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Kellen thought he had made a clean break, but there was that Golden Deer who had invited them all to party. He paused for a moment, shooting a look behind himself to make sure Auberon was out of view. [color=63a2e4] “Oh. Of course, it should be…”[/color] He paused for a moment to consider his words. [color=63a2e4] “Interesting.”[/color] Honestly, Kellen could understand the excitement over such a duel, but found it difficult to dismiss his irritation long enough to admire the gumption of his classmate. He adjusted a sleeve, trying to draw the Deer’s name to mind. [color=63a2e4] “You’re Raimund, right? Could you, ah-”[/color] Kellen stumbled over requesting something from someone he hardly knew. [color=63a2e4]”Auberon – our house leader, [i]though of course you know that, because we’re all in the same class[/i]  – might not look favourably at my, er, absence.”[/color] He tried to raise his eyes to Raimund’s level, but lost the nerve somewhere around his chin. [color=63a2e4]”Just - If you could not mention seeing me, that’d be helpful.” [/color] Without waiting for a response, he continued on his path towards the arena, his shoulders raised higher than they normally would be.

By the time he arrived, his professor had already begun laying down rules. Perfect. Kellen could stick near the entrance and watch while keeping up his ruse of attending the sermon. He did not notice his Golden Deer classmates as he settled in, getting comfortable as Valerian fired another quip and Michail raised his weapon.

Valerian went on the aggressive almost immediately, throwing a heavy blow that was redirected quickly by Michail. Kellen winced, but was surprised when the Aegir boy fired off a bolt of lightning that struck Michail in the shoulder. He knew magic? Kellen unconsciously leaned forward in his seat. Valerian unleased a cavalcade of attacks at Michail, and actually seemed to gain ground on the former Knight of Seiros. He could scarcely believe it. Despite himself, Kellen felt a cheer began to rise in his throat, but it was cut off as he saw Michail’s face shift. He recognized that look from his own sparring sessions. 

Before he could think anything further, Valerian was on the ground. Kellen’s breath hitched as he heard the dull thud of the landing, and one observing the boy would have seen his face go pale. Intellectually, he understood that there was no serious risk from a fall like that. But he could have fallen on his blade, or hit his head hard, and [i]he might not even know until— [/i]

The sound of the Golden Deer’s House Leader cheering forced Kellen to look up. His fists clenched as his breathing returned to normal. Was this going to be a problem? Since he had departed for Garreg Mach, he hadn’t felt this tightness that wrapped around his chest. He had been hopeful that it could be attributed to the locale and the stress of the Srengese front, but he was away from that now. He shook his head slowly. It had been a long day. Everyone was adjusting to the new environment, and he needed to give himself time to do so. 

The thought was enough to help him stand back up. He could still feel the slightest bit of waviness in his legs, but it dissipated when he grit his teeth. He looked over at the Deer. He wasn’t sure he could deal with the Heckler and the House Leader. And when he looked at Valerian, he still felt a tinge of whatever had previously come over him. He wanted to get away from this training ground, and hoped to keep his distance from it for as long as he could. His position by the entrance proved to be a boon, as he set off to retrace his steps back to the church. He wasn’t sure how long the Archbishop’s sermon would go, but at the very least he hoped he might be able to verify his supposed piety with Auberon. And get away from that stupid training ground.