Children of the Beloved

Chapter 4 - The Hopeless

The sweet sound of the morning birds chirping and the irritating noise of the weekly lawn mowing filled the rich, clean smelling air outside. Declan enjoyed this part of his morning more than anything, especially when he actually got to spend a decent amount of time outside and wasn't rushed to make it to class on time.

This morning, specifically, was a morning where he didn't have a class until the late afternoon. These were his favorites; especially because it meant he often had more time to either sleep in, hang out with his friends, or work on his homework. He hated feeling rushed, and that's the opposite of what he felt on his mornings off.

This morning his friends were all a bit busy, so he planned on spending his time alone. He started the day by waking up surprisingly earlier than he typically does and putting on his favorite pair of comfy clothes. The boy decided that he wanted to treat himself while he did his homework, so as soon as he showered and changed into his clothes for the beginning of the day, he was off to the college's cafe.

On his way to the cafe, he passed several people who nodded or gestured a "good morning" to him. Declan was decently popular at his school; he had good grades and a decent attitude, and many girls tended to swoon over him for some reason.

    Though, there was something about all of the attention he got that somewhat irked him. A lot of the time, he wanted to immediately fire back and disagree when he was praised, mentally adding something along the lines of "okay, but there's something I could do better."

In most cases, people would consider this a very good mindset to have. This was different for Declan, though, he tended to take it to an extreme. He would get in his own head about being the best or striving for better, but then beating himself down with the idea that he can't be the best. It was one of his biggest flaws, but he hardly ever let it show or talked to even his friends about it.

And now would be no exception. As he took the pretty walk to the cafe and passed some of his friends, he wouldn't let his mind get the best of him. It was a beautiful morning and he was feeling more productive than he ever had before. He decided that he would spend the morning working on his homework, and maybe even meeting up with someone to work on some of their combat skills before their weekly combat exam.

It would be a good and productive day. He would make sure of it.

---+---

When the tall, brown hair boy opened the jingling door of the college cafe, he was immediately welcomed by several people inside.

One cafe worker that he had a few classes with waved a "Hello!" while another friend that he occasionally talks to called out from the opposite corner with a similar welcoming.

A certain individual caught his eye, though, and he immediately smiled in her direction before she even noticed him. After responding to his welcomings, he quickly made his way to a table that sat near the girl that he wanted to give a good morning to.

"Hey," He said in a honey smooth tone once he established himself at a table.

The dark haired girl quickly looked up and pushed her glasses up onto her nose in confusion before she realized who was talking to him. "Oh!" She softly gasped as she realized where she had seen him from. They shared their combat class together and had had a couple conversations before. "Hi! How are you?"

Declan had recently found an interest in this peculiar girl, taking notice to her skilled fighting style and her obvious intelligence. He was inevitably attracted to her, as he seemed to find something special in her appearance and how she held herself.