Orion, Ory For Short

Walking through them, I wasn't sure what I expected but was pleasantly surprised when the doors led to a massive courtyard outside. Sitting in the middle was a fountain with a demonic cherub as the centerpiece being fawned over by naked statues of very endowed devil girls. Behind it was three tall buildings resembling apartments. Each one had massive letters and numbers painted on the side and a tall iron gate around each one.

"1A, 2B, 3D? Humph, guess they forgot C."

I wasn't sure how they missed a letter of the alphabet, but I shrugged and headed for 3D.

The fountain was a work of art. The stone bodies were very life-like, even down to that shaved sweet spot between the stone female's legs. It was exceptionally detailed. But I felt like a creep for letting it arouse me and continued to the building.

Once closer, I realized the building wasn't as decorated as the other two, and things got even worse when I walked up to the fence gate and attempted to open it. The massive iron arch above it fell to the ground, making me jump back.

"Yo! Watch out!"

Whoever said it was a little late.

"Damn, you got lucky, bro! It nailed Mr. Brown last week, poor dude. He was an awesome groundskeeper. Wait," the guy who suddenly appeared behind me said, stopping and eyeing me, "Are you our new groundskeeper?"

I tilted my head slightly while looking at his uniform and back at mine before meeting his eyes and wondering what the guy was on.

"Uh, nooo? I'm Ceil Jankins, a new student?"

It took a moment, and I could see in the yellowish eyes as they got wide and wheels turned in his head, "Oh! Hey! Welcome to MaSS Academy!"

"MaSS Academy?"

The hippy guy nodded his sandy shag haircut, "Yeah, you know," he said, elbowing me and winking, "Master and Sex Slave? Ha ha, get it?"

I chuckled, "Yeah, I get it."

The guy laughed and then asked, "So what's good? What's your name, my man?"

I shook my head, knowing I had already told him. This guy was hopeless.

"Just call me Ceil. Hey, do you know where I can find someone named Sicah? He's supposed to be in student housing 3D."

"Oh, for sure! I'm in 3D. You in 3D?"

I nodded and then mumbled, "Unfortunately," before looking back at the building and taking a much-needed deep breath.

"Sweet! Yeah, Sicah, he's in 3D too! Follow me, friend!"

Even though the guy was as clueless as a toaster in the bathtub, the guy had a weird charm about him. He looked like the skater type but with model looks. You wouldn't know that the gears ran slow in his brain until he opened his mouth because those piercing yellowish eyes assessed you each second before he spoke.

"I'm Orion, by the way, but you can call me Ory," he said, looking back at me as I followed him into the lobby of the student housing.

Behind a security desk at the entrance sat a scary, buff-looking demon. The guy had thick black horns sprouting from a polished bald head. The uniform hugged his thick biceps, and his skin was similar to someone who spray-tanned too often. He peered at us over dark sunglasses.

"New student, Officer Pansy, taking him up to meet his new housemates," Ory said casually, strolling by the desk.

Now I was expecting a silent nod or intimidating stare from the enormous bulk of meat with horns, but I wasn't expecting what came out of his mouth.

"Awwe Ory, it's Officer P, I's asked you to call me Officer P!"

The high-pitched voice did not match the intimidation this demon gave with just his looks, and I almost laughed.

"And you know I can't just let someone pass because you walk all up here like you own the place," he snapped and then looked at me, "Name shuga?"

"Ceil Jankins."

The officer stood suddenly, leaned on the desk, and sniffed the air around me, his dark eyes narrowing, "You smell funny. Who's your sponsor?"

I took a step back. My fake tail and horns weren't out, but I wasn't sure if this was one of those moments where I should make them appear.

"Hey, chill OP, he's staying in 3D! Don't you remember, 3D ain't got sponsors unless you were thinking of the Taco Truck guy that gives us free coupons?"

I looked at Ory, who had put his arm on the big lug's shoulder, and he winked at me, "You like tacos, Ceil?"

"Sure, Ory, I'm craving a taco right now," I said, trying to change the direction I knew Officer P was headed.

"See OP. He's one of us. Not some fancy schmancy kid from 1A. Those dudes are a real drag."

The Officer nodded, "All right, he can go up, but I am telling you, Ory, if he gets out of line, I'm holding you responsible!"

"No worries, man, I got this," Ory said, giving the huffing Officer a salute before looking at me, "Let's go, little bro!"

I smiled and nodded, trying not to laugh out loud. I was far from being a little brother, but I decided to let it slide. The more I fit in with the demons, the better.

We left the lobby and walked into a hallway with hanging corkboards with postings for jobs, classes, and random food ads. In front of us were three elevators. Ory stopped and pointed to a glass door to our right, where I could see a large tv and several worn-out sofas through it.

"Alright, so check it out. We got the house community, slash gaming, slash make-out room over there. The door is broken, so you just give it a slight push, and the baby opens. And these three elevators take you to the same floor."

We stood looking at the elevators, and I was dumbfounded, "Same floor? Do you mean there's only one floor in the building? This very tall, large building?"

Ory nodded, "Yeah, some things appear bigger than they are around here, sad to say. The truth is, though, we are stayin' in the slums of student housing. It doesn't cost much, and the air is free. But being everyone's basic curriculum here, not much we can do. Now, if we'd had a Master staying up in here with us, things would change. We'd be stepping into the good life like 1A and 2C."

"I didn't think you could become a Master that easily. I was told you had to pass the basic curriculum first."