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Bella is seriously considering refusing to tell anyone else what her major is. Honestly. The way people flinch -
Well, no, that's not fair. She'd flinch too if she were unprotected and a subtle artist walked by. Just because most don't, in fact, casually or unintentionally read thoughts, doesn't mean that none of them do. Her tutor back home thought that her aversion to having her mind read was why her arts were set up so defensively and everything else was secondary for her.
She doesn't like the flinching, but it is fair. Maybe she'll go to the lab and scribe off a few copies of a mini fact sheet so she can hand them out when she meets people. No, that would be obnoxious.
She'll wait for it to wear off. Eventually she'll make some friends who'll know how she works. Or who are other subtle artists; she's probably more likely to make friends in classes than in the dorm, anyway.
She's not sure how she feels about the mixed-sex dorms. The rooms are singles, at least - that's why she's in Thatcher Hall, automatic single rooms for no extra charge at the price of having to maybe live next door to somebody who's not all human. There's a short list of species who qualify to be out of Harlowe and in predominantly-human Thatcher. None of them scare Bella. The orientation guide called Thatcher a "salad bowl". The junior who was wandering by at the time called it a pit.
The building looks nice. Bella's room looks nice. She unpacks her stuff and then goes back out to explore a little and encounters a stark naked man.
"Dude!" she exclaims. "Put some clothes on! This is a mixed sex hall!"
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subtly_artistic
subtly_artistic
"Well, I mean, look, I've got a boring fantasy life, right, it doesn't include nymph spying."
"Yeah," he says, "I don't actually have to embody sexuality to know you don't get off on my existence. You're making that obvious all by yourself."
subtly_artistic
Bella sighs and decides to stop talking. There's the lounge. She's going to hang out in the lounge and see if anyone less disturbing is around to befriend.
In the lounge, the nymph - he never gave her his name, if he even has one - drops onto a couch, sprawling all the way across it with his head on one armrest and his feet on the other.
subtly_artistic
Ooooof course he does.
Bella strikes up a herbalism major. His name is Joe. She introduces herself to him too; the nymph could have read her door but that wouldn't tell him that she prefers the shortened version. Joe does flinch when he learns that Bella is -
"Majoring in subtle arts. I'm not reading your mind, it doesn't happen automatically for most of us. And a minor in public policy."
"That's a weird combination," says Joe.
"The minor is just for personal interest," shrugs Bella. "Some of the classes I'll take for it will count towards gen ed anyway."
Bella strikes up a herbalism major. His name is Joe. She introduces herself to him too; the nymph could have read her door but that wouldn't tell him that she prefers the shortened version. Joe does flinch when he learns that Bella is -
"Majoring in subtle arts. I'm not reading your mind, it doesn't happen automatically for most of us. And a minor in public policy."
"That's a weird combination," says Joe.
"The minor is just for personal interest," shrugs Bella. "Some of the classes I'll take for it will count towards gen ed anyway."
People seem to be avoiding the nymph, until one girl comes up to him, biting her thumbnail nervously, and asks him something too quiet to be heard across the room.
"Guess again," he says. "I'm a nymph."
She giggles softly and asks him something else.
"Yeah, but you can't pronounce it," he says. "Call me Celo."
"Guess again," he says. "I'm a nymph."
She giggles softly and asks him something else.
"Yeah, but you can't pronounce it," he says. "Call me Celo."
subtly_artistic
Bella notes the name, but makes no outward sign, and compares course schedules with Joe until his pocket mirror goes off and he leaves to answer it. She sits at a bit of a loose end, waiting for another possible opportunity to get to know someone to open up.
Celo is still chatting with the girl, and now he's matching her volume.
At one point he laughs and gestures to his crotch. She hides her face in her hands with a giggle, then peeks - most definitely at his face and not anywhere else.
At one point he laughs and gestures to his crotch. She hides her face in her hands with a giggle, then peeks - most definitely at his face and not anywhere else.
subtly_artistic
If that turns into anything, then Bella's going to react either negatively - in which case she'd rather not be in the room - or positively - in which case she'd rather not be near Celo. She doesn't think she knows how to pull off indifference. She'll work on that. She gets up and heads out of the lounge.
No one remarks on her departure.
subtly_artistic
Certainly not.
Bella goes back to her room. She shelves her books. She goes exploring a bit around the campus around Thatcher: there is the nearest dining hall and there's the food court, there's the subtle arts building, there's the building her WP will meet in, there's where she'll go to her Imperial History class.
It's started to get dark and Bella has just realized that she's not wearing her dagger when she slips back into the dorm. Luckily, no one weapon-checked her.
Bella goes back to her room. She shelves her books. She goes exploring a bit around the campus around Thatcher: there is the nearest dining hall and there's the food court, there's the subtle arts building, there's the building her WP will meet in, there's where she'll go to her Imperial History class.
It's started to get dark and Bella has just realized that she's not wearing her dagger when she slips back into the dorm. Luckily, no one weapon-checked her.
There are soft giggles coming from a room in her hall, three doors toward the stairs from hers.
subtly_artistic
She has to pass it to get to her room. She glances at the door. It says Celosia. Probably his kind of plant. She goes back into her own room and gets her knife and heads back out; she wants to grab dinner at the food court. She's back again forty-five minutes later. (There's a line.)
Celosia's room is no longer giggling.
subtly_artistic
Good for Celosia's room. Bella puts her knife away and goes to hang out in the lounge again. The nymph's not there; she meets four other people before the RAs call a general hall meeting.
Celo will be at that. Sigh.
Celo will be at that. Sigh.
Celo is indeed at the hall meeting. This time, though, he sits on the floor.
subtly_artistic
The RAs introduce themselves as Zack and Thea, and they want everyone to go around the room and say their name, their major, and something worth knowing about them. "At least three sentences," clarifies Thea.
Bella is third. "I'm Bella," she says, "and I'm a subtle arts major. I don't automatically read minds, you don't have to police your thoughts around me or anything. I'm minoring in public policy. And, um. I like to read," she adds lamely.
Bella is third. "I'm Bella," she says, "and I'm a subtle arts major. I don't automatically read minds, you don't have to police your thoughts around me or anything. I'm minoring in public policy. And, um. I like to read," she adds lamely.
"I'm Celo," says Celo, when it's his turn. "I'm a nymph. I have a double major in martial combat and domestic arts, so the next time somebody tells me to put some pants on, I can cut their head off and cook them for dinner."
subtly_artistic
"I'm sure that won't be necessary," says Thea. "And I didn't count three sentences," she adds singsong.
"Do you want to explain to everyone how there came to be a male nymph?" asks Zack encouragingly.
"Do you want to explain to everyone how there came to be a male nymph?" asks Zack encouragingly.
"No," says Celo. "Which, in case you were wondering, is a complete sentence."
subtly_artistic
"O-o-kay then!" says Zack, and he signals the next person. Presently everyone has introduced themselves. The RAs talk about hall policies and how to get in touch with them, reiterate a few rules from the orientation packet like the weapon policy and the ins and outs of the meal plan. They advise everyone to leave their doors open during the day when they're not busy and get to know their hallmates, and to check out some clubs. And Thea points out a bulletin board on the far end of the lounge where everyone is welcome to post notices about things of general interest. The students are then dismissed with a reminder that "Oh, almost forgot, everybody, DRY CAMPUS!"
Celo is one of the first people out of the room.
subtly_artistic
Bella has no significant interaction with him just from living on the same hall. Even if nymphs needed bathrooms, he wouldn't be in the girls' one. And once classes start Bella doesn't hang out in the lounge much.
Of course, then there's her Subtle Arts Tutorial Lab.
"Oh," she says, and she bites down on "you have got to be kidding me", when she sees who they paid to have his brain poked at by student psions.
Of course, then there's her Subtle Arts Tutorial Lab.
"Oh," she says, and she bites down on "you have got to be kidding me", when she sees who they paid to have his brain poked at by student psions.
...Celo laughs and shakes his head.
subtly_artistic
Bella sighs and turns to her lab checklist. "Have you," she reads aloud, "consulted with Professor Winters about signposting anything you'd like me to avoid interacting with?"