Alexander switched off the ignition of his vehicle. He had arrived at the Daelstadht Academy Dormitories. Collecting his suitcase from the passenger-side floor, Alexander stepped outside. Many dormitories and utility structures stood before him, the area never seemed this large when Alexander knew where he was headed, but today was a mystery. Had he been assigned a destination, he would have been more discerning about where he parked.

Standing alert, Alexander moved forward, his eyes carefully scanning his surroundings.  He felt warm, his body was starting to perspire under his beige overcoat. Autumn in Daelstadht is warmer than in his home country. The situation was rather uncomfortable for Alexander, particularly because there was little he could do to prepare for it. Sudden changes are in store for the academy, the recently constructed dorms that became visible in the distance are evidence of that.

“Hello Alexander Ozarovsky,” a bellowing voice declared.

Standing straight ahead of him is a middle-aged man wearing a modest charcoal-gray-colored attire. The man was holding a clipboard, yet his eyes were fixed upon Alexander, at least that is what he assumed, for the man's eyes resembled that of a sharks. Normally an oddity like this would be unsettling, and while the man's rugged physique could enable ferociousness, his demeanour was gentle. He lacked any hair, and was rigid like a statue.

Alexander responded, “Hello, can you tell me where my destination is?”

The man proceeded to instruct Alexander to visit the East Dormitory common room, and await further instructions. With a polite word of thanks, Alexander marched forward to his destination, only to hesitate for a moment when the man uttered an unusual question. “Mr. Ovarovsky, would you happen to know a Polish soup that is often made with rye flour?” Quickly, Alexander considered the possibilities, but arrived at only one answer.

“Borscht.” he responded.

The man scribbled onto his clipboard, and gazed back at Alexander with a content smile, beckoning him his leave. With a simple nod, Alexander advanced forward. His worries about the dormitories were temporarily settled, for they were replaced with doubts about his knowledge regarding the origins of borscht's many varieties. However, he would soon find another distraction. 

Reaching a crowd of fellow students, Alexander caught glimpses of various mythical creatures among his fellow man. The variety and contrast was staggering, yet there certainly was one aspect many of the mythical creatures shared with his fellow human high-schoolers. Proclamations of superiority and inferiority echoed from every direction, an attitude Alexander did not miss while away for summer. With a hurried pace, he stepped ahead of many fellow students. 

Once arriving inside his destination, Alexander stepped to the side of the entryway, and waited near the door, still grasping tightly to his suitcase. Every time a student would wander through the entrance, Alexander would do his best to offer a polite and formal welcome. He did so without a smile, which earned him some glances of confusion.