The very next morning was chaotic. Zara, alongside an unknown butler, knocked on the door before coming in. They woke up their masters who were still sleeping and helped them get dressed. Pithos had already disappeared by the time they arrived.
The male butler who had auburn hair and freckles littered across his face glanced suspiciously towards Asher as Dashiell complained about what had happened yesterday.
"And then he forced us to become his friends! Does he have balls of steel or something?"
Dashiell pouted and kicked the floor before sitting beside Asher, the very same person he was complaining about. The auburn-haired butler, who was named Connor, kept quiet while organizing and cleaning Dashiell's mess.
Dashiell frowned and pushed Connor to answer. Sighing, Connor said: "Young master, would you really want to be friends with someone who treated you like that?"
Hearing Connor's comment on her young master, Zara narrowed her eyes while buttoning up Asher's shirt which Asher kept sleepily unbuttoning saying that the shirt was suffocating him.
Patting her hands after a job well done, Zara turned around to face Connor. Contrary to his warm appearance, Connor held a cold and distant expression as his brown eyes met Zara's violet ones. Crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow, she said: "Who would want to be friends with the person who not only burned his bed but also almost hurt him?"
Connor smirked. "Who else other than your young master?"
"Listen here you piece of-"
"Connor, just shut up."
Zara, who was about to lose control over her mouth and swear was interrupted by Dashiell. Dashiell, who was relatively much larger than Asher, slightly bent down and unbuttoned the first button on Asher's shirt and loosened his blue tie. Zara frowned while seeing her hard work going to waste but did nothing to prevent it. She saw Dashiell's amused expression and decided to hold herself back despite his slightly rough actions.
Shaking his head, Connor slightly frowned and proceeded with his own work. He wasn't really accepting of Asher's immature way of 'making friends', especially since it seemed that it would inconvenience Dashiell, but he was only a butler and had no real power to stop Asher's insensitive actions nor Dashiell's choice to accept this friendship. He could only advise his master from the side.
Unaware of his butler's thoughts, Dashiell shook the half-asleep Asher awake and laughed silently. "He really is like a baby hedgehog..."
"C'mon, let's go eat! I'm starving!"
Dashiell took Asher's arm and began walking excitedly and dragging Asher with him while disregarding Zara and Connor. A strong gust of wind abruptly came from behind them, despite the windows being closed, stopping them in their tracks. Zara had appeared before them as if she had been standing there waiting for them regardless of her being inside the room just a few seconds prior. Connor and Dashiell looked at each other to confirm that what they just saw was real- Zara had run past Connor and Dashiell like it was nothing! They couldn't follow Zara's movements! Even Asher was surprised! His sleepiness had vanished for the most part as he saw Zara bow down while extending her hands towards him. She had presented Asher with the twin daggers she had previously forced him to bring.
"Young Master Asher, please take these and protect yourself. I won't be able to stay by your side during class. Pithos will find you later during the day."
Asher widened his eyes and pushed Zara's hands back. His navy-blue eyes swam from side to side as he bit his lips. "You need to hide that, Zara! I can't carry it around unless I have special permission!"
Zara raised her head and stared at Asher who was biting his lips with a rigid expression. "But who will protect you until then?"
"I will!" Dashiell offered while holding back his laughter. He hugged his arms as a way to restrain himself and bit the inside of his cheek.
In a way, Dashiell was enjoying these small 'quirks' of Asher's. He had caught glimpses of Asher before, but he always kept to himself. Dashiell had even forgotten about the boy's existence. Contrary to his expectations of how he thought Asher would be like, Asher was actually much different than what he previously expected. He was actually apologetic about the scene he had caused the night before.
"Why are you saying sorry?" Dashiell had asked back, feeling confused. If anything, it was Dashiell himself who had to apologize to him! Burning his belongings and almost hurting him with his elemental magic... if the principal knew about this matter he would surely be kicked out or suffer heavy consequences!
Asher shrugged and hugged Pithos close to his chest before letting him go to explore his new surroundings. "Well, I had a really long day..."
He went on to tell Dashiell about how his day had gone. Apparently, Asher had a confrontation three guys who disrespected his maid (which Dashiell, Aziel, and Zyair had witnessed) and with a guard and ended up with a sore wrist. He had to calm down his older brother (who Dashiell was sure was a bit cuckoo) and had to sit down and have an uncomfortable talk with the prince of the nation. Asher didn't give out many details about his morning and Dashiell didn't dare ask because of obvious reasons.
"I swear he was just like my mom back on Earth whenever I did anything bad. Like damn, it's not all my fault..."
"What?"
"Nothing. Never mind," Asher sighed and shook his head. "The prince is too meddlesome. This was our first official talk and he already thinks he has the right to butt in all of the aspects of my life just because 'my actions are suspicious'. I mean, they might be to his eyes, but I just wanna live, y'know?"
At this point in time, Dashiell could only stare at Asher in fear and admiration. Who in their right mind would make three upperclassmen become his pet using only fear against them? Who in their right mind would talk trash behind the Prince Silas, who is arguably one of the most talented young men out there?
Having finished his long rant, Asher sighed one last time and thought to himself. Maybe because Dashiell was someone of his own age he was more inclined to speak freely without putting any distance between them. It wasn't so bad having someone to speak freely to. Asher could only hope that Dashiell and his two friends felt the same way.
Dashiell managed to convince Zara that he could become the perfect protector. He mentioned that he had special permission to carry a sword since his family worked directly under General Alejandro and that he was required for him to carry his sword to practice whenever possible. He also stated that Aziel and Zyair would also join in to protect Asher. She was going to refuse his request but relented. Even if this guy appeared rather simple-minded, he could at least keep her young master safe, right?
Zara pocketed the twin daggers while watching Asher walk away with a proud smile blooming on her face. Connor crossed his arms. "Who are you?"
"I'm a maid."
He rolled his eyes and eyed her in suspicion. Carrying around twin daggers as if it were nothing while also hiding her own weapons on her body, how could Connor not feel suspicious about her?
After Asher and Dashiell had left, they went directly to the cafeteria. There were a few students who glanced towards them and whispered about Asher as they took their food and sat down on an empty table. Not long after, Aziel and Zyair had also sat down with them.
Dashiell immediately told them about Zara's and Connor's squabble and how Zara almost forced Asher to take twin daggers with him to 'protect himself'.
"So, we are all gonna protect the hedgehog!" Dashiell exclaimed while slamming his hands down on the table, his eyes burning with passion.
Aziel bobbed his head up and down in agreement. "Yes, yes! Protect Asher! Protect the hedgehog!
"Why hedgehog?" Zyair asked while elegantly sipping on his chocolate milk.
Asher sighed in relief while thinking that, thankfully, at least one of these crazy bastards was normal. Dashiell lived up to Asher's expectations: loud, crazy, and annoyingly simple-minded. Aziel, on the other hand... well, his personality was a surprise to him, to say the least. Asher believed that Zyair was the only level-headed person in this friend group.
Aziel scoffed as he hugged Dashiell's shoulders. "How can you not see it? To think that Dashiell could make such a perfect comparison for once.."
"Hey!"
"Just look at him," Zyair looked at Asher at Aziel's command. "He was so mad and prickly with us yesterday. And now he looks so soft and squishy!"
"Soft and squishy?" Asher said in disbelief. Just what are they on about?
Zyair nodded in agreement. "I can totally see it now. A hedgehog's defense mechanism are those prickly things that aren't even prickly. Asher yesterday used his pricks as a defense mechanism against us, but since we are his friends now, he is soft and squishy."
"... are you guys on drugs?"
"No," they replied in unison.
Shaking his head, Asher cursed at his past self for forcing them of all people to become his friends. At least they aren't that bad... Asher smiled slightly and turned his head to look at the three of them. The sight that greeted him was of Aziel shoving a breadstick down Dashiell's throat and Zyair smiling gently towards them as if nothing was wrong. No, they are definitely bad. They need some mental help if they think that this is normal.
Seeing Dashiell's face slowly turn into a bluish pale color and his eyes turn redder by the second prompted Zyair to step in and save Dashiell. Aziel was disappointed that he wasn't able to fulfill his mission and took a bite from the other end of the breadstick and winked towards Asher who sent him a 'fuck no' expression.
"Can we just leave? The people are gawking at us."
As soon as Asher mentioned that the stares they were getting were not normal, the three boys stopped and looked at their surroundings. Gazes filled with fear, confusion, and embarrassment were being sent their way. Dashiell and Aziel shook their shoulders as if it were nothing and Zyair sighed yet kept his gentle smile while standing up.
The four young men cleaned the table and the remaining slobbery breadstick before walking towards the school plaza. The school plaza was an open space with many trees and benches where one could sit and enjoy the sound or the fresh air. Right in the middle of the plaza, there was a big board in which the school posted announcements about different activities, notices, and the school rules. In the first few weeks of the beginning of the school year, the classes you should take and classes that aren't required for you to take are posted on the board.
Unlike other high schools, the students in Staghaven High School get to decide when they would take each class. Each teacher has their own schedule of which classes they give, when they give it, and where. It's the students' job to make sure they attend all of the classes they are required to participate in within the week. If the students have taken all of the classes they should take during the week then they can either rest during the remainder of the week or take other classes such as art, language, theater, sports, etcetera. Those classes are not forced upon the student and they are given the time and space to grow as their own person.
Other than classes, there are also a wide variety of clubs one can participate in. There are clubs that focus more on art, others on sports, and others on math and magic. These are the four most influential clubs in school, but there are also other clubs that focus more on other subjects that aren't exactly related to the school. Overall, Staghaven Junior High hands over the reigns of responsibility to the students, giving them more freedom to express themselves and to grow their skills on a subject that the student is fond of.
The notice board was surrounded by students of all grades trying to find which classes they needed to take and which classes they wanted to take. All in all, everyone wanted to create a schedule that most benefited them. One or two minutes had passed by and the students were beginning to leave since they had yet to eat their breakfast. Asher took this opportunity to squeeze into the remaining students to see which classes he would need to take.
"Math, History, Zatheusyl Official Language, and Magical Theory..."
Zyair placed his hand on Asher's shoulder. "The most interesting class is History. Math and Magical Theory are rather basic, but unlike when you were a freshman, they get into more detail. And Zatheusyl Language, well, they give the same thing every year."
"You're a junior now, right?" Asher asked while deciding on which class he should take to start the week. History doesn't seem like a bad choice...
Zyair smiled while pointing towards a sheet of paper that was on pinned on the notice board. It contained the classes he would be taking this year. "Yeah, and I heard that Magical Theory turns into a huge mess. Thankfully, we'll be learning about the Xestal Empire this year, so I'm rather excited about that."
Asher hummed in response before turning his head to the side where he found the tall Dashiell bending down while frowning towards the classes he would be taking. He sighed and said, "I'm so not ready for Magical Theory nor History."
Dashiell then asked Asher what class he would be taking first to which he responded with: "History, of course. Wanna take it with me?"
Zyair laughed and shook his head. "You should also drag Aziel along with you. Both of them are absolutely terrible in History. He's probably hiding right now to avoid being dragged along with you guys."
True to his words, Aziel had hidden behind two girls who were trying their best to shield him after he had asked him for help. Unfortunately for him, his white hair stood out and Asher was quick to pick him from the crowd.
"Let's go and take History now!"
"No! I don't wanna!" Aziel yelled loudly as Asher dragged him away by his arm. Dashiell trailed behind them in low spirits, his head hung low.
Zyair smiled one last time before heading in the opposite direction. Thankfully, he doesn't need to worry as much about those two brats anymore.