Meet the rest of your class

Students at Coinpilfer University complete a three year course. The first of these years is based around preparing you for the next two both physically and mentally, along with getting you into the correct routines, but also so that students have time to choose who their partner will be. That's done near the end of the year, so that you can work in it for the practical portion of the exam. Generally, you keep the partner that you choose at the end of your first year until you leave the University, and often into your Warrior career -- Warriors work in the buddy system in the real world too, so that monsters can't sneak up on them so easily, so that more types of traps can be set, so that one unlucky injury doesn't mean ****, and for a lot of other reasons.

The only reason your partner would change at Coinpilfer is if there's a mutually agreed swap or your partner dies. Or leaves! That's way more common than dying, you probably should have said it first. Because of this, all second and third year classes have even numbers, and if a first year class has an odd number then by the end of the year they don't, if you catch your own drift. Hopefully you'll have an evenly numbered class....

Anyway, the point is, your class matters a lot! You might meet the person you spend the rest of your life with in here! Um, the rest of your work life, at least. And at least your university life, since partners have to share a room and everything, so you need to pick a good one before the year's done! Classes are normally small, since being a Warrior isn't a hugely sought profession and it's just the one city to draw from, so there's a lot of luck involved in who you end up getting to choose from.

You and Jace are, uh, a little bit late. Only by a few minutes! But still. Late. Luckily for you, the first day doesn't have any proper classes, just induction, so as you energetically shove open the door to the classroom you were told to go to (making Jace wince and pretend like he doesn't know you for a sec), all you see is a room full of students standing around the tables and chatting. There's a part-time teacher scrolling through her laptop at the front, who doesn't even look up as the door swings open and bangs loudly against the wall.

Quickly and desperately, you count the students 1... 2.... 3..... 4...... 5 is you....... and 6 is Jace! You let out a little sigh of relief -- nobody from your class is going to be kicked out when you have to choose partners.

"Debbie and Jason, I assume?" Says the woman at the front, now typing away at her computer. She sounds exceedingly disinterested. "Your suitcases have already been put in your rooms." She drones monotonously, eyes still glued to her computer screen and sounding half asleep. "Jason, until the time comes to choose a partner, you'll be sharing a room with Delilah. Debbie, you'll be sharing a room with Cameron. That's all."

Oooooooh, this is so excitiiiinggg!!!!-

"Hey."

Oh- eep! One of your classmates walked over to the door, and he's talking to you! Well, you and Jace. But also you! Okay, don't mess this up, this guy might end up being a perfect partner, or at least a friend. Game face!

"I'm Cameron. Which one of you is Debbie?" He asks, looking back and forth between you and Jace. His eye's kind of twitching a little. He looks like he'd be pretty tall, but he's hunched over a lot. Both of his hands are in his blazer pockets.

"Um," says Jace, while you're formulating the perfect response in your head. "She is, dude."

HEY! No fair, you were nearly ready!

"YES hello!!!" You straighten up and salute, just like you've been practising in the mirror since you were eight.

Cameron pauses. "Hello."

You pause.

"Um, you're in a room with me?" He scratches the back of his head idly. He sounds like he's almost double checking. You nod once, firmly.

"....wow." Jace looks between the two of you, locked in your standstill. "Okay, well catch you later Debbie, I'm gonna go find out who Delilah~ is." He gently brushes past you and raises his hand in a wave as he walks towards the other three students, who finished looking at the two newcomers a while ago and are now chatting. Well, two of them are. One's just kind of... in the same chatting space. One of the chatty girls looks really happy, sitting on the desk and swaying her legs gently, and the other-

"Hey, I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" Cameron pulls you back into the world. "You look kinda freaked out."

His voice is wavering a little as he talks, and he's still rubbing at the back of his head.

"Oh! Yeah, I'm sorry, I'm just- kind of nervous." You decide that honesty is always the best policy. Cameron puts his hand back into his blazer pocket and looks at the ground. Even though he's hunched over a lot, he's still basically towering over you.

"Y-yeah, me too." He responds. "But we're sharing a room for at least a year, so I figured....." he trails off.

You both stand there for a little while, looking at each other. After a few seconds you get bored and swing your arms a little. Not sure what to say, but not liking the silence even more, Cameron decides to keep on talking.

"My- um, this is kinda weird, but my big sister gave me some advice, and I'm, uh-" He looks down to the ground again. "Nevermind."