[i][h2][color=fff200]Corrie Strickman[/color][/h2][/i]
In a corner of The Warren, a lone bird stared at a small television on the wall. The speckled hen wore about the sort of [url=https://di2ponv0v5otw.cloudfront.net/posts/2020/06/23/5ef2bc5e7457ad78d8d358ad/m_5ef2bc7cbcdb2f7c712fc457.jpeg]homey gingham sweater[/url] a hen could be expected to wear, though it might look a bit strange paired with those large mirrored aviator sunglasses. A hefty grey backpack sat by her side in the booth, halfway unzipped.

[color=fff200]"Wh- are you [i]daft,[/i] ref?!"[/color] the hen blurted, nearly spitting a gulp of sweet tea all over the table. [color=fff200]"Any creature with adequate ocular function could detect such a personal foul!"[/color]

The avian suddenly stiffened and shirked back into her seat, registering the volume of her outburst. She nervously ran a wing over her red crest. Which was REAL, of course, she was a SPECKLED HEN. [i]Certainly[/i] not an owl, what would an owl be doing in a place like this? A proper owl would have no reason to care about featherweight basketball, no reason to even [b]know[/b] that basic cable tv packages rarely broadcast featherweight sports but this one particular sports bar played them. Of course she was a hen, the bird thought to herself, slightly relaxing as she sipped her tea. Nobody had any reason to susp-

[color=696969]"Corrie. Do you have a minute?"[/color]

The avian tensed, short tufts poking out from her head in alarm. For a second, she kept her shaded eyes glued on the television, pretending she was too engrossed in the game to hear the stallion. Then she let out a strained sigh... Richard wouldn't fall for a trick like that. Besides, there were other people within sight, and it would look [i]terribly[/i] improper for her to ignore the guy in a wheelchair. Corrie turned to the horse by her booth, unable to fully mask the desperate flush on her face.

[color=fff200]"If you must,"[/color] the owl replied in a hush. [color=fff200]"But do maintain a subdued volume, I wish not to be noticed in this locale."[/color]

Richard tilted his head, looking the "speckled hen" up and down. He opened his mouth, hesitated for a second, and then decided to just let it go for now.

[color=696969]"I wouldn't need to talk here if you responded to my emails,"[/color] the horse commented in his smooth, subtly calming voice. [color=696969]"We missed you at the tournament this weekend."[/color]

[color=fff200][i]Meaning, you missed the bonus points for having a woman on the team,[/i][/color] Corrie thought to herself with a hint of bitterness. That's not the thought that came out of her beak, of course.

[color=fff200]"I do apologize for that omission. I required further study to excel during the denouement of this preliminary semester."[/color]

The stallion paused and studied Corrie's face for a long second. He brushed his long black mane out of his eyes.

[color=696969]"I would never ask you to sacrifice your academics, Corrie. That's the main reason someone goes to college, if they're wise about it. Chess, like any extracurricular, is meant to be an outlet for stress relief and creativity, for supplementing classroom education with..."[/color]

Richard trailed off as he noticed the owl's nervous wing-drumming increase in frequency with each passing second. He chuckled lightly.

[color=696969]"Alright, alright, I'll skip the inspirational speech. [i]This[/i] time. Point is, you need to attend one more event if you want to avoid probation and possible removal from chess team next semester."[/color]

The dark horse pulled a slightly crumpled sheet of paper out of his bag. Corrie recognized the logo at the top, for it was displayed on posters throughout the university at this time. She skimmed through the sign-up sheet for a "Living Chess Match" event at the Winter Carnival.

[color=696969]"This is our last event this semester,"[/color] the chess team captain explained, handing Corrie a pen. [color=696969]"If you really want this, you need to prove that you can put in the time and effort for it."[/color]

Corrie fumbled with the pen as her thoughts raced a mile a minute. [i]She hadn't planned to... what if... her grades were... but quitters...[/i] The avian jotted her name down before she could change her mind.

[color=696969]"I hope your tests go well this week,"[/color] Richard commented with a casual smile, taking back the sign-up sheet. [color=696969]"Is there anything I can do to help?"[/color]

[color=fff200]"N-no! I can handle myself quite fine!"[/color] Corrie asserted... about thirty percent more forcefully than intended.

Richard's face turned dead serious as his big brown eyes stared right at Corrie's face. Studying, analyzing... thinking three steps ahead no doubt. His eyes seemed to gaze right through to hers, utterly unhindered by the sunglasses - Corrie could not shake that feeling despite its high improbability. The owl stared him down for a few seconds, but she was forced to gulp and avert her gaze.

[color=696969]"...Very well,"[/color] the black stallion responded. He turned his chair around and began to wheel away.

[color=696969]"By the way,"[/color] Richard added over his shoulder, [color=696969]"We're having some trouble recruiting enough volunteers for a full chessboard. If you can bring two friends along, I'll count it as an attendance point for next semester."[/color]

Corrie watched him go, slightly dazed by the encounter. Find two classmates willing to spend part of their carnival with chess team? When she, like, barely knew two classmates to begin with? That was a tall order.

Corrie turned back to the tv with a sigh, but she couldn't concentrate on the game now. She [i]knew[/i] coming here right before finals was a bad idea...