William made it back to his dormitory with just enough time to clean up and change before meeting Claire. He pushed open the door to find Kai sitting at his desk as usual, but this time he was organizing what looked like combat equipment instead of reading.
"Going somewhere?" William asked while heading to his wardrobe.
"Library still," Kai said without looking up. "But there's been some issues with essence beast sightings near the old archives building. The faculty suggested we bring weapons just in case."
William paused mid-step. "Essence beasts? On campus?"
"Apparently some low-level ones wandered too close from the forest. Nothing dangerous for students, but enough that they're telling people to be cautious." Kai finally looked up. "Why do you ask? You look like you're getting ready to go somewhere too."
"I'm meeting Claire," William said while pulling out clean clothes. "She asked if I was free this afternoon."
