Horwell tipped his head politely to the headmaster as he came into the room. His eyes didn’t seem to open as he gazed around the room before taking the vacant seat. Kotake had left to get to her job, and now Gannon sat shyly opposite the small, round woman.
“Madame Hylia?”
The woman’s smile was like a sunbeam splitting the clouds. Her hair, somewhere between white and blonde, was braided with glittery pins and flowers. Her entire build put Gannon awkwardly in mind of a statue he had once seen, all soft edges and round shapes.
“Mister Horwell, this is our newest student, Gannondorf Dragmire. He was not informed that it would be a full school day today, though he was meant to be assigned to your classroom.”
There was no accusation in the tone, which Gannon still found odd. It seemed an old assistant had sent his official letters with the wrong information, and no one had caught it since the main details about “first day of the school year” and teacher were correct. Madame Hylia had made no fuss, had shown him around the school and explained how the lessons were broken down, then brought him back to the office to summon his teacher.
The entire time he’d expected to be shoved into a classroom to stand there awkwardly as the teacher berated him for being late and demanded he introduce himself. Horwell turned his calm face towards him. He offered a hand. It was shaken without hesitation, and with no attempt to squeeze his fingers in some kind of competition.
“I’m sorry for the trouble.”
The burnet tilted his head forward for a moment.
“We’re doing some mathematics at the moment, though if you were unprepared for the first day, I imagine you do not have pen and paper, which would make the written portion difficult for you. And it would not be kind to make it seem as though our error is yours in bringing you into the class mid lesson.”
The professor looked at the principal, the ceiling, then at Gannon. The young man thought he saw a glint of gold as the eye-slits parted for a moment, then vanished back into thick black lashes.
“I also don’t want your trip to the grounds today to be wasted. I imagine you are meant to stay here until the finishing time, so let’s see.”
There was another knock. Hylia rose and admitted her secretary. A set of mugs were arrayed on the tray, with a steaming teapot and coffee press in the middle. A small bottle sat next to them, condensation dewed on the sides. In the free space a packet of chocolate biscuits sat, one end open but still full, ready to be enjoyed.
“Thank you Nayru. If you could find the fruit basket I put down earlier, that would be everything I need for now.”
Gannon stared at the tray, then at the woman carrying it. She was the first person on campus he’d seen with darker skin. It was a different style to his, and made him think of olives rather than deserts, but it was the eyes that caught him so, so dark as to appear black, until she tilted her head and he realised they were a true, deep ocean blue. She caught his gaze, gave him a steady nod, then eased silently back from the room. She had an air of complete competence unlike anyone he’d ever met, and the feeling was definitely startling.
His companions, however, seemed used to it. Hylia was busy drawing herself a cup of tea, while Horwell was filling up a cup of coffee.
“Would you like a warm drink, mister Dragmire? I have hot chocolate too if you’d rather.”
“Water would be best please.”
Hylia nodded calmly and walked over to her filing cabinet. He was confused for a moment before he heard water rushing, and leaned to catch sight of a tiny basin behind the metal.
“Please help yourself to the biscuits, or the fruit if it comes. I cannot think where I put that thing down.”
For the first time he heard annoyance in her tone, and he peered at the pale woman. She saw him looking and gave him another of those warming smiles.
“I try not to expect perfection, but I still get annoyed at myself when I’m not.”
Confused by these strange teachers, Gannon hid behind the water cup. A few seconds after he’d settled back into the chair the door burst open and the fruit basket was plonked down by someone rushing around like a headless chicken. They were gone again before anyone could thank them. Hylia sighed, though she continued to smile, a little indulgently now, and took an apple.
“I’d say the easiest course would be to bring you into the classroom today, so you’re not missing out on content, or peer interaction.”
Horwell spoke between sips. Hylia brought her gaze to him, watching and listening with interest.
“Missing scholastic supplies are easy enough to manage, we should have spares in the art room that I can fetch.”
His closed-eye gaze slipped back to Gannon.
“The biggest question is when we should bring you in to the room, as we have yet to have someone stand up and introduce themselves outside of designated activities.”
“We could wait until after lunch time. The library isn’t in use by any classes this morning and would be a quiet place to enjoy some reading time.”
“Or the gymnasium, though I think it’s a younger class, and if you haven’t got a change of clothes, I cannot imagine running around will be all that appealing.”
“Nothing constructive is being done in cooking or fabrics today, so neither of them would be glad for a student without supplies.”
“It seems unfair to start you in wood or metalworking since you wouldn’t be able to finish anything for some time, and neither of us wants you doing makework.”
Gannon put his cup aside to pick up a mandarin, peeling it as the two teachers traded ideas over the desk. Neither objected as he took a third chocolate biscuit, though the action seemed to remind Horwell of their existence, as he took another straight after him.
“It rather comes down to how you’d like to enter the class.”
Gannon ate a segment of the fruit slowly, able to tell they had no intention of rushing him. He cleared his mouth with a sip of water.
“I think I’d rather just come to class now. Just get it over and done with. All I really think I need is a pen and some loose-leaf paper, and I can bring the rest of my gear tomorrow.”
Both of the adults seemed surprised, but comfortable with his decision. Hylia stood up.
“I will source some tools. Please be comfortable while you wait.”
Horwell took another biscuit and bit straight into it, looking satisfied. Gannon peeled another segment of the mandarin out.
“It’s funny…”
The phrasing made Gannon look up, trying not to let the second of paranoia echo on his face.
“That there are only a few common ancestors of citrus fruits.”
The biscuit vanished with some more coffee. He helped himself to a pear.
“Other fruits have such a wide range and so many varieties, and then there’s citrus which is mostly four species and grafting.”
Gannon had excellent English skills, but his new teacher had lost him. Something must have shown in his face, for Horwell looked abashed and shook his head.
“Nevermind, I like history, and plant cultivation. It’s not important.”
“I apologise, I do not know some of the words you have used.”
“And I don’t speak Gerudian, so I can’t translate the idea. One day though.”
Horwell smiled again.
“I don’t suppose you speak sign language at all?”
“I am afraid I do not know of a language of signs.”
“That’s a pity, one of the free desks is by a student who uses them. I am going to try and fit a lesson about them in there, though a few students have been around him for years and can hold a decent conversation. Oh well.”
“Where is it from? This language of signs?”
“Hmm? Oh. Uh, you know I actually don’t know who developed it. That is an excellent question.”
Gannon paused, feeling as if he were missing a crucial point, but unsure of it.
“What land did it come from? I have not heard of a country called Sign.”
That got another momentary view of the teachers’ eyes as he peered at Gannon.
“It’s not a country, it’s a description. It means a language made out of physical movements.”
“Like the language of animals.”
He caught the disapproving look, and took a moment before realising how the comment might sound. Gannon held up a hand.
“I mean, a dog cannot say the words “play with me”, but they have a gesture that means this. To anyone who understands, be it dog, human, or other that has the knowledge, this gesture is “I would like to play”. To a human, ramming your head into another human is aggression. For a cat, it is a loving greeting. I simply mean it is a language that is… of this style.”
Horwell didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he allowed himself to nod.
“In humans, sign language is usually used by those who cannot hear. But more and more people have realised it can benefit those who cannot speak, or have trouble hearing… or just as a quiet way to talk.”
“And I will have this classmate who uses it.”
“Nearly exclusively, yes.”
Gannon finished off the mandarin.
“Thank you, I will think on this.”
~
Karane put the book down as Horwell slid back into the room. While there had clearly been a few disruptions, no one was really in a rebellious mood beyond the new child, Shiek. As Karane took her seat, Horwell stayed in the doorway.
“Apologies for taking so long. Thank you madam Karane for looking after the class in my absence.”
He ignored Shiek’s derisive snort.
“To make this as quick as possible, we have one more student who is joining us today. Some of you may have heard his name in rollcall. If necessary, we will do some introductions later on today. For now though, mister Gannondorf, if you would please take a free seat and we will continue from where madam Karane has gotten us to.”
Gannon tried not to flinch as the eyes turned to him. They in turn tried not to stare too hard. His growth spurt had put him above most of the other students in height, and he already had more muscles than many, though one boy near the back with a truly ridiculous pompadour was clearly going to try and prove that he was stronger. He realised only after he had sat back down that his neighbour was covering his ears and looking at Horwell, waiting, not staring at him. It was enough of a relief. He set the pad of paper in front of him and clicked the pen into position. The seat near the back meant that people kind of had to crane to look at him, so the novelty had worn off in a few minutes.
Horwell waited patiently for the small hubbub to subside before picking up a marker and going straight back as if he hadn’t been away. Maths turned in to English, then a small bell rang. Horwell folded the book he was using closed.
“Enjoy recess. See you in 20 minutes.”
Everyone else was filing out, stretching comfortably. Some were heading straight for the bathroom. Gannon rescued a snack from his bag and followed the main crowd into the schoolgrounds. It seemed nice, a break to just stretch out the body and refresh the mind. The boy who had been seated next to him was a few steps behind. Gannon stopped in the sunlight, causing a momentary split in the river of traffic before wandering off to a bench to bask and enjoy the moment.
There were more stares. New kids weren’t especially common he was gathering, but the whispers were getting around fast. Already he could see a few look, then sort of nod to themselves before continuing on their way. He hated the looks, but the fact they were already tapering out was relieving. The pompadour from class was eyeing him and talking to a small cabal in a shady corner, with two obviously fawning over his muscles. That he could ignore for now. The guy didn’t look like he had enough braincells to actually challenge someone to a proper fight. If he did, Gannon was also betting he had no clue how to actually fight.
After 8 years of stress, trials and tribulations, Diz and Horwell deserved a break. A getaway to relax for a while. In the early Canthan morning, out on a peaceful walk, the couple spots a crane flying into the sky--a symbol of happiness, luck, and longevity. Hope for a brighter future.
It’s been a while since I last uploaded my own work! I did this piece for United Arts of Tyria’s Canthan themed art contest last month. Lines were drawn traditionally, scanned in, then digitally colored. The background was an overpaint of a screenshot with a gradient for the sky. I hope you all enjoy it! 🌸
I JUST REALIZED IT’S A FREAKING CAT ON HORWELL’S ROBES! PAW PADS AND ALL.
Or I guess a Remlit, as that’s technically what Mia is (they act, mew and purr like cats, they’re Skyloft cats) Owlan has a tree on his. But that is weirdly adorable? You go you weird little animal loving elf professor.
