Chapter 5: What are the Dinosaurs for?

When Lilith, Jasper, and Jacinth made their way back to the dorm commons, Zell was still nowhere in sight. They discussed whether or not they should report Zell's disappearance, but Jasper suggested at least checking Zell's room first. When questioned, Jasper shrugged and said it was his 'troublemakers intuition.' Jacinth and Lilith were unconvinced, but agreed to check the room first.

Lilith unlocked the door to the suite she shared with Zell and their third roommate. Then, they heard the sound of muttering from Lilith and Zell's room. Zell was there, books opened on their desk. They appeared to be looking over some notes from class that day, while holding plastic dinosaurs—one in each hand. But, the must surprising part of this was the fact that Zell was still wearing the Eeyore Detention Onesie.

"Zell?" Lilith asked.

"How'd you get back here?" Jacinth wondered out-loud.

Zell paused, looking up at the group.

"If you recall, Professor Armstrong had a list with your names and various infractions detailed upon it. But, my name was not included. Whilst our Adult Supervision was occupied, I took the opportunity to disengage with the detention activities return here—prize in hand," they answered.

Zell then took the time to stretch out their arms, showing off their stolen detention uniform.

Jasper ran a hand through his hair.

"I wish I had thought of that," he laughed.

"Well, at least that's solved then. I'm going to write tonight's Magical Ethics journal about you, Zell," Jasper said, waving with one hand and then leaving for the door out of the suite.

"I shall permit you to pad your word-count on today's journal with the failings of our Magischola's detention system as the star subject. But, you are not authorized to detail my actions in connection to my name—lest the professor attempt to repossess the Eeyore pajamas," Zell said, waving a plastic dinosaur at Jasper in goodbye.

The door closed. Then, a pause.

"I hate to ask, but look forward to knowing: what are the dinosaurs for?" Lilith asked.

Zell nodded, using the hand of the T-rex to push their glasses further up the bridge of their nose.

"A fair inquiry," Zell said, then seemed to consider whether or not they should explain themselves. On one hand, Zell owed explanations to no one. On the other hand, was this not the sort of exchange typical of 'the friendship?' A quandary if there ever was one.

"Given that we are on a probationary friendship level, I cannot in good faith expose such a vital secret at this time. But, if you should prove yourselves, there may come a day where I can entrust this information to you," Zell said.

Jacinth and Lilith exchanged glances. Lilith shrugged her shoulders. Ah. That was right. They really had only known each other for, what, a day? It was a fair response.

"That makes sense," Lilith tried her best not to sound upset, nosy, or disappointed.

A pause.

"So. Ah. Did our third suitemate show up?" Lilith tried to change the subject.

"Affirmative. She made her appearance, brought in her accoutrements, and then exited our quarters. Apparently she's already participating in study and homework groups. I have come to the conclusion that she is like a ray of sunshine, or perhaps the dance of winged insects upon wild flowers, and prefers large-scale social interaction," Zell dropped their voice for the last few words, distaste obvious.

It was beginning to sound like Arista Lafayette was going to fall more into the 'normal' category. Zell was relieved that between them and Lilith, the weirdos had Arista outnumbered. At least within the suit. And, failing Lilith or Zell's ability to assert themselves, at least their personal room would remain a bastion of peace for all the freaks to have space to themselves. Bless these four holy walls and the weirdness that could live at peace with itself within.

"I see," Lilith replied.

Jacinth stood off to the side, not sure when she'd wear out her welcome in Lilith and Zell's room. There didn't seem to be anything left to say, and she was going to get a late start on her homework, anyway. And Jacinth needed to decide just how much she should include into her letter home. Of course, her mother would learn about the detention, probably sooner rather than later. But, there was always the delicate balance of being truthful and being 'not nearly ashamed enough' of such things. She never seemed to guess correctly on that front. Her stomach hurt just thinking about it.

"I'll, um, I should get started on the homework. I guess I'll see you guys in class tomorrow," Jacinth murmured.

Zell and Lilith both bid Jacinth goodnight, Zell with a nod with their dinosaurs and Lilith with a small wave. After all, they all had a number of assignments due for the next day.

Soon, the dorm room fell into a rhythmic near-silence. There was little noise from Lilith's end aside from pens and pencils scratching on paper a few thoughtful hums. Zell also lowered their voice to a whisper as they continued their discussion with the dinosaurs. Eventually, Zell's voice fell quiet, and they only seemed to mouth their words.

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The next day, house recruitment was full swing. Upperclassmen waited outside of First Year classrooms to entice the new students to their house parties. Posters dotted every part of campus, including all of the first year tables at every year. There was close to no escape for the first years.

Of course, the upperclassmen were already passing notes around regarding the newest crop of talent. The name of the game was to court the smartest, the most athletic, the wealthiest, the overall something-ist of the class for the sake of bettering the name and reputation of each house. While not every upperclassman or house considered the House Cup very important, they did understand the importance of attracting talent. Or at least keeping all the talent from going to the other houses.

Jacinth and Lilith had the same free period, or rest period, during the afternoon. Lilith wet her handkerchief with some cold water, squeezed out the excess, and began dabbing at her forehead as Jacinth frowned and brushed her hair in the bathroom mirror.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. No one is looking particularly good in this heat," Lilith said.

Jacinth sighed, fussing with her hair.

"Maybe you're right. Even the upperclassmen are wilting a little," Jacinth admitted.

Lilith nodded, then filled her water bottle from the tap.

"Did you hear about the water fountain next to the herbology room and greenhouse? It spit out steaming water this morning. Nearly boiling. One of the other first year artificery students almost burned her hand," Lilith said.

"That's really dangerous," Jacinth whispered, almost taken aback by the idea that someone could have gotten injured.

"Exactly. We flagged down a professor, so the faculty should know about it and send maintenance over. I feel kind of weird about it, though. Like I should test all the faucets now, just in case," Lilith briefly touched the back of her hand against one of the other bathroom sinks in demonstration.

Jacinth's face wrinkled in worry.

The door opened. An upperclassman with a green headband decorated with black feathers fanned her face.

"I cannot believe this heat," she said, then looked Jacinth and Lilith up and down, "But, I'll let you two know that we have plenty of iced drinks at the Dan Obeah house party tonight," she laughed.

"Of course, I'm not going to ask you to make a commitment or anything. We'd just be happy if you stopped by for a few minutes. Some of the other houses might ask you to spend your whole time at their party, but that's not really our style," she said, then began turning on the cold water tap.

"Anyway. I'll make sure we save you two a cold drink or some ice cream in the kitchen. What are your names?" the Dan Obeah upperclassman asked.

"Lilith. Radcliffe-Forsythe."

"J-Jacinth. Jacinth Ak-Akeldama," Jacinth managed.

"Fantastic. Nice to meet you both. I'll be expecting you to show your faces later on tonight!" the Dan Obeah upperclassman grinned, filled her own waterbottle, and then left.

Jacinth slumped.

"I can't believe it," she stammered.

"Can't believe what?" Lilith asked.

"I just made a total fool of myself in front of that Dan Obeah upperclassman. I feel like such an idiot. Why can't I get anything right?"

"Oh, Jacinth," Lilith gently pat at Jacinth's shoulder.

"You didn't make a fool of yourself at all. She invited both of us to the party, didn't she? You got an in-person invitation from an upperclassman. You're doing fine," Lilith tried her best to calm down Jacinth.

Jacinth tried to force down a trickle of tears, wiping at her eyes with her hands and nodding.

"It's just so hot, and everyone else has a ton of house points already. I don't know how I'm going to stand out. Sloan already has like 20 points on her own!" Jacinth said.

"Well, we can't all be Sloan," Lilith sighed.

"Listen, I know you really want to get into Dan Obeah. I don't really want to get into a particular house, and I think a lot of people are in the same situation. I bet if you go to the Dan Obeah party and stay there the whole time, you'll really make a big impression. You could even wear something green. Almost everyone is kind of wishy-washy about their house choice, so if you make it clear that you know you want in Dan Obeah it'll set you apart," Lilith said.

"You think so?"

"I'm at a near 95% certainty on this. You could even get a box of ice from dinner and bring it with you. They're definitely going to need more ice for drinks and stuff, and helping out right off the bat will score you major points," Lilith added.

Jacinth nodded, more sure this time. Those were some good points. Maybe the pressure was just getting to her, after all. Maybe it would turn out. After all, there were still a few days left to go before the housing selection.

When Jacinth and Lilith exited the bathroom, someone was waiting for them. Lilith sometimes considered her older sister more of a looming threat than an actual relative. There was always a chance that Quorinth could be anywhere, ready to descend like a thunderhead from the sky and then do something unpleasant. And, sometimes Lilith's paranoia about her older sister's looming presence was correct.

Quorinth was taller than Lilith, with luxurious waves of dark hair with accents of a smoldering, smoky red. Like Lilith, her clothes were primarily black. But, Quorinth was a runway fashion plate of crisp, precise tailoring, Lilith was more of a library gremlin by comparison. She even looked perfectly composed and distantly chilly in the heat. In short, Quorinth was perfect, and everything people thought Lilith should be.

"Lilith, there you are. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me," Quorinth said, examining her nails.

Was that a threat? It was probably a threat of some kind. Lilith shifted her gaze back and forth, then opened her mouth to reply. Quorinth spoke over her.

"You'll be having dinner with me at the Croatan tables tonight. Please do not be tardy," Quorinth informed Lilith.

"I…uh. I thought first years were all having meals in the first year sections until selection," Lilith said.

"Exceptions can be made, little sister," Quorinth said.

"I did happen to hear about that little misunderstanding between you and the first year Artificery Professor. It will be taken care of," Quorinth said, voice deep and smooth like an old red wine.

"And I'm positive that your little friends can handle separation from your presence for one meal. I'll be waiting," Quorinth smiled, her lipstick perfect.

And then Quorinth left for her next class, without a further word. When the elder Radcliffe-Forsythe sister rounded a corner, Lilith breathed out a sigh of relief and Jacinth nearly slumped against the wall.

"I haven't seen her in person in forever. I forgot how terrifying she is. How does she keep getting more and more attractive? It's not fair," Jacinth said.

"Every year her boobs grow larger, more perfect, and even more frightening. I think gravity is too scared to affect them. I think it's some kind of forbidden magic," Lilith whispered.

"I'll let everyone at the table know why you'll be missing," Jacinth said.

What was worse was that it wasn't even like there was a choice to be made. Quorinth wanted something, and it was far more trouble to have a—a thing with her this early in the school year. Lilith grimaced, feelings muddling around inside of her in an unpleasant, mixed variety.

"Thanks, Jacinth. I appreciate it," Lilith said, sighing.

There were only a few hours before dinner, since Jacinth and Lilith's free period took the place of their last class slot. They ended up deciding to goof off and do some reading in the library. At least it was cool there, and none of the library water fountains had started spewing out boiling water.

Maybe the worst part about this entire thing was that Lilith really was completely wishy-washy on house selection. Aside from a vague feeling of not wanting to be under Quorinth's watchful eye and thumb, she didn't have any particular reason for wanting to stay out of Croatan. While it more or less was the 'unsoiled, wealthy' house, the non-official rules on that had been broken more than once within the last five years. So it was still vaguely biased in terms of blood status.

But, Maison Du Bois seemed like an even worse fit. And if it came down to it, she didn't have any feelings on Dan Obeah or Lakay Laveau or House Croatan over each other. If she had any kind of actual feelings on the matter, it wouldn't be nearly as frustrating, Lilith was sure.

Was there really any point of standing her ground over something that didn't matter that much? Or was it weird of her to feel so neutral about the entire house selection thing in the first place?

Lilith and Jacinth managed to make a sizable dent in their homework and reading during those hours. The only people who hung out in the library during this time seemed to be the hardcore students, anyway. So there was little in the way of distraction. If anything, that environment somehow made it easier for each of them to concentrate.

But, the bell for dinner service did ring.