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[h1]𝔏𝔢𝔬 𝔍𝔬𝔥𝔫 𝔡𝔢 ℭ𝔬𝔢𝔲𝔯[/h1][/center][hr][indent]
Leo gave himself an imaginary pat on the back as Talia seemed to relax, the tension in her bleeding away with as she gave him a cheery smile. That was good, and possibly the best result he could ask for – he honestly wouldn’t know what to do if she had remained nervous around him after that. His repertoire for putting people at ease was limited, to say the least, especially in comparison to his ability to intimidate people instead.

“Video games is a topic I’m not too familiar with,” he replied honestly. “Never really captured my interest, but then again, I’ve never actually played a video game. Swimming is something I can relate too though – I often go swimming with my brothers and sisters along with a couple of maids in our family’s lake.”

A somewhat subtle implication of his family’s status – while the de Coeur family was well-known among the middle class and practically a household name among the elite, not everyone felt the need to pay attention to every noble family there was - it wasn’t as though it was important to their lives in the long run. People could get by just fine without knowing his family's name.

But that still did not change the fact of the matter that his family was wealthy, powerful, and nobility, higher even when compared to others of the same mold, and with that fact came the inevitable complications that were typical to those born in such families. Some might take offense to his family's wealth itself, out of jealousy or such, or might be negatively predisposed towards them for another reason. Sometimes, one did not even need a reason. 

So Leo decided that if his new partner would be in any way affected by the implications of that wealth, it would be better to know now. Of course, just asking directly would be rude – not to mention pretentious – so he would just hint at it and see how she reacted instead.

On to another topic, it seemed his little joke had been answered at least half-seriously. Autophobia . . . if he recalled correctly, that was a fear of being alone? He couldn't recall all the details about it - he'd read about it only in passing - so he wasn't sure if it applied to physical isolation or mental ones, or maybe both? Whatever the case . . .

"As for your fear, it's a shame that I can't use it," he said, "because as long as I'm your partner, I will never allow you to feel alone."

They were bonded now, for better or for worse; whatever changes may occur in the coming days, that would not change, and until the time that they were to go their separate ways, he was as responsible for her well-being as she was for his. To him, that was the essence of what their bond was about. It was the the least that was expected of them.

Eventually the two of them made it to their room. The double-doors were both marked with the numbers 230 in gold.

"So this here's yer room." The attended threw the doors open, and her partner dragged their luggage inside. The inside was spacious, and compared to their rooms last year, very luxurious. It was also, he noted, very private. With the wall dividing the room in two, it was entirely possible to get through the year without so much as seeing the other side. 

The volunteers proceeded to explain a few basic rules and various other tidbits about their room. The information was rather basic and therefore easy to process, so Leo didn't pay much attention to it, diverting some of his time to thinking of where to place his books and how to arrange his things. His interest was piqued, however, once the volunteer brought up electives.

He knew at once which ones he wanted to take. The problem was, would Talia be fine with his choice? 

According to the volunteer, the Introduction to Monster Hunting course required both mage and familiar to participate, which meant that before he could sign up, he'd need Talia's approval. 

He stared at the paper in his hand for a moment, before sighing and turning to his partner. "Well Talia, it seems that joining the Monster Hunting class requires us to go as a pair. Personally, I'd like to go. What about you?"[/indent][hr][@Redmarshmellow]