Professor Zane Fuip of the Tribe of Cork.
Eseir Inn, Leuda.
People usually described me as a wardrobe of a man and with 1.94 meters in height and the width of a wardrobe, I wasn't exactly suited to be shy. As a Professor for Archaeology and Head of the Exchange Programs, I couldn't be.
Teaching required a bit of volume in the chest, as to take in air so that even the smallest sod of a student in the last row of the lecture hall could understand me.
This Summer Trimester, we had a lot of foreign students and that deliberately: The Strategic and Economic Alliance was all about cooperation and peace and such stuff and what better way to ensure, that future generations would have a solid grasp about their nation's partners, then having them go on an exchange?
That, and people might learn a thing or two from each other.
For this batch, I knew of eight students from the PPC, Lillorainen, Shamsiyya and Mervay, which were supposed to come and spent the Trimester, the next three months, with us, learning, teaching, generally having fun, making friends and hopefully take with them knowledge.
And souvenirs.
One could never have too many souvenirs.
They would all be housed in a small inn near the Campus of the University of Leuda, the Eseir Inn, together with three students and an Assistant to the Faculty, who all four were their Elaísi, Helpers or Guides. There shouldn't be too much of a language barrier: Kids around here learned English starting in Elementary School, with admittedly varying degrees of success and skill by the end of their schooling, and if everything else fails, there's always trying to communicate via hands and feet.
The Eseir Inn was a good house, with a taproom, a good kitchen, a second and a third floor with more then enough rooms, an attic above that and a stable. The staff was nice, although quite small: The Eiseir Inn had hit some rough times as of late, with many of their main customers, tourists, staying home due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
There hasn't been much of a Pandemic around our parts, but it never hurt to be careful, which was why at every port and airport the arrivals were tested immediately. Those negative were let go.
In any case, the UoL had decided to rent the entire Inn for this exchange program and with only eight students coming (at least which I knew of, who knew, if there might not be a very late arrival or two), the remaining staff was not too stressed out. There would be breakfast, there would be dinner, there would be materials to fix oneself a breaktime snack before university started, there were two maids, who did the beds and cleaned. Each room had a small bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet, the room itself consisting of a bed, a desk with a chair and a wardrobe, all made of sturdy, good wood (except for the mattresses, those were actually imported). It was not a plush hotel in Hochheyde, but it did its job and it did it splendidly.
Including this here place: When one entered, one was right in front of the reception desk with a portal leading left, into the tap room, where I had asked all of the Elaísi and exchange students to assemble for dinner.
On the other side of the tap room, opposite to the portal, were the stairs leading up into the second floor, the bar underneath that.
As we were only thirteen people, plus maybe a late arrival or two, so we were all at the same table, the smell of a freshly cooking Stobhach, Selkie-Stew, was wafting over from the kitchen. It would take a few more minutes, until that was ready, but there were already a few crackers on the table as appetizers and a can of hot, fresh tea, Peppermint Tea, if I was not completely mistaken.
I looked at my wristwatch and then cleared my throat, hopefully getting everyone's attention.
"Alright, everyone, good evening.", I began in English, using the typical melodic cadence we Selkie had in our accent, making it sound a bit as if I was singing my words to the students. Dropped vowels and rolling Rs did enhance that effect. "Welcome to the Free Lands and Leuda. You should already know me, if not by my deeds, then at least by my letters, which you received." I smiled. I had been in letter-contact with the students in case of questions or clarifications required from them for specific points in their forms, and they might know my name from there. "I am Professor Zane Fuip of the Tribe of Cork and I head the UoL's Exchange Programs. It's a pleasure to meet you all - and I know, that some of you want to take my courses this semester, so you'll see me a bit."
I let a beat pass.
"Four other faces you should remember...", I began and motioned to a blonde young man with grey-blue eyes, he said opposite to me, which was why he was first. "This young chap here is Berkant Breis of the Tribe of Cork, Assistant to the Faculty and one of the Elaísi - your guides through this Trimester, if you need them."
I motioned to the next person, a blonde woman mid-twenties, blue eyes, her hair pinned up. "Ida Ardscoil of the Tribe of Wicklow." Ida waved and said a merry good evening. "She actually belongs to the Seminary, but volunteered to help. Besides that, to my understanding, you are doing many courses at our faculty this year anyway?"
Ida nodded. "Indeed.", she said in a soft, light voice.
I spotted the next woman, a woman, who might as well have been the chromatic opposite in all but gender. Black hair, brown eyes, a pair of wolf-ears standing on her head, it was none other then... "Elin Blaidd, of Tralee Descent."
"Pleasure to meet you.", she said, her voice a bit deeper then Ida's.
"And finally..." I looked around, did not find, who I was looking for immediately. "Ida?" A hand waved from all the way down at the table, another black-haired young woman, blue eyes shining. She was quite shy. Her having volunteered was a bit of a surprise back in the day. I smiled. "There ya are, lass! People, Ida Leabimád of the Tribe of Cork, Ida, people."
"Pleasure to meet you all.", her voice was mousy and small, far removed from the other Ida's calm and soft lightness or Elin's self-assured mezzo-soprano, the young woman almost retreating behind her long bangs a moment later.
"Alright, everyone...", I said, "...now it's your turn. Please, introduce yourselves!"
