●End of week one
●Saturday, 6:00 PM
●Your Dorm Floor
●All of you

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Snacks and booze and bowls, tables and pillows and mattresses. The whole day has been organising and setting up this impromptu party, which is already looking better than most of your work this week. It spans the whole dorm floor, dipping into individual dorms via the hallway. None of you know exactly who had the idea, but what's most likely is one of you heard about the party 2 floors up that everyone was raving about and thought that you could do one better. Now it's looking obvious that your party is not going to be as big, but it'll be cozier and have more weed so who cares.

Each of you chipped in what you could. Some of you persuaded the faculty to turn a blind eye, some paid for drinks and snacks, some acquired the rarer things, and still others did the actual supermarket and booze runs. All in all, it was a group project that you can all be very proud of while you get shitfaced.

It seemed that around this time was when everyone was deciding that the party would kick off: drinks were being drunk, people were chatting, and the music had been put on. It was a good night in the making. We have plans for you

L I L L Y F O R R E S T E R

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Dorm Floor
Saturday, 6:00 pm

---

Preparing for the dorm party was certainly quite a ride - and this was only the end of the first week. This made her a bit unsure of what to expect from her floor after this. Certainly, it'll be wild. If it wasn't for the extra pay she would get from being the floor manager, she would have maybe regretted ever being one. It was just as much work as she expected it to be - and it fell upon her and a few others to convince the faculty to not crack down on them.

There were a lot of promises she had to give. A lot of "Don't worry sir, I'll make sure no one gets hurt." and "We'll take full responsibility if something gets broken." Lilly wanted to make sure that none of that happens though. She'd rather not have to find a way to hide something long enough for them to be able to replace them - especially if the something they broke was actually someone. She doubted they could find a student in under five hours, that's for sure.

But everything paid off. It was drawing close to night and she had emerged from her room after squeezing in an hour of peace to get something done. She did not, having been distracted by the thoughts of the party, but she did get some frames done so that was already a blessing. She wasn't going to complain. She could leave that for later. Perhaps after the party if she wasn't too thrashed to work. She promised not to get drunk or high so she could provide aid quickly, but she doubted she would get away from drinking even a bit. It was the curse and the allure of partying - well, at least she'd stay away from the weed. She remained cautious but didn't know who brought it in so she guessed she'd just need to keep an eye out.

Music blaring in her ears and a smile adorning her face, she grabbed a plastic cup filled with whatever booze they took inside and began to walk around. It would be for the best if she kept an eye out for all of the dorms and their inhabitants.

"I just hope no one gets drunk early." A whispered hope only heard by the wind around her - disturbed by the loud sounds permeating throughout the hall. And yet, an excited smile adorned her face.

Lou had been in his underwear for most of the morning, something his roommates have had to endure since the day they had met him. They were specifically pulled high on his waist and a very pure white. These were very flattering, and they came in packs of seven for each day of the week. Sometimes he did not wear them on the proper day, but this was only because he liked to feel adventurous. Tonight he was wearing his Saturday's pair on Saturday, these were party underwear and tonight was going to be a party. Or so what most of his floor mates had told him earlier that day. They had not put him in charge of much, besides getting something good to eat. A request he had taken very seriously.

He would be preparing soy garlic chicken wings, and he would be making enough for everyone to eat at least twenty each. This would be a large task but Lou had taken a pleasure in making them. First he would prepare the chicken wings, a loving process of seasoning and dredging the chicken. He then would deep fried them until they were a beautiful golden brown. When they cooled, he kissed them one by one for good luck. Luck that he would need for the people on his floor to accept his friend requests that he had sent the night they had all moved in earlier that week. He would place them in a paper towel afterwards to drain the excess oil and keep them someplace safe to dry.

To make the glaze, which made the wings taste of soy and garlic. He would combine onion, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, and ginger into a sauce pan. This concoction would be heated until the sugar was dissolved completely, once this task was done a bit of cornstarch was added to the mix. It made it slightly thickened, just like Lou's friends would be after they ate his delicious meal. It was only after then would the wiggles be tossed in the delicious mixture and then sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Then and only then would Lou put his clothes on that he would wear to the party.

He did not want to seem too eager to impress people so he wore a pair of camouflage printed cargo pants and a black button up long sleeve shirt, he would pair this with black flat cap. Looking at himself in the mirror he found himself to be beautiful. Surely they all would feel the same. He smiled, his teeth as bright as his underwear. After he was done doing his final adjustments he would bring out into the hallway a large tray covered in aluminum foil as well as his rice cooker. The rice cooker was filled to the brim with white rice, something he hoped they would also enjoy. Setting the tray down next to the assorted snacks people had pitched in, he opened up the aluminum to display his creation. He was very proud of it, and hoped people would at least try it. If not, he and his room mates would have lunch prepared for the next couple days.

Seeing Lilly grab a drink next to him was a sign to speak to her, if any. Though, she walked away almost as quickly as she came- so he would follow her down the hallway slightly. Grabbing a cup of sprite mixed with vodka before he did. "LILLY!" Lou exclaimed, as if he was surprised to see her here, in this hallway. "Thank you so much for getting this party approved, it was a good idea. A good idea I think definitely." he smiled, standing a bit too close to her, he adjusted his weight onto his back leg as he looked her over. Lilly was pretty, nice, and smelled good but she had not accepted Lou's friend request yet and he would like to change that by tonight.

Looking down into her cup, he asked her politely "Are you drinking Vodka or are you drinking Gin, Lilly? Either of them will go nice with the food I made. I think. I made them today, so it's fresh and delicious. I waited until they cooled this time before I kis-" he stopped himself, perhaps he should not tell Lilly of his techniques. They were not even friends yet after all. He did not finish his statement, instead he coughed loudly and took a swig of his drink.

"No, I'm not in a pub. I'm just at the dorm and there's a party here, Mama... Party... no, just... вечеринка. ве-че-рин-ка!" Sasha enunciated each syllable until she heard her mother say 'ah' on the other line. Besides, I'm too old for you to be checking up on me," she muttered, rolling her eyes exasperatedly as she listened to her mom ramble on about the dangers of getting drunk and doing drugs. "Ugh. Stop worrying too much... Yes, I promise. I'll just call you again whenever, ok? ...I am... yeah, I will. Я люблю тебя. Bye!" she immediately ended the call before her mom could say anything else and then fell back on her bed, relieved that her room mate wasn't there to overhear the conversation. Seriously. She knew how protective her parents was of her since she was an only child but a little freedom wouldn't hurt. But unfortunately, it was an alien concept to her mother. And it was one of the reasons why she left Russia in the first place.

'You'll be enrolled in the state college. I think a business course just like what your cousin Yuri took. He's planning on putting up a small business and it would be good if you can help him out with it after you graduate.' Everything was planned, everything already mapped out and nobody even bothered asking her what she wanted to do and what course she wanted to take. She didn't want to go into business. Ever since she was little, she knew that she wanted to go into music. But despite saying it over and over again and despite having her dad already agree to it, her mother still insisted on that business course she was somehow convinced her daughter wanted. And so as soon as she had gotten her acceptance letter, she packed her violin, got on a plane and flew off, despite her mother's protests. "I bet if she was here, she'd dictate what I wear to the party too," she grumbled as she stood up. "But hey, I'm here and she's not. So I better make the most out of it," she mumbled, pushing the thought of her mother out of her head.

After putting on a simple denim shirt and black jeans, she went over to the mirror, patted some make up on and then pulled her hair into a stylishly messy half-ponytail. As soon as she was satisfied with her look, she went out to the dorm hall and joined the party, depositing a big bag of vodka chocolates onto the table beside the snacks other people brought. She looked around, not particularly familiar with everyone yet but recognized some of the faces. The floor manager passed by her, followed closely behind by the slightly strange but pretty friendly guy she'd seen around. She was sure she heard his name before but couldn't quite remember. Over by the couch was her room mate, Venus, eating brownies with a guy she wasn't familiar with. Not wanting to bother any of them, she made her way to the refreshment table, politely excusing herself from her Korean dorm mate who was dancing to the music.

Spotting something she was quite familiar with, she grabbed one of the vodka bottles, scanned its label and then poured herself a shot glass full of it. The transparent liquid disappeared in one gulp. Should be good with pickles... too bad I don't see any... she thought to herself, contemplating on whether she wanted to eat, to drink more or to socialize.

Ylva Ulven

Ylva really hated being poor, and had headed straight into her usual mode of overcompensation. She had spent the day helping others and running errands. She had even been part of an epic shopping run, with other people's money. She had snuck in a few things for herself. She did not have money, but she was good in the kitchen, and what she had in mind didn't cost much anyway. She'd grabbed some eggs, flower, sugar and milk, and added 5 dollars to the stash of cash they'd been shopping with.

Back in the dorm, Ylva mixed the flower and the sugar in a bowl. She added milk and eggs and mixed the whole thing into a nice batter. She hummed a childrens' song as she tossed some butter she found in the fridge into a pan and waited for it to melt. When this was done, she added some baking powder she'd brought from home and the melted butter to her batter and stirred gently. When she was satisfied with the consistency, she covered the bowl with a towel and put in on the table to rise. Having an hour to kill, Ylva cleaned the kitchen, fetched and cleaned her waffle iron. As she was making the waffles, she pondered the past week, which had flown by.

All the new impressions, the building, the classes, and having to live in English, she liked it, but it took a little getting used to. It took a lot of energy, but she felt like she really could make this work. She felt like she belonged here, somehow. It was little things, like how she normally had issues sleeping in new places, but had slept like a log from the first day here. Or the fact that it had taken her 6 weeks to find her way around her relatively small secondary school, but managed to find her way here almost instictively. She smiled to herself as she marveled at how quickly she had settled in and finished making her enormous pile of waffles, still humming childrens' songs.

When she was done, she returned to her room, showered and changed into her party outfit. she hadn't brought any fancy clothes, in fact, she didn't own any, but she had treated herself to a lovely new shirt before she left. It was a deep green and it really brought out the colour of her eyes and hair. She paired it with a pair of light blue jeans and her favourite boots. She put her hair back in a simple pony tail and added a minimal amount of make up. Armed with her waffles and as dressed up as she'd ever been, Ylva left her room, and went out looking for a good time.

Hangyeol is not the biggest fan of parties.

Perhaps it's because of the things involved: beer, something Hangyeol does not and will not touch on account of past reckless experiences; drugs, another thing he would much rather avoid; and people, who, unlike books and knitting, are unpredictable in the worst ways. Hangyeol's most common experiences include bar fights, arguments, over-friendliness, and occasionally flirting. Perhaps he's just stuffy, but given the choice he'll pass, thanks.

However, in this setting Hangyeol's not certain there is a choice. The entire dorm has pitched in to contribute the food, drinks, and illegal substances that are the hallmarks of a "good" party, and while Hangyeol is 90% sure he's not touching any of it, introductions are in order. He may be an antisocial roommate, but he'd like to at least be a polite one.

Which brings us to the present: the party.

To his credit, he picked up some chips at a local convenience store and took the long way back; Alaska is freezing, but the stars are so beautiful Hangyeol is staying out for as long as humanly possible. And because he knows the volume of the party is probably something ridiculously ear-splitting, and that once he steps inside he'll likely get no reprieve until the end of the night. Hangyeol does not look forward to that 4 AM headache.

He checks his watch. Well, no time like the present. Hangyeol tugs open the door and steps inside.

The party, while small, has several attractions present in the form of spiked drinks, spiked snacks, and a general vibe of "Saturday night fun" that pumps in through the speakers and fills the dorm, hallways and all. Hangyeol takes a moment to adjust to the bass-heavy music and collect his bearings before dumping his bags of chips on a random table. That should do for now; he's fairly sure nobody cares about where the food should go as long as they get to eat it.

Stopping by his dorm room to throw his coat on the floor, he takes a very quick look in the mirror and shrugs. It'll have to do. He's not picky about his appearance by any means; as long as there's nothing on his face, he's satisfied.

Passing by several people, but declining to strike up a conversation with them, Hangyeol begins to wander the premises, avoiding the crowded places but not dodging the party entirely. People, while hard to deal with, aren't his worst nightmare by any means, and the general atmosphere can be almost exciting at times. He just prefers to stay on the sidelines, to keep his wits about him. Just in case something bad happens.

Just in case.

Julius had bought his pair of noise cancelling headphones for eight hundred dollars earlier that year. They were a classy shade of white with gold trim, and he had been assured by the slightly greasy salesman that they would be able to block out anything short of a jet engine from ten yards.

But at the moment, Julius was sorely tempted to take the headphones and shove them up that salesman’s ass, because apparently even the latest and greatest American technology couldn’t cover up the sounds of the booze-fueled partying and debauchery going on outside the sanctuary of Dorm One. It was only thanks to his quick action that the party hadn’t spilled into his room- he’d slammed the door shut and locked it tight the instant that idiot Lou had stepped out. With luck he wouldn’t return until morning, and preferably not until after Julius had left for his early study period in the library.

Julius had considered barricading himself in his room after meeting his dorm mate, and after suffering through his prattling and quirks for five minutes he had made his excuses and done exactly that. Only emerging once in the day to refill his glass of water, he had been greeted with the sight of a near-naked Lou making out with a chicken wing. Needless to say, a drink had slipped to the bottom of his priorities.

He slammed his textbook shut in annoyance as someone rapped loudly on the door. Obviously no one else in this god-forsaken school gave a damn about their grades or, more importantly, Julius’s grades, or they would all be sitting quietly in their own dorms studying like he was. He took slight pleasure in stomping loudly over to the door, before sliding off the metal bolt and yanking it open just enough to see the face of the intruder.

“What?” he asked irritably, and the guy stumbled slightly as he tried to knock on a door which had inexplicably moved out of the way.

“Hey man, can you do me a solid and let me use your loo? The other dorms are all getting used- I think bloody Jon’s been on the shitter for the last hour and I’m absolutely busti-”

The door slammed. Julius replaced the bolt. The knocking continued.

In fact, the knocking kept going as Julius made his way back from the door to his desk, and as he opened his textbook again. It continued as he tried to find his page, and as he glared at the wall clock. It was only half nine- there was no way a party like this would fizzle out this side of midnight. Unless he did something about it.

With a frustrated groan, Julius hefted himself from his desk chair and returned to the door, repeating his earlier actions but opening the gap wide enough that the interloper could push past him and make a run for his bathroom.

“Dude, you’re like, an absolute legend or something,” he said, his voice slurred from drinking. He smelled vaguely like pot.

“Just don’t piss around in here any longer than you have to,” Julius said resignedly, before his eyes alighted on his laptop atop his desk. “And if you touch any of my shit I’ll throw you out the fuckin’ window.” He took a discarded jersey and covered the various valuables he’d left out, too lazy to put them in a drawer, before making his first excursion outside his dorm room since yesterday.

The hallway was a mess, with people leaning against the walls and chatting, clutching their plastic cups close. By the entrance of Dorm Two someone had already managed to spill a drink, the dark brown alcohol making a wide stain in the carpet that didn’t look easy to get out. As Julius forced his way through the partygoers down the hallway, the main crowd seemed to be spilling from the fourth dorm at the opposite end of the hall.

Stepping over cups and discarded beanbags, pillows and other riff-raff, he made his way through to the centre where he spotted Lily Forrester, the floor manager. She’d introduced herself to the floor on their first day, and he vaguely remembered her to being quite nice and well-mannered. It was a shock to him that she would participate in, nay, seem to endorse this shambles.

“Miss Forrester!” he had to shout over the music, yet his voice was still overly loud and the furious words carried across the room. “What the hell is going on here? Some of us are trying to get things done and this… this…” Julius waved his hand around to indicate the chaos of the party as he struggled for words. “This mess is not okay! I demand you shut this shit down right now.” Even Julius was aware of how bratty he sounded as he put his hands on his hips, but he was used to getting his way in life and by god, if he hadn’t revised his screenwriting notes by tomorrow there was going to be hell to pay.

L I L L Y F O R R E S T E R

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Dorm Floor
Saturday, 6:00 pm

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Lilly had practically jumped out of her skin when a voice boomed over the music - calling out her name. Her shoulders tensed up. For a split second, her mind had entertained the thought that something went incredibly wrong and that they'd already have to hide a body or two. However, when she turned around, she was met with a friendly face that seemed to just want to talk. Her shoulders sagged in relief and she relaxed once more and the beating of her heart had once more fallen into the rhythm of the music.

The person who had called her attention was Lou. As far as she was concerned, he seemed like a nice guy. A bit of a dork, yes, but he at least doesn't look like the type to argue with so he thought he was overall rather kind. Lilly did remember that he had sent her a friend request earlier in the week but she hadn't gotten around to accepting it yet considering they haven't really talked aside from the basic introductions but she was meant to get around accepting it.

"You're welcome. But everyone pitched in for this to happen. Thanks for making the food too, it's quite a lot." Lilly's eyes couldn't help but drift to where it was prepared. Indeed, it looked like it could fill each and every one of them to the brim. She would get to eating them eventually, after she made sure that everyone was having fun or was at least safe. As far as she knew, everyone had agreed to come.

When he peeked at her drink and asked what it was, she glanced at it too. She hadn't gotten around drinking it yet nor did she pay attention to which one she picked up. "Vodka... I think..." She muttered but it could barely be heard thanks to the music after she took an experimental sip. He had continued on to ramble about it being good with the food he had made. He had suddenly cut himself off with a cough and a drink. It seemed like suspicious behavior so she pressed. "Waited it to cool before what?" She questioned. Lilly wanted it to be as safe as possible... even with weed and alcohol being involved in this party.

More and more people were starting to come out. She spotted her floormates sstarting to come out. Weed brownies were being busted out too. It was good to see that they were talking among each other and having fun... well, most of them anyway. Some just came in after all and seemed to be deciding what to do. Honestly, she knew how it felt. Coming into a party with only knowing a couple of people as acquaintances made the first few minutes of anything be a little awkward. Lilly had made a mental note to seek them out later if they were still hanging around alone. First off, she had Lou to take care of and-

Another call to her name and her mind once more spiralled into another minor panic attack. Since the party was underway and she was pretty sure she saw someone spill their entire cup onto the carpet, there might actually be something wrong this time. She turned to see Julius stomping his way over. "Oh Mister Gardener, I thought you weren't going to come?" She had started as he stopped in front of her to begin to complain about the party. Oh. Oh.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid this-" She raised her free hand to wave to the party as well. "-can't be stopped. The most I can personally do is to keep them away from Dorm One so they won't disturb you. Hah... I don't think I can do something about the music though..." Her eyes trailed over to Seoyeon who had called out earlier to increase the volume. As much as she wanted to help Julius out, she really doesn't have any solution to his problem. As soon as the party was underway, Lilly had practically forfeited most of her floor manager abilities.

Suggesting alternatives was the best thing she could do right now, so she did exactly that. "I know the library is open until midnight though, or the nearby Starbucks has a perfectly calm atmosphere. I'm pretty sure this party will die down before midnight though." Her hand gravitated towards her chin as she delved into deep thought for a moment befor snapping her fingers. "There's also the study hub which has the best coffee." Lilly had been around a couple of times and while she only treated herself every now and then, she at least knew the hostpots for the students and teh adults. Perks of knowing a lot of people is that they like talking about the places they hung out at.

---

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Ford Cannon was not in the building yet when the party started. Instead, he was on his way back to the party after making a few stops and calling in a few favors.

Ford gently kicked the door to their floor open and grinned. "Cannon does it again," he cried, pushing forward a literal wagon full of party supplies. A Red Flyer wagon. Like the kind kids would ride around in. It was actually impressive that he'd managed to get it up here without being noticed. Or maybe people owed him the right sets of favors.

Buford scratched at his hair through his beanie as he took final stock to make sure nothing had fallen. He had:
2 Kegs of Heineken
3 Boxes of Boxed Wine
2 Bottles of Jack Daniels
4 orders of 12-count buffalo chicken wings
6 Po-boy sandwiches
1 disco ball
1 Twister set
1 Ouija Board
8 large bags of chips
8 different kinds of dip
1 blow-up sex doll wearing aviator sunglasses
and, to top it all off, a bit of Ayahuasca from, like, the one Peruvian dude in the state. It was pretty damn sweet.

Buford dragged his little red wagon of ridiculous shit into the hallway. "Come forth, children, and partake of my amazing bounty." Ford turned, shooting a smile at the assembled. Now he just needed to find someone who didn't look like they were being talked to yet. Oh, wait, right. He stooped down and pulled the Ayahuasca from the from the bin. Didn't need someone wasting it because they thought it was weed. It didn't work unless you did it right, dude.

Anyways. What was he doing? Right, he was gonna bother people. He spotted Ylva just outside of her room and so he gravitated his merry way over there.

"Ahoy there, Red," he said casually. He was like 99% certain he knew her name already, but he went with a safe alternative just in case. "Ylva, right? We met a few days ago. I think I helped you carry a dresser or something into the dorm? Maybe that was someone else. Sorry. I'm Buford Cannon, just call me Ford, like the truck. Anyways. How are you doing, huh? How are things back home in Oslo? Family staying warm?"

When Lilly complimented his food, Lou beamed! After he swallowed his drink, a smile spread across his mouth as his teeth showed with an overwhelming amount of pride. "Thank you so much Lilly!" When the follow up question happened Lou stared at her for a moment, his eyes becoming wide. "HUH?" he questioned, as if she was speaking to him another dialect. On the contrary he had heard what she had to say loud and clear. However, it was not something he wanted to answer. When something came up that Lou did not want to answer, he avoided it.

Lou did not want Lilly to worry though, and he very desperately wanted her to try his food so she could compliment him even more. "Oh, I waited it to cool before I picked it up to try one. Last time I was too quick to eat them, and it burned me all the way down to my tummy mc tum tums. It was very unfortunate." the man said this in a very serious tone, as if he had not just called his stomach a "tummy mc tum tums." he nodded. This was not actually a lie, Lou had often ate food before it cooled- but it definitely was not what he had almost said through a slip of tongue.

Looking to the voice who called for Lilly's attention Lou looked to find his room mate and very best friend to be Julius. Julius was very studious and this was a good trait. When he had asked him earlier if he would like to borrow one of his hats for the party tonight, he had declined but Lou knew only because the man needed his very own hat! Lou planned to order him one for the second week anniversary of since becoming room mates. He hoped he would be happy.

Lou sat idle for a moment listening to the two talk back and forth for a moment, before speaking up himself, "Julius!" he exclaimed as if the man had just appeared and not been complaining about the noise. "You shouldn't be worried about tonight, you can have some fun. There won't be parties like this one every week." he said, taking his hat off his head and giving his head a healthy scratch. He brought his hand to his nose and took a small whiff. It was pleasant.

"The wings I made earlier today are over there, you should have some Julius."

Not really finding anyone she wanted to interact with, Sasha grabbed herself a paper plate and loaded it with two pieces of chicken wings and some chips. Several people, obviously intoxicated already, slurred hi's and hello's to her as they wobbled with their own plates of food. Sasha politely greeted them back and grabbed the plastic cup she had filled with orange soda just in time before someone crashed into the table that it was on. Saying a quick excuse me, she stepped over the guy who was laughing at his own predicament on the floor.

She looked around, looking for a spot for herself. Her eyes fell on the dancing Korean girl and she watched her for a few minutes. Although she preferred the more classical dance, she appreciated how fun and precise her moves were. Maybe later on, she'll say hi and commend her for her performance. Continuing her quest of finding
a spot, her gaze soon fell on the couch where her room mate was with some guy who was eating a brownie. Venus was holding one of the pastries as well. If Sasha were to hazard a guess, she'd bet that the brownies had something "fun" in it. She considered joining them for a second, figuring she'd just politely decline the brownie if offered one. She wasn't really into that sorta thing. But before she could take a step towards them, a guy with a red wagon caught her attention. Watching him make his way in, she couldn't help but look at the contents of the wagon. More liquor, food and...was that a sex doll?

College party, she thought to herself with a little chuckle. Giving the people around her a polite smile, she took a step forward, inadvertently in the direction of her dorm room.

"Heads up, Sasha!" One of the boy she had chatted with the other day called out. Heeding his words, the Russian girl ducked her head, just in time to avoid an empty beer bottle as it sailed overhead. Turning, she watched its trajectory as it fell smoothly into another guy's outstretched hands. "Good catch," she commented with a grin earning her a wink from catch guy. "Wanna have a drink with us?" catch guy asked.

"Maybe later," Sasha replied, successfully sidestepping another female who was swaying her hips to the music but almost colliding with Hangyeol. She fought to balance the food on her paper plate and as she did, the orange soda splashed a little onto her shirt. "Oh, sorry," she apologized instantly. "Glad I splashed myself instead of you."

Julius narrowed his eyes in the face of such insulting excuses. Yeah sure, the floor manager couldn’t do anything about the party being held on their floor. To make matters even worse, as she was talking a shout of ‘turn it up!’ came from the dance floor and the guy sitting on top of the speakers happily obliged. His head was starting to ache in time with the music, and the bass was so loud that he could feel the vibrations in his breastbone. There was no way he would be able to get to sleep in his dorm tonight; let alone get any study done.

The party already had him in a shitty mood, but when Lily started suggesting other places he could go he just couldn’t keep his mouth closed any longer.

“If I wanted fucking coffee, I’d make it myself!” he snapped, his thin streak of patience with this shit snapping violently. Okay, deep breaths. He’d been forced into a short course of anger management when he was too young to bunk off, and some of the tips floated to the top of his brain. Remember, it wasn’t Lily’s fault that everyone decided to have a party. She was only in charge of the floor. Wait a second, it kind of was Lily’s fault. Shit.

He was silent for a moment as he mentally cussed out the therapist who’d been unfortunate enough to be assigned to the young Julius for not giving him better lessons, and that moment was all the time his dorm mate needed to force himself into the conversation. Life was a bitch. He’d spent most of the day trying to avoid Lou and yet somehow managed to walk straight into him as soon as he entered the party.

“You shouldn't be worried about tonight, you can have some fun. There won't be parties like this one every week,” Lou said, in an annoyingly reasonable tone of voice. Julius sighed and ran his hands through his tangled hair in frustration. Dislike Lou as he did, he still had to admit the smaller man had a point. There was no way the staff at the university would turn a blind eye to a party this size very often, and he would be surprised if the floor could even survive the toil of nights of dancing and spilt drinks. He was overdue for a night of relaxation- with all the stress of moving across the country and classes beginning he’d barely had time to sit still without the thought of unfinished homework or the way he had left things at home weighing on his brain.

And if he had to be honest, those screenwriting notes he had to revise could survive until tomorrow. While he wasn’t and would never be a party animal, perhaps he could manage a relaxing night spent at the opposite end of the hallway, far away from the speakers.

“The wings I made earlier today are over there, you should have some Julius.” Lou continued, pointing further down the table to a plate of chicken. It was a good excuse to cut his losses and get out of there, even if there was no way in hell he was touching any food Lou had cooked. Somehow he didn’t think the words ‘sanitation’ and ‘safe food preparation’ had ever passed Lou’s lips. And as for what had passed those lips…

“I prefer my chicken un-snogged, Lou, but thanks anyways,” Julius grimaced. “And I’m sorry for blowing up on you, Lily. That was uncalled for when you were just trying to help me out.” The apology sounded overly stilted and formal, as if he was reading it from a textbook without the sincerity behind the words, but an apology was getting more from him than he was used to.

“I‘ll see you guys around. Enjoy the party.” He gave the pair a strained smile before turning away. While he wasn’t keen on the chicken (besides, there was a slightly built Korean girl perched over the tray who seemed intent on keeping them to herself), there were some pangs of hunger in his stomach and he recalled seeing a plate of brownies balanced on the stack of empty pizza boxes in the hallway. On his way out of the room he snagged a beer from an opened six-pack near the doorway. Julius wasn’t a big drinker, but if he was going to waste this night he was going to go big or go home.

The brownies he’d spotted earlier were accompanied by a pair of students who were almost enveloped in the large cushions of a tatty yellow sofa. He nodded a greeting at them and dragged a spare chair over to include himself in their little group.

“Hey, I’m Julius. Are you guys the guardians of the brownies or somethin?”

Within a few minutes, the party is in full swing, and Hangyeol, while lurking, hears a knock at the door. Everyone who's meant to be at the party is already here, but he opens the door anyway. He knows the party's full already, but there are plenty of other possible explanations. And he doesn't want to be rude.

In the gaping hole in the wall that is the doorway there stands a short, beautiful girl. She smiles at Hangyeol with a smile like a split bag of worms.

"Is Abby here?"

Hangyeol quickly runs through the short list of the dorm floor's current inhabitants before shaking his head. "No, I'm afraid not. You could probably look upstairs, though," he suggests, smiling kindly. (And pushing away the cold feeling that settles in his chest. That's not her fault, it's his. Probably.)

"Is Abby here?" she asks again.

"...No, she isn't," Hangyeol replies, slowly and confusedly. "Shall I ask the Floor Manager for you?"

"No need. I'll see you later," she says before winking and walking away.

"...Uh, okay?" Hangyeol stands in front of the open door for a moment, figuratively scratching his head in a game of "do I know her?" before giving up. Bizarre, but he's relived he didn't have to get caught up in anything. For moment there, he thought... No, no. Not everybody is out to get you, you know.

With a shrug, he closes the door and goes to rejoin the party. Lost in thought, it is then that he bumps into Sasha, causing her to spill some of her drink. Hangyeol turns around (perhaps a bit too suddenly; can you blame him for being tense?), intending to apologize quickly and efficiently before inquiring of the Floor Manager, Lilly, about an "Abby". Unless she's busy and/or surrounded by other people; then he'll just... forget about it. Right. Good plan.

"No, sorry about that," he says, checking over himself and the floor in case anything dropped, hand outstretched to steady the plate before it tips and a mess is made. "Wasn't paying attention. It's just your shirt, right? Should I grab a napkin or two?" Honestly, it's both of their faults, or maybe even the party's fault for being too crowded, but there's no harm in apologizing and Hangyeol feels a bit responsible. Orange soda, huh? That'll leave a stain... Maybe he has something to treat that with?

"Oh, thanks," Sasha said when the plate stabilized in her hands, thanks to Hangyeol's helping hand. "Guess we both weren't really paying attention to where we were going." She looked down at her shirt. While most girls she knew would fuss about a small stain, she wasn't really concerned much about it. Expect maybe for the stickiness. "No, it's fine. I'm not soaked and this is an old shirt anyway. Maybe I should let it seep in. A stain or two might even make it more fashionable," she grinned.

Finding it a good opportunity to socialize a bit, Sasha decided to be a friendly. It was, after all, the whole purpose of this party...well, ideally. She had a suspicion most of the people just wanted to get stoned and wasted. The guy in front of her wasn't really familiar to her even though they were on the same floor but he looked nice enough. What's the harm in making a new friend? So far, the only people she had spoken to properly since she got here was her room mate, Venus and Adam, who was still throwing catch guy empty beer bottles to catch. No bottles breaking but no one was telling them to stop either. "Anyway...hello. My name is Aleksasha. Sasha, for short. I would have liked it if we met without the collision and the threat of food spilling all over the floor but I guess it could be worse." She offered him a small smile.