...who are you dining with here?

The dining hall on level -100 (or just Goodell) for short, is by now filled with lots of students, and a few freshmen you don't know yet even choose to occupy seats at the near-empty sophomore's tables. The sophie's are letting them.

The most glaring fact that makes this dining area completely unique, is that all students in the back area of Kempner wear swimsuits. It's like a uniform here. And it makes some sense, after all: To dress in any other way, you have to bring regular clothes into the back area via the swimming pool.

Many older students obviously have done so. You see a few walk around in loose-fitting jogging clothes on top of the unitard, a few girls are wearing dresses. But for some people, showing so much skin seems to be no problem. You also spot two sophomores wearing a midriff-baring swimsuit just like yours.

In the far section of Goodell, everyone at the senior's table is clad in red-orange, plush bathing gowns with the school's logo on it. They're not quite lording it over the rest of the dorm, but almost.

On the plus side, the warm air circulation means that you are by now dried off; and even Casey's and Ash's long hair are no longer sending rivulets of water down their back, just occasional drops. The floor is heated, and the food is okay. And the view is also nice, as long as you enjoy the view of athletic young people in swimwear.

You sit next to Casey at the head of the freshmen table, and your trio is once again the center of attention. Ashley is flirting with the olive-colored girl; Casey is chatted up by three guys at once, and you are the focus of probably the whole rest of your training aquad. It's a lot to digest. Only six of these guys are doing the talking. How the heck did you become so popular overnight?

And how the heck are you supposed to eat and drink without exposing the tock, when everybody is paying attention to you doing it? At first, you finish your drinks with the straws, and respond to their questions. Like, who your favorite swimmers are and what you are doing tonight.

You chortle. "Hey everyone, just a question, this dorm is looking less and less to be anything like any standard dorm I ever heard of, right? More like a co-ed frathouse for swimmers?"

You earn nods, laughter and giggles from the whole table. Robert - who is the only guy you have seen so far with a pink theme, although darker than yours - gives it to you straight. "You weren't in Phelps the previous nights...", he means the community room -125, which has a huge TV and a bunch of comfy sofas. Boglioli, the other community room, sports a few gaming rigs and a foosball table.

You shake your head. There is a bit of reality continuity left, and like your old self, partying is not your forte. Especially now that you have something to hide. Oblivious of your reasons, Robert continues: "Well, the sofas were packed for movie night, and nobody was watching the movie. More... making out." he seems embarrassed to admit that.

"Madge, she's one of the sophies," he waves to a dark-haired girl in a blue-grey swimsuit, sitting way outside of your bubble. She grins and waves back. "yeah, Madge told me that it is all up to us students what we do here in the back of the dorm. So you know, we're kinda supposed to do lots of... stuff all the times when we're among ourselves. Including all the nudge-nudge and all the wink-wink."

You hesitate. Does that mean... here is a safe space for you?