Draeyer Academy (Rewrite)

Chapter 30-Dinner

With a container filled with braised rabbit meat in hand, Alec arrived in front of the Star Dorm gates. He gave a small nod at the guards and entered, heading for the large double doors of the blue building in front of him. When he was halfway there, the commu-crima in his pocket vibrated and he sighed.

Gael had slipped it into his hand earlier, saying that it was from Kreis. Alec did not have one, and never really thought of getting a commu-crima but he was told it was necessary for their situation. Having his own commu-crima made it easier for Gael to contact him about academy work and for him to receive updates on the thief case from Kreis.

Taking the green rectangular crystal-like device from his pocket, he saw the image of Gael flashing over a blue circle. With another sigh, he swiped a thumb over its surface and placed it in his ear.

"What? It hasn't been fifteen minutes since I left the house," he grumbled.

"I just wanted to check, okay? It's your first outing without me."

"The truth."

There was a moment of silence on the other end before the older man answered. "The braised rabbit..."

Alec wanted to laugh in frustration. Gael snuck a piece of his cooking earlier that afternoon and had been trying to take more. He did not mean to, but he slapped Gael's hand with the spatula and the older man had been grumbling in the living room until he left for Star Dorm.

"I left two containers in the preservation box," he said. "One container is for Mr. Rowe and his family, the other is yours."

There was a flurry of steps from Gael's side before he heard the sound of the door opening. He heard Gael's delighted laugh. "Thanks, Alec. I'll make sure to tell Rowe when he comes to clean today," he said. There was another pause before Gael spoke. "It's delicious, and I'm sure the kids would love it. Especially the twins."

Alec only gave a small hum before mumbling see you later. The moment he ended the call, he reached the dorm doors. He stood there for a few seconds, contemplating if it was a good idea to join Knox and the others for dinner. He still did not know what he was thinking when accepted the invitation earlier that day.

Part of his duties under Gael was to help supervise Star Dorm and serve as the assistant advisor for the freshmen Sentires. He could have just done his job to check on the students. But to join them for dinner?

A few more seconds later, he shrugged. Part of making these tasks easier was to have a good relationship with the students. Gael also mentioned that he had occasionally joined the first-years for dinner since the start of the school year. There was nothing wrong with doing his job.

But why did he feel uncomfortable?

A commotion from beyond the door pulled him out of his thoughts. It was later followed by the sound of claws scratching on wood, and he soon felt four connections reaching out to him through his sentiral power.

Without hesitation, he pushed the door open. Four little draelings flew up and clung to his body. The white draeling, Dia, was clinging to his right leg, while the red one named Uby clung to his right. Emera, the beautiful green baby drae, forced him to curl his hand around her body. Lastly, a familiar brown draeling happily settled himself on his shoulder.

As they nuzzled him in greeting, the uncomfortable feeling slowly disappeared and he resisted the urge to laugh at their excitement. Did they sense his feelings and went to comfort him? He smiled at how adorable they were. Their Draeyers were lucky.

It made him wish...

He shook his head. After Crimson, maybe being a Draeyer was not meant for him. Being able to form emphatic bonds with draes was enough. No need to be greedy. He stepped inside the lobby of the dorm and noted the four smaller doors leading to the areas designated for each year level.