It was an ordinary spring afternoon, well into the afternoon at that - the sun was already tracking towards the horizon, early as was typical for these still-chilly days. In the cramped kitchenette of a shared dorm room, a fae was blearily fixing a pot of coffee. The reason for such a late 'morning' was simple: hir roommate-slash-friend-slash-partner-in-crime had been up with hir into the deep hours of the night, drinking and watching cartoons. Consequently, neither had gotten up on time for their morning - or afternoon - classes. In fact, sie was only finally awake because hir favorite reality show would be on in an hour: Charm Contest, where anyone with a knack for magic could take a shot at fame. Of course it was mostly fun to watch because the challengers were dropped one by one each continuing week, and the challenges likewise increased in difficulty, which meant there was plenty of schadenfreude to go around.
The first whiffs off coffee were just starting to drift out from the pot - arabica with licorice and willow bark extract - when someone knocked. This was terribly, terribly annoying, mainly because it meant sie had to answer the door. Padding over to the door while tightening the belt on hir bathrobe, sie opened it only to find the last creature sie wanted to see standing there. Specifically, it was one of the school enforcers and the head prefect over the girl's dorms. Which was a somewhat inaccurate title - anyone who identified as a girl was able to apply for a dorm there, and sometimes non-female students were put there too. For example, fae. Which aggravated certain creatures - like this one - immensely. Not that sie cared - making Nirina angry was one of hir favorite pass-times, especially when just existing did so just fine. The naga was easy to irritate anyway, so the temptation was then doubly impossible to resist. "You need something, or just come to harass me because you like me so much?" sie asked, looking dully at the snake-woman on the other side of the door.
"Actually, no. I've come to deliver a notice."
There was something about her, a haughty confidence that surpassed even her usual demeanor, and it actually was worrisome. "A notice," sie repeated, a bit lower this time. "What's that?"
Barely suppressing a grin, the naga drew out a scroll of paper from her side-satchel. "By order of the dean, you - both of you - are expelled from Pharien College, due to poor academic performance, excessive absenteeism, and overall unacceptable behavior as students of this fine establishment. As non-students, you no longer have the benefit of the very generous rent agreement of the dorms, and are hereby ordered to remove yourselves and your belongings from the premises. You may contest your expulsion or re-apply in two semesters' time, but regardless.." Rolling it up, and gave a too-wide smile, her fangs on display. "This is your first and only warning to get out. Or we'll get security. Be out by curfew tomorrow or else." Handing over the message, she then slithered off, head held high.
Looking down at the scroll now in hir hands, sie sighed quietly and shut the door. "Well, shit."
Three days later found the pair in a cheap motel room on the outskirts of the city of Briarbridge, sharing a six pack of bottom-shelf beer. Most of their stuff, what they'd wanted to take, was piled in one corner, and at the moment sie was idly messaging some of hir relatives on an old but well-enchanted phone. It could mimic some of the features of newer devices, albeit not always very well, but it was enough. So far, no luck. In the background, some serial tv show was on, cutting away to commercials where a handsome psychic offered genuine readings of your future, if you just called and paid up two-fifty a minute. To be fair, it was legitimate - and a lot of non-magic users of every species were known to make use of services like that. Hell, sie had even had a summer job in a coffee shop where a potion-brewing wizard added shots of espresso and Charisma or Intellect on demand to lattes. There was very little distinction between those who could use magic and those who couldn't, and it was largely considered a useful skill, like being able to code, or make clothing, or pick locks.
A little chime indicated a new message - a drearily straight-forward 'Sorry, but I really can't take in any guests', from hir parent's sibling. "Looks like nobody wants a witch and fairy," sighed the fae, stopping to put away the phone and then downing the last of hir beer. Since being kicked out of the school and their dorm, they'd ended up in this crappy little place, trying to plot their next move. Looking over to the witch seated on the end of the bed, sie asked hopefully, "Any of your relatives say we can stay a while?"
On the tv, the commercials came to an end, and the tv show started up again, some mid-season episode of a show neither of them had ever seen before, but it was popular enough on campus. Supposedly it was about a brilliant thief and con-artist who used both his wits and occasional spells to get everything he wanted and escape from any trouble. Admittedly, that was all sie'd gleaned from listening to the show while texting for the last half-hour, and of course listening to other students gab about it after every weekly premiere. For now it was just background noise, something to have on while thinking. They had a lot of thinking to do - though semester funds had been dispensed not too long ago, and they got the remainder of their rent payment back, it wouldn't last long, and a fae with a quarter-finished degree in sociology wasn't exactly a great job candidate. So they needed to do something, fast, even if it was just finding someone friendly and willing to let them crash on their floor or couch for a few weeks.
The first whiffs off coffee were just starting to drift out from the pot - arabica with licorice and willow bark extract - when someone knocked. This was terribly, terribly annoying, mainly because it meant sie had to answer the door. Padding over to the door while tightening the belt on hir bathrobe, sie opened it only to find the last creature sie wanted to see standing there. Specifically, it was one of the school enforcers and the head prefect over the girl's dorms. Which was a somewhat inaccurate title - anyone who identified as a girl was able to apply for a dorm there, and sometimes non-female students were put there too. For example, fae. Which aggravated certain creatures - like this one - immensely. Not that sie cared - making Nirina angry was one of hir favorite pass-times, especially when just existing did so just fine. The naga was easy to irritate anyway, so the temptation was then doubly impossible to resist. "You need something, or just come to harass me because you like me so much?" sie asked, looking dully at the snake-woman on the other side of the door.
"Actually, no. I've come to deliver a notice."
There was something about her, a haughty confidence that surpassed even her usual demeanor, and it actually was worrisome. "A notice," sie repeated, a bit lower this time. "What's that?"
Barely suppressing a grin, the naga drew out a scroll of paper from her side-satchel. "By order of the dean, you - both of you - are expelled from Pharien College, due to poor academic performance, excessive absenteeism, and overall unacceptable behavior as students of this fine establishment. As non-students, you no longer have the benefit of the very generous rent agreement of the dorms, and are hereby ordered to remove yourselves and your belongings from the premises. You may contest your expulsion or re-apply in two semesters' time, but regardless.." Rolling it up, and gave a too-wide smile, her fangs on display. "This is your first and only warning to get out. Or we'll get security. Be out by curfew tomorrow or else." Handing over the message, she then slithered off, head held high.
Looking down at the scroll now in hir hands, sie sighed quietly and shut the door. "Well, shit."
Three days later found the pair in a cheap motel room on the outskirts of the city of Briarbridge, sharing a six pack of bottom-shelf beer. Most of their stuff, what they'd wanted to take, was piled in one corner, and at the moment sie was idly messaging some of hir relatives on an old but well-enchanted phone. It could mimic some of the features of newer devices, albeit not always very well, but it was enough. So far, no luck. In the background, some serial tv show was on, cutting away to commercials where a handsome psychic offered genuine readings of your future, if you just called and paid up two-fifty a minute. To be fair, it was legitimate - and a lot of non-magic users of every species were known to make use of services like that. Hell, sie had even had a summer job in a coffee shop where a potion-brewing wizard added shots of espresso and Charisma or Intellect on demand to lattes. There was very little distinction between those who could use magic and those who couldn't, and it was largely considered a useful skill, like being able to code, or make clothing, or pick locks.
A little chime indicated a new message - a drearily straight-forward 'Sorry, but I really can't take in any guests', from hir parent's sibling. "Looks like nobody wants a witch and fairy," sighed the fae, stopping to put away the phone and then downing the last of hir beer. Since being kicked out of the school and their dorm, they'd ended up in this crappy little place, trying to plot their next move. Looking over to the witch seated on the end of the bed, sie asked hopefully, "Any of your relatives say we can stay a while?"
On the tv, the commercials came to an end, and the tv show started up again, some mid-season episode of a show neither of them had ever seen before, but it was popular enough on campus. Supposedly it was about a brilliant thief and con-artist who used both his wits and occasional spells to get everything he wanted and escape from any trouble. Admittedly, that was all sie'd gleaned from listening to the show while texting for the last half-hour, and of course listening to other students gab about it after every weekly premiere. For now it was just background noise, something to have on while thinking. They had a lot of thinking to do - though semester funds had been dispensed not too long ago, and they got the remainder of their rent payment back, it wouldn't last long, and a fae with a quarter-finished degree in sociology wasn't exactly a great job candidate. So they needed to do something, fast, even if it was just finding someone friendly and willing to let them crash on their floor or couch for a few weeks.