[CENTER][h1][color=#B0171F][b]M A R K O  V A L D I[/b][/color][/h1][/center]
[right][sup][color=#B0171F][b]Location:[/b][/color] [color=silver][i]Dorm Building Exterior, Merryweather Institute[/i][/color][/sup][/right][hr]
[color=silver]Smoke trailed from the end of Marko’s cigarette and up into the open air. He leaned numbly against the exterior of the dorms, some ways away from the door. He knew these were bad for him. He always [i]knew[/i] that. Yet, each inhale of that cheap poison into his lungs seemed to warm a part of him that would otherwise remain frigid. He sighed and watched listlessly as the smoke poured from his mouth, curling up and away. He really should quit at some point. Gram and gramps would be happy. A cold breeze blew past that made Marko shrug his shoulders forward, pulling the heavy coat he wore further around his body. 

[i][color=#B0171F]It's barely any warmer here than back home...[/color][/i]

His right arm was unbothered by that fact. 

He looked down at the foreign clothing he wore then. The uniform was… fine. More of a palette swap to the kind of things he wore on a daily basis anyways. Not as warm as his normal attire either though. All being said, he wasn’t even going to try and wear the blazer. Getting dressed in the morning was enough of a pain. Hopefully the faculty would be understanding.[/color]

[color=silver]A bitter smile worked its way onto Marko’s face as he took another drag. Asking people to be understanding of him was starting to become a running theme. Realistically, one that would continue.[/color] [i][color=#B0171F]Even so. For now just get through the opening ceremony,[/color][/i] [color=silver]was all Marko could muster in the self-motivation department. He must have told himself "don't squander this opportunity" about a thousand times while staring at himself in the bathroom mirror earlier this morning, for all the good it did. Now? Here? The reality was hitting him harder than he would have preferred. No more do-overs. He didn't think he had it in himself to make it through this mess in one piece. [/color]

[i][color=#B0171F]Still. Have to try.[/color][/i]

[color=silver]As other students began to mill out of the dorm building's various entrances, Marko hung back against the wall, a bit overwhelmed. Should he say hi to someone? And then what? For now, he resolved to hang back and finish his cigarette. Maybe someone would make it easy for him and come say hello. Or maybe they'd all make it even easier than that and ignore him entirely. It's not that he was some sort of dedicated loner, but how was he meant to act? None of his "friends" in the past had been particularly good people. His head was starting to buzz, and not in the good kind of way. He felt the pressure behind his eyes. He took another drag and began to count to count to twenty in his head as he exhaled.[/color] [i][color=#B0171F]Just stay calm,[/color][/i] [color=silver]He thought.[/color] [i][color=#B0171F]Unless you want your scars to come in a matching set, calm the fuck down.[/color][/i] [color=silver]So he did.

Marko was calm.[/color]