9:00 AM, August 6th, 1210PW. 34 Degrees Fahrenheit. Raining.The Queen was spotted at a party late last night wearing a crinoline. Fashion outlets are in an uproar, with actress Elissa Ardvulf, starring in The Wondrous Laboratory (Coming out Summer 1211 in nickelodeon theaters near you!), issuing the statement, "I don't care if the Queen herself wears one of those horrid old things. Crinolines? Please, I don't need one of those to look good, and neither does anyone else, Queen Milla included. They're not worth the fire hazard." - The Unoctoc View
Far to the south in the grey, overcast skies, a series of red streaks through the clouds just above the horizon. The Deadlands are still being pummeled a thousand miles away and the stream of dust returning to Earth brings a pleasant orange glow to match that of the sunrise an hour earlier. Soft pattering sounds pop in and out of existence as small droplets of rain splash onto the corrugated steel roof over the Institute train stop, with mud visibly forming in the grassy woods on either side of the railroad tracks and the path away from the station and the scent of petrichor sweetening the air.
The first load of newcomers steps off of the train in single file and wanders down the path away from the station, as per the instructions on the acceptance letters sent to each applicant. The new students and teachers are all of various ages and shapes and sizes, though they're predominantly human of normal size and shape. A few chimeras walk behind the rest of the crowd, opting to keep to themselves, and a single sapient Monster in the form of a small, blue-grey, four-eyed housecat walks to the left side of the line of students, sticking to the muddied grass in favor of the gravel that would irritate its footpads.
Upon realizing that he's still rather dry, one of the older men in the procession looks up to the sky to discover that the rain is being parted above the path, and a bemused look crosses his face. I suppose this is what Magic is..., he thinks to himself, having never been exposed to it before.
In fifteen minutes, the procession arrives at the frontal gates of Mordhaben's Institute for Aspiring Mages and enter the courtyard for the opening ceremony. The gates are wrought iron in an ornate floral pattern, twenty feet wide and twelve feet tall. In the center of the gate is a plate of thin metal with the words 'For the Sake of Progress' cut into it in cursive text, and upon arrival, the gates open on their own, revealing a circle twenty meters wide paved with flagstones, surrounded on all sides by the most beautiful flowerbeds and miniature trees in the country, each of which is warm to the touch. The administrative building front steps are on the far side of the courtyard, with a podium standing at the top, and the walls of the administrative building wrap around the entire courtyard to meet the iron fence.
Standing about the courtyard are a handful of figures, who judging by their olive-colored military overcoats and Institute badges are staff members. A short preteen girl in a comically large witch's hat is chattering away in the middle of the courtyard to an incredibly athletic man who could be described as 'abnormally tall for a human'. Two professors of average human height are also chatting away at the front entrance, both clothed so heavily that not an inch of skin can be seen, one of whom has their face covered in bandages beneath a hood, and the other appearing to be wearing a theater mask. Those who are familiar with the Institute would recognize them as Professors Emilya and Hans Vance, and as Professors Brovak and Leere, respectively. Brovak, the bandaged man, gives off an aura of undeniable creepiness which all but the most absolutely moronic would feel simply by looking in his direction. Perhaps it's something about the way he carries himself - almost as though his movements are too smooth and perfect by half.
The rain above the courtyard is, like the rain above the pathway, splattering upon an invisible barrier and rolling off to the sides.
Alex stepped out of the Train, his eyes glancing in a manner that could nearly be described as erratic. He was taking in as much as he could, as quickly as he could when he noticed the rain pooling atop some sort of invisible wall above him. It seemed like a considerate mage had decided to keep the rain away from the students and newcomers, a considerably kind gesture. Walking forward, Alex took care not to bump into anyone as he, and many others, trekked the long path from the train station to the Institute's campus. As he walked, Alexander's mind wandered, reminiscing on the multitude of stories he had heard from his Grandparents and Parents both about the School and the 'adventures' they had there. However, one story they all told repeatedly was the first time they saw Mordhaben's entrance, an Iron gate of indescribable beauty.
As the flock of Students walked further from the Train station, the Academy began to appear in sight, as well as the 'indescribable' gate, which from a distance, looked fairly plain, albeit large. However, as Alex continued to walk towards it, he began to see intricate, beautiful floral designs carved meticulously into the structures Iron. Alex felt a strong surge of familiarity, and wished his Mother was with him so he had someone he could excitedly whisper with. Alas, she was not, and so Alex simply observed the gate's beauty in silence, his awe of the structure increasing with each step he took. Eventually, he was at the gate's entrance, reading the gate's elegantly carved inscription "For the Sake of Progress."
Alex watched, with a smile hidden inside his chest as the Gate opened itself for the Students, and he walked in, unable to resist the sense of fantasy he was enthralled by. Somehow, despite having seen a vast variety of magic and it's casters, Alex was still able to retain a sense of almost child-like wonder at each new ability he encountered. As he continued to walk he surveyed the campus's courtyard with with eyes that, despite his awe, seemed just as narrow as always. One of the many things he had learned from his father was the ability to mask his emotions, for the most part. However, as he looked around the courtyard, he noticed the vast flowerbed with flora of nearly every kind imaginable.
This time, he couldn't contain his joy and a gentle smile spread across his face as he split from the crowd a bit, taking a few moments to observe the Flowers, smelling them occasionally. Each one seemed to radiate a smell greater than the last, regardless of what order you allowed their intoxicating aromas to enter your nose. In addition, each one seemed to have a beauty unique to itself, but the arrangement of the flowers looked stunning both as it's parts and as it's sum. By the time he had bothered to look up, he had found himself nearly two-dozen feet from the rest of the crowd, and quickly promised himself to return to this garden as soon as possible.
Turning, albeit grudgingly, from the flower-bed, he quickly made his way back to the crowd of students. Due to the distraction of such intimate beauty of the flowers in his mind, he paid little attention to his surroundings and soon found himself nearly trampling a young women. Quickly, he attempted to apologize; however, after truly seeing the exquisitely pale girl before him, his tongue seemed to dry out and become useless. His reddened eyes widened for a moment as his chest pounded, before quickly swallowing the emotion she had seemed to produce.
"A-Apologies miss." He said in a low, gentle tone, having finally found his voice. He couldn't help chastising himself; he had nearly ran this poor girl into the ground, and then stared at her for several moments more than would be considered "socially unacceptable" before stuttering out a ridiculously formal apology.
Lord pray she didn't turn and flee from the man on the spot, although he wouldn't altogether blame her if she did.
If there was anything lovely about today, it'd be the rain. Magnhild wasn't that used to waking up early, but today was the day she was to be enrolled into the Institute. She had hardly read the acceptance letter before shoving it into her pocket, staring out the window of the train as the scenery flickered by. Her life was changing again, whether it be for better or for worse, that remained to be seen. But it couldn't possibly be worse than back then. She heard her foster father's voice repeat in her head, 'Do not fear what lies ahead, embrace it with open arms.'
As she got off the train, she couldn't help but notice the other Chimeras that came off with her. Different generations. Different types. Different sizes. She saw them wait for the humans to walk further ahead before joining the back of the group. While she understood such a notion, she couldn't care less about it. Thus she walked among the humans, who gave her a few weird looks as she walked along side them. Had it not been for the scales on the back of her neck, she probably would've looked completely human to most.
Magnhild hadn't noticed the rain had been stopped until she looked up at the metal gates. 'For the Sake of Progress'. Progress towards what? She may never know. She frowned slightly as she realised that there was something blocking the rain. The rain usually felt nice on her scales. The scenery changed once more as they entered the courtyard, all sides covered in colourful flowers, quite different from Airelosia.. Which was mostly green and shrouded in the grey rain. She was more fascinated by the miniature trees. They looked so delicate and... Well, small. Fortunately, she was able to look straight ahead of her in time to stop herself from walking into someone. Everyone seemed to have gathered in front of a podium that stood at the steps of some building.
The Pangolin chimera glanced around the crowd, seeing olive-coloured military uniforms. The sight made her feel a little uneasy, but she wasn't in Airelosia anymore. This place seemed much safer.. She was tough, but she didn't think she was that tough. Not that it worried her too much. Her gaze fell upon the strangely dressed people near the podium.. She guessed they were teachers, but in her mind she had a little bit of a doubt. They looked far too eccentric. But only time will tell.
Joseph's trip to the Institute was uneventful and unexciting. Amidst all the people that were freaking out with enthusiasm over their little adventure, Joseph just saw this as a natural first step on the road to being a mean lean fighting machine. There wasn't anything to get worked up about, it was just business. He sat there on the train with a neutral, almost sour expression until they arrived at their new pad. He got off casually and just strode up and into the courtyard. He wasn't all that interested in looking at or talking to the random strangers around him. Most of these people he would probably never see again, so he would wait until he had a more concentrated group of people to choose from before making ventures into friendship.
He took a moment to take in the motto on the gate. It was about as sappily academic as he would have expected. Sure, they all believed they were working towards some notion of progress, but he imagined they all came out repeating the same junk that got shoved down their throats. If someone could read Joseph's mind right now, they would probably think he didn't even want to be here, but he certainly did. He just didn't believe this was some place of higher purpose. Everyone was here to either learn to be a killer or to make money off their talent. They should all just embrace it. He was the last person that would actually expect them to go ahead and be honest about the whole arrangement, of course. A man could dream. A man could also sit still and wait for the damn opening ceremony already.
The time had come for the young devil to take his first steps on his long journey, the train ride was rather long. Lucannus was hoping to hit the library before the day comes to an end. To keep him occupied he opened one of his books regarding primtive life in the deadlands. Lucannus would occasionally glance out the window to look at the scenery, comparing it to Airelosia. The Unoctocan Empire was much safer place, everyday was not a challenge to making it to the next. Soon the Institute came into view making the devil smirk for a breif second before returning to his aloof expression. As the train stopped he placed the book in his ruck sack as he prepared to exit the train.
The first off the train were the humans, it annoyed him how they believed they were the superior race. Finally the Chimera were allowed off. Lucannus instinctively wrapped his tail around his waist and slung his rucksack over his shoulder. As he stepped off the train he noticed the barrier around the newcomers that sheltered them from the rain fall. Advancing forward he moved with a condescending stride, as if the crowd was giving the devil room to walk. As he saw the gate it gave him a feeling of excitement. Mordhabens was the real thing, he believed nothing would stop him from being at the top of his class.
He glanced left and right taking a look at the monsters around him, they came in many different sizes though he had not seen any potential threats just yet. The strong would discern themselves from the weak soon enough. As the students made way to the opening ceremony he could see some of the professors conversing between one another. He had also hoped to speak with some of them as well, he planned on taking advantage of all the opporunities given to him at the academy. Lucannus made his way to the outer ring of the courtyard dropping his rucksack between his legs and opened up his book again. He disliked being in the crowds, thats how belongings go disappearing. He would wait until the Ceremony began to rejoin the crowd, until then he would delve back into his book.
The rain that pattered against the ground certainly wasn't enough to put Mallory in a solemn mood today, as much as she hated weather like this. Once the train had come to a halt and the to-be students left their seats, Mallory practically skipped off onto the platform and filed herself into one of the lines of newcomers. Most of the people she laid her eyes on seemed to be erratic with excitement and anticipation as they walked to the school gates, and Mallory felt no different. Her small smile expressed nothing but genuine thrill and curiosity, lacking the hint of mischievousness it often had the tendency of showing.
The light rain would no longer drip into her now dampened wisps of hair upon entering Mordhaben's school courtyard, past the extravagant gates of cursive floral text. Actually walking through the courtyard proved to be even more extravagant in Mallory's eyes, beautiful rows of colourful flowers and delicate trees lining the corners of her vision. She couldn't help but let out a small 'Ooh' at the sight of a particularly eye-catching bed of purple flowers blooming on this strangely cold August morning.
As she continued to examine her gorgeous surroundings, Mallory was caught completely off guard when she found herself almost crashing into the person in front of her. She snapped her head back to face the supposed culprit, only having to tilt her head up slightly to properly see the one who had pushed her.
"A-Apologies miss," said a tall, grey haired boy, his voice low and his tone soft and bashful. Although others may have aggressively told him to watch where he was walking or quietly ignore the embarrassing incident, Mallory just continued to stare at him, as he seemed to be doing to her. She didn't say anything, nor did she speak a word, all the excitable emotions she had visually expressed moments earlier seemingly gone. Mallory stared him dead in the eye, not once breaking eye contact as she slowed her walking pace for a couple of silent seconds.
Then, she broke into a low chuckle, her regular smile beginning to surface.
“No no, I'm alive and all right, dear. Just watch where you're going next time, okay? This courtyard may be stupidly large but it's still looking like a bit of a tight fit in here.”
Instead of cutting the interaction off right there, Mallory would continue to walk beside the boy, hoping she could find someone to relate to in terms of unfamiliarity with the institute and the anticipation of a totally new environment. She soon caught sight of the staff members in the middle of the courtyard, all vastly different in size and race but still dressed in the same staff uniform. The one in the bandages especially had a sort of ominous vibe to them, and Mallory felt herself averting her gaze to avoid sensing such a creepy aura.
“In all honesty, I guess my whole first impressions of this place are kind of... unexpected,” stated Mallory, keeping her sentence vague and blunt. As this boy seemed so distracted by his surroundings earlier on, she was curious as to what he would say in response.
Mark did everything he could to keep his tail from furiously wagging on the train. On the same vehicle as him, breathing the same oxygen as him sat THE Alexander Thomas Breckenridge. In his many years of scarfing down pro-military comics, Mark had obsessively memorized and recognized the particular combination of red eye bags and stormy hair that ran in the boy's family. An impressive feat for someone part canine and part colorblind. Even after years of questionable mental and physical training, it was hard for the military fanboy to stay still. The way his crippling obsession with orderly conduct fought against his crippling obsession for heroes was like a flaming zeppelin being stopped from crashing into a city by another flaming zeppelin. The results turned his mind into a very messy place, to say the least. His inner turmoil was cut short by the end of the ride.
The train briefly whined to a stop, with layers of clunking and grinding mixed throughout its evanescent lifespan. It was one of those noises that forced you to pay attention to your surroundings. One of those noises that signalled the creation of a vivid memory, that implied that for better or for worse, what was about to happen was going to stay with you forever.
Mark was an idiot in many different ways, but inner strength was not one of them. After curtly allowing the vehicle's humans to exit first, the fifth generation chimera stiffly walked right behind them. The way he walked was somewhere between "leader of a marching band" and "regular person", although for this particular day his dutiful traits were brought front and center, an attempt to make a good first impression. Mark paid little attention to the institute's decorations and tried to stand as close as possible to the quartet of officials. Part of him was absolutely enraged at their alterations to their institute uniforms, and another part of him felt like a child seeing four extravagantly dressed superheroes in front of him.
Straightening his body to a comically large degree, the boy flattened his right hand and performed a perfect salute. It was the kind of salute that implied practicing in front of a mirror and yelling at it until satisfied several times a day. Ears perked up, tail frozen in place, and face expectantly tightened, the boy awaited orders.
Jhin had questions, some might say they were silly, others might say his questions were self explanatory, but at the end of day he still had them and was not gonna wait to ask them. He understood why he was coming to Mordhaben's (to get away from his parents) and he understood why the train ride was necessary (his father explained it would be a waste of time to walk), but what threw him for a whirl was the seating. Why did he and the other Chimera have to be segregated from the humans?
The whole ride there Jhin contemplated reasoning's for this; did he smell, he for sure he took a shower this? Maybe it was arms usually most did not blink twice at the six arms on his body and focused instead on the sharp claws that were on his fingers. Then he thought it might have been his abdomen but how could it, granted it took up space but the fur and skin was soft as a baby's ass and in situations he either uses it as a back pillow and lets it hang off the side. Could it be his looks? He considered himself quiet handsome for a 3rd generation Chimera, most females from the Flynenhael Conglomerate (mostly non-human, but still there were the outlandish humans) thought he was "exotic", whatever that meant. All in all he was confused and asked the conductor why they had to sit separate and the man simply said "That's how it is" and walked away after checking his ticket.
As they filed off the train Jhin was still contemplating what the man had said to him, and how the answer he gave was such phooey. He learned from his time in the forest that there is a reasoning for all things, even thought we might not answer it, so to hear that come from a person's mouth is just unacceptable to Jhin. When he got off the train and stepped onto the wet platform, there was a certain bubbling sensation in his chest. This sensation coursed through his body and made his lower left hand slightly shake, he seen it before when his parents first started to argue over who would get him next like some piece of meat. His father told him it was "anger", and that it was a good thing he was feeling something about that whole situation. Now its back again but he cannot exactly find out why, was it the man on the train or still his parents. Jhin shook this emotion off and followed in one of the lines up the trail towards the school.
Jhin choose Mordhaben's because it was the best place to get his questions answered, like why is he upset, or whatever. The rain reminded him of home in the north, the wet forest and wild hunts, he and his mother had to weave thick webs to make sure they stood up in the wet weather. Jhin pulled out a ball of silk he made on the train, he was going to save it to fidget with later but now was as good a time as any. He was halfway through his design when they reached the courtyard. He did not have the luxury of spider legs like his mother so he could only use his claws and pedipalps to help make his webs, it was done by weaving the web with his claws (snipping, reconnecting, and stretching), the final product was usually nice and pretty. He used his primary arms and lower arms to wave while the upper arms held onto the straps of his bag. Jhin looked around at the Chimera and humans, noting some that stood out and others that blended into the crowd, and wondered if they felt "angry" as well with the seating on the train.
When he looked to his left he spotted a boy that was taller then him reading a book on the Deadlands and walked over, he had a question to ask. Upon closer inspection the boy was not a human, but Jhin could not tell what kind of Chimera he was just that he had a tail.
"Why read that book? Have you been to the Deadlands?" He said with a blank tone and curiosity in his eyes.
Of the four professors waiting in the courtyard, the two with their faces covered barely afforded the young chimera a glance before going back to their quiet conversation. In fact the one in the burnt orange hood and his face wrapped in bandages seemed to be chuckling to himself after seeing Mark. Fortunately for the student currently locked in salute, Professor Hans Vance was not so cold. The enormous older man turned a warm smile on Mark and returned his salute.
"At ease, recruit."
Next to him the girl that looked barely over ten raised an eyebrow and craned her neck to look up at the big man. Hastily she had to snatch at her oversized hat lest it drop to the ground. She sighed and shook her head before addressing Mark herself.
"Welcome to Mordhaben's Institute young man, no need to be so formal just yet. The Administrator is running behind schedule somewhat due to... unforseen complications. I am Professor Emilya Vance and this is my younger brother, Hans. I hope your time here will be productive and rewarding mister...?"
He had felt and met the eyes of hundreds in his lifetime, and each seemed to reveal the slightest trickle of their owner's soul; but hers, they looked as if they could be read and never understood. It was as if she revealed her entirety through one gaze, and yet it was like she showed nothing at all. It would be infuriating, were it not that the Lilac of her eyes could bring him nothing but intrigue and a stirring in his gut. Her damned eyes.
“No no, I'm alive and all right, dear. Just watch where you're going next time, okay? This courtyard may be stupidly large but it's still looking like a bit of a tight fit in here.”
"Of course miss, my apologies..." He paused for a moment, and upon recognizing he had just apologized twice a look of quiet contempt for himself glimmered in his own eyes. "...Again." He finished in a sort of murmur, knowing himself, he likely would have apologized again were it not that he knew many were not fond of repeated apologies.
Turning his gaze from her, he expected once again that she would leave; however, much to his own surprise, she continued to walk beside him. Not wishing to seem rude he slowed his pace to match hers, and his eyes began to wander; primarily towards the assortment of Professors. He had observed and named nearly half of them, based off his mother and father's descriptions, before the girl beside him spoke again,
“In all honesty, I guess my whole first impressions of this place are kind of... unexpected.”
As his eyes moved back to the girl next to him, an expression of interest spread across his face. He was silent for a few moments, before responding;
"How so?" His gentle voiced asked lightly, displaying his genuine curiosity for her answer, rather than a tone implying he merely responded for the sake of responding.
Despite what he had asked, he understood the root of her statement; despite the hundreds upon hundreds of times his parents had spoken of the school and all it's beauty, he was still caught of guard at the sight of it all. This Institute, Mordhaben, seemed the type of place that would stir wonder and awe in even the most seasoned travelers. It was as if they had stepped into another world, rather than just a campus.
He was beginning to understand why his parents spoke so fondly of the place.
Unlike some among the Chimera present, Berke didn't hesitate to get amidst the crowds, oblivious to the stares of those that might judge him. His Chimera features were mostly hidden underneath his clothes, so it wasn't immediately apparent that he even was one, but some people would still call him a Gorilla for reasons besides his heritage. He stood well above the heights of many of the human students, so he made quite the spectacle. Perhaps the biggest spectacle about him was the giddy grin that adorned his face as he took in the sights. Berke was basically a tourist in this place, and getting to attend this prestigious academy alongside so many people was just plain exciting.
As much as Berke was eager to start talking to people and making friends, he wondered how soon the opening ceremony would start. After all, it would be disrespectful to sit there and chat away during the school's important event, wouldn't it? Berke certainly did not want to be rude. He would await the ceremony patiently for now.
Mycona Frisa
Mycona had spent the whole ride over with her face pressed against the glass of one of the windows of the train, completely oblivious to how ridiculous she looked to those around her. Mycona was simply too overwhelmed by everything she could see to pay any attention to what she was doing, not that she would recognise anything wrong with her behaviour even if she could. All Mycona knew was that "mother" had told her that she had to ride the large thing called the "train" to reach the "Mordhaben's". The Mordhaben's was her destination. She had read about it in that book. They did "magic" there, and magic elicited a unique reaction from her. She could not describe it properly.
The train ceased to move, and the others all went somewhere. This was the moment mother had described, their "arrival". Mycona was to leave the train with the others and wait for the "ceremony". Mycona did not understand why she had to wait for the ceremony to start magicing, but Mother told her she would understand eventually. Mother had also told her to find a "friend". She had first said to "make" a friend, but she changed her words when Mycona informed her she did not know how to make one. According to her, one of the others could be a potential friend. Mycona attempted to find the friend by asking others around her, and the conversations went something like this;
"Hello, I am looking for a "friend". Are you a "friend"?"
The others reacted in different ways. Some would just make a strange face and turn away. Others would tell her they were not her friend in various fashions. One told her to "fuck off". Mycona responded that she did not know what that meant. They also made a strange face and turned away. Mycona had come to the conclusion that finding a friend was "difficult". "Difficult" was the feeling she had when she attempted to access some of the books at "home" on a high shelf. "Father" had been there to help her acquire the books. Father was not here now. That made Mycona feel something else she couldn't describe. Mycona resigned herself to awaiting the ceremony. Perhaps after the ceremony, she could find a friend.
As his eyes moved left to right, the knowledge attainted from the book was quickly digested. Though an interruption had occured, as he heard footsteps coming the young devil let out a sigh. Closing the book with his thumb and index finger he turned to the boy, upon first glance the man in front of him peaked Lucannus's interest. He carried a strange aura with him, one that was undiscernable by first glance. As the arm carrying the book sunk to his side he look down at the boy with a chilling gaze.
Lucannus looked the boy in his bigger set of eyes, though the Chimera seemed more interested in why he was reading such a book. The best choice was to answer his question blatantly and leave be. He was here to expand his knowledge, not entertain others.
"No I have not been to the deadlands" he said coldy, completely ignoring the boys first question. It was obvious that he read the book to gain more information. Lucannus was not sure if this guy was serious or trying to make friends, kid had one hell of a poker face. "Listen, if you came looking for friends then you are speaking to the wrong guy. If thats all you ask I advise that you leave me alone now, I don't want to cause a commotion on the first day." He said picking up his book and turning back to the page he left off on.
Jhin stopped making his almost complete web at the tone of his peer, his father said you should always look put for how people talk before you look at what they say. The true worth of a man's words are in his tone and his eyes. Jhin immediately asked him if that applied to women, which caused his father to chuckle and say yes, but the moral is the same. The boys tone is what caught Jhin's attention, it was different then most, event he train conductor did not have such an.....edge? His tone was sharp, mixed with his dismissive words, this caused Jhin to scratch his head with one of his free hands and then squint both pairs of eyes at the boy in front of him as if he was trying to see something that was not there. When that light bulb came on so did his expression, in a matter of seconds he would go from surprised back to indifferent and then begin finishing his web. The sight would be amusing to most, some would even think he had a mental disorder, but that was just how he thought about things like "reading between the lines."
Well have you planed a trip there? I just do not see the point in reading a book about a place you have never been if you are not planning on going." Jhin said with the same tone he used earlier, he was curious about his choice of reading especially since he was warned by both parents not to go anywhere near the Deadlands (first time they agreed on anything in front of him). Then something wormed its way into his thoughts, the boys second statements, about friends. Did Jhin want friends, sure they could be beneficial, and the kids back in his town had "friends" but he did not know where to begin trying to find a "friend." Wait....I do not know if I want a friend, what would you say entails a good friend? I do not think I have ever had one before so this would be a new venture for me, have you ever had a friend? And what makes you the wrong guy?" Jhin as he tapped his chin contemplating the "friend" subject. His mother always said friends stab you in the back, but if that is case then why was she not dead yet, or any of those kids?? She must have been wrong, but still he wondered if she was right why they stab you? Question after question began to poor into the boys mind until something triggered it all to go silent.
He looked down at his four hands and saw he completed his web. He looked at the boy in front of him and held up the web with some sort of awkward smirk in between his fingers. "This is an orb weave, easy to make but takes practice at first." He said then laid the golden pattern on his hand and gave it as a silent smile-less offering. He usually ate the web after making it, but when someone was near he would offer them to people trying to follow the whole "sharing is caring" teachings he received form his father, not that he cared, most did not accept it so he would just shrug and eat it anyways.
It was a place he had hidden away in his wildest dreams. Secluded away in that imaginary land of winning lottery tickets and teenage crushes. A daydream of escapism, but never to impinge on reality. After all, magical talent or no, he was nothing more than a countryside farmboy, and Mordhaben's was a place for great men and women to learn the ancient arts. Countless times he had explored it in his head, with grandiose halls of perfectly elegant gentlemen and ladies, all clad in the latest fashions. People with soft hands and commanding eyes, all of whom were at least two meters tall! And there were chimeras, too, no doubt. And monsters. Over the course of these many imaginary adventures he had never once imagined himself as one of these prestigious students.
When the letter of acceptance arrived, he'd laughed and cried with the whole family. They'd held a feast, and invited everyone in the village. He could still remember it quite clearly. The chicken had nearly put him into a food coma. This all happened over a two weeks ago, and yet it still didn't feel entirely real. Like at any moment he'd wake up and find out the entire thing was a dream, and ma was waiting on him to get back to work. But how could he deny the reality of this? He was in the train right now, on the way to that academy he'd never believed he'd see. All around him were those students he had held in such high esteem. And, the most unbelievable part of all, he was supposedly one of them. A first-year student at Mordhaben's Institute.
Nervously, Matt stared into an old book on animation magic. He'd read it cover to cover already, which was good considering his mind was in no state to absorb new information. Unable to actually comprehend the pages he merely stared intently at the writing, overcome with a sickly nervousness that wouldn't let go of his gut. Occasionally glancing at the other students over the worn edges of the book he was able to get some idea of the people he was expected to live and learn with. They looked quite differently from how he imagined them. Their clothes looked more practical than he'd imagined they would, but then again he had no idea what was and wasn't fashionable. Perhaps they were all clad in the latest trends, and they were all secretly judging him for his choice of attire. The cheap suit he'd inherited from his father hung loosely around his shoulders, clearly intended for someone with more bulk. It didn't help that he was squishing himself into the corner in a vain attempt to avoid the notice of the other students.
Wait, was that a spider person? He almost dropped his book in surprise as he stared at the strange amalgamation of human and arachnid traits. Of course he'd been aware that there would be chimera at Mordhaben's, but he'd never seen one before. In his head they had been strange creatures, but he'd never imagined anything like that! Was that spider silk? Were they making a web? Why would a person-spider need to make a web? Was he hoping to catch giant flies? Were giant flies a thing? Would he need giant webs to protect himself? Matt snapped back into reality as he realised he was staring rather rudely, and instantly fixed his gaze to his book once more as a blush made it's way to his cheeks. In his embarrassment he failed to notice that he was holding the book upside down, which was probably a good thing considering he was already wishing he could sink into the ground and disappear.
When they arrived Matt quickly made his way out of the train, breathing a sigh of relief at the escape from the confined space. That many sets of eyes just made him nervous. Looking around his eyes were immediately caught by the rain flowing around the path as if they were walking through a glass tunnel. Matt's eyes widened in surprise and he stopped dead in his tracks, wondering how they'd achieved something like that. In his village he'd been the only one with any real magical talent, so this was his first time seeing another's magic. It was exciting, but also daunting. Back home he'd been assured that his magical abilities were astonishing, but he'd never had anyone to really compare himself to. Was he about to find out that he was sorely out of his league? The further he walked the more he felt like this place was too good for him, and some part of him began to envy the students walking next to him, casually chatting with each other as if this was the most natural thing in the world.
Oh well, he'd just have to do his best. That's what his ma always said. If he did his best and failed, then at least he'd know he'd given it his all, and he could go home without regrets.
9:05 AM, August 6th, 1210PW. 34 Degrees Fahrenheit. Raining.Mordhaben's Institute for Aspiring Mages has recently been accepted as a military training ground, in accord with the Mordbauvin Territorial Acquisition Act in conjunction with the Airelosian Gulf Conflict Papers. Administrator Glen Bauhem, known for his dedication to his students and his nation, has been awarded the Czarine Star trophy for ending the conflict between the territories surrounding Mordhaben's Institute and the rest of the Unoctocan Empire. No longer shall nationalist terrorists use the Institute's presence as their call to action. - The Unoctoc View, January 22nd, 1205PW.
Enraged chirping, whistling, and clicking could be heard from beyond the main door of the Administrative Building. Human voices accompanied it, and soon enough, the door slammed open. Boorkat Malkin, the enormous red first-generation Lobster chimera serving as administrator, stomped out, chirping, whistling, and throwing extremely rude gestures backwards towards the hallway.
Just next to the hulking chimera and his translator walked a woman with fiery colored hair and red eyes. She wore a decidedly non standard yellow and black jacket over her military uniform and currently had a hand clamped over her own mouth and her other arm over her stomach. It was hard to tell if she was trying to stifle laughter, tears, or intense nausea. Anyone with prior knowledge of the Institute might recognize the woman as professor Rayna Denzel, a relatively recent addition to the staff, but one that had earned a reputation in the few years she had been teaching.
Behind the pair were two others, including Professor Katarina Volkova wearing her signature outdated Mage Corps uniform and the various decorations for tours completed, information gathering medals, and the like. The other was a rotund man in a blue administrative military uniform with the blazing red epaulettes and white-and-gold pickelhaube of the higher-up ranks of the Unoctocan Empire: Brigadier General Helmwulf, famed for his actions as a naval commander during the Airelosian Gulf Conflict. His face was slowly shifting towards an ever deeper purple, with a murderous scowl beneath his large waxed moustache.
"So why don't you take that Calvo-blasted letter and shove it down your blowhole, you whale. And yes, you may tell the Czar I said that. While you're at it, tell him I told him to go eat a brainshroom, too," Boorkat's granddaughter shouted in translation as she appeared from around the side of the open door. Boorkat's enraged clicks and whistles were even louder with the door open, and at those words, Rayna could no longer contain herself and burst into raucous laughter.
"Oh, you can be assured that I will tell the Czar, and he won't stand for this! I'll have you removed from your position for sedition, Malkin!", the General cried, somewhere on the very edge of losing his temper in the most spectacular way. His eye was twitching, and he was shooting his eyes towards the laughing Rayna, herself a military officer (though not under his command), and back towards Malkin. Boorkat's 'speech' (if one could even call it that) quieted down to a more serious and threatening tone, and his granddaughter followed suit. "I am the Czar here, lardwagon. So stay out of our way, keep your little mudhole training camps off of our lawn, stick to the hours agreed upon in the initial contract, and remember: if your people interfere in our operations beyond our old contract terms, they will be removed. By force if need be."
At this point, Brigadier General Helmwulf's face was twitching upwards into a raging snarl, and he was just about to fire off a retort when Boorkat slammed the administration building door shut in his face. Professor Volkova was less than interested in their quarrel: her service with the military was over after her retirement in 1207PW. But she did quickly throw a hand towards Rayna, who by this point was rolling on the floor laughing, and via magic cut the noise out. Boorkat Malkin turned away from the door and approached the podium at the top of the steps as though nobody had seen his argument with Helmwulf. Volkova stood back, and Rayna quickly joined the crowd in the courtyard.
He adjusted the microphone stand and twisted it towards his granddaughter, Katrice Malkin, who was serving as his translator. She was on the younger side - older than most of the students, but not quite old enough to be staff - and was wearing a black suit, which opened downwards into coattails that only barely covered her enormous crustacean tail. She was visibly far more humanoid than Boorkat, but still more crunchy and insectoid than most would find to be anything other than 'repulsive'. Boorkat began to make grand gestures towards the crowd as he 'spoke'.
"Welcome to Mordhaben's Institute for Aspiring Mages. I am Boorkat Malkin, the current Administrator, and I thank you for choosing to attend. For over a thousand years, we have taught students and scholars alike not merely book-learned information, but how to think and how to explore the world around them. This year will be no different, and I am personally quite proud of that fact. But, rather than tell you why what we do is important, we will instead show you. I ask that you remain silent during the presentation. Technician, if you would."
With that, the Malkins stepped away from the Podium and joined the other staff members at the bottom of the steps. Professor Volkova stayed atop the stairs, standing next to of one of the columns supporting the portico roof, where she could keep an eye on the crowd and silence any who tried to speak above a whisper. A large sheet of waterproofed canvas with a weight rod at the bottom slid out of the portico roof to form a screen. A pair of small wires ejected themselves from the floor on either side of the screen and anchored it, and any students paying attention might note that the hooded and bandaged staff member, Brovak, had simply twirled a finger. He seemed to be showing off the extreme basics of magic, even before classes were being started. Moments later, a light shone out of the front of the portico roof overhang, bounced off a mirror mounted to the back of the courtyard gate assembly, and displayed a flickering image on the screen.
Over the black square loudspeakers attached to the sides of the administrative building came a lively, friendly tune. Audio quality was as high as could be expected for a vinyl spool, but it was by no means bad. Peaceful still shots of human cities panned across the screen in sequence: one of a small house, with the family patriarch carrying a young child out to retrieve a newspaper - one of a restaurant filled with people, with the shot focused on a group of old friends laughing as they drank - one of a park full of people and chimeras walking their pet dogs and virehounds as children played with a frisbee in the background - amongst others. A narrator spoke with a perfect transatlantic accent over the music.
"Peaceful society is a sacred thing. People have, after thousands of years, almost mastered the art of living together happily and without conflict. Children can grow up with their parents and their siblings. Young people can go to school and get an education. Adults can get jobs doing the things they enjoy, and perhaps eventually find the person they love and start a new family of their own."
The film shifted to patriotic scenes of soldiers running through an obstacle course, their thin steel helmets loosely bouncing atop their heads as they ran. They pulled their rifles to their shoulders and threw themselves to the ground upon reaching a line of sandbags, and the camera zoomed in on one small, scraggly human man with a look of absolute determination on his face. He fired his rifle several times and the image cut to one of rounds punching holes in a thinly painted tin target plate.
"Over the millennia, it has been the job of young, strong people like yourselves to protect our communities so that others can continue living happily. These soldiers are necessary for the continued existence of all we hold dear. But they are not enough alone."
The music shifted to a more triumphant tune, recognizable immediately as a jazz variant of the Unoctocan National Anthem (Song of the Fatherland, or untranslated, Unoschtonbalat). Upon a hilltop stood five of the nation's most famed Mages, standing shoulder to shoulder and performing the Imperial Salute. First General Casvel Uoyvvo stood at the center, with Colonel Breckenridge to her right and Major Heartstrong to her left. Standing at the ends were the internationally renowned medical mage Art Jannefel, and a man known only by his face and his rifle, whom the public had named The Hero of Hasval. The Imperial Military Flag stood behind them, with a quadrant dedicated to each branch of the military: Navy, Air Force, Army, and Mage Corps.
Out of nowhere, a white fog clouded the camera and the five mages threw themselves to the ground. The music stopped suddenly and real audio was fed in. "What the fuck was that?!", Casvel shouted. Sounds of sporadic gunfire and Virefang snarls could be heard in the distance, and the camera moved upwards and towards the hilltop shakily. Small packs of Virefangs were being gunned down by soldiers in the streets of a small industrial town in a valley, where smokestacks poured thick black fumes southwards into the sky. "Nothing out of the ordinary, sirs. Just the-"
The cameraman stopped speaking mid-sentence, and a moment later, it was clear why. The white fog that'd passed by swept into the town, gradually thickening until nothing was visible. Gunfire was still rattling off the whole time, with small flashes of white and orange showing where each Monster hotspot was, but once the fog became a pure white, the sounds stopped. All of them. The fog grew darker and redder until it reached a pitch black. Then it happened. The wind started blowing harshly, clipping out the camera's built-in audio transcriber, and the black fog swept towards the center of the area to condense into a twenty meter wide featureless black sphere. The city was almost completely missing, and a handful of smokestacks that had once been attached to buildings fell out of the sky and crumbled upon the dry stone.
After several minutes of terrifying silence, the sphere started to move southwards, and shifted into an oblong shape. The cameraman followed its movement as it flew through the air, shifting into a progressively longer and more snakelike form as it went, and eventually it disappeared over the horizon. "I- It's... Gone. The whole fucking town's gone. How can it be gone!?", Major Heartstrong said, clearly shaken by the experience. "Turn off the camera, Private."
"Yes, sir."
And the screen went blank.
The projector cut off, and the screen returned to its resting point inside of the portico overhang. Boorkat and Katrice Malkin stepped back up to their podium and began speaking once more.
"What you just saw was originally meant to be a patriotic film encouraging citizens to join the military. During filming, the First General, Major Heartstrong, Colonel Breckenridge, Art Jannefel, and the lone sniper were to give aid to the Army in fighting off a small horde of Virefangs which, due to a miscalculation by ecologists, had happened upon the southern town of Vivat during a mass migration in search of food just a few years ago. That happened instead. There are many unknown things about the world, and while we now have named that gaseous abomination the Terraphage and have discovered exactly why it destroyed Vivat, there is no guarantee that there aren't any other major threats to our safety lurking just out of sight. Had we more knowledge beforehand, this would not have happened. And seeking knowledge is why we are here. I ask that you take your search for knowledge and, if you wish, power, seriously while you are with us."
Administrator Malkin's four eyes scanned the crowd's reactions and left them to think about it for a few moments before continuing his speech. "On a happier note, we should have breakfast ready now. Professor Katarina Volkova will escort you to the cafeteria."
As the boy kept talking, Lucannus's patience began to wear thin. You could see it as his eyebrows twitched and he pulled the book down as the boy asked question after question. Ignoring him was not working and only proved to feed his curiosity. As much as he wanted to hit this guy, he knew that doing so would just jeopardize the future. Not only that, it would attract a lot of unwanted attention towards the devil. He decided to swallow the pill and put up with this multi armed mans questions. In a sense he had the mind of a child in which he asked questions.
"No I do not plan on going there" Lucannus said with a straight face. Though secretly he would not mind journeying through the deadlands in the future. There was so much left undiscovered in that place, because of how dangerous only the fearless dare go there. He then raised a eyebrow as he said told him wait and proceeded with explaining he did not have any friends.
Wow I would have never thought Lucannus thought in his head. He was not exactly normal by any means. At least some Chimera had somewhat of a personality but this guy seemed to be regressed by a good 10 years. He then began to think about what the kid said and it hit him when he asked the devil what a good friend entails. His tail unwrapped around his waist and took the book out of his finger tips, the young devil then folded his arms and leaned against the pillar.
"That question I do not know, I've never had a friend before. Only family really" he said looking off to the side, his tone a litte less edgy. He had no siblings, his mother and father did not really share many laughs with the boy, and Murdoc maybe might have been the best example.
He felt some pity for the boy as he was truly clueless, "A good friend is someone who looks after your well being and will be there for you when you are at your best and worst." the sentimental moment was broken when he asked why he was the wrong guy.
"Because I am not a good friend, and I don't nor will I ever give a damn about your well being." he said with the same cold stare as he stood straight up and look the boy back in his primary set of eyes.
Lucannus leaned back on the pillar, picking the book back up from his tail and continuing on. He then displayed his web which made a lot of things make sense. The multiple set of arms and eyes, the odd coloring, and silk. This guy must have been some kind of spider, the boy then tried to offer him the silk. Lucannus just looked at him with squinted eyes.
"I don't want any type of byproduct that comes from your body alright"
Soon the ceremony began, thank the heavens because his patience was on the last strand. They were greeted by a large lobster man that shook his hands in gestures. Lucannus scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders, there was no questioning needed. A display then rolled down showing the students a video that was quite mysterious. It interested Lucannus who tried his best to ignore the spider chimera next to him. By the end of the video a whole town was completely gone, quite the disturbance and threat. After the video the students would be transported to the cafeteria for breakfast.
What stuck most with the devil from the ceremony was when the lady said
"I ask that you take your search for knowledge, and, if you wish, power, seriously while you are with us"
9:20 AM, August 6th, 1210PW. 36 Degrees Fahrenheit. Raining.BREAKING NEWS: Administrator Glen Bauhem has been found guilty of twenty-two counts of sexual battery, rape, and blackmail, following Mordhaben's Institute for Aspiring Mages administrative intern Boorkat Malkin coming forward with compiled evidence. All victims and witnesses were guaranteed protection by Mr. Malkin personally, as well as the protection of the Imperial Military Police, and testified under oath before the Czar in private prior to the trial. Glen Bauhem's attempts at pleading incompetence due to mental illness failed, as Boorkat Malkin provided more than adequate documentation regarding his stable mental state and adequate performance as Administrator. Czar Willamus the Fourth has stripped Glen Bauhem of the Czarine Star, and a military tribunal has sentenced Glen Bauhem to 170 years in the human male section of the Unoctocan Imperial Prison. The role of Institute Administrator remains empty pending the election now being held by the university's Staff Council. - The Unoctoc View, July 12th, 1207PW.
Once Malkin's speech concluded, Professor Katarina Volkova stepped to the podium to make her announcement. "The cafeteria is currently open and serving a later breakfast than usual on account of the opening ceremony. Fighting is prohibited indoors, and magic usage is to be limited to low-yield output for study purposes only, except for during sanctioned activities in classrooms or in otherwise unoccupied research laboratories. All new students should follow me to the cafeteria in an orderly manner."
The Professor turned and entered the administrative building, beckoning to the students assembled in the courtyard. This time, the Chimera and human students were more mixed, though there were still outlying cliques in each group banded together around the outskirts. Even the sight of a first-generation Chimera acting as administrator wouldn't be enough to break people out of their preexisting friends' circles.
Upon entering the Administrative building, the procession passed an information kiosk - currently empty - along with a series of windows on either side of the hallway with closed metal shutters over them. A posted sign listed the hours as '700-1500 M T W Th F, 1000-1300 S Su'. Volkova spoke up - though the official school tour hadn't started yet, she still took it upon herself to point out important resources on the way to the cafeteria.
"This is the Institute's front desk. We handle financial aid, paperwork, class scheduling, and advisory scheduling here for the most part, but the front desk also handles filing of complaints, requests for dormitory changes, class changes, and the like. The round kiosk here offers a list of temporary and part-time jobs available to students at the Institute, as well as general directions. If you ever get lost or find yourself in need of some extra money, speak to the kiosk attendant. The red window on the right handles Arena Challenges for dealing with personal conflicts in a more 'undignified' manner, as well as handling requests for private usage of the Magical Research Laboratories."
Further along, they came to a large, circular room, with smooth marble tiled floors and four hallways leading in each cardinal direction. The hallways were huge and, save for the one the group had just been in, were decorated with darkly lacquered wood, office windows, and off-white wallpaper, with electrical arc lights on the walls designed to look like older style gas lamps. The northern hallway was much shorter and featured an enormous pair of beautiful double-doors, with stained glass images of an old mage writing upon a scroll, and a young mage carefully examining a colorless flask atop a bunsen burner. Both figures were wearing stereotypical wizards' hats - old, grey, and crumpled things with their tall points flopping over from age. Along the northwest and southeast walls of the curved room were a pair of large spiral staircases leading downwards into a well-lit circular chamber with still more hallways, and the more artistically inclined students might have taken note of the dragons' head decorations carved into the ends of the darkened safety rails, which linked with the stairs' banisters.
"Down those staircases, you may find the records chambers. For your purposes, the Research Records Room may be used to find duplicate copies of the results of all verified studies and tests performed in our laboratories. Other rooms are off-limits to undergraduate students and non-staff, and require specially tuned keys to access. The Cafeteria is through the doors to the North and in the building across the street."
Volkova led the gaggle of students further down the hallway, where the doors with the stained glass mages opened on their own. A pair of bearded old men in dark grey hooded robes hurried in, clutching huge stacks of paperwork, one of which visibly had both coffee stains and dried blood on it. The two shuffled down the stairs to the records chambers. Outside, the crowd came to a second courtyard, similar to the one on the south side of the building, though this one opened up to a wide cobblestone street, across which many brick and stonework buildings were visible. Directly across the street was a particularly unimpressive building of red brick - short, squat, and devoid of any and all external decoration beyond the doors which were just barely large enough to permit the tallest attending Chimeras and Monsters to pass.
Volkova led the crowd through these doors, where a staircase and a wheelchair ramp led downwards into a central path splitting what resembled a large, circular food court, separated into four quadrants. The ceiling was high enough for large students to fit, though it wouldn't necessarily be comfortable for them, and human-sized students would feel right at home. The northwest quadrant featured foods from Flynenhael, the northeast quadrant featured foods common to the Unoctocan Empire, the southwest featured foods from Airelosia, and the southeast featured foods from other, more exotic places - including a small selection of dishes from Deadlands monster colonies, and some foods from overseas nations and island countries. Overall, the selection was quite impressive. In each quadrant were pathways along the edges in front of the kitchen stalls, along with several round cafeteria tables with fixed-position wooden stools.
"I'm sure you'll all find something to your liking here. Grab some trays and food, sit somewhere, socialize if you wish. Remember the rules regarding fighting and magic usage. We'll be heading on a tour of the rest of the campus in a half hour, followed by lunch at 1300, or 1:00 for those of you not used to the 24 hour clock, and finally dormitory assignments. I'll make an announcement when it's nearing time to head out, and when it's time for the tour. If you don't join me for the tour, don't blame me if you get lost every day for your first week and can't find your dorm."
Two of the four officials spoke to Mark after being more or less forced to recognize his, persistent presence. One of them had a small amount of laughs at his expense, but Mark and subtlety mixed together like fine wine and motor oil, so the behavior went ignored. After registering the different components inside of their brief sentences as "advice" and "praise", the dopamine receptors of his human-esque brain began to fire off at full speed, adding a third exploding zeppelin to the earlier analogy. The young boy's milk chocolate tail ambushed the rest of his stiff body via hyperspeed wagging, acting less like an extension of his human parts and more like an angry weasel trying to escape his pants. He turned to the enormous man first, exposing his flaw of not knowing what an indoor voice was. This was inevitable, and if you would've tried to fill him in on the concept he would have probably cocked his head and informed you that both of you were outside. After addressing his first superior he turned to his second and did the same.
"SIR YES SIR."
"THANK YOU SIR, MY TIME IN FACT WILL BE -VERY- PRODUCTIVE, AND I HOPE TO RECEIVE -MANY- REWARDS."
The idea of a woman in such a high position of power was an anomaly to the orphaned, propaganda-chugging Mark. His brain couldn't fetch a respectful feminine equivalent to 'sir', so sir was chosen. His tail continued to wag, his head simultaneously generating images of standard army awards and the absolutely lewd and shameless act of being patted on the head.
Mark had eaten in the same cafeteria his entire life, so the sight of such a familiar area calmed him as much as anything could, which is to say, not much. This effect was immediately discarded as soon as the room's contents sunk in. It seemingly had every food imaginable, along with whatever unimaginable horrors awaited in the southeast quadrant. He feverishly stacked a metal tray high with raw meat and fruit, alternating between the two while excitedly smelling everything in the room. Of course, he let nearby humans serve themselves first out of courtesy, but not without gulping down the pavlovian drooling caused by the trays surrounding him. At home Mark would regularly eat dog food in order to connect with his ancestors and enhance his core strength, but the absence of such a delicacy caused a small sag in his ears.
The cafeteria's activity levels were in full swing, and it seemed like most had already acquainted themselves with one person or another. Back at the orphanage, Mark knew everybody down to the color of their underwear, making the change of scenery disorienting. Of the many, many, many unnecessary things he had packed into his XXL army inspired backpack for children was an absolutely unsalvageable book on making friends. Mark considered studying the ways of friendship before telling himself that reading in the cafeteria was absolutely harmful to the school environment. Luckily, there was an empty grouping of seats in the southeast quadrant, most likely due to humans not wanting to associate themselves with chimera food.
Mark set forth on his journey of a thousand less than one mile and propped his body up like a pianist tied to a pole. He began wolfing down every giblet of raw meat and every chunk of fruit as if it were a matter of life and death. Any stray berry that tried to escape his bare hands was quickly met by Mark nearly slamming his head onto the table in an attempt to suck it up. Eating out of a bowl was an advanced soldier strategy in Mark's point of view, as it let you abandon appendages and tools in favor of direct and violent consumption. Attempting to do this with a tray predictably resulted in a very messy ending. The seats near him remained spotless and empty as he continued his soldier's duty.
As the students gathered around the from of the building; a massive crustacean walked out the doors, chirping away loudly, waving his claws at the door.. The actions seemed out of anger.. or just irritation? Magnhild couldn't really understand anything that was going on until a woman, whom she identified as a translator of sorts, started to speak on the Lobster's behalf. She chuckled inwardly as the hard-shelled chimera talked down on the military man, it filled her with some strange satisfaction. The Pangolin was a little slow on the uptake, not really noticing that the translator was also a Lobster after about a few minutes of staring at her. Not that it bothered her all that much. For the most part, the speech went in one ear and out the other.
Then something more interesting happened. A massive sheet rolled out and a light flicked. An image came onto the sheet.. A moving one. She looked at it in confusion and disbelief. She hadn't seen anything like this in her life and she wondered if she'd ever see it again. Suddenly sound accompanied the moving picture. What was this called again? 'Prop..Propaganda..?', Mag thought, scratching her head as she continued to watch the film. Again, she felt a slight pang of disgust at the sight of the soldiers. Subconsciously clenching her fists in irritation as the spoke of 'peaceful societies' and 'happy families'. She quietly sighed, shaking her head to dispel such thoughts. Kuzma, her foster father, would always tell her not to dwell on the past and that it was better to keep moving forward.
Suddenly everything made a turn for the worse. The next few minutes of footage left Mag in awe. The town was gone.. and the image disappeared from the screen. Magnhild's gaze went back to the Lobsters as they explained what actually happened in that film. She felt a sort of renewed resolve to learn what she could during her time here. It'll be difficult, but things that are worth doing aren't easy.
The chimera felt her ears perk up slightly when they mentioned breakfast. She remembered that she hadn't eaten much before boarding the train to the Institute.. And upon remembering that, her stomach growled. Magnhild quietly followed the others as the Professor gave them tour of the Institute. Although, like the speech, most of the information went in one ear and out the other. The language they used was a little difficult for her to understand since she wasn't the smartest of people. Nor did she have much of a formal education.. The building itself was impressive, she'd never seen any place built quite like this. For the most part, Mag's eyes wandered with a child-like awe.
The scent of food wafted into Magnhild's nostrils as they arrived at the cafeteria. The main event of today, in her opinion. They had half an hour to eat.. Plenty of time. She looked around as she picked up a tray. There was so many foods to choose from, but she noticed a corner where there were some familiar dishes.. Even though she was from a poor background, she could recognize Airelosian food when she saw it. She had seen many soldiers eating such foods in their barracks.. Which she snuck into more than a couple of times. Bad memories.
She decided to stay with what she was used to, promptly getting a hefty serving of broiled Kaputor and noodles. It was a lot tastier than what she used to have as a kid, but that was to be expected. She looked around for a place to sit, finding a seat at a table where a canine chimera sat. His enthusiasm for food rivaled hers it seemed, hilariously so. She almost started laughing when his head almost hit the table more than a couple of times. The pangolin decided to give him a little bit of space, sitting next to him with one chair between them, digging into her food. She felt tears forming in her eyes at how delicious it was, you could almost see the air around her start to sparkle in a comical fashion.
She stole a few glances at the other Chimera as she ate, wondering if he'd enjoy head pats like an actual dog.. Moments later, she started patting the Canine on the head, as one would with an actual pup.
Joseph rolled his eyes as the hackneyed speech began. The administrator just had to have his moment to harp about how proud he was of his school and their teaching. At least they moved on to something slightly more interesting quickly. Joseph had not seen much of these movie machines in his time back home, so it was something to see them play a piece for them. His eyes quickly glazed over when he realised it was just another way for them to puff up their image. Truthfully, even his jaded heart felt something as he saw the scene that played out, but he quickly reminded himself that it was just how things worked. Stuff breaks, people die, tragedies occur. His dad told him he would see his fair share of dark stuff if he became a soldier, and Joseph had steeled himself for that reality before coming here. What ground his gears more than anything was that they were using this recording to make a point about their institute. Whatever their reasons, it just seemed wrong to him.
After the lobster finished speaking, it turned out it was time to eat. Now this was something Joseph could get behind. Less focus on puffing up their lofty goals, more focus on getting a good meal so they could get down to brass tacks. Once in the cafeteria, Joseph picked out a robust yet simple meal of meats and vegetables. A good solider needed an equally good meal to be effective. He was sitting down to chow down when he caught sight of some dog thing practically slamming his face into a pile of food. It was absurd enough to take his mind of his own food for a while. As disgusting as it was, Joseph couldn't help but laugh at the whole scene. The best part was yet to come, because some girl started to pet the dog. Joseph couldn't even stop laughing at this point. If this was an indication of how these people would be acting every day, Joseph was not going to be the least bit bored here. He was going to be well fed, well trained, and well entertained.
