"Fucking asshats," Red thought to himself, inwardly pleased. "As if I'd move for their bitch asses. What a bunch of self-centered motherfuckers. And that enforcer, so easily tricked by a blood capsule and some coins I slipped in the big one's pocket. He's not very bright. Rather, he's quite dull. But that makes it all the better for me."
"Here's the infirmary, son," the masked enforcer said monotonously, coming to a stop before a three-story tall wooden building that was painted pink. The enforcer took his hand off Red's shoulder, placing it at his side. The windows were square and at face level, tinted a dark black.
"I can't see inside the building through that window, but I reckon that anyone inside could see outside. Privacy purposes perhaps," Red mused to himself.
They were all the way on the other side of the campus, in front of a building solely dedicated to students' medical issues. This building in question was separate from the others, at the far side of the campus whereas most of the others were gathered near the center. The enforcer had grabbed Red back in the hallway, and in the blink of an eye, whisked them here, before this building that appeared to be poorly maintained. It was unlike anything Red had experienced before. The whisking sensation, that is. For someone of his origin, poorly maintained buildings weren't anything new.
"The quality of this building contrasts quite a lot in comparison to the main one, which I suppose could be considered quality, especially in comparison to the ones back 'there'," Red thought. "The main one is much larger too. You'd think it would be harder to maintain, but apparently not. Maybe I'll figure it out later, or not."
There was a wooden sign plastered above the door, which was poorly nailed in. The wooden sign was heavily chipped at the edges, and the writing, which was done in paint, was heavily faded. Not that Red knew what it said; it wasn't like he had an education. Not only had he lived in the slums, he slept in the cold streets every night. "School" and "Education" were unfamiliar concepts to him, even though he knew what the words meant. In fact, for him, Arkren Tamer's Academy would be the first exposure to any form of education he'd have.
"That probably reads infirmary, but I can't read. Not that it's important. Although, it's a bit problematic that a place specifically for treating injuries would be so poorly maintained," Red thought to himself. "That might be a matter of worry."
"You still alive, kid?" the masked enforcer said, his glowing orange eyes locked onto the shorter Red. Perhaps, for anyone else, his eyes would be considered frightening or unnerving, but Red simply snapped out of his train of thought with a sheepish smile.
"Yeah, I am. Sorry. I got lost in my train of thought, that's all," Red said with a smile. The masked enforcer kept his watchful gaze on Red a few moments longer before nodding.
"I'll be on my way now, do take this late slip so you don't get consequences. You'll probably be late for your first class, where you'll pick your first tamed beast. I know how you first years think; the beasts you first years consider the 'cool and powerful' ones will probably be taken by the time you arrive, but just remember," the enforcer said, patting him on the back. "Being a mage is always an option. Good luck, son, and I hope you didn't get a bad impression of an academy on the very first day."
The enforcer handed a yellow slip– presumably the late slip aforementioned– to Red, who took it and pocketed it with his free hand without reading it, the other still covering his nose. He bowed in faked gratitude with a smile on his face before putting himself upright once more.
"Thank you for your help, sir! I thank you for your advice, and I hope to meet you again!" Red said with faked enthusiasm and respect, giving the enforcer a salute with his free hand. The enforcer nodded his head before walking away, disappearing into thin air moments later. Once the enforcer disappeared, Red waited for several moments to truly conclude that the enforcer was gone before heading straight for a bathroom instead of the infirmary. His goal? To clean himself up, for there was no actual injury on him.
"He just disappeared… I've never heard of anything like that. Perhaps it's all a part of this 'mage' business he told me about," Red thought to himself. "Maybe that's how he whisked me here instantly."
Now of course, not being able to read signs was a detriment to finding a bathroom, but the flush of a toilet and the running of a sink was enough to guide him to one. And it was there he ran into someone he had briefly met not even half an hour ago.
When he stepped foot into the bathroom, he briefly locked eyes with the purple-haired boy, Keldran, who stood in front of a sink, rinsing his hands off. Keldran had barely glanced over at Red when he stepped in, shutting the faucet before grabbing a wool towel from his pocket to dry off his hands.
"Ah, it appears I didn't accidentally walk into the bathroom for girls. That's good I suppose. Maybe I should learn to at least read a little so I don't piss someone off," Red said out loud, his hand still covering his face, which was smeared with fake blood.
"I know what you did," Keldran said plainly, rubbing his towel over his hands. He kept a neutral expression on his face, his eyes unfocused and half-lidded. "I would say they're rather stupid for falling for a simple trick, but I do suppose I can't expect those sheltered bastards and that simple-minded enforcer to know about such a trick. After all, only someone who knows a bit of alchemy or has exposure to blood capsules could distinguish the difference by sight."
"Then why didn't you do anything about my little trick, if you knew about it? Those 'sheltered bastards' were your friends, were they not?" Red said with a smirk, entirely unapologetic. He lowered his hand from his face now that his gig was up, approaching a sink. "Perhaps, you were just bluffing to confirm that I did, in fact, use a blood capsule, but I don't think you were. You know what? How about you try and do something about what I did back there, right here and right now?"
"It's not my problem to deal with their squabbles. I can tell you'd be a lot to bite off right now," Keldran said with a tired yawn, tossing the wool towel into the trash can. "And I'd rather not have to deal with problems. You're probably a smart guy, and if not, at the very least prepared with what you pulled back there. You'd just fake another scenario and frame me, wouldn't you?"
"They are your friends, are they not?" Red said, crossing his arms. He put on an amused smile, but he was more so curious about how Keldran was acting than the actual situation at hand.
"Friends? No. The oaf pays me to do some of his things, but nothing more. Fighting his battles is out of the question. As if I'd risk myself for someone I don't give a damn about," Keldran said as he walked out of the bathroom without waiting for a reply.
"What an interesting guy," Red said to himself as he turned on the sink to clean himself up. "I'll be sure to remember him. Though, him tossing away that wool towel was a waste... finders keepers I suppose."
Red reached into the trash can, which was thankfully empty minus the towel. His fingers closed on the wool towel, allowing him to pull it out.
"No need to get filthy in the trash can, thankfully. That towel's mine now."