Chapter 43

There was something about the first day of the start of a new semester that always had Corliss giddy. Maybe it was the new parchment and ink pens, the brand new texts she had to get for her classes at the campus bookshop, or just the feeling itself of being back on university grounds after almost three months in Eld.

She only needed two more classes until she was finished. Her first was a required course on recent events while her second was an elective of her choosing, one she was most excited for. It was a new lecture class on theoretical science on the prospect of multiple worlds other than their own. She was actually surprised she got in since it was filled within minutes of sign-ups, though everyone had to wait a week to know who got in once they were handed their schedules. With it being such a specialized course, there were only twenty spots available, one of which she managed to snag.

Of course, she was the first one in the lecture room the first morning of class. She'd been up since before sunrise, making sure she had everything she needed, before scribbling a note to Meron and placing it on the kitchen counter since he was still sleeping. He was already laughing at her the night before while they made dinner, especially since she was bouncing around and chattering on and on about the first few chapters of the text she already managed to read through.

"You're getting way too excited for a class, you know that, right?" he grinned as he leaned against the counter by the stove, carefully watching the chicken sautéing in the pan.

"Because the university board finally approved one everyone's been wanting to take," she told him. She opened the overhead cabinet to take out two plates since they were only waiting on the chicken to be finished at that point and her mouth was already watering at the savory aroma. "There were only twenty spots and pretty much everyone in the upper levels signed up. And I managed to snag a spot!"

He raised a brow. "You do know your name probably got you in, right?"

"Usually, I don't like that fact...but I really wanted to get in, so I'll take it!"

Now, Corliss was sitting in the front row, absentmindedly flipping through the first chapter and staring at the notes she already scribbled in the margins the week before. No one else had come in yet, though the sound of students out in the hallway increased as the time passed.

Finally, the door to the lecture room opened and a male walked in. For a human, he was surprisingly really handsome with wide, dark brown eyes, a slim nose, and chiseled jawline. His black hair was slicked back and perfectly in place. The bronze tone of his skin had Corliss wondering if he had come from somewhere in Ethran. He was dressed in a simple white tunic tucked into black pants and boots with a leather satchel slung over one shoulder. When he saw her, he paused for a moment, undoubtedly recognizing who she was, but then an easy smile lit up his features.

"Morning," he greeted as he stepped up beside her. He nodded down to the seat on her right. "Is this spot taken?"

Corliss couldn't help but smile back. "No, it's all yours if you want it."

She watched as he pulled his text, parchment, and ink pen from his satchel before sitting. Pausing a moment, he then turned to her and held out his hand. "I'm Fin."

Slipping her hand into his cool one, she shook it. "Corliss."

"Oh, I know who you are, future Lady of Eld," he smiled. "Everyone knows who you are, though they know you like to be treated as just another student here at university and another citizen of Ayveri."

"And you don't?"

"I do...but I'm not from here, so I might slip up a few times."

That had Corliss laughing and instantly liking the male. "So, where are you from then, Fin?"

"Escarral," he told her, situating all of his lecture supplies in front of him. "I actually lived here in Ayveri for about a year and worked at the palace before heading back home a few months ago. But once I was found out I was accepted to take a few courses here, I came back. I'll only be here for the semester, though, but it feels good to be back in the city. I love it here."

At the mention of his name and where he was from, plus the fact that he'd worked at the palace before, something clicked in Corliss's memory. Passing a staff room at the palace months ago, overhearing a goodbye party for a male named Fin who was going back to Escarral.

"And you managed to get into the one class literally everyone signed up for. I hear the waitlist is going into the next fifteen years."

Fin grinned. "Good thing the majority of the students here are immortal then, huh?"

"You're telling that to a female who's been taking classes here for upward of twenty years," she laughed.

"Just about as long as I've been alive then," Fin said, eyes wide as if he didn't really understand the difference time meant to them both until that moment. "Even though I know the concept of immortality, have read about it even before I managed to make my way here...just knowing you've been around for so many years is mindboggling. We don't have many immortals in Escarral."

"They don't call it the human lands for nothing, right?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Right."

By then, even more people walked in, some Corliss had been in other classes with and others who she saw around the university campus. It seemed like everyone was just as excited as she and Fin were. Keeping to herself, Corliss leaned back in her seat as she watched Fin flipping through his own text. Just as she had, he'd already been making notes in the margins and even scribbled down a few more even as Professor Ashgar finally made her way in.

"Good morning, good morning," she chimed, her dress and cloak billowing out behind her as she made her way down the center aisle. "Forgive me for being a few minutes late."

All but slamming her own instructional text down on the podium at the front of the lecture room, she looked at each and every one of them from the back all the way forward until her eyes landed on Corliss. She smiled again before speaking.

"Now, you're all sitting next to someone, correct?"

Every nodded and looked over at their table partner. Fin beamed, dark eyes twinkling as he winked at Corliss, making her smile wider.

"Good, now say hello to your thesis partner you'll be working with for the rest of the semester."

And making good on the request, Fin held out his hand for hers. "Fin of Escarral. Nice to meet you. And you are?"

She couldn't help but laugh as she shook his hand. "Corliss Lucerra of Eld. Nice to meet you, too, Fin of Escarral."

***

For being on campus pretty much from sunup to sundown, she was still surprisingly charged with energy. Maybe it was because her first day of classes were more interesting than she thought they'd be. While they didn't get too far into discussion in her multiple worlds class, just the introduction to the course had everyone excited. Of course, Corliss was going to continue with her reading and margin note taking as soon as she could manage.

The class wasn't the only one she had with Fin either. As they walked out of the lecture hall, they continued on to the same building where their second was, laughing when they realized they had it together, too. Good. She could use a new friend to study with, especially when they were going to be partners in their thesis paper.

After their classes were finished, they decided to grab lunch before heading to the library where they found an empty study room to start outlining the first chapters of their texts. Even as they studied, they talked and got to know one another. The conversations were easy and flowed from one topic to the next without much prompting.

By the time Corliss looked up at the windows, golden light from the setting sun coming through as the library lights glowed brighter, she sighed.

"I'd better go," she told Fin, then started packing up all of her things. "I didn't realize it was so late and I'll be late for dinner."

Fin raised one brow. "Got a hot date?"

She snorted and shook her head. "No, just a roommate who gets snippy when his gourmet meals grow cold if I'm not there."

"Interesting..."

Corliss looked up to see both his brows raised, a teasing look in his eyes. "It's not like that."

"Hm."

"Hush."

Fin laughed as packed up his things, too. "I guess I'll see you in class tomorrow then. Don't want the food to get even more cold, huh?"

"Never."

Once back at her apartment, Corliss had to do was follow her nose. As she magically undid the lock on the door, she tried to juggle her bag as it slipped from her shoulder plus the books she had in her other arm. The sound of her coming through the door made enough racket that it had Meron looking over his shoulder at her entrance.

"You need some help?" he grinned, rushing over to take some of the burden from her.

Corliss blew a strand of hair out of her face that had escaped her braid. "Thanks," she smiled. "Sorry I'm late."

"And here I thought I was going to be late. I didn't get home until twenty minutes ago and just started on dinner," he told her, setting the books down on the counter before helping her with her overloaded bag. "Good first day, I take it? You're the only one I've ever known to actually stay on the university campus for over twelve solid hours."

Corliss rounded the kitchen island, once again following her nose to the source of the garlic and spice aroma. He hadn't even flipped the chicken that was cooking and had only just put on the water to boil for the pasta he had set beside it. "It was amazing. My multiple worlds class...gods, I'm so glad I got into it. Even though it was just the introduction today on what we'll be studying, it was absolutely fascinating. It's not just the topic of those worlds, but also portals and different magics and different species other than the Fae, sorcerers, sorceresses, and humans..."

"Am I going to have to hear you talk about it nonstop?"

"Oh, I'm going to tell you all about it," Corliss grinned.

Even after just a few weeks of living together, Meron had already learned that when she was excited about a new topic, she would read and research it nonstop. He was always the one she would talk to about it, her excited chatter met with his ooh's and hm's and the occasional questions. She knew he was doing it just to humor her, but she also noticed how he liked to watch her as she told him about what she was reading about or a new topic she'd never heard about.

Surprisingly, she was getting used to having him around. Sure, they still bickered and fought, but they were getting more and more comfortable around the other. Now, instead of just Corliss's things scattered throughout the apartment, Meron's were there, too – his boots next to hers at the entryway, his jacket hanging on the hook, his books mixed with hers on the shelves. Bits and pieces of what little he'd brought from Eld had made their home in her...no, their apartment.

"But you're in luck," she told him then. "I found a friend who shares my love of strange topics, so he'll take the brunt of my excited chatter, so you don't have to."

Meron leaned his hip on the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, really? He will."

She reached up and pinched his cheek. "Oh, are you a little jealous?"

"Of course."

"Well, don't be. I've spent all day with the human named Fin of Escarral and he's adorable but not my type."

"And what's your type?"

"My type is someone who doesn't bug me to death and one I don't fantasize about smothering with a pillow for being annoying."

At that, his grin was back in place...before he pinched her side and made her laugh.

Corliss helped Meron finish up with the chicken and vegetable pasta he was making while he told her all about the dragons' progress with training. Both Odanth and Ollyn had started breathing fire, which had started one morning the week before when they were annoyed with Meron and his lecturing about how they needed to be nice to each other instead of trying to tackle each other right out of the sky.

"If Lis and I can get along now, why can't you two?" Meron asked them.

Both Odanth and Ollyn turned to look at the other, eyes narrowed, before breathing out a stream of fire that had Meron ducking for cover and Corliss howling with laughter. Just like with everything, though, they were doing so well in their training with fire. And growing nonstop. There was absolutely no way they could fit in their apartment anymore, but rather stayed just to the south of Ayveri along the mountainside. She hated not being able to see them every day now that her classes had started, but she'd have to make the time soon.

Corliss offered to clean up after dinner, complaining about how Meron smelled from training all day. All he did was grin, proceed to pull her against his side in a hug, then strip off his shirt as he made his way toward his room. She almost dropped the plate in the sink when she saw...and heard Meron's snort as he looked back and winked.

Corliss grumbled to herself and started scrubbing until her hands were bright red under the hottest of water.

Once finished, she grabbed her text and ink pen, then snuggled down on the couch as she turned to the introductory chapter. Of course, she'd already read it, but there were a few notes she wanted to add from class. All right, so there were more than a few...which was why Meron found her an hour later, nose still practically pressed into the text as she wrote.

"So, is this how I'm going to find you every night now?" he asked her, sitting down on the opposite end of the sofa. He lifted her legs before setting them in his lap, resting his arm on top. His hair was still damp and slicked back from his face and he hadn't bothered to put on a shirt with his pajama pants.

Corliss wiggled her toes, poked his stomach, and smiled. "More than likely. And don't think you're not going to be learning right along with me because I'm going to tell you everything."

"Oh, joy."

"Don't sound so enthusiastic."

"But don't you have your new friend to tell this all to?"

"Is someone a little jealous that he's not my only friend anymore?"

"No one can compare to me, so no."

Corliss snorted, looking back down at her text without seeing the words on the parchment.

Meron stayed with her for just a few more minute as she continued her note-taking, his thumb absentmindedly caressing her ankle, but then moved to stand.

"Going to bed?" she asked him. "Don't want me to lull you to sleep with topics of other worlds."

"Meh, I like the one I'm in right now," he said with a shrug, then leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Goodnight, Lady Lis."

Corliss smiled, watching as he made his way back to his room. "Goodnight, Commander."