Battle Hymn of the Republic

"I don't have any objections." Percival bit into his sandwich as he stared up at the sick looking young man. He chewed on his sandwich a little bit as his stare became more inspecting of the boy, he then looked back down at the grass below them. There was something strange going on, but he wasn't exactly sure what it was. Maybe his sandwich tasted a bit funny. He looked back up at him, "Are you alright?"

Ruarc simply stood in place with a dumbstruck look on his face as the three girls walked away.

”I miss village life. It was simple,” Ruarc said to Laoise as he regained his composure and started walking back in his original direction towards the other side of the school.
”As do I, Ruarc. So, are you going to take the job?” Laoise asked as she swooped down and landed in a nearby tree.
”I suppose I will. It seems like a good deal, I mean I would get a job, some income, and we would get a roof over our heads again.”
”Sounds like a good deal. What’s the catch?”
”I’m not quite sure. It seems straightforward, but I would imagine there is something more to it. I have a week to think about it, so we will see.”

The Irishman progressed gradually around the school as he once again tried to relax a bit, but kept thinking back to the offer. For a while he was tempted to turn around and try and find Raiko again to say he would take the job, but his better sense pushed his impulse aside and compromised to visiting the shrine at some point to check it out. Glancing up momentarily to confirm his course, Ruarc saw the group he had bumped into yesterday, including Miyuki, reminding the Druid of his primary directive and adding to things he needed to think about.

”Why am I thinking of a job and shelter? I will be heading back to Ireland soon enough,” Ruarc thought optimistically to himself.

"Thank you. Um." Duncan replied, seemingly surprised at Miyuki's comment. "I sometimes have a hard time remembering faces, so I just assumed some of the you were there at the time." he went on, explaining the mix-up. The American exchange student gingerly set himself down, as though careful not to hurt himself in the simple process, and set aside the small box of treats as he slowly pulled out his lunch, a store bought bento with chickent tatsuta. "It's nothing really, I've gotten used to it by now to be honest." Duncan answered Percivial, skirting around naming precisely just what was wrong. He undid the box and grasped a pair of chopsticks in his fingers, reaching out to a slice of the meat. "I'm a little more worried about you, now that I think about it. You...you looked sad." The pair of sticks clumsily grasped at the slice of fried chicken like a newborn using his fingers for the first time. Duncan struggled to get a grip on it before cautiously bringing it up to his mouth, free hand cupped under it in case of a slip. He chewed slowly.

Inwardly, Duncan sighed. He had to curse himself a few times to get into this condition. And on top of that, he had to play the role of bleeding heart wuss! He forced the thoughts away. Patience was key.

"So, may I know your names?" he asked, finished swallowing the morsel. 'At least their grub is good.'

"Percival Caxton." said Percy simply, taking a bite into his second sandwich. The young man looked to the rest of them, and then back at Duncan. "Well, less sad, and more relieved to be honest." This sandwich did taste a little funny. Though, it was hard to explain how, he had prepared both the exact same way. What could make this one taste any different? He leaned up the bread, and took a look, and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"I'm Kagami Miyuki" Miyuki introduced.
"Takahashi Hisoka" Hisoka added, nodding.
"Watanabe Hana" Hana finished, holding out a hand to shake.

"What brings you to this Academy of all places, Duncan?" Miyuki asked the American boy, curious. She had by now gotten back to her lunch, which was nearly finished. She noted her watch, which insisted that the lunch break itself was nearly over, as well. Just a few more minutes and it's back to class... she thought, starting on her dessert.

"It's a little silly, but, I wanted to see the world. And get an education while I was at it." Duncan replied, taking Hana's offered hand and softly holding, shaking it. The frail American exchange student looked at his food for a moment, an expression of uncertainty crossing his face. "I know this is a little off, but since I know now you were the one I remembered from the office, what were you doing there?" Duncan asked. "Was it about the prank with all the frogs laying around?"

"Things were never so lively back home in America." He added. Duncan looked at his food again, as though uncertain if he wanted to eat any more of it.

"If I remember correctly, Kagami went to the principal on behalf of all of us due to a little incident with the sprinklers." confirmed Percival, his eyes becoming a little sharper at the mention of the frog incident. There was a certain sensitivity to the issue due to his involvement, and the rest of the group. Perhaps he could satisfy the boy's curiosity a little more. "We only passed by there on the way, and ended up getting a bad whiff of formaldehyde." He shuffled his foot, "Since Watanabe was feeling bad, and I dropped Takahashi down a flight of stairs, Kagami had to go to the principal by herself."

He looked up at the tree, "It was a very odd day."

Laoise, looking for something interesting, was flying around the school courtyard. Of to the side she spotted the girl Ruarc had been tracking the other day.
"Hmm, could be interesting," the dove thought to herself as she changed her heading.
The white bird flutter over and landed on a tree branch that hung over the group. She settled down and began watching the gathering with an occasional melancholic chirp.

"Caxton-san is right, normally school here is not so exciting. Or at least, I would not think it to be." Hisako confirmed to Duncan. "Also, Leetenbaum-San, you may wish to hurry your meal, if possible, as the bell to classes will be ringing soon." he informed, checking his watch and beginning to put his things away, pulling out a single piece of bread as his meal to eat in the last few moments of time they had.

Miyuki, for her part, was intensely interested in her things, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone over the event she instigated with the fire sprinklers. Hana, on the other hand, was genuinely busy quietly putting away the remains of her lunch and getting her bag ready for the next period.

Miller's rounds of the school's grounds were satisfactory, and he proceeded to move inside the building to prepare for the next lesson he had to teach. He was going to start with a bit pf simple reading tasks and grammar to the class.

"So, Miller," one of the other teachers asked, "You were pretty brave to head inside during the incident yesterday."
Miller shrugged as he got his books, "I was just looking out for my students."
"That's all?" The teacher replied, "You took a big risk, what if you'd gotten hurt?"
Miller paused before replying, "Not before I knew my student was safe."
"What are you, a knight in shining armour?"

Miller didn't have an answer for that.