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04/04, 23:56

M.Arisu

hey... anybody who's awake to see this. hope you're not having too much trouble sleeping.
get rest when you can. work together when you can.
all we can do is keep trying, but i'm hopeful for this year.
feels weird to say... but it's all going to be gone soon, so...
anyways.
see you at school tomorrow.

Any replies on the forum go unresponded, and at the stroke of midnight, the past year's worth of messages are completely gone from the PDA forum, including any sent over spring break. Hope you have a good memory if you were in the middle of a conversation! Though you should really be in ...whatever you've managed to make your bed... because tomorrow is a big day.

04/05, 06:00

The silence continues until six in the morning with the toll of the clock tower bells, and anybody near the locker area will hear two women in mid-conversation as they phase through the front doors, heels clicking on the ground: "-—didn't even have the decency to finish the job! And now I have to— oh, stop crying, for goodness' sake! I swear—" It's a one sided conversation, mostly, and one that stops short the moment the women spot the students lingering around. While the younger woman, recognizable as the assistant principal, hurriedly scrubs at her face with her sleeves, the unfamiliar older woman with the oddly dissonant voice scowls intensely. "I don't need this on the first day of school! Students trespassing over break! I can't believe it! I don't have time for this—" she huffs, shaking her head and stomping down the hall towards the faculty office. "Miss Nene, I expected better of you! And you! Miss Ritsuka— the two of you shall report to the faculty office after the entrance ceremony. I expect a full report of everybody involved. Now behave yourselves and go to the auditorium."

Goodbye...

The assistant principal is left behind and looks confused and distraught. She sniffles and ducks her head a little, draws a shaking breath and stands a little taller. "I'm so sorry. I'll hear you all out after- after this is done. Alright?" She too heads towards the faculty office, trying her best to smile at those she passes by. While they may be followed, they seem to phase through the faculty office doors which remain closed and locked, and cannot be interacted with until after the ceremony.

Until then, other students start to filter through the front door, seeking out friends and chatting about their breaks, remembering about homework and asking if anybody actually did it so they can copy off them before classes start, laughing at any mention of being locked inside the school all break because what?? that's silly. A handful of students wear yellow armbands on the left sleeve of their uniform, marking them as members of the student council, and these student council members go around finally removing the gorinto from the window sills, tossing the rocks into a bag without any apparent ill effects, and collecting the snacks in a separate bag— though they'll offer the food to anybody they pass who looks hungry enough. Which is a lot of you. One or two might give a short lecture about the importance of eating breakfast to start the day off right. Other student council members busy themselves in the locker area, posting the new homeroom assignments and updating the school calendar to reflect exam dates and breaks for the coming year, or help setting chairs out in neat rows in the auditorium in preparation for the entrance ceremony.

04/05, 08:00

The opening ceremony starts at 8, with students and staff moving to the auditorium to sit with their homeroom class, calling characters out by name and dragging them over to their seat— physically if need be, and they're much stronger than they look. Unlike the graduation ceremony, characters are not forced to come to the entrance ceremony, but the moment they take a seat, they find that they can neither speak nor get up again until the ceremony is over.

The assistant principal stands behind the podium on stage, looking rather nervous as she glances down at the watch on her wrist for it to be time, and clears her throat before addressing the room. "Yogen High welcomes you, all our new students," she pauses, beaming at the row of first year classes before her gaze sweeps over the rest of the student body, "our transfer students, our returning students, our... repeat students..." Looking at you, Norton, Gawain, Abel... "I, um. You may have noticed that I am standing in for our principal today, who is currently... unavailable... and didn't exactly leave any notes to go off of..." She wilts a little, but trucks on nonetheless and continues the address, promising that the teachers will pass along any important announcements, expressing her belief in the potential of young minds, and wishing everybody a fulfilling school year. The ceremony concludes in a little under an hour, and the spell binding the students to their seats is broken, allowing everybody to rise and leave.

School lets out for the rest of the day with classes starting the next morning, and while many students take the opportunity to leave, some linger around the school. Gossip is flying already with news of the transfer students caught breaking into the school over break and what punishments they might get, rumors of what happened to the principal ranging from a family emergency to hospitalization to death, complaints about the water pipes not getting fixed over break, and general excitement over upcoming events listed on the bulletin board by the lockers, in particular new club advertisements, fortune telling ads, and a Charity Auction to be hosted the Monday after Golden Week next month.

April

School is school... The first thing teachers ask at homeroom Tuesday morning is for students to hand in their spring break homework. Didn't do it? You're on their shit list now. Characters are not forced to attend class, but patrolling faculty and student council members will heckle any truant students into going and can be a pain to deal with. Classes aren't taught terribly, though. The second year math teacher has a knack for easily digestible explanations, even if she writes and erases the board a bit too quickly to copy. The third year literature teacher combines weekly analytical essays with film studies, and is showing Child's Play, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Silence of the Lambs, and Where the Red Fern Grows this month. The first year biology teacher brings eyeballs and frogs and rats for dissection during anatomy lessons, and if you have a special request for a specific eye color, give him a day or two and he can deliver. 2-A's homeroom teacher can be seen stealing chalk from each of the second year classroom she rotates through and is offering extra credit to any students who sneak her chalk without asking questions.

New students will quickly learn that merit points are awarded for a full day's attendance, turning in homework, participating in class and clubs, scoring 80% or higher on quizzes and exams, etc. Less predictably, the PDA may sometimes ping for a single merit point when hanging out with a friend or arguing with a classmate, with stronger emotions (positive or negative) when interacting with somebody else more likely to trigger a point, and if students are abusing this system, it's kept out of the faculty's eyes. As the month goes on, sometimes a student comes to class with a cut eyelid, or a busted lip, or bandages wrapped thick around a wrist, but they always deny anything more than clumsiness or an accident or having pets who very aggressively show their love. Sometimes it's harder to hide, when a bloody nose drips onto the ground or bleeding knuckles brush against the wall, and those near enough to see blood touch the building will find that everything sort of... shifts... Just for a second. The feeling of vertigo that stops almost as soon as it begins, the world tilting without slotting back into alignment. You feel a bit nauseous. Just a little.

You go to the bathroom to splash water on your face and the pink looks a little darker, a little more solid. On the fourth floor, the water has stopped running in the bathroom sinks altogether, and students are told to go downstairs to do their business so that they may wash up after. With more students milling around the bathrooms, it's much easier to notice that people's reflections in the mirrors are just a bit off, lagging that split second long enough to be impossible to ignore once aware.

Every day you have homework. A new essay for something or other is assigned each week. Nobody wants to do group projects with a slacker who can't promise to meet up after school to get it done. Like clockwork, the school empties out at 6 PM each school day, leaving those behind to their own devices. There is no school on Sundays. Golden Week marks the end of the month, and guess who's going to be stuck at school for an entire week with only vending machine junk food to live off of if they aren't able to make progress concerning their living situation? Yeah.

Charity Auction

At least students have the charity auction to look forward to and work towards. Information about the auction set on May 10 can be found on the bulletin board, and appears to be put together by the student council as an annual event and an incentive for students to start the year off strong in earning merit points. Both students and staff are encouraged to donate to the auction, with the items collected and put on display in the auditorium behind locked glass cases. On May 10, students will be able to bid on items using their merit points, those who donate will receive 10% of the winning bid towards their item, and the school will match donations 100 to 1 point with proceeds going towards the "Save A Brain Foundation."

Throughout the month, glass cases lining the walls of the auditorium start to fill up with donations. The most popular donations seem to be physical items: possessions such as jewelry or gaming consoles, or artistic creations such as hand sewn clothing or paintings. There are placeholders for things that can't be put on display all month, such as placards with a picture or description of homemade food that won't be prepared until the auction date, or the promise of fishing lessons with the guidance counselor or a dinner date with the school principal (pending availability). At the back of the room stands the largest case, with the skinny black cat often found lying on top of it as if guarding it, although it will run away when approached.

Inside the case is a body.

OOC

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✽ The plot will only move forward as things are discussed and acted upon, and clues distributed during app acceptances are meant to be shared and connected, so don't be afraid to ask questions and dig into things! I am here to enable.

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I feel awfully sorry for Cerberus, then. It must be terrible to be trapped in a suitcase.

[No wonder he wants to tear Cain limb from limb...]

Nonetheless, there is magic to dispel any sort of curse, barrier, and so on -- and I happen to be a Wizard, though I am lacking in spells at the moment, hoho.

[its terrible.]

If it is a spell of some sort, then I shall see it taken care of! The birds that chirp at night are awfully pleasant, and something I became used to in the Central Kingdom.

[ Iria merely stares with wide eyes. There is so much to unpack there. Cerberus? She can only imagine it's a dog named after the mythological creature, but trapped in a suitcase?? Hello?? Isn't this animal abuse?!

And this guy. He's a wizard. Spellcaster. Magic dude, as her brother would say. Iria is really starting to think she's the only regular human here to the point she'll have to assume everyone else is just, whatever else. ]

A Wizard without his magic sounds quite unpleasant.

[ MOVING ON-- ]

Are birds chirping at night something that's strange where you come from?

[Welcome to this brand of Wizards, who just Drop Things Like That!]

Originally, yes. The North isn't particularly friendly to anything living, so it's difficult to find anything that isn't built for fight over flight.

[Haha. Ha. See what he did there.]

What is it like where you're from? I do love to hear stories from other regions. ♪

[ She sure does, which Iria makes a small face at, but regains her composure quickly. This guy sure is witty. Though when he mentions the north like that, she thinks of a deathly cold place full of snow. If that's the case, birds chirping at night really would be a rare occurrence. ]

I'm not sure if my place of origin would be any interesting, considering where you're from. It's... peaceful, on the surface. The climate makes the weather bearable. The closest thing to magic would be... hm.

[ Iria tears out a small corner piece of paper from her notebook and finally puts that down on the ground. She puts her hands behind her back and holds out two fists outward towards him. ]

Pick the hand that you think has the paper in it.

[Ah, human magic! White's face lights up a bit and he peers at each hand as if that might give him the correct answer, and then taps her left one.]

This one! When you say peaceful on the surface, do you mean the true conflict lies below your feet or beneath your nose?

Both, depending on the severity and social status.

[ She opens that hand. It's not there! She opens the other hand and gasp, it's not there either! Where could it be--

Iria reaches out to the side of White's head and crinkles the little piece of paper near his ear, pulling her hand back. Ta-da. Here it is. Human magic aka sleight of hand. ]

Though I suppose they've been under my nose for so long that I should have gotten used to it, but I haven't.

[Human magic..! He can't imagine his Sage knowing such a trick, straightforward as they are, so it delights him to no end that Iria can perform it so well. White holds out his hand, silently asking for the paper, and if he should get it he'll start to fold it even smaller than it is already.]

Conflict is hard for anyone to get used to, my dear. Even we of the North, who know only violence and territorial disputes since the days of our birth, covet times of peace and respite. Though I'm certain the three whom I mentor would yawn, call such thoughts befitting a boring old man, and seek to cause havoc once they became too anxious without something to put their energy into.

[Hohoho. They're like children, in that way, those three.

But White being included in that must be sort of confusing, huh. He knows.]

Nonetheless, humans preserve even enveloped by such conflict -- even when that conflict seeks to crush them at every angle. I think it's one of the most charming things about your kind.

... I'm sure you feel relieved, and perhaps a little worried, here however. There could be conflict beneath our noses even now, and we would be none the wiser.

[ Iria gives White the little piece of paper when he asks for it and it leaves her to think. Is she really relieved here? If anything, this place serves as a great distraction for what happened at home and she can find herself almost forgetting about it, but she could never.

So she thinks about other things, like how White views humans and the fact that he's a mentor despite looking so young until Iria remembers--right, they could probably age differently. Or choose an age to appear as. That wouldn't surprise her, but there is a disconnect when she looks at him again. She needs to get used to this. ]

In a situation like this, I imagine all sorts of conflicts will arise, whether as the situation as a whole, or internal conflicts among the transfer students or even against the others here. It's a rather high-stress environment, after all... for some of us.

[ She quietly breathes in. ]

Is it interesting that humans persevere through such conflict because most of them are powerless compared to you? Or is it something else entirely?

The first, and also partially the second. Humans find places they love and want to remain so easily, places and people they would lay their lives down for. But Wizards are long-lived, and some of us even nigh-immortal, and we struggle to find a place we can belong.

[He works the small piece of paper, eventually, into a little star, and hands it back to Iria.]

We may have all the power in the world, but what use is it if we have nothing truly worth protecting with it? A human has so little compared to us, yet they will fight with every fiber of their being to remain. I may have my brother, and other Wizards their pride, but I believe humans are far stronger than my sort could ever imagine.

[And he loves them for that, he really does. They're as fascinating as an ant colony.]

[ Iria gently takes the paper back that's folded into a little star. That gets her thinking. Tonight is critical thinking in the philosophy area, it seems. The reason why humans are just so desperate with survival, including herself is because-- ]

As you say, a human may have little compared to a Wizard. Our lifespans are most definitely shorter as well. However, it's exactly that fact that makes humans aware of their mortality, and how fragile things are, so they want to keep things and hold them close as much as they can. They'll fight to protect it, because sometimes a small thing to you can be the world to them and it's all they have.

[ Fear of death and destruction makes most humans pretty predictable, is what Iria thinks. And she doesn't think of herself as an exception either. The little paper star goes in her skirt pocket. ]

[Yes, that is why he loves humans. Why he and his brother cherish their existences, so different and weak to their own. White lifts his small hand and pats her head or shoulder, standing on his tippy toes if he has to. He's like 4'4" give him a break.]

Hohoho, you're quite right there, young one. You must be quite experienced to know such things, and I grieve for you if so. But I won't pry. Instead, would you like to know how to craft the star I gave you? It's wonderful entertainment to see how many you can make once the world deafens, and how small you can go.

[Because... he feels a little bad for a girl so young to know the value of her own life in such a way, that she would be able to think and come upon an answer so close to the one in his heart. And White's always been fond of children, even if she isn't much one to anyone else.]

[ Even if White is an entire foot shorter than her, Iria actually lowers herself a little to make the headpat easier for him, because of course she does. It may be something like belittling to others, but she doesn't seem to mind. Perhaps the answer she gave told him a little too much about herself than she'd like to, but the assumptions would just be up to him. ]

Even if everything is dark when it goes quiet at the same time?

[ There's the moonlight, she supposes as she glances over to the face of the clock, but she figures moon cycles are also a thing here. ]

Even then. Your hands get used to the way you fold the paper, and I'd like to repay you for the magic you showed me before with a little of my own, even if it isn't the sort my thousands of years have cultivated.

[Glasswork was not the arts and crafts of this schoolkid. Paper was. It's fine.]

I'll prepare better for future lessons, [because this is going to be our nightly bonding activity now,] but for now, may I use some paper from your notebook? And your name, dear one.

[ Iria didn't expect for White to want to see her again, but she has no reason to refuse, so she gives him several sheets of paper from her notebook, neatly perforated. ]

I'm Iria Severine.

[ White had explicitly stated that he wasn't human, so Iria wonders... ]

Do you still require sustenance in the form of food and water?

White. A pleasure, Iria.

[He'll carefully tear them into smaller squares, equal in size, and give her half the stack once he's done. She'll be following along his steps, apparently, and he'll go slow so she can watch how it's done.]

As for your question, I haven't for centuries now, actually, but I enjoy them nonetheless. It seems to be the same here.

[ White. And his brother's name is "Snow". Well, she's not the one to talk about naming conventions, since she's part of one with her siblings as well after her mother. ]

Eating food being a want rather than a need sounds good right about now...

[ Must be nice. It also helps her make up her mind about who needs more food and water than the others so that distribution can go smoothly.

She watches how White folds he paper so that she can follow along. It doesn't seem like she has much trouble, other than from the lack of good lighting. ]

[Funny enough, as characters with one name get a new initial one, he's gonna be named after one of the Grimm brothers. For that full fairytale effect.

He's pleased by her immediate progress, however.]

It is, at the very least, more useful for those who do need to eat. The downside of my condition is that I no longer need to sleep either, though. [...] The nights seem longer here.

[Maybe because he doesn't have his brother.]

[ Back when Iria kept herself busy, she didn't want to need sleep. However, in this situation, sleep is more of a blessing when she could afford to. She wouldn't want to feel like she's inside the void, devoid of sound for however long the phase lasts. She might go insane from that eventually, because nothing would feel real.

She snaps out of those thoughts. ]

Even though you don't need to sleep, can you sleep if you choose to?

Yes, I can. But I'm unused to sleeping alone, dear Iria, and so I must admit it has been a little difficult.

[As an Adorable Young Lad he can probably worm his way into the arms of someone, but

he doesn't want to, not really. Not when Snow could be among the populace, if he is at all. Not when he knows so few people here as well as the Wizards home. He could probably deal with this a little better if he had Oz or Figaro, but he is utterly alone in every way.

His smile doesn't reveal just how deep that goes, but the fact he remains smiling at all while saying things so plainly...]

It's why I prefer to spend my time making these stars and other crafts instead. It's very relaxing.

[ It's a little similar to Iria, who doesn't want to have her guard down fully around strangers, especially in such a vulnerable state. Though, she won't pry about White's situation. ]

I wonder if we could stick the stars on the walls or the ceiling.

[ That might be considered vandalism, but does she care about such small things? No. ]

It might help make the place a little less dreary.

[You're quickly reaching favored child status as far as the people he's met so far, Iria.]

Oh, you're quite right. I wonder if there is any sort of paste that we may use to do so..? Not now, as I believe the doors we require may be good and shut, but we should most certainly see if we can bring a little light to these halls.

[Maybe White can use his... connections... with the vice principal and see about allowing them if they're not allowed already. He'll have to try it if their first run gets taken down, because if he doesn't gotta he won't.]

[ Imagine being a favored child of someone who looks younger than she is... Iria gives it a thought. Sure, they could use glue, but that could get messy. She prefers tape for the smaller stars, especially. Well, that would have to depend on the tape, she assumes. Iria's the one who brought up the idea, so she's fully prepared to do most of the work if she has to. ]

I can look for them. I can't really imagine a school like this lacking basic arts and crafting tools, or mending tapes. They seem to have a lot in their disposal.

They certainly do, and without us needing to get hurt for it.

[Doors... are not nice to hit into...]

You have my thanks, dear Iria. What is your favorite color?

[ Iria was about to ask White about getting hurt in order to obtain supplies. Is there something more sinister going on--is what she wonders, because she can't imagine getting hurt to the point of mentioning it while obtaining regular school supplies.

But then he moves on to asking what her favorite color is, and she feels tension leaving her body real quick. ]

Hm... orange, maybe? Why do you ask?

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