Rin had woken up early that day for no other reason than to get to the Art Room as soon as she could. Her morning had started off normal. Having been woken up by her pet snake Pyry as he slithered into her clothes was the norm for her. Her blue eyes would flutter open and she would mumble something that made no sense before sliding out of bed and taking the ladder down to the floor. Next she would stretch and scratch her bottom before shuffling to the bathroom, only to find that after sitting down, the toilet paper had been moved to the other side of the bathroom. Rin would call upon her familiar Eirwyn for help and he would bring it to her after complaining about it in her head, and she would explain that the reason she wouldn't call upon Neuge was because if she breathed on it, it would freeze and be uncomfortable to wipe with. Most days started out like that. After a shower, she would stand at her wardrobe and stare at her all white clothes. It was a thing in fact, that she never wore anything but white; not including accessories of course. There was a reason the students called her Snow White, and aside from her pale and cold skin, white hair, it was because the only color Rin preferred to wear was white. White was her favorite color in fact. Snow was her favorite weather and it was white, she loved to look at the clouds in the sky, and they were white, marshmallows were white... she loved those too, her pet snake was white. Everything that was white was awesome. End of story. But it wasen't like Rin had no appreciation for the other colors out there, no that was not the case. She was a painter after all, and had a knack for photography. It was often things filled with vibrant color that she was attracted to when doing her crafts. In any case, Rin was an odd girl, so instead of trying to explain why she strictly wore white, she would accept it and move on.


After dressing, Rin would leave her dorm room and walk casually to the Art Room. Camera around her neck, art box in one hand, and a sleeping Pyry wrapped around the other, she would make her way through the beautiful halls of the Academy and smile at anyone who passed her by. This was her third year here and aside from her Art and Photography classes she took, she was enrolled in the compulsory English and Math, along with Combat, Daemonology, Dead Languages, and Weaponry. For the most part her schedule remained the same over the past three years, and Rin had fallen into the groove of things, often getting no less than a C in any class. Today, however, was not the start of classes, but marked one of the final free days she would have before she had to hit the books and start focusing on her work again. It was not that she didn't like school, it just seemed once the year started, she found herself wanting to escape and draw more often but was stuck inside doing work.

Shaking her head and adding a skip in her step, she decided not to dwell on the start of school, and when she reached the Art Room she felt instantly more relaxed and at ease. She loved this room. It too had high ceilings with walls that were pearl white as well. Large windows that let the light in, and a soft echo was heard as her boots tapped lightly against the marble floor. Paintings were lined up in a row, some for display and some to dry, and upon walking further inside, she noticed a few students had beaten her here and were working on some pieces of their own. One guy and one girl sat next to each other, talking about the girl's piece when they noticed her come in. Rin recognized them from the year before... they were a year below her.

"Well if it isin't Snow White. She might be able to help you out more than I can." the boy said to the girl, who looked over. That was when Rin noticed her green orbs were red and filled with tears.

"♪ Good morning to the both of you. What seems to be the problem? ♪ " Rin said in her high pitched, sing songy voice as she walked over and looked at the two of them.

"I think I... may have messed up my painting for good..." the girl mumbled, on the verge of crying. "I've been working on it for a week now... i wanted to give it too my mom and... she's in the hospital so... I need to finish this." she said in a dramatic way. Rin nodded, respecting her reasons, and smiled at the girl. "♪ Give me a moment to put down my things and i would be happy to help you. ♪ " she said before going to a spot at the far wall by the window. She passed up the supply room that also stored the supplied and held sinks and soap used for washing materials. She took her time, humming a soft tune as she carefully pulled over a stool, canvas, and another stool to place her art box on. Not until things were set up perfectly did Rin make her way back over to the girl in distress.

"♪ Let's see here. Where is... oh. I see where you made a mistake. ♪ " she said as she looked at the paining the girl was drawing. It was a picture of a woman with a girl, who looked like the artist, and they lay down together and appeared to be sleeping. Both women had dark brown hair laced down their backs, and on the older woman, was a white splat directly on her hair. Looking at where the white came from, she noticed that the sheets they lay upon were of the same color white and rin thought for a moment before reaching out and grabbing a thin tipped detail brush. "♪ There is never any need to worry about a mistake. Pretty, pretty, pretty, mistakes can be too. May I? ♪ " she chanted as she dipped the detail brush in the white and waited for the girl to nod. Once given permission to assist, Rin began to paint around the white spot and told the girl what she was doing as she did it. "♪ If you are afraid about a mistake, the easiest way to fix it is not to cover it up, but sometimes. Only sometimes do the mistakes end up prettier than the rest. Of course, of course, a mistake is truly not a mistake, but your heart telling you to change your focal point to that of something new. Look, look. I see beyond the flaws as I create a scene where one must think about if first. ♪ " she said in a way that seemed like she was talking a bit crazy. The girl would see as Rin began to shape the white spot into a large flower, making the petals white. Taking the brush between her teeth, Rin would reach out and get another, painting the inside of the petals a deep blood red. Switching the two, she would blur the tips of the red outwards to make the effect of it turning pink and then fading to white.

Leaning away, she placed the brushed back into their spots in the way the girl had it set up. " ♪ A good trick to use when you have a mistake is to make it the focal point. With your own imagine, turn this flower into one that compliments the beautiful woman that wears it. And, I know your mother will get well soon after you show her. ♪ " she said patting the girl's shoulder and turning to return to her spot by the window.

"Thank you so much Snow White!" the girl called to her as she gave the boy a hug before the two continued on to what they were doing. When Rin finally sat in her seat, she stared at the blank paper she put on her stand and tried to think about something to create. "♪ Oh what to do now? ♪ " she wondered, picking up a pencil and tapping the end against her chin. After a few moments of thoughts, she had an idea and called upon Eirwyn. As she fumbled with her things, she didn't even notice when he appeared next to her, on all fours, he easily reached the height she was at on the stool, and for a moment, she was startled.

"You wanted to see me?" he said in his usual bored tone in her head.

"♪ Yes, I would like you to sit over there so I can draw you. That is all. Easy, right? ♪ " she said, petting his head softly.

"I suppose." he said simply as he moved silently to the spot she desired, and lay down in a relaxed position. After a moment, he closed his eyes as if he were planning to sleep.

"♪ I need to see your eyes. ♪ " she said with a smile.

"I already don't like this idea." his voice in her mind had said with a sigh as he opened his eyes and gazed out the window.

"♪ Perfect. Now stay still. ♪ " she ordered nicely as she grabbed her HB pencil and began to sketch out her familiar. A long time passed and the two other students left, leaving Rin and Eirwyn alone in silence. It was only for a few minutes until she would hear the soft velvet singing sound of his voice in her head. He began to hum the tune of a song he often sang to her while she slept.


"Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby
Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay
And I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow
Bless you with love for the road that you go

May you sail far to the far fields of fortune
With diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet
And may you need never to banish misfortune
May you find kindness in all that you meet

May there always be angels to watch over you
To guide you each step of the way
To guard you and keep you safe from all harm
Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay

May you bring love and may you bring happiness
Be loved in return to the end of your days
Now fall off to sleep, I'm not meaning to keep you
I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li, lai-lay

May there always be angels to watch over you
To guide you each step of the way
To guard you and keep you safe from all harm
Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay

Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay..."

By the time he finished singing to her, she was done with her drawing him. At one point, she made a mistake and grabbed a brown pencil instead of her regular one, and just like before, she told herself to simply go with the mistake and let it stand out. When she turned it around, she showed him what she had drawn.


"That is well done. I wondered what I would look like with brown eyes." he said in his usual bored sounding tone, though Rin could tell he really meant it. She smiled to him and flipped the paper over the stand, going to the next page. Putting her pencils away, she started to prepare her materials to paint him next. Standing to get water for her brushes, she looked over her shoulder and said to him "♪ Would you mind singing that to me a few more times? ♪ "

"As you wish, Rin." he said before he began to sing to her once again.

Fallon Reed had already moved in and decorate her room on move in day, having pulled up in a limousine and gotten quite a few looks. She’d told her parents she wanted to drive herself, but apparently they didn’t trust her to go to where she’d promised. It was fine though. Plenty of her belongings fit in it after all. She had gotten her dorm decorated precisely how she wanted, but it did take a while. After all, she’d never really done anything domestic. Or for herself really. Normally she would have asked one of the help to do it, but well, she’d have to get used to being on her own at this school she supposed.

And she was so looking forward to being here! Everyone and their daemons seemed simply fascinating. She thought Iris was perhaps a bit jealous at how Fallon had been admiring the other ones, but no matter what she would always be her best friend. Right now Fallon was getting dressed in front of her full length mirror, with Iris shaking her head yes or no, depending on the outfit. ”I want to make a good impression, especially in fashion design. After all it is what I want to do! I think…” she chewed her lip indecisively. Iris was used to Fallon’s lack of self-confidence though so she simply kept quiet, watching until Fallon decided on an outfit herself.

”There, that will have to do!” she sighed, putting her sunglasses atop her head and picking up Iris. ”Let’s be friendly and make others smile today, shall we?” Fallon smiled at the daemon, who batted Fallon’s nose playfully. ”You do that, silly girl,” she said. Fallon crinkled her nose and giggled, stepping out of her dorm and almost getting run over by someone running down the hall. ”Well, they're in an awful big hurry," Fallon said, blinking her bright blue eyes behind thick dark lashes. I don't think I'll like it here Iris grumbled, having dug her claws lightly into Fallon when the boy had rushed past. "Oh Iris..." Fallon scolded with a smile, letting the cat up on her shoulders to stay laying there, peering out from Fallon's hair at passers by.

She wandered around, looking at everything, when the smell of coffee beans hit her nose. "Mmmm..." she murmured, heading after the smell which took her to what she assumed was the cafeteria, where there appeared to be a coffee stand. "Oh my second love," she laughed, an inside joke between her and Iris, as she got a French vanilla latte and sipped it while walking down the halls. She had that gleam of happiness and hopefulness in her eyes that showed she was a new student, at least when combined with the unsure way she would peer around corners and down halls, peeking in rooms and familiarizing herself with the layout of the beautiful school.

Dactrin was outside as the sun was already making its way up in to the sky as morning began. He had been out for a 8 mile jog with Bune, a routine of theirs every morning except for his rest day. The path they normally take is a varying trail of incline and rocky terrain, a good enough challange to test both his endurance as well as strength in those small muscles one would not normally use for balance and agility. Dactrin came running forward to the entrance of the school, Bune keeping pace at his side. He slowed down near the entrance and leaned his arm against the tree standing next to them, breathing deeply and with control to get his breath back.

"Nice run, Bune" he told the massive wolf daemon, inhaling the crisp air deeply. Today was a beautiful day, the sky mostly clear, the small clouds that were visible a bright white. It was very fitting for the first start of the school year to be such a beautiful and peaceful day. Soon the school would be busy again with students, old and new. He enjoyed the din of the school when it was busy, a comforting sound to a place he calls home. But as always, he kept to himself. He was eager though to get back to his classes, his education vital to his goal in life. He had been vigorously studying all summer, staying on top of his studies. Since both his parents and grandparents had passed he was allowed to stay at the school year round, having no other family to stay with and plenty of money to keep him at the school. Dactrin was perfectly fine with the arrangement.

Bune sat down next to Dactrin, his large tongue hanging outside the side of his mouth as he caught his breath as well. He nodded in agreement to Dactrin, panting heavily.
Dactrin then saw, across the way by another tree, a young woman relaxing with what seemed to be her daemon as well. He straightened himself and leaned his back against the tree, pulling the hood of his sweatshirt off of his head and ruffling his shaggy hair free. Sweat glazed his brow and left parts of his hair damp. His sweatshirt on the back would show a heavy sweat stain from his long jog.

Dactrin laid his head back, head turned to watch Tristan and the daemon in green robes. They seemed close as the daemon seemed to be soothing the student. Dactrin glanced to Bune. "You never cradle me like that. Don't you care?" he grinned, his sarcastic comment understood by his friend. Bune laughed, huffing and shaking his head.

"All I have to do is look at you, kid" he chuckled. Dactrin frowned. He didn't mind when Bune called him kid, something he wouldn't allow anyone else to do, but he didn't like that Bune could simply look at him and control his emotions. The thought of losing control of himself in anyway was frightening. If he wanted to perfect his skills and find Livala he needed to be in control and sharp at all times.

"You would never do that though" Dactrin told Bune.

"Of course not" Bune agreed. "We made an agreement and I'm sticking to it." Bune met Dactrin's eyes. his own were still alluring but he made sure when he looked to his friend that he didn't let one moment pass where he would emit any emotions upon Dactrin. This was an agreement Bune honored faithfully, but he didn't always like. When he sees Dactrin in bad spirits or upset he yearns to be able to provide him with the emotions that would lift his mood and spirits. He could even help his demeanor so that he could make friends and be more outgoing. But Dactrin made it very clear that he wanted to go through his experiences on his own. If he struggled all his life in solitude, trapped by his own emotions, then so be it. He would not cheat and use a daemon to make him a better person. The only thing he used Bune to help him with was his physical abilities by assisting in training, and long distance traveling. Dactrin did his very best not to rely on Bune for anything, wanting to be self sufficient.

Dactrin smiled to Bune, trusting him. When he looked in to his blue eyes he felt an attraction to keep looking but his emotions did not change and it was never difficult for him to look away. Bune was good to his word as always.

Dactrin looked back to Tristan. She looked vaguely familiar as he might have seen her in a class before, though he did not know her name.

Tichondrius started today the same way he started most days. Rolling out of bed, a bit too late, making a promise that next morning would be different. Next morning he'd wake up early. Maybe even as early as 11AM. Maybe. Maybe not. Definitely not. The lithe young man sat up in his bed, draping his legs over the side and planting his feet down onto the soft blue carpet. Everything had been the way he had left it since last night. Blinds sealed tightly. Boxed packed up and ready for shipping. Jin within his scabbard, sitting on his desk just behind his laptop. Thok was no where in sight, though he seldom was. Thok had certain timeliness to him in that he was only ever around when he was needed. Tychus had never ventured a guess as to what it was Thok was always doing and Thok was not the type to put forth any details. He was a secretive daemon whose power was only surpassed by his aloofness.

Tychus's arms lurched into the air as he back arched and a raspy yawn crawled out of his throat, the closest noise he could make to any language. That was a bit of irony in and of itself. Dead Language aficionados were rare enough. Mute Dead Language aficionados were entirely unheard of, beyond himself that is. Tychus slowly pulled himself out of his bed, taking a minute to make it look halfway decent before bothering to grab a pair of clothes. What he wore was simple enough. Just a buttoned high neck grey woolen sweater and a pair of blue jeans. He slipped on a pair of socks and dress shoes, not because he was looking to be fancy but because they were the only comfortable pair of shoes he owned. The next part of his morning (read;Afternoon) ritual was to put in his metal gauges and both of the ring piercings that went into his lips. Then came the quick checking up on the stitching in his neck, which was holding up nicely, same with the Gir stitch on his forearm. They stitching would probably stay good for another week or so at the least. Now the only question was; Is brown still good? He wondered for a moment if he wanted to dye his hair before shrugging, figuring something plain would do for now. All of the new students would be arriving today and many second years would be meeting/seeing him for the first time in the next few days. It'd be best to ease them into the oddity that was Tichondrius. The stitching into his skin was already enough to make most people uncomfortable after all.

"Hmm..." Tychus let out as he dropped onto the stool before his laptop, seeing a single new email. His eyes quickly skimmed through the letter, which came from a frequent customer from his unique fashion website. By unique, it was more that Tichondrius enjoyed creating oddities and recently had stumbled into making fetish gear, which was making him a pretty penny thanks to the world wide web. Today his only job was to make a collar, which was a simple quick job, especially in the hands of someone who could expertly sew threads into his own skin. Tychus hopped up from his seat, shoving the stool under his desk as he went to grab Jin, taking the sling attached to the scabbard and throwing it over his shoulder. Tychus took a moment to grab a box that had his tools and the material he usually worked with and did a quick once over with his eyes before being satisfied with what he had.

Tychus made his way from the small T.A. dorm building that sat by the woods the encircled the academy, not bothering to close the door on his way out, his hands dedicated to carrying his box of goodies. The sight of a sword wielding pretty boy with a habit for body modification drew plenty of wayward glances as he cut through the campus and made his way into the art studio where he was, while not exactly vanilla, less remarkable. The arts tended to draw in the types of people that would be considered traditionally weird and it was in the arts center that Tichondrius felt most at home. As he made his way through the area where painters congregated, a land of easels and spilled paint, Tichondrius passed by a girl all in white with hair and skin like snow, drawing her daemon who softly sung a melancholy song he was unfamiliar with. Silently he stood off to the right behind the girl, watching her draw the beast in stunning accuracy, taking time to appreciate what it was she was doing. As the song drew to an end, the girl seemed eager to share her drawing with the singing wolf and with that, Tychus took his leave. It was either that or stand there like an idiot, unable to communicate thanks to the damned box his hands were busy with.

With every step, Jin slapped against his shoulder-blade, which Tychus could only assume would wake up the poor daemon. As soon as he slipped into the design studio he rented out within the design center, he dropped the box by the large wooden table where he'd be doing most of his work and took a moment to lay Jin onto the table. His fingers gently ran along the scabbard letting Jin know he was free to watch, not that this was an unusual occurrence. Jin was the closest thing Tychus had to family now and the deep bond formed from melding their consciousness whenever Jin armoured him had only served to bolster their bond. Tychus then quickly dropped down to the box, fishing out a thin sheet of supple leather, a sheet of hardened leather, a pair of large steel scissors, and his leather working knife, brass single hole collar piece to lock the collar.

Tychus didn't bother to look around, already entering work-mode as he slammed the leather working knife down onto the hard black leather, quickly making a strip that was almost perfectly straight. He still needed practice with his technique, though to the untrained eye it was a flawlessly straight strip and that was more than enough for today. Tychus brought the strip over to a measuring template cut into the table and went about trimming it slightly to fit the neck of who would be wearing it. Like a machine, he then grabbed the soft leather and quickly trimmed through it, tossing the left over leather into a pile. Carefully he folded the leather and aligned it with the leather strip before applying glue to the folded portion. He bent the strip and then went about pressing in the smooth leather, before cutting off any excess.

A small smile crept across Tichondrius's face as he admired his handiwork and made his way over to the sewing machine where he would then sew it up from the rough portion, using a read thread to make the black leather pop more. His lines were straight and smooth, a product of his countless hours with needlework over the past few years. Last but not least was the using of a mallet and pick to cut a hole where the collar piece would go in to. The final bit was quick and the end result was exactly what he had in mind. Now he just needed to see if it was pleasant enough to wear, though mostly he just wanted to see someone wear it before he sent it off. Tichondrius dumped the scraps into his box and plopped down onto the table next to Jin, grabbing the collar and its little heart shaped lock. Now he just needed to find someone to wear it. Perhaps that artsy girl with the wolf could wear it... Or I could always just go to Tristan. She's always been bad at saying no, hasn't she? Tychus couldn't help but smile at his thoughts, wondering if he should just keep this collar for himself and tell his client that he can't help him.

Alex, is that mixture there supposed to be smoking? Kasai's voice was familiar in Alex's mind by this point, a fact that Alex would never have believed when he first made his contract with the daemon. The Kitsune's voice had originally seemed so strange, an alien presence in his thoughts that seemed to resonate with tones that Alex had no words for, but after a few years of almost constant communication between them, the voice was practically a part of his own mind.

"Is what supposed to be smoking?" Alex responded, absentmindedly turning a page of the book he was rereading, a very worn copy of Plato's work "The Last Days if Socrates". He was focusing mainly on the story of the cave, as he had been enthralled by the concept of the existence of truly perfect forms. It was a subject that he, Kas, and Acentia had been debating for the past month while staying mostly hidden away in his dorm room, which was littered with books of all kinds, save for a small corner which was kept completely clear and tidy, where he kept a tea pot, a chemistry set... which he had liberally borrowed from the chem lab, as well as carefully ordered jars, pots, baggies, and containers with dried leaves and beans of all kinds. On the windowsill grew an assortment of tealeaves and some spices and herbs, though most he had to scrounge around for, seeing as the climate of Aluani academy only allowed for certain plants.

The only time he hadn't been reading Plato or the subsequent philosophical texts, which had at one point lead to an interesting discussion about the philosophy of mind, a separate theory in it's own right, not belonging to Plato, but interesting when looked at through the lens of Plato's theory of forms, especially in relation to the concept of the web of knowledge model that had formed in recent years, was to get food, start making candies, or drinks, using his stockpile of beans, tea leaves, spices, and sugars.
He had been working on making a new blend of coffee and tea, what he like to call cofftea, made from arabica beans, ground with oolong tea leaves, with a touch of mint leaves. He had just started them on a low simmer over a Bunsen burner from the aforementioned liberated chemistry set, when he had sat down for a moment to read while the mix heated. He looked up from the book, and was confident to see that it was only twelve thirty, he had only been sitting for ten minuets.

Alex then looked to the ruined blend of grounds and tealeaves, now not much more than smoking charred matter, they had somehow been completely destroyed in less then ten minuets! Alex rushed to turn off the burner and grabbed a hot pad, quickly smothering the smoldering concoction then sitting back on his haunches staring dejectedly at the mess trying to figure out what had gone wrong.

He turned and noticed that there was still light in the room, even though Alex had started reading in the low light from the burner, sunlight was streaming in through the window. "But I started working at midnight." He spoke slowly, realizing that it must be half passed noon, not half passed midnight as he had first believed. "Well that happened." He said laughing shaking his head.

You should take that to the dumpster, and possibly investigate why the fire alarm didn't go off earlier. Kas sounded amused. He had probably noticed the tea and coffee smoldering hours ago, but had decided to see how long it would take Alex to come out of lala land in order to notice for himself.

"That might be a good plan." Alex said, digging around for a plastic bag in one of his drawers, he found one and scooped the no longer smoldering remains of what had been a promising blend. He tied the bags shut tightly and headed out the door, trying to not look overly suspicious with his bag he headed down the corridor and out into the main entrance way, heading towards the kitchens, where he could hopefully ditch the bag into the dumpster without anyone asking him too many questions about how he had managed to burn the contents in his room.

Rin had been painting her familiar, Eirwyn, for quite a bit of time now. After a few rounds of his songs, her daemon had gotten bored of singing, and once again, the room slipped into silence. The art room stayed quiet for the most part. After the two students from before left, there were no others who had come and stayed for more than five minutes, but that was to be expected. The days of summer break were coming to an end, and the majority of students were likely either planning for parties, or preparing for classes. Having been going over the white paint with a light grey, Rin was able to accentuate the details in Eirwyn's fur to the degree that she had wanted it. Though he did look like a giant mass of snow with ice blue eyes and a coal black nose, it was harder to replicate the texture of his fur if she only used white. The grey allowed for more depth, and transformed the piece, making it seem more real in her eyes. It was when she had finished painting, that she found herself again not sure what to do... and then she remembered something.

"♪ Did you see that boy that passed by some time ago? ♪ " Rin asked as she began to pack up her materials. Gathering her brushes and the cups of water in her arms, she made her way to the cleaning room where she started the water in the sink and began to wash her brushes.

"A few males came in here. To which are you refering to?" he asked, though he had some idea who she was talking about.

"♪ The beautiful one. ♪ " she said simply, her delicate sing-songy voice carrying over to the wolf's ears despite the distance and noise from the sink.

"Define... beautiful..." he said in a lazy voice just before he yawned and adjusted from his laying position to sitting on his hind legs. Though he now knew which male she was refering to, he thought it would be fun to make her describe him. Her honesty towards things like this were always amusing to him.

"♪ Well from what I saw, he had some lip piercings and a gauge. A sword... he was carrying a few things like a box of some sort. Grey eyes, brown hair that was slightly messy as if done on purpose... the skin on his face looked... almost more delicate than my own. Was he really a boy or was it a God familiar that passed us by? ♪ " When she was done washing her brushes, Rin reached for some paper towels to dry them with before walking back to her things.

"Hmm... now I remember which one you mean." he said with a light chuckle. A God familiar? That was pushing the attractiveness of his features just a bit. "How did you manage to see all those things. I was watching you and your eyes were focused on your painting the entire time." he inquired, the tone giving away a bit of his hidden amusement.

"♪ I saw him pass from the corner of my eyes. ♪ " she said simply, as if it was an obvious fact that she her eyes never missed anything.

"I see. They are as sharp as ever. Well... what about him?"

"♪ I want to draw him. ♪ " she said as she finished packing her things up and returning them to her art box. Afterwards, she took the wet painting of her familiar and gently tore the page free from the stand, and went to lay it on a rack to dry properly. "♪ Did you see where he went? ♪ " she asked when she returned to his side. It was then that her sleeping snake Pyry lifted his head and began to slither down her neck and arm in an attempt to get to Eirwyn. Rin helped him along, placing him on Eirwyn's head which caused the large wolf to grumble in protest.

"I hate when Pyry is on me. he never stays still and I feel as though my fur is infested with something. ...And, I believe he went towards the design studio. Perhaps we will find him in there, and I do recall hearing the sound of a sewing machine at some point... Then maybe he will relieve me of my duties as your model." the wolf said. Though he still had his usual bored tone, there was a hit of hopefulness there as well. With a nod, Rin gathered up her things, got her penci sketch of Eirwyn, and the two of them started walking. it was a moment later that she realized she had forgotten something. Reaching into her art box, she retrived a pen and went back to her painting, quickly scribbling her signature at the bottom corner with two snowflakes on either side.

❅ รภ๏ฬ ฬђเtє ❅

"♪ Ah. Perfect. Now let us be off. ♪ " she said as they continued their way on to the design studio. As they walked the two spoke about upcoming classes and the possibility of Rin getting a new, stronger familiar this year. It was a sensitive topic for the wolf, because he had been trying with no luck to raise his daemon class to B, and Rin was almost positive that was impossible. The pair had only a year left with their contract, and the thought of seperating was hard for the both of them. Eirwyn was convinced there were better daemon out there for her, and at the start of their time together, he had made her swear to make a contract with a better daemon if the time was ever to come. A long silence followed their discussion until Eirwyn began to snarl angrily in her head.

"Get this reptile off of me or I swear I will eat him." he snapped angrily. Rin rolled her eyes at his dramatics as she reached over and grabbed Pyry, placing him around her neck. Patting her wolf's head helped him calm down, and the rest of the walk was carried out in peaceful silence. When they got to the design studio, Rin peeked her head in and looked around. Sure enough, the boy was sitting alone at one of the work tables, holding something in his hands. While content with just standing there and looking at him, Eirwyn came up behind her and nuzzled his nose under her dress, causing her to squeal loudly and dash into the room. She glared at her wolf who was now laughing loudly, and after a moment, she turned her head to look at the boy who now probably though the was insane.

"♪ Ah... Hello there... sorry about that. ♪ " she said nervously as she stepped over to him, her snickering familiar behind her. "My name is Rin. I don't remember seeing you around and I wanted to say hi and... ask if I could maybe draw you? Or if perhaps you dont have the time... could I take a picture of you? You are probably one of the most beautiful guys I've ever seen. What do you say? ♪ " she asked smiling at him. Eirwyn sighed and mumbled something she couldn't make out before saying, "When you say it like that, it is a bit creepy. Though I have to say I am proud of that one. You have been way creepier in the past." Rin rolled her eyes and sat across from the boy and noticed that what he had in his hands was a collar of some sort, and it was very well made. "♪ Did you make that? ♪" she asked curiously as her wolf came to rest his large head on her lap. She petted his ears as she waited for the boy to speak.

While wandering out, Fallon had managed to find the art building and ventured inside. She peeked in the various classrooms, seeing students busy at work, as if they were all extremely dedicated and hard working. They all seemed to be rather studious and it didn’t suit her personality at all. She saw a girl painting in a room full of canvases and art. She peeked into a room with lots of mannequins, determining this was the fashion design room, and seeing two others already conversing inside. She started to walk in and introduce herself, but felt suddenly shy, and like she would be a bother if she did so. So, she kept going, walking through. She walked out the other end and by that time had finished her coffee, and wandered back towards the dorms.

”You’re not getting another one are you?” Iris said, a scolding, disbelief tone to her voice. Fallon hesitated to answer. Of course she wouldn’t mind getting another, but she didn’t feel like looking at those judging green eyes.

”No, okay? Maybe just some breakfast this time…” she said. She looked to the side at her cat who eyed her suspiciously, which only made Fallon giggle. Because really, what was she going to do if Fallon decided on another cup?

She walked into the building, tossing her cup into a garbage can near the entrance, and headed back towards where the smell of coffee called her name. Maybe if she got enough caffeine today she’d feel half as studious and serious as these other people. On her way though, she saw a boy and suddenly the smell of burnt coffee beans hit her nose. It was entirely obvious to her, seeing as how she had an odd nose for the smell. Crinkling her nose, her face twitched slightly and she stopped almost right in front of the boy.

”Ew what smells burnt?” she asked him, sniffing the air when Iris nuzzled her jaw.

It’s him, Fallon… she said, as if it was obvious.

”Oh it’s you?” Fallon asked, frowning slightly and blinking, simply surprised and then a tad embarrassed as she had basically just accused this stranger of stinking. She blushed and smiled apologetically. ”I mean… I’m sorry. I was just curious,” she said, hoping that apology was good enough as she wasn’t exactly sure what to say. Say or do something nice! she yelled at herself in her head. ”Um… perhaps I can treat you to some coffee… that isn’t burned?” she asked hesitantly, unsure of what his answer would be.

Tichondrius looked up suddenly when he heard a sharp yelp from the doorway, the pale white artsy girl from earlier the source of the commotion. Her familiar let forth a guffaw, amusing Tychus with the thought that it must have been the one behind making her squeal. When she greeted him, adding in a quick apology for her sudden interruption he nodded politely, flashing a warm smile toward her. The moment she mentioned her name, Rin, he recalled reading her name on the roster for the dead languages course he was assisting in. He himself was fluent in the two languages being taught to entry level dead language students, as well as two other upper level languages, and so it was likely he'd be directly instructing students from time to time. That, in effect, made the girl standing before him one of his students. Interesting... the thought floated through his mind as she went on, asking if she could draw him or take a photograph of him. The comment on him being beautiful brought a shy smile from him, the idea of being called beautiful somewhat embarrassing to him. Most people thought he was strange looking, an oddity. This was a change of pace he could get behind.

The girl's bond with her daemon was clear and almost charming, the playful banter between them reminding him of his first daemon, Jin, who was sitting on the table right beside him. He wouldn't bother to wake Jin up though, not unless it became necessary to do so. When he caught Rin's eyes homing in on the collar, he immediately assumed she'd be taken aback by it, though her singsongy voice asking if he had made it caught him further off guard. Perhaps he could get along with her well enough. She had yet to be terribly put off by any of his passive mannerisms. Jin held up a single finger to say 'one moment' before sliding off of the table, collar still in hand. He quickly rifled through the box, removing a dark brown leather notebook packed with mostly filled in tan pages that held notes he wrote to himself and to others, diagrams of designs, ingredient lists for meals, supply lists, addresses to ship to, and so on. It was one of many dozen that filled his closet, each of the predecessors filled to the brim with black ink. His hand then slipped into his pocket, producing a jade coloured fountain pen.

Tychus abandoned the collar on the table and held the notebook with one hand, opening it carefully to a blank page with his thumb. His other hand brought down the nib of the pen, writing quickly and fluidly, his pen darting across the page in a swift and almost showy manner, his stone gray eyes never leaving the page. The moment he lifted the pen from the paper, he rotated the notebook to her, letting her see what he had written:

"Hi, I'm Tichondrius Gresham (I also answer to Tychus), a fourth year and the TA for your Dead Language class. I'm also a mute, hence the writing.

I'd love to be drawn by you, but on one condition: I want you to model the collar I just made."

He looked from the book to her, reaching over and grabbing the collar with his free hand while he held the notebook out for her to read. After giving her enough time to read the writing, he took a step toward her, holding out the collar to her, offering it to her. This thumb was pressed gently against the soft almost silky leather that lined the inside and in his palm was also the lock to the collar that he expected her to put on as well so that the collar wouldn't simply fall off. The lock itself was a little embarrassing for him to hold, it being a small brass heart with a keyhole meant to only be opened by the owner of the key. Tichondrius bit down softly on his bottom lip, anticipating rejection on his offer, doing his best to hold back embarrassment.

Bune watched Tristan curiously, keeping his word as always to Dactrin and suppressing any emotions from being emitted. "She's lovely" Bune grumbled warmly. Dactrin straightened as Tristan and her daemon turned to look at the pair of them, their presence now aware of. Dactrin watched blankly as Tristan made a friendly gesture for them to come join them. He didn't have a stern look on his face but his frown of trepidation was still less appealing than his previous blank stare. Dactrin wasn't one for laughing or joking, taking most of his days with a serious tone. It was hard for him to hide his stress, frustration or fear from his face. Bune glanced up to Dactrin after seeing Tristan's invitation, wondering how he would react. No smile, no wave, just a longer stare. "You know" Bune started saying, looking back to Tristan with a wave of his tale "it doesn't hurt to respond to people when they wave or smile at you." Dactrin mostly kept his head down in school, keeping to himself. After a year of isolating himself from others, it was only the teachers left that would bother to keep giving him hellos, waves and smiles in the halls when passing by. Deep down he appreciated it but feared opening up, remaining silent and to himself. Bune was the only one Dactrin was comfortable being completely himself with, free to smile or act as he may. Bune wished Dactrin would gain the confidence in himself to open up to others, to living people. It was a work in progress.

Dactrin continued to watch curiously as Tristan turned back to her daemon. He watched as the daemon began to create something around them, a beautiful sculpture depicted with great detail and skill. When Tristan looked back once more to him and Bune, patiently waiting to see if they would take her invitation, he found himself returning her smile with a small one of his own. Bune looked up to Dactrin, tail swaying happily. Exhaling deeply, Dactrin pushed off from the tree he was leaning on and began walking towards Tristan. He put his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt and glanced to Bune as he walked towards her, obviously nervous but displaying a nonchalant walk as he approached them. Bune mumbled low one last time to Dactrin, since Bune did not communicate telepathically, "Don't be afraid to make friends" then fell silent as they then came right to Tristan and Sierra, turning his gaze back to Tristan and surveying the daemon with her.

Dactrin walked up to Tristan. His lips twitching to the side in a small grin. "Hey" he said simply as he came to her resting spot. As he got a better look of her face he recognized her from his Daemonology class. She also had a resemblance to the TA for High PE and he wondered if they were related. He was one of the strongest in the class and worked closely with Jason their TA on any obstacles he wanted to perfect. His goal was to take the next available TA spot, perhaps in his third year. Everyday he trained an hour in the gym and an hour in the obstacle facility, perfecting his physical skills in the realm of both strength, endurance and agility. He had a thick frame and lots of muscle mass attached to it, but he wouldn't let that keep him from being as fast as he was strong.

Not sure of what else to say, wanting to break the brief silence that felt much too awkward for him, Dactrin then said "That's pretty cool" pointing to the dragon and house carved sculpture that glowed softly, as if it were a living piece of art. He looked to Sierra and said "you're very talented."

Rin would watch the boy quietly as her hands absently caressed the fuzzy ears on Eirwyn's head as he rested it on her lap. Instead of answering her question, he began to write something down in a brown notebook using a fancy pen. She wondered what he was doing, but waited patiently. Sure enough, her questions were answered when he showerd her what he had written down. She read over what was on the page and a small smile crept onto her face.

"♪ So your name is Tie..cus... Tie cus? Tie... ♪ " Rin practiced the name a few times, sounding it out much like a five year old would do. "♪ Tychus. ♪ " she would finally say in the appropriate way. "♪ I'd love to model it for you. ♪ " If all she had to do was wear it in exchange for getting to draw him, it seemed like a rather good deal to her. One by one she would remove the various necklaces that hung from around her neck, and placed them on the table in front of her. She did not need to move her snake however, as he had since moved down to rest on the cool table. She then lifted up the ends of her snow white hair and drew it all into a ponytail with a band from around her wrist, then reached out and took the collar delicately in her hands, as if it was something she could break by simply staring at it too hard. She would reach up and place the cool leather around her neck, holding it in place with one hand, before reaching out to take the lock from him then. She locked it but noticed it was a little big for her slender neck, and wondered if she should maybe make it tighter. After a moment of thought, she decided to leave it be. There was no point in risking getting strangled. Though she couldn't see what it looked like on her, she was sure it was nice as a contrast to her rather colorless outfit and hair.

"♪ How does it look? ♪ " she asked him then. "♪ Sorry if I don't look like the person you plan to give it too. ♪ " she said with a smile. "♪ What do you think Eirwyn? Does it look good on me? ♪ " The white wolf would slowly open his eyes, look at her a moment, and then close them back again.

"You could be dressed in only rags and still look adorable, Rin. It suits you. Well done young man." he would say in a tone that was more sleepy then bored or sarcastic. To that, Rin began to pet his ears some more before looking back at Tychus. "♪ So, it seems like I get to snag a bit more of your time while I draw you. I'll be sure not to take too long. Um... If you could maybe find any position that is natural so you do not get uncomfortable... I'll need you to stay rather still. ♪ " she paused when she remembered she didn't bring any paper with her. "♪ Oh, wait. We have to go back to the Art Room. ♪ " she stated, patting Eirwyn's head to move. When he did, she stood up and retrieved her necklaces, draping it over the head of her daemon to his protest. She ignored him as she went to stand by Tychus after getting her art box.

"♪ Come on. ♪ " she demanded with a smile before she turned and skipped back the way she entered, her daemon padding along after her, and her ponytail bouncing as she left. She did, however, completely forget to get her snake, Pyry, who was not slithering its way over to Tychus, likely looking for a ride while he slept.

"Uh, yeah, I'm sorry, that's me." Alexander responded with a slightly embarrassed smile. "I was making my own drink stuff and... well... I got distracted." He rubbed the back of his head with his left hand, laughing a bit, he shook the tied up plastic bag in his right hand down by his side. "I get distracted pretty easily." He smiled and cocked his head slightly to the side. "No need to be sorry, it does smell pretty gross, that's why I'm tossing it into the dumpster."

Aren't you going to introduce yourself and me? Kas asked him hopping up from the floor and scrambling up to rest across Alex's shoulders.

"Oh, right, sorry, I'm Alexander Akiyama, Alex or Xander for short. This is my daemon Kasai, but he goes by Kas. And I'm sorry I have been rambling, but if you want some coffee, I just have to get rid of this junk and then I would love to grab a non-burnt cup." He smiled and hurriedly ducked through a door to the outer area of the school and ditched the plastic bag full of burnt material into a nearby dumpster, then hurried back hoping he hadn't offended the girl.

Tichondrius's eyes were glued on the pale girl as she removed each of her necklaces, her albino snake slinking down her arm as she finished removing her accessories and removed the collar from his hand. His eyes almost glowed with excitement as she brought the collar up to her neck, the dark supple leather contrasting sharply to her neon white skin, as if it were being showcased before him. He hadn't realised she was speaking until the word 'look, her sing-songy voice snatching up his attention. He absolutely loved the look of it, though it could've been just a smidge tighter. A dull rising pain began to build in his chest, rising through his throat, drawing his attention to the fact that he had been holding his breath the entire time. 'Huh', the thought went through his mind, 'I don't normally do that now, do I?'

Tychus's hands went to his notebook, his pen quickly dancing across the page as he heard the daemon compliment his work, giving him a strange sense of satisfaction. If it could please a daemon, then it was usually decent work. He could find happiness in knowing that the wolf-like familiar to the pale girl appreciated his work. When Tychus looked up from his notebook, having heard what she had to say, he frowned slightly watching her take her leave from the room to wait for him to model for her. 'Fair is fair, I suppose', his frown slowly morphed into a small smile as a devious thought flickered through his mind, reminding him of something he really should've mentioned to the girl. He had lost the key to that lock some time ago, so for the time being she couldn't exactly get out of it without cutting it off, which could be dangerous and would certainly be a pain in the ass.

A soft sound, almost like a whisper, caught his ear and drew his attention to Rin's forgotten possession. The white snake which was clearly looking for a ride. Tychus snickered quietly and quickly threw the scabbard containing Jin over his shoulder as he made he way to the snake, carefully bringing its head up to his face. It shot it's tongue out at him, Tychus happily replying with a flicker of his own tongue. The snake seemed to accept the gesture and lurched forward onto his shoulder, curling around the scabbard of Jin, its head resting on the buttcap of Jin. Tychus made his way out into the arm room, mildly amused that the snake was attracted to the warmth that pulsated from Jin's dormant state. It seemed his daemonic friend had a use even when asleep.

Tychus joined up with Rin and the daemon dog, move to where the daemon had been sitting earlier. He looked around, biting his lip as he thought of what might work best for her, a flash of inspiration shooting through his bright eyes. He turned his back to the girl and removed the scabbard from his shoulder, placing it on the ground for a moment, being mindful of both the snake and his daemon. His hands shot up to his waist and in quick motion he pulled the sweater off, dropping it a few feet to his left, revealing the intricate trash polka tattoo that sprawled across his back. He then brought the scabbard back up, sliding his arm through the strap and letting it hang from his left shoulder, the snake still comfortably curled around the sword. He looked back toward Rin, smiling warmly as made an "OK?" with his hand, hoping that it was passable to the young artist.

Fallon found it interesting he had been making his own coffee, too bad it he had gotten distracted. What he had made might have been better than what she’d already had that morning if he hadn’t burnt his. ”Oh okay,”Fallon said, moving slightly so he could get past her to go to the dumpster when he said he had to throw the stuff away, embarrassed blush still on her cheeks. Great way to make friends, Fallon. Go around telling people they smell.. As she was thinking to herself though, the boy introduced himself and his daemon, making Fallon feel a lot more comfortable and smiling. She was about to return the gesture when he ran off to go throw away his burnt coffee, making Fallon laugh a little under her breath as she pulled Iris off her shoulders and held her curled up in her arms.

”He seems awfully flighty,”Iris purred aloud, making Fallon shush her when the guy came running back. Well, at least he hadn’t made an excuse and then just ran off leaving her standing there. That probably would have hurt her feelings a bit. But he came back hands free of the burnt coffee and no longer smelling so. ”My name is Fallon, and this is Iris, my daemon,” she said, petting the black cat with large green eyes who was staring at Kasai. ”It’s nice to meet you Alex. And Kas,” Fallon giggled, thinking the daemon was very pretty and wanted to pet him honestly though she refrained, despite her eyes lingering on him. If it was up to her, she’d have a veritable zoo of fluffy, adorable daemons she could cuddle with all day.

”Um, I think this way was where I went before to get coffee,” she said, having already forgotten exactly the layout of the place since she’d been exploring. It was so much to remember! But she headed off in the right direction and got in line as she talked to Alex some more. ”So, are you a first year like me?” she asked meekly, secretly hoping he wasn’t. Perhaps he could show her the ropes so to say, as she had yet to really meet anyone else. Maybe he even had friends she could be introduced to as well. all the while, Iris laid lazily in her arms, tail swinging this way and that in a bored fashion.

“Great to meet you too, Fallon, Iris.” Alex smiled broadly, and gave a bow to each of them in turn, sending Kas falling from his shoulder. The daemon turned into a wisp before hitting the ground, then floated back to perch once more on his shoulder, giving his ear a nudge of annoyance.

You did that on purpose. Kas spoke telepathically. Alex ignored him, continuing to smile at Fallon as she began walking towards the cafeteria. Alex had learned his first year here that while talking to your Daemons was normal, people still looked at you funny when they couldn’t here the Daemon’s side of the conversaion.

“I’m actually technically a second year, but I came here about three years ago and went to the middle school first.” Alex shrugged slightly embarrassed, wanting to change the topic. He didn’t like talking about why he came before high school.

When they got to the front f the line Alex smiled broadly at the woman and ordered two large americano’s, each with an extra two pumps of espresso, then looked to the new girl, Fallon, “And what do you want?” He asked her smiling, “It’s on me by the way.”

At Tristan's invitation, desiring to finish resting from his run, Dactrin took her offer and sat down next to her. Reflexively he began stretching is legs after his run, slowly leaning in to one leg, the other tucked in close to his body. "Nice to meet you Tristin. I'm Dactrin. Yeah, I thought you looked familiar I just couldn't remember your name. We never really spoke during class." He paused, a slight look of guilt sweeping across his face. He looked to his shoe as he leaned closer in to his stretch. "Yeah, I'm taking Daemonology again. Hunting is an area I'm trying to perfect and understanding the fundamentals and intricacies of daemons is vital to my success." He looked like a jock but definitely didn't speak like one. Dactrin looked back to Tristan as her daemon corrected her for apologizing for being a TA. "I agree," he said softly, looking to Sierra then back to Tristan. He straightened his back and bent his legs up, resting his arms on his knees. "It doesn't matter if you TA in a 'way' that the class doesn't like. As long as you're following the curriculum and supporting the education, how does it matter you do it?" He made it clear he would be an ally for her in class should anyone speak out against her.

Beau, who had fallen quiet and was listening to the conversations, turned to look to Sierra as she brought her attention to him. As she bowed in greeting he lowered his head a bit for his bow in response. "Beau, miss" he responded in his deep voice. "Pleasure to meet you Sierra." At her question he thought for a moment. His past was something he hadn't thought about in a long time but both past and present he had traveled many miles and through numerous cities before he came to Dactrin. This was the longest he had ever stayed in one place before and it was only because of Dactrin. Both in part because he wanted to help Dactrin through school and to keep him out of trouble, such as wandering off on his own to find Livala, and he enjoyed his company; it was a bond so natural it felt strange to break away from. "I've traveled many places, we very well could have crossed paths. You'll have to excuse my memory though, it's something of my past I don't often think of anymore. How long have you been with miss Tristan?" he asked Sierra.

Dactrin had already turned back to Tristan. He didn't need to listen in on Beau's conversations. As their daemons conversed Dactrin looked to Tristan as she asked him a question. "The weather is perfect" he agreed, glancing around and then lifting his face to the sky. The sun was already creeping up the blue sky and warming them, a soft breeze blowing through the grounds. He looked back to Tristan. "I'm actually quite ready for school to start. I don't have any family so waiting out the Holidays is rather difficult. I'm ready to start classes, to start learning. I spent my summer here and mostly focused on my workout and fitness routine and studying. I'm in my second year but I've already begun some third year course work." He was a strange oxymoron, looking like a muscular jock on the outside, but his actions showing his true passion for studying and learning. Even though he was an intelligent young man, his motives were still pulled by his secret desire for revenge. Dactrin asked her "what about you?"

Fallon jumped back slightly when Kas fell off Alex’s shoulder, but when he became like smoke and then reappeared on Alex’s shoulder, she was delighted. ”That’s quite a talent!” she complimented his daemon, smiling. ”Oh so you must know all about this place. The classes, the rules, all about daemons… I’m afraid I really don’t know much about any of it,” she said, smile straining slightly as she hoped to become a part of the culture of the school. And pick up everything rather quickly. It would be best for her classes either way.

When they got to the front of the line, Fallon ordered another French Vanilla, earning her a nip from Iris since she’d promised just to get food and not another drink of liquid caffeine. ”Oh shush you,” Fallon teased softly to the cat, reaching up to scratch her ears while glancing to Alex who said it was on him. ”Oh you don’t have to do that. It was my idea,” she said, pulling out her wallet. But then she hesitated. ”Well, I guess you can pay this time and I will next time! Maybe we can make it a morning tradition. That is, if you drink some every morning like I do,” she chuckled, knowing he must or he wouldn’t be trying to make coffee in his room Or ordering two coffees right off the bat.

Once she got her drink she looked around for a place to sit. ”Actually, it’s so nice outdoors, would you want to go outside? Seems like others are out there enjoying the day too, so we might as well,” she smiled brightly.