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When Kellen had realized the joint class would be meeting in the Blue Lions classroom, he had thought he might be able to take his previous seat, but Auberon had chosen to sit at the front, and while Kellen was not at all attuned to his House Leader’s desires, something told him that a drubbing would come were he not to sit with his fellow Blue Lions – or more scandalously, at the back of the class. So, there he was, situated between Lienna and Auberon and doing his best not to turn around and gawk at classmates from across the continent. It was a mostly successful effort, in no small part thanks to the meandering yet compelling words of Professor Roland.
 
A change in tradition made some sense, particularly with the state of the Empire, Alliance and Kingdom. The grim warnings of the future to come – and Kellen and his fellow classmate’s role in it – might have once fallen on deaf ears, but for some reason they stuck with Kellen. [color=plum]’The time will come sooner than later where faith and morality will be tested.’[/color] Kellen wasn't sure how much he liked Fodlan's odds at passing that test.
 
Shaking his head, Kellen brought his focus back to the class. Archbishop Ioannis had specifically put together this class? This time, Kellen did turn around in his seat to look at his classmates. A first look didn’t present anything that made them stand out from the other students he had seen in the courtyard. The Professor had previously mentioned royalty and heirs, and Kellen supposed that made some sense, but Lienna, seated on his right, had claim to neither. Nor did he recognize the red-haired youth sitting on the other side of Auberon and therefore must have been one of the Blue Lions. Frowning slightly, he puzzled over the issue but was forced to snap back to reality when introductions began.

The first student to stand was Clarissa (Kellen mouthed the name to himself several times to commit it to memory), who spoke eloquently about the future and the Goddess and seemed nothing like the caricatures of Leicester Nobility that some in Faerghus chose to propagate. Jorah and Raimund were quick to correct any false impressions about how the Golden Deer would conduct themselves. Their House Leader was more bard than lord, but seemed affable and easy to get along with. Raimund was almost too quick in picking up the presentation, and while it was not like anything Kellen had seen, a smile broke out across his face at the gall of the two boys. An evening invitation to experience ‘true Leicester hospitality’ seemed bold to offer to a group of strangers from across the Fodlan, but Kellen wasn’t about to rule out the prospect of getting to know his classmates better. 

The small ball of anxiety that came with having to speak in front of a group showed no signs of dissapating. For the many times he had had to introduce himself today, he had hoped he would get better at it.  As he stood up and began to speak,  he realized this was naïve. [color=63a2e4] “Hello, I’m Kellen…”[/color] For some reason, he could never get out his last name without hesitation. [color=63a2e4]”Fraldarius. I’m Faerghus – [i]from[/i] Faerghus, sorry. And I’m part of the Blue Lions.” [/color]He wiped his brow with a too-long sleeve. [color=63a2e4]“I’m looking forward to learning with you all. I enjoy…” [/color]What [i]did[/i] he like? The past year spent with his uncle had involved precious little recreation. And while he might have once said fighting, that was not longer true either. [color=63a2e4] “I don’t much like surprises.”[/color] The words came out unintentionally, and a bit quieter than the rest of his stumbling introduction. Afraid of embarrassing himself further, he bobbed his head up and down quickly before settling back into his seat, staring straight ahead and hoping that someone would interject quickly and take the attention off of him.