The Dragoneer Manual

Chapter 17 - Bluejay

The next few weeks were a whirlwind of classes and information Rory never thought she'd be exposed to. She'd already learned a great deal from the professors. In addition to sword techniques with Professor Fang, she'd taken classes with Professor Flame, who taught magic casting and archery, Professor Scale, who taught history, healing, and team strategy, and Professor Taylor, who taught introduction to cursed spirits and cursed magic. Each day felt exciting and busy, and the time was flying by.

She'd also come to understand the hierarchy of the school a bit more now that time had passed. There were three levels of Dragoneers: the Juniors, the Intermediates, and the Advanced class. Advanced class students had been sent out on an important mission, so the Juniors and Intermediates were the only ones on campus.

In general, Teak was well-respected throughout the Academy for being Arthur Wood's daughter, which was to be expected. She was, of course, very friendly to everyone.

Teak had many different friend groups she could pick and choose from, but for some reason, she'd been spending most of her time with Rory. This confused Rory endlessly, but she wasn't complaining, since she didn't know much about how to make friends. Teak, in many ways, was Rory's first close friend. She was certainly only friend she'd ever felt she could genuinely be herself around.

Rory had been getting along decently with most of the other students, with the exception of one: Isla Maige. From day one since she'd caught Rory staring at her during sword practice, Isla been throwing her cold looks any chance she got. Rory didn't dare to try to talk to her and preferred to stay out of her way. Not only did she seem intimidating, but she also apparently wielded a lot of power and status at the Academy due to being a part of the Maige bloodline.

In between classes, sometimes Rory would catch a glimpse of Bluejay wandering the halls, although it was hard to get a word with him. She'd been somewhat taken aback to see how much attention he'd constantly receive from the female Dragoneers. On the one hand, it wasn't surprising since he was incredibly handsome, but when they'd first met, he hadn't struck Rory as a player. She couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that they hadn't spoken since her first day in the sanctuary.

Despite her natural shyness, Rory actually did try to approach him a couple of times to see how he was doing. Each time she'd been cut off by another girl, or a horde of them, trying to get his attention. 

Rory was reflecting on all this as she was exiting the classroom after a lesson with Professor Flame. Probably best to just give up trying to be his friend, she thought, and turned the corner, only to come face to face with exactly the person she was thinking of.

Bluejay's eyes, which always looked somewhat sleepy, seemed to light up for a moment.

"Oh, hey Rory."

Rory's breath caught in her throat. He did look really good in that teal and white uniform.

"Oh! Hey, Jay."

"How have you been settling in?"

On her left side a group of girls walked by and shot her a jealous glare.

"Um-"

Jay turned his head to see what she was looking at, rolling his eyes.

"Walk with me."

Not entirely sure what to say, Rory spun around and followed him down the hall. They exited into the courtyard and walked in the direction of the training grounds, which were empty now that sword classes were done for the day. When they arrived Jay flopped himself onto a bench and tapped the seat next to him.

"So. Tell me," he said.

"Tell you what?" 

"Why you've been avoiding me since we got here."

Rory was taken aback.

"What? I haven't been avoiding you!" she said, stunned. "You've been otherwise occupied with... other conversations!"

"You mean with those girls?"

"I-I guess," she said, her cheeks burning slightly. "I mean- I did try to talk to you but I could never get a moment to! You're constantly swarmed by girls!"

She braced for him to be angry at her comment, but to her surprise, Bluejay laughed loudly.

"Just come up to me anytime, Rory. Trust me, I'd much rather talk to you instead," he said.

Rory smiled slightly despite herself, but then quashed the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. For all she knew, Bluejay could just be charming with all girls. She crossed her arms over her chest defensively and looked away.

Bluejay broke the silence, giving her a coy glance.

"Besides, those girls aren't actually interested in me," he said.

"What do you mean?" Rory asked, completely confused.

"They're just interested in the title I'm supposed to take one day," he said, rolling his eyes. "So it's all pointless."

Rory furrowed her brows.

"Um- are you going to elaborate?"

"No. It's not important. Tell me about what you've been up to."

Rory cleared her throat and shrugged, trying to pretend she wasn't dying of curiosity.

"Well, aside from reeling from the shock that all my wildest dreams came true... I've been studying pretty hard," she said, smiling.

"Ah," Jay said. "It's ok, Rory. Remember, C's still get degrees."

"Hey! I was always a straight-A student back in Earthland!"

"Wow," he said, feigning surprise. "A straight A-student in Earthland is almost like a D student here!"

She scowled and lightly shoved him.

"We can't all be born in Aerland," she snapped.

"I wasn't."

Rory was taken aback by that information, but when she opened her mouth to ask more, Bluejay sprung to his feet.

"Well. I'm already late for my next class," he said, stretching. "I better get going but don't avoid me anymore, alright?"

"I haven't been!" Rory shouted after him as he walked away.

She shook her head, annoyed. But at the same time, a smile played on her lips.

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A/N: All I can say is AAAAA!!! What are your thoughts on Rory and Bluejay? <3