Emile Elman/Synopsis

== Synopsis ==
=== Eden Beginnings Arc ===
At Eden Academy's orientation, Emile quickly befriends Damian Desmond and Ewen Egeburg, praising Damian and commenting that he will become an Imperial Scholar in no time. Learning that Anya is a nobody, he and Ewen get her away from Damian, Emile pushing her away to not spread her "peasant germs" on him. After Damian picks on Anya and gets punched by her, Emile tells Henry Henderson, but Anya denies it, saying that she pulled out her fist and Damian somehow ran into her hand. Emile quickly rebukes the claim, pointing out how Anya checked to see if Henry was watching before she punched Damian.
The next day at school, Emile, Ewen, and Damian head to class from their dorm and run into Anya and her new friend Becky Blackbell on the way and have a brief argument with them. Later at lunch, Anya approaches the boys at their table. Emile and Ewen assume she wants to start another fight with Damian, who tells them to be quiet. The boys think Damian will insult Anya and come up with their own insults for her. Anya hears these and begins to tearfully apologize to Damian, stunning the boys. However, Damian angrily rejects her and runs away, and Emile and Ewen quickly follow after him.
=== Stella Star Arc ===
At their dorm, Emile and Ewen approach Damian with a photo album featuring his older brother, Demetrius. The two are impressed by Demetrius's accolades as an Imperial Scholar but say that Damian will become one even faster. They then inform Damian of the rumor that there is an opportunity to earn a Stella Star from their interclass dodgeball match with Wald Hall, and the three get to training. On the day of the match, most of Cecile Hall's team quickly gets eliminated by Bill Watkins, including Emile and Ewen, who both block the ball from hitting Damian.
After Anya becomes the first student in their grade to earn a Stella Star, her peers begin bullying her and claim that Anya played dirty to get it. After Damian shuts them down, Emile and Ewen are impressed.
=== Doggy Crisis Arc ===
Returning to classes after the weekend, Damian and his friends are approached by Anya, who proudly proclaims that she got a dog. Damian casually responds apathetically, shocking Anya, and Emile and Ewen praise him for this feat. Damian decides to ask Anya about her dog's name, to his friends' surprise. When Anya reveals her dog does not have a name, Damian and his group quickly leave, having spent enough time wasted on her.
=== Midterm Exams Arc ===
With midterms approaching, Damian, Ewen, and Emile have already begun studying in preparation. In art class, the students are tasked with creating an animal-themed paper model, which Emile and Ewen are excited to do. While not in the same group, Emile is seated close to Damian and asks what he is making. Damian explains that he is making the griffin from his family crest, impressing his friends. Eventually, Emile finishes his project, a lion model that he displays in the hall along with the other students' works. Afterward, the boys learn that Damian won first prize, and they later return to their dorms and study with the dorm tutor.
Midterms are now closer than ever, and Henry returns the students' history quizzes. Anya receives a low mark, which Damian mocks by showing off his better grade, and Emile and Ewen join in on the teasing. After the midterm scores are officially released, the boys look for their grades, and Emile and Ewen congratulate Damian on his high grade, officially earning him a Stella Star. On the other hand, Anya barely passed, and the boys are confounded by how upbeat she is about it.
With the midterms finally over, for now, the students of Cecile Hall clean up the school courtyard. With his new Stella, Damian has gotten praise from all his classmates except for Becky, Anya, and George Glooman, the latter plotting to get him expelled. George's plan almost succeeds, and would have gotten Damian in trouble had it not been for Anya's intervention. When confronted, George shares how he wanted revenge after the Desmond group bought out his family company and even compares himself to Damian. Emile and Ewen come to Damian's defense while also insulting George, making the boy break down into tears. Pitying his situation, Cecile Hall bands together to give George an emotional send-off, only for him to come back the next day and become even more of a pariah than before.
=== Imperial Scholars Mixer Arc ===
The boys gather at a bulletin displaying the upcoming Imperial Scholars mixer and discuss their plans to earn the title soon. After the weekend, they head to class, and Damian spots Anya and Becky on the way there. Damian stares at them for a moment before Ewen asks if something is wrong, but Damian quickly brushes him off.
On the day of the Imperial Scholars mixer, Damian makes plans to meet with his father after the mixer, and Emile and Ewen accompany him. When Anya starts following them, Ewen suggests that she might be trying to gain favor with his father. Emile agrees saying that she is just like the others, which upsets Damian. After running away from Anya, the boys decide to check out the venue and are stunned to see the amount of Imperial Scholars and high-profile families in attendance. Damian gets cold feet and attempts to change plans but gets stopped by Anya, who manages to convince him to go through with meeting his father. The boys head to the courtyard where the meeting will happen and bide their time by playing cards. They encounter Loid Forger, who asks if they have seen a sheep keychain nearby. Having found it earlier, they return it to the man and soon realize he is Anya's father. Just as Loid recognizes Damian and quickly seeks to make amends after the incident at orientation, Donovan arrives at the courtyard.
Emile and Ewen watch from the sidelines as Loid and Damian talk with Donovan. Loid mentions child-rearing and how difficult it is for him to raise Anya, and the boys all think how rough he has it. After the Desmonds are left to talk to themselves, Damian tells his father about his progress at school, including his awards and failures. Donovan tells Damian not to sully their family name, and Damian happily obliges, with Emile and Ewen cheering him on. The boys gather round and chant together to get more Stella.
After the mixer, the student dorms take the day off for a holiday. However, Damian misses morning muster and is punished with helping the dorm mother with chores. Emile and Ewen worry that Damian has been pushing himself and propose going with their dorm tutor and classmates to the movies and getting some food, but Damian continues to decline. Emile and Ewen intentionally get punished by Henry to help Damian with the chores. The boys fool around during their chores, and Henry makes them go on a field trip with their school custos, Mr. Green.
The group canoes through a current to get to a lake, and Damian ends up falling into the water. Despite neither being unable to swim, Emile and Ewen quickly jump after Damian and tell him to survive and carry on their dreams, only for Mr. Green to interrupt and point out that the water is shallow, embarrassing the boys. After reaching shore, the boys put together a fire and learn how to fish, during which Emile and Ewen learn of Damian's fear of worms and gleefully take advantage of it. After having their dinner, the group head to Stella Lake. On the way there, the boys tell Mr. Green about their future hopes and dreams, Emile simply wanting to eat a lot of candy. 
Upon reaching Stella Lake, the boys are amazed by the view, where the stars reflect on their surface and look like they can be reached, hence the name Stella Lake. They then lie down on the ground to look at the stars together, and Emile mentions how the stars look like sprinkled sugar on the sky, making Damian unexpectedly burst into laughter. After the boys return to their dorm, they write out a field report before going to sleep.
During their next morning muster, Ewen and Emile wake up and find Damian nowhere to be seen. Damian shows up shortly after, already awake after waking up an hour ago to study. He says that last time was a fluke, which impresses his friends.
The boys learn about the rumored "Pastry of Knowledge" being sold at Dining Hall 2 and quickly head there to get some. They run into Anya and Becky on the way, but before either group can get the final set of macarons, George purchases it. The kids confront George and demand the macarons, reminding him what he made them do after the midterms. George concedes to give up four macarons out of the set of five macarons. They realize they have five people and decide to have a round of Old Maid to determine who gets the macarons, with the loser not receiving any. Despite having no experience with the game, Anya wins by a landslide, and Ewen and Damian accuse her of cheating.
Anya allows another round, where Ewen finds himself with the Old Maid card. After Anya takes the card, the boys make fun of her. Ewen, Emile, and Becky get rid of their cards, leaving only Anya and Damian. Damian ends up taking the loss, surprising his friends. After eating a macaron, a fired-up Anya takes their quizzes, only to get the usual low score, to no one's surprise.
=== Cruise Adventure Arc ===
After the midterm break, Ewen, Damian, and Emile overhear Anya telling Becky about her cruise trip on Princess Lorelei in class. Emile and Ewen make fun of her when she mentions taking the third-class suite, then talk about their luxurious midterm breaks, with Emile talking about how he and his family went to a first-class hotel and ate many five-star meals. After Becky shows them up by talking about meeting famous starlet Rachel, Anya tries to impress their classmates by lying about what happened during her trip, and Emile and Ewen mock her.
=== WISE Arc ===
As the lives of the Berlint citizens are shown, Emile and Ewen have a pillow fight at their dorm while Damian studies. Damian ignores their playing until he gets hit by a pillow, causing him to get mad and join in as he grabs his own pillows, to his friends' excitement.
After Henry warns his class about getting Tonitruses over minor infractions, Ewen follows Damian to pick on Anya. After arguing with Becky, both Emile and Ewen say that Damian will never get a Bolt, with Emile declaring that they will all run around the school if Damian ever does. Ewen agrees, saying that Damian is a man of his word, unintentionally putting a lot of pressure on their friend. Bill approaches Cecile Hall to warn them about the coming of "Old Lady Tonitrus" Donna Schlag. Before the students can run away, Donna appears and immediately orders a bag inspection. Emile and Ewen are terrified at the number of punishments Donna gives over little things, emphasized when she punishes a student for not bringing a handkerchief. Anya ends up taking a Tonitrus in place of Damian, who did not have his handkerchief, and Emile and Ewen are not aware of this or the promise Damian makes to her.
=== Friendship Schemes Arc ===
Looking to get closer to Damian, Anya attempts a "Friendship Crash" she learned from Becky and tries bumping into him with a yakisoba bun in her mouth. Having telegraphed the ambush, Damian dodges Anya and she falls to the floor. The boys mock Anya's unsightly appearance, angering her as she shouts at them, at the same time spitting out the food onto Damian's head. The buns are placed similarly to Anya's hair ornaments, which Emile and Ewen tease him for. An enraged Damian tries to get back at Anya, only for his friends to remind him that hitting her would result in a Tonitrus.
After the bun incident, Anya approaches Damian to demand the cake he supposedly owes her. Anya then changes her mind and says she wants to bring her family to the Desmond home, but Emile pushes back, saying that Damian's house is not something to be looked upon by peasants. In response, Anya says that her mother has become friends with Damian's, shocking everyone. Damian begins frantically asking if his mother said anything about him, and Emile suggests that he relax. After Anya says nothing was said, Damian walks away but gets into another argument with her.
=== Red Circus Arc ===
The first-graders go on a field trip to Berlint Museum, and Cecile Hall shares the same bus with Wald Hall. Damian is unenthused about the whole ordeal, whereas Emile and Ewen are excited to see the exhibitions. Damian later reveals a box of snacks intended for Anya, but Emile and Ewen spot it first and ask for some, and Damian reluctantly complies. As the bus reaches the museum, the bus driver makes an abrupt turn and allows two strangers inside, who immobilize the dorm tutor with an electric shock. After one of them stops their pursuers with a shotgun, he introduces themselves as the Red Circus group and declares the bus hijacked, to the children's shock and fright.
After the man, Billy Squire, intimidates the students into silence and explains his group's plans of what they will do with them, the children wonder what to do next. Emile suggests opening the window and shouting for help, but Ewen rebukes this as it could result in certain death. Emile then watches in confusion as Damian suddenly gets up and talks to Billy while Anya and Becky throw an S.O.S. message out the window. Billy sees this and places a collar on Anya, claiming it to be a bomb and threatens to detonate it if anyone tries anything again. Emile and the other students back away from Anya in fear of the bomb, even more so when she begins to hit it. Damian then asks for Anya's bomb to be placed on him, only to get his own bomb instead, to Emile and Ewen's shock. The bus makes a sudden stop, and the students are eased to see the arrival of the police, who have the vehicle surrounded.
Now cornered, Billy points his gun near the students and orders them to cover the bus windows with black sheets, to which they comply. After Billy uses Damian as a hostage while making his conditions to the police, a humiliated Damian returns to his seat, where he gets cheered up by Bill, Ewen, and Emile. As time passes, Billy notices some of the kids squirming, so he announces that he will allow them to go outside to do their business at the shrubs, but only one kid at a time. Emile quickly shoots up his hand, saying that he needs to go. Billy reminds him what will happen if he tries to run, but Emile states that he would never consider it since Damian's life is in danger. After finishing, Emile admits being embarrassed at having to do it outside, leading Billy to say that it means he has led a charmed life and tells him to thank his parents for that.
After a while, Henry arrives in place of the dorm tutor, along with rations for the children. While eating, Damian, Emile, and Ewen remark on its poor flavor, but Becky and Bill tell them to not complain. Afterward, Emile and the other hostages watch in disbelief as Anya confronts Billy and demands more rations. During his conversation with Anya, Billy thinks how the children were nothing like how he thought they were, recalling Emile's loyalty to Damian. Billy has a change of heart and surrenders, to everyone's shock. After his comrade attempts a last-ditch effort to get away, he is ultimately stopped, and Emile and the other hostages are freed from the bus.
After the incident, Damian earns his second Stella Star alongside Anya, Becky, and Bill. While he feels he did not do much to deserve it, Emile and Ewen say that his distraction helped them get rescued. It is later shown that after all the hostages were freed, Emile shared a tearful reunion with his father and returned home. Returning to classes, Emile and Ewen walk with Damian to their homeroom and talk about how they spent their time at home. The boys then see Anya getting lots of praise from their classmates, but Damian opposes this, saying that she is a commoner.
The classmates are intrigued and ask about the commoner lifestyle, and Anya mentions how her parents cook for her. Emile and Ewen scoff at this, but Damian does not, which surprises Emile. Damian and Anya eventually get into an argument, and Damian insults Anya and her family, which impresses Emile and Ewen. However, when Anya starts to cry, Damian apologizes, to the boys' surprise. Damian reasons that apologizing makes him the stronger person, impressing his friends. Anya and Damian then get into another argument, and their classmates leave them behind to go to class.
=== Mole Hunt Arc ===
Ewen and Emile catch up to Damian as they start school, wondering why he left without them. Emile notices Damian holding something and asks what it is, while Ewen offers to hold Damian's bags, but Damian keeps to himself. A nearby Anya asks if what Damian has is for her, surprising Emile and Ewen, but Damian rudely denies it and runs off to class.
In class, Damian receives a note from Anya. The boys read it only to find ineligible scribbles, which confuses them. Damian gets a new note: an invitation to meet at the courtyard during their break. Emile and Ewen believe this is Anya's invitation to a battle and are surprised when Damian accepts. While heading to the courtyard, Damian tells his friends that they cannot come with him to the "duel," but they decide to follow him anyway to avenge him if he loses. Emile and Ewen watch Damian and Anya's meeting from the bushes with Becky and are confused that they are just arguing. When the two suddenly run away, Emile and Ewen run after them, refusing to let Damian fight alone. The group eventually stops in a hallway inside the school and the friends watch the confrontation unfold. They then run to hide when they hear Master Henderson approaching, but he knows they are hiding and calls them out, which causes them to run away to class.
=== Term Finals Arc ===
The term finals are approaching for Eden's first-years, and as the students prepare and take their exams, Emile is seen with Ewen and Damian. Five days after the exams, the results are posted outside. Emile urges Damian to hurry, but Damian tells him that racing over there will not change their ranking before they do just that. Looking at the subject rankings, the boys congratulate Damian on getting the top score in History for their grade. However, when they move on to Language Studies, Emile comments that Damian did not make the top ten, which embarrasses Damian. Anya confidently tells everyone that she is the top scorer in Classical Language, but Emile is sure that it will not be her. As they look to the Classical Language scores, Emile laughs when she is not the top scorer, but they are quickly shocked to see that Anya is the second-highest scorer in the subject for their grade, meaning that she will be getting a Stella Star.
During the award ceremony the next day, Emile and Ewen are still amazed by Anya's achievement as she gets her Stella. The middle schoolers have their ceremony next, and the boys call to Damian, who is waiting by the stairs, so they can return to class together. It is then revealed that Damian was waiting to meet with Demetrius. Emile tells Becky about Demetrius earning six Stellas just from their term finals, and he and Ewen admire the Imperial Scholar in awe. After Demetrius finishes his conversation with Damian and leaves, Ewen and Emile try to politely greet the elder Desmond brother but are given the cold shoulder. Afterward, the boys return to class with Damian at his instruction.
With the school term coming to a close, the end-of-class gala is only a week away. While walking through the school halls with Henry, Anya, Becky, and his friends, Emile asks Damian if he will invite anyone to the dance, but Damian refuses to participate. After Anya unexpectedly invites Damian to be her dance partner, Damian rejects her and runs off, with Emile and Ewen following after him. On the day of the gala, Emile and Ewen find Damian and praise him as a grown-up for drinking grapefruit juice and for how other girls are whispering about him. Everyone's attention turns to Anya as she arrives and receives more whispers from the crowd than Damian did, and Emile watches Damian insult George for pointing this out.
After the students have a friendly competition, a 30-minute interclass conversation to precede the dance is held, giving students time to invite someone to dance with them. Emile sees Anya being invited by other boys and says they have no taste. After Damian interferes with Arnold Crowley's invitation to Anya and is questioned, Becky explains that Anya invited Damian first, but Emile interjects that Damian would never accept it, so the other boys continue to pursue Anya. Anya states that she only wants to dance with Damian, shocking everyone and causing the other girls to fight over being Damian's dance partner. Emile and Ewen stand between them and Damian and order them to form a line, then call to order the "Damian Desmond Dance-Partner Selection Committee" to personally decide who is worthy of being Damian's partner. Damian is bewildered by this proclamation and attempts to protest, but his friends tell him to let them handle it.
Emile and Ewen tell the girls that the last contestant standing after their series of challenges will receive the right to be Damian's dance partner. The first challenge, in which the boys intend to remove the weakest challengers, is a "Clapping Scarecrow Endurance Battle." The boys explain that they must see a sufficient level of balance and rhythm from the girls and will fail those who cannot do so. To the duo's surprise, Anya is among the ten remaining contestants proceeding to the second round. Ewen asks Damian what they should do, to which Damian says the competition will be fair and square. The shocked friends ask if Damian actually wants to dance with Anya, which he denies in embarrassment.
Before Damian can finish talking, Emile and Ewen announce the next challenge. They say that dancing with elegance and grace requires flexibility, but upon realizing that neither has come up with a suitable challenge yet, they quickly decide to have an obstacle course, with the five fastest finishers advancing to the next round. After the obstacle course, Emile and Ewen host the final challenge, the "Ultimate Damian Quiz," and the first girl to correctly answer five questions about Damian will become the ultimate winner. Ewen is in charge of asking these questions, many of which are obscure and personal things about Damian. Unexpectedly, Anya manages to answer some of these questions, even correctly answering what made Damian scared of dying when he was four.
The quiz reaches the 14th question, with Anya and another girl being one point away from winning. Ewen asks who Damian loves best, startling everyone. Other girls answer with themselves or other girls, but Anya correctly answers that Damian loves his father. With that, Emile and Ewen begrudgingly announce Anya as the winner to be Damian's dance partner. Though they protest, Damian reminds them of their terms and agrees to dance with Anya. Ewen tries to urge Damian not to do this, while Emile tells him to send a signal if he feels that he needs to throw up. As the dance begins, the boys watch from outside the dance floor and worry for Damian when they see him sweating, with Emile asking Damian if they should throw in the towel and admit defeat. Damian and Anya begin dancing normally but return to fighting not too long afterward, and Emile and Ewen watch in concern.
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