Felt like doing this so...Previously on 'What if'...Tucking it into her pocket only to be dragged out of the office by the two boys getting in a quick 'Thanks' to Bear out of the big 'U'...
"Let us take you on a quick tour, after we have dinner I'm going to eat myself alive if I don't," Landon said, dragging her into the building behind them. As soon as they walked through the doors Ashlyn's whole body locked, she was the newbie, not just to the school but to the world, someone who didn't know anything.
Noting her tension Ez let out a small chuckle squeezing her shoulder guiding her over to a square table, with three different chairs around it. Ash noticed that none of it was the tables or chairs were the same. All of them were different shapes and sizes.
Landon picked up what looked like a tablet pressing a couple of buttons and a burger and fries sat in front of him only a few seconds after with a bottle of water. Digging into the chips, he noticed that Ash was slightly staring at him, he looked up from his mountain of food and just looked at Ash.
"What?" He said.
Ez just chuckled at his friend's dumbfoundedness, clapping him over the shoulder, before giving Ash one of the tablets that read dinner items, such as, bowl of fish and fries, meatloaf, salad, there was so much there was even dessert.
"What the heck is this?" Ash said in a low voice, keeping the conversation at the trio's table.
"It's a TCD- TachnoConnectivity Device, all you do is press one of the circles and the food that you chose will appear," Ez explained. Pressing his own option and a bowl of pasta appeared with a spoon and fork ready. Ash, in the end, went with the meatloaf and a small desert of a blueberry brownie. Ash quickly dug into the food in front of her, and it was good, like a five-star chef, good.
"Oh my gosh, it's so good," Ash said in between a mouthful of meatloaf.
"I know right," London agreed, with his own mouthful of fries. The trio ended up in a laughing pool, mostly just from Ez since the other two couldn't really with all the food in their mouths.
"This is so much better than Dad's meatloaf I've got to say," Ash said after finishing off her dinner and moving to her desert. "I always thought it wasn't edible, just made out of cardboard and a whole lot of ketchup."
The boys nodded in agreement, having the same experiences with their parents.
Dinner was quickly over and the three of them exited the food court with full bellies and grins on their faces.
"So what do I need to see first?" Ash asked, looking around the campus. Most people were heading back to a certain part, coming and going out of doors.
"Well, I think we head off to and show you a couple of the buildings for classes tomorrow and then we'll show you the dorm building when we're ready for curfew which is at nine until next year, it turns to ten."
"Ok," Ash replied, not sure if that really applied to her right now, but it was good to know.
"Now," Landon said, getting very serious all of a sudden, yet the spark in his eyes were still shining even at night. "The food court as you know stands on this very ground- sacred if I must say, is the most important building on all of the campus at Akarnae."
"Noted," Ash said, unable to keep the smile off her face at her friend's food obsession.
"We should probably show her the Gensec and the Ward too, mate," Ez advised, looking as amused as Ash.
"Sure ok, I know how much you love those places, but we had to make sure there was some ground to stand on," Landon 'cautioned'.
They headed a few paces away from the food court to reveal small sections of what looked to be labs, and to the left of it, there was a hospital.
"The Gensec building is where you'll do your chemistry and SOCAS really just history and humanities, and it's also got the Ward there as well, the medical ward to be exact but yeah that's really it," Ez explained after a quick walk over to the building before moving back to the buildings behind them again.
"That is the dorm we're in... we're on the same level, but different rooms, Landon and I are in eight so yeah, just down the hallway," Ez explained. Ash nodded along, until the question occurred.
"So, what's up with my roommate?" Ash asked as they entire building.
"Oh, nothing, Landon just thinks Faia's weird because she's never spoken a word at the academy before," Ez told her, sneaking a glance at Landon before continuing. "And also she left him to do the rest of the work on their chemistry paired for chemistry when he wasn't doing anything, luckily they just past."
"Yeah well, how can you go without saying a word for over two years!" Landon objected. "It's not humane to do that, pus she's so much smarter than me, it's not even funny."
"Well, maybe just a little…" Ez suggested, giving his friend a knowing look.
"Well-"
"Um guys-" Ash interrupted the twelve year olds. "As it is hilarious to see children bicker, I think this is my room and I think I'm doing to freeze my butt if we stay out here any longer."
The boys chuckle at their new friend's exaggeration, they both agreed before moving to the closest door with the number four on it. The only thing was there was no handle.
"Huh," Ash just stood there waiting for one of the boys to help her out.
"Oh right, sorry, forgot the whole new world thing for you," Landon said, rolling his eyes at himself along with Ash.
"It's a bio sensor door, meaning only you and Faia can come in and out of the dorm, if we were to ever come in you would have to let us in," Ez explained.
"Aren't you 'tecwiz extraordinhair'," Ash said, seeing just how many times he had to explain things rather than Landon.
"No, that's just growing up with your old man, being a chemistry wiz and you kind of get hooked up as well," Ez told her.
"Wait your dad, is he…?"
"The chemistry teacher, yeah, so much better than Fitzy, the guy couldn't get through the lesson without setting his coat on fire twice, let alone remember your name on a good day." He said. Ez told Ash to put her hand on the clear square on the door, a click came from it and opened toward the room.
"Do you want us to introduce you?" Landon asked, though he didn't look too keen.
"No, the lights are out so I guess she's asleep, i'll introduce myself in the morning, rather in the dead of night," she told them.
The boys hummed in agreement, with a quick goodnight to each other, Ash slipped quietly into her dorm, while her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could see that the bed next to the window was occupied by a sleeping figure. She moved to the bed on the other side of the room and took off her shoes for the first time that afternoon, before jumping into bed and without another thought drifted into a wistful sleep.
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