IC:

Truthfully, things were a little too hectic for Alistair's taste. Not unbearably so, not even unpleasantly so, but when things moved so quickly, it was tricky keeping up. The past five minutes (Had that all really been crammed into five minutes? No wonder it seemed like so much.) had, however, had an unintended effect; All of the uneasiness from just a short time ago melted away. Perhaps, however, that wasn't just the events; Random as they'd been, and in some cases odd, he'd met several people, and perhaps even made acquantainces, if not friends.

[i]Speaking of which...[/i] He reflected silently, trailing after Sayuri and Kalimay, easily keeping pace with his long stride. He idly pushed his hair back into its accustomed position (Style, after all, would be too organized a term. He really needed to see about getting it cut.), taking a moment to make sure he had his possessions with him. The rest, the announcement said, wold be shunted into temporary storage to be collected later.

[i]That person from before. Arara Sakanade, I believe she introduced herself as. From her name, she's likely heir, or at least related to the heir, of Sakande Industries. Which would,[/i] He noted with a degree of amuseent. [i]explain the credit card. Not so much the offer, though.[/i]

His thoughts paused a note on that subject, recalling not only the terms of the offer, but Sayuri's commentary on it as well. If he was perfectly honest, a voice in the back of his head agreed with her. He was a citizens from about as close to economic poverty as one could get [i]without[/i] reaching it, and with a glance at his person, it was pretty clear to see. Fond as he was of it, his coat hadn't been in its prime for twenty years, back when his dad bought it. His weapons, though carefully cleaned and maintained, nevertheless were pieced together from more parts than one could shake a stick at. In contrast, Arara was a member of one of the wealthiest families in the land, more than likely had received the best education money could buy, and in summary, was so far higher in the social spectrum that she was in the stratosphere.

And her condition for help, help that came in the form of weapon parts that would make his own wallet cringe, was for him to be her friend. That definitely didn't sound right, and in fact, sounded like a deal with the devil if he'd ever heard one.

[i]But that's not really fair.[/i] He chided himself mentally, nearing the exit of the airship, casting a glance around to make sure that the few people he knew were still nearby. [i]That's a biased conclusion and you know it. Despite what life might have lead you to believe, she[/i] is [i]a person too. And even if you choose not to accept her offer, the least you can do is tell her in person. Worst comes to worst, cynicism was right, and neither I nor her is any worse off.[/i]

Ah, good, Kalimay and Sayuri were still just ahead, along with one of the people who'd helped him with Christopher. He still needed to thank him, the other person too, but he'd lost him in the confusion surrounding the events, and, well... Kalimay.

Speaking of whom, he almost wondered what the rest of her rant on true love. Inaccurate to th situation though it may have been, it was interesting to hear, and her heart seemed to be in the right place.

His musings were cut short, however, when he stepped off of the airship and saw what was (Hopefully.) to become his school. The campus was simply astounding, bright and cheerful, while the building's architecture was majestic and grand, a fitting design for a place such as this. Greenery surrounded the path, the lawn indicating a high level of care. The trees were planted in such a way that they didn't encroach upon the path, while still allowing them to perform their purpose as part of the scenery.

Maybe it was simply excitement, maybe it was because he'd never seen anything like it, but no matter the reason, it was breathtaking.

There was only one problem.

"Does anyone know where we're supposed to go from here? The announcement didn't really say."