The half hour passed slowly, I couldn’t get into a good flow for reading with so many people traipsing up and down the hallway outside. I guess today was the big moving in day for people, it felt like there was certainly more than just Erina and that Fox-dude coming. Ten minutes into it I slammed the book shut and placed it into the drawer of the nightstand. I then put the television on.

I had been shown by Erina that on a TV like this you could load up YouTube and other things like it, which had blown my mind originally. I had an account there where I used to post videos I recorded in secret from my parents. Of course thats not something I can do anymore. I clicked onto an old music playlist I had left over and just spent the remaining time until I heard the knock on the door bathing in good tunes.

Mid-way through the third song in the door knocks, I turn down the volume and open the door, revealing a casually dressed Erina, who is wearing a pink sleeveless top which exposes her toned arms, she is also wearing a set of loose jeans. “You ready?” I nod.

“You're not cold dressed like that?”

“Nah, I’m still warmed up from that practise match” She winks at me as I grab a short jacket and pull over over my blouse, doing up some of the bronze plated buttons. I then joined her out in the corridor, closing my door behind me.

“Your moving van here?”

“Should be here any moment. I’m waiting on a call” she holds up her dark red cased smart-phone, another modern item I’d been introduced to alongside the tablet and the TV. I still hadn’t acquired one for myself yet though. I remind myself to talk to Guy about getting one.

“Lets go hang out in the lobby then?”

“Sounds good, I can grab a drink from the vending machines too” Thankfully we didn’t have to wait for the Boxhound to move his stuff this time, there were only a few small cardboard cubes lined up flat against the wall, with the door half open.

A couple of moments later we found ourselves In the lobby, where a few other students were hanging about the place, chatting. We beelined for the vending machine, I lean on it whilst Erina studies the contents. She hit a number and put her student card up to a space right next to the number pad and it whirred to life. A can tipping over from the bottom level and getting caught on the slot.

“I hate these machines sometimes” she crouches down. I couldn’t help but peek and admire my girlfriend's body. Her muscled shoulders, thin toned waist. Everything about her was wonderful. She notices me looking and rises with a can in hand, pinching my cheek with the other.

“Contain your lewdness” she smirks, sticking her tongue out at me. Using her free hand to pinch my cheek. I guess I wasn’t dreaming about it then because that would've definitely hurt.

“Ow ow, but you look so good!” At this moment her phone went off.

“Its my parents. They’re here with the van” I nod, she knocks back her can quickly, gulping. “Lets go find them” We exited the building and made our way towards the car park at the back closest to the dorm building. Erina outstretches her wings and launches herself a few metres up into the air, looking out over the rows of cars. She yells and points towards a dark green People Carrier parked not too far away. As I got closer Erina dove down and landed next to a stern looking woman, who I assumed was her mother, and her father. He smiled at us both.

“So are you the one who has caught the eye of my daughter?” The woman towers over little me on her black high heeled shoes. She looked like a model as she was incredibly slim, and she had judging eyes. “She’s awfully small Erina”
“Small is cute!” Erina responds, I pout.

“So you’re fine with us...you know..being together?”

“Girl, my daughter has long since made me painfully aware that I cannot control her. She can do as she wishes”

“Right” Erina’s Dad coughs “Lets unload the van whilst your mum is amicable Erina”

“Rodger” She pulls open one of the sliding side doors and passes me a few light boxes. I peered inside the van. It was absolutely crammed with stuff. This was going to take some time...

***

It turns out that Erina had gotten the room two doors down from mine, also facing the balcony area. We took them up the quicker back passageway through the building and up one of the elevators on the side, I mainly carried smaller boxes and opened doors with my student card. I wasn’t strong enough to lift anything with real weight to it. Thankfully I didn’t have to carry around extremely heavy bags like some people do. My guitar bag was relatively light.

It took a good few runs for me, Erina and her Dad to get all her stuff up and situated in her room whilst her mum chatted with some of the staff on-duty, mainly Nurse Jousset who I’d fetched to help us. The Nurse did end up carrying a few boxes up when Erina dragged her away. She also made her excuses and left us to go fetch the last couple.

Eventually the van was empty and we said goodbye to her parents. Her mum waved a wing at us before ducking into the van. Her curved horns just about fit inside, as they added a good couple of inches to her height, even on top of her heels. Her Dad toots the horn as the van finds first gear and moves away. We waved back and turned back towards the dorm, Erina carrying the last box, which clicked with the sound of plastic hitting plastic with every step.

“Your mum seems nicer than you said she was”

“She was being polite” she sighs, adjusting the box so she has it underarm. A breeze passes through the area, blowing my white fringe over my eyes. I quickly moving it back into position and-

BAM!

I knock right into someone again, falling onto my rear. Thankfully I remain intact.

“Hey! What's your problem?!” I hear Erina call out. Clearly irritated by this person. I look up to see who I hit and its this big guy wearing a dark blue unzipped hoodie, a football shirt clearly visible underneath. He also had wings, feathery ones which were nearly as big as Erina’s were at full wingspan.

“Sorry there. I just saw you from up on the building and I just had to introduce myself to a beautiful girl such as you?” He outstretches an arm towards Erina. She bats it away with her free arm.

“Buzz off, you could have seriously hurt Sylvie here” she crouches down to check if I’m alright. I was okay, but my tablet had taken the brunt of the impact and was definitely broken. I was now effectively mute again. I let out an annoyed growl and the dude backed off a couple of feet.

“Bruh, you’re a zombie?”

“Yes she is, and you’ve made the both of us quite angry, now if you could kindly fuck off” Erina wasn’t holding back. A lick of flame visibly creeped between her teeth. I stand and brush myself off. “Lets go Sylvie” we walked around the cretin in the football shirt.

“I apologise, how about I treat the both of you two-um-gorgeous girls to lunch tomorrow?” You could tell he was struggling to be nice to me, he thought I was repulsive. I gave him a rude hand gesture and we carried on our way. I’ll tell the Nurse what happened and she might be able to sort me out a replacement.

***

Erina placed the box on a stack in the corner of her room and collapsed onto the bed. “That guy was a right creep, probably has the brain of a chicken to go with his chicken wings...I could do with some barbeque wings right now” her belly grumbled in agreement. I used the screen by the door to summon Nurse Jousset again. I felt bad calling for her a second time, but it was necessary.

I sat on the bed and poked Erina in the cheek.

“I’m tired!” I poked harder “Alright alright, we’ll unpack some boxes” She rolls off the bed and flops down onto the floor, pulling herself to her feet. The boxes were all loosely packed so they revealed their contents easily. I just so happened to open the box of her undies first, revealing some very lacy garments. I held a pair up for her to see.

“Give me that!” she goes an incredible shade of red, almost the same shade as her scaly wings. She jumps at me and swipes for them out of my hand. “You’re not supposed to see those...yet” It was my turn to blush, flashes of...us together, in bed, go through my mind. I shake my head to clear those thoughts whilst she places the panties back into the box and picks it up, moving towards her wardrobe.

A few boxes into the unpacking and the door knocked. “I’ll continue with this, you go get it Sylvie” Erina nodded in the direction of the door. I get to my feet and let the Nurse in. “Sylvie? What do you need” I hold my hand up in a wait gesture and I jog over to where I’d left the tablet. I picked it up and showed the smashed machine to her? “Oh, how did it happen?”

“Some bird winged twat!” Erina yells from the wardrobe. “Jumped down from the roof and all the wind from that caused her hair to blind her and she fell on it”

“I see, that will likely have been Lucas Armstrong, he's our latest transfer, and a descendant of the Anemoi. I will have a word. And I’ll get you a replacement as soon as possible. I’ll try and step up my research towards a cure for your voice Sylvie too” I nod furiously, I want that more than anything. I want it more than for my heart to start beating again. “Right. I’ll leave you two to it” she takes the tablet from my hands and leaves, closing the door behind us.

I was so excited and giddy I just had to run over to Erina and kiss her, right on the cheek.
“Woah, I heard that. I can’t wait to hear you sing Sylvie!” She embraced me back and we clung together, bathing in each other like we’re the most important thing in the world right now.

Which to be fair, I thought we were.