---

Clothing Change

~"Hmm. Adequate."~

For these the masses should surely be impressed, for most have not but seen fine linens and silk before in their daily lives. Workmanship lavished upon stone and mortar to make architecture most commoners would but stare in awe upon passing.

But she was no mere peasant, nor was she part of those so inclined by obvious attempts to look as grandiose as possible, all the while hiding the venom beneath pleasant facades. Not that it mattered. She was here for vastly different purposes, one that not a single one of them would understand, or have even considered.

"I almost regret coming here." Jeanne uttered out loud.

She had changed into something more comfortable as she inspected her room. Almost carelessly she put down the jacket onto a desk, pulling a button out to inspect it, before setting it down by a mirror. There was a nice pool outside but what fool swam at night without the warmth of the sun?

Closing her eyes for a moment, she remembered a peculiar individual that might be of some interest to her. A different approach to her own creed perhaps? In any case, sitting down here would be a waste of her time; some time walking to familiarize herself with the area would be far more entertaining.

LÊ BẰNG KIỀU

---

Ah. Were they supposed to be expecting more roommates?

Bang peered curiously around his new lodgings, counting the bedrooms and bathrooms with bemusement. The architectural style was somewhat lost on the Vietnamese boy – somewhere in the west Europes, perhaps – and he made an honest effort to appreciate the opulence, really. He… could think of improvements to better suit his condition. Already he could imagine the sunlight distractingly reflecting off the stark floors and shimmering pool, directly into his eyes. The vast floors incrementally adding to the work placed on his limp over the next several months.

With the room staff having already deposited his luggage in a bedroom (he’d have to figure out which one later) Bang flopped gracefully onto a living room sofa, taking in the chilled air with closed eyes.

"It seems we're stuck together for the time being...”

Bang opened one eye to peer at his new roommate. He recognised this one from the dance floor.

"... Introductions are in order I suppose, James Porter. Chemist and Dynamicist, and you are?"

The Egoist returned it with a smile much warmer than the other boy’s.

“Le Bang Kieu, Vietnamese Egoist. I hope we have a good stay, roommate.” He paused. “Did you have fun tonight?”

---

It was time to board the trains and avoid... the travesty that had occurred in the ballroom. In truth, Kalil did not expect the dancing to go so badly as it did but at least his new friend(?). As the night would go on ad his high faded, the Dhaka prodigy would only remember more details which would embarrass him to no end. The drugs, the singing, the dancing, oh Allah the dancing was horrendous. It was full of missteps, tripping and desperate fumbling on his part. All in all, he would have difficulty trying to find the mindset to rest after such an eventful night. Cringeworthy, future students of his age would claim. A cringeworthy experience indeed.

But for now, the embarrassment was to the back of Kalil's skull, as another idea seemed to grasp at him during the train ride. There were two details missing from the night, two which itched his thinking mind. Who was Nazca? And who caused the bulbs to spark like it did? The former was difficult, as with women, there could be a myriad of different reasons as to why she was so insistent. A stalker, perhaps? Or perhaps she was a cannibal? He went pale white at the thought.

She was a Briton, right? Did they not eat man meat? As a boy, he was always taught the savagery of the "Empire of Britannia". A small island with imperial ambitions but not even a tenth the size of Hindustan, expansionist pale-skins. Cannibalism seemed to fit the bill, the outer world always seemed so savage. But she was not as pale-skinned as his other British friend... Where did James go?!

In the drug-addled ramblings in his mind, Kalil had once again forgotten the latter topic in which he wished to think upon and stumbled into his new quarters with a piercing headache. The effects of drugs and alcohol seemed to flush out of his system very quickly but the pain always felt severe. It was in fact so bad that he completely missed the other occupant inside the room and almost missed how lavish it was.

Well, in the Western style that is. As Kalil's vision spun while he laid down on the floor, he would see the vastness of the space that would be his and another unknown person's. To his taste, it was not as opulent or colourful as his own home before but it was leagues better than the hovels he had seen at the local universities in Dhaka. But at least add some colour here, this thing was so blindingly white. His complaints would be said aloud, as chemically-altered people tend to do, perhaps making his new roommate uncomfortable or amused?

The prodigy of Dhaka would only know after a few minutes, with the world's spinning coming to a stop and the headache fading slowly. He sat up, bleary eyed and sore as he placed his miniature shisha pipe in the middle of living room, beckoning forward what he reckoned to be a person of his imaginations. He often smoked with ghosts, to combat the loneliness of his endeavours without his father.

"Spirit, o come forth," He slurred, slowly getting more coherent as he spoke. "come partake in holy vapours." He smiled, hoping to calm the short spirit in front of him.

@Yankee

---

What a fantastic night he thought, as his sobriety had only been fully restored as he was leaving the hall. The lights were brighter in the hall, the music more moving, and he had a dance partner who knew how to dance. In fact, at points she danced better than him and took the lead. This normally would have been a point of wounded pride for the Austrian boy, similar to his exchange with the violin virtuoso. But in his altered state, he found it rather enjoyable.

"I don't know where you learnt to dance like that Ryuuko. But you are certainly no run of the mill Oriental girl. For that you have my commendation." Franz twirled her around with hand above her head as if the dance was still continuing. "Although next time, I'm afraid, I will be taking the lead. I have a reputation to uphold after all." He stated in a joking matter.

It was a fittingly great end to the night for Ryuuko as well. Ryuuko was most certainly not among the best of dancers, but she also most certainly possessed of much more gusto and endurance than most; and Franz were able to keep up with her lead. She kept her smile as she left the hall walking alongside Franz, feeling quite content indeed. Of course, Hana's administration of whatever chemicals it were that she produced also helped with that. The effects had faded now, but it regardless contributed to Ryuuko's good mood.

"Why thank you, you honor me with your commendation." She giggled lightly, half playful with her answer. "You yourself had proven yourself to be extraordinary once more, Franz. Not many had the guts to actually finish a proper dance with me. And sure, I suppose it's only fair to let you take the lead next time, hmm?" She returned the jest accompanied by her typical wide toothy grin.

The pair continue with their small talk as they board the same tram together. They've found out along the way that they're actually going to be in the same accomodation with one another. From Ryuuko's part, she had assumed that they'll be rooming together; something that Ryuuko had been quite pleased about. After all, on top of having a positive impression of Franz due to seeing him as fellow "mold breaker", Franz had proven to be pleasant company. That it would be highly unusual for a male and a female student to be put together as roommates didn't occur to her.

Alas, her mood then took a not insignificant dip as she stepped out of the tram and looked upon the place that was to be her accomodation. A frown immediately formed on her face as her left eye twitched in irritation. "... A ryokan." She paused, standing still for a good five seconds. "A. Damn. Ryokan." Ryuuko grinned wide, eyes seemingly ablaze as she tried her very best not to follow it up with an actual fiery blast of flame. Instead, she took a few deep breaths in and out to settle her nerve. This is either an extremely annoying fluke, or a deliberate attempt by someone who had it out for me. Gods. Blasted. Damn it.

Franz was left curious by his companions sudden drop in mood. It was pretty obvious that it was the living arrangements that had caused it. Franz of course had no idea what a Ryokan was, but it looked nice enough on the outside. It even had a big garden he could bring his spiders out to. By all regards, there was nothing too bad about it on a surface level.

"You must forgive me for my ignorance. But I would assume you would find such a place... homely. No?" Sure the girl had a rebellious spirit, but she was still Japanese. Wasn't she? Franz thought.

Ryuuko turned to look at Franz as he asked the question. She took one more deep breath in and then slowly sighed it out, now slightly less aggravated. She didn't exactly smiled as she usually would when talking with other people, an obviously unhappy grimace still on her face as she started talking. "Yes, well... I didn't came all the way here to Bermuda to just experience... "home". If that made sense." She sighed again, trying hard to stop herself from getting pissed off again; which her emotional part was nudging her toward.

"I'd much rather be placed in an accomodation based on an Occidental design. Or heck, even another kind of Oriental design instead of something that I've already experienced countless times before all my life. Now I'm just hoping it won't be as... Traditionally Japanese inside as it looked outside." Ryuuko then lightly bit her own lower lip, eyes narrowed as she looked toward the building again. She paused for a few more seconds before then letting out yet another sigh, followed by shaking her head casually and shrugging. "But hey, at least I can count on your company, hmm? That'll help make this way more tolerable." She grinned widely at Franz. While she said it playfully, she really did feel that his presence was one of the positive things she can take away from this.. disaster.

Franz stood in silence for a moment, letting Ryuuko let out all she had to say until she asked him a question directly. He took her hand politely and smiled "I'm afraid the interiors of this place will be more of the same. I can understand your frustration, variety is the spice of life after all. And, seeing as I'm the only thing of Occidental design around here, you are more than welcome to keep your attention on me." Franz gave a small laugh to his own joke.

While Franz knew this exchange would be beneficial for his studies, he couldn't shake that he genuinely enjoying the girl's company either. He decided to follow his whims rather than continue to analyse each move she made.

"I imagine my bags would have been delivered into my room. With all the trinkets and tools of the Occident they contain, I imagine the place would look far less... traditional. Once unpacked, you are welcome to come around any time of course." Franz begun to lead her inside the building. "If you get sick of the taste of 'home'." He joked as he viewed the entrance, an alien archetectural design to him.

Ryuuko lifted her left hand, putting the palm against the back of her neck while making gentle rubbing motions as Franz held her right hand politely. She then sighed again, but at the very least it was then followed by a light smile. "Yeah, you're right. It's likely just going to be the same inside, heh... But you're also right indeed that I can just keep my attention on you instead!" She let out a hearty laugh at that, decided that she will indeed do just that for now.

"And oh I definitely can't wait for that. Anything that can make this place look less traditionally Japanese is a winning plan to me." A light, playful chuckle followed her words as Franz began leading her inside to the building. "And well, I myself definitely have plans to renovate. Small things first for tonight... And then bigger renovations on the first chance to do so!"

Ryuuko took just a brief look around as they entered, enough to confirm that Franz was of course right about how the inside wasn't any less Japanese than the outside. Light wooden furnishing, flooring, walls, and ceilings. Sliding doors. Wall scrolls with kanji letters written on them. Paper lanterns covering electric light bulbs. Even bonsai plants... She suppressed another grimace, instead making a shrug and returning her attention to Franz as she already decided. "Of course, you're very welcome to take in and enjoy the sight of this place. Not like I can stop you from doing so, hmm? Haha... I might even be able to answer and give explanations if something caught your attention about the design and such. Whether I like it or not, it's knowledge that unsurprisingly had now been permanently ingrained in me after all."

Of course Franz was interested by the scenery. As much as he liked to consider himself cultured, that often only extended to cultures of the Occident. With this being an entirely new place to him, he was filled with the desire to explore it. Similar to an archeologist who had found a new set of ruins to study. "I..." He was about to ask for some sort of tour before he remembered the mood of his company toward this place. Franz cleared his throat. "To you, these halls are mundane and blasé. I don't wish for you to stay out here any longer than you want to." Franz began picking up the pace toward their room.

Once they reached the door, Franz looked toward Ryuuko as he tried to open it. "Besides, some long tour would just take away the mystery." Upon feeling around for a handle and finding nothing he drew his attention back to the door. Quickly putting two and two together he slid it open. "Oh."

What Franz saw was a stylish but minimalist room with his bags placed neatly to the side. With his own grandiose Occidental expectations, the room looked empty to him. "I am confused. Do they keep the rest of the furniture in a closet somewhere?"

"And whose bags are these? I supposed I was bound to have a room mate. I hope he doesn't bother me too much. Maybe he passed out at the party and won't be coming home tonight." Franz chuckled looking back at Ryuuko.

"Oh." Ryuuko said with a look of surprise on her face. "I see..." While she did felt that Franz had been pleasant company thus far, she didn't expect him to be so considerate of her feelings. The surprise soon faded, turning into a wide smile. "Hehe, alright then! Let's just proceed as we are." She continued letting Franz led her through the ryokan.

Soon arriving at the door to the room, Ryuuko was about to point out to Franz that the door indeed had no handle when he quickly realized it himself. Then she looked at the room along with Franz. "Ha! Just as I expected then. A typical ryokan room indeed." She looked at Franz as he looked confusedly at the modestly decorated room. "Oh no, what you see here are indeed what we're getting. Well, there's likely some spare futon, blankets, and pillows there." She said as she pointed at another, smaller sliding door at the other side of the room. "But yeah... This is it. I guess on the bright side, there's lots of empty room to put our own stuffs, huh?" She shrugged and sighed casually.

"Oh, those bags?" She looked at the bags as Franz joked about the room mate which was yet unknown to him. "Why, those are mine, of course!" Ryuuko let out a small laugh at that. "I most definitely did not pass out at the party, seeing as I am here, hmm?" She joked back, not yet realizing that Franz really didn't know that he's going to be staying together with her.

Franz listened to Ryuuko speak as he inspected the room for anything else. Not that he didn't believe Ryuuko, but more out of disbelief of the rooms emptiness.

The beds were a particular sore point for him, seeing them so close to the ground. Lifting up the blankets of one, he saw the remains of something that could hardly be considered a mattress. It reminded Franz of home, 'home' home. While some may call such a thing tradition or humility Franz had another word for it. Poverty. Was this another humility the universe saw fit to bestow upon him tonight? Like his exchange with the maestro.

Franz took a double take when Ryuuko claimed the bags. At first with a startled expression, but then widened into a smile which he did his best to downplay. This truly caught him off guard, what luck did he have that he was given a room with an Egoist. A coed room with some good company at that. What luck indeed.

"Well, what a pleasant surpise. I look forward to the year." Franz attempted to lie down on the mattress to confirm that, in fact, his ankles hung off the side. "I believe these beds will be the first improvement" Franz joked. "Even stacked on top of each other, they would hardly make a decent mattress. And I believe I'll need a proper desk also."

While Franz inspected the room, Ryuuko started sorting out her bags. Well, bags and crates. She had a perfectly square wooden box about a meter in length, height, and width among her belongings. She didn't open this box, instead carrying it with one hand and opening the sliding door of the in-room storage space; putting the box there beside the spare mattress, blankets, and pillows.

That done, she returned to her bags while looking at Franz, a smile also on her face. "I'm definitely looking forward to the year as well, Franz." She then pointed to the spare mattresses inside the storage space. "Oh I definitely agree about that. Futons are subpar compared to even a standard Occidental bed." She chuckled lightly before continuing. "Still, I don't know if we'll be able to obtain a more suitable bed tonight, considering how late it is... So maybe we can make use of the spare stuffs that they've provided to at least make things more bearable."

Ryuuko sighed lightly at her own suggestion. She's honestly not looking forward to sleeping on a futon either, even with extra mattress and blanket. It was one of the things she definitely didn't miss after she moved to Germany, after all. It was ridiculous to her that the Kaiser Institute were able to provide way more comfortable lodging for her than her own so-calledly influential and very wealthy family... Oh well. At least the room came with its own proper toilet and bathroom, unlike some of the really traditional ryokan in Japan with their dark, drafty bathroom. That would be extra annoying.

Franz joined Ryuuko over where the bags are kept and begun unpacking. "Tonight was a good night, and I see nothing to suggest things go down from here." He stepped in close to her and made direct eye contact. "I hope this does not come off as too forward. But I would like to have the record straight going forth." Franz leaned in and kissed her.

Why was he doing this? Franz thought to himself. Tt was a bold move, and there was considerable risk involved. Would he take such risks for something as seemingly trivial as a kiss? Having an egoist on his side would be an unimaginable benefit to his plans. But then again, she could just as easily get offended an leave. So internally Franz knew his logic was flawed. For now, he just continued and hoped one of his lips wasn't claimed by razor sharp teeth.

After a while, Franz stepped back and tidied up his suit. "And with that Miss Higashiakemi, I will be getting ready to sleep. We can begin making renovations in the morning." Franz stated matter of factly before going about his own business.

"Well now, aren't you an optimist. Very good." Ryuuko laughed lightly, still in a joking mood as Franz stepped closer to her. She returned his gaze directly, looking at Franz's eyes in turn. "Too forward? Now whatever do you mean by that?" She was still smiling, expecting Franz to make a joke in turn even as he leaned in closer.

Now a kiss, she didn't expect at all. Even in that short frame of time, she could have had avoided it in normal circumstances. This time, she was too preoccupied with wondering what interesting things Franz will do or say. ".... ?!" Ryuuko's eyes widened at the contact, very much surprised and more than a little bit confused. In a way, Franz was lucky for quite a few reasons. Being bitten on the lips would have been the least of his worry if not for those reasons, considering Ryuuko's slap could well be lethal to the average person. Heck, she had primed the venom sacks in her throat by reflex. He was sooo close to being incinerated to ashes.

Ryuuko stepped back as Franz himself did so, her face still full of bewilderment. "Wuh- Wha- Uhhhh." She raised her left hand halfway. And then lowered it again. Before then raising it again, finger pointing at Franz. "Now hold on a sec! What was that just now?? Why did you- just- WHAT??" She continued staring at Franz even as he started going about his own business. She wasn't about to let him just go to sleep after something like that.

That was her first kiss for lord's sake, it was a massively big deal! She definitely wanted explanations!

Franz was lucky to have gotten out of that unhurt. It didn't take a genius to know when someone was caught by complete surprise. Ryuuko could have hit him out of panic and the sheer force would put him in the hospital. And that is all assuming that the hit was unintentional. He shuddered to think what a hit with intent could do.

Franz turned his head away from his business and back toward the frantically questioning Ryuuko. At first he feigned some slight surpise but then switched to a pleasant smile. "Why is an easy enough question to answer. I was taken by the moment of the night and stunned by your beauty. I apologize for my actions if you found them truly so awful. I will mind my manners in future." Franz pondered for a bit before continuing. "You know, that was my first kiss." The speech as a whole had some truth and some lies. Although Franz is particularly good at hiding which is which.

"..... Uhh." Ryuuko's mind was still trying to comprehend what had happened. It took her some time to register what Franz had said in answer to her bewilderment. "I- Well that was my first kiss too but- wait that's not the point!" She was even more confused. Did he meant that he liked her? Or did he meant that it was just an in the moment thing? She rubbed her own temple with one of her hands, unsure of how to react. It's been a while since the last time she were completely caught off guard by something just so very unexpected, and now it suddenly happened twice in such a short period of time.

So she did what she always do whenever it happened. She took a few deep breaths in and out to calm her nerves down. She also needed to undo the priming of her venom sacks while at it. Accidental arson wouldn't be funny even if it was a ryokan that got burned down. In any case, it was a couple of seconds later before she finally calmed down enough to respond to Franz again.

"Huff... Look, Franz. I like you as a person. I did said that you're good company, and I'm honest about that..." Her left hand rubbed the back of her neck as she tried to compose her next words, pausing for a few more seconds. "But umm. A kiss and such other stuffs. I uhh, I'd rather only do that kind of things with, you know, people that actually wanted to be romantically committed to me, so... Yeah."

Franz was taken back in a bit by Ryuuko's reaction. He had not expected such a sullen reply. The weight of his actions had certainly had an effect, and the dip in mood was certainly not one he welcomed. "I apologize Frau Higashiakemi, I had not expected you to be so conservative about matters of love." Franz definately had an air of sincerity about him now. "I too, enjoyed the company and think we could make great strides in the field of Egoism together. I dare not jeprodise that. Who knows, I may end up a commited man by the end of this year. But not right now. So, for the time being, I can only wish you a good night." Franz hopped into the 'bed' that was provided by the accomodation. Trying to downplay the discomfort of such a thin mattress.

"....." Ryuuko took one more deep breath in and then out, an especially long one. Then she looked at Franz again and nodded. "Yes, it's... alright." She tried to smile, managing a small one. She'd rather not ruin her relation with Franz too. It looked to her that he really wasn't meaning any harm after all, so it will not do to hold any resentment toward him. "Indeed... I continue to look forward to your company, in work and out of. And well..." Finally, she grinned her usual toothy grin as she spoke her next words. "I suppose we shall see about the matter of "commitment", hmm? Good night, Franz."

And with that, she turned around and started to prepare her own futon as well. A good sleep will be very much welcomed after the eventful day and night.

@Jumbus

Shou had not expected anyone to call out to him as he finished off his snack. Most students that had arrived after him seemed content to ignore his gluttony and instead head directly to their rooms to sleep off their revelry. His chair wobbled a bit as he turned towards the familiar voice, but that was what his tail was for. Planted against the ground, it kept the chair from falling over as he raised his mug to greet the other boy.

"What are the chances, huh?" He remarked before he shook his head and continued, "Nope. I haven't had a chance to check out my room yet. I'm in 303 though, you?" It was quite the coincidence that they ended up in the same dormitory though.

Kiran settled onto the bar stool, laying his suitcase down on the floor nearby. At Shou revealing his room number, he raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Same here. Oddly fortuitous, but I won't question it." Leaning over the counter, he ordered himself a mead, since he was feeling something a tad sweet. Drink in hand, he put an elbow on the surface as shifted towards his conversation partner, sipping on his beverage slowly. "Seems we also lucked out on the housing situation, huh?" he lifted his glass pointedly. "Bet the other places don't have something this handy. Also, I do prefer something less toned down compared to all the extravaganza we were subjected to in the Hall of Greats," he said.

"Really now..." Shou couldn't help but frown a bit at just how perfectly things had lined up. It was probably paranoia to think of this as anything else but coincidence though. "Well, here's to being roommates as well as collaboraters," he remarked as he raised his own mug and clanked it against Kiran's glass. He took a long draw from his drink, gulping a few times, before he chuckled.

"It is awfully convenient. Seems sturdy enough that it won't get knocked over by some drunk Egoist either which is more than I can say for some of the other dormitories. Speaking of sturdiness, you keen on seeing what this fog is all about?" He asked as he dropped his voice to a more conspiratorial whisper. "Running around in it might be a bit much, but the room's all look like they got windows we can swing open and see what we learn."

Upon seing Zheng's frown, Kiran shrugged, and smiled wryly. He wasn't sure if the other guy might be suspicious or just unhappy about being put into the same room as him, but either way, Kiran would have to be careful. The mood quickly changed, however, as Shou disregarded the weirdness, and clinked his glass against Kiran's. "To being roommates," Kiran echoed, then proceeded to take two large gulps of the drink. It wasn't enough to empty the glass, of course, but it'd drained a decent amount.

"Ah, I hadn't considered the structural integrity much - I'd be more concerned about that factor for a workshop rather than an apartment, but I can see what you mean," he replied. When Zheng lowered his voice, Kiran leaned just a tad closer, intrigued at what reason the other boy had to be secretive. "Mm, the mists, huh?" he questioned, voice as low as he could make it while still ensuring Shou heard him. "You know, I just intended to disregard their warning and head out whenever I please, but testing the fog just in case something's unusual about it is a sensible idea." Thus, Kiran implicitly agreed to doing as Shou proposed.

"There's certainly no shortage of light weights around to supply some drunken revelry," Shou added on before he grinned a bit. Kiran would need to lower his voice a lot further than that before he had trouble picking out the Occidental boy's words. "I imagine a fair share of our peers intend to do the same. They expect teenagers of all people to respect a curfew while dangling such a vague reason in front of some of the most curious people on the planet? It's like they're hoping for some rulebreakers to learn a harsh lesson," he finished before he drained what was left in his mug.

"Hm, you do have a point. I wonder if they have a dynamicists messing with the mists or something?" Kiran tilted his head to the side as he considered this. Honestly, it hadn't occured to him that the people at Bermuda might have wanted to teach so many students a harsh lesson given how pampered they'd been so far, but it was possible.

"Yikes, could you imagine if that was your job? Powerful enough to blanket an entire island in fog, and all just to mess with the students."

"We should probably check out our rooms for now. There's... about half an hour till curfew hits," Shou proposed after a brief pause to consult his internal clock. It hadn't quite adjusted yet to his arrival at Bermuda, and it would take a few days. Rising from the table, Shou swung by the bar for a refill before he headed upstairs.

When Zheng informed him the curfew was approaching, Kiran broke out of his reverie. "Oh, yeah," he blinked in surprise. Time had passed quickly. Like Shou, he also drained the rest of his drink, but didn't get a second. He followed Shou upstairs, to the third floor. Their room was at the beginning of the corridor, near the staircase and the elevator.

The room was rather sizable given that the building itself wasn't as such, and Kiran wondered if there were less people put into this one compared to the others. He frankly didn't care, he was just glad that he was here rather than at one of those gaudily luxurious ones. There wasn't a lot of furniture, but the essentials were there. Kiran was especially amused at the fireplace - what'd they even need one here, for? - but otherwise, he was satisfied. Well, the windows were a bit small, perhaps, but that could be easily fixed.

"How do you like it?" he questioned his roomate curiously.

"Pleasantly surprised. I thought it would be just a single room, but we've got a whole suite instead," Shou replied as he slipped his boots off at the entrance and looked around their accomodations. He whistled a bit as he peeked into one of the two bedrooms and was once again quite happy with the space they'd been given. "Hard to say when I haven't seen any of the other accomodations, but ours certainly seems nice and homey."

Now that he was done looking around though, Shou made his way over to one of the windows in the shared space. His tail snagged one of the chairs and hefted it along behind him as he set his mug down for a moment and threw the window open to a chilly breeze. "Hopefully something interesting happens, hm?"

"It suits me as well," Kiran offered with a nod. He removed his shoes as well, then finally went in rather then merely surveying the place. "Well, we can always get ourselves invited over by someone to compare," he said, quirking a smile, amused at the idea.

As Zheng approached the window, Kiran padded closer as well. He leaned on the sill, peering outside the opened window. "If it will while we're technically inside..." he muttered, eyes narrowed as he tried to see as far around as was possible for him. The mists certainly obscured one's sight, if nothing else.
_@SilverPaw

---

There were some odd places left empty yet locked, and there were some people on trams that offered her a lift as well as directions to her destination. If there was anything Jeanne would say of the facility while on her walk, it was that it felt eclectic, like some crazed architect brought in a cabal of equally crazed colleagues and each bickered and fought with each other to place a piece of their own construction in the area. While certainly not lacking in skill and talent, it felt quite jarring walking from a relatively normal upscale construction, to something decidedly so alien to her that she felt as if she walked into another country entirely.

A wooden construction, of which was supposed to be some sort of bath house by a passing maid. Quite bold of them to put a bordello in the middle of this as well as house prospective students in it. She pressed on the door, almost walking into it as she realized it was not swinging open. Was it a lock? No, it did not seem like it was supposed to be locked. Taking off a glove, she grasped a small stone from the ground. Taking it into both hands as if she was praying, she spun her right hand, feeling that familiar trace of the lines on her fingers, seeing the world for what it was, the interconnected dots and lines that governed the very fabric of reality, God's cloth revealed and unbound for her to manipulate.

God's work, reality worked with subtle hands, and then with an unstable compound the door's reality was blown apart with a concussive explosion.

"Hmph. Shoddily fit doors. How unexpected."

Unsurprisingly enough, the explosion made quite the loud noise that broke the relative silence of the ryokan. Adding to that the result that it caused and soon enough curious or concerned (or both) individuals started to gather around the front door; not to mention the people that were already hanging around there being very surprised about it. Many looked on warily at Jeanne, some confused, some bemused, and some downright looking ready for action out of reflex or surprise. Reasonably enough, quite a few started questioning Jeanne on what the hell did she do that for and the like.

The commotion can be heard from Ryuuko's and Franz's room as well. Ryuuko had just finished brushing her teeth in the bathroom of the room when she heard it. She raised an eyebrow, walking out of the bathroom. That sounded like it came from the front entrance, whatever that was... Curious, she decided to check it out. Good thing she haven't changed her clothes yet. She briefly looked at Franz, which seemed to be fast asleep still. She contemplated waking him up, but then decided against it; he probably wouldn't appreciate being waken up so soon after dozing off.

So Ryuuko quietly left the room, closing the door behind her before walking back to the front entrance. Soon enough, she arrived there, finding the people already gathered around the area. It took just a glance more for her to then identify the cause of the noise. For starters, the remains of the door were scattered all around. Then, people were pointing fingers and questioning a particular individual that Ryuuko immediately recognized on sight. Ryuuko knew Jeanne enough from the informations she had gathered; it wasn't exactly hard to stumble on the information considering how well known Jeanne were. From there it didn't take much for Ryuuko to figure out what had happened.

Ryuuko observed Jeanne briefly, wondering why she blew the door up. Then she grinned wide, amusement clearly shown on her face. She could care less that the ryokan had been damaged, and this provided her some more interesting thing to do before sleep. So she started approaching Jeanne, politely but firmly pushing people aside until she's right in front of the other girl. She kept her wide grin, addressing Jeanne. "Quite the spectacle you made, Ms. Bordeaux. I wonder what the sliding door had done to deserve your ire."

There was quite a lot more people there than Jeanne imagined, but then again, she wasn't the kind to frequent bordellos so she wouldn't know what to expect regardless. But one thing she was familiar with dealing however, was smelly plebeians with brains too small to understand her methods. A button was placed discreetly into her palm, where it spread tendrils, running circuits down her wrist and up her arm, hidden by her sleeves.

There was only a slight twitch on her expression as Ryuuko spoke. Whoever heard of using sliding doors for a house?

"Shoddy construction." Was all Jeanne said before continuing. "You. I understand you're a dragon of sorts."

"Shoddy construction hmm?" Ryuuko wasn't about to argue that point. Far as she's concerned, that's true enough; completely disregarding the logical reasons why the Japanese built their buildings the way they did. Earthquakes blah blah. Regardless, the rumors Ryuuko had heard about Jeanne turned out to be quite true indeed, especially regarding her brazen character. Ryuuko quirked an eyebrow up out of amusement as she stood in front of Jeanne, stil grinning.

"Mmhmm. True enough, as you can see." She chuckled lightly as she put her hands halfway forward in a shrugging motion. Well now, judging from that reaction, Jeanne obviously had some business with her. Ryuuko wondered if Jeanne somehow knew that Ryuuko was staying in this ryokan or whether it was just a weird coincidence. In any case, yes, Jeanne obviously had something in mind she wanted to talk about with Ryuuko. "Why the interest, Ms. Bordeaux?"

"Purely academical reasons." Of that at least, was true. Jeanne put her gloves back on, as she gestured away from the wooden house. "Would you mind if we stepped somewhere filled with less gawping cretins?"

"Academic reasons. Is that so..." Ryuuko paused for a few seconds just to contemplate it for a bit. Then, she decided that it will probably be interesting enough; more than sleep anyway. Thus she nodded in agreement, an amused grin still on her face. "Very well then. Let's." She then gestured for Jeanne to lead the way out of the ryokan and away from prying observers.

Jeanne nodded, a small smile on her face, as she led them towards a relatively close gazebo she noticed while walking around.

"Miss... Mademoiselle, Ruko was it? Pardon me for bringing you along so abruptly, but I was curious on your unique... make up." Jeanne paused, glancing across the empty park. The gazebo would undoubtedly look lovely in daytime with more people around, but for the moment, in the darkness it almost looked like an alien being, a stoic monolith in the light and dark. "Was it a personal choice, or was it simply instincts?"

Ryuuko followed Jeanne as they walked to the gazebo. The air seemed to be getting a bit misty now. Thinking about it, it was getting pretty close to the so-called "curfew time". That would be pretty interesting in its own to find out about, Ryuuko had forgotten about it while enjoying Franz's company.

"Oh right, where are my manners." She laughed lightly as she remembered that she never actually introduced herself to Jeanne. "It's Ryuuko. Higashiakemi Ryuuko. And oh it's quite alright... Anyways, my transformations, hmm?" Not the first time that someone was curious about this. That was one of the points anyway, to make people ask questions about it. "It's both, Ms. Bordeaux. It was my personal choice to follow my instincts instead of some... tiring expectations based on traditions. If I had followed the latter, I'd just be another boring Japanese egoist. Heh..."

"Oh? Then we're both non-traditionalists then, unbound by the expectations of those blinded by their own egos and insistent desire to grasp onto tradition." Jeanne stepped in closer, her eyes focused on Ryuuko's more prominent traits. "Then, you chose to be a draconic person yes? Would you also say, you have the ability to breathe fire? And if so, are you immune to your own flames?"

Ryuuko's grin grew slightly wider, now showing off her teeth as she usually did. She had heard about it of course, but hearing from Jeanne directly that she were also a non-traditionalists had piqued Ryuuko's interest even further. "It seems we are indeed. It is my personal belief that adhering to traditions is misguided at best and utterly foolish at worst. Ha." She chuckled, a mocking one this time. Traditions... What bollocks. "In any case, yes. I chose to be what I am. Also yes, I possessed the ability to breathe fire; better fire than most I'd dare say." Ryuuko was pretty sure most fire breathing egoists couldn't melt steel in mere seconds like she can, if they were even capable of that at all. "And also, yes. I'd reckon it would be quite foolish otherwise, so I made sure of that."

"Ah thats great!" Jeanne broke into a genuine smile, an odd gentle expression rarely made, before turning away, stepping closer to the other side of the gazebo. "That's really great."
"Fires that melt steel huh? That must be really high. But ah, you know..." Jeanne turned, the palm of her gloves burning as she bought her hand up. ".. I hope you don't mind if I test that out for myself."

Energy. When something had enough energy it generated heat. That principle behind her inventions now powered the small furnace in her hand, not throwing out flames, but a veritable jet of heat, uncontrolled and wild.

"Why thank you." Ryuuko playfully bowed her head slightly, putting the palm of her left hand on the middle of her chest. Her gaze followed Jeanne as the other woman stepped to the other side of the gazebo. Her eyes lightened up as she observed the palm of Jeanne's gloves burning. "Ah, the formulation that grant you your fame, I see. Intriguing..." Ryuuko's own curiosity had now been roused as well. Always more interesting as far as she's concerned to see things at work directly.

"A test, you say?" Ryuuko's grin grew even wider, her face almost predatory in appearance now due to the sharp teeth and dimly glowing eyes. "Hehe... Very well then. I suppose you wanted to test this by "clashing" your own with mine then?..."

Ryuuko primed the venom sacs in her throat. She'd be fine even with just a harmless demonstration, but if Jeanne really want to do the test more... "practically", then that's all the more interesting for Ryuuko. Besides, it's been a while since she had the opportunity to fire off a blast. Couldn't really do that during the cruise. "In any case, I'm all ready."

There was no answer, just a flash of blue from Jeanne's hand, before the entire gazebo exploded into fire, the conflagration bellied by the size of the funace it originated from.

As soon as she saw the flash, Ryuuko performed her own blast. In an instant, she grinded her teeth together to produce a spark, her mouth opened, the venom she spewed from her throat ignited by the spark and thus a blast of fire was launched directly to oppose the stream Jeanne had produced. It wasn't especially wide, but it was very intense and concentrated; quite literally like a sharp, large lance made out of fire given form by the continuous stream of flame. Ryuuko held nothing back, her flame blasted at maximum intensity; over a thousand and six hundred degree Celcius that would easily melt steel, titanium, and most other forms of metal.

There's the matter of clothing damage even if she came out of this just fine, but that wasn't part of her concern at the moment.

Truth be told, there were multiple things Jeanne wanted to test out. And she knew even if this single mini furnace had the output of Ryuko, the fires wouldn't exactly leave both of them scot free. If Ryuko wasn't just boasting about her fire resistance that was. Flames lit up the gazebo, and in the small space, engulfed them both. But there was unsurprisingly a clear winner, as Jeanne was engulfed by flames first.

Perhaps to some small minded simpleton, they would have surmised that Jeanne took the short end of the stick; a dragon breathing fire would not harm itself after all, but a normal human wielding a flamethrower would undoubtedly find themselves rather well done.

"Oho. So it wasn't just boasts after all." Jeanne spoke, unfazed by the inferno she was standing in. Her clothes and hair was unsinged, as it should be, for she had far long mastered the art of manipulating temperature. It would be folly to pursue her interests without doing so after all.

Soon enough, the flames dispersed. The surrounding temperature too started lowering again as soon as the flames had died out. Of course, damage had been done regardless; nobody's going to be relaxing in the gazebo until it got fixed. Oh well, surely Bermuda's management will take care of that. They should already know the risk of housing two thousand of among the best young Polymaths in the world...

Thankfully and most importantly, both Ryuuko and Jeanne had not been harmed by the little experiment. On Ryuuko's part, parts of her clothes had been singed if not entirely disintegrated. Fortunately, that too was hardly an issue; it only revealed scales under it, nothing Ryuuko cared about really.

Ryuuko grinned, very pleased with both the chance to unleash her blast and with how Jeanne was as good as the rumors had said. "Boasting's not really in my nature, Ms. Bordeaux." She let out a casual chuckle before continuing. "And I see that your own reputation had been well earned indeed. Impressive."

Jeanne simply waved that comment away. "I assure you whatever rumours spread of me are mostly baseless accusations, made by superstitious primitives unable to comprehend progress."

She stared at Ryuko's clothes, singed and disntergrated at parts, and at the scales beneath. "Do you mind if I...?" Jeanne started.

"Of course. It is typical of people to fear the unknown, haha." Ryuuko nodded as she laughed. She already did disregarded the rumors. The bad ones, at least, as she had also did with the bad rumors regarding Franz. Clinging on bad rumors wasn't in her nature... Unless it was about Japan or a traditionalist somewhere.

"Hmm?" She noticed Jeanne staring at her damaged clothes. "Mind if you?... Actually, sure, I don't mind." Whatever it was that Jeanne had in mind was probably of interest anyhow.

"Thanks." Without much pomp or ceremony, Jeanne removed her gloves, and plunged her hands straight into the holes in Ryuko's clothes, feeling and pressing against her scales.

Marvelous speciment, indeed. There's so much she could learn just examining Ryuko. Even if she wasn't going to be able to transform into anything any time soon, the principle behind Ryuko's transformation, physiology, as well as chemical makeup could vastly improve her own methods.

"Ah, what a perfect specimen. I could look at you all day. But I will settle for a scale if its alright with you?"

Jeanne's touch to her scales didn't exactly tickle. It was kind of a peculiar sensation, pretty much like having a repressed sense of touch. Ryuuko can still feel it, but "it" was nothing much. Regardless, she let Jeanne do her examination with an amused smile on her face. "Why, thank you. Quite proud of it myself. Well, probably all egoists are about their respective transformations, haha." Ryuuko then nodded at Jeanne's request. "Oh by all means, sure. Just one moment please."

Shedding a scale was an easy enough task. Just a little bit of formulation done inside her own body and the scale pretty much popped off without any trouble. Outwardly, it doesn't look like any formulation had happened at all. Only Ryuuko herself and other egoists would really be able to see it. In any case, it will be easy as well to regrow the scale, so it's really not a biggie for Ryuuko.

The scale shed, Ryuuko took it in her right hand and offered it to Jeanne, smiling. "Here you go then, Ms. Bordeaux. A scale as requested, haha."

"Merci, Mademoiselle. This will do quite well." Jeanne held it up for a moment, looking at the scale. "I'll be sure to study it completely."

There was a moment of silence as she examined it, before slipping it into a pocket. "Now let us depart, before someone come investigate our little tête-à-tête. Or perhaps, you had questions for me? I would be sorely remiss in answering your questions after all, especially after you've answered so many of mine."

Ryuuko nodded simply. "It's my pleasure. I hope it will be useful indeed for your study. And oh definitely. I have quite a lot of questions for you as well. But for now, I'll be fine settling with only two, seeing as we don't really have much time." She chuckled lightly before continuing. She then raised her left hand, her point finger raised pointing up. "First, if you don't mind telling me... How'd you do it? The mechanism of your formulation I mean. It obviously didn't work the same way at all with how I produce my blast and while I had heard about it before I'd rather hear it from the person herself. And I'm fine with a simple version of the explanation for now."

Then another finger, making a "v" sign. "Secondly. I'd be really interested in knowing where you stay here in Bermuda, Ms. Bordeaux. Further cooperations between us will be beneficial for you and me both, don't you think?" A wide grin appeared on her face as she concluded her questions.

"Oh? It is really quite simple." Jeanne bent down, picking a piece of the now charred gazebo, still burning from their clash just now. "It is simply the matter of decaying the materials in it. And if I change it just so..."

Charcoal, in her hand. A single finger tracing its quality, before clamping onto its conclusion, its end. From content, to unruly, an unstable material. And when the cascade of energy starts, all she needed to do was contain it.

Her gloves burst, the cavitators on both hands activating to produce a holding field, a cavitation in space, holding the rapidly decaying material inside, before it first glowed, then ignited into a tiny ball of flames suspended inside the cavitation field. The straps under the gloves was visible now, thin bands of black running across her hands, coalescing into a circle under her palms.

"See? It is just that, but contained, and not in my hands." She adjusted her palms and sent the ball jetting out flames into empty air for an instant before it disappeared completely. "Like hitting a ball against other groups of balls, which scatters and hits another group of balls, and so on and so forth."

"As to where I stay," Jeanne took off the ripped remains of her gloves. "it is at an odd place with the pool, over yonder. Ah before I leave, one more question."

She adjusted her clothings and turned away from Ryuko, seemingly staring at the skies. "Do you believe in God, Ryuko?"

Ryuuko watched intently and silently as Jeanne demonstrated and explained the process of her formulation to her, her curiosity showing on her face. She might not be a technologist, but she put as much information as she could into her mind as she watched on. Who knows, perhaps later once she had the time to carefully process and analyze the information, she might just be able to apply some of it to improve her own ability.

"Decay... Containment... Chain reactions... I see." She nodded once, then she closed her eyes for a few seconds, left hand covering her mouth as she made sure that she had correctly absorbed the information. Then she opened her eyes again, lowered her hand, and nodded once more with a smile. "Wonderful. Thank you, Ms. Bordeaux. These information should be most useful." Of course, she also made sure to remember about the odd place with the pool over yonder.

The next question Jeanne asked her however, was one she did not expect. She quirked an eyebrow up before responding. "God? Hmm." Ryuuko was never one for religion or the like. She wasn't an atheist persay, but she didn't believe that such a thing as "God" mattered at all. In any case, she decided to just honestly answer the question. "I am an agnostic, Ms. Bordeaux. God... God might exist, or it might not. Regardless, I don't believe it mattered... We make our own "fate" and carves our own path. That's what I believed."

Jeanne simply turned her head back and smiled at that, before walking away with a wave goodbye. "Adieu, Mademoiselle. We will meet again."

That last question was unusual and Jeanne did not offer any clear reaction to it. Ryuuko wondered about it for a bit as she returned Jeanne's wave and said her own farewell. "Of course. I'm looking forward to it, Ms. Bordeaux!"

In the end, she decided not to think about it. This meeting with Jeanne had been most interesting indeed, and beneficial to boot. All in all, Ryuuko felt that this first day in Bermuda had been very good indeed; excepting the matter of her lodging being a ryokan.

Regardless, she'd rather not ruin her good mood by thinking about it. So she headed back into the ryokan, ignored any curious gazes she were subjected to, and promptly returned to her room to finally get some good rest after the eventful day.

As Valeriya glanced at her roommate, the Ruski would see Lucretia being focused on arranging her stuff while the floating drone handled the larger, heavier objects. As twas' a mere brief glance, Lucy would no doubt still be doing the same activity by the time the blonde turned her attention elsewhere. In fact, it wasn't until an hour or so later that the younger of the pair left the study and for the first time since she arrived here, Schwarzritter wasn't following her around. The steel golem was left inside the study in its compact form, allowed to rest for the day. As for its mistress, she entered the bathroom instead and soon enough, the rustling of clothes could be heard which was followed by the flow of water filling a ceramic tub.

Moments later, the bath was ready in the form of warm steaming water sloshing within a man-sized container. Lucretia dipped herself into it, exhaling at that heavenly sensation of liquid warmth caressing against her bare skin. Due to her slight frame, the tub was a wee bit too large for her especially as she sat inside it, but it had the positive side effect of allowing her to straighten her legs with no issue and she had perfectly adjusted the amount of water too, reaching just above her collarbone. "..." The German girl blinked a few times, watching her long silver locks floating on the bathwater before she slowly closed her eyes and rested her head against the side of her tub.

"Haa...." A long exhale escaped her throat as she realized just how tired she was, it had been a long, stressful day. Not only she had to socialize with people, lots of people, but there was that bit with the glass shards too. That's fine though, today was an exception since it's for orientation, surely they wouldn't be having feasts throughout the school year. Starting tomorrow, she could focus on her studies, projects, and tasks, and that thought comforted the young girl's mind even as the warmth soothed her body.

..........
.....
...

"...nngh?" Pale eyelids fluttered open to reveal drowsy emerald irises, ah... it seemed she had fallen asleep there even though she had only planned to rest her eyes for a bit. "Tch..." Fortunately, this wasn't a major setback, merely a little slip of the mind, that's all. Huffing, Lucy got herself up from the bath, pulled the drain plug, then grabbed a towel.

Minutes later, the Iron Princess stepped out of the bathroom, her signature beret and uniform nowhere to be seen on her frame, instead she was wearing a one-piece black frilly dress, a fine garment clearly designed for sleepwear. Whether her golden-haired roommate was already asleep or not, Lucy wouldn't disturb her as she simply plod over to the one of the king-sized beds at her half of the room, settle into the duvet, lay on her side, then close her eyes to slumber, this time on a proper furniture.

Once the party had wound down, the assembled geniuses went their separate ways for the night. Some would meet again sooner rather than later, but Hana was glad to have the time to herself in the evening. It was time to see her new home away from home, and get settled in.

When she arrived, she was not only greeted by a beautifully-decorated apartment, but by her large collection of luggage. So much for an easy night, with all the unpacking she had to either do or put off until tomorrow. As she explored the apartment, the young lady noted that it was primarily Occidental in overall look, though she couldn't place a primary cultural influence. The bathroom was definitely going to take some getting used to, but she'd figure it out quickly enough, and a bathtub after a long day was always appreciated.

In fact, after she'd unpacked enough to have a her clothes ready and put away in the bedroom closet, drawing a nice, warm bath was the first order of business. She drew a nice warm bath, and went in for a good soak to relax after a long day. It was time to relax, and think, and consider what life would be like in Bermuda.

There was no reason to leave on the first night, although certainly the curfew was tempting to violate. Besides, with the balconies and windows, it would be easy enough to confirm the claims of fog from her own room. While the apartment was clearly single-occupant, so no need to worry about roommates, Hana did wonder who her neighbors were. Would they be personable, would there be a lot of time spent talking at the pool in the courtyard, or around dining tables? The prospects were certainly exciting. They could, however, wait until tomorrow. Just like the question of what she'd be doing for breakfast.

The banquet ended on a lively note, dance and conversation growing loud and spirited. It was the first time in Inti's life he'd experienced anything like this, and he was quite absorbed with making the most of it. Words flying about, voices overlapping each other, the click-tap of shoes on the dance floor, it was actually quite wonderful. At least, in Inti's opinion. Not all of his conversation partners seemed to agree, but at this point there was nothing that could dampen the Inca's spirits.

...nothing except an upset stomach. As it turned out, eating a ton of foreign food for the first time and coupling it with carbonated or alcoholic drink wasn't the best for digestion. Eventually Inti quieted down, content to watch the other students from the sidelines - and there was plenty of time to think over the events of the day while he did. He decided that both sweet and bitter things were not to his taste. Similarly, any of the drinks that sent a fuzzy feeling right to his head were probably best to stay away from. The dancing and musical performances were splendid, and they demonstrated how amazing humans were. Briefly he wondered if he could learn that kind of skill too. Music, dance, crafts... they were all at the heart of Tawantinsuyu's culture, he knew, but in the Bureau they were focused only on increasing the Polymaths' abilities. It would be nice to get some recreation done while here in Bermuda. As for the assignment given to him... well... it was the first day. Surely he could just have fun and get his bearings and then think about it tomorrow, right? And he would definitely have to think about how to go about fulfilling that assignment without resorting to some kind of disaster.

When the trams came to ferry the students away to their dorms, Inti seemed to regain his energy. He hopped on quickly, taking a window seat and peering out at all of the living areas. They were all so different, maybe they were placing students in familiar looking architecture to ease them in? That didn't turn out to be the case, as Inti's quarters turned out to be very Occidental in style. It was really nice looking on the outside, and as for the inside...

"Ooooh~!" Was this really his dorm? It was so big! Inti went all throughout the space, from bedroom to bedroom, the washrooms and the open areas, appreciating each section. He noted that the bedrooms only had one bed apiece, so did he get a whole bedroom to himself too? There was a kitchen too, already stocked with food. He should probably learn how to cook! There was a nice little area with plants inside, and toward the back of the dorm was a wide viewing area that led right out toward the ocean. The view was amazing!

Once the living area was thoroughly inspected, Inti stood by the bay doors and watched the waves crash against the shore. It was beginning to get dark, but once the sun rose maybe he would check the beach out. Maybe teach himself to swim, or see if someone could give him some pointers. Maybe Shou? No, he didn't have fins or a tail, it was probably a whole different process...

Behind him came the soft mumblings of another person. Inti turned to find a somewhat familiar person laying on the ground of the common area. This was... oh!

"Oh, it's you!" Inti went right over to who he assumed would be his roommate. It was one of those two guys that had come bursting into the Hall of Greats, singing their off-tune hearts out. "Rule Britannia, right?"

This half of the Britannia-duo didn't seem to hear Inti, he just went on about the lodgings and the lack of colors. Inti took another gander around at the space and agreed, though the simplicity of it was familiar. White walls with little decoration. He wouldn't mind any changes his roommate might make, once he was actually in the state to make them. Was he alright? Maybe too much of those mind-fuzz drinks.

"Hm?" He looked at the other boy on the ground, tilting his head. He'd sat up and seemed to be beckoning Inti over. "Actually my name is Inti."

The Inca obeyed, sitting down across from... "And I don't know your name either." His roommate seemed just as friendly now as he had while taking the dance hall by storm earlier, so Inti matched the other boy's smile with one of his own. Now that the guy was sitting up, Inti could see he was quite a bit shorter than his roommate. Was everyone outside of Tawantinsuyu really that big?

"Vapors?" Inti hummed, considering the other boy's words. Vapor: a substance diffused or suspended in the air, especially one normally liquid or solid. Was there anything like that here? Maybe that faint smoke leaking from the contraption between them? As a Dynamicist it was simple enough to take the delicate haze in his hand, though what to do with it after that he had no idea. "Um." Inti looked back to the person across from him, his expression equal parts eager and confused. "Now what?"

Clockwork Autumn

Nazca retired to her dorm, tired and unsatisfied. For all of her attempts at intercepting the Mughal man, she had been rebuffed and ignored at every turn, and even her attempt (rather unsubtly, admittedly) at forcing him to dance had been an abject failure, with her target even deigning to share a dance with the unskilled and boorishly incapable Germanic scion.

Such misfortune.

Ah, well. It wasn’t like she didn’t have the rest of the year to encroach upon the student’s personal space again, to prize whatever information she needed out of the strangely skittish man.

The tram ride back to her new lodgings was uneventful compared to the ball, though it did give her a pleasant, brief tour of the eclectic neighborhood of student dorms the island had. Each building was distinctly unique, with its own architectural style based on every corner of the world. At least to her, some seemed far more practical than others, and when she got off at her stop in front of a tasteful structure that appeared to blend occidental architecture with that of Ayba Yala, Nazca felt right at home with the two familiar styles.

She was thankful to discover that her dorm building accommodated individual suites, and was also pleased by the large outdoor pool that she could see in the courtyard facing window of her private room.

Waiting for her in said room were the dozens of carefully packed boxes and pieces of luggage that made up her wardrobe, personal effects, and more importantly, her clockwork workshop. Frowning at the mess of organizing that she would have to do, she took a brief moment to inspect her quarters before she got to work organizing her new room. There was quite a lot to set up…

By the time Nazca had finished her basic unpacking (the workshop was nothing close to set up, and wouldn’t be for days) it was already later into the evening. Although she remained curious about the mysterious circumstances behind the curfew, she had no desire to mess with something she didn’t understand on the first day, and there was still much to do… like draw a nice bath and turn in for the night in preparation for whatever tomorrow awaited.

She would get around to properly socializing then, if only to make up for the horrendous social disaster that today had been.

---

---

---

James looked over to his roommate, his face flushed a little bit of red when he was asked whether he had 'fun'.

"I'd say it was... Entertaining." He turned on his heels and walked over to take a seat on the couch across from him. "What about you? Eventful night Mr... Uhm... Sorry if this comes out of the blue, but I don't quite know how to address you. I apologize for my curt ignorance."

"Ah. Bang Kieu would be my given name. Bang is fine too." He smiled. "I understand. I used to find it curious how the West place their family name at the end."

James took off his hat and placed it onto the coffee table. "Well Bang, since we're roommates, tell me about yourself. How did you earn your reputation and end up here?"

The Egoist shrugged. "Lost a quarter of my body weight in an accident. Survived. Some may regard me more of a motivational speaker than a polymath," Bang chuckled. "What about you, Mister Porter?"

"I'm regarded as quite the prodigy with brewing chemical concoctions in my early forays into chemistry. However, these days I'm learning to be parfumier..." James crossed his legs elegantly and gentlemanly as he steepled his fingers, "My current study is focused on the ethical use of formulation within perfumes to affect ones mood. It's akin to drugs, thus, I need a better handle on pharmaceutical studies as well. My encounter with Kalil and his drug vapours tonight makes that fact painfully clear."

Bang blinked.

"Ah. I see! Well... that's all fine with me if you partake in your... pharmaceuticals. I'll just request that you keep those activities to your side of our lodgings. My physical condition is still a little sensitive." He eked out a smile.

"Of course. Chemical experimentation may be... volatile" he was relieved, it seems that Bang wasn't going to be a bothersome roommate, perhaps the type to keep more to himself. James smiled back before continuing the conversation, "... By the way, you mentioned that you've met with an accident. How did that come about Mister Le? Or would you prefer to be called Bang in a more casual manner?"

"Bang is fine with me! I assume we'll be rooming together for a while after all." He found himself unable to force his smile much longer. "It was an Abstraction incident. My brother... bit off more than he could chew."

"Ah..." James clasped his hands together tightly, realizing he'd stepped on a landmine, "... I apologize for bringing back presumably painful memories."

"It's been a long time. It's fine." Ah, this always happened when he was made to talk about it. Bang cleared his throat. "Uh. What about you? You've probably got family missing you too, right?"

James' face betrayed no emotion, his voice was still holding up the façade, but at this very moment he contemplated his life as he did many times before,

"... Yes, they're quite proud of me..." A lie.,

"... They're expecting me to do great things once I'm done here..." I'm expected to be proficient in my job.

"... They say they'll be waiting for me and give me a warm welcome home!" I don't even have a home, not a real one.

James smiled earnestly. There was nothing for him before. There'll be nothing for him after. He has a job to do. He let the statements sink in, before switching the topic, "I'm actually quite interested in some of the people here... There was this woman who Kalil spoke to, do you happen to know her? She seemed quite interesting."

Bang restrained his jealousy, thankful for the topic switching away from family.

"Hmmm. I didn't catch the chance talk with the fellow myself, I only joined that little group once he stepped away. Are you talking about the Russian girl in the nice dress? Or the quiet British one?"

"The British one? She seemed like she'd be from the New World with her appearance." he replied. "Ah! Since we are speaking cordially, would you like me to make some tea or perhaps you're a coffee type of person. I hear coffee is quite good in some places of the Orient."

Coffee at this time of night seemed a little...

"You'd be correct! Well, since you're offering, I wouldn't mind trying the tea they have here. In exchange, I'll treat you to a Vietnamese-style coffee in the morning!"

"I'd love some Vietnamese-style coffee!" Yes, one of James' few real pleasures, Tea and Coffee. He stood up and started brewing up some tea in the nearby kitchen, from there he continued the conversation, "... Who else did you converse with? I've only gotten to know two people throughout. Kalil being one, and another person from the Orient... Hana I believe was her name."

"Like I said, the group earlier. Kiran Agnarrson, the travelling Technologist. Valeriya Zhukova from Russia and..." Bang had to take a moment to remember. "Ah... Nazca, I believe. Aside from them, I also spoke to Ryuuko. That Japanese defector, if you know."

"Japanese defector? Interesting..." There were a lot of colorful characters, "... Did your meetings involve less drugs? Because Kalil wasn't quite discreet that he was higher than the chandeliers... I can still feel some of the lingering effects." James put a hand to his forehead.

"I..." Bang blinked. "Um. I didn't take... drugs."

He coughed politely into his fist.

"I suppose you and Kalil were...?"

"I was a little unwilling..." He brought over the cups of tea and placed them by the coffee table. "I'll be honest, I was using a drug, but it was mostly used to calm people. I had no intention of inhaling it alongside whatever Kalil was using. It was a prototype for a type of perfume I'm developing you see."

Okay, that seemed like a safe conversation thread. "Is there a demand for perfumes that are... relaxing? I assumed their purpose was to just smell pleasant."

"As I've said, purely pharmaceutical. However, I can picture some more wealthy people demanding something... Stronger. I don't condone such a thing." James elegantly sipped his tea. "What about you? Do you have a particular pursuit of study?"

At that Bang coughed again, sipping his tea to hide his embarrassment. "My Egoist studies specialise in regeneration. After, you know, the accident. It's a fairly, ah, archaic focus but it helps me a lot personally."

"Hmm, perhaps we could collaborate. Chemical compositions of the body and such are complicated. I could study them for you, though a biologist or a doctor would be more appropriate." James closed his eyes to ponder this thought, Bang seemed to be a rather pleasant person to converse with. There are only a few who don't absolutely annoy him. He finds that even his handlers are assholes with enough time.

The Egoist raised an amused eyebrow. "Are you trying to get me into your relaxants too?"

James then opened one of his eyes as his lips formed a playful smirk, "Not quite..." he then leaned forward slightly, "... What I offer is a collaboration between you, I, and another student to further our research of the human body. Human chemical composition, more accurate human anatomical models... Imagine the lives our studies would save."

'Accurate' would probably be something he'd disappoint the Brit on. Bang allowed himself a chuckle. "You're certainly not the first person to present this sort of idea to me, Mister Porter. Sounds promising. Ah, who is this other you have in mind?"

"I'm not quite sure yet, but I may suggest Ms. Yun Hana. I witnessed her go towards the infirmary after the lightbulb exploded to check on the wounded. However, it's a tentative suggestion since I'm not quite sure she's a doctor, it's just an assumption after all..." The more people he could connect together, the better his social web will be. He'll eventually get to his target, it was only a matter of when.

"I think that's a great idea!" Bang's smile was genuine this time. "Imagine all the medical knowledge we'd acquire, all the people we could help with our combined knowledge."

When Bang smiled, he felt a feeling in his heart that he had not felt before.

There were people like this who cared about others, who cared about his fellow human beings. And here I am, a killer - is that really what I want to be?

"Then perhaps we should call it a night and see to it tomorrow then?" He stood to shake his hand. "... I think this is the beginning of a fruitful relationship."

... Perhaps this time, I mean that.

Bang nodded, clamping his artificial hand onto James'. "Glad to be working together, roommate."

Whether in solitude or in company, whether in harmony or dissatisfaction, the first generation of Bermuda’s students occupied themselves as the last few minutes of curfew ticked away. Some found themselves still wrestling with inordinate amounts of luggage that did not fit their curious residences. Others simply lounged upon beds or sofas, the headiness of the party making any extra activity too much of a bother. Still more busied themselves with the research that brought them there, forging new partnerships or simply continuing the work that they had always done, shunning whatever division between nighttime and daytime that their primitive ancestors may have pursued. Night had truly fallen now, and with it, the seconds until ten o’clock drew closer and closer.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

…

It was like a wave of thunder, rolling through the plains. It was like the clash of percussive steel, performed by an army. It was the great bell of the Clocktower that laid in the center of the island, extolling the passing of the day with ten long clangs, forceful enough that the nascent mists vibrated from the force. Perhaps if there were any who had snuck into the cloistered interior of Bermuda, with its expansive libraries and its sequestered study halls, the sheer volume of noise would have rendered them temporarily deaf if they hadn’t been prepared. And how could they, when throughout the day, the clocktower had not rung at all?

At the distance of the dormitories, however, the noise itself was obnoxious, perhaps even somewhat haunting, but certainly not harmful, nor anything to be concerned about. The Egoists continued their nightly routines, the Dynamicists lived life as normal humans with superlative capabilities, and the Technologists…noticed something.

The world that they perceived, the world of constellations informing them of the qualities of Heavenly Creation changed. As electricity surged through the buildings, some infernal engine drawing in the energy expelled from the Telesma System at ever greater rates, the lines that they could once perceive became denser and denser, Formulizing chaotically as if a child had taken a carefully knit article of clothing and mashed it back together into an imitation of a ball of yarn. And following that lightning-quick alteration was the simultaneous ‘click’ of locks being set into place. Such actions were especially drastic in Kiran and Shou’s dorm room, the open window slamming shut before either of the youths could prevent it from doing so. The surprise lasted only moments, however. Anyone Technologist who was in the know could understand what had happened.

The Starsteel Formulization.

It was well-known that the blessed blades of the Orient, forged from the very essence of Divine Proclamation that had been plucked from the false sky by an archer of mythological renown, were materials that could not be altered by the Formulizations of the Occident, a unique material that was a universal constant in a world where all else was mutable. In pursuit of recreating such constancy, a young prodigy hailing from Japan had sharpened his craft as a Technologist until he created a device devastating in its simplicity: through inserting complex wiring within an object and the expenditure of electricity, he could scramble the ‘constellations’ that such solids were composed of, greatly increasing the difficulty of performing further Formulizations while temporarily suppressing previously-edited ones. As if going from a neatly-arranged 3x3 Rubik’s cube to the incomprehensible chaos of a 64x64 cube, the Starsteel Formulization found value as a safeguard against unlawful Technologists that sought to refashion themselves as gentlemen thieves, confounding efforts to simply alter their way into a massive vault. And the inventor himself, Sukoro Jinga?

He too was a student in Bermuda now, no doubtlessly placed here in part for his contributions to the Academic City’s designs.
That is to say, then, that the administration running the City were taking curfew very seriously.

Of course, that wasn’t to say that the Starsteel Formulization was all-powerful. With Formulized properties suppressed, a glass window was truly just a glass window, and organic materials such as wood, of course, could not be Formulized to begin with. Brute force would solve the problem easily enough, and no flimsy lock could seal a properly-trained Egoist. And even Technologists and Dynamicists could, in theory, simply kick the doors down or smash the windows open.

The problem, simply put, was that all this effort wasn’t for the sake of preventing people from leaving, but rather to prevent them from hiding that fact afterwards by repairing their exit of choice.

And who knew the consequences that would follow after?

For a select few, however, such a problem wasn’t a concern at all. They had, after all, remained outside while the clocktower tolled its decree.

For a select few, the night was only beginning.

_@SgtEasy
The fog rolled in with a languidness that belied its suddenness. All Kalil wanted was some night air to clear his mind, a walk on the nearby beach to reorganize his thoughts. The evening’s festivities hadn’t all been disastrous, and considering everyone’s varying levels of intoxication, it was very likely that no one would even remember that he had been the first to sing out Pax Britannica’s opening lyrics. Beneath his feet, the sand still held some of the latent heat from the day, every step sliding to the side slightly. It reminded him, in part, of the dunes that he had traversed during his duties as a caravan leader, of simpler days where his gifts could be utilized freely and effectively for the betterment of people he actually cared about.

But the chill of the night had settled in, the salty sting of the seaborne fog seeping into his senses. In a distance that he could no longer judge, the ebb and flow of the incoming tides resounded in tune with his heartbeat, dampness darkening his clothing, stirring up the remnants of the stinging pain he had felt as those bastards branded him with polluted ink. Memories stirred still, as the fog rolled in with a languidness that belied its suddenness.

And just like that, Kalil found himself shrouded in the mists, so thick that street lamps from the direction of his apartment diffused into a meaningless, orange blur.

_@Greengoat
Jeanne set a clipped pace, but it was certain before she even began that she could not make it back to her apartments before curfew began, before the rumoured fog that masked every night in Bermuda rolled in and reduced her visibility to zero.

But so what? She could still see her boots, clicking against stone pathways, and her intellect was such that it was no problem, recalling the route she had taken before hand to Ryuuko’s ryokan. There were adjustments to be made, of course, due to the detours she had taken to burn a gazebo down, but even that was no problem. Bermuda’s streets were named. Tram tracks could still be seen. She was well-armed, enough to put up a fight against any vagrant Technologist or Dynamicist. And even walking, it would take less than half an hour to return to her suite, if she so wished.

She, of course, couldn’t know of the locks or the Starsteel Formulization placed upon every building in Bermuda, but that too was not a problem that more property destruction couldn’t solve, and the curious chill that settled in her bones was no match for the warmth generated by physical movement nor the flames she could generate with her pocket furnaces.

Her boots continued to clack against the pavement.

Yet, she could still hear it in her head. The clicking of a tongue, as if chiding a disobedient child.

And occasionally, intermittently, at the edges of her vision, she caught the glimpse of a shadow shifting beyond the veil.

_@Jumbus
It felt amoral, perhaps, to tread upon the stone garden, footsteps disrupting the carefully-raked patterns of the gravel field. Surely someone else, a custodian or a gardener, would repair whatever damage his intrusion had done to this display or Oriental sensibility? And, knowing this, perhaps Ryuuko would even enjoy the damage he’d have dealt to this symbol of traditional culture and arts?

Well, he also knew what the other residents of the ryokan had thought when that crazy bitch from France rolled in and blasted the front door apart, simply because her brain couldn’t handle the concept of sliding doors and defaulted to violence at every opportunity. Truly, the French were a barbaric kind, from their Blast Knights to their meaningless reverence towards the Maker, and Jeanne seemed intent on proving everyone’s beliefs correct. She may be fine with it, of course, but Franz himself certainly couldn’t go around alienating his peers with quite as little consequence.

The fog rolled in as it did, but his proximity to the ryokan, as well as the previously-incinerated door, meant that Franz could at least make it into the front lobby without any issue, not that there looked to be any need to. Lesser minds may have found themselves lost once the fog stole away their ability to see where they were going, but he was the Universal Genius. He could navigate Bermuda blind and on stilts, if he needed to…probably.

Still, once the phenomenon of thick fog was confirmed, and once the temperature started dropping to levels where he might catch a cold, was there any reason for him to still be out here?

Why was Franz outside, anyhow?

Even at a respectable distance from where the Clocktower was located, Shou's "finned" ears still vibrated a bit with the sheer volume of each ring. He pitied anyone who lived in a dormitory closer to the source without any sort of protection. As the final clang's echoes faded and died down, he rose from his seat to glance outside and see if anything had changed outside. Had patrols risen from their alcoves in search of rule breakers?

It certainly sounded like there were changes within their dormitory. He could hear the clicks and clacks in the walls, although to what end he wasn't quite certain yet. He was able to notice the windows move to slam shut against his face though. The hinges taking on a life of their own as they began to close. His forehead was sturdier than whatever glass and wood the windows were made out of, but that wasn't exactly a good reason for vandelizing their shared room. Shou snapped his head back as the windows slammed shut in front of him, glass panes shaking in place, and he hummed as they clicked and latched shut.

"Well, that seems a bit like overkill," Shou finally remarked as he reached up and tapped the glass with a finger. From everything he heard, it seemed like every building in their vicinity had been modified in a similar manner. The fog had also considerably thickened in the moments since the lockdown started. The streetlights just outside their building were little more than indistinct orange blurs, and any prospect of exploration was certainly going to be hindered by the lack of visibility. He should probably look into further improving his senses that didn't rely on sight.

Thoughts of that nature quickly faded though as Shou grimaced. A sharp crack as the mug's handle broke under his tightened grip. His eyes darted around, trying to pierce the thick fog uselessly, and beads of sweat suddenly dotted his brow. His entire body tensed, ready to spring into action, before he closed his eyes and shook his head furiously. The half full mug finally clattering onto the ground as its handle was reduced to mere mulch in his hand.

His attention snapped downwards at the sound and the feeling of wetness against his foot, and Shou just managed to stop his tail from smashing a hole through the floor. He stared for a few moments, doing his best to collect himself, before he just shook his head and let out an uneven breath. He breathed in deep to continue calming down a bit further before he muttered a sullen warning, "Yeah, I wouldn't go out." Picking up the fallen mug, he made his way over to the kitchen, tossed it into the sink, and picked up a towel on the way. That was tossed over the spill before he stalked out of the room in search of the bathroom.

@SilverPaw

---

---

The locks suddenly slamming into place was cause for alarm. The obvious implementation of the Starsteel Formulization immediately afterwards made it clear what was going on. The people in charge of Bermuda really took curfew seriously, didn't they? Still, this was going to pose an immense problem for her to get her job done. There was always the option of just being out before curfew began, but if there was an option to beat this lockdown, she needed it in her back pocket.

Unfortunately, the Ministry's training for working around the Starsteel Formulization wasn't particularly helpful here. Brute force, destruction of the engine powering it, or creating a blackout didn't particularly help when it was her own dormitory.

Fortunate that Valeriya had another Technologist to consult with in here. Glancing over from her side of the room, she saw that Lucretia was still awake. So why not try to think of something? At the very least, it was an interesting thought exercise.

"Lucretia," She called out, sitting atop her bed. "Any interest in the Starsteel Formulization? I can't say I'm going to very much enjoy being constantly locked in every night without an option to get around it."

Truth to be told, due to her mental and physical exhaustion, mostly the former, Lucretia was already asleep by the time the clock were a few seconds away from striking ten o'clock. However, the unexpectedly loud chime that reached even the faux British castle of her dorm managed to disturb the German girl. To begin with, Lucy had never been a deep sleeper as it took effort to empty her mind of thoughts, there was always something to do, plants to make, projects to muse, a neverending turn of the neural industry.

"N... nnngh..." With barely-audible groans, the young girl's eyelids fluttered open, a blank look on her eyes for those precious few seconds as her mind geared back to life. This was certainly an unwelcome development, she really needed the sleep. "...?" However, any annoyance she might have expressed took second priority to intrigued curiosity as her emerald pupils focused on the world around her, specifically the constellations of the divine formula. They had grown denser, thicker, deliberately spun to be far more convoluted than they should be. She recognized this, knew this, as any Technologist worth their craft should, let alone a prodigious genius among geniuses.

"Starsteel..." Lucretia whispered to herself before she heard her name being called, Latin words spoken with that distinct feel of Russian accent, "Yes, Miss Zhukova?" She replied back, now seated on her bed, her pillow right behind her, "Yes. It's a brilliant invention by the Japanese Technologist, Mr. Sukuro Jinga, that's considered a breakthrough in the field of security, specifically against Technologists." She got talking quick, now with her interest piqued.

The silver-haired girl then scooted on her bed until her bare feet touched down on the carpeted floor, she immediately made her way toward the now-locked door of their massively spacious bedroom, "It seems to be connected to this curfew... a curious choice since Starsteel Formulization by itself isn't enough to truly secure something, you'll need sturdy material as well to prevent unauthorized actors from simply breaking in or out via... well, brute force." A proper bunker should have both thick steel doors and Starsteel Formulas, not just either one. So... if the school administration truly intended to lock the students in after curfew, why would they not do this? Hmmm...

Arriving at the door, Lucy's eyes closely examined the altered formula there, deep in thought, her savant mind already working on the puzzle. Even if it was a 64 by 64 Rubik's Cube, could it hold out against her wits?

Valeriya joined Lucretia at the door. If the German was going to brute force the Formula, she may as well go for the mundane method. After all, someone had to take it into consideration. Had she left Lucretia to her own devices, she may as well do something idiotic like order her robot to break the door down.

"Well," She began, starting to examine the doors and windows for any hidden locks or mechanisms. "I believe the intent is that while we could break the doors or windows down, whoever is in charge would notice the obvious damage and draw the logical conclusion. So while we could break out that way, we'd be caught instantly the next day. The Formula prevents us from simply repairing the damage the easy way. Hm..."

In truth, it'd be the exact opposite, Lucy would never even think of using Schwarzritter to brute force their way through, certainly not when its mistress had this treasure trove of a puzzle to clash her mind against. Admittedly, there weren't many technologist formulizations that the German savant couldn't understand or at least figure out at a rapid pace, this was one such exceptions. Perhaps... Valeriya was projecting herself a bit too much here to have such a backwards opinion on her roommate's motivations.

"An interesting perspective..." The younger student answered, her voice almost a murmur as most of her mind was focused on untying the Gordian Knot before her, "So it's simply a method to screen students followed the rules and those who didn't..." It was a test then, more of a mental boundary than a physical one. A worthy opponent indeed, see if she could outsmart it, see if she could prove to Mr. Sukuro that his so-called Starsteel Formula wasn't so stellar after all.

---

Academic pursuits, scouting opportunities, and an ever nagging curiosity. There was plenty of reason for Franz to dip his toes into the world of post-curfew Bermuda. He had already come to the conclusion that a portion of the students were like him, lobbying for national interest. That being the case in his mind, understanding the curfew was not an advantage he was going to give to anyone else. How does it work? Can he find a way around it? The thought of it all is what forced Franz out of bed and into this considerable cold.

Franz was somewhat prepared for the temperature. He was not wearing the pajamas he had on for bed and he didn’t return to the lavish but impractical suit from the party. Instead he wore his practical study clothing, which offered some protection against the cold but it's not like he had some hulking coat on. As some protection Franz also had a stiletto dagger snuck up his sleeve. It wouldn’t be much, but it's the most he could reliably sneak out with.

The idea of a rock garden was novel. Franz hadn’t taken the time to respect how good it all looked. Something about how alien the idea was to him caught his interest. Surely the caretakers wouldn’t mind a few footprints in it as he took a proper look around the place. It couldn’t take that long to fix it up again afterwards, right? But slowly his vision became obscured as the fog rolled in, the curfew must have set in.

The fog itself left Franz dissatisfied. This was Bermuda’s big precaution to stop students from sneaking out at night. Some dynamicist’s pet project? Sure to a normal person, this would pose a problem. Even a regular student could have some issues with it, he imagined. But this was child’s play to Franz. If this was all Bermuda had to offer for an enforcement against sneaking out, Franz would be at an insurmountable advantage against the students who dare not break the rules. He was so far unaware of the Starsteel Formulization.

It was worth Franz staying out a bit longer to test the limits of this fog. He decided to walk out of the garden and down the road to the closest other student accommodation. Franz wondered if he would be able to travel between buildings during the night.

Nothing impeded his travels, and his memories guided him without problem to what could be presumed to be another student housing complex, this one taking inspiration more from the architecture of Abya Yalan meccas. With such limited sight, it was hard to make out the upper floors, but from the outside, the building looked wholly unoccupied, its windows dark and it's doors solidly shut. The effects of the Starsteel Formulization shone brightly up close though, a complex, chaotic web of connections that seemed to defy any simple answer in altering it. With time, perhaps, he could puzzle it out, but during that time, what else could happen?

Certainly, this would be better to figure out in the privacy of his own room, rather outside, slowly freezing up as the temperature continued to drop. Truly, the difference of warmth was night and day.

Franz had seen enough and it was cold out. There was virtually no threat to skipping the curfew. Although, the Starsteel Formulizations would certainly be a thorn in his side if he were to conduct devious business under the cover of night. For now, Franz was satisfied with what he had learnt. Now it was time to practice breaking into Starsteel Formulization by getting back into his own room. He began making the stroll back to the ryokan, a stroll that wasn’t uninterrupted.

Through the main gates and into the busted lobby, from where the fog had pervaded, Franz found himself impeded…by a humble, locked door. The construction of the ryokan was primarily of wood, after all, and while there was still an automatic locking mechanism that must have been put in place, Jeanne must have incinerated the main one, while the rest…weren’t designed to keep a Universal Genius stalled for long. It would be easy, indeed, for the Austrian student to slip inside the ryokan once more. It was a bigger question, in truth, where he would be able to find any trace of the Starsteel Formulization inside such a building.

There was no reason why the ryokan would be any different from the Abya Yalan complex. If one student accommodation had night time Formulization around it, so must the other. They both must use Formulization. The only difference being that the ryokan was made of organic material, which made the inspection process significantly harder. In fact, it was impossible with the wood completely blocking his sight of Formulizations hidden beneath.

Franz was stopped at the lobby door leading to the stairs. Locked. He had left any tools that would help him pick the lock in his room. As thin a point as his dagger had, he wasn't going to risk the blade on some door. He didn't see a keyhole either, could he assume it was Formulization. No matter, the point was that the door was in the way of him getting a good night's sleep. Franz put his ear to the door and shook it, trying to determine the position and stability of the lock. Maybe a swift kick in the right place could break the lock with no issue.

Besides how much trouble could he really get in. He was just exploring the majesty of Bermuda and lost track of time. If he had to break a few locks to break back into his own room, they would presumably let him off with a slapped wrist just this once. Not as though Franz had any intention of being caught for this.

Franz stood back and gave a swift kick to the place where the door was locked. Ideally he would avoid damaging the door itself too much. Not out of a desire to be subtle, that option was out the window, but out of a simple respect for property.

Franz was surprised at how easily the lock broke. How bizarre that they would install locks in this place that could easily be broken through. The doors themselves were probably more flimsy, it was ridiculous that he had to worry about the safety of the door when breaking in. Security was going to be an issue here.

Opening the door, Franz looked for the mechanism that had looked at the door. A small reservoir of metal in this sea of organic building material. As he imagined, Starsteel Formulization. How fitting to see it in a traditional Japanese building.

Noticing the fog pouring into the lobby, Franz closed the door to the stairs behind him and proceeded back toward his room. Sure, the fog was seeping in a little to the stairway. But with the doors closed it wouldn't be much of an issue.

Franz encountered the same issue when trying to return to his own suite. Franz wasn’t a technologist and he only had an understanding of metalworking from a few skimmed pages. If he broke a lock, there was no way he could repair it. Ryuuko wasn’t a technologist either. For tonight he could default to the excuse of losing track of time in the gardens. But in future he would need a way around it.

One way was to break the locks of multiple suites, which wasn’t ideal because it hinged upon there not being enough evidence to differentiate him as the perpetrator. The other way was to get a highly skilled technologist to give him some method of doing the repairs. There was Lucy, but he doubted their alliance would accommodate her helping him break the rules of Bermuda.

Still, that was something to consider when he actually needed to sneak out. For now there was only one goal, get inside his suite and have a good night's sleep. Franz jokingly thought how breaking the door itself would impress Ryuuko. But she probably wouldn’t be happy with a destroyed front door, no matter her disposition to the place. Franz kicked the lock and opened the door. He stopped himself before entering and stood outside the doorway. “Do not be alarmed. It's me, Franz. I got locked out.” Franz was not about to risk getting mistaken for an intruder considering the strength of his roommate.

---

Ryuuko had been awakened when the bell of the clocktower loudly rang a good ten times to mark the beginning of the curfew. She had only been asleep for a little bit before that, and quickly became alert due to the noises. Add to that the clicking noises of the locks that had been triggered right after, it made her immediately rise up from her futon to look around. She quickly realized a few things. One, that the loud rings were indeed from the clocktower at the center of the island. Two, that Franz was nowhere to be seen within the room. And three, that one of the clicking noises had come from the door to the suite itself.

“Hmm…” She briefly wondered where Franz had gone too. Definitely not the bathroom and toilet, the door leading there had been left open and the lights were off. A quick look around confirmed that Franz was not inside the suite itself. This reminded Ryuuko of her own idea of possibly breaking the curfew out of curiosity… Had Franz gone to do just that? Regardless, first, she needed to check the front door. She tried to slide it open… And yet as she expected, it had somehow become locked.

“Well that’s cute.” She chuckled lightly. So it seemed that they really took this curfew thing very seriously… But then one thing didn’t really make any sense. Mainly, that locking a sliding door like this is an exercise in futility; it would be extremely easy to bypass it regardless. Which means that this whole lockup thing is probably not so much to prevent students from actually leaving… Conversely, it is also not to prevent people from entering, of course. Hmm… So this is either a very weird form of test or…

As she was contemplating things, she heard footsteps as it stopped in front of the door, which were then followed by someone kicking the door. She reflexively jumped back, venom sacks once more primed and claws retracted all in the span of less than a second as the door was then opened.

“Oh.” Turned out it was just her missing roommate returning to the room. It was good of him to stop before entering and announce himself. Ryuuko quickly undid the priming of the venom sacks and the retraction of her claws as quickly as she did them. She relaxed her posture, greeting Franz with a grin. “Heh. Got me surprised there, I was standing at the other side of the door. Haha… So where’d you been? Out for a little walk?”

Franz popped his head around the corner and gave a smile back when he realised he wasn't going to lose it. He began entering the suite as he responded. "Yes actually. I went out for a stroll and lost track of time. The fog made it pretty hard to find my way back too. I think I may have kicked up the rock garden a bit." Franz said the last part in a sarcastic manner to imply the rock garden part was intentional.

Upon reaching his bag, Franz turned his back to Ryuuko as he slipped the dagger back inside. "I can see your curiosity is somewhat peaked as well. Were you looking at the locking system?"

Ryuuko walked back to her futon as she listened to Franz talk. She then sat down on it, facing Franz as she replied. “Oh my, kicked up the rock garden a bit, hmmmm? Hehe… Eh, I’m sure fixing it is included in the list of duties of whoever’s in charge of it.” She chuckled and shrugged casually at that, approving of the fact that Franz did it. “In any case, yes, I was. It's quite curious isn’t it? After that bell rang ten times, there were a lot of clicking noises following it… Evidently, those noises were the doors automatically locking. Technologism formulation, obviously… Anyway, I’d expect the same thing had likely happened to every single door leading to each student’s room along with any other doors that would enforce the curfew…”

She then paused briefly before continuing, the tip of the pointer finger of her right hand touching her own chin. “Hmm… It wasn’t much as far as preventing students from leaving or entering though, so I suspect that’s not the actual objective… Anyway, did you see anything unusual while you’re outside, Franz? Aside from the thick fog, that is.”

Franz turned back to look at Ryuuko with his pajamas in hand. "Curiosity is a good thing Ryuuko. You would be correct that all the other doors lock too, but maybe you didn't know it is a result of Starsteel Formulization." Franz got up from kneeling at his bag and walked off to the bathroom to get changed. "Unfortunately, with my tourist's understanding of Technologism, I am only able to tell you what it is. I have little knowledge as to how it works."

Franz closed the bathroom door behind him and began changing back into his pajamas. He raised his voice a bit to keep talking as he did so. He thought about giving some ghost tale to scare away Ryuuko, but decided against it. Honesty is the best policy for a potential ally. "Fog, fog, and more fog unfortunately. Which is strange because I didn't hear any guards. If I were taking bets, I would say they aren't enforcing this curfew very much at all. Although, unless you're a skilled metal worker and Technologist, they'll know one of us broke curfew on account of the broken lock."

Franz emerged again in navy blue and white pajamas. "Do not worry though, I plan to take full responsibility for tonight." Franz got into his futon and turned to Ryuuko with a more confident smile. "So, were you trying to skip curfew as well? Or just curious about the locks?"

Ryuuko nodded, a smile on her face. “Oh, I definitely agree with that. A mind that isn’t curious in some way doesn't fit a polymath if you ask me. That person will get stagnant real fast.” She then paused briefly as Franz mentioned the Starsteel Formulization. “Yes, I wasn’t aware of that. I see, so it was the Starsteel Formulization huh… Sukoro Jinga’s work… Heh, that made me wonder if he’s right here in Bermuda among us, wouldn’t be unreasonable for that to be the case…”

As Franz entered the bathroom, Ryuuko flopped back, laying on the futon with the palm of her hands placed under her neck. She continued listening as Franz talked louder from within the bathroom. She replied in kind, speaking louder as well. “Just fog, huh. interesting… Yeah, that sure sounds lax as far as enforcing the curfew goes. Just make it all the more certain that they aren’t really trying to keep people in or out with these meager locks. Anyway…”

She flopped to her side to look at Franz as he exited the bathroom. “Ah I’m sure it will be okay anyway. What’ll they do? You’re just a student that happened to be outside when the curfew started.” She giggled lightly at that, it’s just ridiculous in her mind if the academy is going to punish students for being a few minutes late about returning to their respective dorm. She turned around to continue looking at Franz as he got on his own futon, grinning as she answered him. “Oh I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have any thoughts of doing that. But that was during the tour, I had forgotten about it by the time we arrived here in this dorm. It happens when you’re enjoying your time I guess, haha! Anyway, yeah, just curious about the locks and about where you were.”

Franz took note of Sukuro Jinga being in Bermuda with them. If he wanted to get around the locks seamlessly, Franz would need the guy on his side. Of course, he knew other skilled Technologists who could get close. But to leave no trace of tampering would be quite difficult to complete, even for the caliber of genius at Bermuda.

"I assume I'll just get a slap on the wrist for tonight. But I shouldn't make a habit of it until I can pick the locks seamlessly. Otherwise, they might strengthen security around this room. That would be bad for the both of us." Franz was taken back a bit in pleasant surprise by Ryuuko's response to his question. "Either way, I'm happy you're enjoying your time here, despite the barren state of this room. As for where I was, my night life is far more boring than you would expect. I was just going for a stroll to see more of this place and I lost track of time. But as I said, curiosity is a good thing." He gave a cheeky smile back.

“Mmm, that’s true. Once is fine, but repeated offense might get us into trouble indeed. Oh well, it just means that we gotta find a way to leave no evidence.” Ryuuko winked playfully at Franz as she said so, followed with a brief laugh. “Well, the fact that we’re at a ryokan aside, everything’s been quite fine today, so I’m definitely enjoying it. In any case, yeah I see. Nothing but thick fog definitely sounds boring, haha.”

Franz gave a short chuckle back to Ryuuko's playful remark and pondered on what she had said. He doubted that she would approve of his intentions behind skipping curfew. But it sounded like fun to break the curfew with her.

Franz turned up to look at the ceiling not long after. "I believe we should head to sleep soon. As much as I enjoy the conversation, I don't think we can afford the lack of rest tomorrow."

Ryuuko nodded at Franz’s suggestion. “Agreed. It’ll be the real first day tomorrow… Best be at our, well, best… Alright then. Good night, Franz!” She started covering herself with the blanket after saying so, closing her eyes to return to sleep once more.

---

---

Jeanne’s eyes twitched at the sudden noise.

Was it to be like this? Barely any input for so long and now one of derision? She feared naught but the possibility that she would die before her vision was completed, and the possibility of the unknown. But fear can be conquered with knowledge, and if whatever it was out there in the fog was… to expire in an unfortunate accident, she could study it more closely. If it was otherworldly, then all the more reason to take it down now.

She emptied her pockets, the coin sized mechanical spiders disguised as buttons immediately deploying, its top irising open, blue dots sweeping the area. Four clambered up onto her, disappearing into her clothes and into a backplate where it took power from them.

With her arms held straight, she focused on the strands on her work equipment, the straps running up and down her body. Strands changed to be flexible and strong, with immense propensity for retraction and expansion at an accelerated rate. This was a crude measure, but perhaps a necessary one if whatever stalked her had traits beyond fleshly means.

The button on her palm popped out, as she held it up, emitting a bright light as she tried to see past the mist. The rest of the spidery automatons followed her in a single file, as she investigated the source of the noise.

The spotlight shot out with brilliant radiance, and immediately, Jeanne’s vision was filled with white. Pure white. Blinding white. The white of her spotlight, reflecting off the dense fog right back into her face. Even if it may not have been enough to cause her to flinch, it was enough for her to squint, momentarily distracted.

But only for a moment. And at an indiscernible distance, she heard a stomp from behind, powerful and pronounced within the smothered world of fog.

“Group 1” She turned, the rows of small automatons turning with her. “Fire!”

A focused beam, unlike what she had exhibited before. That was a mere test after all; she wasn’t exactly going to kill someone. If Ryuuko did die, that simply meant she was an impostor and wasn’t fit to be in this academy. But for this thing, the small spiders fired not a wide burst of flame, but a small blue beam, a lance of plasma. Their furnace’s size makes it short ranged, but that didn’t matter considering how close it was.

The spider-furnaces hissed, then screamed as lances of plasma surged out, the sudden temperature difference shredding through the fog and dispersing it, enough so that Jeanne caught the glimpse of some creature, the mere glimpse of some leathery tail…but that was all. No carbonization of flesh, no cry of agony.

Her reactions, quick as they were, weren’t quick enough.

Behind her once more, a consequence perhaps of turning around, she heard that same sound, could now perceive the movement of a tremendous amount of wind that was yet insufficient for blowing apart the fog that veiled that creature from her own gaze.

“Tch.” Jeanne’s eyes darted around. Being unable to see it properly was an annoyance to be sure. She had half a mind to start punching it to pulp as soon as it showed up. First, she had to deal with the fog, which, admittedly, was not something she was expecting, or had ever experienced, having to actually deal with. “Are you waiting for something? Afraid of a single weak girl?”

“All groups, formation circle!” She bent down as the spider automatons formed a circle around her, ready to fire while the previous group recharged their shot. The furnace she was using as a light was shut down back into its inert form, before she placed a hand onto the ground.

Formulation and production. Once there might have been a need for craftsmen to create things individually for assembly. That still was true for the poor, but for someone like her, assembly and creation of a machine with complex manipulation was of no real problem.

A cav field generator at the guard, slot for the furnace at the back, alternating materials for insulation, matrix strengthening of the overall structure, oval cross section and squishy material for the grip. Circle moved into circles, lines intersecting, jostling other bright stars, until the shape she wanted was filled and created.

A foot long handle came out of the ground, her Excalibur, but bladeless, even as she put the furnace into the slot at the bottom where the pommel should be.

Shield and sword. Field and flame. Surrounded by miniaturized furnaces that could flare up to life in a single word, bearing a claymore of plasma that could cleave through steel, her gallant face bearing a fierce expression, Jeanne became the archetypal knight of the Enlightened Era, an anachronism that could only exist in French culture. Her fingers tingled still at the complex Formulizations that she had accomplished in such a short amount of time, but it was a sensation that she had felt many times before. As with following a recipe, as if piecing together a jigsaw puzzle, the more one did it, the faster and less taxing it became, and now, fully equipped, Jeanne stood ready for whatever nightmare lurked in the darkness.

In the distance, that same sound, of a foot stomping against the earth, echoed out. Seconds crawled by, but nothing approached. Had what she responded to simply another curfew-breaker, catapulting themselves through the fog-shrouded streets? The leathery tail merely an Egoist’s mutations, their disregard for her challenge merely because of the miniscule threat she posed? A minute crawled by, her surroundings peaceful, foreboding. Or was it all faked, to get her to drop her guard? A shadow that flickered at the edge of her vision. An Egoist, launching themselves through the emptied streets.

Did these statements match?

“Scatter formation!”

The spiders scattered from each other immediately at that command.

If it was just going to keep its distance taunting her, perhaps thinking Jeanne was slower than it, then it was dead wrong. Speed, strength, and even reaction time to an extent was nothing for a Technologist to augment. Faster than any humans could move, fast as only machines could achieve, Jeanne sped through the mist like a bullet, the plasma sword arcing a brilliant blue around her.

Mist blew past her as her brain buzzed with frenetic focus. Heat modulation, mental navigation, and a sharpened awareness of her surroundings kept Jeanne on track, even as her spider furnaces were left further and further behind by the speed that her Formulized straps gave her. More torque, more force than what humans themselves could generate through a lifetime of training, with experience that allowed her to keep her movements in sync even as she traversed through a cityscape that had long become a blur. There was no distant scenery to keep her orientated, but it mattered not.

All that mattered was that, even though the sound of the footstomps she trailed gradually became more and more quiet, she could still follow it through Bermuda, could reorientate herself. It was her pride that made the furnace master believe that the creature was taunting her. But that was just pride, irrational and meaningless. Her miniaturised furnaces were left in the dust. She continued through the suffocating fog, drawing in more of that damp air, until…

…something whizzed overhead, followed by the unmistakable hiss of a suppressed steampistol. Five more shots scattered around, ricocheting off stone pathways and steel streetlamps, one shattering a lamp and darkening her immediate surroundings.

But Jeanne was not hit.

In the distance, another footstomp echoed. If she did not continue, she would finally be so far that the quarry she chased would be untrackable.

The mini furnaces were left behind to their purpose, even as she moved quickly through the fog. Jeanna had initially thought to try and disperse the fog, but with someone actively shooting at her, she switched immediately to a low stance, moving faster through the fog. If she could see the enemy, the enemy could also see her.

Moving quickly, she picked up a pebble from the ground, holstering her weapon as she altered the rock on the move.

No more gunshots chased after Jeanne. Whatever had shot at her did not pursue, and the Technologist continued throughout the fog at her breakneck pace. Sweat and salt pooled in the creases of her clothing, lungs heaving in the thick air as she continued to keep just in range of the sound that led her.

The sound that led her closer and closer, to the center of the island, to the sequestered academies that made up Bermuda’s interior.

In time, those footstomps disappeared, whatever travelling through the fog taking a subtler approach. Jeanne herself stood at the very entrance of the seamless grand walls that prevented the uninitiated from coming in. Her student card could supposedly serve as a key, but this late at night, it looked unlikely that the reader, shining with the devastatingly bright light of the Starlight Formulization, would function. But there were no other traces of the monster she had hunted.

Jeanne did not falter of course. She simply silenced the material she was holding, the rawest form of her specialty, ready to engulf the entire area in hellfire. Taking out the sword, she simply cut through the door, Or rather, burnt through the entire door, the scorching heat blasting dry air around as she disabled the cav field holding the plasma together. There was no shortage of people able to wield fire after all, and using a card reader was a ludicrous move to even consider.

And with the roaring of plasma, the thunderous screech of stone blasting away, Jeanne was able to pass into the inner sanctums of Bermuda. It was as she remembered it, libraries and study halls arranged in concentric circles while gardens and gazebos served as outdoors distractions for students who required a change of pace to get their brains moving. Though area had previously been clear of fog, it looked as if the hole she made now was enough to start drawing more of the fog inside.

There was undoubtedly a treasury of ancient manuscripts and materials within this portion of the island, but, once more, there was no sign of anyone else here either. It was simply an empty space, dead as a graveyard.

See?

Compulsion? Instinct? Her eyes lifted towards the library to the northwest. Upon the gothic roof, something indistinct moved, slithering within the darkness that laid between false stars. The faintest outline of a tail, the shrouded suggestion of folded wings. Before she could make out anything further, the humanoid creature disappeared.

It must have gone inside.

Turning the safety back on, she made her way to the library’s door. Jeanne put her hands in her pockets reflexively, grasping for the buttons that weren’t there. All of them were deployed at the moment, with some in her working suit’s backplate. While she could remotely ping them to call them to her, it would take precious time she might not have. No matter, she had enough to deal with anything at the moment.

She gently opened the door.

The lights were off, and beyond the diffused glow of the streetlamps outside peeking into the large windows, the library was in a state of perpetual gloom. It was hard to make out the details that had made the place out to be some exquisite place of knowledge when they toured it during the morning; at night, it was simply gloomy and empty, claustrophobic and cavernous, filled with oppressive contradictions.

But it wasn’t silent.

Jeanne could hear it, echoing within the darkness, whispering into the depths of her mind. A ghostly wailing, a tortured soul’s timbre reverbrating monotonously, as if it had done so for millennia. Surely not though, when Bermuda couldn’t have been more than a couple years old?

Fear and superstition was not in Jeanne’s repertoire however, and with the plasma sword’s setting on the lowest, she banished the darkness with its light, holding it aloft like a torch. Darkness had no teeth, save for only in one’s mind.

Her breath was slow, almost tense as she entered, that feeling of adrenaline as her body tensed for immediate danger. Her steps clacked rhythmically against the floor as she investigated first the rows and rows of books.

“Wooo…wooooooooo…”

Jeanne continued through without response, the blue light of her plasma sword granting the illumination she needed to see the rows and rows of books stacked up on the shelves. The ghostly wailing continued for a bit longer, becoming more and more deranged, until, echoing through the library, from what seemed as if it was all around her, that same ghostly voice spoke up.

“Aw man, guess that didn’t work after all.”

Jeanne inhaled and exhaled slowly. Alas it seemed not to be the new specimen she was looking for. A student perhaps? A teacher with a strange sense of humour?

“Show yourself. Or stay there and I will incinerate both the structure and you.”

A dark chuckle sounded. “Oh, you truly exceed your reputation. Do it.”

A quick movement, and the safety was off, the blade flaring uncontrolled and wild from her weapon. Heat enough to set the air in motion as air swirled around chaotically, the very ends of her cuffs burning as she swung it. It didn’t take full contact from the blade for anything remotely flammable to catch fire, and those close enough to the superheated core vaporised instead of just burning. With the safety off, the blade was more like a blowtorch than a contained sword, flaring several meters in width.

It was paper and wood, after all. It would burn well. Warmer light filled the cavernous library now, flickering shadows growing starter as flames grew hotter. Books, shelves, chairs, tables, anything that Jeanne would direct her blowtorch of a sword towards would dry, char, and then combust. Smoke surged up, the ceilings high enough that she had yet to start choking on it.

“Mhmm, that’s a nice little bonfire you’ve got there.” Rapid clicks sounded somewhere, but the roaring flames masked the direction. Her senses were still human, even if her power was divine. “On the small side though, no? There are sand rats who could do more with a matchstick than you with your fancy toy.”

“Small words from a coward. A small dog barks loudest after all.”

A flick of the controls, and the cav field turned on, directing rather than containing, the blade growing several meters longer but thinner though still flaring wild the longer it went. She swung it swiftly around, not only from side to side, but upwards too. Were they hiding in the rafters? Ceiling? One of the overhanging balconies?

The weightless blade of heat continued to slice and dice, carbonizing any organic material it struck while blackening, then brightening, the surfaces of stone and steel. Carpets caught flame too, tapestries and paintings, plant life wilting into ashes. The temperatures rose further, an inferno stoked by the destruction of works of wit and art. Jeanne would soon suffocate if she didn’t prepare countermeasures to her own destruction. She had recalled though, that the shadow that she had stalked entered the building from the roof. If they were still there, the smoke should reach them, as well as the scalding heat. And yet…

“Bark bark,” the voice continued, crackling and cackling alongside the crumbling structure of the library. “Leave it to the French to be barbarians in this era.”

So it was someone from the island itself, and with a hate for the French. Was it an Englishman? No, if it was some sort of monster she had followed, it should be someone from the Oriental lands. France has many enemies but none as vehement as the English after all, what with the struggle for the crown and all.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and shut down the blade.

As if losing all interest, Jeanne simply pushed aside the door and walked out. There was something wrong there. There weren't any answers to be gained from her current actions after all.

Neck.

Her hands went up immediately to her neck, before she looked around the area.

A sharp pain jolted through her hand and into her neck, right as Jeanne turned. Immediately, her body felt heavier, as if her blood had thickened to a syrup, as if her heart was weighed down by anchors.

“Huh.” The same voice. So much clearer and nearer now. “Didn’t think you’d be able to react to that.”

Her eyes trailed the needle embedded through her hand, the long, whip-like tail that delivered it, the thick, muscular lower body that was connected to it, and traced it up to the bat-like wings, the barrel-sized chest, and the face. The face of a devil, massive ears like a double-sided axe stretching out from his face. Piercing golden eyes, a gnarled mouth twisted into a smile. Beneath the coarse fur that covered his chest and his extremities lay pasty, pale skin. From his neck hung a camera.

An Egoist. An Occidental one.

“Well, no worries, matchstick girl. I’m no murderer.”

Her eyelids felt immeasurably heavy, and she slumped onto the ground as the inferno raged behind her.

“Just an opportunist.”

The night passed, and the morning came.

At 5 AM, the mists receded, leaving naught more but damp residue for the sun to clear away, and with that, whatever mechanism had empowered the Starsteel Formulization with electricity disappeared too. Those who stuck with the rules of the curfew were unaffected by this change, of course, as were those who didn’t care about being caught for breaking the rules of the curfew. It was only for a select few individuals within Bermuda whom this change affected.

Lucretia von Konigsmahne had not slept. After a long day of touring, an eventful evening of partying, and a night of unpacking, she had spent all her time doing nothing but puzzling over the intense glare of the Starsteel Formulization that some uppity Oriental schmuck had designed. Her eyes were red from staring into such agonizing light and her index finger was rubbed raw from the constant precise motions she made to try to maneuver through this dense nebula of Formulized points. Her neck was aching too, and her entire body, as frail as one might expect from a Polymath who spent their time obsessing over the mechanics of their craft, was as stiff as a board. No doubt, the muscle pain involved if she ever left her current position would be nigh-intolerable, but those long-term consequences were not worth considering. No, Lucretia was getting close now, her brain buzzing on fumes as she threaded her Technologism through a forest of needles, gradually unravelled the Gordian Knot. It wouldn’t be in this instant, but it would be soon.

So very soon…until suddenly, the nebula disappeared, replaced by the familiar constellations of malleable stone and iron.

It was as if someone had taken a puzzle that Lucretia had slaved over for the last seven hours and scrambled it up, jammed it back into its box, and took it away. It was clear at that moment, that the challenge wasn’t simply solving the puzzle that Sukoro Jinga had laid out before them. After all, Starsteel Formulizations were, in the context of protecting vaults and valuables, simply a means to delay, to buy time. Any sufficiently intelligent Technologist could eventually crack that puzzle, but hardly any could before an Egoist bank guard smashed their face against the wall. There was no such threat of violence for Lucretia. There was simply the cold, miserable time limit that she had to work against.

Seven hours. No, if she wanted to break curfew, she needed to solve it even faster than that, or there would simply be no point in doing so to begin with.

As her sleep-deprived, sugar-starved mind addled about, the sound of light snoring drew her attention back to the beds. There lay Valeriya, having concluded her own investigations within the first half hour after curfew, now sleeping blissfully without a care in the world. For those with wilder hearts, perhaps this would have sparked some mischief. But surely, Lucretia von Konigsmahne, the Scrap Metal Princess of the Iron Sentinel Empire, was above such emotional outburst?

More hours passed, bringing the clock to saner times.

Franz and Ryuuko would wake to a curious fatigue. Though their accommodations were certainly comfortable enough, the futons fluffy and warm, it felt as if there was something stuck to their lungs. Had they caught a cold last night? Could Egoists even catch something so unassuming as the common cold? Scanning around their rooms revealed the culprit soon enough: overnight, the mist from outside must have gotten in. The tatami, the wood, and the paper screens were all darkened by the sticky, salty damp, and the room smelled as if two bucketloads of seaweed had been steamed inside. Outside their rooms, in the hallway and down in the lobby, were much the same. A couple of their roommates swore at the drenched sight, some cursing that psychotic French bitch in particular, while others decided that some cleaning up was due. A Water Dynamicist cleared out the actual water that had stuck to the walls, globules of fluid being drawn out of fabrics and wood, before he pitched them outside.

Simple work, though he was forced to shrug when the dark stains themselves remained. With elbow grease and cleaning materials, that could likely be removed as well, but, well, which teenager wanted to do chores this early in the morning? Certainly, it wasn’t as if Franz or Ryuuko were going to dry off their own suite, were they?

Whatever their plans were, however, whatever any students’ plans were, it would be interrupted by a voice, crackling over public gramophones placed all around the city.

“Good morning, students of Bermuda Academic City. For those interested in witnessing how those more unrestrained and reckless amongst us will be handled, please make your way to the Central Monument Library. The examination will begin in an hour.”

In the wind, the stench of smoke overflowed.

---

A crowd, numbering less than two thousand, had gathered before the smoldering ruins of one of Bermuda’s great libraries. Nothing but a skeleton of stone remained of what had once been a treasure trove of encyclopedias and studies, everything else reduced to ash that stung the ends and tickled the throat. On a raised platform of stone, three meters in height, stood Jeanne Du Bordeaux, the rare Technologist who had a greater reputation of her misdemeanors than her great deeds. Her reinforcing chasses and the now-unpowered handle of her plasma claymore hung from a rack beside her, their Formulizations and intended use inferable by other Technologists in the crowd. The girl herself had her hands bound together and encased in leather gloves, the simplest solution for nullifying a Technologist, while the rest of her outfit clung to her body from a dampness that persisted even through the warm sunlight that shone down overhead now.

Her expression was inscrutable, perhaps disdainful, perhaps apathetic. But her deeds were clear. A library had been burned, after all. And she was standing there, her armaments on display, her skin still blemished by smoke and ash.

A man, no, a youth who was dressed like a man, stood at the forefront, dressed in the finery befitting of a man of the law, his powdered wig radiant in the sunlight. His eyes, dark and deep-set, glanced towards the crowd of his peers and then to his pocketwatch, before he snapped it shut and slipped it into the inner pocket of his suit. Holding a Crystal Amp, a volume-amplifying product of an obscure nation from the Dark Continent, he began to speak.

“There is an oft-heard saying in this era of ours, that madness is at the root of genius. That only those unfettered by convention and law can aspire to become great. But those who believe in such sayings forget themselves. They forget the Folly of Paracelsus. They forget the Tragedy of Binding. They forget the Formation of the Devil’s Heart, the Thunderclouds over Liverpool. They forget that it was not madmen who pulled our world to this Era of Enlightenment, but men of sound logic and reason.” A pause. “We all know that this peace is tenuous still, that fifty years is not enough for any government, any people to forget and forgive what has been lost in the Futile War. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire, just last night, will no doubt see some of our peers leave before the first week of our attendance is up. The curfew, and the Starsteel Formulization that enforces it, will no doubt foment aggression towards one of our own. But these are small things, compared to the wanton destruction of the one commonality shared by all of us.”

A gesture, towards the ruins of the Central Monument Library.

“Knowledge to ashes. Rare texts to cinders. All at the hands of Jeanne Du Bordeaux, a fellow countryman of mine. An act of arson committed during curfew, perhaps one that would have extended to all buildings within this place if she had not been bound by a hitherto unknown individual and restrained at the site of her crime.” Murmurs in the crowds, sharing rumors and stories, encounters and experiences with the infamous Technologist. “And for those who find circumstantial evidence lacking, photographs of her actions have been submitted and published by the Bermuda Triangle…and to my chagrin.” A frown on his brow, as if some amateur publication getting information at the same time that he did was an affront to the examination.

Anyone who had snagged a newspaper from the lobby of their apartments, however, wouldn’t have to flip far to see a black-and-white photograph of Jeanne taken from a high vantage point, as she swung a flamethrower of a sword with a cold expression on her face.

“But, despite this evidence, perhaps there is reason for Du Bordeaux to act in such a manner. The nature of modern trials are such that one is innocent until proven guilty, but considering how everything points towards her guilt, I see it as fair that she be deemed guilty until proven innocent.” He raised his hands, three fingers extended. “Jeanne Du Bordeaux will be placed either under house arrest or under the supervision of one Egoist willing to be held responsible in any circumstance in which their charge acts out, for a period of time lasting three days. After that time, she will return here to defend herself amongst a jury of twenty students. If deemed guilty, she will be expelled from Bermuda Academy City.”

The crowd was getting excited now, at the drama unfolding before them. Risking expulsion on the first day? Insane! Even more insane? That expulsion was even possible for Polymaths whose genius was so brilliant that most other universities would have begged them to come.

“And for those questioning under whose authority I make these proclamations, allow me to introduce myself.” Eyes, sharp as stone. Posture, unyielding as an obelisk. “Appointed to lead the Committee of Public Safety by the Administration of Bermuda, I am Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre, Polymath and Enforcer. Now, are there any here who wish to volunteer for the supervision of Du Bourdeaux?”

The sun shone hot. No one, yet, raised their hands.

Over the course of roughly seven hours, Lucretia was in state best described as 'flow', that moment when one's high skill was met with a worthy challenge, not too trivial as to elicit boredom, nor too difficult as to induce anguish, that sweet goldilocks spot. Although there were quite a number of theories attempting to explain this phenomenon, one thing was clear, a person in flow lost all sense of time as their mind, body, and soul were wholly focused on the task. It was easy for the Iron Princess of Germany to devote herself into a task, often to the detriment of her own health as showcased now, but it was another thing to make her take seven hours to solve a puzzle, no, nearly solve a puzzle. She had never felt this passionate about something ever since Schwarzritter's first successful activation.

She was so close now... just a bit more and she could finally claim superiority over Sukoro Jinga, and with more practice, she would shorten that time until it wouldn't take her even five minutes to unravel this so-called Gordian Knot of the Orient.

And then, everything was taken away as the labyrinthine formulaic constellations in front of her suddenly shifted to their mundane patterns, one that was no different than any other castle doors. Luciel blinked, and for those few precious seconds, the white-haired girl was in denial, believing that her own eyes were playing tricks on her due to sleep deprivation, muscle soreness, and cerebral exhaustion. It took her another few seconds to finally accept the harsh truth, that the Starsteel Formulization had vanished while she was on the cusp of unraveling it, seven hours of work, down the proverbial drain.

".........."

One would think that Lucretia, scion of House Konigsmahne, wondrous prodigy of the most technologically advanced nation in the world, and genius of geniuses, would be above a petty notion such as an emotional outburst...

...one would be wrong.

"SCHEISSE!!" Her voice violently echoed against the stone walls of the spacious bedroom, a wail that was so uncharacteristically loud from the quiet girl and combined with the deep, furious scowl on her dainty face, she looked toward the door as if it had tortured and killed her family in front of her eyes. Lucretia's muscles trembled as her mind moved to the second stage of grief. Her limbs should be aching like hell after seven hours of constant work, but adrenaline was a truly powerful hormone. As far as her body was concerned, she was in mortal danger and had to fight for her life.

Lucy's teeth gritted as bloodshot green eyes with constricted pupils rapidly shifted from left to right, then in an act of illogical frustration, she roared once more, "SCHWARZRITTER! AKTIVIERE!!"

The whirrs and hums of an unraveling drone came from the study as the Black Knight of Steel reformed then made a beeline toward its mistress, smashing open a poor study door on the way. Mistress was in danger, it must protect her! It was ready, who or what must be destroyed?!

With an accusing index finger, the young mistress pointed toward the bedroom's door, "Vernichte..."

Orders received, the drone made do with its disarmed assault cannons by simply pulling its right arm back...

@Psyker Landshark

---

"Ugh, yuck..." Complains and grumblings can be heard coming out of the bathroom for a while now. Waking up had been a decidedly unpleasant experience. Darned mist not only made the room damp, sticky, and smells unacceptable, but also made Ryuuko felt physically less than ideal despite the sleep. Both taking care of the mess in the room and the fatigue shouldn't be too difficult in the end, but definitely annoying. And who would want to deal with such annoyances first thing in the morning indeed? For now, all she did earlier was made sure sunlight entered the room by opening all the "windows". That should help with the dampness, but as for more thorough cleanup... Yeah, no. Maybe later... Ryuuko thought to herself as she changed out of her pajama to a set of casual clothes fitting to go outside. That announcement through the gramophones had piqued her interest, and she decided to go see what that was all about.

Soon finished with her preparations, she exited the bathroom looking far more presentable. Briefly, she regarded Franz. "Hey Franz, I'm going to go out and see what that announcement is all about. As for the room, well... We'll see later, I guess." She sighed, not looking forward to dealing with the annoyance. "Anyway, I'll see you later!" She nodded and smiled to Franz before then leaving the room, and then heading straight to also leave the ryokan.

Outside was definitely more pleasant. Standing on the side of the road in front of the ryokan, Ryuuko took the time to stretch her arms a bit, enjoying the sunlight while at it. She then looked around, watching other people passing by or doing whatever it was that they decided to do in this morning... Soon, she noticed someone looking intently at her. A middle-aged Japanese man wearing a formal navy blue suit and trousers, a white shirt underneath the suit. As soon as the man's eyes and Ryuuko's met, he started approaching her, and a certain detail regarding his outfit made her realize who this man was. She waved casually at the man, smiling lightly; gestures that the man returned in kind. They then began to speak in Japanese, seemingly having a casual chat. To most outside observers, it mostly looked like a Japanese man and his niece or daughter just having a morning talk for a few minutes. The talk ended with Ryuuko waving goodbye at the man as he left. Ryuuko herself then turned around, casually walking to the closest tram stop to get to the Central Monument Library. As she walked, she smiled lightly, eyes slightly narrowed. Well then. This should be most... interesting, to say the least. Haha... And thus, she was off to her destination for the morning.

---

She arrived to the Central Monument Library promptly enough. Or what remained of the Central Monument Library, to be exact. Most everything of the library was practically gone, burnt to ashes. Ryuuko didn't seem like she was surprised at all. Instead, she headed straight to the front rows of the crowd now gathered there. Neither was she surprised to see the culprit that had eliminated the library, the very same girl that she met last night that had also eliminated the front door of the ryokan and a nearby gazebo. There she was, standing on top of the raised stone platform with her hands bound together encased in leather gloves.

Ryuuko maintained a neutral expression as she looked up at Jeanne on top of the platform. Her gaze then quickly moved to the young man presiding over the examination. Ryuuko waited quietly, arms crossed under her chest. Soon enough, the man started speaking while using a Crystal Amp to amplify his voice for all of the crowd to hear. She listened intently to his every words. Some parts, she agreed with the man. Unfettered by convention is one thing, but unfettered by the law is another. Ryuuko herself would definitely not do anything like burning down an entire massive library for whatever reasons, for one... Okay, not unless she had very good reasons and was absolutely sure that she can perfectly pin the blame on someone else, at least. If you must break the law, then might as well make doubtlessly sure that it can't be traced back to you. Regardless, she thought briefly of Jeanne's action. She's way more chaotic than I expected alright... Way, way more.

In any case, none of this was the main point. Thus she continued listening, until finally the man declared: “Jeanne Du Bordeaux will be placed either under house arrest or under the supervision of one Egoist willing to be held responsible in any circumstance in which their charge acts out, for a period of time lasting three days. After that time, she will return here to defend herself amongst a jury of twenty students. If deemed guilty, she will be expelled from Bermuda Academy City.”

Ah, so that's how it's going to be... Ryuuko smiled lightly and briefly. As expected, they sure worked fast. Hehe... Her expression turned back to complete neutrality afterward as her focus returned to the man.

“And for those questioning under whose authority I make these proclamations, allow me to introduce myself. Appointed to lead the Committee of Public Safety by the Administration of Bermuda, I am Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre, Polymath and Enforcer. Now, are there any here who wish to volunteer for the supervision of Du Bourdeaux?”

This Maximilien was definitely another person to keep a close eyes on. But for now Ryuuko had something more important in her mind. She remained quiet, arms still under her chest with the knuckle of her right hand now placed on top of her lips as she seemed to be in deep thought, her eyes closed. So many factors to consider, risks and benefits and possible consequences and a bunch of other things. Yet there was definitely nowhere near enough time to mull it all over for the most efficient and effective decision to be made. Ryuuko took a quiet but deep breath in and out, and then her eyes opened as her body relaxed, her arms lowered down. Tsk. Not ideal in the least... Oh well, nothing like taking yet another big risk, huh? Ryuuko allowed herself another brief grin. Then she looked straight at Maximilien and raised her right hand back up higher.

And thus she spoke a simple sentence to declare her intention. "I would like to volunteer myself for this task, Mr. Robespierre."

... This damn well better be worth it.

@Jumbus @GreenGoat

---

Franz usually slept without trouble. For someone with a noisy mind, he found no issue drifting away into a calm, peaceful slumber. Which is why it caught him by surprise to wake up in need of catching his breath. It stunk in here, a far cry from what it was like that night. He could hear the vulgar language of other students coming from the hall.

It didn’t take long for Franz to put together what had happened. The fog had rolled in and drenched everything. Whoops.

Putting part of his shirt over his nose, Franz addressed Ryuuko. But he kept his voice quiet enough so only she could hear. “If I had known that it would turn out like this, I would have just spent the night outside” Franz joked. “If you are going to freshen up first, I’ll see what I can do about this mess.”

It had been quite a while since Franz had done any cleaning. In the Polymath academy, he was in the lap of luxury while he spent as much time as possible on his studies. Then again, it's not like he had to deal with prevailing nightly fog at the academy either.

It was time to put in some due effort. The housekeeping would likely clean up the mess later anyway, but it was a way to pass the time. Franz appreciated a clean room. A little bit of elbow grease and some very minor feats of Dynamicism made some quality progress before Ryuuko finally exited the bathroom. It still had a lot to go, but it was enough for now.

"Hey Franz, I'm going to go out and see what that announcement is all about. As for the room, well... We'll see later, I guess."
“Yes, I am quite interested in that announcement as well. But don’t let me hold you up, I’ll need you to fill me in on the details later if I’m late.” Franz stated as he begun packing away the cleaning tools and took out clothes from his bag.

"Anyway, I'll see you later!"

“Yes, see you later. Hopefully I’ll see you at the announcement if you don’t get lost in the crowd.”

Franz wished her goodbye before taking his time in the bathroom. He was thorough in washing himself. He would not disgrace himself with a sea stench as he went to meet his fellow students on the second day.

On his departure, Franz made no note of the disgruntled students around him. Simply put, he didn’t care much for their complaints. When he exited the ryokan he stood outside for a while taking large, heavy breaths. Sea breath was unbecoming for someone of his repute.

There was one stop due before the library, the radio station. For ease of communication, there are people who write down messages on paper. Franz walked in nonchalantly and received a letter that was due to him. It was a simple message of good luck from his mother and father. At least, that's how it would appear.

In truth, the message was an impossible cipher of his own creation. The details of which are only known to a select few in the Polymath academy. His new mission was detailed and clear. Franz couldn’t help but show a wide smile upon exiting. Not only would he be completing the mission, but also settling a playful curiosity of his in the process.

---

Franz was lucky to have been blessed with height at an early age. He had arrived later than most and only just made it in time as the demonstration began. A crowd of over one thousand stood in front of him. He could just make out what had happened in the distance. The Central Monument Library was little but ash and stone. And judging by the detained feminine figure with blonde hair, Franz had his own estimates on who the culprit was. But he would move closer through the crowd to get into earshot.

Indeed, to Franz’s utter lack of surprise, it was Jeanne who was the attention of this meeting. The fire witch of France was on trial for burning down valuable tomes and texts of a grand library. A man, no, a boy in man’s clothing was giving a public prosecution. Sure, he made a big talk about trials. But he seemed more concerned with condemning her here and now.

There was something Franz didn’t like about the guy. Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre. Franz was now near the front of the crowd and had a good look at him. He was around the age of everyone else here. But it was apparent he let his station get to his head. Wearing certain clothes, speaking in that way, keeping the authoritative demeanor he did. Maximilien thought he was above everyone else, didn’t he? Franz thought. Or more egregious, he thought he was better than Franz.

As the speech of his went on, Franz’s brow furrowed more and more. The details were off, things about what he was saying weren't adding up. Certainly the obvious culprit was Jeanne. Franz didn’t need a photo to tell him that. But the level of condemnation was off. How could he be so sure with so little evidence. Frankly, it all sounded like something Franz himself would try to pull if he wanted Miss Bordeaux out of the picture.

"I would like to volunteer myself for this task, Mr. Robespierre."

Franz recognized that voice and looked back to see Ryuuko volunteering. Certainly she would be a good fit to guard Jeanne. He was happy to see her volunteer when no one else would. It almost made Franz not want to do what he was about to do, in fear it would steal her thunder. Almost.

“Public condemnation. Guilty until proven innocent. Is there anything else you had in mind to bastardise the justice system today, Mr Robespierre?” Franz took to the front while proclaiming this to him, but loud enough for the crowd to hear. “A rush to disgrace a fellow countryman is a very poor show of character. And yet, you do it so easily.”

“Miss Bordeaux is the subject of… unfortunate rumors. But is that enough to throw reason out the window? For the process of justice to be ignored?”

Franz got closer to Robespierre in a standoffish way. “Are you telling me that some undisclosed person was able to detain Miss Bordeaux and yet did nothing to prevent the fire? I declare this undisclosed figure has committed criminal negligence at best. Perhaps he had a more nefarious role in all this. Or do you suppose Miss Bordeaux waited here for the library to be ashes and then was detained by some selfless hero? That is almost comical.”

“One photo does not declare intent or circumstance Mister Robespierre, so I suggest you put away your pitchfork.”

---

@GreenGoat@Medili