[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/xOwoo7E.png[/img][/center]
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Mark's invitation was directed at only one person, but his voice had the reach and impact of a shotgun blast and sure enough, others heard. A sheep chimera rejected his offer and insulted him, before scurrying off to another table. Mark wasn't oblivious to the ever-present discrimination going on in the world, but was still shocked that another chimera would speak like that. His coaching instincts immediately locked their sights onto all one hundred pounds of wiry insecurity and Mark immediately knew that the chimera needed to be exposed to the soldier way of life if he ever wanted to truly live. He had the contrarian tendency to see chimeras as real life superhumans, and the sight of another of his kind rejecting himself had suppressed any emotions that would have come from being insulted. This mindset was also an effective distraction from the words of the girl who patted his head, as they carried unfortunate implications about the public view of military affairs that he would rather try to ignore than extrapolate.

Another person reacted to Mark's outburst, also fueled by the second-hand embarrassment that the dog coach emanated effortlessly. Mark, having finished licking his plate clean, was surprised at seeing someone go along with his plans so quickly. Everyone that foolishly followed Mark's ideas required interrogating, insisting and motivation beforehand, and now a large soldier was in front of him, eager to continue. 

[color=green]"SALUTATIONS BERKE, MY NAME IS MARK STEEL. ARE YOU -ALSO- A FOLLOWER OF THE SOLDIER WAY OF LIFE?"[/color]

The second half of his sentence was a verbal pit trap, disguising itself by blending in with his introduction. Saying no was a bad idea, as it invited Mark to attempt converting his conversational partner. Saying yes was something no being had ever done before, and no one really had the urge to find out the result. Berke was saved from his doomed fate as a fight began to develop in the cafeteria grounds. Mark ignored the actual context and began to treat it as a sparring match, watching in total silence.

The fight was initiated by a girl who took offense to Bawen's statement and decided to roughen him up a bit. Mark, rather than support the girl who was defending him, stared at Bawen with the sort of determination that a teacher would have towards a student. The sheep chimera's manhood was on the line and so he knew better to interrupt anything, and opted to instead observe their fighting techniques. Fighting was what sharpened men's spirits and displayed their passions. The rush of adrenaline when spectating or engaging in any form of combat made Mark's heart race more than anything else ever in the world. If a man couldn't fight, then how could he ever hope to be something as glorious as a soldier? His tail and ears tensed as the boy made no attempt to defend himself from his opponent. Mark paid plenty of attention to her as well, impressed by the fighting spirit the girls in the academy were capable of. 

If the idea of an unresponsive combatant and a female one weren't life-changing enough, the idea of several more interrupting the fight and even using magic certainly sealed the deal in demonstrating just how different the institution was to home. It made it a bit tougher to judge everyone's abilities too. If poor Berke had said anything to the dog it would have been like talking to a brick wall. 

As the conflict waned and the participants resorted to talking Mark's excitement began to soften his senses and gently return them to normal. His clenched jaw and tightened body settled down afterwards in unison. Predictably, the majority of what was said flew over his head, with the exception of one of the institute's professors lecturing the others on magic. Magic was banned, but if someone used it on you it gave you permission to use it also? Mark's brain broke up professor Brovak's words into smaller chunks in order to properly take in the information. A voice in his head told him to avoid violence in order to follow the rules as closely as possible, while another desperately wanted to fight everyone. Tough times were ahead.[/color]