Chapter Text
The sun was beginning to set, Thatmob had just finished tidying up and putting away his belongings. He was impressed by the size of the room. Initially, thinking his things wouldn’t fit in a rental unit, he had stored some of his purchases at his parents’ house—only to find a place with so much extra space that corners of the room remained empty. Although the area between the door and the bed was simply partitioned by a wall, it felt cozy and private. He wasn’t sure if the room was intended for a single occupant (like his cousin’s) given there was only one bed—but it was certainly spacious.
Lying on the bed, Thatmob realized it was past 2:00 PM, meaning morning classes likely already wrapped up (except, of course for classes that began at noon or those with a schedule of two or three sessions a day). He felt reluctant to go out—especially at the prospect of introducing himself to other tenants—but his stomach was growling for food. To make matters worse, he had just eaten instant noodles upon his arrival; he had only wanted a snack, yet somehow, he was hungry all over again.
Reluctantly, he got up, put his favorite jacket back on, and stood up. Just as he opened the door, he found someone about to knock on it. “Oh, hello neighbor—so sorry if I’m interrupting your afternoon…” “But I have something for you…” said the person standing before him—someone who looked like a voidling, if he wasn’t mistaken. The stranger picked up an item that had been resting on a small chair. “Here, just a little something to eat—you know, a welcome gift,” the voidling smiled cheerfully.
Seeing this, Mob felt a surge of happiness who would have thought he’d get free food from a neighbor right away? “Wow, thank you for the welcome and the food” “Oh, and first of all, let me introduce myself I’m Thatmob. That’s all.”
“Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself, too. I’m Twixxel—nice to meet you.” The reply came with a smile far brighter than his own desk lamp at night.
It was rare for him to be the first to introduce himself, but this time it didn’t matter after all, he was happy about the free food. “Alright then, you can get back to what you were doing.” “Oh, I almost forgot—if you have time tomorrow, feel free to come to the upstairs porch. We’re having what you could call a communal dinner. That is, if you want to—I’m not forcing you. Besides, we have this dinner almost every week, so you’ll have plenty of chances to join in.” Thatmob considered the invitation since the event was tomorrow, he would think it over… right now, he had books to prepare, as he was heading back to campus the very next day.
“Alright then, I’ll head back to—”
“Oh, wait—I forgot to ask for your phone number… I mean, is it okay if I get your number? That way, I can let you know if there’s any important information.” That actually made sense. So, Mob took out the QR code for his phone number and handed it to Twixxel.
“Great! Thanks a lot—and sorry again for taking up your time.” “Alright, see you next time.” Twixxel walked away, waving, and Mob waved back.
He noticed that Twixxel was actually staying in the room right next to his. After closing the door, he hurriedly opened the Tupperware, caught the scent of the chocolate cake inside, and happily ate it while sitting on his bed.
•••
Pov Twixxel
I’m working on my major's homework. Luckily, the assignment isn't too hard!! I just need to find the answers on page 278, so I can finish it right away!
*Ting*
My phone pings on the bed. I want to check who messaged me immediately, but hold on—let me just finish this assignment first...
*Ting*
A chat from Idaios...
he said he still can't come back.
Well, that's okay—at least I still have friends here now! Especially that new neighbor of mine from earlier! What was his name again? Oh right, Thatmob!! I hope we can become close friends, ehe~
By the way, I still have some chocolate cake in my fridge... Should I share it with some of the other residents here?
Alright, first I really need to focus and finish this homework of mine... I'll share the cake later.
Let's leave Twixxel with his homework and cake problems for a moment...
let's take look for some other victims...
Oh, here we go.
The bus this evening was unusually crowded, especially considering the distance between his faculty building and his boarding house. He was running late getting back to his room, and to make matters worse, he had to walk the last stretch since no public transport stopped right in front of the place. "Good grief, that bus was packed—I thought I was going to pass out. Maybe I should grab a drink before heading back..." Jamsteo muttered to himself as he walked toward the small shop.
Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Jamsteo! How are things today? Sorry if I startled you." Startled by the sudden tap, Jamsteo jumped slightly. "Oh, geez, you scared me, Froggy. Yeah, I'm doing fine—how about you?"
"I'm good, hehe. Sorry again." Froggy giggled meanwhile the other man just let out a short sigh.
"Right... Well, I'm glad to hear that. Just... don't sneak up on me like that next time, okay?" Froggy just smiled. "You're really late, you know. I've been out since noon."
"Well, same as usual—plus, the bus gets packed, especially since we're leaving around 8."
"Maybe you are— I'm leaving at 7. Have you forgotten already?"
"I almost forgot you even left at seven... even though we chatted briefly at dawn." He added, "That means Grox is back too, right?"
At the mention of that, Froggy suddenly snorted and didn't answer the question. Jamsteo just laughed at Froggy's sudden irritation. "Hahaha, sorry—sorry. Alright then, I'm just going to the shop for a bit. If you want to head straight back to the boarding house, then—"
"I'm coming."
"Huh—"
"If it involves snacks or treats—I'm in." Puffing out his cheeks, Froggy led the way to the shop, a sight that made Jamsteo laugh all over again.
A shopkeeper, busy arranging merchandise, spotted a customer approaching and hurriedly stepped behind the counter. "WELCOME, and good afternoon—AHA! You Little Frog, Hurry Up And Pay Your Debts! You Bought More Stuff Yesterday, So You'd Better Pay Up Now, Or You Won't Be Allowed To Buy Anything Else Here!" shopkeeper shouted, the beaver's shrill voice annoyed frog a bit. "Argh, fine—fine... here, I'll pay off what I owe from yesterday and this month... My paycheck just came in, after all..." Froggy said irritably, handing the money to Slippery.
Seeing this, the squirrel felt delighted and proud of himself—until...
"And get ready, because I'll definitely be running up a tab at your shop again later..." Froggy said without a shred of guilt. Slippery’s tone shifted instantly "YOU—JUST YOU WAIT, IF YOU DARE."
This sort of thing was perfectly normal : the frog and the beaver were always bickering about almost everything. Jamsteo just chuckled softly and left the two animals arguing at the counter as usual while he browsed the fridge for a drink.
Bonus :
Their interaction still kinda awkward i think hehe..