@Canidae @Aviaire @Ryteb Pymeroce @Letter Bee @Spike @EpicKDP @QueenNugget

---

Ah, convincing a teacher why he shouldn't be given detention. A skill every delinquent rogue should practice with impunity. Admittedly Via made things difficult (he kept telling they should go with the catapult idea), but what was life without a bit of a challenge. Switching to his diligent student face, he began to weave his bullshit story.

"Well, you see Professor, I was escorting some of our novice students through the secret passages to show them how to reach classes faster, with my good friend Will helping to watch out for dangerous critters. We were going to head straight for the main hall when we heard a commotion. By the time we reached there we found La'Tavia bound up underground. Rhea tried to dig her out, and got buried for her trouble. When me and Will tried to rescue her, the treants thought us also part of that group and pulled us under. Please don't punish them for misunderstanding the situation..."

The last statment was accentuated with the secret technique of puppy dog eyes. Admittedly the technique is better with Vivi, but he was an experienced user of it.

What's worse than a failed attempt to break into somewhere you're absolutely not meant to be in?

Doing exactly that, and then getting caught. Liors breathed shakily, standing up. It may well have been worse than an actual trip through the forest, which was saying quite a lot. The least she could do was try and fix something. She wasn't sure what, but there was something.

"We'll be, um, out of your hair soon. Very soon. If, if you want to give us detention that's ok, probably. But we'll go now. If you'll let us," she said. It wasn't much, but it was the best she could do.

She took the opportunity to take a glance at the others that had joined them in this mess. No one who she didn't know or vagyely recognise, but certainly some she'd never talked to. Her eyes darted around wildly, unsure of how long she could look at someone before it got weird. There were some unusual looking people at this school, for sure.

---

Well now that they had been found out...really. Tavi was about as competent as a newborn. At least Polyanna was one of the more easier teachers to get along with.

"You have my thanks, Treant." Viola replied as she was lifted out of the ground. See? Negotiating with beings of the natural world were not difficult. If humans just took a moment to think, then they wouldn't need to do anything like rushing a head, would they? "I'd be quite annoyed if my dress was ruined..." She mused, not minding being carried so much and turning her head towards Polyanna.

"Are you certain you're not just too fast, dear Polyanna?" She smirked playfully, still being held up by the Treant. "Humans should learn to take it slower every now and then. The world would be a much better and relaxing place - but such is not the nature of humans. Always running around because of their short lives. Amusing, really." She chuckled, slowly twirling her parasol. Detention though, wouldn't be particularly welcome. She wasn't looking forward to something like that, and she doubted any of the others would be either. She glanced over to Meruin...hm.

"That said, Poly." Viola continued, not particularly caring for titles or such. "I can corroborate Zane's story...though I question the intelligence of meddling in the affairs of Treants, fufu." She cast him a playful smirk. "Little Meruin as well, only was making sure we were being responsible and ended up being caught in Tavi's antics. I shan't try to overly convince you, as a teacher I am certain there are things you must do regardless, yes?" She smiled. "But at least allow my detention to instead, speak with the Treants? I am quite eager to learn of their histories, among other things."

Zane was the worst friend you could possibly make. Not only did he not have her back, he literally turned tail and blabbed about La’Tavia trying to get in without a pass. She was trying to help someone and help herself at the same time. So why did they just do whatever they wanted? Why did the old tree farts have to be so stubborn? Why did she even think people would treat her like she treated them? Well, it is what it is. They all only thought about themselves. Sure, so did La’Tavia but she helps people no matter what. That is what Outcast is all about, helping others.

Polyanna was someone who La’Tavia had run-ins with all the time. It is not hard to understand why though. Every time she tried to fight her way into the forest, she was soundly defeated AND Pollyanna put her to work for detentions. That is not to mention the MANY unsanctioned fights that she has had all over the school. At this point, La’Tavia had no legs to stand on. She knew she was done for and nobody was going to help her out of it.

Then, to add insult to injury, the one whom she offered to help sold her out too. Her face sunk in defeat. She had no Will to actually fight back. She could not fight back. All she could do was sit down, Indian style, away from the holes and wait for her sentence. ”Just take me to detention already. I don’t care what I have to do. Clean, volunteer, whatever. I’m already used to this song and dance, Teach.”

William Ascot

It was then that WIlliam cleared his throat and said, "Ms. Saccharine, I am really sorry, but I have to tell the truth. Basically, I asked Zane and the other members of his group to accompany me to the forest in order to gain some Faerie Metal in order to mix with my blood to forge a Duplicate of Excalibur, and due to my haste, I was unable to arrange for a legal field trip. It is completely and utterly my fault I got them into this mess, and yes, it is also my fault that Novices were pulled to this trip to a forbidden area. Please let all punishement rest on me, as I got them into trouble. Zane has a date and Viola - I think her name was VIola - has other things she needs to do, and it's not fair that they are in trouble because of something I asked them to do."

@Ryteb Pymeroce@TheHangedMan@QueenNugget@Canidae@Aviaire@EpicKDP@Spike

@EpicKDP @Aviaire @Canidae

Digging herself out of the ground, which proved rather difficult actually, Rhea finally managed to pull herself up and out, shaking herself of any excess dirt. Sighing, a bit frustrated that her plan didn't work, she frowned, trying to come up with another plan to get in. She was determined to get in somehow, it's just that these damn treants were in the way.

As she contemplated on other ideas, it seemed the Polyanna had found them, which she hadn't noticed 'til now, but she was also planning on giving them detention. On their first day. Awesome. Just more things to get in our way, she thought to herself as the others tried talking their way out of it, but Rhea wasn't havin' it. So while the others were distracted, Rhea looked around for an escape route before noticing that La'Tavia had seemingly given up already, which Rhea believed that was surprisingly out of character for her.

Trying to make eye contact with her fron the side, Rhea ducked down just a tad and motioned for her to get up and quickly follow, giving her a look that said, come on! What are you doing?! Doing the same to Liors and Damien, Rhea casually walked away, looking in the opposite direction of Polyanna, pretending like she hadn't been there the whole time. Getting detention was not on her to-do list, they had wasted plenty of time already, so Rhea was bookin' it. Sorry William, but I've gotta go.

@Canidae @Aviaire @Ryteb Pymeroce @Letter Bee @Spike @EpicKDP @QueenNugget

---

William Ascot

William blinked and thought, It worked? It worked!

As he took the lollipop - Assuming he had been freed from the roots and the soil - William thought, So, detention; it's probably going to involve mucking out some stables, cleaning out gutters, and other foul-smelling activities. But I might get free non-diabetes-inducing candy from it, plus a chance to get to know La'Tavia better - A Fire Mage is always a nice asset to have - and perhaps get to know the parts of the school others don't like thinking about.

So... There's a positive spin to put on things, a positive spin grounded in fact. After all, there's no shame in choosing to focus on the positive.

He bowed a little to Polyanna, and said, "Thank you for the fair treatment, Ms. Saccharine. That said, if I may ask, would getting a detention impact my access to the Research Building, as well as my chance to get an examination for mastership in the near-future? Please forgive me for being so eager to ask such questions so shortly after being punished."

A shudder of self-loathing; why did he ask those? Did he really want to sound like someone primarily concerned with his own advancement? Did he really want to be someone who wanted to be a Master and a Hero and puff up his ego because of it?

He sighed, of course he was. William Ascot had always been an egotistic little shithead and the only thing his family had been wrong about him was assuming that he was unaware that was the case. Because he was fully aware; not like Zane and his insanity. William was fully aware that he was a hypocrite who fit his own definition of 'evil'. It was just that he was too lazy to fix it, intellectually and morally.

The boy froze, almost saying that Ms. Saccharine should forget what he said, but that'd sound too much like reverse psychology. So he won't do it; like it or not, William knew he wasn't a true hero - He didn't know what heroism even meant.

He finally took Polyanna's lollipop into his mouth; it tasted bittersweet.

@Ryteb Pymeroce@TheHangedMan@QueenNugget@Canidae@Aviaire@EpicKDP

"Well, while this has been entertaining, I have a date with a hot dragon priestess to prepare for. Adieu, mes laquais!" Zane laughed, as he used his cards to creste an explosion. When it cleared, he was gone. For those that knew him, it was a favourite trick of his, especially around teachers.

He wouldn't be able to get a beast from the forest, so plan B was the butchers shop. Probably should also visit the grocers for some other stuff. If she had even half the appetite of a dragon he was going to prepare a feast lest he end up like her duelling partners.

It always amused him how people were so slow they needed that train to get around campus in any meaningful time. Then again, most users of Reinforcement magic regarded it merely as a combat tool. Eh, not his problem the battle junkies don't bother to think outside the box. It does always amuse him when people learn his actual magic, especially when he is revealed to be Existance. It was probably his innate chaos and insanity that made it hard to believe...

---

"Haaa, you know Poly." Viola said with a sigh, taking the lollipop. "How can one better themselves without a little bit of danger, hmm? But I'll accept this sweet as suitable bribery to keep me occupied." Sticking the sweet into her mouth, Viola relaxed. The sugary treat tasted vaguely of blueberries. Hmm, a mildly nostalgic scent. Reminded her of the forest back home. Viola chuckled lightly at the thought - ah, she did miss home a bit, didn't she? Oh well.

"But I can't make any promises for next week." Viola giggled, deciding the jig for the most part, was up as she glanced back up at the Treant. "Hey hey, I'm a lady. Be a little more delicate, huh? Let me ride on your shoulder or something if we're gonna be talking."

---

Seeing a group starting to from on the edges of the woods of all places, a young Melody Winters couldn't help but wonder what could possibly be going on. It was far too early in the year for something to be happening, wasn't it. A smile stretched across her face, she decided to investigate. as she started her steps forward, a blur rushed past her. Before she could react, it was gone, and she was left spinning, laughing as she went, trying her best to keep her balance. This was what she missed from school: You never knew what was going to happen! Reorienting herself, she looked back towards the group, and continued forward.

As she got closer, her face left in surprise as she saw one of them was hoisted up by a Treant. She deemed to be fine though, regardless of precarious situation. Positively beaming at the situation in front of her, she closed the distance completely, and said, "What's going o-" She started to say, before her eyes fell on Polyanna. Recognizing her wasn't easy, but between the uniform and the face, it was far from impossible.. It was at this moment her brain finally put together that, perhaps, these people might not be supposed to be here. Not one to shy away from adventure though, she leaped at the chance to say hello to the amazing Miss Saccharine.

"Hi Poly! Did you enjoy your summer? Oh god, I almost forgot to introduce myself, I do that sooo much. I really need to get better at that." Melody made a mental note to try to say her name when meeting new people from now on. Before giving the head of security a chance to respond, she turned over to look up at Viola, sucking on a lollipop above her. "How did you get up there? Can I try? Pleeeeaaasseee?" She looked up at the Treant expectantly. It looked fun, and as long as they were doing it, she didn't see a reason not to go for a ride. The forest was not somewhere she ventured frequently, under the impression that it was mostly off limits.

Getting to school had taken Reniere way longer than they had planned, though they should have seen this coming since this was what happened all the time. Actually waking up in time was one factor, and their makeup routine had at least taken an hour if not more, and getting their stuff together...well, that had certainly been a time. And then getting it all unpacked and set up nicely in their room had taken up more time, so by time they were actually "ready", it was way past noon, though it wasn't that big a deal to them considering this was the time they considered themself to be fully awake now.

To be honest, they were excited to see Rhea again, but they had just found out that Damien was here too, and if he was here, well sorry Rhea, their top 3 "Would Smash" list came first, not to be rude, but of course she already knew that. Hopefully there were some other cute guys around here, and if not, they weren't picky. Everyone was on the menu. They were a shameless thot and they accepted that fact with pride.

Getting a text from Rhea, Reniere tried their best to navigate to where she was at, although they had been here for some time, their sense of direction was horrible.
"So, front gate of the forest, yes? Haha, luckily I'm like, right here now," they said to themself, searching the area for their friend, but out of the corner of their eye, they spotted a certain someone that happened to be named "Damien".

Their eyes widening, Reniere dramatically gasped and quickly made their way to him, their arms out wide. "Oh my GOD, Damien! Thry wrapped their arms around him, grinning. "I can't believe you're really here! You look so hot today, oml."

@QueenNugget

Damien was debating about whether or not to accept candy from the student? teacher? Whoever this lady was that almost got him detention. In the end, he decided against it, as much as he'd love some food right now, he didn't trust her. Those authoritarian types kept him on edge. Everyone seemed to be recollecting themselves after their failed attempt to get into the forest. Damien was certain that he could find some way to get into forest, however. If not today, then tomorrow, or maybe next week. This failed expedition weighed little on him for the moment.

He was about to turn to Rhea to suggest they head back when he heard his name being shouted. He turned to see a short, red haired, teenager wearing a rather promiscuous outfit come running towards him. Huh, they look familiar...wait is that..? He had no time to finish his train of thought when the red-haired teen closed the distance between them and threw their arms around him. "Oh, hey Reniere," Damien managed to say, a little startled to find them here. "And I know I am, but you're still short as ever." He said derisively and grinned, looking down at Reniere.

Pulling away from Damien, Reniere furrowed their eyebrows and acted offended, putting a manicured hand to their chest. "Don't be so rude! I didn't choose to be born with short legs you know, and I just happen to find my height satisfactory, but apparently you don't. Maybe I can make up for it?~" Reniere ended, smiling and giving an obvious wink, inching closer.

"But anyhow, what's going on? It seems that others around here are covered in, what is that? Dirt? I dunno, but it seems fun, why wasn't I invited?" They glanced around the area, looking at the other people Damien seemed to be with. What was that? Was there a girl hanging in a tree? And there seemed to be another guy talking to Polyanna. Reniere made a mental note to talk to him later. There was another person with red hair sitting on the ground who was also covered in dirt, and another younger girl it seemed, underneath of the girl in the tree.

Huh. Where's Rhea? They thought, and not even a moment later, they heard their name being called by a familiar sounding voice.

"Reniere! Also, don't mind the dirt. I tried my best to get it all off."

Turning around, Reniere noticed their friend approach, a large smile on her face as she enveloped them in a hug. "Hey girl! Sorry it took so long, you know how mornings for me go," they sighed, pointing to their makeup. "And that's fine. You'll just have to tell me about it later.

"Haha, no problem! I'm just glad you're here. You're lucky though, Damien and I just about got detention and I was ready to book it the hell outta here.

"I bet you were. Ida ran with you," they smiled. Turning back to Damien, they said, "Well anyway, should we go round up the others? You guys seemed to be with them, and if you didn't know already, there's a big ass mall here that I've been dying to go to all summer. Maybe we can even consider it a date," Reniere gave another wink to Damien.

Liors Myrisal

---

Liors gingerly plucked a lollipop from Polyanna's hand, popping it in her mouth. It tasted like relief - not something that could be described, but simply what you would taste when you've just gotten out of something better off than you should have been. This was, of course, exactly what had just happened. She subtly steered clear of one of the newcomers, the one with the red hair. Instead, she approached the other, who seemed to have more energy than the rest of the group combined. Actually, for Liors, she was possibly the worst person to talk to. But it was too late, and the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Ah... the treant let her up," she said. No longer under the threat of Polyanna, Liors felt herself relax a little. Perhaps the day would begin to look up from there. "I'm not sure if they would let you up too but, um. Oh! That's right - my name, I'm Liors. Uh."

She stuck her hand out awkwardly, managing to smile a little. This had to be her best introduction so far, and really, Liors was feeling pretty good about it. It did seem like things were getting better, and she silently praised whatever gods there were. Not even a day in and she was approaching people on her own. It might have just been the post-impending doom adrenaline (it was), but that too was something of an achievement. It wouldn't last, but by the heavens was it an accomplishment.

@QueenNugget

Damien's eyebrows arched, "Hmm? And what could you possibly have to offer?" He paused for emphasis, "Oh wait, I know; nothing." He gave Reniere a wry grin before taking a drag off his vape. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, but I'm sure you can fill me in on everything later."

It looked like there was a young girl who had also joined the group. He couldn't recall her being apart of the original group, but he wasn't overly concerned about it. An idea crossed his mind about trying to sneak off while everyone was mingling, but then he remembered that Reniere was standing right there and would probably notice if he tried to slip away. That, and the fact that he didn't want to get entangled with Polyanna or the giant tree creatures again, made him decide to stay put for the time being.

Rhea brushed the dirt off herself and joined the two of them. Damien had an inkling that Rhea might have been partially responsible for how Reniere ended up here; knowing from first hand experience, she didn't have any qualms about inviting friends to secret magical universities. He nodded at Rhea's comment and turned back to Reniere and added,"You really should've seen it, Polyanna caught her as she tried to take off. I almost laughed my ass off."

"You really haven't changed, have you?" Damien sounded almost amused. He knew what to expect from Reniere, and this didn't surprise him in the slightest. "Though, I actually do like the idea of going to the mall. That sounds like fun. Let's go see if anyone else wants to come along."

"Ho ho! The little violet has horns does she?"

The treant, amused, lifted the small girl onto its shoulder, and leaned against the wall of the forest. "Now, what would you wish to talk about?"

"Eh, suit yourselves," responded Polyanna with a wry grin. Turning to the excitable Melody, the candy mage lifted her hands palms forward to placate her. "Hey hey, cool down. And no, I had to stop these inchlings from trying, I'd rather you avoid the same. With that being said..."

Turning to the rambunctious bunch, Polyanna gave a short yell.

"Hey you kids! Now I know you value your free time, but the list for available classes for the month have been updated, maybe you'd like to check it out before frolicking about first, yeah?"

After all, some of the more popular classes filled up right quick. It'd be a shame if they weren't able to avail them because of being stuck here.

---

"Oh you know," Viola replied to Melody with a smirk, still licking the lollipop. "I was just nice to the trees. They're much more friendly than these people." She said, motioning to the rest of the people present. "And I was wondering mayhaps if I could learn something from them. Care to join, my little bubbly seeming flower?" Truthfully, Viola wasn't particularly into attending class in the first place so Poly's words fell on deaf ears. She might have been interested in some of the field trips, but at the moment she didn't feel particularly rushed.

"So, mister tree..." What would she like to talk about? A number of things, really. "Perchance you tell me of the forest itself? I am also curious to the treants themselves." She had attempted to slow down her voice once more to get her point across. "Your histories, lives...I make a point to learn about anything in the natural world that I can." Oh right, she should probably say something to Meruin.

"Ah...Meruin, it seems I may be caught up for a bit," She spun her parasol idly. "If you could start on our previous agreement, that would be most appreciated. I shall be there as soon as my curiosity has been sated."

The number one danger of her entire stay at B.U.M. than Polyanna. La’Tavia was both frightened and upset about how things turned out. Why was she so naïve into thinking she could just do right by some and they act accordingly? Nothing about becoming friends or anything, just cooperate till the end. That’s it. Just to the end. Guess when things hit the ceiling, it’s every person for themselves. But hey, when one door closes, that same door is then destroyed and kept open for everyone who followed her. ”Whatever, I don’t need to contract a fairy anyway. I’m outta here. See you at detention Midget Poly,” La’Tavia said with a snarl as she walked away from the group towards the school.

Feeling defeated, she thought about the events which transpired up there. Her mistake, the people she got involved with, how she trusted. Yet, nothing was more heart wrenching than being misunderstood and unable to do anything about it. Trying to help and ending up in detention, again, was not how she wanted to start her year. La’Tavia just wanted to get away and fast. Her walk began to speed up into a jog, then a spring, ending in her taking off into flight, ignoring anyone who she might have passed along the way.

First up for her was to get stronger. She could not stand not being able to challenge Polyanna to a fight without being one-hit by her. The next thing was to maybe study something other than just combat. Maybe she would actually graduate this year, maybe. What could she lose? ”Oh yeah, I forgot to sign up for classes.” The reminder rang in her head as she was lost in thought about what her next move was. ”I need to be able to bring others to me and be able to challenge anyone with confidence. That is what a leader is.” Of course, she was partially right. She still had a lot of growing to do but this year, she was going to position herself to grow instead of burying herself in duels the entire year. Maybe her Organization will finally grow if she gained a better reputation.

Arriving at the administrative building, she beelined towards the bulletin where the classes were posted.

”Hmmmm, these classes are the basics. I guess there is nothing wrong with that. The old man always said,” La’Tavia stood up straight and began stroking her imaginary beard while starting again, trying to sound like Headmaster Niccolo, "Children, the basics are fundamental to the growth of any mage." As she said it, her mind was made up about what she would do.

”Hey, I would like to sign up for these activities and classes.” La’Tavia choose the class Magical Geographies, Fae Terriotory Field Trip, and Released Experiment quest.