Saturday came. Around nine o'clock, Lightbane went to meet with Gregorio - chaos and history. I wondered what Gregorio did in Astar in the meantime.
Anyway, Light would tell me the details later. If I had the thought, he would have too, I thought. And so on.
It wasn't that I expected anything to go wrong.
I, myself, was busy in other ways. I didn't have an actual schedule, not for today, and could decide what I wanted to do, but I already had something planned.
Even though it wasn't Sunday, I put on my best, more casual clothes. I looked into a mirror and fixed my collar.
Careful grooming was part of my image. I dressed well often enough, and I made no apologies for looking so good. And first impressions were important - more important than some people give them credit for.
And then I went my way.
The people I wanted to charm - if that is what it could be called - were on the far side of Acomet's residential grounds.
First, the boys. As one myself, it'd be easier to talk to them. Not that I had any problems talking to girls, but orc girls were almost a different caliber of "girl" - Regan not included.
I knocked on the door. The orcs of our class lived together - boys and girls in separate wings, all of them bunking with a third, who right now didn't matter - only at a later date.
The door opened almost immediately.
One of the boys, Sasosha, I thought - even though I tried to memorize my entire class by name and race, and anything else that might make them stand out, the two boys looked very similar.
…That might make me a little bit racist.
Sasosha looked at me, tusks visible as his mouth fell open slightly.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Hello!" I said. "Is this a bad time?"
He stared a second longer, then barked a laugh and shoved the door wider. "Nah. Come in."
The two other boys were arguing over a card game at the table.
The room itself wasn't very different from mine and Lightbane's, except that there was a third bed. It was far more lived in than ours, unapologetically so. And compared to them, I was suddenly very aware of how little space I occupied by comparison.
They lived loudly, while Lightbane and I lived like church mice.
"Who're you?" the other orc, Evonev, again, I assumed him to be until I would ask, said. "I think you got the wrong room."
"On the contrary," I replied. "I found exactly who I was looking for."
That got their attention.
I let the moment hang in the air - just for a moment - before I continued. "I was thinking of going into the city. There is a very nice café I heard of and wanted to try. I thought I'd invite some company. The two of you - well, not just you, but all of your kin in Acomet."
I waved to the third boy with an apologetic look on my face.
"Orcs, I mean."
Silence.
Then a snort. "Why?"
"Because," I said simply, "I'd like to get to know you."
Evonev leaned back in his chair, arms folding across his chest. "So what is this, then?" he asked. "Charity? 'Oh, poor tusk-teeth, so misunderstood?'"
The words weren't hostile, but definitely not kind.
I let it pass. Defensiveness would only prove the point, and pride was a poor conversational partner.
"No," I answered, meeting his gaze. "An invitation."
"My father, Lord Woodborn of the Woodborn House, has campaigned much for the non-human races, and I wanted to go a step beyond just politics. I know it may sound a bit strange, and I know that not all orcs have everything in common, but the first step must be made somewhere."
That earned a few exchanged looks. Orcs weren't used to being approached casually - especially not by someone who looked like me, sounded like me, and clearly didn't need anything from them.
"And don't worry, everything's on me, I promise."
"…Food's on you?" Evonev asked.
I smiled. "Naturally. After all, I'm inviting you."
That did it. With a handshake, I told them that at noon, I'd meet them by the gates of the academy, perhaps even in the company of the two girl orcs.
I left the boys' wing with a light step and crossed the courtyard toward the girls' dormitory.
As I crossed, I replayed every word in my head, weighing them for cracks I might have missed. The boys had been easier than expected - direct, blunt, and honest in their skepticism. The girls, I suspected, would be sharper. That was just what I expected because it had been so easy before.
Was I thinking too much about this? Probably.
They were just teenagers, and another teenager was asking them to hang out.
My brain was telling me this wasn't that deep, but something else was telling me that I should try to avoid any mistakes.
But looking at it another way, history tended to turn on moments people dismissed as trivial. Many significant historical events were just small things that somehow turned into the biggest through sheer coincidence.
A few looks followed me after I asked after the orc girls' room. I knew where it was, but I thought some performance of not already knowing was necessary, like this wasn't planned.
I knocked.
There was a brief pause, then the door swung open with more force than strictly necessary.
An orc girl stood there with her arms crossed - tall, so that she didn't fit through the doorframe when standing; broad-shouldered; green skin a shade darker than Regan's; tusks polished to a dull sheen. Her dark hair was tied upward in very short twin-tails. She looked me up and down slowly.
"…You lost, pretty boy?" she asked.
Once again, I could only assume which of the two orcs this one was. My best bet was Maracheen. I knew that she was the tallest of the four orcs, and the one that stood before me seemed pretty tall, all things considered.
"No. I'm exactly at the right place," I said with confidence. At first, I gave a bow, polite but short. They were ladies whom I'd be inviting out, so I thought formality was called for. "I was wondering if you would like to come into the city with me today. There's a café I want to try. Casual. Food and drink. On me."
There was a beat of silence.
Then she laughed. Loud, sharp, and delighted.
"Oh," she said, grinning. "This is new."
"It is?"
She leaned down far, very close to my face, with one hand resting on the doorframe. "Usually, the first step's done by the girl - the inviting - but I admire the courage to ask out an orc."
I held up my hands, hesitating for just a moment to think about it. "Enticing, but no. Not a date. A group thing. Boys and girls. I already invited the guys from your class."
Her grin softened into something more curious than amused. "Huh."
Another orc girl appeared behind her, Ksandria.
The two of them retreated for a moment and murmured among themselves in low voices, like figuring out a puzzle that didn't make sense at first.
They didn't bother lowering their voices as much as they probably thought they did. I caught fragments - "human," "odd," "stupid" - and such. I didn't like it much, but I let it slide.
Their eyes flicked toward me now and then. I waited, hands relaxed at my sides, reminding myself that impatience would be my only weakness here.
"…Food's really on you?" Ksandria asked.
"Yes."
"You don't have any ulterior motives, do ya?"
"No."
That earned a few thoughtful nods.
"Alright, alright," Maracheen said at last. "We'll come. When?"
"At noon, by the gates," I confirmed. "Evonev and Sasosha are also coming, if that doesn't bother you."
"Doesn't at all," they said, and closed the door.
But when I turned, I nearly ran into Regan.
She was standing a few steps away, arms folded, expression unreadable.
"Perfect timing," I said. "I wanted to ask you too. Come with us."
Her eyes narrowed just slightly. "Us?"
"A group. Orcs from our class and I. café in the city."
From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Morgan and Medea farther down the hall.
Medea's ears dipped.
"I'm… not allowed," she said quietly, already knowing the answer.
"Not this time," I said gently. "Another day."
Regan studied my face for a long moment, as if this were some kind of test. There still was a big smile on her face, like a puppy dog that just couldn't stop, and then she nodded. "I'll be honored to join."
As we started walking, a thought came into my head, and I lowered my voice. "One thing," I added. "Out there, act like we don't know each other - not well, at least. You're in my class, and we've talked and such, but nothing more than that. Understood?"
"Understood," she said, soldier-like.