William slid the last book on the small shelf next to his desk as some of the local classical music played from his computer. He had gotten a peek at the Freshman dorm rooms during orientation, and thank god he had a bit more space. Not a ton, but a bit more. He stood back and admired his handiwork. His favorite fantasy series, sorted by author then in appropriate reading order. He didn't expect to need the books, or even want to more than peruse one or two, they had just been a part of his life and he had wanted them close by, like a security blanket. Now, they were motivation. He tugged the knit beanie a little further down on his head.
He hadn't experience any changes yet that he could see, but he woke up this morning feeling a whole lot better than he did in a long time. He didn't know if it was a sign, or he just actually had something to look forward to now.
"Leonaldi? Good choice, though his fifth symphony is usually considered his best I have a soft spot for his Nocturn in B-flat minor." The voice was lightly accented, something that swallowed some of the consonants and stretched the vowels. French? Did they have France over here? His English was excellent though. William looked over to see one of the most gorgeous creatures he has seen in his life staring back at him. He carried a tray with two coffees, a backpack, and a cello case. "You must be William, I'm Guy." Sounding like 'ghee'. "Coffee?"
"Thank you." William said, trying not to sound a little shell shocked by his roommates appearance.
"Wanted to get you some when I stopped for it, but don't know what you like. Got a latte, those are usually safe." He broke into a smile that was warm despite those sharp teeth he had.
"Perfect, actually." William said as he sat on the side of his bed, watching Guy as he put his stuff down. He wore only a pair of shorts, and William couldn't blame him, he probably would have been sweltering in anything more. He was covered from head to toe in the fluffiest silver fur he had ever seen, with occasional black throughout, especially on those long tufts on top of his triangular ears. William wanted to touch one of those. It was just so.. tempting. He also had some wicked sideburns that seemed more a part of the way his fur grew than a style choice, but his head fur was black, and he grew it out just long enough that it flopped over his forehead, it felt like purposeful messiness. His build was harder to make out, the fur probably making him look stockier than he actually was, but those paws of his looked almost out of proportion.
It was those eyes though as he finished setting his stuff on the bed and looked back at William with another smirk. Yellow. Bright yellow to the point he'd expect them to almost glow in the dark, made more so by the natural black lines around his eyes. He laughed at William's stare. "Never seen a lynx before?"
William blushed and flicked his eyes away. "Sorry, still getting used to things on this side. Still shocks me once in a while."
"It's fine. I had trouble not staring at every human I saw last year." His eyes went a bit wide as he saw William's bookshelf. "Is the the Dreams of the First World trilogy?" He was off his bed and scampering over for a closer look like a bolt. "And the Dragonsky series?"
"Umm, yeah. I brought my favorites with me, heavy to lug up here but I needed them. I'm kind of really into fantasy." He wasn't sure Guy was listening, instead nodding when he made a motion to pick up one of the books and William nodded permission. He pulled one free and held it in one of his oversized paws gently. William had always thought you could tell a lot about a person by how they held a book, and he was holding these like treasures.
"Do you know how hard it is to find these on this side? I'd heard of them, and have always wanted to read them, I just can't find them." Guy was gently opening the book and scanning the first page.
"Really? I thought there was a Human Lit class offered in this school? I assumed a lot of our stuff made it over here." William was grinning at how excited the feline was getting. Was that purring? Oh be still my heart, he's a complete nerd. Why do even the nerds over here look amazing. Like this place was designed by a horny fan-fic writer.
"Your classics, yes. Shakeaspear and Bronto or whatever they are." Guy said with a dismissive wave, making William chuckle. "But your weird esoteric fantasy novels? Not so much. Not enough market." He snorted in disdain. "And apparently interdimensional royalties are a pain."
"Well, feel free to borrow them. I've read them all, just, put 'em back when you're done." Guy stared wide-eyed at the offer then took the book he was holding and walked it over to his nightstand, placing it down gently.
"I will take you up on that." He said, patting the book cover.
"So I take it you're a local then?" William said as he pulled his legs up under him, sipping at his latte. He really had to keep his hands tight on the cup to keep from reaching out to feel that fluffy fur.
"If you mean this world, yes. If you mean around here? No. Foreign exchange." He began unpacking his backpack, which apparently had his more important items in it. William watched him from behind. No, he wasn't small under all that fluff, he had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, he'd need to find a way to see him with the fur less fluffed. Maybe the showers?
William though finally pinpointed the accent and snapped his fingers. "French-Canadian! Wait... what do you guys call it on this side?"
"Um.. French-Canadian." Guy replied with a small laugh. "In some ways our worlds are bizarrely close. I'll take you to Quebec some day." He said with another of his winks. William sincerely hoped that wasn't a joke. "I need to get the rest of my boxes out of my car." He said, brushing his paws off on his shorts.
"I'll help." He said, starting to get off the bed, but Guy waved him back.
"No offense, but you look like you're just getting over something. Wouldn't want you collapsing on me. Not a great first impression." Oh, you couldn't spoil this first impression if you tried. But William nodded and settled back on his bed. "But let's get breakfast after. Not the cafeteria, I know this nice little place in town. We can talk books, and other things."
"I'd like that." William said with a grin as Guy headed back out. He felt a shiver pass down his spine as he thought of running his hands through that fur and felt something pop at the base of his back. He reached around and grabbed the newly grown tail, pulling it around to look at it best he could. It wasn't very long, ropey and brown furred with a bristly black brush at the end. "Well.. look at that."