"D3…D2…D1!" I stop in front of the door to my dorm.

The dorm buildings are absolutely stunning - they look less like dorms, and more like high-end hotels. The only thing I don't love is that each floor has communal bathrooms. Thankfully, they seem to be rather large, with actual stalls, so at least I won't be bumping legs with anyone while ripping ass.

"They said your room is connected to mine, right?" I ask Dame Alex over my shoulder as I unlock the door and push it open.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Great. Now, let's see…"

I look around the room, which is rather spartan. There's two beds, two dressers, two night tables, two larger tables with a set of chairs, and two doors on either side of the room. There's also a curtain that can be used to partition the room.

Each of the beds have a nameplate. One says Moore, and the other, notably, says Turing. Guess I'm rooming with mister grumpy, then.

"Is that the door to your room?" I point to the door on my side of the room.

Dame Alex opens it, and we both poke our heads in. It has a bed, a dresser, and what looks like a weapons rack, with her steamer trunk at the foot of the bed.

All things considered, it's quite small. Still more than big enough for her to be comfortable in the room, but compared to the one Michael and I will be sharing, it's roughly half the size. Which...makes sense, I suppose.

"Hey, look at the bright side - you'll have some privacy, right? I'm guessing you didn't have that in the knight's quarters."

"Indeed."

I grimace at that. Of course there were no separate lodgings for women in the knight's quarters.

"I'm sorry you had to put up with that."

"This is it - D1…"

A muffled voice catches my attention. I turn just as Michael Turing enters, followed by Sir Demetrius.

When we make eye contact, his eyes flash a dull red. 

"Oh. It's you."

"Damn skippy."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Yes, but I didn't understand you."

"Well, that sounds like a you problem."

Michael grunts in dismissal, and approaches his dresser as Sir Demetrius silently enters his own side room.

Curious about the uniform, I follow Michael's lead. Upon opening the dresser, I find that it's really just a rather plain student's uniform - a pair of slacks, a long sleeved shirt, and a vest. There is a small patch of fabric on the left breast of the vest that is slightly more tightly woven than the rest of the vest. I wonder what that's for?

On the right breast, the Academy ensignia is embroidered into the material - a book with a lightning bolt and a sword crossed over it. Honestly? It looks…kind of dumb.

While there are several pairs of pants and shirts, there is only one vest, and one pair of shoes.

"Dame Alex, is there a uniform for you, as well?"

"Of course there is." Michael clicks his tongue in disapproval. "Having one's house be easily identifiable by the colors their knight wears would make the concept of equality rather pointless, would it not?"

I nod. "That makes a lot of sense. Good call."

He doesn't respond, and simply pulls out his steamer trunk from under his bed. I raise my eyebrows in curiosity, and do the same, quickly flipping it open to observe the contents.

I just as quickly slam it shut and shove it back under the bed.

"Well, my taste in clothes is terrifyingly tacky."

"Oh, you're just now realizing it?" Michael cocks an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah, man. I mean, who wears a shirt with a V from the shoulders to the crotch? Might as well not wear anything at all…"

"If I recall, you claimed it was to allow women to observe your physique."

I gag a little at that. "God, kill me now…"

Michael frowns at me. "This is unusual. What has brought about such a sudden change?"

A chill travels down my spine, and I have to make up something on the spot.

"Uh…I'm…I'm sober. I'm sober, for the first time in a long time."

I cringe inwardly. I couldn't have come up with literally anything else?

Luckily, Dame Alex is in her room, so she didn't hear me say that - otherwise she'd probably be chastising me right now. You know, as she should.

Apparently, he's not surprised by that, as he simply nods. "Good. I'm glad to see that you're making an effort." He suddenly approaches me, moving much faster than I thought was humanly possible.

"I'm warning you, Eric. If there's even a hint of deceit in your behavior, I will not hesitate to expose you for what you really are."

My heart leaps into my throat. I place a hand on Michael's shoulder, and for once in my life, I think I've actually read someone correctly.

"Thank you, Michael. I know it's a lot to ask of you to keep me accountable for my own behavior, on top of your studies. I really appreciate it." I give him a genuine smile. "You're a good friend."

He knocks my hand off of his shoulder as he backs away with a scowl. Well, maybe I didn't read him correctly, after all. "We haven't been friends in a long time. And I bet you don't even remember why."

I think on it for a moment, but ultimately come up blank. "I'm sorry, but…I don't."

He shakes his head at me, before going back to his side of the room. "Don't disturb me. I'm going to be getting changed."

In one fluid motion, he pulls the dividing sheet all the way across the room, which is honestly incredibly impressive. I can barely move a shower curtain in one motion!

Deciding that I should get changed as well, I turn back to my dresser, and -

Holy shit.

Dame Alex is dressed in the Academy uniform - it's a black, elegant uniform, with silver accents and cufflinks. There's a silver chain across her chest, holding the lapels in place. Her shoes are black boots with white laces.

The contrast of black, silver and white goes perfectly with her darker skin tone. It's almost as if it were made for her.

"Wow, and I thought you looked good in the royal knight's uniform."

"Y-you what?" A blush spreads across her face.

"Oh, sorry - I was thinking out loud. But you really do wear that well. It complements your skin tone very nicely."

She looks down at her uniform bashfully. "I…thank you, Your Highness."

After collecting herself, she points to my uniform. "You should get changed as well, Your Highness. It is nearly 7:30, and dinner will be starting promptly at 8."

"Alright - I'll get changed now so we can be there by a quarter to."

"Of course. I'll give you your privacy, Your Highness."

"Much appreciated."

I quickly change out of the blue and black outfit that the butler laid out for me this morning, and pull on the all-black Academy uniform. It fits me quite well - I just wish I had a suit jacket to go with it, instead of the sleeveless vest.

I'm a bit confused that Michael and Sir Demetrius still haven't finished changing, but I'm not going to ask what's taking them so long. Mostly because I don't care.

"Okay, I'm all good."

Dame Alex exits her small room, and nods to me.

"You wear your uniform quite nicely as well, Your Highness."

"Thank you. Now, shall we? I'm starving."

She nods, and I make sure to grab my key before we leave.