They had just walked through a quad that looked like gardens. There were many different varieties of plants and flowers, and empty stone benches scattered here and there. One area to their right even had a little pond with a small fountain carved in the shape of the communist monarchy's symbol, standing tall in the center. There was something in the fountain that Roenan couldn't see was causing trickling noises. It was actually quite peaceful and the sound of the birds and the feel of then crisp wind passing over Roenan's face made him appreciate the outdoors more than he could understand.
The university itself was more prestigious and extravagant than Roenan was expecting. It was made of grey stone and had large arcing windows on the bottom floor, and some open areas where you could see into an outdoor hall. The higher floors adorned smaller and more evenly spread out square and rectangular windows. It didn't look like anyone was at the university today because all the windows looked dark. The steps they were climbing were under a huge arc and when they passed through they were in the outdoor hall that could be seen from gaps in the front. The bell tower was straight above them above the arch somewhere.
If you turned left or right the hallways stretched out, some light shining through where there was opening in the wall.
Drakke continued to walk straight toward a massive wooden door that looked like the university's main entrance, and grabbed it's old and intricate knob to swing it open.
It opened into a short and wide rectanglular common room, lined with a few wooden doors on each long side. In the center there was a long navy rug with brown and tan designs twisting and twirling through it. Dark wooden arm chairs and couches with dark blue cushions surrounded a coffee table that matched the wood of the chairs. There were also matching dark wooden benches that lined along the walls in between the doorways on either side. The light sources in the room were intricate black lanterns that hung in spaced gaps along the wall and the dark golden rays of sun shining through an old and fogged-over intricate arch window at the far end.
Drakke guided them in through the main door and Roenan realized there were long indoor hallways that stretched out to his right and his left. The same intricate black lanterns lined evenly down those hallways walls too. He walked forward and Roenan and Saive followed. Saive didn't look nearly as blown-away as Roenan felt. In fact, he looked bored. As they got close to the nearest door on their right, Drakke turned around.
"Roenan, take a seat. I'll be right back." He said in a much calmer tone, pointing towards the lounge area in the middle of the room. Drakke then looked at Saive. "You're up." He said curtly. He nudged his head in the direction of the door and they walked over together. Drakke used a knocker to knock on the door and a speaker came on. Unsurprisingly, the voice spoke in Vernajjian. Once it stopped, Drakke pressed a button under the speaker on the outside and spoke back. Roenan only understood when Drakke said his name. He heard the door unlock and both of them stepped into the room, and Drakke closed the door behind them.
There was the prisoner of war part of Roenan that jumped to life once the door shut. He imagined himself booking it out of that front door and running as long and as far as he could to get away from this place. But Roenan stayed put because some of the observations he had made on their walk over.
They were in a camp of sorts. Roenan was able to spot thick fencing through the trees at times on their walk. At one point he even glanced a touret and saw soldiers moving around inside, meaning those tourets they were live and ready. The fencing was also topped with some deadly looking wiring. It was gnarled and sharp and probably running some impressive voltage through it.
He assumed that they weren't likely keeping their own people prisoner here, but they had protection because it was a military school, after all. It's meant to be as hard for intruders to get into as it is as hard for prisoners to get out.
Roenan sighed and walked over to slouch down into an arm chair, rubbing a hand down his face and then using that hand to cover his eyes. He felt exhausted from the exchange that had just happened outside. He stayed like that, slightly annoyed at how comfortable the armchair was, for a few long and quiet moments.
He heard the door open and close and he glanced around the tall back of the armchair to see Drakke walking toward him, pinching the bridge of his nose. He walked in front of the arm chair to Roenan's right and threw himself down, pressing his head against the back with his eyes closed.
"I'm sorry about how I reacted back there and they way I was speaking to you, but I'm fucked." He breathed.
Roenan opened his mouth to respond, but closed it. He still wasn't sure what Drakke's crisis was and didn't know what to say.
"Did you get punished?" Roenan asked after a short time.
"Not yet. They want to see me when they're done with you."
Roenan was quiet.
After a few minutes of silence Drakke said, "They're going to start out with the psychological stuff." He still didn't move as he spoke and his eyes were still closed. "Then they're going to do the physical training. And I'm pretty sure they'll pummel Vernajjian into your vocabulary after that." Drakke opened one eye to look at him. "You'll probably have picked up some of the language by then."
Roenan nodded slowly.
"Did you just find out now?" He asked.
"No, I'm... remembering." Drakke said, his voice fading on the last word.
Roenan's brow creased a little. "Remembering..." He said repeating Drakke.
Drakke turned a little to the side so his temple was resting on the back of the chair and so that he could look at Roenan from under his dark eyelashes.
"It was an intense time in my life. There's still some parts I can't recall. But I normally don't try to think back on it. Not all of it had to do with the camp... I was going through some personal shit back then, too."
Roenan swallowed hard. "Drakke?"
"Yeah?" Drakke was still looking at him, his caramel eyes giving away nothing else.
"You are actually someone of a higher rank, aren't you?" Roenan noticed Drakke hold his breath.
"You're not just some student who'd been thrown on guard duty to keep an eye on two ailing Jaedans."
Drakke looked at him in silence. Roenan could see his carmel eyes moving ever so slightly as they shifted to look between his eyes.
There was a dark wooden stand in between their armchairs with two elaborate gold coasters on it.
"Well in that case..." He said as he reach over a coaster and pretended to wrap his hand around an imaginary glass. He motioned to lift it into a cheer, with a cheeky nod toward Roenan, before pretending to take a shot from the glass and setting it down.
Roenan stared at him, unimpressed, for several seconds. "That doesn't count, that had no alcohol in it."
"Sure there was, didn't you see it?" Drakke shot back, looking proud of himself.
Roenan rolled his eyes. "Fine, don't tell me. I'll figure it out."
Drakke raised his eyebrows and smirked at the challenge Roenan gave himself.
They looked at each other quietly.
"Oh!" Drakke exclaimed, popping up quickly, as if remembering something. He glance around and patted over his pockets in search of something. His suit was smeared all over with mud and his eye was bruising darkly again. Roenan almost felt bad, but he hardly had to look down to have his swollen cheek disrupt the view his left eye's vision normally had. He looked back up at Drakke's face. His eyebrows were creased and he frowned when his searched turned up nothing and looked at Roenan.
"Mind giving that back?" He asked, gesturing to his uniform coat.
"Oh, right, sorry. I almost forgot," Roenan said as he stood and shrugged out of the coat before holding it out for Drakke. "Sorry about the uhh..." Roenan started, plucking at one of the muddy sleeves and letting it drop.
"Don't worry about it." Drakke said in a flat tone as he grabbed the coat and sat back down. He flipped the coat around as he search the various pockets and made a pleased noise when he finally felt what he was looking for in one of them. He dragged his hand out and dropped the coat the floor, turning around in his seat to face Roenan again. "Open your hand." He said.
Roenan glared at Drakke as he brought out his hand, palm up. Drakke grabbed the bottom of Roenan's hand with one of his and placed something in his palm with the other, shutting Roenan's fingers closed before he could see it.
"Don't look until right before you leave the office. Try to be discreet." He said. Roenan stared at him for a long moment. He shoved his hand in the right pocket of his sweat pants and brought it out to show Drakke that his palm was empty.
Drakke gave a quick satisfied smile. "It was given to me by-," Drakke was cut off by the speaker. He froze to listen to it intently until it stopped.
"Do you have your bag?" He asked Roenan.
Roenan turned to the other side of his chair and picked it up by the strap.
Drakke slowly took a deep breath in and is exhale sounded shakey when he let it out. Roenan didn't know if Drakke was nervous for him, or for his upcoming punishment, or for the both of them. But he was definitely beginning to feel nauseous.
"You're up." Drakke breathed.
Roenan tried to swallow when he nodded but his mouth was too dry.
They walked slowly over to the door side by side. Once they stood in front of it Drakke turned to Roenan and put a hand on his shoulder. "Follow the orders. Work your hardest." Drakke said quietly as he squeezed Roenan's shoulder, a comforting method Drakkee's that Roenan was becoming familiar with.
"I will." Roenan said quietly.
"And remember the meeting place." Drakke dropped his hand.
Roenan swallowed and nodded, thinking about the piece of paper he'd flushed at the hospital. Drakke continued to stare him straight in the eyes as he reached to press the button, speaking in Vernajjian. The door unlocked and he broke the eye contact to reach down and grab the handle. He nodded at Roenan and Roenan nodded back. He twisted the handle and opened the door. Roenan looked at Drakke, meeting his eyes one last time, and gave him a small smile before stepping through the door. He heard the door shut behind him and he glanced down and to the side to check if Drakke had followed him in. He hadn't.