[Jaykobell]

After the unfortunate experience Kaamil had gone through during the short Open House adventure, Theron brought Drawser and Kaamil back to the Academy. Both Theron and Kaamil wanted to discuss with the Director, and both with their specific reasons. Theron especially wanted to get a talk with the Director, after seeing Drawser's abilities as a guide. And in Theron's standards, this couldn't be tolerated. He turned to the two youngsters, watching as Drawser put on her hat. His hat now. "I gotta talk to him first. Hang around if you want. Shouldn't be long." He headed off for the main entrance, not quite interested in making sure Kaamil and Drawser were following or not. He had brought them back, so he had no responsibilities over them anymore.



The Director seemed busy talking with someone that was hanging out in the main lobby. He had dismissed whoever it was shortly before Theron reached him, blinking at the familiar man. Of course, the Director Theron, but the blink was more out of surprise than out of confusion. Theron was on the Hold list, so seeing him out there without a proper mission was strange. "Good afternoon, Theron. I'm surprised to be seeing you here. Is there something the matter?" The poor Radar seemed flustered, the poor thing. What had happened, now?

By that time, Drawser and Kaamil had caught up, with Drawser all dressed up as a boy. When they reached Theron and the Director, they could hear quite clearly what it is Theron absolutely wanted to talk about with the Director. He immediately pointed Drawser behind him. "Why, Director, is this kid allowed as a guide? She's everything but capable of that task." Apparently Theron hadn't taken too well Drawser's uselessness back at the volcano. "Whatever rank she is, she should be demoted."

Drawser seemed to agree about her being unable to be a good guide. She lowered her eyes and looked away, but then she looked back up with wide eyes when Theron mentioned demotion.

"Wait just a moment, Theron," the Director inquired, blinking slowly at Theron's request. "What it is that happened?" He turned to Drawser and Kaamil, expecting more information from them. And... he could right away that something had happened, seeing Drawser so down and shocked, and seemingly out of it. "What happened, you two?" He couldn't judge Theron's request only by Theron's words. Knowing him, the Director knew Theron had the habit of jumping to conclusion and having very high standards. Drawser had gotten high grades and a lot of positive feedback. So why this sudden demand for demotion?

[Kodai]

Again, that yanking feeling, and they were on the grounds of the Academy again. Wishing to speak with the Director almost as much as Theron, Kaamil followed directly after him, glancing back occasionally to make sure that Drawser was still behind him. Poor Drawser... He stood back as Theron said his piece to the Director, then stepped forward in order to argue for the girl. Or... boy, as she was known here.

"...We were set back by an unexpected hazard..." Kaamil began, crossing his arms and speaking rather calmly. "...In exploring one of the caves of the volcano, I became the victim of a Spider.....Drawser managed to break its mental hold on me, but I believe that the shock of encountering such a creature on... what he expected to be a....less-eventful outing rattled his spirits and thus caused his hesitation when the Spider turned on him...."

[Jaykobell]

"Spider?" These two had ran into a Spider? Oh dear! Well.... well, yes, what an unexpected turn of events... and not one for the better, he should add.

Theron turned around when Kaamil started to argue about his complaints (or maybe just answering the Director's question... but it didn't matter!). "Heh! You don't know what you're talking about," Theron snapped as he gave Kaamil a look. "Trainees like that kid don't have the skills nor the knowledge to break a Spider's hold. I did that. She just happened to be the one calling to you, since you clearly have no idea about what's going on. I could've called out to you, but she was your guide." And why had Kaamil referred to that kid as a he? Theron had seen that hair and that chest with his own eyes! What, was this kid blind, too? But never mind that. He turned back to the Director, still sticking up for his argument. "Nevertheless, that kid had no idea how to react. If she were worthy of that rank, she would've known how to react properly, surprise or not." He looked over his shoulder at Kaamil, narrowing his eyes. "And it's not the word of a random guest that will change anything."

"Theron, I will hear you taunt and insult this young man one more time, and you shall get a demotion," the Director immediately interrupted, giving the Radar a stare that was enough to shut him up. Theron... impulsive and high standards, but he did have a point. Drawser should've reacted according to situation, whether it was expected or not. "It was an unfortunate turn," he started, turning to Kaamil. "And I apologize for it. I recall this happening a few times, but they are few and far between... We have a therapist trained for this situation. I would gladly get appointments, free of charge, for you." Scared students who had ran into Spiders could get appointments with that therapist to get over it. Cornelis had been wonderful with this thus far.

But beyond that... "To be honest, I am indeed disappointed to hear about Drawser's failure." He turned to the young student, whom didn't dare to return the eye contact. Well... maybe Drawser would also need a talk with Cornelis. "He was trained for this, and he should've remembered the symbols for emergency." He closed his eyes and paused for a moment. "Still, the work of a guide is also to satisfy their escort. If he has still managed to accomplish this... There will be no demotion. But... there will, however, be a severe sanction for disregarding emergency procedures."

[Kodai]

Kaamil was irked by Theron's snappiness, but he tried his best to remain civil and not show his feelings. Instead he tried to focus more on Drawser's situation. The poor student... Neither of them had meant for things to turn out as they had. ".....I do not wish for Drawser to be demoted.....He was an excellent guide, willing and able to answer my questions about the workings of the Academy.... ...If I may make a suggestion, I would place Drawser in an....extra class of sorts....? ...For more training on the subject.....But I do not feel that a demotion is necessary...." That said, he stepped back to Drawser's side, hoping that he had done his best to protect her position. She didn't need any more stress right now...

[Jaykobell]

"She almost had you killed, and you're satisfied because she answered your questions?" Questions that could've been asked to the Director himself, or to someone else! Was this kid going to keep her rank only because that boy got answers to his question?! Just how...! And that suggestion! Like an extra class would make any difference! "This is just ridiculous!"

"Theron," the Director warned again, giving the Radar another sharp stare. "I understand your wish for high standards, but that is not the only goal our students must achieve." He did value Theron's input — as well as anybody's — but he was known for jumping to conclusions and sticking to one possibility, and ruling out any other alternative. But this trait did make Theron an excellent Radar.

In any case. From the looks of it, Kaamil had been satisfied by Drawser's guiding, even though things hadn't turned out very well. "Hmm... An extra class," he echoed as he poked his chin with a metal finger. "Drawser aced the emergency classes, as well as the safety classes. I think the problem was... the situation itself. So I believe I might know what he needs..." So while Kaamil's suggestion wasn't exactly the answer, it had, indeed, given the Director the alternative. "Well, in any case, if you were satisfied from this, despite the unexpected turn of event... I think it's still a success, in some way."

And that reply was enough to make Theron storm off inside the Academy. Apparently the Radar would hear no more. The Director shook his head and sighed softly. "He's a bit... impulsive, but he's a good man if you get to know him." With that said, he watched as Kaamil went to keep close to Drawser. How... interesting. They seemed close, even if only a little. "Ah, with that said, would you still be interested in meeting our therapist? Even if you're not student, it's the least we can do for what happened."

As for Drawser, well... she was surprised that Kaamil bothered to talk like that for her. They didn't know each other, you know? So... why did he bother to talk for her? But... she was grateful, since she really didn't know how to get around this situation. She would've just let Theron push for a demotion without really arguing about it. She grabbed onto the handle of her bag, just squeezing it awkwardly. She didn't really know... what to say, really.

[Kodai]

Kaamil watched quietly as Theron stormed off, then turned back to the Director. Best to let the Radar go and cool his head... When the Director repeated his question about seeing the therapist, Kaamil considered for a moment. A therapist... That could be interesting, considering his... history. He'd rather not delve into that, though... But then, the focus of the visit would be to discuss the Spider's attack. However...

"...If I may, Director.....I would like to have a joint session with your therapist with Drawser.... ...I believe that it would be beneficial for the both of us to know what the other thinks about what happened......if you do not mind, Drawser...?" He turned to the disguised girl, touching her hand lightly so as to bring her into the present if she was drifting off into her own thoughts.

[Jaykobell]

"A joint session?" So for the both of them to get a session together? How interesting... Cornelis did accept group sessions, and two-on-one had happened a few times before, although... usually it had to do with couples, and not with this kind of situation. But seeing Kaamil put a hand over Drawser's, he figured maybe there was a bond that had formed during that short exploration out there. The Director tilted his head and blinked at the display, but he didn't say anything about it. "That would be possible. Cornelis is always opened to suggestions." He turned to Drawser, tilting his head slightly.

"E-eh?" Drawser blinked and turned to Kaamil when she felt his hand over hers. Well, to get her back, it sure had worked. She blinked a few times and turned to the Director. She had heard, but... well, she had... no idea, not really. "Um... S-sure." Well, if the Director was fine with it, she figured he would deal with Albert and find him something to do while Drawser had that session. Or a few. It would... depend, she figured.

"I'll see when Cornelis could meet you two, then. Is there anything else you would like to ask, or talk about?"

[Kodai]

Ah, so it would be possible to have a joint session with Cornelis. That was good. Shaking his head once, Kaamil replied, "...No, I have no other questions, at the moment......But I will be sure to come to you if I have any other questions.... ....Thank you for your help, Director...." He gave a nod, and then turned to Drawser. "...Drawser... ...I feel that you think our outing was a failure, but.....perhaps you will be willing to try again...? ....I would be honored if you would be willing to show me around this facility......Your classrooms, perhaps...?" Kaamil really had no idea what to do at this point, and figured that a tour would be beneficial.

[Jaykobell]

"This being the Open House, he doesn't have a lot of appointments right now. Perhaps he would be available sometime this evening..." Eventually the Director trailed off and poked his chin with a claw. Hmm. Cornelis would probably be free this evening for these two, yes. He blinked and watched as Kaamil tried to take the lead with Drawser by proposing a second chance to her, of some sort. Somehow these two had gotten a nice little friendship going on. "Well, I will leave you two to your tour. Do your best, Drawser," he encouraged with a wave as he disappeared inside the school, the strange fox calmly following its master.

Drawser watched the Director leaving the two of them alone. Ah, visiting the Academy...? Well... this was an Open House, and the Director hadn't said anything about it, so Drawser figured it'd probably be fine. "Ah... A-ah, if you'd like that." Time to get back in shape, right? She wouldn't dwell on this forever and ever. Fortunately she hadn't been demoted, like Theron had wanted, and that was thanks to Kaamil. So she owed him, right? She straightened up a bit and nodded, trying to sound more determined and less depressed. "I-I'll do my best." She then grabbed the handle of her bag and skipped towards the entrance.

First was the lobby. It was rather huge for an entrance, and to the back were staircases that lead to another floor. The architecture showed its age by its old designs and its wooden walls. The colors ranged from golden, red, and a royal purple, which gave you the impression you were stepping inside a castle of sorts. There was a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling, but it wasn't in use at the moment. The floor was also made out of wood like the walls, and there were carpets that went from the entrance to the staircases and beyond. "This is the lobby," Drawser started with, turning to him. "People usually wait here if they have an exploration with somebody else, or if they're waiting on a client. It's pretty big, so usually the balls are also lead here and other events like that." Above, by the staircases, was a round platform were you could get a good view of the lobby. Behind that rounded add-on were two staircases, one to the left, and one to the right.

Drawser guided Kaamil all the way over there, stopping by the rounded platform to let him pick a direction. "The left leads to the dorms. The right leads to the classrooms." Even though he'd proposed the classrooms, she figured letting him pick would be better. Or it would just make her feel better.

[Kodai]

Ohh, how lovely. It really did feel like he was in the lobby of a castle. In fact, he had half a mind to ask Drawser if the building had been a castle at some point, but the question disappeared in his mind for a moment as Drawser spoke. "...Balls...?" Maybe this place really had been a castle. "....This must be quite a large and well-funded facility, to be able to host such an event..." As they went up the stairs to reach the platform, Kaamil ran his hand over the smooth wood of the railing. The entire place was really exquisite... It didn't look like an academy at all. Or at least, this room gave no indication of it.

Drawser then paused at the platform above the lobby and told Kaamil the two directions they could take. "...I believe I'd rather see the classrooms first....I don't want to disturb anyone in the dorms..." he replied, considering the options. "...Though, perhaps we could visit them later...? ...I am curious as to the sorts of things the students here keep in their rooms..."

[Jaykobell]

It wasn't really impressive to Drawser that things like balls were held in the lobby, but Kaamil seemed intrigued at the concept. Balls weren't the only events, either. If there was anything simple to be organized, the lobby was the favored room for the event. Graduation balls and book expositions were two things that came to her. Sometimes the Director held a strange market-like event, where the students could try to buy rare or strong pens that were usually not given to students. Events such as these were held in the lobby. "It's one of the largest rooms, so it's preferred for any event the Director wants to hold," she added as she waited for him to pick a direction for them to go.

His choice seemed to be no different from what he'd proposed earlier. He was also interested in the dorms, however, but not for now. "It's okay if you want to see the dorms later," she assured him with a nod and a flap of her hand to the left. "A lot of people visit the dorms to see what kind of room they're going to get if they study here." Since most people lived far away or preferred to stay at the Academy while studying, the dorms were a huge part of the registration process, and even though most rooms could have up to four students at a time, there were a lot of rooms to choose from. But she could explain the details about that later to Kaamil.

With his demand to go to the right, Drawser nodded and guided him right and going up the stairs. The staircase seemed to continue up, but Drawser stopped at the first door they encountered. "There are many floors for the classrooms. But there's the first one." Going through the door, the two had to walk through a long corridor. The looks were a bit more modern here, with windows almost replacing the walls, so big as they were. The sun could filter through the windows, and you could see the small forest outside the Academy through the windows. At the end of the corridor was a crossroad. The path forked into three; left, right, and up ahead. The halls weren't so long, and the end of said corridors were stairs, which most likely lead to the other floors. "Come on, you can peak through the door windows to see the classrooms themselves."

Without waiting for Kaamil to answer, Drawser turned to the left and walked along the doors. As they walked along, the doors were all marked with numbers and letters. This was most likely for schedules; students would easily find their classrooms if they followed those codes. Drawser eventually stopped abruptly in her tracks, and she stuck her face by the little rectangular window of the door. "Look!" She motioned for him to come closer and to look through the window.

The inside of the classroom really looked like a regular classroom you'd see in any regular school. Instead of individual desks, however, the room had long desks, with each table allowing for two to four students. It looked like any other class; students sleeping in the back, others chatting and not listening, others doodling, or scribbling whatever they wanted on their notes, and others staring off into space. Some of the students wore the same kind of outfit as Drawser; it was maybe some sort of uniform that you could ask for when you registered, if many students had it. The blackboard, at the back of the class, was filled with dates and their corresponding event. Perhaps they had stubbled upon a history class of sorts?

The teacher of that class, however, stood out compared to all those little regular things. Even though Drawser and Kaamil were somewhat far, there was one detail they both could see about that teacher; a nasty scar on his face in the shape of an X; it was by the mouth and streamed for the eyes and the shoulders. His hair was pitch-black, and the look from his emerald eyes was a mysterious one that didn't even look human. What a strange teacher... were they all like this?

[Kodai]

Perhaps it was fortunate that Kaamil couldn't quite read the blackboard at the rear of the class, or else he'd be absorbed in studying the information there. Perhaps he'd have a chance later to do so, but for now, he focused on what he could view from the small window in the door. He narrowed his eyes slightly at the students who were sleeping or otherwise not paying attention, but they grew wider when he saw the teacher. "...How... interesting..."
Kaamil wouldn't have noticed the scar too much except for the fact of its size and placement, and the teacher's eyes betrayed the fact that he wasn't quite human. ...Hm, odd how it seemed to be the eyes that always gave that sort of thing away. "....I wonder.....who that is...." It wasn't a direct question, but it was obvious that this was something that Drawser was being welcomed to answer.

[Jaykobell]

Unfortunately, they were too far to read the blackboard; even if they had been close enough, the things would've probably been too cramped up against one another for anyone to be able to decipher it. Every corner, almost literally, was taken by a sentence or a word. Either this teacher didn't like erasing, or he just liked fitting as much information as he could on the blackboard.

Eventually the teacher walked back behind his desk and made a few gestures with a hand, and suddenly the students got up, with their books under their arms. Those that were sleeping or daydreaming were shaken out of it by their tablemates or by their friends, and they hurried to scramble out of the classroom. The teacher did the same thing, and picked his books to also exit the classroom.

When the mass of students came to leave the room, Drawser stepped away from the door so the two of them wouldn't end up getting pushed around by the hasty students. As a result, Drawser didn't have any time to answer Kaamil's question. It was a regular class, with about twenty-five to thirty students, give or take. The teacher came last.



Being so close, every detail about this teacher could be seen now. The scar was even more obvious, and his green eyes shone brighter. At first he stood by the door and watched that bunch of students go; he didn't seem to notice Drawser nor Kaamil.

"Sir! Conloach, sir!" Drawser called before dashing forward a bit and waving a hand.

At first Conloach didn't seem to react to Drawser's call, but he eventually slowly turned around to look at the one who'd called to him. His movements were slow and calculated, and his eyes scanned the two youngsters behind him curiously. "Ah...? Little... Drawser, I see," he greeted with a soft voice, one that just flowed gently. There was a small hint of a melody in his voice. "It has been a little while. Who is your... friend?" He blinked his unusual emerald green eyes at Kaamil, curiosity in his eyes.

[Kodai]

Kaamil was silent as the students exited the classroom, waiting for them all to leave so that he and Drawser were left alone with the strange teacher. When the teacher (apparently named Conloach) asked Drawser his question, the boy stepped forward a bit in order to answer. "...My name is Kaamil..." He had a similar soft, slow voice to Conloach, and he had the feeling that they were similar in manners. "...Drawser is giving me a tour of the facilities, and yours was the first classroom we came to... ...Might you tell me what class it is that you teach...? ...From the notes I could see on the far blackboard, it appears to be some sort of history..." Kaamil fell quiet again, to allow the teacher time to look over him.

[Jaykobell]

"Yes, a little while," Drawser replied, nodding and putting her arm down. She seemed fairly excited at meeting this teacher. She had a class with him, and she had loved his lessons. Lectures were usually boring and hard to follow, but Conloach's style made it hard for the students to do anything else. It felt like that, at least for Drawser.

Conloach watched as Kaamil stepped forward, introducing himself with seemingly no hesitation. He sounded like a soft-spoken lad, and a curious one as well, the way he immediately asked about what Conloach taught, even mentioning the blackboard in the classroom. But, ah, the Open House. Of course. "Ah, yes. This week is the Open House. I do hope you are enjoying your visit...?" He could remember his own Open House here, a short tour with his father; but his admission had already been confirmed before the tour, so it had been cut short. But year later, he knew the school like the back of his hand. "Ah, before I answer your question, let me introduce myself properly." He revealed a pale hand from under his cloak and presented it to Kaamil. "Professor Conloach, teacher at the Academy," he introduced, giving Kaamil a firm handshake. "As for what I teach... Yes, I do teach history, and the foundation by which this world operates. I also teach a few classes usually titled Foreign Defenses, which consists of strategies to fight against high-level creatures and the other half-human species. Both subjects are vast, so I can only give you the bare basics..." Perhaps he was also afraid of rambling on and keeping those two hanging for a few hours. History was quite vast, after all. "Would you happen to be interested in joining the Academy?" Perhaps Kaamil had yet to go on an exploration, however. Most people got discouraged after going through a basic exploration, and those who actually got through it visited the school itself for further information. "You sound like a curious lad."