Roleplayer001 — Roleplayer Guild

Admissions Officer Interviews

Getting into Fae Creek City Academy wasn't exactly a challenge - it took little more than filling out an entry form and signing your name.  Most students - no matter how stupid they were or how little their chances of passing their courses turned out to be - made it easily through the process of writing their names.

This wasn't one of those times.

Instead, the admissions officer found themselves looking down at an entry form that looked like as if it had stabbed multiple times.

"Is ... is there a reason you didn't fill out the form?"  The admissions officer glanced upwards from the form towards the girl that sat across from him, lounging across both armrests and carving a piece of white wood rapidly with a small knife in her hands, not even bothering to glance in his direction.

At least he hoped it was wood.

"Can't read."

"I'm afraid that signing the form is a min-"  The admissions officer stopped midway through his speech as he caught a glare from the girl across from him - she didn't stop carving with her knife as her eyes moved away from it, small shavings of wood landing into her lap unceremoniously.

He had the overwhelming feeling that he'd be next if he didn't ... help accelerate her through the process of admissions.  "-How about I help you fill out the form.  Basic literacy isn't a requirement of the academy anyways!"  He laughed nervously, bringing out a new form and a pen to start filling it out as the girl's eyes returned to the item she was carving.

"So ... your name.  Or a nickname, if you go by it."
"Daria."
"How old are you?"
"Enough."

This was going extremely well!  He read the next line off the form, hoping to get through this admission as quickly as possible.

"What is your gender?"
The girl stopped carving, eyes leveling on his with a look that screamed murder.  He quickly scribbled down female and moved on to the next question in hopes it would distract her.
"What country are you from?"
"... I ... I don't know."  Distracted the girl returned to her work, seeming to be deep in thought.  "The Chief kept us beyond the Empire's borders though.  In the South.  We migrated a lot."  Daria seemed to believe that was a sufficient answer, and he wasn't going to argue.  Migratory group, Southern Border.

"What do you look like?"  She looked at him like he was an idiot.  He did feel a little stupid, but he seriously doubted she'd seen a camera.  He tried to save face by coming up with an explanation.  "I-I just didn't want to offend you with an unworthy description!"
"I can't read it anyways."

Girl, stands around five foot six.  Appears mostly human, except with the ears and tail of some sort of large cat ... her hair is pink (is it dyed?), but her tail and ears both have black spots on them.  Tanned skin.  Lean and fit, with a thin layer of muscle going up and down her frame.  Golden eyes with slit pupils.  Wears what appears to be a padded short dress with silk armor underneath - somewhat tribal, although kept clean.  Has sharp teeth

"So um ... what exactly are you?"
"Beastfolk, Leopard.  Good at climbing things.  Explosive strength, hate running long distances."

"How do you use your magic?"
"Dunno.  Isn't that why I'm here?"
"... I guess that's fair!  So, just a few things to help you find a roommate!"  The admissions officer felt sorry for them.  "Why did you decide to enroll here?"
"... to learn magic."  She once again looked at him like he was an idiot.  He halfway debated questioning her further, but decided to simply leave the spot blank.  No one looked at this section anyways.  But really.  This girl looked like she could be a well paid bodyguard, assassin, or some sort of special forces.  What brought her to learn magic at the worst school on the continent?

"So Daria ... what are you like?  Any hobbies, or things you'd want a roommate to know about you?"
"Cute.  Fun.  Love laughing.  Take me on an adventure."  He nodded.

Stares into your soul to destroy it as a pastime.  Carves with her knife incessantly, and probably kills too.  Enjoys adventures - in fact, if you bore her it is probably lethal for you.  If you are unfortunate enough to have her as a roommate sleep with one eye open.  Seems to have a good, if unique fashion sense though!

"One last question.  What is your life story?  Tragic past?"
"Slaughtered ten mercenary units that wanted to pillage my hometown with this knife.  When I was two.  Blessed by the Grand Flamingo-" Daria pointed at her largely pink hair.  "-when I was only six years old.  My parents died before I was born, I crawled out of my dead mother's womb."

The interview ended shortly after that.

The admissions officer gave voice to a lengthy sigh. He felt certain that at multiple points during that last interview he had been mere inches from losing his life. He fervently hoped the next applicant would be safer (and saner), but he knew from regrettable experience that such hopes usually went unfulfilled. Then again, the young woman who entered and sat down on the chair provided didn’t look all that strange. 

“Welcome,” he said, in what he hoped was a warm and friendly tone. That last interview still had him quite shaken up…

The girl nodded and promptly handed him her application form. Looking it over, he noticed at once that there was at least one improvement from the last applicant.

At least this one has basic literacy…  he thought.

Let’s see now… Name: Kate Carson, age: sixteen years, gender: female… So far so good… Nationality: here and there, but mostly the Federation. Okay, so a bit of a traveler. Appearance: See attached photo. Hmm…

He turned the form over and saw that a photograph had been paper clipped to the back. Taking a look at it, he saw an image of the girl seated before him. She was even wearing the same clothes… Returning the photo from where he had retrieved it, he continued reviewing the application.

Species: human, physical abilities/skills: photography, observation.

“Ah, so you’re a photographer. I was wondering with the camera and all. That is a camera, right? It’s a very unusual design. In fact, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Yeah, I’m not surprised,” she replied with a chuckle. “It’s a bit more advanced than what you’d normally find around here. An old friend made it for me.”

“I see,” he said, giving a small nod. “They must be very talented.”

“Sure are,” she agreed as a grin crept across her face. 

She had such a relaxed and easygoing demeanor that he couldn’t help but smile himself, before shifting his attention back to the form. Yes, this was proceeding much better than the previous interview.  

Now, what’s next? Ah, magical style: photography. Wait, photography again?

“Um, excuse me, but you put photography down for your magical style as well. Are you saying that your photography is magical in nature?”

“Yup,” she confirmed.

“Could you… give some more details?”

“Sure,” she said with a grin. “Basically, the camera’s a magi-tech artifact. It can give me all sorts of info on anyone or anything I take a picture of with it. Even secret stuff.”

“How does it provide the information?”

Turning the camera around, she pointed to a rectangular area on the back. 

“It gets displayed on this screen. It can even create additional screens holographicly.”

“Fascinating…”

“It can also be used to do a bunch of other stuff, but only when I transform, and I don’t like to do that too often ‘cause the outfit is reeeally embarrassing…”

“Transform? You mean like a metamorphosis?”

“Kinda. It’s a form in which I can unlock this baby’s full potential, but, like I said, I have to wear this really embarrassing dress…”

“That’s… rather unfortunate,” the admissions officer said, trying to sound as sympathetic as possible. The girl before him did seem rather tomboyish, after all, so having to wear a dress would probably be exceptionally humiliating for her.

“Yeah, that’s what happens when your mad scientist friend has a sick sense of humor...”

“Still, even with that being the case, this camera of yours must be pretty valuable. Aren’t you worried it might get stolen?”

She chuckled again. “Not really. It’s magically bonded to me. Only I can use it, and if anyone tries to steal it, I’ll know about it.”

“Ah, so you have a method of tracking it? Is it another device, a mental link, or…?” 

“Both of those things, but mostly the screams.”

“Screams?”

She gave another chuckle. “Yeah. Let’s just say any wannabe thieves’ll be on a one-way ride to agony city.”

“I…see… Oh! And it appears you listed that ‘transformation’ thing as a magical quirk. I guess that teaches me not to get ahead of myself! Let’s see, what’s next? Ah! You have photography and observation down for your magical skills, hobbies, and interests, and I’m beginning to see why… For reason for enrollment, you have ‘vacation’. Care to clarify?”

“Well, I was working for a certain major metropolitan newspaper in a certain big city back east, when I maaay have done something to upset some of said city’s rich and powerful. So, I decided to come here to lay low for a while. This being a backwater’s backwater, I figured it’d be the perfect place. No offense.”

“None taken. Moving along, I see you have ‘laid-back’ and ‘good sense of humor’ listed for personality, an accurate assessment, if I’m any judge. Oh, and I guess you already told me your backstory…” he chuckled as he noted the final item. “For general skills, hobbies, and interests, you wrote, ‘There’s something of a pattern here. See if you can guess what it is.’ Funny.”

“Yeah, I thought so too.”

“Well, that completes this little interview,” the admissions officer said, standing up and offering his hand. “It was a most sincere pleasure meeting you, young lady.”

“Likewise,” she said with a smile. “Hey, before I go, wanna take a picture together?”

“That sounds like an excellent idea.”

The two leaned in close, while Kate held her camera out, facing towards them. 

“Say ‘cheese’!” she instructed.

“Cheese!”

*Snap!*

“Thanks!” Kate said cheerily as she departed.

“Don’t mention it! I hope to receive a copy of that, by the way!”

“Sure thing!” she called back.

Ah… Now that was a rare treat. I only wish more of these accursed interviews would be that pleasant… Just a nice young lady and her magic camer…

Magic camera. She had a magic camera. A magic camera that could reveal all sorts of hidden information about whoever it photographed. A magic camera that had just photographed him.

Oh dear… he thought with growing horror. I really do need to find a better job…

Name / Nickname: Kate Carson
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Nationality: Here and there, but mostly the Federation

ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ 

Appearance: Photo She also made mention of a transformed apperance, but the only information she provided on it was that it included a "Reeeally embarrassing" dress. 

Species: Human

Physical Abilities / Skills: Photography, observation

ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟ

Magical Style: Photography She possesses a magical camera that can perform various functions.

Magical Quirks: I need to transform in order to unlock my camera's most powerful abilities.

Magical Skills, Hobbies and Interests: Photography, observation

ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟ

Reason for enrollment in Fae Creek Academy: Vacation It would seem that after angering a number of powerful individuals in an unspecified large city "back east", she needed to find a place to lay low for a while, and chose Fae Creek.

Personality: Laid-back, good sense of humor

Backstory: Used to work for a big newspaper in a big city back east. Some stuff came up, and now I'm taking a little vacation here in Fae Creek. 

General Skills, Hobbies and Interests: There's something of a pattern here. See if you can guess what it is.

A new interviewee walked in.

“Welcome.”

“Hello,” the girl said excitedly. She handed him her application form and the interviewer let out a sigh of relief. Maybe this one would be normal.

As he read the form, everything checked out. Feier Fiammetta was a seventeen year-old human girl from the Federation. The form said she had black hair, fair skin, and green eyes. He looked up at the girl. So far, so good... and then from ‘Magical Abilities/Skills’ to ‘Hobbies and Interests’ were various drawings of fire.

“It says here your magical skill is... fire. Would you care to explain?” He was surprised by the burst of excitement he saw in the girl’s eyes.

“Can I give you a demonstration? Is that legal?” The words spilled out of the girl’s mouth so fast that the admissions officer couldn’t even tell if he heard her right.

“I don’t see why not.” He answered. What he was expecting was a small flame to appear in the girl’s hand. What he was not expecting was for the girl to set her own head on fire. If he had learned anything from his past interviews, it was to expect the unexpected. Everything from the neck-up was in flames, but the girl didn’t seem to be phased by it at all. She looked surprisingly soothed by it.

“Can I do the rest? Is that legal?” The girl asked.

“You mean...set the rest of your body on fire?” He looked at the room around him and decided that it was not at all fire-proof. The chair behind the girl was wood, for example.

“Yeah!” She exclaimed. The interviewer decided that she was much too excited to be setting herself on fire, and that he wanted to take as little health risks as he could for the rest of the day. Interviewing the past two were dangerous enough.

“I think I got the gist.” He said. He was almost saddened by the look of disappointment on the girl’s face as she extinguished her fire and sat back down, but his safety was more important here. “I take it you’re fire-proof.”

“Yes!”

“Is that why the drawing next to Magical Quirks is a picture of a girl with long hair on fire?” 

“Did you like it?” She gleamed, anticipating the other’s answer.

“Yes. It’s a very skillful piece of art.” He said, smiling when he saw the girl quietly cheer to herself. It wasn’t like he was lying, either; the drawing had quite a bit of detail to it for how small it was. He could tell that the girl on the paper was the same girl in front of him right now. Maybe that explained why there had been a picture of a girl drawing fire next to ‘General Skills.’ “Anyways, what else can you do?”

“I can set things on fire by making them hot. Oh, and I can make my own fire.” She grinned and raised her finger towards the man. Several sparks appeared before the man ducked just in time to avoid a small jet of flames.

“Why!?” The interviewer cried, looking behind him. He was surprised to see that neither the doors or walls had been burnt.

“To show you, duh,” She said matter-of-factly. “I can put out my own fires, so you really had no reason to be scared,” She crossed her arms and looked to the side. “Plus it was a slow one.”

“Sure...” He looked at the girl like she was crazy. As if he would’ve seen that coming. In any case, he thought it’d be safe to get the topic off of any volatile chemical reactions. Perhaps it’d do them good to talk about her backstory. 

“So, why are you here?” He asked.

“I burnt down some, uh,” she paused for a second to collect her thoughts. “Some things.” The admissions officer raised an eyebrow.

“What kind of things, exactly?”

“Oh, y’know. The things.”

“I don’t really go around burning things down, so I wouldn’t know. Most people don’t.”

“Okay, okay,” she took a deep breath. “I may have burnt down a few buildings.” She said. The admissions officer’s eyes widened and looked like he almost fell out of his seat. Taking note of this, she tried to save herself. “There weren’t any people in it! I thin-“ She raised a finger and stopped herself from shooting herself in the foot. “Nobody got hurt.”

“Are there any other incidents I should know of?” He asked. The girl’s uneasy and forced laughter gave him his answer. “Never mind. Why did you do it?”

“Stress.”

“I’m surprised you even feel negative emotion.” He remarked. Feier looked slightly offended in response.

“That’s what everyone says!”

“When I’m stressed, I tend to exercise.”

“I do that too,” she pouted, “But fire looks so cool. And it’s so relaxing.” The admissions officer sighed. 

“Would you mind taking a few suggestions I have for stress-relieving activities?” He tried to ask, but was only met with a quizzical sound in response. It seemed that the girl was entirely focused on the small flame in her hand and not the interviewer. He waved his hand. “Forget it. What exactly did you burn down?”

“Well...” The girl away up to avoid eye contact. “It was...” She drawled. She looked visibly embarrassed by what the full story must’ve been.

“It was?”

“Don’t rush me!” She yelled, the fire in her eyes making the man shrink into himself. “It was a new area they had built in this other school, for science research or something.” She drawled.

“Didn’t the top magic school in the Federation get a new science wing built recently? And then it mysteriously got burnt down?”

Feier leaped behind her chair and gasped loudly. “How did you know that!? You... you spy!” She pointed her finger accusingly at the man. She cleared her throat and put her hand down. Her attempt to look put-together and calm would’ve worked if it hadn’t been for her previous blunders. “Not that I did it.”

“I see.” She definitely did it, he thought. Though, it was still impressive that she was able to get into such a school. He ran out of questions on the form, so now was the time for him to quell his curiosities. “How’d you get in?”

“Oh, it was easy. I got in by-“ She paused, lit her hand on fire, and lightly hit herself in the head with it. “If, in some universe, I were to have gotten into that school, it would’ve been with a scholarship achieved after they recognized my magical abilities.”

“Would you mind explaining why you weren’t put in some kind of magical jail?”

“In another universe, they did. Then, in that same alternate universe, the unnamed school let me out for some reason. Maybe they liked the hypothetical fantasy me.”

“You’re really doubling down on this story, huh?” The glare that Feier gave him made him correct himself. “Sorry. You’re making it clear that you’re telling me about a what-if scenario?” He chuckled when the girl nodded slowly. She didn’t seem as intentionally dangerous as she did unpredictable. “Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

"Nope.”

“Alright, let me just write a few things down...”

Feier is a 5’6” 17-year-old girl. Likes to wear rings. Is quite energetic. Seems to have a short attention span. Would recommend to keep her distracted somehow. Also seems rather genuine. Shows symptoms of pyromania. Is terrible at lying. Gullible? Likely. Friendly? Probably. Eccentric, definitely. If roommate, hide all flammable valuables so they are safe from her potential ‘stress-relieving methods.’ Good at drawing. And she is...

“Do you use a wand?”

“Of course not.”

a barbaric individual.

He stopped writing once he was satisfied with his quick summary of the girl. “That will conclude our interview.” He considered putting out his hand to go for a handshake, but remembered that she could light herself on fire. He opted to get up and open the door for her instead. “I wish you luck.”

When the girl happily walked out, the admissions officer wondered how many more of these he could survive.

The admissions officer was beginning to wonder when his break was. He took a sip from his drink, that despite him having drank its contents at least five times over, was still not empty.

(The fact that it was beginning to taste less and less like coffee by the second might have been why.)

In walked his next interviewee. He set the cup down, taking note of how it had become purple. That didn't seem right, but he didn't have the time nor will to complain. He shuffled with the papers before him until he found one with a photo that matched the boy who had just walked in.

"Augustus Walter Lacey-Vane," he declared, taking his seat opposite the interviewer. He leaned onto the table, perhaps too far. "The second, after my father."

The interviewer shuffled back uncomfortably. "Are you supposed to be here? The appointment for this time is... August Lacey."

"Oh," August said. "Oh, yes, that's me." He sounded offended.

The admissions officer skimmed the rest of his application. Seventeen. Male. Human. From the Federation, a small region that wasn't doing too well as of late. Appearance... he crossed out the neatly penned "6'2" and wrote "5'11" in its place. The photo was more or less accurate. Well dressed (was that the same suit he was wearing to the interview?), with uneven hair - longer on the left, shorter on the right. Whoever had cut it must have been blind.

"Physical abilities and skills," the interviewer muttered.

"Oh, yes! Well, you see, I-"

"Piano, poetry, sewing, embroidery. There's a hobbies section, you know. These aren't physical abilities."

"I have to use my body to do them. Therefore, they are 'physical' skills."

The admissions officer gave him a withering look. "Right, and then for your magical skills, you've written 'curses'. Would you... would you care to elaborate?" He was almost afraid to ask.

"It's very simple. Curses, unlike regular spell casting, have potent effects that-"

The admissions officer grimaced.

"-last for long amounts of time, often with the intent to harm the victim. No throwing lava around (but of course, I can still do that!), but I could certainly make you feel like you were on fire for the next hour." August reached into his pocket, bringing out - was that a guinea pig? "Now, I've prepared a demonstration."

"There's no need," the interviewer said quickly, snatching the animal off of the table. "Really, there isn't. You've got an interest in potion making?"

"Drinkable curses," August said, nodding sagely.

"I see. And then..." the admissions officer trailed off as he gazed at the page. The handwriting had changed from (presumably August's) neat print to looping cursive.

Magical Quirks: Afflicted with a curse that causes anything he touches to slowly freeze over. Given to him by his birth mother, my husband's mistress. Please accept him. Contact the Vanes if any additional persuasion is needed.

Bribe or not, the boy would probably be allowed in, but the admissions officer thought about his salary and scribbled a note to himself.

"For interests, you've written the same as your physical skills section, but you've included tea?"

"Yes."

"Alright then. Final question. Why have you chosen to Fae Creek?"

"Oh, because I've heard... all sorts of wonderful things about it! Yes, it is a very accomplished school. I would be really, really happy if I got in." His smile said sincerity, but his eyes said desperation.

Previous Incidents: Former student of the Imperial Institute of Magic. Accidentally froze over several dorm rooms when forgetting to wear gloves when sleeping, rendering them unusable for a month. Punishment for vandalism and and curse fraud: permanent exclusion and compensation to be paid.

"It says here you used to go to the Institute," the admissions officer said plainly.

"What? Oh, does it now," August whined. He had been caught. "Well, that wasn't my fault! Mother forgot to tell them I had a curse. See, I didn't do anything. Anyway, they fixed everything in the end. It wasn't even that bad. It was way slower back then. It was only a few rooms. There was a girl who burned down the entire new science wing earlier that year. They've got to rebuild that entire thing, but all they had to do for me was melt it and maybe replace a bit of furniture."

"I see. That concludes the interview." The admissions officer reached out for a handshake, which August graciously took. A good, firm, grip and- oh.

His hand was freezing cold, even through the glove. The interviewer could feel the hard ice underneath the fabric. As August's grip tightened, he could feel them crunch and break.

"Oh, sorry!" he gasped, taking his hand back. August pulled off his glove. Ice shards fell to the floor. His poor, poor carpet. "It does that sometimes. Uh, thank you for your time. Have a great morning." He smiled widely, putting the glove back on and hastily making his exit before the interviewer could speak again. 

Was it still the morning? The admissions officer groaned, moving to hold his head in his hands. But in his left hand...

...he was still holding the guinea pig.

"What is it now?" The admissions officer watched the next applicant enter. Surely there wouldn't be anything quite as ridiculous as the previous few.

A young man with brown hair and an earnest face sat down.

"Hello sir, I am AJ Underfoot."

"AJ? I have an interview for..." He looked down at his paper. "...Astaroth, Taker of Souls, Lord Above All, Master of the 8th Underworld Legion."

"Erm, yes, that's me," AJ said. "My mother filled out the form. She can be a bit over the top."

Exaggerated accomplishments were par for the course, but something as extravagant as this application was surely a joke. Still, procedure was procedure. The admissions officer sighed and crumpled up the sheet. "Alright, I can walk you through the process again. Name, age, gender, nationality?"

AJ nodded. "AJ Underfoot. 15. Male. Federation."

"I can fill out these sections real quick..." The officer scribbled Appearance matches photo. A bit taller than the picture suggests, maybe 5'6"?

"Just to be safe, you are human, right?"

AJ looked down at his shoes. "Half. My mother is a demon."

The officer blinked. "Your mother is a what?"

"It's complicated. She's Vivian, 2nd ranking demon of lust."

It only gets crazier every year. He wrote down "half-demon" and continued. Despite the boy's odd parentage, the officer felt a sort of compelling desire to help and protect the boy. Maybe he was getting too sentimental. "Any physical skills?"

"Nothing much. I can do what's normal, I guess."

"Alright. What sort of magic can you do?"

"I'm a summoner. I can call beings to my aid."

The officer leaned over the desk. "Okay, kid. Procedure dictates that I ask you to show me your magic. Will it explode?"

"No."

"Will it set fire to the premises?"

"Probably not."

"Do you need a test subject? A guinea pig or rat or something?" He thought back to the previous interviewee. He'd handed the guinea pig off to the creatures handler for safekeeping.

"Nope. I have my materials right here, and they're all inanimate."

He sighed in relief. "Alright, show me."

The boy pulled out a roll of fabric and laid it out on the ground, then began to draw a circle in chalk. His lines were surprisingly smooth, and he sketched out the design with a practiced eye. The end result- a circle with a five-point star inscribed within it. The design looked rather familiar.

"So, um, I have to do a chant, if that's alright," AJ said.

"Go ahead."

The officer immediately regretted his decision to allow it. AJ began speaking in a strange eldritch tongue, spitting out syllables like hot discs of flame. It felt as if small worms were being forced into his ears, crawling their slimy way into his head and eating the soft grey matter inside. The strong scent of burning flesh and wood smoke filled the room before gradually dispersing into a strong smell of lavender.

"Oh no," AJ said. "Anyone but her, please! Why??"

A column of red smoke erupted from the center of the circle, making the officer's eyes water. Inside the smoke, he could see the outlined form of a demon. "W̵̩̾ͅH̵̦̆́Ȏ̴͓̮͌ ̷͖̂D̶̙͖͌A̴̡͔̎͠R̵̖͑E̵̫͑S̷̻̝̏ ̷̛̟T̵̮͖͐O̵̧̥̍ ̵̢́S̸̟̓̒U̸̧̓́Ḿ̴͎̠M̸̜͓͗͊O̷̰͆̆N̴̹͊͂-̴̹͆ ̷̟̂ oh, it's just you, Astaroth. Do you need something? Did you forget your lunch at home? How is the interview going?"

The smoke cleared. The admission officer's heart rate jumped. In front of him was a goddess- or rather, the opposite of one, perched on the side of a floating pitchfork. Wonderfully proportioned with red skin, she gave off an exuberant exotic charm. Two pointed horns stuck out from her flowing dark hair. She wore a strangely modern low-cut dress suit that barely went over her knees, maintaining modesty and sexiness at the same time. A pair of glasses perched on her nose. Her mouth had wonderfully full lips, which moved in a fashion that he oh so dearly wanted on... wait...

"Sorry, what did you say?" he asked. "I didn't, uh, quite catch that."

"I asked, has my son been troubling you?" She shifted on her seat expectantly, exposing more leg.

He tore his eyes off her and tried to look at AJ instead. He failed in that endeavor, and found his eyes slowly tracking her form once more. "Oh, erhm, not at all! He's been very, very respectful."

Her expression shifted to a sort of annoyed disappointment. "Astaroth Jonathan Underfoot! What did I tell you about being respectful?"

AJ looked like he wanted to sink down into the floor. "...That nobody will fear me if I defer to them."

"Exactly! Did you even proclaim your dominion over the territory as you stepped in the building?"

"No, Mother."

"And I suppose you didn't even try to charm any girls on the way in, did you? Nobody prettier than a hellhound?"

"There was one that was literally hot, but no."

"Don't take that kind of tone with me, young devil!" If you are to become a worthy demon, you must become bad!"

AJ didn't answer.

"Continue with the interview, human. Don't just sit there slack-jawed. Have you never seen a lust devil before? Get over yourself. I am happily married. Oh, and make it quick, for I am rather cross right now."

He closed his mouth and hastily shuffled his papers. "Ah, yes, what sort of things can you do with your magic?"

AJ didn't even have a chance to say a word.

"My son can use the circles to summon various beings and command them to do tasks. you hear that, AJ? No more of that 'asking' you do."

"Yes, mother."

"And what can these tasks be?"

"Anything within the summoned being's power, so long as a sufficient payment is transferred. For example, as payment for today's summoning, Astaroth here is grounded until he finishes an essay on how to seduce women!"

"Well, that seems rather hars-"

The devil pointed at him. She certainly did have sharp nails. "Don't interfere on family matters, or I will have your soul sentenced to the Sixth Circle. Now, AJ, treat this man like he really deserves."

"Um, you WILL let me into the academy, or I will, uh, haggle your entrails." AJ buried his face in his hands. His mother gave him a hug from behind.

"That's my little hellspawn. The threat could use some work, but the spirit was there. Did you see that? Did you see how my boy threatened you?"

The admissions officer nodded. "Yes. Last question." He was beginning to contemplate resigning. No amount of money could keep him here. "Why Fae Creek?"

"Why, only a school as perfectly horrendous as this one could suit my wonderful child! Have you never raised a demon? This is a perfect environment for him to learn the ins and outs of tyranny."

"Thank you. That's wonderful. The interview is over. I wish you luck, young man." He could not get them out fast enough.

The demon disappeared again in a flash of smoke and lavender. AJ gathered his things and left, not meeting the admission officer's eyes.

He really, really wanted to take a break. And why shouldn’t he? The admissions officer quickly slipped a “Busy making a phone-call, please wait for my invitation!” notice on the outside of his office door, which he locked behind him, and slumped against. At least he’d taken care of that guinea pig. He shambled to the chair behind the desk, practically poured himself into it, contemplating his life. Unfortunately, he was disturbed just minutes later by sudden, violent knocking on his door. He startled, picked up the handset of the phone – what was he doing, did he really need to pretend to make a phone call just for a little peace? – muttered a soft “Excuse me,” into the speaker, then shouted, “Just a moment, please!”

The knocking stopped, but before the admissions officer could take some well-deserved time off, as short lived as it would be, his whole door was swallowed in some sort of shadowy…substance? Then it promptly disappeared, and he heard a distant clatter-crash, which sounded suspiciously like wood breaking.

Into his now door-less office sauntered what could only be the next student. The admissions officer replaced the phone handset, and very deliberately collected the application form for his next scheduled interviewee from the top of the pile of similar forms.

“Welcome,” he said, not at all sounding welcoming. The youth in front of him kept the pleasant smile which had been affixed to his face ever since he’d entered. The admissions officer had the vague feeling of being approached by a predator, despite the casual confidence with which the teenager approached and threw himself into the chair on the other side of his desk. The boy was still smiling pleasantly. 

The admissions officer cleared his throat, glanced at the form, and asked, “Reagan Gideon Breckenridge?”

“Yep,” the boy answered, popping the p. He then grinned, revealing two rows of sharp, sharp teeth, and added, “You can call me Ray though.”

The admissions officer wrote down the nickname, and went down the list. Age, 16. Gender, male. Nationality, The Federation. Under appearance was written ‘Take a photograph if you must.’ The interviewer scribbled a ‘cca. 5’7 tall’ next to it. Species…

“Human?” the admissions officer blurted out, gaze snapping to the gray-haired, red-eyed boy.

Ray rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, don’t give me that shit. I was born a human, I’m a human, alright? Next question,” the teenager snapped, tapping his pointy red nails on the office desk.

“Er. Right. I see that you wrote violence, deceit, trickery, and mischief under physical abilities and skills…Could you elaborate?” the older male wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but the more details he had on a troublemaker, the better…supposedly.

The honestly demonic looking youth in front of him was once again amused, offering another discomforting grin. “I'm what you old folks call a delinquent. Or, as my parents would say, a problem child,” Ray carelessly inspected his nails, checking for non-existent lint.

The interviewer sighed, added a note to the boy’s profile, and decided to get this over with. 

“Your magical style is spatial displacement, I believe you’ve already offered a demonstration,” the admissions officer noted, to which the boy only offered a haughty smirk. “Hm. So, what all can you do with it? Please, be as thorough as you can,” he asked, a pained tone entering his voice.

“I can relocate pretty much anything or anyone to anywhere,” Reagan stated, as if he’d had to explain this more than once, and was bored of doing so already. “Things with their own magic are tougher, sentient beings usually have to state their permission to being transported. Anything or anyone I displace can only be displace in its whole state, so the bigger something is, the more it takes out of me,” he recited. “Oh, yeah, I use my own magical energy to power the displacement, so,” he shrugged, though did not clarify. “Sacrifice, willing or unwilling, can expand the extent of my power,” Ray concluded with a yawn.

The admissions officer wrote this all down, and asked only, “Do you need visual contact?”

“Mmm, no, though it’s easier with it. Just a vague idea of a location is enough. I don’t even really need to see the person or item, because I can create this sort of very temporary portal…Obviously, it’s best to see what I want to displace though,” he expounded. “Hey, do you have anything sweet?” he asked suddenly.

“Er,” the admissions officer wasn’t sure if he should comment. Instead, he opened a drawer, took one of several sugar packets littering it, and handed it over to the teenager. Reagan grinned at him – for the first time seeming genuinely pleased for an entirely wholesome reason – ripped the packed, and shook all the sugar onto his tongue eagerly.

“Thanks,” he chirped, crumpled the empty packet, and threw the thrash onto his desktop carelessly. The older male was too exhausted to do anything but ignore this offhand impoliteness.

Magical Quirks: Some demonic traits, Reagan's form said. The admissions officer did not feel like getting additional information on that after that recent encounter, to be honest.

“Magical skills, hobbies, and interests: spatial displacement, occasional accidental brimstone production, mild heat resistance, oh I suppose those last two are the demonic part,” the older male muttered to himself. “You're interested in demonology and dark arts?” he sighed. The teen in front of him only nodded, and the admissions officer scribbled the following note: 'Observe interactions with AJ Underfoot.'

“You noted ‘Expulsion from previous schools’ when asked why you enrolled here. You were expelled from multiple schools?” the Fae Creek employee asked, exasperated, and very, very worried.

Reagan nodded. “Yeah, first it was for general misconduct and disrespect, then for getting into a fight with some snobs…last time I got some like-minded fellows and we tried opening a gate into Hell,” he uttered nonchalantly, “and this happened,” Ray said, gesturing to himself. “My parents threatened to disown me, but since they were too chicken to actually go through with that, they just sent me off to here,” the boy shrugged, his smile unrepentantly sly and smug.

The admissions officer turned to stare at Reagan for a long moment. "This last incidence involving a Hell-gate, er," he was almost too afraid to ask, "did it, uh, happen to occur at the Imperial Institute of Magic?"

Ray only smiled mysteriously, asked "And if it did?", and proceeded to laugh silently at the older male. The admissions officer was certain, certain that one school couldn't be possibly so terribly unfortunate. And surely, if Reagan had been expelled from his first two or so schools, he couldn't have been transferred to the institute...right? Clearing his throat, he continued the interview.

The personality section was blank, but the admissions officer could easily fill in some things. 'Easily bored. Disrespectful. Has a penchant for (hopefully non-lethal?) violence, but can apparently get along with certain individuals. Disdains elitism though he himself is arrogant? May desire to appear competent? Cheeky, flippant, sometimes profane. Can be bribed with sweets. Obviously has issues, apparently some due to his parents (and their expectations?)…who are surely rich and influential, but would just as surely take offense at being bothered. I suspect he can be a good student when properly motivated, however.'

“Alright, Ray, since you’ve already shared some of your past, let’s move onto the last section. What are some of your general skills, hobbies, and interests? You seem to have left this part blank,” the older male offered.

“Mm, yeah. Pranks…for laughs. Getting along with people, fighting them, either or both works for me. I make a pretty mean chocolate cake. 'Sides that, I'll do whatever’s thrilling or even remotely interesting, really,” Reagan offered, his smile wide, beaming, and not at all reassuring. “I hear this place is crazy. Lookin’ forward to that,” he winked, stood up, and saw himself out.

The admissions officer still had a door missing. He’d have to fix that. Why did he have to get it fixed?

The admissions officer groaned as he tried to cut through the mountain of paperwork. Sure, the forms were bad, but this school attracted the absolute dregs of magical society. Even though this year's students seemed to be the cream of the crap. So you can imagine his surprise when a most unusual girl walked in.

She was about 5 foot nothing, maybe a touch shorter. Blonde, with deep green eyes you could get lost in for weeks. But the truly startling thing was the glow about her. As in a literal glow, so bright he almost had to shield his eyes.

"Name, please."

"Saint Gertrude of Wilmette," the blonde replied.

The admissions officer took a few seconds to digest the name, then went bone-white and silent. When he finally recovered, he asked, "That's not just a name? You're an actual saint?!"

"Yep. 100% certified, even got a few miracles to my name."

He scribbled down a few notes. "Okay. Ooookay. I'm going to have to run you through the basics, your Holiness. Age?"

"Fifteen."

"Gender?"

"Female, obviously."

"Species?"

"Human."

The officer quickly wrote, human with celestial something-or-other going on. "Any notable physical abilities or skills?"

"Not really."

"What sort of magic do you practice?"

"Holy magic," came the curt reply. "Blessings, healings, exorcisms, evil-smiting, yada yada yada."

"Any hobbies?"

"Just reading. I like to keep to myself."

"Alright, last question. Why come to Fae Creek?"

"I know that this school attracts its fair share of lost souls.  I want to see if I can help them find themselves."

And that gave the admissions officer a truly demented idea. "I've got a student here that would be the perfect roommate for you, if you're okay with being with a guy."

"Not a problem in the slightest," Gertrude responded.

"Alright, then you'll be with AJ," he said. As Gertrude left, he grinned like the cat that had eaten the proverbial canary. He hadn't had any real fun in a while, but this? This was gonna be good...

The little chance to cause some chaos gave the admissions officer some thoughts to amuse himself with while waiting for the inevitable next weirdo who would knock on his door.

"I wonder if someone is waiting out there..." he said as he turned his glance towards the doorway only to gasp in surprise as he noticed that someone was already inside the room.The weird-looking girl stared at him with a wide smile, she was unlike anything he had seen before.

"Uhmmm... Hello?" he noticed she was holding a scrap of paper that seemed like an application, so he pointed towards it. "Please give me that..."

"Heya! And sure. Here you go."  the girl handed over the paper, only for the officer to notice it was half-eaten. "This school is pretty nice, giving us free snacks like this," she added.

The admissions officer took a deep breath, calmed himself, and nodded. "Right and your name is ... uh... what the..."

"Racuginatza Lincanotl Yon Contedzi Iratza." she nodded.

"Right uh... Yon." it was the only word of the name he could pronounce. 

Age was in a numerical system unknown to him, looked like a teen, so good enough. She wrote Lady in gender, good enough. Nationality was Moon?

"Yon, it seems you forgot to finish your nationality. I am guessing Moonlight Glades? It's the nearest place in the federation with Moon in its name. Unless you are foreigner, you do look a bit... odd. Maybe from a tribe in the Full Moon Canyons? They are into all sorts of trends..."

"Uh, no, just the moon."

"Could be Moonpeak Passage, or maybe you just misspelled the Golden Moorlands?"

"No mister I am saying I am from the moon."

"Montagne de la lune, Mondschrein, Dvorets Goluboy Luny, uhhh... Mangetsuji, er... Dongbu Dal Pyeong-Won." Nothing, no matter how many moon-themed cities he referred to, nothing seemed to bring a response. "So... the moon, how did you get here from THE MOON? When there is NO known technique to go to THE MOON?"

"I tripped and fell. And well, yeah, I can't reach it again, its why I am here at the academy." she smiled.

He took a moment and stared at her. He wasn't paid enough for this. "Good enough."

From there onward, the paper was heavily chewed on, so he had to fill up. "Pale skin, aquamarine eyes, short pink hair... weird, rabbit-like extremely long ears, has a tail, thin with a puffy end, maybe lion-like. Her feet look a bit like hooves in shape. Species, she wrote person, invalid response, either a chimera or maybe an actual Lunarian, at this point I believe anything. Physical abilities..."

Yon suddenly interrupted him. "Mister, will you eat that?" she pointed to the top of his table, the only thing that seemed edible was the... guinea pig!?

"No, I will not eat it!" his tone was annoyed, sure some of the cultures in the western corner of the world were known to eat guinea pigs but to just generalize everyone like that was...

"Oh! Lucky me!" Yon clapped her hands and, right in front of the officer's eyes, she lashed out a frog-like tongue that grabbed the the animal, yanking it into her mouth. She quickly swallowed it.

"H-ha...!? Spit it out!" he blurted. He didn't particularly care for the animal but the bizarre sight had somehow filled him with sympathy.

Yon pouted. "You know, if it was a pet you should have told me." she nonchalantly shoved her hand into her mouth and started to try to reach for something. She would take out a dagger, a shoe, a squirrel and finally the guinea pig. "There we go, and look, it made a friend." she smiled and clapped her hands.

The officer was out of words. "Physical abilities: Better not to ask it." he wrote before continuing the interview "Anyway, what would you consider to be your core magical style?" 

"Oh, my special style is animation magic. I can give life to objects and bind them to my command!" she tapped her hat, which opened one eye and started snapping with its mouth.

"Magical quirks and irregularities?" he looked up, readying his pen. 

"Hmm... none! I am pretty much a normal girl," she said with an innocent smile.

"Right, sure you are," he said, a clear tone of sarcasm that was lost on Yon. "You said you joined Fae Creek because you want to learn how to go to the moon, is that all?"

"Oh yep. When I was asking around, seeking ways to go to the skies a woman said I would fit right in!" 

It was a sad thing that the officer couldn't say she was wrong. For the personality section, he wrote. "I don't know if she is a Lunarian, but she is certainly a lunatic. Whenever she is not weird or terrifying she is pretty sweet and energetic, seems to be very naive and doesn't seem to have a grasp on common sense." 

The last bit about common day skills was not chewed so he didn't have to rewrite anything. "Moon snack making, moon snack eating, moon swimming, moon sleeping" The officer sighed.

"I think will be enough - of you - for today. You are accepted Yon. Welcome." he did a facial expression in the boundary between smiling and cringing. "Also uh... your shoe." he decided to confiscate the dagger and the squirrel had already ran off. 

"Yay! Thanks! I look forward to this." she answered cheerfully, picking up the single shoe she had spat out and starting to nibble on it as she left the room.

There was a soft knock on the doorframe of what once held the door to the admissions officer's office as a girl with yellow eyes, light-brown hair, and cat ears, stepped into the room, the doorframe partially covered in ice where the girl knocked as she entered the room, looking around the office. Ice magic, probably. the officer thought to himself as the girl approached the desk wordlessly and placed a sheet of paper on the man's desk, which he quickly scanned over before raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry... is this your full name? Helena Lyudmil Lorell von Blancschildt?" The man asked incredulously at the length of the name, in response to which the girl simply nodded.

"Please... call me Helena. I like it more than the other names." The girl - Helena - stated. She was quiet, much quieter than some of those that came before her.

"Right..." The man said, checking the sheet again. 16, 5'2". From the Federation. Seemed reasonable enough so far.

"So you have an affinity for ice magic? You mentioned something about encasing yourself in the stuff, is that sa-"

Before the man can finish his sentence, a crystal of ice forms around Helena, completely encasing her and making the room a bit... cold. "I haven't died before, so I'd say so." She says, the ice surrounding her not hindering her... though it did make her harder to hear.

"Alright... so uh, your name... are you some kind of noble? Why would you have such a long name?" The man asked as the ice around Helena melted away. "No. My parents were indicisive, so they gave me three names. Helena, Lyudmil, Lorell. I have chosen Helena."

Ooooookay. Well, parents could sometimes be eccentric, so...

"You mention an Izzy in your form, who's Izzy?" The man asks, raising an eyebrow. "A pet or something?"

"No, Izzy is the spirit that possesses me. She awakens sometimes and when she does she's either angry or quiet. If she's angry she shoots lighting around." Helena responded cheerfully, smiling widely. "She won't be a problem, right? She's asleep as long as nobody annoys me, after all."

The man stared at Helena for a moment, before scribbling down something about possession. Probably important to keep an eye on her.

"A...Anyway, you say your hobbies are reading and sculpting? You make things out of ice?" The officer asked, watching closely as the girl put her hands on his deck, and forming a small ice sculpture of a bird. "That's... pretty cool. You also said you enjoy reading?"

"Yes. At least books aren't loud and obnoxious like people sometimes tend to be." Helena commented, frowning as she seemed to remember something from her past. "Anything else you need to know? Or can I go?"

"Uh... No, I think you can go." The man said, tapping the sheet. "You've got the important stuff on here already, so you're free to leave." The man stated, upon which Helena nodded, leaving the room.

Eira Lindr and Adara, were capable of submitting an application and following the instructions.
The admissions officer had finally finished his work for the day and was all set to head for home when another student came in. He rubbed his eyes, but no, there was still a bloody hippopotamus in the room.

"I'm here to register for Fae Creek," the hippo said with a soft, feminine drawl.

"Well, this is new. Name, please?"

"Sarah Malone."

"Age?"

"Fifteen."

"Alright, for species I'm just going to put 'hippo'."

"Actually, it's a little more complicated than that, but you can put human." Sarah responded.

"Explain, please."

"You see, part of my magic is shapechanging. I can become any nonmagical animal. Thing is, I kind of have difficulty controlling it, so on occasion, I have days like this."

Human and hippo and dog and bluejay and... "Got it. Any hobbies?"

"I'm big into athletics. Hiking, swimming, anything outdoors."

"Magical quirks?"

'I have the power of beastspeech. I can talk to animals and understand them. Apparently, no matter what shape I'm in, I can't seem to lose a walrus accent. Ah, got it. Finally." Sarah shifted on her feet a bit, than transformed into a tall, somewhat awkward teenager with red hair. "This is my... default form, I guess you can say."

"Understood. Why do you want to come to Fae Creek?"

"I'm interested in a career in magizoology, and also to control my powers better. Transforming into a beaver at random moments is an annoyance."

The admissions officer nodded. "We'll be in touch, Sarah."

The admission’s officer blinked twice. Some mixture of disbelief, joy, and sheer exhaustion filled his eyes. Finally. After all this time, having sloughed through countless anomalous, inexplicable, painstakingly weird admits, he could hardly believe his eyes when someone who seemed normal walked into his office. The officer was almost shocked by how much he savored this moment, but at this point, it was everything he had ever wanted. Someone who was normal…

The officer blinked again. The boy who had walked into his room was about six feet tall, and was clearly of an athletic build. He had two amber eyes and long dark hair. The officer vaguely recognized this individual. But where from? Irregardlessly, the boy had made his way up to his desk and was presenting his papers. Was it possible that he had even filled out the necessary forms before arriving? What a wonderful boy.

”I’m Leonhard Cantor. Thanks for having me today.”

Huh… WHAT?

While the two sat in silence, the admission officer looked over the forms he was presented. This boy was nothing short of a genius. He was from a noble family, and attended one of the top institutions for juvenile mages. His scores on any written test were flawless, and he had achieved perfect grades in every single class he had taken prior. As well, he had received not one but seven accolades for magical knowledge in the fields of alchemy, engineering, and magical theory. Not to mention, the file he presented was filled to the brim with extracurricular activities, and as a polish, he had even included a well written admittance essay. It would’ve been impossible to believe, if not for that one tiny detail. Not that something that small would matter for someone of his merit. Now, however, there was another issue that the officer had to figure out. Why was such a scholarly magnate applying to an institution like Fae Creek?

”Ah, thank you for waiting, Leonhard. My name is ██████. I’m so glad to have you here this evening!” The officer extended his hand to the boy.

The boy smiled, and shook it. ”Thank you. It’s my pleasure, truly."

”Please, take a seat” The admissions officer smiled. After all this time, he just didn’t think someone like this ending up in his office was possible. ”It looks like you’ve already filled out all the major points on the form, so now I just have to ask you a few questions before we can process your admission.”

”Of course! Ask away.”

”Well, first off, just for my record keeping -- I know it’s silly to ask a question like this -- but what’s your gender.”

”Please, don’t worry about it. I’m a boy.”

”Haha, of course. And your age?”

”Sixteen.”

”Excellent, excellent. Alright, next question: where do you live?”

”I’m from the Imperial Federation. I have been my whole life. Surely, you must’ve heard of my family. The Cantor’s are a well known line of powerful wizards and witches.”

The admissions officer looked at the boy up and down. Indeed, he had noticed the connection long before Leonhard informed him. The resemblance between him and one of the great archmages of the federation was uncanny. ”Of course, of course. The Cantor's are well known among scholars.”

Not that it matters.

The admissions officer continued. ”Very well. I see that you have listed magical engineering as one of your talents. I’m very interested, could you elaborate on this please?”

”Certainly. My whole life, I have been enamoured by magical constructs. Be it self opening doors, or massive mana crucibles, I have always been interested in the way that we could both understand and apply magic to our technological endeavors. It was only natural that I should begin to explore such constructs myself, and soon enough, I found myself involved in several different projects of a magi-technological nature.”

”...Wow.” The officer couldn’t help but let that one comment slip. This student was something else. He almost wondered if Leonhard was here just to mock him, as if he were flaunting his endless achievement in front of this D-List academy just to get a rise. ”Well, uh, that’s terrific. Now, all there is to talk about is your magic. And, uh, before we talk about that, I just want to ask you something. It says here that you received zero points on the practical section of your placement test. I’m sure this must be an error, perhaps you were absent, but it would be reassuring to hear confirmation of this from yourself.”

Leonhard stared straight into his eyes, and the officer’s soul sank. ”About that. I have absolutely zero affinity for magic.”

It was like a boulder had crushed every last bit of the officer’s hope. He should’ve known better. Studious, stand-up, great students did not apply to Fae Creek. There was always a flaw.

”You... mean to say… that you cannot do magic?

”I’m not saying that at all. I just have no magical power myself, nor any affinity for channeling magic, nor can I invoke magic in any form whatsoever”

Huh? Wasn’t that the same thing as what I just said?

”And… And you want to attend a magical academy?”

”Yessir. I’m so glad we’re on the same page.”

The officer’s soul shrunk three sizes that very moment. ”I… I guess that’s it then. You, uh, can go. I’ll handle the rest.”

Leonhard smiled. As he left the room, he bowed to the officer. ”Thank you very much for the interview. I look forward to hearing your decision.”

The officer watched him incredulously. What an anomaly, and there were still countless more like him waiting for him on the other side of his office. He supposed he ought to get to work, the students weren't going to interview themselves.

To say that the admissions officer was exhausted would be the understatement of the century. The previous day had been bad, even for someone in his line of work. All he needed to do was look around his office to find ample evidence of that. First there was the missing door. Then there was the gaping hole in the wall where what he assumed was a Wyvern of some kind had burst in to deliver its master’s admission form. And then there was the carpet… He didn’t even want to think about the carpet…

Yes, the previous day had been so hellishly traumatic that he couldn’t manage to get even a single hour’s sleep without being beset by nightmares of flaming guinea pigs stabbing him repeatedly, before hopping on an iceberg and riding it into the maw of a moon with a demented girl’s face. And now today had begun with an admissions form being handed to him by a slimy tentacle reaching out from a portal, which had formed inside his outer ear… This had been followed by a glimmer of hope (that most fiendish of all instruments of torture), in the form of a polite and highly accomplished scion of a well-respected family appearing before him. Of course, it was obviously too good to be true, and, sure enough, he was completely incapable of performing magic… And then there was that apple which had just now materialized on his desk…

Oh, well, he thought to himself with a weary sigh, time to see what wonderful traumas the next applicant has to inflict…

But, wait… There didn’t seem to be a next applicant…

“Ahem!” a refined voice announced.

“Is someone here?” the admissions officer asked, looking around in bewilderment. The room was empty. Could… Could this person have the ability to turn invisible? He certainly hoped not…

“Down here, my good fellow!” the voice informed him.

Looking down at the chair on the other side of his desk, he was shocked to see what appeared to be a dog sitting at attention.

“D-Did… Did you just say that?” the officer asked in a quivering voice. Maybe I’m hallucinating… Or, or maaaybe he’s the brother of that other girl who was in here yesterday…

“Indeed I did, old boy,” the dog replied. “I am Parrthineas E Doxon the First, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He held out his paw.

The officer hesitantly shook it. “W-Welcome. Do you happen to have your application with you?”

“Terribly sorry, my good fellow, but they were having a paper airplane contest down by the river, and since my application was the only paper I had with me at the time I was forced to enlist its aid in that noble endeavor. I do apologize.”

“Did you win?” the officer asked, his exhaustion clear in his voice.

“In several branch universes, yes.”

The admissions officer gave a lengthy sigh, before pulling out a new form.

“Here, I’ll just fill this out for you. I already have your name, but, um, do you go by anything… shorter?”

“You may call me Parr, for short.”

“Okay and your age?”

“Sixteen changings of the seasons.” 

“I’m assuming your gender is male?”

“Correct.”

“Nationality?”

“I am a proud citizen of the Federation.”

“Okay, next is appearance, I’ll just fill that out myself…” Appears to be an ordinary dog, but dressed in snappy attire including top hat and monocle. A pair of goggles is perched on the brim of the hat, and a timepiece is fastened to the fancy collar around his neck. “And your species?”

“I am clearly a Canine, my good fellow. Do you perhaps need to get your eyesight examined? I know of a good optometri—”

“Moving on… Any notable physical abilities or skills?”

“Well, like all Canines, I have an excellent sense of smell, and after that distressing incident while crossing the Sea of Ten Thousand Tempests, I made it a top priority to learn the doggy paddle.”

“Okay, how would you describe your magical style?”

“Like my renowned father before me, I am highly proficient in the realms of temporal magi-mechanics, temporal transit, and temporal manipulation. Care for a demonstration?”

Before the officer could say anything, the applicant produced a golden pocket watch from which emerged a beam of bluish energy. The beam struck the apple on the officer’s desk, causing it to wink out of existence.

“I believe that should answer the question of where that apple came from, hmm?”

“Yes…” But if the apple was transported from here, then how did the apple… "Moving along, any notable magical quirks?”

“None that I can think of.” 

“How about magical skills, hobbies or interests?”

“Just the aforementioned interest in temporal magi-mechanics, temporal transit, and temporal manipulation.”

“What is your reason for enrolment?”

“Well, you see, old boy, Fae Creek Academy is the alma mater of my esteemed father, Parrthineas E Doxon the Zeroth, and I should like to follow in his footsteps and walk these hallowed halls myself, in pursuit of ever-increasing knowledge of chronological phenomena.”

“Okaaay… And you would describe your personality as…?”

“Polite, enthusiastic, and rather inquisitive.”

And somewhat eccentric…

“Can you tell me a bit about your background?”

“Oh, I’d be delighted to, my good fellow! It all started with my illustrious and supremely skilled father. He was, or rather, will be, an inventor of great renown. His greatest invention, of course, was, or rather, will be, his Farprior Machine, which he utilized to travel twenty years into the past from this current date. It was then that he met the paragon of loveliness that would become my dear mother. After my birth, he regaled me with a never-ending stream of tales about his life, tales that inspired me to emulate him in every possible respect, and it is because of that inspiration that I appear before you today.”

“Any general skills, hobbies, or interests?” the officer asked, Parr’s insane backstory barely reaching his ears before being repelled by an impenetrable wall of complete apathy.

“Well, I look foreword to developing camaraderie with my fellow students, and, perhaps, attaining an achievement so great as to merit a statue of my likeness to grace this venerable campus, like my father before me. I also greatly enjoy making paper airplanes.”

“Well, that concludes this interview. You may leave the way you came in.”

“Why thank you my good fellow! It certainly was a pleasure! Say! That is quite a lovely plant you have over there! Would you mind if I…?”

“Yes, ‘old boy’, I would mind!” the officer roared. “Now get out!”

The officer slumped in his chair.

Please let that be the last… Please let that be the last… Please let that be the…

It was already quite late, and the admissions officer was still in his office at work. Sure, there were no more applicants this late, but his work wasn't done yet. Like a wise man once said, the ride never ends, though in this case the 'ride' was 'work'.

I need a break. The man thought to himself as he sighed, glancing over the paper he held in his hand, before putting it down.

Only to be face-to-face with a girl. Holding out an application form. At nighttime. The poor man shrieked as, for a moment, he thought he'd gone insane. He thought he'd started seeing things. So many applicants inflicting so much trauma, that he was now imagining a black-haired girl with brilliant ocean-blue eyes standing in front of him.

"Hey now. That's rude. I'm not that ugly." The girl spoke. Great. Now his inner traumas were speaking to him. Or were they? Was this an actual, living, student, showing up for an interview at this hour? Judging by the application... she was.

"A... Are you.... real?" The man asked hesitantly, looking the girl up and down for a moment. "Or are you just my mind playing tricks on me?"

"Last time I checked... I was real! So I think I still am. I want to enroll here, I heard you were the guy to speak to." The girl said, placing the form on the poor man's desk. Might as well get this over with. The man thought to himself. I really need a different job.

"So... Alura, is it? Your... Your nationality simply says 'Not from Here'. Does that mean..."

"I am not from the Federation." Alura said, her voice sounding... off as she interrupted the man. It sounded empty, yet also... distorted. It echoed slightly. It gave the man a slight headache. "It means nothing more, nothing less. M'kay?"

"...right. I shouldn't be questioning things at this point. You wouldn't believe the things I've seen."

"I probably would, but that is not what we are here for."

"Of course. So... uh... you say your magic is..." The man trailed off as he reread the form. Then reread it again. Oh boy.

"Eldritch magic! Occasionally it has some minor side-effects, but nothing to worry about. Usually." Alura stated, smiling and clapping her hands together, her right hand having a patch of purple skin.

"Right. So... anything important I should know?" The officer asked, scribbling something on the paper. Keep a close eye on her. Could be dangerous. Keep away from other students maybe?

"Hey now, that is a rude thing to write about someone." Alura said, glaring at the man, who paled in surprise.

"C... can you read minds?"

"No. I can read text that's written upside-down. You're not even taking an effort to hide what you're writing." Alura responded with a deadpan voice, before she dug through the bag she carried, and placed a small pouch on the desk. Judging by the sound, they were coins.

"I have been told that... donations often result in... favourable room assignments. Please let whoever is in charge know I made this donation, and prefer to be in a comfortable room."

...A bribe. That honestly wasn't surprising. With a tired sigh and a nod, the officer took the pouch, and put it to the side. "She will be informed. Anything el-"

Alura was already gone. Without making use of the door. The only sign of her previous presence was the form, the pouch of coins, and the strange purple mold on the floor.

...

I should see if I can get that saint from earlier to excorsise this room.

The officer stood up and moved to the hole in the wall, taking a deep breath of fresh air to try to relieve the stress. When he turned back to his table, he blinked, noticing there was an apple over it, again.

"Was that dog's spell temporary?" He wondered aloud. The pome looked nice and juicy, bright red. "Maybe..." it was that apple, it had been through some heavy magical influence, he flirted with the idea of eating it, even took a bottle of "Miss Mystic's Magic Nullifier" and sprayed over it, but that would not be enough to make it clear. 

"Well, better not to risk it." he moved the apple towards the trash can.

"Wait! Wait! What are you doing? Are you some sort of psychopath!?"  a female voice had suddenly said, but looking around the officer saw nothing.

"In your hand!" He turned to see his apple had a panicking face and was wiggling. 

"What the!?" he quickly moved the fruit back to the table, a dog he could take but a talking apple was pushing it. "Were you alive the whole time or did you gain a personality after the dog used his spell on you?"

"What are you babbling about? I just arrived here you inept fool." the apple continued, as angry as she tried to be, her face on the small fruit was quite cute.

Looking down, he did notice that where the apple was there was also her paperwork.

The name was Mela Seb-Apfel... "Couldn't fit a Ringo in there too?" he whispered. Age 16, Female, a foreigner born in Ostfeld. 

For appearance, she had a photo of a girl, long brown hair, dark clothes, notably not round and red. Species was... Human? 

"Are you sure you wrote this right? It isn't... you know, an apple."

"Just a moment and I will turn back to my original form." the face on the apple would puff her cheeks and wiggle, trying that multiple times before gasping for air. "For some reason, it is impossible. Must be that thing you sprayed on me."

The admissions officer narrowed his eyes, despite being tired he could see how fishy it was. If she was trying to return to her normal form the nullifier would help, this meant she wasn't a human.

"We have a dryad teacher and plenty of plant sprites, half-ents, and the sort are enrolled," he said calmly. "I guess none of those are like you, but it's not like we would judge."

The fruit pouted and furrowed her eyebrows "Sir... In the contract, it was promised that the school would respect my privacy and not ask personal questions."

He couldn't help but smile at the sight of an annoyed apple "Sure, I will just write down plant-person. Deal?"

"It's an acceptable compromise. Could you clean me please, I have no hands at the moment."

He nodded, and as gently as he could, started to rub her over with a cloth. It seemed she liked it. "How did you walk in here as an apple anyway?"

She quickly took the form of a human, the same one he had seen in the photo. "I was not an apple when arrived. You see, I fell asleep... It was because you took an eternity to return..." she was not a good liar as an apple, as a blushing human she was even more obvious, so she gave up "I have something akin to narcolepsy."

He left it at that. He also didn't bring up how it meant she had reverted to her normal form while asleep, thus further proving she wasn't a natural human.

"Your magic style Mela?"

"My specialty is apple magic." the girl said, trying once again to look tough after feeling so belittled in her apple form. "Poisoned apples, blessed apples, golden apples, candy apple grenades..." she said nonchalantly. 

"I see..." he smirked again, making her pouty. He didn't know what to write in magical quirk since she was so closed off about it, so he merely made a not on the issue at hand.

"I take you came to Fae Creek because of the lack of background checks?"

"I thought it was easier to get in, but it seems some of the staff is awfully curious." she responded. 

For personality, she seemed to be aggressive when cornered but overall veering towards a sweet-ish behavior. Very polite unless provoked. She seemed to enjoy being touched when he was cleaning her of the magic nullifier. For backstory, she had written something:

Though I may be a slapping today, there will come a time where everyone will stand in my shadow.

He tried not to laugh, adding: a bit delusional to her personality. 

"Well then Mela, here you go. Welcome to Fae Creek... good luck out there. Try to stay sweet."

Mela said nothing, merely rolling her eyes and taking the invitation.

Daria

Daria had been on campus for some time, wandering the area as she continued to carve with her knife after a successful interview.  She had received a sheet of instructions, but they were entirely useless to her and had been discarded.  While she couldn't read the instructions though, she was capable of smelling what seemed like some decently tasty treats.  The moment her leopard ears confirmed from the sound of distant voices that this was in fact intended for them, Daria set off towards her prey.  There was hunting to do.

She arrived at a circle of tables with some sort of banner hung above with entirely indiscernible symbolism and a gathering of the world's strangest adults who seemed to be bickering with each other.  It'd probably be best to ignore them.  Daria headed to the table with the meatiest snacks (she didn't recognize them) and wordlessly passed judgement on the flavor.  Mediocre but edible.  Still, it was better than nothing and with a dissatisfied expression the pink-haired tribeswoman swallowed another one, keeping her words to herself as she chewed.
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