[Gallagher]

The first semester seemed to fly by in a flash. At least, that was the case for most of the boys. Nikolaus, as usual, spent as much time as he could manage with Sia, their swings between bickering and acting like crushing first-years effectively filling most of the day, every day. What time wasn't spent with her, he used in refining his skills, lost for hours in his craft, whether it was his art, the language of his family which he'd yet to master, or simply strengthened control over his own abilities.

Kier, with the majority of his social interaction taking place in class or alone, back in their room with Gabriel, had his priorities on studying. Lacking the need to 'practice' his own abilities, he had the luxury of spending his time on real studying. After all, no matter how different he might have been, that didn't mean that he had no need for real goals and dreams. And to reach them, he had to do his very best in all of his classes. It had become commonplace for him to always have his school bag with him, even the few times that their group went out and about in town.

On the other hand, things couldn't have been going any slower for Gabriel. Sure, most days he would amuse himself chatting with his friends, and however many other students he decided he wanted to talk to on a given day, but it all came down to a simple fact. He was waiting. Always waiting. And when all that one was waiting for was for someone, anyone, even someone you care about, to get hurt? To say that he was unenthusiastic about it was a vast understatement. Still, such things were hardly worth dwelling on.

It was the first day of exams. Specifically, most students had just been released from their testing areas to enjoy the rest of the day. More likely than not, many would just use the time to study for the next. A few, like Gabriel, would rather have spent it relaxing. The only question, he decided as he was leisurely strolling through the hall towards the cafeteria, was how many of his friends would be joining him.