The Courtyard: Alex, Ashton, Barclay & OPEN
The transition into physical violence drew exclamations from those other students in the courtyard and they gathered closer to witness what was about to go down. Schoolyard fights weren't uncommon place in the Academy. Different people from different places in the world and different stages of life and levels of control tended to not always get along. Especially when they were all adolescents.
But Ashton had never seen his witch fight anyone besides Barclay's brothers. The brothers who gave him a hard time in a way that caused Ashton to bristle in defense of his witch until he realized this was a familial thing, done out of affection, strangely enough. And he'd realized that Barclay could hold his own perfectly well, much to Ashton's satisfaction.
Barclay's action broke the tension in the dragon and he blinked in surprise. It had come not a second too soon, as Ashton had already been releasing his form to become the powerful dragon - not the ridiculous costume - to retaliate and act on his anger. Barclay was accosting Alex, daring him to fight back after the first blow landed. Ashton growled in accord, backing Barclay up. If Alex didn't just run like the coward he was, Ashton would crush him if he tried to land a blow on Barclay in retaliation. It was the only excuse he'd need to engage. A small part of him said he should take Barclay and leave the situation, but the dragon wasn't quite mature enough to back out of a senseless confrontation.