Alex looked at the flustered redhead who just bounced in the room. He recognized her, she was a newbie the year he was assigned his apprenticeship. Wow she sure grew up. She left shortly after, tried to go back to her parents. Shallow-borns never learn do they. Once your involved with the Granted, you never leave. No matter who you are, or where you are from.

"Hey, have a seat we were just having our first meeting." He turned back to the group after gesturing for her to take a seat.

"You're two biggest responsibilities are training and shallow service. Shallow service is when you all get to go out and pretend to be happy go lucky Jr. Park Rangers so we can fund this place and keep it on the island. There are two shallow service shifts per day. Normally when you aren't with the shallows or training you're training. Training schedule will start on Monday. This will be the only weekend you are not permitted to leave the island. After that if you aren't scheduled for shallow service, go ahead and leave. Dinner will be ready at 7:00. And for the love of god be nice to the entertainment system, I will be in my office if anyone needs me"

He stood up left abruptly and went back into the office and slammed the door. What had he turned into. A military man. He used to be so much like Bob. Cynical, thinking you could screw over the Granted. If he couldn't no one can, the best he could do is make these kids believe that.

Roberto barely reacted to the new arrival, glancing up at her and then resuming his vigilant stare at the center of the floor. Who are you? ALex will introduce us probably ... The rest of Alex's little spiel went as expected, though Bob hadn't anticipated him fleeing so rapidly to his office afterwards. What was he so afraid of anyway? Not recognizing the new arrival, Bob considered just heading outside to let the girls get acquainted and settled in. Alex never did introduce her... Was he running from her? Nah, she's too scattered to be able to cause any much more than a dull ache, usually between the temples. Still, I'd better be on my way, while I still can.

Bob stood, and shuffled out of the room and then on out the front door, where he paused briefly on the porch steps before starting off on a walk around the grounds of the house, slowly lapping the property as he mulled it all over in his head. Alex was weird, and not in a good way, He didn't seem to hate me like the others but he never stopped glancing my way either. He's either paranoid, or an idiot, being that obvious in his observation. I'm not sure where I want to put my money yet on that one... On the plus side, there didn't seem to be any other guys here yet, and that couldn't be to bad right? Who am I kidding? The guys at least will play it straight, Girls don't seem to know the meaning of the word... So this is hell, and I'm here until "they" say otherwise, great. Well, can't say as I didn't anticipate this, but it'd sure be nice to be wrong, maybe just the once.

The first two gals seemed okay, a little loud, and very awkward, but that was highly preferred over actively hostile, and that greatly above the stubborn dismissal of his very existence. I don't know anything about the new girl though... probably a plant, arrived late and flustered to earn our sympathy and worm her way under our guards so she could parrot our unguarded thoughts and dreams to those with the power and desire to crush them. I'd just have to stick to my usual routine, ignore people until they get over trying to lord everything over me and then have fun retaliating when they no longer thought that was possible.

@Ally610@hyperbunny

Shiro giggled briefly but other than that remained quiet as Alex began addressing them. It was hard enough for her to focus on something as it was, she really didn't want to miss something important like for instance 'You only get fed on Wendsdays' or something similar. It wasn't soon after that someone barged in and declared they were late. In response Shiro simply said "Shh." before turning back to Alex.

Shallow service sounded fun to Shiro, and there wouldn't have to be any pretending on her end either. She was pretty much always happy, or blissfully stupid. Pretty much the same thing. She didn't really think much of not being able to leave for the weekend, she doubted she'd leave that often unless it was for 'shallow service' anyway. Once Alex was done Shiro was going to ask a question, or three, but before she could he retreated into his office. Rude.

Oh well. She soon turned her attention to the newest member of their little group. Standing up she walked over to her. "Hai!" She greeted quite simply and excitedly.

@Shikaru@Tracyarmav@gravity22@hyperbunny

Akia sat quietly throughout the rest of Alex's talk, for she had already done a lot of talking herself. When the new girl stumbled in, she waved a little, but it seemed as if the new girl didn't see it. Oh well. It was worth trying.

When Alex talked about shallow service, Akia became excited. This would be a good chance to practice being happy! It will definitely weaken depression. She turned to face Shiro, who also seemed interested in shallow service. Great! Now this could help me build up my friendship, too!

Going home for the weekend didn't interest Akia in the least bit. What good would it be to go home, just to visit an empty house, with no one to greet me? It's going to be the same there as here. At least there may be some people hanging around The Cottage.

She barely noticed Alex leaving, for she was already up and following Shiro to the new girl. "Hey! My name's Akia. What's yours? I love your red hair!"

@Shikaru@Ally610

Catching her breath, Sena nods and quietly takes her seat and listens to the last few points of their meeting. She had no clue what happened before bursting through the door but kept her mouth shut through the rest of the meeting. Upon hearing the words "Shallow service," her mind began to race. Interacting with people wasn't something that she would put down on her agenda or even something she would think about doing. Her opinion might as well matter little to Alex - as he just up and left the room with the word of dismissal.

Well, now at least she had next weekend to look forward to. It would be an agonizing week to just try and avoid people.

Sena made a move to quickly gather her things and leave as well when one of the other girls greeted her brightly causing her to jump, startled and maybe even a little fightened. Turning around with the brightest smile she could muster, Sena offers a small wave of greeting in return, her eyes darting to the floor. Her cheeks grew warm at the compliment. Introduce herself? She swallows and barely gets her words out in a soft whisper, "S-sena..."

@Ally610@hyperbunny

Shiro nodded in agreement with Akia, "Shiro likes your hair too!" She told her happily when Akia was done speaking. She tilted her head slightly when Sena seemed to be avoiding looking at them, confused as to what the problem was. When she finally introduced herself Shiro smiled and put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry Sena, Shiro and Akia friendly. Right Akia?" She told her, looking over at Akia.

Alex paced the perimeter of the office, thinking over what to do. He glanced at the letter he had found earlier. Then back at the pile of backgrounds they had sent him on the new recruits. He tossed both of them in the trash. If I have to forget the past, I won't judge theirs.

He then strolled out of the office and locked the door behind him. The microwave clock in the kitchen read 5:24 pm. Better start working on dinner. He took a look in the fridge to find it empty. He didn't even think about it. When he lived here, Ms. Moore had it stocked at all times. Shit. We're on a fucking island, so it's not like I can call for pizza.

He presses a button on the nearest intercom that blasts his voice moderately throughout the building. "Change of plans for dinner, all of you get down here by 6pm"

"Yup! Ask us for help whenever you need it! Actually, I don't know much about The Cottage, so I can't help you on that, but we can be friends," Akia said. Damn it. You've only been here an hour, at the most, than Sena. Who are you to act all leader-like? Akia had noticed Sena being a little shy, but she assumed she will loosen up over time.

"I'm not sure where you will sleep, though... Are you okay with sleeping by yourself? I would invite you to our room, but I'm not sure if Shiro would be okay with it... It's also a double room, so you might be a little squished," Akia rambled, turning to Shiro as she spoke.

Akia's head perked up when she heard Alex's announcement. I wonder what he means by 'change of plans'. Are we not going to eat at all? I hope not. I'm starving!

Sena nods, looking from Akia to Shiro with a grateful smile. There seem to be plenty of friendly faces around here and for that Sena was thankful. Little to no words have been exchanged when Akia started to babble on about her residence. She only nodded in responds to the question. Sena would rather pour hot oil on her foot than to share a room with someone else; she was a person who valued her privacy.

When the intercom buzzed on followed by a voice, Sena's attention was averted. Six? Change of plans? She glanced at her watch. Over thirty five minutes left before then. She was more worried about what to do for the time being. Maybe try to find my room? she suggested to herself and wordlessly slipped out of company to explore a bit while she went looking for her room.

@gravity22

Dinner plans were changed, wonderful. Probably someone had a food allergy or just the new girl being a snob. Roberto didn't really care which it was. He continued to tread the ground's perimeter, barefoot. His shoes sat on the porch where he'd left them after the first circuit. He liked the feel of the earth beneath his toes. That was his heritage, at least on his sire'd side. He didn't know much about his mother's side, whoever she was, she hadn't wanted him any more than his dad had. But she was different, he could do things his "family" couldn't. They didn't like that, which made it a point of pride for Bob, anything they hated he'd come to cherish in some form or fashion, if only to spite his elders. If they think I owe them anything, they're wrong, and if they want me dead, see if I care, it's not like I have a life anyway. My only real joy any more is pissing them off. What would piss them off most here? I could burn the cottage... They'd just have another one built, to insignificant. Osik... Do I really have to do this? Well, it's not like I'm going to just find an army standing around waiting for orders. I may as well make the most of what I can here. One thing I will not do is emulate my sire, I will thwart him in particular at every chance I get.

That decided, Roberto checked his watch, and figured he had time to left to write a short postcard to the ever doting Mumsy. What possessed her to love him, Bob never could figure out, but she did, and she was the only one who ever had or ever would as far as he could tell. He grabbed his shoes and slipped in the back door, pulling out a post card and pen, he dashed off a few short lines, that weren't wrong, but didn't really say anything either. The cottage was nice, he had a room to himself, his window had a nice view, the others seemed like nice campers, etc. He put a stamp on it, and addressed it, before sticking it in his back pocket. He'd put it in the mail bin on his way to dinner in about five minutes. He checked his bag, grabbed a pair sandals, and slipped them on. He'd unpack the rest later. He stepped outside, and made his way to the dining room, dropping off his postcard on the way. He fully expected the mail would be censored, which would be amusing, since he never told Mumsy anything anyway. Bob knew if told her the truth she would just get herself killed trying to stand up for him and then he really would be alone in the world. So he didn't, he played nice and wore a thick mask, it'd come in real handy for the next few weeks. Bob stepped into the dining room at 1753, (5:53pm) and found a wall to lean against while waiting for further instructions. He noticed he couldn't smell dinner... that was odd.

Checking his watch and meeting up in the kitchen he saw Roberto waiting. "We're going to be we are going to make a brief trip into the city."

Maybe he should have left without them. No. They were specific with their instructions: 'The bastard child is not to be left in the cottage without a staff member'. Apparently he had a tendency for property destruction. Hopefully they were going to hire new support staff soon.

Pressing the buzzer again he yelled. "5 minutes!"

@gravity22@Ally610@Tracyarmav

Pretty much as soon as Alex had told them all to get to the kitchen by 6 Shiro had excused herself from the group, not noticing that Sena had done the same. She figured she should unpack now so she didn't have to do it later. Despite the odd tracksuit she was currently wearing Shiro did actually have normal clothes, they were rather plain but normal clothes they indeed were. Deciding to change for the time being she slipped on a blue t-shirt and some jeans followed by sneakers. Again, plain outfit was plain, but what did you really expect from her? She didn't take her gloves off however, for all she knew they were going to have to fight for their food or something so she kept them on.

After changing and unpacking she heard Alex tell them they only had 5 minutes left, running and nearly tripping down the stairs she stumbled into the kitchen, catching herself on the door frame. "Shiro ready!" She declared, her happy expression turning slightly confused as she didn't see nor smell food. "Where food?" She asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

@gravity22

Sena had found her room, finally at peace and was able to hear herself think. She bit her lower lip and started organizing her things in the drawers, and on the well made bed. She took out a photograph, placing it on her desk. In it, was a middle-aged red headed woman, who was smiling brightly, her hair already graying and beside her a man with his arm around the woman's shoulder with the same bright smile. What stood out in the photograph was a light brown-haired boy with blue eyes and herself with a darker shade of the bright red hair that she had at the moment, riding on the boy's back with their eyes closed and their cheeks pink from running. The boys eyes were blue and whenever Sena looked into them, it was like looking deep into the ocean with the golden sunlight reflecting against the surface. It was hard to recall the last time her childhood friend smiled.

The voice just outside interrupted her train of thought and startled her to jump. She quickly places the still-life memory on the desk and peeked her head out of her door with an inquisitive gaze. Five minutes? Might as well start heading to the kitchen now. She grabs onto a stuffed bunny, holding it close to her chest before slipping out and closing the door behind her. She might as well move on with her own life and not dwell in the past; no matter how complicated it has been.

Sena walked into the kitchen with the little stuffed animal still held close to her chest, her head peeking into the kitchen before quietly slipping in. She kept her gaze onto the floor and well away from the group of people.

@hyperbunny@Shikaru@gravity22@Tracyarmav
Akia sat on the chair that she was originally sitting on during Alex's talk. Everyone had left to do their own thing, but Akia didn't see what to do. My clothes are fine, I will change at night. It won't take long to unpack. 3 minutes at the most. She massaged her right arm unconsciously, or rather, half of her right arm. There was a stump where the elbow should be. She really wasn't thinking of anything

When the buzz sounded, reminding Akia that dinner was in five minutes. She wiped the tears off her face that had rolled down without any reason. She jogged to the kitchen where everyone seemed to be waiting. What she found peculiar was that there was no food on the table. "So, what's up?"

@gravity22@Shikaru@hyperbunny@Ally610

Roberto stood upright, pushing himself off the wall, as the last inhabitant of the cabin, that he knew of, arrived. That's all of us then. Why... you know what? I don't care, if she wanted to eat dinner with her bunny, it won't bother me any. Clapping his hands to gather everyone's attention, Bob announces the situation to everyone and decides to push some things. He slides his hands back into his pockets as he speaks.

"Field trip, apparently we get a dinner on the town. Any special requests for where in town we eat tonight?"

@Tracyarmav@Ally610@Shikaru@gravity22

Sena glanced around the room, seeing if anyone had anything to say. Well, either way she would stay quiet and just watch the scene unfold before her. Words had always been of little use in her opinion. She only shrugged in reply, not really wanting anything in particular. She pressed her back against the wall, waiting for someone else to speak up and just stared at her stuffed bunny which was a worn down, it's fur no longer fuzzy from being hugged and squished. Sena had always used it as her security blanket, and dragged the thing around everywhere. Ever since she got it for a gift, she never left home without it.

@hyperbunny@Tracyarmav@Shikaru@gravity22
"I want Chinese takeout!" Ally said, after a pause of silence, "I feel like chicken and noodles today."

She looked around the room for reactions. Oh no! Had I offered something nobody wanted? I should really be careful next time if I get asked for my opinion. Akia only saw Sena staring at her stuffed bunny. It looked pretty worn out, so she guessed that there was some meaning behind it. Nobody will judge me if I wear the necklace pendant, right? It's pretty big, so it could catch everyone's attention, and I don't want to show tears while telling the story behind it... Oh well, they should respect my privacy!

@Tracyarmav@Ally610@hyperbunny@gravity22

Shiro waited for the rest to either speak up about their food choices, or in Sena's case not speak up. She thought for a few minutes, Chinese food DID sound pretty appealing. Then again, they asked them for whatever they wanted, right...? While, Chinese food sounded good..Shiro had other ideas. "Shiro wants chocolate cake!" She shouted happily with a goofy grin on her face. "And Chinese food!" She added. Because, why not both?

@gravity22@Shikaru@hyperbunny@Ally610

Roberto nodded and thought about the options, since Alex wasn't interrupting Bob decided this was pseudo permission to go have fun on the town, though he knew any sour consequences would land squarely on his own shoulders. He shrugged and decided it would be best to take the ferry across. If they went quickly they could get there in time to catch the 6:00 ferry from the Island, though they'd have to watch the time or get stuck on the mainland after the last ferry, which left at 8:30, had set out. That would leave them about two hours to see to dinner. Nodding he announces the next step of the plan, and then starts on his way, half expecting Alex to stop him.

"Alright, there's a van out front, by the supply shed, let's load up and head out. Chinese food and chocolate cake will be our fare tonight, we'd better enjoy it while it lasts."

Roberto jumped into the driver's seat, and started the van. He'd seen the keys hanging in the hall by Alex's office and stopped to grab them on the way out. Alex apparently had something else to deal with, so Bob would get to bring him something on the return trip. Bob waited for the others pile in and turned the radio on, or tired to, turns out the radio doesn't work. Oh well, at least it had started and wouldn't give them any trouble getting to and around town.

@Shikaru@Tracyarmav@hyperbunny@gravity22
Chocolate cake? Hmm... Interesting mix.. Who cares?! When you're hungry, you eat!

Akia studied everyone's faces. Roberto seemed to be thinking, and everyone else had their poker faces on.

"I'm sure I'll enjoy it! I haven't had chocolate cake since..." since Mom passed away. Tears rushed towards her eyes, but she blinked them away quickly, "since last year."

Akia jumped onto the van, taking the back seat to let somebody else take shotgun, because she knew everyone's favorite spot was the passenger seat. She quickly strapped on her seat belt, not wanting to meet the same fate as her father. A single tear rolled down her cheek and she swiped it away with her hand. She turned her head to face the window so no one would be able to see her. How am I going to control these emotions if everything will remind me of something sad? Get it together, Akia. You can do it. Do it for your parents' death.