“No worries, lad. Enjoy your camp.”
Uncle Colin groggily made his way to the sidewalk while the twins made sure he didn’t fall on his face. Unc already had a broken nose; there was no need to make it more twisted.
He could only imagine what the campus looked like during the regular term. Today, only students their age walked in twos and threes, all heading in the same direction. Orrin spotted Mills and the other girl entering the structure near the main building. The training hall, he presumed.
At the school’s registrar, they filled out more forms, had their likenesses taken by a jade and metal contraption, and eventually given their identification cards.
“It’s a gold mark for each child,” the woman manning the booth said to Uncle Colin, who nodded and fished out the coins from his wallet.
Orrin almost choked on his spit when he realized that it cost them two thousand Sovereigns to enter Faron’s Crossing’s training camp.
There was the choice of forgoing, of course, but Uncle Colin and their parents agreed to invest in the camp. Not only would they learn much-needed skills, but it also came with a recommendation for their entry into one of Rumiga City’s Imperial Academies. Provided they passed, of course.
“You boys can join the extra learning courses that will run until the 14th. It starts from an hour after noon until the evening bell. They’re mostly held in the training hall,” she said after handing their IDs over. “There’s a session beginning in a few minutes.”
“Go on, boys,” Unc said. “You know the way back to the inn?”
Orrin nodded while Braden looked lost, as he usually was.
“See you at dinner then,” Unc waved goodbye and left.
“Er, what do the learning courses cover?” Orrin asked the woman.
“Animus techniques and basic martial arts.”
The twins glanced at each other. Orrin could see the excitement in Braden’s baby blue eyes.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
The two of them made their way around the main building and headed to the training hall. There were a few kids walking down the path, a couple of boys and a girl on her own. They looked at Orrin and Braden curiously, seeing as they were new in town.
“Hello!” Braden waved.
One of them, a black-haired boy with sun-bronzed skin who was a little bit taller than the twins glanced back and nodded. The other boy, brown-haired kid and the same height as Orrin, said, “Hello. New in town?”
“That’s right, we’re joining the training camp,” Braden answered brightly.
“Huh,” the boy shrugged, “welcome, I guess.”
“I’m Braden, this is Orrin.”
“Zeyn.”
Braden looked expectantly at the other boy as they strolled down the path.
“Heron.”
“Nice to meet you,” Orrin said.
“Sure,” Heron grunted. He nodded towards the hall, “Joining today?”
“Yes, well, we’d like to see what makes this training camp valuable,” Orrin said.
Heron looked at either twin from top to bottom, “You’ve inlaid?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then I guess, you’ll learn a lot here.”
Zeyn chuckled under his breath but it was loud enough that Heron glared at the smaller boy.
“What?” he growled.
“Strong words from someone who keeps getting beat by a girl who hasn’t inlaid yet.”
Heron reddened but he only muttered indistinct words under his breath as he looked away.
“Oh, what’s that about,” Braden said in a mock whisper but Orrin was sure he saw Heron’s ears twitch in annoyance.
“Hee hee,” Zeyn snickered. “Heron here keeps challenging her to get her to notice him.”
“No, I don’t!” Heron spluttered.
“Oh?” Orrin hummed.
“Strong and pretty, I suppose?” Braden said.
“Huh, you’ll see.”
Inside the hall, several more groups of kids chattering in groups of two or three stood around the space. Orrin noticed Heron sweeping the crowd with his eyes but he didn’t seem to find who he was looking for. There were about three girls already inside. Orrin recognized Mills and her friend talking with another girl who also had black hair and who already had feminine curves.
Heron and Zeyn dropped their duffel bags in a corner and they started stretching. Orrin noticed that everyone was in loose, comfortable clothing, while the twins were in their dusty travel clothes.
Braden started stretching too, while Orrin observed, looking at the cliques the Faronians had formed. The girls pretty much stayed together while Heron and Zeyn mingled with the other boys. There was a boy who seemed to have chosen to stand apart from the others but Orrin couldn’t figure out why. The busty girl soon approached the boy who was alone and prodded him, so Orrin supposed they were friends.
The doors opened and Orrin noticed everyone pausing to look, which he figured it must signal the arrival of their instructor. Funnily, Braden turned to look in the same direction and he immediately froze, his eyes wide and his jaw dropping down like a fool.
Orrin turned and found himself he frozen stiff as well, his mind sputtering to a halt when he beheld her. There was no doubt she was the one Zeyn was referring to earlier.
“I think I’m in love,” He muttered, only to realize that Braden had said the exact same thing but in a voice that seemed loud in the sudden silence.
The girl that took his breath away, a golden-haired goddess who looked like she had descended from the heavens, gave both of them a sidelong glance but otherwise ignored them as she seemed to glide across the wooden floorboards to the busty girl and lonely boy. Her smile practically lit up the room.
Braden nudged Orrin and said, “I guess that gold mark is well worth it.”
Orrin could only nod mutely.
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