Menagerie of Adventures

12 January 1028 S.C (Since Creation), 7:30 AM, Ainsworth International Adventuring Academy Gate

The crisp, cool morning air around Aegeum was betrayed only by the early morning rays of Menagerie's sun on the last remnants of the morning dew on the grass and the leaves of the few trees on the newly-made road to Ainsworths. Glittering fairy wyverns, a rare sight of a species found more commonly just across the border, flitted between the flowers and green blades, the hum of their wings filling in the chorus of the various morning songs of the birds and other creatures of Menagerie.

All in all, it was looking like another fine day in Terraforma.

Several people already populated the otherwise sparse road, making their way to the Academy gate. It was a simple affair, nothing more than some boards of wood nailed together and stuck on a hinge, a break in the palisade that surrounded the academy. An old, wizened Terran woman sat at an impromptu desk and chair station at the entrance, giving flyers from the stack of them in front of her to those arriving with a wrinkle-accentuating smile and tooth-achingly sweet voice.

"Hello dear, here you go. There's a map on the back. May the ground be firm under you feet!" A common Terran phrase of good luck.

She was around 4 foot maybe, the fact of her sitting making it hard to tell, but she seemed about right for a Terran. Rough stony patches, with just the barest amount of mineral sparkle, dotted her arms and barely-exposed neck, the rest of her covered in a simple brown tunic, trousers and sandals affair. A few stray strands of hair marked her otherwise graying hair, accentuating her similarly ruby-red eyes. Despite her age, there was a certain fire in them.

Beyond her, at the end of a paved, splitting road, laid the Academy itself, a humble building of stone, wood and glass windows no more than 3 storeys tall and surrounded by various others of similar style, most likely dorms, a stable and storages judging by the size. Smooth grass and sand lots marked what were the outside training grounds. As expected, everything was brand new, no clear sign of any wear or tear. It wasn't a grand affair, but it had a cozy, almost homely atmosphere, serene in the countryside. Students of all walks of life were already wandering the grounds, alone or in groups, gathering their bearings and familiarizing themselves with the locale. Some headed straight inside the Academy, presumably to wait in the assembly hall.

Now, on the path leading to the gate, are those who perhaps have a grander role to play in the scale of things, taking their first steps on the path to becoming an adventurer. It's a time of change in the world of Menagerie, good or bad as it may be, but for today, today is the start of something new.

Shard Alegyris

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Don't mind the excited scream, that was just one Shard Alegyris, a young man with black hair tied back in a ponytail, a bandage covering his right eye, and an enormous smile on his face. He was sprinting towards the academy, exposed eye shining with excitement.

In fact, he was so excited that he nearly smashed right through the gate in his mad dash to the school, pausing only momentarily to grab a flyer from the Terran at the entrance. "Thanksbye!" he all but shouted, before slamming the gate wide open and running through.

When he finally saw the school, Shard stopped to marvel at it. This was it. The beginning of a new life. One that didn't involve being locked in a tower for years, then almost getting executed, then becoming a fugitive. No, it was nothing but adventure and magic from here on out!

Somehow, Shard's grin got wider. "Ainsworth Academy, here I come!"

Academy Gate

One of the first new students to arrive appeared at first glance to be a child. Standing but three feet tall, frail and dainty. He wore what looked like a robe, hastily stuffed into trousers and boots until it resembled a tunic. From his side hung a wooden sword, a child's plaything.

The only thing marking him as more was his unnatural glow, and blank eyes. Pick - the name he had accepted as his own - nodded in thanks to the Terran as he took a flyer. "Affirmative."

He began to walk towards the assembly hall. For one brief moment, his head turned at the excited scream, but between one step and the next he had gauged it as a scream of excitement, and therefore not an indication of a threat.

That, and the lack of Rift energy. While he understood that other races were more sensitive to it, it slightly annoyed him that he would have to continue eating food here, rather than subsist off of raw energy as his kind was wont to do.

Nonetheless, his face remained neutral as he marched towards the assembly hall.

Edited by kagescorpionakki on Dec 15th 2020 at 10:37:26 AM

Just Inside the Gate

Verona Auer, a long-limbed Alvar with a sandy-brown braid hanging to her waist, rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, shifting to discharge the nervous energy in her limbs as she hesitated next to the Terran handing out flyers. She’d avoided pestering those around her for information about the Academy so far, but it was a near thing. She had endless questions.

She glanced down at the flyer crushed in her fist, then sheepishly made an attempt to smooth the creases she had left in it so that she could take a closer look at the map. There was just...so much. So many things she wanted to see and do, and for once, nobody to avoid lest they tell her not to see or do them. A drastic change, and one that left her feeling almost directionless in its enormity.

Her head shot up as the sound of a shout pierced the air. Curious, she thought. And as good a direction as any. And with that thought she strode in the direction of the cry, hopeful that a greater path would reveal itself in so obvious a way.

Edited by furnacedoor on Sep 12th 2020 at 5:11:43 AM

AIAA Gate

Apart from a rather groggy and grumpy start, Sieglinde was feeling rather excited and energetic that morning—no doubt because of the pleasant weather and crisp atmosphere that'd greeted her those early hours. She'd woken up just before dawn, and had begun her journey on foot to arrive at daybreak—but as was her typical fashion, she'd only just showed up.

Her steps were careful and expertly placed due to the bareness of her feet, which might've been a problem for some but years of this practice had rendered her highly tolerant to it. She truly didn't care, and it saved money. The same went for her light clothing, which was perfect for this summery climate. It took her a little while to shake off the sleepiness, but she soon drew a deep breath in through her nostrils and let it out as a happy sigh.

But the sight of the exotic fairy wyverns amidst the grass made her squeal suddenly and rush over to look at them. Though not too close; she'd be intruding on their space after all. She'd completely forgotten about the nearby gate and the reason she was there to begin with.

“Hello, lady~! Are you a lady...?” she giggled towards one of the things as it flitted by, trying to resist the urge to catch it in her palm and instead just watch it demurely from a distance. “Never seen a pretty one like you before... yes you're very pretty...~”

She was blatantly cooing at it now, cheek resting in her palm as she studied it dreamily. She internally wondered if she could ever keep one in a jar. It'd probably be cruel.

She didn't know the needs of fairy wyverns either. Maybe they had special magic food the others didn't, or something...

The excited squealing soon drew her out of her daze, and she shook her head with a startled ‘oh!’ as the memories as to why she was there suddenly flooded back into her. She span on her heel and made a mad dash for the gate, pausing to politely take the flyer and have a pleasant exchange with the nice Terran lady at the desk before bullrushing in again and immediately losing herself in wonderment upon crossing the threshold.

Unfortunately, she didn't realise she hadn't stopped sprinting.

Edited by Enirboreh on Sep 12th 2020 at 1:16:44 PM

Freana

...huh.

About what she expected, wasn't it?

Freana wasn't too impressed by the gate. Just a bunch of boards haphazardly nailed together. Wasn't too different from some of the pawnshops or shacks in the slums.

What did impress her was the school itself. Still wasn't that fancy. She could make out the capital whenever she scaled the slum's stony, grimey walls, and it was a helluva lot more majestic than this. But compared to the hovel or occasional allyways she'd been used to sleeping in, it was like walking into a palace.

Well, mostly. Ever since Osgul took her off the streets and made her part of his clan, she'd been near living in luxury. She knew it wasn't that glamorous, but being kin of the Captain of the Gaurd still had its perks.

Like a big-ass mansion and a small staff of servants for one.

She wasn't waited on hand and foot, but suddenly things had become so much easier then they had been for most of her life, and this academy or whatever looked like it was gonna be more of the same.

Part of wondered why everyone couldn't live like this.

But she wouldn't look a gifthorse in the mouth.

After all, you only lived once.

Her thoughts were interrupted by an ear curdling scream of some idjit who was way too happy about this whole thing. Like, okay, this wasn't the *worst* deal. But did he have to go screaming it to the heav—

And her thoughts were interrupted again as some elvar chick (half elvar maybe?) bowled her over. She found herself sprawled out on the grass, scratching her big black bandanna as she tried to keep herself from murdering someone.

Which wasn't too hard, because said chick was pretty damn cute.

She slowly got up, cricking her back as she made sure none of her fur was ruffled. "Welp. Gotta say. You're the first elvar chick that's gone and swept me off my feet. First time for everything, huh?"

In the midst of all these goings on, all the whimsy and wonder of these surroundings was lost on a diminutive figure - only slightly taller than the Terran but more lithe in build - casually sauntering up to the gates while reading a thick book. Admittedly it was hard to tell what they were trying to convey, clothed head-to-toe as they were in drab but mostly utilitarian attire and wearing a face-concealing helmet. Though if one did look closely, they might have caught a glimpse of a half-lidded eye beyond the helmet's shadow.

They didn't say a word as they passed the desk, barely even acknowledging the one managing the thing. Just grabbed the flyer, stuffed it into a pocket and moved on, too engrossed as they were in their book. They muttered something under their breath. Something about earthquakes being unexpectedly rare in these parts.

Sieglinde von Brandt

“H-hi! Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Sieglinde panicked a moment, immediately trying to scramble off of Freana's form and back onto her feet instead. “I... whoa you're big up close...~”

She shook her head, trying to keep focus, then offered Freana a cheerful ^-^ expression after briefly looking her over to make sure she hadn't accidentally hurt her. She seemed pretty tough, so she was probably fine.

“Hiya~! Sorry for knocking you over. Bad... first impression...!” she grimaced, sucking in a breath as she averted her gaze and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. She almost lost herself staring at someone else before mentally slapping herself back into gear and locking her eyes onto Freana again. “Name's Sieglinde; but call me Sigi if you want~! What's your name...~?”

It was by far the most focus and interest she'd had on any given thing that morning; apart from the wyverns she'd been admiring seconds earlier. Freana was hard to ignore, though—her height meant she basically took up Sieglinde's entire vision.

Academy Gate, Elliot.

...It had been a bit further of a walk than Elliot had expected, but the young man had finally made it. He'd insisted on traveling the last stretch of the journey by foot as his parents had quite firmly insisted on not drawing too much attention to himself which...a wagon probably would've, along with more...commoner-like clothing. Or at least, that's what he hoped.

His smile was a bit more subdued than most, hiding how excited he was to be here, although his eyes shining at what was ahead certainly gave it away as Elliot kept moving forward towards the academy, grabbing a notepad from his backpack and quickly scribbling a few details down before moving forward.

"Certainly wasn't expecting so many people..."

...Although some of the loud shouting did throw off his concentration to a degree, he gratefully took a flier, noticed the map and nodded at the Terran with a smile.

"Many thanks, madam."

And with that, he headed towards the Assembly Hall, trying to avoid running into people as he followed the map, it would be quite unfortunate if he ran into someone or simply idled too much time away and was late on the first day, after all.

Verona sped up toward the large entryway, glad to have a target for her focus, if only for the moment.

Verona quickly spotted the young man who appeared to be the main source of the shout, standing in the front hall seemingly mesmerized. Verona broke into a jog to clear the distance between them. After glancing around and taking note only of a few other students heading toward the entrance hall, Verona tapped the shoulder of the man with a finger, launching into the questions she had decided on seconds before without waiting for a reaction.

“Hi! Verona Auer, nice to meet you. Quick question, what’s with the screaming? Did you see something cool? What was it? Is it nearby?”

She was left out of breath by her speech, and had to pause for a moment to regain her composure.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Besides, from where I'm standing, you made a helluva first impression. Name's Freana."

She held out a big furry paw, hoping Sig would take it. They'd only just met, but she was so damn adorable! The way she tried so desperately to apologize, her general awkwardness and shyness, everything was hitting off most of her checkboxes.

Still, didn't want to get to carried away or anything. They'd only just met.

Wouldn't do either of them favors if she scared her off.

"So. What's a cute little Alvar like you doing in a place like this? I mean, you don't look like someone who wants to go trudging dark, dank caverns or slaying dragons or anything."

Edited by kkhohoho on Sep 12th 2020 at 8:31:22 AM

Shard

A shoulder tap brought Shard out of his excitement-induced mania, and he turned to see an Alvar woman with a long braid. "Oh, hi! My name's Shard. Don't worry about the screaming, I'm just REALLY EXCITED!"

And just like that, he was back in the mania, bouncing on his heels and grinning ear to ear. "I mean, just think! We're here, in this school, about to learn about magic an' adventuring an' battle an' all sorts of adventurer stuff and we're gonna go on missions and stuff and this is so awesome I CAN'T STAY CAAAAAALM!"

He paused, seemingly frozen in time for a moment, before looking back at Verona. "You get all that?"

Meridia

A large, robed figure made her way to the gate. Size-wise, she stood at an awkward middle ground. Larger than a human or Alvar but smaller than a Bogovi or Fenrir, though her actual build and race was obscured by her flowing robes and wrappings. Which probably weren't necessary now that she was out of the desert, but it was what she was used to.

As Meridia lingered at the table where the Terran woman sat, she regarded the school with resignation. She supposed this was what a school that was actually viable to her budget would look like. She let out a quiet sigh. It was a step up from the wilderness she grew up in to be sure, but part of her was hoping for something like the buildings in the Cardinal Districts back in Iaia.

She took a flyer from the stack and stopped to study the map. Commiting the layout of the school to memory would be vital in the event of a fire, earthquake, or other disaster.

Verona nodded once, smiling at the enthusiasm and beginning to feel swept up in it as well. She began counting off on her fingers.

“Loud and clear! Magic, adventuring, battle, adventurer stuff, missions, awesome. Got it. Totally agree!”

She absentmindedly scratched at her neck, looking into the middle distance for a moment, then abruptly leaned down into Shard’s space conspiratorially.

“But just between you and me, I think I might skip out on the whole ‘learning magic’ thing.”

Sieglinde von Brandt

“Ooh, I dunno... exploring a cave sounds cool...~!” Sigi's eyes widened with excitement at the mere thought of it, and she barely remembered to return Freana's handshake after realising she'd even made the gesture in the first place. She visibly blushed and looked down at the ground upon registering the ‘cute’ comment, toeing the ground a moment before coughing slightly into her fist and shrugging her shoulders lightly.

“Just... here to learn, I guess~! Better than being... off with the fairies, most of the time...! Who knows, maybe I will be a dragon-slayer~! ‘Sieglinde von Brandt, brave adventurer’!” she spoke dramatically, before giggling behind her hand and letting her gaze wander again. Other folks were getting chatty too, so she didn't feel too weird in doing so with Freana.

Then again, she'd taken being knocked over surprisingly well. Maybe they were both weird anyways.

Edited by Enirboreh on Sep 12th 2020 at 2:47:34 PM

Freana

Aww! She was blushing! That just made her even cuter!

"Hey, you do you! Whatever makes you happy. Me, well, I guess slaying a dragon would be pretty damn cool. But I can take or leave it. I guess I'm here to make something of myself, ya know?"

Did she want to, though? She hadn't given much thought to any sort of longterm goals. Even when Osgol gave her his recommendation, it wasn't like she had a choice. Like, okay, she did have a choice. Sure, going to prison was an awful choice, but it was still a choice.

But if it weren't for him, she'd probably be stuck on the streets. Stealing purses, robbing mansions, even panhandling if she had to. Living from day to day. Never giving thought to anything beyond today because she couldn't afford to.

Even living in the lap of luxury the last few months wasn't enough to change that.

Besides. The last thing she wanted was to go soft. If she stayed any longer with Osgol, she might end up becoming the very thing she hated.

At least being an adventurer wouldn't be so preppy.

Edited by kkhohoho on Sep 12th 2020 at 9:44:51 AM

Ainsworth International Adventuring Academy Grounds

"Well, I think that's the last of them, and it's about time old Alex got the ball on the roll."

The sound of ruffling papers being picked up and the soft clack of wood hitting wood marked the announcement of the old Terran woman locking the gate behind the last of the students to enter. Bundle of flyers in one hand, old walking stick in the other, the wrinkly old lady making her way up the path to the Academy proper. Any student unfortunate enough to be in her path would receive a light tap on the shins with the walking stick.

"Alright, that's quite enough dilly-dallying. The headmaster is going to start his speech soon, so kindly make your way to the assembly hall. You don't want to be late on the first day."

Despite the sweet yet stern voice, there was a sort of edge to her words, and a feeling that any sass would go very poorly for the back-sasser. That walking stick was pretty threatening. But it seemed as if most of the stragglers were making their way to the hall already, seeing the serene warpath headed towards them.

Assembly Hall

Once again, the hall was a modest affair, simply some wooden chairs in front of a small stage with a podium to the one side. Off on one of the walls was a bulletin board, the same kind as was found in several of the larger corridors and in the foyer for those that had explored the building. There was nothing on them yet, barring class lists and some schedules. Not that there was time for that now. Enter stage right, an Alvar man with a head of faded crimson hair, clean shaven. It was hard to tell with their race, but he seemed to be a man nearing his 50s, late 40s. As for his attire, it was standard Terraforman formal wear. A draped, flowing clay-red toga, and fine wooden sandals. Circled around his head, a stone circlet inlaid with quartz of all shades and colours. What murmur didn't die down at his entrance was soon quelled at him clearing his throat with a loud "Ah-hm!". With the last hums of conversation vanishing, he gave one sweeping look across the small crowd gathered in front of him, before throwing his arms out with a smile.

"Ah! Welcome, welcome, students and faculty alike! It brings me great joy to see that so many have decided to attend my humble institution." His voice, despite his clear age, did sound somewhat younger than one would expect, but it had a warmth that matched his hair. He lowered his arms, but his face's happiness went undiminished.

"But I get ahead of myself. I am Headmaster Alexander Ainsworth, eponymous founder of this new academy. Oratory skill was not a practice I developed much in my life, so please do forgive any lack of words I may have in this speech. My talents lay elsewhere, as do yours, and I'm sure you all aren't attending to listen to an old man bore you to death on the first day. But I digress again, so on with the speech."

A soft thud as hands rested on the podium, another clearing of the throat, face tightening into a more serious visage.

"Adventurers are a profession many have come to know, a word almost synonymous with 'hero'. This is...perhaps true, depending on one's definition. Adventurers are certainly more of a boon to the common people than a bane, but I believe the word hero more aptly fits someone who is virtuous and selfless. Traits not necessarily found in an adventurer. For many these days, adventuring is a job like any other, a means to get by with the benefit of doing what work you choose, an employer you choose, although some may choose you. For others, it's the thrill of travel and adrenaline in wandering the lands and taking on exciting prospects. And for many, yes, they do it for the self-satisfaction of helping others. All these people are potential adventurers, much like you all here before me. Regardless of motive, I hope you all find your path here."

A brief pause to let the words sink in, the headmaster surveying the crowd. A few errant whispers echoed in the silence, nothings in the wind, before the headmaster coughed politely again.

"Now, forgive me for digressing yet again, but I wish to tell you all why I decided to start this venture. A year or so back, I was a wealthy Terraforman merchant. Much like any person, I asked after the services of adventurers quite often, for all a manner of jobs that I needed done that I could not personally attend to. Often, these adventurers were newly graduated from some academy or other. They had the skills taught to them in a book, but little in the way of worldly wisdom that comes with experience. And then I thought to myself: 'Alexander, you old bat, if you're going to complain about the lack of quality adventurers these days, why not do something about it?'. Now perhaps the old style of adventurers who did not necessarily have a formal education but rather the teachings of experience were not much better. That is an debate for another time and another day. But in the world of trade, when one sees a gap, an opportunity, you must grasp it. It will not come to you. So I called in a few favours to some adventuring and academic friends of mine, got the money together, and decided to buy this humble plot of land and start my own academy. One where classroom learning and job experience go hand in hand. To create a new generation of adventurer with the academic knowledge of the new and the seasoned savvy of the old. A generation with foundation built beneath their feet, and fire etched in their souls."

"So I offer a fair warning, which you all will most probably guess the contents of by the flyers around Menagerie. You will be engaging in practical work, the likes that adventurers deal with in their lives. Every week, and perhaps even daily, you will find bounties on the boards scattered throughout the Academy. And in this line of work, danger is not only a concern but expected. We may try to keep things within your skill level, but we cannot guarantee your safety out and about doing the work itself. Experience does not come through a book, nor in the controlled environment of a classroom. No, an adventurer relies on the harsh lessons of the world, the trials by fire. All we can do is prepare you for them. If you came here seeking a quiet life, you have chosen the wrong career. This is my warning."

His face had darkened for a moment, gone the joy of earlier to be replaced with stern, grim words.

"Now, I should introduce those whose job it is to prepare you for the trials ahead, our humble faculty. You all may have met Mrs. Cassia Maro, our head custodian and groundskeeper. She will not be instructing you in any classes, but she is to be shown the proper respect all the same.|

The elderly Terran woman from before stood up, taking place on the stage with a bow.

"Your general combat instructor, Mrs. Maya Rothschilde. I have know Mrs Rothschilde for many years, and hope that she may impart the wisdom of her experience as an adventurer on to you all."

A half-human, half-Dragonfolk that had been sitting next to Mrs Cassia stood up, walking up to the stage and similarly giving a bow. A silvery-white reptilian tail snaked out behind her, waving back and forth in time with her hand. Patches of similarly shaded scales dotted her skin where it wasn't covered by her leather coat, a hint of a yellow midriff-exposing shirt underneath. Brown leather boots adorned her feet beneath a pair of black linen shorts, a saber sheathed on her belt. Her grin exposed the fangs one would expect of a Dragonfolk, and she had an unruly spiked mess of silvery hair. Her eyes seemed to shift colour ever so slightly, but mostly remained a deep maroon.

"You general magic instructor, Mx. Mekel Rothschilde. I believe I can append no more information to them as I did to their wife. They are similarly one of the old guard adventurers, and I hope that you find your time with them enlightening."

A Mesmer with long, flowing golden locks, covering one eye entirely, took to the stage, a teal tinge in their luminous eyes and glow. An androgynous figure wearing flowing golden robes covering their entire body, bound by a sash, and a crystal-tipped metal staff slung across their back instantly gave their status as a spellcaster. Their bow was curt, and rather than waving as Maya did, they simply nodded.

"And your wilderness and survival instructor, Mr. Wenzel Kovac. Who appears to be running late today on his trip from Iaia." There was an awkward pause, Headmaster Ainsworth biting their lip as he assessed how to continue.

"Well, I believe that marks the end of this first assembly. On the boards you will find your class lists, dorm assignments and campus rules, and there will be mandatory classes today after which the day is yours to do with as you see fit. So, to close it all off...Once again, I, Alexander Ainsworth, and on behalf of the faculty, extend you a warm welcome to Ainsworth International Adventuring Academy, and hope that you may have a fruitful year ahead here!"

Polite applause erupted as the faculty gave one last bow before taking their leave of the hall, leaving the students to sort themselves out. The hall was all abuzz with conversation once more, loud yells of despair and joy as people found their schedules and dormmates.

Shard

"Hm?" Shard tilted his head, quizzically putting a finger to his lip. "Why not?"

He didn't get an answer, though. The Terran woman from earlier was telling them to go to the assembly hall, and, well...she didn't seem like the kind of person you should cross.

So, off to the assembly hall Shard went!

Shard immediately took a seat at the front, then watched, eye shining, as an Alvar man went up to the podium. His fingers drummed on his legs, his feet tapping against the wooden floor. Omigosh omigosh omigosh omigoooooosh! Just one little speech, and then they could go adventuring!

...okay, most of that "little speech" was lost on Shard. He was too excited to pay attention to anything the headmaster was saying. Something something benefits, something something merchant, something something old bat, something something fire... Even the warnings were lost on him, as he was too caught up in his own excitement.

Also, the teacher introductions! Which he also wasn't paying much attention to. After all, he'd learn all this in his classes.

Instead, Shard was lost in fantasies of adventure. Casting magic beyond the scope of the physical realm, helping people do whatever they wanted to do, going to the edges of Menagerie...maybe even beyond Menagerie! He could go anywhere as an adventurer (though he'd prefer to avoid Saorant), do anything. This was going to be awesome!

"...extend you a warm welcome to Ainsworth International Adventuring Academy—" Oh, the speech was almost over. "—and hope that you may have a fruitful year ahead here!"

"YEAH!" Shard cheered, jumping up from his seat and pumping his fist into the air. He eagerly looked around, waiting for people to join him.

No one did.

Slowly, awkwardly, Shard lowered his arm and sat back down.

...I suddenly really hope I'm not rooming with any of these people.

Sieglinde von Brandt

To Sigi's credit, she did try and concentrate for once. But she was... Sigi, so of course she ended up tuning out despite her efforts. Blah blah blah... adventurers... blah blah... danger, death, skill level (she almost snorted at that part). Yada yada yada, check the boards, dormmates...

Dormmates?

She fidgeted anxiously in her seat once the introduction had ended, forgetting she was sitting cross-legged and ending up dropping onto the floor with a dull thwump and a quiet ‘ow’ as a result. She soon untangled her legs and stood up, however, and began to carefully approach one of the boards— wanting to check who she was rooming with. Only for Shard's loud cheer to startle her, and she snapped her head around to look at him.

...O... kay. Back to the board.

She slowly turned to look back at it again, and soon found herself getting lost in thought once more as she read. Before she knew it she was humming distractedly, and probably getting in the way. She'd definitely reread the board ten times over by this point.

Assembly Hall

Pick had taken a seat at the front, and listened to the speech without so much as fidgeting in his seat. His face, as always, remained neutral. Even as his eyes locked on to the Mesmer staff member, and remained there for the remainder of the speech.

He had known there were other members of his kind who'd left the Riftlands. But this was his first time seeing another Mesmer in person. It brought questions to the forefront of his mind, questions that he wasn't sure if he wanted answering. Questions of what he truly was, and why he had come here.

At the conclusion of the speech, he fortunately found something else to focus on; namely, the cheering man beside him. Pick turned to the one-eyed man, tilting his head slightly.

"What is the purpose of your shouting?" Pick asked, genuinely confused. "Surely the faculty are already aware of your gratefulness to be here from your presence alone."

Edited by kagescorpionakki on Sep 13th 2020 at 5:31:21 AM

Freana

Freana had nearly dozed off during Mr.Whatzzissname's speech after the first couple paragraphs. Like, he was a nice enough guy, and it was in her best interest to learn as much about this place as she could.

But he just kept going and going and going!

Freana finally sat up at the end, coming to just in time to hear about the boards.

Well, she figured she should at least find out where she's sleeping. Not that she couldn't sleep on the grass or something. Wouldn't be the first time.

But living with Osgol had given her the smallest taste for the finer things in life. And she wasn't so keen on completely giving that up.

For now, she hopped out of her seat, bounding towards the board before crouching down and squinting to get a better look at it. Even after living with Osgol, she wasn't very literate, but she knew enough to make it out with some practice. She held out one long claw, tracing the words as she read them aloud.

"Let's see here. S... Si... Sigi..."

...Sieglinde.

Sieglinde Von Brandt.

And her name was right under it.

...if she still believed in the Gods, clearly they were blessing her.

Especially since Sig had wandered right over to her while she was reading it.

"Oh, hey, Sig! Surprised you're still standing after that snoozefest. Guess we'll be dormies, huh?"

Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad after all.

Edited by kkhohoho on Sep 13th 2020 at 4:34:55 AM

Verona

Aaand, there he goes. Verona looked toward the assembly hall for a moment, swallowing down a sudden apprehension at the largest gathering of people her own age she had ever seen. Then a sharp rap on her shins from that surprisingly scary Terran brought to her senses, and she darted into the auditorium lest she wind up with a bruised shin.

In all Verona’s life, she had never paid attention to a lecture from an instructor, but there was a first time for anything, and besides, these people far outclassed the neighbors with slight combat history that her parents had tried to foist her on before. She was glued to the Headmasters words, though upon seeing the Mesmer that would be her magic instructor she was torn between shrinking into her seat in hopes he wouldn’t identify her as a student and gawking. A Mesmer! In the flesh!

Admittedly she was distracted enough by the Mesmer that she didn’t really listen to the parting words of the speech, but she snapped back to focus at the talk of schedules and dormmates. Well, that seems important. Verona needed a game plan, and information gathering was the first step in any good scheme. She bolted from her chair as soon as the speech concluded, getting caught up in the suddenly-in-motion crowd for a moment before finally breaking free with a tossed out apology.

There, the bulletin board! There was already a Fenrir standing close by to a strangely short Alvar in front of the board, but Verona was single minded. She shoved between the two of them with a muttered “excuse me!” and set about scanning the board for everything that seemed important.

Edited by furnacedoor on Sep 13th 2020 at 2:42:46 AM

Sieglinde von Brandt

“H-Huh? Oh... oh! Yeah, sure~! Sorry, I didn't notice...” Sieglinde admitted in an awkward tone, giggling nervously towards Freana as she scratched the back of her head. Indoors she seemed somehow even bigger than before, so she was feeling a lot shyer than she would've. “So we'll be dormies~? Hope I don't annoy ya too much...~!”

She grunted a little with surprise upon being pushed aside, but didn't seem too affected. Rather she looked at the stranger with all the curiosity of a child, noting her Alvar stature and ears and smiling a little to herself.

“D'you have a name at least? If you're gonna push by I'd want something to say sorry with for getting in the way. I do that a lot...” Sigi admitted to Verona, having the decency to look a little sheepish while doing so.

Freana

"Hey, no worries, I—"

Before Freana could go any further, some other Alvar butted in and rained on her parade. She didn't look that bad. Not quite as cute as Sig, but still pretty.

But forcing her way in and shoving them aside without barely much as a 'by your leave?'

That was a no-no.

She looked towards Sieg, towering over both her and the other Alvar with ease. "Hey, don't apologise so much! Besides. It's not like you did anything wrong, did ya?"

And with that, her gaze was locked firmly on the Alvar that had so rudely butted in.

"You on the other hand, not so much. Got somethin' you wanna say?"

Edited by kkhohoho on Sep 13th 2020 at 5:24:14 AM

Verona

Verona glanced at the other Alvar with a faint, distracted smile, then back at the board for a moment before registering the displeased-looking Fenrir now towering over her. After a moment, Verona deliberately shifted so that the short Alvar was between herself and the present threat to her wellbeing. Only then did she reluctantly tear her gaze away from the papers on the bulletin.

“Er, I said ‘excuse me.’ Just wanted to, you know, get my schedule. Unless that’s not allowed.”

She raised her eyebrows challengingly at the Fenrir before glancing at the Alvar in front of her and visibly relaxing from her defensive stance.

“No need to apologize! I’m Verona. Are you from Vandia, if you don’t mind me asking? Never seen an Alvar so small.”