Page 4 of Dryad, Try Again
“Thank you, Sethem.” Taking in the aroma of coffee beans, I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. Fortunately, the werebear claw is like a regular pastry, no actual bears included, so I dig in. Sugar and cinnamon burst on my tongue as I all but inhale the flaky pastry.
“Please, call me pharaoh.”
“Okay…pharaoh,” I say. He snickers, and I roll my eyes. “You’re messing with me.”
“Guilty.” He raises his hands and we share a laugh. “Call me Seth. I thought it would be cool to make friends since it’s your first day.” His smile drops. “Not because you’re human or anything. I think it’s totally cool that CU now accepts humans. And I don’t think you’re weird at all for not being a monster.”
He cringes, and I chortle. Seth seems chill, but as good-looking as he is, I don’t think I want to get with my manager. Besides, he’s right?I could use a friend on campus.
“It’s alright. This school is…a lot to take in.” I gaze around, and Seth follows my eyes.
“Yeah, I guess so.” He folds his hands in front of him, and I notice small, tenuous markings on his skin. Either he’s done horizontal henna lines all over his arms, or…
“So…you’re um, a mummy,” I mutter between bites of pastry.
“Yup.” He beams and looks around. “I actually came up with the idea of Mummy Mocha. I pitched the concept and the dean loved it. My homies in the OME gave us funding, and voila!” He snaps his fingers. “Now, we students have a chill place to get coffee during and after studying. And I have my own brand!”
“That’s awesome.”
“Yup. Despite my handsome human looks, this is my second form. Wanna see me shift?”
I gulp. The pastry is done, and now all I taste is nervousness.Be cool, Tan, you go to school with monsters now.
“If you…want.”
In a flash, off-white and gray fabric wraps snake forward from behind Seth. The stripes engulf him, and his skin and clothes are soon obscured. Seconds later, he’s completely wrapped up. His upper chest dons a rusted gold neckpiece with hieroglyphics. He’s a mummy, alright.
“Yeah, this is my true form.” His voice is hoarse under all the wraps. I don’t know which to focus on, his dark red eyes under his face patches, or the bony fingers between wraps on his hands. “And it makes for excellent branding for Mummy Mocha.”
“Ah.” I nod and look away, knowing it’s rude to stare. Or is it rude to avoid his gaze? I haven’t spent much time conversing with monsters with so much personality.
“You can relax, man.” With a whoosh, his wraps disappear, and he’s returned to his human form. Seth chuckles and leans back. “We shift pretty regularly, but it’s easier for most of us to talk like this. My jaw and teeth are intact.” He touches his mouthand wiggles his chin. “Plus with humans now on campus, it’ll be more comforting for everyone to meet them in this form.”
“That makes sense.” I nod and sip my coffee, trying not to show how nervous I am.
“Am I the first monster you’ve met?” He smirks at me, and my pulse rises.
“Are mummies mind-readers?”
We share a chuckle. “No, dude. If I could, I’d know which of the boys I hook up with are cool, and which are clingers.” I laugh in relief; the campus is gay-friendly, got it. “You just seem more on edge than the usual freshman, and I read in your employee file that you’re human.”
I shrug. “Well, I did two years at community college, so I’m no fresh-faced teen. As for the monsters...” I bite my lip and tap the table. “This is technically the longest conversation I’ve ever had with one.”
“I’m honored, Tanner.” Our attention turns to two students, both with giant wings, approaching the counter. We get up, and Seth promptly takes their orders while I pull out cups behind him. He tells me their orders and watches as I assemble ingredients. Content with my work, he continues to gossip as I heat up the water.
“So listen, later tonight we’re having our first big bonfire by the riverbank. You should come.”
“Really?” I pour the drinks out and hand them to our patrons. When I turn back to Seth, he’s leaning back with his arms crossed. “I don’t…like, have money. Hence the job.”
“No worries, it’s my treat! We’ll have plenty of Boowery Beer, or Ghosta Cola if you prefer sobriety. It’ll be good for you to meet other monsters. That way you can look us in the eye when we shift.”
We share a smile. Making friends would be a nice change of pace. Hooking up with my boss sounds too messy, but Sethsounds like he could be my buddy. “I guess, since I’m not working, and classes haven’t started yet...”
“There you go!” He taps my shoulder. “You can meet my suitemates. They’re cool, and we’d love to show you the ropes. One of them was here earlier when you came in.”
“The guy you gave that bag to?”The dude with the nice ass?
“Yeah, he had a gift card, so he cashed in for a dozen werebear claws.” Two more students approach the counter, and Seth diverts his attention to them.
