Cloud smiled and tilted his head. His silky hair fell over his eyes in an attractive way. The more Haochen looked at it, the more he wanted to yank it off his head, but ever the one well-versed in restraint(Other than his condescending tone a few seconds prior), he held himself back.
Felix knitted his brows and glanced at Calibri. Calibri felt his stare and looked at his older brother. "It's best not to make a fuss. At least it's one less person who wants to annihilate us." He said quietly.
Kreian exhaled through his nose upon hearing that and looked back at Cloud.
"If you don't mind my inquiry, could you tell us which Sect you belong to?" He asked him.
Cloud crossed his arms. "Onyx. My full name is Cloud Intaglio Onyx. With a Prince popped somewhere in the front of that."
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Calibri said, bowing.
Cloud smiled. "The pleasure's all mine. How are you doing Haochen?" He asked, grinning. Cloud looked very much the troublemaker he was, with his slightly longer than normal, sharp canines.
Haochen crossed his arms behind his back. He's met Cloud before, too many times at that, and their personalities were not very compatible in his opinion. More often than not, Haochen found himself avoiding the frivolous man altogether whenever the Royal Youth were asked to meet.
He was quite a womanizer, and at the same time, he was a man-eater. Many people criticized him for being openly nonchalant about gender norms, but it was almost as if he reveled in it. He would go after anyone he considered attractive, and clearly, he considered Calibri attractive.
This did not sit well at all with Haochen. Calibri was unaware of the man's tendencies, furthermore, he'd be stuck in a room with him. He wasn't sure what Cloud would do to the innocent, oblivious prince, and the thought of it made Haochen increasingly uncomfortable.
"I've been well." Haochen said.
Cloud nodded to himself. "Great, great. I've been well too."
Haochen wanted to say, 'I didn't ask.', but he bit back the retort. "Oh, wait. Your name is Calibri… Ha! Then you're in the first position! So you're pretty and smart."
Siegon made a face at the word pretty and the others looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
Calibri smiled. "Thank you."
"Don't mind if I copy your homework from time to time then. There are just too many things to do around here." He said, looking around the room, eyeing a few people. He was clearly not talking about his studies or classes. Ning cleared his throat.
"It's great to see you again, Cloud. How's your father been?" He smiled at Cloud.
"Oh, Ning! Sorry, I was distracted by Calibri's beauty." He said, winking at Calibri and then looking back at Ning. Felix scrunched up his nose and looked at his sect with an 'Are you also seeing this?' expression on his face.
Alexei stared at Cloud discreetly then shifted closer to Calibri, not feeling his best friend would be safe with this person.
And knowing Calibri with his overly trusting nature, he most probably wouldn't understand that anything was wrong.
"Dad's fine. Been raising a new lion cub, so he's plenty busy. How's yours?" He asked.
"He's been well. A little busy, but we should arrange a fiend hunt soon for them. They haven't seen each other in a while."
As Cloud was about to say something else, a tall man walked up onto the podium at the front of the hall. He had a kind face with gentle brown eyes.
"Good evening students. May I have your attention?" He said.
Immediately, all the students stopped their chatter and faced the man at the front.
"My name is Fain Opaque, I am the headmaster of this school. A bit about myself before I begin. Firstly, my surname sounds quite foreign, yes? As it should, I fall into part of a class of cultivators specifically trained to aid in the training of the next Grandmaster, and for this reason, I like many other lecturers here do not belong to a specific sect.
I'm sure you understand by now that you are here because you are the select few who truly understand what it means to cultivate. As such, you passed the theoretical examination brilliantly. However, Cultivation in theory is quite different from the actual practice and techniques. As children, you've been taught the basic information about how a Cultivator should practice, and how they can use their powers to have a greater quality of life. But Cultivation is not something that can be learned in isolation. What you are cultivating is your very soul, and as a result of nurturing that, you discover your strength as a cultivator.
You are at the age where your Soul is pliable. The most crucial time of your lives, but luckily, you have experienced and well-trained Cultivators here to guide you and shape you. Under our guidance, you will reach beyond every limit that you've ever put on yourself, and we're glad to accompany you on your journey.
But before we move on to the most critical information, I'd like to introduce uniformity. I ask that each of you go to your areas of residence. Once there, you may freshen up and change into the clothing provided to you. Of course, you'll find that you've been allocated a dormitory partner, with whom you will spend your remaining three years at this school. Your allocation will be listed on the boards outside the dormitory rooms along with a picture of the intended inhabitants of the room. In the order that you previously entered your exam venue, go forth, and find your allocated rooms. Once there, you are to change and immediately return here for your first lesson. Good luck. Lecturers and demonstrators, you are to remain behind."
"Huh?" Cloud said, looking confused. Murmurs were heard around the hall. It was already way past dusk, how could they begin teaching at such an hour? And who was going to show them the rooms? Nobody was standing by to lead them to the dormitories. Were they meant to go on a treasure hunt for it without a map? Which direction was it in?
Alexei and Calibri looked at each other, then at Felix, Gaiya, and Kreian who also looked confused too.
Gaiya sighed and looked at his students. "Well, run along then you lot. Don't let everyone wait on you."
They nodded wearily and looked at each other. "But… He didn't tell us where we're supposed to find it." Flora said.
Haochen frowned for a moment then looked at the Headmaster Opaque. He looked like he had no intention of saying anything more.
"Somethings peculiar about this, your Majesty," Alexei said, holding Calibri's arm.
"What's wrong, my dear Alexei? We're only looking for our rooms." Calibri said.
"But none of us have been here before… Why aren't they guiding us? Or at least telling us the direction? Are we meant to search for it on our own?" Kreia trailed off.
"Perhaps," Rion said.
Calibri fiddled with his earring. "It could be to teach us independence, after all we're presumably adults as of now. Maybe after getting lost for a bit, we'll learn the layout of this school better."
Calibri looked at the older men and then Haochen and Cloud with a smile. "We'll be taking your leave then." They bowed and turned in the direction of the only exit.
Cloud was still staring at Opaque. "… It was very easy to find it when I was exploring earlier though." He murmured to himself.
Felix blinked at that and then pursed his lips, his eyes flicking to Opaque. Meanwhile, Haochen stared after the group that was leaving, wondering why the headmaster had said "Good luck" if all they were doing was finding their rooms and changing clothes.