She was finally on her way. Going to the academy and learning even more about her favorite subject. She didn't really quite understand why she'd become so obsessed with potions in her years at Hogwarts. When she thought about it, Ariel honestly saw nothing funny or interesting about putting ingredients in a cauldron and calling it a potion. But she loved it. Dearly. And she was now hoping she'd continue doing so. The academy offered so many new possibilities. She knew she might be a bit older than some, but she didn't mind. She wasn't weirded out by being wait-listed. She'd made it into this year, in other words; she was equally as smart as the rest of them. If they had anything to say, sucked for them. She'd snap back at them.

Ariel reached the academy in the middle of the day and, even though she had eaten only an hour ago, she was already really hungry. So maybe she should check out her room and get her pan frying and make some yummy food? Yes. She liked that idea! She had been at the academy before, and she was really excited about it. The whole place had a feel of perfection. And she was going to live up to all the expectations. It was going to be great!

As she got to the female dorms, she quickly found the one she belonged to, along with three others. She walked inside, a bit nervous; she hadn't seen the dorms yet. She blinked when she was inside. It was small, but cozy, and definitely perfect for four people. She was a bit anxious about her space, but the place outside was big enough, and if it got really bad, she could disapparate home for the weekends and other times, just to get away. She'd be fine.

Walking up to the rooms, she stopped. There were only two doors...? A sinking feeling hit her and hoped she'd simply missed the two other doors. But when the door swung open, Ariel bit her lip. Two beds. Shit. She was not only having roommates. She was having a roommate. Singular! In her room! With one closet between both of them! Actually, the closet thing wasn't so bad. Ariel wasn't big on clothes. So she had only brought a few jeans, some sweatpants, workout clothes, couple of big comfy jumpers. She didn't bring much with her anyways. If she'd need anything, she was -once again- only an apparation away from her home closet. She could've probably done fine with only a third of the closet.

She sat down on one of the beds, the one on the left side of the window. They had their own bedstands, though, which was nice. She could put her books there, no problem. She wondered if she might ought to unpack, but she was still hungry. Looking for the pan then? She briefly wondered about the kitchen. Was it run on electricity or magic? She didn't know for sure, but it would soon be discovered, so she didn't worry about that. What she did worry about, though, was the fact that she couldn't find her pan. Had she really managed to forget it? She grabbed her clothes and threw them on the bed, just as the door behind her creaked open. She barely registered that they ought to do something about the creak, before she completely forgot about that and turned to meet her future-to-be roommate.

Rhian moved slowly through the halls of the rather abandoned castle. There were a few individuals here and there, since full service wasn't in swing yet. She guessed that most students, especially those returning, weren't planning on coming here til closer to classes. She didn't mind though, as it allowed her time to roam around, unimpeded by crowds and distractions. There would be enough of that once the lessons began.

She'd just left Tess's flat, down in the village. After dropping her trunk and things off at her room yesterday afternoon, Rhian had immediately went to see how her friend was settling in. Not surprising, the flat had been impeccably decorated and spotless by the time she'd arrived. No doubt by countless help from her family's staff. Still, Rhian would be lying if she hated the place. That fact made it just a bit harder to turn Tess's offer down for her to move in as well.

Sighing to herself, Rhian thought back on it again, her decision to board at the Academy. What she'd told Tess wasn't all wrong, the idea that she wanted the university experience. But really, there were other things. She wasn't rich, nor did she come from money. Hell, she'd only been able to come here on a scholarship. With these facts came her reluctance to rely on someone else, even if Tess was her best friend. Her years in the home had taught her that she could really only rely on herself. And trusting the other girl with her friendship had been a big enough step. She wasn't sure if she was ready for another one.

The dorms were easily navigated, now that she'd found her rooms the day before. She'd see a couple girls on her floor, but none that were sharing her common room, or even her bedroom. The idea of sharing wasn't odd, with the years at Hogwarts. It was just going to be a bit odd, doing the whole 'getting to know you' all over again. But, she figured, it wasn't going to kill her. She may even know them from school.

As she walked into the common room, she heard sounds from her room. The door was slightly open, and she could hear the clear rustling of objects. Pushing open the door all the way, she couldn't help but smile at the slightly disheveled state of the left side of the room. Clothes were strewn across the bed, and the girl looked as if she'd been looking for something.

"Hey," she said lightly, sticking her hands into her jean pockets as she leaned against the door frame. "Forget something?"

"Rhian," she replied, shaking the proffered hand. At the mention of a frying pan, Rhian couldn't help but smile freely. She had a soft spot for food. Nothing specific, really. She just found that people who loved food tended to be her kind of people. They knew how to appreciate things in a way that others took for granted. Being fresh out of Hogwarts, and the world where blood status still mattered, if only a little, she wondered if this was any sort of insight into the girl's life. Did purebloods cook for themselves? The one she knew didn't, that was for sure.

Taking a seat on what would now be her bed, at least for the foreseeable future, she crossed her legs and leaned against the wall that the side was pressed against. "I imagine we'll have what we need. I think I remember there being something about 'equal opportunity accommodations'. I think it's meant for different levels of comfort, maybe." At the idea of the dining hall, she couldn't say she was against it. Some of her favorite memories had been in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. And now that there were no houses, she could sit with whoever.

At the question, she quirked a half grin. "Yesterday, actually. My best mate is living off campus. I went to make sure she'd got settled in first. She's not really used to being on her own." That was an understatement. Even living by herself, Tess was never without assistance, when needed. The girl's parents pampered her in a way that made Rhian feel suffocated for her.

"I didn't really get time to check out the campus. I stayed over at her's last night and just got back. Though I was planning on doing a bit of exploring today. Maybe check out where classes are going to be." Taking a look at what Ariel had laid out around her side of the room, she couldn't get a clear picture of what she was interested in. "What's you major, if you don't mind me asking?"

Rhian chuckled softly. "Yeah, I know what you mean," and she did. She thought back on her last shift at the bar. A cute guy had come in rather late, after Manny the cook had left, and Kevin had let her take a crack at the kitchen herself. He could have not, but the big softy knew that her tips were her money. And more food sold meant more tips. "I actually work down at the pub in the village. They sometimes let me in the kitchen, though the owner doesn't quite know that."

The suggestion that Ariel would make more food than was needed just for herself was a bit of a surprise. She hadn't known what to expect, when choosing to live in the dorms. At Hogwarts, the students were just kind of pushed together, four or five to a room, with no choice in the matter. Still, they'd had something in common, hadn't they, having been sorted in the same house. Here, though, there was nothing like that. She could be dorming with a complete psycho and she wouldn't know. Rhian was hopeful, then, when the girl seemed to be willing to offer and olive branch in the way of food.

"Yeah. I only know Tess for sure, my friend, but I'm sure there'll be other people here that we both know. Hogwarts and the like." She actually wondered how many that would be. The school didn't seem to be strictly designed for Hogwarts alone, but she figured that if she'd been accepted, others of her year had as well. Merlin knew she could be seeing some of her fellow graduates pretty soon.

Nodding along to Ariel's comment, she couldn't agree more. It would be a terrible impression to give professors, being late to the first lesson. Though, she imagined getting around one castle made it easier to navigate others. Or at least she hoped that was the case.

She was surprised to hear her answer. Honestly, Rhian wouldn't have chosen that, though she wasn't quite sure what she would have guessed instead. Tess was doing Healing, which seemed the least dangerous, if her understanding was correct. Though she knew the other girl had greatly considered Potioneering, as well. "I'll be doing Dragon Training, though how that's actually going to go, I'm not sure." She was anxious to find out, but really didn't know what to expect.