The terminology Xan was using to describe the motorcycle went right over her head, but she nodded and smiled as if she was absorbing it. The only things she understood were the colour and the fact that it was lighter in weight. Then he offered to give her a ride.
Jia quickly shook her head, declining the offer. A motorcycle would be ten times more dangerous than a regular car, and if someone barely ended up tapping it while it was in motion, they would go flying. There wasn’t a protective, metal shell to keep them safe. “No. That’s okay. Thanks for the offer, but I’m not very fond of vehicles of any kind. I prefer walking or riding a bicycle.” She chuckled nervously. Just the idea of being on a motorcycle twisted her stomach into knots.
“Oh, no. I have a job. I work part time as a ranger to help pay for whatever my scholarships and my dad can’t cover. I’m hoping I won’t need to start taking student loans, but it may be a futile hope.” Jia shrugged as she said it. It wasn’t that big a deal. Once she graduated and got a job, any student loans would be simple enough to pay over time, but right now, the thought of owing even more money than she was already paying made her feel a little panicked.
It was almost as if colleges didn’t really want people to go to school, so they raised the costs to attend to the point of bankrupting people. It was ridiculous. Then again, this school had a lot going for it. It needed pay for professors and rooming and upkeep and all of the activities that could be joined by its students. Was it really so much to ask? Perhaps not, but it still felt awful to have to pay so much money.
“What about you? Are you working as an animal shelter or a veterinarian office to gain experience for the future?” She asked.
“My major doesn’t have a lot to do with anything paranormal or supernatural, either, but I still enjoy taking classes like that. I’m only taking a couple of easier classes this summer. This fall is when I’ll really be hitting the books.” Jia explained. She liked school a lot, so she was going to have fun while she was in it, even during the summer when she technically didn’t need to be in school.
“Really?” The dryad asked, clearly surprised at his ignorance of the things around him. His parents must have been human. It seemed like the only possible way someone could just… not know about other races. Maybe he really was a human, and she had just misjudged him all along? “I’ve always known. My father was always very open about all of it, and I went to schools that were designated for supernaturals.” Her voice sounded a little bitter when she said the word “designated.” Clearly, she wasn’t a fan of the segregation of humans from supernatural creatures.
She still had a hard time understanding how humans could possibly have so much power over supernatural beings when it was likely that combined, all supernatural beings outnumbered the humans. Then again, some supernaturals just did not get along, so it was probably damn near impossible to organize something for all of them. Maybe that was how the humans achieved the upper hand?