---

---

@AluminumDude@ScoundrelQueen

Marcus froze mid-chew and looked up disgruntledly at the new comers. Halfway in his mouth rested a rather greasy sausage. He had abandoned the way of the smart eater and reverted back to the way of a savage one. Not that he cared. To prove this, Marcus eased into his seat and slowly chewed the rest of the sausage without as much as laying a hand on it while he scrutinized the pair of students.

One of them, a rather muscular young man with a head of sandy brown hair and the strongest jaw he had ever seen on a man seemed to recognize him. Marcus absent mindedly rubbed his own jaw while he bounced teen's name across his tongue.

Larke Sterling…

Something about his name rang true in Marcus' head. His last name: Sterling. When a private investigation agency like the Leon Family needed magical items crucial for a job transported across the world, it was sourced to the worlds magical sea-trade mogul: the Sterling Family. And not to long ago, the Sterling and Leon families gathered for a summit, one in which this Larke stood present at.

Marcus let out a booming laugh, one that nearly drowned out the rabble of the Common Room and offered a mahogany hand out the man. "Yes we have met! I recognize that name and jaw, Larke Sterling! You've done quite a lot for my family. I assure you we appreciate your business." Marcus gaffed, his thick accent clear in his speech.

He turned and flashed a brilliant smile red-head's way. "And who my you be? My name is Marcus Leon by the way, but find it in your hearts to just call me Mark."

He gestured for the duo to take a seat. "Why don't you join me for breakfast. We'll make this a ajoyo: party."

Oh, good grief.

She only showed the boy an act of kindness, and he was already pining over Britney. He couldn't get out one sentence that didn't sound awkward! Well, she couldn't but be a little flattered that she had that effect on him. After all... she was the best looking girl on campus. And that helped her get what she wanted out of him. But, she had to say that if he honestly expected someone like her, to go for someone like him, he must be crazy!

"Oh, thank you," Britney said with a coy smile. "You're really sweet."

Britney merely laughed a little bit, before she said, "But, honestly, just lighten up, Herman. Be yourself."

Otherwise, he was just going to annoy her the entire way into the building, and that was more trouble than it was figuratively worth. Britney escorted the boy's bags inside, but then somebody basically rammed herself in between the boy and her. She was about to slap the girl's shit when she introduced herself.

"Hi!" She gave a friendly grin. "I couldn't help notice how you walk with such a powerful stride in your step. I'm Erica Luxlane, you've probably heard of my family's name. What's yours?"

She raised an eyebrow at this tiny little gal with blonde hair (She hoped that was dyed, or magic, because if not, she was the first black girl with blonde hair!). Luxlane... Honestly, Britney never heard of it. That was the problem of being out of touch with other families. She was unsure if she should even open her mouth and say the word Williams. But, nothing ventured nothing gained.

"Yeeeeah, girl, I have," Britney lied just to save face. "Name's Britney Williams." She just decided to play it safe and see how the girl responds. Perhaps she just didn't know the Williams.

"We specialize in Terramancy." Britney added on, before she briefly glanced at Herman. Her head whipped around towards Erica. "Can you gimme a hand with these bags, I can just smell the food?"

Dante
Dante sat on the bus next to his sister. Silently dante sat next to his sister staring annoyed at the back of the bus seat in front of him ,absentmindedly tapping his feet out of boredom. he couldn't help but feel annoyed he had nothing to read, any devices he had were either in use by his sister or out of battery When Dante had been invited to attended the school, the first thing he did was throw it into his pile of mail to be burned. Its not that he hated the idea of the school,its just he felt it was sort of a voluntary draft. In a we train you and you serve when we need you.Dante knew in all honesty there was almost no way it would happen, and they would graduate and live long and happy lives. But still even if there was a fraction of a fraction of a percent.
were it just me, the hell with it sign me up... he had thought at the time. no way is she going... In reality he knew if and when his sister got her letter she would scream and run to him and their parents begging for help to Pack. She loved any chance to go new places and meet new people. Not long after Dante received his letter, the next thing he knew Dante was on this never ending bus ride from hell. Dante could never sit still for any length of time, the best he had done was waiting for same when she went on a jog with him. While Dante cared about his sister, the fact she could barely finish a mile brought him no small amount of amusement.
you know I think my leg muscles have atrophied... he thought as he tried to flex his leg muscles. Slowly he looked towards his sister. " Hey sam, how you doing?

Sam
Sam looks up from her ebook with a huge grin " Fan-frickin-tastic! Can you believe it!" She said in an excited hush. "Can you image what this means!? All the people we will meet and all the things we can do! You Amped? Yeah you are!" She says with a grin as Dante sighs" nope not really, about ready to fly out this bi..thing like the hulk. Who says amped I feel like no one says that" He said blandly as he looks out the window. " Okay first off the Hulk cant fly literally everyone knows that... Second how come this is literally the best thing ever and lastly yes that's a thing people say...maybe...I say say it at least." She said as Dante chuckled "yeah okay nerd I...." He says as the bus comes to an abrupt stop "prick almost split my shi...almost got messed up." Dante said as he stood up and gathered his bags.
As sam gathered her things she laughed at her brother "Dude really? I know around mom and dad you couldn't swear,its not like I haven't literally caught dozens of times swearing like a sailor before...besides I'm a big girl now... I think I can handle it.

After a few minutes of getting off the bus and finding their way to reception, the two found themselves entering into the common rooms.
" look all I'm saying is don't have have a dozen literals in a conversation... You got some book learning, you know other words. On the topic of words if you say like more then once in a sentence so help me beesus will it bug the crap out of me..." Dante said as they finally enter the common room.
Sam just chuckled as she listened to her brothers rant "yes dear brother by beesus I will try." He said trying not to laugh.

Helena, until then rather distracted with cleaning, paused for a moment to regard her new acquaintance's arm. She looked for a moment in surprise, before abruptly realizing the potential rudeness there. She then quickly reached for her bag and withdrew a short length of blue adhesive bandage.
"Here! Take some of this. I don't really need it right now." she explained.
"I'm a defensive primary...I guess. I'm not all that good at it honestly. And I guess I'm down for blood magic as well. Not sure I'm going to be so great at that really...I'm not very brave about the having to cut yourself bit."
Hopefully that didn't come across as insulting. Small talk wasn't really something Helena had a huge amount of experience in and it would be a great shame to alienate the only person who really wanted to talk to her.
@EchoicChamber
---

Oren paced around the room beside the door like a puma in a duster, occasionally checking her phone for a look at the time.
The arrival of Ray Matheos warranted a nod from the woman, but also the look of disapproving contempt that people tended to gain when Oren knew they;d fallen down in something.

She wasn't going to berate another staff member in front of the new intake. If they didn't present a united front to begin, the brats would take any opportunity to capitalize on that. However the look alone seemed like it could probably petrify small mammals, so that was possibly enough.

Oren leaned on the wall beside the doorframe, producing a notebook and checking silently down the roster of names. The Professor paused only to sigh wearily and give voice to the young man attempting to leave the common room.
"As much as I enjoy spending my day trying to round up errant students, you can walk right back in, Kyun. Orientation is about to start and we don't need you any more clueless than you already are."
@Gelatinous Cube
@Drazah

--

Having said their goodbyes to their protege, perhaps dragging it out a little more than needed, Hilda and Erik turned and began to walk away. One might, as a casual observer, interpret the expression on the face of Hilda, as being a normal reaction of letting your family member go for the first time. The truth was rather more messy.

The bearded man placed a huge hand on her arm.

"She'll be fine kjære, we've taught her well."

"I don't feel comfortable about this Erik. Leaving her with them. You know what they did."

There was a grim silence between them, something long unsaid, for a number of steps, before he spoke again.

"The aesir will watch over her Hilda, this is something she must do on her own."
For a moment he paused, fancying he might see the glimmer of tears in the eyes of his wife, a woman who he'd seen face down an enraged Svalbard bear without a flinch, but he decided respectfully not to mention it as they made their departure.

-----

Kora was not burdened with the same kind of reservations as her elders. She strolled upstairs, scabbard across her back, bag across shoulder, and huge ancient skull tucked under one arm, with full intention of making a good first impression. She was going to be taking over the council seat in a few years time. This gave her a great opportunity to start inspiring respect in the new generation of bloodlines, and winning over older witches and wizards. She was from an inherently powerful family, and had been receiving tuition in the arts of combat and fire magic since she was old enough to toddle. She was going to be the best of the best.

They stepped over the threshhold of the common room.

Large numbers of students, milling about talking. Nothing of great concern.

Until.

Her eyes had set upon a rather familiar face. Or, at least very familiar features.

Like a wolf that had just spotted a deer, Kora dropped her bag and padded forwards, watching closely to make sure she was correct in her first assumption.

She was.

It was one of them.

A Sterling.

There was only one way to react to this situation.

Only one way.

With a battle-scream of "TYYYYYR!" the whole six and a half foot of Kora cleared the length of the commonroom in moments, shoving aside students and furniture alike until she collided full-force with the standing form of Larke Sterling. She threw him down onto the table before them, dug her knee between his shoulderblades, and grabbed the nearest weaponry to hand.
This happened to be a bowl of yoghurt and granola, which she unceremoniously emptied over the young man's head.

"You have a lot of nerve coming here when you knew we'd be here, Sterling cocksucker!" the girl exclaimed, reaching for another breakfast item to douse her opponent in.
"Now I'm going to avenge the honour of my ancestors!"

The warrior dynasty had started early.

(Just so everyone is aware, this effective autohit was pre-cleared with @ScoundrelQueen beforehand.)

Larke's expression warmed at Marcus's kind reception. "Why don't you join me for breakfast. We'll make this a ajoyo: party." His manner of eating did not throw Larke off for a beat; different cultures around the world had different ideas of table manners, and judgement had no place at a summit like this.

Before he could accept the invitation, however-

"TYYYYYR!"

"Sonofa-" Backed up between furniture and people, Larke had nowhere to dodge before being struck full-on by what he had to assume was a Norrevinter. Delightful. It was not, he thought in the split second before he was pitched forward onto the breakfast table, unlike what he imagined being body-slammed by a bear would be.

"Good morning, Miss Norrevinter," he replied, his chipper smile falling into a half-smushed grimace where it was pressed into the wood. He felt the uncivilised brute dump something over his head and neck, and braced his hands at the edge of the table. "Always good to see old friends-" He pushed up a bit, testing her weight and strength. She was too big to buck off.

"Though, if I recall the story correctly..." He threw an elbow back toward her ribs. His right foot hooked back around her grounded leg and yanked in against her ankle to topple her balance. When she moved to catch herself, he twisted free and pushed back to stand in the space cleared out as students backed up from the brawl. The contents of a breakfast pitcher flew into one of his hands and hovered there in a tensioned orb of iced water. "I believe it was your ancestors doing the... 'cocksucking,', was it?" He rolled his shoulders back, looking as self-assured and unruffled as ever.

Or, rather, as as self-assured and unruffled as someone could look with a bowl of parfait in his hair.

"I wonder, does you aunt know you've been throwing yourself on men who aren't your cousins?"

@LokiLeo789

----

"Fuck-" was about all that Professor Byrne had to say when Kora lunged forward. Maeve had made a superficial attempt to grab the girl by the elbow, but did not bother to pursue.

They would be brawling soon enough in class, and there was really no harm in letting the two duke it out. She would intervene if a third party stepped in, but as it was? It reminded her of a Council meeting plus breakfast food.

She cast a side eye toward Kovalenko that read something like, "Are you going to do something about that?" It was accompanied by a stiff-shouldered shrug indicating that Maeve certainly would not.

@VitoftheVoid

Lux couldn't help but feel a satisfied smile creep onto her lips when the girl introduced herself as Britney Williams. So her intuition was right, as usual. "Britney Williams. I like that. It's simple, yet charming. I must say, Williams isn't a name that would stand out as a terramancer. I bet that there is some other dirt in your roots that has a better known history of terramancers." She winked.

"Oh and of course I can help you out. I am absolutely starving myself." She turned to the boy that Britney was helping and oil his bag from him and slipped it onto the bar of her roller case and scooted it back to him to carry. "Here. This will make it easier for you to maneuver."

Like hell was she going to carry an extra bag. Instead, she chose the clever route of making it easy for the boy, and taking a little bit of weight from her load. "Now do us all a favor and haul ass, honey." She ordered in a sweet, yet authoritative tone.

She then turned to Britney with her friendly little smile again. "Miss Britney-Can I call you Brit-I have a feeling that we will be very good friends." She declared and began to walk.

@mr Allen j @afro samurai

The bus ride to the school wasn't as tedious to Noah as it would of probably been for everyone else on the bus. Noah sat close to the back and was too occupied with writing things down on a piece paper he had to be bothered with the constant agreesive bumping. For most of the ride Noah wrote down battle plans. He'd constantly look up And would revert back to his paper after briefly starting at someone on the bus. He didn't out right stare at people but more of a glance from time to time. Noah did this to get a better idea of how the people he was looking at would fair in a fight. He was aware that assumptions based off of physical characteristics was not the best information to go off of but it was better than nothing in his opinion. As he came close to finishing his assessment of everyone in his eye sight of the bus he already noticed that he was short compared to the males of the bus....and that one towering female.

A few bumps later the school was in sight and Noah prepared to leave the bus even though his chances of being the last to leave was the highest. Not because he was short but he didn't give off much of a presence. Those two together often leads to Noah being ignored which he was fine with. As his fellow students exited the bus he waited until he was last and followed suit. Unlike the common backpack or suitcase Noah carried a camping backpack that almost was as large as him. Yes there was clothes in the bag but a good portion of the bag was weights for exercising. You'd think someone with Noah's built would have trouble with a massive bag but he wasn't bothered by it's towering weight. Noah examined the exterior of the school amazement present on his face. Within seconds he had already had another paper and pencil in hand writing down more information as he entered the school.

As he followed the zombie patterns of getting in line to sign his name and walking to the Commons Noah kept an amazed look on his face. The interior just as glorious as it's exterior. Noah couldn't help but write down what he say. Unlike before he was just taking notes of the hallways and meaningful​ places he passed as he made his way to the Commons. He did receive a map of the school but he found it better to write down things on his own. As Noah entered the Commons he focused on his paper surprisingly not bumping into a single thing. Without looking from his paper he navigated his way through the ocean of talkative teens and searched for a seat that was secluded as possible. Once he came in contact with said seat he removed his camping bag and finished up his mapping of the hallways he walked to get to the Commons. Noah folded the paper and slid it into his inner pocket of his tuxedo. Speaking of his tuxedo, Noah was surprised it didn't draw much attention. Then again he was probably invisible to though who like to live in the fast lane. He'd just be glanced over and never thought of again. Noah made his way over to get some food and managed to get as much fruit and vegetable themed meals as he could possibly carry. It was a tough trip back to the table but Noah managed. As he sat and began to eat a salad it seemed that the noise that was present in the Commons was no where near calming down. He just kept his head low and aimed to get his regular needed nutrients.

Jaime ran into the room huffing and puffing, he forgot about the first day of school, straightening himself up he smiled.
"who here is taking the familiar conjuration course?" he said, not expecting an answer he placed his hands on the floor blue lights shone and grew from his hands, before him now stood a fire wolf almost as tall as a horse. It sat down and howled, the students gasped and applauded the feat, Jaime sat next to the dire wolf and pet it, feeling the fur between his fingers he laughed. "this is just one of the things you can do when in my class!" he said proudly.

"This is as to be expected." The tone, much like the man, appeared suddenly, as if he, and it, had been lurking just out of the corners of their collective perception the entire time. The voice belonged to a man, one Mr/Lecturer Montana. His cloth was of a tailored, European cut, three piece suit, complete with a pair of dull blue gloves to match. All was crisp, save for the area where the elbows and knees bent, possibly showcasing how active he was when wearing a suit. His face was near free of creases as well, aside from the early stages of crows feet that lined his eyes.

"Expected, but not tolerated."

His mouth returned to its sculpted line, giving him the resting face of eternal dispassion. His eyes were coal black holes where light did not escape, and they consumed the passion between the two students, swallowing each iota of disobedience with a quiet, but aggressive intensity.

The ambient frequency around Montana hummed with an unnatural energy, it was a subtle change, like ones foot falling asleep from lack of use. Unlike this normal ailment, it grew in intensity, surged into a palpable feeling that one could feel in their extremities, and suddenly, quickly, without warning, it exploded, suffocating the two in a nullification field that left them both, any anyone in their immediate vicinity, temporarily purged of all magical ability.

He didn't forget Kora's physical advantage over Larke, but he wouldn't use a shield to cease her assault, not initially. Such an affirmation would carry heavy consequences. He used himself as a deterrent instead, stepping between them both, and lifting Larke from the mess of food that clung to his hair and clothes.

"Assault is a side effect of people inhabiting the same space for any length of time. Assault in full view of faculty and the student body bespeaks of a brazen arrogance that will not be tolerated within these halls. From anyone. Ill language is no less tolerated. Am I understood?"

Sure, he wasn't popular. Sure, he was scrawny. Sure, he had an oddly shaped head and was built like a toothpick. But by golly was he not going to be pushed around by some girl who thought she was hot stuff! Courageous, he inhaled through his diaphragm so his chest poked out and he appeared bigger, then he bravely espoused:

"I'M A--" coward.
"Yeah, ... alright." He used the girl's carrier/trolley and pushed his luggage down the hallway toward the wafting scent of the pancakes, where several students and a few teachers appeared to have gathered. His bony, wanting legs pushed with a vigor surprising for one his size. Once he had the opportunity to depart from the luggage that had all but soured the first twenty minutes of his first day, he moved right for a plate and some silverware. And then he gorged.

No syrup, he liked his 'jacks straight. No knife, either--if he couldn't shovel the golden brown goodness down his throat in two bites, he wasn't fit to wear the heart-shaped bib currently tied around his neck. He'd have broken the symbolism of the heart--that is, his love for food. He was at peace for once. Perhaps he was just malnourished, but these pancakes altered his senses. They had to be laced with something. Is that what this place is? Just some big drug den? That'd explain all this talk about 'magic.' He didn't have time to pontificate the implications of such a reality...

He had pancakes to finish! ...Although come to think of it, that second girl was pretty cute, too.

@Mr Allen J @Dodi do 900

"Britney Williams. I like that. It's simple, yet charming. I must say, Williams isn't a name that would stand out as a terramancer. I bet that there is some other dirt in your roots that has a better known history of terramancers."

... And with one sentence, this upstart bitch went from okay, to sour, in Britney's book. The tall girl shot a sharp glare at Erica. Perhaps you should have stuck with hello. She wasn't really impressed by her implication... Britney knew all about the Alhudaybi family, and what they did, and couldn't care less. What they did in the past has no bearings on who or what Britney is. She is who she is, there was no changing that.

"Unlike most of the people here, sweetheart..." Britney near-growled at her, trying to suppress that passive aggression. "There ain't some dark history attached to me."

She probably made it clear that comment was less than appreciated by Britney... but maybe she should still give her a chance. After all, it was just a slip up, and everybody makes mistakes. Besides, she seemed like she knows things. The kind of things Britney wants to know. While Herman seemed nice, there probably wasn't a lot he could tell her.

Fortunately, she told the boy to step off.

She then turned to Britney with her friendly little smile again. "Miss Britney-Can I call you Brit-I have a feeling that we will be very good friends." She declared and began to walk.

Britney narrowed her eyes for a moment, as she just felt a big warning sign go off. This girl seems to be awfully friendly, too friendly, Britney thought to herself. The "stab you in the back" kind of friendly. She opened her eyes, and returned the smile.

"We'll see!" Britney cheerfully said as she walked inside. "But, I think right now the only thing on my mind is getting some grub. Wanna join me?"

And the only thing stopping Britney from telling Erica to go away was the usefulness she may have (and she uses that very loosely). The large sign that said WELCOME STUDENTS was a definite sign that was probably where he food was. She quickly scurried inside, unintentionally separating from Erica (If she can't keep up, then oh well).

She found herself a plate, and went to town. Putting pancakes, sausages, eggs, and french toast, on one plate! She, just as quickly, found a table, and then sat down. Eating.

(Sorry about taking a while to post, busy schedule)
Aaron smiled, as their attempt at making friends was going well, when a piercing scream filled the room.

Aaron watched in awe as in a split-second, the man he was standing next to was thrown to the ground and covered in breakfast. He quickly scanned the room, noticing several teachers had not moved. Was this normal at this school? He stood rigidly still as Larke maneuvered around the giant "Norrevinter" woman. As the older boy moved and created a ball of water, Aaron pondered over what side he should take. Maybe he would start a small fire on Norrevinter's clothes? No, that would just be a dick move...
"I believe it was your ancestors doing the... 'cocksucking,', was it?" Aaron's mouth twitched ever so slightly. "I wonder, does you aunt know you've been throwing yourself on men who aren't your cousins?"

And like that Aaron's composure broke. He started laughing, covering his mouth with his hand. it probably wasn't smart to laugh at the behemoth of a woman, but he couldn't help himself.
However, when a rather stern looking professor arrived to break them up, he stopped laughing. Some part of the teacher reminded him of his father. Either way, he sucked the energy out of the situation nearly immediately. Aaron slightly glared at the man unintentionally, examining him thoroughly.

He fiddled with the thumb drive in his pocket. "Excuse me? What's your name?" He paused for a split second before remembering and begrudgingly adding "Sir."

@Magister

With a cry that was like a bullet shattering glass, the whole room seemed to turn upon the violent nucleus of disruption in the room. Ray shot up out of his chair out of instinct, his half-eaten croissant bouncing on the floor under his chair, instantly forgotten. He looked to Oren and Maeve but saw that they were doing nothing, which perplexed him. If those two weren't springing into action, then was it really something that needed to be stopped? Ray knew their reputation and in limited dealings with them had come to find almost immediately that they did not suffer fools lightly. At the same time, Kora screamed like a banshee being fired out of a cannon, and wielding bowls of yogurt with the prejudice of a doomsday zealot.

His train of thought was halted abruptly by the calm, casual stride of a tall, dark individual. He felt his whole body freeze. Unlike Oren and Maeve, Ray had been in this man's presence before. Roderic Montana, a mercenary whose reputation in the war had preceded him. You didn't earn titles like "The Betrayer" or "The Devil Himself" without being one scary, scary motherfucker.
Even that was putting it lightly.
Before he could even realize what was going on, his felt his stomach clench and a wave of nausea flowed through him. He felt the powerlessness that could only be nullification. He wasn't close enough to be disabled, but he felt the residual effects of its dissipation.

His breath suddenly returned to him and he sat slowly back down, trying to appear calm and collected. He didn't think it would be too hard, nobody was paying attention to his side of the room anyway.
Fuck me...looks like peace time hasn't dulled his edge at all.

Outside the academy, another arrival pulled up. The driver, a dark-haired, angular, keen-eyed man, didn't look quite old enough to be the father of the boy in the passenger seat, a gentle-featured young man dressed not unlike some kind of dorky professor, but despite the difference in demeanor, the family resemblance showed in the structure of their faces: brothers, albeit separated by more than a decade.

"Ready, kid?" the elder, Spire, asked, door open and one foot on the pavement.

"Hang on," Toby mumbled, sliding down in his seat, even though he wasn't the one who should be doing the hiding. He had spotted two distinctive figures descending the steps. Even if Toby hadn't seen them before, the red hair told him Norrevinter.

Spire shut the door and watched them pass with a wry smile, his hands thrumming on the steering wheel as he obviously fought to restrain himself from popping out and saying hello, just for the simple pleasure of seeing their reaction.

Toby's cheeks went red at this reminder of why he feared this crowd.

Spire reached down and popped the trunk, evidently thinking better of accompanying his brother inside. "Tell Byrne hi for me."

"Okay," Toby mumbled.

"Are you nervous?" Spire checked, since he was famously bad at interpreting the nuances of those kinds of things.

Toby shrugged. "I mean. As much as you'd expect."

"Don't be. Nobody is going to mess with you," Spire assured him.

Toby laughed once. Only because they'd be afraid he was related to a psychopath, he thought. They said their goodbyes - no hugs, just a punch on the shoulder, and Toby retrieved his duffel from the trunk.

Spire rolled the window down. "Hey. Please do something irresponsible for once. I'm beginning to worry about whether you're human."

Toby gave an awkward through-the-luggage wave goodbye."I'll t--turn in a paper late just for you," he promised.
...He totally would not turn in a late paper, ever.

After checking in, Toby wandered into the common room to find it...remarkably quiet. A few side conversations persisted at the fringes of the room, but the focus had been drawn to a demolished buffet bar, where a teacher appeared to be breaking up a fight between a boy and a girl who looked a whole lot like the Norrevinters he had just avoided. He took mental note to steer clear of the girl, and to find a time to approach the boy. He remembered from attending functions in rooms full of mages from his earlier youth that this was a world where one needed allies, even more than in mundane high school. And enemy of my enemy is...

Not that Toby wanted to have enemies. It wasn't exactly his fault everyone thought his brother had arranged for Ren Norrevinter to be killed to cover up his war crimes.

Toby fussily adjusted his collar beneath his argyle sweatervest and scanned the nearby students. He would rather curl up in the corner with a book for now. But this was about social survival.

He eventually sidled up to a boy and girl he spotted on his right. Survival skills kicked in - graphic tees and comic book symbols, often a sign of the laid-back and the less popular, more likely to be safe for conversation than, say, the the confident-looking blonde and tall, curvy dark-skinned girl at the table on his left who either knew each other before or had already found each other like glamour-magnets. They might be perfectly nice. Or they might be vicious, stereotypical mean girls...with super powers. Best play it safe.

"Hi," Toby said, directing the question to the innocuous boy and girl, though the two aloof young women were still in earshot. "Are you...ahm...what's g-- what's going on up there?" he asked, a bit lamely, since it was pretty clear what was going on.

@caliban22 @Dodi do 900 @Mr Allen J

Dawn blinked, somewhat taken aback at Duma’s response. “Oh, uh, thank you. It was my great grandmother’s name, I think. And I’d be glad to be your friend, in that case.” She smiled again, the realization that the other might be trying to hit on her slowly coming to light. That was...surprising. Not many people tended to do that, although the fact that she hadn’t brought up her last name might have had something to do with it. Somewhat unsure of how to take the idea, Dawn turned back to her meal, shoveling into a pile of fried potatoes with relish. Whoever had prepared everything, their talent was undeniable.

She had just finished the potatoes, and was moving onto a few strips of bacon when Duma suddenly announced he was leaving. Dawn looked up, swallowing her latest mouthful and dabbing her mouth clean with a napkin. That was...fast.

“Well, good luck with the unpacking, Duma.” She nodded at him, a bit of flush creeping around her collar as he threw out one last flirt. “I’ll, um, see you later, then.” With that, she ducked her head, quietly sipping her orange juice as he went. She really needed to learn how to handle that better.

Soon enough, Dawn had polished off her plate, and had risen to put away her things when she spotted a flash of red out of the corner of her eye. Before she could turn to register what it was, however, the blur suddenly started screaming at the top of its lungs, charging at Larke from across the room and knocking him into the buffet table.

Kora Norrevinter, then. While the initial impact had been shocking, the connection made it less so. The Sterling-Norrevinter feud had become nearly the stuff of legend by this point, brought to fame through just how devoted the two had become to the quarrel. Despite its...relative normalcy, Dawn watched somewhat uneasily, quite aware that not much could get between them at this point.

Save for the professor that strode in, casually plucking Larke from the mess and scolding the combatants. Dawn relaxed a bit, turning away from the remains of the fight to see what appeared to be another professor casting lights about himself and summoning what looked to be a giant fire wolf in the middle of the floor.

That wasn’t quite what Dawn had expected upon coming to Marchand, but she supposed that trying to expect normalcy in a magical school would be rather hard to do. Shaking her head slightly, she began to examine the rest of the apparent professors. Two women, three men. The women looked completely unfazed by all that surrounded them, as did the professor who had separated the fight- although the grizzled looking one seemed almost unnerved by everything. As if he expected the whole facility to suddenly turn at him all at once. There was only a small sampling of staff in the room with him, and it was already shaping up to be quite the mixed bag.

The year certainly wouldn’t be boring, at least.

---

Esperanza didn’t notice the roll immediately, busy with mopping and wiping and occasionally scooping some of the mash up into the napkins. It was only upon rising to throw away the latest batch that she noticed the bandages offered to her- and immediately beamed, as if Helena was offering her an early birthday present instead of simple gauze.

“Thank you very much! I will only use some, so you can use it later.” Nodding firmly to herself, Esperanza took the roll from Hel, and carefully began to wind it around the worst of her cuts.

“Defense magic is very...very…” She licked her lips, struggling to find the proper word. “Very wonderful. Useful? Both of those things. I am sure that you will get better at it. I am the Necromancer, myself.” Esp snapped the bandages with a flourish, then passed it back to Hel.

“It is very scary at first,” she admitted. “Then, it is not so bad. You will need some granola, so you can get the blood back after, but it is just like getting the needle at the doctor’s. Except instead of getting medicine, you will be using the magic to keep strange people out of your window at night. Or other things.”

With that, Esperanza gave a cheerful smile, throwing a lump of tissue into the trash bin. “I think that we have finished. There is no-” She was cut off by a loud roar of “TYRRRR” behind her, followed by a crash as something heavy collided with another. Startled, Esperanza whirled on her heel to find a woman pinning a boy to the buffet table and pouring yogurt in his hair. The two were insulting each other the whole time, although the girl was much louder in her efforts than her captive.

She looked at the girl, then the boy. Then the girl’s red hair. Then the boy again.

A wide, goofy grin split Esp’s face.

This- this was the Norrevinter-Sterling fighting that her mother had told her about.

Amazement pounding through her veins, Esp fumbled in her pocket for a moment, pulled out her phone, and immediately began to record the whole thing. Her sisters would love to see this, she thought gleefully. Unfortunately, before she could get some good footage, a professor had stepped in to split things up. Waves of nullification magic leaked from his body.

Esp snapped the camera off, pushing it back into her skirt and turning back to Helena.

“That was so exciting!” She gushed. “I was not expecting for there to be a fight on the first day! And it happened so fast- do you think that every day will have a fight, Helena?” Her eyes were as wide as saucers, smile stretching from ear to ear.

This had to be the second most action-filled day in her whole life.

@VitoftheVoid

Percival R. Pelacour was not one to chew the scenery. He paid little attention to the swirl of greens and browns and reds outside the window, nor was he particularly bothered by the occasional bumps and grumbles as the car his family arranged for him- and what a nice car it was!- passed over the occasional rough patch that came up in the path. No. He was preoccupied with far more important matters. Copper head bowed over his phone, Percival fiddled with the various tabs and sites charts he had open, pausing once or twice to shake his head or give a low curse as something or other malfunctioned. He had been working on the charts for a few hours by now (because someone was too damn lazy to give him a hand with the arrangements), but had been able to move onto the finishing details by the time his ride had dropped by to pick him up.

Grinning broadly to himself, he swiped his finger across the screen, giving the last touches with a flourish- only a moment before the driver announced that they had arrived. Perfect.

“Thanks, Marty.” The driver’s actual name was actually a mess of syllables and pronunciations that Percival struggled to get out at once, so he decided to give the closest shortest approximation of the name possible. Which just happened to be Marty. A good name. Wholesome. Just like how he assumed Marty was, even if the guy hadn’t spoken more than five words the entire journey. In appreciation, Percival produced a few crisp bills from his pockets, handed it over to Marty, and cheerfully entered the school with his things in tow.

The woman at front had just about as much bedside manner as Marty, or so the Pelacour son soon discovered. Percival thought that they would make a great couple, bonding over their shared “my job is a living hell” sort of vibe. The secretary, on the other hand, didn’t take much time in musings- instead pushing a stack of papers at him, telling that his luggage would be taken to his room, and instructing him to find the common room before ushering him out.

It was a short walk to get to where he was going, and as luck would have it, it seemed that the assembly hadn’t started yet. Even more lucky, he quickly caught sight of two of his fellow Council kids right off the bat. Apparently just in the process of getting separated after getting caught up in the good ol’ family way. Percival grinned, waved at them until he was sure that they had seen, then bounced over to one of the kids sitting by himself- and was wearing a tux, for whatever reason. Not that Percy was judging, of course. Rolling his shoulders, he leapt over to the boy’s table, canary coat fluttering behind him like a cape.

“Hey there, Bond.” He swept one of the chairs out, plunked into it, then scooted up to the table. “You know how long those two kids up at the front were going at it? Percival Pelacour, by the way, at your service.” With that, Percival gave a lopsided smile, sticking his arm across the table for the boy to shake.

He wouldn’t be too surprised if he recognized the name. Hard not to, these days. But Percival didn’t particularly care if he did.

@Slendy@ScoundrelQueen@VitoftheVoid

The neat, decisive click of heels against tile was hardly something to bat an eye at, nor was the appearance of another figure in the common room’s doorway, surveying the situation with little visible surprise. When compared against the entrances of Professors Lebeau and Montana, Lovette’s arrival was fairly...mundane as he strode in, smiling warmly at his fellow staff upon seeing them.

That is, so long as one was unable to determine his gender, and didn’t come to the appropriate realization that the Pyromancy/Theory instructor had decided to go to work in a freshly ironed business dress and lipstick.

“Professor Montana is quite right on that account.” Madison’s voice did little to help discern his sex- mellow and soft, even as he raised his voice above the din. “While I understand that some of you may not be on the best terms with one another, that is no excuse for picking a fight in the middle of brunchtime. Or for using such derogatory language.” He glanced over his shoulder at the diners, eyes sparkling. “You can save any violence for your Combat class.”

With slow, methodical steps, letting the sound ring out, the Professor made his way to the front of the common room, then waited for the rest of the surrounding heads to turn his way. “Here at Marchand, we operate under a system of mutual respect. Whether that respect is between professor and student, or students and their peers, we expect you all to both give and receive some level of courtesy. Regardless of what you may feel towards Marchand so far, you will all be staying here until the end of your semesters. If you follow the rules set for you, and treat one another with respect, then you will find that the year will go by much more easier.”

Madison looked around, scanning the faces of his audience for a reaction, then smiled.

“With that said, I suppose that I should introduce myself. My name is Madison Lovette, and I will be your Professor of Pyromancy and Magical Theory. Regardless of whatever your Primary is, you will be seeing me at least twice per week. I’m looking forward to seeing you all in class when the time comes. The orientation will be starting very soon, so please take a seat if you haven’t already.”

He stood silently for a moment, then eventually made his way back to the now-demolished buffet. Madison gently prodded the covered surface, let out a sigh upon seeing just how bad the damage was, then turned towards Kora and Larke.

“Now, since this is the first day, I’ll see that you won’t get into too much trouble about this. But I expect for you to stay behind and help clean up once everything is said and done.”

Giving the table one last wistful poke, he opened a nearby closet, pulled a projector from deep within its guts, then rolled the technological behemoth to the near center of the room.

@Drazah@VitoftheVoid@AluminumDude@Afro Samurai@LokiLeo789@Mr Allen J@ScoundrelQueen@Magister@Gelatinous Cube@Dodi do 900@Shirochankun@caliban22@Slendy@Kiwiwiwi@Magister@LorelleQuips

Unlike Britney and Herman, Lux took her time to take in the sights around her. She took her papers, giving the receptionist a complement on her outfit, and making her way down the hall and scanning her papers. She entered the common room and headed for the table of food.

It was easy to say that she couldn't help but notice a tall girl, probably a Norrevinter, attacking another boy, who she guessed was a Sterling, since from her research, the two families didn't quite get along. Oh the things she could do with this situation, but now was not the time. Now was the time to recruit disciples.

She kept Britney in her sight, but kept her distance, not wanting to offend her and loose her trust. She didn't feel like making enemies just yet. She could get this girl's trust eventually. She was sitting near her and studying her before a teacher entered. She recognized him almost immediately as a Lovette.

She had done a fair amount of research on the faculty members. This man was from a matriarchal based clan, which probably explained his taste in clothing. She paid close attention to his little speech while taking bites out of her breakfast. When he was finally done talking, she scooted down the table so that she could be across from Britney. "So, pretty girl, tell me about yourself," she had a calmness about her tone, with a bit of interest in her voice as well. She rested her chin against her hand and grinned her friendly grin.

@mr Allen j

As Duma got up and walked away he couldnt help but take a few more glances back at Dawn, "Dawn, (dreamily) wait... Dawn- awe shit... daaaaawn- Great... I forgot her last name already... He thought to himself, suddenly getting a sullen look on his face.

Much to his surprise a teacher called him out by name and nonchalantly notioned him back into the common room. "But I was just goin to- Okay, Im up for another plate." He said as he readjusted his bag again heading towards the buffet, getting there just as he heard a blood curdling scream which was by no mistake a battle cry. He whipped around halfway through his plate making to find two other kids tied up with one another like a knot. He just took a step back and made his way to the other end of the food table, Finishing his plate as the fight was broken up and finding a seat on the corner of one of the back tables setting down his plate and bag there. He was about to fetch a drink when a- uhhhh- another teacher~ walked in and started addressing the whole of the student mass. In Dumaka's middle of nowhere town he had never seen anyone like that. It almost scared him. Then it mentioned Duma would be seeing it twice a week. Dumaka got an uneasy feeling but shrugged it off and sat down to finish his second breakfast.

The fist stage speech concluded and Duma checked his plate. Empty. He grabbed it and ran back up to the buffet to fill it one last time and grab a drink then sat quickly and waited for the rest of the orientation speech.

---

---

@EchoicChamber@VitoftheVoid

Marcus rubbernecked the small scuffle blossoming on what formally was the buffet table and now a wrestling mat with a mixture of apathetic intrigue and roaring disappointment.

It had taken an undue amount of effort to prepare l the succulent meals so generously provided by the school and now it was crushed into innumerable pieces underneath the writhing mass of bodies gathering around the scrimmage. That coupled with with the loss of his meal plate turned his mood sour. But only for a moment.

As the fight went on and insults were hurled, Marcus couldn't help but marvel and revel in the joviality of it all. The first day of school and already fights where breaking out. How would the rest of the year pan out? Family rivalries would run tensions high. Social orders would establish fairly quickly. Said orders would be invaded and destabilized by the unlikeliest of things. Perhaps a misinterpreted text. War would break out. Rifts would widen. Marcus could see it all. The smallest of sparks would create a culture the first year students of Marchand would be forever known for. And he would be apart of it. Just not in this manner.

That's pretty deep. If only everyone else would notice. Marcus mused humorously as he proceeded to untangle himself from the crowd growing around the scuffle.

With a grunt he finally disentangled himself. In the process he managed to rumple his red windbreaker, which he straightened almost immediately. Marcus had always been told he had a head for fashion. As did most Nigerians. He sported a proud ensemble featuring a fitting red windbreaker hoodie with white trim; clean pressed blue jeans; and crimson and white colored high-top sneakers.

Perfection.

Smiling with self satisfaction, Marcus unwittingly wandered past the crowd and over to a new table, one it which a new duo of females made camp. He first laid eyes on the rather excitable one, the fight in which seemingly entertaining her to no end. She was rather short, perhaps five-two with shoulder length black hair and a pretty face. The other was of similar height to the first, but sported red hair, beautiful greyish-blue eyes and pastel pale skin.

Marcus was prepared to introduce himself, ready to work his natural African charm on them, but something or someone had taken center stage. And it wasn't the fight. No, it was a professor. One of both feminine charm and masculine undertone coupled with a head for Pyromancy and Magical Theory. Marcus couldn't wrap is head around the concept.

Male or female? Does it matter? I can barely tell. Play it safe and use gender neutral pronouns. he thought to himself quickly.

Shrugging off the thought, he leaned back into the space between the two girls, a sloppy grin dancing across his face. "Quite a first day ain't it?" he chortled as the professor wheeled out a technological behemoth.