For a moment, Jia almost believed that look of total shock, but she only studied his face. She wanted to believe he was just an awkward newcomer and not really mentally lacking. He seemed nice enough. Then, a slow smile crept over his lips, and he spoke. It relaxed her a little, giving her more faith in him. “Well, exploring is the best way to memorize a place. You can’t really know a place just by looking at a map. I’m sure you’ll remember where you’re going soon enough.”
When she told him her major, he seemed a little taken aback for a short moment, as if he hadn’t expected something like that from her, but in another instant it was gone, and he seemed more relaxed. Then he told her of his major, and the way he worded what he said made her think that he definitely wasn’t human. She was no better at telling humans from supernaturals than they were at telling supernaturals from humans if they looked the same. The real clues were in the abilities. She just didn’t know what his were.
He could speak with animals, relax them? Was he a witch? Did he use spells, or was it ingrained? What other species could speak with animals? She wasn’t sure, and she knew the only way to know would be to ask, but she didn’t dare. Besides, it really wasn’t polite to ask someone what their species was, especially if they had just met.
A veterinarian was a pretty good cause. Animals needed medical care, too, and they tended to be neglected more than humanoids. “I think that’s really cool.” She smiled, imagining how in the future, women would probably find any excuse to take their pets to him just to get a look at him. “I’m sure you’ll get a lot of business.” Jia said. She idly wondered if he could tame humans as he could tame animals, but she didn’t want to delve too deeply into that thought. This wasn’t the first time she wished she could read minds, but the idea that some people really could do that made her nervous, so it was a rather hypocritical desire.
“I came to this school hoping to study to become a forest conservationist, but I’m still open to other options, too, like creating things that are environmentally friendly. There are a lot of options open to me with my major. Sometimes it seems a little daunting.” A small chuckle left her lips.
“What about you? Are you open to other things, or are you set on your path? Did you always want to be a vet?”