(No I don't think they would, ignore that last bit then XD)
A bright and early start welcomed Oliver, though while he never had been a morning person, impressions were everything. An unnecessary amount of time was spent on straightening his outfit, making sure every inch of his uniform was neatly in place, and his hair was another matter entirely. After having a bath, he spent most of the morning making sure that every wave was tame as it dried. Not a single strand was allowed to be out of place, not for the sake of vanity but purely because he wanted to uphold a respectable impression in front of not only his classmates but his professors as well.
Once he was confident that he looked the part, he left his shared quarters and made his way down to the dining hall for a light breakfast. He decided not to wake Theo up, no one deserved to be needlessly subjected to an early start.
(Alright lol)
Theo eventually woke up on his own, with plenty of time left before class. He glanced around, and, when he saw that Oliver was already gone, began to get ready for school. He did his best to look presentable, though his hair refused to be fully tamed, falling down into his forehead no matter how much gel he used to try and tame it down. No matter how hard he combed it, it sprang back up. Eventually, he gave up, and just made sure that the rest of his uniform looked presentable, and then he grabbed his bag and headed to get breakfast.
Oliver had made himself comfortable at his usual table. The dining hall consisted of long tables with enough seating room for eight persons, though if two smaller groups of friends decided to sit at the same table there was always a space to separate them. This was the layout of the table where Oliver and Tobias were sat, with a four person group near them.
"So, who's ya dorm mate?" Tobias yawned into his hand. The boy hadn't fully woken up before he had made himself known to the school, and his hair was a wild mess that didn't look too bad—or so Oliver thought, Tobias seemed to be the only person who could get away with still being good looking with bed hair.
"Theodore Holden, the one who was talking to William yesterday evening." Oliver replied before taking a sip of his tea. "He's a quiet lad, so I don't mind sharing with him, he doesn't get in the way." Hopefully it would stay that way too, because they were going to have issues should Theo prove to be a nuisance.
Theo got his breakfast, sitting down at a table that was mostly empty, and got out his book to read while he ate. He didn't generally make many friends; Praesidia didn't like it when they got too friendly with normal people, and if he befriended other Praesidia, there was too much danger of discovery of just what he was. And he didn't mind being alone, he really didn't. It meant he had plenty of time to think and plan and discover things, to read about the world around him, both the Spectris and the Corporis. He had happened to sit down at the same table as Oliver and Tobias, though he didn't really take much notice of that fact beyond a faint wave in greeting, hoping that if he looked engrossed in his book they would leave him alone.
(I haven’t forgotten about this, just tryna think of what to write..)
(Alright! Eep, sorry. Would you like me to change it so that he's sitting near Oliver and Tobias instead? Would that make it a bit easier on you?)
(Perhaps? It might make for interesting conversation between the characters, plus I think Tobias and Theo would be in the same class?)
(Alright! They might be, yeah)
(Alright give me uno momento)
Tobias noticed a boy sit at the table with a book and slid a glance over to Oliver while he whispered. “Say, is that Theodore? What’s he doing sitting around you, he realises that could bring some odd looks in this direction, no?
Oliver didn’t acknowledge the boy’s arrival at the table, it was better to know each other on a strictly dorm mate basis. The older boy picked up his teacup and brought it gently up to his lips. “I imagine he’s here so as to not look alone. Aren’t the two of you in some of the same classes?”
Tobias leaned his head back in thought, letting out a yawn as he shrugged. Perhaps? Not that he remembered the names of everyone in his classes…
Theodore was silent. He didn't really register that the other two were there; he was merely here because it was strange to sit alone. He let out a faint breath, closing his eyes for a moment, then going back to his book and eating quietly. He was soon fully engrossed in the book, not registering the flow of conversation around him. He kept eating and reading, reaching to adjust his shirt for a moment.
Tobias had started rambling about some article he'd read in the papers about the economical situation in Germany, but Oliver wasn't paying much attention. He tried to look interested, after all, it affected Britain too, however he couldn't draw his attention away from the book that Theo was reading. He hadn't pictured Theo as a bookworm, but then again he hadn't really paid attention to what the boy was doing the previous night.
He set his cup down on the table and quietly cleared his throat. "Say, Theodore. What book do you have there?" From the angle he was sat at, he couldn't see the title.
Theo jumped a little bit when he was addressed, looking over at Oliver. "Oh– it's, uhm, an old book of my mother's. Some collection of fairy tales, I guess. The printing wore off the cover so I don't know anymore." He held it up sheepishly, revealing that the cover had indeed been rubbed blank, the words no longer legible that would have told exactly what the book was about. "She wrote notes in the margins." He knew it was childish to read such books, and he knew that with his bloodline maybe he shouldn't be, but…he couldn't help it. Reading those notes in the margins was the closest he could come to his mother.
“Fairytales?” Oliver asked, squinting one eye at the book. After a moment he put his hand out, his palm facing he ceiling, and took another sip of his tea. “Fairytales are much more than silly old stories made up for children, did you know?”
Tobias has now stopped whittering and was listening to the conversation between Oliver and Theo.
Oliver added, “and the stories are written so cleverly to hide the messages we now use in day to day society.” He paused for a moment, thinking he had phrased that wrong, but with a firm nod he decided it sounded correct.
Theo blinked for a moment, then nodded a little. "Yes, I suppose that's true. For me it's…it's a connection with my mother, is all." He didn't know quite how to explain and had no idea if Oliver would understand what Theo was saying. He knew that those in the Shadow Society knew that his mother was dead, but…he didn't know what else to say.
Oliver nodded his head slowly. “A nice sentiment.” He set his cup down on the saucer in front of him, picking himself up from the table. “If you’ll excuse me, I must gather my belongings and make my way to class. No doubt I shall see you before tonight.” his gaze lingered on Theo, a wry smile curved on his lips. “Until then, enjoy your day.”
Tobias’ eyes softened as he watched Oliver walk away from the table, and glanced over at Theo. His eyes shifted to the table while he twirled a lock of hair around his pinky finger. “What a strange man.”
Theo blinked slowly at Oliver's words. "I…yes, I'm sure. You as well." he replied, watching Oliver go for a moment, then looked to Tobias, more than a little confused. "…yes, I…suppose he is." he said slowly, letting out a breath and setting the book aside, taking a bite of food and shaking his head a little bit.
“So what brought you to this school?” Tobias asked, his eyes still fixed on the table. He knew the general gist of how each student came to attend Hawthorne, but it was always interesting to know exactly how each person got there, especially the ones who were part of the Shadow Society.
"Oh. My father came here when he was a child, and he wanted me to do the same." Theo replied, eyes flickering around the room. He sighed faintly, closing his eyes for just a moment, then looked at Tobias.
Tobias nodded, that seemed to be the same case for most students. He met the boy’s eyes for a moment, tucking his fringe behind his ear. “Do you think you‘ll settle in? First days are… tedious to say the least.” he paused, smiling warmly. “Hey at least we won’t be completely alone. Assuming you’re okay with having me as a friend?”
He smiled back. "Yeah, I will." he replied. "And…I'd be okay with that." he wasn't quite sure what that would really entail, since he had so many secrets he couldn't really let out, but he could try to be a good friend, and hopefully he would succeed.
The bell rang out through the halls to signal that the boys needed to start making their way to classes, resulting in a sigh from Tobias. "I completely forgot to grab something from my quarters before leaving. I'll see you in lesson, yes?" Without waiting for a response, the boy got up from his seat and briskly walked out of the dining hall, glancing over his shoulder at Theo with an apologetic smile.
Oliver was on his way to classes when he had passed the dining hall, just as Tobias was leaving. Thankfully the younger boy hadn't see him so he didn't have to engage in any unnecessary conversation, but that didn't stop Oliver from poking his head into the hall where Theo was. there was something strange about that boy, though no matter how hard he tried he couldn't place his finger on it. Perhaps it was just the fact that Theo was still an unknown individual to him–there was always that air of uncertainty with new people. He shook his head and carried on his way to lessons, knowing that he would have the undesired pleasure of talking to Theo later on.
Theo packed up his stuff quietly, and got up to head to class after taking care of the plate from his food. He slipped down the hallways quietly, before sitting down in his first class. He got out all the stuff he would need for said class, laying them all carefully out on the desk in a neatly arranged group, ready for the lecture to begin. He didn't talk to anyone; he didn't usually, and he saw no reason to start now. If someone struck up conversation he would, of course, respond, but he wouldn't start the conversation.
Tobias came running towards the classroom, skidding at the door and almost falling. "Sorry I'm late!" he managed to breath out, scrambling into the room before the teacher could scold him. He took his place in class, grinning like an idiot as he waved to Theo before setting out the equipment needed on the desk. He hadn't missed even a moment of the lesson by the time he had arrived, though no doubt his tardiness would reward him with an afterschool scolding. During the middle of the lesson, he leaned across to Theo and whispered. "Do you understand any of this?"
Theo shook his head a little. "No, not really." He whispered back, dutifully taking notes in a neat cursive hand, pencil scratching lightly across the paper as he wrote down as much of what the teacher was saying as possible. He did his best to just absorb the information, letting it sink in while he tried to make sense of what exactly they were being taught.
With a pout and a gentle sigh, Tobias turned his attention back to the professor and continued writing things down. He wasn't the quickest writer so no doubt he had missed out some key points of information; nothing he couldn't ask Theo for the notes of.
The hour seemed to drag forever, until finally the bells rang out to signal the end of the lesson. Tobias smiled as he looked at his schedule and found that he had a free slot, one he was planning to use for reading up on what they were just learning about so he wasn't likely to fall behind. Hopefully.
He started packing up his things and glanced over at Theo. "Are you free now?"
Theo blinked at him. "Oh– yes?" He replied hesitantly. "I believe so. Why?" He ran a hand through his hair, packing up his things and sliding his bag onto his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at Tobias questioningly.
"Well I was wondering if you would be able to help me catch up on the notes I might have missed?" It sounded like such a pathetic request, but Theo looked like he had actually done the majority of the work. "Or we could just have a moment to, I don't know, get to know each other a little more. Since we don't have much time to talk during–" he glanced around to make sure no one was listening before he whispered. "The meetings."
Theo considered the question for a moment, then shrugged a little. "I suppose that's alright." He agreed. "We can compare notes. I'm afraid I don't really understand the subject, though, so I may not be much help." He offered up an apologetic smile, closing his eyes for just a moment and hoping the conversation would go well. It could be disastrous if he was found out.
