Shade's Sabre

Day 1

The music left her cold today. Normally Freyia would sit enraptured by the soft violin playing, one elbow propped on her desk so her chin could be propped on her fist, normally with one hand sneaking down onto her lap to ruffle her bond-mate's ears as they twitched to the beat as animatedly as her foot, but today... she checked her watch again as the piece came to an end.

"Got somewhere to be Ms Bai?" the acerbic voice of her teacher cut through the room and she winced, swiftly lowering her hand. "Can you not show your fellow students some kind of common courtesy?"

Freyia looked up at the student at the front of the room and winced. It had to be Chao, didn't it. The most accomplished musician in the school, the one that normally she would have listened to all day without a single word of complaint. As it was, he looked a little ruffled.

"Sorry Chao," She said swiftly. "I'm a little distracted."

She looked around the room, spotting the curious eyes, then sighed, knowing that at least half the room would understand.

"My Dads are leaving for an assignment," She explained.

Sure enough, half the room nodded knowingly and returned their attention to the front of the room. The teacher, Zhang Daiyu, breezed up the aisle between the desks to stop behind Freyia. She was a slender woman, although not tall, her jet black hair cut in a sharp geometric cut as precise as her tailored emerald dress, and the dagger like heels she was wearing. Trotting at those heels was her own bondmate. To those not from the country, it looked remarkably like a jet black Pekingese dog, although the muzzle was longer than usual for a Pekingese, and it moved without panting or any sign of discomfort. It's dark eyes narrowed as it looked up at Freyia and Daiyu sighed.

"What have I told you about having bond mates on the furniture?"

"Ah, but you see Ms Zhang, my bondmate is in fact not on the furniture," Freyia said brightly. "They're sat on me."

The sharp click in the back of Daiyu Zhang's throat told her that that particular loophole was one she had heard before, and that it was not at all going to fly. Reluctantly, Freyia looked down at her lap. Sat on her grey school skirt was her bondmate. Every-one in the class had one, and at this point they all looked very similar, quadrupedal animals somewhere between a cat and a dog, covered in downy speckled grey and brown fur, with big black eyes, twitchy little black noses and adorable little paws. They were undeniably cute, and her bondmate turned big sad eyes on her as she sighed.

"Down," Freyia ordered with a click of her fingers.

With a huff that matched own sigh, her bondmate gave a leisurely stretch and hopped off her lap to plop down on her schoolbag, giving an irritated flick of the tail.

"How many times do I need to tell you Freyia ?" Daiyu said tartly, although not unkindly. "Spoiled bondmates make devils."

"So you never let your bondmate on the bed?" Freyia asked her before she could stop herself.

Daiyu looked down at her fluffy bondmate.

"I can't say that," Daiyu admitted. "But your bondmate has yet to develop. I can afford to pamper Liqin now because I taught her the foundations of discipline and obedience at your age." She looked at Freyia . "I would have thought a potential Sabre Candidate would understand the importance of discipline?"

Freyia winced at the reproof.

"I obey my parents," She countered. "They've never felt the need to chase me off the sofa to prove a point."

Daiyu stalked to the front of the class and perched on the edge of her desk.

"Who would like to point out the flaw in Miss Bai's logic?" Daiyu asked the room at large.