(AN: Almost one month later and I'm only now releasing a new chapter? Sorry guys, I wanted to get this out sooner but as I was writing, I had a health scare that really triggered my health anxiety and I got lost behind with writing and... it frankly hasn't gotten any better! But I do hope this helps turn things over! Again, I do apologize for the lateness, and I'll try to get a new chapter out sooner!)
'It was the next day, a Friday evening, when Espio found himself sitting at the desk at the dorm with his English notebook in front of him. Vector stood behind the chameleon, phone in his hand as he pulled up a video containing the English alphabet.
"Alright, Espio," Vector began, the chameleon looking up at him. "If we're gonna learn how to speak and write, we're gonna have to learn the alphabet. Here, we learn it at a pretty young age, and there's only 26 characters compared to the… however many yeh got. And remember, I told ya earlier today that if ya finish today's lesson, I'll getcha somethin' nice fer dinner, okay?"
That was entirely true, as after Advanced English Literature, Vector walked up to Valdez and told him about what happened yesterday as well as what he could do. It was there that the blue chameleon told him what he could do to motivate him and told him that he could motivate him by promising something good for dinner that night. What Valdez came up with something Espio might enjoy: cup udon. Before they had to part, he said udon was a massive comfort food in Gojo, although microwavable cup udon didn't exist in Gojo (naturally!).
And so, the two reptiles were ready to begin their lesson as Vector kneeled next to his roommate.
"Alright, let's begin. First, I'm gonna have yeh listen to this. Pay attention, cause after this, I'm gonna pause after each letter, have yeh write it down and then say it," Vector said. "But right now, just listen."
With that, Vector pressed play, and the video on his phone began.
"Letters of the alphabet, ABC!" the cheery voice said through the phone's speakers. Vector rolled his eyes in a meaning manner; how nostalgic this song was for something he had only heard today… It reminded Vector of being back in preschool, when the simplest thing in the world was worrying about what juice box he'd get for lunch and singing the letters of the alphabet with his preschool teacher was one of the most exciting parts of the day alongside recess, and snack and nap time.
Espio also seemed to be rather captivated by the song too as it continued. His eyes were wide as he didn't tear his attention away from the screen.
"…F is for Fun, which you're having now! G is for Great, your mood around here! H is for How, like how do you do? I is for Ice, brr, how cold!..."
The song continued like this for the next two minutes as Espio continued to watch, Vector watching him as the song was now to X. He wouldn't lie, the beat WAS catchy, and he could see the song being used in a trap remix… of course, now wasn't the time to goof off and think about such things…
"…Y is for You, yes, I mean you! And finally, Z is for Zebra, just only two?! Now you've learned the letters of the alphabet, your ABCs and your XYZs. Come again and sing with us, you'll ride the bus, of learning much! See you a-nother day!"
The song finally ended as Espio took his eyes away from the phone and looked at Vector.
"Now that yeh've learned that, it's time we begin writin' it down and repeatin' after me. Let's start from the top…"
Vector once again replayed the video and stopped as soon as A appeared.
"Okay, lemme just demonstrate to yeh how it's done," Vector grabbed one of the extra pens on the desk and wrote an A as neat as he could on the paper, making sure Espio had enough room to see. "Alright, now yeh try."
Seeing both A's, Espio immediately went to writing out an A, which went rather smoothly as the chameleon was able to emulate Vector's A.
"Now that we got it written, it's time to say it," Vector said. "Repeat after me. A. Listen to how I'm sayin' it, like eyy. One more time: A."
Espio looked at the crocodile and the phone back and forth. "E-E-Eyy?"
"Hmm… nice, but a little uncertain there. One more, A."
"A-A… ey… A?..."
"Ya got it! Gimme one more A!"
"A-A… A!"
"Ha ha!" Vector patted Espio's shoulder. "Nice job! C'mon, keep goin'! We gotta getcha on a roll!"
And so, the next 45 minutes were spent teaching Espio how to write and say the alphabet. Some letters, like D and O were rather easy to write and say. But others…
"Okay, okay… C is lookin' like one we're havin' issues with, so let's try one more before we move on fer now," Vector said. "One more time: C. Ya say it like seeeeeee, ya hear?"
But no matter how many times Espio tries to say C… "Sh-sheeee…."
He kept putting an H in it.
"Okay, let's just… move onto another one. We can continue to work on that at another time."
While his writing was also rather neat, some letters did confuse him. S and G were the letters Espio was having the most difficulty with, as he kept making the top or bottom stroke either too big or too small when it came to S, and he kept closing the last stroke in G as if it were an E. Vector tried to explain it to him as best as he could, but like some of his pronunciations, he knew there was still work to be done.
"And that ain't even the lowercase letters…" Vector said to himself.
After spending an hour writing down and reciting the alphabet back to the crocodile, Vector saw that it was almost 8 pm. By now, the two would have already gotten dinner, but the quarterback felt there was still some time left before the dining hall closed for the night.
…
Even if his and Espio's stomachs growled just then. The chameleon had a look of discomfort on his face, but Vector knew he still couldn't tell him that he was hungry. Regardless, one final lesson wouldn't hurt as long as he kept it brief…
"Alright, Espio, yer almost done!" Vector said. "Now, all we need to do is to just have yeh repeat whacha said yesterday, and I'll getcha yer reward! Now, repeat after me: Hello, my name is Espio."
"H-Hallo… ma-my ne-name is… is Espio…"
"Still having some trouble there, one more time: Hello, my name is Espio."
"H-He… Ha… He… Hello?... Ma-My ne-name is… is Espio…"
"Yer gettin' there! No need to jumble on yer words though, yer fine! Just… say it all together. One more time, okay? Hello, my name is Espio."
"Hello, my ne-name is Espio!"
"Wow, yer really gettin' this! Yer still kinda messin' up on the name part, b-but that's okay! We can still work on that! Good job!"
The crocodile could see Espio smile. He heard from Valdez about what happened yesterday and it made Vector feel bad. Learning languages frustrated him too, and he was intermediate at MOST when it came to Spanish and French classes he took back in public school. But still, Espio was picking up things rather quick for English being such a drastically different language compared to his native Japanese. He was proud of him, even if he couldn't vocalize his approval to his roommate.
"Alright, stay here, okay? I'll getcha yer reward, and dun worry! I know how hungry ya probably are!"
With that, Vector closed Espio's notebook as he got up from the floor, shooting him a finger gun as he closed the door behind him and made his way down the hall.
"Gaia, I HOPE he likes it this time…"
Coming back to the dorm (thankfully before it closed) with a bag containing Espio's 'reward', alongside a three meat and cheese sub sandwich, some chips and a soft drink for his dinner, Vector got out his keys from his pocket and turned the lock, opening the door to see Espio still sitting at the desk. He was only gone for fifteen minutes, and yet he spent the entire time just… staring at the desk? At least this would cheer him up.
"I'm back!" Vector said loudly as Espio looked up at him. "And yeh won't believe what I gotcha! It's yer reward fer bein' such a sport this evenin' and improvin' yer English!"
Opening the bag and digging through it, he pulled out the cup noodles and slammed it in front of the chameleon, startling him.
"Da daaa! It's yer dinner fer tonight!" he said. "I talked with Valdez and he said yeh like this kinda stuff! Never had it like this, have yeh?"
He could watch as Espio stared at the cup, turning it around as he examined it. Just as he thought, the transfer student wasn't used to this, but it seemed like he could tell what it was by the picture on top of the cup.
"Lemme show yeh how to cook these, just in case yeh get hungry fer them," Vector walked over to the cup and grabbed it, as Espio turned to him quickly.
"K-Kaeshite kudasai!" he said, holding out his hand.
"Huh?" Vector questioned. It was weird but, even though he said something that was CLEARLY Japanese, his tone and his action signaled to Vector what he was trying to say. "I-I ain't takin' it! I'm just gonna show yeh how to cook it. See-" the crocodile opened up the cup to reveal that it hadn't been cooked. "Not even made yet."
This caused Espio to stop, but he looked perplexed. Vector knew that he wasn't used to instant noodles, but likely from how he looked, it was clear that Espio had NEVER known that noodles could be precooked like this. They must have been used to the real deal back in his village…
"What we're gonna do, is-" Vector opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water from the small pack he got after lunch today. "Is grab some water, and we're gonna fill it to right here," the crocodile proceeded to point at the line on the cup, pouring the water from the bottle into the cup as he reached the limit. "And then, once we got that exactly where it needs to be, we're gonna put it in the microwave…"
He proceeded to grab the handle and open the microwave above the minifridge, placing the cup inside. "And we're gonna put it fer… 4 minutes!"
Pressing the button for 4, the quarterback pressed the ON button as the microwave spurred to life. He was surprised by how Espio was taking the microwave, as just yesterday, he had freaked out after Vector microwaved some of his leftovers from lunch for dinner. But now, it didn't seem like it was bothering him anymore. As the two waited for the noodles to cook, Vector brought out his dinner as well as the other things he got for the chameleon; some chopsticks he took from the dining hall (thank goodness they're disposable!) and a sugar free ice tea.
"Ahh…" Vector said, sitting down as he happily opened his sandwich, his chips, and his drink. "Nothin' like a good sandwich to start the weekend…"
Biting into it happily, Vector chugged his drink as he noticed Espio watching him.
"Dun worry, Espio," he said in between bites. "Yers will be done too."
It took another two minutes and fifty-three seconds, but at last, the noodles were finished cooking. The microwave beeped as Vector looked up, a few bites away from almost finishing his sandwich. He placed it to the side and crawled to the microwave, opening it up and grabbing the hot cup. He blew on it a little before handing it to Espio.
"Be careful, it's very hot," he warned. "Try not to burn yerself."
Espio grabbed a hold of the cup, trying not to spill it as he grabbed his chopsticks. He stirred the content of the noodles, hearing them squish around together. Vector watched with intent as Espio took his first slurp of his reward, gobbling the rich noodle into his mouth. When he did, the expression on his face changed. The chameleon's eyes were wide, and his arms shook.
"H-Hey now… dun spill it. Ya wouldn't like that, would yeh?"
Espio ignored Vector as it seemed like there was a little bit of water forming in his eyes. The crocodile took notice of this but chose to ignore it as Espio slugged the rest of his noodles as quick as he could, making loud slurping noises. Vector chuckled as he grabbed his sandwich.
"Hey, this ain't a food eatin' contest! Although, if ya want it to be…"
Vector quickly devoured his sandwich, still seeing Espio chow down his meal, ignoring him and the bottle of tea behind him. When he was finished, Espio sighed happily, placed his chopsticks back in the paper packaging it came in and set it on the desk. He proceeded to get up from his chair and bowed in front of Vector.
"Y-Yer welcome… glad yeh liked it," Vector said. "I can tell that's the first thing here yeh really enjoyed, huh?"
Espio didn't say anything in response, but the look on his face said everything. It was a face of… happiness… of content… It warmed Vector's heart seeing this, and he knew this was deserved for how well Espio was doing.
"Well, I'd love to stay up, but I got practice at six 'til ten. Say, join me! I know yeh got class at eight, but coach wanted yeh to come with me, seems like he wants to meetcha!" the crocodile said. "Plus, yeh'll get to see yer first proper look into football, and hey, lemme take yeh out to eat tomorrow! It'll be on me! There's a place close by on campus that yeh'll REALLY like, it won't be too far, trust me! Oh, we're gonna have a great time-"
As Vector continued on and on about what kind of plans the two would do tomorrow, he failed to realize the look of surprise but also amusement on Espio's face.
THE NEXT DAY…
After getting up considerably early and at the crack of dawn (not that Espio minded, this would be around the time he'd be getting up back in Gojo), it was time for Saturday morning football practice, and after parting ways with Espio, Vector joined his fellow teammates into the team's locker room as the chameleon was left alone at the VERY large bleachers surrounding the outdoor field past the campus. It almost intimidated him how big of a place this was…
With not much to do, as he had no weekend homework, and without Valdez here, Espio wrote in his English notebook a little to practice some of what he learned yesterday. If only he knew more English, he wanted to express his gratitude to Vector for yesterday's dinner. It felt like it had been so long since he last had udon, and while it tasted nothing like the udon his mother or the family's nanny would make, he thought it was so thoughtful of his roommate to do such a thing.
He even felt like crying, something he hadn't done since he was a young child. Being in that moment, feeling like he was back at home with Shami and his mother by his side… nothing could replicate that feeling, but it was nice to imagine that for that special time…
He shook his head, not wanting to get emotional here. Just as he was getting started to try and practice his G's, something he saw Vector getting a little frustrated at his inability to write correctly, Espio suddenly was startled by a very loud noise he hadn't heard before.
"Alright, small fries!" a rather lean yet large polar bear yelled after dropping some kind of metal device from his mouth in front of dozens of people, one of which including Vector. "We all had a fun summer, right? Practicing and practicing like ponies running in a field… Well, it's time you ponies turned into full on steeds!"
Espio stared ahead, looking at what was going on as he held his notebook to his face. What was that sharp noise? How could something sound so loud? He looked around, not sure of where it came from.
"Now as you can see, we got a little bit of an audience today," the polar bear turned around and pointed at the chameleon. Everyone turned to face him as Espio felt the spotlight was on him once again just like in Creative Drawing I (which he suddenly remembered he had today). He held his English notebook to his face more, wanting the others to avert his attention away from him.
"SO!..." the polar bear continued. "Let's show our latest audience member what us Badniks are capable of! Let's get started, but first, warm up time! Drop and give me fifty right now!"
Everyone got on the ground as they began to do some kind of… exercise… Espio wasn't sure what it was or what that large man meant. He had never seen this before… At least, he was more used to stretching for fifteen minutes each morning, not… whatever this was.
Still though, it was interesting to watch, and it seemed like Vector was doing a good job. The polar bear man walked by his players, watching them intently.
"Come on, butt LOWER, Rotor!" he said. "I told you this before! And don't you half ass this, Monk! I see how barely low you're going! And Brawny… don't think I haven't noticed-"
Espio tore his eyes away from the players, returning to writing down some more English letters. After some time, he got bored of what he was doing and put his notebook away. While the team were finished with their workouts and practicing some drills, with someone kicking a football high into the sky, the chameleon had his eyes deep in a book he brought back from Gojo, subtly titled, 'The Little Blue Bird'. He had just started it as Valdez had returned back to Gojo, and since there wasn't much to do before the start of his next class and waiting for Vector to finish, he might as well spend his time reading as he still had hundreds of pages left…
Still though, it was hard to resist looking up occasionally. He wasn't sure what this sport was, but it looked interesting… Not that he would be the first to know about anything like this, as his mother and the other Brides only permitted very specific sports in the Historic District. Whatever THIS was, it surely wasn't one of them. But from how hard the players were tackling each other, or running, or from how loud the polar bear man yelled after blowing his whistle, he knew this wouldn't be anything his mother would approve of.
"The outside world… is more interesting than I thought…" Espio said to himself, returning into the pages about the world of the Poet's River and the blue bird…
As the sun slowly started to rise on the stadium and on the chameleon, Espio looked up and realized it must have soon been time for him to leave for his Creative Drawing class once again. Knowing that Valdez must be confused where he is, Espio quickly packed his book back in his bag and started to make his way down the bleachers, the clacking of his geta shoes hitting the steel bleachers with a hard THUD, drawing the attention of the team and Coach Augustus.
"Ha! Looks like our little audience member has to leave," he said. "Alright boys, on that note, you're all doing a fine job for our first school year practice, yeah? I say you all deserve a little break. Come on 'round to the water cooler before we return to practice at eight on the dot."
The members of the football team sighed as they all began to take off their helmets, walking over to the large water cooler for a drink of water and a break. As they did, Espio was making his way off the bleachers and to the path out of the field when he heard a sudden bark.
"Hey!"
He turned around to see the polar bear man walking up to him. Seeing him up close like THIS, Espio was shocked. He had NEVER seen a man with this kind of stature before. Gojo had many strong men in the village, but no one like this had ever been seen back home.
"So, Mr. Fuchsia Chameleon, we meet at last!" he said, his former angry demeanor being replaced with a more friendly tone. "It's so great to meet you. I'm Coach Augustus, the football coach here at Mobius U. Hey, thanks for coming 'round to practice this morning. I know it's probably very early for you, but I felt having you around definitely inspired my team, and they're gonna need it so the rival schools don't kick our ass this season. If you need anything, me and the rest of the staff are here to help."
Once again, the polar bear held out his hand like so many others did. Remembering his disastrous ESOL lesson earlier this week, he slowly reached his hand out and grabbed the coach's large hand. In response, the polar bear gripped the chameleon's hand roughly and shook it, grinning as he shook the reptile's hand. After letting go, Espio remembered that Professor Longclaw and Valdez taught that it was important to introduce himself, and what better way to practice what he's learned with Vector so far?
"H-Ha-Hello… ma-my ne-name iss… is… Esp-Espio…" he said, bowing.
"Ah, Espio," Coach Augustus said. "I heard Vector call you that earlier this week, well it's nice to meet you too. I've been hearing that you haven't learned a single word of English, but now I'm seeing that isn't true! Keep it up. I know learning English isn't the same as coaching a team or playing a position on the field, but it has its own challenges and rewards too just like football."
Just then, Vector came walking over to the two, holding his helmet in one hand and a cone cup of water in the other.
"Yo Coach!" he said, his tail swirling behind him. "Finally talkin' to Espio?"
"It seems like your roommate introduced himself to me. That's what I like to see, Vector. I knew you were a good choice having you be his tutor," the polar bear replied.
"Heh heh," Vector rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, yeh know how it is, coach. Over time, Espio starts to open up more and realize he needs to talk with more people. Hell, he probably saw his first ever football practice I bet. Wait till he sees his first game."
"Your performance better be top notch. You know the first game is in a couple of weeks, right?"
"'Course, how could I forget? Dun worry, I ain't gonna let yeh, the team, and… and Espio down. That is, if he wants to go or not. Anyway, Espio, yeh headin' to yer art class? It's almost eight. Do yeh remember where it is?"
Espio still couldn't understand what Vector was saying, but he did recall clearly where the classroom was. He just needed to find his way out of the field first…
"Say, why don't you escort him off the field so he doesn't get lost? When I saw him come in earlier this morning, he looked like he never seen a place like this," Coach Augustus said.
"Cause he never has, coach. Never seen a football practice, never seen a stadium, never been to a game, hell, I bet this is the first time he's seen me like this," Vector said, pointing to his blue and white jersey, white compression pants, and black cleats.
"I do suppose I see a fair point. It's easy to forget about people who don't share the same life experience as you."
"Anyway, tell the guys I'll be right back. I'll just be takin' him outta the stadium fer now. Besides, with Thrash gettin' hit in the head during kickoff practice, I'm sure the others would get lost at this point."
"Yes, let's PRAY it's not a permanent injury. I would rather not like to kick off half this team for being blockheads because they got hit by too many footballs to the head."
"Not me coach? Even when I suffered that one pile on durin' the finals tournament last year?"
"I frankly told you this Vector, and I tell this to ALL my players, you get good grades, you're on the team. You start to fall behind, and I frankly will go harder on your ass. If I see that you care, then I'll be hard, but I'll acknowledge that you're trying. But if I see you don't care, then fuck it, off the team you go. Frankly, I think you should be glad Espio here is your friend. He lets me know you're failing your classes, and I'm kicking your ass from here back to Downunda. Comprende?"
"Geez geez," Vector held up his hands. "'Course I care 'bout mah grades coach, no need to threaten me. There's others yeh could say that to."
"Good, now get to takin' him to class! The longer you sit here, he'll be late and you won't have anything resembling a break!"
"Aight, aight! I'm goin'!"
Still holding his helmet, Vector walked Espio out of the stadium.
As the two walked onto the parking lot, Vector heard the clacking of his cleats hit the pavement as Espio walked next to him, still reading his book from earlier.
"Hey, Espio," he asked. "Heh, never saw me like this, right? Yeah, this is the sport I play. Betcha that it's the first time yer introduced to it. Whacha think of it?"
Espio said nothing, as he was still absorbed in his book. Vector snapped his fingers, causing the chameleon to look up at the quarterback.
"Whacha readin'?"
Espio's silence continued, but the two stopped in the middle of the parking lot as he showed the cover to the book. Vector crouched down, but as soon as he read the title…
"小さな青い鳥"
…he didn't have FRANKLY a clue what he was reading.
"Iiiiiiii… cannot read that!" the crocodile said. "B-But it looks interestin'! Yeh havin' fun readin' it?"
Espio put the book back into his bag, giving no response. Vector simply smiled, not really certain what to say without any kind of response.
"W-Well, let's not worry 'bout that fer now. Lemme just take yeh to class,"
With that, they walked past the large parking lot and walked towards the main campus.
"Okay, Espio, yeh remember where yer class is, right? A buildin'? With Professor… uh, dunno which one yeh got, but one of 'em. That art guy?"
Espio continued his minutes long silence, but Vector could tell from how he looked that he remembered where to go.
"Are ya sure yeh dun need me to walk there? I dun need yeh to run into those Babylon jerkoffs again."
Espio began to rumble around his bag as he grabbed his schedule, pointing to his Creative Drawing class and then pointing to the A building.
"Ah, good! Yeh do know! Alright, well I'll see yeh later today! Remember, I'll meetcha 'round noon so I can take yeh out to lunch! Have a great class, y'here?"
Espio looked at his roommate. "S-Sayonara…" he said softly, walking towards the campus and joining the sea of students heading to their first class. Thankfully, he had no class until 3 today, as he was able to work stuff out with his Math 103 instructor about having class at 8:30 so he could go to practice. With that, and watching Espio in the distance getting less noticeable, the crocodile turned back around to the parking lot and back down to the field. The scoreboard on the field displayed that it was 7:56, so thankfully, he still had some time left. Running to the cooler, Vector got himself a drink and joined Knuckles, Rotor, Connery, Monk, Rudy, Thrash, and the outside linebacker warthog, Brawny Gungho.
"Ah, finally come to join us on break time," Rudy said as Vector took a sip from his cup, letting his tail relax.
"Well, yer favorite quarterback is… well, back! How ya doin', Thrash?" the crocodile asked.
"Is it still bad if I still have double vision?" the purple Tasmanian devil said, rubbing his eyes together.
"I would hate it if we lost you before the first game, Thrash," Connery said. "Prior to your accident, I dare say your performance is the best I've seen from you in the past few months."
"And what, the others sucked?"
"They lacked the gusto. Speaking of that…" the horse looked at Vector. "Why did you bring your roommate here?"
"Cause he's pretty much useless without me, dude. Ya know he can't speak-"
'I'm VERY much aware of that. But he was a distraction at best."
"Ya dun have to look at him, dude. What, the audience is a distraction fer ya too durin' an actual game?"
"The difference is that the audience has a reason to be there. That… boy doesn't."
Vector's brow furrowed. "Lay off of him, dude. Just cause he ain't watchin' or anythin' doesn't mean he can't be there."
"Y-Yeah, Connery. Just let it go. He's gone now, isn't that what you want?"
"I do hope our morale does go up rather than focus on 'having an audience'."
Vector only found himself getting more annoyed with Connery's rhetoric, but kept his mouth shut. Who said he was gonna dictate whether Espio could come to practice or not? In fact, he felt like bringing the chameleon JUST to spite the horse…
"Hey, the most important thing isn't Vector's roommate, but his performance," Knuckles said, tapping the crocodile's shoulder with his knuckle. "And man, what a performance! Did you see the way how he passed the ball to Connery when he was probably twenty feet apart?"
"Yes, I will say, it certainly was a very good pass. It wasn't your strong suite last year, but you've gotten a lot better with it," the horse replied. "After all, you wouldn't be our quarterback if you weren't good at it."
"Hey, it isn't just Vector's passing. Why not talk about how he led the offence when we were doing that practice play before break time?" Monk said.
"Yeah, you mean when he tackled me on the ground and I still frankly feel it?" Rotor asked.
"It means he hits hard and can strategize the offence. Knuckles, myself, and the rest of the offence should frankly be thankful that we have you to lead us."
"Aw, guys… is today just stroke mah ego day?" the crocodile asked.
"I don't particularly think so," Brawny said. "I think it just shows you that we've got a good season this year. I can practically FEEL it. Last two years were hit and miss, but this year? I think we REALLY have it in the bag."
"So, don't let us down, Vec!" Rudy added. "I feel like you won't!"
"Just as long as you stay focused on the game, I think from your performance today, we may have a good chance," Connery said. "Now, if I may please critique the REST of your performances-"
Suddenly, Coach Augustus' whistle blew.
"Alright, ladies, I think that's enough break time for you all. You're all calm, cool, and hydrated once again yes? Enjoyed gossiping like all good little college students, eh?" the polar bear said. "Good, now get back on that field! It's time for the defense to show me what they've got!"
MEANWHILE…
It was after 10 am that Professor D' Coolette let his class out that Espio and Valdez left Creative Drawing I and walked along the hallway amongst the many other students. The chameleon wouldn't deny it… something about how Vector treated him the past few days made him feel more… confident. Last class, he wanted to not show his face and to avoid the spotlight, to not bring attention to himself. This class period however, Espio found himself paying attention, and even caught a word or two that stuck in his mind.
"G-Go-Goin… Going?" he said to himself, walking next to Valdez.
"Espio-kun, you've certainly become a lot more talkative today," Valdez said. "Did something happen?"
"…that man, Vector… he invited me to watch him play a sport."
"A sport?"
"I never have seen it before. It was so strange… Kendo, judo, kyudo, sumo, and the yearly Yabusame games in Genshu… that's all I've seen. But that game he played, it was so odd… They use this… this strangely shaped object that's brown, multiple people surrounding each other and rushing towards different sides of the field, and rather… barbaric attacking."
"That's not barbaric," Valdez almost wanted to smile, but he covered it with his hand. "That's called Football."
"F-Foot..football?
"Yes, it's quite a popular sport here in Central Mobius, probably the national sport if I had to guess. Think of it like how Gojo treats kendo or how Kaku treats kyudo, its what they love, no?"
"Yes… b-but… it's so radically different…"
Valdez looked down at the chameleon. "It certainly is, especially with what you're used to. Espio-kun… you… don't feel left out not really being aware of the sport, do you?"
Espio was silent.
"I suppose it makes sense. So much you didn't know about in just your first week. Surely, the Bride would love to hear this."
The fuschia chameleon looked up quickly. "N-No! She can't learn this! Did you see how angry she was when you suggested I come here?! How would she react if she found out about everything I've seen? The people here, their culture, their food, what about those ph-phone things you told me about yesterday?"
"I suppose you're right, I did promise I would limit your access to the outside world."
Espio started to panic. Not even one week here and he felt like he knew too much about the outside world. He always believed that his mother could see everything about him with just her eyes, and he knew it was only a matter of time before she'd demand that he returned…
"-however, Espio. I do want you to understand this. While she did tell me this, I want you to gain some new life experience, to go outside of your comfort zone and see what the world is like outside of Gojo. Haven't you always wondered?"
"N-No…"
"There's someone who's lying to me."
Espio looked down at his geta.
"This is your chance to make some new friends, learn a new language, and have a once in a lifetime experience. You may learn a lot once you become leader of Gojo, but for now, enjoy yourself. After all, I saw you having a good time today in class. Has Vector helped you feel confident?"
The chameleon nodded as Valdez smiled, patting the transfer student's head.
"Good boy. I knew he was a good choice for you. Well, regardless, you don't have your tutoring today, and you don't have another class until 3 today. Is there anything you wanted to do? I think Vector is still practicing."
"Not that I can think of."
"Do you have homework?"
"Y-Yes."
"Alright, then let's return back to your dorm and I'll help you with it, okay?"
"Yes. Oh, and Valdez?"
"Hm?"
"V-Vector… said something to me. I couldn't understand him, but he mentioned some kind of time last night. He was going on and on about… about something."
"What did he say?"
"I… I'm not sure. I couldn't understand him."
"Well, we'll see when he returns from practice. Let's go back to the dorm for now, okay?"
Espio nodded as the two left the hallway and headed up the stairs back to West Hall. However, once they reached the third floor.
"U-Um!"
Espio and Valdez turned their heads to the voice, who turned out to be Mark, the tapir from his math class.
"H-Hi, Espio," he said in his nasally voice. "A-Are you having a good day?"
"Ah, you're Mark from Espio's class," Valdez said. "He's asking if you're having a good day."
Espio nodded as he looked at the portly tapir, holding both of his backpack straps close to his shoulders.
"T-That's good! I just saw you guys come up here and I wanted to say hi. Anyway, I gotta get to class now, see you next week in math class!"
Mark started to head down the stairs as the two watched.
"It looks like you've been making new friends, Espio-kun," Valdez said. He did have SOMEWHAT of a point, as yesterday during class, with them beginning their first unit, Professor Quack had everyone find a partner and compare work, and Mark had worked with Espio to find an answer (even if Valdez did most of the talking). The tapir did seem really invested in what he had to say, and he wouldn't deny it, alongside Vector and Valdez, it really did seem like Mark was the only other person he had a connection to…
"Well, let's not get carried away, come."
After returning to the dorm, the two chameleons spent almost the next two hours completing Espio's school work. There were some issues with math (Valdez never considered himself the best at it), and Environmental Studies, but they were able to get through the others. As the clock on the desk hit 11:50, Espio was in the middle of doing Creative Drawing I homework where he had to draw a still life of an object complete with shading, highlighting, shadows and light sources when Valdez looked up.
"Ah, it's almost noon, Espio-kun. I say you deserve a break; you've finished a lot of your homework. Stay right here, I'll come back and get you something to eat so you can finish this up and we can end with some English practice for next week's meetup with Professor Longclaw, okay?"
Espio tore his eyes away from one of the kunais he brought from home to look at Valdez, nodding. He smiled in return as he left the dorm, leaving Espio alone in the quiet room. He wasn't too much in the mood to wait, and he still had some work left to do with one of his drawings, which was due next Tuesday. So, he continued, adding more details such as a crack and bumps to the sides of the blade. As he scribbled on the detail as best as he could in those coming minutes, the door to the dorm suddenly opened.
"AH… finally, back at the dorm…" Vector said, smiling as he held his duffel bag in his right hand, walking inside. Espio looked to see the crocodile, back in his normal clothes. He wondered where the ones he wore on the football field went, but didn't pay too much attention.
"Hey there, Espio! How was yer class?" the quarterback walked over to the desk, seeing what Espio was doing. "W-Whoa! Wh-What the heck is that?!"
The transfer student noticed him freak out at the kunai, clearly never seeing it before. He grabbed it, holding it like he normally would.
"W-Why d'ya have a knife on yeh?!"
Espio couldn't understand him, but he figured there wasn't much he could say to assure the crocodile. That's when he looked down at his drawing.
"Y-Yer drawin' that? And… o-oh…"
He moved closer to Espio. "T-This is… this is really good! Wow, I didn't know yeh could draw!"
Vector set his duffle bag down on the floor, crouching and opening it up as he got out some of his belongings.
"Well, I did promise yeh last night, so lemme take yeh out to eat fer lunch, Espio! Yeh probably been in here for so long, I figured yeh'd be hungry. I told ya that I dun mind if ya have some of the snacks in the fridge!"
It was for naught, as Espio still couldn't understand him. However, he did drop his pencil and got up from the chair, stretching as his joints cracked.
"Dun get too excited already! Lemme just grab mah wallet and everythin' I need… and we'll be out in just a sec!"
He wasn't sure what Vector was doing, but after a minute, when he started to leave, he motioned for Espio to join. The chameleon was confused: he wanted him to go somewhere? But Valdez DID promise him lunch…
Although, he DID say Espio could take a break… so what was the harm?
After leaving campus and walking across the street to the plaza near Mobius U, Vector opened the door to the Sub Station II, letting Espio enter inside. He watched as the chameleon looked around wide eyed; the restaurant itself wasn't too large, about the size of a café. What it did make up in was decorative lighting, and a small, hometown style feel with its decorations and cheap but appealing wallpaper and flooring.
"Y'ever have a sub sandwich, Espio?" Vector asked as the two walked up to the counter, Espio too distracted with looking around his surroundings to response. "…gonna take that as a no, w-well even so, I'll help ya with picking somethin' out!"
As they approached the counter, the two servers, a blonde Overlander girl and a white koala were talking amongst each other.
"…are you still not getting used to this, Barby?" the blonde girl asked. "It's your second day, I get it, but you know that second days are always better than the last."
"I get that," the koala, Barby, replied. "I just… did it really have to come to this? I already did a job like this in high school, and I wanna move away from food jobs but no… Mom just HAS to be such a bitch and take away my tuition funds. What do I learn from that? NOTHING! All I learned is that she just wants me to suffer…"
"I know your mom has acted like this plenty of times before, but I'm here. I didn't want to take a job alongside school, but you know Uncle wouldn't bail me out even if he is the headmaster. I just wish I didn't miss the LIFE scholarship deadline…"
"At least Headmaster Robotnik isn't petty, Maria."
"Erm, not to interrupt yeh girls, but we're here to order?" Vector asked. The two girls quickly looked shocked and got into position, standing up straight with shocked looks on their faces.
"P-Please don't tell our manager, she already got mad yesterday…" the blonde girl, Maria, replied. Vector chuckled.
"Not t'worry. I ain't someone who raises a fuss just cause I wasn't given a lemon in mah water."
"Oh good…"
"Hey, you're Vector, aren't you? I've seen you around a few days on campus this past week," Barby said. "What brings you here?"
"Well, besides bein' hungry after practice and… well, BEIN' hungry in general, I decided to teach mah little friend here the ways of the sub sandwich," Vector patted Espio's shoulder.
"Hey, you're that foreign exchange student! Uncle has done a lot of talking about you!" Maria said. "Aw, he's kinda cute too…"
"Is it okay for you to be openly flirting with our customers?" Barby replied.
"Oh, he probably won't understand me. Anyway, yeah, we can get you both started. What do you want?"
"Well, why not start with me?" Vector said, going for his usual roast beef and turkey sandwich. Finishing his order with a side of chips and some juice, Maria then looked to Espio.
"And what will your friend be having?" she asked. Espio looked at the glass case in front of him, seeing all the vegetables in containers intently. Vector looked down at his friend.
"Anythin' in mind, Espio?" he asked as the chameleon continued to look.
"Does he even speak?" Barby asked.
"H-He does, just his English is very limited. U-Uh, here, how 'bout we do this? Give 'im a nine wheat bread with cheddar cheese andddd… I'll let him pick out what meat and veggies he wants."
"Okay…" Maria wrote down the order as Vector tapped the transfer student's shoulder.
"Hey, Espio, remember how I showed yeh how the dinin' hall back on campus works? Just point to whatever yeh want, and I'll let the ladies know yeh want that, okay?" he asked. Likely, he knew it would fall on deaf ears, but Espio pointed at three vegetables in particular: onions, cucumber, and spinach. "Looks like he wants those."
"And will he have a meat or pure vegetable option?"
"Uhh…." Vector put his finger to his mouth. Now that he thought about it, DID Espio even eat meat? The udon he had yesterday just had vegetables in it alongside the noodles, and besides that, he remembered not liking the curry rice he had on his first day and that had beef in it. Perhaps that was something he had to ask Valdez later, but for now…
"Let's give him the grilled chicken," he said, wondering if he would like it.
"Okay, grilled chicken with cheddar cheese, cucumbers, onions, and spinach… anything else?"
"Nah, that should be it."
"Sides or drinks?"
"Get 'im a small drink, please."
"Okay, I'll have these ready for you in a minute. Just go to the register and Barby will take care of you."
Heading down the line, the meal was paid for and their drink cups handed to them, Vector poured himself some root beer and poured Espio some water as the two sat down, waiting for their meal to finish once all was said and done. Vector got out his phone and began to browse his social media feed while Espio looked around the restaurant, soon returning his gaze back to Vector.
After chuckling to himself at a post he saw about a sport misplay and scrolling past some football discourse, Vector looked up to see the status on their meal. The girls were currently busy preparing the two sandwiches, but the crocodile took notice of someone new who was in line; a blue… beret wearing chameleon…
"H-Hey, hey, Espio!" the quarterback said. "Look, ain't that Valdez?"
Vector pointed to the man and Espio turned his head, the crocodile hearing a soft audible gasp coming from him. They waited for Valdez to make their order, and when he did, he took notice of the two.
"E-Espio-kun?! A-And Vector?!" he said, startled as he held his drink cup. He soon began to make his way to their table. "What are you doing here?"
"I should be askin' the same," Vector said. "I promised Espio I'd take 'im out to eat after practice today. Whadda 'bout yeh?"
"I told him I'd get him something to eat and return to the dorm… Well, this is slightly awkward. I already ordered something for him."
"Eh, he can have it fer dinner. Probably is better than what I got him."
"Y-You got him something to eat from here?"
"That reminds me, I wanted to get the time to ask yeh 'bout Espio. One week with him, and even some English practice later, I feel like I'm gettin' friendlier with him but… I dunno… I still feel like I dun… KNOW him, catch mah drift?"
"I… suppose I 'catch your drift' as you say. You wish to know more about Espio, correct?"
"Yeah, like, not bein' able to talk to him really has its pitfalls. I dunno what he likes to eat, what he likes in GENERAL, how to talk to him, all that jazz. Mind givin' me some pointers? Ya said yeh've known him for years."
Valdez turned back to the self-service drink machine and back at Vector. "Here, let me get a drink and I'll join you at your table. Then I'll tell you everything you need to know."
The blue chameleon turned around, got himself a diet cola, and returned to the table, sitting next to his roommate.
"I suppose you wish to hear from the beginning, no?" Valdez asked, sipping a bit of his cola.
"Yeh, we can start there."
"Well, as I'm sure you're aware, Espio comes from the ancient Northern Mobius village of Gojo. A village cut off from the rest of the world, no connections to anything modern, nothing like that exists there."
"Course I know there. Yeh should have seen the faces he was makin' when I introduced him to stuff like the field or the microwave at the dorm or the shower or-"
"I get the idea, Mr. Vector. Yes, Espio isn't used to any kind of modern appliance, and frankly that was something the headmaster warned me about when I suggested he come here."
"How d'ya live without modern appliances?"
"That's how they live there, and that's how his moth- I mean, the leader of Gojo prefers it."
It was a slip up, but Vector caught on quickly. "Whaddya mean, mom?"
"…I suppose you're smarter than it looks. Yes, Espio here is the son of Gojo's leader, Bride of the Constant Vigil. If something were to happen to him, all responsibility would go back to me. She told me to take care of him, and to…"
"To?"
"…limit his interactions with the outside world."
Vector studied Valdez's face as he continued. "She feared the idea of letting Espio go into this world. All the Historic District's leaders, the four Brides, fear what they consider outside influence. Naturally, I don't wish for Espio to abandon the customs of his village, but I feel having him open up to new experiences, meeting new people, and being open is the key to having an open mind as you grow older. Frankly, everything he's seen so far he likely shouldn't have seen."
"Mah practice and stuff that I got in the dorm?"
"Exactly. She feels he'll be corrupted by all that."
"What a backwards way of thinkin'…"
"To you, perhaps. But to the people of the village, they don't mind if they're behind on many things like technological advances and societal progression. They like how they live and prefer it."
"Which brings me to mah next question; how can I get to know him better? How do I know what he likes and doesn't like?"
Valdez closed his eyes, scratching his chin. "Well, considering that you two still have a language barrier, that's certainly more difficult than it seems. But something you need to understand is that since I've known him, Espio has been a very… lonely child. Not so much that people don't like him, no, he's seen as royalty in the village. Instead, Espio prefers to keep to himself, always staying in the shadows and never wanting to bring attention to himself. Frankly, it's his little sister, Shami, that's the outgoing one. Frankly, the family isn't the most social, especially after what happened to the patriarch of his family. It certainly will take some time for him to open up to new people. As for what he likes well-"
"Let's start with food," Vector said, as ironically, Maria came over with a tray and three baskets atop of them. "Ah, speak of the devil."
"Here you are, boys!" she said, handing each sandwich to the three, and setting a to-go box next to Valdez. "Enjoy your meal!"
"Thank you," Vector and Valdez said together as the blonde girl walked away. Just then, Valdez noticed what Espio was having.
"I-Is that meat?!" he gawked.
"What's wrong?" Vector asked, grabbing his sandwich. "I just kinda second guessed it."
"You CLEARLY have been struggling with what he likes to eat, no?"
"SOMEONE had to say it."
Valdez sighed. "Okay, well let's begin like this: in the Historic District, meat is VERY rarely eaten. Most, if not all of the villagers are pescatarians at most, but they don't eat stuff like meat, or pork, or chicken. It has to do with the local religion there."
"Lemme guess, that Bride lady would have yer head if she found out he ate meat?"
"Yes! Frankly, if Espio tells her about this, I have a LOT to answer for, and I don't think I'll be coming back here with my head intact."
"Well, so I dun make this mistake next time, mind tellin' me what he likes to eat?"
"Just so you know, I don't expect them to have Gojo style dishes at the dining hall, but just so you're aware, he does like fish, noodles, various different kinds of vegetables and local dishes from his village. Stuff like natto, bamboo shoots, seaweed, miso soup, and of course, how could I forget rice? He'll usually eat it plain, or with natto or tea poured on top-"
"Tea poured over rice?..." Vector thought to himself.
"-course there is stuff like sushi, that exists in Northern Mobius just… BETTER than the ones here, and they have the regional confectionaries. Here, how about this: I'll take him to the dining hall so he can see what's there and he can pick out what he might and wouldn't want to eat and report back to you. Frankly, I could be here all day discussing the history of Northern Mobius foods, but that can wait for another time. Let's just enjoy our meal and-"
Valdez turned his head to see Espio had already taken a bit from his sandwich. He gawked as the two began to whisper, but Vector could hear bits of the conversation.
"…hahaue-sama ga Gojou no dare ni mo niku wo taberarenai deshou?" the blue chameleon whispered.
"Sou desu ne… Shikashi…" Espio replied, Vector quickly losing the conversation as he continued to eat. Seconds later, Valdez looked up.
"It seems… despite being the citizens of Gojo being forbidden to eat meat by both religious figures and his mother… Espio here rather likes it. Is this beef or chicken?" Valdez asked.
"C-Chicken," Vector replied.
"Some of the farmers in the rice fields did raise chickens, but I don't think any of the citizens of Gojo knew they could be for consumption. Just… try not to get him hooked. Espio still feels a bit guilty consuming meat behind his village's back."
"I mean, he likes it, no? He got to try somethin' new, and he liked it!"
"Which is more than I can say about you Central Mobians."
"Ha ha… wait, what?"
Valdez shut his mouth by eating his sandwich, making noises as he did. "Mmm… that's so good…"
"One more question, Valdez: how will I know I'm getting' closer to him?" Vector asked. The blue chameleon was silent for a few seconds, but finally spoke up.
"My biggest word of advice would be to continue hanging around him, continue teaching him English, and even if he doesn't understand you, continue speaking to him. He might pick up a few words from hearing you speak. Sooner or later, Espio will start warming up to you, he just has to see that you're a reliable person first."
"Why?"
"That's… Espio's OTHER secret."
"…does it have something to do with that knife I saw him with earlier today."
Valdez began to choke on his sandwich as Espio quickly turned his head, still holding his sandwich which wasn't even consumed.
"Y-You saw?!"
"Why would he have somethin' like that?"
"…well, I suppose there's no beating around the bush this time. The knife is because… because… because his family are ninjas."
Vector stared blankly at the chameleon. "Huh?"
"Ninjas? You know…"
"Like… the ninjas in the movies?"
"Oh, nothing like. That's all frankly exaggerated garbage. No, his mother, you remember, leads the Shinobi clan. That's his family's clan, the ones who lead a school for ninja training in the village, and the one who encourages their kin to take up ninja training at a young age."
"Yeh mean to tell me that Gojo place is full of ninjas?!"
"All of the children usually take it."
"Yeh too?!"
"Yes, but you can clearly see what I'm doing with my life."
Vector felt his mind explode. Now he knew what it was like to be Espio for a change… He quickly took bites from his sandwich, but the idea that his roommate was a ninja wouldn't leave his mind.
"Well, in the hopes that Espio doesn't kill me with his ninja skills, is there any last minute words yeh wanna tell me, Valdez?" the quarterback asked.
"I think that's mostly everything. You heard his life story for the most part anyway, what he likes and doesn't like, how I'll help you decide what he can eat, and mainly, let him open up to new experiences. I guarantee it won't be long before he'll start using technology."
"Oh boy, that'll be fun."
With their conversation ended, the three focused on finishing their meal. By the time Vector had finished devouring his sandwich and started eating his chips, Espio was halfway done with his sandwich, and some more time passed with Espio calling it quits before he could finish it completely. Valdez opened up the to-go box and let Espio put what he didn't eat into it, taking it with him.
"Well, it's almost 1, and it won't be long before Espio heads to class. For now, I'll be taking my leave as I need to do a weekly check up on the other foreign exchange students," Valdez said. "Thank you for the conversation, Mr. Vector, and just remember: don't give up with what you're doing. You're a strong athlete and a gifted student academically; you have the ability to guide Espio through his time here. Never forget that."
"Oh, trust me, I won't!" Vector gave a thumbs up.
"Well, I'll see you two this evening perhaps."
Gathering his belongings, Valdez left with the to-go box as the two reptiles stayed behind and Vector cleaned the table with a napkin.
"We should start headin' out soon, I got class at 1," Vector said. "Say, was the meal good?"
There was no reply, but Vector could tell the look on Espio's face said, 'Yes'.
"Alright, let's go."
With that, the two got up from the table and left the restaurant, the door shutting behind them as the first Saturday of the school year continued to roll for the two…
END OF CHAPTER 4
