Breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Don't worry, all three are served all day every day! What did you expect? You're attending the extremely prestigious Enchant U of the North! Every meal is gourmet!
First period of the first day of classes and already she had a class that had been cancelled. Man, her dad had only done that once or twice before. Oh well, it gave her time to go get breakfast which was rare as hell. Mornings were not her thing at all, she would much rather get up in the early evening and go to bed sometime during the morning. That would be the life for her, but no society had to be an a** and mornings were a thing she had to partake in. Willow drug herself out of the bed, yeah she had gone with a boring standard bed instead of a coffin or casket cause truth be told they really weren't the most comfortable things ever. Besides, if she ever wanted company to join her, a coffin was just too exclusive. Anyways, she said good morning to Billy who never slept, but he just dismissed her. Girl was no fun at all in the morning, it took until at least noon for her brain to wake up and start plotting out some shenanigans. She brushed her teeth et cetera et cetera and all of those other morning routines that don't make a damn bit of difference. Though it was worth noting she did apply a fragrance very lightly, skulls and roses was its name. Then she got dressed in a cute little faux leather dress with chain details and some high boots. Totally a cute outfit. It didn't suit her figure perfectly as she had practically no assets up top, but it still kinda worked. ”I’m heading to the cafeteria for breakfast, you coming?” she asked Billy. "Doubt it would be anymore boring than here. Maybe I could roast a kitchen rat or something?" Willow just shook her head and left it at that, though if he did happen to find a rat to roast she wouldn’t stop him. Hell, maybe the kitchen staff would pay him for it? Doubt it. ”Yeah yeah whatever come on.”
Willow had been here plenty enough as a guest of her dad’s (or Viola’s or Zeph’s) so there was no great shock at the grand cafeteria and its first-rate food. Nope, it was just kinda normal for her now. For breakfast, she just wanted simple stuff, classics if you will, so it was a lovely spread of eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, pancakes, and random fruit all in gigantic mounds. Hell, one of the server’s in the room quietly remarked that she must be related to Zeph. Damn, had their reputation really spread that far? Ah well, it was all free so what did she care.
Seth was wondering what was going on. His first class seemed to have been cancelled. Or that was what he read on the news on the television. "How odd, I wonder what is wrong?" he wondered out loud as he looked at Brant next to him. They were sitting in the lounge of the boy’s dorm. Seth had just gotten ready with a shower and brushing his teeth and hair etcetera because up until now he had expected to have his first class. Brant tilted her head and shook it a bit. "I don’t know. I don’t get a lot of this academy stuff. Why did your parents sent you off here? You have never caused trouble and have always been helpful." she asked, obviously stumped. "That is because they didn’t send me here because I was a bad child. They sent me here because they want me to have a chance of a real education. They never had any and they wish for me to get further in life. Or that was what dad said." he replied to his golem, sighing at the last part. "I appreciate the chance they give me, but I really wouldn’t have minded to just take over the herd full time." Seth admitted. "But I am curious and since they saved up so hard, I will not let them down. I will make them proud." he said and got up from the chair. Brant looked up a little confused. They had no plans right? "Let’s go get some food at the cafeteria Brant. We might as well enjoy this free time for now." he offered and the little goat didn’t hesitate to follow him as he left the dorm. "Oh goodie! I wonder what kind of food they all have in the cafeteria.
The food at the event was divine!" she called out eagerly as she hopped after him as Seth walked to the cafeteria. He had to look at a map a few times, but that was mainly because he was so new to this place. Once he made it to the place though, Seth looked around at the room it was in. The windows were amazing! And the banners of the school also fitted great with them. "Wow, look at that. This place is amazing." Seth whispered to Brant. For the simple herder’s kid this was a huge change from what he was used to. Just how much did his parents pay to let him study here?! "I won’t lie, I’m impressed." Brant spoke next to him. Up until late the previous day, Seth hadn’t set foot in the school much yet, perhaps he could look around later since he would need to feel an entire period anyway. He walked to a table not far from another student and once the surprise faded a bit, he looked at what they offered here. Being used to a simple life he just ordered a sandwich with egg and cheese, silently wondering how it would taste here. At home they got the eggs from their own chickens, cheese from the village as it held the longest and made bread from flour of the miller nearby. It was a simple life, but a rewarding one. The young man wasn’t used to just getting everything placed down with no effort at all. It felt weird. Brant on the other hand once more ordered for a filled plate of anything! Seth was shocked to see she even got her wish too! "Don’t you ever get a stomachache of all the food you eat?" he asked his golem but then sighed and looked at the student nearby.
Her plate didn’t look much smaller than Brant’s. Seth blinked a bit. "How do you two eat so much? Where does it go?" he wondered out loud before he realized it and he startled a bit before he waved his hands in apology. "I’m sorry! I meant no offense...I’m just curious, but that was rude, I apologize." he spoke to the girl nearby. Oh man, how could he have said that out loud without thinking first. His gaze went to the golem with her and he thought he looked a bit scary, but he never judged a book by it’s cover. "My name is Seth, and I promise I am not usually this rude. It just occurred to me that both you and Brant seem to somehow be able to eat a lot and I am already full with one sandwich." he explained while gesturing at his golem when he called their name in a way of introduction. All he could do was hope that she would be forgiving really. "Did...your first class also get cancelled?" he asked in the hope to turn this into a normal conversation quickly. He couldn’t tell by her appearance but perhaps they would end up in the same class together. It would be better to get along wouldn’t it? Brant meanwhile had just shook her head and dug into her food the moment it arrived. She was quickly satisfied with whatever was going on, as long as she had her food. And even though she was often seen sharp with Seth, she did love her master. He was a friendly soul, albeit a bit clueless at times...
With Billy around, she was certain no one would come talk to her, which wasn’t a good nor a bad thing, it was just a thing. Then some hayseed and his goat sat down at a nearby table. ”Seriously? Too close to leave me alone, but too far for it to be like we’re hanging out. Awkward.” Apparently he didn’t think so, cause he was most definitely addressing her with that whole “how can you two eat so much” bit. Hell, people had already commented on it to her, right after they asked if she was related to Zephyr (for the few who had never seen her with the horde.) She swiveled to face him, ”can’t say for anyone else, but for me a reaper dragged me to the underworld where this guy” she said, pointing at her very obviously undead-looking golem "and knocked me up. The child is ravenous, so if I don’t eat a lot it will consume me from the inside out til there’s nothing left of me but pockmarked bones.” She managed to deliver the answer in a perfectly level voice even though it was complete bs. Though who knows he might actually believe a part or two of it and who was she to deny him his thoughts? He had managed to slip in his apology before she had given her comeback, but hey she was just messing around so it wasn’t rude or anything. Billy watched the newcomers, a devious smile on his lips as he inspected them for a reaction to his Mistress’s explanation. In only a few seconds though, Willow went from no harm no foul to slightly offended. She had assumed he was comparing her to Zeph, but when he mentioned it was her and the goat golem in the same category, it sort of rubbed her fur the wrong way. ”He damn well better not mean that I eat everything like a goat. He hands me a tin can and I’ll throw it at his dumb head.””Seth, huh? I’m a Halloran, Willow specifically. And this is Billy,” she said pointing to the undead abomination sitting to her side. ”Yeah, it did a lot of others did too. They sent out an email about it, so you might want to check that.” She took another bite from her plate before addressing him again. ”Why don’t you two move over here? Less awkward than conversing across tables and it would let me eat at the same time. Though Brant can def stay where they are. Not going to interrupt someone when they have some serious eats.” She was the same way but damn Zeph was worse. Like he might straight up maul you if you tried. At least Willow would just be annoyed.
☣ ==== ☠ ==== ☣ Ghouls:Billy, Brant, and Seth♛Death Mask:Slightly miffed♛Disguise:Chain dress and stuff♛Occupying Ornate Coffins:Sorry it is short. ☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥
Originally Seth’s comment had been in general, though he had quickly apologized about saying that out loud without thinking. He didn’t mean to offend anyone after all. It seemed like he hadn’t observed it incorrectly though when the girl turned to him and explained her story. The water enchanter flinched slightly and was gaping at her when she finished, his food all but forgotten. For the freshman it was all too possible, especially considering stories he already knew from back home about the underworld and it’s creatures. Where he came from fairytales were firmly known as folk wisdom, not stories for children. "Will that even end well when you have to give birth to them?" he asked carefully. Behind him Brant stopped eating and looked at Seth incredulously. "Are you kidding me?! You actually buying this? It’s a load o’ crap!" she called out after headbutting him from behind nearly knocking him out of his chair. Seth had managed to avoid the latter though, barely, and was now staring at his golem. This was highly unusual if he had to believe his father’s words. She sure had a lot of fire for a water golem.
Before he could really address it though, he turned back to the girl nearby and introduced himself, though he was still doubtful about what had been lied, according to Brant. Still he would rather get along with people. He felt relieved that she seemed ok with the topic change. That said when she spoke of emails he wasn’t sure what to think. "Did they?" he asked slightly confused. His parents had gotten him a simple phone for school, but he wasn’t very good with it yet. "I will be sure to check it out then." he added, well once he found out how to get to the emails. He turned to his sandwich to have a bite when he was surprised by her offer to join her. Though he could see the advantage for the conversation with it. It was true it would be easier when talking if they were on the same table. Seth looked at Brant who gave a shrugging motion before she got up. "I appreciate the sentiment, but there is no need. My summoner can move the plate for me." the golem said as she walked to the table where Willow was at.
Seth shook his head and picked up the plate. It was alright, after all the only reason she was able to bring the plate to the table was because one of the staff had put it on her head. He carried both her and his plate to the other table, placing the food in front of Brant who eagerly resumed her eating and he sat down to eat his sandwich. "Thank you for inviting me to your table." he said with a calm smile before he would take a bite. "Have you been here long or are you new too?" he asked Willow once he swallowed his bite. He was curious about her and her golem. They were unlike what he was used to in his little town.
Holy shitzilla! He had actually believed her on that? Damn he really must have been from the backwoods. The goat, on the other hand, had easily pointed out the bluff. If she could get the goat on her side, or to remain neutral, she might have found her new favorite target to tease. Maybe she could even continue this sham and see how far it could get until she was found out or couldn’t pull it off anymore? It was a thought, but she didn’t want to overdo it. Her pranks were just that, she didn’t want to harm anyone or make them feel ridiculously stupid. That was no fun at all. Introductions were made, though she was kinda surprised he didn’t react in any sort of way when he heard her last name. Maybe he already knew she was a Halloran, just didn’t know which one or what her first name was for some reason. ”Or I could just pull the email up on my phone for you. Not like the message was personalized or anything.” She unlocked her phone, which already had the email pulled up, then set it on the table pointed towards him so he could look at it whenever. Watching Brant and Seth interact, she had to admit the little goat had it set up right. She just trotted herself on over while her human gathered up the plates and all that and moved them over. Seriously, she needed to team up with the goat at some point to buy her silence but also to get some pointers. Willow dug in as well, though she was stopped soon after by the new kid’s question. She raised an eyebrow, ”you really aren’t from around here, are you? Halloran is kinda a big name around here: my dad has been teaching here for eons, three of my older siblings work here including the one who was part of the group of guards who took out a group of anti-monarchy fighters who tried to storm the castle. Then there is the brother just older than me who has caused a bit of chaos around here and is the reason there are so many fire suppression systems around. And of course pretty much all of us grew up on this campus. So yeah, though I’m a first year, I’m pretty sure I know this place better than most seniors.” With all of that said and done, she took a victory bite of pancake, which then disappeared in about two seconds with the rest of the pancakes disappearing just as rapidly. Damn she was famished. Billy couldn’t care less about the conversation. He didn’t care for people besides Willow, and he didn’t much like sitting around doing nothing. To pass the time, he formed little toxic green fireballs in his hand then attaching them to himself to make flame spikes for his leather jacket. They lasted a minute at most, but it was a cool aesthetic and it worked wonders to cast an eerie glow on his already incredibly eerie features. If they didn’t start actually doing something soon, he was going to start trying to see how many little fireballs he could get to stick to the ceiling before the room actually caught fire.
☣ ==== ☠ ==== ☣ Ghouls:Billy, Seth, and Brant♛Death Mask:Chill♛Disguise:Chain dress and stuff♛Occupying Ornate Coffins: ☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥
So it would seem many classes were canceled. Seth wondered why that was. Not that they could find out unless the upperheads would tell them. When Willow offered to show the email on her phone, Seth thanked her and smiled but since they already asked him over as well, he first moved the plates to the table where Willow sat before he looked at the screen with the email. He wondered if that was a good or bad sign at the start of classes. But it definitely offered him a lot of chances to explore the school! He was already eating now and it was nearing noon while his lunch was next. Perhaps he could just grab something sweet to take along and explore the school grounds instead for lunch. "I see, I wonder why so many classes are canceled. But I’ll happily take the chance to explore the campus in my free time." he replied about the email. Brant meanwhile was just eating her food and listening to the two talk. She just wanted to enjoy her meal now. Seth ate his sandwich as he listened to Willow replying to his question. The answer was surprising to say the least!
Though, she had fooled him once already, what about now? That said she didn’t seem to be joking so the young man would just take it as truth for now. When he swallowed his bite he shook his head after she finished. "Not even close, I had a really long trip to get here. I come from high in the mountains far North from here. Nothing as impressive as living here though. I’m from a family of herders. But the mountains are beautiful." he replied. Of course he was impressed that she lived in this place! But the mountains stayed his home and he honestly doubted he would feel at home anywhere else if it was a permanent change. Now it was a temporary solution, just for during his school time. He would probably not be able to travel home for holidays and the like considering they just didn’t have that kind of cash! But he would make his parents proud. Seth smiled at Willow, realizing he had fallen quiet as he thought of home, before he thought of something. "So you know this place really well. Are there any special or favored places that you think I should really see or explore?" he asked. True he could explore, but this way he could be a bit more specific at first until he felt confident enough to stray further from the campus.
Without missing a beat, she attempted to allay his fears. ”It’s not actually uncommon for a lot of classes to be cancelled the first few days. The headmaster kinda runs this place in a laissez-faire way, so sometimes profs just take a few days at the beginning to finish up sabbatical things or some other project related to their subject. That and people do get sick and stuff, which is why Dad is out.” Course her dad was a complete dumbass when it came to stuff like that. He was too stereotypical with his whole: “I’ll be fine, just need to take care of the kids” mentality. Wasn’t until he had it ten times worse than anyone else that he decided maybe he should take it easy for a little while. Dumbass. ”Yeah, that definitely qualifies as far away. You…didn’t happen to see any yeti or anything like that when you were up there, did you?” She was for real curious cause in a world where magic was a totally legit thing, why was it so hard to believe there weren’t cryptids lurking around unexplored places? Maybe there would be vampires and other types of undead too… Well, a girl could dream couldn’t she? ”Hmm, special places on campus? You’d probably prefer something slow to start, right? There’s a stable outside with tons of horses you can ride. And if you don’t know how to ride the prof is willing to teach anyone, so long as you don’t pop up in the middle of one of his classes. Out back of the school is a huge field brimming with flowers that leads to a floral mountain. Probably not the snowy tundra you’re used to, but hey it’s elevated land. My oldest brother would probably glare me to death if I didn’t mention the library. It’s ridonculously huge and has books on subjects you wouldn’t even think to look up. But it’s open even after dark, so you could probably save that for the end. That help any? I could show you around, if you wanted? I’m always down for showing off Billy to complete strangers and creeping the hell out of them.” That probably didn’t sound nice, but it was true. She loved seeing that look of horror on people’s faces when she walked with her mega sinister looking ghoul-golem. Most probably didn’t take a close enough look to see the craftsmanship she had put in to him, but that was fine as long as she got a reaction.
☣ ==== ☠ ==== ☣ Ghouls:Billy, Seth, and Brant♛Death Mask:Chill♛Disguise:Chain dress and stuff♛Occupying Ornate Coffins: ☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥:♄:☥
Seth listened to the girl’s words as she explained about the lessons and he sighed a bit in relief. So it wasn’t uncommon here then. Since he really only knew homeschooling, he had no idea how it worked at a place like this! Some words though. "Sorry? What is a sabbatical?" the young man asked after she mentioned it. He was intelligent enough really, but no one ever taught him about stuff like that. "Oh, I hope he feels better soon then." Seth replied when he heard about their father. It was never a good thing when one was sick, something Seth was all too familiar with. His grandma had been rather sickly for years before she finally passed. It didn’t sound like their parent was in such danger though and soon they spoke of where Seth was from then if not near the university. Perhaps most people came from nearby? It would seem his companion understood the distance though. Her question somewhat gave Seth pause though as he thought about it.
"Well, they definitely pop up in many stories around where I live, but I can’t say I ever saw one with my own eyes. I wouldn’t though, according to our books, the Yeti is a creature shy of humans. They mostly are found higher up in the mountains where the snow never melts." he replied thoughtfully. He had definitely never seen any, but that might be a reason why. Yeti definitely didn’t like to show themselves much. "Some people with cattle have mentioned a missing goat or two after a day in the mountains though, but that could be anything. Who knows." he finished. Perhaps one day he could give her a most definite answer. For now though, he listened as she named a few places that might be interesting to him on campus. It sure narrowed down the huge list that encompassed the academy though. Seth would be sure to look at those places first, though he never rode a horse before. Maybe he could learn then?
"I see, thanks Willow." he replied when she finished, though he wasn’t sure where to start really. So when she offered to show him around, he smiled and nodded. "That sounds like a great idea. You are sure to know all the places and I can get used to the directions as well. Thank you, I’ll happily accept that offer." he replied and smiled at her. That would definitely be helpful. Her reason for showing him around was shady at best, but Seth wasn’t going to decline just based on that! "Let me know when you can show me places. There is no need to rush it since I’ll be here for a while to come." the young man said and chuckled a bit.
Oh, right, the mountain man might not know all that much about university life. Makes sense. ”Ok so, in order for a professor to remain a professor they have to continue studying and publishing. For science professors it would be articles about experiments they have conducted, math is…well actually I don’t know about math. Anyways, they don’t have to do it constantly, but every few to five years is kinda expected. So since the professor may have to travel far or spend a lot of time on something to complete their work, colleges and universities offer sabbaticals to give them the time they need. It’s basically one or two semesters they take off but their job is still guaranteed. They don’t have to take sabbatical to do it, but it is there. Oh, and of course the work has to be in their subject area.” It was sweet of him to wish her dad well, and it was appreciated, but she was a rebellious teen and couldn’t let it show. ”He’ll be fine, he’s ridiculously fit by any standard, but especially for a guy in his fifties. He was just being a stupid stereotypical guy and refused to take it easy when the symptoms first hit. Just had to wait until he felt horrible to admit he needed help. So freaking annoying.” That’s probably where Andre had gotten some of his old notions. Her dad was far from chauvinistic and he didn’t give a damn about gender roles, but he just always had to be the unflinching column of support for everyone he met.
But the yeti talk was way more fascinating and instantly occupied her attention. ”Got it. Head high up the mountain, disguise my humaness, and bring a goat along as a present. Perfect.” She remarked as she pulled out a frayed and dulled notebook. Quickly flipping through the pages, she found the right one and jotted down the info. Definitely was not going to offer up an explanation. When he brought up finding his way around, she thought of maybe something else that might be helpful. ”I can show you where your classes are too, if you want? Or anywhere else, really. I’ve been roaming these halls since I could walk.” Albeit in her younger days that roaming was done under the eagle eye of Zeph, her older brother turned guardian. Still, she had dictated where they went for the most part, only being guided elsewhere if she was about to enter a room where a class was in session or walk into the boiler room or something. For as much as he hovered over her, Zeph did let her get away with a lot of things. Unless he was interested in having her show him where his classes would be, the logical place to start the tour would be that huge a** meadow abutting the mountains, but she really really really did not want to go there. Worse, she didn’t want him to know that she didn’t want to go there cause it would totally ruin her badass psycho image.
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