Looking around the mysterious common room again, Max immediately got several clues about his current location. To his right is a multilayer trophy case filled with an eclectic mix of awards, championship photos, and jerseys. To his left, a wall-mounted Flatscreen right bellow half a dozen pre-placed yoga mats and exercise balls. Behind him was a massive neon yellow sign of Rosie the Riveter in all her glory, hanging above several couches with gym bags, water bottles, and hair ties thrown across them. Putting all this together, it did not take a genius to realize he had woken up in House Diana—the sorority known to everyone else at Ventus U. as the “Jock House”.
If the nerds at House Minerva were the smartest, and the e-girls at House Fortuna were the hottest, then the jocks at House Diana were unquestionably the strongest-- as a direct result of nearly all of them being on one or more of the Universities sports teams, and working up quite a sweat; as a result, the air in their dorm having a salty humid funk from their collective BO. Most of the girl’s who call this dorm home spend their time practicing, training, attending social function as a team and, time permitting, “blowing off steam” with whatever guy or girl they grab on their way back to their room. Unquestionably, one of the most well-funded sororities at Ventus, which has won several awards and millions in merchandising a year minimum, these girls are among the most popular with the students and faculty.
Realizing where he was, Max was conflicted. House Diana was not known for its brains, so there was no luck finding help here directly, but it did have some of the best pull with the university administration and social spheres. If he saw someone with a big enough name, he could get their attention and, in the best case, have them get the universities’ top brains on getting him to regular size! Worst case…he’s crushed under their sweaty feet or bodies on the yoga mats.
Thinking about the few girls at Diana he might know, both socially and from reputation, a few names jumped out. Nikki Allais, a pretty, blonde, airheaded 6’ basketball superstar back from high school, went to Ventus too and got a full-ride on scholarship if he recalled correctly. Max doubted she knew he existed, but she was one of the sweetest girls back in the day and would be easier to convince from their mutual origin.
Max would have no better chance if he were looking for someone influential than the softball star Tiffany Marshall. She was not the biggest name in the sports department, but she was Diana's best social game player. She had her face all over the university advertising, social media, and live streams. Some think she’d be better off at House Fortuna! Max had never met her, but the oddity of a shrunken freshman would no doubt bring some buzz online, be it positive or negative, and Max hoped that was a sound enough bargaining chip to get her to help.
The sports were where the money and power were, so one of the top athletes would undoubtedly make a big difference in helping Max. No one got bigger than Ursa Kolossovna. She was only a sophomore and a transfer student from northeastern Europe but the top-billed pick for the wrestling, football, and track teams. Ursa will be significant when she graduates to the professional circuit and is already physically at 6’8”! Some rumors are floating around about her terrifying ogre-like presence and terrible odor. However, Ursa was still one of the university's top athletes and would be a BIG help in getting someone who could fix Max on the case.
With all that in mind, Nikki is the safest bet, being the girl he knows at least somewhat the best and might actually know him by reputation. Max had no idea how to find her. He had never been to House Diana and had no clue of the layout, so wandering around might be too big a risk to his safety. Max also had no idea if and when Nikki would be around; the active lifestyles of these girls made them hanging out in the dorm for anything but sleep a difficult place. Before Max had more time to consider his options, he heard the door open on the other side of the room.
When he turned around, he found himself face to face with…