Burning Hope

Chapter 6: A Small Issue

"And you dare come into my office and ask me for an extension on your project?! It's not my fault that you spent all of the time that was so graciously offered to you during class to look up pictures of half-naked girls in swimsuits just to satisfy the needs of your lust, because you cannot get an actual girl to go out on a date with you! You have not only disgraced me, but the entire name and body of Eternal Academy!"

"But-"

"No buts! I will not give you an extension, Ya sho calreni ta! Go and look at the bodies of the disgusting swimsuit models that disgrace themselves just as you do, because I can guarantee that's exactly what you were going to do after leaving my office anyways! Isn't that right, Gawyn?"

"No sir! I..."

All the screaming from the room we were waiting in front of was enough to make me cringe in fear. Xiao seemed like he had some real anger management issues, and his seeming omniscience didn't help in the slightest.

"That's...Xiao?" I asked, shaking in the combat boots that I had borrowed from Luc.

"Yep." Luc affirmed. "You'd be quite surprised how often this happens. People screw around instead of actually doing the work and then get the nerve to ask for extensions...and if you pay attention, it's almost always the same people who do it over and over, and somehow never learn."

"I wonder where you came up with that idea, smart one." I looked behind me, where the voice had originated, and saw Talia walking towards us with a smirk on her face and her hands on her hips. "You know, only because I've been ranting about it for the past few MONTHS now!"

Luc looked up, as if he were contemplating some important issue, then looked back at Talia and shook his head. "Nah."

Talia scoffed, like prissy popular girls do in high school movies whenever they don't get their way. She crossed her arms and stomped her foot in a spoiled manner she, as well as everyone else here, was clearly used to. "Lucian Nathaniel Christopher Tyreal Evengalus Notus Aeolus Matthew Boreas D'Ange, don't you dare use that tone of voice with me!" She grit her teeth, getting up in his face and poking her finger into his chest for every word she spoke. "I deserve more respect than you ever give me! Do you have any idea how much that infuriates me?"

Luc spread his hands, then poked Talia's nose with every word, mocking her while speaking in an over-accentuated accent. "Vy do you sink I do eet? By the way, you look hilarious when you are about five seconds from strangling someone. Your face twitches so violently, it looks like it's about to explode at any second!"

I couldn't help but snicker as I realized that he was correct; Talia's nose, upper lip and lower left eyelid were all twitching furiously.

A prominent Russian accent now rang as Talia spoke. "Vy you..." Talia lifted her fist to punch Luc, but was quickly restrained by somebody else. I chuckled as I saw Kallan holding Talia by the waist as she flailed sporadically in an attempt to hurt Luc, calling him just about every name under and over the sun.

"Tal..." Kallan chided, holding her friend a little tighter. "We can't kill Luc yet! If we kill him now, we'd have no heir to the Peacekeeper's throne. We'll do it after, okay?"

"Hey!" Luc replied with exaggerated expressions. "I could beat both of you blindfolded with both hands and feet tied behind my back."

"In your dreams, boy! I von't do much, Kallan, I svear!" Talia said quickly. "I vill only tear out his still-beating heart vith a pair of rusty pliers, boil it in a pot of his blood vhile he dies from both infection and severe pain, then feed all of his organs to a pack of rabid dogs!"