Within the confines of a small office, two gentlemen sit across from each other, separated by a wooden desk. The older man, a feline demi-human, takes off his glasses as he slowly shakes his head. There's no hostility hidden beneath his body language, but almost that of a concerned parent.
The much younger gentleman, a human, sits upright remaining undeterred. Even his black tie refuses to move off-center.
"Forgive me for the redundancy, but I cannot help myself. For the final time, are you sure that you want to enroll? Look son, I'll refund your full tuition for you; no fees attached whatsoever."
"This is the only viable college for my major; my home town–my home country doesn't offer what I'm looking for. What other options do I have?"
"Son…Zateon, right? There aren't any options for you here. Genuinely, changing majors is your best bet. I would strongly recommend doing that after canceling your enrollment."
"No sir. I will follow through with my decision, and I ask you to respect that, Mr. Phil."
The stern yet respectful response from Zateon created a flinch response briefly. For a moment, it seemed as though Mr. Phil was going to erupt in anger, but how could he? Such a polite response said in a respectful tone completely disarmed him of any pent-up frustrations.
All Mr. Phil could do was slowly release air like a deflating balloon in the form of a deep sigh.
"...and here we go again, back to square one. Oh well, there are other humans like you who have enrolled this year, so perhaps you all can stick together and make it through your next few years here. If I remember correctly, I heard that there is a human girl who shares your major…or a field closely related. Whatever the case, I wish you and the other humans the best of luck–nothing short of that will suffice."
Upon Mr. Phil's surrender, Zateon's face lifted, along with the rest of his body, as he firmly shook his hand across the desk.
"I cannot express my gratitude enough, Mr. Phil. I by no means disregard your warnings at all–I anticipate challenges coming my way. But regardless of that, I will overcome every single obstacle and receive my diploma. This is all thanks to you giving me this opportunity, so once again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
A glistening smile reflects off of Mr. Phil's gray pupils.
________________________________________________________________
Several weeks later…
Shelves filled with books, small circular tables surrounded by students, the sound of typing and tapping away on the electronic devices all condensed into one massive area combine to make a study hall that fits the textbook definition. Inside one of the several private cubicles, a student stares blankly at his computer screen; his eyes slightly baggy.
"I've had enough of this!", is a declaration that I so badly want to yell out and release into the atmosphere that's truly no different from a void. Actually, that is only the polite version of what I really want to scream. It's a study hall? Who cares? It's not like we're in a classroom, and I wouldn't be the first "distraction", even today.
These are my intrusive thoughts speaking–I recognize that. But no matter what, I must suppress them–I would rather be stripped naked than give any of these demi-humans the satisfaction of seeing me cave.
I know that they are sneering at me.
I know that they are glancing when they think I can't see them.
I know that most of them refuse to interact with me, and the few that do are insincere at best. At worst, purposely give me misinformation under the guise of sincerity that ultimately screws up my grades.
I know that they have contempt towards me.
That's what makes being nonchalant even better–it drives them crazy, and I just know it.
Just breathe. Inhale…and exhale…
"Focus your mind, Zateon. Return to focus…"
If I lose myself, I will have absolutely nothing left. I must listen to the voice of reason within me…even though its voice is hardly a whisper by now.
SLAM!
"?"
Even though I am in a supposedly soundproof cubicle, I can still hear distracting noises on the outside. Was that a lie too, or incompetent architecture? And just when I'm trying to refocus…
"Man, why did I forget my headphones today of all days?"
Just as I turn my head back to my computer, the very second–
Bam
I hear the sound of an impact. This time it's a little muffled, but the fact that I can hear it at all is distracting!
"Again?!"
In sheer annoyance, I unlatched the door and opened my cubicle. Just outside the door to the left, a canine demi-human woman holds a human woman against the wall, pulling her hair with one beastly hand as the other is holding on to her books. Her fangs are protruding from her mouth…even so, the victim doesn't evade her slightly bruised eyes.
"What the hell did you say to Egar? Answer me already–make sure I can actually hear you this time!"
"We only talked about an upcoming project. What does it have to do with you?"
"That's my boyfriend, you idiot! Everyone knows that!"
"Hmm…no, I didn't know that–Egar especially doesn't…oh, I get it! You're one of the girls who has a crush on him but is too wussy to confess. Have at it, it's not like I'm in the competition. Besides, doesn't your species hook up with several mates? Why fight so hard over fourth place at best?"
The demi-human's grip gets tighter to the point where it seems as though she'll pull off her hair completely. All the while, her other hand loses its grip on the books it was trying so hard to keep hold of. From my perspective, this is undoubtedly a consequence of the taunting tone coming from the human. She's begging for trouble talking like that; is she purposely digging her grave?
"We have camera footage of you getting really close to him–do you think I'm stupid?"
"No, not at all. You are very smart for a dog."
"!"
Crap, she really is trying to get killed! The demi-human's eyes immediately turn white, a telltale sign of her mind going blank–instead, pure instinctual rage takes over…her hand is no longer burdened by books.
Now that I think about it, I do sort of recognize her face from one of my core classes. If I remember correctly, I heard the name "Yearn" tossed around. This matter is none of my business, but if Yearn doesn't calm down–if someone doesn't calm her down…
Sploosh!
"?!"
Just before she could strike with her claws, I managed to splash ice cold water from my bottle onto Yearn. Fortunately, my gamble paid off; she snapped out of her feral mind.
Of course, that does not mean that her anger was quenched in any capacity. Quite the opposite–she now directs her enraged scowl at me.
"Knock it off. If you are going to waste millions of gold just to get expelled for going feral and damaging school property, then do it outside. At least you won't distract those of us who are actually trying to graduate."
"This has nothing to do with you, human…stay out of it."
"What do you think I was trying to do? Move away from that girl, Yearn–you know it's not worth it over us humans, right?"
"...tch. Don't say my name like we are familiar."
Yearn's anger mellowed out in real-time, morphing into a disgusted face. Coming to her senses at last, her body shifts back to its normal state, dropping the human that was in her grasp in the process. After gathering her bearings, Yearn storms away, and everyone around continues as before.
Actually, no one even stopped what they were doing during the confrontation–not even the staff. Typical.
"What a nuisance, that demi. You didn't get rough up too badly…hopefully?"
I extend my hand, offering my support. The young woman accepted my hand, even though she hesitated after a few blinks, and slowly rose to her feet.
"No…I've experienced worse. I mean, you're a human just like me, right? Surely you can understand without me explaining. Unless you have some sort of privilege that you are gatekeeping to yourself…"
"Well, that's…"
I feel it. Even with just my peripheral vision, I can tell there are wandering eyes, and itching ears amok.
"I have a study cubicle booked right now–why don't you join me inside? You can study peacefully and we can perhaps continue further in conversation, if you'd like."
Once again, she looks at me silently for a moment, carefully analyzing me from head to toe. Upon completion, she musters up a weak smile.
It's radiating with sincerity.
"Sure."
Following my lead, just the two of us humans enter into the cubicle, granting us a sense of deserved privacy. I made sure to enter second so that I could ensure that the door was firmly shut behind us. There will be no more mishaps today!
"I know that this is sudden, but would you happen to be Klia?"
"Let me guess, did the director tell you about me?"
"Eh, not much. Just a little about the very few humans on campus."
"Sigh, sounds about right. That guy keeps trying to make us humans become buddy-buddy just because we are the same species; that's not how it works!"
"Well, I can see his logic–it is honestly not unreasonable. Anyway, I'm Zateon and I've enrolled to study–"
"Don't you want to quit?"
A lump forms in my throat; I nearly choked on air. It was not necessarily the question itself that caught me off guard, even though it did to an extent, but the delivery.
This isn't the taunting tone I heard from her earlier, nor a more casual tone I would expect coming from her slouched over position. Klia's voice carries a serious conviction beyond just the few words she uttered. If she's asking seriously, then I shall answer seriously.
"I've thought about it on occasion, but I am determined not to do so under any circumstances. This situation is only temporary–I can bear it and move on with my future career."
"Nooooo, not that. I mean, don't you want to quit putting up with this?"
"Well, feasibly…"
"Quitting would just make those animals happy. That's a feeling that I never want to give them. We are already at the end of the first semester, yet these animals have already made it hell. And I do mean all of them: the staff, professors, classmates, dormmates, and especially those…"
"..."
Whatever she was going to say–whatever she was thinking of–was vile enough to make her voice deeper and deeper. Taking a glance at my face, which I'm sure looks perplexed, Klia calms herself.
"I'm sorry, I'm just venting while you are trying to study. Academics are the furthest thing from my mind right now, so maybe it's better if I go…"
Before she could bend her legs to leave her chair, I hastily shut my computer. I must make sure that Klia knows that I am willing to pay her undivided attention.
"By all means, please continue. I want to hear everything that's on your mind. Afterwards, I can share too. I have several pent-up grievances as well; perhaps getting them off my chest will clear my mind."
Klia contemplates, then smiles warmly.
And just like that, the atmosphere completely changed. I feel like I'm relaxing at a tropical location.
"Where should I begin? Say, you won't believe what I did to Yam or whatever her name is…"