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Rosa Claire was well within Niall's sights now, the big castle that his father had sent him to. 'Aspen should be here,' was all the big male Lycan could think as he moved easily in his fur towards the building. His black fur was thick, especially so around his neck and shoulders, a warrior's mane his father had called it one time when he was younger. Before Aspen has passed away. She had been his twin and his opposite, where he was okay she excelled and where she was okay he excelled. She had never been a fighter like Niall, she was beloved by everyone, even humans that met her. Her coat had been snow white and he could still see the blood she had coughed up upon her pristine fur one night. She had kept to her wolf until the last moments when nature forced her to change back into her skin.

He shook his head at the memories, trying to shake away the mental image of his sister's beautiful face and those speckles of brilliant red blood. Though most canids were limited in their color spectrum of vision Lycanthropes had a wider range of colors than humans did. His steps did not falter as he moved easily and confidently as he moved towards the building. There were already students gathering in the court yard that was stunningly beautiful, especially through his lupine eyes.
There were trees blooming and petals falling constantly everywhere. The flowers were a thousand shades of pink and purple and blue. This place was obviously one of the most magical places Niall had ever had the pleasure of being. He had to pause as he came much closer, because of the beauty of the place. It was almost spiritual really. He looked at the sprawling building made of varying shades of grey stone and slowly moved into his skin.

He noted quite quickly that he had forgotten to put on a shirt before setting out this morning but he wasn't quite worried about it. The staff, especially on move in day, were pretty lenient about clothing. Some species didn't particularly wear any actual clothing. Niall had remembered to put on a pair of low slung dark wash jeans and to shave his face. It always seemed that whenever he did get around to shaving that his stubble grew back seemingly immediately. There were staff members walking through the court yard informing students where they were roomed. As Niall was a higher year now he could reserve his own room but the younger students got placed in rooms emptied by the previous years graduates.

“Humans have a patriarchy.”

Helena didn’t bother looking up from the magazine, her eyes rolling over the image of a glossy golden Gancanagh mane and frowning at the browning roots. Henrik tapped his foot impatiently against the ground, squinting his eyes expectantly at his twin. The silent Huldra could feel his irritation flowing off of him like waves and, with a slight blow from her nose, she set down her vapid magazine.

“Is that why humans have two world wars?” She uttered and Henrik’s frown deepened. Helena didn’t bother to look at her brother, but instead leaned her head against the cool metallic bench back. Her light blue eyes roamed over the sky, memorizing the outlines of each cloud and each shade of grey and white. When she saw a particular cloud appearing as if it was a cow, Helena felt the urge to report it take hold of her mouth – she clamped her pink lips shut with a steely, gripping control. If anything, it was a good omen; however, on the off chance that it is not, Helena better keep it to herself. Helena waited a beat for Henrik to say more about the subject he huffily brought up; when he said no more, Helena picked up her magazine once more and began to read – out of curiosity, not stupidity.

“America has also never had a human female president – they seem very well off.”

“Is that why there is no gun control?”

“I’m a male.”

“I'm aware.”

“Does that mean I cause wars and wave around a gun like a lunatic?” The desperate strangling sound of aggravation escaped Henrik’s throat and Helena allowed herself to spare him a glance, her crystalline cerulean eyes emotionlessly roaming his face. Henrik harnessed all of the emotions he was currently feeling and willed them to show on his face; his desperation, his inferiority, his sadness, it was all there – Helena saw no difference. Helena saw what she always saw: a boy. A vulnerable boy, angry with the position he is in, hateful towards the world – towards the Hidden Folk – and Helena felt her heart stutter in her chest. And, so, just this once, Helena allowed herself to speak her thoughts, her secrets:

“Do you wonder what human females feel like?” She started, once again allowing her head to loll backwards so she could watch the clouds drift. Henrik did the same, though he only saw condensed water. “Imagine how you are feeling now, bróðir. I can only assume that is how she feels. Perhaps, the battle between males and females is instinctually; perhaps while one thrives, the other must be oppressed. Would you want human females to feel like you do while the men are the monsters you think we are?”

Henrik stared at his sister and saw something he always saw: a woman. A strong Huldra, independent and freethinking, an unbreakable rock that is slammed into repeatedly by the world, but holds fast and fair – even towards the Huldrekarl – and his heart swelled.

“I suppose not."

The words seemed to light after such a moving speech from his sister, one he never experienced before. Her lips were usually so tightly woven together with silence, that he never knew her thoughts on such matters, except for the annoying lilt of the corner of her lips: a smile that hides secrets. As if his mere thoughts conjured her sway of emotions, the corner of her lips twitched imperceptibly as she stared straight ahead: a smile that hides secrets and thoughts and Henrik felt the overwhelming urge to yank her skull open so he could peer into her mind.

“He has quite a nice chest, don’t you think?”

Henrik grounded his teeth together in agitation.

This was it; after three hellish months on the road, a dozen nights spent in cheap B&Bs, and twice that number spent sleeping rough, they’d finally made it. Oliver could’ve kicked himself at how easy it all turned out to be, all he’d had to do was tell a version of their story to an embittered old contact of his father’s, and their safety had been all but guaranteed for a year. A year… there was so much they could do in a year. Without the ever-present worries of accommodation, food, and the possibility of being found, he’d have time to work on a more permanent solution, hopefully something that could give Alice at least a taste of the privileged life he’d taken from her.

He frowned, and glanced down to where she was walking beside him. It was night time, and her skin was waxy beneath the pale light of the moon, red hair hanging in tresses around her face. He’d given her one of his old coats when they first ran; an expensive black duffle that was too small for him but too big for her, and she wore it now, having forgotten to purchase something more appropriate when they bought the rest of her clothes. His stomach twisted at what the coat represented. She didn’t deserve this, nobody did, and one day, when he was older, stronger, he’d see to it that his father paid an appropriate price.

Oliver’s train of thought was interrupted by Alice’s low, silvery voice, “I don’t feel safe here, Oli,” she said quietly, tone tinged with fear as usual, “this seems like exactly the sort of place your father would look for us…”

“Don’t worry,” he replied, the words forming on his tongue almost automatically, causing him to wonder when reassuring her had become a habit, “we can trust Mr. Seymour, he’s the only teacher here that knows about us, and he hates my father almost as much as you do.”

There was quiet for a second, no sound but their footsteps as they made their way towards the well-lit foyer. A conflicted expression crossed over Alice’s face, and she burrowed deeper into the coat before speaking, “I don’t… hate your father, Oliver, I just…” she trailed of, thoughtful, “I just… would rather never be in the same room as him again, if at all possible.” She said with an air of finality.

“You should. He-“

“I know exactly what he did, Oliver. I was the one he did it to.” Alice said, interrupting, “hate doesn’t do anyone any good, especially when we have to focus on staying hidden. I don’t care about… revenge, or whatever it is you probably want to do to him, I care about getting as far away from him as possible.”

Oliver felt uneasy, listening to her rant as they crossed the fresh hold into foyer. He’d promised to keep her safe, and she was right, that had to be his primary concern, “I’m sorry, you’re right. Keeping you safe has to be the number one priority,” he said quietly, quickly surveying the tastefully decorated room just in case.

He could almost sense Alice’s disapproval at that comment, “This conversation doesn’t seem to be going anywhere productive. I suggest we drop the matter for the time being, besides,” she warily eyed the room's sole occupant, a beady eyed receptionist, “we don’t know who’s listening in.” she uttered quietly.

Oliver gave a brief nod, and then led her to a nearby sofa, where they could sit and wait for the daylight, when the rest of the students, the ones who weren't running from angry powerful vampires, would be arriving. Alice sighed sleepily, and Oliver could tell she was tired as she leaned her head against his shoulder. At least they were safe for now, for a year. And that was all he really needed to make sure she’d never have to fear his father again.

Removed.

~ Kiara ~

The atmosphere of this world was interesting, it seemed natural enough, but Kiara was unsure if it would ever feel like home. Rosa Claire Academy was nestled in a lush forest, Kiki could even hear the familiar calls of wildlife not too far off. The campus was adorned with beautiful sprawling gardens and landscaping. The fences were made of stone, no wrought iron in sight, a thoughtful design that she was thankful for. Kiara ran her fingers along the stone as she made her way closer to the main building to get her room assignment. Her guardians had informed her about this school and about how the students were all supernatural creatures like herself. Yes, guardians, as Kiara's mother died when she was very young, and her father was always too busy with the war to raise such a troublesome child.

Looking around at the sea of faces, Kiara was intrigued. She figured that most supernaturals would be equally as lovely as her people, and some of these folks were nearly that beautiful. Some... weren't. And some, well some were so strikingly gorgeous that she couldn't help but stare. She would have fun exploring the romantic territory in this new land, speaking of, she wondered if other races were as free-spirited with their sensuality as the fae. She certainly hoped so. Kiki took in a deep breath, sensing the emotions of the crowd around her. There was fairly little negativity to taste, only a few students were afraid, and those that were, were only mildly so. A couple of the nearby girls were giving off waves of envy when they looked at her, which only made Kiki's bright smile widen.

---

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Cool green eyes watched all the other students carefully, a very obvious male Lycan along with some vampires and some other creatures she couldn't identify. Though she was not tall she carried herself easily with a smile gracing full red lips. Laurel didn't need to be large to come with the confidence that only something feline carries. Her eyes were sharp and keen as they flickered from person to person and her nostrils flared as she inhaled the new scents, committing those who seemed like they may be a problem to memory. She always liked to know who was around her.

Muscled rippled easily as she moved and rolled beneath her olive toned skin while Laurel made her way into the large courtyard. It was stunning with all the topiaries and flowers. Almost surreal with the sheer amount of detail there was put into everything the eye could see and search out here in this place. Rosa Claire was purely beautiful. The air was clear and the sun was just beginning to come up. She pulled her sunglasses down as the sun crested over the roof of the spectacular castle before her.

As she reached the middle of the courtyard a tall slender woman walked out of the wide doors of the building, leaving them open for those inside to hear. "Welcome students! I am the head mistress, you may call me Madame Pricilla or Madame P if you prefer." The woman's blonde hair spilled down her back and over her shoulders, it was streaked with lavender, as she lifted her head up so that her face could be seen by the students.

Her face was warm and held a big smile. She appeared to be in her mid forties with long flowing silver robes. She seemed utterly pleasant, just as this place did. "Now, for those of you who are new we would like to welcome you and for those who are returning welcome back! Now, just a few notes before we being the school year, do remember that this academy resides on a different plane than Earth, your powers are much stronger and easily access while here. The sun also will not burn those of you with photosensitivity, UV rays that cause damage do not exist on this plane. Please remember to be careful with your gifts and powers. Now that you are all here please see one of the teachers to find your dorm assignments. Once you have found them you should all begin to get settled in. There will be a breakfast feast in exactly two hours at 8 am I expect you all to be there so that we can further discuss this school year! I am so excited to see all your beautiful faces back filling our campus again!"

She disappeared in a puff of smoke and a flash of soft purple light much like the color that was littered through her hair. Laurel's green eyes blinked heavily at the invasion of light. She sighed as she headed to the nearest teacher.

Sierra couldn't tell if she was impressed by this realm, or put off by it. The world of Rosa Claire was similar to earth, but entirely different in the same breath; every colour was somehow more vibrant, familiar scents of flowers and leaves more potent, to the point of perfume. Every perception was bombarded by the slightly exaggerated world, so much more intense to her heightened senses than it may have been to others. Even Jaeger, who normally had no trouble sticking to her side, seemed overwhelmed. The oversized german shepherd dashed between trees, objects and people, trying to take in every scent and sight and sound around him in an excited daze.

Sierra whistled sharply, bringing Jaeger loping back to her side. He still looked excitedly around, but she wasn't too concerned; the only harm he'd do to anybody was scaring them with his size or licking them to death.

Scents bombarded her nose much the same way they bombarded Jaeger's. She'd never seen so many other species of myths in one place, and many of their scents were so peculiar she couldn't find anything to compare them to. Hands in her pockets, she clung to the wall of what looked to be a dorm building, content to stay on the outskirts of the crowd until she got a little more used to the stimuli.

Oh, if only she had chosen another place to stand.

Within a few minutes, a window near her burst open with a bang and from inside came the howling of what Sierra could only assume was a tone-deaf banshee, for its grating effect. She jumped and promptly ducked when a flower pot narrowly missed her head, clattering to pieces on the stone walkway behind her. Jaeger's hackles raised at the window, and he growled.

"Woah, hey!" Sierra shouted up at the window, "Watch the freakin' shot put, will ya?" She had no clear view as to who was inside, but decided to mark that voice on her list of crazies to avoid and promptly got the hell away from the building, grumbling curses under her breath and calling Jaeger to heel.

She gathered with the others in the courtyard for the assembly, staying nearer the back of the crowd. Jaeger sat by her side, and she idly scratched his neck, much to his enjoyment. So, supernatural features were exaggerated here too? No wonder she felt so wound up - it was as if the beast inside her was more desperate to emerge than usual. She found herself eager for the change to slip into her fur and find out just how augmented she was. I wonder what the full moon feels like here...

Her thoughts wandered for a moment after the headmistress dissipated, wondering how they dealt with such a diverse set of species and powers and whether she'd get excused from class on the days around the full moon. By the time her train of thought chugged its way to changing facilities, she noticed that her dog was no longer by her side.

"Hey! Jaeger!" she called, running into the crowd after a dash of brown fur. She whistled, but got no response. The dog must have caught a scent too interesting to ignore.

Jaeger weaved easily through the crowd, and Sierra found his trail by following the line of surprised exclamations and occasional yelps from the unexpected passerby. She found him circling someone, relentlessly sniffing and barking excitedly. The subject of his interest was an unnecessarily tall shirtless guy, with brown hair and a lacework of tattoos. Sierra paid little mind, she set her priorities on grabbing her dog and produced his leash from her backpack - a traffic leash with barely a foot of slack, to keep him close.

"Sorry about him," Sierra said hastily as she buckled the leash. Standing straight when she was done, her head barely came to his chest height. Not faltering, she craned to look up and continued, "He really doesn't normally act this way. Normally he sticks right to me. You must smell like food or something, you don't have any-" A sudden breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying the man's scent and immediately stopping Sierra in her tracks. This guy was a Lycan, no mistaking it. She was surprised she hadn't picked up on it sooner, as you had to be a pretty lousy Lycan not to recognize the scent of your own kind and her nose had never failed her before.

Whatever the reason, this guy carried both the presence and the stature of someone with rank, sending Sierra's instincts running a mile a minute and forcing her eyes awkwardly to the ground. Even Jaeger seemed to sense it. Grinning awkwardly and sparing short glances upward, she muttered, "Anyway, uh, sorry."

“I’m hungry.” Helena muttered, standing up and stretching her legs out as well as her arms. Henrik stared at her with his eyes narrowed before nodding and standing up as well.

“I’m a little peckish.” Henrik admitted, beginning to walk randomly into the distance. Helena stooped over and picked up a sleeping tiny pig on the ground before following, her arms cradling the pink-black blob that only barely opened his eyes. “Where could we eat?”

“A Lycan.” Helena answered simply, making a beeline for the shirtless man; she could smell the testosterone on him, it nearly oozed from his pores, and so he could only be a Lycan.

“Wait!” Henrik grabbed Helena’s arm, pulling her back. Helena shot him a dirty look, yanking her arm from his grasp. While she didn’t say it, he knew she was thinking it: how dare a Huldrekarl touch her like that. Henrik sighed, running a hand through his hair before pointing at the guy subtly. “Look.”

Helena turned her steel eyes back onto the Lycan only to see another come up to him, after a dog. Though her face remained passive, inside she seethed as she realized it was a female. While she didn’t know the relation between the two, she was not in the mood for competition, and so she strode away, not giving a second glance. Henrik could sense her bad mood, despite nothing changing about her – she still had the cold eyes, the small downward pout of her lips, her eyebrows relaxed, and the natural stagger in her walk. But he knew, he always knew. And he also knew that she could sense the despair that floated among him at her shrug of his hand.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Helena said over her back, “Stop overthinking.” She didn’t say it as a command or as a plea, but rather as a simple fact.

Before they could take another step, Madame P made her magnificent entrance and Helena and Henrik rolled their eyes in unison. They had heard the whole speech before and found no reason to listen to it anymore. So they made their way towards the dorms, having retrieved their dorm numbers earlier.

“I can’t help it.” Henrik muttered once they were away from the drifting voice of Madame P.

Helena rolled her shoulders, ignoring his comment as she reached for the door. But at that same moment, someone else opened it - a girl with an umbrella - and Helena smoothly slid back.

“You look familiar.” Henrik said, looking at her head from toe. “Have we had a class together?

Alice awoke with a jolt, heart racing, eyes scanning the room wildly; a stone floor, a few vases of flowers, luxuriously traditional décor… where was she? She glanced at Oliver, still asleep next to her, face relaxed and head leaning against the wall behind the sofa she woken up on. It wasn’t often that she saw him so deeply asleep, they’d both become acclimatised to a few hours of rest at the most… her stomach knotted, had they been drugged? Was Oliver’s father waiting in the wings, ready to whisk them away? Was this the end?

And then suddenly, it all came back; Oliver’s contact, the late night departure from the unusually high end hotel, the promise of safety, freedom, a home. Slowly, her breathing began to deepen and slow, and she leaned back into the couch. Safe… she hadn’t been able to very safe for a while, but if Oliver was willing to trust this place, she supposed she could give it a go too.

She scanned the surroundings again, but more slowly this time. It was decorated in the same vaguely expensive way as the private boarding schools she’d attended as a child, conjuring to mind images of successful alumni with Oxbridge degrees and whitened teeth (although she knew just surviving such a life would be feat for most of this particular school’s alumni), and it made her vaguely nostalgic. She’d thought she’d never go back to the life she’d left behind, but here it was, and she wasn’t sure if she was grateful or just uncomfortable.

She turned to Oliver, finding him snoring lightly, mouth slightly open, and a trail of drool creeping down his left cheek. She snorted, this was probably the most unattractive looking she’d ever seen him. She decided to leave him alone, her attention instead trailing to the huge windows lining the walls. They were tall, and sunlight filtered steadily into the foyer, cutting across the floor. They made her nervous, but also curious. Generally, even sunlight that she wasn’t in direct contact with made her uncomfortable, and during the day, she usually spent her time curled up under three heavy duvets with an extra blanket thrown over the closed curtains, desperately trying to avoid all contact with the harmful rays. But here she was, in a well-lit room in the middle of the day, and not even a headache to show for it.

Filled with a mix of curiosity and trepidation, she stood, and inched her way over to stand nearly directly in front of the window. Squinting slightly, she peered outside. It was bright, unbelievably so, and she nearly pulled back out of sheer surprise. The most shocking thing though, was that it still didn’t hurt, not even a little bit. Her head spun with the implications; she could go outside, she could wander through the forest in the middle of the day, go on hikes, all of the things she used to do. The possibilities where endless, not only was she safe, she had the freedom of the daylight to be safe in.

Outside in the daylight… the temptation was overwhelming, and she really didn’t want to wake Oliver up. Slightly nervous, she made her way towards the door. With a hesitant push, it swung open, and she stepped onto the path outside. The first thing that hit her was the sheer amount of people, they were everywhere, and they were all loud and busy. Her pulse quickened, and she shrank back towards the wall of the building she’d just emerged from.

She couldn’t do this, couldn’t be here with all these people, any of whom could have been sent by Oliver’s father. They could waiting in ambush, waiting to take her back…Her lungs were begging for air, throat tightening, hands sweating. She could feel the echo of the steel handcuffs, digging into her wrists, drawing blood and pulling her deep into the cellar. She was going to be caught, Oliver was going to be caught, and it was all going to be for nothing.

She screwed her eyes shut, and sunk to the floor. This was ridiculous. She had to calm down; she couldn’t be at a school this busy if she kept jumping at shadows. Slowly, she took deep breaths, and managed to force her erratic pulse to slow. She was safe here, Oliver had promised. She could do this. She took a step out into the courtyard, and then stopped. She really did not know what she was doing, and she got a feeling that just randomly following someone wasn’t going to work.

She balled up her fists. She could do this; this was a chance to start anew, somewhere safe and away from her sire. She just had to find someone who looked like they knew what they were doing. Everything was most likely going to be fine, possibly.

Kiki made her way to the courtyard, where the greatest density of new students stood, and looked around curiously. The wide doors to the building swung open, and out walked a tall, slender woman dressed in silver robes. Her hair was blonde and streaked with lavender, and her face and words were equally warm and kind. She seemed to be giving instructions to the new students. Kiki was a new student herself, entering the school as a fourth year because of her age. Madame P informed them to find the nearest teacher to get their room assignments before she disappeared in a puff of smoke and purple light. Kiki looked at the empty space where Madame P had stood, a little bit starstruck. Of course, faeries like herself could possess magic, but Kiara hadn't come to master something as simple as a glamour yet, let alone any fancy tricks. Hopefully, this school would help her learn to control her powers, and maybe even discover that she has magic like some of her relatives do.

Kiara made her way to the nearest teacher-like supernatural. Many of the cryptids here were so beautiful and youthful, it was hard to tell who was a teenager and who was hundreds of years old. Kiki received her dorm assignment, she was in the girls dormitory with a roommate named Laurel. That was something she hadn't really thought about until now, having a roommate. A girl roommate, too. Females normally didn't like her much, and Kiki was torn between whether she wanted this Laurel to like her, or not. Having a roommate dislike her would make for some good emotional sustenance, but she also kind of wanted to have at least one friend in this strange new realm. Either way, it was time to meet fate, so she headed to room number she was assigned.

The dorm room was just as lovely as the rest of the campus. There were live plants and the windows were open, allowing a natural air flow to pass through. Kiki guessed that her side of the room was the one with a bed covered in a blanket made of magically preserved leaves and flowers, so she set her bags down there. Laurel was nowhere to be seen, yet, so Kiki waited around to meet her. The familiar flap of leathery wings was the next thing to catch Kiki's attention. A small, red-eyed, black bat landed on the open window sill on Kiki's side of the room.

"Persy, there you are!" Kiara said as she rushed over to her little companion, holding out her palm to the bat. Persephone flitted onto her palm and Kiara brought the bat up to face level and kissed it on it's head.

---

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After the bizarre display from what absolutely must have been a Witch Laurel made her way to one of the teachers who were all seemingly at least slightly middle aged, this particular one was a male vampire, genetic she presumed from his absurdly pale complexion and his ease of being. Most created vampires tended to be a little more edgy though when you had a Sire who could essentially B & E into your mind and discover where you are and what you're doing she could understand the edginess. She moved easily, her steps utterly silent as she slunk across the campus towards the dormitory. Some girl named Kiara was her roommate this school year.

As she was moving across the space a soft tan and black shape appeared, a large female Striped Hyena. "Güzel, how nice of you to show up my love." Came Laurel's voice, it was equally as smooth as her movement, almost a whisper but the hyena reacted by raising and then lowering her head. Güzel moved in the usual loping gate of a hyena, nothing like the smooth even movements that Laurel had. They made their way up the stairs of the building and opened the doors before heading inside and up to their room.

Long before Laurel reached the room she could smell the sickly sweet smell of an unseelie faerie inside and hear a female speaking. 'Persy! There you are.' The young woman said just shortly before Laurel opened the door to the room. The big hyena entered the room first, her tall hackles raised up straight and her radar dish ears swirling around as she searched the room, completely ignoring the faerie within. She was well aware that Laurel knew the girl was present. Only the something Laurel would not smell or hear was a threat to her.

"Hello, my name is Laurel but I'm sure you already know that. This is Güzel, my familiar." The big female had already gone and laid atop the empty bed so Laurel simply gestured in her direction when she mentioned her. The hyena had her own bed in the room, a little lower to the ground and a comfortable size attached to the end of Laurel's bed but she chose to lay there instead.

A black limo had begun its way down the long road which lead to the academy. White flags rested on either side of the hood with the crest of the Diiv family flapping in the wind. "Sir, we have arrived at Rosa Claire Academy." The driver looked in the rear view mirror into the smoked filled back of the car. There, sat a figure with his legs crossed and his arms behind his head as he looked out the window towards the castle, his red and gold eyes reflecting off the glass as a cigarette came to his mouth. a red light was the sign that the master had lit another cigarette. "Finally. Thought we would never arrive. Pretty long trip wouldn't you say, Anders?" A chuckle came from the front seat as he gave a toothy smirk from the driver's response.

"Probably should have flown here then, sir."

"No, it would have been a boring flight. No one to talk to, plus I'd have to carry all my things by myself."

"Oh yes, sooo much for you to carry all by your lonesome, two small suitcases and a duffle bag. Much to heavy."

"Shut up." This caused the driver to laugh aloud, causing the teen to frown and take another long drag from his smoke.

The driver had exited the car and made his way around to the young master, opening the door and gesturing him to step out. A wall of smoke dispersed from the inside outward, momentarily shielding them from view before quickly being whisked away by a gentle breeze. The boy's hair moved with the wind with its on freedom, occasionally pushing some hair in front of his eyes. He adorned a casual style suit; black shoes, grey slacks, black shirt and a grey vest, his family's crest stitched into the upper right side. A long black trench coat rested on his shoulders being held there simply by a silver chain connect just below the neck as a snake's head poked out of his collar. The lining of it an almost crimson color. He walked to the back of the limo and opened the trunk, removing his belongings from the back.

"Is there anything else I can help you with sir?"

"No. This will be fine. I can go the rest of the way myself, thank you very much." Anders bowed and made his way to the driver's side as the young boy grabbed his belongings and made his way to the door before being stopped one more time by his driver.

"Oh, Sulley?"

"Yes Anders?"

"Be safe." A small smile passed over him.

"I will."

And with that, Anders gave him a finally wave and a nod before hopping back into the limo and driving off. Suleykaar looked up at the castle and took in its features and design. Impressive was his thought. Very well built that showed class and sophistication. He sighed as he made his way up to the entrance and walked in, off to find his room. 'This will be interesting.' He did not know if he would be the only dragon in the academy but he wouldn't worry about it, he would rather meet other creatures in the academy.

Perspehone flitted up from her palm and perched on Kiki's shoulder before she turned around to greet her new roommate. She'd never shared a room with someone before, being the only child of a highborn faerie. At the moment, her guard was down, and so was her rather undependable glamour. When Kiara turned to see Laurel, she was shocked at how human she looked. Cat-like, but human - the only real tell that she was supernatural was her soundless movement. Wanting to make a show of solidarity, Kiki put up her spotty glamour, managing to mask her wings and ghoulish grey skin, but her sharp teeth remained.

"Hello Laurel, I'm Kiara, or KiKi, whichever you like better. And this --" she gestured to the bat on her shoulder, "is my companion Persephone. I named her after one of the cool sounding humanfolk goddesses of the underworld." Kiki balled her fists up in front of her chest excitedly "How delightfully spooky!" Despite her dark, unseelie appearance, Kiara had an endearing youthful spunk to her.

"Speaking of humanfolk, are you a cat-person?" Kiki took a shot in the dark at guessing Laurel's race, it might be considered rude, but Unseelie faes have never been known for their politeness. Kiara then turned her relatively short attention span to the hyena, cocking her head curiously at it. Hyena's didn't exist in the faerie realm, and Kiara wasn't yet allowed to travel to Earth to discover other animals. "And what are you, dear Güzel? Where are you from?" Kiki squatted down and addressed the hyena directly with a bright smile, hoping that the faerie ability to communicate with all living creatures spanned across realms.

He had passed many dorms and many creatures giving him looks ranging from surprised to interested. A few declaring that he was "kinda cute" which he gladly smirked at as he would pass them. It would take long to find his room. Information was sent to him prior to showing up but he managed to find with relative ease. "Room 2501...Wonder if I have a roommate." He frowned at the idea of having another figure in the room, even more so if it was another dragon. The last thing he wanted was to have to deal with a white or, forbid it, gold dragon. Nothing but fighting would insue. He closed his eyes as he opened the door to...

"No one is hear...Bed is made and posters are up but besides that..." He sighed as he placed his stuff on his bed, deciding to leave the door open for now in case anyone wanted to visit. A few suits here and there, a couple pair of jeans and his violin and guitar. Not much else was needed but once he had packed away most of his belongings he would decide to relax. Sule laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, pondering about things. Nothing in particular but it was something that kept his mind going. Kingpin then decided to make his appearance. He slithered out from his sleeve and made its way up his arm and onto his chest. "Kingpin! I'm glad you could join me.
" The snake lifted part of its body, flicking its tongue around Sule's face.

---

---

As Niall stood looking at the woman, the Head Mistress, as she addressed all the students standing out in the courtyard. There were hundreds of people out and about in the court yard. Suddenly the woman was gone in a flash of light and smoke and the next thing he knew he was being accosted by what appeared to be a rather large German Shepherd. The large dog was more excited than threatening, clearly proud he had found Niall. He circled Niall with his tail up, dominant so the dog was rather undisciplined by whomever kept the creature. Niall's warm eyes flashed a brilliant yellow just as a young female Lycan approached rather easily. At first he was quite sure she must be an heir like himself as she grabbed ahold of the dog.

When she seemed to get a whiff of him however the dog's behavior made perfect sense. She must have been an omega in her pack. He quickly settled the wolf down, pushing it back and making his eyes return to their human color. She apologized easily and profusely once she grabbed ahold of the dog. "He isn't a bother to me, in skin or fur. It's alright truly, a rank has no matter here. I am as free of my duties as you are of yours. This is the only time and place we can be free." Niall spoke easily, like he spoke to his pack when they addressed him formally.

He bowed low from his tall height, sweeping a leg back behind him as he did so that the movement was more fluid. From his much less imposing position he reached out to touch the dog, watching the creature with bright yellow eyes intently. His muscles were flexed and rippled beneath his tan skin and the various tattoos that cross it.

Oliver was alone, completely alone, and that was bad. He scanned the room wildly, where was she, and how could she have moved without him noticing? He internally kicked himself, wringing his hands in frustration. Alice would never wander off alone, the entire time he’d known her she’d stuck to his side like glue, barely uttering a word to anyone except him, this wasn’t like her, unless… no. He couldn’t allow himself to go there. This place was safe, he’d promised her they’d be okay here, and when it came to Alice, a promise wasn’t something he’d ever taken lightly. After a split second decision, he got to his feet and headed towards the door, maybe she was outside?

The door was heavy, but he got it open, flinching slightly at the sudden onslaught of noise and light. It’d had been a long time, almost three months, since he’d been anywhere similar, and in truth, he kind of missed it. Taking a moment to orient himself, he quickly conducted a visual search of the grounds. There were all sorts of people; a girl with a pink umbrella who appeared to be being attacked by a chicken, an extremely tall man who was apparently both shirtless and incredibly muscular, a rather large number of limousines parked outside the school gates, but no Alice.

He bit down on his tongue to avoid crying out in frustration. This was getting worse by the second, and showed no signs of getting any better. Any one of these hundreds of people could have taken her, and it was so busy, nobody would have noticed. Incredibly tense, Oliver once more examined the surroundings. Nothing stood out as being overtly suspicious, but he could have easily missed something, especially seeing as he was nowhere near as powerful as most attendees of the school.

“Excuse me?”

Oliver nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of a dull monotone voice. He whipped round to see a teacher, standing there looking concerned.

“Sorry,” he mumbled quietly, “I didn’t see you there…”

She smiled in a warm, welcoming way that gave Oliver the creeps, before speaking, ”That’s quite all right, it seems you just missed the welcome speech by Madam P, telling the students about the welcome feast in two hours, also, I have room numbers,”” she handed him a slip of paper with his room number on, and a key, before turning to walk away.

“Wait!” Oliver called, suddenly thinking of something, “I need to find my friend, Alice, she disappeared earlier!”

The teacher’s expression faltered for a moment, before she replied, “I’m sure she’s fine. If she doesn’t turn up at the welcome feast, you should let somebody know, until then, I suggest you take your bag to your room and try to get settled in. Your friend probably just needed some space.”

Oliver hesitated, before nodding. She was probably right, Alice probably needed time to unwind; he did have a tendency to be rather overbearing. He adjusted the straps of his backpack, before heading towards the dorms, a vaguely uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.

---

Oliver barely noticed the fact that the door to the room was open when he walked in and dumped his rucksack on the available bed and sat. The room was spacious, and sparsely decorated, except for the possessions its other inhabitant, a man with long hair, a suit, and fascinating eyes. Also, snake. Oliver blinked a couple of times, only just noticing his presence, before quickly jumping to his feet again,

“Sorry!” he exclaimed, uncharacteristically loudly, “I didn’t notice you, I guess I’m pretty stressed out at the moment,” he flashed a smile that tried to be charming but came out sheepish, attempting to slip back into the persona he’d abandoned months ago, “I’m Oliver, and, err, I guess we’re roommates?” he offered a hand to shake, “Sorry, I’m not usually this awkward…”

Kingpin swiveled part of it's body towards a figure that entered the room. its head cocky to the side before turning back to Sule and snugging in close. This was enough to get the attention of Sule. He looked at the boy with a slight squint before cocking an eyebrow to the boys jitteriness. He waited a moment so the boy could finish before he was offered a hand as a gesture of a warm greeting but he could tell both by sight and smell. The beauty of a dragon's senses. Sule internally laughed as he frowned at his hand and then the boy before busting out into a loud laugh. His razor sharp teeth shined slightly by the rooms lighting. "Quite nervous aren't we?

As he began to sit up, Kingpin slithered down to his shirt sleeve and slide into it, only the bulge in his sleeve showed Kingpins presence. Turning and placing his feet on the floor he stood up. His height and size was a bit, intimidating, to say the least. Tall and well built. There was major definition in his body but his posture was more relaxed and welcoming. Sule held out his hand and grabbed it, possibly adding more pressure than needed in the handshake but not by purpose. Hopefully his rough skin didn't damage Oliver's. "Oliver it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Suleykaar Sahqon Diiv of the Diiv family and I believe we will be roommates, sosnaak." A toothy grin crossed his face before his eye twitched slightly. Time for a smoke.

Once he introduced himself he made his way over to the window above his bed and opened it before pulling out a cigarette and placing the filter on his mouth. He looked over at the boy. "you dun mine do you?" He cupped his hands together, and after a few seconds, smoked rose from the hand shield as he dropped them to the side, taking a long drag from it before exhaling through his nose."So sosnaak, where are you from?" He asked, the cigarette bobbing up and down with each syllable.

The man’s handshake had been firm, and surprisingly rough, and when he stood up, he’d towered a good five inches over Oliver. Luckily, he seemed friendly enough, but Oliver was under no illusions, his roommate could probably tear him limb from limb in mere seconds, like most Cryptids. Oliver was starting to realise that this place could be more dangerous than he’d anticipated, and for wholly different reasons than those he’d expected. Alice would probably be okay, she was quite powerful for a made vampire, although inexperienced, but until Oliver gained his full powers, he’d have to watch his back.

Oliver watched as the man lit a cigarette, tendrils of smoke curling and twisting past his hand before being sucked through the open window by the breeze. He’d always found smoking to be oddly poetic, and it was an act that seemed to fit the tall and ever so slightly intimidating Suleykaar Sahqon Diiv like a glove. Oliver considered the man’s considered the question carefully, it seemed fairly innocuous, but he could never be too careful, so he decided to keep his answer vague,

“Recently, I’ve been… travelling with a friend,” his smile was thin, and he seemed to be doing a better job than earlier at covering up his nerves, “but I grew up in my father’s country house in Yorkshire, and I spent a lot of time at a boarding school in Germany, I also kind of half lived in London, my father’s a banker, all of which probably makes me sound like a bit of a posh idiot,” this kind of general information and mild self-deprecation was easy, and Oliver found himself relaxing a bit as he got into the flow of conversation, “ but I promise you I’ve never played lacrosse in my life, and I’ve only ever drunk tea out of a mug, and even then only with about fifteen sugars.”

He chuckled slightly at his own joke, before moving on, “Anyway, what about you?” he thought for a moment about the man’s accent, which seemed familiar, “You sound a touch Scottish, am I right?”