Chapter Text
She should finish drying herself off, but after the day she’s had, Karima lets herself flop onto the bed, hair leaving a wet spot she’ll have to cover with a towel later. It all started at sunrise with back-to-back meetings and only got more exhausting from there. She barely managed to spare enough time to eat.
There is one thing that would make her feel a little better. She fixes her robe and pulls out the handheld console from her nightstand. A familiar jingle plays as her favorite game starts up. She hums along but yawns halfway. She probably won’t be able to play for very long tonight, but as long as it helps her relax…
When the young business woman wakes up, she is standing in front of a massive mirror, however, it’s not her reflection looking back at her. A face, like a white mask, ponders her for a moment before its eyes glow red-orange.
A cheer erupts behind her. When she turns around, she’s met with a crowd of people that look around her age wearing dark robes with heavy embroidery. The room is divided into seven neat sections. One of them—presumably the ones cheering—wave at her, gesturing for her to come sit with them. She walks over and another student takes her place before the mirror.
She tries not to squeal. It’s Queen Grimhilde’s College for Mages! She’s played the game enough to know the opening scene by heart. Her smile must take up her entire face.
Karima heads into the crowd searching for one empty spot in particular. The other girl has her hood up, but she could recognize her anywhere. She could call her name, but she doesn’t want to scare her away. Instead, she takes a seat next to her and whispers, “hi.”
The girl turns to look at her, dark grey eyes catching the light as the mirror flashes bright green for another student. “Hey.”
“I’m Karima.” She looks at her expectantly.
“I’m…” Jamillah—she already knows. Jamillah Viper is the player character’s roommate and a minor antagonist most of the time, unless you unlock the true ending where she becomes the final boss! She’s top of the class, athletic, and very competitive, with a bit of a sadistic streak. Not to mention, totally gorgeous! And Karima gets to see her in the flesh!
“You’re really pretty.” Jamillah turns, hiding her face behind her hood, and Karima knows a soft blush is forming on her cheeks. So cute! She takes the other girl’s hand in hers. “Do you want to be friends?”
“We just met.”
“Yeah, but if we’re friends, then part of that is getting to know each other better!”
“Shh, keep your voice down. I’ll… think about it.”
Karima doesn’t think her smile can get any bigger.
When they arrive at the dorm, the welcome party begins. After most of the students have helped themselves to the food, a space clears out as someone turns up the music. Some older students start dancing, but most of the new arrivals stand awkwardly to the side. Good thing she knows how to break the ice. “C’mon Mimi!” She grabs Jamillah’s hand and pulls her into the clearing.
“Don’t call me-” She pauses when they reach the center. People are staring at them.
“Hey,” she cups a hand to Jamillah’s cheek, don’t look at them. Just dance with me.” She smiles.
Tentatively, she starts to dance and Karima follows her movements. There’s a dance competition later in the game, and while she knows Jamillah isn’t going to repeat the same routine here, she’s got a vibe for her style. It’s easy enough to keep up.
It doesn’t take long for other students to join them.
The two girls stand in the doorway of their assigned room.
“So, which side do you want?” She already knows what Jamillah is going to choose, but she loves how she looks when she’s thinking.
“I’ll take the left.”
“Okie.” Karima drags her suitcase over to the bed on the right. She’s tempted to dump out the contents and sort from there, but Jamillah is very particular about where things go and how things should be done. If she wants to get on her good side, she’ll have to be tidy, which may be a little problem: she’s always had servants help her tidy her room and bring her food and help her get dressed.
She takes a deep breath and removes the items from her suitcase one at a time. She can do this. She has to, so she can finally capture the heart of her dream girl.