[IC] Zandore's Boarding Academy

[Animus]

Sunday
8:53 PM
24 April 2014
Supernatural Studies Club

"Noone joined at all?!”

Hysterical laughter echoed from within the supernatural studies club. The source of the obnoxious laughter was a certain red haired adolescent. He had popped by the infamous club out of boredom only to find out the predicament it was in.

“Ha ha… Eh? Oi oi oi! If that’s the case why the heck do you have such a carefree look on you, Miya?”

“Mmmm…”

The blonde president was ignoring the impudent intruder, she had more important things to attend to than to entertain simpletons. Yes, the PSP she held took priority. TAP TAP TAP TAP. Her fingers mashed in commands and frightening speed and she continued in a trance for an entire minute before slaying the Deviljho and returning to reality.

Miyazono Natsu raised her head to look at the intruder. Hisashi Gunha, one of the academy's nine S rank students, also possessor the ability of «Strength». Since he was patiently waiting for her to respond, Natsu decided to humour him.

"Look here, Gunha-san. Although the students generally have a bad impression of the club, its not as if I received zero club applications. I simply rejected them."

Natsu was very particular regarding the supernatural studies club; she would not accept just anyone. Among the 23 applicants, there was not one who had met her standards. Gunha gave a puzzled face.

In response, she sighed and pushed out a checkered folder. Gunha flipped it through quizzically before leaking a grin.

"These are quite the interesting bunch that you've set on sights on."

---

Monday
7:15 AM
25 April 2014
Yokohama Port

Furuta Hiiro was originally skeptical of Zandore's Boarding School - people tended to exaggerate after all - but now all he could do was stare dumbfounded at the super yacht that lay before him. Sure, it wasn't as if he was expecting some run down boat but this?!

"Excuse me, are you perhaps Furuta-sama?"

It was a butler. A middle-aged butler had manifested beside him while he was taking in the moment. The moment he responded, Hiiro was gently ushered into the super yacht. The butler made small talk as he brought Hiiro to the conference room. Initially Hiiro had been taken aback but the butler's warm tone settled him down quickly. Once he had regained his composure, asked numerous questions regarding the academy.

Once he was done, the butler gave his farewells as he returned to the deck of the ship, probably to escort others in. Hiiro was impressed. Zandore's Boarding Academy was more than just a school. It was a town. There are shops, restaurants, and entertainment to be had along with the dozens of other structures. The butler described the school grounds in a way that made it sound like it went on forever and Hiiro doubted it was an exaggeration.

"Looks like I've joined one hell of a place, oba-san..."

Hiiro smirked to himself as he stared out of the window. But still, why was he the only one in the conference room? He wasn't that early... was he?

[Jedly]

Genesis:

7:15 AM - 25 April 2014

A bright beginning, a sunny morning, a calming drive through the bay-side. As the taxi weaved it way through the winding roads, in its aft portion was a young man, nearing the brink of adulthood. Though, aesthetically, he could easily pass by as a highschool student who’s crawling midway through pubescence. But Kanzen had already had his share of growth spurts, voice cracks, and acne breakouts; so what was now presented to the public was the final product. And that resulted in a person above average height-wise, vastly underweight and anatomically declined, making him look like a slightly buffed up twig. Most of his muscular definition resided in his shoulders, and pectorals, developments which are essential to his role in life. Such an assignment in reality is that of a marksman, one who has befriended and mastered the use of ballistic armaments. Unfortunately, the academy looked down upon lugging around a rifle in between classes, even though his courses were combat oriented, it was still a scholastic institution in its most simplistic form. To accommodate for such a hindrance, he was authorized to bear a sidearm- unloaded of course, but regardless, it was still something morally tangible. He had grown used to having his fingers instinctively wrapped around the ergonomic grip of a firearm, it was considered second hand nature by this point.

The student fiddled with his tie as he attempted to ease it into a comfortable tightness. Even though he was accustomed to wearing a school uniform, he hadn’t done so for the duration of break. It’s hard to get back into a groove after falling out of it. The beige jacket fit perfectly around his narrow composure, complementing his figure nicely. And the pants? Well, they were decent, but must be hell to wear in the midst of summer.

With a quick glance downwards, his eyes rested on the holster strapped to his thigh. Fastened firmly in the utility was a small handgun, crafted out of a carbonic finish. Its trio of photoluminescent dots built into the iron sights shined brightly at Kanzen, as if it was tempting him to wield it with the greatest finesse. Hopefully he could go for some recuperation at the academy’s firing range. Speaking of the institution he recently enrolled in, the cab was pulling up to Yokohama’s port. Forced to temporarily derail his train of thought, the young man opened his own door and quickly paid the man. ”Time is of the essence.” Was all he thought as he lifted his suitcase out of the trunk. He wished to not impose on the taxi driver more than he already did, and planted the case on its wheels. Moving in a fluent cognitive motion, he proceeded towards the dock, but was suddenly confronted by a middle-aged man, dressed up in formal drab.

“Excuse me, are you by chance Tadashi-sama?” The man asked while cocking his head, holding out an open hand towards the grip of Kanzen’s luggage.

”A butler, hm? Haven’t seen many of these, nor have I been personally treated by one. He’s polite.”

Not only did the man speak with kindness and sincerity, but he actually seemed to enjoy his job. Good for him. With a silent nod, the young man only parted enough hair to expose one of his eyes. Eye contact was very important in formal matters. Well, his father taught him that, at the least. Without a moment to lose, the butler took Kanzen’s luggage and lead the new student into their form of transport. In all honesty, he wasn’t surprised when they finally stopped before a grandiose yacht, fit to serve a deity. If he was given more time, he would have gladly basked in the glory of the vessel. But the young man was ushered on-deck and was requested to follow behind.

No words were exchanged between the two, all Kanzen did during the duration of their short trek was peer at the floor through the curtain of his hair. Soon enough, they arrived at a portion of the ship dedicated as a meeting room. His belongings were to be taken below deck, but he insisted on keeping his firearm where it was currently secured. Upon entering the room, he autonomously scanned the contents of the room. All it consisted of was a few windows, and a young blonde man who had preceded him. With a succinct, ”Hello.” and a nod of greeting, Kanzen chose his own spot within the conference area. Now all that was left to do was to bide time while the other students strolled in.

[RoflsMazoy]

7:20 AM – 25 April 2014

Am I in the right place? Gabriel thought as he stopped for a second. There’s no way I am. He thought. He reached into his pockets trying to find the sheet of paper he’d written the address on. Patting himself down, he found his handheld psychology book, a notepad and pen he’d packed for observations, his emergency blood vial and syringe and finally the tiny sheet of paper he’d written the address of the transportation he was taking to go to Zandore’s Boarding Academy.

I am in the right place. He confirmed, reading the note he’d scribbled down. Am I supposed to get on that? He assumed that the transportation he was taking was the gigantic super yacht at the dock. He’d heard the academy had a castle as part of their dormitories, but to have a super yacht picking up students was just as farfetched.
Even so, he didn’t want to go on another taxi to confirm. He’d gotten some weird looks from the driver and he didn’t want to make people more curious. Then again, that was a little difficult because of his condition. He had a disease which was commonly referred to as Vampire Disease. The main thing was that sunlight was bad for your health and you should avoid it at all cost. To that extent, he always carried a black travelling sun umbrella which blocked a great deal of sunlight, but the taxi he took hadn’t had any curtains so he had to put his umbrella up in the taxi.

The driver looked at him weird, Gabriel had said that he had a condition. As they were driving, people kept looking at him weirdly so he decided to get out of the taxi slightly earlier. Umbrella aside, he was also wearing the school uniform as well as a few extra things to help keep out the sunlight. He was wearing some gloves, some extra high socks and a dense scarf to keep his neck covered.

Another problem was that he measured 6 feet tall, and he couldn’t exactly find shade as easily as other people.

Still, he really didn’t know what to do, and he really hoped he wasn’t in the wrong place.

As he was lamenting over himself, he was approached by a fancily dressed butler.

”Ah, excuse me,” The Butler said. ”Are you perhaps, Sangue-sama?”

”Ah, um, yes I am.” Gabriel replied. His last name was Italian and it sounded fairly awkward when said with a Japanese accent. ”My last name is actually Di Sangue but please just call me Gabriel for now.” He said.

”Very well, Gabriel-sama.” The butler said, acknowledging his request. ”Now please, follow me.”

Gabriel followed the butler to the mega yacht and down into the lower deck. It was spacious, and Gabriel found that he could walk without having to stoop or anything but he was dismayed to find the lower deck to be still moderately lit with sunlight. That meant he still had to keep his umbrella up, and that would be annoying if the trip was going to take a while.

He was brought to what appeared to be a conference room, but to his surprise he saw something that could possibly remedy his unique situation.

Curtains! He thought triumphantly. The butler saw him eyeing the curtains and asked, ”Would you like me to draw the curtains for you, Gabriel-sama?” he said.

”No thanks,” Gabriel replied, ”I’ll do it myself.” Leaving the butler at the door, Gabriel took a chair from the table, noting the others sitting at the table, and then he took it to the darkest corner of the room, drew the nearby curtains to block out the sunlight and sat down to take out his psychology book and started reading.

[Midori]

The long ride to the harbor was almost too much to bear for Kimiko. She could barely contain her excitement when she finally saw the enormous yacht that was waiting to take her over to Zandore Academy. "Okasan look, that boat is huge!" Her mother had been driving and almost missed the parking spot when she noticed as well. "It really is huge..." Kimiko popped out of the car as the trunk opened up and hauled her sizable luggage bags onto the pavement along with a large backpack. All of the bags were white with a big red 'Honda' written in Hiragana as well as English letters. They were packed all the way to bursting with clothes, books, a toolbox, her laptop, and a few other assorted things.

After a long hug goodbye she approached the yacht and was met by a butler of all things. He seemed to recognize her immediately, no doubt because she had opted not to wear the thigh-high socks that came with the school uniform.

"Kobayashi Sama, I presume?"

"Yes, that's me!"

"Please follow me, Kobayashi Sama."

The butler took hold of both handles to her luggage and ushered her below deck to what appeared to be a conference room. She was surprised at how easily he seemed to pull the enormous bags as he moved with a refined grace. The butler took care of her backpack as well and gave a bow as he left, presumably to receive the next arrival. Everything about the yacht seemed opulent and magnificent. Kimiko couldn't help admiring all the elegance around her.

Finally her eyes fell on three boys who were apparently other students. The first one she noticed was a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. At first she assumed he was a foreigner but his features were Japanese. Is he half Japanese? The next one looked Japanese but with green hair and green eyes. Maybe he does cosplay? The last one sitting in a dark corner by himself was clearly a foreigner with blonde hair and golden eyes scanning a small book he had with him. I wonder what country he's from.

Kimiko found a seat and raised a hand in greeting to everyone.
"I'm Kobayashi Kimko, nice to meet you all!"

[AlteredTundra]

6:30am
April 25th, 2014


”You’re leaving already, Ryu?” Asked a pre-teen boy with brown hair and blue eyes.

“Yes Kai, I am. Sorry it’s early, but the note said to be there before 7:30. “ Ryu said, as he hoisted a brown leather satchel over his shoulder that seemed to be more like a duffle bag, but Ryu was able to carry it over his back and shoulder as it were a simple plastic bag or something like that.

“When will you be back?” Asked Kai.

Ryu looked at his youngest brother as he stood in the door way. He knealed down to Kai and patted him on the head and smiled. “Don’t worry Kai, I’ll be back before you know it.” Ryu said, reassuring Kai.

Sniffling, Kai nodded and hugged Ryu, which caused the latter male to groan slightly, but he hugged his little brother back. After about a half of a minute of hugging and a few more seconds of Ryu trying to pull away, he eventually got up and looked to his three little brothers. He glanced at Kai who was still crying a bit. He smiled, and then brought his gaze to the middle brother, Kuwa, a red-haired, fourteen-year-old who just nodded at him. Then, as he trailed his eyes further, he saw the second-oldest of the bunch, Jaakuna, a blonde male who was seventeen years old. Jaakuna looked at Ryu nodding to him as well. It seemed that Jaakuna had it handled and Ryu smiled.

Waving goodbye, Ryu headed out of their rather modest house in Tokyo, Japan. He was then outside, looking at the street that he lived on and saw people walking on the sidewalks, he saw cars going down one way and the other on the street itself. He somehow found a weird sensation of happiness in that fact. Everyone was going about their day, they were either going out for their morning run or getting ready to head to work. Each of them had something they were going to do and as the morning sun was shining on the street, Ryu smiled. It was, by all accounts to him, a meaningless smile, but he there he was smiling, knowing that he probably wouldn’t see anyone he knew for the rest of the year.

Keeping his smile, Ryu walked along the sidewalk and turned a corner to which he would come to an alleyway that had his orange bike facing the alleyway. Ryu would hop on his bike, put his black helmet on. He would position himself on the bike, getting a feel of how he wanted to ride it. Once he found the perfect position, he flipped the engine power switch to on and within seconds, the sounds of a motorcycle engine could be heard throughout the neighborhood. Ryu would then kick up the leg that held the bike standing up and in that same moment, he revved the bike and it went off.

Once he tore through the alleyway, Ryu turned a right and he would then proceed to gain speed on his bike as he went through Tokyo like a Sumo Wrestler does with sushi and rice. The amount of distance he was able to make within just forty-five minutes was incredible. The fact that he didn’t attract the attention of any cops was even more incredible. Now granted, there were angry drivers who honked at him and several of those drivers said some not so nice things and made gestures with a certain finger that was also on the mean side. All-in-all, Ryu didn’t make anyone happy with the turns he made and how he cut off nearly everyone in a car, truck, or pretty much anything that wasn’t a motorcycle. It wasn’t like he had the luxury of abiding by the morals of driving. He was on a tight schedule and had to make a lot of distance in the short amount of time that he had.

Rushing towards a certain port, the sounds of a bike could definitely be heard as it would soon come to a stop. Ryu lifted his helmet off of his head as he looked at what could only be described as a mega-yacht. It was actually a pretty amazing sight to see. Ryu had never seen anything so big in his twenty years of being alive.

“Ah, you must be Kojima-sama!” Said a butler as he bowed to Ryu.

Looking at the butler with a raised eyebrow, Ryu didn’t know what this guy was all about, but he assumed that this guy worked for the Zandore Boarding Academy. “How did you know who I was?”

“It was in your application, sir. You put that you had a motorcycle and made a note that you wouldn’t come without it.” The Butler said.

“Oh. Well, then yes I am Ryu.” He said.

“Very well sir. If you will, the others are waiting.” The Butler said as he would take Ryu’s rather large bag and grunted slightly as he didn’t expect it to be as heavy as it was, and also would guide Ryu‘s bike onto the yacht as well.

As he boarded the yacht, Ryu still couldn’t believe that such a large vessel was able to float like it was. Truly it was an engineering feat that he didn’t think was possible. Ryu would then make his way to the lower deck as he would follow the Butler’s lead and to which was in a room with a single wooden, round table, and a window with curtains closed to hide the full effect of the sunlight. In the room, he saw four people already in it. Viewing each one, Ryu saw two blonde boys, a girl with moderately large breasts, and a boy with green hair. He just smiled slightly. “Hello, I’m Ryu Kojima.” Ryu said introducing himself and then he took a seat at the table and waited for something to just happen.

[ViridianHue]

The journey to Yokohama port was a long and arduous one for Mrs. Suzume Delacroix. She was almost thankful that the family didn't own a car, for she could not imagine spending five hours in one with her daughter. At least in a bus, the presence of other people somewhat made her feel less lonely.

The middle-aged woman slid her blue eyes towards her silent companion. The fair-haired teenager sat primly beside her in her neatly pressed uniform, holding her stuffed rabbit close to her chest as she stared out the window. Her daughter had not spoken one word to her throughout the journey, and Suzume hadn't even tried striking up a conversation. She had long since given up trying to understand how Juliette's mind worked. She knew her youngest was different when she had first laid eyes on her in the operation theater. Golden hair, glowing eyes and the brightest of smiles... she had thought she had given birth to an Angel.

Only now, she wondered if she was actually a demon in disguise.

Suzume shook her head and made the sign of the cross. She was still a mother, and no matter how much her daughter sinned, it was her duty to love and protect her. But she was still human after all. She couldn't help wondering if she had angered God in some way and was being punished for it now.

"Okaasan..."

The woman jumped at the musical voice, turning to look down at her daughter with wide eyes. Had she really spoken to her? She couldn't tell because Juliette still had her head turned towards the window. "Y-Yes?" stammered Suzume.

"Do you think it will rain today? Usa-chan doesn't like getting wet."

Suzume glanced at the stuffed bunny, slightly shivering at the sight of its button-eyes. She knew it was ridiculous to be afraid of a toy, but she could never shake off the feeling that it was always watching her. In the past, she had tried to pry the doll off of Juliette, had even burned it once...but it had somehow always made its way back to the child.

"I...I don't think it will."

The duo was saved from further conversation by the bus gently rolling to a stop as it had finally arrived at its destination. Climbing out of the vehicle, Suzume wondered if they had truly arrived at the right place. Surely the large yacht floating in the harbor wasn't the one her daughter would be boarding?

Apparently it was, for Juliette calmly walked towards the yacht, approaching a middle-aged man and exchanging some words with him. Still reeling from shock, Suzume hadn't caught what had been said, but it seemed that her daughter was ready to leave. "Sayonara." Juliette waved impassively, already beginning to ascend the steps leading up to the yacht's deck.

"S-Sayonara..." was all Suzume could say as she watched her daughter disappear into the yacht. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help feeling a little relieved, as if all the stress she had been enduring for the past seventeen years had suddenly disappeared with her.

[Spawnling]

<And remember to call now and again, okay Victor?>
<I'll call as often as I'm able to mother.>

To the passerby, it would almost seem comical how Victor's mother fussed about the boy. Straightening his already straight tie, smoothing his already smoothed collar, then frowning and patting at his hair to try and calm the nest. Victor simply smiled, allowing her to fuss and fret. He was used to this before. Though she wasn't his birth mother, she played the part almost flawlessly. The boy's green eyes roamed to the black car that had driven him to the port. Inside sat his sister at the wheel, idly staring at her phone and texting as the smoke from her cigarette drifted out the open window. A pinch on the cheek brought him back to focus on the sharp dressed woman in front of him, who gave a glare.

<You didn't hear a thing I said did you?>
"Muzzer, I'll be fine, ja? You vorry much."
<Ahh, you're speaking Japanese again, you know I can't understand a thing you're saying!>
<Sorry, I said I love you and I'll call you when I can. But I need to go!>

The woman gave another once over of the boy's uniform, seeming satisfied that she had fluffed and shuffled the outfit around enough. A hug and a kiss on the cheek, and Victor turned towards the harbor, staring at the gargantuan yacht with some trepidation. It was massive. Victor was fairly used to such sights, his father had taken him to several parties with wealthy associates and such, but this thing was borderline ridiculous. He tugged slightly at the tie. The uniform was nice. Maybe a little cheaper than his own suits, but nothing to be picky about. The German took a breath, and headed over to the yacht, his large suitcase wheeling behind him. Within were his own clothes, various books on medicine and anatomy, and a set of surgical instruments. A gift from his father at the age of 12, well crafted tools made of stainless steel. He had only ever used them once, on a cadaver in a hospital. An experiment that helped reveal his natural...talent. Victor's eyes fell on a man waiting near the dock of the yacht.

<Mister Steiner I would imagine?>

His German was excellent! It made Victor all the more self conscious of how stilted his Japanese could sound if he didn't focus on his pronunciation.

"Ja, but I can Japanese. How did you-"
"You're father called ahead of time and mentioned the car you would be arriving in. Seems he was a bit nervous about your safety. May I take your bag?"
"O-oh, sank you."

Probably more nervous about how it would look if his son didn't arrive on time more than his safety. The boy handed over the suitcase, and was shown inside. As the butler opened the door to the conference room, Victor's eyes were greeted by several other faces of other students. He smiled, his usual habits of immediately putting up the best side he could flooding up.

<Hello, I'm Victor Steiner, it's a pleasure to meet you all.>

A moment's pause, then the boy turned bright red.

"...Unnnd I just said zat all German, ja? Es tut mir leid, um, let me try again. Hallo, I'm Victor Steiner, it is pleasure to meet all."

Was he supposed to bow? Pretty sure he had to bow. Bowing was polite in Japan right? Or was that outdated? Scheisse! Okay, go with a bow.

Victor gave an awkward bow after a good fifteen seconds of silence, face still quite red. A rocky start, to say the least...

[GuySenpai]

Al was half asleep, his head lay against the glass window of the bus that was made cool by morning air outside. In one ear he could hear one of the many power ballads from the previous decades, the best kind of music, blasting out from his headphones. He barely noticed the vehicle slowing down and eventually stopping.

"Here's your stop kid."

The gruff voice of the driver caused Al to lift his head and rub his eyes, how long had he been traveling now? A few hours on the plane, another hour messing around and waiting for his luggage and then what felt like a lifetime staring blankly out at the landscape passing by. He slowly stood up from his seat and offered the driver a slight smile as he adjusted the straps of his backpack and took his case from under his seat. Making his way off the bus the boy stood and stared at the luxury cruise liner before him, a butler swiftly approached him and gave a polite bow.

"Would you happen to be Gant-sama?"

"Indeed I am! Though Alvin's fine, or just Al." The boy replied in an equally polite tone. "It's ok, I've got it." He said, taking the suitcase as the butler leant over to take it. "As you wish so." The gentleman replied with a nod. "Please follow me." Al was grateful for his gift, it made traveling abroad so easy and he had quickly been able to pick up the language in his short time preparing for the journey to the academy.

As he was lead onto the boat he deposited his case so it would be moved to his dorms later but kept his back pack, soon he made his way into the conference room and raised a hand in greeting to the students already gathered. "Hi there!" He said in Japanese, assuming that was the language they spoke. "My names Alvin Gant but you can just call me Al. Yes I'm a foreigner, in fact I'm from England but I can speak a fair few languages pretty well and should be able to understand each of you so no need to worry about that." After saying his piece he took a seat and placed his hands on his lap, his ever present smile not faltering.

[Lord Santa]

What was the first thing one did on a super yacht? Normally, people would probably marvel at it, take a picture, order a drink maybe. The first thing Able did when he set foot on it was stretch. The second thing he did was run laps around it. Why? Because he felt like it. Who wouldn't feel like running a few laps around a super yacht after several hours on a plane, and god knows how long being in line for customs took. Then half an hour in a car, and he'd finally arrived.

He was never the person to sit still, but the sight of a super yacht was a sight he didn't even know existed. His energy had been bottled up and it was ready to burst out. And one thing he really wanted to do on a boat that big? Run around it. A lot. And that's what he did. Well, he only ran around the places he could run. No sense in making a nuisance of yourself in a foreign country where you don't know anyone. But it was quite fun nonetheless. He dashed onto the boat, ran onto the decks and up some stairs, letting out a whoop of joy. Rushing to and fro, dodging the crew. He was getting his lethargy and his jet lag cured. He felt more energetic than he had that entire day, and he felt refreshed. Time to finish his run.

He changed direction mid lap and ran towards the door that was where he was supposed to be. Unfortunately, he slowed down too late, tried to stop at the door frame and tripped, faceplanting onto the floor. Undeterred, he sprang up energetically and shouted out a friendly greeting in English.
'Hey, Everybody! My name's Able! WASSUP!? XD'(<-this was the face he made)

[NarcissisticPotato]

Japan was too much, she had decided when her connecting flight touched down in Narita International Airport. Even just flying over Tokyo made her feel insignificantly small; it's mass was of a scale that she could barely even comprehend. Aoife had been to New York before but Tokyo demolished it in terms of size, or at least that's what she thought. The city had an undeniable beauty about it, however, and she snapped a good few pictures of it with the expensive camera that had been a parting gift from her parents.

Although she had been notified of the school nearly a year before-hand, and she had begun learning Japanese not long after, she was still horrible at the language. Still, Aoife could technically be counted as fluent but she would have needed some serious help when it came to speaking the language.

It took about another hour before she could actually escape the airport, which was already overloading her with information. Reaching down to the small satchel on her hip, she removed the map that had been sent in the post with directions and bus times. Passively nibbling down on her bottom lip, she scanned the information on the leaflet before casting her eyes up again, trying to find the bus which would get her where she needed to go. Eventually, she gave up and using a mixture of poor Japanese and English, she got a policeman to give her directions to the bus.

Once she was on the home straight, she could actually relax a little. No one seemed to bother her, despite her pale complexion and white hair standing out like a sore thumb. Even though it was only Spring in Japan, it felt like a summer from Ireland. It wasn't hot, it was just warm and Aoife really disliked being too warm. She was adamant in not taking her gloves off though, even if they didn't look brilliant with her shorts and t-shirt.

The bus ride took another few hours and in that time, she blasted through a book and took a few shots of the Japanese landscape before falling into a deep sleep, spread out over her own seat and the free seat beside her. She woke, thankfully, when the bus driver stopped and exclaimed through the speakers that they had reached their destination. Yawning and looking a little groggy, she trudged off the bus before fetching her suitcase. After that, she just had to get a bus down to the Yokohama port, which looked like something out of the future.

When she got off that bus, she peeled out the leaflet and analysed the address before looking up, a massive yacht catching her eye. "Aoife-sama?" A voice came from in front of her, causing her to jump a little in surprise. Her Japanese wasn't the best but she was certain this man was talking to her. He appeared, from her best guesses, to be a butler of some sort.

"Yes? How do you know who I am?" She questioned, quirking an eyebrow as she slid the leaflet away and batted her camera round to her hip.

Then, in almost-perfect English, he smiled and nodded to her. 'With all respect, Aoife-sama, you have quite a memorable look.' A small blush touched her cheeks but she didn't take offence - he was right, after all. Smiling softly, she heaved the heavy suitcase up onto the path before the man rushed forward and took it from her. Content with having him take it, she allowed him to lead the way. "If you will follow me." He murmured quickly as they moved towards the gargantuan yacht.

She was stunned that a school even had money to afford something like this but she wasn't asking any questions. The transition from the port up onto the boat was shaky, especially when you don't particularly like boats and you're nearly knocked over by a racing teenage boy. Sending him a dark look that she wasn't even sure he received, she followed the butler down into the interior, which appeared just as rich as the outside. Just when she was about to step through the door, the same boy cut in front of her and tripped upon entering the room. Rolling her eyes and stepping over him, she gave a small wave to the crowd of students, emitting a weak "Aoife" in introduction before she moved over and sat down in one of the corner seats.

[ShadyLady567]

Ren had not realized how huge yachts were in real life. She wasn’t even sure if she had even knew what they looked like before now. The word had always been associated with millionaires who owned even larger mansions. But as the giant, spotless white boat came into view from the taxi she was riding in, Ren was sure it could not be mistaken for anything else.

Going against her wishes, Ren’s mother had given her enough money for the taxi ride to the address of her destination. And although the school had included information of an allowance for all students, her grandmother had given her some “emergency” cash. This had only caused Ren to feel even worse about going away. She knew her family members couldn’t afford to give any kind of hand out. So she was determined not to spend it on anything but an actual emergency.

Once the taxi was parked as close to the yacht as it could, Ren paid the driver and thanked him for his services. She walked cautiously towards the dock with her suitcase in hand a small knapsack thrown over her shoulder. As she approached the large boat, she noticed a formally-dressed man waiting at the entrance. He greeted her with a polite smile.

“Hayashi Sama?”

“Uh, yes,” Ren said. “How did you know?”

“Well, you are the last student to arrive.”

Ren felt heat rise to her cheeks as she began to stutter, “Oh, jeez…I-I’m sorry, I d-didn’t know-”

“No worries, miss.” The man said kindly as he took her suitcase. Ren shook her head politely as he tried to take her knapsack, opting to keep it close to her. The man ushered her onto the yacht and then to the lower deck, eventually arriving at a large room. There was one, round table filled with unfamiliar faces. Ren was even more embarrassed.

She cleared her throat, and introduced herself. “Hello, I am Ren Hayashi. Uh, nice to meet all of you.”

[Animus]

Monday
7:31 AM
25 April 2014
Super Yacht aka The Merlin

Hiiro was slightly perplexed. He had been expecting haughty rich kids or arrogant geniuses.

His expectations were not met, however, the students that followed after him weren't exactly the norm. Especially that guy, he thought. Hiiro snuck another glance at the fellow blonde that was sitting at the darkest corner of the room. Who was he to judge though, everyone had their circumstances.

He recalled when the other kids wouldn't approach him. They all thought he was weird. Ah. He brushed off those thoughts and decided he would judge the rest after they interacted.

It was then that he appeared.

Eh...when?!

"Now that everyone has arrived, we can finally depart."

Hiiro hadn't taken his eyes off the door after the green haired kid with the gun arrived. The last person to enter the room should have been the girl who introduced herself as Ren Hayashi... not the black haired ikemen in front of them.

---

"Now that everyone has arrived, we can finally depart."

He made sure to lace his words with annoyance and glared at Ren momentarily. The man known as Kentarou Hanade hated tardiness. This girl had the galls to arrive an ENTIRE minute late?!

However, he quickly composed himself. He was here to return a favor to Natsu.

"Where was I again? Ah, yes. The Merlin will take exactly two hours to arrive at Zandore Island. In the mean time, you can explore the yacht once I'm done with a short briefing. So lets not waste anymore time shall we? I am Kentarou Hanade, a year 4 student who was given the task of prepping you guys so you may begin classes immediately."

Kentarou adjusted his tie. He was wearing the same uniform as them except it was completely black. Yes, Kentarou Hanade was an S ranked student.

"None of you would know since outflow of information from Zandore's Boarding Academy is limited but the school term officially started a week ago. You are the last group of students to arrive. Regarding the reasons you were incorrectly informed to arrive today was due to a pesky group delinquents pretending to be cyber terrorists. They were of course dealt with accordingly."

Natsu was the reason they were apprehended and Kentarou owed her for that as he was the vice-president of the disciplinary commitee. Kentarou went on to explain how their missing attendance would not affect them as well as their compensation of 20,000 yen which would be added to their student card.

"...your student card can be found within the envelope. Your rank is listed at the front of the card. If you believe you have been ranked inaccurately, you are free to rise up on your accord through the shuffle matches. Either that or you can wait patiently for the reclassing in three months."

All of a sudden, on the table in front them lay an envelope. It had not been there previously.

"That concludes what I have to say, enjoy your remaining ride aboard The Merlin."

Kentarou casually left the room.

---

Kobayashi, Kimiko
Rank: C
Dorms: West View
Weekly Allowance: 10,000 yen

Di Sangue, Gabriel
Rank: B
Dorms: Academia
Weekly Allowance: 15,000 yen

Furuta, Hiiro
Rank: C
Dorms: Academia
Weekly Allowance: 10,000 yen

Steiner, Victor
Rank: D
Dorms: Academia
Weekly Allowance: 8,000 yen

Hayashi, Ren
Rank: B
Dorms: West View
Weekly Allowance: 15,000 yen

Gant, Alvin
Rank: D
Dorms: Academia
Weekly Allowance: 8,000 yen

Tadashi, Kanzen
Rank: C
Dorms: West View
Weekly Allowance: 10,000 yen

Kojima, Ryu
Rank: B
Dorms: West View
Weekly Allowance: 15,000 yen

Delacroix, Juliette
Rank: A
Dorms: Prominence
Weekly Allowance: 30,000 yen

Brady, Aoife
Rank: B
Dorms: Academia
Weekly Allowance: 15,000 yen

Johnson, Able
Rank: B
Dorms: West View
Weekly Allowance: 15,000 yen

---

Student Population: 1551

Rank Population Distribution:
S: 9
A: 89
B: 149
C: 397
D: 595
E: 235
F: 87

Dorm Population Distrubition:
Prominence: 89
West View: 425
Academia: 1123

[RoflsMazoy]

As Gabriel felt a 10th person other than himself entering the room, he suddenly felt an 11th person materialize straight afterwards.

What the... He thought, putting his book down and looking up. Someone who looked to be older than most of the people in the room was standing there. His uniform was similar to theirs, except it was completely black. In any form of hierarchy Gabriel had studied, he knew that any kind of distinguishing feature on regular clothing signified someone of a higher position. That meant that the person standing there was most definitely a senior or perhaps someone higher than that.

Besides that, he felt when he focused, that his blood pressure was very slightly higher than normal meaning he was slightly agitated in some way.

"Now that everyone has arrived, we are ready to depart." The senior said. Judging from his tone of voice, he was somewhat annoyed for whatever reason. Perhaps someone was late. He thought to himself. Looking down at his watch, he saw it was exactly a minute after the time they were supposed to arrive. He's one of those people, is he? Gabriel remarked. Taking his notebook out of his pocket, he scribbled some notes down on the senior for future reference as he continued talking.

The senior's annoyance had been removed from his tone of voice, but Gabriel could still feel that his blood was still slightly agitated. It was less than before but it was still slightly higher than normal. He continued writing notes about his appearance and possible personality traits as he finished his speech.

"...your student card can be found within the envelope. Your rank is listed at the front of the card. If you believe you have been ranked inaccurately, you are free to rise up on your accord through the shuffle matches. Either that or you can wait patiently for the reclassing in three months."

Gabriel had no idea what the 'shuffle matches' were, but he could guess what reclassing was. He noted that an envelope had suddenly appeared on the conference table with their names on them when he was sure they hadn't been there previously. Perhaps that was his power.

"That concludes what I have to say, enjoy your remaining ride aboard The Merlin."

Speech and observations finished, the senior left. And Gabriel had a slight problem to take care of. The envelope was out on the table, in the middle of the sunlight. And if he went out to get it, he would have to put his umbrella up and beforehand there had only been 2 other people now there were 10. He was going to look really weird if opened an umbrella, went to the table, grabbed his card and sat back down in the darkness for no apparent reason. So he did just that.

Opening his small umbrella and standing as he did so, he went to the table to pick up his card. When he reached the table to look for his card, he scanned the other cards to find out the names of his fellow latecomers. He had a pretty good memory so he memorized the names and when he went back to his corner after finding his card. After refolding his umbrella and sitting down, he wrote down the names he remembered as he studied his own card.

Di Sangue, Gabriel
Rank: B
Dorms: Academia

Most of the other students were rank B as well but there were also some Ds, Cs and even an A. He thought it would be a good idea to note the rankings so he wrote down the ones he could remember.

He had a general idea of what the rank meant. It was most probably the basic alphabet system from F to A. Or perhaps it had the S class as well meaning that the senior from before was probably S class as well. That meant that he was in the third rank. All things considered it was probably a good rank to be in. There was room for improvement, and it wasn't exactly average. But what he was really thinking about was the dorms. He assumed that whatever it said was the name of the dorm building, but he couldn't really see a pattern for how it was assigned. He had gotten Academia, but some of the students his level had gotten West View. He didn't really know what that meant, but there was one thing he knew for sure at least.

Prominence was most probably for A class and S class students exclusively. Judging from its lofty title and the fact that the girl in A class was the only one in it our of the group, he could guess that it was a fairly elite dormitory. Perhaps it was even that castle he had heard about.

He looked at the A class now. She looked to be fairly young, and she was clutching a rabbit doll. A class probably has high expectations. He thought. He focused on her, and her blood seemed to be flowing quite normally. He hadn't really known what to be expecting but he'd checked anyway.

Looking over his notes and his card once again, he tried to think of anything else that was noteworthy. Having concluded that there was none, he pocketed both the card and his notebook before returning to his psychology handbook.

[Lord Santa]

Able had a lot of questions, but there might be no one to answer them. He could probably ask the people next to him, but he doubted he would get answers. Judging from the guy who appeared from nowhere's speech, the rest of the people here were in the same boat as him-both physically and school-wise.

All he knew about Zandore's boarding academy was that it was good. Also, it was on an island. And, it was pretty interesting, but that's most of what he knew. The rest of what he knew came from a brochure. Well, there were 3 dorms, Prominence, West View and Academia, and there was a class system consisting of seven letters from S down to E. He guessed it went S, A, B, C, D, E. It wouldn't really make sense otherwise, but Able didn't know what S was doing behind A. Did the S stand for something? Speaking of rankings...

Able picked up his envelope and opened it.
'Oh.' Able said aloud. He was in B class. That was good, right? Though without any comparison, it didn't mean much. But considering there were 7 classes starting from S, it meant he was in the 3rd highest class of students. This kind of confused him, because he didn't do too well academically. Though his physics skill and athletic abilities probably attributed to it. Able looked around, wondering what everyone else got. He couldn't exactly see, however, as they were already reading their own envelopes. He turned back to his own envelope. The West view dorm... Able had put that as his preference, bot because it looked good (which it did), but because if he was near the beach, he could swim every morning. He liked swimming, after all. Though he'd have to put it off in winter. Swimming in winter would be stupid, even for him. Nevertheless, he was glad he landed in West View. He would get a lot of exercise from swimming. It was apparently a fair distance away from the school, but he could just run there anyway. Able read on.

Allowance... 15000 yen??? He read. Was that a lot? It looked like a lot. He didn't know the conversion rates to pounds so he had nothing to compare to. He would probably just find out how much he can buy with 15000 yen and base it off of that. Though, one thing to note... They'd apparently received 20000 yen as compensation for... cyber terrorism? And they were a week late? That didn't make for a good start. He'd likely have to catch up on missed studies as well. But cyber terrorists? Well, he shouldn't pry too far into that. The guy from before who disappeared just know made it seem like it wasn't his business.

Able read on to his confirmed list of subjects. Physics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, General PE. Good, all the subjects he wanted. There were some weird ones on the subject list which included magic and assassination, which Able thought was extremely strange. He wasn't really into magic and didn't know who would choose those subjects. Though if this academy existed for as long as the brochure said it had, magic would probably be taken a lot. By who, Able couldn't guess. In fact, the people at the conference right now, his fellow passengers, weren't exactly normal either.

The first one that caught his attention when he entered the room (after the faceplant) was a girl with prosthetic legs. That was a little weird. Next was a green haired guy with a gun, which was... odd. The third and fourth to catch his attention was a guy with golden eyes and a white haired girl who had apparently stepped over him after he tripped. The rest looked relatively normal, though he didn't doubt they had special features which weren't immediately apparent. After his greeting (which no one responded to), he took a seat between the girl with prosthetic legs and a relatively normal looking person (victor) and waited. The last girl came in and the conference began. Which brought up the greatest question he had. What did he do now?

He looked at his seat neighbours. They were still reading the contents of their envelopes. He really wanted to bring up the prosthetic legs, but that was way too insensitive even for Able. And the other guy didn't look to be in a sociable mood. He looked around, and everyone was either still reading their letters or already finished with them.
'So...' Able said experimentally. 'What do we do now?'

[Midori]

The man who appeared from nowhere was probably a member of the student council or the disciplinary committee. Assuming that Zandore Academy worked like other Japanese schools that was the logical conclusion. He had a mysterious air about him and he didn't seem like he really wanted to be there. He finished his speech and promptly left the room but Kimiko still had questions. She tried to raise her hand ad get his attention but he was already gone. That's when she noticed the envelope. She started to swing her legs back and forth as the chair was slightly too tall for her to reach the floor. Upon opening her envelope she saw that she was a Rank C student residing in West View with a weekly allowance of 10 000¥. It wasn't really all that much but she knew she could always call her father if she really needed money.

She head the boy next to her speak. "So... What do we do now?" His accent was clearly foreign but she hadn't actually met any foreigners until now so she had no idea what kind of accent it was. Glancing over towards him she noticed his envelope. "Wow you're a Rank B Student? I'm only a Rank C! What was your name again? Jo...n...san...Ei...bu...ru?" She tried her best not to butcher his name. "I'm Kobayashi Kimiko, nice to meet you Jonsan San. I bet you've never met a cyborg before. Well now you have!" Kimiko put on a big grin. First impressions were important after all and she didn't want a foreigner to think that Japanese people were rude or something. Besides she might be able to learn some real English as opposed to the few words she picked up from watching anime. "How did you get to be Rank B anyway? I mean I build robots and I'm only Rank C so you must be pretty amazing to be a rank higher.

[AlteredTundra]

As he only could, Ryu sat quietly in his seat and heard the student in the black uniform speak about how the eight of them that were in the room were the last batch of students to be transferred to Zondore’s Boarding Academy. He would also state that the semester did in fact start a week ago, but since a good batch of students were actually cyber terrorists. Or at least, something of the like. Ryu did try his best to not speak, even though he probably could have asked questions. Too late for that.

When the senior student would bring but a single envelope to the table, Ryu would find his, but he would also look at the others, but only for a brief moment. However, that’s all he would need as his unique talent enables him to remember names and memories them almost perfectly. He did notice that there was only one A rank and that belonged to Juliette. He looked around the room and saw she was the one carrying the stuffed animal. For some reason, Ryu found himself intrigued by her. He didn’t know if it was her uniquely-sounding name or just that she was the only A-ranked student among them.

After about a half of a minute of being taken aback by Juliette — be it infatuation or just general curiosity — Ryu finally took his card and looked at it. He saw that he was a B-rank, which was just fine with him. A sound of slight approval escaped his mouth and he pocketed his ID Card, and saw that the senior student was leaving. Ryu, being the kind of man that he was, bowed slightly as he left. Ryu then looked around the room and saw that a few of the group were gathering together. He saw that the girl with the big boobs that he first saw and upon further glance, saw her prothestic legs, being approached by the English man. He just shrugged at it as it had nothing to do with him.

Ryu further looked around, and found himself having his gaze at Juliette. Ryu just couldn’t explain why he found her so interesting. He never acted this way towards females in general. They were always the ones who noticed him and bugged the hell out of him, but rarely did he ever do that to them. And yet, the one who has his attention was the highest ranking person of the group. His eyes just looked at her.

[Lord Santa]

Midori said
"How did you get to be Rank B anyway? I mean I build robots and I'm only Rank C so you must be pretty amazing to be a rank higher."

'You build robots? That's so cool!' Able said, eyes sparkling. It wasn't everyday that you met someone with prosthetic legs, after all, and he was glad that the one person he met with prosthetic legs was friendlier than she first appeared. He didn't mind the pronunciation of his name, he found it hard to say many Japanese style names, so it didn't bother him if someone had trouble with his name. Maybe he would already make a new friend. It was shaping up to be a good day!
'You must be really smart! I don't know how I'm in rank B myself. I'm not that great' Able said with a sheepish grin. 'Nice to meet you, Kobayashi-San! What subjects are you doing, by the way?'

[Spawnling]

Victor had been quiet during the briefing, eyes flitting around the other students. Other than prosthetic legs, dyed hair, tinted contact lenses, and a giant...bunny, nothing stood out to him about most of them. Body language told him which ones were probably more friendly and which were trying too hard to play a lone wolf. The briefer was annoyed, that much was certain. The way he carried himself also suggested he enjoyed power, but not the responsibility of it. When the packets were handed out, Victor couldn't suppress a quirked brow and a bit of a frown at his rank. His grades were stellar, and-

"Ach, scheisse..."

He was in Japanese. That was going to hurt. That could've explained the rank, he still messed up the language a lot of times. While the class was undoubtedly meant to help him, it didn't change the fact that such a thing would cause stress this year. Still, nothing to do about it. The rank didn't bother him too much personally, but his father was sure to be annoyed at this. A worry for another time, as one of the English students sat between him and the Japanese girl with cybernetic legs. He seemed bubbly and friendly, a trait apparently shared by the girl. Johnson Able and Kimiko Kobayashi. Easy to pronounce in his head...the two struck up a conversation, as Victor continued looking over his packet before tucking it neatly back into the folder. He slid his ID into his wallet, the allowance coming to about 54 Euro. Not a lot, he thought to himself. The name of the girl seemed familiar. Oh, right. She was the one he had read about at one point. His father's associate had done the surgery to attach her prosthetic legs, it had been quite a big deal in both the medical and robotic fields. Victor found their conversation was well paced and not seeming to slow down, so he decided against interrupting them. He could also barely understand anything they were saying regardless, the two seemed fairly fluent in their respective languages and were talking rapidly. The first cultural barrier rises.

The German instead stood up, a calm smile on his face as he looked around, adjusted his glasses, and opted to look around the yacht. He walked towards the door to the conference room, the movement of the boat causing him to sway ever so slightly before he caught himself. As he left, he went to the railing quickly, grinning broadly as he looked at the waves and the retreating coastline. Didn't matter how used to yachts he got, the ocean always amazed him. Growing up in Munich, he rarely, if ever, got to see it, except when he was taken to one of the parties his father's associates would throw. The mist from the wake splashed up and he took a deep breathe. His green eyes roamed the deck. A pool...several extravagant lounge chairs and tables, large umbrellas. The yacht was lavish, he'd give it that. He wasn't sure, but he'd bet if he looked around enough, there would be a helicopter pad. He thought about his classes. He was still happy his sister hadn't convinced him to take Assassination. With his knowledge of anatomy, he could easily have dominated such a field...but it wasn't something that sat well with the boy. The chemistry and biology classes would be easy. The alchemy class should be fun. Still...the language class was going to cause many sleepless nights, this would probably explain why he only had four classes starting out. He patted the railing, the ocean lifting his mood quite dramatically.

<Where to explore, where to look. Such a large ship, you must have some interesting sights for me, right Merlin? I wonder why they named you after a man...I'm told that's bad luck.>

[ViridianHue]

After Juliette had entered the conference room, she chose an empty seat and settled down with her stuffed rabbit comfortably in her lap. She observed the students walking in after her, keeping their names tucked away in the back of her mind to be remembered later. She had a hard time remembering names, but never forgot a face, thus she opted to simply gaze at each of them in turn, never keeping her golden eyes on one long enough for them to notice. As each of the students introduced themselves as they walked in, she wondered if she had told them her own name when she had entered. The memory of doing such a thing completely eluded her and she frowned at the table in frustration.

So forgetful, Julie-chan. Yes, you had, but I don't think they heard you. What will you ever do without me?

Juliette looked down at the rabbit in her arms, her lips twitching slightly as she resisted the urge to smile. The voice was heard by only her as it always had ever since she had first constructed the doll. As a child, she had been upset that she was only one who could hear it, but as the years passed she realized that it was probably a good thing. Usa-chan, as the rabbit liked to be called, didn't particularly like other mortals and its condescending attitude would've been bad for both of them. Several therapists had told her that the voice wasn't real, but after poring through countless (illegal) books, she had learned that the rabbit was possibly possessed by a spirit of some sort, perhaps manifesting itself in the doll when she had first attempted voodoo. How she had done such a thing at the tender age of eight was a mystery to her, but Juliette was glad for its presence.

Her attention was taken away from the doll by a voice addressing everyone in the room. She frowned when he told them that they were a week late. The cyber-terrorist thing seemed a bit odd to her. Were they targeted at random or was there something more to it? She decided to ponder on that later as the envelopes materialized in front of them.

Ah, they're not ordinary mortals. Though it seems you're the only 'A' class among them. Nothing less to be expected from you, Usa-chan mused in her head as she read the writing on her paper. Juliette was more pleased with her dorm. Less students meant less people to interact with...and even lesser judgemental ones. Even though it was a school for 'special' students and she probably wouldn't be shunned here, people usually didn't take lightly to her being able to control their actions.

With the departure of the senior student, conversation sprouted among the others and she glanced at them, her eyes settling on a dark-haired girl with prosthetic legs. Idly, she wondered if voodoo would work on the female. Her legs didn't exactly 'belong' to her. The situation intrigued Juliette and she made a note to do some reading on it. But if she couldn't find anything... well, she noted the girl's appearance for future reference. She would have to find out what the school's rules were on experimenting on other students.

Someone is watching you...

Juliette slid her eyes away from the chatty duo and locked her gaze with hazel orbs belonging to a well-built male sitting across from her. Several seconds passed as she stared at the young man, simply observing him just as he stared at her. When he didn't speak, she tilted her head at him. "May I help you?" she asked softly as she stared serenely at him, refusing to be the first to break their gaze.

[NarcissisticPotato]

All she wanted to do was sleep. Sleep seemed like a viable option right now - back home, she would be fast asleep at that very moment in time and her body didn't pick up on the difference very well. Aoife had been moving all day and the excitement of visiting a new place without the protective watch of her parents was a fine experience but she didn't get a lot of time to sleep. In fact, she fully intended to at that moment; she was alone in the corner and she could curl up and be asleep in seconds.

And then some snobby S-class had to just barge in and ruin her plans. Yawning quietly in frustration, she swept the sleep from her eyes using the heel of her palm before listening in on what he had to say. The first major piece of information was that they were starting a week after everyone else and the second was that this was down to cyber-terrorists. That freaked her a little - was she going to a school that was the target of terrorist groups?

Yawning once more as the older guy departed, she set her cold, blue eyes on the ID cards and slid to her feet. Moving over to where he had magically made them appear, she took hers but not before taking a quick glance over the other ones. The girl with the doll was the only A-class out of all of them and if Aoife was being honest, she wouldn't have been surprised - the girl looked major-class freaky. On the wobbly way back to her seat, she took the opportunity to stretch out and force herself awake before she checked the information on her own ID card. She was B-class, which she was decently proud of. Aoife wasn't from a family with a lot of money so she didn't mind the 15,000 yen. It was a good starting point and she had no doubt that she could win some more later.

In between scanning the card and taking in all the information she could, she looked up to find a boy who was definitely not Japanese, scanning across the room. His gaze also fell on her and she met it willingly, arching a single eyebrow at him as he analysed the students in the room. She didn't like the way he looked at her, or anyone else for that matter but he seemed to be mostly harmless. Aoife could tell that he was from a money background - she didn't know any guys her age who walked around in suits that looked like they could fund most of her university tuition fees. Then again, she didn't have the best eye for suits.

He was intriguing though - he looked to be one of the only westerner on the boat, with another seemingly preoccupied with talking to the girl with prosthetic legs. Plus, it was either that or make some sort of conversation with snuggles and its mistress. Judging that to be a bad idea and reading a book to appear unsociable, she rose to her feet and shakily followed the German out onto the deck. Aoife wasn't purposely avoiding anyone Japanese, it's just that her knowledge of the language was lacking and she felt she would just make a fool of herself if she did try. She didn't actually follow him - she wanted to get a few shots of Yokohama and the vantage point provided a good opportunity. Leaning over the railings at the stern of the ship, she pulled her camera around and lifted it, clicking away a few shots before looking over at him, raising an eyebrow at his little German monologue.

Not wanting to be rude, she turned back around to get some final shots of the city before wheeling the camera around and snapping a few shots of the boat - if anything, it would be a good bragging right to friends back home. She understood a little German from her time at school and although she didn't understand most of what he said, she got the last bit. She knew her German was horrid though so she decided to use English. 'Only bad luck if you believe in that sort of thing...' She answered, a little cryptically as she slid her camera down to her hip again.