likely in one another.

"And... how much trouble are we likely to get in?" Dani wondered, "Just so I know what to prepare for, and how to lie about it if I have to." He did not, however, have any idea what they were talking about, with the 'getting laid' business, and the girls. The gods only know how he'd managed it, but he was oblivious. He was also aware that it wasn't exactly normal, at least among present company, to not know. He didn't think it would suit the image he wished to present, either, so he kept quiet, and just listened attentively, in case one of them explained without meaning to.

"They can't get us for anything," Brennan informed him with a smirk. "Once we're outside city limits, as long as we don't hurt anyone not involved in our little shindig, there's nothing they can punish us for. Especially because now we're all of age to be having liquor." At thirteen, he and Shannon were probably the only ones interested in girls. Seemingly as one they rose from the table, Julian and Nico splitting off to head toward the girls' "side" of the mess. Lysander was swept along at Brennan's side, as was Danielle, and Keeli and Shannon also broke off to go collect the stashed contraband for the party.

"This will be a night you never forget, Dani," the tall boy laughed, guiding him down the hallway. They were going back toward the dorms. "You'll want to change into clothes suitable for a very late night, soot, spilled booze, and dirt." Lysander kept going when Brennan paused with Danielle at his room. "And sturdy shoes, there's a bit of walking involved. But it's very much worth it."

Danielle paused at the door- more trying to remember if he had clothing like that then anything- before he grinned faintly, and nodded. "Right. Sure thing. I won't be long," He said, and slipped into the room, closing the door behind him, already looking forward to it... Oh, his mother would be so upset if she found out. And it would be so rewarding. He laughed, quietly, and went to rummage for those very objects.

END PART ONE

-sin sin-

All commentary greatly welcomed!