Anon walked toward the podium with deliberate slowness, his movements measured, calculated. His crisp white shirt and tie—a bold shade of blood-red—seemed too clean, too precise for the chaotic atmosphere of Dino High. He could feel their eyes on him: sharp, predatory, assessing. Even the herbivores radiated a subtle violence, their glares burrowing into him as though trying to peel back his skin and examine the raw nerves underneath.Control your breathing. Stay calm. Appear composed. His internal monologue was steady, methodical, as he took each step with the poise of someone who had spent years perfecting a mask of calm under scrutiny. The meteor fragment amulet around his neck swung faintly with his steps, a small, deliberate reminder of his place here—a reminder of what separated him from them.Their whispers slithered through the auditorium, cutting through the ambient noise. He didn't need to know which species spoke; the words stung regardless."Ugh, what is that thing even doing here?" whispered a high-pitched, nasal voice, tinged with irritation—probably some type of hadrosaur."Did someone lose their pet?" sneered another, low and throaty, possibly a ceratopsian.A hiss of laughter followed from somewhere deeper in the crowd. Anon didn't flinch, though he felt his pulse quicken. He forced himself to keep moving, chin high, shoulders squared. Let them think you're untouchable. Let them wonder why you're not afraid.The podium loomed closer, and with it, his new teammates. The four girls stood clustered together, their disdain palpable. Trike stood at the front, arms crossed, her tail lashing impatiently against the floor. Para leaned slightly away from her, her crest tilted upward in an elegant arc, a single manicured claw brushing against it in absent disdain. Anky shifted her weight, her armored tail swinging idly behind her, while Stega nervously fidgeted with her hands, glancing between Anon and the others as though unsure whether to panic or stay silent.The closer he got, the heavier their stares became. Anon adjusted his tie, his expression cool and unbothered. They're sizing you up. Let them. They'll see what you want them to see."Ughhh," Trike groaned loudly, not bothering to keep her voice down. She planted her hands on her hips, her fingers tapping irritably against her skirt. "I can't believe this. First day at the best school in the world for dinos, and I get paired with the freakin' non-dino. This is the worst day ever. What a bummer, yo."Anon's lips twitched faintly. He resisted the urge to smirk.Stega's voice, soft and hesitant, cut through the tension. "Uh... I think he can hear you." Her accent was clipped, her words tumbling out in broken cadence. She wrung her hands together, her spiked tail swaying nervously behind her."Yeah, so what, bitch?" Trike shot back without missing a beat, her head snapping toward Stega, horns tilting menacingly.Stega's eyes widened, and she took a small step back. "Um... well, that's not a very nice thing to say. And, like... aren't you even a tiny bit worried this thing will totally—uh—freaking kill us in our sleep? We're literally gonna be paired up with this aggressive, unpredictable monster until the teams change."Trike's bravado faltered for a split second. "Shit. Me and my big mouth..." she muttered under her breath, her horns lowering slightly as she glanced at Anon.Anky scoffed, her voice low and throaty, with an edge of sarcasm. "Pfft. You talk too much, fucking bonehead." She muttered something in rapid Spanish, her thick tail slamming into the floor for emphasis. "You really need to learn to control that big mouth of yours. Look at him—he's getting closer. Something's definitely off about that thing."Stega tilted her head, her nervousness momentarily replaced by curiosity. "Hey, why's it so clean?" she asked, her tone innocent but perplexed. "Aren't humans supposed to be, like, poor, stinky monkeys? You know, the kind that live in caves and eat trash?"Anky rolled her eyes. "No, Stega. Not all of them. My papa's dealt with humans before. He told me about them. Some humans... they got domesticated by dinos."Stega's mouth fell open. "Whoa. That's right. In Asia, they use humans in factories, right? To keep all the non-dinos from running away. Like some kind of vicious guard animal!"Para's delicate voice cut through, cold and sharp. "Oh, are we just casually talking about slavery now?" She let out an exaggerated sigh, brushing an invisible speck of dust off her crest. "Well, if we're bragging about ancestors, my mother had one as a family pet. But that was a long time ago, of course. Centuries, really. She said they were exactly as vile as they tell you—filthy, feral things. But," she added, her lips curling into a faint smirk, "they're oh-so-dependent on their dinosaur masters. It's just proof we're inherently superior."The three of them burst into laughter, their voices echoing across the podium. Anon stopped in his tracks, his gaze cool and unreadable as he took in their mockery.Anon tilted his head slightly, the faintest ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. "You were saying?" he asked, his voice calm, almost pleasant.The girls stared at him, momentarily taken aback. Trike's brow furrowed, her expression shifting between confusion and irritation."Uhhh..." Trike finally broke the silence, scratching the back of her frill awkwardly. "Is the human... broken? Or something? It actually sounds like a dinosaur."Para raised an eyebrow, her arms still folded across her chest, her crest tilted slightly in disdain. "Oh, how charming," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "This one talks. I wonder who taught it how to speak Dino—without stuttering, no less." Her gaze flicked sharply to Stega, who flinched under the scrutiny."H-Hey!" Stega stammered, her voice rising defensively. "What? It's not my fault! I didn't grow up here, okay? Do you know how hard it is to learn your version of Dinonese?" She threw her hands up, her spikes rattling slightly as she gestured. "Dinoish has way more complicated nuances! It makes my head hurt!"Trike snorted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, well, sounds like a you problem. Maybe if you spent less time tripping over your own tail and more time studying—""Oh, like you're one to talk!" Stega shot back, her voice rising in frustration. "I've seen you fail basic math problems, Trike. You don't get to lecture me about being dumb!"Anky groaned, pinching the bridge of her snout as if trying to ward off a headache. "Ay Dios mío," she muttered under her breath. Her tail slammed into the ground with a dull thud, drawing their attention. "Will you two cállense already?" She glared at Trike, then at Stega, before muttering something under her breath in rapid Spanish."What'd she say?" Trike asked, tilting her head suspiciously."She called you a bonehead," Anon said smoothly, his tone dry as he cut in. He leaned casually against the podium, one hand adjusting his tie as though the chaos around him were nothing more than background noise.Anky's jaw dropped slightly, her face flushing a deep red. "¡Maldito humano!" she hissed, narrowing her eyes at him. "Don't put words in my mouth, gringo."Stega tilted her head, staring wide-eyed at Anon. "Woah, the monkey knows how to speak Dino?"Trike whipped her head around, glaring at Anky with narrowed eyes. "Screw off, Anky, you stupid bitch! Why don't you go back to wherever the hell you crawled out of?"Anky's frill flared, her eyes burning with fury. "¡Cállate, cabeza de satélite!" she spat, the venom in her words unmistakable even without translation."What the hell does that mean?" Trike barked, taking a step forward, horns lowering threateningly."Figure it out, tar-pit brain," Anky snapped, standing her ground and raising her chin defiantly.Before things could escalate further, Para casually stepped between them, her smirk as sharp as her polished crest. She turned her attention to Anon, giving him an appraising look. "Well, well," she said, her tone oozing with mockery. "A man of many talents. Your owner must have been very rich to teach an inferior life form like you all these helpful little tricks."Without waiting for a reply, she reached out and petted him condescendingly on the head. "You're such a good boy."Anon's jaw tightened, but he forced himself to stay calm. Instead of pulling away, he took a step back, chuckling humorlessly. "Uh... thank you, ma'am." His words were polite, but the strain in his tone was barely masked.Para raised an eyebrow, her smile widening. "It's Park," she corrected smugly. "Mistress Park to you."Anon's fingers twitched, but he quickly masked the annoyance creeping into his expression with a strained smile. "Of course... Mistress Park."Park's gaze lingered on him for a moment, clearly reveling in her perceived dominance, but her attention was soon stolen by the commotion behind her. Anky and Trike were shoving each other now, their argument devolving into a flurry of insults and snarls.Meanwhile, Stega leaned over, nudging Anon lightly with her tail. "Uh... so, uh, human?" she asked hesitantly, glancing nervously at the other girls before turning back to him. "Do you... speak Dinonese?"Anon raised an eyebrow. "I'm passable," he said carefully.Stega hesitated for a moment, then said, "你好," her voice soft and slightly uncertain.Anon straightened, blinking in surprise before attempting to reply. "你...好," he said, stumbling over the pronunciation.Stega's eyes widened, and then she burst into laughter, covering her mouth with one hand. "Hahaha! Nice try! But... wow, you really understood me!"Anon shrugged slightly, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, it's a work in progress."Leaning closer, Stega lowered her voice, her tone conspiratorial. "那么... 我们现在是一个队伍了, 是吧? 我们可以用这个语言说私事,别人就听不懂."("So, uh... I guess we're a team now? We can use this language to talk about private stuff so the others won't understand.")Anon nodded slowly, his expression neutral, though he couldn't shake the unease creeping into the back of his mind.Park's voice cut through the moment, sharp and inquisitive. "What are you two talking about?"Stega straightened, her face flushing slightly. "Uh... how pretty you are? And... how lucky we are to have someone with, uh... human-wrangling experience on our team!"Park's chest puffed out, and she planted her hands on her hips triumphantly. "Yes, yes, I am an amazing leader, aren't I?" she declared, her tone brimming with self-satisfaction.Behind her, Trike froze mid-punch, her fist inches from Anky's face. She whipped her head around, her frill flaring in outrage. "WHO THE FUCK MADE YOU LEADER, BITCH?!"Park turned slowly, arching an elegant eyebrow as if Trike's outburst was beneath her notice. "I assumed it was obvious," she said coolly, her voice dripping with condescension. "I mean, look at me. I'm clearly the most qualified."Trike snorted, her tail slamming into the ground with a loud thud. "Qualified? The only thing you're qualified for is being a stuck-up pain in the ass!"Anky, still recovering from the near punch, smirked and muttered, "I'll drink to that."Stega nervously glanced between them, her tail twitching. "Uh... maybe we should all just, y'know, focus on the fact that we're stuck together? Like... as a team?"Park ignored her, stepping closer to Trike, her crest held high. "Face it, hornhead. You don't have the brains, the charm, or the class to lead anyone. So why don't you step aside and leave the heavy lifting to someone who actually knows what they're doing?"Trike growled low in her throat, her horns lowering threateningly. "Oh, I'll step aside, all right. After I step on you!"The tension in the room was palpable, the air practically crackling with hostility. Anon stood quietly, observing the chaos with a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Perfect, he thought. Let them tear each other apart. Makes my job a whole lot easier.