The world they appeared in seemed to be moving at a leisurely pace and bustling like it could not be contained at the same time. Throngs of people milled about, all being polite and trying to appear calm, but it looked like behind those facades there was a stream, no an ocean of sheer excitement that seemed to almost want to surge over like the tide on…

Leon stopped his thought, he hadn't known what he was about to think, but it was not his memory, it was another's, he was Leon, and for all intents and purposes he was born here when Lira had called him. Standing by her side he looked down at the small woman, he really couldn't call her a girl, not with the way he treated her and she, erm handled him. And it was not just there extracurricular activities that made her a woman and not a girl, it was also the way she thought of things, she was so damned mature. Part of this he knew had been forced on her when she had been growing up in her household, she was without doubt tempered by her treatment as a bastard child of the duke. With a hand, he reached around her head, and as she saw the motion she looked up at him curiously, her golden eyes glinting as she looked in puzzlement at him. He used his finger to take a strand of that silver hair of hers and tuck it behind her right horn that curved down from her temple to her cheekbone, pointing forward like a bull's.

He smiled at her, and she at him, and the two of them walked over to join with the other two of their party. He almost laughed out loud when he saw the two of them, Fluffy was wanting to bound around and look at well anything and everything, and Leon could see the vein rising in Krya’s forehead, the two of them had their tails entwined, seeing as it would not be proper to hold the other’s hand as that was only for married or betrothed couples in this world and because Krya really didn't want to leash Fluffy seeing as that was rude and demeaning, unless used in the proper situations and locations.

Like a bedroom.

Leon smiled wickedly and leaned down to Lira’s ear. “You know how you wanted to make a bold statement about you and Krya but not be rude about it?” she nodded. “The entire school is here to pick their classes if you hold her hand naturally...” he switched to his own language. “Show them you are not scared of them.” she looked up at him, eyes worried. “I am here.” he said with a smile, “No one shall even spit in your direction or they will regret it.” she nodded, and striding forward she took Krya’s hand in her own. Krya moved slightly, but the woman hardly ever showed emotion, now she just stared at Lira’s eyes and nodded, this, this was indeed the correct time to do this.

The two women started walking down the hallway, hand in hand, each with the other’s fingers laced through her own, and Leon peeled Fluffy apart from them and taking her to task he followed. “Leon,” Fluffy said, her tail unusually stiff at the moment, hanging down to her waist like a cord and not a living thing.

“Yes,” he asked the wolf familiar.

“Can we also hold hands?” she asked shyly, “Krya told me it was to signify you have selected this person as a mate, and to ward off others, and that it is not allowed to have a formal mating between a mage and a familiar,” she screw up her nose, “And it is not fair that we would not be allowed to hold both of our master’s hands, they cannot say anything about two familiars can they?” she looked up at him, eyes glistening in the torch lit halls of the school.

Without speaking he grabbed her hand and wrapped her warm little fingers up into his own. She smiled, the dimples on her face made the blue markings on her skin dance. Her white tail with blue markings danced again and she bounced along besides Leon as they followed the other two and all four drew the attention of each and every eye.

Today they were here to select classes, the previous years Lira had been here it had simply been a traditional formality that had no actual bearing on her education seeing as all classes were required, now, however, she had choices on what classes she would be taking. The change was exciting. It meant that she would have more choice in her life, and she was really starting to like the choice that she was becoming familiar with and all of this was due to Leon. She glanced back and smiled as she saw Leon holding, no not holding Fluffy’s hand but almost restraining her by it. Looking back forward she walked with purpose as her and her betrothed approached the table that had been set up for the third year students, they had to wait in line for a short period of time but it was not too long seeing as there were only five people in front of them in the line. Smiling she found she had not been this happy in a long time, well no that was a lie, she had never felt this happy. She had a roof over her head, she was no longer beholden to her father and the woman that he called his wife, and she had people she loved who loved her back, there was nothing in this world she couldn't handle with Leon, Krya, and Fluffy with her.

Nothing.