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Leon would have loved to have written his own speech, he really would have. But he didn't only get this speech opportunity from the Revidian Doge, he also probably wouldn't have come to this school without him. Leon had a lot to be thankful for. So, when a Revidian messenger gave him his speech for the opening ceremony, he couldn't refuse. Besides being the first non-noble to do this was a big enough statement in itself. If he were to go too overboard with it, he would risk offending powerful people or even worse. Some jealous noble house could think it a good idea to slip a knife in his back. Leon valued the gifts of the Revidian Doge and more importantly, he valued his life. So he just read the words he was given.

If someone were to ask what Leon was trying to say when he accepted this, Leon would say 'it's up to your interpretation'. It would be the perfect answer really. Leon could say nothing about why he actually took it and the people would draw their own self-fulfilling meaning from it. Plain and simple. In truth, Leon had little to no clue why he did it. To disgrace nobles? No. To empower the common man? No. To lift his own ego? Close, but no. The reality was Leon didn't have a deeper meaning to it all. Sometimes statements can just be statements, empty of all meaning. Plus it's fun.

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In the moments after the speech, there was a delay before they were allowed to ride. Administration delays or something, Leon didn't pay too much attention to it. Instead, Leon admired his horse. An ivory Perrencian breed and a brilliant stallion at that. But most importantly, it was [i]his[/i] horse. Leon pulled some strings to take his own horse in the parade, it matched the typical visuals of the leading horse so there was no issue. It meant a lot to him because this would likely be their last ride. Icarus was a travelling horse and had no business being locked in a stable while Leon spent his time away studying. After the parade, Leon would reluctantly hand him back to the caravan. It was for the best. So if this were to be their last ride together, it ought to be a good one. And Icarus was more than trained for the antics Leon had planned.

And they were off. Leon's horse took the first step through the gate, and the city exploded in celebration. Countless people cheering on the new students. Leon was in the front to see each and every one of the adoring masses. He gave out a cheery laugh as he tried to wave to them all. Beneath him, Icarus' training was put into action as he walked down the road with style and panache. Certainly, outside of silly noble traditions, Leon showed himself to be the perfect frontman for this parade.

Leon had his doubts at first, but he felt like he was home already. The large smile on his face grew even bigger by the minute.

It wasn't until he saw some familiar faces in the crowd did Leon decide to begin his actual show. They flew a yellow flag with a white sun on it so Leon could pick them out in the crowd. It was his caravan group, cheering to his right side. He gave a particularly big wave before his smile turned a bit more playfully devious. Taking his other hand off the reins Leon leaned back a little, entirely relying on Icarus' training to keep steady. Leon gazed toward the sky and extended his arms with a slight bend and palms raised sunward. Then, he began unleashing light into the air.

By no means did this look harmful to the crowd, Leon knew better control than that. Although, it certainly would have been startling to some. Multicoloured trails of light took to the sky like fireworks, but more defined so as to see them clearly in the day. While Leon started off with simple trails, he quickly transitioned into drawing shapes and then figures. Animals of light danced across the sky above him. At one point, a knight of yellow fought a dragon of red. Leon created tales of wonder and spectacle for the crowd to see without saying a word.

After only about three minutes, however, Leon stopped. He was a little out of breath after it all but could hide it well. Leon wasn't able to sunbathe quite enough this morning because of the parade preparation, plus solid light in the day sky was a draining feat. It was no wonder he couldn't hold it for too long. He was lucky to have ended on a finale rather than having it fizzle out.

Even if it looked like Leon would be running on low for the rest of the day, it was well worth it. He looked around to see even more cheering and some frozen in awe. But alas, it was back to smiling and waving. He still had a few roses to throw out after all. Leon requested extra.

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