[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/201125/7117bda412db0bb6a2c6758506b917ec.png[/img][/center] [hr] The road had not been hard on the young prince, despite the journey stretching the breadth of the empire. He had not been able to travel as far as he would have enjoyed in his youth, but his father had sent him on no shortage of meaningless errands reserved for the most brown nosed of courtiers. 'Diplomatic missions' he had called it, but Kayden had to see the wisdom in it. Meeting the nobles he would one day have to forge friendships with was not an entirely unreasonable idea. He was far more excited for this outing, to be sure. Hard country marred by mountains had fed into rolling hills, Kayden often at the head of his contingent to enjoy the windswept beauty of the country he would one day rule. With a retinue of twenty knights and assorted bannermen, they had found no trouble on the trek save for weather. A storm and muddied ground had halted his men at the Southern Church above Hresveig, staying there for a day to recuperate and let their horses rest before they made all speed to Varley and from there, Garreg Mach. Two weeks later and his curiosity not having lessened, he had said farewell to his men and had sent them to enjoy themselves in Varley before they were to arrive back at Enbarr within the month. Now, standing within the holy basilica of the central church, he held himself in a quiet reserve as the young Archbishop spoke. For some reason Kayden felt very aware of his surroundings here; a crisp clarity gripped him within the hallowed walls. He decided he wanted a wider view of the room and so watched from the back, leaning against the stone wall as the Archbishop addressed him and his new classmates. He had figured the young head of the church to be more austere in manner to command respect, but he guessed he was simply projecting onto Archbishop Ioannis. The church likely needed a softer touch, and he chided himself. Here he was evaluating the Archbishop when he should be listening, and once he took the holy one and his words at face value, he found he did think he was a natural at his position. Maybe one day they could be acquaintances, if his goddess willed it. The crowd was dismissed, and they were separated within their rooms by nation of origin. Kayden wasn't entirely certain on how things were to go or how the school was to be run. He had been given a few stories by some of his knights and courtiers that had attended or known others that had. None of them had told him that [i]the[/i] Tomai Malathice was to be his teacher! Kayden had thumbed through his book and had read a few chapters here and there when he had the time. A fascinating scholarly work. He should have known the writer was a pretty big asshole. "Uh...I don't know what I expected." Kayden said aloud after the professor had walked out. They had the whole day to do absolutely nothing? He wondered how much he'd need to rely on professor Malathice and the whole homeroom situation. He'd find out eventually, he supposed. Kayden took the opportunity to turn himself around in his chair, crossing his arms to rest atop the back of his chair. So far there were twenty others in the class. He might have expected a bit more from the Black Eagles, but they would make do. "Well," He remarked, clearing his throat and regarding the closest three. "I don't exactly know my responsibilities as class leader, but I'll do my best to find out. Let's start simple. You likely know who I am. Where do you two hail from in the Empire?" Kayden had the vague notion of having seen them before, so they were likely nobility. He was good at keeping faces in his memory. That was when he realized. It was a distinct possibility they would serve Garreg Mach Meat Pie for lunch, and he felt far too hungry. He had only enjoyed a light breakfast on the road. He hid it behind an open and attentive face, but he hoped their introductions were quick. He got snarky when he was hungry for long.