//------------------------------// // Doors // Story: The Curious Friendship of Llewellyn and Vellum Scratches. // by OliveBranch //------------------------------// Doors to new places always look more imposing than familiar ones. Especially when that new place is a boarding school for unicorns, Even more so when you're a shy young unicorn who was pushed ahead a year last minute. Vellum Scratches stood nervously outside of Capra dorm 211 of Celestia's school for gifted unicorns. A map cautiously floated in front of his face. His light brown eyes flicking between the page and the numerals above the door, checking, double checking, and checking again before he finally levitated his key from the soft woolen pack draped across his tan back. 'Here we go' Vellum thought as he stepped forward, plunging the key into the lock. His horn expertly giving his aura a twist around the key. Slowly the rose and tan colored unicorn colt nosed the heavy wooden door open and stepped cautiously inside. Across the room to the left a grey unicorn sat, propped up against the headboard of his bed, book in his lap. The Grey colt lifted his gaze from his book. Two coal black eyes locking with Vellum's nervously darting copper pupils “you're in my room?” the grey one said. His voice low and somewhat monotone despite the slight inflection at the end, marking it as a question. Vellum swayed on his legs, looking off to the right shyly. He wasn't sure how he'd be greeted by his new room mate, but this wasn't quite how he imagined it. “Uhm..well, heh, it's technically our room silly. I'm Vellum Scratches. I'm uhm...your new room mate” Vellum said, trying to raise his voice along with a hopeful smile. His mother was always berating him about mumbling. To his response the grey colt simply raised an eyebrow “Is it?” he said, his muzzle shifting downward again as he returned to his book. For a moment the two sat.. or rather, one sat and one stood, in an eerie silence before the grey colt spoke again “You must be impressive.” Vellum tilted his head some, his hooves shuffling under him as he slowly pressed onward into the room. His horn glittering to life with a soft rose colored glow as he tossed a levitation aura around his suitcase to tug it into the room “Uhm....I-impressive? Why er...why do you say that?” Short, grey, and monotone brought a hoof to his mouth, giving the tip a lick before bringing it down to turn the page of his book “I don't get room mates.” he said, slowly looking up again. His dark eyes seemingly scrutinizing every detail of Vellum's body, touring over his faded rose mane, all the way to his etched scroll cutie mark before those coal black eyes flicked back up to meet Vellums. As they bored into him, It made Vellum feel nervous and caused his tail to twitch, whipping the straight, reddish hair of his tail around his left hind leg in a spiral. “And” The other colt continued “It's a little late to be enrolling. The school must think highly of you to let you in now. Not to mention to stick you with me.” Vellum groaned inwardly. He had hoped to keep his early entry a secret, and here his room mate of one minute had almost already figured it out. Vellum didn't like being the center of attention. Well, certainly not the center of fellow, judgmental, students attention. He wasn't quite so shy about the adults “ah...er...I guess so” Vellum could kick himself. Way to go, this introduction was just swell so far. “Well Scratches, I'm Llewellyn.” The gray colt said, his hoof raising to point across the room at the bare bunk to the right of Vellum “If you're staying here, then there's your side. I apologize in advance if any of my stuff has wandered over there. Like I said, I wasn't expecting company” With that said Llewellyn turned another page in his book before giving a quick wiggle, sinking himself down into the soft mattress of his bed. Vellum trotted up to his new bare bed. His Suitcase moving to hover above it before plopping down on the bed with a fwoosh as soon as his aura left it “uhm...did you...opt out of room mates or something?” Vellum asked curiously, turning to look at Llewellyn. A gesture that a very bored looking Llewellyn did not return “Hmm...nope. Just never been assigned one in my past two years here. Probably have my Psychiatrist to thank for that” Llewellyn said, giving a soft chuckle. His hooves clapped together as he closed his book. Those dark eyes finally turning to acknowledge Vellum “They were worried I wouldn't respond well to a 'group' environment” Llewellyn said, drawing his hooves down in air quotes. 'Psychiatrist? Was his new room mate crazy?' Vellum thought to himself, his face paling slightly Llewellyn could see the concern etched into Vellum's face as clear as day, despite the dim lighting of the room. He cracked a smile and snorted softly “Haha, Chill out Scratches. You seem alright. It's the adults that get me grumpy. I'll be a right gentlecolt around you” It was the cheeriest Vellum had seen the grey unicorn look since he walked in but it didn't really make him feel any better. Vellum turned back to his bare bed and sighed as quietly as he could. Behind him he heard Llewellyn moving around on his bed, followed by the sound of sheets fluffing up “Dunno what you're doing moving in so late Roomie.” Llewellyn said, his imphasis on the word Roomie a bit heavy. “Classes start bright and early. You'd best get that bed made quick if you want those eyes bright, and that rosey tail bushy in the morning”. There was a tingle of magic and a click as the light in the room was extinguished, leaving a solemn looking Vellum in the dark with his suitcase and his thoughts.