Private Finished Marching Into a New World

Vito was led into the private room rented out for their TWIS meetings. It was a Saturday evening, with Fridays being the second most picked for meeting days, then Wednesdays. Several familiar faces were already seated, some chatting with each other or venting their woes while there weren't many people to hear. Some turned towards the new face with a quick wave or smile before resuming whatever they were doing before

A well-dressed Konpeitō smiled proudly at the scene, then turned to face the slightly taller man. He had already gotten the rundown of TWIS' goals in the email and when they met up thirty minutes before now. Konpeitō made sure to let him know that he was free to speak his mind as long as he had respectful intentions, but that it was normal for newcomers to slip up. "The point here is for people to not feel ashamed in their newness. They should feel comforted in knowing that their struggles aren't silly or unreasonable," he had said.

The meeting was more or less the usual. Vito was allowed to introduce himself and speak if he wished, but overall, conversation bounced around. The most prominent discussion was a human describing her discomfort with the openness of the island. She had been hit on by several people since coming here four months ago. Not subtle flirts either, but outright proclamations for sex. A horned girl related but said her issue was that some people were way too open about violence. She worried that if she spoke up about it and accidentally told off a Wrath demon or similar, she'd get called out for not accepting people's natural differences. The counselor assigned today advised them that it was okay to be uncomfortable. Their feelings were justified. Instincts weren't an excuse to make people uncomfortable.

During meetings, Konpeitō almost always sat back and let the counselors give advice. He helped where he could, but he limited himself to keeping the conversation going or lightening the mood when things turned too tense.

An hour later, most people were downstairs or outside chatting, if they hadn't already left the park entirely. Konpeitō stayed upstairs with Vito, and with his usual bubbliness, asked, "So, what did you think? I hope this meeting answered some questions about how we work."

The way Vito worded his comment sent a subtle shiver throughout Konpeitō. For the quickest of moments, his body was a little more saturated. Vito made TWIS sound so much more offical than it was. The fact that someone suggested him to visit TWIS was all the more exciting.

"That's not a problem at all. I made this group for a couple of reasons. One: So people to learn from the experiences of others. From there, they can be prepared to tackle those situations if they ever arise. Two: To help adults find other like-minded people. Those can be friends or more specialized groups if TWIS doesn't suit your needs. Mm... for example, the man with one eye and fiery red hair? He rarely talks, but he comes here almost every meeting because he feels safe enough to speak his mind when he does have something to say. And that's perfectly acceptable."

Konpeitō wasn't expecting that question. On the surface, it didn't sound weird to ask, but Vito's hesitance at "years" forced Konpeitō to hold back a raised eyebrow. It was a school. Generally, most people went to school for years.

"Um, yes," he replied, trying his best to not raise his voice in a question at the end. "It's really an 'it depends' sort of thing. Some people learn fast and can test out early for their age, some people only go for one or two classes to catch up. For example, I was a student for a few months to catch me up on anything I didn't already teach myself. I tested out to get a job that didn't require a college education."

The one benefit to Konpeitō's old life was that it got ridiculously boring. Pair that with his need to blend in with his online friend group, and he had a lot of motivation to study everything he needed to know for his age.

Thank you, internet.

There was no threat of an eyebrow raise this time. Konpeitō was simply confused and it showed on his furrowed brows and tightened smile.

What.

Not a question; a statement. What. Vito's life must have been more different than his modern clothing and way of speaking suggested.

"Er, as far as I know, no. Here and in the Narrow Reality, it's common for people to need decades of schooling for their chosen careers. There are jobs that allow you to stop after high school, which takes around seventeen years of schooling overall. Unless you learn and develop faster than a human, of course."

Konpeitō made a mistake. There was something more important to speak about: "I think it might be easier if you explained the life you come from so I can better answer your questions."

Ah. Now the dots connecting. There were many more to connect, but this would do.

"I think I understand now. Most people here don't have multiple lives. They're learning everything for the first time. What you're talking about isn't unheard of, however. Plenty of citizens have multiple lives they may or may not remember. It's also not uncommon for people to be born with important information. I was actually made to know all Narrow Reality languages. That's not a thing I have anymore, by the way."

It was a skill he missed dearly. Sure, he learned so quickly he could probably have basic conversational skills in several languages within a year, but he was a busy man. It was easier to just have what he needed and build off there.