Once the swearing ceremony was completed, Gavrus was reunited with the other three remaining members of House Sunset. House Sunset had started with seven, but three had died during the ritual. In Gavrus’s opinion, those weren’t very good odds. However, four members for a first year of House Sunset was evidently about average from what he had heard the others saying.

Instructor Servius, the Heaven-Truth Archon, offered to take the four to the Sunset apartments after they had lunch. Though, apparently that didn’t extend to sharing lunch with them. After he brought them to the cafeteria he simply said, “Introduce yourselves to one another. You will be seeing each other a lot for the next three years. I’ll be over there, come get me when you are done.”

Gavrus, walked through the cafeteria line with his housemates, but no one spoke. He decided that they were all probably a bit overwhelmed from the day, so turned his attention to other things. I wonder what they’ll be serving today for lunch in hell, Gavrus thought, grinning to himself stupidly. To his delight, it was mashed potatoes, roast beef, and carrots. Far better food than he ate when he hadn’t been in hell.

Eventually, the four sat at a small table against the wall, two across from two. Gavrus decided he did not have much to lose socially and sallied forth to break the ice. The silence had been getting a bit too awkward.

“Alright everyone. I’m Gavrus. I’m a void user from the kingdom of Winder. It’s an, uh…. Birth world? Home world? No that wasn’t it.” His introduction wasn’t going well, as he stopped and stalled to remember what the term was for his world.

A girl with lovely pale features, feral fangs and black tiger stripe markings over her body spoke, “Origin world.” she offered with a smile. “I’m Dexsia, but you can call me Dex. Everyone does. I’m a nature user, but my specialty is hunter. I’m from the House Arnza Enclave.”

Gavrus looked her over. She had long unkempt hair that was reddish-orange like a tiger. The black stripes that adorned her skin weren’t fur (she had no fur to speak of, just pale skin), but more like a tattoo on her skin. A black stripe made its way across both of her green cat eyes, looking almost like war paint. For the most part she looked human, but with a distinct predatory countenance.

Before the next person could go forward, Dex looked to Gavrus and said, “Hey, you didn’t say what your specialty was. Not everyone will admit it, but we are all kind of dying to know. It’s not every day a new unknown expression happens.”

Gavrus felt everyone eyeing him intently. He couldn’t be sure, but he almost thought people from another table were leaning in. “Oh,” he said. “It’s Never.”

“Never?” Dex asked, confused.

“Yeah. I don’t really know much else beyond that. It’s a mystery for everyone.” Gavrus said.

Dex stabbed a piece of roast beef with a long claw extended from her finger and said, “Man void is so weird.”

Gavrus couldn’t disagree.

In a haughty voice, a steel colored bald boy with shining gold eyes said, “I am Squire Obran. I am a Heaven-Justice Archon initiate of House Prexu.” The sternness in his face took away from his natural divine given attraction.

“No, you aren’t,” Dex said matter-of-factly.

“You dare accuse me of lying?” Obran said dangerously, eyes blazing with anger.

“You might have been raised in a House Prexu enclave, but you are not an initiate of House Prexu. That is kind of the entire point of Blackstone, to see where we will go.” Dex said.

Obran let out a sigh, seeming to deflate some. “As you say.” he admitted. Gavrus felt there was a story there but had no intention of asking.

Everyone turned toward the final member of the quartet, who looked nervous. She had light blue skin, curved ram horns and burning red eyes. A deep blush still managed to make its way across her blue cheeks at the attention of the others. “Uh… I’m, um... Severa. I’m a hellfrost Archon. I grew up in Wrex, on the sky nexus shard.”

Gavrus, assuming everyone else but him would know, asked her, “What’s Hellfrost?”

“Oh, it's kind of like one of the elemental essences. Its frost generated from hell ether.” she said, stiffly.

“It’s much more than that,” Dex corrected. “Hellfrost is for rooting out and punishing the worst sinners in hell-- betrayers. Severa here has the unfortunate fate of sensing all our dirtiest deeds whether she wants to or not. Well, assuming she has the sense discipline.”

Severa tilted her head down, looking sad.

“Is that true?” Gavrus asked.

She shook her head no. “Yes, I mean I do have sense, and it’s been a bit awkward so far… I can see some pretty horrible stuff from some people. Most folks aren’t that bad… Except for you. I mean, when I look at you, it gets all weird.”

Gavrus laughed. “What do you mean weird?” he said. He knew he had some heavy shit in his closet. He wouldn’t envy anyone trying to punish him because it would take forever to finish. Though he expected interference from the Neverwas was the likely cause.

“It’s like… looking into the dark water of an ocean. I can’t really make anything out, and I’m terrified of falling in because of what might be below.” she said soberly.

Obran eyed Gavrus with an accusing look.

No one said anything for the rest of lunch after that.

⍏

Once everyone was finished, Instructor Servius took them to the fourth floor and dumped them off at a large intersection with a one marked on the floor. I guess that’s for first year, Gavrus thought. Each of the two hallways had parallel doors across from one another. Gavrus it seemed would be staying across from Dex, who winked at him before going into her room.

The first thing that Gavrus noticed when he walked into his new apartment, was that it was massive. The place looked twice as big as the inn whose attic he used to live in. Couches with those legions of throw pillows that had never made sense to a single male in all human history, sat in a semi-circle. A large spacious kitchen with all sorts of arcane contraptions sat off to a corner. And, Gavrus could see that the place had around five separate bedrooms. Or maybe, four bedrooms and a giant bathroom.

He wanted to take off and explore his new dreamy abode but was interrupted by two people striding from one of the rooms.

An older male with a balding hairline and snooty face, dressed in a more formal sleeved Toga, bowed before Gavrus.

“My lord,” he said. “I am Piron your seneschal, and this is Nessa your keeper.”

Gavrus nodded his head to the man, then looked at the girl who was probably around seventeen. She was a waif of a girl, with short cropped brown hair in cutesy bangs, that looked about as lanky as he did before the transformation. My, what difference a few hours can make, Gavrus thought at their comparative sizes. He towered over both of his new retainers.

The girl curtsied to Gavrus, clearly a rehearsed movement, but still uncomfortable for some unfathomable reason.

“It is a pleasure to meet you both, though I must admit I have no idea what either of you are supposed to do. I hope you don’t judge me too harshly, this is all very new to me.” Gavrus said.

Piron gave a quick smile, and said, “That is understood sir. I am here to train you as much as her. As the Seneschal, I will be largely responsible for keeping your finances and administrative paperwork for the empire in order. Furthermore, I shall be managing your schedule, appointments, and other staff. In this case, Nessa. Nessa, as your keeper is responsible for seeing to all your personal needs. She is a chef, maid, tailor, groomer, and concubine.”

Gavrus’s eyes grew wide at the last word. Nessa blushed, looking down. So that was why she was so nervous.

Piron, seeing the reaction said, “I hope she will be acceptable?”

“What!? Yeah, she is, uh, great. Thanks. Concubining won’t be necessary though. I’m in a committed relationship.” Gavrus said. Li is going to kill me if she ever finds out I had a concubine. I am so dead. Gavrus thought with a groan.

“Very good sir.” Piron said, moving forward as though the girl wasn’t just announced to be his sex-maid. “Now, if you’ll allow it, I’d like to walk you through your home and discuss the duties incumbent upon you…”

⍏

Gavrus woke the next morning, after having slept in the best bed of his entire life. It hadn’t hurt that after a nice steamy bath, Nessa showed up to trim his hair, then give him the best and only deep tissue massage he’d ever experienced. It seems, being transformed into a semi-divine creature with an alien symbiote was very tiring on the muscles. The Neverwas was thoroughly thrilled by the experience, making an almost purring sound inside his chest cavity. Gavrus sincerely hoped that Lilion wouldn’t consider such a massage cheating.

Breakfast was served in his not so modest apartment. Piron had explained to him the night before that breakfast and dinner was expected to be served in his apartment from now on, with only lunch being available in the cafeteria. This was to ensure that he got experience with managing both a grocer and an estate budget. Fortunately, Nessa turned out to be an amazing cook. In fact, all her talents seemed to be so scary good that he hoped that she was an awful concubine.

Oddly enough, he was also expected to host dinner one night a week for the rest of the House. Etiquette training for nobility was given as the reason. Gavrus wasn’t told, but he assumed that that meant he would also be eating at one of their apartments for three nights of every week. He sincerely hoped that everyone in House Sunset got along going forward.

When he finished his sausage quiche, he went to his room and got dressed in a perfectly pressed initiate robe. How do you even press a robe? Gavrus wondered.

It was time for the first day of classes. Gavrus had hoped that since combat training was three hours long, and there were 19 other students, that Sarrius would not single him out for torment.

He was wrong.