The Basics

A few short minutes of walking along the same path they had used to enter the vast greenhouse, enjoying the greenery and scent of herbs and flowers alike led him out into the much dryer air of the building that encircled the large glass enclosure. Standing near the entrance was Jien's unit, casually chatting next to the wall to ensure they were out of the way. The dry, somewhat cooler air seemed to bring some life back to Jien's lungs, relieving him of the heaviness of the humidity just passed the door.

The first to notice him was Roslind who bounded over to him and would have likely tackled him if Julie didn't take the opportunity to grab the back her collar to hold her in place. Jien eyed the events with a raised brow not sure what to make of the interaction given that it was truly a first. Julie after letting go of the boisterous red head coughed lightly before saying in a voice that could be heard by only those around her. "We are in one of the public buildings." Though she was not the best at controlling herself she had clearly decided to take her role as secondary leader of the unit to heart now that courses had began.

Rosalind for her part gave a slight blush before laughing a bit at the situation. "True! Sorry, I let it go a bit too far." Her words were just as cheery as she looked at Jien with an almost giddy smile. "So, where are we off to now?" The question brought all of the attention from the others to bear on Jien though Rosalind's attempt at a tackle had started to pull them from their chats.

Jien finished walking over and calmly looked over the members of his team before replying calmly. "I was thinking lunch and then we can go and get you your text books. I had thought you would have gotten them during one of the trips to Central Administration." The others seemed to have a somewhat accusatory look in their eyes as they looked at them, all but for Barret who remained seemingly unfazed and Robyn who was smiling.

It was Julie who spoke up again in an accusatory tone, doing her best to keep her volume lower so that she wouldn't grab the attention of passersby. "How were we supposed to know to know to grab them and when did you even go and get yours? I don't remember you leaving the group when we were at Central Administration."

Her tone was more scathing than questioning. This was her first time in an actual classroom environment with a proper teacher. What little she had learned during her youth was the bare minimum in between fights and was mostly in the form of one of the 'guards' walking her through a variety of worksheets and answering simple questions. To be embarrassed by her first real teacher seemed to aggravate her to no end.

Jien looked into her brown eyes calmly before replying matter-of-factly. "If you had read any of the rule books for the academy that they have lying around just about everywhere there is a section near the the center that would have informed you." He sighed with what the others could only think of as resignation. "As for when I went and got my own books it was during the third afternoon on the way back from the library. None of you were interested in coming at the time."

He continued before anyone could argue with him about it. "Anyway, we will go and have lunch, get you your books for the term and then I would strongly suggest you read the rule book and guide. You'll find a lot of useful information there that I'm sure you will find valuable." With that said Jien gestured to the door leading out into the heat of the afternoon with his hand. "Shall we?"

They quickly made their way from the greenhouse to the closest mess hall. The Academy itself was vast enough to be a major city unto itself so there were several mess halls, clinics, stores and training grounds spread throughout. Their meal was eaten in relative silence compared to their usual chattiness. They seemed to truly take it to heart that they had somehow hindered themselves by not paying enough attention to the resources given to them.

It wasn't like their parents or caretakers could tell them much of anything about the academy. The oaths taken were binding to the point that if broken they would lead to the death of the oath taker with a guaranteed certainty. They had gotten caught up in the new sights, people and happenings that they had all forgotten that they didn't really know much of anything about the Academy and what it could offer them.

After eating their fill they left toward Central Administration to get the books that they had failed to obtain when they first arrived. The walk wasn't long with Jien in the lead, only a short half hour while they avoided the largest of main thoroughfares to avoid the crowds that would appear between the morning and afternoon courses. The first and second years would have their courses in the mornings, the third and fourth years in the afternoon. This was to allow the rotation of personnel for teaching and allowing adequate time to train and study.

The Academy was first and foremost a training ground for the military to recruit for its operations. It was mandatory to attend but it was not mandatory to join the military after you completed your education. Still, the founders of the Academy wished to give their students ample time to not only be drilled in a number of subjects but to truly incorporate them into how they approached life.

Whether they served in the military or returned home to work in whatever city, town or village they lived in, the knowledge they gained here would assist them in improving the Empire. This was the how they had remained standing despite the power of the other races.