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Professor Blinkous Galadrigal was, undoubtedly, the best lecturer in the college. His extensive lectures gave cover for students to chat, or if they listened, be informed of history's greatest moments. He was respected. He was intelligent. He was-He was incredibly short.He'd protest this vehemently. No way would he admit that his height bothered him, but it was as obvious as his obsession with reading. At five foot three, many of the students outstripped him. Blinkous denied this. He would continue to deny it. He wasn't that short!But, moving on.Another thing about Blinkous was that he was always willing to help. Look after Draal, his Boss's adopted child of thirteen? Done in a heartbeat. Reorganise a library over spring break instead of going to the beach? There he was, humming to some tune from the nineteen-twenties. Charity program for rehabilitation of once-violent men? Sure, whatever you- WAIT."Kanjigar. Kanjigar I have made a mistake," Blinkous paced about his little cottage, worrying incessantly. "I have no time to do this! Why did I sign up? When did I sign up?"Kanjigar laughed heartily. Though he was nearly five years Blinkous' junior, he'd risen to head of department in only two years. Tall, broad shouldered and with the beginning of a beard, he was a local heartthrob and sob story. Having lost his wife, he raised his son alone, providing for them both. At the ripe age of twenty seven he had gained his nickname of 'courageous'."That's because it was not you who signed up, old friend." Blinkous froze, and slowly turned on one heel. Anger filling his eyes, he stalked over, and pointed a finger in Kanjigar's chest. He had the intimidation of a butterfly on a pretty yellow flower."Why? Why would you do this?!""Because, Blinky, it has been nearly a decade since Dictatious... Left. You are lonely, and it shows. The students are concerned about you," he replied, a gentle hand on Blinkous' shoulder. "Perhaps you should have some life here again. Draal seems to be the only outsider you have connected with since... Well, since me."Blinkous sat down heavily on one of his squishy green armchairs. Sighing tiredly, he carded a hand through his thick black hair. He wanted desperately to refute this, to tell Kanjigar that he wasn't lonely at all, but his mind and words failed him. A mug was pressed into his hands, and he looked up to see Draal peering at him. The tea was exceedingly dark for his taste, and had about four spoons of sugar, but the thought was appreciated. Blinkous gave a wan smile and downed the whole thing. Clearing his throat, he rubbed under his glasses, and spoke."When shall I expect to be seeing him, then?" Kanjigar grinned."Next week Thursday."-/-/-/-/-/-"You signed me up for this. You are helping me set up the room." Blinkous brandished a heavy paintbrush toward his friend. Kanjigar nodded meekly. They were in the process of converting an old office room into the new bedroom. When they'd opened the door to peeling paint and a strange smell, Blinkous had remembered exactly why he'd not been in here for so long. The mysterious stains all over the ceiling seemed to drop out a form of malice, and ivy had wound around the window, leaving only a few centimetres of glass to peer from."Fair enough. But why exactly do you need me to be here? I could be out shopping, or helping another way-""I can't reach the top." That was all Blinkous said before spinning around and continuing to unravel the wallpaper he'd bought. Dark green with a pale green leaf pattern emblazoned all over it. He'd meant to use it for redoing his own bedroom, but he supposed he could suffer the childish lilac for awhile longer. He'd suffered for so long, but it wasn't as if he couldn't stand lilac altogether, but he was thirty two. Thirty freaking two.It took several attempts, but as the sun began to set, the room started to take on the wallpaper, and a fuzzy beige carpet. A desk stood next to the bed, freshly painted deep green to match the walls. Draal had contributed by hanging up one of his own pieces of artwork. For such a wild child, his delicate art was truly inspired. And bright. And... Well, slightly unintelligible. Was that a tree or a tall man?"So?" Came the questioning grunt from an overworked Blinkous. "You think it's good enough?"Kanjigar slapped a hand on the smaller man's back, and nodded, pleased with their work. "He'd be a fool not to love it, old bud.""I still feel as if the room is missing someth- oh my lord!" Blinkous screeched in shock, dramatically placing a hand over his heart."What? What is it, is something wrong?" Draal burst in, panting slightly. His father helplessly shrugged, and Blinkous mumbled to himself restlessly. He began to pace about, muttering to himself."This room doesn't have a wardrobe." The two stared at the professor in disbelief. That had been the cause of his scream? "What? It was a bad oversight. Actually, it's only eight, I'm sure the furniture store doesn't close until eleven. I'll head over there now -let yourselves out- I have enough saved, so I should be able to..."With that, Blinkous tore out of his driveway in his rather large car, and sped into town. This left Kanjigar and Draal to quietly lock his door, set up a small dinner and get ready to deal with a weeks worth of unnecessary mumbling. Their house filled with quiet television noise and the creaking of old wood.-/-/-/-/-/-The store seemed to still be quite alive when Blinkous scuttled through its doors. He hurried to the wardrobe section, and began to look over each one, carefully selecting each part. Some seemed far too big, other too small, and some just garishly coloured. It took over an hour to find a perfect chest of drawers.Beechwood, and nearly up to his nose, it would perfectly suit his needs. Wide as it was tall, and embellished with shiny blue handles, it would fit the room perfectly. If only Blinkous could pull one of the DIY packs into his trolley! He heaved and huffed, struggling quite a bit until a younger man pushed it in with ease. He was tall, long black hair in a high ponytail. His eyes flashed an icy blue."Oh, thank you. Ever so sorry, I'm just not all that strong," babbled the professor, shoving his glasses up his nose. The young man nodded respectfully, and continued on his way. Blinkous thought about asking him his name, but pushed it aside. After all, it was just a stranger's act of kindness.Maybe he was that lonely.Shaking his head, he turned to the till, and didn't look back as he trotted to his car. If he had, he might have noticed the eyes following him with burning intensity and a cold gaze.-/-/-/-/-/-How was the chest of drawers wonky? He'd followed the instructions to the cross on the T's and dots on the I's! Growling lowly, Blinkous decided to simply forget it. Who cared, he would just have to deal with it, or at least, his guest would. And another thing! A guest, who'd stay for who knows how long! It wasn't as if he couldn't afford it, what with his generous salary and monthly bonus from his tutoring sessions. With only three days until this mystery person arrived, Blinkous was distracted during lectures. He was too tired at that moment, and decided it would be best if he just took a nice long rest in bed.He needed it, and by God, he deserved it.-/-/-/-<><><><><Aarghaumont didn't know what to think of the rehabilitation centre. It's walls were very clean, and it seemed as if he was mostly left to his own devices. They had tried to get him to talk once, but his stiff silence was probably not what they wanted. They had told him they were going to help him. They had said he'd be safe here.He didn't feel safe.When he defected from the gang he'd been in nearly seven years earlier, they had said he'd be left alone. They'd lied. One night, as he had been walking along calmly toward the library, he'd been jumped. Dragging him back. Forcing him down. Holding him still. Raising the cold metal bat that had once been in his hand, bringing it down with force that was too much-Aarghaumont didn't like to remember that.The doctors had tried everything to get him to speak. He'd grunted at them, and that sent them into ecstatic scribbling. Apparently his head trauma had left him with limited skills in the literary sections, and he even had trouble with arithmetic. Before, he'd been so poetic in speech. He used to be so much smarter.But that was gone, and now wasn't the time for reflection. His door handle jiggled as a nurse stepped in. Smiling at him, she offered a large tray of food, which he accepted. Was that chocolate? What was going on? They never let him touch chocolate, not after the great incident of May."Uh, Aarghaumont, Mr Strickler sent me. Do you remember that program we decided on?" Of course he did. He'd been the first to volunteer. "Well, we've found, uh, the perfect candidate. He's single, lives alone and uh, seems a little lonely. He's going to be here on Thursday."Thursday? Today was Tuesday. Aarghaumont narrowed his eyes but nodded. So that's how they were playing it. Well, as long as he liked his new roommate, they needn't worry. Even if he hated his new roommate, Aarghaumont was a pacifist. He couldn't stand a fight. Not anymore"Great! I'll tell him you're on board. Get some rest, tomorrow you'll have a physical examination, and then a free day in the gardens."><><><><><><The head physician hummed and haa'd, prodding at Aarghaumont tactlessly. Lifting his arms, he focused on joints and coordination. Eventually the bespectacled man hopped off of his stool, and waved Aarghaumont to the door."Top notch, yes yes, now off you pop. I've got some stuff to do."The second he was allowed into the gardens, Aarghaumont disappeared into the colourful patches of flowers. A well worn bench served as his seat, and the sun warmed his long brown locks. His hair pooled at his shoulders, chestnut brown and glossy. It also kept smacking his eyes on the breeze. He often kept a few hairbands in his pocket for these situations, and was glad that he still knew what to do. Hair tied back in a low bun, the sun hit Aarghaumont in the face full force. Whilst this was nice, he still would rather be spending time with someone he could trust. Definitely not anybody here.All too soon, the bell rang, and groaning he returned inside to eat his lunch. Great. Salad day. The mysterious fruit they put inside was enough to deter him, and he quickly threw away his food. Waiting until the door gaurds was distracted, he slipped back to his room. He still had to pack. Not even twenty minutes later, his suitcase was done. Ten minutes from that a nurse pushed her head in. When she left he picked up a book. He got as far as reading the title, before frustration took hold and he threw it away. He didn't care anyway, and he was too bored to spend his time reading.Daylight dragged like cat claws on rug, and by the time lights out was called, Aarghaumont was ready to physically cry from boredom. Unfortunately due to his inactivity, now he couldn't sleep.Dammit.><><><><><><
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Morning rolled about in its usual lethargic way. Clouds wearily trekked the reddening sky, and golden bursts of air scattered about like sprites. It was going to be a fine day in Arcadia, filled with small children at parks and picnics galore.Unless you were a certain college professor.Blearily Blinkous broke open his blinds, and gazed blankly at the street. The morning hustle and bustle filtered from the main road. His eyes wandered lethargically to his calendar, reading it over but not really absorbing anything.The coffee machine whirred, enthusiastic, and deposited the thick brew of crushed beans into a well worn cup. As it hit his insides, Blinkous felt his mind snap into awareness as he finally ingested what the calendar was stating. Today was Thursday. Today he had to pick up his new 'roommate'. Today, he had to get used to another person in his home, for the first time in over a decade.He didn't feel ready for this huge step. He knew it was too late, but he wasn't ready and he felt scared. The thought to call Kanjigar crossed his mind, but it was swept away by a torrent of pride. He would do this, if it killed him, he swore on it! Though perhaps, he thought as he caught sight of a mirror, he'd best get washed and changed first.His clothes were not new, but not old. A pair of brown slacks with braces, and a plain white short sleeved button up. Brown shoes, of course. And finally, he brushed his hair, vehemently cursing as it flipped up from his head. His comb wrestled with his scalp, and he was pretty sure he had lost half of his head at the point that his black locks lay flat in his skull. He preened in the mirror, and placed a watch in his left pocket. The right contained a tiny book, and a cd. He had very large pockets.Next on his to do list was eat a good breakfast. As always, this activity was heartily ignored. After that, brush his teeth, clear a path through his books and stagger awkwardly to find his keys. They were, as always, found after a floundering moment. Lastly was to double lock his house, water the front yard with his handy dandy watering can and hop into the car. The car would start after several awkward grunts of its aged engines, and putter down the driveway like an old man. Blinkous refused to get another for as long as it still worked.He took his time on his way to the institute, pleasantly rolling down country lanes lined with trees and flowers. He sniffed. Ah, the lavender was in bloom. (:):(:):(:):(:):(:):(:)Aarghaumont stared distastefully at the ceiling. He would be leaving today. Groaning, he forced himself up, and retreated to his little bathroom. Forcing out his tangles, he quickly brushed his teeth and wiped down his face. He had his clothes laid out, courtesy of his lack of sleep. Green cardigan over a grey t-shirt, and heavy navy jeans. His green sneakers were kind of ratty, but it's not like he cared. (He did care. A lot. What would his new roommate think of his shoes?)Sitting patiently on his bed, Aarghaumont waited, until a nurse poked in her head meekly. He followed her to breakfast, and ate his food as fast as possible. The taste barely touched him. He wanted to be done as quickly as possible, o he could prepare himself for meeting the stranger who would take him home. Not like that was terrifying or anything, nope. As he took his last look around the room he had grown so used to, he felt oddly nostalgic, though the paint was the same clinical white everywhere. He felt strange, and brushed it off as nerves. No time for these confusing emotions, he was going to meet a new person today, and they would get along if it killed him.(:):(:):(:):(:):(:):(:)A short man toddled up to the receptionist. She flashed him a plasticky smile, and stared at him unblinkingly from her perch. Her short black hair framed her heart shaped face, and a name tag read; Nomura. She tapped her keyboard and closed the browser she had been playing solitaire on."How may I help you, Sir?" Blinkous blinked, and began to stumble over his words in an effort to get them out."I, well, you see it started when I was signed up for- no wait, it was actually from when Kanji- I'm here for the program?" In the end, it was more question than statement. Nomura nodded understandingly, her smile gaining some warmth. Gesturing to a seat, she took a sip of water."Aarghaumont will be here soon, don't worry. You need a drink?" Blinky shook his head. "Okay. Ask if you need anything, I'll be back in a moment."With that she whisked off, purple skirt swishing around her thin legs. Blinkous whipped out his novel, and settled down to read. He'd finished two chapters by the time footsteps began to approach him, and as with his usual courtesy, he looked up momentarily. Blinkous felt his heart drop to his feet. A very tall man was looming over him, chocolate hair in cascading waves, and the height of at least six foot seven.(:):(:):(:):(:):(:):(:)Nomura knocked on Aarghaumont's door politely, and then barged in. She and Aarghaumont were on good terms, as she often boasted to her colleagues. She was the only one to ever hear him speak, after all. "Hey tough guy, your new roomie's here! Get your butt in gear.""Seem nice?" Ah, such simplistic speech. His ex gang members sure did a number on his brain. Poor thing."Yeah. He's like, super short though. I'm tiny to you, and he's even smaller than me. Five foot two, I'd hazard." Nomura clicked her manicured nails, impatient. "C'mon, he's probably bored out of his skull.""No." Of course Aarghaumont wouldn't want to do this. What has he been thinking to make him back our now? "Aaarrrgh tall. Frighten- fright- scary."Nomura decide she was not going to take this. She dragged his suitcase out of his room, ignoring his protests. He lumbered out, and she locked the door behind her, then threw the keycard from the window. Aarghaumont stared in disbelief."Oh please, I'll just either get that thing later or request for a new one. Come."Trailing into the waiting room, Aarghaumont spotted Blinkous immediately. It was hard to miss him, as the only person there. The man was reading a book on the Siege of York, haloed in the light of the morning sun. His tousled black hair had the look of someone constantly running their hands through it, point proven as he did it once more. Aarghaumont walked over calmly, taking his time. The man looked up, displaying his honey-brown eyes. He blinked twice, and shut his book."Hello," he began nervously. "My name is Blinkous Galadrigal. How are you today?"Aarghaumont nodded in response, uncertain of the proper courtesy in this situation. Nomura stepped in beside him, holding his bag."This is Aarghaumont. He's not a big talker, so you'll have to excuse him. Feel free to leave whenever you want, he's all packed." She disappeared behind her counter to play more online games. She'd been eyeing up ducklife for a while now, and was determined to play it. Get ready for 'Waltolemew!' world, because Nomura was out for blood.The little Galadrigal hopped to his feet, and looked over Aarghaumont. His muscles and broad shoulders were not very well hidden, but some effort had been made. He towered nearly a foot and a half above the professor, and wasn't even standing up straight. This was either going to be very useful, or exceedingly tiresome."Well, I suppose, I should lead you to our humble abode. Or we could possibly grab some consumables if you so wish," rambled Blinkous. His nervous chatter made the soundtrack for the trek to the car, bumbling and consistent. Aarghaumont carefully settled in the passenger seat, his suitcase placed with care in the trunk. "So, where to?"