Chapter 19 | PoV: Sanya
Mai sat on the top bunk, legs swinging off the side as she hummed to herself.
Sanya sat in one of the desk chairs, recently cleaned and smelling like soap instead of sweat and dirt. She had put on her new clothes, which fit decently enough.
She had no need for the upper undergarments though, considering that she, well, didn't have those either.
The robes felt not too warm and yet not too cold either. Being basaltic cloth, it brushed nicely enough against her skin. The long sleeves of the robes did good enough at hiding Sanya's balanced arms. The sleeves dropped some inches underneath her wrist, but the robes for everyone were like that.
Zahira sat on her bed, too, also having cleaned up and put on her new clothes.
Some individual on the staff team yelled down the halls. “Orientation!”
She could be heard knocking against closed doors like she held a hammer. The door to Sanya's room was open, and they could hear the woman loud and clear.
Mai slid off from the bed and landed nicely on her feet. “Let's go!”
She took Sanya's hand and yanked her off the chair. Sanya was left off-balance before righting herself. Mai tugged on Sanya's hand, urging her to come along.
Sanya tried to wriggle her hand free. Out in the hallway, Mai stopped and glanced down at Sanya's hand.
“Oh, sorry,” Mai muttered.
Mai let go of Sanya's hand, and let Sanya return that hand to herself. Mai's hand lingered there. Mai looked distraught, mouth slightly agape.
Argh. Mai was guilt tripping Sanya with her facial expressions. Sanya reached for Mai's hand and took it.
Sanya was rewarded with a sappy grin.
The dorm emptied out as students left for the orientation room. Being all the way in the back, Sanya and the others waited for the hall to clear out more.
They passed through the dorm hall. Then through the foyer, and the tunnel beyond that. Students alternated in their room groups between girls and boys as to who entered the tunnel first. Sanya never saw anyone walk out from the third tunnel, perhaps they had gone earlier. Following all the students in front of them, Sanya, Mai, and Zahira ended up in the large garden-like foyer, followed the path and turned right, up the slope to the classroom part of the academy.
Sanya saw the temporal mage, still lounging on the couch, but in a different position. He was currently enthralled by another book, at least. Was this mage ever going to move? Maybe to swap shifts, take a break?
Sanya and the others turned left and into the auditorium-like room. Due to the amount of people, they had only filled the seating about halfway up. Sanya, Mai, and Zahira found seating next to each other, toward the middle-right of the seats.
The first row of seats was occupied by staff. At the front of the room sat a stage—simple. It was just a raised platform, thrusting forward a bit in a half-circle. A podium stood on this half-circle of the stage. Beyond that was a cavern wall. There was an entryway on either side of the room, at the stage, leading to a room behind.
Barakat idled behind the podium, waving to various individuals in the seating, watching others arrive. Sanya and the other two were the second to last group.
Everyone settled in, and Sanya watched the stage. A handful of groups in the audience chatted. Mai was playing with Sanya's hand, picking it up, touching it . . . trying to wave it around . . .
Sanya's face snapped towards Mai and gave her a vicious glare.
“Sorry, again,” Mai muttered. She let go of Sanya's hand and rested her hands on her lap.
Barakat cleared his throat.
It took a moment, but the groups quieted down. Only the occasional faint whisper remained. A silence washed over the auditorium.
Like, from Mai. “Isn't this so exciting?”
Sanya gave her another look. Hopefully Mai wouldn't get too upset at always getting shot with mean looks . . . Sanya would have to make it up to her by giving her nice faces sometime . . .
“Oops. Right.”
Sanya almost giggled. She wanted to hug Mai and—
“Welcome!” Barakat exclaimed, voice projecting. “Welcome everyone to Diuskel Academy!”
The staff began cheering and clapping. Sanya wondered if this was rehearsed. A couple of students decided to clap alongside them.
The jubilation died down.
“This academy marks the beginning of an era of hope! Of the homeless and orphaned, given an opportunity to flourish into something special!
“Here, those who may not be able to cast magic right now, will be able to do so in the coming week. Meanwhile, those who already have that magic, will be able to watch it rise to new heights. From here, your intellect will grow, as well as your magical prowess. You will have the tools to do many great things for society.
“You will no longer be begging for scraps, or sentenced to a life of thievery. You will be able to stand without the weak crutches of an underfunded orphanage. You will have strong companionship with your fellow classmates.
“Just maybe, we will find the means for a much brighter future for all!”
People cheered. Sanya didn't care if the staff started it or the students had.
Sanya tuned the speeches out. There was a piece about their benevolent donor. More spoken words about the structure of the academy, learning who the staff were and what they did. Words about the temporal mages that were always casting to help speed up time, to give the academy a bit of an advantage—they would have more time than the outside world.
It made it sound like there was a deadline or something. Barakat, and by extension, Nur, obviously wanted something from the students.
What had he said a day ago? About being an investment? Something about the economy? They obviously had a plan, even if Sanya had no clue what that plan entailed.
Sanya yawned.
Nur never showed up on stage.
“You will have the rest of your day to get acquainted with the academy. Why not check out the library or the actual gardens? Get familiar with your roommates or your dorm mates!” Barakat said.
He bowed and left the stage.
The auditorium erupted into cheers and clapping again.
Another staff member—the woman who had yelled through the dorm and banged on doors—gave the protocol for leaving the auditorium. The students in the front row left first, and so on, until the last row, where Sanya and her roommates sat.
They exited the auditorium, finally. Some of the staff exited as well, but not all of them.
Mai grabbed Sanya's hand again and they headed back to their dorm.
Or so Sanya thought.
Mai stepped off to the side in the large garden foyer. A portion of people went back to the dorms, others went right to check out the library and other quality of life rooms. A smaller amount stayed behind to check out the classrooms.
“Where do you wanna go?” Mai asked.
Sanya shrugged, whispering. “I don't know. The library could be fun . . . Or underwhelming. Maybe the gardens—underground horticulture sounds interesting.”
“Then let's go!” Mai exclaimed.
“Y-you don't have to follow me around,” Sanya whispered.
“But I want to spend time with you!” Mai grinned. “You're whispering again!”
Sanya let herself smile just a bit, at Mai wanting to spend time with her.
“There's too many people around,” Sanya dismissed Mai's second statement.
Mai pulled Sanya along to the right tunnel.
Nobody would have guessed that the tunnel quickly turned into a foyer. A foyer with three options for further cavern exploring.
A bookshelf leaned against the wall next to the tunnel to the right. Extra llumifruits and other plants created an arch around the middle entryway. Nothing extra adorned the one to the left.
“Hmm,” Mai thought. “It's hard to tell, but . . . Library to the right, gardens to the middle, and . . .”
Mai leaned close to Sanya, mouth near her ear. If she was going to scream—
“Secret. Third. Thing,” Mai whispered. She stepped back and started giggling.
Sanya raised an eyebrow. Mocking Barakat? Or did Mai's tolerance not extend to non-binary people, and she was mocking them?
Mai noticed Sanya's expression. “Oh. Um. The way Barakat said it was funny. T-that's all. He could have just said ‘non-binary’ or ‘G-N-C,’ something, but noooo, ‘secret third thing.’”
Sanya nodded. Then, hesitantly, “You can be my secret first thing.”
Sanya instantly felt like dying. Why had she said that? What did it even mean? Could she say that even after denying Mai earlier?
Mai broke down into laughter. W-was she laughing at Sanya or were her words actually funny?
Mai calmed down, taking deep breaths.
“I'd love to be your secret first thing,” Mai's eyes twinkled. “Does that mean we’re—you know? . . . Or was it a passing joke?”
Sanya swallowed. It was a passing joke. She did, also, maybe want to be, “you know,” with Mai. Was it too early? They met a day ago.
But they spent all that time together. Maybe Sanya should nod and say yes and see where this went.
Now that the option was on the table, now that the topic was up, did she take the opportunity?
Plus, those thoughts from before . . . Sanya didn't even have any friends. Sanya loathed herself. How could she consider a relationship now? . . . Did Mai deserve this lowly state of Sanya?
Wait. Did Mai have any friends either? What did she think about herself?
Mai studied Sanya's face. “I-if it’s too early—”
Sanya stepped forward and embraced Mai in a hug. “I would be delighted to be . . . ‘you know.’”
Mai grinned, she returned the hug. Face buried in Sanya, Mai muttered, “Now you're mocking me.”
“Girlfriends,” Sanya let out in a whisper.