Darksteel

Chapter 11; Do not bother the owls while they are reading.

Once the boys were out of the maze-- most non the worse for wear--both Blue and Nico disappeared.

Asta didn't really mind, though he was disappointed that neither one of them had thanked him. Still, instead of feeling sorry for himself, like he so often wanted to, he simply followed the other boys back into the mansion and to the showers. 

AS it stood, most of the boys had good reason to shower; whether it was because of Monster blood or general bad odor.

 "I see you got some action!" One grime-covered boy said suddenly to Asta, coming up to stand beside him and clapping him on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "What sort of monster did you get?"

 "It was a large scorpion."

 "Ay, those are nasty, and they're the only Monsters with green blood— all the other have black." the boy's grin widened and his expression twisted into more of a sneer as he asked, "Were you scared?"

 Asta shrugged, "Maybe a little."

 "I've been in the mazes for nearly four years now; I still get scared at times." as an afterthought, the boy held out his hand, "I'm Duncan."

"Asta."

"I know. There's been talk of you all over the Academy."

Asta frowned, "What sort of talk?"

"Mostly about your strange Initiation Test; you came out of that fight with that Monster without a scratch on you." Duncan replied, poking him roughly in the chest. "Not even most professors can do something like that."

Asta felt his face growing warm; he'd never actually FOUGHT that wolf Monster. He probably was just pathetic enough that the creature decided that he wasn't worth the trouble. Of course, he couldn't tell Duncan that, so he just shrugged. "It was nothing."

He could say THAT again.

"Did you use magic?"

"I, uhh..."

Asta was just beginning to think up a witty reply when Adar shoved between both him and Duncan, abruptly cutting off the conversation when he told the other boy to clear off, grabbing Asta by the wrist and leading him away from the others.

"Don't let him bother you," the prince said, as they walked across the tiled floor to where the showers were. "Duncan enjoys harassing people in his spare time."

"Like some other boys I could mention." Asta muttered under his breath, hoping Adar wouldn't hear him.

Thanfully, he did not, yet he also did not continue the conversation further, giving Asta the chance to look around the shower room for the first time.

To his right, lining one entire wall of the shower room, were rows of towering cabinets made of a glossy, dark wood, their surfaces carved with sweeping designs of mermaids and monsters. Already, some boys were stuffing dirty clothes and shoes into the cubbies, while others took out neatly folded pairs of trousers and clean shirts. 

Taking his gaze away from them, Asta looked to his left where the showers themselves were; simple yet elegantly designed, they consisted of individual stalls with a total of three walls and a curtain offering privacy, which was a relief, seeing as Asta did not care for the idea of sharing a shower room with fourty other boys as it was. 

Beyond that, everything else in the room was in the open and of a luxurious demeanor, with almost every surface being either black marble or tiled a calming beige. 

Upon the walls, oil lamps in the shape of teardrops flickered softly, casting everything in a warm glow, and mirrors with dark wood frames were placed at random intervals around the room.