132: Playing Unfair

Alara, the vice guild master, emphasized the students’ priority status to the administrative staff with a few hushed whispers “Roxanne... identity... they haven’t debuted... they’re helping us with the new mission.... Situate them smoothly...” only to leave in a hurry as two assistants ran up to her, breathless while stuffing papers into her hands. Even after she left though, her influence shined. Nyssa and the others just stood off to the side as their lodging, location access, and meal plans got prepared and confirmed within a matter of minutes.

“I guess with her running off, it's my job to guide you all to your lodging...” Gideon scratched the back of his head. “I mean she wasn’t supposed to just run off like that.”

“It must’ve been important,” A different guild member piped up from the side, one Nyssa had never seen before.

Well, that’s the vast majority of them, I’ve only been here twice anyway...

Staying quiet, she just stood still as Gideon walked up to the desk, picked up their all in one access cards, and turned back to distribute them out to the group. While he handed them out, he checked to make sure the room assignments lined up, nodding and counting them out on his fingers before waving for everyone to step closer. “Follow me, I’ll take you all to your room assignments, you’ll have a couple hours to unpack and make yourselves at home.”

He began walking once he finished speaking, turning on his heel and leaving through a different door from where they had all come. “I... and the rest of these tag along guild members who seem to have nothing better to do, will split off from you all once we get to your rooms. I'll be back to pick you all up for lunch, where you can try the guild’s cafeteria. We hire some of the finest chefs, so it’ll be drool-worthy I assure you. In the afternoon we’ll brief the mission and what the general plan is in more detail, syncing up our plans to the information that your teachers have already given you.”

The guild members walking along in the back, couldn’t only choke on their own spit as they heard Gideon’s rough assessment of them. One, the person who had spoken up earlier, piped up again. “We’re just here to provide back up. You know, what if something happens while you all are walking there. Plus, it's important to network a little with these students.”

“Man just shoo, go away,” Gideon interrupted him before he could continue. “If there’s a situation where we’ll need backup in the next two minutes, the guild probably needs you somewhere else more urgently. Go back and do your work. Alara isn't like Roxanne, and will actually make sure you guys are being productive on our non-field days.”

Deflating, the guild member, along with the others, decided to split off early with a few quiet murmurs. “You’re right...” “Whatever you say boss...” “What happened to the good old days where you would goof off with us...”

Gideon just shook his head. Raising his hands with an exasperated smile. “Nothing I can do about it. I’ve had to step up while Roxanne is gone.”

His words, though, ended the conversation. As a group, they made it to the roms without an emergency situation collapsing the entire guild. Once they arrived, they ended up splitting up into their three room assignments. With Ryker and Electra in one, Albion, Titus, and Conrad in another, and Nyssa and Celeste in the third.

“You sure you all don’t want more rooms? We have enough to give you all your own rooms if you want,” Gideon scratched his stubble of a beard. “I can go back and request it if you all really want...”

The two fourth-years turned his offer down first. They shook their heads before Electra waved Gideon off. “We’re happy enough like this, we don’t want to be too much of a burden on you all.”

The two third-years and the second-year, Titus, Albion, and Conrad, also shook their heads before striking a pose. “Can’t break up THE GANGGG. Don’t worry about us.”

As for Nyssa and Celeste, by the time Gideon looked in their direction, Nyssa had already transformed into a cat and fallen asleep on her bed. Celeste, on the other hand, had begun unpacking her bags, and just smiled at Gideon. “It’s fine, we’re happy to stay together as well.”

Turned down on all fronts, Gideon just shrugged and wished them all the best before walking away. Left without much work today, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “They’re really all so considerate. Raised quite well if I say so myself.”

---

As Gideon left, Celeste moved over and closed the door. The moment the click sounded though, Nyssa leapt up, untransformed, and sat back down on the bed with her legs crossed. “Okay that isn’t normal, we agree right? There’s gotta be something.”

“FOR SURE,” Celeste whirled around before quieting her voice. “Sorry my bad, but yeah, okay, I’m glad we’re still in agreement on this.”

“So, like... they’ve gotta be dating... right?” Nyssa stroked her chin, reaching out and hoisting a bag onto her bed. She unzipped it and began pulling out some of her clothes. “Otherwise why do they spend so much time together. I mean... I guess they could be friends. But they spend so much alone time without the rest of us Class Zero people...”

“Yeah, I don’t know either, but either way they’re really good at keeping it under wraps... I literally cannot tell,” Celeste stared out the window as she tried to remember. “They really don’t do anything out of the ordinary though.”

“True, they really don’t, its just some vibe thing, so I can’t say,” Nyssa flopped back onto the bed. “Okay I might actually go to sleep this time... Don’t unpack for me, I’ll do it later.”

After getting an ‘ok’ handsign from Celeste, Nyssa squinted at her one more time before closing her eyes. Celeste, after waiting a couple minutes for Nyssa’s breathing to even out, shook her head with a faint smile before walking over to grab Nyssa’s bag.

“I KNEW you’d do that,” Nyssa bolted back up, grabbing Celeste and pinning her to the bed. “Stop overworking yourself. I’ll do it later. You give too much, take some time to rest, okay?”

“Fine, fine, my bad, dear,” Celeste raised her hands and smiled. She watched as a faint blush appeared on Nyssa’s cheeks, and her smile widened. “Oh my, getting flustered?”

“Now you’re just playing unfair!” Nyssa grumbled, letting go of Celeste with an awkward cough. “Go unpack your stuff...”

“Alright, alright,” Celeste laughed while pushing herself back upright.