Drizzle and Spark

Trust

It was a busy, cold day, and the little Evan could spy from the office's window made him wonder if clouds could grow any darker from all the water they carried within them. The impending rain wasn't any comfort, and neither was the thunder roaring in a distance. Perhaps this situation would be over faster if he'd focus on the staffer ahead instead of pretending to be interested in the landscape.

"Take your time. It is a breathtaking view," the man said, taking his seat behind his desk.

Still battling a silent anxiety, Evan followed the worker's cue, taking the seat in front of him. The bag storing his belongings emitted a soft thud as it met with the carpet. "Lemme guess: it gets boring with time?"

The staffer smiled politely. "I'd say it all depends on the observer's feelings at the time."

Is he already trying to analyze me or something? Evan frowned, tapping onto the wooden chair's armrests with his fingertips. "It's a nice day. Rain and everything included."

"Then I am glad you're already enjoying your time in Brigantia." The elemental grinned, untangling his watch from a wrist cuff. "Shall we formalize your academic ingress?"

"Sure." Although the werewolf's posture at the time wasn't one of confidence, it wasn't one of fear either. He rolled his shoulder lightly, trying to get rid of a mild tension. Evan tried his best to believe it came from having carried his luggage all the way from the train station, nothing more.

"My name is Shay. I'll be helping you today, but as part of the Students Welfare Department, I am available for consultation through the whole year."

"Good to know." The werewolf mumbled, eyes turned to the peculiar choice of lighting selected for this office. As Shay's faint aura pulsed, the chandeliers and lamps resonated to compensate any fluctuations in luminosity, although some species were less sensitive to environmental changes than others.

"May I have your full name?" Shay asked, shiny irises locked onto his screen.

"Evan Kendrick, sir."

Shay nodded. "Age, please."

"Twenty-five."

"May I see your papers?"

"Just a minute." Mindful as to not huff in annoyance, the wolf turned to his sporty bag. It wasn't Shay's fault that his documents had been buried by three tortilla bags that his mother had added to his bag in the last minute, after all. The sound of plastic crinkling as he fumbled in search of his ID brought a faint flush to Evan's cheeks. At least there was an end to the scene, and the wolf was thankful that it didn't peak its mess potential, which in his head involved dropping or tearing a tortilla bag over the Academy's fancy rug.

"Thank you." The elemental being made no further comment and simply retrieved the offered documentation to proceed with his job. Before turning away from Evan fully, he fetched a form from a drawer behind him and handed it over. "Please fill this form for me."

Medical history, dietary needs, pronouns of choice... Evan's following thoughts become words before he'd be able to refrain from questioning the Academy's methods. "Didn't I send these before?"

Shay nodded. "You did. We allow students an opportunity to fill these forms on their own as means to guarantee that a student's family won't interfere with their personal matters."

Evan reflected upon this information for a moment. "Do you still have my original answers?"

"We do."

The werewolf returned the sheet to Shay. "Then keep them. My family knows everything about me. I don't wanna waste your time or papers."