As he slowly woke up Devon started to process what had happened. He wondered if it was a dream and how he would come to terms with it if it was. But when he opened his eyes he realised it wasn't just a dream, or that maybe the dream wasn’t over. Either way he was glad.
Taking in his surroundings he noticed how empty the room was with just a bed bigger than even a king size, a desk with a chair that looked like it would be comfortable, and a dresser. Then he noticed a table next to him with a bell and note on it that read “Dear Devon, we welcome you to your new room. Please ring the bell to inform us you have woken up. Do note you will not hear a sound but I, the servant writing this, will be notified when you ring it. Should you need some time to gather your thoughts you don't need to ring it right away, but please don't leave the room until one of us arrives to greet you.”.
After taking a moment to himself he rang the bell and a few moments later another person knocked and entered the room. He was wearing a suit with a bow tie and gloves, and if it wasn't for his fox-like ears and cat-like tail he could easily pass as a human. “Hello sir Devon” he said with a formal and precise voice “I am Leonardo, a servant of the lady of this house and now your servant as well. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Hello” Devon said, unsure of how to proceed. Realising this, Leonardo continued “I suppose this is all new to you, so I shall go ahead and simply ask you this. Do you need anything? Whether food, drink, or otherwise I am here to aid you to the best of my abilities and have been told to provide you with anything we have access to should you request it.”. “Then can I have something for breakfast? I feel like I haven't eaten since yesterday's breakfast.” Devon responded. “Ahh about that. You have been asleep for quite awhile. Actually as it seems the trip here wasn’t the easiest thing for you and right now it is around supper time so it would make sense you would be more hungry than when you normally wake. Please, why don't you follow me to the dining room and I shall make you something. Then while you eat I shall answer any questions you may have.”.
After arriving at a table big enough to seat a whole family and taking a seat, Devon saw Leonardo step into the next room and he had a moment to process everything. He realised that whoever was now taking care of him must be some sort of upper class though that should have been apparent when he met the first servant. He also realised how big the house he'd be living in was as the dining room was as big as one would expect from a living room. But not only was it big it was fancy with various decorations and paintings like you would find in a high end restaurant made for the upper class. Even the tablecloth screamed expensive in both look and feel making Devon worry about getting it dirty.
Eventually Leonardo returned with a plate of food. “Here sir Devon I made you a simple meat and vegetable plate staying away from any big flavours as I was unsure what kinds of flavours you would like, so my apologies if it is a bit bland.”. The dish consisted of two parts, a magenta coloured meat that looked like ham and a vegetable that had two different sections, a green broccoli like top and a red stalk like bottom. Devon of course asked if it was safe for him to eat. “So long as you stay away from spicy sauces and seasonings you will be able to eat and gain nutrients from our food the same as your worlds. In Fact the only reason you can't eat spicy food is that some underworld beings can take spice too far for human consumption, though so long as you are careful with how spicy things are you may be allowed to eat spicy food.” Leonardo explained. Devon started eating and took in the taste. The meat was tender and had a lack of flavour like unseasoned meat of some kind although the exact flavour didn't match any meat he had ever had before. The vegetables had two different flavours with the green tops having a refreshing flavour that seemed more like it belonged to a fruit than a vegetable while the bottom red part had a juicy, tangy taste that while not unpleasant did surprise him with how different it was from the first part.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Eventually Devon finished his meal and decided to ask some questions that had been on his mind. “So who exactly is your lady and when can I meet her?”. “Currently,” Leonardo responded, “they are out with Emily, the maid you met when you made the deal. They are going around buying things they think you may need or want and have been doing so for some time now. Originally we were going to leave Emily here with you but she is more in touch with what someone your age would want and as such she went with our lady instead. As for the first part I believe that is best saved for when you two get to meet each other.”. “Are there any plans for what's in store for me?” Devon asked. “As of right now nothing is set in stone, however the lady wants to have a chat with you about some ideas she has for you but will not be putting them in place until you give your input on them.”. “Like what exactly?”. “Please be patient sir Devon my lady will go over everything once she arrives.”. Realising that answers would just continue being vague for now Devon decided it was best to just wait till the lady, whoever she was, to return.
After being given a tour of the house and taking a seat in the living room all he could do was wait. Eventually he and Leonardo heard someone come in the front door and arriving holding what looked to be too many bags was Emily accompanied by another woman. They had purple skin with brown hair and a tail that curled into a loop with a spearpoint on the end. They wore clothes that to Devon's untrained eyes looked like nothing special, but to an eye trained for fashion, would tell they were made from high end material and someone who could detect magic may find them shining brightly with magical energy. Leonardo was about to introduce them but was signalled to stop by this figure and immediately did so and she introduced herself instead. “Hello Devon,” she said voice sounding simply pleasant. “I am Lady Jasmond but please call me by my name only or if you prefer to call me something else you are more than welcome to.”. Devon was quiet trying to decide what an appropriate response would be until he eventually just gave a shy hello back. It was clear to all that he wasn't going to help guide the conversation right now, so Jasmond took the lead “as I'm sure you're aware from here on out my servants and I will be taking care of you and I promise we will do our best to do so.”. Unable or perhaps unwilling to say much Devon simply replied with ok and waited for someone else to break the silence. Eventually Leonardo did so. “Devon had asked a question earlier that I figured would be best for you to answer yourself. Specifically, he wants to know what kind of plans you have for him going forward and I figured you would prefer to discuss it with him instead of having me discuss it.”. “Alright,” Jasmond said “we can start there if you want”.
After Devon nodded his head she continued “So really I only have one idea of what we might do with or rather for you. I believe part of what you wanted was to make friends, correct?”. Once again Devon just nodded in response and she continued “well you won't make friends just staying in the house so my idea is to put you in public school. I won't force you to go but I do believe it would be best for you to at least try it. And ultimately if public school here is too much for you to handle then you are more than welcome to drop out at any given time.”. Devon finally gave a proper response “so is it just normal schooling or am I in for a special lesson plan or am I in for normal schooling but not what normal schooling would be considered by my world’s standards?”. Smiling, from finally hearing something more than just a one word response, Jasmond explained “it will be normal schooling, but the curriculum may not be what you are used to. Along with the normal school subjects, you will be learning to wield the magical abilities I gave you as part of our deal.”. Now Devon had known about receiving said powers as it was in the contract he signed and he at least skimmed it quickly however the exact nature of said powers were unknown to him at the time and he didn't bother to ask before signing for any details so he was curious about them. Before he could ask any questions on that topic however Jasmond, assuming he just was back to not talking, stated “for now let’s get you set up in your room and decide how to handle potential situations.”. and off they went to his room where they started to set up and arrange everything, and it took enough time and energy that Devon ended up just heading back to bed, thus ending his first, albeit not full, day in his new life.