Manners maketh the man young prince. Now stand up straight, sword practise can wait until you learn the seven official bows for each nation. Don't give me that look Duncan! This is just as important!

-Chief Royal Governess Tillybrook Maebus

Guppy awoke not on silken sheets, but well spun cotton that felt luxurious to her compared to the simple rough fabrics she normally slept under.

She lay awake in bed for a time, just listening to the quiet erode as rising girl's complaints gradually stained it.

She dimmed her hearing, returning to a more normal level of sensory input. A skill she had gotten far more practised at during the weeks of her captivity.

Guppy grudgingly uncurled herself from the ball she had slept in and stretched, letting out a large yawn as she felt a bunch of clicks and pops run through her body.

Mmmm that felt superb.

She hadn't slept particularly well, the change in venue paired with nervousness and excitement both meant she had been awake since the fourth morning bell. Yet she had curled up under her blanket in a half dozing state since then out of sheer stubbornness. Plus the pillow had actual feathers for stuffing instead of straw, it made a decidedly good cuddle buddy.

Guppy finished both her stretch and yawn, then swung both legs off the bed and landed her feet on the floor, the cool stone was a touch unpleasant so she hastened to her wardrobe and the small rug that covered the floor over there, the old wood of the wardrobe was worn smooth and polished by the years, and was the only other furniture other than the bed, side table, and a small desk and chair.

Guppy heard more doors opening now and realized she might be late if she didn't make haste. She shucked off her nightgown, folding it hurriedly and laying it on a shelf, before reaching into the wardrobe and retrieving one of the uniform sets she had hung last night.

She buttoned up the white shirt and long crimson skirt, fumbled with the crested tie before remembering how Emily had shown her to wrap it with a double knot, and threw her blazer on before flicking her hair free from its confines. Two rows of buttons up the blazer front later she stuck some socks on and slid her feet into thankfully sensible shoes that sported only a minor heel.

For her hair, a few quick brushes was all it needed, it's new found silkiness never gave her much trouble.

Face, a quick splash and scrub from the basin on the side table cleared any sleep dust from her eyes. All good to go then. She whirled and dashed to the door, key in hand.

Guppy stopped, and stood before her room's door for a moment, then taking a breath unlocked it and exited, turning briefly to lock the door behind her.

"You better hurry! Or you'll miss breakfast!"

Guppy turned to see a rapidly retreating figure click-clacking down the tiled hallway. The girl who had called out to her could only be called chubby euphemistically, her only other defining feature being short black hair that curled downwards and bounced with each of her steps.

Guppy broke into a jog to catch up to the jiggling mass, and was once more thankful for the increased agility of her current body, running in heels had turned from a dangerous affair into a merely annoying one.

"Hi there! My name is Henrietta Cooper, what's yours?" asked Guppy as she slowed beside the rotund girl.

The girl glanced at her, then stopped dead, causing Guppy to walk another step before turning to her in puzzlement.

The girl's pink face rapidly contorted from one emotion to the next before it settled into an ugly frown that prompted Guppy to hold down a snort, as an image of an angry Zugzug came to her mind.

"Are you the country girl who transferred in? I don't recognize you at all!" humpfed the girl, "Now out of my way, you're making me late!"

The girl took off again, her quicksilver attitude causing Guppy to blink and check her breath and odour quickly. No problems there, she had wiped herself down and brushed her teeth last night.

Puzzled, but not about to abuse her rumbling stomach by skipping breakfast, Guppy followed the girl downstairs and through several corridors, finally reaching a large dining hall in the main building,

Easily three hundred students of varying ages and nationalities sat on plush cushioned benches along three broad and incredibly long dining tables. Table tops, Guppy realized, that were each a solid slab of creamy red wood. Older men, women, and one colorful merfolk sat at an elevated dais, cordially chatting as they ate.

Those must be the teachers, Guppy reasoned. She picked out the principal based on the size and central position of his ornate gilded chair. He was an old fellow who looked half asleep in his seat, with a long white beard that almost covered his belly, almost. Now the man was not rotund like the king had been, no stoutness there on his lanky frame. Just a solid gut that bulged outwards from under his red and gold robes.

The look was not flattering, but he was old and seemed not to care much what others thought of him judging by his complete and utter lack of concern for those around him.

However, Guppy's sniffer snapped her awe of the hall's occupants in half and tossed it away. Previously taunting snippets of scents now fully assaulted her with delicious promises of well-cooked grub.

Guppy blinked as her focus shifted and looked around, quickly spotting servers that bore platters of food to waiting students. Turning her head, Guppy tracked the girl she had followed from the dorms to see how she proceeded.

The chubby girl had seated herself at the table to the right and tapped a disc at her seat, which then turned yellow. A free server glided over and took the girl's order of zug zug meat, clukie meat, and- Guppy lost interest in the girls gluttonous ordering and walked over to a free spot at the end of the same table, the other two tables held older students that she figured belonged to the second and third-year students.

She tapped her own light disc and waited semi-patiently as a waitress hurried over.

"Beg yer pardon miss- oh I'm afraid I don't know yer name, are yer new? Please don't tell Mrs Vicklash I forgot a student's name agin. But enough of me flappin my gums. Do yer know what yer'll be wantin for breakfast yet?"

Guppy glanced around until she saw a breakfast platter with sausages, eggs, and honey toast.

"An order of what she's having please," she asked, "and my name is Cooper, Henrietta Cooper."

"Right then miss Cooper, one campus special coming right up, and I'll be sure to let the other staff know yer name, won't be hard to remember with your lovely silver hair and all."

The waitress left with a wink and bustled off through a downward spiraling passage, dodging other staff who were heading upwards bearing platters of food.

As Guppy waited eagerly for her food, she took the time to glance round. There was a smattering of hair colors throughout the hall's occupants, especially amongst the few merfolk students. It was true, her silver hair stood out. All the other humans had more normal tones of brown, blond and black upon their heads,

Guppy noticed many eyes that lingered briefly upon her, she had attracted attention, late though she was to the meal, but none of the curious came over yet, each keeping to their separate cliques as they snuck glances her way and gossiped.

Guppy looked carefully and spotted a 'queen' or a 'king' of each 'court', though the former's gatherings were larger and thus rarer than the latter's.

She spotted a rare head of red hair amongst the second year table before a full platter of steaming food laid before her thoroughly distracted her searching gaze.

Guppy dug in with gusto.

She cleared her platter and even did so with cutlery. No fingers used or licked. She then cleaned fingers and mouth with a damp napkin. Guppy had remembered Emily's lessons, however boring some of them had been.

The winking waitress whisked away the platter shortly after Guppy finished her food, and Guppy stood to follow the rush of students out the main doors.

Classes were up next, and the thought of learning magic sent a shiver of anticipation up her spine.