Young Writers Society

Hev shrugged. "Okay." He followed after Will, putting his hands deep in his pockets. "I hope it's no problem. I would hate to inconvenience you."

Will groaned. "I'm afraid you simply being here is an inconvenience, though I'm sure it isn't your fault. I'll just have to get you out of here before any teachers notice." Will stumbled on the uneven floor and caught himself on the door, then quickly staggered upright and held it open for Hev. "We've got to get all the way across campus, so I hope you're prepared to walk."

Hev nodded. "I can do that. And I deeply apologise for this. If I could undo whatever brought me here, I would."

He walked past the door, his face completely neutral as he hunkered down in the shadows.

Will stared after Hev for a moment, then hurried to catch up. "No need to apologize!" Will briefly wondered whether it'd be okay to ask Hev what exactly he was. The wings looked real... Then he decided it'd be rude, and Will simply led the way southwards towards the dorms.

He glanced around campus. There were a couple of students milling around, but if Hev kept his wings hidden, he might be able to pass as a teacher. "Okay, so here's what we'll do," Will whispered. "If we run into anyone, say you're the new teacher, okay? And keep your wings hidden."

Hev sighed. "A no alis zone?" Shadows of deep emotions crossed his face before he went neutral again. "Is that what you personally believe?"

Will did a double-take. That was... a sudden burst of emotion. "I'm sorry. I've never heard of a 'no alis zone' before. But you're clearly not from Dewspire, and I don't want to pry, so I'm just going to do my best to get you safely off-campus." Will steered them both out of the way of a gaggle of students.

"Really?" Hev hummed. "But they're starting to sprout up all over London, so I figured the would be here in America as well."

He took off his coat and folded his wings neatly on his back. He put the coat on again, the wings hidden now except for a lump.

Will frowned. "London, you say? You're from London, then? How in the world did you get here... I thought you'd just stumbled into Dewspire from the town nearby or something." Will supposed he should've figured from the accent. But... people with wings were sprouting up in London? Will shook his head. "Never mind. Feel free to tell me if you want, but I think I'd better focus on walking. It's amazing how I manage to trip on air sometimes."

“I’m not too sure myself. I was in London just a minute ago and then I wasn’t. I’ve never travelled to America myself. The House doesn’t like to take their Alis places.” Hev hummed, wincing in pain. He stopped in place, mouth slightly agape. “The buildings.”

Will stopped next to Hev. What was all this about "the House" and "alises"? And teleportation? He'd never heard of that as a whimsy, or at least, not without severe limitations. There was that scandal a few months ago about a person who'd tried to teleport a frog, and the frog had ended up... Will shuddered. He wouldn't think about that right now. He glanced at where Hev was looking. "What about the buildings?"

"They're so tall. They're like slices of castles, but no one's lived in a castle for a century at least." Hev shook his head. "No matter. You Americans have different tastes. I respect that." He bowed and continued walking alongside Will."

"A... century. I think you mean a couple centuries?" Will frowned in confusion. Well, maybe British people were different. Will glanced up at the buildings, trying to see them with an outsider's eyes. Sure, most of them were at least five stories tall, and the styles were quite eclectic. And he supposed there were all the bridges in the air.

"Wait a moment..." Will squinted at a glass bridge floating above and in front of them. There were two specks on it, but one of them wasn't moving, which was odd. Usually, after the first few weeks of school, people used the bridges to get places, not to sightsee. Ah well. He could always listen to the school if anything was wrong.

"So, Hev, we're about halfway to the gates of Dewspire. Do you think you'll need help getting back to London?"

Hev shrugged. "I'm not sure. I should have enough to pay for passage on a ship." He pulled out a coin purse and shook it beside his ear. "That is if they welcome alis on the ships. Some may not." He pocketed his coin purse and sighed.

"I'm pretty sure no one here has even heard of alis." Will raised an eyebrow. Maybe he was just clueless? Hmm. "Well, I can give you my phone number in case you need-- oof!" Will tripped over a stone and fell flat on his face.

"Oh, oww." Groaning, Will picked himself up, avoiding the shoes in front of him-- wait. Shoes? Will slowly looked up. "P-professor Haagen?"

The man, Professor Haagen apparently, frowned. "Will, what are you doing with this strange man?"

Hev cleared his throat, squaring his shoulders. "I'm the new professor, Professor Lee. A pleasure to meet you, sir." He shook Professor Haagen's hands, leaning slightly forward as his father taught him to do. If his accent became slightly thicker and prominently upper class, then hopefully, it had the effect it did back in England.