Through groans, I somehow managed to prop myself up after just waking.
"Gods, this must be some kind of torture"
Nurse Ias had made it extremely clear that I was to stay bedbound for the week. She even went as far as to guilt trip me. 'I suppose if you don't care about my concerns then there's no helping it…'. Damn those puppy dog eyes.
It had just been a day too, and I'd already gotten bed sores. Well, I guess two days to be exact. I still can't believe the commandant had actually managed to knock me straight into a concussion after just one punch…
Also, would it kill the school's budget to add a TV here? What am I supposed to do for the next 24 hours?!
Ironically apparently even thinking too much was 'bad for me' after a concussion. These thick bandages over my forehead weren't doing my sleep any favors either…
Before I could finish complaining to myself, the door was cautiously opened.
Nurse Ias: "Oh! Good, you're awake. How are you doing dear?"
(As good as a forced invalid can be.)
Tifon: "I'm alright miss, just a little sore is all." After dropping my gaze onto my legs I added: "I'm certain a little stroll around the building would do me a lot of good."
Nurse Ias: "Well… Actually, that might not be too bad for you right now." Seemingly deep in thought, the nurse scanned me head to toe.
Tifon: "Oh well… Wait, what now?!"
Definitely wasn't expecting her to let me out this early! The Gods must not hate me after all. Hah, eat that commandant!
Nurse Ias: "Hey now, don't get too excited there mister. I expect you back in bed by the time classes are over."
Tifon: "H-huh…?"
Nurse Ias: "Well, since you're not going to be in bed, might as well sit through your classes right?"
Damn you, commandant.
After begrudgingly wearing my uniform I exited the school's infirmary.
"Welp, wait, what time is it again?"
Finally being in possession of my phone I quickly check the time.
"7 am?!"
Meaning there was still an entire hour before school even started. Gods, do I have to sit through the entire school day?
I made my way through the campus without thinking of anything in particular. Some of the statues throughout the campus garden caught my eye. Funny, I'd even started to admire the finer things in life. And all it took was a major head injury.
"Maybe if I get another concussion I'll learn a different language."
ΔΔΔ: "So that was your motive for provoking the commandant."
Tifon: "Oh, Palae, it's you."
Palae, the Track & Field captain. Or more commonly referred to as the Track & Field "Speed Demon". She was a tall and skinny tomboy, one year our senior. She had dark-tanned skin and long, curly purple hair that matched her eye color.
Palae: "The one and only. More importantly, how're your injuries doing?"
Grabbing at my bandages I answered:
"These're probably more of an inconvenience at this point."
Palae: "Oh yea? I'd be thanking my lucky stars for just having to wear those if I were you. This one time after I sprained my knee joint, Nurse Ias forced me to wear a cast for an entire month."
Tifon: "Hah, if it's you we're talking about I'm sure you actually had broken it."
Palae: "Pfffttt, as if."
Suddenly remembering my and Aurie's last encounter with Palae I backtracked.
Tifon: "Oh Gods, by the way, I'm uh, sorry about our last meeting."
Palae: "Hm? Oh, don't worry your little head over it now. You might end up bursting a blood vessel."
After a quick eye roll, I noticed that Palae had come from the opposite direction of the Track & Field club.
Tifon: "Where are you heading off to anyway? Hasn't Track & Field practice already started?"
Palae: "Wow, aren't you observant? All the club captains are having a meetup today with the student council. I was just heading over before I spotted you."
Tifon: "I see, alright. Well, I won't keep you. I can tell you from personal experience that Aurie takes being late personally."
Palae: "Woah there, hold your horses for a sec. You're coming right with me. That girl's worried sick over you, she's just been too busy with the event planning to come and visit."
Tifon: "Aha, so that was your reasoning for stopping to check on me, here I thought you actually cared."
Palea: "Just shush and try to keep up okay? The other half of the reason is that I need an excuse for being 30 minutes late."
(Did she already forget I'm injured!?)
***: "…Where could he be?"
Arian was making his way to the campus building, completely absorbed in thought.
Arian: "He hasn't been to school since that day at the gymnasium, did he get sick? Maybe I went overboard with my Boon and… gave him a cold."
While thoroughly making his way through all the possibilities, something suddenly dawned on Arian.
Arian: "Is it possible he hates me now for beating him in our match…?"
Despairing over this new theory, Arian didn't even notice the unlicensed vehicle that is Palae speeding toward him.
Tifon: "Hey! HEY! WATCH OUT WE'RE GONNA CRASH!"
Palae: "WHAT DID YOU SAY??"
On second thought, maybe entrusting someone like Palae with my life wasn't the best choice I could've made post-recovery.
They did indeed crash.
After a resounding thump and at least 10 barrel rolls, the company finally came to a halt against a very magnificent sculpture of Apollo.
Tifon: "Gods, Palae! Are you trying to evolve my concussion into a permanent disability?!"
Palae: "Hey man, you should've warned me!"
Tifon: "I did SO warn you! What, do you have wax in your ears?! Maybe you have wax for brains too!?"
Suddenly a muffled voice came out from under them.
Arian: "Ahah, I'm sorry I don't mean to intrude on your discussion, but could you two please get off of me?"
Tifon: "Arian? Is that you?"
After finally getting off of him, the two helped Arian get back on his feet.
Tifon: "Arian, I am so, so sorry about all that."
Arian: "Ahaha, don't worry yourself, I'm just fine. But tell me, how are your injuries healing?"
Tifon: "They probably won't be if I spend another second with THIS LUNATIC."
After stating the obvious, Tifon quickly checked if his bandages were still intact.
They were definitely not.
Palae: "Oh, wow, is that how it is then?! You are officially barred from piggyback privileges!"
Getting way more offended than necessary, Palae emphasized her every syllable by aggressively poking her finger into his chest. In all honesty, they might've been able to forget Arian's presence entirely if he just walked away from the impending domestic crime scene.
Arian: "I don't mean to interrupt again but uh, where were you two heading in such a hurry?"
Palae: "We were just going to the club presidents' meeting. There are some technical kinks to iron out for the event."
Palae answered him almost too calmly, especially for someone currently executing a very effective standing chokehold.
Arian: "Oh? I didn't know Tifon was a club president."
Tifon: "Yeah, I'm just-"
Palae: "He's coming with me to see his lil' girlfriend."
Tifon: "wh-?!"
Even after finally freeing himself from Palae physically, Tifon was immediately familiarized with her verbal chokehold.
Arian: "Ah, yes that does make sense. I actually wanted to ask the council president if Eion had come to see her. Can I come along?"
Palae: "Ha, of course, you can! It's the least we can do to keep you from pressing charges!"
Tifon: "Are we just going to gloss over what just happened?!"
Yes, yes we were.
After some light arguing over who gets to sit shotgun, our trio finally arrives at the student council meeting room.
Arian: "Are we late? I can't seem to hear any noise from inside."
Tifon: "I'd be grateful if the meeting wasn't already over."
The two had shadowed the door for no more than a minute before their defacto leader stepped up through them. Which, to be fair, was an impressive feat on its own, considering their already close proximity to the door left Palae practically headbutting it.
Almost as if meditatively embracing the position for maximized thinking, Palae finally broke the very much concerned silence between them.
Palae: "Hush you two, I'm getting in the zone."
Tifon: "The what now?"
After throwing both doors wide open with a single kick, Palae leaped into the council room.
Palae: "Everybody freeze! This is a robbery!"
Tifon, Arian, Aurora: "?!?!"
Palae: "Ha-Ha, I'm just playin'. My club is going to take 50% of the event funding though."
Aurora: "We finished the meeting 10 minutes ago."
Palae: "Fuck."
Finally following her into the room, Tifon made his less extravagant debut.
Tifon: "I'm struggling with the idea that that interaction constitutes a full conversation."
Aurora: "Tifon?! What're you doing out of bed?"
Only now jumping out of her seat, Aurora prepared to give him a very much so extravagant exit.
Tifon: "Oh yeah uh, Palae actua-"
Arian: "He just really missed you."
To say the least, Arian was a fast learner.
Aurora: "Awe, that's so sweet of you Tifon."
Tifon: "I'm beginning to hate all of you."
Palae: "Speaking of edgy, Arian wanted to ask if you'd seen Eion at all lately."
Aurora: "Do Axe Body Spray commercials count? If not then I haven't."
Arian: "A shame. I haven't seen him since Commandant Calli made us all swear not to talk about how she basically committed child abuse."
Tifon: "Still not over how literally all of you let that slide."
Turns out, the commandant was also very verbally persuasive, although Tifon's pavement fused skull could have also had an effect on the other students. To be fair we're not sociologists here.
Palae: "It's called the bystander effect, look it up. Speaking of the commandant though, what's she been up to?"
Aurora: "Oh right, they're supposed to announce that tomorrow. Apparently, whatever issue prompted them to introduce 'operation child soldiers' disappeared or something."
The particular nation that they'd mention couldn't be too inclined to show any aggression at the time, although unbeknownst to our cast, Turkia had indeed been locked in a very shackling civil war for the past weeks.
Arian: "Mysterious."
Tifon: "Are we going to Scooby-Doo this shit or not."
Aurora: "I am 100% certain none of you have any connections outside of this room."
Palae did almost want to contest Aurora there, but she soon realized house pets probably wouldn't count as connections to anyone present, especially the arachnid variety.
Arian, Tifon: "Do estranged fathers count?"
Tifon: "Eyyy!"
Arian: "I'm not sure we should be celebrating that."
Tifon: "…eyyy…"
After a bit (let's be real, a lot) more bonding over daddy issues the quartet makes their way out of the room and toward their classes.
Tifon: "By the way, neither of you has elaborated on what this event is exactly yet."
Although the amount of in-school advertisement over the event was so abundant as to cause suspicion over Tifon's literacy, he was in fact genuinely too busy being sad to have time to spare on anything happening in his surroundings. Perhaps the only thing more depressive than this fact was that even Palae, who was in classes a grade above the rest, was very well aware of it.
Palae: "It's a major club event, all the sport-oriented clubs are going to participate. Almost like a competition between each club's members."
Aurora: "To be more exact, it's a charity event."
Palae: "Oh wow, really? I didn't know our school had a budget like that, seeing as how stingy you are with club funding."
One would be very much surprised to know of the amount of anonymously spread rumors that included Aurora spending budget money to fuel her growing gambling addiction.
Aurora: "Of course it doesn't, the event's funding is apparently coming from some 3rd party philanthropist. What was his name? Xuthus?"
Arian: "Lord Xuth Emazonian?"
Aurora: "Yea, that one!"
Palae: "Damn Arian, I didn't know you were subscribed to Business Insider."
Arian: "I am not, that's Eion's father."
Tifon: "Wow, talk about a small world."