CH3.01: Familiar Faces (I)
【Suu】

Vriya City University’s campus sat at the north end of town, away from the endless clangor of it’s namesake metropolis. It was around a twenty-minute walk from Suu’s home above the bookstore, and a ten-minute ride if she could get her ancient bicycle to work. If she was really running late, she’d hop on a bus down the street and look like a kid being forced to eat bitter squash the whole way.

And so she walked more often than not. Her route wound past cramped storefronts and tiled-roof homes until it reached the city limits. Then on, the road continued under an extensive archway of tamarind tree canopies until the campus gates.

All along the way, tiny little stone-carved shrines peeked through the foliage. One of them was of a little stone fox-guardian, it’s tiny shrine surrounded by marigold. With droopy eyes and a dull gold bib around its neck, it was hard to miss by the wayside.

Walking past it, Suu’s reactions ranged from a respectful nod, all the way to pleading with the little shrine as if it were the mafia: especially during exams. But whenever she did press her palms together in front of the little shrine, she made sure to spare a kind thought to every person at her university who hosted Free Book Day.

True to its name, it was a book-sale free of charge that took place at VCU’s Library every other month. The rules were simple: donate two or more books to enter, and you could take as many as you could fit in your bag. You’d be alright as long as you brought a reasonably-sized bag—a caveat that was added after some clown showed up with an empty, industrial-size cement sack.

As soon as her lecture ended that morning, Suu was out like a cat on a chase, her mind focused on the singular goal of getting to the Library. Once she got there, the next hour went by with her combing through a sea of discarded tomes. Soon, her tote-bag was stuffed with a modest stack of expensive-looking books; and her job was done. At the counter, she grinned at Mrs. Sarang, the head librarian.

“And how’s the bookstore doing, little one?” Mrs. Sarang asked as she returned Suu’s Library Card. Mrs. Sarang was well into her seventies, so there were very few people on-campus who weren’t ‘little ones’ in her eyes.

Suu grinned at the endearment. She had a soft-spot for old women, and not in the least because she spent her early years getting baby-sat by the neighborhood ‘Grandmother Association’.

Grannies, for the most part, were the gift that kept on giving; be it precious life advice or soul-crushing insult. Mrs. Sarang was a nice old granny who always walked around with a half-smile and a pair of silver-rimmed spectacles on her face. Suu liked her very much. And again, not in the least because the old librarian would always set aside a fresh copy or two of debut novels just for the bookstore.

“Sales are slow these days, Ma’am. But Pa’s art-commissions and classes keep us going somehow,” she said, adjusting her book-bag and hurriedly shoving her library card into her skirt pocket. “Please drop by some time, he’s got some tiny new paintings on sale and I’d love to give you a discount!”

“No discounts for me,” Mrs. Sarang shook her head with a smile. “Gods know the amount of time and skill it takes for your father to make those paintings, he deserves every single coin.”

May Mrs. Sarang live into triple-digits with good health, Suu chanted in her mind as she dashed towards the dining hall.

Once she got there, she made a beeline for the food counter and grabbed two steaming cups of tea. Large, towering windows showered the massive dining hall with sunlight, and her gaze darted across the dozens of crowded tables.

“Suu, over here!” a chirpy voice called out, and Suu swiveled towards its source until she met a familiar, beautiful dark-skinned face. Grinning, she scurried towards one of her best friends.

Yāzhini greeted her and carefully took the cups of tea from her hands. Suu then plopped her belongings on a third chair and the two of them settled into conversation. Further away, a plate of food sat covered with a banana-leaf lid.

“Let me guess,” Suu pointed to the food, “Loh’s got an exam today, yeah?” she slid a cup of tea towards the plate.

“Yup, skipped breakfast as usual too,” Yaa placed a small lid on the cup. “At this rate, she’ll be her own first patient when she becomes a pharmacist one day,” she sighed, looking back at the large dining hall clock.

Suu turned to join her. “Early morning exam was it?” she asked, and Yaa nodded.

“Pretty sure it ended a while ago, though…she’s very late,” Yaa’s bangles clinked against the table.

“Who’s very late?” a familiar, yet sleepy voice jolted both girls around, and they watched their best-friend stand there like she’d just fought off demons. They cheered and cleared the third chair so that the last member of the trio could sit down.

Loh slumped onto the chair and wasted no time slamming her head onto the table. No sound came of it though—not when both Yaa and Suu’s hands cushioned her crash.

“You’ll break your hands,” Loh mumbled, nuzzling her forehead further into her friends’ hands.

“Better our hands than your head,” Yaa teased, and Suu helped her gently lay Loh’s head down.

“Yeah, hey! Braincells are a precious resource around here,” Suu snapped as she poked her sleepy friend. “The only reason I function is because I absorb whatever I can get from you two nerds, so take it easy now.”

Yaa pinched Suu’s ear, earning her an angry squeak. “If underselling yourself were a sport,” Yaa continued with a sigh, “this little ball of sass would win first place. Although you’d give her good competition, Lo-Lo.”

“She learns from the best,” Loh sat up and scrubbed her eyes like a cranky toddler. “Whatever braincells she absorbs from me, I promise they’re not helping her brain,” she grumbled, earning a pinch to the ear from Yaa. Just as Suu was about to insert a snarky remark into the middle of her friends’ tirade, she halted at the sight of the bluish blotches under Loh’s eyes.

“Gods, Loh! Did you even close your eyes last night?” she asked, leaning towards her barely-awake friend.

“Oh did I ever,” she grumbled again. Suu and Yaa handed her a cup of tea and uncovered the plate with the urgency of a pair of worried mothers. “But you two clowns convinced me to chase my dreams so now I stay up all night studying,” she sighed and nodded at her friend in thanks.

“Your bank-account will stay up all night too when you work at a good medical-centre,” Suu quipped as she poked the sleepy girl’s shoulder. “It will all be worth it,” she brought out a bar of honey-dipped peanuts and placed it at the edge of the plate. “Eat up, little one.”

“Big talk coming from the littlest-and-youngest one here,” Loh dipped a rice-cake into some chutney, and screwed her eyes shut as she chewed.

“Oh please,” Suu chuckled as she passed another honeyed-peanut bar to Yaa. “I look older than the both of you combined.”

As was usual, her friends groaned various versions of ‘no you don’t, shut the hell up’. They had good reason to. Suu was the youngest among them. Loh was twenty and Yaa was twenty-one; and they were in entirely different programs: Pharmacy and Music respectively. Meanwhile, Suu was happy to be done with her studies by the end of the year to find any odd job; jobs, that a General Education degree could land her.

She saw it as nothing short of a miracle that they’d managed to be close friends over the last ten years. They were an odd trio of different ages, faces, heights, and interests; but brought together by a love for spicy food, music, and the odd book. It helped that they never quite fit in with their respective classmates. And so they stuck together, through thick and thin. Whether it was Yaa recovering from an accident back in middle school, or Loh’s father unexpectedly passing away in junior-high; they huddled together through it all. They were Suu’s sisters through and through.

Right as the three of them settled back into conversation, a small crowd rushed into the dining hall. Suu jerked her head towards the growing noise—something was happening in the hallway, judging by the commotion. More people poured in, but they spoke in hushed tones. It was as though they were expecting someone. Unable to figure out anything from all the whispering, she turned back to where Yaa sat glancing at the new faces, her hand on her chin.

“The hell is going on?” Suu asked, frowning.

Yaa tilted her head and eyed the crowd. “If I were to guess…” she began slowly, her gaze focusing on the scene ahead. “…it’s probably because that guy’s here.”

“Either that or VCU’s getting raided,” Loh mumbled halfway through chewing. “I hope so, actually. I could use a break from these damn exams.”

“Too bad we’re not Central University Loh,” Suu shrugged. “But wait, which guy?”