There are several doors on this floor, each one of them leading to a shared flat and with numbers in the middle of each. I push open the door of number six and step inside, nervous when I hear noise from the end of the hall, where I assume the common space is. There are four doors on each side of the corridor, with the one closest to me on the left still having the key in the door. I ignore it for now and go through to the small common space to meet one of my new flatmates.
A woman about my age with dark purple skin is leaning against the counter, while stirring a cup of tea. The act shouldn't be of much note except that she's using her tail to hold the spoon. She looks up and smiles at me. "Hi."
"Hi," I respond nervously.
"You must be Charlotte," she says.
"Yes. How did you know?"
"There's a welcome note." She gestures to a sheet of paper lying on the counter beside her. "And I've already met Anja and Nati."
"Ah. Well, yes. I normally go by Lottie."
She nods. "I'm Sophia," she responds. "Are you going to the welcome evening tonight?"
"I figured I should," I say. "Though I have no idea what to wear."
"I can help you choose," she responds brightly. "And if it comes to it, I have a dress that will look great on you."
"Erm, the wings might make that hard," I murmur.
She laughs. "Not really." Before I can ask her what she means, two wings unfurl from her back. They're different from mine, looking more like those belonging to a bat than a moth. "Most of my dresses allow for wings. And I have an extensive wardrobe. You're welcome to borrow what you want, just don't touch my shoes."
I raise an eyebrow. "Your shoes?"
"They're sacred," she jokes.
"Fair enough." I smile at her, feeling some of my nerves slipping away. I have no idea if it's normal for her to be offering to lend me clothes when she's only just met me, but she seems nice, maybe that's just her.
"So, what are you studying?" she asks, using her tail to move the mug from the counter to her hand. I'm impressed by the amount of dexterity she has with it.
"I'm taking general courses this year, but I'm hoping to specialise in law."
"Interesting," she responds. "I've got a general course load this year too, and a few extra art classes."
"I didn't realise that Rosewood did a lot with art."
She shrugs. "It wasn't my first choice, but my parents weren't about to let me go anywhere. It was Rosewood, or nowhere."
I grimace. "That's not fun."
"Just part of the package that comes with a tiara."
I blink a couple of times. "You're royalty?"
"Last I checked. Demon princess," she responds.
"I'm sorry, Your...how am I supposed to address you?"
"As Sophia," she assures me. "I don't need any formalities while we're at the academy."
"Really? You're just here with us instead of in a place of your own?"
"I want a normal university life," she responds. "Studying, partying, raiding my friends' wardrobes for clothes."
I snort. "I doubt you'll want anything in my wardrobe."
She shrugs. "Maybe not. But there's also fun in sharing. I'm just planning on being normal while I'm here."
