Grey, Elsinia, Alice, and Wendy strolled out of the cafeteria.
Grey nonchalantly nibbled on a carrot, looking slightly disgruntled. "This sucks," he muttered under his breath.
Wendy overheard him and shot him an appraising look. "Don't give me that," she retorted, wagging her finger. "Carrots are excellent for building strong muscles, it's a good pre- and post-workout snack." Demonstrating, she flexed her thin arm with a determined expression, clearly attempting to emphasize her point.
'Jeez, she's a lot like my gram gram...' Grey thought.
Grey let out a snort and snapped off another piece of the carrot.
"I've already got muscles. What's the point of more?"
Wendy rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she studied Grey. "Hmmm," she murmured. "You sure about that? You look a little too skinny to have, you know, muscles."
"But," Grey paused and sigh. "But I do have muscles," at this point he simply sounded exasperated.
"Awwwnn," Wendy uttered. "You don't have to act like you belong, you're still a perfect 10~~"
With another bite of his carrot, Grey shrugged. "Mmm, yeah, definitely..."
Annoyed that they were still on the topic, Elsinia interjected, bristling, "Grey has a sleeper build."
Wendy and Alice exchanged puzzled glances before simultaneously blurting out, "A sleeper build?"
In succession, Grey chomped down on another piece of the carrot and pointed it at Alice. "So, you finally decided to speak again?"
He could count on one finger how many times Alice spoke in the cafeteria, and not one was directed at him.
Alice twiddled her index fingers turned her face away, fidgeting nervously. "Y... yes," she mumbled.
Ignoring the commotion, Wendy swiftly pulled out her digital voice recorder, aiming it at Grey's mouth. "So, Mister Grey, could you confirm the rumor about you having a sleeper build?" she inquired eagerly.
Wendy had purposely used "Mister Grey" for a more professional touch.
Grey heaved a sigh. "It's not a rumor. Only one person said it."
Wendy paused the recorder, holding her finger to her lips. "Shh, my followers don't know that," she whispered cunningly.
Annoyed, Grey rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"Don't 'whatever' me," Wendy admonished. "You're going to be my key to success in the Magic Continent, so you better buckle up."
Meanwhile, Elsinia glowered, her irritation mounting as she emitted a low grunt, causing Alice to squeak in surprise.
"Alright," Wendy looked at Grey. "Let's take it again from the top!"
"Again?" Grey sighed.
Wendy frowned a bit. "Yes, again."
The vibrant chatter in the hallways faded as the bell rang through the school, bringing a sudden end to Grey and Wendy's conversation. Wendy glanced at her digital voice recorder and scrunched up her face in disappointment. "Oh no, the bell," she exclaimed, checking her wristwatch. "We'll have to finish this another time."
Elsinia was already screaming at the top of her voice in her mind.
'YES, FINALLY! IT'S ABOUT TIME ALREADY!' she thought.
Grey took a bite of his carrot, feigning nonchalance. "Or maybe never?" he quipped playfully.
Wendy fixed her hands on her hips and shot him a stern look. "We'll finish this discussion later - or tomorrow," she insisted with a determined tilt of her head.
"Eh, we'll see," Grey said.
Wendy looked at her wristwatch and tapped on it. "Well, I have a class now."
Throwing a quick wave at Grey, Alice grabbed her bag that was resting against the wall and said, "G... Goodbye, Grey."
"Yeah, later," Grey calmly replied.
While they lingered behind, Grey and Elsinia watched as Alice joined Wendy and headed down of the hallways.
"Where to next?" Grey asked, as he reluctantly joined Elsinia's side.
Elsinia cast him an incredulous look. "Did you even check your timetable?"
In her mind however, Elsinia thought something entirely different.
'As if my glorious, black haired, icy blue eyed prince would ever need to look at something as common as a timetable... All he needs to look at is me.'
And in truth, she was right, Elsinia already had an idea of the course Grey would be offering and the subjects he'd be learning two months before Grey would even "know" he'd be coming to Lyronia Magic Academy.
Grey's eyes widened. "Wait, you guys use timetables?"
"Of course," Elsinia explained subtly. "The subjects vary for different students."
"Well, the headmistress didn't say anything about that," Grey grumbled.
Elsinia shook her head reassuringly. "Don't make a big deal about it. You've got Advanced Classes next."
"Wait, you kn..."
Before Grey could complete his statement, Elsinia interjected. "And yes, I did peek at your schedule," she added with a coy grin, folding her arms.
Grey chuckled softly. "Why would you do that, it sounds like a lot of unnecessary stress."
There was a small frown on Elsinia's face, one that even Grey didn't notice. With her arms still folded, she looked a little to the side and frowned a little before muttering under her voice, "You should know by now that if it's for you then I'm happy to do it..."
"Huh? Did you say something?" Grey asked.
"No..." Elsinia spoke with a dull voice. "It's nothing."
Grey slicked his hair back a bit. "Well, I must be your husband if you know this much helpful information."
Elsinia's cheeks flushed a soft pink as she blinked in surprise, momentarily at a loss for words.
"H... Husb... Hus..."
The words failed to come out from her mouth. Her folded arms fell and she immediately turned to him again and she held her arms up a little in excitement as she perked her butt outward and her face towards his and told him, "SAY IT AGAIN?!"
Another chuckle, "Say what again? I'm your husband?" Grey glanced at her with a playful gleam in his eye. "What's wrong? Want a divorce?" he joked, raising an eyebrow.
Elsinia's eyes widened, and she vigorously shook her head. "No, we're married!"
This would be the third time they were married, the other two times were in her dreams and in her wet dreams.
"So, do we get going?" Grey asked.
"Yes, that works," she then paused. "Or no.."
"Hm? Why?"
"I... I uh, have something to do..." Elsinia told him.
Chuckling, Grey clapped his hands together. "Either way, I should head to the 'Advanced Classes', or whatever they call it. See you later," he announced, strolling away with a grin and his hands in his pockets.
As Elsinia watched Grey walk away, she hesitantly extended her hand, calling out his name, but her voice failed her, and she quickly pulled it back.
She swallowed hard and then shouted, "Uh, Grey!"
Grey stopped and turned to glance at Elsinia, "Hm?" he responded.
Elsinia smiled nervously, "Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to make sure you knew where you were going," she said.
Grey removed his hand from his pocket and rubbed his chin.
"Hmmm, good question.."
Then, he thought for a short moment. He replied, "Eh, I'll find my way around."
Elsinia chuckled. "I figured you'd say that," she said.
Grey shrugged, put his hands back in his pockets, and continued walking.
Elsinia's smile faded for a moment, and she wished she could go with him, but then she slapped her palms against her cheeks and scolded herself, "Focus."
Her cheeks reddened as she turned and headed the opposite direction from Grey, her footsteps echoing in the hallway.
When Elsinia exited the school building, awaiting in the courtyard was a woman.
The woman wore a long black and white maid dress with brown hair tied in a bun. Pointy ears marked her as an elf, and she had brown eyes and very large breasts, nothing short of K-Cups.
Her name was Mildred.
She bowed her head and asked, "How is the Young Lady doing today?"
Elsinia sighed, "I'd be doing better if I could spend more time with Grey."
Mildred reassured her, "Don't worry, there's always tomorrow."
Elsinia brushed it off, "Yeah, yeah, let's just go. I'm tired of this every day routine."
Mildred pointed out, "It's only four times a week," but Elsinia insisted, "I don't care, it feels like every day."
Mildred looked sorrowful as Elsinia walked away, clearly unhappy.
Deciding to comfort her, Mildred rushed over to Elsinia, gathering her dress and inquired, "So, Young Lady, how does it feel to see Master Grey again?"
Elsinia squealed in excitement, barely containing herself, "It was awesome seeing him again, and his smile..." she bit her lower lip, "It was so damn sexy!"
As long as the Young Lady was happy, then Mildred was happy too.
It was as though hearing Grey's name alone could drown out her sadness.
And Mildred knew why...