With a set of changed clothes and more secured by her side, she entered the corner building on the right corner of the campus. The doors of the building were all floor to ceiling and every room she caught a glimpse of had big screened computers hung, strung, fixed and adjusted in a space to accommodate one screen per cyclopes. Unlike other buildings so far, she seniors were on the lower floor and the juniors were on the upper floor. The building was taller to accommodate more floors with the height of its students.
But as she climbed the first stair, the unusual length of the step alone made her pause. It was like take two of tree steps at a time. She looked up, took a deep breath and started climbing. At the first landing, a few cyclopes stood together, discussing some problem she could not understand.
"The interference is maddening."
"Wait until the witches finish their ritual tomorrow," another one said but his companion hit a wall, "I wanted to present a program today, at orientation, what's the use tomorrow?"
"You should have known that the witches' ritual was the second day. They put that in the cautions and tips. What do you do when witches in your area hold rituals?"
That frustrated cyclopes sighed, "the witches in my town tend to meet in the wild and we already have a set up in town where they cannot have interference."
His friend clapped just when she reached halfway through the next climb, "all you have to do is find a spot far enough from the ritual to finish your work."
The cyclopes groaned, "but their ritual is right smack in the middle of campus. I might as well go into the jungle."
His friend laughed, "I will lend you my router and connection and everything. If I have the time, I might have come with you."
They had already started walking, perhaps heading out to do what they discussed. As a princess she was well versed with technological use and its interference with magic and vice versa. She had also taken lesson about its need, impact, depth and economic usage. But to actually operate one of the machines? She never had to. Even her official email was handled by Mayra back home. The only technological thing she possessed was her phone. Out of curiosity, she opened her phone and found the lost signal. The witches ritual had already begun? Which means a day or two of interrupted signals.
Finally at the top floor, she paused until her breath returned to normal.
With a little more dignity and a little more blending in with her normal clothes, she found the class she was assigned to.
Inside was nothing she expected. It was a hall and all cyclopes sat on scattered chairs, in a semi circle, facing the opposite wall. On the wall was projector and a middle aged man with bulked up muscles was standing beside it. On the other side was a cyclopes, shot for cyclopes, pointing a pointer at the projection of a diagram she understood nothing about.
The whole thing had complex connection, forming a loop and that's how far she understood.
She slipped into the room and took a chair at the very back of the class. Unable to see anything she stood back up and went to one side. The muscles in her legs throbbed. Standing to one side, she observed, almost all cyclopes had some sort of device, big, small, flying or a laptop with them. A few, who didn't held notes.
She had missed the beginning of the orientation and knew not what method of introduction this class used. She powered through a few laptop presentations, understanding nothing but that each cyclopes had presented a design or technological proposition. Or that's what they looked like. Beyond that, she found nothing.
The professor edged closer to the empty screen and called, "not those with their devices will step forward and those with the notes will go last."
The first person to step up was someone she knew. C looked at her at the back of the class, his only eye wide enough to take in every expression of every person in class.
"I am the second in command after the chief of security on the Island of Kalai. My expertise is hard to describe. I will demonstrate."
C beamed at her once, took his phone out, put it on the table, dismantled it and joined back every piece. Everything happened too fast. Ash blinked quickly. Though she had seen C make things from scratch many times before, may it be homes, computer, or dam walls, she had never seem him pulling this apart. The entire class banged their tables and chairs and cheers too loud for her ears. C beamed at her again and turned back to his new classmates. "Anything you have to offer, I can pull apart and put together, no problem but I am a little weak in programming things. So here I am, to learn to dismantle and mantle the inside too."
"You are talented indeed," the professor said, "you also might want to look into the mechanical workshops and classes with goblins, to expand your horizon by the next year."
Ash heard swelled with pride. When C looked again, she beamed at him. However, as soon as C sat down, she looked at the time and slipped out of the room before the next cyclopes raised their handmade glider.
"We have a new student. Princess Ash." the professor called from the front and Ash paused, already half out of the door. "What have you to show the class."
Slowly, Ash stepped back inside and bowed slightly, "apologies professor. I do not have anything to present in class."
The professor, she suspected a werecat or a werewolf, gave her a flat look, "I guess you will only be joining the class for this semester. No need to do anything. Do your assignments and do not disrupt the class. Someone will have to pick up your slack for the group projects."
He looked around the room and shook his head in disappointment. "At least the past princess only focused on their strengths. This is the first time we are getting someone so lost. I am guessing you are not the heir in running?"
Ash heart tugged and C cleared his throat. "She is with me."
Ash felt the swell she felt earlier contract suddenly. The professor looked at him. "A princess from the island of Kalai. Can't say I have heard of it. Well." The professor paused, looking between C and Ash, "you are very welcome to join the class since there will be someone picking after you. You only need project credits. Please take a seat and do not disrupt the class."
Ash took the seat, ears open and view blocked. The back of all cyclopes head was shaved close to the skull with short hair, with a few exceptions of shaggy hair, curls or such. It was hard to tell male or female apart in the crowd just like the experiments and models she heard ahead of the class. The memorable thing apart from C's skills was a bird like glider that fluttered around the room once and everyone guffawed and laughed, banging on things instead of clapping.
When she finally heard the professor's voice, a sense of relief washed over her. "We will meet again tomorrow to go into the wild and unwind. That will be another place for you to showcase your skills. Be ready."
Ash got up with everyone and slipped out fast enough to slip away before her friend, who turned around, could find her.
Before she could breathe properly, she was in the building that she had skipped between the towering cyclopes structure and the simple Kelpie study place. The orientation for nixie was in a room on the second floor and the steps were made for an average human. The problem was the slippery porcelain everywhere. Ash walked slowly, trying not to slip and fall.
Her shoes were not exactly made for anti-slip. Once on the next floor, she found her class quickly. Inside, unlike the class for cyclopes, the nixies were spread out, all doing their own things. While one stirred up a cloud of fog, another one held a flute in her webbed hands, playing a soft low tune. At the head of the class a Kelpie in its original state rested on all four legs, eyes closed. It looked like this orientation was about doing whatever the nixies wanted.
There were about fourteen of them in the room, only two of them were in groups of two while each took a separate spot in the room, practicing singing, crying, playing an instrument, playing with water, or webbing and splitting their fingers and toes. None of them noticed her for a while. With how the class with cyclopes went, she could use a moment of rest. However, again, with nothing to show and nixie's temperamental attitude, it was best to slip out sooner than later.
She had learned by now that attending any orientation was not important for her. She might as well retrieve to her room and start classes later.
However, still standing at the door, as she moved sideways, sliding back outside, the fog disappeared from the middle of the room and turned into a jet of water, shooting at the door. She slid out just in time for it to close.
Holding back a sigh, she looked through a glass opening in the door and saw multiple pair of eyes, curious eyes turned towards her. Not all nixies were in human form but those who weren't were transforming. The nixie closest to the door slipped forward and pressed her flat, slit nose to the window. Some slippery thing left a mark and slid down the glass. Some water flicked it away and the nixie smiled.
The nixie at the door smiled and Ash knew she was in for mischief. She heard the sound of crackling and a few pellets of water on her cheek and shoulder. Looking up, fog was collecting on top of her head and light crackled in the darkening cloud.
She clutched her bag closed, ducked her head, turned around and ran. Not ten steps away and another shot of lightening struck overhead. Water gushed out on the top of her head like pouring rain- her personal pouring rain. But something felt odd. She could breath easy, the water was not cold but warm. And it wasn't on her clothes or skin but on the floor. She looked up. The drop came straight for her eyes, she closed her eyes instinctively but nothing touched her eyelid. With quivering lids, she tried to open her eyes and saw the blur of rain over her eye. It was close enough to blur her vision and yet, it never touched her skin.
She looked down at her hand. It clearly looked like the rain fell on the back of her hand and slid down her skin but she felt not a drop touch her. That wasn't right. She felt it. It felt warmth of the water the warmth of magic that protected her. It was like a layer of skin itself.
Contrary to her skin and her hair, her shirt was soaking and dripping. Was it some kind of ability she possessed but never found out? Unsure of what to think of it, she began walking to the staircase.
However, as soon as her foot hit the first staircase, her heal slipped and she fell on her back, slipping down the multiple staircase. On the middle landing she stood up with a deep breath. Even if some kind of unusual ability saved her from manipulated rain, it did not protect her from slipping and falling injuries.
Multiple points on her back throbbed with the pain of the fall. Another layer of frustration wrapped around her heart and tears collected over her eyes. For a moment, she was even thankful for the personalized rain cloud. Yet, none of those tears fell. She looked down at herself. Her shoes were wet, her shirt was dripping and her jeans were soaked, heavy. She needed to change again.
More carefully, focusing on one foot after another, she held tight onto the rails and made her way down. Nixies saw her on the ground floor, laughing and giggling as she walked slowly, head straight and neck throbbing with pain.
One nixie approached her slowly. "Even if the trick did not work it still worked. Your clothes are soaking wet," she stopped at a distance, speaking slowly, her voice had a kick of gurgle, as she waved her hand and the cloud began disappearing from over her head.
Even when the wraps of coils were stronger around her heart and the feeling of suffocation was thick, she did not forget to fold her hands and lower herself for her saviour. "Thank you for your help."
"The cloud will form again. Better put some distance between yourself and whoever did this."
"One the first floor…" she began and paused. What could she say?
The senior smiled, her humane face turning into a webbed nose, changing slowly. "Then the next building should be a safe distance. All the buildings have restroom in the back, so go get changed," her rounded chin pointed to the bag tucked at her side.
She was, for once, thankful for the chancellor's advice and the waterproof bag.
She walked past the people watching, eyes straight ahead, unable to look at anyone.