There were four beds in the room, meaning four roommates. A quiet part of Willow actually appreciated the fact that all dorms were arranged by grade. It meant her roommates were Dregs too.
Seeing her bag on one of the beds, Willow ran to it and pulled out all her things until the bag was empty. She smiled brightly when she opened a hidden layer and pulled out a laptop from the secret compartment.
They weren't allowed to set up computers in the room, one of the many restrictions placed on Dregs. Overall, no outside gadgets were allowed.
But rules weren't going to stop her anyway.
She began arranging her bed, quietly pleased that it was by the window and tucked into a corner.
Right now, they were supposed to attend orientation as soon as they settled into their dorms. It wasn't compulsory to unpack immediately, and she knew the majority would attend the orientation first before coming to the dorms. But she needed organization right now.
She hid her laptop back in her bag and slipped it under her bed.
As she rose up, the dorm door slid open, and two girls stepped in, laughing softly between themselves. One had sleek black hair tipped with green, the other was a blonde with pale blue eyes.
"Oh! There's someone here already!" the blonde chirped, hurrying in and waving at Willow, who watched them both with guarded curiosity.
"Hi, fellow Dreg," the black-and-green-haired girl added with a smaller, shy wave.
Willow waved back. "Please don't call me that."
The blonde laughed, grabbing her bag from the bed and plopping down. "You'll have to get used to it. Nexus is brutal."
"Doesn't mean we have to let them suffocate us," Willow murmured, placing her tab on the bed.
The black-haired girl glanced at Willow over her shoulder like she'd grown two heads, then burst into laughter and snatched her own bag off her bed. "What do you plan to do? Wipe out all the Ascendants?"
Willow frowned at the mocking tone. "Is that the only way to prove that the slur is irritating?"
The girl laughed harder, flopping onto her bed. "Let me guess. You're a dreamer. You dream about manifesting abilities you'll never get. You dream about proving everyone wrong when you've got no strength. No power."
Willow narrowed her eyes but said nothing, even though she wanted to say, "Yeah, I'm a dreamer. A dreamer who has no choice but to be strong because if I'm not, I'm fucked."
"Korra, come on. We're all friends here," the blonde, Zira, pouted as she unpacked her bag.
"I'm just telling it like it is," Korra said with a smirk, proud of herself as she glanced at Willow, who scoffed and looked away.
After that, Zira proposed they all go to the orientation together, which they did, joining the other students in the massive hall.
Willow looked around, noting that it wasn't just the first year's present. The second and third years were also in the hall.
"What an opportunity," she muttered under her breath, already thinking of an excuse to get out of there.
"Whoa! I thought this was just going to be a first-year thing," Zira beamed, staring at the seniors like they were celebrities.
"The second-year and third-year enforcers are meant to do most of the work for the orientation, so I'm not surprised," Korra said, eyeing Willow, who was tapping her foot frantically. "Hey. You alright?"
Willow looked at her and forced a smile. "I need to use the bathroom."
"Oh! I think it's better if you go back to the dorm," Zira chirped, and Willow smiled at her.
"Thanks." She hurried out of the hall, made her way back to the dorm, and pulled out her laptop, placing it on her lap.
"Now..." she drawled as she hacked into the unlocking system, smirking in satisfaction when she succeeded. Her laptop's performance rivaled that of a top-tier supercomputer, making the process quick and effortless. Once she was done, she slipped it under her pillow.
Grabbing a face mask and pulling on a baseball cap, she rushed out of the dorm.
The Ascendant Wing was an entire building, tall, pristine, and exclusive. According to her research, every Ascendant had their own private room. That would make things easier.
As Willow approached the building, she was grateful that no students were around to see her. Her hack into the building's security system froze all camera feeds in a stagnant loop and weakened the defenses just enough for her to slip through unnoticed.
When she reached the main entrance, the doors slid open without resistance. A gust of cool, clean air greeted her as she stepped into a space that reeked of luxury. Inside the elevator, she exhaled slowly to calm herself.
The room she needed to infiltrate was on the first floor. As soon as the elevator doors slid open, Willow made her way straight to it.
The moment she stepped inside the room, she froze, struck by the luxury.
It felt like she'd just walked into a king's private quarters. And this was only the sitting room.
Gold accents gleamed from every surface. Lavish furniture sat on thick rugs. Worst of all, there were pictures of Ezrik Veyne everywhere, on the walls, on the shelves, even framed on the wine bar table.
Willow cringed. "On second thought, this looks more like a shrine."
She began searching drawers, checked beneath the couch, and rummaged every corner, her movements growing more frantic by the second.
Slowly, frustration began to creep in. "Where is it? Ugh! I have to find it!"
She stood up with a sharp breath, pulling off her cap and shoving a hand through her hair as she looked around.
"I tracked it, and he definitely brought it here. I'm a hundred percent sure it's here. So why can't I find it?"
"I should check the bed... Bloody hell!" She turned and nearly jumped out of her skin. Her heart slammed against her ribs as she locked eyes with the figure casually leaning against the wall like he'd been watching her the whole time.
She recognised him!
"Oh no," she gasped, stumbling back and clutching her chest. This was Navian Grimm, an Ascendant! How long had he been standing there?
His narrowed silver eyes pinned her in place, framed by strands of chin-length ink-black hair that fell over his forehead. He was striking, unfairly beautiful. Sharp jawline, high cheekbones, straight nose… His pale skin practically glowed under the light of the room.
And then he stepped forward, tall and commanding at 6'5", his lean, athletic frame pouring quiet power.
He tilted his head slightly, lips curling into something between amusement and curiosity.
"Hm," he murmured. "You're a pretty thief."