Right. Time to make some new friends, I guess? Maybe try to land a party invitation? How do I do that?

"Secret societies throw the parties. But secret societies are secret. Just like it says on the box. So I have no way of knowing whether any random person in the tunnels is a member, or has invitations to give out. So targeted seduction is out."

I stopped my wander in the general direction of the Grand Gallery of the student union, tucked an arm under my boobs, and bit down on a finger of the other hand. That's "cutely pondering", one of the ten thousand flirts.

No takers. Moving on.

"So I'm just going to cover some ground, and look good all over campus. But only in the public areas. Those tankhumpers might have agents among the student body. And I have to stop talking to myself."

I really had to appreciate the dwarvish tunnels. Goblin tunnels are functional. We dig fast and solve the toe-stubbing problem with good boots.  The college tunnels are simply art. Every floor is as smooth as sandstrewn lake ice, and every wall is carved with engravings and details. And the ceilings have light prisms and ventilation at regular intervals. There's really something to be said for clean, dry, wide, tall, and lit.

But then again, that does take a lot of effort, even with terramotive ether.  I don't think goblins will ever move away from "ant style", except in mixed settlements. But it is really nice, when someone else has put in all the work.

This particular tunnel went from campus security to the student union, by way of the lecture halls and smaller teaching galleries. That was the problem with underground construction. You can't have direct routes from everywhere to everywhere else, or you end up with all tunnels and no destinations. So the routes tend to be a bit circuitous, depending on which existing tunnels can be used to get from one place to another. Fortunately, another quirk of dwarven digging is that they actually plan for traffic. So there was only one junction, and two relatively straight segments of corridor.

And then I was in the Grand Gallery, a chasm carved into the rock down below, and constructed walls and a roof above, with light-admitting clear glass blocks covering the upper reaches. As a result, it had the feel of both surface building and subterran gallery. And it enclosed quite a bit of space usable in any kind of exterior weather.

This would be the social heart of the college, even as I had already walked through the instructional center. Since classes hadn't started yet, this would be where all the action is. Oh, and what's this? Student organization sign ups? Clubs and cliques. Fraternities and sororities.  Bands and teams.

But which of those is a "Ravenna" kind of group?

3 on 3 scuttleball league teams? Too tall for that.

Young entrepreneurs club? Not really into business networking, I think.

Drummers wanted for jumokka performance ensemble? Probably want orcs for that.  Or at least orc-appropriate costume.

Here we go. Junior adventurer's society. Not having any system connection might hamper me there, but I can still make personal connections. And I don't need to earn XP to get experiences. I signed my name on the sheet, resident, burrow 31A. Besides that, I can kick some ass when I need to, and move ether if it doesn't require much finesse. Also, it's dangerous to go alone. Maybe some of these folks will be down for sniffing out and beating down fashies, as well as nonhuman monsters.

"Adventurer, eh? Me, too. You pick out a combat class?"

"No. Afraid not. I have to do all my fighting without system support. I defeated some bandits just this week. Well, escaped them unharmed, anyway.  But then I got jumped in the tunnels outside campus, so clearly I need to work on the skills I do have, and get a well-rounded party to back me up."

"No joke? Self defense is a perfectly legit reason to do some wilderness and dungeon weekends. I'm in mainly because my parents met in their adventuring party, and they seem like really good people that are really good together."

The person who had joined me at the sign-up sheet had the look of an elf.  Taller than my Mom, but with a distinct lack of boobage.

"My parents met while trying to kill each other. I'm half-elf, myself, on my Mom's side. Redleaf, but I've never met any of my Mom's family so far."

"Redleaf, eh? Yyyyyyeahhhh... that's probably a good idea, with you being so--forgive me stating the obvious--so green. They're sort of aristocratic and old-fashioned. I don't have anything against half-orcs. I'm not racist."

"Half-goblin, actually."

"What?! What happened there?"

"I'm the oldest of 25 siblings, so...."

"Good for them. About time somebody put that grudge to bed."

"And the couch. And the kitchen table. And the floor. And the garden."

He laughed at that. It was by far too melodious. I checked the sheet: Rathellion Vinebound, resident, burrow 82E.

"So, Rathellion, is it?"

"Just Rath."

"Rath, now that you know I'm half-goblin, you're not going to hold anything against me, are you? Or maybe you have something you want to hold against me?"

"Oh, wow. You just go right for it, don't you? How about this? We party up during the first adventure weekend, and if we hit it off then, I'll take you out on a date."

Damn your complete lack of sluttiness!

"It's a deal. When's that?"

"Every third weekend, starting the first weekend after classes start. They'll meet up Penjer evening, and we'll all go to a low-level dungeon nearby. I wonder who the faculty advisor is for this one. It didn't say anywhere."

"Maybe they hadn't picked one up by the time the catalogs went to print?"

"Yeah, probably. They probably have to dig into guest lecturers and adjuncts to get someone with delving experience. I guess we'll find out. Nice meeting you..." He checked the sheet, just as I had. "Ravenna Asterian. Hey, I thought you said 'Redleaf'?"

"Asterian is a matronymic, like the goblins do it. Redleaf on my Mom's side, and Freyaling on my Dad's side. I have a shitload of full-blooded goblin cousins, too. Them, I actually have met and hung out with. All I had to do was beat my aunt and her kids in a fight with my parents and sibs."

"I guess that's where you learned to fight, then. How come you didn't qualify for a combat class?"

"We can save that answer for my date."

"Heh, yeah, okay. Kind of a personal question. Sorry."

"I'll see you around, Rath. And make sure you can pull your weight in the party weekend after this one. I'm not going to date a slouch."

"No worries there." He flexed his arms. Not much of a strength score, probably. Maybe he's a finesse fighter. Or an etherist. I can find out later.

"And watch out for the fascists. There are spies about."

He laughed again. I sort of wanted to check out if he had a decent singing voice. Again, I can find out later.

I still had a mission, though. I needed to cruise the campus, and earn myself a party invite from somewhere. We parted ways, for now, and I went back to work.