Alice - 2
#2 of Alice
Chapter 2. That's... that's it I suppose.
My alarm rings at precisely 6:00 pm and I throw my pen down, stretching back over the firm desk chair and yawning tremendously. What's left of my homework can be done later, and I throw down my glasses with a casual gesture unfit for such delicate eyewear. Jumping out from the desk, I exit the study and head back to my room, now empty. Meringath must be out with Aroha. Padding to the wardrobe I stare into the simple mirror embedded in its face. A griffin, fairly unremarkable and devoid of those fantastically unique traits every other fur seems to have (though the amount with 'special, different coloured irises' and 'original, void-coloured wings' do render them similar in some fashion or another despite the purpose of standing out from the crowd). No, nothing special, but nothing too awful either. Thankfully I don't need to wear glasses outside of study so my nerdish demeanour isn't completely apparent, but the slightly-too-big school uniform doesn't exactly look "cool."
I undress quickly, taking another glance at my softly feathered shoulder. They're narrow - I call them 'streamlined' to make myself feel better - but my arms are long and my claws neatly trimmed. The feathers on my upper torso become short fur as it travels down my chest, and further to my hips. My sheath is pleasantly sized (if I do say so myself), and the two balls hanging beneath aren't anything to complain about. Sure, I'm nothing like Meringath and his draconic beast, but I'm content with it.
The fur turns to scales as it travels down my legs to the short, practical talons I stand on. My claws click a little on the wooden surface of my room (it's permanently scratched, but at least I'm not ripping up a carpet) and each scale is clean and almost shiny. Again, nothing amazing, but it's me.
When I open the wardrobe I frown and scratch my neck. What to wear? I don't want to seem like I'm trying too hard but I at least want to look nice. My button-up shirts are too dress, and I'm certainly not going to wear any of the tribal gear we keep for special occasions. I flick through the hanging shirts before coming up on something simple yet nice; a black pull-on t-shirt with a little red design on it. I match it with some simple jeans, tight enough not to sag, but still loose enough to make it easy to pull up over my talons. After attempting to spruce up my head feathers - and completely failing in the process - I put on some scent and brush my beak, then head out into the hallway and downstairs.
"Mum?"
"Theo darling?" Inquires a soft, tender voice, and an avian head pokes out. "Are you heading off?"
"Yeah... Wish me luck."
"You won't need it. You look very handsome dear." She wraps me in a long embrace, enveloping me in enough warmth and comfort to make me want to stay forever. But then she pulls away and kisses me on the head before pushing me gently into the living room where my mother's lying on the couch, half-snoozing in the sunbeam piercing the window. She opens one eye and, when she realises it's me, pulls herself to a standing position. Looking down at me, a sad smile emerges into her features and she's about to say something before being replaced with a simple grin. She reaches down and licks my cheek twice, purring quietly into my ear. "Have fun. And don't get too crazy. I want to know all about it when you get back."
"I'll write you an essay about it." I smile, and as I'm heading out the door she calls out on last time.
"And be back before- before... ugh, just be ready for school tomorrow."
I smile to myself and close the door behind me.
It isn't far to the bus stop, and a ten-minute bus ride later I'm outside Alice's door. She'd moved to the area - and my school - only a few months ago, though apparently her parents lived here a while back before embarking for the North. Apparently, things hadn't gone so well over there, and so they'd inevitably returned, though I only know this from schoolyard gossip. I haven't brought the subject up with Alice yet, and won't anytime soon. She'll tell me when she wants to.
Something else I've heard that doesn't bode well is that her father is still somewhat traditional in his views. Being half-lion, that could very well present a problem. I know at this point being biased toward species is almost cliché, but the sheer number of old idiots that still follow the pre-revolutionary ideals is dumbfounding.
Don't call her father an idiot, Theo. She probably wouldn't like that.
I berate myself silently as I continue standing there, right in front of the door. I decide not to care if her father turns his nose up at me - Alice is the most animal I've ever met, smart and funny and probably the most wonderful musician I've ever had the privilege of hearing. Sure, I'd like to think I can hold my own with the ol' clarinet, but she plays literally everything at a standard well beyond anything I could dream of. I'd be jealous if I wasn't so smitten. Indeed, even as I stand there dumbly staring at the wood grain of the door my ears pick up strains of a Steinway drifting through the open window.
I take a few deep breaths, raise a paw and knock at the door. I'd practised the maneuver several times at home (being the hopeless fool I am) and am pleased to say the raps were short, sharp and masculine.
The music stops but immediately the door opens and the looming shadow of a tall, stern deer falls over me.
"I was wondering when you'd open the door."
"Oh, uh..." I let out an awkward laugh. The stag I can only assume to be Alice's father doesn't return the gesture. Apparently he wasn't swayed by my brilliant knocking ability.
"Well, come in then. Try not to pull up the carpet with your..." He gestures vaguely to my talons (despite the fact they're encased in shoes). I can only nod and step awkwardly in, and the deer closes the door firmly and turns on the spot, disappearing into another room. I stand there blinking at the previously occupied space.
So... not the best of introductions.
"Theo!"
I whip around and attempt to straighten a tie I'm not wearing. Alice giggles, her perfect hair bobbing slightly with the movement.
"H-hi!"
"Hi!"
"..."
"..."
"So uh-"
"Upstairs?"
"Fab idea."
Cursing my lack of vocal ability I follow the gorgeous Alice up the short flight of stairs leading to 'her hallway,' as she happily called it. Being an only child had its perks, apparently, not that I'd know what that was like.
"Alice's Hallway" is more of a long loft than anything; a bathroom and study on one side, and a bedroom (significantly lager than mine) on the other. The door stood invitingly open, and Alice passed into it without a second thought. I paused on the threshold - beside those of my sister's, I'd never been in a girl's room before.
Alice turned and raised an eyebrow, so I jumped in before she said anything. We stood there, avoiding eye contact, until Alice did the mature thing.
"So... Hi!"
Well, partly mature.
I grin at her, still too awkward to trust my voice. After a moment, the beautiful doe clears her throat and does a spin, an arm outstretched. "Well, yes, here's my room. It's... got stuff in it. A bed and books and a desk and stuff. I'm sure you have one too."
I relax a little, giving her a shrug. "Well, no... not really."
She stops short, eyeing me skeptically. "You... don't have a room?"
"Not at the moment, no. I've been kicked out."
"Of your house!?"
I snort, waving my paws. "No, no, my room. A friend came to stay and I had to move in with my sisters, you know how it is."
Her brow furrows a little. "Um... no, not really..."
I hesitate, one paw still raised camply in the air.
Jesus Theo, of course she doesn't. You're an idiot. A total fu-
"I did have to sleep in my parent's room a few times though. That was... different."
"Aw man, that'd be even worse. Did they..?"
"...Did they what?" Her eyebrow, if possible, raised even higher.
I swore internally at myself. What was wrong with me? Our family was unique, certainly... something that we were meant to keep quiet.
"Did they... snore loudly? Old furs always snore, right?"
She let out a giggle. "Not my parents. Man, I thought you were going somewhere else with that."
"What?" I let out a forced laugh. "Really? That'd have been gross."
"Y-yeah. Gross!" Alice shook her head, though I noticed her shoulders tense. Obviously I'd made things awkward.
Quick, damage control Theo.
"Oh, hey, I forgot to say; 84%!"
"In the test? Nice!"
"Thanks. You?"
She giggles. "Well... you know. Not... as good."
I tilt my head and she giggles again.
"Oh, I passed, and that's all that matters. Any more tests coming up?"
"Just the assignment for History that I've nearly done."
"What? Already? I haven't even started!"
"Ah, I had some time."
"You are certainly diligent."
"Meh. I just can't get by doing it on the bus the day of, and still getting the top mark."
Alice frowned at me. "That was only once."
"We've only had one assignment so far."
We smile at each other, and this time the silence isn't so awkward.