[@ERode][@Estylwen][@Sifr][@Psyker Landshark]

[b][h3]AUDITORIUM[/h3][/b]

Students shuffled out of the auditorium with relieved, exhausted breaths for the majority. Feet were dragged, some were falling asleep on their walk, and any animosity between unresolved rivalries had temporarily been beaten out of them by the morning from hell. For a small window of time, it almost felt as if The Decay could be solved simply by exhausting people until they didn't even [i]feel[/i] like using essence. Rio was at the head of the pack of students leaving, Chloe in his arms with her eyes fluttering, the girl jumping in and out of consciousness. Rio, and by extension Chloe, went the opposite way from the crowd being lead along by Mannekin towards escort carriages.

Davil looked upon his chum with confusion, pointing at himself for confirmation as Otis followed up on his end of the bargain. "Ah? Oh, right! I suppose that was a thing, right? I don't know what you'd do with them right this moment, though, chum. They're not capable of much in their current state, after all. All the juices have left them until tomorrow!" With a chuckle and a shrug, Davil would take off his boots anyway, handing them over.

"Careful though, chum," Davil would mutter lowly with a concerned nudge, his gaze sharpened like steel. Waiting a few beats to build tension, his mouth opened again. "There's no doubt about it. They must [i]reek[/i] right now. Be strong."

With that, the bright-eyed boy hobbled along off the stage, stopping briefly as he heard Ciara's words, looking upon her and the rest of the friendly faces in his vicinity. "Oh, all of you? That many...?" His uncertainty quickly turned to enthusiasm, however, and he excitedly summoned forth his Adapa. "Uh, never mind! Sure, that'd be awesome! Hit me up any time really, I don't have a life!"

A string-like tether of energy emerged from his Adapa as it rapidly flipped through pages to one near the front labeled 'Contacts'. It was an esoteric feeling, allowing his prime essence to be connected to that of another. It would feel like having a weighted blanket wrapped around him, and it would elicit that same feeling from anyone else exchanging contacts in that moment. To anybody exchanging contacts with Davil or another, a ghostly strand of essence would disappear inside the book of another, as if weaving a part of themselves into another's Adapa. Davil, of course, would give his contact essence to anybody that wished for it, before striding away as happy as a farmer after harvest. "Be seeing you guys later, I'm off to see what's what around here!"

And with that, Davil was off, dashing away from the crowds and vanishing somewhere else onto the campus. Valen would follow the crowd as one of the last to leave, looking upon those who remained of his fellow stage-goers with a smirk and a cold glare. Without another word, however, he left through the doorway amongst the crowd.

[hr]

[@AThousandCurses]

[b][h3]LIBRARY[/h3][/b]

Chunji arrived at the library, which was unsurprisingly rather empty at the moment. Mannekin wandered, organizing and categorizing books by the dozens at a time with the precision and efficiency only an automaton could allow. The checkout desk found a familiar face behind it - the limping girl, who gave a wave with a bright, beaming smile as she caught his gaze. She sat in an office chair behind that desk, Adapa floating at her side with a levitating screen above it seemingly conjured from the same magic as the grimoire. The screen emitted loud noise, and she seemed invested in what was on it, but she prioritized Chunji the moment she saw him walk in.

"Welcome, stranger. As Wingram's Library's first visitor of flesh and blood, you've got the pick of all picks 'round here. I'm Emelie, student [i]and[/i] librarian. Anything I can help you with in particular~?"

She gave a wink at the end, clearly waiting for Chunji to introduce himself more properly. All the while, loud cheering emerged from the screen levitating in front of her. Should Chunji look at it, he'd see some kind of recording of a modernized stadium. Thousands cheered as combatants within the circular arena below battled, spells slung and swords swung. The limping girl, now known as Emelie, couldn't help but glance at it now and again herself, trying and failing to hide her interest. She realized that closing out the screen now would be an even greater admission of shame than leaving it open.

"Perhaps you came here just to take in the book smell? I could understand that too. Or, maybe," she trailed off as she leaned back in her chair and kicked her legs up on the desk with an accusatory smirk. "Maybe you just couldn't resist following little ol' me, in the end~?"

[hr]

[@Estylwen][@Sifr][@Psyker Landshark]

[b][h3]GIRLS' DORM[/h3][/b]

As the trio of Ciara, Iraleth and Hildegunde boarded one of the Mannekin-controlled carriages, they found themselves a rather pleasant reprieve from the stuffy auditorium or smoke-scented campus. They were taken through the town, bearing witness to all kinds of shops preparing for the days to come. Many of the assistants and laborers were Mannekin, but some flesh and blood humans, dwarves and elves, among others, were present as well. The carriage drove through the admittedly small campus town, and took to a road further north that ascended above a small forest. The clear destination was the gigantic structure at the end - a cluster of buildings surrounded by a large tower that almost kissed the clouds.

The carriage stopped halfway, however. As the horses' hooves came to an abrupt stop, it was clear something unexpected had transpired. "Please be at ease, deterrent. You are safe here," the Mannekin driver at the front of the carriage would echo robotically, its focus trained ahead. Should any of the three passengers look out their window to see what was out there, they would witness a familiar face.

They would see Gulliver Bronsteel, limping and stumbling along the road. Only, he looked different. His expression was plastic, and his recognition somehow... missing. He had none of the injuries from earlier, even his clothing in immaculate condition, perfect and untouched. Despite this, there was perhaps the stirring of panic in his eyes, deep inside, as he slowly stepped backwards while facing the driver. "I..." He would begin to speak, but would not finish.

[i]Thunk.[/i]

In a blink, Raja was behind Gulliver with the smack of her staff to the back of his head. He slumped over unconscious immediately, right into the principal's arms - a principal that was very much scowling. She looked first at the driver, then any of the three students aboard that might have investigated in some way. "Nothing to see here, just some cleanup. Be on your way, and rest up for the days ahead."

Raja would walk past the carriage towards the campus town, ignoring any words that might be thrown her way as she lugged the unconscious Bronsteel over her shoulder and away into town. The carriage would continue on without concern, a Mannekin designed to not question things clearly lending itself well to obeying orders.

After another handful of minutes, the carriage would halt outside a building to the right of the enormous tower labeled 'Girls' Dormitory'. From here, other carriages could already be seen letting loose passengers into the dormitory. The Mannekin driver would enter the passenger cabin and hand each of the three an envelope. Within was a key that labeled their room number, whatever those might happen to be. Whether those numbers were the same for two of them? That was up to fate.

"Please disembark. Any luggage has already been delivered to your designated rooms," the Mannekin driver would state plainly, stepping aside to give them room to leave.