I tried my best to internalize all of my joy at seeing these people that I had been studying so closely and enjoying so often in my times of need and times of 'need', but I apparently was still rather stiff since Hecate could tell without even looking back at me.
"Is everything alright, Natalie?"
Her voice cut through the clamor of the bustling dining hall and into my ears, grounding me a little and forcing me to look away from the various beauties and studs all around me and instead focus on the Noble I was walking behind.
"Yes, just... not used to being around all these people..."
"Really..? Where are you from then, Natalie?"
There was a hint of disbelief in her otherwise cold and neutral tone, causing my heart rate to spike for a moment as I wondered if I said something wrong, and with only a single line spoken it wasn't hard to find out why.
"From a small town not marked on most maps... Only around a hundred of us, off on the frontier of the Seraphic Empire. So... this..."
I waved around despite Hecate not looking at me, though even still I earned a small nod from her as she just murmured "Ah, backwater..." in that same aloof voice, which sent tingles down my spine.
Since she didn't say anything else I was enveloped in 'silence' again as we continued to walk, all the way until we got to the part of the dining hall that was different from where we were now; here it was a gigantic area filled with rows upon rows of wooden tables and benches, adorned with a variety of silver platters that were heaped with food, while the new area was just...
Secluded, smaller tables meant for a maximum of six people were placed around a quieter, more refined space, where all sorts of richly dressed and elegant Nobles and heirs to merchant houses were scattered around, dining amongst themselves.
Everyone was equal but some were more equal than others... which wasn't an issue since those of us down here still got incredible food in abundance alongside some decent wine, juices or refreshing mana enhanced water.
Still, seeing that coveted area above our own was a reminder that the Nobles just had that much more wealth and influence than we did, even in a place that was supposed to help us bridge that gap through talent and hard work.
Reaching that divide between the two halls was symbolic as well as being a physical divide, making something inside of me feel a bit off since I had to come to terms with being viewed as somewhat 'lesser' by the Academy... but at the same time it wasn't anything new to me.
Hecate paused and turned to look at me again, her golden eyes meeting my own for a few seconds before she said "You needn't wait for me, Natalie. I imagine we'll both be socializing for a little while, no? Goodbye for now." and walked into that separate 'world', leaving me on my own yet again.
I watched her for another second before nodding and walking away as well, looking around for a more empty table to help gather my thoughts and deal with the hunger that I hadn't known was assaulting my stomach.
It was surprisingly easy, so I took a seat by myself and began to pile up the food onto my plate, loving the magic on display as the food 'replenished' itself on the platter while the glass in front of me switched liquids with a touch of a crystal.
Some kind of poultry seasoned with herbs and a sharp spice, a salad drizzled with some berry vinaigrette, fresh bread and so much more was piled on my plate, while the crystal clear water soaked my tongue with cool goodness, slaking some of my thirst.
The bustling of the hall made me feel a little lonely, but at the same time it gave me a moment to think again, to gather my thoughts and come up with a plan for the immediate future; this was meant to be the tutorial week but I wasn't sure of anything at all.
I didn't know how to cast spells, fight monsters, wasn't sure if the language was similar here to the one I was fluent in, didn't really know how to cook and definitely not how to brew potions, wasn't able to enchant things...
What could I end up doing here that wouldn't end with me embarrassing myself..?
Those were the most important classes here, so I needed to learn how to do all of that before the first actual day of the Academy, which was two full days from now; plenty of time to learn something or other to not be an embarrassment to myself, but what was I going to do..?
Should I go get the tutorial items that help jumpstart your journey before I even learn how to do anything at all, or do I learn a little bit and then go grab them sometime during the week; additionally, there were 'teachers' available inside of the city that did a better job than those employed here, though that was entirely because of the nature of who they were.
I think it'd be better to get them first, but doing so involved a little bit of risk since things were obviously different now, like not being able to save scum one of the stealth areas or not having perfect dialogue choices to convince someone for something.
But they were beginner items that were barely hidden, so surely I could still get them and not really worry about anything, right..?
As I was in my thoughts someone decided to sit down across from me, pulling me from them and immediately startling me since I knew who was sitting across from me; a slightly serious and gigantic Draconian with black and orange scales was now sitting with me, staring at me for a moment before piling meat onto her plate and setting her glass to wine.
Draconian's were just like Beastkin; they had human versions with a little scale and horns as well as a humanoid Dragon that was bred and perfected for physical combat, something that oozed out of them naturally.
The one sitting across from me was the latter, and as such her presence was making my skin crawl a little in fear since she was so much larger than me and clearly dangerous, and yet here she was, just a few feet away and eating quietly, like I wasn't even here.