Paladin's Academy

Act I, Chapter 10: Meet the Neighbors

One day before classes start, First-Year Dormitories, Paladin's Academy.

Before classes begin, the accepted first years have the choice to move into their on-campus dorms. Most, if not all, students decide to move, since the dorms are pretty decent and the convenience is unmatched.

On the third floor of the dorm building, Quinn is effortlessly carrying a bunch of boxes to his room. He reaches for the keys and opens his room. The door creaks open as he places the box down and breathes a sigh of relief. He jumps to the bed and puts his arms behind his neck. Man, this bed is even bigger than the one I had at the base! Quinn thinks to himself as he changes his position in a number of ways. He finally stands back up and begins unpacking.

The space itself is pretty large, and the layout is that of a 'studio apartment' with a small bedroom, a dining room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Quinn starts by taking out all his clothes and putting them in the closet. Then he pulls out some books, one being a GED reviewer, and another being a Streetwise comic he found. He places them all down on his study table. Finally, he pulls out a picture of him, Matter, and Streetwise posing for the camera, which was taken right after their interviews. He touches the frame and wipes away a tear as he places the picture right by his bedside table.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoes in the hallway. He quickly runs out the door to assess the situation. He sees a guy rubbing the back of his head, wincing in pain, surrounded by boxes.

"Are you alright?" Quinn questions.

"I'm good, just a little overexertion," the guy laughs as he clutches his chest.

"Do you need to go to the clinic?"

"It's fine. Just let it pass,"

"Here, let me help you to your room," Quinn says, carrying the man to his room.

"Right over there, 304,"

"Oh, we are neighbors then. My name is Dreadnought."

"Double Trouble, but my friends call me D.T."

"Can I call you D.T.?"

"Yeah man, helping out makes us friends."

"What interesting insight," Dreadnought says as he places D.T. down on the couch. He then grabs some water and sits beside him.

"Thanks,"

"You are welcome, friend."

D.T. smiles at him as he continues to sip some water.

"Do you want to be left alone?"

"Not really. I appreciate the company."

"Okay then, But I will be honest, I am not good at small talk."

"Then let me help you with that," D.T. smiles as he places the cup down. "How are you enjoying Paladin's so far?"

"Apart from the entrance exam, things have been good."

"I know, right? The escape room was pretty tricky."

"Escape room?"

"Yeah, we were locked in the orientation hall, and one of the guys saw that there were clues all over the table. We had to team up in order to get out!"

"They must have changed it. When I took the exam, it was a free-for-all."

"Oh, guess they wanted to test you guys physically."

The two neighbors continued to talk about their experiences in Paladin's. After a few more minutes of talking, Dreadnought helps Double Trouble carry his boxes and even helps him unpack.