Okay class, take your seats.

Standing there on the deck of that ship along with the rest of this particular batch of first years, Lex was reminded of the fact that he had been **** to postpone his entry do to extenuating circumstances, and was actually a year older than the rest of his year. The reason he was reminded of this fact, was that with his petite figure and girly appeal, he certainly didn’t look older than any of them. This fact would have had the opportunity to give him something of a complex, or at the very least some insecurity, were it not for some of the looks he noticed as he was introduced by his Prefect.

There was a rather broad range of responses that seemed to come at different times. The first wave was from the moment that the conversation shifted to him, along with the eyes of the students. Laurence, the redheaded Beavertail, looked at him with the same kind of interest and consideration which Lex had given the taller boy not moments before, doubtlessly also remarking on their uncanny resemblance. Similarly, Oli, the other Minerval, was looking at him with interest. However, while Laurence had been intrigued, her look was a bit more… ‘interested’. It was a look he’d gotten before, and it always gave him a little surge of pride, seeing a bit of desire, an appreciation for his petite form and soft features. While not vain, the redhead was aware that he was attractive, and the look he saw in her eyes told him that she emphatically agreed. Seeing that look on the cute tomboy’s face sent a small shiver down his spine and a dusting of pink across his cheeks. He’d offered her a slight smile, one which she’d readily reciprocated, causing his heart to flutter like he was a schoolboy again.

The second wave of reactions had come at the introduction itself, and namely in response to the name: Halladay. These reactions were a bit more varied and seemed to come from the Draconis and Leontes students. Bet Rudge, the Draconis who’d first been introduced, seemed to light up. It made sense, the house was known for hosting ambitious individuals, the kind who liked to network and get in good with powerful connections, and he did suppose that his family counted. Similarly to Bet, although a little less intense, was Goldie, the Leontes’s walking ball of sunshine. Her reaction to his name was one of sheer excitement, causing the girl to start bouncing just a bit faster. The look in her eyes screamed curiosity, as though she were bristling with questions. Well… as tedious as it might be to have to answer an endless cascade of questions about his family, their history, and their magic, his impression of her was positive, and he was sure that the sunny exuberance of her company would be compensation enough for some tedious questions.

The last reaction to his name, however, was less inviting, and one that he was honestly more surprised he hadn’t seen more of up until this point. Upon hearing his family name, Claude, the other Leontes, seemed to glare at him, looking down his nose at the petite femboy with a look of absolute disdain. It was something else Alexander was familiar with, the jealousy which could be inspired by his family’s reputation. Of course, it could run deeper than that, perhaps even a house dispute, but that was something that he didn’t especially want to dwell on. After all, why focus on the one person who seemed predisposed to dislike him, when everyone else seemed surprisingly keen to smile in his direction?

“Okay everyone, you can undress him with your eyes just as easily from your seats as you can from the dock.” Sandevin broke the brief silence which had sprung up as the students appraised one another, his teasing words resulting in a few blushes to break out and reveal which of them had actually been doing just that and causing Claude’s scowl to deepen even further. “If you would be so kind, find a seat on one of the benches, we will be disembarking shortly on our non-stop express voyage to Boarbristle Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” The man continued, slipping into a comical interpretation of a flight attendant or ride conductor. “Please keep you hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times unless you would like to take a dip in the Tarn, which I’m sure you all will, but we will be getting to that later. For now, just settle in and enjoy the ride.” He waved his hand and several of the benches lining the railing moved, forming neat rows on the bow of the ship to give those seated a good view of the dark water stretching out before them.

Following that little speech and display of magic, the seven assembled first years moved to take their seats. Lex opted to take a seat in the front so that no one’s head would obscure his view of the water, finding the moon and stars reflected against it to be beautiful. But as he took his seat, he found his heart trying to jump up his throat as the other new Minerval student immediately snagged the spot beside him just a tad too swiftly for it to appear casual. Not that he minded if Oli wanted to sit next to him… it wasn’t like he’d been secretly hoping that she’d sit next to him or anything… he was just happy to have the opportunity to get to know someone who’d be in his own house. Or so he kept trying, unconvincingly, to tell himself.

‘Okay Lexi…’ He spoke to himself in his head. ‘No reason to be nervous. You know what this school is like… experimentation is practically in the mandate. And the way she was looking at you, she definitely thinks you’re cute, ah, but she’s just so ho-‘

“Hey, I’m Olive, but everyone calls me Oli.” Alex was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of his companion deciding to break the ice first, and in doing so correct his initial assumption about her name. Her voice had a slightly softened quality to it, but also a sort of benign playfulness; not bouncy or excited like Goldie, but if he had to put words to it, it was a sort of openness, or a lack of a filter. Not a bad thing by any means, but it was the tone of someone more than comfortable speaking her own mind regardless of the situation.

“Oh, I like that. Oli is nice, but Olive is still a super cute name.” He beamed, forcing himself to swallow his natural discomfort at meeting new people, looking up at the taller girl with a bright smile which could have given Goldie a run for her money on its ‘cute factor’.

“Alexander.” He offered, extending his hand out to her. “But you can call me Lex, or Lexi, whatever feels best.” He added with a slight shrug, his nose scrunching up just a little bit. A second later, Oli’s hand reached out to take his, giving it a brief yet firm shake before giving his hand a little squeeze, the gesture combined with her playful and somewhat flirty expression threatening to make his heart stop. He was never this nervous around girls he found attractive, or boys for that matter. But then again, in his day to day life as a member of the Halladay House, he was expected to conduct himself properly at all times. There wasn’t really room for… fooling around. But at the academy, he’d heard that sex and nudity were almost commonplace. Maybe that distinction was the reason why it was suddenly so difficult not to picture everyone else on the boat naked.

"Hm, I'll give it some thought. Your name's pretty cute too." Oli chuckled, letting go of his hand and running hers back through her short black hair. "But anyway, I'm glad you like it, but seriously, who names a kid Olive when her last name is Salt? It's cruel if you ask me." She added, letting out a small snort of derision which prompted the redhead to chuckle playfully in response.

"Okay, so maybe it was a tad cruel." Lex relented, finding himself starting to relax a bit as the two of them talked more. There was something comforting, relaxing about it, and he could feel some of his fear at being alone in a new place drip away.

"So, whatcha guys talking about?" Alexander let out a loud and very girly yelp of surprise as something large and soft suddenly fell into his lap. Looking down, he found the petite form of Goldie stretched out across the bench, laying across both his and Oli's laps, looking up at the two of them with an interested expression.

"Oh, and sorry about that, I was trying to look for fish in the water, and the reflection of the moon looked so pretty and it distracted me so I leaned out to look at it better but I lost my balance so I tried to fall back onto the deck, and now I'm here." She beamed, completing the line on one breath before batting her eyelashes innocently up at the two of them. "So thanks, you two are so much softer than the floor, mind if I just stay here? It's comfy." She giggled, seeming to somehow remain bouncy even when laying completely still atop them.

"Well... It's..." Alex opened his mouth, trying to figure out what exactly was the correct response to something like this, when he was interrupted by a different, and much less welcome voice.

"Come now Goldie, you have to be more discerning about who you decide to consort with here. Especially around the likes of them." It didn't matter if he didn't know everyone long enough to identify them by voice, Lex could all but hear the sneer of Claude's face as he tried to chastise his house-mate into leaving them alone.

"Aww, do I have to? But they're so soft, and they smell nice, and they sound really friendl-"

"Now Goldie! I'm not going to repeat myself again." Claude interrupted her, his voice stern and harsh. Now, Alexander didn't know what history or context might exist between the two, and he did get that getting too familiar with members of other houses wasn't necessarily encouraged, but Claude's tone just seemed uncalled for. Sure, he could understand finding Goldie's rapid fire mouth, bouncy exuberance, and apparent lack of physical boundaries to be annoying... but she just came across as so sweet and harmless, that he couldn't imagine ever shouting at her like that.

"Don't worry." As Goldie began to reluctantly climb off their bench, seeming more than a little dejected, and less than bubbly for the first time since she'd been introduced, Lex leaned in to whisper softly in her ear. "I'll tell you all about it later." He added as she left, offering her a slight smile as she moved to sit with her house, leaving him with his.

As much as he wanted to keep an open mind, write off any attitude Claude gave towards mentions of his family, the boy was already starting to wear on his nerves. Despite the calming presence of what was hopefully his first new friend beside him, just listening to Claude had put him on edge. And to make matters worse, from what he recalled, around now was the time that the first years were usually rounded up to take their dip into the Tarn.