Reign of Discord

11

They walked slowly, side by side but distanced, Alek Hunter leading this Jayce to the location where he was to sign up officially. Jayce's feelings about this change hadn't set in quite yet, mostly because he was being bothered too much by Hunter to care about anything else.

"Sixteen." Jayce said, in response to one of a million other questions.
"You look younger,"

"I'm not." Hunter looked at him, smile wavering, but pushed away by Jayce's disapproving glance.

"If you can't tell, I'm just trying to begin some small talk."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"You mean, you don't want to talk, period. Everyone wants to talk to me." Jayce rolled his eyes, at the peak of his patience. Never had he had a conversation with someone close to his age, and he wished that had been true for a few years longer. This babbling idiot, though the physical appearance was pleasingly new, was too high spoken. He didn't understand how someone could have so much nonsense to say and such an urgency to say it.

But Jayce didn't know Alek was nervous then...and therefore acting differently. Alek was shooting to impress, not bother, and impressing began through conversation, as far as he knew. Of course, Alek was running out of words and questions, so his speech began to falsify his personality in a crude way. He hoped Jayce would spend more time with him as to reverse this ugly spell. Perhaps they could speak more appropriately when Alek was less nervous. This beautiful brown boy with the accent made him quite nervous indeed.

And soon they were arriving at their destination, a tall building on the outskirts of town, surrounded by fences unlike anything Jayce had ever seen before. Awe-struck, Jayce didn't say a word at the entrance gate, and he most certainly didn't need to. Alek diligently filled out paperwork and had Jayce fill out a few items. It was convenient the amount Alek already knew about Jayce. They both flew through the requirements like they had done it for years.

"You may enter," The guard said, giving a signal and letting the gate open. The enormous heavy gate revealed a new world entirely, and Jayce knew his new life there would be nothing near boring.

"Come on! I'll show you my private barrack." Alek excitedly pulled Jayce with him down a dirt path, and Jayce's senses were too occupied to care. That's all he smelled, the dirt. Everything was dull colored as far as he could see, except the cloaks of a few men.

They rushed by two soldiers with long crimson cloaks, painted with an insignia for their troops. Jayce didn't know what to expect from this, but he knew they must have been highly ranked. After all, Hunter didn't have a long red cloak. Small buildings lined up on both sides of a longer road, and at the end there were dirt fields with numerous strange looking arenas. Near the end of the barrack line, Alek approached one of the identical smaller buildings.

"This is it! Take a look around, buddy!" Jayce sighed heavily at the perky nickname but entered. It was brightened by the sunlight and looked warmly comforting. Two beds sat on opposite sides of each room and there was a living room area behind them. That was all the small building was, and fascination was faltered with the view.

"I stay here. Right now my stuff is everywhere but I can be sure to move it later so you can put your stuff there. Which side would you rather stay in? I like switching every once in awhile but that was before-"

"Wait..." Alek slowly put his sentence to an end.

"Wait what?"

"I'm staying with you?" Jayce's near incredulous tone offended Alek but he had only himself to blame.