꧁ The Last Hope HBD IC (semi open- PM ME!) ꧂

❖ Byxem Arros

Byxem walked with brisk but long strides, their cane clicking against stone. They were late, late, late. Curse my curiosity, they thought, briefly remembering the small fox they had spotted and silently watched. No time to be looking at fox kits, they had children to look after! The tall figure stooped to avoid a tree branch, and suddenly, they were in the clearing.

They could actually breathe out here. Being out in open areas like this, especially out in nature, always made Byxem feel more at ease. The wind whistled through the grass, birds swooped overhead, and small creatures scurried underfoot. Not to mention, it was so nice and warm. Nothing like the cold back home.

The first thing Byx noticed was a great dragon hovering in the air. It was Kyrena, that showoff. They chuckled to themself. They liked picking fun at Kyrena and Ilia; it was hilarious to see their reactions. But right now wasn't the time to do that. Get it together, Byxem. From where they were standing, they could clearly the students. One, two, three... Weren't there more? Byxem huffed. They were most likely still in their rooms. Although, they couldn't entirely see why they would still be in there; if little Caisin could still be out and about even after arriving so early, why couldn't the others?

Picking up their cane and hanging it over their wrist, they made their way through the grass to Ilia. With the arrival of Kyrena, no doubt Neha would be here soon as well.

Sure enough, as if the thought of her willed her into existence, a large shadow shot overhead. While still walking, Byxem tilted back their head to the sky, shielding their eyes from the bright sun with their unoccupied hand. A glint of gold against a piece of stormy sky, Neha was high above the clouds, diving through them like a dolphin through seafoam. "Must be in a good mood," they said, walking up beside Ilia, a smile playing on their lips. Looking down, they turned their attention to their fellow Headmaster. "Good morning. I trust you slept well?"

❖ Byxem Arros

The sound of crunching grass and heavy footsteps caused Byx to glance over their shoulder. They immediately whipped their head back around, however, when they saw it was Raymond. Without a shirt yet again. They cleared their throat and lifted their chin nervously, muttering a good morning to him, before looking away again. They shifted their weight from one foot to the other, readying themself with their cane.

Gods, they hoped they weren't being weird. Them, Byxem Arros, be weird and nervous and flustered? Never. Not in a million years.

As Kyrena landed (finally), Byx couldn't help but smile back at Ilia. "Yes, I heard Caisin got here a bit late," they said, nodding. They sighed, thinking back to their little living quarters, so unlike the home they had grown up in. "I'm doing alright, but I'll have to stave off my coffee cravings if I'm going to make it thought this week. I've only got a couple cups left, and I am not riding all the way back to the village." They chuckled, shaking their head. "Neha's great. Annoying as always, but great. She found herself some bison the other day, not sure if you heard."

A loud crackling sound, like rocks being grated together, came from overhead as Neha swooped down. She was quite obviously a lot younger than Kyrena, being smaller in size. She shook out her spines and stomped forward, butting her rough head against Byxem, nearly knocking them over.

"Ack! Neha, boundaries!"

With a reluctant low crackling, she pulled back, sitting on her haunches. Byxem looked at Ilia with an expression that said "see what I have to deal with?"