A/N Hey guys, I'm going to do this chapter and then I'm going to focus on my other stories for a little bit since I've been neglecting some of them, so sit back and enjoy.
'The fuck are they doing in there and what the hell is taking them so long?' I thought as I focused on de-thorning the roses, each one as red as my blood and I didn't know how much he needed, but I'd rather give him a little less than too much and I'll go see him again if he needs some more, then the thought made me feel strange as I frowned slightly.
I didn't know what the hell was going on with me as my handling of the thorns grows more violent, my face turning into a scowl as I was struggling to understand why Legoshi was making me feel this way since I've only known him for almost a week now while I paused in my task and looked up at the sky, fluffy white clouds meeting my gaze as the lively blue color of the sky calms me a little and a sigh escaped me.
'Maybe I'm overthinking it since I have a lot on my mind these past few days,' I thought while I clenched my fists, unaware of the thorny rose still in my right hand but I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice the pain or drops of blood falling to the floor.
"Shit, it's probably nothing and I'm just working myself up for no reason," I muttered tiredly, and only did I unclench my fists to let the rose fall to the ground that I realized the damage I've done.
I let out a sharp yelp of pain as I raised my bloody hand to inspect the injury, seeing that I somehow managed to get three thorns stuck in my hand and two other punctures before I started feeling frustrated at how I can't go one day without getting injured and went over to the nearby tap.
Wincing as I hold my hand under the water and clean off the blood, endless strings of profanity left my mouth but at least I got the bleeding to stop because even though Legoshi and I had sorta become friends, I'm still not stupid enough to spill a lot of blood around a carnivore since it would cause him to lose control of his instincts and being attacked wasn't something I was eager to experience a second time.
To make matters worse though, two of the thorns were so deep in my flesh that I couldn't get them out myself unless I had a pair of tweezers, and groaning at my bad luck, I stand up and make my way back to the shed.
"I hope Haru has a pair of tweezers in there," I grumbled as I approached the shed and entered it.
"Hey Haru, do you have any tweezers because-" I went to ask and was cut off.
"No, it's not okay!" Legoshi shouted suddenly, startling me and it took a moment for my brain to shut down and struggle to reboot at the sight of Haru in her underwear while Legoshi's pants were unzipped with the belt unbuckled and the suspenders down while his shirt was unbuttoned.
In a frenzy, Legoshi zips up his pants and button-up his shirt while reattaching his suspenders while I stood in the doorway with my mouth agape, frozen in shock and wanting to die from embarrassment as Haru, being the 'professional' girl she is, doesn't seem to care that I've entered the shed or that I'm seeing her in her underwear right now as she crossed her arms and frowned at Legoshi.
"What's wrong? I'm doing all the work trying to set the mood here, you know? That's the reason you're here, aren't you?" Haru questioned, causing Legoshi to look at her in bewilderment.
"W-What?" Legoshi stuttered in confusion while glancing between me and her as he appeared overwhelmed and panicked, then Haru started to look puzzled.
"Don't you want to-" Haru started to ask before she seemed to realize what was going on, her eyes widening before she gasped at the knowledge of how she nearly forced herself on a wolf who wasn't even interested in having sex with her.
As Haru looked more than embarrassed and mortified by the huge misunderstanding, Legoshi kept avoiding eye contact with me as he went to cover Haru with a blanket while I was twitching slightly and still staring slack-jawed at Legoshi and Haru.
"H-Here, y-you're going to catch a cold so y-you should put on your uniform, now I'm going to go so have a good day!" Legoshi stammered as he hurried over to the door, then he gazed at me for a few moments as if to portray how sorry and embarrassed he was for being caught in such a situation with Haru until he went to leave and I snapped out of it.
"Legoshi, wait-" I tried to warn, only it was too late as Legoshi slammed the door on his tail and I winced at that while the large male wolf let out a pained yelp, then he ran after that until it was just me and Haru with an awkward silence in the air until she giggled.
"Huh, strange kid," Haru mumbled before I cleared my throat to get her attention.
"Um...Haru," I said hesitantly, causing her to look at me and her eyes widened in shock as she gasped.
"E-Eric, how long were you standing there?" Haru inquired while my face turned red and I looked away.
"L-Long enough, so maybe you should put some clothes on," I suggested, then Haru let out a sound of realization before I could hear her slipping her uniform back on until I looked to see that she was fully dressed and her eyes widened when she saw my injured hand.
"Oh god, your hand! What happened?!" Haru exclaimed before I grimaced.
"I got three thorns stuck in my hand and came in here to get some tweezers, though I wasn't expecting to witness that," I explained while I blushed heavily, causing Haru to also look embarrassed.
"Yeah...let me get the tweezers," Haru said before she went over to a first aid kit and opened it, removing a pair of tweezers while grabbing a bottle of disinfectant and bandages until she had me take a seat on the wooden chair.
After that, there was nothing but a long uncomfortable silence as Haru removed the thorns stuck in my hand before proceeding to disinfect the injuries, bandaging up the puncture wounds while I was trying to come up with a way to talk to her about what happened when Haru beat me to it.
"Hey...about what happened, I just want to apologize for what I did since I misread the situation and I feel really embarrassed about it," Haru said sheepishly.
"It's fine, what happened was a big misunderstanding so it happens...though you should apologize to Legoshi the next time you see him since he might take this the wrong way...look, what you do behind closed doors is your business, but you should think about what I said last night since you need to consider if this is how you want to spend the rest of your life, okay?" I told Haru, who started appearing guilty for a few seconds until she put up a stoic front.
"I'll be sure to think about it and I'll apologize to Legoshi the next time I see him," Haru said quietly, then she was done with bandaging up my hand and I sent her a single nod before I left the shed and decided to head back to my dorm room since it was almost evening.
I went down the stairwell and made my way out of the building, seeing the sun beginning to set as I walked across campus until I spotted Legoshi sitting at a bench, looking lost in thought as I approached and he tensed up since he no doubt recognized my scent as I stop a few feet away from the bench and clear my throat to get his attention.
Almost instantly, his eyes were on me as I stood stiffly with my arms crossed and my cheeks bright red as he stared at me, making me look away shyly and point at the spot next to him.
"Um, could I...sit there?" I asked bashfully, then there was a long silence as it took a while for Legoshi to register that I'm actually speaking to him while I was getting more and more uncomfortable from the silence.
"Oh yeah, sure...go ahead," Legoshi replied as he shuffled a little to the side to give me more space, then I gave him a tiny smile and thanked him before his ears perked up at that.
I went to sit down next to Legoshi, my arms relaxing and settling in my lap as I tried to casually hide my injury but the wolf noticed most likely from the smell of disinfectant and bandages.
"What happened to your hand?" Legoshi asked, causing me to scratch the back of my head as I blushed in embarrassment and bit my lower lip.
"It's stupid, but I was packing the roses for the drama club and tried to de-thorn them when I accidentally got a few thorns stuck in my hand, which was why I walked in on you two since I was looking for a pair of tweezers to get them out and...well...you know the rest," I explained, making sure to lower my voice so no one could hear it and then Legoshi was the one to blush.
"Oh...um, about that, I wanted to apologize since I wasn't trying to get with that girl, and I especially didn't want to do...that with her so I'm sorry," Legoshi said hesitantly while looking awkward, then I shook my head.
"It's fine, I'm not angry or anything like that since it was a big misunderstanding and Haru was really embarrassed about it once she figured out you weren't there for that, so she's going to apologize to you the next time she sees you.
Look, even if you wanted to do that with her, I still wouldn't be angry since it's normal for people to engage in sexual activities with others unless they're asexual, which is also valid so it's none of my business either way.
As long as everyone consents, there's nothing wrong with being sexually active so are you okay?" I inquired in concern, causing Legoshi to freeze up and stare at me like I had two heads.
"Huh?!" Legoshi exclaimed in shock.
"Are you feeling alright?" I repeated before staring back at my hands and adding, "When I interrupted you two, you seemed...well...really against having Haru continue, and from the short time I've known you, I think it's safe to say that you get lost in your thoughts pretty easily so I was starting to get worried that she...kind of forced herself onto you."
After saying that, Legoshi was silent for a while as he looked stunned but I didn't know why since I was understandably concerned for him after what just happened so I started to feel tense and wondered if I was pressing him too much on the matter when he snapped out of it.
"I-I'm fine...and you're right, I didn't really notice what was happening until...she had her hands on my belt so I'm okay, but thank you for worrying," Legoshi told me and I sighed in relief before grinning at him.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that since Haru should've been more aware of the situation instead of just going straight to your crotch, but I am glad that you're okay," I replied before I chuckled, not noticing Legoshi's tail starting to wag at my soft laughter as he didn't take his eyes off of me.
"Cute," Legoshi mumbled and froze up at that, then I froze at what he said while my face turned bright red from what he said.
'Wait, did he just call me cute?! Okay, I certainly wasn't expecting that,' I thought dumbly while my heart was racing as my eyes were wide and quickly looked at the tall wolf next to me who stumbled off of the bench.
"I'm s-sorry, sorry...uh, I gotta go, see you back at the dorm!" Legoshi sputtered loudly as he quickly left.
"Legoshi, wait!" I called out, only he was too far away and I sighed while trying to understand what just happened and why I felt so flustered until something occurred to me and my eyes bugged out.
'Wait, am I...gay? Shit, I don't know what my preferences were before I lost my memory, but me being homosexual is looking more and more likely since I'm beginning to see Legoshi as attractive,' I thought, feeling very confused and not knowing how to react to this so I was trying to convince myself that it was just a phase I was going through since teenagers are curious about a lot of things while I headed back to the dorm so that I could spend the rest of the day with the guys.
The next day, I mindlessly tugged at the bandage around my hand as classes had ended for the rest of the day, thankfully, after another annoying day of being stared at like I was some kind of demon, though I hadn't been able to skip Louis' bullshit speech about the importance of co-existence after Headmaster Gon had presented the drama club with the Cherryton honor award.
I knew that co-existence is important, even necessary to achieve peace, but I understood that it might not ever be achieved since people like Louis wanted their own twisted version of peace out of some planned agenda, not to mention that the hostile fox I encountered during breakfast yesterday made peace seem impossible to achieve since people like that aren't the types to be reasoned with and tend to stir up chaos.
How can that deer go on about co-existence when he was the one to assault me just because he thought I was a carnivore? The scary thing was that I was the one to only see right through him while everyone else was practically hanging onto his every word and I swear that I even saw a few students crying at how "beautiful" it was.
Later on, Headmaster Gon had called me to his office for an urgent meeting and I came up with a thousand different scenarios as to how that would go as I stood in front of the headmaster's office and wondered if Louis was involved in this.
Did he tell them a lie strong enough to suspend me? To get the police involved so that I would be subjected to a life in prison for two counts of assault and battery on two police officers and attempted murder of an herbivore student?
Would I be forced into a life of being experimented on? No more than a simple lab rat for them to pull apart and put back together, to dissect, poison, and violate? I had no idea who I could trust in this world after losing my memory and since I was shot twice, it showed that someone tried to kill me and might hunt me down to finish the job once they discover I'm still alive but the only people I could trust at the moment is Jack, Legoshi, the other 701 canines, and Haru since they showed me kindness when I had nobody to rely on.
I couldn't even trust myself since everything I had discovered so far about who I am had made me wary of myself because I was dangerous, there was no doubt about that after what I did to those two cops and to Louis while I was also able to easily handle the one who attacked me the other night, so I was scared of myself since who knows when my next automatic reaction will occur and there was a chance I could actually kill someone next time.
I felt so out of place in this world, completely alone and I didn't know if I had any family or a home to go back to since I didn't remember my parents or where I grew up, but one clue I had was the safety deposit box that held all those items inside and one thing that I'm confused about was the number ten tattooed on the sole of my left foot since that was odd and I don't know why that was there.
Either way, I quit wasting more time and knocked on the door before being invited inside not a second later, finding myself standing before the headmaster and I was surprised that Sanu was right behind him before I bowed to show respect.
"Headmaster, you called for me?" I questioned politely, causing Gon to smile warmly before looking at Sanu.
"He's certainly a formal civilized human, isn't he?" Gon asked Sanu, who nodded in response before Gon turned his attention back to me.
"You're already familiar with Sanu, the president of the drama club and he will assign you your role since you originally approached him to join the drama club, and he'll also be your adviser if you need help with anything regarding the club," Gon told me, causing me to blink at that.
"I'm sorry, sir?" I asked in confusion.
"You will be joining the drama club but I have become aware that you and our head actor, Louis, have had your differences and I sincerely apologize on the school's behalf that you had to endure that, so he has been made aware of his mistakes and I want to assure you that he will no longer bother you.
He had informed us of your talents in hauling cargo and fixing machines because of your experience on a shipping boat before your arrival in this country and since it is mandatory for every student to join a club, the school has decided to place you in the drama club.
I understand that this seems forceful and unfair to you and unfortunately, it is, but it is necessary for both the school and you. You are the only human who has been integrated into society since the discovery of your species fifty years ago so your reputation in this school and your participation is extremely important to your future in this world, so the best option for you is the drama club since it is known for its variety of carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores," Gon offered as he approached me with his eyes conveying apologies and sympathy to my situation as he held out a hand for met to shake.
"I've been told that this is how Americans greet each other and seal deals so, even though this most likely seems terrible at the moment, I think I can promise you as headmaster of this academy that you won't regret joining the drama club, now do you accept?" Gon added with a warm smile, and I considered the offer as I wondered if I could go back to the drama club after what had happened the last time I was there.
Sanu's eyes are fixed on me and so is the headmaster's as a stream of golden sunlight shines through the window and tickles my face, then I felt a renewed sense of hope and determination before I shook Gon's hand.
"You have yourself a deal and I'm looking forward to working with the club president," I agreed before Gon smiled brightly.
"Excellent, I'll let Sanu show you around the drama club since I have work to do," Gon said before Sanu and I had left and made our way down the hall until we came across Louis.
The air in the hallway is laced with tension as Louis and I glared at each other but, even though I hid my obvious distaste far less than the deer, it was very clear that neither of us wanted to even be in close proximity to one another.
"Louis," I greeted cooly.
"Eric," Louis replied, and Sanu couldn't do anything but stare at us with weary eyes while awkwardly fiddling with his clipboard.
"So, um, Eric...due to your suggestion, I think it's best to put you in the art department or more specifically, the stage crew so I've spoken to Dom and he's willing to help you if you need anything, seeing as he's the head of the stage crew.
He's also mostly handling the decorations and costume designs, so you'll be working closely with him while you haul boxes and do the lighting with Legoshi, which is why I'm positive that you'll be a great addition to the club.
Unfortunately, the drama club is already finished for today, but you did get to know the other members when you first showed up at the club so you won't have a lot of responsibilities except for a few minor things, seeing as everything is already planned out for our performance tomorrow evening so I'm sorry for that, Eric," Sanu explained while Louis nodded stoically and I sighed.
"It's fine, I'm already good with my hands so I'm okay with doing the minor stuff and I've already introduced myself to the other members, so I should be fine," I reassured before Sanu perked up.
"Good to hear," Sanu said until he looked at his watch and added, "Oh, I still need to do my biology hour so it's probably best that I leave now and I'll see you tomorrow."
'Crap, that's right, I still need to do mine as well so I can't believe I completely forgot that today's biology day,' I thought in realization as Sanu walked away, leaving me and Louis alone.
"I better get going as well since I also need to complete those dreadful sixty minutes," Louis said irritably before we stared at each other and he also starts to walk away as well.
Unfortunately, I was at a metaphorical crossroads now until I frowned slightly and follow after him, being discrete about my steps and it works for a short while until Louis manages to notice me, which caused him to scowl at me.
"Why are you following me, human? What the hell do you want?!" Louis demands, his voice stern, cold, and arrogant while I quickly look away as my face flushed in embarrassment.
"Well, it's kinda embarrassing, but with how stressful things have been these past couple of days...I kinda forgot where the biology rooms are," I said sheepishly as I went to walk next to Louis, who stared at me like I just told him that unicorns control the government until he sighs and chuckles under his breath.
"Just follow me," Louis commanded quietly, only to look back at me when he realizes that I wasn't following him anymore and stared at him while feeling completely stunned by his answer.
"You coming or what?" Louis questioned, shaking me from my thoughts and I rejoined him while scratching my head awkwardly and shyly trying to keep up with him until he notices and slows down his pace.
"Do we even have a room for humans?" Louis asked, sounding genuinely curious and I shook my head.
"No, since I'm the first human here, there wasn't any time to build one and even then, humans don't work as you guys do," I replied while crossing my arms.
"Oh really? What do you mean by that?" Louis questioned before I sighed.
"Well, I did my research since I don't remember anything about my species and, for starters, humans are unlike any other species since we don't have a set environment like a wolf or a zebra for example.
Our species had adapted in such a way that we were basically able to survive in every climate except for extreme ones like Antarctica, though the different races of humans all had specific traits that aid them in their habitats.
At the stage of evolution we are now, every individual has their own characteristics that make them different and more fitting in certain environments and situations...let's take red deers, for example, you feel more comfortable in forests and fields, thanks to your biology.
As for humans, we were able to feel more comfortable in all environments with some of us feeling safest in the forests while others prefer the cities or the desert, so it's entirely up to the individual while some humans were generally anti-social, others reached their full potential in groups, and some were mentally or physically strong.
Certain humans had prospered on a carnivore diet, others on an omnivore or herbivore diet so you can't make a fitting room for humans since we're a complex species," I explained while Louis listened quietly until he frowned thoughtfully.
"You said was, like there used to be many humans walking around so what happened to them?" Louis questioned, then he looked taken aback by the grim expression that appeared on my face.
"Yes, there used to be an abundance of humans that lived alongside the carnivores and herbivores ever since we all evolved, but then the carni-herbi war happened and the war nearly wiped out all of humanity, putting us in the dozens instead of the millions.
As a result, we cut off all contact with the carnivores and herbivores once the war was over by living in closed-off communities permanently since our species had become wary and afraid of the carnivores and herbivores because of the unimaginable loss of life that nearly rendered us extinct and you guys had eventually forgotten that humans existed until we were rediscovered fifty years ago," I clarified while Louis blinked rapidly, looking like he was trying to comprehend every piece of information I had thrown at him until he snapped out of it.
"That was...a lot, but also very informative so where will you go during biology hour?" Louis asked, causing me to shrug.
"Well, humans have a bit of a symbiotic relationship with canines since their presence would calm us down and in the wild, before civilization was formed, humans and canines had often formed a bond to aid each other for safety and hunting.
Genuinely, canines take very positively to us so it would be easy for a canine to be taken in by a human family and vice versa, which is why I'm expected to spend my time in one of the canine rooms so any species you can recommend?" I inquired curiously.
"Well, dogs don't have biology hour since they take special classes during that time, and I'm not that well-versed in canines so I can't help you there and it doesn't help that they're all carnivores," Louis told me before I sighed.
"So, looks like I'll have to improvise," I muttered, just before Louis stops and turns to look at me with a mournful expression.
"Eric, I need to sincerely apologize for how I treated you during our last encounter because what I did was highly unprofessional and completely unfair to you, not to mention that I even touched you in a manner that you most definitely saw as threatening so I can't imagine how terrified you were during that situation and I...deserve the beating you gave me.
I truly hope that we can move past this since we will be in the same club from now on, so once again, I apologize for my behavior," Louis said as he bowed regretfully, and I didn't know how to respond to that since what he did isn't something you can forget just like that, but he did look guilty for what he did and it's possible that he was changing so the better so I sighed.
"I...I'm willing to forgive you, but I need time since I'll be wary of you for a long time so don't expect any friendly conversations or things like that...just don't do it again," I said tiredly, then we continued walking together without saying a word to one another after that.
When we finally arrived at the biology rooms, it was difficult to decide which species to accompany so, after some consideration, I said my goodbyes to Louis and went to the wolf room before entering it.
What I saw was a bunch of male and female gray wolves sitting on couches and not talking to each other while I looked up to see a large lamp in the shape of the full moon as simulated moonlight shined down in a soft glow, then the wolves looked at me and a few appeared surprised that I was here but I didn't respond as I moved forward and took the first open seat I could find.
I didn't see Legoshi anywhere, even though he would be pretty easy to spot because of his large size so I assumed that he hadn't arrived yet and decided to just stare up at the large lamp as I started to close my eyes, the simulated moonlight somehow soothing me and I didn't know why.
I couldn't deny that I felt really peaceful, the stress of these past few days just melting away while the moonlight was somehow affecting me in a wonderful manner as several minutes had gone by until someone had entered the wolf room and went over to sit down next to me.
With a sigh of content, I opened my eyes while being aware of the familiar feeling of someone staring at me, but imagine my surprise when I looked out of the corner of my eye to see Legoshi sitting right beside me and quickly looked down at the floor while my face felt hot.
"Hey, seems like we tend to bump into each other nowadays even though we're roommates, huh?" I whispered while I was feeling bashful with a fluttering sensation in my stomach and my heart racing.
"Um, yeah, so...what are you doing here? Not that I mind, I-I'm just...curious," Legoshi stammered quietly, causing me to chuckle softly and I looked at him with a grin.
"Well, there's no room for humans and even though we're kinda related to apes, humans just don't tend to feel calm around them but we do, however, feel really comfortable with canines. I wasn't in the mood to handle coyotes and foxes, even though I would've been okay with hanging around with Durham since the first one's room is too hot and the second one wasn't exactly too fond of humans.
So, I decided to go relax here and I'm glad I did," I explained while making sure to keep my voice down so that I wouldn't annoy the other wolves that were in the room with us.
"Why?" Legoshi inquired curiously.
"Because I got to see you again," I admitted, my blush getting darker as I was surprised by what I said.
After that, there was nothing but silence between us while I didn't know what to say in the presence of all these strangers around me and Legoshi but it wasn't an awkward kind of silence, more like a pleasant one as we stared up at the fake moon with our legs nearly touching due to a lack of space.
I enjoyed the calming effect of the dark silent room while taking the occasional glimpse at Legoshi as I fiddled with my bandage on my hand, wanting to ask about his quick escape the last time we talked but I didn't know how since I was uncertain of prying too much and didn't want to be rude.
Thus, once the hour was over even though Legoshi stayed longer just to be with me, we exited the wolf room together and I turned to look at Legoshi while being filled with determination.
"Well, I'm starving so did you have dinner yet?" I asked, then Legoshi shook his head and we went to the cafeteria to meet up with the other 701 canines.
"Are you sure it's a good idea for me to join the drama club now of all times? I mean, everyone's got their hands full with the performance later, and having a new member just showing up out of nowhere might distract them from their club duties," I pointed out in concern while Sanu and I stood in front of the double doors that led to the drama club, in which the members were stressing out over the smallest things concerning the first performance of Adler in a couple of hours.
The chipper mood I have had since my interaction with Legoshi in the wolf room yesterday had died down today, dampened by classes and other things before being replaced with anxiety while I was uncertain about joining the drama club today.
"Don't worry, Eric, you've already gotten to know the other members of the drama club when you first showed up here, so I'm sure that your presence will calm them down a little and give them something else to focus on.
Also, I want you to acquaint yourself with the stage crew so that later tonight, you can observe their duties and hopefully pick up on all of this a little easier so you'll be fine since you have nothing to worry about," Sanu reassured before he pushes open the double doors and claps his hands to gain the attention of the other members.
After that, everyone in front of us scrambled about with some looking irritated, others smiling creepily, and a few giggling like maniacs so the fact that I was basically fresh meat distracts them from the incoming performance as they all huddle around me with some still looking weary of me while others couldn't care less or seem way too enthusiastic for me to be here a second time.
There was nothing but an awkward silence as I scratched the back of my head and cleared my throat, feeling a little nervous from being surrounded by so many people as I worked up the courage to say something.
"Hey everyone, you already know me so I wish to inform you all that I'm now a new member of the drama club and will be working on the stage crew, so it'll be nice working with all of you from now on," I greeted as I finish off with a polite bow and smile, causing the room to erupt into girlish squeaks and coos as well as male appreciation.
"It's like I said before, Aoba, he's certainly interesting to look at," Bill whispered to Aoba, a male eagle and I felt uncomfortable at that while Ellen approached me.
"Hey, it's good to hear that we're going to have you as a new member and not to be rude, but you sure look weird since I've never seen a human before," Ellen said before I chuckled nervously.
"Yeah, I get that a lot," I replied while fighting to keep my smile on my face.
Pretty soon, the other members started congratulating me for becoming a new member of the drama club while the others ranging from Els, Sheila, Bill, Aoba, Mina, Moro, Fudge, and Kibi welcomed me to the drama club until Dom approached and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"Okay, everyone, give him some space so that he can breathe. Now, I'm going to show Eric around so that he can get acquainted with the club and understand how things work around here," Dom cut in, and I was relieved that he came to my rescue since I was starting to become overwhelmed as the peafowl gestured for me to follow him.
I walked with him as I thought about what I've learned about the club so far, liking how dynamic it was since the overall energy of the place made me feel welcomed and...oddly normal like this is nothing but a normal club at a normal school with me being nothing but an ordinary student.
Dom gives me a tour of the place, giggling at my interested expression every now and then until it was soon over before we struck up a decent conversation as he takes me up a ladder to a platform, where the lighting is stationed and I could see a nice view of the room up here just before I spotted Legoshi and a male mongoose by the name of Kai.
"Eric, I'm sure you're familiar with Legoshi and Kai," Dom said as the two people in question turned to look at me while I smiled warmly.
"Hey, guys, good to see you both," I greeted while Legoshi widened his eyes slightly.
"Y-Yeah, i-it's nice to see you too, so you're part of the stage crew now, huh?" Legoshi asked while I caught a glimpse of his tail wagging and before I could answer, Dom beat me to it.
"Yes he is, and I know this is pretty sudden for you guys, but he'll be hanging around you a lot for these performances so it'll be easier for him to learn how everything works here," Dom explained, causing Legoshi and Kai to nod before Dom let out an exaggerated sigh and turned to me.
"Although, I honestly can't wait to finally have a new source for ideas for costumes and decorations since we really need all the help we can get on this team," Dom added, then Kai took up an offended expression.
"Hey, we're not that fucking bad!" Kai protests irritably before Dom sent him an unimpressed look.
"Oh please, none of you have a single clue about which colors fit well together or the emotional importance they have for the play because you and Kibi wanted to make a funeral outfit yellow! Yellow!" Dom retorted before he looked at me and added, "Really Eric, you would be a savior of this mess of a stage crew if you decided to pitch in with your own ideas about the costumes and decorations so have fun."
With that said, Dom patted my shoulder and left the three of us alone while an awkward silence occurred since Legoshi was still an introverted fella, even though he and I had grown closer yesterday in the wolf room until I clapped my hands together before rubbing them.
"So, anything I can do to help you guys without causing you immense stress?" I asked.
Kai, Legoshi, and I had chatted for a bit with Kai mostly carrying the small talk since Legoshi was still unsurprisingly anti-social around us, but he was kind and gentle as always as he showed me the basics of working the lights and not once was he upset or even irritated when I questioned him about something or had a little trouble.
Kai had left the teaching to Legoshi while watching us with a small suggestive smirk on his face for some reason but, overall, everyone in the club seemed far more accepting than I had hoped for, willing to work with me despite my species so it didn't take long for the hours to pass by and before I knew it, I'm next to Legoshi in the auditorium while taking care of the lights just as the first performance of Adler is about to start.
I had also changed into the club's attire that consisted of a white t-shirt, red sweatpants, and white sneakers so although the auditorium itself is at a pleasant temperature, the catwalk that Legoshi and I were working on is significantly colder for some reason.
Sure, I looked a bit odd with bandages on my left arm and right hand, but I didn't mind while I saw the place was packed with people with every seat taken by all the students who were eagerly waiting for the play to start, conversing with each other in hushed but excited voices.
I couldn't help but grin as I spotted a group of fans in one of the rows, finding it amusing that someone like Louis could make both males and females swoon for him but I was prickling with excitement as well, seeing as how I've never even seen the play before.
Because of my amnesia, I didn't know if I've ever been to a school play before so that was a bit of a letdown, but the way everyone talked about it told me that Alder would be a sight to see for the first time, not to mention that I had high expectations for this after risking a sneak peek at the costumes and stage props.
Legoshi and I sat in comfortable silence as I think back to Louis' speech of motivation, or at least that's what it was supposed to be since the speech seemed more like a frantic turmoil of words that you string together in an assignment to hit the necessary word count.
I frowned as I recalled what he said to the members of the actor's team, having the feeling that he was mostly saying those words to himself and not like I could blame him since he was the lead actor of the play with the spotlight constantly on him and with it, the pressure of meeting about a hundred different expectations and pleasing as many people as possible, so I was thankful that I wasn't on the actor's team since I didn't think that I could handle that much stress.
I hear a voice through Legoshi's headset, asking if the lights were ready to go and I watch him scramble for an answer.
"Uh, spotlight one is good to go," Legoshi confirmed on his headset while I was feeling my face heat up from how close he was, but I force my attention to the stage as the performance begins.
Louis, dressed in Adler's costume, runs out onto the stage with such passion and ferocity that even took me by surprise as he lands perfectly in the spotlight, but I noticed that something was seriously wrong judging by his body language and the angle of his leg until it finally hits me and my eyes widened.
'That fucking idiot, he wouldn't...no, his inferiority complex can't be that bad, right?' I thought uneasily and looked at Legoshi.
"Legoshi, something's very wrong with his leg," I whispered, catching the wolf's attention as the play continued.
Louis' performance is fierce as every movement he makes, even if it was just the smallest of breaths, shakes the stage and the audience to the core while it was captivating and I hang onto every little piece the story provides me with.
The shinigami hero is brought to life by Louis, is given a story, a life, and a heart while the deer's passion and radiance never ceased for even a second until the end of the final scene and as the female lead, Ellen, dies by the hands of the one she loves, I couldn't take my eyes off of such a powerful scene as Louis said his final line and the play ended while the audience applauded and cheered in adoration while the curtains began to descend.
While that was happening, I grabbed Legoshi's arm and drag him towards the end of the catwalk, already making my way down and to the other side of the room where the back of the stage was, just before the curtains closed halfway and Louis started to sway on his feet.
I run as fast as my legs could carry me without causing a commotion, continuing to drag Legoshi with me while a worried look appeared on my face until I make it backstage just in time to see the curtains close fully and Louis collapsing to the ground completely unconscious, then I let go of Legoshi's wrist and ran over to the unconscious deer on the floor while I felt like slapping him in the back of the head.
'You stupid son of a bitch, why in god's name would you perform with a broken leg?!' I thought incredulously while I made it to Louis' side and went to check on him as the other drama club members were also hurrying over to help me.
A/N Well, looks like Eric is starting to develop some kind of attraction to Legoshi so I wonder if it'll go even further, only time will tell since things are going to get interesting down the road.
So, let me know what you think and stay tuned.