[IC] Athalia Academy Season Four: Back on Track (Freaking Finally, amirite?)

[AthaliaAcademy]

Chapters

Chapter One: Here We Go Again

Welcome back students! Athalia Academy is back and while it may not be better than ever, things are certainly looking up for the school. They've found a place willing to let them seek refuge for the time and have even received help from the higher ups, via Carmen, to rebuild the school.

It's the first day students are officially returning ( and some entering for the first time ) and orientation is around the corner. Many of the older students feel the itching feeling of nostalgia crawling up their back as they remember the first orientation, mostly just Crash falling a lot and the dragon that nearly destroyed the school, but hey... it was good times. We think.

[AthaliaAcademy]

Blue skies. The nicest day Athalian students and former students have seen in a long while. It's early morning and orientation is still a few hours out. Maria sits in her office, an almost exact replica of her former office (a nod to Warren Athalia) getting things together for the rest of the day. As usual, Criston is wandering the campus outdoors, smiling at the students around him as he plots for his famous and obligatory post-orientation party.

The campus proper sits at the top of the hill of the nearby town, Pavella. It has two wings with the upper floors being dorms and the lowers floors being classrooms. As it stands right now, there aren't enough classrooms for Maria's liking but for the number of current students they have, it will more than do. On the west wing, the girls' dorms overlook the nearby lake. On the East wing, the boys' dorm overlooks the town itself. The central 'wing' houses teacher's offices, the nurse, as well as the main office. Back behind that is the dining hall and off to the west of that is the gym with a dock to the lake where students can swim at their leisure (events are also held on this spot as it is very nice for picnics and barbecues.

[Nevix]

Edric was nervous. Sure, he'd faced worse than a first day of school, but still. He'd even tried talking about it to Azamor. He closed his eyes and grabbed his pendant, Azamor's current housing. Hey, Aza! he transmitted to Azamor. To be honest, I'm not sure what to do about this. I'm really nervous about this. Aza responded as he usually did. How the shit should I know? I'm a demon? Trapped in this STUPID FUC- Edric usually let go of the pendant right about there. Nervous or not, he had to go. He said goodbye to his father, thanking him for letting him go. His father had been none-to-eager to ship him off to a magic boarding school, probably just worried about losing another family member. He had never really known his mother, he just had a vague appearance in his mind and a feeling of warmth. He had always been a bit bummed out by this, but he figured that never knowing his mother was better than having her die when he was older. Just saved him a bit of heartache really. Still, that was part of the reason that Edric was even going to Athalia in the first place, to get strong enough to search for his mother. Even if she hated him, he wanted to know who she was. His father always shut down whenever Edric brought it up.

So, Edric grabbed Nox, which was apparently a pretty big deal, as far as swords, and made it disappear into thin air. He wasn't sure how it worked, and he preferred not to think about it. He smiled remembering how he got the sword in the first place.

Edric had been walking through a marketplace one day when he saw a person carrying a fairly dark, fairly cool sword.

"That's a pretty cool sword, friend" Edric had said.

"You want it?" He has said in reply. "It was giving me a headache anyways." The rest was history. He strapped his revolver to his chest, and buckled his other (not-legendary) sword around his waist. He then grabbed his backpack and headed out. It hadn't taken that long to get to Oasari, so he arrived just on time. It was a clear day, and Edric couldn't help but smile as he approached Athalia's gates. He heard the bustling sounds of the student body and wrenched open the gate.

I think I'm going to like it here. He "said" to Aza as he walked towards the main building.

Whatever, loser. He smiled, it was good to know that Aza would always be Aza, even if everything around him was different. Edric was pumped, he'd have a chance to make friends, get stronger, and have fun. It sounded just like his cup of tea.

[HylianRose]

Background on Carlily

Lily sat near the tall water fountain, a small wrapped gift in her hands. She lifted it and twirled it around in her hands, inspecting it for any imperfections. She'd spent hours in the shop looking at all of them, keeping well in mind all the advice Carmen had given her before. She thought of the small metal piece inside, cold and waiting for the warmth of another being. She let out a small, shaky sigh, suddenly feeling very very nervous again. This had happened a hour before while the gifts were all being given and was why she snatched the gift back up quickly and hid it in her dress pocket (best dress ever).

What if she hates it? What if she says no? What if-

She swallowed hard. It had taken her a while to come to this conclusion and she had to wonder if Carmen felt it to. That they were quickly becoming more than just roommates and that she'd never felt so complete with anyone before. It wasn't that Carmen necessarily took her breath away all of the time. I mean... she did a lot of the time, but for the most part Lily just felt at peace with her. As if everything would be okay as long as Carmen stood beside her and she knew that she needed that. She needed Carmen beside her.

Carmen, meanwhile, had just finished handing out checks to the musicians she had hired to play for the duration of the celebration. The equipment had been torn down and the musicians were now making their way, cases in hand, to their cars down the street. The rest of the former Athalians had also dispersed, going back to their own homes and shops to continue their personal Christmas celebrations. It had been a lovely event in Carmen's eyes, and she legitimately thought that she was the last one left. It certainly sounded like it...all that could be heard was the gentle wind, blowing wisps of snow around. All wildlife was silenced, and as the lights scattered around Pavella began to shut off, one by one, as the sun set, Carmen sighed happily, being alone with nature after a great event.

That is, alone until she turned around to look in the direction of the Christmas tree and the fountain.

"Lily...?" she asked herself, far too quiet for anyone more than five feet away from her to hear. It certainly appeared to be the angel Carmen had grown so fond of in these past three years. Carmen stepped down from the gazebo where the band had been set up and slung her trumpet on her back without taking her eyes off the figure. She walked up to the angel and sat down next to her.

"You look cold," Carmen said in a concerned tone, mistaking Lily's nervous shaking for shivers. "Why'd you stick around? Everyone else left...it's just me. You don't have to wait for me, you know," she finished, a small grin appearing on her face as her statement ended.

"Ahh..." Lily mumbled at Carmen's words. "I suppose I wanted to... wait for you." She explained, pausing slightly. She cupped the small wrapped box to hide in her hands and smiled at Carmen. "I'm not really that cold. And it's nice out with the cold wind and the dark night sky. It's peaceful and I like it." She explained.

"It is quite peaceful, isn't it?" Carmen agreed, her grin growing slightly wider at Lily. "I love coming out here alone to take in the beauty...and the silence. It's breathtaking," she continued, with a glazed look over her eyes as she looked around at the sky as the stars began to come out, one by one. Looking back over at the angel, she said, "Are you sure you're not cold? It at least looks like it."

Nope, nope. I'm as hot as can be right now.

Lily turned her head away from Carmen feeling the heat flush to her face. "I.. Uhh..." Lily began, stumbling over her words. "Oh, man... Ugh..." She soft grumbled, shaking her head.

Carmen tilted her head at the angel. "What's wrong? Is something on your mind...?" she asked, a look of confusion and concern moving across her face.

Lily swallowed hard once again and turned back to look at Carmen, facing her front on, her cheeks flushed red. She lifted the small box and pushed it in Carmen's direction. "I-It's for you..." She told her, avoiding eye contact.

Carmen's face was one of immense confusion and generally a whole slew of emotions occurring in rapid succession. Carmen looked at the angel as she looked away, wondering why she would do that...and it appeared the only way to find out would be to take this small box. She took it, turning it over in her hands and trying to find a meaning as to why Lily would save a wrapped gift until everyone else was gone.

Slowly and carefully unwrapping the box, every few moments looking back up at Lily with a tilted head, until it was unwrapped. Carmen was (obviously) no stranger to all kinds of jewelry, and could tell that it could only be one thing. She again looked up at Lily, unable to find words to express exactly how her brain was short-circuiting. "Is this..."

She opened the box.

Inside was a golden ring.

Ever the romantically inexperienced skylark, Carmen looked up at the angel. "Lily...what does this mean?"

It sounded harsh at first, but as she continued all became clear. "Does this mean, that you..."

Rarely at a loss for words, the skylark struggled to complete her next sentence.

"Is this what this emotion I don't understand means?"

"The one that's been steadily growing ever since..."

Silence.

...

...

...

Eventually the skylark picked her head up again to look at the angel.

"...ever since I met you?"

Lily watched, her concern growing only more as Carmen kept digging into the box and looking up at her in confusion. "I... I don't really know what you're feeling but... I know what I've been feeling. Very well. For some reason, it's different this time though." Lily began, Carmen's confusion spurring her to explain herself. She'd been trying her best to prepare herself for this but... it all left her as she simply let it all out.

"I've felt this emotion many times. I know I have. I can't have lived this long without knowing it at least in part. When you worry about someone, and think about them before you sleep and when you wake. When that person smiles, this feeling fills your soul, something like... feeling complete and happy as well. But... with you... it's different." she paused for a moment.

...

"With you, I feel at peace when you're by my side. And when you're not I feel anxious and frail as if any moment my world could come crashing down. When you're with me it feels like the world is stable as if nothing could ever happen to me when you're by my side." she paused yet again.

"C-Carmen.." She stuttered, her chest tightening. "That ring... I... I was... I was hoping you'd we-wear it to... to show our... r-r-re-relationsh-ship." She continued, her words slowly deteriorating into a mass of stutterings. She felt her breath quicken and turned her face to look at the water as it softly lapped against the edge of the fountain. "I was... hoping we could... be together... As more than simple roommates..."

Lily felt as though she'd just thrown her heart on the ground and she desperately, desperately hoped Carmen would pick it up. Her right hand automatically went to her left and began to rub the place where her old ring had sat. She'd long since taken it off and it sat cold and alone in her dresser, a symbol of times gone by as they always do.

Carmen looked away from the angel, her face hidden.

If a soul was around to see her face, they would see that she was smiling.

"I found it."

...

"I finally found it."

She finally turned her head back to look at Lily square in the face.

"The one emotion I was never able to feel, and never thought I would be able to feel..."

"It was love, Lily."

"That mystical emotion that humans talked about...endlessly, that I could only hope to one day experience."

"Well...I found it."

The skylark took the ring out of the box and carefully put it on her ring finger.

"I found it in you."

The skylark smiled a huge smile.

"So yes, Lily. I would like to be more than just roommates. I would like to experience this thing called love with you, and only you..."

"Forever and for Always."

Lily lifted her legs and pulled them into her chest, burying her head in her knees as her pink hair fell limply around her, curtaining her face. Her cheeks were beet red and she felt tears welling up in her eyes. A few seconds later, Lily's shoulders shook from her tears as she silently sobbed, her emotions getting the better of her.

"Thank God." She whispered, feeling her hands shake slightly.

Lily slowly sat up from her seated position, a pile of paperwork in front of her. She'd made her stop at the flower shop and made sure everything was set up for the day before walking up the hill towards the school, a quick glance in the direction of her house. Carmen had it built recently, after that Christmas. Lily smiled thinking about it as she leaned back in her chair, the rather unnecessary lab coat draped over the back of it.

She shook her head slightly and got up, grabbing the white coat and pulling it over her arms. She needed some fresh air for a bit and it wasn't like many students were around now anyway. Plus, there was the added benefit of being able to feel the aura's around her. She'd long since stopped being afraid of other angels, knowing full well she was protected under Maria's magic and that many of them had since stopped looking for her. Well, besides Michael.

Her pink hair bounced in it's ponytail as she walked out of her office and to the right, outside into the crisp morning air. She loved listening to the sounds of students buzzing around and the wind softly blowing. She kept walking as she looked up to the clouds, imagining Carmen in her bird form flying through them, whipping them into interesting shapes. She chuckled for a moment before she felt something hit her in the chest and looked back down to see a student with brown hair (Edric) in front of her. She'd bumped into him rather rudely.

"Oh my. I'm so sorry." She exclaimed, already mentally checking his aura for any damage, however minor. Satisfied he was fine, she smiled brightly at him. "I haven't seen your face around yet. I'm Lily Brightendale, the school nurse. It's a pleasure to meet yo-"

Why hadn't she noticed it before? Her eyes darted down to the pendant the boy carried and then back up to his face. She felt her skin crawl but suppressed the feeling. She'd long since gotten used to the sight of nephilims, but why was he attached to this demon? Her eyes narrowed for a mili-second before she coughed and returned to her smiling face.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr...?" She continued, asking for his name.

@Nevix

[Driving Park]

Collab: Illiasriel and Kali Rana

The cold stone walls echoed with the footsteps of the Hindu woman as the approached the massive stone door. The chamber had been untouched for centuries, a lifeless symbol of a once proud people. Besides the door, the only feature in the room was six empty pedestals, waiting patiently for the blades they once housed.

The Seamstress of Time took a brief look around, surveying the room, the pedestals, and the door. A hint of a grin appeared on her face as licks of sand whisped around her heels.

Suddenly, the ancient woman's back, which was up until this point empty, had six swords slung on it.

Without so much as an acknowledgement that anything had just happened, Kali Rana placed each sword on its appropriate pedestal and took two steps back, patiently waiting for the result.

Reacting immediately to the final key, the stone doors flashed once along the seams before slowly, laberously grinding open. The instide of the vault softly lit up, revealing the centerpiece, the so called "Betrayer."

Hanging in the center of the room, a girl with brown hair stared unseeingly at the opening doors, a band of runed iron clamped around her eyes. She tensed, feeling another presense for the first time in centuries. Her lips cracked open as she tried several times to speak, eventually managing a feeble sentence.

"Ich, Mika vor taka twee?"

Ever stoic, the Seamstress of Time stood as the door creaked open, to reveal a girl. She knew that it would be a girl...in fact, she knew everything about the girl, as legends had told. Had she not, she wouldn't have been here in the first place.

"Your salvation," Kali Rana replied in English, as she walked up to the girl without another word and pulled down the band of iron from her eyes. "Your sight returns," she stated as she stepped back.

As soon as the metal left Illiasriel's eyes, they flashed white before returning to violet. She worked her mouth for a moment, as if tasting something strange, then spoke again.

"This language is... English?" She said hesitantly, matching Kali's pitch and accent. "Then, you are real? Not a hallucination?"

"Yes, English. It is not my preferred language, but is the most common. And I can assure you that I am quite real," Kali Rana responded to the girl.

"None of the other hallucinations ever removed my band, so I believe you. I assume you're either here to rescue me or kill me, either way, please make it quick."

"Leaving you imprisoned here would be far worse than killing you," the Seamstress of Time replied. "No; I am here as the universe has deemed you important."

At that moment sand whipped up from the ground around Kali Rana and flew around her in a cyclone, soon dispersing and reaching the chains binding Illasriel, which were very quickly dissolved and the legendary "Betrayer" was now free from all shackles.

"You are released," said the ancient woman.

Illiasriel fell to the floor, no longer supported by her bindings, she struggled to stand, eventually managing to balance weakly on two feet, and turned to her rescuer. "What happens now?" She asked, still wary. Before the question could be answered, however, the girl's eyes flashed white once more.

Suddenly gasping for air, Illias collapsed again, stunned by her own power. "You... What are you? You could do much worse to me than leave me here with barely a thought."

"I am merely one who carries out the universe's bidding," Kali Rana spoke cryptically. "You will find yourself mentioned in the history books - in legends hundreds of years old. If you go back much further...you will find me."

With that, the Seamstress of Time decided this legendary prisoner had assimilated enough to leave the chamber and be placed in society. But not just anywhere...a very key place.

Sand began whipping around both Illiasriel and Kali Rana, to the point where Illiasriel could no longer see anything outside the cyclone surrounding her. Soon though, the sand dissipated to reveal a place very different from the chamber. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and the crisp low mountain air was extraordinarily pleasant. In view was a large set of buildings overlooking the town whose streets the Betrayer had been placed in.

As for the Seamstress of Time...she was nowhere to be found.

For the first time in centuries, Illiasriel the Betrayer tasted fresh air, felt the sun on her skin, and the reality of her freedom set in all at once. The tears started slowly at first, then flowed freely as she fell to her knees, grinning like an idiot.

"Drata Twee," She said. "I'm alive."

[Nevix]

@HylianRoseEdric blinked in surprise. The pink haired woman looked exactly like he remembered his mother looking like. Granted, that was fifteen years ago. There just wasn't a way that made sense for this to be his mother. They must be relatives of some sort, who's to say that his mother never had a twin sister. Who was nineteen years younger than her? It just didn't make sense. He wanted to ask, but how? Hi, you look exactly like my mom! No, he couldn't ask. He then realised that he had been staring at the woman for several long seconds.

"Oh, uh, me? I'm E-Edric Ka-Karst." He was shaking. He let out a little chuckle and mumbled something about being late before he sprinted into a nearby restroom. No way. He thought. There's just no way.She didn't even remember me. I'd think that my own mother would recognise me. He thought about talking to Aza about it, but he felt like this was something he should keep to himself. So he did. He swallowed his...surprise, he supposed, and walked out of the bathroom. He smiled and walked towards the assembly hall, thousands of questions racing through his mind.

[Animelover_princess]

- Oliver -

he groaned and stretched his arms up above his head. today was going to be a long day, he could already feel it. 'that's not necessarily a bad thing' he thought, as he shifted the papers on his desk and glanced around at the, currently, empty computer lab. he'd personally checked every computer and wanted things to go as smoothly as possible but actually dealing with a class was going to be an interesting experience for him. he wasn't anti-social but he'd never been particularly good around large crowds of people, his anger issues did not help. he just prayed they wouldn't give him any crap for the wheelchair.
he carefully rolled out from behind the desk and to the door, which they had been kind enough to make a sliding door rather then a normal door in order to make his life just a little easier, and pushed it open. Orientation would be soon, he hoped the kids would enjoy it, or at the very least, enjoy the party that was sure to follow, as he'd heard happened every year... well before everything happened.
he rolled out into the hall, shutting the door behind him, and headed down the hall. He wanted to see if the headmaster needed any help. it was a clumsy trip to Maria's office but he made it, he hoped she hadn't left for the orientation already and knocked, waiting for an answer.

- Andromeda -

Andro had to take a deep breath before she could step out into the bustle of student life. she'd forgone her usual veil for a pair of sunglasses because they were less likely to be caught on things and people as she traversed the halls and headed for the orientation.
she was a little frightened. Athalia had been her home, and it had been destroyed, but it was here again, with people and classes and buildings, and she was a little scared because it was always possible it would disappear again. she shivered slightly before she steeled herself and stepped out.
She knew the layout of the school, it was practically identical to the original school, and she had been here when it was built.
Andromeda tried to express poise and grace as she walked among her peers, many looking younger then her, many looking older. some might be close to her actual age, but she couldn't tell, it was hard with mythical creatures, she herself looked younger then she truly was, still looking 18 even though she was nearly 24 now.
She began to think to herself as she walked, the snakes twisting down to look at her as she did so. 'perhaps... perhaps I won't be as shy this year, i'll try my best, talk to people, be friendly and talkative, i can do that... right?' she gently grasped her upper arm as she thought, eyes drifting to the ground 'i can get past this, I've seen that people here will accept me, so i can do this... i can do this'
at that exact moment, her feet betrayed her and she stumbled down a set of stairs. when she stopped moving she thought 'maybe i can't'

[HylianRose]

Maria Ann Cross

"OH. MY. GOD. THIS IS SO BOOOORING!" She shouted, throwing her hands and some paperwork into the air. She'd forgotten how much paperwork was involved at the beginning of the year and why she'd always used magic to complete it. However, she'd been recommended by a close friend to avoid magic if she could for the timing being. And well, she had no reason to really doubt him, so she did as he asked.

But, lord was it frustrating. As if cued by her boredom, a knock came upon her door with a quick rap. She blinked and looked up another another soft rapt came from the door. Slowly, a grin formed on her lips as she pushed back on the chair and swung it around, using her long tan legs to push herself towards the door, swinging it open to reveal Oliver, staring back at her.

"Oliver! Just the half pint I wanted to see!" She shouted, throwing her hands up in mock celebration. When he didn't seem amused, she lowered them and her smile faded. "Give me some credit, I'm bored. Whatcha need, sport?" she asked, playing around with him as she did with all of them.

[NaraK]

Ryuu sighed as he tossed aside a bunch of papers on his desk.

"And there goes tomorrow's lesson plans," he muttered to himself as he got up.

Ever since he became a teacher at Athalia Academy, the otaku realized how aggravating a line of work could be- especially under the supervision of Maria Cross. She was the type who would go "OH MY GOD, THIS IS SO BORING" and throw all of her paperwork in the air and potentially shove it into the hands of random faculty members.

And that was not exactly the most pleasant thing to do at the academy. Not when he had his own work to fulfill.

But he did understand Maria's perspective, for he soon shouted to himself while clutching his head, "OH. MY. GOD. THIS IS SO BOOOORING!!!"

The dark-haired teacher sighed as he shook his head. He decided to refresh his brain.

Walking out of his classroom, the sunglasses-wearing teacher put his hands in his jacket as he walked down a hallway like a bored gangster. Some habits never died, and that truly was the case with the emotional aura he emitted all-too-easily and his idle actions.

I'm gonna go crash at a bench or something, he thought as he turned to find Andromeda flying towards him.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

So this is one of those days, isn't it?

"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-"

As the man screamed, Andromeda crashed straight into him, her knee colliding against his face as he propelled towards the ground. Landing roughly, the otaku let out a pathetic cough before he returned to reality as he looked up at Andromeda's direction.

A girl was on top of him.

A three-dimensional girl that totally existed was on top of him. Unlike the sexy two-dimensional women he encountered, Andromeda did not feel like his hand.

And he totally did not want to think about why that popped up in his mind.

"Watch where you're going, Andro!" The otaku exclaimed as a bit of blood seeped out of his nose (not because of the impact). "Geez, your luck with stairs is going to go to places if this keeps up."

He knew of Andromeda for quite a long time now. Though they never talked all too often, they still found each other to be good people. Perhaps they were even friends, considering that they knew each other for over years at that point.

"Also," Ryuu commented as his face continued to redden, "if you don't get up, I don't mind, but... at the same time I do mind.

"...

"JUST GET OFF OF ME!!!"

---

A dark-haired girl sat next to a shelf in the library, flipping pages at a moderately slow pace. Her frail form lay still in one of the less visited corners of the place, the book on her knees the only thing she focused on. One by one, a page was flipped as Aurelia Triniel read an autobiography of an inventor.

She continued to read in silence.

[Animelover_princess]

- Oliver -

he heard the sound of someone moving and waited until the door yanked open to reveal Maria, sitting in her office chair, starting at him. he tried to not think it was pointed since she probably hadn't known who it was before opening the door. she threw her hands up in mock celebration, calling him half-pint. he just raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, waiting. he'd figured out that when dealing with Maria to just go with it.
his mouth did pull up into a little smile though when she called him sport and asked what was up. "honestly?" he said, smiling a little wider "I'm bored and was hoping you needed help with something other then paper work, like rough-housing students into actually going to orientation or something" he looked past her to the papers strewn about "I can see why you're bored, couldn't get someone else to do it all for you?" he winked at her and smiled. he liked Maria, she was a decent person, not entirely the kind of person you'd expect to be running a school, with how little she can get through simple things like paperwork.

- Andromeda -

Andro went as red as a tomato (which on someone as pale as her looked rather funny) when she realized that, not only had she crashed into someone, she'd crashed into a teacher. granted, she was close to Ryuu's age anyway, but still. 'what is wrong with me?!' she thought at her self, her snakes hissed quietly at the contempt she was throwing at herself.
she quickly righted her glasses, which had gone slightly eschew. when he told her to watch where she was going, she went even redder, if that was possible. 'I'm such a clutz!' she cursed internally, getting more quiet hisses from her snakes.
she seemed to realize at that point that she was still on top of him and froze solid for a second before he yelled for her to get off. she scrambled off and the snakes hissed in his direction. "I'm so sorry!" she cried out "I wasn't looking where I was going and the stairs just came out of no where and once I started falling, well... I don't exactly have the coordination to catch myself, I didn't hurt you, did I?!" she suddenly reached forward, as if to check before realizing and dropping her hands again. then she saw the nose bleed and made a very self-deprecating sound "I did hurt you! I'm sorry!" she reached into her purse, which had fallen to the ground beside them and miraculously hadn't spilled everything out into the hall around them. she pulled out a handkerchief and reached out for him "Here!"
'hell of a way to start the year Andro, way to go!' she thought, a little bitterly. 'you couldn't make it much worse could you?'

[Driving Park]

~ Carmen Calandra ~

The new Athalia Academy: Pavella Campus was very well funded, and thus very well designed and very well built.

Its many lecture halls, classrooms, and offices were not just simple rooms, but designed from the ground up to be the best possible working environment for its faculty and students. There were large, skinny windows that went from the ceiling to nearly the floor and bathed the rooms in natural light. The average office had 12-foot ceilings, slightly canted walls for better sound absorption, beautiful unscratchable light hardwood floors, and substantial doors with skinny misted windows on either side.

Each room was also totally isolated from the ones around it, surrounded in a cocoon of soundproofing designed to make it completely devoud of outside noise once the door shut with a satisfying "whoosh" as the one break in the seal closed. The one place that was not soundproofed was the entrance to the rooms, which meant that you could hear nothing from outside the room when inside the room, but when walking down the hallways you could hear activity in each of the rooms.

All of these features, as well as the color of the drapes, the style of the ornate rugs in the halls, and many other interior design features, were mandated by one of the Academy's chief benefactors - a person who never imagined that she would be on faculty so soon after being a student.

In fact, she only agreed to come on board as a faculty member so she could hang around the people she knew from when she was a student without having nothing to do and awkwardly standing around while they taught or went to class.

The large, ornate plaque on the door to her office said enough about who she was, but her official title in the Academy said almost as much as her name itself:

- Director of Fashion -

Now, those unfamiliar with the woman who owned this title would wonder why exactly an educational institution would need a "Director of Fashion", and what that position exactly entailed.

"Someone always needs a fashion consultant," Carmen Calandra replied to the reader from inside her office. She sat at her desk on a large high-backed leather office chair, with her trumpet stood on its bell on the floor next to her. Although it was behind the desk, it was still very visible from the door due to its sheer size.

As Director of Fashion, Carmen was responsible for almost nothing. Now that the Academy was completed and she was no longer needed as a building consultant, her only responsibilities would be critiquing the fashion choices of anyone who asked and teaching her fashion courses:

AP Fashion (high school course, includes credit for FAB-101)
FAB-C 101: Introduction to Fashion
FAB-C 201: Fashion I (pre-rec: FAB-101 or be a fashion model)
FAB-C 301: Fashion II (pre-rec: FAB-201 even if you're a fashion model)
FAB-C 401: Advanced Topics in Fashion (graduate student course, pre-rec: FAB-301)
FAB-H 350: History of Fashion (pre-rec: none)
FAB-H 450: History of Fashion (grad student version)

Fortunately for the skylark, this did not mean she would be busy, as even in Athalia's existential education system her classes weren't required for anything. Plus, if the previous iteration of the Academy was anything to go by, nobody would ever show up to class anyway.

There was still a couple of hours before student orientation, but students were already roaming the halls. Carmen stood up from her desk and picked up her trumpet, walking to her door. She hadn't been in her office for very long, but she decided to roam and see if she could find anyone she knew. It wasn't like she knew where Lily's office was, or anything...

Her quest didn't take long.

Opening her door, Carmen looked to the left and saw Andromeda standing over Ryuu, who was sprawled out on the ground.

"Getting in trouble already, are we Ryuu?" Carmen called out from her doorway with a smirk. "I'm impressed, it's not even orientation yet!" She threw a smile at Andromeda, who was clearly already occupied helping (?) Ryuu. Carmen was somewhat reassured that the two people she encountered first on orientation day were people she recognized, but wondered what exactly the two had gotten up to. She did note the nearby presence of a staircase, however.

[Theobromine]

Kathy was, uncharacteristically enough, thinking about skipping orientation as she walked across the grassy lawn. She was definitely excited to be back. Athalia had been her home; the place where all her friends were, and the place where it was surprisingly normal (relatively speaking) for her to just walk along the walls or ceiling to avoid pedestrian traffic in the hallways. And despite the new buildings and faces she felt nostalgic, as though there was something about the place that distinctly reassured her that this was still Athalia.

She felt excited, happy, and… Well, old. Given the huge diversity in race and species at the academy, she would not have been surprised to learn that the young faces around her actually hid centuries of experience behind them. However, ‘Twenty-two, and entering college for the first time…’ She couldn’t help but feel a little pathetic at that. Individuals of non-human origins generally had good reason for being behind with their education. In her case… What was her reason again? Ah yes, her entire school had been under attack and anyone related to the academy had either met the attacks head on or fled for safety.

… On second thought, her reason sounded like a very good one to have missed out on a few years of education.

Feeling a little better, Kathy gave herself a few light slaps on the cheeks. “It’s just an orientation. Nothing to feel awkward about.” Having reassured herself, she put on a smile and continued to follow the other students towards the assembly hall.

She ended up stopping, however, when she spotted someone down on her knees. Feeling alarmed, Kathy ran up to her while calling, "Hey, is something wrong?" As she approached the girl she could see the tears falling from her violet eyes. Though she also appeared to be... Smiling? Feeling rather confused, Kathy bent down and offered her a hand. "Everything alright? Can you get up?"

@chukklehed

[chukklehed]

Startled, Illiasriel looked up at the second person she had seen for nearly her entire life, and again her freedom hit her like a kick to the chest. The tears redoubled as she took the girl's hand, rising to her feet with agonizing care. She wasn't standing for more than a second before her atrophied legs again collapsed out from under her, and she fell again.

"Forgive me," She said in her borrowed accent, "My legs no longer respond to me. I fear it shall take some time for me to remember how to use them"

The thought sobered her up a bit, and she frowned at the pavement under her legs. "I am afraid there is much I must now relearn. It is a daunting task to once again live in the light"

Illiasriel became pensive, trying to grasp that not only was she free again, but she was far out of her time, centuries at least. She had no idea what the world was like now. Perhaps even the best course of action was to follow her rescuer's advice and spend some time learning from this period's history.

Returning from her deliberations, she realized she must be being rude.
"Ah, forgive me, you must think me terribly rude," her grasp of English was progressing swiftly as she talked, though she could already tell she would need to borrow from a native speaker soon to fill in the gaps. "My name is Iliasriel."

[Nevix]

Edric was wringing his hands nervously as he walked towards the assembly hall. His feet padded along rhythmically as he continued to think about the pink haired woman. He hadn't been able to think about anything else, the fact that that woman looked exactly like his mother filled his mind. With his mind totally devoted to her, he wasn't watching where he was walking. He managed to trip over something and landed face first on the floor.

How'd that feel, loser? said Azamor.

Ugh. He groaned, both out loud and to the lesser demon. Not. The. Time, Aza.

It's always the time to screw with you, nerd. He was fairly positive that his nose was broken, blood streaming from his right nostril. He flopped face-up and found himself laying between two other students. One was a red-haired woman in her early twenties. The other was a woman around his age. He found himself entranced by her eyes. They were a violet color, similar to his own, but there was something different about them. He shook his head and sat up, and propped himself with his elbow. He pinched his nose and groaned once more.

"Well, hello!" He said. "I'm Edric. Edric Karst. I'd say that I'm normally not this clumsy, but that'd be a lie." He started to smile, but winced in pain. "Would you be willing to help me up? I'm afraid I might fall again."

@chukklehed@Theobromine

[HylianRose]

Since the incident with Edric, Lily began wandering around outside and eventually found herself laying down underneath a nearby tree, famous for it's shade. Her head was propped up against a tree stump and she had one leg bent as she stared up at the clouds wistfully.

---

His bit his upper lip, trying to color in the drawing of Lucy, making sure that he didn't get a single detail off. Lord knows she'd complain if he drew her face just a bit too big or, god forbid, made her blonde again. He smiled, satisfied with it as he laid back and placed his hand over the drawing. After a few seconds, he began to feel the signs of her beginning to arrive.

It was always so interesting, watching the ink fly from the page and swirl as it formed the character or object in question. Lucy, once formed, stared up at Eric and smiled. "Hey loser." She greeted him, grinning. He sighed and began picking up his supplies, his pencil, inking pen, and notepad so that when she disappeared he could draw her again.

"Sorry that took so long." He told her as he did so.

"Eh, it's fine. Sitting out there in the ether is fun. I suppose. If being alone is fun." She replied, shrugging.

"Sorry, I'm working on that. Still haven't been able to get you to the doll for some reason." He explained, rubbing his neck as he looked over at the failed attempts at dolls. The only problem was that he seemed to have to make them from scratch and it just... wasn't working. Eric turned his head to the side and rolled it around, trying to get the kinks out as he turned in his swivel chair and got up.

"So, what's happening today? I wanna go out and meet people. Just.. no girls." Lucy told him, smiling with pale pink drawn lips, her hair flowing naturally as if it weren't composed of prisma pencil markings and ink.

"Ahh... Well, the orientation is today so I can't make any promises about the girls. Though, it's not like I'm good around them anyway. Or anyone for that matter." He sighed, "Yeah, I suppose we can go out. Just don't cause trouble, you hear me?" Lucy chuckled for a moment before eagerly nodding her head yes.

A few minutes later, Lucy was sitting on Eric's shoulder as they walked the halls, her eyes wide with excitement. "New people!" She shouted, her arms high up in the air and a silly grin on her face. Eric chuckled, stopping when he heard commotion down the hall.

"Hm?" He mumbled, walking a bit closer. He knew some of them but didn't remember them all to well. Down the hall just a bit were three people, two girls and a guy, and the guy was being straddling by the girl. He raised a brow as the girl apologize and got off of him and the other asked him, Ryuu... familiar name..., if he was already getting in to trouble.

"Everything okay over there?!" Lucy shouted and Eric's eyes shot open. Oh no... She was getting him into trouble wasn't she.

"Ahh... Hey guys. Everything okay?" He asked, following Lucy's lead in attempt to seem less like a silent asshole.

@Driving Park@Animelover_princess@NarayanK

---

"honestly?" he asked, smiling a little wider "I'm bored and was hoping you needed help with something other then paper work, like rough-housing students into actually going to orientation or something" he looked past her to the papers strewn about "I can see why you're bored, couldn't get someone else to do it all for you?"

Maria raised a brow at him before chuckling. "You? Rough house? I like the sound of that." She replied, winking at him before chuckling again. "And you better watch it, kid. There's poking a wild boar, and there's poking a sleeping lion. And I'm not a wild boar." She told him, and then, after pausing, added, "...Don't say anything further on that subject."

"Anyway, I'm sure you wouldn't want to do it for me. Most people don't, so I'll just save it for tonight." She explained, sighing as she looked back at the mess she'd created. Suddenly, with the sudden realization of an idea, Maria's head whipped back to look at Oliver, a wicked grin on her face. "How do you feel about helping me with a little something?" She asked him, grinning ear to ear.

@Animelover_princess

[NaraK]

Ryuu Yamauchi

The otaku thought about blabbering on about how he did not mean to stand in her way, but then he realized that the statement would make him look as if he would not help Andromeda in the first place. And really, making Andromeda feel hostility from him was one of the last things he wanted to see; she was really nice as a person to begin with.

And her snake hair grew on him a bit. Of course, that did not mean he wasn't scared of snakes, but he was not particularly hostile with Andromeda's in particular.

"Uh... Oh, thanks," the otaku muttered as he took the handkerchief from the girl. "And it's not your fault. I just kinda busted my ass into the hallway without a care in the world, so... there's that. But at least you aren't hurt."

Wiping the blood off of his nose (which did not come from the injury, much to his well-hidden shame), the otaku stared at the bloody handkerchief before commenting, "...I thiiiiiiiiiiiink I should clean this thing on my own, so, uh... Can I give it back to you later?"

Before he was able to come up with a witty explanation as to why handing bloody handkerchiefs was a bad omen, someone popped in and commented on the scene.

"Guh!"

The dark-haired man turned to Carmen, his eyes widened in surprise. Goddammit! He growled internally, unable to hide his startled expression. Out of all the people, fate sends the last person that should see me like this!

Ryuu scrambled away from Andromeda, making a short distance from her as he got up hastily, pointing at himself with a panicked expression. "Look, I didn't do anything freaky this time, alright?! I just... crashed into someone... and that's it. Seriously."

Right at that moment, some dude popped up out of nowhere and asked if they were okay. Raising an eyebrow, he eyed the tiny girl on his shoulder-

Wait a minute.

I saw that adorable thing before.

...Did he? He definitely felt like he at least heard of the tiny girl on the guy's shoulder.

"Well, things are becoming okay," the otaku said, unsure of his own words. "...Maybe."

Though he wore sunglasses, it was a bit obvious that was staring at the girl on Eric's shoulder.

He was beginning to feel like the smol girl was... truly a sight to behold. The bloody handkerchief lay in his hand, for he was still intent on cleaning it later.

---

Aurelia Triniel

The girl read her book, flipping through its pages silently. She blinked at the sight of unfamiliar words and looked them up in a dictionary. And every once in a while, she would look up from the book and stare at the ceiling. She was still not accustomed to the academy's vast schoolgrounds, let alone the school system itself.

...Ah, she thought as her eyes widened ever-so-slightly. Today's orientation day.

Aurelia shut the book and put it back at where she found it as she packed up her own belongings: a backpack and her glasses. With her items in her possession, the dark-haired girl retreated from the library and silently scurried off to find the orientation site. She believed it to be a very important thing... though, she still did not know how it worked completely. The girl concluded she would learn of what orientation is like very soon.

[Animelover_princess]

- Oliver -

he chuckled at the sleeping lion comment and said "I'm so scared" with a wink. then put up his hands in the universal symbol of surrender and said "I won't say another word"

he glanced past her to look at the mess again as she did the same. it was a fabulous mess, he was impressed. the amount of papers also meant she probably wouldn't get it all done tonight either but he wasn't about to point that out as she whipper her head back to him and got a wicked grin on her face "oh no..." he muttered and thought 'I have a bad feeling about this'
then she asked how he felt about helping her with something. "well..." he started "that's depends" he smiled "on what exactly you need a wheel-chair bound IED for"

- Andromeda -

she dropped her hand back into her lap when Ryuu took the handkerchief. "And it's not your fault. I just kinda busted my ass into the hallway without a care in the world, so... there's that. But at least you aren't hurt." she blushed a little when he said that.
"thanks" she muttered "and it's not your fault, I tripped" then he offered to clean the handkerchief himself "oh you don't have to go to the trouble! really, it's fine! this was my fault after all!"

at that point Carmen spoke and Andromeda all but jumped out of her skin when she realized she probably didn't see her fall, but probably saw her on top of him. she threw her hands over her face and the snakes shrunk away at the force of her embarrassment. then Ryuu said "Look, I didn't do anything freaky this time, alright?! I just... crashed into someone... and that's it. Seriously." and she shrunk a little more. "It was my fault," she quickly said, "I tripped and landed on him"
it suddenly occurred to her that Ryuu still had her handkerchief and seemed to have no intention of letting go, but before she could mention yet another person showed up. she didn't immediately recognize this one, which made it worse and her snakes made little sounds as her hands went back to her face to hide just how red she had gone. a couple nipped at her hands but she ignored it. 'this is just fantastic' she thought 'just fabulous, I've embarrassed myself in front of three different people in as many minutes, great job Andromeda, new record'
the new guy asked if they were alright and she just nodded fervently, jarring the snakes a little. she did stop though when she saw the little girl on his shoulder. 'well, that's weird' she thought, she also groaned internally at Ryuu's reaction.

[Theobromine]

Her concern rose as the girl started to cry again. Kathy’s eyes scanned the girl as she helped her up, trying to check for any signs of external injuries. She didn’t think she saw anything of immediate concern but that did little to set her at ease. Especially when the girl fell again. Kathy noted the rather formal choice of words the girl had, but the more importantly… ‘She needs to relearn how to use her legs? How did she get here?’ She wondered, but aloud she responded, “It’s alright, there’s no need for apologies at all. My name’s Katherine. Kathy for short if you prefer.”

She paused for a moment, deliberating between offering her hand again, or asking if Iliasriel wanted to be carried to the infirmary. The latter seemed more appropriate if Illiasriel couldn’t walk, but it also seemed rather pushy of her given that they had only just exchanged names and greetings. “Illiasriel, do you-” A sudden thud interrupted whatever offer she wanted to make.

For a moment she had expected to see a familiar mop of red hair. A look of disappointment passed her expression before she quickly shook herself out of it and turned towards him. She smiled brightly at the warm greeting he gave them, and ended up laughing despite wanting to ask if he was alright first. “Katherine, Kathy for short.” She repeated. She offered her hand out to Edric to help him up, and with her free hand she tried to search her pockets for something he could wipe his nose on. All she found, unfortunately, was a white scrunchie. Figuring it was better than nothing, she held it out to Edric once he was up. “For your nose,” She explained. “Sorry, no tissue on me I’m afraid. It’s cotton though, so it should be fairly absorptive.”

Looking between Illiasriel and Edric she asked, “Do you two want help over to the infirmary? We still have time before the orientation, and they’re used to treating almost everything over there.” She silently prayed, ‘And if we’re lucky, someone other than Kiwi will be available to help.’ Kathy wondered for a moment if she should explain the 'potential risks' that could exist in Athalia's infirmary... But decided not to bring any (hopefully) unnecessary scares, especially if the two of them were new students.

As she waited for an answer, she realized that both of them had violet eyes. Slightly differing in shade, but violet all the same. 'In the last orientation, there was an oddly large number of students with white hair... I wonder if I'll meet a lot of people with purple eyes this time.' Kathy mused. It was her favourite colour, so perhaps it was a good omen.

@chukklehed@Nevix

[FaithsRose]

Finally, Athalia Academy. 'Home at last!' The thought stuck at the front of his mind as the shapeshifter carefully manoeuvred his bike through the front gates, hoping the loud purr of the engine didn't disturb anyone nearby. Despite the flurry of energy that whirled through him Crash slowly drove his bike over to one of the corners of the courtyard, impatient or not he didn't want to scratch the beauty beneath him. She had tirelessly carried him and what little possessions he had for miles, she had more than earnt his utmost respect.

Coming to a halt the shapeshifter dropped the kick stand before reaching up to turn the engine off. 'Wow, they spare no expense...this place looks...' He thought to himself, calmly removing his gloves before reaching up to take his helmet off. Despite appearing perfectly calm, he literally felt like he was about to explode...it was taking every inch of his willpower to keep from running around like a looney tune and whooping at the top of his voice. He stiffly dismounted his bike, rested the helmet on the back seat, unzipped his jacket and grabbed the key...very calmly. 'Alright, you're a mature guy now, cool as a cucumber...not that anyone says that anymore, or do they? How would I know?' his thoughts continued on with their confusing tangent as he carefully adjusted the patch over his eye and made his way up the steps and into the hallways of Athalia Academy.

As soon as he was inside the walls of the academy the 23-year-old pretty much lost it, one minute he was stood there in his human form looking all 'normal' and in the next he practically exploded in a puff of purple smoke. Leaving an adolescent red and cream German Shepherd in his wake, that in turn shook out its coat before tearing off down the hallways at a rate of knots, excitedly bouncing from one side of the hallway to the next like a furry pinball. 'THIS IS AWESOME!' The shapeshifter ran from one person to the next, excitedly greeting them and utterly confusing them in the process. Which was fine until he accidentally alarmed someone who was afraid of dogs and got himself blasted out of the window...

Once he'd bounced to a halt he put a paw to his head and shifted back into his human form. "Ouch...I'm going to feel that in the morning..." He mumbled to himself, getting up and dusting himself down as he looked around 'So worth it though' he thought to himself with a grin. After a moment of looking he caught sight of a familiar woman with pink hair and felt a smile work its way back onto his face, pulling himself back under control Crash calmly walked over to the stand beside her, trying not to focus on the fact she was wearing a lab coat... "Hey Lily" He greeted her, tucking the tips of his fingers into his pockets and throwing her his trade mark smile "Cloud watching?...Or has it just been that sort of morning?" He asked having caught the wistful look on her face...he also hoped the angel would recognise him, otherwise he predicted unbearable awkwardness...

---

Rain wasn't entirely sure what to make of the Academy, she'd been carefully scouting out the halls for some time now in search of the orientation but had yet to find it. Instead she was leant against one of the academy's smooth walls, haplessly watching the people around her trying to decide whether she should ask any of them for directions. During this time she'd witnessed a man being flattened by a woman with snakes for hair, an attractive blonde shouting out of her door to them in what she deemed a friendly way and a man nervously making his way through the corridors with a tiny girl on his shoulder.

'I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this before' She thought to herself, carefully watching the situation unfold from a distance. Although she was fascinated by the entire exchange, she had no intention of becoming a part of it...she did feel a little sorry for the snake haired woman, she looked particularly flustered by the chain of events. 'That guy with the sunglasses looks like he'd steal somebody's lunch money...' She thought looking over the sunglass wearing otaku once more before she pushed away from the wall.

With a flick of her hand she pushed a section of her hair over her shoulder and started walking away from the commotion, glancing left and right as people bustled by. 'How do they look so busy when they're not doing anything?' She wondered to herself. She was so busy stewing over her own thoughts she didn't realise she had wandered into the path of another girl with dark hair and blue eyes.

@NarayanK

[HylianRose]

Lily's eyes shot open as she felt the energy of a particular shapeshifter she hadn't seen in a long time walk closer. She watched him with a soft smile on her face as he walked up.

"Hey Lily" He greeted her, tucking the tips of his fingers into his pockets and throwing her his trade mark smile. "Cloud watching?...Or has it just been that sort of morning?" He asked.

"Hello Crash." She returned, sitting up to talk to him. "If by that sort of morning you mean calm and relatively boring, yes. It has been." She returned, chuckling to herself.

"What have you been up to the past few years? It's fine if you'd rather not talk about it." She asked, ever the considerate angel. "I've been around here, helping Maria, Criston, and Carmen get all of this set up. It's been a challenge but it looks good, doesn't it?" She continued, leaning back slightly to look at the school before them, listening to the soft buzz of students talking around. "Are you returning as a student? And... Did you already cause trouble?" She asked, raising a brow at the slight bruise on his butt from falling. She could sense it simply from his energy and it was helpful considering her job.

Everyone's getting older but... here I am. Stuck in a freaking time-loop.

@FaithsRose

---

Eric watched the man eye Lucy and his brows furrowed with worry. What did he want with Lucy? Lucy seemed to notice to and stood up on Eric's shoulder and began making modeling poses for the man watching her. Eric sighed and rolled his eyes at her.

"Hii!" Lucy shouted at the man, grinning. Eric huffed slightly before turning to look at the girl who seemed like she was having a hard time. Ignoring Lucy, he walked over to her and bent down to offer her his hand. He didn't speak a word but silently held out his hand for her to take, ignoring the fact that she had sunglasses on indoors.

Lucy, still on Eric's shoulder, was now hanging on for dear life as Eric bent over. Her eyes went wide and she looked over at the taller man. "Care to give a tiny girl a hand?" She asked, sending him a pathetic smile, the worry that she would fall any minute still evident on her face.

@Animelover_princess

---

"well..." he started that's depends" he smiled "on what exactly you need a wheel-chair bound IED for"

"There are plenty of things I could use a lovely spirit warrior for." She told him, winking at him. She wouldn't allow him to self-depreciate himself like that. He was so much stronger than he gave himself credit for.

"Let's just say... this years orientation will be... a big hit. However, I need to round up a few... helpers before then. Would you like to help me go grab Ryuu, Carmen, Lily, and Britnia? Lily will mostly be there for insurance purposes..." Maria explained, adding on that last bit last minute.

She'd need to gather them up, devise and plan, and then gather everyone else in the gym. It would be.. perfect!