Ana leaned back and assessed the room. She had been given the track she wanted the most along with two others. She wasn't sure what that meant about her workload compared to the others. Would that mean three times the classes? Unlikely, but it would definitely require more than the others.
Well, she did like to be challenged. Next she looked over at her new roommate. The freckles were kind of cute she decided. They amplified the feeling of innocence around her. Of course that had to be at least partially an act. You didn't become a trained soldier and maintain any true form of innocence.
There was an absentmindedness about her that she thought most would mistake as her being stupid. Her exclamation and appraisal of Simon had proven otherwise. She may be specialized in one area. If she carried that kind of intelligence across the board she had chosen a profession much below where she belonged.
She was going to be a fun mystery to unravel, and she had full access to her to do so.
Yuki (She'd noticed, and expected, shortening her name like that would tick her off. She just had to keep doing it.) would have been a fun roommate too, but of course that also would have become exhausting. She would have to keep her guard up around her and being in that kind of proximity she'd rarely not be.
Being so stiff and arrogant, she opened up a whole range of options. She would be easily manipulated, and even more easily toyed with. That arrogance didn't come just from her money. She also had the intelligence and skill to back it up. That intelligence meant she could make her jabs very subtle and have her understand when the rest did not.
The last one among her teammates she hadn't interacted with was Alisha. She was an open book, even if she didn't realize it. She sat just a bit too close to her sister, which meant she was protective, probably overly protective, of her. She had been quick to cool off Yukiko when she came in, providing Ana a good chance to understand her style of charisma. Easy going, happy go lucky on the surface. She expected like her sister there was more underneath.
She bet it was a temper. It wasn't unusual to over compensate for something like that. She'd test that hypothesis later. If it was as explosive as Ana was betting she would need to be careful. The best route would to trick someone else into doing it. Maybe her sister? No. Not with that protective streak. Yuki on the other hand... Yes. That would be an easy manipulation.
Simon was the lucky one. Being the only male he didn't get a roommate. She suspected he would have gotten a roommate from one of the other squads but being a chimera that wouldn't have been a good idea.
It also meant he would be in a different building, which was a shame. She wanted to test out that asexual statement. How asexual can someone be? Ana hadn't succeeded in every seduction, but she had a good record.
He was interesting in other ways. Ana decided he was very sensitive about being a chimera. His violent reaction towards Carole had proven that, as well as how he had tried to keep himself detached during the meeting. He'd been quick to accept her proposal of an alliance during the testing however. Was that how he was used to being treated perhaps? He expected to be used, and when someone did he relaxed? That didn't completely track. She was missing something. It would be another item to explore on her list.
There wasn't much their C.O. had to say after giving them their room assignments. Mainly what would be expected of them during these meetings and during their time on the parade grounds with him.
"Ana I need to speak with you privately. Everyone else, dismissed," their new commander ordered when he finished.
This was faster than she expected, but then again this school had a better workup on what made her tick than any of her previous schools. This was going to be the "be a good girl or else" speech. She'd heard it at every school, usually only a week or so before she found herself no longer in that academy.
The other four left. They had the same destination. She was the only one who didn't have anything to do with the soldier training so they had no reason to wait for her. She may have a heavier load than them, but not having to be dressed in uniforms every day made up for it as far as she was concerned.
Looking back at the first lieutenant, she waited for the speech to start. She schooled her face to show interest and intended to keep it that way no matter how boring this was going to be. Hawkinson looked back at her, his hands in front of his face, fingers steepled in thought.
"You are a smart woman Ana. I'm sure you've worked out why I would keep you behind so I'll skip that explanation." Ana smiled her appreciation at both the compliment as well as at the time that was going to save. "You want the training we can provide, so it is in your interest to play well with the others. What I want to know is what you need to do that."
The statement caught her off guard and Ana's mask of interest broke. Every school had been ridged on what they would and would not do. Her opinion had never counted.
Daniel smiled at her reaction. It was definitely Daniel, not First Lieutenant Hawkinson. The stiff military precision dropped off and a civilian sat in front of her now. "Professor Avery is going to make this extremely clear to you when you meet with him, but being in the rogue track means we won't be expecting you to conform to most military standards. Generally speaking those on that track aren't mentally equipped for it and forcing it only stunts their growth. That's why there isn't any uniform requirements."
There was a slight pause while Ana absorbed that. "So, as I was saying before, what do you need?"
It was at that exact moment she knew, with absolute confidence, that she had found the school she had been looking for. She filed her observations and plans she'd made of her teammates for possible use later, but now she had a reason to try rather than expect the failure from the school administration's narrow minds.
The conversation that followed was longer than she had expected, and it was a true conversation, not a lecture. At some point Professor Avery came to them, having grown tired of the wait.
He was casually dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, the shirt having the name and picture of some band she'd never heard of on it. She also noted the gun on his left ankle and knife on his right wrist. She expected there would be more she couldn't see, much like herself.
He picked up the thread of the conversation, and much like Daniel had said he emphasized that it was much more casual than past academies. It was also going to be tougher. He was also the first person who had called her insane with a smile on his lips and she was able to give an answering smile filled with pride.
Leaving the room, and Ana, behind everyone relaxed, even Carole. She was unusually comfortable around Ana, which by itself was odd. Normally her introverted nature made her nervous around new people, unless there was something about them that ignited her curiosity like Simon had. She attributed that response to the manipulative nature Ana must have to be assigned those three tracks. Not two tracks, but three! Her abilities must be impressive.
And she was going to have to live with her. Given the duel nature of Carole's feelings, positive impression verses negative misgivings, that was not a comfortable thought. She was going to have to be careful around her, and she hated having to be that suspicious of her own teammate.
Yukiko had taken the lead, making her and her sister fallow in her wake like servents, which was probably not far off from how she thought of it. Carole didn't mind though. It would mean when they got to professor Kimmel she would be the first to enter and the first to leave. There would be no reason or chance to interact with her at all.
Simon's scales were still calling to her. She had a glimmer of an idea why he had reacted so strongly, but her curiosity wasn't just piqued; it was ravenous. He was still ignoring everyone though and she had the good sense not to push.
Her inner sight was still studying him from this distance. It wasn't ideal, but her sight was remarkably strong, as would be expected of a woman with her skill in glyphs. She was getting clues and she was filing them away. It was a good distraction until Yukiko finished with her meeting and headed off to her second destination.
When Simon entered next it left the two sisters alone, something she had been looking forward to. "Why didn't he put us in the same room? I mean, we're sisters. We'd get along perfectly!" She'd been holding that outburst in from the moment she'd heard the assignments.
Her sister chuckled, which confused Carole at first until Alisha replied. "I think he did it because if he put Yukiko and Ana in the same room only one would come out alive, at most."
Carole grumbled under her breath, but she silently had to agree. "Well at least I got Ana and not that... that..." Carole searched for a descriptive word that combined stiff, overbearing, egotistical, superior, and spoiled, and was failing. Insults was not something she was good at.
"Bitch?" Alisha supplied.
Well it was accurate, if crude Carole thought. Still, she couldn't be that mean. It simply wasn't in her nature. "No, she isn't that bad."
With a shake of the head her sister said "Well I'll let you know later how it goes. I think I prefer her over Ana. At least I know where she stands. I don't like Ana. There's just something cruel about her. Not just because I know she's an assassin. I felt it before I knew."
"You're overreacting," Carole said, defending her new teammate. "I bet you sensed what she was. I mean that is part of being a good soldier, and you're the best. We're teammates though. She won't hurt me or nothing."
The worry didn't leave Alisha's eyes. "I hope you're right."
Carole hoped she was right too. Her own misgivings still remained.
The room was too small for one person, let alone two. Her bed was too small too. The steel frame of it was going to squeak and keep her up. Yukiko just new it. And it was a bunk bed of all things. She was going to have to deal with someone sleeping above her, making the bed squeak more.
There were no walk-in closets, just two tall cabinets with three drawers in the bottom and a clothes poll in the top. They were depressingly small, like the rest of the room. She only had the bare minimum in clothes right now, but she would be buying more.
And then there was the bathroom situation! Sharing a bathroom with her room mate (She wouldn't even begin on how having one of those upset her) would have been bad enough, but the bathroom was communal with everyone on the floor. She wouldn't have any privacy when she showered. And she would have to shower. There were no bathtubs for her to soak in.
She had known before she had traveled here, intellectually, that she was going to have to deal with a lower class's level of living. She hadn't realize it was going to be this barbaric.
At least her roommate was someone she respected, even if she didn't like her manners. Maybe Yukiko could cultivate her past that unfavorable characteristic. Given enough time she might become tolerable. If nothing else they could spar during their free hours, so there was that. She doubted there were many others who were good enough to be worth her time.
Unless of course it was with a knife from behind, like a coward. Like someone devoid of honor.
Yes, she was happy the assassin was not in her room. While her death would solve the problem of an unwanted roommate she doubted her C.O. would approve. Honestly she didn't want her dead. Hurt certainly. Hospitalized would be enjoyable and ease her anger. If that was all that was done though Ana would eventually return to their room with the problem not really solved.
Let the child have her. Carole seemed to be oversensitive to references of class levels, but Yukiko bet she would not grasp more subtle insults, like the ones the assassin had thrown at her before anyone else had been in the conference room earlier.
Carole hadn't acted dishonorably, but her tactics in the assessment was cowardly as well. Running to avoid a fight or any form of challenge. She did have some competition, but they were probably just as cowardly and weak.
The two deserved each other.
She started to put her clothes away, it wasn't going to take long. Her two outfits she had come with and three sets of uniforms that had been provided only took up a fraction of the cabinet and drawers.
Come Saturday she was going to go shopping. Even if the clothes were poorly made with coarse fabrics it was better than nothing. She hadn't much in the way of money, but the stores here weren't likely to ask much either. She would be picking up at least ten outfits. She wished she could do her shopping before Saturday, but it wasn't going to be possible.
She had feared that two tracks meant twice as many classes. It turned out that she did have more classes than the rest, but there was overlap so it didn't equal double. It was enough that she wasn't going to have much free time except the weekends. It was mainly going to be classes, homework, sleeping, and eating. The little time she had between would be dedicated to her daily sword practice.
It was a good thing as she figured it. It meant less time dealing with those around her on any kind of social level.
"Hi roomy!" Alisha exclaimed as she came through the door. "Wow... I didn't expect such a large room."
Large? How little was she used to living with? "It is adequate, I suppose," she replied, her voice disapproving.
The disdain must have prompted Alisha to her next statement. Frowning in thought for a second, she asked "Are you going to be able to live here without constantly projecting an aura of superiority?"
She raised her hands up quickly to show she had more to say before Yukiko had a chance to release the outburst that was raising up within her. She nearly gave it anyways, but Alisha's action slowed her down enough to recognize the rudeness. Out of the respect gained from their earlier battle she gave Alisha the chance with a slight nod to continue.
"I understand that you are used to more. A lot more in fact. If I was used to what you probably had I would be doing something similar I think. But I'm not you, I don't have that experience, and no one likes being looked down on."
Yukiko was unmoved, her anger at the first statement remaining. It was instantly deflated at the last seven words. 'No one likes being looked down on.' She had been doing that, and it was normal. She was high class. Her servants were below her, not equals, and she gave them more thought and consideration than those who were lower class than that.
It was the natural order of the social food chain. It was right, and it was all she had ever known. She had prepared herself to be able to do what these unfortunates were forced to do without servants on the way to the school, but that didn't change her status. If anything it proved her worthy of her status, rising to a challenge and surpassing it.
Except she wasn't the top. There were those who's social standings were above hers, most notably her father and his friends. Was that how she was making them feel?
Now visibly shaken, Yukiko searched for words, but her thoughts were too scattered to find them. Alisha waited patiently until finally she found them, grabbing each word slowly from the maelstrom. "I am sorry for my rudeness. I am of a higher class, as you say. Those of my class have certain expectations upon them, and if they don't meet them they would loose the respect of those both above and below their station." She managed to string the words together without adding inarticulate words like 'um' or 'uh,' but she couldn't stop the long pauses between.
It felt odd to be explaining any of this on two separate levels. First, she was speaking to Alisha as if she was an equal. It wasn't what a member of the Sato clan would ever do. She had gone so far as to apologize.
The second was she was explaining something that shouldn't need to be explained. It should be obvious, and it should be something that Alisha accepted instead of calling it into question. Worse, Yukiko was considering the question seriously.
The words once again scattered, unable to explain that this was how it should be. How it must be. All seventeen years of her life this was all she had known.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQjbEeGU7X
Alisha saved her from the downward spiral. "I understand, and I don't expect you to suddenly act like you are from this world," she said, indicating the environment as well as the people. "However if you continue to stick your nose in the air at every inconvenience I'm going to lose my temper eventually and we'll have a problem. I don't want that. I want to be your friend."
A friend? With a lowborn? Was such a thing even possible? She considered it. She had assumed she would be alone in her stay here. She had accepted it as part of her life for years.
Again a quiet voice, frightened and hiding in the darkness of her mind, whispered, It could happen. Angrily she threw that voice back into the shadows. It wasn't possible. It could never happen. Alisha was talking about something she didn't understand. This was irritating. It had to be irritating. It was supposed to be irritating.
She would bend a little though. They were going to be roommates. It was necessary to keep the peace. "Given your skills in combat I will give you the respect required to treat you as an equal. I can not promise more than that."
Her roommate sighed as if she had said something wrong. At what she couldn't guess. That was a large concession she would give to few. Only one in fact, her Sensei. "This will be an interesting year."
Stretching out on his bed Simon remembered his trip to his room. The upperclassmen seemed the least put out by his presence. The class president had been correct about that, but the underclassmen, and especially those of his year, were positively horrified when they looked at him.
He was assessing the situation every step, deciding if they attacked him which ones he would take out first. It was as automatic as it had always been. The difference is this time they were doing the same to him.
Any hope of being accepted among them died on that walk. He would learn and become a trained killer, gaining the control he desired to only attack his enemies. He didn't expect more than that anymore. Not even from the members of his own squad.
One would make him into her science experiment, another would try to manipulate him until he was her puppet. The third one looked down on everyone already. He would be even lower in her assessment.
There was one possible exception. Alisha had a personality he liked and felt at ease with. It was an unforced ease. He couldn't see anyone not enjoying being around her. Maybe... No, it was better to not expect that. It was better not to expect anything with her one way or another. Let her prove herself. Lets see if her nonjudgmental appearance was more than an act. It likely was, just like Ana's had proven to be.
The quiet was starting to get to him. In the desert there was always noise from the creatures around him and the wind. During his time in the holding cell the front wall had simply been iron bars, allowing him to hear the people in the rest of the building. Here the walls felt soundproofed. He suddenly wished one of the other chimera had been made a roommate, but there had been only three. Those two had likely been paired together.
Sleep was the only option to escape it. With an ease that had been programmed into him he felt it wrap around him quickly.
ns 172.70.179.67da2
and then Add to home screen.