I messed up the instructions somehow. I am not sure how, but I did. The bad part? I already went through; Ways need to a specific entrance and exit so if I am in a new place, I don't have that first part. I cannot just make a new Way to the old location because… semantics.
This probably should've been expected. I'm one of the first students at Deer College. There was bound to be some technical difficulties even if all of them was on my part. I wandered through the dead forest that I was in. I wander aimlessly stamping through the forest listening deeply for anyone that might also be in the forest. The forest was quiet, you could hear branch snap from a mile away and it would pierce the air.
Snap.
I ran towards the sound that I heard in the hopes that it someone who could 'rescue' me from the land that I walk upon. I nearly tripped on my right shoe.
I came to a clearing. I hadn't noticed the ground till I tripped. It was light-gray and as warm as the soft sunlight, the land was unbelievably rigid softness. Aside was a lake whose currents had a rough calmness to them. The jagged rocks ascending from the lake were same as the soft colored ground; however, metallic.
The branch. I gaze over the lake; the dead black roots above covered in yellow flowers.
I had noticed the branch with green olives laced dead on the floor. A figure loomed over it, picked it up
and rotated their hand from the wrist.
They took a pebble of the branch and placed it on the stake in the ground. The glue of biology connected them; the pebbles formed a statue.
An olive was picked and lovingly thrown into my palm. My gaze followed the ground up at the lady whom connected. An elf.
My astonished state returned to normal, "Apologies for the rudeness I caused."
"What rudeness?" spoke the Elf who picked an olive for herself.
I reflected on my past actions, even kicked a pebble on the floor, "I got lost."
"And how may that be rude? You were admiring the scene."
"I was to head to Deer College in Three Portlands," I checked my watch, "Class starts in three hours. It's impolite to talk especially given the circumstances."
"I got lost too. Lacking impoliteness wouldn't matter much."
"That's overly coincidental. Any ideas on how to get there? We cannot do the normal Way because we are both lost."
The Elf stands up, gazing at me. They relax themselves before placing a hand on my shoulder. She inquires, "I'm Pepper, and what's your name?" Pepper smiles innocently.
I stumble an inch or so back as she removes her hand from my left shoulder. I reply awkwardly, "Oh, you can call me Camellia."
I started panic pacing, "If I am lost, I will never make it to Deer's orientation," I eat the olive that Pepper gave me nervously.
"What do you mean, it's not like we want to be here but it's nice that we are," Pepper looks across the beautiful space. She eats an olive.
I cannot disagree with Pepper's statement, it was great. I thought about where we were, I sat on one of the rocks near the lake. Pepper sat to the left of me closely but still with some distance. For some reason, I felt shame.
We both were lost; it would be wrong if we stayed here no matter the environment.
I spoke out into the silence of humanity, "Any ideas, Pepper?"
Pepper looked up at my rough face, her soft face smiles affectionately (in a platonic way) at me, "I could teleport"
" 'I'? Only I, I being me, need to head to Deer College. Isn't this your homeland or the like? "
"You'll be teleported too, you needn't to worry." Pepper lets herself away from me. She took off the small bag on her shoulder and tossed it on the soft ground 8 feet away from the water. She walks to the bag, and takes out a few dozen numerous things.
"There is no reason for you to be teleported with me, it will be hard to find your way back to here."
Pepper looks back at me with her yellowish-green eyes. She then gazes at the sky then back to above my head. "I used to cartograph. Return is hard but at the most, there not is a point to do so. I prefer… scenery paths."
The world dashed
left.
Dead trees.
Water.
Yellow Petals.
Bright stones.
An unstable structure, a clock tower. There was an half-dome stationed on a grass hill with trees half-circling it in the direction we were. The trees were green leaves, brown bark and short.
"we're not in the grove," Was said by Pepper, whom the voice got overly cheery and ended with a laugh, "I cannot tell you how many times I've messed that up!"
The clock tower consisted of two main components, the base and the actual tower itself. The former was made of planks of wood nailed together but there was enough wood to where there were no windows. The tower itself was
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to be precise, it was shaped as the bottom half of the middle of an Ƨ. It was made of many thin plates of construction metal nailed together but less put together than the wood which really wasn't put together at all. The clock was functional.
Pepper headed in the direction of the clock tower with a wooden door. Eventually she looked back at me and stopped before gesturing her head towards the clock tower.
"Are you sure it's stable. It looks…" I didn't want to offend Pepper, she was my only really guide if you can call her one.
Camellia was pulled to the left of Pepper. Camellia panicked a little breathing heavily for 3.86 seconds. His head was pointing at the ground before looking up at Pepper. "You have two inches on me, and telekinesis."
"I don't, telekinesis that is," Pepper opened the wooden door to the dome blushing ever so slightly.
The inside was entirely made of metal. There was a glass floor with several gears rotating slowly. At the other side, a metal bar-stool shaped altar with a key atop with no texture aside from light grayness. It had a circular handle. There were also two metal doors with keyholes. We walked to the middle of the room.
"You open the door, you want to go to Deer College."
As much I hated to think it, Pepper was right. I grabbed the key atop the table and pondered which door to open. Two minutes of pointless pondering later, I placed the key in the left door and unlocked the door which pulverized the key into dust. Pepper walked up beside me.
We're about to head inside when I heard an unfamiliar female voice behind us, "I pleasure you that you opened the left door."
The voice was unnerving but warm. We both turned towards the figure, it was humanoid but I couldn't tell what it was. It was holding an open book and wore half-rim glasses with no lens for its left eye. It wore a blackish-blue cloak. It spoke again, "The parameters are already set."
I walked into the room which was the same as the first but without the table, key and doors. I didn't hear any footsteps so I look back to see Pepper a little ways past the doorframe.
She felt vaguely different. She quickly came into the room right before the entity closed the door.
Camellia and Pepper was on a paved part of a veranda. Although, depending on your definition of veranda, "courtyard" would be more applicable. There was an open garden in the middle of two hallways with some paved floors connecting the two around the garden. There were trees, flowers and various other floral decorations. There was a marble fence disconnecting most of the garden to the veranda. There will marble pillars atop the fence to keep the roof up.
"Oh, seems we are here and in rec-" My watch says 12:00, orientation started at 11. I frantically look at the doors across the hallway. I, out of fear, remember what room number my orientation.
Pepper follows me.
I eventually find the door and open it quickly.
The professor is standing in front of a wall but behind his desk. The desk was located halfway between the door Camellia entered and the far wall. The professor looks at both Camellia and Pepper but only because they were standing next to each other, holding hands. Camellia however wasn't aware of the latter. The professor frowning announced, "Welcome to Deer College. How was your trip?"
"I mishandled opening the Way, she helped find my way back by using her own."
"Teae mishandled the second Way. It was an hour and 15 past unintentionally late."
"Who's Teae?"
"The hooded figure at the clock tower."
The professor simply stared at the couple before speaking, "According to Zachary Knorr, the majority of the Ways were… improperly made. We decided to delay orientation until 3PM."
I took a peek into the room, there weren't any students in any seats. I ask the professor, "Soooooo… what do we do while we wait?"
"That's for you to decide, I would say you should check your dorm room. Considering that you are a couple, we'll arrange to place you in the same dorm room."
It was at this point where I noticed I was holding Pepper's hand and realized that she didn't follow me but I dragged her with me. I quickly let go in embarrassment.
"Alright, we'll see you soon Professor…"
"Professor Cojure."
"See you soon!" Pepper closes the door to the classroom and I hear a lock sound coming from it.
"Are you sure you don't have telekinesis? Also, sorry for dragging you, I was worried and-"
"Telekinesis was Cojure's, not me. Should we head to our dorm? …I don't mind the dragging, warm hands more so."
"Wait, you are a student too?!"
Pepper laughed once again genuinely before speaking, "Yes, how dense are you! We're sharing a dorm!"
"…Wait we are?"
"We were just told."
I am dense. I just realized that I was dense because I was dense. I mumbled something akin to "Maybe I should take divination," which Pepper didn't hear. Pepper grabbed my hand. I only noticed how lukewarm and soft Pepper's hand was. My hand escaped hers, "You don't need to hold my hand. I can find my way by myself."
For the first time, Pepper displayed a negative emotion, bashfulness. "You got lost the first time! Knowing you, you'd get lost again somehow."
I was about to retort but then I remember something my granddad said to me, "Never upset a woman, if you do, it will be extremely hard to repair that friendship." I took that advice to heart and let her hold my hand.
Pepper felt embarrassed. I noticed her ears were red but couldn't get a good look at her face to know her expression or how much she was blushing. She also mumbled something but I didn't catch it.
Pepper took me all the way to the dorm room. I brought a backpack with me that contains various things. Deer College did all the transport of necessaries like clothing, shampoo and conditioner, etc. so everything was where it was supposed to be except personal items. When we got to our room,
Pepper opened the door.
I noticed that there was no lock on the door. I was dense but I wasn't dense enough to figure out that the doors can probably only be opened by the dorm's resident. I also knew that we could add people to the whitelist at the front desk.
Our room was an undivided double. The room obviously was using non-euclidean geometry with the beds occupying the main room with desks and dressers next to the beds. Also, there was a closets for shirts to be hung. Camellia and Pepper's clothes were in their respective dressers and closets. There was also a bathroom with both a shower and a bath. There was a window that overlooked the campus grounds.1
I asked Pepper a question since I was curious, "What are you majoring in?"
"I'm doing economics, as for occult practices, I am unfamiliar with the ones taught here."
"Oh, anthropology and I haven't decided on an occult class."
"Let's pick the same occult class to major in. Perhaps later, I believe we will pick our majors during our sophomore year. Freshman is all required classes."
Pepper blushed at that embarrassingly bashful proposal. Her ears were extremely red with the face being only a fourth of the red that her ears were. I didn't know if I should accept that proposal, we barely knew each other and are living together. We both didn't know anyone else that is attending Deer, we know each other the best even though there is no bar for it.
I speak softly, "Sure, let's pick together. We can always change what we do later."
I take out Deer's Student Handbook which includes a list of the majors. I look at the table of contents before flipping to the listed page for occult majors. I sat on my bed and Pepper sat on my right but a little closer since the clearing.
"First off is… alchemy."
I look to Pepper who was staring at me with an expression whose purpose was unknown to me. It was a half-smile, with curious eyes. I reply awkwardly, "What's with that face?"
"You have the handbook."
"And you think I wouldn't?"
"Yes, you are clumsy."
I processed the statement, "Am I clumsy? If I am, clumsy may describe me but I am not that clumsy," I move the book a little in Pepper's direction whom view turned to the book, "What do you think of alchemy?"
"Uninteresting."
"What about cryptozoology? Elves are close to nature right?"
When I looked over to Pepper, I saw her expression change from to a smile. She replied, "Vegetarians, most of us. Before you ask, I am one except sea food. As for cryptozoology… we could if it you would."
"Not that interested in it. Apologies."
Pepper looks deep into my eyes, "You apologize way too much. Here let me take the handbook."
The handbook is taken from my hand from my gentle grasp, Pepper looked at the list, "Alright, what about cryptomancy and imagomancy?"
"I'm not a writer or artist. Are you?"
"No, but I wish I was a good artist."
Pepper spoke in a solemn tone and she, scoot over closer to me. I chose my next words carefully so as to not upset her more, "It's a bit further down the list but what about anart? It is pretty broad."
Pepper briefly looked over the entire list of occult division classes at Deer. She asked in a soft voice, "Must we pick the same occult class?"
"No."
"So why are we doing this?"
I wasn't sure why I agreed with Pepper's suggestion. I just wanted to be with her. It was a selfish reason but I thought it would be best to be honest with Pepper who's currently hugs my arm.
"We don't know anyone else so far at Deer. While we have met only today, it's still the closest relationship we have. Professor Cojure perception of us is that we're close and he's semi-wrong n' right. I mean, you're hugging my arm tightly but I know you seem like the type at are just clingy."
Pepper suddenly stopped hugging my arm and ran half a foot to her bed with her head down. The majority of Pepper's face was red, and I swore there was a little steam out of her ears, "Relationship?"
My intentions were unaware to I, not that I wanted those intentions until now. I attempted to clear up the misunderstanding, "No, I mean relationship as like friendship, relationship is just more… broad in terminology."
Pepper's face was mostly red but some of it returned to a dark tan. I knew if I continued this conversation, the relati -friendship would get a little sourer. I decided to change the subject to what we were originally talking about, "You okay if we both do cryptomancy and imagomancy?"
"…We have the entirely of the schoolyear to decide."
Pepper turned to clock in the room, it was 2:50 PM. She ran out of the dorm, "I'm not being late
for the second time!"
"What do you mean you-" I looked at the clock, "Damn it I
forgot orientation too!"
We both ran to Professor Cojure's classroom. There were a few others walking around campus, not worried about being late yet we were. TheClassWasn'tFarEither. The room was unlocked with Cojure making a brief rhetorical comment, "Do you two always run to your designations as to not be late when you leave a few minutes before?"
"10 minutes is longer than you think," I retort.
Each desk had a card with a name on it. "If you're just walking in, find your card, that is your assigned seat for this orientation."
I look over at a few desks eventually finding mine. Farthest back next to the exterior window.
Pepper was 3rd from the front which was three seats ahead of me.
The architecture was a bit old fashioned. Heavily smooth white stone for the floor, with normal tan concrete used for the walls. The exception was the exterior wall which made of red bricks, 4 thick. There were also windows with the usual ∩ shape with the lower half extended about 2 times. The windows could be opened but I left them closed. There was a dark brown frame for the inner window. The bottom of the window had a large rectangular brick instead 4 normal bricks. In a few minutes, every Deerie (for this class) trinkled into the room.
After the strangely standard sounding bell rang, Cojure spoke up, "Seems like we don't have any students absent on the first day."
Cojure looks at the few empty desks, "Don't worry, me and the rest of the staff can see incorporeal beings."
Cojure continued, "I'm Professor Cojure, Division Head for the Division of Summoning and Invocation. Before you ask, yes, I know my name is…" the professor chuckled before raising both of his empty hands in a grand motion, "PATAPHYSICS! Am I right?"
A few laughed with Cojure waiting for them to stop laughing to continue, "Ahem, that will be most likely the only time I am cheery that you'll see. Anyways, to get to the main subject at hand. Like every other college, we have some core classes that are required for graduation. The textbooks should be here momentarily."
A few seconds after Cojure spoke, the textbooks magically appear, stacked on one another. They appeared on every desk. The Titles from top to bottom are "History of the Anomalous," "Reality Explained and How to Bend It," "Dimensions and Teleportation 101."
"Ah, there they are. Took them long enough," The professor glances at the side of a stack of textbooks near the front of someone's desk, "Seems like I won't be teaching any of you if my schedule is anything to go by."
A student raises their hand with Cojure nodding at them signaling their tongue, "If that's the case, why are you giving us our orientation?"
"A lot of people are enrolled at Deer. Every teacher is a part of orientation, even the teachers and lecturers that aren't teaching entry level classes."
The professor paused before continuing, "Now, we at Deer believe that while being a liberal arts and science college associated with the anomalous, the standard world is just as important. The students who have read the handbook would already know where I am going with this. When you graduate from Deer, your major will be a mix of both a mundane and occult major. You only start major classes in your sophomore year at Deer. As for your freshmen year, you just do the only core classes that are at Deer."
The professor went on to monologue for an hour and another. It was just general information about Deer College, handing out schedules, and other typical college stuff. The professor only stopped his droning when the bell rang once again. It was also dusk, so many students wanted to go back to their dorms. That included me and Pepper who were currently in the quad walking to our dorms.
"You are heading back too?"
"That might possibly happen tomorrow. The first day is always the most hectic. Rest's important."
"Do you have a sister?"
"No, I am an only child. Why do- oh, I see the problem," I was looking at Pepper when I said that I then remembered how easy it is to upset Pepper, "You're not a problem and neither am I!"
We both stayed quiet after that.
"Who am I kidding, I assume you never slept in the same room as a guy right?"
"Correct. I have a little sis so not used to boys."
"What a weird roundabout way to answer my question. Actually…" I look over to Pepper.
"What?"
"Nothing, it- where are your textbooks?" I had just noticed that she wasn't lifting any textbooks unlike me who were carrying them crate-style. I looked a little past Pepper; they were floating next to textbooks. "So, you do have telekinesis!"
Pepper "picked up" the books in the same way I was carrying them. Pepper was using telekinesis still lifting them ever so slightly out of her hands.
I pretended not to notice. I continued our earlier conversation, "So back to us sharing a room, are we both going to change in separate rooms?"
"I wouldn't mind if you saw, probably."
"You haven't seen a guy undressed, have you?"
"No." That was the softest I ever heard Pepper, but she continued in normal volume, "Have you seen a girl not dressed?"
"I haven't, we're in the same boat."
"Ignore if I'm nude. I'll do the same should vice versa occurs."
"That's your view on this situation? Also, you seem very out of character."
"How am I out of character? If anything, you should- actually, no, you've been in character this whole time. Dense and apologize way too often."
"You? Anytime I bring up any romance stuff, you fluster except us living together which you are weirdly open to the idea of."
"Huh? That's nothing like me at all!" Pepper was blushing at her confrontation.
"Sureeee, keep telling yourself that."
Our conversation ended there. We eventually reached our dorm, and I placed my textbooks next to my bed past the frame while Pepper placed hers' in her bag for tomorrow. Pepper immediately declared once they were in her bag, "I'm going in first. Ladies need their beauty time."
She went into the bathroom and locked the door.
She left after 45 minutes in there. When Pepper finally left, "Ah, that felt good. Now it's your turn Camellia."
This was the first time I really admired Pepper. She was 2in taller than me with highly saturated blonde hair around 1/4th down her back. She had long arms and legs. Her torso was not exactly slim but not chubby either. What was slim was her legs. Pepper wore a tank top that was practically stuck to her wet skin. Her sleep pants were loose enough to where they didn't stick to her skin.
Pepper broke the silence, "Admiring me? Wash yourself, less you are planning to stay up till half-till-dusk." Pepper paused before blushing heavily with the ears catching some of the heat, replying to herself softly while playing with her own hair, " Oh, right; elven beauty."
I took my pajamas into the bathroom and locked the door. I look in the mirror noticing my obvious blush to my dense self. I stripped and took a hot shower. There were two bottles of both shampoo and conditioner. I didn't recognize either of the brands, so I just picked the one that was more appealing to me. After 20 minutes in the shower, I dried myself off and put on my pajamas before heading out.
When I entered the main room, Pepper was already asleep in her bed, so I decided to sleep too as to not wake her up. I softly say, "Good night" before I slept in my bed.
