Alitia: Welcome to Millenia

VI: Conflict of Darkness

Luce's silent musings on the existence of Dawn were ultimately interrupted when Iris tapped her shoulder. Luce was positive she was about to be bombarded with questions about her glassy eyes and unfocused gaze, but much to her surprise, Iris didn't say anything of the sort. Instead, she pointed towards the far end of the courtyard. The DJ booth (stand?) was still unoccupied, but the head teachers were walking towards it. Zylphia snapped when she was a few feet away, prompting the machinery to lift itself from the ground only to resettle away from the stage it had been on before. She made it look effortless, which made jealousy stir in Luce's core. She wanted to do that one day. It would certainly make mercenary work easier.

"I guess it's time for them to make a speech," Tanith said, a frown on her face. "I wonder what it'll be about..."

The six teachers all filed onto the stage, led by Zylphia. Jin was beside her. Altina stood at the center, a hardened gaze on her face. Minerva came after Altina, followed by Caius and finally Fromir.

"They look like they've practiced this," Helena whispered.

"I doubt it. They couldn't have gotten here even an hour before the rest of us," S.M. pointed out. She took a bite of a small orange cake while tapping one foot against the ground.

"I don't think it really matters," Iris shrugged. "We should probably quiet down though. I don't want to be too much of a distraction."

As if on cue, a hush fell over the crowd of students. Everyone's gaze unanimously found the group of six teachers atop the stage. Luce wondered dimly where the DJ was for the evening, but she figured it wasn't important and refocused herself on the subject at hand. She wouldn't be doing herself any good by spacing out more than she already had.

No microphones appeared before the teachers, but it seemed as if a spell was being used to make their voices louder when they did speak up. They at least sounded louder than was natural to Luce.

"Welcome," Zylphia began.

"I hope you're enjoying your time at Acadia here tonight," Altina continued, her hands pressed firmly together behind her back. "We're here today to celebrate the start of a new school year. For the freshman, welcome to the Millennium Six."

"You'll be spending the next three years here, so you had better get comfy," Jin joked, making a small chuckle rise up from the crowd.

"We encourage you to get to know one another, as we collaborate as a group frequently. It's best if you make yourself known among students at other schools," Zylphia went on, shooting Jin a small eye roll at his joke.

"However, we don't want you making any enemies," Fromir spoke up. "We don't tolerate inter-school rivalries. They tend to get people hurt, which is the last thing we want. Don't let hate fester. Talk to an administrator if you feel tension is building."

Luce glanced over at Sylvia with a frown. Was her mission in the first place based around a such rivalry between Sylvia and the cantor from Sierra she had fought against before? She couldn't say for sure, as it felt odd to call in a mercenary company to deal with a rivalry that should have easily been settled between two teachers of different schools. Luce could ask her about it later, as she doubted Sylvia was going to simply open up about it without being prompted.

"In other words, don't kill each other, for the love of all things holy," Minerva cut in bluntly. While all the head teachers were intimidating in their own ways, she was a special kind of terrifying. Her red hair looked ready to burst into flames at any moment, and her glare was enough to strike fear into even the bravest of hearts.

"I think that's about all we wanted to say," Zylphia said after a brief pause. She looked down the line of teachers with a tilted head, a silent question of if they were finished.