Secrets and Promises (BlueAmbient&emDash)

[BlueAmbient]

Erys Jackson

Erys Jackson has returned for his second year at Redwood Community College. It's a college where those of supernatural and paranormal origins can safely intermingle with humans, for the most part. It's not really policed any more than the average college, but there's a zero tolerance for violence, given that more than half the student body possesses inhuman abilities. But one rule is law above all else: no unclaimed omegas. Unclaimed omegas that go into heat attract alphas and betas, and cause fights to break out between them.

Erys managed to hide from that rule all last year, thanks to an experimental drug that stops him from going into heat. He intends to do the same this year, refusing to let his omega nature rule his life. As a hybrid feline shifter and fae, Erys gets to deal with monthly heats when not taking the drug, but also has to wear a sort of scent less body spray to reduce his naturally high pheromones, thanks to his fae blood.

Last year, Erys had established himself as a confident, overly friendly but helpful individual, to dissuade anyone from suspecting his hidden omega physiology. By nature, Erys is the opposite of what one would expect of an omega; loud, outgoing, confident, even dominant. And that's the way he prefers people to see him.

This year, Erys is getting a new roommate. Last year's roommate was three years ahead, and had graduated his program. Being in the athletics program and aiming for physiotherapist, Erys has two more years ahead of him. For now, he tries not to think too hard on what his roommate will be like, choosing to stretch out on his bed, hood of his sweater pulled up and earbuds in, playing classic Nickelback. His side of the room is decorated fairly plain, with a couple of succulents on his nightstand, and a photo of a little blond-haired, blue-eyed girl on his bookshelf.

 

[emDash]

Pearce Thornton is a transfer in. The only ones that know him so far is administration, who he's had to deal with enrolling and ensuring that he had secured a dorm room and his photo ID claiming he's a student. He needs that pass to get into studio after hours and to work the printers lining the halls. He hasn't given much thought about his new roommate, who they are, what they might be studying, all he cares about is that they can be civil enough to not get into one another's face.

His side of the room has two moving boxes, still sealed with tape, and a stripped bed that clearly hasn't been slept in yet. That's about to change when Pearce gently shoulders open the door, with a overstuffed backpack on his back, a gym bag hanging from his shoulder and a couple of bags of new bedding in his spare hand. He nudges the door shut with a black boot, before pausing to stare at the guy stretched out on his bed, hiding in a hood, and by the sounds, deafened by music.

Walking through the room to his bed, he drops all his bags down, shrugging one off after the other and rolls his shoulders Pearce is casually dressed. Street-wear. Black jeans, black hoodie, black boots that are worn in but aren't yet scuffed, but if one looks closely there's a few flecks of colour on them here and there. He combs hands through his mane of black half waves, flashing a brief glimpse of leather bracelets, black, brown, some beads, around both wrists, and when he drops them back down again, he flashes another glance over to Erys.

Waits. Pale green eyes under fat, black lashes, stare at the other man until he gets attention. Only then does he offer an up-nod of his chin, showing glimpse of inkwork on his throat.

 

[BlueAmbient]

With the music playing in his ears, and his eyes closed to enjoy it, Erys doesn't notice his new roommate come in at first. But his sense of spatial awareness lets him know someone is staring at him. Blinking open different colored eyes, the right one a dark charcoal and the left a bright blue, Erys stares back at the man across the room. He smiles when he gets a nod.

Erys pauses his music, pulling his earbuds out. Rather than sitting up, he simply props up on his elbows "Hi! I'm Erys Jackson. Looks like we'll be roommates this year. I'll keep to my side of the room, as long as you don't mind random conversations and occasional questions. I like to be friendly with my roommates to make the year of living together bearable." Erys' voice is a nice middle tone, not high, but not deep either.

Erys pauses only a heartbeat, not enough to give his roommate time to answer. "What course are you taking? I'm in the athletics program, aiming for physiotherapy. The body always interested me, and I want to be able to help people recover from injuries. But the medical side of it freaks me out. I don't like needles."

 

[emDash]

He was happy to leave it at that - an acknowledgment between the two of them in a simple greeting - and he's about to turn when he notes Erys reaching up to pull out earbuds, so he pauses part way turning away to keep his gaze trained there.

A twice pierced brow slowly arches as words tumble out of the guy's month, one after the other, with barely a pause between one sentence and the next. If he was going to answer right away he needn't bothered since Erys kept running his mouth. Inward, and silently, he groans. Just his luck that he has a talker. A goddamn motormouth by the sounds of it. And a curious one at that.

The moment questions get fired his direction, Pearce does turn away and immediately focuses on the bags of new bedding he carried in with the rest of the haul. 'The arts,' he says, voice low and smooth, because he's not an ass. Not exactly. He seems content to let Erys continue talking while he goes about making his bed, ignoring the fact that instructions on sheets says to wash them first but who the fuck looks at those.

 

[BlueAmbient]

Erys hears his roommate's course answer and keeps talking. He doesn't like silence, and words fill the space easily. "Arts, that's cool! I can't draw to save my life, unless it's stick figures." Erys tries to inject humor, but he can tell his roommate is going to be the strong silent type.

Erys is quiet for little more than a minute, watching his roommate make his bed. "Oh, I didn't ask your name. It's going to be an awkward year if I don't even know your name. I can't just be calling you 'roommate'."

Erys is quiet again, hoping the man across the room would answer with a name. He sits up, folding his legs and resting his hands on his ankle. After a moment, h asks another question, on its own instead of with more word vomit. "Do you like cats?"

 

[emDash]

It sounds like Erys is slowing down. At least now he can tell when one sentence has ended and another begins, which gives him hope, however false, that the guy might not be a hyper as he first appears. Maybe Erys is nervous, as many are around Alpha's - although he does try his best to keep that on the low-down, but he could calm down and things will be quieter than they are with the hustle of first meets.

Only when his bed is made, second pillow thrown on top of the first, does he sit facing Erys and get to answering some questions. 'It's Pearce,' he says, pushing sleeves up his forearms, 'and it depends on the cat.'

He glances the other over with a not very subtle scan from head to toe, noting the way hands wrap around ankles, and the different colour eyes. 'Why? Do you have one?'

 

[BlueAmbient]

Erys shifts his weight back and forth on his butt, eyes watching Pearce. He's glad to know his roommate's name, and while his answer about cats isn't straightforward, it's not negative either. Erys shrugs his shoulders, seeming to think about how to reply.

"Well, no, not really. At least, not here. I have a cat, she lives with my parents while I'm here, though. But what I mean is.." Erys pauses and seems to suddenly change topic, though it is related to the subject at hand. "You know this is a college for human and inhuman students, they advertise that loud and clear. I'm not human, and I just want to make sure that's not going to be a problem."

Erys lifts his hands from his ankles, raising them to push the hood backward off his head. As he does, a pair of white, rounded feline ears stand up from his black hair. Then he reaches behind himself and shakes the back of his hoodie, uncurling a rather long, thick white and grey spotted tail. "I don't like hiding them if I don't have to. And Redwood Academy allows shifters to be themselves."

 

[emDash]

Fascinating by the way Erys is able to talk as much as he does, switching from one thing to another - although it becomes clear it's related - Pearce simply watches from the comfort of his own bed. Leaning his forearms against his knees, he idly plays with one of his few bracelets while he listens. Watches. Those fingers still when the hoodie is thrown back and ears pop into view, and his gaze tracks down to the fluffy tail that peeks out.

There's a few way he could play this, letting the other know that he's not human would be the kind thing to do, but he shouldn't need to do that, right? This is meant to be a college for tolerance, but he guesses, like plenty of other colleges and workplaces out there, that it won't be. The idea that everyone could get along without prejudices is too idealistic.

'You don't need to hide it around me,' he says, reassuring the shifter who was clearly worried enough about his reaction that he'd hidden himself in the first place. Figuring that reassurance is enough, and not wanting to make it weird, Pearce gets up from his bed to turn to his bags and boxes. There's unpacking he needs to do and he plans to do it now rather than later. If Erys wants to keep talking, he can hear just fine.

 

[BlueAmbient]

Visible tension leaves Erys' shoulders when Pearce says he doesn't need to hide his ears and tail. A smile pulls his lips up, and that tail curls before rising up behind him in pride. And Erys does take pride in his feline attributes. They're part of himself, so what's wrong with being proud to be a feline shifter? Nothing, in Erys' mind.

"Oh, thank gods. I was honestly worried. So many people can be hateful towards shifters, and I've been on the receiving end before. I'm just glad I don't have to room with someone like that." Erys folds his hands in his lap, watching Pearce stand and move around his side of the room. "So, where are you from? I'm from much further north. It's colder up there, so it takes me a bit to get used to the warmer climate here. Except when it snows, then I feel a lot more at home. I love snow, it's so cold and fluffy. And the cold means when you come inside, you can warm up with hot cinnamon cocoa." Erys is rambling again, but it seems like such a natural thing for him.

 

[emDash]

Pearce opens up the boxes to check which ones they are. One filled with books and a couple of art supplies is abandoned, slipped under his bed for now. He doesn't have the room to unpack it yet and has no inclination to. That leaves him with bags, which he opens up and starts to pull out piles of dark coloured clothes to sort them out for his drawers and closet.

'Not from here,' he says, casually evading the question in favour for keeping the conversation less about his background, 'but I'm not a huge fan of the cold.'

Quickly realising he's overlooked an important element to his moving in, the hangers for his clothes, Pearce exhales hard through his nose and sweeps his hair back from his face. 'Can see why you might though. You a snow leopard?' he asks, deciding folding the clothes haphazardly and stacking them in his closet is his best bet for now. He does pause long enough to glance up at Erys, even though he's sure the guy will tell him verbal answers and not just nod. The guy is polite enough to give some eye contact at least.

Erys isn't bad to look at. Kinda cute, he realises, and for a moment he watches the other and takes in some extra body language that comes with those ears and tail.

 

[BlueAmbient]

Erys watches Pearce slide the boxes under his bed, then start on the bags of clothing. Dark, dark, more black. Erys finds that mildly amusing, as someone who likes color, and grins. That grin widens when Pearce correctly guesses his feline species. His ears perk up, and his spotted tail sways slightly behind him. "You got it! Snow leopards are pretty reserved, and usually stay north where there's snow nine months of the year. But I really liked the program here. My parents didn't approve, but still supported me anyway. I kind of became a thing to chase after here, though."

Erys spots Pearce stacking his clothing in the closet and tilts his head to one side. "Don't you have hangers? I have extras if you want to borrow some." Before Pearce can answer, Erys hops off his bed. Now standing, his height can be seen. Five feet eight inches, not tall, but not very short either. His tail is held up against his back as he moves to his own closet, to prevent knocking it against anything.

Erys opens his closet to show a few brightly colored hoodies, some long sleeve button shirts, and twelve extra hangers. He takes down the extra hangers closes the closet, and walks back over to Pearce. "Here you go! Ypu cam borrow them until you buy your own. But no rush, I don't have extra money to buy more clothing, so they'd probably be empty for a while."

 

[emDash]

'So you've been getting a hard time here?' Pearce asks, throwing a glance over to Erys again. The guy doesn't seem to be too small and Pearce figures, right or wrongly, that he could probably hold his own if he's a shifter. Then again, as Erys pointed out earlier, they are in a school with other supernaturals and that doesn't necessarily make a guy whose part snow leopard the fiercest thing around.

Then it occurs to him, a little too late, that Erys may have meant his remark in an entirely different way and he's being an ass assuming. 'Or you meant you've got the ladies after you?' He quirks a half smirk, seeming unable to get much more than a flicker of expression to show. That's not entirely untrue though - his eyes, sharp, intelligent, hold depths to them and can be expressive. As can that well defined mouth.

Before he can decline the offer, he's getting hangers from his new roommate and holds onto them while glancing from Erys to brightly coloured clothes and back again. 'Okay,' he agrees, 'thanks.'

Close up, his roommates eyes are startling. The contrasting colours has him glancing from one eye to the other, then up to ears and the fine, soft hairs framing them. He can't help that his nostrils subtle flare and his mouth parts a sliver for him to breathe in the other's scent, and taste him in the back of his throat. Erys may very well discover something about the black-clad, inked up roomie, should his senses be as sharp. That Pearce is not human. That his scent is similarly musky underneath the light spritz of cologne clinging to his clothes.

Pearce Thorton is also a type of shape shifter.
And an Alpha.

 

[BlueAmbient]

Being a predator species of shifter, Erys picks up on little details quickly. Like the way Pearce's eyes move from his face to his closet and back again, the way he studies his eyes, his nostrils flaring and mouth parting to taste Erys' scent. Erys also picks up Pearce's scent, but he can't place it to a species of shifter. What he can place is the scent of  Alpha. That sends an appropriate shiver down his spine. Erys may act nore like a Beta, but genetically, he's still an Omega.

Erys cracks a smile and gives an awkward laugh when he realizes he's been staring at Pearce's face a little too long. He steps back, clearing his throat, and tries to salvage their conversation by answering Pearce's question. "A little of both, actually. Some people don't like my outgoing, some would say cocky, personality, so I've had my fair share of fights. On the other hand, I do get women, and men, chasing me for dates and hookups."

Erys pauses long enough to settle himself back on his bed, pulling one knee up to his chest and hugging it, the other foot staying on the floor. "I get invited to parties a lot, so that's fun. Sometimes I go home with someone else. Speaking of parties, there's one tonight, to celebrate the return to Redwood Academy and to welcome new students. The Alumni House hosts it every year. It's technically supervised by academy staff, but only to prevent fights breaking out."

 

[emDash]

Of course he notes that long stare and looks back at the other directly. He's not shy in meeting eyes even as Erys steps away from him, but a small smirk appears when he hears the other clear that frog out of his throat. 'Popular,' he says of his new roomie. Pearce doesn't seem to be that surprised or impressed by this, simply states it as a fact with a dash of wry humour in his tone.

Turning back to his clothes, he hooks the hangers in the closet and starts hanging up choice shirts, all dark unsurprisingly, one by one as they talk. Or, rather, he mostly listens. 'I take it you're going?'

Parties can be his thing. Depending. He's new. Doesn't know a soul, not really. It will take him some time to weasel in and find new friends but artists, at least his type, aren't too stand offish. It's not going to be long before he's kicking back and drinking, shooting the shit, with likeminded people. By the sounds of it, this party is open to new students, which he supposes he's included in, but he might need his arm twisted to be convinced to go.

Or know that a cute snow leopard with a fluffy tail is attending. Maybe he'll show up later, when most are on their way to drunk, and see what mayhem has already been wrought.

 

[BlueAmbient]

Erys perks up when Pearce asks if he's going. His tail sways behind him, and there's a playful smile on his face. "Yeah, of course. I'm actually part of student council, and I help new students find their way around campus, or if they need help with conflicts. I'm pretty good at getting along with people, so most of the time, I can help solve problems between students before it gets to a fight. I'm also supposed to be a connection between human students and inhuman students, but that doesn't go very well, often. Humans are still pretty wary of us, and keep to themselves."

Erys drops his foot to the floor, leaning back on his elbows. His hoodie rides up slightly, revealing an inch of creamy pale skin at his waist. "I'll probably drink, but I find I don't get drunk very quickly, so I end up looking after others, sometimes. But other times, I get occupied playing drinking games, like shot cards."

 

[emDash]

'Ahh, so what you're saying is this is your bright idea?' Pearce teases lightly, knowing that it's unlikely that it is since he's already said it's school tradition, but Erys seems the type that enjoys a good party. Extroverted, moving with barely contained energy. That swaying tail is distracting and he can't tell if it's playful or from well hidden irritation. Either way there's no mention of it.

Soon done with clothes, he shuts his closet and tosses a glance around his room to see what else is to be done. The boxes under his bed is another day's problem. 'If you come back puking, don't expect me to hold back your tail while you barf.' Clearly it doesn't take long for Pearce to warm up. He's sussed out the room, and now his roommate, and has decided that both seem good enough for him to chill. Granted, he's still on the quieter side, but he's not shy per se just tends to keep many thoughts to himself.

Toeing off his shoes, Pearce slides onto his made bed and stretches out on his back, tucking a hand beneath the pillow and under his head. Breathing out a long sigh of relief, of at least having some of his shit sorted, he takes a moment to let tension ease and unwind. He should have got some groceries. Maybe he'll order in.

His more immediate concern is how he can still smell and taste Erys scent lodged in the back of his throat.

 

[BlueAmbient]

Erys grins at Pearce's teasing. It's nice to know the other shifter has warmed up to him quickly, it means they'll get along for the school year. Then Erys scoffs at the remark towards holding his tail. "For one, my tail is nowhere near my mouth, so there would be no reason for you to hold it. And two, I don't drink enough to throw up. I've been drunk, but never that drunk."

Erys watches Pearce stretch out, tilting his head slightly. He can't help but wonder what kind of shifter the other young man is. Usually, Erys is pretty good at picking that up, having been exposed to many different scents with his party-going. But all he gets from Pearce is matter-of-fact Alpha pheromones. It both bothers him, and intrigues him. In fact, so much so, that Erys' nosy side surfaces. He opens his mouth to ask what type of shifter, when his phone rings. It's some electronica instrumental music.

Erys grabs his phone from where it fell on the bed beside him, then groans heavily. "Sorry, I have to answer this. It won't be too long." Without even standing up and moving away, Erys answers the call and brings it to his ear. Clearly, despite the groan, he's not worried about Pearce hearing his side of the conversation. He stares at the floor as he speaks. "Hi Mom.. Yes, I'm all moved in.. Yes.. No, I don't think there will be any problems.. Yes, I'm still doing that, it's a good opportunity, and looks good on my school record.. No, I-" Erys cuts off, pauses, then blushes a bright red. His eyes briefly lift to look at Pearce, before very quickly dropping to the floor again. Whatever his mother had said was clearly embarrassing. "Mom, you can't say things like that!.. No, you're just lucky my phone's volume is low.. Absolutely not! I am not-.. No, forget it, I'm hanging up."

Erys sighs, hangs up the phone, and shoves it under his pillow, as if to ignore it in case it rings again. He then flops backward onto his bed, and covers his very red face with his hands.

 

[emDash]

He likes that he got a rise out of the teasing about the tail, leaving him smirking briefly. By the time the call comes through, he glances over at Erys at the apology and makes a show of shrugging and nodding, as if to say it's no big deal. He doesn't intentionally mean to eavesdrop but the guy is talking right there and if it were private and his roommate concerned...

The change in tone makes it really hard not to glance over to see what the cause of it is, and if his ears were right and the guy sounded embarrassed and bashful. What he wouldn't give to see that blush. Instead, he folds his arm over his eyes and stays that way until there's a heavy silence in the air. Sliding his arm up over his head, he tilts his chin to the side and glances over to Erys in the bed opposite the room.

It takes several moments of rolling his lower lip through his teeth to stop him from blurting out several things that come to mind, all of them taunts and teases, until he can get the urge under control and simply asks, 'What time was that party again?'

Now he really has motivation to go. If the guy can get flustered over a phone call, then he can't wait to see Erys with a few drinks under his belt.

 

[BlueAmbient]

Erys rubs at his face, his tail twitching in irritation. When he hears Pearce, he eventually sits up, setting his hands in his lap. He's glad for the distraction from the conversation with his mother. He'd get in trouble if he doesn't answer the phone when she calls, but they don't see eye-to-eye.

"It's technically starting at 6pm, because there's a finger food dinner provided, but only a few people show up then. As a human-inhuman liaison, I'm expected to be there at 6pm. It usually goes until midnight, or until everyone has left, if before then." Erys pulls his phone from beneath the bed, sighing in relief when he sees no angry texts from his mother for hanging up on her. "It's 4:30pm now, so I think I'll go shower, then get ready. Oh, there's a toilet and sink there," Erys points to a door at the wall on the opposite side of his bed, beside his closet. "But it's communal showers split between boys and girls. Don't worry, they're shower stalls, but you have to go down to the end of the hall."

Erys stands, pocketing his phone and moving to the door he pointed out. Opening it, he reveals a very small space that truly is just a toilet and a sink, with a tiny cupboard under the sink and a small rectangular mirror above the sink. He pulls a red and white checkered canvas toiletries basket out from beneath the sink; it's small enough it only takes up half the space. Straightening, he checks he's got his room key, then heads for the door, grabbing a towel from his dresser on the way past. "I'll be back in half an hour." Then he steps out, closing the door behind him.

 

[emDash]

He's humming in acknowledgment and nodding along as his roommate explains the time and the finger food and yadda yadda, but his eyes fly open when there's a mention of the time and he jerks his head up. 'Shit! 4.30 already?' As if he doesn't believe Erys, he digs his own phone out of his jean pocket and checks the lock screen for the time, notes a few notifications waiting for him, then lets out a long sigh. He dumps the phone on his chest and lays his head back with an inward groan. The day had gone by in a flash.

'Yeah, thanks,' he says absently about the reminder of the bathroom and communal showers. If he's going to head out, he should shower too, but it would be weird if he followed Erys then and there. Besides, keeping his eyelids sound good. He could get in a quick power nap before he needs to go. Although he really should get up and sort out some proper food if he's going to drink all night. Maybe he shouldn't drink. Maybe he shouldn't go. If he goes then he has to socialise, answer questions, make small talk, and gods that sounded tiring.

As the door is shutting he calls out, 'Enjoy, man.' Then mumbles something under his breath, like why did he have to say that bullshit for.

Pearce yawns wide and, with a snap of his teeth shut, lays his arm back over his eyes with the intention to rest for another few minutes. Turns out those few minutes go on long enough that he's still sleeping when Erys returns to the room, which still doesn't wake up him. The Alpha snoozes with deep breathing and his arm still draped over his eyes, blocking out light and shadows of movement, his other hand on his stomach, a few inches below the phone laying face down on his chest.

At least he doesn't snore or make any weird sleeping noises, animal or otherwise.

 

[BlueAmbient]

As he'd said, Erys returns in half an hour. He lets himself into the room, hoodie and jeans on, but tee and boxers wrapped up in his towel. When he sees Pearce sleeping, he's careful to close the door quietly. There's a small smile on his face as he moes about getting together the outfit he plans to wear. It's nice to know his roommate is comfortable enough to fall asleep sharing a room with someone he doesn't know. The previous year, Erys had a roommate that refused to sleep if Erys was in the room.

Since Pearce is sleeping, Erys has no hesitation in stripping down at the end of his bed, rather than in the tiny washroom. The outfit he has collected from his dresser consists on a black mesh sleeveless shirt, black skinny jeans with ripped knees, a bright green belt with silver square studs, matching bright green hoodie, black socks, and black boxers with a big red heart on the left buttcheek. He takes his time dressing, tail swaying behind him. He leaves the hoodie unzipped as he goes to the washroom, leaving the door open as he pulls out his bathroom basket. He's not one for having his own piercings, but he does have clip on earrings, just to look good. So, from his basket, he pulls out a oair of clip on green feather earrings, putting one on the outer edge of each fluffy ear. He's also got a matching green feather necklace.

To finish off the look, Erys does some quick thin black eyeliner, and adds bright green eyeliner to his lower lid. Now finished, Erys has twenty minutes to get to the Alumni house. He pulls a pair of calf high black boots from beneath the bed, and a box of laces. He pulls out the black laces, then rethreads green laces in, shoving hs feet into them. With a final glance at Pearce to make sure he didn't wake the man, Erys heads out the door. It would be fun to see Pearce at the party, but he doesn't want to disturb him by waking him up. Erys jogs across campus, calling greetings to a few people when he arrives and starts helping set up.

 

[emDash]

It's much later that night when Pearce rouses from sleep. Slow to surface, he's disorientated by the dim lit room and the silence that's settled over it. There's a buzzing somewhere nearby and he lifts his head to try and figure out what it is. He discovers his phone vibrating on the bed, tucked under his ribcage where it fell when he curled on his side to sleep. Squinting at the screen, bright against night vision, he notes missed calls and texts and, belatedly, the time.

Cursing under his breath, Pearce swings his legs off the bed and sits up. He combs a hand through the unruly mess of dark hair and thumbs open his phone to read messages. It's not until he's fired off some replies and stood up that he even remembers he's in a shared room and that Erys had mentioned a party, one which he had planned on going to but he's already three hours late. A growling stomach says he's going to be later yet, with a mind to grab some food before hitting the social scene and seeing what mischief the students of his new campus get up to.

So it's closer to four hours late that Pearce finds himself at the party. Not only did he shower, dress and head out to get some burgers, he had to find his place to the building which, admittedly, hadn't been that hard given the noise and that a good load of the student body had already found their way there with some already staggering out to skip to other events or have private gatherings of their own.

Dressed not too dissimilar to what he had on before, Pearce is in all black. From the fitted jeans to the short, lace up Docs, t.shirt that's closer to a shade of grey thanks to fading, and a collarless leather jacket, he's in various shades of black and wear and tear. Anyone who knows much of anything when it comes to fashion, however, knows that that it's not hand-me-down's he's wearing but designed to encompass the look. He doesn't mind lingering in the background, which is precisely what he does when he enters the building, picking his way along the edges of the crowd in search of a drink and a long, bushy tail or any semi-familiar face.

 

[BlueAmbient]

Erys has had a couple of drinks already, and is now playing beer pong in the Alumni's kitchen. He's partnered with a blond shifter with floppy dog ears and a fluffy golden tail, likely a golden retriever breed, common and relatively low class. They're playing against a black cat female shifter and her human girlfriend. The girls kiss every time they score a shot, laughing whenever it's Erys' turn to drink the beer cup the ball lands in. Beer is not exactly Erys' drink of choice, so he makes faces at it, but he's a good sport and it's part of the game. Each team has won two games, and they're going for best out of three. A crowd of people, both human and not, surround them, cheering.

After several minutes and missed shots, the girls only have one cup left on their side. Erys' tail waves in the air in concentration, and his tongue is peeking between his lips. Everyone around them is leaning forward. Erys tosses the ball, it hits the rim of the cup, then bounces in. The crowd cheers, the girls groan in defeat, and the retriever shifter promptly smacks Erys' ass with a cheer. Erys yelps in surprise, flushing bright red. But seconds later, the retriever's friends pull him away. Erys shakes his head, chalking it up to drunkenness. Looking around, he spots Pearce, lifting a hand to wave it. "Pearce! You made it!" Erys' voice is covered by the loud music. Nobody is moving to set up a new beer pong game, so Erys leans his butt against it. His hoodie is open, so his chest and stomach are covered only by the black mesh undershirt, contrasting against creamy pale skin.

 

[emDash]

Beer pong is entertaining to watch, made more so by his roommate who seems to be having a good time. He can't make out the whole show since there's a crowd in the way and he has no intentions of pushing his way through, but he can see enough, hear enough. Fuck it's loud. And there's more people than he thought. Maybe he can find some quieter corner to watch the mischief unfold. By the look of it, over half the people there are already tanked with alcohol and well on their way to making interesting choices.

Through a part in the crowd, the same which Eyrs spots him through, Pearce caught the tail end of the guys flushing and eyeballs the canine shifter moving away. His gaze darts back to catch Erys's shouting his name and, even over the distance and the moving gap between them, he spies the pale under mesh and sucks in a subtle breath.

He nods his chin up at his roommate and tears his gaze away, turning from the crowd to go find himself a beer. It's only a few steps away, since they're in the kitchen, and he finds the fresh beers amongst the empties littered across the counter. Plucking one from the counter, he cracks it open and turns his gaze to a young blonde who bumps her back into him. Her apology comes with a drunken smile and her friend, a busty brunette, leans in against her friend to check him out.

They dribble some nonsense, something about him being a fresh face, handsome. And how they like his piercings, and omg is that a tattoo, but when one of them goes to feel up his neck, where the ink work disappears into his collar, Pearce steps back with a quick, strained smile and avoids further pawing of long, painted nails and girls with alcohol and peanut breath.

As he escapes, he flicks his gaze back to where he saw Erys last and once he catches sight of him again, sips from his beer and begins to work his way in his roommates direction. 'Hey, Erys,' he greets once he doesn't have to shout over the thrum of music and voices both.

 

[BlueAmbient]

At first, when Pearce walks away, Erys thinks his roommate may not have heard him. His attention is quickly stolen by a first year girl asking how to get out, because she lost her friends. Erys gives her the directions out of the house, even offering to walk her. But the girl shakes her head with a smile and takes off. Erys watches her for a few seconds to make sure she's okay. He may be allowed to drink while being here, but as part of the student committee, he should still be helping those who need it.

Erys sense Pearce's presence only a moment before he speaks, and the leopard's head swivels rapidly to look up at the taller young man. A bright smile pulls his lips up. "Hi! I'm glad you could come. This is kind of the big thing to start the year, and gives everyone an opportunity to mingle with their year-mates. Of course, there's always some unwelcoming students. I've already had to throw out three lion shifters that could keep their hands off a couple of poodle girls." Erys wrinkles his nose.

Erys is about to say something else when a red fox girl comes stumbling up, very clearly drunk, followed by a grey fox boy. She slings her arm over his shoulder, completely ignoring Pearce. "Erys! Babydoll! Guess what! I found the cutest little fox friend, and he's suuuper into me!" The girl's words are slurring heavily. "We're going back to my dorm to fuck!" Behind her, the grey fox is blushing a violent shade of red, shaking his head. "I-I offered to take her home because she keeps falling over."

Erys laughs, untangling himself from the girl. "Mandy, you have fun with that," He glances at the fox boy with a grin. No way is this shy thing going to be taking advantage of anyone. "Make sure there's a bucket beside her. Oh, and she keeps hair elastics in the top drawer of her dresser. The grey fox nods and wraps an arm around Mandy's waist, leading her away. Erys looks up at Pearce with a wry smile. "Sorry, not quite how I wanted you to meet my best friend. Mandy's great fun, but she's also a lightweight drinker. And promiscuous."