A light touch on Jin Lu's cheek made her eyes flutter open.
"Eat," Long Yin said, poking the tip of Jin Lu's nose with his finger. Jin Lu frowned, crossing her eyes and rubbing her nose in aggravation before stretching her muscles. She hummed, letting out a deep breath before throwing the covers off, only to snatch them back up when she remembered that the only thing she had on was Long Yin's outer robe. Ignoring Long Yin's look of amusement, Jin Lu lifted her chin and walked to the table with the blanket wrapped around her legs.
"Finish quickly and get dressed, we have an appointment." Long Yin watched Jin Lu's eyelashes flutter, but the boy remained silent. Long Yin got up and grabbed the bundle of clothes he had requested from the innkeeper last night. Though he had wanted to go himself, he hadn't wanted to leave his charge alone for too long. Placing them on the table, Long Yin grabbed the tray and walked to the door, leaving Jin Lu to get dressed.
Jin Lu reached out, running her hand along the fabric. Though it wasn't as smooth as Long Yin's robe, it was still more comfortable than the clothes Jin Lu had woken up in. Unfolding everything, Jin Lu felt her face heating again at the lack of underwear, but figured that since she hadn't been wearing any earlier that the people here hadn't invented it yet.
Dropping the blanket, she removed Long Yin's robe and got dressed quickly. Both the shirt and pants were light gray, while the outer robe was faded lavender. She twisted her long hair, putting it back under her shirt to keep it out of the way, since she didn't have any hair-ties or pins. Picking up Long Yin's robe, Jin Lu took one last look around the room before walking to the door. Long Yin was leaning against the wall, waiting for her. Looking her up and down, Long Yin nodded before turning towards the stairs. Jin Lu shut the door and hurried to catch up.
The first floor wasn't as packed as it had been the previous night, and the atmosphere was much more subdued. Outside was much the same, with only a few people running along the sides, while carts pulled by both beasts and people took up the road. Jin Lu grabbed the back of Long Yin's belt again, so they didn't get separated as Long Yin walked back towards the main road.
The closer they came, the denser the crowd became, until they found themselves surrounded on all sides, yet Long Yin's steps never slowed. It was like an invisible force was moving people out of the way. Jin Lu watched Long Yin's boots, so she didn't step on them by mistake. It wasn't until they stopped that she finally looked up.
And up.
And up.
Pillars of marble reached high into the sky, forming an arch for the silver gates in front of the crowd. Many of the surrounding people were wearing high-quality robes and escorted by powerful looking people. There were carriages scattered throughout the crowd, their inhabitants waiting patiently inside.
After a few moments, the sound of bells rang in the air, reminding Jin Lu of the church bells calling her father and her to Sunday mass. The whispers that had buzzed like bees on the wind came to a sudden halt, bringing with it an air of excited expectation. Many of the carriage doors opened just as the gate started slowly opening outward, stopping against the marble walls. A man wearing a blindingly white robe stood at the entrance, his beard reaching down to his belly, while his white streaked black hair was neatly arranged into a bun on his head.
"Welcome prospects to Kuru Academy. I am Master Mi," the man's words were loud enough to be heard clearly yet not so loud that they hurt the ears, feeling almost like he was talking right next to Jin Lu. "Please line up in an orderly manner, and we will begin the registration process." As he was talking, Jin Lu noticed tables appear to either side of Master Mi, with two contraptions sitting in front of two people standing behind each table.
"Let's go," Long Yin said, his steps unhurried. Jin Lu watched as children ranging from around twelve to sixteen rushed through the crowd, almost jumping up and down with excitement once they stopped in one of the four newly formed lines. Long Yin stopped at the end of a line and turned, grabbing the hand Jin Lu had used to hold his belt.
"Follow the line," Long Yin instructed, staring into Jin Lu's eyes. Jin Lu nodded carefully in understanding, though she was curious why Long Yin wanted her to register. As the line moved, she watched Long Yin stop to talk to Master Mi. Whatever it was about, Master Mi did not look comfortable. Long Yin showed a toothy smile, saying something that had Master Mi's face turning red then a sickly pale white, before going red again. Master Mi threw his hands up and stormed away from Long Yin, shaking his head. It looked like whatever had happened, Long Yin seemed to have gotten what he wanted, since he was smiling happily as he walked back to Jin Lu's side.
Do I want to know?
Jin Lu debated back and forth with herself until she couldn't hold it in anymore.
"What was that about?"
"Rooming arrangements."
"..."
"No."
"Yes." Long Yin's look was smug.
"You arrog…" Just as Jin Lu was about to give Long Yin a piece of her mind, they arrived at the registration table. A tripod made of gold was sitting over blank white paper about the size of a note card.
"Place your hand on top and press," the man behind the table stated. Jin Lu started, her head whipping around to stare at the man in confusion.
"What?" Jin Lu asked, not hearing him over the outraged screaming in her head. Long Yin grabbed her wrist and placed the sharp tip of the tripod to the center of her hand, pressing down firmly. The prick of the needle piercing her hand made her arm jerk, but Long Yin held her wrist securely. Jin Lu's blood dripped onto the paper underneath, and she watched as it slithered along, forming words:
Name: Jin Lu
Age: 16
Martial: Metal
Attribute: Dark
Rank: Mortal Mid-grade
Spirit: Air
Attribute: Light
Level: Root Mid-grade