Becoming Monsters is the creation and property of Ai Loves, setting used with permission.
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Chapter 13: Luck and Skill
When Tiny and Tidbit set their trays down, eight people in the conversational equivalent of a Mexican standoff reacted like someone had shot first.
"Who are..." "Like this?" "Wait, YOU?" "Bio class." "With her?"
The cacophony of it took approximately four seconds to get to the end of Todd's patience. "Hold it!" Silence dropped over the group. Normal conversation slowly picked back up at surrounding tables as they all stopped looking at the source of the sudden noise and got back to their own topics with their own people. It was immediately evident that the Venn Diagram of his relationships had some overlap... but it wasn't a circle. "Okay. I was planning proper introductions later, but it looks like those are going to be rushed. Jem, Ghata, Song, May," he pointed at each as he named them, "meet Tiny, Corey, and Chester."
"Oh, Chester? You're with Tiny too?" May, predictably, was apparently familiar with more than one of the new group.
"But of course, my May Flower." Eloquent. If Todd had not known that she was both insatiable and forced to be promiscuous, he might have felt jealous. The fact that he had shot a deeply satisfying orgasm into her less than twelve hours prior... and wasn't exactly exclusive himself... helped. "I had thought that this would not be your typical crowd. Not nearly enough horns."
"It's something new, but I think I like it."
Corey looked intensely at Ghata, his feathers ruffling a bit. "Pre-medical track, isn't it?" Another sudden turn of his head so reminiscent of the Crows he resembled let him stare at Song. "And Veterinary? If you are having problems flying, try lengthening your pinions a bit. I always find that useful."
Song arched an eyebrow. "You're a shapeshifter, too?"
Corey shook his head. "No, just a Stargazer. I'm stuck with my wings, but I noticed you playing with the shapes in class. I must admit it seems effective as a way of visualizing to learn. My knowledge came from trying to fly after the first time I molted."
Tiny looked at Todd. "They always like this?"
"The group has been together for less than a week. This situation's a new one to me."
"Fair."
"Tidbit," Jem interjected into the barely-more-controlled chaos, "why is it that the first portent I cast in three days told me to come to a table twice the size of our normal arrangements?"
"Perhaps for the same reason that my own told me to aim three seats to the left, Jem." Corey interjected into her interjection.
"Is that what you were doing after we..."
"After I cast the spell on your new bracelet, yes May." Jem seemed hurried for some reason. Todd wondered what else went into that particular spell, but certainly knew better than to ask at the dinner table. Some things, one does not need Bardic Knowledge to know.
The gravelly, rumbling voice of the Gargoyle Todd had sat down here with was next. "I think it may just be to get the introductions over with. So, hello. I'm Tiny. Guessing you all know Todd."
Ghata's grin, even in her petite Human form, had a significant amount of fang in it. "You could say that, yes. He's our suitemate."
Chester, striped in pink and purple, visibly counted the bunch. "The rooms must be arranged differently in the Human-Like dorms, because over where I'm housed there are only four rooms to a suite. There seems to be a slight excess here."
May's shark-toothed smile got even broader. "Oh, no, we have the same number of rooms. Don't worry, we make it work."
"ANYWAY." Tidbit really did try his best to get the topic elsewhere before the realization of exactly how his living arrangements worked came to his new friends. From the raised rocky, feathered, and furred eyebrows (the last one waggling a bit), he'd failed.
"Looks like I was right to see if some of your luck would rub off on us." Correction: he'd failed
badly
.
"Okay, if you're done trying to make me blush," Todd said, blushing, "Can we talk about... literally anything else? Arrange a game night? Study group? Chat about the League? Anything? Please?"
The mutual interrogation dissolved into gales of laughter from the rest of the group immediately. Ice broken, the conversation tuned to somewhat lighter topics. Games, classes, the League, that kind of thing. Oh, and the food.
Todd remembered Professor Ruddertail's words about the food. Truth be told, it was unusually good. The materials might have been obviously bulk-bought, but whomever was back there knew what they were doing. Now that he was paying attention, though, there was another taste in the food. One he could not readily identify, something extremely faint and slightly mineral. It almost reminded him of the multivitamins he used to take as a kid. Given that "as a kid" meant "before Bardic Knowledge kicked in," though, he could not quite be sure. It was another detail that he found himself opening the notebook for. To the last page, labeled "Cryptic Things Said By Faculty," and noting it down. Then, on consideration, he scratched out "Said By Faculty." It seemed that he had much more to consider for data than he did. Maybe he could do research for this one?
There was a sudden rush, several students flocking to the large windows which let in light to the cafeteria. "Jem, you can see over their heads. What's up?" Todd might be many things, but curious ranked high among them.
Jem, the rather tall Amazoness, thankfully had a decent angle to see. "Looks like the same professor from yesterday is setting up another event."
