Olly Briggs
In comparison to Occaigh, Donnol was much calmer. Their central tunnel station had no protests or crowds. Nobody seemed tense or worried and Olly wondered if being home to the Academy meant that sentiments were more generally favourable to the Guilds. It gave him a sense of calm that he hadn’t felt for some time.
Once they exited the station he was surprised to find that a car was waiting for him. A porter was holding up a sign with his name on it. He saw a few other porters holding signs with names of classmates that he recognized.
“I think it’s safe to say that you’re going to have to get used to this treatment now,” Eli suggested beside him.
As they flagged down his porter he immediately jumped forward to grasp Olly’s belongings and packed them carefully in the car. The drive from Donnol’s tunnel station to the Academy was short but this time they were treated to a meandering drive of the other parts of the grounds since they weren't able to drive up the front walkway. They were as beautiful as Olly remembered however this time he was able to see even more. There was a large hedge maze and a statue garden, featuring even more mythological figures in a variety of poses.
He only caught a glimpse but he swore he saw a statue that resembled a woman holding up a tablet that was broken into two pieces, cleaved with a lightning bolt pattern. He frowned but before he could get a better look it had already disappeared behind some trees.
Before he knew it, they had followed the road that wrapped around to the front of the building.
“I’ll take your bags to your room sir,” the porter instructed, “You’re expected inside where you’ll be provided with your schedule for the evening.”
They exited the car and Olly looked around. He was about to start his ascent up the stairs when he turned back to see Eli waiting at the bottom, wearing a small smile on his face.
“You’re not coming inside?” he asked, feeling disappointment welling up within himself.
Eli gave a small shrug, hands in his pockets. “It’s for the best that I don’t, it's not really my scene.”
To his credit, other parents were accompanying their children in the cars but few appeared to be following them inside. This was it then, the place where they said their goodbyes.
He just didn’t feel ready. This was what he was actually dreading this morning, and he hadn’t realized it until now. Leaving the sixteenth didn’t mean much now, particularly after this morning's experience, but he felt the desperate pain of this goodbye bubbling up in his chest.
As if sensing his discomfort Eli stepped forward, arms open. “It’s not forever kid,” he said.
Olly practically launched forward, gripping him tightly. “When will I see you again?” he asked, voice muffled by his uncle’s suit jacket.
“You can come home on the first break. Let me know when and I’ll plan for it.” His arms wrapped around Olly. “And don’t worry, you’ll be fine here. I believe in you.”
Olly pulled away before he got emotional.
“I’ll call you later, but trust me I don’t expect you to remember me once you’re beyond those doors,” Eli smirked, “Go on kid, show them what you’re made of.”
Olly felt his resolve rising. “Bye Uncle Eli,” he said softly.
“See you later kid.”
Olly realized he was waiting for him to turn around first, so he gathered his courage and made the first step. He only faltered once to turn back and his uncle gave him an encouraging look and a small wave. It was the strength he needed to keep going so he turned around for good and didn’t look back again.
He released a breath as he made it inside and felt marginally less adrift as he collected his schedule from the volunteers in the atrium. It was only four in the afternoon and everyone had until five to arrive. The festivities were scheduled to take place in the common hall. First, there would be a welcome banquet, both for the new students and the returning students, and then there would be a reception for just his incoming class to interact with the Grandmasters and lecturers.
He decided to find his room now that it had been assigned to him. As expected, his things had been carefully brought up and were neatly stacked against the wall. He hoped unpacking would take his mind off his concerns. He placed his normal clothes on one side of the closet and his formal school uniform on the other side. It made for an interesting contrast.
They were permitted to wear normal, or civilian clothes, on evenings and weekends, though he suspected his classmates would have much finer clothes. His were almost entirely casual because he hadn’t ever required formal clothes up until this point. He was grateful to have the uniforms though as something that would help him to fit in. The normal classroom attire was a white dress shirt, black slacks, and black shoes. However, for formal occasions, each Guild had a blazer styled in their own colour for their students to wear.
As a Conductor student, his blazer was black. It was high-necked, lacking a proper lapel. Though it had a shiny silver zipper running to the top of the neck, it was adorned with a row of five silver buttons running vertically down either side of his chest. Each pair was connected by a black strip of fabric lined with silver stitching. The epaulets featured the Conductors’ Guild crest, a sewing needle at the forefront of an interlocking brick wall, its thread weaving behind it.
He was expected to wear it tonight. He tried it on and immediately liked the way it made him feel. Something about it was highly authoritative. And yet when he looked in the mirror he could scarcely recognize himself. It made him look more severe than he was used to seeing himself by emphasizing his dark hair and eyes.
He placed his student badge on his chest to finish the look. Before he could preen any further there was a knock at the door.
“Helloooo,” Sarah called as he opened it, letting herself in around him. He smiled, immediately grateful for the company. She was also wearing her uniform. There were no differences between their uniforms, other than fit, so having someone else around wearing the same style made it feel more normal.
“How’s the new digs?” she asked, flopping down onto his chair and looking around.
“Still unpacking, but good! Where’s your room?”
“Just down the hall. We’re basically neighbours. Although that girl we had the pleasure of meeting on Orientation Day, Odette Roberts, is also right across from me,” she rolled her eyes.
“Maybe you’ll be best friends by the end of it?” he smirked.
“Absolutely not. That’s why you’re here, buddy. You’re officially my Academy best friend. They want us down for dinner soon, by the way, so you should probably finish getting dressed.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll meet you outside,” he grumbled, showing her the door dramatically.
As he changed into his dress shirt and slacks he thought back to the time when he said he wasn’t going to make friends here.
He had never been happier to be wrong.
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The banquet contained more food than he had ever seen in his life. He had never gone hungry, but he had also never witnessed such a massive selection at once. They had assigned seating within their classes and Guilds and he was grateful that he had been placed next to Sarah. She was trying to engage him in conversation in between him shoveling food in his mouth.
“So where are you from?” she asked, cutting her food far more deliberately than he was.
“Occaigh, you?” His answers were short and to the point.
“Towaat. Occaigh, huh? Wasn’t there just another tunnel collapse there recently? Pretty scary stuff.”
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Odette was sitting close to them. “I’m from Aspir,” she interjected, sitting further away from her group of friends than she clearly would’ve liked. Neither of them responded to her and she rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, it was an intercity tunnel,” he managed to choke out.
“Do you always eat like that?” Odette asked.
“Do you always butt into other people’s conversations?” Sarah gave her a pointed look before turning back to Olly. “So anyways, what’s going on over there?”
He swallowed thickly, deciding he was done with looking like a glutton. “Yeah, it’s not great. There was a huge protest when we traveled to Donnol today. People are furious.”
“It happened right in the first borough, didn’t it? That’s where all the important people in the city live, right?” Odette chimed in once again.
“It depends on your definition of important,” he responded. She opened her mouth to say something no doubt infuriating when Franklin Byrne stood up from his table. The four Grandmasters were eating at the front of the room together.
As Franklin went to take the podium Olly turned to Sarah and muttered, “Oh no, here we go.”
She stifled a giggle as he began his latest long-winded speech. It wasn’t much different than his other ones, and he similarly praised them for being the best of the best and wished them well into their new school year. However this time he asked the students of the incoming class to stand up.
Feeling slightly self-conscious, Olly stood up with his cohort, joined by the new students sitting at the other Guilds' tables. All eyes were on them and he felt his cheeks burning.
“These are the newest students of the Academy. For the mature students, be sure to be a beacon for them as they navigate these new waters. For the new students, look to your seniors for advice. These are your peers for the rest of your careers, you must look out for each other.”
That was a new part of the speech. Franklin instructed them to sit down.
“As we may one day find ourselves entering challenging times, it’s important to remember who your allies are. Everyone in this room is your ally, and it would do you all well to remember that.”
He concluded his speech by telling them the reception would start promptly in fifteen minutes.
“That was different,” he murmured to Sarah under his breath.
“Do you think it has something to do with the collapse?” she asked, frowning slightly.
“I wouldn’t be surprised…” he trailed off, remembering his uncle’s concern that there would be calls for action against the Guilds.
He wasn’t sure if it was just him but the tone seemed muted after that.
The food was cleared away and the senior students began to exit, some of them clapping the new students on the shoulders and offering their greetings.
They watched as the tables were pushed to the side and then, awkwardly, they were left alone in the room with just the Grandmasters and lecturers.
Franklin seemed to laugh as he took in the sight of them. “Ah, new students, you look the exact same every year and yet here I am growing older. You always seem to act the exact same too, gaggling around each other like prey animals trying to avoid a threat.”
They all looked around and realized he was right. Not one new student had left the safety of the group. Slowly but surely they began to untangle themselves and the lecturers and Grandmasters dispersed themselves out amongst them.
Sarah was chatting with the Labourers’ Guild Grandmaster, Oleg Shevchuk, so Olly looked awkwardly around for someone to talk to instead. He noticed Delilah and she gave him a friendly wave. He was about to go greet her when Abigail intercepted him.
“Olly! There you are. I can’t tell you how happy I was to see that you had accepted my offer.” She threw her arm around him in a way that suggested familiarity. Olly immediately could tell that he had gained his peers' interest, not least of all Odette’s who was watching him with wide eyes.
She steered him right towards Franklin and he felt his panic rising. Something about Franklin seemed to shut off his brain. He could listen to his boring speeches but being in his vicinity made him feel very small.
“Franklin, you remember Olly Briggs, don’t you? He’s the one who absolutely obliterated the aptitude test. He was pledging for your Guild when he wrote it but I helped him see the light.” She basically shoved him in between them.
Franklin looked at him with an unreadable expression before breaking into a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Of course, how could I forget? So good to meet you in person, son,” he said, shaking Olly’s hand with an uncomfortably and surprisingly strong grip, “I have no doubt you’ll be a valuable member of the Conductors’ Guild, and this Academy.”
“Th-thank you, sir,” he stammered out.
“We’ll certainly be expecting big things from you after that display. You certainly wield a different sort of magic than what I’ve seen before, I’ll be interested to see where it takes you,” Franklin suggested in a way that Olly did not find reassuring.
“Oh we are very interested in his talents, he will shine with us,” Abigail insisted.
He felt like he was an unwilling participant in a competition he hadn’t signed up for.
“I’m sure he will,” Franklin conceded, “Now if you’ll excuse me. It was very nice to meet you.”
“Let me introduce you to some people,” Abigail said after Franklin had left, once again leading Olly around the room. He felt very much on parade and getting back to his room at the end of the night was extraordinarily relieving.
He had come back to see a red voicemail light flashing on his phone. He listened to his uncle's voice wishing him a happy first day and felt tears prick at his eyes. It was both comforting and made him deeply homesick.
As he lay in his new bed in an unfamiliar place, he found himself unable to fall asleep. The entire day had been such a whirlwind that he felt like the morning had happened in a different lifetime. In some ways he supposed it had been.
It was a long time before sleep took him that night, his mind was spinning with possibilities of what the future held for him here.
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Eli Briggs
Earlier that evening...
Eli chose to walk back not wanting to be stuck in another car ride. He always felt more visible in a vehicle, particularly since most people walked and took tunnels. Besides, he was good at fading into a crowd, and when he got back to Occaigh and had to navigate them again he easily slipped into the swarms of protestors.
It was also a good way to pick up some details he had missed from the journey to Donnol. There were plenty of people calling for the Mayor to resign; this was not something the news was openly indicating in their coverage. Many were demanding justice from the Guilds. Others were decrying tunnels and calling for their immediate closure.
Despite the rabble, his trek home was uneventful.
Something about coming back to an empty house was lonely in a way he hadn’t anticipated. It would no doubt make leaving this place far easier, but for the first time in a very long time, he was in a position where absolutely no one would know or care about his comings and goings.
The phone rang. Well, almost no one anyway.
He picked it up. It would be far too early for Olly to call unless he was desperately homesick, but Eli suspected it was someone else. Someone he didn't particularly want to talk to at the moment.
“Hello?” he answered cautiously.
“Hey… It’s me.”
Eli felt his jaw clench. “I see. What can I do for you now?”
“Nothing, I just wanted to apologize for the other night. It was foolish, I shouldn’t have come around to your place.”
“Well, I shouldn’t have let you in so let’s call ourselves even,” Eli said coldly.
There was a pause. “I have an offer for you. Now that Olly has left, would you consider coming to work for me?”
Eli blinked in disbelief.
“You still there?”
“Working for you how exactly?” Eli asked dangerously.
“I’d like to bring you on as one of my staffers. I’m going to need people I can trust. You’d likely be able to leave the sixteenth, and we could no doubt come up with something believable about your backstory. Now that you have a nephew in the Academy you could also probably use that to your advantage,” Tarry suggested happily.
Eli’s knuckles were white from gripping the phone. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”
Another pause. “I’m sorry?”
“In what world do you think I’d want to work for you? All you do is take what you need, and when you're satisfied you leave the rest of us to fend for ourselves when the other shoe drops. This isn’t a fucking game Tarry. And I don’t need you to save me from the sixteenth!”
“Eli, I need you. I need you here as my friend,” Tarry said sadly, after a moment of letting Eli’s words sink in.
Eli’s blood was downright boiling. “Well, you’re certainly not my friend. And before you start declaring yourself anybody’s friend I suggest you start thinking about what other people need for a change,” he spat bitterly before slamming the phone back down on the receiver.
He held his hand to the phone, teeth gritted and blood rushing through his ears. “Fuck him,” he thought, “Fuck that selfish asshole.”
He finally let go, letting himself fall heavily into a chair, rubbing a hand over his face. He didn’t need him. He knew that Tarry wasn’t lying about needing him but Eli did not need him. And yet, he couldn’t help but feel even lonelier than he did before the phone call.
At least he wasn’t likely to see him around here anymore. And there would probably be fewer bricks thrown through his window to show for it.