S.H.I.f.T

Choices

Dinner was in an hour. Nagisa had soaked in the bath long enough. He slipped into tight black shorts with red triangles on either hip and a white tee shirt with a leaf in rainbow colors on it. He left his hair alone to blow widely in the wind. He thought he should head over to check his mail.

The post office was in the student center. Nagisa loved coming here. The old tunnels from back when the school was only for vampires felt like home to him. How many times did Coldar and him hide from being separated down here? Or when Collin came with the Romanari's and Nagisa showed these to him. It was a great place to play hide and seek. He strolled up to the mailboxes. He had several letters inside. There were two cards indicating he had packages too large to fit in the small square. He went to the counter.

The old vampire who worked the counter blinked up at him. His red/ yellow eyes dancing in the fake light.

"Another Romanari?" He asked in a paper, thin sounding voice.

"Yes, sir." Nagisa answered.

"Are you more like Ozzie or Mori?" He asked. Nagisa cooked his hip as he rested his arms on the counter.

"If those are my only choices, I guess Ozzie." He answered.

"Yes, yes, I can see the trouble in your eyes." The man scooped up the slips of card stock the teen had placed on the counter. He walked off to get the packages. He brought them back, easily carrying them in one hand. They looked heavy. Nagisa thanked him. He picked them up in his arms.

He thought about staying in the tunnels until he reached his dorm. The idea appealed to him. It would help him to avoid his parents a bit longer. Yet, in the end, he was too curious. He walked up to the surface close by the post office. As he struggled to get the large packages through the door, his burden was lightened.

"Hey there!" Fenn smiled down at him.

"Hey." Nagisa grinned back.

"Need an extra hand?" the centaur offered. Nagisa huffed.

"Yeah, thanks." He muttered.

"So, I have combat training first thing in the morning, bore!" Fenn huffed. "Yet this guy was there today. A stately vampire..." He glanced sideways at the boy next to him.

"Yeah, you met my father?" Nagisa asked. Fenn beamed.

"Dude, has moves." He grinned.

"Dude, can be a dick." Nagisa muttered. Fenn's smile fell away.

"Yeah, I got that impression, too." He offered.

"Aw, he isn't all bad he just has this attitude that men should be men. He doesn't get why I like fashion. Or why I like men. Even though he has slept with males, too!!" Nagisa cried. Fenn chuckled.

"We all have our parental fights, I suppose." He looked away into the distance.

"True." They walked up to Nagisa's room in companionable silence. Fenn sat the heavy box on the bed.

"I'll see you tonight at the dinner?" He asked.

"Of course." They waved their good byes.

Nagisa sat on his bed to open the smaller box. Inside were three sets of fighting gear, another pair of sparing shoes, and a book. He smiled at it. It was the latest in a series he had been reading. Reginald may be a lot of things, but he prided himself on his children's education. He loved books. He passed that love down to almost every one of his kids. Nagisa set the book on his bedside table.

He opened the other box. Inside were bolts of cloth, many different colored threads, along with other things to sew onto garments. He had ordered this before he left home, not wanting to carry the extra stock with him on public transportation. He slid the box under his bed. Knowing the outfit he had on was wrong for the school dinner, he sat down on his bed to read a little before getting ready.