The Exalted had changed most of all… during Dana’s brief time being able to change reality he not only rebuilt the hotel, but he had made a number of upgrades that he and Wilben had talked about. It had risen from the ashes it had been reduced to as a whole new entity. Brand new walls, windows, and materials had revitalized the old place, modernizing and updating it into what it only had hoped to be before.
The L-shaped building was now an entire square with an inner courtyard that sported a pool, replete with chairs arranged around it for everyone’s enjoyment. A waterway system connected the pool to some of the rooms for any aquatic guests who might have special needs. All the rooms were made larger, with several of the second-floor rooms hosting balconies for easy-coming and going of the more aerial persuasion.
Wilben’s workshop behind the office had been expanded, with supply storage beneath for tools and the like. Dana’s room at the corner closest to the wall of the campus had been replaced with a large common area, keeping the huge window looking out over the street. Even a public kitchen with cooking utensils he hoped to one day get an actual cook to work in to help feed the guests. Dana’s room was still large, but nowhere near the size the loft had been, having it take up two rooms, a bedroom, and an office.
A few days after the attack, once many of the wounded had recovered, the students gathered to celebrate the reopening of the hotel… while Wilben had not returned yet Dana had sent out a message to him and hoped he would come back soon. He had too many memories and history with this place to abandon it now right before it really managed to hit its stride once again.
“I am definitely moving in here this time,” Jett said, reclining on a chair near the huge paned window. “The dorm is nicer now but this is approaching luxury housing.”
“I’m going to stick around too,” Laverne said, the mismatched part of her body was looking better than ever these days but no one knew what was to become of her yet. There was some talk that she should be expelled for her part in President Revi’s death but some others believed her aid in the fighting should gain her some leniency.
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“I think you might find a lot of people wanting to relocate off campus after this year.” D’Arcy leaned against a wall nearby. “Not to mention the chance to be closer to the hero teacher.”
“Oh certainly,” Daeva purred from across the table from Jeett. “Everyone is all enamored with our little human teacher now, gotten everyone’s panties in quite a twist with everything that happened.”
“I think you girls need to calm yourself down before you give the wildman here a coronary,” Meira called from the kitchen where she was frying some burgers for them all. “I’m not about to let you mess around now that I found someone who can keep up with me.”
“Think what you want elf lady… he’ll figure out what is good for him… and I have plenty of time to wait.”
The sky outside the hotel burst into bright white light, shining in through the windows with an intensity that blinded most of the people who had gathered there that afternoon.
“Oh, now what is gonna happen?” Cherri looked outside as the light lowered from the sky directly down to the gateway down the road. Guards ran in panic to the arches as a blaring sound went off waning of the unexpected arrival. Swords were drawn as they rushed in expecting another attack so soon after surviving the first one. Dana and the girls ran downstairs and out into the street, some already drawing weapons of their own joining the others surrounding the arrival gate.
The light came to rest on the entry glyph, spinning in a dizzying array of light and cacophonous sound before fading to leave the form of a girl, down on her knees in the center as she raised her head, eyes filled with desperation as she took in all the armed people surrounding her. Knotted dark hair cascading down her back with pale porcelain white skin covered in seemingly dozens of scars and dressed in an outfit that could be generously called rags. She looked worn out and beaten as if she had been dragged through hell quite literally before arriving here.
“Help… please…”
Her voice came out as a soft whisper, hoarse and dry, barely heard over the guards. As the students got closer, Jett jumped into the air to get a better look but as soon as she did, her scythe fell away from numb fingers, clattering to the ground below.
“It… it can’t be… wait! Don’t hurt her!” She leaped from the building, shouldering her way through the crowd as she made her way to the girl. “How can it be you after all this time?”
Daeva caught up to her friend, freezing when she saw her, crouching protectively over the newcomer. “Jett? Is that who I think is it?”
“Yeah D… it’s my sister Beatrice.”