Foxtails and Fairytales: Facades and Fables of the Phantom Prince

[Arc 2] Ch. 8 Hawk Mansion

Jekyll

"You might if you went to orientation instead of spending all you time in the library." Liz chided as she looked at the form. "Well, it's no wonder you don't know anything. This is in the girl's district."

"Girl's district?"

"The student residential areas are broken into three districts. The boys, Girls, and Scholars." Liz explained. "Students just out of the rudimentary courses or under a certain age are separated by gender. Older students and married couples are mixed in the Scholars section. There are the dorm buildings and 'mansions'. The dorms are free to live in, but the mansions are for Nobles and rich muckity mucks."

"Uhhhhh..." I look both ways.

"This is so like you, Doc. You know where the library is, but you don't even know where you were going to sleep tonight." Liz rolled her eyes.

"Well..."

"No, you have to stop sleeping under desks in toppled over book forts when you succumb to exhaustion. If you don't sleep and eat properly, you'll never grown any taller." Liz chastised me.

"Uuuhhhh..." I don't make eye contact.

"Seriously, Doc. How did you even survive before me?" Liz giggled. "But that's also part of why I love you."

"Don't say things that will be misunderstood." I sigh at her teasing. "Do you know where to go or not?"

"I know the direction we have to go at least." She said. "Why don't you pick up her bag and we'll head in that way."

"I can do that much." I say and reach toward Talisa's bag. "My Friend knows way, I help carry possessions."

When I grab the bag and move to lift it Talisa make a worried sound and "oof-" I think I almost pulled my arm out of it's socket trying to move her bag.

"Real manly, Doc." Liz giggled at me.

"Thank you for your help Henry Jekyll. You are my... guardian angel. I believe that is the saying, correct?" She said picking up the bag as if it weighed nothing.

"Close enough." I say as I rub my shoulder, cursing my poor physical strength as I glare at how easily she lifted that cursed bag. Maybe Liz was on to something?

*

When I knocked on the door of the medium-sized refurbished house, I was met by the sneer of the new number one ranked knight on campus. It was one of the girls I had hoped to stay far away from, Lancelot Du Lac.

"You're in the wrong district, kid." The tall woman looked down at me when she swung the door wide open. Fine, Liz, I eat and sleep properly!

I sigh and realized that I was far from going to be able to talk to this woman. "You're up, Liz."

"Sure, make me do all the work." Liz stepped forward. "Is this the Honorable Hawk's mansion?"

"Who's asking?" Lancelot snarled.

"One of your roommates, hopefully." Liz pulled Talisa into view.

Talisa blushed and waved anxiously.

Lancelot cocked an eyebrow at her. "Aren't you-" She was shoved out of the way and a brown haired girl with curled horns entered the doorway.

"Sorry about her, she's grumpy. Come inside." The much kinder elite knight ranker let us in.

"Sorry to intrude." Liz and I say as we enter.

"I'm Gawain, but I go by Annie." The ram girl introduced herself and I noticed the clopping sounds were her hooves on the hardwood. "Little miss grumpy is my bestest friend Lancelot, she just found out she's not strongest in our class. So she's in a mood." Annie turned to Talisa. "You must be Talisa, you're the last to arrive."

"Haaaah," Talisa tried to say hi.

"Do you have a cough dear?" Talisa asked. "Breathing fire must be hard on the throat I guess."

"That's a common mistake. She just said hi, but the accent from dragon to our language isn't easy." I explain.

"So far, Doc has been doing all the translating." Liz explained.

"That's amazing, but aren't you a little young to be a Doctor?" Annie asked.

"I'm not actually a doctor, I'm a-" I try to explain but Liz interrupts me.

"He's fancies himself a monster hunter, but he's more of researcher of monsters. But he is really good an alchemy to fund his hobby." Liz made me instantly less cool in front of the attractive girls around me.

"That's wonderful, Lancelot is always running into scraps and getting herself hurt. Now she has a new rival and I'm worried." Annie rolled her eyes as Lancelot yelled.

"Well it's not fair! How am I supposed to compete with the jerk who refuses to fight in a ranked match? All I keep hearing is," Lancelot stomped into the common area near the entrance and did a mocking voice. 'She may be number one, but that doesn't mean anything if she hasn't faced the Pirate Knight.'" Lancelot roared in frustration. "How does one jerk take away being number one from me when he doesn't even compete!"

"So Doc, if I could call you over whenever Lancelot does something stupid that would be fantastic?" Annie asked.

"I guess I don't mind. House calls are extra though." I fold my arms smugly.

"I don't mind carrying her, where do you live?" She asked.

"..." My heart quickened. I don't know and NOW that bothered me.

"He doesn't know. He's had his head stuck the library since we got here and missed orientation." Liz once again helped me in the most unhelpful way.

"Well when you find out let me know. I've learned to never ignore help when we can find it." Annie giggled.

"May I impose on you as well?" Talisa asked nervously.

"Yes." I responded. So, she's good at understanding common, but has trouble with the accent.

"Will you also help me learn your language? I'm having difficulties communicating." Talisa asked, confirming the obvious.

"Is that weird growling really dragon speak?" Annie leaned over and asked Liz.

"I suppose, it's what they've been doing since they met." Liz whispered back.

I sighed as I realized Liz had gained yet another ally against me, I agreed to meet up with Talisa regularly to practice out language skills, though. To keep things even at the very least.

We left their 'mansion' and I made a mental note about how I could help.

"Welp, off to the library. Oof-" I was about to go to the library when Liz grabbed the back of my shirt collar.

"OH, no you don't." Liz began dragging me away. "First we have to find out where your sleeping tonight. Let's go~!"

"If we must..." I conceded.