Regis University (Taliesen + driftingstar)

[driftingstar]

After a noticeable pause - primarily to be certain that neither of the two visitors would return for some reason - Nathaniel returned Ethan's nod and opened the door. He made a mental note of the small amount of information the two had offered, their appearances, and his own impressions; later, when there was time, he might ask the others for theirs as well. It was reasonable caution from his point of view. He entered slightly ahead of the others and addressed a question towards Delilah...who, he noticed with a quirk of one brow, had seated herself on the desk again. "If we are all present, I presume no one will be bothered if I lock the door?" This was standard procedure and could be answered by anyone despite it apparently being said to the President. In normal circumstances, locking the door was more to chide latecomers than to keep outsiders from entering, since the chance of anything dangerous getting past the gathered members was slim. In the case of those showing up late, they were supposed to be let in by someone, so long as they knocked.

Though it wouldn't have been audible from further away, Rebecca's ears had been near to the latch, so she heard the click of the doorknob turning again. In a flash, she was on her feet, across the room, and seated in a chair as far from that spot as she could reasonably get. Her features were a study in idle innocence. Nope, no eavesdropping here! Even though it seemed like the meeting would start soon, she pulled out her phone again. No point in looking like she could've been elsewhere, right? Wonder who was out there? I couldn't hear any names...darn, i should've checked it out earlier! This thought was less due to security concerns and more because she had grown curious.

For a moment Corina felt a slight twinge of disappointment - no, concern, it was definitely closer to that - as Anna and Robin headed out. I have a feeling that this isn't the end of it...but things could have gone worse, I suppose. She ruffled her hair with one hand, expression calm but worry clearly reflected in the way her eyes lingered on the doorway well after the two left, but she eventually settled her bag on her shoulders and followed the others into the room. I'm sure they'll just think that the archaeological society has some eccentric members this year. After all, she would have assumed something similar just a year ago. Trying not to worry too much, she took a detour to the snack table before she slid her bag under an open seat and settled down. A glance to one side revealed that Terry and Laine were nearest to her. "Thank you again for bringing these," she called over to the latter, a nod and a bright smile indicating the cupcake in her hand.

Robin allowed Anna to set their pace as they walked away from the building. It wasn't until they were nearly to the main sidewalk that he spoke up again. Even he knew that no random passerby on the street was that likely to listen in to their conversation - but then, one never really knew things like that. Not for sure. "Hey, you okay?" The casual delivery didn't cover up a note of worry. "You seemed kinda jumpy there. No offense meant!" He stopped walking, hands in his pockets, jacket slung over one shoulder. "You know, I think I get why. I thought that place looked weird, but that was..." The words trailed off, yet he tried to sound and appear encouraging, in hopes she'd voice her own thoughts on the situation if he left an opening for it.

 

[Taliesin]

Ethan slipped in the door after everyone else and took on the task of crowd managing. He made sure those who were inclined grabbed only one cupcake for the moment and then encouraged them to sit down, at which point there was a small clamor as to where he would sit by the core of the small group while the rest took seats in groups of two or 3 or alone as their nature dictated. "I can't sit by everyone." Ethan chuckled with good humor and led them over to the middle section that had been left mostly empty for just such a reason. It happened like this every meeting. His mild manner seemed to attract students like flies to honey, especially the girls. It made things a bit awkward but he was always a complete gentleman and there was rarely any suspicion raised against him.

Delilah seemed to be lost in her own thoughts so it was Terry who spoke up a few moments later. "I believe we are ready." She cleared her throat and frowned at the President, who continued to ignore the proceedings.

Laine nodded in Corina's direction, offering her a small smile. In a low tone that could be heard only by those in the back row or two she spoke, "I hope you like them." Her gaze followed Nathaniel as he went to lock the door before snapping to the front of the room as the daydreaming Delilah finally seemed to be aware of what was going on.

"Ah, we're mostly here, excellent!" Delilah was a little disappointed she hadn't thought of something to make the meetings more exciting in the few minutes she'd had but she already had all sorts of plans to try in the next few. All of which would almost certainly be vetoed by her oh-so-serious vice president but that was half the fun as well. She came up with the crazy stuff and he pared it down into something usable. Or told her to stop being a pain. Either was fine. For a moment it looked like she might actually take charge of the meeting, but that was dispelled almost immediately as she made a grand gesture towards Nathaniel. "And now my lovely vicey will lay out the current reports." It was then that she had a brilliant idea to brighten up the meetings, thinking of the students yet to come. Having to knock on the door was humiliating, but what if they had to do something more?

 

[driftingstar]

Unperturbed by their President's apparent lack of attention, Nathaniel proceeded to the door and locked it. Though simple in appearance, the lock was sturdy and checked often. It was unlikely that anyone would get around having to gain entry that way, since the windows were closed - not that it stopped some types from trying, as if it were a challenge to them. By the time he had returned, the others seemed ready, even Delilah. After her unique style of introduction, a tiny smirk that might have been amused flickered across his features in less time that it took to blink, but he spoke as if nothing had happened. "First, I thank all of you for attending today. I am quite aware that these meetings take time from your schedules. With that in mind, let us start with the quadrant reports." A few brisk strides placed him behind the desk, a folder in his hand; either he had memorized where everything had been placed or they were labeled quite well.

When the meeting had begun in earnest, Rebecca turned off the screen of her phone, but held it in her hand in case someone tried to contact her. It was tempting to try playing a game or something...but she had learned early on that it didn't pay for her distraction to be obvious. Like the most difficult teachers of her childhood, the Vice President had a habit of calling on people unexpectedly. In the case of the reports, there was always an overview of a certain activity - whether detected or witnessed - for those who didn't know about it. That part was first. All of that comes from the scanners, right? People with magic that's especially good at picking up signs of monsters being active, even after they've left a place...too bad they can't predict where things'll show up. Then, someone might be called on to report what they personally experienced or saw, to give more detail of the incident and a clearer view of things 'on the ground'. There was no way of guessing who was going to get called on and who wasn't, though, as she had learned when her thoughts had wandered one evening...

Outside of that, though, there seemed to be a standard list of things covered in every meeting. Reports on activity, the passing around of the training space signups, volunteer requests for the next set of campus patrols. There were regular reminders about events that were organized as part of the Archaeological Society - often used as a way for students and faculty to explain being in odd places at strange times, but some were legitimate school activities. When there were new recruits or other major developments to mention, those came at the end. Then the floor would be opened for ideas, suggestions, information, concerns, or anything else that needed to be discussed by the group. It sounded short, but even with the occasional break or unexpected comment meant to keep the listeners engaged, by the end Rebecca was glad to be finished.

Perhaps an understanding of the meeting's length was the reason for one member coming late. Though, if anybody asked, her reply would be simple: Stop holding meetings during prime time for matches and I'll get here when you want! Sheesh, if it was really important you'd have told us before now, anyway. Of course, if they held meetings during class periods instead, Emily would have sung a very different tune. As it was, at the end of her gaming session she had already been late, so what point was there in rushing? Better to dress cutely and eat normally than to rush there, looking like a mess and feeling even worse, when she had already been late from the start. So it was with relaxed steps - and the stick end of a sucker visible between her lips - that she neared the library.

It wasn't strange to see people around there at this time of day. Mostly people studying or meeting up with friends at a useful landmark. Seeing people at the non-existent path towards the library's back, though...that was unusual, and interesting, so she took a small detour. I'm not missing anything important that I can't learn just from asking, she considered with a shrug. "Hiya," she said to the pair of girls - or at least she thought one could maybe be a girl. The lighting wasn't great where they stood. "What's going on?"

 

[Taliesin]

Delilah finally removed herself from Nathanial's desk. She turned the chair she'd claimed earlier around and sat down, her arms settled on the chair back followed by her chin. She gave the appearance of being very relaxed but the more wary watcher would realize her eyes were combing the room with surprising sharpness. It was anyone's guess as to what the president was thinking but unsurprisingly the hint of seriousness did not last too long. Soon she had a quite distant expression and while some students whispered that she was staring dreamily at Ethan she was so lost in her thoughts that she was barely aware of the room.

Ethan was called on several times to give reports and suggestions as one of the stronger scanners. He was up and speaking almost as much as the vice principal. He was in fact so involved it was hard to say just where he fell in the society's ranking. In theory he was just a healer and occasional fighter but he put in time comparable to anyone else, even the busybody Laine.

Anna was grateful for the silence offered as they moved at a brisk pace from the building. She wasn't quite sure what to think about what she had heard and saw today. It was odd having a meeting in such a secluded area and the way the vice president had acted when Robin had become confrontational. That wasn't even counting the knife, though in some ways that was the least odd thing. She had encountered her fair share of people who liked to carry around various knives, though they generally didn't end up throwing them like the one girl. She didn't immediately respond when Robin spoke, though she reluctantly pulled herself to a stop when he did, turning around to face him because she wasn't quite ready to be alone yet. She wanted to say she was fine, but it was obviously not true and she hated lying. "I'll be okay in a bit." Probably. She took a deep breath and grabbed a lock of hair to start playing with.

"That whole situation was odd...and then that girl nearly skewering the HR lady. What was she even doing there?" She frowned, just now realizing how strange that was. "And Mr Wyatt? I didn't-" She cut herself off abruptly as she saw someone approaching. She eyed the other girl somewhat warily, unsure if they were related to the scene they had just left. "We're taking a walk." She responded to their question with a slight tilt of the head, trying to act as calm as possible. "Something up?"