While the guild prepared for the examination, Ethan sat silently in the original meeting room, his thumbs lightly sliding back and forth on the piece of crumpled parchment from the headmistress. Having long since finished rereading the single line over and over he was simply lost to the physical sensation of his skin sliding back and forth against the slightly rough surface of the letter. It was almost hypnotic for some reason, despite its initial source causing both Ethan and Owen so much grief. After nearly dropping it to the floor by falling asleep the boy took in a deep breath and stood before lifting his arms above his head to stretch out his muscles.

The Guild Master had given him two hours to prepare but truthfully Ethan was already bored and it had only been 25 minutes or so since Owen had left. He didn't have any equipment with him, he was too poor to own any, and the clothes he wore were all he had save for one additional pair in his bag, though they weren't for fighting. Having nothing else to do but sleep or stretch he began to do basic motions to do the more productive option of the two. Unfortunately for Ethan he only managed to stay productive for about another 20 minutes and promptly sat down on the sofa across from the room.

It took but a second for an uncomfortable chill to run up his spine as he sat down in the same spot he was resting upon earlier with his head in Cecelia's lap. Rubbing his arms to rid himself of the escalating shivers he finally shook his head and laid down to rest once again, though this time of his own accord and free of any touchy feely women. It was very possible that in five years or so, if Ethan happened to remember his thoughts and actions of this day, he would smack himself, maybe even twice.

Despite his young age and being in a new situation the boy simply felt a bit overwhelmed but not really scared. Even with growing up in a secluded orphanage there had been enough children his age that the situation had afforded him a rather normal upbringing as far as social interactions and development. The lack of outside visitors, except for the new orphans that arrived, did limit his exposure to those not considered family, but for some reason when he heard Owen would be handling the exam, even the feelings of being slightly overwhelmed calmed. It wasn't that he felt Owen would go easy on him, actually it was the opposite considering he was the younger... older looking, brother of the headmistress, it was the fact that he felt the situation would be familiar and thus made him relax despite himself.

Though he never fell asleep within the remaining time, he did enter a sort of daydream where he thought about his ambition, the possible next steps after the exam, and his past up until that very day. A gentle knock followed by a gentle and curious voice brought him back and he turned his gaze to look toward Lorelle who was looking through the opening in the door.

"It is time for the exam Mr. Kipley," she offered him a smile after greeting him once again and then let the door swing open.

Nodding he sat up and then turned his body to place his boots upon the floor. While he standing he tilted his head to the side and responded.

"Why did you call me mister? I'm only 13 you know?" He wasn't offended, just curious.

As she watched him cross the room and step out of the room and into the hallway next to her she nodded and then began to lead the way away from the front reception area.

"True, but you are still a potential adventurer, and thus deserve respect from us. After all, adventurers are basically our clients." She emphasized this with a warm smile.

"Oh.... Is that how things work?" He asked in a soft tone, his mind wandering back to how Bimsley had greeted him, and how his attitude had changed once he confirmed Ethan wasn't a thief. Would he have acted differently if Ethan had been a customer?

Upon turning a corner into a smaller hallway to the left he stopped thinking about Bimsley and instead looked at the back of Lorelle. Despite himself his gaze moved toward her slender and slightly pointed ears, watching silently as they twitched slightly as if responding to some sound only they could pick up. He couldn't admit it yet, mostly because no one had told him the truth about it, but he had a thing for exotic ears like Lorelle's. When she stopped in front of two large and strong looking doors he quickly looked away from her ear before she turned to face him once again.

"The exam will be held in the next room. I will be present as a witness and to provide any first aid upon completion if required. You will be facing the Grand Master in a sparring match with armaments chosen from within. Once we are inside please follow the Guild Master's instructions. Do you have any questions?"

She was smiling the entire time she spoke to him but he could see a slight tinge of concern beneath her gentle expression. He shook his head, took a deep breath, and then squared his shoulders in wordless signal of his readiness.

Lorelle nodded, also without words, and moved to open the doors, letting them open away from the pair and expose a large stark white room with a light gray floor and ceiling. After stepping through the threshold Ethan turned to look to either side, noting that several wracks of wooden weapons were to his left and then several shelves of armor were to his right. In the center of the room stood Owen with a large, no rather massive, sword resting against his shoulder. The hilt looked like that of a two handed weapon, from what little Ethan knew about weapons that is, and though it was certainly lighter than a matching sword of metal, he still held it in a relaxed state. After a few seconds Owen motioned to one side of Ethan and then to the other.

"Please select your armaments."

Nodding without a word Ethan turned and made his way to his right where the armor was located. He didn't take long to decide and after a moment of preparation turned to look back at Owen with a buckler strapped to each forearm. He shook his arms a bit to get a feel of the bucklers and their weights while walking across the room to place himself some ways off and across from where Owen stood.

Owen had watched him in silence and despite his confusion at the fact that Ethan had only picked up a pair of shields his face was expressionless. The boy obviously had a plan, or so he hoped, and he couldn't ignore his sister's evaluation. He may not know the reason yet, and his sister was certainly a sadist when it came to those she looked after, but she wouldn't throw someone into a deep pond unless they knew how to swim. Once Ethan was standing there facing him he took a deep breath and slowly shifted his body into his fighting stance.