79 A Safe Return

Lydis made her way to her dorm, exhausted. It wasn't just physically but mentally as well. Transferring slyphir to Valfafer and listening to the idiot in the alley. Everything was just so tiring.

When she reached her room, there was no one inside. Checking her bed, Lydis took off her shabby clothes and gently placed Ui into her bag. Dressing in a set of casual wear, Lydis made her way to the bathrooms. If there was one thing she properly learned from Blair it was that a bath after exhaustion was the best was to relax.

After her bath, Lydis felt a bit more refreshed as she returned to her room.

Placing her bag on her bed, Lydis brough out Ui and her repair kit.

"Ui, open the panel on your side."

"Yes Master Lydis."

With a small hiss of pressure, Ui's side with the gash opened. Lydis used a small tweezer to remove metal shards lodged within the wires and to rearrange them. Using a different tool, Lydis applied a thin coat of sealant gel to Ui's circuits to prevent other things like dust or moisture from damaging the circuits.

"Ui, extend the panel. I'm going to remove it and replace it with a new one."

"Yes Master Lydis."

Lydis used a small saw blade to cut off the links holding the panel. As soon as the panel fell off, the small nano-machines began to search for a new attachment. Lydis used the tweezers to guide the new panel together.

After finishing the outer repairs to Ui, Lydis left the little robot to do more detailed internal self-repairs. Now she had to focus on her own repairs.

Using a sanitary bandage Lydis cleaned her wound and applied a gel that would close the outer layer of the wound quickly. She then moved onto to refining her right arm. There wasn't much to do except that she felt when the kidnapper earlier had grabbed her, something had shifted out of place. Maybe due to the force of his hold or her wild movements, she couldn't tell.

Just as Lydis was reattaching her right arm, the voice on the door sounded.

"Welcome home, Bianca Breavux. Welcome home, Senri Klinn."

Lydis quickly finished her adjustments and slipped Ui into her pocket before the two entered the room. Senri was clinging tightly onto Bianca's arm when they saw Lydis sitting by the table, casually fiddling with strange tools.

"Lydis?!"

Bianca rushed over and hovered over Lydis cautiously. After the murderer and commotion in the dorms, she hadn't seen Lydis since. Senri, who was pulled along, snapped back to her senses and dashed for her bunk bed, covering herself in sheets. Her trembling visibly shaking the part of the blanket hanging off.

"Are you alright Lydis? I-I tried to search for you after, but you weren't anywhere…"

Lydis stared at Bianca's troubled expression. Red swelling lingered at the ends of her eyes.

"… I'm fine. During that explosion behind the dorm I was injured so I was taken to the hospital. No need to worry about my business."

"Ah, of course… maybe that was too brash of me. We haven't been acquainted long enough to even be considered classmates…"

Lydis looked at the forced smile on Bianca's face and sighed.

"… yet. It's a possibility that we'll be in some of the same classes, considering we're both part of the so called 'elites' at the Academy."

Bianca's down face instantly brightened at Lydis's words.

"Of course! I'll be sure to seek you out often. Please treat me well!"

"Err… okay?"

Bianca smiled once more and went to her bed, her happy humming filling the silent room. Lydis couldn't understand why Bianca wanted to be her friend so much nor the reason why Bianca was so interested in her.

Lydis put back her tools calmly, unafraid to let the other two know about them. If they questioned she could just play it off in the moment.

The voice to the door sounded once again, drawing the attention of all three girls, Senri's head peeking out under her blankets.

"Welcome home, Ayla Portnum."

The girl whose animal was the monkey, walked into the room, a small sack slung over her shoulder.

"Hmm, guess I'm the last to arrive. Maybe you know my name, maybe you don't, I'm Ayla Portnum. Due to some family issues, I went back right after the killer incident for a bit. Nice to be with you all for who knows how long."

Ayla gave a halfhearted salute with her hand and strode into the room. She saw Senri and sighed slightly, upon seeing Bianca she tensed a little but, when she saw Lydis on the bunk below the only available bed, her heart almost skipped a beat. In a room with a noble, a crazy, and a brat, her bad luck had to be working it's curse again.

"Hello Miss Portnum, I'm Flur Fior Bianca Breavux. Please address me casually and call me Bianca like everyone else."

"Ah no, don't add 'Miss' to my name. It's giving me chills. Just call me Ayla. Formalities are one of the things I detest the most."

"Oh, my apologies then Ayla. I hope we can be good friends in the future!"

"Uh… yeah, me too…"

Bianca was a bit different compared to all the nasty stories her family had told her about nobles. Their pride would cover the sun if it could materialize, disgusting scandals fill the corrupt government while the poor are left to starve, unaware that those with power waste money like it was the air they breathe.

"Ayla?"

Bianca had approached the zoned out Ayla.

"Ah, I'm fine! Is that bed the only one free? Great! Top bunk seems cooler anyway!"

Ayla rushed up the small ladder leaving Bianca to stand alone in the middle of the room. Although she remained smiling with a kind demeanor, it saddened Bianca a bit to be avoided. The Academy was a place where she'd hoped to turn over her life and make it more than her family's marionette. To finally make it 'her' life with connections she'd formed through blood and sweat. Through battles and training.

Although she felt a bit down, seeing Lydis lazing on her bed idly made her happy once more. Even if it was only Lydis who looked at her as 'Bianca' and not a 'Baron's daughter', she would be content.

Silence filled the room once again when Senri suddenly yelled.

"Ahh! Ah no! No, stay away! Go away!"

Bianca rushed out from under her bunk but Senri was already leaping down the ladder. In that moment of panic, Senri collided with Bianca.

"N-no… Stay away, don't kill… me…"

Senri collapsed into Bianca's arms, her small body shivering.

"Shhh, it's okay now. Shhh…"

Bianca patted Senri's head slowly and rhythmically, as if it wasn't her first time experiencing Senri's outburst.

Senri's cries softened and Bianca placed Senri onto her own bed since carrying her to the top was dangerous.

"Sorry if that startled you two. I didn't know how to bring it up but lately Senri's been having trouble sleeping. Nightmares or trauma, either way, patting her head like so will calm her down."

"Okay…"

Ayla was a bit more worried about her living conditions but there wasn't much she could do about Senri's mental state. Lydis however was unfazed. Even with Senri's sudden yell, she felt no need to be threatened nor surprised.

Truly the three had quickly accepted Senri's current state as something that would pass but, considering that Senri's reaction would be very common in such situations, or to say the more 'normal' reaction. The three each took a silent note of each other.

Out of interest, caution, or just a whim. Regardless of the intention, dorm life would not be simple.