Richard nodded to the brown haired boy - Zachary - as he made his exit. He was perfectly amicable, and considering he also used pact magic it was quite likely that they would see each other again. He turned to Arael, the girl with a scary demon.
[color=lightyellow]"Well, I suppose I should be going to."[/color] He said to her. [color=lightyellow]"If fate conspires to bring us together again, then I'll be glad to call myself your friend."[/color]
He tipped his hat a little.
[color=lightyellow]"But until then, I must bid you goodbye."[/color]
The boy turned away and slipped past the ring of wraiths, disappearing into the surging crowd, all the while the demon laughed inside his head.

[color=purple][i]Ricky boy, you gotta stop, you're killing me.[/i][/color] Mortimer cackled.
[color=lightyellow][i]Oh shut up.[/i][/color]
The demon's laughter didn't stop. Glowering, the boy and his book exited the ship, making a mental note to never meet the girl again.
[@Katthaj]
[hr]
The academy was close and it was as grand as he had expected. His luggage was being taken care of, and it seemed that Arkus academy had significant connections. Things were going just as Richard had expected, but the boy was nevertheless feeling impatient. He was not an artificer and he wasn't planning to be, so knowledge of the academy's airships wasn't of great importance to him. Nevertheless, he made his best efforts to memorise the information. It could be useful at some point.

A little bored, the boy decided to ask his demon companion. Noting that he'd gotten more attention than he wanted from muttering, he decided to communicate with his thoughts.
[color=lightyellow][i]Hey Mort, what do you think?[/i][/color] He asked the demon.
The demon didn't respond. Furrowing his brow, Richard asked again.
[color=lightyellow][i]Mort?[/i][/color]
[color=purple][i]Don't talk to me.[/i][/color] The demon answered curtly.
[color=lightyellow][i]What?[/i][/color]

The woman's voice rang out inside his head. The boy saw others in the crowd react to it, so they had heard it to. He was no stranger to telepathy, but he was nonetheless alarmed. If she was a mage who specialised in psychic magic it was entirely possible that she could read his mind. If she read his thoughts at the wrong time, they would have serious issues.
[color=purple][i]It's fine right now.[/i][/color] Mortimer said suddenly. [color=purple][i]Too many people, she won't read you unless you act up.[/i][/color]
[color=lightyellow][i]You sure?[/i][/color]
[color=purple][i]Nope. So just to be safe, I won't be saying anything while she's around.[/i][/color]
Richard's mind returned to silence. It seemed that his school life would be more difficult than he thought it would be.