“Please do not…” said the Asian boy. Maddox turned her head back in his direction to look him directly in the eyes. “An-tag-o-nize me.” He continued. He spoke slowly, clearly not fully understanding the English language, but learning it. She had to give him some credit for trying to make conversation, although she did wonder what he meant with ‘antagonizing him’ since she hadn’t said a word to him except asking him about what. Maybe he thought that was a bad word? She mentally shrugged.

“What is bout?” Maddox nearly chuckled at this. She almost wanted to give him a wrong explanation, giving the word a completely different meaning, but the boy was faster. He guessed correctly that she meant ‘about’, oh well. There would be plenty of times she could mess with the boy. Just as Maddox gave him a small nod to conform his question, the door opened. Had they landed already? Maddox looked out of the windows of the aircraft and saw the ground, but they hadn’t landed yet. She turned back to the man who had walked in. He reminded her of American agents you see in movies. Black sunglasses, expensive suits and shoes, and an expression to intimidate anyone he made eye-contact with. He began speaking about Maniacles, pests and the lack thereof. No pests huh? Maddox thought. It made sense. She didn’t think pests could swim and the only way on and off the island was via the sea or the sky – or maybe underground but there were no tunnels she knew of -. At the same time she should be careful to assume pests couldn’t swim. Maybe they could. She didn’t know, but she should have.

And then… the man spoke of this so called ‘magic’. She kept looking directly into the eyes of the man, almost looking through them to prevent her from rolling her eyes or sighing. Harry Potter… Was he serious? She was still paying attention, but it was like listening to a fairy tale. What he said next did peak her interest. A school, a college. Maddox never went to college. Never even finished high-school. She dropped out to make some easy cash. She had never really regretted it, but she did like learning. Not learning maths or useless shit, but learning skills. Magic or fancy tech, she probably would learn something cool. It was Maniacles for God’s sake. They teach their students well, and if they are even bringing them to a remote island, then it must really be something special. Maddox didn’t show it, but her interest was peaked.

“Well, anything you experience can be explained with science.” There it was. Science. She believed in science. Believed in laser guns. Science was good, rational even. ’Magic\ couldn’t be explained – except maybe by science if she were to believe the man -. The man spoke further about dorms and an academy. Dorms… She didn’t really look forward to sharing a room with someone. She liked her privacy.

Suddenly she felt a queasy feeling. Kind of sickish feeling even. The helicopter was nearing the ground quickly, before landing with a soft thud. She unbuckled and stepped of the aircraft after the ones closer to the doors had stepped out. When everyone was out the man spoke further. Malfic City. So that’s where they were. She didn’t know it, but remembering the name could be useful. She briefly looked at the Asian boy. Would he understand all this? And if so, would he take the man’s – Richard’s – comment about the buildings seriously? Probably, seeing that he made quite a few notes back in the helicopter. Turning back to see the island, she wondered how large it was. The buildings blocked her sight from the horizon. She should have paid more attention whilst in the helicopter, but then again, she could recall it being foggy, so she probably wouldn’t have seen anything anyways.

The Asian boy spoke again, and Maddox question was answered when the man - Richard - spoke fluently back to him. It took her a little by surprise. He really didn't seem like the guy to know the language, but then again she only knew these types from film and TV, so that argument could be up for debate.

'Well here we go. On our way to Hogwarts. Did you remember your magic wand?' Maddox jerked her head to the direction the voice was coming from. Damn it... Stop it with the Hogwarts she thought. Nonchalantly she grabbed a dirt-riddled stick off the floor and pressed it firmly in his hand. "You can have mine. Your pink glittery wand requires an update." With that she redirected het gaze back at Richard and took mental notes about the important things (which was like 10% of the things he said).

Bara shuddered a little at the venom, playful or not, exchanged between the group. "Now, you're perfectly safe with me, Bubbles, I only target stuck up bitches." Well, the extent of the smile did give it away a little, making her feel a little less safe if she was honest. But she held on a moment. "When we get there, hide your worry. An organization like them will smell it on you. I have your back, don't be afraid." It had a surprisingly honest tone, yet it being said so soon after the other line didn't make Bara's reservation subside.

Still, it's important to be on good terms with those you might work with. Smiling, but not as wide, the girl nodded her head yes. "Okay!" Strangely enough, as Bara leaned back in her chair, she felt a little more at ease. Maybe not all of them would kick her to the curb. Maybe things would turn out okay in the end.

Rapidly losing that little buzz as the others continued to banter, she caught sight of a mature-seeming woman with large...(oh dear, Bara stopped looking), a man named Gabe taking up the offer for name exchanges, the name of Evan...an Asian boy who seemed upset and went on in what was probably his native tongue. Bara hoped she didn't bother anyone that badly and that he was just as nervous as her. Just as she was on the brink of losing her composure and diving back into conversation, a powerful looking man in sunglasses commanded her notice. Snapping to attention, she leaned back instantly and crossed her hands in her lap, purposefully trying to look engaged and not worried at all.

As she listened, some small amount of the current reality sunk into her skull. How could this...magic...exist and nobody knew of it? Her grandparents tried to keep Navajo tradition alive even as she spent more time on the farm in jeans and tank tops more her father's style. Perhaps she should have listened to them more, but no amount of their teachings conjured any images of actual magic. Whether related to the topic or not, she had a striking image in her mind of this native tribe going un-contacted, allowed to continue their ancient traditions to this day. Magic though, that'd be worthy of 1000 documentaries. She drifted back out of her head to listen.

Remembering how little she had been allowed to keep up the self-defense standards of the rest of the world, the prospect of no immediate Pests was a welcome thought. But she didn't know how she felt about learning it herself. Was it going to be like any other skill? Chucking hay? Binding wood? Probably not. Like everything else, she may be behind the others in preparedness.

As the man went on about free room and board, she actually found herself beaming at him like a child told she'd get candy for being good. Shaking herself out of it, but not out of her stomach pain, she almost hurled on everyone as the craft lowered, swallowing it just in time.

No, she did not know how she really felt at all.

***

"Here we are, Malfic City. Feel free to count the buildings, you will be quizzed on it later. You may all call me Richard, by the way."

Bara consciously slid closer to Richard, upright and formal, before taking in the beauty of her surroundings. Beautiful to her at least, having never seen a city so large. Let alone one with gleaming glass structures reflecting the blue of the ocean and dapple of the sunset as neon lights blinked on like fairies. This place itself seemed to be made of magic. She couldn't help but keep her mouth open in awe.

She tried to start counting the buildings as suggested. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6..." she mumbled to herself.

That meek accent from earlier. "どんな魔法？私たちの魔法は私たちの専門分野に特有のものでしょうか？寮は分かれていますか？私たちはルームメイトを持っていますか?" The boy was sure full of questions. She shot him an upset look for breaking her concentration, hand on her hip, not worried about the food and board as long as it was warm. Though it quickly became clear he was just excited too, even nervous about being ESL.

Bara felt sorry that she shot him a look, frowning at herself, but went back to counting buildings quietly. "1, 2, 3..."

"Anyways. Lets make our way to the school, and maybe see some interesting stuff on the way." Ugh! Interrupted again! Bara threw her hands in the air before realizing it was Richard who said that. That's got to be the 1000th blush in her cheeks today. She fell into line and hung her head a little.

"Well here we go. On our way to Hogwarts. Did you remember your magic wand?"

The girl didn't know how to answer that so kept quiet. The blonde woman came up to him and slapped a twig into his hand. "You can have mine. Your pink glittery wand requires an update."

Holding her stomach, Bara burst out laughing. "And then I'll take your pink one! Us mudbloods can't afford not to accept hand-me-downs." She honestly thought the comparison to a children's series was so far removed, but at least these guys were keeping the trip from feeling like that march into her prison cell. In an amazing place like this, she hoped she could forget about all those times.

@MikkishTheLeprechaun@Mariana Collie

"Uh...あなたの質問..." Richard responded to Naoko's Japanese. He looked in shock, forgetting he was speaking his tongue. "すぐに回答しました" This simple fact made Naoko quite excited. Perhaps others would know Japanese too. Perhaps there'd be someone also from Tokyo! He couldn't wait to meet more people, desperate for a little taste of home. Naoko was practically bouncing up and down in his place, happy about the possibility. Then another girl shot him a look after he spoke, and he shrunk towards the back of the group, looking down. He pulled out a second notebook from a backpack he had, and looked through, doodling random things, writing down words. Anything to keep him away from the others. He heard the others talking about some place called 'Hogwarts'. He ignored and started sketching some of the examples of magic Richard had spoken of earlier. He drew a man wielding fire, a mother healing her child's wounds, and much more. He started whispering to himself. "私は魔法を使うことができた..." He imagined himself healing the worst of wounds, freezing the hottest things. He couldn't wait to learn magic.

"Woah hey, nobody gets my pink wand!" Mikkish asserted "Pink wands are only for real men."

Richard lead the new students into an elevator, to take a closer look at the city they had arrived at. They arrived at the bottom and it turned out they were in the island's HQ for Maniacles. This was obviously new, if what Richard told them back on the aircraft was true. Mikkish wondered what the local population thought of Maniacles, and how much they appreciated their presence being that they weren't exactly needed here.

Evan on the other hand was too excited about what the city would be like to think of anything else. How would this city be different from one's back home? When would he first see someone perform this "magic?" He was skeptical, but what was to come?

Stepping out onto the streets, habit took over and both Mikkish and Evan immediately drew their pistols and scanned the area. The streets were clear, the sidewalks were clear. There weren't any Pests crawling on the sides of the buildings either. Both guys looked a tad paranoid, each totally forgetting that Richard told them there were no Pests. That was until Mikkish noticed people were glancing at them, some with concerned expressions, others worried, some mocking even. He slowly holstered his gun.

These people, they were mages, weren't they? These people could do magic? The people walking the sidewalks and driving the cars looked pretty average.

"Alright, no time to space out. The academy is waiting." Richard walked along past Mikkish and Evan and continued down the sidewalk. Evan followed, but Mikkish stopped when he noticed a young guy, maybe mid-20s, walking down the sidewalk toward a cross walk. In a split second, he became a blur and shot across the street to a pizza joint. It was so fast, almost like teleportation. Instant. Taking one more look around, Mikkish went on to follow Richard.

Some of the others were seemingly joking around with each other, Gabriel was just admiring the city. It was very nice looking, the official looking dude, who was named Richard, said they'd be quizzed on how many buildings there were. Gabe figured that had to be a joke because there was no way someone could be expected to count all the buildings.

He noticed Evan and one of the other boys pull out their guns, as if they were expecting Pests. If he was willing to believe in this magic they were going to learn then Gabe was willing to believe Richard when he said the island had no Pests. As they walked he wandered over to the Japanese guy and noticed he was drawing some pictures of what looked to be people using magic to do different things. "Nice drawings," he said to the guy, "I'm Gabriel, what's your name? You didn't say it on the helicopter." @Default

@duskshine749
Naoko looked up, closing his sketchbook. "Hm? Oh. My name is Naoko. Nice to meet you." He looked around. "This is strange." He had a sense of wonder. "In my home, I never..." He screwed up his face. He had learned most of his grammar before going to Maniacles. His lessons were never completed, and he forgot what to say sometimes. "I never can draw outside." He realized his mistake and corrected it hurriedly. "I never could draw outside. The Pests, as you call them? They swarmed around in the most beautiful of places. He looked at the radiant setting sun. A sense of longing ached at his soul. "I hope one day I can paint something like this in Japan. Without any Pests in it." In Tokyo, Pests traveled in packs. Most of the time, a group of students sticking together could fend them off, but every once in a while there would be a notice about a student murdered by Pests. There would be 30 minutes of grieving, then the school day would go back to normal. Even though they were rare, they were far too often for it to interfere with academics.

After crossing a few streets and taking several turns, Mikkish finally noticed a lack of sirens. Back home Maniacles had taken a large role in maintaining order, but there were still cops and ambulances. He had even been arrested a couple times (for misdemeanors, unless we count the murder) so he thought maybe that was why the lack of sirens effected him so much. How was the law carried out on this island?

Eventually, as a red glow on the clouds were the last light of the sun, the group came to a plot of land which resembled a palace. An iron gate encircled three old, but well maintained buildings. A sidewalk led through the gates and to a fountain with a statue of a man with several faces around the head. Something about the statue was...unnerving.

"This is it. Magus Academy." He said, stopped on the sidewalk far away enough to see the entire campus lit up by various street lights and the lights which, while nothing truly special, made it appear mystical.

"So here's where we go from here. This first building is where the front desk and most of your classes will be. The building to the left of it is the dorm building. I have your room numbers." Richard pulled a few slips of paper out of his pocket and dispensed them with the student name and room number "Just remember, all the men in this group are in room 312, and all the women are in 212. They are actually quite spacious for dorm rooms. But the front desk is closed, so you won't get keys until tomorrow. This is where I leave you for tonight. You will be given schedules tomorrow starting the next day at the front desk also, but you are to report there at 9am. I have to get going, so good night to you all." He said, and with that he was off.

Evan began heading towards the dorms right away, followed by Mikkish, who stopped once he reached the fountain and paused looking over the campus, imagining what it would be like. This was his punishment for killing a guy? I mean, the guy was a creep and was about to do the same thing to him, but Mikkish wasn't expecting this at all.

‘And then I’ll take your pink one!” spoke the tiny girl. Maddox shot her a look and before she could respond Mikkish spoke again, saying that nobody would get his pink wand. ‘That explains why you don’t have a girlfriend.’ She casually said. She really didn’t feel like humouring the pair while she was semi-listening to what Richard was saying. Unlike Bara, who did count the buildings at his request, Maddox liked to keep her mouth shut and sit through it all until she got some real answers.

Stepping into the elevator she felt the queasy feeling when the elevator went down. The faint change in altitude messing with her stomach and sense of balance until the elevator came to a halt. When the doors opened, Maddox refrained from stepping out for a moment, nearly gasping at the sight before her. They were here. Maniacles headquarters. She never really wondered where they were located. Maniacles always seemed like a huge company with lots of buildings and many Headquarters, but seeing the actual headquarters left her just standing there and staring in front of her. Quickly she cleared her throat and recovered herself, looking slightly out of place. Maddox followed the rest of the gang out onto the street, where Mikkish and Evan already had their guns out. Maddox didn’t fully take Richard’s word on the no-pest-situation, but she wasn’t this paranoid, although she did put one hand on her holster where her gun was located. Sadly it wasn’t anything fancy – those were illegal after all and she couldn’t board the helicopter unless she got rid of her laser-weapons -, but she had a gun nonetheless. It was something... Something small, but something.

“What?” asked a slightly-annoyed Maddox when Mikkish abruptly stopped in front of her, almost making her crash into him. “Wait. What did you see?” she continued when she noticed his expression before briefly analysing the situation. He couldn’t have seen one of the pests, he would have pulled out his gun. Would’ve probably pulled his gun out if he saw anything of danger. Of course she didn’t know him but given his actions it wasn’t too big of a leap to think that. No, this had to be something different, and she really wanted to know what it was. More than she’d like to admit. She quickly looked at the street which was nearly empty except for a few persons walking there. She looked back at the group which was almost 50 feet ahead and Maddox quickly caught up to them. Her little chit-chat with Mikkish would have to wait until later. For now she just focussed on looking around her and focussing on the street.

It was quiet out in the streets. On a normal day one would hear all sorts of things. Screams, mostly. Also gunfire. Here it was quiet, eerily quiet. It made her feel slightly unnerving. She had gotten used to the sounds of the city. It even comforted her in a weird twisted way. When they finally arrived at their destination, it was already getting dark and Maddox felt relieved when they got where they needed to be. At least she’d be out of the quiet streets.
‘This is it. Magus Academy.’ Richard sounded like a news broadcaster or a tour-guide. ‘’And here we are ladies and gentleman, Magus Academy! On your left you will see the old tree of wisdom, and on your right you will see the ancient fountains of youth!” Maddox slightly chuckled at her own thoughts. Mainly because it really wouldn’t surprise her if Richard said that, especially with all this magic-talk the last few hours. What did surprise her was the fact that all the girls would share one room. It was big apparently, but it didn’t make her feel any better. It really didn’t make her feel any better when Richard said no one would get keys until tomorrow.
‘What bullshit is this?!’ she angrily whispered to Mikkish who was standing next to the fountain. ‘No keys until tomorrow? They knew we were coming, seems like a pretty bad scheduling system if they don’t account for expected guests…’

West stumbled out of the helicopter after everyone else, that last sicking decent forcing her entire stomach so far up her throat she could feel it tickling her uvula. She leaned against the soothing wind chilled exterior of the helicopter and took deep breaths as she listened to the others talk. A pox on flying and death to all helicopters. "On our way to Hogwarts," she heard them say. If it was than they would never get her on a broom, that was for damn sure. She'd travel by floo powder, thank you very much.

Finally feeling the sickness beginning to subside she walked out to the edge of the building and looked down to take in the sights. It was...disappointing, to be honest. An impressive looking town, sure, but far from the romantic towers and fantastic super-architecture of her dreams. She had expected floating castles, great shining statues the size of buildings, beautiful fountains of wine. Hell, she'd settle for a moving billboard. This, though, just looked like any ordinary town. When Richard had said anything could be explained by science on the way here she had inwardly scoffed, but now she wasn't so sure.

As they walked the streets another worry of note hit her. There were really no pests here. When they'd stepped out the door she'd reached into her coat pocket and gripped her derringer out of habit, but when the two boys in front had prepared their weapons like you were supposed to when exiting a building the people around them (and they were just normal people they didn't even look the part where were their hats?) had stared like they were the odds ones. They were learning magic so they could kill pests, right? What would they practice on? Would they bring them here, or would they take trips to the mainland to do it? Even if they didn't practice on live pests they'd have time off, right? Time when they could go to the mainland and clean up? Was that possible? She thought about bringing it up to Richard, but then looked around at everyone else. It was embarrassing enough trying to talk about her needs to one person, let alone a whole group. No, no, best to wait and see, and if she felt the troubles coming on then-

She stopped, her thoughts shunted rudely out of her head out of her head by the sight of a young guy zipping across the road like greased lightning. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. Had anyone else seen that? That one guy, the one that had called her big, looked like he had. Had it really just been her and him that had witnessed a miracle? It must have been a miracle, because there was no science in the world that could do that to the human body so casually, so without harm. That was magic. Real magic. Maybe not flashy, maybe not stylish, but in a way how casually he'd used it had made it more extraordinary. Like it was nothing. The ability to subvert reality used on a whim. To get pizza! She felt a grin spread far across her face and let out a short, low chuckle. Any doubt that had crept into her mind had vanished with the sight.

When they got to the school itself she only got more exited. Maybe it wasn't a hundred feet tall, made of white marble, and inlaid with precious gems, but there was the stature she wanted. It even came with a fountain. Richard explained how all the women would be living in one room and she wasn't sure how the others would feel about her tendency to bring her work home with her, but there were no pests on the island anyway so that would be a problem. At least, it shouldn't be. Another bridge she'd have to cross when she came to it. The news that they wouldn't be getting their keys until tomorrow was also some cause for concern, but not as much. She casually walked over the the fountain as Richard left and sat down on the edge to wait it out. She overheard Maddox's whisper to Mikkish nearby, and shrugged. "Maybe it's a test. 'Wait at the masters door for three days to prove your dedication,' that sort of thing. Or they're hazing the muggles." She leaned backwards, cracking her back to work out the last few kinks from the ride over in anticipation of a long wait, and caught sight of the multiple faces of the stature behind her. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she dug around in her pocket till she found a quarter. "or maybe...?"

She flipped the coin through the air behind her. It spun through the air, landing with a pleasant "plunk" as it sank into the water. She closed her eyes and clapped her hands in front of her, as if in prayer, and solemnly intoned, "I wish we could get into our rooms tonight."

Mikkish spotted another thing he didn't expect. There were students still chilling outside. Some strolling, some sitting and chatting, some were throwing a ball despite it being dark.

A couple walked around the curve of the fountain. The guy appeared to be lighting a cigarette, but Mikkish wasn't paying attention too much. He was looking more at the girl. Just his type. Thick and blonde.

"Do you want to go ask them?" Mikkish heard the girl ask the guy, before he approached.

"Hey, you guys are with the Maniacles program, right?" He asked.

"Yeah." Mikkish replied

"Want a light?" The guy asked with a mischievous grin, before sticking up his thumb and unleashing a steady flame, much like a lighter, but from his thumb.

Mikkish paused a moment, wondering if it was just a lighter trick.

"Not too impressed?" The guy asked, disappointed "Well I'd light something else on fire but I'd get in trouble."

@Gentlemanvaultboy@Camey@Default@duskshine749@Mariana Collie

Following the brief interaction, the guy and his girl walked away and Mikkish started making his way to the dorms.

"I dunno. If they take my shit for some hazing ritual I'm gonna beat someone's ass." Mikkish hadn't considered how they would keep their stuff safe until Maddox remarked about the key situation. He wondered how early the schedule was going to wake them up. Mikkish was NOT a morning person, especially having lived with roommates the past year and a half.

From the outside, the dorm looked like a fancy hotel patroned by degenerates. Some college aged people were smoking outside. One window was open and had a number of empty beer bottles sitting in the window. One window on the third floor was open so everyone could hear a girl screaming at someone over the phone. It didn't make Mikkish wonder what kind of beer they had here, or who could be running cell phone towers out here. No, it reminded him of the apartment complex he came from.

When he got to the dorm room...Richard lied! Or maybe not. Maybe the average dorm room was smaller than this, but that wasn't saying much. The two bunk beds took up the majority of space in the room, leaving a narrow slit of space between them. They were pushed against the wall with a window, leaving enough room for a desk/dresser squeezed in next to the door. One. For four people.

Evan was already there, sitting on the bed, reading a book. His bag shoved under the bed, and Mikkish decided to shove his under the other.

"Bigger dorms my ass" He mumbled. But the girls had it worse. Their room was directly beneath this one!

“Maybe it’s a test.” Spoke a woman next to Maddox. She turned and looked at the woman. “Well then we’ll all be dead by then due to dehydration.” Maddox gave the woman a fake smile after her sarcastic comment. Really. Could you stop with the Hogwarts talk please? We’re in the real world, not Narnia or something. She thought. She wanted to say it out loud, but decided it was best not to, remembering the Asian boy who told her to stop ‘an-ta-go-ni-zing’ him, mimicking his pronunciation in her head.

‘Or maybe…?’ The woman said after she grabbed a quarter out of her pocket. ‘Hmm?’ Maddox looked at the quarter curiously, wondering what the woman was going to do with it. When she prayed to the skies after she threw in the coin Maddox couldn’t help but let out a sigh. “And what do the magic wizards in the sky say? Shouldn’t they be in some train station or something?” She mentally kicked herself for using the exact Hogwarts talk she despised, but that was beside the point. Jokes wouldn’t help the situation. All she wanted to do was have a private dorm, lay on her bed, and get some rest. The private dorm situation was sadly never going to happen, but she was owed at least a few hours of rest.

“Where has Mikkish gone to?” She asked the woman when she noticed he just up and left them. “That’s rude…” she mumbeled. She’d to the exact thing many times in conversations, but Mikkish didn’t seem the type. “Oh well.” She said. “I’m gonna check out the rooms.” She briefly stopped after she already started to make her way to the dorms and turned around. “Eh. Tag along if you’d like.”

Once there she really wanted to punch someone. This was even smaller than her apartment. This was a Motel, a crappy one at that. She didn’t expect a room of 10 square meters per person, but this was more the size of a bathroom. “I must admit, I expected more from Maniacles. From a huge mansion one would expect private rooms. Instead they give us a tiny room for four people. FOUR!” To emphasise her point Maddox stood in the middle of the room and stretched out her arms until her fingertips could reach both bunkbeds. This was the size of a damn prison cell!

“By the way, dibs on bottom bunk.” She attended camp enough times to know how quickly you had to say that. If you didn’t, you’d be stuck on the top bunk for the rest of the week. In this case longer than a week. How long did they have to stay here? She took the job willingly, but if the quality of the rooms was any indication for the program, her hopes and expectations might just be way too high.

Marlyn was enthralled by the scenery. Though it was too quiet for her taste, that is until they reached the dorms. She was reminded of one of those seedy motels where cheaters sneak off to have sex and drug addicts lay low. Except this place looked high-class.

She wasn't going to lie, she was expecting large, archaic-looking bedrooms with majestic headboards and posts when they arrived. Instead they were cramped in literally like sardines.

Did she really choose prison after all?

She claimed one of the top bunks. Ever since she was little, she had a more than likely irrational fear of the top bunk crashing down onto her. Plus, this way she had a better view of her surroundings and the door.

"Well maybe with this magic we'll be able to get rid of Pests once and for all," Gabe said to him, "and I have to say your english is really good. I can't speak any other languages, I know a few words in a couple but nothing fluent." Gabriel had always meant to learn portugese so he could speak with his grandmother better but he'd just never gotten around to it.

Sticking with the group, it seemed they had found their way to their rooms, and boy were they a letdown. "I'll grab a top bunk I guess," Gabe said, picking the bed where Evan had claimed the bottom bunk. He climbed up the ladder, which did not feel very sturdy, and lied himself down. It's wasn't as long as he would have liked but he supposed he could have to make due. "Well this is....cozy." Gabe was trying to be an optimist, he was just hoping these magic lessons would be worth it, because this room was just awful.

Bara had never been at once so elated and unsure of herself. As they made their way to the dorms everything blurred together, a tingle down her spine and a hop in her step. Anything that happened passed over her zoned-out notice. She wanted to be upright and pay attention and be the best example she could be of someone willing to work hard, but the more she walked the more the notion that this is real life, I'm not at home, I'm not anywhere near home, and I'm not sure what's really going to happen to me began draining the color from her face. Like a child who was really, really excited to ride the fun-looking rollercoaster, swearing they'd be fine, only to come off traumatized, crying, and swear to never ride another again.

Miko looked up at her and whined occasionally, she never did lose the grip on her leash, but neither did she pay the dog any notice.

There were no pests, she had always been thankful of that idea, but she thought it unusual she felt more afraid of the setting she found herself in than when she'd go outside to work alone...unarmed even. Perhaps it was that Pests were familiar to most in the world, and everything about this was unfamiliar to someone not only unexposed to battle, but also unexposed to the level of population, the liveliness, and yes...the concept of magic.

She almost bumped right into Richard when they reached the campus and only half-heartedly looked around after taking her number. Her dorm would be with the other girls, which, while fine in any other circumstance wasn't where she wanted to be crowded at this moment. As she watched Evangeline seem to say a prayer to the fountain, she wondered exactly how poor of an impression ditching roommates for a while would make. Richard did not mention any requirement to stay put, only that they'd get their keys in the morning.

Eyes watering a little, she shakily slid down the handle of her suitcase and used its alternate straps over her shoulder like a backpack. She considered heading to the front desk of the school itself and asking for information, rules to follow, even a tour. Though as much as she'd like to get a jump start on her duties, it was possible they weren't there, and it was also possible Maniacles wouldn't appreciate her being that much of a kiss-ass without their supervision. But she had to do something soon. Her bones were itching. She stomped her feet a little and wiped her eyes.

Others separated from the pack after Richard left, a bee-line for those dorms. It didn't matter what she got as long as it was warm. The other girls might even appreciate her letting them have first run of the place, neither there to fight over beds nor to annoy them with her voice. What to do? Watching their backs for a minute to make sure nobody was staring her way before spinning around, she went in the other direction, back towards the city. The time she had to be ready was 9am, it was only dusk, and the mystical-seeming lights and well-groomed grounds were ready to throw her headfirst into another mental reality. Besides, she had a little experience in long distance walking and memorizing landmarks. Probably, she could find her way back after letting the load of her emotions off.

Leading Miko along a little past the gate, by some benches lining the wall, the tears finally started falling. She tried to keep composure and keep walking, but holding her mumbling mouth, stepping with wobbly legs, it was still a ridiculous sight. At least she felt safely out of view. Miko stopped, jumped up on her legs, moaned.

"Oof! I'm sorry baby." Bara babbled, leaning down to hug the giant whining dog. "Hey, maybe you'd like to go for a little walk, huh? Maybe there's even a store with dog food." she said with a smile. Stuffing the collar of her jacket in her mouth, breathing deeply to calm down, she considered how to make it to the beach. That would be a beautiful place to chill at night. One she had never seen at any time of the day.

Would she be in trouble if she came back late? Would the gate be closed? Would her roommates be happy or pissed? She was unsure and figured she'd worry about that when the time came. Thinking back to when she was counting the buildings, relief was in order. She could tell which direction the closest seashore was based on the first building they left. First though, dog food. Some buildings seemed to be closed, dark windows, nothing in parking lots. So the best way to go was likely towards the street with the most traffic.

The tears returned, walking alone on the sidewalk, she allowed herself to start crying.

Naoko sighed as he followed the rest of the boys into the room. It was small and cramped. But it would have to do. He ultimately decided there wouldn't be much to do here, so he promptly stuck his duffel into a corner of the room and left. As he stepped outside, he smiled. It felt good to be alone in his thoughts. They give us the worst rooms imaginable. They don't give us keys. What exactly did I sign myself up for? He pulled an American $20 bill from a jumbled up wad in his pocket and scanned the campus for any good restaurants or cafeterias. It was half hearted, and if there was one, he didn't see it. Naoko looked around once more. He didn't see anyone who might prohibit him from finding something in the city. He jogged at a fast pace out of the gates. Luckily, there was a pizza joint not too far from the academy. He walked in, scanning the menu. Naoko had tried pizza. It was alright, but he never went again. Maybe it was better here? Let's hope so... He stepped up to the counter after a bit of waiting in line. "I'll have one cheese pizza." He said. He had practiced it while he waited. Another mess up like the one with Gabriel would've embarrassed him beyond belief. He payed for it (it took another $10 bill) and sat down in the restaurant, sketching as he ate a slice.

@Camey

"They don't normally say anything." West replied skeptically. Had that girl seriously never made a wish before? Wishing well, shooting star, magic fountain, they never replied. You just either got what you'd wished for or you didn't. It was the most basic of magic everyone was taught as children. She was about to explain the very basic mechanics of making a wish when she saw someone breaking away from the pack. One of the nice ones. What was her name? She'd said it in the helicopter. Inbari? Inbana? She'd been so sick she hadn't heard right. She was wandering out the gate, no one to keep her company but her big loyal dog. West frowned. "Nah, I'm going to take a walk. Enjoy the night air without any pests to bother me." she said, standing up and heading after them. "Tell me if my wish came true." She called behind her as she left.

@Mariana Collie

There was an assumption that regular people had to make in order to get through life. That assumption was that everything was going to turn out just fine. Unless you had evidence to the contrary things were going to be okay. West understood that that was bunk. You were in danger constantly, literally everything a human being did could turn lethal. It didn't matter how. A single careless moment, a forgotten mistake coming home to roost, just random chance. West lived her life under the assumption that the worst possible thing that could happen was about to happen.

There were a million things that could happen to a lobe girl in a strange city at night when you weren't taking magic into account. She had the dog, sure, but if anything that made it worse here. A girl and her dog wandering out into the mysterious world was the start of a fairy tale. Those could end well for the intrepid girl, but they could also end very badly depending on what version you read.

West caught up fairly quickly, catching sight of...something that began with N B? Nbarra? That was it! The poor girl looked like she was in a dismal state. This gave West pause. She wasn't really all that good at dealing with things like that. She considered just staying at a distance, silently following her to make sure nothing happened, but that could give people the wrong impression. It had before. Multiple times. Misunderstandings like that could ruin someones reputation.

"Hey." West called out. She walked quickly to catch up, sliding in beside her, and getting a good look at her tear stained face. "Uh..." she went, mentally freezing up. She had never really figured out how to put 'I was afraid you might get murdered' into words without coming off like a freak. Stalling, she reached into her front jacket pocket offered her a handkerchief. "Here," she said, falteringly, but then pressed through it. "You shouldn't be out here on your own. There could be...," Murderers? Slavers? Thieves? Goblins? "...stuff. Bad stuff. Would you mind if I walked with you?"

After a brief look around, Mikkish concluded.

"Well fuck this, I'm going to go look at the city." He said, thinking that Japanese kid had the right idea. Double checking to make sure his gun was loaded, he holstered it and moved on. Maybe there were no Pests, but the events bringing him to this island made him not so trusting of other people. Evan, of course, hardly noticed. He was perfectly content reading his book. [i]Dark Tower[i], a hard book to put down.

Meanwhile, on a city sidewalk...
@Gentlemanvaultboy@Mariana Collie

"Eh Will." The tall, lanky British dude said, snapping his finger at his mate who had spaced out.

"It's William." William corrected.

"Right, ok. Ready to do it again?" His friend asked, referring to something they had been doing all weekend. Until recently, they just dealt drugs to whoever would buy, but it seemed straight up robbery was more lucrative.

He glanced at a couple women and a dog headed their way. William noticed one girl was crying. The two approached.

"Hey, are you alright? Cute dog." He said "I have something that might cheer you up." He dispensed a pipe for smoking weed "Wanna smoke with us?"

@Default

About 5 minutes after Naoko was served his pizza, Mikkish walked in. He hadn't eaten anything that day and he was starving. He scanned the menu to see if they offered calzones.

"I'll have that meat lovers calzone. Oh, and what kind of drinks do yall have?" Mikkish said, eyeing a glowing blue drink in a cooler "Whats that blue thing?"

The bored looking cashier paused "Thats an energy drink." he said, as if everybody knew what the blue drink was.

The cashier had to check his ID, because this drink was illegal to sell to anyone under 16 on the island, but Mikkish walked away with his calzone and the drink. The name of the drink? Mage Masher

Mikkish approached where Naoko was sitting.

"Hey man. Decided to get dinner, huh? Can't believe they didn't serve food on the ride here." He said, looking at the pizza "Looks like fucking frozen pizza I could get at the dollar store." He took a sip of the energy drink.

With a small ‘thud’, Maddox’ suitcase landed on the ground. She would unpack all her stuff later, mainly because she thought these were just temporary rooms. Maddox recalled the words the woman spoke when they were near the fountain. “Tell me if my wish came true.” Maddox didn’t really reply after that, but she faintly heard it. Yeah… I will… She said in her mind. Briefly she wondered if the woman knew she was being sarcastic, but the fleeting thought went away as fast as it came.

When she turned around she noticed no one was there and she’d just spoken to herself. As if she were on auto-pilot, she raised an eyebrow, more to herself than anything seeing as there was no one else around. Sighing, she unbuckled her belt with her holster and sat on the bed which squeaked and creaked loudly when she sat on it. Seriously! Even the beds are bullshit! She threw her hands up in dismay. She was beginning to regret ever coming here.

After a few minutes sitting on the bed, she got bored staring at the walls. Everyone was off doing their own thing. Exploring the city or whatever they were doing. Then a thought occurred. They weren’t getting their keys until tomorrow, so how were these rooms unlocked? Richard wasn’t very descriptive with his ‘tour’ of everything. He didn’t even test hem. Granted, that was most likely sarcasm, but it was worth mentioning, or thinking about it.

Bored with her own fleeting thoughts, Maddox stood up and looked out of the window. The streets were quiet, even though they fell under the description of being crowded. No sirens, no pests, no gunfire. Just people quietly talking and being off in their own worlds. She scanned the streets looking for interesting places. If she was going to wait until tomorrow for some answers – and a key -, she might as well pass the time with something more interesting than a blank wall. Spotting some restaurants and bistro’s, she realised she hadn’t eaten anything these past hours. She only drank a small bottle of water before getting on the chopper. She decided to grab something to eat so she strapped her belt on, put her gun in her holster and made her way downstairs to go outside.

Once outside, she followed the road and looked for a place to eat. Nothing too fancy – she didn’t have large amounts of cash on her -. Just as she was about to turn a corner, she spotted a familiar face sitting and talking with another guy. Getting closer, she realised there were not one, but two familiar faces sitting there. The Asian boy and the blonde. The blonde who ditched her attempt at conversation to run off and talk to strangers. She glared a little at him, but kept walking towards the two. Without invitation, she grabbed an empty chair and sat down next to the pair.

“Hi.” She started. She grabbed the menu which was still on the table and sat back in her chair to read what kind of foods they were serving. For a small place, it was a surprisingly large menu. There wasn’t anything on the menu to get excited about, but it was okay. Besides, she didn’t want to stand up to find a better place. “So, you two.” She gestured to the two while holding the menu in her other hand. “Haven’t eaten anything either today huh?” She had walked in maybe ten, fifteen minutes after Mikkish, or so she assumed seeing his platter. “Before now.” She muttered.

‘Your order, Miss?’ Maddox looked up from her menu to see a small waitress with blonde-brownish hair looking at her impatiently. “Shouldn’t I be at the counter to order?” Maddox voice sounded a bit irritated, which the waitress apparently ignored along with her question. “Quiche. Please.” She said, not really looking at the woman who wrote down the order and walked away a little stiffly. “Someone release a pest on her…” She said.