Minx looked around the dining room and noted their sister class as Logan called it was not present. She was thinking about this while she was getting what this establishment called food. It occurred to her the timing of their processing must have been the issue. They complete their testing before her class did so they got their tour before lunch was ready.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, "Hiya sis!"
She turned to see her brother. "Hey Midas. Is your room nice?"
Midas shrugged, "I get a bed all to myself and it won't rain on my head during inclement weather so I can't complain!"
Minx laughed. "Mine's not so bad either. I'm roomed with a Bree family member! I think it's the girl with the bird we tested with. The room is geared for a beast companion."
Midas smiled as they got in line to suffer through the meal, hoping the remainder of their day wouldn't be even better than their morning.
As she and Midas found a seat, Minx noticed Logan standing near the entrance to the kitchen and watched curiously. She tried to choke down one of the worst dishes she has ever been presented with, swearing if she ever got the chance, she was shredding this recipe then burning it in a fire. She confessed it didn't taste as bad as that in the orphanage but it was pretty hard to cook worse than the orphanage.
About a third of the way through her bowl of torture, she noticed Logan being presented with a gourmet sandwich, freshly prepared and it smelled like the bread just came out of the oven. A drink of water was prepared for him in a crystal clear glass. Logan ate his meal in perfect solitude, secure in the idea that no one was prepared to approach the only level 8 in class. Minx was unable to tell if he was pleased with his meal or not as his face held no expression.
"Midas," she whispered and leaned closer, "Can you give me your money car once we get them linked to our watches? I think it's prudent to prevent your money from being stolen by bullies. I promise to keep a good ledger for you."
"Also, based on the ... presentation we have before us…." She chuckled at her own choice of words, "I will need to buy a new portable setup to cook outside again. How can cooks torture innocent food like this!"
Midas laughed a good hearty laugh but nodded because his sister was certainly a better cook than those getting paid to do it.
"How can you even eat that so quickly?"
"I'm a growing boy. I'm starving!" he chuckled.
"That's the best reason for me to prepare our meals. If you feel more comfortable, you can eat here and have my cooking. I don't know when we'll be able to afford meat to feed you."
He nodded then looked from his empty bowl to her half-full bowl. She chuckled, slid the bowl over to her twin, and watched him devour the contents, revolted.
Just the last of his sister's soup reached his stomach, Midas saw the teacher stand up.
"Everyone take your trays to the return over there." He pointed to a window by the back door. "Then wait by that door next to it. Starting this evening, both classes will all be eating together."
Well, that explains it, thought Minx.
There was a mad scramble to accomplish the task as they were excited to see their new campus and understand what their new life would be like for the next two years, longer for those that chose to join the military after graduation. The military freely gave the earth ability book up to level 4 as a recruitment tool. If a person wanted to get stronger in the earth ability, they must join the military. Many signed on before the end of their first year so they could continue to grow.
Once all the trays were placed in the window and the trash in the receptacle next to it, the teacher led his students out the door and they saw several buildings.
As they walked, Sin pointed to different structures and explained what they were looking at.
"Over there, to the left is the second year campus and the military base. The second-years have their own campus so there should be no interaction between them and you. The building we are heading to in the middle is our homeroom and club building."
"To the right of our class building is the administration building. The doctor's office is located on the first floor, just across the corridor from the main entrance. Supply, where you get your uniforms, towels and such is to the left of the doctor's office."
"Club participation is mandatory. The higher ups prefer it be a combat-related club but there are support clubs available for those how prefer not to fight. Portal outings are required regardless of what kind of club you join. Now. Most clubs are in our homeroom building but not all. Bigger clubs are separate and line the outside wall. While the most common combat clubs are Beast Weapons, Elemental Ability, Transformation, and Enhancement clubs, only Beast Weapons and Elemental Ability are along the wall."
"In addition to them, Agricultural Club is in the back corner over there to the left."
"For Forger's Club, the classroom is inside the building but the forges are located behind the building on the first floor which permits students to craft after hours. There are 4 forges for first-year students."
"The student market is behind our homeroom building and the headquarters building. This is where the forger will sell their wares. Anything that is crafted by a student will be sold there, such as those in the crafting/sewing club, agricultural club, etc. We used to have it in the gym but some students complained they couldn't use the gym on the weekends. There is also an open area for students to sell their used gear."
"Stalls are only open on the weekends. There is a site students can follow which helps you contact those crafters who wish to be known. This is where students will advertise what they are selling and which stall they are at. These will begin to open up 3 months int the term to give students time to craft things. More stalls show as the term deepens up to the 6-month mark as students improve their quality."
"All crafting club students are required to have a stall. It may be a necessary skill once you start your life outside of school. Any questions before we enter the building?"
Miraculously, no one raised their hand so they entered the building.
"Classes are easy to find. Even numbers to the right, odd numbers to the left. A is on the south side, B is on the North side. Simple?"
Sin continued the tour, though it seemed a bit short so far. From food to pointing into the distance then to their classroom. However, he seemed to have a lot of experience with students.
"This means as soon as you enter the building, our classroom is right there," he pointed to door, across the hall. "Please enter. I assigned everyone a desk with the hopes you would intermingle between classes. Your course materials are already waiting for you. This includes your lessons tablet, money card for those without them, schedules, and the list of clubs. Your tablets have everything you need but some people like to have paper versions of their schedules as such. You can hop between clubs but it's best to sign up as quickly as possible because some classrooms have limited space.
Everyone was in the room looking for their seat so he went the front and stood behind his.
"There is an exam halfway through the year and another at the end of the year. There will be two planetary excursions which are called Portal Outings. Their purpose is to challenge you and generally involve combating beasts. This is why there is an emphasis on combat clubs."
"There is an inter-base tournament towards the end of the year. Many clubs compete with those from other bases. The only crafting club involved is the Forging club. Any questions?"
Minx did.
"Teacher Sin, how do we sign up for a club?"
"Great question! Follow the directions in your pamphlet to link your watch to your tablet. You need to do that with your money card as well. Your watch will prompt you to select a club, but your tablet will as well once you turn it on and go through the prompts for set up."
"It's simple as it will ask you simple questions. It will also give you suggestions on clubs and other activities based on your interests and talents. You can choose something suggested or try something new."
"Also, you can choose to "follow" events that interest you. You will be alerted when they happen. An example would be if different classes chose to have a tournament. If you chose that type of activity to follow, you'd be alerted if such an event were to occur. Any further questions?"
There were none.
"In that case you are released to familiarize yourself with the campus and your materials. At some point today, you are required to stop by the supply store in the headquarters building and get your uniforms. You will be required to wear them starting tomorrow morning to every class and any official event."
"Today is an exception as the supply store is not normally open on weekends. If you need to replacement any part of your uniform, it must be done during normal working hours. Anything you need for education such as notebooks, pens and such can be purchased there as well."
"An alarm will sound for breakfast at 8am. I will see you here each weekday morning at 9 am. Curfew, meaning be in your room, is at 10 pm. Dismissed."
Everyone gathered all their materials and left the room. Some headed back to their rooms, some decided to walk around and find the exterior clubs. There was a lot of chatter as the teenagers were looking forward to the start of their lessons. And the inevitable had begun. Lower level students started introducing themselves to the higher level students.
Minx and Midas went straight to supply. They got their uniforms and other supplies then went back to her room. They now had their very own towels! Midas followed Minx into her room so he could teach her how to use her watch and tablet. He was grateful they didn't give her a beast weapon.