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Delacore Lecture Hall
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Jo walked out of the Delta Zeta house and looked around, hmmm well which way was it to the Delacore Lecture Hall? That was where she was supposed to be meeting the tour guide, what was his name? She blanked, oh wow how embarrassing. Hopefully he would reintroduce himself, the e-mail had said what his name was but she couldn't remember. She turned left and walked towards the sidewalk, it was fairly quiet in the neighborhood of Sorority houses, she was surprised. Maybe there had been a party the night before that they hadn't known about? So everyone was sleeping it off? Jo didn't really care, honestly. She paid attention as a young girl walked towards her, she stopped her long enough to ask which way it was to the Hall, she got directions and then was on her way. A smile on her face as she got closer to the Delacore Lecture Hall, her eyes searched for one lonely boy that should be there waiting on her. She'd heard that this guy was kind of cute from some of her sorority sisters, she also had heard that he didn't date, anyone. Which was weird, but Jo figured that he must just be studying hard, and concentrated on his degree. That or he had a really bad experience previously in his life and had sworn off dating.
Rowan Howard walked through the doors to the Delacore Lecture Hall. He was walking at a faster pace than normal, seeing how he was only minutes away from meeting with a freshman to show her around campus. He still hadn't gotten used to the new job, showing people around instead of making coffee and small desserts. It payed a little bit extra, and extra money was the best thing he could have right now. Rowan pushed a hand through his mass of black hair, fingers getting caught within the tangles of the uncombed mess. Time had been cut short that morning since his daughter, Katherine, refused to put on a jacket for the minutes she got to go out into the brisk fall day during daycare. He didn't even try to fight that battle, and instead gave the jacket to the caretaker when they arrived at the building. He was still running a bit late, however, and hoped that the girl wouldn't mind. An explanation could be given if needed, but he would rather not go out and share everything with people on campus. Rowan glanced around the room, looking for a girl that should've been just as lost as he was. He saw her, across the room, her own head turning in search for him. The girl's blonde hair was damp and hung around her face in a sort of cusp, but she still probably looked more pulled together than he was. "Hey!" He called out, walking over to her in a slightly rushed manor. The faded scent of black coffee trailed behind him, a grungy smell that he couldn't seem to shake. The name of the girl before him had been told to him before, but he couldn't really remember. Jessica? Jasey? It started with a J, he knew that, but the exactly pronunciation wouldn't come to mind. "I'm Rowan," he said, extending his hand out a little so she could shake it. "Do you have any questions before we get started? Any concerns?"
Jo heard a male voice, she turned in a graceful manner, there was a boy walking quite fast her way. This must be the guide, she smiled politely, "Hello. Nice to meet you Rowan, my name is Josephine Hansen, Jo is what I go by regularly though. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this," She smiled wide, revealing dimples, she pushed some of her short hair out of her face, it was still a little wet. "Hmmm no concerns, but I was wondering if you were going to take me by the library? That's the one building I'm most attracted to honestly," A slight pink tinted her cheeks as she fell in step with the boy named Rowan. He was kind of rugged looking, but not in a bad way, no in a way that gave him character and made you want to learn more about him. Of course that wasn't what she was there to do, she was there to learn more about the campus that she would living on for the next four years. If not more, she was debating on getting her Masters. She honestly was very excited for this whole tour thing, and couldn't wait to be one of the students that knew where they were going instead of the girl that had to ask directions everywhere, like that morning. She did hope he didn't rush anything though, because she really like this kind of thing. In fact, Jo pulled a small, leatherbound notebook from her bag, as well as an expensive looking pen. She was planning on taking notes, drawing some if need be, she wanted to miss nothing, so she looked at Rowan with eager eyes and a happy demeanor.
Josephine. Yeah, that's what her name was. It was unique, something he didn't hear daily, but it was still normal enough to where he didn't caught up on it. Jo was what she liked to be called, and he kept a mental note of it. Rowan looked over at her when she started to speak about where she wanted to see. The least he could do was show her somewhere she want to go, since the rest of the tour would be a bad guide of boring classes. "Yeah, of course. This is your tour so if you want to know if we have anything, just ask." a smile formed across his lips. It was mandatory that they were positive and nice to the people they were showing around, but it wasn't a rule that had to be enforced on him. He held grudges, yes, but not against ones he just met. Rowan made his was outside of the lecture hall, pausing a moment to think about where to start first. The library was a little ways away, but they would get there eventually. "Most of the lecture halls are around here. You found your way to the Delacore Hall fairly easy, so I'll show you 'round the surrounding buildings." Rowan turned around, beginning to walk backwards so he could face Jo and the buildings as well. His hand raised up toward his chest, pointing to the Hall on his right - Jo's left. "Merit Hall. Next to it's Koy." he turned back around, steering them towards Jo's right to show her the last building. Hesitating to continue speaking, he waited for her to write down what she wished in her little notebook. "Swan is the one closest to us, and the one at the very end is by far the coolest thing on campus. Quint Lecture Hall. It's the oldest building we have here, and it's even thought to be haunted by some past professors." He raised his eyebrows, trying to add effect to the whole spooky thing, but it failed miserably, making him look like he totally didn't believe the story being told. "I haven't had a class in there before, since most of mine are in Swan and Koy, but I've been told that the walls shift and make incredibly weird noises during finals and tests. It's completely safe, though. Don't be scared of it collapsing if you have classes in there." Rowan ran his hand through his hair, trying to wipe the slight embarrassment from his face. Was he going to fast for a tour? Or was this a normal rate...? He felt like he was going a little to fast, so decided to take a moment for Jo to get caught up, maybe ask questions. He dropped his hand, walking slowly forward to try and move this along without shoving her forward. "Tell me if I'm talking too fast. I'm not used to dealing with people over five." A guilty glance was shown to Jo, knowing that the apology wasn't really necessary. Whenever he got around people his age, he lost all sense of conversational knowledge. Ask him about My Little Pony and he'd be able to speak for a good amount of time, something he could only thank his daughter for, but talking about how Spike's crush on Rarity was yucky didn't seem like the adult conversation.
The weather was perfect, not too cold and not too hot, just a nice cool breeze that helped Jo stay focused as Rowan started talking about the lecture halls and the campus. He seemed to really know his stuff, and when he started talking about the haunted hall she jotted down every word that came from his mouth. Wow, she really hoped that her schedule had that place on it, this would be an interesting place to attend for sure. She looked up when he pointed out that she shouldnt' be afraid of the place collapsing, well that hadn't been a fear until he said it. She chewed on her lip as she thought about that, huh, maybe it wouldn't be best to have a class there. She jotted a few notes down and then came to a stand still as he seemed to be worried about going to fast or something, and he was talking about five year olds? Jo was quite confused by this point and wasn't sure what she should say. "Books," She spit out, "I mean," She laughed nervously, "I don't usually deal with anyone outside of my books. So I kind of understand where you're coming from there," She tried to not seem too darkish as she turned away from him while tucking her hair behind her ear, it would fall out again, but hey it was worth trying to get it to stay there. Short hair had its drawbacks sometimes. Jo turned back towards Rowan and followed after him at a little quicker pace, he seemed to be wanting to move on from this part, well they'd seen all of the buildings in this corner so she understood why.
Rowan didn't know if he was making much sense, and by the look on Jo's face, he must have been confusing her. Explaining the words coming out of his mouth might have just made the situation worse, so he stayed clear of doing that. She responded to his words, saying how she didn't deal with many people other than fictional characters. Personally, he had never been much of a literature guy, but he could see where she was going from. "Are you an English major?" Rowan asked, taking a guess from how she apparently loved books. There were a lot of things you could do with an English major, and he was somewhat envious that he didn't chose a core subject to teach as instead of an elective. He blinked, clearing his mind as he continued to walk down the road to where the fields and sport-oriented buildings were placed. "If we walked in the opposite way, we'd find ourselves with the Sororities and Fraternities, but-" he looked down at her shirt with the Delta Zeta logo on it, and then met her eyes. "I'm guessing you already knew that."
Jo's hand stood at the ready to write down whatever Rowan might be willing to tell her next, but then he threw her by guessing her major. She blinked and almost stopped, she got a hold of herself though and continued after him, "Yes, yes I am an English major. Though that may change. I am not 100 percent sure about the English major, I may go with Journalism instead... it all depends on how I feel after my third year here." Hoping that she hadn't said too much, Jo looked around at the sports area, it was vast, and seemed well built. "Yes," she agreed with him, blushing, he had been reading her shirt. "I'm a legacy, so not much of a choice there," She admitted, not that she minded, she was very much looking forward to the sisterhood that went with being a part of a sorority. "What about you? Are you part of a fraternity? What might your major be Rowan?" She returned his questions, wanting to know a little more about the mysterious tour boy. He had asked questions, so it was okay for her to ask as well, correct? She hoped so, her mother might have said she was being improper. But Jo didn't see her anywhere, lurking about and making judgment on the young girl.
Rowan's eyes widened slightly when she said that she might change her major, but it depended on how she felt after her third year attending. "Third year?" he asked, confused just a bit. Most students figured out what they wanted to do by the end of the first year, second at the most, but third? It seemed a little extreme. Even if she acceded the time needed to get an English degree, there was something that told him her family could afford to pay for more years. "I hope you figure it out before then. You'd be able to get out of here quicker, get a real job." he smiled, raising a brow when Jo started to ask him questions she once asked him. A laugh almost escaped his throat, but he bit it down, not wanting to seem like he was making fun of her. "The frat life isn't really something I fit into," Rowan replied, thinking it was a decent response without digging too far into his personal life. "But I'm an art major. I wanna be a teacher if I get the chance." he tried to think of what he would do with his life if he didn't get the job he wished for. Probably go back to waiting tables, but that wasn't anything enjoyable. Ever since his own kid was born, he realized that he had a knack for the little maniacs. He could always be a substitute, but that didn't mean he'd be able to get as much work time as possible. He still needed to provide for himself, for his family, and a job was necessary if you wanted to be able to do that. Rowan shook his head, trying to get off of his own life and back onto the tour. "I don't know if you're into sports, but the pool and gym are indoors, that huge metal building. All the other fields should be labeled at the entry gate, but the baseball field is the one with a lot of dirt, the track is made of rubber, and the soccer field is made of grass." It was a blunt description, but did he really have to explain something that everyone should already know? He wasn't even a sports fan and knew the difference between the fields. Why did he ever switch jobs from the cafe to this? He was terrible at guiding others around a place he already knew so well, and Rowan knew that. His mind was constantly on something else, but he tried. He tried to get through the job he held, and that was all that counted, right?
Jo wondered why Rowan hoped she would figure it out before her third year, curious. "Well third year isn't so bad, and I just want to be firmly planted in this major before I decide," She shrugged, "My parents don't seem to mind, and I like school. So whenever I get out, well that's fine with me, whether it be 4 years or 10," Jo wasn't exactly a normal college girl, and she even enjoyed studying. Okay so no frat life for him, he was an art major, and he wanted to teach. She could respect that, especially the teaching part, she kind of wanted to teach as well. She was going to ask more questions but he redirected her attention to the tour and she got the hint, she nodded and then followed along beside him as they moved on, "I will not be performing any sports that I know of, but you never know," She smiled, "I could be reporting on some games though." Jo cleared her throat, "Do you enjoy this job Rowan? I mean you're doing a great job and all, but you don't look particularly thrilled with it.." That was pretty forward, but Jo wanted to know if she was making him have a miserable morning, if so then she would offer to go get coffee instead, and would figure out the rest of the campus on her own or something. No one would have to know, and he would still get paid that way.
Four, ten years? That was a very large gap, something that he wouldn't be able to deal with. His own life was filled with surprises, but he liked structure, he liked knowing what came next. Eight years of college, that was how long he was going to be there - six years after this one was done. Jo was different than him, her family life was, and he could tell. Maybe there were some things she had wrong, but it all seemed fairly good from where he stood. Rowan lifted his head to look forward, his eyes squinting as his gaze fell across the setting. He stopped walking for a moment, but then continued, not wanting to make it seem like Jo's question had affected him. What happened to positivity? Maybe it was just a down day, since it got off to a somewhat bad start, but he didn't like to think of it as that. Rowan shook his head, though, knowing he couldn't avoid the question. "I'm not a big fan of it, but that's mostly because I'm more comfortable around people I've known for a while instead of people that I just met. What can I do, though? It pays me what I need and I can't really object that." he turned his head to look at her, feeling like they had bonded in some sort of way over the past few minutes. It had been a while since he even talked to someone like this, even if it was a tour. It was like high school all over again, him not knowing what to do unless it the conversation was art or girls. "The best part of the campus is coming up." Rowan nodded out in front of him. The library, cafe, bookstore... it was all coming up. This was their little city, a place he spent most of his free time whenever he had the chance. Katherine often begged to go and sit at the library, wanting to sit down on the floor with fifteen picture books around her. She couldn't exactly read yet, but it was the thought that counted. "We don't have to go into the stores if you don't want. There're a lot of 'em, but my time is yours for however long you need me."
So he didn't like his job, well that was good to know, because she didn't think that it was fair that he would have to finish the tour if he didn't like it. Then he was talking about the best part of the campus was coming up, and she couldn't say no to that. Because his face lit up some, maybe there would be a place to sit down a few minutes, then he could relax some, even though he seemed far more comfortable than before, since revealing that he didn't particularly like his job. "Oh," She said and smiled, he was all hers, well. Jo walked with him into view of what he was talking about, several shops, and what looked like a rather large library, came into view. She took in a breath of surprise, she hadn't expected so much, "Is that coffee I smell?" She asked him, seeing as how he was the expert. "Oh is there a store where I can get an NMU sweatshirt? I mean," She blushed, "I know that sounds so dorky, but I have plenty of Delta Zeta clothing, and I'd like something that represents the school itself..." She fidgeted with the notebook in her hands, hoping that she hadn't just made herself completely off limits to him. Sure she had him for the tour, but she would like to be friends with him even after, if he was up for that. She would need some friends outside of the sorority and fraternities. It would be nice knowing she had a friend with a level head, and wasn't someone that would only be friends with her for the parties her house threw.
Rowan didn't have any classes scheduled for that day, seeing how most of his courses were crowded near the end of the week. Which meant he actually had a lot of time on his hands. When he was done with the tour, he could go and pick up Katherine, have a little "Daddy-Daughter" day for the first time in a while. He was taken aback by the excitement in Jo's voice when the smell of coffee began to drift down the street. "Yeah, there's a little cafe. It's mostly ran by students, but you'll get what you pay for." Rowan tried to think if there was a place that sold college paraphernalia, and he knew there must have been at least one. He raised a brow when she said that her request must have been dorky, but he held off from responding with I've said more dorky things when I'm not talking to my kid. "No, no it's fine. There's probably a shop around here that sells things like shirts and jackets. You could also talk to someone in the administration office, but if I were you I would just wait until a program comes up. Volunteer for one of the charity things, or sign up for a race. If it's something that involves the college, but doesn't involve academics, then they'll likely give out free t-shirts." Rowan blinked, wanting to continue the tour, but then again wanting to continue with actual conversation. "If there anywhere you want to go into?" he asked, eyes scanning the multiple options. Jo seemed pretty keen with checking out the coffee house, but all of this was up to her. He had time to kill, and it wasn't like he cared how it was spent.
She thought he had a good point, and seeing as how she planned on being really involved with the school, she would probably get plenty of NMU stuff just by participating. Jo had heard that there would be a lot of charity functions, races, and other things that she could join in on. As well as some tea parties and such that the Sorority girls would host to raise money for different organizations as well, she was bound to pick up some things at all of these things. "Okay I'll wait," She agreed and continued to walk next to him, "Hmmm, what about the café? I could really go for some coffee, and maybe a biscotti or something." Jo threw him a smile, "Do you think they'll have peppermint latte's? I really have been craving one of those..." There were a few students milling about, but Jo only had eyes for her tour guide, not paying attention to the Goth's, or the preps, not even the bookworms. None of them grabbed her attention, she was fully in the moment with Rowan and just hanging out and talking about the college. The smell of coffee got stronger, and Jo felt herself being drawn to the caffeine that she had had to give up that morning because of running late. She tucked her notebook and pen away in her bag and then continued toward what looked like the café.
The Delacore Lecture Hall is home to an array of large classes, attended by every walk of Newmark students.