They bypassed the secretary with a nod from Mrs. Thomas. Rainer had only been into the office once, but it hadn't changed- the same weathered oak desk with an older laptop and a few pictures on it, a diploma on the wall behind, and a thin bookshelf littered with books, stress relievers, and a fake ivy plant. And one chair; the room felt like a closet with four people crunched into it.
The principal, Mr. Ingram, had been typing, but stopped as they came in, taking off his glasses and putting them on a small dog stuffed animal that was sitting next to the laptop.
“What's up?” he asked mildly.
Mrs. Thomas had remained standing, and Rainer followed her example, leaning against the wall out of the way. Ainsley had taken the single chair, and scooted out of the way into the corner.
“We need to make arrangements for twinning.”
“These two here?” Mr. Ingram gestured vaguely to the other side of the room, mostly at Mrs. Thomas since Rainer and Ainsley were on opposite sides of the room. “I think there are rooms on the end of the wing open.” He typed for a few seconds, then nodded. “There's a few. I don't know how things have turned out this year, but we'll have to make them a priority since our numbers have risen and they can't stay in the pre-Selection wing...” A few more clicks, and he nodded decisively before looking up. “I've got you two assigned to room 320. I'll have to get a bed and other things out of storage, and it's going to be tight, but it's meant for those with familiars that need more space...”
“What about my fish?”
Mr. Ingram looked over and frowned. “Fish?”
“Yeah,” Rainer replied, standing up straighter. “I have nine different tanks of fish- what am I going to do with all of them?”
The principal pursed his lips together, looking as though he were in deep thought. “We allowed that many tanks of fish in the room?”
--
Yes, Mr. Ingram, you did.
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