Author's Note: So I'm sure you've all heard about the hurricane by now. We're being told minimum of a week with no power, and it's very likely that my house will flood. So it could be as much as several weeks before I get another update. Please please please send me good vibes or anything you can cuz I really am really really scared about this storm. And don't stop reading if it takes me forever to update…

Chapter 2: Trouble

The next day was the weekend, but the bells rang early anyway. Ozma Towers served as the clock for the rest of the grounds and Fiyero soon discovered that his room was directly under the belfry. He thought about going back to sleep but he already had a pounding headache and the bells were rapidly making it worse. Fiyero swung his legs over the side of the bed and dressed quickly. It was hot and stuffy in the small room already though it was barely even morning, and it smelled vaguely of musty linen and slowly rotting wood. He remembered suddenly that he had not eaten the night before, and decided to go down to the boys' dining hall, though he was not hungry.

The dining hall was a large wooden building. Its architecture was not quite old enough to be considered antique, merely ages out of style. The inside was a large wide room featuring a high ceiling with elaborate wooden rafters. Benches filled the room framing several long, thin, high tables with elaborately carved legs. Along one side of the room was one long table with the serving dishes laid out on it. The room was at once breathtaking and quite dull. The few elaborate touches on the furnishings left one disappointed with the overall plainness of the room. It smelled of bad coffee and overcooked sausage. Fiyero resisted the urge to cover his mouth with one hand. He could already see several people staring at him, waiting to see if he would provide entertainment as he had the day before.

"Good morning, Diamond Boy," said an enthusiastic voice from over his left shoulder. Fiyero groaned. The two antler boys were standing there grinning at him. There was a third person with them this time.

"Good morning," said Fiyero cautiously. Maybe talking to them wouldn't be so horrible after all. It wasn't exactly as if there was a crowd of other people wanting his attention. And he certainly did not want to spend all his time at Shiz alone. He wasn't even sure if he could.

"So do you boys have names?" asked Fiyero awkwardly, deciding to go for it.

"Crope," said the one standing closest to him, and grabbed his hand in an overly enthusiastic handshake. "And that's Tibbett."

Tibbett merely waved, then turned and gave Crope a strange look. Fiyero cleared his throat uncomfortably. There was a secret language of glances and gestures between these two that made him feel oddly excluded and alone.

"Shall we go get a table?" asked Crope, then started walking toward one without waiting for an answer.

"I'm Boq, by the way," said the third boy as they followed Crope. He was considerably shorter than the other two.

Fiyero nodded absently, instead concentrating on ignoring the rude looks from the boys at the tables they were passing.

"And you?" asked Boq.

"What?" said Fiyero, not following.

"I'm assuming you have a name other than Diamond Boy," said Boq kindly. "Unless of course that's what you prefer to be called."

"Oh," said Fiyero. "Fiyero. From the Vinkus." He added, then felt stupid. That much was obvious.

"I'm a Munchkinlander," said Boq, sounding equally ridiculous. They looked at one another for a moment, then both burst into laughter.

Crope and Tibbett looked irked at being left out of the joke.

"So let's go get some of the slop they call food here," said Tibbett.

They made their way over to the serving table and surveyed the food being offered that morning. The dishes were piled high with flat looking, slightly burned pancakes. So far Fiyero had found the food in Shiz repulsive; it tasted like sand in contrast with the spicy food of the Vinkus, and this dismal looking breakfast was no exception. Nevertheless, Fiyero scooped some of it onto his plate along with a sausage that greatly resembled the droppings of a Vinkus dog. He tried his best not to look disgusted for the benefit of his companions; for all he knew, this was gourmet cuisine to them. Boq noticed, apparently, and laughed.

"Isn't it awful? They seem to think edible food is unnecessary. You know, if you feed the mind, who needs food for the body?" Boq laughed again. "Maybe we can sneak out at lunch and get some real food in Railway Square."

Fiyero nodded uncomfortably; he had no idea what Boq was talking about. They carried their plates back to the table and sat down. Crope and Tibbett began devouring the food as if they hadn't eaten in several days. That figured, thought Fiyero, it must take a lot of energy to be that enthusiastic all the time. Boq had impaled the sausage on the point of his knife and was using his fork to pick it apart.

"Looking for surprises again, Boq?" asked Crope.

Boq blushed.

"Can't be too careful."

Tibbett snorted.

"What do you think, they poison their own students?"

Boq looked defensive.

"Hey, one time I found a shard of glass from a goblet one of the sorcery students had blown up at the next table over in my potatoes!"

"Oooh, good thing you found it," chimed in Crope. "You might have ended up with a forked tongue!"

Boq rolled his eyes.

"Not funny." Something across the room appeared to catch his eye, and he grimaced. "Oh no. Here comes trouble."

A tall, blond, amazingly handsome boy was coming their way. For a moment Fiyero began to feel hopeful that this boy might be able to get other people to like him, but then he remembered that Boq had called him trouble. The boy came over and sat down on the bench next to Fiyero, offering him a hand to shake. Fiyero obliged cautiously.

"So you're the new fresher?" said the blond boy.

Fiyero nodded, feeling insulted for some reason.

"Avaric," said the boy, nodding as though using his chin to point to himself. "And you?"

"Fiyero," said Fiyero again; he had the sudden urge to give a false name.

"And your school?"

"Shiz?" said Fiyero, confused.

Avaric laughed, not nicely.

"Your college. Within Shiz. Where do you stay?"

"Oh," said Fiyero, feeling stupid, "Ozma Towers."

Avaric nodded, then started to get up.

"Well I just wanted to tell you welcome to Shiz," he smiled; it looked more to Fiyero as though he was baring his teeth. "Let me know if you need anything."

Fiyero shivered, though he wasn't sure why. When he looked back across the table he saw Boq glaring after Avaric. This was not a good sign, Fiyero decided. Definitely not good.

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