They both approached with ease.
I recognised one of them vaguely; the other was more of a mystery.
Randel gestured first to a wide-smiling girl whose entire posture seemed to lean slightly forward even while standing still, as if she were the embodiment of enthusiasm.
"This is Ilya."
She jumped forward, grinning, before Randel could even finish the introduction.
"Hey! You're Ryn, right? The one who nearly got pulverised by Professor Naeric in class, and then nearly pulverised by a noble in the Academy corridors, and somehow survived both with your face attached and some minor dignity loss?"
I stared at her, dumbfounded.
"Uh... yeah, kinda, I wouldn't say that's entirely accurate, but it certainly is an interesting way to describe my Academy life so far."
"Thanks!" she said brightly, as if I had complimented her.
I did not.
Randel quickly moved, probably because he already knew that Ilya was going to be a lot to handle for someone who had just met her.
"And this is Junio."
Junio stepped towards me and offered his hand.
He looked around our age, maybe a little older. Dark blue hair, neatly styled with a side part. His expression was calm; in fact, there was nothing flashy about him, not the way he carried himself nor his appearance. He looked like the type of person who could disappear in a room whenever he wanted to.
It wasn't because he looked weak.
No.
It was because he looked composed.
Too composed, maybe.
His handshake was firm, but not aggressive.
There was this controlled restraint about him.
"Nice to meet you," he said.
"You too."
I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there was something about Junio that felt off.
'This guy is giving off an odd vibe.'
There wasn't anything obviously wrong with him; it's not like he was giving me death stares or was overly friendly, and at the same time wasn't too distant. Perhaps that's what it was, how everything about him felt smoothed over, like an invisible mask that was carefully crafted only to reveal what was necessary.
Like every part of him had been arranged into a version of normal that was just slightly too neat.
It would've been unfair to assume anything from that.
And stupid.
People at Aetherion were weird in every possible direction. If I started distrusting everyone who seemed a little too calm, I'd end up strangling half the student body and one of my best friends by accident.
So I let it go.
For now.
"Nice to meet you both," I said.
"Likewise," Junio replied.
Ilya leaned in with a conspirational grin. "I'm definitely your favourite out of us three, though, right?"
"Haha, I don't know, you're definitely up there though," I replied with awkward laughter.
Randel made a face. "I would be careful about this one, Ryn. She nearly knocked me unconscious twice for the brief spell we've been here for."
Ilya butted in, "That was encouragement! Encouragement!"
"Say that to the bruises on my chest, Ilya!" Randel responded with a sarcastic level of shock.
Junio, with absolute calm, added, "In Ilya's defence, your Aether was giving up much more quickly than your skull was."
Randel gave him a stare of disgust so flat that it looked like it belonged in a staged comedy.
I laughed hard before I could stop myself.
'This is nice.'
It was good to see Randel look... normal.
He didn't look fully healed, not mentally, and I wasn't expecting him to transform into some cheerful extrovert, but at least now he looks like a real person. One who could be annoyed, laugh, and get teased by his friends without collapsing as a person.
The thought mattered more than I wanted to say out loud.
So I kept it to myself.
I looked back toward the practice circle, and then back to Randel. "So, what were you all doing in this room anyway?"
"Ah! They were helping me work on a defensive spell."
I raised a brow. "Hm? A specific kind?"
He nodded.
"Yeah, I'm trying to shape Aether around my whole body instead of just one point. Something like… a body shield, you could say, so I can keep tanking hits even if a spell lands directly."
'That's actually smart.'
Painfully practical. Very Randel-like.
Before I could say that, Ilya clasped her hands behind her back and announced cheerfully, "It sounds great, but sadly it hasn't worked at all."
Randel looked betrayed.
Ilya kept going, entirely undeterred by Randel's pouty face.
"He's definitely taken more hits than the amount of Aether he's managed to release. At this point, the spell might be a highly inefficient way to get bombarded by damage."
Randel immediately elbowed her in the stomach.
Not hard, but just enough.
Ilya wheezed in exaggerated offence and clutched at her side like he'd struck her with mortal force.
"Oh! Randel... how you wound me and my kind soul."
"Perhaps, your soul was too kind," Randel muttered.
Junio looked down at the floor for a second, covering his face, and I got the impression he was trying to hide a smile.
I laughed again, louder this time.
It felt good.
Stupidly good.
This was the sort of thing that made the Academy feel alive, not the rankings or the classes or the prestige or even the House politics.
It was this.
People acting like people.
I hooked my thumbs into my pockets and looked at Randel.
"So, can I have a go at the shield?"
He looked immediately horrified.
"NO."
I snorted. "Damn. That was quick."
"...I'm out of Aether," he said. "And very tired."
Junio, still in that maddeningly level tone of his, said, "To be fair, it's most likely because he doesn't want to get hit again."
Randel turned and gave him the same deadpan stare he'd given Ilya.
It somehow looked even funnier this time.
Junio didn't react, making it even funnier.
Ilya, meanwhile, was practically vibrating trying to hold in her laughter.
Randel sighed. "Gosh, you're all so horrible to me."
"You know, you say that," Ilya said with a level of cheekiness, "but you keep showing up to hang out with us."
"That's because I have poor judgment."
"And that's exactly why we like you."
Randel tried not to smile and failed just enough for me to catch it.
I glanced back at the practice ring and shrugged.
"Well, that's a shame. I was looking forward to throwing some Aether at you."
Randel gave me a look. "Dude. Why are you making our friendship sound deeply unsafe?"
I gave a laugh in jest, as if trying to match the atmosphere those three had earlier, "Haha, I'm just joking, only joking... maybe."
"Huh?"
Ilya stepped forward before Randel could force me to elaborate.
"Hey! You know, if you really want some action, then you could spar with me!"
I turned toward her.
Her grin sharpened. There was snark in it now, an edge that hadn't quite been there during the introductions.
"Oh?" I said.
She lifted her chin slightly.
"Unless you're worried I'd make you look bad."
That got my attention properly.
I felt my mouth move before I meant it to.
"Sure," I said. "Why not?"
Then I looked her up and down, making it obvious to her that I was sizing her up.
"You think you can keep up?"
Ilya's grin widened into a bright smile, as if I had just handed her the best part of her day.