@Joshua Tamashii @Darkmoon Angel

"...Lin Xiao." Said Lin. He was more used to saying his surname before his given name, but for because he was surrounded by people of European descent, he switched it around for ease of understanding. "I hope Lin isn't too much of a mouthful." He said in accented English, with a hint of sarcasm, glaring sharply at the older girl who'd addressed herself as 'Lunaria'. He was still kind of ticked off about the girl's lack of manners. He was used to being overlooked, unacknowledged and pushed to the side, but never before had he been flat out ignored in favor of another stranger. Really, Lunaria had no excuse for speaking only to the blonde, and assuming that she spoke English.

@Oliver@Joshua Tamashii@Darkmoon Angel

So that was it then, no great new start to a senior and junior relationship that Pierre had dreamed about. The blonde boy slouched his shoulders, feeling a bit dismayed. This year would have a very disappointing start if he didn't do something else. Sure, the boy couldn't go around using his air, but he was still a second-year! And that came with some form of knowledge that the first years wouldn't have. Pierre peered around at the crowd, searching for a group to situate himself into.

There in a corner seemed to be a group of three first years. Mustering up some more courage, the boy moved towards them. One of them was using water to make letters, some kind of vocal handicap perhaps? The boy of the group was speaking in heavily accented English. Seeing as he may not have come from Europe meant Pierre could ask what it was like overseas! The boy loved asking about different cultures. The other girl looked a bit shy as well, but actually, she didn't look like a first year at all, maybe even a bit older than Pierre was!

Pierre hoped he could still snag the position of a helpful upperclassman, "Hello everyone! My name is Pierre Roux, and I'm a second year. If any of you need any help around these parts, I'll help out in any way I can!" He looked over at the boy, "Hi there Lin! Is this your first time in Italy?" He gave a quick smile to the two girls before turning to face Lin.

@Joshua Tamashii @Darkmoon Angel @AimeChambers

A boy a bit older than Lin joined the group, and Lin was thankful that he took the time to address everyone unlike Lunaria. Lin nodded when he was asked if this was his first time in Italy. "I never had any reason to leave Shanghai before now." he explained, with a slight shrug. "I'm... how you say... still adjusting." The eleven year old bit his tongue to keep from saying that he was not terribly impressed with Europe so far and would go back to China in a heartbeat. He'd been kind of put in a sour mood after Lunaria's apparent lack of basic manners, but Lin wasn't about to take out his frustration on everyone else. He forced a smile which quickly faded, glancing down at the floor.

@Oliver @Joshua Tamashii @AimeChambers

This turning into a nice little group introduction what with Amelia, who seemed to be communicating with water, Lin, who was more than likely not from here judging by his accent, and Pierre, a rather kind second year student, all introducing themselves. Lin explained that he came all the way from Shanghai, he must be having a difficult time adjusting, it also seemed like Lunaria had ticked him off in some way because he seemed to be glaring at her, what did she do? Was she rude in some way to him? Though, they were all sitting at the same table, and Lunaria just decided to acknowledge the first person she saw. Great, first day back and she's already made a bad impression.

"W-well... As I said.. You can just call me Luna... Sorry if I... Came off on the wrong way... I'm just... Ooohh..." Now she was just making things more awkward, she didn't know what to do, all except... "U-uhhh... Please excuse me..." Walk away. She proceeded to get up and leave the table, guess this year wasn't it.

@Joshua Tamashii @Darkmoon Angel @AimeChambers

Lunaria seemed to be leaving. Lin, who had already built a highly negative impression of the older girl, could hardly care less. Perhaps he was a bit touchy on the subject of being ignored, since after all his only living parent barely had time for him. Or perhaps he was just being needlessly judgmental based on the girl's seeming lack of basic etiquette. Lin remained silent, chewing on his lower lip as he stared down at the floor dejectedly. His feeble attempt to fit in with these kids didn't seem to be going too well.

Orithius Pethris Wyrmwood

@KimmiNinja

Orithius peered at the others in the room. They seemed to be talking among themselves in a candid and forward manner that made him both uneasy and curious. The conversations seemed to lack direction, coming fast and dispersing just as fast. They would ask pointless questions that made little to no sense, or questions that seemed to have answers so obvious that they barely seemed worth the effort. He tried hard no to frown at them, nodding politely when she introduced him to the others. He took one of the seats she offered him, but made sure to take the one furthest from where the group had been bounding together. Listening absentmindedly, he tapped his fingers on the table- absentmindedly repeating the main movement of the Arabesque over and over, before he realized what he was doing. He placed his hand flat on the table and closed his eyes for a moment. He envisioned his favorite coffee mug at home, currently filled and being kept warm by the coffee machine. The next moment, a small sigil on the cup glowed, before it vanished and reappeared next to his flat palm on the desk. He picked up the steaming cup and peered at the others, keeping quiet as they prattled on. He closed his eyes and smiled slightly as he took a comforting sip.

@Almosegosum

Catching up with friends were pretty nice. Everyone was talking about what they had done over summer vacation. It wasn't long until Rosalie gets sucked into the conversation until she notices that Orithius was distant from the group, he had even conjured up a cup of coffee. Before she could say anything the professor began class and so she had no choice but to turn around and pay attention.

"Welcome to Advance Magical Defense blah blah blah I have high expectations from you older students blah blah..." The class was so boring she couldn't focus long enough to get 5 words in.
Next class was supposed to be "controlling your element" but since she got ahead of the class, she and a few others received permission to use the period as a volunteering opportunity to earn extra credit in any other class. (Of course, that extra credit is going towards MD). She chose to be a teacher assistant in the 1-2 year classes, helping out new students with their elements. She looks to Orithius who was focused on the professor and thought "Maybe it will be easier for him to interact with the freshman." She pondered if she would use this opportunity to make some freshman friends for once since most of her friends were in the same grade or older.

Amelia frowned as events played out before her. The boy who introduced himself as Lin was giving off a rather angry aura and this made Amelia rather nervous to interact with him. She had seen what people were capable of when angry and she had no interest in seeing anything like that again. When the boy spoke though, she realized something was different about him, as he didn't sound like anyone she had heard before.

Before she could dwell on this, another boy approached and began talking to them, introducing himself before addressing Lin. This one also sounded weird and it confused her. Maybe it was a guy thing? She honestly didn't know. Turning back to Lin as he responded to the question asked at him, she again couldn't help but feel as though the boy was rather angry at something.

This hostile attitude seemed to have an effect on Lunaria, who quickly got up and began to leave. Wondering why this was, Amelia quickly had her water get in front of Lunaria before shaping it again.
Why are you leaving? Didn't you come to talk? it read. After giving Lunaria a second to read it, Amelia had the water return to her before having it form an arrow that arrow that pointed at the two boys that then turned into an innocent question, though she was careful with her wording so as to avoid upsetting anyone. Why do you two sound different?

@Oliver@Joshua Tamashii@Darkmoon Angel

So it was his first time in Europe! Luckie~ Pierre was genuinely curious what the first year's home country was like and wanted to ask more about it one-on-one, but right now wasn't exactly the best time for it. "Trouble adjusting, eh? Well! If you need any help with the culture differences, I'm here to help!" He gave the smaller boy a pat on the back before addressing the other two girl students.

Luna, the older girl seemed to be out of her element and started to move away, only to have a hand come down on her shoulder by Pierre, "Oh, don't worry Luna! Everyone is just getting introduced, why don't you stay?" He gently turned the girl back around to face the others before letting her go. Just because he was used to being hands on didn't mean he was that comfortable touching a girl for longer than a second. Plus, she was an upperclassman!

After doing this, Pierre peered at the question in the water, "Hmm, it may be because of puberty! Our voices are in fact growing lower thanks to reaching maturity... Or maybe you are talking about our accents?" Pierre pointed between him and Lin. "We all seem to come from many different places and with that we have different language and customs!" The boy gave a happy smile as he explained.

Orithius Pethris Wyrmwood

@KimmiNinja

Orithius listened to the lecturer with an almost palpable level of boredom. Clearly they were being lenient with the people who are of a lower level, because it seemed to be just a rehash of previous years of work, and a few tentative explorations as to how these defensive measures might be incorporated in new and innovative manners, so as to coincide and remain relevant in an ever changing modern context. Most of the ideas they provided were impossible, or would result in highly ineffective forms - either the teacher was a moron, or he was testing whether or not someone would call him out on his shittalking. Orithius hoped it was the latter, because if it were not then he was going to have to log a formal complaint.

He sighed and sat back in his chair, looking at the girl - Rosalie - again. She seemed to be not paying much attention. Considering her scores however, he assumed it was less out of informed boredom, and mostly because of disinterest. She wanted to be friends. Informal friends. It still made no sense to him, but he tried to keep an open mind. Perhaps he should invite her over to the house. Would she mind? There was a slim chance that she might be overwhelmed, like other people seemed to be. Kissing his father and mother's asses when they eventually come over. Then again, he is just intending to use her to facilitate his own social needs... if she were to use him to further her own financial or political goals - could he judge her? Probably not.

"Mr Wyrmwood, the answer please." Orithius looked at the lecturer and then at the board, and noted a few notes on Last-Resort theories to cripple your enemies when your defensive stagnates have failed. Crippling your enemy's to give you a chance to restructure your defense... "Scorched earth policy? If your defenses have been crippled, use force to interrupt the source of the enemy's attack - i.e. cut off their connection to their element, cripple their capacity to use it, etc. While this might seem like a purely offensive stratagem - since we are talking about last-resorts, the resulting time you will get as your opponent tries to rebuild their offensive measures, will aid you in reestablishing a coherent defense or consider retreat. Is that sufficient?" Orithius looked on with a raised eyebrow, taking another sip of his coffee. The lecturer wrote down a few points before continuing. Orithius sighed and continued to listen a little bit more attentively.

@Joshua Tamashii @AimeChambers @Oliver

Lunaria was just about to leave to sit somewhere else when a combination Pierre and Amelia's words told her to come back. This just made her even more nervous, though if they actually were interested in what she had to say then it shouldn't be that bad. Turning back around everyone seemed to have said a bit on where they originally came from, so in turn Lunaria decided to give her story. "Well... I came overseas... All the way from the United States... Its my 4th year here but... I don't know I just feel... Awkward... When I talk to others..." She didn't want to give too much on herself, that would just make things harder for herself, the least she could do is help the matter with Lin.

"L-listen... Lin was it? I don't know if I... Offended you in some way... But If I did... I'm sorry for it..." she bowed her head at the end, she really didn't want her first interactions with people to go bad for her. She had to at least make some acquaintances this year.

While most of the students were spending their time mingling, flirting, or just getting acclimated, Simon avoided the chaos and headed to the place he felt most at home: the library. The thing he hated most about being away from the academy was that he was cut off from the vast stores of knowledge that were at his disposal. In his time away from school, he had already created a reading schedule for himself and already knew the books he wanted for his first week of school. In addition to his assigned readings, of course. Upon exiting the library, he felt like a packhorse. His bags still held all the books he would need for his classes, plus his newly checked-out collection that he didn't have time to drop off at his room. Simon loved his books, but he just wished paper wasn't so damn heavy. "If I were an air elemental, it'd solve so many problems..." he mumbled to himself as he passed a group of students of various ages that were hanging out at a table.

Tijd Mágos

@Almosegosum
@KimmiNinja
-------
After racing through the halls and yawning through her first class (Non-Magical defense), Tijd went to Controlling your Element, which at least sounded interesting enough to survive without falling asleep. Standing at the front of the room were two 6th years. One of them, the girl, seemed more at home than the boy who was standing next to her. The boy she recognised- Orithius Pethris Wyrmwood. Tijd let out a sigh of relief as the girl began to talk.

@Arya10108909@Almosegosum

First period dragged on forever, Rosalie decided it was best for her to pay attention. In the end, it wouldn't help her grade if wasn't listening to what the teacher had to say. Orithius answered the question asked with such grace Rosalie was a bit jealous. She was an all-rounded student for the most part. A lot of times she'd get her work done ahead of others and aced her classes. She didn't know why it was Magical Defense that kept her down. After what seemed like a century, first-period ends and they begin to transition to second period. Rosalie didn't know what class Orithius had next, but she didn't want to be late on her first day of being an assistant teacher. There was suppose to be one other person joining her as well so she did not want them to have a bad impression of her. She waves to Orithius and makes her way to the next classroom.

Upon reaching the class, the number of 1st years was a little overwhelming. When she turned to see Orithius walk through the door, she was both surprised and relieved. It felt a bit comforting that she was not alone and had someone to rely on.
The bells rung for second period to start and so she turns to the class waiting for them to give her the silence to talk.

"Hello first-years, welcome to "Controlling your Element". My name is Rosalie Von Kruger and I will be one of your mentors for this class. So if you ever have any trouble even outside of class don't be afraid to reach out for me." She flashes them a smile before turning it over to Orithius.

Orithius Pethris Wyrmwood

@KimmiNinja @Arya10108909

Orithius stood quietly, listening to the children sneaking a whisper every now and then, while Rose tried to convey kindness and openness and general support towards the youths. It made him feel slightly uncomfortable. Then she stopped speaking and turned to him. He did not expect this. Damn his father for signing him up for this...

"I am Orithius Pethris Wyrmwood - I will be aiding my colleague in this endeavour. While you might only have a limited understanding of the work, I would appreciate it were you to identify where exactly your comprehension ceased, often either with a concept or phrase - so that we can aid you in as quick and efficient a manner possible. While there might not be anything like a stupid question - there does exist an unnecessary one. Consider your questions beforehand please." His tone did not hold any of niceness Rose's had, but it was firm and confident. His face remained impassive as he memorised their faces and seating - if only to avoid unnecessary introductions later on.

Amelia listened to Lunaria and Pierre as they spoke. What Pierre said interested her most of all, though most, if not all of his answer to her question, flew over her head. Maybe she should look that stuff later, when she had the time. Glancing over at a nearby clock, she saw the time and stood up very quickly with a look of alarm on her face. Her water quickly formed the reason for this alarm before flying back into it's bottle and she quickly screwed the cap back on before taking off.
Class. Gotta hurry. Talk to you all later?

She rushed through the halls, finding her way to the classroom just seconds before it finally began and took the seat as far back from the front of the room as she could. When it finally began, two teachers introduced themselves. The first one was an older girl with the same eye and hair color as Amelia, who seemed friendly and gave up what Amelia could only assume was a motherly vibe. The second was a boy who she guessed was the same age with black hair and gold eyes, which she found both frightening and interesting at the same time. They both asked if anyone had any questions and what they knew about controlling to element, to which Amelia felt completely stumped. She knew how to move her water and shape it, which were the basics, but she wasn't sure what else there was to know. She had only known about her powers for a month at this point.

Tijd Mágos

@Almosegosum and @KimmiNinja
----
Tijd nearly laughed aloud. Orithius had been stiff, formal, and highly reminiscent of her tutors, while Rose had been calming and soothing and kind. She almost shouted out, 'Hi!' to Orithius, but decided against it in the end, seeming too unformal for both of their tastes. Tijd tried to pay attention, but as it turned out, she knew a lot of it from her elemental tutors. Despite her efforts, however, Tijd fell asleep.

@Arya10108909@Almosegosum@Joshua Tamashii@Darkmoon Angel@AimeChambers



---
Rosalie wasn't surprised at Orithius' introduction to the class, it was reasonable to have someone on the other end of the spectrum. While it was nice for the students to have someone they can relate to and be comfortable around, there should also be boundaries. This is a school after all.
Nonetheless she was happy to be helping out the younger students. It was only the first day of class so they were going over the basics but Rosalie couldn't help but notice some students dozing off. One of them, a female, was asleep.
While Orithius was in the middle of explaining a subject, Rosalie went over to her bag and got out a water bottle. No one minded her as most would have thought she went to hydrate herself. But she had different plans. Walking over to the girl with her head down everyone stopped to see what Rosalie was doing. Unscrewing the cap she held the bottle with one hand and with the other began to take the water out of it and levitated a small amount over the girl's head. Some students were giggling but Rosalie had a less joyful look on her face. She let the water fall, splashing the girl's head. There were students that bursted into laughter but Rosalie shot them a glare before returning to the front of the room.
"I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression that you can be so comfortable around me as to doze off or fall asleep. I want to be nice but I'll put your learning above all else. Before I'm your friend I'm your mentor got it? Even if you know the basic stuff it's disrespectful to ignore what Orithius and I have to teach you." Rosalie felt a little bad talking to them this way, and using the girl as an example but during her 6 years here she learned that people need to learn the hard way.

Tijd Mágos

@KimmiNinja and @Almosegosum
------
Tijd sat up as the frezzing water was poured over her head. "Sorry," she said, and then proceeded to repeat, word for word, what Orithius had just said. She levitated the water off of her head and into a ball and dropped it on the floor. "I didn't mean to, Miss Von Kruger, and I know that there is no excuse for falling asleep in class. If you would like, I could arrange for my assisstant to send papers to your assistant..."Tijd traild off.

Orithius Pethris Wyrmwood

@KimmiNinja @Arya10108909 @Joshua Tamashii

Orithius rose his eyebrow at the display... It was not something he expected Rosalie to do. The snide reaction the child had, while it reminded him of himself, also pissed him off a bit - a foreign sense of protectiveness of his supposed new friend he supposed. He walked over to the two - "Miss Mágos - while your skills are... adequate for your level - it is unbecoming of a student to offer false contrition. Furthermore - snideness only works when you really are the smartest one in the room. ( he leaned forwards slightly, and rose an eyebrow at her, before he turned to Rosalie) Nevertheless, I am sure that a slight tap on the shoulder would have sufficed. While I am new to this, public humiliation rarely serves within institutions such as these. (He rose again to his full height, and looked at the other students in the room) Let's continue, we have a few more minutes left. Any questions?" He walked back to where he had been sitting near the front.