Serata Lenta

School just ended, the dorms are filled with the students preparing for the rest of the day, changing into more comfortable clothes, and making plans for the evening. Lixdite enters his room through the window, as he is used to doing most of the time, and flops on his bed devoid of the will to move any more. The door opens to let his roommate in.

"So this is where you disappeared to." Yuudai's voice has no signs of surprise in it; by now he is used to the fact that doors are more of a suggestion for his winged roommate. "Did you get the handouts before leaving at least?"

"Yes. There." A lazy wave of his hand makes the papers on his desk flutter.

"You are unusually stationary today; you would be flying around the roof by now."

"Just tired; woke up wrong." "I can't really explain it better anyway; language is not a problem when not even I know what to say."

"Mayhaps jetlag is finally catching up with you; I noticed a certain lack of ill effects on you since you arrived."

"He's right, but the answer to that is a lot simpler. How do I tell him that now?" "My sleep was already bad. I am nocturnal remember?"

"I took that as a joke or mistranslation. You mean to tell me you truly slept during the day?"

"Not always, just last month? Six months? Not sure, summer was strange."

"That... sounds unhealthy. It seems it's catching up with you, but you have been punctual most of the time, so I think it will fix itself." There is a strange tone of melancholy? Wistfulness? in his words, It's hard to pin down.

"You are correct, probably." *"Or I just tired myself out in school; we had rescue today; that teacher was exhausting." *

"I hope you recover for the important lessons tomorrow. I have to train now; see you later, and don't forget to dine this time."

"I forgot to eat one time, and now I am at risk of starving. I am not that careless. No, he's right; I am that careless if certain things are involved." "Good training; I will be careful." Yuudai exits the room with his equipment in tow; with a cordial nod at the door, he is gone. "Now what do I do?"

Reluctantly leaving the comfort of his bed, Lixdite wanders to his desk and observes the handouts for economics class for a moment; he quickly moves them to the side with a gust of wind almost instinctively, then he reaches for a book. Now that he got up, the bed suddenly looks less inviting, and being inside his room all evening would not be good for him probably, so he exits into the hallway of the dorms. Close to the room, a slight nook in the wall has been outfitted with some cushions and benches built into the walls in front of a big window that lets in the evening light. It's clearly made for reading, which is what Lixdite is trying to do. It's also in the way of the whole male wing, and if the serpent were to sit there his aura would reach anyone going back to their rooms or going out. Deciding to not bother his classmates any more than necessary, he moves on into the common area; the couches around the TV screen are empty for now but will probably attract someone sooner or later, and the study corner could have some people struggling with the handouts, so the best option appears to be the food corner; nobody should be there at this time.

Taking a seat at one of the tables near the cooking area, Lixdite starts reading his book, a mystery novel he bought just before departing for Japan, but his mind is not all in it, and he keeps glancing around the room. "Everyone looks so active right now, look, there goes Ichigo, going somewhere. Two Ichigos, Three Ichigos. Fuck, I'm getting sleepy." Shaking his head, Lixdite attempts to concentrate on his book again when he sees one of his classmates approaching; Takata is carrying what looks like trays of food in some of his tentacles.

With his usual calm expression and monotone voice, the octopus speaks. "It's my second lunch, right before the pre-dinner snack." Lixdite must have been staring without realizing.

"I see. Does he eat that much? Is it a mutant thing? Was Grandma right? Should I really eat all that stuff too? I was leaving. Good eating?" The serpent slips away from the seat, attempting to defuse a situation that is not really there.

"Thanks, good reading." If Takata suspects the reason for Lixdite's behavior, he doesn't let it show.

"Well that didn't work. Maybe I should just go to the roof like usual, but I don't feel like reading outside." The serpent heads for the study corner hoping for a less crowded space, but just as he rounds the corner, a startled noise catches his attention, and he looks as playing cards fall around a dejected-looking Fukuchi. "Is it paranoid of me to think I caused that? He seemed a bit careless in front of the class, but that was probably the nerves; he wouldn't fumble like that out of nowhere, right? Maybe I should check, just to be sure." Taking a couple more steps, the serpent speaks. "Are you fine?"

The magician flinches; it's unclear if it's a result of the aura or of being caught in an embarrassing situation. He slowly turns around. "H-hi Aquila-kun right? I was just practicing some card tricks, nothing to worry about." He glances at the cards scattered on the floor. "It's going worse than usual, but it happens sometimes."

"Sorry, my fault probably." Wind starts moving around the two. "Let me help at least." A miniature tornado springs from Lixdite's outstretched hand; the cards are swept up in the current and gather in a pile on the nearby table.

"Whoa, you can do card tricks too!"

"I don't think that counts as a card trick no matter how you look at it; I just swept the floor." "No, it's not that precise. I am just used to cleaning."

"Thanks, it saves me a lot of time. I don't know what is happening to me lately; ever since I have been here, I just feel on edge. Probably just the new environment."

"Or maybe it's the fact you are close to me. That would not explain the presentation; he was a little too far and not looking at me, so he was just nervous probably. I feel bad for him, but I don't know how much knowing helps." "It will get better soon; good luck." Lixdite quickly exits the area, heading to the corner of the TV zone.

"Wait, what were you... doing here... too late, I guess." The serpent does hear him, but lacking a proper response, he pretends not to, being far from the magician will do more good right now.

"Being lazy is making me do more than if I just went to read outside. Yuudai doesn't show it, but I'm sure he is annoyed by my aura too." Lixdite takes a seat on a couch near the TV; it's out of the way, so maybe his aura will not reach the rest of the couches. This time he manages to start reading in peace; the sudden influx of interactions gives him a reason to try and calm down. The serpent sits quietly, the pages periodically turning from a slight gust of wind in the closed room. A rare period of calm passes, and the serpent slowly forgets about the outside world as he concentrates on the pages in front of him, and after a while the book ceases to exist too when Lixdite falls asleep.

The serpent wakes up after an unknown amount of time, trying to regain his bearings; the first thing he sees is the strange face of his classmate Sankai. "Sorry, did I scare you? I was just looking for a place to sit."

"How long did I sleep? I hope nobody got scared away in that time." "No, I should apologize. I will leave; should not sleep anyway." Lixdite stands up, making the forgotten book fall to the ground.

"I was not trying to chase you away; you can stay. I can just knit over there."

"Her tone shows concern, but her face is not exactly comforting. I am not sure faces are supposed to do that. Why does this feel familiar? Strange face aside, she must be pushing herself." "Thank you. I need to dine anyway, so you can have the... seat? I lost time." "I really do need to eat at some point; I should get something easy to eat. Instant noodles are like spaghetti, right?" The snake's tail coils around the fallen book and lifts it to his hand. "Good evening."

"Oh, thank you then; good evening to you too." Her smile is a bit too wide, but Lixdite is too focused on waking up to notice.

Still unsure of how long he slept, the serpent makes his way back to his room; there is still light outside, so he must not have slept long. A loud noise of scraping metal distracts Lixdite as he rounds the corner, and he sees a mass of metal scrap slowly moving in the direction opposite to his room; he decides not to get involved; at some point he will have to clear the misunderstanding with Shinohara, but today doesn't seem like the right day. The serpent steps into his room to place the book back in its place, then he sees the handouts again on his desk. "I guess I had to read them at some point. I will get a sandwich and start translating them while I eat." After positioning the papers in a strategic way to not forget them again when he returns, Lixdite vaults out of the window to go and buy some food; he makes sure to close the window behind him as he normally does when there is no one to guard the room inside. Flying to the convenience store is somewhat of a routine by now; it's useful for someone that can't cook and tries to avoid the kitchen anyway to not bother other people.

The clerk by now is used to the sight of the feathered student buying instant food but still flinches when he gets close to the counter to pay; it may be irrational, but at this point it has become routine, like many other aspects of his job. They barely exchange any words but still somehow understand each other, an unknowing bond formed of mutual resignation; they both do what they must and move on with the day. The trip back is quick, but Lixdite decides to land a bit farther than usual; he needs to use the door now anyway, so he may as well enjoy the scenery a bit. The school is surprisingly pretty when he stops and looks at it properly. As he walks, the serpent notices another figure heading for the dorms; the style is unmistakable even at this distance, and the reason for his outing is pretty easy to guess as well. The delinquent-looking student tenses slightly as the serpent catches up to him but surprisingly relaxes a bit after seeing his classmate.

Changing posture slightly Gyoyu greets his classmate. "Yo, Aquila-kun, you being fashionably late to curfew too? I was cleaning up the trash... I mean, you know the human kind? Picking fights to defend my turf." The delinquent does a pose as they keep walking to emphasize the point.

"He really tries hard to maintain that persona. I feel kind of bad for him; I am not the best audience; I can't really react much." "I just forgot food, again. It feels strange not having reminders at all times." The plastic bag rustles in the wind; for once, it's not his fault.

"What do you mean? Did you have an alarm set up at home? Takata has those, I think."

"My family, they offered food when meeting. I forgot normality. Where I was it's usual, I think."

"That sounds nice; it means they care. You should try eating something else too; instant food is not too healthy for a hero; we need to give a good example too."

"I see. I can try. I may learn to cook, it is... efficient, I think?"

As the two get close to the dorms, the figure of the dorm manager becomes clearer on the door. "Oh, it seems we're about to get scolded, like true delinquents. It's not that late, so it will probably be just a warning."

Looking at the manager, Lixdite remembers something. "I will go ahead. I am... distracting, and I need to speak to her anyway."

"Cool, see ya around. From one delinquent to another."

Quickening his pace Lixdite separates from his classmate to speak with the dorm manager. "I wonder if he really thinks I am a delinquent or if he thinks I am pretending like him." "Buona sera, Sig. Teel. (Good evening, Ms. Teel.)"

"Buona sera a te, Lixdite. A cosa devo il piacere della tua visita? (Good evening to you, Lixdite. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?)"

"Semplice cortesia, ho dimenticato la cena e sono andato a prendere dei panini. Spero che non sia troppo tardi. (Simple courtesy, I forgot dinner and got some sandwiches. I hope it's not too late.)"

"L'ora è accettabile, direi, ma è meglio essere prudenti. (The time is acceptable, I would say, but it's best to be careful.)"

"Grazie, sarò più prudente in futuro. Apprezzo la possibilità di parlare normalmente ogni tanto. (Thanks, I will be more careful in the future. I appreciate the chance to speak normally once in a while.) " With a respectful bow, less stiff than usual for him, Lixdite enters the building.

The serpent goes back to his room, trying to avoid the attention of the other students. Once inside he remembers the handouts and starts translating them with his phone, a laborious project that takes him until nighttime, with some breaks to get ready for bed in between. Once he is finished, he flops on the bed too burnt out to actually study the material. The door opens, and his roommate enters.

"You are in the exact position I left you in; at least you changed out of your uniform. What did you do all day?"

"Way too much; I should have just read on the roof." "I saw the dorm, people saw me."

"A relaxing day then. It should help you get back on your feet tomorrow." A slight current starts gathering around the room, making papers flutter before stopping abruptly.

"Yeah, relaxing. I dined at least."

"We are close to a holiday; you should be able to rest then. We should sleep now too."

At the mention of a holiday, Lixdite is reminded of something. "Yuudai-kun, is Sunday free?"

"It is a holiday if that is what you are asking; I am quite certain it is a day of rest in Italy as well."

"Sorry, wrong question. Would you mind the arcade? I go there sometimes."

"I see. Well, I don't have much experience with it, but I would not mind visiting occasionally. I can make some space in my schedule if you warn me in advance."

"Cool, I will keep your schedule in mind. Good night."

Lixdite slithers further into the bed to sleep, finally putting this strange day behind him and hoping the next will be more normal. The world slowly fades away, and sleep overtakes him.