Chapter Text
Drochaven was bigger than Delphine expected. Of course, compared to the painfully small town of Three Streams, absolutely everything was huge, but when they passed the sign welcoming them into the city, Delphine had expected they were almost there. A further forty-five minutes of crawling through city traffic taught her that she was wrong.
“Hopefully the traffic isn’t like this all the time,” her mother Kala murmured, the weariness of the day visible on her face.
Delphine felt the stab of guilt once again. Drochaven had its own airport. She could have flown here and gotten an Uber the rest of the way. Her mum had been driving for hours. The poor woman must have been exhausted. Of course, she had insisted that she wanted to be there to see Delphine off properly, and Delphine always wanted to respect people’s choices. She prided herself on that. And it's not like she didn't want her mum to be there to see her off into this new chapter of her life.
“Maybe we should stop for food somewhere?”
Her mum didn't even miss a beat.
“Well, let's get you settled in your dorm first and then we can go get some tacos or something.”
She gave a supportive smile which her daughter couldn't help but return. Delphine was going to miss her. Living without her–living hundreds of miles away–was going to be a big adjustment. It had been just her and her mother for her whole life; a dynamic duo. She hadn't needed or wanted anyone else.
Well, perhaps that wasn’t entirely true.
For a while, someone else had come to town and earned a space in Delphine’s open and trusting heart. Perhaps too eagerly, Delphine had welcomed that person in with no clue about the devastation it would ultimately bring. That space in her heart now lay vacant and, if Delphine had any say in the matter, would remain vacant for the foreseeable future.
She was starting college. She had vowed to herself that she would leave the drama and heartbreak of highschool back in Three Streams. She was here to learn. To grow. To start over.
She wasn't here looking for love. That ship had already sailed, failed, and sunk.
* * *
Delphine huffed her suitcase down the narrow dorm hallway, her mum carrying the significantly lighter bag at the rear. The suitcase didn't have wheels. The one without wheels was cheaper. And in any case, Delphine was never shy about an opportunity to show she could lift something super heavy. All those arm days at the gym ought to be good for something, after all.
Room 204 was at the end of the hall. Good. Fewer passers by should mean a quieter life. Now she only had to hope that her room mate–one “Nix Nova” according to the dorm assignment details–was chill and maybe at least her first year of uni accommodation wouldn’t be the stereotypical dorm room nightmare.
“Bit of a hike, isn’t it,” her mum called from behind.
“It’ll keep me fit.”
“Ah yes, because you clearly need to do some work in that regard,” Kala replied dryly.
Delphine smirked. She was plenty fit, obviously. More than. One-arm pull-up level fit. She had abs. She knew objectively she was decently attractive; she was tall, with long black hair that was shaved on one side, well-defined muscles and tattooed arms. She couldn't help but be aware that she caught certain people's attention.
She told herself that she didn’t notice the appreciative glances she’d received on her way into the building, when she had hefted her giant suitcase, one-handed onto her shoulder to pull the door open for her mum. To be honest though, she didn’t wear sleeveless tops for no reason.
Not that seeking out attention for it was the goal, specifically. She just liked being fit and strong.
Elora had liked it too.
Nope. None of that. She blinked the thought away quickly, shoving it back in the mental box where it belonged. That was then. This was now. This was a new start. A new town, a new chapter, and new people to go with it.
Delphine reached the door and juggled the key from her pocket. However, she had barely slotted the thing in the lock before the door was then swung violently open, revealing a pretty red-skinned tiefling girl with navy blue hair and bright, yellow eyes. She was beaming.
“You must be Delphine!” She said excitedly. “You're taller than I thought you’d be from your picture in the face book. I'm Nix Nova, theology major. That looks heavy! Come in!”
The dorm room was pretty decently sized, honestly bigger than the space Delphine had back home. There was a single bed on either side of the room, a nice big window under which was a study table, some shelving, drawers, and a small shared bathroom.
Nix had already claimed the right hand side, her belongings neatly in place along the shelves and nightstand. It looked pristine.
“You been here a few days already then?” Delphine asked, as she dropped her suitcase on the other bed.
“What? Oh! No, I just got here early this morning. I hope it's ok that I took this side? I'm happy to move if it's a problem.”
“No that's totally fine,” Delphine said as she took the other bag from her mother.
Kala gave Nix a bright smile and offered out a hand, which she shook enthusiastically.
“I'm Kala. Delphine's mum.”
“Nix Nova, theology major. It's lovely to meet you!” Nix took a breath, “sorry, I'm a little over excited.”
“Oh don't worry, Delphine is too,” Kala leaned in conspiratorially, “she just likes to stay cool and quiet.”
Delphine flashed her mother a look. Kala shrugged and turned back to Nix.
“I’m not cool or quiet. It’s lovely to meet you Nix!”
“Yeah, it’s good to meet you,” Delphine chimed in. She cursed mentally that she wasn’t making the first impression that she had intended to. Hopefully Nix didn’t think she was standoffish. “I’ve never had a roommate before. It’s pretty exciting.”
“Oh really? I’ve had loads!” Nix went to sit on her bed, scooping up a dog-eared-looking book from her nightstand that it seemed she had been reading. Delphine recognised the title; “Maggie Bennesk”. A popular series, if she recalled. Not that she’d read it. “Well, I mean I grew up in a dorm room with twelve other kids so really I’m excited to have just one roommate.”
“Boarding school?” Kala asked curiously.
“Commune!” Nix beamed further, clutching the book as she sat cross legged on the bed. “It’s upstate. The Bopheloian Commune.”
“I’ve not heard of it, but that sounds like a wonderful environment to grow up in.”
Delphine tried to imagine it. What little she knew of commune living, it meant sharing everything with everyone there; no space, no privacy, no quiet. She shuddered.
“It was, but I am certainly excited to be out here on my own,” said Nix. “Charting my own course, starting my own adventure!”
Something about Nix’s earnest, gleeful energy was incredibly endearing and contagious and Delphine was smiling before she realised it.
“It’s an exciting new chapter for both of you,” said Kala.
Kala’s words were followed swiftly by the sound of her stomach rumbling. Another pang of guilt joined that of hunger for Delphine and she pulled her phone out of her pocket to look up nearby food places.
“Ok then, new chapter starts with food,” she said, bringing up a handful of taco places on the map app.
Kala turned to Nix. “We were planning to go find some tacos, if you’d like to join us?”
“Oh!” Nix jumped up from her bed excitedly. “I’d love to, thank you!”
Dephine’s eyes flicked up from her phone. Kala shot her a supportive wink as Nix went about pulling on her shoes.
Her mum was so much better at this stuff. Socialising. Being outgoing. Making friends.
It's not that Delphine didn't want to be. Or that she couldn't talk to people. She just found that very often the people around her were intolerable. Either they would have narrow minded, judgmental opinions that they would spout at volume to anyone nearby, or they were gross and rude, or just some other flavour of terrible.
Perhaps it was just from bitter experience but Delphine was holding her breath with Nix, waiting for the other shoe to drop. For her to reveal to be some version of awful like most people back home inevitably were.
But as Nix joyfully listed out all the taco places she had read recommendations for as part of her pre-uni research, the tension in Delphine's mind began to ease. Nix seemed genuinely sweet and lovely. College so far was one for one on good people.
Her mum had talked about how college could be a place where you made friends you'd keep for the rest of your life. Delphine had to admit she'd been dubious about it, but as they walked to the taco place nearby–Dragon Breath Tacos–she found herself actually chatting very comfortably with Nix.
“I was going to get a bus here,” her new roommate explained animatedly, “but everyone back home pitched in and paid for the plane so I didn't have to.”
“That's incredibly sweet, Nix,” said Kala. “Your family sounds wonderful.”
Here, Nix’s expression tensed for just a moment before resuming her previously upbeat attitude.
“Oh, actually I'm an orphan. Never knew my parents. There are several of us in the commune. They do say “it takes a village” and they are not wrong!”
“Oh, I'm sorry dear, I shouldn't have assumed…”
“Oh that's perfectly alright, you weren't to know!” The tiefling girl continued her bright and cheerful smile, though her glowing yellow eyes tilted down towards the floor.
Perhaps feeling a little guilty or awkward, Kala fell a little behind, leaving the two college freshmen to walk in step. Delphine watched Nix's expression carefully, identifying the subtle signs of someone attempting not to reveal that something bothered them. Signs she was all too familiar with herself.
She leaned in and spoke softly to Nix as they walked.
“I never knew my dad either.”
Nix glanced up, curiosity clearly piqued. Delphine continued.
“Yeah, my mum doesn’t like to talk about him, but I’ve certainly never met him. I gather he knows I exist, but he’s never shown up.”
“I’m sorry,” said Nix. “I can understand the feeling though. I have no idea who my parents even are. On the one hand, it takes the pressure off, I suppose. I know some peoples’ parents are dreadfully controlling.”
“Yeah, I can’t imagine what that’s like. My mum’s pretty chill.”
Delphine glanced back at her mum who gave her a friendly smile.
“Is it just you two?” Nix asked.
“Yup. Makes the goodbyes a lot shorter.”
“Oh? No friends or partners back home?”
Delphine rubbed the back of her neck, resisting the impulse to fold her arms tight to her body. She was walking, after all and didn’t want to fall flat on her face with her arms in a tangle.
“Uh, well no. Not anymore.”
Nix looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but it was at this point that they reached the taco place. Delphine let out a long, controlled exhale as she held open the door for the others.
Within no time at all, the three were sitting at a table, a plate of tacos in front of each and a bowl of chips and salsa between them. Conversion turned back to general excitement for the semester to start and Delphine eased into her seat, releasing some of the tension she didn't even realise she had been holding in her shoulders.
Hanging out with Nix was proving to be pretty effortless. Her earnestness was impossible not to love and made the social space feel comfortable and welcoming. Delphine honestly kind of admired it. It wasn't something she herself was notably good at.
“Well, that lemonade worked quick,” Kala said, dabbing her face with a napkin and getting to her feet. “Time to visit the little girl’s room. Back in a few.”
No sooner had she stepped ten feet from the table, Nix turned to Delphine with direct eye contact and a bright expression.
“Earlier you said you had no friends or partners back home any more. I just wondered what happened?”
An icy grip tightened over Delphine's heart for a moment. She exhaled slowly, the breath she didn’t realise she had been holding. Nix had been nothing but open and friendly and honest and non judgemental so far. And they were to be living together for the next year.
Fuck it.
“I was… dating someone.”
Dating. An insufficient term. What is the appropriate word for the all-too-brief time you got to be with the first person you’ve ever fallen in love with?
“But it didn’t work out.”
“What happened?”
“Her family moved away,” Delphine shrugged. The mundanity of it was excruciating to say out loud. “Neither of us are really long distance people. I suggested we try anyway, but she wasn’t having it. So she ended things.”
Nix put a comforting hand on Delphine’s arm. “I’m sorry. When did that happen?”
“Beginning of the summer. We were supposed to go on a road trip together, but that obviously went out the window. I’ve just been counting down the days to get out of my home town since then and go somewhere where everything didn’t remind me of her.”
“Well, she’s a fool. That’s all I can say,” Nix said matter-of-factly, returning to her tacos. “Because you seem great and long distance really isn’t so bad.”
Delphine smiled, despite herself.
“No, I know she was right, really. I find it hard to connect with people via letters or texts,” she said, relaxing in her seat a little and twirling a tortilla chip between her fingers. “Just wasn’t meant to be.”
“I know I’m a theology major and this sounds a little hokey, so I don’t want to be a stereotype, but I do believe that things happen for reasons,” Nix offered, though her enlightened sentiment was undercut slightly by the mouthful of taco tucked in her cheek. “If it wasn’t meant to be, then that just means the thing that is meant to be is still coming for you.”
“Well you made that sound super ominous.”
“Well love can be scary!” She paused thoughtfully. “I assume. It hasn’t happened to me yet. But I’d be delighted to be your wingwoman or sidekick or something on your journey to your next great love!”
Delphine laughed. “I’m not sure I’m looking for a wingwoman. I doubt there’s anything coming for me any time soon.” She leaned forward and scooped up a chipful of salsa. “For now I’m happy to just figure out this college thing and make some new friends. How about you though, any beaus, belles, or baes back home?”
Nix shook her head casually. “No, none of that. Some of the other highschoolers back at the commune went through a phase of dating each other, mostly just to try it out I think, but that’s not really my thing. I actually have been researching it and it turns out I’m asexual, which is far more common that people realise and honestly explained a lot about why I didn’t really respond to… or notice when my peers tried to woo me.”
Once again Delphine was in awe of Nix’s apparent lack of bashfulness. It was a level of earnestness that Delphine wondered how it must feel to just openly say what you think and what you mean without even a hint of embarrassment. How liberating.
“In that case I feel like returning the offer to wingwoman for you is probably a little unhelpful.”
“Well I don’t know about that,” Nix shrugged. “You can always just let me know if someone is trying to woo me and I don’t notice.”
“I can do that. But I probably won’t use the word ‘woo’.”
“Is it not an accurate term?”
“I can think of some more up-to-date options.”
“See? You’re helping already!”
The pair beamed at each other and Delphine wondered if this is what it felt like to meet your new best friend.
* * *
The records fluted dully against each other as Delphine thumbed through the racks with minimal enthusiasm. It had seemed like a really important and good idea this morning and now she found herself entirely uninspired by the options before her. Did she really need new music after all? The symbolic purchase of a new record for her new start was starting to set the wrong kind of message as she ambled aimlessly and unvictoriously through the record store.
It was cool that there was a store like this on campus though. It was called The Bard’s Trousers and it was a pretty large sized store with racks of vinyls, a few CDs, comfy-looking couches, listening stations, and every inch of the wall was covered in band posters. There was also a small radio booth from which the college radio was broadcast. A glass window looked in on the booth to the DJ, who was currently dancing energetically in his chair to his set, the music playing over the speakers in the rest of the store. According to his little vocal blurb between songs he was ‘The Bard on Campus’. Delphine wondered if it was his trousers the store was named after.
She would have killed for a place even half the size of this store back home. The only music available to purchase there was the limited selection of obscure CDs on a sad little rack in the gas station. So many times she had wandered in there on the off chance that something new would have come in but it was always the same disappointingly limited range. Now here she was experiencing the opposite problem for the first time. Shelves and shelves of more music than she ever expected to have access to, but no idea where to begin.
“Need some help?”
Delphine turned around towards the source of the uncertain voice and found herself casting her eyes down to a short-haired, blue eyed gnome looking up at her with a raised eyebrow. Their hands were jammed in the front pouch of their oversized hoodie and they didn’t look remotely confident in their offer.
“I just started here and I think I’m supposed to help,” they continued. “So uh… yeah. Let me know.”
A gentle smile made its way to Delphine’s face as she regarded the gnome. Then she glanced back at the vinyl racks.
“Honestly, I’ll take any recommendation you can give me,” she said with a shrug. “Just looking for something new.”
“Oh, recommendations I can do!” the gnome replied, confidence growing as this request seemed more in their wheelhouse than they had been expecting. “What’re you into?”
“The Midnight, CHVRCHES, some King Princess…”
“Hmm. Well I’ve been listening to UPSAHL lately, if you know her stuff?”
“I don’t, but I’d be down to check it out.”
“Cool, lemme see if they have it here- if we have it here, I guess.” The gnome wandered around to the other side of the racks and skimmed through the records before pulling one from the selection. “Got it. Here you go. It’s pretty good.”
They handed it over with a shrug.
“Thanks, I appreciate the suggestion. I’m Delphine, by the way.”
“Odesza,” replied the gnome. “Good to meet ya.”
They exchanged an awkward wave at each other.
“So, you at DU?” Delphine asked.
“Uh yeah. Freshman. Me and my friend Xolos came together.” Odesza gestured over their shoulder at a curly-haired halfling man who was, by Delphine’s assessment, pretending to read the back of a CD but was in fact glancing interestedly over at the DJ booth. Odesza appeared to make the same observation because they called over at him, “Hey Xolos stop being a creep for a minute and come say hi.”
The halfling named Xolos startled and stood bolt upright as his head whirled around to look at them.
“What? No. Fuck off.” He tossed the CD back into the rack and wandered over to the others, very clearly not looking over at the DJ booth even once as he went.
He held out his hand on approach and Delphine shook it cordially.
“Xolos.”
“Delphine.”
“You uh, studying music?” Xolos gestured vaguely around at the store.
“Oh, no, social studies. You?”
Xolos gave a probably too casual shrug of nonchalance. “Oh we’re both undeclared currently. Just keeping options open, y’know?”
“He’s on a sportsball scholarship,” said Odesza. “I’m trying a few things out before choosing a major.”
“Super fair. Well thanks again for the recommendation, I’ll definitely be back in here some time, it’s really cool.”
“No problem. Good to meet you, I’m glad I know a single other person here aside from this asshole.” Odesza nodded in Xolos’ direction, the halfling making a show of indignance.
“Um, fuck off, I’m the coolest person you know.”
“Sure you are, Mr Creep-a-lot.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Pretty sure you do.”
“Good to meet you both,” Delphine said with a smirk as she gave them a farewell wave.
“I’ll catch you around.”
She made her way up to the front desk to pay for the record, still smiling to herself as the gnome and halfling continued to bicker behind her. Perhaps it was just the college environment, but Delphine couldn’t remember the last time she’d met new people with such ease. Not that there were ever a lot of new people to meet back home, but it was more than that. Nobody knew her here. Nobody here had watched her grow up her entire life, or known her mother since they were kids, or judged or had an opinion about everything she’d ever done.
Drochaven University really was a proper fresh start. The new music felt important after all.
* * *
The next week was a whirlwind of memorising class schedules, navigating the labyrinthine Drochaven University campus, and trying to actually absorb the lecturers’ teachings. Delphine was majoring in social studies which brought with it a broad range of different classes and subjects to get her head around. And her professors weren’t holding back, expecting their students to hit the ground running. No babying or hand holding, just the expectation that they would work hard and keep up. It was simultaneously exhilarating to be treated like an adult like that and also terrifying.
Thankfully, Nix was a perfect grounding element amidst the chaos and was helping immensely. She had committed Delphine’s entire schedule to memory as well as her own, along with the map of the campus, and a bunch of other helpful information from the freshman welcome packet they had both received. Delphine had skimmed it.
“I’m still missing a textbook for econ 101,” Delphine said, running through the extensive reading list from her professor. “And maybe sociology. And politics.”
“Well, that’s why we’re dealing with it now, before your next class,” Nix said calmly, her arm linked through Delphine’s as she dragged her across the bustling campus quad towards the library and bookstore.
Delphine wasn’t mad about it. She liked the library. It was one of the first places she had been keen to explore upon arrival and, fortuitously, Nix had felt the same. Their first night on campus had been spent hanging out there, enjoying the atmosphere and letting it sink in that their college experience had really begun. She had definitely already forgotten the route back there though, which is why Nix was leading the way. Not that it had taken much convincing for some company on a book-finding mission. Nix was also a book nerd.
They reached the library and pushed open the heavy doors. The library, like the majority of the campus, was castle-like; a combination of magnificent stone and stunning dark wooden panels and beams. It was a massive building, with multiple balconies of books under a tall arched roof. The windows were long and arched too, giving ample natural light to the space while completing the image of this fortress of learning. The main floor of the library was filled with tall aisles of bookcases and tables to study at. Despite always being busy, it was calm and quiet and was competing closely for the number one spot on Delphine’s list of favourite places to be.
She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Books. Varnished wood. A little bit of comforting dust. If she could bottle that smell she would. She opened her eyes to see Nix smirking at her.
“And people say I’m weird.”
“Shut up,” she grinned and gave Nix a light, playful shove that almost knocked her over. “Ooh, sorry. I forget you’re a tiny lil thing.”
“A tiny thing that knows the layout of this entire library!” said Nix, entirely unbothered by being nearly bowled over. “What’s first? Sociology, econ, or politics?”
“Definitely not politics. Let’s do econ.”
“Perfect. This way!”
Nix marched off into the aisles of the library without a backward glance, Delphine trailing quickly behind. She could barely keep Nix in sight as she beelined through the aisles.
“I admire the enthusiasm Nix, but you best slow down or you’ll-”
“Oof!”
Delphine winced at the sound of bodily collision, a thud, and the tumbling of books from where Nix had sped around a corner. She followed her roommate around to find her staggering into the shelves, an older red-headed dwarven woman knocked to the ground and a library trolley of books on its side, the contents strewn across the aisle.
“Stars and sun,” the dwarven woman exclaimed dazedly, blinking in surprise.
“Oh my gods I am so sorry! Are you ok?”
The woman finally seemed to notice Nix as she came forward to try and help her up.
“Oh! Hello dear, yes thank you I’m perfectly alright. Just a little tumble isn’t it!” She gave Nix a bright smile, her blue eyes twinkling cheerily from behind bottle-end spectacles. “No harm done, I shouldn’t think.”
Nix helped the woman to her feet as Delphine began gathering books. Delphine noted the librarian badge on her cardigan that said her name was “Tornt Urest”. Nix seemed to notice it too.
“Oh gods, you’re faculty. I caused a head-on collision with faculty!” Nix wrung her hands anxiously as Tornt straightened up her skirt and blouse, apparently unaware of Nix’s distress. “I’m so, so sorry. Please don’t ban me from the library! Are you alright? Did you hit your head? I can go get help!”
“It’s really alright dear-” Tornt began, but Nix was already heading down the aisle.
“Don’t worry, I’ll fetch a chair or a cold compress or something and be right back!”
Delphine and librarian watched her disappear out of sight before anyone could stop her. Tornt turned quizzically back to Delphine.
“...She has a lot of respect for libraries,” Delphine assured her, picking up the last few books and placing them back on the trolley. “This is a very isolated incident, I promise.”
Tornt smiled gratefully. “It really is ok, dear. Honestly I’m never sad to see people excited to rush into a library at least! And as I said, no damage done.” She gave the books on the trolley a comforting little pat. “I think if your friend just slows things down a little in the future, there’s no harm, no foul.”
Delphine smiled. “Well I’ll go calm her down then, so long as you’re really ok?”
“I am indeed. Fortunately I keep plenty of cushioning for occasions such as these!” She gave her own hips a little tap as she spoke with a smirk. “Thank you for collecting the spillages. Is there anything I can help you find while you’re here?”
Delphine glanced at the reading list on her phone again, “Oh thank you! Actually yeah, if you can point me towards the econ section, that’d be great.”
“Of course dear, you’re heading the right way already, just go to the far left aisle below the windows over there and you’ll see the section headers for econ.” She gestured roughly where to go and then turned back to Delphine with another big smile. “And if you get stuck and need to find anything else, just come and find me at the front desk. My name is Tornt and I’m head librarian here.”
Delphine held out a hand which Tornt shook. “Great to meet you, I’m Delphine. That was Nix Nova who bumped into you. Sorry for the violent introduction, but thank you again for being so awesome about it. Anyways, I’d better go find her before she puts the whole place on red alert.”
“Yes we don’t want that! Do tell her it’s fine and that she’s welcome to come here and relax any time!” Tornt waved an adorable wave goodbye and disappeared around the corner with her trolley of books and Delphine couldn’t help but draw the comparison again with life back home.
The library in Three Streams doubled up as the post office and the bitter, sixty-something clerk who managed both would have run Delphine out of the building with a broom if she’d knocked her over like this. It was borderline inconceivable to Delphine that people could be as chill and forgiving as Tornt. She smiled to herself as she added the librarian to the list of awesome new people she had met this week.
Now then. Where had Nix gone? To find assistance of some kind, apparently. Delphine wasn’t sure exactly where she would have saught that out but she had definitely not gone in the direction of the econ section.
Figuring it made sense to at least resolve the thing she had come to the library for, Delphine followed Tornt’s instructions to where she would find the text books she needed and puller her phone out along the way to text Nix.
She tapped out the message: “Stand down and come back. Librarian is lovely and said it’s all totally fine. I’m in the econ section, meet me there.”
She had been wandering the econ aisles for several minutes without successfully locating the book she needed when Nix’s response finally came in the form of Nix herself, sheepishly shuffling towards her from around the corner.
“Oh good you’re here. I can’t find this book, help me out, it’s by Dr. Goras Le’clain.”
“That was so embarrassing,” Nix sighed. “You’re sure the librarian was ok?”
“Oh totally. She was really friendly about it. Her name is Tornt by the way.”
Nix sighed a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank gods. I’ll go find her later and apologise again, properly.”
“I’m pretty sure she’s ok,” Delphine shrugged. “Where did you even go, anyway?”
Here Nix’s expression changed, brightening significantly, the apparent shame of her collision pushed immediately out of mind.
“Oh! Well I was going to go to the front desk, but I actually bumped into someone else-”
“You hit another person?”
“No! Not bumped literally, I just mean I met someone and we just kind of got chatting. I think I made a new friend!”
“Oh, that’s great, what’s their name?”
“He said his name was Dantean. Said he was studying engineering. He was very nice and seemed very friendly, which is lovely because most of the other people I’ve met so far in theology are… well frankly they’re a little bit weird…”
“Can’t imagine why.”
“Well, I think I just seem to attract some odd people, but Dantean seems very normal and nice.”
“So I’m getting that he’s nice?” Delphine smirked as Nix failed to notice her gentle tease.
“He is! And he said it was nice to make a new friend too! And he told me about a party thing this weekend that he invited me to.”
“Oh awesome, like a date?” Delphine asked, scanning the shelves again for her book.
“What? Why would it be a date?”
Delphine turned around slowly. Nix looked genuinely perplexed.
“Because he invited you to a party?”
“Well I’m sure there are a lot of people going to that party, it’s at the campus bar.”
“Right, but did he invite you to go with him?”
“Well he’ll be there-”
“-Right, but is the idea for you to be at the party together?”
Nix hesitated, her expression a picture of careful thought before turning to one of panic.
“Oh gods Delphine what if it’s supposed to be a date?”
Delphine held Nix’s arms reassuringly.
“Calm down, we’ll figure it out. Is he picking you up or are you meeting him there?”
“Meeting him there,” Nix replied, no less panic in her eyes.
“Ok that’s good. Now did he mention anyone else he was going with?”
“He didn’t say anything about that, just that he was looking forward to it after I said yes to going.”
Delphine chewed her lip thoughtfully. “It’s a public party, right? You could always just assume that it’s not a date and that it’s a show-up-if-you-want situation?”
“Or you could come with me,” Nix said urgently.
Delphine blinked.
“What? Gatecrash your date?”
“It might not be a date!”
“Ok, but if he thinks it is and I show up-”
“-But you said yourself it’s a public party! Come with me as if you were going to it anyway and then we can gauge once we’ve arrived if it’s supposed to be a date or not, but won’t be out there alone and it won’t be horribly awkward!”
Delphine’s mind went to the last party she had attended; a Friday night gathering of one of the seniors from high school whose parents were out of town for the weekend. A congregation of everyone she normally would avoid spending time around with, drunk and making out with each other. The sort of place where your classmates would lure you into making terrible, mortifying, socially suicidal choices. The sort of place where anything you did would be news on the town gossip circuit by brunch the next day. The sort of event she would normally have avoided by a mile, but she was there because Elora had wanted to go and it had actually been fun. Something about her had made the drunken highschool antics fun, had given Delphine the courage to dance to the music, and had helpled her for one night feel just a tiny bit part of that community. It was a shortlived chapter of her highschool career.
Delphine had been invited to the big summer bash at the prom queen’s house but with Elora already gone by then, she had declined to attend. The idea of going to any kind of party without her seemed impossible. What if this party invite for Nix was a date and Delphine was left alone there? Who would she talk to? What would she do?
Delphine was not a natural party-goer, but if she had to take a wild guess she would assume Nix wasn’t either. Was she a good friend if she let Nix go alone to this thing? To a potentially terminally awkward date or not-date with the very nice guy she only just met? She scrunched up her face and sighed.
“Ok, sure. I’ll come.”
Nix bounced up and down gleefully and gave her a big, squeezy hug.
“Eee! Thank you, thank you! You’re the best room mate ever and I will do the laundry for a week!”
Delphine smiled at Nix’s joy and tried to shake off the low-grade dread that was starting to brew at the prospect of a social event. There was no reason to assume it would be bad. It would probably be fine and it was for Nix, after all. She was basically just chaperoning. And who knows, maybe she’d even meet some nice new people there herself. Maybe she’d have a great time. Wasn’t this all still in the spirit of a fresh start?