Have You Heard
Cilix stopped dead in his tracks, "What did you say?"
Shaun raised both his eyebrows, drawing Cilix's attention to the thin vertical cut along his right eyebrow. Some people would call it style, but Cilix knew better, his oaf of a friend got it from an accident in their third year involving one angry leprechaun and his friend's penchant for running his mouth. It scarred and never grew hair again, but it does gave Shaun character, Cilix has to give him that.
"My lunch? That was some good burger, right? It has--" Cilix hurriedly cut him off before he went on a tangent about his lunch of all things, as if Cilix wasn't there to witness him devour that monstrosity.
"No! Before that, the ministry?" He waved his hands as if that alone can get his point across.
"Ah, haven't you heard? The school's added a mandatory class." Shaun shrugged carelessly, like it doesn't matter. But it does, of course it does.
"They posted the notice the other day, you really haven't seen it?" Castiel queried as they continued their trek to the school dormitories. Unlike his friends, Cilix lived off campus since it's cheaper, but he doesn't mind hanging out there, the facilities are fantastic compared to his matchbox dorm some ten minutes away.
Cilix threw his hands up, "I would have been bitching about it if I have!"
Shaun snorted, "Fair."
"They call it Professional Practice, only the sixth and eighth grades are required to have it. Mainly because those are the graduating classes." Castiel explained.
Cilix was just about to say something smart when a voice from behind cut him off and they had to stop walking again.
"Castiel!"
The three of them turn around in sync as if it was their own name that was called. 'Seriously, why do people do that?' Cilix thought to himself. Constantine and his own trio are approaching them, with a beaming smile and a little wave of his hands.
"Abort, abort! Ice Princess in the area." Cilix whispered to his friends, which only awarded him an elbow from both sides. Some friends they are.
"Hey! You were walking to the dorms right? Mind if we walk with you?" Constantine was all smiles saying this, and all his attention was focused on Castiel as if Cilix and Shaun were just some sort of decoration. A very handsome decoration, in Cilix's very humble opinion.
"I don't mind." Castiel, the oblivious baby that he is, only agreed politely.
"Yes Constantine, we don't mind either." Cilix said in his most serious voice, nodding his head.
"Because you know, it's not like we're here with Castiel and you just completely forgot we exist." Shaun finished while also nodding.
We really do share one single braincell between us, Cilix thought as they simultaneously burst out laughing at Constantine's progressively reddening face.
"Oh shut up." Was the only thing he managed to say after some seconds, side eyeing Castiel's confused face worryingly.
It really amazes Cilix sometimes. How his perfectionist of a friend who will freak at a single mistake on an exam can miss how much his mere presence affects another. The guy has yet to notice that Constantine drags his friends wherever Castiel's group decides to eat at lunch because some days, their schedules are so different that Constantine only see Castiel during lunch. But Cilix won't tell him that, let them figure it out on their own.
"Stop teasing him, you two. Let's get going."
They all followed Castiel to the dorms, and Cilix made sure that the two walk side by side, because Constantine may have yet to find the courage to confess, but Cilix isn't above playing matchmaker. They do look nice together, Castiel looks so light compared to Constantine's short navy hair and light tan. Even their build complements each other given that they both lean on the slender type, although Constantine is at least a head taller and packs more muscles.
Their appearance screams 'fuck masculinity' and Cilix's here for it because reasons.
"Have you guys heard about the new mandatory class?" Shaun asked from beside him, voice just loud enough for all six of them to hear.
"Professional Practice?" Oleah's monotone voice said from behind them, and Cilix almost jump out of his skin. He almost forgot she and Sienna were there.
"Absolutely useless if you ask me. I heard them talking in the faculty, said a ministry official will be the one teaching it." Sienna grumbled, "No offence, Shaun." she remembered to add but Shaun just grin at her and shook his head.
Shaun's father works for the ministry and is Arcturus' (South of the Eight Circle) governing official, but it's not like he and Shaun get along. Cilix have met the man and he was as stuck up as can be, an 'Elitist' to the core who turns his nose at the supposed unfortunate poor people who came from the outlying provinces of Leviathan such as Cilix.
Sienna's reaction was not a surprise really, it's common knowledge among their year that she hates the ministry as much as the next Leftist for reasons Cilix's not privy to. He and Sienna are friends, but it's more like a 'let's-flood-the-bathrooms-to-piss-that-grumpy-janitor-off' type and not the 'I'm-going-to-spill-my-tragic-backstory-to-you' kind of friends.
They were also year mates, and they share a lot of classes since first grade even if they're not in the same guild. There are six guilds in Levin Institute, and each student's placement depends on what element or energy they posses. Guild Aurora is for light energy weavers like Sienna and Oleah, their white short sleeved button shirt tucked in a black pleated skirt uniform are lined with gold trimmings and their guild insignia on the left breast pocket to signify their placing. Guild Stygian is for dark energy weavers like Castiel, his uniform has silver linings. Guild Inferno is for fire element weavers like Cilix, his own uniform has red linings. Guild Gust is for wind element weavers like Constantine, his uniform has serenity blue linings. Guild Tide is for water element weavers, their uniform has forest green linings. And then Guild Realm which is for earth element weavers like Shaun, his uniform has a rich brown lining.
These guilds are just mainly to help specify which power they possess, and also to easily arrange the students' class schedules. The classes they share are even less now after sixth grade or the so-called basic education, students graduate after sixth grade to either do internships for a few years then start working or continue to seventh and eight grade for military training.
"What is it even about? We already have Philosophy for work ethics right?" Cilix all but whined. He's already got five mandatory classes and three electives.
As a child, he thought that getting accepted at Levin Institute, dubbed as the 'best school in Leviathan', would be exciting. And it is for the most part, he just didn't count the absolute stress of Law Management. God he hate that class.
"Couldn't be about what profession we want, I mean, we're literally on military training." Constantine said as they entered the building's lounge area. Cilix, Sienna, and Oleah all stopping by the front desk to write in the visitors' log book.
"Yeah, and we already did that in sixth grade." Said Castiel as they head for the elevators, greeting both Axton and Lerice as they were already there.
"Yer talkin 'bout the new class?" Axton queried in that unique accent of his, like the words mesh together in a drawling manner.
"Spill Shaun, what do you know?" Cilix fired as the elevator door shut.
He's been noticing his friend doing a piss poor attempt at leveling his expressions since they started talking about the additional class, and Cilix knows he only does that when he's trying to stop himself from excitedly babbling about a theory of his.
Shaun leaned closer to whisper conspiratorially, "so I heard my father."
"Are we seriously doing this in an elevator?" Lerice said incredulously.
"Let's continue this at Shaun's." Cilix offered. Shaun has a single room at the top floors, one of the biggest in the dormitories so it would fit them all comfortably.
Shaun grinned and nodded eagerly.