[IC] Myth Academy - The Exchange

[Spawnling]

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Grey, Headmaster Logan

Grey tapped a digit against it's temple, smiling at the headmaster knowingly. The human was uncomfortable. Probably hadn't had much interaction with Mythics yet. He fussed with his tie, flipping through the papers slowly and methodically. Dark blue eyes shifted up, meeting the obsidian black of Grey.

"...and you're sure there won't be any incidents?"

The being called Grey gave a shrug. It wasn't sure how the Principal saw it, but still, a smile came across it's lips.

"There will always be incidents when you gather such diverse minds in a small space, Mr. Logan. I cannot assure you that there will not be problems or even fights. Some of the students are known for being troublemakers. What I can assure you is that what you will deal with will be no worse than what any of your human students can cause you. Just with a more...exotic flavor."

Logan flipped through the papers again. Dragons, draconians, werewolves, golems, bird people, fish people...it was almost too much. He gave a sigh, rubbed his chin, then nodded.

"Well...I suppose all I can do is trust you Mr. Grey."

Oh, so the Headmaster saw it as male. Grey gave a nod and turned to head out the door.

"Don't worry. I think we'll all learn some very interesting things this year."

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Bastien

Bastien yawned widely, wings flapping lazily as he fluttered towards the academy early in the morning. Beneath him swung a large trunk of clothing and personal effects, carried between his talons. He gave a tired pout, ignoring the long winded speech of his mom flying next to him.

"-and make sure to call us at least once a week, and don't forget to eat properly and-"
"Oui...oui...oui..."
"And you aren't even listening to me are you Bastien?"
"Oui..."

A hard jostle, a headbutt from the older harpy, and Bastien nearly fell from the sky, eyes wide for a moment.

"Augh! Mama, why?!"
"Because you're being an airhead again! Pay attention! You're representing our family and species here!"
"There's probably going to be other harpies..."
"Bastien!"
"Pardon! Pardon!"

Shifting his talons on the suitcase, Bastien gave a low sigh, wishing he was still asleep instead of flying to the Academy. School didn't start for another week, but those living in the dormitories were all heading in early to get situated. All the exchange students were expected to undergo a private orientation as well. The harpy wasn't disinterested in the situation, he was just so tired...

Pale blonde hair, pale skin, and pale blue eyes, alongside a slight frame, kept the bird boy from really standing out as anything in particular. The only thing that was currently drawing a lot of attention from several humans down below, except for the flying, was his brilliant white wings and large talons. He wore a loose-fitting hooded vest and baggy shorts. Talons made long pants exceptionally difficult to wear, and the wings needed plenty of room to stretch out. His hooded eyes surveyed the grounds as they neared the Academy.

It was large. Very large. For such a small town, the Academy seemed exceedingly well funded. The East dorms still had some scaffolding around them from the renovations. Bastien had been told that the humans had spared no expense to make the dorms personalized and homely to all the exchange students. He wondered if there would be other harpies. A few human students wandered the grounds, some carrying suitcases to dorms, others just lounging about, enjoying their last week before school starts. The town itself was rather small, but not isolated. Being near a major city seemed to help keep things bustling. As the harpy pair landed, a woman in a loud yellow dress began to walk towards them, giving a wave. Bastien's mom waved a wing back with a smile. Bastien, for his part, perched on his suitcase and wrapped his wings around his body, sulkily looking around from eyes that threatened to shut on him yet again. He was sweating from carrying the luggage all the way from the bus stop. Sure, he was a strong flyer and able to carry a significant amount of weight. But the jostling and wobbling suitcase had made it anything but pleasant. And he was still pretty out of shape and lethargic. As the woman in yellow chatted with his mom, he began to nod off steadily, head bobbing. Finally, a jostle from his mom woke him up.

"What what?!"
"See, you never listen! Birdbrain...I have to go now, so you be safe! I'll miss you!"
"Oui, I'll miss you too mama."

A hug, a quick peck on the cheek, and Mrs. Moreau took off. Bastien turned his hooded eyes to the lady in yellow, who wrote something on a clipboard then gave a smile.

"Alright Bastien. Normally, you would put your stuff into your assigned dormitory, but due to the...unique nature of our situation, you will instead be heading into the East Dorm common room for a short orientation. It starts soon, so it'd be best if you got there fairly early."

"Oui...uh, I mean. Yes. Thank you."
"Do you need help with your luggage?"

The harpy glanced down, giving his wings a soft flutter. He was tempted to say yes, but with a sigh, he shook his head.

"No, I'll be fine. Probably."

The lady in yellow was already trotting off, greeting another group of students. Bastien perched on his suitcase, wrings wrapped to his body as he contemplated a short nap before heading to the common room. Another tired pout, and he began the arduous task of hauling, dragging, and shuffling his suitcase towards the East Dorm, looking much like a struggling chicken.

[BytheSpleen]

Iosef

At rest on one of the recliners of the common room was a startlingly dark girl...or boy, who was snoozing off for goodness knows how long. At his...or her side were various bags and luggage containers, the lot of them all made of tough stainless-steel shells, like the ones wealthy businessmen or secretive bureaucrats used to carry documents and guns.

At least, as far as the harpy (or anyone, for that matter) knew, the person here was a student. It was short enough, and definitely had the face to be around his age. He or she had some hair, at least, that was about three inches long (a fairly ambiguous length, to be sure). I mean, as far as the face would go, it looked like a girl : high cheekbones supporting slightly thinner cheeks, an unpronounceable chin, thin and pouty lips...

But there was something off.

The student-to-be in question was dressed in an oversized white T-shirt that covered down to its knees, though luckily the collar section didn't slip too far from the shoulder so as to reveal whether or not he...or she, had a bra on or not. The plain T was complimented by what appeared to be a pair of fresh denim jeans, blue as the ocean at dawn or dusk. To top it off, a pair of closed-toe sandals covered the student's feet, leaving much to imagine as to what kind of toes and lifestyle the student lived.

But its hands were...quite large. They had on them a collection of splotches and scars that came from some sort of event, and even flecks of torn callouses were still peeling. Curious and intriguing, one might say, but definitely not feminine in the least.

So who would say this one was one or the other?

As Bastien and perhaps a few others came walking in, the student snorted and startled itself awake with an equally androgynous voice.

"Aa-ah! Wha...oh, I thought I'd be the only one here! Are you guys also transferring for the special program?"

Chiseled into the soft, onyx-black face were two lanterns floating in the darkness. Its irises were amber and bright, akin to a recently rekindled fire.

And indeed, these twin fires were kindled with excitement. There were so many new people, so many opportunities to take...so many friends to make.

@Spawnling @Aspen Wren @gaudi @Turboshitter @Termott @Antarctic Termite @Arty Fox @Cuccoruler@Vrrak

[Aspen Wren]

Elize Vanzant

A tall tawny she-wolf moved rather silently at an easy ground covering trot, her tongue lolled out the side of her mouth as she panted away the heat. It wasn't exceptionally warm out but when you didn't have sweat glands it was easy to get warm pretty quickly. She'd had her bag delivered ahead of her so that she wouldn't have to take some human form of transportation. Cars were so icky and disgusting, they were filled with fumes among other nauseating stenches. Aside from that Elize was far more comfortable in her fur than in her skin and she didn't think the humans would appreciate her pretty blonde coat nearly as much as the males did. She was too large to fit comfortably in a car in her fur anyhow, to ride in one of those death traps she would have had to given up her fur and teeth for clothes and a smile.

Despite being readily fashionable at all times Elize just wasn't one to spend time in her skin. She remained in her fur if at all possible and was here at the bequest of her Alpha, Niall. It wasn't really even a request, it had been an outright order, full on Alpha tone. It was extremely unlike him to force anyone to do anything but he had insisted. She was generally far too feral to be allowed around humans, they were weak and easy prey. Truly helpless beings as far as Elize was concerned.

Elize's large size was a direct result of her bloodlines, her original pack was from France and were murdered when Elize was only a pup, eight at the time. Three members of the pack rushed her to the nearest port and found a ship that would set sail as soon as possible to take her to America. As the heir to her pack she was their most valuable commodity, they gave their lives to keep the hunters at bay till the ship could set sail. Once she arrive she wandered for several years, till she was 15, in her wolf form surviving alone before she found her current pack.

Very few hunters were left now, just as there were very few wolves left. The population was growing but it could only be as large as the wild places for them to roam were. Elize brushed away the memories, her wolf hated them. It whined softly in their mind as she reached the school. She paused as her golden eyes assessed the area as she remained in the shadows. There was a lady clearly taking student names so Elize continued her pace forward but after several paces her body seemed to vibrate, softly at first and then her shape began to waver before it pulled and stretched upright all within the span of a heart beat.

Though she seriously disliked being in her skin Elize still moved just as confidently and predatory as in her fur. Crystal blue eyes flickered about, watching and checking things as she moved towards the woman. In her skin she was clad in a pair of what the humans liked to call skinny jeans though she had found that not only skinny people wore them which was quite perplexing, matched with a pair of black stiletto heels that rocketed her height up well above six feet tall. She'd put on a loose pale cream blouse and lined her eyes with a sparkling black kohl that make them shine like sapphires. Her long dark hair billowed about as she walked simply due to the speed that she moved at, her tall willowy frame got her a lot of attention. Attention that she very highly disliked.

[gaudi]

Aelonya.

It was autumn when she arrived in Daelstadht, leaves gently fluttering the ground when the train had finally shuddered to a stop at the station, causing perching crows to screech out into air. The station, positioned alongside a sea of German beech trees, was painted in fiery colors that came into focus as Aelonya stepped off of the train, one hand easily holding up a small suitcase, while the other held gingerly onto what appeared to be a disembodied, skeletal hand. The tip of her boot neatly clipped onto the side of the track, and she propelled herself forward into a crowd of lightly-dressed - and evidently drowsy - students, who hardly gave her a second glance as she weaved between them. They did not notice that the large trunk following her was supported by sets of skeletal hands, nearly covered by the back of Aelonya's cloak. It was still earlier in the morning, dew collecting at the eaves of the station's portico, condensing against the windows. As she crossed into the town, Aelonya tugged the long scarf off of her neck, tossing it to the side where it was neatly caught by outstretched hand.

"Danke, Svetovid," she cooed to it, the warmth of her breath condensing in the cool air, as she stepped onto the pale cobblestone street. It was slightly sepulchral, this town, she thought. Though perhaps it was just her imagination.

By the time she arrived at the school, the sun was well above the horizon, glancing off of the neat, but worn stones that made up the academy's buildings. The light, which happened to shine directly into Aelonya's eyes as she stepped onto campus, only amplified and agitated the slight sense of budding nervousness blooming in the pit of her stomach. She roughly swallowed, a disembodied hand roughly clipping into the side of her face to block the sunlight. In response, she groaned slightly, and flicked it away as she took in the buildings.

The main hall was preposterously large, instantly reminding her of some of the later gothic cathedrals so tall they actually broke in half. Studded with spires and interlocking stone facades, it seemed entirely out of place in the small town. Even more out of place in Aelonya's mind, which was filled almost entirely with images of her home and the small dwellings around it - small little wood-and-stone huts, connected by unpaved, dirt roads, hardly discernible in the dead of night from the shadows of the tall trees that blanketed the ground. There was no familiar scent of slowly-burning wood smoke, so intense that one would easily be able to descern when the wood was cut, and how long it dried. Other than the sight of the sun, and perhaps the small pickings of evenly-spaced trees here and there, this place was completely foreign to her. There were a few students loafing around the grounds, though few looked in her direction. The ones that did showed contorted expressions of bewilderment, directed at the floating hands that accompanied her, flitting around through the air like stony birds.

As she stepped forward to pass by the main hall, a tall man in a pinstriped suit waved at her, beckoning her closer. Clipboard in one long-nailed hand, he looked vaguely familiar to Aelonya, yet a slight chill ran up her spine upon glancing into his coal-black, beady eyes. Though a few other students were clustered around him - obviously, he was some sort of administrator - his smile was unnervingly directed at her, or so she felt. It was entirely saccharine, she thought, almost bemusedly wondering if he had a set of jagged teeth behind his lips. Her thoughts were interrupted at once as a skeletal hand stopped Aelonya in place, pushing her chest back, and nearly causing her to fall backwards into the pavement.

She barely had time to murmur a choice curseword to the hand, deemed 'Perun', before a dark-haired girl in the most ridiculous shoes Aelonya had ever seen nearly impaled her foot, cutting swiftly in front of her. The sight of this girl - with black-rimmed eyes, blisteringly huge lips, and grim-looking footwear - instantly reminded her of mythical antagonist Koshei the Deathless, causing her to double over in laughter. She dropped her suitcase to the group and hunched over her knees, as a million images of Koshei applying mascara, shaving his legs, and other effeminate things rushed through her head.

Newly - and oddly - reinvigorated, Aelonya waved back at the pinstriped dude, stepping forward to speak to him.

[Turboshitter]

Fáfnir Iron-claw sighed as she approached the Academy, still a long ways off in the distance. She held a picture of her parents in her fingers... claws... talons... digits, and although she could be flying (or more accurately gliding), she chose to walk.

Another new school. That meant another new place to live, another new city to get used to walking around in, and another new opportunity to explain to everyone who passed her in the street why she had horns and claws and why are you wearing that coat dearie, isn't it heavy? Oh my! What is that on your back?! Ohhhhh! followed by fainting or shocked silence. Another set of curious, wandering eyes to pin their gaze at her.

She sighed. Honestly, sometimes it was all just too much.

She stared at the picture, a cheap polaroid sent via mail by her father, an old-fashioned man who refused to learn how to use a cellphone. It was a picture from his vacation he spent visiting her mother. Every year he did this, but Fáfnir was never allowed to come along. Something about it being improper and not befitting of a true dragon...

Fáfnir growled. So frustrating! She wanted to meet mom too! Why couldn't she go along with him instead of coming here?

[Termott]

Solan

“Dear Odin, who knew the human world could be so fun!” Exclaimed one of Solan’s many sisters as they made their way down the parking lot after shopping for what seemed forever at some clothing market. Well, it was the fifth one they’ve been to. Solan was left to watch the chariot and make sure the Pegasi weren’t spooked by the self-moving chariots that littered the parking lot. They climbed inside, the chariot being big enough for a flock of Valkyrie and most likely more. It was for when they would have to guide more than one soul to Valhalla of course.

She let out a huff, finishing the last touches to the new black hoodie she bought, fixing the back to accommodate her wings. Solan was wearing a simple white robe like top from home, mismatched with a pair of blue jeans and some slip shoes. She didn’t want to stand out as much as she already did with her useless wings. She was also able to buy several other articles of clothing some school supplies she thought she’d need, although more than likely went overboard in her preparations. She was lucky she was able to buy anything at all with the amount of money her sisters were spending. They probably had enough, all coming from donations of the families of the poor spirits they’ve helped crossed over, but Solan often felt guilty spending it on herself.

“We should totally take out mom’s chariot more often; we can fit more bags in it!” Another one of her sisters said, the others laughing in agreement. The whole reason they were allowed to use their mother’s chariot was to drop off little Solan at school given her in ability to fly and their mother’s busy work schedule. One became two, then four, and then eventually six additional sisters came along, making a good eight total. Solan wasn’t even completely sure how many she had at this point, but did know she was the youngest.

“Um, do you think you could drop me off? The school is coming up and-“

“Odin, Solan, don’t interrupt! We’re doing you a favor and you’re being rude,” One of them called to her, as they carried on about which store they should check out next. Although, much to Solan’s relief, the Pegasi were pulling the chariot lower and lower out of the sky and to Daelstadht Academy at last. With a sigh, Solan grabbed her newly purchased luggage, pulling on her altered hoodie with a little help with the wing part by one of her nicer sisters.

The youngest Valkyrie hopped out waving goodbye as they immediately took off without a second glace. This was really happening and she couldn’t turn back now. Her wings gave a nervous shudder as she looked around, shedding a couple feathers. Solan wasn’t too sure what to do or where she should go, feeling small in the growing crowd of humans and Mythics alike.

Suddenly, Solan felt a tap on her shoulder, she turned around, wondering if she did something wrong, only to find it to be a rather elderly looking man who looked almost as if any day her mother would guide him to Valhalla. Although Solan did feel more at ease seeing his gentle smile. He seemed to be part of the faculty, holding a clipboard. They both in turn made introductions, and she learned him to be a Mr. Grey. He explained that those who weren’t of the human variety were to head to the East dormitories common room for a quick orientation, and she nodded quickly in understanding.

Gathering her bags with less uncertainty before, she followed a group made of many different species. Some of them she could never even have imagined. Not to mention the many humans who looked at the groups with interest, much like she did with them, studying them for the first time.

[Antarctic Termite]

"Is my daughter sent?"

"Her materialisation went through without a hitch," answered the skeletal, many-gazed creature in a fearsome and utterly humble voice to the far greater and more terrible one enthroned before her. "Teotalca has been supplied with all human necessities she desired." A pause, then, "My sister is eager."

There were no lips to smile, but somehow the mother goddess did. "I know. She was not my first choice. But in her I am well pleased."

"She may not learn what they elect to teach her, Mother."

"No, she will not. But when she returns, she will teach you so much."

Malinal

It didn't even occur to the youth that bare feet was poor form with regards to first impressions. The concept of a uniform was tucked in an unused and undisturbed nook of her head, into which she never intended to look. That was for the better, she'd learn in the oncoming days- Even custom shoes were ill suited to the cassowary feet that supported Malinal Teotalca as she burst into the run that carried her within view of Grey.

Her backpack bounced as she skidded to a halt, grinning like a skull on its wedding anniversary. It was light. Tzitzimitl wore few clothes, and Malinal hadn't packed much more than that. What she did have had, like a variety of things in the increasingly modernised realms of heaven, been imported from Earth. Right now, a skirt and an album cover of a tee were enough over her smallclothes. Her chest spouted the words 'Lustmord - Metavoid' to the world, with a contorted pattern of grey swirls in between.

She had a map, somewhere, but Malinal wasn't looking at it, though between her face eyes, joints and uppermost vertebrae, she was looking at pretty much everything else. The tzitzimitl had been told in good faith that she would materialise discretely, but very close to the exchange guide, a figure that she saw without trouble- A large, vaguely humanoid spirit that seemed composed of a dream's mangle of geometric patterns and primary colours, and familiar trinkets of heavenly rank. Primary but for two obvious eyes, which were black. Odd contrast.

Of less familiarity, and more interest- So much so that Malinal slowly turned around on the spot, as if to inviting all of her eyes to partake of every one- Were other students. She'd never seen this many humans in person before, and she'd never seen these types of non-humans. It was dizzying. At least two nondescript boys with feathery wings, a cute androgyne with much greyer skin than her own fading brown, some lady with enormous white wings and other remarkable endowments. Most of them seemed to be getting at least a few stares, though the humans looked completely at ease with the vibrant, imperfectly-named figure of Grey.

Malinal didn't realise she was twirling until she started to grow really, physically dizzy, and nine vivid blue eyes snapped shut along with two standard-issue brown ones to avoid falling down. She was grinning even wider when they opened, in time for her knee to catch a clear glimpse of a hovering skeletal hand half-hidden in the cloak of a girl she'd taken for human. She yelped in delight. "Hey! Tall chick! Wait up!"

Malinal was following right into the gaze of the decorated spirit as she ran to keep up, and that suited her well- Two birds, one bird-footed stone, so to speak. "Hile, spirit!" -In dubiously formal Nahuatl, then without a beat, "Sis, listen- You smell really good- Can you show me your hand? Give me five, come on, do it!" She lifted her own bony hand, not too dissimilar in shape to the cloak-hidden one attached to the older girl's shoulder, high above her head. It was a human tradition she'd grown obsessed with on earlier, briefer excursions, and the idea of trying it with a disembodied hand- A skeletal one, at that- Was unspeakably thrilling.

@Gaudi@Spawnling

[Arty Fox]

Roan Kash and Adeline 'Alien' Morris

“Careful, careful.” Roan warned before hastily adding. “left! left!”

“Alright calm down.” Adeline replied.

The pair made a very amusing sight worming their around the ramp up to the schools entrance hall. With Adeline pushing the wheel Joan was sitting in, tail dangling out over the side, whilst he worked to steer their suitcase around in front of them. As well as to give directions now and then.

Adeline herself wasn’t looking too forward to making multiple trips to not only the car and her room but also to Joan’s room to boot! Wherever it was going to be which they would hopefully find out soon enough. But for the current moment she was happy to have a small breather in the crowded reception.

“aah, this year is going to be so cool!” Adeline jogged with excitement on the spot, her eyes drawn this way and that by all the new students both human and Mythic. “I still can’t believe we’re going to the same school. This is going to be so much fun!”

“Yeah, sooo much fun.” Joan rolled his eyes in feigned annoyance. “You get to annoy me for the entire year instead of just your holidays.”

“Fight me fish sticks!” Her fists raised with a challenging glare.

“Get off my planet Alien!”

They both then descended into giggles before one of the many members of ‘Clipboard holders’ came up to them with wheelchair and a polite cough. Adeline recognised him immediately as Mr John, her Science teacher.

“Mr Kash, I presume?” Mr John waited for Joan to nod before continuing. “Perhaps you might find it easier to navigate with this rather than a, um…wheelbarrow?”

“Why don’t we have this back at home?” Joan asked after being helped into the wheel chair. “Seems like it would be easier for me to get around on my own.” He then spun in a neat little circle as he tried to get a hang of steering.

“We live in the sticks.” Adeline explained both to him and Mr John. “It’s hard enough with the wheelbarrow when it’s muddy, those wheel are just going to get bogged down.” A thought then popped into her head, and after handing Roan her backpack she said. “Oh! This means you can carry some of our bags. Hold on for just a minute I’ll be right back!”

And with that she sprinted off, taking the wheel barrow with her.

Mr John then continued to explain the various facilities of the school, mainly for Joans benefit, as he led the two, now with the rest of their luggage, through the Schools corridors. After a few more minutes of boring explanation they were lead into another room where, much to Adeline’s curious delight, many other Mythics of size and shape had gathered. But the one that really caught Adeline’s eyes was one with very many eyes and, possibly more importantly, a raised hand for no doubt a high five.

“Joan, I’m gonna high five them!” She declared fully prepared to do so.

“What? Alien no!” Joan tried to interject. “You don’t know them.”

“Well then this is the perfect way to break ice so... Alien yes!”

And with that Adeline tore up to the Mythic with her own hand raised ready to give a high five worthy of the gods! That is if she didn’t accidentally hit the mythic in the face instead.

@Antarctic Termite

[gaudi]

Aelonya.

"Hey! Tall chick! Wait up!"

Invariably, the sudden interjection could have been aimed at any other girl in the small crowd pooling around the shark-toothed administrator, which is why Aelonya was unpleasantly surprised when Berstuck - one of the skeletal hands - pressed a hard finger to the side of her chin, forcing her to look at the girl. Well, if you could call electric-blue eyed, gaunt-looking, barefoot .. non-humans girls, she supposed. The figure that stood - no, slouched, or hunched - before her would have been uncanny enough without the dozen of large, electric-blue, red-ringed eyeballs embedded into its wrists, hands, and so on. Aelonya swatted away the hand from her face with one actually connected to her wrist, as Berstuck was going to draw blood with any more force. She wondered, bemusedly, what kind of creature this girl was, as she had never encountered anything like her before. Well, witches with six floating hands gyrating every which way aren't too common either, hmm? It took Aelonya a painful 3 seconds to realize that the girl was heading towards her, shouting something in some language studded with 'l's and 't's. Or was it a language? Maybe it was some ancient war cry from some ancient rune Aelonya had ever seen before. She was familiar with Wendish, and the various Slavic languages that decorated the familial wasteland she called home, but this was something new.

"Sis, listen- You smell really good- Can you show me your hand? Give me five, come on, do it!"

Aelonya was strangely flattered, but momentarily unsure of what the girl wanted her to do. She did not have much of the Frankish currency used in this town - the majority of her money had not yet been exchanged. Momentarily, she wondered if this girl was some sort of sexual deviant, what with the words "Lustmord" scrawled across her blouse. Lust-death? Perhaps she was some of succubus, though she looked nothing like the classical depictions - take Fuseli's "The Nightmare". In any case, Aelonya didn't need to hold out her own hand, as Svarog - nestled comfortably in between the inner and outer layer of her cloak - burst out suddenly, and met the girl's hand. The ligaments clattered together, a familiar sound. Aelonya was still a bit miffed, smiling slightly but with a hand planted firmly on her waist.

"Who you calling tall, bony? Or whatever you just said. And what's with the eyeballs?" she retorted, slightly aware that the girl might have hexed her, but not really caring.

@Antarctic Termite

[Cuccoruler]

Cia had just been dropped off at the school with her bags by her Father. "No trouble this year, ya hear?" He said to her in a snarled voice as he took the bags out. Cia had a bag specifically for her baseball equipment she swung it over her shoulder, the bat sticking out of it, it looked old and beaten up but it had meaning to Cia more than it was useful. "No promises." Cia said as she headed towards the dorms with what bags she could carry. "I can't keep sending ya to a different school each year ya know, I hope that maybe you can learn to control yourself a little better here with humans being added to the equation." Her father said to Cia as she placed her bags near the entrance. "I'll try to get along with someone alright?" Cia said to her father. He rubbed his temples with a sigh. "Well don't this mess this up then, ya hear? I gotta get to work, call me when you get the chance." He said before leaving.

Cia took a breath as she looked around. She was going to cause trouble no matter what she did. There was no doubt about that. Most of these humans wouldn't even notice that she was different from them. Though she did have a lot of similarities to bears, for one she loved to sleep. Also every now and then Cia was prone to lose control and either go into partial bear form such as sprouting bear ears, or go into full bear form and just completely lose control. After signing whatever forms were required she entered the common area finding what looked to be a girl with wings near by. She looked like she might be good at baseball though, at least a fast runner.

One thing Cia loved above all else was baseball, take that away from her and she would be an even worse bully. She headed towards the girl with wings her baseball bag still on her back. "You look like you got some muscles on ya! I bet your a fast runner." Cia said with a smile. If this girl didn't make a good enough impression on Cia chances are she would be the first victim to be bullied.
@Termott

[Vrrak]

Karu would make his way to the academy, the spot quite obvious once he got near. The shear number of different foreign smells coming through his antennae was enough to make him second guess his academic pursuits in the exchange program. He was likely in a bit of a unique situation compared to the other students, his species was a bit less.. civilized than most. Most of them hid from strangers, but his curiosity was stronger and now had him in this strange concrete jungle of a world. He looked for the other young looking humanoids and would attempt to follow them to the gathering point, making sure to stay out of the way of people's feet.

He looked much like a wild creature as he trotted in to the east commons area, to be fair he pretty much was, spending most of his years in a forest with other fae creatures. The only real indication that he was a student was the small hand made backpack used to carry his class supplies and most importantly his many notebooks. Ever since he had recently learned to read and write he took much glee in jotting down and reading many things like it was a new toy. He hoped this place had one of those library things he'd been told about. All the words he could ever want to read!

For now though, he was tired. Getting around in civilized areas was exhausting, and there was some rather rude dog who got off his leash and chased him a bit, not to mention one of those mean blue birds attacking him while he tried to make sense of where he was. He needed some good relaxation time, but all the new faces and creatures would have him running on pure excitement for the rest of the day most likely.

Karu was not only curious about the other humans, but the other mythics as well. He would go up after the one that stood out the most to him, which of course was the merboy. He'd never really been around large bodies of water so his scent was particularly unique. He'd give a poke to the tail if it was in reach with a non-pointy part of his claw to get his attention. “Hey there! Down here! I just wanna say I like your tail!” he said, the awkwardness of such a statement completely going over his head. “Are you from the ocean? I've never been there.” he said quickly, looking like he might start a barrage of questions.

@Arty Fox

[Pyromania99]

It'd been a few weeks since she had been stuck in this jar. They said they'd just "ship" her and she'd know when she would arrive, but she had some doubts about that. Now she was hearing people talking. . . Like, a lot. It wasn't the normal old man voices (Or so they sounded to her) but instead, younger people. And again, a lot of them. "Okay. . ." She muttered to herself taking a peek outside the vase finally. It was a room with a lot of people. . . Well, Humans and Non-Humans. . . It looked like? Some were a lot more obvious than the others.

A girl with Draconic features, a. . . Uhh, small Dragon. Some humans. . . A merman, and, well, a lot of others. Most of which she hadn't seen until this point. Taking the opportunity, she departed the vase to look around some more at the people and creatures. First thing's first, "That dragon-girl looks so cool." Alicia muttered to herself as she floated over, slowly turning upside down as she tried to get use to her bearings.

Soon enough, she found herself looking the dragon girl in the face. "You are quite interesting." She said while eyeing all the features of the girl. "I've not seen someone with non-human features before today. Well, not in person." After a few seconds more of inspection Alicia remembered, "Oh! Where are my manners. Alicia de Gheeste, at your service."

@Turboshitter

[Termott]

Solan – Iosef/Cia

Solan had made it to the common room, taking in how big the school really was. She wondered how long it would take her to memorize its layout and not get lost. She began to regret not paying attention to the twists and turns it took to get here, noting she’d have to find a map. A nervous feeling began to settle over her once more as she realized how many others were cramming themselves into the room. The Valkyrie tried to make herself smaller, almost fearing how dangerous much of these non-humans could be. She folded her wings tightly against her back, a couple more feathers falling to the floor, and she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, trying to be as inconspicuous as she could.

Despite being on the rather shy side, Solan didn’t want to be rude. She turned her attention to an androgynous student of dark features aside from their bright eyes. They seemed friendly enough, although in her almost overwhelmed state, she managed a small smile and a quiet “yup”. The thought of being alone in this exchange sounded more terrifying than being around others. She almost felt thankful if she wasn’t such an introvert.

Solan shifted a bit impatiently, wondering when it would start so she could get a room and get out of this crowd. She looked around, trying to find a teacher of some sort who may begin the orientation. Instead, she noticed a rather normal looking girl heading her way. Perhaps she was lost given non humans were supposed to be here? Then again, who was she to judge someone; she could have powers beyond her imagination. The girl approached her, commenting on her muscles and her ability to run.

The Valkyrie blinked, being a bit unnerved by the question. If she didn’t know any better it almost could have been a threat. Was this girl going to chase her down? Solan did often have to herd the Pegasi back at home although it was usually in vain since they flew away once you begin pursuing them. She looked over this girl, wondering if she could out run her if she had to, but her attention lingered on the bat in her bag. Why did she have a weapon? Was this school lax toward a weapon policy? She looked to the floor, fearing not to anger the girl.

“Um, I s-suppose. When your wings don’t work, then next best thing is uh, legs?” Solan tried for a joke, but came up with whatever that was, being more awkward than funny. She wasn’t sure what the correct answer was, glancing up with a sheepish smile.

@BytheSpleen@Cuccoruler

[Spawnling]

Grey, @Antarctic Termite,@gaudi

Grey's black eyes scanned the students as several approached it, probably drawn by the clipboard in it's limbs. It decided against telling everyone that it was doing crossword puzzles on it. So many questions, so many little minds, curious and worried and eager. Raising a digit to it's mouth, it's voice let out in a soothing tone.

"All questions will be answered in due time. However, at present, I would ask you all to make for the Common Room with little dawdling. It's the main room in that rather large building with the scaffolding still up on it. Rest assured, you are all where you are meant to be, and you are all right on time in all things."

Grey stepped away from the crowd, then with a smile at the pair, added:

"That means you two, Miss Aelonya and Miss Malinal. You may continue the playful banter as you walk."

Without giving any hint at how it knew their names, the being Grey stepped towards more approaching students, guiding and directing. A few groups walked away confused, asking why their friends had used "Sir" or "Ma'am" or had simply stared in silence.

[Antarctic Termite]

Malinal

The sound of phalanges clattering against her own fingers struck the tzitzimitl as nothing less than ecstatic, and she momentarily balled them into a fisted victory pose, a thin hiss of a yes! leaking out of her. Without losing the pose, she swiped her other hand into a perfect encore with the mostly human-looking girl who ran shortly into her attention. The red-haired one's aim had been a little off, but Mali had more than enough spacial awareness for both of them.

When she finished whooping, Mali clapped both hands back onto her face. "Why, what eyes?", she feigned, as her wrist winked at the non-human. This, at least, was something she'd anticipated- Her sisters had warned her well that her joint-eyes would stand out especially. They spoke of it in tired tones, but Malinal was still young enough to relish the attention.

It didn't hold her for long, though, and she was shortly reaching up to pinch at the red-haired girl's cheeks. They didn't stretch much, but compared to the cloaked woman-figure and herself, they were luxurious. "Holy mother, skele-hand, look at how pudgy these are! Are all humans like this? Are you even human?" Mali cast her face to the distance and shrugged with one arm while still holding the girl's cheek in the other, an exhibit of wonder.

The decorated spirit was talking in an echoing rattle of reassurance- Or so the tzitzimitl heard it- just about long enough for her to pick out the figures that were listening with particular attention. A girl with an ugly-looking club, from her ankle; A flittering blue animal, from an elbow. "This isn't banter, this is cultural appreciation," commented Mali quietly, but shortly stepped up to follow the directions, still holding the human-looking cheek as long as she was able. "Eel-on-ya, did it say? I'm Mali. And this here is my human. I haven't named her yet."

@gaudi@Arty Fox

[gaudi]

Aelonya.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a loud-looking human girl appeared and slapped the other girl - again, if you could call her that - on the hand, after Svarog. Aelonya paused, trying to remember the kind of person the skeletal hand had come from; ultimately, this didn't matter, as his remains had been imbued with the old god Svarog's likeness - all to some extent - around the winter solstice. To die around these times was a great honor, she thought; she just wondered why Svarog would slap hands with this creature, though she was an eyefull. The thought of this produced a soft chuckle. Perhaps she should try slapping the girl's hand, too, just to see how the glossy membrane of the embedded eye felt. It proceeded to blink at her in an uncanny, self-aware sort of fashion not unlike the disembodied hands that followed Aelonya around, extracted commands from her general will, yet acted on their own.

The red-haired girl had a sizeable amount of flesh wrapped around her bones, to the point where you could not tell, in most cases, that there was a harder structure underneath. Soft. Upon being pinched, the human's cheek flushed lightly, into a soft pink. Almost delectable. These types of humans always made Aelonya feel much older than she actually was, as the times she had physically encountered them, they were always asking favors. They got lost in the wood easily, or perhaps went to ask her for fire, lost their brides, or had an abusive step-family. And so on. She would help them in her own way, which was generally successful, but ensured that they would never return to bother her again. They were too fragile and completely unaware of the world to question anything, anyways.

"All of the humans are meaty and moldable. Defenseless little things. But there's a skeleton down there, if you dig around. You might need a knife," Aelonya noted, entirely nonchalant. "Such an existential question. Are you a demon?" She cocked her head to the side, mimicking the creature's shrug.

The pinstriped man opened his mouth, striking Aelonya with the sight of his tongue - which was covered in thick, dark hair which seemed to drip beads of fluid that struck the sides of his face as he spoke. Absolutely disgusting; similar to a domovoi. Did he live under the stove? Did the school's headmaster look like this? Grotesque, but Aelonya heard her name, and some order about a common room in one of the unnecessarily large mausoleums that surrounded the grounds. But the girl - Malinal - was trying to speak to her.

"Ail-ohn-yah. And you should let the human go before it asks you favors," Her laugh was in between something entirely exuberant - out-of-place in between the gaunt cheekbones and disembodied hands - and somewhat forced. "Going to open a rift into the common room, demon?" Aelonya smiled with pretension.

@Antarctic Termite

[Sanbe]

Alexander switched off the ignition of his vehicle. He had arrived at the Daelstadht Academy Dormitories. Collecting his suitcase from the passenger-side floor, Alexander stepped outside. Many dormitories and utility structures stood before him, the area never seemed this large when Alexander knew where he was headed, but today was a mystery. Had he been assigned a destination, he would have been more discerning about where he parked.

Standing alert, Alexander moved forward, his eyes carefully scanning his surroundings. He felt warm, his body was starting to perspire under his beige overcoat. Autumn in Daelstadht is warmer than in his home country. The situation was rather uncomfortable for Alexander, particularly because there was little he could do to prepare for it. Sudden changes are in store for the academy, the recently constructed dorms that became visible in the distance are evidence of that.

“Hello Alexander Ozarovsky,” a bellowing voice declared.

Standing straight ahead of him is a middle-aged man wearing a modest charcoal-gray-colored attire. The man was holding a clipboard, yet his eyes were fixed upon Alexander, at least that is what he assumed, for the man's eyes resembled that of a sharks. Normally an oddity like this would be unsettling, and while the man's rugged physique could enable ferociousness, his demeanour was gentle. He lacked any hair, and was rigid like a statue.

Alexander responded, “Hello, can you tell me where my destination is?”

The man proceeded to instruct Alexander to visit the East Dormitory common room, and await further instructions. With a polite word of thanks, Alexander marched forward to his destination, only to hesitate for a moment when the man uttered an unusual question. “Mr. Ovarovsky, would you happen to know a Polish soup that is often made with rye flour?” Quickly, Alexander considered the possibilities, but arrived at only one answer.

“Borscht.” he responded.

The man scribbled onto his clipboard, and gazed back at Alexander with a content smile, beckoning him his leave. With a simple nod, Alexander advanced forward. His worries about the dormitories were temporarily settled, for they were replaced with doubts about his knowledge regarding the origins of borscht's many varieties. However, he would soon find another distraction.

Reaching a crowd of fellow students, Alexander caught glimpses of various mythical creatures among his fellow man. The variety and contrast was staggering, yet there certainly was one aspect many of the mythical creatures shared with his fellow human high-schoolers. Proclamations of superiority and inferiority echoed from every direction, an attitude Alexander did not miss while away for summer. With a hurried pace, he stepped ahead of many fellow students.

Once arriving inside his destination, Alexander stepped to the side of the entryway, and waited near the door, still grasping tightly to his suitcase. Every time a student would wander through the entrance, Alexander would do his best to offer a polite and formal welcome. He did so without a smile, which earned him some glances of confusion.

[Aspen Wren]

Elize Vanzant

Elize walked at the far back of the crowd of students, she could easily look over most of their heads as sharp blue eyes watched those before her being corralled like sheep into a building. This was not what she wanted to do at all, especially with all of these other creatures who's capabilities she had no idea of. She could see a man who looked startlingly like her Alpha, Niall. He matched him down to every detail and Elize started to say something to the man wondering why her Alpha had come.

As she drew closer though she could see something was missing, at first it wasn't completely obvious, just a feeling this was not Niall. Her blue eyes watched him closely for a couple moments as she moved easily forward and just when she was about to give up trying to figure out what this could be she realized what was missing. It was something so slight that she was sure even Niall's own sister would mistake the two. Niall was a man of quite confidence, he was massive standing six foot seven while barefoot and with boots he pushed six nine. However this man was missing that predatory glint behind his eye, like her Niall's wolf was never far below the surface and his eyes glimmered constantly with a predatory gleam that was unmistakable.

Only prey would circle up in a group within a large building such as this. Absolute silliness, "Sweet Moon, this is insanity." The tall she-wolf murmured as she moved to stand just inside the door. There was a young man there, a human one with blonde hair. Perhaps if she had not been wearing high heels he might have been taller than her but as it was she was several inches taller than he was at the moment. There was absolutely no way that she was going all the way into this place. Her blue eyes locked onto him as she moved her hair from her face, "Do they always herd you about like sheep?" She questioned the boy, her voice was quite but high pitched. Elize was very obviously a soprano but unlike most it was not a harsh sort of noise but a lulling one, smooth and easy to listen to. It was a very uncommon trait for Lycans to possess but so was her coat color.
@Sanbe

[Cuccoruler]

Rosa gave a smile. So far this girl seemed to be giving the right answers. "I'm Rosa! I'm a werebear!" Rosa stated introducing herself with a toothy smile. The winged girl wouldn't be bullied, she would be safe. "Tell me have you ever considered trying to play Baseball? I bet you would be good at it!" Rosa said with a smile as she put a hand around the girls shoulder. As Rosa got happier and happier others would be able to see bear ears come up on top of her head. One thing that Rosa had a hard time controling was those ears of hers. She wasn't sure if she would ever be free of this trait, but she honestly didn't care.

As Rosa finished talking she looked up smelling the air. One scent in particular stood out, one that she hated. It was the smell of a Lycan. Rosa knew that there would end up being atleast one Lycan, but it was still something she couldn't stand. Throughout history the werewolves has been beating down on the werebears, saying that strength wasn't everything and calling them weak. Rosa had actually been bullied by Lycans in the past, not to mention her father having to constantly apologize for Rosa eventually hitting the werewolves. Rosa hated that the most, Werebears should bow to no one, especially not the weak Lycans. Across the room Rosa was glaring at the Lycan, her eyes filled with hatred for the creature.

@Aspen Wren@Termott

[Turboshitter]

Fáfnir Iron-claw

Fáfnir blinked. She was floating upside-down. That... that wasn't something you saw every day. Was she a ghost?

Realizing she was staring in a manner most unbecoming of her, she screwed her eyes open and shut, then coughed, clearing her throat. A small candle-flame puffed out of her mouth.

"Yes, I um, get that a lot. Hello, spirit. My name is Fáfnir Iron-claw," she said in a booming voice, regaining her proper posture as she puffed out her chest, hand over her heart. "My father was an admiral in the navy, and I come from a long line of noble dragons. This was to be my first excursion into the heart of the human world, but..."

Her mind raced, trying to think of something appropriate to say now that she'd talked herself into a corner. She felt a cold drop of rain dampen her cap, and shuddered.

"But this abominable weather is making a fool out of me. If I could, I would swallow these blasted clouds whole," she said boastfully. Hopefully that would get her back on track. If they were a ghost, she might at least be able to make one friend. Maybe.

"What of you, spirit? Are you perchance headed to the Academy? If so, I would deign for you to accompany me," she said, flourishing. "The invitation of a dragon is not something to be spurned."