“Well,” Sofia said. “I suppose it’s not the worst thing in the world.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Natalie muttered.

  “We’ve already determined we’d be moving in together. So while unpleasant, it’s hardly something we weren’t prepared for.”

  Their future as a potential team hadn’t been the only thing Jordan had prompted the three of them to talk about on their way to Tehe token system, too, they’d discussed … or more accurately, pooling their resources to get out of the barracks. They inteo move in together.

  Natalie supposed she was fortuhe Te campus didn’t fun on ‘real currency’, and that just about everything—including ies, and delving loot both, or anything else—funed on their proprietary ‘tokens’. Because it meant she wasn’t behind the rest of the campus when it came to fihey were all starting on even footing.

  Whiatalie had to assume was a bit of a shoe of them, who’d grown up with silver spoons and droves of servants.

  “That would’ve been when we had our own rooms,” Natalie said. “I was supposed to be free from you, in the barracks.”

  The one redeeming quality of their starting aodations.

  “Hm,” Sofia said. “Yes. Well. We ’t always get what we want.” She returo unpag.

  Natalie took the hint; they could ignore each other. If they mahat, then maybe this wouldn’t be the torture Natalie thought it would be.

  As she went about the monotonous task of unpag, she stole gnces—subtly, as to not be caught staring—at the rest of her so-called roommates. Barracks-mates?

  Despite the number of beds, less than half—maybe around a third—had their oct nearby. Most people had e in, unpacked, theo hahe rest of their in-processing duties, or otherwise to explore campus, shower, eat, or whatever else.

  It was a colorful colle of people. Not only did Te dralits from all across the try—and plenty from neighb, allied tries too—but fashion this far north was different from what Natalie knew. Or maybe that was the fault of Natalie’s upbringing in a rural area.

  Either way, dyed hair hadn’t been on bae, as it was here. The girls with neon shades—pink, blue, green, violet—weren’t the majority, but maybe a third had the bright, eye-catg colors. Several had mixtures of the bright hues. Some only had streaks, rather than dying themselves entirely.

  Natalie was a fan. Of the hair, at least. Not much the rest of typiorthern Valhaurian fashion, which was, like the hair, bright and attention grabbing … but too much so.

  A few girls in particur, Natalie’s attention gravitated to. She tio unpack, stealing gnces. Some of them might be future cssmates, and were, at a minimum, petition … or potential delving teammates. Te’s years were te to know everyone individually, but making es would be important. Natalie didn’t io seclude herself.

  The first girl Natalie’s eyes stuck to had short bck hair down to her shoulders, streaked with a single bright, noticeable lock of blue. She was talking animatedly with someone else—a blonde woman wearing her hair in a ponytail, who was a tenth as animated as her talking partner. She seemed to be tolerating the versation. Her responses, from Natalie’s subtle gnces, seemed to be polite smiles and minimal prompts. The two girls were three beds to Natalie’s left, and on the opposite side of the hall.

  Another woman caught her eye: someone whose Natalie’s attention stuck to because of her amused expression. She was leaned against her locker, arms crossed, and watg the versation of the two girls Natalie had just looked at. She had long, straight red hair—a bit lighter than Natalie’s own red hair—and pierg green eyes.

  There was something rude about her quirked eyebrow … as if she’d noticed the blonde woman’s ck of enthusiasm and was smirking at how the girl with the blue streak hadn’t picked it up, and had thus trapped the two of them into a one-sided versation.

  Natalie frowhe smirk reminded her of Sofia. Though, for all Sofia was smug and annoying, she wouldn’t look at someorying to make a friend with curled, amused lips. Natalie didn’t like her, whoever she was. Though maybe she was making too many assumption about a vaguely amused smirk. Maybe she was making too many assumptions about everything—the blonde girl, in particur, who could be enjoying the versation. Hell, maybe the two girls talking knew each other, and were friends already.

  Natalie tio look around. Her attention so a girl seated o bed, on the far end of the hall. She was seated cross-legged, sing the room … but ualie, with no subtlety. Natalie couldn’t get a good look, or she’d be caught—the girl was watg the room like a hawk.

  But even a gnce was enough to make out the basics. The girl had short bck hair, and her shoulders were hunched forward. Her face was scarred, and not in any small way … even from the distanatalie saw the patchwork of white scratches. Her bangs cascaded down her face, almost hiding her eyes.

  Something about her posture said ‘harried’ … like she didn’t want to be here. Or maybe not ‘here’, as i, but in a public living space, definitely. She was unfortable with people. Natalie didn’t know the girl—obviously—but she could dis that with a quick look. Anyone could. Te’s required living ditions sat worse with others than some … and for this bck-haired girl, she was oop of that list.

  So. Like Natalie said. A colorful colle of people, as expected of Te; sidering their prestigious requirements, almost everyone had an iing story, she bet. It wasn’t enough just to be riake it here. Though … there was a limit to that statement, probably. She was sure the obsely wealthy found ways to sneak in unfitting didates. But it didn’t really matter. The skilled were who would be reized.

  Natalie wondered if, after unpag, she ought to wahe hall a some names, make introdus. But she still had a lot of in-processing tasks to handle, so maybe not. Get the practical stuff done, first.