With Altair's vote cast, the "jury" had come to its conclusion. Le'garde didn't stick around afterwards, merely telling Nezra to expect to be called to a faculty meeting by the end of the week. Whether he took the decisions of his students into effect or just ignored them, only time would tell. Altair watched him stride out the classroom before turning back to Vera Quadreign.
Their teacher silently observed her students before sighing and gesturing for Nezra to sit down. "After that, I suppose there's nothing more for me to say. Hah, what a great start to the week" she bemoaned, rubbing her temples as she leaned against the podium. "Now listen up, this topic ends here, do you understand? I don't want you discussing it outside, or arguing over your votes," a gaze went to Zeze and Gordan, "nor do I want a repeat of this morning. Have I made myself clear?"
"""Yes Teacher!""" they all confirmed in chorus, though whether they would really obey was uncertain. Altair had no desire to talk about it anymore at least, though he was interested in the fact that Nezra was an orphan: a fact that his friends kept secret from him. That realization soured his heart a bit.
'No one keeps secrets from me!' he huffed. 'Only I can keep secrets from others!'
He spent the rest of the class dreaming up how he would get back at Alexander and Elizabeth, paying little attention to what Quadreign said. His brain would automatically collect it for him later anyways, so he always reviewed the lessons after instead of actually learning in the moment. Too cool for school, studying is for nerds, etc.
When the bell went, he had just narrowed down his revenge to spicing Elizabeth's lunch with chili pepper and sticking a note on Alexander's back. Leaving the classroom, he found a small crowd of students had gathered outside their room, gawking at the broken door. Quadreign shooed them away as she left, making way for her students to follow, and no one approached to talk. Altair had only just turned the corner however, before he felt a strong pull on his shoulder.
Turning around, he saw Nezra looking at him with an unknown gaze, and the boy quickly positioned them closer to the wall, out of sight. Altair didn't resist, knowing what Nezra wanted to talk to him about. He saw Elizabeth and Alexander walking slightly ahead, and the latter paused and turned to look back. Altair saw the question in his eyes but just looked away, so Alexander continued moving on, bringing Elizabeth with him.
Once they were alone, Nezra crossed his rms and leant against the wall, studiously observing Altair for several seconds before speaking in a low voice. "Hey, what was going through your head back there? You spent a while in thought before answering...to be honest, I feel like it should have been pretty simple. A snap answer, basically. You really needed time to mull it over? I wouldn't if I was in your shoes."
"And what would your answer have been, if I was the one on "trial", so to speak?"
"Guilty" Nezra answered bluntly, not even taking a second to consider, true to his word. Altair just snorted flashed him a grin. "Well, that sure hurts my feelings, but I can't say I'm surprised. You strike me as the selfish, loner type. Definitely not the type to stick your neck out for others. In gentler terms, you're a pragmatist. In harsher terms, you're a bastard."
"Exactly" Nezra accepted the insult with a bared chest. "Which is why I can't understand why you sided with me back there. Elizabeth's a coward who always avoids conflict, Alexander just hates authority, and Nephelae is pure randomness. I can get why Zeze and Gordan voted against me too, being from the Churches and all, and the same from Ophelia. But you? I got nothin' on you."
Altair didn't answer immediately, taking the time to get a proper look at Nezra, to really see the boy in front of him. Tussled blonde hair, messy and reaching the nape. His eyes were an ember red and seemed to have perpetually pointy irises, like a lizards'. He was the tallest in the classroom, and had surprisingly robust muscles for a young teenager. Not to the point where they were bulging out, but Altair could certainly see the future frame in the works. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top and he was without a tie or jersey, but he wore the correct shoes and pants. He looked like a delinquent, but he was handsome enough to carry the word as a compliment rather than as a derogatory term. Altair predicted he would break more that a few hearts in the future, and definitely a lot of bones.
As for his attitude? As Altair had already said, Nezra was a selfish bastard that looked out purely for himself, with no desire to share experiences with others or grow bonds. Yet Altair couldn't say he was strictly unfriendly: he was polite, if curt, and never objected to anything reasonable. He would pass things around, and lend any stationary needed as long as you returned them later. He had quite the frenzy for battle, being the only one who could go toe-to-toe with Zeze in the ring, and was highly competitive in the same vein. Altair didn't know how he was doing academically, as Quadreign handed out results privately, and Nezra never shared, but he didn't seem pressed or concerned about his grades. Whether he was secured or just nonchalant about his future, who could say? Perhaps he was relying on his physical strength alone to carry him through his time at Sky Cross, which Jace claimed was a valid method to graduate, albeit a hard one.
All these thoughts compiled themselves at rocket speed, taking less than ten seconds in the real world to complete, during which Nezra awaited his answer. Altair sighed and displayed both his hands, a guilty expression appearing on his face. "What can I tell you Nezra, I guess we're just not alike? I don't need a guarantee or reward to help someone. Maybe the act itself in reward enough for me? Anyways, there was no ulterior motive to me siding with you, nor do I expect a reward. A bastard who think's everyone else is like you probably struggles to understand the sentiment, but I'm sure you can still see what I mean."
Since Nezra didn't object the first time Altair said it, he freshly called him a bastard again, and sure enough Nezra didn't take issue with it. Instead, he leaned closer to Altair, staring down at him with unnerving intensity. Altair met his gaze with composure and equal strength however, and after several seconds the older boy backed away, placing his hands in their familiar place-his pockets.
He moved past Altair and started walking down the corridor, but paused after a few steps and looked over his shoulder. "While it's true I dislike interacting with others, and I'm quite the bastard, I still have my honor. If you ever need help with something, feel free to come find me. I'll help you out the best I can, one time only. After that, we're square."
Before he could respond, Nezra had already resumed walking and quickly left Altair behind. He stared blankly at where Nezra had been before chuckling wryly and scratching the back of his head, looking all abashed. Yet if you looked closer, you would see his eyes narrowed and a ferocious glint present inside them. "Ah Nezra, acting all cute like that...if I was Endyr, I might have even felt my heart flutter from your bad boy act...alas, you're still too young for my tastes. Although, Astraea technically isn't around, so who could stop me..."
"No no, focus up Altair. This is an opportunity to finally get the advantage over these Churchlings. If I play my cards right, I might even be able to...Hehe, if you insist on being so kind Nezra, then I guess I have no choice but to take you up on your offer!"