Akashic Arcana Campus Expedition

"Cora?" that's a nice name, Takeshi replied. "It's nice to meet you." As Wu and Cora began greeting themselves to the new comer Takeshi happened to begin thinking about a day to impress the two strangers, after all this school is for people to learn a thing or two.
"Sorry guys but I'm actually in a hurry, maybe we can all meet up sometime later." Takeshi said as he scratched his head. "Later!"
As he began walking away he began to think about training Later that day he planned on doing. Then he turned around looking at Wu. "Hey would you like to spar later Wu? I see Cora was amazed when you showed her an example of Wushu, maybe she and Gabriel would like to see it in action. Maybe we can see what they are capable of doing as well."
It sounds like a good plan but Takeshi actually felt nervous, he hasn't sparred in a while do to studies so he's a bit rusty.
 
He noticed Cora's hand gently pulling away, and let her go without a fuss. There was more to her actions, a desire for human contact but also a fear of it. It would be worth exploring at another opportunity. He greeted the young man who just joined the three of them with a kind smile. "Nice to meet you, Gabriel. It's certainly no trouble. I often find myself listening in on conversations out of pure curiosity from time to time."

Just like that, his roommate started taking off, just like him. Takeshi was never one to adhere to common social graces. But as he started running off, he yelled something that Wu found intruiging. Takeshi wished to spar with Wu. "I accept, Takeshi. Don't expect me to go easy on you though." He turned back to the two others he was with as Takeshi left. "Don't mind him, he's very shy. Anyway, would you two like to examine the Kenshido club later? That's where I teach my martial art and the kendo students train. You might find something to your liking."
 
Breathing a silent sigh of relief when Wu let go of her hand, Cora tried to check her palm for signs of burns inconspicously. Apart from a slight reddening of the skin, which was normal for her side of the exchange, her hand seemed fine, which should mean Wu wouldn't notice anything either.

She looked back up just in time to hear the exchange between Takeshi and Wu. She smiled at the later as Takeshi hurried away. "I'd like to see you spar." She wondered how Wu would go up against someone so much larger than he was, but Wu didn't seem apphrehensive in the least.

Turning to Gabriel, she said quietly, "What room are you in? We were going to go see if my roommate is at home, but we don't have to if you would rather do something else."
 
Gabriel shook his head, "No that's fine, and I'm in room 11 building C 4" he said with a smile. " I'd be glad to watch you to spar by the way, it's always great to see to skilled fighters go at it, I bet it'd be educational to watch as well." He finished.
Rotating his shoulder and cracking his neck he added with a grin, "And do you mind if i jumped in? I could use the exercise, even if I do get my tail handed to me"
 
Wu once again laughed at the enthusiasm of this newcomer Gabriel. "I do respect the enthusiasm, but you should know who you're going up against before challenging them. I recommend you watch the match first, then make such a decision. It could save you some bruised ribs." He said, subconsciously holding his hand to the bruise he'd received earlier in the day.

"Well then, let's find your room, Cora. Sounds like you're on the first floor so just follow me." He said as he led the other two first years down the corridors to the room Cora had specified earlier. While on his way, he found himself looking at his left hand, the one he'd taken Cora's in earlier. There was certainly nothing off about it, but he was sure that he'd felt something off about the contact they had made. Perhaps that was connected to why she moved her hand away. Something for later.

When they arrived at Cora's dorm room, Wu let her take point. "Ladies first."
 
Shaking her head slightly at Gabriels desire to randomly spar with people, probably not knowing what he was doing and getting seriously hurt in the process, Cora followed Wu as he lead them down a corridor lined with doors at regular intervals. Boys were seriously strange sometimes, although she had to agree with him that watching people spar would be very interesting, even for someone like herself who knew nothing of fighting.

As they walked, Cora noticed Wu flexing his hand slightly and clenched her own, hoping the mana leeching hadn't left any marks. It would be a rather awkward to explain all that to him.

About half way down the corridor Wu stopped, indicating the door on the left side. She giggled slightly at his words. "Like you have a choice." She murmured good naturedly, moving around him and flipping her key into the air under his nose. Unlocking the door, she pushed in open about half way and poked her head in curiously. She was looking into a large open room that seemed to serve and a joint living room, judging by the sofa and two chairs around a small table and the screen on the wall. To the right of the entrance was a small kitchenette and she could see two doors on either side of the room. The one on the left had a piece of paper tacked to it, which Cora could see even from the door read her name.
"Hello?" She called, "Anyone home?"
She pulled the door open wider and stepped inside, leaving the door open for the boys to follow.
 
Gabriel followed them to Cora's room chuckling slightly at Wu's comment. He knew it seemed odd that he wanted to spar, but he couldn't help himself, he wanted to try and see what he could.
He followed Cora into her room, whistling slightly, "Nice digs. I have to say this place spares no expense when it comes to their students." He commented as he looked around with his hands in his pockets. He wondered if he'd have a roommate at some point, seeing as it'd be fun to live with someone again.
He remembered he still had to go unpack his stuff as some point, having had only the time to drop his stuff of before having to rush off. He also knew itd be fun to have a kitchen, as he liked to cook in his spare time.
 
Atlas sat in her room in a chair with her cello. The tune she played was a haunting one. The music flowed through the room and seeped out into the living room. The tune was one that came to her from the top of her head.

She eventually came to the place where the song ended. It was then that she heard the sound of Cora unlocking the door. "Yes, I'm here!" The shout could be heard from the hallway. She opened the door to her room and came out to the living room with her cello. "I made a new song, want to hear it?" she asked, only noticing the other people after she was completely out in the living room.
 
Right as they were about to enter, Wu swore he could hear a tragically haunting piece of music coming from inside the dorm. It was very faint, but it sounded like it was coming from a cello. Then as they entered, a familiar voice rung out from an adjacent room. It was Atlas Planta... Plantagen, Plantajanet? He could never figure out how to pronounce that last name of hers. She was a Third year and he'd seen her a couple times around campus, even heard faint sounds of her cello playing before.

"Odd way to greet strangers but I'm sure we'd love too, right?" He asked the others before introducing everyone. "You're Atlas, right? The Brittanian Archer? I'm Wu Fei-Long, second year, and I'm showing these two around the campus. This is Cora, she's your new roommate, and this is Gabriel."
 
Cora jumped a little at the shout, not actually expecting someone to be there. She stared at the girl who came through the unmarked door for a moment, then shook herself slightly and smiled at her.
"Hi. What you played was very pretty. Was it a violin?" She wondered what Wu meant by 'The Brittanian Archer' but thought it best not to ask straight away.

Now that they were finally here, she itched to go check out her room, but it seemed impolite to leave this girl, Atlas, standing there when she had just come out to greet them.
 
Gabriel too heard the music, but only after he had entered the room, odd his hearing should've picked it up before they entered. He watched the new girl enter the room, offering to play another piece, "I wouldn't mind hearing another piece." He said watching everyone else's expressions. He found her nicknames odd, but they probably had some relevance, Wu had said she was a third year, being here that long would tend to build you up a reputation. He thought Cora would have an interesting time with her as her roommate.
 
The first person to speak looked familiar to her. After he introduced himself and the others to her she realized why. She had seen Wu around the school plenty of times. "Yes, I am that person. I've seen you around the school plenty of times...this is the first time I've been called the Brittanian Archer before but I do enjoy that title."

She looked over at Cora, the girl With said was her new roommate. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm Atlas, a third year. A lot of people call me The Frozen Arrow, though you can just call me Atlas if you'd prefer." She saw the anxious look in Cora's eyes as she eyed her room. Atlas understood that feeling. "Go ahead and take a look, the room is simply beautiful."

Next she looked over at Gabriel. She was slightly offended that one couldn't tell the difference between a violin and a cello. Though she did understand that there was some similarities between the two instruments. "No dear this is a cello," she said holding up the cello, "it's a bit bigger than a violin and produces a lower tone than a violin." She thought for a minute about what other song she could play. An idea hit her. She sat down on the couch in the living room and set herself up to play. "Here's one for you," and started to play.
she's playing the guitar parts on the cello
 
Cora went rather pink when Atlas pointed out her mistake with the violin/cello/whatever it was. Ducking her head, she mumbled an appology and was glad of the opportunity to slip over to the door with her name on it while Atlas turned to Gabriel. Glanding back at Atlas as she started playing again, she smiled, seeing how the older girl seemed to enjoy it. She was looking forward to having a musicaly inclined roommate.

Opening her door, she stepped inside. She left the door ajar to let the voices and music from the other room follow her in and as an invitation, should anyone want to take a look as well. She supposed all the dorms were about the same, so Wu and Atlas would know roughly what it was like, but maybe Gabriel would like a look. The room she entered was dark, thick blinds covered most of the window, letting only a shaft of light lance through the room. Pulling one side of the heavy drapes away, Cora turned to look at what would be her home for the next three years. It was a large room, simply furnished with a bed, a desk, three chairs, a set of shelves and a wardrobe. At the foot of the bed two suitcases and a couple of boxed where stacked, her things no doubt. There was another door opposite the window, which she presumed lead to a bathroom. Sitting down on the bed, she looked around again, already planning how she would add her own touch to the room.
 
Gabriel closed his eyes as she played taking in the music. His foot tapped to the beat. He smiled as he listened to the skilled musician, as playing a song like that on the cello seemed a amazing feat. He didn't notice Cora walk away to her room, he did notice Wu's silence though, as he was probably listening as well.
Gabriel appreciated good music, and this was certainly that, his hearing picking up the nuances of every stroke of the bow across the strings.
 
As Atlas finished the piece she studied the reactions of the two that had remained in the room. It was hard to say what Wu's reaction said but it looked like Gabriel was thoroughly enjoying it. When she finished she looked up at the clock remembering that she had an appointment in the market later. When she saw the time she was a little relieved. She still had a few minutes but she didn't like to rush so she put her cello up in her room and came back out. "Sorry to serenade you and run, but I have an appointment to get to. I'd love to stay around get to know you all better but maybe I can do that at a later time." She walked over to Cora's room, "I'll be back later I gotta go pick up our meals for the next few days. I'll work on dinner tonight when I get back." Atlas walked to the door and left the dorm room, making her way to the market.
 
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Wu stayed in respectful silence as Atlas played her next song. He gave her a smile and a nod in appreciation of her music. It was an interesting choice, one that didn't seem to fit the cello, and yet she made the instrument sing true. He was impressed. He merely nodded in understanding as Atlas rushed out the door. There were cafeterias and many a restaurant to choose from while living here, but with a kitchen, one could understand the desire to cook your own meals.

He walked over to where he noticed Cora had slipped off to. Her room. Slipping inside he spoke up again, gentle as ever. "I'm told it's much larger than many of the universities around the world, but even then it's not the largest space ever. I'm sure once those suitcases are unpacked you'll see what I mean." He teased lightly, glancing between her and out the window. "You've got a nice view at least."
 
Gabriel followed Wu to where Cora was, and leaned against the door frame as they talked, noting how Atlas left in a hurry to the markets. He looked around the room as he did so, taking note of everything and how similar it was to his room, and noting how she had a better view, "I'd say, better than the view in my room." He said, smiling a bit. He was thinking that things here would be fun especially since the people he'd met so far we're really nice. He chuckled to himself as this was by far the best place he'd ever been to in his life, even growing up he'd never felt so welcome and content.
 
"Oh, uh thanks," Cora was pulled from her thoughts as Atlas poked her head in the room, "But you really don't have to." She added the last bit as the dark head moved out of sight and she heard the front door open and close again. Having a room mate was going to be interesting.

She smiled as Wu walked in. Glancing around the room, she shook her head. "Looks more than big enough to me." The only thing that might not be big enough was the bed. She hoped there would still be space for her once she had filled it with the many plushies she had collected over the years. While only one small one reigned over her heart, she could not bring herself to part with any of the others either.

She was about to join Wu at the window, when a renewed whirring clicking alerted her to her arm bands. Standing up quickly, she felt momentarilly dizzy as the room seemed to spin around her. "Uh, Wu?" She blinked as the room slowly righted itsself, trying to focus on the small monk. "I mentioned letting off some steam earlier. Could you show me a place to do that please?" She let her shirt fall from her shoulders, knowing she woulld start to feverishly warm soon enough.
"Sorry about this." She said to both the guys in the room. She really hated to interupt their tour and was probably making them both a little uncomfortable.
 
Wu had received a text just as Gabriel had entered the room. It was Takeshi clarifying that what he wanted was a duel with magic active and that he wanted a staff so that he could defend himself in close quarters. It was perfect timing as well since Cora had stated going somewhere to let off some steam. "Of course. The dueling arena is perfect for that. Takeshi just told me to have our sparring match there as well so no time like the present."

He finally looked up after sending his message to find that Cora had taken her shirt off. He was momentarily stunned, a flush coming to his face before he managed to recover. "It's not trouble, I'm guessing a mana overload? Has anyone told you before that you're quite beautiful, Cora?" He asked, his words sincere as he beckoned for the two to follow him. He led them down the hallway towards something that looked like a portal.

"We step through here and we'll be teleported to the dueling grounds. I can transfer my personal weapon there as well so I don't have to detour to my place. Shall we?"
 
"Dueling Arena? Sounds good." Cora smiled, looking forward to getting the pressure out of her system and watching Wu and Takeshi fight. She remembered watching a couple of old movies with some sort of warrior monks in them and wondered if what she was going to see would be similar. "Are you still thinking of trying a fight?" She asked Gabriel, wondering what it was that made boys always want to see who was better at everything.

"Me? Beautiful?" Cora muttered, looking down at herself, clad only in a tight top and form fitting jeans, doubtfully, then shrugged, grabbing her shirt before following Wu out of the room and the dorm, locking the door behind her. She tied the shirt around her waist as they walked down the hall, knowing she would need it once she got rid of some mana and stopped feeling feverishly warm.

Reaching the end off the corridor, she eyed the portal Wu was indicating aprehensively. She had never gone through one before and was a little scared, though she would never admit it. What would it be like? Would it interfere with her arm bands or her magic leaching in general? Would her body try to suck the portal dry of power? That would deffinately be too much for her to handle. SHe bit her lip, trying to find a smooth way of getting out of the situation.
"H-how does it work?" That should sound general enough to not arouse too much suspicion, she hoped.
 
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