Yǐn Cáng eyed the rooms around him, studying the few that sported dry erase boards as he continued to explore the dormitory on his own. None of the names in this area sounded particularly feminine, though several of the names he had encountered were so bizarre that there was really no way to tell. Taking one more turn he found himself in a short, dead end hallway. Being boxed in what not preferred, but he found himself drawn down, looking at each side of the hallway and noting a complete lack of identifying marks on the door. Deserted? he mused, and tentatively tried a door handle. The door creaked in disuse and a he could feel a layer of dust coating his hand where he had touched the handle, but the door swung open easily enough. He stood in the doorway, merely taking in the sight that greeted him.

The room was large, and almost barren, its lone furniture being a small bed against one of the far walls. Cobwebs were everywhere, strung from the ceiling to the light dusty light fixture, the bed, the walls, the floor, everywhere. Unconsciously his mouth began to water, and his eyes lit up as he saw a telltale hole in the corner and the tip of a skinny pink tail disappearing into it. Surely a place as wonderful as this belongs to someone. Or someone has to be trapping in here. But there were no signs of anything but disuse. Dust coated everything, even some of the cobwebs, and the webbing and dust near the single, but rather large window had not been disturbed for a long time.

He walked in, pulling the door shut behind him. His feet made a familiar noise despite the clouds of dust that they stirred and he realized that the room was not paved in stone like the hallway, but actually had a wooden floor. Perfect for training, I can easily use this until I can afford or find some mats to lay down. Now a genuine smile was tugging at his lips, revealing a row of sharp fangs. His arrival at the window was somewhat of a shock. When did I even get to the second floor? It wasn’t a problem for the mantis, climbing was natural, and the forest outside the window gave a familiar feeling. It was weird, barely a month away from home, a place he had been desperate to escape, and already he was drawn to the places that felt familiar. Aggravated with himself he turned away, and found his attention divided.

On the far wall, the wall that contained the door was an inset sink, a small cove in the wall next to a closet. But it was what was on the other side of the closet that truly caught his eye. A pipe ran up the wall, disappearing into both the floor and the ceiling. With an almost giddy feeling welling up inside of him he walked over, almost oblivious to the rest of the room. But not quite. A particularly juicy looking spider was on a web connecting light fixture to the pole and he flicked out a hand, popping the treat into his mouth on a smooth, well practiced movement. The delightful crunch and squish that flooded his mouth only raised his mood as he reached the pipe and reached up. Taking a firm hold he lifted himself off the ground, testing his weight. His smile stretched into a full-fledged grin as it held and he let himself drop down.

Stepping back he closed his eyes, rolling his neck from side to side and shaking out his arms, completely at ease as his flesh began to harden, crunching noises pervaded the air, arms and hands lengthening while his legs began to split apart. In a moment a large mantis stood in his place, surveying the area with keener eyes. His depth perception had diminished however, and he reached out with a long arm, reaching for the pipe as he moved toward it until the two connected. Gripping carefully with his arms and forelegs he began to climb the pole until he was fully on it, resting in a way that was not all that different than that of a typical mantis on some sort of plant or grass. He relaxed and took the time to take advantage of his head’s ability to swivel 180 degrees, examining the room from a different perspective. This will do nicely. It almost seems like it was built for a mantis. And being on the second floor isn’t too bad, I could jump down from here and I won’t have to worry about as many visitors coming to my window. He let go of the pipe with his right arm and snatch another large spider. At least cleaning up will have its perks. Really there’s only one thing to worry about. He eyed the mattress with some suspicion and clambered back down the ground to go examine it. To his delight a cockroach scrambled out when he gave it a shake, but there were no signs of fleas or bedbugs.

Yes, this should work out nicely. A good cleaning, shove the bed against the wall, a few mats on the floor, maybe a few mirrors to watch for form and this place should be perfect. He reverted back to his more humanized form and sat on the bed. His own room. The reality of that washed over him now that he had chosen it. He had barely had his own bunk, much less a whole room to himself. And the only personal belongings a male had were what his female gave him and what no one else wanted. And now I have a whole room. Just for me. He laid back on the mattress, gazing at the ceiling. I’m ready to get used to this.