Chapter 8 : Foreboding Presence

After dinner, Lucius made his way to his pre-assigned room. In one of the many hallways that occupied this place, the silence that was offered gave him some time to think about the situation at hand. A newfound hope having fostered in his heart for a well-meaning, sophisticated and deviating-from-sophistry roommate, his posture carried the spirit of an ardent youth. Only to see Harux zoom past him and stop right where he was headed.

By process of basic logic, the two concluded that they would share the same room, a fact that caused Lucius’s spirits to stoop ever so little.

“Ahh, you must be in the same room as me!” Harux exclaimed.

“Indeed. I believe so,” Lucius replied, unlocking the door with the key Jaiga had given him.

Opting for a gentler approach, Lucius simply gave a small push, letting the wonders of physics open the door by themselves.

Thankfully, any foreboding sense of dread he once had over what room would be granted to him was shattered, and on the contrary, he was almost impressed. For there oozed a sense of style and dignity in what was given to him, and not in the superficial nouveau riche style that he had come to detest, but genuine taste in fact

Their place of residence was comprised of three beds, and a large single hung window that illustrated the dimly lit forest outside, which interrelated itself wonderfully with an oversized tree graphic printed on the walls. Not only that, but the neutral tone of the walls which played in conjunction with the vanilla esque bedding created what would genuinely pass a five star hotel. Not only that, but it was evident that a parfumerie had been applied to it, one that with its mildly sweet and tangy smell, only served to further enhance the experience. It truly was beautiful. He could go on and on in fact about the silver accents to the elevated platforms, but as he lacked anyone to tell it too he chose to keep it to himself.

Harux in his youthful naïveté, had made it plainly obvious that whatever vanity the room had was completely lost on him, choosing to just dump his bag and claim the nearest bed.

Hand on chin, Lucius inspected one of the beds.

Mildly disappointed with the asymmetry, the only off-putting aspect was that one of the beds had not been furnished with sheets.

Still, insofar as his standards were high, that little contrivance did little to dampen his mood, as he then moved to analyze the one aspect of the room that he had not yet seen.

The lavatory.

A luxurious tiled bathroom the size of a bedroom visible through a small wooden door, he was glad that said utilitarian space held an acceptable design.

Perhaps I judged this place too harshly, Lucius thought.

Just to top the already adequate chamber with a few accessories, a minifridge and television were also at the student’s disposal, as well as a desk for each one of the room’s supposed occupants.

In truth, while Harux may not have been able to deconstruct and detail the room and all its intricate details, he did in fact still appreciate it, though much akin to how a child would a wonder of the ancient times, with curiosity and vehemence, but lacking in cognizance.

Lucius wondered what Harux’s living conditions might have been like prior to this, in his mind he jested he was kindled by a wolf mother in the depths of the jungle, his days spent foraging for fruits and herbs. Truth be told, he had not the faintest idea where he was from. His way of acting and race was a paradox in itself. Most of the elves he met had prided themselves on civilized behaviour and were well-bred folk, and while the appreciation of nature was not lost on them, he didn’t suppose he could envision them wrestling a bear. Then again, Lucius also thought wolves lived in the jungle.

But still, there would come a time when he would eventually succeed at uncovering his identity, to uncover the essence of the beast. For now though, other matters would take prevalence, such as hanging his clothes in one of the many wardrobes that dotted the room.

Arranged in orders of colour, season, and purpose served, Lucius then began to unpack the rest of his belongings, a variety of expensive electronic equipment slowly being taken out of his large suitcases which had been conveniently delivered to the room beforehand. The quantity of goods was to merely ascertain that should he desire, each and every one of his potential desires, could have been met.

The noise attracting him, Harux observed each of the objects that left, assuming them to be magical gadgets. Harux had contact with technology of sufficient level before of course, but making contact, and understanding what you came in exposure to, were two different things.

When he had finished, only his small suitcase engraved with a golden M remained shut, which he placed resting on his bed.

“I’ll be taking a shower, now if you’ll excuse me.”

For some reason, Harux seeing an opportunity leaped up from the bed he had been sitting on.

Lucius retreated a few steps backwards, prepared to file claims of sexual harassment if need be.

Noticing his distress, Harux explained himself. “I’m going to the training room!” he exclaimed.

Glad that he would not lose his purity to a monkey of all things, Lucius sighed, as he watched Harux run off, eager to, as expected, train in the training room he saw earlier with Jaiga.

Unbeknownst to the naive elf however, the path he would undertake would be one that was carefully laid out for him, one which would set the plans of the magnificent Tommy into motion.