He was late. This was a new year. Carrick already flunked out of school once when he was… older? Before he went home after Liz left Carrick couldn’t really find a reason to go to class let alone anything that would require him to do work. He was a part cat meaning making him sit for long periods of time were next to impossible.

Mismatched colored eyes shifted up the nameplate next to the door. Then stated his pep talk to himself,”Come on boyo. New year let’s make it the last eh? That way we don’t have to do this **** again.” Carrick stood in front of the door and gave a little movement to try and get the shakes out. He jumped up and down and was avoided by a kid who decided to open the door he was dancing in front of. Must not have an issue focusing, lucky. At least Carrick had wings.

The door still opened Carrick strut on through. Giving a small wave to the professor Carrick had a few years before. Her mouth opened and mouthed his name then checked her forehead. Carrick smirked, ”Naw, love. Not dreaming. I missed yer lessons. Decided to do this all again.”

Looking to the classroom he saw a few faces, some familiar and most unfamiliar. Mismatched colored eyes spotted the empty seat and he walked over to it his wings occasionally pushing a pencil off a desk, his tail the papers. ”Whoa!” Carrick said as he smirked and pointed to the Princess then the empty seat. ”No one wants to sit next to the Princess? No one? **** must be my unlucky day. Monday right? Fek. How've ya been, love?” He smirked and winked then opened his wings upwards in a grand show as he sat down in his seat. Setting his bag between them.

Amethyst was sitting in a classroom. With other people.

Normally she would not have gotten caught dead in a place like this, but the Queen had made it abundantly clear that participating in the ridiculous song and dance Americans liked to call education was a requirement for her getting back into Atlantean good graces. And maybe going home sooner. Learned in the ways of the Americans or whatever the hell they were going to teach in this class.
Amethyst sulked, glaring daggers at the other students. The farther they sat from her the better. The teacher seemed exasperated already.

>>”Naw, love. Not dreaming. I missed yer lessons. Decided to do this all again.”

The princess turned at the familiar voice just in time to see the winged gorgon saunter in. She knew she'd have to take this class with other students, but him?! She groaned and turned away.

>>”No one wants to sit next to the Princess? No one? **** must be my unlucky day. Monday right? Fek. How've ya been, love?”

"Didn't you already fail this class once?" she shot back, folding her arms. She was wearing a flowing indigo dress accented with jewelry made of lapis lazuli and gold. At the front of the classroom the teacher began her introductions to the class, the syllabus, and something about genealogy.

”Didn’t you already fail this class once.” Carrick mockingly repeated back to her but added an eye roll of mismatched color eyes. ”Har har. You’re right, but I’m going for a hat trick, figure I’d learn more this way.” he said holding up two fingers making fun of himself for not taking school seriously the first time.

Carrick smirked towards the princess added a wink then pulled out some paper and pencil like a good student and then placed them in front of him. ”Sides, I get to learn alongside royalty. Can’t miss that chance eh?” The teacher despite talking and glaring daggers at Carrick for talking continued moving on with the syllabus. Clear she recalled Carrick and his antics from five years prior knew there wasn’t much she could do or saw to Carrick to keep him focused so she continued on with her lesson.

Being the good shifter he wrote down a few key words trying to keep himself busy, however it was already clear he was bored. His tail flicked behind him occasionally brushing up against the princess then flicking away. Carrick wasn’t aware of this and continue writing, which quickly became a doodle of the teacher.

Carrick took a seat and appeared to be at least pretending to be a good student. That was a novel sight.

>>”Didn’t you already fail this class once. Har har. You’re right, but I’m going for a hat trick, figure I’d learn more this way.”

The princess was not sure what all this had to do with a hat he was not ever wearing, but shrugged it off. If he wanted to go through schooling twice, it was his right to do so. As long as he did not make her classes feel any more miserable.

>>”Sides, I get to learn alongside royalty. Can’t miss that chance eh?”

"Learn" Amethyst muttered with a sarcastic edge. He was doodling on his page, his tali flicking around and brushing against the edge of her dress more than once. Amethyst pulled on her skirt to move it out of the way. "Do you mind?"

The teacher went on about history being a personal topic, and people's ancestry being a part of the bigger picture. The princess sighed. Obviously. Her family was the entire history of Atlantis. They made history. She was not sure what any of these other people's families had anything to do with significant events, though.

"On that note, we will start this year off with an easy assignment. I'd like you to pair up, and help each other create your family trees..."

”Trying to learn.” he snipped back quickly before he raised an eyebrow from his doodle to the princess who was clearly only distracting him from his… art. ”Mind what? Shhh.” he said slowly figuring out his tail was doing normal tail things. He reached down and grabbed it and pulled it close to his body and gave it a sympathetic pat before letting it go.

By the time he was done doodling he looked up to see people turning to someone close to them and pointing at themselves and then at the other person they were talking with. Carrick’s attention however was still on his doddle so he missed the conversation completely. His poor drawing formed a speech bubble and he wrote, ‘I’m a princess’. While the rest of the class room seemed to pair up the shifter looked to the princess and held up his drawing that didn’t start off as her but became her.

It wasn’t recognizable at all but the doodle had a long dress and what looked like little shapes falling from her person. Some were square others looked like diamonds. ”What’s everyone talking about?”

Great. Not only did she have to do an assignment (princesses didn't get assigned things, thank you), she had to do it with someone else. And hear all about their boring insignificant family members. Amethyst made a face, then glanced over at Carrick holding up a very crudely drawn image of... her.

"That is borderline insulting" she informed him.

>>”What’s everyone talking about?”

"We are talking about your first assignment, Carrick" the teacher passed by, handing out papers with detailed instructions "And since you and Princess Amethyst seem to be getting along on class time, you get to do this one together."

"Oh come on!" Amethyst protested, but no one way paying any attention to her. It was disturbing.

"Do people here really not... have family trees?" she wondered aloud. This assignment made no sense.

Carrick looked back to his drawing then to the princess and back to his drawing. ”Right, guess true art is never appreciated when the artist is alive.”

The teacher walked by handing out some homework? First day? Man, this was going to be a rough year. He didn’t even have anyone to copy off of… yet. Wasn’t like Liz was here to give him all the answers. His tail twitched in irritation. He didn’t need Liz. He could do whatever this was on his own… or rather with the princess. ”Can I just make one up?” Carrick asked, ”Pretty good on the fly.” he said with a toothy grin and pleading eyes.

The teacher responded with an eye roll of her own. ”Right. I’ll regal the princess with me history that goes back… to… I don’t know… I’d call and ask me mum but she passed recently. Wounds are still there. I feel this assignment might bring up the feelings I had when she passed… can we.. I mean I be exempt from this assignment?” he asked while his tail brushed the princess.

“Carrick you can be exempt if you are okay failing the first assignment of the year. I thought you being here would make you take this more seriously.” She seemed to already know his response and kept moving.

”Right, I was just fooling. I’m actually over me mum passing.” he rolled his eyes. ”No, most people don’t have a record keeper to handle all the history, Princess.” he made sure her title sounded slightly patronizing. ”Right, how long we got to do this?” he looked at work and then to the princess. ”Right do you need to call daddy the king to get the info or do you know some of yers already?”

>>”Right, guess true art is never appreciated when the artist is alive.”

"We can help that" Amethyst muttered under her breath, but just then, the teacher distracted Carrick from the conversation. She did not, however, distract the tail, and it flicked at the princess' flowing dress again. She gave na irritated huff. Leave it to Fate to have her do an assignment with the stupid griffin and his stupid tail.

>>”Can I just make one up? Pretty good on the fly.... Right. I’ll regal the princess with me history that goes back… to… I don’t know… I’d call and ask me mum but she passed recently. Wounds are still there. I feel this assignment might bring up the feelings I had when she passed… can we.. I mean I be exempt from this assignment?”

Amethyst gave Carrick a bewildered look. Had his mother really passed, or was he saying something like that just to get out of homework?... Which one was the worse option of the two, anyway? The teacher seemed to have some experience with Carrick, however, because she gave no ground.

>>”Right, I was just fooling. I’m actually over me mum passing... No, most people don’t have a record keeper to handle all the history, Princess.... Right do you need to call daddy the king to get the info or do you know some of yers already?”

"First of all, King Atlan was not my father" Amethyst clarified with a huff "Second of all, yes, I do happen to know my family tree. I'm not a barbarian." She stood, picking up her things and the sheet on top "We might as well get this over with fast. It looks like you will need some help wrangling your pedigree..."

Carrick smirked when he saw he was getting a rise out of the princess and followed suit in grabbing his book bag and belongings. ”I’m a barbarian now?” he laughed, ”look at me multiclassing!” he said as he tapped on the closest desk of another student as he walked out. ”Gorgon and a barbarian!” he thumbed his chest following the princess out of the room.

The shifter wasn’t sure if he had upset her or not with her father being the King comment or not. He claimed he didn’t have a father either but he did. Was it a similar situation? He wasn’t about to bring it up, not now because then that would open the door for her to ask about his father. Carrick was probably more barbarian than she realized and he didn’t feel like talking about that either.

”Pretty sure I’m a mutt.” he said opening his wings slightly and then waving his tail around. ”Hard to imagine me a purebred eh?” he asked with a smirk. ”Anyway, I’m not even sure what the first step of me starting this assignment would be. Not from around here, and anyone I can ask are either dead or dead to me.” he scratched the back of his head.

”Might go for a fly right now actually.” he said glimpsing a window. The comment was more to himself but he said it loud enough for the princess to hear. It wasn’t like she needed his help for her family tree. She seemed to have it down.

>>”I’m a barbarian now? look at me multiclassing! Gorgon and a barbarian!”

One could definitely be both. Some gorgons managed to learn how to behave themselves in the company of demigods, but many of them indeed lived like barbarians. Not knowing their own family trees, not controlling their powers, rebelling against Atlantis... Amethyst shrugged as she followed. Carrick would qualify as a barbarian, for better or worse.

>>”Pretty sure I’m a mutt. Hard to imagine me a purebred eh?”

"Indeed." what did a purebred gorgon even look like? Was there such a thing? Powers were all unique, even the princess knew that; gods knew the Atlantean royal family tried to breed the most useful gifts, but with little actual success.

>>”Anyway, I’m not even sure what the first step of me starting this assignment would be. Not from around here, and anyone I can ask are either dead or dead to me... Might go for a fly right now actually.”

"Don't you dare" she gave him a look. They were supposed to do this assigment together, and she was not about to carry all the weight. "I will show you how to draw a family tree. It's not that difficult."

She headed for the gardens outside. It was a nice day, and she needed the fresh air after the confines of the classroom.

>>>"Don't you dare"

The shifter’s mismatched colored eyes narrowed at the princess. Did she forget he turned down the ‘pet’ position? Yes, the assignment needed to be done soonish but not like right away right? There was always time for a quick lap around the grounds, always.

Carrick followed with his hands behind his back till they were outside, clearly she was messing with him and his wings silently opened behind her. Carrick managed to get off the ground before he had to flap. If she wasn’t paying attention to him she might have missed it.She had to be messing with him, saying don’t fly then take them outside.

”As long as it isn’t a willow tree.” Carrick finally responded from above. His tail following him as he circled and drifted down only to flap when he lost too much altitude. ”What a day! Surprised you wanted to ditch class!”

Amethyst felt the rush of air behind her a moment before she heard the large wings flapping. She turned around in time to see Carrick taking off, despite her expressed statement not to. She was glad he was not a royal pet. He would have made a terrible pet of any kind.

>>”As long as it isn’t a willow tree.”

"Please. If anything, your family tree is probably some kind of a thorn bush."

Not everyone got elegant trees like royalty. Especially not when they kept flying around.

>>”What a day! Surprised you wanted to ditch class!”

"I am not ditching class. I am doing the assignment." Amethyst clarified, finding a place to sit in the shade of an apple tree. "Get your ass down here, fly boy. Let's start with yours, it should be easy."

He didn’t even get a tree? Well maybe it could a short one? He knew about his grandfather from his mother when he was younger. Wings ran in the family. The thought of his mom made him stop thinking about it. ”Thorn bush? Like roses? Or Berries? Princess, ya flatter me.” Carrick replied as he spotted an opening in the tree the princess was settling under.

The shifter dove and held his bag close to his chest till he caught him self on a limb large enough to hold him but close enough so the princess wouldn’t be tempted for swatting at him. ”Maybe too easy?” Carrick asked as he kicked his legs off the edge of the tree where he was sitting. ”I still feel like we could really spice it up.” he said as he spotted some apples and grabbed a good-looking one.

”Maybe fruit farmers? ” Carrick asked before looking to the princess and giving her a whistle, ”Princess.” he tossed the apple when she was paying attention. Mismatched colored eyes shifted back to the branches nearby noting an angry squirrel barking in his direction before spotting some more apples in a branch nearby.

”So what kind of tree does royalty have?” he asked as he reached for another good looking apple.

>>”Thorn bush? Like roses? Or Berries? Princess, ya flatter me.”

Like something that never gets off the ground.

Amethyst huffed, setting her things down in the grass, her dress pooling around her as she looked at the work sheet. The sooner they got this assignment done, the sooner she did not have to deal with the griffin anymore. "Sure. Exactly like roses."

>>”Maybe too easy? I still feel like we could really spice it up. Maybe fruit farmers?”

"You want to lie on you... hey!" she looked up at the whistle just in time to narrowly avoid being hit in the face with an apple. She caught it in the last moment, fumbling until it dropped into her lap, getting lost in the folds of her skirts. Carrick was already wiggling on up in the tree.

>>”So what kind of tree does royalty have?”

"A very complicated one." she said, opening her notebook and picking up a pen. "You see, King Atlan had younger brothers and sisters. We are only taking about legitimate ones here, because otherwise it would really get complicated, and bastards don't count in the succession anyway. So, here's me, and there's my mother, younger sister to the king, and my father. And here are my siblings. Again, the legitimate ones. And then here is my grandmother..."

With an apple in hand Carrick brushed it against his shirt and then bit into it, loudly during her demonstration of her very legitimate line. It seemed there were more twits and turns in it than he would have expected. It was almost starting to sound familiar. With another bite, ”Seems it.”

Following suit he drew a tree like hers only put his grandfather and grandmother on top. While he never met either of them his mother only talked of her father shame he never got the chance to ask why. Under them was his mother and from his mother him. ”So bastards don’t get a tree? That mean I shouldn’t bother with this?” he asked curiously taking another bite of the apple knowing the answer.

”How many siblings you have?” Carrick asked dropping his pen by accident when he took a bite of his apple. The apple now lodged in his mouth was held there as Carrick leapt from the branch grabbing onto the pen before it landed. His wings snapped open and he landed with a thud before sitting down like he planned the whole thing. He took another bite of the apple and then tried to glimpse the princess’s tree.