[i]"You better use the portal again you peasant!"[/i] Nodah perked an eyebrow at that. Had the pixie no filter when he talked? [i]Methinks I might be regretting ever pausing for the creature at the gates of Rosewood[/i], thought Nodah, as he rose to his feet. He was surrounded by as curious company as there had been in the lobby. 

The pixie fluttered away, a green butterfly in the darkness. Now steady, he walked behind the group as they hunted for the room, hoisting his bag over his shoulder. His feet ached in his shoes; how appreciative he would be for a bed at the moment! And then came the booming announcement, and though a chord of fear rang in Nodah's heart at the promise of inevitable, painful death in the case of probable failure, he found it difficult to believe a school would so easily cull off its recruits, newly-minted coins that had yet to taste the world that was Rosewood. But he was not so foolhardy as to linger long enough to see whether Rosewood would carry out on its promise. He only had to follow the party of three, and he would have little to worry.

But then the pixie bemoaned his lack of direction, and in the darkness, Nodah froze. [i]Of course,[/i] he sighed inwardly. The hiccup he had been waiting for, the shoe that had just dropped. The pixie - the guide they had been relying on - was incompetent as a leader. But the demon - Zephyr, was his name - had stumbled upon something, and in no time they were through the door. The pixie flew in after them, and with but a beat of hesitation, Nodah followed suit.

The pixie was at the top of the fine granite staircase by the time Nodah had taken in his fill of the first floor. Extravagant - and stupidly so - it was lit green, fitted with luxuries Nodah himself had never dreamt of. He felt incredibly out of place. Only his magic bound him to this school, where his humble beginnings stood at complete odds with the prestige of this lavish building. [i]I'd best prove myself worthy then,[/i] Nodah thought, and began to climb the stairs, picking up on the murmurs of conversation from the second floor. He caught the stringy threads of an apology from the pixie, though it seemed to be directed at only one when Nodah thought it owed to two, including the demon Zephyr who [i]had[/i] found 10-H when the pixie failed.

[i]"Oh my oh my, that reminds me! I hope that last guy comes before the carpet goes pow pow!"[/i] Nodah heard as he reached the last step, taking in the beds that looked impossibly soft just from where Nodah stood. [color=00aeef]"I apologise for my lateness, but as it seems, you need only call before I appear,"[/color] he said flatly, staring at the pixie, beside whom was Kuroda who seemed to be resting. His eyes swept the headboards, and read their names. The pixie was Zensei, a human with rollerblades which seemed to flicker with a lick of firelight went by the name of Reas Grimorea, and the boy next to the empty bed was called Zephyr. Nodah went to claim the remaining bed, glad to be in the corner for some semblance of privacy. 

Throwing down his bag at the foot of his bed, Nodah raised his foot to stamp it against one of the bedposts, bending down to undo his laces. As he did so, his own name unfurled in etchings across the headboard. He glanced at the cursive font, feeling a smirk twirk at his lips, and flickered his eyes to his dorm-mates. His fingers made quick, deft work of the knots on both of his shoes, and he slipped them off his feet as he said, [color=00aeef]"How do you do? My name is Nodah Listig."[/color] He sat on the bed, testing how easily it yielded beneath his weight, and pulled his bag onto his lap, carefully surveying the creatures he would now bunk with.