Having arrived and checked in late, XiaoBao was a bit a of mess. He sighed and stepped through the common room doors just as the commotion started to settle down. He surveyed the room a bit, seeing the small clusters of students and the odd few adults sprinkled in. Snow, his pure white barn owl, was perched on his left shoulder and he too surveyed the room, noting all the magical creatures around. Spotting the food, he quickly decided which 'cluster' he was going to join and shuffled over to get some food first.

After gathering a plate of common breakfast items, he shifted and dodged his way to the table he spotted. A few fellow students are already seated and having a conversation. He set his plate down lightly and asked "Can I join you guys? and what exactly just happened... I got here late and heard an awful lot of commotion..."

@EchoicChamber (Towards Esp) @VitoftheVoid (Towards Helena)

((I think thats it at Esp and Helena's cluster...?))

Don’t let ‘em look down their noses at you, Layne. Don’t let ‘em push you around, Layne. Don’t fuckin’ punch anybody, Layne.

He ran through the mental checklist one more time. You’d think that after all he’d been through, this would have been easy as whistling. He’d faced down gangs of boys twice his size. He’d leapt from cliffs down into nothing but soft earth. Hell, he’d had to deal with his Dad for seventeen years. If you had said to him even a week ago that he’d be scared out of his wits in this moment, he would have cracked your jaw.

No, ridiculous as it seemed, Layne stood on the step of his new school and could not muster the courage to go in.

This is stupid. He thought. They’re just a bunch of high born tits. What am I so worked up for?

This time was meant to be different, that was the problem. Layne had gotten accustomed to dealing with his problems by smacking them into the ground like tent poles. This was supposed to represent a turning point in his life. Could he face himself if he were ejected from Marchand for the same dumb bullshit that had ruined so many opportunities before? Could he handle being the last nail in the coffin of shame his family name was buried in? He wasn’t sure he could.

A thought struck him. Maybe that’s what he was missing? He riffled through his bag for a moment and fished out an old armband. It was emblazoned with a stylized fist, superimposed over a mountain that had been cracked in half down the middle: The Towerfall family seal. He tied this to his upper arm. If these snots wanted to talk, might as well give ‘em something to talk about. He took a deep breath, steeled himself, and walked through the doors.

He made his way slowly to the common room, as was expected of new students. Fightin’ in here. He thought the moment he stepped inside. It was over, whatever had happened, but he could taste the familiar tension in the air like electricity before a big storm. That at least was familiar territory for him. The room was already packed with other young mages. All he had to do was walk up to a knot of them, say hello, and that would be that, right?

He grimaced. Nope. Got to start small, like easing into a bath that was almost too hot. He surveyed the room with a glower, not for any particular reason, but because that was simply his resting expression. His eyes fell on a young man who had apparently arrived not a few minutes before himself. He’d never really had a friend before, so he had no idea what to look for in a potential one.

“Hey!” He said, then realized it had come out as a harsh bark instead of the warm greeting he had hoped for. He cleared his throat and managed a more neutral tone. “Uh, hey. So….”

He paused awkwardly. He couldn’t remember the last time he had tried to be friendly, so the intricacies of polite conversation were a bit beyond him.

“This your first day too?” He finished. There was common ground, at least. “I’m Layne.”

As an afterthought, he stuck out his hand for the young man to shake. He reminded himself firmly not to try and crush the poor guy’s hand.

The neat, decisive click of heels against tile was hardly something to bat an eye at, nor was the appearance of another figure in the common room’s doorway, glancing over the students with a sunshine smile. When compared to the entrance of Professor Schippers, Lovette’s arrival was fairly...mundane as he strode in, smiling warmly at both Raymond and Toby upon spotting them in the room (although his smile at the latter was much more discreet. He wouldn’t want to embarass him on the first day, after all!).

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

“Good morning, everyone!” He practically skipped to the front of the room, trilling the words. “It’s wonderful to meet you all- my name is Professor Lovette, and, regardless of what powers you happen to have, you will be having me at least twice per week for History.” He beamed, scanning the faces of his audience for their reaction. “I’m looking forward to seeing you all in class when the time comes. With that said, though, orientation will be starting very soon, so please take a seat if you haven’t already.”

Mentally applauding himself for putting on the airs of a reasonable, well-rounded individual, he fished his laptop out from under his arm, went over to the TV, and began to feel around for the cords to plug the thing in.

@VitoftheVoid@Avanhelsing@LorelleQuips@Etranger@ScoundrelQueen@Akayaofthemoon@Gelatinous Cube@chocomog333@Prosaic@Sailorsadie@akirashadow@KillBox@Furiosa@Oooie

(Echo's Note: Student orientation will be starting fairly soon IC (likely after a few folk have gotten the chance to react), which will be a bit of exposition for the students as a fair warning. c:

Caius listened to Toby and nodded. “Runecasting, huh? That sounds interesting. Maybe sometime you can explain to me how that works. Seems like a particularly intriguing style of magic.” The next question was easy to answer. “My secondaries will be healing, to aid in support of others, and magical weapon infusement to disrupt spells and interrupt mages.”

As they were talking, Professor Lovette walked up to the podium. “Hey, looks like we might be starting, so we should probably pay attention.” Caius moved all of his attention to the professor. He was trying to gauge his judge. He would respect all of his professors, but that didn’t mean they were all equal. This would be especially true for history, where proper teaching would be crucial for the future relations many of the students here would have in preventing another war.

@LorelleQuips
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Carmina had her headphones on the whole ride into the academy. Her parents had sent her off with love. Even her personal servant said he would miss the young lady’s nightly concerts. But they all knew this would be for the best. She had a talent and perhaps the only way she would survive in the adult world would be to master that talent. To be fair, she wanted to go. She loved her home and her family, but they all knew she wanted to travel. She wanted to see the world and play the melodies of many far off lands. This was the first step in that journey.

But her lack of a voice left her a bit of an introvert, so she spent this ride like most of the ones in her past, watching the rolling landscapes go by as her headphones swept her away. It made the time go by much faster.

She arrived at the school, but wasn’t in a particular rush. She strolled around the campus, taking in the massive campus, she knew that she would have a lot to explore. She kept looking at her pocket watch, making sure she wouldn’t be late. She made it to the reception desk and signed in. She took a quick stroll around the inside of the school, locating all of the places she would need to be.

Finally, she made her way to the common room. Most of the seats were taken, so she found one of the few tables left with only another girl at it and sat down. She took a quick look at her seating partner. She was tall and her outfit was very teenage apathy, not that it bothered Carmina. Normally she would have introduced herself, but at that time, a professor took the stand and began speaking, drawing her attention from Dinah for the moment.

@VitoftheVoid

As the fight was broken up and the participants returned to their business, Apple crawled down from his defensive perch and back onto the common room floor. He licked a spare bit of pineapple from his lips before flopping his mouth back up on the table.

Just in case.

“I think a magical food fight would be exciting,” Mitch replied, interest piqued at Nathan's interest and Tatia's promise. Despite the flatness in her tone, she had some kind of sparkly, exciting-ness that made her seem like someone good to keep around. The perfect, "D'you think we could rob the pantry" sort of friend who propelled the action in good stories and made things a fantastically fun mess.

As opposed to a not-fun-mess. Like when people went to jail.

And Nolan, for his part, seemed just like the sort of person who could go along for not-jail-but-still-fun-mess sorts of things. Though, really.... There were not many ways to decide that. When the time came, she could find out. More importantly, he seemed far less gothy than any necromancer she had dreamed up. That is to say, Mitch did not think any self-respecting necrophile could get on board with Runes being cooler than raising the dead.

Which, honestly, made him all the less scary.

“And, you know, a food fight here is probably easy to clean up with water magic. Which is more interesting than Runes, by far. Which aren't, you know... Weel. A bit jack-of-all-trades. But I have to write it,” she said, tracing the shape of a rune circle on the table, but leaving no mark behind. “And, you know. Not write it wrong. And hope it isn't, you know...” She picked up a strawberry and popped it into her mouth. “Gotta hope it isn't going to kill me or something. So not as cool as wind and zombies and the like, honestly. OH! And someone has to trigger the rune. So a bit lame, really.”

At the sound of a warm, oddly high male voice from the front of the room, Mitch piped down and scooter her chair to face the front of the room.

Oddly enough, people seemed offended when you had your back to them. Even if your front was not much better at seeing.

@LorelleQuips@Prosaic

Carlos

Carlos had spent the time between arriving and the orientation beginning keeping his head down. Some confrontation had broken out in the middle of the common room. Carlos didn't want to be in the middle of any dramas, but even worse, it sounded like this one was based on ancient family history or some bull like that. The main draw of the school had been escaping his own ancient family drama, why on earth would he want to get involved in more of it? If he knew anything about proud, ancient families, and he did, it was that they reveled in holding and establishing grudges over petty stuff, so there was no way Carlos was even so much as going to look in the direction of this budding conflict. Plenty of other people were getting in the middle of it, so it wasn't as though he needed to lift a finger to keep it from getting out of hand.

Fortunately, the orientation came to shift everyone's attention. Carlos was almost eager to get it started. Sure, it was probably going to be a dry and boring information dump, but at least with this out of the way, they would be one step closer to getting to the good stuff. Having been prepared for this moment better than most, Carlos simply relaxed in his seat, ready to half-heartedly listen in anticipation of moving on to the infinitely more interesting material.

Lavender had been sitting at one of the tables in the back. Worried about being late, her parents had actually managed to arrive an hour before the first bus. Lavender had been glad for the opportunity to share this experience with her parents, without the presence of other students. Her parents were not magical after all, and none of them had known exactly what to expect.

At first glance, the building had appeared like something out of a Jane Austen novel. It had nothing on Pemberley of course, but even though Lavender knew the school had only been built a few years ago, it looked like it belonged in that other, simpler time. She had turned to her parents, who looked both surprised and somehow comforted. Of course magic had been involved in the creation of the school, but the fact that it reminded them of something made it somehow easier to accept.
In the silence of the empty school, Lavender had sensed the calm before a storm. She took full advantage of the chance to say goodbye to her parents in private, before walking up to the table and signing in. She received a set of papers and the instruction to go to the common room and wait for the others.

After admiring the entrance hall, she took her time making her way to the common room. This was a beautiful building, and soon it would be filled with strangers. Best to enjoy the views while she could. Once she got to the common room, Lavender had chosen some food. She'd made sure all the piles looked undisturbed when she was done with them, and had settled down in the back. When the first students had begun to arrive, Lavender had shimmered out. She was still visible, sitting at her table in the back, but somehow people failed to notice her, or failed to fully register her when they did notice.

In her quiet little corner, she had observed everything and everyone. The fight had scared her. Not because she was afraid of violence, but because everyone else seemed to expect it. It made her feel ignorant, it made her feel like an outsider. So far, nothing had prompted her to come out of her shadowy shell.

“Good morning, everyone!” Lavender's head jerked up as the teacher's words broke her concentration. She was now fully visible, and people would suddenly know she was there. For a moment, she considered disappearing again, but she resisted the urge. She shrugged to herself and figured was bound to happen at some point. might as well be now.
Lavender took a deep breath and turned her attention back to the teacher. Suddenly shivering with anticipation, she waited for the school year to begin.

Giving a small nod to the other new person who is also seemingly late, he sat down. Scanning the room, the made mental notes of who looks like what. Sighing slightly, he was wondering if there is food. He hasn't eaten anything since he landed on this remote island, seemingly in the middle of nowhere...

Just as he was about to get up and go get whatever food was around, a... woman? walked in and started speaking to the gathered student body. So, it was a man, and not a woman and his name is Professor Lovette. He furrowed his eyebrows a bit at the way he is dressed. If he were to ever dress like that, his father might kill him and his mother would definitely be disappointed. Listening along, he made mental notes about who might make a decent friend and who he probably won't be able to stand... He noticed a well-dressed guy. Charming, well mannered, but...stuck up? "Thats.. Probably the Sterling child father has mentioned... Prick..." He thought to himself. Noting another girl with some wild hair colors "Hm. She isn't bad looking...but the hair... Mother won't approve..."

He continued to do that for some of the other students around the room, absentmindedly listening to whatever Professor Lovette had to say...

@Furiosa

The sound of dishware clinking against the table brought Esperanza’s attention away from the bundle of horror in her arms, which was attempting to lick one of the pancakes on her plate with limited success. “Oh! Hello, there! It is okay if you are sitting there, I think.” She glanced over at Helena, absently scratching Chu beneath the chin. “It is okay, yes? I do not want to say it is okay, and then have you be upset because it is not.” She frowned a little, brow creasing with worry, before she regained her pep and reached forward for another bite of her breakfast.

“There was a fight between the girl and the boy, and the girl put the boy against the table. The teacher kept them from fighting too much, though. It was very exciting.”

As another professor entered the room- seemingly a woman, if the dress and the highness of their voice was of any indication- Esp immediately quieted, hushing Chu down and practically bouncing up and down with sheer excitement.

Everything was new, and fresh, and fun. Today was a great day.

@VitoftheVoid@KillBox

---

Percival shrugged, picking up an orange from the table and spinning it on his finger- only to fumble to catch it moments after, seeing as he was absolutely terrible at trying to spin things on his finger. “Sharing is caring and all that, isn’t it? Consider it a token of our budding friendship and all that.” He grinned, deftly peeling the fruit and pulling apart the slices. “Lucky for you, I don’t think they’ll be shipping us off to the desert anytime soon. Pretty sure there’s even a pool up on the roof, too.”

The appearance of one of the professors, quite unfortunately, served to cut the whole conversation short. It didn’t stop him from nodding in approval at the guy, and quietly saying, “Good set you’ve got there. I’m Healing and Illumination. Had been thinking about getting Lev for a while, myself, but eh.” Not wanting to press his luck any further when it came to diving under the attention of the one and only Professor Lovette, he shut up after that, leisurely popping one orange slice after the other into his mouth as he prepped himself to listen.

@Prosaic

---

It didn’t take long for the common room to quiet, fortunately. Some of the students seemed particularly invested in what he had to say, while others seemed more eager to get back to their conversations than anything. Regardless, all eyes were on him for the time being. Madison cleared his throat, placed his computer at his side, and began the show.

A flick of a switch plunged the room in darkness, and another flick lit it back up again- albeit with a much more weak, timid light offered via the screen at the front of the room. Nodding to himself, Madison stepped close to the glow, casting odd shadows across his face.

“Now, then. If everyone is ready, then allow me to get started. As you all already know, you will be attending Marchand for the next semester, during which it will be our job to educate and provide for you. Regardless of who you are, what social standing you come from, or even your family line, you all will be treated as equals here. You will face no bias from your professors- but as a result, you must follow the exact same list of rules.” Madison paused, tapping the remote in his hand and causing the screen to light up with text.

“While you should have received the list when you arrived, I will go over it now, so there are no misunderstandings in the future.

With the exception of any prescribed medications, no drugs are allowed on school grounds.

Boys and girls are prohibited from entering the other's’ dorms.

On a related note, sexual activity of any sort is prohibited.” Madison paused, suddenly, eyeing his audience. “While I understand that many of you will form relationships while here, understand that we will be performing random dorm checks often, and it would make things much less unpleasant for everyone if you all kept from being a bit...too intimate.

“Arrive to class on time.

Do not break school curfew.

You are forbidden to leave campus, with the exception of school mandated events.

If you happen to have any personal firearms or weapons, please check them in with Professor Avalon or Professor Byrne to be approved.

No summons are allowed within class, with the exception of Familiar Conjuration. If you are unable to unsummon your familiars before class, you are welcome to keep them in your dorm until it is time to retrieve them. In addition, if you are required to have a familiar kept in this world for whatever reason, you should have been provided a form to complete so we can properly accommodate its presence.

No reckless use of magic of any kind.

No coconuts.” Madison gave another pause. “I’m aware that this particular rule may seem a bit...well, absurd, to say the least. But it’s necessary. One of the members of staff here is deathly allergic to raw coconut and the water inside it. Coconut products, like candy or soaps are perfectly fine, however.

“Fights are also prohibited, save for any instructed by Professor Byrne.

Lastly, please show respect to your peers, as well as your professors- no matter background, ethnicity, sexuality, and so on.”

All of this was spoken with a clean-cut formality, hinting that the little speech had been rehearsed several times before its official delivery. This was reinforced by the decisiveness which Professor Lovette stepped from the glow, switched the slide to one reading “THANK YOU!!!”, and returned the light to the common room. “That should be all,” he said, all formality dropped in favor of the cheerful air he donned earlier. He unplugged his laptop, and with a click of his remote, the screen lit up with a list of the students’ names. “You’ll find your names on this screen here, along with the number of the dorm you’ll be staying in. Your keys are on the table beneath it.

“With all that out of the way, consider yourselves dismissed. You’re free to go to your dorms or to get to know your fellow students better- just make sure that you’re present for lunch. Feel free to ask any one of us if you have any questions!"

Beaming once more at the audience, Madison gathered up his laptop, and stepped out of the way, off to the side of the room.

The list that Madison contained the following names and numbers.



@VitoftheVoid@Avanhelsing@LorelleQuips@Etranger@ScoundrelQueen@Akayaofthemoon@Gelatinous Cube@chocomog333@Prosaic@Sailorsadie@akirashadow@KillBox@Furiosa@Oooie@Dutchess Sarah@KillBox

(GM’s Note: Those are the room pairings for now. The blank space indicates a position that will be filled if/when another male character is added, and the blank space will likely occur again if more people add characters or join in. c:
I hope y’all are happy with your room sets!

---

---

There was so much happening all at one time. So many students coming in and floating near the refreshments, then pairing off and speaking to several of their new classmates. It was so much like their old high school- it was amazing to think that these teenagers were all magical. So far, everyone was leaving the siblings alone at the food table, which Margie didn't really mind. It gave her just enough time to quell the nauseous feeling rumbling within her stomach. However, that steady was soon interrupted with a deep voice that continued on in a ramble.

Blinking, Margie turned her attention to the boy and offered him a small grin. Nothing he was saying was registering within her brain. Her mind continued to talk her nerves down, reminding her that she was to be cool and collected at this school. This was her chance to be a new person. Only a few words the boy said cut through, and her eyes glanced over to her brother to see that he was actually paying attention to the guy. A quick review of him found that Jaxon was studying the boy quite too intently, a smirk plastered on his face. Margie bit back an inward groan before returning her full attention to Jake.

Her eyes shot down to the outstretched hand and before she could respond, Jaxon slid his hand over and shook the boy's hand. With a smirk, he nodded. "That's quite alright. Nice to meet you, dude. I'm Jaxon, this here's my sister Margie. I'm a pyro, she's an aero." He didn't release the boy's hand as he continued to look him over in appreciation.

Margie rolled her eyes and gave a small nervous laugh. "Excuse us, Jake...Pleasure to meet you, by the way." She nudged her brother to the side and lowered her voice to him, her eyes searching the room. "We are not here for you to flirt, Jax. We are here to learn, to train, so you don't...you know. Lose your temper again."

He narrowed his eyes slightly at his sister before looking around the room. He knew she was right, but he just couldn't help himself. It was like a candy store in the common area. He was about to tell her where she could shove her opinion when another professor introduced himself, bringing along a television. Raising a brow, he flung his arm around Margie's shoulders and nodded his head. "Shh, sis, we have a presentation to experience."

The pair listened to the rules in silence, Jaxon snickering to himself at the mention of sexual activity. Margie rolled her eyes and moved away from him when the introduction was over. Moving over to the board, she found her name. Turning to view the room, she sucked in a breath. "Serenity....Which one are you..."

---

---

---

Grayson nodded along while Spire spoke to him. None of the information provided was jogging his memory. Students, lessons planned? He scrunched his nose and looked around, then soon noticed Madison appearing to give the orientation. Tilting his head, Grayson listened along and blinked in response. Suddenly everything flooded in at once and he clapped his hands eagerly at the end of the instructions. He returned his attention to Spire and blinked as if seeing him for the first time.

"Ah, Spire! So nice to see you, good sir! How have you been? It's so good to have you here, you know. It's good to be a part of something again." Looks around and his eyes widen at the students. "My, look at our turnout! This will be quite the productive year, don't you think?"

---

---

The heels of Mina's velvet pumps clicked sharply against the stone as she walked towards the Marchand School's front entrance, her suitcase rolling along beside her and a large duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She walked with confidence and purpose; Her head was held high and her strides were long and graceful. If one didn't know any better, they'd take one look at Mina Thomas and believe that she was cool, calm, and collected, but on the inside the young woman was a complete and utter disaster. As the front doors of the large, cobblestone building drew nearer, Mina's heart pounded even harder than before, and by the time she'd reached the front doors it felt as though it were about to beat right out of her chest. Nonetheless, she held her composure as she stepped foot into the building, instantly taking note of the older woman who sat behind a nearby counter. Mina was late, and she knew that for a fact. She didn't realize just how late she was, however, until she ventured even further into the office.

After having to endure the world's longest plane trip from Chicago, as well as an unreasonably bumpy car ride, Mina Thomas was a bit irritated but not surprised in the slightest to find that the Marchand School main office was nearly deserted with the exception of a few staff members. Of course, she'd anticipated that she'd arrive late thanks to her delayed flight, but she hadn't predicted that she'd be this late. The young woman couldn't help but feel a little self conscious as she approached the bored-looking receptionist's desk. "You're late," was all that the older woman said before instructing Mina to add her signature to the bottom of the roster, which she hurriedly did. The receptionist then handed her a crisp stack of papers and pointed her in the right direction. "Head down there to the common room," were the last few words that Mina heard before she grabbed the handle of her suitcase once more and hurried along. She shuffled through the papers as she strutted down the hall, eagerly taking a peek at her schedule.

Mina had arrived just in time to catch a good portion of the presentation; she'd walked into the common room just as the professor mentioned something about not breaking curfew. This particular rule made Mina groan and roll her eyes as she quickly navigated through the dim room and found an empty seat in the corner of the room, not caring to see who else had been sitting at the same table. Mina had not had to abide by any curfew since she was sixteen years old thanks to her parents' leniency, so this would take a great deal of getting used to. "Hope I didn't miss too much," Mina said quietly to the tall figure that sat nearby, before placing her bags on the floor in front of her and crossing her legs at the ankles.

When the presentation was finished and the lights had been switched back on, Mina was one of the first to hop out of her seat and head towards the table of keys. It only took her a second to find her name on the list; It appeared as though she'd be staying in room 207 B for the remainder of her time there. Quickly stuffing her key into the front pocket of her denim jeans, Mina made her way back to her original seat. It wasn't until she'd sat back down that she actually saw who it was that she'd spoken to.

The girl appeared to be a few years younger than Mina, though she had to be at least a couple of inches taller. Her pale complexion, jet black hair, and dark clothing made her look as though she'd just stepped foot off of the set of some eighties vampire flick. Nevertheless, Mina plastered her usual goofy grin on her face and extended a hand to the younger girl. She was eager to make a few new friends regardless of how different they appeared to be. "I would've introduced myself sooner. You know, if I hadn't barged in right when the presentation began," Mina said with a chuckle. "I'm Mina. And you are?"

Like any responsible, slightly irritated adult, Professor Byrne had hung toward the edge of the room as Norrevinter bowled Sterling into the table. It was hardly the first or last time Sterling would end up under a girl, if he was anything like his father, if Kora were like her aunt, she would throw people through worse than the breakfast table before she was gone. Schippers had it handled well enough, Maeve thought.

She would have intervened, had anything caught fire.

With one hand clasping the other wrist and her back as stiff as ever, the veteran eyed the crowd of amassed students: Some were trying to make friends, a few just trying not to be run over. A lot were late. She cast a sideways smile toward Toby Schippers, though did not wave. No need to embarrass the boy, after all. Though his sweater vest looked a bit askew after diving aside...

Poor kid. She'd assign him to an easy combat assignment. Maybe, like... The blind girl looked like a safe bet. She doubted they would damage on another too badly.

The lights dimmed as the presentation began. She kept scanning for a moment, when something caught the professor at a loss. Her eyes went wide for the briefest of seconds, one hand reaching in the hope that Kovalenko had stepped into the shadow beside her. Then, Maeve's legs buckled at the knees and her weight keeled back into the wall beside her. She kept standing, but her hands clenched; open and shut, open and shut, over and over in no specific timing. A cold sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Her gaze, with pupils wide and wild, was fixed on the exact position where one Layne Towerfall was seated.

@Oooie

"A Pyro... and Aeromancer, interesting." Though interesting as it were this handshake was starting to get a little discomforting, and what was with that look? Jake was starting to get concerned for the retrieval of his own hand until Margie presented an opportunity for him to wrest it free without making it so blatantly forceful. "Likewise." He replies to Margie's greeting with a soft bow of his head, thankful for her interruption. Though tempting he resisted the urge to eavesdrop on yet another conversation as the announcement of orientation was made. Deciding not to take a seat but remain standing he leaned back as though to have the table support his weight.

Jake listened to the orientation, most of the rules were ones to be expected and Jake found himself lapsing between concentration and lack of as he watched the presentation. He raised the apple once more to his mouth to take a bite during the crunch of the fruit seeming somewhat louder since one of the professors was currently holding everyone's attention. Conscious of the fact, he slowly chewed the mouthful as he continued to listen.

No coconuts, due to an allergy. Now if nothing else that was worth making note of, a strange request but the reasoning for it seemed a sound one. Plus even if they were available in any store, coconuts weren't exactly a common purchase for most. There only seemed to be three professor's currently in the room, Lovette, Schippers and... well he wasn't sure who the third one was. Could said problem be related to one of those three perhaps? A weakness was a weakness regardless of its origin. Though most of the rules were pretty common, in a place like this it'd be hard to continuously enforce. After all most would rather not follow the rules then conform to them, natural rebellious behaviour if nothing else dictated that.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly throughout the presentation then the room allocations, accompanied by student names came up. "Aw, shit..." There it was his name written out with his room allocation. "Well see ya around." Jake spoke before heading over to the room keys not waiting or expecting any response. Once he had his key he looked around noticing that Professor Lovette was still in the room he headed over almost immediately after grabbing his key wearing on a smile on his face.

"Professor Lovette?" Jake as customary with any introduction he'd plan to make stuck out his hand toward the professor. "Jake... well no point not saying it now huh? Jake Lucshen." He reached up and adjusted his hood with his other hand which had shifted in his movement for his room key. "You said we're free to ask questions and I'd like to pose one if I may. I'm particularly interested in your response, being the history professor." Jake paused as if trying to find the best way to pose the question. "I understand that this may be difficult given your position... so, unofficially I guess? I'd like to ask your thoughts on the Lucshen?" As his intent was to ensure the conversation was just between himself and the professor he'd kept his voice down. "The contents, matters not so long as it's honest. After all I've first hand experience in painful opinion's." Jake shifts his hood again revealing the scar that marked one side of his face.

@EchoicChamber@Sailorsadie

Jesus, thought Layne as he got a closed look at the boy's face, Poor guy is strung out

Indeed, while Vanya seemed nice enough, he had the sluggish movements and wan complexion that Layne associated with people on the wrong mix of shit. After the young man spoke, however, Layne concluded that maybe he was just a little off.

Still, he had managed to see through Layne's brilliant conversational gambit.

"Oh, uh. Yeah, I reckon it is." He said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Sorry. Ain't too good at small talk. Good to meet ya all the same... Bracelet?"

He looked down at his arm, confused.

"Oh yeah, the crest. Thanks, it's-"

"Good morning everyone!"

Whatever it was would have to wait. Layne sat obediently. It was a mostly new experience for him, being so quick to listen to an authority figure. He had resolved to make as much of an effort as he could with this opportunity, and sitting through an orientation was at least tolerable, if maybe boring and pointless.

It was not to be. Two lines into the Professor's spiel he was struck with a terribly familiar feeling. When you grow up in the rough parts of the world, knowing when you were being watched was a skill that you had to develop fast. Either that, or you spent all your time getting mugged. Sometimes worse. Normally it felt like a finger being run down the back of his neck. This, however... This was like a full handed claw raking at his shoulder blades.

He didn't even realize the Professor had finished the orientation until people started getting up. Shit! He'd missed everything they said.

Eh. Probably ain't nothin' that won't come up again...

He was still disturbed, but the pressure had lessened now that people were in motion around him. It was an effort not to jump a little when Vanya spoke to him again.

"Wha?" He blinked stupidly at him. Seeing a lot of each other...? He turned and actually read the rooming list for the first time. "Ohhhh... Oh! Duh, sorry, I was uh... spacin' out a little."

As he moved to gather his room key, he chanced a furtive glance over his shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of whoever had been watching him so intently. He met the eye of Maeve Byrne and his blood went cold. It was unfortunate, perhaps, that Layne had no skill for reading expressions. It might have saved him from a bit of pain in the future. For now, all he could be certain of was that whatever the storm of emotions on that woman's face meant, they were nothing good.

"Uh, w-well." He said to Vanya, trying to hide his discomfort. "Looks like everybody is movin' on. Ya wanna go find that dorm? Arm wrestle over who gets the top bunk?"

He looked around, a knot of confusion on his brow.

"Y'know. Wherever the rooms are around here... Oh! Hey, what's your magic class, by the way?"

“Mr. Lucshen!” Madison’s voice betrayed nothing but delight as he took the offered hand in his own, shaking it gently. As if this were a party instead of an academy, and Jake had been a guest whose arrival the professor had been waiting for with bated breath. “It’s wonderful to meet you. I believe that you’re one of the students in my Pyromancy class, yes? I look forward to working with you in the future.” It was the same thing that he would have said to any other of his students, had they approached- and it wasn’t a lie, either. It was genuine enthusiasm that he had patched together his curriculum.

And with genuine surprise that Madison regarded the young man’s question. He had been expecting something like “what will class be like” or “where are the bathrooms”, but this was a bit out of left field (although he supposed he shouldn’t have been entirely surprised). Still, he had said that they would be around to answer any questions that the students might have found themselves with, and he didn’t plan to go back on his word. His fingers rested lightly upon his bottom lip, eyes travelling to the ceiling.

“Well.” Madison’s voice was quiet. “I can’t say that I approve of the fact that the Luschens were in support of the enemy, but...well, that really just about summarizes things.” For a moment, his hand dropped, brushing along the ink darkening his wrist. There was nothing more that could be said. There was nothing more that he wished to say. It was possible that Mr. Lucshen was unaware of his involvement in the war, but…

All the same, it was something that was better touched upon with the dryness of class than with personal opinion.

The professor’s eyes seemed to travel somewhere distant for a moment- somewhere dry and bleak, with skies that were never-ending- and then he was blinking himself back to reality, smiling at his pupil and clapping his hands together. “However! That will not affect how you are treated here in the slightest. I can assure you will be treated just the same as any other student here.” It was not the children present who had lived through the war, after all.

Madison paused. His eyes had fallen upon Maeve, concern furrowing his brows. He attempted to hide it as best as possible as he addressed Jake again, although there were still traces of it regardless.

“Is there anything else that you need, Mr. Lucshen?”

@akirashadow

Lavender had considered shimmering out of sight again during the presentation, when this girl had sat down next to her.
It seemed rude to disappear, the girl had obviously noticed her, so Lavender took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the professor's introduction. Listening to the briefing, Lavender smiled to herself. No matter where you went, magical or non, school was obviously school. The same shitty rules everywhere. The coconut thing was different, though. The presentation of the list suddenly made it real, somehow, but Lavender supressed the urge to disappear once more. Time to face this.

As the girl got up to check her room number and get her key Lavender had again considered disappearing. It wasn't that she didn't want to meet all these people, but the whole thing was totally overwhelming. Within the space of an hour, Lavender had gone from being an only child with little to no friends to being surrounded by new faces, boisterous sounds and even a small fight. And she would probably have to share a room with at least one of them. Lavender suddenly felt shy and oddly out in the open, which is why she let everyone else move towards the table and the room chart first.

Before she could even seriously consider her next move, her former neighbour returned. She only seemed to notice Lavender properly at this point, and Lavender couldn't help but smile back at the girl who had sat down beside her. Open, cheerful, and late, Mina appeared her opposite in almost every way. Aware she'd be rude if she didn't at least say something, Lavender said: "Hi Mina, I'm Lavender." Lavender almost panicked, searching for something else to say, when suddenly, something popped up. "What room are you in?"

@Ejected

Curious, what more was potentially going to be said in that moment when Professor Lovette had cut himself off. Though to be frank he was a tiny bit disappointed, he'd hoped for something almost like enlightenment in the answer. Though despite this he did not let it show as he smiled in gratitude of receipt of an answer. For a moment he thought the professor was spacing out, as though they'd became absent from their own thoughts. Jake peered into the professors eyes and was almost startled when he'd clapped his hands together pretty much snapping them both back into reality.

When the professor broke line of sight Jake looked over his shoulder back over the room, before returning his attention to the professors question. Noticing the opportunity to speak up, Jake bowed his head toward the professor. "Well first I'd like to thank you. An honest opinion is better than a denial of one, no matter the context. Now as for anything else... ah yes!" Jake reached into his pocket as he unfolded an envelop as neatly he could holding it out. "To whom it may concern, it's simply a letter explaining that no other Lucshen will be visiting the academy regardless of occasion. My family don't wish to make things difficult, for student, staff nor visitors." Although sealed with wax, the family crest upon it had been evidently defaced, almost as though someone had deliberately scratched it off.

"And with that... I look forward to your classes Professor Lovette. An opportunity to learn something new is always a cherished one within our household. As the family saying goes... well I shant bore you with that." Jake reminisced his parents telling of the Firestrom family saying, though they were no longer of that family, it still rung true with them. "I believe there are likely other matters that require your attention, so I shant take up more of your time." Jake bowed his head once more before turning back towards the room, as he glanced back at the list of names on the screen.

He didn't recognise most of them. There was a few councillor family names he recognised, though not many. Most of what he did know about the community was self taught due to his families decision to steer clear of it. His enrolment in the academy was the closest they came to integrating back into society in a long time. With a sigh Jake headed back to where he'd been previously sitting his bag of belongings still lent against the chair.

@EchoicChamber