Marea had just said goodbye to her parents and the guards as she ventured onto land. They had again stressed her mission to serve as a diplomat for important trade negotiations, but she only listened half-heartedly. She had heard the speeches a hundred times. She nodded and smiled, though, knowing to start that argument again would only cause more tension than it was worth.

As Marea entered the train car, she quickly, if not awkwardly, made her way to her seat. She pulled out one of her spellbooks as well as the information about the school. She kept her nose buried in her materials until she had arrived at the school, only breaking to get some water from the vending lady.

As she exited, she took a moment to absorb the grandeur of the Academy. She had expected something extravagant, but this was even bigger than what she had imagined. However, she quickly recollected herself and made her way to the courtyard. She listened intently as the two men gave their introductions, and waited to see her representative take the stage,

The girl was speaking to him, which, to be honest, Garuth should have expected. Given the size of the crowd, however, he did not give any sort of response that could be considered an answer aside from a few rushed caw-caw-caws that could at least be interpreted as acknowledging what she'd said to him.
It certainly wasn't a very good answer to a proper introduction but he'd been warned time and time again one simple thing about peacefully interacting with other peoples.
Humans and elves and honestly pretty much everyone were afraid of fire. Or at least afraid of fire that wasn't strictly regulated by a human, elf, and/or some other elf-shaped creature. It made them panic, and there were a whole lot of them here moving around unpredictably, so a bit of impromptu incendiary skywriting would probably be a rather poor choice even if the girl couldn't otherwise understand his point. She'd have to settle for not understanding. Or maybe she did understand birdsong? She did seem pretty bird-like after all.

The announcements from the stage did draw some of his attention though, even if he couldn't see from his new perspective of the ground. Such strange names these humans had. How exactly did one earn the name Dragon-Lancer? This person was simply a student here, not a fierce warrior who had slain so many dragons that he became known for it, right? Or maybe humans were more impressive than he had assumed despite their strange and nonsensical anatomy. They couldn't even change shape like an Anima-Iht, how could they have hoped to keep pace after all.
And then the youth called him to the stage. This was utterly unexpected. Mostly because he hadn't been aware that this was even a position at play. Sure, it was fine that the humans were blind to his light, but that's because humans were easily blinded when looking at the sun, so of course they hadn't immediately put him on top of the heap. But this Dragon-Lancer had been able to look close enough to put him near the top, where he of course belonged, yes, but he had expected it would take more time for their eyes to adjust to see the truth.
He looked to Leihra, before turning around and extending his wings upwards, an act that would likely catch the attention of anyone who wasn't a six-and-a-half-foot tall giantess standing up to her full height, as his wingtips stretched out to almost the height of a human being, before he flicked them down, launching himself into the air and restarting his flight on to wherever the stage was. It took a few more flaps to get properly going, but that first one had to be slow on the upstroke just to ensure people understood the message and got out of the way.

That platform there looked like a stage. It certainly shone like a stage would. And it had only a few people on it, as opposed to the mass that covered the grounds around it. It would take a bit of maneuvering and time spent just getting to the place, but nonetheless he did fly over to the stage and made a much more graceful landing this time as he aimed for the ground from the start instead of making that decision half a second before impact.
On the other hand, 'more graceful' meant in this case that he swooped in, left a set of scores on the stage as his talons met the nice and presumably polished-to-perfection surface, and initially facing away from the crowd. Though that last part was on purpose, as it let him waddle around on those selfsame talons—with just as much care for the surface now as when he landed—and show off every side of his body after landing. It all would have likely been impressive if he hadn't flown so far uninterrupted and crashed into the ground less than 5 minutes prior, as his feathers, to be as gentle as possible, were in complete disarray, with a couple visibly sticking out on his head.
Not that he was that concerned, really. He preened for himself, after all. Everyone else was meant to recognize just how bright he shined without such trivialities.

Alanis looked at the airship taking her from her island, her pack, everything she had worked for. She looked back at her pack, what was left of it, and taking a deep breath, boarded the ship. As much as she despised other races, she was doing this for her pack. Fortunately, she made it in time to slip in the back in the middle of what seemed to be an important procession, just in time for the announcement of the representatives, frowning when there was no representative for Bellator, and the.. bird crashing? Alanis winces when the phoenix thuds, and strains to see if the creature is alright.

"I, I think so? Your guess is as good as mine..." Did Momotaro just miss the "bird student" memo, or was this a new thing? Is that like, y'know, allowed? Though, he probably shouldn't be too surprised, since there's an entire country of half-animal, half-human students arriving alongside this... uhhhh.... bird. It's an intelligent bird, right? It's got a name, so... Garuth, right? Would he be able to hold a conversation...?

"I have... so many questions," Momotaro finally says, watching the phoenix fly on stage in all of his feathery, ruffled glory. "Oh yeah, which house are you in?" he asks Spencer, watching the stage skeptically. "I'm in Princeps, but I don't see my guy yet..."

Spencer thinks" I'm in divinos I also wasn't really paying attention when they were talking is the Phoenix the representative for my house? " He asked taking a puff on his cig he then looked at toro" want one toro ?" He said offering him a cigarette " it calms the nerves . "

Alanis' nose twitches slightly as she sniffs the air. "Smoke, fire." She looks for the source, following the scent trail to two male humans. "You sent smoke. Why? Is something wrong?" Alanis looks at the taller male, a light accent in her voice. Is he breathing smoke sticks? She frowns. "Never mind, I forget humans are reckless with fire," Alanis turns to look at the stage as if nothing had happened. "I hope the bird is alright. He had quite the fall," she murmurs to herself.

Spencer looks at alanis when she asks the question " well hi miss no there's nothing wrong just having a smoke" He said his accent getting only a tad bit thicker on the word miss he then smiles when she says humans " who says I'm a human miss maybe I just look like them and I'm sure he bird will be fine it looked resilient "

Alanis' nose crinkles slightly. "You stink like a human, you look like a human, you sound like a human, you must be at least part human. And I am not 'miss', I am Alanis," Alanis looks forward, until she says her name, then she looks him dead in the eyes.

Spencer nods " you're right miss alanis I'm part human part Angel I'm a nephilheim " He says taking a drag them sniffing himself" I mean I know I smell like cigarette smoke by do I stink that bad? He says with a chuckle " so miss alanis are you from the north or south? " he says taking another drag.

Alanis frowns, coughing lightly when he takes a drag. "Yes, Sir Nephilheim, you do stink that badly," Alanis grins slightly. "I am from neither the north nor the south. I am from the beautiful Izmol islands." Her exotic accent thickens when she talks about her homeland.

Spencer nods " never heard of them I've been to the Hawaii islands though." He takes another drag and offers it to her " want to try? it calms the nerves "He says offering her a unlit one as he watched the speakers.

Alanis purses her lips in thought. "Hawaii? Are those islands in the United Human Kingdoms?" When he offers one, she instinctively bats it away, leaning back and growling softly. Then she straightens herself, sighing. "No. My nerves do not need subduing."

Spencer nods " no they're part of the United States of America and alright no need to get angry." He puts the cigarette up and flicks the one he was smoking on the ground then stamps it out " so what are you miss alanis that growl didn't seem human. " He says scratching at his arm ." also what do you think the curriculum will be hard or easy to pass? "

Alanis watches the snuffed out cigarette. "Fire is dangerous, Sir Nephilheim. Please be careful." She looks up at him, and her previous soft and soothing voice turns cold. "I am an Animal-Iht, or Animal-Shifter. I do not care whether the classes will be easy or difficult. In fact, I do believe that if they are too difficult then you are not to be here from what I understand. These courses are simply an obstacle for me to pass, the difficulty does not matter as I did not come here to fail."

Spencer nods " alright miss didn't mean to offend you. " He looks through the crowd " so many people " He mutters to himself and looks at taro " are you excited for your classes ? " He asks

Alanis shrugs. "You didn't. I was just stating it like I see it." Alanis looks around, trying to see if there were others like her.

Galdin wore a friendly face as he shook Spencer's hand as it was offered, the young marquis still kept his gloves on. "Pleasure is all mine." He softly said, and allowed the handshake to meet it's end.

"The right side? Ofcourse. The righteous always do win out in the end." Galdin added, his eyes closing into a slit, barely showing his pupils and irises as a faint smile crawled up on his lips. The boy, Spencer, seemed to be of common birth, the overall appearance of the boy seemed to be that of a troublemaker as far as Galdin could make out. That look on his face, the smokestick and it's smoke which he blew in the young marquis direction. Such a lack of refinement. Yet where there be smoke, there be fire. Prod the coal enough and it may spark up. Galdin thought to himself, as he took a few steps forwards holding his breath still as he walked out of the smoke and set his gaze on the friend of that Spencer boy, at least he thought he was a friend of his.

"...and good to meet one such as yourself, Momotaro." Tamako hm? The blonde pondered as Momotaro was being led off by Spencer. Then there was this other young man, better dressed than the two former. At least that is what the marquis thought. The young man in question had introduced himself as Jeralt Seymour, the adopted son of a duke. This very thing appealed to Galdin greatly, to which he had smoothly greeted the fellow noble, by shaking his hand.

"Fair day, Earl Seymour." Galdin said in a smooth manner, soft and elegant. He wasn't exactly certain if this young man was the heir or not, he figured he would play it safe by assuming he was a secondary son. Adopted son. Thus an earl. In the worst case he would have to bear with the young man being of the same standing as himself, until the passing of Jeralt's foster father. The marquis took a moment to look around, spotting Meer as he did, but before he could act on his sight. The bells rang for all to gather to the entry-speech.

The young man excused himself from those in his vicinity and with firm, yet graceful steps made his way forwards, not to push his way into the forefront of the gathering, but to find a slightly higher elevated position which would give him a better overall view. As the speech began, Galdin kept his thoughts to himself.

Minister Othello, what a person to represent humankind as a whole. Though I wonder if those which praise you know about all your deeds.

The ending pact. It has a pleasant ring to it.
Then came the moment to present first year representatives for each domicile. The one doing it, Lucian Dragonlance did have quite the way to make an entrance. A thing which royalty tended to do. Not that Galdin minded it at all. It was just not the kind of royal he would prefer to see sitting on the human kingdom's throne.

The young marquis softly bit his lower lip. People. Not all people are behaving like people. People are not equal. People are not meant to be equal. There are those who rule, and it is those who serve. It is how it has always been. There are those who are born with illnesses, and there are those without. Some are born rich, and others are born poor. In material matter or skills. Trying to even things out is just going to make everything average, and who would settle for that when it is their destiny to claim the stars? He allowed his gloved fingers to trail over his hair and he adjusted it slightly to make himself look more presentable. That's when the decision for the leaders came to be. Jeralt Seymour for the Princeps and Garuth Stone-Singer for Divinos. Galdin's eyebrows twitched slightly, his teeth grinding against oneanother, a vein clearly visible on his head, before he deeply sighed and readjusted his stance. Chuckling slightly as he did.

Leader of Princeps? Fair enough. I can go along with that. In fact I couldn't have chosen better myself. But to put this... gar... gargo.. garbage.. garbutt thing in charge of Divinos is a mistake, a mistake which needs to be corrected soon. All it takes is a big failure of unforgivable magnitude.

Alanis patiently waits for the assembly to be over, her nose twitching delicately at the overcrowding stench of the humans around her. It is at these times that I wish I did not have keen senses. Humans I smell perfectly fine. Unfortunately.

Marea was surprised to see her representative land on the stage. She expected someone a little more humanoid and not a bird. A bird person, maybe, but not an actual bird. She was a little uncomfortable with how fiery he looked, but assumed the heads of the school wouldn't pick a representative if such things as elemental affinities would get in the way of duty. She resolved herself to meet up with him once the entrance ceremony was done.