Starveil Academia

[Dusk]

✶Starveil Academia✶
​

It was a bright and dazzling day. The sky was almost unnaturally blue and white puffy clouds looked as though they were painted in water colour. It was late summer, and while it was a pleasantly warm day, a gentle wind did occasionally hint toward the coming of fall. So too did the brown-tinged leaves hidden in the trees, only visible if one were to look hard enough. It was on this day that twelve youths, all currently blessed by one of the chosen Zodiacs would begin their life at Starveil Academia.​

Akira Ishihara ​

The room reminded Akira of a hotel. It looked clean and proper with neat furniture and not a shred of individuality. If anyone had lived here, every remnant of their life had been removed. It was an oval shaped room, with four doors in four "corners" and a large window directly across from the door. Looking around, Akira surmised he was the first to arrive. It didn't take long to notice he was the only person in the Common Room and he could see no sign of luggage or hints that someone had previously been there only to have left the room. The boy gave a shrug, perhaps they had further to travel. He left his single large brown suitcase not far from the door and began a slow walk around the room, taking in his new surroundings.

On one side of the large window was a small kitchen area. It contained a stove, oven, and fridge in addition to plenty of counter space. So far as he could tell, they would be cooking for themselves. On the other side of window was perhaps the only thing in the room which truly seemed to retain some of its own personality. It was a large grandfather clock, making a constant ticking noise. To either side of it were two large empty bookshelves. Other things he noted were a fake plant and several mediocre landscape paintings. Nothing much worth seeing. Maybe he and his comrades would make the place look more like somewhere people actually lived. Maybe not, though. Perhaps he would be the only one who would even remotely care.

Akira made his way over to his room, which he remembered to be the room directly to the left hand side after entering. The door was left open as he looked over his portion of the building, wondering what his new comrades might be like.

​

Katsuo Fujikawa
​

"Ugh…" Katsuo groaned as he looked around his surroundings. Instead of heading directly to the Common Room he would be now sharing with three others, as his… Well, as whoever the woman who had greeted him upon arrival suggested, Katsuo had chosen to take his own liberty in exploring the Academy grounds. So far most of it seemed a great deal alike. The ceilings were all tall and the floors were all marble. He had noted a rather interesting looking outdoor area when he first arrived, but the woman had quickly shooed him away.

He now stood in another long hallway, hassling the pamphlet he'd been given in search of a map. Why did the thing need to be so excessive, anyway? Weren't there only around twelve students in the entire academy? "Aha!" He finally exclaimed, when he found the map hidden beneath folds and pages. "Now, to get to my dorm and meet my new mates." And without another word Katsuo scurried off as if he'd never even been there. ​

​

 

[Rika]

ஐ Yukari Ichibana ஐ

For the first couple of hours she had arrived at the academy, her best friend had been a crumpled up map of the labyrinth that was Starveil. At least along the way, she had met about two or three people that she would potentially refer to as "friends". One was a tall boy with a stoic expression on his face. And another was a girl about her height who stuttered when she talked. Yukari was always a fan of stutterers. They made her feel powerful. Her nose still in the paper, Yukari finally approached the dorm hall and found their room. Their door was open. Maybe someone broke in. She doubted it. Something within her tossed and turned, something within the pit of her stomach, and she bit her lip anxiously. But-- why be nervous? This was only her team for.. well, probably the rest of her life. Yukari inhaled calmly, and shut her eyes, before seeing the open door and walking through the threshold. She knew someone was there. But she was so shocked and surprised to see such beautiful architecture that she couldn't speak. Yukari dropped her bags and gasped at the sight.

"It's so simple! And cute!" She immediately exclaimed, putting a hand over her mouth and walking in further to their clear, little home. It was just adorable! She didn't want to change it at all, except for holidays. Decorating would be so much fun! Her eyes wandered all around the room, "oo"ing and "aw"ing at certain things, before they landed on a boy that was standing there the whole time. It seemed she was second to arrive. Yukari quickly composed herself, and walked over, smiling widely. "Hiya! I'm Yukari Ichibana." She extended a hand for a handshake, and the smiling girl tilted her head. "And yourself?" This boy had such blue eyes; eyes that reminded her of some kind of JPop artist she had seen on TV. He was wearing contacts, though, and this boy had real blue eyes. They suited him. "By the way, I call that room!" Yukari randomly pointed to the first room on the right, smirking playfully.


☩ Tsukiko Kimiwari ☩

Tsukiko knew exactly where her room was; call it intuition or the fact that it was blatantly obvious. She, however, did not immediately report to it. She had to calm her nerves first, and she did that by sitting in the student lounge and watching the clouds roll by. She knew, at some point, she had to stop and face her new teammates, but somehow, something held her back. Maybe it was her hesitancy to speak with people, or the inferiority she felt when it came to her sign. A little voice in her head tugged at the core of what little confidence she had to muster, and made her stand from her chair, staring ahead with feminine, grey eyes. She would know these people for such a long time. What point was there in delaying her arrival? Adjusting the buttons on her shirt, Tsukiko went up the marble stairs, running fingers through strands of long, dark hair.


Her gaze caught her shoes on the floor, and up ahead she could hear the chatters of introductions of students. A very.. enthusiastic voice in particular coming from-- coming from a room in the far corner. Surely it wasn't.. hers. Tsukiko's shoes tapped the marble floor, and to her dismay, she found the big, black letters on her destined door. Room 404. Tsukiko paled. She could hear voices inside, but.. Her eyes drifted to her shoes. No. They would all stare at her and-- and talk to her. What if they hated her? Her hand touched the doorknob, but it quickly drew back, as if the metal burned her fingers. Tsukiko clicked her tongue in annoyance. It was as if a barrier lay in front of the door that she could only break through if no one else was on the other side. ​

 

[Dusk]

Akira Ishihara ​

The Pisces was standing silently as he watched the girl enter the room, exclaiming her delight for the lifeless decour which surrounded them. He might have called it simple, but not with any sort of positive connotation. It wasn't simple like a little cottage in the middle of the woods. It was simple like a place with only the base amount of effort put into its design. As for where she was getting cute from, Akira could not fathom.

It didn't take Akira long to see she was a sociable and energetic person. He gave her outstretched hand a glance, and chose not to shake it. Physical contact with strangers… Was odd. "Hello, Ichibana-san. I'm Akira Ishihara… Pleased to meet you." There was an evident space between his introduction and the following sentence. The boy had considered whether or not he should add something polite to his greeting before settling that he would. After all, it was probably a good idea to try to start on the best of terms with his team members. It would be terribly unpleasant if none of them could get along but still had to live together until they graduated. At least until they graduated.

"Um… Actually, we're assigned rooms. Didn't they tell you?" Akira spoke in a quiet and polite manner, but also seemed a little detached from his words and the conversation at large. "Your room should have your initials on it."

Katsuo Fujikawa​

Ah! Finally, room 404 should be just up ahead. Why there were so many rooms in a place which would host so few people, Katsuo couldn't understand. He didn't have long to think about this though, as he quickly caught himself before he almost crashed into a girl standing right in front of the door. Katsuo was the type who was quick at reaction time and precise in his movements, therefore, he managed to stop a couple centimetres short of colliding directly with her. "Watch it, little dove!" He exclaimed, "Someone else would've walked right into you." Katsuo glanced up to see the gleaming 404 number plate. He took the door handle and gave it a twist, opening the door. Ha, that hadn't been so hard.

A half-second look into the room and Katsuo could tell all the others had already arrived here, including the girl he'd almost crashed into, that was. That was nice, then he'd only have to introduce himself once. "Hey all, Katsuo Fujikawa, resident Gemini." He raised a hand and gave a slightly mischievous smile along with his introduction. "What shall I call you lovely people?"

Akira Ishihara ​

Akira looked over to the entrance when he heard the voice of a man. There he saw what he imagined could be none other than the final two members of their team. One was a taller man, with long hair and a single bag slung over his shoulder. The other was a rather cute looking girl with dark hair and large eyes. He thought she seemed a little uncomfortable, but it could have just been her face. In response to Fujikawa-san's introduction he returned his own, much less enthusiastic, one. "Akira Ishihara... Pisces."

Katsuo Fujikawa​

Pisces, huh. So, that left the girls as a fire and earth element. One of the two would likely say something soon enough, so he didn't bother guessing. Instead, Katsuo strode into the room and tossed his bag onto the nearest chair. Walking over to the large window, which had caught his attention almost instantly. The glass was remarkably clean. When he was standing only a few feet away from it, he could see that it viewed a nice looking outdoorsy sort of place. From here, it looked like a garden, but he couldn't be sure. The youth didn't look long before turning quickly on his heels and going back over to his new comrades. "Not bad, eh?" As far as Katsuo cared people were more important than the woodwork, and so far, they didn't seem too bad.

 

[Rika]

ஐ Yukari Ichibana ஐ

Akira Ishihara. Right off the bat, she could tell he wasn't an Earth sign. For some reason, he just didn't seem the type, and he did not seem to be an Air sign either. In conclusion.. they were opposites. At the mention of their rooms being assigned(which was totally lame), Yukari groaned and looked around again. Oh. Right. That was what the "Y" and the "I" stood for over on the second door, right side. And some sort of chibi fire design. Yukari smiled. That was the cutest part of the whole dorm. She turned back to the Water Sign, and opened her mouth to speak, but someone walked in the room, and her eyes turned to see a rather tall gentleman looking oh-so smug. And he wasn't afraid. The rambunctious Leo turned and waved, smiling widely. "Hello~ I'm Yukari Ichibana! Nice to meet'cha!" Yukari tipped her head a bit, catching the smile gracing the boy's face, and she turned to look at her shoes. Her eyes were half-mast in thought. She could accomplish things with this guy.

When Ishihara-san had introduced himself, Yukari laughed, pressing a hand against her belly. "I knew you were a water sign, Ishihara-san!" She pointed, and suddenly, her eye caught another young girl at the door. She stood there, pale and thin, as if pondering something deep. Yukari stalked over much like a wild cat, and smirked. That must have been their Earth Sign. But for some reason, Yukari imagined their Earth sign to be a big, muscular, bodybuilder woman. Instead, she got.. this.

"Hey, come in, we don't bite. What's your name? You must be the Earth sign, yeah? It's good I finally have another girl. Probably couldn't handle two boys. Well, maybe I could handle them, but it'd be a lonely, lonely world, ya'know?"

☩ Tsukiko Kimiwari ☩

Her mind was so very much in a flustered, foggy daze that this Katsuo boy was the least of her problems. Then again, he was the reason she had to confront them, and should she be appreciative of him or angered? And well, that anger would probably melt away into calm, and so.. Tsukiko stared at her comrades, girlish eyes taking note of each and every one of their characteristics. There was.. the boy who ran into her. A Gemini. An Air sign. He seemed so slick and calm and capable of things. Maybe he would be the leader of the pack? No. Not him. That one. Or, she would believe she was. The Leo. The Fire sign. One word to describe her: bold. She definitely had no qualms when it came to socializing and approaching someone. Tsukiko could never understand people like her. And lastly.. the assumed Water Sign. Pisces. He didn't say much, which was how Tsukiko preferred people, but something about him set her off in a way.

When the Yukari girl approached her, Tsukiko took a dainty step in and, despite her nervous interior, smiled gracefully. "I'm Tsukiko Kimiwari. Virgo." That was the one thing that irritated her the most about herself. She could get so nervous, so nervous, and when an actual event came that caused her nervousness, she would be completely fine. In other words, she would be nervous for no reason.

ஐ Yukari Ichibana ஐ & ☩ Tsukiko Kimiwari ☩

A Virgo. Huh. She had heard they were stuck up, prissy girls, but this one didn't seem to be the case. So, Yukari offered a smile and nodded excitedly, before running over to the middle of the room. "Well! Now that everyone is here, we all have to assign chores and stuff! Annnd agree to be the best team ever and kick all the other teams' asses!" Even though that technically wasn't the point in forming a team in the first place, Yukari enjoyed some "healthy" competition. "So! Who's with me?!" Yukari grinned widely, hands on her hips, causing Tsukiko to crack an involuntary smile. She looked away, putting a dainty hand over her mouth and chuckling softly. This girl was funny. She smiled softly, sitting down on a lounging chair. "I- I'm not sure about the last part, but I could cook the meals." She had been told once that she was a very skilled cook.​

 

[Dusk]

Katsuo Fujikawa​

Yukari Ichibana seemed like a popular girl. Katsuo guessed wherever she'd been before this, she'd had a lot of friends. Possibly even whether those people wanted to be friends with her or not. First impressions left her seeming like a outward and cheery person, but he couldn't help but feel she might get a bit overbearing in certain situations. Could just be beginners judgement, though. At least she didn't seem like she would be hard to talk with. That definitely counted as a benefit. Especially with how reserved the other two were seeming. "Yeah," he added, watching the girl walk over to the little demure one standing in the doorway. When he heard her introduction he added, "Welcome to the team, Kimiwari."

Akira Ishihara​

So… Yukari Ichibana, Katsuo Fujikawa, Tsukiki Kimiwari, and… Akira Ishihara. That was it. For who-knows-how-long it would be them together. Akira wondered if anything would be done could they not be able to work together. If it were something petty, surely nothing would be done, but what if it were such a flaw that there was no hope of the four actually getting things done? The boy gave a shrug, even though he knew no one was paying attention. He was probably over thinking it, it wasn't likely they would all be so incompatible.

"Hello, Kimiwari-san. Your room is just over there." He pointed to the side, not bothering to look in the direction. "Do you have all your things?"

Katsuo Fujikawa & Akira Ishihara​

Pah, chores. Katsuo had guessed the teams would be cooking for themselves when he was the small kitchen (if you could even call it that) next to the glorious window. Cooking, dishes, and getting groceries? He didn't think long on what he would be doing as, really, he didn't care too much. Hopefully it just wouldn't be the same thing all the time. That would get very redundant. "I don't know about that first part, but I'm all for being the best of the teams." He gave his reply as a play on Kimiwari's words, his smile was still on his face.

They all… Seem happy. Akira thought to himself. "I don't really care what I do." Now the blue-eyed boy walked over to his luggage, grabbing its handle, "...as long as I'm not cooking. I could clean things." He then added a much more silent "Or something."

 

[Rika]

ஐ Yukari Ichibana ஐ & ☩ Tsukiko Kimiwari ☩

Tsukiko targeted a light smile to Ishihara, and nodded, motioning towards the bags at her feet. "Mm," Violet eyes scraped up the lines of the boy's face. "I do, thank you for asking."

Yukari's eyes drifted over to the quieter boy that was giving directions to the quieter girl. They probably would enjoy each other's company. It kind of reminded her of her grandparents, sitting on their rocking chairs and sipping hot, green tea that Yukari was forced to make. Green tea. Maybe Kimiwari would fix that for them sometime. She hoped. Yukari let out a long stream of air through parted lips and propped a hand on her hip, sitting once again on a lounging chair. She found Tsukiko smiling at Fujikawa's play on her words, and crossing her legs as she politely placed her hands in her lap. Yukari good-naturedly rolled her eyes at Fujikawa's words, and shook her head. "Oi, if you can't do chores very well, you can at least get the groceries! It can't be that hard." She just hoped he wasn't the type to get lost easily.

"As for you~" Yukari began, a single, sharp canine tooth sticking out of the right side of the bottom of her top lip, "Maybe you could dust things? And pick things up? And-- And sweep?" She crossed her arms, propping her feet up on the foot rest. "I guess I could do laundry. I'm pretty good at that." Her face was glowing with pride. "And I can even fold them in your drawers and stuff! I'm a pro at that! Promise." The Fire Sign gave a trustworthy thumbs up, "So! Err.. Guess we should get to know each other better, huh? I mean, I'm gonna be spending.. a while with you people." She frowned, and suddenly, was surprised to hear the quiet Earth Sign speak.

Virgo smiled. "M.. Maybe it would be better to settle in our rooms first. And we can discuss things at the table. O-Oh, what would you all like for dinner?" Without missing a beat, Yukari excitedly proclaimed, "Sukiyaki!" She slammed her hand down on a nightstand, glaring at the two boys menacingly. "Objections?"

Tsukiko clicked her tongue, and lifted her luggage, bowing to all of them because she knew that, with Leo, there would be no objections whatsoever. The petite girl made it to her marked door, and walked in without a word, gently shutting it behind her. Yukari did the same, practically drooling over the prospect of Sukiyaki. She paused briefly, wondering if that, for a moment, her teammates would have preferred something else. A simple skip in her heart stopped her as she stood inches from her door. Her head turned, she smiled nervously. "E-Er.. I-If you wanted something else, I don't mind. We don't have to have Sukiyaki or anything. It was just-- I was just-- It was just a suggestion.." She frowned. ​

 

[Dusk]

Akira Ishihara ​

A minimally defined nod was Akira's response to Kimiwari-san's reply. If first impressions were anything to go by she at least appeared competent enough to function. She even seemed like she might be better at socializing than the Pisces was. In addition he considered she might attempt to latch onto the 'quiet' one if the other two proved too overbearing. From what he could tell, personalities like theirs, especially the Fire Sign's, could easily overshadow others. Akira took a moment to actually consider it. In truth, it might not be so terrible. If Kimiwari-san shared interest with him and there wasn't an excess of idle chatter… Company might not hurt now and again. Then again, the boy thought, as he gave an inaudible sigh, it actually might.​

Katsuo Fujikawa ​

"It's not that I can't do chores, it's that I don't like to." Katsuo replied nonchalantly to Ichibana. "I'll get groceries for you all, or just do things on a daily basis if something needs to be done." He started around the room again as he spoke, stopping to look at various pieces of decor and furniture. Yet, even though he sometimes spent several seconds looking at something, he didn't really think on what he looked at or give the items significant notice. "And if Kimiwari wants a break sometimes, I can make up some grub." Katsuo straightened and swerved from the artificial plant he had been looking at to face Ichibana. "I'd even say I'm not bad at it." He waved his hand dismissively, "At least with basic things. If you want anything fancy, I'm not your guy."​

Katsuo Fujikawa & Akira Ishihara ​

"I can dust and sweep." Akira replied. "However, I expect everyone to pick up their own things." If things were going to be left lying about everywhere it would be quite annoying. He certainly wasn't going to leave his stuff anywhere except in his own personal room. The Pisces was about to comment on Ichibana's chore, however, the Gemini spoke more quickly.

"It'd be great if you'd do the laundry, thanks." Katsuo was now standing back over by his door and examining the small air sign engraved on it.

"... I'd like to do my own laundry. At least some of it. If I do give any of it to you so you can wash it please don't put it in my drawers. Just leave it next to my door. Actually… Please, I'd like none of you to enter my room, regardless of reason." The boy paused a moment. It had been a long time since he had spoken this much. "... Thank you." At that Akira started slowly toward his room, luggage along with him.

Katsuo raised an eyebrow. When Ishihara put it like that, it made him seem like something of the suspicious sort. Not that it mattered much. "Sure. Whatever you want." His grin jumped back in place as he once again focused on Ichibana. "You can put my clothes away if you want. I'm not going to complain."

"I agree with Kimiwari-san. I'd like to settle into my room first."

"Fine by me." Katsuo walked over to the chair and retrieved the bag he had previously flung onto one of the chairs. Not that it would take him long to 'settle' into his room. He took a second to consider which type of food might hit the spot, but even that second was too long. Ichibana shouted with a sudden sprout of fervour. "No objections here." Meanwhile Akira didn't even say anything. His silence was his lack of objection. He wasn't particularly concerned with what he ate. Moving into his new room was a higher priority. Which he did. Without another word or acknowledgement the Pisces had entered his room, door closed behind him. This meant he did not witness Ichibana-san's final comment.​

Katsuo Fujikawa ​

"I think the person offering suggestions should get what she wants." For half a second, the grin on his face seemed much less a natural habit and more a genuine expression. The moment quickly passed, and Katsuo was over at his door before he even started his next sentence. "We should take turns picking meals." And at that he vanished behind the door, not bothering to close it all the way.

The Gemini spent several minutes walking around his personal room. There were only really two things that he cared about. One was the particularly comfortable looking bed which was centred in the room, and the other was the pleasant window which looked out into the same floral area as the large window in the common room. With the same disregard as earlier he tossed his solitary bag on top one of the wooden furniture pieces in the room and approached the window. Katsuo pushed open the glass as a gentle breeze travelled across his face, ruffling his hair along the fringe. It seemed one of those days which was almost surreal, late summer, a warm dazzling sun, a gentle wind, early afternoon... "If you could see me now." The boy said quietly to himself. He was still a moment, before he placed his hands on the outer frame and jumped so his feet were on the windowsill. The fall wasn't too bad, but it also wasn't one he particularly wanted to make. Three rooms' height might cause some damage. Much to his delight, some vines had made their home just outside his new one, and a tree wasn't far from them.

A push from his right hand and a swing on his left placed him on the vines. From there Katsuo moved along a bit until he was in jumping distance of a nearby tree. Without hesitation or even a thought, he gave a push and soared for a second before landing solidly on one of the larger branches. The jump had been the hardest part. Getting down would be as easy as walking for Katsuo. The Gemini planned to return to the common room in time for dinner, in the meantime, however, he would spend some time traversing around the grounds. A day like this was too good to waste in his stale room.​

Akira Ishihara ​

Akira was glad to be in his room. Even the bare and unfeeling design of it didn't seem as bad to him as it had in the main room. This was his space, a place he could make entirely his own. His large suitcase sat upon his bed, already unzipped. For the most part, its content was clothing; otherwise there were necessities, such as a toothbrush, and a fair amount of books. The Pisces took the books out one-by-one and lined them along the wall on top of the dresser. He noted that he would need to either get a bookshelf or some bookends to make sure none of them fell. After his books were nicely set, he put his clothes into draws and his other things he would need or want into the nightstand. The only exception at the time was a gear-heavy ornate clock which he left next to the bed. Once done, Akira zipped the luggage shut it before he tucked it out of view under the bed. There wasn't much he could do to make the place more personalized at the moment, however, he could sit on his bed, legs crossed, and think about what he would like to do in the future.​