"Guys stop gaping and help the girl out." One of the boys spoke as Elena knelt embarrassed and in some sort of a stupor. A few of the players began handing her sheets of music, and she happily took them, looking over any folded edges or grass smears. Slowly, she rose brushing the dirt from her knees and venturing further into the field to help collect her mess. Elena shot appreciative smiles to those that helped and avoided eye contact with those who did not. And then there he was. Right in front of her. And all the breath left her lungs. Elena could feel her heart in her throat and her eyes wide as saucers. C'mon.. Don't just stand there say something! For god sake, he smiled! I have to say something! "T-thanks.." she half shouted at him, feeling the blush crawl all the way behind her ears. Slightly behind him was another boy, who seemed to be a bit agitated by his friend.“Just 'cos I pick up stuff like a gentleman doesn't mean I like a girl.. Besides, I don't go for older women, or – ones who like this music shit or whatever the hell's on this sheet.” Elena hadn't truly processed the entirety of the statement and the part she chose to focus on was the part about her sheet music. "Excuse me.." She whispered to no one in particular, closing the distance between herself and the friendly pair. Boldly, she tapped on his shoulder and watched him spin to face her. He was cute. Surprisingly so. And he looked a bit younger than she. But this was not the time. Elena shook her head from side to side and stuck out her hand. "Yes, I'll be taking my music shit from you now." Her voice had more bite than she'd originally intended but hearing the words aloud made her feel a little better. After all, what did a measly football player know about music?

Amy Snow Amy glanced at her watch. "I should go. I had a meeting with the Latin teacher." She says a bit flustered. "I almost forgot. I'm sorry." She started out of the room and ran into a chair. "Ow." She rubbed her leg over her skirt. Her face was completely red now, and she hurried the rest of the way out of the room and out of the library. Once out of the library she took a deep breath. Had all of that really just happened? Well there was nothing for Amy to do now, but go to the Latin teacher's office, and hope he was actually there.

Sam Sam almost scowled at the two boys. Part of him was glad that he hardly talked to anyone on the team. He didn't find the immaturity of some of them all that appealing. But, he remained quiet and turned his back to the bleachers. He just really wanted to get this practice over with. ""Yes, I'll be taking my music shit from you now." He heard someone say from behind him. Sam turned back slightly, craning his neck to look behind him. The same girl was giving his teammate a vaguely murderous look. Her hand was stretched out in front of her with the palm out. Sam laughed quietly, to himself. The girl had some fire in her.

James Mason James chuckled as Jamie shoved his shoulder, "Sure, you tell that to yourself," he said, as the girl walked over. James looked over aat her, and she outstretched her arm towards Jamie, and said, "Yes. I'll be taking my music shit from you now." James laughed as he heard this, "Ha!" he laughed at Jamie, "I guess you won't be getting her now, even if you wanted to!"

Nero didn't understand what he had done wrong so he just took another sip of cider. After a few seconds of reflection he realized that the girl had left without her stuff. He got up and grabbed her bag and jacket and walked out to the library. He quickly asked the librarian where the Latin teacher was. She responded happily and he he tipped his hat at her. She seemed to need a little something, so he flashed her his eyes for a half second giving her a little tiny bit of his lifeforse while keeping it short enough so she wouldn't feel the need. He then turned sharply around and began to quickly follow the directions to the Latin teacher's office.

From the end of the hall, Zaylin noticed a box sitting at the door to her dorm. Nearing it, she stopped and picked it up. It had a decent weight to it. On the top, the label was addressed to her, the return address displaying her grandmother’s name. Tucking the box under one arm, she pulled her dorm key from a small pocket in her bag and unlocked the door. Inside, two canopy beds waited. Rope tied the curtains back, leaving them visible to anyone who entered. The blankets and pillows on one looked untouched, while the bedding of the other hung partially off the mattress. While the furniture on the half of the room belonging to the tidy bed remained bare, Zaylin’s side stood as a stark contrast. A pile of books sat atop the nightstand beside the untidy bed, while a small portion of Zaylin’s gemstone collection sat neatly on the dresser on that side, spilling over onto a desk built into the wall. Journals and loose-leaf paper crowded the cubbies, and a few colored pens and pencils sat on the desk’s surface. Tossing her messenger bag onto the unmade bed, she quickly opened the package. Reaching past the packing material, she pulled out a thick, arcane-looking book, a piece of paper carefully taped to the leather-bound front. Opening it, she quickly read the elegant handwriting: Zaylin, Don’t forget your other studies. Best wishes, Grandma Devonshire Zaylin glanced at the title of the book, the worn, gold writing reading Book of the Dragons in the scratch-like runes of Dragonscript. She carefully opened to the first yellowed piece of parchment, the paper making a crinkling sound beneath her touch. Closing the book, Zaylin carefully added it to the small pile on the nightstand before checking herself in the mirror. Pulling out a tube of black lipstick from one of the drawers, she quickly touched up her lips, then went to the closet on her side of the room. Pushing aside her normal, everyday clothes and a couple spare uniforms, she pulled out two thick staves. At least eight pounds each, a wood cover disguised the metal core. Embedded into the wood, small amethysts spiraled down one, with emeralds on the other. A perfectly round piece of onyx sat at either end of the one with amethysts, the stone wider than the poles, with lapis lazuli on the other. With a staff in each hand, she set one down long enough to pull out a piece of paper from a folder in the desk and shove it in her pocket along with her key, then left the dorm room. Leaning the shafts on her shoulder to keep them from dragging on the floor, she made her way through the halls, a few people looking at her and what she carried oddly. Making it to the grounds outside Wells Hall, the gems in the staffs glittered in the sunlight as she made her way to a secluded spot she had found a couple days after arriving at the academy.

(Sorry. Accidental post.)

Elena took the papers from his hand, a brief brush on contact causing a shock between them. Football shit? Maybe he didn't mean it that badly? Maybe he just swears a lot.. she thought to herself, raising a speculative eyebrow, switching her gaze over to the friend 'Mason'. "No. You certainly don't want to lose to Westfield Prep.." she half yelled the last part, hearing a few grunts of displeasure from behind her. Men and their pride. She flashed the boy a smile. "Enjoy practice, boys." Elena concluded turning to the bleachers to resume her position. As she passed by Sam, she boldly gave him a slight wave and began climbing up the bleachers as if it had been nothing. Boys... What am I going to do about them? she silently mused, tucking her dirty sheet music securely into a spare folder.

James Mason James could hear Jamie talking to the girl about him. Probably telling her not to care about me, James thought. James stretched his back, and let out a sigh, I can't wait to get some sleep. James heard Jamie talking to him, "We gonna start working anytime soon? I for one don't want to lose." "Don't worry, Jamie, we'll win, just ask anyone here!" he shouted over to Jamie, "And if you want to start training, why don't you just ask coach?"

Amy Snow - Outside the Latin teacher's office (Mr. Rosenburg - NPC) Amy was standing outside the office of Mr. Rosenburg when Nero came up. The door was shut to the office. "He's talking to another student." She felt the need to explain. "Thanks." She said when she realized he was holding her stuff. Amy had just taken the stuff back when the door opened and a student left the room. "Oh Miss Snow, do come in." Amy shot Nero a smile and went into the office shutting the door behind her.

Jess Upon arriving to the seemingly prestigious academy, there was one thing Jess was certain of. She despised the likes of others. Which was odd, considering she’d never been around anyone else other than her mom and occasionally the mail man, but she hated them. She hated how loud they were, how they bustled from place to place, how they looked at her—by god, did they look at her. She’d never realized how short she truly was. Practically everyone towered over her. Granted, it was probably her age, but she supposed she’d never been very tall to begin with. Her impression on people had been strictly limited to magazines and television. She’d always envisioned going to high school with others her age, and experiencing the heart-wrenching break ups, having a best friend who spent the night every weekend, going to the mall to stare at cute boys and of the likes. Jess wondered what these kids did in their free time. For while she was soaring through the afternoon skies, they were elsewhere. Probably on the ground, too. Although Jess had always come to appreciate her ability to fly, and her feathered wings, she never thought she’d see them to be irritating. They were bulky, and difficult to hide underneath layers of clothes. Not to mention, they often tensed and caused her back to ache. It was uncomfortable. Hell, even wearing a bra was difficult. And rather than being able to whip them out in such a dilemma like she could at home, Jess was forced to keep them tight against her frame. Due to this, Jess had requested a room to herself. At the time, she hadn’t known just how much she’d dread the presence of others, so in a way, it catered to both problems relating to her wings and people. Still, there were occasions where Jess needed to get away. Especially when the announcements bellowed through the school. In an instant such as this one, Jess took advantage of her open periods and wandered elsewhere. To the lake, she had decided. She'd never really been much of a person to walk to her destination as flying was both faster and easier for her to do. She pondered the thought of taking a few hours to fly, but quickly remembered the discussion she'd had not too long ago. She'd spent hours imploring her mother to attend this school, ensuring her that Jess wouldn't expose her wings unless she was within her own room, the curtains firmly shut. Even though her mother would have no way of knowing if she were to fly, Jess had made a promise. Which was, in itself, a very rare thing for her to do. As she began to near the lake, Jess promptly wrenched her mane into a high pony tail, too frustrated to tend to the tangled mess. “Stupid hair…” she muttered, her eyes suddenly narrowed. Approaching the lake, Jess ceased mere yards away from where another girl was bent over the water. Straining to see who it was, Jess inched closer, easing herself through the grass, recognizing the short hair almost instantaneously. It was a girl from her dorm—the one that resided down the hall. Jess's disinterest in others had stretched a great distance, but had never met the likes of this girl. Not necessarily because she was different from any other, but because she hadn’t given Jess a reason to hate her. Well, yet. Pursing her lips, Jess began walking without the intent on being quiet. She stood parallel to the girl still on her knees, and surveyed the area before them. “I’m pretty sure we aren’t supposed to be here,” Jess stated. “I guess I’m not the only one who doesn’t really give a damn.”

Shrugging, Nero walked away back to the library. He kept his hat down so no one noticed his glasses, which would seem more and more odd now that it was starting to get towards dark. As he moved He began to wonder what it was that had drawn him to the girl, he still couldn't figure it out. As he moved he flipped out his pocket watch to check the time. He wasn't looking where he was going and he slammed into a boy right outside the library, he seemed to be going in. (Max if responds within the next day, then I'll switch to a random npc to move on.)

Jess Lacing her arms over her chest, Jess shrugged. It wasn’t the peace and quiet she’d been searching for, but rather, the isolation. She peered over at the other girl, torn between her own controversial battles of liking or disliking the girl. Jess wasn’t too familiar with her, after all, as the only contact they’d had was passing each other in the halls, and being in a class or two. She had a difficult time recollecting just what classes the other girl may have been in, as it was very rare that Jess would lend the teacher her attention anyhow, let alone her classmates. “No,” she finally said, pulling at a loose strand of hair. She veered towards the direction at which she’d came from, glancing back every so often at the short-haired enigma. “I don’t really like people.” Which was, in fact, the honest truth. She didn’t enjoy the company of others in the slightest. Jess had only just experienced the likes of befriending someone last week, when a boy named Gus was assigned to be her partner in English class. He’d been utterly terrified of her, though, and when he spoke, his teeth chattered, but he’d been a friend of a sort nonetheless. Well, he didn’t talk to her any longer. He hadn’t since the project had been turned in. She supposed she liked him because he did as he was told, and enjoyed the same music she did. But liking Kiss and Sex Pistols only took a friendship so far, as he’d found another group to associate himself with, leaving Jess to glare at the group for having taken her only friend. “I guess you’re just special,” she mused, a smirk forming on her lips. “I’m Jessie, by the way. But I go by Jess. Don’t actually call me Jessie unless you really want me to kill you.”

A couple hours after her departure from the Hall, Zaylin rested at the base of a tree, half of the amethyst-studded staff laying on the ground to her right, and the other to her left. She took a deep breath of the fresh air, relishing the earthy scent lingering around her. As the invigorating sensation of the approaching night tingled across her skin, she checked the time then wiped a thin layer of sweat that had yet to dry from her forehead. Grabbing the halves of the staff, she used them to help her to her feet. Gripping them close to where they had connected, she placed the apparently severed ends together, and they molded back perfectly into one piece, one side twisting slightly to line up the gems. Picking up the other—still in its full seven-foot glory—from the center of the small clearing, she again lifted them so they would not drag on the ground and rested the shafts on the crook of her shoulders. Deciding to take the long way back to the Hall, she made her way toward a trail that would take her near the lake. With enough space around her on the trail, she transferred both staves to one hand. Gripping them further down the shaft with other, she placed them behind her neck and continued forward, her hands keeping the staves in place. As she neared the water, ever vigilant for any sign of a teacher on patrol, the sound of two female voices made her stop. She tilted her head toward the lake, listening for a moment as she tried to determine whether the voices belonged to students or faculty. Deciding on the former by the bits of conversation, she glanced back the way she had come, debating on if she wanted to disturb them. It’s probably longer that way, now, she thought. With a slight shrug, she closed the remaining distance between her and the lake and emerged from the thin path near the small body of water. Taking a moment to locate the bodies belonging to the voices, she found two girls she did not recognize a short distance away in the direction of the continuation of the path. Though the ground felt a bit softer beneath her shoes, it still held mostly firm as she stepped cautiously toward them. “Hey,” she said as she neared, offering a friendly closed-mouth smile. “Didn't expect anyone else to be out this way this late.”

Amy Snow Amy, after meeting with the Latin teacher, decided that it was quite time she headed back to her dorm. She was tired. More tired than she was used to being. She walked back to Elliot hall a bit slower than she would have normally. At her door she flicked her ID and unlocked it with practiced ease and then collapsed onto her bed almost as the door shut behind her. She lay there for a bit not bothering to even take off her shoes trying to figure out what had actually happened that day. Sunday she was meeting up with a guy, James from the football team, to help him with an essay. Amy had no idea how that had come about. Then after James had left the new kid Nero had decided to talk to her and claimed that she was beautiful, that was just silly. Everyone had always called her plain. She had been passed up dozens of times for adoption, because she was so plain. That's what they said. How had two attractive guys decide to talk to her in one day? Ash The rest of practice went by quickly. Ash asked Aery if she would like to hang out sometime, and once she got her response Ash waved goodbye. Instead of going back to her room Ash made her way to the top of the dorm hall again. She expected Jamie would show up smelling of grass and cigarets. He'd have some interesting joke or story and then before lights out they'd sneak back to their own rooms. Last year, before everything changed, they used to sneak to the lake on Friday nights. They hadn't for ages though, and Ash missed the murky waters of the lake. At least at home she had had her own family's lake to distract her, but here the chlorinated pool just wasn't enough.

Jess Luc. Her tongue rolled with the name—short and simple. She rather liked the name, as well as the person who held it. Perhaps one day she’d come to know Luc well enough to think of a nickname of her own. She figured it could very well have been right now, had it not been for another voice ringing through her ears. Jess swiveled, turning to the other girl in one swift movement. She didn’t recognize her at all. In fact, if Jess had known any better, she wouldn’t have thought the girl to even be in this school. Frowning slightly, Jess sauntered over to perch herself atop a branch, inching every which way as it cracked underneath her. She tuned in on their bland conversation, establishing their ventures that led in this particular direction, thus bringing them to all band together. “Sorry about that,” Jess giggled, resting her palm on the base of the tree. Her eyes loomed over the strange girl for several moments as she picked at her piece by piece, from outfit to facial expression to the way she stood so tensely. Gripping the branch beneath her, Jess eased her way to the ground, brushing off the nonexistent residue from the old, decrepit tree. “Well,” she announced, “this has been fun, but the sun’s setting, and it's probably not the best idea to get caught near the lake at night. I mean, if you favor living and all.”

Ash Mareinos - The roof of one of the dorms "I'm gonna take a stab at the dark and say you nearly got in trouble, but somehow talked your way out of it. I'm going to guess you got caught smoking." Ash grinned. It wasn't hard to guess that. She knew enough about Jamie to know he smoked, and that when he got stressed he tended to take bigger risks. With the game tomorrow he was stressed. She was glad swimming didn't get her stressed, it did the opposite. Ash hopped up so she was sitting on one of the protruding parts of the building, she let her feet dangle over the edge of it and waited for Jamie to tell his story. She liked listening to his stories, they were always funny and he somehow always avoided getting busted. After he finished his story she told him what happened during her practice, well about the new girl, practice itself was boring to talk about.