At 9am, the alarm in Evan's hotel room went off loudly and it just made Evan groan. He'd gotten more sleep for sure but...alarms were just disturbing. He pushed himself up with his arms, eyes blearily opening. A scowl formed on his face as he threw his pillow at the alarm clock. He couldn't break anything in the room, but luckily the pillow simply rebounded off the alarm clock and successfully turned it off.
Evan threw off his covers and stood up, walking straight towards the curtains and pulling them apart. The sunlight almost blinded his eyes, as he hastily covered them. Evan should've realized that would've happened, but his mind wasn't completely awake. He scowled again and stretched his body, sighing in relief whenever something cracked.
It was 9:10am by the time Evan found himself really awake and he stalked towards the bathroom, intent on showering. He needed to be out of his room and the hotel by 9:40am at most as his flight was at 1pm. With Holu having a larger airport, it may take even more time to check-in and go through security.
He was glad he'd woken up at 9am as he planned to get up at 10am before, but then he remembered that this wasn't Yula and was instead the royal capital. There would be so many people at the airport.
Once in the shower, Evan washed his hair and ears slowly, almost massaging them. It was completely relaxing and Evan almost fell asleep in the shower, which would have been awful. The shampoo and conditioner, as well as the body wash, had no scent which pleased Evan. He'd throw up if he had to deal with anything orange scented.
Turning off the warm water, Evan shivered as he realized he'd forgotten his towels on the sink. Groaning, Evan stepped out of the shower and felt his body almost spazz from how cold it was. He softly whimpered and rushed towards the towel, covering himself with it before sitting down bundled up. He planned to wallow in the warmth provided by the towel for a bit, before getting changed.
He found a nice long sleeved grey turtleneck shirt with black pants. It looked nice on him, though he still wasn't one for fashion. Throwing on his beanie, Evan quickly brushed his teeth and hair, wanting to feel as fresh as possible. Evan was about to pack everything in the bathroom when he heard a knock at the door. He quickly left the bathroom and opened up the door, not exactly surprised by who was there.
"Ah..hello Cole." Evan watched as Cole moved into this room, suitcase trailing behind him. "Hello!~ Ready to go?" Cole looked around the room Evan stayed in, noticing how much cleaner it was compared to his. He couldn't help himself, he wanted to eat in bed but alas, messes were made.
"Yeah, now get out so I can finish everything up." Evan tried to push Cole back out but the guy wouldn't budge. "Awh~ Cmon Evvy, lemme stay." Cole pouted and Evan deadpanned at the new nickname. Realizing he'd probably get nowhere, he lets Cole stay and goes back to packing.
"You." Evan pointed at a Cole before continuing, "Sit right on the bed and Do.Not.Move." Cole stared back at Evan, amused before complying with his demands.
Moving on, Evan went straight back to work, packing everything he owned up right back into his suitcase and his backpack. Cole just sat on his bed, watching him wherever he went, it was a bit creepy at times.
Evan checked the clock, noticing it was now 9:35am and was proud to say that he has finished. "Let's go, we should both check out and get a ride to the airport." Evan said, watching as Cole hopped right back up. "Yes yes, I quite agree~." Cole smirked, walking out the room with his suitcase and winking at Evan.
At this point, Evan knew that Cole was just teasing him but he still got flustered. He was straight but, he could admit that Cole was fairly attractive. With a scowl, he left the room with his items as well and made his way to the elevator.
Once downstairs, the two of them got onto the check out line and waited their turns, glad that it wasn't taking long. When they were checked out, Cole informed Evan that he had called for a cab so they should go outside.
While waiting for the cab, Cole would spew nonsense at Evan and watch his reactions, especially whenever he made a dirty joke that took Evan a second to catch on. It was fun and by 9:50am, the cab arrived.
The car ride was 20 minutes long, with both Evan and Cole being quiet for once. It was odd for Evan to not hear Cole say anything as he was used to his nonsense but, the quietness was also nice. Besides, Cole seemed to be deep in thought.
Once they had finally gotten to the airport, Cole tipped the man 1 silver coin before getting his and Evan's suitcases out of the trunk. Evan stepped out of the car and stared up at the airport, preparing himself for a long flight. It was 10 hours long, but the blimp this time around had tv's so he was going to watch this world's movies and shows.
Walking behind Cole, Evan watched as other people got onto the check-in line and recognized plenty of them from the flight before. There were people everywhere and it was pretty overwhelming. It took over an hour to check-in, which was annoying. Once they passed security, it was 11:46am. They had a little bit over an hour to go, so Cole decided to drag Evan towards a tiny restaurant for lunch.
"Hm hm, what shall we eat today?~ Gimme an idea Evvy." Cole hung onto this arm, eyes flickering sweetly. Evan felt a pang of disgust run through him because it vaguely reminded him of this girl he once "dated". She would constantly hang onto him and act all sweet, when she was the worst. Evan sighed and pointed at the sandwich stand, wanting something simple.
"Hm~ Ah I see! Yes yes, sandwiches. The perfect blend of healthiness and goodness all in one." Cole swooned, before excitingly dragging Evan towards the stand. There were plenty of sandwich options and Evan decided to go with the most popular one, while Cole stuck to a vegan type. They were delicious and definitely worth the 5 copper coins. The two continued to eat their meals and walked towards their gate, 17D.
Hundreds of potential students were near the gate and the entire area seemed to be overwhelmed. Evan stuck close to Cole, not really wanting to be squished by anyone. The two stuck close to the window, talking about whatever came to mind as the clock inched closer towards 1pm.
When it was finally time to board, Evan was surprised that Cole was going to be sitting next to him and also a bit apprehensive. He wasn't sure if he'd get any time to relax.
Once they sat in their seats, 24B and 24A, Evan sighed in relief. Finally glad to be going to Soe and the academy. He leaned into his seat and played around with the seat settings, trying to find the perfect setting for himself. Beside him, Cole was..sleeping? Huh, guess he was tired.
At 1:30pm, the blimp took off and Evan was able to finally use the tv. He scrolled through the selection of movies, specifically searching for the documentaries. He wanted to learn as much as he could and documentaries were usually on fascinating objects.
Evan watched in awe at the magnificent sea creatures that existed. Large powerful bodies ruled the underwater and gave off such majestic auras. However, if he saw any of these said creatures, he'd run as fast as he could. They could take him out in a second.
Another documentary Evan watched was about the different continents. It was biased towards Astoria, as he noticed the narrator seemingly talked negatively about the other kingdoms. He did however learn that Masain was far wealthier than they let on and money was admittedly a necessity in his life. He wanted to get a good job after the academy in order to support his parents. It's what the old Evan would've wanted.
He still had 5 hours to go, so Evan decided to take a long nap. Cole was still asleep, so he gently laid his head onto Cole's shoulders as it was comfier than the seat itself. Cole shifted a bit, before adjusting in a way that made Evan more comfortable.
When Evan awoke again, it was to the blimp landing and Cole watching him with an amused look on his face. "Well hello sleeping beauty~. Have a good rest." Cole chuckled and Evan huffed, choosing to ignore him for now. Instead, Evan waited to get off the aircraft along with Cole, so that he could finally see Soe for what it was. He had a few days before orientation anyways.
Once the two were off the blimp, Evan almost collapsed from the sheer magic surrounding the place. It was far more potent than it was in Holu, which was understandable as Soe was a magical country. Luckily, Cole had grabbed him and helped steady him, walking with Evan towards the luggage retrieval area.
The two grabbed their suitcases and sauntered off towards the many buses which would bring them to the city surrounding MAH. They wouldn't be allowed to get dorms until they finished orientation, which was weird but they also didn't have to pay for accommodations until that time.
Evan gleefully watched the window once the buses left. Soe was so different from Holu and Yula, but was still so beautiful. The entire bus ride brought fascination to Evan's eyes as he watched the many different ways magic was applied. For example, he spotted engineers who used light magic to jumpstart certain applications as light magic technically had an electric current of sorts. It was weird but worked. He couldn't apply what he knew from fantasy novels on Earth to this reality anyways.
"Having fun?" Cole asked, noticing how easily Evan was fascinated by the use of magic. It made him look cuter than he was already and Cole knew he'd have to protect him. He didn't realize how quickly this newer Evan broke down his walls of sorts, when he acted flirty as a way to protect himself. He had secrets that could endanger Evan in many ways, but simply couldn't find it in himself to rid of Evan's friendship.
"Yeah...it's just so amazing. I hope I unlock something strong.." Evan trailed off, a wistful look marring his face. "Don't worry, i'm sure you'll get something amazing." Cole said with such a clear conviction. He didn't tell Evan that because he could see his aura, it gave him an idea of what magic Evan would unlock and well..it was fascinating. He'd be the first of his kind but, he wouldn't say anything. It would be more special if he found out during his ceremony.
Cole, as a child, had been surrounded by magic and was simply so used to differentiating them by people's auras that he could do it in seconds. It was something that others coveted, so he needed to keep his abilities a secret. The only ones who knew, that were still alive, was his family. They'd never betray him.
The bus came to a stop, revealing a tall looking hotel that was golden all around. The name of the hotel seemingly sparkled in the daytime. Soe was 10 hours ahead of Astoria, so it was still pretty early. All the future students were herded off of the bus and given a speech detailing how they'd all have to be outside the hotel in 3 days at 10am for orientation. The coordinator stressed that if someone missed the time, they could kiss their placement in the academy behind.
Apparently, you could choose up to 2 roommates if you wanted to and the coordinator would room people that way. Evan stared at Cole, having a conversation with their eyes alone. The two decided to room together for now, unsure of how far away they'd be once they had on-campus dorms. It took 2 whole hours for everyone to get rooms and once they got their key, the two swiftly went inside. They had room 512 and it was fairly large for a 2 person bedroom.
There were 2 beds, a large flat-screen tv, a sitting area, and a large bathroom. There was also a fridge that had free refreshments, which made Cole happy at least.
"So~. Do you want to explore Soe today?" Cole asked, already bored of staying in the room. Evan looked back at Cole exasperated before replying, "I..I think i'm going to stay in for the day. These past few days have been busy and we have a few days to explore the area anyways." Cole huffed, a bit put off at the fact that Evan would not be joining him this time but understood his point.
Cole draped himself over Evan, "Ahh~ So sad you wont go on a date with me but alas, tomorrow we shall." Evan tried to push off Cole to no avail as Cole simply relaxed in his lap. The two stayed in silence for a bit, not wanting to disturb the peacefulness they had accidentally created. "Alright, we can go on one tomorrow." Evan said, wanting to also spend more time with his friend. It was weird how far their friendship had come in such a short amount of time, but he was thankful for it.
"Ok~. I'm off!" Cole smirked, before swiftly leaving their room. Evan, on the other hand, fell backwards into the bed, not wanting to get back up. He thought about taking a nap but felt he simply wasn't tired enough. Instead, Evan turned on the tv and settled into the left most bed, right under the covers. He found multiple news channels and watched with interest. Many of these channels showed information about the new incoming class, which was understandable as many MAH graduates are at the top of their chosen fields.
While watching the tv, a new segment came up about the riots in Astoria, which had exponentially grown. The royal family was refusing to give answers as to who the newest possible heir was, which continued to upset the public. Evan pulled out his flip phone and quickly called his mother, relief painted on his face when she picked up.
"Ev, hun, how are you?! You didn't call yesterday.." Evan could envision his mother's pout as she continued on, "Oh it's ok! Your father and I understand that you must've been having fun, just remember to call us every single day." She sternly said, leaving Evan to murmur a soft ok in agreement. "We both dearly miss you already. I love you!" She softly stated. "I miss you guys too and love both you and dad. Hey..are you guys safe? The news channels are stating that the riots are getting worse in all Astorian countries.." Evan trailed off, hoping his parents would be fine. "Oh, yes! Don't worry dear. If anything happens, your father will protect me. Worry about yourself and doing well instead, i'd let you know if something went wrong." She chided gently. Evan wasn't really reassured but pretended to be.
Evan continued to talk to his mother, telling her all about his day in Holu. He was also able to talk to his father, who warned him about wolves? He wasn't sure if his father meant wolf beastment but would keep a lookout for them. When stating this to his father, he could hear his father sigh and wondered what he meant but, he was told to not worry about it. After having spoken for a total of an hour on the call, Evan said his goodbyes and hung up.
Evan was simply having one of...those days. Where he felt no motivation to do anything at all and would rather stay in bed all day. He felt sad and mopey, even when he had no reason to at all. He tried to cheer himself up by watching the highest rated movies on the hotel's platform and eat his gummies, but nothing worked.
With a groan, Evan noticed it was time for dinner but felt no desire to eat. He knew he should, but that would require leaving the bed and he only wanted to leave to go to the bathroom. Huffing, Evan got under the covers even deeper, pretty much completely covering himself. He knew he'd feel better by tomorrow after a long night's rest, but he couldn't sleep just yet.
He stared back at the tv, watching the news channel once again. Some stories were far more interesting than others, but it did the job of passing time well. It was now 10pm and Cole still hadn't come back. Evan had already went to the bathroom and did what he needed before getting right back into bed. Tomorrow would be a far better day, he thought to himself.
With all the lights off, Evan fell off into a peaceful sleep, with no dreams to pester him whatsoever.
At 11pm, Cole slowly opened the door to their room, having noticed outside how the lights were all off. In his hands, he carried a bag full of food and goodies. It sucked that Evan was already asleep, but he could give him the treats tomorrow. Cole quickly put the treats into the fridge and then went to the bathroom with a change of clothing. Today, Cole went to gather information by using his happy go lucky persona to easily adapt himself into an interesting group of people. It went well as he learned some...lovely things about the academy, or at least the darker aspects. Though they were all rumors, some must've had some truths to them.
When Cole finished in the bathroom, he quietly walked towards his bed and got himself comfortable, unwilling to wake Evan up. He was dead tired by this point and wanted to sleep till at least the afternoon if possible.
Slowly, Cole also fell asleep with dreams of adventures alongside Evan. He also dreamed of becoming more than he already was.
The next few days would be interesting for both Cole and Evan, leading up to probably the weirdest orientation ever. If only someone had told them how eccentric the principle was.