D+ Student: Dorm-Room Harem-Chapter 33: Round Three

SERICA

Cenemir and Lily followed me down the stairs to rendezvous with Deneel. I was still furious at Cechele’s actions and glanced back to check on Cora. She seemed to be holding herself together.

We hadn’t bothered ranking names starting with "C". Cora was the plan, and that had fallen through. When Deneel chose Cenemir, I wasn’t disappointed. Traditionally, choosing a bonne in the third round was not recommended. However, her name ended in an "R", and that opened a possibility I’d been toying with for our third-round pick.

I glanced up into the Voyou section to set my eyes on Reilin. She was still undrafted, which came as a bit of a surprise to me. As the daughter of the city’s Lord, Regis Durough, I figured she would have gone much earlier. Yet, there she was. As best I could reason, it was due to the "N" at the end of her name and her reputation for being obtuse.

No one wants the trouble that comes with her.

The morning’s events could have also played into things. Losing her leash to Cechele was another mark against her, and after I’d retrieved it, it was possible the others wanted to avoid stepping in between the two of us.

In any case, she was open to picking, and her name thankfully did not start with an "A," which kept her beyond Cechele’s reach.

As we approached Deneel, Illia, and Ainset, Illia rose to her feet and stretched out her back and arms. She reminded me of a cat waking from a nap, "Serica," she said, "Ains and I will return shortly."

I bowed and let her go, saying, "Yes, of course," grateful for some time outside the pressure of her presence. As the two receded, I returned my attention to the forming équipe.

Lily and Cenemir seemed to know each other well, both hailing from Scintile’s west end. Lily did the brunt of the conversational work. Cenemir’s demeanor was a little concerning; the silver-bunned girl didn’t speak much, and her eyes tended to drift. Her focus pulled repeatedly to the rows of earrings on the sides of Lily’s head. Cenemir had a wiry, thin build with soft skin.

Deneel avoided my attention, consulting the list and looking to the crowd. I could feel the distance between us, and needed to address the situation with Cora.

"I’m not upset with you," I said, approaching her from behind, "Losing Cora’s on me. I played that wrong."

Deneel sighed, then said, "But, I let her see the list. That’s how she..." her shoulders shrank, lips pulling wide into a frown.

"She’d have just taken the first round pick if I hadn’t pushed things. Either way, what’s done is done." I reached around to place a palm on the back of hers. She was trembling.

"What are you thinking for round three?" she asked, withholding any emotion from her voice, "Just let me know what you’d like..."

I did my best to remain chipper. "Reilin Durough, if she’s still available, then I’m thinking whichever one of those terrible ’N’ names best sets us for a combattant pick in round four."

According to Illia, she’d initially tried to enroll as a tacticienne, and while she hadn’t come well prepared, picking Cenemir showed some intuition. This was supposed to be her draft, per the department heads’ order. While I could have lorded over her and made this my own, I didn’t want to crush her spirit.

"Reilin and Vivienne, later on, are big picks for me. " If you can set those up, that’d be great." I squeezed her hand. "Outside of that, I’d like to see how you play this out." You’ve got my notes if you need them."

Deneel’s lips pursed, and she playfully checked my hip. On the stage’s other side, Aureli dismissed a few harried-looking professeurs and began making her way back to the stage. I released Deneel and gave a push to the small of her back, "Best get your ass in line."

Returning to our two acquisitions, Lily and Cenemir, I found them engaged in a game of three-card. Thankfully, our cartomancier employed a well-worn deck of playing cards in place of her École’s signature implement. I silently took note of their camaraderie, flipping an imagined bird to Cechele. In a way, she was doing my work for me, surrounding herself with a pissed off team that would rather be elsewhere. Back in the stands, I’d clocked a look on Aifric’s face; she seemed nearly as miserable as Cora.

Lily made a show of things as she whipped the cards back and forth. They glided across the velvet seat-cushion with well-practiced speed, "Alright, Cen, try your best to keep up. Lilac petals wafting in the breeze, I doubt you can remember these. Two are black, the other red, botch this, and you owe me head."

A chuckle caught in Cenemir’s throat, and she bent, her skirt’s white ruffles rising behind her, "This one?"

"How the-" Lily flipped the card, the Queen of Hearts, and said, "Your friend picked a cheat."

"Good, " I said and sat down next to them, returning my focus to the proceedings. Thirty-five picks went by without mention of Reilin, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Cechele secured her ranger and, finally, Deneel had a pick go according to plan.

In short order, Reilin settled into the seat at my right; her arm pressed to mine, "Couldn’t pull me from the rabble sooner?"

"Wanted to make you sweat," I said, fighting off the urge to curl a pinky around hers. Cora tugged at my chest from her spot up in the stands.

I yanked back on our tether. Not forgetting about you, we’ll sort this out.

Lily and Cen didn’t bother introducing themselves to Reilin. I thought it prudent not to force any interaction between them and the prickly noble in red.

Reilin and I made small talk, waiting for round four. In my opinion, it was basically a dead round, a chance to let Deneel flex some autonomy.

The five-minute intermission passed, and Margot, the tacticienne with the half-moon glasses, looked a little green, joining Aureli on stage. I couldn’t recall whom she’d chosen round three; my attentions had been elsewhere.

She was cute, a bit mousy, and I found myself rooting for her. The two of us would be seeing a lot of each other in our upcoming studies. In those classes, I’d be largely without my équipe. They’d be busy at work in their own Ecole. I was in desperate need of a friend.

Sure, she was the competition, but cutting oneself off from their peers was a well-noted way to fall behind. If I had one ally among my fellow tacticiennes, it was her. I didn’t let the fact that she was part of Cechele’s gaggle slip past me. It was concerning, but it was something I could navigate.

She nodded along as our department head shared a pearl of insight on her ventures in the Silverwreath. Then, the moment came for her to make her pick. Her gaze was locked on the École de Design as she called out in a wavering voice, "Vivienne Abadie."

The hell, why would she?

I leaned forward, making sure I’d heard correctly. Vivienne stood, looking equally confused, as a murmur rose across the auditorium. Someone coughed the word "Botched!"

"Oh look," Reilin said, running a hand through her curls, "Someone grabbed your clinger."

"Yeah...", try as I might, I couldn’t find a connection between the two. I braced myself for a wave of disappointment that didn’t come. In truth, it was a relief. Compared to Cechele’s actions, the transgression was minor, and I had plenty else to worry about.

Outside of my own, I couldn’t think of another équipe I’d have preferred her to go to; her place there carried potential to forge a connection with Margot.