Open Chronicles Saffron tea and Stressful evenings

[Nilamani]

There were a few students in the cafe even at this hour It was nearly time for the curfew. It was one of the few places students could scrounge a refreshment between the designated meal times of the dinning hall. One such unlucky student having slept through dinner was sipping a tea and groggily nibbling at a scone. Alone at the table they had a tome regarding curses and compulsion in front of them but hadn't so much as cracked the cover while slowly sipping the aromatic brew.

Nilamani had begun to feel that they were spending more of their time outside of class asleep than awake. They had only intended to take a short nap following their last lecture of the day......only waki8ng to find it was already sunset. If it had only been the once they would have laughed it off and perhaps asked a classmate to swing by before the next morning lecture to avoid oversleeping....
But they had already been doing quite a bit of excusing, and the sleepwalking was stating to get worse. If they didn't come up with a solution their grades wouldn't be the only thing to suffer. They were aware that without a large financial baking or a big family name.....and given they weren't human, that even small missteps could become a grounds for quiet expulsion. Even if that didn't happen.....given how far they had managed to walk the last time they half wondered if they might actually fully make it off the grounds one of these nights. Then they would really be in trouble.

They made an unusually dour expression at the bright comforting color of the saffron tea. Their hair was not as carefully arranged and their clothes were still a bit disheveled from their nap.

 

[Pomrick Bloomsfield]

Pomrick's feet were dragging after him as he trudged into the dining area. He now carried another token from his master's experiments - a blue nose. And not even slightly blue or faintly discoloured, but a deep navy blue, spreading with ghastly veins below his skin towards his cheeks.

Still, this magical mishap was not the main reason for his doused spirits. No, it was the fact that he had missed dinner. It had taken considerable time to return to his regular form, and the transformation had left its mark, unlikely to wear off until morning. His tongue still felt forked against his teeth.

Now, with a grumbling stomach and even more grumbling attitude, he hung around the eatery, hoping to find a chef that would take some pity upon him - all whilst keeping his nose dug deep into a borrowed, chequered scarf.

Instead, he found Nilamani.

He hung there for a good few moments, floundering indecisively, neither retreating nor advancing. They hadn't seen him yet. Should he say his greetings? He was more in the mood for eating than talking, to be honest. But Nilamani had been nothing but gracious to him so far - one of the few to be so, in fact. So, really, he was obliged to return the courtesy, no?

Pomrick stepped up behind Nilamani, announcing himself with a lingering stride and gentle clearing of his throat. The left side of his hair stood asymmetrically up, as if held there by some gel or shocked by lightning. His scarf enwrapped his head like a mummy's bandages up to his nose, muffling his piping voice:

"Good evening, Nilamani. What . . . how are you?"

Nilamani

 

[Nilamani]

The voice wasn't recognized at first. Indeed as Nilamani's head slowly raised to meet the source they at first didn't recognize the person either. Blinking in surprise Nilamani eyed the talking bundle of scarf with sleepy confusion.
With a hint of amusement and concern realization dawned in their expression. It was an awfully warm time of year for such an accessory. Especially to be worn in such a fashion. Their eyes roved over the scarf and the gravity defying hair. Nilamani imagined that between the two of them they most look like they had been fighting fierce gales to arrive at the dinning hall, despite the of course very calm weather this evening.
".....is that....Pomrick under all that? trying out some new type of ward?.....or is this some Elbion trend I'm not aware of?" Nilamani asked with a wry smile and the hint of a laugh. Odd things did seem more frequent around Pomrick. Perhaps he had an unfortunate during some practical lecture exercise.
Nilamani gestured to the seat beside them offering for Pomrick to sit.
"I'm afraid you're too late for supper.....scone?"
Pomrick Bloomsfield

 

[Pomrick Bloomsfield]

Pomrick looked at the scone and felt his stomach rumble, urging him to accept Nilamani's invitation.

"Heh, eh, well, no, not exactly." At least, he didn't think it was a new trend at the college. Was it? He opted for the safer excuse. "I'm simply a little, uh, sick."

His legs soon followed suit, plopping him down in the seat next to Nilamani, shifting backwards at first to grant some space, then a little closer again, deeming the distance to be too far and awkward. This shuffling about on the bench caused his scarf to fall down, briefly revealing his blue nose, to which he quickly re-adjusted it over his nose, wrapping it further around his neck.

All this shaking, topped by his red, upstanding hair, brought to mind an autumn bush quivering its leaves in a heavy gale. The only indoor wind here, however, was his own self-consciousness. Hands fell on the table, before deciding it more casual to lean an elbow against it, turning sideways towards Nilamani. Then again, elbow on the table was bad manners to some, he had realised, and so he removed the elbow again, folding his hands in his lap instead. With a quick adjustment to his scarf. Then back to the lap. Finally, he could sit still.

"Yes, it seems I . . . missed it. Well, if you don't mind, I wouldn't mind . . . a scone, that is."

Nilamani