Felicity looked up curiously at the mention of fantasy novels, though not quite catching what he meant. Korrigan did sound like a name from a video game or fantasy book, though she couldn’t quite place where she had heard it before. Were his parents avid readers then? Or maybe novelists themselves? How interesting that must be! Before she could ask him any further questions in her bubbly interrogation session, her partner jogged over to his luggage. She politely paused, wondering what it was he needed to handle. Did he forget his phone in his bags? Was there something sensitive to jostling, like a vase or soda stash? She knew from her first year that one girl had brought an expensive china vase that she used to decorate her nightstand, and would always fill it with very smelly carnations. She hoped she wouldn’t have another roommate who loved very smell carnations.
But nope, he did not return with a cellphone, soda stash, or expensive china vase. Instead he returned with a glass container, which contained a shaking, grinning lizard! Korrigan introduced the lizard, a bearded dragon, as Vulcan, and made reference to a Festus. Another lizard? Well, lizards were certainly more interesting and more welcome than the overwhelming stench of carnations!
“Oh, how cute! He looks like he’s dancing! Hello, Vulcan! Oh, you’re so lucky, Monty and I always wanted pets when we were growing up! But my mother is allergic to fur, daddy’s allergic to scales, and Monty is allergic to feathers, so it was impossible.” she explained, stifling giggles as Vulcan’s little body shook happily.
She sobered a little as he told her he was from Erridun, and explained a little more on his background. Living on the streets? Had he been homeless? So that was why he spoke so strangely. She felt a little bad for pointing it out now, she hadn’t meant to make him uncomfortable. She wanted to apologize for her blunder, but he very quickly moved past it, turning the questions onto her.
“Oh! Well, I’m from Maefeld, my parents are jewelers in the Pearl district! Um, I want to be a fashion designer when I graduate, and I like designing and making my own clothes! I made this dress myself, actually!” she said, gesturing down to the patterns on her hem. She was rather proud of her needlework, she had spent two weeks making this dress for her second year debut!
“Um, what else about me… Monty is my twin brother, and even though he’s taller than me, I’m the older one by two hours! His full name is Montgomery, if he ever gives you trouble, just call him that, it makes him splutter like a broken car. Um, I’m a lifetime subscriber to
Vague magazine, and I wrote some articles for
Teen Vague in a contest over the summer that got featured! My best friend is Nancy Jones, she’s also a second year mage. She’s a really good cook too, her parents own a restaurant in Lynden! I like gardening and cooking, though I’m not very good at either yet. Aaaaand… Oh! My magic type! I’m a shadow mage! Monty is a light mage, and people usually get our magic types mixed up.” she answered to the best of her ability, wracking her brain for all so called “bits and bobs” about her.
They eventually arrived in front of two doors, both with the number 227 emblazoned on them in gold.
“Here’s your dorm! The doors don’t have a locking mechanism for safety purposes, but you really don’t need them.” one of their volunteers said, opening the door closest to them and letting them inside. Felicity pulled her suitcase in, striding in and taking a look around.
It was certainly spacious! Mint green walls with a dark mahogany trim, wide windows that let in lots of light and had, on closer inspection, flower boxes right outside! A luxurious queen bed with blue blankets, dark hardwood floors that shone with polish, desk, dresser, bookshelf, table, and chairs all made with the same handiwork and elegance! Yet across a short divider, was another room mimicking this one in all symmetry! One of the volunteers, currently not occupied with luggage, walked up to the divider, pulling out a handle and dragging it across. A sliding wall! That separated the room into two bedrooms! Felicity was amazed. Life as a second year was certainly much more luxurious than a first year!
“This wall can be slid open or shut with ease, allowing you both some privacy while keeping the dorm intact! The bathroom as two entrances on either side, and contains a toilet, sink, shower, washer, dryer, as well as soaps, shampoo, detergent and tooth brushes. If you need replacements or run out, go to Mr. Stockton’s office down the hall, fill out a form with your room number and needed supplies, and they’ll be brought to your dorm by the end of the week. There are bi-monthly inspections to make sure the rooms are tidy and not being damaged, so try to keep things clean. You are allowed to decorate the room as you see fit, as long as you don’t damage the room itself. The cost of necessary repair will be billed to your families, so don’t break anything.” the volunteer explained, launching into a well rehearsed tour of the facilities. When he finished, he pulled out two papers, handing one to Felicity and one to Korrey.
“These are your choices for electives. Currently, the school offers music, painting, cooking, horticulture, and an introduction to monster hunting as electives. You don’t have to attend the same electives, unless you choose monster hunting. We’ll give you a few minutes to decide, then take your answers back to the teachers and let you settle in.”
Felicity looked over the paper, her brow furrowed as she thought about her choices. Music? But she couldn’t play an instrument, and Monty said her singing voice was like a cat being shaved. Painting maybe? But her specialty in art was sketching and design, she didn’t want to make still-life portraits of fruit. Cooking or horticulture sounded nice. Nancy would definitely be in a cooking class! They could gossip and play and Nancy could give her tips so she didn’t burn anymore cookies! She looked up at Korrey, wondering what he might be interested in.
Natsu