To the Academy (Viden / Lui)

Viden Voidstar

The weather seemed nice: It was a sunny morning, probably perfect for going to the Seven Stars Academy for the first time. Viden stood in front of the Academy, a little tired for the walk, looking at it for some time, while being at the same time confused and curious about it. He was, obviously, wearing the school uniform and carrying a bag with all the books needed for that day, or at least supposedly, things to eat for lunchtime and his Headphones, with the MP3 player. The problem was that he had no idea where his class was.

When he went inside the Academy, he asked around where his class was, saying that he was a new student and it was his first day at the Academy. When he arrived in the class, presented by the teacher, he wrote his name on the chalkboard.

"I'm Viden Voidstar. Nice to meet you all."

He said, in a neutral and tired tone. He then sat down in an empty desk, near a window. Then the lesson started.


After the lesson, during lunchtime, he sat down in an empty table in the Lunchroom, only having a bottle of water and two chocolate muffins, that he brought directly from home.

"I had all the necessary books. That was lucky..."

He thought to himself with a sigh of relief. He then got his Headphones and MP3 player out of the bag and started listening to some music, but at a low volume. In fact, he wanted to hear from students what was going on in the school: After all, he was new, and gaining "information" on the first day could have proven useful in the future.

"I wonder if somebody is going to sit down here..."

He thought to himself, again. He didn't hope so, but talking to someone could have proven even more useful than listening. So he waited, watching the other students moving around the Lunchroom with a slightly bored face.

As class began, a new student presented himself to the class. The student wasn't overly remarkable, introducing himself in the most basic, disinterested way. As soon as his name was written on the board, Lui rolled his eyes towards the window, looking for a more interesting feature outside. The kid took a seat a few seats ahead of him in the row next to the window. Now, time to get through class...

Thankfully, class wrapped up as soon as Lui realized it. He walked quickly and with purpose towards the lunchroom. Students were flowing in through every open door, so plenty of the tables were filled with mindless chatter. Not wanting to deal with the other students, Lui backed up into a seemingly empty table and quickly grabbed a seat. As he turned to place his lunch pack on the table, he noticed Viden sitting on the other side. While Lui would normally be adverse towards talking to an uninterested student, he was curious to see if this kid had any talents or connections to warrant further discussion.

"Can you hear me, or are you so absorbed in your music? At least you're not one of those types who plays their music so loud everyone else in the room can understand the lyrics. Welcome to Seven Stars, new guy."

Viden continued to look people passing by, sitting down on other tables and talking about everyday things, probably. He couldn't hear well as he did before, since there were more and more people going in the Lunchroom.

"I'm pretty glad that nobody sat down on this table yet."

Or so he thought. He then heard a voice coming from the other side of the table.

"Can you hear me, or are you so absorbed in your music? At least you're not one of those types who plays their music so loud everyone else in the room can understand the lyrics. Welcome to Seven Stars, new guy."

Said the "voice". When he turned around to look at the person that spoke, he began analyzing him to see if he met him: He had black, well-kept hair and brown eyes, a blue backpack and the school uniform. He then thought about it, but nothing came out of his mind.

"...Maybe he comes from my class and i didn't notice?...Well, at least it's only him and not the whole group of boys from my class."

He thought to himself, again. He removed his Headphones and lowered the volume to the minimum, to try and start talking to him. Normally, he would have said something like "I don't want to talk", but since he, probably, came from his class, he should have started talking to "socialize" and decieve the teachers, who probably would have said something along the lines of "you need to socialize more", or something like that. He then started talking in a neutral tone, like he did in the class.

"What a really warm welcome. Well, at least you're being yourself, and not some guy who hides behind a smile."

He said with a sigh, remembering some things that he saw in the orphanage.

"I'm pretty sure you heard me before, but in any case, i'm Viden Voidstar."

He said again, to also understand if he really was in his class or not.

On the outside, Lui gave a simple nod and a convincing smile. Inside, Lui was snickering as this kid stated the exact opposite type of person Lui was. He really had no idea what kind of person walked in on him. Still, whatever attitude Lui had displayed previously was resonating with the kid. Might as well keep pressing on...

"What a really warm welcome. Well, at least you're being yourself, and not some guy who hides behind a smile."

"Hey, it's not your typical "how-do-ya-do?", but it still means welcome either way. Still, you seem rather keen on people betraying your perceptions of outward appearance. Let me guess, you're not one to initially trust others. At least you find me... trustworthy."

"I'm pretty sure you heard me before, but in any case, i'm Viden Voidstar."

"Already heard it, pal. We're in the same class, if I'm not mistaken. You could at least crack a smile or something when you introduce yourself. Pretty sure half the class would've paid you no mind after that. Don't worry, though. They don't care for much for me either. Oh, where are my manners?

The name's Lui, Captain of the Fencing Club at this school."

When the person was about to answer back, Viden noticed something that made him a little angry: A smile. He was unsure about if it was a "true" smile or a "fake" smile, to hide his true personality. It was pretty convincing, but even so Viden thought it was a "fake" one.

"Yes, you got that right..."

He said, in a neutral way, regarding him not trusting strangers. He wanted to continue, saying things like "why should I", but that would have probably created a mess. He didn't find the person that "trustworthy" though. He was just trying to "use" him. Not in an "evil" way, though. Or at least Viden thought. The person then first complained about his introduction in the classroom, or at least sort of. He also revealed that the classroom didn't care that much about him either. He then introduced himself as the captain of the Fencing Club, Lui. Viden was a little surprised by that reveal, showing his faint surprise by opening his eyes a little bit more, but then looked at him with a confused stare.

"Captain of the Fencing Club...By Captain, you mean that you manage the Club with a teacher, or that you help more than others in the club?"

He asked in a curious tone. It was also the first piece of "information" that he was probably going to get, of course leaving out the explainations of the goverment in the classroom, earlier.

Seems this one was doing more talking inside his head than with Lui. The way Viden talked made Lui feel as if he were wary of the student. Had he suspected Lui was masking his emotions? Lui cut his smile short, settling for a neutral expression as he talked.

"Captain of the Fencing Club...By Captain, you mean that you manage the Club with a teacher, or that you help more than others in the club?"

Was it not obvious? For sports clubs, the Captain or Team Leader title was reserved for the student who ran the club or, at least, had the most skill of all members. This Viden may not be used to Seven Stars' structure. This may serve as an excellent opportunity to find out more from this new "friend".

"As Captain of the Fencing Club, I am, as you put it, responsible for running the club alongside the appointed faculty member Ms. Kamizura. The club fell on some hard times after a majority of the members had graduated, so I took it upon myself to take up the mantle and run the club. We're always open to new members, if you're interested. We may even be moving locations to our own dojo.

Is there anything else you're interested in concerning this school? I'm not the most integral cog in this clock; that's my sister's department. Just watch yourself around the higher-ups in Student Council and the Cadets. Those're unfortunately the only groups I have some familiarity with."

"As Captain of the Fencing Club, I am, as you put it, responsible for running the club alongside the appointed faculty member Ms. Kamizura. The club fell on some hard times after a majority of the members had graduated, so I took it upon myself to take up the mantle and run the club. We're always open to new members, if you're interested. We may even be moving locations to our own dojo."

Viden thought about it. The idea of a school activity seemed interesting, but it could also have been not so interesting, depending on the members in it. He had little faith.

I'm interested, but I need to think about it.

Viden said in response to Lui, in an honest tone.

"Is there anything else you're interested in concerning this school? I'm not the most integral cog in this clock; that's my sister's department. Just watch yourself around the higher-ups in Student Council and the Cadets. Those're unfortunately the only groups I have some familiarity with."

...I have the urge to ask a ton of questions,
but it would probably annoy him. I should spare some questions for the actual teachers.

Viden thought. He looked around and noticed that the Lunchbreak was not going to end very soon, so he turned back to Lui again.

This is a little off topic, but since i don't have anything else to ask...What do you think about the city in general?

I'm interested, but I need to think about it.

If Lui hadn't heard those words repeated by every other person he spoke to only for them to give no care later, he might've held hope that he was truly interested. Whatever Viden was really feeling, Lui would just keep rolling with the conversation.

"Give it a thought. But if you're really not interested, just tell me. You wouldn't be the first to reject me, and I expect you to not be the last. Dojo down in Little Tokyo can offer the same for a prize, though."

This is a little off topic, but since i don't have anything else to ask...What do you think about the city in general?

Ah, the question of any usual visitor to the "fine" city. While Lui would enjoy sharing all his little theories of something amiss in Endymion, that would just point him out as a suspicious individual, especially if this kid knew anything about the terrorist attacks. Just play it cool, don't let them see you sweat, and just speak plainly...

"Diverse is probably the best way to put it. No matter the type of person, you probably find your own place to call home. I mostly teach at the dojo, hang out in the forest area when Void's not around, or you could always just find some crowd to hang with at Suzie Q. If you want, I could always show you around. Unless you're one of those types who can't stand the light of day... Well, the offer still stands. Interested?"

"Give it a thought. But if you're really not interested, just tell me. You wouldn't be the first to reject me, and I expect you to not be the last. Dojo down in Little Tokyo can offer the same for a prize, though."

Lui said. Viden simply nodded.

"Maybe i'll join tomorrow...Fencing seems...Interesting."

Viden thought to himself. The idea of a Dojo seemed also interesting. He didn't like the idea of being around many people, getting judged by his skill. Maybe it wasn't like that, though. Either way, it was a little against his personality, but he did want to experience something outside of five whole years in an orphanage.

"Diverse is probably the best way to put it. No matter the type of person, you probably find your own place to call home. I mostly teach at the dojo, hang out in the forest area when Void's not around, or you could always just find some crowd to hang with at Suzie Q. If you want, I could always show you around. Unless you're one of those types who can't stand the light of day... Well, the offer still stands. Interested?"

Viden thought about it. Lui was half right: He didn't bother the "light of day", but what he did bother were the people in the city. But he was curious about the city, so he said in a normal tone:

"Sure. Do you want to go today or tomorrow? Because if you want to...explore with me today, i'll first have to go home."

"For reasons", he wanted to add, but he didn't bother. He looked around again to see the time, and Viden noticed that the lunchbreak was about to end, so either they had to talk quickly or discuss it outside the school, in the afternoon.

A nod. Sure, it wasn't a resounding agreement, but it was at least confirmation that the kid heard him. Much like with Frog, Lui wasn't fully expecting Viden to jump at the opportunity to attend his first class. As Lui recognized the lunch period ending, he scribbled his phone number and home address on a scrap of paper and putting it on the table before Viden.

"Tomorrow it is, then. I have fencing club today, so I'll be tangled up with that. Here's my number and address; feel free to pop by when you're ready to go. I'll be seeing you, Viden."

Packing away his things into his bag, Lui pushed his chair back into place with the back of his foot as he turned to depart down the side corridor. So, he actually had a new kid to show around town. He may have to limit where they visit depending on the number of people around, probably keep him away from the Concert Hall in case a stray fan of his calls him an upcoming idol for his one performance.

"Overall, a fairly eventful day. We'll see just what Viden can do... and enjoy every bit of it."

~~Lui Departs, EXIT~~

Viden noticed Lui pulling out a scrap of paper and scribbiling something, putting it on the table. Viden looked at it, noticing numbers and an address. He then heard Lui say:

"Tomorrow it is, then. I have fencing club today, so I'll be tangled up with that. Here's my number and address; feel free to pop by when you're ready to go. I'll be seeing you, Viden."

To then see Lui pack up his things and heading out to the class. He then noticed that the things he had to eat during lunchbreak were still there.

"Mh, lunchbreak did not last as long as I thought it would. Or probably we were focused on chatting so much that it seemed fast. Oh well, I'll eat these at home."

Viden thought, to then pack up his things, lunch included, and head to the class, again.

"A city tour...This should be interesting."

[Viden EXIT]