Realistic or Modern Riverview Academy

[Vitorix]

-- Headmaster Niaghril --


--- Location: Amphitheater Stage ---


The Headmaster waited patiently for all of the students to filter in through the large oak doors, tediously taking their time. They had all the time in the world to interact with one another after the welcoming ceremony. He grumbled something under his breath and scanned the crowd for all the teachers, silently wondering where Vanessa and Petra were. He distastefully clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, arms folding elegantly across his chest. He glanced towards the large clock towards the back of the room, checking the time habitually. He needed to start soon. The man heaved a large sigh and scanned the crowd once more with wise old eyes. He lifted his withered hands in a way to silence the crowd, surprised suddenly by how little time it took for everyone to cease their conversations.


"Welcome!" his voice boomed through the room. "To Riverview Academy!" The soft cheers were pleasing sound that came from the many students in the crowd. He chuckled and waited for them to calm down and allow their voices to fade out.


"I would like to start off with a little introduction to Riverview and how things work around here and then we can get down to what you all want to hear -- DNA testing and attaining partners. Riverview Academy is a school for the gifted children from the age 12-19, branching off from the Order of the Red Hood in hopes of preparing qualified youth for a life of service in the Order. It typically houses those possessing supernatural abilities that normal humans -- or as we call them, "mundanes" -- can only theorize about, but there is the occasional average human that catches the Academy's eye through their exceptional talents that may be considered beneficial or an asset to Riverview.


This, clearly, if you look around at the students surrounding you... is no ordinary school where you learn about conventional subjects that mundanes would study. You, the students of Riverview, are taught about your abilities, how to control them, and how to use them against crime and nightmarish adversaries through a selection of unique courses."


He looked for the other professors, grinning broadly. Now was for the meet and greet.


"This year, we have a shiny new teaching staff for your benefit. I'd like to first introduce you to a very crucial individual to this school - Quinn Thorn, an aspiring scientist who will be doing your testing. Doctor Quinn, please stand."


-- Vanessa Chernikova --


--- Location: Hallway outside of the Amphitheater ---


Vanessa continued her rebellious behavior by refusing to move into the amphitheater, well aware of what was waiting for her behind the oak doors. She had listened to this lecture for multiple years in a row. The speech was always remotely the same. Despite how many times Vanessa had urged her grandfather to alter the speech, he stuck his nose up. He chirped something like 'it's good quality'. The girl wrinkled her nose in a fashion of immaturity and leaned back further on the bench, the marble wall behind her allowing the cold to seep through her thin shirt and nip at her flesh. She rued the thought of having to stand while being introduced but knew the headmaster would be displeased if she didn't show. What was taking a little longer going to do? Ruffle his whiskers, most likely. So the young girl awaited feverishly, mentally attempting to calm herself in the silent hall.

 

[Dyril Glitch]

--Kayla Marie Heartsilver--


--The Amphitheater--


--Interacting with: Bonnie Gold; @wirt--


Shyly, she nodded when Bonnie asked if she was okay. She was fine, the pain was starting to disappear anyway. When she heard Bonnie tell her it's nothing to worry about, she said quietly, "It just gives the bullies another reason to pick on me..." Shaking her head, trying to shrug off bad thoughts about her life and bullies and all things that could go wrong, she started to follow Bonnie rather calmly, trying to stop being so shy.


Shyness came natural to her, yet, somehow, it seemed to bother beople because she would always run away after having a very short conversation with them. Yet, she trusted Bonnie. She was the only person Kayla could trust at all. She felt safe near Bonnie, as if she didn't need to be afraid. But there wasn't anything that could rid of her shy state. Sighing, and trying not to show she was thinking of bad thoughts, she walked over to the seats Bonnie found and sat down.


Keeping a hold of her arm, just in case she broke it, she made sure she didn't bump it into anything for risking making it worse. She looked at Bonnie, smiled sheepishly, her lips curving perfectly, then looked at the stage, wondering what was gonna happen.

 

[SkyFilms]

-- Hamish Illegilus --


---Location: Amphitheater---


It was troublesome finding a seat for both himself and Scarlet, as he saw her as a hopefully new companion who wouldn't turn out to be a temporary friend. His fingers still positioned against the front of his body where he held up Lucky as she laid against him within her current quarters. All of his weight had been pressed onto the tips of his shoes at unplanned moments as he would attempt to give himself a inch or two of extra height, as if it would make the task of staring over the heads of other students any easier, or even their shoulders would make it easier. But alas his height had proven to be yet another normal obstacle for the small boy, but he continued on stating different apologies to those he would occasionally bump into as he scampered around like a frightened deer. Hamishes voice even rising to an exceptionally high pitch and volume to another victim of his inconsiderate steps just after apologizing to a girl he had skimmed the shoulder of with the use of his backpack.


Though the person he had bumped into had obviously been much older and most certainly capable of crushing him with a single punch. When the frightening brunette had turned around it felt as if the already tiny Hamish shrunk, the Scottie rising his shoulders and lowering his head into the neck of the aviator jacket he wore, gradually leaning back as far as he dared. The upperclassman glaring at him a moment with a narrowed gaze, as if contemplating whether Hamish were his six year old cousin or if he were a girl by the pitch of his tone. But without transferring any words the visibly strong individual left towards a different section of the room. When he had moved two empty seats had been revealed to the petrified Scottish boy, to which with much overt haste Hamish frantically reached them, nearly diving into one of the seats and knocking himself into those near in an attempt to not get in any other students or staffs way before waving Scarlet over with an anxious grin just as the Headmaster had begun to speak.





--Quinn Thorn--


---Location: Amphitheater---


----Interacting With: Headmaster Niaghril @Highly Unorthodox ----





Sitting atop his chair Quinn continued to inspect each student insensitively, his eyes occasionally locking with whoever he had been staring at though he would stray his gaze at the incident, instead continuing until finding what intangible information he'd be capable of grasping before finally turning away. Every couple of moments the scientist would lazily trail his fingers from his hairline through out his whole blonde mound of hair, awaiting the drone of the Headmasters voice speaking the same uniform speech which he welcomed each class with, never changing it despite what students and occasionally staff would say. As he sat there in the uncomfortable seat he had been provided Quinn lifted his right foot and rested its ankle atop his left knee, his arms now crossed in front of his chest as he leaned backwards into the chair although the squeak which escaped it each time he pressed his back in it. Finally then, just as his right foot had begun to bob up and down with excess energy was he introduced and asked to stand, which he had done.





"I know you despise when I choose to speak at this time," Quinns arms remained crossed in front of his chest, his eyes dragging themselves over to the Headmaster as he spoke to him. "But of course they need to understand what I have come to expect over my amount of years." Quinn chose his words with great intent and thought though he didn't falter in his speech, sounding slightly bored within the situation as he purposely chose the more unique synonyms for certain words. "As Headmaster Niaghril has acknowledged I play an intricate role in each of your scholastic welfare. For many of you who I will be acquainting for the first time, many present here today can attest that I am a person who doesn't forget nor minimize first impressions." Quin paused a moment, eyes grazing the stock of students once more his skeptical expression falling upon a blonde within the crowd who seemed to be holding a rabbit or an animal of some sort, though he continued otherwise.





"Your first impression will greatly influence whether the information I may emphasize is either Positive or Negative. And with this in mind it would be fairly logical of each of you to educate yourself on what rules and protocols I've created for when you are allowed within my laboratory. As I expect each of you to pick up the paper at some point it would be only natural for me to ask questions during your personal testing period, citing evidence and occasionally quoting from the syllabus when I ask for it." Quinn released a sigh and paused again this time inspecting what reactions he could pick up, noticing a varying amount though mainly it consisted of small uncomplacent groans and jumbled whispers. "Joking, of course." The scientist then added, as he took a large intake of breath any positive emotion still unreadable within both his eyes and poise. "Yes, I believe I am. But in closing, I would like to reiterate the importance of my time with you as I beside the Headmaster will decide as both your judge and jury who you are to oppose your enemies beside and your level of importance and standard presently. Thank you."


Quinn then shared a small nod with Headmaster Niaghril, before allowing himself to return to his earlier position in his barely cushioned chair. His goal had been to intimidate at least a few of those who sat in the audience, and by some of the stares and reactions he felt a small amount of success within him.

 

[Vashet]

--Tara Bove--


--The Amphitheater, back left--


--Interacting with Ashton Aamon @Gh0st


Tara was sitting comfortably by herself, spacing out and wondering when the headmaster would start talking, when she heard the soft clank of chains. She lazily turned her head to see a tall boy, still accompanied by the two guards and shackled in chains, sliding into the same row of chairs as her. Her eyes widened ,but she turned away so she wouldn't draw attention. The boy frightened her a little, as he looked muscled and was wearing no shoes even though it was bitterly cold outside. Sneaking a glance at him she noticed he was gazing at the gnarled headmaster with a perplexed look on his face.


Her curiosity was growing by the minute. Who was this individual and why was he in chains? If he was as so dangerous as to have two guards why was he in the auditorium with all the other students? And if he was a student, then what was his power? Cold resistance perhaps? Or some sort of super strength. Unable to guess who or what he was, Tara resorted to doing the thing she hated the most. Socilizng. INerly rolling her eyes at herself, she heaved a substantial sigh and leaned over at to talk to the nameless boy.


"Hey. I'm Tara. Third year. Who're y-"


Suddenly, the lively chatter of the students ceased, and she was interrupted by the deep booming voice of the headmaster.


"Welcome! To Riverview Academy!" The Headmasters voice resonated all over the packed amphitheater, even with no microphone. He went on to discuss the basics of the school. Exhaling, Tara resigned to a few minutes of boredom, and looked lazily over the audience. Few people caught her eye, most were intent on the headmasters words, but a few were darting around in the audience,.


Suddenly, a very different intonation of voice filled her ears. She glanced up at the stage to see a frigid-looking man in his twenties, talking in a rather stony voice. He talked of the importance of first impressions, and Tara inwardly winced. She had never been good at talking to strangers, even friendly ones, which this scientist was not. She had a terrible sinking feeling that her encounter with the lecturing man would go terribly wrong, and she didn't even want to think of the implications of a bad partner.

 

[The One Called X]

--Chastity Miller--


-- Academy gates, Academy entrance, the Amphitheater --


Chastity Anne Miller was late.


This in and of itself was not an unusual occurrence- that was left entirely to pretty much every single other aspect of the situation. She was far, far from her home and family, standing before a set of massive iron gates that led to a school that looked more like a castle than an institution of learning. It looked rather like a Gothic horror novel had vomited on Hogwarts, and as far as Chastity was concerned it was all a bit overdone. The gates were especially excessive- really, did they have to be so ridiculously imposing?


The girl herself wasn't very usual, either. She was six feet tall, with long legs that had finally let go of their adolescent gracelessness. She was not curvy- she was, in fact, rather flat-chested. Her skin was hazelnut brown; and her hair was dark brown, nearly black, and very, very curly, spilling to her waist in a chaotic mass of ringlets. She'd pinned the sides back to keep it out of her face, which had the somewhat unfortunate effect of exposing a few fading acne scars. That considered, it was still an uncommonly pretty face, old-Hollywood starlet pretty, all strong bone structure and soft, feminine lines. Her eyebrows were a bit too thick for current fashion, and her lips not quite full enough, but they suited her well. Her eyes were dark brown and fringed with long, heavy lashes; and prone to giving the saddest puppy-dog look you ever did see. Her style of dress was also idiosyncratic- being as tall as she was, it was hard to find girls' pants that fit, so she tended to favor skirts. She liked the simple, elegant look, and she was presently wearing a heavy navy blue pea coat over a cream knit top, a knee-length dark gray wool skirt, and a pair of white leggings. The ensemble was completed by warm black winter boots and a rather tragically colorful wool hat.


As she continued to internally criticize the school's architecture (sharpened spikes? Really?) Chastity hefted her backpack onto her shoulder, silently thanking her uncle for having the rest of her luggage sent ahead to her dormitory. Having a Red Hood for an uncle could have its perks, she supposed, even if said uncle was more accurately described as her mother's aunt's brother-in-law's wife's son-by-her-deceased-former-husband and Chastity was still trying to process the fact that an organization called the Red Hood existed and said relative was a part of it, and that his father had in fact died in its service.


Died. As in, ceased to exist because he was in a stupid-dangerous line of work that should get any normal, non-fight-y person like Chastity killed. In fact, Chastity was probably worse off than a normal person. Normal people didn't turn into gibbering, delusional wrecks because they touched the feel of something that happened to someone else in the past.


The cobblestone path was pretty well deserted, and the tall girl could only see one or two stragglers up ahead. Just her luck, to be late to her first day of Super Secret Special School, especially given the last year of her life.


Before the empathy, Chastity had considered herself pretty lucky, or at least balanced. She didn't have a father, but she had a mother who loved her and taught her better than anyone else ever could have. She was a bit lazy, but she was also quick-minded, clever and observant. She didn't get to be around people much at all, but she had books and puzzles aplenty. The college that was snatched away after three beautiful, tantalizing months hadn't been prestigious, but it had been good, and full of friendly, interesting people. She didn't want to think about it too much, though- thoughts of college always sent a twinge of loss through her chest, made her throat tighten and her eyes sting.


As she reached the doors of the school, Chastity paused for a moment in order to properly resent it (and, if she was entirely honest, be grateful that she hadn't encountered any feels yet) before stepping inside. She stood just within the threshold to absorb the warmth, stamp the snow from her boots, and snatch the hideously bright hat from her head and stuff it into her pocket; taking a break from wallowing in her distaste for her situation to instead wallow in her distaste for the decor. There were honest-to-God torches on the walls. Yes, she decided, this was definitely Hogwarts in the throes of a difficult goth adolescence.


She had to admit that it did lend the place a certain atmosphere, though. She'd always had a keen sense for such things, even before her ability had derailed her life.


She exhaled heavily. She wouldn't be here, in this place, in this world, for very long. She just needed to learn how to turn it off, and she could go back to real life. Real life was comp-sci and math and singing songs and the honking cacophony of the geese and kneeling with the goats in quiet moments, not this mess. What use was her so-called ability, anyway? It was practically the definition of Blessed with Suck. She wasn't even sure what it could be used for- tracking? Detective work? Fat lot of good she'd be to anyone when the thing she was tracking or investigating got too strong or too depraved. There's only so much suffering one person could relive without breaking down, after all. She'd be useless in a fight- she wasn't strong and she never would be, and her ability had no influence on the world around her. She was as much good against demons and monsters as any other squishy human.


No, this would never be her life. She was visiting to learn a useful skill for her real life, and she'd be going back there the instant she was done here. Still, she thought as she headed towards the amphitheater and the echo of voices, it was a good idea to try and make some friends and learn what she could. Kindness and a bit of extra knowledge never hurt anyone, and besides, she liked it when professors liked her.


She made it into the amphitheater just as a wizened old man was yielding the stage to a younger, blond man. She did her best to listen as she scanned the room for seats, spotting an open one near two girls who seemed to be sitting together. One was honey-blond and tiny, the other was brunette and wearing a brown dress with green butterfly decals. As Chastity made her way closer, she noted that Blondie looked rather at home, open and friendly, and Butterfly Girl looked very nervous. Neither of them looked much older than fifteen, Butterfly Girl might've been even younger. Chastity flashed them a friendly smile, and carefully set down her backpack before she took a seat next to Butterfly Girl, leaning forward a little to listen to the end of the blond man's talk. To her mild surprise, he didn't seem that much different from a regular college professor- apart from the partners thing (she didn't need a partner, there was no point, she wasn't going to give her life to this curse), his diffident demeanor, and his odd way of speaking- which, frankly, seemed rather pretentious and affected to Chastity. She could handle it, she'd dealt with crotchety folk before. Most professors- and, for that matter, most people in general- eventually warmed up to the Chastity Anne combination of earnestness, eagerness, and puppy-dog eyes.


She wouldn't be here long- but as long as she had to be, she'd be damn sure to make the most of it.

 

[Gh0st]

--Ashton Grey Aamon--


--Location: Amphitheater--


--Interacting with Tara Bove-- @Vashet


A trail of smoke slithered out of the Scots mouth as he blew it out with boredom. He took another drag and the toxic fumes swiveled into him as the tip of the cigarette burned bright. Distracted by the relief of stress that the nicotine brought, he first missed that a girl, the one with the beaten Chuck Taylors, tried speaking to him. However, she was cut off by the booming voice of the Old Man (as Ash was calling him now) and this annoyed him greatly. He debated whether to ignore him and go an talk to the girl but he knew this would not be a wise choice. He very badly needed to earn the trust of the Red Hoods and that certainly would make his situation worse. So uncharacteristically, Ash remained silent.


There were only two reasons that kept Ash awake as the robotic speech went on. First, for some reason he had immense respect for the Old Man. It wasn't his title or authority. Ash didn't care for things like that. It was the look in his eyes and the way he held himself that brought respect from Ash. He could see a warrior inside the Old Man, like the one he had, so he listened on. Now, as for the lanky man, a scientist is what he appeared to be, it was a different story. He only stayed awake for his part because the Scottish boy wasn't stupid. He was well aware of the fact that if he wanted to survive here he'd need to know the rules and the people. He seemed to be someone Ash would want to know in this journey of his.


When the scientist, or "Doc" as the boy had now dubbed him, stopped speaking for a moment he saw an opportunity to talk to the boy. He turned towards her direction only to be faced by the unapproving look of one of his Red Hood guards. "How about you quit yer damn staring for a moment and move a bit so I can speak to the girl?" Ash shot at the man in a loud whisper. For several seconds he simply stared but then finally he moved his chair slightly backwards to allow him and Tara to be able to see each other. "Ey there, Chuck. I'm Ash" he hushed through his cigarette then took another drag. Already, the boy had nicknamed her "Chuck" after her shoes. It was a quirk of his, to give people nicknames, and it shined through now.

 

[Father Gigantor]

--Barnaby Yu--

--Outskirts/Academy Gates--


--Running late with Rebecca Rauchester @simj22--
​

The long walk from a mile or two down the road leading up to academy had always been Barnaby's favorite part of the back and forth journeys from Riverview Academy and his far-off homeland. Having no international flights entering the airports meant that Barnaby had to take multiple flights in order to even LEAVE China, and then take yet another international flight spanning a good 24 hours. It was always an immense relief when the walk leading towards the academy came in sight and he was finally able to get off his overused ass. The view along the way wasn't half bad either especially during winter, which blanketed the grounds around in a gargantuan undisturbed sheet of white. Every so often a cab or bus would pass him by, no doubt his fellow students headed for school as well, without the slightest clue about what they were missing trapped in those mobile metallic coccoons. He chuckled as he imagined his mother beating down on the other students for being too privelaged and lazy, he could already picture the disapproving sneer and exasperated tone. "懒惰虫，你真的是太过分了！以为我是你的奴隶啊？滚开！"


Of course, this little annual nature hike of his had the (un?)wanted side effect of making him late for the exceptionally dry entrance ceeremony held at the start of each and every year. It was pretty much an annual tradition of his to arrive late to the hall and land himself in detention each new year, but surprisingly enough he didn't seem to be quite so late this year. If he could keep up the brisk pace, he'd arrive only a few minutes late instead of the standard few hours. As tempting as the thought of taking a detour and retaining the tradition, he opted to quicken his pace for the first time in his five years at Riverview. He knew Little Miss Smokes was waiting for him at the front gates, no doubt thinking about how much of a buffoon he was, and it had begun to snow lightly overhead. The cold thin air of winter usually meant that she would look even wispier than normal, but snowfall meant that her normal face would be at least slightly visible for a short time. Not that he'd likely ever admit to it, but it was a sight he was truly looking forward to.


The usual crowd of students had thinned significantly by the time Barnaby neared the gates, much to his relief. The fact that there were still people there meant that at least this year, he wasn't nearly as late as before. "A fresh start for a fresh year maybe? Eh, better not count those chickens just yet." Most of the crowd seemed to consist of upperclassmen, the freshmen were probably in the hall by now no doubt wetting themselves in anticipation. They were gathered in their various cliques and groups, chatting animatedly about superfluous things no doubt. But as scornful as he tried to make himself seem, Barnaby knew deep down he was really more envious than anything else. He didn't really belong to one main circle of friends, drifting between individuals like an indecisve widow in a all-male bar. Outside of a few friends, life at Riverview so far had been rather lonesome.


It wasn't really time to begin waxing poetic and regretting life choices however, he knew he had to hurry and find the other half of the Smoke and Mirrors duo, lest he incur her wrath. He sped up his pace and crossed the looming entrance gates and into the school grounds, scanning the area for his compatriot. It didn't exactly take long to spot her, grey hoodies tended to blend into crowds well, but not when the hoodie had a glaringly white mask in place of where the human face was normally positioned. He gave her a small wave in an attempt to get her attention, followed by a small yell. She had already been facing his general direction when he noticed her, but the damned mask meant that he could never tell exactly what she was looking at.


"Oy! Rauch! I'm over here, I'll be over there in a PUFF! "

 

[The Empress of Ice]

-- Petra Von Eisenschmidt --


--- Location: Office ---


Red.


Petra had always despised that colour. And yet she could not keep away from it. The chair behind her large oak desk was a brownish red, as well as the two recliners on the other side. It had a weird contrast with the stunning black of the walls and the bright red door was blinding. The door that had her initials etched into, the white letters enticing. Another thing, was that she always had the lights dimmed, making the room feel eerie. She liked eerie. The unworthy students stayed away, she had the honour of planning out their demise and it brang her a joy. Sinister? Mayhaps. Her partner always used to call her the sadist of Riverview. She liked that.


She liked quiet mornings filled with a pounding headache to be soothed by some ’medicine’. The nights were to be spent in some pub downtown, with nasty whisky, - you know that new shit that bartenders think is the bomb,- and company was to be found… Well, certain company was to be found.


But silence never lasts long and with a sigh, the old bat of a lady put the fine glass of Bourbon down, taking one last long glance out of the oval windows she had been staring out of. New students would come in today, old ones would return and she had to go pick him up, the brat.


Mini-Auru was perhaps, just perhaps, her favourite student so far, at least among the new kids. She remembered being told once that contacts never get you anywhere. Lies. Contacts could make or break you, they could save you at crucial times and sometimes they could be your downfall. It was enough with having one contact, to be honest. One with lots of power. Or many contacts themselves.


A person like Petra.


Yes, Ilay was a lucky kid indeed, and he realized that a long time ago.


-- Ilay Aurelius --


--- Interacting with: P.VE. and Vanessa Chernikova @Highly Unorthodox ---


--- Location: School Gates -> Amphitheather ---


The breeze was strong, carrying with it long and short skirts, several hands trying to keep them in place as it snowed and a soft cold embraced the girls walking on the road to the gates. A single leaf flew with the breeze, nearly withered down completely yet it held onto life. And yet life didn't give it a chance as it broke into pieces and turned invisible, blending in with the dark forest. Ilay never understood things like that. But at the same time he knew it all too well, that the world wasn't fair and that those that tried to keep the balance always lost.





Always.


You see, just because the hero in the comic book magically turns strong in the last second, due to his will power, - ridicolous, - in real life, that hero dies. Horribly. For Ilay, it made Superman man seem... Weak. And as he threw the book to the other side of the backseat, he looked out of the window to be met with what he would consider a wonderful sight. Others? Not very much. A black haze seemed to be following behind the car, red eyes flaming behind the hood of the robe that flowed endlessly on. A few gasps could be heard once in awhile, but only so because of the haze's sudden appearance; Riverview students tended to make most things seem alright, ordinary even.


The taxi came to a sudden stop, the old grizzly bear of a chauffeur turning around with a beard-hidden grin, "I'll see' ya 'round bud," The southern accent made Ilay cringe as he nodded, throwing a few dollars on the passenger seat before leaving. Georgy knew not to touch him. One of the few, actually. Swiftly shrugging his bag onto his shoulder, Ilay let himself out and with that, Georgy and his taxi were gone. Poofed right into the air.


The haze, however, did not follow and instead the strange being came to a stop, now only waves of black clothing, the red eyes disappearing as well. The robe was so big that it seemed to gulp down whatever was in it, even if the wearer was tall themselves. Feminine hands peeked out of the end of the arms that gathered around the elbows, revealing blue silk. Gown-material, without doubt. The hood followed, and at the sight of his mother, a shadow of a smile graced his face. His lips didn't even twitch, but it was there, if you looked hard enough.


Who could blame him? Not the fools standing around the gates at least, their eyes wide. Nadia Ekaitz-Aurelius was a woman with doll-like beauty, her pale skin accented with a soft rosy blush, darkened by the drop of temperature lately. Of what little of her hair one could see, as it fell backwards underneath the robe, it seemed straight. The light blonde hair not quite platinun, framed her face at the front and her pale pink lips had a real smile, compared to her son's.





She crouched down, put a hand on the side of his face and brushed a tendril of a lock behind his ears. "Be good." Her violet eyes, the ones that she shared with her precious, were soft.


And then she was also gone, taken with the wind. Ilay thought he could hear a murmur of sweet nothings for a moment before another face popped infront of him. Half of it was masked. The other half had a glaring blue eye. "A bit late, no?"


"Come on, I actually work here so I get shit for not attending that unnecessary speech." Petra murmured, walking past Ilay, expecting him to follow her. She always had to take a step back, when meeting Ilay. Kid was weird.


-


The Amphitheater entryway was wide, like a gaping hole ready to swallow Ilay and Petra, and whoever the hell was standing there in the hall with them. Professor Von Eisenschmidt raised her eyebrow at the sight. She knew punks these days actually skipped the speeches at times but never had the fools stood right outside the door. Unless...


The female chuckled, amusement laced all over her words, "Chernikova. Embarrased? Oh my, this is interesting."


If that had been anyone else, Ilay wouldn't have given, to be plain, two fucks. But Vanessa.... Vanessa was, well, she was the closest thing he had to a friend and if he let himself feel, he was sure that he'd feel some sort of friendly love for the older girl. The board was around his neck within seconds. He wanted to talk, if possible. The day was bound to be boring.


At the back of her mind, Petra thought of the ways to approach Quinn, to reassure the testings for Ilay. Otherwise, they could be in trouble.

 

[Vitorix]

--Headmaster Niaghril--


--- Location: Amphitheater ---


Niaghril beamed at the scientist, dipping his head in a form of approval to the little lecture he gave. Ichor impatiently circled his feet and weaved between his legs. She knew Vanessa wasn't showing or around. This made the headmaster step awkwardly from one foot to the other, adjusting to different standing positions in his old age. The man checked his watch and then continued to introduce the teachers.


"Professor James Jayfeather is your new professor for History of Paranormal class, which each of you will be taking this year." This was an indication for the professor to stand. The students needed to know who he was. He waited until the professor stood before continuing.


"Professor Nikolai Hofstrom has been appointed as the new Supernatural Studies professor," and a pause for the professor to stand.


"Professor Petra Eisenschmidt will be teaching you combat this year."


-- Vanessa Chernikova --


--- Location: Heading into the Amphitheater ---


Vanessa instantly stood for her spot on the bench and smiled at Ilay, the boy bringing a familiar comfort to the girl. She was worried that maybe he wasn't going to show up. Vanessa had a special bond with the boy and could feel his presence within the school. She had known he was stepping into the door and was up to greet him before he noticed her. The new professor surprised her.


"Hardly, Professor Eisenschmidt. I naturally look flustered. I just don't want to stand out in a crowd." The girl begun to walk with them into the amphitheater, trailing in the rear. The first professor's name was being called by the time she guided Ilay to a seat where he could be beside her. The next professors name came and she felt her stomach drop to the ground. She was coming up soon. Vanessa feverishly twiddled her thumbs in her lap, gazing sidelong at Ilay. Petra's name was called. She nearly wanted to puke. She was next. She waited for the headmaster to call her name while other students listened, unaware of her internal conflict.

 

[simj26]

--Rebecca Rauchester--

--Academy Grounds, Chilling, Maxing, Relaxing, All Cool With Barnaby Yu @Father Gigantor --​

If her sense of time was accurate, and not skewed like her physical form, the assembly would be at the point where the niceties were being handed out. She never was good at keeping still for those. She never was good at keeping still at all, actually. People, she noticed, tended to have a lot of trivialities and useless traditions they wanted fulfilled in a successive order. Was that what made them human? Something to do that made them feel like an actual, functioning and thinking human being? Well, the term 'human being' wasn't exactly a term she'd give these particular crowd. 'High-functioning animals' was closer. Of course, she couldn't very well call herself human either. Whoever heard of a human with such perfect porcelain skin for a face anyway? She shrugged and laughed at her own sarcastic joke outwardly to no one in particular, the hollow cackle ringing through the near-empty school grounds, now that near every one of those high-functioning animals have hurried to the amphitheatre for the most interesting lecture of their lives. That, of course, left one other high-functioning animal whom, to tell the truth, she had no problem with waiting for his arrival. In fact, the later he arrived, the better. She was in the kind of mood where she hadn't an iota of interest in anything else but her own entertainment.


Of course, her entertainment included the Asian high-functioning animal approaching the gates now. For some immensely inexplicable reason, Barnaby Yu didn't irritate her at all. She found his company almost...soothing. All the other red-nosed reindeers tended to brush her up the wrong way, one way or another, and retaliated by making fun of them and the little chinks in their ego's armor. She couldn't stand being in their company for at least five minutes. Not Yu. Especially not him. She dared to even say she 'liked' his company. Enjoyed it, even. He was stupid in some ways, like his attempt to curry favour with the crowd with his 'cool' act, but it was strangely...endearing. He felt genuine, real, whenever he performed his little antics. She wasn’t entirely sure about what exactly she liked about it. It just mattered that she enjoyed his presence. He waved to her and called her name, as if she were blind, or mentally incapable of recognising a faceof one so familiar and cherished by her. He might have made an extremely tasteless pun too. Tasteless as it was, she couldn’t actually take it as one at all. She returned his gesture with a mocking salute.


“Hhhahhh. It’s a li...ttle too earlly for your arrival. D...on’t you usualllly get here, like…” She raised her arm as if to glance at a watch on her non-existent wrist, “a d...ecade or two?” Rebecca turned slightly, as if to indicate the school’s entrance with her mask’s eyes, and gave a derisive cough that sounded more like a forced exhalation. “I wwwouldn’t have minded if you did, act...ually. It only gets mmmore boring every….year.” She paused for a long while, her mask’s face directed towards the ground, an indication that she was thinking, or doing some pondering of the sort. “C...an we just stay outside, Barns? I’m not mmmeant for packed places annnyway, hhhhaaahhh hhaaaahhh.” She laughed her laugh of hollow self-depreciation, but for some reason, the sound that came out sounded a little more empty than it already was.