Their footsteps echoed lightly throughout the sleek marble hallways as they walked, the evening sunlight pouring in through the towering windows and giving the building a warm, comforting glow. Back home, he knew it couldn't have been this nice. It was chilly here, yes, but there wasn't a single bit of frost to be seen yet. Beata would have been covered in a sheet of white by then. It was oddly saddening. He never thought that he'd miss snow so much.
His new friend hardly gave him time to ever grief, perhaps for the best.
"Repeat after me," the Sofian cleared his throat. "Mein name ist..." His voice trailed off, gesturing encouragement.
"Mein name... ist..." The young man frowned, determined to match his companion's thick accent. "Jason. Mein name ist Jason."
"Gut. Now again... Mein name ist Jason. Leck mich am arsch." A suspicious smile crept on his face, but Jace chose to ignore it.
He'd always seemed to have a strange grin about him. When they'd first met, the young man hadn't been sure what to make of the European. Tobias was his name. Just shy of Jason's own height and two years his elder; his hair was consistently shaved into a messy, dirty blonde mohawk, and his brown eyes had a constant tired look to them, yet he still had to be one of the most energetic people in the whole damn school.
That he knew of anyways, it wasn't as if he talked to make. Everyday, he'd pass by several students or teachers, yet Jace always just nodded a simple greeting their way instead of trying to chat. Not all of them spoke English and it was the easiest way to avoid awkward confrontations. It also made things more lonely, but at least he had one person to talk to.
"Mein name ist Jason," he said again, struggling to recall just the right words. "Leck mich am..."
"Arsch."
"Arsch... Leck mich am arsch." He did it!
The guardian admittedly felt a little proud of himself, thinking he probably didn't sound like a complete American retard. He failed notice the weird look a few others nearby had given him in his glee. "Damn, German is a mouthful. What does that even mean?"
Tobias yawned, shrugging as if it were no big deal. "I'm here to serve."
"Huh," Jason mulled it over as they turned the corner towards the headmistress' office. "I'll have to try that."
And again the elder smiled, pausing before they could be heard approaching. "She would appreciate that."
That was settled then. Jace raised a clench first up, glancing up the to the ceiling as he'd done several times before. It was hard not to travel the school without being impressed by the architecture. Beata was a refurbished mansion, yet Sofia was an eighth wonder of all it's own. The grand carved oak doors were welded with polished cast iron. The ceilings themselves were painted throughout the campus, telling the school's story throughout the ages.
Once he focused and pulled himself together, he knocked lightly on a door. With hardly a moment past, they swung open slowly seemingly on their own accord.
Two women awaited them inside. One stood closely to the entrance, clearly waiting for them, and watched begrudgingly as they stepped inside. Lucía. A small girl with dark brown braids, olive green eyes, a bland taste of clothing, and an even blander looking face that always seemed disinterested or annoyed. Whenever Jason saw her, he couldn't help but wonder when the last time was she truly smiled.
"You are late," she said.
"What?" Irritation flashed across Tobias' face. "We were told to meet at five. It's five." He paused, then checked his wristwatch to be certain.
Lucía hadn't seemed impressed. "You are fourty-eight seconds late. I counted. You should have arrived early, as I had."
And now it was the boys' turn to stare after her in disbelief as she began to make her way to the back of the room. "Señor Peiper, Señor Wright, it is rude to keep her waiting."
Jason almost flinched as the doors slammed shut behind them, sharing a look of exasperation with the one beside him. Tobias seemed to have forgotten it already, In fact, Jace thought he even looked... excited. He thought it rather weird, wondering what the Sofian could've been thinking as they followed after.
"Maestra, they have arrived." Lucía called, pointing out quickly where the other two should stand to create an orderly line before her.
"Ah, thank you! Thank you for coming!" The woman behind the desk, Ms. Collytus, was beaming. Even in the most unfortunate of situations, she always seemed to be cheerful. "Please sit, we have much to discuss."
And now was his time to shine. "With pleasure, Headmistress," Jason grinned, dipping his head. "Leck mich am arsch." He liked to think he said it perfectly.
For a moment, the Beatan stayed that way, waiting for more of Ms. Collytus' upbeat gratefulness ... Or some sort of positive response. Anything. Anything at all.
Instead, it sounded as if Lucía had begun to choke on her own spit whilst Tobias had busted out crying into laughter.
Red instantly colored Jason's face and he instantly snapped towards his so-called friend. "What did I say?" He demanded, "Tell me what I said!"
Tobias couldn't answer even if he'd wanted to, Jace's reaction making his sides ache all the more. Lucía had begun to irritably mutter curses under her breath. The headmistress herself kept on her smile, yet leaned against the back of her chair and rubbed at her temple, feeling an already long day becoming even longer.
