atypicalsenerio:
New Tradition [Open]
Toa open starter!
It’s been a couple of weeks in the making, but a lull in schoolwork has finally made this possible. Some of the students choose to tackle last year’s events with light-hearted humor, resulting in Garreg Mach’s first ever “Glad-To-Be-Alive” party! When you arrive in the classroom it’s hosted in, you see a cozy little get-together with handmade decorations and the smell of dinner in the air. After saying what you are thankful for, everyone is to feast on a whole (small) roasted chicken, something that the students claim is their new Officers Academy tradition.
He just wanted a place to study.
Soren didn’t pay much attention to social events around campus. He still felt tired from the dance some days, and preferred to keep to himself and throw himself into his studies with most of his spare time. It was how he’d always been, and would probably keep being.
He didn’t register that anything was amiss until he opened the classroom door to the smell of roast chicken. The classroom that he thought was going to be empty. Of course, they would use the Golden Deer classroom for this sort of thing.
By then, it was too late to flee. Soren turned to leave but another student stepped in front of him- perhaps not meaning to get in his way, but to be welcoming. “Hey, this is for everyone, you don’t have to go!”
Soren grimaced. “I have work to do-”
Another student came up on his other side. “We made food for just about everyone and we don’t want it to go to waste- we’d be happy to have you!”
He doubted that, but Soren turned to look at the table of food. The classroom was bustling with activity and plenty of students milling around or sitting down, chatting and laughing over the banquet. He would have more peace in the dining hall, but he was hungry, and it was right there… He found himself torn between his lack of social energy and the sheer convenience of being able to eat dinner without making another side trip. “Fine.”
Soren sat in an empty seat, bookbag at his feet. He wasn’t allowed to eat quite yet- no, they were all saying what they were thankful for. He drew a blank at first, and he was quiet the first few seconds as everyone stared at him.
‘Nothing’ would fit his mood, but he supposed he could come up with something. “Ike.”
With that, he could get to work on the entire chicken in front of him. He stabbed into the breast meat of it with a thrust of spiteful vengeance, still hearing Gofannon’s echoing screeches in his mind. He took a bite and had to admit it was good, and he relaxed just a fraction, looking at it again and sizing it up.
“I can’t possibly finish it, though…”
Winter was in full swing at Garreg Mach, to the point that even with a large coat on, he couldn’t help but feel the cold at the very core of him. Ashe’s cheeks were flushed pink, and his nose red, but he was determined to get his errands taken care of every day all the same. With the break in classes, he’s able to spend more time hovering about the kitchens, and he’s sure the chef’s had just about enough of him. He had gotten under foot just one too many times today, and with an exasperated plea, he was asked to please go and enjoy the break with the other students.
So he leaves, sheepishly as he grabs a warm roll, nibbling on it as he wanders the monastery. Not necessarily aimless, but in search of something to do. He knows many of his classmates are gone to spend the holiday with their family, and Ashe considered doing much the same. However, the journey back home to Gaspard is long and arduous, and renting a carriage or a horse still costs a pretty penny, so he promises his siblings in a letter that they’d celebrate together when the academy lets out.
The merriment almost calls to him through the slightly ajar doors to the Golden Deer classroom. He was passing through the hall just next to it’s doors, and sees the lights on, and he’s... intrigued. He doesn’t know much about the Golden Deer, or it’s members, but from a distance they all seem just lovely. Were they throwing a party? He creeps closer, and pokes his head in, and is instantly greeted and all but dragged inside. The warmth urges him to stay, and he happily obliges. The food is in abundance, and as he’s ushered off to the table he’s sat next to a boy with brown, long hair who seems almost angry at the chicken in front of him.
A quick glance his way, as Ashe loads up his own plate. “The monastery?” he offers himself, after a moment. “After all, I’ve been learning a lot at my time here at the Academy. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be here and study, and I know I’ve grown so much in the last six months.” He looks back to the other, as he stares down at the chicken, and laughs. There’s no malice behind it, and the archer can’t help but smile. “I can take some, if you need? Probably one of the biggest hens I’ve seen in awhile -- I have no clue how they convinced the kitchens to help make all of this together.”
He offers a hand out, a little cramped in the table space. “I’m Ashe. Ah, Ubert. From the Blue Lions. This is your house, right?”














