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Morgan’s life has been a very simple one, but simple doesn’t always mean easy. When your father is a world-renown multi-sport powerhouse known to many as ‘The Vaike’, and by the gods make sure you remember to say ‘The’, everyday if Morgan isn’t doing his studies, which are kept to a minimum because that sport scholarship isn’t just handed out, then he is exercising. Don’t take his smaller than average stature as a means to judge him, because that boy can outperform nearly every other student in his high school, Grimleal High. While his Father is the ‘muscle’ of the team, his Mother, Robin, is the one who coaches the team, as her keen intellect is what gets them out of the tightest of situations.
So, Morgan has huge expectations to live up to, but it’s one he’s been holding up to well so far. His athletic skills are top notch… but he could use to refine his academic side. Mid to high ‘B’s aren’t bad, but there are a number of ‘C’s sprinkled in there, not to mention the row of ‘D’s that line up the math and history columns. Science actually comes quite easily to him, specifically human biology, since it allows him to know more about, well, him. That, and Mother is also proficient at science, so that always helps.
Right now, the boy is attending his high school’s soccer match against one of their rivals, which to be honest, if you’re going up against his high school with Morgan on the team, you might as well forfeit the match. However, the students at Regna Ferox are the only ones who absolutely refuse to back down, and they are the only team on the eastern side of the world that can hold a candle to the Grimeal Dragons. “And with that skilled kick from Regna’s Lon’qu, the score is at an astounding 15-15.”
“C’mon Regna Wolves, kick their asses!” Their coach, a behemoth known as Basilio, shouts out. “They got nothin’ on you!”
“Damn straight you got nothing on us! Because we already have it all! Get em, Grimleal Dragons!” ‘The’ Vaike shouts back.
“Another score for the Wolves, now let’s end this and howl our victory shout!” A normally shy and reserved cheerleader, Olivia, leads off their choreography.
“Wolves are bound to the earth, but Dragons can easily cut through the air!” Right as Robin said that, Morgan bounced the ball into the air, jumped up, and slammed it with all the force he could muster, sending it speeding towards the goal, and ripping straight through the net...
Let’s just say that isn’t the first time Morgan got so into a game that he ended up breaking something.
Morgan rises out of bed as he readies for a new day… at 5:00 A.M. First things are first, and he starts off by going through all of his stretches. Following that, he goes to the kitchen, where both of his parents are already there, and breakfast has just been finished cooking. Thank the gods for his mother being an excellent cook, or he and his father would probably be living off of the most basic of meals. Protein and high-energy are the focus here, as The Vaike and Morgan almost comically inhale their food. Every second is precious, so they eat fast to get out and practice more. Robin will spend a portion of the day training, but the rest is reserved to making sure she gets the absolute latest information on the other teams. She won’t do anything illegal, but her research just barely crosses the line. She needs to make sure her wonderful son’s teams win, after all.
The mail man drives up to the Reflet’s house, before dropping off their mail. Robin goes and gets it within about an hour of its delivery, since she has to at least get through her daily exercises, before doing any of the ‘normal’ things. “Trash, garbage, useless, bills,” She lists as she crumbles the worthless things, “Family letters, credit card offers… hm?” Her eyes catch on a rather intriguing one. “A letter from the Red Knight’s college?” The Red Knight college, overseen by ‘Conqueror’ Walhart is located across the ocean, and he houses the most physically and mentally adept students in the world. He literally has it all, and it is the college that sends out the best of the best. “And it’s addressed to Morgan, too.”
Her heart races, if this is what she thinks it is... “Morgan! The Vaike!” She rushes into the house, before stopping in her tracks and picking up the envelope containing the bills, “Now then. Morgan! The Vaike!”
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Morgan’s life has been a very simple one, but simple doesn’t always mean easy. When your mother is a world-renown multi-master’s degree intellectual known as Professor Mirel, there isn’t a day go by that doesn’t involve some sort of studying,
everyday if Morgan isn’t doing her homework, then she is getting ahead of the rest of the class with the number of books she just blazes through. If it weren’t for her parents’ large amount of income, they wouldn’t be able to afford the number of books that their daughter craves. In fact, at one point, they needed to get a larger house just to store all of the other books. Her father, Robin, can easily sift through what should be done first, as well as making extremely efficient schedules, so much so that things are recorded to the tenth of a second.
So, Morgan has huge expectations to live up to, but it’s one she’s been holding up to well so far. Her academic skills are top notch… but she tends to be more reclusive than most students, even the book club is a chore. A row of beautiful ‘A+’s line her grades, except for Gym, which continues to slam an extremely ugly ‘D’ on her. However, she isn’t looking to be an athlete, and since she has a scholarship on the line for her academic skills, she tends to shrug off any physical training. Besides, her high school, Ylisstol High, is known for its academic pursuits.
Right now, the girl is multitasking to the highest degree, her left eye is focused on the history exam materiel, her left hand is copying the ‘important’ details from it, by which that would mean she is basically writing the entire section down since nothing should ever be omitted. Her right eye is on the math problems on a sheet of paper slightly off to the side, and her right hand is writing down the answers and showing her work. If the average person were to walk in and look at her from the front, she would seem like a freak of nature, since her eyes aren’t looking at the same place and she’s writing two sets of information down at once. However, if someone would to actually walk in, she would probably politely tell them to leave.
Unless they wanted to talk, then she could easily hold a conversation doing her work as well. “Done and done.” She smoothly closes the history book while neatly folding her math homework, before placing each in their clearly labeled places, then pulling out two books she has been reading recently. As with her homework, one eye was on one book and the other eye was on the other book. Two sets of information being absorbed into her, each side of her moving independently. And if one to ask to give them a summary of what she’s reading, she could easily tell that person of each book, while reading the material. An alarm goes off, reminding her that dinner is about to begin.
Let’s just say that she tends to lose track of time really easily.
Morgan rises out of bed as she readies for a new day… at exactly 5:00.000 A.M. First things are first, and she starts off by slowly adjusting her sleep-ridden body to be awake, especially her eyes, she can’t go straining them too much. After that, it’s off to the kitchen, where she slowly eats through breakfast, while reading a book, since the newspaper won’t come in for a few more hours, and writing down what exactly happened in her dreams. She believes that she can take control of her dreams, allowing her to conjure whatever scenario she wishes, with the limits being her own imagination. She spends every precious second on expanding her viewpoint as much as possible. Mirel is working on one of her many, many theories, while Robin is re-checking to make sure that the schedule for today is perfect.
The mail man drives up to the Reflet’s house, before dropping off their mail. Robin is already within three steps of the mailbox by the time it is delivered, and he waves at the man as he drives off. “Let’s see, Category 2, 2, 2,” There are three categories for mail; 1 is for things that require attention, 2 is for things that have some significance, but ultimately can wait, and 3 is for things that are to be thrown away, “1, 2, 1… 4?” Well, there are actually four categories, but they are a rare occurence, the fourth one is reserved for things that demand the absolute highest priority. Taking out his envelope cutter, he swiftly opens it, “An invitation from the Red Knight’s college?” Sure, it’s addressed to Morgan, but a quick peek won’t hurt, right? “Oh… oh!” His face lights up.
Morgan will love to see this.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Morgan arrived onto the campus grounds, alongside his mother and father, “I expected nothing less.” Robin commented as they all gazed in wonder, the college itself was nothing short of a masterpiece. They stood before the front doors to the main building, where Walhart himself did his work in.
“Have you seen how many training fields they got up?” The Vaike asks, “Man, they literally have it all!”
Morgan remained silent, choosing instead to read over the details of what will happen on the tour today. Truth be told though, he also felt nervous. This
is
Walhart’s territory after all, the man is a living legend among those who pursue literally any physical greatness. Besides, he is the only one who can claim Gold in all challenges in the multitude of sports in the Feats. Morgan took a breath and walked into the building, his parents were to remain outside. The smaller-framed athlete looked around in amazement with the decorations plastered across the walls, so much so that there were glass cases peppered around the floor, just to hold all of the achievements… all of which had one of two names, it was either assigned to The Red Knight’s college, or Walhart himself.
The more unnerving part is that Walhart’s collection almost matched the entire college’s. He walked up to the front desk, where a rather unpleasant sight welcomed him. It was some blob of a man, who looked like he would only run if it meant there was sugar at the end. He was essentially round, “Yes, boy?”
Someone doesn’t like his job… “My name is Morgan, and I’m here for the tour.” He proudly presents his invitation.
Which the man only glances at, “Right, Morgan. Right side, up the stairs, second door on the left. Have fun.” Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Morgan walks off in the intended direction. That blob of fat is nothing more than a disgrace to the area he is in. Why was he even there? Once reaching the destination, Morgan gently knocks, yet before he could even voice himself, the door opened, revealing an absolute giant of a man…
Even Basilio had nothing on him. “Speak.” The presence from this man alone almost caused Morgan to falter.
Almost, “My name is Morgan Reflet, I’m here for the tour.” Once more, he proudly presents his invitation.
Several tense moments pass as the man in front of him simply stared him down. On top of his already impressive size, he wore something Morgan had honestly never seen anyone wear. It looked like the man wore an entire set of red iron armor, maybe even something heavier. Yet, it didn’t seem to bother the man one bit, “Morgan Reflet, the so called ‘Physical Prodigy’ from Plegia.” He seemed unconvinced of the boy’s status. He held out a hand, palm facing him, with the gauntlet still on. “Hit me.”
If he were anyone else, Morgan might have faltered. He trains almost day and night, his father is The Vaike, and so, even an punching an iron gauntlet didn’t faze him. So that is exactly what he did, without bothering to wind up a punch, Morgan slammed his fist onto the gauntlet. He felt the vibrations from the impact and he suppressed a grunt of pain, refusing to show any weakness. Did it hurt? Absolutely, he doubts that even his father would walk away from something like this without showing at least a bit of pain. “There.” He simply replies.
“Again, other hand.” Morgan pulls his first hand back, switches the invitation to the other hand, then repeats what he did, achieving the same results. “Hm, there’s potential.” He clears his throat, “My name is Walhart, and I am the headmaster of The Red Knight’s college. I take no boast when I say that my college is reserved for the best of the best.”
“And I assure you, that I am one of those.”
He laughs, “We’ll see, boy.” The man reaches to the side and hands him a map, alongside a small box, “There’s your tour information, I’ve other people to see today. I look forward to the results of your entrance exam, Mister Reflet.” With that, he practically slams the door on his face, but the boy didn’t flinch. Instead, a smile formed on his face, Walhart…
the
Walhart believed he had potential.
He couldn’t wait to tell his parents!
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Morgan arrived onto the campus grounds, alongside her mother and father… later than anticipated. During their travel there, some family that literally defined ‘rude’ and ‘obnoxious’ caused disorganization at the airport. Which in turn made the airport turn into a battle royale, as those three plowed through the line to get their luggage, especially that one brute, shouting about something or other. Morgan didn’t bother to pay attention, as she had more important things to worry about. Like a damaged suitcase, which meant that her careful organization had been messed up. And nothing in the whole world gives her a headache like something completely blown apart.
They were exactly one hour, forty-two minutes, and twenty-five seconds late. “This college ground has been cleaned to the highest of standards.” Robin comments as he looks around, “Even the most remote of nooks.”
“I envy you, daughter. I have never imagined that there would be so many libraries in a single vicinity!” Mirel exclaims.
Morgan opted to remain silent as she memorized each and every detail on the map. It was no exaggeration if one were to say that this college had it all. And on top of that, it was all organized! Each section of the campus had an equal amount of everything. To be accepted here would be a dream come true, which is why she needed to do beyond her best. She entered through the front door of the building, to which she was greeted with a huge amount of medals and trophies. On one half held the sport-related activities, the other held the academic-related awards. Both the college and Walhart’s name were engraved on all of them.
She then turned her attention to who she assumed was the secretary… who was a pain on the eyes, to say the least. The man has clearly overindulged himself, it seemed as if his fat rolls had fat rolls. Both his head and body looked to be almost perfectly round. It sickened her to see someone succumb so much to gluttony. “Good evening, my name is Morgan Reflet, and I am here for the tour of the college grounds.” Despite it all, she gave her best and most polite smile.
“Right side, up the stairs, second door on the left.” He didn’t even bother looking right at her. But he did glance at her, and in that one glance she saw one thing, one variable that almost redeemed him on the spot… the pure intelligence in his eyes.
“Thank you, sir.” She returns his clipped answer with more kindness. With her piece said, she follows the man’s directions and soon ends up at the mentioned door. She gently knocks on the door, “Ex…” She is interrupted by the door opening and a man of insane proportions stands before her. Mother would have been overjoyed to examine him, as he is wearing actual metal, instead of regular clothes. He is also several heads taller than her father and he practically is sending out waves of authority. “Speak.” His single word felt like it moved the entire hallway. He is the real deal. “Good evening. My name is Morgan Reflet, and I am here on the summons of Headmaster Walhart.”
“Hmph.” He huffs as he looks her over. “I am he.” Morgan isn’t surprised one bit to hear that. “Tell me, what do you think of the man downstairs?”
Out of all the questions she prepared for, that was not one of them. Still, she takes it in stride and takes a moment to think, “I am to be honest, correct?”
He nods, “Speak how you will, I care not what words you use.”
“I believe he overindulges himself, and he acts higher than he actually is…
but
, I also can see a deep intelligence in his eyes. So, I believe that he uses his outward appearance into luring his potential opposition into a sense of false security, before making a quick attack.”
The response causes the giant of a man to laugh, “Ah, you are as talented as they say, ‘Intellectual Prodigy of Ylisse’.” He reaches to the side and procures a map, alongside a small box, “I am looking forward to seeing the results of your entrance exam, Miss Reflet.” She grabs the items, mere moments before the door closes, but she doesn’t let the sudden rudeness bother her.
She can’t wait until she tells her parents about this!
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Morgan wakes up and immediately begins the process of going through his morning routine. This morning is done with even more effort than before. His energy supply seems to double as the fact resonates through his body once more… he was accepted! He is now living in a one-person studio apartment on The Red Knight’s campus. He may have scraped by the academics, but the athletics? He already caught the eye from several of the coaches from his performance. Unfortunately, his parents weren’t there to see him excel, but the news alone is good enough. He quickly grabs his weights and goes through his training portion of his mornings. As long as he doesn’t drop below ‘C’s, he’ll be fine. He worked too hard to lose to grades.
After his initial exercises, he puts on his backpack, which is large enough to hold
everything
he could ever need to use. The average student would have trouble lifting even half of the weight on his back, but him? Well, let the two dumbbells on either side of his backpack tell you how well he handles it. Out of all of his school supplies, his backpack is the most expensive. Snatching a protein bar and shake from his supplies, he sets off, downing the quick breakfast in a minute’s notice. He’s going to miss his mother’s cooking, but he can survive.
He strides through the campus with ease, as if he doesn’t have several dozen pounds of weight on his back. Several students turn their eye on him, but he just shrugs it off. The boy makes his way to his first class, Literature, and he makes doubly sure that he
doesn’t
drop his backpack. Gods know he’ll never forget the day he cracked the floor in Mr. Mustafa’s classroom. One of the students that day cracked a joke about if he carried rocks in his backpack… then he laughed at their expressions when he showed off the dumbbells inside of it.
The teacher walks in, though her presence does nothing to quiet the excited chatter from the other students. And as if she’s used to it, she casually walks over to her chair, sits down, and slowly pulls out a sheet of paper. “Luther…” She says in a semi-interested tone. However, when she received no response, “
ATTENTION
!” Her voice seemed to have bounced off of the walls several times, causing all of the chatter to cease. “Now then, Luther?” A ‘here’ shortly follows. “K-jelly?”
“Kjelle, ma’am.” This particular student caught Morgan’s eye, as she too, seems to came here for the athletics as well.
“Don’t care.” The teacher scoffs, “Morgan.” The boy responds with a simple ‘here’. The woman then scrunches her eyes, as if she suddenly can’t read.
“Yes, that’s my name.” A remarkably short woman says. “No, I don’t know what was going through my mother’s head at the time.”
“Alright… Nah.” A few snicker from the supposed name, “Garume.” She looks up, before looking back at the paper, “Garyme? G…”
“Gerome, ma’am.” The man sighs, clothed in almost all black.
“Take the sunshades off.” The teacher snaps, and Gerome quickly removes the unneeded accessory, “And the bandana, and the headband.” After he finished, the teacher nods. “Good. Now, my name is Pheros. And I will be your teacher for all things Literature.”
Now comes the next hurdle… making it through her almost monotonous tone.
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Morgan wakes up and immediately goes through her morning activities. One cup of coffee that is set to automatically brew on its own, and the books that she will need for the first two classes, as she will have enough time to switch out her books during break. Truth be told, she didn’t feel like she got enough sleep, as there were parties going on for the start of a new school year. At least she aced the entrance exam, so that’s one less burden on her shoulders.
Strapping on her backpack and with a disposable cup of coffee in one hand, she makes her way out. She takes sips as she walks across campus, and being on the receiving end of stares due to her sluggish movements,
but
that is why she wakes up really early. She needs the extra time to slowly wake up, as coffee can only do so much. Soon enough, though, she arrives at her first class, History. She doesn’t mind it, but she prefers to focus on the future. Still, she takes her assigned seat and takes her supplies out, making sure that they are perfectly in place. Now fully awake, she is ready for class to begin…
In about half an hour.
“Oh, you’re here early.” A gentle voice calls out as an admittedly beautiful woman walks in. “It always warms my heart to see students so ready to learn.” She looks around, “Even if there’s only one.”
Her green eyes shine with an intelligence that could rival her father’s. “I set high standards for myself, Miss…” She pauses as she looks at her schedule.
“Tiki.” The woman gives her a gentle smile. “And you are…”
“Morgan Reflet.” Morgan already likes her, if this first impression is anything to go by, then all teachers should be like her.
“It is very good to meet you, Miss Reflet.”
“And you too, Miss Tiki.”
After the quick exchange, the rest of the students start to pour in, “Good morning everyone. My name is Tiki D. Naga.” One of the students attempts to hide a chuckle behind a cough, “And welcome to my classroom, all History related subjects are taught by me. I hope to give you all a wonderful experience,” Yet another chuckle-cough, “And many memories to cherish,” She pauses as it happens a third time, “Are you well, sir? Would you like some water? Don’t hesitate to ask for help.”
“I’d like help with something, that’s for sure…” The man lowers his voice, as a student next to him chuckles and gives him a high-five. It dawns on Morgan on the implications… sex-craving deviants.
Tiki rises from her spot and walks over towards the man, almost in a seductive manner, well the average person would probably look at her body and think she is acting innocent. “I think I can provide some help.” However, with Morgan’s keen eyes, she notices that her body language, and more importantly, her eyes speak of motives far more dangerous things. “But I would be careful on what you wish for, as there is a roaring fire within this body.” The atmosphere changes, as she suddenly emits an aura of authority. “Now, what was it that you needed?”
“N-Nothing, Miss Tiki!”
She flashes him a sweet smile, “I thought so.” With that, she turns and walks back to her spot, “After class, both of you.” She doesn’t even bother looking, “Now then, Laurent?”
“I am present, Miss Tiki.” A man, who looks almost exactly like Morgan’s mother, speaks up.
“Donnel?”
“‘Ight ‘ere, ma’am.” The boy looks like he came from the worst of conditions, but looks can be deceiving, and Morgan believes he has great potential… and if he is here, then so does Walhart.
“Morgan Reflet?”
“I am here, Miss Tiki.”
“Gregor?”
“Gregor is here.” The man behind the boy who Tiki approached replied. Gregor looks like he came here for the athletic portion of the college.
“And Gaius.”
“Right here, Ma’am!” The boy who was approached by Tiki quickly replies.
She smiles and nods, “Good, that’s everyone. Now! If you all will kindly open your history books, we will begin!”
Correction, Morgan really likes her as a teacher. Maybe she’ll even try to get more History classes in?
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Yen’fay kicks back in his chair as he awaits the next class. Unlike most teachers, his class includes both academics and athletics. One portion involves the history of weapons and war, and the other involves the actual use of said weapons and various techniques. As such, his class takes up two spaces. His sister, Say’ri, is currently tending to the various weapons on display, making sure each and every single one is in top condition. “Brother, please try to act professional.” She chides him.
“We still have thirty-five minutes, sister.” On top of his class taking up two spaces, it also only happens on the third and fourth spaces, so he and his sister have the most downtime on their hands.
“I know, but don’t forget that some students arrive early.” Though, the earliest they ever had one arrive is about ten minutes.
“I’ll be…” He pauses as the door opens, and a young woman walks in. He quickly straightens his posture, “Good evening.”
“Good evening, mister…” She looks at a paper, “Yen’fay?”
He nods, “Yes, I am Yen’fay. She is my sister, Say’ri. Are you perhaps looking for directions?” He knows she’s a new student, as he never forgets a face.
Yet, she shakes her head, “No sir. I just like to arrive early.” With that she makes her way towards one of the desks. Say’ri mouths ‘I told you so’ and Yen’fay shrugs it off. He was about to ask the student her name, but she has already taken to being nose-deep… in two books.
Huh.
The rest of the students poured in at a reasonable time. The bookworm that arrived early has placed her books away and is now giving them her full attention. “Welcome all.” Yen’fay and Say’ri stand at attention, “My name is Yen’fay.”
“And mine is Say’ri.” They follow through without a pause. “We are your teachers for both the history concerning war…”
“And the real-time use of older weapons, like swords.” The two smile at their flawless performance, “Now, first off… Lon’qu?”
“Here, sir.” The man has taken to almost isolating himself from the rest, if it weren’t for the boy who has
dumbells
on his backpack. Though the air between them seems tense, as if they’re fierce rivals.
“Kjelle.” Say’ri follows up.
“Right here, ma’am.”
“Morgan.”
“Here.” Two voices echo at once, then the two share a look, as if to say ‘Oh, you’re first name is also Morgan?’
“Alright then, Morgan Reflet.” Yen’fay clarifies.
“Here.” Once more, they respond at once.
“Hey, cut it out!” The boy exclaims.
“Me? You clearly replied
after
me.” The girl counters.
“...And Morgan Reflet… again.” Say’ri adds. This causes the two to stare at each other.
“This is going to be an interesting year.” Yen’fay says under his breath. “Anyway! Severa!”
“That’s me.”
All the while the two Morgans were almost staring each other down, like neither could believe what they just heard.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The first few days were absolutely nothing short of absolute awkwardness, Morgan noted as he sprinted past literally every other person on the track. And all of those strange things happen because of the other… Morgan. Why was there a woman with the same first and last name as him? Mother never spoke of relatives. “Gods, boy, are you trying to run away from your past or something?” Severa rushed up to keep with his pace.
“Oh, hello Severa.” He replies without wasting a single breath. “How’s it going?”
“Don’t worry about me!” She lashes back, “Gods, I just asked you a little question, then you turn it around on me?”
“Mmm, perhaps if your breathing wasn’t so ragged…” The red-head moved to trip him, but he easily hopped over it, “too slow!”
“G-Get back… here!” She shouts as he kicks it to his top speed. “...not that I was worried about you.”
“He’s got quite the pair of legs on him, doesn’t he?” Another man casually jogs beside Severa.
“Sh-shut it, Inigo.” She takes a breath, “I’m not letting some tiny boy beat me in a race!” With that, she pushes her body even further, breaking into a sprint.
“...but he’s already finished his laps. Ah, oh well.” Inigo shrugs it off.
Morgan stopped on the spot as he finished his final lap… plus one. He then walked over to the cooler and grabbed a bottle of water, “Whew.” He takes a few deep breaths, before taking a gulp of water. It always feels good whenever Morgan burns off energy, it’s like he feels liberated. That is, until his stomach growls and reminds him that food is still a necessity.
“Morgan, is it?” A pink haired man walks up to him, “My name is Inigo.”
He returns with a smile, “Yup, that’s me. Nice to meet you.” He offers his hand and Inigo graciously accepts it.
“My my, you are quite the athlete, aren’t you?” Compared to Morgan’s firm and muscular grip, Inigo’s is gentle and smooth. “But, how coordinated are you?”
“Like, multi-tasking?” The handshake ends and Morgan tilts his head.
“I suppose it could be interpreted as such, but no. I meant for choreographic dancing.”
“I’ve not much interest in that.” He bluntly replies, “If it doesn’t involve rigorous training, then I won’t bother.”
Inigo smiles, but it seems less friendly, and more predatory, “Are you implying that dancing is… easy?”
Morgan crosses his arms, “I’m saying that it doesn’t require much skill.”
The man chuckles, “And just how confident are you in your assumption?”
“I’m hearing a challenge in there, somewhere.” The boy raises an eyebrow, “Am I correct?”
“Close, a bet would be more accurate.” The man seems completely confident, and it’s something Morgan would like to fix. “If you think the dancing arts so easy, then I’m sure you would absolutely no issue in attending one of my mother’s classes?”
“What’s on the line, here? If this is a bet?”
“He’ll ask Lucina out on a date.” Severa stops next to the other two. Her body is absolutely drenched in sweat.
“I, what? Absolutely not!” Inigo immediately dismisses the idea.
“Sure, why not?” Morgan shrugs, “Not that I know who Lucina is, but whatever.”
“Oh, ugh. Fine.” Inigo sighs. “If you win, I’ll ask Lucina out on a date.” He takes a moment to glare at the woman, “Thanks, Severa…”
“Not a problem.” She smiles.
“Alright then, if I lose…” Morgan starts.
“You’ll take me on a date.” Severa interrupts.
“...are you a matchmaker?”
“Wh-what?! No! It’s… you
owe
me for that insult back at the tracks.” She scowls.
“...for saying your breathing was ragged?”
“Well, not just that, but…” She pauses, “...I kinda like your dedication to exercising.” She just barely gets out.
“Um, what?” Morgan asks, “I…”
“Nothing!” She snaps back.
“Alright, fine. There, if I win, you ask Lucina on a date, if you win, I ask Severa on a date, deal?”
“...said you
will
take me on one, but it’s not like…” Severa mumbles.
“Deal.” Once more, the two shake hands.
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The first few days have been nothing less than awkward, Morgan noted as she finished reading both her History and Science textbooks. And, all of those awkward things all involve that boy who shares her name, Morgan. What are the odds that there is another person in this entire planet there shares a first
and
last name? Normally, her naturally curious nature would demand that she ask about him.
However, the boy rarely stays still, and is constantly doing some sort of strenuous activity. Which is something Morgan can admit to not being able to do, so she would rather abandon the notion, rather than chase him from one side of Naga’s creation to the other. Besides, she has studies to do if she is to remain as on top as she was back in High school…
And let it be reinforced that she absolutely adores Miss Tiki. Not that the other teachers are bad, but there is just something about her demeanour that Morgan would like more of. Perhaps it is her peaceful nature, or seemingly endless knowledge about History, maybe it’s even with how easily she deals with the troublemaking students. She is alluring, but at the same time, she is also not afraid to show off a side of her that ‘means business’. It’s easy to be on Tiki’s good side, but it’s also easy to get on her bad side, and both of her sides are a marvel to adore… assuming you aren’t the one who is on the receiving end of her bad side.
“Hm? Oh… whoops.” Without even thinking, Morgan ended up drawing a rather intricately detailed picture of Tiki. Let it be known that Morgan has a tendency to lose track of time, and do tasks without even realizing it. “Well… might as well finish it off, then.” She goes into one of the drawers and pulls out her coloring set, “Now, Miss Tiki, let’s see which of these Greens fit you the best.”
Over an hour has passed before Morgan finalizes the picture, which turns out to be just short of actually being her. Maybe she should show it to her? Would the History teacher think it too weird? Maybe she’ll like it. Shrugging her worries off, she returns the coloring instruments back to their original positions, before getting a folder to place her drawing in… among the other impromptu drawings she had ever done. She then looks outside, and her stomach grumbles, perhaps dinner is in order.
Leaving her studio apartment, Morgan walks towards the cafeteria, with an extra coat on. It
is
rather cold here, but it’s nothing too extreme. She enters the cafeteria, where she is instantly assaulted with a number of scents, most are quite pleasant, while some leave a less than desirable outcome on her sense of smell. She opts to go straight for the salad bar, getting a bowlful of greens alongside some assorted vegetables.
“Oh, ‘ey, yer uh… Morgan, was it?” A cheaply clothed man approaches her.
“Yes, and you are… Donnel, correct?” Like her, he also has a hearty bowl of salad, though there are bits of ham and bacon in his.
“Yes, ma’am. I came from the farm that my ma and pa own.”
“It’s good to know that anyone can get here, if they apply themselves hard enough.” Morgan nods with a smile.
“Heh, nobody knows hard workin’ like a farmer! Waking up hours before the sun even rises, tendin’ to all the sheep n pigs, makin’ sure the plants are watered, and gotta watch out for dem rodents, too.”
“It does sound like a lot to do.” She pats the seat next to her, “Why don’t you sit down?”
“Sure thing! I’m glad to be of company to someone with smarts like you.”
She smiles at him, “Well, I do keep high standards, and when your mother is on the caliber of Miriel…”
“Miriel? As in like the ten time Master degree professor Mirel?” His eyes turned wide for a moment. “Oh uh, pardon the interruption.”
“It’s not a problem, Donnel.”
“So uh, whaddya think of Miss Tiki?” There is an admiration in his eyes.
“I really like her. She is so knowledgeable, peaceful, and graceful.”
“Yer from Ylisse, right? So ya don’t know the legend ‘round here?”
Morgan nods, “That’s right, oh! Do you have any to share?”
“It’s about Miss Tiki, actually. But, if you would prefer to hear sumthin else…”
“I would like to know
all
of them, but I won’t pressure you to tell me any of them.” Morgan’s expression is nothing short of fascinated. While sure, she may not believe a lot of the legends, it doesn’t make them any less entertaining to listen to.
“Alright then, so. This apparently started way back when, ‘fore Valm was under a single banner…”
Morgan and Donnel ended up spending over an hour in the cafeteria. Donnel started off with the legend that Tiki was actually thousands of years old, then Morgan would share one of the myths she read about, and it would go back and forth. Despite reading a number of old scrolls and records, Donnel knew a lot of stories she had honestly never heard of. She found herself entranced in whatever legend he told her.
“Oh, shoot. I ‘spose we better get goin’. ‘Fore they lock us inside.” He gives her an open smile, “Don’t ‘spose we kin do this again tomorrow?”
She returns his smile with her own, “I would very much enjoy that, Donnel. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” With that, the two take their leaves. All in all, she was glad to have spent some time with another student. Morgan is now walking out onto the campus and back to her apartment, feeling far better than she has in days. Maybe she should spend some more time socializing? Smiling to herself, she opens the door, walks in and stretches. Now then, all that is left is some after dinner studies and she’ll be good to go to sleep.
Fate seemed to have other plans, however. When Morgan stepped into the kitchen, she heard the side window shatter, and a baseball past her in a speed that almost defied logic, and it was mere inches in front of her face. The ball then lodged itself into the wall. With her curiosity winning over, she looks through the now broken window, the next apartment over seems to have the same problem, as a woman in dark attire is standing there, with broken windows on either side, and if Morgan were to look even further than that, then the third house was completely intact. Morgan immediately assumed it came from the third house.
If only she knew who lived over there…
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Morgan was disappointed with himself, highly disappointed. Oh, if his mother were to have witness his folly, then he would probably hear no end of it. He sorely lost the bet he made with Inigo. He should have known better, but once the idea of a challenge popped up, he couldn’t help himself. As such, he had to take Severa out on a date, and there is one thing he learned from that time spent, well two, or maybe even a handful.
One, Severa is actually an extremely hard worker, and she enjoys physical based activities, so he actually enjoyed his time with her. Two, Severa was undeniably petty with the ‘payback’ for the ‘insult’, as the first place she suggested was a rather expensive restaurant… at least the food was good, though it left the budget for the rest of the month extremely tight. Lastly, he did mention he enjoyed his time with her, right? Well, the two are actually also going to do some one on one contests… in his backyard… because she is sharing a two bedroom apartment with ‘someone annoying’. She also forgoed the notion of going to one of the actual sporting grounds, because she didn’t want any ‘interruptions’. He didn’t question her, as he would actually rather stay on her good side.
As such, the two are in his rather pitiful excuse of a backyard, because the studio apartments don’t really
get
a backyard. So they are standing on his back porch, which barely has enough room for a hammock… and maybe a chair if you really tried. “I told you it was small.”
“This isn’t small, this is… puny!” She crosses her arms, clearly displeased. “How can you even live here?!”
He clicks his tongue, “That’s why I spend most of my day outside of this place.” He shrugs as he leans on the wall, “So, with the size in mind, what did you want to try first?”
“What
can
we do? There’s literally nothing.”
“Push-ups? Squats?” He offers.
“If I wanted to do those, I’d do them back at the gym.”
Morgan sighs, “How about, uh, seeing how hard we can throw a baseball?”
“That’s so… oh, alright. But only because there is no, like room to do anything on this sorry excuse of a porch.”
“Sweet, I’ll be right back.” With that, Morgan is in and out of his apartment within a minute. “Alright, you first.” He tosses the baseball at her.
“Fine.” She easily snatches it out of the air, and less than a second later, chucks it back at him.
“Easy.” He smirks as he gives his throw a fair amount of force.
“Were you even trying?” She responds with a much faster throw.
“I could ask the same.” The ball goes even faster.
“That’s nothing.” The exchange keeps going like this. The baseball would be thrown, some trash talk would come from the catcher, and the ball would be thrown faster.
At least, that is what happened the first fifty rounds… “Try this one!” Morgan puts all of his strength into a single throw, making it travel so fast, that Severa actually squeaked and ducked under it, if she were any slower, she would probably have a ball-sized indent in her forehead. However, the problem with her ducking is that there is a house behind her. Or more specifically, there is a window behind her. “Oh… shit.”
The window shattered, “You… dummy!” Severa shouts, and another window breaks after that, “How hard did you throw that…” A third shatter.
“...Whoops.” Once more, let it be known that Morgan tends to break things when he gets
too
into the game.
“Well, not my problem.” She crosses her arms, “
You
threw the ball, after all.”
“It wouldn’t have been thrown that hard if
you
weren’t here!”
“Oh sure, blame it on me… just like everyone else.” Her mood dropped so intensely that Morgan instantly felt horrible, like he crossed a line that shouldn’t be crossed.
“No, you’re right.” He quickly backs off, “You’re a guest here, anyway. So, I’ll take care of it.”
“...too easy.” She mumbles once he is out of earshot, “Or maybe you’re too nice, I suppose I’ll find out later.” Morgan walks to the entrance of his apartment, ready to be on the receiving end of whatever tirade that the neighbor will throw at him. He was expecting some brute of a neighbor who would start screaming about what a disturbance he is…
He wasn’t expecting Morgan to be at the door. “Oh, well then.” She starts off, clearly as surprised as he. “I take it you’re the one who almost lobbed my head off with a baseball?”
“I uh, yeah… sorry.” He managed to stand up to Walhart himself without so much issue, so why was this girl giving him problems?
“Right, well. Just don’t do it again.” She seems to be in the same boat. He was about to close the door right then, “Actually, uh. I don’t suppose you have a few minutes to spare?”
Morgan looked over his shoulder, “Not right now, no. Maybe later?”
Morgan nodded, “That’s fine, I can wait. Tomorrow, then?” She offers.
“Uh, sure.”
Morgan smiles at Morgan, “Alright then, I’ll see you later.” She leaves, and after she’s already back at her apartment, a thought occurs to both of them. Where were they going to meet?
Shaking his head, Morgan returns to the porch, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Severa comments as she sits on the railing.
He sighs, “No, it’s just… there’s a girl here that…”
“Oh, of course, you already have one…” She mutters under her breath.
Yet he continues, as he didn’t even hear her, “shares the same first and last name as me, it’s really weird.”
“Must’ve been easy to be friends then, right?” Severa looks away, because of course the first guy she can get a good challenge in, also happens to…
“Huh? No. She locks herself up and, ugh,
reads
all day.” He gives her a smile, “It’s confusing enough since we share… oh right, you’re there, too.”
“...and of course, he almost forgot I am even there.” Once more, she mumbles.
“Are you alright? I’m not bothering you, am I?”
“Of course not! I…” She is cut off by her balance going off for a mere moment, and she suddenly tips backward off of the railing.
Thankfully, due to his intense amount of exercise leading to his far superior strength and speed, Morgan manages to catch her before she fell the whole yard down to well, the yard. However, the problem was that he caught her by the ankle and his head is also over the edge to make sure he could reach far enough. The reason why this is a problem is because, well… He is seeing things that he shouldn’t. His face immediately burns red. He quickly heaves her up before she,
hopefully
, doesn’t realize it. “I got you.” He calms himself as he brings her back up to the porch.
“Well, it wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t so…” She
once again
, mutters, “Wait, why is your face so…” She pauses.
“N-No reason.” He fumbles over the pitiful lie.
“Wait, you…” Unfortunately for Morgan, she realized exactly
how
he got her up, “You
pervert
!” A resounding slap echoed through the air, leaving a red handprint on the boy’s face.
“Would you have rather fell to the ground? You could’ve had a concussion!” He touched a finger on his reddened spot… ouch.
“Yeah well, you obviously set this whole thing up.” She counters.
“How could have I…?” Great, now he’s on her bad side again. He heaves a heavy sigh, then braces for the worst, “I’m sorry, I had no foul intentions. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”
She smiles, “Well, there is going to be a sale on campus tomorrow…”
Of course it would be tomorrow, Morgan hesitated for a moment, surely the other Morgan wouldn’t mind, right? She would probably be too absorbed in her books to even remember, “Alright, I’ll be there.” However, unlike his conversation with the duplicate, “Where do you want to meet?”
“It’s closer to your place, so I’ll come here.” With that, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Morgan.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” He half-lies as he
really
hopes he’ll end up being a pack-mule, rather than an extra set of dollars. Gods only know what will happen if she asks him to spend money again. He does enjoy his time with her, but spending any more will finish off his spare money, then he’ll be cutting into the food budget, since that is the second highest one… next to the rent.
Severa walks out of his apartment with pride, “Yep, he’s too nice.” She says to herself as she returns to her apartment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morgan sighs as she walks back into her apartment, before picking up her cell phone and… someone knocks on the door. Beautiful, right as she was going to call the repair services. She goes
back
to her door and opens it, “Hello?” She asks and it’s that dark-clad woman next door.
“Morgan Reflet, right?” She gives her a smile that sends a bad notion.
“That’s me. You’re the next door neighbor, right? What’s your name?”
“Tharja.” She replies, “I was wondering if you had a few minutes to talk.”
She shrugs, “Sure, I can hold off on calling a repairman.”
Her smile comes by again, it’s somewhere between creepy and friendly, “I have a friend coming to fix mine, and I can send him your way if you want to…?”
Morgan immediately picks up that she wants something, she just seems like
that
type of person, “Alright, what’s the price?”
“We’re neighbors, it’s no problem.”
“We just met, you must be of the rare sort to offer help so freely.”
“...Are you wanting to pay? I would think someone would jump on the chance for something free.”
Morgan and Tharja lock eyes, the weird black-clothed woman seems honest enough, “Alright. I apologize for the suspicion, but I’m unused to just ‘getting’ things.”
“Would it make you feel better if I asked for something in return, then?”
Morgan nods, “Yes, actually.”
“Well, there
is
small party happening near the gym tomorrow…”
Of course it’s a social event, “I’m not comfortable with crowds, is there anything else?”
“Me either, I suggested it because it means that the pools will be devoid of people.” Her eyes dart away for a moment.
“...The pools are a half mile away from the gym.” Sure, there is
a
pool in the gym, but that’s more for swimming laps.
“Exactly.” She smiles once more, “Would you care to join me?”
It’s set for tomorrow, would the other Morgan mind? He is rarely at his apartment, and he’ll probably forget their talk since he’ll be so into his excessive physical activities… “Sure, I’ll be there.” And unlike her conversation with the other Morgan, “Where do you want to meet?”
“We’re neighbors, so how about I drop by your apartment, and we’ll walk together?”
“Good point, I’m looking forward to it, Tharja.” Morgan smiles.
“Me too, Morgan.” Tharja returns her smile, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, the dark clad woman walks away, “Oh yes… she’s the one.” She giggles to herself.
“She’s kind of weird, but I like her.” Morgan states as she closes her door, “Now then, I…” She pauses, “Oh, shoot. I need a swimming suit.” She glances at the clock, “It’s almost dinner time, too. Which means it’ll be time to share tales with Donnel…” Swimming suit or dinner first? She takes a moment to weigh her choices, “I should eat first. Besides, I wonder what else he can share.” Nodding to herself, she readies herself for the cafeteria.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was Sunday, which meant the first weekend was drawing to a close, and classes started up again tomorrow. Today was also the day that Morgan was to spend with Severa. He does enjoy her company, even if she can be prickly, but he supposes that is was adds to her charm. The only concern he has for the shopping trip is his own wallet. He can only imagine how his parents will react if he ends up telling them that his money, well, vanished in two days. He is more worried for his mother’s reaction more. He needs to make sure that he doesn’t spend too much. He puts on his clothes, which for the sake of comfort, is one of his many training outfits. A simple sleeveless t-shirt, a pair of shorts, and ankle high socks with walking shoes. All of it follows the color scheme of his high school, black with purple stripes, and a single eye located on either side of each piece. He never understood why the design had eyes, instead of a dragon, but he also wasn’t much for history, so he didn’t really care.
In order to pass the time, Morgan decides to do some light exercises, he wants it to keep it simple, since he would rather not have to switch out clothes because the first set became drenched in sweat. However, a ‘light’ routine for him would probably be considered ‘moderate’ for the average person. He does have a high standard to keep, after all. So, after the fiftieth push up, pull up, squat, and dumbbell routine, he takes a moment to unwind. Which is the exact moment someone knocks on his door. “Coming.” He automatically replies, before rushing over and opening the door.
“You ready?” Severa asks. Like him, she is wearing an outfit deemed worthy for something like a track meeting, rather than shopping. She looks away the moment her eyes met him, “Jeez, running light on clothes?”
Morgan would have pointed out that she’s a hypocrite, but he would rather not end up ‘owing’ her another ‘apology’. “I’d thought to wear something comfortable, but if you want me to change…”
“I didn’t say that,” She quickly cuts him off, “Gods, how did this kid beat me? I was expecting him to have a lot of muscle, but he looks more like a street lamp pole…”
“What was that?” Morgan noted that Severa had a tendency to mutter under her breath.
“Nothing!” She also had a tendency to deflect any attempt to repeat what she just said out loud. “Let’s just go.” Shrugging, Morgan walks out and closes the door, “And don’t you dare start staring…” She glares at him, “Pervert…” She adds under her breath, again. Easier said than done, considering Morgan does find her attractive. Especially the legs… it has to be the legs. Still, he doesn’t want to ‘owe’ her another ‘apology’, so he tries his absolute hardest to keep his eyes up.
Simply put, it wasn’t easy at all. It’s perhaps the hardest thing he has ever done. He did mention he really liked her figure, right? It doesn’t help her form is swaying just the right amount. His face burns red and he immediately looks up to the sky… it’s going to be a long day. May the gods help him in this endeavour.
The first spot the two stopped by was, of all things, a bookstore. “My roommate ruined my math book.” She commented as she browsed the collection of, to be honest, overpriced textbooks.
“Which one are you looking for?” He asks, forcing himself to
not
stare as she skims the titles. By the gods, she might have told him not to stare, but he swears she’s doing all she can to show herself off as she is bending over
just
the right amount.
“Geometry 101.” She replies as her finger goes over each of them.
“So, this one?” Within about five seconds, he locates it.
“I-I could have found it myself!” She exclaims as she grabs the book, “Didn’t need the help, but thanks…” She mutters under her breath. At this point, Morgan just shrugs her personal comments off. Even if it concerns him just how often she does that. Thankfully, she didn’t have him pay for that, but she did have him carry it. He internally breathed a sigh of relief, it seems his prayers were answered, and he is going to be a glorified pack mule, he’d rather do that than use up the rest of his money. Besides, there’s no way she can buy enough for weight to become an issue… he does haul all of his books and several dumbbells on his backpack, after all.
The next stop was a clothing store, which to have seems to be her most desired destination, considering how carefully she is looking through each
and
every piece of clothing, regardless if it would actually fit her. “Well? Don’t just stand there!” She says at one point, “It’ll take me all day if I go through all of this alone.”
“I don’t need clothes.” He has a few sleeved shirts, and something that could pass off as formal.
“I meant help pick out something for me, but whatever… gods, he is dense.” She mutters.
“Though I suppose I could help you through this…” He hesitantly offers, however, he adds, “What size do you wear?”
“Excuse you!?” She squeaks.
“I can’t pick something out if I don’t know what size you wear.” Why is she suddenly on the defensive? It’s not like he asked her weight.
“Can’t you tell I’m looking at the designs?! Gods, if I wanted something that actually fit me, I’d go online.”
“Just the designs, huh?” He shrugs.
“Well duh, so go and start on the other side.” Accepting his fate, Morgan walks to the opposite end, obviously clueless to what
exactly
to look for. He doubts she has the same taste in clothing as he, so he decides to try and figure out what she might like. Though, he has a feeling that he’ll mess that up, so he changes that idea to find something that he finds appealing. However, he seems to have tripped over another unknown ‘trigger’ as she speaks up once more, “Slow down, will you? You’re just glancing over them, aren’t you?” Holding back a sigh, he slows down, making sure to go over each and every section of clothing.
Severa is a different woman when it comes to clothing, he reasons. His eyes eventually land on some sort of upper wear, not that he knows what it’s called, but what he does know is that it sports his favorite colors, the same colors of his high school, well, the purple looks a little lighter. Taking a chance, he takes a breath, “How’s this one?” He asks as he raises it up.
“Gods, you do realize how revealing that is, right? Do you even know what that is?”
“Of course not.” He casually replies.
“Did you even look at how much skin will show?”
“Of course not.” He repeats, “I don’t know anything about women’s clothing.”
“...pervert, of course he would choose something like that.” Severa mutters, “I bet he is only doing this to give me weird looks.”
“She’s so hard to figure out…” Morgan mutters in kind. “Why are women so difficult?” He puts the upper wear back on the rack, he still doesn’t know what it’s called, but whatever.
“What do you think of this one?” She raises one, which to his eyes, looks almost
exactly
like the one he just showed her.
“It’s… nice?” What is Severa trying to accomplish here? “Looks kinda like the one I just showed.”
“It is most certainly not!” She counters, “Do you not see the extra covering over the arms? Or how it’s goes down farther?!”
Morgan squints his eyes, she’s right… if by a mere inch or two. “Oh…” The boy is at a loss. “Well, it looks good, then.”
“Of course he doesn’t mention anything about how he thinks it’ll look on
me
…” Yet another mutter leaves her mouth. “Can’t this guy take a hint?”
This day is going to last much, much longer than he expected.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morgan stretches once more as she rises from her work desk, Tharja is supposed to be here in the minute, and thankfully, she managed to buy a swimsuit from the local store… even if it’s a bit too tight, just a little, the store strangely didn’t have her exact size, things were either too big or too small. She shrugs the concern off, it’s not like she’s going to go swimming often. “Coming!” She exclaims as she goes to the door when a knock sounds off. “Hello, Tharja.” She flashes the woman a smile.
“Hello, Morgan. Are you ready?” The dark-clad woman has
that
smile again, where it’s somewhere between friendly and creepy.
“I am.” She nods, then follows her neighbor… who is pointedly swaying her hips in a very unsubtle manner. Unlike Morgan, Tharja proves to have very… defining features, as her outfit hugs all of her curves and… whew, when did it get so hot? She rips her eyes away from the sight, gods forbid she is caught staring in an inappropriate manner. “So uh, how are you today?” She attempts to redirect her attention.
Tharja giggles, which certainly does
not
help Morgan’s situation, “I am feeling very good, and what about you?”
“A… nervous. I’m not used to doing this.” She is honestly starting to second guess herself on this, maybe she should have pushed for a different activity?
“If this is too much…” She starts off.
“Maybe?” What also doesn’t help is that her swimsuit is just a bit too tight.
“I’m not going to make you do this, Morgan.” Her tone is nothing less than disappointed.
“I mean, I’ll go, but I won’t stay as long as you would probably like.” She quickly amends.
She shrugs, “Then we won’t stay long.” She is quite eager to agree with Morgan. However, the girl doesn’t ask anything out loud, instead choosing to observe this strange woman as they continue their walk towards the pools. This dark-clothed woman has definitely caught her curiosity, as she has this… aura about her. It’s like a mystery just demanding to be solved.
“Oh, hello, Tharja.” Another woman walks up to the two, unlike Tharja’s black and sometimes purple clothing, this one has more of a Navy Blue getup, like her hair… and her eyes, and is that some sort of brand in her eye?
“Hello, Lucina.” Morgan’s neighbour sounds slightly irritable now, did these to have some sort of history?
Lucina then turns to Morgan, “Hello, my name is Lucina, what’s yours?”
“Morgan Reflet.” She isn’t exactly getting a good vibe from her, either. Though unlike Tharja’s mysterious presence, there is something more concrete in Lucina that makes Morgan want to walk in the other direction.
“...Reflet. Reflet.” She repeats, “I think I heard that name somewhere…”
“My father’s name is Robin and my mother is…”
“Miriel!” She cuts her off, “My father, Chrom, told me about Miriel.”
Morgan glances at Tharja, who shrugs, “We need to get going, Lucina.” Tharja states.
“Oh, okay. I’ll talk to you later, Morgan and Tharja.” She offers the two a smile before walking off.
“Now then, we have a pool to get into.” Morgan’s neighbour flashes her that smile again.
Several minutes pass before they reach their destination, and as Tharja had predicted, the pools are devoid of people.
“So, I never actually really swam before.” Morgan admits as they go into a separate booth to change their clothes.
“I can teach you.” She replies as they… walk out. Morgan gulps as she gets a much less obstructed view of Tharja’s body.
She
definitely has form… suddenly Morgan’s swimsuit feels even tighter than before. “Are you okay, Morgan?” She slowly walks towards her, more akin a predator stalking its prey. She then places the back of her hand on her forehead, while also bending over just enough for her to get almost a face full of her, uh, endowed breasts.
“I-I’ll be fine. I think I just need to get in the water.” She is trying very hard not to look at Tharja’s curves, or her breasts… or her exposed skin, and if her hand is anything to go by, then her whole body is probably silky smooth. The fact that Morgan never really developed like most women never really bothered her, until now, where this is a very attractive woman standing inches in front of her, who is tending to her.
“Shall we go in, then?” Tharja asks as she walks ahead, Morgan follows soon after, entranced by the mysterious woman.
It’s going to be a very long day.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Morgan felt stressed, not in a bad way, mind you, actually, maybe stressed isn’t the right word. However, he isn’t really good with words, so stressed is the only one that comes to mind. Regardless, it has to do with Severa. The shopping trip lasted much longer than he expected, and while he had no issue carrying all of the things she bought, which was an ungodly amount. What is she doing to do with all of those clothes?! His mother, father, and himself doesn’t have as much clothes as the ones she bought. How much money does she have?Another ‘issue’ is that she already knows how to prod Morgan to get him to do things… how did she figure it out so fast? Is it a woman thing? Whenever she has free time, she wears clothes that show off the spots that he likes to see, namely her lean figure… also the legs. Severa has the legs of a runner. He thinks he might have a fetish for legs. Did he mention he likes her legs? She’s still insisting on him not staring, but then she turns around and flashes a smirk whenever he is caught staring. She insists that she doesn’t need help, but she also says that she wouldn’t mind if he did.Was his Mother and Father the same way? He never remembered his Mother acting like that. Ultimately, he decides that it just adds to her charm… somehow.Truth be told, he’s more than satisfied with having a full, unobscured view of her legs.Morgan’s first two classes went without anything of note happening, though his last class was… exciting. “Today, my brother and I will be demonstrating a few sword techniques,” Say’ri starts off.“Which practice swords, of course.” Yen’fay continues, in that almost eerie way that they can finish each other's sentences. “First, we’ll show the most common stance among the Valmese, afterwards,”“We’ll do a few easy strikes, the basic horizontal and vertical slice.”“Please hold onto any questions until after we are finished.” They both said… in perfect unison. It’s really weird how they can pull that off. Their demonstrations were smooth, Morgan assumed that they practice on a daily basis.Things didn’t go unhinged until afterwards, “Can you show anything more advanced?” Lon’qu spoke up, before anyone else had a chance to ask a question.His request seemed to had caught them off-guard, “Later in the semester, we will gladly demonstrate such techniques,” Yen’fay starts.“However, we must make sure everyone is on the same page, so we can’t skip ahead, even if there are students who have already trained in the ways of the sword.” Say’ri finishes off.Morgan glances at Severa, who seemed heavily interested in the display earlier… “Don’t mind him, it’s normal for a Regna Wolf to bite off more than they can chew.” Morgan flashes a smirk at his rival.“It is also normal for a Grimleal Dragon to think themselves higher than the rest.” Lon’qu counters.“Only because it’s true. Remind me, who won the last soccer game?”“And who won the last basketball game?”“Or how about that baseball game? Where one of your top players sprained his ankle on a base?”“Not as bad as the time when one of yours slipped on some wet grass… with her new cleats.” The two are now standing up, facing each other.“Sit back down, you two.” The two teachers command in perfect unison.“May I demonstrate some of the lessons I learned in Regna Ferox?” Lon’qu breaks eye contact and looks at the teachers.“Lessons? Like when you flailed around in fencing? No, let me show off what I learned from the High Priest’s personal trainers.” The two are staring each other down again.“I got a better idea, how about I demonstrate just how lacking you are… in a duel?”“Is that a challenge I hear? Alright, but don’t go crying to the Nurse when you get little cuts and bruises.”They both look at their teachers. Yen’fay and Say’ri share a glance, before nodding, “The second we think something serious will happen,” the brother starts.“Is the second we’ll stop you two.” the sister finishes.The two rivals spared one more glare, before making their way to the front of the classroom, each taking up a practice sword. Truth be told, Morgan only took one sword training session, as he just wasn’t interested, but if Severa is interested… “Get ready to get floored, Wolf.” Morgan proclaims.“You won’t have anything on me, Dragon.” Lon’qu counters. In short, the duel didn’t last as long as they wanted to. Why? Well, let’s not forget that Morgan tends to break things whenever he gets too into a game. So, what broke this time? The door… with a wooden sword. Morgan managed to break the classroom door with the practice sword.“Enough!” The two teachers stepped in. “That was a fine display, but you two should vent your rivalry outside of our class!” They reprimanded the rivals in perfect unison.“Don’t think this is over, Dragon.” Lon’qu spits out as they return to their seats to get their backpacks.Morgan scoffs, “I’m more worried that you will forget, considering the number of times you banged your head in a game.” With that, the class is dismissed and they all leave. Now, normally this is where Morgan would head straight to his apartment, but he had a plan to finish, “Hey, Severa!” He catches up to the twin-pigtail woman.“Hello, Morgan.” For a moment, just a moment, he catches a smile on her. “Weren’t you being a show off today?”He casually shrugs, “Can’t help it whenever a challenge is involved.” A smile forms on his face, “But I wanted to ask, what did you think of it?”She raises an eyebrow, “Why are you asking me? That guy is your rival, after all.”“He is my rival, sure, but,” He nods, “well. I noticed you were getting into the display that the teachers were showing, so I was hoping that you would like it.”Her face flushes, “You were hoping… I would like it?” She looks away, “Well, maybe I did.” She mutters. “How long have you practiced using a sword?” She asks.“I’ve actually only had one session back then, but…”“One?” Severa’s flush has faded, and instead a scowl takes it place, “Should’ve know, just like her.” She mumbles.Suddenly, Morgan feels like he just crossed a line, “Severa?”“Must be nice, huh? To pick something up and instantly be one of the gods at it?” She turns on her heel and almost stomps away.“...What did I do wrong this time?” He asks himself. Severa is so hard to figure out, he knows that he likes her… more than just her legs, that is.Morgan felt overwhelmed, not by the work she has to do, as she handles that very well. No, what’s getting to her is the social side of college. Being one of the smarter ones has basically put a ‘target’ on her, as apparently, if you are really intelligent, it means you automatically are labeled as a tutor. Well, to be fair, the same thing happened in Ylissean High, but this is The Red Knight’s College, so it baffles her that people still need so much assistance. She is lucky to ever make it back to her apartment before, ‘Hey, you mind showing me this?’ Don’t get her wrong, she doesn’t mind helping, but there’s a difference when a few good friends ask, versus almost an entire classroom’s worth of people ask.The effects of it quickly started biting her, too. She ends up having to stay up late to do her own work, which leads to less sleep… which causes her to be late to her now favorite class, History. Which is one of those days. “Sorry, Miss Tiki.” Morgan ducks her head as she dashes into the classroom, exactly two minutes and four seconds late, “I overslept.” Yes, even through her alarm… all five of them. Gods, even her coffee was cold today.The green clad teacher shoots her a disappointed frown, before nodding, “Please, just take your seat, Miss Reflet.” Morgan quickly nods, feeling so bad for Miss Tiki to look at her like that. “Now, today we’ll be reviewing the war that ended in the unity of Valm…”“Hey, Morgan.” The sugar-toting Gaius whispered, “Need a boost? I’ll spare you some candy from my personal stash.”It’s no secret that the man has the best sweets on hand… but help is never free, and the last time she accepted his offer... “No thank you. I’ll manage.”“Shoot…” He mutters.“Ha, it seems Gaius can’t get smart girl to help him.” Gregor chuckles.“Wasn’t looking for help, muscle mass. Unlike you, I can actually worry about people.”“Hold on, Gregor meant no offense. I joke, yes?”“It’s not cool to joke about someone who looks like that barely get any sleep.” Morgan lets out a small squeak at the man’s declaration. Part of her is suspicious, surely it’s an act to get her to give in, right? Those two do help each other out, after all.But what if it isn’t? The other part of her wants to trust him… Well, if she’s wrong, then it’ll be another lost night of proper sleep. “Hey, Gaius. On second thought, I’ll take you up on your offer. If you don’t mind, that is.”She glances at him, the sugar-lover has a smile on his face… it looks genuine, at least. “You bet!” He reaches into his candy pouch and gives her a particularly good looking sucker, “Enjoy!”“Thank you… I’ll have it after class, though.” While he may pop in candy during class, she won’t. She carefully places her gift into the ‘snack’ section of her backpack… maybe he is serious about just wanting to help out.The rest of Miss Tiki’s class went without issue… well, the class itself went fine, but Miss Tiki stopped her before she actually left. “I need to talk to you, Miss Reflet.” She starts.Keeping her composure, Morgan nods, “Of course.” Externally, she manages to keep a calm face, but internally? She’s really worried. “What did you need?” She takes a seat in front of her desk.“I’ll ease your worries first, you aren’t being removed from my class.” Once more, the green-clothed teacher could somehow see through Morgan’s facade. “However, I also can’t keep overlooking your repeated lateness.”“...I understand, Miss Tiki.”“This wasn’t an issue the first few weeks. I’ll admit, I’m worried. What’s happened?”There’s no use lying to her, as Miss Tiki has this extraordinary ability to root out lies. Morgan slowly starts to question just how true the legend of her being thousands of year old is. How else could she figure people out almost instantly? “Students keep asking for help, and I find myself unable to say no. So I’m unable to get as much sleep, since I can’t finish my own work until later.”“Are these students from my class?” For a brief moment, Morgan catches that dangerous glint in her eyes.“A few, most are not even from classes I attend right now.”“I see…” She pauses, “Allow me to ease your burdens, who from this class is pestering you?”“Gregor…” Morgan was about to add Gaius… but he just helped her. She couldn’t just sell him out like that.“One or a few?” She falters under Miss Tiki’s knowing glare, “The other is Gaius, isn’t it?”“Miss Tiki, he’s actually concerned about me, I can’t just…” For once, she actually starts breaking down under the pressure, “right? It’d be wrong to do something like that.” Morgan has never felt so vulnerable.“...Allow me to share a story with you, Miss Reflet.” Miss Tiki seems extremely hesitant about it, but she decides not to bring it up. “This happened to me a number of years ago. There comes a time when one needs to draw a line…” Morgan also has never seen Miss Tiki so vulnerable, either. “I too, was sought out for help, but it wasn’t in academics, but rather spiritual. My family is revered in religion, specifically in the teachings of Naga. We are considered blessed by the goddess herself, as we can directly trace our origins to the Divine Dragon. As such, it’s all but required for each child to learn everything about Naga. However, that very strictness causes some of my relatives to push away from religions all together.”Miss Tiki takes a deep breath, she evens sheds a single tear, but doesn’t actually start crying. “The gravest example is my… was my brother. He was the eldest my siblings, so on top of learning all the teachings, he also was the most depended on. One day, he snapped, he stormed out, declaring his parents no longer loved him, that Naga didn’t love him. He yelled about how he was confined to learn of teachings, while other boys could go out and play, to have fun. He took his few belongings and left the next day. However, he also stole two treasured artifacts among the treasury. One is the legendary Gemstone, said to contain great power. The second is said to be one of Naga’s very own tear, crystallized and preserved through time.”“Gods…” With that, Morgan’s curious nature won out. “What happened to him? Where did he go? Was he okay?”“He took his own path, and in spite of Naga’s teachings, he forged his own religion.” Miss Tiki then stares straight into Morgan, seemingly piercing even her own soul, “He formed what is considered the polar opposite of Naga, the Grimleal.”“...The Grimleal was said to originate thousands of years ago.”“That is correct.”“But, he’s your brother?” Miss Tiki simply nods, “How?”A small smile forms, though it is full of sorrow, “I won’t deny it, the legends you might have heard about me are truer than you might think.” She pauses and lets the information sink in, “I have seen many things, Miss Reflet. I’ve known and experienced so many tragedies, I’ve watched close friends age, while I seem to stay forever youthful. Many times I have asked myself, ‘Am I truly so blessed? Why must I watch people I have grown to care die?’ I try my best to stay faithful, but one’s soul can only take so much pain. I too, eventually left, but I kept Naga’s teachings. However, instead of applying them in a spiritual manner, I chose to educate people through History. I guide them away from the mistakes of the past.” Another pause, “If I were to ever become a mother, then I would offer them a chance, I would not force Naga’s teachings on them. This child of mine would forge their own path.”“One more question, if you don’t mind? Who is your brother?”“I’m certain you have heard of him. Those devoted to Naga know him as the Fell Dragon. My brother’s name is Grima.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Morgan was trying his best, he really was. However, Severa proved an obstacle that he found nearly impossible to figure out. He never really was good at things like 'body language' and those subtle hints. He now wishes he spent some more time figuring those things out when he was younger. He always thought that getting a girlfriend would be easy… or maybe she is just out of his league? He thought he almost had her, but then that issue with 'being too perfect' came up and he was almost right back on square one. Why did she have a problem with people learning things easily? He practices daily like everyone else.Maybe he was just being driven by his other head, but he really wanted to be with Severa. He really likes Severa, he likes how hard she works towards the physical-related activities that pepper this college. He likes her dedication, he likes how she just speaks her mind… assuming she isn't mumbling it. He can see her being someone he would spend many days with. So he refuses to give up, he'll learn, it'll just take time. There is a complication, however, as another thing that takes time is his work. Which is why he isn't at the tracks right now, and is at his desk at his apartment, doing homework and studying… instead of training for the next game of whatever sport coming next. Which also means he can't see Severa's legs in full glory.His head meets the desk a moment later, as he concludes that he does, in fact, have a fetish for legs. He also has a hard time not thinking about her. How her skin probably feels, how much her rare smiles bring his own smile out, what it would feel like to run his hands along her legs… It always comes back to the legs, doesn't it? Unfortunately, his thoughts bring about another problem, this time it's between his own legs. "Gods, save me." He should probably take care of it, then maybe he can focus on his work again. Pushing his chair away from his desk, he loosens his shorts and reaches down to relieve the tension. "Haah… Severa." He shamelessly moans out as he strokes himself.And, of course, the gods deemed this moment the perfect time for someone to knock on his door. His head meets the desk once more and he groans, he decides to just pretend he isn't… "I know you're in there, Morgan!" It just had to be Severa. "Open up!""Hold on!" Removing his hand, then tightening his shorts enough as to restrict most movement, he goes towards the door. Unfortunately, the limited area in his shorts made the problem worse, since his member is now rubbing quite intensely against the cloth. Steeling himself for the worse, he opens the door and pokes his head around the edge, "Hello, Severa." Eyes up, he keeps thinking to himself, focus on her face, not the… nope, not even going to name them."I, uh, do you have a moment?""Of course!" He replies without thinking about it, "What did you need?" The door opens more, but he keeps his lower half hidden."I… wanted to apologize for that a few days ago." She says in such a low tone that he almost missed it completely, "It's just, my mother is literally perfect in every way, she could try something she never done before, and instantly be great at it. While I have to train my ass off to get the same results." She let herself in and walks into the main room, he closes the door and follows."Not everything comes to me that easily." He says as he takes a seat in his most used chair, which allows him the reprieve of sinking into the cushion. He resists the urge to cross his legs, lest he make himself look suspicious. It would help if his own thighs weren't gently rubbing on his length.Severa takes a seat next, before looking away for a moment with her legs… no! Focus! "So yea, that's it, really.""You aren't mad at me, right?" He leans forward slightly, which he instantly regrets.She glances at him, "No, of course not, dummy." She then adds under her breath, "I'm not used to people being so nice to me. They usually avoid me." She takes a breath, "Would you like to do… something later? Just you and me?"Oh, that wording definitely did not help him. "Like… a date?""I-I didn't say that! I just meant," Her face flushes and she seems unable to 'amend' her statement."How about dinner, then?" He offers, "Uh, just not that one restaurant again."She flashes him a smile, before it turns right back into a frown, "Alright, meet me at my place, then." With that, she gets up. "I'll see you then."He also gets up, once again without thinking, "Sure thing," He pauses at her expression… oh.Severa immediately looks away, her face instantly red, "What is wrong with you?!" He was going to try and explain, but it would probably be a bad idea to let her know why his member is stiff, "...pervert." She mutters. "Men, thinking more about getting into a woman's pants rather then what they actually want.""I couldn't help it…" Yet another action without thinking it out. Gods, focus! "It was just bad timing, that's all. Funny, right? It just sorta got there and then you actually came here and…"His words were cut short with a slap. "You were… gods. How do you view me?" Her face is still flushed an intense red, but he can't tell why now… it's probably more from anger right now."Gods, I just ruined it… alright, Severa. I would like to think of you much more than just a friend." He looks away, "Go ahead, call me a pervert, I get that you probably don't want to be…""How long did it take you to figure that out?!" Her frown is there, but it is lacking a lot of the bite from earlier, "I swear, you're the densest guy ever, I tried being really obvious, but nothing ever seemed to stick."He tilts his head, "You… oh.""Yea, 'oh'. There, now it's clear as day, isn't it." She looks away once more, "I'll see you tonight, then.""You bet!" He exclaims as she walks out. A huge smile forms, now, that leaves one very agitated thing to tend to… After his door closes and he makes sure it's locked, he goes back to the spot Severa sat in. "Gods, that was so embarrassing, but now that I have a moment…" He undoes the tightened string and reaches down once more, before leaning back. "Haah, gods… Severa." He moans out as he finds a tempo. He shamelessly bucks his hips as he imagines her. What she'll smell like, her flush, how she'll sound…He climaxes as he imagines her legs, what they'll feel like. He heaves a breath, before cleaning himself off.Morgan was trying her best, she really was. However, despite Miss Tiki's advice, she found it hard to simply shrug off people's requests for help. Her father always found time to help, and she strived for the same. Chrom too, despite his princely duties, also managed to help each and every person that he was able to. Did they ever have it this hard? Her grades have slipped from the perfect 100's to averaging at 90. She simply couldn't just not sleep as little as she was. A few times she tried to gently deflect the impending 'mind showing me how to do this' with a 'I'm actually really busy', but then that person would basically guilt her into doing it, 'it won't take long'. Which is why, today during break, her head is all but glued to the table, she is hoping to fade from the world for just a few extra minutes of rest. It's a bad situation when the area around her is noisy, but she's too tired to let it bother her.However, that doesn't mean she can simply ignore the person sitting just a bit too close to her, who is obviously waiting for her to notice him. "Yes?" She finally gives in… then he doesn't even respond. "Come on, what do you want?""...huh?" The man's clothes consist of that safety garb that people use at night, with the reflective tape. On top of that, there are a number of lights peppered across it… not to mention the pans hanging from his person. "You can… see me?""...I don't have time for this." She drops her head back onto the table, and that same second, he was already gone. Maybe she's just so tired that she is hallucinating? It seems like the most probable answer."Ah, Morgan. Just the person Gregor looks for."...Even Miss Tiki's warning wasn't enough to keep him away? "Busy." She mutters into the table."It take just tiny moment.""The last time you said that, I spent over an hour with you, before getting roped into helping one of your friends. Pass." It hurt her to sound so aggressive, but she is so tired.For a moment, she thought he left, considering how he made no other sound. "You simply make excuse."She rounds her head on him, "You wouldn't even need help if you stopped skimping on your studies to flex your muscles! Gods only know how someone like you is even still here. What's your average? Mid C? At best?"He furrows his brows, "Little girl never declined help before, why now?"She would have responded, had another person not tapped the man on his shoulder, "You know, when someone says 'no' a reasonable human would acknowledge that." It's… Morgan. "Stop pestering her, she said no.""This between me and girl." Gregor turned back to her… only for the small framed boy to yank him backwards hard enough to cause him to stumble."My father found more time to study than you did, 'boy', and the only one better than him in sports is the Walhart." Other Morgan is now standing between her and Gregor."This not concern you!"Gregor attempts to push him out of the way, but another pair of hands pulls him back, "You aren't worth his time, nor mine." Lon'qu steps in, "Morgan is my rival, I won't let some subpar athlete compete with him. He is offering you a mercy, I suggest you take it."All the while, Morgan's eyes dart from other Morgan, to Lon'qu, to Gregor. Were those two really standing up for her? "Hey, you alright?" Other Morgan turns to her."...Yea." She hesitantly replies, "Tired, but okay." He smiles as Lon'qu successfully manages to send the clearly stronger looking man away. "Um, thank you.""Not a problem!"The other man stays silent, in addition to being several more inches further, "And you too, mister Lon'qu."She takes a single step forwards… "Keep your distance!" Morgan startles at the sudden outburst."He's has had a terrible experience when he was young. It's nothing against you, Morgan." Other Morgan supplies."Oh, sorry mister Lon'qu." She takes her step back. "Wait, I thought you two were…"Other Morgan chuckles, "We're rivals, not enemies. I hold him in high regards, we've found time to talk.""Few bonds are stronger than ones forged on the field." Lon'qu adds. "I respect Morgan, he's the best the Grimleal Dragons have to offer.""And he's the best the Regna Wolves have." For a moment the tense air between the two rivals fades… "But I can still kick your ass in most sports.""Perhaps if I were half-asleep." He counters as a small smile forms.The two laugh, "I'll see you later, then." Other Morgan waves."...You too." A moment passes, "Uh, wait!" She calls out as the two started walking, "I might have… forgotten to follow up with that talk I wanted to have.""Hm? Oh…" Other Morgan sheepishly smiles, "Me too." He then spares a glance at Lon'qu, "Maybe later, yeah?""Hmph." He shrugs it off, before walking away."So…" Other Morgan starts.Why was she suddenly having so much trouble talking? "You're… fit." Oh, if only her father saw her now."And you're smart." He doesn't seem much better off. "You came from Ylissean High?"She nods, "And you came from Grimleal High." A sudden chill passes by her, his high school houses the opposite to Naga… Grima. But, other Morgan doesn't act 'bad'."Yep, best school if you're looking for athletics." He proudly states."And mine if academics are your goal for high school." It dawns on Morgan on how similar things are, if only for a few differences, maybe… "Is your father's name Robin?"He gives her a strange look, "The Vaike. My mother's name is Robin Reflet.""...My father's name is Robin Reflet." The two simply stare at each other for a moment. It's like she's looking at a mirror image of herself, were she a he. "Uh…""You worship Naga?" He abruptly asks."Not strictly, but yes. Father is far more religious than Mother and me. You?""Nah, Naga worship is forbidden in Plegia. 'We' pray for Grimleal." He adds air quotes, "Only Mother is deep into that…" He trails off for a moment, "And Uncle Validar.""And there's nothing against talking to one who prays to Naga?""It's… complicated, but I'm not heavy into worship, so it's all good." He suddenly seems uncomfortable, "Could we not talk about religion? I don't see a point in it. Gods don't exist and if they did, they are rather lazy."His words say one thing, but his body language is another. No, this is something beyond simply a preference. "Sorry, I should have been more considerate.""Right… so, were there any prominent athletes in your high school?" Other Morgan suddenly seems far more confident.She fears something may have happened to him, "A few stand out, but the best one is Mrs. Cordelia, she graduated quite a while ago.""She's the mother of Severa." He states."...I knew she was married, but I didn't know she had a child.""Blunt, hard-working, really long twin-pigtails, red hair, exquisite leg…" He stops himself as an intense blush forms, "legendary work ethic."Oh, so he likes her. "I think I've seen her.""She's in Say'ri's and Yen'fay's class.""Oh…" Now that he mentions it… "Have you ever read any of Henry's works? He graduated from Grimleal High.""Who?" He asks in such an oblivious manner that it makes her want to face palm. How does he not know of Grimleal's best scholar?! "Oh wait, that guy with the creepy laugh."...Yeah, 'that guy'. "I wouldn't know about his laugh. I only know him through his books.""Actually, now that you mention it, I think there was some math book with his name on it.""...He is proficient in Science.""Oh." He shrugs it off."HEY!" Other Morgan jumps in place as someone calls him out, "Where have you been!?"A woman with red hair… "Hello, Miss Severa." Morgan smiles."Why are you talking to her?" She practically demands out of other Morgan, "I thought you didn't like her?""We're just cha…""I'm asking him." Oh wow, blunt? More like rude. "Well?"Yet, he shrugs it off, too, like he's used to this, "Just chatting. It's really weird how much we have in common and…"Morgan actually did face palm, he could have worded that much better. "So you do like her!?" She is understandably angry now."What? No, I meant… uh." Other Morgan scratches his head."We both have a parent named Robin Reflet, both of our names is Morgan Reflet, we're both prodigies in…""Oh sure, flaunt that part around to, why don't you?" This time, other Morgan face palmed."So, you're Mrs. Cordelia's daughter?""Shh!" Other Morgan shushes her.Yet, before she could ask, "Of course that's the only way anyone knows about me." Oh wow, she has a lot of little 'triggers'. "We're leaving, and you owe me for this." She shoots a look at other Morgan. Other Morgan mouths 'thanks a lot', as he follows Severa....That could have gone much better.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Morgan sighed as he sat at his desk. There was work due and he was finding it harder than usual. He’s never been much of a writer, so it didn’t help that Pheros assigned each student a mini-story to bring. It also didn’t help that he was having dinner with Severa… again. He also started up a habit of checking his grades daily, which made him worry more, as he could see the ‘A’ drop to a ‘B’ and to its current high ‘C’. He needed to focus more on his work. Now, for The Red Knight’s College, there are actually two categories of students, the Academic and the Athletic. He was in the latter, which had more leeway for grades, in exchange for higher standards for physical activities. Unfortunately, he was approaching the bottom side of that leeway.
He needed to raise that grade, so he could at least drive the concern from his mind. Well that, and if his mother would ever ask how his grades were doing, then he wouldn’t be able to fudge the truth… he
couldn’t
, as even over a phone, Robin had a disturbingly incredible ability to read him. She would definitely scold him for this. His head met the desk less than a second later, hoping that the contact would let some ideas loose…
The desk was more liable to break before that happened.
Perhaps he just needs to get up for a bit? No, he needs to get this done. That two-day deadline is forcing some sense of dread on him. “Gods, save me.” He mutters as he picks up his head once more.
Which is the exact same moment someone knocked on his door. He glanced at the clock, Severa won’t arrive for another hour at the least. Heaving a sigh, he gets up and opens the door. It turns out to be that dark-clothed neighbor. “Hello, Morgan.” She smiles.
“Hello, Tharja.” He sighs, “Is there something you needed?”
“I was wondering if you wanted to join me for a walk.”
The request caught him off-guard, but he recovers quickly enough, “Can’t, I got work to do.”
“...would you like some help?”
Something about this conversation feels off. “I can manage, it’s just a mini-story, after all.” He shrugs it off.
She smiles, but it’s caught somewhere between friendly and creepy, “You have Pheros’s class, too?”
...Of course the
weird
neighbor also just so happens to have the same class. “Yep.”
“Maybe we could get some inspiration off of each other?”
He takes a moment to think about it, before nodding, “Just for a bit, I have a friend coming over in the hour.” Adding to his uneasy feeling, she procures her work on the spot, before striding in the very second he moves aside for her. It’s almost like she knew…
Now that he thinks about it, she’s literally the only one with windows on both sides of her apartment… and those windows are also conveniently lined up with the ‘work’ rooms. It dawns on him that she’s the stalking type.
Great. He suddenly regrets his decision for wanting help. Regardless, he closes the door and goes back to the work room, where Tharja has already made herself quite comfortable in a second chair… that he didn’t have. Where did it come from?
Tharja’s weird.
“Thank you for your time, Morgan.” With Tharja’s strangely readily help, he and her finished in thirty minutes. “And, don’t be shy to ask for help in the future, alright?”
“Sure thing.” He most certainly
won’t
be asking for help, everything about her visit rubbed him the wrong way… figuratively and literally, especially when she ‘accidently’ touched him. He just kept quiet about it, though, bringing it up would mean halting their work… which would mean she would be there even longer. Letting out a sigh as he walked back into his room, he lied down on the bed, eagerly awaiting Severa’s arrival…
Maybe a bit too eager. Closing his eyes, he reaches down and under his shorts… he has time for a quick one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morgan sighed as she sat at her desk. It’s dark out, it’s late, she
should
be asleep by now, but since she can’t think clearly, she hasn’t finished her work. She’s still tired, she still needs more sleep, and despite having successfully denying giving help, she still has quite a bit of rest to catch up on. For a moment, she contemplated another cup of coffee, but her potential decision was interrupted by someone knocking on her door. “Gods…” She mutters as she gets up.
“Hello, Morgan.” Oh, it’s Tharja.
“Hello.” She responds, with a yawn added at the end. “Is there something you needed?” She found herself automatically asking.
She casually shrugs, “Just a minute or so to talk, if you don’t mind.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m quite busy. Maybe some other time?”
“...Perhaps I can help?” Something about this conversation is bothering Morgan, but she’s too tired to put enough effort to figure it out.
She shakes her head, “It’s just leftover History work, I’ll be fine.” Besides, she
really
likes Miss Tiki’s…
“Oh, you have Tiki’s class, too?” Oh, how convenient… almost too convenient. “Maybe we can help each other out?”
Pushing through her exhaustion, Morgan narrows her eyes, trying to figure Tharja out, yet she lacks the drive. “Yea, sure.” She moves aside to let the increasingly suspicious neighbor in, who eagerly strides in and straight to her work room.
The two finished in an hour, as Tharja was strangely prepared for this. “Thank you for your time, Morgan. Oh, and don’t be shy to ask for help some other time, okay?”
“Of course.” Morgan sends her off with a smile. “...after I figure your intentions out.” She mutters to herself, there’s no way Tharja just so happened to stop by when Morgan hit a mental block…
Tharja is weird.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Morgan smiles as he manages to slip by Lon’qu’s defenses and lands another shot into the basketball hoop. The two rivals are on a one-on-one match. They obviously never had this opportunity back in high school, since they were so far apart, but now? Now it’s hard to not find at least one day to compete with each other. They’re rivals, but friends. Their love for competition brings them together, each always forcing the other to improve.
It must be fate that they are in the same college. “Nice try.” Lon’qu mutters as he lands a shot after a failed block. However, one thing that they always want to make sure… that they are never on the same team.
“Getting slow, aren’t you?” Another slip-up, another point, yet the score remains even. From an outsider’s perspective, one might think that they are purposely keeping the score even.
“Wolves have the advantage on land, after all.” However, they are just that evenly matched, one gap is all they need.
“Wolves work in packs, so I have the advantage here.” Morgan says as another point is scored.
“Basketball is a team sport, so you would end up dragging the team down.”
“Go worry about the team when we’re…” Morgan stumbles on his words as a very attractive person just so happens to sprint by on the track… her legs on full display. “Oof.” He ends up falling. He is praying to the gods that Severa didn’t notice that slip-up.
“It seems the Dragon is looking for a partner.” Lon’qu chuckles as he pulls Morgan up. “Perhaps we should do a two-on-two one day?”
“You’re just jealous because I’m dating a hot woman.” Morgan counters.
“I’m satisfied that you just made a fool of yourself. It’s rare to see the ‘prodigal’ Morgan slip and fall.” Severa happens to lock eyes with Morgan, causing the boy to flush. “It seems…” He starts.
“Oh, stuff it.” Lon’qu snickers at Morgan’s flustered response. “I’ll be back.” He runs off, not bothering to reply to his rival’s mocking taunts. “Hey, Severa.” Morgan went straight from an intense basketball match to running on the track.
“I didn’t ask you to drop your game with him.” She responds with her usual coldness. “...but it’s nice that you would do that for me.” She adds under her breath, like normal.
He shrugs it off, “What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t take some time for you?”
Which causes her face to flush, “Y-You didn’t have to say it so directly!” She stumbles, but he’s there to steady her, “G-Gods, Morgan.” She grumbles as the two halt.
“Of course I would, I
am
the densest man alive remember?” He chuckles as the two stand there.
“You’re lucky I like you…” She mumbles.
However, this time he’s close enough to actually hear it, “I like you too, Severa.”
Her eyes snap up, and her flush increases, “...You can be so irritating.”
He winks, “I can be what you want me to be.”
“Not so loud!” She chides him, “What if…” She would have said more, if his lips didn’t silence her. Morgan is
really
lucky she likes him, because if she didn’t see him as a boyfriend, then well… He would be writhing in agony on the track floor. The two break the kiss, “...dummy.”
“Yes, but I’m your dummy.” He chuckles as she just stands there…
Then she laughs, “And you better not forget it.” She pauses for a moment, “Hey, Morgan.”
“Yes, Sev…” He would have said more, had she not socked him in the gut.
“For making such an embarrassing scene.” She smiles, before resuming her laps.
Morgan glances over at his rival, who smiles and shakes his head. He returns the smile before running to catch up to Severa…
his
girlfriend. He’s too competitive to just let her outrun him.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morgan smiles as she wakes for the new day. For the first time in weeks, she has had a proper night of sleep, and she felt great! She didn’t even bother getting a cup of coffee. She hummed a tune as she walked out of the door and to her first class, ready for whatever Miss Tiki will throw at her. She arrived early, as she would prefer, and took her seat, “Good morning, Miss Tiki.” She smiles.
“It’s good to see you early again.” Tiki flashes her that peaceful smile. “It’s been a while since we could casually chat before class, hasn’t it?” The History Teacher takes a desk next to Morgan, clearly happy.
“I’ve missed our talks, too. You always have such great stories to share.”
“Please, I’m just recounting what I’ve experienced.”
“Then you have been blessed with a wonderful memory.”
For a moment, Miss Tiki looked distant, “I’ve been sharing mostly good ones, haven’t I? Alas, the negative memories outnumber my positive ones.”
“Don’t feel like you have to share them.” She tries to pass it off, “If it makes you uncomfortable…”
“I don’t mind sharing them, if you’re the one listening.” The desk scoots closer, “So, would you be willing to listen?”
Morgan quickly nods, “Of course!” Her own desk scoots closer, as she is eager to listen to whatever she may share.
“I mentioned how I have lived longer than most, and as such, I’ve seen many cherished friends come and go.” She starts off, “It never gets easier, watching others age as I seemingly stay in place.”
“I can’t even imagine that…”
“But it also never grows stale when I meet someone new, when I come across someone who brings a new viewpoint, another understanding.” She pauses and takes a breath, “The days are best when I find someone who can learn and understand so much, those who are quick and intelligence, but also kind and caring.”
“Are you okay, Miss Tiki?” Morgan noted that she seems hotter, if her reddened face is anything to go by.
“I know, it’s inappropriate,” She looks away, and it dawns on Morgan that her flushed face isn’t from heat. “You remind me of someone I knew, he was such a selfless person. He always stood up for others,”
“Miss Tiki, I don’t do that. I lack the strength to protect.” Other Morgan can fight for others… but not her.
“You bring them peace of mind, you extend a hand, there are more ways to help than to simply fight.” She pauses, “I was too young to understand what I was feeling then, but now I know what it meant… I know what it means now.” She raises a hand before Morgan can talk, “But, a teacher and student wouldn’t go well, so I want you to tell me, because I cannot seem to convince myself.” She takes a breath, “Look me in the eyes and tell me this can’t happen. That I can’t have feelings for you.”
Morgan can just glance and see the distraught in her form, the sorrow in her eyes. She can hear the regret in her voice. Miss Tiki is right about herself, she is torn, part of her wants Morgan, the other wants to keep the norm. It would be wrong to act on her feelings. Morgan has always thought things out in a subjective standpoint, as it was only natural, both her mother and father taught her as much. She could probably count on both hands the amount of times her parents used their emotions to make a decision.
Yet, when she stares at Miss Tiki’s verdant green eyes, the way they shined from tears threatening to shed, Morgan found that she lacked the will to do what her parents could do in a heartbeat. On the most basic of levels, Miss Tiki is asking for her heart to be broken, she wants things to end, but she can’t…
“Miss Tiki,” The girl finally finds her voice, “You have asked an incredibly difficult request from me.” She slowly forms her words, “I lack the tact that my parents have for this, but I will try anyway.” She gently clears her throat, “Miss Tiki… I can’t. I can’t stomach the idea of breaking someone’s heart, even if they explicitly ask. You are a beautiful woman, you hold standards that most women could only dream of. If your heart says that you need ‘this’ to be happy, then don’t stop it.” There, she said it.
“M-Morgan?” She looks half-ashamed, but also relieved. “But… please, again, try again.” She still wants to refuse. Steeling her nerves, she does just that. “...ah!” By claiming her lips.
“Please, don’t ask me to do anything like that again.” Morgan whispers as she breaks the kiss, “I can’t.”
“O-of course, Morgan.” Miss Tiki lightly taps her lips with her fingers, before walking back to her desk…
It took until now to realize why Morgan has so many impromptu drawings of Miss Tiki.