From nowhere to everywhere

A word from the author: I did not expect the story to be aproved for publication already. As such, it is very much still a work in progress. The final version will include a game mode.

Vienna was an exciting city.

Historic and yet modern, the former seat of emperors, a melting pot of the many cultures of the Habsburg realm, and a city of the high arts. And now, for a few months, you have called it home.

Having left your native home of New Zealand for good at the age of 15, when your parents took on high-ranking roles in the New Zealand delegation at the UN in Geneva, you had felt somewhat uprooted your entire life. While having tried to learn passable French, German, and Italian, people were just far too accommodating of any anglophone, and held their conversations with you in English, impeding your language acquisition skills.

And now, here you are, having moved for your studies to Vienna, living on your own in this strange city, whose dialect of German was largely incomprehensible to you; a stranger in a strange land.

But, in all honesty, you weren't entirely living on your own. While three rooms in your city-owned student apartment are currently unoccupied, you do have one roommate. Claire, a young woman of your age, originally from Montreal, Canada.

She had been living here for half a year, and had made some connections in the city. You two had not done much together (she had shown you around the apartment in the beginning, and you had since seen each other around the house, taken a few walks, and had dinner together a few times). But you two do see each other every morning, regularly, as you both go about starting your day. "Good morning, John." Claire greets you. "Bonjour, Claire." you reply as you make your morning coffee.

"So, John, a few more weeks until term starts. I hope you have been enjoying the summer?" Truth is, you haven't gone out much, and have yet to meet a lot of people. "Yeah, you know, I manage," you reply. "The usual sight seeing is mostly done, and i feel like i have gotten to know this place a bit, and you?" you try to engage with her, but are clearly feeling intimidated socially. "Well, you know i have made some friends, but alot of them are home over thr holidays. I have been keeping mainly to myself." she replies, with only a smal residual of her quebecoise accent. This conversation is currently somewhat awkward, you know that. You might as well just go down into the streets and sit down in one of those marvelous cafés, instead of just sitting here with Claire, trying to make awkward small talk. Or maybe, you could try to get to know Claire better. She is your roommate, and you have to get along.