Some decisions were made in a split moment, and Raule’s decision to fall rather than stand tall after Talia crashed into him was one. With a hand behind him and another on Talia’s chest, he managed to cushion both their falls relatively well. Oh, the two of them still ended up in a heap on the floor, but at least neither of them hit anything particularly hard. Letting out a quiet sigh as Talia rambled on top of him, Raule was about to reassure her that it wasn’t a big deal when she scampered off and disappeared within the crowd. Blinking in a mix of confusion, amusement, and a smidge of irritation, Raule was quick to give a few passing fifth years the middle finger at their jeers, though both parties meant it all in good-humor.

He was about to stand up when he noticed that Talia had not departed flawlessly, but had left a small silver fox behind. Its eyes seemed to hold a fair bit of emotion and intelligence, and staring into them Raule had a fair idea of what was on the creature’s mind. Holding his hand out for it to climb onto, he muttered, “Come on. Wouldn’t want you getting crushed after all.” He wasn’t going to deal with a first-year’s panic about losing their pet if he could avoid it. Hell, he even rummaged through his bag and pulled out a piece of jerky to tempt the fox with. Thankfully the animal seemed cooperative for the most part and hopped onto Raule without much trouble.

---

The headmaster’s speech was about as much as any of the older years had come to expect. A bit random, a bit encouraging, highly improper for someone of his stature if you cared about such stuffy things, and all around condescending. He had somehow managed to enter the hall mid-speech, giving a small shrug that emphasized about how little fucks he gave about doing so. Which for the reference was zero, so the headmaster could call him out all he wanted. He knew the old gemstone hadn’t missed his “stealthy” entrance, but apparently didn’t deem it worth his time to rag on a fifth year. As the speech finally came to an end with a bit of applause from some confused first-years because that’s what you were supposed to do right? It died rather quickly when they realized, that no, such standards didn’t apply in this case.

Standing tall amidst the rush… okay not really. Raule took a spot away from the exits of the main hall and leaned against the wall as he scanned the many students rushing to leave the building. He was trying to figure pick Talia out from the crowd, something that wasn’t really working given how she wasn’t exactly tall compared to a fair share of her peers. With a small sigh, as he really did want to get to his own business and couldn’t really do so while carrying around her pet, Raule let a bit of energy infuse his legs. Holding the fox so it didn’t go flying away, Raule kicked off the hall’s floors and easily leapt a dozen meters or so to reach the ceiling. There, his claws dug into the stone as he hung and surveyed the student body from above. Much better, albeit now he had a fair bit of attention on him. It didn’t really bother him and he used his new found vantage point to scan the students below. Oh, there she was.

With a slight swing of his legs, Raule released his grip on the ceiling and flipped himself so he faced the floor. From there, a slight push was enough to propel him towards the floor. The students around Talia tried to scatter, but were frankly too slow, so Raule actually had to put some effort into not bowling over a dozen of them. Twisting his body so he slipped in between them, Raule stood up in the midst of likely a dozen people’s personal space. “My apologies,” he said to all those around him as he held the silver fox by the scruff of its neck and out towards Talia, “but I believe this is yours.”

Lilith weaved her way between the dense packs of students, entering into the Main Hall promptly. She ran a hand through her alabaster hair, brushing snow off her head. She lifted her red gaze to the beauty of the Academy's Main Hall, drinking in the impressive sight of ornate architecture and elegant arches surrounding a towering, twisting tree. To the left and right, leaves and foliage extended from the tree to weave around intricate columns and walls. The immaculate hall was beautiful, sure, but also quite intimidating. She gulped nervously, looking straight ahead again as she filed into the first years' section.

”All students, please proceed to the main hall with your luggage. You will be organized by year, and will wait for the headmaster to give his opening speech. Any students caught lingering around will be escorted personally.”

The stale, expressionless female voice of the announcer continued on, the statement quickly becoming incredibly vapid as it repeated constantly, Suddenly, a new, rasping voice echoed through the hall, making Lilith wince slightly as it rang through her ears. She later found a seat as a stoic women walked onto the stage, saying peaking a few short introduction words, before leaving it to the Headmaster's turn to speak. ”...What a bunch of plebeian newspawns. I swear, I’m already missing last year’s graduating class. Such a kind and lively lot.” The same, elderly, rather snarky voice from earlier echoed through the halls. Lilith raised an eyebrow in confusion, expecting somebody else to appear on the stage. She inspected the women as the voice spoke again, until she eyed the blue orb that seemed to be irregularly glowing in the cane she held. A wave of realization hit her as she began to understand - the Headmaster was right in front of them. That was certainly something new.

The speech went on, a rather more informal one than she expected from a Headmaster. She continued to listen to the speech, feeling a cold chill down her spine as she heard the words ”...there are those here today, who will no longer be among us by the end of this year.” For a moment, she felt dread clawing at her throat as the statement sank into her, her head full of morbid images and memories - and then breathed out a heavy sigh. She expected to hear this - but, it wasn't a topic she wanted to torture her thoughts with at the moment. Pushing away her sudden anxiety, she continued to listen to the Headmaster's speech. She grimaced as the Headmaster's voice rose in volume and emotion, breaking into a full-blown rant about who-knows-what. She prayed she wouldn't have to listen to another ear-splitting rant from the Headmaster again for the rest of her time at the Academy, but obviously that likely wouldn't be the case.

"Alas, once you've selected a partner, you will both be thrown into a somewhat larger accommodation. "
"Partner..." Lilith mumbled to herself, feeling doubtful. She got up as the students were at last dismissed from the lengthy speech, stretching her arms a bit from sitting in one place for so long.

When shark girl, as Ari had decided to refer to the girl with pointy teeth, protested at Ari's attempts to make her carry her, Ariadne was about to whine a bit to convince her, but she soon got a change of heart and decided to take Ari in her arms. She was hot... Maybe, in more ways than one, just as she had said. What was she? She was indeed warmer than your average human, maybe she could heat up Ariadne with just her corporal heat. Ari seductively passed a finger through shark girl's chest. "Much better." She put her arm around her waist now and hugged her, slightly burying her face in her chest. Yeah, she was finally starting to feel better. The need to go to sleep for the rest of the school year faded away. "I could get used to this, you know... Maybe addicted to it." While hiding her face away, she puts on a sly grin. If she can charm this girl, then she'll get a walking heater that will be able to keep her warm even in all of this damn snow. Maybe, she can even awake to the fantastic world of Yuri. "Now that I think of it... I still haven't heard your name. Or should I just call you sharky teeth?" With a slight, sarcastic chuckle, she turns her head upwards to meet eye to eye with the girl.

Ari peeked through the sides. What a flow of students. Though, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the voice of the vice headmaster. Now that she was ordering people to go to the seats designated for their years, Ari knew it was time to say goodbye to her heater with legs. It was a pity, really, but at least now, she'd keep hot with so much students around her. A little forcefully, Ari puts her legs on the ground, before saying anything to Dagny and freeing herself from her embrace, though she wished she didn't need to. Dagny seemed a lot more accustomed to everything, so Ariadne was almost sure that she was older and in another year. "I'm sorry, but I need to go now. I hope we see each other again. Thanks for carrying my things, and me, all the way here..." Approaching her ear yet again, she whispered. "I'll reward you next time we see each other. She returns to her original position and blows a kiss at Dagny. "Look forward to it!" She turned around and walked to where the seats for the second years were, carrying her bag in her hand and her bow in the other. She had taken them in such a short time that she wasn't sure if Dagny had noticed. Oh well. She really did hope they could meet again, maybe even become her partner. After all, with her by her side, nothing could go wrong for Ari, no matter how cold the environment.

---

Ari was about to stand up and shout her three sizes when the headmaster asked for them, but, unfortunately, the VHM stopped him in his tracks. She let out a sigh, a bored sigh. This was really the most boring event ever, she was sure of it. The speech was dragging and Ari just wanted to get out of there. When the headmaster started rambling, she let out yet another sigh and put her hand over her face. Maybe, she should have stayed in bed until after the headmaster had finished. Thankfully, the headmaster finished after his senseless ramblings. She was one of the first people to walk out of the hall, and one of the first things she saw when she was walking out was a guy (Chris) leaning over a wall, in a cool guy sense. So, she decided to instigate him a little. Ari blowed a kiss at him and winked. "Hello there. Who you waiting for? She says and puts herself beside him, leaning against the wall in an equally cool manner. "You don't mind if I accompany you for a while, right? I'm kinda bored right now."

“Partner….” Ayaka continued to grumble to herself, surveying the Raule-less crowds which sluggishly pilled in all possible directions this place had. The kitsune was so absorbed in her self-thought that her surrounds blurred into the background and all sound was but a distant chatter. Her thoughts melted into a creepy vibe, her somewhat frantic glimpses around being a result of this. She would have to find something to do with herself for the next day. It comforted her to a certain extent to realize that she was not the only one who knew no one and spoke to no one. She didn’t have enough confidence to blow a kiss to a stranger, only to take the life of one on a battle field.

Wait. Isn’t that the chick (Ari) who stripped for attention?

Now Ayaka really didn’t have the courage to go to those extremes. She clenched her armor to her sides covering her bare body beneath with a repulse shudder.
Out of her peripheral vision, a blur of white hair falling to her side caught her attention. She found the oddity sudden, pulling a few flinches from her and low-key irritation. “Hey…” She announced calmly with great displeasure while her eyes shift to focus on the character. The image hit her like a throwing knife had came from the ceiling and score a bull’s-eye in her pupil

“R-r…” Her tongue was so twisted she failed to pronounce even one syllable of his name . However, he was not the only blur of white fur she saw, but her pet fox aswell. She quickly received the animal whom scattered back into her bag, tossing a thankful glance in the fifth year’s direction. The fox seemed to even smile a toothy grin. What’s next? It could speak English? The animal was just as far from normal as the girl’s reaction.

Ayaka’s eyes lowered to the ground, all of the outspokenness had dissolved into seriousness. Had this been a first year she would have taken her animal with some halfassed gratitude and never give it a second thought but she had some respect about herself.

“Gomen.” She bowed her head for a moment, her foreign , apologetic tongue and hospitality shadowed japan for the short time is lasted, forgetting that this place wasn’t what shes always known. “I owe you. You offered me food which was consumed between the two of us.” She bats her eyes at the guilty fox that made quick work of the food in her bag. “ and I fell on you without apology, yet you return a precious family member to me. I do not prefer to be in debt, one my talents is to cause it…nationally. Likewise, my kind is engineered to be faithful in these situations, perhaps in ways that may be too taboo for humans to fully understand. But of course, not just mere humans are wandering in this place.”

Ayaka perked up, her lips part, nibbling the bottom one once as if her next words were reluctant to come out. Her brown eyes began glowing crimson the moment her fingers brushed over the hilt of her whip to which she quickly withdrew from. She tapped her foot in a prudent, rushed manner. “Your wish is my command.” Tilting her head to the side, she finally makes eye contact with the superior. “Only if that is what you wish, which is technically a wish nonetheless.”

Loreal

"Oh, thanks!" Loreal repeated at his offer to help her after the speech. She watched him walk off to join the first years, confirming what she was thinking: he didn't look particularly familiar so him being a first year made sense. She turned her attention on the speech after, her eyes watching the headmistress and headmaster. With it being her second year, she was less surprised to see a talking gem stone take the stage, but it was still quite strange. Her people believed many things to be alive: people, animals, plants... Rocks not so much, so it was quite the eye opener her first year.

When Jeremiah rejoined her with a question, she blinked at him. "Oh. No, he's not the stick," she corrected. "He's the gem on the stick, though. It was pretty...it was something else my first year here, too," she confided, laughing a bit then followed his gaze to the orcs and student in a sort of fight. "Yeah, it's...pretty hectic here, too." Then at his indication, she perked up a bit and turned to leave, following students out of the main hall and to the dorms.

"This is really awesome of you to help me out with the bags," she said as he led him. "I really appreciate it."


_____________________________________________

Dagny

“I could live with that,” Dagny assured at Ariadne’s comment on getting addicted, her face still flushed red by the girl’s intimate gestures and tone. Then she was reminded that she still hadn’t given a name and she felt her cheeks warm further and she shifted a bit. “Oh, right. My bad. It’s Dagny Ek,” she stated, grinning confidently at the weight of her name. “Just Dagny, though—or whatever you’d like, really.”

Then the speech began and Dagny had to let the other girl go. Awesome, she thought ironically, already missing the weight of the other girl in arms. Then her mouth was at her ear again, but she managed to keep herself from looking too flushed. And the promise of a reward— “Oh, I am,” she assured as she was told to look forward to it. Then the blown kiss—she felt her ears warm again and this time smoke escaped from between her lips, filtering into the air. It wasn’t until she noticed the bag in other girl’s hand as she walked away that she noticed it was gone. She looked down at her empty hand and flexed it before looking up once more to watch the girl walk away and join the second years, the headmaster barely grabbing Dagny’s attention.

It was a similar spiel as the last few years of opening speeches. As a result, the dragon had a difficult time paying attention. Even the mention of partners went over head and she used the time given by the speech to set her bags down and cool off. She stretched her arms above her hand and yawned, eyes flickering about at the other students.

“…You’re dismissed,” finally decided the headmaster. And with that, Dagny gathered her belongings and quickly left to go to her dorm, wanting to avoid the crowd of students. On her way out, she managed to catch a glimpse of Scales chatting up some tall dude she recognized to be a year ahead of Dagny, but managed to ignore the twinge of jealousy.

Once Karu had calmed down he focused more on the following the message. There was of course some sort of magical snow war going on, but magic did not really bother him. The cold air was much more troublesome despite his magical warmth, so he snuck around the outskirts of the fight toward the assembly. It was hard to see around the other students with him only coming up to mosts people's waists, so he had to levitate himself up a little with wings lazily and slowly moving out of habit.

He was a little surprised that the headmaster was a talking gemstone, but he really was not bothered by it. He was more concerned about the danger, and finding a partner for the academy's activities. He was quite good at keeping alive himself, but he was not exactly the most experienced in combat. Magic was as easy as breathing for him though, so he was sure that could be useful! The rest of the speech was not as interesting, he'd seen rocks do plenty of things back on Lucis, a headmaster rock was surprising and had a rather odd attitude, but he was more concerned with what he was going to do after the speech.

After they were dismissed, he had finally decided what he wanted to do. Having skipped breakfast in his anxiousness about leaving home, he wanted to hunt down some food. Unfortunately, there was snow outside, so scavenging it up himself was probably out of the question. Fortunately, as he walked out into the next hall his small bundle of notebooks in a blanket floating next to him, he came across Chris asking if anyone needed help.

The fae dragon hesitated at first, the student was clearly from earth and seemed to be merged with some of the earth technology, but the man had possibly the least threatening stance he'd seen in a while. He worked up the courage to approach him though, food was a very good motivator after all. “Excuse me. Do you know where I can get some food? I've never been in a big place like this before and I've never been good at understanding maps.” he asked, having to look far up with his size.

Coffee Time

While filing into the seats, he had lost track of his new acquaintance from earlier. By the time the speech had come to an end, the girl was unable to be spotted from the sea of grey. Even though her hair was a unique bright color, it was veiled by the black headwear which blended in with the uniforms. ”I’ll… Probably run into her later. Yeah, not that big of an academy.” Though, such hopes were drowned out by the plethora of students attending the school. With such an enormous campus, of course it would be accommodated by a swarm of applicants, making the chances of students who met on the first day winding up in the same class… considerably low. ”Well, fate, I’m at your whim~” The Japanese-American boy crooned, grabbing his luggage before he got a head start on the mob. He was still somewhat frightened by the headmaster's 'stare'. Though it wasn't directed towards him, as the student next to him had made the query, there was something about an eyeless lock which burrowed deep into his soul.

”Also, students. Please refer to the brochures for reference of the grounds, which will be handed out at the front door. The cafeteria is now officially open all hours, so please eat to your stomachs’ desires. All students must register their rooms by ten o’clock at the latest, or you will be forced to sleep with the griffons. The vice headmistress announced as Varren approached the exit of the building. Even though some students were captivated by the architectural masterpiece of an interior, the boy wasn’t too amazed. He definitely had to hand it to the designer, a fantastic job and all. But he had already grown accustomed to the more modern building materials commonly used in Japan, which were more sturdy and economically efficient. The walls were completely flat, had a few cracks here and there, but he guessed it was what flew in this world. ”I should probably find my room by nine. Gotta set up a sufficient workzone, and grab some grocerie-” He hesitated for a moment, thinking of where to get his necessities. But with all of this thought about food, a rumble was rendered in his stomach.

”Wait… She said cafeteri- I MUST GET SOME COFFEE.” As if his body had exerted all of his stored energy at once. A last attempt jolt, in hopes of acquiring some sustenance. The bags’ weight felt like they were on par with a feather, swiftly dragged along by two thin twigs. On his approach to the doorway, a teacher spotted him advancing at an alarming rate. The person instantly noted the only place Yinyues could hold the brochure at and fixated the pamphlet at the proper angle. Varren had to jump a few inches to align his armpit with the folded paper, bringing the curve in his arm down the second he felt its edge. ”Thank you!” The boy happily called out as he cut through the snow like it was butter. Kicking up and smushing the powdery flakes as he ran along, he caught up with a group of returning students.

”Hey! By any chance, do you know where the cafeteria is? I’m a tad bit hungwy.” Spewing the last line with a childish zeal, it took a few moments for the students to register what had just transpired. With a baffled expression, one managed to point out a white, tall building nearby. All of the buildings on campus followed a similar format, only with experience would one be able to distinguish between them. Acquiring his destination, the boy pressed on far ahead of the leisurely strolling students, merrily rushing into the entrance.

A Few Minutes Later:

Varren praised the beverage in his hand as if it was a deity. Steaming to the brim, the color of dirt, his lord and savior was ready to be chugged like a holy drink. Putting the cup to his lips as he sat down at a table, he pushed up the bottom slightly, allowing a steady and easy to manage flow of coffee to enter his mouth. Savoring every last drop, the boy let out a clamorous sigh of relief. Before taking another swig, the boy helped himself to the eggs and sausage he had ordered. Skipping breakfast just made the following meal even more satisfying. Once the brochure was released from the grasp of his arm, it fell onto the tabletop flatly. Just before he was about to skim through it, a ping chirped from his toshinmac personal device. His father was attempting to open up another conversation with the boy, probably to check up on how his son faired at the meeting. The student took another sip of his drink before clicking the icon.


Varren sighed as the hologram closed down, leaving the boy to himself yet again. He glanced down at the brochure, taking notes of its exterior. Pictures of snapshots of academy life were symmetrically placed on the cover, bordered by a background of the school’s colors. It was extremely generic, in all honesty. He paged through straight to Rooms section, as that was a high priority at the moment.

”Hello student, welcome to the academy! Now, please refer to the map for your specified dormitory. Dorms are organized by year and gender. There are three building per grade; one for male single-boarders, one for female single-boards, and the last for partnerships. These buildings are placed in a triangle formation on the campus, five of these formations exist, obviously for each year. Once you have located your year’s trio, you should proceed to your gender’s designated building- unless you are already in an OFFICIAL partnership. On the first day of school, all rooms are left unassigned, ready to be moved into. Maybe you have yet to noted, but you have yet to be given a room key! This is not an error of any sort, so rest assured. Find a room on any floor you fancy, and simply place your thumb on the sensor built into the doorknob. Don’t worry, these devices are proportionally large, so having big fingers isn’t a problem. But remember, only you and you alone can open this door. Say you forget an assignment in your dorm, and you ask your friend to pick it up. Not even a cut off thumb would suffice, as the sensor acknowledges a constant flow of blood through your cephalic vein! You are free to customize the room to your own personal tastes. Resources can be bought at the academy’s general store, open twentyfour-seven, and is constantly restocked! But keep in mind, once you have found a partner, you will be required to move whatever your former room entails into your brand new homage. Have fun living in your new dormitory!”

Varren flipped back a few pages and glanced at the map, skimming to locate his own congregation of buildings. Not surprisingly, the first year formation was the farthest from the essential buildings. The academy established a subtle social hierarchy, which was to be expected. He let out a sigh, thinking of the days to come. How many of them would he have to haul himself to the cafeteria, then rush to the class? He shuddered at the thought, then comforted himself with another beverage. ”Partners… hm… Wouldn’t want to impose on anybody, I’d just be a hindrance.” He sighed, then took another bite out of the meal. ”Wonder who’ll be in my class.”

"Ok, so he's not a talking stick, just a talking gem." Jeremiah still had trouble wrapping his mind around that, it quickly gave him a headache, and he decided that he would put that away in his mind as something not to think about. Jeremiah followed Loreal back out of the hall. He thanked the person handing out the brochures and opened it up clasped between his two free fingers. He silently read it to himself, "alright that seems simple enough." Smiling to himself "I guess could just spend the night with Mr. Feathers, no on second thought a bed sounds better.

"what year are you by the way?" Jeremiah said looking between all of the buildings that would soon house student. Jeremy shivered staring at all of the imposing buildings he was beginning to miss his small room in the bar. No it wouldn't do any good to think like that he thought back to his little going away party "Don't screw it up!" He fought to suppress a giggle. "I won't, I promise." He whispered to himself. What are you whispering about?" Kasha asked from her perch on his shoulder. "just going down memory lane." he said back to her this time he couldn't hold back the giggle.

Jeremiah looked over to the trio of building he assumed would be the first years dorm. "I hope there will be a room open on the top floor the views from up there must be amazing." He said mind wandering to when he was flying with Mr. Feathers.

Loreal

"You called your griffin Mr. Feathers?" Loreal asked, taking a brochure and skimming it. Satisfied that the room assignment process was the same as it was last year, she slipped it in her pocket. "We actually have a griffon at him--Saxon's just a baby, though. Oh--and I'm a second year!" she answered. "I saw you with the first years...So you don't have to carry all my stuff all the way to my dorm. I can find another second year. I don't want to keep you from getting a good room."

She slowed to a stop to watch him for a response, though he was trying not to laugh. "Is something wrong?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow at the other student. Her green eyes flickered between Jeremy and Kasha, pretty sure she missed out on some inside joke.

_________________________________________________________

Dagny

Dagny slowly made her way for the fourth year buildings, not bothering to pick up a brochure. She wanted to get room assignment out of the way, unpack, and then maybe grab some food. Not that it was ever cooked enough for, but that was something easily fixed with a little fire.

She trudged easily through the snow, wife beater and gym shorts more than enough to keep her comfortable apparently despite other students running around in fur and heavy coats. Every now and again, her breath would create fog in the air and other times it seemed to be smoke. She also carried her three bags easily whereas she caught sight of other students getting help or packing much lighter. As if she didn’t contrast the other students enough already, she didn’t carry a weapon in addition to her belongings.

As she continued her trek, she watched other students as they socialized or the first years meekly avoid too much interaction. A smile came to her face: she was in her fourth year. That wasn’t quite year five, but she was confident in the fact she had far more experience and strength than most of the other students at this point. As if her species wasn’t enough of an advantage.

Chris had been standing there for a few minutes when a girl finally approached (Ariadne). She seemed familiar, but it wasn't until she blew a kiss and winked at him until he recognized her.

"Hello there. Who you waiting for?" she asked.

"Oh, y'know," he started, raising an eyebrow. "My soulmate to come and sweep me off my feet." He kept a straight face for a few seconds, but cracked and smirked shortly after. "Nobody. Just here in case any of the fresh meat needs help." He looked her over briefly, now noticing the scales. "Going to go out on a limb and say you're a... Second year? You don't seem horribly confused." He crossed his arms as she leaned up against the wall herself.

"You don't mind if I accompany you for a while, right? I'm kinda bored right now."

He shook his head. "Not at all. Getting kind of bored myself, actually. They all seem to be content with getting lost." He turned to face her on the wall, now leaning up on his side. "You're the girl who stripped in front of everyone outside, right?" He nodded sideways towards the entrance to the courtyard as he mentioned it. He really wasn't embarrassed by asking, as some might have been. "Name's Chris." He flashed his trademark charming smile. "And you are?" He seemed suddenly bothered by a large presence of students. "Hey, you wanna take this conversation outside? Little stuffy in here."

Joseph yawned, as the assembly was as boring as he expected it to be. It was mostly the Headmaster just strutting his stuff and boasting about how fucking overpowered he was or some shit like that. But alas, Joseph had a dorm to get to, and from past year's experience, he knew those who claimed rooms early beat the hassle of the bum rush that occurred later in the afternoon.

Compared to the first year dorms, the fourth years' dorms were pretty spacious. Not as spacious as the partner dorms, but it was still pretty big for one person. Joseph was fortunate to get a dorm room near the entrance, which meant easy access in and out. Which also pretty much meant when shit went down he'd be first out. Joseph placed his rifle in the corner, and left, remembering to place his finger on the lock, claiming the room as his.

What else did he have to do? Ah yes. Come to think of it, Joseph needed a partner. His last one disappeared. Yes. He had no idea where his partner went to, and not even the Academy knew where his partner was. Joseph simply assumed his partner had just silently left. But life moves on, and so he should find another. Lone wolfing was not ideal, but if Joseph had to, he would.

Taking a stroll outside, he began walking towards the cafeteria...

Only to spot a familiar face.

"DAGNY! You fucking bitch. Didn't think you'd have the smarts to actually pass your third year. I haven't forgotten last year mate. I should kick your ass right here and now."

”Also, students. Please refer to the brochures for reference of the grounds, which will be handed out at the front door. The cafeteria is now officially open all hours, so please eat to your stomachs’ desires. All students must register their rooms by ten o’clock at the latest, or you will be forced to sleep with the griffons."

The vice Headmistress' voice echoed through the hall once more as Lilith picked up her luggage laying by her seat. She began to make her way to the building exit, becoming a part of the stream of students trickling out of the area. A teacher approached the students as they left through the doors, handing out the mentioned brochures. Lilith took the pamphlet offered to her, managing a quick "Thank you." as she walked by. She passed through the doors and watched her breath fog the air in front of her. Pausing in her steps, she looked down at the attached papers in her hand. It would be a good idea to learn a little more about the Academy grounds before she ended up wandering about the place lost. Dropping her luggage by her side, she methodically flipped through the pages, skimming each page under her gaze.

She noted the location of the first year dorms, which she knew she would have to deal with soon enough. Before heading directly to said dormitory, she decided to go on a little walk - just to get a better idea of the grounds, taking advantage of the freedom the first day seemed to grant. It could be beneficial for her to take a look at place for the coming days here. She had hopefully had enough time before she had to sign into the dorms later in the day. And besides, compared to other students she noticed today, she did not have much to drop off in the place.

Lilith folded the brochure and tucked it into her pocket, picking up her belongings as she glanced up at the elegance of the Academy buildings. Her curiosity was piqued by a number of students entering one of the taller near-identical structures located close by. She strolled toward said building, wondering what it was used for. She stifled a yawn, a slight drowsiness coming over her from the effects of late night-activities. A pleasant, warm aroma of something reached her nose as she entered the building. She quickly realized it was the cafeteria, feeling rather idiotic for not remembering the last announcement. Her species did sometimes eat without requiring it for sustenance, although it had been quite a while since she had tasted food. She glanced around at the various students in the cafeteria, and noticed a familiar face (Varren) sitting at a table.

Ralthavar Marchosias

---

Ralthatvar's orcs spread out the school, but their effects were immediately obvious. With a mixture of magic and man power, they started building shacks and shanties for them to hang out around the school. A lot of them gathered near the forest away a bit away from the school and were more-or-less building a fort out of ice bricks and whatever else they could find. The ones gathered there declared that the location would be where all the orcs ought to gather for their parties, unless they can commandere a more suitable place, however they doubt they could create a bond fire in a lounge area. Other orcs also took up to the library, notably much more subdue about it but still milling about looking for anything that caught their interest. Weapons and magic of course, but also on other subjects, such as different languages and machines. Machines was a new thing that caught a lot of their interest, so another group of orcs left to go occupy any mechanical shops, as well as signup for those classes. At some point, one of the orcs came up to Ralthavar holding a chainsaw, but unsure of what it does aside from the fact that it looked really interesting. "Hmm... I'll hold onto that. It might be useful. Go see what the school's policy is about alcohol. I don't want any of you to be making any breweries unless we are cleared for it."

Soon Ralthavar's own group began to dwindle as he had them delegated to doing either own thing. One last thing he told all the orcs was regarding about their partners. "Remember we aren't just here to fight and kill. Our families sent the Harmonious First to improve and build relationships between the Earthlings and other people of Lucis. To that end, I don't want any of you partnering up with another orc. I don't care how many of you are already in a relationship with another or if you're skills are compatible. Find a partner who's not an orc, work with them, keep them alive and make a good name for yourself. Of course we still have each other, and we need to watch each others backs, but we can't just keep ignoring the world. There's a lot out here worth taking, and to do that we need to make friends with these people. It'll be a fun experience, and if all else fails, a learning one. Now get out there and make some friends!"

And sure enough, as Ralthavar walked around the school he did notice his orcs chatting up non-orcs. Granted, they moved in small packs of three-to-five, but they were just talking to people and didn't get into any fights, as far as he was aware of. Ralthavar himself figured it would be a good time to try to make some friends himself, so he went to look for people to talk to. However... This strange device his orc gave him intrigued Ralthavar. Obviously the edged chains were meant to rip and tear, but it was so heavy and unwieldy he wasn't sure how it worked as a weapon, if it was even one. There were some buttons and other parts to the chainsaw that Ralthavar didn't know the functions of. Holding it carefully away from the spiked chains, he began to try to use some of the devices on the chainsaw.

"Eh.... Your soulmate, huh? Maybe, it is your lucky day, then." She says, with a confident smile on her face. Ari gets nearer to him, hoping to charm him. Some senseless minions under her wouldn't be a bad thing, and she was already counting Dagny between them. "Or.... would you like it better if I was confused?" With an impish smile on her face, she unbuttons some of the buttons of her shirt, hoping to show off her assets. Letting out a chuckle, she buttons her shirt up again in no time. "Though, I shouldn't do things like that, at least, not here in the main hall."

At the comment of her stripping, Ariadne got dangerously near his face, enough for him to make out her long fangs. "Do you want to see some more? I wouldn't mind showing you more." A charming smile from Chris, as he introduced himself. Ari didn't know if he was actually trying or if it just came natural to him. It'd be good if it was natural, after all, Ariadne can't charm most of the women, unless they are like Dagny. Blushing slightly, Ari turns her face away, and shyly says; "Don't do that, I might fall for you.... And I am Ariadne, but you..." With a quick change in her gears, Ari approaches him again and slides a finger through his chest. "You can just call me Ari." In an inconscious reflex, Ari's tongue gets out of her mouth, though she hoped that wouldn't be enough to scare Chris off.

Ari felt a lot more comfortable with so many people around, after all, lots of people=heat, but crowds also got to her. Ater teasing Chris for a while, she finally turned more serious and looked at him. "Yeah, you're right. Let's bail from here." She starts walking towards the exit, but, well, the snow. It'd be a problem if she started feeling sleepy right now, mid-contest and all. So, she decided that when Chris got to where she was, she would cuddle with him, to at least maintain the corporal heat she had now.

Long Winter

Location: Unknown
Time/Date: Unknown/Unknown
Team: Fireteam Juliet - Conglomerate of Selected First and Second Years

Varren had watched it all. The bird taking the hit straight to the cabin, leaving the passengers to gravity’s will, everything happened in a split second before his eyes. In the short amount of time he had chosen to close them, the transport had wound crashed into a dense forest. A trail of flattened snow laid in the helicopter’s wake, accompanied by a few crushed trees and a cloud of smoke ascending from the engines. The boy groaned in pain as he woke up, he stretched out his arms in hopes that it would ease the stress. Though his mind was too foggy to control his body, and he ended up leaning out of the opened bay. Falling shoulder-first into the snow, he let out a cry of pain, grabbing his lower leg which bursted with an uncontrallably burning sensation. ”Ow, ow, ow, ow.” He complained in a hoarse voice, coughing out the impurities in his lungs, along with incessant hacking. The student tried his best to hold back tears as he pushed himself out of the cold substance, propping his back against the exterior of the helicopter. He took in short breaths and found it quite the task to circulate oxygen through his lungs. ”Painkillers… I need them.” He managed to groan out, unable to operate his body with such a fuzzy mind.

Varren raised his hand to the strap fastened around his shoulder. He pulled at the cloth and rested the small backpack on his lap. With narrowed eyes the student searched through the bag, pushing unneeded resources to the side until he found the base grade pills. His vision was too blurred to read the dosage, the boy ended up tapping two pills out of the bottle. It was a struggle to swallow them with a liquid lubricant, his throat felt even more dry than before. But, at least the pain was minute compared to a few moments ago. He glanced back into the bay and ran his arm across the floor of the heli, finally wrapping his fingers around his K30. Despite the still throbbing pain, he dragged the rifle out of the bird and pulled back on the charging bolt. After surmounting the strength to stand up, he lethargically rose and let out another set of gripes, ”What happened…?” Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. The cyanic-colored cuffs of a pants leg, next to the tail of the helicopter. Blown by the faint gusts of wind, the remainder of the body rested on the other side of the exterior. ”I’ll check on this one first, then I’ll help out those inside of the Eagle.” He hopefully thought to himself as he limped over to the end of the helicopter, stopping before the pair of shoes, ”Are you alright? We have to continue with our mission, don’t want the other teams to fight them on their ow-”

The words froze in his throat, stuck to the interior of his larynx. He was unable to muster or conjure the rest of his statement, as he was left speechless by the sight before him. The eyes which stared at him blankly, never to blink again. The uniform which was torn and desecrated. The pale hands which were dug into the blanket of snow. Varren stood there with his mouth agape, finally managing to push some form of a sound out.

Today:

Varren failed to hold back a yawn, cuffing a hand over his mouth as he let the sound roll off of his tongue. ”Man, I’m tireeeeeeed.” The boy pouted with a frown sinking on his face. He took another sip of the beverage, allowing the effects of the coffee to take action at a subtle rate. Out of boredom, he began to skim through the weapon designs his father had sent him, noting any faults he spotted whilst doing so. He kept a somewhat not so thrilled expression on his face as he moved from one blueprint to another, ”So these are what buyers are into nowadays? Gah, the market is too damn conformative. Needs some diversity.” He thought critically, knowing that his critiquing would not be taken seriously for a while. Not until he acquired a certification, had a meritable background, and inherited the family name and its business. Finishing up the analysis of the last diagram, he composed his notes and exported them to his father. Glancing up from his wrist-device, he stared longingly at the empty seats surrounding him. With glimpses of the people around him, Varren fully realized one of the struggles of a first year; Finding devoted friends. Or, any socially worthy individuals in general, for that matter. The students sitting at the table nearby looked more experienced, battle-hardened, as if they’ve already had the succulent taste of combat. He let out a sigh, deep in thought of his own capabilities, ”...Hey, can I grow stronger as well?” Yinyues muttered in a hushed voice.

The student sighed as he returned his gaze to the seat opposite of his, which was now filled by a familiar individual. The boy smiled happily, ”Hey Lilith! What’d you think of the opening ceremony? I didn’t expect the headmaster to have such a character. I was expecting something more… laid back and formal.” He had to restrain himself from bombarding the girl with questions and opinions. Though it was easy to tell that it was an arduous task to hide such overflowing ebullience. He analyzed her facial complexion with the assistance of the now brighter lighting. Varren finally noticed the fatigue in her eyes and instantly took action. ”Be right back.”

The boy was gone and back in a flash, with a steamy cup of coffee in hand. ”Erm, I added some cream and a pinch of sugar, just in case you aren’t used to the stuff. Wouldn’t want you to have a kidney failure by ingesting pure coffee, eh~?” The boy joked as he leaned forward over the table, placing the drink in front of her. Quickly taking into account that his scarf had almost fallen into her beverage, his hands flew to the edges and tightened it, ending in him sighing out of relief. The boy looked like he just dodged a life-threatening incident, he chuckled and sat back down in his seat. ”She looks like a normal human. Can’t pinpoint anything as of yet. She hasn’t completely smiled, so elongated canines could be a possibility.” Nowadays, a book could not be judged by its cover, sometimes it was unable to even be perceived by its internal contents. One deduction or hypothesis could be completely wrong until proven otherwise. He tipped back his own cup and took another gulp of the ground colored drink, ”Well, I hope this year will be a good one…”

Shen Huanglong
The Boy Who "Figured Out" Modern Ettiquette

---

As Shen stood in his spot, having his minor panic attack, a brilliant thought occurred to him. He needed not to observe modern folk interact, but rather, he could take lessons from the headmaster! Sentient gem or not, obviously the headmaster must have elite social acumen, far more than he himself had! The memory of the silent awe (or to be accurate, disbelief) of the student body was merely a testament to the respect his skills commanded.

Yes, truly he was the greatest genius of the Huanglong family, to so easily insert himself in modern society. Granted that wasn't including the servants (and some family members) that went out into the outside world once in a blue moon and returned with food and amenities and such, but... Whatever, that didn't matter.

Now to find a person to speak to!

Shen turned around a few times, surveying the students. There were certainly a lot of choices - definitely a lot of orcs - but he didn't really want to interact with an older sort. He'd overheard some talk about how first years like himself were generally frowned upon, and thus didn't want to impose on them and incite their wrath. The Asian mage put his hand to his chin in thought. Perhaps merely standing in place, watching for someone wasn't such a proactive idea, even with his newfound skills. So he'd have to hunt around then!

Shen prowled through the crowds of people, looking for students that seemed as out of place as he was. Until finally the young man caught sight of a girl with a large, metal... thing on her back and white, winged hair dragging another girl with similar equipment but less white hair. They wore uniforms of some sort, not the school's though. The flag looked like that... USA place, and the other was... No idea. Their stuff looked cool, and it was definitely something he hadn't seen before. So he went over his mental checklist. Obviously new? Check.

..

Actually, that was really his only prerequisite. Fancy that.

Shen nodded to himself. 'Time to do as the elder of this modern world did,' he thought as he marched on over in front of the two girls. He stopped before them and tried to remember back to what their headmaster had said to introduce himself... No, no, he couldn't say that, they were obviously in his age range. ...but he could say that. Though truth be told, he had no idea what it meant...

"What are your, as you say, three sizes?" Shen asked innocently, with a determined look on his face. Yes, perfect. No hesitation whatsoever. Truly, his ancestors must be smiling down at his skill.

Alika sighed and stopped Elena from dragging her. "Do you mind not dragging me around like that?" Though before Elena could respond a young Asian man approached them. He wore very traditional looking clothing and had a behind times feeling from the way he carried himself. Alika smirked, thinking of the movie tropes of the wise old man in the mountain that he reminded her of. Until he spoke.

"What are your, as you say, three sizes?" he asked the most straightforward, straight faced way one could ever possibly manage. There was at least three minutes of silence before Elena suddenly busted out laughing. She could barley get a word before she finally could complete a sentence.

"HAHAH! I'll, he he, I'll leave you two be. He's a really good catch Alika, Do svidaniya! HAH HA" she chuckled as she walked away, leaving poor Alika Alika faced palmed and shook her head.

"Okay okay, err..... Listen, hotshot, I'm going to explain to you what that means, and then your going to tell me whether that's what you think it means." She then adjusted the strap of her weapon, drawing attention to it. "Your answer will decide whether you have a future or not. Now then. When one asks a lady, such as myself 'What are your three sizes?' They are directly asking for the size of... the breasts, the waist, and the hips. In other words, being very sexually disrespectful to a lady. Now then...." she paused for a moment, composing herself. She then stared intensely at the mage. "Was that your intention?"

---

By the time Elena had made it out of the school, she was only chuckling now. "Ahh... It will be no wonder if that boy makes it out alive! Now then... to find comrade....." She began to scan the courtyard for potential when she saw an orc with a chainsaw. "Well... if life was all this easy, I would be millionaire!" When she approached, she realized that he had no idea on how to operate this. Giving a sad sigh in disappointment she walked right next to the orc. "Comrade, here here." She said as she suddenly pulled the chainsaw from the unsuspecting orc. "I show you, da? Da. You take on hand and hold handle, da? Den you take other and hold dis small handle on cord like dis. Da? Da. Den you yank da cord like..... so!" with that she gave a strong pull then quickly let go, starting the engine of the chainsaw. The tool whirled and sputtered before loudly growling to life. Yelling over the noise, Elena continued her one-sided lesson. "You then take the teeth edge and cut what you want with it." she said swinging it to demonstrate. Turning off the machine she held it sideways for the orc to see. "See? Da teeth are on this chain, which rotates around the body at high speeds, allowing it to cut through tough materials like wood. Very efficient! The engine here powers the machine. Dis button here turns it off and pulling dis cord turns it on."

"I am Elena Akulova, an enhanced human of earth, particularly, Mother Russia! Nice to meet you!" she finally finished, holding out the chainsaw to the orc, smiling.

Ralthavar Marchosias

---

As Ralthavar struggled to master the odd object, a girl game up to him. He thought she looked human, parts of her seemed... Bestial. Like a shark.She did mention being an "Enhanced Human", so perhaps that was the cause. Either way, when the device roared to life, Ralthavar flinched but was also excited. "Such power! So much potential in these, mah-cheens." Ralthavar watched impressed as the girl talked more about it and eventually handed it to him. She introduced herself as Elena Akulova from a place called Russia. It sounded like a tough place. "I am Ralthavar Marchosias, from the land of Malakaus. Tis a pleasure to meet you, Akulova." Ralthavar took the chainsaw back, eager to start cutting things with it, but refrained for the moment. He must show this to his orcs and let them know of it's powers. He also wanted to introduce Elena to them; she seemed like a strong person, worthy of their respect.

Adjusting the straps on his back Ralthavar attached the chainsaw to the strap so he could free up his hands. He looked at Elena, just unsure of what to make of her. She was no mere human of course, but what exactly was she? "Are you hungry Elena? I think there is food here for us, or I can find my orcs and have them make us something. Ah! Perhaps you would like to share a drink with me instead? I'm certain my orcs have some tonic they can share."

Dagny
"DAGNY! You fucking bitch. Didn't think you'd have the smarts to actually pass your third year. I haven't forgotten last year mate. I should kick your ass right here and now."

Almost instantly, her pupils elongated to mimic that of a lizard and her head whipped around to find the source of the noise, her teeth bared into a smirk as smoke filtered out between them. Another fourth year, she noticed, and his name came to her easily enough. "JoJo! You're just in time. I was looking for a pussy to pound," she mocked, dropping her bags in the snow as she rolled her broad shoulders. She wasn't one to back down from a challenge, especially one so blatant and public.

"C'mere and say that to my face," she challenged, remembering he tended to play ranged on the battle field. That wasn't quite her forte, and she often had to struggle not to look down on those who couldn't get into the heart of a battle. To further her point, she smacked her right fist into her left palm, her throat glowing as if she was trying not to barf up lava. These bodily reactions were clear signs that even though she talked confidently enough, she was (literally) boiling with anger at the other student's audacity to call her out. Of all people.

An eyebrow raised in reaction to the expressive fox, but Raule shrugged and nodded in acknowledgement to the thanks that had been given. At least that’s what he assumed Talia’s pet had been trying to show since he wasn’t exactly an animal expert. Afterwards he paid attention to what Talia was saying, resisting the urge to just rub the back of his head and wave it all off. It wouldn’t have been polite to do so, especially since it seemed like it mattered to her. When she finished, red eyes staring into his own, Raule couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, even if she had meant the last part in all seriousness. “You’re a bit too young to be saying something like that to me,” he replied with a smirk before turning around. Giving a wave, he walked off with a few final parting words, “Don’t think too much about it.”

Considering how he was now free, Raule figured it would be best for him to claim a room for now. Getting a partner wasn't really a concern of his at the moment. It wasn't as if he knew anyone that didn't already have someone in mind, since by the senior years most people already formed long lasting partnerships. He hadn't bothered with one for the last few years of his stay at the Academy and no one had stood out among the crowd, so why bother. If someone wanted a partner later on, after a few practicals, he'd be willing to oblige. At the very least it would show they could keep themselves alive.

Making his way through the crowd of chattering students wasn't too hard thankfully, and it only thinned out as he approached the dorms for upper years like himself. Students were still around, but here they had mostly broke off into smaller established groups of friends rather than the massive gagglefuck outside the main hall. Two students caught his attention for a moment as it looked like the two were about to go at it, but Raule disregarded it without too much care. They were probably third or fourth years, they were probably smart enough to stop before they went too far.

The fifth year dorms were the most impressive with even their single rooms being comparable to the first year's partnered rooms. Raule had no real preference for hours rooms location, preferring to simply take the first free room he happened across. Conveniently it just so happened to be the first room in the entire building, a few meters down the hallway from the main foyer that acted as a gathering place for the students of the dorm. He simply dropped his bag without much of a care, ignoring the heavy thud that threatened to crack the floorboards. Contrary to its small size, the bag did in fact manage to hold all his possessions, weapons included. The room was furnished with a few basic pieces, but little else. A bed, dresser, table, and chair were about all that the Academy had provided.

He left his possessions packed seeing as he would have the rest of the day to himself. There was always the odd chance the Headmaster would call the fifth years for some absurd reason, but he figured the "insane" gemstone would give them time to arm themselves if necessary. Instead, he figured, like a good portion of the student body, he'd go and grab something from the cafeteria to eat. Leaving the fifth year dorms behind he took his time strolling through the snow covered grounds.