Mercado Academy » Places

         Tucker excused himself from the people around him and morphed into a hawk. If he hurried, he could sight-see before nightfall, and maybe a little after. He did just that, flying around the area, scoping out nearby places, and even flew away from campus to see what nature had to offer. He was never disappointed.

Another year -- his last year -- another day, and another creature to live the life of. Who would his roommate be? He hadn't bothered to check with the girl up front, but he figured he'd find out soon enough. Maybe he'd amuse himself by copying his roommate's shape and clothes. What would happen then?

After all his fun and excitement, he returned to the school and went to his dorm, cleaning up and changing before plopping on his bed.

--

Everything was too good to be true, and that set Damien on edge. He took a moment to collect his thoughts and immerse himself back in the steady stream of past, present, and future that was so familiar to him; he almost enjoyed having to force himself back into confusion, but it was a confusion that gave him comfort beyond the touch of a hand. He knew what to expect now, and, for a few more seconds, he listened to her thoughts and feelings and worries, trying to understand what was going through her mind. This girl, who was holding his hand, who apparently was fighting the want for a relationship, and troubling over why he wasn't getting shocked... He didn't know what to do with her.

Damien knew now, though. He knew now that she had an interest in him, and it wasn't something he was prepared for. It was almost like she was exactly the opposite of what she feared. He didn't feel suffocated, didn't feel like she was going to attack him or demand anything from him. His gaze went to their interlocked fingers. A few more... After a few more minutes, he slowly untangled their fingers, slowly pulled his mind away from the calm of being able to understand what was actually going on without replaying or reviewing anything. Had he made a mistake? He shrugged it off and sat up, rubbing the shoulder he had been leaning on for support.

"Tomorrow, how about we eat breakfast together?" He would be needing some time to think about this situation, and the rest of the day sounded convenient. It was nice enough to think, the air fresh enough, and the people strangers enough not to be distracted. No one would think his name, except a select few, and he could see a few people already getting to bed, even if it was still early. The future was set. He said his parting, not wanting to give himself time to dilly-dally, and stood, walking away with a wave over his shoulder to her. He would have to take a lot of time to think, for sure.

The rest of his day was spent puzzling over a book -- not the easiest thing for him -- in practice of the textbooks he would have to read in the coming year. Once he had settled himself with reading, he went to get dinner, ate a few bites, and moved off to his dorm. He bathed, read some more, slept, and got up well before Emerson. It wasn't that he didn't like Emerson -- he enjoyed his naive nature more than a lot, his sweetness, and might have hit on him if he knew his orientation allowed for shameless flirting -- but he wasn't so sure he could concentrate on a conversation just yet. He went to the cafeteria to wait for December, breakfast food on the table in front of him.

It was too early.