Carcinos hadn't quite hit the canopies as Ronan struggled through an unwanted early morning walk. One of his extra-curricular credits wanted him up two hours before class with his combat suit. It was by far the worst thing the Council had done to him, and the name of the game didn't help in the slightest. 'Obliteration ball' didn't exactly scream safe sports. Sonya said they were heading to tryouts, which gave Ronan the hope that he'd be cut off the bat and spared the exhaustion—and injuries. He'd visited Ms. Metulas enough times for his forearms to permanently smell like her sapvine healing spreads. And if he survived the morning, he had theatrical arts and his first Council session to look forwards to. The trail was shorter than most of the ones that snaked through the forest, ending abruptly at the skirt of a large stone structure. It didn't fit Cobalt's style at all, a fresher looking piece of architecture that gave away its purpose off the bat. It was an arena. The school se

Ronan sat on one of the cushioned chairs in the middle of the assembly hall, facing the wall sized mural of the war. The Council had tried to mock the setup of an actual courtroom as much as they could, one brittle wooden chair stuck in the middle of the floor with its back to the podium where a Council sash draped over it.He could see every representative but Ariabella already settled into a row of seats on the floor, Mr. Greine keeping out of his seat as he tried to discreetly skim a stack of que cards before the session started."It's a decent turnout," Mr. Skyfell whispered, skimming over the handful of students that filled less than a tenth of the seats divided by the five houses. Most of the faces Ronan recognised were elites, and most of the faces he didn't had silver stripes on their uniforms.Ronan caught Sonya's massive wave while skimming faces, noticing the cluster of his friends sat as close as they could to the floor—and Horus just a few rows back.Ronan looked to the p

"I suppose it is to be expected of a nomad," Mrs. Floyd hummed. "If I hear about another act of violence from you it will jeopardize our trust and you may just be muzzled."Ronan pulled Puff into his lap, a glare flashing across his face just as Mrs. Floyd paid him a glance."Is something the matter Ronan?""Was that a que to answer you?" Ronan growled, rubbing at Puff's scruff while he held the judge's glare."If I may continue speaking I would deeply appreciate it your honour, I wasn't finished," Red cut in, smiling so politely he pulled a twitch from Mrs. Floyd's eye."Granted."Red excused himself from the chair, raising a hand before Mrs. Floyd could order him to seat himself. "Puff's acts towards me were not a display of savagery or questionable character, I believe his actions showed one thing, and only one thing. This guardian is extremely loyal to Ronan, he would defend his beliefs like a best friend, as I'm sure Ronan would do in return. Labelling that as savagery could come

Ronan found his seat in the center of the room, a little less nervous than before with Mr. Skyfell's improvised game plan running through his mind. He watched Mrs. Floyd pass him to take the podium, the friendly smile he provided shot down with a resting scowl."Mr. Greine, please step forth to conclude your argument," Mrs. Floyd spoke, the doors to the assembly hall quietly closing as Mr. Greine rose to approach Ronan."We stopped at Latos. You were instructed to immediately inform the Council if the Red Phantom attempted to contact you in any manner."Ronan nodded. "I told Ariabella about it, she's officially recognised as a member of the Council, so technically she counts."Mr. Greine glanced at Stella."He speaks the truth."Ronan hid the relieved sigh."Could you tell us what happened during this encounter?""It is clear Mr. Greine does not know what happened, thorough questioning should not be conducted while presenting arguments," Mr. Skyfell boomed, rising from his seat to gre

Ronan laughed as Puff nipped at the ribbon hanging from his tail, scattering blobs of dirt and dried twigs as he ran loops in front of him to catch it. He was worried that Sonya's idea would be more of a cruel trick than a toy for his guardian, but the smile stretching Puff's cheeks let him know he knew exactly what was going on, and loved it.Puff finally snagged the blue fabric in his mouth, slipping the loose knot off his tail to let it flutter onto his forehead.She stopped behind him, snagging the ribbon to retie it with a complimentary scratch behind the ears. After giving the bow a tight tug she gave the trees a smile, raising her elbows to the sky as she savoured a deep breath of air."This is just like walking home from school, huh?"Ronan snorted. "I tried to walk to Alta Staar, this is nothing like it.""Your school on Earth, smartass." Sonya mused, the smile on her face jumping onto Ronan as he chuckled. "I would kill to play video games all weekend, Earth homework was lik