Zeke shifted uneasily, throwing his hood over his head as he tried to get to the center of the group.  While he disliked being surrounded by these ones he hardly knew, even less so did he enjoy being exposed to a mob of people all scrambling for a glimpse of him and the portal in front of him.  He didn't particularly appreciate crowds, and this one was no exception.  It was to be expected, of course, but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable.

He tried to think of something else.  Anything else.  He'd arrived at least a week before the portal was set to open so that he'd have ample time to study his colleagues, and study them he did.  He wrote extensive notes about each of them as they arrived, keeping track of their habits and apparent qualities.  Zeke pinched the bridge of his nose.  There was nothing noteworthy of any of them, save for a few.  Treekle.  Rhen.  Gorlag.  Those were their names, he thought.

He needed to pay special attention to those three.  Especially Gorlag.  They would either make great allies or terrible enemies.  At last, the mages shouted, and the portal opened.  While he was skeptical of anything magical, now was not the time for Zeke to have doubts.  He pulled the straps to his bag, making sure it was secure, and strode into the new world.

He was instantly captivated by the sky, and knew he would have plenty to study.  Zeke was already starting a sketch, absorbed by his need to capture the view on a piece of paper, when he was interrupted by a commanding voice.  She called herself Esailia.  The side of his face twitched.  He did not look up.  Inevitably, someone [i]had[/i] to assume the leadership position.  Of course.

Putting his paper and pen back in his bag, Zeke listened to her orders.  He moved to the left.  Wait, shouldn't he be on the other side?  He walked over to Esailia's right.  No.  [i]Esailia's[/i] right.  He was on her left side now.  Zeke turned around, so he was facing the same direction she was, and determined that he was right the first time.  He was left the first time.  What?  [i]You're an idiot.[/i]  He blinked.  What had her orders been in the first place?  He moved back to his original position, going with his latest decision.  He wasn't good with left and right.

At least he had a 50% chance of choosing correctly, as opposed to 33%, since he knew he wasn't supposed to be in the center.  Probably.  Then he realized he'd missed something - a fourth group, separate from the other three.  This was most likely his proper designation, since he wasn't sure that his skill set counted as "production" to begin with.

Zeke repositioned himself in the fourth group, behind the food group.  It was his job to make star charts, yes, but it was more so his job to study the stars and chemistry of this new dimension.  For that reason, his role was primarily [i]not[/i] production.  He stared Esailia in the eye, who had certainly watched his uncertainty, as if challenging her to disagree.  "Zeke, astronomer," was all he said.