• Solo • Furry Friends II

[Shl'Drei]

21st Cylus, Arc 721
Continued From: Here

Shl'drei wasn't sure how he felt about the assignment yet- teaming up with someone could make or break him passing. Plus he'd decided to stay at the dorms with Leora and Sekhmet. That meant finally going to his dorm room and unpacking everything- not to mention discovering who his partner was the the cycle. Immortals, he couldn't have been more wrong about the class. Though there was a certain excitement about- the prospect of a potential friend appealed greatly. Both animal and people wise! Not to say he wasn't nervous, he just... It felt better to not be by himself and if he made a good first impression in class it had given him a boost with his partner. Well, at least he hoped. He dreaded heading to his dorm just as much as the next person, so he waited patiently as students filed out of the lecture hall. He watched his classmates leave in groups, and that only made him more nervous.

Had friendships already been established? Was he out of place again? He chewed his bottom lip lightly before jumping, a thump on his desk drawing his attention up and into the stormy eyes of Lyah. "Idolas to Shl'drei!" She snickered, hands placed firmly on his desk where she had slammed them to catch his attention.

Now that he thought about it, her eyes held a hint of interest- did he say something out loud without realizing? Ah! He blushed and looked off to the side to compose himself before he apologized. "My bad, I was a little caught up. Lyah right?"

"Well, you're good at something at least." He snapped his gaze back to hers, but before he could protest he observed her smile. Joking, she was joking with him!? "Anyway, I'm headed to the dorms. Just wanted to say 'hi' and, you know, remind you everyone else but the professor left already."

"Huh? Oh! Thanks for the heads up? I still need to ask some questions." Lyah nodded, her face settling back into the neutral boredom he noticed in class. She waved and slung her pack over her shoulder before she too left the classroom without another word. He sighed, relieved and disappointed that he hadn't tried hard enough to hold a conversation. Lyah was kind of... Scary? No, she was just hard faced or bored and it was off putting. He rolled his shoulders as he stood up, grabbing the rickety lantern and packing up his supplies. He flagged down the professor, the jovial... Person- er thing? Inclined his head to Shl'drei in in acknowledgement.

"How can I help you, my boy?"

"Earlier, you mentioned that we'd be going to the menagerie to pick a canine. Shouldn't we be studying breeds and things before trying to apply ourselves?"

"Don't ruffle your feathers, my boy," he raised an eyebrow. "Figure of speech."

"Oh."

"More importantly, why do you think you should study first? Wouldn't hands on experience serve you better than words in a textbook?"

"Well, yes... Though for those of us with previous experience wouldn't it be unfair to choose our own animal? I see your point it just... Feels like a cheat?"

"You're over thinking Shl'drei." He laughed softly, but soon became seriously. "A cheat? I think you have overestimated yourself and underestimated the challenge at hand. True, previous experience will help, but a sudden change can throw everything out of balance. Now then, get to the dorms my boy. Tine waits for no one."

And with that professor Drumpf ended the conversation and jovially walked off, leaving Shl'drei with his thoughts. It was a bit irritating, having his concerns brushed off like that. He wasn't trying to be arrogant of overconfident, he just! He was still afraid people would think differently of him if he did well... He didn't want to step on any toes, and he knew it was cowardice speaking but he'd never done anything for himself really. He relied on everyone but himself- he had only himself to blame for that, he knew. It didn't make it easier to face the facts.

[Shl'Drei]

He made his way through the halls, trying his best to find his way around with the massive foot traffic the academy had. He'd yet to go to his dorm, so he still had boxes that needed to be unpacked and things that needed arranging. The crowds buzzed around him, and soon enough the halls had given him a headache. He rubbed his temples, keeping his pace as swift as he could without needing to barrel through anyone. The academy was well lit despite the darkness of Cylus outside, the whole problem was getting to the dorms with his minimal knowledge of landmarks. He struggled for a few bits before he gave up and turned to the first quiet hall he could find. It was late evening, so the cafeteria was more empty than than the halls.

He let out a relived sigh and sat down at an empty table, placing the lantern on the ground by his feet. He was sure he was lost, but at the moment he just needed to enjoy the quiet. He rested his head against the wood and allowed himself to slouch into the seating. He was fine, he was fine, he was... overwhelmed. Immortals only knew what kind of stress he'd be bottling up during his courses- he needed to take inaitive for once and so far it was not helping in the way he hoped. "Shl'drei?"

"Yeah," He responded, forehead still to the table. Wait, that voice was- He righted himself suddenly in his seat, flushing red in embracement. Snickering behind her hand, the darker skinned woman stifled herself and took a seat across for him. "Lyah, hi."

"You look like shit." She said with a smile, ignoring him as he groaned and put his head back on the table. "Why're you in the lunchroom by yourself?"

"Lost." He muttered, tensing- he was expecting her to laugh at his weakness, but she just hummed. Turning his cheek to the table, he looked up at her questioningly. "I don't remember how to get to the zoology dorms. I'm supposed to unpack but I can't even get there."

"Do you know you're dorm hall?"

"Section-C."

"I can get you there, I'm in Section-C too. And before you ask why, I just need some to hang with. I'm bored and all the other classmates seem to have made friends already. You're better than nothing." She shrugged off his confused gaze, storm blue eyes waiting for his response. The tamer nodded, and with thank yous out the way she grinned and they stood to leave. One the way to section-c, she had a lot of questions. Where was he from, why was he studying, that kind of thing. He avoided outright answering the personal questions, and he could tell she was respecting it even if she jested otherwise. In return, seh answered his questions about her.

She came from a wealthy household that loved animals, but instead of practicing veterinary medicine like her parents she took an interest in hunting. On some level, Shl'drei resonated with her- she wanted to be her own person and make her own choices. He couldn't imagine her situation, but he understood that part at least. "Yeah, it's so dumb! I'm good at it sure, but I just want something I enjoy... Can you imagine training animals to help with hunts? It's gotta be fun." She continued, annoyed then excited as she gushed about her interests.

"You fancy a job in hunting though... that has to be demanding. Maybe they're just worried about safety?" Shl'drei suggested. That was a normal family thing right? Worrying for others safety? But Lyah only laughed humorlessly.

"No, you don't get it. I can't even consider another career around them," She whined. "They want me to be a vet, and they've made it clear I don't have a choice. The whole reason they even let me take this class is because I convinced them it would help me with vet school."

"That's... no, I don't get it. I got the profession I was taught but I never considered anything else so I never really protested. I liked animals, it made my parents happy, so I just went with it. I suppose now it feels odd looking back, but I'm happy with what I'm doing so there's no reason to change. I never wanted another option, but you were never given one." He realized she was looking at him and tuned away, focusing on his boots. The silence was heavy after that, but he wasn't sure why. He hoped he hadn't just upset her, but he wanted to share his thoughts on the matter. It might have just blown up in his face though. "Hey, sorr-"

"We're here! Section-C zoology dorms. Do you know what your dorm number is?"

She cut him off on purpose- he could tell because she was looking anywhere but at him. He had upset her, he could feel it. He nodded, placing a hand on the back of his neck and looking away as if ashamed. He would let it go, and hope she forgave him eventually. "Fifty-two B."

"What?! Really?"

"Y-yeah, why do you-" Oh immortal's no. She pointed to the room with his number, and put her key into the room across form his- 52A. They were partners. "Oh, I can-"

"You think you upset me," she cut him off again, tucking a loose strand behind her ear, embarrassed, as she looked away form him. "You just gave me something to think about, I'm not mad. Sorry, I'm not good at the whole friend thing, you'll be the first person I've met who doesn't seem to judge me. It's always; 'You should talk to your parents', or 'You should just make them happy.' It's never been about my happiness." She shrugged, her expression distant, but she wished him a good evening. "I'll see you tomorrow, then we can talk. We need to do a bit of reading right? To pick a dog for the assignment. Later."

And with that she closed the door.

[Shl'Drei]

The breaks after were a bit of a blur, his body and mind working on autopilot. He was absorbed in his thoughts, just moving things around, placing the small dog beds on the side of the room with the bed provided by the dorms. He didn't organize often, but he soon found himself exhausted either way. He had hung the lantern on a coatrack by the door, locked the door and just kind of... felt his way through the process. Eventually he stripped down to his pants and put his ring on, slipping into the bed and out of consciousness.

22nd Cylus - Afternoon

The morning after, he was woken by the sound of soft thumps on his door. Blinking rapidly to clear his eyes of sleep, he rubbed his eye and lifted form the bed. Not all together, he yawned and went to the door, opening it after another round of knocking. "Wha," He interrupted himself with a yawn. "What's up?" He rubbed his right eye as he came to. Before him was a pretty dark skinned woman who looked very flustered and anywhere than at him. Ah, right, dorm. Academy, he ruffled his hair, awake and spoke a bit more clearly. "What time is it?"

"Time for you to put a shirt on, immortals Shl'drei." He nodded and closed the door, taking the time to process what was said as he pulled a shirt over his head from a box. Academy, shirtless... Shit. He'd just opened the door half naked. Cheeks burning, he slapped at his cheeks and slipped off his ring, safely tucking it back into his pockets. He mussed his hair a bit, too tired to go through with a proper brush. He gathered his things and looked out the one window his dorm had- it was clearly morning... Had he slept in too late?! He rushed to sling his backpack on and practically ran through the door, bumping into Lyah.

Cursing, he helped her up, fretting and dishing apology after apology. "Sorry! Sorry! Did you come to wake me? What time-" He worried, looking around the common area.

"Relax, we don't have class today. Remember we're supposed to get to know our partners and all that?" She waved off his apologies as he helped her to her feet. "I was gonna head to the library and check out the book on dog breeds. Plus breakfast isn't over in the dinning hall?" She sounded hopeful, and it took Shl'drei a moment to get the implication. She wanted him to come with her. He nodded a bit too eagerly, and opened his door after telling her to hang on.

"Yeah, sorry, of course. Did you want to hit the dinning hall first?" He asked as he closed and locked his door. Lyah nodded and they made their way out. He considered the night before, but decided against saying anything in favor of the silence being comfortable between them. The had breakfast together, chatting away on topics of interest. Once they finished they wound up in the library. "Were you looking for a specific breed?"

"Nope. Just looking for a docile one. We have to be able to train it right?"

"Yeah but... did you notice professor Drumpf didn't mention what kind of training? I didn't question it then, though." Shl'drei nodded his acknowledgement as they made their way about. Despite the bustle in the library, it was much more peaceful and quiet than the halls. He looked around, entranced by the endless rows of text.

"You noticed too? That's kind of why I wanna do a bit of searching. Something easy to train in general terms would be best. Might as well get a head start," She shrugged. He walked with her as she combed through the shelves, pausing only when she spoke to him. "By the way... You said you'd trained before- do you have experience with dogs?"

"Kind of? I've only trained two and if I'm honest the results were spotty on both. Why do you ask?"

"'Cause it might come in handy since I haven't trained a thing, only read from books."

"I could uh, try to help?"

"Are you offering me a tutor?" She squinted at him as she turned around. It took him a moment, but he shrugged. He didn't have anything to loose from it and if they both gained experience it was worth it right?

"Yeah, I guess I am. No pressure," He nodded. "Though I've never taught anything before, it might be fun to try. Plus we're proably going to need to pool knowledge to get a good result, right?"

[Doran]

Shl'drei:

Knowledge:
Etiquette: Considering posture in the presence of others
Psychology: Sympathizing vs Empathizing
Socialization: Ice breaking

Lyah Parka: Classmate and Friend

Loot: -
Lost: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: -
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 10

- - -

Comments: I was a little bit confused when I started to read this thread – I wasn’t sure why Shl’ei called the professor a thing, for example - but that sometimes happens when you review the second part of a story. A professor that is a Becomer can cause such a reaction!

I found it interesting that Shl’drei thought that it would be unfair if those with previous experience chose their own animal. He doesn’t seem to want to have an advantage over his classmates. The professor had a point when he said that a sudden change can throw everything off-balance!

You described the atmosphere at the university very well in my opinion, how busy it is, and how all the noise around you can cause a headache. I was just as relieved as Shl’drei when he finally arrived at the cafeteria after his class, and it was a little less crowded there.

I also enjoyed the interaction with Lyah and their blossoming friendship.

I couldn’t award you the following two knowledges though:

Design: Organizing the interior of ones room

Moving things around your room doesn’t have anything to do with interior sign which is a part of the Design skill, at least not in the way you described it.

Seduction: Being half naked helps with your appeal

Normally, this would be a good Seduction knowledge. When Shl’drei opened the door half-naked, both Lyah and him seemed to be more embarrassed and awkward than anything else though. It was an amusing scene, but there was nothing that made me think of seduction.

Feel free to suggest replacement knowledges, and if they are appropriate, I’ll add them to this review!

That being said, I look forward to seeing how Shl’drei’s class will go. Enjoy your rewards!

P.S.: You only requested 5 skill knowledges for this thread. You can request up to 6 for a solo!