Afterlife

[the8bitMoon]

Character: Manon
Location: Auditorium
Interacting With: Nina @Cotton
Mentioned: N/A​

Manon

Manon couldn't help but notice what the girl, Nina, was drawing. "Oh! You're making a map as well! I've already got one in my notebook, actually. There might be some places that you haven't seen yet so maybe we should compare…?" She trailed off at the end. Nina's curt responses were making her a little nervous to continue the conversation.

She flipped through her own notes, a little embarrassed at how messy they were compared to the other girl's. Half-sentences and single words and phrases littered the first few pages. They really weren't organized in any sensible way, being just what Manon felt was important to write down at the time. Even her map was far from the neat diagram that Nina had drawn since it was just what she had remembered to draw as she found the Auditorium. "Um… only if you want to, ya know?"

* * *​

Character: Halian
Location: Dorm and Courtyard
Interacting With: Amalie @MaryGoldRound and Spider
Mentioned: New students, potential roommate.​

Halian

The Universe had decided. Halian would sleep in that day. He wouldn't set his alarm like he was supposed to. He would wake up far later than a mentor ought. "Well, better late than never!" He got dressed, throwing on a loose, soft shirt and fitted black pants. He spent a little too long in the mirror fixing his hair and setting just the right jewels in place. By the time he was done choosing his various rings, beads, and other miscellaneous trinkets he glittered rather like an iridescent beetle. "This has some good spiritual energy. A good aura for a new semester." His bad habit of speaking aloud caught him again, and he chuckled to himself. "Oh well, there's no real harm in it, I suppose." His soft accented voice dissolved into the empty dorm room. "It seems I have no roommate again this semester. Or perhaps they are just particularly neat and went on ahead?" In any case, it was high time he left the dorms and met the new students. Being a mentor was sure to be fun.

To his slight disappointment, the first person he ran into wasn't a new student at all, but another mentor. He had followed his usual path to the cafeteria and taken a detour through the courtyard when he noticed Amy. "Good morn--" he started to call out. But he was cut short by a sudden, piercing shriek.

"AHHHH, SOMEONE HELP!"

He ran over to see what the crisis was, only to discover it was nothing but a tiny spider. "Did this young lady frighten you? I promise you she means no harm." His lips turned up in a gentle smile as he took the spider into his hand. After safely returning it to a planter on the opposite side of the courtyard he returned to Amalie. "I hope she didn't frighten you too badly, dropping down like that. I suppose it would have even surprised me a little."

 

[TragicTrees]

Character: Darwin Jennings
Location: Cafeteria
Interacting With: Demoko Porter @Luna_Gillian
Mentioned: U
​

Darwin Jennings

DJ wanted to laugh. U? Old? Hardly. Someone who looked like that guy couldn't be TOO old, right? In his opinion, at least. He wanted to laugh more when the kid- Demoko, he was pretty sure, his memory was shitty(hah) -asked if he had a white band. Okay, but really, he had to stifle a few chuckles behind his hand, and it wasn't because the question was one with an obvious answer. Actually, the opposite.

"The white bands? You're asking if I have one of those?" He said, sitting on a table top with a grin and setting his plate off to the side "Well, technically I do. I do have one. But...well, this is between you and I, it's sitting at the bottom of a desk drawer right now. Took it off half way into the year, after doing a little research on how to alter it juuust right and to take out the tracking chip so they wouldn't notice what I did. And they haven't yet, so I'd say I'm golden." He shrugged a bit, kicking his feet "It felt uncomfortable. Really annoying to sleep with."​

 

[Luna_Gillian]

Character: Demoko Porter
Location: Cafeteria
Interacting With: Darwin Jennings
Mentioned: Darwin Jennings, U

​

"Holy shit, seriously?" Demoko felt like a little kid admiring the teenagers who smoked their dad's cigarettes outside of an arcade. Or rather, his dad's cigarettes, and he was the kid smoking them. Could only assume the kids watching him felt this excited.

He leaned against the counter, feeling rather savage as he took noodles by his fingers and slurped them down. Somehow, without his parents, it did seem rather refreshing. "Just took it off? I mean, hey, I won't tell or nothin' but does that mean you don't get any warnings if you get sick?"

He remembered U's explanation, vaguely as he had been chatting a bit and distracted by others as well, but he certainly mentioned something about the band checking your health and all of that. I'm going to end up invading this guy's privacy, we just met, but man he looks healthy to me... no way he's sick. Maybe I'm not even sick?

His doubts made him go quiet for a moment, he stuffed his face as an excuse to gather his thoughts without talking. Still, the food was good, warm, and as far as he cared free.

"Ugh oh man," Demoko realized as he swallowed his meal, "I have to sleep with it on... and shower with it too, will probably get all gross and slimy. This thing is gonna stink by a year—if that's how long I'm expected to be here..."

 

[TragicTrees]

Character: Darwin Jennings
Location: Cafeteria
Interacting With: Demoko Porter @Luna_Gillian
Mentioned: U
​

Darwin Jennings

The question caused DJ to pause for a moment, before he shook his head "No. If I get sick, I won't get any alerts, or have the little LED lights in the band flash red. I'll get no warning." He admitted, though, unlike his other answers, he seemed to be less carefree as he spoke "Which is why I'm going to suggest that you don't take it off. It's hard to take it off anyway, but don't even try, or try to enlist my help for it. Like, yea, it's totally going to get slimy, but...." Another pause, and then another shrug "I've seen what the sickness can do, and that was to the kids with the bands."

Then, he smiled once more "Annnnd I wouldn't expect to be outta here in a year. Seriously. I knew one guy who's been in here for two. His name's Juniper, huge stickler for rules. Not an asshole, though, thank god- but he started in this place the first year it was up and running, apparently, so if you wanna know the deep, dark secrets of the place, you could PROBABLY manage to weasel something outta him." He laid back on the table, placing his arms behind his head "I got something out of him once. Not deep and dark, though. But hey, it's benefited me, so if you get something out of him, it might help you too. Oh! And if you want completely straight, no-bullshit answers from someone in a position of authority, pester Daisy. She gives them out."​

 

[Luna_Gillian]

Character: Demoko Porter
Location: Cafeteria
Interacting With: Darwin Jennings
Mentioned: Darwin Jennings, U

That doesn't sound good. So there was a sickness, Demoko seemed to trust his words more than U's. Why? He wasn't sure. Maybe DJ had some sort of flair and "totally rad" vibe that spoke to people like Demoko. Maybe DJ was just a good speaker... Or maybe he was just next to food. Probably that. Most certainly. Definitely. Maybe I'll suggest U to feed the new students or, uh, patients I guess next time.

"Whoa, I guess I better get comfortable then. Years here? I better get ready for Secret Santa and Saint Patrick's Day." he spoke in jest. Demoko expected homesickness to seep in, miss his mom and dad and friends, but what was there to be sick about? He couldn't remember exactly why he'd been sent here, other than a vague illness, but going home didn't feel like an option either. Religious imagery on the walls popped into his mind, his parents questioning his lifestyle, his sex life, his boyfriends.

A year here, maybe even two, perhaps three, wouldn't be so bad. But seeing the same faces, the same halls, even the same delicious free food, would it drive him insane?

"Thanks for the names, DJ. I'm not usually one to pry or anything, kind of just grit my teeth and brush everything off kinda guy. But I don't want to live here afraid of what's happening, ha I have to know, you know?" Demoko admitted, he felt putting on a brave face for someone who'd gone through this same song and dance was useless. He was scared, even if comforted by food and interesting conversation. But the other students, he would never admit it to them, never show weakness. Never let them eat him alive.

"Still, I can't help but be curious. It's no fun to live somewhere without exploring the creepy attic and the spooky basement... Hey try not to get too sick, okay?" Demoko was in no position for a lecture, but this had been the first person he'd felt was of any use to him. It'd be a shame if he keeled over due to some sort of zombie cancer or something. "Like, I don't know what the sickness is but... whatever. Just don't die unnecessarily. It'll scare everybody, I think." he nodded, finishing the food on his plate, not sure how he'd react if the only mentor he spoke to died or turned to smoke.

 

[TragicTrees]

Character: Darwin Jennings
Location: Cafeteria
Interacting With: Demoko Porter @Luna_Gillian
Mentioned: U
​

Darwin Jennings

"Can't scare people more than they already are." DJ mused, stretching out "Really, even the people who have been here for years are silently freaking out. But they're more subtle about it. When I said this place is pretty cool, didn't mean I don't think it's sketchy. It's really sketchy." He sat back up and yawned "But again, I'm not complaining."

He took a moment to glance around, before perking up a bit "Hey, want me to show you around? It's a huge place, lots of things to do and see. And, if you REALLY want to know about the sickness and shit, I'll be happy to answer questions about it. Classes don't start for 2 days, so it's really just unnecessary not telling you all."​

 

[Luna_Gillian]

Character: Demoko Porter
Location: Cafeteria
Interacting With: Darwin Jennings
Mentioned: Darwin Jennings

"Dude that'd be awesome, thanks!" Demoko let out his excitement just this once without holding back. He felt a bit embarrassed about it all, getting so giddy to explore his new environment when just moments ago he was struggling to talk himself into leaving the safety of the auditorium.

Aware of it now, Demoko found himself holding onto the band just to feel if it was still there, checking him, monitoring him. He wanted to believe it'd keep him safe somehow by alerting if he got sick or was dying, but he couldn't deny the conspiracy theorist within.

"I mean, I feel like I had sooo~ many questions man but... damn I'm drawing a blank." with a full stomach and a guide with him, all the questions based around fear and shock were more or less gone and tucked away in the back of his mind. Only a few remained on the surface of his thoughts.

"Uh, I guess I should ask the obvious. What am I sick with? I mean, you don't know me or anything but are we all sick with the same illness? Or... and... is there going to be a cure?" Demoko had never even signed off on his own papers at the doctor's office. His mom had filled out most of the boxes and only had him sign and date the signature at the bottom. Even speaking to doctors, he'd just sit and wait while his mom asked all the important questions.

Without that experience, he felt his questions were lack luster at best. Medication hadn't crossed his mind. Or treatment, after care, insurance payments, physical therapy, possibly being contagious, none of it.

He could only focus on what he felt was necessary. Food. Water. Fresh air. Companionship. His basic necessities of life. But one phobia did creep out from the dark corners of his mind.

"And, will I have to get any shots? I hate needles..."

 

[TragicTrees]

Character: Darwin Jennings
Location: Cafeteria
Interacting With: Demoko Porter @Luna_Gillian
Mentioned: U
​

Darwin Jennings

DJ hopped up from the table, leaving the tray he had been using for food behind him. He went over to Demoko, grabbing the other boy's elbow and beginning to gently tug him along out of the cafeteria. He'd let go when the guy got the idea to follow him, he supposed, but as of now it was just his own natural reaction to drag the other along. After doing so, he got to answering the questions.

"Well! Yea, we all have the same sickness. All quarantined or something, too. They're never gonna tell you much about this shit, to be honest." DJ said, humming a little "I mean, we know some things, as residents of this place. But not ALL things, obviously. We do know that a. They call it the 'Parasite' or whatever, and b. It kills you. If you asked me how, wouldn't be able to tell you. At all. How it effects you? No clue! I know the symptoms, which are like a rapid heart-beat or something, but that's the extent of my knowledge on the subject. The rest of what I hear is rumors."

He shrugged at the next question "As for shots, I haven't taken any. No clue what treatment we're getting, but no one I know had needles." He replied nonchalantly "So I wouldn't worry about it. Anyway, where to first? Rooms? Pool? Library? Gym?"​

 

[MaryGold]

Character: Amalie Opal
Location: Courtyard
Interacting With: Halian @the8bitMoon
Mentioned: Spider| New students​

Amalie Opal

Sabrina blinked her eyes at the newcomer but was obviously relieved to be rescued by the creepy crawly. It was almost comical how terrified she was of the tiny, and harmless spider. But to her, something that had that many legs could in no way be harmless. And she just knew it had fangs in its mouth ready to bite her at any moment. Luckily, Halian had come when he did.

Slowly the color returned to her face, and though she hadn't realized it, but she was trembling. So, she quickly stilled herself and cleared her throat regaining her normally composed stand."Thank you." She said, sincerely grateful for his help. "If you hadn't come when you did, I don't know what I would have done." Oh, but she did. The young woman would have fainted on the spot. It happened before.And she had started to feel very light-headed before he arrived.

Oh! She hoped no new students saw witnessed her very undependable and weak side. As a mentor, she wanted to appear strong and trustworthy for them, but if anyone ever saw that outburst they'd think the exact opposite for sure! Amy took a quick around to check her surroundings.

"You were the only one to see that, right?" She asked, openly hoping that he was.

 

[Cotton]

Nina Minawe

Character: Nina
Location: Auditorium
Interacting With: Manon @the8bitMoon
Mentioned: Students

"Ah, yes!" Nina leaned forward in her chair keenly, pulling the sheet of paper from her back pocket. It was good that she had found someone as prepared to record their findings of...whatever the place was. The common ground gave her confidence as she stood and moved to the same row as Manon, sitting a chair away so they could compare notes.

Nina began speaking as she flatted the wrinkled folds out of her piece of paper, laying it on the chair between them. "I watched for signs as I made my way to the auditorium, but I stayed in the hallway, so I've only indicated where they lead with arrows. Did you come from the same way?"

It suddenly seemed to Nina that she was chattering too much, and she closed her mouth, despite feeling the urge to know more, and ask more questions. She felt chastised for speaking as much as she had, despite the lack of any discipline. She looked to the other girl, who seemed slightly nervous. It wasn't a surprise. Most seemed to have shoulders hunched in hesitancy, eyes wide with uncertainty. Nina thought she looked the same, if she knew her own face better. Others looked confident, or maybe overconfident, like they were trying to stop themselves from bursting.

She didn't answer my question about the pencil and paper, Nina realized. Maybe it hadn't been a joke earlier. Was it rude to smile?

 

[Luna_Gillian]

Character: Demoko Porter
Location: Cafeteria
Interacting With: Darwin Jennings
Mentioned: (Weak Looking) Students

​

Demoko struggled to stifle a sigh of relief. No needles meant not having to force himself not to scream like a little girl and have a panic attack. Maybe even faint. But he didn't worry, no needles, good deal. However, as the information sunk in, he questioned his life choices. "A parasite..." he wondered if it was something in the meat. He'd always heard raw meat had little gross things in it that could kill people.

Or maybe mosquitoes, carrying a deadly virus attached him in his slumber.

Or rats, after all they carried an entire plague on their backs and killed a good chunk of people.

Maybe I'm thinking too much... wonder if anyone has dies from it. Yea, someone has to have, or else they wouldn't take such care of us! So... someone here could die...

"Ah, you know, I could use a work out. I love food, but I love my body even more." Demoko gave an exaggerated flex of his arms as he walked beside DJ, yawning as if no effort was taken to do such a pose, "Even if I am dying, I'm dying while having guys admire my body and play doctor with me in my final moments."

With his fears hiding safely behind his jokes, Demoko could brush off the thought of death and perhaps even permanent residency here. Even if his mind hadn't truly wrapped around that fact.

"I don't know how many people would consider working out. Saw a lot of weak lookin' book worms, bummer. I'll have to find someone to spot me if I decide to life weights." Demoko's thoughts moved from one small problem to the other in his head, keeping him from the bigger issues. It kept him smiling, talking, feeling proud of himself that he hadn't broke down crying.

Yet.

 

[the8bitMoon]

Character: Manon
Location: Auditorium
Interacting With: Nina @Cotton
Mentioned: Students​

Manon

"Yes, that sounds about right." According to her own diagram, which she had sheepishly produced for Nina to look at, she had followed the signs that directed her to the auditorium. Signs for other rooms, like the cafeteria and gym, she had also noted. The few unmarked halls she saw she marked with ???, with the phrase More Dorms? underlined nearby. "It looks like we saw mostly the same things…" Of course, that made sense. Since everyone had just gone straight to the auditorium from their dorm, they wouldn't know anything beyond that.​

She spent the next few minutes quietly studying Nina's map and adding anything that was missing from hers. Comparing her notes to Nina's made her aware of just how disorganized she was. "I'm sorry, my notes are kind of a mess. I'm not even sure what I was thinking when I wrote down some of this stuff." She started absently flipping through her notebook again. "Oh wait!" She suddenly remembered. "You asked me about my notebook earlier right? Whether I got it from my room?" She took a moment to think back. "Yeah, it was in a drawer in the desk. I took a moment to look around before I went outside to see if there was anything else I could find but the only really useful thing was this…" She glanced down and noticed that the book was open to one of her poems. She hurriedly turned the page. "Oh! Don't mind those." Her awkward laugh wasn't making the moment any less embarrassing. "I just… write down little poems sometimes. They're not all that great though…"​

* * *​

​

Character: Halian
Location: Courtyard
Interacting With: Amalie @MaryGoldRound
Mentioned: New Students​

Halian

Halian chuckled to himself. "Yes, I'm fairly certain that I'm the only one who witnessed… that." The older mentor seemed worried about looking foolish in front of the new students. At least, that's what her aura showed. "Even if they had, I don't think anyone would doubt your trustworthiness. Everyone has fears after all." He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, though in reality it was just his usual unreadable expression. "I'm just happy to finally see some color return to your aura."​

He was unfortunately interrupted by a loud noise from his own body. "Ah, it seems the mortal form still requires sustenance, and as I woke up rather late this morning, I'm afraid I haven't had breakfast yet. Would you care to join me for something from the cafeteria? I was just on my way there." He held out a bejeweled hand, though he didn't particularly mind if Amy refused his invitation either. As usual, he left it up to the Universe to decide his fate. Though in this case, the Universe rather resembled a girl sitting by herself in the courtyard.​

 

[Tarieles]

Location: Auditorium
Interacting: U @TragicTrees
Mentioned: U @TragicTrees
Wearing
​

Alice listened to the person, soaking up all the information she could. So, they were sick, it could easily get worse, and they weren't guaranteed to return from where they came from. She furrowed her brow, but looked up just in time to see black smoke rise up from U. Fascinating! She felt herself get a little excited at seeing that. It wasn't something normal. After the final, parting words, he told them to go to the cafeteria, and that he would be in the courtyard if they had questions. She had so many.

She waited for the crowd to disperse, and then set off on a hunt. She had to find him. She hurried out the doors, and followed signs that lead her to the outside. The bright lights hurt her eyes, and she had to hold her dress in place so the sudden updraft didn't expose her to the world. She blinked, holding her hand up, before seeing him. Like he said, out in the courtyard. So, he wasn't a liar, it seemed. At least, not with something so simple. Who knew if he was lying about everything? But she chose to trust him.

"E-Excuse me." She chirped, a little surprised at her own voice. She had almost forgotten what she sounded like after all of this. She had forgotten most everything else, so why not her voice? A hand reached up, playing with the charm around her neck. "I-I still have some questions." She added, hoping he didn't mind. "I-If you c-c-can answer." Apparently she stuttered slightly. That was another fact about herself she seemed to have forgotten. She didn't like that, and actually frowned a bit at the fact.

​

Location: Auditorium
Interacting: Daisy @TragicTrees
Mentioned: U @TragicTrees, Emily @FightingPumpkin, Carl @TragicTrees
Wearing
​

After the final words, Leigh stood up, needing more coffee. He didn't really like the introduction, because he couldn't tell kids what was going on. He shook his head, walking out of the room. He turned his head to a small figure, and smiled a bit. "Well hello Miss Daisy. Good to see you out from your little hidey hole." He told her, still walking. "And while I'd really love to stay and chat, I'm afraid my cup is dry. You and Him should come talk to me more often, so I have reasons to procrastinate." He turned back around, heading towards the cafeteria. As he opened the doors, he headed straight to the beverages. He took a few small cups of caramel macchiato creamer, and dumped them into his cup, before filling the rest with coffee. He took a sip. It was wonderful, no coffee flavor whatsoever. Just how he liked it. He turned on his heel, and started towards the doors again.

However, a wonderful smell stopped him, and made him realize he hadn't eaten anything since early this morning. So, he got in line with the children, feeling a little bit out of place in a crowd of youngsters. Even most of the teachers were younger than him, so it always felt like this. He was an old man in a sea of youth.

Well, he was being a little over-dramatic. He wasn't that much older than the teachers. Emily was the closest in age to him. Only four years younger, which was peanuts, really. Carl was five years younger, so really, he was just being silly. He stepped forward in line, thinking about how he actually kind of was the oldest. Not even U was older than him. He chuckled a bit, finding it a little silly that he was the supervisor, but was so young. It was kind of sad really. He shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind. Now was not the time to think about that. He needed food and coffee. At least he had the one.​

 

[MaryGold]

Character: Amalie Opal
Location: Courtyard
Interacting With: Halian @the8bitMoon
Mentioned: Spider| New students​

Amalie Opal

Amalie couldn't help but let out a breath that she had been holding. What a relief. Not only had no newbies saw that, no one else as well. It was only natural for a person to not want others to see her at her most vulnerable moment. She supposed she could deal with this one person seeing her lose control, after all, he did rescue her from the sharp fang creature not too long ago.

"My aura?" Amalie questioned. What did he mean by that? But the way he used the word was as if he was suggesting he could see it. Which, was impossible, by the way. So, she brushed it off that he could just read people easily.

"Well, I supposeI don't have anything better to do." She shrugged a shoulder. And it was true, she had practically finished the gloves when the little monster floated down.

And anyway, she didn't feel like being outside anymore. You never knew what critter would crawl up next and give you a heart attack. So, she stuffed her yarn and needle in a bag beside her chair, scoo[ed up the bag and stood. "I don't think I've ever talked to you before. What's your name?"

 

[Cotton]

Nina Minawe

Character: Nina
Location: Auditorium
Interacting With: Manon @the8bitMoon
Mentioned: None

"It's fine," Nina said distractedly, looking at Manon's somewhat messy diagram.

It seemed Nina was sharing more information than she was giving, but the young woman didn't mind; she appreciated feeling useful. She waited patiently as Manon filled in a few spaces in her notes. It seemed that the other girl didn't care as much for perfection, instead scrawling over the page and placing down many thoughts quickly. It was far more efficient than Nina's painstaking, careful style. She couldn't imagine doing straying from perfect letters and straight-mapped lines. Anything else and she felt that she would be incredibly upset with herself, like some sort of child.

That would make sense, Nina thought, tilting her head to read Manon's notes, that those halls would be dorms. Nina hadn't considered making any guesses.

So Manon had remembered her question. Nina made a mental note to check the drawers of the desk as soon as she returned to her dorm.

Nina studied the page further, looking at the random words, phrases, and paragraphs scattered here and there. Were they notes, or poems? They seemed to focus on the very things that were going through Nina's head, perhaps in a more lyrically beautiful fashion. It blurred the lines between thought, emotions, and senses. Nina couldn't imagine doing the same.

It seemed that Manon had noticed Nina looking, and became flustered, hiding the poems from view.

"Why make them if they weren't great? I wouldn't write anything like that." Nina's straightforward thinking didn't see the point in doing something that one wasn't good at, unless they were striving for success. Even then, why say your work isn't impressive?

 

[TragicTrees]

Character: Darwin Jennings
Location: Wandering
Interacting With: Demoko Porter @Luna_Gillian
Mentioned: N/A
​

Darwin Jennings

"Quite the death dream you got there." DJ replied, waggling his eyebrows at the other boy with a grin "But, anyway, hardly anyone uses the gym. As I said, I go for the pool, since it's more appealing to me."

He made his way towards the gym, humming to himself. He wouldn't try to pry questions out of the guy like some other mentors would. He was totally fine with letting the newbies find their own way if they didn't want to ask. Their loss, right? 'Sides, he didn't have all the answers anyway.




​

Character: U
Location: Courtyard
Interacting With: Alice Fairisle @Tarieles
Mentioned: N/A
​

U

U had went outside directly after the little meeting to tend to the plants. Not that he needed to, but it was relaxing. He didn't get very far into it, though, and he didn't mind all that much. He was glad to pause what he was doing to help someone out.

He turned to the student with a smile, greeting the girl with a "Hello!" He then looked her over briefly, simply out of habit, before going on "Of course. Ask away! I'm here to help after all."

((These are short bc I'm very busy, sorry!))​

 

[LovableChaos]

Character: Andi Moore
Location: Outside Auditorium
Interacting With: Kiara Ryder
Mentioned: N/A

Andi blinked away her tears as she considered what the girl had just asked. Was she ok? Andi shook her head and giggled softly in response. Still using the wall as her main source of emotional and physical supports, she got to her feet.

"I'm sorry," she said again, this time in a voice bordering on sane. "I just... don't know what I'm doing here. I mean, I don't remember anything or why i don't remember coming here but I guess a lot of people don't remember anything and I think that was explained in there but I wasn't in there when they explained it because i was out here."

Andi took a slow, but shaky breath, and finally met eyes with the stranger.

 

[the8bitMoon]

Character: Manon
Location: Auditorium
Interacting With: Nina @Cotton
Mentioned: Students​

Manon

Manon was a little stung by Nina's blunt criticism. "Oh, um… I dunno… I just like it, I guess…" She tried not to let the disappointment show on her face, and awkwardly changed the subject. "A-anyway, maybe we should keep taking notes during our time here and keep comparing them?"

She was starting to get a little worn out from spending so much time around other people. It was hard for her to keep up her cheerful attitude, and on top of all that, she started to realize she was hungry. When she thought about it, though, there would probably be a lot more people in the cafeteria than those who remained in the auditorium, so she decided to stay just a little longer.

* * *​

​

Character: Halian
Location: Courtyard
Interacting With: Amalie @MaryGoldRound, U @TragicTrees, Alice @Tarieles
Mentioned: N/A​

Halian

So the other mentor hadn't recognized him. A little surprising, but nothing he couldn't work around. "I'm Halian, a mentor like yourself I believe." He gave a short but showy bow, then stood back up. "I suppose it is possible that we haven't spoken, since I did just become a mentor this year. Even so, I hope to have a productive semester with everyone." His eyes closed and his lips turned slightly upwards in yet another inscrutable expression.

"And yes, your aura. You know, the spiritual energy that flows through all living things. It's quite important to maintain a balanced aura, though quite difficult. If you like, I could help guide you to a balanced existence." The serene smile never left his face as he explained. Some people just don't seem to understand…

Suddenly, he turned around. The voice of one person was all it took to break his calm barrier, but only for a moment. "Oh my, I didn't notice you'd joined us." Not too far away was one of the few people Halian could never read: U. Following shortly after him was another girl, this time someone he didn't recognize. "And who might you be? Your aura seems rather… confused…"

 

[Cotton]

Nina Minawe

Character: Nina
Location: Auditorium
Interacting With: Manon @the8bitMoon
Mentioned: None

"Hmm." Nina rested her head in her hand thoughtfully. She likes to? I guess it's what people call hobbies. I can't think that I have any, unless list-making is one? Manon seemed scattered, but it was a creativity that Nina didn't have that interested her in the girl. She hoped they would continue to talk, maybe about poetry. When Manon offered an extension of what Nina assumed was acquaintanceship, she took the opportunity eagerly.

"Yes. Four - rather, six - eyes are better than one, when it comes to studying this place?" Nina smiled, more genuine than the last. I feel I understand myself more. That's progress! She didn't think that she made jokes often, but she thought it might help solidify the relationship between them, as long as Manon wasn't sensitive about her glasses. Had the joke been rude? Nina thought suddenly, her finger tapping against her cheek nervously. She hadn't considered that it would be a sensitive subject. Glasses were glasses to her, but maybe to someone with glasses, it could mean something different?

Nina remembered her hunger after being calmed by her organizing compulsions. As she thought to the cafeteria, she could imagine the clattering of the trays, the squeaking of chairs, and the chewing noises of mouths. The sounds began to grate on her, even as illusions. She liked quiet, or at least where noise had a purpose. But she couldn't just avoid places like the cafeteria. She'd have to suck it up.

The comment came from an inner voice that didn't seem like Nina's own. Maybe it was something that had been said to her a lot, before she lost her memories. Or it was just the harsher side of her mind, the one that couldn't stand itself. That seemed more right than the first idea.

"Did you want food?" Nina asked, lowering the arm supporting her head and drawing herself up. She wondered if everyone felt as hungry as she did. It was something worth recording, if it were true.

If she says no, I'll stay, Nina thought.

Because more than not being hungry, even more than not being disorganized, Nina didn't want to be alone.

 

[Hieronymous Phantom]

Character: Marcus Aldsend
Location: Library, Outside Auditorium
Interacting With: Juniper (@TragicTrees), Manon (@the8bitMoon) and Nina (@Cotton)
Mentioned: Students
​

​

Another year, another new batch of students. Except this year, Marcus was supposed to be a mentor.​

His own first days were rather hectic, with no small part in thanks to his fear of the unknown. All the questions he had, and all the half-answers he received from that first speech were so infuriating and frightening. He almost tried to run away - somewhere, anywhere had to have been better than somewhere he didn't know. However, Marcus knew that would have been a fruitless venture anyway. He'd have still had questions, and rather than what he knows now, he'd be absolutely answerless. It was good, then, that his mentor was such an understanding and patient individual. Were it not for him, Marcus would have most likely broken down that night, and he hadn't even lasted a day! Now, though, things were different. He knew a lot more about what was going on, though there were still many questions left unanswered. He preferred not to dwell on those, though.
​

Speaking of his former mentor, Marcus looked up from his book over to Juniper, who was waiting in the​

same reading area as him. "Not heading out to do the job you love so much?" Marcus asked, half-jokingly. He teased, but he knew firsthand that Juniper honestly loved helping the new kids out. It was a little inspiring, honestly. Which is why Marcus marked the place in his book for future perusal, and stood up to head out. "I'll be back in a bit, unless you wanted to join me," he offered, holding his place for a few beats for Juniper to get up and follow as well. It would most likely be a quiet journey anyway, since Marcus was still a little hazy on where everything in the school was. Having everything a glaring white with few landmarks tends to do that, even if you've been there for a year. As such, Marcus needed to focus a bit to get where he was going. Not so much that he couldn't listen, but any answers or replies would have to wait until -- ah.
​

After only a few minutes of navigating, Marcus found the large gaggle of students that could only herald​

his arrival at the auditorium. As he made his way over to his usual "quiet spot", he exchanged cursory greetings and smiles with several of the new students, though he didn't start making good on his role as a mentor until he spotted two people exchanging notes. "Already practicing good work habits, these two," he mused, "I'll definitely have an easier time mentoring them." With that, he started walking towards them, and as he got closer he noticed that they were two girls, though drastically different in appearance. One looked rather bookish, with a cute pair of glasses, and the other appeared more more stern with a focused glint in her eyes. Taking immense care to not startle either of them, he greeted them with a small wave of his hand. "Greetings, I'm Marcus." Best to start with the basics. "I'm a second year, so that means I'll be mentoring students like yourself." No matter how he phrased it in his head, it still sounded odd and unfitting. Perhaps it was part of his uncertainty about the role himself. Someone like Juniper had been here for an entire year longer than most mentors, so he was infinitely more ready for the task than someone like Marcus. However, this was a chance to learn new things and meet new people, and Marcus was definitely not going to give up on that. Even if these two didn't want him to be their mentor, there was an entire swarm of confused students just looking for help. He realized he had left them in silence while he was lost in thought, and spoke again. "Was there anything you wanted to know?"​