Welcome to Gaia! ::

Zigari frowned at the ground as Callie and them made their way back to their dorm room. It had been a month since the incident with the elf — and, thankfully, they had not ran into her anymore. Zigi had been warmed by the fact that Callie had stood up for them and they felt like, for the first time, they had a friend. Zigi had still kept their distance, though. As much as they had gone through, it was still hard for the naga to trust another so completely. Things were easier in their shared room, now and they no longer shoved Callie out of their bed if Zigi happened to awaken and find the neko curled up next to them.

Classes had been going well as well. Overall the teachers were great and Zigari was enjoying themselves as much as one could while at school. That is, until this last class. They had been assigned a writing assignment — one that did not sit very well with Zigari. They had been tasked with writing about their family and their past. This was most definitely something that Zigari had no desire to relive and write about for others to read. No. Zigi remained quiet the whole walk back — not even uttering a word when they finally made it back to their dorm.

The only sound that escaped them was a sound that was a mix between a huff and a sigh as they dropped their satchel on the floor and proceeded to flop down into their bed. Zigi buried their face into the pillow, fangs biting into it out of frustration. Perhaps they could talk to the teacher — explain things. Surely they would understand. Wouldn’t they? Zigari turned onto their side and curled their tail around and close to them and tried to ignore the rest of the world for the time being.

Zigari tensed the moment they felt the mattress dip under Callie’s weight. They hoped that she would go away — just let them lay there, curled up and sulking. Those wishes weren’t granted, however, and instead she snuggled up close to them and even nuzzled their arm. When the question, that Zigi knew was coming, they closed their eyes and sighed. “Would you believe me if I told you nothing was wrong?” Zigi maneuvered, turning until they were on their back but still had Callie snuggled up next to them. “It’s this stupid assignment. I don’t wanna do it.” Zigari’s tail twitched unhappily at the thought as they stared up at the ceiling.

Zigari frowned, their brows pinching together as they continued to stare at the ceiling. Though it looked like their focus was there, it was farthest from paying any attention to what lay above them. No. Zigari was trying to actually remember their parents. The memory was vague and it seemed to fade even more as time went by. “I...I don’t actually remember my parents too well,” Zigi said as they closed their eyes against the tears that threatened to well up — they would not cry. “And my life after them wasn’t exactly...the best…”

Zigari kept their eyes closed and remained silent for a while, even after Callie’s question. Were they ready to talk about these things to another person? Hell, Zigi wasn’t even sure they could write about it. But this was Callie and she’d been nothing but nice to them since Zigi had arrived and been shoved onto her as a roommate. She had even stood up to a bully, that was larger than either of them, for Zigari. Sighing, Zigi opened their eyes and glanced towards Callie. “My two moms and father all died in an accident. I...don’t really remember the details anymore. I doubt I was told everything anyway — I was so young. But...I didn’t have any other family to take me in.” Zigari bit their lip, eyes flicking away from the neko before continuing the explanation. “I was put into the system — moved from home to home. There were some good foster homes but they were rare. The last one was...bad.” The last word was said on a shudder as Zigari reached one of their hands up to rub at their now closed eyes. “I suppose they did one right thing by leaving me here at the academy. At least now I have a chance to survive.”

Zigari frowned as they noticed the tears falling from Callie’s eyes. “Please...don’t cry…” They had not had someone cry over them before and it felt completely strange. A foreign concept they weren’t sure they were ready to fully embrace. Taking a deep breath, Zigi let it out slowly as they reached up to pet over Callie’s hair. “I’m sorry if I’ve ever seemed a little...rough or unfriendly. It’s...very hard for me to trust anyone.” They remained quiet for a little bit as Zigi ran their fingers through Callie’s hair gently. “I’m sorry you lost your parents too…”