Darksteel

Chapter 4; Warning, being late to class may result in possible banishment.

Asta knew from the moment that he awoke the next morning that he was late for class. And while he did not know how he knew, he did know that he was in a lot of trouble. 

Launching himself from the tangle of his sheets, he tore open the wardrobe door and saw a school uniform hanging there, obviously meant for him since Nico and Adar had already left.

They hadn't thought to wake him, apparently.

Bloody fantastic.

 Not bothering to question how the people of Adalain Academy even knew his size, Asta quickly changed and charged out the door as if his life depended on it— which in this particular school, it very well might. Yet upon racing down the hallway, he realized that he didn't know where his first class was.

How would he know where he was supposed to go? Supposing he was late? What did the teachers here do to late students?

With his luck he supposed it would be something along the lines of being tossed in the lake as mermaid food.

But just when Asta was ready to accept his fate-- whatever that fate may have been-- he turned a corner and ran straight into Blue, nearly bowling the poor boy over.

Blue glared at him, making a few gestures Asta did not need Nico to translate for.

Still, the sight of a familiar face, even a grumpy one, was enough to nearly make him weep with relief. Hoping Blue could read his lips, Asta stuttered out, "I— my class— I'm late and—"

 Rolling his eyes dramatically, Blue nodded and beckoned for him to follow, leading him down a lengthy corridor and a set of stairs before the two boys came to a brightly lit room full of desks and chattering boys.

 But the moment Asta stepped one foot inside the room, the raucous laughter and loud conversation ceased, leaving the space buried in a dreadful silence that sat like a disease in the air. Thick and unpleasant.

Feeling his face turning deep red, Asta shuffled to an empty desk next to Nico and slumped down in the chair, hoping the other boys could not see how uncomfortable he felt. For now, it was plain to see that despite his best efforts, he was still horribly late. 

No doubt his punishment would be distibuted before the whole class, and while the thought of possibly being eaten by mermaids made Asta anxious, he was more worried about the crowd that would be watching him as he died.

He was rather shy when it came to crowds, after all.

Still, the worst that happened in that moment of awkward silence was simply the professor glaring at him over his spectacles, his bushy eyebrows knit into a look of dissaproval.

 "So nice of you to join us, Mr.Featherstone," the man said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "May I remind you that being late for class can result in possible banishment?"

 Asta couldn't help it. "Banishment to where?" he asked, hoping he would not get a first hand experience.

 "Never you mind. Now will you be so kind as to let me resume my teaching or do you have any other questions? " the professor's tone made it clear that he would not be pleased if he DID have more questions.

 "Yes," Asta replied, ignoring the the teacher's glare, "What class is this again? "

                                ............................

Adar strolled through the gardens, admiring the artwork of the sculpted shrubbery and fully aware that he was missing class. 

He had not wanted to be here alone, however and had tried to convince Jin to come with him. For, in his own opinion, getting into trouble was a good deal more fun when one had a friend to get in trouble with.