It’s amazing how one’s life can change so quickly. One day life is good. The next day, everything comes crashing down on you. – Bonbalon Highstorm

 “Time to get ready.” Bonbalon, a skinny, short elf with red eyes and hair, climbs out of bed, throws his usual green robe on, and leaves his dormitory. He looks across the street and sees the preparations for someone’s bachelor party are well under way. “Hmmph, bachelor parties,” Bonbalon says, “A man’s last hurrah before its game over. Poor sap.”

 After a half mile trek, he arrives at the gates to the local college. Bonbalon, who has been going to this school for the last 5 years, knows it all too well. As he makes his way to the auditorium, he makes a note of how many new faces he sees. He arrives at the massive auditorium and takes a seat in the back row.

 After a half hour the auditorium is packed with students, new and old alike. Syd, the dormitory manager walks onto the stage and reads a simple message to the new students, “I would just like to say thank for you coming today. After the orientation speech, new students are to report to my office to be assigned to a dormitory. If you happen to know someone living here and would like to room with them, be sure to mention it to me. Otherwise, you will be assigned to stay in a random room. Once assigned, you may not switch rooms until after the semester ends.”

 With that, Syd walks off, and the principal, Hamilton Rushwater, takes the stage to do his usual orientation speech, “The Rhodian College has been around longer than this city has. It was established some 900 years ago along with thousands of other colleges by the Greater Guilds Association to train locals in various necessary skills for modern living. The Greater Guilds Association still funds all of the colleges to this day, which is why your tuition is little more than book and equipment fees and dormitory rental. We teach skills that are often needed for everyday life, such as sewing and armed combat, as well as skills for more professional occupations, like Apothecary work… ” Bonbalon’s mind drifted as he had heard it so many times before.

 A few hours later, the assembly is let out, Bonbalon sighs, “that speech was boring the first time I’ve heard it. 5 years later, it’s only gotten worse.” Bonbalon hears, “Look out!” and looks to his left to see a water balloon literally inches from his face. Before he can do anything, the balloon bursts and soaks him. Bonbalon, visibly irritated, looks at the person who threw the balloon, who is on the ground, laughing hysterically.

 With a look of sheer annoyance, Bonbalon raises his hands above his head. A large globe of water coalesces from the moisture in the air. He throws the globe and drenches the prankster from head to toe. Suddenly everyone is laughing at the prankster, who gets off of the ground and charges Bonbalon. Bonbalon side steps the prankster’s heavy handed punch and with a slight shift of his feet, trips his adversary, sending him to the ground. Bonbalon just shakes his head in disapproval as he walks away.

 As Bonbalon is walking home, he encounters an all too familiar person. “I got you this time, Bon-bon!” A lanky human man with green hair and yellow eyes says as he holds a card between his index and middle fingers. Bonbalon just rolls his eyes, “Hawthorne, you say that every time we go through this, and every time ends the same. You challenge me to a magical duel, you try to use some rather pathetic spell cards on me, and I end up blowing you away. And stop calling me Bon-bon. I hate that nickname.”

 Hawthorne laughs, “This time is going to be different! I have studied hard since our last battle and I learned where I went wrong!” Bonbalon shakes his head, “No, Hawthorne, it’s not going to be different. I already told you, Card Mages are not real mages. You buy enchanted cards and try to beat me with them. Just give up before I hurt you again.” Hawthorne takes a rather sarcastic tone, “Oh, I guess the mighty Bonbalon can’t stand up to a real fight.” Bonbalon shakes his head, “If you insist, I can spend a minute or two to give you your weekly beating.”

 Hawthorne pulls another card from his coat and throws both, unleashing a pair of fireballs. Bonbalon counters by drawing moisture from the air and putting up a water barrier. Once the fire balls extinguish themselves against the barrier, Bonbalon launches the water at Hawthorne then channels a ball of compressed wind. Hawthorns side steps the barrier just to be hit by a powerful blast of wind. Hawthorne is blown into a tree and flops to the ground. Bonbalon just shakes his head, “Pest.”

 After getting home Bonbalon changes into an identical green robe. “Having to sit through orientation, again, having to deal with moron pranksters, putting up with Hawthorne, what else could go wrong today?” Just then, there’s a knock on the door. Bonbalon gives a dejected sigh as he opens the door.

 Behind the door is a totally unexpected sight. It’s a tall human female in a very colorful yet modest dress that looks like it was made for dancing. Bonbalon blurts out, “The Bachelor party you were hired for is across the street.”

 The girl smiles and replies, “Oh, no, I wasn’t hired for a party. I’m your new roommate.” Bonbalon becomes flustered, “Oh, umm, let me see your paper.” After reading the dormitory assignment letter, Bonbalon protests, “Obviously, Syd made an error on this paper. This is room 220B. He must have wanted to put you in 220A, next door, as that’s a female dorm room.”

 As he looks over the paper one more time, the phone rings. Bonbalon picks it up, “Hello, this is Bonbalon.” “Mr. Highstorm? This is Syd, has your roommate arrived yet?” “You have got to be kidding me, Syd. I thought you said you would make my room the last to have any roommates, and if I remember correctly, there are several empty rooms available.” “Yes, well, I thought a roommate would be good for you. Look, just give it a try and if at the end of the semester you still don’t like having a roommate, I can move her to a different room.” “I suppose I have no choice, do I? “ “Not really. Ok, then, have a nice day.”

 With that, Bonbalon hangs up the phone and turns to the girl, “I’m Bonbalon Highstorm.” The girl gives a huge, bright grin, “I’m Estella Fyre.” Bonbalon nods, “Ok let’s get a few ground rules down. Rule number one, stay out of my bedroom. Number two, don’t mess with my belongings. Number three, do as you wish, but don’t make too much noise. Number four, no inviting strangers into this dorm. Number five, leave me alone. I don’t want to be bothered with trivial matters.”

 Estella stops smiling, “Wow, you’re a glum one.” Bonbalon nods, “Yes I am. Now, your room is directly to your right, the other door in your room leads to a short hall to a shared bathroom. Feel free to use the kitchen too, just clean up after yourself.” Estella’s eyes wander towards the television in the living room, or more specifically, to the game console attached to it, “Oh wow! You have a video game!” Bonbalon simply replies, “Rule number two. Don’t mess with my belongings.”

 Estella frowns, “Are you really that selfish?” Bonbalon ponders for a moment, “Fine, you can play with it. The remote control to the TV is in the drawer on the table next to the sofa. Look, It’s not that I’m a hateful person, but I’ve lived by myself for the last several years, and to be quite frank, I’d rather keep it that way. However, since you’re here for this semester, and this semester only, I have little choice but to welcome you. But know this. I’m not your friend, I don’t care about the drama in your life, I don’t care about your past, I don’t care what others think of me, and I’d rather not be bothered.”

 With that Bonbalon casually walks into his room and slowly shuts the door. Estella takes a moment to digest Bonbalon’s words and quietly says to herself, “Poor guy. He must have had a rough life. It’s like he’s a scared little child. He says such mean things, but I bet he’s a great guy once I get to know him. Maybe he’s just like that because he’s scared to have friends?” Estella grins with a look of determination in her eyes, “I’ll just have to make him see the error of his ways.”

 Meanwhile, Bonbalon is sitting on his bed, staring at a wall, “6 months. That’s all I have to do is make it for 6 months, and she’s gone. It’s going to be a long 6 months, isn’t it?” As he’s thinking to himself, he hears a simple melody coming out of the living room. “What have I done to deserve this punishment?” the melody continues, “That melody. Is she… is she playing music in the living room?”

 Bonbalon walks into the living room to see Estella sitting on the sofa playing her Ocarina. Estella stops playing and smiles, “I thought a soothing melody might bring you out!” Bonbalon gives a stone faced stare, “Rule number three. Don’t make too much noise.” Estella’s head tilts slightly to the right, “Are you a jerk to everyone?” Bonbalon shakes his head, “Not everyone. Just those I don’t like.”

 Estella is taken aback by Bonbalon’s words. She has no idea how to approach the remark. Especially since the remark was made so casually and pointed directly at her. The words cut at her heart like a knife. “What have I ever done to you?” She asks, in a slightly quivering voice. Bonbalon looks away, “It’s just circumstance, nothing more. I have nothing against you personally, yet. However-”

 Estella picks up her ocarina and resumes playing her melody. Bonbalon stops talking and just gives a look of disbelief that she would suddenly begin playing music in the middle of a conversation. A moment passes and she stops and speaks in a very optimistic and cheerful tone, “I don’t think that you don’t like me, we’ve only just met. But I bet when we get to know each other better, we’re going to be great friends!” Estella gets up and gives Bonbalon a firm hug and lifts him off the ground.

 Bonbalon is simply stunned. He realizes his harsh words did very little to her, aside from a momentary pause. And now she’s hugging him and he has no idea how to respond. He thinks to himself, “Seriously? I’ll just not respond to this so she doesn’t try to kiss me.”

 Estella places Bonbalon back on the ground and puts her ocarina back in its pouch, “How about we just start over? I’m Estella Fyre.” Bonbalon gives a mild sigh, “I’m Bonbalon Highstorm.” Estella looks over at the television, “So, want to play a game?”
Bonbalon shakes his head, “No, actually, I’m going to meet up with a friend.” Estella eyes light up, “So you do have a friend! I want to meet your friend!” Bonbalon covers his eyes with the palm on his hand, “I get the feeling you’re not going to take no for an answer.” Estella smiles and stands up. Bonbalon walks back to his room and comes out a moment later with a rather full looking satchel on his back, “Ok, let’s go.”

 As they leave the house Bonbalon looks over and sees a female dwarf with long auburn hair approaching. She waves to Bonbalon, “Bon!” He waves back, “Kriselda, I was just coming to see you!” Estella looks at the odd looking pair and asks, “This is your friend?” Kriselda asks, “Bonbalon, who is this lass?” Bonbalon introduces them, “Kriselda, This Estella Fyre, my, umm, roommate. Estella, this is Kriselda Sharpneedle, a local Seamstress.

 Estella looks puzzled, “A dwarf seamstress? In all my travels I’ve never seen one.” Kriselda grins, “Bonbalon, you have a roommate? That’s rich!” She turns to Estella, “I’ve never seen such a colorful and beautiful dress. And such a modest design too! Most dresses like that are outright skimpy! How did you come across it?” Estella does a slow spin, showing it off to Kriselda, “This? My mother made it for me last year when we were traveling to Pretza to do a show.” Kriselda raises an eyebrow inquisitively, “What kind of show?” Estella grins, “What else would a traveling gypsy caravan do? We play music, dance, sell crafts, and entertain crowds to bring them joy and cheer!”

 Bonbalon’s eyebrows lower in disbelief as he thinks to himself, “Not only is the one invading my home noisy, she doesn’t seem too bright, dresses in outlandish clothing, and is stubborn, she’s also a gypsy performer, which is only going to bring trouble.” Kriselda slaps Bonbalon on the back, “You know Bonny boy, I like your new roommate, she is going to be so much fun to have around.” Bonbalon, at this point is more irritated than ever says in a rather sarcastic tone, “Sure, lots of fun.”

 Later, the trio arrives at the local orphanage, which houses 12 children. A young human female with red hair, wearing a simple brown dress comes out to greet them, “Bon, Kris! Good to see you! Who’s your new friend?” Kriselda grins, “Head Matron Jen, This is Estella, Bon’s new roommate!”

 Suddenly, the children rush out of the orphanage and proceed to jump in the arms of Bonbalon and Kriselda, “Bon! Kris! We missed you!” “Your new friend is pretty!” “Alright children, give our guests some room!” Jen says in a loud, authoritative voice. The children back off and stand in line. Bonbalon opens his satchel, “Ok, I got a few things for the children today, let me see here.” Bonbalon produces various small dolls, stuffed animals, several books, and a new radio. Estella sees how many things Bonbalon pulls from his bag and is astounded, “How can that bag hold so much?!”

 Bonbalon distributes the goods to the children, “it’s a specially made enchanted bag. Anything I put in the bag is magically compressed into a fraction of its normal size and weight. This bag can hold up to 20 times its normal capacity. It’s great when you pick up various things on sale to give to the orphanage.”

 Estella looks even more astounded, it was less than an hour ago that this dour, mean spirited elf was making a great effort to make her feel unwelcome and now he is quite literally showering orphaned children with gifts. Bonbalon holds up the radio, ‘Ok kids, you broke the last radio, let’s take better care of this one, ok?”

 Bonbalon walks into the orphanage to set the new radio up and the children eagerly follow. Kriselda turns to Estella, “So, how is Bon treating you?” Estella nervously twirls her long hair with a finger, “That depends.” Kriselda takes on a deadpan face, “He’s being a jerk about it, isn’t he?” Estella nods, “you could say that. He seems like a totally different person when he’s around children.” Kriselda shakes her head, “It’s his way of coping.” Estella looks at Kriselda with a quizzical look, “Coping with what? Is he sick?” Kriselda realizes what she just said, “No, he’s healthy. All I know if he has something hanging over him and he feels that doting on orphaned children is the only way he can deal with it. Just, promise me you won’t ask him about it. He has enough trouble without being asked questions he’d rather not answer.”

 Estella looks at Bonbalon adjusting the radio through the window, “So that’s it? Is that why he wants to be alone? Did something happen to him as a child?” Kriselda sighs, “Ok, I see you’re not going to let it go. He didn’t have much of a childhood. His father put him through rather harsh training. This is his way of having a childhood.” Estella continues to watch Bonbalon setting up the radio, “I see. Poor guy.” Bonbalon walks out of the orphanage with the radio in hand, “It’s defective. I’ll have to take it back and exchange it.”

 Estella grins and produces her pouch, “I think I can entertain the children for a bit.” She pulls the ocarina from her pouch and begins to play a melody, but different than the one before. The children are immediately captivated by the soft and soothing melody being played. Bonbalon places the radio back in his satchel, but then stops, as he realizes that the music is somehow familiar to him. After a moment he just shakes his head and he hoists the satchel onto his back. “I’m going to go return this radio.” He says as he walks away.

 At the radio shop, the dealer is digging inside of the radio, “I see the problem. This wire’s loose. Easy enough to fix.” The dealer walks towards the back with the radio. Meanwhile, back at the orphanage, Estella is dancing as all the children are playing music for her. Kriselda is clapping her hands along to the beat and enjoying Estella’s talents.

 After a while Bonbalon returns with the repaired radio. “Ok I’m back!” he announces as he takes the radio inside. As he’s setting up the radio, he looks outside and watches Estella’s dancing for a moment, “Am I really going to have to put up with her for half a year?” “Oh come on, she’s not that bad, Bon.” Jen says as she steps in from a side room, “She seems like a sweet girl, fun too. You’re just too dour about having a roommate.” Bonbalon sets up the antenna, “If I wanted a roommate, I would have requested one. I prefer to be alone, so I can study in peace. When I first came to the college, I was boarded with another, and his constant noise making made it very hard to focus. After that semester I moved into a dorm of my own and I find it much easier to study.”

 Jen begins sweeping the floor, “I think she’d be good to have around. Maybe she can teach you how to relax and have a little fun.” Bonbalon steps away from the radio and picks up the dust pan, “This is my relaxation time, when I’m here helping the children.” Jen shakes her head, “Even then, all you do is work. Kriselda is the one who plays with the children most of the time.” Bonbalon scoops the trash into the dust pan and puts it in the trash can, “We express ourselves in different ways. Some sing and dance, some just do minor chores for other people.”

 Jen laughs a bit, “Silly Bon, We’ve known each other for long enough that I can see through your façade. You are seriously too uptight. If you don’t learn to relax, you’re going to give yourself an early grave.” Bonbalon mutters under this breath to himself, “That doesn’t sound all that bad really.”

 After cleaning the orphanage with Jen, Bonbalon walks outside to see Kriselda alone with the children, “Where did Estella go?” Kriselda looks up, “Oh Estella? She left. Said there was something she needed to attend to.” Bonbalon nods, “I need to get going myself. I need to make sure I have all the supplies I need for tomorrow. Wouldn’t want to show up for the first day of the semester and not be ready.”

 After arriving at home Bonbalon notices that Estella isn’t home. He walks to his room and begins taking inventory of his supplies. “Vials, Basic Potioncraft Volume 1, Pencils, notebooks…” Suddenly, he hears the front door swing open. He walks into the living room to see Estella with a big grin on her face and a heavy looking satchel in her hands. Bonbalon sits on the sofa, “So, went to get your supplies?” Estella nods, “yep, got em all right here, Vials, Basic Potioncraft Volume 1, pencils, and notebooks. The supplies vendor said I can buy the rest of the books I need in the classes I’ll be attending.” Bonbalon’s eyebrow twitches, “What hour is your potioncraft class?” Estella checks her schedule, “Second.” Bonbalon’s eye twitches a little harder, “What teacher?” Estella checks her schedule again, “Merlin Mack.” Bonbalon feels a new sense of dread coming over him. He quietly thinks to himself, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

 That evening, Bonbalon is sitting in his beanbag chair while watching Ancient History: Firearms and Estella is reading from a book. Estella looks up at Bonbalon, “Bon, how old are you? 100? 200?” He looks at her with an extremely surprised and confused look on his face, “How could you possibly think I’m 200 years old?” Estella holds up her copy of Prisons and Lizards 7th Edition, “Well this book says Elves live for up to 1000 years, maybe longer.” Bonbalon just stares at Estella with a blank look on his face. His mind is unable to process her logic.

 Estella giggles, “I’m just kidding. Don’t be so uptight. I found this book a few years ago. It seems to be very old, but protected from aging by some sort of enchantment.” Bonbalon turns his attention back to the television, “I’m 17 if you were wondering.” “So am I.” Estella replies as she turns the page.

 The show comes to an end and Bonbalon gets up, “I’m going for a walk.” he says as he gets up. “Can I come too?” Estella asks as she puts the book down. Bonbalon shakes his head, “No, not right now. I need to check on a private matter.” Estella goes back to reading her book, “Oh, ok. Oh! What do you want for dinner? I was thinking about cooking something. I can make you some too if you want.”

 Bonbalon gives Estella a quizzical look, trying to determine what a gypsy even eats. He then decides to take a chance, “Surprise me. There’s a supermarket two blocks down if you take a left when you leave, then make another left at the crossroads.” He says as he walks out the door.

 Bonbalon makes his way to the city park. He closes his eyes and listens to the wind rustling in the leaves of the trees, then makes his way to a park bench and sits. He hears a voice, “It’s been a while.”

 Bonbalon does not bother to look around, “Perhaps, what do you want?” The voice answers in a slightly condescending tone, “Oh come now, brother. Is that any way to treat family? Speaking of that," the voice continues in a semi mocking tone, "father has asked you to come home. He misses you.”

 Bonbalon shakes his head, “You know the answer to that one. I quite like my new life.” The voice speaks still in a mocking tone, “yeah I bet. It’s such a nice life, you living all by your lonesome up until today. Helping take care of some orphaned children and even making time to practice your magical studies. I must say, that new roommate of yours is quite cute.”

 Bonbalon sighs, “If you like her that much, you can take her home with you.” The voice replies, “Now, now, Bonbalon, We both know if she disappeared you would be in a lot of trouble, given how you basically told several people already that you wish she hadn’t moved in. Also, she’s not my type. She’s all colorful and I’m, well, a shadow.”

 Bonbalon looks around then asks, “I’ve been wondering. How come you’ve never attempted to abduct or force me to come home?” the voice replies, “I haven’t been told to. Also, I have no interest in seeing you come home. I’d rather you didn’t. I have a special task for you, in fact. Here, take this.” A small unassuming brown pouch lands in Bonbalon’s lap.

 Bonbalon carefully opens it to reveal a small red gem that glows ever so faintly. He looks over the gem and asks, “What is this?” the voice replies, “It’s a plot device.” He looks over the gem again carefully, and is shocked, “This is…“ The voice interrupts, “Yes, beautiful isn’t it? I need you to keep that gem safe. Protect it and never let it leave your person. Don’t even leave it in your bedroom. Oh yeah, also do not let your roommate see that, ever. If someone tries to take that gem from you, do not hesitate to kill them if you have to. We’re the only two in the world who currently know where it is. Let’s keep it that way. Not even father would expect you to be in possession of it.”

 Bonbalon puts the pouch around his neck and tucks the pouch inside of his robe, “What are you scheming?” The voice replies, “Nothing, dear brother. Let’s just say a particularly clever mage back at home was getting a little too close to figuring out how to extract the contents of that gem. It would have been bad,” his voice changes to a rather sinister tone, “very bad.” Bonbalon just nods, “Alright, fine. But you owe me an explanation later.” The voice responds, “No explanation needed. I just need you to keep that safe for a little while until I can figure out a good permanent hiding place for it. I’m leaving now.”

 With that Bonbalon finds himself alone in the park. He watches the moonlight on the pond for a while, then gets up and returns home.

 When Bonbalon arrives home he finds that Estella has finished cooking. With a big grin on her face, Estella pulls out a chair from the dining table, “Take a seat, I’ll bring your food to you!” Bonbalon sits down and is slightly surprised by the contents of his plate. Oven roasted barbecue chicken, mashed potatoes with a red gravy, roasted carrots, and pineapple slices on a saucer on the side. Estella sits down on the opposite side of the table with her plate.

 Bonbalon takes his knife and cuts the chicken with surgical precision while Estella just picks up a piece of her chicken and takes a big bite. Bonbalon thinks to himself, “No manners either.” As he takes a bite of the chicken, He realizes the meat is juicy and delicious, the sauce making it tangy and sweet with a bold flavor.” Estella swallows her bite and asks, “Any good?” Bonbalon swallows, “This chicken is delicious and moist. How did you do it?” Estella points to the can on the table, “Beer. I opened a can of beer and put the can inside of the chicken before I baked it. Then I baked the chicken while keeping it upright. The beer keeps the meat moist while it cooks.”

 Bonbalon raises an eyebrow at the idea. He has never heard of such a thing before. He turns back to his plate, “Interesting. I’ve used wine and beer in cooking before, but never thought to use the can itself.”

 After the meal, Bonbalon opts to wash the dishes since Estella cooked and Estella goes to take a bath. As Bonbalon finishes scrubbing the last pot, Estella comes out in her night clothes, a simple oversized men’s T-shirt and loose fitting shorts. Bonbalon pretends to not notice. Bonbalon takes his turn to get cleaned up. A while later He comes out of the bathroom in a blue robe. He walks into the living room and Estella chuckles, “Do you always have a robe on?” Bonbalon sits down on his beanbag, “I like my robes.”

 Estella turns her attention back to her Basic Potioncraft Volume One. After a minute, she mutters to herself, “full… fulm… fum… what’s this word?” She shows the book to Bonbalon. “Fulmination, it’s a type of potion that you throw. When the flask or vial strikes a hard surface, the shock makes the potion release its effect in a rather violent way. It’s most often used with a fire or ice effect.” Estella raises her eyebrows at the thought as she goes back to reading.

 A moment later she begins to mutter again, “Fill tree? puhilter? How do you pronounce this?” Bonbalon shakes his head, “Philtre, it’s a potion that causes a mental enchantment. The most commonly referred to type is a love potion. However, love potions are highly illegal and unethical. Most commonly made philtres are mental clarity potions to help people think and sleep potions which induce the obvious.” Estella closes the book, “Thanks, Bon. I think it’s time for bed though, I can study this tomorrow.” Bonbalon nods his head, “Yeah it is getting late.”

 In his room, Bonbalon stares at the ceiling and thinks to himself, “I wonder if I can maintain my sanity. I’m stuck with this human who is noisy, stubborn, doesn’t seem that intelligent, is going to distract me with questions all too often, and is probably going to attract pigheaded men like flies to old food.” He just shakes his head as he turns off the light.