(AN: Well, happy Sunday everyone! Here we are again, with another chapter of Transfer: Re-Enrolled! Normally this would be around the time schools would be starting, but of course a CERTAIN pandemic is still going, so some might be doing online classes while others might be going in person (for the love of all that is holy, wear a mask and EXPOSE your school if no one is doing so)
If you're still stuck at home, here's hoping this fic gives you a feel for what college was like BEFORE all this, as trust me, I kinda miss college too :(
In the meantime, here's hoping you enjoy!)
"Ah, good afternoon everyone!" Professor Finitevus said as he walked toward the bottom part of the room, adjusting the microphone on his collar. "Apologies for all the late activities with all your classes. You know how busy things can get on first days. Don't worry, we should be back to normal schedules tomorrow, but regardless-"
The echidna professor pulled a device out from his pocket, starting up a project hanging on the ceiling. It displayed a PowerPoint presentation behind the professor reading 'ADVANCED ENGLISH LITERATURE WITH PROF. FINITEVUS'.
"For those unaware, my name is Professor Finitevus Echidna, I've been working in the English field for almost ten years, and I am your Advanced English Literature professor for this school year. If there are a few things you'd like to know about my hobbies, besides teaching and reading, I do also love to watch documentaries, and I have an interest in the field of science. Mainly that comes from watching movies about evil scientists for a good chunk of my childhood."
This elicited laughs from the students. Vector could relate to his professor, as part of the reason he wanted to go into law was due to having an interest in private investigation after a childhood of watching detective movies.
"Here's me with my pet chao, Tsuchinoko, whomst I love very dearly…" continued Professor Finitevus, showing more pictures of himself. "…and me on my trip to Southern Mobius where my friends left me on a deflating air balloon, which yes, was the scariest moment of my life. I would absolutely love to continue describing myself, but frankly, I don't have that large of an ego, so I'll just call it here. I'm going to hand out your syllabus now, but before we discuss that, I think we should all at least introduce ourselves, to not just your peers but also to me. It'll be a good way for me to learn your names for roll on Wednesday. I do see some familiar faces from my basic English Literature class last year, but I also see some new ones."
Professor Finitevus grabbed a file from his desk and walked toward the rightmost part of the lecture hall, detaching his microphone from his collar and passing it to the first student at the very end of the row of chairs, a shy looking rabbit girl with a teal minidress. He then proceeded to hand out a paper from the file, passing along down each row as he returned to the rabbit girl.
"Now, just pass this along when you're done, okay? I just need your name, what you're majoring in, and… and tell us a little fact about yourself."
The rabbit girl began to speak, but as soon as she did, the speakers in the hall boomed. Everyone covered their ears as the girl apologized.
"I-I'm-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" she said. "I… my name is Thorn the Rabbit, and I'm currently majoring in Music Education. And… and a fact about me is thaaaat… I like archery a lot."
The entire class began to clap as the girl looked away, shy. Vector wasn't sure whether or not she liked the attention, but it didn't matter to him, as the mic was handed to him. The crocodile stood up, tapped softly into the mic.
"Yo, mah name is Vector the Crocodile! I happen to be yer school's quarterback-"
A student loudly yelled 'WHOO!' in response as the others laughed. "-and I'm currently majorin' in sports. And a fact 'bout me is that alongside bein' a football player, I wanna try and make it as a detective, which is why I'm takin' this course!"
The class clapped again as Finitevus took back the mic. "Not because you have an interest in English literature?"
"Well, Professor, how else am I gonna read law books? Doin' it blind?"
"I suppose I get where you're coming from."
Soon, the mic was passed around the entire classroom, taking up almost an hour as everyone introduced themselves. With the last student introducing themselves (Vector checking his phone again due to getting bored after Rouge's introduction), Professor Finitevus took back the mic and headed back to the front of the lecture hall.
"Well, that's quite a class we have this semester! I'll be trying my best to remember your names, so do forgive me if I forget. I do have to teach three other classes after this one. Well, I would like to begin with the syllabus… again, but there's ONE more introduction I have to do. And I'd like to thank Mr. Valdez for the opportunity of allowing me the honor of introducing him."
Vector turned to face toward his left, seeing a blue chameleon man in a nice outfit and a red beret. Squinting his eyes, he could see that it was the same man from earlier when he passed by the Gerald Robotnik Memorial Fountain introducing the school to the foreign exchange program students.
Professor Finitevus walked towards his left, poking his head out through the door and saying loud enough for everyone to hear, "Come on, don't be shy. I'll introduce you."
Everyone looked around in confusion. What was going on? What kind of student warranted this kind of introduction? Were they special? Were they a big deal?
The entire class learned how much of a big deal as soon as the clacking of wood against the tiles of the lecture hall floors was heard. They all perked up as a figure suddenly went through the door, and in an instant, the entire class was quiet. Vector could only stare, wide eyed.
This figure was a person… but… it was the STRANGEST looking man Vector had seen in his life. He was a fuchsia chameleon, dressed in some of the most ancient clothing he had ever seen. The crocodile wasn't even sure WHAT he was wearing. Some kind of robe and long pants? With something seemingly attached to his wrists? He'd never seen anything like it.
And most of all, this person seemed to not be sure what was going on either. He looked around at his classmates, wide eyed like a bug. Everyone returned their stares at him, and Vector still wasn't sure how to react. He knew the foreign exchange students were different than the people from Central Mobius, but this felt far different…
"Class, I'd like you all to meet Espio the Chameleon. Mr. Espio here is the latest transfer student, part of our Foreign Exchange Student program offered by Mr. Valdez, and he hails from a village in an ancient part of Northern Mobius called Gojo."
Immediately, Vector heard someone a few rows down below say "I went to Northern Mobius this summer and I didn't see anyone like him…"
It was then that the quarterback had a flashback to his days back in public school, reading his history textbooks and seeing pictures and illustrations of people in very ancient clothing from civilizations that were hundreds, thousands of years old even. This man named Espio… he felt like he came from that textbook. And where in Northern Mobius did he say he was from? Gojo? Did it even exist?
This only conflicted Vector more and more. He wasn't quite expecting to meet someone as unusual as this in his first day…
"As for his one fact, Mr. Espio here is fluent in Japanese," Professor Finitevus continued. "So perhaps if you have any questions about the language, he's always there. Although, with that out of the way, I should tell you a little more about our new transfer student. Unlike the remaining transfer students we have this year, Mr. Espio is NOT fluent in English, nor has he properly understood the language at all. I ask that you all please be patient with him as we all do our best to help him learn a second language. I do believe you're all respectful individuals as well as responsible adults who know what the right thing to do is."
The class began to clap for Espio as the chameleon looked more uncomfortable than he did before. Vector couldn't imagine how he was feeling right now. But one thing was for certain…
Something about the aura of this individual mystified him…
"Alright, since you're the last person to be introduced, why don't I seat you somewhere?" Finitevus continued. "How about… hm… Mr…. Vector, right?"
The crocodile perked up. "Y-Yessir?"
"Would it be okay if Mr. Espio sat next to you during our time in this class?"
Vector, who had put his backpack on the empty seat next to him, turned back to face his professor. "U-Uh, sure… I dun mind…"
As the quarterback quickly fumbled to get his bookbag off the seat, Professor Finitevus motioned for Espio to sit where he had assigned him. Getting onto the floor, Vector looked to see Rouge staring up at him.
"Wow, look at you, Vector. Pretty soon, we'll call you fluent in Japanese, won't we?" she asked.
"I dun think bein' a detective is gonna require me to learn a foreign language… Besides, I ain't good at learnin' that stuff!"
"Oh, we'll see…"
With the chameleon finally shyly walking towards Vector's row, he looked at the chair in front of him. Vector turned to face him, seeing Espio look at the chair with confusion.
"Hey uh… ya sit on the chair, like I'm doin'," he said. The chameleon looked at Vector, then back at the chair, confusion still clear on his face. This was only getting more confusing. Not only was he from an ancient village that he hadn't heard of, but he's never seen a CHAIR before? Where did he come from?
Suddenly, the blue chameleon man named Valdez walked next to Espio, whispering something in his ear. Vector continued to watch as Espio slowly crouched and got into his chair, seemingly surprised at what he was doing.
"…and since we had to push back class quite a bit, we need to end things off early," Professor Finitevus finished with his lecture. "So, starting this Wednesday and every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afterwards, we'll meet back here at 9:30 on the dot. I'll see you all back here in two days, but until then, have a great rest of your first day back at Mobius U!"
Everyone began to grab their belongings and rise from their chairs, piling out of the lecture hall as Vector did the same. He only continued to look behind at the chameleon, who had Valdez by his toe. Leaving the lecture hall, Vector headed off to his next lesson for the day, still thinking back about that man in the ancient clothing.
"Guess ya see new things every day…"
Espio was beyond conflicted.
That first lesson of the day had done quite a bit to damper his mood. Back in the village, he was treated as almost like a god due to being related to Bride of the Constant Vigil. People called him 'Espio-sama', and gave him special treatment. He knew they were doing it out of the kindness of their heart, but sometimes he felt the villagers of Gojo could be a fair bit overbearing.
This was something completely different. Here, he was looked at like he was a stranger, like he didn't belong here. The chameleon thought back to how everyone was looking at him, as if they had never seen anyone like him.
And the truth was… they were right. They HADN'T seen anyone like him. He couldn't even respond to that green crocodile, whatever he was saying…
"Okay, Espio-kun, so your next class is Algebra 101 with Professor Quack. That's back in the A building. Do you remember where that is?" Valdez asked as he walked next to the fuchsia chameleon. Espio shook his head. "The building where we signed you up? It's the building with the large robot statue. The one you thought looked incredible?"
"Ah, that one?..." Espio responded. "I… think?"
"Well, how about this. Let me test you on whether you remember how to get there. I'll go on ahead, and in the meantime, you'll try to find me in your classroom, okay?"
"V-Valdez-san."
"I'll see if you're able to do this! Don't let me down, Espio-kun!"
Espio reached his hand out, but Valdez had already left. As students walked around the chameleon, he had gotten cold feet again.
Sure, he remembered the inside of the building, but he wasn't sure HOW specifically to get there…
Walking out of the D building, Espio looked around as he held his bag closely to him. What building was A? None of them had an 'A' anywhere nearby. He wanted to ask anyone, someone that could hear him. But how could he even ask if no one could understand him, and he couldn't understand them?
That doesn't mean it wasn't worth a shot. Walking along the crowd of people, Espio said 'Excuse me!" multiple times around the students, but none of them heard him. Now he was getting more anxious. He tried his best to calm himself, as one of his training lessons taught him to never crack under pressure. Breathing in the humid air of that hot, sunny day, Espio knew the best thing he could do next is look at that map he was given earlier that day. But before he could do so-
"Hey, kid!"
Espio perked up as he heard the voice in question., Suddenly, he could feel his shoulder being tapped, and turning around to see who it was, Espio saw three birds of different shapes and colors in front of him.
"What's the rush, kid?" the smallest bird asked, a green one wearing clothes too long for this climate. Espio tried to open his mouth, not even sure of what to say. He didn't know what he meant was saying, nor did he know how to respond to the bird's request. So, he just said the best thing that could come to mind.
"E-E… ay… ay…"
"Huh?" the green bird asked with confusion.
"Hey, boss, this guy sure talks weird!" the largest bird, a bulky grey bird, replied. "What the heck is ey ay ay?"
"I think he's trying to find the A building," the final bird, a purple bird, replied. "Although, I'm not quite sure what cat has HIS tongue."
"Yeah, you're looking for the A building, right?" the green bird asked. Espio wasn't quite sure what he meant, but he DID hear 'A'.
"H-Hai!"
"…hey to you too? Look, if you're looking for the A building…" the bird walked next to Espio, grabbing his shoulder and deliberately pointing at the K building. "It's right there. You can't miss it."
Espio turned to face the birds, bowing, but not saying anything as he couldn't do much except bow to show his thanks. Running off as best as he could in his geta shoes, the chameleon missed the grin of malice on the green bird's face.
"Heh, what a sucker," he said.
"This is how we're spending our first day, Jet?" the purple bird asked. "Confusing freshman and… people like him?"
"Oh, don't get on my ass, Wave! You know you enjoy it!"
"Okay, so maybe it is a little amusing. But don't start acting like you're all tough talk for someone who only turned into a sophomore today."
"Hey, you ain't gonna make fun of the boss like that, Wave!" the large grey bird replied.
"Jet isn't even your boss, Storm! When are you gonna outgrow that dumb pet name?!"
"Well I say it cause we gotta back him no matter what! Even if we can be a little mean about it!"
"You think he's gonna come back crawling, Jet?"
The bird grinned. "Nah. As a hawk, I realize many things about people by just looking at them. That kid we just talked to? Yeah, he's gonna be skewered meat for SOME athlete here."
25 MINUTES LATER
Espio's anxiety about the day had gone from bad to worse. The teachings he had learned back in Gojo were only failing him by the minute. He had spent almost the last twenty minutes trying to find his classroom, trying to find where Valdez was. But all there was in this building was no classrooms and just various people either eating, sitting in chairs, or doing so many different things.
"Calm… calm your mind, Espio. Remember the teachings of your father. Clear your mind of distracting thoughts…" the chameleon thought to himself. But minute by minute, it was getting more hopeless. He couldn't only imagine how disappointed his father would be looking down on him from the heavens, not just for being outside of Gojo, but for being a fool.
A fool… that's what he was…
Bringing back up the map he had gotten earlier, he SWORE this was the A building. But there was no sign of the statue, no sign of the stairs, none of the people he had seen earlier that day were around anywhere. And more importantly, no Valdez.
It was at that moment that a large purple gorilla passed by him. He was no longer taking chances with him, he HAD to ask him where he was.
"Excuse me!" Espio said in his native language. The gorilla turned to face the chameleon.
"…who are you? And… what is THAT?" he said, looking down at the chameleon. Espio tried his best to convey his message, pointing to the A building on the map and saying, 'Ei… ay… ay…"
"Oh… you're in the K building. The A building is across right there," he pointed at the building diagonally ahead. "Why are you here?"
It was too late, as Espio had already run off. The gorilla shook his head as he continued to make his way to where he was heading. "Hope Connery doesn't see him if that's what he looks like…"
With his destination in sight, Espio had finally went through the back entrance of the A building, which now looked more familiar to him. The chameleon sighed, now wondering where to go from here. He knew he had… Algebra? But where was it?
It was when he was putting away his map and getting out his schedule that he heard a sharp, 'Espio-kun!"
Turning to face the direction of the voice, the chameleon saw an annoyed Valdez walking up to him.
"You've been gone for almost thirty minutes! You're late!" he scolded. "Where have you been?!"
"P-Please forgive me, Valdez-san!" Espio bowed. "I-I got lost on my way here, someone told me the K building was the A building, and I spent a while trying to find it-"
"Someone confused you? Oh, dear dear dear…" Valdez shook his head. "Look, tell me after class who they were and I'll have a chat with them, for now, we're already late as is."
The two chameleons walked up the stairs as Valdez lead Espio to his right, going down the long hall all the way to the last classroom to the right. The blue chameleon knocked and opened the door as the entire class stared at Valdez and Espio.
"Ah, good of you to join us Mr..." a yellow duck in the front of the classroom, no doubt being Professor Quack, said. The duck checked a paper he held and squinted. "…Espio the Chameleon? You're only thirty minutes late. Don't worry, the first day blues get to us. Take a seat wherever you want."
Feeling his scales glow slightly lighter in embarrassment, Espio avoided the stares as he picked the first seat in front of him towards the back of the classroom, in front of an overweight brown tapir with glasses. Unlike the other students, he wasn't looking at Espio, but was more so looking into space without a care in the world. As Espio sat down, Valdez stood by him as the fuchsia chameleon looked around.
"Well, before our interruption, we were introducing ourselves to our classmates. Ironically, we had just gotten done with Mark's introduction," Professor Quack said. "So, since you sat in front of him, why don't introduce yourself?"
"Erm, if you don't mind Professor Quack, I'll do the honors of properly introducing him," Valdez said.
"You, Mr. Valdez?"
"Let's just say that Espio here… isn't quite fluent in English. In fact, he's fluent in Japanese, and comes from Northern Mobius. I do hope that you all understand that and treat him the same like you would the others. Just… be patient with him, okay?"
Despite it not being a proper introduction, the class began to clap. Espio said nothing but stayed still in his seat, not wanting any more attention. Back when he used to train at the Shinobi Clan's ninja school, his senseis NEVER made him do anything like this. Why were all the classrooms in this school like this?
Unbeknownst to him, Espio felt his shoulder being tapped quickly. Turning around, the chameleon stared face to face with Mark, the tapir he sat in front of.
"Hey," he said in a nasally tone. "Are you really from Northern Mobius?"
Espio, not knowing how to respond, simply stared at the tapir before turning around. What could he even say to this strange individual? Nothing that would mean anything to him, that was for sure…
Sighing, he waited for class to just end…
SOME TIME LATER
"I haven't seen anyone around like that," Knuckles said as he and Vector walked back to West Hall after class, getting ready for the early dinner the school was serving. The two were talking about the strange man named Espio that the crocodile had met earlier that day during Advanced English Literature, still speculating.
"I wouldn't be surprised. The dude is like small, but he's dressed in old fashioned clothin'. Ya can't miss him," the crocodile replied.
"And you said he's from Northern Mobius and can't speak English? How's he supposed to survive here?"
"He's got a translator with him it seems. Man, could you imagine? He'll probably be givin' him exam answers and no one would know!"
"That's something Connery would say about people like him."
"I mean, it's a smart idea! Hell, I'd learn a foreign language just to do that!"
"You said you don't like to learn them."
"That's what Rouge told me-"
"Wait, you got Rouge in your class again?!"
"Dontcha start with me, Knux. Ya know what me and Mighty always say, simp all yeh want, she'll never notice ya."
"In your dreams! I'll show her THIS year that she can't ignore me!"
"Whaddya gonna do, send her chocolates and roses daily?"
"I said something where she can't ignore me, not something that'll embarrass me!"
"How funny, cause yeh can be an embarrassment sometimes."
Knuckles playfully hit Vector in the arm. While it didn't hurt, it did sting a little bit after the blow.
"Alright, well I'm probably gonna put down mah bag and maybe bring somethin' with me before I join yeh guys. Just text me when ya get to the dinin' hall, and make sure to leave a spot fer me!" Vector continued as the two went their separate ways. The crocodile returned to B-103 and scanned in his ID, letting him in. Just as he swung the door open-
Someone was already in the room. And it wasn't just someone, it was a… fuchsia chameleon… said individual taking off his bath towel getting ready to get dressed. However, he turned to face Vector as the two quickly freaked out, sputtering indescribable noises. The chameleon turned invisible and the crocodile quickly shut the door, embarrassed for himself and embarrassed for the chameleon.
"Wait a minute… what was he doin' in mah room?" Vector asked himself. "Naw… he can't be mah roomie… can he?"
Just then, Vector turned his head as he heard two voices coming straight his way. He could see that blue chameleon from class earlier that day and… Headmaster Robotnik?
"I'm telling you, Vector is a great choice for this. Not only did he make the Dean's List last semester in English Literature, but he's a very friendly individual, definitely someone Espio will look up to," the Headmaster said, moustache bouncing as he walked.
"I never really did look at what our athletes are like, but from how you describe Vector, I'm surprised he isn't like the model athlete of this school," Valdez added.
"In fact, there he is right there!"
Vector looked up to face the two walking up to them.
"A-Afternoon, headmaster," Vector said.
"And a good afternoon to you too, Mr. Vector. Dare say, is Mr. Espio in?" the headmaster replied.
"Y-Yes…"
"I did have to show him where the showers are since he hasn't showered all day, but I'm surprised he not only got how it worked, but where his dorm was," Valdez said.
"His dorm?" Vector asked. "Okay, I need either of yeh to explain this to me. I met the kid in mah Advanced English Literature class and NOW he's suddenly mah roomie? Even when I didn't have one before?"
"Did you not explain it to him, Mr. Valdez? You DO have the same class, correct?"
"We only just discussed this now after we got out of Espio's Algebra class!"
"Ahem…" Headmaster Robotnik cleared his throat. "Well, since you weren't made aware, I'll tell you. As you know, Mr. Espio is the latest addition to our band of foreign exchange students to this zone. However, you also might be aware too that Mr. Espio has no knowledge of English. As such, while we did put him into ESOL, I have a personal favor from myself and Mr. Valdez. Vector, since the computers chose your room as his room and board, I'd like to ask if its possible that you help Mr. Espio as he learns English. You don't need to teach him everything because well, not only would it take too long, but he's already having English lessons on the side. But, having you teach him would be an absolute honor. Of course, don't feel like you have to do it, it is something I ask that you consider. After all, since you'll be together as roommates, you'll need some level of interaction, no?"
"I suppose so…" Vector did consider his options. While he did see himself as someone who was intelligent for being what many would consider a jock with a heart of gold, he wasn't sure HOW he would go about being someone's teacher. Doing tests and projects was one thing. But this was teaching a language to someone not familiar with it…
And yet, the benefits outweighed the negatives. If he kept up teaching Espio, soon he COULD interact with his new roommate, as well as maybe teach him other things too. After all, with how he looked, Vector knew that Espio came from a place that was behind about 100 years in SO many factors. It wasn't everyday that you get to blow the mind of someone, especially a college age person.
"I mean, ya guys did ask so… what's the harm?" Vector shrugged.
"Excellent!" Headmaster Robotnik smiled. "I really think this will be a wonderful opportunity. I should tell Augustus about this later, I think he'd be just as proud."
"By the way, Mr. Vector. Is Espio inside?" Valdez asked. The crocodile remembered the sudden freak out the two head as he nodded.
"…why aren't you inside?"
"Unmentionables."
"Unmentionab… oh…"
The blue chameleon looked at the headmaster and at Vector. "THAT'S what you mean. Hold on, I've known Espio since he was a tot, let me take care of this."
Valdez went inside as Vector and Headmaster Robotnik stood outside.
"And how have your classes been, Vector?" the headmaster asked.
"Good," replied the crocodile. "Just tryin' to get in mah dorm to get ready for dinner."
"Ah, likewise. Usually every first day of the semester, I walk to the Sub Station II to grab myself a sandwich. Of course, I'm trying to keep it under wraps because my doctor wants to me to lose a few pounds, but you can agree with me that sometimes its fun to cheat, right?"
"I mean it is, although it's personally worse fer me. I have girls droolin' on me like I'm Adonis so I gotta keep up the looks, even if givin' up sugar KILLS me."
"Wellll, I believe there's no harm in enjoying yourself every once in a while."
Just then, Valdez and Espio walked out of the room, the fuchsia chameleon now in another haori and hakama of a different color.
"Well, we'll leave you to it. For now, have Espio follow you to the K building. I already explained to him that you'll be taking him there, and that you're his roommate. He understands completely, so you don't need to worry about that," said Valdez.
"What 'bout what he likes to eat?" Vector asked. "He's never seen Central Mobius food before."
"Ah, that's true… well, from the last time I've been at the dining hall's buffet, they did have stuff like… rice and vegetables and soups, so just try to use your best judgement. You also could look up what Northern Mobius cuisine is like. I think it would be a good time to start teaching him how the dining hall works. He's never had to serve himself food, it was always his family's nanny that served meals for them."
"Alright, I see. Dun worry, Mr. Valdez. I got this."
"Well, with that out of the way, I think the headmaster and myself shall enjoy dinner together. There are some more things we'll need to discuss, so enjoy your meal boys. Don't forget, class is gonna start up again soon."
"I gotcha, I gotcha!"
"And Vector?" the headmaster said. "Don't let our school down. If you're successful, I believe this will definitely look good in your future."
Vector smiled as the two walked away. With that, the crocodile turned around and looked down at the chameleon in front of him. He put his arms on his waist. "Hey there, name's Vector! I'm pretty sure Valdez explained everythin' to ya, but I'm gonna be yer roomie this year! Don't worry, I look big, mean, and scary, but I'm a nice guy! At least, as long as yeh dun play a serious game of football with me! Heh heh," he chuckled. As he expected, Espio gave no response, only staring at the quarterback.
"Right, guess I shouldn't have expected ya to say anythin'. But hey, even if ya can't understand, I feel we're gonna get along!"
Vector held out his hand for a handshake, but once again, Espio did nothing. Unlike his verbal introduction, Espio looked at the crocodile's hand as if he DID see someone hold out their hand, but it seemed like he wasn't sure what to do afterwards.
"Geez, dun even know a handshake either? Whadda they even say in yer country again? I dun remember it… is it somethin' like… konnichiwa or somethin' like that? I dunno, I never payed attention to-"
"H-Hajimemashite." Espio suddenly said. Vector stared at his roommate.
"Huh?"
Espio said nothing in response, only continuing to stare at Vector.
"I'm just gonna… pretend I know whacha mean. Here, let's just head to the K buildin' together. I'm sure yer probably real hungry, and plus, Valdez wants me to explain to ya how the dining hall works as well as how yer gonna pay fer it. Here, lemme just get ready, kay?"
Vector walked into the room as Espio simply waited outside, holding his hands together.
Reaching the large dining area of the K building, Vector inhaled strongly as the smell of delicious food filled his nostrils. He could feel the inside of his mouth watering and his cheeks buzzing with warmth at the thought of taking in a bite of a delicious slice of pizza.
"Y'know, I dunno if ya learned it in yer village or whatever, but here in the walls of this school, mealtime is like a banquet worthy of a god…" Vector said, already smacking his lips. "Okay, let's get started. First, follow me."
Vector started to walk among the crowd of people, Espio following in toe. He stopped in front of a large buffet surrounded by various counters from different restaurants serving their own food alongside the food prepared by the school.
"Alright, so this is the main meal area. This is where you're gonna mainly eat for all meals of the day. The main buffet here has… pretty much a lot that you could ask for. But if ya don't like that… there's about four chain restaurants right there, but I doubt ya know what that is. I dunno if ya have buffets where ya live, but ya just gotta grab a plate and fit whatever ya want on there. Now, just remember that each meal item costs a certain number of points on yer meal card, and usually above every container or bucket of food, it'll say what the food is and how many points it'll be. Since I'm here," Vector pulled out his wallet and got out his meal card. "Ya got yours?"
Upon seeing the card, Espio reached into his haori and pulled out the card. He looked at in clear confusion.
"This is how yer gonna pay for yer meals. When we get to the counter, I'll do it fer ya so yeh can watch me. Now come on, let's getcha yer meal first so ya dun have to wait on me."
Walking to the main buffet area, Vector grabbed a plate and utensils for the chameleon. "Now, just point at whatever yeh want and I'll get it fer ya. Okay?"
There was still no reply from the chameleon, and Vector was frankly in the dark if he understood or not. Praying that he did, the quarterback moved along the line to not hold people up. Holding the chameleon's plate, Espio simply only looked at the meals in front of him. Without any kind of confirmation or words, Vector still wasn't sure what he liked or not.
"Man, Valdez shouldda been here for me, or at least told me more 'bout what Espio liked…" he said. Just as he said this, he immediately saw white rice available.
"Hey, how 'bout this?" Vector asked, pointing to the rice. Espio pointed at it and nodded, giving the crocodile a sigh of relief knowing that at least he could SOMEWHAT understand him. He scooped up a big spoonful of rice for the chameleon, scattering it onto his plate. Of course, he knew rice wouldn't be enough, and wondered what else would go with his meal…
"Hmm… I forgot, do they have curry?" Vector said to himself, walking towards the part of the buffet that contained 'international foods'. Sure enough, he found three pots with different curry flavors on the counter, and scooped some up, pouring it over the rice. He couldn't see the strange look Espio gave him as he did so and wondered that maybe he should give him some vegetables too. Leaving the chameleon behind, Vector walked to the salad bar and added some salad to his rice. As he returned, he could see Espio with something in his hand.
"What the? What the hey do ya got in yer hand, Espio?" Vector asked. As he looked closer at the red packaging, he could see that it was the chopsticks by the international foods buffet corner.
"But I already gotcha some utensils… oh well, that's probably what yer more used to, right? Well, anyway, I gotcha yer meal. It's probably… NOT what ya normally eat, but I'll ask Valdez about it when I get the chance. I hope ya like it regardless. C'mon, lemme go pay fer it, and I'll getcha somethin' to drink on the way too."
Vector passed by the cooler and grabbed a bottled water before walking to the register, getting in line as Espio followed in hot pursuit. With the line getting shorter and shorter by the minute, the two were finally next in line as the person at the cashier rang up the bill of the meal, a surprising 6.3 points (mainly for how little there was).
"Alright, Espio, hand me yer card," Vector held out his hand towards the chameleon, still holding his card. The chameleon wasn't sure what to do, but seeing him hold out his hand caused him to give the card to Vector. With clear intent, Espio watched as Vector scanned the card and handed it back to him.
"And then ya get a receipt, take yerself outta line, and then yer done!" Vector said, handing the plate to Espio. "There ya go! We can practice this more in the future, but that's how ya order a meal here! Now stay right here, I'll get a meal of mah own. I'll be right back, okay?"
Espio stared in silence as Vector got in line, watching as the crocodile first went to one of the restaurant counters, then proceeded to pile his plate with food from the buffet a couple of minutes later. After going to the same counter where they were earlier and returning back to the chain restaurant counter, Vector returned with foods Espio had never seen before in both hands.
"Okay, I'm back! Let's go find the team, I told 'em to leave me a spot," Vector said. The crocodile went ahead as Espio followed behind, holding his plate of food and water bottle tight in his hands. He could still feel the faces of others stare at him as the wood of his geta struck the tiled floor. Espio tried his best not to focus on the others as Vector finally stopped, sitting down with his 'team'.
"Hey, yeh guys didn't leave me!" Vector said, sitting down all his food as he was surrounded by members of the football team (and Mighty).
"Well no shit we left you a place. If the others found out the star quarterback had to sit at the nerds table, your reputation would fall 6 jock points!" Thrash teased.
"It's college, the nerds table dun even exist anymore! Yeh can't use that excuse!"
"Oh, well sounds like SOMEONE wants to lose jock points today regardless."
"I suppose what you're eating is something you can't excuse either, Vector," Connery said, arms crossed.
"'Scuse me fer not eatin' grass and drinkin' almond milk up the wazoo."
"I've told you a vegetarian diet does help with you. It would be a shame if we lose our star quarterback because he has a large stomach. I mean, look at what you got. Do you really need… what's that, a candy bar, likely a slice of pizza, a soda, all that meat-"
"Hey, I talked with the headmaster today, and sure, maybe this ain't so good fer me, but I while generally do watch what I eat, who says I can't splurge? Ya know ya want some, Connery…"
"Ugh, please. Maybe in another lifetime."
"Maybe you should just let it go, Connery," the Badniks' Defensive End lizard, Rudy, said in between chews of his clucky wings. "This isn't debate class."
"I'll have you know I made high marks…"
"In the only class you ever made high marks in, right?" Knuckles teased.
"Hilarious, considering your track record in mathematics."
This response elicited laughs as Vector began to dig in, opening up the box and revealing a small pizza inside. Taking the first slice into his hand, he took a big bite and smiled as it went down his throat.
"Man, I dunno what it is but this shit is delicious…" Vector said. Amid the team eating, Espio slowly sat down next to Vector, silently looking at his food. Mighty was the first one to notice him.
"Hey, who's that?"
The team turned their attention away from their conversations and towards Espio. Vector looked at the chameleon as he began to slowly take out the chopsticks from the packaging.
"Oh, this here is mah roomie, Espio!" Vector introduced. "Apparently, he's from this village in Northern Mobius and can only speak Japanese, so dun try to talkin' to him fer now. He won't understand yeh."
"What are you doing with… someone like him?" Connery asked.
"The headmaster asked me if I teach him English alongside what he's gonna be learnin' this year. Gotta do it fer the brownie points, ya know. Plus, I think I deserve a bit of good karma."
"And not because you'd be a good teacher?" Mighty replied.
"Oh, okay Mr. Swallow-girl-simp, let's see you teach others on how to date! Maybe then that girl yeh like can actually acknowledge yer existence!"
"I'm a wrestler, not a con artist."
Vector snickered in response. "Well hey, even if ya can't understand him or he can't understand yeh, he's likely gonna be around me a lot, so just treat him nice, okay?"
"I don't mind!" Rotor shrugged. "Besides, not only have I wanted to visit Northern Mobius myself, look at him use chopsticks like a natural! I wanna learn how to do that…"
"What, football players caring about how to use chopsticks?" the Badniks' Cornerback water buffalo, Axel, asked. He rose an eyebrow. "Is that what you should be caring about?"
"It's not like I'm gonna make a hobby out of it or something…"
"The fork, knife, and spoon were invented for a reason, Rotor," the running back horse replied. "You don't need two wooden sticks."
"Man, you guys always get on my grill!"
Amid their tirade, Vector watched as Espio dug into his rice. But upon taking the first bite, he could tell Espio didn't like it. The face he was making made it clear as day…
"He's not gonna be sick, is he?" Rudy asked.
"I dunno… his caretaker guy or somethin' said he LIKED rice… but I dunno if he's had curry rice or somethin'," Vector replied.
"Can't say I've had it myself, but plain rice is better for you. At least, I tend to go for multigrain rice. I assume Northern Mobius people eat white rice, but I ain't too sure," Thrash said, taking another bite of his sandwich and a chug from his sports drink.
Just then, Monk had come by with a plate full of fruit and gelatin, sitting down in between Rudy and Connery.
"Not gonna go fer a proper meal today, Monk?" Vector asked as he moved onto cutting his steak.
"Coach asked to see me earlier, thinks I'm a little too overweight, and right now, I'm on pure fruit diet for the time being," the purple gorilla replied.
"And no greens?" Connery added.
"If there's no dressing, forget about it. And that was something coach told me to cut for now."
"Why oh why do you all not listen to me…"
"Best he make a start, Connery," Axol said, stuffing another piece of egg into his mouth.
Just then, as Monk was about to dig in, he noticed Espio.
"Hey, I saw you earlier, didn't I?" he said. Espio still took only small from his rice before grabbing some salad with his chopsticks. Just as he was examining it to see what it was, Vector elbowed his roommate.
The chameleon looked up at his roommate, then pointed in the direction of Monk.
"There you are, finally you acknowledge me," Monk said. "I saw you earlier today."
"You did?" Thrash asked. "This is pretty much our first time meeting him."
"And he seems rather chill so far!" Knuckles said. "Hey, Vector, make sure to bring him next time, okay?"
"I will, I will," the quarterback replied. "But anyway, what's this 'bout meetin' him?"
"It happened earlier today," the gorilla continued. "Poor child looked so lost and he could barely even tell me where he needed to go."
"Where did he need to go?"
"It seems like someone told him this was the A building."
Vector groaned. "Ugh, it's probably those Babylon jerkoffs again. They got me last year too and that green hawk runt never let me live it down."
"Yes, Jet certainly is a little certain…" Connery replied. "But I feel he'll soon crash and fall once he realizes there's more to life than mockery."
"Not before Mighty gets his happily ever after!" Rotor said, Mighty's cheeks glowing red in embarrassment.
The rest of the team continued to eat, and while they had fun talking amongst each other (even if Vector noticed Connery was staring at Espio for a couple of seconds before turning his attention back to his teammates), with some even trying to get Espio involved despite him not understanding what he said, the team soon left one by one as it was almost time for them to get going to their classes. Vector's next class didn't start for another fifteen minutes, but he wasn't sure when Espio's next class began.
With all but his candy bar eaten, Vector hiccupped as he turned to face Espio.
"Say, Espio, when's yer next class?"
Espio, who hadn't ate a lot, looked up at Vector and like clockwork, didn't say anything. With not much to go off of, Vector knew visual aids were probably going to be the best thing he needed until the chameleon went to his first ESOL lesson and when Vector could finally start his tutoring. Getting out his own schedule, the crocodile held it up, motioning towards it. Slowly, Espio understood what he meant, getting out his own schedule with so many pen scribbles on it in Japanese. Vector knew it was likely that Valdez wrote on it.
"Okay, look here, ya got yer next class in… five minutes?! Oh snap, we dun got time! Here, I'll take ya there so ya dun get lost, it's on the first floor of the A building, so ya should be good!"
The quarterback grabbed his bag and handed the schedule back to Espio. In response, the chameleon got up and grabbed his bag.
"Aren't you going to teach your new friend MANNERS, Vector?" Connery said, pointing to the plate Espio had left.
"Manners, right," Vector replied. "Okay, Espio, lemme teach ya one last thing. When yer done eatin', if ya dun wanna save it fer later, the trash bins right there-" he pointed at a row of trash cans and recycling bins. "Course, ya shouldn't be wastin' food in the first place, but it's there regardless."
Vector got up from his seat and walked up to the trash can, throwing away what Espio didn't eat alongside his chopsticks, the chameleon following behind. "And then," he continued. "Ya gotta put yer plate here so the washing staff can take care of it. Okay?"
Once again, Espio said nothing in response and looked blankly at Vector.
"…I'll assume ya heard me. C'mon, let's go!"
Vector soon left the K building with Espio in tow as Knuckles, Connery, and Rotor were the only ones left at the table.
"That boy is going to be nothing but trouble for Vector, I can tell…" Connery said.
"Jeez, you already don't like him?" Rotor asked. "I know you like to rant in the locker room about the exchange students, but could you MAYBE wait to know him better?"
"He seems pretty harmless…" Knuckles said, finishing his milk. "I could see myself being friends with him."
"A foolish sentiment… the fact that he can't even speak and Vector has to coddle him like a child… I tell you, why does Valdez continue that program?"
"Dude, let it go. As Knuckles said, he doesn't seem harmless. Whatever your parents told you about people outside Central Mobius, forget it."
"It wasn't my parents, you dunce. It's of my own opinion. And you're free to have yours as I am mine. Now, I should be going to."
With his salad bowl finished, Connery was next to throw his trash away, leaving the echidna and walrus behind.
"Man, Connery is our best running back, but dang can he be stubborn about that topic in general," Rotor said.
"Just ignore him, dude. If he gives any trouble to Espio, I got his back. I mean, he's friends with Vector! And anyone who's friends with Vector is friends with me!" Knuckles replied.
"That's the view I wish Connery held…"
"Again, just ignore him. I know you like to get a lot of crap from the guys, but even they can be uneducated for being in college."
"Like you are?"
"…I now regret defending you."
LATER THAT NIGHT
The sun had finally begun to set on Mobius U as the exciting first day back to class had come to a close. Students were now returning to their dorms for the night as teachers walked around, still either teaching night classes, or had finished up their lessons and were moving about in the building.
Vector sat at the desk, the various syllabuses from each class passed out in front of him as he read over and signed each one. He never did like this whole syllabus nonsense, after all, why did you need to sign a piece of paper just to signify that you know rules?
The small TV in the corner of the dorm next to the desk was on, blaring a local news station about a burger shop in the city and its missing mascot statue, and how the owner cried about it due to having to see kids with superhuman strength carrying it off into traffic… whatever THAT meant. It was simply just white noise for Vector, as he had mainly been listening to music on his large headphones.
With all the noise of the room, Espio only looked around, hand on his other arm. He wasn't sure about all the noise, as he had been used to the quiet all his life. Not even the village could get this loud, even during holidays…
"Hey, Espio! I know ya probably got some syllabuses yerself!" Vector said. "Here, lemme help ya out with fillin' them out. Whaddya got?"
Espio looked at his roommate but said nothing. It was then that Vector reached towards the chameleon's bag and opened it up. The ninja opened his mouth to object.
"Y-Yamete kudasai!" he said, reaching his hand out. But it was too late, Vector had already laid out the syllabuses from his three classes: Advanced English Literature, Algebra, and Psychology. Espio ran over to stop Vector, but he was already writing on it.
"See?" the crocodile said a few seconds later. "Now ya dun need to worry 'bout signin' this stuff. I'm sure yer teachers probably wouldn't like it if ya signed in Japanese."
Espio grabbed the sheet Vector held, angry that he had messed with it.
"Hey, I didn't mean to hurt yer feelin's. I'm just tryna help."
But once again, it was no use as Espio STILL couldn't understand him. Vector sighed.
"Okay, as much as I understand that I'm teachin' yeh, there is no way we can continue this if ya aren't learnin' somethin', so let's prematurely begin lessons," he said. "We can take care of the syllabuses later, but fer now, let's get started."
Vector turned in his chair to face Espio. "Now, I want ya to repeat after me. Hello."
Espio raised a brow.
"Let's try this again," Vector cleared his throat. "Hello."
Understanding what he's trying to convey, Espio opened his mouth. "H-Ha… Hal…"
"No no, it's a good start but yer sayin' it like it's Hallo. It's said with an E. HE-LL-o. Listen, that E and LL part, ya dig?"
Espio however, didn't respond positively. He bit his tongue, turned away from Vector and slammed the desk with his fist, muttering "Kuso…" under his breath. Vector shook his hands.
"H-Hey, hey hey hey! Dun feel discouraged! It's okay to make mistakes! Yer just learnin' after all! Look, w-we dun have to do this if ya aren't feelin' up to it. But dun beat yerself up. I think ya can manage this. We can try again tomorrow, but it's a good start so far!
Vector turned around in his chair, remembering that an offensive stereotype that everyone frowned upon with people from Northern Mobius was that they mixed up their L's and R's. Espio SEEMED to not mix it up, but it was clear he wasn't used to saying hello at all. And the way he reacted to his failure… Did he not like to mess up?
He shook his head. He knew it would be best to not frustrate Espio anymore.
"It's gonna be a long semester…" Vector said, signing the remaining forms.
With the clock on the desk hitting 11:00, Vector knew it was time for bed. He had just come back from his nightly shower, water dripping down his toned body as he held his towel in place. Espio had been on the floor, eyes closing and murmuring… something under his breath.
"Thank Gaia his eyes ain't open," Vector thought to himself. Espio had already been caught by his new roommate nude once, he wasn't sure the chameleon would be able to handle the roles being reversed in the same day.
Quickly getting dressed in a t shirt and basketball shorts, Vector plugged in his cell phone and turned off the TV, dimming the room's lights.
"Alright, Espio. Time fer bed," he announced. The chameleon opened his eyes, looking up at the crocodile. Vector looked at the bunk bed in front of the two and grinned softly.
"Oh… heh heh, right. We never did pick which bunk we wanted, huh… Well, I figured cause of how big and heavy I am, pickin' the top bunk would probably result in me crushin' ya eventually… so I'll take the bottom bunk!"
Vector slithered into the bottom bunk, getting himself comfortable as he wrapped the covers over him. As he stretched his arms, he turned to still see Espio staring at him.
"Well? Dun be shy. See how yer new bed is like!"
Espio looked up at the bunk and started to climb, still wearing his geta, haori, and hakama.
"Uh… ain't ya gonna get undressed?..."
The transfer student stopped for a moment before continuing to climb onto the bed. Vector shrugged, assuming he still didn't understand what he meant. He yawned, his jaw hitting the wood holding the top part of his bunk together as he smacked his lips, getting more comfortable. Rolling to his side, Vector let his tail droop from out of the covers as he slowly succumbed to sleepiness…
A FEW HOURS LATER…
At least, what WOULD be considered sleepiness had it not been hot in the room.
If there was something Vector HATED about room and board at Mobius U, it felt like the AC turned on at the most inconsistent times ever. Either it went off every five minutes, or every two hours. It was something he had regularly complained to Sally about, but something that fell upon deaf ears.
He had spent the last hour twisting and turning in his bed, his body becoming hot and sticky under the humidity of the room. He groaned every time he couldn't get back to bed, and not even the cool side of the pillow helped out.
Cursing to himself knowing that he'd be tired in the morning, Vector opted to get some cold water to HOPEFULLY cool himself down enough to get back to sleep. Squinting his eyes, he could see that it was almost 3 am.
"Eh, fuck it…" he grumbled. It wasn't like he was gonna get back to bed anytime soon.
As to not wake up Espio, the quarterback quietly pulled himself out of bed, hoping he wouldn't make too much noise. He couldn't HEAR any noise coming from the chameleon, so that must mean it was safe.
But not even three steps ahead, Vector yelled loudly as he tripped over something on the floor. Arms scrambling, he fell flat on his front side. Hissing at how loud his crash was, the crocodile quickly got up to see what was on the floor as he heard a sudden noise and a jolt. Scrambling for the lights, Vector felt pain in his eyes as he turned them on only to see…
Espio, his blanket and pillow on the floor.
"E-Espio? What the heck are ya doin'?!" Vector questioned, rubbing his eyes. "Why in the… why the hell are ya on the floor?"
Espio said nothing in response, but he had his hand in his hakama. Was he trying to pull out something?
"It's… 3am, Espio… Look, I'm just… gonna get some water, okay? I dunno why the hell yer on the floor but… if it REALLY makes you that comfortable…"
Vector turned off the lights. "I'll be back in just a minute. If someone enters, that's me, okay?"
He opened the door and Espio saw the light of West Hall's hallway light up parts of the room and his face. With the crocodile turning the corner, the door slowly closed behind him, dimming the room, Espio's face, and dimming his first stressful day at Mobius University.
END OF CHAPTER 2
