alternate_university | [OPEN] Jovan Matheson, moving in

[Getting assigned to Residence Hall 1 with a single roommate is a good stepping stone. After six weeks of living alone in the camper van as he drove across the country, pausing here and there to work odd jobs and take breaks from constantly being on the road, he's not entirely used to living with another person. Being stuck with two or three strangers would be a bit too much, but one's okay as long as the other guy isn't prone to being a raucous party animal.

After moving into his half of the room, Jovan ends up wandering the residence hall for a bit with a steel travel mug of coffee in hand, maybe striking up a conversation with anybody else living there if they seem friendly. After that, he takes to exploring the campus itself and can be encountered almost anywhere students are allowed to go. He's quietly friendly, pretty low-key, unless someone remarks on his rather striking heterochromia or his apparently naturally multicolored hair. He's also a bit on guard around anyone familiar with elemental magic or allied with chaotic forces, nerfing barrier or no. He'll still talk to those people, but he'll most likely be less forthcoming about himself.

The day after move in, he can be found in town, mentally mapping out the best places to eat, where the local hot spots are, and generally getting used to a new place. He does seem more on edge outside the university's barrier, avoiding eye contact and generally keeping his head down. But most surprising is the physical differences: dark, straight hair and deep brown eyes that are almost black. His facial structure is the same, so he's still recognizable if one is attentive enough. It's almost as if he's going incognito for some reason....]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He's not the only mapping out the town. A normal human, the barrier means very little to Tifa in that respect, but there are a lot more job opportunities off-campus. While she's getting the lay of the land, she's drawn to anything with a 'help wanted' sign, and she's been collecting applications. It's more of a priority to her than classes, or any kind of social life.

It wouldn't take a genius to guess why. Her backpack is military surplus. Her clothes are second-hand. It could be just an aesthetic choice, but it's not.

Of course, even if people aren't her focus, that doesn't mean she's not paying attention. The people here are... weird, completely different from in Midgar, and she's not sure what to make of it yet. So when she sees someone who looks sort of familiar on the sidewalk--did she see him in passing on campus?--her gaze lingers, her eyes narrowing a little as she tries to place him. There are so many new faces to learn.]

((I'm assuming this is backdated to the start of the semester, but if I'm off and he's a late arrival, let me know!))

[He notices her sizing him up, and that piercing gaze makes him tense. Even if he doesn't sense any power coming from her, that doesn't mean she can't be a spy for his family. Mundanes might fly under his radar, after all. It's why he's being careful. But he can't live constantly on edge, it's draining and it will keep him from having the kind of normal life he so desperately wants. He'll find a balance soon enough. So he tries to relax a bit as he nods to her.]

Checking out the town before classes start?

[Shoot, she didn't come off like she was staring, did she? Tifa tucks her hair behind her ear and tries a friendly smile to make up for it.]

Yeah. I like to know my way around.

Are you a student, too? I thought maybe I'd seen you on campus.

Yeah... yeah, I barely made it to moving day. I had to drive here from pretty far away.

[He offers the smile back, a bit more tentative but still genuine. He's not feeling anything that's setting off alarm bells. Chaos tends to flicker in the auras of people when they're being deceptive, and she doesn't feel like a threat. Even if he's being careful, he has to trust his instincts and his fellow students.]

If you saw a guy on campus with multicolored hair and a dark purple backpack covered in pins? That was me.

[She smiles sympathetically.] I don't drive, but... it was a hike for me, too.

[She tilts her head, trying to picture him with different hair. Yeah, she thinks that tracks.]

A wig, or--? [Are you supposed to ask people if they've got something supernatural going on?]

Ah, I hope that's okay to ask.

... it's okay, I guess. No, it's not a wig, just something I do to keep people from staring too much or thinking I'm some wild punk. My ID matches my natural look so I don't mess with my hair on campus, just in case security doesn't realize it's me if I change too much.

[It took him a while to figure out what elements to manipulate to get his hair to straighten and change color, and honestly he's still fine tuning the process. If people want to assume he's using some kind of temporary color and a flat iron, he won't correct them.]

Well, I've seen wilder hair, but I get not wanting to stand out so much.

Oh- [Here she is asking him something kind of personal and she hasn't introduced herself. She holds out a hand.] I'm Tifa, by the way.

Jovan. Nice to meet you, Tifa.

[He takes her offered hand, his grip firm and friendly. Just a normal guy, nothing special here.]

Yeah, this seemed like a good place to stretch my wings a bit. Not literal wings, I mean, gotta make the distinction with some of the people I've seen on campus. But it's nice living my own life. How about you, what brought you out this way?

[She smiles at the wings comment, almost a laugh, but it fades a little when he asks her that.]

Oh, well. Kind of the same, I guess. It seemed like it might be a good place to figure myself out.

The whole "cusp of adulthood" thing. Forming our own plan, getting away from expectations... it's freeing, but it's a little scary, too. I'm still trying to figure out my major, just getting Gen Eds out of the way first.

[He cards both hands through his hair and sighs.]

Kinda heavy for a first conversation. Sorry about that.

It's all right. It's actually kind of a relief. I feel like half the people I talk to already know exactly what they're doing here, and I only thought as far as... getting here.

Here's to being a little scared?

Yeah, definitely. But that's part of life, too.

[A brief pause, before he gets a bit of a self-deprecating grin.]

I usually try not to get too philosophical, otherwise I end up watching some people get a little vague in the eyes when they tune out. I should just take a philosophy class to get it out of my system.

Well, I'm not tuning out yet, but I have to confess, I thought philosophy would be kind of boring.

[A shrug. She's not trying to rag on it, just...]

It doesn't seem very... practical.

[OPEN] Jovan Matheson, moving in

day after

Yeah, it's just a backdate, RL makes everything a slow slog

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