GM Post
Time: 4:50 PM, Monday, 23rd August 2032
Location: Campus Commons; the Welcome Back Banquet
Interacting: Everyone

Warm afternoon sunlight flickered in through tall trees, creating a dappled pattern of light and shadow across well-manicured lawns and flagstone pathways. The air was warm, with just a faint touch of crispness hinting at the fall to come. The commons of campus, a large open area connecting a mix of buildings both modern and classical in design, was full of a good number of people, idly waiting for friends or striking up conversations with new acquaintances.

On one stretch of pathway stood a line of hastily-arranged picnic tables, topped with cheap tablecloths and a wide array of food-warmers and serving bowls full of chips, fruit, and cookies, staffed by a variety of smiling kitchen help. Many of these workers recognized the students who hovered around the line, asking about summer vacations and other lighthearted subjects while good-naturedly shooing them away from the food – the banquet was not to start until 5pm precisely.

It was going to be a good school year. Today, the first day of classes, had gone smoothly… as smoothly as the first day of courses could be expected to go, at least. There were about three thousand, five hundred students on this side of the campus, more or less evenly divided between the high school and college levels. As with most years, nearly a third of these students were new to the grounds, which was often a recipe for disaster. Unlike most years, however, the Institute had successfully made it through the entirety of move-in week and the first day of classes, all without a single Star-mark-related incident. Sure, there had been a few of the more ordinary sort of disagreement, roommate squabbles about bunks and the all-too-common homesickness, but none of the more newsworthy sorts.

All of the faculty were certainly glad about that; the fewer newsworthy scenes on campus this year, the better.

As the crowd of students continued to gather, approaching the full population of campus – the dining hall was closed for the banquet, and most students weren’t about to turn down free food – various senior student leaders (Identifiable by their tacky “Hello, my name is…” nametags, and equally-tacky Welcome Week tee-shirts) began to make their way around the edges of the crowd, gathering up students who looked like they might be a little bit lost or overwhelmed and striking up conversations with them. It was going to be better than home, they all promised – everyone was here to help them be their best, and if they had any questions, they just needed to ask, either any of them or the faculty. It was all going to be okay.

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Time: 4:55 PM, Monday.
Location: Campus Commons; Welcome Banquet
Interacting: Anyone coming from class!

Phoenix disdainfully adjusted the blazer jacket he wore, prying it away from the clingy, cheap t-shirt for what felt like the millionth time. He’d signed on to be an RA, and a Welcome Leader (vomit noises) besides, but he’d still rather show up to the banquet naked than in a shirt this tacky. After much pleading and cajoling, the others had agreed to let him wear a blazer to at least have some hope of saving the outfit.

His fiery hair very much stood out like a beacon, especially paired with the flame-orange shirt he’d been forced into, and several of the freshmen he’d helped find classes caught sight of him even across the field, waving to him giddily. He smiled back, inclining his head, but didn’t wave – he never waved to people.

After locking eyes with several of the other welcome leaders, and knowing they had the crowd well in hand, he positioned himself on the main path between the classroom buildings and the commons, hoping to catch any stragglers. He adjusted his blazer yet again, putting a pleasant smile on his face, and awaited the new students.

Summer was an interesting time for June.

On one hand, it was when she was free. No more rules, no one feeling sorry for her, no one knows she's a Star. She could do whatever she wanted. This year, she even got to drink alcohol for the first time since she was allowed too. That was fun.

On the other, she could do whatever she wanted. That kind of freedom was paralyzing. Too many things to do, why even bother? There was no one looking out for her. She could make a mistake. But people like her- the black stars- the..."corrupted" Stars. Her type were kept under closer watch than most. So she was sure that people could come out of the woodwork and put a bag over her head if she went loony.

June didn't want to go loony. But people looked at her weird. Tank tops are comfortable but if she wears them people can see some of her chest which means they can see some of her black star. It's very black. June didn't like that. She wished it was white, but it never did. It just stayed black, like a tattoo. Ink. Jet black on her bright white skin, it was matte, absorbed the light like a black hole. That was why today she was covering it up entirely with a t-shirt. She just wanted to have fun.

So that's what she was trying to do. The above thoughts had plagued her for a while but now she was staring excitedly at the new students, wondering if any of them would be her friend. The way she acted could be seen as...unbecoming, of a woman who had fully entered adulthood. June grinned brightly, sitting on a wooden table, watching the students pass by with her wide eyes.

"Hello! Bonjour! Hola!" She called out, waving rapidly. June was wearing a dull yellow t-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans. Her black hair was tied up into a ponytail, her bangs falling hap-hazardly into her face. Tucked behind her left ear there was a rose, fresh and beautiful like it was plucked straight off the vine only minutes ago. June wasn't on the welcome committee but she was in spirit. The problem was that the Welcome Leaders were all well informed and sociable, and figures of reliable, relatable semi-authority. June was definitely not those things. She had caused problems in the past when it came to interacting with new students...but fortunately for everyone she had somewhat mellowed as she grew very slightly older.

June spotted Phoenix briefly and giggled. He was outrageously orange. Eveything from his hair to the Welcome Leader shirt. It made her eyes hurt just looking at it. A phoenix was a big, flaming bird. That's what Phoenix looked like right now. He couldn't hide anywhere. He stuck out like a pylon in headlights.

"Hello! Do you know the way? I can show you around?" June tried to catch the attention of a nearby student. She was off-puttingly welcome, and not wearing the uniform of a welcome leader. When she spoke, she spoke quickly, with a very slight accent denoting her homeland of France. Some of the people walking nearby were practically children but June didn't mind- even if they almost certainly did. No bright orange shirt, no tacky nametag, just a red rose and a big-toothed grin with impossibly white teeth that seemed to catch the afternoon sun.

Time: 4:55 PM, Monday
Location: Campus Commons; Welcome Banquet
Interactions: Anyone who approaches first

Morgan swallowed nervously. His palms felt sweaty so he wiped them on the back of his pants, which made him realize he was tapping his foot. He stopped for a moment, but quickly started again when anxiety threatened to overwhelm him. "Pull it together, Morgan..." He muttered to himself. He hated this time of year. Too many smiles, too much forced camaraderie — it drove him insane. He longed to flee to the comfort of isolation, to find his favorite corner of the school library where no one would bother him. He wanted nothing more than to replace the agony of social interaction with the solace of his books. But this event was basically mandatory, and so here he was. Sweating. Nervous. Alone.

Morgan bit his lip, looking around for a possible refuge. He saw Phoenix Gallagher welcoming people dressed like some kind of great orange Peacock, and promptly looked elsewhere. He saw June and briefly considered walking over, but judging by how she tried to catch the attention of nearly every person walking in her general direction he decided that wasn't a good idea either. Maybe he could slip by, but it seemed a risky prospect. At least she isn't here... He comforted himself, as he thought of the bubbling ball of energy that was Aaliyah Meadows. Morgan felt guilty for the relief he felt, but extroverted people like Aaliyah were the bane of his existence. He didn't know how to deal with them at all. It was a shame too, because supposedly she shared the same majors as he did. He would have loved someone to talk to about those topics without feeling like he was boring them incessantly — which always seemed to be the case whenever he miraculously mustered the courage to do so.

People were starting to stare at him, Morgan realized. He had been hesitating too long, and people were starting to notice him. Before anyone dared to approach him, Morgan abruptly picked a direction at random and woodenly began to walk forwards. He kept an eye out for the welcome leaders and anyone else that looked too happy or welcoming. They would certainly try to strike up a conversation, and he didn't want that. Hopefully he would be able to find a relatively isolated spot and ride out the event in solitude...

Time: 4:56pm
Location Campus Commons; Welcome Banquet
Interactions: Anyone

Aaliyah had a someone what rough day as she found herself rushing to the Campus Commons to prepare for the Banquet. While no longer a competitor for the debate team, she had taken to help coaching Nova's team after moving into the college program, and with one of the other coaches having seemingly quit for reasons unknown to her, she had to take on far more responsibility in terms of helping the team. She had just returned from the team's Welcome back meeting and was now trying to make it to the team's booth to prepare for the wave of new students that would be interested in joining the team. Despite all of the stress that helping the team put on her though, Aaliyah enjoyed it regardless. Debate was something that always been important to her and given her something to do - and to be able to give fellow stars something to take pride in after they had made to feel lesser because of their gift was something that was incredibly valuable to Aaliyah.

Aaliyah passed by Phoenix on her way to the debate team's booth. She had only talked to him on a few occasions, as both of them were in separate programs. He had made a name for himself as Professor Edward's prodigy and one of the best students within the fine arts department, but Aaliyah had found Phoenix's attitude and outward personality off-putting, so she had never really bothered to try to make friends with him. She waved a brief hi to Phoenix as more of a expected courtesy then a friendly hello before proceeding to move on.

Aaliyah found herself stumbling across Morgan. Aaliyah had met and talked to Morgan before as they shared the same double major and were the same year in the college program. Her friendly nature had yet to pierce Morgan's introverted nature despite the amount of classes they shared. She had kept on trying though, hoping that Morgan could finally find a friend here on campus that he could talk. She approached Moran, hoping to strike up a conversation.

"Hey Morgan, nice to see you back, are you ready for this year?" asked Aaliyah in a friendly tone.

@VoiD

Today was Alice’s first day at this school, but she wouldn’t be spending as much of her time here compared to most, since she’d already has two years of high school. She strolled down the main path to the hall where everyone was, wearing her usual blazing red jacket, with some no-doubt unbelievably unpopular song playing through half of her earbuds while the other half dangled to the side. On her shoulder was a backpack full of things she had brought with her, clothes, school stuff, the usual. Most of the things she brought were already in her room that she sorted out beforehand, but the stuff she carried right now was everything she didn’t. Shortly after he walk she was at the main gathering area, but she didn’t bother to socialize with anyone.

Instead she simply took a seat at table that was entirely empty, she wasn’t very hungry, and the big horde of people around her at this event wasn’t really her scene in the first place. Rather, she dropped her bag at the side of her chair and pulled out some small paperback book of information about this school. She never got a chance to read through it much, so now was her chance. Thankfully, the odd shade of her star was invisible behind her red sleeves, so hopefully to whatever god is listening nobody would bother to ask about that any time soon.

Time: 4:56 PM
Location: Campus Commons; Welcome Banquet
Interacting: Echo Gallagher

Naomi spedwalk out of the band building, tennis shoes slapping against concrete at a steadily increasing speed. There was a suspiciously full duffel bag slung over her right shoulder, which she kept adjusting as she walked. Oh, Lord, I'm so late, she thought, directing an almost panicked glance at her phone in the middle of the crush of students in the hallway. It was 4:56, and Echo had specifically instructed her to get there early. Judging by the heart-clenching crush of students on the sidewalk, she wasn't early whatsoever. They probably had only 10 minutes, give or take, to set up. She dragged her only free gloved hand through her braids. They were so going to get caught. Then she would get expelled and sent home and-

She took a breath and forced her way through the students crowding the sidewalk, gesturing at the two band kids trailing after her to follow her. It would be okay. Only some kind of spaz would think that they would send her home for something like this. She muttered several quiet apologies to the students she squeezed between. Several older students shot her annoyed glares. But, amid the excitement of orientation, nobody seemed to really notice the three band kids squeezing through the crowd, even though they looked fairly suspicious. To Naomi's annoyance, both of the others had brought fedoras and heavy scarves. She hadn't bothered with either- in her opinion, they'd just make her even more obvious. But most students were already used to odd things from band kids. The oddest thing was probably her own pink duffel bag. It was obviously heavy and bulging, objects pulling at the fabric.

Once she caught sight of Echo by the bushes, behind the stage, Naomi split from the crowd and bolted across the grass to her friend. It was a short run, but when she got there, she flung her things onto the ground, panting. She put her backpack and saxophone near some of the bushes, but put the duffel bag in the middle of them.

"S-sorry I'm late, she said to Echo. She panted, hands on her knees. "I know you said to get here early, but I asked the band director to let us out early and he said no. I ran here, I swear. Really, really sorry."

Glancing around for any other students and seeing none, Naomi unzipped the duffel. A ridiculous amount of wireless alarm clocks spilled out of the bag. All were of the same design, and all of them were set to go off at differing, seemingly random times. Despite the confused glances from Echo's and her own friends, she went on.

Naomi wrung her hands, feeling everyone's attention on her. "So, um, everyone that isn't Echo or me... I want you to go to stand around where we're going to set up. If you see anyone coming, I need you to make a sound. Like, um, an owl noise...? She thought for a moment, and nodded. "Mhm. And don't look suspicious, please?" She waved the four of them off, and they all went to stand around the wide green area. She started to collect alarm clocks rather quickly, gesturing for Echo to start doing the same. "This is insane, she whispered. "You do realize that, right? Absolutely and utterly insane. We're going to get so caught. And then we're gonna get like, a month's detention."

@Amethyst

Time: 4:55 PM, Monday
Location: Campus Commons; Welcome Banquet
Interactions: Aaliyah + Anyone who approaches

Morgan went stock-still upon hearing Aaliyah's voice, before sighing and turning to face her. "H-hello Aaliyah..." He said resignedly. Of course he ran into her. Speak of the devil and such. He wrung his hands, pausing for a long moment. Before the silence turned too awkward, he spoke up again, his eyes which had been downcast prior glancing up quickly to meet hers. "I h-heard we would be covering Plato this year. Do you l-like Plato?"

Morgan kept a hard copy of Plato's Republic in his study but he was scared of mentioning that. He wasn't sure how to approach the subject in a relatable manner — everyone seemed to think it was strange for him to read those things out of class. But then most people thought it was strange to read outside of class at all, and reading was one of his most cherished hobbies. He couldn't understand how that was an unpopular activity, but maybe that was why he was considered strange by his peers. He couldn't understand their hobbies just like how they couldn't understand his.

@Aurora Primrose

Time: 4:56 PM -> 5:15ish PM
Location: Campus Commons – Welcome Banquet
Interacting: Naomi Johnson @canaryrose

The afternoon had been an uneventful one for Echo Gallagher. They’d spent much of the day climbing about in the theater catwalks, organizing boxes and boxes of dusty props that had been shoved up there at the end of last year’s productions, like they always were. Technically, they weren’t involved in leadership of the club, yet. That was mostly the college kids. They just had a knack for knowing where everything went, and with no afternoon classes on Mondays, the club’s advisor had tasked them with beginning the annual inventory.

They were startled out of their cleaning (which was really more haphazard than such a word would imply, more a squirrely flinging of things into piles and scribbling of illegible notes into a Steno pad) by their phone quietly beeping, and for the moment they ignored it, letting it beep for approximately three minutes before they remembered how important today was.

They’d had the foresight to set their alarm for 4:40, to give themself just enough time to get to the commons without too much rush – or being too conspicuously early. Echo was never early to anything. They hadn’t accounted for being in the middle of a project, however, nor that they also had to stop and pick up their… accomplices.

Without bothering to remove the flower leis from their neck, or the variety of spangled bangle bracelets stuck from their wrists to their elbows, they scurried out of the theater, leaving their project strewn about. After the festivities, they’d be right back to finish it, and didn’t trust themself to remember how they’d put things away.

A quick knock on the door of the costume lab, and two of the underclassmen flailed out into the hallway to meet them, trailing all manner of absurdist disguises. One sported a dollar-store “disguise” mask – the plastic ones with the fake glasses and nose and mustache - under a comically oversized and slightly squished fedora, and the other a stormtrooper helmet in fairly rough condition, likely all pulled from the same bin of props.

“What’s the plan, boss?”

Echo snorted at the use of “boss”, running their fingers through their freshly-shaved hair absently. “Now we go find Naomi, grab the payload, and then…” they rubbed their hands together evilly. ”Mischief.”

The three of them got some strange looks from the various faculty and staff, strange looks that were quickly averted. The faculty members were no strangers to the weird shenanigans that theater kids often pulled, and the trio of eyeliner-sporting, brightly-dyed-hair-wearing teens left little doubt in anyone’s minds about their affiliations. Usually, it was best to let such individuals be about their own business, so long as there was no chance of rulebreaking. And none of them seemed to have anything particularly, overtly rule-breaking on their person.

They arrived at the field and quickly scoped out an unoccupied corner, tucked behind some less-well-manicured shrubberies and near to some of the old oak trees. There, they waited for Naomi.

They only had to wait for a few minutes. The tall girl all but sprinted over, panting and mumbling about band letting out late. Echo wasn’t surprised; the music kids always were kept over-time, and the building was clear on the other end of campus. “You’re fine,” they said, giving a reassuring, toothy grin to their best friend.

Their eyes went a little bit wide at the sheer absurdity of the assembled alarm clocks. “Did you have to sacrifice a clarinet for this one? Jesus Christ, Naomi. You weren’t kidding that they’ll do anything for the meme…” They’d gotten the high school theater kids to contribute a modest number, 10 in addition to their own, but Naomi had outdone herself. This was going to be good….

When Naomi turned to address their help, they nodded seriously. “And distract any of the welcome crew or faculty who come to see what we’re up to, please!” they added quickly, then motioning the others to scatter.

They knelt beside Naomi, scooping as many wireless alarm clocks as they could fit into their bookbag. “If we get caught, you know I’ll take the blame. They’ll never believe sweet ‘lil Naomi Johnson did anything bad… But we won’t get caught, not by anyone that matters. It’s not like we’re hurting someone, it’s just – a little fun. This week hasn’t been nearly fun enough!”

Having grabbed several of the small clocks under their arm, and about a dozen and a half more stuffed into their messenger bag (which they carried half-open, readily accessible, just for this purpose) they blew a kiss in Naomi’s direction, as they often did to most of their friends, immediately chucking one of the clocks underneath a nearby shrubbery. “Meet you in a few minutes!”

They continued on mostly around the perimeter of the field, placing alarm clocks in inconspicuous locations – among rock beds and under shrubberies. After several minutes of this, they put their shoulders back, a big smile on their face, and plowed into the gathering masses of people, attempting to sneakily drop alarm clocks just hidden behind the legs of tables that were unoccupied – or else where the occupants were too busily conversing to notice them.

Naomi was going to put clocks around the speaking podium, nestled in among the sound equipment, so Echo was going to put them around the food line. Students were already beginning to filter through it by this point (though any of the faculty remained to be seen) so Echo got into line, absently checking their phone while nudging a clock under the first table with their boot.

5:12. The first of the clocks would start going off in fourteen minutes; they were set to varying times until 7:30. Some would go off at the same time, most with a couple minutes between, though sometimes as long as ten minutes, just to make certain that people were caught unsuspecting.

As college and high school students are prone to doing, most of the students around them were hyperfixated on the food. They took a risk and placed one of the clocks on a table, mostly hidden between two bowls of various chips- they knew that most students wouldn’t be paying attention, and at quick glance it could’ve passed for a paperweight used to hold down the tablecloth. Another two were nudged into place under table legs, and one behind the enormous cooler full of sodas and ice.

Food in hand, and alarm clocks depleted, Echo scurried off to find a table. They failed at finding one that wasn’t occupied, and so perched on the raised edge of a flowerbed, balancing their plate in their lap. Acting nonchalant was difficult, but they did their best, though all they wanted to do was giddily flail about what was about to transpire.

A thought idly flicked across their mind that they had no real idea of how they were going to retrieve these devices, nevermind ensure they remained in working condition, but such pragmatic thoughts were quickly banished.

This was gonna be so fun.

Time: 4:55 PM, Monday
Location: Campus Commons
Interactions: June @Zoey Boey

Jin was lost.

It had been years since Jin had been lost, and frankly, they blamed the school. Jin had known Chicago like their left hand. Every nook and cranny, every old building and soup kitchen. It had been shitty, but comfortable. Shitty and comfy, and most of all, blessedly familiar.

Now everything was new and shiny, from their clothing to their dorm room, to their classmates. It was making their head spin, with all the new information, things, and people – people, people, people. They’d never seen so many people in their life in one place, not even at the parking lots where they’d throw on an old Cubs T-shirt and grift the tailgaters for food.

This was all too much. With their whole body sweating from nerves inside their brand new bluejeans, binder, and coral pink tee, Jin stayed stuck inside the ebbing flow of the crowd of students. Many of them seemed to know each other already. They watched as the others called out to friends, with hugs and laughter. There were other freshman like Jin, however, looking half-lost and just as awkward as Jin felt. Jin could swear they were getting looks, though.

The paper map the school had provided was half-crushed in one hand, and Jin tried desperately to read and walk. “A… aud… auridorm? Audi- autidorim? Fuck.” The map was hastily shoved into a back pocket, and Jin scanned the crowd for someone who looked like they knew what they were doing.

The rose stuck out first, a red beacon in a sea of colors. The brunette woman was smiling big, looking open and pleasant. Jin’s immediate thought was “patsy”, but there was no time for those games now. Maybe if they played cute, this woman would take pity.

God, this was so not Chicago.

“Um. ‘Scuse me.” Jin approached the woman and yanked the map out of their pocket again. It tore. Damn. What was this word, anyway? “Aud-”

Most people walked by, which was fine. A part of June understood why some people would be put off by her but for now it didn't matter. Eventually, though, she caught someone's attention. A small and skinny freshman who looked very lost. They were fumbling with their map, trying to read and walk. Very hard to do. June shot up from her seat as Jin approached, but then crouched down a little bit and then straightned up slower, trying to somehow undo her initial quick movement. Smiling she walked out from the other side of the table and went to Jin's side, almost bumping into their shoulder.

"Yes? You are looking for something?" She asked quickly, her accent sharpening her S's and th's. "I have been going here for many years. Many years. You are new here, I can tell. Your map is torn. I can fix it for you?" She said it like a question, but it was clearly more like some kind of aggressively friendly demand. June snatched the map from Jin's hand and ran her long pale fingers over the tear. After a moment she pushed it into Jin's chest, and the map was good as new. It had even unwrinkled itself and the ink shone on the page. June smiled brightly and brushed a strand of hair out of her face and it just as quickly fell back infront of her eyes.

"But you are looking for somewhere? Ooowd, auuud, awwwd..?" The brunette was trying to finish the noise Jin had made. Finally June relented and allowed her newest friend to get a word in. She crouched closely over Jin's shoulder and scanned over the newly created map. The bright red rose had enroached on Jin's peripheral vision. If there was something June was good at, it was navigating this school. Right? She was pretty sure she knew where everything was. If not she could just use this map her new friend had. She should ask their name. She should probably introduce herself. Zut! Well, too late now, she could do it later. She had already asked Jin some questions so she would have to wait to get answers. Hopefully Jin liked the map now that it was fixed.

Time: 4:56pm
Location Campus Commons; Welcome Banquet
Interactions: Morgan @VoID

"Oh Plato? I haven't had the time to read him on my own yet so I am actually really excited to get a chance to study it in class." responded Aaliyah. Aaliyah was aware of some the rumors and general disregard people had for Morgan, but she could tell by speaking to him he was just a shy introvert trying to make his way through school. Aaliyah thought to herself about how common it was for stars to be shy and introverted. It seemed to almost be a side effect of the way they were treated in society and by their friends.

Aaliyah spoke up again, her friendly tone still bubbling into the air. "I am more excited for Russian history though. Did you sign up for it?" she asked, as she began walking in direction towards some of the booths, beckoning for Morgan to follow her.

Time: 4:58 PM -> 5:19 PM
Location: Campus Commons; Welcome Banquet
Interacting: Echo Gallagher @Amethyst

As always, the presence of one of Naomi's less... high-strung friends soothed her. She nodded along to everything Echo said, happy to hand off half of the responsibility to them. She practically shoved half of the alarm clocks into their bag by the handful She just wanted the actual risky part to be over and done with so they could get to the fun part- when they would actually set off. Just the thought made her light up with excitement. But nervousness, too- Echo's comments didn't assuage her worries all the way. After all, any number of things could happen, and authority wasn't always constant.

Although rather used to the gesture at this point, Naomi's face still went beet red when Echo blew the kiss at her. "See you!" she whisper-shouted after them, and then got to work.

Naomi was strategic in her placement of the alarm clocks. Under her watchful gaze, they were hidden under mulch, in the leaves of bushes, and in the midst of blooming flowers ripe for the picking. At seeing a bush of vibrantly orange and red lilies, she gave pause, and then snapped a few off, putting them into her pocket. They were beautiful. Might as well save a few for later. Then she dropped a single alarm clock square in the middle of the bush and kept going.

However many clocks she might have placed in the landscape around the stage, Naomi did save the majority of them for the actual stage itself. A few weeks ago, in the library, alone together, Echo and her had planned out the majority of this prank on paper. They had wanted there to be alarm clocks actually close to the speaker, but one of them would actually have to get physically close to the stage, even on it, for that to happen. Echo getting up onto the stage would have been too suspicious, what with their history of trouble-making, so the task was left up to Naomi. To her never-ending surprise, faculty at NI seemed to love her. They didn't suspect her in nearly anything. Which was why the task of actually getting up to the stage was left to her.

This process, in order to look nonchalant, took a few minutes. Naomi sat herself on the edge of the stage and began to work her magic. While shielding her hands and the duffel bag full of alarm clocks from view, she hid alarm clocks everywhere she could think of. Under speakers. In between speakers. She even kicked a few under the stage. And then, for the crowning jewel, she scooted back enough to be just touching the mic. And one was slid right inside of the podium.

Seeing that the duffel bag was empty, the orientation about to start, and her due diligence done, Naomi smiled to herself. She went to go get a plate full of food, loading up on fruit and veggies and grabbing a bottle of water before heading to where Echo was. She paused a minute, remembering the flowers in her pocket. Then, she pulled them out and presented them to Echo, a silly grin on her face.

"Happy start of our junior year, Echo," she said, smiling. She did a mock bow and then plopped herself onto the edge. Then, she leaned in for a whisper. "It's all done. I hid, like, 10 on the sound stage, so we should be good on that front." She then giggled and shook a little, a rare burst of excitement. "Even if we are put permanently in detention, this is gonna be really funny! I've been waiting for this all summer, which has been so boring. No offense to you, of course. I just had to do a lot more stuff at home. But I do think this might be my first real prank."

Time: 5:00 PM, Monday
Location: Campus Commons; Welcome Banquet
Interactions: @Aurora Primrose + Anyone who approaches

Morgan looked surprised for a moment before unconsciously beaming. "Really?" He asked, suddenly shedding his timid mannerisms like an old cloak. "I love Plato. And Russian history! You know, they used to call Moscow the 'Third Rome', and the interactions between the principalities and the Byzantines are fascinating. There was this book I was working on that I-" Morgan stopped mid-sentence, a high blush covering his face all the way down to his neck. The energy that had possessed him seemed to dissipate in an instant.

"I, uh, meant a book that I had been reading. Not working on. Or anything like that. Y-yeah. Um, am I boring you? S-sorry." He muttered, his eyes downcast again. "Erm, I did sign up for Russian history by the way. Um, w-what other classes are you taking?"

Time: 5:00pm
Location Campus Commons; Welcome Banquet
Interactions: Morgan @VoID

Aaliyah paused for a minute, looking back at Morgan. The sudden variance of energy that she had seen in Morgan reminded of her own tendency to flip into depressive episodes when things weren't going well. She had gotten Morgan to crack open just a little bit. Rather then change her expression or react in any real way, Aaliyah continued to smile at Morgan. She was hoping that by remaining nonchalant she could make Morgan a little bit more comfortable and express sides of himself that he hadn't before.

"Morgan don't worry about it, I actually like more people to talk to about history or philosophy some time. The debate kids don't often want to talk about it that much surprisingly." said Aaliyah. "Rome is actually pretty fascinating, I am taking the class on it this semester, in addition to the class on Plato and Russian history. I also signed up for Ethics and Colonial history. What about you?"

After a few minutes of walking, the two arrived at the debate team's booth for the fair. It was fairly simple - a small wooden booth with the debate's team sign above it as well as a few trophies to show the success the team had over the past few years. One lone sophomore was founding manning the booth by himself.

"Go ahead and grab some food, I got it from here." said Aaliyah, dismissing the sophomore to the rest of the fair. She looked around before inviting Morgan to sit with her.

"So, you mentioned liking Rome, but what about other periods of history? I find myself particularly fond of WW1 and WW2." asked Aaliyah, once again smiling at Morgan.

Time: 4:57 PM, Monday
Location: Campus Commons
Interactions: June @Zoey Boey

“Uh-” Jin said eloquently as their map was taken away by the older woman. To her surprise, it came back better than it was, looking like it was hot off the printer.

“Oh. Thanks.” That was an interesting ability. Jin wondered what it really was – some kind of matter manipulation? A small time rewind? Very interesting.

Realizing they couldn’t exactly give this woman an entire rundown of her like and the reason why she was having trouble with a simple map, she instead peered at it again, pointing at the building on the diagram. “Here. I’m going here.” The floor plan labeled it ‘auditorium’. Not the most difficult of words, but Jin still didn’t know what it was. “Can you maybe get me there?” Remembering at the last second to be polite, she added: “Please?”

They thought the school really should have had digital maps for a place this size. It would be simple enough – all they’d need was access to GPS, access to each individual phone location via a small app, and a very basic IU to point out ‘you are here’. With all the supposed geniuses in this place, they couldn’t come up with something a bit more accessible? Maybe they didn’t know how to think properly.

“This place is too big.” Jin muttered. “All the buildings look alike. There’s no character, no landmarks. Too easy to get lost.”

Time: 5:00 pm Monday
Location: Campus Commons
Interaction: Alice @Blizz

Roman wasn't exactly late. He was just... being alone. He had his typical stoic look on his face. The underclassman in high school did not approach him for that fact. The upperclassman in university did not bother with him since he is just a freshman. That resulted to him being somewhat isolated in the ebbs and flows of people. He also had earbuds in, switching between YouTube video game highlights and PARTYNEXTDOOR's new album. That fact probably did not help his current social situation.

In his mind, he was already plotting the first party of the school year. Sure, he was a freshman. But, he always had the thought of making a name for himself. In the most teenage-infamous way possible anyways.

Looking at his course list absentmindedly, Roman understood that the classes he will be taking are all general courses. He hasn't exactly decided on what degree to pursue, but still, taking these generals seem like a waste of time already.

In any case, Roman tucked the course list into the inner chest pocket of his blazer and walked towards a table that was occupied by one other student. He walked over, quietly as to not disturb the other student, and sat down across from her. He tilted his head and gave her a silent greeting, if she would notice anyways. Roman had some ideas in mind on how to strike up a conversation, but that is only if the other student recognize his presence.

June smiled brightly, pleased that Jin seemed to be thankful. She peeked over Jin's shoulder, looking at the place they were being indicated. "Auuud...auditorium! Yes! Auditorium. I can take you there." She said. June stood up straight and looked around. There was Phoenix...he did not need to know that she was helping Jin. June could take of new students too, even if people didn't want her on the Welcome Committee. No one needed to know. June wanted to be helpful. Besides, it's not like Phoenix, or any other Welcome Leaders would actually be the new students friends. They would just leave them to where they needed to go and be all respectable and trustworthy and distant. June could be more than that. Jin was new here. She needed a friend! June could be that for her. Even though June didn't know the new person's name yet. She would ask them later. If she remembered. Maybe on the walk over?

"This place isn't big! You're just small. You will see, you'll love this place like a new home." June said cheerily. "It is this way!" With that, June went to take Jin's hand into her own and potentially drag them to their new destination.

@Infinite Cosmos

Alice was scrolling through music to pass the time until something important happened when she noticed some guy sit surprisingly close to her, in a giant ball room with hundreds of chairs. He looked like he was trying to talk to her, and thankfully one of her earbuds were already out. Rather than turn around and flash some kind of smile or whatever people do here, she just...stared at him. Not menacingly, not out of fear, just looked straight at him until he opened his mouth.

Time: 5:00 pm Monday
Location: Welcome Banquet
Interaction: Alice @Blizz

The girl said nothing. The silence was...deafening? Sure, the ballroom was filled with people, but no one Roman is particularly keen to interact with right this moment anyways. And this girl seemed new. Maybe she needed help>? Maybe she needed someone to chat with for a moment?

Or maybe she didn't need anything at all?

In any case, Roman remained. "Uh. Hi. Sorry to have disturbed you. You new here?" Roman said. Whatever he had 'prepared' went directly out of his brain and never looked back. In all fairness, not even Roman was expecting this level or activity, or lack thereof. He was always better at play off of the emotions and actions of others than to purely initiate by himself. This would either be real fun, or real dreadful.

The answer to that question should be coming real soon.

Time: 4:58 PM, Monday
Location: Campus Commons
Interactions: June @Zoey Boey

Jin flinched away hard as the woman reached for their hand. They glared sharply upward, annoyed at that and being called small to their face. Jin was not small. Jin was petite. There was a difference. “No. No touching, please. I’m 14, not 6, I don’t need my hand held, thanks very much.” They lapsed into silence while following the older woman as they moved through the crowd. Finally, Jin’s curiosity got the better of them. Maybe asking some questions from someone who seemed like a veteran would get her some real answers.

“So, tell me about this place. What makes it tick? Why’s it so much better than everywhere else?” Jin was still skeptical. The woman who had taken Jin here in the first place had hyped up the school so much that Jin was having trouble accepting it. Usually, when things were touted as this good, it was too good to be true. So where was the scam?

“Why are you here?”