New Arrival

[Price]

Kaje nodded to the comment about the wards of the room.  He wasnt so concerned at the moment since he couldnt see himself coming and going too often for a while.  "Whatever will be easiest."

He tossed one robe to the bed and the others across the chair.  Tossing his shoes off beside the bed he turned to Ravi again, "Well, i suppose I could just toss this thing over my clothes, but honestly its hotter than hades in this place. So if you dont mind.." he gave him a quick smirk before unbuttoning his shirt and sliding it off his arms.

He folded his shirt and set it on his bag and undid the pants, following suit to fold and set aside.  He stood there in his socks and briefs trying to work out how to get the robe on.  

"How the heck do you work this darn thing?" he chuckled.

[Fell]

Ravi just waved his hand. "Go ahead," the demon said. Kaje probably didn\'t recall, but Ravi had had several roommates while he was here. Naked boys standing around his room was nothing even remotely new to him, though not for the most fun of reasons. Ravi elected to politely turn his back; no need to stare, after all. That\'d be rude. Not to mention potentially creepy...

That idea went to hell when it turned out Kaje had no idea how to put on the robes. "Hmm?" Ravi hummed, turning his head. He burst into laughter when he saw the problem. "Well, I guess they are kind of difficult..." the older boy reasoned, walking over to help with a grin. "Here, you put your leg through here, and..." Ravi explained the whole thing in a way that at least made basic sense, though it was definitely something that Kaje would have to do repeatedly to get the hang of.

"Aaaaand... there! I\'m sure you know how to tie a sash, so I won\'t bother telling you that one," Ravi said with a chuckle, stepping back to look at Kaje. Grey really didn\'t do him too well, but Ravi barely noticed it. He almost never saw people wearing things other than grey and black at the academy, so the colour just seemed natural.

Ravi walked towards the door, disarming and opening it in almost the same motion. He turned back to look at Kaje with a grin. "So, where was it you wanted to see next?" the demon asked pleasantly. He\'d forgotten where they were going to go; that good ol\' Air Demon attention span at work.

[Price]

Kaje laughed once he got the robe on, finally.  "They ought to have instructions printed on tags in these things.  Man, and they really arent the most comfortable things, are they?"  he shifted around in it while trying to follow out the door behind Ravi.

He stared up around the door while Ravi disarmed it.  This could become old quickly.

Kaje hadnt fully absorbed the question Ravi asked about where to go next, he was too busy sorting out the old robe and thinking about the wards.  His mind was all over the place and he walked right into Ravi.

"Oh, sorry.  Where to go?  Oh that.  How about outside for fresh air? he gave him a weak smile before resuming his shifting around, looking down and wondering how he was going to manage years wearing these things.

[Fell]

"Eh, they\'re not that bad. After you learn to get them on yourself, and after they get used to your body, they\'re pretty damn nice," Ravi said in response, chuckling at how awkwardly Kaje moved in them. At this point, Ravi\'s robes were the most comfortable things he owned, except maybe that one pair of silks. Even that was just basically robes made from silk, though. "You\'ll learn to love them," Ravi said as he moved, grinning, towards the door.

Kaje probably would have walked right into Ravi, had he not gone through many years of training... The air demon\'s training took over, resulting in a (magically aided) backflip over his roommate and ending with a kunai to Kaje\'s throat. "Ah fuck," Ravi muttered, immediately withdrawing the weapon and stepping back, "Sorry about that... Unexpected things," he explained, waving his hand vaguely with a roll of his eyes. Ravi sighed, grinning sheepishly at Kaje. "It\'s the training... But you\'ll see," the demon added apologetically, replacing the kunai in his robe.

"Aaaaanyway, outdoors? We can do outdoors," Ravi said, stepping through the doorway and propping it open for Kaje to walk out. "There\'re some nice places in the grounds, and I can show you the towers and the like," the demon continued, waiting for Kaje to come through as well before closing and re-arming his door for the 4th time that day.

[Price]

He blinked hard and stepped back.  What the hell?  Shaking his head as Ravi apologized, he couldnt believe how high strung this guy was.  Made him think there was alot more to this place than he originally thought for him to jump like that.

He stepped in line beside Ravi, prefering that to another scene like back there.  He had to admit though, was almost sexy to watch such a display, had it not been his own neck on the line.  This Ravi made him more and more curious every minute.

Rave went back to talking about the outside and places they could go.  His adrenaline was running high now so they definitely needed to continue moving.  Kaje turned to Ravi and gave a slight smirk, "Mmm, the towers, huh.  And what exactly goes on in the towers?"  

He shook his head and chuckled, "Seriously though, that works for me, the grounds and the towers.  Im right...-beside- you this time.  As for these robes, Im sure they will do just fine.  Seem to work well on you from what I can see." he winked and continued to walk, trying to avoid the shifting in the robes this time.

[Fell]

Ravi laughed, rolling his eyes. Did Kaje think of nothing else? It was a fond accusation, though - Ravi didn\'t half mind this guy. "One of them you don\'t go near, because it\'s full of masters, one of them you\'re not allowed into unless you\'re an apprentice or above and one of them is derelict. Sounds exciting, huh?" the demon said, his voice playful. He chose to disregard the robe comment - that had been an accident anyway! - as it wasn\'t something that really required an answer. "As far as not walking behind people goes... It\'s a good idea. I\'m one of the more laid-back people around here, and... Well, you saw," Ravi cautioned, though he gave a half-apologetic, half-proud shrug at the end. It was a serious issue, though - bumping into the wrong person from behind could mean a quick and untimely death.

~

Ravi walked up to the Eastern Tower, peering at its heights. Beautiful view up there, he thought with a smile. It was actually a place he really liked to be, especially on clear nights. "So this is the Eastern Tower. It\'s a whole lot more interesting on the inside," the air demon explained with a chuckle. Inside, the place was a maze of fascinations. "Like I said, though, students aren\'t allowed in unless they\'re taking astronomy electives. I recommend it, actually - easy class, and pretty fun, too," Ravi finished, turning to give Kaje a friendly smile.

"Easy" was a matter of perspective, though. Kaje would probably find it exceedingly difficult if he tried it right now, but that was because he had yet to try and of the Academy\'s classes.

[Price]

Kaje stood in front of the tower, looking up and amazed by the site of it.  He had seen things like this in books but not even in his town were the humans were wealthy had there been anything quite like this.  This place got better by the minute.  Ravi had been speaking to him but he barely registered it at first, taking some long moments to just look around before saying a word.

"I can see that it might almost be worth taking such a class to be around something so magnificent.  Too bad we couldnt get up there just for a look." his demeanor had changed quite a bit from how it had been up till now.  He was sincere now, calm.

Kaje had always been someone on the defensive, in everything he said and did.  He was sarcastic and egotistical most times.  But here, it just didnt seem to fit, nor was it necessary.  Everything here was unlike what he knew growing up.  Survival of the fittest, meaning the one who could out smart and outwit the other.  Here, it meant just that, survival.  All the events of the day started to weigh on him now.  

Ravi, standing next to him with his mild mannered temperment and courteous talk, could have killed him back there, and now moved on as if it had never happened.  Back home, this would have been bragging rights for ages.

"Maybe one day I will get to see the top of that tower." he barely whispered as he turned back to Ravi.  "What\'s next?"

He looked away and started walking, nowhere specific, just not facing Ravi.  For the first time in his life, he was not at all impressed with himself.

[Fell]

Kaje sure seemed.... different. Very calm - in awe, even. Then again.... Ravi looked up at the giant tower again, trying to see it from an outsiders perspective. It really is impressive, isn\'t it? the air demon thought with a fond smile. It surprised Ravi to hear Kaje speak of it so softly, though. Long day, probably, he reasoned, rolling his eyes mentally at himself. It probably hadn\'t helped, to have Ravi hold a kunai to his throat. Nothing for it now, the apprentice thought, glancing over to Kaje.

"I\'ll take you up sometime, if you do well here," Ravi said, his voice implying a promise - and those, Ravi never broke. The demon didn\'t sound condescending about it, either, not like Kaje was some dog or something to be rewarded when it did well. It was just that... things weren\'t going to come free, here. Even the little things, like this, required some effort on Kaje\'s part. That really was how it was, more or less. You had to put in a lot to get anything out, but what you got out of it was pretty damn good.

"North Tower\'s up next," Ravi responded, grinning as he turned towards the North. "It\'s pretty cool too."

~~

The demon hadn\'t been kidding. This tower was, if possible, grander even than the Eastern one. After all, it was home to at least two of the masters - one of which was was Faris, the one Ravi served. Despite the place being like a second home to him, Ravi stopped a little ways off. "This is the North Tower, also known as the Eagle\'s Brood. We know there are at least two masters living there - thus the name," the air demon explained, gazing at the place. A small bird was wheeling around the top of the tower when the avian suddenly exploded into a cloud of feathers. Ravi winced.

"I\'m... pretty sure one of the masters is from Cruori," he muttered, cocking his head to the side as he looked at the place. "\'Don\'t disturb the North Tower\' - it\'s a motto most of us live by," Ravi said in his normal tone of voice, looking over to Kaje with a smile. Something in the way Ravi said "live by", though, implied that it was meant in a more literal way that it usually was.

[Price]

"I would appreciate that greatly." he murmured under his breath, not even realizing that his voice had dropped.  He followed behind Ravi to the next tower, his eyes searching everything around him, but this time cautious of where he was going.

The next tower was even better.  He stared in the same content manner as the last, simply speechless.

Kaje nodded slowly while he listened Ravi talk about the tower.  He could tell Ravi was serious, but he just couldnt stand a place off limits to him, not one like this.  Past his normal desires just to cause trouble, Kaje wanted to see the inside.  He looked over with a curious look, "Cruori?"

The word sounded familiar to him but he couldnt quite place it.  Maybe one of the other houses.  He was even more curious about the fact Ravi didnt seem to be -sure- of who lived there, something that would drive Kaje crazy.  He pushed the thoughts aside.  He had more pressing matters right now and would have to look for more information later about the towers.

He looked back up, sheilding his eyes from the setting sun overhead.  Kaje had never felt so small as he did standing there beside the tower.  One more look over to Ravi standing beside him and a small smile crossed his lips.  "Next...do you mind if we find somewhere to sit a while?"

[Fell]

Ravi chuckled a little bit. "Right, new here. Cruori\'s one of the houses. They teach their students to love the act of killing... Lot of them are pretty violent, more than half are crazy, and I try to avoid them when I can," the air demon explained, sticking his tongue out a little bit. There was nothing wrong with killing when it needed to be done or when he was paid to be doing it or when it was for a friend, but the sheer love of killing that the kids in Cruori had creeped Ravi out most of the time. There were a couple of decent people in there, but too many of them were twisted in weird ways for Ravi to really want to take his chances too often.

Sit down, huh? You\'ll get used to being on your feet, Ravi thought, though he turned to Kaje with a smile. "Sounds fine to me. Hey, I can show you the forest while we\'re at it!" the demon exclaimed. He turned around to face a large forest, raising his arms as he did. "And that\'s the forest!" Ravi said, grinning back at his roommate (at the very least for the night). The winged boy dropped his arms with a small chuckle. "Couldn\'t help it - it is a nice place, though," he said, putting his hands in his pockets as he looked out towards the forest.

Ravi sat like that for a moment, enjoying the aesthetically pleasing lines of the forest, before giving himself a little shake. "Anyway, that sound like a good sitting place, or did you have something else in mind?" the demon asked, turning his head towards Kaje again. Normally, Ravi wouldn\'t have asked the question, but Kaje might expect something like a bench to sit on instead of ground - another thing he would get used to. Most teachers didn\'t use benches, chairs or stools - just the ground. It was much easier to do that than to go through the trouble of making all the seating that the Academy would otherwise require.

[Price]

Kaje laughed as Ravi \'showed\' him the forest, that happened to be right behind them.  He did like the look of it actually, maybe even more so than the towers if that was possible.  The towers fascinated Kaje, but the forest...it suited him.  A forest had no judgements to pass, no rules to live by, and no one to impress.  It was free to grow wild, or stay small and cuddly...everything in a forest was free to be and do whatever it was meant to.  No one ever put restrictions on a forest.  Yes, the forest he understood.

He smiled again, something that had been happening repeatedly during their tour, but something that didnt often occur in Kaje\'s life.  He could feel his cheeks burn a little from using muscles they probably had forgotten existed.  

"Yes...this is a perfect place to sit.  Honestly, I am not so tired of the walking as I am tired of the thinking, if that makes any sense.  I came here...with expectations, ideas and pictures and nothing is like i thought."  Kaje looked at the ground before plopping down into the grass.

Long blades of grass ran through his fingers as he stared down.  He felt like an idiot, partially, for saying such cheesy things, especially to a stranger.  Atleast Ravi seemed used to it, though Kaje hated the idea of being thought of like everyone else.  Maybe thats a change he should appreciate rather than fight.  Now with his gray robes, and silly sash, and tons of rules, Kaje would just blend into the crowd, just another face.  Wasnt so bad, better maybe than being shunned like the trouble maker he had always been.

"So is it safe yet to be curious about where you come from and how you ended up here?"  He asked, sincere about wanting to know Ravi, another new thing to him.

[Fell]

Expectations, huh? Ravi thought, watching Kaje walk over to the grass and seat himself. Ravi hadn\'t really had any when he\'d come to the Academy - at least, not that he remembered - so he had no idea what kind of expectations anyone would have. He could guess, sure, but that was never as good as just asking. "What did you expect?" Ravi queried, walking to a spot next to and a little to the side of Kaje. His voice held genuine curiosity, nothing more. He wasn\'t accusing Kaje, or even teasing. Ravi just wanted to hear about the place from an outsider\'s perspective. ...At least he isn\'t tired of walking, the demon thought.

While Kaje played with the grass, Ravi looked skywards. That was what he was almost always doing; flying and the skies were just such a part of him. Ravi flew everywhere he could, normally. It felt a little bit odd to be ground-bound between the towers and such, but Ravi was willing to do it for Kaje\'s benefit. The guy could obviously use a helping hand, and Ravi didn\'t mind helping out a new house member. Though I\'ll still have to confirm that he\'s the right one, the demon thought, reprimending himself slightly for taking Kaje\'s word as truth. Faris would know, and the tower was right there...

That\'s when Kaje asked about Ravi\'s past. The demon looked down from the skies, to Kaje, and smiled a little bit. "I barely remember not being here," he said jokingly. "I must have been, what, 7? when I came... The Academy has always been home, basically," Ravi continued, now looking back onto the Academy\'s grounds. It was a tough home, a lot of the time, but it was home nonetheless. Ravi really didn\'t remember anything before he met Natu, and he\'d gone to the Academy so shortly afterwards... His history was here.

"Look... If you don\'t mind, I\'m going to go for a quick fly. I\'ll be back within three minutes, okay?" Ravi said, figuring that he might as well just get the identity confirmation over with. The demon looked Kaje in the eyes, then smiled. "And when I get back, I\'ll ask the same question of you! You probably have a much more interesting history anyway," Ravi added pleasantly. He didn\'t want Kaje to think he was dumping him here.

[Price]

Kaje sat listening to Ravi, not just intrigued by what it was like to have grown up in a place like this but also envious.  THe way Ravi sounded, it was as if it was just normal...ordinary.  He wouldnt never understand that.  But then, if Rave never knew anything else he guessed he could get that too.  He sighed, never looking up, his fingers still playing with the grass.

He chewed on his lip, thinking about his own past, his own life growing up.  It was nothing special to him, in fact, it was pretty darn crappy as far as he was concerned.  Most would disagree, he has tons of money and got his way, just another spoiled rich kid.  If they only knew how spoiled he was, maybe they wouldnt be so quick to judge.

"Sure, go ahead.  Im not going anywhere.  Dont rush back on my account.  I promise I wont start any trouble." Kaje winked and pulled his knees up to his chest, letting his head rest on them.

[Fell]

"You would have to be out of your mind to start any trouble right next to the North Tower," Ravi said, grinning. He doubted that Kaje was going to do anything dumb just yet, though - most people waited until their second month at least before starting to make trouble. Even then, though, people avoided bothering the area around here. "Anyway, I trust you to take care of yourself here. I\'ll be right back!" the demon added, looking up. He spread his wings, and was shooting upwards a moment later. Ravi couldn\'t help just smile widely. It hadn\'t been long since he had last flown, but every time, it felt like the most amazing thing in the world.

~~

Ravi had circled up above the clouds, then around to enter through Faris\' window. There had been a brief but good-natured scuffle, as there always was, that Faris had, as he always did, won. Ravi had eventually gotten the identy confirmation he needed, though, which was comforting. It would be sad if now, after Ravi had gotten to like Kaje, he had to kill him as an impostor. He was glad to hear he wouldn\'t have to, though, and it was clear that something had cheered him up a little bit when he landed again, out of the blue, next to Kaje.

"Ahh, sorry about that," Ravi said as he folded his wings, then seated himself. The demon put his head on his hands, looking towards Kaje. "So what about you? Where\'re you from, why\'re you here... You know," he asked curiously. Though Faris had told him a little bit of Kaje\'s history, it was always better to get it straight from the source, then confirm later.