Ms. Velvet proceeded to pick up the silver coins from the counter with deliberate, almost begrudging movements. She placed them underneath the counter with more force than necessary, the coins clinking together as they disappeared from view. Then she grabbed a worn clipboard and a feathered ink pen from her workspace, the tools of her trade well-used and familiar in her hands. She dabbed the tip of the pen in a small inkwell, then looked up and glared at the trio with an expression that could freeze water.
"Names," she said sternly, her voice clipped and professional but carrying an unmistakable edge of irritation.
Chills were sent down the spines of all three children at her icy tone and harsh demeanor. They shifted uncomfortably under her penetrating gaze before, one by one, they answered in turn.
"Kai."
"Rowan."
"Maya."
She wrote down the names on her clipboard with a sense of disgust that was almost palpable, her pen scratching across the parchment with sharp, aggressive strokes. After finishing, she looked back up at them, her expression unchanged.
"Family names?" she asked, clearly expecting additional information.
The question hung in the air like a weight. All three of them went silent and looked at each other awkwardly, a moment of uncomfortable recognition passing between them. The silence stretched for several long seconds before Kai finally spoke up, his voice cutting through the tension.
"We have no family names," he said confidently, meeting her eyes without flinching. There was no shame in his voice, no hesitation—just simple, honest fact.
The woman was momentarily and very slightly shocked. Her ears twitched involuntarily and her eyes widened just a fraction before she caught herself. She quickly cleared her throat, regaining her professional composure, though something in her expression had softened ever so slightly—perhaps recognition, perhaps pity.
"Okay then," she said, her tone marginally less hostile than before. "Please take a seat with the rest of the test takers, and a test examiner will be with you all shortly." Her words were clipped and efficient, clearly dismissing them.
Kai nodded in acknowledgment, and the three of them turned around in unison to find suitable seats in the waiting area. The red rug muffled their footsteps as they moved deeper into the lobby.
While walking toward an open bench, Kai started to examine the other people currently occupying the lobby space, his observant nature kicking in automatically. There were six other people in total—nine including the three of them. Of those six waiting individuals, two in particular really stood out to him immediately, drawing his attention like magnets.
One was a boy who appeared to be around their age, perhaps fourteen or fifteen at most. He sat with an insufferably smug look plastered across his face, his back perfectly postured as though he'd been trained from birth to sit with rigid propriety. His legs were crossed in a manner that suggested supreme confidence bordering on arrogance. He had perfectly styled but unique white hair arranged in the form of an immaculate comb-over that probably took his servants half an hour to achieve. He wore an elaborate outfit consisting of a deep blue velvet doublet with gold embroidery along the collar and cuffs, pristine white silk gloves, polished black riding boots, and a short cape fastened at his shoulder with an ornate brooch bearing what was undoubtedly his family crest. Everything about him screamed wealth, privilege, and status.
'Well, he looks like fun...' Kai thought sarcastically, already feeling a headache forming. 'Must be part of the lord of this town's family... a noble, obviously.' Kai rolled his eyes with barely concealed disdain. 'The kid even has a personal guard with him. What a tool.'
Indeed, standing directly next to the blonde boy was a stern-looking guard standing rigidly at attention. The guard's posture was military-perfect, his hand resting casually but meaningfully on the hilt of his blade, eyes constantly scanning the room for potential threats to his young charge. The man looked like he could snap into action at a moment's notice.
Kai then shifted his attention to the other person who had caught his eye and piqued his curiosity. This was another boy who also looked relatively close to them in age, maybe a year or two older at most. In stark contrast to the noble, this boy sat in a relaxed, almost meditative posture with his eyes closed peacefully. His breathing appeared slow and controlled, his entire body still and centered.
'He must be really serious about this,' Kai observed with genuine respect. 'He's really focusing, getting himself mentally prepared.'
Kai looked the mysterious kid up and down, taking in every detail and noticing his distinctly odd attire. The boy had black hair in the form of a buzz cut that revealed the shape of his skull, and his skin was a rich, dark brown that suggested origins from somewhere far to the south or east. He was dressed in what appeared to be some sort of kimono in deep navy blue with subtle gray patterns, the garment wrapped and tied in the traditional style. Most intriguingly, a sheathed sword lay in the seat directly next to him, clearly within easy reach. The scabbard was simple but elegant, speaking of function over decoration.
'Another swordsman... exciting,' Kai thought, his interest genuinely piqued. There was something about the boy's calm demeanor that suggested real training and discipline.
But suddenly, Kai's careful examination of the interesting boy was starkly and jarringly disrupted by the sound of some sort of commotion going on across the room. Raised voices cut through the relative quiet of the lobby, instantly drawing attention.
Kai stood frozen for a moment, his body going rigid with dread. He slowly turned around, moving like someone who didn't want to confirm what they already suspected. 'Shit, shit, shit... please don't be Maya, please don't be Maya, please don't be…'
His silent prayers, desperate hopes that for once his loud-mouthed, emotional, and cocky childhood friend hadn't managed to cause trouble in the span of thirty seconds were sadly and predictably shot down the moment he completed his turn. There she was, standing face to face with the noble kid, her posture aggressive and confrontational. The noble looked affronted and angry, his face flushed, while his guard had moved his hand more firmly onto his weapon.
Kai looked simultaneously exhausted and deeply worried. He sighed deeply, the sound coming from the very depths of his soul, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
'Shit,' he thought with weary resignation.
A/N: someone smite Maya down ASAP