The plane landed and after departing, Tony had to pretty much drag Alex out of the plane because he kept complaining about airplane pretzels and how they were better than land pretzels.
"Think idiot. How are you with the scholarship if you're this much of a fool? What would the hosting school think of us? Or better yet, of our school?" He groaned as he pulled Alex.
Alex smiled, "I don't know, why don't we ask them?" He pointed at two students waiting for them close to the door and Tony went pale.
Their uniforms had a insignia; a lion with a mane made of flames. The very crest of the school they attended. They seemed very polite but their expressions betrayed disgust at Alex's behavior.
"Hello and welcome to Great Eulon City." One of the students, a boy, welcomed them. The other, a girl, turned to look at Alex.
Alex outstretched his hand for a shake, "Hello, nice to meet you."
She looked at the hand with a scrunched up nose, "Pleasure." She sucked her teeth before facing Tony.
"Focus, now. I am Prince and this is Layla." Prince was blonde with bright brown eyes while Layla was a brunette with dessert brown eyes.
The two started walking away forcing Alex and Tony to keep up with their uniform, quick steps.
"This city," Prince said, his voice dripping with pride, "is the hub for future superhumans. Real and capable ones, of course. We have got to be mindful of the riffraffs." His eyes scanned Tony with a hint of appraisal.
'They seem to know that Tony has a beast art. Just what are we doing here that required them to ask for such information.' Alex squinted his eyes a bit.
Tony frowned deeply at the insult but said nothing.
"And as you already know, our city is also equally susceptible to Walker attacks. Whether the two are mutually exclusive is up to debate but that's besides the point." Prince stopped walking and turned to face them.
Layla stood beside Alex and Prince beside Tony, "Consider this a... collaborative exercise," Prince said, a smirk playing on his lips. "Our school's strongest," he gestured to Layla, "with your school's smartest. And vice versa. That's the whole point of this little exchange."
"We will work together and they will do the same. Just thought it necessary to explain else it might go over your head." Layla spoke softly but her tone betrayed her faint mockery.
Alex looked at them with apprehension, 'They don't want to do this. Just like us, they have been forced but they must keep up a facade of being kind.'
His eyes landed on Layla, 'This means that she has a beast art and or is the strongest.'
"Ah. So YOU'RE not the smartest, though I can't say I'm surprised. He is clearly incredibly intelligent." Alex looked at Layla as he said those words.
Her ears turned red and she clenched her teeth before showing a fake smile. 'Haha, that'll teach you.'
The four of them resumed their march in silence until they reached a limousine. Prince opened the doors and Layla entered first.
"Come on now, I'm sure you know how to enter a vehicle that's on more than two wheels." He gasped and covered his mouth dramatically.
Alex sucked his teeth and entered after Tony. As he sat down, he almost moaned. The cushions were so soft that he felt that clouds would be hard compared to them.
The interior of the limousine was white with screens everywhere and due to its design, Alex and Tony sat beside each other while on the opposite side lay Prince and Layla.
Soon, the limousine started to move.
"Hmm, I must say I'm surprised that you aren't using this year's model. This model was made almost three years ago." Tony spoke, pointing at the screens.
Prince squinted his eyes but Layla interjected, "Pay them no mind, Prince. Some people don't know the value of vintage." Her eyes glared daggers at them.
"Vintage is a colorless television or a landline. An outdated model can only be interpreted as a lack of funding." Alex immediately retorted and tension charged the air.
"It seems that even in a city as grand and neat as Eulon City," Alex looked at Prince then at Layla who had started to swell with pride, "there is still trash." He pointed at the window as though he could see refuse.
"Oh and there's road litter as well."
The two wanted to yell at such a blatant insult but held back before they knew that was trap.
If they accused him of insulting them, he could always deny and say that he was referring to the actual trash but they knew he was lying because the windows were tinted.
Calling him out on it still wasn't smart because he could deny and say that he can see through the glass and there would be no way to disprove it without causing a larger conflict that would backfire.
But they couldn't just let it go, they couldn't.
They spent the rest of the ride in silence and Alex regretted being unable to look out the tinted windows.
Soon, however, the limousine came to a stop and the doors were opened by a doorman. They left the vehicle and the driver turned it around and drove off.
Now, Alex and Tony were standing in front of a Victorian style fence with the words: "Eulon City Academy for The Gifted" written with gold on the gate that led to the interior.
The gate buzzed before it slid open. They entered and Prince led them to the castle in the middle of the enclosure.
"Open the double doors and entered the first office on your left. There you'll see exactly who you need to see. Goodbye." Prince and Layla reluctantly bowed before leaving them alone.
Alex and Tony looked at each other before lifting their luggage. They had finally arrived but something told them that their little squabble with Prince and Layla wasn't over.
'A plane, a limousine, and now a castle!! Hehehe, I almost want to see a dragon but I'm afraid that it'll actually happen.' Alex pushed all thoughts of the both of them to the back of his mind.
Tony walked to the doors and pushed them open, "You coming?" He gestured to Alex then they entered.