Even in the warmth of the last days of summer Ivy's breathes were cool enough to create tiny snow squalls, crystalizing any moisture and showering it down as tiny snowflakes. Her left hand was wrapped easily on what could have been anyone's walking stick. This gnarled and worn piece of hawthorn wood, however, offered a nasty and life threatening surprise should someone other than herself or another strong witch pick it up. It was a place to diffuse the enormous amount of winter magic she carried inside her body, it stored enough magic to kill. Her other hand was buried in the thick fur of the large black dog who followed her nearly everywhere. Most days Ivy was quite sure he wasn't a dog at all but something else entirely, what though she wasn't sure. He was far too intelligent and it shone behind his lush yellow-gold eyes. When she had found him curled up and injured beside a tree she had immediately known his name, Leka.

Moving along the path to the dorms came easily now, she was in her last years at the university and was more at home here now than ever before. This place was quite nearly her only escape from the torturous confines of her coven, always pressuring her for some favor or pushing some agenda. When she graduated she knew that she would strike off on her own path and find somewhere far away from the coven to live. Leaving frosty footsteps along the stone path as she went made the path behind her look like a fairy tale but far stranger things happened here for anyone to truly take much notice. She was dressed down today, glad to be out of the robes that the coven often forced her to wear. Simple dark wash jeans and a black v-neck that exposed the porcelain skin of her chest and shoulders. Tiny, soft tan, freckles dotted her shoulders, angel kisses her mother had always called them. She remembered that time fondly, back before she had really come into her magic.

The dorms were particularly spectacular though they often were during the beginning of the year. Each year they redecorated the great rooms and the lounges so that nothing ever remained the same. She was headed for her room for the first time of the year, all of the students would be here soon and she hoped that her roommates hadn't yet arrived. Of course, she'd been stuck with two males. One of them was apparently a human and the other a dragon. She wasn't sure how this was going to work as she'd never formally met either of them. At least they all had their own bathrooms. That was going to be a saving grace she was sure.

Leka padded along beside her, content to be even in the coldness that nearly always surrounded her. It took a great deal of effort to reduce the cold around her to a minimum. She was, in a sense, winter itself born into a witches body. Supposedly that's why there was never more than one witch for each solstice or equinox at any given time. She found her way to her shared room, Leka pushing past her to check for any dangers before returning to her side as she was accustomed to him doing. It was one of the habits that made her sure that he had once been a man rather than the large black and grey beast that lurked in the shadows not far away from her. She found the bedroom that was to be hers, obvious from the decorations she found inside and the presence of her belongings.

She looked like a faerie inside her own room, inky black ebony floors sprawled in front of her, covered only briefly by a beautifully woven gold and red rug. The walls were a dark and rich red though the one beside her bed was covered in a network of satin black designs that traced across the red wall in elegant patterns. The lights were dim as she liked them and Leka immediately settled on the luxurious silk sheets of the bed. Darkness was her retreat away from the brightness of the day time. She didn't bother to shut the door as she relaxed across the bed, still in her clothes next to Leka. He promptly covered part of her tiny body with his massive head, closing his golden eyes though he faced towards the door.

---

“Silverspell is… a very distinct institution, Ethra. Open to all beings, of all different makes and calibers. If you attend, you may find much of who you are, your fiber, being tested. Perhaps criticized as well, and not always for your better. It may not ultimately be for you.”

“I understand.”

“Then you still wish to go?”

“Absolutely.”

“Well then. Start packing.”

…

“Are you certain I’m going the right way?”

I know this place far better than you think, girl. So yes, I’m certain.

Ethra did not return a retort to Irsk’s rather rude reply. He lay nestled in one of the folds of her scarf, almost dead still, as if living up to his horribly malformed appearance. Even if he weren’t her Familiar, Ethra would never resort to eating something so sickly looking, even if she were on the brink of starvation. That thought caused her to wander over to what this University served in terms of food - she was confident they would cater to species with purely carnivorous diets such as her own, but she still didn’t know if they served purely mundane meats or… otherwise. She’d yet to press Irsk about it, as in the short time she’d known her, he’d only come off as a rude little mouse. She was, however, doing her best to bear with it.

She was in the dorms now, on her first day, a week before classes began. Ethra had received her key and been told her destination, which Irsk was now leading her towards. She passed several other students along the way, some giving her a short stare. She found it to be understandable, though. Most of them had probably never seen a bagoyép. Ethra’s kind were not a very widespread one. Bit of a sad thought, but she paid it no mind. She was here to learn, not to mourn.

This is it.

Irsk piped up as Ethra stood before the door to her new abode. Room 308. Without hesitation, she unlocked the door and stepped inside. She was then witness to all the luxuries laid out before her - fine furniture, clean walls, and carpets. None of which she knew back in her hometown, a much more rural place. This was what she was gearing up to get used to, this… lavishness. But she figured she’d fare just fine. The decor wasn’t life-threatening, after all.

She stepped inside. Seemed Ethra was the first among her trio of roommates to arrive.

“What species did you say my roommates were?”

A warlock and an Eaten.

“An… Eaten?”

Ask him about it, I’m not interested.

And once again, Ethra did not reply. She merely stepped towards one of the couches in the dorm’s living room, and sat down. Waiting for her roommates to arrive, so they could discuss who gets what room, or other matters to be decided.

She wasn’t exactly thrilled about it.

Ash

Ash stopped walking as he approached the academy again, this was a stupendous sight and he was happy to be back, all of his efforts and his learning are leading him to this year, he could feel it. Krasis poked his head from underneath the collar of Ash's sky blue silken shirt, and with a few tweets Ash was brought out from his reverie and back into the present, "Sorry about that Kas, I completely lost myself there a moment, can't help but think that this could be the last year before it all changes for me." He smiled warmly yet also a bit begrudgingly with the dire task that he spoke of now again sitting in the forefront of his mind. "Tell me again, who am I bunked with this year?" He spoke aloud as the small yellow canary fluttered about his head.

The tweeting was just done as a request by Ash, he loved the sound of bird songs, a trait he shared with his mother, but in his mind he was being given the rundown of the two companions he would have in his bunk, a lycan woman, and... a skeleton. As the canary gave the information and led Ash through the dorm rooms he couldn't help but ask, "Now, hold a moment, skeleton? I have heard of a lot of things but I won't lie, I don't know if I can say that the northern pack has any info on that." Ash mused on the ideas of his roommates, what they will look like, where they have been, what they have done, the stories others tell are almost as good as doing it if the one telling it really enjoyed it.

As Ash approached his dorm room and walked in, he immediately noticed the kitchen and he could already feel his stomach growl. Ash quickly moved to the bedroom that was assigned to him and walked in to find it quite cozy, he knew that magic had to be used to set the room up but he was grateful for the effort, it had hickory paneling which Ash ran his fingers over and let the scent of fine wood fill his nostrils, he looked to his bed and saw satin sheets as he requested, however he just heaved his bag to the bed and pulled it open, and out poured pans, and pots, and other various utensils. Krasis began to chirp and Ash could feel the birds displeasure, "Come on Kas, a wolf has to eat." he opened a small bag in his luggage, it was a cold storage bag, he pulled out a sizable amount of raw ingredients and headed back to the kitchen.

---

"So this is it."

The thought bounced it's way through his skull as Griffin stood before the doorway of what would become his home for the next couple of months, perhaps longer. If he was going to be completely honest he was more than a little anxious, he'd never been to school before and it was only by the grace of his potions that he was even here in the first place. Griffin took a long, pensive drag of the cigarette between his fingers as he stood before the gates of his future, the bittersweet smoke doing nothing to banish the anxiety churning in his guts. As the exhale left his lungs a gentle flapping noise overtook his hearing on the left side, a gentle but firm pressure taking place on his shoulder as the gentle voice of Poe filled his mind.

"Is there anything wrong dear?"

"Nah Poe, nothin wrong. 'S just nervous is all."

"Well you aren't going to get rid of them standing out here in the cold, come on let's get you warm."

"Yeah, you're right... could always look for worms though."

A smile tugged at his facial wraps as mirth began to flood back into his being, Poe giving the most exasperated look a raven could before giving him a harmless tap to the top of his head as her own little laugh snuck through. With a little more pep to his step Griffin snubbed the remains of the cigarette before tossing it in a trashcan and pushing through the doors. The warm air bit into him in all the right ways as he fished his pockets for his dorm number, excavating through a rubber band, two paper clips, and half a cookie before finding the crumpled up piece of paper.

Taking the piece of paper and giving it a thorough look over revealed to Griffin that he had no idea where anything was and was quickly left with searching for the help desk. It took some work navigating the place but with the help of a fellow student and a handy sign Griffin was able to talk with the help desk and was sent on his way, mentally capturing the facial features of the cute guy who worked there. Admittedly it took a little longer to find his room than he would have liked, even with the instructions, but ultimately he found where he was looking for and found himself face to face with his home for the coming months. A new knot of anxiety began to form in his guts before being banished by the pinch in his shoulder caused by the heavy duffle bag he'd been carrying the whole time.

Turning his head so it popped, Griffin clapped his hands together before pushing his way into the door and finding it already unlocked, a fact that it should be locked having not occurred to him until the door was open, and took his boots off at the door. His attention was captured by the sure luxery of the place, his eyes scanning the whole area and took the whole thing in. A soft whistle escaped his lips as he brought himself back down, a "Not bad" mingling with it towards the end. He didn't even notice the tall owl sitting on the couch until it was the only thing left to look at, so captivated by the nicest damn place he'd ever have the pleasure of sleeping in.

"Oh! Hey there, tall...owl."

Dropping the heavy duffle bag with a thump, Griffin made a beeline for the couch, hand outstretched in greeting as he mentally scrambled to remember any modicum of civil etiquette. Poe made her way to the counter and hid her face in her wing, unable to stand his lack of manners.

"Never seen someone of your like before, you can call me Griffin."

If all else fails fall to the basics, he thought to himself as he let his smile bleed through his voice and body language.

---

Ethra knew what warlocks looked like from illustrations in books she’d read in the past. This man standing before her was, without a doubt, not a warlock. He was the Eaten, which she knew rather little about. And though she’d rather have read on the topic, she couldn’t bring herself to being dismissive of a live example.

He was wrapped in bandages, all around his head and arms, and she assumed elsewhere on his person as well. Ethra's eyes let her see just past Griffin's sunglasses, at the empty spaces behind the tinted lenses. Very peculiar, to her.

“I am Ethra.” The bagoyép replied, raising a hand from within her ivory cloak to shake the Eaten's. Griffin himself looked just the slightest bit surprised at the arm’s reveal, most likely having assumed Ethra simply possessed the anatomy of a normal owl.

Which was fair.

“So…” Ethra continued, “We’re going to be living together.”

Griffin

---

Griffin, while a little surprised, shook the hand heartily and Ethra introduced herself. He could see her studying him, or more like feel since her eyes were fairly big, but he guessed it was pretty fair as he'd done the same. Ethra seemed very stiff, as a person, but she appeared friendly enough and that's about all that mattered to Griffin.

"Well it's nice to make your acquaintance Ethra and indeed it does."

Taking a moment to find a seat across from her, Griffin took a moment to look around his surroundings with a more critical eye. After a moment he realized that he couldn't find any of Ethra's luggage anywhere around the dorm.

"You already pick a room? I don't mind if you did, first dibs and all. You are the first one in here right?"

---

“I am.” Ethra replied, “Unless, of course, our third roommate was already here, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

Ethra took a moment, fidgeting beneath her cloak, and then removing a satchel from her person, laying it on the couch cushion next to her. “As for our room selection…” She continued to speak, as she quickly went through the contents of the satchel to make sure nothing was missing - all she’d brought with her were a few books, journals, and writing utensils. She was told all other necessities would be seen to on-site.

“I wished to wait until all three of us arrived before we made that decision. It seemed only logical.” She said, as she returned her gaze from her satchel to Griffin. “Our yet-to-arrive is a warlock, I’ve been told.”

"They say we are what we are..!" A paw like appendage with each claw masterfully painted into a glistening color reminiscent of a rainbow stomped down on the cafeteria stage, following up a leg dressed in black. More than a single belt rested upon this creature's waist, each belt beyond the first offering little more than fashion and style, hanging down the left side of his hips. A pair of exposed, furred arms with bright purple patches along the forearms held onto a microphone inches away from a fanged grin. Of course, one should not discount the wings stretching out behind this creature's back, a soft swirl of red energy surrounding them as he ascended from the floor. But we don’t have to be...! The melodic voice continued, a pair of large red eyes staring down at the scarce crowd with a bright smile making its way across the creature's lips. A set of thick, color hair swayed atop his head and covered one of his eyes, a mixture of blonde and violet running down its length. This was the Warlock, Raven Magnus. He hadn't been on campus long. In fact, he just arrived a day ago, a day early one should note. Since then, he has made sure to make himself as known as possible, as is the nature of a Warlock.

"I’m glad to hate you, but I do it in the best way!" Raven's voice echoed throughout the cafeteria, his sylph like body leaving the stage with a flap of his wings. Each colorful claw clicked against the microphone's shaft as he gracefully landed one a table, those enchantingly large eyes peering down at a patron enjoying her meal. Whether his company was desired or not was, of course, not relevant. "I’ll be the watcher of the eternal flame!" Magnus sang, lowering himself to a knee before passionately running on of his claws down the patron's cheeks. "I’ll be the guard dog of all your fever dreams!"

"Dude, could you-...!" The patron in question was not alone, but rather sat with who could only be presumed to be her mate. A man who did not appreciate Raven's close approach.

"I am the sand in the bottom half of the hourglass!" The Warlock responded with a bright chuckle as his attention shifted towards the male, his presence leaving them both dumbfounded moments after a flap of his wings sent him up into the air.

"Raven, it is time. We should head to the dorms." A soft voice made its way through the Warlock's thoughts, forcing his attention to a small fennec fox lazily resting on the bar top.

"Dude, I'm not there yet, which means that there's no reason to be there!" The warlock giggled, his voice returned in the same manner of telepathy which had reached him.

"That makes no sense, Raven..." Midnight sighed, his large ears flickering slightly where he lay.

"I’ll try to picture me without you, but I can’t!" Raven continued on the song, his paws eagerly landing on the stage once more as he was starting to reach the end of his singing. Raven in a nutshell, attention meant everything to him. He wasn't alone, though. It ran in the blood of those calling themselves Warlocks. Creatures emanating enough magic to make even a mundane feel the surroundings shift in their presence, Raven simply lived up to what was expected of him. Both a part of their culture, and their biology, Warlocks tended towards creative outlets as a matter of critical import. It was safe to say that without a creative outlet to bless their daily lives, a Warlock would be driven positively insane. "'Cause we could be immortals, immortals!"

"Alright, Raven. Get to the end, we have places to be." The fennec finished, ascending to his paws as a soft shake of his body shook the drowsiness from his mind.

"Fiiiiiine!" Magnus shot back, jolting into the air before flying towards Midnight and picked him up, like the Warlock had done so many times before. "Alright, everyone! Love you, all! Stay fabulous!" Raven finally came to a conclusion and turned the microphone off before dropping it on stage. There was after all, as Midnight had stated, places they needed to be. The fennec would however be glad to know that Raven didn't waste any more time before a quick stride brought them through the air and towards the room he had spent last night in. Of course, a Warlock always thinks ahead, and thus, he left the window open.

Every artist needs a memorable entrance.

Flying through the window, Raven tossed his beloved familiar onto the sofa, as he twirled through the air and landed on the floor. "Party's here!" The young creature exclaimed, seeing his two roommates communing with each other. This was going to be a wild year, that was for sure.

---

It was always difficult to determine what emotion a bagoyép was experiencing just by looking at their face. Zero expression-making abilities was a bit of a hindrance at times. Suffice to say, no one could tell what Ethra was experiencing at this exact moment - heart-spurring fear. She reared her head back as the warlock flew in through the open window, raising her hand to her chest beneath her cloak.

Neither she nor Griffin said a word as the warlock stood there before the two, awaiting a reaction. Once Ethra took a second to calm herself from the surprise, she finally provided a response.

“You…” She said, a little weakly, “Must be our third?”

"Silverspell is the only place that accepts you now. You are too outdated, too old for this new world, new society. Join us, and we will help you find a purpose in your immortal life."

XXX
It had been two years since. And yet the palace ground remained the same: old, desolated and haunted. The reason was simple: the myth of a tragic imperial guard of the old empire that was slaughtered and was brought back to life to continue guarding it for eternity had etched deep into the minds of the people, and was told generations to generations from parents to child. No one even dared to get near it, even when that skeleton is gone now. Staring with memories of the relics of an old, once prosperous empire, Mortem could not help but remember the days when he was still alive and passionate with his work and life. Now he is reduced to a rustic skeleton in a few hundred years old golden armor. The handsomeness of his youth, his body, his family, all gone.

"Come on, let's go."

Said Cerberus, his familiar, as he waved his tail to transmit his telepathic message to the undead swordsman, telling him that it's time to go back, to the university, where he would continued his studies to become what he was trying to become. Mortem nodded, as a portal opened for him and his hound familiar to walk through, disappearing without a trait after they both did so.

From a dusty and abandoned palace, seconds later, they had arrived on a freezing old, windy mountain, in front of a large metal gate. On top of the gate, a few words could be seen in a form of molded metal, saying...

"Welcome back, to Silverspell University." Cerberus said, telepathically.

Mortem took out a note and a pen from beneath his collar, and wrote with quick haste.

'Feels good to be back.'

XXX

'Cerberus'

Mortem showed his note to the hound, who was trotting relaxingly behind him.

"Yes?"

'Do you mind telling me who I will be sharing the dorm with this year?'

The note was not beautifully written, but it was very fast, to the point that Cerberus did not have to waste time waiting for Mortem to respond.

"Uhh..." He searched in his memories. "You will be living with two Lycans, one male and one female. Apparently, the female one isn't Lycan, but is closely associated. So basically, you'll be living with two wolfs."

Mortem's head jerked down a little bit, in acknowledgement, and a little disappointment. He had expected to be living with someone more open. He had nothing against Lycans, but to his experience, they were suspicious creatures, and usually were traditionalists who weren't very open-minded to accept strange creatures like him. But who knows, this is a university for the supernatural. They must have had some good reasons so that the university would accept them here. Perhaps they are different from those he knew.

The wooden door leading to his dorm knocked Mortem out of his train of thoughts. He looked again, at the number labelled on the door itself.

520

Great! He's at the right place.

He wondered if his roommates are here yet?

Silently opening the door, the undead skeleton walked in, without making a sound, in spite of his heavy metallic armor. Not having noticed the male Lycan inside the kitchen, he casually checked out the room he was assigned. Since Mortem is a special species, his room was especially designed, so unlike the others, where the students had to decide, Mortem could walk right in without any objections.

As he had expected, the room was nothing different from the last two that he had lived in during the last two years in this school: small, cozy and convenient. The bathroom had a very nice tub for him to wash his bony body and his neat armor. He still has to keep his hygiene after all.

Noting that everything was in check, he let down his luggage and unpacked his belongings. There wasn't much, so he did so quickly, a bit too quickly. The day was still long, and his roommates did not appear to have arrived, and classes were still a week away.

I miss the dojo. Mortem thought. I should check it out.

But as he walked out, he finally got a glimpse of his first roommate, a male Lycan with medium-length brown hair and a faint scar below his left eyes, who was busy doing something inside the kitchen.

An awful ear-splitting ringing shot from ear to the other waking the gargantuan of a woman that was previously passed out on the bench. A large empty bottle of vodka accompanied by several other bottles of varying sizes along with scattered bones from some unknown animal with small clumps of meat still stuck to them, some small some large. She was groggy from the night before which was exceptionally rare given what she was indicating last night must have been some party, but none of that explained where she was being that the last place she remembers was the bar not some bench in the middle of nowhere. Opening her eyes to let the stinging rays of the sun shine through, it took a little bit for her liquor swimming brain to process lights and sounds into something she could actually use to determine where she was and if she could find a place to get some breakfast. As soon as she could legitimately see enough to tell where she was a smirk crept along her face reviling she somehow got into the closed gates of the Academy last night to pass out here.

For once going out on a drunken adventure of self-discovery didn’t end with smashed cars and broken windows just to rearrange the manikins. Chuckling to herself the Oni rolled off the bench and stood up stumbling back over the bottles managing to catch herself before falling over. Looking over at the sight of the makeshift nest she made and spotted something of most wondrous thing, a bottle of brandy with just enough fluid inside to create a corner of lifeblood. Grabbing a couple of the bones scattered around and throwing them in her mouth to eat and the sliver of alcohol to wash it down Kat started to make her way deeper into the academy with a stretch and a yawn. She didn’t make it too far before the bench collapsed from supporting her weight all night, but Kat just kept walking and pretended she didn’t see or hear anything. Hair a mess, smelled like whiskey and chicken wings and her stomach rumbled like the low growl of a snarling beast, but she walked upright and straight because this wasn’t new to her; the passing out bit was rare, but she was no stranger to it and by now she mastered the art of faking it till she made it.

As she walked along the path she heard a familiar barking off in the distance prompting the giant to stop and turn around seeing her wolf Lili running behind her nudging her head against Kat once it caught up.

“Oh damn, I was wondering where you were, ” she chuckled petting her companion opening her eyes once she saw what was clutched between Lili’s teeth “Oh shiii is that my chain and shades, good girls” she shouted smiling opening her hand under the wolf's mouth prompting her to release them.

Dawning her gold chain and dark aviators Katarina walked with new vigor as if the sound of the chain rattling around her neck was giving her life. The remaining walk went a little quicker now with her brisk walking now, finding her room nearly breaking it off the hinges and collapsing on the bed to fall asleep a second time.

---

The snowy wonderland blended wonderfully with the striking white of the Haka-born's fur and outfit, a pale woman trudging through the snow in a large abundance of equally pale coats. Mesuka had been alerted only a few days prior that she was to move to a new apartment on campus in order to make room for a new set of returning students. She had only been at Silverspell University a few weeks into her second year when her accommodations were reassigned; thus, she was to bunk with a new lot of magical students, permanently this time. As Mesuka reached the tall, steel gates of the university, she shifted her top-most fur coat to cover her freezing nose and mouth. The girl must have had atleast five layers of white wolf furs covering her body as she proceeded into the school; underneath all of them, however, was a mere pair of leather jeans and a white tank-top. A fang necklace and a pair of claw earrings were the only jewelry Mesuka wore. A belt wrapped itself around her waist, containing an assortment of oriental trinkets and wolf-tooth daggers to decorate her room with. The girl was like a walking U-Haul.

As the Lycan made her way slowly into the warm halls of her university, Yukka unburied himself from the warm rolls of her fur.

"Honestly, Mesuka, you look like a yeti. Please just wear the coat I provided you next time.", the familiar scolded.

"Yukka, I'm bringing my furs here not only for clothing, but also to sleep in. I'm starting to move out, as you insisted."

"Mesuka, they give you sheets and a blanket there. You may make your other roommates uncomfortable with so many... Exotic items."

"So be it. Who are my roommates anyways?", Mesuka questioned, putting the large tree frog into the palm of her hand in front of her.

Yukka hesitated for a moment, his quiet croaking filling the halls with a sort of white noise. "The undead you met last year and... Another Lycan."

"Excuse me? I specifically put in a request that I should room NOT with another Lycan!"

"I know, I know. I tried to make sure that request was put through, but the administration really thinks he might be good at helping you adjust."

"He?"

---

After apologizing to Yukka for yelling (his ears can get sensitive sometimes), Mesuka begrudgingly made her way up to her apartment, her long, snow white furs accompanying her the whole way up. Unlocking the apartment door, the Haka was greeted with the sight of both of her roommates unpacking and preparing their living quarters. "Hello, Mortem. Nice to see you again.", the Lycan greeted as she past the skeleton, making her way to the last room available. Mesuka and Mortem had gotten off on a rather good start at the end of last school year, both of them turning into friendly acquaintances over discussing the curvature and use of hunting daggers. She suspected they may room together. She didn't even so much as look at her Lycan roommate, not yet; she wanted to prepare her room first.

As she entered her room, Mesuka threw off her furs onto the wide bed, covering it in a mass of white. This, at least, would remind her of home. Sleeping on the fur of hunted wolves; it was nostalgic and comforting. Aside from that, Mesuka took of her belt of possessions and started displaying them around the room: A rolled up piece of Haka tapestry stuck to the wall, daggers displayed fiercely on the table, carved wooden models of wolves on the nightstand, etc. It looked like a primitive exhibit by the time Mesuka was done with it.

---

As the Haka-born stepped out of her newly-decorated room, she realized something; she was shivering. Her body did not accommodate cold very well when most of her life was spent in humid jungles, so she walked herself into the kitchen to make herself something to warm up.

And there in the kitchen was "he"; Ash. Putting away pots and pans. This was the first time she really had a good browse of him. He was handsome to the point that Mesuka disdained it; it was manipulative, those looks. He seemed tall and strong, a leader of sorts, and obviously, Mesuka was not thrilled by the concept of such leaders. Heading over to the sink, the Haka-born poured and boiled a cup of water with mint leaves in it for herself. She kept eye contact away from the fellow Lycan; she hoped he didn't talk to her.

Ash began cooking a few minutes before Mortem arrived and was well into the process at this point, as a boy cooking was a way for him to really take in the world around him, he saw it as a joining force that brought together all the traits of his heritage. He could hear people behind him now but they were off on the other side of the room so he wasn't going to interrupt them at this point however the scent of fish, cilantro and lime would surely be reaching out to them, and surely they would be drawn to it, that is if they can smell. The thought crossed his mind at the last moment as he put final touches on his Baja fish tacos.

Ash turned around and set a platter of tacos on the center island counter that separated the living area from the kitchen, it was then that he finally got a good look at the roommates that had come in and were talking a bit. "Well, sorry to be a hair aloof as you all arrived, but I have lunch prepared if you are hungry. I'm Ash Jens By the way, the pleasures mine." he gave a short bow from behind the counter and picked up a taco from the platter and took a bite, the acidity of the lime mingling with the flavor of the mahi-mahi he had gotten earlier before arriving himself. Ash looked to Mortem, a honest to goodness skeleton, He set his taco down and said with a bit of fluster in his voice, "Hope that me making this didn't presume too much, if you have a....dietary restriction... I can totally work with that, just let me know." The tweeting of the canary around the room almost sounded like laughing and in his head Ash could hear Krasis, So nice of you Martha Stewart.

Griffin

---

“Fuck no, I ain’t the third one!” Raven giggled, Midnight rolling his eyes at what he knew all too well, was coming. I’m the first one, Feathers!”“ The Warlock finished, winking at her with a clawed thumb motioning back to his chest. “Sorry for being late, yeah? Had to appease the faaaans!”

“Those poor people at the cafeteria?” Midnight added, an eyebrow raised skeptically. “You invaded their meals and began singing, Raven.”

“Where I’m from, that’s what we call a blessing, Middy!” Raven chuckled, spinning his attention to the fennec while offering a playful blow kiss. “And ooooh...!” Raven continued, squinting as he turned to view Griffin. “I think you uh...you forgot a few parts of you back home? I mean, what’s with the bandages? And...I mean...” Blinking a few times, Raven thought it over, digging deep into his knowledge of the supernatural. “...pulling a blank, on this one.”

While the brief flash of fear that streaked through Griffin’s body was invisible to most people, he couldn’t quite hide the fact that his hand immediately went towards his hip like there would be something for him to grab. The motion felt quick and practiced, but ultimately wrong and he knew that it was an echo from who he was before. A flare of sticky discomfort rose through his belly but was quickly snuffed as his roommate began to speak, revealing themselves to be a particularly flashy individual.

“Don’t worry about it friend, I got all the parts that matter. Names Griffin, ‘an this is Ethra.”

With a single smooth movement Griffin slipped up from his place in the chair to grant the same handshake he extended to Ethra just moments ago.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance man.”

“Suh-weet, dude!” Raven winked at him, offering one of his ever present bright grins before stretching a dainty hand forth to wrap his slender fingers around Griffin’s appendage. “Raven’s the name, but you two probably already knew th-...”

“They didn’t.” Midnight cut the Warlock off.

You don’t know!”“ Raven shot back, turning a glare to his familiar.

“I don’t have to.” Midnight sighed, encompassing every inch of humility which Raven seemed to lack. Polar opposites, indeed.

Rolling his eyes, Raven wiped that frown from his face before turning his attention back to the aspiring new fans, or roommates, either worked. “So you two just arrived, huh?” He spoke, taking a step back before looking from Griffin to Ethra, and then back to Griffin again before a double take on the owl forced the Warlock’s expression to a wide eyed glare. “No...way...” Raven blinked, before abruptly dropping to his knees, uncomfortably close to Ethra’s talons. “S-so...beautiful...”

“Raven, please don’t.” Midnight tried, but was promptly ignored.

“MIDNIGHT!!” Raven exclaimed. “Where’s the nail polish!?”

There was no doubting that Ethra was feeling very uncomfortable at this point. She craned her neck forward as the warlock scanned over her talons, thoughts going through her head if she should be concerned for her own well being or not. She slowly adjusted her seating on the couch, moving away from Raven. She then quietly said to her Familiar, “Irsk?”

No. You’re on your own.

What a wonderful little mouse.

“I…” Ethra began, a little lost for words, “Do you… want something?”

“Oh, honey!” Raven stood, regaining his composure. “Come on, now! Those beautiful talons are just begging to be colorful.” The Warlock nodded cheerfully.

“I fail to see any merit in that.” Ethra responded in a curt tone, “Plus we only just met.” She began to curl her talons backwards, as if saying ‘no’ to this warlock were an invitation to have him try and rob her of them.

If there was one thing Griffin could do, which there were more, it was read a room. Ethra may not be incredibly expressive but her discomfort was radiating off her like a space heater. Gently he walked over and crouched down to Raven’s level and put a hand on the Warlock’s shoulder.

“Hey brother, she’s probably had a long day. Let’s let her unwind before we start the nail polish party yeah?”

As much as he was amused by the current happenings Griffin himself prefered a little unit cohesion in his life, last thing he needed were roommates who were uncomfortable around one another. Lead to a lot of drama that he didn’t really desire in his life.

“Yes, can we…” Ethra said in continuation to Griffin’s interjection, “Can we decide on room assignments before anything else?”

“Hmm, seeing as how Raven’s been here before us I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’ve already claimed a place yeah? Seeing as I’m last here It’s only fair that you get next pick Ethra, I’ll make due with whatever.”

Despite the cancellation of Raven’s beauty plans, he did not seem too deterred. With a flap of his wings, the Warlock was pulled up from the floor, and back to his paws where he continued to stand with his bright, trademark smile. Sure! Awesomeness is patient!”“ He winked at Ethra. As for arrangements, I honestly don’t care, yeah? Pick whatever y’all are most comfy with.”“ Rubbing his chin, Raven spun around and dropped down onto the sofa with a stretch of his arms. “So! Any house rules?”

Ethra eased up some, as the conversation steered away from her talons, and the action of painting them. Still failed to find any merit in it, so the answer would remain soundly, ‘no’. “Well… to start…” Ethra began, “No painting of my talons. End of story. Beyond that… we’ll see.” She proceeded to stand up off the couch, grabbing her belongings, and continue, “And if there is no objection from you, Griffin, I will take the furthest room.”

A small sigh of relief escaped his lips as the tension wound down, crisis averted. Standing back up Griffin did a small twist that popped several vertebra each time before moving to rub out the tension in his shoulder, his body seemingly deflating as he released the pent up pressure.

“Ground rules? Yeah I can think up of a couple, I’m going to be unloading all my equipment and stuff here soon and I’d prefer it if y’all didn’t go messing around with it. Unless you know what you’re doing, then I ain’t got any beef with that. And that’s cool with me Ethra, guess i’ll take the middle room yeah?”

“Understood.” Ethra replied, nodding.

---

---

Tap.

Another tap, beak against flesh. Piercing darkness, but not illuminating it.

Pecks, perhaps kisses? Twinned with each other to bring a new sensation to the void?

Another one. Ouch. What the fuck?
...

Right. No, the woman on the bed knew what this was. Damnit.

"Damnit..." Lola whispered, stirred from a dreamless snooze. Her vision, went from black to an almost brilliant, shining gold in a flash. With a sigh, she brushed her blonde locks away, allowing herself, for a moment, to adjust to the neutral darkness of her room. She lay on a bed, that was less a bed, and more an ovular collection of pillows and sheets, and took in her surroundings. She knew what the pecking meant. Waking Lola was a lot like prodding a hibernating bear-- that was way prettier and better than a bear in every way. With shadow magik. Voodoo wouldn't disturb her unless it was that time of year again-- she knew it was coming-- still, she didn't want to get up.

Another peck to the skull.

"Alright! Damnit..." Lola sat up in the nest of a bed, her golden hair, falling naturally over her scar, covering her left eye. The jade gem in her right began to glow in the purple haze that was her room to compensate. Her abode was a mess, nothing but band posters and black clothes strewn about. The mismatched curtains, protection from the western sun in her casino hell-studio, gave the room a feeling of being a rainbow in the dark. Lola was a Ronnie James Dio fan, so it worked. "Where are you anyway? You little bastard..." She asked the smokey air, with a grunt as she rolled herself onto the floor.

She felt a shift in her hair. She deftly flicked the bird, nesting somewhere in the blonde tangle, before it could give her another warning.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Dad." She yawned, the oversized red shirt she was wearing reading 'Kush Cheney 200420' shifted slightly, revealing a shoulder. "It only takes a few hours to step by shadow, I'll get there before last bell to the Hogwarts gates close."

The bird whirred, clicked and chirped, quizzically.

"Yeah, dude-- even with all my stuff--" By now she was scouring the room, throwing articles of clothing into the shadows formed in corners, they dissipated, as if melting in a sea of oil. "Jesus, do we have to go over this every year?" Already, the room was looking cleaner-- beneath piles of clothes, clean and semi-clean, was actually an almost respectable room, if one ignored the static filled TV, the unmade bed, and the bottles, filled with ashy roaches. "I'm on time sometimes, man."

Voodoo whirred and beeped, unsure.

"Yeah, sure, whatever, fuck-off Voodoo." Lola yawned at the sight or her semi-clean room. Nearly everything she'd need to not go insane at uni, all thrown in an eldritch void of darkness. The bird creature, hopped onto her shoulder, allowing her a good look at it. He was... an odd creature... that was for certain. Perhaps that was why they got on so well? The experiments that took away his ability to speak meant not many had wanted him as a familiar-- Lola never got that, it just meant she didn't need to deal with another voice in her head. He looked up at her from his perch. "We good to go?"

He blinked, looking her up and down.

"No, dummy. I'll change on the way there."

A soft whirring.

"Oh-- no you're right." Lola slinked across her room, leaning out of the doorway. "Ma!" She sucked in the air through her teeth, "MA! Wake up!"

There was a long pause, and then a thump from another room-- the voice of an old New Yorker responded, groggily, "You what!?"

"I'm going to Hogwarts, Ma!"

"What? Can you get me some smokes?"

"No Ma, Hogwarts? You know-- school? I'm going-- I'll be back in a little while."

Another pause. "You got your little birdie?"

"No Ma, I ate him for dinner. I gotta go."

"Keep that bird safe Dolores! I like him..."

"Your concern is well-placed as always, Ma. I gotta go." Going back into the room, Lola stepped into the shadow of the door, against the wall, feeling a tingle all across her being as she was enveloped by the darkness that made up her being. She could hear shouts of '_{Bring me back some Malboros}' and even fainter '_{I love you, Lola!}' in the distance, as she allowed herself to be stripped of being, and become one with the shadow of her destination.

---

And then, just like that-- there she was.

Black T-shirt with some rapper etched on it. Maybe Lil Wayne? Black jeans. Black heart. Black parasol. All materialized from the shadow in an instant-- as if black electricity had struck behind a dumpster. Lola inhaled deeply as she approached the campus-- the insecurities of those around her making the air taste like the sweetest ambrosia she'd had in a while. Nothing beats the first day jitters. Her father-- some bigwig in the woods-- paid for her to go here. Among others that were more like her-- Vampires and wolves-- other creatures of the night. His thinking was that it would help her operate more efficiently. Incidentally, Lola had always despised that man, as far as she was concerned the only thing they had in common was their power. She'd thought Silverspell was a lame idea at first... but then she got here... Lola unshrouded her scar and felt the tensions of those unsure of themselves rise around her. Her chest welled with the Garmonbozia. She sighed. Letting her hair fall back into place.

Eventually, after ogling and being ogled, by all manner of freak and geek alike, she made her way to her room-- an apartment comparable to her old one. She put away her umbrella as she stepped into her room, darkening the blinds-- she found a perfect spot of shadow, and snapped her fingers-- black lightening sparking across her fingertips and the areas of shadow in the room. For a moment, the space flicked black, the dimensions seemed to curve and twist and bend-- but only for a moment-- before snapping back into place. With all her posters, sheets, pillows and clothes-- strewn about. As they were in her home. She sighed.

"No rest for the wicked..."

The bird chirped out a laugh.

Lola flinched, "Shut up, Moonchild. Not every quipp can be a winner. Besides..." Another heaving sigh. "Spacial manipulation always takes a lot out of me. Let's go meet some people."

The moment he saw Ash was the moment his third roommate walked in. A girl with short black hair, wearing a pair of leather jeans and a white tank-top, her necklace and earrings had shapes of claws and fangs. She also carried a hunting dagger, in which she had quite a wonderful discussion with him about it at the end of the last school year.

Yes, they are acquainted. And Mortem could finally breathe in relief that his roommate was actually someone he knew, not some weirdos. Lycan's variants in Silverspell was so common that he could have sworn half of those he knew were Lycans or Lycan associates. He only have to deal with that guy in the kitchen.

As Mesuka entered the room and gave him a friendly hello, Mortem simply waved his hand gently in return. He could not talk, so he could not return it as politely as he had wanted. And it was at that time that the male Lycan in the kitchen finally noticed them.

"Well, sorry to be a hair aloof as you all arrived, but I have lunch prepared if you are hungry. I'm Ash Jens by the way, the pleasure's mine."

That was what he said to the two as he place the set of taco down on the counter. He seemed to be polite, and at least level-headed. Then, he turned to Mortem, a little bit flustered.

"Hope that me making this didn't presume too much, if you have a...dietary restriction, I can totally work with that, just let me know."

Mortem wasn't in a position to be surprised by that, since he isn't a living being, but a walking dead. A skeleton without a vocal chord, no stomach, no tongue and no muscles. Not many people knew that he does not eat or drink, and does not die of hunger or thirst, so he should let him know it so that he does not have to over-spend the kitchen's food supply.

Mortem took out the note and quickly wrote.

'Nice to meet you, Ash. And thanks for the meal'

He tore the paper from his note, placing it on the counter, and began writing on the next page

'But I don't eat.'

Then another.

'Literally. Because of no stomach.'

Another.

'So from now on, you only have to cook for two.'

Then, he turned to Mesuka, who was enjoying a warm minted drink inside the kitchen.

'You can have my taco, you look cold.'

Interactions: @GodOfWar@RoccanIronclad

---

With introductions out of the way, Ethra took it upon herself to go and see her room. She took the furthest one away from the other two because… well, it just hit her that she was going to be living with Griffin and Raven for the next few months. Griffin seemed alright, but Raven was…

She really didn’t have a word for what Raven was, at this moment. All she knew was that she’d rather be away from him during the night hours, for the time being. Her mind wandered to the University’s co-ed roommate policy, and how odd it was. Little she could do about it now, though.

She entered her room with her belongings in hand. It was just as luxurious as the rest of the apartment, with a large bed being most prominent. For a bagoyép, this was a good site. Her eyes drifted to the open doorway to the bathroom past the bed - containing standard implementations. Oh, well.

Ethra set her belongings aside and sat down on the bedside for a moment. She looked at the large, black, rectangular piece of equipment on the wall, her faint reflection lying within it, staring back at her. Since she got here, she’d seen several students in possession of various technological devices that were far, far beyond anything she knew. Growing up in a rural community for most of her life was probably going to lead to some questions in the near future. She was essentially a savage among modern beings.

Another moment passed of her sitting still on her bedside.

“I think I’ll just explore then.” She said, half-directed at Irsk.

I don’t care.

“Your lack of care is noted, Irsk.” Ethra replied, “Now direct me to the University Library.”

Fine.

And with that, the bagoyép stood up, grabbed her satchel, and exited her room. Walking into the living room, she found Griffin and Raven to not be present - perhaps they had retreated to their own rooms to see to their own furnishings. Ethra didn’t want to waste the moment of calm then, so she headed for the door and slipped out unannounced.

Onward to the Library.

It wasn’t very long before Katarina woken from her slumber, the sound of her own stomach was enough to rattle the world, her morning left her groggy and irritated so much so she tossed and turned enough to throw her own bed against the wall creating a loud thud. Forced to get up by her own baser instincts the Oni gritted her teeth in frustration and resolved to get some food, the only problem was that she had no idea where the cafeteria was nor did she know anyone well enough to ask. Speaking of people it seemed one of her roommates came and left or was lingering around, the smell of her flesh was unlike anything she had smelled before. While pondering on what exactly it was that had become her roomie, her stomach growled again reminding the Oni of what was actually important… FOOD! Walking over to the area that would be deemed the kitchen for their room and opened the pantry and fridge and took an inventory count of what they had to call food. Three boxes of pancake mix, two dozen eggs, and assorted meats along with a modest around of bread, Kat sucked her teeth, but grabbed literally everything from their original places and lit the stove.

“Guess were having a light breakfast today, ” she complained, doing her normal prep work.

Cooking was something she only really does sober not that being drunk diminished her skills in anyway, though it did cause her to create some weird things. The eggs were made firsts she prepared several omelettes using different combinations of meats, vegetables, cheese and chives; next came the mountain of scrambled eggs her favorite type being plain with salt and pepper and lastly sunny side up. The pancakes she made could touch the ceiling if she didn’t stack them three by three the syrup she used was a mixture of the classic maple, and honey drizzled all across the top. The entire process didn’t take as long as it would have most people, but to Kat the torment was unbearable, so much so everything was created to be simplistic and easy to be most effective on time.

“Alright, time to actually eat” Her lips parted giving way to her demonic gullet as she began to swallow her creations at a frightening pace while the smell of fresh cooked breakfast filled the room and hallways.

---

interactions: @Darcs

Griffin

---

Smile turning small and soft, Griffin gave a nod to Ethra before scooping up his duffle bag and making his way to the place that would be his home for the foreseeable future. Tossing the duffle onto the bed and let his winter jacket slide off, revealing a simple black tee underneath that contrasted heavily with his slightly dingy cloth bandages. He'd have to wash them soon he though, a grimace forming. Shaking it off Griffin took a moment to take in his new surroundings. It was a pretty good place to crash and it was better than any place he had slept in before, a major upgrade to the motels and party pads he'd normally sleep at. In his exploration Poe had flown in through the open door and perched herself on the nightstand, fussing about with her feathers as she let him poke around.

Curiosity sated Griffin began to process of emptying out his duffle, beginning with a vinyl player, a stack of records, and a rather large speaker. It took a bit of finagling to set everything up but soon enough Griffin had a neat little music station set up and the sweet scream of Rob Halford filled the room. A wry smirk made it's way to his lips as Griffin closed his eyes and let the music flow through him, foot tapping, body swaying, and head banging as he began to feel the groove. Dancing his way back to the duffle Griffin began to remove the important stuff, singing the lyrics under his breath as he did so.

First came the small cauldron, a stand, a couple of fire stones, and several mortar and pestles of various sizes. Laying them all out presented a problem however, where to put them. There just wasn't anywhere to put the stuff, the only place that could hold it was the desk that had the computer... lightbulb.

With the mindset of "It can't be that hard" Griffin began to unplug the computer in preparation to move it somewhere on the ground, taking a moment to enjoy the beginning of "Heavy Metal" as that solo peeled through the air.

Varos gave a step through the grounds, carrying his single wheeled suitcase of luggage currently being ridden by his ferret familiar. He didn't really have much to bring with him. Mostly just annoying but necessary clothing for his current form. He was wearing one such outfit of course, some loose fitting shorts and a specially modified black vest that worked around his winged back.

He had been 'training' for common humanlike things for the last couple of weeks, considering how rarely he even came in sight of a human settlement. As a freshmen though he had to make sure he didn't do anything silly like tear a locked door down trying to open. So much here was foreign to him it was a little intimidating, not that he'd let any bit of fear show.

Eventually he'd reach his room, fiddling with the key a little bit to make sure he actually unlocked it correctly before opening the door and treading inside like he owned the place already and making a beeline for a room to unpack into, trying his best not to disturb his roommates for the moment. His belonging consisted of several outfits folded to perfection to be quickly shoved where they belong, a couple bath soaps especially made for dragons which he moved to the bathroom, and a small gold plated chest he'd tuck to the side of his bed. There was also a strange plastic card his parents had arranged for him that supposedly could be used in place of money in case he needed to buy something more, but honestly he disliked being indoors in a cooped up room so he'd hopefully only need the essentials.

Speaking of that the sooner he could get out of the room the better, so he'd go off to check out the rest of the place. Though he wouldn't disturb Ivy unless she came out of her own 'lair'. It was a common thing among dragons that if they holed up where they slept they did not wish to be disturbed, so he'd wait for her to come out. Instead he'd take a bit of interest in the furnishings of the place. All of the stuff he'd been shown in preparation had been more of a demo, so it was oddly fascinating to see them 'for real'