Lord of Evil

L'Mordryn Academy

Nikola took the pen from Odhra's hand and thought for a moment. The rating scale went from 1 to 10, 10 being (presumably) the best result. What he had to rate was the quality of his the hug experience. The boy frowned as he thought of that. He wasn't well suited to this. Nikola was an orphan, and he had a detached relationship with his siblings. His foster father certainly held some affection for him, but he showed it in unconventional ways. The servants of his house were in a similar position; he was close to some of them, but for the most part, they had a professional relationship. Nevertheless, his peers had put in the effort to include him in their activities and he had to reciprocate them somehow. But this would take some thinking.

With a small "excuse me", Nikola took the paper from Odhra's hand and laid it onto the table in front of him as Kitten nipped at his heels. He scooped the fluffy dragon and then sat back down onto his seat. Laying the beast onto his lap, the boy began to think. He couldn't really rate the hug on an emotional level considering he didn't have much experience, but maybe he could compare it on a mathematical level. He supposed that he could use Kitten as a baseline, since they interacted with each other so often. If he assumed that Kitten was around a 10, he could work it out from there.

A commotion had begun near him but Nikola ignored it, focusing his eyes on the paper in front of him so he could concentrate. Bailey's spikes knocked off a few points right off the bat, because comfort was important. Besides that, though, there wasn't much else that detracted from his rating. Her intimidating appearance belied a definite friendliness that he didn't often experience. Overall, he'd rate the experience...
"A solid 7." Nikola muttered, writing the number onto the paper in front of him.
His hand stopped and he frowned. Bailey seemed to be somewhat hurt that he had asked to be put down. He hadn't meant anything in particular with that, he just hadn't had the experience to rate it on the spot. Not much he could do about it now, but maybe the rating could help appease her disappointment.
"...And a half." He said, quickly adding the decimal to the end.

Finally, he took the paper and pen and handed them back to Odhra.
"Alright, I'm done. I think." He said curtly.
He wasn't sure that his intentions would be apparent through his actions, as he didn't particularly dislike Bailey's embrace.

L'Mordryn Academy

Nikola barely had time to react before his position came under the assault of Odhra's summon. Noticing the assault, Kitten leapt out of the boy's lap just in time, as Bailey's arms scooped the boy up into a crushing bear hug. He squirmed in her grip, but try as he might, he couldn't break free. Spines poked into his side as the arms squeezed him closer. The summon's stinger hung close, and he could see a globule of venom building on the tip. Somewhere close to his feet, Kitten growled threateningly. And yet...
"It's alright Kitten, I'm fine." Nikola said.
His voice was muffled somewhat, smothered as he was, but his reassuring tone seemed to calm the dragon.

That was the truth, just about. The hug was uncomfortable, but not unpleasant. He hadn't been subject to many hugs, admittedly, but he could tell that she wasn't trying to hurt him, though she was using a little too much strength. There was a goodhearted warmth there, not unlike the affection he received from Kitten. It was nice, really. But he couldn't stay that way.

Nikola tried squirming once again, just trying to get a little more space. He had to rate the hug, and it was getting harder for him to think, partially because she was holding him very strongly, and partially because it was a bit embarrassing.
"Um, could you please let go of me for a moment?" He managed to say.
The hug was still quite tight, which made it hard for Nikola to talk.
@ghastlyInc

L'Mordryn Academy

Nikola was pretty sure things were going well for him. He seemed to be doing well enough in the conversation and Livia wasn't showing any obvious signs of discomfort, which indicated that he hadn't said anything bad. It was going pretty well, he was sure. But then, that boy came.

Max, a moniker of some sort no doubt, but Nikola didn't know his full name. He had heard of Max by reputation, and had experienced it firsthand the day previously, and ever since then he'd been wary of him. Sadly, it seemed that Nikola had forgotten that he was a part of this club. Nikola looked with curiosity as to what the boy had brought, and became confused. There were pillows with images printed onto them, depicting the favoured summons of the various club members. The depictions themselves seemed embellished somewhat, but Nikola was mostly confused as to what they were for. Pillows were for resting one's head on, so why would you put pictures onto them?

Distracted as he was, Nikola almost missed Livia's question.
"Um, sorry..." He began, trailing off slowly.
He had wanted to frame that as a question, but he'd realised what she'd asked him as he spoke. Thinking quickly, he spoke again.
"I sort of have things to do after this, so..."
That wasn't really true, he didn't have any plans after this. He did plan to study, but that didn't really count. Hhe had been looking into summoning another creature soon, though that was another matter entirely. But besides that, he wasn't sure what he should do if he took her up on her offer. Still, he should give Livia a better answer, at least.
"Thank you for the offer, Miss Livia," Nikola said finally. "But I'll have to decline, because..."

As he searched for the right words, however, he heard his name being called. He looked over to Odhra the culprit, but he couldn't glean anything that was said from the atmosphere alone.
"Um, sorry, what?" He asked.

@Rune_Alchemist
@ghastlyInc

L'Mordryn Academy

Kitten shivered in the boy's lap. Nikola knew what scared him, of course, since it also scared him somewhat. Siobhan, one of his conversation partner's summons. He was generally fairly wary against summons, but he was especially wary of 2 types, ghosts and machines. And dragons, but that was another matter entirely. Ghosts and machines were similar in only one respect; they often did strange things he didn't understand. Machines were more predictable though, and if he understood their function he was generally alright with them. Ghosts, on the other hand... Nevertheless, it would probably not be in his interest to treat Siobhan like that.

Nicola stroked Kitten reassuringly and took the cup of tea he'd been given from the table, sipping it as he watched the ghost and its master's discourse. The tea wasn't his favourite, but he could tell it was had quality.

Miss Livia was an adept summoner and Siobhan was one of her most trusted, as far as he could tell. Indeed, there should be nothing to be afraid of from the spirit, and he needed to show that to Kitten.

Nikola put the cup of tea down and did his best to smile at the ghost. It had a ghost like appearance but there was no reason to fear it, surely. Yet as he looked on, the apparition's face twisted into something more sinister. Nikola's smile froze. He blinked, and Siobhan was just as she was. He doubted his eyes, but he could feel Kitten's fur bristle under his hands. Still smiling stiffly, the boy rubbed the furry dragon in an attempt to calm it.
"What's wrong, buddy?" Nikola said quietly.
"I'll just pretend I didn't see that." He said in his mind.

"Ahem, now - where were we?"

Nikola coughed lightly to clear his mind. There would be time to think about ghosts later.
"Yes, we... Well, I asked you about your knew summon." Nikola replied.
That was indeed the topic of the conversation, but that was only the beginning. The boy looked around the room and then turned his eyes back to Siobhan. Livia had mentioned that the new one was difficult, and though he had still wanted to see it, he wasn't so sure now. Still, he needed something to talk about.

At the end of a period of silence bordering on uncomfortable, Nikola piped up.
"Could you- Hm."
He paused for a moment. He couldn't just ask directly, could he? That could be rude.
"If you don't mind me asking," He said slowly. "Could you tell me what your new summon is exactly?"

@Rune_Alchemist

L'Mordryn Academy

Soon enough, another member entered the scene. An older girl, called Livia if Nikola's memory served correctly. He prepared a greeting in his mind, but before he could open his mouth to speak, the girl spoke out herself, first to the moth-woman and then to the club leader. Nikola frowned slightly. He noted the girl's reaction to his gift to Evangeline, maybe she didn't ask chocolate. Perhaps he should ask her, then. But as he prepared to open his mouth, the door opened behind him again.

The boy turned to look at the arrival and found it to be an older student once again. A name he found he could not remember quite how to pronounce, but it was confirmed to him in a few moments. Odhra, a boy older than him, which he knew little about, save for his somewhat unsettling reputation. Nikola didn't mind it at all, he admired his peer's pragmatism. He hadn't talked to him much before, on account of him being in different houses, but the abundance of food he had brought was a surprise. He wasn't aware that Odhra cooked. But as Nikola thought about complimenting him, the boy's summon spoke words that made him rethink.

Nikola quietly put down his bag, and then backed away from the discussion, sitting down on a chair. He felt like the conversation was taking a turn he didn't want to intrude on. It seemed that Evangeline didn't know what intercourse meant, but he did. A little, at least. He knew what it entailed, more or less, which made him a little curious about the conversation, but also hesitant to hear it. It was likely that Odhra's summon had been mistaken, or at least, he hoped so.

Listening quietly from the sideline, Nikola was somewhat relieved at the result. A mistake on the part of the summon was understandable enough, as beings from another dimension couldn't all reasonably expected to have a high level of expertise in human languages, unless they interacted with humans frequently. The boy sank back in his chair as the conversation broke up a little. All he would need to would be to sit back, and wait for them to finish, and then...

And then what? Nikola frowned a little. He was here to work on his socialising skills, sitting back and doing nothing would not help. There were 3 people in the room he could converse with and he was currently talking to none of them. This was a good opportunity for conversation, but to whom would he talk to, and what would they talk about? After a moment of deliberation, Nikola turned to Livia.
"Um, Miss..." Nikola began.
What was her last name? He was sure he had never known it.
"Miss Livia," The boy said, thinking quickly. "Is it true? Have you summoned another creature?"
He hoped that would do for a start.

@Rune_Alchemist

Arkus Academy

Heads up, we have incoming. Mortimer said suddenly.
Despite being lost in his own thoughts, Richard immediately snapped to attention. The demon heckled the boy at any given opportunity but he could be relied on to be serious when he needed to be. And as he was spoken to, he turned to see who it was.
"Oh, Zachary!" Richard said in surprise.
He hadn't been expecting someone he knew, so the brown haired boy's arrival was not unwelcome.

Richard straightened his back as the pair fell into step, adjusting his hat as he did. Normally he was on high alert against people he didn't know that well, but Zach didn't seem particularly bad so he supposed he could afford him some leeway. Nevertheless, he couldn't show a shabby appearance to someone he'd just met.
"Yes, it does seem a little strange." Richard said in response to Zachary's question. "But, I wouldn't think too much of it. Perhaps they simply wish to let us choose who our allies are, and our enemies."
The blond haired boy smiled conspiratorially at the brown haired boy as he spoke, before giving Zachary a pat on the back. He laughed lightly, as if his actions just now were a joke.
Hope you don't do what I think you're doing. You don't even know the guy. Mortimer muttered in Richard's mind.
He ignored the demon. It would be ideal for him to have a room to himself, but failing that he would much rather share one with someone he was at least acquainted with. That would make his life much easier.

Still smiling, Richard spoke to the boy once more.
"Well, in any case, I think it would be good to get there before anyone else does." He said in a lighthearted tone. "Shall we go retrieve our belongings?"
While he had no intentions of becoming close to anyone, he did want to have some friends. It was important to have someone to trust, even though there could be a time where he would not be able to return that trust.
@Scribe of Thoth

L'Mordryn Academy

Nikola walked the halls, with Kitten nestled in his arms, tightly grasping a mysterious brown bag hanging from his right hand. It was the weekend, which meant that it was time for his club. He was a little nervous, as usual. He still hadn't gotten used to talking to people yet. But it wasn't like he would get used to it if he studied all the time. Building connections was important, and you got used to people by talking to people. Or so the maids at the estate had told him. They also told him gifts would help, which was what he'd gotten the paper bag for.

Emblazoned on the bag was the logo of a popular sweets store he knew from his time at the Drakengard estate. Nikola had never visited the store himself as he'd been wrapped up in his training, but it had a reputation amongst his siblings and the servants. He'd received the bag a little while ago with a note telling him to share them with friends. Sadly, he had forgotten about the bag until today, so he thought it would be good to share the treats with the club.

Soon enough, the boy arrived. Standing in the doorway, he could smell the distinct scent of tea. Steeling his nerves, he entered the room. The scenery that met his eyes was familiar, if bizarre. The walls were soft and fluffy, the carpet was soft, the chairs were soft. If he had to describe the room, he would call it 'aggressively comfortable', leaning a little too aggressive for his tastes. He did his best to ignore his slight uneasiness as he was addressed by a moth-like woman he had yet to grow used to seeing.

"Welcome, what kind of tea would you like?"

Nikola paused for a moment to think. He wasn't particularly partial to teas, he preferred sweeter drinks. But it would be rude to refuse the offer. He supposed he could ask for a sweeter tea, but the problem with that idea was that he didn't know what those teas were called. Maybe he could ask for more sugar in a less sweet tea that he knew of, but he didn't think having too much sugar would be a good thing. If so, he should moderate the amount of sugar he had, and go for a tea he was sure they had. Which meant -
"Um," Nikola began.
He was suddenly aware of how long he'd been standing for, and a note of uncertainty crept into his voice.
"Black tea with... 2 sugars, please." He said, stammering slightly.

He left the moth-woman to her activities and pushed further into the room to hide his embarrassment. There in the soft room was the head of the club, a girl about his age by the name of Evangeline. While Nikola didn't know the girl that well, she was intriguing in certain ways to him. She was the leader of the club despite being quite young, which he found to be fairly interesting. She had a certain energy and certainty to her actions that Nikola severely lacked. He found her temperament a little hard to deal with, despite her having qualities that he admired. Nevertheless, he knew she wasn't bad in any particular way, so he would do his best to get along with her.

"Good morning...?" Nikola said to the girl.
The boy freed his right arm from the fluffy mass he held to present the girl with the brown paper bag.
"I brought some chocolate... things."
He had forgotten what was inside, save that there was chocolate involved in their creation. Were they donuts? Pastries? Eclairs? He had forgotten. Nevertheless, he hoped the girl would take them.
@Pyromania99

Arkus Academy

I know I said Richard doesn't want to be bothered by people but feel free to bother Richard if you want

Arkus Academy

Wordlessly the blond boy peeled away from the crowd. He looked around a little, as if considering his options, before heading towards the dorms. His expression was neutral and he walked with relaxed, unhurried steps. Internally, however, his mind was a storm of thought. There was a lot of information to process, of course, but he was more concerned with securing his secret. If there were psychic teachers that could do telepathy then it would be difficult not to be caught. And if that was what the teachers did, what would the security do? He didn't know much about demons but he knew that demons being in the mortal plane was a big deal, and even if Mortimer was weak, they would doubtless do something about it.
Stop thinking, kid. You're no good at it. The demon said in his mind, yawning. And maybe think about who's inside your head before you start insulting 'em.
My brain, my business. Richard retorted. And I wasn't thinking anything that wasn't true. So why don't you give me some space?
The boy could feel the demon's mood darken before he spoke again.
Watch it boy, Your expression is slipping.

Quickly, Richard put a hand up to his mouth. His mouth had dipped into a frown and his brow was deeply furrowed, souring his face with a glowering expression. Sighing a little, the boy massaged his jaw, fixing a light smile onto his face. He relaxed his brows and adopted a more calm look.
How's that then?" He asked.
Great. You look like a rich idiot, instead of a pissed off rich idiot.
The corners of Richard's mouth ticked up in irritation, but he ignored the demon and continued moving towards the dormitory building the group had been shown during the tour.
And why are we going to the dorms? Don't we have something better to do? Mortimer whined.
"I need to check my stuff." Richard muttered.
Not like you have anything worth taking. Doubt you'd be missing something anyway. The demon retorted.
That was true. Richard kept anything really precious on his person, the rest he could definitely afford to lose. Nevertheless, he didn't want to lose it.
"It's my stuff, Mort. I don't need a reason to secure it."
Fine, fine. Securing a base of operations is important enough, I suppose.
The boy sighed in relief. Mortimer was being cooperative for a change, perhaps due to the threat posed by the staff of the school. Speaking of which...

"So, what about the teachers?" Richard muttered to himself.
Finally, I was wondering when you were gonna be a real man. If you ask me, the red heads are worth trying for - if you get one of 'em she'd probably help you get the other.
The boy frowned in annoyance.
What do you want me to say? I told you, kid, you think too much. Mortimer said. When the blond one's around, you don't talk to me and I don't talk to you.
"What if I need you?" Richard asked, with a small amount of uncertainty.
There was a small period of silence before the demon spoke again.
Then you'll be even more hopeless than I thought you were.
Richard tightened his grip on his book, but did nothing to deny the statement. He was trying to become a better mage in his own right, and relying on Mortimer too much would only hinder his growth.

Just to be safe, I'm not using any psychic stuff around her. Mortimer continued, ignoring the boy's inner turmoil. You could pass yourself off as an illusionist to someone who doesn't know, but there's no way you'd pass yourself off as a psychic to a psychic.
Guess I'll have to hope she's not an illusionist too. Richard thought to himself, sighing as he did.
His footsteps weighed a little heavier as he walked to the dorms, but he kept his expression even and hoped no one else would bother him today.

Arkus Academy

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.
"Well, I suppose I should be going to." He said to her. "If fate conspires to bring us together again, then I'll be glad to call myself your friend."
He tipped his hat a little.
"But until then, I must bid you goodbye."
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.

Ricky boy, you gotta stop, you're killing me. Mortimer cackled.
Oh shut up.
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

---

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.
Hey Mort, what do you think? He asked the demon.
The demon didn't respond. Furrowing his brow, Richard asked again.
Mort?
Don't talk to me. The demon answered curtly.
What?

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.
It's fine right now. Mortimer said suddenly. Too many people, she won't read you unless you act up.
You sure?
Nope. So just to be safe, I won't be saying anything while she's around.
Richard's mind returned to silence. It seemed that his school life would be more difficult than he thought it would be.