[((___jade___))>]

Kyriel often went through the halls briskly, preferring to sit in the back of the class while he waited for the class to start. Usually this was just to avoid people, but when it came to the Art class, it was just because he was excited to get there. Both the subject and the teacher were worth moving a little faster for.

As he reached the door, Kyriel realized that someone was following him. It was not that he saw someone or anything, but he could just tell. Stopping in the doorframe, he looked back at the mass of teens, but there were quite a few coming to this class. It was hard to tell who it was.

Shaking his head slightly, Kyriel curled up on a stool next to one of the desks, the one in the far corner. It was darker back there, further away from the window than the other seats. It was the seat he always sat in unless someone pushed him out of it. Nobody ever bothered to ask him to move unless someone was just deliberately trying to get on his nerves. Mr. Tsorvzovac had punished the offenders when they had done that before, though Kyriel had been willing to give up the seat anyway.

"Good morning, Ky!" The Half-Elf spun around from where he was putting some paintbrushes in order to greet Kyriel. Shuffling over to the desk, Tsorvzovac smiled brightly. With a face like that pointed at him, Kyriel could not help but smile back a little. "Glad to see you back this year!" The teacher beamed, giving his student a half-hug. Most did not bother to throw accusations of sexual harassment, thankfully. Tsorvzovac had a good reputation anyway; he had been teaching here for ten years and had been voted favorite teacher by the students nearly half of the semesters he had taught.

Noticing the other students filing in, Tsorvzovac gave Kyriel one last pat on the head before turning to greet them with similar words as well as meet some of the newcomers. Kyriel just slumped over the desk, shaking his head a little so that his face would be almost completely hidden by his arms and hair other than his nose sticking out and one of his eyes, barely visible. There were about five other students there early, and Kyriel watched them from his spot, content to do so in peace. Almost all of them were new, and one of the girls kept eying him like she might come over and introduce herself. Kyriel kind of hoped that she would resist; he tended to manage getting no desk mate, as he wished, and she looked like the type who would talk a lot. A friend would be nice though. At least Mr. Tsorvzovac was distracting her with some questions.