Phoenix Rises

Chapter 2- Shut Up this Makeup is Worth More than Your Life

Moira walked me down one of the many pathways from the docks. This particular one was paved with grey cobblestones and lavender growing around the stone path. The flowers followed the road as far as I could see. I could see buildings and shops where the road led to town and even then there was a line of the purple flowers taking up residence in any tiny green space avaliable. The people in this neighborhood must sleep like babies with the scent of the flowers floating into their homes with the breeze. I turned to Moira stating just that.

"Observant, arent you? All the roads on the island are marked by their unique flora shall we say. This is the lavender path, and yes it is a popular residence area due to the calm vibes" she said she then crinkled her nose "but if you ask me, Im sorta sick of the dorm smelling like baby lotion all the time" I grinned at the confesion

"so our dorms are around here then? That's promising." I said noting the various little shops we passed. One in particular caught my eye. It was a little cafe called "Chaotic Good Coffee" it had a cute sign hanging from a curled wrought iron frame. The letters were hand painted in gold and navy. As we passed it by I became etranced by the heavenly smell of mocha and baked bread. Warm sunshine shone on the windows obscuring the inside decor with a perfect reflection of me and Moira. Taking note of my attention Moira pulled me along.

"We can stop for coffee later, Esme makes a killer muffin, so our group has unofficially officially adopted it as a clubhouse." Moira paused reminicing before continuing "Lavender street is pretty cool, I wouldn't trade it really. Oh! our dorms are just a bit further, I can see the entry from here. I kept my mouth shut content to trudge behind her silently for the next couple steps.

We stopped in front of a twisting black gate. The iron curls accentuating the school crest in the middle. An ouroboros encircling an open book. I could see a little path leading away from the main street. Unlike most property here there was a decent sized yard surrouned by the white stone walls that personified this village. I could see large trees stretching above the roof of the neighboring houses the branches shading the pathway while the roots pushed up the stones causing uneven footing. I could see flowers and herbs in a garden that followed the sides of the wall. I looked towards the end of the path and could just make out what looked like a series of  large arches leading to an open air courtyard. I rattled the gate attempting to open it. It didnt budge. I returned to the effort thoughtlessly throwing myself against it.

"LET ME IN" I implored loudly. Moira chuckled  and shook her head recognizing the Eric Andre meme I was currenly recreating.

"You are a trip Amoretto" she said grasping my hands and gently prying then from the, now likely tramatized, gate. "You've gotta know the key before ye can get in the dorm. All'a the other dorms have their own unique keys as well. Its to keep us from mingling willy nilly I suppose." rolling her eyes. I understood the implied activities she was hinting at. She held up her hand and reached toward the gate.

"Watch closely, it can get a bit tricky" she placed her hand in the center of the crest right where the book was. I now noticed the tiny constellation ever so delicately imprinted on the pages of the book. The tiny star marks were worn down by time, barely visable but I reconginzed the pattern as Orion, the hunter.

"There are 5 different dorm buildings. Each goes by the name of a constellation. As you can see we are in the Orion dorm. The other dorms are Lyra, Hercules, Eridanus, and Andromeda. Everyone is assigned a dorm due to certain characteristics that make us more, likely to bond. Those placed in Orion are generally considered 'jack of all trades types' we are the most mixed bag set, but we are also the ones best suited to missions, and travel, and we are the best diplomats because we are all so different. Lyras are musicians and partiers, Andromedas are aesthetics and artist, Hercules is full of athletes and bros, and Eridanus is where you find your healers and stem types." Moira used her free hand to gesture as she spoke, while the other was carefully pressing down on the star points in a sequence. First the three star forming Orions belt then the center star of his bow, and finally the eye of the ouroburos. The amethyst colored eye blinkex and the serpent seemed to come alive before my eyes. The serpent blinked once more before releasing its tail from its mouth and regarding us quizzically.