Room 102B

[Daniel]

Room 102B
Outside the room was a large placard: Room 102B: Vincent, Thellonious, Colin, Southpaw

Inside the room, Southpaw the Dorin sat on an empty bunk, feeling a bit sorry for himself. One of his roommates had just gotten discharged, another promoted to corporal, and the third had been wounded in the Vyssie attack and would not be returning to the dorms.

"Oh well, I guess that means I will have 3 new roommates!" As a Dorin, Southpaw always tried to look on the bright side of life, and today was no exception. He knew that Piotr was giving out new billets and assignments, and he looked forward to seeing who would be coming here.

While he waited, he glanced around the room. It could have been a college dormroom save for the way it was furnitured. There were two bunk beds in it and four desks, four closets and four chairs. All of it was very spartan and standard issue, and of course the walls were bare. One of the closets happened to be open, and Southpaw could see a standard-issue foot locker at the bottom of it.

That was one thing that as a Dorin he really liked-- the sheer uniformity of everything on base. There was nothing like eating the same kibble every day-- he absolutely loved it!

[Thelonious Brass]

Thelonious was tired, and more…hungry when he finally found his room assignment. He'd barely made the parade in time, and missed a much desired meal. But he forgot all of it, when he passed through the door. His gaze found the dorin before taking any interest in the rest of the room. If asked later, the young tigron would claim he could smell that dorin a good forty paces off.

Instinct took over where better sense didn't stand a chance, and his tail lashed furiously side to side, while his ears flattened against his skull. His eyes…one blue and one green, narrowed into glittering slits and a low snarl threatened deep in his chest. A thin ridge of hair spiked up the length of his back. All this before he'd even cleared the doorway. Longer before he got hold of himself.

A dorin? They expected him to take up quarters with a dorin? If there was anything he hated, it was a dorin. With their smell and disgusting habits...Would eat just about anything…And most of them as self aware as a box of rocks, in his opinion. 'Probably chases his own tail,' Thelonious thought as he glanced round the otherwise empty room, making a point of ignoring the dorin while never letting him completely out of his sight. His posture and initial reaction seemed to ease somewhat...His tail stopped it's thrashing, ears pricked back forward and ridge laid smooth...Though much of that was likely bluff. Aloof but aware. That was his motto.

Hadn't the lutran fellow said they could request a change? He didn't doubt this was an oversight. But no, he decided, and walked to one of the closets, dropped the sack carrying his meager belongings into a footlocker and shut the lid. As a katta, he was far superior. It was common knowledge and likely even the dorin knew it. He'd not be chased off. So begrudgingly, he turned back to the fellow and grinned, making a point of baring his sharp teeth. "Serale. M' name's Thelonious Brass," he said, introducing himself before he claimed the top of the empty bunk and settled himself to wait for the others to arrive.

[Colin Ardayle]

Opening the door, Colin found the tigron already inside, as well as a dorin. This could be interesting, Colin thought. They probably won't like each other, and may even fight, but if they do, Colin hoped he could manage to stay out of it. He also hoped the last roommate would come soon. If the two could not get along and he befriended them equally , they might use him against the other. Colin had seen it often enough in his life. Perhaps battle would unite them and shake out any racial tension, but the man wondered if it was a good idea wishing for combat.

"Serale fellows. Thelonious I've met." He gave a nod to the tigron. Turning to the Diron he gave him a nod as well. "I am Colin Ardayle." Going straight to matters at hand he asked, "And so what beds are claimed? If you two have not taken both bottom bunks, I'd like to have one." Colin left out the reason, that he liked to be ready to get up as quick as possible, if even just a few seconds faster. Perhaps to escape a fight between the other two he thought half jokingly.

[Vincent Stefan]

Vincent entered the room last. It was no surprise to him; he after all had been given the wrong room key.
With a critical eye Vincent surveyed the room and his roommates, on his shoulder his pet raven Shadow was doing the same thing. Vincent’s survey did not take long and when it was complete he cracked a smile. What a group they where going to make. As if things had not been bad enough with the Vyssie attack, but at least if anything this promised to be interesting.
Without saying a word and rather quietly Vincent proceeded to one of the chair and placed his bag down, then reaching in it, unpacked the perch for his raven, which he placed on one of the desks. Then with a casual hand gesture, Vincent instructed the bird on his shoulder to go to the perch. Without complaint the bird obeyed and flew to the perch.
That being done, Vincent removed his bag from the chair and sat down. All he could think while doing all of this was just how mismatched all of his roommates and himself really where. Still carrying that thought Vincent finally brought attention to his arrival, he did this with a slight cough. “Serale, The name’s Vincent, Vincent Stefan and this charming fellow here is Shadow,” he said pointing to the raven.

[Thelonious Brass]

Thelonious left the dorin long enough to watch Colin enter and he nodded in greeting, a toothy grin. "Serale again, Colin. And aye, help yerself t' th' bottom bunk if ye will. I'll be bunkin' up top." When available, a high perch was always the tigron's preference. Trees or bunks made little difference.

When Vincent entered, his narrowed eyes found the bird perched on his shoulder almost immediately. Though the grin remained, it looked somewhat pained. First a dorin. Now, he'd not eaten anything substantial in days, and the newest addition had a pet that was appealing in a culinary sort of way. His tail twitched with interest, but the civilized, more evolved bit of him realized that it probably wasn't acceptable roommate behavior to swat the fellow's pet out of the air and make a meal of it.

Especially now that it had been given a name, he thought when the half elf introduced himself and the bird. "Serale, Vincent. M' name's Thelonious Brass."

[Vincent Stefan]

Vincent noticed the way the Katta was starring at Shadow almost instantly after all he was a cat, it was in his nature to want to eat birds. So Vincent decided it was time to set some ground rules. With that Vincent got up and extended his hand as if to great the Katta. Then said “It’s nice to make your acquaintance Thelonious Bass,” then under his breath just loud enough for the Katta to hear he added. “ I believe in simple rules so if you ever touch Shadow, even in a friendly manner, I will rip your arm’s off and beat you to death with them.” Leaving it at that he waited for the Katta to take his hand, which was still outstretched in a friendly manner. Vincent had said what he did loud enough for the Katta since, even Vincent knew what it was like in a new place. He did not want the Katta to feel threatened or ashamed and he sertenly didn’t want to embarass the katta in front of all these new people, all Vincent wanted was to insure Shadows safety.

[Colin Ardayle]

"Ah good. Thanks Thelonious," Colin said as he went to his bed. He may not have heard Vincent, but Colin had read the half elf's lips. The gray eyed man always tried to be aware, always observing, though not being obvious about it. Maybe it would be better we have someone else to kill before we kill each other he thought. He would not show he knew what Vincent had said though, but for a quiet sigh as he sat on his chosen bed. Colin would wait for the two to work things out before introducing himself to the newest coming roommate. He noticed the diversity in the room as Vincent did and thought warily on the days to come in the small room. Gods help us.

[Thelonious Brass]

To his credit, the grin never left Thelonious' face….Though it made an effort to turn somewhat contrite. And managed, mostly. Despite several marked impulses, he willed his ears into a forward position, his tail, wayward as it was with a mind of it's own, to cease it's twitching. It was as much a non-threatening posture as any Tigron could possibly manage. After all, to his thinking, confrontation seemed counterproductive when faced with folks that each would be counting on to watch their backs.

At any rate, he swallowed a good portion of those impulses and took the half elf's hand in a firm grip and a "Well met, Vincent," before releasing it and lounging back on his bunk. "Yer bird's got nothin' t' worry about," he added with a lowered voice for the half elf's benefit.

[Vincent Stefan]

Vincent noticed Thelonious’s response it was a good one. The katta had understood, and he had also played it off well, all the things Vincent had hoped he would do. Now with that out of the way Vincent decided to unpack. He really did not have much to unpack, and was finished in record time. Now there was only one thing left, to choose a bunk. Sadly, Vincent noticed the only free one was with the Dorin. Moving over to the only free bunk Vincent sat down. Why did he have to share the bunk with the Dorin. For a wile Vincent contemplated pulling rank and getting one of the others to bunk with the Dorin but eventually realized that would only make a bad situation worse. No there was only one thing to do learn to deal with it. Thankfully he had achieved getting the tops bunk, so that at least was a good thing. Lying back on the bed Vincent looked up at the sealing and began to wonder if all the bunking arrangements were this mismatched.

It was, as Vincent was lying there that for the first time his black cloak slipped away from his right side showing that his arm was, in a sling, an obvious sign that it was broken. None would have been able to tell otherwise, for Vincent had never shown any signs of pain or discomfort.

[Colin Ardayle]

Things seemed to have calmed down after Vincent went to his bed. From his own bottom bunk, Colin could see Vincent's sling and decided to use it as a reason to talk to him.

"Vincent? Vincent was it? Yes well, I am Colin Ardayle. Forgive my curiosity, but what happened to give you those injuries? Separate events I'm sure" he casually asked referring to the arm and eye patch. Colin then looked away as he stretched, cracking his back with a few satisfying pops. The arm would recover it appeared but the eye he suspected was gone or forever out of use by the way the patch fit him so well. It was also a more personal issue. Colin almost regretted asking of it, but he thought better that he know now than to offend the half elf later on it.

[Vincent Stefan]

Vincent looked over to where Colin Ardayle was standing. Then after a few moments gave a reply to the man’s question. "My arm was injured in a fight with the leader of the Vyssie attack, Caroh I believe her name was. Sadly she got away before I could send her to Jalat. As for the eye patch….that happened… a long time ago, and relay I’m not up for talking about it. However I will tell you all you want to know about the Vyssie attack. It's fresher in my mind anyway. " With that Vincent turned his head back up to look at the sealing again. This time however his thoughts were not on his current situation but on the battlefield and the screams of the dyeing that were in the hospital during its aftermath.

[Colin Ardayle]

Colin nodded and sat back on the bed. Yes, he had heard of the battle. Anyone in the city would know of it. The details seemed odd to Colin, but he knew not to believe everything he heard, no matter how many said the same thing.

"Tell me whatever you want. I won't ask for more than you are willing." Colin now slowly rotated his neck, continuing stretches he did before work at his former job.

[Vincent Stefan]

Vincent continued to look up at the sealing, when he was shore he was ready he began. "They got us completely be surprise. By the time anyone could get a counter strike ready the enemy had already killed a large number of solders and town folk. I in fact was a little late, and for my trouble in getting there the leader of our forces shot at me with a crossbow. Lucky for me, his aim was off. Unlucky for him since a short time latter he got beaten into pulp by leader of the enemy forces, but I¡¯m getting ahead of myself " Vincent paused there, and looked to see if Colin Ardayle was still paying attention. If he was then Vincent would continue. If not then Vincent would stop talking. This recount of his time in that battle was beginning to get to him. Already Vincent could feel the sting of a tear in his eye.

[Colin Ardayle]

I hope that was an uncommon occurence. I don't want to worry about my fellow soldiers trying to kill me, at least not all the time." Colin thought back to the brawl he was thrust into at the private barracks earlier. Not quite a deadly fight, but violent all the same. His stomach still ached from the punches dealt to it, but he'd prefer that to a crossbow arrow any day. He wondered if being late was the sole reason for the leader's attack on Vincent.

"And I heard there was not near enough enemies to take the city, but plenty to cause a slew of injuries and some death," he said last as a question.

[Thelonious Brass]

While Vincent told his story, Thelonious lounged on his bunk, arms propped behind his head and tail twitching distractedly. He wasn't familiar with any of the events the two talked of. But then again, his last few cycles had been spent on trying to survive out in the cold, scaring up food when he could find it.