Welcome to Gaia! ::

Where was he going? Nowhere… In more ways than one. The half-elf felt stagnant in his training the last couple of days. After mastering techniques from abroad, was returning here going to do him any good? Dorte was a worthy partner, balanced, formed with care and it showed in the way she handled. They’d accomplished breakthroughs together before. Yet, practicing on this familiar campus, Emmyth didn’t feel he was doing anything more than going through the motions with gold hilted sword. His speed and precision could always improve, he wasn’t failing in every way, but he wanted to hone further technique. There were few who wouldn’t call Emmyth an absolute master of weapon wielding, but the man was never satisfied to stop improving.

Emmyth already knew what he needed.

He was just uncomfortable seeking it out.

A sparring partner. A good one. The man was well aware he could only do so much, facing off against his own metal projections. He would grow out of touch with real combat that way. He’d practiced with many while abroad, it was easy then. He’d been playing the part of ‘pupil’ while gathering the principles of many styles. He understood the relationship between a student and teacher. Anything else just… made him uneasy.

The man was not a fan of social interaction. Emmyth didn’t know how to approach it, maintain it, and frankly he was scared of it.

Contemplating how he was figuratively going nowhere; the man was also literally going nowhere. Wandering through the school halls in thought, with no destination in mind. Emmyth wasn’t sure if he wanted to run into anyone he knew, or if he hoped to see no one at all. Both, maybe, paradoxically. The universe answered him with neither option. Instead choosing to drop on him two dragon children and a timid girl in pastels. The group energetically took up the entirety of the hallway, bringing the half-elf to a pause, sticking his hands in pockets up to his wrist weights, the man leaned against one of the walls to make room for the rambunctious crowd. Crimson eyes tracked the young dragons at the front of the group with no particular emotion.

Crimson met crimson, Emmyth’s neutral expression pulling down to a slight frown as the young dragon smiled brightly. He’d only meant to get out of their way. Was there something about him lately that was seemed somehow inviting to others? Althea, the half-hair student, had also approached him when he’d been doing little more than staying out of the way. The silence stretching between the two was broken by the other current denizens of the hall. The flustered girl accompanying the children seemed almost excited to have found someone else in the hall. The ample amounts of fur decorating the man’s jacket swayed, bouncing like the ends of the coat as he shifted his weight off the wall, aloof gaze fixing on the small and pale outstretched hand.

For a moment…

Maybe two?

It seemed as if the gesture would go unreturned, yet large, heather colored, roughly calloused hand roughly grasped the girl’s in a brief hand shake. Curt nod affirmed he has the answer to her question. With relative ease, the man stepped around the small dragon and the pale skinned girl, facing the direction her and the children had just arrived from. ”Emmyth Eilhana.” He offered his name almost as if it was an afterthought, glancing back at the pastel clad girl and the children, waiting for them to follow. True, he could have just given them directions and been done with it from there, but he had no where he was going… walking to the cafeteria was as good a destination as any. ”I can show you.” Tone of voice wasn’t annoyed, but it was hardly cordial or excitable either. It was hard to read, if anything. Which led a many people to think the man was mysterious in a way, something which was hardly his intention.

Did this group have any weapons on them? Rather than thinking about if they were new, why there were children on campus, what they were doing together, or anything like that, Emmyth instead wondered if any of them wielded a weapon, or on the off chance had worked forging. Nothing was immediately noticed besides the boy child’s weights. Dragons had a number of natural weapons… but tails and claws were not of much interest to Emmyth. The half-elf could have asked them about their interests, but he was simply not the kind to further a conversation on his own. Walking in silence… it seemed fine to him.

Crimson flickered to the stammering girl, revealing little to no insight into the man’s thoughts, but confirming he had heard her. Did she find him intimidating…? Emmyth did not intend to be. Boots clicked against the floor, each step asking the question, ‘Should I say something else?’ Leaving the thought to bounce around and around his head, feeling less and less actionable with every extra step along the path to the cafeteria. Always echoed by, and what would I even say?

It wasn’t the only thing on the half-elf’s mind.

The feeling of being watched, it seemed like a strange sixth sense people had an inkling to now and again. More than likely, it was intuition, based on subconscious observations. In this case, the prickling feeling at the back of his neck was inaccurate. It wasn’t he that was being stalked, it was his coat. The disproportion number of footsteps behind him based on the group was consciously noticed. Subconsciously, Emmyth’s mind held to a barely glimpsed image of the small dragon’s face when he’d looked back at Snow, and the pattern of sound created by carefully slowed steps. The slight scratching sound of claws.

Should he address that?

There was, primarily, children behind him. A prank? There wouldn’t be any point being upset about something like that. The man realized he couldn’t be sure what the plan was unless he turned back to look, but that would spoil their fun. Closing his eyes, Emmyth decided he would seem less intimidating if he pretended to not notice that something was happening behind him. Having made the decision none of those trailing behind him were likely to have terribly ill intent towards him, the professor was careful to show zero signs of a changed pace. That… would interrupt their game… right?

THUD -ud -ud -ud, THUNK

Claws gaining purchase against the tiles had given Emmyth notice enough that the ‘plan’ had been set in motion, but the loud noises and soft gasps had not been expected. He’d expected to be pounced, or hit with something, instead, he turned to find one of the children had apparently tackled the other. Lips pressed thin as the girl was told he wasn’t food, and then scolded by Snow. Had she really been trying to eat him… ? ”It’s fine…” The man mumbled, large heather hand dug into buttoned coat pocket as boots approached the children, tall frame kneeling down, previously empty hand how offering a bag of plain granola as they untangled from each other. Emmyth didn’t eat anything fancy, the snack had been selected to offer appropriate amounts of energy between his practices rather than having to return to his room. If the girl was that hungry, she could have it, even if they'd be in the cafeteria soon. He wasn't so sure she'd like it though. ”The cafeteria isn’t far.” The teacher didn’t realize the girl had very limited vocabulary, and so spoke to her as he would anyone.