★ Neptune ★
Eagerly looking out of the viewports as the planet ahead grew ever nearer, Neptune was amazed by the beautiful colors she could see. The automated voice of the transport vessel that Neptune was riding in warned her in a droning voice, speaking English: "Please keep away from the windows as we begin our atmospheric descent." Fiery streaks began to obscure the viewports, and Neptune stepped away from the heat. She walked toward her compartment in the vessel's belly and began to put away several small hygienic items into a carrying satchel.
"Gravitation field disengaged," the voice spoke again. "Landing protocol initiated." Neptune looked over her shoulder out of the viewports again; the fire had dissipated, and she was watching the world go by in a flash of blue and green. She turned back to her satchel and zipped it up, then threw on her pullover and glanced at her image in a highly-reflective surface. Her hair still looked acceptable, and she was proud of her posture. There was a small wrinkle in her skirt that she quickly smoothed out, and then pulled up one of her stockings to match the other's height.
"Arrival in twenty seconds," said the voice. "Please steady yourself." Neptune picked up her satchel and walked over to stand by the vessel's exit, still sealed shut and slightly warm from the atmospheric entry. Ten seconds. She anxiously tugged on a loose strand of hair. Five seconds... four, three, two, one.
With a light shudder, the vessel glided smoothly to a gentle stop. The exit aperture whooshed open, and the voice spoke one last time: "Please gather your luggage, Ms. Ouroboros. Welcome to Earth."
Neptune leapt gracefully down to the landing pad. Along the vessel's exterior paneling, its name could be seen, emblazoned in shifting scarlet hues: SERENDIPITY. A hatch on the vessel's starboard side had unfolded outward, and Neptune's two other pieces of luggage could be seen within. She retrieved these, one in each hand, and slung her satchel over her shoulders. Turning about, she headed towards the main foyer of Omnibus Academy.
Neptune had gotten no further than a stone's cast from her vessel when she whirled about; a strange movement from a moment before had just registered in her mind. But all she saw was her vessel's hatches closing, the engines firing powerfully, and its return to the skies once more. The Serendipity had departed.
Still slightly on edge, Neptune resumed her course, admiring the natural beauty of the planet's environment as she walked towards the registration point. She'd known, of course, that her family had expected her to survive solely on her own resourcefulness and abilities. Neptune felt as if there were small explosions within her stomach. What on Earth would her first day of school be like?
* * * * *
[Neptune Ouroboros, First Year Transfer Student: Nül, The Mire. Room 512.] Neptune had been given an official-looking slip of paper by the registration officer, upon which was listed additional information about her transcript and her new living quarters. She had also been entrusted with a room key, inscribed with her room number in glittering numerals. She clutched these items tightly in one hand with her luggage, as she hurried along the Academy's inner and outer walkways.
Everywhere, Neptune could see creatures of indescribable variety; beings of all size, color, and shape seemed to be at this Academy. A little bit distracted, Neptune tried not to get run over as she quickly made her way towards the general location of the residential building she'd been directed to. Apparently, she was something of a latecomer, but this wasn't very important to her right now. Neptune needed to find her room, stow her bags, and get acclimated slowly to her new environment. The temperature of this planet was moderately higher than that of the Mire, and Neptune was beginning to pant slightly from the weight of her luggage.
Some moments later, Neptune began to come to terms with the possibility that she was lost. She had entered a tall building with multiple large windows, but she suspected that this place was not her dormitory. Instead, Neptune's feet had led her into a darkened, expansive room filled with many tables. She lowered her bags to the ground, took her IDD from a sleeve pocket, and tried to access a map of the Academy campus. However, a sudden noise startled Neptune and caused her to look up. A younger bipedal female with long blue hair had entered the same room Neptune was standing in, and had placed down a towering stack of parcels, beginning to move them around.
Neptune straightened up from the crouching position she found herself in. Instinct had taken over momentarily, and she needed to remind herself that not everything on this planet was trying to kill her. This was probably just another student, similar to Neptune. In that case...
"E-e-excuse me," Neptune asked the girl, her voice cracking slightly. She cleared her throat and took a small step closer to the girl. "Would... would you happen to know in which direction I can find the dormitories?"