Xaviers!

Bear sighed as she clicked her keycard against the reader, popping the door open. She entered the dark room a moment before fumbling for the light switch, and then dropping her large backpack onto her bed.

She plopped down next to it, slowly smiling.

She was glad to be back.

Slightly after Bear plopped down, a couple weary travelers trudged their way up the stairs, and opened the door.

"118, wasn't it?" Katarina Karkov said, looking down at her official university documents and all that.

"That'd be it, yes. Right next door to my room." Nika nods, still lugging both of their bags around.

“I guess I wasn’t the only person to show up early!” Bear jumped up, her weariness quickly forgotten.

"Oh! Oh my, I didn't expect...I mean, of course. Hello," Katarina said, awkwardly.

"Please tell me that when you insisted on living in the dorms you were aware that you would have a roommate..."

"Well, of course I did. I just thought...the rooms would be slightly..." she said, awkwardly.

“I’m Byrna, but everyone calls me Bear!” She said, quickly introducing herself.

"Bear, is it?" Katarina said, looking around at the room. "It's...a pleasure. I'm Katarina; this is Nika."

Nika gives Bear a (relatively) relaxed salute but she can't help but eye her with a critical eye. "You sound American?"

If Bear noticed the appraising eye, she didn’t acknowledge it.

“You bet! New England born.”

The hug quickly came after.

“Now your accents... Eastern European. Sokovian? I’m not certain..”

Not used to strange people coming up so close, Katarina froze up -- and gold-ed up -- at Bear's hug.

“Very shiny!”

Bear grinned when she pulled back, admiring all the newfound bling.

At the sudden movement towards Katarina Nika springs into motion. One hand disappears into her coat and comes back out a moment later, holding a small metal rod that seems to almsot spring out of her hand with how rapidly it moves forward. Just as quick as it accelerated out of her hand it stops again, hanging in the air not even an inch from Bear's face. It's only after her instinctual reaction that Nika realizes that it was just a hug and that Katarina is, as far as she can discern, fine.

Bear flinched, staring at the slight cylinder caught in the air.

“Well... I guess I know what tricks both of you are bringing to Maldon..” she exhaled the words slowly.

Nika visibly relaxes and the bolt moves back along the exact trajectory until it lands in Nika's hand again. "I... I apologize. I'm Lady Katarina's bodyguard."

"Y...yes, I should have mentioned. But it's fine! Everything...everything's fine," Katarina chuckled nervously.

“I really need to stop hugging on first meetings.”

Bear smiled, taking a seat and letting the tension drain from the room.

“Can I offer both of you a soda? There should be a few left in the mini-fridge unless someone raided my room in the past three months.”

"You've been gone for three months?" Katarina asked, heading to the other bed to sit down.

“A friend needed some help, so I took a break from my studies.”

Bear opened up the mini fridge and took out three diet sodas, in case her new friends were thirsty.

“It was a northern curse blood oath thing. Could have happened to anyone!”

"That doesn't sound like something that would happen to just anybody." Nika says, politely accepting one of the cans and taking a sip.

“Give XU a couple weeks!” Bear replied. Smiling.

“It’s nice having a new roommate after a long while, Katarina.”

"What is a ...northern curse blood thing?"

“A friend of mine had tracked a death monster to the northern Alaska Coast. I helped her fulfil her family destiny and vanquish it to the deep.”

*sip*

"Oh my! That sounds quite...quite heroic of you," Katarina said, obviously impressed, as she slowly un-gold-ified.

"Well, I do have to admit that does help put me at ease a little about letting you room with Katarina." she says, obviously a little uncomfortable with just using her name.

“Have you seen the rest of the campus yet? Met any other students or professors?” Bear asked, starting to unpack her backpack.

“I’d be happy to show you around in a bit!”

"We've only met one so far; a boy named Aiden who met us near the gate. Other than that, it's been a long trip from Symkaria and we haven't had a chance to see much."

“Well, I’d be happy to help both of you get unpacked and settled in the meantime.”

"That would be most kind of you...'Bear'. Thank you!" Katarina said, testing out the unfamiliar nickname.

"I think I'll just go unpack my things myself. I'm right next door, let me know if you decide to head out tonight."

“Let me know if you need some help! I know the rooms are.. cozy. Some things might need to go into storage.”

"Cozy is definitely...one way to describe it. I've never...never stayed in a room so small," she said, looking around in a little disbelief.

"Well, you wanted the full experience. I can only hope the cafeteria food is average or worse." Naika says, trying not to crack a smile.

"You will be eating it as well, remember?"

"Yup." she says, for the first time loosening up just a bit. "But that first class meal I had on the flight was by far the fanciest thing I've ever had. I imagine Your Highness has a slightly more refined palate."

"I'm sure it will be fine. Many mutants might have...dietary necessities, so they must employ fairly competent chefs," she nodded, decisively.

“It’s not Michelin 3-Star, but it’s not gruel either. They feed us well here.” Bear said, dwelling on a past meal.

“I hope it’s fish & chips day!”

"You see?" Katarina said, triumphantly. "It will be fine. You need to stop worrying so much, Nika."

"Oh I'm not worried for once. In fact I very much look forward to it."