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[right][sub][@Scribe of Thoth][/sub][/right][indent]


Stories always paled in comparison to the real thing, this much Derec knew. Even still, Garreg Mach had a serenity that no tale could ever do justice; from the grand cathedral to the bustling marketplace, it was almost everything he had hoped for. Here the borders between lands were nonexistent and both commoner and noble walked side by side. In a sense, it was the perfect escape for anyone looking to hide from the world. Not that he was hiding from anyone in particular, but at the very least he could probably sleep better at night not worrying about any possible assassins sneaking into his room past the guards.

The Archbishop's speech was nice, but Derec found it hard to concentrate when the words were coming out of a child half his height. At least he looked like he was having a nice time. Speaking of which, their professor was certainly a character. He had heard of a Knight of Seiros joining the ranks of the Officers Academy, but he figured it would have been as a combat advisor. The fact that he was going to be the one in charge of the Blue Lion House was...not worrying, but not really comforting, either. His last name sounded familiar to Derec, too, but he couldn't place it. It must not have been any major noble house of Faerghus. Maybe it was a lesser known branch?

The professor left the room so quickly that Derec almost wanted to follow suit, but it was probably a good idea to find out which students he would be spending the year with. He stood from his seat and approached the chalkboard, towering over most of the other students. Finding his name wasn't too hard, but he did raise his eyebrow at only seeing 'Ballard'. Well, the Royal family had yet to formally recognize him, so maybe he had been expecting too much. Then again, Lord Leon had said he was free to use the Blaiddyd name, and he had the crest to quiet anyone who thought he was unworthy.

The house leader decided to introduce himself, and Derec watched with great interest. Galatea, now that was a name he did recognize. At least he sounded like a leader! He finished with such a flourish that Derec couldn't help but clap, though he realized his mistake shortly afterwards as he was the only one. [color=turquoise]"Oh--okay,"[/color] Derec stopped clapping, turning back to the board. In theory, the best thing to do was to avoid the nobility--no doubt he wasn't exactly popular with those who would stick to the original heir--so he figured he should stick to his classmates.

And of course that meant he was placed in a unit with not only Faerghus nobility but [i]Alliance[/i] nobility and even the Imperial Princess from the looks of the Black Eagles. [color=turquoise]"Great,"[/color] Derec mumbled, scratching the back of his head. Galatea [i]and[/i] Fraldarius? Really? Why not add in Gautier and Dominic while they were at it? How was he supposed to lay low?

He figured he may as well try to bring about a good first impression. But where would he start? House Leader Galatea? It certainly seemed like the obvious answer, but Derec would rather know his enemy first and foremost and the Galatea seemed problematic. He approached the blond somewhat reluctantly, running a hand through his red hair to smooth it out.

[color=turquoise]"Well said,"[/color] Derec decided a little compliment to hopefully butter the guy up would help. [color=turquoise]"And well met, I'm Derec Ballard. Looks like we'll be in the same class unit for the year."[/color]

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