* * *
Gram POV...
This is too much, man! Is there a ghost in the shell or something?!? Why would my inventory just open on its own?!? Deep breaths, Gram! Deep breaths!
I wish I had a paper bag right now. I think I'm hyperventilating right now, wait, no... I'm definitely hyperventilating. I close my eyes and picture a nice place... my old house, before I came here. My parents... that I'll never get to see again. Damnit, now I'm just sad!
I sit straight up, putting on as unbothered of an expression as I can. It's probably nothing weird, maybe I'm just overthinking it. I wish this world had airpods or headphones or something! God, I could use some audio distraction right now.
I hate my life, man. This is way more stressful than my original one! I bite my nails slightly, the little action calming me down slightly. The system says that Arthur and Clara are both in their late thirties, why couldn't I be 30 right now?!?
I should go throw up in the bathroom again...
* * *
Arthur Ishviel POV, several hours later...
We've finally arrived at the Cleras train station with many bathroom trips from Gram. Does the guy have gastrointestinal issues or what? He looks pretty pale too.
The city itself is very nice, mostly stone and wood buildings. Of course, it has a wall around it and a river running through it, a curse not even this world can avoid.
"Come on Arthur," Clara says, standing up from her seat and stretching. "Follow if you want to, Gram."
Once again, I'm dumbfounded by her willingness to let him tag along. How much can one person play chaos' advocate?!? I sigh and nod, standing up and following Clara.
"Do whatever, Gram," I say, waving what might be goodbye. He wasn't as bad as his first impression made me think, I guess... just really nervous all the time.
"Ok..." He says, following us as we get off the train. I guess he's tagging along for now... yay.
The girl in yellow took off the moment the doors opened, already 20 feet ahead of us. She sure does move quick for someone so ladylike. Once we're out of the cabin, Clara turns around and spreads her arms wide with a smile.
"This, my dear boys, is the city of Cleras! Home of Lumin Academy, nursing the best and brightest!" Clara says, giving a short synopsis since she seems to love educating people... or just me and Gram, I guess. "This will be your home for the next 4 years, shall you consistently pass!"
I nod whilst Gram looks around at the environment near us. The day is bright and the city is beautiful, but I'm beginning to like these stunning views less and less.
"I'll do my best, Ms. Holliday," I say with another nod. "And Gram here will... do his best as well, I guess."
I shrug lightly, patting Gram o the back and bringing him back to earth. If you're gonna leach off Clara, at least pay attention when she speaks. His back straightens right up and he looks at Clara, nodding.
"Of course! I wouldn't be myself if I didn't try my best!" Gram says, clearly meaning it. I don't doubt him, either.
"Good, good... then follow me!" Clara says, immediately hitting a 180 degree turn on the ball of her foot. This woman has to be the weirdest person I've ever met, no contest.
I look at Gram before looking forward again and beginning to walk. Gram follows by my side as we walk behind Clara, going through the city. There's streetside vendors selling mostly food items, but Clara doesn't let us stop. In her logic, we already ate enough peanuts on the train.
Eventually, we walk some more and reach a residential area with some sizable housing. We arrive at the second biggest one, where Clara pulls out a key.
"This is where you'll be staying, unless you opt for a dorm," Clara states, unlocking the front gate. It appears that Gram really is just fully tagging along... what has this life come to? "But let me just say, dorms are way worse than my house."
I look at Gram and Gram looks at me. He looks unsure, and I look as if I expected him to leave five minutes ago. I don't exactly hate him, rather I think he doesn't have an actual reason to be with us. We both look back to Clara.
"So speak now or forever hold your peace, dorms or my house?" She asks, counting down from 5 on her hand. Shit, I wasn't expecting a quicktime event!
"Your house," Me and Gram reply at basically the exact same time, deciding on what sounds like the better option.
"Alrighty then," Clara says, giggling. For some reason, I feel like she's up to something. "Follow me then!"
She walks forward and towards the house with me and Gram in tow, opening the front door for us. once we enter, we get our first look at the interior of the house. It's stunning, to put it simply. Probably the richest place I've ever been in my lives. Glass chandelier, silver frames around photos of herself, a doctorate hung above a piano, the whole 9 yards.
"Wow..." I'm stunned speechless while Gram just kinda malfunctions. It's like his brain gets put on blue screen mode for a while.
"Please pick your jaws off the floor, kiddos," Clara says, acting as if this level of wealth is normal. She smirks and crosses her arms, deciding to move on to the next matter of business. "You, Gram, can stay in the guest bedroom. Arthur, you'll be sleeping in the master bedroom with me unless you'd like to sleep with Gra-"
"I'll be sleeping with Gram," I say, not even letting her finish such a heinous thought. I've caught you, you weirdo pervert!
"Ah... okay," For once, Clara seems meek and defeated. Her posture visibly slouches as if demotivated. Maybe don't be a weirdo!
"So we'll alternate who gets the bed and who sleeps on the floor, right?" Gram asks, fully willing to cooperate to keep me away from Clara. I nod and put my hand on my chin.
"Good idea..." I say, fully supporting any methods available to keep me out of the clutches of Clara. You revealed your ulterior motive too soon, you fool!
* * *
An hour later.
Me and Gram are currently sat on opposite sides of the bed, throwing rock paper scissors to decide who gets the bed for the first night. I've gotta win this!
"Rock, paper, scissors..." We both chant in unison, winding up our moves as we watch the other. "SHOOT!"
My fist juts out in the form of a stone, immovable and uncompromising! Yet his had glides out at the exact same time in the form of a piece of paper, light in the breeze yet heavy and laden with words.
Round 1 goes to Gram, no big deal. I can recover from this easy!
"Rock, paper, scissors..." We recite once again the ancestral hum, thunder booming in my mind. "SHOOT!"
Gram's hand moves quick, his fingers shaped as if they were scissors meant to cut the fabric of time! NO!!! THIS CAN'T BE! My fist is shaped in to paper before I can do take-backsies, giving the second point to Gram.
Tension is high, the air itself weighs heavy on me. This will decide everything ever for the next 10,000,000,000,000 years!! This is it!!
"Rock..."
"Paper..."
"Scissors..."
A long pause ensues, as if armistice had occurred, before one last utterance puts the game to rest.
"Shoot-"
* * *
I ended up sleeping on the floor.